- The Game

- Introduction to LRP

- About Empire

- Game overview

- Getting Involved

- Battles

- Monstering

- Children

- Events

- Event List

- Event Site

- Standard Event Details

- Sanctioned Events

- Crew

- Event Management

- Crew Guidelines

- Resources

- Traders

- Photography

- Costume

- Contact Details

- Contact Us

- Complaints Procedure

- Forums & Facebook

- Nations

- Nationality

- The Brass Coast

- Dawn

- Highguard

- Imperial Orcs

- The League

- The Marches

- Navarr

- Urizen

- Varushka

- Wintermark

- Costume Advice

- Music

- FAQ

- The Empire

- Overview

- Imperial Structures

- The Senate

- The Synod

- The Military Council

- The Conclave

- The Bourse

- The Throne

- The Academy

- Imperial Sodalities

- Imperial Law

- Imperial History

- Imperial Elections

- Recent History

- The Sentinel Gate

- The People

- Species

- Orc

- Lineage

- Overview

- Briar

- Cambion

- Changeling

- Draughir

- Merrow

- Naga

- FAQ

- Magic

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Magic Items

- Herbs & Potions

- Imperial Magic

- Ritual Theory

- Magical Traditions

- Hearth Magic

- Cosmology

- Eternals

- Realms

- Regio

- Religion

- Overview

- The Seven Virtues

- Ambition

- Courage

- Loyalty

- Pride

- Prosperity

- Vigilance

- Wisdom

- Imperial Theology

- The World

- Overview

- Maps

- Gazetteer

- Realms

- Eternals

- Barbarians

- Foreign Nations

- Languages

- Pronunciation Guide

- Setting FAQ

- Rules

- General Rules

- Characters

- Playing the Game

- Referees & GOD

- Safety

- Downtime

- Core Rules

- Combat

- Calls

- Weapons & Armour

- Magic

- Game Items

- Roleplaying Effects

- Character Creation

- Skills

- Bands

- Resource

- Rules Update

- FAQ

Alphabetical index

- 18_Rings

- 376YE_Winter_Solstice_Conclave_declarations

- 376YE_Winter_Solstice_Imperial_titles

- 376YE_Winter_Solstice_Imperial_Titles

- 376YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_Session

- 376YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions

- 376YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_Sessions

- 376YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements

- 376YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_Judgements

- 377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_declarations

- 377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Imperial_titles

- 377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Imperial_Titles

- 377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_Session

- 377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_sessions

- 377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_Sessions

- 377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements

- 377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_Judgements

- 377YE_Spring_Equinox_Conclave_declarations

- 377YE_Spring_Equinox_Imperial_titles

- 377YE_Spring_Equinox_Imperial_Titles

- 377YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_Session

- 377YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_sessions

- 377YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_Sessions

- 377YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements

- 377YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_Judgements

- 377YE_Summer_Solstice_Conclave_declarations

- 377YE_Summer_Solstice_Imperial_titles

- 377YE_Summer_Solstice_Imperial_Titles

- 377YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_Session

- 377YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_sessions

- 377YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_Sessions

- 377YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_Summit

- 377YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements

- 377YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_Judgements

- 377YE_Winter_Solstice_Conclave_sessions

- 377YE_Winter_Solstice_Conclave_Sessions

- 377YE_Winter_Solstice_Imperial_Elections

- 377YE_Winter_Solstice_Imperial_titles

- 377YE_Winter_Solstice_Imperial_Titles

- 377YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions

- 377YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_Sessions

- 377YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements

- 377YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_Judgements

- 378YE_Autumn_Equinox_Announcements_by_the_Quartermaster_General

- 378YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_declarations

- 378YE_Autumn_Equinox_Imperial_titles

- 378YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_sessions

- 378YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements

- 378YE_Autumn_Equinox_winds_of_magic

- 378YE_Autumn_Equinox_winds_of_war

- 378YE_Spring_Equinox_Announcements_by_the_Advisor_on_the_Vallorn

- 378YE_Spring_Equinox_Announcements_by_the_Minister_for_Historical_Research

- 378YE_Spring_Equinox_Announcements_by_the_Quartermaster_General

- 378YE_Spring_Equinox_Conclave_declarations

- 378YE_Spring_Equinox_Imperial_titles

- 378YE_Spring_Equinox_Imperial_Titles

- 378YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_sessions

- 378YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_Sessions

- 378YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements

- 378YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_Judgements

- 378YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war

- 378YE_Summer_Solstice_Announcements_by_the_Minister_for_Historical_Research

- 378YE_Summer_Solstice_Announcements_by_the_Quartermaster_General

- 378YE_Summer_Solstice_Conclave_sessions

- 378YE_Summer_Solstice_Imperial_titles

- 378YE_Summer_Solstice_Imperial_Titles

- 378YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_sessions

- 378YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_Sessions

- 378YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements

- 378YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_Judgements

- 378YE_Summer_Solstice_winds_of_war

- 378YE_Winter_Solstice_Announcements_by_the_Minister_for_Historical_Research

- 378YE_Winter_Solstice_Announcements_by_the_Quartermaster_General

- 378YE_Winter_Solstice_Imperial_titles

- 378YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions

- 378YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgments

- 378YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgments:

- 378YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgments.1

- 378YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgments.2

- 378YE_Winter_Solstice_winds_of_fortune

- 378YE_Winter_Solstice_winds_of_war

- 379YE_Spring_Equinox_Announcements_by_the_Advisor_on_the_Vallorn

- 379YE_Spring_Equinox_Announcements_by_the_Crystal_Architect

- 379YE_Spring_Equinox_Announcements_by_the_Quartermaster_General

- 379YE_Spring_Equinox_Imperial_titles

- 379YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_sessions

- 379YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgments

- 379YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_fortune

- 379YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war

- Aben-Nuath

- A_Blight_in_Miaren

- Abraxus

- Abraxus_Stone

- Abrogate_fund_disbursement

- Abrograte_Civil_service_observation

- Abstraction

- Accept_Grendel_proposal

- Accept_Jotun_ceasefire

- Acolyte%27s_Mercy

- Acolyte's_Mercy

- Add_%22Sum_of_the_Parts%22_to_Imperial_Lore

- Address

- Address_boggart_infestation_in_Morrow

- Add_Sum_of_the_Parts_ritual_to_Imperial_lore

- Add_"Sum_of_the_Parts"_to_Imperial_Lore

- Adelmar_the_Lion

- Admiral

- Advisor_on_orc_affairs

- Advisor_on_the_Vallorn

- Advocate

- Aesh

- A_Fool_in_a_Crown

- A_guide_to_fabrics_for_kitmaking

- A_Kallivesi_Costume_Diary

- Alabaster_Cerement

- Alderei_the_Fair

- Alderman%27s_Edge

- Alderman's_Edge

- Aldones_di_Sarvos

- A_League_Costume_Diary

- A_League_Costume_Diary_2

- Alignment_of_Mind_and_Blade

- Align_the_Celestial_Net

- All_Come_Listen

- Allocate_Vigilant_Swan

- All_the_Pretty_Ponies

- All_The_Ushka

- All_the_World_in_a_Grain_of_Sand

- Almery_of_Purity

- Alter_manifesto_of_Sevenfold_Path

- Altruist%27s_Recompense

- Altruist's_Recompense

- Always_a_Hero_Comes_Home

- Ambassador_to_Asavea

- Ambassador_to_Jarm

- Ambergelt_Baton

- Amberglass_Chain

- Amberglass_Orb

- Ambition

- Ambition_roleplaying_effects

- Amend_conditions_of_Brock%27s_Buffet

- Amend_conditions_of_Brock's_Buffet

- Amend_crime_of_sorcery

- Amend_law_of_delegation_protection

- Amend_law_regarding_foreign_True_Liao_trade

- Amend_powers_of_Dredgemaster_of_Feverwater

- Amend_Powers_of_Imperial_Master_of_Works

- Amend_powers_of_the_Advisor_on_Orc_Affairs

- Amend_powers_of_the_Bursar_of_the_Imperial_Academy

- Amend_powers_of_the_Conclave_Liason

- Amend_powers_of_the_High_Exorcist

- Amend_powers_of_the_Imperial_Magus

- Amend_Powers_of_the_Master_of_the_Imperial_Mint

- Amend_Powers_of_the_Quartermaster_General

- Amend_Powers_of_the_Quatermaster_General

- Amend_Synod_power_of_Recognition

- Amend_the_powers_of_the_Advisor_on_Orc_Affairs

- Amend_the_powers_of_the_Imperial_Magus

- A_Miracle_in_Hahnmark

- Amity_and_emnity

- Amity_and_enmity

- Anarchy_in_Miekarova

- Anarchy_roleplaying_effects

- Anathemic_Call_of_Bug_and_Briar

- An_Echo_of_Life_Remains

- Annan_Water

- Announcements_by_the_Advisor_on_the_Vallorn

- Announcements_by_the_Minister_for_Historical_Research

- Announcements_by_the_Quartermaster_General

- Anthem_of_Cantiarch%27s_Hold

- Anthem_of_Cantiarch's_Hold

- Anvil_Field_Hospital

- Anvil_Hospital_&_Imperial_School_of_Medicine

- Apothecary_potions

- Apothecary_Potions

- Appoint_a_General_for_the_Golden_Sun_army

- Appoint_ambassador_to_Asavean_Archipelago

- Appoint_Envoy_to_Axos

- Appoint_Feverwater_Dredgemaster

- Appoint_Imperial_Master_of_Works

- Appointment

- Appointments_by_the_Senate

- Appointments_to_the_Senate

- Appoint_Senate_auditor

- Appoint_trade_envoys

- Apprentice%27s_Blade

- Apprentice_Ability

- Apprentice's_Blade

- Appropriate_roleplaying

- April_is_in_my_mistress%27_face

- April_is_in_my_mistress'_face

- Arcane_Mark

- Archetypes

- Archmage

- Arete

- Arhallogen

- Arms_of_the_Warwitch

- Army_qualities

- Arrangement_for_Britta%27s_body

- Artefacts

- Art_of_the_Deal

- Asavean_Archipelago

- Asavean_Archipelago_ports

- Ascendance_of_the_Highest_Mind

- Ascetic_Star_of_Atun

- Ascetic_Star_of_Atun.html

- Ashen_Mantle

- Assembly_of_Nine

- Assign_Holberg

- Assignment_of_Karsk

- Assignment_of_Karsk_II

- Assignment_of_Segura

- Assignment_of_Skarsind

- Assignment_of_The_Brilliant_Shore

- Assign_Segura

- Astolat

- Astronomancy

- A_Sudden_Farewell

- Atuman

- Atun

- Atun%27s_Ring

- Atun's_Ring

- Auditor_of_Senatorial_Accountability

- Auras

- Auras_illegal_in_the_Civil_Service_hub

- Auras_illegal_in_the_Senate

- Autumn

- Autumn_Equinox_2013

- Autumn_magic

- Autumn_Realm

- Autumn_rituals

- Avigliana_di_Sarvos

- Axos

- Baersark%27s_Rage

- Baersark's_Rage

- Bailiff_of_the_Grand_Market

- Balanced_Scales_of_Lann

- Ballad_of_the_Schlacta

- Balms_of_the_Fountainhead

- Bands

- Banner

- Bannerman%27s_Band

- Bannerman's_Band

- Banner_of_the_Bold

- Barbarian

- Barbarians

- Barbed_Spear

- Bards

- Barien

- Barked_Command_of_the_Iron_Serjant

- Basic_Skills

- Basic_Tooling_Skills

- Basic_Tools

- Basileus_Kade

- Bastion

- Battle_Anthem

- Battlefield_ritual

- Battlefield_Ritual

- Battlefield_Rituals

- Battles

- Battle_safety

- Battlesmith%27s_Panoply

- Battlesmith's_Panoply

- Bear_Claws

- Before_the_Throne_of_Estavus

- Beneath_the_Skin

- Benefactor

- Benefactors

- Binding_Threads

- Bishop

- Bishops

- Biting_Blade

- Black_Iron_Blade

- Black_Plateau

- Blacksmith%27s_Wage

- Blacksmith's_Wage

- Blackwillow_Twist

- Bladeroot

- Blessing_of_New_Spring

- Blood_and_Bone

- Blood_and_Salt

- Blood-dimming_Tide

- Bloodfeather_Harness

- Bloodfire_Periapt

- Blood_of_the_Hydra

- Bloodsilver_Spike

- Bloodsteel_Barb

- Blood-sweat_Hauberk

- Bloodwoven_Braid

- Boarskin_Vest

- Boggarts_in_Morrow

- Bold_Navarr_Men

- Bolholt_Song

- Bolstering_Bill

- Bolstering_Bill_(Exemplar)

- Bondring

- Boneweaver

- Bound_by_Common_Cause

- Bourse

- Bow_safety

- Brand

- Brands

- Brass_Coast_culture_and_customs

- Brass_Coast_Culture_and_Customs

- Brass_Coast_economic_interests

- Brass_Coast_Economic_Interests

- Brass_Coast_Egregore

- Brass_Coast_lineage_and_species_attitudes

- Brass_Coast_Lineage_and_Species_Attitudes

- Brass_Coast_magical_traditions

- Brass_Coast_Magical_Traditions

- Brass_Coast_Maps

- Brass_Coast_military_concerns

- Brass_Coast_music

- Brass_Coast_Music

- Brass_Coast_religious_beliefs

- Brass_Coast_Religious_Beliefs

- Bravash

- Brave_Varushka_Forth

- Bravo

- Bravo%27s_Blade

- Bravos

- Bravo's_Blade

- Braying_Horns_of_War

- Brazen_Claws_of_the_Lictor

- Bregasland

- Briar

- Bright_Eyes_Gleam_in_the_Depths

- Bright_Lantern_of_Ophis

- Bringing_in_the_Sheaves

- Britta%27s_Glory

- Britta%27s_song

- Britta's_Glory

- Britta's_song

- Brocéliande

- Brocéliande_Be_Stronger_Now

- Brother_Blades

- Build_Holberg_defences

- Build_The_Fires_High

- Bullroarer%27s_Shout

- Bullroarer's_Shout

- Burnished_Orb

- Burnished_Rampart

- Bursar_of_the_Conclave

- Bursar_of_the_Imperial_Academy

- Business

- Butcher%27s_Bill

- Butcher%27s_Cleaver

- Butcher's_Bill

- Butcher's_Cleaver

- By_Chance_It_Was

- Call_Down_Lightning%27s_Wrath

- Call_Down_Lightning's_Wrath

- Callidus

- Calls

- Call_Winged_Messenger

- Cambion

- Campaign_outcome

- Campaign_outcomes

- Captain%27s_Command

- Captain%27s_Mask

- Captain_of_the_Senate_Guard

- Captain's_Command

- Captain's_Mask

- Caress_of_Arhallogen

- Caricomare

- Cartographer%27s_Eye

- Cartographer's_Eye

- Carts_Come_Home

- Carve_the_Crystal_Guardian

- Casinea

- Castellan_of_Spiral_Castle

- Cast_Off_The_Chain_of_Memory

- Casualties

- Category%3AArcane_Implements

- Category%3AArcane_Weapons

- Category%3AAutumn_Ritual

- Category%3ABows

- Category%3ADaggers

- Category%3ADawn

- Category%3ADay_Ritual

- Category%3ADescriptive_Text_Required

- Category%3AFoci

- Category%3AForeign_Nations

- Category%3AHeavy_Armour

- Category%3AHighguard

- Category%3AIcons

- Category%3AIC_Text_Required

- Category%3AImperial_Orcs

- Category%3AJewellery

- Category%3ALight_Armour

- Category%3AMage_Armour

- Category%3AMage_Robes

- Category%3AMagic_Items

- Category%3AMagic_Standards

- Category%3AMasks

- Category%3AMedium_Armour

- Category%3AMusical_Instruments

- Category%3ANavarr

- Category%3ANight_Ritual

- Category%3AOne-handed_Spears

- Category%3AOne-handed_Weapons

- Category%3AOther_Weapons

- Category%3APaired_Weapons

- Category%3AParaphernalia

- Category%3APole-arms

- Category%3ARegalia

- Category%3AReligion

- Category%3AReliquaries

- Category%3ARituals

- Category%3ARitual_Staves

- Category%3ARobes

- Category%3ARods

- Category%3ARunes

- Category%3ASenate

- Category%3AShields

- Category%3ASpring_Ritual

- Category%3AStaffs

- Category%3ASummer_Ritual

- Category%3ATalismans

- Category%3AThe_Brass_Coast

- Category%3AThe_League

- Category%3AThe_Marches

- Category%3ATools

- Category%3ATwo-handed_Weapons

- Category%3AUrizen

- Category%3AVarushka

- Category%3AVestments

- Category%3AWands

- Category%3AWintermark

- Category%3AWinter_Ritual

- Category-Arcane_Implements

- Category-Arcane_Weapons

- Category-Autumn_Ritual

- Category-Bows

- Category-Daggers

- Category-Dawn

- Category-Day_Ritual

- Category-Descriptive_Text_Required

- Category-Foci

- Category-Foreign_Nations

- Category-Heavy_Armour

- Category-Heavy_Armour.html

- Category-Highguard

- Category-Icons

- Category-IC_Text_Required

- Category-Imperial_Orcs

- Category-Jewellery

- Category-Light_Armour

- Category-Mage_Armour

- Category-Mage_Robes

- Category:Mage_Robes

- Category-Magic_Items

- Category-Magic_Standards

- Category-Masks

- Category-Medium_Armour

- Category-Musical_Instruments

- Category-Navarr

- Category-Night_Ritual

- Category-One-handed_Spears

- Category-One-handed_Weapons

- Category-Other_Weapons

- Category-Paired_Weapons

- Category-Paraphernalia

- Category-Pole-arms

- Category-Regalia

- Category-Religion

- Category-Reliquaries

- Category-Rituals

- Category-Ritual_Staves

- Category-Robes

- Category-Rods

- Category-Senate

- Category-Shields

- Category-Spring_Ritual

- Category-Staffs

- Category-Summer_Ritual

- Category-Talismans

- Category-The_Brass_Coast

- Category-The_League

- Category-The_Marches

- Category-Tools

- Category-Two-handed_Weapons

- Category-Urizen

- Category-Varushka

- Category-Vestments

- Category-Wands

- Category-Wintermark

- Category-Winter_Ritual

- Cathan_Canae

- Cathan_Canea

- Cattle_Calls

- Caution_for_the_Dawnish_Youth

- Cavul

- Celestial_Arch

- Censer_of_Benediction

- Ceremonies_overview

- Ceremonies_Overview

- Cerulean_Mazzarine

- Challenge_the_Iron_Duke

- Champion%27s_Bastion

- Champion's_Bastion

- Champions_Shining_Resolve

- Changeling

- Change_to_Navarr_voting

- Change_Urizen_voting

- Changing_Doctrine

- Chant_of_Long_Years

- Chants_for_naughty_children

- Chapter

- Chapters

- Characters

- Charge_of_the_Rushing_Wind

- Chasuble_of_Majesty

- Child_protection_information

- Children

- Children_of_Thunder

- Chirurgeon%27s_Healing_Touch

- Chirurgeon's_Healing_Touch

- Choleric_Staff

- Chorus_of_the_Righteous

- Chrysalis_Pendant

- Churning_Cauldron_of_Bravash

- Circle_March

- Circle_of_Gold

- Circle_of_Trust

- Circlet_of_Command

- Circlet_of_Falling_Snow

- Citizens,_priests,_pilgrims_and_dedication

- Civil_Claims

- Civil_Service_Look_and_Feel

- Clad_in_Golden_Raiment

- Clarify_the_powers_of_the_Minister_of_Historical_Research

- Clarify_the_powers_of_the_Quartermaster_General

- Clarion_Call_of_Ivory_and_Dust

- Clarity_of_the_Master_Strategist

- Clear_Counsel_of_the_Everflowing_River

- Clear_Lens_of_the_Eternal_River

- Clemency

- Clemency_guidance

- Coil_of_the_Black_Leech

- Cold,_Crisp_Air

- Cold_Water_from_the_Mountain

- College_of_Magic

- Combat

- Combat_skills

- Come_my_pretty_one

- Commission

- Commission_Egregore_histories

- Commission_Imperial_audit

- Commission_roll_of_honour

- Commonwealth

- Commonwealth_ports

- Complaints_procedure

- Conclave

- Conclave_address

- Conclave_appointments

- Conclave_design

- Conclave_Liaison_to_the_Senate

- Conclave_of_Trees_and_Shadow

- Conclave_order

- Conclave_session

- Conclave_vault

- Condemnation

- Congregation

- Conscience_of_the_Senate

- Construct_Academy_Religious_Studies_sinecure

- Construct_a_Marcher_graveyard_in_Holberg

- Construct_a_memorial_at_Anvil

- Construct_Asavean_Embassy

- Construct_Barrens_Spy_Network

- Construct_cargo_dock_at_Caricomare

- Construct_college_of_magic_in_Morrow

- Construct_conservatory_for_the_Anvil_Hospital

- Construct_Faraden_embassy

- Construct_fortified_garrison_in_Overton

- Construct_fortified_manor_in_Liathaven

- Construct_herb_gardens_at_Treji

- Construct_Horddalat_spy_network

- Construct_House_of_Barbs

- Construct_Jarmish_Embassy

- Construct_Liathaven_spy_network

- Construct_Madruga_shipyard

- Construct_mana_repository_in_Morrow

- Construct_Master_Apothecary%27s_Garden

- Construct_Master_Apothecary's_Garden

- Construct_memorial_at_Anvil

- Construct_Mercantile_Exchange_in_Temeschwar

- Construct_museum

- Construct_Otkodov_spy_network

- Construct_Printer%27s_Guild_Museum_of_Wonders

- Construct_Printer's_Guild_Museum_of_Wonders

- Construct_shrine_for_Britta%27s_body

- Construct_shrine_for_Britta's_body

- Construct_Starlight_Drift_of_Shimmering_Snow

- Construct_Sumaah_embassy

- Construct_Sumaah_embassy_II

- Construct_Sylvihrafn_Crystal_Henge

- Construct_the_Glorious_Fountain_of_Dusk_and_Dawn

- Contact_Profound_Decisions

- Contact_the_Lasambrian_orcs

- Corsair

- Corsair%27s_Bloody_Mask

- Corsair's_Bloody_Mask

- Corsets_in_Empire

- Costume

- Costume_advice

- Council_address

- Council_session

- Courage

- Courage_roleplaying_effects

- Coven

- Cowl_of_Ashes

- Cowl_of_Judgement

- Crafting_skills

- Create_bond

- Create_Egregore_histories

- Create_Highguard_army

- Create_Imperial_Banner

- Create_law_of_delegation_protection

- Create_law_of_desecration

- Create_law_outlawing_the_Vyig

- Create_roll_of_honour

- Create_title_of_Admiral

- Create_title_of_Advisor_on_the_Vallorn

- Create_title_of_Auditor_of_Senatorial_Accountability

- Create_title_of_Bursar

- Create_title_of_Bursar_of_the_Imperial_Academy

- Create_title_of_Captain_of_the_Senate_Guard

- Create_title_of_Conclave_Liaison

- Create_title_of_Crystal_Architect_of_the_Spires

- Create_title_of_High_Exorcist

- Create_title_of_Imperial_Chaplain_Consular

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Introduction to LRP

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 FAQ

- 3 What is live roleplaying?

- 3.1 Online gaming

- 3.2 Acting

- 4 How do you do it?

- 5 Is it difficult?

- 6 What is the point?

- 7 Can my character be anybody?

- 8 How does fighting work?

- 9 How do I get a costume?

- 10 What is Empire?

Overview

This page is designed to help explain what live roleplaying is for people who are new to the hobby. If you are new to live roleplaying and interested in the hobby then don't hesitate to contact us after you have read this introduction and we can answer any questions that you have.

FAQ

We maintain an FAQ of Questions frequently asked by new players which you may find answer some of your questions.

What is live roleplaying?

The most common question that people who are new to the hobby ask is what is live roleplaying? A game with rules but no winners or losers, a performance with actors but no audience or script, it is often confusing to the newcomer.

Roleplaying literally means assuming or acting out a particular role. In live roleplaying we take on a role or character for the enjoyment that can be had by acting out the role. One of the easiest ways to understand live roleplaying is to look at the similarities with other hobbies.

Online gaming

In online games players create a character who can explore the computer generated world and talk with other characters in the world. The world is filled with challenges and dangers for the characters to overcome.

Live roleplaying is just the same but it is all done for real. You dress, speak and act as the character you have created once the game begins.

Acting

It is easy to understand the idea that actors take on the role of the part they are playing. Once they are on stage they act as if they were the character they are portraying, in some cases improvising their lines if needed.

When live roleplaying you will be both actor and audience, creating lines for your own character and witnessing the improvised words and actions of the other players in the game.

How do you do it?

When you are live roleplaying you simply pretend to be your character, then act and speak as your character would. Unlike other roleplaying games, you never describe what your character is doing, instead you simply attempt the action. If you want to challenge another character to a duel, you must call them out, then draw your sword and try to strike your opponent with it. We strive to make the imaginary world feel as real as possible for all participants, so ask players try to avoid references to the real world and instead remain in their chosen role as much as possible.

Is it difficult?

No. Anyone can live roleplay, there is no skill or technique to learn. In essence it is no more difficult than the games of imagination like Cowboys and Indians that children play. If you are capable of pretending to be someone else then you can live roleplay.

Our live roleplaying games have a set of rules, in the same way that sports like football or tennis have rules. Learning these rules can appear cumbersome, however they are rarely needed in play. Established players are always understanding with new players who are still learning the rules so don’t be put off if you can’t remember them all. If you have any questions about the rules then you can find a referee to help.

What is the point?

Live roleplaying, like acting, is enjoyable purely for its own sake. Most participants find that by immersing themselves in the character they have created, they can forget about the pressures of real life for a while. In the same way that an action film is different to a comedy or period drama, different games will offer different experiences. Some live roleplayers enjoy the social interaction, some prefer the thrill of battle whilst others relish the opportunity to create and wear amazing costumes.

There is no winning or losing. Just as real life doesn’t offer clear cut win or lose situations, neither do most live roleplaying games. However live roleplaying presents opportunities that you could never normally experience, allowing you to become the protagonist in historical or imaginary settings. In the end it is impossible to know whether you will enjoy live roleplaying unless you try it.

Can my character be anybody?

All live roleplaying games have a setting that describes the world the game takes place in. If you think about a Shakespearian play, you wouldn’t expect Julius Caesar to come on stage during a performance of Romeo and Juliet. You must create a character that is appropriate for this setting. By reading the description of the game world you can get a feel for the kind of characters that are suitable to play.

It is best to avoid trying to play a character taken directly from a film or book. It is much better to try and create a character of your own after you have read through the setting, although you may be inspired by a character you have seen or read about.

How does fighting work?

Live roleplaying games make use of special props that allow participants to fight each other safely. If you take part in a battle you can enjoy the thrill of actually wielding a weapon and experience the physical challenge of trying to strike your opponents while avoiding being struck yourself. The rules determine the effects of hitting an opponent and of being hit. If the character you are playing is killed then you can create a new character and then resume playing the game as someone different.

Battles can be exhilarating but they are not for everyone. Some people who attend events choose to avoid combat, preferring to focus on the social side of the game. Although you can never be sure what will happen to your character, most players who attend our events have little trouble avoiding combat if they make an effort to do so.

If you have never done live roleplaying before then we can arrange for an experienced player or member of crew to give you a quick lesson in how to fight safely at your first event. It only takes a few minutes to learn and most players will be happy to show you how.

How do I get a costume?

If you take up a hobby like diving or mountaineering, you need to have the relevant clothing and equipment. Costume is very important in live roleplaying because you need to dress as your character would. It is particularly important to avoid wearing anything that other players will see is inappropriate for the setting. For our events this means not wearing modern clothing such as trainers, jeans or printed t-shirts. If you were watching Robin Hood it would be totally incongruous if Guy of Gisburne was wearing a modern leather jacket.

Our wiki contains extensive advice on costume that is appropriate for your character in Empire. If you follow the advice then you can be confident that your costume will look good and be suitable for the game. If you have any questions about the suitability of a piece of costume then it is best to email us and we can give you specific advice.

Some live roleplayers enjoy making their own costume and you can find advice on how to do that on our wiki. If you don’t feel confident using a needle and thread or following a pattern then you can purchase costumes, weapons and armour from one of the many traders who support the hobby. We have traders at all our events and they sell everything you need for your character. Details and links for traders are also available on our wiki.

What is Empire?

Empire is a live roleplaying game created by Profound Decisions. Set in a world of mystery and magic, you play one of the heroes of the Empire - a civilization formed from nine disparate nations. The Empire is beset by many enemies, tribes of barbarian orcs threaten her borders while enemies within and without work to bring the Empire down. Players have the chance to play the leaders of the Empire, striving to triumph over her enemies.

Hundreds of players attend every event; working together to protect their home, they also strive against each other to gain power within the Empire. Merchants cut trade deals, magicians practice arcane rituals all while warriors fight vast armies of barbarians in epic battles.

You can read this basic overview of Empire to get more idea about the game.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Introduction_to_LRP&oldid=27422"

Game overview

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Look and feel

- 3 The nations of the Empire

- 4 The Senate

- 5 The Synod

- 6 The Military, the Bourse and the Conclave

- 7 The Civil Service and magistrates

- 8 Eternals

- 9 Lineage

- 10 Barbarians, foreigners and Orcs

Introduction

The game is set in a powerful Empire that is surrounded by hostile barbarians on all sides. The Empire has grown in power and size for centuries but has experienced a decline in recent decades with territories along the borders being overrun by barbarians. Around a fifth of the territory the Empire controlled at its height has been lost to a series of incursions that an Empire focused on internal politics was ill-equipped to repulse.

The Empress has recently been slain, leaving the collective player base as the most powerful individuals in the Empire. Their challenge is to restore the Empire to its former glory by regaining the lands that have been lost and to secure its future.

The Empire is formed from nine culturally distinct nations. Each nation has its own culture and customs but they are politically and legally unified. Although the players are all fundamentally on the same side there is rivalry between nations, with players competing with each other to lead the Empire and achieve their own goals.

Events represent the moments when the powerful and significant members of the Empire come together to shape its future. These are times when characters can take bold actions - there will be votes in the Senate and the Synod, opportunities to practise powerful magic, chances to make your fortune and battles to be fought that will determine the outcome of the Empire's military campaigns.

Look and feel

The inspiration for the setting is drawn from the late Byzantine period to the early Renaissance era. In creating the visual styles for the nations we have been inspired by some of the images from the Lord of the Rings movies, the Assassin's Creed and Dragon Age computer games, HBO Borgias and the Game of Thrones television series, the Starz Camelot series and even the BBC Merlin series.

The setting and the style of the game has also been influenced by modern fantasy literature, especially the highly political worlds of Jim Butcher's Codex Alera and Joe Abercrombie's The First Law.

The game is not a historical setting; history is just one of the starting points that has been used to create the distinctive looks and the culture of each nation. We want players to create characters and wear costume that fits the setting and their part within it. To help with this the wiki includes extensive information about each nation, the costumes that are appropriate and advice on how to create the right look. The goal is for everyone involved to be ambitious and work together to create a game that looks stunning and sets new standards for immersion.

The nations of the Empire

The Empire is formed from nine culturally distinct nations. Nations exist to provide the players with their primary source of identity - in the way that players in other fest systems are Malathians, Greeks or Lions, our players are Highborn or Navarr. The game is organised logistically along nation lines, with camps laid out for each nation. Nationality has no rules impact on a character’s skills or abilities, because we want to encourage players to choose their nation purely for its aesthetic and setting rather than for reasons of optimisation.

Nations are not politically independent, but they have a cultural identity that is identifiable and reflected in their dress, customs and attitude. The Empire has a single set of laws that applies to each citizen, and each nation elects senators to represent its political interests as well as generals to direct its armies in service to the Empire.

The Senate

Political control of the Empire is primarily through the Senate. Each nation selects its own senators, who serve for fixed terms. Senators vote on motions and make decisions that affect the Empire directly. The debates and business of the Senate is facilitated and administered by our NPC Civil Service and the Speaker. The Speaker’s role will be to chair and officiate meetings of the Senate.

In the absence of an Emperor or Empress, the Senate is largely in charge. Creating an Emperor or Empress is the responsibility of the Senate, but is not easy and we do not envisage it happening in the early part of the campaign. Even with the Throne occupied, the Senate continues to have a vital role in shaping the future of the Empire.

The point of the Senate is to provide a focus for political conflict between characters. It gives PCs the levers to control the Empire - but in uptime, rather than in downtime.

The Synod

The Synod is a political body and meeting place for the faithful of the Empire. It serves as the moral conscience of the Empire, but also possesses potent political powers supported by the Imperial Constitution. Membership of the Synod is open to all priests of the Imperial Faith with a congregation (represented by a personal resource), but a priest who is part of the Synod cannot simultaneously be a Senator or General.

The Synod has several powers including the ability to veto certain decisions of the Senate, to call Imperial Citizens before it to answer questions about their actions, and ultimately to dismiss senators and generals it deems to be corrupt or unvirtuous. They are also the only body able to intercede with the judiciary to plead for clemency for convicted criminals.

The Military, the Bourse and the Conclave

Three other "Imperial Structures" exist that rival the power of the Senate and Synod.

The Military is run by the generals who oversee war and conflict with the Empire's enemies. A position in the Military will give a character influence over the wars the Empire fights as well as the battles that take place at each event.

The Bourse is an arena for characters who are interested in trade and commerce. A position in the Bourse allows characters control of valuable resources that can be used to influence the economic development of the Empire.

The Conclave is a political arena for the powerful wizards in the Empire. Positions in the Conclave will be associated with magical prowess and power and characters involved in the Conclave will be able to shape the magical destiny of the Empire.

The Civil Service and magistrates

The Empire has an efficient and orderly civil service that helps administer the Empire. These are NPC roles played by crew. Their job is to facilitate the player leadership and keep the game immersive and challenging. They present details of the setting to the players in a purely IC manner, bringing onto the field aspects of the game that might otherwise have required referees, print outs or computers. The Civil Service lets the players enjoy the challenge of controlling an empire without getting bogged down in the bureaucratic details of administering an empire.

The Civil Service will also perform tasks such as managing meetings in the Senate, holding trials for accused parties and presenting intelligence to help the generals choose which battle opportunities to pursue. The Civil Service makes it possible for us to recognize what players are doing, and to ensure that their actions and decisions are reflected in the game world. The NPC Civil Service carry out a wide range of logistical functions, without being in charge.

The Magistrates are a specific branch of the Civil Service whose role is to enforce the law. Laws are created by the players in the Senate, but enforced by our NPC magistrates. PCs can be directly involved in the legal process, gathering evidence and arresting suspects, but trials will be conducted and judged by our NPCs. This ensures that breaking the law is meaningful and credibly dangerous, as well as keeping the resulting trials short and interesting.

Eternals

The world of Empire is known to touch six other planes of existence. These are home to magical entities called Eternals, some of whom are interested in the human world. Players - especially magicians - can meet and negotiate with the Eternals. The Eternals are not gods but possess magical powers that players will find useful. They have their own motivations and personalities, and characters will be able to bargain with them to advance their own agendas.

Lineage

Human PCs may choose one of six distinct lineages. Lineage represents a supernatural quality in a human character's make-up. This quality might be due to Eternal blood in their ancestry or represent exposure to powerful magic. The strength of lineage varies between individuals. Each lineage has a list of suggested roleplaying and physical trappings that offer guidance on how to play the lineage. The more of the trappings the player adopts for their character, the more like an Eternal and less like a human their character becomes. Characters with lineage are still human, and lineage has no impact on a character’s skills or abilities. It may however influence how other characters (especially Eternals) interact with them.

Lineage fills the role that race often plays in fantasy games. Only human characters have Lineage - orc characters, specifically, do not.

Barbarians, foreigners and Orcs

Barbarians are people who are not part of the Empire, that the Empire is currently at war with. There are several distinct barbarian powers which represent hostile tribes, kingdoms, and nations. The barbarians are designed to look cool in massive numbers in battles, to provide immersive, exciting and dramatic combat encounters, and to allow a range of interactions outside of combat. Most of the barbarian powers that currently surround the Empire are orcs. Players are not able to play barbarian characters - by definition, they are not welcome on the playing field.

Players are able to play Imperial Orcs. Imperial orcs are those orcs who were brought into the Empire decades earlier; as such, they are politically assimilated and loyal to the Empire. Imperial orcs have their own unique culture; effectively they are a nation of their own, although they lack territory and the political power that the nations of the Empire wield.

Other species exist in the world, but currently players may only create human or Imperial Orc characters.

Foreigners are people that are not part of the Empire, that the Empire is not currently at war with. The Empire trades with many of these foreign powers, and may host delegations from them. Foreigners have no ability to directly influence the future of the Empire, but may have political agendas that guide their interaction with the players.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Game_overview&oldid=31044"

Getting involved

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Why are Profound Decisions doing this?

- 3 Why Get Involved?

- 4 Ways to Get Involved

- 4.1 Set Building

- 4.2 Costume Making

- 4.3 Contributing to the Wiki

- 4.4 Crewing

- 4.5 Pitching In

- 4.6 Self-organizing

Overview

We want to make Empire be a community game in the sense that everyone who participates in the game has an in-character and out-of-character opportunity to be involved in making the game better - if they wish to be. Our goal is to try to make Empire a community game, one that everyone can contribute to and be a part of if they want to.

Our long term goal is to work with the players to develop the game to make it cooler. Once we have the basic game up and running and things are running smoothly, we want to build on the enthusiasm of the players and work together with players in the nations to create better sets, costumes and set pieces to make the IC camp look cooler. Working closely with everyone involved should allow us to produce a much more visually compelling game. Profound Decisions can provide funds for materials, participants can provide the skills and labour to make those materials into awesome costume and sets, so everyone gets a better game.

Why are Profound Decisions doing this?

In the past, we have striven to keep the players at arm's length when creating our events. We have taken the philosophy that it's our responsibility to create the game, and that the only appropriate responsibility for players has been to play it. We created a clear division between those who were crewing our games and those who were playing them and politely refused offers of help from the players. We did this to create games where having an important and significant character happened because of the things your character had done - not because of the things the player had done to help the event organizer. In Empire the leaders of nations, the famous heroes, the powerful mages - should be those characters whose in-character actions have brought them prominence, not the out-of-character time they have contributed.

But the undeniable truth is that the costumes, props and sets that we have created have simply not been as good as if we had accepted or sought out help. But there are also more subtle consequences. By refusing most help from the player-base it has been harder to identify and recruit new crew. It is also harder for players to use our campaign setting as a platform to develop their own event-running skills. It creates artificial distinctions which encourage distrust between organizers and players. Ultimately I think it runs contrary to what most live-roleplayers want - LRP is a very social game and events are most enjoyable when produced by an interested and involved community. Dividing people into players and crew works to undermine that community.

It is a perfectly valid criticism that a commercial LRP company could simply pay to have these things done commercially. In practice the economics are painfully clear; Profound Decisions has always been reliant on volunteers; there is no financial framework in which we can operate on a purely commercial basis. But more importantly what we can achieve by working with volunteers is not just better than that which we can achieve by operating alone - it’s unimaginably better. A key part of the logic of seeking much closer co-operation with everyone participating in the game is that we want to produce an epic game, we want to produce something that is utterly amazing - the closer we work with the community - the closer to that ambition we can get.

Why Get Involved?

We are determined to ensure that out-of-character involvement remains completely voluntary and does not affect a player's character in the game. Many of us have time-consuming jobs and don’t have the time to do anything more than turn up and play and participation won't be for everyone either for practical or taste reasons. We as event organizers - and the community of players who play Empire - need to ensure that “just playing” is no more or less valid than those who get involved in other ways. If we want the community to be as inclusive and accessible as possible then we need to make participation enjoyable - so that it becomes its own reward - not something that you exchange for credit with the players and organizers.

So getting involved is not about having an important or powerful character in the game. The reason to get involved is because you want to help and most important of all - because you'll enjoy yourself. We are striving to do everything possible to make the experience of getting involved as enjoyable as possible. Whether you're helping us put tents up, building incredible sets or monstering a battle, we want the experience to be fun. LRP is our passion and we want to work with people who share that passion. If that's you and you have time to contribute to making the games cooler than that is the reason to get involved.

Ways to Get Involved

There are loads of ways that players enthusiastic in Empire can get involved. A lot depends on what your skills are, how much time you have spare and what sort of things you enjoy. For the most part we are using Facebook to organize groups of people, but if you don't have a Facebook account then you can always email us and get involved that way.

Set Building

For the first event we are working to complete our two-storey tavern as well as building the Senate structure. There are also small projects around set dressing and creating props for the market place like street lighting. At present most of our set building takes place on site at Tournament Stud over the weekends. People come down for the day to help or camp over if they're able to do both days. All the materials and essential tools are on site, but if you're a skilled craftsmen and don't mind bringing your tools, more always helps!

Anyone can help with set building, provided you can work a drill or a hammer or a paintbrush and don't mind hard work. Some artistic talent or skill with tools is incredibly helpful, but everyone can play a role. Please don't just turn on spec though, get in touch and let us know that you want to come down. The best way to get involved is through the Facebook set building group.

You can also get involved with planning and creating set dressing. Set dressing is a real art, it takes talent to be able to look at a tent or a structure and know how to dress it to look the best. But planning before the event is incredibly useful, there are always bargains to be had on ebay and other places and preparation on set dressing before the event helps to transform a set. If you are able to help with dressing the sets and want to help then get in touch or join the Facebook group.

Costume Making

No LRP group can ever have enough costumes! We have two trucks full of costume, but we still need to create many more costumes for Empire. We need to make ref livery coats, civil service mantles, costume for Eternals and their heralds. We need costume for foreign dignitaries and barbarian orcs. But we also need shield covers for the shields we've bought, quivers for the arrows we've bought and so on and on.

We are buying all the materials, and of course in some cases we are paying for costume to be made up, but if people can help us by getting involved and turning material into costume or the like then it allows us to create vastly more costume for the same amount of money. The net result is that the NPCs and the game look better. The players are making incredible efforts on their costume and we want to make sure that we do everything possible to match their efforts.

The best way to get involved is through the new Facebook costume group. Sewing costume requires a degree of skill, but what is needed most is some enthusiasm and enjoyment of making kit. Some projects also suit folks with other skills, for instance making leather accoutrements for the barbarians or creating shield covers. At some point in the future we are planning to organize some costume making days, to get folks together to make kit, but until then most people involved are making kit at home.

Contributing to the Wiki

We want the Empire wiki to become a fantastic resource for people who are looking at making their own kit and costume. A number of very talented people have helped us create costume guides to offer advice on how to make kit and we're now adding to those with new submissions by players.

A kit diary is a fantastic way to contribute to the game. If you're making a new piece of kit, whether it's costume, a prop, shields, weapons, a tent - anything that could be useful for Empire, then keep a record of what you do, take plenty of photographs along the way and then write it up. The easier your kit diary is to understand and follow, the better. Once it's complete email it to Jude Reid who is collating the kit diaries and adding them to the wiki.

Eventually we hope to expand the wiki to allow player submissions in other areas.

Crewing

We are going to need a lot of crew for Empire, particularly people who are up for playing orc barbarians and having a lot of fights! We have a few spaces for people who want to help out with game administration in GOD and other roles, but our biggest need is for people to get involved and help us create the game by playing a wide variety of roles. There will be a lot of combat roles, but there will be a good mix of purely roleplaying roles as well.

Most crew positions are full time at the event, so crewing is something to consider as an alternative to playing the game. Crewing is free and is a lot of fun and you also get the satisfaction of knowing you have helped to create something a thousand plus people have enjoyed. If you are interested in joining the crew then the best place to start is by reading our Empire crew guidelines.

Pitching In

The alternative to crewing for those who want to play the game is to pitch in and help when you want to. If you're on site early and your own camp is already set up then find one of our set-up team and give them a hand putting up tents. It's hard work, but it's fun. If you want a break from playing your character for a while, or you just want to have some extra fights, then come and volunteer to NPC for us and we'll find some fun roles for you to play.

A lot of players have expressed an interest in creating their own monster kit for the event. Obviously we don't expect anyone to do this, but it's another brilliant example of the kind of commitment and contribution that will help to make the game look awesome. Eventually we hope to add guidelines to the wiki for players looking to create an identity and costume for the barbarian roles for when they are monstering the big battles.

Self-organizing

Ultimately the best way to contribute to Empire is to just do something that adds to the game. The people from Mandala recently ran a £30 costume challenge, challenging themselves and players to try and make costumes on a budget. They are organizing the whole thing but hopefully we'll have lots of pictures and information to add to the wiki when it's complete. By talking to other people in the Empire community we can share ideas for making costumes and props. A few people have already spoken to us about the prospects for running their own events in the Empire setting, something we're keen to support; there will be more information on that later in the year.

Our hope is that Empire can become a great platform for people who enjoy LRP as a hobby, not just playing but all aspects of LRP, writing plot, playing roles, creating kit, building sets, organizing events. We want to do what we can to support that and we hope that those of you who have the time and inclination will join us.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Getting_involved&oldid=31045"

Battles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Play One, Crew one

- 3 Safety

- 4 Objectives

- 5 Imperial Characters

- 6 Barbarians

Overview

Battles and skirmishes in Empire are the uptime aspect of the extensive military campaign conducted by the military council, and player military units to defend or expand the borders of the Empire. The downtime campaign provides the scenery and context for the uptime battles at events, and the importance of the decisions made by Imperial generals as to which battles and skirmishes they will undertake at events.

Empire battles are always objective driven and highly likely to feature movement and manoeuvring, often through wooded terrain.

Play One, Crew one

The first rule of participating in an Empire battle is that if you play one, then you must volunteer to fight as an NPC in one. Every event features at least two battles, so there is always an opportunity for every player who participates in the battle as their character to volunteer for another battle. Requiring the players to volunteer is the only way that we can create truly dramatic battles involving hundreds of characters at once. Please see the rules below for playing a barbarian on the battlefield.

If you are affected by health issues that limit the roles that you can portray on the battlefield, then please make sure you let someone from the Profound Decisions crew know. Everyone who plays their character on the battlefield needs to volunteer to help with another battle, but there are a wide range of different roles that are available. Everyone has a chance to get involved and help create a great battle for their fellow players.

Safety

There are additional battle safety guidelines for all participants in battle.

Objectives

The functionaries of the Military Council will always know the primary objectives of a battle, informing the generals of what they are and a rough difficulty as worked out by civil service prognosticators. Battles are loosely graded as ‘easy’, ‘average’ or ‘hard’, though there may be variation between those difficulties depending on diverse circumstance (one hard battle may be more difficult than another). Secondary objectives may feature in many battles, these being plot or campaign relevant features. For example a notorious orc shaman might be on the battlefield whose capture or death would disrupt barbarian plans to perform rituals in the future, it might be possible to turn human slaves against their captors and so spread chaos through a region and so forth. Succeeding in those primary or secondary objectives will have significant effects on the overall military campaigns of the empire. Turning defeats into narrow escapes, reducing the casualties suffered by a campaign army, or removing skilled leadership from barbarian armies.

Each battle will be different, in some cases the PCs will arrive without sight of any barbarian opponents, in others they might arrive and be engaged immediately.

Imperial Characters

Functionaries in the Military Council and the Sentinel Gate will be able to inform Imperial citizens when a portal to a battle opportunity is available and for how long.

Those nations and banners going on a battle should be prepared to enter through the portal during that window of opportunity. While they may return from the battle at any time, the window to go to a battlefield is not long, and thus it is not possible to go back and forth, or to send later reinforcements if they should be needed.

On stepping through a portal to go on a battle or skirmish, players will then be timed out. Referees and other members of crew will assist players in going to the destination point for their teleport, on arriving there they will be timed in, arriving in the order and roughly the same formation as they walked through the portal.

You may return to Anvil from the point you arrived at your destination. It is not possible to then return to the battle once you have left. Again, you will be timed out on stepping back through the portal and make your way to the Sentinel Gate at anvil, on stepping back through the Sentinel Gate you will time in back at Anvil in the same condition as you left the off-field location.

Barbarians

Part of the social contract for Empire is that any player taking part in a battle as their Imperial character is required to take part in a battle as a barbarian character. Mustering for monsters begins at time-in at 10am, outside the monster tent.

Some events will have more than two battle opportunities for the generals to commit their nations to. When this is the case, you can select any one of the other battles you are not taking part in as your Imperial character to volunteer as a barbarian for. You may also choose to take part in more than one of those battles if you wish, and likewise can attend all of them if you have no intention of taking part in battles as your Imperial character but still wish to participate.

On arrival to volunteer as a barbarian you will be supplied with masks and armour where appropriate by PD and briefed on your role. While it is generally the case that groups of players are able to play together as barbarians, there may be times when we wish particular weapon combinations or armour to fight in specific units (e.g. all archers together). PD Crew will ensure the battle is explained to you and assist you in getting into your role as a barbarian character.

In some battles, barbarian reinforcements will arrive, this is to represent the barbarian numbers exceeding those of the number of barbarians we have available. To facilitate this, after you have died as a barbarian you should put your hand in the air, move clearly out of any engagement, and return to the designated place as explained to you by crew for that battle. To avoid breaking the immersion of the players you should wait until the current engagement is over - ideally when the players have moved on if possible.

While barbarians do have healers and will be using them, barbarian characters, unless otherwise informed, do not have a 3 minute death count. Barbarians can be considered dead (not terminal) one minute after they have been reduced to 0 hits. At that point you should move yourself out of the fighting area with your hand in the air and return to the reinforcement location.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Battles&oldid=30506"

Monstering

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Volunteering

- 3 Getting More Involved

- 4 What to Bring

- 4.1 Costume

- 4.2 Weapons & shields

- 4.3 Bows

- 4.4 Armour

- 4.5 Drinks

- 5 Essential Monstering Rules

- 5.1 Roleplay, Roleplay, Roleplay

- 5.2 Roleplay Heroic Blows

- 5.3 Remain IC and Support Immersion

- 5.4 Play the Ball, not the Man

- 5.5 Pay it Forwards

- 5.6 Roleplay Warriors, not Murderers

- 5.7 Do not Loot the Fallen

- 6 Non Combatants

Overview

Most of our Empire events feature large battles that take place between the elite heroes of the Empire and their barbarian enemies. Everyone who attends Empire has the opportunity to play some monster roles if they wish to do so, you can volunteer to monster for any of our quests, skirmishes or battles. If you want to play your character in one of the battles then you must volunter to monster the other one - otherwise it's not possible to give anyone a challenging battle to fight.

Volunteering

The Imperial Military Council makes the decision on Friday night, which battles they are going to attempt that weekend and which nations will fight on each. This determines the battle opportunity that is available for your character - and which battle you will be expected to monster. Ideally, we hope that the Imperial generals will try to inform everyone of the decisions that have been made, but if you are unsure then ask your Egregore and they can let you know if you are fighting or monstering the next day.

Mustering for monsters begins at time-in at 10am. The intention is that those people who are monstering the battle will muster up at the monster tent rather than going in-character that morning. Please try and be as prompt as possible.

Getting More Involved

We strive to make monstering as enjoyable as possible, so much so that some players choose to monster both battles if their character is not a combatant. However live roleplaying is ultimately a hobby where much of the enjoyment flows from the act of participating - the more you put into a game - the more enjoyment you can get out of it. Turn up for a battle is the basic minimum expected of everyone - but Empire has been deliberately designed to allow participants to invest in the experience to make the most of monstering for themselves and the other players.

Playing a barbarian lists some of the things that are possible for people who want to get more involved and get the most out of monstering and explains how the game setting is set up to handle this.

What to Bring

Costume

We can provide top layers of costume themed to the battle but please bring a base layer of generic IC kit, such as a long sleeved shirt and IC trousers.

Weapons & shields

You must bring a weapon with you if you have one. If you have a choice of weapons then please bring a one-handed weapon and a generic shield if possible.

Bows

We only use a limited number of archers in each battle. You are welcome to bring a bow in case you are chosen to play one but please bring an alternative weapon if you have one.

Armour

We have plenty of resin mould breastplates but please bring any other pieces of armour - even mage armour - that you are happy to wear while monstering.

Drinks

We have crew assigned to carry water for monsters during the large battles, but it is a really useful to bring your own water skin if you have one.

Essential Monstering Rules

Roleplay, Roleplay, Roleplay

You should endeavour to roleplay your blows and injuries as much as possible. The challenge of the battle is set by the actions of the players, the choices they make and the characters set by the battle manager. Your goal is to make the battles and the fighting as atmospheric and immersive as possible, by emphasizing the roleplaying of the fights.

Roleplay Heroic Blows

Do not deliberately aim heroic blows at hands and feet, while they are valid targets under the rules, they are not credible locations for a heroic blow under the spirit of the rules. As a barbarian your goal is to emphasize the heroic nature of this blow, by aiming a suitable strike at the torso or limbs of your enemy.

Remain IC and Support Immersion

If you are unsure whether you were affected by a heroic ability or spell, then take the effect. The battle will be cooler for everyone if you react to the actions of the Imperials rather than arguing over whether an arrow hit a steel plate or leather instead.

Play the Ball, not the Man

As a barbarian your role is to provide an amazing challenge for the players who are playing their character, but it is important to stress that you are there to bring their adversaries to life, not to beat the players or kill characters. You must roleplay as a barbarian according to your brief and follow the instructions of your leaders and referees. It is up to the Imperial characters to win or lose the battle.

Pay it Forwards

Don't forget that as a barbarian you are there for the enjoyment of the Imperials as well, if you give them a great fight with amazing roleplay, they will want to do exactly the same for you.

Roleplay Warriors, not Murderers

Under no account should you use the execute call unless specifically briefed to do so by a referee. In general barbarians do not stop to execute fallen opponents while the fight is still ongoing. Forces like the Jotun in particular are noted for their honourable behaviour, allowing their enemies to withdraw if defeated and taking hostages.

If the Imperial forces engage in widespread butchery, murdering barbarians who have fallen, then we will respond accordingly by providing our dedicated NPC crew with instructions to retaliate against the murderers.

It is not helpful for player volunteers to execute player-characters under any circumstances, as this damages the trust in the volunteer system that is essential to the game.

Do not Loot the Fallen

Do not loot fallen Imperial characters unless specifically briefed to do so by a referee. In general barbarians are focussed on defeating their enemy and winning the battle, not collecting loot. In some battles specific NPCs from our dedicated monster team will be instructed to loot fallen characters for their wealth.

It is not helpful for player volunteers to loot player-characters under any circumstances, like execution, this damages the trust in the volunteer system that is essential to the game.

Non Combatants

If you are affected by health issues that limit the roles that you can portray on the battlefield, then please make sure you let someone from the Profound Decisions crew know. Everyone who plays their character on the battlefield needs to volunteer to help with another battle, but there are a wide range of different roles that are available. Everyone has a chance to get involved and help create a great battle for their fellow players.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Monstering&oldid=33629"

Children

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Goals

- 3 Guidelines for all adults

- 4 Bookings

- 5 Additional guidelines

- 5.1 Guidelines for parents and young live roleplayers

- 5.2 Age specific information

Overview

Live roleplayers of all ages are allowed to attend our Empire events. We believe that the Empire game setting provides a unique opportunity for the inclusion of young players in a natural way as part of the world. This decision will not affect other games- Odyssey will continue to be for players aged sixteen and over.

Our context for including children in the game starts with the premise that children must roleplay characters who are children and that their parents or carers must roleplay characters who are their parents or carers. The Empire is very concerned with the education and training of children, to ensure that they grow into heroes. We will focus our activities for younger players on things that the Empire can deliver that are appropriate for their characters within the setting.

Empire is not a “family friendly” event. This means that you are not expected to moderate your language in the presence of other players, any more than your character would normally choose to do. Profound Decisions are of the opinion that children will hear far worse every day at school and that words alone don’t affect a child’s social development. We accept that this is not everyone’s view, but that position is the basis on which we are running the Empire game - if you are not happy for your children to hear adults swearing then you must not allow them to attend the event.

Goals

- To give young live roleplayers an awesome LRP event to attend.

- To prevent issues surrounding young live roleplayers damaging immersion for all attendees, (adults and children).

- To ensure that Profound Decisions meets its moral and legal obligations to protect all our event attendees to the best of our ability.

Our primary goal in including under sixteens in our games is to give those roleplayers an awesome live roleplaying event. It is easy to idealize that we will have opportunities to teach children how to roleplay or help improve young children’s confidence or initiative, that we can enable parents to attend or similar.

None of these are part of our stated objectives - of course it is lovely if we can help young players become better live roleplayers or gain confidence but a child’s education is their parent’s responsibility - not ours. It is great if allowing children to attend improves access to the game for parents and carers. But these are not our goals; the fact that children pay less than the adults is no more relevant than the fact that people booking early pay less than players paying on the gate. Our responsibility is not to the parents or to the LRP community - our single overriding responsibility is to the young player. We must aim to give them a fantastic roleplaying event to attend, the same as we do for all our players.

Other than our moral and legal obligations to ensure that we protect children and adults attending our event, the only other caveat is that we ensure that our guidelines minimize the capacity for individual live roleplayers to disrupt the event for other players - children and adults. For the benefit of all our players we need to put clear rules in place for young players and their parents so that everyone can be confident that individual players will not be allowed to upset the event for others.

Guidelines for all adults

When roleplaying, you should aim to treat children as children as far as is humanly possible. However this is within the context of a society that expects children to have as much autonomy and responsibility as they can sensibly handle. The Imperial viewpoint is that the Empire is defended by its heroes and that children are the heroes of tomorrow. As such they are encouraged to take an interest in the business of the Empire and the way it runs, to learn how to fight and defend themselves. You determine how your character regards children, but your character is part of a society that tries to include children, not one that believes children should be “seen and not heard”.

However, children are still children, and a degree of realism is an expected part of the setting. You wouldn’t expect to take an eight year old to a battle or on a dangerous quest, nor would you be happy to see them running around wielding a sharp sword or any other lethal weapon. In the Empire, children have to earn the right to carry a weapon, when they have proved they are strong enough to wield it and mature enough to carry it.

Children, especially young children, will on occasion cry. This is perfectly normal in the real world, and your character should not make a fuss if it happens. It is exceptionally difficult to communicate to a parent that you are unhappy with their child crying IC, while perfectly happy with it OOC; there is a high risk that this will be seen as an OOC complaint. For this reason we ask all players to play characters who accept that children cry and are not unduly bothered by this.

As swearing is permitted at Empire, it is not appropriate to complain at the language used by other players in the presence of children for the same reason that it is not a good idea to complain about children crying, it is very difficult to roleplay these scenes without confusion about the IC/OOC nature of the complaint. A normal character in the setting might well avoid a string of expletives in front of a young child, but as a player your right to roleplay without having to watch what you say is clearly laid out in the social contract of the game.

Public nudity, of the kind that would not be permissible on a beach on which children are playing, is not appropriate at Empire. Your fellow players, of any age, do not want to see that, so ensure that genitalia and nipples (if female) are completely covered. The only exception to this is for people who are breast-feeding. This is perfectly acceptable at Empire, as it would be in many modern restaurants and other public areas.

If you are unhappy out-of-character with the behaviour of another player (of any age), then the correct response is to bring this to the attention of a member of the PD crew. This is particularly important if it is a situation where another roleplayer is struggling to remain in-character, for whatever reason. We will deal with the situation and speak to the player, or to their parent or carer as appropriate.

It is very important that older players make all reasonable effort to avoid situations where they are alone with a child. The ideal situation is to have at least two or more children present and preferably one other adult as well. This is for your protection, as much as for the protection of the child, and is good advice for anybody in contact with children in modern life.

Empire is a political PvP game, but violence between citizens of the Empire is forbidden by law and the game is not intended to contain physical PvP conflict, beyond the possibility for the occasional assassination. Consequently your character should have very few reasons to want to threaten a child. It is appropriate for you to assume that a child’s OOC parent or carer is also their IC parent or carer and is therefore responsible for their actions. You should take IC action against the IC parents for the IC actions of their IC children wherever possible.

If your character does wish to act against a young live roleplayer, from a minor confrontation to kidnap or murder, you must obtain a member of our referee team and clear your actions with them first. They will assess the situation and take whatever steps are appropriate, to speak to parents or the child, to ensure that the child is mature enough to roleplay with the situation and that the child and adults involved are suitably protected. Anyone violating this rule will be dealt with harshly.

Bookings

Every person who attends one of our events must have their own account- there is no way to buy a ticket for children from your own account at this time. Instead you must create a separate account for them. Once you enter the correct date of birth for your child, then the child tickets will become available.

Please make sure you fill in the next of kin details appropriately as we will use these to check that children are attending the event with a suitable adult.

Additional guidelines

Additional guidelines are available for parents or carers as well as for young live-roleplayers. If you are a parent or carer please make sure that you have read the guidelines for parents, those for young live roleplayers and the age specific information that is relevant for your children or those in your care.

Young adults that are old enough to read and absorb the guidelines should be encouraged to read the guidelines for live roleplayers of their age. Parents should go through the guidelines with younger children to so that they can help them to follow the rules. If you wish to, you may also read our child protection information.

Guidelines for parents and young live roleplayers

- Guidelines for parents or carers

- Guidelines for all young live roleplayers

Age specific information

- Information for under 7s

- Information for 7-10 year olds

- Information for 11-15 year olds

- Information for 16-18 year olds

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Children&oldid=31051"

Events

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Event Dates in 2015

- 3 Time-in and Time-out

- 4 Early Arrival

- 5 Location

- 6 Booking and Prices

- 6.1 Multi-booking Discounts

- 6.2 Concessions

- 7 Payment

- 7.1 Ebanking

- 7.2 Standing Orders

- 7.3 Cheque

- 7.4 Card Payments

- 8 Cancellations and Transfers

Overview

Profound Decisions will run four Empire events each year. Although we are keen to give players the freedom to run their own Empire events if they wish, we believe it is also important for players to know what level of commitment and involvement a game presents. Therefore there will only ever be four Profound Decisions Empire events each year.

Event Dates in 2015

OOC details for all our events in 2015 are below. If you have any questions about the details then please email us and we will endeavour to answer them for you.

Event

Start

End

Location

Winter Solstice

3rd April

6th April

Upper Spernall Farm

Spring Equinox

22nd May

25th May

Upper Spernall Farm

Summer Solstice

24th July

26th July

Upper Spernall Farm

Autumn Equinox

11th September

13st September

Upper Spernall Farm

Time-in and Time-out

Time in is at 6pm Friday of each event. Time-out is at 3pm on the last day of the event: Monday for the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, Sunday for the Summar Solstice and Autumn Equinox.

Early Arrival

Although there is no role-playing before time-in on Friday, you are very welcome to arrive early to begin setting up your camp. The bar will be open on Thursday evening and our caterers will be aiming to provide hot food. Please enjoy this opportunity to socialize out-of-character.

The earliest that you can arrive is 11:00 am on the Thursday before each event. There is an additional charge of £5 for anyone who stays on site on Thursday night that must be paid on the door.

Location

All our events in 2015 will be held at our backup site at Upper Spernall Farm, Off Spernal Lane near Alcester in Warwickshire. Sadly the new site has no woodlands but it has a bigger battlefield and Anvil itself will be much bigger than our previous site with better access and drainage.

Booking and Prices

Online booking is available for all Profound Decisions events via our online account system. Please create an account, enter your details and choose which events you wish to attend. You can even use the online booking system if you wish to pay by cheque as the system will give you a single booking reference to write on the back of your cheque.

All our events cost £60 if booked well in advance. The price rises after the early booking deadline and then again if you pay on the gate. Please see our ticket booking deadlines for details. Various discounts are available and all discounts are cumulative.

Multi-booking Discounts

If you book for more than one event simultaneously then you are receive a £5 discount for each additional event that you book. For example, if you book for three events then you are eligible for a discount of £10 from the total price.

Concessions

Players are eligible for a discount of £15 off the price of each event if they are eligible for concessions. Anyone who is a full time student, in receipt of unemployment benefits such as job-seekers allowance or is a pensioner is eligible for the concession on the ticket price. You only have to be eligible at the point where you provide the proof of your eligibility, so students or can claim the discount for the year even if their course ends in the Summer.

You must provide proof of your eligibility. The best way to do this is to email proof to us at admin@profounddecisions.co.uk after you have booked. We can then mark your entire booking as having the concession confirmed. If you don't do this then you will be forced to bring proof to the event and then queue up in a long queue at GOD before you can play. Please don't do this, it's bad for you and bad for us! Email us a scan of your proof and we will log it to your account.

Payment

Ebanking

You can pay for your ticket with a simple bank transfer, which is quick and easy especially if you use internet or telephone banking. The online booking system will provide you with a simple reference number to use when making your booking. This reference number is unique for your account and never changes.

Bank transfers are by far the cheapest way for us to take payment. If you do not mind what payment method you use then please pay by bank transfer as it helps us considerably.

Standing Orders

You can set up a standing order to pay for your tickets. The online booking system will provide you with a simple reference number to use when making your booking. This reference number is unique for your account and never changes. We do not get charged for standing order payments, so like bank transfers, it helps us out considerably if you choose to pay this way.

Cheque

Make cheques payable to Profound Decisions Ltd and post them to us at Profound Decisions, PO Box 666, Preston, PR2 1ZW. If you use the website to create your booking then you will receive a unique reference number to write on the bank of your cheque. We will have an online character creation form available soon for people who do not want to use the website to book.

Card Payments

Your can use most cards to pay for your bookings if you use the online booking system. If you don't wish to enter your details online then you can phone the office on 0845 0944 798 and we can process a card payment for you.

Cancellations and Transfers

You may cancel or transfer a ticket for an event if you inform us before 6pm on the Friday that the event begins. You can inform us by sending an email or leaving a message on our answer machine. We reserve the right to charge a £5 administration fee for cancellations or transfers within two weeks of the start of an event.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Events&oldid=34524"

Upper Spernall Farm

Contents

- 1 Queries

- 2 Site regulations

- 2.1 Vehicles

- 2.2 Ground Fires

- 2.3 Rubbish

- 3 Travel

- 3.1 Site Address

- 3.2 Approach Speed

- 3.3 From M40 (The South-East)

- 3.4 From M5 (The South-West)

- 3.5 From M42 (The North)

- 3.6 By Train

- 3.7 Minibus

- 3.8 By Bus

- 3.9 Taxi

- 4 Amenities

- 4.1 Supermarkets

- 4.2 Local Food Shops

- 4.3 Pubs

- 4.4 Restaurants

- 4.5 Fast Food

- 4.6 Camping Equipment

- 4.7 Accommodation

- 4.8 Chemist

- 4.9 Cashpoint

- 4.10 Petrol stations

- 4.11 Purity Brewing Company

Queries

For all site related queries about Profound Decisions events at Upper Spernall Farm, please contact Profound Decisions, please do not attempt to contact the site.

One of our players, John Shockley, has very kindly created this rough guide to Spernall. Most of the local amenities are listed below on this page, but John's guide includes more details of the quality and services on offer as well as his personal recommendations.

Site regulations

Vehicles

The car park is the first field as you enter the site. Please park your car near the security point and check with the gate crew for further instructions. If weather conditions are reasonable then vehicles will be allowed on the IC field to unload.

Camping will be operated on our usual "pitch and park" process. The gate team will direct you where to camp and you can then pitch your tent next to your vehicle.

Ground Fires

Fires must not be set on the ground, they must only be lit on the oil drums provided or an equivalent that keeps the fire off the ground. Existing fire sites and should be completely extinguished each night. We are arranging firewood for the site.

Rubbish

Please make sure that all your rubbish is suitably bagged and disposed of in the skip before you leave site. Do not overfill your rubbish bags - more bags are available on request from GOD at any time. The skip is located in the main OOC field. Please ask for directions if you cannot find it.

Travel

Site Address

Upper Spernall Farm, Off Spernal Lane, Great Alne, Warwickshire, B49 6JF.

Please be very cautious if you are attempting to navigate to the site using a satnav system. There are a number of minor roads near the site that are incredibly narrow, including one which fords a river. Please follow our published directions and only fall back on your satnav if you get lost; this will take you to the site by the best route.

Approach Speed

- 40 mph please

- 68% of road deaths take place on rural roads

The local residents have expressed some very understandable concerns about the impact of traffic on the local roads. One of the really constructive suggestions that we have received is to ask all participants to moderate their speed on the minor roads around Spernall and Great Alne. These roads are narrow and used by horse riders, cyclists, and pedestrians of all ages. If we want to share them with the local residents then it is only fair that we respect their right to use them safely.

It is very easy for us to assume that fears about the impact on the local area from our hobby are unfounded, but DfT figures show that 68% of road deaths take place on rural roads. That's an astonishingly high figure when you consider the relative amount of traffic using them. The statistics reveal a simple truth - if we can't moderate our speed on these roads then we really are a threat to the local residents.

As a result we are asking everyone to reduce their speed when using the approach roads. Dropping your speed to 40mph or less for the last few miles will make no difference at all to your travel time but will make a huge difference to how our hobby is perceived. We know that once folk understand the reasoning then everyone who attends our events will want to do this to demonstrate that live roleplaying is a respectful hobby.

From M40 (The South-East)

- Leave the motorway at J15 and take the A46 towards Stratford Upon Avon

- Stay on the A46 past Stratford Upon Avon towards Alcester

- 9 miles after leaving the motorway there is an offset crossroads

- Take the right turn signed Billesley 1/2, Aston Cantlow 3 onto Wood Lane

- Go straight through Billesley, and 1 mile later take the first left signed for Haselor and Great Alne

- 1 mile after the bend is a minor crossroads

- Go straight on, onto Pelham Lane, signed for Great Alne

- Carry on for 0.75 mile, turn right at the T-junction, signed for Great Alne

- 0.25 mile after, turn left at the T-junction, signed for Alcester

- 0.1 mile after the road bends to the left with a pub on the corner, turn right off the road onto Spernall Lane, signed for Spernall, Studley

- The road is straight for 2 miles, then take a right turn into the lane that leads to the farm, signed for the event

- The site entrance is on your left

From M5 (The South-West)

- Leave the motorway at J7 and take the first exit, signed A44 Worcester and Evesham

- There is then a series of closely spaced roundabouts one after another

- At the first roundabout, take the second exit, signed Worcester (City centre) (A44)

- At the second roundabout, take the second exit, signed Evesham (A44), Stratford (A422)

- At the third roundabout, take the third exit, signed Evesham A44, Stratford (A422)

- Stay on the A44 for 1.5 miles until you come to another roundabout.

- Take the second exit, straight on, signed Stratford (A422)

- Stay on the A422 for 10 miles until you reach an offset crossroads

- Turn left, signed Redditch A441, Stratford (A422) then immediately right signed Stratford A422

- Stay on the A422 for 1.5 miles until you come to a t-junction. Turn left signed Birmingham, Warwick, Evesham, Stratford, and Alcester

- Straight after that is a roundabout, take the first ext, for the A435, signed The North M42

- 1 mile later is another roundabout, take the fourth exit, signed for Arden Forest Industral Estate, Great Alne, B4089

- Straight on for .75 mile you come to a crossroads with give way signs. Turn right.

- Straight on for .3 mile then you come to a t-junction with a mini-roundabout.

- Turn left signed for Great Alne, Wooten Wawen, B4089

- After 1.5 miles the road bends to the right with a pub on the corner, turn left off the road onto Spernall Lane, signed for Spernall, Studley

- The road is straight for 2 miles, then take a right turn into the lane that leads to the farm, signed for the event

- The site entrance is on your left

From M42 (The North)

- Leave the motorway at J3 and take the A435 towards Evesham

- Stay on the A435 for 7 miles past Studley

- Turn left onto Spernall Lane after Spernal Ash Garage a small car sales garage on the right

- Straight on for 0.5 miles over a narrow bridge

- Straight on for a further 0.5 miles then the road bends round to the right

- 0.3 miles later take a left turn into the lane that leads to the farm, signed for the event

- The site entrance is on your left

By Train

The most convenient train station is Redditch (which has good links to Birmingham).

Minibus

There is no minibus service this year.

By Bus

From Redditch, take either the 26 or the 247 getting off at Spernal Ash Garage. It is about 1 mile from here to the site.

- 26 timetable

- 247 timetable

Taxi

Local taxi companies include

- Premier Taxis on 01527 69999.

- Redditch Taxi on 01527 852699 or 07801 730456

- Albany Cars on 01527 852699

Amenities

Supermarkets

- Co-op - 2.9 miles - 4 Alcester Road, Studley, B80 7AR.

- Aldi - 3 miles - Birmingham Road, Studley, B80 7BG.

- Tesco Express - 3 miles - 33-35 Alcester Road, Studley, B80 7LL.

- Waitrose - 4.1 miles - Off Moorfield Road, Alcester, B49 5DA.

- Morrisons - 5.4 miles - Warwick Highway, Redditch, B98 0SW.

- Sainsbury's - 7.8 miles - Abbey Trading Centre, Alvechurch Highway, Redditch, B97 6RF.

Local Food Shops

- The Meat Shack - butcher bakery - 2 miles - Spernal Garden Centre, Alcester Road, Studley B80 7PD.

Pubs

- The Moat House - 4 miles - Birmingham Road, Kings Coughton, Alcester, Warwickshire, B49 5QF - 01789 762984.

- The Boot Inn - 4 miles - Birmingham Road, Mappleborough Green, Studley, B80 7BJ - 01527 852192.

- The Throckmorton Arms - 3 miles - Coughton Hill, Alcester, Warwickshire, B49 5HX - 01789 766366.

- - 4 miles - The Washford Mill - Icknield Street Drive, Studley, B80 7BD - 01527 523 068

Restaurants

- The Mount Everest - 3 miles - 31 Alcester Road, Studley, Warwickshire B80 7LL - 01527 850717

- The Summer Palace - Chinese restaurant - 5 miles - Birmingham Road, Studley, B80 7DF - 01527 857118.

- Peppers - Indian restaurant - 3 miles - 45 High Street, Studley, B80 7HN - 01527 853183.

- The Cellar - Indian restaurant - 7 Market Place, Alcester, B49 5AF - 0791 768 55 50 / 01789 764 635.

Fast Food

- Fred’s fish bar - 3 miles - 19 Alcester Road Studley, B80 7AG - 07787 687151.

- Safs Fast Food - 3.3 miles - 57 High Street, Studley, B80 7HN - 01527 850086.

- McDonalds - 5.2 miles - Clews Road / Coldfield Drive, Oakenshaw, Redditch, B98 7ST.

- KFC - 5.2 miles - Clews Road, Redditch, B98 7ST.

Camping Equipment

- Winfields - 7 miles - 5 Astwood Lane, Feckenham, Redditch, B96 6HQ.

Accommodation

- The Throckmorton - 2.9 miles - Coughton Hill, Coughton, B49 5HX.

- Kings Court Hotel - 3.9 miles - Kings Coughton, Alcester, B49 5QQ.

- The Old Rectory - 5 miles - Ipsley lane, Ipsley, Redditch, B98 0AP.

- Travelodge - 5.6 miles - A435 Birmingham Road, Oversley Mill Roundabout, Alcester, B49 6PG.

- Premier Inn - 7.9 miles - Bordesley Lane, Alvechurch Highway, Redditch, B97 6AQ.

- Studley Castle - 4 miles - Castle Road, Studley, B80 7AJ.

Chemist

- Dudley Pharmacy - 3.2 miles - Pool Medical Centre, Pool Road, Studley, B80 7QU.

Cashpoint

- Co-op - 2.9 miles - 4 Alcester Road, Studley, B80 7AR.

- Oversley Mill - 6 miles - Oversley Mill Services, Alcester By-Pass, Alcester, B49 6PQ.

Petrol stations

- BP - Oversley Mill - 6 miles - Oversley Mill Services, Alcester By-Pass, Alcester, B49 6PQ.

- Harvest - 2.6 miles - Alcester Road, Studley, B80 7NW.

Purity Brewing Company

The site we are on is also home to Purity Brewing Company, a great company that brew some fantastic beers. They are looking forward to us turning up and have a shop on site all ready to sell to anyone coming to the event.

- Shop on site stocking their own beers and a range of other beers and lagers, canned and bottled

- Normal opening hours Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm Saturday 10am – 4pm.

- They can make up mini-casks (9 pints) and polypins (30 pints) of live (needs 24 hours to settle) or bright beer (can serve immediately).

- They can supply 9 gallon firkins of live or bright beer (cask deposits apply)

In order to ensure they have stock on the day, please visit the online shop. You can click and collect and order things like Polypins and Minicasks in advance which need making up by the brewery itself. They also have a membership scheme called the Puritans which entitles members to a 10% discount online and instore.

Please note that dropping any beer ‘bright’ incurs a surcharge.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Upper_Spernall_Farm&oldid=34583"

Event information

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Tickets

- 3 Arrival Times

- 4 Time in

- 5 Registration

- 6 IC Photographs

- 7 Weapons Check

- 8 Telephone

- 9 GOD

- 10 First Aid

- 11 Toilets

- 12 Woods

- 13 Food and Drink

- 13.1 Curry Knights

- 13.2 Feast

- 13.3 Noodle Van

- 13.4 Tyches

- 13.5 Skian Mhor

- 13.6 Appleby Coffee

Overview

The following event information is applicable for all our events in 2015. Please feel free to point people to this page if they are looking for information on details for times, dates and other recurring event details.

Tickets

The gate crew at all PD events have a list of every player who is booked for the event on it. They will check your name off as you arrive. If you are not sure if you are booked for the event, then you can check your booking status by logging in to your PD account or by emailing the head office.

Please make sure that you have entered your car registration number on your PD account if you are travelling by car.

If you have claimed the concessionary ticket price, please make sure that you email a copy of your proof of eligibility to the head office or bring a copy with you to the event.

Arrival Times

Players are allowed on site from 11am on the Thursday before the event starts. There is an additional charge of £5 to arrive one day early; this is paid on the gate.

The gate will close at 10pm and will open again at 10am on Friday morning. If you are arriving after this time, there will be a number on the gate that you can call and security will open the gate to allow you in.

Time in

Empire begins at 6pm on Friday and ends at 1 am that night. On Saturday time in begins at 10 am and ends at 1am. At the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, there is a second full day of play from 10 am to 1am. On the last day of an event time in begins at 10 am and ends at 3pm.

All players must be off site by the evening of the last day.

Registration

We will open GOD for event registration as early as possible on Friday. We will put up a sign outside GOD as soon as it is open. Once you have pitched your tent then come to GOD to collect your event pack. Your event pack will contain your character card, your character's money, phys-reps for resources and liao you have, ribbons for any special items and cards for mana crystals and herbs.

IC Photographs

We will have a member of the GOD team taking photographs of characters in their costume. You can collect your pack without getting your photo taken in the first year, but please try and get your character's photograph taken when you get a spare moment. At future events you will not be able to collect your pack until we have a picture of your character.

Your picture should be of you wearing your costume and kit and any make-up or prosthetics that are appropriate.

Weapons Check

Bring your weapons to the weapon check point at the tavern to get them checked by a Profound Decisions weapons checker before use. Any weapon that fails a safety check must be returned to your car or left with GOD until the end of the event.

Telephone

For appropriate use only, our on-site mobile number is 07817 133793. This will be manned by Profound Decisions event team on the run up to the event, and held by our security team throughout the event. If you need to get hold of Profound Decisions to report an emergency then you can call this number.

GOD

Any enquiries that you have about your character, the game or the event can be dealt with at GOD. This is located in the OOC camping field, near the entrance to the IC area.

First Aid

The First Aid tent is immediately in front of GOD. Qualified first aid staff are available at all times here or via GOD. Please report any medical problems to First Aid or to any member of staff with a radio.

Toilets

There are two toilet blocks, one in each OOC camping field. There are two additional toilet blocks in the the market place. The location of the toilet blocks will be marked on the site map for each event.

Woods

Please note that with the exception of the Navarr camp, the adjoining woods are not part of the IC site. The woods will be in use throughout the event for battles and plot. You should not enter the woods unless you are instructed to do so by a referee.

Food and Drink

Drinks and snacks are available from our fully IC tavern. The bar will be serving drinks on Thursday evening, but is OOC until time in on Friday. There are five caterers at this event providing food for real money.

Curry Knights

Curry Knights will offer curry and pancakes in the OOC area.

Feast

Feast provide a range of wholesome food from the large white marquee in the OOC area.

Noodle Van

There will be a noodle van opposite feast selling a range of more exotic meals.

Tyches

Tyches will offer a sit down meal from their restaurant next to the tavern.

Skian Mhor

Skian Mhor will be serving from the kitchen next to their trade stall in the market place.

Appleby Coffee

Appleby Coffee will be providing a range of hot drinks and snacks.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Event_information&oldid=35019"

Sanctioned events

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Forthcoming Event List

- 2.1 The Sapling Mirror

- 3 Further Reading

Introduction

Sanctioned events are LRP events set in the Empire world that are not run by Profound Decisions but are still considered to be part of our ongoing campaign. The sanctioned event rules explain how sanctioned events work in more detail.

Sanctioned events are not run by Profound Decisions - and although we will take reasonable effort to try and ensure that the plot of these events is consistent with our campaign, we are not responsible for the style or quality of these events. One of the advantages of sanctioned events is that they give you an opportunity to play your character at a very different style of event. We will encourage sanctioned event organizers to make clear what kind of events they are running.

If you are running a sanctioned event set in the Empire world then please contact us and we will add your event to the list.

Forthcoming Event List

Event

Date

Location

The Sapling Mirror

9th May

The London Stone, opp Cannon Street Station, London

The Sapling Mirror

The House of Seven Mirrors is hosting a social event shortly before the journey to Anvil. The focus is social, with IC musicians (if we can get them) with one hour of discussion to be held under ‘The Rule of Seven Mirrors’:

Those meeting can speak of what they learn, but must not reveal the identities of those present, nor their loyalties and affiliations, save under question by a Magistrate or under Synod Inquisition.

Further Reading

- Sanctioned event rules

- Imperial Law at sanctioned events

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Sanctioned_events&oldid=35199"

Profound Decisions management team

Overview

Profound Decisions is a professional live roleplaying company dedicated to producing high quality events. However the majority of crew that you encounter at an event are volunteers who have freely given up their time to make the event more enjoyable for everyone. Please respect their generosity and do not ask them to handle complaints. Please remember that this is their hobby too. We require our players to be civil towards all members of the volunteer crew at all times.

If you do have a complaint or a concern then please go to GOD and ask to speak to the appropriate member of the Profound Decisions management team. If you aren't sure who to speak to, then please ask to speak to Matt Pennington. The management team are all employees of Profound Decisions whose job it is to deal with any serious problems that you have. If an issue is serious or distressing then we would urge you to bring it to our attention as early as possible. We will try to promptly resolve any problems that arise.

Alison Pennington

Alison is responsible for all issues to do with the site and security. If you have a problem with the toilets or showers or other site facilities then please ask to speak to Alison. If you have any concerns about the event security then you should bring them to Alison's attention. Alison is also the best person to speak to if you need help with practical matters, like broken tents, stuck cars or the like. We can't promise to help, but we always do what we can. You can also speak to Alison if you have a problem with a member of crew or another player and you prefer to speak to a woman. Alison is also one of the nominated child protection officers for the event.

Alison is usually found in the OOC area, near the catering area. Any member of the crew who has a radio can help direct you to Alison if you wish to speak to her.

Matt Pennington

Matt is responsible for all elements of the game itself, including event administration. If you have any issues with your pack or booking or with any aspect of the game, then please ask to speak to Matt. Matt is also the person to speak to if you have a problem with a member of crew or another player - unless you would prefer to speak to a woman, in which case please ask for Alison. Matt is also one of the nominated child protection officers for the event.

Matt is usually found in the GOD area or wandering the site. Any member of the crew who has a radio can get hold of Matt if you wish to speak with him.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Profound_Decisions_management_team&oldid=22198"

Crew guidelines

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Enjoyment

- 3 Commitment

- 4 Behaviour

- 5 Crew Facebook Group

- 6 Crewing Logistics

- 7 Set-up Crew

- 8 Event Crew

Overview

These guidelines are for our existing crew and for anyone who is considering volunteering to crew an Empire event. They explain how crewing works, what options are available and what is expected of our crew.

If you are interested in crewing after reading these guidelines then email us and let us know what areas of crewing interest you.

Enjoyment

Volunteer crew are an essential part of Profound Decisions; the events simply couldn't happen without them. We need a large crew to put on the Empire events, so we are dependent on people to volunteer to take part as crew. Crewing is hard work and may mean that you miss out on the fun of playing but crewing is great fun for those that enjoy it; you'll be part of an elite team of people helping to create a fantastic LRP event for over a thousand players. It's a huge responsibility and very rewarding when you see what you've helped to create.

It is really important to us that the crewing experience is enjoyable and rewarding not just because we depend on our crew for so much but because we believe that it is really important on an ethical basis that crewing being as enjoyable as Profound Decisions can make it and because we believe that the best way to deliver a great event for players is if the crew are really enjoying what they are doing. So if you are crewing the event then please remember that you come to events to enjoy yourself and that, as the people who do the work to put the event on, you have more right than anyone else to enjoy it!

Commitment

You are welcome to crew as many events as you wish, but please don’t feel that you are expected to crew them all. Some roles are only suitable for crew who can make the majority of the events, but there are many crew roles that are useful even if you only make one event a year. Please book for the events that you plan to crew, this will mean that we have a pack ready for you when you arrive.

When you are working at an event, please take care and don’t carry on if you are exhausted or have had enough. Please do not work beyond your personal limits, this is a holiday, you are here to enjoy the event not hospitalize yourself.

We operate a permanent crew system and encourage people to become a full time member of the crew team rather than play some events and crew others. However, you are welcome to resume playing in the future if you choose to do so. Please let us know if you’re not enjoying what you are doing as crew and equally we’ll be honest with you if we feel it’s not working out.

Behaviour

When you talk to players, remember that you will be seen as a representative of Profound Decisions, so be as polite and positive as you can. You are not required to deal with problems or put up with complaints, so if a player brings an issue to you, then bring the matter to Matt as quickly as possible.

Our players are required to be polite and courteous to our crew. If players are rude to you then please report the matter to Matt. We expect you to behave in a respectful manner towards other crew. If you have any problems then talk to Matt or the head of crew welfare.

Crew Facebook Group

We have a Facebook group for all Empire crew. This is a way for crew to stay in touch with each other and plan for the events and discuss improvements. If you're a member of crew who has a Facebook account then please follow the link and join the group. Feel free to visit this forum regularly and share your ideas or join in any of the discussions.

The Facebook group is just for crew, so please don't ask to join unless you've been confirmed as crew by a member of the crew welfare team.

Crewing Logistics

Crewing the event is free and includes vouchers for meals up to £4.50 from the caterers. You will need to bring your own tent, a sleeping bag and something to sleep on. The crew have their own camp, which is designated for use by crew members only. If you plan to share a tent with a player then you will need to camp in the player area.

Hot drinks and snacks are provided in the crew area. If you have any allergies or special dietary requirements then you should get in touch before an event; you may need to make your own food provision.

We organise our crew into departments, with crew allocated to departments, based on their roles at the event. Each department has a head who confirms crew spaces for their department. If you want to volunteer for crewing then it's useful to tell us what departments you'd like to help out in. If you are an existing crew member and you want to get involved with the work another department are doing, then the head of that department is the first person to speak to about it.

Some departments, like the red hats (site crew), comprise multiple specialist teams such as set-dressing, tent-erection and sparkies. If you want to help out on any team, just talk to the head of the team involved.

Set-up Crew

The set-up crew help us get the event ready by putting up tents, setting up the electrics, etc. Those who are helping with set-up need to be on site roughly two days before time-in. Those who are helping with take-down need to be on site until roughly one day after time-out. We aim to complete take-down by nightfall the day after the event.

If you are part of the set-up crew then you are encouraged to get involved and take part in crewing the rest of the event, but if you prefer to play then you are welcome to do that instead. Bear in mind though that you might be called on during the event to help with the set-up for the battles and so on.

The set-up crew departments are: Gate, Set dressing, Site set-up, and Sparkies.

Event Crew

The event crew help us to run the event, filling a wide variety of roles. Event crew write and run plot, they play NPC roles throughout the weekend and man areas like GOD and the tavern. Event crew are allocated to a single department, based on their primary role at the event, but you can be a member of more than one department and help out in different areas if you want to do so.

Event crew will be busy most of the event, so it is not possible to play the game and be a member of the event crew. Event crew are welcome to take some time off during the event and roleplay and socialize with friends by playing a zero point character. You should avoid playing roles such as spies, assassins and political aides as they’re more fitting for player characters than crew enjoying the game during a break.

The event crew departments are: Crew welfare, God, Plot, Refs, Security, Tavern, and Weapon check

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Traders

Contents

- 1 Guidelines for Traders

- 2 Local Wiki Pages

- 3 Links & External Resources

- 3.1 'Soft' Costume

- 3.2 LRP Weapon Manufacturers

- 3.3 Armour

- 3.3.1 Metal Specialists

- 3.3.2 Leather Specialists

- 3.3.3 Polyurethane & Alternative Materials

- 3.3.4 Padded Jacks and Gambesons

- 3.4 Prosthetics and Masks

- 3.5 General Online Shops

- 3.6 Miscellaneous Items

- 3.6.1 Flags, Banners and Livery Badges

- 3.6.2 Fur and Traditional materials

- 3.6.3 Jewellery

- 3.6.4 Leather Accessories (including Shoes)

- 3.6.5 Pewter and Cast Goods

- 3.6.6 Tents and Camping Accessories

- 3.6.7 Wooden items

Guidelines for Traders

Due to the popularity of the event, we regret that at present we are unable to accept any new requests to trade at Empire events.

All traders who attend our events are required to comply with our trader guidelines.

Local Wiki Pages

- Evenlode Studio - High quality leather armour, costume and props handmade

- Idiom Productions - Costume and props workshop.

- Mandala Studios - Makers of bespoke props, weapons, costumes, armour, prosthetics and masks.

- The Midgard Seamstress - Custom-made costumes for LARP and reenactment.

- Totally Leathered - Custom tooled leather armour & accessories.

- Skian Mhor - Weapons, masks, prosthetics, props and armor.

Links & External Resources

'Soft' Costume

- Angrave Designs produces custom orders (including embroidered borders).

- Cloak’d and Dagger’d Historical costume for adults and children, including hats.

- Custom Costume Company Bespoke designs for re-enactors and roleplayers.

- Grimm & Grizzly Bespoke costumes.

- Historic Enterprises General costume company (U.S. site).

- Jolly Dicey - costumiers to the discerning.

- Jorgencraft make beautiful period costume.

- Kats Hats Beautiful period headwear for men and women.

- Medieval Design Historic costume.

- The Midgard Seamstress Custom made UK LARP and re-enactment costumes.

- Purple Zebra Costume Bespoke costume by Empire specialists.

- Revival Clothing Medieval clothing for adults and children, including hats, boots and shoes (U.S. site).

- Sally Green Fantasy and historical costume, including boots and shoes.

- Sally Pointer Hats and accessories.

- Taken From Time Custom made UK LARP and re-enactment costumes.

- Twisted Flax Costume and accessories for LRP.

- The Warriors Wardrobe Bespoke Costume for the discerning Larper.

- White Star specialise in historical costume and bespoke clothing at reasonable prices.

LRP Weapon Manufacturers

- Eldritch LRP weapons, armour and props.

- Light Armouries LRP weapons.

- Saxon Violence creators of historically inspired LARP weaponry.

- Skian Mhor LRP weapons, masks, prosthetics and props. Suppliers of raw materials.

- Winterforge Armouries Bespoke LRP weapons, Leather, props and commission work .

Armour

Metal Specialists

- Armchair Armoury Metal armour and raw materials.

- Bydand Armouries Bespoke metal armour.

- Armour Services Historical Historical plate and brigandine.

- Cap-a-pie Maille, plate and padding specialists.

- Dressed To Kill Plate armour.

- Lancasters Armourie Plate specialist.

- The Ring Lord Maille, rings and raw materials.

- St. George Armoury Plate specialist.

- White Rose Apparel Metal plate, brigandine and leather armour.

Leather Specialists

- Battle Ready Male & female armour.

- Darkblade Complete LRP supplies from armour and weapons to leatherwork and accessories.

- Evenlode Studios Stock and custom armour for men and women.

- Idiom Productions Custom leatherwork and armour.

- Totally Leathered Custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

Polyurethane & Alternative Materials

- Norton Armouries Highly detailed hybrid-poly armour.

Padded Jacks and Gambesons

- The Medieval Rats Gambesons, jacks and arming caps.

Prosthetics and Masks

- Dogbane SFX Larp

- Mandala Studios

- Skian Mhor LRP weapons, masks, prosthetics and props. Also supply all relevant raw materials

General Online Shops

- Armstreet Chemises and undersshirts (doublets not really suitable for Empire).

- By the Sword Armour and clothing, including replica costumes from the TV series The Borgias.

- Character Kit sells weapons and costume.

- Chow’s Emporium Best supplier for LARP Costumes and Accessories at reasonable price.

- Dein LARP Store has a large range of appropriate dresses, trousers and tunics. Note their page has a translate button and they ship to UK.

- Get Dressed For Battle General armour, costume and accessories.

- Gems Trading Quality custom tailor made costumes and armour.

- Having a Larp Everything you need for Larp and some things you just want.

- The Knight Shop Historical costume, armour and general LRP weapons and accessories.

- LARP Fashion General costumes, leatherwork and LRP weapons.

- LARP Inn General costumes, weapons, armour and prosthetics.

- LRP Store General LRP supplies from weapons and armour to costumes and accessories.

- Matuls Clothing, armour tents and camp accessories from Poland (English language website).

- Medieval Merchant General costume and some accessories.

- Mysticum De German LRP shop whose products include great LRP footwear with rubber soles.

- Mytholon General costumes, weapons, armour and prosthetics.

- Mega Medieval Armour Store Armour and accessories.

- Sew-mill Medieval clothing, tents, furniture and accessories.

- StahlGilde General armour, costume, leatherwork and accessories.

- Velvet Glove General costume, accessories and make-up supplies.

Miscellaneous Items

Flags, Banners and Livery Badges

- Medieval Art and Woodcraft Historical and historically inspired banners, flags and livery badges.

Fur and Traditional materials

- Candles for All Ages Tallow and Beeswax Candles.

- House of de Clifford Ethically sourced furs of all kinds.

- Lyon's Leathers Wide range of leathers, suedes and buckles.

- Tandy Leather Factory Leather and leatherworking supplies.

Jewellery

- Crafty Celts - Torcs, jewellery, buckles and belts (U.S.site).

- Day by Day Jewellery Beautiful jewellery including commissions.

- Primitive Method Affordable reconditioned jewellery; commissions also undertaken.

Leather Accessories (including Shoes)

- Phil Fraser

- Re-enactment shoes

- Historical Shoes

- Historic Shoes German company (English language website)

- Ravenswood Leather Items America site. Non-historical leather items.

Pewter and Cast Goods

- Casts from the Past Pewter items including livery badges and some household items.

- The Quiet Press Historical buckles, brooches and other ornamental metalwork.

- Billy and Charlie's Finest Quality Pewter Goods American company. Pewter badges and other accessories.

- HR-Replikate German company. Jewellery based on archeological finds (English language website) .

- Lionheart Replicas Pewterwear.

- Pewter Replicas Pewter badges, household items and livery collars.

Tents and Camping Accessories

- Smoke and Fire American company.

- FBA Tent Company Canvas bell tents.

- Medieval Market German company (English language website) – Clothing, furniture, and other items.

Wooden items

- Douggie the Wood Wooden Furniture

- Hampshire Chestnut Wood and wooden furniture

- Paul Atkin Bowls and other hand turned items

- Robin Wood Authentic wood turned historical items

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Photography

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Rules for Photographers

- 2.1 Minimizing the Damage to Immersion

- 2.2 Take-down Requests

- 2.3 Filming

- 3 Character Portraits

- 4 Player Photographers

- 5 Crew Photographers

- 6 Battle and Skirmish Photography

Overview

Photography in LRP is a compromise: on the one hand are the rights of attendees who do not wish to be photographed coupled with the impact on immersion for all players by the photographer's presence. On the other hand many players wish to enjoy a photographic record of their character and the events they attended and photographs can help to publicise, promote and improve a game. These guidelines are intended to set a balance between these compromises which we feel is appropriate for Profound Decisions events.

Rules for Photographers

These rules apply to all photographers, players and crew at our events. Charlotte Moss is in charge of crew photography at our events. Please use photography@profounddecisions.co.uk for all enquiries about photography at our events.

Minimizing the Damage to Immersion

- Wear costume whenever you are in an IC area

- No flash photography on the IC field

- Avoid standing in player's line of sight when shooting

- If possible cover your camera to make it as unobtrusive as possible

- Do not stage shots with players on the IC field

Everyone who is taking photographs at events needs to take all possible steps to minimize the damage to immersion that their OOC presence causes. In line with the normal PD event rules, you must wear costume when you are in the IC area. In addition you should try to cover your camera if possible. Flash photography isn't permitted in the IC areas, nor is staging shots with players. If you need to use a flash or stage a shot then please do so from the OOC field.

The most important thing is to try and remain "outside the focus" of the game. If a verbal clash is occurring, then you should not be between the participants and other players; if a battle is occurring then you should be well away from the lines of combatants. This will limit the range of photographs that you can take at the event, but is a compromise that we require all photographers to make to ensure that you avoid being in the line of sight of players who are trying to roleplay while you are taking photographs.

Take-down Requests

- All photographers must take reasonable steps to respect player's privacy

- You must take down any photograph that you are asked to remove by a subject in the photo

Not all participants at an LRP event are fortunate enough to be unconcerned about images of themselves dressed in costume appearing on the internet. Given the size of the game it is impossible to maintain an effective list of individuals who do not wish to be photographed, but all photographers should take reasonable steps to try to avoid photographing players they know do not wish images of them live-roleplaying to be made public.

In particular photographers must remove any image that they have published, if they are requested to do so by a participant who is identifiable in the photograph, as quickly as practical. Any photographers who do not remove photographs when requested will have their right to attend future PD events permanently revoked.

Filming

- We do not allow filming in the IC area by anyone who isn't a player or member of crew

- Players filming should follow the spirit of the photography rules and strive to avoid breaking immersion

TV production outfits, whether commercial, student or hobby based - are not permitted to film in our IC area during time-in under any circumstances. All requests for permission to film live-roleplaying at our events will be refused.

Existing players who wish to film sections of the event may do so, but must follow the spirit of the rules for photography and do everything possible to avoid damaging other player's immersion. This includes using the smallest available equipment, avoiding being in people's line of sight and taking all reasonable steps to disguise the equipment.

Our crew photographers may film sections of the event for promotional or instructional purposes. We will endeavour to abide by the spirit of these rules as far as is practical.

Character Portraits

- All characters need to be photographed at GOD

We take photographs of characters for use in the game system. This includes allowing NPCs to more effectively locate characters they should know, allowing players to use ritual magic to identify characters and more rarely allowing us to identify players. Our photographers take these character portraits at GOD at set hours. Please look out for the times and come to GOD when you have all your costume and make-up on so you can be photographed. We will not use these photographs for any publicity purposes without your explicit permission.

Player Photographers

- All photographers attending the event must purchase a ticket

- There are limited slots available for photographing battles and skirmishes

- Photographing a battle is not an acceptable alternative to monstering

Everyone who has purchased a ticket to attend the event is welcome to take photographs in the main IC area if they wish to do so, provided that they follow the rules for photographers at our events. We no longer offer free tickets to photographers to attend our events without playing, in exchange for copies of their photographs, due to the sheer number of photographers attending the events.

To strive to keep battles and skirmishes as immersive as possible, we have chosen to limit the number of slots available to photographers. These slots will be managed by our crew photography team and will be allocated to them by default. If you wish to photograph a battle or skirmish then please email our photography team to let them know.

Crew Photographers

- There are two crew photographers at our events

- Our crew photography department allocates photography slots for battles and skirmishes

Charlotte Moss and Rebecca Pointeau attend our events as part of our crew to take photographs. Their goal is to take character portraits and to produce photographs of the event to help promote and improve the game. We do not require any further crew photographers at this time.

If you wish to take photographs on a battle or skirmish then you must email the crew photographers to see if a slot is free.

Battle and Skirmish Photography

- Slots to photograph the battles and skirmishes are allocated by our crew photographers

- Slots will be allocated by preference to those photographers who provide good quality photographs for use by us

- Photographing a battle is not an alternative to monstering

We have chosen to limit the number of slots available for players taking to the battlefield to take photographs in an attempt to ensure that the battles and skirmishes remain as immersive as possible. If you wish to take photographs on the battlefield then please email us to request access.

Two slots will be used on most battles by our crew photographers - if they are not photographing a battle or skirmish then additional slots will become free. Priority for player requests will be given to photographers who provide us with good quality photographs that we can use to promote and improve the game. If you don't make the effort to send hi-resolution copies of your photographs to PD then you will automatically remain behind any request from other photographers. Technical specifications will be sent to photographers when they are timetabled to photograph.

Photographing a battle is not considered an alternative to monstering. If players wish to fight in a battle as their character they will still need to monster a battle as well.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Photography&oldid=31886"

Costume

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Rules

- 3 Social Contract

- 4 Summary

Overview

We would like Empire to be an aspirational game, one where every participant strives to have the best possible kit. Kit is more than just costume, it includes the props, set dressing and everything else that players bring into the in-character area at an event. The more effort every individual puts in to their kit, the better the game becomes for everybody. But kit is expensive to make and transport to events so it can become demoralizing to make this effort if people feel other players are not trying equally hard. To get the best possible game we need everyone who participates to agree to try their best.

But all aspirational games are at risk of appearing elitist, the assumption is that participants' costume will be judged against some unknown standard, which can be intensely intimidating to new players. We want Empire to be an accessible game that anyone interested in live roleplaying can feel confident about attending. We want the game to be inclusive, to be inviting and welcoming towards everyone interested in taking part.

An aspirational hobby is one where every participant aims for the best standards they can achieve - an inclusive hobby is one where those involved accept the different standards that others can achieve. What we want for Empire is for every player to agree to try their best - but for no player to ever feel embarrassed that their best effort is not good enough.

Rules

- Basic in-character costume that does not include trainers, jeans or t-shirts

- Dome tents and party tents may not be pitched in the in-character area

T-shirts are acceptable if worn under costume and are not visible. These costume requirements are not intended to be aspirational; they are designed to allow players to attend the event with absolute confidence that their costume is good enough to play the game. Most of our players want to create fantastic kit, but the purpose of these simple rules is to make clear that these are the minimum standards that players can demand of each other. It is important to encourage everybody to make the best effort they can, but it is not appropriate to make other players feel unwelcome because their kit only meets these basic requirements.

We anticipate that the overwhelming majority of our players will not have any difficulty avoiding jeans, t-shirts or trainers. Anyone who is interested in attending a PD event but is not able to source costume that will allow them to achieve our requirements is welcome to get in touch. We have an extensive wardrobe of very basic costume and are happy to lend garments to any player who is interested in trying an event but who is genuinely unable to obtain their own costume.

Our events feature separate in-character and out-of-character camping areas, so players with modern tents are welcome to bring them to the event and use them in the out-of-character field. But modern dome tents and party tents may not be pitched in the in-character area. Some fabrics that are part plastic or impregnated with plastic are fine; materials like polyhemp are positively ideal for guy ropes at Empire. But tents that are obviously synthetic, such as those made of nylon or any material that is sufficiently plastic that it becomes glossy and highly reflective cannot be used in the in-character area.

The standards are much more demanding for tents in the in-character area because modern tents are very disruptive to the immersion of the event. Tents are for hire for events from the Profound Decisions website but no player who is interested in Empire should feel they have to have a tent to play the game. Period tents are expensive and we recommend that players focus on improving their kit in preference to getting a suitable in-character tent if resources are limited. The field will be filled with scores of in-character tents as well as the sets and structures that Profound Decisions build on the site.

Social Contract

- Players should not criticize other player's kit

- Players commit to get the best kit they can given their skills and resources

- Players commit to continual improvement of their kit between events

A social contract is an agreement among members of a community defining the rights and responsibilities of each member involved. The idea is to benefit everyone involved by ensuring that everyone knows what behaviour to expect at an event and what behaviour is expected of them. We hope that these three rules can provide reassurance to players that we only expect their best, not the best, and form the basis for a game that is deeply aspirational, and helps to encourage every participant to get the best possible kit but remains as welcoming as possible to all members of the LRP community who want to take part, new and experienced players alike.

One of the hardest challenges in live roleplaying is communicating the idea that kit and costume are important - that every element is important and that the organizers expect every participant to try their best - without putting players off by appearing elitist. Because everyone who participates in a LRP game contributes to making the game enjoyable for all, it's part of the social contract for Empire that everyone agrees to try to get the best kit they can. But if you are being asked to make an effort with your kit then it can be difficult to imagine that you won't be judged on the basis of how good your kit is.

Although we encourage players to get the best costume they can, we don't judge how successful they are; we respect the efforts made by our players and require everyone who plays the game to do likewise. This is why everyone involved in Empire should avoid criticizing other player's costume and kit. It is fine to give advice to our friends on how to improve costume if they ask for it; but criticism from strangers - in person or even worse on-line - is never welcome.

Every individual has different amounts of time, experience and resources available to them. Some players have enough disposable income to buy the costume they want to wear, some have the skills and experience to make their own, while others have been LRPing long enough to own many pieces of kit already. It does not matter if a piece of kit is not the right period, or the right style, because you should assume that the player in question has followed the rules in making the best effort they can.

The best way to build a game that looks amazing but is welcoming to all is to focus on improvement over time. The idea of continual improvement is what makes the social contract aspirational. No costume is perfect - every costume from the simplest home-made tunic to the most expensive tailored outfit can be improved. You can add accessories to improve the overall look or replace parts of the kit with better items. Our kit includes everything we have with us in the in-character area - every element matters so the more we can eliminate even the smallest out-of-character items from our costume and our camps then the more immersive the field becomes.

By committing to continually re-examining your kit between events then you can ensure that the kit you start with improves over time. Just as with creating your kit in the first place, the time and money you can spare to improve your kit has to be your own choice, not something that anyone else can dictate.

The wiki lists scores of links for traders who sell good quality kit and pages of costume advice to help players improve their kit, including a page of suggestions on how to develop your kit on different levels of budget.

Summary

We are striving to make Empire an amazing game. We want to see incredible in-character camps and buildings populated with characters with beautiful costume. We want players to be able to wander through the site without seeing modern items that jar with the setting. The only way that can happen is if everyone involved with the game, the organizers, the crew, the traders and the players make it happen. The only way to play in an awesome game is for everyone who participates to make an awesome effort to make the game special. But the best way to achieve that is through encouragement to nurture enthusiasm, it won't happen through elitism or criticism. To ensure that Empire remains inclusive and open to everyone who wants to play we've made these rules to help players who have made their best effort with the kit feel confident that they are welcome to play the game.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Costume&oldid=22396"

Contact Profound Decisions

Contents

- 1 Email

- 1.1 Crewing

- 1.2 Questions about Empire

- 1.3 Questions about your account

- 2 Phone

- 3 Address

- 4 Mobile

Email

Email is the best way to contact us. Please pick the single most appropriate contact and send your email to that address only. We try to respond to all emails quickly but please bear in mind that we receive over a hundred emails a day during busy periods.

Crewing

- crew@profounddecisions.co.uk - Email the crew team if you are interested in helping out with events.

Questions about Empire

- empire.rules@profounddecisions.co.uk - This is the email to use for any queries about the rules for Empire.

- empire.plot@profounddecisions.co.uk - This is the email to use for any queries about the Empire setting or plot - as well as for information submitted for player events.

- empire.backgrounds@profounddecisions.co.uk - This is the email for all queries about character and group backgrounds for Empire.

- empire.wiki@profounddecisions.co.uk - This is the email to use to report what you think is a mistake on the wiki.

Questions about your account

- admin@profounddecisions.co.uk - for all queries about your account, booking for events, payments and refunds.

Phone

You are welcome to phone the office on 0845 0944 798 and we’ll take your call during normal working hours. We’re often working late in the office, so you are welcome to try your luck calling during out of office hours, but we can’t guarantee a response.

Address

Please address all correspondence to our PO Box - PO Box 666, Preston, PR2 1ZW.

Mobile

We usually head for site around four days before each event begins. You can use our mobile number, 07817 133793, if you need to contact us on site for any purpose.

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Complaints procedure

Profound Decisions is a professional live roleplaying company dedicated to producing high quality events. However the majority of crew that you encounter at an event are volunteers who have freely given up their time to make the event more enjoyable for everyone. Please respect their generosity and do not ask them to handle complaints. Please remember that this is their hobby too. We require our players to be civil towards all members of the volunteer crew at all times.

If you do have a complaint or a concern then please go to GOD and ask to speak to a member of the Profound Decisions management team. The management team are employees of Profound Decisions whose job it is to deal with any serious problems that you have. If an issue is serious or distressing then we would urge you to bring it to attention of the management team as early as possible. We will try to promptly resolve any problems that arise.

If you have a complaint or a concern that you wish to discuss with Profound Decisions between events, then you can contact Profound Decisions at any time.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Complaints_procedure&oldid=30411"

Forums & Facebook

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Forum

- 3 Facebook Page

- 4 Involvement Groups

- 5 Facebook Player Groups

- 5.1 Nation Groups

- 5.2 Lineage Groups

Introduction

With over fifteen hundred players, Empire has an active online community that use a wide range of different social media. We maintain our own forums for users to discuss the game and related issues but there are also a plethora of Facebook groups used by different groups of players.

Forum

Profound Decisions host their own official Empire forum for players and crew alike. These forums are firmly moderated to ensure that conversations remain polite and on-topic. If you want to have a public discussion with the game designers or the crew about any aspect of Empire then this is the perfect place for it.

Facebook Page

We maintain our own official Facebook page which we try to update regularly with blog posts and important news about the game. If you just want to keep abreast of the latest news it is worth liking and following the page.

Involvement Groups

There are a number of Facebook community groups - these are small groups where players and crew look at things that they can do together to improve the game. The goal for members of these groups is to pool their skills and time to improve the game for everyone.

- Sewing Circle - for LRPers interested in making costume for the Empire game

- Set Building - for LRPers interested in helping build the sets for the games

- Parents - for Empire LRPers bringing children to the game

Facebook Player Groups

There are a plethora of Empire facebook groups that have been created by players. These groups are not official and are not moderated by Profound Decisions. They are a good place to go if you are interested in talking to other players about a specific aspect of the game.

Nation Groups

Lineage Groups

- Briar

- Cambion

- Changeling

- Draughir

- Merrow

- Naga

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Nationality

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Egregore

- 3 The Civil Service

- 4 Conquest

- 5 Languages

- 6 Rules

- 6.1 Bands

- 6.2 Battles

- 6.3 Eligibility for Imperial Titles

- 7 Out-of-character Considerations

Overview

Every character must begin play as a member of one of the ten nations of the Empire. For most characters, nationality reflects the land of their birth, but it is possible for characters to change nation. Your nationality affects your eligibility for Imperial titles, for instance only a League citizen may become a senator for the League. Nationality is influenced by the magic of the egregores.

Moving nation is a part of the background of the game; the Navarr in particular often help characters move from one nation to another. However the ten nations of the Empire have remained culturally distinct for nearly four hundred years. With the exception of music, their cultures have not blurred and merged into one, despite the fact that they are politically unified (there is one single political and legal system that covers the entire Empire).

Egregore

When the Empire was created, the Freeborn of the Brass Coast feared a loss of their cultural identity. They saw the advantages of humans uniting, but believed that their heritage would be lost as some "Imperial" nationality emerged. As their price for joining the Empire, they used powerful ritual magic to create eight Egregores, one for each nation. With the blessing of the First Empress, the egregores formed the basis for the Empire- acceptance by an egregore is the legal definition of citizenship. When Urizen and the Imperial Orcs joined the Empire, they worked with the Freeborn to create their own egregores.

Whenever an individual seeks to join a nation, they approach the egregore of that nation. For most citizens, this happens as a youth, after they pass their test of citizenship, but some change nation as an adult and it is not uncommon for foreigners to adopt Imperial nationality. To be accepted by the egregore, the applicant must pledge an oath to be loyal to the nation and to uphold their culture and customs and to put aside all other loyalties and traditions. If the oath is accepted then the egregore magically bonds the character to the nation, using a more powerful equivalent of the create bond spell.

The effects of this magical link are powerful but subtle - everyone who joins a nation feels a gentle but unrelenting desire to adopt the traditions, cultures and customs of the nation they have joined, and to abandon practices that conflict with them. In Wintermark, a child who adopts the Suaq tradition feels a compelling need to dress and act like a Suaq. An outcast Marcher who joins the Navarr (rather than merely travelling with them) soon sheds their Marcher clothing and begins to dress and act like a Navarr.

A character can be aware of the compulsion, but it feels natural, like the desire to breathe or to quench a thirst. The clothes, the customs, the traditions of their new nation feel comfortable and natural, while those of their previous life start to feel awkward and foolish. The compulsion is gentle, and happens over time but is irresistible - like the tide washing up a beach, it travels a little further each time.

For most Imperial citizens this process happens when they come of age and pass their Test of Citizenship. There is usually something of a celebration afterwards and then the new citizens are presented to the egregore to swear their oaths.

The Civil Service

The egregores inform the civil servants when a character swears an oath of loyalty to them, and they update the records of that individual's nationality. They use these records to determine who is eligible to vote in some senatorial elections as well as checking to confirm that an individual is eligible to hold an Imperial title.

Conquest

If a territory is conquered by the Empire, then the Senate votes to allocate that territory to one of the ten Imperial nations. Usually a territory is assigned to a nation it borders, but this does not always happen. Once the vote is completed, the chosen nation's egregore travels around the conquered territory, offering inhabitants the choice to adopt their nationality.

Individuals are not forced to join the Empire, but the benefits of doing so are considerable. Citizens enjoy the full protection of the law, their taxation is limited by the constitution and they have the right of travel and trade anywhere in the Empire. As a result most of the inhabitants of a conquered territory will adopt the nationality of their new nation and within a few years, they are culturaly indistinguishable from those who were born and raised as part of that nation.

Languages

Everyone in the Empire speaks Imperial; this is phys-repped with English. Orc barbarians and foreigners in adjacent nations also speak this language.

Foreigners from other lands do not speak Imperial as their mother-tongue although many who choose to visit the Empire have learned it. The native tongue for these foreign nations will be specified when details for them are added to the wiki. It is only possible to play an active member of these nations after details have been added to the wiki and if you are a fluent speaker of the listed language.

If you are able to speak a foreign language in real life, then you are welcome to use that language in game. It represents a language foreign to the Empire, which your character has acquired.

Rules

Nationality has a three main game effects, bands, battles and eligibility.

Bands

A character can only join a band (a coven, banner or sect) if they share the same nationality as the other members. If a character changes nationality then they are automatically removed from any existing bands that they are part of. This means that you can only take the battlefield or perform rituals with characters whose nationality you share.

Battles

Battles and skirmishes are logistically arranged by nation - the appointed generals for that nation choose which battle and skirmish their forces will be committed to. The magic that transports characters to a battleground draws on the power of the egregore, so it is not in-character possible for an individual to travel with a nation unless they are part of that nation.

A band that possesses a mercenary banner can use this banner to choose which battle or skirmish they attend, so they do not need to fight with their nation if they do not wish to. However it is important to note that only characters with a common nationality can form a band.

Eligibility for Imperial Titles

The civil service maintain records of a character's nationality. This is reflected by the nationality recorded for your character on our database. Your character's nationality determines what Imperial titles you are eligible for. It is possible to defraud the election process if you are clever, and that is a perfectly legitimate in-character tactic, but it is important to note that our civil servants will report your fraud to the authorities as soon as they become aware of it.

Out-of-character Considerations

Some players are interested in playing a character with a bit of one nation and a bit of another. While this helps to make a character more unique, and avoids a player having to pick between two nations they like, it does so at the cost of the game itself. The nations of the Empire are broadly European in inspiration; they are already quite similar in terms of appearance and culture. The more players blur the lines by blending elements of different nations, the less distinct the nations become. The net result is that the game becomes less enjoyable for everyone as the nations become less recognisable.

For that reason we are encouraging all players to pick a single nation for their character and asking them to try and create a member of that nation. The Empire is filled with characters who reflect the nation they have embraced, not two or more nations. The magic of the egregore explains why these character predominate in the Empire, amongst the player-base and the NPCs, despite the movement of people.

If you are creating a character that has changed nation then it is fine to use that background to add a flourish to your character, a particularly ornate Dawnish sword for a Marcher yeoman or a pair of baggy Varushkan trousers for a Wintermark warrior. You don't need such a background to justify this, they can simply be items or clothing your character has acquired, but it is an example of the sort of minor costume or characterisation elements that remain when a character changes their nation.

What isn't acceptable is to treat the two nations as a pick-and-mix that you can just merge the costume and characterisation of both. Characters do go through a brief transition from one nation to another, when they change their loyalties, but the magic of the egregore encourages the transition of the character into a member of their new nation, as quickly as the player can phys-rep it. So if you are playing a Dawnish character born in the Brass Coast, you might preserve a fondness for bright colours of flame, but your costume and characterisation is still primarily Dawnish.

If you end up changing nation in play, then your nation will be updated at the point where you swear your oath in the presence of the egregore of your new nation. Obviously your characterisation and costume will not change over-night, that isn't appropriate or practical. But as you look to upgrade and improve your costume from one event to the next, then you should create new costume elements that match your new nation. The net result is that your costume should shift over time until it reflects the nation you have embraced.

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The Brass Coast

“Life is short — let it never be dull!”

The Freeborn of the Brass Coast are travellers, traders, lovers and poets. They are exuberant and flamboyant; when they laugh their humour is infectious and without spite, when they love they do so with a passion that is without guile and when they’re angry, their wrath is like a summer storm – terrible to behold but swift in passing. To be Freeborn is to be driven by a hunger for life, to see the world, to taste every delicacy, sample every wine and tell every tale. Success is measured in wealth, family and influence, not out of greed, but for the joy success brings.

The Freeborn prize individual freedom and responsibility. Although they are capable of serving a cause they have little respect for authority. Pompous or self-important individuals, especially those who think that titles and positions have made them important, are ridiculed on the Coast. Respect is earned, it cannot be bought or appointed.

While others see them as outspoken and brazen, their honesty is without arrogance, for to aggrandise the self is vulgar, while to praise the deeds of another is an art. Their tales are bawdy enough for a common tavern and grand enough for a lordly court alike and can fill a room with laughter, tears or gasps of horror.

Their wagons and ships cross the world bringing exotic goods that command the finest prices. They are renowned for their corsairs, who operate out of the Bay of Catazar. These daring privateers risk everything ensuring that the Empire's enemies are unable to threaten her shores and earning a fortune in gold in the process. It is a dangerous life but one that perfectly suits the Freeborn passion for high adventure.

Five things to know about the Freeborn

- They are notoriously candid. Brazen in person, and disarmingly frank in negotiation, they are never afraid to speak their mind when they want to.

- All things can have a price. The Freeborn believe the fairest way to reckon the worth of something is to put a price on it.

- They prize freedom and responsibility and disdain arrogance. The Freeborn philosophy is that society is best served when every individual is responsible for themselves and to themselves.

- They crave adventure and excitement. None more so than their corsairs who are the terror of the high seas.

- They like agreements to be explicit. The Freeborn like everybody to know exactly what has been agreed to.

What the Freeborn are not

- Desert dwellers. Grassy plains, rocky mountains and shipboard on the ocean are where the Freeborn live.

- Dodgy camel sellers or slave traders. Freeborn traders are upfront and scrupulously honest - the very opposite of the stereotype of the obsequious, wheedling trader.

- Matriarchal or patriarchal. The Freeborn are matrilineal, they take their mother’s family name, but other than this their society is completely gender blind. There are no harems or seraglios in the Empire.

The nation

Core Brief

- The people

- Culture and customs

- Look and feel

Further reading

- History

- Leadership

- Economic interests

- Military concerns

- Religious beliefs

- Magical traditions

- Hearth magic

- Lineage and species attitudes

- Territories

- Children

- Music

- Costumes

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

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Dawn

“Great deeds are eternal.”

Few lands espouse the heroic ideal in quite the same way the Dawnish do. When people think of the Dawn they imagine her favoured sons and daughters, the nobility arrayed in armour, weapons drawn, eagerly seeking battle. Before them stand the troubadours, singing or reciting the epic lays of past heroes. Behind them, the war wizards, giving their strength to the battle.

Knights-errant travel the land, seeking an opportunity to prove themselves and achieve glory. Their nobility give battle in the tourney to judge who is fit to rule. The people turn their eyes on the enemies of the Empire, seeking victory and renown.

Her proud boasts are not hollow. Alone amongst the nations of the Empire, the Dawn has never given up land to the barbarians. But the aspiration to achieve great things is not just found on the battlefield. Every Dawnish feels that same urge; this is a nation that eats and drinks glory.

Enemies deride the nation for its stifling and outmoded system, where might makes right and the needs of ordinary people take second place to the quest for glory. And yet, they have forgotten the truth at its core - that great deeds are eternal.

Five things about Dawn

- Nobility is an achievement, not a birthright. Nobility is vaunted in Dawn, but it is a nobility of spirit they admire, not a title that you inherit.

- A great life leaves a legend. The only thing that remains when you depart this life is the memory of how you lived it. Death is nothing compared to great deeds.

- Glorious in victory, proud in defeat. The Dawnish relish a challenge. Those more skilled present an opportunity for glory by defeating them, those less skilled offer you an opportunity to demonstrate your prowess.

- You cannot armour the soul. The Dawnish do not hide the great passions of the soul; they wear their hearts on their sleeve.

- Courtship, romance and tragedy. The rules of the heart are complex in Dawn; sometimes love is the greatest challenge.

What the Dawnish are not

- Chivalrous. Dawnish nobility are always intensely competitive; they don't open doors for anybody, male or female. Dawnish women are independent and as obsessed with glory as their male counterparts.

- Required to be honourable. The Dawnish obsession is with triumph and renown; it does not demand a generous spirit.

The nation

Core brief

- The people

- Culture and customs

- Look and feel

Further reading

- History

- Leadership

- Military concerns

- Economic interests

- Religious beliefs

- Magical traditions

- Hearth magic

- Lineage and species attitudes

- Territories

- Children

- Music

- Costumes

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Dawn&oldid=13435"

Highguard

“The empire is our destiny.”

The Highborn are a people supremely confident of their own place in history. They revere the highest ideals, to epitomize Imperial Virtues, to reflect the noble obligations of leadership and thereby to embody the very spirit of the Empire. They created the Synod so that they might stand vigil over the collective soul of the Empire. Their manifest destiny is to drive the barbarians from the land and unite all humankind; they will accept nothing less.

The children of Highguard are a blazing beacon of righteousness in a dark and grimy world that too often chooses to take the easy way, to reach a compromise with vice. They stand against the tide of wickedness and say "No. This is not acceptable. We can be better." Regiments of disciplined soldiers march to battle, shoulder to shoulder, determined to take the fight to the enemies of civilisation. Their first thoughts and their last are for their beloved Empire, and they know that even if they are struck down a life of virtue will see them reborn once more, given another chance to bring humankind to its shining destiny.

The chapters, the great stone settlements in which most Highborn dwell, are scattered across the plains that lie between Urizen and the Bay of Catazar. Many are built on ancient battle sites, scenes of triumph in the historic wars that wrested control of the land from the barbarians. All are heavily fortified, with granite quarried from the southern mountains, for the Highborn will brook no expense to protect what is theirs. “Wood burns, stone endures” is an old Highborn aphorism that says much about their perspective.

Although the First Empress put aside her nationality when she united the Empire, the Highborn consider their nation the proud parent of the Empire, and themselves to be its founders, tutors and guardians. They protect the Empire with their armies, guide its hand in the Senate and guard its soul in the Synod; perhaps most important of all, they keep the Imperial Histories to record and tell of the deeds that make the Empire great.

“This is Highguard, the birthplace of the Empire. Our people, the Highborn, are the Empire’s proud parents, devoted lovers, stalwart protectors and wise guides. We are the people of virtue, who enumerated the Virtues, and unlocked the Labyrinth of Ages. We are destined to be the conquerors of death, slayers of gods and false prophets, and the greatest hope of all humanity.”

Five things to know about the Highguard

- We made the Empire. The First Empress was Highborn. She pulled the scattered human nations together and enlightened them to the true faith.

- Only actions are virtuous. Thoughts and feelings are never virtuous or vile. It is only the actions that you undertake that demonstrate your worth.

- The purpose of the past is to inspire the present. We study history not to argue over the facts but to identify lessons that can inspire us today.

- Virtue and vice are contagious. A virtuous life leads the faithful to further righteous action but vile behaviour spreads just as easily if not checked.

- A chapter is bound by spirit, not blood. Amongst the Highborn family ties matter less than shared belief, purpose and vision.

What the Highguard are not

- Zealots or Bigots. There are zealots in Highguard but as a nation they strive to be righteous and lead by example; they are not self-righteous and condemnatory.

- Christian crusaders. Highguard is partly inspired by the imagery and themes of the crusades but there are major differences between Highborn chapters and the crusading orders. Most specifically Christian iconography is inappropriate here.

The nation

Core brief

- The people

- Culture and customs

- Look and feel

Further reading

- History

- Leadership

- Economic interests

- Military concerns

- Religious beliefs

- Magical traditions

- Hearth magic

- Lineage and species attitudes

- Territories

- Children

- Music

- Costumes

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Highguard&oldid=32923"

Imperial Orcs

“One life - make it count”

If you are planning to play an Imperial Orc please read the race brief as well as this page

Two generations ago they were slaves. They won their freedom by strength and indomitable will, forcing the Empire to recognise the injustice it perpetrated against them. Now they choose to fight as part of the Empire that once they were forced to serve. Bereft of a homeland, they strive to carve out a land for themselves and their children.

Like battle, loyalty is part of the orc soul. The barbarian orcs feel a powerful instinctive loyalty towards their tribe; they need to feel as if they are part of something larger than themselves. For the Imperial Orcs, the Empire itself has become their tribe. They fought - and still fight - to be accepted and prove themselves the equal of any Freeborn, Highborn or Winterfolk. While they have no land, the Imperial Orcs consider themselves to be part of a single nation, each legion being a tight-knit family that works and lives together but ultimately knows it is part of a great Empire.

Orcs love to fight, but the Imperial Orcs temper their primal instincts with military discipline. Most are professional soldiers serving with their legions to secure the Empire’s borders, but the Imperial Orcs work throughout the Empire to strengthen it and to carve out a role for themselves within it. Some work closely with the Magistrates, their uncompromising adherence to order making them natural supporters of Empire's laws. Their preachers are active in the Synod, proving to their critics that the orcs not only have souls, but that they can embrace the Way as fervently as any humans.

They are creatures of two worlds; every orc hears the whisper of those who have gone before in their souls. The ancestors are with them, but they present a great challenge. Their ancestors are old, spiteful barbarians and hateful slaves, who cannot understand the choices their descendants have made. They need to find new voices to listen to,

Finally, they are a people without a homeland. The other nations look down on them as a vagabond people, fighting in the Empire's wars but having no land of their own. They have no voice in the Senate, and so cannot hope to guide the destiny of the Empire they have embraced.

Orcs believe they have only one life to live; they strive to burn brightly and leave a better world for their children to inherit.

Five things to know about the Imperial Orcs

- Loyal to the core. Our loyalty to our legion, our nation and our Empire makes us who we are.

- We are citizens. We won the right to be part of this Empire and we are proud of our place in it.

- We are building a nation. We have no lands and no senators - it is down to us to win these things in battle.

- War is in our soul. Fighting is spiritual and it allows us to hear our ancestors.

- Life is precious. You have just one chance to make your mark. Do not squander it.

What the Imperial Orcs are not

- Traditional orcs. While the Imperial Orcs draw on some ideas found in other settings, they have their own unique culture and background. They are not the orcs of Lord of the Rings or Games Workshop's Warhammer setting; many elements of those settings do not fit and have been deliberately excluded.

- Brutal or callous savages. Imperial Orcs are few in number and if they are to build a nation they cannot afford to lose warriors every time they fight. They enjoy battle, but they strive to minimize losses and they take no particular pleasure in killing.

The nation

Core Brief

- The people

- Culture and customs

- Look and feel

Further reading

- History

- Leadership

- Economic interests

- Military concerns

- Religious beliefs

- Magical traditions

- Hearth magic

- Lineage and species attitudes

- Territories

- Children

- Music

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_Orcs&oldid=27807"

The League

"Nothing great without cost."

The people of The League are city-folk through and through. Competition is fierce - you might fall behind not because you have stumbled but simply because someone else is faster. Nobody is given a free ride in The League; they earn their fine lifestyles through hard work and hard dealing. You must seize every opportunity quickly if you wish to rise to become a Merchant Prince.

This is The League. The rivers that run down to the Bay of Catazar are the veins of the Empire, carrying the lifeblood of trade. The four great cities are its beating heart, sending tides of wealth back and forth across the nations. In the South are Sarvos - elegant and sophisticated, cultured and refined - and Tassato - diplomatic, Machiavellian, persuasive and articulate. In the North are Temeschwar - ruthless, relentless, cold and hard - and Holberg - pragmatic, ingenious, innovative and enlightened. Together as The League they are stronger than their parts - four strands inexorably woven to produce an unbreakable bond. They are a driven people, tolerating neither sloth nor lawlessness, and from the wealthiest moneylender to the loudest street bravo, they are quick-witted and alert to opportunity and danger.

It is said that the cities of The League never sleep. By day, the powerful guilds clash over business interests and The League's mercenary Free Companies seek to find work on the Empire's borders. By night, the street balladeers perform on every corner, and rival theatre-houses fight duels where the wordplay matters more than the swordplay. The long con is as much an art form here as the politics of high office; in the coffee-houses that never close, the cant covers both.

The League is much more than ruthless business and cut-throat competition; it is the centre of civilisation in the Empire. It produces and displays great works of art while rich patrons support the theatres. There is a university in each of the four cities and they champion scholastic learning and imaginative problem solving. They institutionalize charity - the Church of the Little Mother feeds and shelters the orphans of the Empire and finds them work - because they know that everyone is a citizen of the Empire, and that today's destitute orphans might rise to become the Merchant Princes of tomorrow.

Five things to know about The League

- Life is competition, and someone is always keeping score. Citizens of The League love to compete in everything they do.

- The rules of the game are not to be broken. League society has simple rules but woe betide those who break them; they are particularly ruthless with lawbreakers.

- Keep your loyalties close, like the rings on your fingers. The League takes loyalty very seriously.

- Coin counts, and everything costs. This is a land of conspicuous consumption where wealth is power and nothing worth having is free.

- Everything is on show, like a mask on your face. Bold, flamboyant action is the best way to publicize yourself and your services, but nobody confuses the mask with the real thing.

What the citizens of The League are not

- Popinjays and dandies. While appearance and charm are important, wit and panache are no substitute for actual deeds. Scratch the surface of The League and beneath you find a Nation of ruthless, ambitious people absolutely committed to their goals.

- DaVincian Inventors. Citizens of The League are imaginative and ingenious; they solve problems with their brains not their brawn. But Empire is not a game that supports the invention of new technologies - League characters are audacious, rather than inventive.

A map? A street map! You need more than a map of the streets to navigate this city, friend. There are rules to this city; break them, and the Prince will break you.

The Steel Throne, Act II, scene iv

The nation

Core brief

- The people

- Culture and customs

- Look and feel

Further reading

- History

- Leadership

- Economic interests

- Military concerns

- Religious beliefs

- Magical traditions

- Hearth magic

- Lineage and species attitudes

- Territories

- Children

- Music

- Costumes

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=The_League&oldid=33465"

The Marches

“Pride in small things, loyalty to great ones”

For centuries, the Marcher Households have followed the beat of the Empire's drums. Aided by the Landskeepers' magic and inspired by the faithful of the monasteries, the Marcher armies have been built from the strength of the yeomen's arms, the courage of their hearts, and the knowledge that they fight for the green fields of home. Stubborn as stone, they give ground grudgingly, and even if they are forced to retreat they are not defeated: they will return.

The Marches are the guts of the Empire. They may not be pretty, but they are vital. They fought a war of independence long ago and they will die, one and all, before they give up their freedoms. None stands above another but that their neighbours put them there. Everything they have they have taken with blood and sweat, every season, their prosperity dragged from the soft earth with every harvest. Nature is their servant, bound and shackled with looming menhirs and iron ploughshares, a hound tamed and set to lie before their doors.

They understand sacrifice - not the easy sacrifice of blood for the harvest, but the hard sacrifice of lives spent day after day working for the future.

The Marches is the sleeping giant of Empire. Enemy boots churn up the rich soil, as the dog days of summer give way to the cold dawn of autumn – and to war.

Hearth and home, loyalty and land. Rivalry, pride and a nation of traditions. Sentinel hills, silent marshes, and standing stones that mark their dominance over the fields. Generation to generation tilling the good, dark earth as their forebears did, and reaping the harvests that feed all the Empire.

Hered the Wakened, Memories of Home

Contents

- 1 Five things about the Marches

- 2 What the Marchers are not

- 3 The nation

- 3.1 Core brief

- 3.2 Further reading

Five things about the Marches

- Land matters above all else. Control and ownership of the land influences every aspect of Marcher life, most especially politics and magic.

- They have deep roots and long memories. Proud of their history and the long rivalries between Households, they never forgive a grudge.

- They're fiercely independent, proud and stubborn. They solve their own problems and stand their ground to defend what is theirs.

- They're governed by consent. They choose their leaders; Marchers are led not ruled. Everyone is born equal and respect is earned not demanded.

- They hold their traditions dearly. This is a land that dislikes change for change's sake, a land comfortable with routine, where Imperial Virtues are just plain common sense.

What the Marchers are not

- Pagans. The Marchers use magic and hard work to tame and control the land; they subjugate it to their will, they don't worship it. The Landskeepers draw on many of the visual imagery of druids, but they are a core part of the agricultural Marcher society, not a throwback to an earlier age.

- Authentic. The Marches is a low-fantasy nation designed to allow people to use the extensive costume resources of The Anarchy, the Wars of the Roses and the Hundred Years war. However the Marches is still a fantasy nation, owing as much to The Wicker Man (1973) or Pratchett's Tiffany Aching series as the Ellis Peters' Cadfael stories or the Cousins' War; this is no place for arguments about historical authenticity.

The nation

Core brief

- The people

- Culture and customs

- Look and feel

Further reading

- History

- Leadership

- Military concerns

- Economic interests

- Religious beliefs

- Magical traditions

- Hearth magic

- Lineage and species attitudes

- Territories

- Children

- Music

- Costumes

- Tales

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=The_Marches&oldid=30178"

Navarr

“Actions have consequences.”

From the great forests they call home, through the cold lands of Wintermark and Varushka, to the Marcher fens, the high mountains of Urizen and even the streets of the League - the Navarr are the great travellers and pioneers of the Empire. Direct and efficient, few know better than they how to use the lands of the Empire to survive - and to fight. Practical, adaptable and focused, they do what they need to do to succeed. Fierce in appearance and dress, they have made themselves the allies of everyone who stands with civilisation and the savage and relentless foes of any who oppose it.

The Navarr are the blood that runs through the Empire’s veins. Spirited, they throw themselves wholeheartedly into the job of serving the Empire. They carry news, messages and even people with them as they travel. For those who dwell in inhospitable places, the Navarr may be the only Imperial contact they have. Vigilant, they roam through the wild places of the Empire and keep a constant watch for the dangers that lurk there. They serve as the Empire's scouts - their work keeps the roads open and their warnings ensure the armies are ready to face the threat.

The Navarr display their fierce heritage in battle. Warriors explode from ambush, slaughtering enemies with barbed spears. Navarr warlocks fuel magic with the primal power of blood. But in peace they are a generous people, noted for their festivities and celebrations to which all are welcome. Throughout the Empire travellers may stumble across Navarr settlements, the steadings, which offer welcome shelter and respite.

More than anyone else the Navarr know how fragile civilisation can be. Centuries ago their forebears dwelled in cities, but they were lost to war with the orcs and magic run amok. They carry the memory of that loss with them everywhere they travel, and though they still seek to reclaim the lands they lost, what drives them more is the need to ensure that it does not happen again. The Navarr know what happens to an Empire that believes itself invincible. They have lost one Empire - they are determined they will not lose another.

Five things about the Navarr

- The Empire is our home. They travel the Empire carrying messages, information and people across the land.

- Survival is change. Their lifestyle is one of constant change as they travel the wilds, and they adapt accordingly.

- Actions have consequences. The Navarr take the long view; they are often magnanimous and see their actions in terms of the effects they will have in years to come, not just today.

- You cannot betray your enemies. The Navarr are fierce in battle; they don't let sentiment get in the way of finding practical solutions to their problems.

- Tread carefully in wild places. The Navarr are vigilant to the dangers of the world they travel through.

What the Navarr are not

- They are not uncivilised or outcasts. They may not possess all the trappings of civilisation now, but they once did. They helped form the Empire and see themselves as an essential part of it . They are happy to use any practical innovation of the Empire, so long as they can travel with it. Their somewhat brutal practicality may shock members of other nations, but it's born out of necessity, not ignorance.

- They are not animists, nature worshippers or Celts. The Navarr are adept at living in the wilds but they do not romanticize that lifestyle and they take a dim view of those who do. Their culture bears a few similarities with some Celtic mythology, but there are no triple goddesses, no Wild Hunt, no wholesale-lifted Celtic myth. The Navarr have their own stories.

The nation

Core brief

- The people

- Culture and customs

- Look and feel

Further reading

- History

- Leadership

- Military concerns

- Economic interests

- Religious beliefs

- Magical traditions

- Hearth magic

- Lineage and species attitudes

- Territories

- Children

- Music

- Costumes

- Thoughts on Navarri attitude

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Navarr&oldid=11845"

Urizen

"Where there is darkness, we will make light."

The mountains of Urizen rest on three pillars.

The first is magic – for the Urizen are a people where magical prowess is seen as the highest achievement. There are few places in the world where magicians are respected as they are in Urizen, but magic alone does not control the Nation. Magic is a tool, a means to an end, forged through study, honed by reason and wielded with the certainty of people who know they are wise enough to do so safely.

The second is reason – only those who understand the world are fit to shape it. Through education and thought, the Urizen learn about the world and the things in it and are better suited to make decisions that change the world. Architects bridge the mountains and focus light to illuminate great halls with a handful of candles. Scholars debate the meaning of existence, and engineers construct engines of war to bring swift ruin to their enemies.

The third is ambition – the Urizen want nothing less than the perfection of all humanity. They seek excellence in themselves, in everything they do. They carve mountains into cities, educate the ignorant and seek to shape the fate of Nations, all with a confidence and dedication that flows from the certainty that they are right to do so.

This is a Nation of timeless tranquillity preserved by strength, of decisive action guided by reason, of majestic spires and citadels reaching toward the sky. It is a Nation of magic, where magic is king.

It is a realm that understands the most important lesson of magic – that a single individual can change the world if they have sufficient will to do so.

Five things to know about Urizen

- They study magic as the highest discipline.

- They live their lives by reason. Rationality and logic are the tools with which they pick apart the secrets of creation.

- They aspire to excellence. Not just for themselves, but for the Empire and the rest of humanity.

- They seek mastery. Not only of themselves, but of the world around them.

- Education is the greatest gift one can give. People who understand the world are simply better than people who do not.

What the citizens of Urizen are not

- Pacifists or procrastinators. They are reasonable people, but are quite prepared to fight to get what they want - they're just likely to consider for a moment if violence is the best course of action before they attack.

- Unarmed combatants. When the Urizen think of martial skills, they think of weapons. Wrestling or even touching your enemies is a distasteful idea. Much better to keep them at bay and overwhelm them with your consummate weapon skills than let them get close to you.

The nation

Core brief

- The people

- Culture and customs

- Look and feel

Further reading

- History

- Leadership

- Economic interests

- Military concerns

- Religious beliefs

- Magical traditions

- Hearth magic

- Lineage and species attitudes

- Territories

- Children

- Music

- Costumes

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Urizen&oldid=33360"

Varushka

“Bar your door, and do not open it before sunrise.”

Varushka is a land of dark magics and dark tales. Monsters lurk in the sunless spaces of the forests that lie across the broken hills like a blanket woven from shadows. Those who keep to the roads and keep to the rules can travel safely. Those who choose their own path find that the rulers of Varushka do not tolerate a challenge to their authority. Power comes in many forms in Varushka, sometimes brutal and uncompromising, sometimes subtle and unnoticed. Boyars guard their dominions; their Schlacta, their iron fist, enforce their will. Wise ones instruct their people, keep them safe by ensuring they know how to follow the rules. Itinerant wizards, the Volhov, keep dangerous company and make everyone’s business their own.

The people of Varushka make hard decisions and compromises to prosper in this difficult land. Their toil has seen them grow rich from the wealth to be had here, and their caution has seen them grow wise to the dangers that lie in wait. Dour by day, they celebrate by night - but only the foolish unbar their doors before dawn.

They are the iron in the Empire’s laws; unyielding, uncompromising, they do what must be done to keep the Empire strong. They are the Empire’s bones, who endure all and still prosper.

Five things about Varushka

- Do not let your eyes fool you. Appearances are deceptive, take nothing for granted.

- Respect your elders. The old possess wisdom that you will need to survive here.

- Do not leave the road. Only the human habitants of this place wish you well. Breaking the rules can have terrible consequences.

- Prepare for difficult choices. Often the only choice is the lesser of two evils.

- Do not tolerate fools or wastrels. Tolerance builds complacency and invites disaster.

What the Varushkans are not

- Evil. The Varushkans can be authoritarian, uncompromising and intolerant but they are law-abiding, not sadistic, bloodthirsty or cruel. Their rule is hard but the real monsters lie outside their walls.

- Cossacks. Varushka draws on Eastern Europe and Russia but it is also inspired by Germany, dark fantasy and the Brothers Grimm. The Cossacks and the stereotypes that accompany them are not part of the setting.

The nation

Core brief

- The people

- Culture and customs

- Look and feel

Further reading

- History

- Leadership

- Military concerns

- Economic interests

- Religious beliefs

- Magical traditions

- Hearth magic

- Lineage and species attitudes

- Territories

- Children

- Music

- Costumes

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Varushka&oldid=27779"

Wintermark

“The storm can never break us.”

Here is Wintermark, where the frozen wind howls down from the eternal storm of Sydanjaa to face men and women stood shoulder to shoulder, holding steadfast against the cold. Revelling in battle, the indomitable Winterfolk stare down every threat with their heads unbowed, for they know that death is only the long sleep before the dawn. Always courageous, they commit themselves to every challenge, matching wits and weapons against worthy foes, forging victory from adversity on the anvil of the north.

The Winterfolk are three great tribes - the wise Kallavesi, the bold Steinr and the clever Suaq - wrought into a single mighty nation. Their banner flies the three rings joined together - three peoples bound with one breath, three voices raised together against the storm. Strength, wisdom, cunning, entwined together to form an unbreakable cord.

Wise Shamans untangle the skeins to peer into the future. The Thanes appoint banner bearers to lead the warriors to battle. The Grimnirs, forbidden from battle by sacred oath, minister to the wounded. All the while, the stormcrows watch, keeping the people's Courage in place and ensuring that no oath goes unheard or unkept. At the end, the scops gather up the dead, raising them up in song and poem, so that their deeds will echo through the halls of the dead.

This can be a harsh land, but it does not breed harsh people. They hone their minds with riddles and mysteries and their souls sing with poetry. They craft beauty for the dreadful arts of war, weaving runes into every axe, shield and helmet. Their wise traditions of weregild and moot laid the foundations of the Empire's law and governance. They are the beating heart of the Empire, and they know that if only the other nations followed their example, the Empire would rule the world.

Five things about Wintermark

- Scions sired by a storm. Wintermark is a harsh land. Mastering it has made us strong.

- A hero's tale ends with a good death. We glory in battle; we stand tall and do not skulk from danger.

- Cold cannot compromise. We do not compromise even with ourselves. Not even age or injury turn us from our undertaking.

- A hero has a name. We prize individuality; your name is the beginning of your story.

- Three tears entwined. The three peoples of the Wintermark are indivisible; they live together and fight as one.

What the Winterfolk are not

- Vikings. The Steinr are inspired by the Saxons and the Rohirrim from Lord of the Rings and they follow the Imperial Religion. There are no longships, raiders or horned helmets, and Thor and the Norse pantheon are actively excluded from the brief.

The nation

Core brief

- The people

- Culture and customs

- Look and feel

Further reading

- History

- Political leadership

- Economic interests

- Military concerns

- Religious beliefs

- Magical traditions

- Hearth magic

- Lineage and species attitudes

- Territories

- Children

- Music

- Costumes

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Wintermark&oldid=33786"

Costume advice

Contents

- 1 National Costumes

- 2 How Tos

- 3 Specialist Tips and Techniques

- 4 Costume Diaries

- 5 £30 kit challenge!

- 6 Traders

National Costumes

- The Brass Coast costumes

- Dawn costumes

- Highguard costumes

- The League costumes

- The Marches costumes

- Navarr costumes

- Urizen costumes

- Varushka costumes

- Wintermark costumes

- Imperial Orc costumes

How Tos

- How to - make a ten minute skirt with only four seams!

- How to - make a ten minute apron

- How to - make an amazingly easy kirtle

- How to - make a really easy Medieval cote

- How to make a t-tunic

- How To - Make a Surcote

- How to adapt a commercial pattern to make a high status dress

- How To - Make an easy kids cloak

- How to - Make an awesome furry mantle

- How to - Make a wizard's or monk's outfit

- How to - Make a felt hat

- How to - Make a Suaq Coat

- Corsets in Empire

- Use your T shirt to make a pattern for costuming!

- Ideas for continual kit improvement

- How to make basic monstering orc kit for 10 pounds Photo tutorial on facebook.

Specialist Tips and Techniques

- Leatherworking Guide

- Jewellery Guide

- Making Horns

- A guide to fabrics for kitmaking

- Making IC fabric flowers

Costume Diaries

- Designing a costume for your character - a Marcher Costume diary

- A Kallivesi Costume Diary - Kallavesi Mystic Part 1, Design A Wintermark Costume Diary

- A League Costume Diary 1- Dressing a Bravo

- A League Costume Diary 2- A Fine Lady's gown - with adjustments for pregnancy and breastfeeding

- Making a hardened leather mask

- Helen's blog on costuming the league

- High Status Marcher Woolen Trapunto Doublet by Moretta Designs

£30 kit challenge!

- Freddie's no-sew £20 costume

- Mandala's £30 kit challenge weekend - 7 nations (under £30 each) and some orc warskirts.

Traders

- Traders - List of links to LRP traders, craftsmen and other resources.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Costume_advice&oldid=34454"

Music

Live music adds a huge amount of atmosphere to a game. Not only that, it can be used as a device to inject information for both plot and immersion purposes, and finally, music and storytelling provides a way to immortalise characters and to increase their lasting impact on the game world. The purpose of this section of the wiki is to encourage live performances of appropriate music and stories and to provide guidance and resources to create a different style of music for each nation. No IC music is discouraged, these resources are just suggestions. We hope it will help musicians and performers to bring alive their camps and add a great deal to the immersion of the game as a whole.

Contents

- 1 Contributing music

- 2 Songs popular throughout the Empire

- 2.1 Imperial Battle Songs

- 2.2 Songs about The Way

- 2.3 Academy Songs

- 2.4 Tavern Songs

- 3 Music of the Empire nations

- 4 Music in battle

- 5 Songs about notable people or entities known across the Empire

- 6 General music resources

Contributing music

Please note, we are being very careful to credit all tunes and lyrics here. Please do not upload copyrighted material without the explicit permission of the authors/performers. Want to submit music to this resource? Here is a music template page to help you.

Songs popular throughout the Empire

Imperial Battle Songs

- A Battle Anthem - known across the Empire and popular in martial nations such as Highguard, The Marches, Dawn and Varushka, though sung in different styles, easy.

- Always a Hero Comes Home - Song about what it means to be a hero, easy.

Songs about The Way

- The Good Old Way - hymn about The Way, medium

Academy Songs

- The Faculty Song - Song about staff of The Academy and also teaches virtues, easy.

- Useful Rhymes - rhymes to help children (and adults) remember Virtues, herbs, etc.

Tavern Songs

- Here's A Health to the Company - easy drinking song.

- The Parting Glass - farewell song, medium.

- Daddy Fox - folk song about a cunning fox, easy.

- Three Ravens/Twa Corbies - song about a dead knight, medium.

- His Banner's Not Mine Versatile love song

Music of the Empire nations

Generic folk is sung throughout the Empire and no music is 'wrong' to sing or play unless it has OOC references. However it would be great to hear a different sound in each camp and the pages for each nation (below) will help you to adapt your existing repertoire to a national style, and learn new material.

- The Brass Coast music

- Dawn music

- Highguard music

- League music

- The Marches music

- Navarr music

- Urizen music

- Varushka music

- Wintermark music

- Imperial Orc music

Music in battle

Most of the Imperial nations will use music or noise to inspire courage on the battlefield, or to terrify their enemies. Styles vary from nation to nation and group to group, however here are some overall tendencies:

- Brass Coast - favour wild shouting and shrieking, along with taunts and challenges or structured 'marching music' on pipes/recorders with light drumming. They build up courage by typically starting in a very slow beat that gets faster and faster until it dissolves into chaos, then starting again.

- Dawn - a Dawnish shield wall may be accompanied by formal fanfare, or pipe and drum. Individual units are often accompanied by a troubadour, who maintains the morale of the soldiers through story and song, and who is also responsible for immortalising their deeds at the battle's end.

- Highguard - Highguard has a tradition of battle choirs, or unstructured bugles/trumpets/horns at the charge. When marching Highguard soldiers either sing or follow a rhythmical bell rung by a priest. Some units tie tiny bells to their shields or armour which ring during the fighting and if they fall in battle, the priests collect the bells and add them to the group's standard.

- The League - League soldiers love to taunt their enemies and often chant simple rhyming jeers at opposing soldiers. The League also make use of high or snare drums to build morale before a battle.

- The Marches - in a similar fashion to Rough Music, Marchers will shout, chant, bang shields, staves or anything else to create noise before a battle. When marching to the battlefield, drinking songs may also help to keep spirits up!

- Navarr - in order to distract foes from potential flanking ambushes, the Navarr may shout and chant, and use small horns and drums to create unstructured noise. At night or in dim forests, bullroarers or 'twirlies'/'whirlers' are sometimes used to scare and disorient their enemies.

- Urizen - gongs, bells and drums are sometimes used to provide a steady repeating rhythm which keeps the group of Sentinels moving forwards, gongs are also used to signal to other nations when Urizen reinforcements are close at hand.

- Varushka - Varushkans often sing morale-boosting Marching songs, and can be accompanied on the battlefield by drums but typically forget about any kind of structured music once the fighting starts.

- Wintermark - A Wintermark battle line will have orators, drummers, singers, or pipers gathered around the Banner of each group and they play a large role in keeping morale up. See Wintermark Military Concerns for more detail.

- Orcs - big drums, chanting, horns

Songs about notable people or entities known across the Empire

- Britta's song - Song about Empress Britta

- Harvest Time - Song about Empress Britta

- The Lion and the Unicorn - Song about Jaheris and Eleonaris becoming well known, especially by those associated with the Summer Realm

- Riqueza's Dream Telling one version of the tale of the founding of the Brass Coast this song is popular in taverns and Alcazars. It has sparked off several diplomatic incidents by 'accidentally' offending Highborn visitors.

General music resources

- For song lyrics: Mudcat, traditionalmusic.co.uk

- For tunes: TheSession

- To find vaguely religious lyrics about the virtues, try using the word search at http://fasola.org/indexes/1991/?l=a You can search by words e.g. Ambition or "The Way" and then click through to the whole song. To find the tune, try googling the song title as many shape note songs are on youtube, or find a friendly shape note singer who can look up the tune in the book. See also http://www.shapenote.net/ - a great resource for learning shapenote music.

- Shakespeare sonnets are suitable for a few cultures, especially Dawn, or for filking. http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/all.php

- A great podcast for discovering new folk music: http://www.folkcast.co.uk/

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Music&oldid=32939"

Nation FAQ

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Can I change nation in play?

- 3 Can I play a mixed-nation character?

- 4 Can we play a mixed-nation group?

- 5 Can I play an Imperial Orc in the Marches?

- 6 Can I be a Dawnish knight without being Dawnish?

- 7 Can I be more than one archetype?

- 8 What if my nationality or archetype is disputed?

Introduction

The following is a list of frequently asked questions that players have sent us. If you have any queries about Empire then it is worth checking the FAQs first, to see if the answer to your question is here. Otherwise email us at empire.rules@profounddecisions.co.uk with any questions about the rules or empire@profounddecisions.co.uk with any other questions about the game. We'll answer as quickly as we can and we'll add your question to our FAQ if we think it is likely to be of interest to other players.

This section of the FAQ contains questions about nations. For questions about other parts of the game, please see the more general FAQ.

Can I change nation in play?

To be a member of an Imperial nation you must be accepted by the egregore of that nation. In effect, this means that an existing character who wants to change nation will need to seek out the egregore of the nation they wish to join and convince them to accept you into their nation. You should make sure you read the page on nationality so that you understand the implications of joining a new nation.

Can I play a mixed-nation character?

All players must choose a single nation for their character. Although a character may have changed nation, the nature of the setting means that they should use the culture, costume and characterization of the nation they are a member of now. This page about nationality gives more information about why characters in Empire are from a single nation.

Can we play a mixed-nation group?

At the event, the main field will be split into ten distinct camping areas, one for each of the nations and one for the Imperial Orcs. Nation is your primary source of identity and the key route into all the politics of the game, so any Marcher character that spends their time hanging around in the Dawnish camp is likely to be cut out of a significant portion of the game. For this reason alone we are actively discouraging mixed-nation groups and asking players to focus on creating a group that draws from one nation.

There are significant rules penalties for mixed-nation groups. Characters take the battlefield by nation, so you cannot take the battlefield and fight together as a group. You can't be part of the same sect and gain any religious benefits and you can't be part of the same coven and work together to perform rituals. In addition you cannot participate in the politics together as the politics of Empire is segregated on national lines.

All of these elements of the game have been deliberately designed to discourage players from playing in mixed nation groups, because we believe it is much more likely that players in mixed nations groups will have a very bad time. In addition to the significant rules penalties described above, you may be ostracized by your fellow players. If that happens you risk being cut out of the roleplaying of the camp, along with your inability to participate in the battles, rituals and politics of the Empire.

It is important to point out that the nations are all part of a single Empire - they might have political differences on many issues but they are fundamentally on the same side. As such it is perfectly reasonable to begin the game having existing alliances and contacts with groups in other nations. If half your friends want to come from Varushka and half want to play Winterfolk then we would advise you make two groups - one from each nation - and put links between them in your respective backgrounds. It's normal to have close friends and allies from other nations.

Can I play an Imperial Orc in the Marches?

Imperial orcs are the equivalent of a nation - they have their own camp, their own armies, their own generals and so on. Anyone planning to play an Imperial Orc should be based out of the Imperial Orc camp.

Can I be a Dawnish knight without being Dawnish?

No. To be knighted is to be a member of a Dawnish noble house - which means being a member of a Dawnish group - for which you must be Dawnish.

Can I be more than one archetype?

When you create your character you can choose a single character archetype from those described for the nation on the wiki. Archetypes are completely optional, you don't have to have one but it tells us a lot about what you consider to be the main role of your character, and we use them when writing some plots. For instance, if we are going to write some plot involving combat in Urizen - then we might aim that plot at players who have told us they are playing a Sentinel. If we're writing plot involving ritual magic in Dawn then we'll look at who is playing an enchanter.

It is difficult for a character to fulfill more than one role at once, though not impossible. At character creation we ask you to pick the archetype that is most relevant for your character. We may then use that information when looking for characters to involve in new plot we are writing. However archetypes are also about the setting and your characterisation, there are no game rules for them, it is simply a shorthand for how you present your character and what you tell the world about yourself. A Wintermark Thane might also be a Grimnir. However the social role, the vows involved, or simply the time required will often make it difficult to fully portray, or even be accepted, as more than one archetype at once.

What if my nationality or archetype is disputed?

Only members of a nation may vote in that nations senatorial elections - and in some cases only members of certain archetypes or characters with elevated social status may vote. For instance in Dawn, only nobles who have passed the Test of Mettle may participate in the senatorial tourney. In most cases who is or is not a Dawnish noble is obvious to everyone present - and the assumption is that all characters will react accordingly. If however there is some genuine doubt, then characters present may dispute an individuals nationality or status.

If that happens, then the civil service will look to the nation's egregore to make a ruling on the matter. An egregore is best placed to know if a character is genuinely or who they claim to be. The election will be halted while the egregore talks privately to the character in question. If the character is able to convince the egregore that they are who they claim to be then they will be allowed to participate in the election. If the player is uncertain, perhaps because they are new to the game, then the egregore will take the time to help them to understand what is involved and work out what the correct answer is.

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Empire overview

Formed nearly four hundred years ago when the First Empress began her crusade to unite all humanity, the Empire has grown and prospered ever since despite being surrounded by barbarian enemies. Made up of nine great nations, the Empire is politically and legally unified. Everyone is an Imperial citizen but the Empire seeks to maintain the unique culture and customs of the different nations.

The Empire has a complex political system that shares power between a number of institutions. At its head is the Throne, the seat of the Emperor or Empress and the most powerful political position in the Empire. The Throne is not hereditary; the occupant is chosen by the Senate (a council of representatives chosen from each nation) to oversee the running of the Empire. When the Throne is empty, most of its powers are held by the Senate.

The Synod exists to keep the Empire virtuous. This august body is formed from every priest in the Empire who has a recognized congregation. It has many powers defined in the Imperial Constitution, and is the only body able to dismiss an Imperial citizen from a position once they have been appointed. The prosecution of wars and the defence of the Empire is the responsibility of the generals appointed to the Military Council, whilst the most powerful magicians in the Empire protect and support their own through the Conclave. The Bourse oversees matters of economics, helping to build the Empire and enrich its citizens.

The day-to-day operation of the Empire is attended to by the magistrates and functionaries of the Imperial Civil Service. These NPCs (non-player characters) ensure that the laws are upheld. They also ensure that the tedious business of logistics and administration is attended to without those who rule having to waste their time with such matters. They have an untarnished reputation for integrity and impartiality. The magistrates ensure that everyone has recourse to the law, while the functionaries see that armies are fed and transported where the Generals order and that workers are hired and paid for building projects that the Senate authorizes.

What binds the Empire together is the Way of Virtue, a single religion shared by every citizen which teaches that humans enjoy reincarnation after death and that adherence to the seven great Virtues will ensure a swift reincarnation. The Way recognizes the legacy of the heroes of the past, while encouraging every citizen to work towards the triumph of humanity.

That triumph is not assured; the Empire has enemies on all sides. Barbarian tribes and kingdoms that look on the success of humanity with jealous eyes. They remember a time when they ruled this land and pounce on any opportunity to restore their own fortunes. The dream of the First Empress will not be complete until these barbarians are defeated once and for all.

Five things to know about the Empire

- It is an enlightened republic. The Empire belongs to its citizens and at its best it serves their interest. It does not keep slaves or discriminate between its citizens on grounds of age, gender, sexuality or lineage.

- It is unified by faith. The Way of Virtue is the official state religion based on philosophy and reincarnation. It is the only legal religion allowed in the Empire and is accepted in some form by almost all citizens.

- It does not tolerate murder. The Empire has a strong legal system that serves to identify and prosecute criminals especially murderers. Our NPC magistrates will use every possible in-character resource to punish those who break the law.

- It has many enemies. The Empire is surrounded by barbarians, the majority of whom are orc tribes and kingdoms. There has never been a year when the Empire was not at war with at least one of them.

- It is defended by its heroes. The Empire relies on its heroic citizens to defend it. Many elements of Imperial society works to encourage the citizenry to step up to this challenge. Children are taught to be the heroes of tomorrow.

What the Empire is not

- An aristocracy. The Senate appoints an Emperor or Empress and the senators are in turn chosen by the prominent inhabitants of the nations. This pattern is widespread throughout the Empire; it has no aristocratic or dynastic family lines and no tradition of inherited power or titles. Wealth may be inherited, but power is granted by your peers.

Further reading

- The Throne

- The Imperial Senate

- The Imperial Synod

- Religion

- The Imperial Military Council

- The Imperial Conclave

- The Imperial Bourse

- Imperial Law

- Imperial history

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Empire_overview&oldid=12360"

Imperial Senate

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Role within the Empire

- 3 History

- 4 Sessions

- 5 Participation

- 6 Limitations

- 6.1 Veto

- 6.2 Constitution

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Imperial Senate is the primary legislative body for the Empire. It is an elective chamber; with one senator appointed by each territory of the Empire to represent their interests. The chamber has access to a wide range of political powers which makes senators some of the most powerful political individuals in the Empire. They alone have the ability to change Imperial law, as well as enjoying access to the Imperial treasury. They are also responsible for appointing The Throne.

Role within the Empire

The purpose of the Senate is to govern the Empire. This control extends to all areas of Imperial life not already covered by the other houses of government; the Synod, Bourse, Military Council, and the Conclave.

Any major commission, whether military or economic in purposes requires the approval of the Senate. They cannot order the Bourse to provide the materials required, but they control the Imperial treasury and can disburse funds from it to purchase the materials needed.

The Senate are forbidden by the Imperial Constitution from intervening in the business of the Military Council, but members of the Senate appoint each general and only the Senate can declare war on another nation - or end it. When a territory is conquered by the Imperial armies, it is the Senate who decides which nation the territory will be assigned to.

The Senate are also responsible for Imperial law. Any changes to Imperial law must be raised and approved by members of the Senate; changes which have constitutional implications also require authorization by The Throne and approval by the magistrates. The Senate also has the power to create new offices of state, individuals with powers and responsibilities, who operate as part of any of the great houses of government.

Because of their great power, the Senate is closely watched over by the Synod who have the power to veto decisions made by the Senate.

History

The Senate was created at the dawn of the Empire to ensure that the power to govern remained in the hands of the citizens. The Senate is a development of the Witan which existed in Wintermark to help the monarch run the nation, in the time before the Empire.

The design of the Senate is a direct consequence of the unique way the Empire was formed, not by conquest, but by a union of nations. All agreed that the Senate should limit the power of The Throne - the first Empress was a popular figure - but not that popular. But every nation had their own dogmatic views on how the new Empire should be run. Nations with strong military traditions, like Dawn and The Marches sought to enhance the power of the military, while nations like The League were openly contemptuous of the idea that politicians should control the Empire's economy. Highguard as the driving force behind the creation of the Empire was determined to secure the power and authority of the Imperial Synod.

Compromises were made to ensure unity; for example the constitutionally protected roles of the Imperial Bourse and the Imperial Military Council were expressly created to thwart the desire of senators to control these areas of the Empire. As a result, while the Senate is the most powerful of the five political houses, it has defined limits to its power set down by the Constitution, and it is forever watched over by the Synod.

Sessions

The Senate typically sits twice in each full day of an Imperial summit, and once in each part day. Sessions are conducted in the Senate chamber, a grand stone building at the heart of Anvil. To keep order each Senate session is chaired by the Speaker for the Senate, a civil servant responsible for ordering motions during a sitting, allowing time for motions to be considered, for maintaining civil debate, counting votes and ensuring due procedure within the chamber.

The agenda consists of motion, announcements, and addresses. Motions are raised by members of the Senate and considered and voted upon by all present. By historical tradition, motions are nailed to the walls of the Senate so that all citizens can be aware of them. It is common for the civil service to take a copy of the motion and make it available through the hub.

Announcements are made by any holder of an Imperial title who wishes to use Senate powers that have been delegated to that office. They can be considered and discussed like a motion, but are not subject to a vote. Addresses are made by those whose title grants them the power to address the Senate. Like an announcement, they may be considered and discussed, but no vote is taken.

Participation

Only a Member of the Senate is entitled to entry to the Senate chamber for a session. Members must arrive promptly, entry is prohibited to any once a session has begun. Anyone who has the right to enter, has the right to speak during the debates. To do so they must catch the eye of the Speaker and wait until invited to speak. To cast a vote, eligible members who are present will be called upon by the Speaker to take a stance on each motion brought before the Senate.

The right of witness ensures that every member of the Synod is entitled to observe all aspects of the Senate. To facilitate this, the Senate building has a large viewing gallery that runs alongside the main chamber. When it was originally constructed the gallery was only available to members of the Synod, but it was easier to open the gallery to all, and now all citizens with an interest in the proceedings are encouraged to attend. Any Imperial Citizen can ask the Speaker or the Captain of the Senate Guard to remove a non-citizen from the viewing gallery.

Although only a handful of citizens have the right to raise motions and vote on them in the Senate, the Senators who form the mainstay of the Senate are chosen by the people of their nation. Most senators work hard to make themselves available to the citizens who elect them. A senator who does not adequately represent the interests, views, and goals of the people of their nation and territory can quickly find themselves removed from office.

Limitations

Veto

The decisions of the Senate, both motions and announcements are subject to veto by The Throne and the Imperial Synod. Any veto automatically cancels the motion or announcement, as if it had been a motion which was voted down. A motion that is vetoed cannot be raised again before the start of the next summit.

The Imperial Synod, either the Assembly of Nine or the General Assembly may veto any motion with constitutional implications. In addition, the General Assembly of the Synod may veto any one Senate decision during any summit, using its veto. A veto by the Synod must be exercised before the start of the next session.

The Throne may veto any business that occurs during a Senate session while they are present.

Constitution

The power of the Senate's is limited by the Imperial Constitution. The magistrates may declare a motion to be unconstitutional, if they believe it violates the principles of the Constitution. Where possible the magistrates will always do this before a motion is considered if they are given due time. If a motion is declared unconstitutional, the magistrates are required to provide complete guidance for why it was ruled unconstitutional. The senate may then consider a new motion on the issue at any time.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_Senate&oldid=34614"

Imperial Synod

Reward the Virtuous; Punish the Wicked

The Imperial Synod

The Imperial Synod exists to safeguard the soul of the Empire, protecting it from dangers and corrupting influences, whilst nurturing and promoting virtue wherever it flourishes. It provides a balance on the power of the Imperial Senate and The Throne and has the power to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked. It also controls the supply of true, or pure, liao which grants access to past life visions.

Key Features of the Imperial Synod

- Membership. You are a member of the Synod if you have the congregation downtime resource. This indicates that the character has responsibility for the spiritual wellbeing of a portion of the population. The larger the congregation, the more influence the priest has in the Synod.

- The Assemblies. The Synod is divided into the:

- General Assembly, consisting of all Synod Priests

- National Assemblies, consisting of all Synod Priests from the same nation

- Virtue Assemblies, consisting of all Synod priests who share the same dedication, or lack of.

- Assembly of Nine, consisting of the eight Cardinals of the Virtue Assemblies and the Throne.

A Synod Priest will have automatic membership of the first three Assemblies on that list.

- Meeting. The Civil Service does not arrange meetings for the Assemblies. That is the responsibility of the Synod priests to arrange. The Civil Service handles judgments made by the Synod.

- Powers. As spiritual and moral leaders, Synod priests have a number of powers enshrined by the law and constitution. More details are here.

- Judgments. The Synod has a number of powers that the various Assemblies can wield. These are called judgments.

Further Reading

- Information about the different Assemblies

- The powers of individual Synod Members

- The powers of the Synod Assemblies

- How the Synod Assemblies use their powers

- The Way of Virtue

- Imperial Theology

- Recent History

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_Synod&oldid=30535"

Imperial Military Council

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Role within the Empire

- 3 History

- 4 Sessions

- 4.1 The Muster

- 4.2 Council sessions

- 5 Participation

- 6 Limitations

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Military Council is the gathering of Imperial generals. Individually, the generals have responsibility for the orders given to the the Empire’s armies. Collectively, the Council has the power to determine what use will be made of the major conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate. The Council also meets regularly during events to allow generals an opportunity to share strategic information and receive formal presentations from other citizens, and to wield the legal powers of the Council.

While each general is a member of the Military Council, there is an implicit tension between their responsibility to the nation they represent and the perceived needs of the Empire as a whole. Throughout the history of the Empire, the strength of the Military Council has waxed and waned. When the Council is dominant, the goals of the nations take second place to grand strategies. When the nations are dominant, their goals take precedence over the "good of the Empire".

Role within the Empire

The Imperial Constitution clearly divides the responsibilities for war between the Imperial Senate and the Military Council. Generals are appointed by members of the Senate, but once appointed serve their full term (unless they are revoked by the Synod). Only the Senate can declare war on another nation - or end it - but the generals prosecute those wars and ultimately decide whether to invade a barbarian nation or not. Furthermore, the Senate is forbidden from intervening in the business of the Military Council - it is illegal for a senator to enter the Council chamber while they are in session.

The main role of the Military Council is to determine how to best employ the major conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate. These conjunctions allow the Empire to send hundreds of their most skilled warriors to key strategic locations on the Empire's borders, but there are always difficult decisions to be made about which conjunctions to chose, which nations are best placed to take advantage of them, and who will lead them.

When a battle opportunity leads to the capture of a significant resource, such as an enemy weapon, prisoner or significant trove of barbarian resources, it is the responsibility of the Military Council to decide who will take custody of those resources. Usually the presence of such resources is well known in advance, but an individual citizen can appeal to a magistrate for a decision if they believe that a field marshall has claimed treasures that were not part of the strategic objectives of the battle.

Beyond control of the opportunities provided by the Sentinel Gate, the Military Council has relatively few legal powers. It holds sessions primarily to give generals an opportunity to share military goals and strategies. Finally, the Council also plays a minor role in the judicial system; it has the power to release individuals who have been sentenced to fight to the death in battle, if service has been exemplary. It also has the power to arrange the disposal of all spoils of war, valuable resources that have been captured by Imperial forces on campaign.

History

The structure of the Military Council and the Imperial armies was laid down at the creation of the Empire. The Marcher steward, Tom Drake, argued passionately that the command of Marcher yeomanry must be with a yeoman. He point blank refused to compromise; for Drake it was about the principle of representation and the right for Marchers to choose who they raised up. The military commanders of the other nations broadly agreed with him, and his vision of armies raised within nations and led by generals of those nations appointed by their senators quickly gained ground. It also eased concerns in many quarters of a future Throne who might seek to wield the might of the armies as a tyrant, or that the Military Council itself might a coup to overthrow the Senate.

Sessions

Like the Senate,meetings of the military council are chaired by a civil servant, the Herald of the Council. However the rules of the Council are not as strict as those of the Senate; members may speak freely and come and go as they please during the course of the meeting. The Herald will act to ensure everyone is given an opportunity to speak but ensure that the meetings run to time and does not become repetitive.

Unlike the Imperial Conclave or the Imperial Senate, the Imperial Military Council has two distinct types of meeting. The muster takes place on the first night of each summit at Anvil, and concerns decision about the use of the Sentinel gate. Other meetings, called Council sessions have a broader remit and take place throughout the summit.

The Muster

The most important meeting of the Military Council is the muster which takes place on the first night of each summit at Anvil. At the start of the muster, the Herald will brief the assembled generals about the major conjunctions that the civil service has been able to identify. The generals discuss the opportunities, and decide which conjunctions to use. They then decide which nations will use each conjunction, and who will be in command on the field during each battle.

Once a decision has been reached, the muster is formally over. Those in attendance are then expected to return to their nations and let everyone present know what decisions the Council has reached (secrecy is not usually a concern), so that people may prepare themselves for the battles on the following days. The civil service also ensure that the egregores are informed to try to ensure everyone has a chance to find out when they might be called upon to fight.

Council sessions

The Military Council holds further sessions on each day following the first battle of the summit. They are distinct from the muster - shorter and with a broader focus. Every session has an agenda set by the members of the council and overseen by the Herald. The sessions give individual general an opportunity to wield the collective power of the Council; receive or deliver battle reports and other military briefings; and discuss and evaluate military strategies and concerns.

Participation

Each general is by default a member of the Military Council, as is the Warmage. They can participate in discussions, vote on matters of importance, and add items to the agenda for a Council session.

The right of witness ensures that every member of the Imperial Synod is entitled to observe meetings of the Military Council. In practice it is customary to allow any citizen who is interested in Council business to attend. However neither priests nor other Imperial citizens may speak unless invited to do so by the Herald. The Herald has the legal power to remove anyone from the chamber if their speech or behaviour is impeding the ability of the Council to act. Any Imperial Citizen can ask the Herald to remove a non-citizen from the meeting.

The constitution explicitly forbids senators from entering the Military Council under any circumstances. Some historical scholars claim this reflects the importance the First Empress and her advisers placed on the separating the business of war from the business of politics. Less flattering interpretations point out that since the Empress (or Emperor) is a member of both chambers, this ruling also enhances the prestige and power of The Throne.

Limitations

The Military Council cannot submit orders to the Imperial armies directly; only the appointed general or their adjutant has that authority. Although the Synod is charged with oversight of the Military Council and the generals who sit on it, neither the Military Council nor any other body may compel the generals to act in any way. They cannot even compel a general to attent a council session or muster - and every general has the ability to leave a session once they consider their business completed.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Muster

- Council Session

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

Additional Information

- War

- Council Address

- Appointments to the Military Council

- The Throne

- Herald of the Council

- Warmage

- Appointments by the Military Council

- Field Marshal

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- OOC Design

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_Military_Council&oldid=35253"

Imperial Conclave

Magic is but a tool like any other, what matters is the mind that wields it.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Role Within The Empire

- 3 History

- 4 Sessions

- 5 Participation

- 6 Further Reading

- 6.1 Core Brief

- 6.2 Additional Information

- 7 Ongoing Concerns

Overview

The Conclave is an organisation effectively open to all magicians in the Empire. Members of the Conclave explore, discuss and use magic for the benefit both of the Empire and the magicians themselves. Much of the business of the Conclave is hidden from the eyes of non-Magicians, taking place in the Hall of Worlds. At the same time it's influence can be far-reaching - it has access to the magical resources of the entire Empire, and has the ability to make decisions about magical matters that are legally binding on Imperial citizens.

Role Within The Empire

The Conclave is charged with oversight of magic across the Empire. Its remit includes encouraging the use of magic in the best interests of the people of the Empire; preventing the misuse of magic to damage the interests of the Empire; and advising the Imperial Senate, Military Council and Imperial Synod on arcane matters.

It possesses specific powers to promote and protect safe and prosperous use of magic by its citizens, through the use of declarations. The Conclave also controls a pool of magical resources that are allocated via gambits for use in specific projects supported by one or more Conclave order.

The Conclave also acts to direct magical research in the Empire. The Conclave appoints the Dean of the Lyceum, a prominent post that has has access to the resources needed to research new rituals in the span of years rather than the decades that would be required for a magician working alone.

History

Mages from Urizen were heavily involved in the creation of the Conclave and the power and nature of the body reflects much of their approach to life. The Urizen passion for magic caused many Urizen magi to attend and speak at the first Conclave meetings, even though the nation did not formerly join the Empire until after the death of the first Empress. In many ways the structure and arrangement of the Conclave reflects how the early Urizen would have chosen to rule the entire Empire, had they been given a free hand in such matters. Instead the design and creation of the Conclave was as imagined, but its remit was heavily constrained; the powers of the Conclave deal only with magic and the use of magic in the Empire.

The first Conclave deliberately chose to hold all their sessions in the Hall of Worlds at Anvil to limit the ability of non-magicians to interfere in their business. The Conclave has always met here although records show that this arcane location changed significantly in the decades that followed the formation of the Empire, growing in size and shape and taking on the form that it assumes today. Unpredictable, seemingly random, changes still occur but most are now cosmetic in nature. Many Conclave magicians subscribe to the idea that the Hall of Worlds adapts to suit the needs of those who meet there, as other chambers in the realms are known to do, reflecting the uses to which it is put.

Sessions

The official business of the Conclave takes place at the Conclave sessions - which are always held in the Hall of Worlds. The Conclave normally has a single session each evening during any Imperial summit. The agenda for these sessions is managed by the civil service but items can be added to the agenda by any individual in exchange for a mana crystal. Agenda items are divided into three types; addresses - an opportunity for individuals to provide Conclave members with information; declarations - which allow Conclave members to vote on issues of policy; and gambits - formal requests by the appointed officers of the Conclave to utilize the resources of the Conclave.

Because of the potential size of the Conclave - which exceeds even that of the Synod - sessions are subject to strict rules that determine who can speak and for how long. These rules are referred to as the three principles; the Principle of Proportions, Principle of Precedence and Principle of Presence. The principles are designed to balance the desire of members to speak with the need to prevent Conclave sessions from becoming unnecessarily long. Civil servants administer the operational procedures of the Conclave, but in practice the chamber is dependent on members to police the rules to keep sessions moving. In return the Conclave provides every member with a vote that allows them to directly influence the decisions that the chamber takes.

Most members of the Conclave choose to join a Conclave order. These are political bodies with clear philosophies about how magic should be used. Joining an order allows an Imperial magician to unify their voice with other like-minded magicians as well as giving them influence over how the Conclave expends the magical resources it accrues.

Participation

Any Imperial magician who attends a session in the Hall of Worlds at Anvil is considered to be a member of the Conclave. They are eligible to vote in declarations and to join a Conclave order if they wish to do so. Members of an order elect a grandmaster who provides leadership and direction to the order. Most Imperial magicians who attend Conclave sessions regularly choose to join an order, but it is not mandatory and some individuals prefer to remain independent of any political affiliation, the better to influence all of them.

There are strict rules to determine who can speak and when, but anyone who is present at a session has the right to speak, provided they pay for their time with a mana crystal for every minute spent talking. Membership of the Conclave is a requirement to vote but not to speak. It is possible, albeit difficult, for non-magicians to reach the Hall of Worlds so anyone who makes the effort to reach the Hall of Worlds can address the Conclave, if they can afford it. It is rare for citizens who are not magicians to do this, however it is not uncommon for beings of the realms, eternals and their heralds who are present at meetings to speak before the Conclave.

Being a magician is a legal requirement to vote in declarations or to join an order, so any individual who attempted to pass themselves off as a magician without the requisite skill would be guilty of subverting the agencies of the state. It is common practice to assume every citizen present is a magician but magistrates do pass judgement when imposters are uncovered.

Anyone can add an address or a declaration to the agenda for a Conclave session, if they provide a mana crystal, they need only find a suitable civil servant to do so. However there is rarely any value in doing so unless you can be physically present to speak on the matter.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Conclave session

- Conclave powers

- Declaration

- Gambit

- Conclave appointments

- Conclave order

Additional Information

- Conclave address

- Principle of Precedence

- Principle of Presence

- Principle of Proportions

- Conclave vault

- OOC design

Ongoing Concerns

Information about past Declarations made by the Conclave that are still in effect can be found at:

- Declarations of Interdiction

- Declarations of Sorcery

- Declarations of Amity

- Declarations of Enmity

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_Conclave&oldid=35245"

Imperial Bourse

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Role within the Empire

- 3 Entry requirements

- 4 Elections and Appointments

- 4.1 Losing the tItle

- 4.2 Proxies

- 5 History

- 6 Powers and functions

- 6.1 Control of Ilium and Building Materials

- 6.2 Access to the Private Auction

- 6.3 Operation of the Public Auction

- 6.4 Auction of Appointments

- 7 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 7.1 Mithril

- 7.1.1 The Singing Caves

- 7.1.2 The Fortress of Salt

- 7.1.3 The Brilliant Star

- 7.1.4 The Great Mine of Briante

- 7.1.5 The Great Pits of Ennerlund

- 7.2 Weirwood

- 7.2.1 The Golden Trees of Seren

- 7.2.2 The Hunt of Alderei the Fair

- 7.2.3 The Heartwood of the Great Vale

- 7.2.4 The Weirwater Vales

- 7.2.5 The Canterspire Circle

- 7.2.6 The Great Forest at Reikos

- 7.3 White Granite

- 7.3.1 The Damation Cliffs

- 7.3.2 The Night Quarry

- 7.3.3 The Arratan Gamble

- 7.3.4 Sutton Stone Quarries

- 7.3.5 The Brilliant Shore

- 7.4 Ilium

- 7.4.1 Syrene's Wisdom

- 7.4.2 The Scorrero Nets

- 8 National Bourse Positions

- 8.1 The Master of The Imperial Mint

- 8.2 Castellan of Spiral Castle

- 8.3 Mithril

- 8.3.1 The Eternal Shafts of Time

- 8.3.2 The Legacy

- 8.4 Weirwood

- 8.4.1 The Thimble

- 8.5 White Granite

- 8.5.1 The Granites of Veltsgorsk

- 8.5.2 The Vigilant Swan

- 8.6 Ilium

- 8.6.1 The Steel Fist

- 8.6.2 The Broken Shore Bounty

- 8.6.3 The Stonefield Ice Caves

- 8.6.4 The Regario Dossier

- 9 Other Titles

Overview

The Imperial Bourse is the economic hub of the Empire. Its role is to ensure the prosperity of the Empire and to provide access to much needed resources to those who can afford them.

Role within the Empire

The Bourse is designed to ensure that ilium, mithril, weirwood and white granite are directed to where they can provide the most economic benefit, rather than being assigned by political or military patronage. Merchants bid for a position on the Bourse and those that are successful gain control of one of the Bourse positions that control production. It is then left to them to sell the resources at whatever price they can. Although there are frequent accusations of profiteering, when the market functions as intended it ensures that significant sums of money are paid to the Bourse for use by the Empire.

Decisions within the Bourse are taken by auction, with members placing money in the Bourse coffers to register their support for or against a motion. Such auctions are rare however, most of the Bourse activity is economic in nature and takes place without central organisation. The money collected by the Bourse, as part of the process of selecting members and making decisions becomes the property of the Empire.

The Bourse has gained two other roles over the years, operating the public and private auctions. The public auction is open to anyone present; most goods sold are herbs, mana crystals, resources, building materials and occasionally even Ilium are sent to the Bourse by Imperial citizens who want a good price for their goods but have neither the inclination nor the time to attend the meetings at Anvil. The private auction is for Bourse members only and sells rare and unique items that agents of the Bourse have sourced from across the Empire and the World.

Entry requirements

There are over a score of different Bourse positions, the majority of which are auctioned off once a year. Although a citizen may bid for as many positions as they choose, an individual can only hold one Imperial title. The auction itself uses an open bidding system and payments must be made immediately.

There are a handful of Bourse positions which are not auctioned off. These positions reflect the relative economic wealth and priorities of nations like Varushka. As a result these resources are controlled by vote of members of that nation based on what resources they control. These positions are identified separately below.

You can find details of who holds which seat here.

Elections and Appointments

During each season, all the Bourse Seats (both Imperial and National) that produce a single material are re-elected or re-appointed. During the event that a seat is due to be re-elected, the current holder does not receive any materials. Once the seat has been re-elected, the new holder receives that season's production, and secures the production until the next time the seat is due to be re-elected.

- Weirwood seats are re-elected at the Winter Solstice.

- Ilium seats and the Master of the Imperial Mint are re-elected at the Spring Equinox.

- White Granite seats are re-elected at the Summer Solstice.

- Mithril seats are re-elected at the Autumn Equinox.

Losing the tItle

What happens when a Bourse seat loses their title depends on how they lost it.

- If the holder of a Bourse seat dies, the seat is re-auctioned (or appointed). The new holder of the seat does not receive any wains or rings of ilium until the start of the next event. The money raised by the auction (if any) becomes part of the estate of the dead character, and the Magistrates do their best to ensure that money goes to the seat's beneficiaries.

- If the holder of a Bourse seat resigns their position, the seat is also re-auctioned (or appointed). Again, the new holder of the seat does not receive any wains or rings until the next event. The money raised in the auction is paid to the character who resigned their seat.

- If the holder of a Bourse seat receives a Writ of Excommunication, they are stripped of their Bourse seat. It is re-elected (or appointed), and the money raised is claimed by the Imperial Synod.

- The holder of a Bourse seat cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.

In all cases, the money initially paid for a seat remains as part of the annual budget of the Imperial Senate.

Proxies

Any member of the Bourse, may appoint a proxy. It is not uncommon for Bourse members to auction the right to stand as their proxy to another party - as this allows the proxy to bid in the private auction.

History

Mithril, weirwood and white granite are essential to the prosperity of the Empire and its citizens. Deposits of these materials tend to be large but few in number so they are carefully protected. Ilium is also rare and almost priceless due to its arcane powers. When the Empire was formed control of key supplies of these materials was placed in the control of the Bourse; it was explicitly designed to keep control of these precious materials out of the direct control of the Empress and the Senate.

Over time the role of the Bourse has grown, its members instituted a private auction to give them access to some of the most valuable items in the Empire. This was so successful it was eventually copied and a second public auction was introduced to allow citizens of the Empire to sell basic goods at the Bourse.

Powers and functions

Control of Ilium and Building Materials

Mithril, weirwood and white granite are essential to upgrade a personal resource to make it more productive. They are also needed for the large projects authorized by the Senate such as the creation of new armies or the building of bridges and fortifications. Ilium is used by artisans and magicians to make rituals and enchantments permanent. Each Bourse member has control of a single resource, for a single year (unless they are replacing an existing position which has become vacant). They can dispense this resource as they choose.

Access to the Private Auction

The Bourse holds a single private auction, only Bourse members can attend and bid on the items auctioned. Bourse agents scour the Empire and the world looking for rare and potentially valuable items to bring them to the Bourse where they are auctioned off to the highest bidder. Details of the handful of lots are usually posted in the Bourse several hours before the auction begins.

Operation of the Public Auction

Although not formally one of the powers of the Bourse, the public auction takes place in the Bourse and is operated by the civil servants who run the Bourse. The auction is open to all and supplies of herbs, mana crystals, resources, minor magical items and small lots of weirwood, mithril and white granite are auctioned to the highest bidder. It is relatively rare, but not unknown for more valuable items like Ilium, true liao or powerful items to appear in the public auction. Details of the lots are posted in the Bourse one hour before the auction begins.

Auction of Appointments

Over the years the Bourse has helped to create various minor Imperial positions and officers to help the Empire function. Individuals are appointed to these positions by auction - Bourse members commit funds in support of their preferred candidate. The candidate that receives the most support is appointed - and all bids by their supporters become the property of the state.

Imperial Bourse Positions

There are sixteen Bourse positions that are assigned to the highest sealed bid. These positions are available to any citizen of the Empire who does not already control an Imperial title or position. This means that members of the Synod, military or senate can bid for one of these Imperial Bourse position, but must resign their position if they are successful.

Mithril

All mithril seats are re-elected during the Autumn Equinox.

The Singing Caves

The Singing Caves are found in Mournwold not far from the besieged settlement of Overton. Still in Imperial hands, albeit only just, the Singing Caves take their name from the strange voices that echo forth when the wind blows above. Many Imperial citizens are concerned about what will happen to the Singing Caves when the Jotun invaders make a significant attempt to conquer the last Imperial hold outs in this desolate territory.

This Bourse position produces 28 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Fortress of Salt

In the mountains north of Temeschwar is the famous Fortress of Salt. The fortress guards the entrance to one of the richest deposits of mithril in the Empire, and is massively fortified as a result. The mine workings also produce large amounts of salt and most of the walls are covered in a fine layer of white powder.

This Bourse position produces 25 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Brilliant Star

In the peaks of Tomari in Redoubt, overlooking the Urizen spire of Delving is the Brilliant Star. Allegedly the most beautiful of all the star shaped tunnel complexes that undermine the mountains, it's walls gleam slightly even when there is no other light.

This Bourse position produces 24 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Great Mine of Briante

At the heart of the mining settlement of Briante is the great mine that shares it's name. Perhaps the deepest mine in the Empire, it has been dug deeper and deeper over the centuries to excavate the precious mithril that is found deep underground.

This Bourse position produces 22 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Great Pits of Ennerlund

Holberg was rightly famous for its impressive engineering works and few are more impressive than the Great Pits of Ennerlund, with their complex mine workings and mechanized pumps. The pits were lost when Holberg was overrun and the mine - and its bounty of mithril - were sabotaged by the Druj barbarians during the liberation of Holberg..

Under Imperial control this Bourse position produces 27 Imperial wains of mithril every season. It is unclear how much, if any, production now remains or what measures may need to be taken to restore the pits to an operable state.

Weirwood

All weirwood seats are re-elected during the Winter Solstice.

The Golden Trees of Seren

In the heart of the Miaren are the ruins of Seren, destroyed a millenia ago by the Vallorn and slowly being reclaimed. The area is still dangerous, but the Vallorn growth here left large copses of weirwood trees dotted through the surrounding forest.

This Bourse position produces 28 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Hunt of Alderei the Fair

The hunt is a great weirwood forest that was also the site of one of the most vicious battles against the forces of Alderei the Fair, the tyrant-boyar of pre-Imperial Varushka. At the foot of the Opascari mountains, this vital strategic asset was nearly burnt to the ground in the wake of the Imperial victory, and said to be haunted to this day. The site is believed to take it's name from the treasure seekers who combed the surrounding woods looking for traces of Alderei the Fair in the decades after his defeat.

This Bourse position produces 26 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Heartwood of the Great Vale

The Great Vale in Hercynia contains large areas of precious weirwood. Although the area is threatened by Thule barbarians, the Empire has maintained control of the Heartwood, albeit barely.

This Bourse position produces 25 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Weirwater Vales

Weirwood is named for the forests that dot this landscape and the rich supplies of weirwood they produce. Legend claims that the first weavers made a pact with the Eternals to make the land fertile, but that the magic has slowly dwindled with time.

This Bourse position produces 23 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Canterspire Circle

The lower slopes of Canterspire are marked by strange circles of weirwood that grow rapidly despite the barren soil. It is clear that some magic is responsible for their ruddy health, but no ritual has ever been devised that can repeat this phenomena which certainly predates the arrival of the Urizen.

This Bourse position produces 22 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Great Forest at Reikos

On the borders of Reikos, the great forest is an abundant source of valuable timber including precious weirwood. It was lost when the territory was over-run by Druj barbarians and is not currently being auctioned.

Under Imperial control this Bourse position would produce 25 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

White Granite

All White Granite seats are re-elected during the Summer Solstice.

The Damation Cliffs

The Cliffs are located near Damata in Kahraman and are well protected with a sequence of fortifications to guard the approach. Damation granite is flecked with silver marks although these are purely cosmetic and do not lessen its value.

This Bourse position produces 27 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

The Night Quarry

The Night Quarry is located high in the mountains of Miekarova near the Painted Caves. White Granite is produced here using a technique that fills the air with a fine white dust that quickly settles on the skin. As a result the workers have a ghostly pale complexion until they wash. The decision of the Imperial Senate to make it an Imperial bourse position angered many Varushkans at the time; it was also the site of an early engagement between orc slaves and Imperial troops known as the Night Quarry Massacre. After two weeks of intermittent fighting around the quarry, Varushkan troops and revolting slave miners alike were slaughtered when Thule barbarian raiders happened across it and took advantage of both sides' weakness. To this day, miners claim to hear the occasional moans of trapped orcs, dying warriors and exultant Thule echoing in dark, giving the site an unwholesome reputation

This Bourse position produces 26 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

The Arratan Gamble

It is claimed that on a clear day you can see the Arratan Gamble from the tallest spires of Tassato. This massive white granite quarry has a bad reputation, and many who have paid to control it have ended up ruined as a result.

This Bourse position produces 25 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

Sutton Stone Quarries

These hardworked quarries are in Upwold near the border with Mournwold and within sight of the Old Pig. They have long produced an unusually hard and well wearing creamy-coloured limestone that has become so famed as superb quality building stone that the name of the Quarry itself has become eponymous for all other caches of Sutton Stone that have been found. The limestone is seamed with white granite.

This Bourse position produces 23 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

The Brilliant Shore

Until recently large amounts of white granite were quarried from this cliff face near Gildenheim. When the sun reflects on the workings on the cliff face the reflection is blinding and gives the quarry its name. The Brilliant Shore was one of the first areas seized by the Thule when Skarsind fell, and reclaimed at the turning point of the recent war.

This Bourse position produces 26 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

Ilium

All ilium seats are re-elected during the Spring Equinox.

Syrene's Wisdom

In the silver mines above Syrene there are sometimes found brilliant blue seams, no more than a few inches long, that dull chisels upon the first strike. Although these seams are small and difficult to work they yield a constant supply of Ilium.

This Bourse position produces 7 rings of Ilium every season.

The Scorrero Nets

A wise Hakima learnt by chance many years ago that the Scorrero carries ilium in its waters, washed from the land and carried towards the sea. Now nets are placed in the water at key points, primarily along the length of the Scorrero that runs through Feroz, to sieve out the precious material before it can be lost forever.

This Bourse position produces 5 rings of Ilium every season.

National Bourse Positions

These appointments are Bourse positions, but they can only be filled by a citizen of the appropriate nation. In addition they are not auctioned off, as Imperial Bourse positions are, but voted upon by resource owners from that nation. The larger the personal holding an individual has, the more votes they can allocate in support to a candidate. The voting for national Bourse positions is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.

National Bourse positions are otherwise identical to Imperial Bourse positions.

The Master of The Imperial Mint

The Master of the Imperial Mint is a bourse position reserved for the citizen of the League who presents the largest bid. The Master has powers to speak and address the Senate.

Castellan of Spiral Castle

Until 368YE, the Castellan of Spiral Castle was a bourse position reserved for a Dawnish citizen, appointed with the support of Dawnish military units. When Spiral Castle disappeared behind a wall of impenetrable mist, the title and the seat it represented effectively became vacant. The Castellan had powers to order the resupply of Imperial armies stationed in Weirwater.

Mithril

All Mithril seats are re-selected during the Autumn Equinox.

The Eternal Shafts of Time

In the mountains near Vorota in Karov are the Eternal Shafts of Time. These ancient shafts were old long before the Empire was born and the size and shape suggests that those who once worked them were not human. Time seems to run strangely in the shafts, workers claim some days simply run longer than others and the output of the mines supports their claims.

Ownership of the Shafts was hotly contested between the citizens of Temeschwar and those of Varushka in the early days of the Empire, but in the end the Varushkans retained control of them. Control of the Shafts is assigned to whichever Varushkan candidate receives the most support from Varushkan owners of mine resources.

This Bourse position produces 27 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Legacy

This vast mine complex is one of the few places in Spiral that remain under Imperial control. It is mostly played out today, but still manages to produces significant quantities of mithril for whoever controls it. According to legend the site was part of a great gift to the Urizen people but the details are lost to time.

Control of the Legacy is assigned to whichever Urizen candidate receives the most support from Urizen owners of mana sites.

This Bourse position produces 22 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

Weirwood

All Weirwood seats are re-appointed during the Winter Solstice.

The Thimble

The Thimble is a vast stretch of forest that covers a series of rolling hills allegedly laid out in the pattern of a tailor's thimble. The Thimble was one of the earliest areas of Therunin to be cleared of Vallorn influence and it now provides an impressive supply of valuable weirwood for the Navarr use.

Control of the Thimble is assigned to whichever Navarr candidate receives the most support from Navarr owners of herb gardens.

This Bourse position produces 24 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

White Granite

All White Granite seats are re-appointed during the Summer Solstice.

The Granites of Veltsgorsk

Deep in the mountains of Volodmartz lie the open mines of Veltsgorsk. The white granite that comes from these mines is sometimes streaked with pink quartz - storytellers claim it is steeped in the blood of all those who have died fighting over Volodmartz in the past, and will help give life to nearby vegetation as a result.

Control of Veltsgorsk is assigned to whichever Varushkan candidate receives the most support from Varushkan owners of forest resources.

This Bourse position produces 26 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

The Vigilant Swan

This quarry complex north of Riverwatch was one of the last outposts of the Highborn during the Druj invasion. It fell to the barbarians in late 377YE, despite the efforts of the brave defenders at Tabernacle. The stoneworks is now a massive, open-cast quarry - an open wound in the face of the earth. When they retreated from the quarry, the Druj slaughtered most of their defenceless slaves, completing the degradation of the Vigilant Swan by turning it into a great open grave.

Control of the Vigilant Swan was assigned to whichever Highborn candidate receives the most support from Highborn owners of congregations. While it was liberated by Highborn and Navarr forces, the decision about it's future is still uncertain as of the start of Spring 379YE..

This Bourse position produced 25 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

Ilium

All ilium seats are re-appointed during the Spring Equinox.

Bourse seats that are allocated on the basis of raids conducted by military units, piracy by fleets, or similar are based on the total effective size of all the contributing resources over the last four seasons.

The Steel Fist

In recent years Imperial Orc forces have swelled the ranks of the Imperial armies, tipping the scales against the barbarian threat. The previous Empress Britta enjoyed particularly strong support from the Orcs and in return she helped create the position of the Steel Fist.

To reward the Imperial Orcs for the work undertaken in supporting the Imperial armies, the Bourse allocates the Steel Fist to whichever legion provides the most assistance to Imperial armies on campaign. Small legions combine their efforts so that they can be counted together to compete for this great prize which is awarded every Spring Equinox.

This Bourse position produces 8 rings of Ilium every season.

The Broken Shore Bounty

The Grendel represent a powerful threat to the Empire and only constant raids by Imperial vessels against the halls and vessels of the Broken Shore serve to prevent them invading the Empire. The seat comes with a well-protected villa in the port-town of Cazar, in Feroz. The corsairs families of the Brass Coast see it as a point of honour to control the Broken Shore Bounty.

To reward the Freeborn for the risks they take, the Bourse allocates the Broken Shore Bounty to whichever fleet performs the biggest raid against the Grendel port of Dubhtraig. Small fleets combine their efforts so that they can be counted together to compete for this great prize which is awarded every Spring Equinox.

This Bourse position produces 7 rings of Ilium every season.

The Stonefield Ice Caves

Large deposits of Ilium are buried in this massive glacier, but the ice is every bit as hard to work as stone and the precious metal must be picked from the walls of the frozen tunnels.

To reward the Winterfolk for the risks they take, the Bourse allocates the control of the Stonefield Ice Caves to whichever military unit performs the biggest raid. Halls often combine their efforts so that they can be counted together to compete for this great prize which is awarded every Spring Equinox.

This Bourse position produces 5 rings of Ilium every season.

The Regario Dossier

Established in 173YE, the Regario Dossier serves to support the League diplomats active all over the world, making contacts with foreign powers and attempting to sway them to the Empire's side. Such activities require considerable funds but the gains for the Empire are difficult to overstate. If too many foreign powers were to ally with the barbarians, the fate of the Empire would surely be lost.

This Bourse position is reserved for a citizen of The League who presents the largest bid. The payment is used to pay for bribes and other diplomatic arrangements.

This Bourse position produces 4 rings of Ilium every season.

Other Titles

A number of other titles are also appointed through the Bourse. Any title that has economic power or responsibilities is likely to be bound to the Bourse. Unless the position includes administration of a supply of mithril, weirwood, white granite, or ilium however it does not bring with it a seat on the Bourse or access to the private auction. The appointment of all these titles is organised and processed by the civil servants attached to the Bourse.

A list of other titles bound to the Imperial Bourse can be found here

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The Throne

A bleeding pox take your manners. Having a beard doesn't make you wise. We could put a pig in that chair and put a crown on it - it would still be a ruddy pig. She can have my respect when she earns it.

Walter Brewer, Senator for Upwold

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Duties

- 3 Limitations

- 3.1 No Proxy

- 3.2 Senate Support

- 3.3 Constitution

- 4 Powers

- 4.1 Powers of State

- 4.1.1 Member of the Senate

- 4.1.2 Right of Address

- 4.1.3 The Hand of the Chancellor

- 4.1.4 Ratification

- 4.1.5 Power of Veto

- 4.1.6 Exclusion from the Senate

- 4.2 Powers of Virtue

- 4.2.1 Custodian of Virtue

- 4.2.2 The Mercy of the Empress

- 4.2.3 The Gift of Liao

- 4.3 Powers of Magic

- 4.3.1 Master of Magic

- 4.3.2 Order of The Throne

- 4.4 Powers of War

- 4.4.1 Defender of the Empire

- 4.4.2 Declaration of War

- 4.5 Creation of an Imperial Favour

- 4.5.1 Using an Imperial Favour

- 5 Selection

- 6 Removal

- 7 History

- 8 Further Reading

- 8.1 Core Brief

- 8.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Throne is the most powerful political position in the Empire. It is the formal title for the position of the head of the Imperial state, be they emperor or empress. The occupant heads the Imperial Senate, the Imperial Synod and the Imperial Military Council and serves as a rallying figure for the entire Empire.

Duties

The Throne holds a unique power: as a head of state, an Emperor or Empress is the only person who can have simultaneous influence in the Senate, the Synod and the Military Council. This gives them a signature ability to help provide unity of vision to the entire Empire and to guide it towards its manifest destiny.

Limitations

No Proxy

The Throne is not entitled to appoint a proxy. This restriction presents any potential for fraud by a claimant as well as avoiding any possibility of two participants acting as The Throne simultaneously (the incumbent and a proxy). Ultimately though this limitation was imposed by the founders to limit the powers of The Throne - the powers of an Empress are potent, but she must be physically present to utilize them.

Senate Support

The Throne may use the legal powers granted to them without approval of the Senate, but they cannot propose a Senate motion. The Throne does not even receive a vote in the Senate, as they are expected to remain above the natural politics of the chamber.

Constitution

Although The Throne is needed to ratify amendments to the Imperial Constitution which have been passed by the Senate, they cannot approve an unconstitutional motion. A motion that has been struck down by the constitutional court because it is considered to violate the spirit of the Constitution cannot be ratified by an Empress.

Powers

Powers of State

Member of the Senate

The Throne is a member of the Senate. They are entitled to enter the Senate chamber at the start of a Senate session and participate in the debates.

Right of Address

The Throne has the right to make a Senate address once per summit. As a member of the Senate, The Throne is able to participate freely in the debates there, but this power allows them to deliver an impassioned speech on a subject of their choice. To make an address, The Throne must add the address to the agenda for the next Senate session.

The Hand of the Chancellor

Up to one third of the residual income to the Imperial Treasury each season can be disbursed by The Throne without approval by the Senate. They may take these funds and dispose of them as they choose. To use this power, The Throne must make an appropriate announcement in the next Senate session.

The maximum that The Throne may disburse in this way during a summit is equal to a third of the Senate's income for that summit, after all upkeep has been paid. The Imperial Treasury cannot go into debt, so no motion or announcement may disburse more thrones than remain in the Treasury.

Ratification

If a constitutional vote in the Senate is successful, then the motion is passed but does not become law until it is ratified by signature by The Throne. This means that it is not possible to make any alterations to the constitution unless they are ratified by The Throne. The Throne may choose whether to ratify constitutional changes or not. Any constitutional changes which are not ratified remain in suspension and may be ratified by a future occupant of The Throne. One of the first jobs of a new Emperor or Empress is often to ratify several outstanding constitutional changes.

Power of Veto

The Throne may veto any motion that has been passed by the Imperial Senate. Unlike the power of veto exercised by the Synod, this power can be used any number of times without limitation. To veto legislation, The Throne must be present when the vote is taken and must exercise the veto immediately after the vote.

Exclusion from the Senate

The Throne may order a single senator removed from the Senate for the duration of a vote. They are not required to present a justification for this action. Unlike the Speaker for the Senate, they may only remove a single senator during a session and only for the duration of a single motion. Traditionally the Speaker uses their power to exclude senators whose behaviour is disorderly while The Throne acts to remove senators whose behaviour is considered to go against the best interests of the Empire.

Powers of Virtue

Custodian of Virtue

The Throne may intercede in the creation of any judgement that requires a lesser majority of the Imperial Synod. This intercession causes the judgement to require the greater majority to pass. To use this power, The Throne must intercede before the judgement is complete; they cannot use this power after a judgement has been rendered.

The Mercy of the Empress

The Throne may present an appeal for clemency on behalf of any Imperial Citizen who is being sentenced. The citizen must have pleaded guilty during their trial and The Throne must present the appeal on Virtuous grounds.

The Gift of Liao

The first portion of pure liao that is produced by the Synod in each season is given to The Throne. The Throne may dispense this portion of liao as they choose.

Powers of Magic

Master of Magic

The Throne may dissolve the Imperial Conclave once a season. If this occurs then all the positions of the Imperial Conclave become vacant and must be refilled as soon as possible. The Throne cannot remove individual citizens from their position in the Imperial Conclave, they can only dissolve the entire Conclave. To use this power, The Throne must make an appropriate announcement in the next Senate session.

Order of The Throne

The Throne may nominate any citizen, including themselves, to speak during a Conclave session. To use this power, The Throne must be present during the Conclave Session. If The Throne is present during a session, then they are always asked to nominate first on any declaration, address, or gambit being discussed. Unlike the grandmaster of a Conclave order, The Throne's first nomination is not free - everyone who is nominated by The Throne must pay the Conclave one mana crystal for each minute they wish to speak.

Powers of War

Defender of the Empire

The Throne may remove any general from their position on the Imperial Military Council. The occupant of The Throne automatically assumes responsibility for and control of the Imperial army and all associated legal rights accorded to that general, until a new general is appointed. While holding the responsibilities of the removed general, The Throne cannot remove any further generals from their position.

Declaration of War

The Throne can declare war on any foreign power. Unlike the Senate, they are not able to end a state of war with another nation. To use this power, The Throne must make an appropriate announcement in the next Senate session.

Creation of an Imperial Favour

The Throne has the right to award a chosen citizen with an Imperial Favour. A Favour can be presented at any time, and allows the bearer to perform a single act with the full power of The Throne. E.g. A citizen may claim the first portion of pure liao that is produced that season or they may issue a declaration of war. The Favour must be physically presented to the relevant body to be used. It is possible for The Throne to create an Imperial Favour whose remit is more limited.

An Imperial Favour is a physical document describing the specific power that can be used, created with the assistance of a Magistrate. An individual occupant of The Throne may only have one favour in existence at any one time. They may not award an additional favour until their current favour has been presented and fulfilled. Any favour not presented by the time of the death of an Empress or Emperor remains valid until it is used. An Imperial favour is transferable and may be passed to another if the current owner desires.

To use this power, The Throne must make an appropriate announcement in the next Senate session.

Using an Imperial Favour

In legal terms, when an Imperial Favour is used, it counts as if it were being used by the Throne. For example, an Imperial Favour that was used to replace an Imperial general would count as if it were used by the Throne. Any existing general's position occupied by the Throne would be vacated; the new occupant would carry out the duties of the title only until the Throne used the same power again.

Selection

Any Imperial citizen may seek election to The Throne but appointment requires a constitutional vote by the Imperial Senate. Although many occupants of the Throne have been senators before their accession, there is no requirement to be so. The Senate may choose any Imperial citizen.

The exact procedure is as follows:

- A motion is raised that we should have a Throne.

- Any holder of an Imperial title with the power of proposal can choose to put forward a candidate (whether that is themselves or another imperial citizen).

- Each candidate has the opportunity to give a short speech, in the order in which they were nominated.

- Every senator then stands behind the single candidate they wish to give their support to or moves to a designated 'none of the above' area.

- If any candidate has got the required two-thirds of all senators in support (constitutional majority) then they have succeeded.

- If there is no successful candidate then, with no further discussion, senators are given a short amount of time to reconsider their position and move their support if they wish.

- If any move then a recount is conducted, still seeking a constitutional majority for a successful candidate.

- This process can be repeated until it becomes apparent that there will be no successful candidate, as none of the senators wish to move their support, in which case the motion has failed.

- If any candidate is successful then they becomes emperor or empress at the start of the next Senate session once their coronation is complete and the Synod have had time to consider their position.

Removal

The Throne serves until they die, step down or are revoked.

The Throne can only be revoked by the General Assembly of the Synod.

History

The powers of The Throne were codified when the Empire was first created and have remained largely unchanged since then. There have been nineteen Emperors and Empresses since the Empire was created.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=The_Throne&oldid=36022"

The Academy

Heroes are not born. They are forged in the fires of experience, and tempered in the waters of wisdom. It is my duty and my honour to help forge the heroes of tomorrow.

Chancellor Eldenheart of the Imperial Academy

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Attendance

- 3 Academy Staff

- 4 Opening times

- 5 Academy Rules

- 6 Administering Tests

- 7 Further Reading

Overview

The Academy is an in-character school run by NPCs which focuses on providing activities for young role-players. It aims to give them a fun and interesting role-playing experience while also helping them learn about the game world and, of course, how to play the the game. Sessions currently include lessons in Magic, Alchemy, Crafting and Combat, as well as field trips to the Senate and other in-game institutions and the chance to meet and learn about various characters within the game.

Our aim is to prepare young role-players to be fully-fledged characters in the game, which can be achieved by them passing their Test of Citizenship. The Academy has a prize-giving at the end of each event to reward students for their hard work!

Attendance

- Children attending Academy activities must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times

- Children cannot be left at the academy unattended

Academy Staff

The Academy is run by a core team of NPCs: Tom Francis, Gillian Francis, Jerry Ferley, Charlotte Pardy, Rick Clarke and Thomas Twissell. In addition we have several other members of crew who assist in providing specialist sessions, and we also collaborate with player groups to provide some of the sessions, particularly the combat training. If you are have ideas for children's activities we are always interested to hear from you!

Opening times

The Academy offers roughly 14-15 hours of sessions over the course of an event, starting on the afternoon of the first day. Morning sessions begin at around 10am and afternoon session at 2pm. Most sessions last around 2 hours, although some might be spread over the course of a whole day.

Academy Rules

These are the IC rules for children (and adults) attending the Academy. They are intended to reflect the game world as well as providing a sensible, fair and enjoyable setting for young role-players.

- No-one is forced to come to the Academy – you should only attend if you have a desire to learn and better yourself

- We treat one another with respect, regardless of age or nationality

- Train hard and with spirit

- All students must bring a responsible adult who is happy to stay with them for the duration of the classes

- If any student causes harm to another they may be barred from the Academy

- Students are encouraged keep a well presented and accurate record of their studies to assist the Chancellor in judging and distributing awards and certificates

Administering Tests

Children in the Empire are legally considered to be adults when they are able to pass the Test of Citizenship. This allows them to own property in the Empire, vote in elections, hold a title, etc. There is a second test, the Test of Arms which allows a young citizen to prove that they are strong and fit enough to take the battlefield against the Empire's enemies. Members of the Academy staff who are also civil servants carry out the tests as part of the Imperial duties.

The Academy helps attendees pass the test in two ways. The lessons prepare young people to take the exams, giving them the education they need to pass. But it also allows the civil servants to get to know the applicants so that they can better judge their suitability. The best way for Imperial who is under sixteen years of age to become recognized as an adult is to attend the Academy.

Further Reading

- Test of Citizenship

- Test of Arms

- Bursar of the Imperial Academy

I, Empress Mariika, extend my patronage to the Academy at Canterspire in Urizen, in recognition of the work undertaken by them to preparate and educate the children of all nations of our great Empire.

To ensure the future greatness of the Empire the best of all the Empire's children must be afforded instruction unparalleled in the Way, the arts of war, the weaving of magics, the grimnir's craft and all other such disciplines as are required to produce generations of heroes to defend this land. With this endowment, the Academy at Canterspire shall be ready to meet this challenge.

To the most civil servants of the Throne I give encouragement to seek out the best of the Academy's teachers and accept them as your own that they might administer the Test of Citizenship, so that future leaders of the Empire may commence their service to the Empire as soon as they are fit to be called Citizens.

Let all the citizens of this Empire hear my words and render to this Acamdey what aid they have within their means, that it might prosper.

Let all those who teach here do so in the knowledge that their work will secure the centuries to come.

Charter of the Canterspire Academy

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=The_Academy&oldid=26559"

Imperial Sodality

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Sodalities in Play

- 3 Creating a Sodality

- 4 Secret Societies

- 5 Current Sodalities

- 6 Historical Sodalities

Overview

There are organisations in the Empire that have grown in influence beyond the confines of a single nation. These organisations are collectively referred to as Imperial sodalities. They are associations or societies that have a common purpose and sufficient reach or influence to be relevant to the Empire as a whole - but they are not part of the Imperial government and most do not usually receive ongoing financial assistance from the Senate or logistical assistance from the civil service.

Sodalities in Play

From time to time we will create new sodalities and add them to the wiki, to use as a vehicle for ongoing plots. This may represent a sodality that has recently been created, or one that has been around for a while but has not been active an Anvil previously. Most Imperial citizens have at least heard of the Imperial Senate or the Imperial Synod but a sodality is vastly less powerful and prestigious than these bodies and it is common for people to be unaware of their existence before they encounter them.

Creating a Sodality

It is not possible for players to create a sodality as part of character creation - the banners, sects and covens that new players can create are based in the nation they choose to play, but the definition of an Imperial sodality is a group with a reach or scope that extends beyond a single nation.

It is possible for players to create a sodality in play - a good example of this is the Anvil Field Hospital which players have created. If players establish an organisation that clearly has an influence that extends to all Imperial citizens at Anvil that persists for more than a year then we will try to update the wiki with information about them.

Secret Societies

The Empire has a number of secret societies - sodalities who wish to avoid operating openly. Some of these societies have good reason to hide, they may have criminal or heretical intent - others simply prefer to remain in the shadows. If the existence of a secret society becomes common knowledge in the Empire, due to the actions of players, then we will update the wiki with information on what is commonly known about them.

Current Sodalities

- Anvil Hospital - The Anvil Hospital and Imperial School of Medicine

- Iron Raptors - A clearing house that pay Imperial citizens to carry out difficult and dangerous work.

- The Academy - The Canterspire Academy provides education to young citizens at Anvil.

Historical Sodalities

These are Sodalities that are known to history in some manner but do not have any formal recognition in the present day:

- The Tribunal of the Orthodox to Ensure the Intergrity of the Way

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_Sodality&oldid=29743"

Imperial law

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Magistrates and trials

- 3 Magistrates and the Constitution

- 4 Purpose

- 5 Further Reading

Overview

Imperial Law is the body of law which has been created by the Imperial Senate and which extends the principles laid down in the Imperial Constitution. The law is prosecuted by magistrates, members of the Imperial Civil Service who are trained in Imperial jurisprudence. Magistrates act as judges during trials, determining guilt and sentencing and are able to deputise individuals to help them enforce the laws. The Throne and members of the Imperial Synod may appeal for clemency on behalf of the accused to obtain a reduced sentence.

Magistrates and trials

The implementation of the Law is overseen by the magistrates. They instigate an investigation into any potential crimes they are aware of; any character who believes a crime has been committed may bring the matter to the attention of a magistrate. The magistrates have far-reaching legal powers to allow them to go anywhere in the Empire and demand an audience with any citizen, similar to those possessed by the Synod. The magistrates may also deputise citizens to act on their behalf, either to gather evidence or to arrest a suspect.

Trials are inquisitorial rather than adversarial. There are no juries and no barristers. Trials are conducted by the magistrate who weighs the evidence and determines guilt and the accused is expected to speak in their own defence. The magistrate has the authority to silence anyone from speaking in their court and will use this power to ensure that trials remain short and dramatic.

Modern legal frameworks do not apply. There is no right to silence; if the accused refuses to answer a question, the magistrate may make an adverse inference about their guilt. Hearsay and circumstantial evidence are admissible. If a person has been murdered late at night, reports that the accused is known to dislike the accused may be weighted as evidence.

If the magistrate finds the accused guilty then they will proceed to sentencing. If the accused has pleaded guilty, a member of the Imperial Synod may submit a plea for clemency on their behalf. The plea must be based on Virtuous grounds; that is they must establish that the accused was acting virtuously, albeit illegally, when they committed their actions.

Magistrates have considerable power but are known to be bound by powerful magical oaths to uphold the spirit of the Law. As such they are considered to be above reproach. Their decisions may be incorrect - they are not infallible - but they are known to be absolutely impartial and honest.

Magistrates and the Constitution

Any motions passed by the Senate which change the Imperial Constitution or the way it is interpreted require authorization by The Throne and approval by the NPC magistrates.

These magistrates perform a dual IC and OOC function:

- IC They are responsible for ensuring that the founding principles of the constitution are protected.

- OOC They will not ratify a change to the constitution which Profound Decisions believe will adversely affect the enjoyment of the game. As the IC wording of the constitution is already written with this in mind, we believe that they will be able to provide IC reasoning for any rejection of a constitutional change.

Normally there are three chief magistrates who rule on constitutional matters in addition to their other duties. There is no right to appeal against their verdict. These magistrates are usually happy to discuss senatorial motions which may have constitutional implications and they will offer advice as best they can.

Examples of things which are guaranteed to be rejected by the magistrates include expelling a nation from the Empire, dispossessing citizens of their wealth and property, centralizing additional powers to the Throne or Senate, disestablishing the Bourse, Conclave, Military Council or Synod or frivolous or stupid laws.

Purpose

The point of the Law is to attempt to create a game in which there is a strong effective legal sanction against theft and murder. The goal is to create a convincing, compelling and original setting and also to encourage the majority of player-vs-player activity in the game to remain political rather than murderous. By making murder difficult to get away with, we hope to ensure that it is the least attractive option open to a player in dealing with their political enemies, rather than the most attractive option. The goal of Empire is to focus on a high degree of political interaction between players but have the balance of combat take place between players and monsters.

All magistrates will be NPCs, so that they work solely towards the goal of making the Law be trustworthy and effective. Any player character in this role would be minded to have other in-character considerations, other than to promote the game. The magistrates are also briefed to ensure that trials remain short and sweet, rather than running on interminably which is common in situations where they are not rigorously controlled.

Because the magistrates primary role is to make the law effective, they will never be used to run plot around corruption or other themes. They can be swayed by clever or charismatic testimony but they cannot be bribed, blackmailed or browbeaten.

Further Reading

- Overview of Imperial law

- Officers of the Law.

- Criminal Trials.

- Civil Claims.

- List of Criminal Offences.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_law&oldid=33929"

Imperial history

Imperial historians date from the foundation of the Empire. Events that happened after the Empire is created are recored as YE for "Year of the Empire" and BE for "Before the Empire." Most nations had their own calendars before the foundation of the Empire so historical documents that predate the Empire use different systems. A very few Highguard historians stubbornly cling to the numbering SL for "Since Landfall" dating from the point at which they first set foot on these shores, but this is a largely discredited system.

Contents

- 1 The distant past

- 2 Formation of the nations

- 3 Foundation of the Empire

- 3.1 Year Zero

- 3.1.1 (1 YE - 5 YE) Internal conflict

- 3.1.2 (6 YE) The Senate, The Synod and the Military Council

- 3.1.3 (22 YE) Death of the First Empress

- 3.2 (22 YE - 34 YE) Reign of Emperor Giovanni the Peacemaker

- 4 Consolidation of the Empire

- 4.1 (36 YE - 69 YE) Reign of Empress Richilde, the Sun Queen

- 4.1.1 (46 YE) Karsk captured

- 4.1.2 (52 YE) Semmerholm defeated

- 4.1.3 (54 YE) Scouring of Redoubt

- 4.1.4 (56 YE) Reikos gained

- 4.2 71 YE - 91 YE Reign of Empress Teleri the Pious

- 4.2.1 (74 YE) Westward expansion

- 4.2.2 (88 YE) Invasion of Kahraman

- 4.3 92 YE - 102 YE The First Interregnum

- 4.4 103 YE - 120 YE Reign of Empress Aenea the Builder

- 4.5 125 YE to 167 YE Reign of Empress Varkula, called 'The Undying'

- 4.5.1 (125 YE) Assimilation of Zenith

- 4.5.2 (136 YE) Fall of Holberg

- 4.5.3 (154 YE) Skarsind pacified

- 4.5.4 (167 YE) Domination of Miekarova

- 4.6 168 YE to 179 YE Reign of Emperor Frederick, called 'The Philosopher'

- 4.7 (180 to 198 YE) Reign of Emperor Barabbas

- 4.7.1 (183) Expansion into Segura

- 5 Stability

- 5.1 (200 YE - 209 YE) Reign of Emperor Nicovar "the Mad"

- 6 (204 YE - 259 YE) Years of turmoil

- 6.1 (212 YE - 234 YE) Reign of Empress Mariika

- 6.2 (239 YE - 248 YE) Reign of Emperor Guntherm

- 6.3 (249 YE - 257 YE) Reign of Empress Brannan

- 6.4 (257 YE - 281 YE) Reign of Emperor James

- 6.4.1 (265 YE) Fixing the borders

- 6.5 (281 YE - 300 YE) The Second Interregnum

- 6.6 (300 YE - 318 YE) Reign of Empress Deanne

- 6.6.1 (322 YE - 324 YE) The Orc Rebellion

- 6.7 (324 YE - 329 YE) Reign of Emperor Ahraz "the Liberator"

- 6.7.1 (324 YE - 328 YE) The Freedom Heresy

- 7 Decline

- 7.1 (331 YE) The Decline begins

- 7.2 (331 - 346 YE) Reign of Empress Giselle 'the unwise'

- 7.3 (348 - 368 YE) Reign of Emperor Hugh, called 'the fat'

- 7.4 (371 - 373 YE) Reign of Emperor Walter, the ham-fisted

- 7.5 (374 YE) Coronation of Empress Britta

- 7.5.1 (376 YE) Death of the Young Empress

The distant past

According to historians among the Navarr, Urizen and Winterfolk, the orcs occupied land that had once belonged to early human kingdoms. What is known is that there were some powerful human kingdoms at this time, but that they were ultimately defeated and overthrown by the orcs.

When the first waves of human colonization began, most of the initial inhabitants were in retreat - the Navarr to their forests, the Urizen to their mountains, the Suaq and the Kallavesi to the inhospitable north, the Ushka huddled around their camp fires, and the Feni lurking in their wilderness. There were also humans living among the orcs, largely as chattel, slaves or subjects. Where these humans were freed from orc oppression, they were usually assimilated by the conquerors leaving no records of their own culture.

Formation of the nations

Three waves of colonization brought people that founded new human nations. The Highborn are generally held to be the first, landing in the south, the forebears of Dawn and The Marches settled in the east and the Steinr and Vard appeared in the north leading to the creation of Wintermark and Varushka respectively.

These nations grew in size and power through constant warfare with their neighbours, particularly the barbarian orcs who claimed the land as their own. While the nations were successful, life was hard and brutal for the initial settlers and historians believe that it was only a matter of time before these new human nations would have been overrun and subjugated, like their predecessors.

Foundation of the Empire

Year Zero

With an eye to the conflict between the human nations and the risks posed by the orcs, the First Empress began her crusade in Highguard. She gathered around a small group of like-minded individuals from various nations and with their assistance, and with the aid of the Navarr, she brought together the leaders of humanity to discuss the barbarian threat. Her vision and charisma - and the hard work of her allies - convinced many of them to recognise the value of an Empire. The people of Urizen declined to join, but sufficient folk from The Brass Coast, Dawn, Highguard, The League, The Marches, Navarr, Varushka and Wintermark accepted the proposal to allow them to form the Empire.

(1 YE - 5 YE) Internal conflict

In the early years the Empire concentrated on consolidating its position. The creation of the Empire led to a brief but bloody civil war in the Marches and the first of many battles with the orcs. During this time the first Egregores were created through a ritual created by the Hakima of The Brass Coast to ensure that the various nations are able to maintain their distinct cultural identity.

The most significant conflict was in Varushka where the Imperial forces engaged those of the corrupt boyar Alderei the Fair who threatened to conquer Varushka and create his own corrupt Empire. With the magical aid of the Volodny magicians, his armies proved to be a match for the Imperial forces. The efforts of powerful magicians ultimately neutralised the Volodny and the tyrant boyar was defeated by the Marcher general Tom Drake, although his body was never recovered.

(6 YE) The Senate, The Synod and the Military Council

The Empress and her advisors laid the groundwork for Imperial structures to support and empower the Empire. Building on traditions of government in Wintermark, the Senate was created to advise the Empress and give the nations a voice in the rule of the Empire. Following a plan developed in the Marches, the Military Council of generals was set up to coordinate the military forces of the various nations. The Synod was formed by the priests of Highguard, allowing the Imperial Faith to serve as a unifying force with a remit to ensure that the leaders of the Empire did not become corrupt.

(22 YE) Death of the First Empress

The First Empress led her troops from the front, rallying and inspiring them in their campaigns against their enemies. She died on campaign in battle against an orc barbarian tribe on the Brass Coast who were subsequently wiped out. She was interred in the Necropolis at Highguard, creating the tradition for many dead Emperors and Empresses that followed.

The last known horse, the mount of the First Empress, died at this time. Highguard tales described the pair's final battle, but Urizen records of army logistics from this period suggest that the horse died before the Empress. Although the first Empress is always shown on a horse, there were no more horses after this time.

(22 YE - 34 YE) Reign of Emperor Giovanni the Peacemaker

After the death of the First Empress, Emperor Giovanni of Tassato was chosen by the Senate to replace her. An advisor to the late Empress, Giovanni was a statesman and politician rather than a military leader like his predecessor. He set about ensuring the Empire had the infrastructure required to help it prosper. His first act was to initiate a tradition of meeting once every three months at the site of the first meeting where the Empire was formed. A Senate building was built on the site, and it was declared Imperial Territory.

Giovanni approached the people of Urizen with an invitation to join the Empire, and this time they accepted. In return they offered their expertise as scholars and mages. Urizen scholarship slowly helped to raise levels of education and literacy across the Empire. Harnessing the power of Urizen divination with the manpower of the civil service helped Giovanni to transform the Imperial Civil Service into its current form.

The Urizen worked with the Empire to create the Imperial Conclave, inspired by experiences during the war with Alderei the Fair in Varushka. The divided magicians of the Empire, each jealously guarding their own secrets, were barely able to neutralise the much smaller force of the Volodya, and the Senate was keen to ensure that this does not happen again.

Giovanni also laid the foundations of the Imperial Bourse, and worked with the Senate and Synod to codify the body of Imperial Law. During his reign he establisheed a single currency based on steel coins issued by the Imperial Mint, based in Tassato under the ultimate control of the Civil Service. Giovanni died in 34 YE but his legacy was at least as durable as that of his predecessor. His relentless commitment to civilisation earned Giovanni the epithet "Peacemaker".

Consolidation of the Empire

(36 YE - 69 YE) Reign of Empress Richilde, the Sun Queen

Following the reign of Emperor Giovanni, there is a brief period during which the Throne is unoccupied. The next Empress is Empress Richilde of Dawn. Senator for Astolat, this accomplished Dawnish noble parlayed her cleverness and charisma into political influence. She instituted the Imperial bards, served as a patroness of the arts, accompanied the Imperial armies on campaign as an inspirational symbol of the Throne, and worked extensively to encourage both national and Imperial pride. After her death, she was recognised as an Exemplar and later a Paragon of Pride.

(46 YE) Karsk captured

Imperial armies from Wintermark and Dawn supported the Varushkan force's conquest of Karsk. The war was long and did not produce tales of heroism or glory.

(52 YE) Semmerholm defeated

An unusual alliance between Marcher and Dawnish forces caused the destruction of a major orc tribe in the territory now known as Semmerholm.

(54 YE) Scouring of Redoubt

A combined Imperial force assisted the seers of Urizen in systematically removing the majority of orc occupants from the territory of Redoubt. Urizen control of the territory expanded allowing it to be represented in the Senate.

(56 YE) Reikos gained

Highborn forces finally succeeded in conquering the Reikos on the borders of the Great Forest of Peytaht. The territory was accepted as part of the Empire although it took over a year to return the first senator for the territory.

71 YE - 91 YE Reign of Empress Teleri the Pious

This Navarr Empress was deeply involved in the business of the Synod, and it was during her reign that they first began to exert the political powers they possessed. During her reign, the Synod gained increasing influence over all other parts of Imperial life, especially the Imperial Senate.

(74 YE) Westward expansion

A campaign to secure the western flank of the Empire took the Mourn from orcs and secured Mitwold to the sea, giving the Empire a western coastline.

(88 YE) Invasion of Kahraman

Freeborn and Marcher armies concluded a successful pincer invasion of the mountainous territory of Kahraman. The occupants were split in two by the invasion and forced out of the territory in the following years.

92 YE - 102 YE The First Interregnum

Following the reign of Empress Teleri there is a period known as the First Interregnum during which there was nobody seated on the Throne. This period is marked by close co-operation between the Conclave, Bourse, Senate and Military Council with the Imperial Synod serving a vital role as supporters and intermediaries. As the interregnum progresses, however, there is increasing dissatisfaction with the dominance of the Synod.

103 YE - 120 YE Reign of Empress Aenea the Builder

The Highborn Empress Aenea spent most of her reign improving the infrastructure of the Empire. Several border wars occurred during Aenea's time on the throne, and at various points the Empire was at war with Faraden, The Iron Confederacy, Axos, Skoura and even (technically) the Sumaah Republic.

125 YE to 167 YE Reign of Empress Varkula, called 'The Undying'

Taking advantage of a weakened and divided senate the ruthless Varushkan Empress Varkula manipulated (and in some cases, allegedly extorted) her way to the throne. She then set about dramatically increasing the military strength of the Empire. Her reign saw the Empire's borders expand, and also saw a reduction in the powers of the Synod that had expanded in the reigns of more pious Emperors and Empresses.

(125 YE) Assimilation of Zenith

The seers of Urizen completed the assimilation of Zenith after a lengthy campaign involving Highborn and League forces and a long sequence of powerful rituals.

(136 YE) Fall of Holberg

Imperial armies from Dawn conquered the territory of Holberg. The city of Holberg was convinced to join the Empire by League diplomats, leading to a political coup in the Senate that resulted in the territory being assigned to the League.

(154 YE) Skarsind pacified

Although it proved impossible to drive the barbarian orcs from Skarsind, enough of the territory was conquered and fortified for it to be declared an Imperial territory.

(167 YE) Domination of Miekarova

Steady expansion by the Varushkan boyars over the preceding century led to the inclusion of Miekarova within the Empire.

168 YE to 179 YE Reign of Emperor Frederick, called 'The Philosopher'

Frederick Ritter van Holberg reigned for eleven years, over a time of relative peace during which the Empire consolidated the gains secured in the reign of Empress Varkula. He was a philosopher and political scholar who fiercely protected the rights of the individual over those of the state, and encouraged citizens of all nations to view the prosperity and security of the Empire as both their responsibility and something in which to take great pride.

(180 to 198 YE) Reign of Emperor Barabbas

The Highborn Emperor Barabbas was driven by the desire to expand the Empire to control the entire Bay of Catazar. He was only marginally successful, managing primarily to alienate the people of Surann and Skoura and ultimately seeing his Barabbine fleet sink in a terrible storm that would have left the Imperial Navy crippled if not for the foresight of his Freeborn allies.

(183) Expansion into Segura

A united front by the Hakima of the Guerra and Riqueza led to the Brass Coast expansion into Segura.

Stability

(200 YE - 209 YE) Reign of Emperor Nicovar "the Mad"

The first reversals in the Empire's fortune occurred during the reign of Emperor Nicovar. Initially a brilliant administrator, Nicovar expanded the role of the civil service in support of the Empire. However, a decade of attempting to micromanage every element of the Empire, as well as a reliance on the magic of Day to gather and interpret ever greater amounts of information, eventually caused him to descend into madness.

The draughir Emperor became increasingly unstable, perceiving patterns in events that appeared paranoid to others. His unpopular policies divided the Senate and the Synod, and there were rumbles of civil war. He began to demand extreme amounts of record keeping and it became clear that he was not in his right mind.

Things came to a head in 209 when Emperor Nicovar sent his troops to burn down the Empire's libraries. There was a revolt, which culminated in the destruction of the central repository of records in Highguard and several key spires in Urizen. The mad emperor was executed by the captain of his own guard, the Navarr Thorn Isaella. Despite appeals for clemency from the Synod, Isaella took full responsibility, and was convicted as a traitor, while simultaneously being lauded as an exemplar of courage and duty and a hero of the Empire.

The destruction of the libraries left a big hole in the history of the Empire - thousands of books and scrolls are lost. While records still existed, there were many gaps and those that remained were fragmentary. Since then scholars have attempted to recreate the books and records they had lost, but with mixed success.

(204 YE - 259 YE) Years of turmoil

This period was characterized by a sequence of military defeats as earlier conquests were lost to resurgent barbarian forces beginning with Segura in the Brass Coast in 204 and ending with the war in Karsk in 259. Most of the defeats were eventually reversed, with the borders moving back and forth. By the end of the years of turmoil, the Empire actually controled slightly more land than at the beginning, but the period is still regarded as a low point in Imperial history.

(212 YE - 234 YE) Reign of Empress Mariika

After three years without an Emperor or Empress, the Suaq Empress Mariika ascended the Throne. The Empire was on the verge of financial collapse, and Mariika's reign is remembered for her ruthless and efficient reorganisation of the Imperial Economy. She disbanded two entire armies, slashed funding to the Military Council, gave the Bourse control of a number of raw material surpluses, recognised several informal positions as Imperial offices, and generally took steps to ensure the Empire avoided economic disaster.

(239 YE - 248 YE) Reign of Emperor Guntherm

The Steinr Emperor Guntherm ascended the Throne after a series of successful campaigns against the Jotun barbarians. He was committed to expanding the reach of the Empire, and chafed under the economic restrictions placed by his predecessor. The early part of his reign is committed to strengthening the borders of the Empire, and a number of castles and fortresses were built during his reign. The latter part of his reign is known for some of the bloodiest battles in Imperial history.

(249 YE - 257 YE) Reign of Empress Brannan

The Navarri Empress Brannan followed Guntherm to the throne, and was another military-minded ruler dedicated to smashing the orcs and expanding the borders of the Empire. Ultimately, her abusive attitude to the powers of the Throne, and allegations of improper relations with certain Eternals resulted in her being the only Emperor or Empress to be revoked by the Imperial Synod. Despite her failings, some of the most glorious battles in Imperial history take place during her reign, she showed what the Empire was capable of when sufficient resources were given to it's armies, and with her support the Navarr made great advances in their fight to destroy the vallorn and reclaim their lost cities.

(257 YE - 281 YE) Reign of Emperor James

The Marcher Emperor James took the throne as a peacemaker - not to make peace with the barbarians, but to make peace within the Empire. He was responsible for fixing the borders of the Empire..

(265 YE) Fixing the borders

The Senate decreed that the Empire was now large enough and argued that further expansion was counterproductive, despite vociferous argument from the Synod and the Military Council. Trade routes with various foreigners were established, and peace treaties were signed with various barbarians,ushering in an era of economic growth and prosperity.

Some barbarians continued to threaten the borders, but the armies shifted to a more defensive role.

(281 YE - 300 YE) The Second Interregnum

After James' reign, a period of relative peace settled on the Empire. The borders were reinforced, relationships between the Senate, the Synod and the Military Council achieved a degree of status quo, and both the Conclave and the Bourse focused on their own interests. Modern scholars suggest that this was a period of increasing complacency and introspection for the Empire, but others point to the high quality of life for most citizens, the various advances in magic, the arts and technology, and consider it a golden age built on the solid foundations laid by Emperor James' reign.

(300 YE - 318 YE) Reign of Empress Deanne

Empress Deanne ends the Second Interregnum by taking the throne in 300 YE.

(322 YE - 324 YE) The Orc Rebellion

Prior to 322 YE, many orcs that were defeated in battle were enslaved. Orcs had no rights in the Empire before this time, as they were not considered people in the eyes of the Constitution. There were slave populations in Dawn, Wintermark and Highguard and especially in Varushka and The League.

During this period an orc hero arose among his people, leading them in armed revolt that saw them occupy parts of Varushka, the League, Dawn and the Marches. The Freeborn Emperor Ahraz arranged a deal with the orcs, and a motion to recognise them as people was brought before the Senate. The motion passed by a tiny margin, making the Imperial Orcs citizens of the Empire.

(324 YE - 329 YE) Reign of Emperor Ahraz "the Liberator"

The only Freeborn Emperor to date, Ahraz came to the throne with promises to end the Orc Rebellion. He did so by bringing the slaves into the Empire, and by recognising the right of orcs to be citizens. His reign was marked with turmoil, and he abdicated in 329 YE a broken man.

(324 YE - 328 YE) The Freedom Heresy

A briar priest preaching the heretical virtue of freedom ultimately inspired an attempt to secede from the Empire. When the rebellion was defeated by Imperial forces, the priest led her followers into The Barrens where they attempted to found a rogue state; the kingdom of Mountane. In 328 YE the heretics were destroyed by barbarian orcs, and in 329 YE the ringleaders of the heresy were tried and executed for heresy and blasphemy.

Decline

(331 YE) The Decline begins

In 331YE the territory of Spiral was lost to Urizen. This marked the start of the current period called the decline. A greedy and corrupt Senate, more concerned with internal political manoeuvring than the strength of the Empire, supported two weak occupants of The Throne (Empress Giselle de Sarvos and Emperor Hugh the Fat of House Rousillon) and a third catastrophically incompetent Emperor (the weak and self-indulgent naga-lineaged Emperor Walter Upwold who did not enter the Senate once during his two year reign).

The Synod was mostly concerned with dogmatic disputes and began to lose sight of its mission.

In 346 YE the territory of Holberg was lost to the barbarians. This triggered a defensive mindset and a period of recriminations. More territories were lost, leading to further defensiveness and less inter-nation cooperation. The generals of the Military Council found it impossible to collaborate effectively during this period. The addition of the first Imperial Orc generals in 351 YE simple made the matter worse.

Several more territories on the edges of the Empire were lost during this time.

(331 - 346 YE) Reign of Empress Giselle 'the unwise'

Empress Giselle de Sarvos of the League takes the throne following the loss of Spiral in 331 YE and despite some early efforts entirely failed to re-take that territory. Her reign is marked with a period of political upheaval largely caused by the Empress herself whose blatant favouritism towards the League splits the Senate and the Synod, and causes problems among the generals and the archmagi. Her reign ends with her death during the battle for Holberg which sees that territory lost to the Empire.

(348 - 368 YE) Reign of Emperor Hugh, called 'the fat'

After the death of Empress Giselle de Sarvos, Hugh de Rousillon of Dawn takes the crown. Nephew of the Dawnish general Leon de Rousillon, and a noble of a politically and militarily powerful Dawn noble house, Hugh was a personable, enthusiastic and idealistic knight with extensive battlefield experience. Unfortunately, he was an absolutely abyssmal administrator, incapable of delegation, torn between the realities of political life and his personal idealism. His reign is marked by a dizzying number of feasts, banquets and tourneys during which he desperately tried to woo an increasingly jaded Imperial Senate, as well as a sequence of crushing military defeats as Generals began to compete with each other over dwindling resources.

By the end of his reign, the Emperor was almost unrecognisable as the energetic young man he had been when the took the Throne. Decades of feasting had left him corpulent and unhealthy, barely able to fit into his harness. Trying to stay ahead of the manipulations and machinations of the Senate had left him exhausted and despondent. According to those who saw him in the fateful battle for Karsk that spelled the end of his reign and ultimately his life, he was a broken man who embraced the peace offered by death.

(371 - 373 YE) Reign of Emperor Walter, the ham-fisted

Emperor Walter Upwold was a Marcher naga who took the throne under dubious circumstances and was widely considered to be a disaster for the Empire. Under his 'reign' the Senate fell even further into open bickering and factionalism. He choked to death on an olive pit in 373YE during a state dinner with a group of Sarcophan and Jarmite diplomats.

(374 YE) Coronation of Empress Britta

A Steinr woman named Britta became the nineteenth Empress. In the wake of the disastrous Emperor Walter (who was already being termed "the Ham Fisted") she took up the sword and shield and challenged the corruption of the Senate and Synod. She surrounded herself with competent generals, and began to formulate and prosecute a campaign to recover lost territories and drive the barbarians back.

A popular and charismatic figure, she united the people of the Empire behind her and dealt ruthlessly with her enemies. She had the wisdom to select competent advisors. People began to call her the Young Empress, and hailed her as the reincarnation of the First Empress, come to protect the Empire in its time of need.

(376 YE) Death of the Young Empress

The Empress Britta was killed during a disastrous attempt to retake Skarsind. The first event in the game took places four weeks after her death was confirmed.

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Imperial Elections

All Imperial titles are elected or appointed at one of the quarterly gatherings at Anvil. These take place at the Summer and Winter Solstices and the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes. This is also when the Imperial Institutions meet and exercise their legal powers.

These titles are either appointed every season as shown on this page of the Election Schedule or they are appointed only when vacant, of which all such titles can be found on the permanent titles page.

Elections are held by various different means (for example each nation uses their own traditional voting method to appoint their senators whilst generals are usually appointed by unanimous agreement of a nations senators and sinecures vary) and are observed to ensure there are no election irregularities by Merlot, the Civil Service Overseer of Imperial Elections.

For a list of who currently holds every imperial title please refer to the imperial titles recent history page.

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Recent history

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 379

- 2.1 Spring Equinox

- 3 378

- 3.1 Winter Solstice

- 3.2 Autumn Equinox

- 3.3 Summer Solstice

- 3.4 Spring Equinox

- 4 377

- 4.1 Winter Solstice

- 4.2 Autumn Equinox

- 4.3 Summer Solstice

- 4.4 Spring Equinox

- 5 376

- 5.1 Winter Solstice

Overview

The following are summaries of the history of the Empire since the death of Empress Britta in 376 YE.

A list of the seasons when each Imperial title is elected can be found in the Election Schedule. For the titles that are not elected every season, please refer to the permanent titles page

379

Spring Equinox

- 379YE Spring Equinox winds of fortune

- 379YE Spring Equinox winds of war

- 379YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

- 379YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

- 379YE Spring Equinox Synod judgments

378

Winter Solstice

- 378YE Winter Solstice winds of fortune

- 378YE Winter Solstice winds of war

- 378YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

- 378YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 378YE Winter Solstice Synod judgments

Autumn Equinox

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Imperial titles

- 378YE Autumn Equinox winds of war

- 378YE Autumn Equinox winds of magic

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Synod judgements

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Conclave declarations

Summer Solstice

- 378YE Summer Solstice Imperial titles

- 378YE Summer Solstice winds of war

- 378YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

- 378YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements

- 378YE Summer Solstice Conclave sessions

Spring Equinox

- 378YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

- 378YE Spring Equinox winds of war

- 378YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

- 378YE Spring Equinox Synod judgements

- 378YE Spring Equinox Conclave declarations

377

Winter Solstice

- 377YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

- 377YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 377YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

- 377YE Winter Solstice Conclave sessions

Autumn Equinox

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Imperial titles

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Synod judgements

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Conclave declarations

Summer Solstice

- 377YE Summer Solstice Conclave declarations

- 377YE Summer Solstice Imperial titles

- 377YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

- 377YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements

Spring Equinox

- 377YE Spring Equinox Conclave declarations

- 377YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

- 377YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

- 377YE Spring Equinox Synod judgements

376

Winter Solstice

- 376YE Winter Solstice Conclave declarations

- 376YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

- 376YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 376YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Recent_history&oldid=35937"

Sentinel Gate

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 History

- 3 Conjunctions

- 4 Predestination

- 5 Operating the Gate

- 6 Major Conjunctions

- 7 Rules

- 8 Further Reading

Overview

The Sentinel Gate is the massive archway that stands at one side of Anvil. It is used by Imperial citizens to teleport to battle-grounds to fight the barbarians - as well as to go on quests throughout the Empire.

History

The Gate is an ancient magical device, it was constructed long before the time of the Empire. The Gate was discovered by the Urizen mages and presented by them as a gift to the Empire when their nation joined. The Gate was then moved to Anvil and erected there, where it has remained since.

The Gate's allows the Empire to teleport people to critical locations in the Empire but only at a solstice or equinox. It is now a pivotal part of the Empire's military planning - the ability to strike against their enemies at critical locations has been so decisive that it influences the entire way the Imperial Military Council plan and conducts their wars.

Conjunctions

The power of the stars creates connections between times and places - referred to by Imperial magicians as conjunctions. By using the Gate to access a conjunction a character can travel from Anvil to the site linked through the conjunction. The device is powerful and expensive, but not so powerful that it could not be replicated. However the Gate does not create conjunctions - it only provides the means to access them, so creating an additional Gate would not generate any additional conjunctions.

The Sentinel Gate at Anvil was bonded to the Empire centuries ago by Urizen magicians using a powerful Autumn ritual. Because of this, only Imperial citizens can use the Gate. Autumn magic can be used to create a link between the Empire and a barbarian or a foreigner to allow them to use the Gate - and Night magic can transform or disguise a target in such a way that they can pass through. In both cases though it requires that those using the Gate are accompanied by a greater number of Imperial citizens. In the opinion of Imperial magicians, the Gate is secure from intrusion - a belief supported by the last four centuries of use.

Partly as a result of this bond, the Gate can only be used to travel to places the Empire is connected to - either inside the Empire, on the borders or to locations where significant numbers of Imperial troops are present. In the theory the bond could be broken but it would then need bonding to a new nation or power to be usable at all.

Predestination

Conjunctions only occur at a solstice or equinox but beyond this restriction they appear superficially to be random, defying attempts to explain or predict them using logic. Urizen magi use the Net of the Heavens to explain the clear serendipity in the conjunctions that arise that allows the Empire to intervene at critical moments - but this may simply be the natural hearth magic of the underlying constellations that links them to fate.

Any magician can detect the imminent presence of a conjunction by casting detect magic on the Gate. They can only detect the imminent presence of a specific conjunction in this matter - the caster must specify exactly what destination they are seeking to detect each time they cast the spell. If a conjunction for that location exists - then the spell will identify the approximate time and how powerful the conjunction is - expressed in terms of how many people can travel through the gate when the conjunction occurs.

Detect magic can only detect the imminent presence of a conjunction to a precisely specified location. It is not possible to use detect magic or rituals to detect all possible conjunctions for a wide area. Attempts to do this always fail. The spell is only as effective as the description of the location provided - ambiguous or unclear descriptions usually result in failure but may sometimes give erroneous answers.

Detecting conjunctions in this way is a form of prognostication, and is affected by the same limits that apply to all attempts to make forecasts or predictions using Day Magic. The information is always correct - but only at the specific time that the spell is cast - and only for the magician casting the spell. The information may change at any time and very occasionally different casters get different results. It is exceptionally rare for a conjunction to disappear once detected, it is slightly more common for new conjunctions to appear. Some Wintermark mystics claim this is because the conjunctions are linked to an individuals skein or perhaps the fate of a nation or even the whole Empire.

Operating the Gate

To access a conjunction to travel elsewhere in the Empire, the Gate must first be activated. The easiest way to do this is to perform the operate portal spell on the Gate - but any equivalent magic will work. Once opened the Gate remains open for a brief period, just long enough for those gathered to travel through it. After that, the outward gate closes and nothing further may pass through. It is impossible to access a single conjunction twice - the Gate can only be opened again if a second conjunction followed immediately after - an exceptionally rare event. Magic cannot restore access to a conjunction once the Gate has closed, no more than it create new conjunctions.

Those who have made use of the conjunction to travel elsewhere in the Empire have a short period of time during which they return safely - usually around half an hour. The noted astrologer Aquila of the Glittered Towers compared it to the passage of the stars through the heavens. The conjunction begins when a specific heavenly body is directly over Anvil - only at the moment is outward travel to the destination possible. The travellers may return to Anvil at any time the conjunction endures, but as time passes, return becomes increasingly dangerous as the stars move out of alignment and the conjunction weakens. Citizens who have waiting too long to return have suffered magical backlash resulting in traumatic wounds and even death in exceptionally rare cases.

As a result all Imperial magicians are taught a minor cantrip that usually allows them to calculate how long a conjunction they have used will last. Any magician that has used a conjunction to travel from Anvil can perform this cantrip without cost. It takes a few seconds to perform and if successful, lets them know approximately how long remains before they must return. The cantrip is not reliable, sometimes the influence of the stars is hard to detect and the spell fails.

Major Conjunctions

Most conjunctions are small, they allow anywhere between ten to thirty people to travel, but there are usually at least two conjunctions at any time which are potentially much more powerful. A major conjunction occurs when several normal conjunctions occur at the same time - as a result they often present the option to choose a single destination from one of several possibilities. Imperial magicians soon discovered that these conjunctions could be accessed by the egregores to allow vastly more people to travel through - hundreds or even more - sufficient to achieve major military outcomes. Because of their potent military benefits these major conjunctions are controlled by the Imperial Military Council which decides which nations will travel and how best to make use of the conjunction.

Even a major conjunction would normally only allow a few dozen travellers, but by drawing on the power of the egregore bond, the conjunction can be accessed by everyone bonded to that egregore. Stargazers who have studied the operation of the Gate and the formation of conjunctions claim that the bond produces a powerful hearth magic effect through the law of sympathy - a character using the conjunction is a single entity - but the egregore can use a major conjunction to allow their entire nation to travel through the Gate as a single entity.

To operate the Gate in this way, the egregore does not need to physically travel via the conjunction (although some choose to do so), but they do need to engage the egregore bond with those who are travelling. This is usually done using a small ceremony or simple arcane rite designed to epitomize the nation's spirit. Invoking the essential nature of their nation, produces the required hearth magic that allows the nation to travel through the Gate - at a major conjunction - as if they were a single entity.

Even major conjunctions have their limitations. They vary in size, the smallest allows a single nation to travel while the largest allows four or five nations to travel. Using a major conjunction is enormously taxing for the egregore - an individual egregore is rarely able to make use of more than one or two major conjunctions in this way during an equinox or solstice.

Does the conjunction happen by happy chance because Robert of Mitwold turns up to Anvil to complain about the Feni stealing his cows?

Of course not... what a foolish notion! You have preordination all the wrong way round my friend.

Robert of Mitwold comes to Anvil because the power of the constellations compels him to; it arranges all matters so that our Marcher friend cannot help but come to Anvil and find someone who can assist him.

The conjunction draws what it needs to it.

Rules

- The Gate can only be opened at predestined times. It is not possible for anyone or anything in the game to open the Gate at any other time.

- At the predestined moment, the Gate can be opened by any Imperial citizen. A magician can use the operate portal spell to activate the Gate, or an Egregore can do it using hearth magic.

- Any Imperial citizen can travel through the Gate when it is open. Foreigners and barbarians can only travel through the Gate using magic specifically designed to facilitate this - a ritual, item or eternal power, and only in the presence of an equal number of Imperial citizens.

- Magical creatures - beings that are created or summoned using magic cannot use the Gate.

- The Gate remains open for outward travel only for a short amount of time. No character or object may travel out through the Gate once the assembled citizens have passed through in good order.

- The Gate closes for return travel slowly. There is a set period of time for which return travel is safe, any citizen who delays too long may experience a magical traumatic wound when they eventually pass back through the portal.

- Any Imperial magician who passes through the gate can sense how long they can remain away from Anvil before the Gate closes if a referee is present. This ability requires a few seconds of appropriate arcane roleplaying.

- Characters can move anything through the gate that they can personally carry, including shared loads. Beasts of burden - and their loads cannot use the Gate.

- Sights and sounds perceivable through the portal can be perceived in-character.

Further Reading

- Sentinel Gate design - a longer explanation of some of the out-of-character design philosophy for the Gate.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Sentinel_Gate&oldid=32806"

Orc

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 What orcs are not

- 3 Phys-rep

- 4 Not Appropriate

- 5 Psychology

- 5.1 Gregarious and Loyal

- 5.2 Revel in Battle

- 6 Rules

- 7 The blood

- 8 Lines of the Orcs

- 9 Suppliers

Overview

Orcs are a tough physical people who are forceful and loyal. Their heavy bones and thick skin makes them well disposed to physical confrontation, and they derive a visceral enjoyment from conflict and physical competition. Orcs are as intelligent as humans, but they tend to prize simple resilient solutions to problems and disdain needless complexity.

Orcs are most comfortable in groups with other orcs; they derive strength and reassurance by being surrounded by other members of the same legion or tribe. When alone orcs tend to become anxious and lose much of their confidence and certainty. Orcs prefer their groups to adopt simple clear laws that are strongly enforced.

Orcs prefer roles where their natural strength, forceful personality and physical presence allows them to shine. They are drawn to military and religious leaders. The complex layered politics of the Senate often frustrates them, in the Synod and the Imperial Military their fire and enthusiasm for the Empire shine through.

Inspirations for orc characters include anyone strong and physical who revel in battle. Literary characters like Dr Edwin Hyde from Alan Moore's second League of Extraordinary Gentlemen graphic novel as well as figures like Hercules and Conan the Barbarian. Orcs are keen supporters of the law and characters like Judge Dredd, Johnny Alpha and Wulf Sternhammer have many orc qualities.

Orc leaders are usually forceful, hard-driving characters who derive their charisma and respect from their physical presence. The classic American tough-guy image of figures like Jesse Ventura, Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Patton or Dwight Eisenhower but also literary figures like the young Robert Baratheon, when he leads his rebellion against the Mad King.

The most important inspiration for orcs is the close physical camaraderie of soldiers. Marines and any mythical band of soldiers are a great basis for any group of orcs. Pvt. J. Vasquez and the other marines from Aliens, the squaddies from Dog Soldiers or the Vikings in 13th Warrior. Imperial Orcs find the discipline and order of the professional soldier appealing - the Ghurkas are a great inspiration for an orc legion.

The only orcs in the Empire available to use as player characters are members of the Imperial Orc nation. While the details on this brief are applicable to all orcs, they are written with the Imperial Orcs in mind.

What orcs are not

- Warhammer orcs or goblins. Orcs are a single species, rather than a set of related families of creatures encompassing goblins and other greenskins. Most orcs in the world of Empire have pale mottled skin as shown below, the bright green skin of Games Workshop orcs must be avoided.

Phys-rep

The Orc face and head is substantially different to the human visage. Unlike lineage, it does not vary wildly from one orc to the next- orcs are a single race that share a common appearance. To achieve the correct look requires a substantial prosthetic or mask which must cover most of the face as a minimum. It is advisable to leave the mouth clear, as this makes speech clearer and allows a much greater range of facial expression, but the rest of the face should be covered to achieve the right look.

It is not possible to achieve the required level of representation with a small prosthetic that covers just the eyes and temple or make-up alone, so please do not attempt this. Make-up is appropriate for all visible areas of skin that are not covered by clothing or prosthetics.

Players who wish to create a non-human character using just make-up should look at the options for lineage.

- Skin colour. Like human skin, orc skin colour covers a range of different shades, but most hues tends to be muted earth tones. Grey is the most common colour, followed by a dark drab olive shade. Black, brown and red-brown shades are also seen but are far less common, akin to true blonde hair colouring in humans. Some orcs have dark mottled patterns radiating from the temples to over the top the ears sometimes reaching as far as the back of the head. Venerable orcs are albinos, their skin turning a bone white colour suddenly sometime past their sixtieth year.

- Large ears. Orc ears end in points and most are much larger than human or even changeling ears. The ears usually sweep backwards following the curve of the skull and give the face a more feral appearance.

- Upturned nose. All orcs have a large prominent nose. Many orcs noses have large forward facing open nostrils, giving the nose a flat face-on appearance. More human noses with down-turned nostrils are not unknown but in this case the skin over the bridge of the nose is often particularly thick and wrinkled. In some cases these folds continue up the nose and spread over the brow.

- Bald head. Orcs never have eyebrows, and very few orcs are able to grow a full head of hair. Most have no hair on the temples and sides of the head and many are naturally completely bald. A very narrow crest of hair down the line of the skull like a mane or a single small patch near the top rear of the skull are normal for those orcs with any hair at all. Facial hair around the chin or cheeks is less common but not unknown.

- Heavily Boned. Orcs have thick heavy bones (compared to a human of comparable height) which are prominent in the facial region. Highly defined cheek bones and brow ridges are common. Orc faces are rarely as expressive as human faces and orcs tend to use their voice and body language and gestures to communicate information rather than relying on subtle facial expressions.

Not Appropriate

- No bright colours. While many orcs have a greenish hue to their skin, no orcs have bright or lurid green flesh this would be a sign or a deathly illness. Such an individual is not long for this world.

- Tusks or fangs. Most orcs have very human teeth if slightly sharper and more yellow than white. Very rarely orcs suffer from an infection in their teeth that causes them to grow in size becoming larger and more pronounced. This is very dangerous as the infection quickly results in the death of the orc if the enlarged teeth are not removed.

Psychology

Orcs are fundamentally different to humans in their psychology. They have different instincts, and these roleplaying effects are designed to try and draw out the alien nature of orcs.

Gregarious and Loyal

Orcs seek group identity; they want to belong to something, to be a part of a group that provides them with an identity and provides them with allies on whom they can rely utterly. These groups are usually close-knit and always fiercely loyal to each other, regardless of size. Most orcs are comfortable with this affinity and enjoy being part of a larger group, even while they maintain some sense of personal identity.

When orcs of the same group are together, even in small numbers, they gain confidence and mental and physical strength from each other. Orcs become more confident and more boisterous in the company of other members of their group. Without this support, they lose their natural assurance, and tend to become quiet, withdrawn and sullen. The more isolated the orc feels, the more they lose their confidence in themself and their abilities.

Most orcs feel an instinctive loyalty towards their group that overrides fear or personal well-being. They put the best interests of the group first and make whatever sacrifices are necessary to do that. They want to be part of a group that expects this degree of solidarity, with clear rules that lays out what behaviour is expected. Betrayal of the group is a unforgivable crime in the eyes of any orc, but their loyalty to their group also tends to underpin a fierce support for the rule of law and order.

Groups cannot be arbitrary, they must be a fundamental part of an orc's identity. Most Imperial orcs live as part of a legion, treating all their fellow soldiers as brothers and sisters regardless of parentage. Barbarian orcs are divided into vast tribes, with similar bonds of loyalty.

Revel in Battle

Orcs enjoy fighting. They are not battle-crazed or foolhardy, but they are not squeamish and their insensitivity to pain and injury means that they have little instinctive fear of being hurt. The flight-or-fight response in orcs is balanced differently than it is in humans, and orcs are much more likely to attack than they are to flee.

In battle groups of orcs can hear their ancestors talking to them and this further reinforces the strength they draw from each raising their spirits and enthusiasm further. Orcs thrive on the adrenalin of combat and conflict; fighting is physically exhilarating for orcs - a pleasurable experience that can become dangerously addictive for some.

Orcs are not blood-thirsty, it is the thrill of combat, the adrenalin of the fight response that they revel in. Without a challenge, without the tension and threat of a credible opponent there is no combat rush for them. Orcs swiftly lose all interest in fighting once an enemy is clearly defeated. They want to overpower their opponents, not to murder them.

Orcs also enjoy direct physical competition; violent confrontational sports are endemic in orc societies. The enjoyment of such bouts, by audience and participants is based on the same responses that make orcs revel and exult in fighting and battle.

Rules

- Orcs cannot use liao: An orc that consumes Liao feels dizzy and unwell, and often throws up shortly afterwards. They cannot learn or use any Religious skills, nor receive a vision from True Liao. They can be affected by Anointing, Hallow, Exorcism, Testimony and insight performed by human characters, and they experiece the roleplaying effects created by a Consecrate aura. They cannot be affected by Dedication (which means an orc priest cannot join a virtue assembly other than the Assembly of the Way), nor does Excommunication have any effect on them.

- Orcs hear voices: Orcs hear the voices of their ancestors when they are in a heightened state, especially when fighting, angry or afraid. Some orcs hear their ancestors more often, and they are called shamans.

- Orcs draw strength from numbers. Orcs that are exposed to roleplaying effects that provoke them to question their loyalties or betray their group may respond by confronting the source of the effect if there is at least one other orc present who is a member of the same tribe or group as the character.

- Humanoid biology: Orc biology differs a little from that of humans, but surgical skills, drugs and potions work on them the same way as they do anyone else.

The blood

Physiologically orcs are very similar to humans. They are hairy mammals with two sexes. They have slightly more bone and muscle mass, and build up and use fat stores more efficiently, as well as healing a little faster than humans do. They have roughly the same internal organs, and are capable of the physical act of mating with humans - although orc/human liasons never result in offspring.

Until recently the average orc lifespan in the Empire was around 40 years due to the exertion and deprivation suffered as slaves. Since winning their freedom, improved nutrition and medical care has made it common for orcs to reach seventy or eighty years of age without showing any signs of slowing down. Despite this the normal maximum lifespan of an orc is equivalent to that of a human being.

Orcs mature at the same speed as humans, but they tend to stay vital and fertile for longer, It is normal for an orc of 50 or 60 to be as physically active as an orc of 20 years. The transition from adulthood to elder status is marked prominently in orcs. At some point after 60 years of age an orc undergoes a dramatic paling of the skin that takes place over the course of several months. This corresponds with the point at which an orc is no longer fertile. These albino orcs are respected as elders amongst most groups of orcs.

Orcs do not have lineage.

Lines of the Orcs

- The Imperial Orcs live in the Empire, where they form the newest of the ten nations. They are disciplined, loyal and civilized people very much at odds with the barbarians who surround them.

- The Jotun tribe live in the lands west of Wintermark and the Marches. A warrior-society with strong traditions of personal and tribal honour, and codes of behaviour in battle. They are known to enjoy warring with the Empire and engage in regular raids into Imperial territory.

- The Druj tribe dominate the swamps and marshes to the east of Highguard and Varushka. They are notoriously devious and treacherous in their dealings with others. They make frequent use of poison on the battlefield, using herbs and magic to create powerful venoms to overcome their enemies.

- The Thule are the ruling tribe throughout the wastelands north of Wintermark and Varushka. They are cautious and meticulous planners with a reputation for greed. They make extensive use of magic on and off the battlefield and often attack sites of power in the Empire.

- The Grendel are the strongest tribe on Attar, the great island south of the bay of Catazar. They have raided the nations on the shores of the bay in the past, but their vessels are no match for the superior Freeborn corsairs. It has been decades since a serious Grendel attack has threatened the Empire, and most of that force were sunk long before they reached shore.

Suppliers

There is no requirement to use a mask from these suppliers but both Mandala and Evenlode have been heavily involved with the creation of the visuals for Empire, and their orc masks have been created with the game in mind. Any mask that fits the description for the orcs in Empire is suitable, but if you want to check if a mask is ideal then you are welcome to email us.

- Evenlode Studio

- Mandala Studios

- Dogbane SFX

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Lineage overview

Human characters in Empire may possess lineage - the touch of the magic of the Realms in their blood that manifests itself in their appearance and personality. Lineage has no effect on your skills or abilities but it can have a big impact on how you play your character and how they look. Read more about lineage...

Briar

The Briars are touched by the realm of Spring, an exuberant realm of uncontrolled natural forces dominated by green growing things that care not at all for humankind. more...

Cambion

The Cambion are infused by the realm of Autumn, a realm of naked ambition and intrigue where complex webs of wealth and influence connect the Eternals. more...

Changeling

Changelings are touched by the realm of Summer, a realm of majesty and strength. They are proud, confident, individualistic people who know they are the best of the best. more...

Draughir

The Draughir are touched by the realm of Winter, a nightmare realm of hunger and death that nonetheless possesses hidden wisdom. more...

Merrow

The Merrow are touched by the realm of Day, a realm where sky and ocean merge. They are rational, calm, curious people who look as if they are as much at home beneath the waves as they are on land. more...

Naga

The Naga are touched by the realm of Night, a realm of shapechanging wyrms and winged serpents. They embody both the subtle nature of the Night Eternals and their powerful emotions. more...

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

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Briar

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 What briars are not

- 3 Sobriquets

- 4 Iconic trappings

- 5 Other trappings

- 6 Not Trappings

- 7 Roleplaying briars

- 8 The blood

- 9 Lines of the briar

Overview

The briars are infused by the realm of Spring, a fecund realm of exuberant natural forces whose green Eternals care only for life and not at all for humankind. The briars are filled with primal energy: direct, uncomplicated and prone to outbursts of destructive rage.

Briars are most comfortable in military roles, although their primal nature can make them powerful in the Conclave. Some prosper in the Synod where their direct approach to the Imperial Faith often gives them spiritual insight. They often find the Bourse confusing and become easily frustrated by the complexities of the Senate.

The briar lineage is intended to appeal to players who want to play something primal or visceral, with a strong urge to straightforwardness and physicality. They also offer opportunities to play characters who are highly critical of the complexities and shortcomings of civillised society. Briars will allow characters to play with some themes of discrimination as well; this Lineage is presented as suspect by many groups within the setting.

One inspiration for the briars draws on characters such as Swamp Thing; individuals who are outside, yet drawn to, the human world. Both the Hulk and Edward Hyde represent a struggle between civillised impulses and the desire to break free of societal restriction. Fictional vigilantes who take a direct, simplistic, approach to solving the problems of society like the Punisher and characters such as Conan the Cimmerian and Kull the Conqueror represent a physicality and desire for simple solutions to problems. Tyler Durden from Fight Club displays a more extreme version of the same archetype. Pragmatic, direct characters are good examples of the briar mindset, as in the story of Alexander the Great and the Gordian Knot, or the scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indiana Jones shoots the swordsman to avoid an unnecessary duel.

What briars are not

- Dryads. Briars are infected by the primal magic of Spring; it tends to make them energetic, physical and wild, but it does not turn them into a tree nor instil them with a mystical awe for nature. They feel no more affinity to plants or trees than a normal human being does. While many briars reject the complexities of civilization they do so because of a difficulty fitting in, not because of an instinctive need to protect nature or be close to it.

Sobriquets

Leshy, Barkbleeder (derogatory), Spriggan, Cicatrix, Greenscar, the twisted

Iconic trappings

- Patches of bark Briars have patches of bark that grows in place of skin. The bark can grow anywhere on the body, but must cover areas of skin, it does not extend out away from the body. The effect is best created using latex prosthetics, as make-up by itself will not give the right raised profile. It is better to try and cover a few iconic areas of the body; we do not recommend trying to cover all visible skin. Briar's bark-skin can spread across the body in response to wounds suffered. The bark-skin is as sensitive as normal skin covered in a thick layer of latex would be.

Other trappings

- Green eyes. Briars may have exotically green eyes. Cosmetic contact lenses can be used to achieve this. The pupil can be any shape or design so long as the predominant colour is green.

- Thorns. Some briars have thorns growing from their skin, usually along the lines of the body like the cheekbones or the forearms. The thorns emerge from patches of bark, which requires a suitable prosthetic, but you can have them emerge directly from the skin. If you phys-rep this effect by taking thorns from a rosebush and gluing them to your skin then try to ensure that you put them in places like the face where people are unlikely to catch them.

- Prominent veins. Many briars have distinct veins in dark green or black that spread out beneath the skin. These are particularly prevalent near areas of bark-skin, emerging from underneath the growths. This effect is easiest to create using make-up.

- Briars "bleed" bark. The signature quality of the briars is that when their skin is broken, it heals over with bark-like material. Sometimes this material has thorns embedded in it. Most of this bark-like material will eventually peel away, usually to reveal fresh skin underneath, but some of it never disappears – every briar has a few patches of bark that appear permanent. The bark may grow quickly or take hours to appear, so you can add some more bark to your make-up the next time you are out of character. If you are heavily wounded you might choose to spread your bark-skin effect for an event, but that there is no requirement to keep the bark from event to event.

- Restless demeanour. Briars are often filled with the energy and vitality of the realm of Spring. They rarely sit still for long and are constantly active and mobile. Try to move just a little quicker than is necessary, lengthen your stride when you walk and allow yourself to become frustrated with delays.

Not Trappings

- Leaves or Flowers The briar lineage does not manifest itself as leaves or flowers. The appearance of a briar is inspired by bark and briar patch rather than the classical myth of the dryad. For this reason leaves, flowers and other greenery are not part of the briar trappings.

Roleplaying briars

Briars blood influences the character of the one who possesses it. Not every briar expresses these effects to the same degree, but characters who demonstrate these roleplaying trappings possess stronger lineage than those who do not.

- Briars are straightforward. They make straightforward plans, and instinctively take the most direct route through (or round) any given situation. They dislike complexity for its own sake, and respect plain speaking over elaborate argument. They generally express a pragmatic desire to get problems solved now, and where several options are available, they look for the simplest solution. They will neither avoid a perceived problem, nor dwell on one they see as irrelevant. This straightforwardness can also make them blunt or even rude in social situations, as they rarely hold back from saying what they think.

- Briars are mercurial. Briars change their minds easily, they are swayed by circumstances and whatever seems important at the time. They tend to be spontaneous in their displays of emotion (sometimes inappropriately) and their moods shift without warning. They want what they want now, and some are over-eager to simply take the thing they want and then keep it as long as it interests them, discarding it when they become bored with it. Briars live for the moment and few see any need to plan for the long term.

- Briars are primal. They are often scornful of the trappings of civilisation, dressing simply, using tools only when they make a task easier, some even eschewing material possessions altogether in the long term. They are often driven to pursue self-sufficiency, and may be commonly found among small pioneer communities. Their straightforward attitude may combine with this to make them uncertain in social groups larger than a few dozen individuals known personally to the briar, particularly if the roles and responsibilities within the group are not clearly defined.

- Briars are physical. They like tangible, solid, physical things, rather than getting excited by ideas or concepts. They commonly become frustrated or bored in intensely cerebral situations – they make their point and then expect things to move on swiftly to a conclusion. While this often makes them appear “simple” it is not that they are less intelligent than other humans, just that they have little patience for what they perceive as convoluted logic, circular discussions or anything which over-complicates what seems to them a simple matter. When confronted by a mental or social situation, they try to solve it in a simple physical way (for example, if someone is hungry they provide food, if someone is unhappy they look to physically remove the source of their friends’ unhappiness, rather than formulating a social response to the problem).

- Briars are vital. Briars possess a remarkable resilience and reserve of energy. They are no stronger than a normal person but they can often work that little bit longer than other people, walk further, carry that little bit more. They have reserves of energy that they can tap into when threatened. Briars that are exposed to any roleplay effect that causes them to feel tired, weary or weak can respond by becoming energetic and alert.

- Briars may degenerate into madness. Some briars become increasingly short-tempered, until they point where they start to lash out at anything that frustrates them. They insist on having everything their own way and react with anger to anyone who refuses them. They often depart the civilised world completely, withdrawing to wild places (such as mountains and forests) and many turn to banditry. As their madness increases their contempt for society increases and they begin to despise those that defend it. Ultimately they lose touch with their humanity, they become feral, killing anyone who gets in their way and striking out against structures and individuals that represent authority and civilisation.

The blood

Briars are warm blooded mammals. They mate and breed just like humans, they have hair, and they give birth to live offspring.

Briars are almost never born expressing their lineage. Their lineage appears when they sustain a serious injury, with the site of the injury quickly covered in a thick scab with the texture and appearance of bark. In almost all cases, magical healing is involved. It is believed that magical healing catalyses the Spring lineage, causing it to express itself openly. However, magical healing does not always trigger the lineage – some individuals are healed several times before their briar lineage manifests. It is also believed by the scholars of Urizen that any Spring Realm magic has the potential to trigger the expression of the briar lineage lurking in the blood; it is just that the most commonly encountered form of Spring Realm magic is healing magic.

Many people show no signs at all of being a briar before the bark appears. Once that happens, changes tend to happen quickly, thorns may appear growing through the skin and the eyes may turn green The psychological effects of lineage appear at the same time. If a briar is wounded and healed with Spring magic this can strengthen a briar's lineage; the physical and mental trappings become more evident. This is unpredictable however: some briars are healed many times with no apparent effect.

Because the lineage can hide in this manner it creates suspicion and distrust. Some people feel betrayed when their friend turns out to be a briar; other newly revealed briars (especially if they were unaware of their lineage until later life) suffer shock and damage to their mental stability when they discover they have been lineaged all along and when the urges of the blood become more powerful. Some more prejudicial individuals have inflicted serious injuries on suspected briars and then had them healed with Spring magic, hoping to reveal hidden taint – as well as ensuring their own ranks remain pure. It is a common belief that a briar who avoids magical healing will lose the taint of the blood and not pass it on to their offspring, although this is probably wishful thinking.

After death, a briar’s entire body is slowly covered with bark, appearing a lot like a misshapen, fallen log. According to superstition, an area where a dead briar has lain will be seeded with alien, supernatural foliage. Many individuals, especially among the Navarr, Marchers and the Highborn, insist that dead briars be burnt to prevent this happening.

The Eternals of Spring expect their lineaged relatives to be forthright and direct. A briar who displays energy and vitality is likely to be recognised as a kindred spirit, although this may not be a uniformly positive experience.

Lines of the briar

Part of the prejudice some Imperials feel comes from the events of the Freedom Heresy. Between 324AE and 328AE a briar-dominated group of heretics and secessionists attempted to sieze territory from the Empire, with tragic consequences. Events such as this help to fuel suspicion of this lineage.

- In Dawn there is an undercurrent of suspicion towards those with briar lineage; it was in Dawn and the nearby barrens that most of the bloody fighting of that uprising took place.

- In Highguard the bodies of dead briars are commonly burnt and their ashes scattered over water; while there are a few monuments to heroic briars in the the Necropolis, there are none of this lineage actually interred there.

- Briars are seldom seen in League society. They're too direct for the subtleties of Dead Reckoning.

- Many Marchers believe briars are accursed, and have nothing to do with them.

- The Navarr are especially suspicious of the briars, seeing a connection between them and the Vallorn.

- Intellectuals in Urizen find the briars too instinctual, too direct.

- The briar lineage is accepted in Varushka, but there is a deep-seated prejudice that they are too willful to be entirely trusted.

- Winterfolk, especially those of the Steinr tradition, respect the bold directness and uncompromising nature of the briars.

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Cambion

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 What cambion are not

- 3 Sobriquets

- 4 Iconic trappings

- 5 Additional trappings

- 6 Roleplaying Cambion

- 7 The blood

- 8 Lines of the cambion

- 9 Prosthetics

Overview

The cambion are infused by the realm of Autumn, a realm of naked ambition and intrigue where complex webs of wealth and influence connect the Eternals. They are ambitious, driven individuals who are never satisfied with what they have, always striving for greater mastery of themselves, their peers and their world.

Cambion are comfortable in almost any role but are especially appropriate to characters with political or economic motivations – senators and mercantilists are obvious, but a general driven to take The Throne or a priest who wants to reshape the Synod to better suit their idea of faith are also examples that might appeal to a cambion.

The cambion lineage is intended to appeal to players who want to play driven, goal-oriented individuals, and touch on some motifs associated with ruthless devils or manipulative supernatural creatures. This lineage gives players free rein to touch on expedient or ruthless roleplaying, but also encourage them to set themselves goals and achieve them. They are also fertile ground for roleplaying about concepts of politics, ethics and expediency – do the ends justify the means?

Inspirations for cambion might run the gamut from students of the writings of Machiavelli and Sun Tzu, through spies such as Mata Hari and George Smiley to powerful figures such as Shakespeare’s Richard III and Lady MacBeth and Lord and Lady Aquitaine from the Codex Alera.

What cambion are not

- Devils. Despite their name and their horns, the cambions are not associated with traditional devils or demons. The Eternals of Autumn are political entities who wield and embody ideas of power and confidence rather than being evil.

Sobriquets

Caliban, nephelim, rakshasa, the mazed

Iconic trappings

- Curved horns. Most cambion possess a pair of horns. These horns are similar to those of goats, sheep or bulls. They usually have a curved or spiral shape, often with ridges or fluting. They are likely to be either bone-coloured or metallic. Cambion horns do not branch like a stag's antlers - only changelings have stag's horns – they always occur in pairs and as a single continuous horn.

Additional trappings

- Additional horns. Cambions may have more than one pair of horns, although these additional horns still appear in pairs on the head.

- Metallic eyes. Cambions may have exotically coloured eyes. Cosmetic contact lenses can be used to achieve this. The pupil should be the normal shape but the iris might can be any metallic colour.

- Metallic skin. Cambions may possess metallic skin colouration - in gold, silver, bronze or copper. This can range from patches of mottling or discolouration to a whole body effect. Make-up can be used to create this effect. If you are adopting this trapping for your character you should either paint or cover all visible skin or else design the areas that are coloured to make it clear that you have mottled skin - do not paint your entire face in one solid colour and then leave your neck and ears unpainted.

- Metallic talons. Cambions may have talons that replace their fingernails. These claws are never large enough to be used as a weapon. Clawed fingers should be metallic, with the claws short and protruding from the end of the finger where the nail bed would be. Wolverine style claws that protrude from the back of the wrist are not appropriate.

- Labyrinth marks. Cambion frequently possess birthmarks or scars that take the form of branching, maze-like or web-like shapes. Some cambions are entirely covered in a network of lines that shifts imperceptibly over time.

- Metallic hair. Cambions may have fine hair in metallic colours, often complementing their eyes or skin colour. Common colouration is bronze, copper, gold or silver. You can use a wig to phys-rep this or colour your hair.

- Dominant demeanour. Cambions might express their drive and confidence by seeking and maintaining eye contact, making physical contact with those they are talking to, modulating their voices to inspire trust and using all sorts of simple tricks to define themselves as being in charge of any interaction.

Roleplaying Cambion

Cambion blood influences the character of the one who possesses it. Not every cambion expresses these effects to the same degree, but characters who demonstrate these roleplaying trappings possess stronger lineage than those who do not.

- Cambions are driven. Their blood pushes them to achieve all that they can. They are never content to rest on their laurels, always looking to the next accomplishment. They tend to have no patience for laziness or complacency, and may become frustrated with peers – or worse, superiors – who express these traits. They also tend to be goal-oriented, although a cambion is likely to have many goals he or she wishes to advance at any given time.

- Cambions are opinionated. They find it difficult to accept the status quo and they seek to improve things – although each cambion will have their own idea what constitutes improvement. They also tend to doubt received wisdom – hearsay and the opinions of others are useful to know, but a cambion would prefer to make up her own mind than take another’s opinion as their own.

- Cambions are political. They seek to gain influence over others, and often view social interactions in terms of favours to be offered or called in at a later date. They’re not incapable of altruism, but when prompted to do something out of the “goodness of their heart” they remember it and may bring it up at a later date. People who don’t appreciate the idea of trading and owing favours frustrate cambions; people who consider themselves apolitical or above political manoeuvring often annoy them.

- Cambions are competitive. They love testing themselves against others politically, mentally and socially. To a cambion, winning and losing is less important than a challenging contest with a worthy opponent. They tend not to hold grudges if they are bested in these sorts of contests, but dislike people who try to avoid playing their games. A cambion will often end up with a roster of rivals, friends and enemies made up of all the other people who engage in political manipulation in their sphere of influence.

- Cambions are stubbornly independent. A cambion who is exposed to a roleplaying effect that attempts to coerce them to follow another being can respond by becoming obdurate and stubborn instead.

- Cambions may degenerate into madness. Some cambions become increasingly ruthless, potentially to the point of megalomania. They come to regard others as tools or pawns to be moved into position, they see morals and ethics as unnecessary straitjackets on their activities and ambitions. Some have the best of intentions – they simply know what is best for everyone around them. They see no problem with using and even expending their pawns in pursuit of their goals.

The blood

Cambions are born dead. It’s a strange fact of their lineage that they appear lifeless when they are born. Within a few moments of birth, however, they cough and sputter and their eyes open and they seem to flow with life. Yet even as they grow older, their pulse seems to be weak and fluttering, and they will often stop breathing for minutes on end when they are asleep. Yet they are no more or less healthy than any human. Many of them claim that it is their willpower alone that keeps them alive, although there is no medical evidence for this.

Almost all cambions have horns. At birth they are little more than tiny nubbins, but they develop as the child gets older, usually reaching their full adult size when the child reaches physical maturity. cambion blood is strong; the offspring of cambion are usually cambion themselves, but it is rare for a human woman to give birth to a cambion unless the other parent is a herald or another cambion. Unexpected cambion births therefore often result in disputed parentage or abandoned children.

The Eternals of Autumn expect their lineaged relatives to be cunning and ambitious. A cambion will have to act the part to be taken seriously by them but they’ll treat them as a rival if they do so.

Lines of the cambion

Cambion often rise to positions of authority, or become sworn enemies of authority with which they disagree. Cambion children are often difficult to raise for parents without lineage and frequently leave home early to seek their fortune.

- A Freeborn cambion will often find a position as a scrivener, appreciating the middle-man role such a position offers them.

- Many cambion find a spiritual home in The League where they are especially encouraged to enter the priesthood.

- The unveiled of Highguard include a few cambion, their horns sawn off to publicly demonstrate that they have renounced their heritage.

Prosthetics

If you're feeling creative, there's a tutorial here about how to make your own horns. Otherwise, many traders will make them to order;

- Evenlode Studios – Handmade props and costumes, including horns and antlers

- Custom Costume Company Makes prosthetics and props to order

- Gypsy Roses

- Pan’s House of Horns

- Think Geek

- Nick Tiernan Makes horns and other props

- Arty Fakes

- Skian Mhor Make horns and prosthetics to any style design and size

- Mandala

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Changeling

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 What changelings are not

- 3 Sobriquets

- 4 Iconic trappings

- 5 Additional Trappings

- 6 Roleplaying Effects

- 7 The blood

- 8 Lines of the Changelings

Overview

Changelings are touched by the realm of Summer, a realm of beauty and strength whose Eternals are potent symbols of might and majesty. They are proud, confident, individualistic people who know they are the best of the best and were born to excel at anything they turn their hands to.

Changelings prefer roles where they can take the lead or stand out. They are especially appropriate to military and political leaders, but they also make great champions and representatives for groups. Bands of changelings work well, they can regard themselves as amongst their peers and be confident of the group's abilities as a result.

The changeling lineage is intended to appeal to players who want to create proud characters who enjoy being the centre of attention. They are particularly suited to heroes: characters who lead from the front, whether bold champions who bestride the battlefield or charismatic orators taking the floor of the senate.

Changelings obviously draw on images of elves from various settings, most especially Tolkien, with characters such as Glorfindel and Fëanor. However you can also draw inspiration from deities like Thor and Marduk as well as Greek heroes such as immortal-blooded Hercules, the heroes of the Illiad and Odyssey: Hector, Paris and Achilles as well as the proud leaders Hippolyta of the Amazons, and Jason of the Argonauts. Historical figures like Alexander the Great, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I are good inspirations for individual changelings, while the Three Musketeers and Arthur's Knights of the Round Table are an excellent inspiration for a group of changelings.

Villains can also make great role models for changelings, comic book villains like Dr Doom or the Kurgen from Highlander. Any villain who likes to dominate the situation and defeat their foes by besting them rather than outwitting them possesses some of the traits of a changeling.

What changelings are not

- Fairies. Changelings include elements of traditional fae, but focus on the Tuatha-de-dannan, the lords and ladies of the fae rather than pixies, fauns, satyrs or goblins.

- Beastmen. Changelings may have the antlers of a stag or a leonine mane but these characteristics add to their human features to enhance their majesty and prowess. They are not animals; they are neither animalistic or bestial.

Sobriquets

Elf, Fae, Feyling, Knife-ears, the Proud.

Iconic trappings

Changelings usually have ears that come to a marked point and are noticeably different to human ears, with their rounded tips. They are not the long ears of the Night Elf from Warcraft or similar.

Additional Trappings

- Fey eyes. A changeling may have exotically coloured eyes. Cosmetic contact lenses can be used to achieve this. The pupil should be the normal shape but the iris can be purple, vibrant blue or bright green.

- Spiral Markings. Changelings may develop marks on their body that resemble spirals or even intricate knotwork. These might seem to be tattoos, or birthmarks, or represent areas of raised or lowered skin.

- Primal animal elements. Changelings may have an animal element of a lion's mane, stag's antlers or a feathered brow with eagle or swan feathers. These elements suggest power and potence; they make the character look regal by turning their brow into a crown. Changelings are not cat people, ratmen or beastfolk.

- Stag's antlers. Male and female changelings can have stag's antlers. Antlers are specifically branching horns, rather than the goat, bull or ram horns which are the mark of a Cambion.

- Leonine mane. Hair that is swept back to give the impression of a leonine mane is appropriate for male and female changelings. A hairpiece can also be used to achieve this effect. The goal is to appear as the king of the beasts, not a cat.

- Feathered Brow. Eagle or swan feathers on the brow line. A few feathers attached to the brow or a subtle headpiece can be used to achieve this effect. The goal is to appear as the king of the birds, not a pigeon.

- Haughty demeanour. Changelings might express their prowess and confidence by keeping their back straight and their heads up, always speaking in a clear audible tone. Avoiding contractions while speaking - saying do not instead don't or can not instead of can't help to impress the authority and importance of the changeling.

Roleplaying Effects

Changeling blood influences the character of the one who possesses it. Not every changeling expresses these effects to the same degree, but characters who demonstrate these roleplaying trappings possess stronger lineage than those who do not.

- Changelings are confident. They find it difficult to entertain the idea that they could fail at tasks they set their mind to. They often assume that they are the best person for a job and that their opinions are relevant. They seek out positions of authority and responsibility within groups. They are driven to achieve a degree of personal excellence that supports their view of themselves as superior, especially as a response to any apparent failure.

- Changelings are noble and bold. Around people who treat them with respect, around their friends and loved ones, they are solicitous, agreeable and gregarious. They feel a drive to take responsibility for others, to take charge, and get things done. They are not necessarily altruistic, but they often enjoy helping people if only to demonstrate that they can.

- Changelings are vain individuals. They like to stand out, and look different and love approval, adulation, and being the centre of attention. They hate being overlooked or dismissed as one of the crowd and take pains to ensure their appearance is striking and dramatic. They use their appearance to cement their image of themselves, and encourage others to see them as powerful and strong. They seek out the best clothing, the best armour and the best weapons.

- Changelings are wrathful. When thwarted, belittled, crossed or wronged they may fly into a devastating rage. These rages are like summer storms – intense but short lived. More than one changeling has lost control of their emotions and done something that changes their life forever in the grip of a sudden rage. Any changeling who is exposed to a roleplaying effect that creates fear or doubt can respond by becoming angry instead.

- Changelings may degenerate into madness. Some changelings become increasingly arrogant to the point of egomania. They treat others as if they are lesser creatures. They believe themselves to be stronger or wiser than they actually are, and brush aside anything that disagrees with that. They expect others to give them respect or obey them without earning that respect or obedience. They can become so blunt that they offend anyone they speak to, assuming that others will listen to what they say automatically just because of who and what they are.

The blood

Although changelings are still mortals, they tend to be healthy and live a little longer than their neighbours (assuming they avoid accidents or malice). Changelings tend to remain vital and spry and keep their wits until the end of their life.

Changeling blood tends to exaggerate the traits of the individual. A delicate noble flower will be more delicate, more lithe, more subtle. The coarse labourer or warrior will be more solid. more muscular, more physical. The lineage can lie dormant in the blood for a generation or two, then rear its head without warning. Some human families have a history of producing changeling children, and if both parents are from such families, the likelihood increases.

Some changelings talk of spending time in the Realm of Summer as prisoners, guests or even consorts of Eternals. Over the course of the timeless days spent in the Realm, humans may be slowly transformed into changelings. There is a suspicion in some quarters that the food and drink of the Eternals of Summer is responsible for this change, though it is likely due to the nature of the realm itself rather than any specific element of it.

The Eternals of Summer expect their lineaged relatives to be strong and confident. A changeling will have to act the part to be taken seriously by them but they’ll treat them as an equal if they do so.

Lines of the Changelings

- Some noble houses of Dawn only accept changelings into their ranks. They epitomize the Summer lineage beautifully; confidence bordering on arrogance, and a boldness bordering on brash.

- The unveiled of Highguard include a fair few changelings, who cut off their ear tips, horns and manes to publicly demonstrate that they have renounced their heritage.

- Changeling wardens have a reputation as reckless monster hunters in Varushka as part of the Company of the White Stag.

- Changeling blood is a sign of good luck in Wintermark where "sharp ears" is considered a compliment.

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Draughir

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 What they are not

- 3 Sobriquets

- 4 Iconic trappings

- 5 Other trappings

- 6 Roleplaying draughir

- 7 The blood

- 8 Lines of the draughir

- 9 Draughir Inspiration

Overview

The Draughir are touched by the realm of Winter, a nightmare realm of hunger and death that nonetheless possesses hidden wisdom. They are calculating, practical to the point of expediency and protective of what is theirs, but they are monstrous in appearance, and struggle with inhuman instincts.

Draughir are most comfortable in military and economic roles which give them the independence they need to make the sort of pragmatic decisions they want to take. Draughir are often drawn to positions of political power but they can find it frustrating to share power with others, if they get in the way of the draughir's ability to provide effective leadership. Draughir priests are relatively rare; while draughir can be as virtuous as any human, their pragmatic nature means they tend to proritize solutions over principles and their virtue is often more instinctive than intellectual.

While many take dominant roles, there are plenty of draughir who actively seek out second-in-command and lieutenant roles and they make excellent companions, attendants and right-hand henchmen - they are capable of fierce loyalty, to the right commander.

The draughir lineage is intended to appeal to players who want a character who is callous and merciless towards their enemies. Draughir are often pragmatic to the point of being brutal and are an option for anyone looking to play an emotionally hardened or otherwise unsympathetic character. The draughir give options for playing an anti-hero or misunderstood outsider, as well as a character who is “wrestling with inner demons”. It also allows a player to roleplay themes of practicality, morality and personal responsibility.

Inspirations for the draughir might include the heroes Batman or the Shadow who use fear as weapons against the criminal underclass and the comic-book villains R'as al Ghul or Magneto who do terrible things with the best of intentions. Other inspirations might include a fictionalised Vlad Dracul who does cruel things to his enemies but still thinks of himself as a protector of what is his; the Livia of I, Claudius who performs and encourages terrible acts for the greater good of the Roman people; the Bride from the Kill Bill movies; Lisbeth Salander from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo; the Sith from the Star Wars Old Republic, Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam of the Bene Gesserit from Dune, and to a degree the morlocks of H G Wells’ novel (and perhaps the 2002 movie) The Time Machine whose desperation to survive turns them into monsters. Marisa Coulter from the Northern Lights is a great example of an often heartless character conflicted by her feelings for those she cares about.

What they are not

- Sadistic or evil. Draughir are practical to the point of expediency, they are not innately wicked or corrupt. They are prepared to do cruel things only to achieve necessary ends, they do not delight in cruelty for its own sake.

- Undead. While draughir may often have a corpse-like appearance, they are living creatures.

Sobriquets

Wendigo, the Cold, the Wise, the Hungry, Ghul, Dread

Iconic trappings

- Pale skin. A draughir's skin is usually pallid, pale or discoloured as if from ill health. You can use white or yellow make-up to lighten or jaundice the skin tone. You can paint every inch of your skin bone-white, but if you do this, then avoid leaving your neck visible and unpainted, as it undermines the appearance. The alternative is to apply make-up more traditionally to lighten the skin tones and give your skin a deathly pallor, if you do this then you can blend in the make-up rather than trying to cover all visible skin.

Other trappings

- Prominent veins. Some draughir have red or black veins that are clearly visible just beneath the surface of their pallid skin. You can use make-up to paint veins onto the skin; ideally they should be subtle and give a sense of being just visible.

- Scarred or gouged flesh. Draughir skin is often calloused, lined or marked. The skin may appear heavily scarred or be marked with lines, cuts or cracks that run across the skin. The pictures on this page show examples of the kind of disfigurements that are appropriate. These can be achieved with make-up or using prosthetics.

- Wrinkled skin. Draughir skin often appears aged, although this has no effect on their vitality. The skin may be mottled with liver spots and is often heavily wrinkled, especially around the eyes. Make-up can be used to enhance natural wrinkles and make them more visible, or collagen or other prosthetics can create deeper creases in the skin.

- Predatory teeth. Many draughir have elongated canines but only on the lower jaw, similar to tusks. A high lineage draughir may have additional canine teeth in place of regular incisors or molars on both jaws. This look is best achieved with teeth prosthetics.

- Hollow, deep-set eyes. Some draughir have unnaturally hollow and deep-set eyes. You can achieve this look by using makeup to darken the eye-sockets to make them look deeper or use prosthetics to build up the brow and cheekbones to achieve a more pronounced effect.

- Predatory eyes. Draughir may have predatory eyes. Cosmetic contact lenses can be used to achieve this. The pupil should be the normal shape but the iris might be yellow or blood red.

- Clawed fingers. Draughir may have talons that replace their fingernails. These claws are never large enough to be used as a weapon. Clawed fingers should be black or bone white, with the claws short and protruding from the end of the finger where the nail bed would be. Wolverine style claws that protrude from the back of the wrist are not appropriate.

- Cold demeanour. Draughir might express their lineage by avoiding smiling and avoiding physical contact with others. Don't express warmth towards people and avoid talking about how you feel. Try to act as if your feelings and those of others were irrelevant and not worth comment or discussion.

Roleplaying draughir

Draughir blood influences the character of the one who possesses it. Not every draughir expresses these effects to the same degree, but characters who demonstrate these roleplaying trappings possess stronger lineage than those who do not.

- Draughir are cold. Draughir are not unemotional, they are capable of feeling jealous, angry, triumphant and many other emotions. But almost all draughir find it hard to experience any pleasure from the emotions of others: neither empathy nor sympathy are part of their nature. They are not naive or ignorant, they recognize and understand the emotions that others are feeling, they simply are not moved by them in any way. This makes it easy for them to disregard the feelings of others; when a village is starving to death a draughir will suggest eating the dead without a second thought, and will do it themself even if the rest of the village reacts with revulsion.

- Draughir have a pack mentality. Draughir are usually jealously protective and possessive towards their family and friends, but tend to treat strangers and acquaintances as potential rivals and competitors. Although they rarely exhibit much genuine empathy for those close to them, they are often fiercely loyal to those under their control or those they work with. This loyalty does not express itself as sympathy but they strive to ensure that the people they protect are safe and provided for. Draughir leaders can be socially domineering, they do not consider others' feelings and they expect those they are looking after to treat them with respect and deference.

- Draughir are calculating. They do what it takes to stay alive. Everyone is either useful, dangerous or not a threat. Every situation advances the Draughir’s aim or hinders it. If something is useful, it should be used. If something is dangerous, it should be destroyed or avoided. A draughir on a vital mission will leave a lame companion behind rather than risk slowing the group down. They’re the kind of people who are comfortable with sacrificing ten lives to save a hundred, with using disease or terror as weapons. They choose the most effective course of action without experiencing any moral qualms or scruples or letting ethical considerations get in the way. If the destruction of a village will slow an advancing army, that settlement is history.

- Draughir are never satisfied. Most draughir are inveterate planners, they like to prepare for conflict and dangers. They fear being caught short and are never complacent that they will weather the storm. Any spare moments are spent trying to improve preparations and ensure sufficient resources are in place. This hunger can never be satisfied. This can be positive; they refuse to become complacent. It can also negative; they are never satisfied with what they achieve and find it impossible to relax.

- Draughir can eat carrion. Draughir get sustenance from anything they can eat or drink, even if it would cause a normal human to become sick. They can eat rotting meat, spoiled vegetables and uncooked flesh, as well as drinking blood, stagnant water or rancid milk without ill effect. They also don’t need as much food, drink or sleep as anyone else – they can survive by eating cockroaches if they have to (as long as they get plenty of cockroaches). They’re no more resistant to poison than anyone else; this is a survival tool that also allows them to subsist on leftovers and offal while their friends and family get the stuff they need to stay healthy. They can't dispose of bodies by eating them - it takes forever to eat a human body, 180lbs of raw meat and bone, even if you don’t throw up every time you swallow a mouthful.

- Draughir may degenerate into madness. Some draughir become increasingly preoccupied with preparing for external threats, to the point of paranoia. They rarely become delusional, but they become incapable of accepting risks and incapable of trusting people who are not a part of their circle. They will go to any lengths to protect their own and they view most outsiders as irrelevant at best, little more than lumps of meat while those that are notable all become potential threats or dangers. Lone draughir or individuals who have contact only with other draughir seem to be particularly prone to this madness, which is why most draughir seek out human company.

The blood

Draughir are as warm blooded and vital as any human, although they sometimes have corpse-like appearance. They mate and breed just like humans. While a few draughir – especially those of strong lineage – are born with clear draughir marks, others appear entirely human but undergo a transformation in later life (before they reach maturity).

The unexpected transformation of a beloved child helps fuel the fear that many feel toward the draughir. A common belief is that people who turn to cannibalism will have draughir children, or will slowly become draughir themselves.

If draughir present themselves respectfully to the Eternals of Winter they usually respond by treating the draughir as one of their own. Draughir who present themselves as equals will be treated as a rival or a threat.

Lines of the draughir

Some draughir children are killed or given away because people fear them and what they may turn into. Lone draughir children often feel isolated, because no-one else sees the world quite the way they do. When two draughir meet they may become rivals, unless one acknowledges the other's authority, but groups of draughir are able to work together provided they have strong leadership.

- Varushkan draughir are able to make difficult decisions, an ability that commands respect in this harsh land.

Draughir Inspiration

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Merrow

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 What they are not

- 3 Sobriquets

- 4 Iconic trappings

- 5 Other trappings

- 6 Minor trappings

- 7 Roleplaying merrow

- 8 The blood

- 9 Lines of the merrow

- 10 Merrow Inspiration

Overview

The merrow are touched by the realm of Day, a realm of reason and shining light where sky and ocean merge. They are rational, calm, curious people who are fascinated by the complexity of the cosmos.

Merrow prefer roles that allow them to remain principled and detached. They are at home in the Conclave - some of the Empire's most brilliant magicians have been merrow - but they also flourish in the Synod, where their calm reason allows them to judge others impartially. A few merrow have a fascination for economics but many find trade and commerce prosaic. Few merrow are effective battle leaders, they often lack the charisma and passion to motivate soldiers, but they do make effective generals, having a ready mastery for strategy and tactics. The passion and oratory required of politics, as well as the inevitable grubby compromises, often vex them.

The merrow lineage is intended to appeal to not only players who want to create scholastic, intellectual or magician character concepts, but also to anyone who enjoys gathering information. Spies, scouts and loremasters of all types all make good merrow characters. Fans of Lovecraft and his successors can be mysterious or sinister Deep Ones and play up the alien and magical elements. People who don’t like Lovecraft can emphasize the calm, focused celestial bureaucracy elements and play up the ordered and cerebral parts of the merrow nature.

Inspiration for merrow might draw on any of the historical or religious philosophers like Aristotle or Confucius. Historical and literary scientific figures like Marie Curie, Ada Lovelace, Agatha Heterodyne and Dr Frankenstein are good as are masters of deduction and reasoning like Sherlock Holmes, William of Baskerville, Cadfael or the mentats from Dune. While Star Trek's Vulcans are an obvious inspiration, brilliant technical musicians like Johann Sebastian Bach are also great merrow characters as are calculating spymasters like Stella Rimmington, calm warriors like Li Mu Bai from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and a legendary strategist like Pallas Athena.

What they are not

- Emotionless robots. Although merrow are calm and cerebral, they still experience the full range of human emotions and none of them have any difficulty identifying, understanding and sympathising with human emotions in other people.

Sobriquets

Tritons, Merfolk, Fendwellers, Vodyanoi

Iconic trappings

- Gills. Gills are the definitive trapping of a merrow. These need to be represented by latex prosthetics, as make-up lines drawn onto the skin are not identifiable enough as gills. Gills should be in pairs on either side of the face or neck, or in some rare cases both.

Other trappings

- Barbels. Many merrow have barbels. Barbels are hanging tendrils around the mouth, like those of a catfish, the moustache of an oriental dragon, or even something suggestive of D&D illithid facial tentacles. You will need to use a prosthetic to create barbels.

- Mottled skin. Some merrow have patches of mottled skin that are light or dark blue. This can range from patches of mottling or discolouration to a whole body effect. Make-up can be used to create this effect. If you are adopting this trapping for your character you should either paint or cover all visible skin or else design the areas that are coloured to make it clear that you have mottled skin - do not paint your entire face in one solid colour and then leave your neck and ears unpainted.

- Scales Merrow may have areas of their body that are covered in thin blue scales, like the scales on a fish. You can achieve this effect with make-up or prosthetics; in the latter case it is a good idea to paint the skin around the scales in a matching colour to blend them in.

- Inscrutable eyes. Merrow eyes often contain no distinct iris or pupil and are either entirely white or entirely black. Cosmetic contact lenses can be used to achieve this. The iris should be the normal shape but should be entirely white or black.

- Bulging eyes. High lineage merrow sometimes have large protruding eyes that bulge out of the skull sockets. These eyes are usually entirely white or black in colour. This is a very hard effect to achieve but can be done using lenses that cover the eyes which are set into a prosthetic or domino mask worn on or over the upper face.

- Crest Some bald merrow have a crest of protruding skin over the centre of the head, like the crest of a newt. The best way to do this is usually with a prosthetic skull cap but if you are naturally bald you may be able to attach a prosthetic crest directly to your skin.

- Fins. A few merrow have fins or fronds: long crests of skin that hang down from the arms. It may be possible to create these effectively using costume or prosthetics.

- Webbed fingers. Some merrow have webbed fingers. This may be possible using thin thin gloves that have been adapted or specially made prosthetics that fit between the fingers.

- Quiet Demeanour. Merrow don’t have to whisper but they often express their cerebral nature by speaking in a calm, low voice. This effect can be enhanced by remaining still and avoiding hand gestures and large body movements while talking.

Minor trappings

Minor trappings are alternative trappings that have been requested by players and which have been approved as part of the setting. They are considered to be rare and are always found in combination with one or more of the regular physical trappings; they should not be used by themselves.

- Blue-green hair. A few merrow have been born with blue-green hair. This can be achieved with a wig or dye. In a few extreme cases some or all of the hair is replaced with long thin blue-green tentacles.

Roleplaying merrow

Merrow blood influences the character of the one who possesses it. Not every merrow expresses these effects to the same degree, but characters who demonstrate these roleplaying trappings possess stronger lineage than those who do not.

- Merrow are curious. They want to know things. Some are experts – they are fascinated by an area of understanding and seek to master it. Others are polymaths and want to know absolutely everything. Merrow tend to be split between those who like to study books and discuss knowledge and those who prefer to be active in the world testing things and trying out new ideas.

- Merrow are calm. Merrow are far from emotionless, but they tend to experience their own emotions in a more detached way than many humans. They are conscious of them, but not moved by them. As a result they tend to assume a calm demeanour and are rarely if ever overcome with emotion. This emotional detachment means that some merrow must make a conscious effort to be a part of events as they happen, otherwise they find themselves simply observing. A merrow at a banquet for example, may find themselves watching and analysing the conversations happening around them rather than taking part.

- Merrow are cerebral. All merrow tend to analyze things, looking to understand what is happening and why. They seek to find a rational explanation for things and like to test theories and ideas to see if they are correct. They enjoy games of skill and finesse and dislike games of chance. Many merrow find the idea of things beyond their rational understanding or ability to control frustrating and unpleasant.

- Merrow are focused. Some merrow are very single-minded. They pursue the things that interest them with stubborn doggedness, but find it difficult to show interest in other matters, no matter how important they are to others. They may even become oblivious to the things that do not interest them. Merrow fixate on goals as well as ideas or problems, allowing them to focus very intently on their objectives when they choose to.

- Merrow are relaxed in water. Merrow feel calm and relaxed underwater. They don't panic as others might when submerged, and all their bodily functions slow when they are underwater. Coupled with their gills, they are able to exist underwater for much longer than an equivalent human. Because of this many merrow live their lives on or in the water.

- Merrow may degenerate into madness. Some merrow become so obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge that they lose sight of anything else. Often the subject of the obsession is esoteric or irrelevant to the human experience. Their focus becomes obsessive and they find themselves unconcerned with the interests and welfare of others. They are uncaring and unmoved by suffering and may perform horrific experiments to expand their knowledge or watch dreadful events out of interest as to how they will play out.

The blood

Despite their appearance, merrow are as warm-blooded and mammalian as any human. They mate and breed just like humans do, they give birth to live offspring and all have at least some body hair. The only sign of the lineage in new born children is usually faint gills on the side of the neck (these may be phys-repped using make-up). It is very rare for children to show any more traits of the merrow lineage than this initially. As they grow older, most merrow children who spend time in water find that their lineage continues to grow stronger, with their gills becoming pronounced and scales and webs appearing in some cases.

Lines of the merrow

Merrow find a special place in a few nations of the Empire.

- Marchers tend to treat merrow with suspicion, finding them cold and too clever by half. As a result most merrow born in the Marches gravitate to the fens of Bregasland where they can find acceptance as part of the community of Fendwellers.

- The Reckoner guilds of the League are dominated by those of merrow and naga blood.

- Merrow children from the Brass Coast are often sent to be raised in Urizen, in the belief they will have a happier life.

- The clannish vodyanoi of Varushka are seen as especially grasping and miserly.

Merrow Inspiration

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Naga

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Sobriquets

- 3 What they are not

- 4 Iconic trappings

- 5 Other trappings

- 6 Minor trappings

- 7 Roleplaying naga

- 8 The blood

- 9 Lines of the naga

- 10 Naga Inspiration

Overview

The naga are touched by the realm of Night, a realm of shape-changing wyrms and winged serpents. They are subtle, secretive and intuitive individuals whose passion and fervour for life drives them to seek new challenges and new experiences.

Naga are comfortable in roles where secrets and sensation are important. They excel in the Bourse where their motivation for wealth and passion for secrets gives them an edge, but they are also found in the Synod where their fervour and oratory make them successful. There have been a number of notable naga in the Senate and the Conclave over the years, but their self-indulgent nature means they have rarely embraced a life in the military.

The naga lineage is intended to appeal to players who want to be subtle and manipulative, as well as those who want to be a little mysterious. The naga suits a number of concepts: fanatical priests, mysterious wizards, fighters who enjoy fighting, artists and performers of all types. The concept plays with images of the snake as wise and subtle, but subverts the idea that snakes are “cold-blooded”.

Inspirations for the naga might include any number of famous artists and socialites such as Oscar Wilde and Van Gogh. Spymasters like Francis Walsingham from the film Elizabeth and the fictional spies Varys and Milady de Winter all fit the idea of subtle, secretive, passionate agents. Wizards and mysterious magicians of all stripes can provide inspiration including various versions of Thoth, Mister Miyagi, Merlin, Morgan le Fay and even Doctor Strange. Naga are often articulate characters that enjoy their own cleverness, like Vizzini and Tyrion Lannister. Other characters that fit the naga stereotype are the indulgent jewel-thief Catwoman, sinister sociopaths like The Talented Mr Ripley, manipulators like the Marquis de Carabas from Neverwhere, and most of the cast of Josh Whedon's Firefly series (but especially Shepherd Derriel Book and Inara Serra).

Sobriquets

Skinks, Snakes, Lamia, the Scaled

What they are not

- Hypersexual. Naga are sensates - they enjoy luxury and the pleasure of their senses but their sexual mores and inclinations are no different to any other person.

Iconic trappings

- Scaled brow or eye sockets. Almost all naga have scales around the eyes or across the brow. A quick and effective scale effect can be produced using make-up and applied with a stencil. You can also use a latex prosthetic to build up the scales across the forehead and highlight the eyes.

Other trappings

- Reptilian eyes. Naga often have eyes with thin vertical pupils like those of a cat or a reptile. Cosmetic contact lenses can be used to achieve this. The pupil and iris should be tall and thin, and the iris may be of any colour.

- Scaled skin. High lineage naga have scales covering more of their skin. This may be on the sides of the face and neck, the back of the hands and the arms or it may even cover large areas of visible skin. Naga are not restricted to any one colour scheme for their scales and exotic shades are entirely appropriate for this lineage, provided that the scale motif is clearly visible. There is no need to cover every inch of your skin but if you do this, then avoid leaving your neck visible and unpainted, as it undermines the appearance. It may be better to use the scales in highlighted areas like the cheek bones, face and the sides of the neck. You can also use latex prosthetics to enhance the scale effect by raising their profile.

- Fangs. Some naga have a pair of fangs where their upper canines would normally be. They do not have additional fangs or pointed teeth, no matter how strong their lineage is. This look is best achieved with teeth prosthetics.

- Feathers. If you are playing a high lineage naga with scales that cover significant areas of your face then you might also have brightly coloured feathers on the back of your head. You can tie long feathers into your hair or else use a wig or skull cap so that the hair is completely covered by a mane of feathers. The goal is to look like a feathered serpent, not a scaled bird.

- Sibilance. Naga speak with a sibilant accent stressing the final s in plural words and even lapse into hissing. This is regarded by some naga as unsophisticated and they train their voice to drop this habit, so it is possible to play a high lineage naga that does not do this if you prefer.

- Flat nose. High lineage naga sometimes have a flatter or less defined nose. The nostrils may look more like pits and the skin on either side rises to meet the bridge of the nose. This effect might be achieved with various kinds of latex prosthetic that cover the nose and centre of the face.

- Relaxed demeanour. Naga like to be comfortable and to relax wherever possible. Take your time sitting down, try to ensure that you have plenty of cushions and lounge and loll rather than sitting up straight. Never pass up the opportunity to shift in your seat to find a more comfortable position no matter how inappropriate it is. Sit rather than stand and stretch out on cushions rather than sit when the opportunity presents itself.

Minor trappings

Minor trappings are alternative trappings that have been requested by players and which have been approved as part of the setting. They are considered to be rare and are always found in combination with one or more of the regular physical trappings; they should not be used by themselves.

- Snakes Hood. A few naga have a "snakes hood", a hood of skin behind the head like a cobra. This can be achieved with suitable costume.

Roleplaying naga

Naga blood influences the character of the one who possesses it. Not every naga expresses these effects to the same degree, but characters who demonstrate these roleplaying trappings possess stronger lineage than those who do not.

- Naga are gregarious. Most naga are highly social people who enjoy the company of others. They appreciate conversation, as well as social occasions where there is music or performance. Naga rarely feel the need to dominate social situations, but they like to be party to what is happening and many enjoy arranging and manipulating social situations to bring people together. They enjoy wit and all forms of humour and appreciate skill with words and verbal cleverness. Many of them enjoy word-play and riddles.

- Naga are subtle and secretive. Naga relish being mysterious and secretive, in part because they enjoy the interest from others that it provokes. They like to orchestrate situations to conceal their true intentions and like to draw other people who find mysteries alluring into their plans. They take a pride in concealing their thoughts and ideas. Naga are not spiteful tricksters, but they enjoy complex situations where there are secrets to find out and they also enjoy creating those situations for others.

- Naga are instinctive and intuitive. They love to watch and to try and work out the motives of others, presuming there is some goal beyond the obvious and perhaps linking unrelated occurrences into this perceived ‘plan’. They can be a skilled judge of character and most naga are happy to trust their instincts, acting on the basis of their intuition. Some are more inclined to trust their judgement than other evidence but they can overcomplicate situations looking for more layers of meaning than are really there.

- Naga are passionate. Naga could never be thought cold, even at their most calculating and devious. There is a keen fire in the eyes and tension at the thrill of the chase. They feel all emotions strongly and love to engage with the moment, and if they enjoy an experience may seek to prolong it, or seek it out again. Their passion often exhibits as an enthusiasm for life, a fervour for their goals and objectives. They are not childish, nor erratic, just every sensation is more real to them and they cannot help feeling it, nor would they want to.

- Naga are avaricious. Naga love comfort and luxury and enjoy being wealthy enough to know that they can indulge themselves. Some naga are simply greedy, but many are driven by a desire to feel safe from the threat of deprivation. Naga like the tangible physical presence of affluence, they like to be able to touch and feel the things they own and many keep their money close by.

- Naga have discerning senses Naga often claim that all their senses seem a little stronger, a little more complex than those of other people. A common sweet might be a riot of intermingled flavours; a plain cloth is seen to be woven from subtly varied threads; a simple melody accompanied by all the implied harmonies and driven by the emotion of the musical flow. This does not make it easier to pick out poisons, or other potential advantages, in fact the sensations can be distracting leading to revulsion or rapture, evoking the passions in some way.

- Naga may degenerate into madness. Some naga become increasingly self-obsessed and selfish to the point where they are incapable of thinking of anyone but themselves. The pursuit of their goals - usually their own wealth and satisfaction - become so overriding that they find it impossible to consider other people. Concerned only with satisfying their own desires they see others as objects they own, things whose only purpose is to serve their whims. They take whatever they want, discard anything that does not serve their purpose and destroy any who get in their way.

The blood

Despite their appearance, naga are as warm-blooded and mammalian as any human. They mate and breed just like humans do, they give birth to live offspring and all have at least some body hair.

The naga bloodlines require frequent influxes of human blood. Without them the bloodline reaches a strength where the naga becomes incapable of successfully breeding with another naga. As a consequence naga often take human lovers, even if they are in a relationship with another naga.

Naga children are usually born looking almost entirely human. Enhanced senses and sibilance are the only sign of their lineage, but as the child grows they become acutely conscious of their heritage. Sometime after maturity they enter a deep sleep which lasts for many days, during which they undergo a profound transformation, physically shedding much of their skin they emerge as a full naga with all the trappings of their lineage that they then carry with them for the rest of their life.

Lines of the naga

- The passion of naga troubadors is famous in Dawn

- The Reckoner guilds of the League are dominated by those of merrow and naga blood.

- Most famously, the Kallavesi Marshsnakes who dwell in the swamps of Wintermark have naga lineage.

Naga Inspiration

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Lineage and species FAQ

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Can I gain lineage in play?

- 3 Can I develop my lineage over time?

- 4 Can I create my own trappings?

- 5 Can I use animal make-up for my changeling?

- 6 Can I use red contacts for a changeling?

- 7 How do I tell the orcs apart?

Introduction

The following is a list of frequently asked questions that players have sent us. If you have any queries about Empire then it is worth checking the FAQs first, to see if the answer to your question is here. Otherwise email us at empire.rules@profounddecisions.co.uk with any questions about the rules or empire@profounddecisions.co.uk with any other questions about the game. We'll answer as quickly as we can and we'll add your question to our FAQ if we think it is likely to be of interest to other players.

This section of the FAQ contains questions about lineage and orcs. For questions about other parts of the game, please see the more general FAQ.

Can I gain lineage in play?

If your character starts play as human, then you cannot simply choose to adopt a lineage. Lineage that appears spontaneously does so during childhood; adults do not become lineaged without a reason. The only exception to this rule is for young players - especially at the point where they pass their citizenship test and gain their skills.

There are lots of ways to gain a lineage in play. Some eternals will offer to help with the transformation for those who seek out their aid. Traumatic wounds may include text that states that if your character is healed using magic then they may choose to become a briar. Traumatic wounds caused by magical events such as rituals that go badly may expose a character to the magic of the realms and present a similar opportunity to change lineage. Gaining lineage is never obligatory - it is always an out-of-character choice by the player, but it is something that you can only choose to have happen in response to in-character events.

Can I develop my lineage over time?

When you create your character you must choose at that point if you have a lineage. If you choose a lineage then you must phys-rep the degree of lineage that your character has.

Some individuals with lineage may find that their lineage grows stronger with the passage of time. If you want to do this, then your build on your phys-rep over time to increase the degree of lineage that your character has. The precise mechanisms by which your lineage grows stronger vary from character to character, it may be the passing of time, exposure to magic, etc.

This process does not go in reverse, you cannot become more human over time. However if your lineage trappings are problematic, for example if you are having an allergic reaction to a prosthetic, then you can reduce or change the way your lineage manifests. Otherwise please try to keep your lineage consistent.

Can I create my own trappings?

If you want to phys-rep one of the trappings with a slightly different technique or style to the ideas suggested on the lineage pages then that is absolutely fine. If you want to use different trappings to the ones listed then you should email us to discuss your plans. Your request must be an extension of the stylistic concepts listed for the lineage, for example there are no circumstances under which your changeling can have fiery red skin as a trapping. If the trapping you have requested is a good fit for the lineage, then we will add it to the list of minor trappings available for the lineage.

Can I use animal make-up for my changeling?

Changelings are not anthropomorphic animals - they are human beings touched by the majesty and power of the realm of Summer. Some changelings have a single trapping associated with regal animals - a lion's mane, the stag's antlers and swan's feathers - because of the majesty of these animals, not because they are actually lions, stags or swans. They are not animals; they are neither animalistic or bestial and the trappings cannot include other features of these animals.

Can I use red contacts for a changeling?

The list of eye colours offered for the lineage is intended to be definitive. All the lineages have the potential for unusual eyes, so it is important to ensure that the list fairly short so that a lineage had a clear definition for what it was. This presents confusion with other lineages; orange eyes could easily be confused for the yellow or blood red eyes that some draughir possess for instance. We understand that someone with existing coloured lenses may want to use them, but we'd prefer players not to if they don't fit the listed descriptions.

How do I tell the orcs apart?

Imperial Orcs and Barbarian Orcs are physiologically identical - in the same way that Scousers and Mancunians are physiologically identical. Telling them apart is possible, even easy, if you know them - but very hard if you're from Timbuctoo. The Imperial Orc players know about this problem and they're cool with it. Players who aren't playing orcs who have an IC concern about telling the Imperial Orcs from the Barbarians will need to make some kind of IC effort to learn to tell them apart. This is a deliberate part of the game design - it's a feature, not a bug.

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Spellcasting

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Spellcasting

- 3 Regular Spells

- 4 Offensive Spells

- 5 Further Reading

Overview

A magician is any character that purchases the magician skill. Becoming a magician allows a character to cast spells, and with additional study they can master the realm lores that allow them to perform powerful and versatile rituals. Like artistic ability, command of magic is both a talent and a skill - some people are born with a natural knack for working magic, while others develop their ability to weave spells through hard work and long hours of study. Even a natural talent needs help chanelling and honing their power, however - there are many stories of prodigies who lack the ability to control their magic properly causing minor magical mishaps.

In the Empire it is common for a magician to learn their art studying with a more experienced mentor. It is theoretically possible to be "self taught" however - there are libraries and tomes that lay out magical law in all the nations.

Every magician, no matter where in the world they originate, learns three common spells (sometimes called cantrips in the Empire): detect magic, operate portal and create bond. These versatile utility spells allow a magician to perform a number of functions, and serve as the foundation for all other magical ability. These spells are only the beginning however - with additional study a magician can master more incantations that allow them to channel their personal magic to heal their allies, repel their foes and even grant the recently departed the ability to speak to the living.

In addition, every magician knows how to wield wands and rods. These implements are to the magician what swords and axes are to the warrior, or medicines and bandages to the physick. Their main use is to channel and unleash martial incantations, but even the most peaceful magician can benefit from bonding a magical implement to enhance their ability to work magic.

Finally, some magicians focus their magical study towards battlefield applications. These brave individuals are called battle mages and they learn to channel their power through staffs and attune themselves to special armour designed specifically to protect magicians while leaving them free to perform magic. This last is especially valuable to magicians who go into dangerous situations; mundane armour prevents the casting of even the simplest spell.

Spellcasting

- Every magician starts with four personal mana every day

- You must expend personal mana or crystalized mana to cast a spell

- You cannot cast spells while wearing armour

- All spells require vocals clearly audible to everyone within a few metres

Any character that purchases the magician skill has four personal mana and is able to cast create bond, detect magic or operate portal. Each time a character purchases an extra spell they must choose one additional spell from the spellcasting list.

Your character may also use crystalized mana to cast spells; a single crystal can be used to cast any single spell.

Your personal mana replenishes overnight.

All spell vocals require appropriate roleplaying which must include spell vocals in a clear voice audible to everyone within a few metres of you. All spells are one of two types, regular spells or offensive spells.

Regular Spells

Mana Cost

Create bond

1

Detect magic

1

Operate portal

1

Heal

1

Mend

1

Night pouch

1

Purify

1

Restore limb

1

Voice for the dead

2

Regular Spells

- Require at least ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying

- You must be capable of touching the target with the casting hand throughout the casting of the spell

- The spell fails if you or your target are hit or attack another character during spellcasting

To cast a regular spell you must complete at least ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying including spell vocals, and the use of one hand. You must be able to touch the target with your casting hand throughout the casting of the spell.

If you or your target attacks another character or either of you are hit then the spell fails. Your mana is not lost but you must begin the spell again.

Offensive Spells

Offensive Spells

Mana Cost

Empower

2

Entangle

1

Paralysis

2

Purge

2

Repel

1

Swift heal

2

Venom

1

Weakness

1

- Require a few words of appropriate roleplaying

- Require you to hit the target with an implement, a wand, rod or staff

To cast an offensive spell you must utter a few words of appropriate roleplaying including spell vocals while you strike or touch your target with a wand, rod or staff. You cannot cast an offensive spell without using a suitable implement.

If you deliver an offensive melee strike to touch the target with your implement then the target also loses one global hit. You should always assume that your opponent has wounded you in this way unless their roleplaying clearly indicates otherwise.

Offensive spells are not interrupted or lost if you are attacked. For spells other than venom or weakness you do not lose the mana if it is clear that the target has not taken the effect.

Further Reading

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

- Battlefield Rituals

- Enchantments

- Curses

- Ilium

- Magic Items

- Herbs & Potions

- Cosmology

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Rituals

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Basic Rules

- 3 Realms

- 4 Performing a Ritual

- 5 Formulaic Rituals

- 6 Spontaneous Magic

- 7 Battlefield rituals

- 8 Covens

- 8.1 Mastery

- 8.2 Contributors

- 9 Further Reading

Overview

Rituals are powerful magical spells that magicans can learn to perform by buying lore in one or more of the six realms. There are many more rituals than spells and most are much more powerful but they take longer to perform and can only be cast using crystal mana.

Some powerful rituals are too difficult for any one magician to perform alone. Magicians usually form covens to allow them to combine their skills to perform the most potent rituals.

Basic Rules

- Every ritual draws on one of the six realms

- Every ritual has a cost in crystalized mana to perform the ritual

- A ritualist may only expend mana up to their level of skill

- The regio at Anvil allows magicians to use one crystal more than their limit

- Crystalized mana expended by a character who has mastered the ritual counts double

There are six magical realms, which the Empire call Day, Night, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Every ritual draws its power from just one of these six realms. You must have a rank of the appropriate Realm lore to attempt a ritual of that realm.

All rituals require crystalized mana (from a mana site) to cast, they are too powerful to perform with personal mana. The magnitude of the ritual is the amount of crystal mana needed to perform it. The amount of crystalized mana that each ritualist can expend is limited by their level of skill with the appropriate realm lore.

Magicians can master a handful of formulaic rituals. Crystalized mana used by a character that has mastered the ritual counts double. Magicians may choose to master formulaic rituals when they purchase realm lore skills or the extra ritual skill.

E.g. A magician is performing the ritual, the Ascetic Star of Atun, a magnitude 6 Day ritual. The ritualist has three levels of skill in day lore, allowing them to contribute three points of crystalized mana, however the caster has mastered the ritual, doubling their effective mana. This allows them to achieve the 6 points required for the ritual.

A regio is an area with a magical aura. Most regios are keyed to one of the realms and some are powerful enough that they that make it easier for ritualists to perform rituals of that realm while inside it. There is a powerful permanent regio of all six realms at Anvil that allows each magicians contributing to the ritual to use one mana crystal more than normal, if they have at least one rank of the relevant realm lore already.

For example, A coven of three characters each with one rank of Summer lore use the anvil regio. They each act as if their Summer lore were rank 2 and can contribute 2 crystal mana to the ritual. A fourth member of their coven who has no ranks in Summer still cannot contribute to the ritual.

Ritual Summaries

Spring rituals

Summer rituals

Autumn rituals

Winter rituals

Day rituals

Night rituals

Realms

- Every ritual is keyed to a single realm

All the rituals in Imperial Lore are keyed to a single realm. You can only attempt to cast that ritual if you have sufficient skill with that realm lore. Some ritual effects can be duplicated by clever use of the magic of another realm, but there is usually a steep cost to do this. Each realm has its own strengths and weaknesses and most formulaic rituals have been formulated using the best realm to produce that effect.

Each realm has a summary of the rituals associated with it, stating the name, basic effect and magnitude. These summaries are linked on the right. There is also a simple but complete list of every ritual that is part of Imperial Lore available.

Performing a Ritual

- Rituals require several minutes of appropriate roleplaying; it should be obvious to everyone nearby that you are performing a ritual

- You cannot perform rituals while wearing armour

- If possible, you should get a ref before performing your ritual

Rituals require several minutes of appropriate roleplaying. Imperial magicians use a number of different sources, symbols, methods and theories when designing their rituals. The most common magical techniques are; Rune magic, Dramaturgy, Astronomancy and the Music of the spheres. These represent bodies of magical lore and theory that can be used to add depth and significance to all magic, and have special resonance for ritual magic. In addition, the description of each ritual includes a Common Elements section that can be used as a starting point for developing the roleplaying required to perform a ritual.

It should be obvious to everyone nearby that you are performing a ritual. While it is possible to conceal precisely what your ritual is intended to achieve, it is against the spirit of ritual magic to intentionally perform a ritual that appears to have an opposite effect. For example, performing a ritual that looks as if it is intended to heal someone that is actually intended to destroy one of their magic items is inappropriate.

We do not mark your performance in a ritual, but we do log every ritual, so that we can record and apply the effects. You should try and get a ref before you perform a ritual if possible, so that they can log the ritual.

Formulaic Rituals

- Ritualists can perform any formulaic ritual if they have the ranks to do so

The Imperial Conclave has helped to spread the knowledge of countless different magical rituals across the Empire. This list of formulaic rituals is referred to as the Imperial Lore. Any Imperial magician can perform a formulaic ritual that is in Imperial Lore if they have sufficient ranks in the appropriate realm. In addition a ritualist may choose to master a number of formulaic rituals - this makes those rituals much easier and cheaper to cast.

Spontaneous Magic

- Ritualists can attempt to create spontaneous magical effects

It is possible to create a magical effect at an event that is not part of the existing library of known Imperial rituals. Spontaneous magic is much more expensive and more difficult to perform than an equivalent formulaic ritual.

Battlefield rituals

- Battlefield rituals can be cast on the battlefield without a referee present

Many rituals do not require a referee to cast on the battlefield. This is a special exception which exists for a subset of rituals to make it as easy as possible for magicians to perform their rituals on battlefield without needing to find a referee first. Only a battlefield ritual can be performed in this way and you must follow the additional rules when casting without a referee present.

Covens

- A coven of ritualists can combine their skills to perform a ritual together

A ritualist can always perform a ritual by themselves. Most ritualists are also part of a coven, a mystical union that extends the hearth magic of oaths to allow participants to combine their strength.

Members of a coven can work together to perform a ritual with each participant contributing mana to a ritual up to the normal limit of their ability.

Mastery

It is not uncommon for some members of a coven to have mastered an Imperial formulaic ritual while others have not. In this case only the mana contributed to the ritual by the magicians who have mastered the ritual is doubled.

Contributors

Some rituals refer to contributors. A contributor is a character who is a member of the coven performing the ritual and has at least one rank of the realm lore used by that ritual.

Further Reading

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

- Battlefield Rituals

- Enchantments

- Curses

- Ilium

- Magic Items

- Herbs & Potions

- Cosmology

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

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Magic items

Contents

- 1 Bonded Items

- 2 Non-bonded Items

- 3 Artefacts

- 4 Personal Magic Items

- 4.1 Weapons

- 4.2 Armour

- 4.3 Talismans

- 5 Group Magic Items

- 5.1 Magic Standards

- 5.2 Paraphernalia

- 5.3 Reliquaries

- 6 Changing Magic Items

- 7 Schema

- 8 Further reading

Bonded Items

- Most magic items are made by artisans

- You must be bonded to these items to use them

- You can only be bonded to one item of each form at once

- Most magic items last up to four events

Almost all magic items require you to be bonded to them to use them. Magicians can cast create bond to bond a character to an item, or an artisan can bond a character to any item that they know how to make. A bond lasts as long as the magic of an item endures, or until a magician breaks the bond using the a spell.

Personal magic items fall into one of a number of three forms, weapons, armour, and talismans. You can only ever be bonded to one weapon, one suit of armour and one talisman at any one time.

E.g. Your character is bonded to a Shieldbreaker weapon. You cannot become bonded to a Giant's Maul two-handed axe because both of these items are weapons.

A character who has purchased the artisan skill can make at least one magic item before every event. Magic items last for a single year from the day of creation. This means that they can be used at the following four events before the magic is lost.

Non-bonded Items

- Some magic items are activated and do not need to be bonded

A very small number of rare magic items can be used without the user needing to be bonded to them. Usually these items are one-shot items that require activation by the wielder to invoke the magic stored in them. It is not possible to bond to these items.

You should always assume that an item requires bonding unless the explicitly told otherwise. The detect magic spell will tell the caster if an item does not require bonding to use.

Artefacts

- Artefacts are permanent magic items made by artisans using ilium

Artisans can use ilium to make a permanent artefact version of any magic item they can create. These powerful items retain their properties indefinitely, are readily identifiable as unique named items, and can exert powerful roleplaying effects over anyone bonded to them.

Personal Magic Items

- There are three types of magic item a character can be bonded to

- You can only be bonded to one of each form at once

- Many personal magic items require you to have one or more skills to bond to it

Characters may bond to three different types of personal items. You may only be bonded to one item of each form: weapons, armour, and talismans.

Each magic item has its own page on the wiki, but there is a summary of the magic items by category, linked on the right. The summary includes the name and basic effect of the item. There is also a complete summary of all magic items available.

Weapons

Weapons

Skills Needed to Bond

Daggers

One-Handed Weapons

Two-Handed Weapons

Weapon Master

One-Handed Spears

Weapon Master

Paired Weapons

Ambidexterity

Pole-arms

Weapon Master

Bows

Marksman

Arcane Weapons

Ambidexterity, Magician

Wands

Magician

Rods

Magician

Staffs

Magician, Battle Mage

Ritual Staves

Magician

Icons

Dedication

Musical Instruments

Dedication

- Weapons includes all items designed to be wielded

- You must have a weapon in hand and be actively using it to use its magical abilities

Most weapons are magic items designed to be held in the hand and wielded, presented or used. Weapons and implements are the most common armaments, but this type also covers icons, ritual staves and musical instruments.

Paired weapons and arcane weapons is a single magic item that consists of two one-handed weapons or a one-handed weapon and an implement respectively. They are intended to be used together, and both items count as a single object for purposes of bonding.

A ritual stave is designed to be used by a ritualist during the performance of a ritual, it does not need to be a weapon safe implement and you do not need the battle mage skill to bond or use one of these items. You do need the battle mage skill to bond and use a regular magical staff.

Armour

Armour

Skills Needed to Bond

Light Armour

Medium Armour

Heavy Armour

Mage Robes

Magician

Mage Armour

Magician, Battle Mage

Vestments

Dedication

- Armour includes all magic items that cover the body

- You must be wearing magic armour to use its magical abilities

Armour includes all magic items that cover a significant portion of the body when worn. The phys-rep for magical armour must cover the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a helm), the arms and the legs, or you may cover half of your arms and legs.

Robes must cover the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a hood), the arms or the legs, or at least half of your arms and legs. Magical mage armour must comply with the coverage rules for normal mage armour

It is acceptable to wear a suit of heavier armour over the top of a suit of lighter magical armour, provided you phys-rep both sets of armour. You gain the hits and protection of the heaviest armour you wear, and the benefits of any magical armour you wear.

Talismans

Talismans

Skills Needed to Bond

Shield

Shield

Jewellery

Foci

Magician

Tool

Physick or Apothecary or Artisan

Regalia

Dedication

- You must be using a talisman use its magical abilities

Talismans covers several different groups of magical items, including shields, ritual foci, ceremonial regalia, jewellery, and tools. Jewellery, regalia, and foci must be worn to use their magical abilities; shields and tools must be held in the hand to use their abilities.

Jewellery must be a phys-rep of an item that is worn. It may take the form of actual jewellery such as an amulet, ring, bracelet or circlet. It may also take the form of any other small item intended to be worn such as an embroidered favour, decorative braid and the like. As much as possible the item should look distinctive and decorative.

Foci are items such as rings and masks that help focus energies in rituals. They can only be used by magicians.

Some tools are used by physicks, some by apothecaries, and some by artisans. You must have the appropriate skill to use this tool to be able to bond to it.

Group Magic Items

Group Magic Items

Band

Magic Standards

Banner

Paraphernalia

Coven

Reliquaries

Sect

- A band may only be bonded to one magic item at a time

- The magical item must be present and in use for the members to gain the benefit

These magic items must be bonded to a band to gain their benefits. A band can only be bonded to one magic item at a time and it must be present and actively in use for them to gain any benefits from it.

Magic Standards

A magic standard must be a phys-rep of a banner or standard. It must be an item that is carried, rather than a back-banner or a tabard. Ideally it should consist of a banner pole at least 60" long, and should bear a flag, pennant or banner with a design on it.

Some magical standards allow the standard bearer to grant the items' power to up to fifteen members of the banner. The standard bearer will receive a set of power cards that they can choose to give to characters in the banner.

Paraphernalia

Paraphernalia are props used in rituals by covens, that provide powerful bonuses to the magical strength of everyone in the coven. They can be orbs, books, chalices or similar.

Reliquaries

A reliquary can be any phys-rep of a suitable relic, statue, chalice, tome, or actual reliquary.

Changing Magic Items

- You can never use two items of the same type in the same day

- If an item has been used then it cannot be used again that day

Any magician can perform a spell that breaks the bond between an item and a character. If the character has used the ability of their magical item in any way that day then they cannot benefit from the abilities of another item of the same type that day. The item is also affected - any character that is bonded to an item that has been used that day cannot make use of it until the following morning. The ref will inform you if an item has already been used that day when you are bonded to it.

E.g. You have a Shieldbreaker magic weapon that you have used to call SHATTER earlier that day, using the item. You cannot use any other magic weapon until the following day even if you bond to a new weapon. No other character can use this magic weapon until the following day even if they become bonded to it.

If the character or item is not present when the break bond spell is cast then the power of the item for the day is automatically used, as is the character’s ability to use an item of that type for that day.

Schema

- A schema describes the method of creating a single magic item

- A schema requires ilium to create

- An artisan can use a schema they possess to learn how to make the item it describes

- It is not possible to copy a schema

- A schema can be destroyed with the Words of Ending ritual as if it were an artefact

A schema (plural:schemata) is a rare, magical item that contains all the details necessary to create a magic item. Schemata are made at a runeforge. Most (though not all) schema include a description of the item, including all the rules, and at least some in-character commentary on the item.

A character who has the physical schema can learn how to make the item it describes by buying the extra item skill or using an empty item slot. This follows all the other rules for learning a skill during time-in. The schema must be taken to GOD or shown to a referee to allow the item it describes to be mastered in the field.

Every schema is a permanent Item, but it requires the rare material ilium to create. A scheme needs 1 ring of ilium for each ingot or measure of raw materials required to make the final item (to a minimum of 10 rings).

The Imperial Senate can raise a motion to add a schema to the list of items any citizen can learn to make. If the motion passes, it costs 10 thrones to distribute the knowledge contained in the schema. The schema must be handed over to the civil service, and is destroyed in the process. If the Senate chooses to make the knowledge in a schema public knowledge, any character can learn to make the item and it's details will be added to the wiki. The Senate could devolve this power to another body (such as the Imperial Conclave).

Further reading

- Artisan

- Downtime

- Ilium

- Materials

- Runeforge

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Potion

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Herbs

- 3 Potions

- 4 Poisons

- 5 Tonics

- 6 Identifying a Potion

- 7 Brewing Potions

- 8 Further Reading

Overview

There are five potent herbs that are common throughout the Empire. These herbs are infused with magic which allows them to be used by a skilled physick to cure a range of ailments.

In addition, it is possible for a skilled apothecary to mix herbs together to create a powerful potion. Anyone who is not so badly wounded that they cannot fight can consume a potion unaided, and anyone can be fed a potion to receive the benefits.

Most minor poisons are obsolete within the Empire due to the presence of magicians who can remove basic poisons with a simple incantation, and apothecaries who can treat most poisoning with a simple herb. Those looking to harm their opponents through such means seek out apothecaries who can brew potent, near magical toxins.

Herbs

- You can only use the magical effects of a herb if you have physick skill

- Any character who has a herb garden receives new herbs after each downtime

- You cannot use a herb without a suitable card and phys-rep present

There are five common herbs in the Empire; it is possible for fleet owners to purchase them from foreign ports but most Imperial herbs are grown in a herb garden. A character who owns a herb garden will receive 14 herbs from their resource in their downtime.

Common Herbs

Bladeroot

Cerulean Mazzarine

Imperial Roseweald

Marrowort

True Vervain

Although herbs have powerful healing properties, they require skill to apply. They can only be applied by a character that has the physick skill, usually as part of some appropriate medical roleplaying.

Herbs are indicated by a small card (85mm x 55mm), printed by Profound Decisions, that indicates the presence of the herb and includes the rules for using the herb. You must provide a phys-reps for any herbs that your character owns, and the cards should be kept with the phys-reps, otherwise you cannot use the herbs in game and should not carry the cards on your person.

Potions

- Any character can use a potion with five seconds of appropriate roleplaying

- You can feed a potion to another character if they are willing

- Some potions are tonics; a character can be under the effect of only one tonic at a time

- A potion is wasted if it is not applied in the correct way

Any character can use a potion. Potions have both mechanical effects and roleplaying effects. To use a potion, you should engage in at least five seconds of appropriate roleplaying and then open the rip-on-use card that accompanies the potion. Once you have done this both the roleplaying effects and the mechanical effects apply to you, provided you have applied it correctly.

You can only use a potion yourself if you are not dying on zero hits. If you are not dying then you can administer a potion to another character to so that they can benefit from it (feeding it to them or applying it to their body) provided that they are willing. If they are not willing to let you administer the potion then it is wasted.

Potions come in four forms: they may be a liquid, salve, oil or infusion. This information is found at the top of the reverse side of the card that accompanies the potion.

- A liquid is an elixir or philtre that is drunk.

- A salve is a balm or ointment that is smeared on the skin,or into a wound.

- An oil is a thick viscious liquid that is daubed or poured onto a weapon.

- An infusion is a volatile substance that reacts to heat. Infusions are burnt or boiled and the steam or smoke they produce inhaled.

If you consume the potion in the right way, you gain the benefits. If you don't, then the potion is wasted.

You cannot poison a character with a regular potion. Potions which are not specifically designed to be used as poisons become inert within a few seconds of being mixed with food or drink. It is acceptable to roleplay mixing a liquid with water and handing it to a companion, but you cannot 'spike' someone with a potion without the assistance of a referee.

Poisons

- You must have a referee present to poison a character

- A poison loses effectiveness within fifteen minutes of being brewed

You can only surreptitiously administer a poison to a character if the potion is specifically designed to be used that way (such as The Assassin's Gate).

Poisons are highly volatile, and break down quickly. Once a poison is brewed, it loses all effectiveness within fifteen minutes, becoming inert. This creates a very narrow window of opportunity for the poison to be administered to a target; you cannot prepare a poison in advance for later use. To use a poison you need to take the ingredients to a referee and mix them together; the referee will then stay with the poison until it is delivered or until the duration expires, or it becomes clear you do not wish to continue.

A poison usually affects the first person who consumes it. If you pour a dose of poison into a jug it will poison the first person who drinks from that jug. If you pour five doses, it will poison the first five people who drink from it. Poisons do not stack with themselves; someone who consumes five doses of a poison in quick succession is poisoned only once.

Antidotes work in a similar way. In each case, there is a specific antidote for each poison. If the wrong antidote is used, the target will die. An antidote must be brewed and then applied within fifteen minutes - usually the apothecary who brews it is responsible for treating the victim of poisoning.

Most fatal poisons will kill their target within thirty minutes of the referee delivering the poison effects if the correct antidote is not provided.

Tonics

- A character can only be under the effect of one tonic at a time.

- If you are under the effect of one tonic and drink another tonic, the first potion's effects end and are replaced by those of the new potion.

Potions with long-duration effects such as those created by the Tonics of the Open Sky or the Tonics of the Deep Forest are tonics. A character can benefit from only one tonic at a time. If a potion is a tonic than this will be specifically stated in the rules effects written inside the potion lammy.

Potion

Description

Apothecary Potions

Every apothecary knows how to mix these five preparations; they provide valuable medical aid

Balms of the Fountainhead

Ointments that increase the power of ritualists to wield Spring lore

Decoctions of Hoarfrost

Preparations that increase the power of Winter ritualists

Infusions of Feathers

Mysterious infusions that grant supernatural insight to those who breath their mystic fumes

Lambent Essences

Methodical elixirs that increase the power of ritualists to wield Day magic

Legacy of Thorns

Toxic preparations that weaken and envenom, used on weapons or to poison the unwary

Magnum Opus

Mysterious preparations that increase the power of ritualists to wield Night magic

Master Medicinal

Specialist medicinal potions that restore groups of people or provide multiple healing benefits in one swallow

Philtres of the High Peaks

Potions that restore the personal mana of magicians, or drain it completely

Philtres of War

Potions that restore hero points and bolster a character's fighting spirit - or remove it.

The Assassin's Gate

Lethal ingested poisons that cause swift, painful death - and their antidotes

The Winter Moon

Lethal ingested poisons that cause madness and lingering death - and their antidotes

Tisanes of the Labyrinth

Liao-based preparations that empower religious ceremonies with extra strength

Tonics of the Deep Forest

Potions that enhance a character's ability to take damage, allowing them to shrug off wounds that might otherwise incapacitate them

Tonics of the Open Sky

Potions that give enhanced fortitude; the extra time they grant mortally wounded characters has saved many lives

Tonics of True Eminence

Heady elixirs that increase the power of ritualists to wield Summer magic

Unguents of Falling Leaves

Exotic preparations that increase the power of ritualists to wield Autumn magic

Identifying a Potion

- Anyone who recognizes the in-character description of a potion can identify it using appropriate roleplaying

On the back of each potion card is an in-character description. Each potion with the same effect has the same description. The descriptive text suggests ways you might gather the information about the contents through roleplaying. Any character can try to identify a potion by looking at the description.

A character with the apothecary skill who is not sure about a potion can ask a referee if they recognise it as one of the ones they know how to make. Apothecaries have no special ability to recognise potions they cannot make.

The detect magic spell is no use in identifying potions or their effects; they are herbal effects, not magical ones. Some magicians use ritual magic to identify potions, but it is rarely as effective as simply asking an apothecary who knows how to brew that preparation to identify it.

Brewing Potions

- Characters with the apothecary skill can mix herbs to create potions.

- Ingredients can be exchanged for potions at GOD.

- You may be able to apply a potion directly to someone with the help of a referee if you know how to make it and have the correct ingredients.

Potions are usually mixed from common herbs, although some potions use other components as well such as liao or crystal mana, or even ilium. You need to take the materials to a referee or to GOD and exchange them for potion lammies. You can make several potions at once.

It takes around a few minutes of appropriate roleplaying to brew a potion; it is acceptable to count the time you spend exchanging ingredients for potions towards this time if you wish. The exception to this is the creation of poisons and antidotes which follow different guidelines.

When a character purchases the Apothecary skill they learn how to mix all the potions in the Apothecary Potions recipe. Each time they purchase the extra recipe skill, they may pick one additional recipe set from the list of seventeen recipe sets; they gain the ability to brew all the potions in the new set they have chosen.

For example, an apothecary who gains training in the Master Medicinal learns to prepare three useful healing elixirs - tranquil nostrum, Maledict's Medicament and the sovereign specific. All three recipes are gained at the same time, and are not learnt separately.

Further Reading

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Magic items

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Potion&oldid=34472"

Ritual theory

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Resonance and Dissonance

- 3 Laws

- 3.1 The Law of Intent

- 3.2 The Law of Presence

- 3.3 The Law of Dominion

- 3.4 The Law of Bonds

- 3.5 The Law of Scale

- 3.6 The Law of Transience

- 3.7 The Law of Synergy

- 3.8 The Law of Boundaries

- 3.9 The Law of Essence

- 4 Limits

- 4.1 Restore Life

- 4.2 Resist Effects

- 4.3 Mind Control

- 4.4 Conjuring

- 4.5 Teleportation

- 4.6 Invisibility

- 4.7 Enchant Bourse Resources

- 4.8 Supernatural Effects

- 4.9 Divination

- 5 The Role of Eternals

- 5.1 Agreement

- 5.2 Eternal Nature

- 5.3 Communication

- 5.4 Response

- 5.5 Rituals the deal with Eternals

- 6 Further Reading

Overview

Imperial Magicians who have studied the lore of the Realms can use mana crystals to manipulate a realm to create magic effects. The most effective way to do this is to master one or more of the formulaic rituals that are part of Imperial Lore, but the outcome of these rituals is fixed. If a magician wishes to achieve an entirely new effect, something not contained in Imperial Lore, then they will need to prepare an arcane projection to create the spontaneous ritual effect.

A good understanding of the theory of ritual magic is essential for creating effective spontaneous magic. There are the known laws of magic that govern the rules by which it operates, as well as its limits and the role of eternals in magic. This page summarizes common Imperial knowledge about the power of the realms.

Resonance and Dissonance

Ritual magic is not limitless in scope and there are a number of fundamental laws that are common to all the realms, and certain limits that it cannot easily overcome. In addition to this, each of the six realms (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Day and Night) have strengths and weaknesses, often referred to as resonance and dissonance. Where a realm is resonant with a theme, rituals that produce that outcome are easier to cast using that realm than any other. For example, the Spring Realm is resonant with healing magic, so rituals that heal the wounded are easier to perform using the Spring realm than any other realm.

Where a ream is dissonant with a theme, then it is much harder to create a ritual effect that produces that outcome, if it is even possible. For example, the Autumn Realm is dissonant with healing magic, it can repair broken items and damaged buildings, but it has almost no ability at all to heal the wounded.

Laws

The Law of Intent

Sometimes called the first Law of magic, the Law of Intent stipulates that a formulaic ritual can achieve only what the ritual was designed to do. Many magicians claim it is called formulaic magic for this very reason. The ability of Rivers of Gold to enhance the production of a business by 180 rings is the fundamental intent of the ritual. It is not possible to perform the ritual on a mine or a farm, nor to cast it with more mana crystals to get more money. The ritual can only be performed exactly as it was originally intended when it was formulated.

At first glance, spontaneous magic appears to offer a more flexible alternative, but the truth is that it is no more flexible than formulaic magic and often less so. Some variations can be part of a formulaic ritual, if the ritual is designed and constructed that way. When a magician creates a ritual projection to create a spontaneous effect, they must specify the intent of the ritual as exactly as possible. This can be much more demanding than an equivalent formulaic ritual - for example an arcane projection to divine the properties of a magical item would be useful only for that magical item.

The Law of Presence

The magic of the realms is most effective on things that are present, and creating effects at range is much more difficult. Common spells such as weakness, or heal require the caster to be close enough to touch the target or else use an implement to deliver the spell. Ritual magic can overcome this limitation but only by drawing on other laws of magic to supplant the Law of Presence.

The Law of Dominion

The Law of Dominion is an important way to overcome the limitations of the Law of Presence when performing ritual magic. Authority over somebody or something creates a magical link that flows from the being with power to the subject of their authority. A general with command of an army, or any Imperial citizen who owns their own personal resource are both effective examples of the Law of Dominion.

A common use for this law allows rituals that are designed to enhance the production of a resource can be cast at Anvil provided the owner of the resource is present. Likewise a general can be used as to provide an arcane connection to the army they command, regardless of the distance. The Imperial regio is the most powerful expression of this law, providing as it does an arcane connection to every territory in the world that falls under the dominion of the Empire.

The Law of Bonds

The create bond spell commonly creates a magical link between an individual and their items. Such links are essential in most cases if the owner is to make use of the item, but they also come with a known risk. Magicians have created formulaic rituals that use the Law of Bonds, the link between the item and its bonded owner to affect the target (usually with a curse) even when they are not present.

Similar bonds are created between an individual and a band to which they belong. These bonds can also be used in formulaic rituals that try to employ the Law of Synergy to affect more than one target. Where a ritual has the right Intent, it is possible to use the Law of Bonds to affect multiple band members present with a single casting.

The Law of Scale

Magical rituals operate on a natural scale, a size at which they are most effective. Although it is possible to reduce the magnitude of these rituals by making them less potent, doing so provides rapidly diminishing returns. Often there is a minimum threshbold beneath which the magic simply stops working altogether.

For example, the 150 magnitude ritual Quickening Cold Meat calls a thousand spirits from the Winter Realm to inhabit nearby corpses. An identical formulaic ritual to call forth only five hundred spirits would be magnitude 140.

The natural scale for a ritual is usually set by the nature of the intended target. Rituals that target individuals or groups are much lower magnitude than rituals that target an army. The Law of Scale makes it increasingly difficult to create a ritual that affects an Imperial Army that is lower than magnitude 70.

Magicians are usually more interested in creating more powerful versions of existing rituals, making them more potent or longer lasting. While this is always possible, similar penalties apply when attempting to exceed the natural scale of a ritual. A ritual that grants someone two ranks of endurance is always more than twice the magnitude of a ritual that grants a single rank.

The Law of Transience

The natural duration of most enchantments is a season. It is possible to create enchantments that last for longer than this time, but the difficulty and magnitude of the ritual rises exponentially as the duration increases. One of the few exceptions to this are the rituals developed by Marcher Landskeepers to improve the productivity of farms. A year is the natural cycle of any farm, which is what allows the rituals to span this duration without becoming infeasible.

Enchantments with shorter duration are eminently possible, and are usually easier to create than an equivalent ritual that would last a season. However the difference is much less than might otherwise be expected, an enchantment that lasts only a day can be easily two thirds the cost of one that lasts three months. There are two common exceptions to this rule - both curses and effects that conceal (primarily found in the Night realm) regularly have a year duration. While it is possible to create enchantments that last for a year, they are significantly more expensive than those which last for only a season.

Only the inclusion of ilium in a ritual allows it to exceed this natural limitation of magic.

The Law of Synergy

The best way to make formulaic rituals more effective is to perform them on multiple targets at the same time. Rituals designed to take advantage of the Law of Synergy allow the ritualists to perform a single ritual that will effect more than one target for less than the cost to perform each individual ritual. The limits of the power that can be achieved using the Law of Synergy are thus set by the skill of the magicians attempting the ritual, rather than the inherent magnitude of the ritual.

The Law of Synergy often needs to be combined with the Law of Bonds to work effectively. Many formulaic rituals are designed so that they can be cast on members of the same banner, sect, or coven.

It is not possible to use the Law of Synergy with spontaneous magic. It is possible to create a spontaneous effect that covers a fixed number of targets, but you can cannot make an arcane projection for an effect whose magnitude changes the more targets you add in. Only a formulaic ritual is sufficiently complete to allow the flexibility to affect a variable number of targets and take advantage of the Law of Synergy in this way.

The Law of Boundaries

Non-magicians are sometimes surprised that the boundaries drawn on maps can have an effect on magic. In practice is it more the case that the things that affect where territory and region boundaries are drawn, the course of a river, the eaves of a forest, or a range of mountains also affect magic.

Powerful formulaic rituals that target a wide area are often limited in their extent to a single region or territory. The power of the magic is constrained by these natural boundaries limiting its extent. The Law of Boundaries can also be important when combined with the Law of Synergy. The resources owned by Imperial citizens have an intrinsic connection with the territory they are situated in and it is often possible to use this link to create formulaic rituals that target one or more resources in a territory.

The Law of Essence

Everything that exists in the realms or in the mortal world has an essence a set of essential qualities that make it what it is. Magic can relatively easily change the accidental properties of a thing, but the more fundamental the qualities of something are, the harder they are to change. For example, Spring magic can be used to heal an individual preternaturally quickly, provided that their wounds have been tended and they would have recovered anyway. It cannot heal a traumatic wound, because it is not in the nature of such wounds to naturally recover in time.

The law of essence is particularly important for some Night magic rituals that create a glamour to change the accidental properties of something but not the essence, but it is also important in other realms. Powerful magicians can influence chance, make things stronger or weaker, but they cannot make something do something completely outside its nature. They cannot make water burn, or stone float in the air, they cannot make a person fly or create a rain of fire. The Law of Essence is relevant in spellcasting as well - the operate portal cantrip targets a structure whose essential nature is that of a portal or gate. It won't affect any structure or object that doesn't have these essential qualities.

Limits

Restore Life

The Spring Realm is powerfully resonant with healing magic, but no Imperial magician has ever been able to create a ritual that restores life to the dead. Some Winter magics allow a magician to contact the recently departed, or even summon back a shade that can be questioned, but like the Spring Realm it appears to be powerless to help those who have passed on. In Empire, once a person dies, they are dead for good.

Many magicians have spent their entire lifetime searching for ways to cheat death. None have ever found a way to restore the dead to life, but a few have found ways to cheat death, or at least postpone it for a while. Although there are no rituals of this kind in Imperial Lore at this time, anything like this would definitely need to be cast on the target while they were still alive.

There are rituals that allow a magician to give a semblance of life to a corpse, the most famous of which is Quickening Cold Meat. However these rituals work by conjuring creatures from the realms, usually drudges, to inhabit the corpse and cause it to move. The Winter Realm has a strong affinity for magic involving dead bodies, but rituals of this kind make use of the body to house a spirit of the realm, they do not restore the body to life in anyway.

Resist Effects

It is possible to use the Winter Realm to create wards that harm those who cross them, and Night magic can hide the true nature of something, but beyond this there are few if any rituals that can offer protection to a subject. No magician has ever been able to create a ritual that allows the subject to resist a magical effect such as that caused by the repel spell. Nor is it possible to use ritual magic to make a subject immune to the blows of swords, bows, or other weapons. There are many rituals that make a subject stronger, allowing them to suffer more such blows before they are defeated, but none that make it so that the subject can resist or otherwise ignore the effect.

Mind Control

Many rituals create powerful emotions, feelings, or sensations in those that experience the effects, either as a side effect of the magic or as the main purpose such as The Chamber of Pallas. These rituals can have a powerful effect on those that encounter them, but all serious magicians agree that the nature of the target's response is fundamentally set by them, not by the magician who performed the ritual. Magic is simply not powerful enough to control the mind of another living being, forcing it to act as the ritualist desires.

Of course there are ways to use magic to control your enemies, using it to threaten, cajole and coerce people. However these methods are not intrinsically more reliable or powerful than a threat of violence. Skilled magicians can use ritual magic very effectively to influencing others, but they cannot control them.

In the same way, magic cannot compel someone to speak the truth, and it cannot read minds. This means that there is no effective "truth detection" magic in the Empire. It is possible to create an urge to be forthright or plain speaking, but it is not even possible to create a roleplaying effect that makes a character want to speak the truth.

Conjuring

It is not possible to use ritual magic to force another being to appear before you, either a mortal or an inhabitant of the Realms. There are Autumn rituals that allow you to send communications to another being, such as Call Winged Messenger, but the target is free to respond as they chose. They are under no compulsion to respond and they would need to use methods of their own to appear if they were far distant at the time.

Likewise, there are rituals that allow you to contact certain named eternals, such as Swim Leviathan's Depth. Some of these rituals create an opportunity to meet with the being at a regio later. Almost always, the eternal will appear as requested, but it is well understood that the ritual itself does not compel the being to appear, rather it is the nature of the eternal that causes them to act like that. Having long ago agreed to respond if called, they are bound to do so for all time by their nature, not by the ritual itself.

It is possible to create rituals that request or invite inhabitants of a realm to enter the mortal world, albeit only with their agreement, but it is not possible to summon them.

Teleportation

It is possible for magicians and others to move from the mortal world to a regio, but they cannot travel on from there, they must return to the mortal world through the same door they entered by. It is not possible to move onwards from a regio, nor to re-enter the mortal world in a different location. This limitation is a fundamental restriction of magic of the realms - it cannot convey a magician from one place to another.

A ritual like Call Winged Messenger will convey a message to a target, but this ritual works by literally summoning a winged messenger from the Autumn realm to carry the message. It takes time for the message to reach the target, it does not travel instantly.

Interestingly this limitation is violated by the power of the Sentinel Gate. The Gate is a magical item, and as such it is a thing of the mortal world only and does not draw on the power of the realms. Whether it is this that allows it to exceed the limits of ritual magic is unknown, but certainly all attempts to reproduce the power of the Gate using ritual magic have always failed.

Invisibility

Although Varushkan folk lore is replete with stories of wolves that are invisible, undetectable to the mortal eye, most magicians consider these tales fit only for a child. There have been countless attempts to use Night magic to render an individual invisible, but none have ever succeeded. The Night Realm can mask a thing, change its shape or appearance, but it always leaves something in its place. There is no realm that can be used to make something invisible.

Although Night magic resonates with glamours that change the physical appearance of something, as well as rituals designed to baffle and divinations it cannot hide itself. If an army is enchanted with a Night ritual to conceal it then a divination like The Eye of the High Places that is lower magnitude than the shroud will still reveal that there is a Night enchantment in place. Similarly it is not possible to use Night magic to baffle a ritual divination so completely that it returns the wrong answer.

Enchant Bourse Resources

Mithril, white granite, weirwood and ilium are the most precious resources found anywhere in the Empire, so valuable that control of known deposits is closely regulated by the Imperial Bourse. Countless attempts have been made over the centuries to develop ritual magic that can increase the production of these resources, but all have failed. Even attempts to scry for unworked deposits have proved unsuccessful.

Urizen magicians who have studied the problem for many years have concluded that materials of this kind have a degree of raw magical power inherent in them. This power appears to be a fundamental part of the mortal world, rather than having any connection with the realms. When the materials are in their unworked state waiting to be harvested, they create an interference that confounds any attempts to use the magic of the realms to locate or gather it. Sadly this natural resistance to magic is largely lost when the materials are removed and refined or processed.

So potent is this natural effect, that it has on occasion proved useful. The deposits of White Granite in the Brilliant Shore were discovered centuries ago by a young icewalker who took shelter in the area while the region was assailed by a magical storm conjured by the Thule. When the magician noticed that the storm passed over the cave where they were sheltering, they realized that something in the area must be weakening the curse. Further investigation of the cave discovered the white granite deposits, and provided the Wintermark people with a valuable resource.

Supernatural Effects

Magicians can use the magic of the realms to change the mortal world, but it has an inherent tendency to resist this change. The more unnatural the change, the greater the resistance. One way that a magician can create a completely unnatural effect is to bring some force or object from the realms into the mortal world. Powerful rituals like Quickening Cold Meat summon winter spirits to inhabit corpses so that they follow the magicians will. The fortress "created" by Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae is in fact one of the many that exists in the Summer Realm and the ritual brings it into the mortal realm for a season.

Experienced magicians appreciate that the best approach is to create magical effects that work with the essential nature of the target rather than trying to create something unnatural. If a magician wishes to burn a forest down, it is infinitely easier to create a forest fire than it is to create a rain of fire.

Divination

Normal divination rituals use the power of the realms to glean useful information. The Day realm with its emphasis on predictability, facts and figures, provides measurements and known quantities. Divinations in other realms are usually similar, providing specific information of interest to that realm, such as the Autumn ritual Ties that Bind which lets a magician discover details about a bonded item they have an intimate connection with.

Divinations of the Night Realm are unusual because the disordered chaotic nature of this realm means that divinations that draw upon it tend to provide unpredictable answers. Responses are often in the form of riddles and symbolic visions, as in the Signs and Portents ritual. These rituals tend to provide secrets and mysteries, or at least omens of them, as they have been detected by the Night Realm. The Realm itself makes no attempt to understand or prioritize these secrets, it only perpetuates them.

In neither case is it possible to create a ritual that asks a question of the realm itself. The realms are not sentient and they cannot analyse information to provide conclusions, opinions, or judgements The only way to create such a ritual is by involving an eternal of that realm. There is only one such ritual currently in Imperial Lore; Swim Leviathan's Depths asks Leviathan to answer a specific question. Leviathan will answer the question, but can only do so based on the knowledge it has. Involving a sentient agent in this way makes it possible to achieve something that would not normally be possible; but at the risk of Leviathan not knowing the answer or even simply being wrong.

Arcane projections for spontaneous divination effects must specify very precisely the information that is wanted and the subject of the divination. Such projections cannot be used to glean other information or even be cast on a different subject. Only formulaic magic possesses this degree of flexibility. For example, it is easy to make an arcane projection that determines information about the history of a specific item; it is not possible to create an arcane projection that lets the ritualist perform that spontaneous effect on any item.

Divinations that deal with esoteric information are likely to only ever exist as spontaneous magic that targets a specific named item - one where we can be confident the desired information exists. Likewise it is only ever possible to use divination magic to gain information the referees have reliable access to.

The Role of Eternals

A number of formulaic rituals in Imperial Lore carry the name of an eternal indicating that they involve the active co-operation of that creature. All eternals are sentient and able to communicate - in a way that the realms fundamentally are not. A formulaic ritual or spontaneous effect that involves an eternal allows magicians to perform magic with the active assistance of an intelligent power of the realm, rather than simply drawing on the realm's natural resonance. This cooperation allows magicians to create an effect that can exceed the normal limits of magic, so such rituals are especially valuable.

Eternals are not gods, but each Eternal has a palette of abilities that come from an innate connection to the magic of their realm. Paradoxically, a coven of magicians is often capable of a wider array of magical effects than an Eternal is, even when using the magic of that Realm. For example, while Leviathan has a range of powers related to divination, it has little ability to purify venom or help a warrior to strike down their foes. Attempting to secure Leviathan's assistance to create a personal combat enchantment, for example, is doomed to failure.

The nature of eternals is such that once their agreement is procured it cannot be renounced, so most eternals are reluctant to agree to such arrangements. Imperial magicians who abuse these rituals will soon incur the wrath of the eternal whose patience they try. This means that Eternals are often cautious about having rituals that secure their assistance entered into Imperial Lore.

Agreement

It is not possible to create a ritual that involves an eternal without their solemn agreement to be bound to that ritual. A magician who wishes to create a spontaneous effect involving an eternal must first procure their consent. The nature of this consent varies from one eternal to another - but in most historical cases, the eternal provided the mage with a token of some kind, an arcane symbol of their agreement.

The length and nature of the negotiations are likely to be dependent on the nature of the eternal. Some will request payment from the magician creating the ritual. Others may ask for political favours from the organisation that backs them. It is common for the magician to create a ritual in such a way that the power of some of the mana crystals used to cast it is tithed to the eternal involved, as ongoing payment.

Once the participation of an eternal is secured, the magician can create an arcane projection for the spontaneous effect they have agreed. Anyone who possess the ritual projection can use it normally, including the Dean of the Lyceum or the Provost of the Halls of Knowledge creating a formulaic version of the ritual. Eternals who understand the nature of the Empire and the workings of the Conclave are likely to discuss whether a ritual is to be added to Imperial Lore or not before they agree to be bound to it.

For example, the ritual Swim Leviathan's Depth allows a magician to ask Leviathan a single question. The question must ask why something has happened or is happening, but provided that condition is met, the Leviathan will answer the question to the best of its ability based on what it knows. It would be impossible to create such a ritual without the cooperation of an eternal - the Day Realm can be used to cast a number of important divinations but you cannot query the realm directly, nor ask for its opinion.

Eternal Nature

An Eternal can specify certain actions or conditions that will form the basis of the ritual - the obvious example is the precise method used for creating a Missive for Sadogua (the five-by-five grid and the inclusion of a rune). The Eternal is free to ignore any attempt to perform the ritual without these components; in some cases the ritual will not function at all without the appropriate conditions being met.

Eternals may insist that certain conditions be met to secure their co-operation. For example, it is widely believed that the magicians who secured the co-operation of Ephisis in the creation of Ephisis' Scale agreed that the Empire would always support free commerce. If the Empire were to abandon this principle, Ephisis would be free to renounce the contract and this ritual would cease to function. If this happened, the ritual would fail without any effect or mana used.

In almost all known cases, the Eternal stipulates behaviour by mortals that will void the agreement - no Eternal has created a ritual that they themselves can choose to break. No matter what is said, the eternal is bound to the ritual once they agree to it, while the magicians who negotiate with them are free to act as they wish - if they are prepared to allow the Eternal to end their association.

The eternal cannot later withdraw from the agreement should they change their mind or become dissatisfied with the other party. A spontaneous ritual projection may only endure for a season, but if it becomes a formulaic ritual then the agreement is binding for as long as the ritual is practiced. For these reasons most eternals do not enter into these agreements lightly.

Communication

Communication with an eternal is no different to any other ritual that involves that eternal. Such rituals require the binding agreement of the eternal involved - otherwise they cannot be performed either spontaneously or as a formulaic ritual. In Imperial Lore, only the Night Eternal Sadogua - often called the brother of wizards - has agreed to be bound in such a way. Any Imperial magician may perform the formulaic ritual Missive for Sadogua to contact the eternal.

No other eternal has thus far been persuaded to make themselves available to any magician who wishes to make free use of their time in this way. Most others prefer to use ad hoc methods to communicate with those they favour; providing magical items or other means to allow more limited contact. Alternatively, if a magician is able to convince an eternal to come to an appropriate regio at an agreed time then they can use the operate portal cantrip to allow the eternal to meet with them there.

Before the recent conjunction it was possible to use spontaneous magic to force a message or a package on an eternal. There was no evidence that such messages were well received, or even read. Now that the conjunction has passed, and its wake has altered the nature of spontaneous magic, it is no longer possible to manage even this.

Imperial magicians who wish to communicate with an eternal are best advised to seek them out. Either their heralds, when they are about their business in the Hall of Worlds or the mortal realm, or the eternal themselves if they enter a chamber. Most eternals that have business with the Empire will make themselves available to the archmage - if they are friendly. Some archmages take it upon themselves to facilitate communication between eternals and Imperial magicians, others prefer to control contact to ensure that these powerful agents are treated appropriately by having them deal only with their equals.

Response

Ritual magic involving an eternal almost always involves a response of some kind from them. If the response is an item or set of items, such as the Autumn ritual Ephisis' Scale, then the response usually comes within the hour. More complex rituals such as Challenge the Iron Duke may not bring a response for many months or longer as the Master of Challenges contemplates what task to set the challenger. An eternal named in a ritual cannot delay their response but neither can it be rushed - they must take the time needed to give it their full attention.

Rituals the deal with Eternals

The following formulaic rituals deal directly with an Eternal.

- Missive for Sadogua

- Ephisis' Scale

- Challenge the Iron Duke

- Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court

- Before the Throne of Estavus

- Swim Leviathan's Depth

- Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust

- Pallid Flesh of the Dead King

- Sorins Rite of Agony

- Knights of Glory

- Fire in the Blood

- The Celestial Library

Further Reading

- Ritual theory

- Spring magic

- Summer magic

- Autumn magic

- Winter magic

- Day magic

- Night magic

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

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Magical tradition

Overview

The four most prominent magical traditions in the Empire are dramaturgy, astronomancy, rune magic and Music of the spheres.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magical_tradition&oldid=34465"

Eternals (Redirected from Eternal)

Overview

The world of Empire is known to touch six other planes of existence. These are home to magical entities called eternals, some of whom are interested in the human world. Players - especially magicians - can meet and negotiate with the eternals. The eternals are not gods but posses magical powers that players will find useful. They have their own motivations and personalities, and characters will be able to bargain with them to advance their own agendas.

Eternals Interested in the Empire

This list of eternals is not exhaustive; rather it lists some of those beings who have shown a special interest in the Empire since it's formation.

Eternals of Spring

Known Interests

Yaw'nagrah

Fertility, diversity

Arhallogen

Survival, adaptation, poison, arachnids

Llofir

Fungus, rot, decay, collapse

Irra Harah

Youth, struggle, the weak

The creature known as Capradan, the Horned Hunter, is a being of the Spring realm whose true nature is unclear. It is either a very potent herald or a lesser eternal concerned with primitive concepts of hunting and killing for sustenance.

Eternals of Summer

Eleonaris, Queen of the Fields of Glory

Majesty, nobility, battle, victory

Jaheris

Rivalry, betrayal, consort of Eleonaris

Hayaak, the Gryphon King

Wrath, vengeance, ferocity

Cathan Canae, Queen of Ice and Darkness

Might, winter, strength, durability

Barien, the Iron Duke

Challenges, worth, tests

Meraud, the Golden Magician

Magic, enchantment

The creature known in the Empire as Aben-Nuath is believed to be a powerful herald, but it is not clear to whose "court" they belong, if any. They are usually described as "independent" in lists of such beings although there is much speculation.

Eternals of Autumn

The Lictors

Binding, imprisonment, punishment, contracts

Estavus

Crafting, building, artisans

Callidus, Prince of the Argent Tontine

Greed

Prospero

Influence, favours, grudges

Ephisis

Trade, mutually beneficial exchanges

Basileus Kade

Intrigue, Espionage, Power

Mazen of the Many Faces

Manipulation, Deception

Eternals of Winter

Sorin, the Tomb King

Privation, strength from weakness

Kaela

Entropy, despair, endings

The Thrice-cursed Court

Curses, power at a price, spite

Wise Rangara

Wisdom, tradition,

Agramant the Wendigo

Hunger, cannibalism, madness, dread

Eternals of Day

Leviathan

History, foundations, causation

Phaleron, the Great Library

Knowledge, preservation

Sinokenon, the Turning Mirror

Hierarchy, connections, religion

Kimus of the Thousand Eyes

Light, scrying, observation

Ylenrith, the Swan

Purity, mathematics, music

Roshanwe, the Navigator

Discovery, wisdom, truth

Zakalwe, the Strategist

Conflict, logistics, strategy

Eternals of Night

Janon the Shadowed Fire

Passion, freedom

Lashonar

Stories, confusion, speech that moves, oratory

Murit the Shaper

Crafting, material transformation, the whole is different to the parts

Sadogua, Brother of Wizards

Magicians, magic, power, manipulation

Soghter, Changer of the Ways

Transitions, learning through experience

Sung, the Rainbow Serpent

Mysteries and enigmas

The Whisper Gallery

Secrets, rumour, art

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Eternals&oldid=35662"

Realm

Overview

The world of Empire is known to touch six other planes of existence that are separate from, but intimately connected to, the mortal realm. These Realms are innately connected to the practice of magic, as well as being home to magical entities called Eternals.

Magicians have named four of the Realms after seasons, but these are symbolic rather than literal names. The Realm of Winter, for example, incorporates brutal desert, parched forests and bottomless oceans as well as frozen snowfields. The "seasonal realms" resonate more with the "seasons of life" than the literal wheel of the seasons. Spring is wild and unfettered as a child, Summer is full of the arrogance of youth, Autumn is a realm of maturity and Winter a realm echoing with the fear and wisdom of old age. By contrast Day and Night are realms of the spirit; one encompasses ideas of intellect and the higher mind, the other ideas of passion and the primal instincts.

The Realm Glyphs

A system of six sigils are commonly used in the Empire to represent the realms. These sigla were created and popularised in pre-Imperial times by a Dawnish enchanter, initially for use in heraldry. They were later adopted by several prominent weaver cabals for the creation of magic baners, tabards and cloaks and their use slowly spread, especially in Varushka, the League and Highguard. Today they are regularly used in ritual magic as symbols of entire realms where individual Wintermark runes would be too specific or too laden with additional meaning. Many eternals recognise these glyphs, and honour their association.

Spring

Sometimes called the Primal Forest, this is a Realm overflowing with life in infinite variety. A Realm where things begin and are renewed second to second, but where death comes swiftly. Here the green Eternals celebrate creation and destruction in all its untold beauty, and buzzing voices remind humankind that it has no place here in the primeval realm.

Summer

In the realm of might and majesty, everything exists in a timeless moment at its idealised prime. Great oaks tower over the fields of glory, the mountains scrape the skies, the blizzards howl more terrible than any mortal storm and the dark sea is deeper than any mortal ocean. The savage beasts of legend are hunted across the rolling plains by Eternals clad in the bright panoply of youth and immortality.

Autumn

In the Realm of intrigue and influence everything interweaves in a great shifting web of favour and debt. The horned lords and ladies compete in savage games of wealth and power. They welcome mortals to their councils but beware the bargains of Autumn for in the Labyrinth, nothing is simple.

Winter

The Wasteland is hungry. It is a realm of creaking dread, of fear and famine without the memory of dusk or the hope of dawn. From the parching heat of the dusty desert halls to the frigid silence of snow-drowned forests wait the Eternals of Winter, the wise monsters who make no effort to conceal their cruel natures. It is a realm of wisdom, the cruel wisdom that comes with age and experience, the wisdom of hard choices and the certainty of death.

Day

A realm of spirit and of shining light. Where the sky and the ocean meet, in the heights and the depths, the Eternals of Day seek infinite understanding of the truths of creation. It is a realm that celebrates reason over impulse, thought over instinct, harmony over passion. It is the Realm of the higher mind, of the birth of revelation and the death of secrets.

Night

A realm of spirit and of eternal shadow. Where passion rules, thought gives way to instinct, and joy and terror are both a breath away. The coiling serpents and enigmatic wyrms of Night whisper of the joy of mysteries, and of the riddles whose beauty lies in the act of unravelling rather than the revelation of the secrets wrapped within.

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Regio

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Basics

- 2.1 Using Regio

- 2.2 The Imperial Regio

- 3 Portals and Chambers

- 3.1 The Anvil Portal

Overview

The mortal world of Empire is surrounded and infused by six magical realms, which Imperial magicians have named Day, Night, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Normally the power of these realms is sequestered away; magicians can perform spells and rituals that draw on the power of the realms, but otherwise it does not affect the day-to-day lives of mortals.

A regio is a region where the power of one or more of the realms has seeped into the mortal world. Some regio occur naturally, others are a response to significant events or powerful magics. Some regio are permanent, some last only for a few hours; some are stable while others wax and wane with the hour or the season. Some are only detectable with magic, others cause effects that are so pronounced that you cannot fail to realize that something strange is happening.

Regio are useful for magicians, and some rituals are so powerful that they can only be performed in a regio. But the main reason regio exist is to create a suite of mechanics that covers many of the classic themes and ideas of mythology. A regio could be a fairy ring that fills with music and dancers at midnight. It could be a strange glade in a Dawnish forest into which knights are prone to wander but never return. A regio is any location in Empire that is mystical in some way, either enchanted or cursed.

Basics

- A regio is an area with a magical aura that exists in the mortal world

- Regio are connected to one of the realms and draw power from them

- Ritualists can detect regio and discover their realm connection with the detect magic spell

An area with a regio in it will often reflect the nature of the realm it is connected to; an area with a strong connection to one of the themes of a realm may over decades or even centuries, generate a regio.

For example, a Winter regio might form on a battlefield where hundreds have died and their bones been left without funeral rites. A Spring regio may form at the heart of an untracked wilderness. An ancient library with hundreds of books and scrolls or an observatory where astronomancers have watched the stars for centuries may form a Day regio.

A regio often has an aura associated with it that creates a powerful roleplaying effect. Sometimes these auras may have mechanical effects as well. Neither type of aura can be permanently removed as long as the regio is intact.

For example, a Winter regio may have an aura of dread that fills everyone entering it with the certainty that they are being watched by a horrible monster. A Spring regio may allow anyone within its bounds to recover hits with fifteen minutes of relaxation and rest.

Some regio are temporary, or exist only at certain times of the year. Some Eternals can help create a temporary or permanent regio, provided that mortal creatures create an appropriate area for the regio to 'anchor' to first.

For example, a Day Eternal may agree to help a group of scholars create a regio in their library provided they create a weltsilver and mithril beacon to go on top of it. A Summer Eternal may allow the formation of a temporary regio on a battlefield at the site where five enemy standards are arranged in a circle.

Using Regio

- Ritual magicians can use powerful regio to enhance their rituals

- Only one ritual can be performed using a regio at a time

- Some regio have special properties when used as part of a ritual performance

A regio may help a coven or skilled magician to perform rituals. A handful of rituals are so powerful that they can only be performed using a suitable regio. For example, any Winter regio can be used to perform Whispers through the Black Gate. Any Spring regio can be used to perform Thunderous Deluge.

A ritual that affects a region or territory requires the use of a regio in that region or territory; you cannot use a Spring regio in Bregasland to cast Thunderous Deluge on Skarsind, only on Bregasland.

Only one ritual can be performed using the power of a regio at one time. A new ritual cannot draw on the regio while one is already being cast by a ritualist or coven unless that ritual is disrupted. In the event that two groups try to start a ritual simultaneously, neither of them can draw on the regio.

Some regio are sufficiently powerful that they may provide additional benefits when used to perform a ritual. Usually, these benefits make it easier to perform rituals by allowing contributing magicians to use more crystal mana than their skill would normally allow. For example, a powerful Spring regio might allow a contributor who had a single rank of Spring Lore to contribute two crystal mana to a Spring ritual, rather than just one.

The Imperial Regio

- The Imperial Regio is a particularly powerful regio connected to all the realms located at Anvil

- This regio is connected to the entire Empire and powerful enough to enhance all rituals performed in it

The Imperial Regio or Anvil Regio is a powerful regio located near the Sentinel Gate at Anvil. The regio is connected to all six realms, which makes it virtually unique in the Empire and it's presence here is the most likely reason that the founders chose Anvil as the meeting point for the Empire.

The Imperial Regio is powerful enough to enhance any rituals cast within it. Any ritual performed in the Imperial Regio may harness its power to enhance the realm lore of the contributors following the normal rules for benefiting from a powerful regio.

Any ritual performed by ritualists using the Anvil regio can target any Imperial forces and resources owned by Imperial characters in any region or territory. It can also be used to cast certain powerful rituals that effect a large area on any territory controlled by the Empire. For example, the Anvil regio can be used to perform Thunderous Deluge on any Imperial territory, but cannot be used to perform that ritual on a barbarian or foreign territory.

Portals and Chambers

- A regio may contain a portal

- A portal leads to a chamber, a location closer to the realm

- Magicians can detect a portal using detect magic

- Chambers may be inhabited by beings from the realm

- No matter how you leave a chamber, you always reappear in the place you left the mortal world

Some regio contain a portal, a magical door that leads deeper into the realm. Imperial magicians refer to the place that lies beyond a portal as a chamber. A chamber is any location that is beyond the mortal realm but is not fully part of one of the supernatural realms. For example, a bleak haunted castle may exist as a chamber reached from a Winter regio. A pleasant glade full of flowers and feasting tables may be a chamber reached from a Night regio. A primaeval forest inhabited by carnivorous giant insects might be a chamber reached from a Spring regio.

A portal can also be discovered with ritual magic (such as Shadowed Glass of Sung for example). It is sometimes possible to wander through a portal unintentionally, especially if an inhabitant of the chamber beyond wishes to attract mortals. More commonly, a magician uses the operate portal spell to pass through a portal intentionally.

Chambers are often inhabited by lesser Eternals, heralds, mortals and creatures from the eternal realm as well as people from the mortal world, but there are strict rules that govern entry and exit from a chamber. An eternal who can enter a chamber from the realm, but cannot move from there to the mortal world. A mortal can likewise enter, but cannot pass beyond the chamber to the adjoining realm. Any mortal who enters through a portal discovers that, regardless of how they leave the chamber, they always depart through the door they came in through. Only heralds seem to be able to move freely between the mortal world and the realm using a portal.

The Anvil Portal

There is a portal in the Anvil Regio that leads to The Hall of Worlds. Any magician who casts operate portal on the Anvil Regio can travel to the Hall of Worlds.

Any magician who does so once (at the normal cost of one mana) can then use the spell freely to enter the Hall of Worlds through the Anvil Regio for the rest of the event without needing to spend additional mana.

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The Way

Seven Paths.

Seven Virtues.

One Way.

Overview

The Way of Virtue – often simply known as The Way – is the religion that was adopted across the Empire when it was founded.

At its core, The Way of Virtue teaches:

- Human souls are immortal and, upon death, will eventually be reincarnated as a newborn child.

- Reincarnation is not instantaneous. The soul must first travel through the Labyrinth of Ages before being reincarnated.

- Those who follow the Paths of Virtue pass through the Labyrinth more quickly and with greater integrity of their soul; wicked souls are trapped in the Labyrinth for longer and perhaps forever.

- The Way teaches that all laudable human qualities are rooted in the Paths of Virtue. For example, the Freeborn commitment to Truth is actually an expression of Courage and Pride.

- Souls who attain sufficient purity of spirit, predominantly through perfection of Virtue, pass through the Labyrinth to enlightenment. These individuals are called paragons.

- There are some priestly ceremonies that require dedication to a single Virtue. Dedication is practiced by those who have a calling, such as priests, pilgrims, exemplars and paragons.

- For most Imperial Citizens, dedication is not required. It is sufficient to know of the Paths and how they can positively influence this life, and the next.

The Way of Virtue is promoted and protected by The Imperial Synod and is shaped by Imperial Theology.

The Paths of Virtue

Imperial doctrine currently states that there are Seven Paths of Virtue that make up the Way. These are:

- Ambition

- Courage

- Loyalty

- Pride

- Prosperity

- Vigilance

- Wisdom

Further reading for religious PCs

- History of the Way

- The Labyrinth of Ages

- Paragons and Exemplars

- The Way and Imperial Citizens

- Liao

- Religious skills

- Religious Crimes

- Malign spiritual presences

- Symbols, icons and trappings

- The Way and the non-human

- The Imperial Synod

- Imperial theology

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=The_Way&oldid=16557"

Ambition

Contents

- 1 The Path of Ambition

- 1.1 Guidance on the Path

- 2 Paragons and Exemplars

- 3 Symbols, icons and trappings

- 4 Further Reading

The Path of Ambition

Though many Citizens associate the Virtue of Ambition with an eye on a Senator’s seat or even the Imperial Throne, this Path embraces many subtler expressions also. The artisan who aspires to create something never before seen; the merchant who strives to be wealthier than any other; the youth who aspires to forbidden love – all may be guided by Ambition to turn their dreams to reality. There are as many Ambitions as there are citizens who can dream of them, though not all possess the strength of purpose, character and will to pursue the Path of Ambition to its fullest, for the cost of doing so is often high.

Guidance on the Path

Through study of the Paragons and Exemplars, the priests of The Way have gleaned insight into the heart of the Virtue and how best to pursue it. There are collections of parables, tales, sayings and teachings that distill this for Imperial Citizens to learn from. The following are a handful of teachings and sayings deemed to be essential to understanding the Path:

- Aim high; pursue your dreams; nothing is beyond your grasp.

- Even the most impenetrable forest may fall one tree at a time.

- Consequences are the price of Ambition; no price is too high to realise your dreams.

- It is better, by far, to try and fail, than fail to try.

- Despise the weakness that comes from pettiness and lack of vision.

Paragons and Exemplars

Recognised Paragons and Exemplars of Ambition include:

- The Paragon Tian, who legend claims ascended the highest mountain in all creation to steal fire from the sun.

- The Paragon Aldones di Sarvos, one of the founders of the League.

- The Exemplar Atuman of the Highborn, who lead his people to the shores of Highguard.

- The Exemplar Adelmar the Lion, founder of the School of Arms and an inspiration to weapon masters throughout the Empire.

Symbols, icons and trappings

The Path of Ambition has many symbols and icons across the Empire, but one of the most common and prevalent is Flame. This is not only symbolic of Tian’s quest to steal the fire of the sun, but fire possesses many of the qualities of purest ambition. It is ever hungry and never satisfied, for the moment it is satisfied, it dies. Some Pilgrims of Ambition even go as far as to burn a brand on their arm or hand in recognition of the price Tian paid or as a reminder of how dangerous Ambition can be.

More mystically inclined individuals point to the Wintermark rune Naeve, which represents hunger, as a symbol of Ambition.

Further Reading

- You can learn about the various spiritual roleplaying effects created by priests dedicated to Ambition here.

- You can learn about the skills that priests can use to spread the virtue of Ambition here.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Ambition&oldid=20354"

Courage

Contents

- 1 The Path of Courage

- 1.1 Guidance on the Path

- 2 Paragons and Exemplars

- 3 Symbols, icons and trappings

- 4 Further Reading

The Path of Courage

Courage is a popular Virtue amongst the soldiers of the Empire who must face bloodthirsty foes and the spectre of death. However, the Virtue of Courage has lessons for those in all walks of life. Courage calls for citizens to stand firm in the face of all that would cause them to falter. The Senator whose conscience compels them to vote against the populist measure; the proud leader who must face the shame of a secret exposed; the general who must pass on ill news to their people – all of these must draw on the Virtue of Courage in their time of trial. It is easy for many citizens to pay lip service to the Virtue of Courage but harder to cling to when the challenge finally comes.

Guidance on the Path

Through study of the Paragons and Exemplars, the priests of The Way have gleaned insight into the heart of the Virtue and how best to pursue it. There are collections of parables, tales, sayings and teachings that distill this for Imperial Citizens to learn from. The following are a handful of teachings and sayings deemed to be essential to understanding the Path:

- The Virtuous face unwelcome truths as boldly as any barbarian charge.

- Do not fear to act; only be shamed by inaction.

- Cleave to what you know is true, even where others wish you to doubt.

- Never accept defeat; adapt your strategy and try anew.

- Despise cowardice which steers the spirit to weakness and inaction.

Paragons and Exemplars

Recognised Paragons and Exemplars of Courage include:

- The oldest recorded Paragon, Korl, whose legendary learned the secrets of metal in the darkest places of the world and used them to craft the first axe, with which he drove back the dark forest and slew the beasts who dwelt within.

- The Exemplar Permion of the Highborn who opposed the wicked power of the corrupt Patrician’s Council and empowered the Assembly of the Virtuous in its place.

- The Exemplar Gilda Ashwine of Dawn whose fortitude and commitment freed her family and brought down the corrupt earl who had enslaved them.

- The Exemplar Inga Tarn of Wintermark whose fearlessness and forthrightness inspired generations to sieze the opportunities life presents.

Symbols, icons and trappings

The Path of Courage has many symbols and icons across the Empire, but one of the most common and prevalent is an Axe. This is symbolic of Kord’s creation of both tools and weapons with which to tame the wilderness and overcome obstacles. Several Priests and Pilgrims who walk the Path of Courage carry axes for this reason.

Many who follow a less martial form of courage use the Blue Rose as a symbol, in memory for the influential role it played in Gilda Ashwine’s tale of unwavering resolve.

Some mystically inclined individuals point to the Wintermark rune Jotra, which represents battle and challenges, as a symbol of Courage.

Further Reading

- You can learn about the various spiritual roleplaying effects created by priests dedicated to Courage here.

- You can learn about the skills that priests can use to support the virtue of Couage here.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Courage&oldid=20355"

Loyalty

Contents

- 1 The Path of Loyalty

- 1.1 Guidance on the Path

- 1.2 Paragons and Exemplars

- 1.3 Symbols, icons and trappings

The Path of Loyalty

It is easy for citizens to claim Loyalty but, as with many of the Virtues, its proof lies in the testing. For those that claim to be Loyal, or to inspire Loyalty, all may seem well in times of peace and prosperity. It is in hardship, when errors are made, that temptation arises, if not to betray, but to doubt and undermine. Time and again, history has shown that when loyalty is needed most, it is most scarce. The Empire stands on the foundation of the loyalty of its citizens. If they be not Loyal, then the Empire surely cannot stand. Day-to-day loyalty is seen in the student to their teacher, in the soldier to their commander, between lovers and spouses, and between the citizens and the Empire.

Guidance on the Path

Through study of the Paragons and Exemplars, the priests of The Way have gleaned insight into the heart of the Virtue and how best to pursue it. There are collections of parables, tales, sayings and teachings that distill this for Imperial Citizens to learn from. The following are a handful of teachings and sayings deemed to be essential to understanding the Path:

- Know your heart and what commands its devotion above all else.

- Even the wicked can be loyal when times are prosperous and judgements are unfailing; the truly virtuous are loyal even through hardship and misfortune.

- Loyalty is not displayed by words or deeds alone, but by the unity of both.

- The Virtuous build up their fellows; they do not tear them down.

- Despise treachery; even the strongest may err, but deceivers will lie again.

Paragons and Exemplars

Identifying the Paragons and Exemplars of Loyalty has taxed the theologians of The Synod and the Highborn before them for they rarely act alone. Furthermore, in some incarnations the Paragons and Exemplars inspire great loyalty; in others, they demonstrate exceptional loyalty to another. Recognised Paragons of Loyalty include:

- The Marked.

Recognised Exemplars of Loyalty include:

- Lady Elayne Silverlark of Dawn.

- Bolstering Bill is a character generally believed to have been a Marcher - if he existed at all - who appears in a number of comic songs, stories and poems in various parts of the Empire. He (or very occasionally, she) is presented as a simple yet well-meaning soldier, usually wielding a pole-arm, whose companions encounter any number of amusing or hair-raising scrapes and who survive or triumph with the aid of their companion, Bill combines good humour, honest camaraderie and more than a little tough love with an absolute commitment to never leaving a friend behind. While the truth behind these tales is contested, the character of Bolstering Bill is often considered to be an Exemplar of Loyalty. Even the critics of the Bolstering Bill stories note that it is likely that many of them recount the adventures of real people, and have simply been ascribed to Bolstering Bill by later generations of storytellers to make them more accessible to their audiences. (see also the Good Neighbour, a polearm occasionally called a bolstering bill).

Symbols, icons and trappings

The Path of Loyalty has many symbols across the Empire, but one of the more common ones is a Chain. This symbolises not only the humble origins of the earliest Paragon as a slave, but is composed of single links given length, strength and purpose by being inextricably linked to others. Along similar lines, a Rope of many strands or two interlinked Rings are also common symbols.

Some Priests and Pilgrims dedicated to this Path have been known to wear chains around their necks, or either a chain or rope around their waist indicating their ties. Although the exact description of the slave Tattoos of The Marked is lost to time, several Priests and Pilgrims will be tattooed, often with some reference – obvious, oblique or symbolic – to that which holds their Loyalty.

It is more shameful to distrust your friends than to be deceived by them.

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Pride

Contents

- 1 The Path of Pride

- 1.1 Guidance on the Path

- 2 Paragons and Exemplars

- 3 Symbols, icons and trappings

- 4 Further Reading

The Path of Pride

Some may believe that Pride is simply Senators in fine clothing praising the qualities of their Nation, but this is only a tiny part of the Path. National Pride is, quite rightfully, important to many citizens and is the reason for the creation of the Egregores. Yet the Virtue of Pride exists to inform the small parts of life as much as the large. From the servant who keeps their mistress’ cups clean, to the craftsman who holds all their work to the same high standard, to the general who remembers the name of every soldier who died under their command – all demonstrate Pride and know what it is that they serve and strive for.

Guidance on the Path

Through study of the Paragons and Exemplars, the priests of The Way have gleaned insight into the heart of the Virtue and how best to pursue it. There are collections of parables, tales, sayings and teachings that distill this for Imperial Citizens to learn from. The following are a handful of teachings and sayings deemed to be essential to understanding the Path:

- Pride conveyed by words alone is vain boasting; proclaim it by how you conduct every part of your life.

- Do not be complacent; ever strive for excellence in that of which you are proud.

- Embrace your past; never be ashamed of it.

- The Virtuous inspire others to greatness; they do not demean them.

- Despise the half-hearted, the uncommitted and the pretender.

Paragons and Exemplars

Across history, the Paragons and Exemplars of Pride have been amongst the easiest to identify for they are, by nature, rarely reclusive and withdrawn. Recognised Paragons and Exemplars of Pride include:

- The legendary Paragon Kethry of the Kesh kept her peoples' ways alive and ultimately inspired the conquering nation to embrace them.

- The Paragon Richilde inspired the people of the Empire to celebrate their culture and history, and was the first paragon recognised in the modern era.

- The Highborn Paragon Lepidus kept the spiritual heart of his nation alive during the dark days of the Patrician Council's corruption.

Symbols, icons and trappings

The Priests of Pride teach that the true symbol of the Virtue of Pride is to display openly the symbol of that which you are most proud. Flags, banners, icons and heraldry are all strong symbols and trappings of the Path of Pride but often depict that in which the Priests and Pilgrims have pride. Some wear the symbol of the Sun as a symbol of letting one’s light shine openly for the world to see.

Further Reading

- You can learn about the various spiritual roleplaying effects created by priests dedicated to Pride here.

- You can learn about the skills that priests can use to inspire the virtue of Pride here.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Pride&oldid=33618"

Prosperity

Contents

- 1 The Path of Prosperity

- 1.1 Guidance on the Path

- 2 Paragons and Exemplars

- 3 Symbols, icons and trappings

- 4 Further Reading

The Path of Prosperity

To the one without Virtue, Prosperity is oft misunderstood as the pursuit of wealth and luxury, yet neither the wealthy miser, gluttonous sot or lucky gambler can truly be called Prosperous. True Prosperity is the culmination of effort and labour, sweat and toil, and celebrating the fruits of that labour. The Prosperous are: the farmer who toils to bring in the harvest and enjoys their bounty; the magician who strives to master a magic and then uses their newfound art; the merchant who competes fiercely for each coin they earn and then spends it in celebration. True Prosperity enriches those around them as well as the individual, and so what may seem the pursuit for the sake of the self is to the benefit of the many.

Guidance on the Path

Through study of the Paragons and Exemplars, the priests of The Way have gleaned insight into the heart of the Virtue and how best to pursue it. There are collections of parables, tales, sayings and teachings that distill this for Imperial Citizens to learn from. The following are a handful of teachings and sayings deemed to be essential to understanding the Path:

- Strive, toil, and claim the just rewards of your labours.

- Enjoy the fruits of your labour today; no one knows what the morrow holds.

- There are three things that should never be made: Food that goes uneaten, coin that goes unspent and magic that goes unused.

- The Prosperous are not selfish; all that is worthwhile is shared with those who deserve it.

- Despise the thieving bandit, the lazy wastrel, the grasping miser and those who take without giving.

Paragons and Exemplars

Paragons and Exemplars of Prosperity are considered reasonably easy to identify owing to their efforts and labour, and how they use - or share - the fruits of those labours. Recognised Paragons and Exemplars of Prosperity include:

- The legendary Paragon Good Walder of the Marches.

- The Exemplar known as The Little Mother, whose tireless work helped to establish the importance of charitable deeds in The League.

- The Exemplar Long Tom Goodfellow, the healer and brewer whose legacy still encourages pilgrimages today.

- The Exemplar Zemress, the Blade of the Isles, who not only encouraged hard work and investment, but also the importance of taking-up of arms to defend what is yours.

- The Exemplar Nicolo Barossa, a Master of the Mint whose virtue ended a dangerous cult.

Symbols, icons and trappings

The Path of Prosperity has many symbols across the Empire but one of the most common is the Wheatsheaf. This is symbolic of harvest time, which is widely known as a time of prosperity. Many Priests and Pilgrims of this Path may have a stalk of wheat or other grain upon them. Along similar lines an Apple or a Cup or a Coin are known symbols of this Path.

It is quite common for Priests and Pilgrims of the Path of Prosperity to carry waterskins, or bear fruit or other food, to enjoy or share as Virtue guides them. It is not unusual for some to also carry an oaken club as Good Walder did.

Further Reading

- You can learn about the various spiritual roleplaying effects created by priests dedicated to Prosperity here.

- You can learn about the skills that priests can use to support the virtue of Prosperity here.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Prosperity&oldid=28543"

Vigilance

Contents

- 1 The Path of Vigilance

- 1.1 Guidance on the Path

- 2 Paragons and Exemplars

- 3 Symbols, icons and trappings

- 4 Further Reading

The Path of Vigilance

The Virtue of Vigilance is popular amongst those charged with ensuring the safety of things precious; from the inquisitor who seeks out treacherous cultists, to the scrivener who scrutinizes their Dhomiro’s records against fraud and theft, to the shepherds in the fields. The threats to the Empire and its Citizens are many and varied and all must be prepared for, guarded against and actively opposed lest they tear down civilisation. Not all threats carry arms like the barbarians; some come with smiles and lies, like false-faced Eternals, or even lie in the hearts of weak citizens. Through diligence, detail and dedication in all things does one person’s vigilance safeguard another from harm.

Guidance on the Path

Through study of the Paragons and Exemplars, the priests of The Way have gleaned insight into the heart of the Virtue and how best to pursue it. There are collections of parables, tales, sayings and teachings that distill this for Imperial Citizens to learn from. The following are a handful of teachings and sayings deemed to be essential to understanding the Path:

- Seek out the poison in your neighbour’s fields, lest your own crops be blighted.

- Be alert to all dangers; within and without.

- Seek out falsehood and expose the truth.

- Prepare for malice, yet thwart malice before it strikes against you.

- Despise that which threatens what you watch over, whether by malice, lies, folly or carelessness.

Paragons and Exemplars

Attempts to catalogue Paragons and Exemplars of Vigilance have met with mixed success. In some cases, the disaster they prevent or the catastrophe that goes averted results in their heroism going unsung. More notable are those who publicly expose traitors, infiltrators and black-hearted villains. Recognised Paragons and Exemplars of Vigilance include:

- The legendary Paragon known as The Sentinel is credited with building many ancient towers and fortresses that still stand today.

- The Paragon Vardas the Witch-Hunter of Varushka dedicated his life to tracking down and bringing to justice the criminals who preyed on his people.

Symbols, icons and trappings

The Path of Vigilance has many symbols across the Empire, but one of the most common is The Tower, which is symbolic not only of The Sentinel’s ancient works, but also epitomises the importance of defending what is precious, and in making the effort to prepare against threats. Along similar lines, another common symbol of the path is a Bell to symbolise the means of sounding a warning. Priests and Pilgrims of the Path of Vigilance will often carry a bell or whistle for precisely the purpose of alerting others to danger they have identified.

Further Reading

- You can learn about the various spiritual roleplaying effects created by priests dedicated to Vigilance here.

- You can learn about the skills that priests can use to safeguard the virtue of Vigilance here.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Vigilance&oldid=20358"

Wisdom

Contents

- 1 The Path of Wisdom

- 1.1 Guidance on the Path

- 2 Paragons and Exemplars

- 3 Symbols, icons and trappings

- 4 Further reading

The Path of Wisdom

There are many Citizens of the Empire who believe themselves, by nature, to be filled with the Virtue and it comes easily to them, yet the truth is – like all the Virtues – Wisdom is a journey and must ever be striven for. Only the fool believes their journey is complete. Wisdom in the Empire takes many forms and what might benefit you in the Wintermark could as easily be your ruin in Varushka. Wisdom’s natural enemies are folly and complacency who steal the wit and desire for understanding and enlightenment. There is also dispute amongst the Wise as to the extent that knowledge should be shared with the unready lest it imperil them.

Guidance on the Path

Through study of the Paragons and Exemplars, the priests of The Way have gleaned insight into the heart of the Virtue and how best to pursue it. There are collections of parables, tales, sayings and teachings that distill this for Imperial Citizens to learn from. The following are a handful of teachings and sayings deemed to be essential to understanding the Path:

- The Virtuous apply what they have learned; wisdom knows all knowledge is incomplete.

- Let every word you speak carry meaning; do not use forty when four will do.

- Wisdom is not always knowing the answer; wisdom is finding the right question.

- Test what you learn; only fools accept hearsay as truth.

- Despise folly and chastise the fool that spreads it.

Paragons and Exemplars

Recognised Paragons and Exemplars of Wisdom include:

- The legendary Paragon Zoria learned the names of all the creatures of the wild; bird and beast, fish and fowl and using their names, commanded them to serve her.

- The Paragon Isenbrad of the Steinr was known for practicality, good judgement and wise counsel, and is said to have been the first runesmith

- The Paragon Atun of the Highborn steered the ships that bore the Highborn through unknown waters to their new homeland.

- The Exemplar Avigliana di Sarvos of League encouraged others to take note of the world they lived in and put the truth of it in writing.

- The Exemplar Kala codified a system of weights and measures that is still in use today.

Symbols, icons and trappings

The Path of Wisdom has many symbols across the Empire. Before the formation of the Synod, animal sigils were popular, in recognition of Zoria’s mastery of animals. However, the Synod has since discouraged this as The Way exalts the human spirit and beasts are lesser (though the practice exists still in parts of Varushka). As a consequence, more widely accepted symbols are scales as used by Kala to weigh and measure the world, and a lantern as used by Isenbrad to illuminate the cave in which he carved his secrets in runic form.

Many Priests and Pilgrims of the Path of Wisdom often carry sources of light, or the means to provide such. Many also carry the means to record such knowledge and wisdom that they encounter.

Wisdom is not short hand for ‘action I’d like you to take’, and foolishness is not synonymous with ‘outcome I wish you had not provoked'

Cardinal Agnetha De Rondell, Spring 378YE

Further reading

- You can learn about the various spiritual roleplaying effects created by priests dedicated to Wisdom here.

- You can learn about the skills that priests can use to enlighten others to the virtue of Wisdom here.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Wisdom&oldid=28542"

Imperial theology (Redirected from Imperial Theology)

OOC NOTE: The contents of this section are purely for players interested in Doctrinal and Theological Roleplay.

Knowledge of Imperial Theology is NOT a requirement for all Priest characters or Imperial Citizens.

We are Travellers on the Way.

Our spirits are immortal;

They have endured before and will again.

We follow in the footsteps of the Paragons,

Whom showed humanity the Paths of Virtue.

By uniting the Paths and creating the Synod,

The First Empress showed us The Way.

Across the Labyrinth of Ages, the Virtues guide our spirits.

We shall not surrender our destiny to inhuman powers.

Death is not the end of our journey.

With each generation, Virtue makes us stronger.

Until as Paragons we shall conquer Death itself.

The Creed of the Winds of Virtue Chapter of Highguard

Introduction

For the average Citizen of the Empire, it is sufficient to know the Seven Virtues and how they apply to your life so that your passage through the Labyrinth of Ages can be swift and assured and you can be reborn stronger. Even simple lay preachers of The Way need not concern themselves with the subtleties and complexities of the Imperial Religion.

However, for many senior Priests within the Synod, as well as keen scholars, the foundations of the faith are a source of much discussion, debate and analysis. Senior clergy of the Synod may be asked about their opinion on key points of contention.

Index

- Liao

- The Doctrines of the Faith

- Signs of the Paragon and Exemplar

- Schisms and Heresies

- Investigative Theology

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_theology&oldid=20672"

World overview

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

- Maps

- Gazetteer

- Barbarians

- Foreign nations

- Realms

- Spring

- Summer

- Autumn

- Winter

- Day

- Night

- Eternals

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=World_overview&oldid=16054"

Maps

The Empire

Imperial Nations

The Barbarians

The Wider World

Tactical Maps

Maps by Daisy Abbott.

The Gazetteer tells you all about the places on the map while the Pronunciation guide tells you how they're said.

Map Viewers

Alongside the above, you can take a look at Nicholas Avenell's wonderful zoomable Google version of the Empire Map.

Also, Racheet Dave has now produced a cool dynamic map so you can study the Empire territory by territory.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Maps&oldid=29857"

Gazetteer

OOC Tactical Map

National Information and Maps

The Brass Coast

- Feroz

- Kahraman

- Madruga

- Segura

See: Brass Coast Maps

Dawn

- Astolat

- The Barrens

- Semmerholm

- Weirwater

See: Dawn Maps

Highguard

- Bastion

- Casinea

- Necropolis

- Reikos

See: Highguard Maps

The League

- Holberg

- Sarvos

- Tassato

- Temeschwar

See: League Maps

The Marches

- Bregasland

- Mitwold

- Mournwold

- Upwold

See: Marches Maps

Navarr

- Brocéliande

- Hercynia

- Liathaven

- Miaren

- Therunin

See: Navarr Maps

Urizen

- Morrow

- Redoubt

- Spiral

- Zenith

See: Urizen Maps

Varushka

- Karov

- Karsk

- Miekarova

- Volodmartz

See: Varushka Maps

Wintermark

- Hahnmark

- Kallavesa

- Sermersuaq

- Skarsind

See: Wintermark Maps

Wondering how some of these places are usually pronounced? Try the Pronunciation guide.

IC Maps

A selection of IC tactical and decorative maps can be found at Maps

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Gazetteer&oldid=29157"

Realm (Redirected from Realms)

Overview

The world of Empire is known to touch six other planes of existence that are separate from, but intimately connected to, the mortal realm. These Realms are innately connected to the practice of magic, as well as being home to magical entities called Eternals.

Magicians have named four of the Realms after seasons, but these are symbolic rather than literal names. The Realm of Winter, for example, incorporates brutal desert, parched forests and bottomless oceans as well as frozen snowfields. The "seasonal realms" resonate more with the "seasons of life" than the literal wheel of the seasons. Spring is wild and unfettered as a child, Summer is full of the arrogance of youth, Autumn is a realm of maturity and Winter a realm echoing with the fear and wisdom of old age. By contrast Day and Night are realms of the spirit; one encompasses ideas of intellect and the higher mind, the other ideas of passion and the primal instincts.

The Realm Glyphs

A system of six sigils are commonly used in the Empire to represent the realms. These sigla were created and popularised in pre-Imperial times by a Dawnish enchanter, initially for use in heraldry. They were later adopted by several prominent weaver cabals for the creation of magic baners, tabards and cloaks and their use slowly spread, especially in Varushka, the League and Highguard. Today they are regularly used in ritual magic as symbols of entire realms where individual Wintermark runes would be too specific or too laden with additional meaning. Many eternals recognise these glyphs, and honour their association.

Spring

Sometimes called the Primal Forest, this is a Realm overflowing with life in infinite variety. A Realm where things begin and are renewed second to second, but where death comes swiftly. Here the green Eternals celebrate creation and destruction in all its untold beauty, and buzzing voices remind humankind that it has no place here in the primeval realm.

Summer

In the realm of might and majesty, everything exists in a timeless moment at its idealised prime. Great oaks tower over the fields of glory, the mountains scrape the skies, the blizzards howl more terrible than any mortal storm and the dark sea is deeper than any mortal ocean. The savage beasts of legend are hunted across the rolling plains by Eternals clad in the bright panoply of youth and immortality.

Autumn

In the Realm of intrigue and influence everything interweaves in a great shifting web of favour and debt. The horned lords and ladies compete in savage games of wealth and power. They welcome mortals to their councils but beware the bargains of Autumn for in the Labyrinth, nothing is simple.

Winter

The Wasteland is hungry. It is a realm of creaking dread, of fear and famine without the memory of dusk or the hope of dawn. From the parching heat of the dusty desert halls to the frigid silence of snow-drowned forests wait the Eternals of Winter, the wise monsters who make no effort to conceal their cruel natures. It is a realm of wisdom, the cruel wisdom that comes with age and experience, the wisdom of hard choices and the certainty of death.

Day

A realm of spirit and of shining light. Where the sky and the ocean meet, in the heights and the depths, the Eternals of Day seek infinite understanding of the truths of creation. It is a realm that celebrates reason over impulse, thought over instinct, harmony over passion. It is the Realm of the higher mind, of the birth of revelation and the death of secrets.

Night

A realm of spirit and of eternal shadow. Where passion rules, thought gives way to instinct, and joy and terror are both a breath away. The coiling serpents and enigmatic wyrms of Night whisper of the joy of mysteries, and of the riddles whose beauty lies in the act of unravelling rather than the revelation of the secrets wrapped within.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Realm&oldid=34486"

Eternals

Overview

The world of Empire is known to touch six other planes of existence. These are home to magical entities called eternals, some of whom are interested in the human world. Players - especially magicians - can meet and negotiate with the eternals. The eternals are not gods but posses magical powers that players will find useful. They have their own motivations and personalities, and characters will be able to bargain with them to advance their own agendas.

Eternals Interested in the Empire

This list of eternals is not exhaustive; rather it lists some of those beings who have shown a special interest in the Empire since it's formation.

Eternals of Spring

Known Interests

Yaw'nagrah

Fertility, diversity

Arhallogen

Survival, adaptation, poison, arachnids

Llofir

Fungus, rot, decay, collapse

Irra Harah

Youth, struggle, the weak

The creature known as Capradan, the Horned Hunter, is a being of the Spring realm whose true nature is unclear. It is either a very potent herald or a lesser eternal concerned with primitive concepts of hunting and killing for sustenance.

Eternals of Summer

Eleonaris, Queen of the Fields of Glory

Majesty, nobility, battle, victory

Jaheris

Rivalry, betrayal, consort of Eleonaris

Hayaak, the Gryphon King

Wrath, vengeance, ferocity

Cathan Canae, Queen of Ice and Darkness

Might, winter, strength, durability

Barien, the Iron Duke

Challenges, worth, tests

Meraud, the Golden Magician

Magic, enchantment

The creature known in the Empire as Aben-Nuath is believed to be a powerful herald, but it is not clear to whose "court" they belong, if any. They are usually described as "independent" in lists of such beings although there is much speculation.

Eternals of Autumn

The Lictors

Binding, imprisonment, punishment, contracts

Estavus

Crafting, building, artisans

Callidus, Prince of the Argent Tontine

Greed

Prospero

Influence, favours, grudges

Ephisis

Trade, mutually beneficial exchanges

Basileus Kade

Intrigue, Espionage, Power

Mazen of the Many Faces

Manipulation, Deception

Eternals of Winter

Sorin, the Tomb King

Privation, strength from weakness

Kaela

Entropy, despair, endings

The Thrice-cursed Court

Curses, power at a price, spite

Wise Rangara

Wisdom, tradition,

Agramant the Wendigo

Hunger, cannibalism, madness, dread

Eternals of Day

Leviathan

History, foundations, causation

Phaleron, the Great Library

Knowledge, preservation

Sinokenon, the Turning Mirror

Hierarchy, connections, religion

Kimus of the Thousand Eyes

Light, scrying, observation

Ylenrith, the Swan

Purity, mathematics, music

Roshanwe, the Navigator

Discovery, wisdom, truth

Zakalwe, the Strategist

Conflict, logistics, strategy

Eternals of Night

Janon the Shadowed Fire

Passion, freedom

Lashonar

Stories, confusion, speech that moves, oratory

Murit the Shaper

Crafting, material transformation, the whole is different to the parts

Sadogua, Brother of Wizards

Magicians, magic, power, manipulation

Soghter, Changer of the Ways

Transitions, learning through experience

Sung, the Rainbow Serpent

Mysteries and enigmas

The Whisper Gallery

Secrets, rumour, art

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Eternals&oldid=35662"

Barbarians

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Overview

Barbarians are people that are not part of the Empire, that the Empire is currently at war with.

There are several distinct barbarian powers which represent hostile tribes, kingdoms, and nations. The barbarians are designed to look cool in massive numbers in battles; to provide immersive, exciting and dramatic combat encounters; and to allow a range of interactions outside of combat. Most of the barbarian powers that currently surround the Empire are orcs.

Players are not able to play barbarian characters - by definition, they are not welcome on the playing field, however everyone has the opportunity to play a barbarian by volunteering to monster a battle or quest.

The Orcs

There are a large number of scattered orc tribes, but four tribes neighbouring the Empire are large enough that they are considered threats to the Empire.

- The Jotun are warlike but honourable, and occupy a large swathe of land to the west of Wintermark and The Marches.

- The Thule are dominated by their magicians, and engage in merciless asset-stripping of any lands they invade. They are found across the mountains to the north of Varushka in an area called Otkodov.

- The Druj are a comparatively small tribe that uses fear to exert influence over a number of smaller tribes. They are found in the swamps and forests to the east of Dawn and Highguard and known for their treachery and their love of terror-tactics.

- The Grendel primarily occupy a land-mass to the south of the Bay of Catazar, and are kept at bay by the activities of the Freeborn corsairs. They are also found in numbers on the Broken Coast to the south of Urizen.

Smaller orc tribes are scattered across the Empire as bandits, or live outside its borders in numbers. The orcs of the hills between the Brass Coast and their foreign neighbours (Faraden and The Iron Confederacy) are a case in point.

The orc barbarians are not a monolithic threat - the tribes may form temporary alliances, but they sometimes fight each other with as much ferocity as they show to the Empire.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Barbarians&oldid=30631"

Foreign nations

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Overview

Foreigners are people that are not part of the Empire, that the Empire is not currently at war with. The Empire trades with many of these foreign powers, and may host delegations from them. Foreigners have no ability to directly influence the future of the Empire, but may have political agendas that guide their interaction with the players.

Foreign Neighbours

Nations that are not part of the Empire but which are not barbarians are sometimes called 'local foreigners'. They are smaller than the Empire, and possess a level of influence and military power roughly on par with one to three Imperial nations. They tend to share borders with the Empire, and many are threatened by the same barbarian tribes that threaten their Imperial neighbours.

They speak the same tongue as the Empire, and engage in limited amounts of trade. This trade does not usually involve fleets; rather it could be represented with a business, or role-played. Larger scale trades may be entered into but these would be the result of politics with non-player characters from the neighbouring nations.

The primary foreign neighbours of the Empire are:

- Faraden, a hilly nation of traders with a long history of cooperation with the Freeborn that lies to the west of the Empire.

- Axos, a magocratic nation that closed its borders some time ago and is only now beginning to emerge from self-imposed isolation. It lies to the east of Urizen.

- Skoura, a mountainous nation with rich mines and introspective citizens that lies to the south of Urizen.

- The Iron Confederacy, a nation of feudalistic warlords who worship false gods, lying to the south of the Brass Coast.

- The Vore, a nation ringed by impassable mountains that lies to the north-east of the Empire

Distant Foreigners

Distant foreigners primarily exist in downtime, although their representatives may attend events or enter correspondence with Imperial citizens. They represent nations that are on par with the Empire in terms of influence and capability - and in interest in world-wide events. They are all physically within four or five weeks hard-sailing of the Empire (meaning a fleet can reach them and return in a single downtime period; this also means it is largely unfeasible to try and invade them or for them to invade the Empire).

These nations do not speak Imperial as their primay-language (although many citizens there will be familiar with the language). A number of other real-world language families are assigned to represent the languages of these foreign nations, and to the smaller independent nations and tribes that surround them.

The five primary foreign nations active on the world stage as peers of the Empire are:

- The Asavean Archipelago, an old and self-satisfied nation with a taste for luxury.

- The Sarcophan Delves, a ruthless mercantile nation built in the ruins of a fallen civilisation.

- The Principalities of Jarm, a fractious magocracy known for exotic wonders and cut-throat politics.

- The Commonwealth, a comparatively young society founded on the principle of the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

- The Sumaah Republic, a secretive nation that shares the faith of the Empire but rejects the Synod

The list is not exhaustive - there may be other foreign nations out there but they are neither important nor active enough to be trading partners for the Empire. There are also extensive nations beyond the "known world" of the Empire campaign - too far away for regular trade to exist with them.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Foreign_nations&oldid=20948"

Languages

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 English

- 3 European Languages

- 4 Latin

- 5 Other British Languages

- 6 British Sign Language

Overview

In Empire we use real world languages as phys-reps for game languages. The most obvious example is the English language, which in the game is the common tongue for the Empire. However several other languages are also used in the setting, players can use these languages in play if they are familiar with them.

Language is a hard-skill in the Empire game, meaning that your character is entitled to speak any languages only as well as you can. We do not use any system of hand-signs, cards, or declarations to signify that a language being spoken is portraying another language in the game. Some character options are only available to players who are fluent in a foreign language as a result of this requirement.

English

English is used to represent the language commonly spoken by all citizens of the Empire. Although it is usually called "Imperial" by Imperial citizens the same language is spoken right across the continent - and most folk in other lands refer to it by their own name (for example in Axos the same language is called Axou) so some folk refer to it simply as "Common". Other residents of the continent may speak the language with a strong accent, but English represents their first language also, so the stereotypical broken English is not appropriate in anyway.

Due to the considerable power of the Empire over the last four centuries, the Imperial language is also a widely-spoken trading and diplomatic dialect in the wider world. If you are playing a character who is originally a [foreigner] - a character who has come to the Empire from overseas - then your character's mastery of Imperial is exactly as good as your English.

European Languages

The Empire is the most powerful state on the continent, but there are states on other continents whose power rivals that of the Empire. Interactions between the Empire and these countries is limited - the distances and dangers of travel are too great to allow any possibility of military action, but diplomacy and trade do flow back and forth.

We have created descriptions of several powerful rival states - and specified the language (or languages in many cases) used by the people who live there. You cannot play a character who was raised in that state unless you are a fluent speaker of one of the listed languages. If you are fluent then you can choose to either play a native of that land or to play an Imperial citizen who has learned to speak the language fluently.

OOC Language/Language-Group

IC name

Foreign Nation

Dutch

Sarcophan

The Sarcophan Delves

German

Commonweal

The Commonwealth

Romance

Asavean

The Asavean Archipelago

Scandinavian

Sumaask

The Sumaah Republic

Slavic

Jarmish

The Principalities of Jarm

Latin

Classical languages of Europe and the Middle-East from antiquity and the middle ages exist in the world of Empire as ancient historical tongues. Most of these languages are incredibly obscure but if you know some Aramaic or Hebrew then you are welcome to use the language in-character provided you are clear what it represents.

The exception is Latin which is relatively common. In Empire Latin represents Old Asavean, a forerunner tongue widely used on the Asavean Archipelago, it was once the common tongue of diplomats throughout the world. The language is ancient, it was known as Old Asavean even before the Empire formed. It was widely used for diplomacy and negotiation and was spoken by the rich and powerful across the world as a result.

At the time of the Empire's formation, it was a common second language for high-status citizens of the nations on the Bay of Catazar, and especially amongst the Dawnish. It was present but rarer in the northern nations. In 6 Y.E. the First Empress ruled that as a matter of Pride in her Empire, her Senate and Synod would speak "Imperial", not Old Asavean, in debate. The decision was not universally popular in the South, but it was grudgingly accepted.

As the last generation of Old Asavean speakers died out in the Empire, the language had a brief resurgence as young Imperial (especially Dawnish and Catazarri Leaguer) citizens associated it with the glory of the great leaders who built their Empire. Since then, it has persisted as a minor but high-status language, (ironically) associated with the glory of the first days of the Empire. Short phrases are often seen on banners, and as with any language, it has left remnants in the Imperial tongue.

Other British Languages

Languages of the Brythonic and Goidelic language group such as Welsh or Gaelic represent Iaith, a tongue widely used on the continent centuries before the Empire was created. This language had many sub-dialects and was already dying out before the destruction of Terunael. A few communities sought to preserve their language and there are communities in the Empire even today where these old languages are spoken.

If you speak or read any of these language then you are welcome to use this in-character as the ancient cultural language Iaith, it represents a dialect of this ancient tongue that your character or your community has preserved.

British Sign Language

British Sign Language represents the Imperial language of Hand-Sign. First developed in Holberg University in the 210s, Holberg Hand-Sign was developed by a deaf doctor by the name of Albrecht Gandino van Holberg. Gandino, who was deaf from birth, developed a basic sign-system with his family and Guild, and used it to studied medicine under his Guild-head. In 211 Holberg University financed him to develop the language more fully, and so he began work on a system of finger-spelling and hand signals that closely mapped on to Imperial - albeit with its own syntax and grammar.

In 234, a prosperous League doctor by the name of Elena Lucianova von Temeschwar took Gandino's work and developed it further, making use of space and involving movement of the hands, body, face and head. In 238, she produced a manuscript about "Master Babington", a deaf man proficient in the use of a manual alphabet, "contrived on the joints of his fingers", whose wife could converse with him easily, even in the dark through the use of tactile signing. Her system soon spread across the League, despite Lucianova's personal correspondence with rivals in other cities who she denounced for plagiarizing her original work, claiming they had sent spies to her classes to learn her system.

Over the next 80 years the system spread widely amongst the deaf, as well as some members of hearing communities: Freeborn corsairs have been known to use a dialect known as "Freesign" to communicate on deck, and Navarri scouts have used a variation known as "Night-speak" to talk silently amongst themselves. Disturbingly, members of the Sarvosian underworld have been rumoured to use Imperial Sign Language as a form of thieves' cant, to communicate silently under the noses of honest citizens.

Imperial Sign Language, as it has become known, has many regional dialects. Signs used by the Navarr, for example, may not be used (or even readily understood) by those in Sarvos, and vice versa. Some signs are even more local, occurring only in certain towns or cities (such as the various systems of number-signs).

The most common ISL dialect is represented in the Empire game by British Sign Language; less-common dialects are represented by Makaton and International Sign Language. Sign-Supported-Imperial also exists; this is represented by Sign-Supported-English. Other sign languages may be used freely, and may represent foreign sign languages or unusual local dialects of Imperial Sign Language.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Languages&oldid=30622"

Pronunciation guide

By popular demand, here's a list of some of the words in the Empire setting and how we usually say them.

These are simply guidelines, and you won't be bludgeoned over the head if you say things differently. There are no hard and fast rules -- as many people have pointed out, pronunciation could vary depending on nation, accent and culture.

If there are other Empire words you're not sure of, please let us know and we'll add them to this list.

Word

Pronunciation

Notes

Alderei

OLDER-eye

Infamous Varushkan rebel

Anduz

an-DOOZ

Brass Coast settlement

Anozel

an-o-ZELL

Brass Coast settlement

Arete

Ah-REH-teh

Urizen concept

Arnet

ARNAY

Dawnish settlement

Astolat

ASS-toe-latt

Dawn territory

Atalaq

AT-al-ack

Wintermark settlement

Atalaya

ah-tah-LIE-yah

Brass Coast settlement

Atkonartoq

AT-konn-ar-tock

Wintermark lake

Auvanne

oh-VAN

Dawnish settlement

Bastion

BASS-tee-onn

Highguard city and territory

Boyar

BOY-arr

Leader of a vale in Varushka

Bregasland

BREG-az-land

Marches territory

Briante

bree-AN-teh

Brass Coast settlement

Briar

BRY-arr

Lineage

Brocéliande

brock-KELL-ee-ond

Navarri territory

Calvos

KALL-voss

Brass Coast settlement

Cambion

CAM-bee-on

Lineage

Caricomare

ka-ricko-MAH-ray

League place of interest

Casinea

cass-SIN-ee-ah

Highguard territory

Cazar

ka-ZARR

Brass Coast settlement

Cerevado

che-reh-VA-doe

Brass Coast settlement

Cevia

CHE-vee-ah

Tassato settlement

Culwich

CULL-itch

Dawnish settlement

Dhomiro

dome-EAR-roe

Brass Coast leader

Draughir

DRAW-gheer

Lineage

Eleri’s Stead

ell-AIRY

Navarr settlement

Elos

ELL-oss

Urizen settlement

Egregore

EGG-regg-orr

Magical embodiment of a nation

Erigo

ehr-IH-goe

Brass Coast tribe

Feni

FAY-nee

Pre-Imperial tribe who still harass the western Imperial lands

Feroz

FERR-ozz

Brass Coast territory

Fort Mezudan

MEZZ-oo-dan

Urizen settlement

Gildenheim

GILL-den-hime

Wintermark settlement

Guerra

GWERR-ah

Brass Coast tribe

Gulhule

gull-HOOLY

Wintermark settlement

Gulnar’s Deeps

GOOL-narr's Deeps

Wintermark settlement

Hahnmark

HANN-mark

Wintermark territory

Hakima

hack-EE-ma

Brass Coast role

Hedra

HEE-dra

Highguard settlement

Hercynia

herr-KIN-ee-ah

Navarri territory

High Chalcis

CHALL-siss

Highguard settlement

Ikka

ICK-ah

Wintermark glacier

Isember

ISS-ember

Varushkan settlement

Ishal

ISS-hal

Wintermark settlement

Isle of the Osseini

o-SANEY

Brass Coast settlement

Joharra

yo-HARRA

Brass Coast settlement

Jotun

YUH-toon

Barbarian culture

Kalpaheim

KALPA-hime

Wintermark settlement

Kahraman

KARR-ah-mann

Brass Coast territory

Kallavesa

kalla-VEH-sah

Wintermark territory

Kallavesi

kalla-VEH-see

Wintermark subculture

Kohan

KOE-han

Brass Coast role

Kolvy

KOLL-vee

Varushkan settlement

Korotny

ko-ROT-nee

Varushkan settlement

Kosti

KOSS-tee

Varushkan settlement

Kronehal

KRONUH-hal

Wintermark settlement

Krysse

CRISS-uh

Wintermark settlement

Lacre

LACK-ruh

Dawnish settlement

Liao

LEE-ow (ow as in "ow, that hurt")

Religious drug

Liathaven

LEE-ath-ah-venn

Navarri territory

Liaven’s Dance

LEE-ah-venn

Navarr settlement

Madruga

mad-ROO-gah

Brass Coast territory

Masi

MASSY

Wintermark settlement

Miaren

MEE-arr-enn

Navarri territory

Miekarova

MEE-karr-OVE-ah

Varushkan territory

Mitwold

MITT-wolled

Marches territory

Mormyk

MORR-mick

Varushkan settlement

Mournwold

MORN-wolled

Marches territory

Naga

NAH-gah

Lineage

Navarr

nah-VARR

Nation

Nutjuitoq

nut-JOOWY-tock

Wintermark lake

Olodny

oll-OD-nee

Varushkan settlement

Oloy

OLL-oy

Varushkan settlement

Oran

o-RANN

Brass Coast settlement

Pakaanen

pa-KHAN-en

Legendary Wintermark mage

The Pits of Brychel

brih-CHEL (ch as in loch)

Dawn place of interest

Quzar

koo-ZARR

Brass Coast settlement

Reikos

RYE-koss

Highguard territory

Riqueza

rick-AY-za

Brass Coast tribe

Rojota

ro-YOE-tah

Brass Coast settlement

Rucastle

ROO-castle

Dawnish settlement

Rundhal

ROOND-hal

Wintermark settlement

Runegrott

ROONUH-grot

Wintermark place of interest

Sarcombe

SARR-kum

Marcher settlement

Sadogua

Sadogua is said by some to believe that the more pronunciations of his name there are, the more potential rhymes there are for constructing hymns to his glory, or poems to amuse him. However, both "Sa-dog-uwa" and "sad-dog-wah" have been commonly noted.

Eternal

Sarvos

SAHRR-voss

League city

Schlacta

SHLAK-ta

Professional warriors of Varushka

Segura

seg-GOO-rah

Brass Coast territory

Sermersuaq

SERR-merr-SOO-ack

Wintermark territory

The Sign of Tamar

TAY-mar

Highguard place of interest

Siroc

SIRR-ock

Brass Coast city

Steinr

STY-ner

Wintermark subculture

Skarsind

SCAR-sinned

Wintermark territory

Solvi

SOLL-vee

Wintermark settlement

Sovevann

so-VEH-van

Wintermark lake

Suaq

SOO-ack

Wintermark subculture

Semmerholm

SEMMER-home

Dawn territory

Sutannir

SOO-tan-neer

Brass Coast role

Sybela

sih-BELLA

Highguard settlement

Sydanjaa

SID-an-yah

Ice storm

Syrene

SIGH-reen

Highguard settlement

Stzena

stuh-ZZEHN-ah

Varushkan role

Tabulos

TAB-you-loss

Urizen settlement

Tagliona

tag-LEE-OWE-nah

Tassato settlement

Taniki

tan-EEKY

Wintermark lagoon

Tassato Mestra

tass-AH-toh MESS-tra

League city

Tassato Regario

tass-AH-toh reh-GARR-ee-oh

League city

Temeschwar

TEH-meh-shwarr

League city

Therunin

therr-OON-inn

Navarri territory

Treji

treh-JEE

Navarr settlement

Triosk

TREE-ossk

Varushkan settlement

Trivento

trih-VEN-toe

League settlement

Turelva

too-RELL-vah

Wintermark settlement

Ulmo

OOL-moh

Wintermark King

Upwold

UP-wolled

Marches territory

Urizen

OOH-rih-zen

Nation

Valashal

VALASS-hal

Wintermark settlement

Vallorn

VALL-lawn

Dangerous woodland ecosystem

Varushka

vah-ROOSH-kah

Nation

Visten

VISS-ten

Urizen settlement

Vorota

vo-ROT-tah

Varushkan settlement

Westerhal

WESS-ter-hal

Wintermark settlement

Vate

VAYT

Navarri role

Volodny

voll-LODD-nee

Varushkan role

Weirwater

WEER-water

Dawn territory

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Pronunciation_guide&oldid=30088"

Setting FAQ

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Geography

- 2.1 How big is the Empire?

- 3 Flora and Fauna

- 3.1 Do mythical and real world beasts exist in Empire?

- 3.2 What beasts of burden exist?

- 3.3 What are the coins and what are they worth?

- 4 Magic

- 4.1 What is Hearth Magic?

- 4.2 What is known about the Stars?

- 5 Backgrounds

- 5.1 Who do I talk to about my background?

- 5.2 Can I email a longer background?

- 5.3 Can we use settlement X for our background?

- 5.4 How much can I make up in my background?

- 5.5 What accents can/should we use?

- 5.6 Can I invent a Paragon or Exemplar?

- 5.7 Can I play a priest of a False Virtue?

Introduction

The following is a list of frequently asked questions that players have sent us. If you have any queries about Empire then it is worth checking the FAQs first, to see if the answer to your question is here. Otherwise email us at empire.rules@profounddecisions.co.uk with any questions about the rules or empire@profounddecisions.co.uk with any other questions about the game. We'll answer as quickly as we can and we'll add your question to our FAQ if we think it is likely to be of interest to other players.

This section of the FAQ contains questions about the Setting. For questions about other parts of the game, please see the more general FAQ.

Geography

How big is the Empire?

Very roughly, the Empire is 900 miles by 900 miles.

Flora and Fauna

Do mythical and real world beasts exist in Empire?

Most indigenous European fauna like boars or stags exist in Empire, but obviously they are unlikely to turn up at events. The notable exception are horses, which did exist but were wiped out centuries ago. Fantastic beasts like trolls and dragons also exist in Empire - some of them as myths, some of them as creatures that you can meet.

Mundane details of the setting are broadly European in character, so non-European flora and fauna such as lions are not found in the Empire but are known of in foreign lands.

What beasts of burden exist?

Horses are extinct in Empire and oxen are used as beasts of burden instead.

What are the coins and what are they worth?

Imperial coinage is made up of rings, crowns and thrones. There are eight crowns to a throne and twenty rings to a crown.

It is effectively meaningless to talk about what coins are worth, since Empire will use a free market economy system in which players set the prices of items rather than the organisers. As a result we have no idea what things will be worth and prices will change from event to event. The starting income of a normal character is 18 rings; every normal character will receive that amount of money every event.

Magic

What is Hearth Magic?

The simplest possible definition of Hearth magic is magic that works in the world, albeit unreliably, without any skill. Hearth magic is useful in rituals, where it can sometimes be combined with "true" magic to make the effects slightly more potent. But Hearth Magic is a real potent force, it's a superstition in the same way that people in the real world believe that a piece of lodestone suspended in water will turn to point north.

What is known about the Stars?

The art of Astronomancy is the study of the magical influence of the constellations. Beyond this, little is known about the "mundane" aspects of the stars. They are bright shining bodies in the night sky - when you look at them through a telescope they still just look like points of light. The constellations are known to move around very slightly - and some Urizen stargazers take thousands of painstaking measurements of these tiny motions to try and track them. However no stargazer has discovered any pattern to their trajectories.

There have been numerous efforts made to correlate the movements of the constellations with the major changes in the Empire, providing plenty of evidence to support their known properties, but nobody is sure whether the stars cause the changes or the stars are moved by the same forces that cause the changes.

The clear exception to the constellations is the Wanderer, which gets its name from its habit of moving across the heavens. Such motions are undoubtedly important; when the Wanderer moves closer to the Oak that is clearly very significant, for example - and very different to when it moves closer to the Stallion.

Most educated folk understand that the Empire is a geocentric world. The moon and the sun very clearly rise in the sky, go round the planet and then set again. They are indisputably in orbit around the world. Nobody really knows why - and they don't appear to have much magical influence, so aren't that interesting.

Backgrounds

Who do I talk to about my background?

You can submit your background when you create your character using the online character generation system. If you have any questions or want to discuss your Empire backgrounds, personal and group, please email empire.backgrounds@profounddecisions.co.uk, where a team of friendly and helpful people are waiting to assist.

Can I email a longer background?

The character creation system allows you to submit a background which is up to 2000 characters (including spaces) long. We don't accept backgrounds longer than this because the workload involved in reading thousands of characters backgrounds is immense. The longer every player's background is, the less time members of plot team have to read any of them - and the less time they have for writing plot for the events. For this reason we refuse to accept any email for a background which is longer than 2000 characters.

Please appreciate that you are encouraged to submit a background as a series of bullet points. You are welcome to write your own epic version of the background for your own enjoyment and characterisation, but a bullet point summary is all our plot team will accept as a submission.

Can we use settlement X for our background?

It is usually fine, even preferable, to use an existing settlement in your background. It is often a good idea to check with us first, especially if you want your group to have control of that area or be particularly prominent. We will check to ensure that this request doesn't cause undue continuity errors.

How much can I make up in my background?

The map provides cities, towns and interesting places as a starting point. In coming up with new places for your background, the rule of thumb, really, is 'would it be widely known about'? If it would, it's best to avoid it. The existing map strives to provide a dense enough network of important places for you to refer to already, without the need to crowd our maps with more.

We're happy for participants to come up with hamlets, small settlements or steadings, points of interest such as hidden waterfalls or caves, sheltered valleys and the like. It is larger features, like towns and cities that are unlikely to fit in.

What accents can/should we use?

We are not specifying accents for individual nations, because many players find accents difficult to manage and we wish to avoid any assumption that people need to use a specific accent. It is also important to appreciate that while a nation like the Brass Coast is inspired by the costumes of South America and Moorish Spain it isn't meant to be Moorish Spain - you can use a Spanish accent to help develop your character but you don't need to.

It is worth appreciating that caricatures of accents have been used to ridicule ethnic groups for decades. It is appropriate therefore to avoid the kind of misanthropic mangled accents of bad cliches of ethnic groups from the Orient and Arabian Peninsula, because they will offend some players. However LRP is fundamentally about the appropriation of cultural motifs to create context and setting, in the same way that these motifs are used in literature, theatre and film. So it is absolutely fine to make your best attempt at a credible Spanish accent for your Freeborn character or Russian for a Varushkan character if you wish to do so.

Can I invent a Paragon or Exemplar?

The current paragons and exemplars outlined are not intended to be an exhaustive list but illustrative and to be expanded on. You can create an exemplar for your background but you should avoid creating paragons as these are few in number. As with any part of the setting, this will need to be checked to ensure its consistent with the setting game (i.e. an Inspector Clouseau like character will not be accepted as an exemplar of Wisdom).

It is worth reading about the signs of the Paragon and Exemplar.

Can I play a priest of a False Virtue?

It is possible to be a priest of a False Virtue and it is possible for such a priest to dedicate others to their False Virtue - but you cannot start out that way, you have to try to achieve it in play. Of course you can start out as a person who believes in the False Virtue and is seeking to become dedicated and to spread it.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Setting_FAQ&oldid=31974"

Characters

Contents

- 1 Character Creation

- 2 Advancement

- 3 One Character at a Time

- 4 Character Death

- 5 Creating Characters at Events

- 6 Further Reading

Character Creation

- You must choose one of the nine Imperial nations or the Imperial Orcs

- Human characters may choose one of the six known lineages

- You have 8 points to spend on skills for your character

- You must choose one personal resource for your character

The character you create for Empire must be an Imperial citizen. This means you must choose one of the nine Imperial nations that your character is from or else play an Imperial Orc. Your choice represents the nation that your character is formally identified by the civil service as being part of. Your character may have travelled across the Empire and it is even possible to have been a foreigner who has taken citizenship in the Empire, but whatever your background you must begin play as an Imperial citizen who is a member of one of the nine nations or is an Imperial Orc.

If you are playing a human character then you may choose to possess one of the six lineages. Imperial Orcs do not possess lineage so you cannot choose a lineage if you are playing an orc.

You have eight character points to spend on skills for your character. Your choice of nation and lineage does not affect the cost or availability of the skills. If you are playing an Imperial Orc, then the skill costs are unchanged, but you cannot purchase religious skills for your character. Your skills represent your character's unique heroic abilities, the things that separate them from the common people of the Empire.

In addition to your skills, you pick one personal resource. Your resource will provide your character with wealth or influence at every event you attend.

Advancement

- Players gain one experience point if they attend one or two events in a year

- Players gain two experience points if they attend three or four events in a year

- Unspent points may be spent on a new character

- Points may be spent at an event

Players that attend one or two events in a year gain a single point to spend on new skills for their character after their first event. Players who attend three or more events in a year get a second point to spend on new skills after their third event.

Players can save experience points accumulated to buy expensive skills. If a character dies, then the player keeps any unspent points that were gained in play and may spend them on their new character.

Players can spend points on their character on the run up to an event using the website. Players can also spend points by training with another character at an event. The character should find a suitable mentor and then roleplay accordingly. After completing the roleplaying the player can come down to GOD from Saturday onwards at any event and register the points spent on their character’s new skills.

The exception to learning a new skill is that sometimes a skill is not general knowledge. The most common reason for this is that a ritual has been formulated, but not made part of Imperial Lore. In this case, the only way to learn that ritual is to study the appropriate ritual text - a special item that contains the details of how the ritual is performed.

One Character at a Time

- Each player is allowed to play one character

- You must retire your current character if you wish to play a new character

- If you wish to take a break then you may volunteer to play a plot role

Players are only allowed to play a single character at any one time during the campaign. If you wish to begin playing a new character, then you must retire your current character. That character cannot be played again at a Profound Decisions event.

If you wish to take a break from your current character then you may volunteer to play a role designated by the plot team. Come to GOD and speak to the administration team and they will arrange for you to receive a new character role that you can play for a period of time.

Character Death

- Go to GOD to register your character death

If you character has died then you must go to GOD to register your character death.

Creating Characters at Events

- Please ask if you want help with ideas or costume for your new character

If you need to create a new character at an event then you can do so at any time by going to GOD. It can be difficult to source costume and create a concept at an event so if you would like any help with rules, ideas, costume, or make-up then please ask. Members of crew are available to help you create an interesting character that you can play straight away.

Further Reading

- Characters

- Playing the Game

- Referees & GOD

- Safety

- Downtime

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Characters&oldid=30596"

Playing the game

Contents

- 1 Time-in and the IC area

- 2 Behaviour while In-character

- 3 Behaviour while OOC

- 4 Stealing Items

- 5 Disguises

- 6 Forgery

- 7 Cheating

- 8 Further Reading

Time-in and the IC area

- Time-in begins at 10 am and ends at 1 am each day

- You are always in-character (IC) in the IC area during time-in

- The Imperial Senate chamber is time-in throughout the game

- You must not roleplay your character outside the IC area

Normal roleplaying begins at time-in, which is 6 pm on Friday and 10 am every morning thereafter. Normal roleplaying ends at time-out, which is 1 am each morning and at 3 pm on the last day of the event. The IC area is the section of the campsite reserved for the game where all roleplaying must take place. Each event guide will clearly delineate the boundary of the IC area.

The exception to this rule is the Senate Chamber. The meeting place of the Imperial Senate is the political hub of the Empire and the building remains time-in from the start of the event until time-out at the end of the event. Players who choose to remain in the Senate building after time-out each night do so because they wish to continue roleplaying. Please avoid this area after time-out if you are no longer IC.

Everyone who is in the IC area during time-in is considered to be IC. You should avoid the IC area during this time unless you are playing your character. If you are in the IC area and you wish to stop roleplaying then out of courtesy to other players you must leave the IC area first unless there is a genuine emergency.

You may continue to roleplay with other characters anywhere in the IC area after time-out so long as you do not take any confrontational actions. You can talk and trade but you must not attack another character, steal from them, or use any ability.

For example, you are in a casino so you may continue to roleplay after time-out but you may not steal items or money from other patrons and you may not attack anyone.

You must not roleplay once you leave the IC site boundaries.

Behaviour while In-character

- Avoid inappropriate references while at events

The themes that exist within Empire include mind-influencing magic, drugs and addiction, human sacrifice, racism and prejudice, prostitution, violence, robbery, torture and murder. They do not include non-consensual sex or sex with minors. It is not possible to know what real life experiences other players have suffered, so you must avoid IC references to either of these two subjects in play to ensure that you do not upset any of your fellow players.

Behaviour while OOC

- You must not use any secret IC information which was gained while OOC

You should do everything reasonably possible to ignore any secret information that your character has not gained IC. You should only act on the things your character could legitimately know.

It is usually inappropriate to tell another player something that their character might desperately want to know. If your character has been murdered for instance, you should avoid telling your friends who murdered your character, for they are likely to want to take revenge. If another player actively tells you something that you did not want to know while OOC and you believe that doing this has affected your ability to discern the information IC then speak to the head referee. The head referee will assess the situation and may give you permission to act on the knowledge your character has if they believe it is appropriate.

Stealing Items

- You may steal any obviously IC item such as money, a map, IC scroll or document

- You must return IC phys-reps to GOD within thirty minutes

- You can only steal items during time-in

- Do not go through people's obviously OOC belongings

- Do not mix IC items with OOC belongings

If you steal IC money or resources from another character then you should keep it; but if you steal any other item then it is important to make sure that the player gets their phys-rep back.

We recommend that you bring stolen item phys-reps to GOD rather than returning them directly so that the victim does not know who has stolen their item OOC. You must ensure that the owner has the opportunity to regain their phys-rep within thirty minutes of stealing it, either by returning it to the player, or by handing it in at GOD. Prompt return of stolen items will ensure that you are not embarrassed by a referee coming to find you and the stolen item.

You can only steal items from the IC area and during time-in. If you are stealing IC items, then you must make sure that you avoid going through any bags or boxes that contain obviously OOC belongings. If you are keeping OOC items in an IC area, then you must make sure you do not mix IC items in with them.

Disguises

- If you wear a disguise it is only as good as the phys-rep you use

- You must answer truthfully if you are OOC challenged about your disguise

- You must not disguise yourself as a member of a different lineage or species

It is perfectly acceptable for you to wear a disguise whilst in character (IC). Your ability to change your character’s appearance is only ever as effective as the phys-rep that you use; so if someone recognizes you then they may choose to recognize your character, regardless of the method used to change your appearance.

If you believe you recognize a character that you have met previously who appears to be in disguise then you may check out of character (OOC) by asking the player. You can ask if they are playing a character by name or by reference to a meeting you have had but you cannot simply ask if they are in disguise. You may ask a referee to check a character’s identity to avoid asking them directly. If another player asks you if you are playing a specific character in disguise then you must answer truthfully.

For example, you are playing a Freeborn merrow called Iago but you have disguised yourself as one of the merrow of the Kallavesi. If anyone asks OOC if you are playing Iago or ‘your merrow’ or ‘the merrow I met last night’ then you must answer truthfully.

It is much easier for a player to obtain prosthetics for a lineage or species phys-rep than it would be for a character to adopt that disguise. Because of this, you must not disguise yourself as a member of another lineage or species. You may disguise your character, but must actively avoid any make-up or prosthetics that could conceivably be confused with the phys-rep requirements of another lineage of species. This restriction does not apply if you are using magical means to disguise your appearance.

For example, your human character could glue foam horns to their forehead but this would not be sufficient for any sane character to think you were a cambion. Therefore, you must avoid putting horns on your forehead as part of a normal disguise.

Forgery

- You can forge letters and other purely in-character documents

- You cannot forge game items in Empire

- You cannot forge bourse notes

In-character forgery is not a theme of Empire. The divinations of day and night magic ought to make it trivial for the authorities to identify characters who were forging coins or similar items, but in practice this isn't possible for OOC reasons. You may forge IC documents written by NPCs or PCs if you wish to do so - but you cannot forge coins, herbs, potions, mana crystals, resources, liao or any other similar game items. In particular you cannot forge bourse notes.

Cheating

- You should report anyone you suspect is cheating to a referee

- Get a referee before attacking another character

Profound Decisions make all reasonable effort to ensure that players are not cheating at events. Please do not make public accusations of cheating. OOC complaints during time-in ruin the atmosphere of the game and only exacerbate the problems caused by cheating.

If you think that another player is cheating then please report the matter to one of the referees as soon as possible and leave it for Profound Decisions to deal with. If referees find players cheating then they will deal with the issue as appropriate. It is advisable to get a referee to accompany you before attacking another character to ensure that all the game rules are followed. Please note that if you do not get a referee when you were able to do so then the benefit of the doubt will be given to the other party if there is any dispute.

Further Reading

- Characters

- Playing the Game

- Referees & GOD

- Safety

- Downtime

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Playing_the_game&oldid=35595"

Referee

Contents

- 1 Referees

- 1.1 Identifying a Ref

- 1.2 When to get a Ref

- 2 GOD

- 2.1 When to go to GOD

- 3 Marshals

- 3.1 Identifying a Marshal

- 4 Further Reading

Referees

- Refs are there to answer questions and ensure rules are being followed correctly

Referees at Empire are there to facilitate and assist with the rules of the game. If you have a question or need a decision about a character skill or action, then you should consult a referee. The referees will be wandering the IC field, but if you cannot find one then you can go to GOD and they will obtain a ref for you.

Identifying a Ref

- Refs wear a gold and black quartered livery coat

- Please avoid using a quartered gold and black livery coat as your costume

Our referees will be wearing basic costume and a gold and black quartered livery coat like the one pictured. On occasions where we need to put a large number of referees in the field at once then some refs may wear a gold and black quartered tabard instead. Anyone who is wearing a livery coat with this design should be treated as a referee. For this reason players are not allowed to wear this design of livery coat.

Referees in Empire are purely OOC. They do not exist in the game in any IC form. They are wearing a distinctive piece of costume so that they can be easily identified without breaking the visual immersion of the field, they should not be treated as characters.

When to get a Ref

- Try to get a ref before getting involved in combat

- The balance of doubt goes to the defender in a dispute if no ref is present

We would encourage you to get a referee to assist with:

- Attacking another character including poisoning or capturing them

- Stealing items or money from other characters

- Treating complex traumatic injuries

- Performing a Ritual

You don't have to get a ref before you attempt one of these actions, but the ref will help to ensure that all the rules are followed. As the defender has no chance to get a ref first (they don't know they are going to be attacked or robbed), if there is a disagreement between players then the balance of the doubt will go to the defender if there is no ref present.

Characters should have no need to attack a child but in the exceptionally rare circumstance where you need to initiate combat with a child then you must consult a referee first and follow their guidance. The referee will ensure that the child's OOC welfare is not compromised by your IC actions.

GOD

- If you have a query then you can go to the Games Operation Desk (GOD)

- You can phone for security at night or in an emergency

All Profound Decisions events are administered from the Games Operation Desk (GOD) whose location is marked in each event guide. Members of the GOD crew are there to help you with any administrative or general queries that you may have about the event. If you need a referee then the referees have a desk that is always near GOD. The first-aid team operate from their own tent if you have any first-aid needs. For all other queries, you should enquire at GOD.

The Profound Decisions mobile phone number is printed on your character card. If you have an emergency such as a first-aid incident then you can call this number to get a quick response. You can also call this number if you need to contact security after time-out. Please do not use this number to phone for a referee; there are referees available in the field and at GOD at all times.

When to go to GOD

You will need to go to GOD to resolve any of the following:

- Collect your pack at the start of the event

- Get errors with your pack corrected

- Check to see if an item is in lost property

- Obtain a ref if one is not in sight

- Register your character death or create a new character

- Spend experience points

- Mix herbs to make a potion

- Exchange IC money for other denominations

- Buy a new resource or exchange an existing resource with another character

- Hand in a pack at the end of the event

- Raise a complaint

Members of the GOD team do not handle complaints, but they will be able to get a member of the event management team who will talk to you.

Members of the GOD team may be able to help you with some of the following:

- Find the answer to a rules query

- Process a ritual you have performed by yourself

- Obtain a red hat who can help you with a site issue

There is usually a referee in the GOD tent who can answer rules queries; if there isn't one then GOD can usually raise one on a radio. It is better to get a ritual processed by one of the refs in the field, but if you are having problems then the GOD staff can help you find one or they may be able to process a ritual if no ref is available.

Marshals

- Marshals are there to oversee safety and perform specific game tasks

- Please do not approach a marshal unless it is an emergency

Marshals at Empire are not referees. Although they support the game they are not there to provide direct assistance to the players and they cannot help you with a general query or any game task you wish to attempt. In particular many of our marshals have no ref training or experience and would not be able to help you with a ref query even if they were free.

Marshals have a range of responsibilities, such as overseeing safety, handling special FX, and delivering messages or game rulings to players. A marshal may find you to deliver an item or game ruling but you should not approach a marshal looking for help, unless it is an emergency.

Identifying a Marshal

- Marshals wear a red and black quartered livery coat

- Please avoid using a quartered red and black livery coat as your costume if possible

Our marshals will be wearing basic costume and a red and black quartered livery coat like the one pictured for the referee but with red panels rather than gold. Anyone who is wearing a livery coat with this design should be treated as a marshal. For this reason players are not allowed to wear livery coats with this specific design and colour scheme.

Like referees, the marshals in Empire are purely OOC. They do not exist in the game in any IC form. They are wearing a distinctive piece of costume so that they can be easily identified without breaking the visual immersion of the field, they should not be treated as characters.

Further Reading

- Characters

- Playing the Game

- Referees & GOD

- Safety

- Downtime

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Referee&oldid=35235"

Safety overview

It is important to do everything reasonable to ensure your safety and the safety of others. Although most experienced live rolepayers are familiar with the basic LRP safety concepts, please make sure that you read these rules so that you understand the specific requirements for battles and fight safety at Empire events.

Event safety

The basic rules for safety at events, including how to fight safely, the need for weapon checking and how to indicate and respond to non-combatants.

Bow safety

Bows and crossbows are among the more dangerous weapons in use on a LRP battlefield. You must know and follow these rules if you plan to use a bow.

Weapon checking

Every weapon, shield, implement, bow and arrow must be checked before every PD event you attend. These are the guidelines used by our weapon checking team.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Safety_overview&oldid=30508"

Downtime

Contents

- 1 Income

- 2 Operating a Resource

- 3 Making Items

- 4 Roleplaying Between Events

- 4.1 Keeping the game live

- 4.2 Forums and IC roleplaying

- 4.3 Communication with NPCs

- 5 Hand-in Baggies

Income

- Every character receives 18 Rings at the start of every event they attend

Characters attending an event automatically receive eighteen rings. This represents the wealth the character has accumulated in the months leading up to the event. It is up to the player to interpret how they have earned this money in a way that is appropriate to the setting and their character.

Character with personal or campaign resources that produce money, receive this in addition to their 18 rings.

Operating a Resource

- Every character can operate a single personal resource after each event they attend

You should choose a personal resource for your character when you create them. After each event you attend, your resource will automatically produce money or materials for your character to use next time they attend an event.

Some personal resources, such as a fleet or a military unit always provide you with some very simple options that you can choose from each downtime. To access these options you should log on to the Profound Decisions website and choose your current character from the list of characters shown. If you attended the last event, then your character screen will display a "submit downtime" button that allows you to choose one or more options for your resource.

All resources can be improved, if you hand in the right materials, white granite, weirwood, or mithril. You can also hand in money to pay to make a resource such as a herb garden, mine or forest provide even more materials than usual. These options are all accessed by pressing the "submit downtime" button on your character details screen.

Making Items

- Artisans can make up to three magic items after each event they attend

A character who has purchased the artisan skill has three months each downtime to make items. There is no monetary cost to make items, but the character must have the rare materials needed to make the item. Most enchantments take a month to complete but some weak enchantments require two months to make rather than using any materials. A character can continue to operate their personal resource while crafting items.

Enchanted items last for a single year from the day of creation. This means that they can be used at the following four events before the magic is lost. If an artisan has access to enough ilium then they can use it to make a permanent magic item.

Roleplaying Between Events

Keeping the game live

- We want the important IC discussions and decisions to happen live at the events

Profound Decisions are very keen for the key IC activity of the Empire world to take place at events. We believe your game will be busier and better if everything that can happen in the field, does happen in the field. Trade negotiations, religious debates, military planning, magical discourse and political discussions and appointments are all examples of activities that should happen at events.

While it would be logical to expect some decisions and interactions to take place between Imperial summits, Empire is a live-roleplaying game not a real-time simulation. Every IC communication you have between events is one you cannot have face to face.

Forums and IC roleplaying

- No IC forums for nations or Imperial political bodies

- Emails and group forums are fine

Our core goal is to ensure that important game decisions are taken at events, rather than between events. For this reason we are asking players not to create IC forums for one of the ten nations or for any of the core Imperial political bodies - the Senate, Synod, Bourse, Military Council and the Conclave.

Although it is fine to send IC communications by email or use forums for groups, we would ask that you don't engage in important IC discussions of the kinds listed above unless you are at an event. It is ok to advertise IC services on the Empire Facebook group, provided you don't then get drawn into IC negotiations with other players for those services. Please save this for when everyone is in-character at the event.

Communication with NPCs

- We ask our NPCs not to send IC communications between events

You are welcome to send IC communications to egregores and other NPCs between events but all our staff have been asked not to respond until the next event. They may choose to bring such IC communications with them to the next event and act on them there.

Please also appreciate that our crew are all volunteers. While they may choose to respond to questions, Profound Decisions do not expect crew to handle any OOC communications between events. If you need a response, please email Profound Decisions instead.

Hand-in Baggies

- Put anything that you wish to use in downtime in your baggy at the end of the event

- Make sure you complete a hand-in slip listing the materials

If you want to make use of any money, materials or items during downtime then you must hand them in to GOD at the end of the event. Plastic bags are available in GOD for everyone handing in resources. You will find a personalized slip for your character in your pack that you collect from GOD. You should list everything that you are handing in on the slip and put it in the bag when you hand it in.

Any money or resources handed in will be available for use automatically for standard downtime actions such as crafting magical items or upgrading a resource. If you character needs to take an unusual action - such as paying for an Imperial Senate Commission then you need to email Profound Decisions to make sure that we are aware that you wish to pay for this. We will remove the money or resources from your inventory as soon as we are aware that you wish to make a payment. If anything is removed from your inventory by us that you did not wish to use in this way then please let us know as quickly as possible.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Downtime&oldid=36294"

Combat

Contents

- 1 Global Hits

- 2 Fighting without Skills

- 3 The One Second Rule

- 4 Heroic Blows

- 5 Arrows

- 6 Dying

- 7 Terminal

- 8 Traumatic Wounds

- 8.1 Spiritual Wounds

- 9 Moving a dying character

- 10 Searching a character

- 11 Capturing a character

- 12 Further Reading

Global Hits

- You start with two global hits

- Every time you are struck in combat you lose one hit

- On zero hits you cannot act and are dying

- You regain all lost global hits after at least two hours of rest and relaxation

Every character has a number of global hits to represent the injuries they can endure before becoming wounded so badly that they start to die. Most characters start with two global hits, but can gain more by buying the endurance skill or by wearing armour.

For the purposes of global hits it does not matter where you have been struck. You lose one hit every time you are struck in combat. Once you have lost all your hits then you are dying and can take no further action, as described later in this chapter.

You automatically regain all lost global hits after at least two hours of rest, so you always start each day with all your hits. Chirurgy and magic can both be used to restore lost hits.

Fighting without Skills

- You do not need a skill to use a melee weapon between 8" and 42” (106 cm) long

- You do not need a skill to use a shield up to 15” in diameter

- You do not need a skill to wear armour

All weapons must be at least 8” (20 cm) long, but you do not need a skill to wield a weapon up to 42” long, either to attack or to parry. You do not need a skill to wear armour or to use a small shield up to 15" in diameter to block attacks.

You must purchase the Weapon Master skill to use a larger weapon. You must purchase the shield skill to use a larger shield. You must purchase the Thrown skill to use thrown weapons or the Marksman skill to use a bow.

The One Second Rule

- You can only lose one global hit per second from multiple attacks from one enemy

You may attack an opponent as swiftly and rapidly as you wish, but a flurry of swift blows is not as dangerous as a full swing. To represent this, if a single character hits you more once in a single second then you lose one global hit to that flurry of blows.

This rule is not meant to be measured with a stopwatch, it exists to give you a rule of thumb to decide how much damage to take from a swift flurry of blows.

This rule applies to blows from a single target regardless of how many weapons they have - ambidexterity does not allow you to cause more than one hit every second. Attacks from multiple opponents do damage normally.

Heroic Blows

- You can buy skills to inflict one of four heroic blows

- You must purchase hero points to power a heroic blows

- Each time a heroic blow is used you expend one hero point

- Hero points recharge overnight

- Heroic calls do not affect enemies that are larger than human-sized

- All heroic calls delivered with a weapon or implement also cause the target to lose one global hit

If you purchase hero points and an appropriate heroic skill then you can inflict one or more heroic blows in combat. These are indicated using the appropriate call which lets the target know what they have been hit with and how to react. Every time you make a heroic blow your character expends one hero point from their daily allowance. Your character’s hero points replenish overnight.

If the target does not visibly respond to your heroic call then your blow has not affected them and the hero point is not spent. You only expend a hero point if the target is affected by the call.

There is no way to resist an effect in Empire, but heroic calls never affect any creature that is larger than human-sized. Any monstrous creature whose phys-rep is expressly designed to make them taller or wider than the wearer would normally be counts as larger than human-sized. Player-characters (all PCs) always count as human-sized - no matter how large the player is.

Arrows

- All arrows and bolts do Impale automatically

There is no call shouted when using a bow or crossbow, but if you are hit by an arrow or a bolt then you are affected by the Impale call.

Dying

- When you reach zero global hits you fall over and start dying

- You stop dying if you regain a global hit for any reason

- You become terminal after three minutes

- You are automatically unresisting while you are dying

- You must roleplay that you are dying

- You must not take any action other than talking or screaming

If you are reduced to zero global hits then you are so badly wounded that you fall over and start dying. You can sense what is happening around you and you can talk or scream but you cannot take any other action. You cannot attack, defend and you cannot use any skill or magical item unless it explicitly says that it can be used while dying. You may not drink a potion yourself, but may be fed a potion by another character. You must roleplay the fact that you are dying of your wounds.

You must fall to the ground at most two steps from where you were last struck. This rule allows you to avoid having to fall over in unsafe or particularly wet areas; it does not allow a tactical retreat from combat. Once you have fallen over you must not move from that spot unless you need to for reasons of OOC safety.

A character who is dying can be executed, killing them immediately. To execute a character you should spend at least five seconds appropriate roleplaying delivering a fatal blow to execute your target.

A character that is dying will become terminal after three minutes. The fortitude skill and some magical items increase the time it takes to bleed to death in this way.

While being treated with the chirurgeon skill, your 'death count' is paused, you are still dying, and subject to all the other rules associated with the state. If the chirurgeon does not complete at least 30 seconds of roleplay to restore you to one hit, then your 'death count' will resume with the same time remaining.

Terminal

- A character who is terminal is dying and cannot be saved

- You must roleplay that you are dying

- You can choose the point in the event for your character to expire

A character becomes terminal after they have been bleeding to death for three minutes or more. A character who is terminal is so badly wounded that they are beyond any magical or medical help. The character is covered by all the rules for dying but they can no longer be saved by any method.

You can choose the point during the event at which your character dies, provided you continue to roleplay the fact that they are mortally wounded. There is a limit to how long your character can survive, your character dies before the start of the next PD Empire event, at the very latest.

Traumatic Wounds

- You may receive a traumatic wound in battle

- Traumatic wounds can only be healed using the physick skill

- You must keep the traumatic wound card and give it to your physick

In battle your character is at risk of receiving a traumatic wound. Traumatic wounds represent things like broken bones, internal bleeding, punctured lungs and the like. These wounds are particularly difficult to treat and cannot be healed magically, you must receive the aid of another character using the physick skill to treat your wound.

If you receive a traumatic wound you will be given a wound card by a referee or crew member. This card will state the approximate nature of your wound. You must keep hold of the card - if a physick attempts to heal your character then you will need to give them the card so that they know what resources are needed to heal your wound.

A referee or crew member may assign you a traumatic wound card if your character is soundly beaten while fighting. Some large or magical monsters are notable for causing traumatic wounds when they connect solidly with an opponent.

Spiritual Wounds

- You may receive a spiritual wound in battle or from another supernatural cause.

- Spiritual Wounds affect the soul and require the insight ceremony to diagnose.

Spiritual wounds affect the soul of the target and are often associated with noticeable changes to behaviour or personality, in the form of roleplaying effects. These wounds are spiritual in nature and cannot be treated in the same way as physical injuries, such as physick or healing magic.

If you receive a spiritual wound, you will be given a card by a referee or crew member. This card will detail the symptoms you experience. If a priest performs theinsight ceremony on you, they will be know what is needed to treat the wound. Some may require exorcism to cleanse.

A referee or crew member may assign you a spiritual wound if your character has an appropriate supernatural experience. Some supernatural entities, such as wraiths, are notable for inflicting both spiritual and physical damage when they strike.

Moving a dying character

- Moving a dying character requires both hands free

You may move any unresisting character if you have both hands free. You can move a dead, dying, terminal or paralyzed character in this way. You cannot move a character who has been entangled until the spell effect has worn off.

Searching a character

- You must not touch a player unless they are comfortable for you to do so

- You must use appropriate roleplaying searching for at least 30 seconds

- You may perform an actual search only if both of you prefer to do so

You can automatically take any IC item that you can see from an unresisting character. You can search an unresisting character to attempt to find any valuable items that they are carrying that are hidden on their person. You can only do this if you have both hands free. To search a character you must use appropriate roleplaying for at least thirty seconds. If you complete the count without interruption then the target must give you every IC item that they are carrying.

If you and the target agree that you both prefer to perform a real search then you may do so. You must not touch the player without clear indication that they are comfortable for you to do so. You do not have to phys-rep the search if you are not comfortable doing so. The target must give you any items that you find while searching them.

Capturing a character

- You can automatically capture any character who cannot resist your attacks

- You can escape any bonds with five minutes of obvious roleplaying

If you wish to capture another character while they are at an event, then you must reduce them to zero global hits. If a character is not able to participate in combat because they are non-combat, or need to drop OOC for a first-aid incident or emergency then you require a referee if you wish to capture them. We strongly advise that you get a referee before attempting to capture a character.

You may then roleplay taking steps to secure the character with ropes or similar while another character treats their wounds. You should not phys-rep any method of restraint until you have made certain that the other player is comfortable with it.

If you are not on zero body hits then you may automatically escape any bonds after a count of at least 300 seconds regardless of the method used to restrain you. You must use appropriate roleplaying in a way that is obvious to everyone who is watching that you are escaping your bonds. If your attempt to escape is interrupted then you must restart your count. Your character also automatically escapes if they are taken outside the IC site boundary or at time-out unless it is the last day of the event. If you have captured another character at the end of an event then you must both consult a referee who will inform you of your options for keeping the character prisoner during downtime.

Further Reading

- Combat

- Calls

- Weapons & Armour

- Game Items

- Roleplaying Effects

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Combat&oldid=33640"

Calls

Contents

- 1 Calls

- 2 Heroic Calls

- 2.1 CLEAVE

- 2.2 IMPALE

- 2.3 SHATTER

- 2.4 STRIKEDOWN

- 3 Magic Calls

- 3.1 CURSE

- 3.2 ENTANGLE

- 3.3 PARALYSE

- 3.4 REPEL

- 3.5 VENOM

- 3.6 WEAKNESS

- 4 Mass Calls

- 5 Safety Calls

- 5.1 MAN DOWN

- 5.2 TIME FREEZE

- 6 Further Reading

Calls

- Calls allow characters to deliver magical effects or heroic blows

- All calls require the user to strike the target with a weapon or implement

- All calls also cause the target to lose one global hit

- There are no game abilities that allow a target to resist a call

- Some heroic calls do not affect a target if they hit armour

- No calls affect enemies that are larger than human-sized

- If the target has clearly not taken the call then the call has not been used

A participant can shout a call in a fight to indicate that they have used a special ability or magical item that allows them to deliver an especially potent attack. By learning these calls, players know how to react appropriately when attacked by such an ability.

All heroic and magic calls require the user to strike the target with a suitable weapon or implement. The target loses one global hit as exactly as if they had been hit normally. Only mass calls can be used at a target at range and do not cause the loss of a hit.

If it is clear that the target has not visibly taken the call then the call has not been used. Characters with heroic skills do not lose a hero point if the target is visibly unaffected, magicians do not lose a mana point if the target has clearly not taken the spell they have cast.

All Empire players need to be familiar with the calls, so that they know how to react to them if attacked, even if they don't have any way to deliver the calls themselves.

There is no way to resist an effect in Empire, however heroic calls never affect any creature that is larger than human-sized. Any monstrous creature whose phys-rep is expressly designed to make them taller or wider than the wearer would normally be counts as larger than human-sized. Player-characters (all PCs) always count as human-sized - no matter how large the player is.

Heroic Calls

- Heroic calls usually represent physical blows of great strength or skill

Heroic calls are most commonly used to represent physical blows of great strength or skill. A highly trained warrior may strikedown an enemy with their pole-axe, while a huge ogre might shatter a shield with their club.

CLEAVE

- Target loses all hits if the blow strikes the torso

- Target loses the use of a limb until cured if the blow strikes a limb

- Target loses one hit if the blow strikes the head or neck

- Target loses one hit if the blow strikes medium or heavy armour

If you are hit with a CLEAVE then you have been hit with a blow that is heavy or precise enough to disable you with a single strike. If you are hit in the torso then you are reduced to zero global hits and are dying. If you are hit in a limb then you lose the use of that limb. You must roleplay accordingly; you might fight on with the loss of an arm or defend yourself from the ground with the loss of a leg, but you cannot move around by hopping.

If you are hit by a CLEAVE in the head or neck or if the blow strikes the actual phys-rep of medium or heavy armour that you are wearing then you only lose one hit as if you had been hit by a normal blow.

The effects of CLEAVE and IMPALE are the same, but medium or heavy armour will protect you from a CLEAVE while only heavy armour will protect you from an IMPALE.

IMPALE

- Target loses all hits if the blow strikes the torso

- Target loses the use of a limb until cured if the blow strikes a limb

- Target loses one hit if the blow strikes the head or neck

- Target loses one hit if the blow strikes heavy armour

- All arrows and bolts cause IMPALE without needing to be called

If you are hit with an IMPALE then you have been hit with a blow that is heavy or precise enough to disable you with a single strike. All arrows and bolts cause IMPALE without needing to be called.

If you are hit in the torso then you are reduced to zero global hits and are dying. If you are hit in a limb then you lose the use of that limb. You must roleplay accordingly; you might fight on with the loss of an arm or defend yourself from the ground with the loss of a leg, but you cannot move around by hopping.

If you are hit by an IMPALE in the head or neck or if the blow strikes the actual phys-rep of heavy armour that you are wearing then you only lose one hit as if you had been hit by a normal blow.

SHATTER

- Any weapon, implement or shield struck is broken and useless

- Shattered items can be repaired with the mend spell

A SHATTER represents a blow that is heavy enough to break weapons and shatter shields. Any weapon, implement or shield struck by the blow is broken and useless. If you are using a shield that is difficult to discard, then any further blow that strikes the shattered shield counts as if it had struck you on your arm.

STRIKEDOWN

- The target is knocked off their feet

- You are struck down even if you parry the blow with a weapon or shield

If you are hit with a STRIKEDOWN then you have either been tripped or hit so hard that you have been knocked from your feet. You must roleplay this appropriately and fall to the ground, you cannot dive into a roll and leap back to your feet.

Magic Calls

- Magic calls usually represent magical effects that debilitate or weaken the target

- You must strike the target with a wand, rod or staff

Magic calls are most commonly used to represent the malign effects of spells, rituals and powerful magical items. An skill battle mage may cast a spell to repel an enemy, while a wraith might curse a target with the touch of its wicked blade.

To deliver a magic call, you must touch your target with a wand, rod or staff. If your victim parries or dodge the strike, then they are not affected.

As the effects of the magic calls VENOM and WEAKNESS cannot be seen, you must assume that the target has taken the call.

CURSE

- You are cursed; see a ref for details when it is appropriate to do so

- The effect lasts until cured

A curse does not immediately affect your character; you are aware that you have been cursed but may continue to fight and act normally. See a referee for more details once you are able to do so without interrupting your roleplaying.

ENTANGLE

- The target may not move their feet; they may otherwise move and fight normally

- The effect lasts 10 seconds

Entangle makes it impossible for your character to move their feet for ten seconds. You may otherwise move and fight normally.

PARALYSE

- The target may talk but may not make any other movement

- The target loses one hit if the blow strikes heavy armour

- The effect lasts 10 seconds

You are held in place by magical force. You cannot move at all. You may talk and drink a potion if you are fed one, but you cannot take any other actions. This effect lasts ten seconds.

If you are hit by a PARALYSE in the head or neck or if the blow strikes the actual phys-rep of heavy armour that you are wearing then you only lose one hit as if you had been hit by a normal blow. MASS PARALYSE will affect you normally, holding you in place for ten seconds, regardless of any armour that you are wearing.

REPEL

- The target must move away from the caster at a brisk walk or faster

- The effect lasts 10 seconds or until you have retreated for 20’

Repel represents a magical force that drives you away from the caster. You must move away from them at a brisk walk or faster. The effect lasts for ten seconds or until you have retreated more than for 20' (6m).

VENOM

- The target’s bleed time drops to thirty seconds

- The victim may not use the unstoppable ability

- The effect lasts until cured

- You must assume that the target has taken the effect

A character will normally bleed to death in three minutes if they are reduced to zero body hits. A character who is affected by venom will instead bleed to death in thirty seconds if they are reduced to zero body hits. Characters may not use the unstoppable heroic ability while they are affected by venom, even if they have magical item or ritual that would normally allow them to do so.

The fortitude skill lists how long it takes for a character with the skill to bleed to death when affected by venom.

The victim remains affected by venom until they are cured by the purify spell or a similar potion or magic.

WEAKNESS

- The target may not use any heroic skills, utilize any enchantments, use any mana or activate any magic items

- The effect lasts until cured

- You must assume that the target has taken the effect

Weakness prevents the victim from using any heroic skills heroic skills, enchantments, or mana. Magical items that are "always on" work normally, but you cannot use any magic item that must be activated while under the effect. You may otherwise move and fight normally.

The victim remains affected by weakness until they are cured by the purify spell or a similar potion or magic.

Mass Calls

- MASS is an area effect call that expands the effect of another call to everyone within a 20' cone in front of the caster

Mass calls represent the most potent effects in the game and they are the only calls that can be used at range. It is commonly caused by rituals, though there are powerful unnatural creatures in the world that can cause MASS effects.

MASS is always used with another call immediately. In indicates that the mass call affects everyone in a ninety degree arc in front of the the area up to 20' (6m) away from the caster.

For example, Mass Repel causes everyone within the area of effect to be affected by the Repel call.

Safety Calls

Safety calls are out-of-character calls used to indicate that there is a safety issue that needs to be immediately addressed. Everyone who hears a safety call must immediately stop whatever they are doing and follow the safety call as appropriate.

MAN DOWN

- If you hear this call, you should stop any fighting and kneel down

- You should call MAN DOWN if you see anyone suffer a real injury

- Do not shout this call if you hear someone else shout it

If a participant suffers a real injury then a ref or any other participant who sees in the injury should shout MAN DOWN. This call alerts everyone to the fact that someone is genuinely hurt. You should alert the nearest member of crew, if they are not already aware of the incident.

If you hear MAN DOWN called then you should stop fighting and kneel down. Only the referees in the area should remain standing. This makes it as easy as possible for our first-aid team and crew to identify the situation and act appropriately. You should not shout the call just because you hear someone else shout it. This is to ensure the battle can continue to flow, and the appropriate crew can quickly identify the right location.

Depending on the severity of the injury, referees may keep the area timed out until it’s resolved, or move players away from the incident and resume fighting in the area by shouting TIME IN.

TIME FREEZE

- A ref will make this call if a significant safety problem is developing

- If you hear this call, you should stop any fighting, stop talking and listen for further instructions

If a referee identifies that a situation is becoming unsafe then they will call TIME FREEZE. All participants should stop any fighting and stop roleplaying. The referee will tell you what to do next, so you should remain alert and listen for instructions. You should not shut your eyes or make any noise. The ref will give a quick explanation of the problem and then state what remedial action everyone must take.

For example, if a fight is moving close to a deep ditch the ref may shout TIME FREEZE. A second later when everyone has stopped they will say "The ditch here is unsafe - all participants move 10 paces in that direction."

Once everyone has moved as directed the referee will indicate that the game can resume by shouting TIME IN.

Further Reading

- Combat

- Calls

- Weapons & Armour

- Game Items

- Roleplaying Effects

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Calls&oldid=32610"

Weapons & armour

Contents

- 1 Weapons

- 1.1 One-handed Weapons

- 1.2 Two-handed weapons

- 1.3 Pole-arms

- 1.4 One-handed Spear

- 1.5 Pike

- 2 Implements

- 2.1 Wands

- 2.2 Rods

- 2.3 Staff

- 3 Bows

- 4 Shields

- 5 Armour

- 5.1 Light Armour

- 5.2 Medium Armour

- 5.3 Heavy Armour

- 5.4 Mage Armour

- 6 Further Reading

Weapons

- All weapons must be at least 8” (20 cm) long

- Some categories require you to use a set grip to fight with the weapon

There are five basic weapon categories in Empire. Any character can wield a one‑handed weapon but they must purchase the Weapon Master skill to use a larger weapon. Weapon categories are also important for enchantments and for use with the skills allowing heroic blows.

One-handed spears, pole-arms and pikes require you to use a set grip when fighting with the weapon. These grips are set for a combination of safety and play balance. You don’t have to carry the weapon like this when you are not fighting, but you must use the mandated grip throughout any fight where you use the weapon.

One-handed Weapons

- Must be between 8” long and 42” long

- Can call CLEAVE using a hero point and the Cleaving Strike skill

A one-handed weapon must be up to 42 inches long. If you expend a hero point then any one-handed weapon longer than 24" can be used to call CLEAVE provided you also have the relevant skill.

Flails up to 42” long are included in this category and can be used by any character. Larger flails are covered by the rules for two-handed weapons.

Two-handed weapons

- Must be between 42” long and 60” long

- Can call CLEAVE using a hero point and the Cleaving Strike skill

- Can call SHATTER using a hero point and the Shattering Blow skill

- You must hold the weapon in both hands

A two-handed weapon must be between 42 inches and 60 inches in length. If you expend a hero point then any two-handed weapon can be used to call CLEAVE or SHATTER provided you also have the relevant skill.

The phys-rep for a two-handed weapon can be any suitable phys-rep such as a great sword, dane axe or similar. You must hold the weapon in both hands during combat.

Pole-arms

- Must be between 60” long and 84” long

- Can have a thrust-safe tip

- Can call CLEAVE using a hero point and the Cleaving Strike skill

- Can call STRIKEDOWN using a hero point and the Mighty Strikedown skill

- You must hold the weapon in both hands with at least 18” separating them

A pole-arm must be between 60" and 84" in length. You can always swing a pole-arm at any enemy but you may also thrust with the weapon if it has a thrust safe tip. If you expend a hero point then any pole-arm can be used to call CLEAVE or STRIKEDOWN provided you also have the relevant skill.

The phys-rep for a pole-arm should be any suitable phys-rep for a pole-arm designed for swinging or thrusting at an enemy such as a bardiche, halberd or bill. You must hold the weapon in both hands at all times and keep at least 18 inches separation between your hands during combat.

One-handed Spear

- Must be between 60" long and 84" long

- Must have a thrust-safe tip

- You must only thrust with a one-handed spear, you cannot swing it

- Can call CLEAVE using a hero point and the Cleaving Strike skill

- You must hold the weapon within 6" of the centre of the haft

A one-handed spear must be between 60" long and 84" long. If you expend a hero point then any one-handed weapon can be used to call CLEAVE provided you also have the relevant skill.

The phys-rep for a one-handed spear should be any suitable phys-rep for a spear designed for thrusting at an enemy. You must hold the weapon within 6" of the centre of the haft during combat.

Pike

- Must be between 84” long and 108” long

- Must have a thrust-safe tip

- You must only thrust with a pike, you cannot swing it

- You must hold the weapon in both hands with at least 18” separating them

A pike is any pole-arm between 7 foot and 9 foot in length. It must have a thrust safe tip. You may only thrust using a pike, you may not swing any weapon that is over seven foot in length. A pike is too heavy and cumbersome to be used to make heroic calls.

The phys-rep for a pike should be any suitable phys-rep for a long pole-arm designed for thrusting at an enemy. You must hold the weapon in both hands at all times and have at least 18” separation between your hands during combat.

Implements

- Offensive spells can only be delivered using an implement

- Must be a safe phys-rep of a wand, rod or staff

- Should not look like a weapon

An implement is a magical tool that allows a magician to deliver an offensive spell. All offensive spells require an implement to be used. You cannot use an implement to cast a regular spell such as mend or heal.

All implements must be weapon safe phys-reps. They may appear to be made of any material, and should be decorated and shaped to make it as clear as possible that they are magical implements and not weapons.

Implements come in three broad classifications; wands, rods and staves. Any character with the magician skill can wield a wand or rod effectively, but the Battle Mage skill is needed to wield a staff.

A character can cause a point of damage with an implement, but they cannot be used with the heroic skills cleaving strike, shattering blow or mighty strikedown.

Although any magician may choose to use a wand or rod as an implement, some magical enchantments can only be placed on wands and some can only be placed on rods.

Wands

- Must be between 8” long and 18” long

A wand is 8” to 18” long. Magical wands usually enhance healing incantations such as restore limb or utility incantations such as mend

Rods

- Must be between 18” long and 42” long

A rod is 18” to 42” long. Wielded in one hand, a rod is popular with many magicians who take the battlefield because it can be combined with a shield or with another one-handed weapon (provided the magician possesses the skill to do so). Magical rods most commonly enhance battlefield incantations such as repel or swift heal.

Staff

- Must be between 42” long and 84” long

- You must hold the weapon in both hands

- A staff that is at least 60” long must be held in both hands with at least 18” separating them but can be thrust safe

A staff is 42” to 84” long. It must be wielded in two hands, but greatly extends the magician's reach for delivering implement incantations. Staves are popular with magicians of all backgrounds, but require the Battle Mage skill to use in battle. Magic staves may enhance battlefield incantation or grant benefits to ritual casters.

A staff that is between 60" and 84" in length may have a thrust-safe tip. If it does then you may attack, and deliver spells and incantations by making an appropriately safe thrust to strike your target. You must keep at least 18" separation between your hands when wielding a staff that is 60" or longer.

Bows

- You must have the Marskman skill to use a bow or crossbow

- You must hold the weapon in both hands to shoot

You may use a bow or crossbow. All missile weapons require both hands to shoot, and do IMPALE automatically, with no need to call the effect.

Shields

- Any character can use a buckler up to 15” (40 cm) in diameter

- Characters with the shield skill can use larger shields

- You can push with a shield, but you cannot shield barge another character

Any character can use a buckler, a small shield up to 15 inches in diameter. If you have the shield skill then you can use a larger shield. The maximum dimensions for a shield are based on the shape, listed in the table below.

Shield Type

Max Dimensions

Buckler

15" (40cm) diameter

Round shield

40" (1m) diameter

Tower shield

40" by 24" (1m by 60cm)

Kite/Heater shield

48" by 24" (1.2m by 60cm)

If you are standing still or walking slowly then you may hold a shield out and push with it. You are not allowed to shield barge other characters; you must not run, shield first, into another character for safety reasons.

Armour

- All characters can wear armour

- Armour that covers the torso and another location provides extra global hits

- Some armour protects from CLEAVE or IMPALE

- Magicians cannot cast spells while wearing armour

Armour protects the wearer by increasing their global hits if it covers the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a helm), the arms and the legs, or you may cover half of your arms and legs.

E.g. A mail vest covers your torso but does not cover another location. If you wear it with a helm them it would count. A full-length mail hauberk covers the torso, thighs and upper arms so it would always count.

Medium armour protects a character against CLEAVE, while heavy armour protects them against CLEAVE and IMPALE. You are only protected if the blow strikes the armour phys-rep; if it hits an unprotected part of the body then you are affected normally. Your armour continues to protect you in this way even if the hits it provides have been lost.

Any character can wear armour, but magicians cannot cast spells or perform rituals while wearing armour.

To count as armour, the phys-rep must be a phys-rep of a suit of armour. A leather coat or biker-jacket does not count as armour and is not appropriate costume for the Empire setting. Leather armour may count as light or medium armour depending on the thickness; adding studs or rivets does not make it count as heavy armour.

Armour does not provide separate armour hits, it protects you by increasing your global hits. Armour is not repaired separately. Whenever you are healed back to full hits all lost hits are regained.

Wearing more than one type of armour does not grant any additional hits.

Light Armour

- Padded cloth or thin leather armour (between 1.5mm and 3mm).

- Provides 2 extra hits only.

Any armour made of padded cloth such as a gambeson or light or thin leather such as a thin leather hauberk provides the wearer with 2 additional hits. It does not provide any additional protection against heroic blows.

Any cloth or leather that is less than 1.5mm thick counts as clothing, it does not count as armour at all. Costume made from foam or karrimat does not count as armour.

Medium Armour

- Thick leather or any light weight armour materials, such as polyurethane or aluminium.

- Provides 3 extra hits and protects against CLEAVE.

Thick leather armour (the majority of the armour is more than 3mm thick) or any armour made from a light weight material such as polyurethane (e.g. Norton Armour), aluminium, or mixed neoprene and steel provides the wearer with 3 extra hits. Light mail, such as modern ring mesh (butcher's mail) or mail with an open weave (sometimes called "ring mail"), counts as medium armour.

If the wearer is hit by a CLEAVE heroic blow that strikes a piece of medium armour rather than directly hitting the wearer then the target loses one hit but does not take any additional effects.

Heavy Armour

- Armour made from steel or a similar weight metal

- If there are plates used they must be at least 1mm thick

- Butchers mail and ring mail are not included as heavy armour, regardless of the materials used

- Provides 4 extra hits and protects against CLEAVE and IMPALE

Any armour that is primarily made from steel provides the wearer with 4 extra hits. Other base metals that weigh the same such as brass would also count, but aluminium and titanium armour counts as medium.

If the wearer is hit by a CLEAVE or IMPALE heroic blow, or a PARALYSE call, that strikes a piece of heavy armour rather than directly hitting the wearer then the target loses one hit but does not take any additional effects.

Mage Armour

- You must have the battle mage skill to wear mage armour

- Must cover at least 3 locations including one of the chest, shoulders or waist

- Providers 2 extra hits only

- Does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE calls

Mage armour is a magical talisman that protects you against harm but allows you to cast spells and perform rituals. The talisman is made up of several pieces fitted to the wearer's body to protect them. The parts of the talisman superficially resemble pieces of armour, but armour that is ornate and ceremonial rather than practical. They are often decorated with runes, crystals, gems or other magical accoutrements and it is clear that the armour protects the wearer through magic rather than by physically deflecting blows.

Mage armour provides the wearer with two additional hits. Mage armour does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE. To qualify the talisman must include three of the following items including at least one of the first three items on the list:

- Pauldrons (shoulders)

- Pectorals (upper chest)

- Hero Belt (waist)

- Circlet (head)

- Vambraces (wrists)

- Gorget (neck)

- Greaves (lower legs)

The items must be substantial and cover a significant portion of the area but it is possible to use a single pauldron, greave or vambrace if appropriate for the costume.

You must have the Battle Mage skill to wear and use mage armour. Although mage armour is magical in nature, any character with the battle mage skill is assumed to have access to a suit of mage armour, in the same way a warrior has access to a suit of mundane armour.

Mage armour can be made out of any real world material, provided you try to make as clear as possible that your character is wearing magical protection and not mundane armour.

Further Reading

- Combat

- Calls

- Weapons & Armour

- Game Items

- Roleplaying Effects

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Weapons_%26_armour&oldid=34306"

Magic

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Magicians

- 3 Herbs and Potions

- 4 Artisans

- 5 Priests

- 6 Hearth Magic

Overview

The world of Empire is suffused with magic. Powerful magicians who can harness the powers of magic directly are not common, but every citizen of the Empire is familiar with at least a few pieces of hearth magic lore that they can use to make their life easier. Physicks and apothecaries use herbs infused with power to heal wounds, cure ills and make an array of useful potions while artisans use rare magical materials to produce items of power.

Magicians

Any character who has purchased the magician skill is able to cast some basic spells and dedicated spellcasters are able to learn many more. If you are playing a magician then you will need to read the rules for spellcasting.

Some magicians also learn how to perform rituals. Rituals are much more powerful than spells, but they are far slower to cast and much more expensive. Anyone who has purchase any ritual skills will need to read the rules for performing rituals.

Herbs and Potions

There are five magical herbs in Empire, which a physick can apply to heal wounds and remove a variety of ailments. Apothecaries take a different approach, mixing herbs together to create magical potions that anyone can drink. Anyone who has purchased either skill should read the rules for herbs and potions.

Artisans

Artisans fashion powerful magical items using rare magical materials found in the Empire and beyond. Every artisan knows how to make at least four different magical items; dedicated craftsmen can learn many more. A character must be bonded to a magic item to use it, a mystical ritual which can be performed at events by a magician or by an artisan who can make the item in question. Anyone who has purchased the artisan skill will need to read the rules for making magic items to pick which items they want to make.

Priests

Priests use liao to perform ceremonies which influence and affect the fate of their fellow citizen's souls. Few citizens consider these ceremonies to be magical - and most priests would bristle at the suggestion - but the fact remains that like the artificer and the apothecary, they are using powers unavailable to common folk.

Imperial priests follow the Way, a religion which promotes seven great virtues. Individual priests choose to dedicate themselves to one of these virtues or else extol the benefits of them all. Anyone who has purchased the dedication skill will need to read the rules for priests so that they know how to use their abilities wisely.

Hearth Magic

Hearth magic is the "common" magic of the world, the use of masks to hide identity, a sheaf of corn by a Marcher hearth. An outsider might consider such things nothing but superstition, but in Empire this body lore is true for the most part. Rituals Some of the most powerful magical effects are reliant on hearth magic at their heart.

Most nations have their own hearth magics, representing the lore that is most useful and most well known in those lands.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magic&oldid=34490"

Game items

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Materials

- 3 Liao

- 4 Magical Items

- 5 Coins

- 6 Herbs

- 7 Mana Crystals

- 8 Potions

Overview

There are several different categories of item that your character can acquire in Empire, with different rules for each category. For some items Profound Decisions will provide you with a phys-rep for the item, for some you will need to provide your own phys-reps. In some cases the item will be accompanied by a card or ribbon that denotes its special powers or effects, in other cases the phys-rep alone will suffice. We have summarized all these rules below and included pictures of the phys-reps supplied by Profound Decisions so that your character can recognize them.

Materials

Materials are produced by mines and forests, that are controlled by players. Each player whose character controls one of these resources will receive ingots or measures of the resource at the start of every event they attend.

The phys-reps for these items are provided by Profound Decisions, there are no cards or ribbons provided with them - if your character has possession of the phys-rep then they have possession of the item. Each material comes in three different sizes, the smallest size represents a single ingot or measure of the resource, the next largest represents 3 ingots or measures and the largest size represents five ingots or measures. Each of the phys-reps has a number of objects (swords, sheilds, drops) or an engraved tally-mark to indicate the size of the resource, 1-3.

Liao

Liao is distributed by the Imperial civil service to characters that own a congregation. Each player whose character controls a congregation will receive liao at the start of every event they attend.

The phys-reps for liao is provided by Profound Decisions, there are no cards or ribbons provided with them - if your character has possession of the phys-rep then they have possession of the item. There is a single phys-rep for a dose of liao.

Magical Items

Magical items are created by characters with the artisan skill using rare materials. Each player whose character has the artisan skill will receive at least one magical item at every event they attend. If an artisan hands rare materials into GOD at the end of the event then they can use these resources to create different items.

Magical items are indicated by a ribbon, stamped by Profound Decisions that indicates that the item is visually unusual and has special abilities. You must provide a phys-reps for any magical item that your character owns, and the ribbon should be attached to the item, otherwise you cannot use the item in game and should not carry the ribbon for the item on your person.

If your character has a magical ring, then we suggest that you tie the ribbon around the wrist of the hand with the magic ring.

You can learn more about magical items here.

Coins

Coins are provided by Profound Decisions to every participant playing an Imperial citizen who is attending an event. Each character automatically receives 18 Rings, characters with a farm or business receive substantial additional income.

The phys-reps for coins are provided by Profound Decisions. The coins are denominated as 1 Ring, 5 Rings, 1 Crown, 4 Crowns, 1 Throne, 5 Thrones, 20 Thrones and 100 Thrones. There are 20 Rings to a Crown and 8 Crowns to a Throne.

Herbs

Herbs are harvested by characters with a herb garden personal resource. Each player whose character controls a herb garden will automatically receive at least fourteen herbs at every event they attend.

Herbs are indicated by a small card (85mm x 55mm), printed by Profound Decisions, that indicates the presence of the herb and includes the rules for using the herb. You must provide a phys-reps for any herbs that your character owns, and the cards should be kept with the phys-reps, otherwise you cannot use the herbs in game and should not carry the cards on your person.

An appropriate phys-rep for a herb is a small vial of liquid, or a pile of herbs, leaves or pieces of plant matter. You can also focus on phys-repping a suitable container for the herbs instead if you prefer.

Mana Crystals

Mana crystals are grown by characters with a mana site personal resource. Each player whose character controls a mana site will automatically receive at least seven mana crystals at every event they attend.

Mana crystals are indicated by a small card (85mm x 55mm), printed by Profound Decisions, that indicates the presence of the mana crystal and includes the rules for using it. You must provide a phys-reps for any mana crystals that your character owns, and the cards should be kept with the phys-reps, otherwise you cannot use the crystals in game and should not carry the cards on your person.

An appropriate phys-rep for a mana crystal is a small lump of crystal, such as might be grown in a chemical solution or be found naturally. We are in discussions with Skian_Mhor to see if they will produce suitable phys-reps for sale at the events.

Potions

Potions are mixed from herbs by apothecaries. Each potion requires a specific skill to make it - you can only mix a potion if your character has the skill to do so.

Each potion requires a specific set of ingredients. To mix a potion you must take the right herb cards to GOD. Once there you can exchange them for a laminated potion card. The card has a standard Empire special item card design on the front. On the back is a description of the contents of your potion, what it looks and tastes like, as well as the type of potion (liquid, salve, oil or infusion), which determines how you use it.

Any player who recognizes the potion from its description and taste can recognize the potion and know what it does. Your character does not need to have a skill to identify a potion. It is perfectly acceptable to copy the description of potions from the wiki into a book of lore and to consult this book in play if you wish to do so, but please make an appropriate effort to make the book look as in-character as possible.

Every potion has a tab that sticks out of the lammy marked "Rip on Use". To use a potion you rip open off the tab and use this opening to prize the laminated card open. Inside the card are the roleplaying and mechanical effects of the potion as well as the name of the potion (this is essentially OOC information and should be ignored, it exists so that our GOD crew can identify the right potion when laminating the cards).

You will need to provide your own phys-rep for the potion bottle. Skian Mhor have created a range of resin potion bottles which are available from their website or on sale at events.

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Roleplaying effects

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Supernatural Effects

- 3 Overcoming Roleplaying Effects

- 4 Types of Roleplaying Effects

- 4.1 Area Effects (Auras)

- 4.2 Item Effects

- 4.3 Personal Effects

- 5 Sources

- 5.1 Spiritual

- 5.2 Alchemical

- 5.3 Magical

Overview

Roleplaying effects are a core part of the rule system for Empire and may affect your character at any time. All roleplaying effects, have a number of features in common regardless of their source.

Supernatural Effects

- You may experience supernatural effects that influence your roleplaying

- You decide how your character responds to any roleplaying effects

- You cannot ignore roleplaying effects

You may be the target of a power or ability that includes direction marked “roleplaying effects”. This states an influence on your character’s personality and mood. It is common for religious characters to be able to produce positive effects, for instance the sermon of a priest may infuse your character with a feeling of courage and confidence. Although your character cannot ignore the effects it is up to you choose how your character responds to the feelings they are experiencing.

For example, a priest wishes to encourage you and half a dozen of your friends to risk death to retrieve a rare artefact from a large group of orc raiders. Just before the expedition departs the priest imparts a blessing of Courage to everyone making them feel confident, bold and fearless. You decide that your character responds to their new found courage by leaving the group and instead going to publicly confront the Cardinal of Prosperity for taking bribes.

It is also common to encounter malign auras and influences that will produce negative effects such as feelings of fear or anger. Your character must respond to these effects but it is up to you to determine the manner with which your character responds. In some circumstances you may be able to resist or overcome roleplaying effects - but even then it should be clear that your character has been affected by the roleplaying effects, but has found the strength to overcome them.

Overcoming Roleplaying Effects

- All Imperial player characters are assumed to be brave heros

- Roleplaying effects are supernatural - you need a supernatural source of strength to resist them

When the rules direct that your character is affected by roleplaying effects, the influences that your character is experiencing are fundamentally supernatural in nature. All Imperial PCs are assumed to be bold heroes; the supernatural aura of dread and fear that surrounds a wraith cannot be resisted or overcome simply because your characterisation is that you are uncommonly brave. If you want to resist or overcome these effects then your character must have a source of personal strength that is supernatural in nature.

Four common sources of supernatural strength are:

- Lineage - some lineages are able to respond differently to some roleplaying effects

- Blessings - Imperial priests can create blessings which may give characters the strength to overcome malign auras

- Rituals - a handful of rituals provide the recipient with the option to respond differently to a specific roleplaying effect

- Magic items - you may be bonded to a magical item that changes the way you can respond to roleplaying effects

In these cases, either you lineage should be physically obvious to everyone present (it is acceptable to be concealed, but would be obvious if the concealment were removed), or else you will have a card or ability that indicates what sort of roleplaying effects you can respond to and what options you have.

Types of Roleplaying Effects

There are three different types of roleplaying effect, auras which affect an area or the area near a creature, influences which are linked to items and personal which affects characters.

Area Effects (Auras)

Auras are roleplaying effects that affect any character who enters the area. Auras are indicated with an A5 area effect aura card which will state the nature of the aura and indicate what roleplaying effects it causes. If you are within approximately 15 feet of this card then you experience the effect. If you notice an A5 area effect aura card then you should discreetly move to read the card when the first opportunity to do so without disrupting your roleplaying presents itself and take the effects from then on.

The card will note the strength of the aura for the purposes of replacement or exorcism. On occasion, auras may be applied by a referee with instructions for uncommon or location-specific, effects.

Auras stop at natural boundaries; if a tent that is 5-feet across is under an aura, then the aura does not spill out ten feet to either side. If an aura covers a tent or structure that is larger than 15 feet across then it will have an aura card every 20 feet or so to indicate this.

Some supernatural creatures cause auras in the area around them. If this happens on a battlefield then a referee will shout a brief roleplaying effect to any character who comes near. These auras are permanent - the ref will not keep repeating the roleplaying instructions but the aura does not stop until the monster is slain.

Item Effects

Some magical items, particularly items that have been hallowed, may cause roleplaying affects to any character that is bonded to them. You do not experience the influence simply by carrying or using the item, only if you are bonded to it. The referee will inform you of any item effects that you experience when you bond to an item or when an item you are bonded to is hallowed.

Personal Effects

Your character may be directly affected by a roleplaying effect. This usually happens because your character has been annointed, but some rituals and all potions cause personal roleplaying effects. Personal roleplaying effects affect your character for the stated duration.

When you use a potion, you rip open the potion card to read the roleplaying and mechanical effects which are written inside the card. Personal roleplaying effects from potions last for an hour or for the duration of the potion effect, whichever is longer.

Sources

Roleplaying effects may be spiritual, alchemical, or magical in nature. This has no effect on the rules that determine how your character reacts and responds.

Spiritual

Spiritual roleplaying effects are directly related to the soul. They may be caused by priests of the Way of Virtue, but they can occur naturally and some of the enemies of the Empire create blasphemous or corrupt auras and influences.

Alchemical

All potions have roleplaying effects which you experience when you are affected by the potion.

Magical

Powerful eternals are often surrounded by auras that cause roleplaying effects, and regio and some rituals and magic items are associated with roleplaying effects.

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Skills

- A starting character has 8 points to spend on skills

Combat Skills

Magical Skills

Surgical Skills

Thrown

1

Magician †

2

Chirurgeon †

1

Ambidexterity

1

Extra Mana

1*

Physick

3

Weapon Master

2

[Extra Spell]

1**

Apothecary

2

Marksman

4

Battle Mage

2

[Extra Recipe]

1**

Shield

2

Spring Lore

1*

Endurance

2*

Summer Lore

1*

Religious Skills

Fortitude

1*

Autumn Lore

1*

Dedication †

2

Winter Lore

1*

Anointing

1

Heroic skills

Day Lore

1*

Consecration

1

Hero Points †

1*

Night Lore

1*

Excommunication

1

Cleaving Strike

1

[Extra Ritual]

1**

Exorcism

1

Shattering Blow ‡

1

Hallow

1

Mighty Strikedown ‡

1

Crafting Skills

Insight

1

Second Wind

2

Artisan †

4

Testimony

1

Unstoppable

2

[Extra Item]

1**

Stay With Me

1

Get it Together

1

* You may buy this skill multiple times. The cost increases by 1 point each time.

** You may buy this skill multiple times. The cost is the same each time.

† This skill is a pre-requisite for all other skills in this section. You must buy this skill before buying any of the skills listed in the section below it.

‡ Weapon master is a prerequisite for these two skills.

Spending exp is not mandatory, and any unspent exp is saved. Characters who have not spent any exp can use the Apprentice Ability

Further Reading

- Skills

- Bands

- Resource

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Bands

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Role of Bands

- 3 Joining a Band

- 4 Creating a Band

- 5 Banners

- 6 Covens

- 7 Sects

- 8 Linking Bands Together

Overview

In Empire it is possible for characters to formalize their loyalty to each other by creating a band. Bands draw on the hearth magic of oaths combined with magical bonds created by magicians to allow members to use certain skills, rituals and items more effectively on each other. For instance ritualists who are part of the same coven (a type of band) can combine their skills to perform more powerful rituals.

Bands are intended to build on the characterisation of the group concept that you have created for your characters. They are there to recognize and support the choice to act as part of a Dawnish noble house, a League guild or a Freeborn family. Players creating characters together are encouraged to use the potential abilities of bands to add depth and character to their group concept.

The Role of Bands

We encourage players coming to Empire to attend as part of a band with their friends. Bands can help to add depth and enjoyment to characterization, making all the characters feel more real and be more fun to play. The band can have its own identity and history and gives characters a way to belong to something that is bigger than they are, yet is still something they can create a history and background for. Bands give OOC friends good IC reasons to roleplay together and good groups are great for helping new players get involved in a game.

The brief for every nation in Empire includes several archetypes to help you develop the idea for a band. For instance a noble house in Dawn, or a chapter in Highguard. There are pages for some of these archetypes explaining the part they play in the setting and offering advice on how to create and play one. These concepts have been designed to be fun to play, but the list is not meant to be restrictive. You can create a travelling band of Dawnish troubadours, or a secretive guild of Highborn artisans if you wish to. Working with your friends, you have the same freedom to create a group concept as you do to create your own character.

Joining a Band

- There are three types of band, banners, covens, and sects

- You may join one of each type of band when you create your character

- You can only ever join a band with members of the same nation

- Joining a band in play requires a magician using the create bond spell

There are three types of band: banners, covens and sects. You may join a single banner, a single coven, and a single sect at the same time, but a character can never be a member of two banners at the same time, nor two covens or two sects. If you are creating a new character then you may choose one band of each type to begin play as part of - but you can leave any of the options blank if you prefer. Please ensure that you have the permission of the players who are part of a band before joining.

E.g. The Highborn chapter of Exile's Hold is a banner. The members gain all the benefits of being a banner but any character that joins this group cannot join any other banner. They must break the bond with this banner before joining any other banner.

To join a band in play you must find a magician to perform the create bond spell. You can only be a member of one of each type of band at once. For example, if you are a member of an existing banner, then you cannot join another band that is a banner without first breaking the bonds that join you to your existing banner. You can only join a band with members of the same nation.

Creating a Band

- You must use the website to create a band

- Bands must have a name, an oath and a nationality

- Oaths must be appropriate for the setting

- An oath can never be changed

One player will need to use the website to create a new band, but it must only be done once - other characters then join that band. A band can be secret or public. If the band is public, then the name of the band and the nation it is associated with is public to all players in the game. Players making a character can choose to begin play as part of a public band. If the band is secret, then the name of the band is not visible to any player. New characters must join the band in play, they cannot begin play as part of a secret band.

Bands use the hearth magic of an oath to give them power. For this reason, a band must choose an oath when it is created. The oath is usually reasonably short - because it must be recited by any character who joins the band in play. The player creating the band online should enter the text for the oath when they create the band. The only requirement for the oath is that it is in-character and suitable for the setting, any oath that meets these requirements is fine.

Although an oath is required to create a band, it is not magically enforced - there is no automatic magical consequence for any individual that breaks their oath. It is a matter for the roleplaying of the characters who are members of the band to deal with any character who breaks their oath. Once created, the oath cannot be changed, a new band must be formed if characters wish to change their oath.

You can still create a band on the system, even if the benefits are not relevant for your group concept. By picking one of the three options (banner is usually the easiest, if your group plans to fight together at all) and ignoring the additional rules you can still submit details and background about it, even if it doesn't benefit from being a banner, coven or sect.

Banners

- A banner may benefit from using a magical standard

If your band incorporates the idea of a group of warriors that fight together then you may wish to create a banner to represent this. A banner is named for their ability to use a magical standard, which is a magical item created by an artisan. Magical standards provide a potential benefit to every member of the banner.

Covens

- A coven may combine their skills to perform rituals together

- A coven can perform up to two rituals a day

- A coven may benefit from paraphernalia

Groups that intend to perform rituals together need to create a coven. A coven is a band of oath-sworn magicians who choose to work together to perform powerful rituals that they could not do alone.

Members of a coven can work together to perform a ritual with each participant contributing crystalized mana to a ritual up to the limit of their ability. This allows a coven to perform much more powerful rituals than an individual could achieve alone. A coven may also benefit by being bound to ritual paraphernalia, a powerful magical item created by an artisan.

A coven can only perform up to two rituals each day. A character may perform any number of rituals by themselves and they may include others in the ritual performance. But the power of the coven can only be used to combine magical strengths twice per day. Some magical paraphernalia increase the number of rituals a coven can perform in a single day.

If a character is part of a coven that have already perform a ritual together that day, then they may join another coven but they cannot participate in another ritual conducted by that coven until the next day.

Sects

- When members of a sect co-operate to perform some liao ceremonies the cost is reduced to one liao

- A sect may benefit from using a magical reliquary

If your group concept incorporates the idea of a shared set of beliefs and worship then you may wish to create a sect to represent this. A sect is a band of oath-sworn devotees of the Way who choose to work together to further their common goals.

If members of a sect co-operate to perform a ceremony of anointing, consecration, dedication, excommunication, exorcism, hallowing, or testimony, only one dose of liao needs to be consumed to achieve the result, no matter how many members co-operate. All the other rules for co-operation in ceremonial skills still apply.

For example, if two members of a sect who are both dedicated to Vigilance and both have the anointing skill perform a ceremony together to anoint a target, then they may may produce the same effect as two priests cooperating - but need only consume a single dose of liao.

A magical reliquary provides a benefit to every member of the sect that is bonded to it.

Linking Bands Together

Although a band must be either a banner, coven, or sect; it is common for players to have a background concept that includes characters who are linked in multiple ways. In these situations it is perfectly appropriate to create more than one band whose concept and background is linked.

For example, a group of players intend to play a Marcher Household but some of them want to play monks while the others play yeomen. They create a banner called House Cawford and a sect called Cawford monastery - to represent the large monastery on the Cawford lines. House Cawford players can choose to start as members of either group and join the other group in play.

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Resource

Contents

- 1 Personal Resource

- 2 Campaign Resource

- 3 Changing Resources

- 4 Conquered Territories

- 5 Resources in other Nations

Personal Resource

- Every PC chooses one personal resource at character creation

- You can never have more than one personal resource

Every character chooses one type of personal resource and what territory it is located in when their character is created. Most personal resources automatically produce money or items for the character’s use every event that they attend.

Personal resources have broad generic names that imply a whole category of possible options. Like income, it is up to the player to interpret the precise nature of their personal resource in a way that is appropriate to the setting and their character.

All personal resources can be upgraded to make them more productive or effective. Upgrading a personal resource requires building materials which are held in Imperial Warehouses and can be acquired at the Bourse.

- Business - produces 9 crowns.

- Congregation - produces five doses of liao and provides 10 votes in the Imperial Synod.

- Farm - produces 9 crowns.

- Fleet - can trade with foreigners, to produce items or money, or commit piracy, to steal items or money from foreigners or barbarians.

- Forest - produces ten units of one rare material that are used by an artisan to make magic items.

- Herb garden - produces fourteen herbs for use by a physick or apothecary.

- Mana site - produces seven crystalized mana for use in spellcasting and rituals.

- Military unit - can be used to enhance an Imperial army or to raid barbarian areas to produce money.

- Mine - produces ten units of one rare metal that are used by an artisan to make magic items.

You can never operate more than one personal resource at once. Although a group might hold more than one personal resource, each character can only own and use one personal resource. This represents the time and effort required to manage the resource.

Although Orcs cannot purchase religious skills, they can purchase a congregation. They receive liao and votes in the Synod accordingly. Personal resources can be improved to make them more effective, those resources that produce money or items will produce more when improved.

Campaign Resource

- Any character may be allocated control of a campaign resource

- You may control more than one campaign resource

- You may legally only hold one Imperial title or position

Campaign resources are similar to personal resources, but each one is unique and they can only be acquired in play. Characters do not own campaign resources, they are assigned them as a result of the actions of characters at the event. Some Imperial titles, such as General have a campaign resource associated with them. Although you may control any number of campaign resources at once, the Imperial constitution forbids an individual from holding more than one Imperial title at once.

E.g. The Imperial title of General of the 1st Marcher Army. The character with the position has control of the accompanying army and can determine its actions between events. The Imperial constitution forbids any Imperial citizen from holding two offices simultaneously, so a Marcher Senator would have to resign their position to assume this position.

E.g. The Lord of the Four Winds, an Eternal from the realm of Autumn can choose to give control of the North Wind to a character. This campaign resource is not an Imperial title or position, so it does not affect your ability to control any other campaign resource.

Campaign resources are unique, they may produce money or items or they may present other options for your character between events.

Changing Resources

- It costs 2 crowns for a character to exchange their resource for a new one

If your existing character wishes to change their resource for a new one, either a different resource or the same resource in a different territory, then you can do so by email between events. Your character will be charged 2 crowns to represent the charges they incur in changing their resource.

If you are playing a brand new character and realize you have made a genuine mistake, then we will not charge your character to change their resource. If you do not have the money in your character inventory, it is possible to change the resource by creating a debt for your character which will be automatically deducted from your character's income at following events.

The cost to change resource still applies if you own a military unit or a fleet and wish to change territory. Both these resources include the active service and involvement of a large number of Imperial citizens. These citizens have homes, families and roots in the territory they are based in - and they do not wish to change territory even though you do.

If a character in your group or territory dies leaving an upgraded resource and you wish to take it over in place of your own, this can be requested in the same way with the additional information of the deceased character's CID. You cannot, however, take on the resource of your own deceased character. Disputes arising during time in from such transfers will be handled IC as a Civil Claim (See also Will).

Conquered Territories

For the sake of simplicity, we assume the most advantageous situation reasonable applies to a resource that is in a territory being fought over. So a resource is unaffected if the territory it is based in is partially controlled by barbarians - even if the barbarians control the majority of the regions in that territory such that it is not eligible to return a senator to the Imperial Senate. However if a territory is completely conquered by barbarians with every region controlled by them, then all resources in that territory suffer a 50% production penalty.

For example, the majority of Holberg is controlled by the Druj, but there is no effect on resources here, while the Empire controls one of the regions in the territory - in this case the portion of the fortified city of Holberg that remains under their control. We assume that player resources in Holberg are in the Imperial held region - or at least close enough to enjoy the benefits thereof.

If the last region in Holberg falls to the barbarians then every resource in the territory would suffer a 50% production penalty, we assume that inventive players who are determined to hang on find some way to operate their resources and collect some portion of the wealth. How this is achieve is left to the player to decide for themselves as part of their personal story.

As fleets and military units are mobile, they are not affected by the rules for conquered territories. Fleets and military units based in a conquered territory do not suffer a production penalty.

Resources are used by the Imperial civil service to calculate a citizen's votes in a number of cases, most notably in the Bourse and the Synod. In these cases, the number of votes received is similarly affected.

Resources in other Nations

It a character finds themselves owning a personal resource in another nation than their own, that resources suffers a 33% production penalty while it is under their control. This penalty reflects the natural predisposition of inhabitants of the nations of the Empire to favour trade and interaction with citizens of their nation. It affects all types of resource, including military units and fleets.

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Rules update 2015

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Venom

- 2.1 Reasoning

- 3 Roleplaying effects

- 3.1 Reasoning

- 4 Mage Blood and Heavenly Lore

- 5 The Purge spell

- 6 Battle Magic

- 6.1 Reasoning

- 7 Spontaneous Magic

- 7.1 Reasoning

- 8 Battlefield rituals

- 8.1 Reasoning

- 9 The Dean of the Lyceum and the Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

- 10 Safety Calls

- 11 IC Explanations

- 11.1 A WizardStar Did It

- 12 Further Reading

Overview

Over winter of 2014/2015 we have carried out a review of the rules from the second year of Empire. As a result of that review we are implementing some changes to the published rules. We are in the process of updated the wiki to reflect the changes, but will summarize and explain all changes here so that players can identify the changes easily.

We will try to include a section after each rules update to explain the reasoning behind the change.

Venom

We have changed venom so that it reduces your bleed time to 30 seconds rather than zero. Characters with the fortitude skill will now find their bleed time is increased by ten seconds per level while under the venom condition. Your character card will list your bleed time with and without venom separated by a slash. For example a character with one level of fortitude would see "Bleed time: 4 mins/40 secs"

We are in the process of updating a small number of magical items and rituals to make them compatible with the new rules. They will be listed here as they are updated.

- Abraxus Stone

- Bloodfire Periapt

- Curse of Gangrenous Flesh

- Healer's Harness

- Pallid Flesh of the Dead King

- Vitality of Rushing Water

- Warcaster's Oath

Reasoning

Under the previous rules, venom was such a potent call that it was difficult for us to use the call more than sporadically. This conflicted with elements of the campaign since both Druj and Vallorn make extensive use of poisons. A call that is highly lethal but extraordinarily uncommon is also not good rules design. Since characters will rarely encounter it, player knowledge of how it works tends to be limited and it is hard to play balance items and rituals that help to mitigate the effects.

The aim of the rules change for venom is to allow the call to be used more commonly on battles and skirmishes without simply wiping out large numbers of characters. The goal is to ensure that venom remains a dangerous and scary call - but is one that players can protect themselves against through good fighters, good healers, and good military organization.

Fortitude is a relatively uncommon skill perhaps because it is not well valued by players, so the new rules change allows us to make fortitude slightly stronger by allowing it to effect venom. The unstoppable heroic skill is very common, reflecting the fact that it is very popular with players, so we did not see any reason to change the fact that unstoppable cannot be used while under the venom condition.

A few players had expressed concerns that "Venom-Impale" was the call of choice for all assassins working in pairs and represented something of an exploit that went against the spirit of the game. While we didn't agree with that judgement particularly, we aren't unhappy that the new rules make this particular combination significantly less potent as an assassination tool - it will mean that assassination remains difficult and dangerous, a last resort rather than a first option and that assassins will have more choices to consider when planning a carefully executed hit rather than a single optimal strategy.

Roleplaying effects

We have changed the rules for roleplaying effects to remove the option to resist roleplaying effects based on your characterisation being unique to the circumstances. It is now only possible to resist roleplaying effects if your character has some effective defense, such as hero points or magical or spiritual protection.

Reasoning

There are many ways to resist roleplaying effects and having an additional option that was purely subjective and judgement base only served to further reduce the number of people being affected. The new rules are simpler, clearer and easier to follow and underline the fact that roleplaying effects are significant and affect everybody unless they have appropriate protection or spend a hero point.

Mage Blood and Heavenly Lore

These two potions have been improved, so that they provide more mana back to the magician who consumes them. This is part of the changes implemented to improve battle magic.

The Purge spell

A new incantation has been added to the Imperial lexicon - the purge spell is an offensive spell that immediately removes the VENOM, WEAKNESS, ENTANGLE and PARALYSE conditions from the target. It is an improvement of the purify spell, and possesses even more utility, but costs 2 personal mana to cast.

Battle Magic

- Offensive spells no longer suffer sympathy

- Offensive spells no longer take five seconds to cast

- Offensive spellcasting cannot be interrupted

- Mana is not expended if the spell clearly does not work

- Paralysis no longer affects a target if it strikes heavy armour

The three spells Venom, Weakness, and Paralysis used to also affect the spellcaster at the same time that they affected the target. This sympathetic backlash has been removed from these spells, so casters no longer suffer these affects themselves by casting these spells. The power of the paralysis call has been reduced to mitigate its very significant improvement as a spell.

In addition offensive spells have been made quicker and easier to cast. They now require only a few words of appropriate roleplaying which can be uttered as you deliver an arcane strike with your implement. Regular spells have been updated so that you need to be close enough to touch the target, but do not need to touch them.

In either cast the mana is not longer lost if the caster is hit while attempting to perform it or if the target clearly fails to take the effect.

Reasoning

The original game design deliberately set out to make warriors more powerful than wizards on the battlefield in combat. This was a play balance decision based off the fact that we wanted battles to be primarily military endeavours and one where warriors could shine. While the rules achieved that aim, it is clear after two years that battle magic was so weak that it was proving largely ineffectual. It was simply unable to compete with heroic abilities and was largely being ignored in favour of other options.

The new rules will continue to give warriors the edge in a one-on-one fight, but a skilled battle mage should now be a dangerous opponent and a useful ally in any fight.

Spontaneous Magic

- Spontaneous magic now takes several hours to prepare

- There will be set times for obtain a senior referee to prepare an effect'

- Preparing to cast a spontaneous magic effect now costs 1 mana crystal

- It is no longer possible to request a spontaneous magic costing by email

All spontaneous magic will now take several hours to prepare. As before, you can prepare a spontaneous effect by speaking to a senior referee in GOD, but they will only be available at set times and you will have to wait until the next time to get the response to your spontaneous effect. It will cost one mana crystal for each spontaneous magic effect that you want prepared and costed.

Reasoning

Although casting a ritual in Empire is expensive, asking for a spontaneous costing was free. This meant that players were placing demand on our senior referees that we simply could not support with emails requesting dozens or scores of separate costings. In the overwhelming majority of cases these rituals were never being cast - players were using the fact the system was free to explore the magic system and find out what was possible.

While we want players to explore the realms of magical possibilities in Empire, we want them to do so by creating spontaneous magic effects, not simply by asking to have them costed. In particular we hope that the new approach will significantly curtail the current practice of asking for costs for dozens of different variations of an effect, something that massively increased the time required to respond to the query.

We have removed the option to email in between events to obtain ritual costings. This places a very heavy burden on our referees when they are trying to prepare for the next event and is administratively difficult to handle the cost in mana. Henceforth, obtaining the cost for a spontaneous effect is something you will need to do at an event.

Battlefield rituals

- We have removed the ability to do battlefield enchantments

We have reduced the number of battlefield rituals that it is possible to perform by removing ongoing enchantments from the list.

Reasoning

The administrative burden for processing an enchantment is significant, not least because it strips off any existing enchantment from the target. The need to get the identity of the target exactly right made battlefield enchantments without a referee problematic. The new list focuses clearly on those rituals which have an instantaneous battlefield effect.

We will continue to endeavour to recruit and train more refs for quests, skirmishes and battles. If you are certain that you intend to perform a formulaic ritual on the battlefield that isn't a battlefield ritual, then try to speak to a ref before the battle if at all possible.

The Dean of the Lyceum and the Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

The powers of the Dean of the Lyceum and the Provost of the Halls of Knowledge have been adjusted to bring them into line with our new rules on Spontaneous magic, and their ability to create ritual texts has been tweaked. Both positions have gained the ability to arrange a arcane projection via e-mail during downtime, but they can now only formulate a ritual that already exists as an arcane projection.

Safety Calls

- We have added a TIME FREEZE call to the list of safety calls

- We have clarified the MAN DOWN call

We have updated the rules and brought all the calls together on a single page. As part of this we have clarified the man down call to make clear how players should respond and added a time freeze call.

The time freeze call is intended to allow referees to OOC control a fight for safety reasons. As such, in Empire, we would ask players to keep their eyes open and be as quiet as possible, to get safety direction from the referee, so that they can restart the fight safely.

IC Explanations

A WizardStar Did It

At the last event there was an enormously powerful grand conjunction. Such events are exceptionally rare, and they can foreshadow enduring changes that last for centuries or more. Now that the conjunction has passed, Imperial magicians are discovering that some of the fundamental laws of magic have subtly altered. Spontaneous magic has become more difficult, requiring time and precious crystal mana to be expended to prepare it. Conversely spellcasting, particularly offensive spells have become much easier to cast. Magicians have even been able to create a "swift" version of purify, something that was previously impossible.

Such grand conjunctions are rare, we don't anticipate making further changes to magic, but minor changes to minor rules to do with magic may take place later as the effects of the conjunction ripple on. Obviously we have made these changes for reason of out-of-character game balance - they are done to improve the game for everybody; this isn't some kind of actual plot you can interact with - but the justification is provided so that characters that exist in the game world have a framework with which to describe the changes and the causes of them in in-character language if they wish to do so.

Further Reading

- Rules update 2015

- Rules update 2014

- Rules update 2013

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Frequently Asked Questions

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 1.1 Obscure Questions

- 1.2 Questions about lineage and orcs

- 1.3 Questions about nations

- 1.4 Questions about the Setting

- 1.5 Questions by New Players

- 2 Rules

- 2.1 Why have I only got 1xp after two events?

- 2.2 Can I use recorded music in my IC tent?

- 2.3 What are the restrictions on bows and crossbows?

- 2.4 Do I have to spend all 8 character points?

- 2.5 Does the CLEAVE have to hit armour to be stopped?

- 2.6 Can I use steel armour that doesn't cover my torso?

- 2.7 Can I wear mail under my costume?

- 2.8 What happens to my hits when I swap armour?

- 2.9 Can I use a one-handed spear as a pole-arm?

- 2.10 Can my magician wear pieces of armour?

- 2.11 Can I use a wand to cast heal?

- 2.12 Can I master a new ritual I just performed?

- 2.13 Can you be fed a potion if you are dying?

- 2.14 Can I use Stay With Me or Get It Together at range?

- 3 Costume

- 3.1 Can I use a modern tent as an IC tent if I dress it?

- 4 Game Style

- 4.1 Do I have to volunteer to monster?

- 4.2 Can I monster the battle without playing an orc?

- 4.3 Can I get a friend to monster for me?

- 4.4 How should parents handle monstering?

- 4.5 How do battles work?

- 4.6 How dangerous will the main field be?

- 4.7 Is PvP murder allowed?

- 5 Downtime

- 5.1 Can I send resources or coins by post?

- 5.2 When do I get the benefit of my upgrade?

- 5.3 Can I make a two month item at the end of downtime?

- 5.4 What should I do if my ritual isn't listed in my downtime?

- 5.5 Can I submit a free-text downtime?

- 5.6 What happens if I don't make an event?

- 5.7 Can I purchase a downtime ticket?

- 5.8 When does the magic item duration end?

- 6 Booking

- 6.1 Why does my bank payment take days to appear?

- 6.2 What is the requirement for concessions?

- 6.3 Can I use a recruitment booking code for Empire?

- 6.4 How do I book my child on to the event?

Introduction

The following is a list of frequently asked questions that players have sent us. If you have any queries about Empire then it is worth checking the FAQs first, to see if the answer to your question is here. Otherwise email us at empire.rules@profounddecisions.co.uk with any questions about the rules or empire@profounddecisions.co.uk with any other questions about the game. We'll answer as quickly as we can and we'll add your question to our FAQ if we think it is likely to be of interest to other players.

Obscure Questions

In addition to this list of frequently asked questions there is a list of obscure questions people have asked to which we have provided answers. They are included for completeness and for reference purposes and searches.

Questions about lineage and orcs

Questions about lineage and orcs are now maintained on their own lineage and species FAQ.

Questions about nations

Questions about nations are now maintained on their own Nations FAQ.

Questions about the Setting

Questions about the world the game is set in are now maintained on their own Setting FAQ.

Questions by New Players

An FAQ with questions frequently asked by players who are new to live roleplaying.

Rules

Why have I only got 1xp after two events?

If you attend one or two events in a year - then you get one xp in total after the first event.

If you attend three or four events in a single year - then you get two xp in total - one after the first event and one after the third event.

Can I use recorded music in my IC tent?

We have asked all players not to use background music playing from an electronic source in the IC area. Using music like this remains a controversial issue, some attendees like it - but some don't. In Empire we have worked as hard as possible to encourage the presence of IC musicians at events - and we want to continue that by encouraging players to hire IC performers if they want IC music in their establishments.

What are the restrictions on bows and crossbows?

All bows must have a maximum draw weight of 30 lb at 28" (72 cm). All crossbows must have a maximum draw weight of 30 lb. We do not use bow competency tests at Profound Decisions events. You cannot parry or catch arrows that are fired at your character.

Bows and crossbows must be wielded in two hands. Pistol crossbows and wrist-mounted crossbows cannot be used in Empire.

Do I have to spend all 8 character points?

You do not have to spend all eight character points when making your character. Unspent points are saved and can be spent on that character later. However you cannot spend those points on a different character in the future. Only unspent points that have been earned by attending events can be spent on a new character.

Does the CLEAVE have to hit armour to be stopped?

Yes. The armour you are wearing on your torso and body provides additional global hits. But to protect you against a CLEAVE or IMPALE, the physical blow must strike an actual piece of armour. If it hits a part of your body (other than your head or neck) which is not protected by armour then you take the full affect of the heroic blow. If the blow strikes the actual armour itself and the armour protects against that blow then you just lose one hit.

Can I use steel armour that doesn't cover my torso?

To gain the benefit of increased hits, your armour must cover your torso and one other location, either your head, legs, arms or half your arms and legs. But you still gain the protection provided by the individual piece of armour, appropriate for its type, if it is struck.

E.g. I am wearing a soft leather vest and helm which counts as light armour and provides me with two extra hits. In addition I am wearing steel vambraces and a hardened leather hero belt. If a CLEAVE or IMPALE strikes my steel vambraces then I just lose one global hit. If a CLEAVE strikes my thick leather hero belt then I just lose one global hit. If the blows strike me anywhere else, then I am affected normally.

Can I wear mail under my costume?

Yes, you can wear armour under costume, or even other armour. Your armour does not have to be visible. If you wear a steel vest of mail under your costume or other armour then it would protect against IMPALE or CLEAVE as normal.

What happens to my hits when I swap armour?

If you are wearing armour and you have lost any global hits, then you drop to one hit when you remove your armour. If you have lost any hits when you put a suit of armour on, then you do not gain any hits by donning a suit of armour, until you are healed.

In theory it would be possible to use fractions to calculate how many hits you have, in practice this is needlessly complicated for a situation that will almost never arise (people removing armour while wounded and in danger). The rules above are as simple as they can be and ensure that there is never any advantage to swapping one set of armour for another.

Can I use a one-handed spear as a pole-arm?

A one-handed spear can be used as a two-handed pole-arm. You can't use a two-handed bill or a halberd or the like as a one-handed spear - because it isn't a spear.

Can my magician wear pieces of armour?

A character cannot cast spells while wearing any piece of regular armour. A magician with the battle mage skill may wear mage armour which provides two additional global his but does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE.

You may not cast spells while wearing pieces of armour, such as greaves or vambraces. You cannot wear anything that would protect against a CLEAVE or IMPALE and cast spells at the same time. You can wear costume or mage armour that includes some metal if it is part of your costume but it is better to avoid it looking like armour and it does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE. If you wish to wear a helm for safety reasons then you may do so.

Can I use a wand to cast heal?

You cannot use implements to change the stated rules for casting a regular spell like heal. This means that the regular rules apply, the spell requires you to touch the target for ten seconds while casting the spell and neither you nor the target attack or be attacked during that time. You can use a wand or other implement as part of your roleplay. The various magical wands, rods and other items that exist are intended to be used as aides to roleplay when casting these spells.

Can I master a new ritual I just performed?

It's not possible to master a ritual by casting it. A ritualist can attempt to cast any ritual effect at an event - effectively working without having mastered the spell. If the ritual is part of the Imperial Lore (it is on the wiki) then it is easier to do that. But successfully casting the ritual does not make the ritual part of the Imperial lore - that takes a major effort and only certain characters can achieve it (the Dean of the Lyceum of the Imperial Conclave or the Urizen Provost of the Halls of Knowledge).

Once a ritual has been added to the Imperial lore (put on the wiki) anyone can spend xp to master it.

It is possible to master a ritual that is not part of Imperial Lore - but doing so requires access to a special item called a ritual text that contains the details of how the ritual is performed. It is not possible for a character to simply teach a ritual that is not part of Imperial Lore to another character.

Can you be fed a potion if you are dying?

Yes. You cannot drink a potion yourself if you are dying on zero hits, but you can have one fed to you.

Can I use Stay With Me or Get It Together at range?

No. These are personal skills and require close, personal roleplaying. You must be close enough to touch the target to use these skills - shouting across the battlefield is not sufficient.

Costume

Can I use a modern tent as an IC tent if I dress it?

Modern tents made of obviously plastic materials like nylon cannot be used in the IC area at Empire, even if you have tent dressing for them. This means that dome tents and party tents cannot be used in the IC area as well as other similar tents. The reason we don't make an exception for tent dressing is that it changes the decision from one that is reasonably straightforward (is that a modern looking tent) to one that is utterly subjective (have you dressed it enough). All attendees on arrival are always adamant that they will fully dress a modern tent but the results vary dramatically. The issue devolves into an argument about how much dressing is required and what the minimum standards are.

In effect what we are doing is asking everybody who doesn't have an IC tent to make a sacrifice and do without an IC tent. There will be hundreds of IC tents on the field and your character will be able to use many of them. The OOC camp site will be nearby and you can sleep there and store vital supplies there. By excluding modern tents from the field we will achieve a much higher standard of IC immersion through the IC area, so everybody gains, but it does mean that folks without IC tents have to make that sacrifice so everybody can have that gain.

Game Style

Do I have to volunteer to monster?

The Empire events run by Profound Decisions will feature one or more large battles, involving hundreds of participants. We have ordered four hundred orc masks and are in the process of ordering four hundred sets of orc armour. We can't possibly operate with that many crew, so to ensure that there is an epic horde to fight against we will need volunteers.

Volunteering will only be required if you plan to fight as your character in the battles. If you don't wish to take the field as your character, then there is no requirement to monster any of the battles. If you do wish to fight in the big battles then you will be required to volunteer to monster every other battle. There will be two battles at each of the first two events to ensure everyone has a chance to play one battle and monster one battle at each event.

We are confident that we can make monstering every bit as fun as playing. We need volunteers to fill out the barbarian hordes to make the battles as epic as possible, but our intention is that the majority of players find crewing one of the battles to be nearly as enjoyable as playing them. We are deliberately designing our barbarian foes to make them fun roles to portray.

There will also be skirmishes and other fights with the barbarians and other threats the Empire faces. We are aiming to have enough crew to operate these smaller battles ourselves, so volunteers are welcome but are not required.

Can I monster the battle without playing an orc?

Initially, most of the hostile enemies the Empire faces will be orcs. We have ordered four hundred masks for these which use latex prosthetics applied to a thin fabric balaclava making them relatively comfortable and pleasant to wear.

If someone can't play an orc, because they have a latex allergy or are non-combatant, then there will be other opportunities to help with the battle, but they are likely to be less fun. They may be human captives, sacrifices, or it may involve simply helping carry water for the battle. Provided you volunteer to help for one of the battles then you are welcome to the other, but if you can't play an orc then we cannot guarantee that what you'll be doing will be as much fun as the orcs are having.

Can I get a friend to monster for me?

People who play non-combatants will be welcome to monster both battles if they wish to. However you can't play two battles just because your friend is monstering two, the onus is on the individual - if you want to fight in an epic battle, you have to personally play your part in helping those epic battles happen, quid pro quo.

How should parents handle monstering?

It's important that young children are supervised throughout the event, so two parents or carers who are attending an event together can share monstering responsibilities if they wish to. This exception to the normal rule about sharing responsibilities takes account of their other responsibilities. This means that one of them can play one battle and one monster the other battle at the same event if they wish to. We encourage them to swap over between events, but of course this is up to them.

How do battles work?

How will battles work? (I paraphrase) Battles at events will form part of a wider campaign against the barbarian enemies of the Empire. Players will have opportunities to make pivotal interventions to turn the tide of war in their favour - provided they can triumph. Battles will feature objectives for the Imperial forces to achieve rather than being "meat-grinders"; achieving those objectives will improve the position of the much larger Imperial armies in the field. Things may be kept simple at early events to allow everyone to get the hang of the system but ultimately the intention is for those players playing Imperial Generals to decide where the Imperial armies are sent and to choose which battles to send the PCs to fight from the scenarios presented to them by their civil servants.

How dangerous will the main field be?

We are not planning to run camp attacks on the main field - the goal is to try and create the feel of a buzzing settlement right at the very heart of the Empire - a place of relative security. Our NPC magistrates will work to ensure the law is kept and the enemy is very far away. We want the field to feel like a place of relative safety, a place where characters can feel free to walk around without weapons or armour if they choose.

The idea is to contrast this with the very real danger that is present whenever the players leave the main field. Those characters that use magic to teleport to the Imperial battlefields will find themselves facing very real and very deadly threats. For the overwhelming majority of the time, players will know when they are heading into danger and those players who wish to avoid combat should find this easy provided they remain with the safety of the settlement.

Is PvP murder allowed?

We are quite explicitly setting out to make assassination as difficult to achieve as possible. The Empire has a legal system, run by NPCs, and it will make all possible effort to identify and execute assassins. Our intention is for the majority of conflict between players to be political and social in nature rather than combat based.

Assassination of characters is still acceptable out-of-character behaviour; what we are doing with the campaign is deliberately making that as difficult as possible for the assassins to get away with, so that it becomes a tool of last resort rather than the simplest way to deal with political enemies.

Downtime

Can I send resources or coins by post?

You can hand in coins or resources to your account for use in downtime at the end of every event, but if you forget then you can post them to our head office address. Please make sure you include your name, character name and CID as well as a list of what resources you are posting. Please appreciate that it always takes a few days for parcels to reach us.

When do I get the benefit of my upgrade?

If you upgrade or diversify a resource then you receive the new production straight away. The system does not show the changes in production (yet), but you will receive the updated production when your downtime is processed.

Can I make a two month item at the end of downtime?

Yes, if you select an item that takes two months as the last item you make in downtime then you will automatically complete this item as your first selection for your next downtime (this cannot be changed).

What should I do if my ritual isn't listed in my downtime?

If you had a ritual performed at the previous event that is not listed in your downtime then please email us with as much details about the ritual as you can remember e.g. when the ritual was completed, who performed it, who was present, etc. Most rituals do not provide additional downtime choices - they only change the production you get for your resource, so you should submit your downtime as normal. We will have your downtime shown correctly by the event.

Can I submit a free-text downtime?

No. The downtime system for Empire is very deliberately designed to be tightly defined in terms of using your characters assets and time to give them some valuable goods to take to the next event. This is the only thing that the downtime system can be used to do - to ensure that the focus remains clearly on the events themselves. There is no provision for submitting individual free text downtimes - the time for doing unique and interesting stuff is at the event.

What happens if I don't make an event?

When you attend an event your resource will produce materials in the following downtime. If you don't attend the next event then any money or resources gained are added to your character inventory - you receive them at the next event you do attend.

You only get resources and downtime following an event that you have attended. When you miss an event then you don't receive any resources (or the ability to craft items) in the downtime that follows that event.

Can I purchase a downtime ticket?

No. There is no option to purchase downtime only tickets for Empire.

When does the magic item duration end?

The year duration for magic items begins at the next event that your character attends following the downtime that you make the item. The item is valid for that event and the three events that follow it.

Booking

Why does my bank payment take days to appear?

Regrettably, Barclays Bank will not allow us access to their computer systems to integrate our payment system with theirs. This means that we cannot fully automate your payment, we are forced to download the payment data from Barclays by hand. Therefore, once a day we download all new payments. These are then imported into our software and processed automatically using the unique reference code for each player's account.

Unfortunately the data supplied by Barclay's is incomplete, which makes it impossible for us to distinguish between payments on the day they are received. This means we can only process payments for a day once we can be certain that Barclays will not add new payments for that day. Worse, Barclays have written their own software to conceal the true date of any payment received on Friday, Saturday and Sunday so that it appears as if the payment was received on the following Monday, presumably so that their computers can take the weekend off. As a result we can't process any payments sent on Friday, Saturday or Sunday until the following Tuesday at the earliest.

This means it can take up to a week or longer for your payment to appear on your account. Please be patient - it will turn up! We take several thousand payments this way every year, and the number of problems is in single figures and are always quickly resolved. But it does take time - bear with us and your payment will appear on your account as soon as we can process it. Your booking will always be honoured based on the day you sent your payment, not the date we process it.

What is the requirement for concessions?

Anyone who is a full time student, a full time member of the armed services, or in receipt of unemployment benefits such as job-seekers allowance or is a pensioner is eligible for the concession on the ticket price. You only have to be eligible at the point where you provide the proof of your eligibility, so students or can claim the discount for the year even if their course ends in the Summer.

You must provide proof of your eligibility. The best way to do this is to email proof to us at admin@profounddecisions.co.uk after you have booked. We can then mark your entire booking as having the concession confirmed. If you don't do this then you will be forced to bring proof to the event and then queue up in a long queue at GOD before you can play. Please don't do this, it's bad for you and bad for us! Email us a scan of your proof and we will log it to your account.

Can I use a recruitment booking code for Empire?

The promotional discounts for new players are valid at all Empire and Odyssey events.

How do I book my child on to the event?

The website has now been updated to allow players of all ages to book on to the event. Anyone who is attending the event must have their own account, regardless of age. Once you have created an account and entered your birth date then the ticket prices will be updated to reflect your age and booking options.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Frequently_Asked_Questions&oldid=34873"

18 Rings

Words and tune by Claire Sheridan. tune

Comical song, in the style of popular tavern songs, by Nicassia of Phoenix Reach.

18 rings, 18 rings, All I've got of all I had Is 18 rings.

Oh when I ran a business, I ate and drank full well, But that was all in Mournwold Now there’s nothing left to sell. (Chorus)

I used to harvest Weirwood, And hoped to gain much wealth, But that got sacked by Jotun Which was not good for my health. (Chorus)

Oh then I had a navy, I’d trade goods by the score, But they were sacked by Grendel So I don’t trade anymore. (Chorus)

I used to harvest mana Which sparkled in the night, But nothing could restore them Once they’d perished in a blight. (Chorus)

Oh once I ran a unit, They brought my much to trade, But then they went to Skarsind- (Here raise a toast to the fallen) (Chorus)

Oh once I had a sinecure And promised not to shirk But now the Civil Service say They’ve lost my paperwork (Chorus)

I tried my hand at preaching, And dabbled with liao, But both were taken by Thule thugs - They’re no use to me now. (Chorus)

High upon a mountain I grew herbs by the ton, But the snow that came in winter Went and shrivelled every one. (Chorus)

So underground I headed To mine for metals rare, Since bandits hit my caravan I’ve nothing left to spare. (Chorus and so on)

Infinitely open to reinterpretation and updating with current events.

Edit the categories appropriately. This is important.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=18_Rings&oldid=33304"

376YE Winter Solstice Conclave declarations

Contents

- 1 Conclave Titles

- 1.1 Other Titles

- 2 Declarations

- 3 Gambits

Conclave Titles

Realm

Archmage

Order

Grandmaster

Winter

Savik Summerstorm

Celestial Arch

Sejanus Shatterspire

Spring

Kallendar Stormcrow

Golden Pyramid

William Bolholt

Summer

Corvus Auric Horizon

Rod and Shield

Meir Pathfinder

Autumn

Maurice de Gauvain

Sevenfold Path

Jessica Suns of Couros

Day

Callisius Quicksilver

Shuttered Lantern

Wyrda Bjornadottir

Night

Baba Ana

Unfettered Mind

Alexei

Other Titles

Warmage

Septima Shatterspire

Declarations

- No declarations recorded

Gambits

- No gambits recorded

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=376YE_Winter_Solstice_Conclave_declarations&oldid=35609"

376YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senators

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 4 Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Further Reading

Overview

Following the death of the Empress Britta and many other Imperial officers, a state of emergency was called. Many Imperial titles were re-appointed during the Winter summit.

Senators

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Raul

- Senator for Kahraman: Salur

- Senator for Madruga: Zeref i Ezmara i Erigo (later proxied by Yalda i Ezmara i Erigo)

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Marek

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Simiel of the Shattered Tower

- Senator for Casinea: Cyrus of Felix's Watch

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Miroslav

- Senator for Tassato: Arsenio Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Oksana Kazaku von Temeschwar

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Richard of Bourholt

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Talbot

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Cei Windstrider

- Senator for Miaren: Bledri Eternal

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Ioseph

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Hector Cascade

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Yelislaveta Syrnova Vlanich

- Senator for Volodmartz: Maxim

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Yasmina i Ezmara i Erigo of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Deigo i Guerra of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Eryk Rykker of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Klor of the Winter Sun

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Bjorn of the The Drakes

- General Edwin de Warrene of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Cerunnos of the Black Thorns

- General Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Decius Cascade of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Zakhar Dragovin Vassillich, called the grim of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Merrick of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Bishop Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League was appointed Cardinal of Ambition

- Silent John of the Marches was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Ambition Assembly

Courage

- Beorn Y’Basden of the Navarr was appointed Cardinal of Courage

- Asher of Highguard was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Courage Assembly

Loyalty

- Bishop Julius Cavita of the League was appointed Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan Young of the Marches was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

Pride

- Friar Langdon Tor of the Marches was appointed Cardinal of Pride

- Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Bishop Alexandru Vintla of the League was appointed Cardinal of Prosperity

- Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast was appointed as the Gatekeepe of the Prosperity Assembly

Vigilance

- Sirka Parakgoosier Bashnya of Varushka was appointed Cardinal of Vigilance

- Abraham of Highguard was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Vigilance Assembly

Wisdom

- Guide Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr was appointed Cardinal of Wisdom

- Starac of Varushka was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Wisdom Assembly

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanetti of the League was appointed Cardinal of The Way

- Gralka, an Imperial Orc, was appointed as the Conscience of the Senate

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Callisius Quicksilver declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

These Grandmasters will serve with these voting strengths until re-election at the beginning of the Spring Equinox, 377YE.

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus with a voting strength of 36

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid William Bolholt of The Marches with a voting strength of 76

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr with a voting strength of 42

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard with a voting strength of 41

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Wyrda Bjornadottir of Wintermark with a voting strength of 63

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka with a voting strength of 46

The Imperial Bourse

These seats are usually auctioned at various points throughout the year. Due to concerns of economic stability in a time of Imperial crisis, the seats gained at the Winter Equinox 376 will run until the Winter Equinox 377 and then the normal process of re-election will begin again.

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Francisco Alesthos Sangiene Relia de'Tessato Mestra (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (101 Crowns)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Thomas Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Vittorio, Butcher's Guild of the League (104 crowns)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Aedred ap Magor Renwaerd (70 crowns)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Tobias Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Horsa Tysalt (70 crowns)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon Landridge (?) (55 crowns)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Nicolai Tarrnhausen (104 crowns)

- The Night Quarry is held by Rudviso Garnossa (64 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo deTassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Sandoval Meichteri Relia van Temekhlvan (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio De'Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by John Marsh (61 crowns & 2 rings)

- The Brilliant Shore is held by the Thule and will not be auctioned until Skarsind is once again an Imperial territory.

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tamasz Stracovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Bohdan Ivanovich Bashry

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Valerion of Phoenix Reach

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Vigilant Swan (Highguard) is held by Obediah of Cantiarch’s Hold

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Lorenzo la Vulpe

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Nicolo Barrossa DeTassato

- The Steel Fist is appointed during the Spring Equinox

- The Broken Shore Bounty is appointed during the Spring Equinox

- The Stonefield Ice Caves is appointed during the Spring Equinox

Further Reading

- 376YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 376YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

- Titles by event

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376YE Winter Solstice Imperial Titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senators

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 4 Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Further Reading

Overview

Following the death of the Empress Britta and many other Imperial officers, a state of emergency was called. Many Imperial titles were re-appointed during the Winter summit.

Senators

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Raul

- Senator for Kahraman: Salur

- Senator for Madruga: Zeref i Ezmara i Erigo (later proxied by Yalda i Ezmara i Erigo)

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Marek

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Simiel of the Shattered Tower

- Senator for Casinea: Cyrus of Felix's Watch

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Miroslav

- Senator for Tassato: Arsenio Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Oksana Kazaku von Temeschwar

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Richard of Bourholt

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Talbot

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Cei Windstrider

- Senator for Miaren: Bledri Eternal

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Ioseph

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Hector Cascade

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Konstantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Yelislaveta Syrnova Vlanich

- Senator for Volodmartz: Maxim

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Yasmina i Ezmara i Erigo of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Deigo i Guerra of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Eryk Rykker of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Klor of the Winter Sun

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Bjorn of the The Drakes

- General Edwin de Warrene of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Cerunnos of the Black Thorns

- General Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Decius Cascade of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Zakhar Dragovin Vassillich, called the grim of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Merrick of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Bishop Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League was appointed Cardinal of Ambition

- Silent John of the Marches was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Ambition Assembly

Courage

- Beorn Y’Basden of the Navarr was appointed Cardinal of Courage

- Asher of Highguard was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Courage Assembly

Loyalty

- Bishop Julius Cavita of the League was appointed Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan Young of the Marches was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

Pride

- Friar Langdon Tor of the Marches was appointed Cardinal of Pride

- Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Bishop Alexandru Vintla of the League was appointed Cardinal of Prosperity

- Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast was appointed as the Gatekeepe of the Prosperity Assembly

Vigilance

- Sirka Parakgoosier Bashnya of Varushka was appointed Cardinal of Vigilance

- Abraham of Highguard was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Vigilance Assembly

Wisdom

- Guide Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr was appointed Cardinal of Wisdom

- Starac of Varushka was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Wisdom Assembly

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanetti of the League was appointed Cardinal of The Way

- Gralka, an Imperial Orc, was appointed as the Conscience of the Senate

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Callisius Quicksilver declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

These Grandmasters will serve with these voting strengths until re-election at the beginning of the Spring Equinox, 377YE.

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus with a voting strength of 36

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid William Bolholt of The Marches with a voting strength of 76

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr with a voting strength of 42

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard with a voting strength of 41

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Wyrda Bjornadottir of Wintermark with a voting strength of 63

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka with a voting strength of 46

The Imperial Bourse

These seats are usually auctioned at various points throughout the year. Due to concerns of economic stability in a time of Imperial crisis, the seats gained at the Winter Equinox 376 will run until the Winter Equinox 377 and then the normal process of re-election will begin again.

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Francisco Alesthos Sangiene Relia de'Tessato Mestra (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (101 Crowns)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Thomas Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Vittorio, Butcher's Guild of the League (104 crowns)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Aedred ap Magor Renwaerd (70 crowns)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Tobias Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Horsa Tysalt (70 crowns)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon Landridge (?) (55 crowns)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Nicolai Tarrnhausen (104 crowns)

- The Night Quarry is held by Rudviso Garnossa (64 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo deTassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Sandoval Meichteri Relia van Temekhlvan (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio De'Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by John Marsh (61 crowns & 2 rings)

- The Brilliant Shore is held by the Thule and will not be auctioned until Skarsind is once again an Imperial territory.

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tamasz Stracovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Bohdan Ivanovich Bashry

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Valerion of Phoenix Reach

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Vigilant Swan (Highguard) is held by Obediah of Cantiarch’s Hold

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Lorenzo la Vulpe

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Nicolo Barrossa DeTassato

- The Steel Fist is appointed during the Spring Equinox

- The Broken Shore Bounty is appointed during the Spring Equinox

- The Stonefield Ice Caves is appointed during the Spring Equinox

Further Reading

- 376YE Winter Solstice Senate Sessions

- 376YE Winter Solstice Synod Judgements

- Titles by event

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=376YE_Winter_Solstice_Imperial_Titles&oldid=25399"

376YE Winter Solstice Senate Session

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at 200 Thrones.

- Various announcements and statements were also made during the course of the sessions which are not recorded here.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

- Funds disbursed to Imperial Conclave and Military Council (as per this motion): 14 Thrones and 4 Crowns.

Senate Motions Winter 2013

Motions Passed

- Construct Madruga shipyard

- Fortify Town defences

- Create title of Imperial Orc observer

- Auras illegal in the Senate

- Construct shrine for Britta's body

- Resupply Imperial armies

- Enchant Imperial Banner

- Disburse Imperial budget

- Ratification of Britta's Seal

- Raise Highguard army

Motions Defeated

- A motion to raise a second Urizen army (proposed by Morrow, seconded by Bastion) was defeated on principle.

- A motion to assign additional militia forces to Brass Coast, Varushka and Urizen (proposed by Karov, seconded by Zenith) was defeated with 18 votes against.

- A motion proposing the expansion of port and town in Semmerholm and raising of local militia (proposed by Weirwater, seconded by Astolat) defeated in principle with 20 votes against.

- A motion that the Senate appoint a subcommittee to establish the feasibility and process to establish an Imperial Bank (proposed by Feroz, seconded by Upwold) was defeated with 24 votes against.

- A motion to improve the output of the Imperial Ilium mines (proposed by Sermersuaq, seconded by Mitwold) was defeated in principle with 27 votes against.

Motions declared Unconstitutional

- Future territory assignment

- Change to Navarr voting

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=376YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_Session&oldid=24012"

376YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at 200 Thrones.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

- Funds disbursed to Imperial Conclave and Military Council (as per this motion): 14 Thrones and 4 Crowns.

Motions

Passed

- Construct Madruga shipyard

- Fortify Town defences

- Create title of Imperial Orc observer

- Auras illegal in the Senate

- Construct shrine for Britta's body

- Resupply Imperial armies

- Enchant Imperial Banner

- Disburse Imperial budget

- Ratification of Britta's Seal

- Raise Highguard army

Defeated

- A motion to raise a second Urizen army (proposed by Morrow, seconded by Bastion) was defeated on principle.

- A motion to assign additional militia forces to Brass Coast, Varushka and Urizen (proposed by Karov, seconded by Zenith) was defeated with 18 votes against.

- A motion proposing the expansion of port and town in Semmerholm and raising of local militia (proposed by Weirwater, seconded by Astolat) defeated in principle with 20 votes against.

- A motion that the Senate appoint a subcommittee to establish the feasibility and process to establish an Imperial Bank (proposed by Feroz, seconded by Upwold) was defeated with 24 votes against.

- A motion to improve the output of the Imperial ilium mines (proposed by Sermersuaq, seconded by Mitwold) was defeated in principle with 27 votes against.

Declared Unconstitutional

- Future territory assignment

- Change to Navarr voting

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=376YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions&oldid=35491"

376YE Winter Solstice Senate Sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at 200 Thrones.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

- Funds disbursed to Imperial Conclave and Military Council (as per this motion): 14 Thrones and 4 Crowns.

Motions

Passed

- Construct Madruga shipyard

- Fortify Town defences

- Create title of Imperial Orc observer

- Auras illegal in the Senate

- Construct shrine for Britta's body

- Resupply Imperial armies

- Enchant Imperial Banner

- Disburse Imperial budget

- Ratification of Britta's Seal

- Raise Highguard army

Defeated

- A motion to raise a second Urizen army (proposed by Morrow, seconded by Bastion) was defeated on principle.

- A motion to assign additional militia forces to Brass Coast, Varushka and Urizen (proposed by Karov, seconded by Zenith) was defeated with 18 votes against.

- A motion proposing the expansion of port and town in Semmerholm and raising of local militia (proposed by Weirwater, seconded by Astolat) defeated in principle with 20 votes against.

- A motion that the Senate appoint a subcommittee to establish the feasibility and process to establish an Imperial Bank (proposed by Feroz, seconded by Upwold) was defeated with 24 votes against.

- A motion to improve the output of the Imperial Ilium mines (proposed by Sermersuaq, seconded by Mitwold) was defeated in principle with 27 votes against.

Declared Unconstitutional

- Future territory assignment

- Change to Navarr voting

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=376YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_Sessions&oldid=26140"

376YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

Contents

- 1 The Synod as of Winter, 376 YE

- 2 Appointments

- 3 Synod Funds

- 4 Synod Judgments

- 5 Visionaries

The Synod as of Winter, 376 YE

At the Winter Summit, 376 YE, the General Assembly stood at an estimated 159 priests.

Appointments

At the end of the Winter Summit, 376 YE, the Assembly of Nine were:

Cardinal of Ambition

Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Cardinal of Courage

Beorn Y'Basden of the Navarr

Cardinal of Loyalty

Julius Cavita of the League

Cardinal of Pride

Langdon Tor of the Marches

Cardinal of Prosperity

Alexandru Vintla of the League

Cardinal of Vigilance

Sirka Parakgoosier Bashnya

Cardinal of Wisdom

Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr

Cardinal of The Way

Antonnio Vanetti of the League

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

0

Income

23 Crowns and 1 Ring

All from the auction of pure liao.

Rewards

20 Crowns

Harald Johnson, Priest of The Way, rewarded the Orc Generals with 20 crowns for their virtue.

Closing Value

3 Crowns and 1 Ring

Synod Judgments

- Malachi of Highguard called for the Pride Assembly to condemn Orthanac of the Navarr for heresy and blasphemy. This judgment was defeated.

- Meurig Tystwarden called for the Pride Assembly to recognise Mother Od as an Exemplar of the Virtue of Pride. This judgment achieved the greater majority required.

- Aiken Scriptbearer of the Navarr called for the Courage Assembly to recognise Connaught Thorntarry of the Navarr as an Exemplar of the Virtue of Courage. This judgement failed to achieve the greater majority required.

- Cardinal Langdon Tor of the Marches called for the Pride Assembly to recognise Olwynn the Witness as an Exemplar of the Virtue of Pride. This judgement achieved the greater majority required.

- Bloody Trees Rhain Winters Vigil, of the Navarr, called for the Navarr National Assembly to revoke the title of General held by The Lion. This judgement was carried by 140 to 30.

- Cardinal Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato, of the League, called for the League National Assembly to revoke the title of General held by Ismund of the Wolves of War. This judgement was made by 100 for and none against.

- Harald Johnson, of the Marches and The Way, called for the General Assembly to reward the Orc Generals with 20 crowns from the Virtue Fund. This judgement was made by 160 for and 90 against.

- Yitzhak, of Highguard, called for the Vigilance Assembly to condemn the one who consecrated the Senate as having abused their powers. This judgement was defeated by 100 against and 50 for.

- Gatekeeper Abraham, of Highguard, called for the Vigilance Assembly to declare that “Lucidianism is a blasphemy and a threat to the Empire and all instances should be condemned and punished”. This judgement was defeated by 70 against and 60 for.

Visionaries

The following individuals were chosen by the Gatekeepers to receive visions of their past lives:

- Brother Anthony of the Marches

- Esdavio Di Tassato of the League.

- General Connaught Thorntarry of the Navarr

- General Ruth of Highguard

- Damaris of Cantioch’s Hold in Highguard

- Octavio di Virtos of Tassato of the League

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=376YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgements&oldid=35955"

376YE Winter Solstice Synod Judgements

Contents

- 1 The Synod as of Winter, 376 YE

- 2 Appointments

- 3 Synod Funds

- 4 Synod Judgments

- 5 Visionaries

The Synod as of Winter, 376 YE

At the Winter Summit, 376 YE, the General Assembly stood at an estimated 159 priests.

Appointments

At the end of the Winter Summit, 376 YE, the Assembly of Nine were:

Cardinal of Ambition

Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Cardinal of Courage

Beorn Y'Basden of the Navarr

Cardinal of Loyalty

Julius Cavita of the League

Cardinal of Pride

Langdon Tor of the Marches

Cardinal of Prosperity

Alexandru Vintla of the League

Cardinal of Vigilance

Sirka Parakgoosier Bashnya

Cardinal of Wisdom

Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr

Cardinal of The Way

Antonnio Vanetti of the League

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

0

Income

23 Crowns and 1 Ring

All from the auction of pure liao.

Rewards

20 Crowns

Harald Johnson, Priest of The Way, rewarded the Orc Generals with 20 crowns for their virtue.

Closing Value

3 Crowns and 1 Ring

Synod Judgments

- Malachi of Highguard called for the Pride Assembly to condemn Orthanac of the Navarr for heresy and blasphemy. This judgment was defeated.

- Meurig Tystwarden called for the Pride Assembly to recognise Mother Od as an Exemplar of the Virtue of Pride. This judgment achieved the greater majority required.

- Aiken Scriptbearer of the Navarr called for the Courage Assembly to recognise Connaught Thorntarry of the Navarr as an Exemplar of the Virtue of Courage. This judgement failed to achieve the greater majority required.

- Cardinal Langdon Tor of the Marches called for the Pride Assembly to recognise Olwynn the Witness as an Exemplar of the Virtue of Pride. This judgement achieved the greater majority required.

- Bloody Trees Rhain Winters Vigil, of the Navarr, called for the Navarr National Assembly to revoke the title of General held by The Lion. This judgement was carried by 140 to 30.

- Cardinal Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato, of the League, called for the League National Assembly to revoke the title of General held by Ismund of the Wolves of War. This judgement was made by 100 for and none against.

- Harald Johnson, of the Marches and The Way, called for the General Assembly to reward the Orc Generals with 20 crowns from the Virtue Fund. This judgement was made by 160 for and 90 against.

- Yitzhak, of Highguard, called for the Vigilance Assembly to condemn the one who consecrated the Senate as having abused their powers. This judgement was defeated by 100 against and 50 for.

- Gatekeeper Abraham, of Highguard, called for the Vigilance Assembly to declare that “Lucidianism is a blasphemy and a threat to the Empire and all instances should be condemned and punished”. This judgement was defeated by 70 against and 60 for.

Visionaries

The following individuals were chosen by the Gatekeepers to receive visions of their past lives:

- Brother Anthony of the Marches

- Esdavio Di Tassato of the League.

- General Connaught Thorntarry of the Navarr

- General Ruth of Highguard

- Damaris of Cantioch’s Hold in Highguard

- Octavio di Virtos of Tassato of the League

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=376YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_Judgements&oldid=25345"

377YE Autumn Equinox Conclave declarations

This record is incomplete

Declarations

Nature of Declaration

Substance of Declaration

Made By

Made or Not Made?

Candidacy

Archmage of Day contested by Darius Auric Horizon

Darius Auric Horizon

Darius Auric Horizon declared as Archmage

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_declarations&oldid=35650"

377YE Autumn Equinox Imperial titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senators

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Changes to Bourse Seats

- 7 Mercantile Investments

- 7.1 Further Reading

Overview

This information is believed to represent the outcome of the assorted elections and appointments at the Autumn Equinox 377YE.

Senators

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Requiza (retained seat)

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain (retained seat)

- Senator for Weirwater: Lady Adia of House Arwood

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Brother Gideon of the Scions of Ravenfell

- Senator for Casinea: Zephram of Cantiarch’s Hold (claimed seat from Cyrus of Felix's Watch)

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav

- Senator for Tassato: Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato (claimed seat from Arsenio Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato)

- Senator for Temeschwar: Oksana Kazaku von Temeschwar

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Richard of Bourholt

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville (née Talbot)

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward (retained seat)

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain

- Senator for Miaren: Rhys

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow (retained seat)

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Lucius of Quicksilver Spire (claimed seat from Ioseph)

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade.

Senator Hector was revoked by the Imperial Synod during the Spring Equinox, but then re-elected to the post; he cannot be revoked again until after the next time the Senatorship would be elected normally.

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Yelislaveta Syrnova Vlanich

- Senator for Volodmartz: Valentin Ivarovich Severy (claimed seat from Maxim)

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun (retained seat)

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

- Senator for Skarsind: Triva of Tyrshalt

The title of Senator for Skarsind will next be up for election at the Spring Equinox, 378YE.

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is the Imperial orc Stormcrow Gralka

- The Advisor on orc affairs is Kessek, appointed by the Imperial Orc generals.

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Anwar i Covas i Erigo replaced Yasmina I Ezmara I Erigo of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Skayde of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky (retained his position')

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave (retained his position)

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok replaced Klor of the Winter Sun TBC

- General Braka of the Summer Storm (retained his position)

The General of The League

- General Gabriel Barossa replaced Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Richard Talbot of the The Drakes

- General Edwin de Warrene of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders (retained his position)

The Generals of Navarr

- General Cerunnos of the Black Thorns (retained his position)

- General Gwai replaced Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovich of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- The title of Warmage has fallen vacant due to the death of Septima of Shatterspire towards the end of The Autumn Equinox. New elections will be held at the start of The Winter Solstice, and the newly appointed warmage will serve until the Spring Equinox

Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Olek of the League remained Cardinal of Ambition

- Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League remained as the Gatekeeper of the Ambition Assembly

Courage

- Asher of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Courage (replacing Lazarus of Highguard)

- Cyrus Cascade of Urizen remained as the Gatekeeper of the Courage Assembly

Loyalty

- Jared of Highguard remained Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan Young of the Marches remained as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

Pride

- Samson of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Pride (replaced Epaph of Highguard)

- Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Ynez of the League was appointed Cardinal of Prosperity (replacing Bishop Alexandru Vintla)

- Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast remained as the Gatekeeper of the Prosperity Assembly

Vigilance

- Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka remained Cardinal of Vigilance

- Silas of Highguard remained as the Gatekeeper of the Vigilance Assembly

Wisdom

- Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn was appointed Cardinal of Wisdom

- Hywel Summercrow of Navarr was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Wisdom Assembly

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanzetti of the League remained Cardinal of The Way

- Gralka, an Imperial Orc, remained as the Conscience of the Senate

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Darius of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Day (replaced Callisius Quicksilver)

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

These Grandmasters will serve with these voting strengths until re-election at the Winter Equinox, 377YE.

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus with a voting strength of 14

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo I Jannat I Riqueza of the Brass Coast with a voting strength of 16 (replaces William Bolholt of The Marches)

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr with a voting strength of 22

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard with a voting strength of 10

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Dimitri Ivanovich Ionescu of Varushka with a voting strength of 35 (replaced Wyrda Bjornadottir of Wintermark)

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka with a voting strength of 20

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- The Varushkan Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash continues to serve as Dean of the Lyceum

- Iago Melfizzi was appointed to the title of Bursar of the Conclave by declaration before the conclave.

The Imperial Bourse

Under normal circumstances, all Mithril Bourse Seats would have been re-elected or re-appointed during the Equinox. Due to concerns of economic stability in a time of Imperial crisis, the seats gained at the Winter Equinox 376 will run until the Winter Equinox 377 and then the normal process of re-election will begin again.

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Francisco Alestros Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato Mestra (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (101 Crowns)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Thomas Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Vittorio, Butcher's Guild of the League (104 crowns)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Aedred ap Magor Renwaerd (70 crowns)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Tobias Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (70 crowns)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (55 crowns)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Nikolai Tannhauser (104 crowns)

- The Night Quarry is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (64 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Sandoval Nieschteri Rezia van Temeschwar (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio de Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by John Marsh (61 crowns & 2 rings)

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Bohdan Ivanovich Bashnya

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Valerian of Phoenix Reach

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Bruk

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (The Brass Coast)is held by Tabib i Eldaha i Riqueza

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakim

Changes to Bourse Seats

- The Brilliant Shore has been reclaimed from the Thule but the allocation of the Bourse position by the Senate during The Autumn Equinox was vetoed by The General Assembly of the Imperial Synod and hence no one could be appointed to the position. Its allocation is now waiting for a standard Senate motion to be raised (which can occur no earlier than the Saturday evening senate session of The Winter Solstice); the seat continues to accrue mithril until it is successfully allocated.

- The Vigilant Swan (Highguard) has been lost to the Druj due to their conquest of Reikos. The seat will not be auctioned again until it is recovered.

Mercantile Investments

- The position of Spider's Tollkeep has not yet been appointed; it well be appointed at the Winter Solstice 377.

- The position of Keeper of the Spice Gardens has been vacated; it will be appointed at the Winter Solstice 377.

Further Reading

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Synod judgements

- Titles by event

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Imperial_titles&oldid=35486"

377YE Autumn Equinox Imperial Titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senators

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Changes to Bourse Seats

- 7 Mercantile Investments

- 7.1 Further Reading

Overview

This information is believed to represent the outcome of the assorted elections and appointments at the Autumn Equinox 377YE.

Senators

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Requiza (retained seat)

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain (retained seat)

- Senator for Weirwater: Lady Adia of House Arwood

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Brother Gideon of the Scions of Ravenfell

- Senator for Casinea: Zephram of Cantiarch’s Hold (claimed seat from Cyrus of Felix's Watch)

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav

- Senator for Tassato: Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato (claimed seat from Arsenio Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato)

- Senator for Temeschwar: Oksana Kazaku von Temeschwar

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Richard of Bourholt

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville (née Talbot)

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward (retained seat)

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain

- Senator for Miaren: Rhys

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow (retained seat)

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Lucius of Quicksilver Spire (claimed seat from Ioseph)

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade.

Senator Hector was revoked by the Imperial Synod during the Spring Equinox, but then re-elected to the post; he cannot be revoked again until after the next time the Senatorship would be elected normally.

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Yelislaveta Syrnova Vlanich

- Senator for Volodmartz: Valentin Ivarovich Severy (claimed seat from Maxim)

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun (retained seat)

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

- Senator for Skarsind: Triva of Tyrshalt

The title of Senator for Skarsind will next be up for election at the Spring Equinox, 378YE.

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is the Imperial orc Stormcrow Gralka

- The Advisor on orc affairs is Kessek, appointed by the Imperial Orc generals.

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Anwar i Covas i Erigo replaced Yasmina I Ezmara I Erigo of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Skayde of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky (retained his position')

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave (retained his position)

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok replaced Klor of the Winter Sun TBC

- General Braka of the Summer Storm (retained his position)

The General of The League

- General Gabriel Barossa replaced Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Richard Talbot of the The Drakes

- General Edwin de Warrene of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders (retained his position)

The Generals of Navarr

- General Cerunnos of the Black Thorns (retained his position)

- General Gwai replaced Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovich of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- The title of Warmage has fallen vacant due to the death of Septima of Shatterspire towards the end of The Autumn Equinox. New elections will be held at the start of The Winter Solstice, and the newly appointed warmage will serve until the Spring Equinox

Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Olek of the League remained Cardinal of Ambition

- Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League remained as the Gatekeeper of the Ambition Assembly

Courage

- Asher of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Courage (replacing Lazarus of Highguard)

- Cyrus Cascade of Urizen remained as the Gatekeeper of the Courage Assembly

Loyalty

- Jared of Highguard remained Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan Young of the Marches remained as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

Pride

- Samson of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Pride (replaced Epaph of Highguard)

- Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Ynez of the League was appointed Cardinal of Prosperity (replacing Bishop Alexandru Vintla)

- Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast remained as the Gatekeeper of the Prosperity Assembly

Vigilance

- Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka remained Cardinal of Vigilance

- Silas of Highguard remained as the Gatekeeper of the Vigilance Assembly

Wisdom

- Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn was appointed Cardinal of Wisdom

- Hywel Summercrow of Navarr was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Wisdom Assembly

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanzetti of the League remained Cardinal of The Way

- Gralka, an Imperial Orc, remained as the Conscience of the Senate

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Darius of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Day (replaced Callisius Quicksilver)

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

These Grandmasters will serve with these voting strengths until re-election at the Winter Equinox, 377YE.

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus with a voting strength of 14

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo I Jannat I Riqueza of the Brass Coast with a voting strength of 16 (replaces William Bolholt of The Marches)

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr with a voting strength of 22

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard with a voting strength of 10

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Dimitri Ivanovich Ionescu of Varushka with a voting strength of 35 (replaced Wyrda Bjornadottir of Wintermark)

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka with a voting strength of 20

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- The Varushkan Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash continues to serve as Dean of the Lyceum

- Iago Melfizzi was appointed to the title of Bursar of the Conclave by declaration before the conclave.

The Imperial Bourse

Under normal circumstances, all Mithril Bourse Seats would have been re-elected or re-appointed during the Equinox. Due to concerns of economic stability in a time of Imperial crisis, the seats gained at the Winter Equinox 376 will run until the Winter Equinox 377 and then the normal process of re-election will begin again.

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Francisco Alestros Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato Mestra (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (101 Crowns)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Thomas Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Vittorio, Butcher's Guild of the League (104 crowns)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Aedred ap Magor Renwaerd (70 crowns)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Tobias Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (70 crowns)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (55 crowns)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Nikolai Tannhauser (104 crowns)

- The Night Quarry is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (64 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Sandoval Nieschteri Rezia van Temeschwar (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio de Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by John Marsh (61 crowns & 2 rings)

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Bohdan Ivanovich Bashnya

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Valerian of Phoenix Reach

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Bruk

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (The Brass Coast)is held by Tabib i Eldaha i Riqueza

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakim

Changes to Bourse Seats

- The Brilliant Shore has been reclaimed from the Thule but the allocation of the Bourse position by the Senate during The Autumn Equinox was vetoed by The General Assembly of the Imperial Synod and hence no one could be appointed to the position. Its allocation is now waiting for a standard Senate motion to be raised (which can occur no earlier than the Saturday evening senate session of The Winter Solstice); the seat continues to accrue mithril until it is successfully allocated.

- The Vigilant Swan (Highguard) has been lost to the Druj due to their conquest of Reikos. The seat will not be auctioned again until it is recovered.

Mercantile Investments

- The position of Spider's Tollkeep has not yet been appointed; it well be appointed at the Winter Solstice 377.

- The position of Keeper of the Spice Gardens has been vacated; it will be appointed at the Winter Solstice 377.

Further Reading

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Senate Sessions

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Synod Judgements

- Titles by event

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Imperial_Titles&oldid=25395"

377YE Autumn Equinox Senate Session

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at Two Hunderd, Twenty two and a half Thrones.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

Senate Motions Autumn 2013

Motions Passed

- Create title of Minister of Historical Research

- Create title of Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- Assignment of Skarsind

- Assignment of The Brilliant Shore

- Resupply the Quiet Step

- Create title of Imperial Master of Works

- Fortify Skogei

- Resupply the Granite Pillar

- Commission Imperial audit

- Construct Liathaven spy network

- Invite an Archmage to address Senate

Motions Defeated

- Creation of an Imperial lottery

- Nomination of Hector to the Imperial Throne

- Construct a memorial at Anvil

Motions declared Unconstitutional

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_Session&oldid=24081"

377YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at Two Hundred, Twenty two and a half Thrones.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

Motions

Passed

- Create title of Minister of Historical Research

- Create title of Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- Assignment of Skarsind

- Assignment of The Brilliant Shore

- Resupply the Quiet Step

- Create title of Imperial Master of Works

- Fortify Skogei

- Resupply the Granite Pillar

- Commission Imperial audit

- Construct Liathaven spy network

- Invite an Archmage to address Senate

Defeated

- Creation of an Imperial lottery

- Nomination of Hector to the Imperial Throne

- Construct a memorial at Anvil

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_sessions&oldid=35485"

377YE Autumn Equinox Senate Sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at Two Hundred, Twenty two and a half Thrones.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

Motions

Passed

- Create title of Minister of Historical Research

- Create title of Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- Assignment of Skarsind

- Assignment of The Brilliant Shore

- Resupply the Quiet Step

- Create title of Imperial Master of Works

- Fortify Skogei

- Resupply the Granite Pillar

- Commission Imperial audit

- Construct Liathaven spy network

- Invite an Archmage to address Senate

Defeated

- Creation of an Imperial lottery

- Nomination of Hector to the Imperial Throne

- Construct a memorial at Anvil

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Senate_Sessions&oldid=26143"

377YE Autumn Equinox Synod judgements

Contents

- 1 The Synod as of Autumn, 377 YE

- 2 Appointments

- 3 Appointments

- 3.1 Selection of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- 3.2 Selection of the Cardinal of Courage

- 3.3 Selection of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- 3.4 Selection of the Cardinal of Pride

- 4 Synod Judgments

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Synod as of Autumn, 377 YE

At the Autumn Summit, 377 YE, the General Assembly's voting strength was estimated at 1,380.

Appointments

At the end of the Summer Summit, 377 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Olek of the League

Serrusto of the League

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Alan Young of the Marches

Pride

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr

Prosperity

Ynez di Carcomare of the League

Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

Petra of Varushka

Silas of Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

Hwyel Summercrow of Navarr

The Way

Antonnio Vanzetti of the League

Gralka, an Imperial Orc

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Selection of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast received 14 votes from the Assembly

- Ynez of the League received 104 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Ynez retained Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Courage

- Malachi of Highguard received 32 votes from the Assembly

- Asher of Highguard received 34 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Asher retained Cyrus Cascade of Urizen as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan of the Marches received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Barrabas received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Julius Cavita of the League received 40 votes from the Assembly

- Jared of Highguard received 80 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Jared retained Friar Alan Young of the Marches as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Pride

- Avery Armistead of Dawn received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Lady Josephine Novarrion of Dawn received 50 votes from the Assembly

- Samson of Highguard received 54 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Samson retained Meurig Tystwarden of Navarr as Gatekeeper

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

The General Assembly were called upon recognise Zemress i Ezmara, Exemplar of Prosperity, as a Paragon of the Virtue.

Darius i Ezmara, Gatekeeper of Prosperity

Darius withdrew the judgment.

The General Assembly were called upon to reward Azmon of the Shattered Tower with four thrones from the Virtue Fund.

Abraham of Highguard, Priest of Vigilance

Judgment defeated 220 - 98.

The Assembly of Prosperity were called upon to remove the incumbent Cardinal.

Ynez of the League

Cardinal removed by Greater Majority

The Assembly of Prosperity were asked to condemn Xavier Cascade for Heresy and Blasphemy

Rurik Von Linden of the League

Upheld 90 - 0.

The Assembly of Courage was called on to revoke the incumbent Cardinal

Asher of Highguard

Upheld 34 – 12.

The General Assembly was called upon to reward the Marches Hospital with one and a half Thrones from the Virtue Fund

Danek Von Linden of the League, Priest of Prosperity

Upheld 338 - 146

The General Assembly was called upon to reward the Phoenix Spire of Urizen with one and a half Thrones from the Virtue Fund

Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr, Priest of Wisdom

Upheld 376 - 146

The General Assembly was called upon to reward Celesti Coven with one and a half Thrones from the Virtue Fund

Elisheyba of Highguard, Priest of Vigilance

Upheld 268 - 146

The General Assembly was called upon to reward Caleb of the Cenotaph with one and a half Thrones from the Virtue Fund

Solas of Urizen, Priest of Wisdom

Upheld 420 - 166

The General Assembly was called upon to Veto the Senate’s decision to assign the Brilliant Shore Bourse resource to Wintermark

Laelia Shatterspire of Urizen, Priest of Pride

Upheld by Greater Majority of the Assembly

The Assembly of Vigilance was called upon to recognise Olga of Miecova as an Exemplar of Vigilance

Irada-Catchie Bandsyna of Varushka, Priest of Vigilance

Upheld by Greater Majority

The General Assembly was called upon to reward Lazarus of the Shattered Tower, Knight of Prosperity, with 40 Crowns from the Virtue Fund.

Sabaoth of Highguard, Priest of the Way

Defeated 256 – 118

The Assembly of Courage was called upon to recognise Horsa Monster-slayer as an Exemplar of Courage

Ealdraed Tyrshalting

The judgment did not achieve the Greater Majority required

The General Assembly was called on to make the following Statement of Principle: “The General Assembly acknowledges that the current requirements to recognise an Exemplar of Virtue, being a Greater Majority of the a Virtue Assembly, are too easy to achieve with a small number of priests and, acknowledging that this cheapens the value of recognising an Exemplar, the recognition of an Exemplar of Virtue shall require both of: 1) A Greater Majority of the relevant Virtue Assembly, and 2) a Lesser Majority of the General Assembly. Furthermore, no judgment to recognise an Exemplar shall be valid unless it specifies which of the Signs of the Paragon the candidate has displayed.”

Hwyel Summercrow of the Navarr, Priest of Wisdom

Upheld 414 - 52

The General Assembly was called on to make the following Statement of Principle: “The General Assembly believes that a monument should be built at Anvil to the memory and everlasting glory of all those who lost their lives in military service to the Empire”

Ira of Highguard, Priest of Loyalty

Upheld 128 - 12

The Assembly of Pride was called on to make the following Statement of Principle: “The Assembly of Pride believes that the Empire is proud of all its citizens, in that all citizens are equal within the eye of the Empire. We call upon the Imperial Orcs to form a National Assembly within the Synod, to see to the virtue of those who hold elected Imperial positions within their nation”.

Cardinal Samson of Highguard

Upheld by Greater Majority

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

7 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 1 Ring

Income

70 Crowns

Raised by auction of Pure Liao

1 Ring

Donated by Meurig Tystwarden on behalf of a young citizen

Rewards

12 Crowns

Given to Caleb of the Cenotaph at the behest of Solas of Urizen

12 Crowns

Given to Celesti Coven at the behest of Elisheyba of Highguard

12 Crowns

Given to Phoenix Spire of Urizen at the behest of Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr

12 Crowns

Given to the Marches Hospital at the behest of Danek Von Linden of the League

Closing Value

10 Thrones / 1 Crowns / 2 Rings

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- Linden of Endsmeet, Urizen

- Ingar Saker, Wintermark

- Horsa Tyrshalt, Wintermark

- Sejanus Shatterspire, Urizen

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_judgements&oldid=35958"

377YE Autumn Equinox Synod Judgements

Contents

- 1 The Synod as of Autumn, 377 YE

- 2 Appointments

- 3 Appointments

- 3.1 Selection of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- 3.2 Selection of the Cardinal of Courage

- 3.3 Selection of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- 3.4 Selection of the Cardinal of Pride

- 4 Synod Judgments

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Synod as of Autumn, 377 YE

At the Autumn Summit, 377 YE, the General Assembly's voting strength was estimated at 1,380.

Appointments

At the end of the Summer Summit, 377 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Olek of the League

Serrusto of the League

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Alan Young of the Marches

Pride

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr

Prosperity

Ynez di Carcomare of the League

Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

Petra of Varushka

Silas of Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

Hwyel Summercrow of Navarr

The Way

Antonnio Vanzetti of the League

Gralka, an Imperial Orc

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Selection of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast received 14 votes from the Assembly

- Ynez of the League received 104 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Ynez retained Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Courage

- Malachi of Highguard received 32 votes from the Assembly

- Asher of Highguard received 34 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Asher retained Cyrus Cascade of Urizen as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan of the Marches received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Barrabas received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Julius Cavita of the League received 40 votes from the Assembly

- Jared of Highguard received 80 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Jared retained Friar Alan Young of the Marches as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Pride

- Avery Armistead of Dawn received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Lady Josephine Novarrion of Dawn received 50 votes from the Assembly

- Samson of Highguard received 54 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Samson retained Meurig Tystwarden of Navarr as Gatekeeper

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

The General Assembly were called upon recognise Zemress i Ezmara, Exemplar of Prosperity, as a Paragon of the Virtue.

Darius i Ezmara, Gatekeeper of Prosperity

Darius withdrew the judgment.

The General Assembly were called upon to reward Azmon of the Shattered Tower with four thrones from the Virtue Fund.

Abraham of Highguard, Priest of Vigilance

Judgment defeated 220 - 98.

The Assembly of Prosperity were called upon to remove the incumbent Cardinal.

Ynez of the League

Cardinal removed by Greater Majority

The Assembly of Prosperity were asked to condemn Xavier Cascade for Heresy and Blasphemy

Rurik Von Linden of the League

Upheld 90 - 0.

The Assembly of Courage was called on to revoke the incumbent Cardinal

Asher of Highguard

Upheld 34 – 12.

The General Assembly was called upon to reward the Marches Hospital with one and a half Thrones from the Virtue Fund

Danek Von Linden of the League, Priest of Prosperity

Upheld 338 - 146

The General Assembly was called upon to reward the Phoenix Spire of Urizen with one and a half Thrones from the Virtue Fund

Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr, Priest of Wisdom

Upheld 376 - 146

The General Assembly was called upon to reward Celesti Coven with one and a half Thrones from the Virtue Fund

Elisheyba of Highguard, Priest of Vigilance

Upheld 268 - 146

The General Assembly was called upon to reward Caleb of the Cenotaph with one and a half Thrones from the Virtue Fund

Solas of Urizen, Priest of Wisdom

Upheld 420 - 166

The General Assembly was called upon to Veto the Senate’s decision to assign the Brilliant Shore Bourse resource to Wintermark

Laelia Shatterspire of Urizen, Priest of Pride

Upheld by Greater Majority of the Assembly

The Assembly of Vigilance was called upon to recognise Olga of Miecova as an Exemplar of Vigilance

Irada-Catchie Bandsyna of Varushka, Priest of Vigilance

Upheld by Greater Majority

The General Assembly was called upon to reward Lazarus of the Shattered Tower, Knight of Prosperity, with 40 Crowns from the Virtue Fund.

Sabaoth of Highguard, Priest of the Way

Defeated 256 – 118

The Assembly of Courage was called upon to recognise Horsa Monster-slayer as an Exemplar of Courage

Ealdraed Tyrshalting

The judgment did not achieve the Greater Majority required

The General Assembly was called on to make the following Statement of Principle: “The General Assembly acknowledges that the current requirements to recognise an Exemplar of Virtue, being a Greater Majority of the a Virtue Assembly, are too easy to achieve with a small number of priests and, acknowledging that this cheapens the value of recognising an Exemplar, the recognition of an Exemplar of Virtue shall require both of: 1) A Greater Majority of the relevant Virtue Assembly, and 2) a Lesser Majority of the General Assembly. Furthermore, no judgment to recognise an Exemplar shall be valid unless it specifies which of the Signs of the Paragon the candidate has displayed.”

Hwyel Summercrow of the Navarr, Priest of Wisdom

Upheld 414 - 52

The General Assembly was called on to make the following Statement of Principle: “The General Assembly believes that a monument should be built at Anvil to the memory and everlasting glory of all those who lost their lives in military service to the Empire”

Ira of Highguard, Priest of Loyalty

Upheld 128 - 12

The Assembly of Pride was called on to make the following Statement of Principle: “The Assembly of Pride believes that the Empire is proud of all its citizens, in that all citizens are equal within the eye of the Empire. We call upon the Imperial Orcs to form a National Assembly within the Synod, to see to the virtue of those who hold elected Imperial positions within their nation”.

Cardinal Samson of Highguard

Upheld by Greater Majority

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

7 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 1 Ring

Income

70 Crowns

Raised by auction of Pure Liao

1 Ring

Donated by Meurig Tystwarden on behalf of a young citizen

Rewards

12 Crowns

Given to Caleb of the Cenotaph at the behest of Solas of Urizen

12 Crowns

Given to Celesti Coven at the behest of Elisheyba of Highguard

12 Crowns

Given to Phoenix Spire of Urizen at the behest of Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr

12 Crowns

Given to the Marches Hospital at the behest of Danek Von Linden of the League

Closing Value

10 Thrones / 1 Crowns / 2 Rings

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- Linden of Endsmeet, Urizen

- Ingar Saker, Wintermark

- Horsa Tyrshalt, Wintermark

- Sejanus Shatterspire, Urizen

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Synod_Judgements&oldid=25361"

377YE Spring Equinox Conclave declarations

Contents

- 1 Conclave Titles

- 1.1 Other Titles

- 2 Declarations

- 3 Gambits

Conclave Titles

Realm

Archmage

Order

Grandmaster

Winter

Savik Summerstorm

Celestial Arch

Sejanus Shatterspire

Spring

Kallendar Stormcrow

Golden Pyramid

William Bolholt

Summer

Corvus Auric Horizon

Rod and Shield

Meir Pathfinder

Autumn

Maurice de Gauvain

Sevenfold Path

Jessica Suns of Couros

Day

Callisius Quicksilver

Shuttered Lantern

Wyrda Bjornadottir

Night

Baba Ana

Unfettered Mind

Alexei

Other Titles

Warmage

Septima Shatterspire

Declarations

Nature of Declaration

Substance of Declaration

Made By

Made or Not Made?

Enmity

Zand, Eternal of Autumn, to be named an enemy of the Empire for sending heralds to Anvil offering to make trades for Imperial souls

Archmage Maurice de Gauvain

Made

Sorcery

Cnaeus to be named a sorcerer who turned himself and others near Endsmeet Spire into feral creatures

Sejanus Shatterspire

Made

Gambits

Gambit Raised By

Gambit Raised For

Sevenfold Path

32 mana to perform Fight Tooth and Nail upon generals and other targets as appropriate in preparation for the battle on Sunday

Celestial Arch

35 mana to perform 5 castings of Eyes of the Sun and Moon

Shuttered Lantern

30 mana to perform several castings of Horizon's Razor Edge

Unfettered Mind

30 mana; 15 mana for performances of Bright Lantern of Ophis and 15 for unspecified research

Golden Pyramid

17 mana, 1 ilium, 2 ingots of metals, 1 dram of true vervain, 1 dram of herb and 1 Cr 5r for use in experimentation with Scales of Ephisis

Archmage of Autumn

18 mana to empower 20 people in four bands from four nations with Splendid Panoply of Knighthood

Iulian Shatterspire

24 mana for two castings of Fountain of Life

Sejanus SHatterspire

20 mana for two castings of Shroud of Mist and Shadow to support the armies in the next season

Rod and Shield

14 ilium to produce an artefact Ambergelt Baton for the Warmage

Golden Pyramid

6 Thrones and 5 crystal mana to be given to a Bursar for the Conclave

Shuttered Lantern

15 crystals for Alexei for analytical rituals

Unfettered Mind

Resources to create a Syphon of Stars coven stone

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Spring_Equinox_Conclave_declarations&oldid=35613"

377YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senators

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Further reading

Overview

Following the declaration of state of emergency at the previous year's Winter Solstice, only a handful of titles were appointed or re-appointed during the Spring Equinox.

Senators

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Riqueza

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell (Proxied)

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Marek

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Simiel of the Shattered Tower

- Senator for Casinea: Cyrus of Felix's Watch

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Miroslav

- Senator for Tassato: Arsenio Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Oksana Kazaku von Temeschwar

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Richard of Bourholt

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Talbot

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Cei Windstrider

- Senator for Miaren: Bledri Eternal

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Ioseph

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade.

Senator Hector was revoked by the Imperial Synod but then re-elected to the post; he cannot be revoked again until after the next time the Senatorship would be elected normally.

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Yelislaveta Syrnova Vlanich

- Senator for Volodmartz: Maxim

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is the Imperial orc Stormcrow Gralka

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Yasmina i Ezmara i Erigo of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Deigo i Guerra of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Eryk Rykker of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Klor of the Winter Sun

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Bjorn of the The Drakes

- General Edwin de Warrene of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Cerunnos of the Black Thorns

- General Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Decius Cascade of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Zakhar Dragovin Vassillich, called the grim of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Merrick of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- Septima of Shatterspire was appointed Warmage.

Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Olek of the League was appointed Cardinal of Ambition

- Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Ambition Assembly

Courage

- Lazarus of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Courage

- Asher of Highguard was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Courage Assembly

Loyalty

- Bishop Julius Cavita of the League remained Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan Young of the Marches remained as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

There is some minorquestion as to whether Brother Alan was gatekeeper or not, which has not yet been resolved.

Pride

- Josephine of Dawn was appointed Cardinal of Pride

- Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Bishop Alexandru Vintla of the League remained Cardinal of Prosperity

- Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast remained as the Gatekeepe of the Prosperity Assembly

Vigilance

- Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka was appointed Cardinal of Vigilance

- Silas of Highguard was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Vigilance Assembly

Wisdom

- Guide Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr remained Cardinal of Wisdom

- Agnetha de Rondell of Dawn was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Wisdom Assembly

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanetti of the League remained Cardinal of The Way

- Gralka, an Imperial Orc, remained as the Conscience of the Senate

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Callisius Quicksilver declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

These Grandmasters will serve with these voting strengths until re-election at the beginning of the Spring Equinox, 377YE.

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus with a voting strength of 36

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid William Bolholt of The Marches with a voting strength of 76

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr with a voting strength of 42

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard with a voting strength of 41

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Wyrda Bjornadottir of Wintermark with a voting strength of 63

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka with a voting strength of 46

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- The Varushkan Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash was appointed Dean of the Lyceum by declaration of the Conclave.

The Imperial Bourse

These seats are usually auctioned at various points throughout the year. Due to concerns of economic stability in a time of Imperial crisis, the seats gained at the Winter Equinox 376 will run until the Winter Equinox 377 and then the normal process of re-election will begin again.

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Francisco Alestros Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato Mestra (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (101 Crowns)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Thomas Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Vittorio, Butcher's Guild of the League (104 crowns)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Aedred ap Magor Renwaerd (70 crowns)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Tobias Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (70 crowns)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (55 crowns)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Nikolai Tannhauser (104 crowns)

- The Night Quarry is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (64 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Sandoval Nieschteri Rezia van Temeschwar (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio de Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by John Marsh (61 crowns & 2 rings)

- The Brilliant Shore is held by the Thule and will not be auctioned until Skarsind is once again an Imperial territory.

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Bohdan Ivanovich Bashnya

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Valerian of Phoenix Reach

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Vigilant Swan (Highguard) is held by Obadiah of Cantiarch's Hold

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Bruk

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (The Brass Coast)is held by Tabib i Eldaha i Riqueza

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakim

Further reading

- 377YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

- 377YE Spring Equinox Synod judgements

- Titles by event

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Spring_Equinox_Imperial_titles&oldid=35490"

377YE Spring Equinox Imperial Titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senators

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Further reading

Overview

Following the death of state of emergency at the previous year's Winter Solstice, only a handful of titles were appointed or re-appointed during the Spring Equinox.

Senators

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Riqueza

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell (Proxied)

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Marek

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Simiel of the Shattered Tower

- Senator for Casinea: Cyrus of Felix's Watch

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Miroslav

- Senator for Tassato: Arsenio Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Oksana Kazaku von Temeschwar

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Richard of Bourholt

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Talbot

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Cei Windstrider

- Senator for Miaren: Bledri Eternal

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Ioseph

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade.

Senator Hector was revoked by the Imperial Synod but then re-elected to the post; he cannot be revoked again until after the next time the Senatorship would be elected normally.

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Konstantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Yelislaveta Syrnova Vlanich

- Senator for Volodmartz: Maxim

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is the Imperial orc Stormcrow Gralka

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Yasmina i Ezmara i Erigo of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Deigo i Guerra of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Eryk Rykker of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Klor of the Winter Sun

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Bjorn of the The Drakes

- General Edwin de Warrene of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Cerunnos of the Black Thorns

- General Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Decius Cascade of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Zakhar Dragovin Vassillich, called the grim of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Merrick of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- Septima of Shatterspire was appointed Warmage.

Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Olek of the League was appointed Cardinal of Ambition

- Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Ambition Assembly

Courage

- Lazarus of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Courage

- Asher of Highguard was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Courage Assembly

Loyalty

- Bishop Julius Cavita of the League remained Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan Young of the Marches remained as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

There is some minorquestion as to whether Brother Alan was gatekeeper or not, which has not yet been resolved.

Pride

- Josephine of Dawn was appointed Cardinal of Pride

- Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Bishop Alexandru Vintla of the League remained Cardinal of Prosperity

- Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast remained as the Gatekeepe of the Prosperity Assembly

Vigilance

- Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka was appointed Cardinal of Vigilance

- Silas of Highguard was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Vigilance Assembly

Wisdom

- Guide Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr remained Cardinal of Wisdom

- Agnetha de Rondell of Dawn was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Wisdom Assembly

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanetti of the League remained Cardinal of The Way

- Gralka, an Imperial Orc, remained as the Conscience of the Senate

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Callisius Quicksilver declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

These Grandmasters will serve with these voting strengths until re-election at the beginning of the Spring Equinox, 377YE.

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus with a voting strength of 36

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid William Bolholt of The Marches with a voting strength of 76

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr with a voting strength of 42

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard with a voting strength of 41

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Wyrda Bjornadottir of Wintermark with a voting strength of 63

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka with a voting strength of 46

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- The Varushkan Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash was appointed Dean of the Lyceum by declaration of the Conclave.

The Imperial Bourse

These seats are usually auctioned at various points throughout the year. Due to concerns of economic stability in a time of Imperial crisis, the seats gained at the Winter Equinox 376 will run until the Winter Equinox 377 and then the normal process of re-election will begin again.

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Francisco Alestros Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato Mestra (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (101 Crowns)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Thomas Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Vittorio, Butcher's Guild of the League (104 crowns)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Aedred ap Magor Renwaerd (70 crowns)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Tobias Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (70 crowns)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (55 crowns)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Nikolai Tannhauser (104 crowns)

- The Night Quarry is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (64 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Sandoval Nieschteri Rezia van Temeschwar (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio de Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by John Marsh (61 crowns & 2 rings)

- The Brilliant Shore is held by the Thule and will not be auctioned until Skarsind is once again an Imperial territory.

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Bohdan Ivanovich Bashnya

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Valerian of Phoenix Reach

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Vigilant Swan (Highguard) is held by Obadiah of Cantiarch's Hold

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Bruk

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (The Brass Coast)is held by Tabib i Eldaha i Riqueza

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakim

Further reading

- 377YE Spring Equinox Senate Sessions

- 377YE Spring Equinox Synod Judgements

- Titles by event

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Spring_Equinox_Imperial_Titles&oldid=25391"

377YE Spring Equinox Senate Session

Overview

- Imperial budget for this season announced by the Civil Service as 173 Thrones.

- Various announcements and statements were also made during the course of the sessions which are not recorded here.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

- Funds disbursed to Imperial Conclave and Military Council (as per this motion of Winter 376): 16 Thrones and 4 Crowns.

Senate Motions Spring 2013

Motions Passed

- Create title of trade envoy

- Create title of Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

- Support medical school and Anvil hospital

- Repair Holberg defences

- Fortify Skogei

- Fortify multiple towns

- Repair the Spider's Dream

- Research Abraxus

- Safe passage for the Jotun

- Research maps

- Fund the Academy

- Outlaw Vallorn cultivation

- Commission Egregore histories

- Send envoy to Axos

- Commission roll of honour

Motions Defeated

- Motion to assign a budget to Bridget Talbot to purchase materials for fortifications (proposed by Mitwold, seconded by illegible) defeated in principle

- Motion to build cathedrals in Sarvos and Astolat (proposed by Sarvos, seconded by Upwold) defeated with 18 votes against.

Motions declared Unconstitutional

- Change Urizen voting

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_Session&oldid=24032"

377YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

Overview

- Imperial budget for this season announced by the Civil Service as 173 Thrones.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

- Funds disbursed to Imperial Conclave and Military Council (as per this motion of Winter 376): 16 Thrones and 4 Crowns.

Motions

Passed

- Create title of trade envoy

- Create title of Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

- Support medical school and Anvil hospital

- Repair Holberg defences

- Fortify Skogei

- Fortify multiple towns

- Repair the Spider's Dream

- Research Abraxus

- Safe passage for the Jotun

- Research maps

- Fund the Academy

- Outlaw Vallorn cultivation

- Commission Egregore histories

- Send envoy to Axos

- Commission roll of honour

Defeated

- Motion to assign a budget to Bridget Talbot to purchase materials for fortifications (proposed by Mitwold, seconded by illegible) defeated in principle

- Motion to build cathedrals in Sarvos and Astolat (proposed by Sarvos, seconded by Upwold) defeated with 18 votes against.

Declared Unconstitutional

- Change Urizen voting

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_sessions&oldid=35489"

377YE Spring Equinox Senate Sessions

Overview

- Imperial budget for this season announced by the Civil Service as 173 Thrones.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

- Funds disbursed to Imperial Conclave and Military Council (as per this motion of Winter 376): 16 Thrones and 4 Crowns.

Motions

Passed

- Create title of trade envoy

- Create title of Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

- Support medical school and Anvil hospital

- Repair Holberg defences

- Fortify Skogei

- Fortify multiple towns

- Repair the Spider's Dream

- Research Abraxus

- Safe passage for the Jotun

- Research maps

- Fund the Academy

- Outlaw Vallorn cultivation

- Commission Egregore histories

- Send envoy to Axos

- Commission roll of honour

Defeated

- Motion to assign a budget to Bridget Talbot to purchase materials for fortifications (proposed by Mitwold, seconded by illegible) defeated in principle

- Motion to build cathedrals in Sarvos and Astolat (proposed by Sarvos, seconded by Upwold) defeated with 18 votes against.

Declared Unconstitutional

- Change Urizen voting

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_Sessions&oldid=26141"

377YE Spring Equinox Synod judgements

Contents

- 1 The Synod as of Spring, 377 YE

- 2 Appointments

- 3 Synod Funds

- 4 Synod Judgments

- 5 Visionaries

The Synod as of Spring, 377 YE

At the Spring Summit, 377 YE, the General Assembly stood at an estimated 124 priests.

Appointments

At the end of the Spring Summit, 377 YE, the Assembly of Nine were:

- Olek of the League, Cardinal of Ambition

- Lazarus of Highguard, Cardinal of Courage

- Julius Cavita of the League, Cardinal of Loyalty

- Josephine of Dawn, Cardinal of Pride

- Alexandru Vintla of the League, Cardinal of Prosperity

- Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka, Cardinal of Vigilance

- Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr, Cardinal of Wisdom

- Antonnio Vanetti of the League, Cardinal of The Way

Synod Funds

The following is a summary of the Synod's Virtue Fund:

Starting Value

3 Crowns / 1 Ring

Income

22 Crowns

All from the auction of pure liao.

Rewards

-

Closing Value

25 Crowns / 1 Ring

Synod Judgments

- Yitzhak of the Highguard National Assembly raised a judgment relating to the creation of a National Choirmaster defeated 102 to 50.

- Marrok de Carsenere, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Vigilance, ensured members of the Collegiate of the Archmage Nicovar faced Inquisition

- Cardinal Julius Cavita, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Nine, delivered a judgment of condemnation against Igor Borison and Ivanna Martina Denisovitch of Varushka for the religious crime of Heresy.

- Tancred of Dawn, through the Dawnish National Assembly, revoked the title of General held by Erik Rykker.

- Torsch, an Imperial Orc, through a lesser majority of 50 to nothing in the Assembly of the Way, required Griski of Temeschwar face Inquisition. Griski did not present themselves.

- Cardinal Petra, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Nine, required the representatives of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade at Anvil face Inquisition.

- Cardinal Petra, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Nine, escalated the judgement of inquisition to a condemnation of Sophos Cascade for the religious crime of blasphemy.

- Asher of Felix’s Watch, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Courage, sought the reappointment of the Assembly’s Cardinal.

- Cardinal Lazarus, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Nine, condemned Xavier Cascade for the religious crimes of blasphemy and heresy.

- Darius I Ezmara I Erigo failed to obtain a greater majority of the General Assembly for the recognition of Zemress the Exemplar as a Paragon of Prosperity.

- Lady Josephine of Dawn, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Pride, sought the reappointment of the Cardinal of that Assembly

- Abraham of Highguard, through a lesser majority of the Assembly of Vigilance, required that Abraham of Highguard face inquisition.

- Xavier of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade in Urizen, through a lesser majority of the Urizen National Assembly, revoked the title of Senator from Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade in Urizen.

- Antonio Raoul Calgone, through a lesser majority of the League National Assembly, declared the belief that there should be, at Anvil, a location consecrated to each of the Imperial Virtues.

Visionaries

The following individuals were selected by the Gatekeepers to receive pure liao visions of their past lives at the Spring Equinox:

- Gatekeeper Asher of Highguard

- Master of the Mint, Nicolo Barossa of the League

- General Floree de Rondell of Dawn

- Cardinal Tockrynn Nighthaven of the Navarr

- General Ed of the Marches

- Senator Bohemond de Rondell of Dawn

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements&oldid=35956"

377YE Spring Equinox Synod Judgements

Contents

- 1 The Synod as of Spring, 377 YE

- 2 Appointments

- 3 Synod Funds

- 4 Synod Judgments

- 5 Visionaries

The Synod as of Spring, 377 YE

At the Spring Summit, 377 YE, the General Assembly stood at an estimated 124 priests.

Appointments

At the end of the Spring Summit, 377 YE, the Assembly of Nine were:

- Olek of the League, Cardinal of Ambition

- Lazarus of Highguard, Cardinal of Courage

- Julius Cavita of the League, Cardinal of Loyalty

- Josephine of Dawn, Cardinal of Pride

- Alexandru Vintla of the League, Cardinal of Prosperity

- Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka, Cardinal of Vigilance

- Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr, Cardinal of Wisdom

- Antonnio Vanetti of the League, Cardinal of The Way

Synod Funds

The following is a summary of the Synod's Virtue Fund:

Starting Value

3 Crowns / 1 Ring

Income

22 Crowns

All from the auction of pure liao.

Rewards

-

Closing Value

25 Crowns / 1 Ring

Synod Judgments

- Yitzhak of the Highguard National Assembly raised a judgment relating to the creation of a National Choirmaster defeated 102 to 50.

- Marrok de Carsenere, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Vigilance, ensured members of the Collegiate of the Archmage Nicovar faced Inquisition

- Cardinal Julius Cavita, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Nine, delivered a judgment of condemnation against Igor Borison and Ivanna Martina Denisovitch of Varushka for the religious crime of Heresy.

- Tancred of Dawn, through the Dawnish National Assembly, revoked the title of General held by Erik Rykker.

- Torsch, an Imperial Orc, through a lesser majority of 50 to nothing in the Assembly of the Way, required Griski of Temeschwar face Inquisition. Griski did not present themselves.

- Cardinal Petra, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Nine, required the representatives of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade at Anvil face Inquisition.

- Cardinal Petra, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Nine, escalated the judgement of inquisition to a condemnation of Sophos Cascade for the religious crime of blasphemy.

- Asher of Felix’s Watch, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Courage, sought the reappointment of the Assembly’s Cardinal.

- Cardinal Lazarus, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Nine, condemned Xavier Cascade for the religious crimes of blasphemy and heresy.

- Darius I Ezmara I Erigo failed to obtain a greater majority of the General Assembly for the recognition of Zemress the Exemplar as a Paragon of Prosperity.

- Lady Josephine of Dawn, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Pride, sought the reappointment of the Cardinal of that Assembly

- Abraham of Highguard, through a lesser majority of the Assembly of Vigilance, required that Abraham of Highguard face inquisition.

- Xavier of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade in Urizen, through a lesser majority of the Urizen National Assembly, revoked the title of Senator from Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade in Urizen.

- Antonio Raoul Calgone, through a lesser majority of the League National Assembly, declared the belief that there should be, at Anvil, a location consecrated to each of the Imperial Virtues.

Visionaries

The following individuals were selected by the Gatekeepers to receive pure liao visions of their past lives at the Spring Equinox:

- Gatekeeper Asher of Highguard

- Master of the Mint, Nicolo Barossa of the League

- General Floree de Rondell of Dawn

- Cardinal Tockrynn Nighthaven of the Navarr

- General Ed of the Marches

- Senator Bohemond de Rondell of Dawn

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_Judgements&oldid=25347"

377YE Summer Solstice Conclave declarations

Declarations

Nature of Declaration

Substance of Declaration

Made By

Made or Not Made?

Candidacy

Archmage of Day contested by Callisius Quicksilver, Marius Auric Horizon and Marcus Tain

Not recorded

Callisius Quicksilver declared as Archmage

Concord

The position of Bursar should be formally created and empowered to spend Conclave funds

Corvus Auric Horizon

Declared

Neutrality

Zand has apologised and should not be regarded as an enemy of the Empire

Maurice de Gauvain

Declaration made

Amity

The Eternal Basileus Kade and his Herald Carolinus

Maurice de Gauvain

Declaration made

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Summer_Solstice_Conclave_declarations&oldid=35648"

377YE Summer Solstice Imperial titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senators

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Further Reading

Overview

Following the state of emergency at the previous year's Winter Solstice, normality resumes with the first series of annual re-elections.

Senators

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra (retained seat)

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Riqueza

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Lady Adia of House Arwood (claimed seat from Marek)

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Gideon (claimed seat from Simiel of the Shattered Tower)

- Senator for Casinea: Cyrus of Felix's Watch

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav (retained seat)

- Senator for Tassato: Arsenio Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Oksana Kazaku von Temeschwar

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Richard of Bourholt

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville (née Talbot)

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain replaced Cei Windstrider who was revoked by the Navarr National Assembly in his absence

- Senator for Miaren: Rhys (claimed seat from Bledri Eternal)

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Ioseph

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus (retained seat)

- Senator for Zenith: Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade.

Senator Hector was revoked by the Imperial Synod during the Spring Equinox, but then re-elected to the post; he cannot be revoked again until after the next time the Senatorship would be elected normally.

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Constantin (retained seat)

- Senator for Miekarova: Yelislaveta Syrnova Vlanich

- Senator for Volodmartz: Maxim

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte (retained seat)

This scribe would like to offer humble apologies to the Senator for Hahnmark for consistently spelling his name incorrectly in multiple cases, and hopes that all such incidents are now corrected.

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is the Imperial orc Stormcrow Gralka

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs (replacing Yasmina i Ezmara i Erigo)

- General Yasmina I Ezmara I Erieo replaced Deigo i Guerra of the Fire of the South TBC

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Skayde of the Golden Sun (replacing Eryk Rykker)

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar (retained her position)

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok replaced Klor of the Winter Sun TBC

- General Braka of the Summer Storm (retained his position)

The General of The League

- General Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Richard Talbot of the The Drakes (replacing Bjorn)

- General Edwin de Warrene of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Cerunnos of the Black Thorns (retained his position)

- General Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel (replacing Decius Cascade)

The Generals of Varushka

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovichlaf of the Army of the Northern Eagle (replacing Zakhar Dragovin Vassillich, called the grim )

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army 'replaced General Merrick whose position was revoked by the Wintermark National Assembly in his absence.

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain (retained his position)

Other Military Council Positions

- Septima of Shatterspire was appointed Warmage.

Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Olek of the League remainedd Cardinal of Ambition

- Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League remained as the Gatekeeper of the Ambition Assembly

Courage

- Lazarus of Highguard remained Cardinal of Courage

- Cyrus Cascade of Urizen was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Courage Assembly

Loyalty

- Jared of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan Young of the Marches remained as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

Pride

- Epaph of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Pride

- Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Bishop Alexandru Vintla of the League remained Cardinal of Prosperity

- Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast remained as the Gatekeeper of the Prosperity Assembly

Vigilance

- Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka remained Cardinal of Vigilance

- Silas of Highguard remained as the Gatekeeper of the Vigilance Assembly

Wisdom

- Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn was appointed Cardinal of Wisdom

- Hywel Summercrow of Navarr was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Wisdom Assembly

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanzetti of the League remained Cardinal of The Way

- Gralka, an Imperial Orc, remained as the Conscience of the Senate

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Callisius Quicksilver declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

These Grandmasters will serve with these voting strengths until re-election at the Autumn Equinox, 377YE.

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid William Bolholt of The Marches with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Wyrda Bjornadottir of Wintermark with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka with a voting strength of ??

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- The Varushkan Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash was appointed Dean of the Lyceum by declaration of the Conclave.

The Imperial Bourse

Under normal circumstances, all White Granite Bourse Seats would have been re-elected or re-appointed during the Solstice. Due to concerns of economic stability in a time of Imperial crisis, the seats gained at the Winter Equinox 376 will run until the Winter Equinox 377 and then the normal process of re-election will begin again.

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Francisco Alestros Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato Mestra (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (101 Crowns)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Thomas Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Vittorio, Butcher's Guild of the League (104 crowns)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Aedred ap Magor Renwaerd (70 crowns)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Tobias Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (70 crowns)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (55 crowns)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Nikolai Tannhauser (104 crowns)

- The Night Quarry is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (64 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Sandoval Nieschteri Rezia van Temeschwar (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio de Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by John Marsh (61 crowns & 2 rings)

- The Brilliant Shore is held by the Thule and will not be auctioned until Skarsind is once again an Imperial territory.

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Bohdan Ivanovich Bashnya

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Valerian of Phoenix Reach

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Vigilant Swan (Highguard) is held by Obadiah of Cantiarch's Hold

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Bruk

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (The Brass Coast)is held by Tabib i Eldaha i Riqueza

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakim

Further Reading

- 377YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

- 377YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements

- Titles by event

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Summer_Solstice_Imperial_titles&oldid=35488"

377YE Summer Solstice Imperial Titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senators

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Further Reading

Overview

Following the state of emergency at the previous year's Winter Solstice, normality resumes with the first series of annual re-elections.

Senators

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra (retained seat)

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Riqueza

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Lady Adia of House Arwood (claimed seat from Marek)

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Gideon (claimed seat from Simiel of the Shattered Tower)

- Senator for Casinea: Cyrus of Felix's Watch

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav (retained seat)

- Senator for Tassato: Arsenio Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Oksana Kazaku von Temeschwar

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Richard of Bourholt

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville (née Talbot)

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain replaced Cei Windstrider who was revoked by the Navarr National Assembly in his absence

- Senator for Miaren: Rhys (claimed seat from Bledri Eternal)

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Ioseph

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus (retained seat)

- Senator for Zenith: Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade.

Senator Hector was revoked by the Imperial Synod during the Spring Equinox, but then re-elected to the post; he cannot be revoked again until after the next time the Senatorship would be elected normally.

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Constantin (retained seat)

- Senator for Miekarova: Yelislaveta Syrnova Vlanich

- Senator for Volodmartz: Maxim

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte (retained seat)

This scribe would like to offer humble apologies to the Senator for Hahnmark for consistently spelling his name incorrectly in multiple cases, and hopes that all such incidents are now corrected.

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is the Imperial orc Stormcrow Gralka

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs (replacing Yasmina i Ezmara i Erigo)

- General Yasmina I Ezmara I Erieo replaced Deigo i Guerra of the Fire of the South TBC

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Skayde of the Golden Sun (replacing Eryk Rykker)

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar (retained her position)

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok replaced Klor of the Winter Sun TBC

- General Braka of the Summer Storm (retained his position)

The General of The League

- General Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Richard Talbot of the The Drakes (replacing Bjorn)

- General Edwin de Warrene of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Cerunnos of the Black Thorns (retained his position)

- General Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel (replacing Decius Cascade)

The Generals of Varushka

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovichlaf of the Army of the Northern Eagle (replacing Zakhar Dragovin Vassillich, called the grim )

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army 'replaced General Merrick whose position was revoked by the Wintermark National Assembly in his absence.

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain (retained his position)

Other Military Council Positions

- Septima of Shatterspire was appointed Warmage.

Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Olek of the League remainedd Cardinal of Ambition

- Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League remained as the Gatekeeper of the Ambition Assembly

Courage

- Lazarus of Highguard remained Cardinal of Courage

- Cyrus Cascade of Urizen was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Courage Assembly

Loyalty

- Jared of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan Young of the Marches remained as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

Pride

- Epaph of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Pride

- Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Bishop Alexandru Vintla of the League remained Cardinal of Prosperity

- Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast remained as the Gatekeeper of the Prosperity Assembly

Vigilance

- Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka remained Cardinal of Vigilance

- Silas of Highguard remained as the Gatekeeper of the Vigilance Assembly

Wisdom

- Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn was appointed Cardinal of Wisdom

- Hywel Summercrow of Navarr was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Wisdom Assembly

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanzetti of the League remained Cardinal of The Way

- Gralka, an Imperial Orc, remained as the Conscience of the Senate

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Callisius Quicksilver declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

These Grandmasters will serve with these voting strengths until re-election at the Autumn Equinox, 377YE.

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid William Bolholt of The Marches with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Wyrda Bjornadottir of Wintermark with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka with a voting strength of ??

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- The Varushkan Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash was appointed Dean of the Lyceum by declaration of the Conclave.

The Imperial Bourse

Under normal circumstances, all White Granite Bourse Seats would have been re-elected or re-appointed during the Solstice. Due to concerns of economic stability in a time of Imperial crisis, the seats gained at the Winter Equinox 376 will run until the Winter Equinox 377 and then the normal process of re-election will begin again.

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Francisco Alestros Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato Mestra (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (101 Crowns)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Thomas Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Vittorio, Butcher's Guild of the League (104 crowns)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Aedred ap Magor Renwaerd (70 crowns)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Tobias Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (70 crowns)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (55 crowns)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Nikolai Tannhauser (104 crowns)

- The Night Quarry is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (64 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Sandoval Nieschteri Rezia van Temeschwar (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio de Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by John Marsh (61 crowns & 2 rings)

- The Brilliant Shore is held by the Thule and will not be auctioned until Skarsind is once again an Imperial territory.

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Bohdan Ivanovich Bashnya

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Valerian of Phoenix Reach

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Vigilant Swan (Highguard) is held by Obadiah of Cantiarch's Hold

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Bruk

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (The Brass Coast)is held by Tabib i Eldaha i Riqueza

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakim

Further Reading

- 377YE Summer Solstice Senate Sessions

- 377YE Summer Solstice Synod Judgements

- Titles by event

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Summer_Solstice_Imperial_Titles&oldid=25393"

377YE Summer Solstice Senate Session Redirect page

377YE Summer Solstice Senate Summit

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_Session&oldid=25334"

377YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at 167 Thrones.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

Motions

Passed

- Construct Otkodov spy network

- Create law of desecration

- Recognise Irontide Isk

- Research Exemplar Zemress

- Accept Jotun ceasefire

- Abrogate fund disbursement

- Add Sum of the Parts ritual to Imperial lore

- Create title of Bursar

- Permit dredging of Feverwater

- Resupply the Golden Axe

- Resupply the Hounds of Glory

Defeated

- Motion to censure proxy Hercynia (proposed by Redoubt, seconded by Miaren) defeated by 22 votes to 3.

- Motion to resupply the army of the Golden Axe (proposed by illegible, seconded by Feroz), defeated by 22 votes to 5.

- Motion to outlaw raiding aginst the Jotun during the ceasefire (proposed by Tassato, seconded by Therunin), defeated 22 votes to 5.

- Motion to declare Jotun foreigners during ceasefire (proposed Mitwold, seconded Upwold), defeated 27 votes to 0

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_sessions&oldid=35487"

377YE Summer Solstice Senate Sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at 167 Thrones.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

Motions

Passed

- Construct Otkodov spy network

- Create law of desecration

- Recognise Irontide Isk

- Research Exemplar Zemress

- Accept Jotun ceasefire

- Abrogate fund disbursement

- Add Sum of the Parts ritual to Imperial lore

- Create title of Bursar

- Permit dredging of Feverwater

- Resupply the Golden Axe

- Resupply the Hounds of Glory

Defeated

- Motion to censure proxy Hercynia (proposed by Redoubt, seconded by Miaren) defeated by 22 votes to 3.

- Motion to resupply the army of the Golden Axe (proposed by illegible, seconded by Feroz), defeated by 22 votes to 5.

- Motion to outlaw raiding aginst the Jotun during the ceasefire (proposed by Tassato, seconded by Therunin), defeated 22 votes to 5.

- Motion to declare Jotun foreigners during ceasefire (proposed Mitwold, seconded Upwold), defeated 27 votes to 0

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_Sessions&oldid=26142"

377YE Summer Solstice Senate Sessions (Redirected from 377YE Summer Solstice Senate Summit)

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at 167 Thrones.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

Motions

Passed

- Construct Otkodov spy network

- Create law of desecration

- Recognise Irontide Isk

- Research Exemplar Zemress

- Accept Jotun ceasefire

- Abrogate fund disbursement

- Add Sum of the Parts ritual to Imperial lore

- Create title of Bursar

- Permit dredging of Feverwater

- Resupply the Golden Axe

- Resupply the Hounds of Glory

Defeated

- Motion to censure proxy Hercynia (proposed by Redoubt, seconded by Miaren) defeated by 22 votes to 3.

- Motion to resupply the army of the Golden Axe (proposed by illegible, seconded by Feroz), defeated by 22 votes to 5.

- Motion to outlaw raiding aginst the Jotun during the ceasefire (proposed by Tassato, seconded by Therunin), defeated 22 votes to 5.

- Motion to declare Jotun foreigners during ceasefire (proposed Mitwold, seconded Upwold), defeated 27 votes to 0

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_Sessions&oldid=26142"

377YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements

Contents

- 1 The Synod as of Summer, 377 YE

- 2 Appointments

- 3 Appointments

- 3.1 Selection of the Cardinal of Wisdom

- 3.2 Selection of the Cardinal of Courage

- 3.3 Selection of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- 3.4 Selection of the Cardinal of Pride

- 4 Synod Judgments

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Synod as of Summer, 377 YE

At the Summer Summit, 377 YE, the General Assembly's voting strength was estimated at 1,520.

Appointments

At the end of the Summer Summit, 377 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Olek of the League

Serrusto of the League

Courage

Lazarus of Highguard

Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

Jared of Highguard

Alan Young of the Marches

Pride

Ephah of Highguard

Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr

Prosperity

Alexandru of the League

Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

Petra of Varushka

Silas of Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha de Rondell of Dawn

Hwyel Summercrow of Navarr

The Way

Antonnio Vanzetti of the League

Gralka, an Imperial Orc

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Selection of the Cardinal of Wisdom

- Agnetha De Roundell received 80 votes from the Assembly and was appointed.

- Cardinal Agnetha appointed Hwyel Summercrow of the Navarr as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Courage

- Cyrus Cascade of Urizen received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Lazarus of Highguard received 52 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Lazarus appointed Cyrus Cascade of Urizen as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- Jared of Highguard received 60 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Jared appointed Friar Alan Young of the Marches as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Pride

- Lady Josephine Novarrion of Dawn received 30 votes from the Assembly

- Friar Thomas Baxter received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Ephah of Highguard received 66 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Ephah retained Meurig Tystwarden of Navarr as Gatekeeper

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

The General Assembly makes the following Statement of Principle: That it is a consequence of the Doctrine of Human Destiny, that the Lineaged, being possessed of a Human Soul, are as capable of expressing Virtue and following a Virtuous Path to reincarnation or Paragonhood as any human being

Malachi of Highguard, Priest of Pride

Upheld by judgment of 356 to 20.

The following change of Doctrine was put before the General Assembly: All citizens of the Empire, whether they be lineaged, or without lineage, are all equally capable of being virtuous

Dimitri of Varushka, Priest of

Not upheld

The General Assembly was asked to reward the Church of the Little Mother with four Crowns from the Virtue Fund for producing an entertaining serial guide to virtue, starting Autumn 377YE.

Ynez of the League, Priest of Prosperity

Upheld by a judgment of 176 to 40 of the Assembly

The Assembly of the Way were called on to condemn Mister Griski for religious crimes.

Bishop Bartello of the League

Upheld by 64 votes for and none against

The General Assembly was called upon to issue Writ of Excommunication against Sophus of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade, Urizen

Marrok De Carsenere, Priest of Vigilance

Received 390 votes for and 60 against, and did not achieve a greater majority

The Wintermark National Assembly was called on to remove General Merek of the Green Shield of the Forest army in his absence

Kalixtus of Wintermark, Priest of Loyalty

Upheld by a majority of 70 votes and none against

The General Assembly was called upon to condemn Ildis Semeyon Davidov of Varushka for the religious crime of blasphemy

Gwylio Windstrider of Navarr, Priest of Vigilance

Upheld by 240 votes of the Assembly and none against

The Assembly of Loyalty was called upon to remove Cardinal Julius Cavita in his absence

Jared of Highguard

Upheld by greater majority of the Assembly

The General Assembly was called on to condemn Gwydion Thornkist for complete lack of wisdom and vigilance in the rash disposal, without appropriate consultation, of Vallorn seeds causing five bystanders to be blood-cursed

Irada-Catchie Bandsyna of Varushka, Priest of Vigilance

Upheld by a lesser majority of the Assembly

The General Assembly was called on to excommunicate Xavier of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade following his conviction of religious crimes.

Petra of Varushka, Cardinal of Vigilance

Upheld by Assembly influence of 794

The Assembly of Courage was called on to recognise Damaris of Cantiarch’s Hold, in Highguard, as an Exemplar of Courage

Lazarus of Highguard, Cardinal of Courage

Upheld by a greater majority of 54 for and 32 against.

The Navarr National Assembly was called on to remove the Senator of Hercynia in their absence

Caradog Pathfinder, Priest of

Upheld by immediate greater majority of the Assembly

The Assembly of Nine were called on to put Diego, former-General of the Brass Coast to Inquisition

Cardinal Vanzetti of the Way

The judgment was upheld by greater majority of the Assembly

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

2 Thrones / 7 Crowns / 1 Ring

Income

40 Crowns

Raised by auction of Pure Liao

Rewards

4 Crowns

Given to the Church of the Little Mother at the behest of Ynez of the League

Closing Value

7 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 1 Ring

Visionaries

The following individuals were chosen by the Gatekeepers to receive visions of their past lives:

- Adoramus of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

- Grandmaster Jessica, Suns of Courous, Highguard

- General Stanislav, Varushka

- Seth of Adina's Charge, Highguard

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements&oldid=35957"

377YE Summer Solstice Synod Judgements

Contents

- 1 The Synod as of Summer, 377 YE

- 2 Appointments

- 3 Appointments

- 3.1 Selection of the Cardinal of Wisdom

- 3.2 Selection of the Cardinal of Courage

- 3.3 Selection of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- 3.4 Selection of the Cardinal of Pride

- 4 Synod Judgments

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Synod as of Summer, 377 YE

At the Summer Summit, 377 YE, the General Assembly's voting strength was estimated at 1,520.

Appointments

At the end of the Summer Summit, 377 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Olek of the League

Serrusto of the League

Courage

Lazarus of Highguard

Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

Jared of Highguard

Alan Young of the Marches

Pride

Ephah of Highguard

Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr

Prosperity

Alexandru of the League

Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

Petra of Varushka

Silas of Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha de Rondell of Dawn

Hwyel Summercrow of Navarr

The Way

Antonnio Vanzetti of the League

Gralka, an Imperial Orc

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Selection of the Cardinal of Wisdom

- Agnetha De Roundell received 80 votes from the Assembly and was appointed.

- Cardinal Agnetha appointed Hwyel Summercrow of the Navarr as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Courage

- Cyrus Cascade of Urizen received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Lazarus of Highguard received 52 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Lazarus appointed Cyrus Cascade of Urizen as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- Jared of Highguard received 60 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Jared appointed Friar Alan Young of the Marches as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Pride

- Lady Josephine Novarrion of Dawn received 30 votes from the Assembly

- Friar Thomas Baxter received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Ephah of Highguard received 66 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Ephah retained Meurig Tystwarden of Navarr as Gatekeeper

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

The General Assembly makes the following Statement of Principle: That it is a consequence of the Doctrine of Human Destiny, that the Lineaged, being possessed of a Human Soul, are as capable of expressing Virtue and following a Virtuous Path to reincarnation or Paragonhood as any human being

Malachi of Highguard, Priest of Pride

Upheld by judgment of 356 to 20.

The following change of Doctrine was put before the General Assembly: All citizens of the Empire, whether they be lineaged, or without lineage, are all equally capable of being virtuous

Dimitri of Varushka, Priest of

Not upheld

The General Assembly was asked to reward the Church of the Little Mother with four Crowns from the Virtue Fund for producing an entertaining serial guide to virtue, starting Autumn 377YE.

Ynez of the League, Priest of Prosperity

Upheld by a judgment of 176 to 40 of the Assembly

The Assembly of the Way were called on to condemn Mister Griski for religious crimes.

Bishop Bartello of the League

Upheld by 64 votes for and none against

The General Assembly was called upon to issue Writ of Excommunication against Sophus of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade, Urizen

Marrok De Carsenere, Priest of Vigilance

Received 390 votes for and 60 against, and did not achieve a greater majority

The Wintermark National Assembly was called on to remove General Merek of the Green Shield of the Forest army in his absence

Kalixtus of Wintermark, Priest of Loyalty

Upheld by a majority of 70 votes and none against

The General Assembly was called upon to condemn Ildis Semeyon Davidov of Varushka for the religious crime of blasphemy

Gwylio Windstrider of Navarr, Priest of Vigilance

Upheld by 240 votes of the Assembly and none against

The Assembly of Loyalty was called upon to remove Cardinal Julius Cavita in his absence

Jared of Highguard

Upheld by greater majority of the Assembly

The General Assembly was called on to condemn Gwydion Thornkist for complete lack of wisdom and vigilance in the rash disposal, without appropriate consultation, of Vallorn seeds causing five bystanders to be blood-cursed

Irada-Catchie Bandsyna of Varushka, Priest of Vigilance

Upheld by a lesser majority of the Assembly

The General Assembly was called on to excommunicate Xavier of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade following his conviction of religious crimes.

Petra of Varushka, Cardinal of Vigilance

Upheld by Assembly influence of 794

The Assembly of Courage was called on to recognise Damaris of Cantiarch’s Hold, in Highguard, as an Exemplar of Courage

Lazarus of Highguard, Cardinal of Courage

Upheld by a greater majority of 54 for and 32 against.

The Navarr National Assembly was called on to remove the Senator of Hercynia in their absence

Caradog Pathfinder, Priest of

Upheld by immediate greater majority of the Assembly

The Assembly of Nine were called on to put Diego, former-General of the Brass Coast to Inquisition

Cardinal Vanzetti of the Way

The judgment was upheld by greater majority of the Assembly

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

2 Thrones / 7 Crowns / 1 Ring

Income

40 Crowns

Raised by auction of Pure Liao

Rewards

4 Crowns

Given to the Church of the Little Mother at the behest of Ynez of the League

Closing Value

7 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 1 Ring

Visionaries

The following individuals were chosen by the Gatekeepers to receive visions of their past lives:

- Adoramus of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

- Grandmaster Jessica, Suns of Courous, Highguard

- General Stanislav, Varushka

- Seth of Adina's Charge, Highguard

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_Judgements&oldid=25356"

377YE Winter Solstice Conclave sessions

During the Winter Solstice, 377YE there were three Conclave Sessions: Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Contents

- 1 Friday Session

- 1.1 Proportions

- 1.2 Addresses

- 1.3 Declarations

- 1.4 Gambits

- 2 Saturday Session

- 2.1 Proportions

- 2.2 Addresses

- 2.3 Declarations

- 2.4 Gambits

- 3 Sunday Session

- 3.1 Proportions

- 3.2 Addresses

- 3.3 Declarations

- 3.4 Gambits

- 4 Summary

- 4.1 Proportions

- 4.2 Appointments

- 4.3 Interdictions

- 4.4 Imperial Lore

- 4.5 Sorcerors

- 5 Notes

Friday Session

Proportions

Celestial Arch 20

Sevenfold Path 38

Rod and Shield 52

Golden Pyramid 40

Shuttered Lantern 27

Unfettered Mind 21

Addresses

1. Archmage of Spring Stormcrow Kalindar – Assistance on a plan to ensure the forces of Llofir attack Thule forces not Imperial forces.

2. Archamge of Autumn Maurice de Gauvain – ilium.

3. Arkat of the Mlitia – the Militia.

4. Archmage of Summer Corvus – Eleonaris and the Realm of Summer.

5. Dean of the Lyceum Simargl – Fund raising for the Lyceum.

6. Archmage of Day Darius of Auric Horizon – Update on the position

Declarations

1. Dean of the Lyceum Simargl – Declaration of Imperial Lore – The Cuckoo's Egg ritual (allows the passage of non-citizens through the Sentinel Gate). PASSED, ritual added to Imperial Lore

2. Declaration of Candidacy for Warmage

1. Mara of Cantiarchs Hold – Candidacy – Warmage

2. Irontide Gust – Candidacy – Warmage

3. Rust – Candidacy – Warmage

4. Kahendrin of Seventeen Stars – Candidacy – Warmage

5. Vaan of Auric Horizon – Candidacy – Warmage. APPOINTED

6. Aife of Realms Reach – Candidacy – Warmage

7. Emilie de Rondella – Candidacy – Warmage

8. Stain Raske – Candidacy – Warmage

Gambits

Proposer

Resources

CA

GP

RS

SP

SL

UM

Pri

Use

Deadline

Approved

Archmage of Wnter Savik Summerstorm

75 Mana

20

25

20

10

Casting Quickening Cold Meat

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Night Baba Ana

37 Mana

0

8

7

20

2

Cast Drawing the Penumbral Veil on 3 territories and Shroud of Mist and Shadow on 2 military units

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Autumn Mairice de Gauvain

18 Mana

3

3

3

3

3

3

Casting Splendid Panoply of Knighthood twice on 11 people each time

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Day Darius the Black

30 Mana

0

5

5

20

Scrying to aid the military council

Summit

Yes

Saturday Session

Proportions

Celestial Arch 11

Sevenfold Path 13

Rod and Shield 32

Golden Pyramid 19

Shuttered Lantern 23

Unfettered Mind 10

Addresses

1. Evander Slack - a poor reputation does not a sorcerer make

2. Archmage of Summer Corvus - Eleonaris and recent events

3. Nithyn Realms Reach - Vallorn new behaviours

Declarations

1. Tatiana Olya Vikentivch – Declaration of Sorcery – Evander Slack is a Sorcerer. PASSED

2. Bron Holdfast – Declaration of Sorcery - Alex Lansdale of Bregasland is a sorcerer. PASSED

3. Dean of the Lyceum Simargl - Declaration of Interdiction – Vallorn Ritual. PASSED (Secured in the Conclave vaults)

4. Concordia – Declaration of Candidacy – Conclave Liaison to the Senate. APPOINTED

Gambits

Proposer

Resources

CA

GP

RS

SP

SL

UM

Pri

Use

Deadline

Approved

Archmage of Winter Savik Summerstorm

24 Mana

3

4

8

4

4

1

Casting Inevitable Collapse into Ruin on the Sunday Battlefield

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Summer Corvus

30 Mana

5

5

0

5

3

4

Raising of a Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae in Karsk

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Day Darius the Black

36 Mana

9

5

6

4

6

6

To perform a custom ritual to scry out the heart of Bas Celik and Swim Leviathan's Depths to discover why she desired the head of Empress Britta

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Autumn Mairice de Gauvain

20 Mana

2

0

2

7

5

3

Perform Winter's Ghosts on Reikos

Summit

Yes

Warmage Vaan

45 Mana

5

5

5

3

2

3

22

To be given to the Warmage to see the casting of Clarity of the Master Strategist

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Spring Stromcrow Kalindar

45 Mana

7

7

10

7

3

7

4

Casting Bound by Common Cause upon the army of the General's choosing

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Night Baba Ana

30 Mana

0

5

3

18

Battlefield healing for tomorrow's engagement against the Druj in The Barrens

Summit

Yes

Sunday Session

Proportions

Celestial Arch 12

Sevenfold Path 20

Rod and Shield 38

Golden Pyramid 23

Shuttered Lantern 14

Unfettered Mind 16

Addresses

1. Ifan Nighthven – Rituals regarding lineage.

2. Grandmaster of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo – Money from the Senate to spend on Mana.

3. Heilyn of Bronwen's Rest – Tournament at the Spring Summit.

4. Archmage of Winter Savik Summerstorm – Drake's eggs.

5. Warmage Vaan – The war.

6. Archmage of Summer Corvus – Summer matters.

7. Archmage of Night Baba Ana – the subject of Varushkan sovereigns

8. Archmage of Day Darius – Regarding the heart of Bas Celik.

Declarations

1. Valentin Brossa – Declaration of Enmity – Carolinos Kade. FAILED

2. Archmage of Winter Savik – Declaration of Interdiction – Drake's eggs. PASSED

Gambits

Proposer

Resources

CA

GP

RS

SP

SL

UM

Pri

Use

Deadline

Approved

Archmage of Night Baba Ana

18 Mana

3

1

2

12

Summer Crows to use Day magic to discover specific iformation vital to the defence of Broceliande

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Day Darius the Black

6 Weltsilver

2

1

1

2

To appease Kimus and build our relationship.

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Spring Stromcrow Kalindar

5 Mana

3

2

Casting Shadowed Glass of Sung to investigate Spring Herald in Dawn

Summit

Yes

Summary

Proportions

Day

Celestial Arch

Sevenfold Path

Rod and Shield

Golden Pyramid

Shuttered Lantern

Unfettered Mind

Total Attendance

Friday

20

38

52

40

27

21

192

Saturday

11

19

32

13

23

10

108

Sunday

12

23

38

20

14

16

123

Summit

43

71

122

82

64

47

429

Percentage

10.0

18.6

28.4

17.1

14.9

11.0

100

Appointments

Warmage - Vaan of Auric Horizon

Conclave Liaison to the Senate - Concordia

Interdictions

Vallorn Ritual

Drake's Eggs

Imperial Lore

- The Cuckoo's Egg ritual

Sorcerors

Evander Slak

Alex Lansdale of Bregasland

Notes

- There is a Drake's Egg in the secure interdiction vault.

- There is the body of a Yatak (hooked horror) in the Unfettered Mind vault, it has been ritually preserved.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Winter_Solstice_Conclave_sessions&oldid=35455"

377YE Winter Solstice Conclave Sessions

During the Winter Solstice, 377YE there were three Conclave Sessions: Friday, Saturday and Sunday

Contents

- 1 Friday Session

- 1.1 Proportions

- 1.2 Addresses

- 1.3 Declarations

- 1.4 Gambits

- 2 Saturday Session

- 2.1 Proportions

- 2.2 Addresses

- 2.3 Declarations

- 2.4 Gambits

- 3 Sunday Session

- 3.1 Proportions

- 3.2 Addresses

- 3.3 Declarations

- 3.4 Gambits

- 4 Summary

- 4.1 Proportions

- 4.2 Appointments

- 4.3 Interdictions

- 4.4 Imperial Lore

- 4.5 Sorcerors

- 5 Notes

Friday Session

Proportions

Celestial Arch 20

Sevenfold Path 38

Rod and Shield 52

Golden Pyramid 40

Shuttered Lantern 27

Unfettered Mind 21

Addresses

1. Archmage of Spring Stormcrow Kalindar – Assistance on a plan to ensure the forces of Llofir attack Thule forces not Imperial forces.

2. Archamge of Autumn Maurice de Gauvain – Ilium.

3. Arkat of the Mlitia – the Militia.

4. Archmage of Summer Corvus – Eleonaris and the Realm of Summer.

5. Dean of the Lyceum Simargl – Fund raising for the Lyceum.

6. Archmage of Day Darius of Auric Horizon – Update on the position

Declarations

1. Dean of the Lyceum Simargl – Declaration of Imperial Lore – The Cuckoo's Egg ritual (allows the passage of non-citizens through the Sentinel Gate). PASSED, ritual added to Imperial Lore

2. Declaration of Candidacy for Warmage

1. Mara of Cantiarchs Hold – Candidacy – Warmage

2. Irontide Gust – Candidacy – Warmage

3. Rust – Candidacy – Warmage

4. Kahendrin of Seventeen Stars – Candidacy – Warmage

5. Vaan of Auric Horizon – Candidacy – Warmage. APPOINTED

6. Aife of Realms Reach – Candidacy – Warmage

7. Emilie de Rondella – Candidacy – Warmage

8. Stain Raske – Candidacy – Warmage

Gambits

Proposer

Resources

CA

GP

RS

SP

SL

UM

Pri

Use

Deadline

Approved

Archmage of Wnter Savik Summerstorm

75 Mana

20

25

20

10

Casting Quickening Cold Meat

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Night Baba Ana

37 Mana

0

8

7

20

2

Cast Drawing the Penumbral Veil on 3 territories and Shroud of Mist and Shadow on 2 military units

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Autumn Mairice de Gauvain

18 Mana

3

3

3

3

3

3

Casting Splendid Panoply of Knighthood twice on 11 people each time

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Day Darius the Black

30 Mana

0

5

5

20

Scrying to aid the military council

Summit

Yes

Saturday Session

Proportions

Celestial Arch 11

Sevenfold Path 13

Rod and Shield 32

Golden Pyramid 19

Shuttered Lantern 23

Unfettered Mind 10

Addresses

1. Evander Slack - a poor reputation does not a sorcerer make

2. Archmage of Summer Corvus - Eleonaris and recent events

3. Nithyn Realms Reach - Vallorn new behaviours

Declarations

1. Tatiana Olya Vikentivch – Declaration of Sorcery – Evander Slack is a Sorcerer. PASSED

2. Bron Holdfast – Declaration of Sorcery - Alex Lansdale of Bregasland is a sorcerer. PASSED

3. Dean of the Lyceum Simargl - Declaration of Interdiction – Vallorn Ritual. PASSED (Secured in the Conclave vaults)

4. Concordia – Declaration of Candidacy – Conclave Liaison to the Senate. APPOINTED

Gambits

Proposer

Resources

CA

GP

RS

SP

SL

UM

Pri

Use

Deadline

Approved

Archmage of Winter Savik Summerstorm

24 Mana

3

4

8

4

4

1

Casting Inevitable Collapse into Ruin on the Sunday Battlefield

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Summer Corvus

30 Mana

5

5

0

5

3

4

Raising of a Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canea in Karsk

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Day Darius the Black

36 Mana

9

5

6

4

6

6

To perform a custom ritual to scry out the heart of Bas Celik and Swim Leviathan's Depths to discover why she desired the head of Empress Britta

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Autumn Mairice de Gauvain

20 Mana

2

0

2

7

5

3

Perform Winter's Ghosts on Reikos

Summit

Yes

Warmage Vaan

45 Mana

5

5

5

3

2

3

22

To be given to the Warmage to see the casting of Clarity of the Master Strategist

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Spring Stromcrow Kalindar

45 Mana

7

7

10

7

3

7

4

Casting Bound by Common Cause upon the army of the General's choosing

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Night Baba Ana

30 Mana

0

5

3

18

Battlefield healing for tomorrow's engagement against the Druj in The Barrens

Summit

Yes

Sunday Session

Proportions

Celestial Arch 12

Sevenfold Path 20

Rod and Shield 38

Golden Pyramid 23

Shuttered Lantern 14

Unfettered Mind 16

Addresses

1. Ifan Nighthven – Rituals regarding lineage.

2. Grandmaster of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo – Money from the Senate to spend on Mana.

3. Heilyn of Bronwen's Rest – Tournament at the Spring Summit.

4. Archmage of Winter Savik Summerstorm – Drake's eggs.

5. Warmage Vaan – The war.

6. Archmage of Summer Corvus – Summer matters.

7. Archmage of Night Baba Ana – the subject of Varushkan sovereigns

8. Archmage of Day Darius – Regarding the heart of Bas Celik.

Declarations

1. Valentin Brossa – Declaration of Enmity – Carolinos Kade. FAILED

2. Archmage of Winter Savik – Declaration of Interdiction – Drake's eggs. PASSED

Gambits

Proposer

Resources

CA

GP

RS

SP

SL

UM

Pri

Use

Deadline

Approved

Archmage of Night Baba Ana

18 Mana

3

1

2

12

Summer Crows to use Day magic to discover specific iformation vital to the defence of Broceliande

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Day Darius the Black

6 Weltsilver

2

1

1

2

To appease Kimus and build our relationship.

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Spring Stromcrow Kalindar

5 Mana

3

2

Casting Shadowed Glass of Sung to investigate Spring Herald in Dawn

Summit

Yes

Summary

Proportions

Day

Celestial Arch

Sevenfold Path

Rod and Shield

Golden Pyramid

Shuttered Lantern

Unfettered Mind

Total Attendance

Friday

20

38

52

40

27

21

192

Saturday

11

19

32

13

23

10

108

Sunday

12

23

38

20

14

16

123

Summit

43

71

122

82

64

47

429

Percentage

10.0

18.6

28.4

17.1

14.9

11.0

100

Appointments

Warmage - Vaan of Auric Horizon

Conclave Liaison to the Senate - Concordia

Interdictions

Vallorn Ritual

Drake's Eggs

Imperial Lore

- The Cuckoo's Egg ritual

Sorcerors

Evander Slak

Alex Lansdale of Bregasland

Notes

- There is a Drake's Egg in the secure interdiction vault.

- There is the body of a Yatak (hooked horror) in the Unfettered Mind vault, it has been ritually preserved.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Winter_Solstice_Conclave_Sessions&oldid=28652"

377YE Winter Solstice Imperial Elections

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senators

- 2.1 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 3 The Military Council

- 4 Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Prosperity

- 4.2 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.2 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Changes to Bourse Seats

- 7 Mercantile Investments

- 7.1 Further Reading

Overview

The following represent the titles that will be re-elected at the Winter Equinox.

At this time the intention is for all Senatorial elections to take place between the fifth and seventh hour after noon on Saturday, and for the appointments of new generals to take place first thing on Sunday morning.

This information may be subject to change - please inquire with a civil servant during the festivities if you are unsure.

Incumbent senators and generals maintain all their privileges and responsibilities until the re-election is complete.

Senators

The following Senators are up for re-election during the Winter Solstice.

- Senator for Madruga; the incumbent is Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

- Senator for Astolat; the incumbent is Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Necropolis; the incumbent is Adamah of the Silent Tide

- Senator for Temeschwar; the incumbent is Oksana Kazaku von Temeschwar

- Senator for Bregasland, the incumbent is Dour Fens: Richard of Bourholt

- Senator for Hercynia; the incumbent Rhain

- Senator for Zenith; the incumbent Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade.

- Senator for Miekarova; the incumbent Yelislaveta Syrnova Vlanich

- Senator for Kallavesa; the incumbent is Uskolli

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate was the Imperial orc Stormcrow Gralka, but her maximum term has now expired

The Military Council

The following Generals are up for re-appointment during the Winter Solstice.

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Bloodcrow Martok replaced Klor of the Winter Sun

- General Edwin de Warrene of the Strong Reeds

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army

Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

The following cardinals are up for re-appointment during the Winter solstice; by extension the gatekeepers may change when the cardinal changes.

Prosperity

- Ynez of the League was appointed Cardinal of Prosperity (replacing Bishop Alexandru Vintla)

- Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast remained as the Gatekeeper of the Prosperity Assembly

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanzetti of the League remained Cardinal of The Way

- Gralka, an Imperial Orc, remained as the Conscience of the Senate

The Imperial Conclave

The following

Grandmasters of the Orders

The following grandmasters are eligible for re-election at the Winter Solstice.

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch; incumbent is Sejanus

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and Shield; incumbent is Meir Pathfinder of Navarr

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- The archmagi, the Dean of the Lyceum, the Warmage and the Bursar of the Conclave may all be challenged through a Declaration of Candidacy during a Conclave session as usual.

The Imperial Bourse

All Imperial Bourse seats are up for re-appointment but with the exception of the weirwood seats they will serve only a short term. That is, ilium seats will be appointed until the Spring Equinox, white granite seats retain the position until the Summer Solstice and mithril seats retain their positions until Autumn Equinox.

Changes to Bourse Seats

- The Brilliant Shore has been reclaimed from the Thule but the allocation of the Bourse position by the Senate during The Autumn Equinox was vetoed by The General Assembly of the Imperial Synod and hence no one could be appointed to the position. Its allocation is now waiting for a standard Senate motion to be raised (which can occur no earlier than the Saturday evening senate session of the Winter Solstice); the seat continues to accrue white granite until it is successfully allocated.

- The Vigilant Swan (Highguard) has been lost to the Druj due to their conquest of Reikos. The seat will not be auctioned again until it is recovered.

- The position of Castellan of Spiral Castle is still unavailable for assignment until such time as Spiral Castle can be reached again.

Mercantile Investments

- The position of Spider's Tollkeep has not yet been appointed; it well be appointed at the Winter Solstice 377.

- The position of Keeper of the Spice Gardens has been vacated; it will be appointed at the Winter Solstice 377.

- The Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills will be appointed this Winter Solstice but serve only a partial term, being re-elected in Autumn 378YE

- The Provost of the Halls of Knowledge will be appointed this year as normal and serve for the full term.

- The Bailiff of the Grand Market will be appointed this year as normal and serve for the full term.

Further Reading

- 377YE Winter Solstice Senate Sessions

- 377YE Winter Solstice Synod Judgements

- Titles by event

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Winter_Solstice_Imperial_Elections&oldid=26600"

377YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Imperial Senate

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 2.11 Sinecures selected by senators

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 The Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Mercantile Investments

- 6.4 Other Bourse Positions

- 7 Further Reading

Overview

This information is believed to represent the outcome of the assorted elections and appointments at the Winter Solstice 377YE.

The Imperial Senate

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Requiza

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Lady Adia of House Arwood

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Solomon

- Senator for Casinea: Zephram of Cantiarch’s Hold

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav

- Senator for Tassato: Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Drogon Morosini

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Orrick

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville (née Talbot)

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain

- Senator for Miaren: Rhys

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Lucius of Quicksilver Spire

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Cato

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Radomir

- Senator for Volodmartz: Vitomyr Krasiludovich Antonov

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

- Senator for Skarsind: Triva of Tyrshalt

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is Gideon of the Sons of Couros

- The Advisor on orc affairs is Irontide Bruc

- The Imperial Master of Works is Richard Tunstall

- The Bursar of the Imperial Academy is Titus Hopkirk

Sinecures selected by senators

- The sinecure of Spider's Tollkeep is held by Rafa'eet i Contra i Guerra

- The sinecure of Keeper of the Spice Gardens is held by Reina i Shartha i Riquez

- The sinecure of Guardian of Britta's Shrine is held by Ruth of the Cenotaph in Highguard

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Anwar i Covas i Erigo replaced Yasmina I Ezmara I Erigo of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Clarence Oswald of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok replaced Klor of the Winter Sun TBC

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Gabriel Barossa replaced Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Richard Talbot of the The Drakes

- General Jack Flint of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Carr Foxden of the Black Thorns

- General Gwai replaced Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovich of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- Warmage Vaan of Auric Horizon

- The title of Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies is held by Janusz Dalibor von Temeschwar of the League

The Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Cardinal Olek of the League

- Gatekeeper Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Courage

- Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

- Gatekeeper Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

- Cardinal Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Friar Alan Young of the Marches remained as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

Pride

- Cardinal Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Cardinal Ynez di Carcomare of the League

- Gatekeeper Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

- Cardinal Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka

- Gatekeeper Silas of Highguard

Wisdom

- Cardinal Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

- Gatekeeper Hywel Summercrow of Navarr

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanzetti of the League

- Conscience of the Senate - Gideon of the Sons of Couros

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Darius of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo I Jannat I Riqueza of the Brass Coast

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Dimitri Ivanovich Ionescu of Varushka

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash of Varushka serves as Dean of the Lyceum

- Iago Melfizzi of The League serves as Bursar of the Conclave

The Imperial Bourse

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (41 Thrones)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Tobias Shanks (78 Thrones)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Antoni Krol (90 Thrones)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (50 Thrones)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar (80 Thrones)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Ilia Miroslav von Danzig (145 Thrones)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Ricardo Almieda Desmondo di Tasetto (65 Thrones)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (100 Thrones)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (112 Thrones)

- The Night Quarry is held by Giacomo Corvinoscuro (49 Thrones)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Todd the Smith (93 Thrones)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio de Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by Niccolo dos Tassatos (98 Thrones)

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Zlatimir Prochnost

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Marcus of Endsmeet

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Carmine de Sarvos "Father" (8 Thrones)

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Guillamo de Tassato (18 Thrones)

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Bruk

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (The Brass Coast)is held by Tabib i Eldaha i Riqueza

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakim

Mercantile Investments

- Hamnett of Gallowdale is appointed to the ministry of Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Estrella is appointed to the ministry of Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

- Jaoquin i Shartha i Riquez is appointed to the ministry of Mistress of the Glass Parador

Other Bourse Positions

- Octavius of Auric Horizon was appointed as Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

Further Reading

- 377YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 377YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

- Recent history

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377YE Winter Solstice Imperial Titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Imperial Senate

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 2.11 Sinecures selected by senators

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 The Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Mercantile Investments

- 6.4 Other Bourse Positions

- 7 Further Reading

Overview

This information is believed to represent the outcome of the assorted elections and appointments at the Winter Solstice 377YE.

The Imperial Senate

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Requiza

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Lady Adia of House Arwood

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Solomon

- Senator for Casinea: Zephram of Cantiarch’s Hold

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav

- Senator for Tassato: Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Drogon Morosini

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Orrick

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville (née Talbot)

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain

- Senator for Miaren: Rhys

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Lucius of Quicksilver Spire

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Cato

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Radomir

- Senator for Volodmartz: Vitomyr Krasiludovich Antonov

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

- Senator for Skarsind: Triva of Tyrshalt

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is Gideon of the Sons of Couros

- The Advisor on orc affairs is Irontide Bruc

- The Imperial Master of Works is Richard Tunstall

- The Bursar of the Imperial Academy is Titus Hopkirk

Sinecures selected by senators

- The sinecure of Spider's Tollkeep is held by Rafa'eet i Contra i Guerra

- The sinecure of Keeper of the Spice Gardens is held by Reina i Shartha i Riquez

- The sinecure of Guardian of Britta's Shrine is held by Ruth of the Cenotaph in Highguard

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Anwar i Covas i Erigo replaced Yasmina I Ezmara I Erigo of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Clarence Oswald of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok replaced Klor of the Winter Sun TBC

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Gabriel Barossa replaced Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Richard Talbot of the The Drakes

- General Jack Flint of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Carr Foxden of the Black Thorns

- General Gwai replaced Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovich of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- Warmage Vaan of Auric Horizon

- The title of Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies is held by Janusz Dalibor von Temeschwar of the League

The Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Cardinal Olek of the League

- Gatekeeper Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Courage

- Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

- Gatekeeper Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

- Cardinal Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Friar Alan Young of the Marches remained as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

Pride

- Cardinal Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Cardinal Ynez di Carcomare of the League

- Gatekeeper Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

- Cardinal Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka

- Gatekeeper Silas of Highguard

Wisdom

- Cardinal Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

- Gatekeeper Hywel Summercrow of Navarr

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanzetti of the League

- Conscience of the Senate - Gideon of the Sons of Couros

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Darius of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo I Jannat I Riqueza of the Brass Coast

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Dimitri Ivanovich Ionescu of Varushka

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash of Varushka serves as Dean of the Lyceum

- Iago Melfizzi of The League serves as Bursar of the Conclave

The Imperial Bourse

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (41 Thrones)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Tobias Shanks (78 Thrones)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Antoni Krol (90 Thrones)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (50 Thrones)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar (80 Thrones)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Ilia Miroslav von Danzig (145 Thrones)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Ricardo Almieda Desmondo di Tasetto (65 Thrones)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (100 Thrones)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (112 Thrones)

- The Night Quarry is held by Giacomo Corvinoscuro (49 Thrones)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Todd the Smith (93 Thrones)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio de Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by Niccolo dos Tassatos (98 Thrones)

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Zlatimir Prochnost

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Marcus of Endsmeet

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Carmine de Sarvos "Father" (8 Thrones)

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Guillamo de Tassato (18 Thrones)

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Bruk

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (The Brass Coast)is held by Tabib i Eldaha i Riqueza

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakim

Mercantile Investments

- Hamnett of Gallowdale is appointed to the ministry of Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Estrella is appointed to the ministry of Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

- Jaoquin i Shartha i Riquez is appointed to the ministry of Mistress of the Glass Parador

Other Bourse Positions

- Octavius of Auric Horizon was appointed as Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

Further Reading

- 377YE Winter Solstice Senate Sessions

- 377YE Winter Solstice Synod Judgements

- Recent history

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377YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at 243 Thrones, 4 crowns.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

Motions

Passed

- Provide siege training to new Highborn army

- Construct Asavean Embassy

- Clarify the powers of the Quartermaster General

- Appoint Imperial Master of Works

- Establish Imperial Orc Assembly

- Create title of Conclave Liaison

- Amend Powers of the Quartermaster General

- Amend Synod power of Recognition

- Clarify the powers of the Minister of Historical Research

- Appoint Envoy to Axos

- Construct Jarmish Embassy

- Disburse funds for mithril research

- Assignment of the Brilliant Shore

- Disburse funds to Conclave Grandmasters

- Create title of High Exorcist

- Create title of Captain of the Senate Guard

- Disburse additional funds for Asavean Embassy

- Create title of Bursar of the Imperial Academy

- Disburse funds to Autumn Archmage

- Raise Marcher Army

- Expand roll of honour

- Appoint a General for the Golden Sun army

Approved

- Fortify Golden Downs in Mitwold

- Fortify Ateri in Spiral

- Resupply the Eastern Sky

Defeated

- Repair the docks at Caricomare

- Disburse funds to Ywain de Gauvin

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377YE Winter Solstice Senate Sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at 243 Thrones, 4 crowns.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

Motions

Passed

- Provide siege training to new Highborn army

- Construct Asavean Embassy

- Clarify the powers of the Quartermaster General

- Appoint Imperial Master of Works

- Establish Imperial Orc Assembly

- Create title of Conclave Liaison

- Amend Powers of the Quartermaster General

- Amend Synod power of Recognition

- Clarify the powers of the Minister of Historical Research

- Appoint Envoy to Axos

- Construct Jarmish Embassy

- Disburse funds for mithril research

- Assignment of the Brilliant Shore

- Disburse funds to Conclave Grandmasters

- Create title of High Exorcist

- Create title of Captain of the Senate Guard

- Disburse additional funds for Asavean Embassy

- Create title of Bursar of the Imperial Academy

- Disburse funds to Autumn Archmage

- Raise Marcher Army

- Expand roll of honour

- Appoint a General for the Golden Sun army

Approved

- Fortify Golden Downs in Mitwold

- Fortify Ateri in Spiral

- Resupply the Eastern Sky

Defeated

- Repair the Sarvos Docks

- Disburse funds to Ywain de Gauvin

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377YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

Contents

- 1 Appointments

- 2 Appointments

- 2.1 Selection of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- 2.2 Selection of the Cardinal of The Way

- 2.3 Selection of the High Exorcist

- 2.4 Selection of the Gatekeeper of Loyalty

- 3 Synod Judgments

- 4 Statements of Principle

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

Appointments

At the end of the Summer Summit, 377 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Olek of the League

Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Tancred De Rondell of Dawn

Pride

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr

Prosperity

Ynez di Carcomare of the League

Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

Petra Melikov of Varushka

Silas of Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

Hywel Summercrow of Navarr

The Way

Antonnio Vanzetti of the League

Gideon of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Selection of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- Enoch of the Shattered Tower in Highguard received 50 votes

- Ynez di Carcomare of the Church of the Little Mother in the League received 76 votes and remained Cardinal

- Cardinal Ynez retained Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of The Way

- Maximillian Endsmeet, of Urizen, received 10 votes

- Torsch, an Imperial Orc, received 20 votes

- Antonio Vanzetti of the League received 102 votes and remained Cardinal

- Antonio Vanzetti appointed Gideon of the Suns of Courous, in Highguard, as Conscience of the Senate

Selection of the High Exorcist

- The Assembly of Nine elected Solas of the Waxing Sun as High Exorcist by Greater Majority; no other alternatives were considered

Selection of the Gatekeeper of Loyalty

- Following the courageous passage of Friar Alan Young into the Labyrinth, Cardinal Jared appointed Tancred De Rondell of Dawn as Gatekeeper.

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Assembly

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

Assembly of Loyalty

Inquisition of General Stanislav of Varushka

Ester Cenotaph, Highguard

Upheld 75 - 0

Assembly of Loyalty

Inquisition of Olaf of the Vor'Azi

Anna-Valeria Cascade, Urizen

Upheld 75 - 0

Assembly of Loyalty

Inquisition of Valentin of House Ortzel

Julius Cavita, League

Upheld

Assembly of Prosperity

Recognition of Nicolo Barossa, Master of the Mint, as an Exemplar of Prosperity.

Cardinal Ynez di Carcomare, League

Upheld 84 - 0, the required Greater Majority

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Gabriel Barossa de Tassato Regario

Cardinal Antonnio Vanzetti, League

Upheld 83 - 0, a Greater Majority

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Ybasdon Striding of Navarr

Cardinal Petra Melikov, Varushka

Upheld 83 - 0, a Greater Majority

General Assembly

Rewarding Ira of Felix's Watch in Highguard with Seventy Crowns from the Virtue Fund for the purchase of five wains of white granite to help build the memorial to the Imperial dead here at Anvil, for which he has the support of a General Assembly Statement of Principle

Cardinal Jared, Suns of Courous, Highguard

Upheld 438 - 278

General Assembly

Rewarding Aquaillion of Endsmeet with Three Crowns from the Virtue Fund to reimburse him for mana used to send a book about the virtue of Wisdom to the Celestial Library

Palladius of Urizen

Defeated 401 to 236

General Assembly

Rewarding Dietrich Von Elias with Five Thrones from the Virtue Fund for the purpose of financing into organising Virtuous Missionaries to be sent to the Iron Confederacy

Dietrich von Elias of the League

Defeated 368 - 278

General Assembly

Rewarding General Erkenbrand of Wintermark with Three Crowns from the Virtue Fund for his inspirational speech to the troops before battle and his virtuous conduct in that battle against the Druj.

Chaplain Torsch, Imperial Orc

Defeated 440 - 95

General Assembly

Rewarding Pete Keeper of Kingstoke with Five Thrones from the Virtue Fund for Acts of Courage, Wisdom, Prosperity and Vigilance and the saving of many lives in Saturday's Battle

Aelfpyrd de Couluvre of the Marches

Defeated 250 to 160

Assembly of Navarr

Revocation of the title of General held by Ulrich Ybasdon

Carwynn of the Navarr

Upheld 72 - 50

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Navarri Generals called Cerunnos and Gwyd Summercrow

Cardinal Agnetha de Rondell, Dawn

Upheld by 49 - 0

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Guillmero di Tassato of the League

Cardinal Asher, Felix's Watch, Highguard

Upheld 50 - 0, a Greater Majority

Assembly of Prosperity

Inquisition of Angel Jannat of the Brass Coast

Darius i Ezmara

Upheld 48 - 10

Assembly of the Imperial Orcs

Revocation of the title of Advisor of Orc Affairs held by Kessek Irontide

Atla of the Imperial Orcs

Upheld by unanimous assent; 20 - 0

Assembly of The Way

Inquisition of Evander Slack

Adoramus of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Upheld 62 - 0

Statements of Principle

The Imperial Synod was asked to make the following Statements of Principle:

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

General Assembly

Imperial Citizens should not trade liao with the Axos Confederacy until such time as the Synod recognises the virtue of their religions.

Valimir Bashnya of the Red Tower, Varushka

Upheld 368 - 0

Assembly of Highguard

The proposed Cursing of the whole territory of Reikos is a barbaric practice, that is unacceptable because it would indiscriminately kill, not only Druj, but also our own fellow citizens of Highguard.

Lilian of the Unbound Chapter

Defeated 147 - 43

General Assembly

This Statement of Principle calls for the removal of the word Freedom from the Senate Building; Freedom is the false virtue of Anarchy, and is unvirtuous

Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Defeated

General Assembly

This House believes that there should be land consecrated to each of the Virtues at every meeting here at Anvil.

Antonio Raul Calogne di Trivento, League

Defeated 209 to 208

General Assembly

Each National Assembly should convene at least once every festival

Morgan Brokenbone, Navarr

Defeated 222 to 138

General Assembly

As the Empire has expanded in influence and Virtue, so too has the way in which we should recognise the Sign of Pilgrimage. Any journey with enough spiritual meaning can change the soul. Therefore when appropriate conjunctions arise, future opportunities ought to be created for pilgrims to journey out from Anvil.

Helena di Sarvos, League

Defeated 320 to 281

General Assembly

The Synod invites those Senators who wish to formally ally their works with those of the Imperial Priesthood to create a political band of Senators - The Bannerpeople of Virtue.

Rurik Von Linden

Defeated 456 to 111

Assembly of Courage

An Open List of aspirants to the Throne should be created through the appropriate channels to allow aspirants to publically and widely show their Courage and Ambition as such.

Isaac di Sarvos

Upheld by Greater Majority, 74 to 34

Assembly of Loyalty

This Statement of Principle recognises the actions of Diego i Guerra in the battle fought in Karsk; his assistance rendered to the soldiers of the Marches show his return towards walking the Virtuous path

Tancred de Rondell, Dawn

Upheld 74 - 0

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

10 Thrones / 1 Crowns / 2 Rings

Income

6 Thrones and 4 Crowns

Raised by auction of Pure Liao

15 Rings

Donated by Linden Endsmeet in memory of Acherus Overwatch

Rewards

70 Crowns

Given to Ira of Felix's Watch at the behest of Cardinal Jared

Closing Value

7 Thrones / 2 Crowns / 17 Rings

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- Jonah of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

- Livia Cascade, Urizen

- Rosamund Holt, Marches

- Cora Holdfast, Navarr

- Solomon of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

- Valentin Orisin Brossa, Varushka

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377YE Winter Solstice Synod Judgements

Contents

- 1 Appointments

- 2 Appointments

- 2.1 Selection of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- 2.2 Selection of the Cardinal of The Way

- 2.3 Selection of the High Exorcist

- 2.4 Selection of the Gatekeeper of Loyalty

- 3 Synod Judgments

- 4 Statements of Principle

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

Appointments

At the end of the Summer Summit, 377 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Olek of the League

Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Tancred De Rondell of Dawn

Pride

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr

Prosperity

Ynez di Carcomare of the League

Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

Petra Melikov of Varushka

Silas of Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

Hywel Summercrow of Navarr

The Way

Antonnio Vanzetti of the League

Gideon of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Selection of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- Enoch of the Shattered Tower in Highguard received 50 votes

- Ynez di Carcomare of the Church of the Little Mother in the League received 76 votes and remained Cardinal

- Cardinal Ynez retained Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of The Way

- Maximillian Endsmeet, of Urizen, received 10 votes

- Torsch, an Imperial Orc, received 20 votes

- Antonio Vanzetti of the League received 102 votes and remained Cardinal

- Antonio Vanzetti appointed Gideon of the Suns of Courous, in Highguard, as Conscience of the Senate

Selection of the High Exorcist

- The Assembly of Nine elected Solas of the Waxing Sun as High Exorcist by Greater Majority; no other alternatives were considered

Selection of the Gatekeeper of Loyalty

- Following the courageous passage of Friar Alan Young into the Labyrinth, Cardinal Jared appointed Tancred De Rondell of Dawn as Gatekeeper.

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Assembly

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

Assembly of Loyalty

Inquisition of General Stanislav of Varushka

Ester Cenotaph, Highguard

Upheld 75 - 0

Assembly of Loyalty

Inquisition of Olaf of the Vor'Azi

Anna-Valeria Cascade, Urizen

Upheld 75 - 0

Assembly of Loyalty

Inquisition of Valentin of House Ortzel

Julius Cavita, League

Upheld

Assembly of Prosperity

Recognition of Nicolo Barossa, Master of the Mint, as an Exemplar of Prosperity.

Cardinal Ynez di Carcomare, League

Upheld 84 - 0, the required Greater Majority

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Gabriel Barossa de Tassato Regario

Cardinal Antonnio Vanzetti, League

Upheld 83 - 0, a Greater Majority

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Ybasdon Striding of Navarr

Cardinal Petra Melikov, Varushka

Upheld 83 - 0, a Greater Majority

General Assembly

Rewarding Ira of Felix's Watch in Highguard with Seventy Crowns from the Virtue Fund for the purchase of five wains of white granite to help build the memorial to the Imperial dead here at Anvil, for which he has the support of a General Assembly Statement of Principle

Cardinal Jared, Suns of Courous, Highguard

Upheld 438 - 278

General Assembly

Rewarding Aquaillion of Endsmeet with Three Crowns from the Virtue Fund to reimburse him for mana used to send a book about the virtue of Wisdom to the Celestial Library

Palladius of Urizen

Defeated 401 to 236

General Assembly

Rewarding Dietrich Von Elias with Five Thrones from the Virtue Fund for the purpose of financing into organising Virtuous Missionaries to be sent to the Iron Confederacy

Dietrich von Elias of the League

Defeated 368 - 278

General Assembly

Rewarding General Erkenbrand of Wintermark with Three Crowns from the Virtue Fund for his inspirational speech to the troops before battle and his virtuous conduct in that battle against the Druj.

Chaplain Torsch, Imperial Orc

Defeated 440 - 95

General Assembly

Rewarding Pete Keeper of Kingstoke with Five Thrones from the Virtue Fund for Acts of Courage, Wisdom, Prosperity and Vigilance and the saving of many lives in Saturday's Battle

Aelfpyrd de Couluvre of the Marches

Defeated 250 to 160

Assembly of Navarr

Revocation of the title of General held by Ulrich Ybasdon

Carwynn of the Navarr

Upheld 72 - 50

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Navarri Generals called Cerunnos and Gwyd Summercrow

Cardinal Agnetha de Rondell, Dawn

Upheld by 49 - 0

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Guillmero di Tassato of the League

Cardinal Asher, Felix's Watch, Highguard

Upheld 50 - 0, a Greater Majority

Assembly of Prosperity

Inquisition of Angel Jannat of the Brass Coast

Darius i Ezmara

Upheld 48 - 10

Assembly of the Imperial Orcs

Revocation of the title of Advisor of Orc Affairs held by Kessek Irontide

Atla of the Imperial Orcs

Upheld by unanimous assent; 20 - 0

Assembly of The Way

Inquisition of Evander Slack

Adoramus of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Upheld 62 - 0

Statements of Principle

The Imperial Synod was asked to make the following Statements of Principle:

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

General Assembly

Imperial Citizens should not trade liao with the Axos Confederacy until such time as the Synod recognises the virtue of their religions.

Valimir Bashnya of the Red Tower, Varushka

Upheld 368 - 0

Assembly of Highguard

The proposed Cursing of the whole territory of Reikos is a barbaric practice, that is unacceptable because it would indiscriminately kill, not only Druj, but also our own fellow citizens of Highguard.

Lilian of the Unbound Chapter

Defeated 147 - 43

General Assembly

This Statement of Principle calls for the removal of the word Freedom from the Senate Building; Freedom is the false virtue of Anarchy, and is unvirtuous

Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Defeated

General Assembly

This House believes that there should be land consecrated to each of the Virtues at every meeting here at Anvil.

Antonio Raul Calogne di Trivento, League

Defeated 209 to 208

General Assembly

Each National Assembly should convene at least once every festival

Morgan Brokenbone, Navarr

Defeated 222 to 138

General Assembly

As the Empire has expanded in influence and Virtue, so too has the way in which we should recognise the Sign of Pilgrimage. Any journey with enough spiritual meaning can change the soul. Therefore when appropriate conjunctions arise, future opportunities ought to be created for pilgrims to journey out from Anvil.

Helena di Sarvos, League

Defeated 320 to 281

General Assembly

The Synod invites those Senators who wish to formally ally their works with those of the Imperial Priesthood to create a political band of Senators - The Bannerpeople of Virtue.

Rurik Von Linden

Defeated 456 to 111

Assembly of Courage

An Open List of aspirants to the Throne should be created through the appropriate channels to allow aspirants to publically and widely show their Courage and Ambition as such.

Isaac di Sarvos

Upheld by Greater Majority, 74 to 34

Assembly of Loyalty

This Statement of Principle recognises the actions of Diego i Guerra in the battle fought in Karsk; his assistance rendered to the soldiers of the Marches show his return towards walking the Virtuous path

Tancred de Rondell, Dawn

Upheld 74 - 0

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

10 Thrones / 1 Crowns / 2 Rings

Income

6 Thrones and 4 Crowns

Raised by auction of Pure Liao

15 Rings

Donated by Linden Endsmeet in memory of Acherus Overwatch

Rewards

70 Crowns

Given to Ira of Felix's Watch at the behest of Cardinal Jared

Closing Value

7 Thrones / 2 Crowns / 17 Rings

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- Jonah of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

- Livia Cascade, Urizen

- Rosamund Holt, Marches

- Cora Holdfast, Navarr

- Solomon of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

- Valentin Orisin Brossa, Varushka

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_Judgements&oldid=26606"

378YE Autumn Equinox Announcements by the Quartermaster General

Overview

- Resupply the Wintermark army of The Fist of the Mountains with 39 mithril.

- Resupply the Wintermark army of the The Green Shield with 40 mithriil.

- Resupply the Varushkan army of the Northern Eagle with 43 weirwood.

- The actions are grouped together, but each would count as a separate announcement for purposes of the Imperial Synod veto.

- This motion was approved by the Quartermaster General using the legal power to resupply armies granted by the Imperial Senate.

Date

- Autumn Equinox 378YE

Progress

- 79 wains of mithril and 43 wains of weirwood provided by Irontide Rad, Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies, after Autumn Equinox 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- Resupply an army using 50 wains restores fighting strength equal to 1000 soldiers to the army.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Autumn_Equinox_Announcements_by_the_Quartermaster_General&oldid=30014"

378YE Autumn Equinox Conclave declarations

Declarations

Nature of Declaration

Substance of Declaration

Made By

Made or Not Made?

Candidacy

Archmage of Spring

Mira Tangled Thorn

Kallendar Stormcrow declared

Concord

The Conclave expects an address if you don't complete a Gambit promptly

Tiberius Echostorm

Declaration rejected

Candidacy

Imperial Warmage

-

Vaan declared as Warmage

Concord

There should be Synod oversight of interactions with Realm creatures. They are deceptive, inhuman and we put a great deal of trust in them

Obadiah

Declaration rejected

Imperial Lore

A ritual to discover the disposition of armues and forces

Simargl, Dean of the Lyceum

Declaration made

Enmity

Skathe

Cardinal Ynez di Caricomare

Declaration rejected

Concord

It should be possible to outbid extended comments by paying more mana into the vaults

Unknown

Declaration rejected

Candidacy

Archmage of Spring

-

Iulian Shatterspire declared as Archmage

Concord

The Sevenfold Path is the most powerful Conclave Order

Gerant i Erigo

Declaration made

Interdiction

The skin burning potion desired by Autumn Eternals to make silver heralds into gold ones

Isobel i Erigo

Declaration rejected

Concord

Placing auras before or during a Conclave is a misuse of magic and therefore a sorcererous act

Palaphon Ankarian, Grandmaster of the Unfettered Mind

Declaration rejected

Candidacy

Archmage of Winter

Savik Summerstorm

Cyrus Skybreaker declared as Archmage

Concord

The Conclave should back the re-creation of a Rune Forge. It will be self-funded. Eat at Tykes.

Edmundo i Jannat i Riqueza

Declaration made

Concord

Artisans should be counted as magicians and have the right to vote in Conclave. I know they can't get in but I am working on getting them in.

Edmundo i Jannat i Riqueza

Declaration rejected

Concord

The Conclave should withold all military assistance until the Senate permits construction of a new college of magic

Unknown

Declaration rejected

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Autumn_Equinox_Conclave_declarations&oldid=35646"

378YE Autumn Equinox Imperial titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Imperial Senate

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 2.11 Sinecures selected by senators

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 The Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 4.9 Other Synod positions

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Mercantile Investments

- 6.4 Other Bourse Positions

- 7 Miscellaneous

- 8 Further Reading

Overview

This information represents the outcome of the assorted elections and appointments at the 378YE Autumn Equinox.

The Imperial Senate

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Kattalin i Hazama i Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Zamira i Covas i Erigo

- Senator for Madruga: J'zarr i Shartha i Riquezza

- Senator for Segura: Arisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Escalados deCarsenere

- Senator for Weirwater: Valentin Ivarovich Orzel

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Jada of Ravensfell

- Senator for Casinea: Zephram of Cantiarch’s Hold

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav

- Senator for Tassato: Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Drogon Morosini

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Orrick

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain

- Senator for Miaren: Syn Nighthaven

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Ariadne

- Senator for Redoubt: Marissa Shatterspire

- Senator for Zenith: Cato

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Radomir

- Senator for Volodmartz: Irina Kardaova Arkady

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

- Senator for Skarsind: Jorma Steelhail

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is Gideon of the Sons of Couros

- The Advisor on orc affairs is Irontide Bruc

- The Imperial Master of Works is Richard Tunstall

- The Bursar of the Imperial Academy is Titus Hopkirk

- The Admiral is Sendero i Hazana i Guerra

- The Ambassador to Asavea is Camilia di Traviciana di Sarvos

- The Ambassador to Jarm is Owsi Twice-burned

- The Advisor on the Vallorn is Merel Pathfinder

- The Wisest Senator is Syn Nighthaven (NB: Not an Imperial Title, but was selected by the Senate at Autumn Equinox so included for completeness.)

Sinecures selected by senators

- The sinecure of Spider's Tollkeep is held by Rafa'eet i Contra i Guerra

- The sinecure of Keeper of the Spice Gardens is held by Reina i Shartha i Riquez

- The sinecure of Guardian of Britta's Shrine is held by Ruth of the Cenotaph in Highguard

- The sinecure of The Dredgemaster of Feverwater, is held by Corey Brackensong

- Custodian of the Academy Religious Studies (exact title to be TBA)

- Custodian of The Starlight Drift of Shimmering Snow (exact title TBA)

- Custodian of The Memorial Gardens of Treji (exact title TBA)

- Keeper of Sylvihrafyn

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Manny i Sayap i Guerra of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Starac Sijed Orzel of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Cuth of the Seventh Wave

- General Mathayus of the Granite Pillar

- General Tyrus of The Valiant Pegasus

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok of the Winter Sun

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Gabriel Barossa of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Furious Fin of the The Drakes

- General Jack Flint of the Strong Reeds

- General Brianna of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Carr Foxden of the Black Thorns

- General Merryn Farkas of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovich of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- The Warmage is Vaan of Auric Horizon

- The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies is Irontide Rad

The Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Cardinal Bishop Olek of the League

- Gatekeeper Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Courage

- Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

- Gatekeeper Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost of Varushka

Loyalty

- Cardinal Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Tancred De Rondell of Dawn

Pride

- Cardinal Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Meurig Tystwarden

Prosperity

- Cardinal Ynez di Caricomare of the League

- Gatekeeper Enoch of the Shattered Tower of Highguard

Vigilance

- Cardinal Marrok De Carsenere

- Gatekeeper Abraham of Highguard

Wisdom

- Cardinal Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

- Gatekeeper Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

- Bishop Antonio Vanzetti of the League

- Conscience of the Senate - Gideon of the Sons of Couros

Other Synod positions

- The post of High Exorcist is held by Solas of Urizen

- The post of Auditor of Senatorial Accountability is held by Nadezha Dava of Varushka

- The post of Imperial Inquisitor is held by Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Iulian Shatterspire is Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon is Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain is Archmage of Autumn

- Cyrus Skybreaker is Archmage of Winter

- Darius of Auric Horizon is Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana is Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo I Jannat I Riqueza of the Brass Coast

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Dimitri Ivanovich Ionescu of Varushka

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Palaphon of the Ankarian Magisitrum

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash of Varushka serves as Dean of the Lyceum

- Iago Melfizzi of the League serves as Bursar of the Conclave

- Concordia Sforza of the League serves as Liason to the Senate

The Imperial Bourse

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Tomas Talbot (165 Thrones)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Tobias Shanks (240 Thrones)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Antoni Krol (90 Thrones)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Griacomo Carvinoscurro (170 Thrones)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar (305 Thrones)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Ilia Miroslav von Danzig (145 Thrones)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Feran (215 Thrones)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (100 Thrones)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (112 Thrones)

- The Night Quarry is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeshwar (170 Thrones)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Silvio di Tassato (37 Thrones)

- The Singing Caves are held by Ricardo di Tasato (400 Thrones)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Eanwyn Dunning (155 Thrones)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Marko von Temeshwar (48 Thrones)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by Niccolo dos Tassatos (98 Thrones)

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (Brass Coast) is held by Karlos i Shartha i Riqueza

- The Regario Dossier (League) is held by Rodrigo Barrosa (17 Thrones)

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Guillamo de Tassato (18 Thrones)

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Irontide Vio

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Sibella

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Zlatimir Prochnost

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakeim Sussavari

- The Brilliant Shore (Wintermark) is held by Aelfric Kereftinar

Mercantile Investments

- Hamnett of Gallowdale is Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Jaoquin i Shartha i i Riqueza is Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

- Paloma i Taziel i Riquez is Mistress of the Glass Parador

- Dieter Angelovic is the Custodian of the Assayers Guild

- Duarte i Hazzam i Guerra is the Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

Other Bourse Positions

- Octavius of Auric Horizon is Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Principalities of Jarm is Oswi Twice-burned

- Foreign Trade Envoy to Faraden is Roberto Murdochi di Sarvos

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Asavean Archipelago is Adrianna Donati di Sarvos

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Commonwealth is Jonah Yakovitch

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Sumaah Republic is Aedred apMagor of Wintermark.

Miscellaneous

- The Operator of Brock's Toll is Robert Shanks

Further Reading

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Synod judgements

- Recent history

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Autumn_Equinox_Imperial_titles&oldid=35480"

378YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at TBC.

Motions

Passed

- Drain the flooded streets of Caricomare

- Disburse funds for strategic rituals

- Disburse additional funds for creation of Marcher army

- Declare peace with Lasambrian orcs

- Construct herb gardens at Treji

- Disburse funds to Bregasland

- Construct Sylvihrafn Crystal Henge

- Construct fortified manor in Liathaven

- Research the vallorn for the Academy

- Fortify Overton

- Construct Starlight Drift of Shimmering Snow

- Fortify Tassato

- Amend powers of the Conclave Liason

- Disburse funds to Conclave Grandmasters

- Construct Academy Religious Studies sinecure

- Disburse funds to aid Liathaven citizens

- Create law of delegation protection

Defeated

- Construct Mercantile Exchange in Temeschwar

Announcements

- Announcements by the Quartermaster General

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378YE Autumn Equinox Synod judgements

Contents

- 1 The Imperial Titles of the Synod

- 1.1 Other Synod-Appointed Titles

- 2 Appointments

- 2.1 Appointment of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- 2.2 Appointment of the Cardinal of Pride

- 2.3 Appointment of the Cardinal of The Way

- 2.4 Appointment of the Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial

- 2.5 Appointment of the Auditor of the Senate

- 2.6 Appointment of the Gatekeeper of Ambition

- 3 Synod Judgments

- 4 Statements of Principle

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Imperial Titles of the Synod

At the end of the Autumn Equinox, 378 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Bishop Olek of the League

Silent John of the Marches

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost of Varushka

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Tancred De Rondell of Dawn

Pride

Elka Nadyanova Gremani of Varushka

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

Prosperity

Ynez di Caricomare of the League

Enoch of the Shattered Tower in Highguard

Vigilance

Marrok de Carsenere of Dawn

Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

Beodun Snowlock of Wintermark

Gideon of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Other Synod-Appointed Titles

Title

Held By

Appointed By

Renews

High Exorcist

Solas of Urizen

Assembly of Nine

Winter Solstice

Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

Autocephalous Tolya Orbardenko of the League

Assembly of Nine

Until death, revocation or abdication

Imperial Inquisitor

Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska

Assembly of Nine

Spring Equinox

Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial

Ira of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Assembly of Nine

Sinecure; until death, revocation or abdication

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Appointment of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard, stood unopposed and was appointed Cardinal of the Assembly

- Cardinal Jared chose to retain Tancred De Rondell as Gatekeeper of Loyalty

Appointment of the Cardinal of Pride

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold

22 votes

Elka Nadyanova Gremani

72 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Cardinal Elka appointed Samson of Cantiarch's Hold as Gatekeeper

Appointment of the Cardinal of The Way

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Adoramus of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

30 votes

Hywel Summercrow of the Navarr

30 votes

Atla, an Imperial Orc

60 votes

Beodun Snowlock of Wintermark

66 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Cardinal Beodun retained Gideon of the Suns of Courous as Conscience of the Senate

Appointment of the Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial

- The Assembly of Nine appointed Ira of Felix's Watch, Highguard, as Curator of the Imperial War Memorial by Decisive Majority

Appointment of the Auditor of the Senate

- The Assembly of Nine appointed Autocephalous Tolya Orbardenko of the League by Decisive Majority

Appointment of the Gatekeeper of Ambition

- Cardinal Olek of the League appointed Silent John of the Marches after Gatekeeper Serrusto stepped down

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Number

Assembly

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

1

Loyalty

Appointment of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Jared of the Suns of Courous was appointed

2

Pride

Appointment of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Elka Gremani was appointed

3

The Way

Appointment of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Beodun Snowlock was appointed

4

Assembly of Nine

Appointment of the Curator of the Imperial War Memorial

The Civil Service

Ira of Felix's Watch in Highguard was elected by Decisive Majority

5

Assembly of Nine

Revocation of the current Auditor of the Senate

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Upheld by Decisive Majority (5-0) and Tolya Ordenko appointed Auditor by the same Decisive Majority

6

Highguard

The Revocation of General Mathyus of The Granite Pillar for lack of virtue. Vigilance in losing the last of Reikos. Courage in failing to act. Prosperity in losing the Vigilant swan. Pride in failing to retake Reikos. Loyalty to citizens of Reikos.

Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Defeated 203 - 42

7

Ambition

Appointment of Gatekeeper

Civil Service

Cardinal Olek appointed Silent John of the Marches

8

Prosperity

Inquisition of Senator Henry Ward of Upwold

Rurik Von Linden

Upheld 92 – 0

9

Prosperity

Inquisition of former Senator Valentin of Volodmartz

Auditor Tolya Ordenko

Upheld 92 - 0

14

General Assembly

Veto of the Senate Motion to provide protection to visiting barbarian delegates

Adoramus of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Failed to achieve Greater Majority (Defeated 307 – 220)

16

-

Judgment withdrawn by raising priest

-

-

17

Prosperity

Condemnation of Senator Bridget of Mitwold for lying during inquisition.

Auditor Tolya

Upheld 92 - 0

18

General

The Doctrine of Excommunication – The rite, excommunication, severs the soul’s connection to the Labyrinth

Yael of Felix’s Watch, Highguard

Failed to achieve Greater Majority (Upheld 210 to 114)

19

Varushkan National

Revocation of General Olaf, following discussions of the Assembly and the evidence given by its members and the Inquisitor of Wisdom

Inquisitor Petra Melikov

Defeated 78 – 62

Statements of Principle

The Imperial Synod made the following Statements of Principle:

Number

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

11

Pride

The Pride Assembly will be awarding the Beacon of Pride medal every Equinox to the most deserving citizen. Further details will follow in time.

Eadred Oswinson

Upheld 94 - 0

12

Highguard

The Actions of the Highborn Virtue Crusaders in seeking to reclaim Reikos were both courageous and loyal. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten by Highguard.

Caleb of the Silent Tide Chapter

Upheld 197 - 30

15

Vigilance

The stipend of the High Exorcist should be increased in order that the Empire is adequately protected from developing spiritual threats

Cardinal Marrok de Carsenere

Upheld 74 – 0

The Synod chose not to make the following Statements of Principle:

Number

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

10

General

The Senate should pass a motion granting the following: Each gathering the civil service will deposit a number of liao from their supply into the Virtue Fund. This would allow priests to undertake liao-intensive theological projects without expending their personal supply. It would also encourage engagement in activities such as experimental theology.

Noah of Cantiarch’s Hold, Highguard

Defeated 314 - 305

13

General

Romance & Virtues are interlinked. Ambition: Aim high with your genitals and woo whomever you may choose. Courage: Do not fear rejection, it is part of the journey you and your genitals make together. Wisdom: Learn from using your genitals. Pride: Never be ashamed of your genitals, let them inspire you. Prosperity: A prosperous trade is one that leaves both parties better off, if you know what I mean. Loyalty: Despise the cheat, they show a lack of virtue. Vigilance: Take no foolish risks with your genitals.

Shem of the Shattered Tower

Defeated 483 - 104

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

34 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 2 Rings

Income

5 Liao

A donation from Noah of Cantiarch’s Hold, Highguard

22 Thrones

The price paid in the Bourse Auction

Rewards

None

Not applicable

Closing Value

56 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 2 Rings / 5 liao

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- General Vahne of Wintermark

- Hywel Summercrow of the Navarr

- Luke of the Shattered Tower in Highguard

- Tancred De Rondell, Gatekeeper of Loyalty

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378YE Autumn Equinox winds of magic

Contents

- 1 A Grand Conjunction

- 2 Game effects

- 2.1 Roleplaying Effects

- 2.2 Rules Effects

A Grand Conjunction

Six days before the Autumn Equinox, a Grand Conjunction begins.

Across the north, from Tanikipari in western Sermersuaq to Crowslook in eastern Karsk, the great winter lights are visible despite it being autumn. They coil and dance across the night sky, brighter than any mystic or volhov can remember their ever having been. Something momentous is afoot.

The astronomancers know that a grand conjunction occurs once in a lifetime, if that. Four constellations moving into a balanced alignment with the Wanderer. The Door, the Stork, the Web and the Great Wyrm with the eye of change equidistant between them. The effects are ... miraculous. Wonderful. Catastrophic, potentially.

As the crimson pilgrim burns in the night sky - an ember, a dark jewel, a glaring eye - things go awry, things shift. Those sensitive to such things - especially those who have dedicated their lives to the study of magic - complain of hearing a distant chord when they are under the unclouded sky. Some speak of moments of extreme vertigo, as if the world were spinning around them as they remain stationary. Others awake from dreams fill of a sense of the inexorable march of history, of the way events branch and merge to create other events. Some of the most sensitive talk of experiencing a sense of interconnectedness with everything around them that becomes stronger among those that draw on the coven bond with their fellow ritualists. Finally, a rare few talk distantly of strange notions that come upon them when they are alone, notions that force them to confront and challenge their most precious beliefs.

These sensations are not restricted to astronomancers, nor solely to magicians. They are strongest at night when the stars are visible in the sky. Nor is it likely they are restricted solely to the Empire - every mortal land shares the same sky, after all.

Game effects

The effects of astronomancy are normally weak but pervasive – this Grand Conjunction however is a major celestial event that exerts unquestionable influence on the mortal world. The conjunction will have faded before the next Profound Decisions event, but during the upcoming event it will have significant effects on the game.

Roleplaying Effects

Many players will not even notice there is a conjunction taking place. Others may choose to embrace one of the roleplaying effects associated with the conjunction, especially when they are under the sky at night.

- Any magician, especially one who has just spent mana to cast a spell, may hear an unearthly chord of distant music, inaudible to others nearby

- They may experience dizziness and vertigo as if everything begun to spin around them

- They may become intensely aware of the way events connect to each other and lead inexorably to further events

- They may feel a strong sense of the interconnectedness of all people and items, a sense that can be overwhelming and give a strong sense that the individual consciousness is in danger of "drowning" in a sea of other people

- They may suddenly be struck by an idea or notion that challenges the way they see the world or makes them question a strongly held assumption

These are intended to be tools to empower players to explore new elements of their characterisation and to inspire them to help create the in-character atmosphere fostered by the Grand Conjunction - they are by no means mandatory.

Rules Effects

The most profound effect, however, is on ritual magicians and the performance of ritual magic. Under this conjunction, it is impossible to improvise a ritual effect.

- This has no effect on performing a ritual one has mastered; they are cast as normal.

- Likewise, any magician can contribute to or perform a spontaneous version of a ritual that is part of Imperial lore without any problems.

- Ritualists who have access to a ritual text that is not part of imperial lore can attempt to spontaneously perform that ritual without additional problems.

- Any ritualist can perform spontaneous rituals to send a message to an eternal or to give a gift to an inhabitant of the eternal realms

- No other improvised rituals can be performed; the referees will not provide costings for new ritual effects, nor will any ritual that is not covered above work when performed during this conjunction

There are compensations.

The power of the coven bond is enhanced by this conjunction. Every coven can perform an additional ritual each day when drawing on their coven bond. This means that instead of performing two rituals each day, all covens can perform a base three rituals before taking into account any enchantments or paraphernalia that may be relevant.

Finally, this stellar event empowers the use of ilium in rituals; for the duration of the equinox the amount of star metal needed to make an enchantment or curse permanent is twice the magnitude of the ritual (to a minimum of ten rings) rather than three times the magnitude.

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378YE Autumn Equinox winds of war

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Blood on the Stonefields

- 3 A Tale of Fog and Ravens

- 4 Interlude

- 5 The Tempest

- 6 The Walls of Holfried

Overview

Golden Summer fades slowly into brazen Autumn. It is one of the wettest Summers in living memory, and as the rain falls and the waters flow, so the blood flows also. On the western front, all is quiet - perhaps too quiet - but from Segura to Upwold there are no large-scale engagements, just occasional skirmishes between human and orc warbands making specualtive raids into each others' territories.

In the north, in Sermersuaq, the Battle of the Stonefields sees the slow advance of the Thule as they inexorably claim more and more ground in the Silver Peaks despite strong Imperial opposition. On the far side of the Empire, in Karsk the Varushkan defenders make sinister alliances in an attempt to defend their newly liberated territory from the Thule barbarians - but there also they are slowly being forced back. It seems almost inevitable that without reinforcements, Karsk will be lost to the Empire again before the end of the year.

It is not all bad news, however. The Imperial forces defending Holberg city against the Druj face a sea of orcs supported by immense siege engines and terrible beasts but walls of Holfried have never been breached by enemy forces ... and the barbarians are forced to retreat from the walls after a fierce and protracted siege.

Finally, along the western shores of the Bay of Catazar, a supernaturally potent Tempest rages for several months, smashing the coast of Spiral and devastating the Grendel-held port of Apulus. Garbled eyewitness reports suggest the quayside there is reduced to splinters, damaging the ability of the sea-faring barbarians to funnel supplies their forces there in the shadow of the Black Plateau.

Victory in Holberg, then; and while the campaigns in Sermersuaq and Karsk are not going well, no territory has been lost. Autumn is a season for reaping what has been sown - and it remains to be seen precisely what is going to grow from the rocky ground of a year of warfare.

Blood on the Stonefields

As the days slowly lengthen toward Autumn, the skies are clear and bright, but at night the glittering sea of stars brings with it a bone numbing cold that promises a long winter to come. The Silver Peaks in north-eastern Sermersuaq echo with the thunder of war. The Green Shield and the Fist of the Mountain - already engaged in holding back the Thule advance through the Silver Peaks - are joined by the stoic Winter Sun (accompanied by a thousand silent husks torn from the battlefields of Holberg) and the fleet-footed Freeborn of the Fire of the South. They face the forces of the Thule in the foothills below the peaks.

Having begun to secure the upper passes, the Thule now focus their attention to the Stonefields themselves. The attempt by the Thule to claim the Stonefield Ice Caves was turned back by the swift action of the Empire's heroes; now they seek to claim the broken plains scattered with rich deposits of tempest jade and the rocky sanctuaries where crystal mana pools.

The Thule fight under the banner of the white hound - fight to the pounding of drums with a savage abandon that matches the cold fury of the Winterfolk, the disciplined might of the Imperial orcs and the passion of the Fires of the South. Their armies are wound around with sorcery. Their leaders seem preternaturally astute, predicting the moves of their opponents with uncanny accuracy, while the savage hunters of the Ice Shard Banner move through the foothills and broken terrain like ghosts, striking deep into East Floes and Suaq Fount. More dramatically, the warlocks fighting under the Lightning banner twist the weather itself to their command, sending blizzards of unseasonal snow to bog down the defenders and leave them vulnerable to deadly ambush.

The Thule sorcery does not go unanswered; Imperial magic causes the snowfields of Sermersuaq to glitter in the summer sun. Potent healing magic drawn from the Spring realm means that any wound short of a killing blow heals almost overnight. The magic is indiscriminate - it affects Imperial and barbarian, orc and human and beast equally. It helps reduce the death toll in the mountains, and all across Sermersuaq lives are saved and sicknesses healed. The herds of mammoth and deer will be especially rich and healthy come the Spring.

The two sides are roughly matched in terms of numbers; perhaps fifteen thousand warriors on each side. Yet the Thule sorcery inexorably turns the tide in their favour. Day by day they claim a little more ground, and while the Empire rallies to force them back one step, it does so at the cost of allowing them to take two steps forward elsewhere. The Imperial forces fight cautiously, ceding ground rather than risk being lured into an ambush or suffering a major defeat. The Thule by contrast take more risks, their losses reflect their tactics, despite the healing power of Spring which protects both sides equally.

After Summer dies, and Autumn ages towards the equinox, it is clear that the Stonefields are in the hands of the Thule. While their foothold has strengthened, the barbarians are still not quite secure enough to have conquered the entire Silver Peaks.The Imperial troops have slowed their advance, but they cannot stop it altogether. If all continues as it is, the Thule will claim the Silver Peaks with the beginning of Spring next year ... and then the plains of Sermersuaq will be theirs for the taking.

A Tale of Fog and Ravens

The dying summer is cold and damp in Karsk, but that is how it is in Varushka. The warm days are short and the cold nights are long. The Northern Eagle and the Golden Axe face nearly twenty thousand Thule warriors supported by sorcery, ogres and darker beasts drawn from the worst recesses of the realms.

Varushka is a magical land, and the hills of Karsk are no exception. In the hills of Nitrost, the Northern Eagle take up a defensive position around a glittering castle of polished ice and stone drawn from the frozen plains of the otherworldly realm of Cathan Caneae. Arrayed against them in the broken terrain of Krevasty around the ruins of Oloy, an answering citadel of orichalcum and bronze rises seamlessly from the ground, called by Thule sorcery from the glorious fields of Eleanoris.

Spring magic flows through every the rivers, streams, and springs and even the early Autumn rain. It brings life, and healing and surcease of care. It promises that while Winter is coming, Spring will follow after. Like much magic of the Spring realm, it does not differentiate between friend and foe, aiding Imperial and barbarian alike.

Not so the pall of fog that rolls down the side of the Broken Barrow in Branoc. The dark sovereign of that haunted mound has joined it's might to that of the Empire. An army of men and orcs marches under a fluttering, tattered banner of bone and raven's feathers. Shrouded in fog and accompanied by a swarm of fat black crows, the magic knows precisely who the enemy is and strikes without mercy. Where the Golden Axe fight with mortal weapons, the Charnel Lord's banner brings merciless death to the orcs - the shroud traps and confuses the barbarian troops caught within it, and leaves them easy prey.

But magic alone will not win a war. As the Golden Axe and the Charnel Banner cautiously assault the Thule positions, the barbarians respond with their own well-planned and careful advance. Organised strikes against Lestazny, Moresvah, Kopvenost and Nitrost catch the Varushkan defenders a little by surprise - after months of defensive manoeuvring, the orc attack is unexpected. They do not commit their forces decisively; they seem to be testing the Imperial defences. They make a special point of targetting the baggage train bringing much needed supplies from Moresvah to Nitrost - preventing the resupply of the Northern Eagle once again.

In the last days of Autumn however, they launch a vicious attack at the heart of Nitrost, attacking the Frozen Citadel and targetting vales where the slow process of rebuilding was most advanced. The three Varushkan armies rally to the defence, but the Thule slowly force the defenders back towards the magical citadel.

Thanks to the healing magic of Spring, casualties on both sides are light - it is unlikely even as many as two thousand humans and orcs have died in the many engagements across Karsk. Yet if nothing changes, if the Varushkans continue to face four strong Thule banners alone, then there is no doubt that by midwinter at the latest, Nitrost will fall to the Thule.

And if that happens, the Thule will once again be in control of the ruined hills.

Interlude

The Empire has always been at war and this Summer is no exception ... yet even in war there are moments of silence. A stolen breath between beats of the drum, a chance to pause and take stock.

After nine months of savage warfare, the wardrums in Segura fall silent. Lasambrian orcs hold their positions in Anuzjasse, Yellow Chase and Burnish. The Freeborn soldiers and the orcs watch each other warily, but neither side engages the other. They are waiting, to see if diplomacy can end the war between the hills and the plains.

Reikos still labours under the lash of the Druj. The territory has fallen ominously silent - no word has come from the scattered resistance groups in the ruined Highborn territory since the Summer Solstice. Scouts risking the barbarians to try and make contact have not returned, or have come back with stories of homes and camps emptied and no sign of the inhabitants.

The forests of the Navarr are silent - or as silent as they ever are. The Jotun still control northern Liathaven. The vallorn still squats at it's heart. The southern settlements still in Imperial hands continue to be isolated from the rest of the empire by distance and predatory bandits. The last few Thule in cold Hercynia try to drive off the thorns defending rebuilt Treji. but they are ridiculously outclassed, and retreat into the deepest parts of the wood nursing their wounds. The damp forest of Therunin is safe again - no Druj out of Reikos trouble the shadows beneath the trees. The dredgers of Feverwater in the south-east bring up occasional treasures, and have seen nothing of the threats the civil service predicted. So far. Only in Broceliande is the silence broken - the orcs have left Elerael but the forest has not remained empty for long. Monstrous insects have swarmed through the empty glades from Dark Ranging and Vale's Lament, and wicked ettercap hunt where once barbarians hunted.

The Barrens are a hive of activity - with the aid of the Dawnish at Drycastle, hidden places and remote outposts have been resupplied and Imperial scouts scour the territory, hoping at last to uncover it's secrets and the details of the war being fought there between rival orcs. The first reports from the field are beginning to trickle in - of the Spires of Dusk under siege, of orc slaughtering orc, of shapes in the Great Forest, of stranger things to come.

And in the Mournwold, in Overton, the scarecrow ring is slowly losing it's strength but the Jotun remain cautious. Work has begun on an armoured garrison to shore up the defenders for when the magical defences fail completely. Hopeful stories drift out of Jotun territory that Marcher folk thought lost forever are returning to their homes, tired but alive. The wind whispers across the chalk hills - there is an air of expectation but what the wold is waiting for is impossible to guess.

The Tempest

A little less than a week after the end of the Summer Solstice, a massive sea storm smashes into the coast of Spiral. It begins as a summer storm, then whips itself up into a tempestuous frenzy then becomes a full grown hurricane. Massive waves smash the cliffs and coves, and more rain falls in a day than has fallen in this mountainous region in the previous month. It is as if the sea itself has gone to war with the land; in some places the cliffs are battered so severely they are swallowed by the ocean. The entire coastline changes - just a little - over the following three months.

IThe Grendel-controlled port of Apulian is hit especially hard. According to garbled eyewitness accounts, the quayside is devastated. The makeshift, ramshackle orc-built docks are ripped to splinters by seven coiling waterspouts. The waterspouts move slowly inland, ending lives and shattering buildings and leaving Apulian even more ruined than it was after the Grendel first conquered it.

The port of Vesten in Redoubt is also hit by the storms, although nowhere near as severely. The Ribbon of Salt - the powerful Spring regio that swirls in the bay south of the city - undergoes a savage transformation into a continuous churning fountain of seawater and debris that rains dead fish and seashells and wreckage dredged up from the seabed over the docks for several weeks before it suddenly collapses back to its more usual, if more unpredictable, state.

Away from the coast, the storm is equally fierce but easier for individual vessels to ride out. Trading ships passing too close to the Spiral coast risk having their sails torn or their rigging ripped apart, or in the worst cases being dragged to their doom in the hungry maw of a swirling maelstrom opening without warning beneath it's bow. While the storms are focused on pounding the waters around Spiral, the weather across the entire western Bay of Catazaar is atrocious for most of the Summer months - and as the supernatural storm slowly ebbs it is simply replaced with the more natural yet equally dismal weather of the western Bay in Autumn.

Inland, the Highborn army of the Valiant Pegasus is sheltered behind the solid stone walls of the Fist in Spiral, and the Grendel are mobile enough to abandon their makeshift camps and forts along the southern coast. While the worst of the storms are restricted to the coastal region, the weather deteriorates across the entire territory. Both Imperial and barbarian armies are more concerned with defence than attack - while there are occasional clashes between scouts and patrols, neither the Grendel nor the Highborn seem to want to seek a direct confrontation. Barbarians outnumber those of the Empire, it is true, but both sides are outnumbered by the bandits, monsters and insane cultists that gather in the dark places of the lost territory or brood in the shadow of the Black Plateau.

The Walls of Holfried

The summer is hot. Hot, and wet. Heavy, warm rain gives way to a stinking, clinging fog. Fecund Spring magic, gravid with sickness, swirls through every drop of rain, pools in every puddle, spawns furiously in the churned up mud of every trench and sinkhole. The incessant buzzing of meat-fat flies during the day gives way to the endless drum beats of the barbarian war machine when night falls. The outer city, within the crumbling walls of Holmauer, is a ruined wasteland, held by the Druj. The upper city, secure within the unbreachable walls of Holfriend, is a seething powderkeg of grim soldiers, scared citizens and refugees who have lost everything.

Many citizens of Holberg have already left. To the remaining civillian population of the city, add hundreds of miserable refugees driven from their homes by the Druj with nowhere else to go. To that crowded mass of humanity, add more than thirty-five thousand Imperial soldiers. Everyone is on edge. The city is one random incident away from a full-scale riot. The heat, and the damp, and the constant presence of the Druj, does not help.

Still ... the walls of Holberg have never been breached. Not by the orcs, and not even by the Empire.

Mud is everywhere. It is smears the faces of the Highborn scouts. It steals the bright sheen from Dawnish plate and Marcher harness. It tracks across every floor, caked on the boots of the bravos from the Free Companies. It stains the hems of Urizen robes; the siege is especially loathsome for the sentinels and magicians used to having space to breathe. The Imperial Orcs of the Summer Storm seem to mind it least, seem almost to appreciate the way everyone is packed together. It suits their tempraments.

Spirits raise briefly when news reaches the city that several hundred soldiers, believed lost in the retreat from Holmauer last season, have reached safety in Drycastle on the edge of the Barrens. Few take more than a day and a night of rest, marching instead to rejoin their armies, ready to continue the fight.

The pressure builds. Everyone knows the attack is coming. The Druj amuse themselves by catapulting the mutilated and dismembered remnants of prisoners over the walls. In some ways, the bloating and disfugurement of the corpses are a blessing - the dead are mostly unrecognisable. Disease and sickness become an ever-present threat. Only briars and draughir are seen abroad without something wrapped around thier nose and mouth. Biting flies breed and swarm everywhere; dismal conditions and the accused magic mean that even a bug bite can quickly fester and turn deadly.

The Towerjacks manning the walls calmly report the number and disposition of the Druj siege engines; the Wolves of War work with mathematicians from the university to position their own engines. The druj throw chunks of stone torn from shattered Holmauer at the city; the League soldiers throw them back. The people are afraid, but the armies are strong. They are well rested, well supplied, and - despite the efforts of the Druj - full of grim determination for the fight that everyone knows is coming.

The walls of Holberg have never been breached. But then, there has never been a force such as this arrayed against them. There are whispers in the empty moments of the night. "Is this the end? Can we hold?" The Druj are a nightmare given form; nobody is in doubt that they will visit unspekable torment on the defenders if they breach the walls. Citizens and refugees alike head west, to Semmerholm and beyond.

Then one night the storm breaks. Just after sunset, immense bonfires explode into light near the base of the walls, sending up great gouts of stinking eye-stinging smoke. The barbarians come through them like a tidal wave, a tsunami of screaming, howling, merciless savages. Great siege engines built on the plains of Rebeshof advance on the last bastion of Imperial presence in Holberg. Makeshift siege towers creak slowly forward, rickety siege ladders slam into place against the walls. Crude trebuchet and catapults rain down rocks and filth and flammable liquid. Great battering rams, each drawn by a dozen ogres, begin to pound against the walls. A thousand snaking tendrils of rope slap against the ramparts, crude iron hooks questing for a purchase. Under the great green-and-yellow banner of the scorpion, the Druj attack.

After the initial wave has struck the wall, the Druj unleash a hidden weapon - a dozen immense marshwalkers, no doubt drawn up from the marshes of the Morass and turned into living weapons by Druj alchemical sorcery. These magically bound elemental horrors tear into the walls, their unnatural hatred for anything built by the hands of man focused on tearing down the walls of Holberg. Each one is as deadly as a half-dozen catapults; a shiver of fear runs through the defenders ... but the Summer Storm are here. The discipline of the Imperial Orcs in the face of this monstrous assault helps steel the defenders against it. They pour out through the sally ports and open a path for the the Bounders and the Golden Sun to strike against these primordial behemoths and against several of the battering rams threatening to breach the portals. Marshwalker ichor and hot ogre blood mixes with gallons of Druj blood in the muddy quagmire outside the walls. As soon as the marshwalkers fall, the Imperial forces retreat behind the walls again - the Seventh Wave have been planning routes and fallbacks for weeks by this stage, and while the empire loses troops they lose only a fraction of their strength.

The barbarians are unpreapred for the counterattack; the banner of the scorpion dips and falls into the mud.

As the first night turns to day, and then toward night again, a more insidious enemy begins to prey on the defenders of Holberg. The wicked magic of the Rivers of Blood curse means that minor wounds fester and steal the life from soldiers who might otherwise survive; worse, those troops engaged with those who fight under the banner of the Deadly Blade wield poison and venom against the defenders. The Urizen sentinels and magi of the Citadel bear the brunt of these attacks - the healing power of their magic helps to counter the worst poison, but they also keep the orcs from the wall by the simple expedient of unleashing magical force against any orc that claims the wall - dozens of barbarians are hurled from the ramparts by the seemingly-gentle touch of a battlemage's staff.

As the second night falls, the Druj assault slackens. A single echoing horn-blast rolls across the corpse-strewn battlefield. The Druj are retreating! The defenders are too stunned, too exhausted to understand what is happening at first. They just stare, silently, as first one then a dozen then a hundred than a thousand orcs retreat away from the walls of Holberg. Retreating back to the other side of the Holmauer, back to Rebeshof, back to the forests and marshes of Utterlund and the Morass.

The ground beneath the walls is a vast, open cemetary scattered with broken and burning siege engines. Perhaps three thousand Imperial troops will not fight again. Some perished to poison, or to infected wounds, or fell from the walls to lie broken amongst the orc corpses. The walls of the upper city have taken a pounding, but they endure still - the Wolves of War countering the best efforts of the Scorpion Sting war machines - and they have saved hundreds of lives.

The barbarian dead cover the ground outside the walls like a carpet of broken flesh. The Druj losses are almost incalcuable, but might be as high as ten thousand casualties. The groans of the dying orcs persist through most of the night and into the next day; one by one they fade away and by dawn the battlefield is silent. bodies lie everywhere, where they fell, where they dragged themselves, half buried in stinking mud. The power of Spring magic, foolishly applied to the wrong battle, has proved the undoing of it's makers; minor wounds turned savage by the very magic the Druj sought to use against the Empire, to break their spirit.

The walls of Holberg have never been breached. Not in the earliest days of the Empire, not in the hundred battles fought since ... and not today.

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378YE Spring Equinox Announcements by the Advisor on the Vallorn

Spring 378YE

Commission research into the life of the Navarri guide Megan Blackblood

Approved by the Advisor on the Vallorn.

Overview

- Historical research concerning Megan Blackblood has been commissioned through the civil service.

- Actions approved by the Advisor on the Vallorn.

Date

- Spring Solstice 378YE

Progress

- 5 Thrones provided by Merel Pathfinder, Advisor on the Vallorn, after Spring Equinox 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- A research report into this topic is being compiled by the civil service.

Voting

This motion was approved by the Advisor on the Vallorn using the legal power to commission research granted by the Imperial Senate.

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378YE Spring Equinox Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

Commission research into Emperor Guntherm’s campaigns against the Jotun

Commision research into the location of the Gryphon's Pride banner

Approved by the Minister of Historical Research.

Overview

- Historical research concerning these two topics has been commissioned through the civil service.

- Actions approved by the Minister of Historical Research.

- The actions are grouped together, but each would count as a seperate announcement for purposes of the Imperial Synod veto.

Date

- Spring Solstice 378YE

Progress

- 10 Thrones provided by Ioseph of Phoenix Reach, Minister of Historical Research, after Spring Equinox 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- Research report concerning the Gryphon's Pride banner provided to the Minister during Summer Solstice 378YE

- Research report concerning the campaigns of Emperor Guntherm is still being prepared

Voting

This motion was approved by the Minister for Historical Research using the legal power to commission research granted by the Imperial Senate.

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378YE Spring Equinox Announcements by the Quartermaster General

Resupply the Seventh Wave with 42 wains

Resupply the Wolves of War with 43 wains

Resupply the Winter Sun with 43 wains

Resupply the Army of the Citadel with 42 wains

Approved by the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies.

Overview

- Resupply the Highborn army of the Seventh Wave.

- Resupply the League army of the Wolves of War.

- Resupply the Imperial orc army of the Winter Sun.

- Resupply the Urizen army of the Army of the Citadel.

The actions are grouped together, but each would count as a separate announcement for purposes of the Imperial Synod veto.

Date

- Spring Solstice 378YE

Progress

- 170 wains of Mithril and Weirwood provided by Janusz Dalibor von Temeschwar, Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies, after Spring Equinox 378YE

- 42 wains for the Seventh Wave

- 43 wains for the Wolves of War

- 43 wains for the Winter Sun

- 42 wains for the Army of the Citadel

Campaign Outcome

- Resupply an army using 42 wains restores fighting strength equal to 840 soldiers to the army.

- Resupply an army using 43 wains restored fighting strength equal to 860 soldiers to the army.

Voting

This motion was approved by the Quartermaster General using the legal power to resupply armies granted by the Imperial Senate.

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378YE Spring Equinox Conclave declarations

Declarations

Nature of Declaration

Substance of Declaration

Made By

Made or Not Made?

Imperial Lore

Clad in Summer Raiment

Simargl, Dean of the Lyceum

Declaration made

Reconciliation

The Baton of Nicovar

Meir Pathfinder

Declaration made

Concord

Sorcerers should not be permitted to interact with heralds and Eternals unless explicitly given permission by an Archmage

Darius Auric Horizon

Declaration made

Enmity

Lady Shard

Bron Holdfast

Declaration rejected

Sorcery

Vashti's Penitents

Isobel i Erigo

Declaration made

Enmity

Surut of the Thrice Cursed Court

Amelia de Rondell

Declaration made

Amity

Ylenrith

Sejanus Shatterspire

Declaration rejected

Concord

The actions of Vashti's Pentitents caused the war with Eleonaris. Things with Eleonaris were nearly fixed until her herald was killed today. She has given us an ultimatum which we will not fulfil, to execute the Penitents.

Corvus Auric Horizon

Declaration made

Concord

The records of Imperial Lore regarding the ritual Quickening Cold Meat should be updated to record the unintended effects where Marcher hearth magic regarding death traditions was violated and Jack of the Marches' form became deathlike

Nicholas Reaper

Declaration made

Amity

Skathe of the Thrice Cursed Court

Proxy Archmage for Winter

Declaration made

Amity

Ylenrith

Edmundo i Jannat i Riqueza

Declaration rejected narrowly

Sorcery

Eli of Vashti's Penitents

Declaration made

Concord

The Sevnfold Path's manifesto should change from "human destiny" to "destiny of the souls of Imperial citizens"

Jessica Suns of Couros

Declaration ,ade

Concord

Nobody should breed with Yaw'nagrah's Heralds until we know the effects in greater detail.

Iulian Shatterspire

Declaration made

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378YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Imperial Senate

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 2.11 Sinecures selected by senators

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 The Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 4.9 Other Synod positions

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Mercantile Investments

- 6.4 Other Bourse Positions

- 7 Miscellaneous

- 8 Further Reading

Overview

This information represents the outcome of the assorted elections and appointments at the 378E Spring Equinox.

The Imperial Senate

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Requiza

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Lady Adia of House Arwood

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Solomon

- Senator for Casinea: Zephram of Cantiarch’s Hold

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav

- Senator for Tassato: Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Drogon Morosini

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Orrick

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: {currently vacant}

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain

- Senator for Miaren: Rhys

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Lucius of Quicksilver Spire

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Cato

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karsk: Machek Winterborn

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Radomir

- Senator for Volodmartz: Vitomyr Krasiludovich Antonov

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

- Senator for Skarsind: Jorma Steelhail

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is Gideon of the Sons of Couros

- The Advisor on orc affairs is Irontide Bruc

- The Imperial Master of Works is Richard Tunstall

- The Bursar of the Imperial Academy is Titus Hopkirk

- The Advisor on the Vallorn is Merel Pathfinder

Sinecures selected by senators

- The sinecure of Spider's Tollkeep is held by Rafa'eet i Contra i Guerra

- The sinecure of Keeper of the Spice Gardens is held by Reina i Shartha i Riquez

- The sinecure of Guardian of Britta's Shrine is held by Ruth of the Cenotaph in Highguard

- The sinecure of Dredgemaster of Lake Feverwater, is held by Corey Brackensong

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Anwar i Covas i Erigo replaced Yasmina I Ezmara I Erigo of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Clarence Oswald of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

- General Tyrus of The Valiant Pegasus

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok replaced Klor of the Winter Sun

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Gabriel Barossa replaced Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Richard Talbot of the The Drakes

- General Jack Flint of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Carr Foxden of the Black Thorns

- General Gwai replaced Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovich of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- The Warmage is Vaan of Auric Horizon

- The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies is Janusz Dalibor von Temeschwar of the League

The Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Cardinal Eofric Sammersund Miksa of Wintermark

- Gatekeeper Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Courage

- Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

- Gatekeeper Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

- Cardinal Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Tancred De Rondell of Dawn

Pride

- Cardinal Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Cardinal Ynez di Caricomare of the League

- Gatekeeper Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

- Cardinal Marrok Kanet of Dawn

- Gatekeeper Abraham of Highguard

Wisdom

- Cardinal Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

- Gatekeeper Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

- Bishop Antonio Vanzetti of the League

- Conscience of the Senate - Gideon of the Sons of Couros

Other Synod positions

- The post of High Exorcist is held by Solas of Urizen

- The post of Auditor of Senatorial Accountability is held by Nadezha Dava of Varushka

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Darius of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo I Jannat I Riqueza of the Brass Coast

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Dimitri Ivanovich Ionescu of Varushka

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash of Varushka serves as Dean of the Lyceum

- Iago Melfizzi of the League serves as Bursar of the Conclave

- Concordia Sforza of the League serves as Liason to the Senate

The Imperial Bourse

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (41 Thrones)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Tobias Shanks (78 Thrones)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Antoni Krol (90 Thrones)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (50 Thrones)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar (80 Thrones)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Ilia Miroslav von Danzig (145 Thrones)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Ricardo Almieda Desmondo di Tasetto (65 Thrones)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (100 Thrones)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (112 Thrones)

- The Night Quarry is held by Giacomo Corvinoscuro (49 Thrones)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Silvio di Tassato (37 Thrones)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Todd the Smith (93 Thrones)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Marko von Temeshwar (48 Thrones)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by Niccolo dos Tassatos (98 Thrones)

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (Brass Coast)is held by Karlos i Shartha i Riqueza

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Sylvia Cabreyra di Tassato (28 Thrones)

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Guillamo de Tassato (18 Thrones)

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Irontide Vio

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Marcus of Endsmeet

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Zlatimir Prochnost

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakeim Sussavari

- The Brilliant Shore (Wintermark) is held by Aelfric Kereftinar

Mercantile Investments

- Hamnett of Gallowdale is Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Estrella is Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

- Jaoquin i Shartha i Riquez is Mistress of the Glass Parador

- Dieter Angelovic is the Custodian of the Assayers Guild

- There is currently no Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

Other Bourse Positions

- Octavius of Auric Horizon is Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

Miscellaneous

- The Operator of Brock's Toll is Robert Shanks

Further Reading

- 378YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

- 378YE Spring Equinox Synod judgements

- Recent history

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Spring_Equinox_Imperial_titles&oldid=35482"

378YE Spring Equinox Imperial Titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Imperial Senate

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 2.11 Sinecures selected by senators

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 The Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 4.9 Other Synod positions

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Mercantile Investments

- 6.4 Other Bourse Positions

- 7 Miscellaneous

- 8 Further Reading

Overview

This information represents the outcome of the assorted elections and appointments at the 378E Spring Equinox.

The Imperial Senate

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Requiza

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Lady Adia of House Arwood

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Solomon

- Senator for Casinea: Zephram of Cantiarch’s Hold

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav

- Senator for Tassato: Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Drogon Morosini

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Orrick

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: {currently vacant}

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain

- Senator for Miaren: Rhys

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Lucius of Quicksilver Spire

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Cato

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karsk: Machek Winterborn

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Radomir

- Senator for Volodmartz: Vitomyr Krasiludovich Antonov

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

- Senator for Skarsind: Jorma Steelhail

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is Gideon of the Sons of Couros

- The Advisor on orc affairs is Irontide Bruc

- The Imperial Master of Works is Richard Tunstall

- The Bursar of the Imperial Academy is Titus Hopkirk

- The Advisor on the Vallorn is Merel Pathfinder

Sinecures selected by senators

- The sinecure of Spider's Tollkeep is held by Rafa'eet i Contra i Guerra

- The sinecure of Keeper of the Spice Gardens is held by Reina i Shartha i Riquez

- The sinecure of Guardian of Britta's Shrine is held by Ruth of the Cenotaph in Highguard

- The sinecure of Dredgemaster of Lake Feverwater, is held by Corey Brackensong

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Anwar i Covas i Erigo replaced Yasmina I Ezmara I Erigo of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Clarence Oswald of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

- General Tyrus of The Valiant Pegasus

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok replaced Klor of the Winter Sun

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Gabriel Barossa replaced Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Richard Talbot of the The Drakes

- General Jack Flint of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Carr Foxden of the Black Thorns

- General Gwai replaced Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovich of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- The Warmage is Vaan of Auric Horizon

- The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies is Janusz Dalibor von Temeschwar of the League

The Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Cardinal Eofric Sammersund Miksa of Wintermark

- Gatekeeper Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Courage

- Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

- Gatekeeper Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

- Cardinal Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Tancred De Rondell of Dawn

Pride

- Cardinal Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Cardinal Ynez di Caricomare of the League

- Gatekeeper Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

- Cardinal Marrok Kanet of Dawn

- Gatekeeper Abraham of Highguard

Wisdom

- Cardinal Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

- Gatekeeper Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

- Bishop Antonio Vanzetti of the League

- Conscience of the Senate - Gideon of the Sons of Couros

Other Synod positions

- The post of High Exorcist is held by Solas of Urizen

- The post of Auditor of Senatorial Accountability is held by Nadezha Dava of Varushka

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Darius of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo I Jannat I Riqueza of the Brass Coast

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Dimitri Ivanovich Ionescu of Varushka

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash of Varushka serves as Dean of the Lyceum

- Iago Melfizzi of the League serves as Bursar of the Conclave

- Concordia Sforza of the League serves as Liason to the Senate

The Imperial Bourse

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (41 Thrones)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Tobias Shanks (78 Thrones)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Antoni Krol (90 Thrones)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (50 Thrones)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar (80 Thrones)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Ilia Miroslav von Danzig (145 Thrones)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Ricardo Almieda Desmondo di Tasetto (65 Thrones)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (100 Thrones)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (112 Thrones)

- The Night Quarry is held by Giacomo Corvinoscuro (49 Thrones)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Silvio di Tassato (37 Thrones)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Todd the Smith (93 Thrones)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Marko von Temeshwar (48 Thrones)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by Niccolo dos Tassatos (98 Thrones)

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (Brass Coast)is held by Karlos i Shartha i Riqueza

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Sylvia Cabreyra di Tassato (28 Thrones)

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Guillamo de Tassato (18 Thrones)

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Irontide Vio

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Marcus of Endsmeet

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Zlatimir Prochnost

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakeim Sussavari

- The Brilliant Shore (Wintermark) is held by Aelfric Kereftinar

Mercantile Investments

- Hamnett of Gallowdale is Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Estrella is Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

- Jaoquin i Shartha i Riquez is Mistress of the Glass Parador

- Dieter Angelovic is the Custodian of the Assayers Guild

- There is currently no Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

Other Bourse Positions

- Octavius of Auric Horizon is Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

Miscellaneous

- The Operator of Brock's Toll is Robert Shanks

Further Reading

- 378YE Spring Equinox Senate Sessions

- 378YE Spring Equinox Synod Judgements

- Recent history

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Spring_Equinox_Imperial_Titles&oldid=28785"

378YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at 1163 Thrones, 4 crowns.

Motions

Vetoed

- Reject extension of Jotun ceasefire

Passed

- Disburse funds to the Dean of the Lyceum

- Create title of Advisor on the Vallorn

- Disburse funds toward new Marcher army

- Disburse funds for strategic rituals

- Assignment of Karsk

- Amend crime of sorcery

- Contact the Lasambrian orcs

- Appoint Feverwater Dredgemaster

- Create title of Admiral

- Disburse funds to the Quartermaster General

- Construct Barrens Spy Network

- Create title of Imperial Inquisitor

- Accept extension of Jotun ceasefire

- Construct a Marcher graveyard in Holberg

- Outlaw foreign True Liao trade

- Amend Powers of Quartermaster General

- Amend Powers of Imperial Master of Works

Defeated

- Amend Powers of the Master of the Imperial Mint

- Construct mana repository in Morrow

- Disburse funds to nominated entity

- Amend conditions of Brock's Buffet

- Propose treaty of limited warfare to the Jotun

Announcements

- Announcements by the Quartermaster General

- Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

- Announcements by the Advisor on the Vallorn

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_sessions&oldid=35438"

378YE Spring Equinox Senate Sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at 1163 Thrones, 4 crowns.

Motions

Vetoed

- Reject extension of Jotun ceasefire

Passed

- Disburse funds to the Dean of the Lyceum

- Create title of Advisor on the Vallorn

- Disburse funds toward new Marcher army

- Disburse funds for strategic rituals

- Assignment of Karsk

- Amend crime of sorcery

- Contact the Lasambrian orcs

- Appoint Feverwater Dredgemaster

- Create title of Admiral

- Disburse funds to the Quartermaster General

- Construct Barrens Spy Network

- Create title of Imperial Inquisitor

- Accept extension of Jotun ceasefire

- Construct a Marcher graveyard in Holberg

- Outlaw foreign True Liao trade

- Amend Powers of Quartermaster General

- Amend Powers of Imperial Master of Works

Defeated

- Amend Powers of the Master of the Imperial Mint

- Construct mana repository in Morrow

- Disburse funds to nominated entity

- Amend conditions of Brock's Buffet

- Propose treaty of limited warfare to the Jotun

Announcements

- Announcements by the Quartermaster General

- Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

- Announcements by the Advisor on the Vallorn

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Spring_Equinox_Senate_Sessions&oldid=28774"

378YE Spring Equinox Synod judgements

Contents

- 1 The Imperial Titles of the Synod

- 1.1 Other Synod-Appointed Titles

- 2 Appointments

- 2.1 Appointment of the Cardinal of Ambition

- 2.2 Appointment of the Cardinal of Vigilance

- 3 Synod Judgments

- 4 Statements of Principle

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Imperial Titles of the Synod

At the end of the Spring Summit, 378 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Eofric Sammersund Miksa of Wintermark

Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Tancred De Rondell of Dawn

Pride

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr

Prosperity

Ynez di Caricomare of the League

Enoch of the Shattered Tower in Highguard

Vigilance

Marrok Kanet of Dawn

Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

Antonio Vanzetti of the League

Gideon of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Other Synod-Appointed Titles

Title

Held By

Appointed By

Renews

High Exorcist

Solas of Urizen

Assembly of Nine

Winter Solstice

Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

Nadezha Dava of Varushka

Assembly of Nine

Until death, revocation or stepping down

Imperial Inquisitor

Vacant

Assembly of Nine

Spring Equinox

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Appointment of the Cardinal of Ambition

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Hector of Dawn

10

Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato

No votes

Eofric Sammersund Miksa

70 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Cardinal Eofric chose to retain Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato as Gatekeeper

Appointment of the Cardinal of Vigilance

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka

67 votes

Marrok Kanet of Dawn

93 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Cardinal Marrok appointed Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard, as Gatekeeper

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Number

Assembly

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

4

The Way

Inquisition of Angelo i Jannat

Beodun Snowlock

Upheld 136 - 0

7

General Assembly

Rewarding each National Assembly with 2 Crowns each to be distributed to virtuous citizens by vote of the National Assembly

Ester of Highguard

Defeated 200 - 92

9

General Assembly

Revocation of the stats of Exemplar of Prosperity from Nicolo Barossa, former Master of the Mint. This to be done on the grounds that it did not follow the Statement of Principle passed by the General Assembly in Autumn 377 YE. As such his status as Exemplar has not been sufficiently supported.

Enoch of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Defeated 319 - 236

10

The Way

Condemnation of Angelo of the family Janat of the Brass Coast, for the crime of blasphemy against human destiny for selling his soul to an eternal. This was an escalation of the inquisition in #4.

Beodun Snowlock

Upheld 72 - 0

11

-

This judgment was withdrawn by the priest that proposed it

-

-

12

General Assembly

The introduction of a Doctrine of Excommunication which states: The Ceremony of Excommunication marks the soul in such a way that once it enters the Labyrinth of Ages, it shall wander lost until the end of time and never again be reborn

Yael of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Did not achieve Greater Majority (Defeated 520 - 106)

14

General Assembly

A Writ of Excommunication to be issued against the Penitents of Vashti in attendence at Anvil in Spring 378 YE for their unvirtuous behaviour and inciting war with the Realm of Summer

Silas of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Received 344 - 306 votes, but did not achieve a Greater Majority and the subjects of the judgment took their own lives before the judgment resolved

19

Assembly of Wisdom

The Recognition of Mani, the leader of the Scions of Atun, as an Exemplar of Wisdom.

Livia Cascade of Urizen

Did not achieve a Greater Majority of the Assembly of Wisdom

26

General Assembly

The Condemnation of Silas of the Suns of Courous for the religious crime of "Abuse of Priestly Powers"

Saul of Vashti's Penitents, Highguard

Defeated 204 - 30

27

Highguard National Assembly

Inquisition of Vashti's Penitents for their actions at the current summit

Naomi of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Upheld 110 - 0 (Vashti's penitents took their own lives before the judgment resolved)

28

Assembly of Prosperity

Inquisition of Janos of the Butcher's Bank, Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

Rurik Von Linden

Upheld by immediate Greater Majority (86 - 0)

32

General Assembly

Veto of the Decision of the Senate to decline the ceasefire extension offered by the Jotun, to be answered by the end of Spring Equinox, against the recommendation of the Military Council

Cardinal Eofric Sammersund Miksa

Upheld by a Greater Majority of the General Assembly (752 - 42)

33

General Assembly

The introduction of a Doctrine of Testimony which states: The marks upon a soul that gained in life, such as those created through the Ceremony of Testimony, shape and guide the path the soul takes through the Labyrinth of Ages following death

Edward Watcher of the Marches

Did not achive Greater Majority (Defeated 68 - 60)

34

Assembly of Ambition

Inquisition of Serrusto di Tassato with respect to preaching the exultation of an orc

Callum Cooperson of the Marches

Upheld by Greater Majority of the Assembly

35

Assembly of Nine

Revocation of the title of Senator from Bridget Talbot

Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Upheld by Greater Majority of the Assembly

Statements of Principle

The Imperial Synod was asked to make the following Statements of Principle:

Number

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

3

General Assembly

We believe the Senate should make a treaty with our Faraden neighbours ensuring liao sold to them will be used only for the four virtues of the Way that they follow; and make arrangements for increased liao trade. This will increase the prosperity of the Empire, and aid virtue in our Faraden neighbours by allowing their virtuous priests to produce virtuous auras.

Soratio i Del Toro

Defeated 310 - 160

5

General Assembly

Trade of Imperial Liao with any Eternals is fraught with risk to the Empire, is unwise, and should not take place.

Chaplain Torsch, Imperial Orc

Upheld 178 - 68

6

General Assembly

That all Imperial Citizens should be Proud of their efforts and efficacy in freeing Imperial Territories of barbarian rule, and that all Virtuous Citizens should publically show their Pride in the achievements of our Soldiers.

Elka Nadyanova Gremani of Varushka

Upheld 294 - 74

8

General Assembly

There are long-standing beliefs and traditions within the Imperial Faith which should be enshrined as Doctrines of the Faith until such time as theologians change our understanding otherwise

Isaac Carlino di Sarvos

Defeated 311 - 234

13

General Assembly

Until more information can be gained as to the nature of the threat presented to the Empire by Yaw'nagrah, citizens should not allow themselves to be impregnated by Heralds of that Eternal

Rivka of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Upheld 273 - 80

15

General Assembly

The Throne has been empty for too long. There is a virtuous candidate that has proven himself as a leader. We call upon the Senate to appoint Senator Adamah of the Silent Tide to the Throne to provide the virtuous leadership the Empire needs. So say we all.

Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Defeated 818 - 82 (a Greater Majority of the General Assembly)

16

General Assembly

Guiellmo di Tassato, current Master of the Mint, has shown himself to be unvirtuous by being: a) Greedy and unprosperous by claiming ownership of the Imperial Crown and using it for his own empowerment. In his own words, "It is mine and I wish it to empower me", b) Disloyal to the Empire by wearing the Imperial Crown and letting others wear it.

Baldwin of Wintermark

Upheld 428 - 74

17

General Assembly

That the unprovoked and premeditated destruction of Heralds within the Empire, that are not under a Declaration of Enmity, knowingly endangers the Empire and therefore denigrates the Virtues

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Upheld 500 - 112

20

League National Assembly

A Fund should be created to which virtuous citizens can contribute donations in a demonstration of their Prosperity. This fund to be spent on worthy causes (on agreement of this national assembly). These donations would be acknowledged with a stylish token of our esteem.

Cardinal Ynez di Caricomare

Upheld 114 - 10

21

General Assembly

The Synod should engage in Missionary Efforts to foriegn lands in the interests of spreading The Way of True Virtues.

Dietrich Elias der Holburghan of the League

Upheld 318 - 24

22

Highguard National Assembly

The Assembly recognises General Ruth of Felix's Watch as someone who shows great Loyalty to the Empire

Lazarus of Cantiarch's Hold

Upheld 85 - 12

23

Highguard National Assembly

The Assembly recognises Mordecai of the Suns of Courous as an example of Great Loyalty in rallying different Highguard Chapters on a successful sortie into Reikos

Adoramus of the Shattered Tower

Upheld 97 - 10

24

-

The Judgment was withdrawn by the priest that raised it.

-

-

25

General Assembly

It is considered an unvirtuous action to state benefit of, or make attempt to, re-introduce slavery of any individual. It ignores the evidence that slavery was overall detrimental to the Empire and demonstrates a lack of learning from the past, and it is therefore unwise and inherently unvirtuous

Siflaed Ravensight of Wintermark

Upheld 238 - 82

29

General Assembly

It should be recognised that if an inquisition determines that a citizen has acted virtuously, that citizen should be recognised publically as being virtuous in their actions

Kolyma the Guardian, Wintermark

Upheld 194 - 64

30

General Assembly

The Synod hereby recognises that, despite the crimes for which Hilda Appleby of House Novarion of Dawn was executed, her life in service as Seneschal was full of virtuous deeds and showed Pride and Loyalty above all.

Cerwynn of Navarr

Upheld 60 - 52

31

General Assembly

The pursuit of the ability to enable Imperial Orcs to gain the benefits of dedication and to use religious skills is not contrary to the teachings of The Way.

Taryn of Navarr

Upheld 189 - 22

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

7 Thrones / 2 Crowns / 17 Rings

Income

15 Thrones

Raised by auction of Pure Liao to Brother Isaac of the Shattered Tower

5 Rings

Donation by a virtuous citizen whose name was not recorded

Rewards

2 Thrones

Given to the Handful of Dust in the Brass Coast at the behest of Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast

Closing Value

20 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 2 Rings

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- Karim of the Brass Coast

- Cesare di Tassato of the League

- Rosalene Novarion of Dawn

- Agnetha de Rondell of Dawn

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_judgements&oldid=35443"

378YE Spring Equinox Synod Judgements

Contents

- 1 The Imperial Titles of the Synod

- 1.1 Other Synod-Appointed Titles

- 2 Appointments

- 2.1 Appointment of the Cardinal of Ambition

- 2.2 Appointment of the Cardinal of Vigilance

- 3 Synod Judgments

- 4 Statements of Principle

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Imperial Titles of the Synod

At the end of the Spring Summit, 378 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Eofric Sammersund Miksa of Wintermark

Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Tancred De Rondell of Dawn

Pride

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr

Prosperity

Ynez di Caricomare of the League

Enoch of the Shattered Tower in Highguard

Vigilance

Marrok Kanet of Dawn

Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

Antonio Vanzetti of the League

Gideon of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Other Synod-Appointed Titles

Title

Held By

Appointed By

Renews

High Exorcist

Solas of Urizen

Assembly of Nine

Winter Solstice

Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

Nadezha Dava of Varushka

Assembly of Nine

Until death, revocation or stepping down

Imperial Inquisitor

Vacant

Assembly of Nine

Spring Equinox

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Appointment of the Cardinal of Ambition

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Hector of Dawn

10

Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato

No votes

Eofric Sammersund Miksa

70 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Cardinal Eofric chose to retain Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato as Gatekeeper

Appointment of the Cardinal of Vigilance

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka

67 votes

Marrok Kanet of Dawn

93 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Cardinal Marrok appointed Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard, as Gatekeeper

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Number

Assembly

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

4

The Way

Inquisition of Angelo i Jannat

Beodun Snowlock

Upheld 136 - 0

7

General Assembly

Rewarding each National Assembly with 2 Crowns each to be distributed to virtuous citizens by vote of the National Assembly

Ester of Highguard

Defeated 200 - 92

9

General Assembly

Revocation of the stats of Exemplar of Prosperity from Nicolo Barossa, former Master of the Mint. This to be done on the grounds that it did not follow the Statement of Principle passed by the General Assembly in Autumn 377 YE. As such his status as Exemplar has not been sufficiently supported.

Enoch of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Defeated 319 - 236

10

The Way

Condemnation of Angelo of the family Janat of the Brass Coast, for the crime of blasphemy against human destiny for selling his soul to an eternal. This was an escalation of the inquisition in #4.

Beodun Snowlock

Upheld 72 - 0

11

-

This judgment was withdrawn by the priest that proposed it

-

-

12

General Assembly

The introduction of a Doctrine of Excommunication which states: The Ceremony of Excommunication marks the soul in such a way that once it enters the Labyrinth of Ages, it shall wander lost until the end of time and never again be reborn

Yael of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Did not achieve Greater Majority (Defeated 520 - 106)

14

General Assembly

A Writ of Excommunication to be issued against the Penitents of Vashti in attendence at Anvil in Spring 378 YE for their unvirtuous behaviour and inciting war with the Realm of Summer

Silas of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Received 344 - 306 votes, but did not achieve a Greater Majority and the subjects of the judgment took their own lives before the judgment resolved

19

Assembly of Wisdom

The Recognition of Mani, the leader of the Scions of Atun, as an Exemplar of Wisdom.

Livia Cascade of Urizen

Did not achieve a Greater Majority of the Assembly of Wisdom

26

General Assembly

The Condemnation of Silas of the Suns of Courous for the religious crime of "Abuse of Priestly Powers"

Saul of Vashti's Penitents, Highguard

Defeated 204 - 30

27

Highguard National Assembly

Inquisition of Vashti's Penitents for their actions at the current summit

Naomi of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Upheld 110 - 0 (Vashti's penitents took their own lives before the judgment resolved)

28

Assembly of Prosperity

Inquisition of Janos of the Butcher's Bank, Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

Rurik Von Linden

Upheld by immediate Greater Majority (86 - 0)

32

General Assembly

Veto of the Decision of the Senate to decline the ceasefire extension offered by the Jotun, to be answered by the end of Spring Equinox, against the recommendation of the Military Council

Cardinal Eofric Sammersund Miksa

Upheld by a Greater Majority of the General Assembly (752 - 42)

33

General Assembly

The introduction of a Doctrine of Testimony which states: The marks upon a soul that gained in life, such as those created through the Ceremony of Testimony, shape and guide the path the soul takes through the Labyrinth of Ages following death

Edward Watcher of the Marches

Did not achive Greater Majority (Defeated 68 - 60)

34

Assembly of Ambition

Inquisition of Serrusto di Tassato with respect to preaching the exultation of an orc

Callum Cooperson of the Marches

Upheld by Greater Majority of the Assembly

35

Assembly of Nine

Revocation of the title of Senator from Bridget Talbot

Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Upheld by Greater Majority of the Assembly

Statements of Principle

The Imperial Synod was asked to make the following Statements of Principle:

Number

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

3

General Assembly

We believe the Senate should make a treaty with our Faraden neighbours ensuring liao sold to them will be used only for the four virtues of the Way that they follow; and make arrangements for increased liao trade. This will increase the prosperity of the Empire, and aid virtue in our Faraden neighbours by allowing their virtuous priests to produce virtuous auras.

Soratio i Del Toro

Defeated 310 - 160

5

General Assembly

Trade of Imperial Liao with any Eternals is fraught with risk to the Empire, is unwise, and should not take place.

Chaplain Torsch, Imperial Orc

Upheld 178 - 68

6

General Assembly

That all Imperial Citizens should be Proud of their efforts and efficacy in freeing Imperial Territories of barbarian rule, and that all Virtuous Citizens should publically show their Pride in the achievements of our Soldiers.

Elka Nadyanova Gremani of Varushka

Upheld 294 - 74

8

General Assembly

There are long-standing beliefs and traditions within the Imperial Faith which should be enshrined as Doctrines of the Faith until such time as theologians change our understanding otherwise

Isaac Carlino di Sarvos

Defeated 311 - 234

13

General Assembly

Until more information can be gained as to the nature of the threat presented to the Empire by Yaw'nagrah, citizens should not allow themselves to be impregnated by Heralds of that Eternal

Rivka of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Upheld 273 - 80

15

General Assembly

The Throne has been empty for too long. There is a virtuous candidate that has proven himself as a leader. We call upon the Senate to appoint Senator Adamah of the Silent Tide to the Throne to provide the virtuous leadership the Empire needs. So say we all.

Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Defeated 818 - 82 (a Greater Majority of the General Assembly)

16

General Assembly

Guiellmo di Tassato, current Master of the Mint, has shown himself to be unvirtuous by being: a) Greedy and unprosperous by claiming ownership of the Imperial Crown and using it for his own empowerment. In his own words, "It is mine and I wish it to empower me", b) Disloyal to the Empire by wearing the Imperial Crown and letting others wear it.

Baldwin of Wintermark

Upheld 428 - 74

17

General Assembly

That the unprovoked and premeditated destruction of Heralds within the Empire, that are not under a Declaration of Enmity, knowingly endangers the Empire and therefore denigrates the Virtues

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Upheld 500 - 112

20

League National Assembly

A Fund should be created to which virtuous citizens can contribute donations in a demonstration of their Prosperity. This fund to be spent on worthy causes (on agreement of this national assembly). These donations would be acknowledged with a stylish token of our esteem.

Cardinal Ynez di Caricomare

Upheld 114 - 10

21

General Assembly

The Synod should engage in Missionary Efforts to foriegn lands in the interests of spreading The Way of True Virtues.

Dietrich Elias der Holburghan of the League

Upheld 318 - 24

22

Highguard National Assembly

The Assembly recognises General Ruth of Felix's Watch as someone who shows great Loyalty to the Empire

Lazarus of Cantiarch's Hold

Upheld 85 - 12

23

Highguard National Assembly

The Assembly recognises Mordecai of the Suns of Courous as an example of Great Loyalty in rallying different Highguard Chapters on a successful sortie into Reikos

Adoramus of the Shattered Tower

Upheld 97 - 10

24

-

The Judgment was withdrawn by the priest that raised it.

-

-

25

General Assembly

It is considered an unvirtuous action to state benefit of, or make attempt to, re-introduce slavery of any individual. It ignores the evidence that slavery was overall detrimental to the Empire and demonstrates a lack of learning from the past, and it is therefore unwise and inherently unvirtuous

Siflaed Ravensight of Wintermark

Upheld 238 - 82

29

General Assembly

It should be recognised that if an inquisition determines that a citizen has acted virtuously, that citizen should be recognised publically as being virtuous in their actions

Kolyma the Guardian, Wintermark

Upheld 194 - 64

30

General Assembly

The Synod hereby recognises that, despite the crimes for which Hilda Appleby of House Novarion of Dawn was executed, her life in service as Seneschal was full of virtuous deeds and showed Pride and Loyalty above all.

Cerwynn of Navarr

Upheld 60 - 52

31

General Assembly

The pursuit of the ability to enable Imperial Orcs to gain the benefits of dedication and to use religious skills is not contrary to the teachings of The Way.

Taryn of Navarr

Upheld 189 - 22

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

7 Thrones / 2 Crowns / 17 Rings

Income

15 Thrones

Raised by auction of Pure Liao to Brother Isaac of the Shattered Tower

5 Rings

Donation by a virtuous citizen whose name was not recorded

Rewards

2 Thrones

Given to the Handful of Dust in the Brass Coast at the behest of Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast

Closing Value

20 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 2 Rings

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- Karim of the Brass Coast

- Cesare di Tassato of the League

- Rosalene Novarion of Dawn

- Agnetha de Rondell of Dawn

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Spring_Equinox_Synod_Judgements&oldid=28135"

378YE Spring Equinox winds of war

The Eastern Front

As 378YE begins, as the sap begins to surge in the woodlands and the waters thaw, the standard of battle is raised against the eastern sky.

In Karsk, the Thule fall back, driven from the hills towards the dawn. Despite the aid of dark forces, the barbarians are overmatched. Engagement after engagement ends in decisive victory for the Empire - Kpevnost, Moresvah and Nitrost are now under their control. The Thule leave their erstwhile allies, the traitors of Isember, to face the anger of the Empire. Yet there is trouble in store – despite the aid of the grateful miners of Moresvah, the imperial armies are battered - the fervour of their attack coupled with the magical might of their foes has meant many casualties. Carrion birds, scavenging rats and hungry Wolves feast well on the battlefields of Karsk.

Let the inner eye glide south, towards Holberg. Two walls united under the Empire again, yet the forces of humanity are fought to a standstill. A vast Druj army fights beneath the banner of the Scorpion's Sting, terrible in their wrath and versed in the arts of siege and sabotage. The Imperial tide crashes against the fortifications of Rebeshof, but is driven back time and again. The orcs are on the defensive, clinging to their control of the Mines at Ennerlund with grim resolve. The forces use the forests and the marshes to their best advantage, flanking Imperial assaults and using their command of the terrain to harry and slow the Imperial advance.

Yet so great is the fervour of the fallen soldiers of the Empire that they will not let death stop them fighting. On the last night of the Winter Solstice, a great wind roared down from the empty sky, a wailing surge pouring through the streets of Holberg and surging out across the battlefields of Holfried. The dead walk, pulling themselves from spikes, clawing their way from their graces. An army of walking corpses – human and orc alike – shambling forth to join the fray beneath the banner of the Winter Sun orcs. Without their aid, the Imperial forces would surely have been decimated ... as it is, Holberg is stalemated.

The Barrens – something is happening in the Barrens. The watchers of Drycastle and the Towers of the Dawn speak of orcs fighting each other – pitched battles, a bloody slaughter. Armies turning against each other. As Winter turns to Spring, there are stories of whole tribes of orcs crossing the border from Brocéliande to the east – avoiding patrols. Deserting their hideaways beneath the green trees to heed some call from deep within the Barrens. The keen-eyed Navarr and the courageous scouts of Dawn speak of Druj banners, burning, burning in the rising sun ...

Away from the mystery of the Barrens! Fly south, further south. To Therunin.

The Black Thorns face two armies of Druj, fighting across the border from Reikos. Courageous, but outnumber by a force twice their size, they use the forest against their foe. The invaders pay for each inch of Navarri soil they claim with blood, but the defenders are slowly driven back, step by step. Nearly a thousand Navarr lay down their lives to hold their home against the barbarians. A great force of ten thousand orcs is closing in on Peakedge Stand ... a peaceful settlement, a haven for refugess ... sure to be a slaughterhouse if the Druj are not held back.

Five fires on the eastern front, the last down by the bay. In Spiral, Highborn courage and Navarri cunning meet cold barbarian fury. Nearly matched, the orcs have the advantage – but they are denied their prize. The Imperial forces turn the tide of barbarians seeking to conquer the Ossuary – and claim the bounty mithril mined from the Legacy for their own. The Granite Pillar and the Quiet Step buy time as well – work has begun again on the Fist. The stone-crafters guild of Ateri works feverishly on the great fortress of Mezudan; will their work be completed in time? Or will they simply attract the ire of the barbarians.

Fragmented reports from Spiral whisper of confusion – the orcs here do not fight beneath any known banner of the Druj. Something is amiss.

There then the Eastern front in the war against the barbarians. Dark clouds gather, but the sun still shines bright and cold as the Spring gathers momentum.

The Western Front

Turn away now, from the spilled blood and the pyres of the eastern front. Trace the Hounds of Glory, arcing across the Empire like an arrow of fire, like a falling star, like a comet.

The Three Sisters gaze down from the clear skies of Winter. In the Brass Coast they are called Erigo, Riqueze, Guerra – the three sisters who founded the nation of fire, sand and glass. The three sisters from whom all Freeborn descend. Do they whisper to the army that drives across the Empire? Do they whisper of ties of blood and the pain of regret?

Ties of blood ... and of duty, binding soldier to soldier to soldier ...

Alongside the Dawnish knights and war-witches march the heroes of the Empire. A sea of shields and swords; axes and banners; a forest of pikes and spears; a maelstrom of livery and heraldry, of spire sigil and chapterhouse marks. Bound together by a common cause – the defence of the Brass Coast.

They are the hammer of the Empire.

The army marches with the dawn and with the wind behind them. Necropolis to Sarvos to Madruga and then, as the Three Sisters drop beneath the horizon, a final mad push across the capricious Scorrero to Segura.

The Red Wind Corsairs hold beleaguered Anozel against the bandits of the western hills, hold it against the coming of their allies. A cunning ruse has tricked the Lasombrian armies into caution – they believe there is another army in Segura.

How right they are.

The hammer of the Empire strikes against them, smashes them from the walls of Anozel, drives them back. Their camps in the Sorbal Grasses are burnt; the sweep of the campaign drives them from Anozoseri; the Imperials joined by freedom fighters out of the hills of Morajasse. Farm after farm reclaimed.

In central Segura, the Lasambrians try a desperate retreat across the Iron Plains – the barbarians are in disarray but not defeated quite yet. The first engagements on those wide, windswept plains have gone to the Empire … but can they maintain their momentum?

In the far north, at the edge of the world, the victory of Segura is echoed. The Summer Storm strikes in Hercynia, rampaging down from the hills of Skarsind to catch the orcs in the Glade of Shadows unpreapred. Treji is liberated! The orcs are scattered. They are no match for the Imperial orcs, arrayed in their finery, supported by the Navarr of Northpines and Old Ranging and Summersend. Treji is near to ruins; but many prisoners are released, returned to the bosoms of their stridings and their steadings, freed from enforced servitude to the Thule, no longer forced to make weapons and armour for their hated foes.

Their commander escapes – Harak the Red and his surviving children are not among the fallen. They will surely seek vengeance – against the Navarr and the Imperial orcs – but for now they present no further threat to the Empire. Yet all is not well, here in the west.

In Liathaven an army moves cautiously beneath the trees. Not all the Lasambrian forces are committed to Segura. The hillborn-barbarians work their way northward through the trees of Beacon Point, sending scouts into Western Scout. Reports are sketchy at best – the orcs burn steadings, slaughter stridings, steal everything that is not tied down, and the Navarr here are isolated from the Empire. In a land already oppressed by vallorn, sickness and Jotun. The Lasambrians seem unopposed.

And what of the Jotun? The treaty still holds, but the folk of the Greensward are slowly being ground down by raiding barbarians. No more refugees are coming from the Mourn – the last stragglers report the campaign of capture is complete. Whatever the Jotun are up to in Mournwold it has entered a new phase.

And yet the treaty still holds, and while it does the guttering candle of civilisation continues to burn in the Mourn ... but the winds off the downs are cold, and fierce, and much can happen in a year ...

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Spring_Equinox_winds_of_war&oldid=34899"

378YE Summer Solstice Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

Commission research into the construct of Mazen

Commision research into the provenance and history of the Mask of the Visionary

Commission research into the history and wherabouts of the Equine Rod

Commission research into the existance, details and likely location of Empress Britta's Imperial favour

Commission research into the history and possible location of the Crown of Three Tears

Approved by the Minister of Historical Research

Overview

- Historical research concerning these two topics has been commissioned through the civil service.

- Actions approved by the Minister of Historical Research.

- The actions are grouped together, but each would count as a seperate announcement for purposes of the Imperial Synod veto.

- This motion was approved by the Minister for Historical Research using the legal power to commission research granted by the Imperial Senate.

Date

- Summer Solstice 378YE

Progress

- 25 Thrones provided by Ioseph of Phoenix Reach, Minister of Historical Research, after Spring Equinox 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- Research reports into these topics are being prepared by the civil service for presentation at the Autumn Equinox

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Summer_Solstice_Announcements_by_the_Minister_for_Historical_Research&oldid=28781"

378YE Summer Solstice Announcements by the Quartermaster General

Resupply the Red Wind Corsairs

Resupply the Drakes

Resupply the Strong Reeds

Resupply the Fire of the South

Approved by the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies.

Overview

- Resupply the Freeborn army of the Red Wind Corsairs.

- Resupply the Freeborn army of the Fire of the South.

- Resupply the Marcher army of the Strong Reeds.

- Resupply the Marcher army of the Drakes.

- The actions are grouped together, but each would count as a separate announcement for purposes of the Imperial Synod veto.

- This motion was approved by the Quartermaster General using the legal power to resupply armies granted by the Imperial Senate.

Date

- Summer Solstice 378YE

Progress

- 112 wains of Mithril and Weirwood provided by Janusz Dalibor von Temeschwar, Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies, after Summer Solstice 378YE

- 49 wains for the Red Wind Corsairs

- 43 wains for the Strong Reeds

- 20 wains for the Drakes

- 0 wains for the Fire of the South (this army is engaged by Thule forces in Sermersuaq)

Campaign Outcome

- Resupply an army using 49 wains restores fighting strength equal to 980 soldiers to the army.

- Resupply an army using 43 wains restored fighting strength equal to 860 soldiers to the army.

- Resupply an army using 20 wains restored fighting strength equal to 400 soldiers to the army.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Summer_Solstice_Announcements_by_the_Quartermaster_General&oldid=28784"

378YE Summer Solstice Conclave sessions

Contents

- 1 The Precedence of the Orders

- 2 Declarations

- 3 Gambits

- 4 Ongoing Concerns

The Precedence of the Orders

The following is a guide to the precedence enjoyed by the Orders of the Conclave:

Day

Celestial Arch

Sevenfold Path

Rod and Shield

Golden Pyramid

Shuttered Lantern

Unfettered Mind

Total Attendance

Friday

20

38

52

40

27

21

192

Saturday

11

19

32

13

23

10

108

Sunday

12

23

38

20

14

16

123

Summit

43

71

122

82

64

47

429

Percentage

10.0

18.6

28.4

17.1

14.9

11.0

100

Declarations

Nature of Declaration

Substance of Declaration

Made By

Made or Not Made?

Enmity

Eleonaris

Sejanus, Grandmaster of the Celestial Arch

Declaration made

Amity

Ylitha-Rose and Stormcrow Vora; grandchildren of Yaw'nagrah

Iulian Shatterspire

Declaration made

Imperial Lore

Dance of Navarr and Thorn

Shane, poxy Dean of the Lyceum

Declaration made

Concord

Payment for gambits is inappropriate and has no legal force. There have been many requests for extra mana as payment in gambits.

Sejanus Shatterspire, Grandmaster of the Celestial Arch

Declaration made

Concord

All Senators should be magicians

A Herald of Sadogua?

Declaration rejected

Reconciliation

Evander Slak should no longer be a Sorcerer

Concordia Sforza

Declaration made (narrowly)

Imperial Lore

Skein of Years

Octavius Auric Horizon, Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

Declaration made

Candidacy

Dean of the Lyceum

-

Simargl declared as Dean

Neutrality

Maurice de Gauvain

Carolinus Kade

Declaration made

Concord

Whenever documents are sent to Eternals, a copy should go to the Eternal Library

Darius Auric Horizon

Declaration rejected

Amity

Ylenrith

Calatina of the Handful of Dust

Declaration made

Gambits

The following is a summary of the gambits proposed by the Archmages of

Proposer

Resources

CA

GP

RS

SP

SL

UM

Pri

Use

Deadline

Approved

Archmage Savik Summerstorm of Winter

24 Mana

3

4

8

4

4

1

Casting Inevitable Collapse into Ruin on the Sunday Battlefield

Summit

Yes

Archmage Corvus of Summer

30 Mana

5

5

0

5

3

4

Raising of a Frozen Citadel in Karsk

Summit

Yes

Archmage Darius the Black of Day

36 Mana

9

5

6

4

6

6

To perform a custom ritual to scry out the heart of Bal Shalik and Swim Leviathan's Depth's to discover why she desired the skull of Empress Britta.

Summit

Yes

Archmage Mairice de Gauvain of Autumn

20 Mana

2

0

2

7

5

3

Casting a 50 magnitude Winter's Ghosts targeting Reikos

Summit

Yes

Warmage Vaan

45 Mana

5

5

5

3

2

3

22

To be given to the Warmage to see the casting of Clarity of the Master Strategist

Summit

Yes

Archmage Stormcrow Kalindar of Spring

45 Mana

7

7

10

7

3

7

4

Casting Bound by Common Cause upon the army of the General's choosing

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Night Baba Ana

30 Mana

0

5

3

18

Battlefield healing for tomorrow's engagement against the Druj in The Barrens

Summit

Yes

Proposer

Resources

CA

GP

RS

SP

SL

UM

Pri

Use

Deadline

Approved

Archmage of Wnter Savik Summerstorm

24 Mana

3

4

8

4

4

1

Casting Inevitable Collapse into Ruin on the Sunday Battlefield

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Summer Corvus

30 Mana

5

5

0

5

3

4

Raising of a Frozen Citadel in Karsk

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Day Darius the Black

36 Mana

9

5

6

4

6

6

To perform a custom ritual to scry out the heart of Bal Shalik and Swim Leviathan's Depth's to discover why she desired the skull of Empress Britta.

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Autumn Mairice de Gauvain

20 Mana

2

0

2

7

5

3

Casting a 50 magnitude Winter's Ghosts targeting Reikos

Summit

Yes

Warmage Vaan

45 Mana

5

5

5

3

2

3

22

To be given to the Warmage to see the casting of Clarity of the Master Strategist

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Spring Stromcrow Kalindar

45 Mana

7

7

10

7

3

7

4

Casting Bound by Common Cause upon the army of the General's choosing

Summit

Yes

Archmage of Night Baba Ana

30 Mana

0

5

3

4

18

Battlefield healing for tomorrow's engagement against the Druj in The Barrens

Summit

Yes

Ongoing Concerns

Information about past Declarations made by the Conclave that are still in effect can be found at:

- Declarations of Interdiction

- Declarations of Sorcery

- Declarations of Amity

- Declarations of Enmity

The Addresses of the Conclave are not recorded here. If the Conclave wishes to make itself heard, it does so through the Declaration of Concord

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Summer_Solstice_Conclave_sessions&oldid=35647"

378YE Summer Solstice Imperial titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Imperial Senate

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 2.11 Sinecures selected by senators

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 The Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 4.9 Other Synod positions

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Mercantile Investments

- 6.4 Other Bourse Positions

- 7 Miscellaneous

- 8 Further Reading

Overview

This information represents the outcome of the assorted elections and appointments at the 378E Summer Solstice.

The Imperial Senate

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Kattalin i Hazama i Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Requiza

- Senator for Madruga: Sallur i Mnajdra i Guerra

- Senator for Segura: Arisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Valentin Ivarovich Orzel

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Jada of Ravensfell

- Senator for Casinea: Zephram of Cantiarch’s Hold

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav

- Senator for Tassato: Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Drogon Morosini

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Orrick

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain

- Senator for Miaren: Syn Nighthaven

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Lucius of Quicksilver Spire

- Senator for Redoubt: Marissa Shatterspire

- Senator for Zenith: Cato

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karsk: Machek Winterborn

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Radomir

- Senator for Volodmartz: Vitomyr Krasiludovich Antonov

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

- Senator for Skarsind: Jorma Steelhail

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is Gideon of the Sons of Couros

- The Advisor on orc affairs is Irontide Bruc

- The Imperial Master of Works is Richard Tunstall

- The Bursar of the Imperial Academy is Titus Hopkirk

- The Admiral is Sendero i Hazana i Guerra

- The Ambassador to Asavea is Camilia di Traviciana di Sarvos

Sinecures selected by senators

- The sinecure of Spider's Tollkeep is held by Rafa'eet i Contra i Guerra

- The sinecure of Keeper of the Spice Gardens is held by Reina i Shartha i Riquez

- The sinecure of Guardian of Britta's Shrine is held by Ruth of the Cenotaph in Highguard

- The sinecure of The Dredgemaster of Feverwater, is held by Corey Brackensong

- The Advisor on the Vallorn is Merel Pathfinder

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Anwar i Covas i Erigo of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Starac Sijed Orzel of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Mordecai of the Seventh Wave

- General Mathayus of the Granite Pillar

- General Tyrus of The Valiant Pegasus

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok of the Winter Sun

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Gabriel Barossa of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Furious Fin of the The Drakes

- General Jack Flint of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Carr Foxden of the Black Thorns

- General Gwai of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovich of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- The Warmage is Vaan of Auric Horizon

- The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies is Janusz Dalibor von Temeschwar of the League

The Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Cardinal Bishop Olek of the League

- Gatekeeper Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Courage

- Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

- Gatekeeper Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost of Varushka

Loyalty

- Cardinal Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Tancred De Rondell of Dawn

Pride

- Cardinal Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Meurig Tystwarden

Prosperity

- Cardinal Ynez di Caricomare of the League

- Gatekeeper Enoch of the Shattered Tower of Highguard

Vigilance

- Cardinal Marrok De Carsenere

- Gatekeeper Abraham of Highguard

Wisdom

- Cardinal Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

- Gatekeeper Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

- Bishop Antonio Vanzetti of the League

- Conscience of the Senate - Gideon of the Sons of Couros

Other Synod positions

- The post of High Exorcist is held by Solas of Urizen

- The post of Auditor of Senatorial Accountability is held by Nadezha Dava of Varushka

- The post of Imperial Inquisitor is held by Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow is Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon is Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain is Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm is Archmage of Winter

- Darius of Auric Horizon is Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana is Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo I Jannat I Riqueza of the Brass Coast

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Dimitri Ivanovich Ionescu of Varushka

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Palaphon of the Ankarian Magisitrum

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash of Varushka serves as Dean of the Lyceum

- Iago Melfizzi of the League serves as Bursar of the Conclave

- Concordia Sforza of the League serves as Liason to the Senate

The Imperial Bourse

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Tomas Talbot (165 Thrones)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Tobias Shanks (78 Thrones)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Antoni Krol (90 Thrones)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Griacomo Carvinoscurro (170 Thrones)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar (80 Thrones)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Ilia Miroslav von Danzig (145 Thrones)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Ricardo Almieda Desmondo di Tasetto (65 Thrones)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (100 Thrones)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (112 Thrones)

- The Night Quarry is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeshwar (170 Thrones)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Silvio di Tassato (37 Thrones)

- The Singing Caves are held by ???

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Eanwyn Dunning (155 Thrones)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Marko von Temeshwar (48 Thrones)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by Niccolo dos Tassatos (98 Thrones)

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (Brass Coast) is held by Karlos i Shartha i Riqueza

- The Regario Dossier (League) is currently uncontrolled and therefore will be elected next festival (for a shortened period)

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Guillamo de Tassato (18 Thrones)

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Irontide Vio

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Marcus of Endsmeet

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Zlatimir Prochnost

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakeim Sussavari

- The Brilliant Shore (Wintermark) is held by Aelfric Kereftinar

Mercantile Investments

- Hamnett of Gallowdale is Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Estrella is Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

- Paloma i Taziel i Riquez is Mistress of the Glass Parador

- Dieter Angelovic is the Custodian of the Assayers Guild

- Duarte i Hazzam i Guerra is the Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

Other Bourse Positions

- Octavius of Auric Horizon is Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Principalities of Jarm is Oswi Twice-burned

- Foreign Trade Envoy to Faraden is Roberto Murdochi di Sarvos

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Asavean Archipelago is Adrianna Donati di Sarvos

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Commonwealth is Jonah Yakovitch

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Sumaah Republic is Aedred apMagor of Wintermark.

Miscellaneous

- The Operator of Brock's Toll is Robert Shanks

Further Reading

- 378YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

- 378YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements

- Recent history

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Summer_Solstice_Imperial_titles&oldid=35481"

378YE Summer Solstice Imperial Titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Imperial Senate

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 2.11 Sinecures selected by senators

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 The Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 4.9 Other Synod positions

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Mercantile Investments

- 6.4 Other Bourse Positions

- 7 Miscellaneous

- 8 Further Reading

Overview

This information represents the outcome of the assorted elections and appointments at the 378E Summer Solstice.

The Imperial Senate

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Kattalin i Hazama i Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Requiza

- Senator for Madruga: Sallur i Mnajdra i Guerra

- Senator for Segura: Arisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Valentin Ivarovich Orzel

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Jada of Ravensfell

- Senator for Casinea: Zephram of Cantiarch’s Hold

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav

- Senator for Tassato: Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Drogon Morosini

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Orrick

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain

- Senator for Miaren: Syn Nighthaven

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Lucius of Quicksilver Spire

- Senator for Redoubt: Marissa Shatterspire

- Senator for Zenith: Cato

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karsk: Machek Winterborn

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Radomir

- Senator for Volodmartz: Vitomyr Krasiludovich Antonov

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

- Senator for Skarsind: Jorma Steelhail

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is Gideon of the Sons of Couros

- The Advisor on orc affairs is Irontide Bruc

- The Imperial Master of Works is Richard Tunstall

- The Bursar of the Imperial Academy is Titus Hopkirk

- The Admiral is Sendero i Hazana i Guerra

- The Ambassaor to Asavea is Camilia di Traviciana di Sarvos

Sinecures selected by senators

- The sinecure of Spider's Tollkeep is held by Rafa'eet i Contra i Guerra

- The sinecure of Keeper of the Spice Gardens is held by Reina i Shartha i Riquez

- The sinecure of Guardian of Britta's Shrine is held by Ruth of the Cenotaph in Highguard

- The sinecure of The Dredgemaster of Feverwater, is held by Corey Brackensong

- The Advisor on the Vallorn is Merel Pathfinder

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Anwar i Covas i Erigo of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Starac Sijed Orzel of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Mordecai of the Seventh Wave

- General Mathayus of the Granite Pillar

- General Tyrus of The Valiant Pegasus

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok of the Winter Sun

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Gabriel Barossa of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Furious Fin of the The Drakes

- General Jack Flint of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Carr Foxden of the Black Thorns

- General Gwai of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovich of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- The Warmage is Vaan of Auric Horizon

- The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies is Janusz Dalibor von Temeschwar of the League

The Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Cardinal Bishop Olek of the League

- Gatekeeper Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Courage

- Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

- Gatekeeper Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost of Varushka

Loyalty

- Cardinal Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Tancred De Rondell of Dawn

Pride

- Cardinal Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Meurig Tystwarden

Prosperity

- Cardinal Ynez di Caricomare of the League

- Gatekeeper Enoch of the Shattered Tower of Highguard

Vigilance

- Cardinal Marrok De Carsenere

- Gatekeeper Abraham of Highguard

Wisdom

- Cardinal Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

- Gatekeeper Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

- Bishop Antonio Vanzetti of the League

- Conscience of the Senate - Gideon of the Sons of Couros

Other Synod positions

- The post of High Exorcist is held by Solas of Urizen

- The post of Auditor of Senatorial Accountability is held by Nadezha Dava of Varushka

- The post of Imperial Inquisitor is held by Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow is Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon is Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain is Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm is Archmage of Winter

- Darius of Auric Horizon is Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana is Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo I Jannat I Riqueza of the Brass Coast

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Dimitri Ivanovich Ionescu of Varushka

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Palaphon of the Ankarian Magisitrum

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash of Varushka serves as Dean of the Lyceum

- Iago Melfizzi of the League serves as Bursar of the Conclave

- Concordia Sforza of the League serves as Liason to the Senate

The Imperial Bourse

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Tomas Talbot (165 Thrones)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Tobias Shanks (78 Thrones)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Antoni Krol (90 Thrones)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Griacomo Carvinoscurro (170 Thrones)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar (80 Thrones)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Ilia Miroslav von Danzig (145 Thrones)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Ricardo Almieda Desmondo di Tasetto (65 Thrones)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (100 Thrones)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (112 Thrones)

- The Night Quarry is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeshwar (170 Thrones)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Silvio di Tassato (37 Thrones)

- The Singing Caves are held by ???

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Eanwyn Dunning (155 Thrones)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Marko von Temeshwar (48 Thrones)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by Niccolo dos Tassatos (98 Thrones)

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (Brass Coast) is held by Karlos i Shartha i Riqueza

- The Regario Dossier (League) is currently uncontrolled and therefore will be elected next festival (for a shortened period)

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Guillamo de Tassato (18 Thrones)

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Irontide Vio

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Marcus of Endsmeet

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Zlatimir Prochnost

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakeim Sussavari

- The Brilliant Shore (Wintermark) is held by Aelfric Kereftinar

Mercantile Investments

- Hamnett of Gallowdale is Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Estrella is Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

- Paloma i Taziel i Riquez is Mistress of the Glass Parador

- Dieter Angelovic is the Custodian of the Assayers Guild

- Duarte i Hazzam i Guerra is the Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

Other Bourse Positions

- Octavius of Auric Horizon is Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Principalities of Jarm is Oswi Twice-burned

- Foreign Trade Envoy to Faraden is Roberto Murdochi di Sarvos

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Asavean Archipelago is Adrianna Donati di Sarvos

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Commonwealth is Jonah Yakovitch

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Sumaah Republic is Aedred apMagor of Wintermark.

Miscellaneous

- The Operator of Brock's Toll is Robert Shanks

Further Reading

- 378YE Spring Equinox Senate Sessions

- 378YE Spring Equinox Synod Judgements

- Recent history

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Summer_Solstice_Imperial_Titles&oldid=29030"

378YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at TBC.

Motions

Vetoed

- Vetoed motion

Passed

- Assignment of Segura

- Disburse funds to Bregasland

- Disburse funds to Conclave Grandmasters

- Safe passage for Lasambrian delegation

- Disburse funds to add Skein of Years to Imperial Lore

- Employ Civil Service to observe Fleets

- Reparations to the Asavean Archipelago

- Construct museum

- Construct fortified garrison in Overton

- Construct memorial at Anvil

- Establish contact with Barrens orcs

- Alter manifesto of Sevenfold Path

- Construct conservatory for the Anvil Hospital

- Appoint ambassador to Asavean Archipelago

Defeated

- Protection for delegations

Announcements

- Announcements by the Quartermaster General

- Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

- There were no announcements by the Advisor on the Vallorn or the Imperial Master of Works

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_sessions&oldid=35427"

378YE Summer Solstice Senate Sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at TBC.

Motions

Vetoed

- Vetoed motion

Passed

- Assign Segura

- Disburse funds to Bregasland

- Disburse funds to Conclave Grandmasters

- Safe passage for Lasambrian delegation

- Disburse funds to add Skein of Years to Imperial Lore

- Employ Civil Service to observe Fleets

- Reparations to the Asavean Archipelago

- Construct museum

- Construct fortified garrison in Overton

- Construct memorial at Anvil

- Establish contact with Barrens orcs

- Alter manifesto of Sevenfold Path

- Construct conservatory for the Anvil Hospital

- Appoint ambassador to Asavean Archipelago

Defeated

- Protection for delegations

Announcements

- Announcements by the Quartermaster General

- Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

- There were no announcements by the Advisor on the Vallorn or the Imperial Master of Works

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_Sessions&oldid=28777"

378YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements

Contents

- 1 The Imperial Titles of the Synod

- 1.1 Other Synod-Appointed Titles

- 2 Appointments

- 2.1 Appointment of the Cardinal of Courage

- 2.2 Appointment of the Cardinal of Wisdom

- 2.3 Appointment of the Imperial Inqusitor

- 2.4 Appointment of the Cardinal of Ambition

- 3 Synod Judgments

- 4 Statements of Principle

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Imperial Titles of the Synod

At the end of the Summer Solstice, 378 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Bishop Olek of the League

Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost of Varushka

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Tancred De Rondell of Dawn

Pride

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr

Prosperity

Ynez di Caricomare of the League

Enoch of the Shattered Tower in Highguard

Vigilance

Marrok de Carsenere of Dawn

Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

Antonio Vanzetti of the League

Gideon of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Other Synod-Appointed Titles

Title

Held By

Appointed By

Renews

High Exorcist

Solas of Urizen

Assembly of Nine

Winter Solstice

Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

Nadezha Dava of Varushka

Assembly of Nine

Until death, revocation or stepping down

Imperial Inquisitor

Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska

Assembly of Nine

Spring Equinox

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Appointment of the Cardinal of Courage

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Isaac di Sarvos of the League

30 votes

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

98 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Cardinal Asher appointed Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost of Varushka as Gatekeeper

Appointment of the Cardinal of Wisdom

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Tockrynn Nighthaven of Navarr

72 votes

Agnetha De Rondell

82 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Cardinal Agnetha retained Livia Cascade of Urizen as Gatekeeper

Appointment of the Imperial Inqusitor

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Julius Cavita of the League

3 votes

Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska

Appointed as Imperial Inquisitor

Appointment of the Cardinal of Ambition

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Eofric Sammersund of Wintermark

20 votes

Bishop Olek of the League

56 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Cardinal Olek chose to retain Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato as Gatekeeper

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Number

Assembly

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

1

Courage

Election of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch

2

Wisdom

Election of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Cardinal Agnetha De Rondell

3

Highguard

Inquisition of Highborn Senators regarding their Senate Votes at the Spring Equinox 378 YE

Naomi of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Upheld 223 - 20 (Decisive Majority)

4

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of General Ruth of Highguard as a candidate for the Throne

Cardinal Marrok de Carsenere

Upheld 6 - 0 (Decisive Majority)

5

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Senator Atte of Wintermark as a candidate for the Throne

Cardinal Antonnio Vanzetti

Upheld 6 - 0 (Decisive Majority)

6

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Senator De Rondell of Dawn as a candidate for the Throne

Cardinal Ynez di Caricomare

Upheld 6 - 0 (Decisive Majority)

7

Ambition

Revocation of Cardinal Eofric of Wintermark

Gatekeeper Serrusto of the League

Upheld 44-20

8

Ambition

Election of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Cardinal Olek of the League

9

General Assembly

Rewarding Lucifer Son of Cyrus with 5 Thrones to pay for research into the Mask of the Visionary to pay for the historical research

Lucifer of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Upheld 350 - 32

11

Courage

Recognition of Emperor Ahraz as an Exemplar of Courage

Isaac Carlino di Sarvos of the League

Upheld 94 - 10

12

Prosperity

Inquisition of Senator Bridget Eastville of the Marches

L. Tolya Orbardenko of the League

Upheld 150 - 10

18

General

Recognition of Emperor Ahraz as an Exemplar of Courage

Escalated from #11

Upheld 311 - 74

19

Rewarding

Rewarding Gralka Stormcrow, an Imperial Orc, with 3 Thrones from the virtue fund for vigilantly saving the life of Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard, by virtuous use of night magic.

Abraham of the Shattered Tower

Defeated 214 - 140

22

Assembly of Nine

Election of Imperial Inquisitor

The Civil Service

Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska

Statements of Principle

The Imperial Synod was asked to make the following Statements of Principle:

Number

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

10

Varushkan

The Assembly believes: That our generals, Olaf Strascovich and Stanislav Havel, should be praised and recognised for their actions which helped recapture Karsk and save Imperial Lives.

Father Drakov

Upheld 88 - 0

13

Loyalty

The Assembly believes: It is an expression of Loyalty any citizen of the Empire may undertake to ensure the good health (via hydration, shade, rest and meals) of their fellow citizens who make important decisions which affect nations or the Empire as a whole

Gatekeeper Tancred De Rondell

Upheld 49 - 0

14

General

The Assembly believes: The Synod Priests should make the effort to meet up between the Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice

Julius Cavita of the League

Upheld 183 - 84

15

Urizen

The Assembly believes: Dr Tiberius of Endsmeet has shown Outstanding Virtue in his tireless work saving the Citizens of Every Nation of this Empire. Showing Great Vigilance in finding and identifying injuries. Showing Great Loyalty in his actions for every Imperial Citizen. Showing Great Courage in accepting and enduring pain and injury when pushing beyond his limits. Showing Great Ambition in striving for further skill. Showing Great Prosperity in the works of every life saved. Showing Great Wisdom in the skill he has garnered.

Maximillian of the Way

Upheld 40 - 10

16

Prosperity

The Assembly believes: That the Senate should reform its procedures for purchasing bourse materials to be by open reverse auctions. The Synod of Prosperity shall host such an auction for all Senators and Bourse Members to participate in and so demonstrate their prosperity

Enoch of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Upheld 118-0

17

General

The Assembly believes: The Faraden have previously shown willingess to enter into debate over the virtues of the Way. I [Lycier Phoenix] wish to extend a formal invitation to now have this debate with the Synod in the near future.

Lycier Phoenix of Urizen

Upheld 356 - 51

20

General

The Assembly believes: It is known that foriegn ambassadors to the Empire often hold religious beliefs incompatible with The Way. So long as they hold and practice these beliefs privately, not preaching nor otherwise deliberately propogating their belief onto imperial citizens, the Synod considers they should not be prosecutred for a religious crime simply due to holding said beliefs

Cardinal Jared, Suns of Courous, Highguard

Upheld 553 - 79

21

General

The Assembly believes: Following an in depth debate on the matter, the Realm of Night is not heretical in nature

Tabor of the League

Upheld 384 - 32

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

20 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 2 Rings

Income

3 Thrones

A fine levied against a convicted crimninal given to the Virtue Fund at the behest of Chaplain Torsch

16 Thrones

The price paid by the Shattered Tower for pure liao in the Bourse

Rewards

5 Thrones

Given to Lucifer of Felix's Watch, Highguard, as per judgment #9

Closing Value

34 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 2 Rings

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- General Anwar of the Brass Coast

- Pete Keeper of the Marches

- Grigory Mandel of Highguard

- Ricardo of the League

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_judgements&oldid=35431"

378YE Summer Solstice Synod Judgements

Contents

- 1 The Imperial Titles of the Synod

- 1.1 Other Synod-Appointed Titles

- 2 Appointments

- 2.1 Appointment of the Cardinal of Courage

- 2.2 Appointment of the Cardinal of Wisdom

- 2.3 Appointment of the Imperial Inqusitor

- 2.4 Appointment of the Cardinal of Ambition

- 3 Synod Judgments

- 4 Statements of Principle

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Imperial Titles of the Synod

At the end of the Summer Solstice, 378 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Bishop Olek of the League

Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost of Varushka

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Tancred De Rondell of Dawn

Pride

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr

Prosperity

Ynez di Caricomare of the League

Enoch of the Shattered Tower in Highguard

Vigilance

Marrok de Carsenere of Dawn

Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

Antonio Vanzetti of the League

Gideon of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Other Synod-Appointed Titles

Title

Held By

Appointed By

Renews

High Exorcist

Solas of Urizen

Assembly of Nine

Winter Solstice

Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

Nadezha Dava of Varushka

Assembly of Nine

Until death, revocation or stepping down

Imperial Inquisitor

Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska

Assembly of Nine

Spring Equinox

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Appointment of the Cardinal of Courage

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Isaac di Sarvos of the League

30 votes

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

98 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Cardinal Asher appointed Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost of Varushka as Gatekeeper

Appointment of the Cardinal of Wisdom

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Tockrynn Nighthaven of Navarr

72 votes

Agnetha De Rondell

82 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Cardinal Agnetha retained Livia Cascade of Urizen as Gatekeeper

Appointment of the Imperial Inqusitor

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Julius Cavita of the League

3 votes

Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska

Appointed as Imperial Inquisitor

Appointment of the Cardinal of Ambition

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Eofric Sammersund of Wintermark

20 votes

Bishop Olek of the League

56 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Cardinal Olek chose to retain Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato as Gatekeeper

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Number

Assembly

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

1

Courage

Election of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch

2

Wisdom

Election of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Cardinal Agnetha De Rondell

3

Highguard

Inquisition of Highborn Senators regarding their Senate Votes at the Spring Equinox 378 YE

Naomi of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Upheld 223 - 20 (Decisive Majority)

4

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of General Ruth of Highguard as a candidate for the Throne

Cardinal Marrok de Carsenere

Upheld 6 - 0 (Decisive Majority)

5

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Senator Atte of Wintermark as a candidate for the Throne

Cardinal Antonnio Vanzetti

Upheld 6 - 0 (Decisive Majority)

6

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Senator De Rondell of Dawn as a candidate for the Throne

Cardinal Ynez di Caricomare

Upheld 6 - 0 (Decisive Majority)

7

Ambition

Revocation of Cardinal Eofric of Wintermark

Gatekeeper Serrusto of the League

Upheld 44-20

8

Ambition

Election of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Cardinal Olek of the League

9

General Assembly

Rewarding Lucifer Son of Cyrus with 5 Thrones to pay for research into the Mask of the Visionary to pay for the historical research

Lucifer of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Upheld 350 - 32

11

Courage

Recognition of Emperor Ahraz as an Exemplar of Courage

Isaac Carlino di Sarvos of the League

Upheld 94 - 10

12

Prosperity

Inquisition of Senator Bridget Eastville of the Marches

L. Tolya Orbardenko of the League

Upheld 150 - 10

18

General

Recognition of Emperor Ahraz as an Exemplar of Courage

Escalated from #11

Upheld 311 - 74

19

Rewarding

Rewarding Gralka Stormcrow, an Imperial Orc, with 3 Thrones from the virtue fund for vigilantly saving the life of Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard, by virtuous use of night magic.

Abraham of the Shattered Tower

Defeated 214 - 140

22

Assembly of Nine

Election of Imperial Inquisitor

The Civil Service

Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska

Statements of Principle

The Imperial Synod was asked to make the following Statements of Principle:

Number

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

10

Varushkan

The Assembly believes: That our generals, Olaf Strascovich and Stanislav Havel, should be praised and recognised for their actions which helped recapture Karsk and save Imperial Lives.

Father Drakov

Upheld 88 - 0

13

Loyalty

The Assembly believes: It is an expression of Loyalty any citizen of the Empire may undertake to ensure the good health (via hydration, shade, rest and meals) of their fellow citizens who make important decisions which affect nations or the Empire as a whole

Gatekeeper Tancred De Rondell

Upheld 49 - 0

14

General

The Assembly believes: The Synod Priests should make the effort to meet up between the Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice

Julius Cavita of the League

Upheld 183 - 84

15

Urizen

The Assembly believes: Dr Tiberius of Endsmeet has shown Outstanding Virtue in his tireless work saving the Citizens of Every Nation of this Empire. Showing Great Vigilance in finding and identifying injuries. Showing Great Loyalty in his actions for every Imperial Citizen. Showing Great Courage in accepting and enduring pain and injury when pushing beyond his limits. Showing Great Ambition in striving for further skill. Showing Great Prosperity in the works of every life saved. Showing Great Wisdom in the skill he has garnered.

Maximillian of the Way

Upheld 40 - 10

16

Prosperity

The Assembly believes: That the Senate should reform its procedures for purchasing bourse materials to be by open reverse auctions. The Synod of Prosperity shall host such an auction for all Senators and Bourse Members to participate in and so demonstrate their prosperity

Enoch of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Upheld 118-0

17

General

The Assembly believes: The Faraden have previously shown willingess to enter into debate over the virtues of the Way. I [Lycier Phoenix] wish to extend a formal invitation to now have this debate with the Synod in the near future.

Lycier Phoenix of Urizen

Upheld 356 - 51

20

General

The Assembly believes: It is known that foriegn ambassadors to the Empire often hold religious beliefs incompatible with The Way. So long as they hold and practice these beliefs privately, not preaching nor otherwise deliberately propogating their belief onto imperial citizens, the Synod considers they should not be prosecutred for a religious crime simply due to holding said beliefs

Cardinal Jared, Suns of Courous, Highguard

Upheld 553 - 79

21

General

The Assembly believes: Following an in depth debate on the matter, the Realm of Night is not heretical in nature

Tabor of the League

Upheld 384 - 32

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

20 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 2 Rings

Income

3 Thrones

A fine levied against a convicted crimninal given to the Virtue Fund at the behest of Chaplain Torsch

16 Thrones

The price paid by the Shattered Tower for pure liao in the Bourse

Rewards

5 Thrones

Given to Lucifer of Felix's Watch, Highguard, as per judgment #9

Closing Value

34 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 2 Rings

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- General Anwar of the Brass Coast

- Pete Keeper of the Marches

- Grigory Mandel of Highguard

- Ricardo of the League

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Summer_Solstice_Synod_Judgements&oldid=28522"

378YE Summer Solstice winds of war

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Battle of the Iron Plains

- 3 Thunder in the Silver Peaks

- 4 A whisper of magic

- 5 Amid Ruined hills

- 6 The Siege of Holmauer

- 7 Flickers in the Twilight

- 7.1 Evening

- 7.2 Midnight

- 7.3 Dawn

Overview

As the wet Spring gives way to glorious Summer, the banners are raised and the horns echo across the battlefield. It is the season of war! On the eastern front, the Battle of the Iron Plains drives the Lasambrian invaders out of the Seguran heartland. The campaign is not over, but the dry grasslands are Imperial territory once more. Yet whose nation will the Senate judge worthy to take custody of them, to shoulder the responsibility of securing last last regions of the westernmost province of the Empire?

Further north, thunder echoes through the Silver Peaks as a host of Thule comes sweeping down into the mountains of Sermersuaq bent on conquest. On the far side of the empire, in newly-liberated Karsk Imperial and Thule forces fight to a standstill amid the ruined hills. Only the crows and the rats prosper as the Varushkan armies seek to drive the barbarians out of their territory - and the Thule seem loathe to leave.

Not so the Druj - in marshy Therunin the combined forces of the Navarr and Highborn face advancing barbarians and drive the verminous enemy back to the dark hills of Reikos. Their noses are bloodied - but they are not defeated. Will they lick their wounds and consider their next action, or seek new prey? There are routes they could march their armies that threaten mountainous Morrow, splendid Bastion or - if they choose to test the might of the Sentinel - the heart of the Empire itself.

What of Holberg? The situation in the west has turned from bad to worse. The siege of Holmauer has ended in retreat - the Imperial armies are besieged behind the upper city, with the Druj in command of the rest of the territory. All is not lost - the walls of the city hold, and have never been broken. The gates open when the people of Holberg will it, never before ...

It is easy in the flood of history to forget the little things. To forget that Mournwold and Liathaven still labour under the yoke of Jotun rule - and for all their ceasefire with the Empire, the brave defenders of the Greensward still suffer regular raids from the barbarians. Sometimes the people of the Empire can be pushed beyond their breaking point - witness the sad end of the Virtue crusade. Sometimes, they rally in unexpected ways as the Grendel vessels sunk during the blockade of Apulus can atest ...

There then. Season of war, of hot blood. Here the Empire raises the flag of triumph, there they fight with their backs to the walls. The battle continues.

The Battle of the Iron Plains

Wide, empty and windswept the Iron Plains are a place to pass through or to come from, not to stay. Rain falls rarely, but as Spring gives way to Summer, the arid grasslands are watered with the blood of knights, corsairs, and barbarians.

Two armies of Lasambrian Orcs, driven north and west by the Imperials, seek an orderly retreat. The massed forces of the Red Wind Corsairs, the Eastern Sky and the Hounds of Glory fall on them like wolves on the fold. The battered barbarians give ground at every step, resisting a rout, pushed further back towards the hills that girdle Segura. Then a third Lasambrian army smashes *through* the other two armies. A new army, under an iron banner. It matches the fervour of the kohan and the glorious knights. It secures the escape of the other two armies, to Anduzjasse and Yellow Chase and Burnish.

Alongside the barbarians fight knights in crimson and gold who are neither orc nor man, but emissaries of an Eternal power. Beneath the golden lion banner, they engage Imperial forces without regard for their own safety, fighting astride great tawny lions and accompanied by swooping bull-sized hawks. Here and there among the allied contingent are massive creatures with spreading antlers, or claws-and-fanged wolf-beasts that sing with human voices as they tear into their prey.

Every inch of Iron Plains soil ceded to the Empire is paid for twice over by a price of blood. Near two thousand Imperial soldiers will not fight again. But the Empire prevails. The Red Wind drives the last Lasambrian stragglers northwards, reclaiming the Iron Plains for the Freeborn people. Near the ruins of Anduz, above the standing stones of the Longing Circle, the Dawnish forces establish an armed camp gazing across the churned earth towards the barbarian defenders occupying the old city.

With the Battle of the Iron Plains, the Empire has reclaimed Segura. Yet the Lasambrians have not been driven back into their hills - three barbarian armies remain, facing three Imperial armies across the dry grasslands.

Thunder in the Silver Peaks

In the north, in Sermersuaq, the passes shake to the thunder of drums and of marching feet. A Thule army comes, marching under the banner of the white hound. The pounding of great drums shakes the snow loose from the highest of the Silver Peaks More than ten thousand orcs, out of Skúld, out of western Otkodov, marching to war.

They occupy the northern passes, building fortified camps. They begin to claim the mines of the mountains and the foothills, to claim crystal mana from the Stonefields. With their armies march hundreds of savage orc hunters, wrapped in leather and fur and marked with white Winter runes. They raid deep into Sermersuaq. Hunters returning to Atalaq speak of orc raiding parties spotted as far west as the northern shores of Lake Atkonartoq, as far south as the East Floes above Wreck.

Stealthy scouts are spotted in the hills above the Stonefield Ice Caves. Watching. Planning. It seems unlikely these sorcerous barbarians will pass up the opportunity to claim the bounty of ilium the caves represent, nor the many mana sites of the Stonefields themselves.

It is good they do not march unopposed.

The Green Shield and the Fist of the Mountain are here. When the beacons flame, they have barely stamped the mud of Varushka from their boots. Barely rested from their long westbound trek, they march north-east to stop the barbarian advance.

The armies clash in the foothills. Many winterfolk lay down their lives in the high peaks above the windswept plains. Many orcs are sent tumbling down the mountainsides.

They have not established themselves, but neither have they been driven out. At night, when the sky darkens enough that the first stars can be seen, the great drums of the Thule boom and shout across the mountains until the last star is hidden by the sun, rising behind the mountains.

The war for Sermersuaq has begun.

A whisper of magic

The wind … it blows through Therunin, whispering. The green shadows are quiet, apart from birdsong and the gentle soughing wind. There is magic in the whisper. A whisper of shadow, heard in the dripping fens of the Lower Tarn Valley. The chorus of frogs and the buzz of flies fallen silent, for a heartbeat. A half-seen castle of woven mist coalesces, spreading across the waters. The marsh itself comes to life, a subtle enchantment of coiling vines, toad spies and shambling swamp guardians.

A whisper of life, urging the waters of the marshy forest to run clear and fresh. Vitality thrums through the soil, dances in every shower of rain, swirls in every well and spring and stream and pond. Blood flows slowly, wounds heal quickly, infection is unknown. Nothing short of death lasts - injuries are washed away by the healing tide.

A whisper of death, heard by the dead. A thousand murdered Navarr and slaughtered Druj orcs rise from the mud, stumbling through the dark trees to join the army of the Black Thorns, falling on the barbarians as they advance.

There are over ten thousand orcs are in Therunin, under the banner of the Hunting Scorpion and the Red Lizard. An iron fist of warriors, a shroud of scouts, skirmishers and saboteurs, invaders out of Reikos.

The Hunting Scorpion is confident in it's strength, marching under a dread miasma of fear and doubt. They do not expect the Granite Pillar to turn their own terror weapons back against them, to extend their aegis of protection to the Black Thorns and the Quiet Step. Imperial and barbarian forces clash again and again as the leaves spread and Summer blossom blooms on the boughs.

In the end a tangle of factors grants victory to the Empire. Without their magic, without the discipline of the Highborn, without the captains fighting alongside the Imperial armies, without the wood wisdom of the Black Thorns, the outcome could have been very different... As it is, by mid-Summer, the Druj forces have been pushed back across the border into the ruined hills of Reikos.

Amid Ruined hills

Talk of ruined hills … the hills of Reikos, the hills of Karsk. Thanks to the courage of heroes, Karsk is once again a part of Varushka. Yet there is no peace to be found in the war torn land, not this side of the labyrinth ... and perhaps not the other, either.

The Northern Eagle and the Golden Axe stand alone against over twenty thousand Thule warriors. As in Therunin, the power of Imperial magic makes the waters of Karsk sparkle with life. Here, that powerful Spring magic stands between the Imperial forces and catastrophic casualties.

Here, the Empire faces the dark sorcery of the Dragons of Thule ...

Two great citadels of ice and frozen stone have risen in the hills of Karsk. One raised by the power of Imperial magicians provides sanctuary for the Varushkan forces. From the other, raised in fallen Krevasty, provides a vantage to orc warlocks who gaze from its frigid towers across the crow-haunted battlefields.Their armies display supernatural enchantments, potent ritual magic woven about their soldiers by the magician-kings of the north. They fight together as if their captains shared one mind, they exploit any opening presented by their Varushkan foes, they seem to respond to their enemies' movements almost before they make them.

Yet for all their magic, the Thule launch no attacks of their own – they simply defend those regions where their strength still holds.

While there are skirmishes throughout Karsk, most of the serious fighting takes place in the northern hills of Branoc. The Thule and the Empire clash in the dark shadow of the Broken Barrow itself, a haunted hill is held by an army of humans, orcs and revenant things that aid neither side. Those who stray within the ring of fallen stones that circles the hill – be they man or orc – are slain without mercy.

The Empire loses no land, but likewise it claims not one square foot of contested territory from the orc defenders. If the Thule had simply attacked, then the Imperial forces would surely have been overwhelmed rather than simply forced back to Nitrost and to Kopvenost.

The crows grow fat on a thousand fallen Imperials ... but the death toll could have been so much worse.

The Siege of Holmauer

Things are much worse in Holberg.

Perhaps fifteen thousand Freeborn, Dawnish and Marcher souls defend the solid walls of Holfried and the tattered walls of Holmauer.

Arrayed against them, perhaps twenty-five thousand orcs, commanded from the shambolic fortress at Rebeshof beneath the banners of the striking scorpion.

The waters of Holberg run with bloody Spring magic. Water turns foul quickly, spreads everywhere creating slippery mud that sucks the strength from the limbs of soldiers. Some who fall lack the will to rise again without assistance. Some never rise. Every wound festers, even minor injuries might prove life-threatening. The orcs suffer as well – but they seem not to care about the misery caused by their malicious magic.

From the gates of Rebeshof the Scorpion Sting lead an overwhelming assault on the walls of Holmauer. They walls hold for a time, then break in one, two, three places. A trickle of orcs through the defences becomes a flood. The Empire retreats back into the upper city, to safety behind the walls of Holfried.

Over four thousand Imperial troops lie dead, slain by poison, by festering wounds, by fearsome beasts, by merciless, stealthy assault.

The ruined suburbs of Holmauer are in the hands of the Druj again. They control the outer walls – although those walls surely will not stand much longer.

It could have been worse.

The barbarians amuse themselves by catapulting the heads and body parts of slaughtered imperial troops over the walls into the upper city. The heralds of panic stir in the city now, unmatched since the retreat of Empress Giselle. Citizens who have endured everything the Druj have thrown at them are beginning to wonder what the weather is like in sunny Sarvos, chilly Temeschwar, rain-beaten Tassato ...

Flickers in the Twilight

Summer nights are short; as the Solstice approaches, they get shorter. The hours of twilight, though, stretch out as the sun balances on the horizon before true night or true dawn. Lights flicker in the twilight, flaring to life ... dying to ashes.

Evening

As day turns to night, the folk of the Greensward bank their fires and shutter their winedows. They sleep fitfully in their beds, trusting to the flimsy safety of a ring of hay-filled hessian and hollowed heads. The scarecrows of Overton, a scowling ward against the hunger of the Jotun. Empty shirts and sacks stuffed with Marcher straw, bound to stakes, dead faces staring outward in the gathering gloom. The Jotun avoid them; only the greediest raider pushes through the ring to attack the farms of the Greensward, and of those most turn back before they reach the battered pallisade that surrounds the town. Still, despite their fear, they still come.

The warning bell rings, loud and fast in the twilight.

Then, the weak and the injured flee to the sanctuary of Greensward Abbey, warded by magic from jealous barbarian eyes. There they find shelter until the bell rings again to signal that the echausted militia have held the raiders at bay ... or that they have left with the booty they came for. Perhaps it is superstitious dread that keeps the Jotun at bay, perhaps the subtle magic of the Marches, perhaps something more sinister.

How much longer will the scarecrows' magic last? How long before the raiders return full-strength to pillage the last redoubt of the Marchers in the Mourn?

Midnight

The sun rests beneath the horizon. Torches and campfires mark the borders of Casinea and Bastion, the rough camps of the Virtue Crusade. Several hundred refugees from Reikos, many with little more than the cowl on their head, make ready to march on the Druj. Their hatred of the monsters who have murdered their kin and befouled their homes is stoked by their firebrand wayfarers. Hale or sickly, old or young: all are told that they have a part to play in the coming battle.

The lost and the desperate, encouraged to take up arms to reclaim what is theirs. They are hopeful of a sure victory, one promised by reports of visions and portents and oracular dreams. Their leaders went to Anvil and were promised support by Senators and Generals alike. But as the day proclaimed for the great assault grows darker, the crusade marches to war alone.

Not everyone marches; some fall prey to doubt, slipping away as the ragged column snakes into war-torn Reikos. There is still a mob of at least a hundred Imperial citizens left when the encounters the Druj scouts. The barbarians must suspect a trap - after all, it is what they would have done. Sacrifice a few worthless pawns to lead the enemy into an ambush.

In the end, though, they strike. There are some in the crusade who can fight - a handful of Unconquered, a few displaced guardians, perhaps a dozen cataphracts eager to strike against the hated druj. They are the first to fall. The Virtue Crusade collapses into anarchy. Even now, it is not too late for some to escape. The unfortunate few, though, those who still believe the promises of victory are denied even the peace of the grave. Brutally subdued, captured and enslaved by the merciless orcs.

The Virtue Crusade is over. In time, the survivors will perhaps come to envy those who had a swift death.

Dawn

Flames dance through the night until the twilight of dawn spreads across the horizon. Under the banner of the Valiant Pegasus, Highborn guardians man the watchflames of Fort Mezudan, alongisde the Urizen sentinels. Under the banners of the Salt Dogs and the Stone Gyre, the barbarians watch them from around their roaring campfires. The Grendel greet the dawn with great shouts and skirling pipes. Both sides are dug-in, waiting. Away from Screed, Spiral is almost peaceful.

Not so at sea.

Imperial fleets engage the Grendel fleets in the deep waters off the Spiral coast. Here fly the flags of Freeborn corsairs and Navarr captains; there sleek Urizen vessels prowl the coast under the banner of the Phoenix; in deeper waters the speedy fleet of a Temeschwari merchant-venturer keeps pace with the rough-hewn flotilla of Blood Crow Yargol. At night, three great beacons burn on the walls of shattered Apulian, warning the Grendel fleets of dangers both Imperial and natural. The shipping routes between the conquered Spiral town and the Broken Shore are disrupted. Attacking the Grendel port directly would be pure folly - especially when there are fat Grendel boats to attack instead. Supply ships from Dubhtraig are sunk, treasure ships transporting looted Urizen goods are captured.

Oh, the land forces will survive well enough - but they will need to keep their scavenged bounties for themselves, need to be a little more cautious in their raiding, with the surety of support from the Broken Shore cast into doubt. Yet there are other routes for trade ... treacherous routes. Returned to Imperial ports, sailors gossip about the handful of Imperial ships seen entering the port of Apulian to trade, betraying the Empire in pursuit of their own personal profits.

There then. Three flickering fire tales when the sun has set and before it has risen. Three short glimpses into the little dramas that spin out across the Empire, before the Summer Solstice, before the nights begin to grow longer once again.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Summer_Solstice_winds_of_war&oldid=34908"

378YE Winter Solstice Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

Commission research into the runeforge at Gildenheim in Skarsind

Commission research into the Claw of the Heavens ancient Urizen spire

Commission research into Emperor Barabbas' invasion plans against the Grendel

Commission research into the origins of the Hallowing ceremony

Approved by the Minister of Historical Research.

Overview

- Historical research concerning these topics has been commissioned through the civil service.

- Actions approved by the Minister of Historical Research.

- The actions are grouped together, but each would count as a seperate announcement for purposes of the Imperial Synod veto.

Date

- Winter Solstice 378YE

Progress

- Unknown

Campaign Outcome

- Research reports will be compiled and presented to the Minister for Historical Research

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Winter_Solstice_Announcements_by_the_Minister_for_Historical_Research&oldid=35414"

378YE Winter Solstice Announcements by the Quartermaster General

Overview

- Resupply the Brass Coast army of the Fire of the South with 38 wains of weirwood.

- This motion was approved by the Quartermaster General using the legal power to resupply armies granted by the Imperial Senate.

- Theis motion would be subject to the Imperial Synod veto.

Date

- Winter Solstice 378YE

Progress

- 38 wains of provided by Irontide Rad, Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies, after Winter Solstice 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- Resupply an army using 38 wains restores fighting strength equal to 760 soldiers to the army.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Winter_Solstice_Announcements_by_the_Quartermaster_General&oldid=35712"

378YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Imperial Senate

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 2.11 Sinecures selected by senators

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 The Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 4.9 Other Synod positions

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Mercantile Investments

- 6.4 Other Bourse Positions

- 7 Miscellaneous

- 8 Further Reading

Overview

This information represents the outcome of the assorted elections and appointments at the 378YE Winter Solstice.

The Imperial Senate

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Kattalin i Hazama i Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Zamira i Covas i Erigo

- Senator for Madruga: Anwar i Del-Toro i Riquezza

- Senator for Segura: Arisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Hector de Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Escalados deCarsenere

- Senator for Weirwater: Valentin Ivarovich Orzel

The senators of Highguard

- Senator for Bastion: Jada of Ravensfell

- Senator for Casinea: Zephram of Cantiarch’s Hold

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav

- Senator for Tassato: Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Gant Archama

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Orrick

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Senator for Hercynia: Rhain

- Senator for Miaren: Syn Nighthaven

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Ariadne

- Senator for Redoubt: Marissa Shatterspire

- Senator for Zenith: Cato

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karsk: Vuk the Wolfeater

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Dušan Otecovna Zlata

- Senator for Volodmartz: Irina Kardaova Arkady

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

- Senator for Skarsind: Jorma Steelhail

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is Lisabetta Giacomi von Holberg

- The Advisor on orc affairs is Irontide Bruc

- The Imperial Master of Works is Richard Tunstall

- The Bursar of the Imperial Academy is Titus Hopkirk

- The Admiral is Sendero i Hazana i Guerra

- The Ambassador to Asavea is Camilia di Traviciana di Sarvos

- The Ambassador to Jarm is Owsi Twice-burned

- The Advisor on the Vallorn is Neb

- The Wisest Senator is Syn Nighthaven (NB: Not an Imperial Title, but was selected by the Senate at Autumn Equinox 378YE so included for completeness.)

Sinecures selected by senators

- The sinecure of Spider's Tollkeep is held by Rafa'eet i Contra i Guerra

- The sinecure of Keeper of the Spice Gardens is held by Reina i Shartha i Riquez

- The sinecure of Guardian of Britta's Shrine is held by Ruth of the Cenotaph in Highguard

- The sinecure of The Dredgemaster of Feverwater, is held by Corey Brackensong

- Custodian of the Academy Religious Studies (exact title to be TBA)

- The sinecure of Custodian of The Starlight Drift of Shimmering Snow is held by Vulpes Endsmeet

- Custodian of The Memorial Gardens of Treji (exact title TBA)

- The sinecure of Guardian of the Cairn is held by Thanmir Hrafnar

- The sinecure of Keeper of the Sapphire Stair is held by Ophelia Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Manny i Sayap i Guerra of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Tancred de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Starac Sijed Orzel of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Cuth of the Seventh Wave

- General Mathayus of the Granite Pillar

- General Jericho of The Valiant Pegasus

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Morgur Bloodcrow of the Winter Sun

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Gabriel Barossa of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Furious Fin of the The Drakes

- General Jack Flint of the Strong Reeds

- General Brianna of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Carr Foxden of the Black Thorns

- General Merryn Farkas of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Hallvard of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Magnus of Ivarsgard of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Marius Fjellrevening of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- The Warmage is Vaan of Auric Horizon

- The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies is Irontide Rad

The Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Cardinal Bishop Olek of the League

- Gatekeeper Silent John of the Marches

Courage

- Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

- Gatekeeper Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost of Varushka

Loyalty

- Cardinal Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Oberon Caeli Rezia di Tassato

Pride

- Cardinal Elka Nadyanova Gremani of Varushka

- Gatekeeper Samson of Cantiarch's Hold

Prosperity

- Cardinal Peter Keeper of Kingstoke, the Marches

- Gatekeeper Edythe Dunne of Wintermark

Vigilance

- Vacant following the demise of Cardinal Marrok de Carsenere of Dawn

- Gatekeeper Abraham of Highguard

Wisdom

- Cardinal Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

- Gatekeeper Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

- Bishop Beodun Snowlock of Wintermark

- Conscience of the Senate - Lisabetta Giacomi von Holberg of the League

Other Synod positions

- The post of High Exorcist is held by Solas of Urizen

- The post of Auditor of Senatorial Accountability is vacant following the demise of Autocephalous Tolya Orbardenko of the League

- The post of Imperial Inquisitor is held by Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska

- The post of Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial is held by Ira of Felix's Watch, Highguard

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Iulian Shatterspire is Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon is Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain is Archmage of Autumn

- Cyrus Skybreaker is Archmage of Winter

- Mari Linkforge is Archmage of Day

- Pavel is Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Marius Auricspire

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo I Jannat I Riqueza of the Brass Coast

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and Shield Raewynn Stormwise

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Dimitri Ivanovich Ionescu of Varushka

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Palaphon of the Ankarian Magisitrum

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- Eudaemon of Halcyon serves as Dean of the Lyceum

- Iago Melfizzi of the League serves as Bursar of the Conclave

- Concordia Sforza of the League serves as Liason to the Senate

The Imperial Bourse

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Tomas Talbot (165 Thrones)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Tobias Shanks (240 Thrones)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Falko of the Butchers Bank (265 Thrones)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Griacomo Carvinoscurro (170 Thrones)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar (305 Thrones)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Reznik von Temeshwar (303 Thrones)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Feran (215 Thrones)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (310 Thrones)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Asael of Cantiarch's Hold (200 Thrones)

- The Night Quarry is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeshwar (170 Thrones)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Silvio di Tassato (37 Thrones)

- The Singing Caves are held by Ricardo di Tasato (400 Thrones)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Eanwyn Dunning (155 Thrones)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Marko von Temeshwar (48 Thrones)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by Landon of Longridge (280 Thrones)

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (Brass Coast) is held by Karlos i Shartha i Riqueza

- The Regario Dossier (League) is held by Rodrigo Barrosa (17 Thrones)

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Guillamo de Tassato (18 Thrones)

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Irontide Vio

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Sibella

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Zlatimir Prochnost

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakeim Sussavari

- The Brilliant Shore (Wintermark) is held by Aelfric Kereftinar

Mercantile Investments

- Hamnett of Gallowdale is Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Jaoquin i Shartha i i Riqueza is Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

- Paloma i Taziel i Riquez is Mistress of the Glass Parador

- Dieter Angelovic is the Custodian of the Assayers Guild

- Duarte i Hazzam i Guerra is the Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

Other Bourse Positions

- Octavius of Auric Horizon is Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Principalities of Jarm is Oswi Twice-burned

- Foreign Trade Envoy to Faraden is Roberto Murdochi di Sarvos

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Asavean Archipelago is Adrianna Donati di Sarvos

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Commonwealth is Jonah Yakovitch

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Sumaah Republic is Aedred apMagor of Wintermark.

Miscellaneous

- The Operator of Brock's Toll is Robert Shanks

Further Reading

- Recent history

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Winter_Solstice_Imperial_titles&oldid=35874"

378YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at TBC.

Motions

Passed

- Legalize Scorpion's Sting Dagger

- Research Purifying Flame

- Disburse funds to the Quartermaster General

- Responsibility for respectful silence

- Assignment of Karsk

- Disburse funds for strategic rituals

- Increase the Imperial Guerdon

- Disburse funds to the Gatekeeper of Wisdom

- Rebuild the Towers of Anduz

- Amend law of delegation protection

- Disburse additional funds for Marcher army

- Disburse funds to Miekarova militia

- Raise Freeborn navy

- Create law outlawing the Vyig

- Construct the Glorious Fountain of Dusk and Dawn

- Construct college of magic in Morrow

- Define Jarmish embassy

- Construct Faraden embassy

- Disburse funds to hire Autumn mercenaries

- Construct Master Apothecary's Garden

- Auras illegal in the Civil Service hub Pending decision from the Imperial Synod.

- Amend powers of the Bursar of the Imperial Academy

- Address boggart infestation in Morrow

- Accept Grendel proposal

Defeated

- Appoint Emperor

- Fortify Miekarova

- Construct Sumaah embassy

- Raise Dawnish army

Announcements

- Announcements by the Quartermaster General

- Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

- Announcements by the Advisor on the Vallorn

- Announcements by the Imperial Master of Works

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Winter_Solstice_Senate_sessions&oldid=35569"

378YE Winter Solstice Synod judgments

Contents

- 1 The Imperial Titles of the Synod

- 1.1 Other Synod-Appointed Titles

- 2 Appointments

- 2.1 Appointment of the Cardinal of The Way

- 2.2 Appointment of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- 3 Synod Judgments

- 4 Statements of Principle

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Imperial Titles of the Synod

At the end of the Winter Solstice, 378 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Bishop Olek of the League

Silent John of the Marches

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost of Varushka

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Oberon Caeli Rezia di Tassato

Pride

Elka Nadyanova Gremani of Varushka

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

Prosperity

Peter Keeper of Kingstoke, the Marches

Edythe Dunne of Wintermark

Vigilance

Vacant following the demise of Marrok de Carsenere of Dawn

Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

Beodun Snowlock of Wintermark

Lisabetta Giacomi von Holberg of the League

Other Synod-Appointed Titles

Title

Held By

Appointed By

Renews

High Exorcist

Solas of Urizen

Assembly of Nine

Winter Solstice

Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

Vacant following the demise of Autocephalous Tolya Orbardenko of the League

Assembly of Nine

Until death, revocation or abdication

Imperial Inquisitor

Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska

Assembly of Nine

Spring Equinox

Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial

Ira of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Assembly of Nine

Sinecure; until death, revocation or abdication

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Appointment of the Cardinal of The Way

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Beodun Snowlock

108 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Atla

40 votes

-

Shadorak

30 votes

-

Harald Johnson

10 votes

-

Lucifero Figlio

10 votes

-

Cardinal Snowlock appointed Lisabetta Giacomi von Holberg of the League as Conscience of the Senate

-

-

Appointment of the Cardinal of Prosperity

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Ynez di Caricomare

62 votes

Ynez reappointed as Cardinal

Soratio

16 votes

-

Ynez retained Peter Keeper as Gatekeeper

-

-

Regrettably, Cardinal Ynez died on Saturday evening and it was necessary to carry out the appointment process again

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Peter Keeper

30 votes

Peter Keeper appointed as Cardinal

Soratio

20 votes

-

Bertolli

10 votes

-

Edythe Dunne

10 votes

-

Peter Keeper appointed Edythe Dunne as Gatekeeper

-

-

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Number

Assembly

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

1

The Way

Appointment of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Beodun Snowlock of Wintermark was appointed

2

Vigilance

Condemnation of Thelonius Kade for rejection of the Doctrine of Human Destiny

Jon

Upheld 130 - 0

3

General

Rewarding of 10 Thrones to Landan of Applewood Arms for the great personal expense incurred in recovering holy items for the benefit of the Synod

Helena

Not upheld 220 - 216

4

Assembly of Prosperity

Appointment of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Ynez di Caricomare was appointed

5

General

Inquisition of Thulun Silent Step of the Navarr, and his Coven

Yarrick Ursan

Upheld 450 - 10

5a

General

Escalation of Thulun's Inquisition to Condemnation for Idolatry

Yarrick Ursan

Upheld 322 - 0

7

General

Veto of the Senate Motion to repeal the ban on the use of the Scorpion Sting

Thaddeus

Did not achieve the majority required

8

The Nine

Inquisition of Syn Truthwalker Nighthaven

Marrok de Carsenere

Upheld 6 - 0

9

Ambition

Inquisition of the Architects of the Law of Delegate protection passed Autumn 378 YE

Severin Von Holberg

Upheld 79 - 0

10

-

Judgment was withdrawn by the raising priest

-

-

13

Highguard National

Inquisition of Lucifer, son of Cyrus, at his behest, to show purity of purpose in seeking the Mask of the Visionary, and show that none should fear inquisitions.

Lucifer

Upheld 218 - 0

15

General Assembly

Rewarding of 15 Thrones from the Virtue Fund to assist in the raising of a new army for Dawn in recognition of their ceaseless support of the other nations in reclaiming lost territory

Veli Gar Wulfson

Upheld 73 - 56

22

Prosperity

Election of the Cardinal

Civil Service

Peter Keeper was appointed

24

Varushka

The Revocation of Senator Dusan, Senator for Miekarova. It is the finding of the Imperial Inquisitor that he is grossly unworthy of his position due to a fundamental lack of Virtue, specifically Wisdom

Petra

Not upheld 42 - 28

32

Vigilance

The Condemnation of the four Anarchy Cultists, captured and returned from Miekarova, for the crime of Heresy

Vitomir Vardov

Upheld 136 - 0

33

The Nine

The Recovation of General Olaf of Varushka for disloyal and unwise conduct in the execution of his duties as General

Elka Gremani

Upheld 6 - 0

34

General

A Rewarding as per the dying wishes of Almerich Metri von Temeschwar to reward Arsenio of the Gilded Horn with the sum of three Thrones in recognition of his donation of ilium towards the Banner of the Three Rings to help the people of Wintermark overcome the curse affecting them

Tancred De Rondell

Upheld 323 - 148

35

Highguard

The Inquisition of Abraham of the Shattered Tower for teaching non-Doctrine principles; to take place in Spring on Saturday 3pm, Highguard Chapel

Naomi

Upheld 194 - 0

Statements of Principle

The Imperial Synod made the following Statements of Principle:

Number

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

6

General

As Followers of The Way, we have a duty to save souls even at the cost of lives. We support the actions of Urizen in Spiral.

Upheld 393 - 78

11

Highguard National

Providing the grave goods of Empress Britta to an inhuman entity within the Kallavesi Swamp goes against the Doctrine of Human Destiny, insults Imperial Pride, questions Imperial Courage, lacks Prosperity in the waste of Britta's tomb, and lacks Vigilance in agreeing to the demands of an inhuman and unknown entity

Esau of Felix's Watch

Upheld 196 - 0

12

Highguard National

The Nation of Highguard owes thanks to all those who assisted in the safe recovery of Permion the Navigator, Exemplar of Courage.

Asher of Felix's Watch

Upheld 208 - 0

14

Imperial Orc

When I see the Winter Sun battle, it is something for the entire nation to be proud of. I see in the heat of combat, every virtus displayed and it fills my heart with Pride. I feel the Winter Sun are a fine example of orc battle tactics and warfare and that it would be good to share this experience, wisdom, courage and vigilance with others so that our nation, our Empire, can prosper from our Loyalty. Our Ambition should be for all to benefit from our strength and ability, for what is knowledge if it is not used or shared.

Atla

Upheld 10 - 0

16

Pride

The Assembly of Pride would like to recognise the success of the Brass Coast in reclaiming their lost territory

Lilian

Upheld 47 - 10

17

General

Statements of Principle should only make one single point

Wyr of the Navarr

Upheld 196 - 96

18

General

When any person stands for a Synod position, on the judgment form where they put themselves forward for election, they must clearly state any condemnations that have been passed against them

Irada-Catchie Von Temeschwar

Upheld 367 - 70

19

General

The Denigration of a Relic is to be treated as equal to the denigration of the Paragon and is therefore blasphemy

Yael of Felix's Watch

Upheld 186 - 138

20

General

That which is good for the true pursuit of The Way of Virtue is good for the Empire. If revelations on the nature of The Way should come into conflict with the principles of the Empire, it is the Empire that must change

Isaac Carlino di Sarvos

Upheld 319 - 36

21

General

The claiming of souls by the Eternal Kaela must be acted upon by the Conclave

Harald Johnson

Upheld 259 - 56

23

General

In the interests of wisdom and vigilance within the Synod, experimental theologians are encouraged to inform the General Assembly of the results of their experiments

Noah

Upheld 245 - 23

25

Marcher Assembly

It is commonly held that some briar burials taint the land, yet a Marcher must be buried in Marcher soil. These conflict. We declare that this taint is not inherent to briar nature. Instead, it is the product of malign spiritual presences of Hatred and Vengeance, which are encouraged through life as a Marcher Briar. A Virtuous briar can overcome this and, as guardians of Marcher souls, it is our duty to aid them in this. Priests of the Marches must ensure that briars have an appropriate resting place, with dignity. Dependent on local circumstances, suggestions are within the hedgerows, in an orchard surrounded by flowing water, a normal orchard or burial of ashes

Edward Watcher

Upheld 62 - 0

27

General

High Inquisitor Petra stated that "Senator Dusan, Senator for Miekarova, has been found unoworthy of their position due to a fundamental lack of virtue", at 2.30pm on Sunday in a document circulated by Falstino Toliccu von Tassotto, upon her request and payment, before the Synod vote on the matter closed. Three others were named also; some of which were not inquisited directly

Fr Drakov

Outcome needs checking

28

Loyalty

We the Assembly of Loyalty wish to recognize the Loyalty displayed by the fighting citizens of Dawn, the Marches, Navarr, the League and the Imperial Orcs for their successful and valiant defence pf the vulnerable and besieged ritualists at the Battle of Reikos

Oberon Caeli di Rezia

Upheld 113 - 0

29

Courage

Lazarus of Cantiarch's Hold and all our departed brothers and sisters who have fallen in Reikos and have been unable to enter the Labyrinth due to the actins of the barbarian orcs: You have not been forgotten. Have Courage

Nina

Upheld 94 - 0

36

General

The General Assembly does not intend to veto the Senate Motion to address the boggart issue in Morrow

Hector de Rondell

Upheld 350 - 10

37

Vigilance

Naming Vitomir Vardov of Varushka as the priest responsible for coordinating consecrations and exorcisms across Miekarova to act against the Anarchy cultists in that area

Abraham

94 - 0

The Imperial Synod did not make the following Statements of Principle:

Number

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

30

General

The Synod supports the creation of more priest sinecures to enable long serving priests who have armed their congregations in support of the Empire to continue functioning as priests.

Tarquinius Ankarien

Not upheld 242 - 211

31

General

The role of High Inquisitor is to initially offer recommendations to only the parties that could act on the findings, e.g. a recommendation of revocation of a senator to be given to the relevant National Assembly

Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost

Not Upheld 330 - 138

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

56 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 2 Rings / 5 liao

Income

80 Thrones

The price paid in the Bourse Auction by Dr Ferrero

5 Crowns

Donation of proceeds from Private Bourse Auction by Xepicotl, Sumaah Priest of Ambition

Rewards

15 Thrones

Rewarding made to Dawn

3 Thrones

Rewarding made to Arsenio of the Gilded Horn

Closing Value

119 Thrones / 2 Rings / 5 liao

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- Nicassia of Phoenix Reach, Urizen

- Archmage Iulian Shatterspire, Urizen

- Twyll of the Eternal Family, Navarr

- Senator Henry Ward, The Marches

- Mordecai of the Suns of Couros, Highguard

- Captain Vraalbuka Straskovich, Varushka

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgments&oldid=35949"

378YE Winter Solstice Synod judgments

Contents

- 1 The Imperial Titles of the Synod

- 1.1 Other Synod-Appointed Titles

- 2 Appointments

- 2.1 Appointment of the Cardinal of The Way

- 2.2 Appointment of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- 3 Synod Judgments

- 4 Statements of Principle

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Imperial Titles of the Synod

At the end of the Winter Solstice, 378 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Bishop Olek of the League

Silent John of the Marches

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost of Varushka

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Oberon Caeli Rezia di Tassato

Pride

Elka Nadyanova Gremani of Varushka

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

Prosperity

Peter Keeper of Kingstoke, the Marches

Edythe Dunne of Wintermark

Vigilance

Vacant following the demise of Marrok de Carsenere of Dawn

Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

Beodun Snowlock of Wintermark

Lisabetta Giacomi von Holberg of the League

Other Synod-Appointed Titles

Title

Held By

Appointed By

Renews

High Exorcist

Solas of Urizen

Assembly of Nine

Winter Solstice

Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

Vacant following the demise of Autocephalous Tolya Orbardenko of the League

Assembly of Nine

Until death, revocation or abdication

Imperial Inquisitor

Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska

Assembly of Nine

Spring Equinox

Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial

Ira of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Assembly of Nine

Sinecure; until death, revocation or abdication

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Appointment of the Cardinal of The Way

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Beodun Snowlock

108 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Atla

40 votes

-

Shadorak

30 votes

-

Harald Johnson

10 votes

-

Lucifero Figlio

10 votes

-

Cardinal Snowlock appointed Lisabetta Giacomi von Holberg of the League as Conscience of the Senate

-

-

Appointment of the Cardinal of Prosperity

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Ynez di Caricomare

62 votes

Ynez reappointed as Cardinal

Soratio

16 votes

-

Ynez retained Peter Keeper as Gatekeeper

-

-

Regrettably, Cardinal Ynez died on Saturday evening and it was necessary to carry out the appointment process again

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Peter Keeper

30 votes

Peter Keeper appointed as Cardinal

Soratio

20 votes

-

Bertolli

10 votes

-

Edythe Dunne

10 votes

-

Peter Keeper appointed Edythe Dunne as Gatekeeper

-

-

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Number

Assembly

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

1

The Way

Appointment of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Beodun Snowlock of Wintermark was appointed

2

Vigilance

Condemnation of Thelonius Kade for rejection of the Doctrine of Human Destiny

Jon

Upheld 130 - 0

3

General

Rewarding of 10 Thrones to Landan of Applewood Arms for the great personal expense incurred in recovering holy items for the benefit of the Synod

Helena

Not upheld 220 - 216

4

Assembly of Prosperity

Appointment of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Ynez di Caricomare was appointed

5

General

Inquisition of Thulun Silent Step of the Navarr, and his Coven

Yarrick Ursan

Upheld 450 - 10

5a

General

Escalation of Thulun's Inquisition to Condemnation for Idolatry

Yarrick Ursan

Upheld 322 - 0

7

General

Veto of the Senate Motion to repeal the ban on the use of the Scorpion Sting

Thaddeus

Did not achieve the majority required

8

The Nine

Inquisition of Syn Truthwalker Nighthaven

Marrok de Carsenere

Upheld 6 - 0

9

Ambition

Inquisition of the Architects of the Law of Delegate protection passed Autumn 378 YE

Severin Von Holberg

Upheld 79 - 0

10

-

Judgment was withdrawn by the raising priest

-

-

13

Highguard National

Inquisition of Lucifer, son of Cyrus, at his behest, to show purity of purpose in seeking the Mask of the Visionary, and show that none should fear inquisitions.

Lucifer

Upheld 218 - 0

15

General Assembly

Rewarding of 15 Thrones from the Virtue Fund to assist in the raising of a new army for Dawn in recognition of their ceaseless support of the other nations in reclaiming lost territory

Veli Gar Wulfson

Upheld 73 - 56

22

Prosperity

Election of the Cardinal

Civil Service

Peter Keeper was appointed

24

Varushka

The Revocation of Senator Dusan, Senator for Miekarova. It is the finding of the Imperial Inquisitor that he is grossly unworthy of his position due to a fundamental lack of Virtue, specifically Wisdom

Petra

Not upheld 42 - 28

32

Vigilance

The Condemnation of the four Anarchy Cultists, captured and returned from Miekarova, for the crime of Heresy

Vitomir Vardov

Upheld 136 - 0

33

The Nine

The Recovation of General Olaf of Varushka for disloyal and unwise conduct in the execution of his duties as General

Elka Gremani

Upheld 6 - 0

34

General

A Rewarding as per the dying wishes of Almerich Metri von Temeschwar to reward Arsenio of the Gilded Horn with the sum of three Thrones in recognition of his donation of ilium towards the Banner of the Three Rings to help the people of Wintermark overcome the curse affecting them

Tancred De Rondell

Upheld 323 - 148

35

Highguard

The Inquisition of Abraham of the Shattered Tower for teaching non-Doctrine principles; to take place in Spring on Saturday 3pm, Highguard Chapel

Naomi

Upheld 194 - 0

Statements of Principle

The Imperial Synod made the following Statements of Principle:

Number

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

6

General

As Followers of The Way, we have a duty to save souls even at the cost of lives. We support the actions of Urizen in Spiral.

Upheld 393 - 78

11

Highguard National

Providing the grave goods of Empress Britta to an inhuman entity within the Kallavesi Swamp goes against the Doctrine of Human Destiny, insults Imperial Pride, questions Imperial Courage, lacks Prosperity in the waste of Britta's tomb, and lacks Vigilance in agreeing to the demands of an inhuman and unknown entity

Esau of Felix's Watch

Upheld 196 - 0

12

Highguard National

The Nation of Highguard owes thanks to all those who assisted in the safe recovery of Permion the Navigator, Exemplar of Courage.

Asher of Felix's Watch

Upheld 208 - 0

14

Imperial Orc

When I see the Winter Sun battle, it is something for the entire nation to be proud of. I see in the heat of combat, every virtus displayed and it fills my heart with Pride. I feel the Winter Sun are a fine example of orc battle tactics and warfare and that it would be good to share this experience, wisdom, courage and vigilance with others so that our nation, our Empire, can prosper from our Loyalty. Our Ambition should be for all to benefit from our strength and ability, for what is knowledge if it is not used or shared.

Atla

Upheld 10 - 0

16

Pride

The Assembly of Pride would like to recognise the success of the Brass Coast in reclaiming their lost territory

Lilian

Upheld 47 - 10

17

General

Statements of Principle should only make one single point

Wyr of the Navarr

Upheld 196 - 96

18

General

When any person stands for a Synod position, on the judgment form where they put themselves forward for election, they must clearly state any condemnations that have been passed against them

Irada-Catchie Von Temeschwar

Upheld 367 - 70

19

General

The Denigration of a Relic is to be treated as equal to the denigration of the Paragon and is therefore blasphemy

Yael of Felix's Watch

Upheld 186 - 138

20

General

That which is good for the true pursuit of The Way of Virtue is good for the Empire. If revelations on the nature of The Way should come into conflict with the principles of the Empire, it is the Empire that must change

Isaac Carlino di Sarvos

Upheld 319 - 36

21

General

The claiming of souls by the Eternal Kaela must be acted upon by the Conclave

Harald Johnson

Upheld 259 - 56

23

General

In the interests of wisdom and vigilance within the Synod, experimental theologians are encouraged to inform the General Assembly of the results of their experiments

Noah

Upheld 245 - 23

25

Marcher Assembly

It is commonly held that some briar burials taint the land, yet a Marcher must be buried in Marcher soil. These conflict. We declare that this taint is not inherent to briar nature. Instead, it is the product of malign spiritual presences of Hatred and Vengeance, which are encouraged through life as a Marcher Briar. A Virtuous briar can overcome this and, as guardians of Marcher souls, it is our duty to aid them in this. Priests of the Marches must ensure that briars have an appropriate resting place, with dignity. Dependent on local circumstances, suggestions are within the hedgerows, in an orchard surrounded by flowing water, a normal orchard or burial of ashes

Edward Watcher

Upheld 62 - 0

27

General

High Inquisitor Petra stated that "Senator Dusan, Senator for Miekarova, has been found unoworthy of their position due to a fundamental lack of virtue", at 2.30pm on Sunday in a document circulated by Falstino Toliccu von Tassotto, upon her request and payment, before the Synod vote on the matter closed. Three others were named also; some of which were not inquisited directly

Fr Drakov

Outcome needs checking

28

Loyalty

We the Assembly of Loyalty wish to recognize the Loyalty displayed by the fighting citizens of Dawn, the Marches, Navarr, the League and the Imperial Orcs for their successful and valiant defence pf the vulnerable and besieged ritualists at the Battle of Reikos

Oberon Caeli di Rezia

Upheld 113 - 0

29

Courage

Lazarus of Cantiarch's Hold and all our departed brothers and sisters who have fallen in Reikos and have been unable to enter the Labyrinth due to the actins of the barbarian orcs: You have not been forgotten. Have Courage

Nina

Upheld 94 - 0

36

General

The General Assembly does not intend to veto the Senate Motion to address the boggart issue in Morrow

Hector de Rondell

Upheld 350 - 10

37

Vigilance

Naming Vitomir Vardov of Varushka as the priest responsible for coordinating consecrations and exorcisms across Miekarova to act against the Anarchy cultists in that area

Abraham

94 - 0

The Imperial Synod did not make the following Statements of Principle:

Number

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

30

General

The Synod supports the creation of more priest sinecures to enable long serving priests who have armed their congregations in support of the Empire to continue functioning as priests.

Tarquinius Ankarien

Not upheld 242 - 211

31

General

The role of High Inquisitor is to initially offer recommendations to only the parties that could act on the findings, e.g. a recommendation of revocation of a senator to be given to the relevant National Assembly

Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost

Not Upheld 330 - 138

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

56 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 2 Rings / 5 liao

Income

80 Thrones

The price paid in the Bourse Auction by Dr Ferrero

5 Crowns

Donation of proceeds from Private Bourse Auction by Xepicotl, Sumaah Priest of Ambition

Rewards

15 Thrones

Rewarding made to Dawn

3 Thrones

Rewarding made to Arsenio of the Gilded Horn

Closing Value

119 Thrones / 2 Rings / 5 liao

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- Nicassia of Phoenix Reach, Urizen

- Archmage Iulian Shatterspire, Urizen

- Twyll of the Eternal Family, Navarr

- Senator Henry Ward, The Marches

- Mordecai of the Suns of Couros, Highguard

- Captain Vraalbuka Straskovich, Varushka

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Winter_Solstice_Synod_judgments&oldid=35949"

378YE Winter Solstice winds of fortune

Contents

- 1 The Winds of War

- 2 Opportunities

- 2.1 Boggarts in Morrow

- 2.2 Celebrations in Segura

- 2.3 Anarchy in Miekarova

- 2.4 Friendly Rivalry

- 3 Events

- 3.1 Prosperity in Miaren

- 3.2 The Strength of Tradition

- 3.3 The Eldest Swamp

The Winds of War

The wars with the barbarian orcs continue. You can learn more here.

Opportunities

Over the past three months, the following events have occurred which are of significance to the Empire and may require a response from her champions:

Boggarts in Morrow

Vermin from the Realm of Night have been sighted in Morrow and could have an impact on the production of mana and herbs in this territory and potentially surrounding territories. There is more information regarding this infestation here.

Celebrations in Segura

With the Empire having fully restored Segura to the fold, there have been many celebrations. Imperial prognosticators have identified that the Synod, Senate and Bourse have the potential to capitalise on this sentiment. There is more information regarding this opportunity here

Anarchy in Miekarova

Reports are coming in of acts of sabotage and disruption across Miekarova that appear to be the actions of a coordinated cult of Anarchists. This sabotage appears to be primarily directed at military units in an effort to disrupt the Imperial war effort. There is more information regarding this threat here.

Friendly Rivalry

Owing to the deployment of military units from the two orc legions to the same location, there has been more contact between rank and file soldiers from each of the legions. This has generated a spirit of friendly rivalry and competition that the Imperial Synod could potentially capitalize on. There is more information regarding this opportunity here.

Events

The following represent significant events, sometimes of a magical nature, that do not have obvious solutions.

Prosperity in Miaren

As the days start to lengthen and Autumn turns inexorably into Winter, a subtle shroud of magic settles over the Navarr territory of Miaren. The first signs come when the herb gardens produce an unexpected bounty of bladeroot. Then the workers in the mines and forests enjoy unexpected prosperity; this extra prosperity means there is more money being spent in the businesses. Crops in the fields last longer both before and after harvest; meat smokes and salts easier. Some citizens turn to their guides to offer thanks for their unlooked-for comfort in the late-Autumn, while more suspicious individuals seek the advice of the priests to explain these events. Even soldiers whose home barracks are in Miaren enjoy additional success. Finally, the vates who tend the mana sites discover a small number of additional crystals to harvest.

While the majority of effects are positive, it is noticable that there is a cruel edge to the season as well as some unlooked for fortune. Weak animals and plants die in noticably greater numbers; young children suffer from sleepless nights, complaining of nightmares; the eldest Navarr, those in their final years before they go to their final rest in the funeral groves, find it almost impossible to get to sleep, spending their days in tired exhaustion. The draughir suffer worst of all - those who dwell in the steadings of Miaren, or pass through with stridings find it increasingly difficult to connect emotionally to anyone outside their immediate circle of friends and family. There are a few unfortunate incidents in which a draughir lashes out at someone they see as encroaching on their territory - but the majority of the Navarr ghul manage to keep their instincts under control.

Game Effect: Every personal resource owned by a Navarr character in Miaren gained an additional rank during the Autumn 378YE downtime. This resulted in additional production, and in the case of congregations will show as additional votes in the Imperial Synod. The vates have identified that for the three months following the Autumn Equinox, Miaren was subject to a Winter enchantment of magnitude 50. As the Winter Solstice draws closer, the magic started to weaken and fade.

The Strength of Tradition

Following incidents during the Autumn Equinox, an eerie influence has fallen over the people of Wintermark. In some halls, the Suaq, Kallavesi and Steinr are starting to factionalise - arguments have broken out, and members of the three traditions are increasingly seeking the company of those who share their cultural beliefs. Those few halls where one tradition dominates the others seem to have suffered least from this supernatural influence - indeed, they seem to be prospering compared to their increasingly quarrelsome neighbours. Indeed, when surrounded only by members of their own tradition, people report feeling more comfortable and more confident.

The growing rift is causing tension with the Fist of the Mountain and Green Shield. Some soldiers are actively forming banners only with members of their own tradition, and are slow to respond to the orders of commanders from different traditions. So far discipline is being maintained, but the situation is slowly worsening.

No clear explanation has emerged for this spreading influence. Some fearmongers point to the appearance of three very distinct egregores within the nation as a sign of either an impending calamity or - and only the most paranoid give this any credence - the imminent collapse of the bond that has bound the Suaq, Kallavesi and Steinr for untold generations. Opinion is divided as to whether the egregore is a symptom of the chaos - or the malfunctioning cause.

A more likely culprit than the egregore is the dark magic of the Thule. They have a vested interest in dividing the nation and destabilising the armies to speed the conquest of Wintermark. If this is the case, then presumably the wicked sorcery can be combated in some way - but any unified response is being made more difficult by the nature of the influence itself.

Game Effect: Every citizen of the Wintermark nation who attends the event is under a magical effect called The Strength of Tradition. We plan to include a card detailing this effect in everyone's pack, and newly created Wintermark characters should be able to collect a card from GOD when they make their character. These cards exist to clarify the roleplaying effects, and to provide something that can be examined with magic.

The Eldest Swamp

The mystics of the great Kallavesa marshes warn of what seems to be a threat unreleated to the difficulties of the wider nation - although the timing is suspicious. The mana sites tended by the mystics have become ... sluggish. Crystals are taking longer to form, and often appear dull and lifeless. In a few cases, the crystals have broken apart when handled, leaving only a handful of shards and dust.

Needless to say, many mystics are worried. The effect is definitely restricted to Kallavesa - mystics living in other parts of Wintermark have noticed no such decline in the quality of crystal mana - but is not just limited to mana sites harvested by the Kallavesi. Coupled with odd portents and visions, a number of mystics worry that there is something else going on in Kallavesa, something that is not a consequence of the strengthening of tradition - something that significantly threatens the magical energy they wield in their powerful rituals. Unfortunately, the spreading parochialism affecting the rest of the nation is making it hard to get anyone other than fellow Kallavesa to listen.

Game Effect: There is no game effect at this time, but if the situation worsens then it is likely to significantly reduce the amount of mana claimed from any mana site in the territory of Kallavesa.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Winter_Solstice_winds_of_fortune&oldid=35783"

378YE Winter Solstice winds of war

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Four miracles, four mysteries

- 3 The Weight of the Mountains

- 4 The garden of Highguard

- 5 Interlude

- 5.1 Segura

- 5.2 Spiral

- 5.3 Somewhere in the Bay of Catazar

- 6 The fall of Holmauer

Overview

The Empire pushes forward on the eastern front. After a year of preparation, the Empire sends sends troops into Reikos, and finally gets first hand experience of the devastation the Druj have wrought in their absence. Karsk is once again Imperial territory thanks in large part to a profusion of magical enchantments - but the Thule remain a force to be reckoned with, In Holberg, the Empire launches a counterattack against the Druj, sweeping south and east from the gates of the city, driving the barbarians from the ruins of the lower city and laying siege to the crumbling fortress of Rebeshof.

Things are a little more mixed on the western front. The orcs of the Lasambrian Hills mostly withdraw from Segura with only a few die-hard, stubborn raiders refusing to honour the agreement with the Imperial Senate; the Dawnish army of the Eastern Sky make short work of these stragglers. In contrast, the campaign to keep the Thule from the Silver Peaks remains at a near deadlock, with the barbarians making only small gains. The loss of life in Wintermark is ... tremendous.

On the whole, however, the Empire appears to be reclaiming territory from the barbarians. Perhaps the tide has turned at last?

Four miracles, four mysteries

Varushka is a place of mystery and has it's own share of wonders. They are dark, but they are wonders none-the-less. The Empire has suffered both exhilarating victory and crushing defeat in Karsk; but it has refused to retreat or let the Thule take one inch of the dark soil that is not soaked with blood.

The hills and forests, under the cold stars of Autumn, have become a place of miracles. In the west, a great citadel of glacier ice and dark basalt stone looms. Grim armoured giants man the walls, watching for the advance of the Thule with pitiless eyes. In the east, spiralling towers of gold and deep red wood greet the dawn, guarded by crimson-and-amber lion knights. They are the first miracle, and they are glorious and terrible as the morning and the night.

The second miracle comes from the south, and marches alongside the Citadel Guard. A legion of pale soldiers in cerulean blue and silver adamant. The captains of the elfin host ride impossible beasts - great white steeds with ivory hooves and ocean-deep eyes, each with a single curling horn in the centre of their forehead. They are beautiful and without mercy, spearing orcs and tossing them aside like so much chaff. They march beneath the banner of the white unicorn; the legion of Jaheris, come from the Summer Realm at the behest of the Imperial magicians to face the wroth of their master's lover amid the black hills of Karsk. They are cold as the moon, and full of vicious wit, but their wild ferocity is a wondrous mirror of the calm passion of the Urizen sentinels.

The third miracle rises from the earth of Varushka itself. A legion of ghost-soldiers and skeletal-champions joins the shambling animate corpses of the Black Thorns. While the husks lead the way into battle, the vanguard of each attack, the ghost-soldiers and accurséd wights bring up the rear. Silent, limned with flickering green fire beneath the dark clouds, they appear without warning and depart the same way when the sun first touches the horizon ... and they seem to obey the orders of a Varushkan general - a massive, grim draughir man bound in chains. When they engage the Thule, they are bound up by a bank of living fog that blinds their foes but does not hinder them or their allies. They are lead into battle by a flock of ghostly crows and ravens that seem to lead them unerringly to where their foes are weakest, and spread confusion in the enemy ranks. These cursed remnants inflict vicious slaughter on the Thule, alongside the wild men and women of northern Karsk who seem almost feral next to the armoured schlacta of the Golden Axe.

A fourth miracle; once again, the waters of Karsk sparkle with the irrepressible light of life and health. Any wound that is not fatal, heals in time. Each morning, the dew on the ground revitalises those who have survived the night. The rivers of life run through the hills and forests of Karsk.

The Thule themselves are on the move, pressing forward into the regions still in Imperial hands. Yet their focus seems elsewhere - beyond the golden citadel that serves as the headquarters of their warlocks, and the magic their magicians wield in battle, there is little sign of their great sorcerous might. The clashes are bloody, but how much more terrible would they have been if the waters had run clear, or with blood, instead of with the essence of health and healing?

Of all the supernatural aid mustered against the Thule arguably the most important is the strategic brilliance conjured up by the leaders of the Golden Axe. Time and again during the season the Thule attacks are only defeated by the arcane insights employed to the Imperial general and his allies.

And in the end ... in the end the orcs are pushed back, back out of the hills of Nitrost and back to their makeshift defences in the east and the north. When the sun rises on the last day of Autumn, there is no doubt. Karsk is once again in Imperial hands.

But for how long can the Empire hold it this time?

How certain is it that the Imperial senate will uphold the Varushkan claim to this territory once again?

How will the Thule react now that the Empire is arrayed against them once more in it's strength?

And what of the dark presences that slumber in the forests and the hills - is their thirst for blood slaked or is their appetite merely whetted ...?

The Weight of the Mountains

After the Autumn Equinox, the days grow shorter and the winds grow colder. In the north, in Sermersuaq, the sky is overcast by day and frigid-clear by night, lit by the cold perfection of the great borealis that dances above Tsirku. The Silver Peaks echo to the rhythms of war ... and are answered by the imperious brazen horns of the Hounds of Glory, the raised voices and pounding drums of the Red Wind Corsairs and the Fire of the South, and the relentless crunch-crunch-crunch of the Winter Sun over fresh fallen snow.

The number of Thule banners in Sermersuaq has all but doubled since the battle of the Stonefields. They hold the high passes and the low plains, and now their attention turns inexorably, once again, toward the Ice Caves and the great deposits of star metal concealed within. If they take the caves, they will control the entire Silver Peaks - the mines, the mana fields, and the passes through the mountains.

They do not come alone, this barbarian ocean of Thule soldiers and warlocks and terrible furred beasts out of the far north. A cohort of Summer knights marches beside them. Their golden helms glinting in the cold Autumn sun; their crimson surcoats soak up the blood of their prey. They laugh as they fight, glorying in the exhilaration of battle in a way only a few mortals can truly match ... mortals like the Hounds of Glory and the Freeborn kohan. The warriors of Summer seem to take great pains to seek the Dawnish and the Freeborn out, preferring them over the orcs. The Thule, by contrast, are full of eagerness to face the Imperial orcs in battle once again. Both sides care bound up in a bloody contest to see who can sieze the highest ground, who can drive their enemies off the treacherous paths or trap them in a jagged gorge.

Battle rages throughout the foothills, across the Stonefields, and even in some parts of the high peaks on the edge of the treeline where the pines give way to eternal snow. Neither side is defending - the Thule seek to push down the slopes to take the Ice caves, the Empire strives to force them back up from the plains, back toward Otkodov.

The Empire is outnumbered - but not by much. They fight from a frigid citadel of translucent ice that forms itself directly in the path of the Thule advance. A ragged cheer goes up from the Imperial soldiers, but the Thule barely break their advance - they seem to have been expecting the citadel, almost. They have makeshift siege engines, and several dozen massive shaggy ogres bred no doubt as living battering rams in the pits of Otkodov.

Blood stains the early snow - so much blood! But the snow itself glitters with a hidden power, as do the streams and cool mountain springs. The waters of Sermersuaq run with life - and not just the Silverpeaks. From Lansipari to East Floes to northern Sarda, the lakes and rivers teem with life - few suaq have seen so many fish. The beasts glow with health and fertility under the magic of Spring, from the rabbits of the southern plains to the mammoth of the northern tundras. So much life.

So much death. The magic means that any blow that is not fatal will heal overnight, but once this is apparent it simply fuels the savagery of the Thule and their faerie allies - and many Imperial troops are quick to match it. A thousand humans and orcs die in the three months between the heart of Autumn and the heart of Winter. At least as many Thule, also - the magic is indiscriminate - yet for each one who falls and does not rise there is one who might have never risen who stands, and fights.

The barbarians have supernatural aid to match that of the Empire. The Red Wind Corsairs fight with preternatural clarity, anticipating Thule tactics and meeting them with clever strategems of their own ... but the generals of the Thule are nearly as adept at unravelling the cunning plans of the Empire in their turn. The shambling host of the Holberg dead - animate husks with hungry Winter spirits bound inside - fight implacably, rising again and again despite the best efforts of the savage orc hunters ... but their sluggishness and slow advance is more than countered by the swift-moving Thule whose uncanny ability to navigate the foothills allows them to outmaneuver the grasping unliving brutes. As Winter comes closer, the walking dead are slower and slower to rise, and some fail to return entirely. Eventually, the rotten dead lie in droves wherever the Imperial orcs have fought. The Winter spirits escape the cold flesh and the forces of corruption and decay begin to catch up with them.

It is an even match, even so - but then, slowly, inexorably, the Thule begin to turn the tide. They push slowly forward, claiming the upper foothills ... and there they stop. Whatever else it has achieved, this bloody work, it has kept the northern orcs from claiming the ice caves. Yet they now control a little over half of the Silver Peaks ... and already their scavengers are stripping the mountains of every resource they can lay their hands on.

For now; the Thule show no sign that they intend to retreat. Indeed, they seem more committed to claiming the mountains of Sermersuaq than ever.

The garden of Highguard

The Garden of Highguard. A sleepy stretch of the Couros river; a place for gentle walks in shady parks; for contemplation of the virtues in quiet shrines; for the study of the threefold arts of chirurgery, physick and apothecary at the houses of healing in High Chalcis. Quiet settlements, connected by well-maintained roads. A place for introspection and celebration of what it meant to be Highborn. It should have been safe.

Until the Druj did the unthinkable and came south through the haunted Forest of Peytaht. Until they slaughtered the students at Exile, and brought their armies into the heart of the Empire and burnt the shady parks, and defiled the quiet shrines and made charnel pits of the houses of healing. Then, slowly and inexorably like a pestilence, like a black plague, they drove the Highborn from their garden and despite the best efforts of the Empire, claimed Reikos as wholly and completely their own.

That was a year ago, and now the Highborn are returning. The Granite Pillar and their Navarr allies of the Quiet step cross the Couros into Reikos, both armies guided and empowered with the sight beyond sight, the clarity of the strategist, the keen eyes of the Day that penetrate the plans of the enemy. They are, perhaps, a little unprepared for what they find.

Reikos has been devastated. The dead are innumerable, and those who have not been slain have been carried off to slavery and worse. A great citadel of broken stone and twisted metal stands now where the gardens of High Chalcis once stood - a terrible symbol of Druj dominion. Scouts report that from the walls flutter the tattered, soiled, defiled banners of all the chapters of Reikos with pride of place given to those of Cantiarch's Hold and the Suns of Couros. Above them all flutter the banners of a Druj clan - a white toad.

The Vigilant Swan is an open-cast quarry now, with a legion of battered and broken Highborn slaves toiling until they drop under the merciless gaze of their orc masters. Who knows what state the rest of the territory is in? And over everything ... everyone... hangs a miasma. It is almost tangible, it can almost be tasted in the air. The weight of it is like death, like the dread that comes in the night when you start awake from a forgotten nightmare and for a moment cannot remember quite where you are. It is in the air, in the water, in the soil. It claws at the hearts of the soldiers of Highguard and Navarr urging them to turn and flee.

It is worse at night. The stars are wrong. They twist in the sky, unnaturally - there is a powerful fell magic at work, a shroud of shadows that during the day covers the sky in dark clouds and often as not plunges the territory into twilight long before the sun has touched the horizon.

But the armies of the Empire do not surrender to fear. The 'Pillar and the 'Step advance into Riverwatch. Tabernacle is in ruins - the once proud chapter looks as if it has been torn apart, probably stone and wood for the citadel at High Chalcis. It is also a ghost town - no sign of any human. The caution of the Empire's heroes is well placed - the ruins have been laid with traps and cruel deadfalls, making them practically impassible for anything other than small groups of scouts such as the Navarr and the Highborn Unconquered.

The Druj are quick to respond the the intrusion as well - there are raiding forces several hundred warriors strong stalking the ruins of Reikos, slaughtering everyone they meet who puts up any resistance. They barely even bother to make an example of their prisoners. Once they realise there are Imperial troops in Reikos again, they begin to organise a strong defence - they make little effort to engage the armies directly, harrying, flanking, striking once and then falling back towards prepared defences. It is like fighting mist - a mist that cuts and burns.

In the end, after several months, Imperial forces have barely made a foothold here - the gnawing unnatural dread makes it very difficult to hold ground - even the staunchest Highborn finds it hard to stand against the Druj for any length of time in the face of the miasma, the pounding drums, and the knowledge that their backs are to the Couros.

Still - some ground is claimed. The best Navarr scouts have spread out in small groups across the ruined plains of Reikos and will return shortly to give a full accounting of the situation in the charnel wastes to their general. The Druj have been driven from the ruins of Tabernacle, more or less; but there is still much to do before even Riverwatch is liberated - and the battle for control of the Vigilant Swan will be fierce indeed.

Interlude

Segura

Sir Jory wiped the sweat from his eyes and glared at the middle-aged knight before him.

"You can wipe that stupid grin off your face, Jessica, for a start. I am not in the mood to play 'good news and better news' with you today. it is too hot and my .. my leg hurts."

Sir Jory blushed in spite of himself. The orc's spear had not gone into his leg ... not precisely.

The questing knight tried to control her grin, but didn't answer. She raised her eyebrows at her friend. After a moment he sighed.

"Go on then, give me the good news."

Jessica's broad grin returned and if anything widened.

"The good news is that all three Lasambrian forces have withdrawn in good order back over the western border into their dam'd hills."

Sir Jory nodded thoughtfully.

"As agreed then. And the better news?"

"Not all of them have gone - we've got pockets of resistance from Anduz to the tributaries of the Scorrero. They're refusing to surrender, and threw spears at me when I insisted. It looks like a few hundred die-hards rather than a proper force but ... they're feisty, Jory. Dam'd feisty. It'll most likely take us several months to root them all out - and theres even a few bandits in there as well who need to be reminded that this is the Empire and they are part of it."

Sir Jory's grin spread across his face to match that of his companion.

"We'd best get started then," he smiled.

Spiral

Magister Horace smoothed the front of his vestment as he stared out of the wide high-arched window into the darkness. He did not like the mountains very much.

"These windows are far too wide," he opined to his second. The scribe looked up from her writing desk.

"It doesn't matter, Horace. There's a thousand foot drop on the other side of it and what isn't cliffside is overhang."

"It's still a poor way to build a castle," grumbled the Magister. "Too ... airy. Too ... light. Bloody Urizen."

He looked guilty immediately, and shot a glance to the third figure in the room. A pale skinned merrow patiently sewing by the glimmering lightstone in the corner.

"Not that they have not been excellent hosts, of course."

The merrow looked up, her face unreadable but her eyes full of compassion.

"You wish you were in Reikos, Magister Horace, do you not? It makes you short tempered, and then you feel as if you have shown weakness, and worry that your passion is a failing. It is not, because you never let your passion overwhelm your discipline. It does you great credit."

Horace sighed, and fidgeted with his dragonbone medallion.

"I feel we are wasted here. There is no fight in the Grendel and that thing - " He gestured sudeenly to the north-east. "That thing has been in my dreams again."

The merrow magus nodded, and went back to her sewing.

"There is a pattern at work here, Magister Horace. You know it in your heart and still .. still you yearn to take the battle to the orcs who have defiled your homeland. But you do not, and you do not complain, and you stand watch as you are ordered to do. Yet remember that we also serve, who wait and prepare. The Grendel will come, in time. It is ... inevitable."

Magister Horace exchanged a gloomy look with his scribe and went back to staring out across the silent mountains.

Somewhere in the Bay of Catazar

"Were you expecting there to be three ships?" asked Angelo conversationally.

"No." said Captain Drummer. He drew his sword and started to shout orders with a slightly desperate edge to his voice.

"Oh," said Angelo quietly. "Oh dear."

The fall of Holmauer

With the arcane might of the Empire turned north against the Thule or south to support the drive into Reikos, the armies that march out of Holberg are forced rely on cold steel to push through their grim determination to drive the Druj from the Empire. There are no miracles here - bloody, accursèd Holberg is the prize, if the soldiers of the Empire can just find the strength of arms to overcome the bleak horror of the Druj.

After the disastrous Siege of Holberg, the Druj are in disarray. Their plans in tatters - the swift action of the heroes of Empire robbed them of their magical siege engine, and saw the army of the Stalking Cobra scattered to the five winds. Riding on the wave of that victory, over twenty-five thousand Marchers, Dawnish, Highborn, League soldiers and Imperial orcs issued from the great gates of Holberg. Those armies who had endured the great siege gained new support from fresh Marcher soldiers, dour-faced troops of the Strong Reeds force-marched up from distant Astolat. A great coterie of independent captains came to Holberg to fight. Drawn by the banner of the Wolves of War, these captains were bound by a common cause made all the stronger by the power of a grand Autumn working built on a framework of ilium and favours

Leaving the safety of Holberg, they took the fight to the barbarian invaders ... and what a fight it was.

The plan is sound; the Imperial forces are measured in their advance, taking few risks but pushing forward in a steady tide of steel. Not so the Summer Storm - first into the fray, last to leave, pushing always to confront the fearsome forces who marched beneath the Scorpion banner. Always in the vanguard, unmoved by the beating drums, and the grim horror of the Druj, driving them from the field time and again in overwhelming assault after overwhelming assault. They pay the price of course - but this Autumn the Druj are more concerned with survival than slaughter. Five hundred Summer Storm will not come home from this campaign - but then, what Imperial orc can ever come home?

The Druj, for all they are the filth of the world, stood to meet the Empire's advance. The battle wages back and forth across the tattered, broken walls of Holmauer. First one tower, then another falls. The last battered keep collapses under a rain of boulders from the Wolves of War, supported by a few small units of engineers who once marched beneath the banner of the Towerjacks. Once the outer walls around the suburbs of Holberg stood tall and proud. Now, after three decades and more of back-and-forth war; of both sides cannibalising structures to shore up their defences; of wildfires; of siege engines and slaughter ... the gardens and businesses and estates of Holmauer are broken tombs and cracked ruins home to the dead and the desperate.

The Imperial forces do not rest on their laurels. Holmauer is only the start. The fight comes to Rebeshof, all the way to the walls of the Druj castle there. The Scorpion banner retreating behind the walls to escape the Imperial orcs' implacable pursuit. The Golden Sun lays out it's great palanquins within sight of the walls, while the Seventh Wave and the Bounders engage in grim competition to see who can find and slaughter the most straggling orcs as the Empire slowly consolidates it's hold over half of Rebeshof.

The other armies prepare to lay siege. Irony, worthy of a play, to see the tables turned like this!

Yet ... it is early to begin celebrating. There are banners here that have not been seen in Holberg - of the snake and the scorpion and the crimson lizard. The Druj have brought their own reinforcements to match the Marchers. The war for Holberg is not over, yet.

The Druj are bitter, bitter foes. if they are hateful and cruel in victory, they are ten times that in defeat.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=378YE_Winter_Solstice_winds_of_war&oldid=35785"

379YE Spring Equinox Announcements by the Advisor on the Vallorn

The Advisor to the Valorn makes the announcement that he intends to use his power of Historical Research: Origins of the Vallorn

Approved by the Advisor on the Vallorn.

Overview

- Historical research concerning these topics has been commissioned through the civil service.

- Actions approved by the Advisor on the Vallorn.

- This action allows no vote, but could be vetoed by the Imperial Synod veto.

Date

- Spring Equinox 379YE

Progress

- Unknown

Campaign Outcome

- Research reports will be compiled and presented to the Advisor on the Vallorn

- Many civil servants associated with historical research have been murdered in the last three months. There is some concern about the safety of people gathering the information for this project.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=379YE_Spring_Equinox_Announcements_by_the_Advisor_on_the_Vallorn&oldid=36231"

379YE Spring Equinox Announcements by the Crystal Architect

Announcement by the Crystal Architect of his intention to create two Sinceures:

- The Caves of the Claw, overseen by the Custodian of the Claw in Morrow

- The Tower of the Fall, overseen by the Keeper of the Tower of the Fall in Zenith

Construct the Caves of the Claw

Overview

- The Crystal Architect of the Spires has comissioned construction of a mana sinecure in Morrow.

- It is not clear which region this sinecure will be constructed in.

- When complete, the Caves of the Claw will automatically create the Imperial title of Custodian of the Claw; this National position will be appointed by unanimous decision of the Urizen senators, and will serve for life or until revoked.

Date

- Spring Equinox 379YE

Costs

- Materials: 10 wains of mithril (Standard cost)

- Time: 3 months to construct per 50 wains of materials used

- Labour: 2 crowns per wain

- Upkeep: None

Progress

- 10 wains of mithril and 20 crowns provided by Tiberius EchoStorm after Spring Solstice 379YE

Campaign Outcome

- The new sinecure will be constructed in Morrow.

Construct the Tower of the Fall

Overview

- The Crystal Architect has comissioned construction of a mana sinecure in Zenith.

- It is not clear which region this sinecure will be constructed in.

- When complete, the Tower of the Fall will automatically create the Imperial title of Keeper of the Tower of the Fall; this National position will be appointed by unanimous decision of the Urizen senators, and will serve for life or until revoked.

Date

- Spring Equinox 379YE

Costs

- Materials: 10 wains of mithril (Standard cost)

- Time: 3 months to construct per 50 wains of materials used

- Labour: 2 crowns per wain

- Upkeep: None

Progress

- 10 wains of mithril and 20 crowns provided by Tiberius EchoStorm after Spring Solstice 379YE

Campaign Outcome

- The new sinecure will be constructed in Morrow.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=379YE_Spring_Equinox_Announcements_by_the_Crystal_Architect&oldid=36298"

379YE Spring Equinox Announcements by the Quartermaster General

The Quartermaster General makes the announcement that he intends to use his power of Emergency Resupply:

- 50 Wains to the Bounders

- 50 Wains to the Citadel Guard

- 2 Wains to the Wolves of War

Overview

- Resupply Marcher army of the Bounders with 50 wains.

- Resupply the Urizen army of Citadel Guard with 50 wains.

- Resupply the League army of Wolves of War with 2 wains.

- This motion was approved by the Quartermaster General using the legal power to resupply armies granted by the Imperial Senate.

- This motion would be subject to the Imperial Synod veto.

Date

- Spring Equinox 379YE

Progress

- 80 wains of weirwood and wains of 22 mithril provided by Irontide Rad, Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies, after Spring Equinox 379YE

Campaign Outcome

- Resupply an army using 50 wains restores fighting strength equal to 1000 soldiers to the army.

- Resupply an army using 2 wains restores fighting strength equal to 40 soldiers to the army.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=379YE_Spring_Equinox_Announcements_by_the_Quartermaster_General&oldid=36239"

379YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Imperial Senate

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 2.11 Sinecures selected by senators

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 The Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 4.9 Other Synod positions

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Mercantile Investments

- 6.4 Other Bourse Positions

- 7 Miscellaneous

- 8 Further Reading

Overview

This information represents the outcome of the assorted elections and appointments of Imperial titles at the 379YE Spring Equinox.

- New = an election was held and this is the new citizen holding the position

- Incumbent = an election was held and the current title holder remains in post

- Revoked = due to actions taken by the Synod the title holder was removed from their position

The Imperial Senate

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Kattalin i Hazama i Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Zamira i Covas i Erigo

- Senator for Madruga: Anwar i Del-Toro i Riquezza

- Senator for Segura: Arisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Hector de Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Escalados deCarsenere

- Senator for Weirwater: Valentin Ivarovich Orzel

The senators of Highguard

- Senator for Bastion: Jada of Ravensfell

- Senator for Casinea: Zephram of Cantiarch’s Hold

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Holberg: Rossalyn Jordan New

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav

- Senator for Tassato: Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Gant Archama

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Orrick

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Senator for Hercynia: Rhain

- Senator for Miaren: Syn Nighthaven

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Ariadne

- Senator for Redoubt: Marissa Shatterspire

- Senator for Zenith: Cato

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karsk: Radomir New

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Dušan Otecovna Zlata

- Senator for Volodmartz: Irina Kardaova Arkady

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

- Senator for Skarsind: Thanmir Hrafn New

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is Lisabetta Giacomi von Holberg

- The Advisor on orc affairs is Irontide Bruc Revoked then re-elected

- The Imperial Master of Works is Richard Tunstall

- The Bursar of the Imperial Academy is Titus Hopkirk

- The Admiral is Sendero i Hazana i Guerra

- The Ambassador to Asavea is Camilia di Traviciana di Sarvos

- The Ambassador to Jarm is Owsi Twice-burned New

- The Advisor on the Vallorn is Neb

- The Crystal Architect of the Spires is held by Tiberius Echostorm New

- The Wisest Senator is Syn Nighthaven (NB: Not an Imperial Title, but is included for completeness.)

Sinecures selected by senators

- The sinecure of Spider's Tollkeep is held by Rafa'eet i Contra i Guerra

- The sinecure of Keeper of the Spice Gardens is held by Reina i Shartha i Riquez

- The sinecure of Guardian of Britta's Shrine is held by Ruth of the Cenotaph in Highguard

- The sinecure of The Dredgemaster of Feverwater, is held by Corey Brackensong

- Dean of Pilgrims is held by

- The sinecure of Custodian of The Starlight Drift of Shimmering Snow is held by VulpesNew

- Keeper of The Memorial Gardens of Treji is held by Ceinwen New

- The sinecure of Guardian of the Cairn is held by Tarqeq New

- The sinecure of Keeper of the Sapphire Stair is held by Domitila Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato New

- The sinecure of Keeper of the Glorious Fountain of Dust and Dawn is held by Tatiana of Auric HorizonNew

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Zanterr i Ezmara i Erego of the Fire of the South New

The Generals of Dawn

- General Tancred de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Starac Sijed Orzel of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Cuth of the Seventh Wave

- General Mathayus of the Granite Pillar

- General Jericho of The Valiant Pegasus Incumbent

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Morgur Bloodcrow of the Winter Sun

- General Ska of the Summer Storm New

The General of The League

- General Gabriel Barossa of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Furious Fin of the The Drakes

- General Jack Flint of the Strong Reeds

- General Brianna of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Carr Foxden of the Black Thorns

- General Merryn Farkas of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Hallvard of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Magnus of Ivarsgard of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Marius Fjellrevening of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- The Warmage is Vaan of Auric Horizon

- The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies is Irontide Rad

The Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Cardinal Olek La Maschera Sorridente de Temeshwar of the League Incumbent

- Gatekeeper Seraiah Armand of the Suns of Couros, Highguard New

Courage

- Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

- Gatekeeper Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost of Varushka

Loyalty

- Cardinal Jared of the Suns of Couros, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Oberon Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Pride

- Cardinal Elka Nadyanova Gremani of Varushka

- Gatekeeper Lady Josephine Novarion of Dawn New

Prosperity

- Cardinal Edythe Dunne of Wintermark New

- Gatekeeper Wilhemina Maryenkovich Poltova of Varushka New

Vigilance

- Cardinal Silas of the Suns of Couros, Highguard New

- Gatekeeper Nikolovich Drakov of Varushka New

Wisdom

- Cardinal Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

- Gatekeeper Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

- Bishop Beodun Snowlock of Wintermark

- Conscience of the Senate - Lisabetta Giacomi von Holberg of the League

Other Synod positions

- The post of High Exorcist is held by Solas of Urizen

- The post of Auditor of Senatorial Accountability is held by Sargon of Felix's Watch, Highguard New

- The post of Imperial Inquisitor is held by Severin Teyhard von Holberg of the League New

- The post of Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial is held by Ira of Felix's Watch, Highguard

- The post of Imperial Chaplain Consular is held by Hywel Summercrow of Navarr New

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Iulian Shatterspire is Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon is Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain is Archmage of Autumn

- Cyrus Skybreaker is Archmage of Winter

- Mari Linkforge is Archmage of Day

- Pavel is Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Marius Auricspire

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid Faustus New

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and Shield Raewynn Stormwise

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Dimitri Ivanovich Ionescu of Varushka

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Palaphon of the Ankarian Magisitrum

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- Eudaemon of Halcyon serves as Dean of the Lyceum

- Iago Melfizzi of the League serves as Bursar of the Conclave

- Cyrus, son of Felix of Highguard serves as Imperial Magus, Liason to the Senate New

The Imperial Bourse

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Tomas Talbot (165 Thrones)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Tobias Shanks (240 Thrones)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Falko of the Butchers Bank (265 Thrones)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Griacomo Carvinoscurro (170 Thrones)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar (305 Thrones)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Reznik von Temeshwar (303 Thrones)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Feran (215 Thrones)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (310 Thrones)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Asael of Cantiarch's Hold (200 Thrones)

- The Night Quarry is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeshwar (170 Thrones)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Douggie the Wood New

- The Singing Caves are held by Ricardo di Tasato (400 Thrones)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Eanwyn Dunning (155 Thrones)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Kendrick Tyke New

- The Weirwater Vales are held by Landon of Longridge (280 Thrones)

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund were held by the Druj but require repairing before allocation now Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (Brass Coast) is held by Karlos i Shartha i Riqueza

- The Regario Dossier (League) is held by Rodrigo Barrosa Incumbant

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Fererro New

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Irontide Kul New

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Sibella

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Zlatimir Prochnost

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Ogmundr Kaldrheim New

- The Brilliant Shore (Wintermark) is held by Aelfric Kereftinar

Mercantile Investments

- Hamnett of Gallowdale is Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Jaoquin i Shartha i i Riqueza is Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

- Paloma i Taziel i Riquez is Mistress of the Glass Parador

- Dieter Angelovic is the Custodian of the Assayers Guild Incumbant

- Bayan Zayden Riqueza is the Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel New Incumbant

Other Bourse Positions

- Octavius of Auric Horizon is Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Principalities of Jarm is currently vacant New

- Foreign Trade Envoy to Faraden is Roberto Murdochi di Sarvos

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Asavean Archipelago is Adrianna Donati di Sarvos

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Commonwealth is Jonah Yakovitch

- Foreign Trade Envoy to the Sumaah Republic is Aedred apMagor of Wintermark.

Miscellaneous

- The Operator of Brock's Toll is Robert Shanks

- The Mayor of Caricomare is Aria di Notturno di Sarvos New

Further Reading

- Recent history

- Permanent titles

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379YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at TBC.

- The following has been donated to the Imperial treasury:

- 80 Thrones from Senator Weirwater

- 11 Thrones 4 Crowns from Senator Upwold

Motions

Passed

- Construct House of Barbs

- Disburse Funds to the Quartermaster General

- Raise Dawnish army

- Assign Holberg

- Fortify Miekarova

- Amend law regarding foreign True Liao trade

- Amend powers of Dredgemaster of Feverwater Info needed

- Disburse funds to add a ritual to Imperial Lore

- Amend the powers of the Advisor on Orc Affairs

- Amend the powers of the Imperial Magus

- Declare peace with Barrens orcs

- Disburse funds to the Jarmish Cartel

- Construct Printer's Guild Museum of Wonders Info needed

- Construct cargo dock at Caricomare

- Create title of Crystal Architect of the Spires

- Amend powers of the High Exorcist

- Repair Great Pits of Ennerlund

- Disburse further funds to the Quartermaster General

- Abrograte Civil service observation

- Create title of Imperial Chaplain Consular

- Relinquish Skarsind

- Construct Horddalat spy network

- Construct Sumaah embassy Info needed

- Create title of Dean of the Academy

Vetoed

- Allocate Vigilant Swan

Withdrawn

- Raise Wintermark army

Defeated

- Appoint Emperor

Announcements

- Announcements by the Quartermaster General

- Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

- Announcements by the Crystal Architect Info needed

- Announcements by the Advisor on the Vallorn

- Announcements by the Imperial Master of Works

Administrative Motions Arising

- Seeking clarification regarding the Dredgemaster of Feverwater tenure

- Was it the intention of the Senate to make this an annual position while granting the power to raise historical research?

- Seeking clarification regarding the Sumaah embassy

- Where is the embassy to be built?

- Seeking clarification regarding the Printer's Guild Museon of Wonders.

- Where is the museum to be built?

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379YE Spring Equinox Synod judgments

Contents

- 1 The Imperial Titles of the Synod

- 1.1 Other Synod-Appointed Titles

- 2 Appointments

- 2.1 Appointment of the Cardinal of Vigilance

- 2.2 Appointment of the Cardinal of Ambition

- 2.3 Appointment of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- 3 Synod Judgments

- 4 Statements of Principle

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Imperial Titles of the Synod

At the end of the Spring Solstice, 379 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Bishop Olek of the League

Seraiah Armand of the Suns of Couros, Highguard

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Agnieszka Katrinova Prochnost of Varushka

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Oberon Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Pride

Elka Nadyanova Gremani of Varushka

Lady Josephine Novarion of Dawn

Prosperity

Edythe Dunne of Wintermark

Wilhemina Maryenkovich Poltova of Varushka

Vigilance

Silas of the Suns of Couros, Highguard

Nikolovich Drakov of Varushka

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

Livia Cascade of Urizen

The Way

Beodun Snowlock of Wintermark

Lisabetta Giacomi von Holberg of the League

Other Synod-Appointed Titles

Title

Held By

Appointed By

Renews

High Exorcist

Solas of Urizen

Assembly of Nine

Winter Solstice

Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

Sargon of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Assembly of Nine

Until death, revocation or abdication

Imperial Inquisitor

Severin Teyhard von Holberg of the League

Assembly of Nine

Spring Equinox

Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial

Ira of Felix's Watch, Highguard

Assembly of Nine

Sinecure; until death, revocation or abdication

Imperial Chaplain Consular

Hywel Summercrow, Navarr

Cardinal of The Way

Spring Equinox

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Appointment of the Cardinal of Vigilance

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Silas of Highguard

63 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Irada Von Temeschwar of the League

52 votes

-

Abraham of Highguard

42 votes

-

Yimiska of Wintermark

18 votes

-

Cardinal Silas appointed Nikolovich Drakov as Gatekeeper

-

-

Appointment of the Cardinal of Ambition

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Olek of the League

87 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Dietrich Elias Von Holburghan of the League

0 votes

-

Cardinal Olek appointed Seraiah Armand as Gatekeeper

-

-

Appointment of the Cardinal of Prosperity

Candidate

Votes Received

Outcome

Edythe Dunne of Wintermark

70 votes

Appointed as Cardinal

Soratio of the Brass Coast

26 votes

-

Cardinal Edythe appointed Wilhemina Maryenkovich Poltova as Gatekeeper

-

-

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Number

Assembly

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

1

Vigilance

Appointment of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Silas of Highguard was appointed

2

Ambition

Appointment of the Cardinal

The Civil Service

Olek of the League was appointed

3

Ambition

Inquisition of Nikolovich Drakov. The outgoing Imperial Inquisitor levelled accusations of unvirtuous behaviour and "pettiness" against Father Drakov. These accusations require Inquisition to determine their truth or falsehood. Inquisition to be held on Sunday at 6pm; convene at the Hub.

Severin Von Holberg

Upheld 92 - 0

4

General

Rewarding Achilles of Urizen with 20 Thrones for his prosperity at the last summit, realising potential accrued over a long time, without which success in Spiral and Reikos at that summit would not have been attainable.

Solas of the Spire of the Waxing Sun

Upheld 422 - 0

5

Vigilance

Recognition of "Major" Joshua Benson of the Marches as Exemplar of Vigilance who, before the time of the Empire, showed Benevolence for the people of Marches and Dawn, Inspired the founding of a Monastery, did a Pilgrimage in participating in the rebel March, left a Legacy of a tower and shield and Saved Marcher and Dawnish souls.

James Appleseeder

Upheld 113 - 0

5E

General

Escalation of Recognition of "Major" Joshua Benson of the Marches to the General Assembly

James Appleseeder

Upheld 145 - 67

6

General

Rewarding of 5 liao from the Virtue Fund to Solas the High Exorcist so that he can actually something useful with it instead of it sitting there, untouchable, gathering dust.

Wyn of Exile's End

Upheld 538 - 24

7

General

Rewarding to further the Pride of the Empire, 10 Thrones is requested for the prize purse for the "Pride of Holberg" public art competition to be awarded to Holberg's Painter, the one who instituted this competition, Leonora Albertina van Holberg. This competition is to create a public work of art in Anvil to inspire Pride in Imperial Citizens.

Tabor the Fool

Upheld 322 - 105

8

General

Rewarding 2 thrones to reward the winners of the "Beacon of Pride" Award. In order to help the growth of pride across the Empire.

Sokollu

Upheld 342 - 98

9

Ambition

Recognition of Ratibor of Temeschwar as a truly virtuous man and Exemplar of Ambition.

Regina Caeli

Upheld 72 - 0

9E

General

Recognition of Ratibor of Temeschwar not yet escalated to General Assembly

Regina Caeli

Not yet escalated

10

Courage

Inquisition of Axhind Dom of Wintermark, for giving the command to cut down General Tyus of Highguard during the Winter Battle of year 378YE.

Eleanor De Rondell

Upheld 142 - 20

12

The Nine

Inquisition of Vahne of Wintermark. To see her virtuous reasons for becoming a candidate for the Throne. To be held in Wintermark on Saturday 5pm.

Beodun Snowlock

Upheld 56 - 0

14

General

Rewarding of 40 thrones to Elka, Cardinal of Pride to create a Synod mission in northern Jarm that will allow us to trade liao for crystal mana. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to convert citizens of Jarm to The Way.

Eadread Owinson

Upheld 422 - 42

15

General

Rewarding Jorma Steelhail of the Saker 8 Thrones to spread the prosperous Auras known as "The Miracle in Hahnmark" to Skarsind. The 8 Thrones are required for the auras to be spread.

Spike

Upheld 413 - 88

16

General

Veto of the Senate motion to Allocate Vigilant Swan bourse position to the Imperial Orc nation.

Shadorak

Upheld 743 - 136 Greater Majority achieved.

18

General

Rewarding of 5 Thrones for Ferrero of the League for his Loyalty to the Way (and in particular to the Gatekeeper of Courage in her work). At his own personal cost his actions have meant that an object of dubious virtue is no longer a danger to the population of the Empire.

Agnieszkav

Upheld 322 - 164

19

Prosperity

Appointment of the Cardinal following the heroic death of Peter Keeper.

The Civil Service

Edythe Dunne of Wintermark was appointed

20

General

Rewarding of 5 Thrones to Levitia of Endsmeet Spire of Urizen 5 Thrones for her Courage and Loyalty during a retreat from the field of battle 2 seasons ago. She stayed behind to heal a number of Imperial citizens, including two Highborn, and was captured and tortured by the Druj in view of the Sentinel Gate. She did not break and bears her scars with pride.

Asher of Felix's Watch

Upheld 440 - 42

21

Brass Coast

Revocation of General Manny i Sayap i Guerra of the Fire of the South due to the foresaking of duties.

Cristoff i Erigio i Ezmara

Upheld 36 - 0

23

General

Rewarding the Orc Nation with the balance of the Virtue Fund as 2pm Monday for their countless acts of Virtue when fighting for and supporting the Empire as recognition of all they do for the Empire. Bloodcrow Ergot will hold this for them as a Bonesetter.

Irada Von Temeschwar

Upheld 441 - 188

24

Imperial Orc

Revocation of Irontide Bruk, the Advisor on Orc Affairs.

Chaplain Atla

Upheld 20 - 0

25

Imperial Orc

Revocation of Irontide Braka, General of the Summer Storm, for gross disloyalty to the Empire. Committed by the unnecessary withdrawal of the orc armies.

Stormcrow Thraka

Upheld 20 - 0

26

General

Rewarding of 5 Thrones to Lady Eleanor de Rondell, the Inquisitor of Courage, for Courage Inquisitorial matters.

Isaac Carlino di Sarvos

Upheld 164 - 119

29

General

Inquisition of the Imperial Orc Assembly for their lack of Wisdom in revoking Irontide Bruk from his position as Advisor on Orc Affairs and Irontide Braka as General of the Summer Storm, as they were revoked for actions they had not taken, and lack of Vigilance for failure to confirm these actions. A lack of Courage for not confronting those they revoked. A lack of Loyalty for not consulting the orc people. A lack of Prosperity for leaving the Summer Storm leaderless.

Serrusto Caeli Rezia

Not Upheld 199 - 221

30

Ambition

Recognition of Thrace as an Exemplar of Ambition. Benevolence - Sacrificed their life for the Rebellion. Legacy - Thrace's Boot Knife is an item of great worth. Inspiration - Imperial Orc Nation. Salvation - Responsible for the ending of slavery.

Hector de Rondell

Upheld 80 - 0

30E

General

Escalation of Recognition of Thrace to the General Assembly

Hector de Rondell

Upheld 277 - 68

31

General

Rewarding 2 Thrones to Kai of the Citadel of Phoenix's Reach for Loyalty on the battlefield. He stayed close to the person he had been encouraged to guard constantly, but for one occasion: to withdraw and regather a larger force to rescue them and the line that they had fallen with. These actions were despite an Ambition to distinguish himself as a sentinel that led him to wish to place himself in places on the battlefield that are more conductive to recognition.

Anna-Valeria Cascade

Upheld 266 - 100

38

General

Rewarding 5 Thrones to Wilhelmina Fitztalbot of Tykes for her work to retrieve the bodies of the dead after Sunday’s battle at Reikos, ensuring the souls of Marcher fallen in particular are not impeded by their Hearth Magic in entering the Labyrinth.

Agnetha De Rondell

Upheld 311 - 40

39

The Nine

Inquisition of Irontide Bruk as a candidate for the Throne, at twelve noon on Monday at the Civil Service Hub.

Silas

Upheld 6 - 0

40

Vigilance

Inquisition of General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Magisterium of Urizen (at her own request) to prove her virtue in light of accusations made by "The Spider". To be conducted at the next summit.

Vitomir

Upheld 85 - 0

Statements of Principle

The Imperial Synod made the following Statements of Principle:

Number

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

11

Ambition

The Assembly of Ambition believes the Virtue Fund should be used to fund ambitious projects in addition to rewarding virtuous deeds.

Antônio Raul Calogne di Trivento

Upheld 54 - 0

13

Wintermark

The standard of Woven Rings Banner is an inspiration to Loyalty. It is a sign of our strength together, that the loyalty to each other as a nation is stronger than any curse.

Veli Garwaltiosn

Upheld 112 - 0

17

Pride

The Assembly of Pride recognises the greatest work of magic of Imperial magicians in casting the permanent enchantment "Bound by the Common Cause" and recognises the Pride of all those who contributed crystal mana for this achievement.

Nikodemus

Upheld 72 - 0

22

Highguard

Highguard, as part of the Empire, should give to the Imperial Orcs recognition for their virtuous efforts on behalf of the Empire, and offer them material reward at least as large as the full output of the Vigilant Swan. We should prioritise conquering them a home of their own, as all Imperial Citizens should have.

Ephron

Upheld 98 - 27

27

Varushka

A patriarch or matriarch should be elected by the National Assembly. They will organise and chair meetings of the Varushkan National Assembly.

Nikolovich Drakov

Upheld 126 - 0

28

Varushka

That Chernobog of Varushka, for his courage on the battlefield, his prosperity in sharing with and strengthening his nation, his loyalty for carrying the Mark of the Wolves. For this and acting as an example to others he is to be commended.

Vukomir

Upheld 136 - 0

32

General

An Exemplar is an individual demonstrating exceptional virtue, and fulfilling at least 4 of the 8 signs of the paragon, but without doctrinal status. While it may be the first step to transcendence, the Exemplar is defined above all by their capacity to inspire.

Yael of Felix's Watch

Upheld 339 - 30

33

Brass Coast

No individual or group has the right to sign a contract that is binding to individuals who are not yet born, as this is tantamount to slavery.

Soratio

Upheld 26 - 0

34

Prosperity

The Virtue Assembly of Prosperity, with the consent of the National Assembly of Wintermark, invites Soratio Seseer Del Toro to extend the spontaneous aura of prosperity known as the miracle of Hahnmark to all mines in that region and the adjacent region of Skarsind, using liao generously donated from the supply of Soratio Seseer Del Toro, Pendrad of Bjornholt and Jorma Steelhail of the Saker.

Ealstan

Upheld 64 - 0

35

Loyalty

The recognition of the virtuous acts, behaviour and conduct of Atla, Orc Chaplain of The Way, and her understanding and propagation of Loyalty within the Empire.

Lunetta Sanguineo

Upheld 131 - 10

36

General

The Gatekeepers Council feel very strongly that Imperial Orc Citizens should be recognised for their virtuous conduct and actions. As they are unable to experience a past-life vision through the allocation of a dose of Imperial Liao, we feel that they should be recognised for their Virtue by the appropriate assemblies.

Oberon Caeli Rezia di Tassato

Upheld 418 - 78

37

The Nine

The Assembly of Nine supports the creation of an embassy of the Sumaah Republic.

Elka Nadyanova Gremani

Upheld 7 - 0

41

Prosperity

That the Imperial Crown, in the absence of an Empress to wear it, should remain available to be seen and used by the citizens of the Empire to Inspire them to greater Virtue and for use in service to the Empire. We reject the Conclave's interdiction that the Imperial Crown be placed in the Conclave Vaults, as this would remove its availability to citizens, and magic going unused is unprosperous.

Edythe Dunne

Upheld 60 - 24

42

General

Rewards from the Virtue Fund should be made with a public announcement or presentation ceremony.

Palladius

Upheld 264 - 48

43

Varushka

To recognise the outstanding loyalty shown by the Winterfolk to the Orcish nation by their benevolent offer of Skarsind as a home nation for the Orcs.

Rooslan Stanvich Prochnost

Upheld 116 - 0

The Imperial Synod upheld all Statements of Principle raised at the Spring Solstice, 379 YE.

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

119 Thrones / 0 Crowns / 2 Rings / 5 liao

Income

30 Thrones

The price paid in the Bourse Auction for the dose of True Liao

10 Thrones

Donation by Nebuchadnezzar

Rewards

20 Thrones

Rewarding made to Achilles of Urizen.

5 Liao

Rewarding made to Solas of the Spire of the Waxing Sun

10 Thrones

Rewarding made to Leonora Albertina van Holberg.

2 Thrones

Rewarding made for the "Beacon of Pride" award.

40 Thrones

Rewarding made to Elka, Cardinal of Pride to create a Synod mission in northern Jarm.

8 Thrones

Rewarding made to Jorma Steelhail of the Saker.

5 Thrones

Rewarding made to Ferrero of the League.

5 Thrones

Rewarding made to Levitia of Endsmeet Spire

5 Thrones

Rewarding made to Lady Eleanor de Rondell.

2 Thrones

Rewarding made to Kai of the Citadel of Pheonix's Reach.

5 Thrones

Rewarding made to Wilhelmina Fitztalbot of Tykes

5 Thrones

Rewarding made to Imperial Chaplain Consular Hywel Summercrow

52 Thrones, 2 Rings

Rewarding made to the Imperial Orc Nation.

Closing Value

0 Thrones / 0 Crowns/ 0 Rings / 0 liao / 0 drake's eggs

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- Clarice Novarion

- Sveta Stoneheart

- Mari Linkforge

- Baba Ana

- Leonora Von Holberg

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379YE Spring Equinox winds of fortune

Contents

- 1 The Winds of War

- 2 Opportunities

- 2.1 A Miracle in Hahnmark

- 2.2 A Blight in Miaren

- 3 Events

- 3.1 Chaos in Wintermark

- 3.1.1 The Bane of Tradition

- 3.1.2 The Eldest Swamp

- 3.1.3 The Chill Grasp of Winter

- 4 Chaos in Navarr

- 5 Wolves in Karsk

The Winds of War

The wars with the barbarian orcs continue. You can learn more here.

Opportunities

Over the past three months, the following events have occurred which are of significance to the Empire and may require a response from her champions:

A Miracle in Hahnmark

Miraculous auras of Prosperity have arisen within mines across Hahnmark. This has seen an influx of workers rushing to mine work with an increase in production, but has left local businesses short of labour. There is more information regarding this wondrous event here.

A Blight in Miaren

Reports have reached the civil service that a rare form of fungus has started to sprout within Miaren, and that this is having an adverse effect on her gardens in the area. However, this fungus is a natural medicinal for livestock which makes it sought after by farmers. There is more information here.

Events

The following represent significant events, sometimes of a magical nature, that do not have obvious solutions.

Chaos in Wintermark

The Bane of Tradition

Since autumn last year, the three peoples of Wintermark have been plagued by internal strife with no clear origin. An eerie influence has fallen over the people that is causing some Suaq, Kallavesi and Steinr to factionalise - arguments are common between members of differing traditions, and people increasingly seek the company of those who share their cultural beliefs. Those few halls where one tradition dominates the others seem to have suffered least from this supernatural influence - indeed, they seem to be prospering compared to their increasingly quarrelsome neighbours. When surrounded only by members of their own tradition, people report feeling more comfortable and more confident.

The situation is clearly getting worse. When they work together, members of the same tradition feel increasingly confident, stronger, more willing to take risks and trust that their fellows will support them. When working with member sof the other two traditions, however, people begin to feel less sure of themselves, less confident, suspicious of their allies from distant traditions. It becomes all to easy for a Suaq to blame her Kallavesi companion when a hunt goes poorly, and for the Kallavesi in turn to blame the nearest Steinr if a divination is cloudy and inconclusive. Arguments are a near constant feature of most halls; temper fray, enduring friendships are strained almost to breaking point, and there has been some (limited) violence although no evidence for any actual fatalities as yet.

The growing rift is causing serious tension within the The Fist of the Mountains and Green Shield. Some soldiers are actively forming banners only with members of their own tradition, and are slow to respond to the orders of commanders from different traditions. So far discipline is being maintained, but if things do not improve the armies will require significant restructuring if they are to remain effective.

Whatever the source of the disruptive influence, it is making it increasingly difficult to address the other problems besetting Wintermark - the ongoing Thule invasion, the unnatural storms in Sermersuaq, the strange auras in Hahnmark and the worsening situation in Kallavesa.

The most likely culprit remains the dark magic of the Thule. They have a vested interest in dividing the nation and destabilising the armies to speed the conquest of Wintermark. If this is the case, then presumably the wicked sorcery can be combated in some way - but any unified response is being made more difficult by the nature of the influence itself.

Game Effect: Every citizen of the Wintermark nation who attends the event is under a magical effect called The Bane of Tradition. We plan to include a card detailing this effect in everyone's pack, and newly created Wintermark characters should be able to collect a card from GOD when they make their character. These cards exist to clarify the roleplaying effects, and to provide something that can be examined with magic.

You are aware that you are under a magical affect that is making you feel this way. You do have the mental fortitude to fight it, so this will not affect your roleplay anymore than you want it too.

It is important to note that the Wintermark egregores, despite their superficial connection to individual traditions, are still recognised by all Steinr, Kallavesi and Suaq as being "part" of their nation - the presence of the egregore does not make a character unnaturally uncomfortable.

The Eldest Swamp

The problem plaguing the mana sites of Kallavesa has intensified. The mystics of the great marshes warn that not only are crystals taking longer to form, and often appear dull and lifeless. Many crystals break apart when handled, leaving only nonmagical shards and dust. Roughly half of all crystal mana forming in Kallavesa is useless.

Needless to say, many magicians are extremely worried. The effect is definitely restricted to Kallavesa - magicians living in other parts of Wintermark have noticed no additional decline in the quality of crystal mana (although those in Sermersuaq have their own problems. Coupled with odd portents and visions, it is becoming increasingly clear that something else is going on in Kallavesa, something that is not a consequence of the growing rift between the traditions. Unfortunately, the spreading parochialism affecting the rest of the nation is making it hard to get anyone other than fellow Kallavesa to listen.

Game Effect: The production of all mana sites in Kallavesa has been reduced by half. This should already have been taken into account in your downtime. It is not clear whether this situation will continue to deteriorate.

The Chill Grasp of Winter

The citizens of Sermersuaq report a terrible affliction, as though the whole territory has been cursed (in addition to the other curses that seem to beset the beleagured nation). While battle rages in the Silver Peaks, the ancestral home of the Suaq people is scoured by unseasonably violent storms and heavy snow that persist well into early Spring. These storms seem to be a symptom of some powerful force that has depleted the flows of mana. Mana sites across Sermersuaq produce significantly less crystals over winter.

Simultaneously, it seems almost as if these blizzards are internalised by the magicians of Sermersuaq. Many icewalkers, runesmiths and mystics spend the Winter feeling restless and uncomfortable, suffering periods of depression and lethargy or bursts of short-temper and even aggression.

Game Effect: The production of mana sites in Sermersuaq is halved. Any magicians in Sermersuaq - including those accompanying the armies fighting in the Silver Peaks - will have experienced the roleplaying effect described above (although it is worth noting that those of the briar lineage are unlikely to suffer episodes of lethargy, instead becoming energetic and alet). The extent to which these roleplay effects endure in magicians travelling from Sermersuaq to Anvil is entirely at the discretion of the player.

Magicians in the area can determine that this is the result of a Winter magnitde 15 effect.

Chaos in Navarr

During Autumn, the Navarr heartland of Miaren enjoyed unlooked for prosperity. Now the situation has reversed itself completely, and it is not just Miaren that is affected. One of the worst Winters in living memory hits the Navarr people and - suspiciously, given the far-flung locations of the Navarr territories - it seems that only the Navarr are suffering. Throughout winter, terrible weather has battered Liathaven, Hercynia, Miaren and Therunin - only Brocéliande appears to have been spared.

Early frosts are bad enough, but a hitherto unknown blight hits herb gardens, killing bladeroot plants in great numbers. Dreadful weather combines with a rash of supernaturally bad fortune - pit props give way in mines, supplies rot, tools fall apart, terrible ice-storms hit forests, a pestilence sweeps through the iridescent butterfly populations, there are at least two small forest fires - damaging production of ingots and measures. Travel becomes significnatly more difficult, tempers flare, free time becomes a rare commodity, money must be expended on repairing the damage done by this accursed winter - meaning that businesses suffer. Supplies of dry food and even preserved meat are ravaged by rats and creeping mould, ruining stores of food and threatening the livelihood of those who rely on agriculture. Even attendance at congregations suffer - not so much because faith is weak but because people are forced to expend so much energy on keeping themselves and their families from suffering worse calamities that they simply do not have time to think of religion. Even soldiers whose home barracks are in one of these four navarr territories find that the curse follows them - equipment breaks, wounds become more common and seem to easily become infected. Finally, to cap it off, the vates who tend the mana sites discover that someone or something appears to be actively stealing or even just smashing up smaller crystals before they can be fully formed.

Winter can be harsh, especially in the north, but this winter is even harsher. Weak animals and plants die in noticably greater numbers; young children and old people alike take sick and many do not recover. Everyone finds it difficult to get a good night of restful sleep, leaving many who are not briars to spend their days in tired exhaustion (and the unnatural vitality of the briars does them few favours in steadings and stridings where everyone else is not only tired, but short tempered).

For some reason, the draughir least of all. They sleep easily, and while many mention oddly intense dreams they do not suffer nightmares. While many other people find it difficult to find enough food, the draughir seem largely unfazed. Some use their ability to consume food others would turn their nose up at to help their companions, others do not. But almost all draughir report a mild, difficult to explain sense of wellbeing as if everything is simply operating as normal.

Game Effect: Every personal resource (except fleets) belonging to a character in Therunnin, Miaren, Hercynia and Liathaven has had it's production reduced during the Winter 378YE downtime. The exact reduction will vary by resource but it tends to amount to around 20% of the basic production (one rank of production from a resource if it is upgraded). This should already have been factored into your downtime production. In the case of congregations, this will mean fewer votes in the Imperial Synod. The vates have identified that for the three months following the Winter Solstice, all four Navarr territories were subject to a Winter curse of magnitude 50. As the Spring Equinox draws closer, the effects become less pronounced and exactly eighty-one days after the Winter Solstice, they cease completely.

A player is free to have some of the roleplaying effects linger on into the event if they wish, but there is no requirement for them to do so.

Wolves in Karsk

Karsk has been a battlefield since before there was an Empire; the current conflict between the Thule barbarians and the Varushkans is only the most recent war to ravage the northern territory. Towards the end of Winter, there are unsettling reports of a situation developing in western Lestazny; a gathering of wolves. The wolves appear to be primarily husks, seemingly created from both recent corpses and the preserved bodies from older graves.

The situation is not grave at the moment, but the husks are displaying odd behaviour. They appear to be clustering around a ruined fort that stands on an old battlefield and (currently) showing no signs of attacking any nearby settlements.

Game Effect: These wolves are not creating a game effect at this time, beyond worrying the people of Karsk.

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379YE Spring Equinox winds of war

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Sorrow and Hope

- 3 Blood and Stone

- 4 Fire and Ice

- 5 Hammer and Blade

- 5.1 The Future of Holberg

- 6 Interludes

- 6.1 Owls

- 6.2 Wolves

- 6.3 Dawn

- 6.4 Dusk

- 6.5 Steak Pies

Overview

To the surprise of many, Karsk remains an Imperial territory; the Thule and the Imperial forces watch each other carefully across hills covered in a carpet of green by an early Spring. The barbarians seem to have used no large-scale magic here; there is also a question about what is going on with the forces of the Charnel Lord, the sovereign of the Broken Hill.

In Reikos, Imperial forces push westward following the retreating Druj. The Vigilant Swan is liberated but has been transformed into a monstrous charnel house. A dread miasma continues to slow progress, as does the presence of the Druj citadel that squats over the ruins of what was once High Chalcis. Every season in Reikos appears to be a season of unmitigated grief.

The deadlock continues in Sermersuaq - both the Empire and the Thule continue to reinforce and weave potent enchantments in this vicious, grinding engagement.

In Holberg the Empire wins a massive victory, and pushes the Druj back into the northern forests. Four thousand Imperial lives are lost in the process. The Druj are still present but their forces are greatly reduced; vicious curses including a pestilential taint and malignant spirits possessing trees contribute to the chaos and destruction.

Meanwhile, fifty companies of elite Imperial troops are engaged in campaigns outside the borders of the Empire; thirty companies support the forces fighting the Jotun in the hills of Faraden while a further twenty companies brave the trek to distant Axos and attempt to break the siege of Ipotavo. It remains to be seen what effect this will have.

Oh ... and massive storms wrack the seas off the coast of Spiral, impeding Grendel shipping and preventing any naval reinforcement of their positions there. It's not entirely clear what effect this has had on Grendel plans, but it definitely happened.

Sorrow and Hope

There's a dichotomy to Karsk. It seems like a year now, that the waters have run with magic, full of life and potential. The tramping boots of soldiers alive and ... not alive ... crush bluebells and crocuses but all the soldiers in the Empire could not stamp out the carpet of green, growing life thrusting it's way through the black soil. A riot of new life, an ocean of growth. Spend a few minutes lying in a field and you can almost hear the grass and the trees and the Spring flowers growing. In the cool light of the morning sun it is easy to forget where you are, easy to simply marvel at the good, fresh life surrounding you. Even the rain tastes of hope.

As with so many seasons before, twin citadels rise from the hills of Karsk. A monolithic fortress of ice and granite in northern Nitrost, a squat keep of ice and carved ivory in southern Moresvah. For the first time, however, both magical citadels belong to the Empire. They provide safe havens for the Northern Eagle and the Black Thorns. There is no answering citadel from the Thule.

The Northern Eagle has fought in Karsk before, so many times. They know the hills and the forests and the soft, boggy marshes. They take refuge in hidden camps and secluded valleys across the western ranges. The Black Thorns, likewise, make little effort to issue forth from the frozen citadels and the safe havens of Kopevnost and Lestazny. Both armies defend Imperial territory, but do not seek to engage the Thule. There are occasional skirmishes between patrols, of course, but no clash of armies. The miners of Morsevah take advantage of what seems to be a lull in the fighting; ten wagons of weapons and armour are delivered without warning to the Northern Eagle along with several dozen new recruits ready to fight for Varushka. Not only do the Varushkans and the Navarr suffer no significant casualties, but the Northern Eagle is actually made stronger ...

Perhaps, if this were anywhere else, it would be time for optimism?

Indeed, the barbarian orcs seem almost ... absent, in a way. They do not advance; wherever possible the avoid encounters with Imperial forces, falling back rather than standing their ground. It is not a rout. The armies are disciplined and organised. Most of the time they fight only to secure their retreat eastward and northward, and when they counterattack they do so quickly and then melt back into the hills and forests. There is little sign of the Thule's magical might. Oh, there are warlocks and spellbinders and sorcerers aplenty - they are still Thule - but of cohorts of elves and the golden citadels there is no sign.

Yet it would be wrong to say there is no conflict in Karsk. The ramshackle allies of the Varushkans - the backwoods folk of Branoc and the northern regions - continue to fight the orc armies. Battle rages around the Broken Hill in particular but without the support of the Imperial armies, the native forces suffer defeat after defeat. Their cautious attempt to drive the Thule out of northern Karsk is disastrous - even though the barbarians are on the defensive. Even with the rivers running with life and healing power, Imperial scouts report significant losses to both the living guerillas and the army of accursed unliving soldiers lead by the chained draughir, and trivial losses among the Thule.

There is one other significant set of casualties in Karsk this spring. As the weeks turn to months, the unliving warriors accompanying the Black Thorns begin to rot. Perhaps the vital energies of the Spring enchantment that cloaks the territory speeds the process, but many Druj and Navarr husks begin to ... blossom. And not in a pleasant way. As the magic that sustains the corpses unravels, fresh life takes root in the shambing dead. Fungus and moss for the most part, but by April it is possible to find the occasional walking dead horror with a snowdrop growing from an empty eyesocket. In one's and two's at first, and then in handfuls, the dead return to death. The only warning is a great sigh - then the creature simply drops where it stands. By the Equinox, they are all gone.

In the end, the Empire holds Karsk. No significant territory changes hands. The hills run green, rather than red, for the first time in a long time.

Blood and Stone

Three Imperial armies engage the Druj in ruined Reikos. The Granite Pillar leads the offensive, with the Quiet Step and the Valiant Pegasus spreading out to recruit and relieve what few defenders remain in hiding amidst the shattered chapterhouses. Where they pass, the Highborn cut down the tattered remains that decorate the crosses and stakes along the roads and around the broken chapters. They lay them to rest with what reverence they can muster. It slows their advance a little, but there is no attempt to tell the champions of the Granite Pillar and the Valiant Pegasus that they should leave the bodies of their countryfolk behind.

At least there are few fresh bodies - it is as if the Druj have simply run out of Highborn to murder.

In a way, it is just as well these remains are skeletons rather than flesh. When the Valiant Pegasus arrive, marching from mountainous Spiral to the east, they are accompanied by a thousand flesh-hungry walking corpses. Bloodless husks in tattered Urizen robes shamble alongside the animated cadavers of battered orcs from the Broken Shore, and unidentifiable bodies whose provenance is difficult to determine. The Highborn champions seem less than happy with the cohort of barely-controlled unliving horrors.

As to the Druj, beneath their white toad banner, they are on the defensive ... although this does not stop them trying to make the Empire pay for every inch of ground. There are multiple engagements across the southern territories that, while they end in defeat for the barbarian orcs, still cost the lives of Imperial soldiers.

In the end though, the Druj forces fall back east to their great, dark citadel at High Chalcis. They abandon baggage trains, maim human slaces and sacrifice injured or weary troops - whatever it takes to slow the Imperial advance.

The Empire siezes the ruins of Tabernacle and claims Riverwatch, purging the left-behind Druj ambushers. They push westward into Haros Water, and the devastated remains of Haros town. After three nights of fighting in the broken streets, the Druj fire the remaining buildings to cover their retreat. The broken town burns through the night, like a beacon of sorrow.

Next, the Empire liberates the Vigilant Swan. Once, the lands around the great white granite quarry were a rolling parkland, carefully planted stands of trees expertly placed to conceal the stoneworks and preserve the beauty of the landscape. Now Imperial forces advance through a wasteland dotted with blood-dulled stakes and mass graves. A year under undisputed Druj control has turned it from a carefully maintained source of fine white granite blocks to a twisted open-cast scar in the surface of the earth.

As their last act before withdrawing, the Druj do their best to butcher and cripple the remaining quarry slaves. Only a few dozen survive to be freed by the Imperial forces. The last, vicious fighting here takes place among the bodies of the warm dead and the freshly maimed. Some of the casualties suffered claiming the Swan are from wounds not to the body, but to the spirit - soldiers whose will to fight died behind their eyes when they saw what the Druj had done to their victims.

Which is not to say that the ony wounds are spiritual - the orcs of the white toad banner are Druj, after all. When their weapons are not envenomed, they are coated in filth, or designed with jagged edges to tear flesh and rip through muscle. There is no particular spring magic to spread disease here, but there does not need to be - conditions are ideal for sickness to prosper, and wounds not dealt with by a chirurgeon tend to fester and rot. The Highborn are less vulnerable to these dangerous conditions than the Navarr, due to their peoples' traditions of cleanliness and washing. In this case, he practicality of the Navarr sometimes plays against them, in a way; too many soldiers end up needing a physick because they did not think "a little bit of mud" would harm them.

Progress in reclaiming Reikos remains slow, even after Riverwatch and the Swan are freed. Over everything hangs an almost physical pall of dread and despair. It weighs on the Imperial forces like a dead weight It is in the air, in the water and the soil. It claws at the spirits of the liberators, slowly grinding away every positive emotion and threatening to undermine every virtuous thought. At night, it is so much worse - in the long watches after midnight dark thoughts might overwhelm the strongest mind. It becomes too easy to dwell on the surrounding horror, too easy to imagine the tormented spirits of the dead crying out their anger and despair.

The stars are wrong. It is easy to remind oneself that this is just magic, just a penumbral veil of illusion designed to counter magical scrying. But on clear nights when one looks up to the sky to see dark constellations seen nowhere else it is easier still to imagine that Reikos is a world of it's own, an empty tortured world where there is no light and everything, ultimately, will be dragged down into the cold mud and a darkness that never comes. Even the most rational must worry, in the last hour before the eastern sky begins to brighten, that no dawn will come.

Fire and Ice

Winter in the northenmost peaks of the Empire is harsh. Very harsh. The magic of Spring still sings in the water, but in these cold northern peaks that water ... freezes solid. In the lowlands, the lakes of Sermersuaq still burst with life but on the slopes of the Silver Peaks the healing potentiial of the river of life lies trapped in glittering icicles and frozen streams. It's magic is still potent - once the ice is thawed. The miraculous waters will heal almost any wound short of a fatal blow. Yet there is something a little ... ominous ... about the way it's power is trapped by the spreading winter.

As snow flurries wrap the lowlands, a great squat tower of smooth glacial ice and rough black iron appears on the lowest slopes overlooking the Stonefield Ice caves. Two hundred hulking soldiers garrison the walls, with the seemings of eight-foot-tall orcs wrapped in thick furs. They are marked from head to foot with spiralling scars and dull blue tattoos, and their eyes are the vibrant blue of a clear winter sky. Their voices rumble like a tide of snow in distant peaks. Each is armed with a twelve-foot barbed spear of polished bone - and they seem intimately familiar with it's use. They are, despite all appearances to the contrary, on the side of the Empire - knights of Cathan Canae drawn from her frozen realm by Imperial magic to help hold the Thule from the foothills. They butcher any barbarian who strays too close to the walls of their fortress without mercy or hesitation.

Their frozen citadel provides a relatively secure base of operation from which to direct the defence of Sermersuaq. Orders go out to take defensive positions, to give the Thule no quarter but to hold ground rather than pursue the foe. The Hounds of Glory chafe a little, but news has recently reached them of the destruction of the distant Spires of Dusk. It brings with it a rumour - just the whisper of a rumour - that the people of Dawn are be about to begin a long-delayed campaign of conquest into the Barrens. There is joking - surely joking? - that the sooner the Thule are pushed back, the sooner the Hounds can return to Drycastle to begin mustering for the invasion!

If the Dawnish are ebullient, the soldiers of the other armies are more sober. The Winter Sun engages in carefully planned assaults against the Thule flanks wherever they advance, taking advantage of the deep snow, the broken gullies and the scrubby forests to strike and retreat. Their strategy is defensive but effective - a few well-placed rockslides and one spectacular avalanche, and they are able to block the easy routes from the upper peaks to the lower peaks at least until the spring thaw comes.

The Fires of the South have withdrawn, but their place is taken by both armies of Wintermark. The Green Shield and the Fist of the Mountains march together - resupplied and eager to return to the fray. They fight side-by-side, eight thousand Winterfolk defending their home against the depredations of the northern barbarians. There are problems, of course - the tensions between the Steinr, the Kallavesi and the Suaq are increasing but for now the generals and the captains are able to keep their armies from flying apart ... but it is getting harder. They channel the increasing frustration of their soldiers into the Thule, and when the barbarians attack they often regret engaging the Winterfolk on their home ground.

Where one army of Freeborn has fallen back, the other forges ahead. Not for them the dubious cover of icy walls and stony barricades. The Red WInd Corsairs fall on the Thule where they are weak, actively intercepting Thule raiding parties wherever they can. Their raids are supported by unliving allies - perhaps a thousand half-frozen corpses of humans and orcs dragged from the gullies of the Silver Peaks, the victims of nearly a year of war. They serve as an unnatural shield for the raiders, taking the brunt of the Thule reprisals while the Freeborn fill their sacks and packs with plunder left behind by the Thule.

There is a little grumbling, a little rumble of discord, from the shieldbrothers and swordsisters of the Wintermark armies, when they hear of the antics of the Red Wind. The opportunistic warthief, the battlefield plunderer - these are not well thought of among the Winterfolk. Sometimes, when they needs must share a billet, a Steinr or a Kallavesi or a Suaq will spit when they pass the Freeborn and mutter "maggots" under their breaths.

Twenty thousand Imperials await the barbarians, give or take. They do not have long to wait.

The horde comes with the snow. Day and night the drums pound. Down from the high passes and up from the Stonefields come the Thule. Their advance is relentless - an overwhelming assault against all Imperial positions.

The orcs do not come alone. As well as packs of ogres, a cohort of eternal soldiers continues to fight alongside them. Tall warriors of the Summer realm, crimson and scarlet against the pale snow and the dark stone. They raise incarnadine standards bearing the golden runes of Tykonus and Feresh. Their captains fight from the backs of great cats, sleeky muscled golden beasts larger than an ox that move with epic grace across the difficult terrain. Where the orcs and humans struggle through the snow, they seem almost to glide along it's surface ... laughing.

The eternal knights are only one of many Thule sorceries. Their warriors fight with preternatural insight, with supernatural coordination, with the raging fervor of the blizzard barely containbued within their flesh. They seem to pass messages across great distances, to be able to read the vagaries of the winter weather and the treacherous mountain terrain with unmatched precision. Some engagements are supported by monstrous beasts; dire wolves with oiled hide armour and great blind apes from who-knows-what abyssal caverns beneath the mountains of Otkodov. There are even some encounters with things that cannot be classified with any confidence as creatures of the realms or of the mortal world - creatures combining the worst traits of men and beasts.

The most visible sign appears on the upper peaks on the last day of winter. Three hours after dusk, a great fire runs across the northernmost peak. It grows steadily brighter, until it seems as if the peak itself has caught aflame. Then, just after moonset, it erupts into a flare, churning and blazing and roaring loud enough to be heard in East Floes and Suaq Font. It roars up into the dark night sky, bright as a false sunrise, then explodes.. It bursts into a great sigil against the darkness - two spreading wings, a roaring tossing draconic head, a twisting tail. The echoes send snow cascading down the slopes, wake every restless soldier from their tent. Then it is gone, the only sign a rain of embers that seem to the eyes of the mystically inclined to spell out a rune ... perhaps Queros, perhaps Hirmok, perhaps Mawrig.

Then nothing. An omen, or a sign. A warning, or a promise, perhaps.

At the end of the day, though, nothing seems to come of it immediately. The forces warring over the Silver Peaks remain almost equally matched. While the magic of the Thule counters much of the Empire's strategy, it is likewise true to say that the preparations of the Empire counter the magic of the Thule. The barbarians' absolute commitment to their attack gives them savage strength, but the Empire's defensive tactics prove almost a match for it. it is impossible to point to one advantage on either side that is key - as always when two foes are closely matched, no one factor measures victory or defeat.

And the Empire holds ... holds ... and then is slowly .. slowly ... is pushed back.

An inch, then another. It never becomes a rout, but positions are overrun and soldiers are forced to retreat to lower defences. As the weather breaks and the first shoots of spring are seen beneath the lowland snow, the Thule claim another portion of the Silver Peaks from the defenders. But their come with the painstaking slowness of the glacier, not the overwhelming force of the avalanche.

Many, many people died in the Silver Peaks this winter. More still might have died, if not for valuable intelligence gathered by the heroes of the Empire through the Sentinel Gate. Advance warning of some of the Thule plans allows for troops to withdraw from exposed positions or blunt the force of savage barbarian attacks. But the toll - for both sides - remains considerable in spite of the magic of Spring. Perhaps fifteen-hundred Imperial soldiers die between the first and the last snows of winter. It is difficult to judge how many orcs, beasts and eternal knights die among the Thule, but their incautious strategy suggests that the numbers should be at least equal, probably higher.

The deadlock, more or less, continues.

Hammer and Blade

Holberg sickens. The Winter brings with it a pall of dirty snow. Ice makes muddy battlefields even more treacherous, and for the first time in a decade the Morass freezes solid. There is a pestilential curse in the water, a fecund malaise in the snow. Wounds fester, gangrene is a constant threat. The curse conspired with the numbing cold, the mud, and the filthy weapons of the Druj conspire to kill many soldiers who might otherwise have lived.

Worse still, the Druj have unleashed a second devastating curse across the territory. The trees of Utterlund and Misericorde, and the stunted vegetation of the Morass, have been infused with malignant spirits. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to which plants are affected; a mighty oak, a supple sappling or a twisting vine might all come alive without warning. The only good news is that the plants are drawn to structures and large concentrations of people rather than individuals. The remaining parks in Holmauer are closed, and guarded.

The trees cannot be controlled - they attack without favour both human and orc, both Holberg and Rebeshof. Imperial magicians know a similar ritual, the Thunderous Tread of the Trees - but in keeping perhaps with the nature of the Druj the spirits that infuse the vegetation of Holberg are more sneaky. Days may pass without incident; then a dozen trees launch a crushing attack against a patrol. The trees often pretend to be sessile until targets come within reach, erupting with a terrifying rage. It makes everyone extremely jumpy, to put it mildly.

Unpleasent and unsettling as these effects are however, it is the movement of soldiers that has the greatest impact in Holberg this winter, not magic.

The Wolves of War seem to be everywhere at once. Their numbers are swollen by over sixty companies of elite troops from across the empire. They are also supported by mercenary captains well versed in quick movement and battlefield maneuvering. They suggest several plans that will allow the Imperial forces to envelop or outflank enemy positions. Their strategies are not kind - they are Leaguers one and all, and they have no pity for the Druj in Holberg. General Anke Carsten von Temeschwar would be proud.

The Wolves are supported by three armies of Marchers - the Drakes joining the Strong Reeds and the Bounders shortly after the Solstice to form a twelve-thousand-strong hard core to the Imperial force. Passing through Hofried, many take the opportunity to visit the war memorial there - barren and dark in the depths of winter. The Marchers are grim faced, relentless - fighting across the open plains of Holberg suits their temperament and experience.

The Urizen Citadel Guard join the Imperial force shortly after the first snow, tired by the long march from Varushka and down through Dawn. They come with an escort of Seventh Wave scouts, and set up camp alongside the muddied pallanquins of the Golden Sun. It is the magi and sentinels of the Citadel who are able to offer advice on the nature of the twin curses laid across Holberg, and suggest ways they may be dealt with - avoiding the trees, for example, or leading them away from vulnerable groups or into Druj forces.

Shortly after their arrival, a final force appears to join the battle. A contingent consisting of a few thousand mercenaries from the Autumn realm appear with the Dawn a week after the Solstice. According to the scouts, they arrived in a column seven abreast through a regio in Holmauer, with almost machine-like precision. The majority are minotaurs, standing half again as tall as a human or orc, with spreading horns. They are well armed and armoured, and possess a keen appreciation for the Imperial strategy. A little over a third of their number are shorter, quicker - inhabitants of the otherworldy City of Locks.

Their presence is not universally welcomed - and while they immediately align themselves with the Wolves of War and look to the general for orders, their attitude is less than ideal. Arrogant, scheming, cruel ... they are reliable enough but it is clear that they are fighting only for payment. They avoid taking risks, and keep to themselves when they are camping.

All told, at the start of winter, there are thirty-six thousand soldiers in Holberg, mostly camped around the crumbling walls of the fortress at Rebeshof.

The scorpion banner still flies over the battered walls of the orc fortress, but the army within seems in disarray. The rumour among the troops is that the general of Rebeshof was caught outside his defences and slaughtered during the Winter Solstice. Without orders, the orcs try desperately to defend the castle, while their allies desert them. All aross Holberg, the Druj are falling back, giving ground, retreating in the face of Imperial aggression. The forces at Rebeshof become increasingly isolated.

After three weeks, the siege breaks. A minor breach caused by League catapults is capitalised on by Urizen sentinels who hold the opening long enough for the Summer Storm and the Bounders to force their way through, widening the gap as they do so. Within an hour, the fighting has moved within the walls. In the face of utter annhilation, the scorpion banner Druj finally pull themselves together and pull out but they have left it nearly too late. Nearly two thousand Druj corpses are accounted for once the fighting ends, the remainder of the once massive army fleeing north and east in disarray.

Rebeshof itself is no more; rubble would be too kind a word for what remains. With the fortress in pieces, it's ruins occupied by victorious Imperial forces, it is a simple matter for the Wolves of War and the Seventh Wave to sweep the plains and claim the region for the Empire.

Then on to Ennerlund, with the Imperial orcs setting the pace for a relentless assault. The Druj seem especially afraid of the Summer Storm - this winter the Druj seem to want to put as much space between themselves and the the Imperial orcs as possible. With good reason, it must be said - the Summer Storm slaughters any Druj that comes within reach of their weapon, pressing relentlessly forward against any Druj position, giving no quarter and accepting no surrender.

The Golden Sun, by contrast, move more cautiously. They focus on consolidating the gains the Empire has made in Holberg. Wherever the Druj go they leave behind hidden agents, guerillas - the Dawnish knights ruthlessly hunt them out, scouring each region and securing it against the stealthy malice of the barbarians. It is dirty, thankless work but it makes it extremely difficult for the Druj to outflank or ambush the main force.

There is a battle at Ennerlund, but it is a messy, vicious affair. The Druj under the banners of the crimson lizard and the black snake make forays out of the Morass to the south, leaving deadfalls and traps behind them. They have extensively trapped the flooded ruins of the collapsed Great Pits, making an assessment of the damage done especially difficult. Preliminary reports suggest the entire mineworks has been collapsed ... with the miners still inside. Several hundred dead League citizens, buried alive. The lucky ones were killed in the collapse, the less lucky left to suffocate or starve or die of thirst.

The Druj are quickly overcome, their banners fleeing north into the deep forests of Utterlund and Misericorde. Part of the Imperial force pushes south into the marshes, rooting out the remaining Druj. Some escape south to the dubious safety of the Barrens, but most of those barbarian orcs trying to make a stand in the Morass are slaughtered.

On the edge of the forest, a pitched battle results in major losses to both sides ... but without a doubt the Druj take the worst of it. They are not the cocky, fearsome force that attacked Holberg less than a year ago. They are still deadly, still dangerous, but they seem to be on the verge of routing. It is still wise to be cautious however. The Druj may be retreating now, but they have feigned confusion and weakness before, luring their enemies in until they are ready to spring their trap.

Between curses and the malice of the Druj, there are almost four thousand Imperial troops who will not fight again. The Summer Storm has lost nearly seven hundred orcs, while the other armies have seen somewhere in the region of five hundred soldiers each. The Golden Sun have escaped comparatively lightly - their heavy armour and tactics have cost them "only" four hundred yeomen and nobles. In contrast, nearly *eight thousand* Druj corpses are accounted for - and many of those who died in the Morass in particular are entirely unaccounted for. The brunt of the casualties have been taken by the scorpion banner, who are a shadow of their former strength. If the Druj had not been retreating, or if the Empire had pressed a more aggressive attack, then the casualties on both sides would have been even higher.

The Druj have been dealt a crushing blow in Holberg, one they will find extremely difficult to recover from, but the Empire has by no means escaped unscathed.

When the snow clears and there is time to take stock, the situation in Holberg has changed dramatically. The Empire now holds everything south of the forests of Utterlund and Misericorde, including the shattered pits of Ennerlund. Civil servants supported by scouts and bounders are already picking through the ruins, putting together a report on whether the mines can be re-opened or not - if it possible it is unlikely to be cheap.

The surviving commanders of the Towerjacks hold a closed meeting in the garrison at Holfried, discussing their future. If the Druj really have been driven back, then what remains of the second League army may be ready to leave the walls and take to the field again. They have a long history as excellent engineers, both siege and otherwise; but they have also spent many years abandoned on the eastern borders by a succession if ineffective or actively corrupt Emperors, Senators and Generals. They have not made the results of their meeting public knowledge.

For the first time in thirty years, Holberg is once again part of the Empire. There are inevitable questions about how many League citizens remain in the territory; the lower half of Holberg has collapsed into uninhabitable ruin and thirty years of Druj occupation have stripped much of the countryside of it's population. Still, there is cautious rejoicing throughout the League.

But they know from their own history, better than anyone except perhaps the Dawnish, that the disposition of Holberg is very far from a "done deal"

The Future of Holberg

Five regions of Holberg are now Imperial (Holfried, Holmauer, Rebeshof, Ennerlund and the Morass); the Great Pits at Ennerlund have been recovered. The fortress at Rebeshof has been destroyed.

A Senator now needs to raise a motion of Assignment. They need to name the nation they want the territory to go to, but anyone else can contest it and say it should go to someone else. Once the senate makes it's decision it's final - unless (say) the Druj steal the territory back and it then gets liberated again.

Once the Assignment is out of the way, someone in the Senate may want to raise a motion of Allocation for the Great Pits of Ennerlund. They can declare either that the Pits be Imperial (which means they get auctioned annually through the Bourse) or National (which means they get assigned by members of the nation who control a certain resource - the list by nation is here).

Bear in mind that the "National" allocation always means that the resource is controlled by the nation who controls the territory. If Holberg is assigned to the Brass Coast for example, and the Great Pits are allocated as National they are automatically controlled by the Freeborn - you can't allocate the pits Nationally and then name a different nation.

The Senate may wish to delay the vote of allocation until after they receive the civil service report on whether they can be reopened, and how expensive it will be.

The Towerjacks are also mentioned here, but only the League really needs to worry about those. They represent a fairly obvious opportunity for the League, regardless of how Assignment turns out.

Normally at this point I would mention Spoils of War, but it is difficult to confirm whether the list will have been prepared by the civil service in time for the Spring Equinox.

What would it mean if the territory of Holberg ended up Allocated to a nation other than the League? The likelihood is that the remaining League citizens of Holberg would either live in effective exile (suffering a penalty to their resource production as detailed here), or slowly convert to their new national identity with the aid of the egregore, or maybe just move to one of the other cities and start new lives there. The territory would slowly attract a new population from the nation it was assigned to, and within a generation or so the story of how Holberg used to be a League city would just be another part of the history of this oft-contested land.

The rampaging tree situation continues.

Interludes

These represent short pieces of fiction designed to highlight other significant events in the world related to the military campaign. They are mostly just a bit of fun, and include nonplayer characters not player characters. Think of them like a cutaway during a movie.

Owls

There was a light knock at the door.

After a moment the door opened, and a stocky man stepped across the threshold.

As the sentinel crossed the floor to the dais where she was studying, Illuminate Nissea studied his stance and expression. She surmised he did not have good news, on balance. He paused on the third step of the dais and waited for her to acknowledge him. She closed her book and smiled welcomingly.

"I take it you have news?" she asked, quietly. He nodded.

"Has Magister Horace safely left the mountains?"

The sentinel nodded again. His face darkened.

"And the abominations have accompanied him."

"Yes. All accounted for. I lead a patrol myself to ensure there were no stragglers. I still think that it was a questionable decision not to separate out the fallen Urizen from the horde." The sentinel's voice was deep and low.

Illuminate Nissea could sense his carefully contained disapproval.

"It could have been dangerous,"she said, calmly. And we might have made the situation worse. In the absence of the fallen general, I think it was wisest not to risk stretching the Law of Dominance to breaking point. They are outside our borders, now, and no longer our immediate problem. The body is just a vessel, after all."

The sentinel was still not happy, but he did not press any further. He reached into a fold of his robe and withdrew a tightly rolled scroll.

"An ephemeral owl arrived an hour ago, bearing this. I believe it is from one of the scouts down near the plateau, given the method of delivery." He offered it to the Illuminate but she moved her head slightly in a fractional negation.

The sentinel unrolled it, reading swiftly.

"Yes I thought so. It is from that Causus. The local." The sentinel could not quite contain a hint of irritation. With the Black Plateau cleansed of the worst of it's malignant influence, more and more of Spiral's "missing" magi were emerging from their spires and sanctuaries. Causus the night magician was one of the most frustrating. Even the best of them were proving ... difficult ... for the residents of Fort Mezudan to get along with.

"He says that there is good news and bad news. The good news is that the Black Plateau continues quiescent. Many of those infected with madness are showing signs of slow recovery and it does indeed seem that Day magic can help in their return to wholeness. The worst sadly are the youngest who have known nothing else. He makes a questionable suggestion about how we might best use them which I will not repeat."

The Illuminate did not ask for details. Many of the local magi, cut off from Urizen for decades, were displaying a callousness that she found disturbing. They would have accepted the use of unliving husks to support Imperial armies without question - and some of them would have suggested ways to make the rituals involved more effective and the abominations created thereby more monstrous.

The sentinel continued reading.

"The bad news is that he has also spotted barbarian scouts in Screed. The Grendel almost certainly know the Plateau is neutralised as well. He suggests we begin preparations."

Illuminate Nissea allowed herself a little sigh. She tilted her head, enquiring if there was more. The sentinel turned the scroll over in his hands reading quickly.

"Nothing else of immediate importance. Some theoretical suggestions about ways to harness the power of the Plateau that even I can tell are a disaster waiting to happen. I think that perhaps he only includes them because he knows I read his reports. What will we do now?"

Illuminate Nissea chose her words carefully. "First, we should ensure everyone knows the important elements of the scout's report. Then we should begin making preparations."

The sentinel nodded.

"You do not think this treaty with the Salt Lords will amount to anything?"

Nissea stared at him for a moment before replying.

"What treaty? Do you mean the suggestion from the Senate that now might not be a good time to raid Grendel shipping? Coming at a time when the law prevents attacks against foreign vessels? How effective do you think that is going to prove, even in the short term?"

"You have a point," the sentinel replied, smiling mirthlessly.

Nissea picked up her quill and a smoothed out a roll of scrollpaper with one delicate webbed hand.

"I will ensure that the Senators and the General are aware of the situation, and send a letter to the Civil Service at Anvil. There are decisions that need to be made, and they are decisions that should be made by people more pivotal than you or I."

A slight smile quirked her thin lips.

"Poor Magister Horace. It appears he may have departed for his homeland just in time to miss the chance to take the fight to the Grendel - one way or another."

The sentinel inclined a fractional bow, turned, and left the Illuminate to her task, closing the door quietly behind him as Nissea began to write.

Wolves

The Kallavesi woman grinned viciously as her vessel closed on her prey. She drew an axe in either hand, with practiced ease, and sent one spinning through the air toward the enemy ship.

"Grapples! Lines! Axes!"she roared. "Time to bloody the waters, to soak the decks, to show those Steinr how the true Winterfolk fight! We are the wolves of the sea! We are the eagles of blood and salt! Leave no orc alive, and their stolen wealth will make us rich!"

An answering roar went up from her marines, three dozen Kallavesi warriors hungry for blood and plunder.

"But what about the Senate? " asked the nervous civil servant clinging to the mast for support. "And the Freeborn - shouldn't you let them know you've found their prey?"

"Damn the Senate!" roared the captain, her eyes glowing behind her wolfhead helm. "If they wanted to stay the axe-hand of the sea wolf they should have passed a law! And damn the Freeborn! They will have their star metal to keep them warm, but the nights in Kallavesa are cold indeed and we have no ilium to keep them at bay. Let us show them how the children of the crows kill orcs!"

She turned then, and ran, and leapt high into the air, one hand outstretched, her axe held high, hurling herself toward the decks of the Grendel ship, and her crew followed close behind her ...

Dawn

As a line of pale illumination flooded across the eastern sky, Jekal hauled himself up onto the rough standing stone with practiced ease. His joints clicked and his bones ached, but he concealed it with practiced ease as he pulled himself erect. He looked out across the sea of faces, judging their mood, waiting for those nearest to notice him. Fifty banners bearing some variant of the red moon of House Ogudai rustled gently in the early morning breeze. Among them stood out banners and standards that looked out of place to his eyes - the banners of the Empire. A large number of rough Wintermark and Marcher standards, with a scattering of Freeborn, Navarr and League.

He was not a tall man. Stocky, his width emphasised by the plated leather and bloodgold armour he wore over a crimson silk tunic. He eschewed a helmet this morning - he wanted to be sure of uninterrupted eye contact with his troops. In a different environment it would have been easy to overlook him completely - just another tired warrior. Not today though. Today he burned from within with a fervor that made him someone to be reckoned with.

Those nearest the stone noticed his present, fell silent, turning their faces toward him. A ripple of awareness spread across the natural amphitheatre, as soldier after soldier - Faraden and Imperial alike - recognised the general and stopped what they were doing.

"It is dawn on the last day!" He said, without preamble.

His voice was deep and confident, low but amplified by the natural properties of this hollow and the efforts of three magicians who stood around the base of the stone on which he stood. Nobody would miss a word of his speech.

"We have come to the edge of hope, to the edge of the world, to make a stand. We have chosen not only to believe in ourselves, but in each other. Today there is not a man or a woman who shall stand alone - not today. Today we face the monsters that are at our door, and we bring the fight to them as never before."

He raked the crowd with his gaze, suddenly pointing out specific banners.

"We do not stand alone. Thirty captains from the east have come here to fight alongside us against the beastmen. Thirty companies, three thousand soldiers of the Empire, come to fight and spill their blood and die alongside us. To drive the beasts from our hills, to push them back into the trees, to send them howling into the abyss from which they will never return.

"Today, they are our brothers and sisters. If they fall, we will avenge them tenfold. War does not alter, but today maybe there is the promise of something new."

He began to speak louder, his voice echoing as the sky turned red behind him. No other sound save the wind among the pennants.

"Today, this red day, we will raise the red moon standard and we will fall upon the invaders like a great wind. We will scatter them like sparrows before the storm. We will fight today so that our children will not have to fight tomorrow. Three thousand Imperial brothers and sisters raise their banners alongside us this morning, raise their banners alongside the banner of House Ogudai, beneath the red sky, in the Roaring Hills.

"Today, we cleanse Tebukan of the blight that spreads from the north. Today is the beginning of the end. We will grind them beneath our boots like worms, like snakes, like the filth they are.

"Today, oh my sons and daughters, oh cousins from the east, we drive the Jot'une from Faraden! Today we shall deal them such a blow that their mewling pups shall be born with the mark of our wrath! Today, we teach them why the hills of Tebukan shall never be theirs!"

He took a deep breath and bellowed, turning his face up towards the sky.

"They have dared to tread the hills of Tebukan! They have dared to spill the blood of Faraden! I am Jekal Swordborn, Lord of the Fifty Banners, scion of House Ogudai! AND I SHALL HAVE VENGEANCE! IN THIS LIFE! OR THE NEXT!"

He drew his great falchion, raising it above his head so that it caught the sun and seemed to catch fire for a moment, before he leapt down from the stone, landing lightly for a man of his age. As soon as his feet hit the ground he was moving, toward the north, toward the Jotun.

The army exploded around and behind him, roaring in answer, drawing their own steel and raising their own weapons, echoing some variant of his challenge in ten thousand ragged voices. The banners rose into the sky, and the army of House Ogudai and three thousand allied Imperial soldiers marched to join the other defenders, marched to war in the rolling hills of Faraden beneath the winter sky.

Dusk

Whispers, and the sound of velvet on velvet, heralded the approach of Grand Ilarch Adonai through the gathering dusk. The scribes kept their eyes on the flagstones and waited for him to address them.

"Well?" His voice was old, but did not quaver, full of authority and the expectation of respect.

"An initial head count suggests an estimated two thousand Imperial troops. We're still evaluating enchantments and the quality of their panoply and should have a better idea in the morning, but the preliminary assessment is that each of them is easily a match for one of the Agema. At the rate discussed, this would amount to at least sixty crystals of mana which is more than we expected but less than we wanted. We can meet the price, but the amount could go up. Until they are settled we can't perform a proper ..."

The Grand Ilarch silenced him with a sharp gesture.

"I am not interested in crystals of mana." He said flatly. "We are stood on the brink of the abyss and you talking to me of sixty crystals of mana? For two thousand troops - trained, skilled, hardened in battle? I am not here to quibble over the payment of mercenaries. If this goes well, if we survive the winter, then we will be well served if they return to their people with tales of the generosity of Ipotavo!

"I am intersted in the people who have come here, not their price. Tell me about them."

The first scribe fell silent, twisting one hand in the belt of her heavy robe. The other looked over her wax tablet to refresh her memory.

"Ten Urizen captains, all told. These are a true prize - and an unlooked for gift. They are experienced fighting alongside magicians and they have an excellent reputation for being able to react to the realities of the battlefield and wield their power at a point. It is more than we could have hoped for. We may need to keep an eye on them to ensure nobody accidentally sneaks off to go in search of libraries or catacombs but I am not worried. They understand what it means to be a guest.

"Half a dozen - no, five - five Navarr captains. I suggest we simply leave them to get on with their slaughter. I have circumspectly suggested that Ipotavo is a good deal less concerned about manners than they may be used to in the Empire and if they wish to ... ah ... let themselves off the leash, we would not only not censure them but might in fact welcome such behaviour. We are fighting Druj after all.

"The others are Varushkans and Highborn, two captains each I believe. If I understand the nature of Varushka correctly, I think they will be used to fighting alongside the honoured dead. I am a little worried about the Highborn, but I think that as long as we keep them away from priests or temples there should be no incidents.

"Still ... Imperial troops. I have spoken with the Agema and the Toxetai, and we have reached a compromise with those Tavos Ageli who remain. The sensibilities of the Imperials will be accomodated as best we can given the circumstances. At midnight, the Covenant of the Gatekeepers gather in the chamber above Plaza of Leaden Chains. Everything is prepared, the general has been meditating since last night. Once the enchantment is complete ... "

Adonai nodded, impatiently.

"Yes, yes. With the advice of a thousand years of captains and strategists, General Danica will be best placed to exploit these mercenaries. How do you think the Imperials will react?"

The scribes looked at each other. The male spoke, choosing his words carefully.

"This is likely to be their first exposure to the necromantia ... but we are confident that if they have come this far they must know what they are likely to encounter. They surely have ghosts in the Empire."

He cleared his throat nervously.

"However ... I have suggested discreetly that we have some advisors on hand in case the Highborn start waving bells or aspergilla around. The advantage of the ritual is that once it is in place, once we are all bound to a single intent, it should make it easier for them to understand what is happening. If the Far Seer is with us."

Both scribes touched the metal phylacteries that hung at their belts, almost without thinking. The Grand Ilarch lightly ran his finger along the old, bone-handed knife that hung at his belt. The three shared a moment of reverence.

Adonai broke the silence first.

"That sounds adequate. The Druj will not know what has hit them. I have one last question before you go, however. In your candid opinion will it be enough?"

The scribes exchanged glances. Neither wanted to give the Grand Ilarch bad news. The woman spoke up at last.

"Possibly not. The walls will hold, and we have plenty of mana left but the Druj take every opportunity to circumvent our defences rather than attack them directly. They know how to hurt us - they the steal bodies of the fallen and befoul them. it is no wonder we are seeing desertions. There is still no hope of aid from Issyk, Malykop or Kantor.

" If we had another twenty captains? Then I think we would turn them back. As it stands, unless something unexpected happens we will win and the remaining gates will hold at least until spring. But ... after that ... in the long term ...."

Her voice faltered and she fell silent. Adonai said nothing for a long time. Behind his mask, his eyes were closed. When he spoke it was more to himself than the scribes.

"In the long term, we are all dead. If you cannot avoid death, then you should do whatever it takes to delay it. Another dusk is another dusk."

He sighed and moved away, over to the window, and looked out across the sea of Druj campfires that stretched as far as he could make-out in the thick darkness around the citadel. Ten thousand orcs, give or take; and all the things that they brought with them. Two thousand Imperial troops and the remaining defenders, behind the gates of Ipotavo; against ten thousand orcs.

"It will have to be enough." He said fiercely. "We will have to *make* it enough."

Steak Pies

"What am I looking at?" asked Sir Jory suspiciously.

"It is a pudding of steak and offal, steamed and served with a healthy selection of vegetables and a thick beef gravy."

The Knight glared at the Higborn cook.

"And is this it?"

The cook blinked, nonplussed.

"Well, there is a pudding. A suet pastry sprinked with currants. raisins and other dried fruit, served in a bowl with a thick custard. Also steamed."

Sir Jory was unimpressed.

"This is what you serve the heroes of the Empire, come victorious from Segura? Steamed meat and steamed fruit? Two courses only? For knights of the Eastern Sky."

The cook took a cautious step back, looking around for support. She found only a sea of Dawnish faces, some of them bandaged, staring stonily back at her.

"We might be able to find a platter of roasted vegetables, and possibly some sort of sweet potato hash ..."

Sir Jory growled.

"It will have to do, I suppose."

He sniffed the bowl of clear liquid.

"Is this water!" he shouted suddenly. "Are you giving us water to drink!"

The Highborn tried to explain that the water was for washing the hands, but the knight was having none of it.

"Wine, damn your eyes! Red and white! We are tired from a long march and Casinea tries to fob us off with water! THIS WILL NOT STAND!"

The cook retreated quickly, keeping her composure by effort of will.

The Dawnish knights waited until the door had swung shut before exploding into laughter. Jessica shook her head disapprovingly as the knight took his seat again. Several of his companions slapped him on the back.

"That was cruel," said Jessica. She thought for a moment. "Although quite funny."

Sir Jory was unabashed. "I am already sick of steamed pastry. And if a Highborn tells me that man eats to live and does not live to eat one more time, there will be trouble."

He sighed. Cainea was tame, and dull. He wanted to be liberating Holberg from the Druj, or battling a Thule beast on a crumbling ledge in the Silver Peaks. Or leading his knights into the Barrens to claim the ruins of the Spires of Dusk.

Jessica patted his hand.

"Cheer up," she said. "What do you think the chances are that the Highborn have wine that is up to our refined Dawnish palates?"

The pair shared a grin that vanished as the door opened and the cook returned with two bottles. Sir Jory stood up again, face like thunder, and started to remonstrate with the cook for bringing only *two* bottles of wine to serve *thirty* Dawnish knights of the Eastern Sky.

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Aben-Nuath

...and I believe, through meticulous collection and examination of multiple stories and accounts, that I have identified a little documented herald of Summer by the name of Aben-Nuath. To be clear, I must concede the possibility that Aben-Nuath is not the name of a singular herald, but the title of a series of heralds who fulfil the same function.

The common theme appears to be the character within stories who appears to lend some assistance to the central character in reaching a place of conflict or testing, but never to offer aid with the outcome. My list of examples include accounts of talking animals or trees, riddling hermits, and other inexplicable guides who appear and disappear without trace or precedent. Within the stories, the actions have been attributed to the Paragons, eternals or Fate with little clarity.

My hypothesis is that Aben-Nuath is a courtier of the eternal Barien. If this is so, then it would imply this eternal’s court may have further layers and subtleties than may initially be perceived…

Elektra Evenspire, Order of the Celestial Arch

Summary

The speculation of Elektra Evenspire, and others, as to the existence and nature of Aben-Nuath has never been formally confirmed by any party, nor made explicit in the Conclave via Declaration of Enmity, Amity or Concord. The existence of a herald – or heralds – whose function is to nudge, or otherwise influence events, to facilitate decisive confrontations or moments of testing would be consistent with the nature of the eternal Barien, yet Barien has thus far denied such meddling unless directly challenged.

It is equally possible that Aben-Nuath exists as part of Barien’s court and her / his / its actions are an impulse to further the interests of the one she / he / it serves and facilitate the kind of events or encounters that Barien likes to hear of.

If the speculation is true, then it would be foolhardy to consider Aben-Nuath as a wholly benevolent entity. Guidance in reaching a decisive moment or challenge may appear supportive, yet this is only the case where the guided one prevails. In those cases where the guided one falters, and potentially falls, Aben-Nuath can be seen to have led them to their doom.

Appearance

There is no consistent description of Aben-Nuath. Within the accounts that purport to detail the herald’s existence, then various forms and descriptions have been attributed. This could be taken as evidence that there is no singular Aben-Nuath, and that there are multiple in different guises, or that she/he/it possesses the ability to alter its appearance in line with the task at hand.

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A Blight in Miaren

Poor Timing

Gwynneth sprinted out of the Steading with the sound of her sister's pained shouting in her ears. The contractions were coming hard and strong now. It would not be much longer. Gwynneth had felt distinctly uncomfortable standing around and not knowing what to do.

Then the marrowort had worn off, and no longer shielded Caedyyfryn from the pain. Gwynneth had been almost laughably grateful to be sent running to fetch more marrowort. It was useful and purposeful.

Rushing through the mud, Gwynneth stopped short at the herb garden and plucked the pale plant. She was about to turn and sprint back when something caught her eye. She paused reached out and turned over another pale marrowort leaf. There, beneath the leaf was soft, white, hairy fungus.

Gwynneth cursed aloud, but then her sister's cries grabbed her attention back again. Biting her lip, Gwynneth ran back to the house. One challenge at a time.

Navarr walking the trods of Miaren have reported sudden blights of Armillaria. Armillaria is a parasitic fungus that is suspected to have been altered by exposure to the Realm of Spring. Its has a white and furry appearance and it aggressively attacks herbs, specifically Marrowort. A blight of Armillaria fungus can significantly harm the productivity of herb gardens.

Although deadly to herbs, Armilliaria fungus is a natural medicinal for livestock and it can promote health, fertility and wellbeing that increases the productivity of farms. Farmers will be able to benefit from this informally, however a coordinated effort can be arranged through the Senate could promote farm productivity more aggressively.

Armillaria fungus is fairly fragile, and will last only about three months and cannot be easily transported long distances. Consequently, its effects will not last beyond the Summer Solstice, and are unlikely to extend beyond territories adjacent to Miaren.

Interestingly, Armillaria fungus does not attack trees or forests. Scholars discovered that worldblood - known as Ambergelt - is toxic to it. This discovery has meant that it is possible to extract worldblood and use it against Armillaria. The utilisation of magical resources in this way requires the support of the Conclave.

Based on past experience, the civil service estimates that if no action is taken then herb gardens in Miaren will produce less Marrowort[1] but farms will benefit from the medicinal properties of the fungus[2]. In the past, the Empire has responded to similar situations in the following ways:

- The Senate can pass a motion to harvest the Armillaria fungus specifically to capitalise on the benefit to livestock. For a disbursement of 9 Thrones the impact on herb gardens would be reduced[3], and the benefit to farms would be increased.[4]

- The Senate could alternative pass a motion to deliberately infect a single neighbouring territory to Miaren with Armillaria spores. For a disbursement of 4 Thrones a territory adjacent to Miaren could be affected by the fungus in the same way that Miaren is. There is no limit on the number of territories that could be infected in this manner.

- The Conclave could declare a Gambit of 19 ambergelt per affected territory to use that ambergelt to kill the fungus. This would eliminate the impact, both good and ill. Multiple territories could be named in a single Gambit but would require the necessary multiples of ambergelt. In all cases, the Gambit would need to name a person for collecting and distributing the ambergelt who would ensure it is in their inventory at the end of the summit and then notify the civil service between summits of their intentions.[5]

- It has been hypothesised that if the Empire can attract its attention then Llofir, Eternal of Spring known as the Rotlord or Lady of Spores, could influence Armillaria fungus for good or ill. What Llofir would want for its intervention, if it could intervene, is unknown.

- Use of the ritual Ruthless Vigilance, Healthy Crop would offset the impact of the fungus for an individual herb garden, whilst improving the production of other types of herb.

The above represent tried and tested responses to potential Armillaria blight. Other options can be put to the civil service for consideration, and costing, via the usual means.

Footnotes

- [1] -2 marrowort per herb garden in affected territory

- [2] +30 rings to farms in affected territory

- [3] Marrowort penalty reduced to -1 per herb garden

- [4] Benefit to affected farms increased to +50 rings

- [5] No loss to marrowort, no benefit to farms

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Abraxus

At the Spring Summit, 377YE, a motion was put before the Senate by Edward Watcher of the Marches and Senator Lucifer, Proxy for Casinea. The motion authorised research into the controversial figure, Abraxus Whitespire of Urizen. The cost of the research was not funded by the Senate, but by a collective of private concerns.

Contents

- 1 Abraxus Whitespire (17-72 YE)

- 2 The Rise...

- 3 ...And Fall.

- 4 Legacy

Abraxus Whitespire (17-72 YE)

Abraxus of the White Spire Ascending was born and raised in Zenith in the early years of the Empire, which Urizen had recently joined. Abraxus was of Merrow lineage and showed a great curiousity around the Net of Heavens, and its potential relationship to the Pure Liao visions administered by the Synod. Consequently, Abraxus made the study of these intertwining phenomena his ambition, and a central theme of the arete in his life.

These studies, and this journey, elevated Abraxus high within the Synod and the Empire, before his fall from grace and descent into madness and death. To this day, Abraxus remains a controversial, and divisive, figure. There remain those who consider Abraxus to be a visionary and potential Exemplar of Ambition or Wisdom. Others have referred to him as a cautionary tale.

...that I shall, in the following text, provide proofs that the visions received through Pure Liao are not random. Nor are they, as Cardinal Jezebel would have us believe, selected in relation to Virtue, or at least not solely by that means. It will be made clear for all to see that they are deliberately chosen. That they are, in truth, messages.

Messages that are wrapped in metaphor and context, because those sending them cannot communicate with us directly and must use our past lives in order to do so. Messages that are not about the past, but about the present - and the future. Messages from the Divine.

Excerpt from ''On the Teleology of Pure Liao'', by Abraxus Whitespire

The Rise...

Abraxus attained citizenship at the age of 17, and served the Empire as a priest of the Synod. By this stage, he was already articulate on spiritual and theological matters and attracted many - scholars and pilgrims - to hear him speak. Trained as an Illuminate, Abraxus would also arrange private meetings with influential people to offer guidance, specifically in relation to the interpretation of dreams and visions.

Aged 30, Abraxus achieved widespread notoriety with the publication of On the Teleology of Pure Liao, for which he was condemned by the Assembly of Vigilance for the religious crime of idolatry. At his trial, Abraxus recanted his claim, and instead attributed the messages he wrote about to the Paragons, though some doubted the sincerity of his retraction. Abraxus received a light punishment, but the idea that the Paragons could communicate with mortals carried with it a popular appeal.

For the following six years, Abraxus enjoyed a measure of celebrity and, as an experimental theologian, obtained repeated access to Pure Liao visions for himself, and his followers. Specific details are hard to come by, but it is rumoured that the Abraxians actively experimented with various ways to influence the visionary process, outside of those handed down by the Scions of Atun. Documents refer to metempsychotic anointing and alchemical concoctions featuring unusual ingredients from foreign and supernatural realms. In this time, there were two attempts to have Abraxus recognised as an Exemplar, but both faltered on the basis of a lack of supporting evidence.

In 49 YE, Abraxus married Jezebel of the Seven Stars Chapter of Highguard, who had turned from his harshest critic to staunchest advocate. They had two children, whom were given to Jezebel's Chapter to raise.

...And Fall.

In 54 YE, Abraxus was arrested by the militia. Details are fragmented, but the charge appears to have been treason. Even more curiously, the trial took place in a closed session of the Senate and the public gallery was cleared. The details of the trial, and evidence involved, were classified as pertaining to Imperial security. The verdict of guilty was declared, and Abraxus would have been executed, save for the intervention of Empress Richilde who exercised the throne's mercy.

After the verdict stripped Abraxus of his assets and citizenship, he elected to leave the Empire's borders. There are no records of what he got up to in the following thirteen years. He eventually returned to Imperial lands in 67 YE and made claims that he had made discoveries that would redeem him. Supported by Jezebel and a number of benefactors, Abraxus was able to purchase a portion of Pure Liao through the Bourse. Covered in runic marks and unusual robes, Abraxus declared that he would emerge from the vision having seen his future lives.

Records state that a large crowd gathered to see Abraxus emerge from his vision. However, rather than emerging triumphantly, he was carried forth by civil servants and followed by a grief-stricken Jezebel. Abraxus was unconscious and no physick, exorcist or magus could awaken him.

Jezebel and the Abraxians took Abraxus to Auric Horizon Spire in Morrow where a vigil was kept, and Abraxus' body was cared for. It is claimed, though not corroborated, that Abraxus would occasionally speak, and his followers wrote down what he said, certain that he had traveled to the future and possessed knowledge of import. Others claimed that this was a deception by the Abraxians to sell fake "prophetic scrolls". This continued for five years, before Abraxus Whitespire passed away in 72 YE.

Legacy

- There are a number of popular myths about Abraxus, many of which are populist and dramatic, with little supporting evidence. These claims often relate to things that Abraxus is expected to have seen and heard prior to his fall from grace. Equally, there are wild claims as to what treason Abraxus was alleged to have committed.

- Empress Teleri, as part of her reforms of the Synod, worked with the Assemblies to create the positions of the Gatekeepers. These posts were created, in part, to ensure that access to pure liao was safely regulated and kept from unstable, and potentially heretical or idolatrous hands, such as Abraxians.

- It is possible to find scrolls for sale that purport to be transcribed at Auric Horizon Spire from the words spoken by the comatose prophet. Several of these have proven to be modern fabrications and few scholars have agreed on what true Abraxian prophecy looks like.

- There is nothing that definitively links Abraxus Whitespire to the Abraxus Stone talisman. The talismans pre-date Abraxus, though some scholars claim that they held an older name and that Abraxus' association with the anti-venom protective came later as a product of the Abraxians' experiments with toxic substances. Others claim that Abraxus the Prophet was named for an older Abraxus that created the talisman but whose legacy has been overshadowed.

- In the modern era, there are groups who will identify themselves as Abraxians. However, this label is loosely defined. Some sects or covens may use it to refer to the, potentially-idolatrous, belief that pure liao visions are messages from beyond the Labyrinth, whereas others adhere to the belief that Abraxus saw his future life or lives.

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Abraxus Stone

Description

The most common form for one an abraxus stone is a silver or gold band set with a white oval stone, usually inscribed with a crimson or emerald Cavul rune. They are also crafted in the form of amulets, medallions and bracelets, but regardless of form are usually composed of silver metal.

The use of these protective amulets dates back to the kingdom the Navarr call ancient Terunael. In the aftermath of that kingdom's fall, many of these rings were made to help the early Navarr fight against the Vallorn creatures. The rarest of these rings were bands of pure ilium set with pale gemstones and inscribed with runes; any one of these artefacts would be a gift beyond price to the Navarr.

Not all abraxus stones are rings. One of the first rings made by the Navarr was used as the basis for a beautiful amulet, given as a gift of friendship to the first of the Highborn navigators, Atuman; a single perfect white stone hung from an Ilium chain, delicately crafted to suggest links of interlocking Imperial Roseweald flowers. As part of the negotiations surrounding the giving of the Tear of Peace, the Highborn agreed to allow the Navarr to travel through their lands. It disappeared following the assassination of Permion the Lawmaker, and while some stories suggest the First Empress wore the chain around the neck, as with the other rings it's whereabouts today are unknown

These rings are obviously of especial use to warriors who must fight magicians, assassins, eastern orcs or vallorn-beasts. They are useless to those who do not already possess a store of inner fortitude; the abraxus stone does not give on protection from poison so much as enhance the body's natural defences against deadly venom.

Rules

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of a jewellery.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: When hits are restored to you by any means then you are also cured of the venom condition. This item will not work if the purify spell would fail to remove the VENOM for any reason.

- Materials: Crafting an abraxus stone requires twelve measures of beggar's lye, nine measures of weltsilver and seven ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

One of these items is, of course, the central device in the famous Marcher play, "Twelve Pigs". The Stone is inadvertently mixed in with the feed for a herd of swine on their way to market, and the penniless protagonist must scour the countryside trying to find the pig which has eaten it in order to secure his fortune. Despite the fact that the hero has to spend a good deal of time on hands and knees combing through pig-faeces, the play was originally regarded as a parable on Prosperity, and many in the Marches were outraged to discover that the League playhouses were playing it as a farce.

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Abrogate fund disbursement

Revoke the law disbursing unused Senate funds to the military council and conclave at the end of each quarter.

Proposed Temeschwar, seconded by Tassato.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- End the distribution of unused funds by abrogration of the motion to distribute funds of Winter 376YE.

- Passed by 27 votes to 0

Date

- Passed Summer 377YE (Event Three 2013).

Cost

- None

Campaign Outcome

No more funds will be disbursed to the Military Council or Imperial Conclave.

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Abrograte Civil service observation

Abrogate the motion passed in 378 which assigned Civil Servants to Imperial Fleets.

Proposed Madruga, seconded by Upwold.

Overview

- End the measures that assigned Civil servants to Imperial fleets.

Date

Spring Equinox 379YE.

Cost

- None; the previous upkeep of 50 Thrones each season has now ended.

Campaign Outcome

- The measures preventing Imperial citizens from pirating foreign nation fleets, or trading with barbarians, have been suspended.

- The magistrates wish to remind Imperial citizens that while there is no crime of "piracy" per se, there are crimes of assault, murder, theft, criminal damage etc. Foreigners receive protection under imperial law so crimes committed against them can be prosecuted.

- OOC Note: It is now possible for PCs to commit piracy against foreign nations that the Empire is not at war with, or to trade with barbarians. Both actions still have significant legal ramifications, however.Bold text

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Abstraction

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Keep it Simple

- 3 Below the Abstraction Layer

- 4 The Campaign Abstraction Layer

- 5 The Abstraction Layer is your Friend

Overview

Empire incorporates a simple downtime system that allows characters to gain new resources and wealth between events. In addition, the Imperial Senate receives an income every event from the Imperial treasury. Actions by characters at events and the ongoing plot can change the resources that are generated - but to ensure that this part of the system remains simple we employ a powerful principle to keep things simple - abstraction.

Keep it Simple

Every resource controlled by every character in Empire is different. One character may control a fleet which consists of a single great vessel, while another character owns a fleet of smaller ships. Farms may be large or small, fertile or barren; while a business could be anything that fits with the setting. Players are free to roleplay these details as they choose, within the remit of what makes sense within the system.

However no matter what a player chooses to roleplay - the income and wealth generated by a resource remain fixed. The different possibilities that players may imagine do not affect the simple rules that determine what wealth a resource produces. For the purposes of the rules we use a simple abstract - all ships and anything conceptually similar are just a fleet. A shop, a restaurant, a theatre or an opera house - in game terms all these things are represented by a business, the details are "below the abstraction layer" - they are ignored for the purposes of the game rules.

Below the Abstraction Layer

Detail and complexity that is below the abstraction layer is completely ignored by the rules. This provides a clear freedom to players - since it enables them to roleplay in whatever way is appropriate to the setting and their character's personal circumstances. If you want to roleplay that your character does not just own a farm - but is a pig farmer with a herd of prize winning pigs - then you are absolutely free to invent that kind of detail. The corresponding limitation is that these details do not affect the rules that govern the game - your farm does not produce more income than another character's farm - even though your pigs win prizes.

Any attempt by players to try to affect the game rules by delving "below the abstraction layer" will always be rejected by the game team. There are a number of ways that a character can improve the income from a farm - they can have rituals performed upon it, they can invest money to buy weirwood to make a farm bigger. But you can never increase the income of your farm through better husbandry - these details simply do not have a direct game effect other than in how you choose to roleplay them.

The Campaign Abstraction Layer

The abstraction layer also covers the elements of the game on the Imperial scale in places like the Imperial Military Council or the Senate. The general of an Imperial army is free to roleplay whatever appropriate leadership and training they provide to their army that makes sense for their character and the setting - but it doesn't change the effective fighting strength of the army as recorded by the rules system. If a general wants to improve the fighting abilities of an army - there are rituals and investments they can make that do that.

Likewise the treasury available to the Imperial senators is the sum of money that remains after a vast amount of taxation has been collected - and a vast amount of taxation has been spent administering the Empire. Expensive items - and items that the players can change - like the upkeep of armies and fortifications or the stipend for an Imperial title can be changed. But the minutiae of the fine details of how the civil service have made thousands of payments ensuring that the Empire can run are simply not part of the game. These details can't be changed, whatever changes might be made are simply ignored for rules purposes. The income of the Senate increases as the Empire conquers new territories and as they invest in more resources for auction through the bourse. It can't be increased purely by roleplaying that the civil service have become more efficient.

The Abstraction Layer is your Friend

On the face of it, the limitations imposed by the abstraction layer may seem restrictive. In fact the opposite is true - by ignoring these details, we don't have to play-balance them and that means we don't have to attach any rules to them - and that means complete freedom for players to roleplay as they choose provided the roleplaying makes sense within the context of the setting.

The true benefits of the abstraction layer come from the simplicity that they ensure. The game design strives to ensure that the complexity of the game is in the field - in the interactions between characters - not in the interactions between players and refs. A basic rules framework - with clear abstraction of the core ideas means the rules remain simple and much easier for players to understand. It works to prevent the rules becoming complex with time, as individual players seek rules clarifications for details that are being ignored by the system.

Having run games where the rules became increasingly complex over time, we are absolutely determined that that is not going to happen to Empire. We will continue to add new elements to the game over time, but all these elements will use the same level of abstraction and simple rules that apply to everything else in the game - so that the game becomes richer with more elements in it - but does not become more complex.

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Accept Grendel proposal

To accept the Grendel proposal that they will remove one of their armies from Spiral if we do not raid Dubtraig for the duration of one year. After this, further negotiations may occur with this Salt Lord and/or others.

Proposed by Kharaman, Seconded by Feroz.

Overview

- An ambassador from the Grendel Salt Lord of Dubhtraig presented an agreement to the Imperial Senate. This is a formal acceptance of that agreement but is not a change to the law.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Constitution

- This is not a legal restriction, but a statement of principle by the Imperial Senate.

- The Grendel remain barbarians, and raiding their fleets remains perfectly legal.

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Accept Jotun ceasefire

To accept the Jotun offer of a two year ceasefire during which the Jotun and the Empire will not make war on each other.

Proposed by Upwold, seconded by Mitwold.

Overview

- Agree to a two-year ceasefire with the Jotun orcs.

- The ceasefire runs from the beginning of the Spring Equinox 377YE until the beginning of the Spring Equinox 379YE.

- Passed by 27 votes to 0.

Date

- Passed Summer 377 YE (Event Three 2013).

Cost

- None

Campaign Outcome

The ceasefire prohibits Imperial armies from entering territories claimed by the Jotun, including Liathaven and Mournwold. Jotun campaign armies in turn will not enter any Imperial territory.

At the Spring Equinox 378YE, the senate voted to accept a proposed extension of the treaty which will now end at the start of the Spring Equinox 380YE.

Notes

Subsidiary motions to outlaw raiding on the Jotun during the ceasefire, and to declare the Jotun foreigners for the duration, were proposed and defeated.

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Acolyte's Mercy

Description

It is not clear why this wand, which requires so little in terms of special materials to construct, takes so long to form. It isn't the shape - there is no uniformity in the texture or appearance of the wood, metal or bone used to form the wand. It isn't anything to do with decoration - while traces of weltsilver ore are often used to colour the short baton, none of that mineral is actually required. Throughout the eight weeks or so that it takes for an artisan to craft one of these valuable implements, however, the wand-to-be must be handled constantly, smoothed and shaped by hand. For the best results the artisan speaks or sings to the item as it is slowly brought into being - many will sleep with the item beneath their pillow or beside their beds. They eat near it, drink near it, caress it and touch and hold it. There is a widely held belief that what is happening is that the artisan is teaching the wand about the shape and form of life itself, so it knows how best to shape the weaves of magic to restore it in others.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the heal spell as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting an acolyte's mercy requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Sutin rolled the wooden rod around his hands, his thumb absently caressing the thin chains that wrapped tightly around its length. They had been crafted from the manacles that had bound his grandfather in years past, melted down and reshaped at his request. It had taken him months to complete the task the artisan had demanded of him, gathering wood from the forest where his grandfather had fallen fighting for freedom and chains of iron from the ruined mine where he had slaved.

He had never been able to grasp the intricacies of healing magic, his heart was full of the lust for battle; shattering the weapons of his foes and turning the blood of his enemies thick with poison, yet it had always pained him to watch kin die beside him with no means to help them. He clutched the wand tightly in his hands, the reflected firelight flickering along the metal.

He mused upon the words of his father, a skilled healer who had saved countless lives, and felt an echo of them whisper in his spirit, along with the touch of a departed hand on his shoulder.

"To heal, you must never forget the wounds of the past, my son"

He stared into the campfire before him, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames as if watching an unfolding play that only he was privy to. He began to sing, his voice soft but proud. The chains felt warmer to his touch as his tune filled the air, the sorrowful song lilting and passionate.

“Times of toil, times of strife

Bound in chains, our darkened life,

Never forgotten, never un-told

Story of blood worth more than gold.

Then he came, a saviour strong

His voice the singer of freedom’s song,

His arm the wrath of freedom’s ire

Fuelling the pride of orc-heart’s fire.

Battle won and battle earned

No longer orc –blood be Empire spurned,

From night-cloaked mines to blazing sun

Freedom earned and freedom won”

He breathed deeply, his singing had drawn a crowd from the surrounding orcs, the very eldest amongst them wept at the memories that rushed through their minds. Sutin’s breath misted in the air, spirals of white twisting in the winter night and coiled towards his wrists, wrapping around them for the briefest time before dissipating as they touched upon the warmly glowing metal that bound the wand.

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Add Sum of the Parts ritual to Imperial lore (Redirected from Add "Sum of the Parts" to Imperial Lore)

Fund Dean of Lyceum's new ritual being added to imperial libraries.

Proposed by Miekarova, seconded by Zenith.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Adding a ritual to Imperial Lore allows any Imperial citizen to learn it freely.

- Required declaration by the Imperial Conclave already presented.

- Ritual prepared by the Dean of the Lyceum, Simargl of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash.

- Passed by 26 votes to 1.

- Funded at 5 thrones; shortfall made up with donations by the Dean

Date

- Passed Summer 2013

Cost

- 10 Thrones

Progress

- 5 Thrones from the Senate budget

- 5 Thrones from the Dean of the Lyceum

Campaign Outcome

- The ritual Sum of the Parts has been added to Imperial lore and any magician with Autumn lore may master it.

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Address

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Procedure

- 2.1 Raising an address

- 2.2 Presentation

- 2.3 Debate

- 2.4 Resolution

Overview

An address is an opportunity for an individual to make a presentation to the Imperial Conclave.

Procedure

Raising an address

Any Imperial citizen can place an address on the agenda for the next Conclave session. Placing an address costs a mana crystal, paid when the address is raised. The civil servant records the name of the person raising the address who may also choose to add a short sentence summarizing the topic of their address.

Presentation

Presenting an address allows an individual to speak before the Conclave, for up to one minute in duration, on whatever topic they desire. If they wish to speak for longer than a minute then they may spend additional crystal mana to do so as normal.

Legally, an address is considered to be any agenda item that does not require a vote of the Conclave. Traditionally, addresses are used to provide the assembled magicians with important information, or to inform the Conclave of significant magical or political developments.

The Warmage, Bursar and any archmage have the power to raise a single address for free each summit. They are expected to use their addresses to report on the progress of any gambits they have been fulfilling, but there is no legal requirement for them to do so.

Debate

After the presentation is complete, the grandmaster of each order may nominate someone present to speak, in order determined by the Principle of Precedence. Every speaker must pay crystal mana for the right to present their views. It is considered rude to move the debate away from the topic of the address - magicians who attempt to pursue unrelated agendas are often barracked by the assembled magicians until they stop talking.

Resolution

After the discussion, the address is complete and the civil servant moves on to the next address, or the process of resolving the declarations begins.

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Address boggart infestation in Morrow

To trap the boggarts in Morrow, preventing damage to Mana Sites.

Proposed by Sarvos, Seconded by Necropolis.

Overview

- This motion is intended to address the problem of boggarts infesting Morrow.

- Trapping the boggarts will significantly reduce the amount of mana lost to their depradations.

- Passed at 25 Thrones

- A statement of principle was passed by the Synod that there was no intention to veto this motion.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Progress

- 25 Thrones disbursed to Senator Sarvos.

- In conjunction with a successful quest by the Academy, these traps have prevented the loss of mana from mana sites in Morrow.

- Boggart faeces has been harvested and used to enhance the herb gardens of Morrow.

Campaign Outcome

- Unknown.

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Add Sum of the Parts ritual to Imperial lore

Fund Dean of Lyceum's new ritual being added to imperial libraries.

Proposed by Miekarova, seconded by Zenith.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Adding a ritual to Imperial Lore allows any Imperial citizen to learn it freely.

- Required declaration by the Imperial Conclave already presented.

- Ritual prepared by the Dean of the Lyceum, Simargl of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash.

- Passed by 26 votes to 1.

- Funded at 5 thrones; shortfall made up with donations by the Dean

Date

- Passed Summer 2013

Cost

- 10 Thrones

Progress

- 5 Thrones from the Senate budget

- 5 Thrones from the Dean of the Lyceum

Campaign Outcome

- The ritual Sum of the Parts has been added to Imperial lore and any magician with Autumn lore may master it.

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Adelmar the Lion

The object of war is not to die for your country, but to make your enemy die for theirs.

inscription on the wall of the Academy of Arms (circa 64 YE)

Virtue

Adelmar was recognised as an Exemplar of Ambition by the Imperial Synod in 176 YE.

Biography

Adelmar of Arnet, also known as Adelmar the Lion, or the Lion of Arnet, is both the founder of the Academy of Arms and an Exemplar of Ambition.

According to the Scroll of Noble Deeds, housed in the Imperial Library, Adelmar was born in 32 YE and grew up as a younger son to a family of farmers residing near the Dawnish town of Weaving.

At the age of eleven his parents played host to a visiting company of Knights-errant. The Knight-commander, Elaine of Faybourne, identified something special in Adelmar and took him under her wing, apprenticing him as her squire but also teaching him the way of the sword and setting him on the path to glory. He proved a quick study and trained hard, improving his techniques until he excelled with both sword and spear. By the age of sixteen he was as skilled as any of the Knights-errant and was granted command of the company's yeomanry.

During this period Adelmar continued to demonstrate a great thirst for knowledge. He befriended an itinerant Urizen scholar named Nicassia, who became a lifelong companion and the primary annalist of his accomplishments. Not content with improving his martial skills and taking part in the many conflicts with neighbouring barbarians, he still found time to learn his letters and with the aid of Nicassia, became a keen student of all aspects of warfare. However, his main area of interest related to the styles and perfection of personal combat. He sought advice from knights that he met on campaign and poured over martial tomes secured for him by Nicassia. Wherever they travelled, wherever they fought, Adelmar was driven by the need to refine and improve his combat skills.

One day the company of knights were approached by a band of foresters. They told the knights about a giant bear that had started preying on their village. They were poorly equipped to deal with such a monster and other knights who had attempted to aid them had fallen before the monster. At his request, Adelmar was granted his Test of Mettle; to destroy the great beast in combat. A grown bear is always a challenge for even the most skillful of knights, especially one that had overcome its fear of man but Adelmar was undeterred and relished the confrontation. He followed the tracks of the animal to a cave in a secluded dell. The surrounding area was littered with shards of torn metal armour and shattered spears - the remains of the knights the beast had killed. The bear had caught his scent and as he approached its lair it launched itself at him. The beast had clearly been twisted by foul sorcery for it was enormous even for one of its ilk. Standing four yards high at the shoulder, it was covered in long golden hair matted with the crusted blood of its victims. A row of six large horns protruded from its crown and its claws were twisted blackened daggers, the length of a man's forearm. In the ensuing battle Adelmar breaks his spear against the bear's hide which is so thick that it resists even his sharpest weapon. Not to be beaten, he adapts his fighting style and targets the monster's own weapons and one by one, he hacks the talons from the beast's paws. He then slays the monster with one of its own severed claws which he thrusts deep into its heart. He removes its pelt and fashions it into a golden fur cloak which he retains throughout his career. Some scholars believe this has mistakenly led to the epithet "Lion" when it should in actuality be "Bear".

In 52YE, with Adelmar now a fully fledged questing knight, his company participate in the combined Marcher-Dawnish expedition to liberate Semmerholm from orcish occupation. An early skirmish with orc ambushers leads to the death of Elaine of Faybourne. In her will she expressed her desire that Adelmar take over her personal estate naming him "the most comely of Knights, skilled beyond measure in his mastery of arms". The other knights appear to agree with her statement and gladly accepted him as their new Knight-commander.

During the Semmerholm campaign Adelmar meets with the leader of the Imperial army Empress Richilde, the Sun Queen. He impresses the Empress with his skill and zeal in combat and, when not fighting, becomes a favoured figure among her court. It is believed that he reveals to her his ambition to start his own training school, dedicated to the perfection of combat. Impressed by the young knight, the Empress grants him the right to lead the heavy assault upon Arnet Keep.

Adelmar leads his knights in a charge upon the breached gates of the castle. Witness reports state that the fighting is intense and bloody work but by midday Imperial forces storm the inner fortress and set upon the defenders. Adelmar engages in personal combat with the feared orc warlord Tu'Chak, and slays him before delivering his head on a golden plate to the Empress. Several notable historians mention these actions in their accounts, paying particular note to Adelmar's incredible strength and speed. For his 'distinguished actions and demonstration of virtuous deeds', Empress Richilde rewards him with the Imperial funds required to establish an academy dedicated to excellence in personal combat, naming him her Lion of Arnet. However, in a notably adroit political move designed to prevent any grumblings of favouritism, the Dawnish Empress orders him to establish his academy in the Urizen territory of Redoubt and appoints the Urizen born scholar Nicassia, to support him in a role equivalent to seneschal.

Adelmar's reputation attracts many potential applicants - both as students and teachers. Unfortunately, by its very nature, places within the academy are limited. Although all are welcome to apply Adelmar insists that only those that demonstrate the true determination for self improvement and excellence will be accepted as students. A complex process of physical and mental tests are devised to identify those who possess the characteristics required to become the most deadly warriors in the Empire. This unorthodox selection process results in eager novices mixing with seasoned veterans and weapon masters - each seeking to reach the zenith of their ability.

Over the years the Academy of Arms, and Adelmar himself, become a lure for weapon masters from across the Empire and beyond - what the Urizen refer to as a 'node' among the 'net of heaven'. Throughout this period, Adelmar continues to train others while honing his personal martial talents. Eventually he masters every weapon commonly used within the Empire and stands undefeated among his peers. In the year 77YE, he makes the pronouncement that with no challenges left within the Empire, he intends to travel beyond the borders, seeking and mastering new forms of martial combat wherever they may be. He issues orders that the next master of the academy is to wear his cloak and become the new 'Lion'. After this declaration he simply vanishes and later that year Bryony of Tharn is appointed as the next Master of the Academy of Arms.

Many of those who train at the Academy go on to eventually found their own schools and the practice spreads throughout the Empire. Variations on the original Academy of Arms can now be found in most major cities, many specialising in particular styles or forms of combat.

A few have argued that after Adelmar recognised the perfection of his achievement he transcended which is why he disappeared. However, others have argued that his own statement that there was more for him to learn beyond the borders of the Empire would negate such an assumption. A few claim that Adelmar was poisoned by jealous rivals but there is little to no evidence to support this claim. The most popular theory is that Adelmar simply took the opportunity to leave quietly with the least pomp and ceremony possible, his mind clearly focussed on the journey before him as it had been in so many aspects of his life.

For many citizens of Dawn, Adelmar represents the epitome of the questing knight or knight-errant. He encapsulates the drive and ambition to succeed, to serve the Empire, destroy her enemies and be bathed in glory, heralded as a true hero of the Empire.

There are those, especially from Urizen, who believe that while his ambition must be recognised one could equally argue that so must his courage and loyalty, but that it is actually his pursuit of wisdom that underlays his great success. These arguments tend to be somewhat circular and remain as theoretical disputes to this day.

It has been noted that Adelmar himself was recorded as saying that "The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their ambition, expressed via their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavour."

During the year 176 YE the Imperial Synod recognised Adelmar as an Exemplar of Ambition.

Signs

The Assembly of Ambition cited the following signs of Adelmar's exemplardom:

- Adelmar's dedication to martial perfection was demonstrated in his service to the Empire and was an example of benevolence.

- He was responsible for the formation of the Academy of Arms, an inspiration to many warriors across the Empire.

- His journey from farm boy to weapon master, his teachings and focus in encouraging others from across the Empire, while setting himself as an example of excellence and ambition are viewed as evidence of his deep understanding of the virtue of Ambition and held to be testimony of his personal pilgrimage. Many still follow in his footsteps, following the dangerous and circuitous path to the mountain fastness of the Academy in Redoubt.

- Adelmar's cloak, The Lion's Mantle, is a relic and evidence of a legacy.

- Although not a sign per se, it has been noted that the Empress Richilde, a recognised Paragon of Pride, rewarded Adelmar for his 'virtuous deeds'.

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Admiral

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

The Admiral is an ceremonial title created by the Imperial Senate in Spring 378YE with responsibility to coordinate with fleet owners engaging in raiding as to the best possible targets.

The intention is that in the future this title will be expanded to include the ability to bind fleets to the Admiral's representation, but the costs and technicalities of this are being revised by Imperial Audit and Costings at present.

Responsibilities

Imperial citizens who control fleets may issue them with orders to pirate the shipping of another nation each season. Such actions hamper the nation, by damaging trade and capturing vessels and supplies. The Admiral exists to coordinate Imperial corsairs to achieve the best military outcomes for the Empire.

Powers

The Admiral is a ceremonial title - it has no legal powers to representation in the Military Council. Only generals may vote in the Military Council and other Imperial Citizens present may be silenced by vote of the generals present.

Selection

This title is an Imperial position appointed by the Senate to serve for a year following their appointment.

Removal

The admiral serves for one year. They can be revoked by the General Assembly and the Assembly of the Nine.

History

The last time the Empire had significant naval strength was during the reign of Emperor Barabbas. The majority of the Barabbine fleet was destroyed when it encountered a supernaturally intense storm two days south of Joharra. This resulted in the first, biggest – and most expensive – naval disaster of Imperial history and goes some way toward explaining why modern Imperial fleets are mercantile, rather than military, concerns.

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Advisor on orc affairs

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

The Advisor on Orc Affairs is an Imperial title created by the Imperial Senate in Winter 376YE and amended in the Spring Equinox of 379YE.

The first Imperial orc advisor was appointed at the Autumn Equinox in 377YE. Even before that appointment there was some controversy; when the position was first suggested, the magistrates were concerned that there were extensive constitutional problems with the title. "It is the magistrate's opinion that this motion is unconstitutional as the primary purpose of the senate is to represent the citizens of current imperial territories. The Imperial Orc nation does not currently have any territories. Furthermore it is within the existing powers of the senate to call someone to address the senate with regards to a particular motion."

Following a full investigation of the matter by the Constitutional Court, these concerns were overturned - comparison was made with the Master of the Imperial Mint. As there was no attempt to give the Advisor any ability to vote or raise motions, the constitutional concerns were

Responsibilities

The Advisor advises the Imperial Senate on matters relating to the orcs, both Imperial and otherwise. While they cannot raise or second a motion, nor vote, the Advisor is able and expected to participate fully in the debate that surrounds any Senatorial decision.

Powers

The Advisor on Orc Affairs has the right to speak in the Senate.

The Advisor on Orc Affairs has the right to address the Senate. They may approach the Speakers of the Senate and ask them to timetable an address to the Senate each season, as they see fit. It is intended that the observer use this address to present issues or concerns relating to the Imperial Orcs.

The Advisor cannot be removed from the Senate except by the Throne or by the Speakers - this is very similar to the right of Witness possessed by members of the Imperial Synod.

Selection

The Advisor is an Imperial Orc national appointment by the Senate every Spring Equinox. This would normally allow the position to be filled by unanimous decision of the Imperial Orc senators. Currently the Imperial Orcs do not control any territories in the Empire; as a direct result this position may instead by appointed by unanimous vote of the Imperial Orc generals. The only alternative is for a vote of appointment by the Imperial Senate.

Because this is a national position, the title can only be held by an Imperial Orc.

Removal

The Advisor serves for one year or until they die, step down or are revoked.

The Advisor can be revoked by the Imperial Orc assembly, the General Assembly or the Council of Nine.

History

The first advisor on orc affairs was Irontide Kessek, appointed in 376YE. She was succeeded by Bruk, also of the Irontide. At the Spring Equinox of 379YE Bruk was revoked from the position. At the same summit in Anvil, the senate passed a motion amending this imperial title so that it was elected annually, rather than be a life-time appointment.

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Advisor on the Vallorn

The Advisor on the Vallorn is an Imperial title that may be held by any Navarr. The position was established by majority vote of the Senate in Spring 378YE.

The title is responsible for advising the Senate on matters relating to the vallorn, and protecting the Empire from the influence of this mysterious force or entity.

Contents

- 1 Powers

- 1.1 Historical Research

- 1.2 Right of Address

- 1.3 Declaration of Interdiction

- 2 Appointment

- 3 Removal

- 4 History

Powers

Historical Research

The advisor has the power to authorize a single historical research request each season. Each request costs 5 Thrones. The civil service is able to process up to five research requests in total per season - research requests authorized by the Senate, the advisor or the Minister of Historical Research all count against this limit. The results of the research are compiled by the civil service then presented to the advisor.

To use this power, the Advisor provides an announcement to the Civil Service, who present the decision to the Imperial Senate. No voting is possible by the Senate at this point, as the power has been delegated to the Advisor. The Imperial Synod may, however, choose to exercise their veto over the advisor's decision.

Right of Address

The Advisor on the Vallorn has the right to make an address to the Senate once per summit. This is intended to allow them to present important information for the Senators consideration. It is extremely impolite not to inform the Speaker's seat of your intention to use the Right of Address in advance of a session.

Declaration of Interdiction

Once per summit, the Advisor on the Vallorn can raise a Declaration of Interdiction to the agenda of a Conclave session without spending crystal mana. They follow all other rules and guidelines for submitting an article for the Conclave agenda (it must be in advance, with the assistance of a civil servant, and they are responsible for any presentation).

Appointment

The advisor is a Navarr national position appointed by the Senate. Under normal circumstances it will be appointed by unanimous vote of the Navarr Senators.

Because this is a national position, the title can only be held by a Navarr.

Removal

The Advisor on the Vallorn has tenure and serves until they die, step down or are revoked.

The Advisor can be revoked by the Navarr National Assembly, the General Assembly and the Assembly of Nine of the Imperial Synod.

History

Merel Pathfinder, a Therunin vate, was the first Advisor on the Vallorn in Spring 378YE. Neb was the second, appointed at The Winter Solstice 378YE, after the first resigned.

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Advocate

Overview

Advocates are professional yeomen who make a study of the history of the Empire and the structure of the Imperial offices, with an eye towards supporting noble senators. They may occasionally be called on to brief generals or other nobles on behalf of the senators, but for the most part they focus on making sure that Dawn gains political capital - and expends it as wisely as possible.

Creating an advocate

Dawn is very unlikely to need more than a small handful of advocates so it is worth trying to find out how many players are currently playing advocates. If there are less than three advocates then it is worth considering making an advocate character; if there are more than this then it is worth talking to some of the existing advocate players to see if they think another advocate would have enough to do at events.

If you are new to the game, it is worth considering playing a novice advocate who is looking to learn your trade. Until you have some experience of how the senate works, you are unlikely to be able to convincingly portray a highly experienced advocate, no matter how much you study the content of the wiki. It is always tempting to want to create the most brilliant advocate Dawn has ever seen, but ultimately your character's ability as an advocate will be determined solely by your skills playing them. An eager and helpful advocate who openly admits to being inexperienced is going to get called on to help more than a character that claims to know everything but whose advice reveals their lack of experience.

This is a character choice that will allow you to explore some of the themes of being a civil servant without actually being an NPC. A lot will rely on roleplaying, but you should never be afraid to approach a civil servant and ask for clarification on a point of law or procedure - liaising with the civil service can be a source of fun in itself.

Playing an advocate

Playing an advocate is a little like playing a personal assistant or secretary. Rather than restricting yourself to being an assistant to only one noble, however, there is a lot more fun to be had making yourself indispensible to all the Dawnish senators. There is a lot of opportunity for roleplaying interactions both within Dawn and with your opposite numbers in other nations.

As an advocate you are ultimately responsible to the nation you serve and the senators who take your advice. There may be opportunities to turn situations to your own advantage as an advocate, but the most popular and active advocates will be those who give effective and impartial advice.

Although advocates exist to advise the Dawnish senators, don't assume that the Senate is the only place you can get your work done. It is a poor advocate who helps their senators pass their bill only to see it vetoed by the Synod. The more you understand of the Empire, how it runs and who runs it, the more effective an advocate you will be.

Advocates have no official power in Dawn or the Empire, so you won't have any additional resources to call on. If you are able to demonstrate your effectiveness as an advocate, either individually or by working together with the other advocates then it may be worth pressing the Dawnish senators to provide a purse of money for the advocate's benefit. Everyone knows politics is dirty work and coin helps lubricate the wheels of power - but many Dawnish senators disdain money and are openly contemptuous of bribery. As nobles it's their responsibility to strive to be as glorious as possible, so someone else is going to have to make sure that Dawn wins those essential Senate votes...

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Advocate&oldid=9353"

Aesh

Contents

- 1 The Staff, Rune of Thought

- 2 Using Aesh in Magic

- 3 Crafting with Aesh

- 4 For Machine Embroidery

The Staff, Rune of Thought

Affiliated with the Realm of Day

Aesh is the Staff, or sometimes the Staff and the Star. It represents thought, reason and intellectual faculties. It is also the rune of Logic, suggesting the progression from one idea to another, and in this aspect may sometimes be called the Chain. The concept of one thought or idea providing the foundation on which others are built also makes it the Rune of Hierarchy, of stable social structures based around reason, order and shared ideals.

This rune also symbolizes all forms of mental discipline based on universal truths - mathematics, engineering and even music. As the Rune of Knowledge it is sometimes called the Scrollcase.

Reason is often devoid of moral imperative, however, and logic can lead inexorably towards terrible deeds. These darker aspects of Aesh bring with them the suggestion of intellectual bigotry and the assumption that learning and rationality alone make an individual better than their peers.

Thought empowers and is empowered by the rational mind. It directly opposes Zorech, the Rune of Passion, which represents instinctual behavior. Some magicians argue otherwise and claim that Aesh and Zorech complement, rather than oppose, one another; the theory being that passion and intuition harnessed by reason and logic are stronger than either quality alone.

The Rune of Thought is sometimes associated with the general practice of magic, especially by some Urizen prognosticators. They claim that it is only through thought and reason that magic can be understood, mastered and wielded. Even in a nation known for intellectual rivalry and disparate philosophy, this idea is considered especially contentious.

Using Aesh in Magic

Aesh is unsurprisingly evoked with any magic that deals with the mind, but it is also commonly used in rituals that deal with the exercise of mental skills such as engineering, architecture or tactics. It is often used with the detect magic incantation.

Crafting with Aesh

Magicians often have the rune worked into their implement, or whatever tool they use to perform their magic. Some mystics claim that every magician's staff, wand or rod is a physical manifestation of Aesh. It is also commonly worked into the cover (often on the spine) or frontispiece of any non-fiction book; likewise it is embossed on scroll cases and writing kits by sages and itinerant scholars alike. Despite it's associations with scholastic pursuits, tacticians and strategists often carry batons or other items marked with the rune, recognising the role logic and reason play in the planning of battles.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Aesh in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneAesh.jef

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A Fool in a Crown

A Fool in a Crown Written OC and recording by Reesha Dyer. Written IC by Virtue di Tassato

The actors a fine one for plying his trade, Looks so superb on the plans that you made, But take of his mask and you will be dismayed, He's made of a much paler shade.

Chorus: If the actor were true if the bravo were brave, If up, could only be down, If only, if only, not one were a phoney, We'd not have a fool in a crown.

The trader she seems like a sensible sort, She tells me there's nothing that cannot be bought, But when friends are there for the coin in your stores, What if someone offers more?

Chorus

The bravo talks loudly, and thinks with her sword, The tales that you hear you can't help but applaud, If only she wasn't so easily bored, Liability we can't afford.

Chorus

And then there's the skulker, the servant, the pest, He thinks that he's puppeting all of the rest, His pretence of power's a pretty poor jest, And nobody's really impressed.

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A guide to fabrics for kitmaking

When it comes to making your costumes, there is a baffling array of names and terms to describe fabric. Here is an attempt to help you make sense of it, as well as giving a rough guide to what I've found to be the best use for each textile.

All of this is presented merely as a series of suggestions, which you can heed as much or as little as you fancy - you might have more skill or luck with stuff that I've never had any joy with.

Contents

- 1 Natural Fabrics

- 2 Silk

- 3 Linen

- 4 Cotton

- 5 Wool

- 6 Velvet

- 7 Fur and fake fur

- 8 Synthetic fibres

- 9 A few fabrics that I avoid

- 10 In a nutshell...

Natural Fabrics

Natural fabrics include silk, linen, cotton and wool. We're not re-enactors, so authenticity isn't a major consideration, but in my opinion these fabrics look better, are more comfortable and will wear better than their synthetic counterparts. Often they're no more expensive, and with careful shopping they can actually be cheaper and longer-lasting.

Silk

For beautiful costume, there really is nothing to equal it. Advantages - vast range of available colours, comfortable, easy to work with, wears wonderfully. Disadvantages - can be expensive if you don't shop carefully. Often not machine washable.

For Dawnish gowns and surcotes, you're might start by looking for silk dupion, a slightly roughly woven fabric which is widely available. You shouldn't pay more than about £10 per metre, which makes your surcote surprisingly affordable at £20-30. Silk taffeta is generally more expensive, but you may prefer its smoother look to the slightly "slubby" dupion. Silk satin is almost exclusively a bridal fabric, and as such commands a premium. However, if you're lucky enough to find heavy silk satin on sale, it makes the ultimate in a luxurious statement.

In the Brass Coast, the loose, flowing gowns and elaborate veils are ideally suited to silk habotai, silk chiffon and silk georgette. These can often be expensive to buy in colours, but the great thing is that they are widely available cheaply for silk painting. You can dye them yourself very easily (use cold water or silk dyes for best results) to get some fantastic variagated colours in a pallette of your choosing to make some truly unique and wonderful costume.

Commonly called "raw" silks, silk matka and silk noil are rough textiles woven from the outer husk of the silk cocoon. They look a lot like coarse linen, but are wonderfully comfortable, machine washable and take dye perfectly. For a wandering minstrel's robe, a pious knight's cloak and surcote or a low status yeoman they're perfect, and are often cheaper than smoother silks.

Linen

Linen is the most 'historical' of the commonly available fabrics - its hard wearing and readily available.

Advantages - 'authentic', wears nicely, easy to sew, available in a variety of weights, generally not too expensive (£4-12 per metre), available in lots of colours, takes machine dye very well.

Disadvantages - very "crushy", needs pressing, needs pre-washed before sewing. You can get linen blends, where the fibres are mixed with other materials - linen/cotton blend is perfect and combines the advantages of both. Sometimes a polyester/linen blend looks just like the real thing but crushes less.

You can use linen almost anywhere in your costume - a good rule is to use the finer and lighter ones closer to your skin, and coarser ones the further out you go. In the "posher" countries such as Dawn and Brass Coast you might not want to use it for your top layer, as it can look a bit rustic unless you choose some vivid colours and trim it, in which case it looks fabulous.

Cotton

A great cheap fabric for kit. Like linen, wear the softer, lighter ones close to your skin, and the heavier ones as outerwear. Advantages - availalble in a huge range of colours, weights and textures, cheap, wears well, comforatable, cool in summer. Disadvantages - can look cheap and flimsy. Choose your cotton wisely!

I wouldn't tend to use lightweight cotton for a top layer - flimsy cotton tabards and cloaks are a bit of a cliche in larp costuming, and they can very rapidly look shabby. As an alternative to linen, you could try looking in charity shops for woolen blankets or heavy linen-look curtains - something with a bit more substance to it will look much better in the long term.

Wool

Wool was a staple of medieval costume, and you can get a wool fabric to suit any costume at all. It ranges from lightweight for ladies' gowns, mens doublets and hose, through medium weight into heavy wool melton, which is perfect for winter surcotes, houpellandes and cloaks. You can get polyester blends which are usually quite good, but check first to make sure they're not too plasticky. Lightweight silk/wool blends are wonderful if you can get your hands on them.

As a rule, it shrinks badly in the wash, so don't count on being able to machine wash things made of wool.

Velvet

Velvet is a catch all term for a napped fabric with a woven backing. You can get it in silk, cotton, rayon and other synthetics. Generally cotton velvet is the most affordable (£5-15 pm) and has the right weight for heavy gowns that look like they belong in the medieval period. Technically they used a silk velvet, but modern silk velvet is far lighter and more flowing than its historical antecedent, making it a perfect choice for soft, flowing, "elven" style gowns (almost all of Arwen's gowns in Lord of the Rings were made of it, for example). Rayon velvet looks nice and can be a good choice for a heavyweight gown, but one thing I've found is that it marks badly when it gets wet, and melts if you iron it. Be warned!

Stretch velvets are a bit of a mixed blessing - good ones can look like silk velvet and make fitting a bit easier. Look for ones with a rich, deep pile - ones that don't have much depth to them generally don't look great or wear very well. I personally don't like crushed stretch velvets as I've found they look a bit modern, are a bugger to work with and wear terribly.

Fur and fake fur

Fur trim or lining can look great, and is really cosy.

If you're adding fur trims, you can avoid pelts from animals kept in poor conditions in several ways;

- Faux furs can be an excellent substitute to real fur, but beware of cheap 'fun furs' which always look like nylon and matt together very quickly. Fabrics Online sell some excellent quality faux furs in various colours, lengths and patterns.

- Vintage furs are cheap and easily available online, from charity shops (you may have to ask for them) and from car boot sales. One coat can trim a range or garments and torn furs can be bought for a few pounds.

- Furs can also be bought after licensed culls of animals and you can be sure they have not been farmed.

- Finally, there are ethical furriers around. House of De Clifford are one who sell a huge range of products online. They can advise you on the provenance of their goods. Their coyote pelts, for example, are by-products of overpopulation culls, and make great substitutes for wolf-furs on cloaks.

Whether working with real or fake fur it's best to cut your pieces out on the wrong side, using a scalpel or razor blade - it stops you chopping into the fur fibres and looks nicer. It's still very messy, so you might want to put dust sheets down and consider wearing a mask (or youll be sneezing furry bits for days.)

Synthetic fibres

In my head, I divide these into three groups - blends, "true" synthetics, and rayon. A natural fabric blended with a bit of acrylic or polyester is generally ok- just check that it moves and behaves the way you want it to, doesn't look too plasticky and be wary that it might be a bit sweaty to wear. "True" synthetics - acrylic and polyester - are basically plastic. Think carefully before spending hours making costume out of something that might be as comfortable to wear as a bin bag. On the whole, they make you sweat, pick up static and look unconvincing. Of course, there are always exceptions - there are some lovely synthetic taffetas that I made a whole series of gowns in, which look and handle much like the vastly more expensive silks - but be careful, even they were pretty hot to wear, and I wouldn't want them against my skin. Rayon is a man-made fibre which is made of processed cotton, and it can actually be quite nice to work with and wear. If you find one, make sure it doesn't look or feel too synthetic, and you might well get a nice bargain.

A few fabrics that I avoid

Anything with much of a stretch. It might save you some effort on fitting, but it will sag and bag and eventually be unwearable. There are a few stretch velvets (NOT CRUSHED VELVET - SEE BELOW!) which fake up nicely as silk velvet, which I've made kit with some success, but generally anything I've used that's got too much lycra in it looks crap and wears badly.

Crushed velvet. I hate this stuff. It's been widely used in larpwear, and it looks lightweight and fake. Don't let me put you off it you want to try it, or you get a great bargain on some - I'd love to be proved wrong. But I've seen it done badly too many times (usually by me!) not to pass on a warning.

Anything with an obviously modern print, or very synthetic colours. Aniline dyes were a late invention, so anything neon, acid green, synthetic pinks just look wrong. There were lots of bright hues available in the middle ages - a good rule of thumb is don't use a colour you wouldn't see in nature, and you won't go far wrong.

In a nutshell...

Getting good fabric is all about shopping around. Take a mate who sews with you the first few times - tell them what you're trying to make, and they'll be an invaluable source of advice and support. Don't be afraid to ask the shop assistants for advice, too - they're a great source of information, and like crack dealers, they want to get you hooked on their product. The best way of doing that is facilitating your early projects. Costuming is addictive. You have been warned.

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A Kallivesi Costume Diary

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Kallavesi Mystic Part 1 - Design

- 1.1 Concept & Inspiration

- 1.2 Planned kit

- 1.2.1 What have I got already?

- 1.2.2 Tunics

- 1.2.3 Cloaks

- 1.2.4 Headdress

- 1.3 (Not) Sketching

Kallavesi Mystic Part 1 - Design

By James Fishwick

In the same vein as the Marcher Costume Diary, on this page I’m going to explain how I’m making my Kallavesi Mystic kit, from design to construction to finished product. I’m going to be mixing new and old pieces of costume, to produce a new and distinctive character’s look.Once I’ve finished I might also make some spare back-up Wintermark kit, just in case I die... Suaq kit sounds lots of fun!

Concept & Inspiration

When I first read the Wintermark brief I really loved the idea of a Kallavesi Mystic- a shaman, wearing a big headdress and tattered cloak, covered in fetishes, speaking in riddles and spitting curses at his enemies. As the rules aren’t out yet, I’m not sure if I’ll end up as a priest or a magic-user or a combination of the two, so I’ll try not to make the kit too specific one way or the other. Visually I want to emphasis the Raven look, so I’m planning on quite stark black kit - especially a big black cloak. Beyond that colour choice I want to stick as close to brief as practical. To plan my look I started by looking through the pages on Wintermark Costume and the Wintermark look and feel. The main costume points that leapt out at me were:

- Thigh-length tunic over trousers

- Ragged cloak, either semi-circular or a front-split rectangular poncho

- Unhemmed rough checked wool, linen, fur - drab colours, greys and blacks

- Layers, more primitive / Iron Age, less tailored

- Belts covered in pouches and so on are good

- Feathers, beads, fetishes, animal headdress

I’ve also been looking at the Holt Hyrde Pinterest Board, which is especially useful for headdress ideas.

Planned kit

What have I got already?

From my random kit box I’ve already got some pretty suitable dark brown striped wool trousers, and some plain black (although aged & muddy, so more like brown) leather ankle boots. I’ve also got plain brown leather belts & pouches and a plain heavy cream canvas shoulder bag, which I’ve used lots of Odyssey, so I’ve got places to store my IC & OOC money, phone, car keys, etc. Finally from my Maelstrom Native kit I’ve got lots of bead necklaces - some are too plastic or bright to work for the Kallavesi, but the wooden beads will be great. I might replace some of this stuff with Empire-specific kit in the future marked with the runes, perhaps?), but for now I’ve got a good base to build on.

Tunics

If I’m wearing a rough wool tunic, I want a linen or cotton undertunic as well. But I’m very aware of how warm those layers could be in summer, so I want to make the tunic not too massive. Adding extra layers will help in cooler weather, but I want kit that I can wear in the height of summer and still look good! So I think I’ll go with a sleeveless tunic, in a Roman/Celtic style. I’m going to make it from some lovely black and white checked wool that I bought from Bernie the Bolt. The sleeveless tunic style has four main advantages over a full T-tunic:

- It’s easier to make - it’s just two rectangles!

- It’s got that primitive / Iron Age feel that sets Kallavesi apart from Steinr and Suaq.

- It’s cooler, for summer wear, as it has no arms. In cold weather I can add a thick cloak, or maybe later make a T-tunic.

- I’ve already got a Roman-style armless calico under-tunic in my Odyssey kit (bought from Ceolred Monger), so I just need to add the wool tunic and I’ll be done. Calico is undyed cotton - not quite linen, but it’s a natural fibre so it’s close. Of course, it’d also be easy to make my own undertunic at a later date. But I’m lazy, so if I have a perfectly good one I may as well reuse it.

Cloaks

As well as the tunics I need to make my cloaks. These need to be big, ragged and layered. I want at least one warm layer in there, but it needs to be removeable for the summer. So I’m thinking of a black cotton layer as the base (again linen would be better, but I have an old duvet cover that I could use for free..), with a black fully feathered mantle and, for bad weather, a dark wool layer or two? I’ll probably be consulting and adapting the costume guide on making a furry mantle!

Headdress

Finally, of course, there’s the headdress and fetishes. I’m collecting useful bits for these from ebay (crow’s feet, feathers, bird skulls, evil eye beads...) This is definitely the least developed part of my plan so far, but I think I want the headdress to be more of a hat than a mask - so I could go for an elaborate face-painted lineage if I wanted. I also want to avoid drawing too much from any particular real world culture - partly to avoid causing offense, partly because this is my chance to fantasy it up!

(Not) Sketching

At this stage the sensible thing would be to draw a sketch of my costume. But I’m rubbish at drawing, and I’m planning on experimenting with the shape of the cloak and the headdress as I go along. This may go horribly wrong, but I prefer a more organic design process (i.e. I’m lazy).

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Alabaster Cerement

Description

The power of this enchanted robe is to grant a devout wearer a great reserve of inner strength; they bank the fires of mortality, helping the wearer to endure pain and suffering that might overwhelm and kill other people. Also called variously a martyr's shroud, a gravedigger's coat and a widow's (or widower's) gown these robes are modelled after the shrouds used to wrap the dead in Highguard and several other nations. In contrast with many other enchanted robes they tend to be sombre, with limited decoration. The cloth is bleached with beggar's lye, toughened with ambergelt, reinforced with dragonbone and finally embroidered with delicate weltsilver threads. Outside the Brass Coast they are rarely coloured, being commonly left white rather than any other shade.

Among the Freeborn, by stark contrast, they are usually dyed a deep red or yellow colour, and the sleeves and hems are much more likely to be ornamented with tiny gemstones. Here they are called flickering shrouds; while their association with death is not denied, it is celebrated rather than mourned.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this robe you gain three ranks of fortitude provided that you are dedicated or anointed

- Materials: Crafting an alabaster cerement requires seven measures of beggar's lye, six measures of ambergelt, three ingots of weltsilver and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Alderei the Fair

Over centuries the Volodny kept their feud alive through malign curses and spiteful sabotage. Shortly before the time of the First Empress, they launched a devastating attack against the Varushkans. While the Volodny themselves refused to use steel, they gave their support to a boyar called Alderei the Fair. Alderei raised an army and sought to unite the entire nation under his rulership, with the intention of leading this new nation to conquer the rest of humankind. Alderei was not afraid to use steel, and swept down from the north crushing everything in his path. Whenever a settlement fell to his army, he gave the survivors a simple choice “join me, or die.” To join Alderei required submission to the iron fist of a tyrant who would brook no argument, and tolerate no failure.

Many joined Alderei because, whatever else he did, he drove the monsters before his armies and protected those who swore allegiance to him from the darkness. To do this however required the aid of the Volodny and they took a terrible price from Alderei’s supporters in blood and flesh, which they used to propitiate the dark powers and fuel the boyar tyrant's armies with their malign sorceries.

It seemed certain that the Varushkans would be united under the banner of Alderei; the people lacked a unified central authority capable of resisting the conquering boyar. According to legend, a gathering of wise ones took place at this time to discuss what could be done to stem the seemingly unstoppable tide washing down from the north. The gathering lasted for a full lunar month, and eventually came down to a decision between two very different yet hauntingly similar courses of action.

The first course was to compromise with Alderei and march beneath his banner, to create a great thousand-year Empire and to offer the dark powers the sacrifices they craved. The other was to seek external aid – the Navarr had brought news of a gathering to the south where a new way of life was being discussed, one of unity rather than subjugation. In the end the wise ones took a delegation to this meeting, while the remaining free boyars who refused to accept Alderei’s yoke fought desperately against the tyrannical boyar's forces.

After days of negotiation, the wise ones agreed that Varushkans would join the nascent Empire in return for aid in defeating Alderei and his Volodny conspirators. A great host formed of the armies of the other nations rode into Varushka to relieve the besieged boyars. With the aid of ritual magicians from Urizen the power of the Volodny was matched and broken. The boyar himself was slain by the heroic Marcher general Tom Drake (who lost his life in the process), and several of the Volodny met their final ends as their army fell apart.

The body of Alderei was never recovered and at his execution one of the captured Volodny gave a prophecy saying that one day in the future the dark king would return and take vengeance for this defeat, shattering the Empire as he had once shattered Varushka.

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Alderman's Edge

Description

These items often take the form of chains of orichalcum and gold, from which hangs an oval medallion inlaid with tempest jade. They are often used by Marcher Aldermen to bolster their defences, allowing traders and artisans to fight alongside trained bill fighters.

In other parts of the Empire they are often called Homefire Guardians and are used to allow civilians to protect their homes from invaders. These items more commonly take the form of simple rings or bracers of orichalcum and gold, inlaid with tempest jade in the form of symbols of vigilance (such as geese in Varushka), runes such as Ophis, Feresh or Jotra, or heraldic beasts such as gryphons.

Rules

- Form: Jewellry (Talisman)

- Effect: While wearing this piece of jewellry you gain the weapon master skill.

- Materials: Crafting an alderman's edge requires eight ingots of tempest jade and three ingots of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Sir Orly squared his shoulders and held his spine as straight as possible while balancing on the slick surface of the fallen log. Lady Gwendoline couldn't see it, but his cheeks were flushed red with embarrassment beneath his visored helm. He'd never expected her to come here. In his wildest fantasies, perhaps, she'd finally given some sign of returning his ardour; maybe a silk scarf or a lock of her golden hair as a sign of favour, but he'd never expected to see her here in this dank marsh.

She smiled, and it was a smile that could melt a pound of butter in midwinter. "It's Sir Orly, isn't it?"

"You, ... your ladyship. I.. I...er...wasn't expecting to see you. Out here, I mean."

She twirled a delicate finger through the necklace of green stones that spilled down over her generous bosom - the same sparkling green as her eyes, he noted. "Oh, come now, Sir Orly." she admonished, "This is the test the Earl set for our marriage, is it not? Shouldn't I take an interest in a potential suitor?"

"On my honour, he made me swear to guard this bridge against all comers for three days, my lady. I've sent sir Dregan and a few village boys packing already. By morning I'll have completed the task. Not that it's a burden, or anything..." He looked at his feet, blushing once more.

She seemed to choose her next words carefully. "Orly, that's very sweet, but you might have done well to ask me first. The truth is that I already have a lover, and no interest in marriage besides."

This was all wrong! She was a sweet, virginal bloom, a tender young maiden. She couldn't be saying these words. "Who?" he snarled. "I'll gut him, I'll have his head, I'll eat his heart for breakfast!"

She smiled serenely again as she casually foraged a fallen branch from the bushes by the side of the stream, "You probably would, too, wouldn't you? Quite good at violence by all accounts. Dregan still hasn't woken up from that beating you gave him. Very well, my hero - come here and receive my embrace."

His instincts were telling him that something was wrong, but his passion overwhelmed them and he move forwards, arms outstretched for the kiss he'd been yearning for so long. Suddenly her arms whipped the heavy branch around with all the speed and skill of a trained warrior, striking him full in the side of the helm with a sickening crunch. For second he swayed, then collapsed towards the foaming stream. At the last instant he managed to get one hand into a knothole on the log's surface, although it almost wrenched his arm from its socket. He looked up as she stepped daintily along the log until she was above his hand.

"Help me!" he cried, "We are meant to be together! It's destiny!"

"Not in this lifetime, I'm afraid, Orly" she said as she brought the branch down on his fingers with all her strength.

Later that night as Lady Gwendoline celebrated her freedom, her lover handed her a glass of wine and asked "Did the jewels you asked for bring you pleasure, my lady?"

Gwendoline laughed lustily, "My dear Signeura, you have no idea..."

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Aldones di Sarvos

There is only one true insult you can offer to a citizen of our League – 'unremarkable'

Virtue

Aldones di Sarvos was recognised as a Paragon of Ambition by the Imperial Synod in 23 YE.

Biography

Aldones di Sarvos is both the founder of the League and a Paragon of Ambition. According to legend he began life as an orphan before becoming the most powerful merchant prince of the city of Sarvos. As one of the earliest supporters of the First Empress and one of the the richest men in the world at that time, his silver flowed everywhere the Empress and her troops went. Early on, Aldones recognised a clear problem; while he and his fellow Sarvossians considered themselves the most civilised people in the world, a single city could not compare with the power of the nations that were drawn to the Empress' banner.

Demonstrating his great vision and pragmatism when it came to achieving his goals, he met with his fiercest rival, the Merchant Prince Barrell of Tassato, and with Maria Ivanova, Boyar of Temeschwar. He introduced them to the Empress, and together they persuaded the two that their future lay with the Empire. In private meetings following the more public meeting with the Empress, Aldones convinced the other two that as the greatest cities of the world, they had more in common with each other than with the nations that surrounded them. He persuaded them to join together into a single League and thereby create an entirely new nation.

Several years after the foundation of the Empire, Aldones took Imperial Liao. He received a potent vision of which he would not speak but the priest he had a chosen to accompany him, Bishop Catertina de Sarvos, indiscreetly revealed the truth of the matter; Aldones had received a vision of having been the Highborn cultural hero, Atuman the Navigator. This caused an immediate uproar in the Synod, because it made it impossible for Atuman himself to have attained Paragonhood.

The political furore that ensued badly damaged Aldones' plans but grudgingly the Synod were forced to agree that Atuman must have been an Exemplar, and accept that Aldones was at least as virtuous as the founder of Highguard - both had created new nations out of nothing. For the rest of his life, Aldones attempted to downplay this revelation as much as he could - he took no pleasure in it, and stated several times that the revelation of the true liao had been "a tree that bore only bitter fruit" and that he "had aimed for sky but hit the sun".

He disappeared from history shortly after a keynote speech to the newly-united League. Some maintain that he transcended at the defining moment of his greatest success. Others maintain that he simply stepped back into the shadows, refusing to become a figurehead for his new nation, and continued to observe the League from behind the scenes. Historians and theologians are divided on the matter.

For many citizens of the League Aldones represents an aspiration to be "all that you can be." Historical reports say he never stopped trying to improve himself, and by doing so inspired those around him to do the same. The list of his many accomplishments appears excessive - he was recognised as a skilled swordsman, general, poet, painter, sculptor, actor, economic theorist, playwright and politican who demonstrated extensive education in history and the arts. He famously said that "talent is no substitute for hard work", and spent most of his spare time training his body or studying to improve his mind.

His private life is largely a closed book, but he is often quoted as saying "surround yourself with exceptional people, and make them love you." His cadre of friends, allies and supporters are often seen as the blueprint for the guilds that form the basis of League society. The son of his fiercest rival, later one of his closest friends, Giovanni di Tassato, went on to succeed the First Empress to the Imperial Throne, and claimed several times that he was inspired to make the sweeping reforms he enacted by the example of Aldones.

Signs

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A League Costume Diary

Contents

- 1 Dressing a Bravo

- 1.1 Part 1 - Planning and Design

- 1.1.1 IC and OC Practical considerations

- 1.1.2 Breakdown, layer by layer

- 1.1.3 Accessories

- 1.1.4 Fabric and materials

- 1.1.5 So what do I need?

- 1.1.6 Fabric

- 1.2 Part 2- Making it

- 1.2.1 The Pattern

- 1.2.2 Garment 1: Under-hose

- 1.2.3 Mistake 1: sewing the wrong side out

- 1.2.4 Improvement: the gusset

- 1.2.5 Stitching up

- 1.2.5.1 Handy Tip from Helly

- 1.2.6 Improvement 2: Lining the waistband

- 1.2.7 Problem 2: Feet

- 1.2.8 Garment 2: Outer Hose

- 1.2.9 Problem: My poor decision making

- 1.2.10 Marking out the slashes

- 1.2.11 Stitching Up Again

- 1.2.12 Cutting the Slashes

- 1.2.13 Codpiece and Gussets

- 1.2.14 Pointing

- 1.2.15 Final adjustments

- 1.2.16 Possible shortcut

- 1.3 The Doublet

- 1.3.1 Stage 1: The Body

- 1.3.2 Sleeves

- 1.3.3 Putting it together

- 1.3.4 Finishing, slashing and gathering

- 1.3.5 Problem: Too Much Enthusiasm

- 1.3.6 Sleeve Fashions

- 1.3.7 Bright Idea: Reinforcing while Hemming

- 1.4 Making a League Hat: The Dockenbaret

- 1.4.1 Stage 1: Hatband

- 1.4.2 Stage 2: Beret

- 1.4.3 Problem 1: Underestimating the enemy

- 1.4.4 Stage 3: Beret Revisited

- 1.4.5 Stage 4: Decorative loops

Dressing a Bravo

by Tim Baker

Part 1 - Planning and Design

Before I started I had a solid idea that I wanted my character to be a League bravo. He is going to be a professional soldier and instructor, with an interest in studying sword fighting as a science.

One of the key appeals of the League is the inspiration provided by the colourful outfits of late medieval mercenaries. Particularly the slashed doublets and hose of the Landsknechts.

What really sold me on the project was reading about those people and how they came to wear the clothes they did. If, like me, you have little knowledge of needlework and find the whole idea really intimidating, then this may be the project for you. Landsknechts were brutal professional soldiers with very limited tailoring skills. The fancy slashing is not just for show- it is to make up for the fact they didn’t really know how to sew.

Borrowed books and Google image searches turned up a lot of useful inspiration. I also came across a pattern I fancied using, which had got some good reviews from people I felt were reliable. I’ve never used a pattern before, but then I’ve also never taken on a major sewing project either (I’ve tried embroidery and leatherwork, but the most complex thing I’ve sewn until now has been a tabard).

Accessorising the costume will add some unique touches, but to start with I wanted to try making the key garments, particularly the ‘wams and hosen’ (doublet and hose).

IC and OC Practical considerations

The obvious starting point is that I like to play physically active characters and tend to be hard-wearing on my kit. Nothing in this costume should ever make me hesitate before jumping into a muddy ditch or pushing through a hedge.

I also want to be able to sit in a chair down at the tavern, sprawling comfortably. This should not be a costume that only works when standing elegantly like a courtier.

As of writing, I still don’t know what weapons or armour I want to use on the battlefield. My guiding principle here is that if the costume is based on a historical one, it’ll probably work just fine with whatever I settle on.

One great thing about late medieval mercenaries is that they were really well documented (relatively). Flamboyant costumes contrast with practical and brutal lifestyles. These were people who were ordered to have ‘regulation length’ pikes, but who invariably sawed four feet off the end to make them easier to carry. People who were notorious brawlers and thugs, but whose style influenced fashion across a continent.

The main consideration this gives me is quite a convenient one: nothing I’m carrying should be utterly impractical. These bravos are not the armoured knights of Dawn who might change clothes completely before battle, don padding, then carefully strap on each piece of plate. Rather than separate padding, a landsknecht might own a ‘ledergollar’- a leather waistcoat that could be either light armour in its own right or padding for a breastplate. Otherwise I should be ready to fight in the clothes I’m swaggering around in. All of that fits well with the kind of character I have in mind.

The slashing in the fabric achieves two purposes. For one, it allows someone with no taste or restraint to show off their gaudy colours. Secondly, it allows movement. A skilled tailor can make hose which sit very tight but allow you flexibility. The slashing lets you move even in hose that were made by a ham-fisted thug (like me!).

A final practical point is that I want to be comfortable in all weathers, so options for making this cooler or warmer are ideal.

Breakdown, layer by layer

On my legs I plan to wear slashed hosen. There will be two layers. One pair of tight fitting hose underneath, which will not be slashed. Over the top will be a second pair of hose, with the slashes to show the pair underneath.

For my torso, I will be wearing a doublet. This will have a wide neck (I often think these wide necklines, rather than a close fitting collar, are an iconic feature that sets this outfit apart from an earlier medieval look), to show the shirt underneath. This doublet will have an option to lace on a rectangle of richer material over the chest, called a brustfleck. When reading up on the costume I saw that the brustfleck was often made of something expensive which a landsknecht had taken as plunder, to show their success in battle. I feel this fits the character, so decided to add it in.

Once the rest are made, I plan to work on a ledergollar, partially so I can have some lightweight brawling and training armour and partially to pad my breastplate if I choose to wear one. However, this will have to wait until the doublet is done to be able to measure it up.

For footwear, I am currently undecided. Once hose are complete I will see how different options look. The pattern allows for the hose to have integral feet, which works well with a classic 1500s lightweight shoe, but I tried some on and found them less than comfortable. Once the hose are done I’ll try some options.

Accessories

There are a few things which leap out from the League brief and historical inspirations. One I am keen to try is tying ribbons around my limbs. This is to serve a dual purpose of decoration and also holding folds in the fabric in place at key places around my joints.

A mask motif might also make an appearance- I like the idea of having a mask hanging from the belt, ready for use if needed (this is entirely the fault of Ian Andrews’ book ‘The Pearls That Were His Eyes’).

Fabric and materials

This is an important bit. Hose need to be cut on the bias to give them enough stretch when you move. However, landsknechts did not hem the slashes in their clothing- they just used fabric which would not fray when it was cut.

Therefore I have gone for some different types of wool for this outfit. The first pair of hose, worn next to my skin, are of a soft blue wool with a lot of stretch (£8/m), bought from Herts Fabrics. The hose on top, which will be slashed, are of a heavier black wool (£11/m), a melton type, bought from Anne Laverick. Tests with the black wool confirm that it does not need hemming and will not fray, but does not stretch as much as the blue.

For the doublet I will be using the same wools, although the properties are not as critical here. Having said that, the heavier wool will be ideal if I want to wear plate armour on my upper arms, seen quite often in illustrations.

For the brustfleck I’ve bought a small deer skin (15 Euros) from a re-enactment market near Paris. This will be the lining and give it a lot of depth- thus achieving the desired look of a manly, well developed chest. To line the ledergollar I will either be using silk (Herts Fabrics, £5/m when he was having a sale some years back) or linen, with a very soft leather cover (Lyon Leathers). The key here is that the collar will be against my neck and I don’t want it to chafe. Keith Lyon provided valuable advice here and was very worth speaking to.

So what do I need?

Fabric

Part 2- Making it

The Pattern

I am using a pattern by Reconstructing History- ‘RH502, Landsknecht Wams and Hosen’ bought from Paul Meekins Books for £24. Thus far, worth every penny.

My starting point here is as someone who cannot easily use a sewing machine and doesn’t really know any stitching techniques- my method to date has been ‘go in-and-out until it hopefully stays together’. Thankfully, the RH pattern book also has clear and easy instructions on how to do some useful types of stitches. As a small confession, I’m slightly scared of needles, which puts me off sewing machines and is one reason I’m hand sewing everything (I am happier when I feel I can control the evil thing). On the bright side, this is allowing me to pay particular attention to key areas where I know the fabric will be stressed.

Thus far I am finding the pattern is not perfect, but I’d be shocked if it was, but seems to be making what seemed like an intimidating task quite manageable.

Garment 1: Under-hose

First off, I used some grease-proof paper to trace out a copy of the pattern pieces. Not being confident in my skills, I don’t want to ruin the original by cutting it up.

Once this was done, I laid the pattern out on my fabric, sitting diagonally across it (on the bias). This is done to ensure you will get as much stretch as posisble. Despite not having made a pair of hose before, I’ve been wearing them at re-enactment for more than 18 years now and the most common problem is them tearing across the crotch. Knowing this, I plan to try and stop it happening by every means possible.

One leg cut out. At this stage they don't look recognisible as anything.

A carpenter once told me ‘measure twice, cut once’. That is worth applying here. Once your pattern is laid out, draw around it on the fabric with dressmakers chalk. When you cut around it, remember to leave about half an inch all around as a seam allowance. You can always cut more off later if you make it too big.

A key feature of these hose is where they sit on your waist. Modern trousers usually come up to around your belly button, while the more common mid-15th Century hose sit very low- barely covering your bum when standing. These landsknecht hose come up much higher, with the top almost up to your ribcage. I am guessing that this might have been to make their legs look longer, but really have no concrete idea.

As another word of advice, bear in mind that the leg seams on hose do not sit in the place you would expect with modern trousers. Rather than a seam up each side of the leg, you have just one seam running up the back.

The pattern gives you a choice of two ways to do your seam, with either what they call a ‘classic seam’ or a ‘slanted Italianate seam’. I chose to go with the former, as it looked easier.

Having cut out twice around the pattern (once each way up), the next stage is to pin them and have a look at how they fit around your legs, then pin the two sections together. A friend to help you in invaluable here. Once they are pinned in approximately the right place, loosely stitch them together.

Wearing the hose inside out to be able to adjust the seams.

For this stage, I was just wearing them inside out, so I could see all the seams. It was also the stage where I made my first big mistake.

Mistake 1: sewing the wrong side out

I had sewn up each leg and they seemed to be fitting well. I then started to sew the two legs together. When I tried them on again, I realised that I had stitched the crotch seam the wrong way around, so if the seams on the legs were hidden that one would show, or vice-versa. There was nothing for it but to unpick that seam and do it again. Still, it didn’t take long and was a good exercise in why it is worth doing a rubbishy loose stitch first, then going over it with a better one when you are sure the fit is right.

However, I did take this opportunity to make what I consider to be an improvement to the pattern. Time will show if I am right

Improvement: the gusset

At the bottom of each ankle you need to make two small slits (one each side, over the knobbly bits of bone that stick out). These slits allow you to insert triangles (gussets), which thus slightly flare the bottom few inches of the material and make it fit better over your feet.

To be honest, I was having a bit of a whine about this bit, as it seemed like extra work for marginal benefit. Having done so though, I recommend doing the same and they do fit better and it didn’t take long. If you are making hose which cover your feet this bit is particularly important, but I’d do it either way.

Anyway, having cut out four triangular gussets anyway, I spontaneously decided to cut out a fifth one, slightly larger than the others. Bearing in mind how often I have seen hose split across the crotch before, I added this extra gusset between the legs. It isn’t in the pattern, but it should add a bit of extra room to maneuver. A 10 minute job that adds a lot of confidence to the end result.

Here you can see both the triangular gusset I’ve added to allow movement between the legs and the linen insert peeking out of the waistband where it has been stitched in to add strength.

Stitching up

Once I was comfortable everything was about right, I did my final stitching together. For most of the back of the legs I just used a conventional [running stitch], although trying to keep the stitches small for neatness and strength. However, for the crotch seams and gussets I used another seam (with instructions from the pattern book)- the [backstitch]. This is a dead easy stitch to do, but seems really strong and good for reinforcing those vulnerable areas.

One other decision I made may have been slightly bizarre, but we’ll see if it worked out: to stitch the seams I used a large-ish needle and embroidery thread (as in, several strands, not just a single piece), rather than cotton. This was another choice to try and increase the strength of the seams. (Note from Jude: using multiple strands of thread can strengthen your seam though embroidery floss can snap readily, especially when wet. Other extra strong options include linen thread, extra-strong top stitching thread and cobbler's thread. Stitching your seam twice is another option. You might also want to hem or oversew the raw edges of your fabric to stop them unravelling, as even the strongest thread can be let down if it's the fabric that gives way.)

[[File:tim4.jpg|300px|thumb|left|Needle with embroidery thread.

Handy Tip from Helly

By sheer luck, the excellent Helly Bean happened to be down when I started this project. She is a much more experienced seamstress and offered a really useful bit of advice: when lining up your seams, be careful not to stretch one side of the material more than the other. if you do, it will distort the fabric. I have tried to follow this throughout the process by carefully smoothing out the material before I sew, to ensure both sides are lying naturally so there is no distortion.

Improvement 2: Lining the waistband

This is something else I decided to do based on my experience of wearing hose at re-enactment. Hose are normally laced to the doublet, which holds them up. However, the points where you have laced them can come under a hell of a lot of strain when you are moving, especially if you are active. Many are the times when I have been fighting and felt a lace go ‘ping’ deep under my armour and known there is now nothing holding my hose and nothing I can do about it either.

Worse than a lace snapping is if the material of the doublet or hose tears. Then you can’t just put a new lace in and the repair is a real swine to do in the field. To try and prevent this, I folded over the wool at the top of the hose to make a waistband. Between the two layers of wool I inserted a heavy linen strip, then sewed it in. Hopefully this will stop it tearing if I roll around the place.

Problem 2: Feet

I was in two minds as to whether to make feet for these hose, but decided to give it a try. It was when I had cut out and pinned the soles that I discovered a problem: when the feet were attached, it tended to pull the hose down and make the crotch sag. Not much, but just enough that it might make them more prone to tearing.

Thus the current plan is to remove the spats (top of foot) and just make them hose without feet, as these will most likely be covered by boots anyway.

Here you can see the seam running up the back of the legs, as well as the unusually high waist..

Garment 2: Outer Hose

If you don’t plan to wear slashed hose, these are unnecessary. You just wear the under-hose as a complete garment. However, whichever pair is on the outside will need a codpiece.

For these, I started in the same way as with the under-hose. However, they need to be slightly bigger in order to fit on top.

Problem: My poor decision making

When I bought the material, I had a very limited choice of colours. This was primarily because I was being very picky about the physical characteristics of the fabric (stretch, resistance to fraying etc). I also wanted a contrast between the outer and inner layers.

Thus I decided to make my outer layer black, with something colourful on the inside. It was only when I came to start sewing that I realised the obvious problem. Black thread against a dense black fabric is really, really hard to see properly. Thus I found sewing this to be a bit slower than sewing up the blue under-hose. Still, if you want black it shouldn’t stop you- just be aware it may take a few minutes longer.

Marking out the slashes

At this stage, before sewing the seams up the back of the legs, you are supposed to put in the slashes where you want them. This stage takes a bit of planning, as it will affect the finished look. Again, the pattern book is invaluable here, as it gives some good advice. In particular, using a spare off-cut of fabric to do some testing. Normally I am the kind of person who doesn’t bother with such things (like not testing hair dye on a patch of my skin before using it), as I’m too impatient. In this case I was glad I did. My first couple of slashes into the test fabric went slightly awry before I got the knack for cutting straight, but very quickly it got easier. For the sake of five minutes and a bit of throwaway material this was very worthwhile.

However, I chose to deviate from the pattern book a bit at this stage. Because I want my hose to be fairly tight to my legs, I didn’t want the slashes in before I had stitched them. That way they would be very close fitting and the slashes would add extra flexibility. Thus I marked with chalk where I wanted the slashes, but held off cutting them in until the next stage was done.

The pattern book offers several options for types of slashing you can use at this stage. To be quite frank I didn’t fully understand all of them, so went for the one it said was most common and where it was clearest what to do- alternating horizontal and vertical slashing.

Stitching Up Again

The pattern book had advised that the best way to get your seams right was to loosely sew them up using a ‘basting stitch’. This is just a really quick and dirty way of sewing where the stitches are about half an inch apart. Very little strength to it and you’d never rely on it to hold clothing together (unless you wanted to be undressed while fighting for comic effect). For the under-hose I hadn’t bothered, because the wool was lighter, so pins seemed to do an OK job of holding it together while I worked out where the proper seam should go. However, the outer hose are made of the heavy, fray-resisting, melton wool- pins fall out under the weight far too easily. Here the basting stitches were a god-send, because they allowed me to try the hose on, mark a few places where they needed tightening with dressmakers chalk, then do the final stitching. In hindsight, it was so much easier that I probably should have followed the pattern’s advice for both pairs.

Cutting the Slashes

Now that the legs were stitched up and I was happy with the fit, I started to cut in the slashes. Slightly slowed down by the compulsion to try them on once the first leg was done.

First look suggests that I could have put more slashing in each row, but to start with I held back a bit on the basis that you could always cut more later, but you couldn’t take it back. Initially I used scissors to cut in the slashes, but soon found that a sharp knife was quicker and gave much better control.

Codpiece and Gussets

Having what now looks largely like a pair of hose, once again I added a gusset between the legs and this time made up a codpiece. For the codpiece, I chose to make it out of two layers of wool, with the liner being the same blue as the inner hose. My thinking was the slash the black outer to show the blue, but thus far it doesn’t seem to really work, in that because the codpiece flexes less than the legs, the blue doesn’t show through.

The codpiece was where I found the greatest number of problems in the whole project. The pattern suggests options for having a single thickness of material, lining the codpiece or even for padding it(!). I chose lining as I tend to think lining makes garments look like much better quality, while padding would have been a whole different statement than I wanted to make for the character. However, my choice soon proved fraught with problems. Once I had the codpiece stitched on, I immediately found the material was bunching up between my legs. To make a lined codpiece, I'd laid the two layers of material atop another, then stitched them flat. Having done this, I turned them inside out so the rough edges of the fabric and the stitches wouldn't show. This looked neat, but had the side effect of making the edges bulky. Stitched into the gusset between the legs, the effect was amplified and felt frankly ridiculous as well as uncomfortable- a huge wedge of material between the upper thighs. In practice I’m not sure it was visible, but it had to go.

My eventual fix was to unstitch the bottom half of the codpiece and cut away the liner, so only the front section is lined. It is now more comfortable, but still has the lined appearance.

Pointing

To make everything stay on, a series of reinforced holes (points) had to be made in the hose. These are where they will be laced to the doublet to hold them up, as well as how the codpiece will be held in place and the flies held together. It is probably the most laborious part of the job, although not complicated. A minimum of 14 holes will be needed, probably more. Each of those has to be made by pushing something round like a thick awl through the material to make a round hole, then sewing around and around the edge to keep it open and strengthen it to stop laces tearing through the fabric. It is important when making the hole not to cut the fabric, as that will make it fray or tear, but to push the fibres apart around whatever tool you are using.

The problem here is that they can take about five to ten minutes each, even with a bit of practice, which equates to a lot of very dull sewing. It’s worth doing though, to make the hose last longer and more comfortable- just get a couple of good dvds to watch for an evening.

Final adjustments

Trying the hose on properly, it was obvious that the top of both leg seams needed tightening. Being too loose, especially with such a high waist, made my backside look massive. This was trivially fixed though. It is also apparent that I could stand to extend some of the slashes to make the colour more visible.

Trying them on

Possible shortcut

It occured to me after I made the under hose that I could have cheated to save a lot of time by wearing a pair of coloured leggings under the wool outer hose, rather than the under-hose, since their primary purpose is to provide splashes of colour seen through the slashes. If you are on a budget, this may also save money (two metres of good wool will almost always cost a lot more than a pair of cheap leggings).

The Doublet

You may be pleased to hear that my conclusion after making the doublet was that it was comparatively easy. Whereas the hose required a bit of fiddly fitting to get right, the doublet just seemed to come together and where problems occurred they were trivially fixed.

Stage 1: The Body

There are two possible doublet patterns included in the book from Reproducing History, called Open or Closed Wams. I chose Closed Wams, which look more like a modern jacket.

The doublet is lined in wool. I was running low on the blue wool I used for my under hose, so decided to line the body in black, as it would not be slashed in any case.

The liner and outer section are each made up of three sections- back and two halves of the front. Once they are cut out, the pieces are stitched together at the sides, as shown below.

The inner and outer are then layed one on top of the other and most of the hems are stitched up. I chose to stitch them up all around the outside except for the very bottom hem and the tops of the two thin sections you can see on the photo above where the front shoulders will attach to the back. Once these have been stitched, the entire garment is turned inside out, hiding the seams. The reason I left the tops of the shoulders untitched was that having turned the garment the right side out, you tend to find the corners and smaller pieces bulge a lot where the seams are now bulking out the inside. This can distort the shape. When the shoulders were joined up it hid the edges anyway, but let it sit flat.

Overall the body was pretty simple to put together. However, I still left the bottom hem open so as not to close my options until I had finished the sleeves.

Sleeves

Cutting these out was dead easy- the sleeves for Closed Wams are huge rectangles, slightly shaped at one end. If you are working from the same pattern as me, note that the sleeves are one half of the full pattern- you will need to mirror it over the line marked ‘fold’.

The sleeve, halfway through basting the lining and outer together- not a complicated pattern!

As with the body, I cut out the liner and outer, this time using the blue for the lining again. Lay one atop the other and use a quick basting stitch to hold them together. This doesn’t serve any structural purpose for the finished garment, but makes sewing it all together much easier. The whole sleeve is then folded in half, with the lining on the outside, and back-stitched down the long side. With that, the basic sleeve is done and just needs attaching and finishing.

Putting it together

The body section is turned inside out, with the sleeve turned right way out laid inside it- so that the seam won’t show. I then back stitched the sleeve in place. This was a bit time consuming, partially because it is a little fiddly and partially because the sleeve was larger than the hole so needed a couple of pleats put in. If you take a moment to think about how the pleat will sit when the body it turned right-side out, you can decide which way you want the fold to lie.

Finishing, slashing and gathering

The most important part of finishing the sleeve is gathering the wrist, which will make the garment wearable (as you can see from the photo below, until it is gathered the sleeve just swamps your arm).

The sleeve on the left is half finished- slashed and gathered at the wrist- while the one on the right is untouched. You can also see the square neckline and high waist.

One thing which the pattern does not talk about is how to achieve some of the alternate sleeve styles. Thus I did a bit of experimentation and some making it up as I went along. From the picture above, you can see that you could choose to stop at the stage where you have gathered the wrist and slashed.

Problem: Too Much Enthusiasm

Being KEEN to make the garment wearable so I could try it on, I gathered one sleeve first. Having done this I learned a useful lesson, which is that it is far easier to do the slashing and gathering higher up the sleeve if you haven’t gathered the wrist, making that end hard to access.

This is the basic sleeve with no slashing.

For the second sleeve, I used dress makers chalk to mark out where I wanted to put the slashes and gathers. I put all the slashes in first, then did the gathering- this made it much easier. The other issue caused by my excessive Keen was accidentally cutting through the lining when doing one of my slashes; it was the first cut on the second sleeve and my concentration lapsed. This was easily remedied by sewing up the cut in the lining.

Sleeve Fashions

There are several ways to finish these types of doublets. Sadly, one detail I had seen in loads of pictures and wanted to try was not mentioned in the pattern book. Thus I was left to puzzle it out myself- so my solution may well be neither the best nor perfect. What I was aiming for was the kind of sleeve where there are rows of slashes, divided by gathered sections. Having seen how the wrist worked, it seemed like the easiest solution would be to simply mark out lines where I wanted them, then use a basting stitch all around the arm in each place. Then tighten the stitches to pull the fabric in around each line.

The sleeves are now bunched to make the slashes gape and show the lining .

The final touches were to sew in all the lacing points and finish the bottom hem of the body. There are several ways to finish that bottom hem, but I chose to take advantage of having some spare fabric to solve another problem at the same time.

Bright Idea: Reinforcing while Hemming

The bottom of the doublet is where I would need to sew several holes for lacing the hose to. These points can be put under stress when you bend and stretch, so I wanted them tougher. Therefore to hem the bottom of the doublet I took long rectangles of black wool offcuts and trimmed them to even sizes. I used three of these (one each for the main body panels) to wrap around the front and lining of the bottom hem. This meant that as a side effect of hemming the finished garment was four layers of wool thick all around the bottom edge. My lacing points would go through all four layers, hopefully making it much harder for them to tear when stressed.

Here is the doublet worn with the hose .

Making a League Hat: The Dockenbaret

Looking at images of landsknechts, they are far more often than not shown to be wearing hats. A range of styles are available (including some massively flamboyant ones, with huge feathers sticking out at all angles). The style I fancied making was one of the simpler ones, but stylistically fitted with the rest of the costume I’d made. At this stage I should probably stress that the whole decision to make one was pretty impulsive and I didn’t have a pattern to hand (despite looking online and in The Tudor Tailor book). Therefore I adopted a possibly ill-advised approach of making it up as I went along. My pattern was based on looking at pictures and half-remembered images of ones I’ve seen on re-enactors in the distant past. How could this go wrong?

The dockenbaret looks much like a very wide beret, with loops of material sewn to the sides in a manner which is quite similar to the effect generated by slashed sleeves. One of the great appeals of the design was also that I reckoned I could make it entirely out of off-cuts from the doublet and hose project.

Stage 1: Hatband

I decided to start by making a simple hatband out of a fairly tough linen (the same grade I’d use for making an arming jack). This was measured out pretty crudely, but it seemed to work. First off I just measured my head with a strip of ribbon. Then I did the same thing after wrapping a single strip of wool around my head, on the basis that the hatband might have some wool folded inside it and this should ensure there was enough room. The second measurement was about an inch larger than the first, so I went with that.

Cutting a two inch-wide strip of linen, I then folded it in half down its length (so it was now two thicknesses at one inch wide) and sewed the ends together with about an inch of overlap (thus creating a linen circlet, in effect). Trying it on, this was slightly loose around my head. Possibly more by luck than judgement, my crude measuring technique turned out to have been pretty much spot on.

The components of the hat: crown (round black material), hatband (linen circlet) and loops (rectangles or blue and black fabric)

Stage 2: Beret

Having made a workable hatband, I gave several seconds of thought to how to make the main crown of the hat, ‘the beret bit’ as I thought of it. The simplest idea seemed to be to cut out a large circle of fabric, then sew that to the hatband. Pleats at regular intervals around the brim should make it fit, while ensuring that there was plenty of fabric in the crown to look sufficiently full. For my first attempt I grabbed a dinner plate and drew around it on the black fabric in dress makers chalk. Then I extended the radius of the circle by about an inch. I did this entirely by eye, rather than measuring, figuring it wouldn’t matter if it wasn’t mathematically perfect.

To attach the crown to the hatband I folded each of them in half, then used this to gauge the front and back of the material. Then folded them in half again to work out the sides. Pinning them together I now had a crown attached at four evenly divided spaces around the band. It was easy to then put in another four pins, evenly spaced between the four ‘corners’. Putting in two pleats in each of the eight resulting sections seemed to work pretty well. I now had what looked like a wearable hat pinned together, so I decided to try it on and discovered Problem Number 1.

Problem 1: Underestimating the enemy

Attaching the crown to the hatband was quite easy. However, as soon as I tried it on it was clear that the dinner plate method had not allowed anything like enough fabric for the pattern. It was wearable, but looked more like a modern soldier’s beret than the basis for a landsknecht’s dockenbaret. Being hopelessly optimistic, I decided to persist and finish it, to see if it would look better when I had attached the decorative strips around the rim.

What resulted turned out to look very much like a jester’s cap. Looking on the bright side, if I ever want to play in Dawn, I now have a character idea and the starting point for a costume. On the downside, I had to unpick all the stitches, make a new crown-piece and start again.

Share my embaressment: the accidental jester hat that resulted from my first attempt

Stage 3: Beret Revisited

For the next attempt, I was determined not to repeat my initial mistake. Thus I used the largest circular object I could find to draw the pattern (a wok) and then extended the circle radius by about two inches. This left the circle being about 17 inches in diameter. In the event I reckon this was just wide enough. For someone with a larger head (mine is quite small at 56 cm) I would consider making it an inch or two bigger.

Once again I pinned and pleated the crown evenly around the hatband, then back-stitched it in place. This resulted in a much better effect and I considered stopping at that stage- the wide beret looked quite League just by itself and you could trivially make one like that in about an hour.

Stage 4: Decorative loops

I cut out eight strips of wool (four black and four blue) from my off-cuts. Each was around three inches wide and 9 inches long (well, they started as 11 inches long, but I trimmed them as I went, when trial and error showed they worked better just a little shorter).

There are loads of ways to attach these around the rim of the hat and I must have tried half a dozen, with varying levels of success and appalling failure. In the end they were attached by spacing them evenly around the rim of the hat (with a very slight overlap), with both thin ends of each strip sewn to the wool at the base of the hatband. The inner of the two strips was then sewn to the crown a bit further up by a simple few stitches right in the middle of the fabric. Then when the hat is worn the loops hang slightly open.

Finished hat. Wearing it at a slightly jaunty angle seems called for.

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A League Costume Diary 2

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 A Lady's Gown

- 1.1 Part 1 - Design and planning

- 1.1.1 What sort of person is my character going to be?

- 1.1.2 What IC and OOC practical considerations do I need to take into account?

- 1.1.3 What images from the media appeal to me that might help with my design?

- 1.1.4 Ready to Scribble?

- 1.1.5 Pinterest

- 1.1.6 Breakdown - Layer by layer

- 1.1.7 What have I got already?

- 1.1.8 So what do I need?

- 1.2 Part 2 - Making it

- 1.2.1 Sewing with commercial patterns

- 1.2.2 Making the bodice

- 1.2.3 Assembling the skirt

- 1.2.4 The Chemise

- 1.3 Part 3 - Putting it all together

A Lady's Gown

by Jessica Townshend

Part 1 - Design and planning

What sort of person is my character going to be?

This dress is intended to serve two characters - first a fairy NPC at Masquerades and Massacres, and the second as an Empire character (yet to be fully realised). The key concepts uniting the two are a need for an elegant and impressive presence. What really appeals to be about making costume for Empire and the League specifically is the separation of political and combat arenas, so a character is free to express an extravagant and flamboyant side through their dress without having to make it battle ready.

What IC and OOC practical considerations do I need to take into account?

The train I will put in for M&M will have to be removed for Empire, and the skirt shortened, as events can be very muddy and we want to avoid bringing the dress back dripping wet every time it rains. The front closure is also designed to be adjustable in future, as the wearer is currently pregnant and will be breastfeeding.

What images from the media appeal to me that might help with my design?

Very few media images appeal, to be honest. I much prefer to reference historical source material and bring a creative interpretation to it, rather than adapt designs taht already have had a modern influence infused into them. Having said that, I made a few forays into Borgias costume diaries and archives, to make it clear in my head what the Empire design team intended, and look at a few options for sleeve designs.

Ready to Scribble?

Lizy provided me with a pencil sketch of what she envisioned for the M&M NPC and the design slowly drifted from this original concept as we searched for fabric and researched historical images. I feel the key thing with scribbles is not to be bound my them if you aren't trying to recreate a specific piece.

Pinterest

One of the most helpful tools for costume making I've recently been introduced to is Pinterest. While searching the internet for pictures, tutorials and dress diaries I've been able to collect any interesting finds into one resource that represents things with pictures. So much easier to work with than the old bookmarks list or myriad of open browser tabs. Even if you don't want to sign up for an account there are still lots of inspiration boards people have made for your to browse.

Breakdown - Layer by layer

The dress itself will be a front fastening affair that slips over all manner of underclothes. It won't take well to belt pouches and bags but these would be decidedly practical and so at odds with the fashion of the day. If carrying capacity is required pockets can be made to sit beneath the underskirt, a drawstring purse can be made from spare fabric or a chatelaine can be pinned to the bodice.

Underneath the dress an underskirt can be worn as a front panel where the skirt splits. This can have a decorative panel for contrast or be a single colour/print.

The lowest layer will be a square necked, drawstring chemise with huge sleeves to puff out the slashes in the dress sleeves. The bigger the better is a good motto for chemise making in the League.

For shape and support Lizy has a pair of 18th Century stays which provide a flat front in keeping with the League visual style. Alternatively a good bra will do the job if required.

In addition to the bits I'll be making Lizy has turned a vintage fur coat into a short cape and muff for the colder weather.

What have I got already?

Aside from the stays this is a scratch build.

So what do I need?

5 metres of fabric for the dress. 3 metres of white linen for the chemise. 1 metre of contrasting fabric for bodice and sleeve borders. 3 metres of lining fabric. More thread than I anticipate.

For the dress fabric Lizy chose a curtain fabric with a flock silk appearance. This was a light blue silk with raised velvet areas in a damask pattern in a contrasting black. Our colour scheme established we purchased a metre of black cotton velvet for borders. The most appealing aspect of the dress fabric was the textures at play which meant large areas of fabric would look visually appealing without the need for accessories and embellishments. I'm a real fan of texture in costuming.

The total cost of fabric was around £50.

Part 2 - Making it

Sewing with commercial patterns

When it comes to costume making I'm still very much a learner. No matter what I tired I just couldn't get the bodice right by drafting my own pattern. After searching the internet for a suitable bodice design we settled on the now discontinued McCalls pattern [2806] which we managed to locate on Etsy. With this starting point available I made a few tweaks to the bodice part of the pattern and discarded the rest as I'd already planned the sleeves and skirt.

Making the bodice

The bodice in the base pattern was designed to fit closely when closed but we needed this costume to be adjustable so I extended the edges to make it close like a wrap dress. To get this right I copied the pattern onto sheets of newspaper taped together where I was able to adjust the measurements as required before making a mock up out of cheap fabric we had lying around.

I always try to make a mock up before cutting expensive fabric, especially if I have done some alterations to a pattern. This allowed us to check the fit without cutting and wasting our nice dress fabric. Any adjustments needed could be drawn directly onto this mock up and transferred to newspaper once more to fiddle with. As luck would have it the mock up was fine so I used this as interlining (an extra layer of fabric between the outside and lining) because it's a shame to waste fabric when you don't need to.

When placing the pattern on the fabric I wanted to make sure the damask pattern was a part of the costume and not simply covering it. To this end I selected a particularly impressive part and made this the centre of the bodice back. This did mean I was less economical with the fabric as I couldn't place the bodice pattern in the corner of the fabric to reduce waste. Again it is a shame to waste fabric but the benefits of doing so in this case make it easily justifiable.

Drafting the sleeves

This was the most challenging part of the project as it was new ground and pushed my skills. I wanted to capture some of the most outrageous moments of Landsknecht/Tudor fashion and aimed far beyond my actual capabilities. What we ended up with was a compromise between my fantasies and practicality. I could happily create an entire article on making sleeves for League dresses but I'll stick to what I did for this entry.

To start I drafted some basic sleeves and ensured they had a comfortable fit. This was done on paper once more so I could happily cut up and mess around to get the right feel.

First step was to take off the tapered edges and create a rectangular core. The tapered edges where then placed together as they would when the sleeve was folded round. There would be no changes made to these tapered parts as they would sit against the bodice and I wanted them to be flat to ease arm movement and serve as a form to aid the puffs.

I then divided the rectangle up into equal bars. I settled for six 50mm wide strips but this would vary depending on your sleeve size and the desired amount of slashing. To create the puffs I then extended these strips by 20%. All the patterns were then made into tubes of dress fabric one side and lining fabric the other which I turned inside out to hide the seams.

Now came the tricky bit. I decided three puffs would look right so divided the tapered section into three. The tubes were then tacked at the ends to form a sleeve shape and I did some eyeballing to get the puffs right. I think a video tutorial is the best way to convey this. The key thing to remember is that the central tubes have to be longer at the top so they reach the top of the arm hole and still puff.

To give volume to the puffs the sleeves of the chemise will be extra big and the fabric pulled out through the slashes. In order to finish the sleeves I made cuffs and bands from the velvet to gather everything together.

Assembling the skirt

The central theme for the skirt was 'HUGE!' To achieve this I used the full width of the remaining fabric and managed to get three panels out of it. Again I wasted some fabric here as I wanted the pattern to continue around the skirt which meant losing some to ensure everything lined up correctly. The end result is very satisfying as the seams are lost in the folds and it looks like one continuous piece.

Essentially the skirt is just one long rectangle gathered to the bodice. For M&M the bottom of the central section was a semi circle to create a train but this will be removed for Empire as it is not fun to have fabric dragging in the mud or your dress being trodden on in crowds.

At just under 7000mm long this skirt needed pleating down to somewhere under 1000mm to fit the bodice. To do this I mentally divided each panel into four and gathered each of these quarters onto a loop of thread. I was then able to gather the skirt in twelve separate sections independently. By splitting the bottom of the bodice into twelve sections I was able to gather the skirt and pin it to the bodice in small and easy to manage segments before running it all through the machine a couple of times.

There are many choices for pleating but I settled on gathering in a cartridge pleat style as this creates a fuller puff and really makes a feature of the skirt. In the final dress this decision really pays off as there is no shape wear like a bum roll or panniers worn under it and it still gives a full skirt.

The Chemise

One of the most commonly overlooked aspects of larp costume is what you intend to wear under it. It's very tempting to stick with warm modern clothing underneath costume worn as a shell and in many cases this is absolutely fine. In this case the chemise forms an integral part of the costume forming the neck line under the bodice and providing the puff for the sleeves and will therefore be very visible.

There are lots of handy chemise tutorials all over the internet but if you are making one for your Empire kit I'd advise making it big. Like, real big. A drawstring square neck means the chemise will always fall right on your shoulders and the larger the sleeves and body the more stylish gathers and extravagant puff you will have. This is perhaps the best bit of kit to make as a beginner as you really don't need to worry about your measurements too much. If you cut the fabric right you can use the selvedges (the non-fraying edges at the side of your fabric) for the bottom of the chemise which will save you a job with hemming.

Part 3 - Putting it all together

Here we have the finished dress. The ruff is for M&M and will be absent for Empire. The sleeves of the chemise can be seen between the slashed sleeves of the dress and even though I made them huge they could happily do with being bigger. Notice how the contrasting theme of light blue and black is used throughout with no attempt to add further trim or accessories which would clutter the effect with the already busy pattern on the fabric.

I hope this has been an interesting read. Jess

Picture of finished dress here

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Alignment of Mind and Blade

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 50

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 50

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target may call impale once each day with any one-handed weapon or one-handed spear.

While under the enchantment the target experiences a roleplaying effect: they feel poised on the verge of sudden, decisive action. Thought and deed become increasingly united - when they decide to do something it is very difficult for them to resist acting immediately without guilt, doubt, hesitation or mercy.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Every additional character increases the magnitude by 21. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual grants the ability to make decisive strikes with a one-handed weapon or one-handed spear. Along with the martial power comes a sense of poise and excellence that drives warriors under this enchantment to act with perfect clarity, removing doubts and freeing them from guilt. Some magicians who use this spell call it The Perfect Moment because it encourages the target to live entirely in the present, to abandon concerns about the past or future. This can be a powerfully liberating - and potential dangerous - frame of mind to experience. Many scholars of Day magic prefer to ensure this ritual is used only on those who have already demonstrated the ability to control their emotions, for fear of creating a merciless killer.

Common Elements

This ritual usually involves both the target and their weapon. A ritualist might trace matching runes on weapons and warrior, or might encourage them to run through a weapon-drill. Some magicians encourage the targets to remain absolutely still, sometimes in an uncomfortable martial pose, until the climax of the ritual when they explode into action with a single dramatic strike. The ritual is often combined with an oath or promise to use it's power (or not use it's power) in a certain way.

Legendary warriors, especially those who fought only when neccessary, are often invoked as are Paragons and Exemplars who showed heroic judgement; the name of Zakalwe the Eternal Master Strategist is also appropraite. The virtues of Wisdom and Ambition may be referenced in literal or symbolic forms.

Any of the Dayrunes might be evoked. Cavul, the rune of clarity and Aesh, the rune of thought, are commonly marked on the weapon and the wielder respectively. An evocation of The Key may be appropriate with this ritual.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Alignment_of_Mind_and_Blade&oldid=31254"

Align the Celestial Net

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 30

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Strength

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 30

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong regio. The ritual targets the regio in which it is performed.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual shifts the Realm quality of a regio for purposes of the next ritual cast using that regio.

The regio can be shifted one step in either direction along a fixed progression.

Day <-> Winter <-> Spring <-> Night <-> Summer <-> Autumn <-> Day

The enchantment lasts until a ritual is performed using that regio, or the next sunrise, whichever comes first.

Additional Strength

The ritual can be used to shift a regio two steps along the progression in either direction by increasing it's magnitude by 50.

Description

As with The Eight-spoked Wheel, there is a great deal of mystery around how precisely this ritual does ... what it does. Align the Celestial Net should in theory only transform a Night regio, or only allow a regio to be aligned to Night. Instead it allows transformation around a 'wheel' and is equally effective at targetting regio aligned to other realms, or aligning a regio into any realm. Despite it's versatility, it is often easier to use this ritual to align a Night aura than any of the others - perhaps because Night auras are so imbued with the energies of transformation, more likely because a Night regio is likely to enhance Night Realm magic performed within it.

The Urizen claim that the ritual draws on the power of astronomancy, specifically on constellations such as The Wanderer and The Door. The runesmiths of Wintermark claim it relies on the convergence of Wyr and Xun. The Highguard prefer to imagine that it is the result of human magical strength bending the power of the supernatural Realms to their will. It may well be that none of them, or all of them, are right.

The ritual is at it's most effective when used on a battlefield. With it, a regio attuned to Spring might be shifted to Winter to allow a powerful curse to be invoked, or a regio attuned to Autumn might be shifted to Summer to allow the creation of a vital enchantment. Either way, mastery of the ritual is not common - it's use is circumstantial - but when it is needed it dramatically increases the battlefield options of an Imperial strike force.

The ritual has minimal effect on the regio-aura at Anvil, connected with The Sentinel Gate; that regio is already attuned to several realms. The Imperial Conclave has specifically interdicted the use of this ritual at Anvil, for fear that it have unforseen repercussions for the Sentinel Gate, the Hall of Worlds or the settlement of Anvil.

Common Elements

The performance of this ritual depends largely on the realms involved. To shift a ritual from Spring to Winter, symbols of entropy and declining energy might be used. To shift from Autumn to Day, images associated with building order and hierarchy through influence and rational thought might be more appropriate. The ritualists must be inside the regio, and often subject to any roleplaying effects.

AS previously mention, this ritual often involves the runes Xun and Wyr, the constellations of The Wanderer and The Door and the invocation of Eternals of Night associated with mystery and transformation.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Align_the_Celestial_Net&oldid=22869"

All Come Listen

This is a simple little song to a traditional tune which makes a lovely mnemonic for the virtues. It can also be sung as a round. It's well-known in Highguard.

The tune is traditional, the words are by Nira of Cantiarch's Hold.

A pdf of the words and music can be foun here.

A midi of the tune can be found here.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=All_Come_Listen&oldid=21768"

Allocate Vigilant Swan

To assign the Vigilent Swan bourse position

Propsed by Necropolis, Seconded by Casinea

Overview

- The Vigilant Swan in Reikos was recently liberated by Imperial troops.

- Passed as a National position.

- Nations propsed were Highguard and Imperial Orcs.

- Assigned to the Imperial Orcs.

- The motion was subject to the veto of the Imperial Synod.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Synod Veto

- This motion was vetoed by the General Assembly of the Imperial Synod

Campaign Outcome

- The Imperial Synod used the power of the veto.

- The motion to assign the Vigilant Swan cannot be raised again during the current summit.

- The Vigilant Swan is currently unassigned. Production from Spring 379YE will be stockpiled and made available to the first Imperial citizen elected to operate this Imperial Bourse resource.

Constitution

- If the motion had passed, the National status of the Bourse Seat would have followed the nation the territory of Reikos was eventually assigned to.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Allocate_Vigilant_Swan&oldid=36213"

All the Pretty Ponies

Trad

Here is Caroline Herring's version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCu4Jd-5ZXQ

Hush a bye don't you cry Hush a bye my pretty baby When you wake you shall have All the pretty little ponies

Blacks and bays, dapples and greys Hush a bye my pretty baby When you wake you shall have All the pretty little ponies

NB Horses are now extinct in the Empire.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=All_the_Pretty_Ponies&oldid=26649"

All The Ushka

by Stephanie Heath and Anna Clifford-Tait

Recording here: All The Ushka

All the Ushka mother Born of land and shadow Clustered in our wilderness Prey for wolves and snow

All the Ushka father Alive in wilderness Holding fast against the cold Surrounded by the darkness

All the Ushka sister Hiding from the Vard Bargains failed, fighting too Then conquered heads are bowed

All the Ushka brother Shared their hard won hearth Rather than destruction Protection offered worth

All the Ushka wise ones Work hard and keep the faith Bargainers refused to bow Were exiled to the waste

All the Ushka children From shadow 'neath the trees Joined together, now are one Varushka, we are free

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=All_The_Ushka&oldid=25283"

All the World in a Grain of Sand

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 30

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Removing the Curse

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 30

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. At the end of the ritual one of the contributors is chosen to deliver the curse with a pronouncement of doom.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

This ritual creates a curse that is delivered to a target with a pronouncement of doom: one contributor is chosen to deliver the curse, and they must do so within fifteen minutes or it falls on their own head.

While under the curse, the target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect; their mind has been exposed to an enormous, revelationary and thoroughly terrifying truth that they cannot bear. They are plagued with madness; they may hallucinate, talk to themselves, become paranoid or obsessed with uncovering and recording trivial, confusing details. They may embrace their madness seeking more and more information, or flee from it and hide in their own minds.

While under the effect the target loses access to the ability to cast mastered rituals; they contribute to all rituals as if they had not mastered them (this includes losing the ability to employ any options that require you to have mastered the ritual).

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Removing the Curse

The curse can be removed by certain powerful creatures or items. It can also be alleviated by powerful rituals that remove curses of madness or personal disintegration such as Transmogrification of the Soul's Echo.

Description

This dreadful curse is sometimes embraced by it's victims as if it were a blessing, but there is no real benefit to receiving it. The target loses the ability to perform rituals effectively, and often becomes obsessed with trivia. The vision they suffer is virtually impossible to articulate, and attempts to do so often leave them frustrated and confused.

Common Elements

As with many curses this ritual often involves a recitation.of the grievances against the target; sometimes obscure formulae or invocations to reveal to the target the vast expanse of the comsos are invoked. Lights or fires are often created, with more and more light focused on a single point to suggest the overwhelming power of the vision. Ashes, sand and dust are another common component. The rune of revelation is often evoked, suggesting that some revelations are damaging to the mind, and the runes Irremais or Aesh may be defaced or destroyed to represent the loss of wisdom and clarity.

"So let me get this straight," Eowyn pinched her brow and focused. The cold and her Striding's flight were taking its toll on them all, and she was still nursing an injury from the skirmish which had left her without three of her strongest Thorns. She must have been desperate to even contemplate what her Vate was telling her. "Let me wrap my head around this. We can't hope to beat them in a fair fight. That's fine; once we meet up with the Third Way, we should have the advantage of numbers and that clever swine Leofric, who'll run rings around them. But you don't want us to run rings around them-"

"On the contrary, Eowyn. We'll need exactly that. We want to pull them as close together as possible."

"Won't they disperse if we surround them?"

"Not the Thule. The Thule will fall back to defend their Dragon if they feel he's truly threatened." Vate Olwyn demonstrated with a few of her rune-stones on the ground.

"Alright, so you want us to run rings around them. And then we engage them, and then what?"

"Pin them down," the Vate said, taking a long sip from her drinking-horn, "and once we've convinced the Third Way's Vates to swear to our coven-stone, we'll have the numbers we need to curse the Dragon."

"Curse him. Can't we just kill him?"

Off to one side, the Guide Daffyd's eyes widened for a moment, and he shook his head fervently. "Even they don't all die defending him, they'll fight to the death afterwards. Better to hurt him and retreat, my Brand."

Eowyn frowned as she took this in. "They say not even an archer can shoot a Thule Dragon, for the others will throw themselves before him to guard him. How do you hope to strike him?"

"I think that's a bit of an exaggeration, my Brand, but that's not what I'm aiming for. Just get me close enough that he can hear me - I'll stand right behind the line - and let me deliver a little poetry. You'll hear him scream, and his warriors won't have the first idea what to do about it. Without their Dragon's orders, they'll be lost. We can melt away, and I'll bet you all the mithril in the Bourse they'll retreat. If they don't, they'll wander round for a while, while the master they worship goes steadily more and more insane - and soon, all their rituals will fail, and you can attack them without their advantage of magic."

"If they hear their master screaming in pain, won't they just attack anyway?"

Olwyn's grin was feral. "Oh, but it won't be in pain. It'll be in delight. He'll know all the secrets of the universe. Just what a Dragon secretly hopes for, when he's not serving his people. He'll fight against any attempt to repair his shattered mind, and they'll be too frightened to disobey. And in the meantime, it won't hurt that he'll be trying to count the leaves on the trees, and capture the sunbeams in his drinking-horn, and anything else that might help him get back that omniscient feeling.

"If you can't turn that into a victory, my Brand, I'll be voting for another leader come the Solstice," Daffyd spoke with a broad grin, and Eowyn threw one of the runestones at him in irritation. The two of them had ganged up on her, but the plan sounded sensible. Cut the head off, and the monster would die flailing. Poison it, and it would die slowly. Just the trick.

"Alright, Olwyn, we'll do it your way. But if this doesn't go off, you owe me a pint in the next life..."

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=All_the_World_in_a_Grain_of_Sand&oldid=33088"

Almery of Purity

Description

An almery is a decorated box, generally used for holding either ceremonial tools or consumables such as oil or liao - indeed many sects who are bonded to one of these potent items keep their communal liao stores inside it. As with other reliquaries, while an almery of purity usually takes the form of a container, it might be infused into any object that has spiritual significance to the sect to which it belongs.

As with all reliquaries, the almery of purity is bonded to an entire sect of the faithful. It is most popular with those sects that deal with spiritual evil on a regular basis. It offers great potence to ceremonies designed to remove malign auras from members of the sect. Indeed, some devout individuals who have come under the scrutiny of dark forces may intentionally seek the aid of such a sect in banishing the oppressive entity or presence.

Sects that use the almery of purity are often deeply concerned with maintaining codes of virtuous behaviour, and take a hard line against members who betray the sect or fail to live up to their standards of spirituality. The almery also offers extra potence to effects that cast those who are found wanting out of the sect - and indeed the faith.

Rules

- Form: Reliquary. Takes the form of a ceremonial reliquary.

- Effect: Once per day when a member of the sect performs or participates in a ceremony of exorcism or excommunication on another member of the sect, each dose of liao contributed counts double for the potency of effect.

- Materials: Crafting an almery of purity requires ten measures of beggar's lye, nine measures of dragonbone, five ingots of weltsilver and three ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Almery_of_Purity&oldid=32393"

Alter manifesto of Sevenfold Path

Change the wording of the manifesto of the Sevenfold Path from “Human Destiny” to “The Destiny of Imperial Citizens”

Proposed by Sermersuaq, seconded by Skarsind

Overview

- The manifesto of the Sevenfold Path contained a point that "Magic should work in harmony with, and to promote, the fulfilment of human destiny."

- The motion follows on from a Declaration of Concord in the Imperial Conclave

Date

- Summer 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- The official manifesto of the Sevenfold Path has been altered to "Magic should work in harmony with, and to promote, the fulfilment of the destiny of Imperial citizens."

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Alter_manifesto_of_Sevenfold_Path&oldid=28725"

Altruist's Recompense

Description

These useful wands allow a magician on the battlefield to restore her allies while at the same time using a little of the magical energies expended to heal herself. While the residues of magic harnessed in this fashion are hardly on a par with the full power of true magical healing, they allow a magician to stay ahead of the damage caused by casual blows while reserving the majority of her energy for aiding her allies - or smiting her foes.

These wands are particularly popular with Cambion healers who find it irritating to offer others something as vital as healing without a guarantee that they will receive something in return. Although the recompense isn't much, it does make the transaction more palatable to the most highly lineage Cambion. Indeed it was a Cambion Hakima who devised the wand, sensing a demand for such an item among her relatives and colleagues. Some wands are made to reassemble an uncurled horn to draw upon the association with the children of Autumn.

Although born of selfishness, these wands are also forced upon the most dedicated healers by concerned friends. Some medical magicians have been known to neglect themselves by refusing to spare mana to heal themselves while others lie bleeding. Numerous healers have been given these wands under the pretense that they are Woundbinder wands to force the recipient to heal themselves. Some such healers claim that the rush of health is accompanied by a sense of well-meaning reproach, as if the wand itself is reprimanding them for not taking better care of themselves.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Whenever you cast the heal spell you regain one hit.

- Materials: Crafting an altruist's recompense requires five ingots of weltsilver and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Marte was old and many-scarred. She'd seen many a fight, and had carried more than one of her sword-brothers to sleep in Kallavesa. Now her Thane had asked her to lead the grimnir-line. He'd said it was because he needed her raven's-mind to keep the grimnir whole, and that was a kindness, but she suspected the real reason. She was old now, and she couldn't hold a slaughter-wall as she had in her youth, couldn't keep the barbarians back by strength of arm alone.

She'd gathered her charges, made a speech about the glory of duty, and now she was passing through the camp, as her thane would be too, though in lines of warriors, not healers.

She came to a small fire, where a youngster she didn't recognise was checking small jars of oils and pastes, dried pink roots, dull green leaves and wraps of pounded irremaisahne.

"Ready? Your first battle? Worried?"

"Oh, I'll be fine." said the young Grimnir with a smile, "If there's no time to use the herbs, I've got my magics, and my husband's a runesmith, gave me this." He pulled a wand, lined with silvery metal and coloured like a kingfisher's wings from a leather belt-sheath, and smiled down at it.

"Bravash and Lann?" She marked the runes. Love and bargains.

"Oh, yes. We've only just started together, see, and he wants me to remember to take care. No skein-choices in this battle, he said. That's the promise."

"He knows you're not going to be near the front rank?" She asked gently. She sometimes felt she had to remind the younger grimnir of this; they knew the calling, but it was hard for them.

"Well, he knows that's the tradition." His eyes hardened. "But he knows me better that that. Not one of our people is going to die while I can still cast a spell."

She felt old, then, in the face of his youth and his certainty. She steeled herself and spoke with a voice of command.

"No hollow-headed jackdaws in my lines, we're ravens here. You'll do what you're told while you're with me, young man."

He looked down, chastened, his fingers absently caressing his wand. It was a sound gift, one that might help to keep him alive and counter some of the mistakes he was sure to make. He was vulnerable, but he reminded her suddenly of so many others. She was still tired, but she could get some sleep later. She smiled then; she thought she might have misjudged her Thane.

"But you know? I have but a few battles in me before I face a walk into Sydanjaa. Maybe between us we can make me an end worthy of a song... Stay with me, and we'll find your young man some recompense for that gift of yours..."

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Altruist%27s_Recompense&oldid=32707"

Always a Hero Comes Home

Adaptation of "A Hero Comes Home" by Alan Silvestri

Lyrics and Melody adapted by Joshua Binks (link to come).

Prelude Out of the mist of history, He'll come again. Sailing on ships across the sea To our wounded Nation.

Signs of a saviour, Like fire on the water. Its what we prayed for, One of our own.

Call Just wait, though wide he may roam.

Response Always a hero comes home.

Calls He'll go where no-one can go. He'll fight what no-one could fight.

Continue in this style, making up things for the hero to do until the end;

Call He stands, brave and alone.

Response But always a hero comes home.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Always_a_Hero_Comes_Home&oldid=26771"

Ambassador to Asavea

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 2.1 Consequence

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Authority

- 3.2 Ministry

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

- 7 The Title in Play

Overview

The Ambassador to Asavea is an Imperial title. It is an Imperial position appointed by the Imperial Senate.

Responsibilities

The ambassador is expected to represent the Empire in relations with the Asavean Archipelago.

Consequence

Foreign dignitaries expect Imperial Ambassadors to speak on behalf of the Empire. On some occasions, the Senate has granted an ambassador the right to declare war or peace with a foreign nation. However regardless of what powers the Senate has chosen to vest in the office, most visitors will assume that the ambassadors words carry the weight of the Empire and respond accordingly. An ambassador may not be able to declare war on behalf of the Empire - but history has shown that they can cause a foreign nation to declare war on the Empire - if suitably provoked.

Powers

Authority

The civil service provide support to allow the ambassador to speak on behalf of the Empire when dealing with foreign dignitaries from the relevant nation. If the visitors are present at the summit and have requested an official audience, then the Senate room is made available for use by the Ambassador at least once. The ambassador is expected to receive guests from the Imperial throne and to decide on who will be present in the chamber during this audience.

Ministry

As a ministry, the title of Ambassador to Asavea allows the holder to purchase quantities of special materials at a set price. The ambassador spends her money and makes her choices during downtime from their character page. Money is removed from, and resources are placed into, the character's inventory when the downtime is processed.

Total Money Spent

Production

8 Crowns

6 Cerulean Mazzarine, 5 Orichalcum, 4 Iridescent Gloaming, 3 Tempest Jade

30 Crowns

18 Cerulean Mazzarine, 15 Orichalcum, 12 Iridescent Gloaming, 9 Tempest Jade

60 Crowns

30 Cerulean Mazzarine, 25 Orichalcum, 20 Iridescent Gloaming, 15 Tempest Jade

Selection

This title is appointed during the Summer Solstice. The ambassador is appointed by the Imperial Senate.

Any Imperial character may hold the title.

Removal

The ambassador to Asavea is appointed every year. They can be revoked by the General Assembly or the Council of Nine of the Imperial Synod.

History

- Camilia di Traviciana di Sarvos was appointed ambassaor to Asavea in 378YE, following a serious diplomatic incident related to levels of Imperial piracy in Asavean territorial waters.

The Title in Play

The role does not provide additional information about events in the Empire, nor allow the player holding it to request special reports or downtime actions. These details are assumed to be below the abstraction layer. The title holder is encouraged to create their own stories about their activities within reasonable limits and to get involved in events appropriate to their title during the game, but they do not have any powers beyond those explicitly listed in the section on powers.

These details exist partly to provide context and character to the role - and partly to allow our writers to use the title as a plot hook. Plot that involves the position will be rare - but all the campaign positions in Empire have these details to create the potential for it to happen.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Ambassador_to_Asavea&oldid=35547"

Ambassador to Jarm

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 2.1 Consequence

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Authority

- 3.2 Ministry

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

- 7 The Title in Play

Overview

The Ambassador to jarm is an Imperial title It is an Imperial position appointed by the Imperial Senate.

Responsibilities

The ambassador is expected to represent the Empire in relations with the Principalities of Jarm.

Consequence

Foreign dignitaries expect Imperial Ambassadors to speak on behalf of the Empire. On some occasions, the Senate has granted an ambassador the right to declare war or peace with a foreign nation. However regardless of what powers the Senate has chosen to vest in the office, most visitors will assume that the ambassadors words carry the weight of the Empire and respond accordingly. An ambassador may not be able to declare war on behalf of the Empire - but history has shown that they can cause a foreign nation to declare war on the Empire - if suitably provoked.

Powers

Authority

The civil service provide support to allow the ambassador to speak on behalf of the Empire when dealing with foreign dignitaries from the relevant nation. If the visitors are present at the summit and have requested an official audience, then the Senate room is made available for use by the Ambassador at least once. The ambassador is expected to receive guests from the Imperial throne and to decide on who will be present in the chamber during this audience.

Ministry

As a ministry, the title of Ambassador to Jarm allows the holder to purchase quantities of special materials at a set price. The ambassador spends their money and makes their choices during downtime from their character page. Money is removed from, and resources are placed into, the character's inventory when the downtime is processed.

At this time the precise production is unknown; it will depend on where the ambassador instructes the Principalities of Jarm to construct the Imperial Embassy to Jarm.

Total Money Spent

Production

8 Crowns

Unknown at this timeTBC

30 Crowns

Unknown at this timeTBC

60 Crowns

Unknown at this timeTBC

Selection

This title is appointed during the Autumn Equinox. The ambassador is appointed by the Imperial Senate.

Any Imperial character may hold the title.

Removal

The ambassador to Jarm is appointed every year. They can be revoked by the General Assembly or the Council of Nine of the Imperial Synod.

History

- Oswi Twice-burned was appointed ambassador to Jarm in 378YE. The Jarmish for their part built an Imperial ministry in the Eastern principality of Rigia, in response to an Imperial decision to select that port.

The Title in Play

The role does not provide additional information about events in the Empire, nor allow the player holding it to request special reports or downtime actions. These details are assumed to be below the abstraction layer. The title holder is encouraged to create their own stories about their activities within reasonable limits and to get involved in events appropriate to their title during the game, but they do not have any powers beyond those explicitly listed in the section on powers.

These details exist partly to provide context and character to the role - and partly to allow our writers to use the title as a plot hook. Plot that involves the position will be rare - but all the campaign positions in Empire have these details to create the potential for it to happen.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Ambassador_to_Jarm&oldid=36018"

Ambergelt Baton

Description

These sturdy wands are usually made of a stout wooden core, wound about with weltsilver wire and tipped at the base with a shaped piece of ambergelt. They often bear one or more of the runes Rhyv, Cavul or occasionally Xun.

The Ambergelt Baton is a valuable emergency healing tool valuable both to dedicated magician healers, and to battle magicians of all sorts. It does not require extensive knowledge of healing incantations to provide powerful medical aid on a battlefield. A number of combat magicians wield a mundane rod but have an ambergelt baton as a support implement, drawing it out when they need to heal a critically wounded ally - or recover quickly from a particularly vicious engagement. Their usefulness has meant that some magicians simply call them the Lifesaver, and in some circles even an expended ambergelt baton is considered lucky.

Since 377YE, the warmage has been entrusted with Merel's Rod of Healing, an artefact ambergelt baton. The rod was made by Merel Pathfinder, with ilium garnered by gambit from the Imperial Conclave. The warmage may wield the rod themselves, but the intention was that it could be allocated to a worthy individual each day to ensure it saved the most lives possible.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may cast heal, purify and restore limb on the target simultaneously as if you knew them without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting an ambergelt baton requires seven measures of ambergelt, four ingots of weltsilver and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"It seems we arrived too late, Magister" muttered the civil servant to the cowled and robed woman at his side, "There's no way he'll survive the trip back to a surgeon in this state".

"Perhaps, and then again, perhaps not," she replied, her voice betraying no emotion.

Pulling back her white hood she crouched down over the ravaged figure at their feet. Reaching into a hidden pocket she drew forth a varnished wooden rod decorated with intricate silver scrollwork and laid it against the fallen man's chest. Closing her eyes, she exhaled and began to speak slow, precise words of magic. After a moment, there was a catch and she felt the power being drawn out of her like air from a bellows, fanning up the flickering embers of life in the broken figure before her.

With a grisly crunch the shattered bones of his leg began to grind together, the gaping claw wounds began to close over and a snaking rope of damp guts coiled back into his innards like worms. Droplets of black fluid began to bubble and leak from the bite marks on his neck, dripping onto the grass where they began to steam and burn the soil bare. Feeling somewhat drained, she slowly rose to her feet again as the man on the ground regained consciousness with a scream and curled into a ball, rocking gently.

Smiling with satisfaction, she gestured to the civil servant.

"You see? Hale enough to travel now."

The civil servant nodded, brought forth a scroll and began to read.

"Gaius Thuron Harkaysis, you are hereby charged with betraying the Empire, and with trafficking with forbidden Eternals. You are ordered to surrender yourself to the Inquisition..."

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Ambergelt_Baton&oldid=33113"

Amberglass Chain

Description

The most cunning artificers create these staves so that they appear to be rigid chains of translucent amber or glass. The majority however take the form of a shaft of wood or metal wound around with amber or golden chains. They are sometimes favoured by bounty hunters and thief-takers who use them to hold fugitives in place so they can be arrested, or in battles with fast-moving skirmishers to pin them down and speed their eventual defeat.

The rune Hirmok, the rune of Dominion, is most commonly used on these staves, but some bear Bravash, the rune of Fertility, to command nearby plant-life to grasp at the target. Highly Lineaged Briars have complained that those staves cause their thorns to twitch uncomfortably when they call upon the enchantment, as if also affected by Bravash's call.

Some magicians keep the power of the Chain in reserve until they have expended all other resources and find themselves needing to flee an opponent, earning the staff the name Hopeless Headstart. The most notorious use of this staff was at the loss of the Mournwold, where one of the Marcher battle-mages used the Chain on their own commander during the rout, distracting the orcish pursuers long enough to allow the magician's escape. The trecherous mage was arrested and executed after receiving a damning Testimony to their lack of Loyalty.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may cast the entangle spell as if you knew it and without expending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting an amberglass chain requires seven measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

As the other cities of the League joined with Temeschwar, they found that they were dealing with a different breed of criminal than their magistrates were used to. Violent, disciplined men and women who had been willing to stand up to the might of the boyars found little to fear in facing up to League justice. Reasoning that rooting out of these criminals was a specialist task best suited to specialists, the Princes hired Varushkan bounty hunters to deal with the situation. Using fear and brutality, the bounty-hunters broke the criminals and scattered them back to their rat-holes.

Over time this "Iron Harvest" was repeated again and again, until whole families of Varushkan bounty hunters moved to the League permanently, being absorbed into the culture of the city-states. In more recent times these well-established "Ironblood" families have turned to more civilised methods, leaving the more brutal end of bounty-hunting to the orcs.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amberglass_Chain&oldid=32723"

Amberglass Orb

Description

This valuable item is usually crafted in the form of an orb of crystal, glass, metal inlaid with tempest jade. It is infused with potent enchantments and attuned to the realm of Spring. A coven can use it to draw on the power contained in ingots of ambergelt and align it with their own magic, allowing them to reduce or in some cases replace the need for crystal mana when performing Spring rituals.

This 'covenstone' may take the form of a bowl or chalice, but almost always a slightly irregular, organic-seeming construction. Some are studded with irregular hooks or thorns, and handling these items without being pricked can be quite challenging. Ambergelt comes from living trees, and even after it has set hard it maintains some of the vitality of the vegetation from which it is drawn. The item is often marked with runes; or with images associated with living things, especially trees and leaves, and occasionally insects. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses it is careful to ensure that it takes pride of place in their ceremonies - in addition to it's magical functions it is a potent reminder of their unity of purpose and their coven oath. Some covens maintain that the amberglass orb works best when it is kept in constant contact with living creatures, and one member of the coven tends to the orb at all times, even sleeping with it.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Members of the coven who are performing a Spring ritual they have mastered may use ambergelt in the place of crystal mana. Every two measures of ambergelt spent count as one crystal mana.

- Materials: Crafting a radiant orb requires five ingots of tempest jade, four ingots of ambergelt and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amberglass_Orb&oldid=32394"

Ambition roleplaying effects

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Consecration of Ambition

- 3 Anointings of Ambition

- 3.1 The Absolution of Ambition

- 3.2 The Clear Path of Ambition

- 3.3 The Calling of Ambition

- 3.4 The Rewards of Ambition

- 3.5 The True Ambition

- 4 Hallows of Ambition

- 4.1 Hallowing of the Broken Shield

- 4.2 Hallowing of Tian's Reach

- 4.3 Hallowing of Achievement

- 4.4 Hallowing of Aldones

- 4.5 Hallowing of the Master

- 4.6 Hallowing of the Conquerer

- 4.7 Hallowing of Atuman

Overview

These roleplaying effects are created by priests dedicated to the virtue of Ambition who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character performing an anointing or hallow must pick one of the appropriate roleplaying effects when they perform the ceremony.

Consecration of Ambition

- In this place, you feel an impulse to do something that will further any objective you are pursuing; any reasons you have for not doing so feel trivial and irrelevant.

Anointings of Ambition

The following are a range of auras that can be summoned onto a living soul, with their consent, by priests whose own souls are dedicated to Ambition:

The Absolution of Ambition

- You are filled with a sense that your ambitions are of vital importance. Any regret, guilt or remorse you feel as a result of actions you took to advance your ambitions is diminished.

Description: The path of ambition can require a pilgrim to speak or act in ways that, whilst furthering their ultimate goals, can weigh them down with regrets and doubts. The priests of ambition have been able to use this aura to alleviate the distress of these necessary actions, and provide affirmation of the pilgrim's virtue in holding true to their path.

The Clear Path of Ambition

- You feel as though nothing should impede your ambitions, and you are inclined to ignore objections and obstacles. Emotions or attitudes that might interfere with the pursuit of your ambitions are muted, and you find it easier to do things you would normally find distasteful or unpleasant in furthering your ambition.

Description: Pilgrims on the path of ambition may know, or understand, in their heads what they need to do in the furtherance of their goals, but may be held back by weakness, doubts or fear of consequences. Priests of ambition have been able to use this aura to help quell those doubts, and bolster the virtue of the pilgrim, removing the obstacles in walking their path.

The Calling of Ambition

- During this anointing, you were asked to specify a particular goal, desire or outcome. Whilst this anointing is in effect, you feel a strong urge to prioritise this goal and make progress toward it. This applies even if the specified outcome would not normally count as your ambition.

Description: This is a contentious aura for, whilst it clearly promotes ambition, this is not always the true ambition of the pilgrim receiving the anointing. Priests of ambition have maintained that this aura can be useful in illustrating the virtuous path, or inspiring those who otherwise may seem to be utterly without ambition to seek their own. Others have pointed out to the potential abuses of this aura in compelling others to act in potentially destructive ways, but the priests of ambition assert that it is, and can be, only ever used with the full consent of the recipient.

The Rewards of Ambition

- You feel the value of ambition in its own right. You feel a sense of immense satisfaction each time you take an action that you believe could further your desired ends, even if the action does not achieve the intended result.

Description: The path of ambition is not always clear to the pilgrim or priest. It can be hard to glean which of several options is the best for furthering the pilgrim's ambitions, or there may not appear to be any opportunities at all. Priests of ambition have been able to use this aura to help pilgrims in realising that the virtue of ambition is not simply about the destination, but the journey. In that light, it is the striving that demonstrates the virtue for, as has been taught, it is better to try, and fail, than to fail to try.

The True Ambition

- The next time you sleep you experience vivid dreams concerning your ambitions. You dream show you pursuing your ambitions, achieving them and what follows on. You awaken deeply invigorated and renewed and with a new drive to achieve something you care deeply about.

Description: For pilgrims who wish to follow the path of ambition, it is easy to misstep; lesser concerns may seem more pressing that they are. Distractions in the form of commitments to others, the lure of prosperity, or the slow accumulation of fears and worries can all conspire to delay the pilgrim's road towards their heart's desire. Those anointed with the true ambition find it easier to shrug off the false comforts of prosperity and loyalty and renew their commitment to their own goals.

Hallows of Ambition

Hallowing of the Broken Shield

- When bonded to this item, and in contact with it, you feel an urge to eliminate any obstacles to your ambition. This includes an impulse to use this item in doing so, if it would be appropriate.

Hallowing of Tian's Reach

- When you concentrate upon this item, you are reminded of your ambitions. You also feel a surety of purpose even if the object of your ambitions seems distant.

Hallowing of Achievement

- You feel an urge to do something that will further your ambition immediately. Failure to move towards a goal before dawn causes the feeling to change to one of revulsion and rejection that flows from the item toward you for as long as you are bonded to it.

Hallowing of Aldones

- You feel strong desire to not discuss your true intentions or agenda so that others cannot seek to prevent your ambitions coming to pass.

Hallowing of the Master

- You feel a strong desire to utilise others in your presence to further your own aims.

Hallowing of the Conquerer

- You feel entirely at ease with any use you put this item to. This feeling is amplified to satisfaction if that use is clearly linked to fulfilling you ambitions.

Hallowing of Atuman

- You feel a desire to expand the breadth, or depth, of any current ambition you may hold, or to seek out a new and more compelling challenge.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Ambition_roleplaying_effects&oldid=20316"

Amend conditions of Brock's Buffet

The National Bourse position of Brock's Toll's ownership decided by 'Brock's Buffet' an annual competition of arms between the yeoman who were so eager to fight of Dawn and the Marches. This proposal is to allow Navaar a place in this tradition.

Proposed by Miaren, seconded by Therunin.

Overview

- Custodianship of Brock's Toll, a sinecure, in Miaren, is determined by a contest between Marcher and Dawnish yeomen.

- The proposal was that the Navarr would be able to field contestants and potentially gain custodianship of the toll bridge.

- Defeated

Date

- Spring Solstice 378YE

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

6

22

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_conditions_of_Brock%27s_Buffet&oldid=29917"

Amend crime of sorcery

Add the following to the declaration of Sorcery: A declared Sorcerer is barred from knowingly interacting with eternals and their heralds.

Proposed by Zenith, seconded by Kahraman.

Overview

- Amend the law to prohibit interaction with a herald or eternal by any individual declared a sorcerer by the Conclave.

Date

- Spring Equinox 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- The Declaration of Sorcery was amended.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

20

5

Passed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_crime_of_sorcery&oldid=28099"

Amend law of delegation protection

Replace the wording of the barbarian visitor law to read: Any delegations from barbarian nations who arrive on the field of anvil under a flag of peace shall have protection under the law as if they were imperial citizens for the duration of their visit and for their direct passage out of the empire.

Proposed by Miaren, seconded by Segura.

Overview

- Amending the existing law to cover passage out of the Empire as well as activity at Anvil.

- The use of the word "delegation" explicitly means that they are sent as representatives, and are not wandering visitors or mobs.

- This changes the law to dictate that the delegation are not protected if they decide to take a scenic route home.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- This amends the existing law.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_law_of_delegation_protection&oldid=35517"

Amend law regarding foreign True Liao trade

At the request of the assembly of the nine, the senate establishes that the distribution of True Liao by the gatekeepers of virtue, for no payment, does not constitute "Trade".

Proposed by Conscience, seconded by Temeschwar.

Overview

- This is a reference to make an exception for the Crime of Property of trade of True Liao for gatekeepers, the wording having been checked by two magistrates as suitable for this intention.

Date

- Spring 378YE

Progress

- Complete

Campaign Outcome

- The exception has passed into law and been added to the list of criminal offences

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_law_regarding_foreign_True_Liao_trade&oldid=36101"

Amend powers of Dredgemaster of Feverwater

To improve the sinecure of Feverwater Lake, additionally to provide the Dredgemaster of Feverwater with the ability to approve one research request per season.

Proposed by Miaren, Seconded by Hercynia

Overview

- The sinecure dedicated to the dredging of lake Feverwater in Therunin is to be improved

- The Dredgemaster of Feverwater gains the ability to commission one pice of historical research each season.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Cost

- TBC

Campaign Outcome

- The powers of the Dredgemaster were amended.

Constitution

- While the Dredgemaster has the ability to commission Historical Research, the Empire as a whole can still only commission a limited number each season. To use this power, the Dregemaster provides an announcement to the Civil Service, who presents the decision to the Imperial Senate. No voting is possible by the Senate at this point, as the power has been delegated to the Dredgemaster. The Imperial Synod may, however, choose to exercise their veto over this announcement.

- The civil service note that the Imperial Senate appears to have set no upper limit on this motion. As such, the Senator can improve this sinecure as much as they like over the next year.

- The addition of the ability to do historical research means that this is no longer a normal sinecure. As such the Civil service intends to seek guidance from the Senate as to whether this should remain a lifetime appointment.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_powers_of_Dredgemaster_of_Feverwater&oldid=36224"

Amend Powers of Imperial Master of Works

To change the powers of the Master of Works, such that they have the power to repair existing fortifications, but not to build new ones. Additionally, a new stipend to be voted on.

Proposed by Hahnmark, Seconded by Bastion

Overview

- The ability of the Imperial Master of Works to raise new fortifications was removed

- An agreed 10 Throne stipend per season was granted.

Date

- Spring 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- The powers of the Imperial Master of Works were amended.

Constitution

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

25

2

Passed

5 Crowns

21

6

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_Powers_of_Imperial_Master_of_Works&oldid=27023"

Amend powers of the Advisor on Orc Affairs

To modify the position of Advisor on Orc Affairs to change the term to one year..

Proposed by Redoubt, Seconded by Conscience

Overview

- The Advisor on orc affairs will now have an annual term, rather than a life-time tenure.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Campaign Outcome

- The tenure of the Advisor was amended.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_powers_of_the_Advisor_on_Orc_Affairs&oldid=36088"

Amend powers of the Bursar of the Imperial Academy

To amend the sinecure of Bursar of the Academy to be a lifetime position, and to grant the position a stipend of 6 thrones a year.

Proposed by Tassato, Seconded by Casinea.

Overview

- Amending the title Bursar of the Imperial Academy to include an annual, rather than seasonal, stipend.

- The amendment also makes the this Imperial title a life-long appointment rather than one that needs to be regularly re-elected; this amendment was not neccessary as the title was already a life-time appointment.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Cost

- Stipend: 6 Thrones annually.

Campaign Outcome

- The Imperial title of Bursar of the Imperial Academy was amended.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_powers_of_the_Bursar_of_the_Imperial_Academy&oldid=35577"

Amend powers of the Conclave Liason

That in order that the Conclave Liason to the Senate is better able to serve the Empire:

- The Liason may have the power Advising the Senate, allowing them to attend and speak in Senate sessions, with the intention that this be used for Conclave related discussions

- That the Liason may address the Conclave once per summit without having to pay the initial mana cost.

- That the post of Conclave Liason to the Senate henceforth be renamed Imperial Magus.

Proposed by Feroz, Seconded by Morrow

Overview

- The abilities of the Conclave Liaison to the Senate were modified.

- The position was renamed Imperial Magus

- Passed in principle

Date

- Passed Autumn 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- The powers of the Conclave Liason to the Senate were amended, and the name of the title changed.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_powers_of_the_Conclave_Liason&oldid=29716"

Amend powers of the High Exorcist

To increase the stipend of the High Exorsist.

Proposed by Astolat, Seconded by Segura

Overview

- Passed at a 4 Throne increase to the existing stipend.

- The High Exorcist previously received a stiped of 3 Thrones each season.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Campaign Outcome

- The stipend of the High Exorcist was amended to 7 Thrones each season.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_powers_of_the_High_Exorcist&oldid=36100"

Amend powers of the Imperial Magus

To amend the powers and responsibilities of the Imperial Magus to give the responsibility to advise the Conclave of the Senate's position on magical matters.

Proposed by Hahnmark, Seconded by Kallavesa

Overview

- The Imperial Magus.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Campaign Outcome

- The responsibilities of the Imperal Magus were amended.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_powers_of_the_Imperial_Magus&oldid=36086"

Amend Powers of the Master of the Imperial Mint

Grant a the Master of the Mint the following additional power: Emergency Deficit Powers. In the event of a predicted deficit, the Master of the Mint is able to choose in which order specific Armies, Navies, Fortresses and Imperial Titles lapse sufficient to balance the budget.

Proposed by Sarvos, seconded by Feroz.

Overview

- Amend the powers of the Master of the Imperial Mint to allow them to decide on the order assets are disbanded in the event of a deficit.

- Defeated

Date

- Spring 378YE

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

0

U

Failed

Constitution

As the Senate have indicated that there is some interest in ensuring good oversight of this process, the civil service are looking to find a practical way to transfer this ability directly to the Senate.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_Powers_of_the_Master_of_the_Imperial_Mint&oldid=28188"

Amend Powers of the Quartermaster General

Spring 378YE

To amend the power of the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies to have the power of Address and the responsibility of Notification, removing their power of advising the senate

Proposed by Skarsind, Seconded by Sermersuaq

Overview

- The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies loses the power to speak in the Senate.

- The Quartermaster General gains the ability to address the Senate.

- The Quartermaster General's stipend is adjusted.

Date

- Spring 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- The powers of the Quartermaster General were modified.

- In the final outcome, the Quartermaster General's stipend was removed.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

25

1

Passed

5 Crowns

9

17

Failed

Winter 377YE

Grant the Right of Speak to Senate to the Quartermaster General

Proposed by Semmerholm, Seconded by Mitwold

Overview

- Allow the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies to speak in the Senate.

Date

- Winter 377YE

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

Accepted

16

11

passed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_Powers_of_the_Quartermaster_General&oldid=27051"

Amend Powers of the Quatermaster General

Grant the Right of Speak to Senate to the Quartermaster General

Proposed by Semmerholm, Seconded by Mitwold

Overview

- Allow the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies to speak in the Senate.

Date

- Winter 377YE

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

Accepted

16

11

passed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_Powers_of_the_Quatermaster_General&oldid=26342"

Amend Synod power of Recognition

That the Synod's power of recognition shall be amended to conform to those defined in the statement of principles proposed by Hywel Summercrow and passed by majority of the General Assembly of the Synod in Autumn 377 YE.

Proposed by Therunin, seconded by Feroz.

Overview

- Recognises a judgement of the Imperial Synod

“The General Assembly acknowledges that the current requirements to recognise an Exemplar of Virtue, being a Greater Majority of the a Virtue Assembly, are too easy to achieve with a small number of priests and, acknowledging that this cheapens the value of recognising an Exemplar, the recognition of an Exemplar of Virtue shall require both of:

1) A Greater Majority of the relevant Virtue Assembly, and

2) a Lesser Majority of the General Assembly.

Furthermore, no judgment to recognise an Exemplar shall be valid unless it specifies which of the Signs of the Paragon the candidate has displayed.

Hywel Summercrow of the Navarr, Priest of Wisdom

Date

- Winter 377YE

Campaign Outcome

- The use of the Synod power of Recognition has been amended to include the new principles.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

27

0

Passed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_Synod_power_of_Recognition&oldid=35463"

Amend powers of the Advisor on Orc Affairs (Redirected from Amend the powers of the Advisor on Orc Affairs)

To modify the position of Advisor on Orc Affairs to change the term to one year..

Proposed by Redoubt, Seconded by Conscience

Overview

- The Advisor on orc affairs will now have an annual term, rather than a life-time tenure.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Campaign Outcome

- The tenure of the Advisor was amended.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_powers_of_the_Advisor_on_Orc_Affairs&oldid=36088"

Amend powers of the Imperial Magus (Redirected from Amend the powers of the Imperial Magus)

To amend the powers and responsibilities of the Imperial Magus to give the responsibility to advise the Conclave of the Senate's position on magical matters.

Proposed by Hahnmark, Seconded by Kallavesa

Overview

- The Imperial Magus.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Campaign Outcome

- The responsibilities of the Imperal Magus were amended.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Amend_powers_of_the_Imperial_Magus&oldid=36086"

A Miracle in Hahnmark

Miracle in Hahnmark

Ville paused to wipe the sweat from his brow, and stretched his back. Instead of the ache of his muscles, they felt almost as though they glowed. A warm sensation filled Ville and it felt good. Somehow, Ville knew without knowing how, that the harder his muscles ached, the better it would feel. Alongside that, it was almost as though he could hear the weltsilver calling to him, inviting him to free it from the grasp of cold, unyielding, stone.

Ville looked to his left and he could see that Needa felt it too. Grinning the pair hefted their picks and struck again and again.

Word is spreading of Weltsilver mines in Hahnmark spontaneously generating auras consistent with the Virtue of Prosperity. Miners have reported feeling enervated and enjoyment from mining the reddish glistening ore, which has increased their enthusiasm for the work. Consequently, these miraculous auras have significantly increased the productivity of those mines. As a byproduct of this, there has been an increase in religious zeal in the area, and attendance - and associated influence - of congregations has also increased.

There have been some complaints from businesses across the territory who have found that there has been a migration of labour to mine working, which has left them short-handed an affected output. The shift in labour is credited to a mixture of a belief in the more virtuous nature of the work, and the positive sensations generated.

Events of this nature, whilst uncommon, are certainly not unheard of and attest to the positive benefits of the Virtues in this life, and all others. There is talk that these aura stem from a forgotten Wintermark Paragon of Prosperity, who perhaps displayed signs of benevolence and legacy through the mastery of weltsilver. There are no surviving records of such. Following recent events, this has caused some debate over whether they were Kallavesi, Steinr or Suaq.

Based off similar events in the lifetime of the Empire, the civil service predicts that if no action is taken, then the effect will be a major increase in the productivity of Weltsilver mines[1], and moderate increase in the attendance and influence of congregations in Hahnmark[2], but a moderate downturn in Hahnmark businesses[3]

There have been times in the Empire's history when the citizens have wanted to take action, and examples of this have included:

- Back in the time of the Emperor Giovanni the Peacemaker, the decision was taken by the Senate that as one group of citizens was blessed, another should not be short changed. A Senate Motion disbursed funds to offer a subsidy for recruitment that allowed businesses to compete. The civil service estimates that this would cost 47 Thrones and the effect would be that the mines would only benefit by a moderate amount[4], but that the impact on businesses would be negated, and the effect on congregations would remain. Theoretically, the General Assembly of the Synod could also make such a payment using the Synod Power of Rewarding.

- Although the spontaneous auras are confined to the Weltsilver mines, in similar situations the Assembly of Prosperity has been able to capitalise on this and - using priestly auras - spread the benefit more widely. A Statement of Principle from the Assembly of Prosperty could name a person - capable of raising consecrations - who could coordinate the consecrations of other mines so that the auras demonstrate the value of all mine working. The civil service estimates the named priest would need around 24 liao to spread this benefit sufficiently. The effect would be that the major benefit experienced by weltsilver mines would apply to all types of mine[5].

- Spiritual events also lend themselves to opportunities for missionary work to spread, and reinforce, the benefits of a Virtuous Life. A disbursement of 8 Thrones from a Senate Motion or Virtue Fund Rewarding could support this work so that the effect can be spread to include a single named territory adjacent to Hahnmark. The territory would need to be named in the Motion or the Judgment of Rewarding.[6]

- More controversially, during the reign of Empress Varkula, a Cardinal of the Way - an Urizen Illuminate suspected of Lucidianism - called for the exorcism of a spontaneous aura of Ambition as actually being disruptive to the functioning of the Empire. This would require a Statement of Principle from either the Wintermark National Assembly, or a Virtue Assembly, which would name a person who would take responsibility for the exorcism of the auras. The named person would need around 14 liao to ensure the exorcism of the auras ensuring the current effect be nullified.[7] Note: The exorcism of a spontaneously arising virtuous aura is currently classed as the religious crime of Desecration and individuals doing so may be condemned by the Synod if they do not have an legal exemption from the Senate

The above options are the lessons learned across the history of the Empire. The civil service does not expect that this is an exhaustive or absolute list. Costings for Senate Motions, Conclave Gambits or Synod Rewardings can be requested from the civil service at the Hub. Other actions taken by Imperial citizens may also be taken into account.

Footnotes

- [1] +4 resources to Weltsilver mines in affected territory

- [2] +1 liao and +2 influence to congregations in affected territory

- [3] -33 Rings to affected businesses

- [4] Benefit to affected mines falls to +2 resources, but no impact on businesses

- [5] +4 resources to all types of mines in affected territory; not just weltsilver

- [6] The effect also covers a territory adjacent to Hahnmark

- [7] No impact on mines, businesses or congregations

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=A_Miracle_in_Hahnmark&oldid=35676"

Amity and enmity (Redirected from Amity and emnity)

The Imperial Conclave has the ability to declare amity or enmity towards an eternal.

Amity or Enmity towards an eternal is considered to apply to all that eternal's heralds. The Conclave may also occasionally extend amity or enmity towards a specific herald without changing the designation of other heralds or the patron eternal.

Contents

- 1 Amity

- 1.1 Eternals with Amity

- 2 Enmity

- 2.1 Eternals with enmity

Amity

An eternal (and associated heralds) under Declaration of Amity gains the following rights:

- They receive protection under Imperial Law

- They can attend conclave meetings

- They may be nominated to speak before the conclave, although they cannot vote.

- They can place an Address or Declaration onto the conclave agenda under the normal rules as if they were Imperial citizens (the civil service does not accept realm-specific mana as payment).

- They can make bequests to the vault of a specific order or to the Conclave as a whole.

The declaration also has a magical effect. Eternals and their heralds find it easier to manifest in the Hall of Worlds and to move into Anvil.

Eternals with Amity

As of 376YE, no eternals were in a position of amity following the disastrous intervention of Emperor Walter.

Over the course of 377 YE, declarations of Amity were passed by the Conclave for the eternal Sadogua, the eternal Basileus Kade and Carolinus Kade, the herald of Basileus Kade.

Over the course of 378 YE, declarations of Amity were passed by the Conclave for the eternal Skathe, the eternal Meraud and the eternal Ylenrith. The amity of Skathe was later revoked during the Winter Solstice 378YE.

At the Winter Solstice 378YE, declarations of Amity were passed in the Conclave for the Summer eternals Cathan Canaea and Barien.

Enmity

An eternal (and associated heralds) under Declaration of Enmity suffers the following penalties:

- Eternals and heralds under enmity count as barbarians for legal purposes.

- Trading or dealing with an eternal under enmity is illegal and will be investigated as treason.

- Any ritual that deals directly with an eternal subject to the declaration of enmity (such as Ephisis' Scale for Ephisis, Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust for Kaela or Missive for Sadogua for Sadogua and so on) is automatically considered to be interdicted; magistrates may seek the assistance of the archmagi to clarify which rituals this effects, unless there is a separate declaration of interdiction against specific rituals.

The declaration also has magical effects. Eternals find it much harder to enter the Hall of Worlds. Heralds cannot use the portal in the Hall of Worlds to travel to Anvil without ritual assistance from an Imperial citizen.

Eternals with enmity

This is the position as it stands prior to the Spring Solstice 379 YE:

The Wendigo, a Winter eternal that promotes unspeakable acts and cannibalistic feasts was made subject to this declaration in the 306 YE Winter Solstice session of the Conclave following exposure of his involvement in no less than three cannibalistic cults dedicated to blasphemy, idolatry and heresy.

The Winter eternal Surut was made subject to this declaration in the 378 YE Spring Equinox session of the Conclave. Be aware that this means that casting the ritual Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court is illegal and will be investigated as treason.

The Spring eternal Arhallogen was given enmity of the Conclave during the Winter Solstice 378YE. This means that performing the ritual Fire in the Blood is illegal, and will be investigated by the magistrates as treason.

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Amity and enmity

The Imperial Conclave has the ability to declare amity or enmity towards an eternal.

Amity or Enmity towards an eternal is considered to apply to all that eternal's heralds. The Conclave may also occasionally extend amity or enmity towards a specific herald without changing the designation of other heralds or the patron eternal.

Contents

- 1 Amity

- 1.1 Eternals with Amity

- 2 Enmity

- 2.1 Eternals with enmity

Amity

An eternal (and associated heralds) under Declaration of Amity gains the following rights:

- They receive protection under Imperial Law

- They can attend conclave meetings

- They may be nominated to speak before the conclave, although they cannot vote.

- They can place an Address or Declaration onto the conclave agenda under the normal rules as if they were Imperial citizens (the civil service does not accept realm-specific mana as payment).

- They can make bequests to the vault of a specific order or to the Conclave as a whole.

The declaration also has a magical effect. Eternals and their heralds find it easier to manifest in the Hall of Worlds and to move into Anvil.

Eternals with Amity

As of 376YE, no eternals were in a position of amity following the disastrous intervention of Emperor Walter.

Over the course of 377 YE, declarations of Amity were passed by the Conclave for the eternal Sadogua, the eternal Basileus Kade and Carolinus Kade, the herald of Basileus Kade.

Over the course of 378 YE, declarations of Amity were passed by the Conclave for the eternal Skathe, the eternal Meraud and the eternal Ylenrith. The amity of Skathe was later revoked during the Winter Solstice 378YE.

At the Winter Solstice 378YE, declarations of Amity were passed in the Conclave for the Summer eternals Cathan Canaea and Barien.

Enmity

An eternal (and associated heralds) under Declaration of Enmity suffers the following penalties:

- Eternals and heralds under enmity count as barbarians for legal purposes.

- Trading or dealing with an eternal under enmity is illegal and will be investigated as treason.

- Any ritual that deals directly with an eternal subject to the declaration of enmity (such as Ephisis' Scale for Ephisis, Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust for Kaela or Missive for Sadogua for Sadogua and so on) is automatically considered to be interdicted; magistrates may seek the assistance of the archmagi to clarify which rituals this effects, unless there is a separate declaration of interdiction against specific rituals.

The declaration also has magical effects. Eternals find it much harder to enter the Hall of Worlds. Heralds cannot use the portal in the Hall of Worlds to travel to Anvil without ritual assistance from an Imperial citizen.

Eternals with enmity

This is the position as it stands prior to the Spring Solstice 379 YE:

The Wendigo, a Winter eternal that promotes unspeakable acts and cannibalistic feasts was made subject to this declaration in the 306 YE Winter Solstice session of the Conclave following exposure of his involvement in no less than three cannibalistic cults dedicated to blasphemy, idolatry and heresy.

The Winter eternal Surut was made subject to this declaration in the 378 YE Spring Equinox session of the Conclave. Be aware that this means that casting the ritual Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court is illegal and will be investigated as treason.

The Spring eternal Arhallogen was given enmity of the Conclave during the Winter Solstice 378YE. This means that performing the ritual Fire in the Blood is illegal, and will be investigated by the magistrates as treason.

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Anarchy in Miekarova

Trouble on the Road

The wagon jolted as a wheel splashed through a puddle that was deceptively deep. Radev grunted and wiped the rain from his eyes before pulling his cap forward. The rain and mud was unwelcome, but the oxen were sure footed. Besides, Radev was determined to make good time for the cart was laden with boxes of supplies for cousin Vassily and the others. Letters from home, food and other supplies that would bolster the spirits of the troops and remind them of home.

There was another jolt, and then suddenly a loud snap. The wagon lurched to the left, and Radev scrabbled to keep his balance. Looking behind him, he saw one of the wheels fall away. The oxen halted. Radev jumped down and bent on one knee to take a closer look. After a moment, his expression soured. The marks were unmistakable; the axle had been partially sawn through. The jolting on the rough trod had strained it to breaking point - and beyond.

Radev looked at the road ahead of him, and behind. The rain continued to fall, and nightfall was mere hours away.

Civil Service Report

Citizens across the Varushkan territory of Miekarova are reporting encountering an increased number of malign auras of anarchy, as well as acts of sabotage and disruption. These seem to be primarily targeted at the infrastructure supporting smaller military units. The planned and coordinated nature of these events and auras speaks heavily of an unusually large, and organised, effort by an anarchy cult.

An analysis of the impact of these actions indicates that, if unchecked, these acts will significantly reduce the efficacy of military units that operate out of Miekarova. Soldiers in these units risk becoming demoralised, distracted by concerns at home, and be denied missives and supplies intended to bolster them. A small consolation is that the libertine effect of the anarchy auras has seen more impulse purchasing, which has been beneficial to businesses in the territory. However, this kind of stimulus is unsustainable.

As yet, no specific anarchist cult is claiming credit for the attacks, however these incidents follow the consecration of the Senate building to anarchy nearly two years ago, and that at least one individual condemned by the Synod has yet to face the magistrates.

The threat to Miekarova-based military units is twofold:

- The practical acts of sabotage committed by the cultists

- The use of hallowings and consecrations that affect the actions and judgment of citizens

Over the course of its history, the Empire has had to deal with a range of bandits, cultists and insurgents. Based off similar events, if nothing is done in response, then military units based out of Miekarova will experience a massive reduction in effectiveness[1], but businesses in Miekarova will experience a moderate improvement in demand[2]. In the past, strategies that have been employed in situations such as these include:

- A Senate Motion to recruit additional militia in an affected territory. This primarily addresses the practical acts of sabotage through prevention and apprehension of saboteurs. Disbursement of 18 Thrones would recruit sufficient militia support to reduce the disruption to military units [3]. Disbursement of 26 Thrones would recruit sufficient militia support to almost completely eliminate the disruption to military units [4]. Neither action would affect the bonus to businesses caused by auras..

- As an alternative to additional militia resources, the Senate could authorise the deployment of military units in Miekarova. A Senate-approved deployment of five military units would be able to sweep the territory for anarchists and forcibly relocate them to a neighbouring territory, i.e. Skarsind, Karov or Volodmartz. The intended relocation would need to be specified in the Senate Motion.

- During the Freedom Heresy, the Synod directed priests to lead the exorcism of blasphemous auras in Montane. A Statement of Principle made by the Varuskhan National Assembly, or a Virtue Assembly, could name a person who would be responsible for coordinating exorcism efforts. Estimates are that the person would need around 14 liao to achieve this. The disruption to military units would be reduced, but the benefit to businesses would also be reduced/eliminated[5].

- An alternative would be the creation of a multiude of auras of Vigilance to aid the citizens of Miekarova in being alert to anarchists and/or resisting the blasphemous auras. A Statement of Principle from the Assembly of Vigilance could name one of their number - capable of raising consecrations of vigilance - to coordinate the creation of virtuous auras to counter those of the anarchists. The named priest would need around 17 liao to achieve this. The auras would limit the disruption the anarchists can do to military units, but not change the impact on businesses[6]

- This anarchist sect appears to be well-organised. The ability to disrupt their leadership structure would likely limit their ability to disrupt Imperial military units [7]. However, the civil service has very little intelligence regarding this anarchist group.

The above options are the lessons learned across the history of the Empire. The civil service does not expect that this is an exhaustive or absolute list. Costings for Senate Motions, Conclave Gambits or Synod Rewardings can be requested from the civil service at the Hub. The impact of other actions taken by Imperial Citizens can also be factored into consideration.

Footnotes

- [1] -6 resources on raiding or -60 strength in war per military unit

- [2] +36 rings income per business

- [3] Military unit penalty reduces by 2 resources / 20 strength per unit

- [4] Military unit penalty reduces by 4 resources / 40 strength per unit

- [5] Military unit penalty reduces by 2 resources / 20 strength per unit; benefit to businesses lost

- [6] Military unit penalty reduces by 2 resources / 20 strength per unit; benefit to businesses remains

- [7] Military unit penalty reduces by 2 resources / 20 strength per unit

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Anarchy roleplaying effects

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Consecration of Anarchy

- 3 Anointings of Anarchy

- 4 Hallows of Anarchy

Overview

These roleplaying effects can be created by a person whose soul is dedicated to Anarchy using the relevant ceremonial skill. A character performing an anointing or hallow must pick one of the appropriate roleplaying effects when they perform the ceremony.

Consecration of Anarchy

Effect

In this place you feel the sanctity of liberty. You feel an urge to tear down anything that restrict freedom and personal responsibility, including rules or laws.

Anointings of Anarchy

The following are a range of auras that can be summoned onto a living soul, with their consent, by priests whose own souls are dedicated to Anarchy:

Known As

Effect

The Saboteur Anointing

When you received this anointing, you named an entity – most likely an institution, organisation, or other similar structure. Whilst this anointing lasts, you feel this entity is a threat to freedom and choice. This is accompanied by a strong desire to undermine or otherwise weaken or destroy it.

The Anarchist Anointing

You are filled with a strong hostility toward the status quo. You are more inclined to take any opportunity to bring about change. This feeling is amplified if the outcome would affect you personally.

The Libertarian Anointing

You are filled with a strong hostility toward any individual or organisation that has authority over any aspect of your life and could curtail your freedom. You are inclined to act against these where possible.

The Individualist Anointing

You feel a strong appreciation for your freedom and right to choose. You are more inclined to express this by trying new or different things, and making decisions other than those you normally would.

The Lawbreaker's Anointing

You feel a desire to challenge, or ignore, constraints to freedom and choice, which may include laws.

Hallows of Anarchy

The following are a range of auras that can be summoned onto magical items by priests whose own souls are dedicated to Anarchy:

Known As

Effect

The Liberty Hallow

When you are bonded to, and in contact with, this item, you feel a strong urge to act in a way that will liberate or empower any you perceive as being deprived of freedom or choice. The impulse includes the desire to use this item in achieving this, if it would be appropriate.

The Rebel's Hallow

When you are bonded to, and in contact with, this item, any ties of loyalty or obedience you have to others are greatly diminished and replaced by a certainty of your own importance. You are less inclined toward obedience and following orders.

The Radical's Hallow

When you are bonded to, and in contact with, this item, you are inclined to attempt something that you have never done before. This impulse includes using the item in this attempt if it would be appropriate to do so.

The Corruptor's Hallow

When you are bonded to, and in contact with, this item, you feel a desire to encourage others to explore their freedom and choice without any sense of obligation or constraint. This may include verbally, or by your example.

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Anathemic Call of Bug and Briar

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 16

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Removing the Curse

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 16

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. At the end of the ritual one of the contributors is chosen to deliver the curse with a pronouncement of doom.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

This ritual creates a curse that is delivered to a target with a pronouncement of doom: one contributors is chosen to deliver the curse, and they must do so within fifteen minutes or it falls on their own head.

While under the curse, the target experiences a roleplaying effect; they often suffer from itchy skin, and are regularly targetted by biting or stinging insects when they are in a natural setting.

While under the curse the target looses half of any production that would have been provided by a farm, forest or herb garden resource.

The additional production provided by an enchantment such as Rampant Growth or Gathering the Harvest is not effected by this curse.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Removing the Curse

The curse can be removed by certain powerful creatures or items.

Description

This curse focuses the fecund energies of the Spring realm onto a target, and through them onto their resources. Insects and parasites breed with frighting speed around them, and uncontrolled fertility causes rhodedendrons, briars, weeds and fungi to breed at supernatural speed overwhelming the valuable vegetation that their wealth relies on. It makes little difference if the target abandons their farm, forest or herb garden - within a few days the same unnatural growths begin to overwhelm their new resource.

Several Eternals of Spring are known to have the power to remove this curse - and to deliver their own variants of it - especially Yaw'nagrah and Llofir. Unfortunately, both are more inclined to encourage the curse than to discourage the supernatural growth it causes; it generally requires a great deal of effort to encourage them to assist. By contrast, some Eternals of Winter (notably Kaela) are more than happy to help remove the effect ... but this rarely leaves the resource in question any more productive.

Common Elements

As with many curses this ritual often involves a recitation.of the grievances against the target; casting aside food or forest resources, invoking the rune Bravash, or calling on the names of Eternals such as Yaw'nagrah or Llofir.

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An Echo of Life Remains

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The target remains must be present throughout, and close enough to touch.

Effects

This ritual is used upon a grave or a corpse. It will also work on the remains of a corpse, even if that corpse has been reduced to ashes, as long as the majority of the remains are still present.

At the conclusion of the ritual the ritualists become aware of a common name of the deceased being, and may learn other information such as an image of the deceased.

If more than two bodies are present in the remains, the answer is clouded.

Description

This bitter divination spell is useful for determining who is buried in a grave without needing to desecrate it; for identifying remains claimed from a battlefield so they may be given appropriate posthumous honours; to confirm the demise of a hated enemy or criminal even if the remains are scattered or defaced; and to identify the victims of murder or exposure whose bodies might otherwise be unrecognisable.

As long as the remains are present, the ritual will work on them even if they are not conventionally dead. It is rare, but occasionally the ritual is used on an undead or inhabited corpse, assuming it can be restrained for the performance.

While the spell is useful, it is somewhat circumstantial. It is not a commonly mastered ritual, except by those who deal with unidentified corpses on a regular basis. Even Winter ritualists would rather perform the ritual spontaneously that admit that they are dealing with desecrated remains or murder victims often enough to entail them mastering the ritual.

The ritual does have a little synergy with Whispers through the Black Gate. On occasion, it has been used to discover the identity of a fresh corpse so that the more powerful necromantic ritual can be invoked to learn more about the circumstances of death; it has proved especially useful in questioning the spirit of recently deceased enemy soldiers, for example,

Common Elements

The most common element of this ritual is ash. It may be scattered over the target remains, mixed with fat or water to draw a rune on the ritualist or the target, or sometimes used to outline the eyes of the caster. Examination of the corpse may be accompanied with the use of the Sular rune, or meditation and evocation of the spirit of the dead with the Ophis rune. Most often the rune of ending is sketched on or above the remains.

The performance of this ritual is often muted, grim and understated; at the end of the day, the ritual involves the remains of a mortal being whose identity is in doubt and that should be a sobering experience.

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Annan Water

Trad. Tune here or here.

A pdf of the tune and lyrics can be found here but please learn the tune from the YouTube links first - the pdf is a memory aid and not note-perfect.

Oh Annan Water's wondrous deep And my love Ann is wondrous comely And woe that she should wet her feet Because I love her best of any. Go saddle for me the bonny grey mare Go saddle her and make her ready. For I must cross the stream tonight, Or never more I'll see my lady.

He's ridden over field and fen. O'er moor and moss and many's the mire, But the spurs of steel were sore to bite. Sparks from the mare's hoofs flew like fire. The mare flew over moor and moss, And when she's reached the Annan Water She couldn't have ridden a furlong more Had a thousand whips been laid upon her.

Chorus And woe betide you Annan Waters By night you are a gloomy river, And over you I'll build a bridge That never more true love can sever.

Oh Boatman put off your boat, Put off your boat for gold and money. For I must cross the stream tonight, Or never more I'll see my lady Oh the sides are steep, the waters deep. From bank to brae the water's pouring And the bonny grey mare she sweats for fear. She stands to hear the water roaring

And he has tried to swim the stream, And he swam on both strong and steady, But the river was deep and strength did fail, And never more he'll see his lady. Oh woe betide the willow wand, And woe betide the bush and briar, For you broke beneath my true love's hand When strength did fail and limbs did tire

Chorus And woe betide you Annan Waters By night you are a gloomy river, And over you I'll build a bridge That never more true love can sever.

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Announcements by the Advisor on the Vallorn

Spring 378YE

Commission research into the life of the Navarri guide Megan Blackblood

Approved by the Advisor on the Vallorn.

Overview

- Historical research concerning Megan Blackblood has been commissioned through the civil service.

- Actions approved by the Advisor on the Vallorn.

Date

- Spring Solstice 378YE

Progress

- 5 Thrones provided by Merel Pathfinder, Advisor on the Vallorn, after Spring Equinox 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- A research report into this topic is being compiled by the civil service.

Voting

This motion was approved by the Advisor on the Vallorn using the legal power to commission research granted by the Imperial Senate.

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Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

Spring 378YE

Commission research into Emperor Guntherm’s campaigns against the Jotun

Commision research into the location of the Gryphon's Pride banner

Approved by the Minister of Historical Research.

Overview

- Historical research concerning these two topics has been commissioned through the civil service.

- Actions approved by the Minister of Historical Research.

- The actions are grouped together, but each would count as a seperate announcement for purposes of the Imperial Synod veto.

Date

- Spring Solstice 378YE

Progress

- 10 Thrones provided by Ioseph of Phoenix Reach, Minister of Historical Research, after Spring Equinox 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- Research reports into these two topics are being compiled by the civil service.

Voting

This motion was approved by the Minister for Historical Research using the legal power to commission research granted by the Imperial Senate.

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Announcements by the Quartermaster General

Spring 378YE

Resupply the Seventh Wave with 42 wains

Resupply the Wolves of War with 43 wains

Resupply the Winter Sun with 43 wains

Resupply the Army of the Citadel with 42 wains

Approved by the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies.

Overview

- Resupply the Highborn army of the Seventh Wave.

- Resupply the League army of the Wolves of War.

- Resupply the Imperial orc army of the Winter Sun.

- Resupply the Urizen army of the Army of the Citadel.

The actions are grouped together, but each would count as a separate announcement for purposes of the Imperial Synod veto.

Date

- Spring Solstice 378YE

Progress

- 170 wains of Mithril and Weirwood provided by Janusz Dalibor von Temeschwar, Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies, after Spring Equinox 378YE

- 42 wains for the Seventh Wave

- 43 wains for the Wolves of War

- 43 wains for the Winter Sun

- 42 wains for the Army of the Citadel

Campaign Outcome

- Resupply an army using 42 wains restores fighting strength equal to 840 soldiers to the army.

- Resupply an army using 43 wains restored fighting strength equal to 860 soldiers to the army.

Voting

This motion was approved by the Quartermaster General using the legal power to resupply armies granted by the Imperial Senate.

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Anthem of Cantiarch's Hold

A pdf of the lyrics and music can be found here.

To the tune of Gaudete (trad), words by Cassiel of Cantiarch's Hold.

Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand

Let our soldiers show their pride as they march to battle, Victors strong and standing tall, they are no man's chattel.

Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand

Let their courage know no bounds, death claims those who falter, Act in full or bear the shame, whether word or slaughter.

Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand

Lead them boldly from the fore, show your heart’s ambition, Willing hearts the greatest fuel, dreams will brings ignition.

Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand

Loyalty can only show, when the lights are fading, When darkness comes and men despair, be the beacon guiding.

Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand

True wealth comes with hardest work, only strong men prosper, Those in need should earn thy aid, strength in turn they’ll foster.

Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand

Ever vigilant he stands, he who guards the tower, Though his watch is cold alone, in his eyes the power.

Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand

Learn the path that no man walked, knowledge ever growing, Share the truths that you have learned, seeds of wisdom sowing.

Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand Cantiarch, raise your sword against your foeman Side by side, in Virtues name we shall stand

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Anvil Hospital & Imperial School of Medicine (Redirected from Anvil Field Hospital)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 The Imperial School of Medicine

- 1.2 The Anvil Hospital

- 2 History

- 3 In Play

Overview

The Anvil Hospital and Imperial School of Imperial Medicine is an Imperial Sodality dedicated to the protection and promotion of the healing arts.

The School produces a memorandum twice a year that includes updates and news items on what is happening in the medical community within the Empire, articles on various medical matters and so on. This pamphlet can be picked up for just a few rings. In addition, the School runs frequent medical lectures. There is a small charge for entrance to these lectures for non-members and for lecture materials (provided by the lecturer), a portion of this fee going to the School and the rest to the lecturer themselves.

The School collates and prints the Guide to Medicine. This bound volume is the authoritative edition of all things medical within the Empire, and covers every herb, potion, recipe, healing ritual and wound in the game, together with details on various and specific threats, how to deal with traumatic wounds, and so on. Copies can be purchased directly from the Hospital. The School also publishes, and will help publish, other texts, treatise, and other materials relevant to medicine and medical treatment at Anvil and the wider Empire.

The sodality also has its own dedicated website which contains an overview of how the venture works, a comprehensive library of IC texts, and an online database of all things medical in Empire.

The Imperial School of Medicine

The Imperial School of Medicine is the administrative body of the venture. The school has several functions which include running the Hospital, protecting the interests of the profession, promoting training in the healing arts with the Academy, presenting regular lectures, making representations to the Senate where necessary and operating a herb bank which allows members to trade herbs at preferential rates.

This School of Medicine is open to all citizens of the Empire and has a membership fee which goes toward the running of the institution. In return a member receives a number of benefits, details of which can be found in the Members section of our website.

The Anvil Hospital

The Anvil Hospital (field hospital) is the business end of the institution. It is funded, run and administrated by the School of Medicine and provides healing to the citizens of the Empire, and especially to those soldiers returning from the battlefield who are in need of treatment. The Hospital has a permanent home by the Sentinel Gate and is marked by a flag bearing the Hospital symbol; the blood rune Rhyv on a white background.

Any medic of skill and dedication is welcome to come and help out in the Hospital, and those who work there give their services freely. You do not have to be a member of the School of Medicine to benefit from or work within the Hospital, and whilst the Hospital is glad to receive donations of people's time, money, or herbs, it does not charge for its services; all citizens of the Empire are entitled to receive free healing.

History

The Anvil Hospital was created in the chaotic years following Britta's death in 376. Concerned citizens of the Empire banded together to create the institution and it quickly grew from there.

Following a vote from the Senate during the Spring Equinox of 377YE the School of Medicine was awarded a one-off lump sum of money. This was used to upgrade members’ herbs gardens, providing a permanent source of herbs for the Anvil Hospital. Although the disbursement by the Senate provided the Hospital with Imperial recognition, it does not affect it's independent status - the Hospital and the School are not subject to the Imperial Senate or the civil service.

In Play

The Anvil Field Hospital operates from a tent which is permanently sited next to the Sentinel Gate. Anyone seeking the Imperial School of Medicine or the Hospital is best advised to go there first.

To ensure broad support from across the Empire, the sodality is managed by a board, comprised of one representative from each of the ten nations. The School of Medicine does not elect or appoint the board members; a representative is chosen by the medics of each nation by whatever means they deem fit. The board decide on the day to day running of the School and the Anvil Hospital, vote on changes and dictate direction. Any citizen of the Empire may request a matter be brought before the board by speaking with their national representative.

In addition to the board, the Hospital is served by the three non-executive positions, a bursar, chancellor, and librarian. These positions can only advise the board. They have no voting rights, they exist to ensure continuity as the board members change, and to handle the background administration and costs of the venture.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Anvil_Hospital_%26_Imperial_School_of_Medicine&oldid=27781"

Anvil Hospital & Imperial School of Medicine

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 The Imperial School of Medicine

- 1.2 The Anvil Hospital

- 2 History

- 3 In Play

Overview

The Anvil Hospital and Imperial School of Imperial Medicine is an Imperial Sodality dedicated to the protection and promotion of the healing arts.

The School produces a memorandum twice a year that includes updates and news items on what is happening in the medical community within the Empire, articles on various medical matters and so on. This pamphlet can be picked up for just a few rings. In addition, the School runs frequent medical lectures. There is a small charge for entrance to these lectures for non-members and for lecture materials (provided by the lecturer), a portion of this fee going to the School and the rest to the lecturer themselves.

The School collates and prints the Guide to Medicine. This bound volume is the authoritative edition of all things medical within the Empire, and covers every herb, potion, recipe, healing ritual and wound in the game, together with details on various and specific threats, how to deal with traumatic wounds, and so on. Copies can be purchased directly from the Hospital. The School also publishes, and will help publish, other texts, treatise, and other materials relevant to medicine and medical treatment at Anvil and the wider Empire.

The sodality also has its own dedicated website which contains an overview of how the venture works, a comprehensive library of IC texts, and an online database of all things medical in Empire.

The Imperial School of Medicine

The Imperial School of Medicine is the administrative body of the venture. The school has several functions which include running the Hospital, protecting the interests of the profession, promoting training in the healing arts with the Academy, presenting regular lectures, making representations to the Senate where necessary and operating a herb bank which allows members to trade herbs at preferential rates.

This School of Medicine is open to all citizens of the Empire and has a membership fee which goes toward the running of the institution. In return a member receives a number of benefits, details of which can be found in the Members section of our website.

The Anvil Hospital

The Anvil Hospital (field hospital) is the business end of the institution. It is funded, run and administrated by the School of Medicine and provides healing to the citizens of the Empire, and especially to those soldiers returning from the battlefield who are in need of treatment. The Hospital has a permanent home by the Sentinel Gate and is marked by a flag bearing the Hospital symbol; the blood rune Rhyv on a white background.

Any medic of skill and dedication is welcome to come and help out in the Hospital, and those who work there give their services freely. You do not have to be a member of the School of Medicine to benefit from or work within the Hospital, and whilst the Hospital is glad to receive donations of people's time, money, or herbs, it does not charge for its services; all citizens of the Empire are entitled to receive free healing.

History

The Anvil Hospital was created in the chaotic years following Britta's death in 376. Concerned citizens of the Empire banded together to create the institution and it quickly grew from there.

Following a vote from the Senate during the Spring Equinox of 377YE the School of Medicine was awarded a one-off lump sum of money. This was used to upgrade members’ herbs gardens, providing a permanent source of herbs for the Anvil Hospital. Although the disbursement by the Senate provided the Hospital with Imperial recognition, it does not affect it's independent status - the Hospital and the School are not subject to the Imperial Senate or the civil service.

In Play

The Anvil Field Hospital operates from a tent which is permanently sited next to the Sentinel Gate. Anyone seeking the Imperial School of Medicine or the Hospital is best advised to go there first.

To ensure broad support from across the Empire, the sodality is managed by a board, comprised of one representative from each of the ten nations. The School of Medicine does not elect or appoint the board members; a representative is chosen by the medics of each nation by whatever means they deem fit. The board decide on the day to day running of the School and the Anvil Hospital, vote on changes and dictate direction. Any citizen of the Empire may request a matter be brought before the board by speaking with their national representative.

In addition to the board, the Hospital is served by the three non-executive positions, a bursar, chancellor, and librarian. These positions can only advise the board. They have no voting rights, they exist to ensure continuity as the board members change, and to handle the background administration and costs of the venture.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Anvil_Hospital_%26_Imperial_School_of_Medicine&oldid=27781"

Apothecary potions

Every apothecary knows how to mix these five essential preparations. They allow the drinker to gain medicinal aid without needing the personal attention of a physick.

Contents

- 1 Anodyne Embrocation

- 2 Bloodharrow Philtre

- 3 Elixir Vitae

- 4 Feverfail Elixir

- 5 Ossean Balm

Anodyne Embrocation

This analgesic body rub numbs pain, and the strong scent helps to clear the mind when rubbed firmly into the skin. It can also be used to alleviate the symptoms of painful medical conditions such as inflamed joints, arthritis and rheumatism, but the cost of doing so with a potion tends to place this option outside the reach of all save the most wealthy.

- Form: Salve.

- Description: This dark blue cream has a gritty, slightly sandy texture. It smells strongly of freshly cut grass. Put a tiny drop on your finger or your tongue, and the tip quickly becomes numb.

- Roleplaying Effects: The salve numbs the pain of your injuries, and its strong scent helps to clear your mind.

- Mechanical Effects: You can ignore the roleplaying effect of a single traumatic wound until the end of the current engagement.

- Recipe: One dram of Marrowort and one dram of True Vervain.

Bloodharrow Philtre

A thin, slightly toxic elixir that harrows the blood of the one who drinks it. After a moment or two of agonising pain, the body is purged of venom, and of some minor poisons.

- Form/Description: Liquid.

- Form/Description: This translucent red liquid has tiny white particles suspended in it. It has a spicy scent, and a tiny amount on your tongue or your finger tingles unpleasantly for a moment.

- Roleplaying Effects: Pain spreads rapidly through your body; you feel as if your blood is on fire. After a moment or two, the pain fades.

- Mechanical Effects: You lose the venom condition.

- Recipe: One dram Imperial Roseweald and one dram of Marrowort

Elixir Vitae

This potent healing elixir captures the essence of True Vervain to restore health and vitality. It is a common preparation in the Empire, carried by warriors and healers alike, and many can identify the clear, slightly sticky liquid on sight.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This translucent liquid is tinted a pale blue-green. It has a clean, fresh scent. A tiny drop of the sticky fluid on your tongue or your finger tingles pleasantly for a moment.

- Roleplaying Effects: A warm glow spreads quickly through your body, removing pain, revitalising your spirit and creating a sense of enormous well-being.

- Mechanical Effects: You regain all lost hits.

- Recipe: One dram of True Vervain and one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine.

Feverfail Elixir

This elixir drives out the lingering effects of enervation. It is occasionally useful in treating symptoms that include excessive tiredness or dizziness.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This translucent grey liquid smells faintly of spring flowers. A tiny drop of the thick, syrupy fluid on your tongue causes a grimace - it tastes a little like spoiled milk.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel nauseous. A dizzying chill spreads through your body, leaving you incapacitated for a few moments. Both effects clear as quickly as they arose, leaving you feeling revitalised.

- Mechanical Effects: You lose the weakness condition.

- Recipe: One dram of Bladeroot and one dram of Imperial Roseweald.

Ossean Balm

This blue salve is used to rapidly restore a ruined limb. The treatment forms a thick crust over the damage limb, causing it to become stiff and immobile for a few moments, after which the damaged skin peels away to reveal fresh and undamaged material beneath.

- Form: Salve.

- Description: This blue cream has no discernable scent. It has a gritty, sandy texture and quickly dries when you rub it between finger and thumb, leaving a thin crust that soon flakes away. It tastes disgusting.

- Roleplaying Effects: The salve forms a thick crust over your damaged limb, leaving it stiff and immobile for a few moments, after which the damaged skin peels away to reveal undamaged flesh beneath.

- Mechanical Effects: You regain the use of a limb that has been ruined by cleave or impale.

- Recipe: One dram of Cerulean Mazzarine and one dram of Bladeroot.

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Apothecary Potions

Every apothecary knows how to mix these five essential preparations. They allow the drinker to gain medicinal aid without needing the personal attention of a physick.

Contents

- 1 Anodyne Embrocation

- 2 Bloodharrow Philtre

- 3 Elixir Vitae

- 4 Feverfail Elixir

- 5 Ossean Balm

Anodyne Embrocation

This analgesic body rub numbs pain, and the strong scent helps to clear the mind when rubbed firmly into the skin. It can also be used to alleviate the symptoms of painful medical conditions such as inflamed joints, arthritis and rheumatism, but the cost of doing so with a potion tends to place this option outside the reach of all save the most wealthy.

- Form: Salve.

- Description: This dark blue cream has a gritty, slightly sandy texture. It smells strongly of freshly cut grass. Put a tiny drop on your finger or your tongue, and the tip quickly becomes numb.

- Roleplaying Effects: The salve numbs the pain of your injuries, and its strong scent helps to clear your mind.

- Mechanical Effects: You can ignore the roleplaying effect of a single traumatic wound until the end of the current engagement.

- Recipe: One dram of Marrowort and one dram of True Vervain.

Bloodharrow Philtre

A thin, slightly toxic elixir that harrows the blood of the one who drinks it. After a moment or two of agonising pain, the body is purged of venom, and of some minor poisons.

- Form/Description: Liquid.

- Form/Description: This translucent red liquid has tiny white particles suspended in it. It has a spicy scent, and a tiny amount on your tongue or your finger tingles unpleasantly for a moment.

- Roleplaying Effects: Pain spreads rapidly through your body; you feel as if your blood is on fire. After a moment or two, the pain fades.

- Mechanical Effects: You lose the venom condition.

- Recipe: One dram Imperial Roseweald and one dram of Marrowort

Elixir Vitae

This potent healing elixir captures the essence of True Vervain to restore health and vitality. It is a common preparation in the Empire, carried by warriors and healers alike, and many can identify the clear, slightly sticky liquid on sight.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This translucent liquid is tinted a pale blue-green. It has a clean, fresh scent. A tiny drop of the sticky fluid on your tongue or your finger tingles pleasantly for a moment.

- Roleplaying Effects: A warm glow spreads quickly through your body, removing pain, revitalising your spirit and creating a sense of enormous well-being.

- Mechanical Effects: You regain all lost hits.

- Recipe: One dram of True Vervain and one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine.

Feverfail Elixir

This elixir drives out the lingering effects of enervation. It is occasionally useful in treating symptoms that include excessive tiredness or dizziness.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This translucent grey liquid smells faintly of spring flowers. A tiny drop of the thick, syrupy fluid on your tongue causes a grimace - it tastes a little like spoiled milk.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel nauseous. A dizzying chill spreads through your body, leaving you incapacitated for a few moments. Both effects clear as quickly as they arose, leaving you feeling revitalised.

- Mechanical Effects: You lose the weakness condition.

- Recipe: One dram of Bladeroot and one dram of Imperial Roseweald.

Ossean Balm

This blue salve is used to rapidly restore a ruined limb. The treatment forms a thick crust over the damage limb, causing it to become stiff and immobile for a few moments, after which the damaged skin peels away to reveal fresh and undamaged material beneath.

- Form: Salve.

- Description: This blue cream has no discernable scent. It has a gritty, sandy texture and quickly dries when you rub it between finger and thumb, leaving a thin crust that soon flakes away. It tastes disgusting.

- Roleplaying Effects: The salve forms a thick crust over your damaged limb, leaving it stiff and immobile for a few moments, after which the damaged skin peels away to reveal undamaged flesh beneath.

- Mechanical Effects: You regain the use of a limb that has been ruined by cleave or impale.

- Recipe: One dram of Cerulean Mazzarine and one dram of Bladeroot.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Apothecary_Potions&oldid=34479"

Appoint a General for the Golden Sun army

Elect a new general from available Dawnish candidates.

Procedural Motion.

Overview

- One of the Senators for Dawn was forced to retire early from the Summit, leaving them unable to appoint a new general.

Date

- Winter 377YE

Nominees

- Clarence Oswald of House Arwood was the sole nominee

Campaign Outcome

- Clarence Oswald of House Arwood was appointed General of the Golden Sun army.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

Nominee

23

0

Passed

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Appoint ambassador to Asavean Archipelago

Vote for an Ambassador for the Asavean Archipelago.

Administrative Motion.

Overview

- First appointment of the Ambassador to Asavea.

- The motion appoints someone to be responsible for the Asavean Embassy, and to represent the Empire in dealings with the Asaveans.

Date

- Summer 378YE

Nominees

- Unknown

Campaign Outcome

- Camilia di Traviciana di Sarvos was appointed ambassador to the Asavean Archipelago.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Appoint_ambassador_to_Asavean_Archipelago&oldid=29302"

Appoint Envoy to Axos

That one of the nominees should be given the imperial title Envoy to Axos.

Procedural Motion.

Overview

- This motion is a reference to an earlier Senate motion to send an envoy to Axos.

Date

- Winter 377YE

Nominees

- Valimar Clarev Parakgoosier Bashnya (League)

- Marissa Shatterspire (Urizen)

Campaign Outcome

Valimar Clarev Parakgoosier Bashnya was appointed envoy to Axos.

Voting

State

Valimar

Marissa

Result

For position

20

7

Valimar

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Appoint Feverwater Dredgemaster

Assign a person to the position of Dredgemaster of Lake Feverwater, to be nominated by Navaar senators.

Procedural Motion.

Overview

- This motion is a reference to an earlier Senate motion to permit the dredging of Feverwater.

- The earlier motion created a sinecure in Feverwater lake in Therunin.

Date

- Spring 378YE

Nominees

- There was only one nominee,

Campaign Outcome

Corey Brackensong was appointed to the position of The Dredgemaster of Feverwater by unanimous decision of the Navarri senators.

Constitution

The formal process for electing a national position is for Merlot, the master of elections, to hold an election involving the relevant nation's senators.

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Appoint Imperial Master of Works

Approve Richard Tunstall of the Marches as the Imperial Master of Works.

Procedural Motion.

Overview

- First appointment of the Imperial Master of Works.

Date

- Winter 377YE

Constitution

The Imperial Master of Works is normally appointed during the Autumn Equinox, but the position was vacant. It will be appointed again at the Autumn Equinox 377YE.

Voting

State

Votes Against

Votes For

Result

Appoint Richard Tunstall.

0

25

Passed

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Appointment

There are four titles that are appointed by the priests of the Synod. They are:

- Cardinal of a Virtue Assembly, including the Assembly of the Way

- Gatekeeper

- Conscience of the Senate

- High Exorcist

Contents

- 1 Appointment of the Cardinal

- 2 Appointment of the gatekeeper

- 3 Appointment of the conscience

- 4 Appointment of the High Exorcist

Appointment of the Cardinal

- Each Virtue Assembly selects one of their number to be the cardinal of that Assembly.

- Only members of the Virtue Assembly can become the cardinal.

To appoint a cardinal, all candidates must make themselves known to an appropriate civil servant by a specified deadline, usually noon the day of the election. Once all candidates are known, then the members of the virtue assembly pass judgment in favour of the candidate they wish to be cardinal. They may, if they wish, elect to vote against one of the candidates.

There is a deadline by which members of the Assembly have to render their judgment. After that time, the candidate with the most support is declared cardinal.

Reappointment Schedule

Winter Solstice

The Way & Prosperity

Spring Equinox

Ambition & Vigilance

Summer Solstice

Courage & Wisdom

Autumn Equinox

Loyalty & Pride

Appointment of the gatekeeper

The cardinal of a Virtue Assembly - excluding the Assembly of The Way - has the right to appoint a member of their assembly as gatekeeper. The gatekeepers control access to the Labyrinth of Ages by dint of overseeing distribution of the pure liao prepared by the Imperial Civil Service. The cardinal may not name themselves as gatekeeper, and it is frowned upon to name a gatekeeper from the same nation as the cardinal.

The gatekeepers are given pure liao to distribute to those deemed worthy, or otherwise ready to experience a vision from one of their past lives. They are distributed by collective decision of the gatekeepers as they deem most fitting. The gatekeeper remains in position until either their position is revoked, or until a new cardinal is elected and chooses to replace them.

Appointment of the conscience

The cardinal of the Assembly of The Way may appoint a layperson of virtue to a specially designated seat in the Imperial Senate created during the reign of Empress Varkula to serve as the Senate's conscience. The cardinal may not appoint themselves to the post, and it is frowned upon to name a conscience from the same nation as the cardinal. The cardinal may appoint a member of their Assembly but they will lose their Synod membership as a result.

The conscience may hold the seat for no longer than a year, or until there is a new cardinal of the Way is appointed and chooses to name a replacement.

No person may hold the seat of the conscience more than once in a single lifetime.

Appointment of the High Exorcist

The High Exorcist is appointed by the Council of Nine. It is appointed during Winter Solstice each year, and serves a term of one year duration.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Appointment&oldid=26216"

Appointments by the Senate

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Imperial Position

- 2.1 Appointment

- 2.2 Selection

- 2.3 Removal

- 2.4 Current Positions

- 3 National Position

- 3.1 Appointment

- 3.2 Selection

- 3.3 Removal

- 3.4 Current Positions

- 4 Further Reading

- 4.1 Core Brief

- 4.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Imperial Senate has the authority to make a number of important appointments. The most significant is The Throne, but the Senate is also responsible for appointing the generals of the Imperial armies. In addition it is common for the Senate to create new Imperial titles which are in turn appointed by the Senate, though it is easiest if they follow the well worn paths laid down by the constitution.

Imperial Position

Imperial positions are usually the most important positions made by the Senate. These titles can have far reaching powers that affect everyone in the Empire and are likely to have responsibilities that concern the Empire as a whole.

Appointment

To elect a citizen to an Imperial position appointed by the Senate requires a Member of the Senate to raise a motion of appointment for that position. After the proposer has finished their opening address, the Speaker will invite every Member of the Senate with the power of proposal to nominate a candidate of their choice and once all nominations are concluded then the Speaker will oversee the debate as normal and conclude with a vote of those present.

Because of the constitutional implications, election to the Throne require a two-thirds majority vote of the Senate, as does any Imperial position appointed by the Senate which required a constitutional vote to create. Any other position appointed by the Senate only requires a simple majority.

If an Imperial position is vacant, then it remains vacant until a new motion is raised to hold an election and appoint a candidate. Some titles, especially ceremonial titles, effectively lapse when the holder dies because of this rule. When new Imperial titles that are appointed by the Senate are created, it is traditional for the Speaker to immediately raise an administrative vote to carry out an election for the position.

If the Imperial Synod veto a motion of appointment, then that appointment cannot be raised again that summit.

Selection

Any Imperial citizen may hold an Imperial position, provided it is the only Imperial title they control.

Removal

A few Imperial appointments last for a single year. These must be reassigned by the Senate otherwise the title lapses, but most appointments are permanent: the incumbent serves until they die or are revoked. This arrangement is considered superior by constitutional magistrates as it gives citizens appointed by the Senate the ability to pursue their responsibilities without being subordinate to the Senate that appointed them.

Almost all Imperial positions are subject to revocation by the General Assembly and Assembly of Nine of the Imperial Synod

Current Positions

All Imperial positions appointed by the Senate are elected yearly on a rolling schedule or if not elected every season, then elected when empty - refer to the permanent titles page. For the name of the current character holding a particular title then please refer to the current imperial titles page.

National Position

National positions are only eligible to citizens of that nation and usually they have responsibilities that concern only that nation. They are usually less important than most Imperial positions and less likely to concern the Senate as a whole. Consequently there are mechanisms in place to allow the nation to choose the title holder without recourse to the entire Senate.

Appointment

A vacant national position may be appointed at any time by a unanimous vote of the senators of that nation. To succeed, the vote requires the support of a senator of every territory of that nation in the Empire. If a senator is not available, or one has not been appointed, then the position cannot be filled in this way.

There is no time-limit for the senators to make a decision, they may continue to deliberate and arrange matters amongst themselves for as long as they wish. The appointment takes place at the point where all the senators confirm a single agreed candidate with the civil service.

The alternative is that any Member of the Senate may raise a motion of appointment for that position. The process then proceeds as normal.

Selection

Only Imperial citizens of the appropriate nation are legally entitled to take up an Imperial title that is a national position, regardless of how the position is elected. A Freeborn senator may raise a motion to appoint a Highborn general - but to be constitutionally legal, the candidate they any nominations must be Highborn.

Removal

Most national positions, particularly sinecures, are for life, the incumbent serves until they die or are revoked.

Almost all national positions are subject to revocation by the General Assembly, Assembly of Nine, and the appropriate National Assembly of the Imperial Synod.

Current Positions

All national positions appointed by the Senate are elected yearly on a rolling schedule or if not elected every season, then elected when empty - refer to the permanent titles page. For the name of the current character holding a particular title then please refer to the current imperial titles page.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

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Appointments to the Senate

Contents

- 1 Senate Appointments

- 1.1 Related Appointments

- 2 Sanctions

- 2.1 The Throne

- 2.2 Proxies

Senate Appointments

- The Throne is occupied by an Emperor or Empress.

- The senators, one for each Imperial territory.

- The Conscience of the Senate is appointed by the Cardinal of the Assembly of the Way

Related Appointments

- The Master of the Imperial Mint is chosen by public auction; it is available only to League citizens, and advises the Senate on economic matters.

- The Speaker for the Senate is a civil service position; the speaker helps run Senate sittings

Sanctions

The Speaker for the Senate can censure anyone in the Senate during a sitting who acts in an inappropriate or disruptive fashion. There are three sanctions the Speaker can apply, each more serious than the last: Silence, Exclusion and Expulsion.

The Throne

The Throne may speak, vote and raise motion as a senator does and has a variety of powers which modify the functions of the Senate.

The Throne has the right to speak and the right to address, to vote, assign budgets, and to abstain if they choose, They may also raise a motion and allocate a budget.

Proxies

Any member of the Senate, bar the Throne, may appoint a proxy.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Appointments_to_the_Senate&oldid=24465"

Appoint Senate auditor

To request an Auditor to be chosen by full Synod by whichever means the Synod see fit to audit accounts of Senators to whom funds have been supplied by Senate vote, auditor to then report back to the Senate.

Proposed by Astalot, seconded by Semmerholm.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Legal Ramifications

- 5 Election

Overview

- Create an Auditor of Senatorial Accountability with responsibility to investigate Imperial Senators.

- Passed with one vote against

Date

- Passed Spring 377YE (Event Two 2013).

Cost

- None

Legal Ramifications

- This position has a responsibility to investigate Senate expenditure and report to the Senate

- The Senate has not chosen to assign any legal authority to this position

- The Senate has not chosen to assign a stipend to this position

The civil service opinion is that there are a range of legal powers that might have been considered appropriate to this position. As the title is assigned by the Synod, the auditor could have been granted the authority to use inquisition on members of the Imperial Senate. The position could have been given the authority to address the Senate. Additional Senate votes would now be required to grant any additional powers to this position.

Election

- Synod General Assembly Appointment

The title is elected by the General Assembly of the Imperial Synod, and once chosen will serve for life, until they resign or until revoked by the General Assembly or Assembly of Nine.

The first election of the Auditor of Senatorial Accountability takes place at the Autumn Equinox 377YE.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Appoint_Senate_auditor&oldid=23554"

Appoint trade envoys

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

To appoint ambassadors to foreign nations to pursue trade in bulk raw materials. Ambassadors to be appointed to the Principalities of Jarm, the Asavean Archipelago, Faraden, the Commonwealth and the Sumaah Republic. Results to be presented for Senate approval at the next meeting.

Proposed by Tassato, seconded by Temeschwar.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Constitution

- 5 Progress

- 6 Election

- 7 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Appoint ambassadors to foreign nations to pursue trade in bulk raw materials.

- Ambassadors to be appointed to the Principalities of Jarm, the Asavean Archipelago, Faraden, the Commonwealth and the Sumaah Republic.

Date

- Passed unanimously Spring 377 (Event Two 2013).

Cost

- None

Constitution

- This motion should have been presented as five separate motions so that senators could vote individually

- These positions have a responsibility to initiate trade with the foreign nation

- The Senate has not chosen to assign any powers or functions to these positions

- The Senate has not chosen to assign any money to support these positions

Progress

The purpose of these positions appears to be closer to trade envoys, than to actual ambassadors - the Senate appears to wish these positions to find a way to allow the Empire to trade for bulk raw materials with neighbouring powers.

The civil service have provided those appointed with the names of known contacts in the foreign powers so that they may initiate communication with them via Winged Messenger.

It is possible that a trade embassy might be built to allow regular trade to be automated. This would require significant investment of bulk resources - the civil service strongly recommend that this construction does not begin without firm agreements with a foreign power on trade terms first.

Election

At the event the following people were appointed to theses positions by the Senate.

- Constanza Barassadi di Tasssato of the league for the Principalities of Jarm

- Adnanna Dionati of the League for the Asavean Archipelago

- Braganza i Arco of the Brass Coast for the Faraden

- Destain of Derondell of Dawn for the Commonwealth

- Elisir of Urizen for the Suma Republic

Campaign Outcome

???

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Apprentice's Blade

Description

An apprentice's blade is often the first item crafted by a young artisan at the beginning of their career. While they require only the most trivial amount of orichalcum ore be worked into the metal, the process of creating the correct alloy is very time consuming. Most apprentices have to begin the process several times, melting the blade back down again, painstakingly extracting the precious ore, and alloying the steel all over again. Once the proportions needed to create the alloy are correct, the metal must be folded and refolded hundreds of times in a seemingly never-ending series of forging and quenching and hammering.

Completing one of these weapons is often a rite of passage; even the most dour master must admit that a crafter who can create one of these items is an apprentice no longer. Mastering the art of crafting this item is often considered proof that the artisan possesses self-discipline, due respect for the materials, and the ability to undertake complex crafting processes.

The Wintermark rune Jotra is sometimes engraved into the pommel of an Apprentice's Blade, or more commonly onto the scabbard that holds the weapon. They are sometimes called a Bannerman's Desperation among the Winterfolk, as they are often used by bannermen caught in dangerous circumstances.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed weapon.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to call CLEAVE with this one-handed weapon.

- Materials: Crafting an Apprentice's Blade requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

"Look boy, the price is ten crowns, take it or leave it. I'm not dropping the price for a prince, let alone a guttersnipe like you."

"Seven Crowns is all I have, take it and leave me the blade, or things will go badly for you."

"Are you threatening me boy? Oh I see, you've hired yourself a bravo. And she's going to seal this deal for you is she? Well why don't I give you a little demonstration of why my steel is worth ten crowns."

"Don't be a fool, you're a blacksmith not a warrior. You can't possibly fight my cicisbeo. Take the 7 crowns, it's a good offer."

"Boy, just because your hired thug is fucking you, doesn't make her a cicisbeo. She's a pretty lass, but if her hand draws that sword, then ambition take me, I'll take her bloody arm off."

"Don't make threats you can't keep blacksmith. Take the pouch, leave the sword, walk away. I'll let you chalk it up to experience."

The bravo's blade darted from her scabbard as she lunged forward to strike, eager to pierce the blacksmith's heart. Giorno had none of the bravo's speed but he staggered to his left and the strike took him in the shoulder. He screamed in agony, and lashed out with the sword in his hand letting the red hot fire of the wound fuel his anger. He had little skill with arms but he poured his strength and his pain into the blade feeding the magic he'd locked there. The bravo was already darting back, but not before the sword fell across her forearm. Across it and then through it, as the eager magic chewed into the muscle and the bone. The Bravo dropped to the floor screaming and clutching the bloodied stump of her ruined hand.

"I'll keep my sword and I'll keep your pouch boy. Seven crowns will pay for a physick to treat the wound your thug just gave me. And a lesson for you about smithing. The apprentice's sword is ten crowns, and it's worth every ring of that. It might be a simple enchantment, but it's the best enchantment to have if you don't know how to fight but you've got some fire in your soul. I'll let you chalk that up to experience."

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Apprentice Ability

Any character who has no skills (either because they have not yet spent any exp, or because they are a child) can utilize the apprentice ability. This ability allows them to use any skill provided they are being actively instructed by another character who knows that skill.

An apprentice can only use a skill under the close supervision of another character who knows that skill. The supervisor must roleplay providing direction and instruction and cannot use any other abilities of any kind. They must be able to use the skill themselves at the time so they must not be restrained, dying or terminal. The apprentice gains all the benefits of the skill use, rather than the character supervising them.

In the event that the apprentice is participating in a ritual, then the supervisor's coven bond is used rather than their own. If the apprentice is casting a spell or using a heroic ability, then the supervisor's mana or hero points are used.

The apprentice ability exists to enhance the roleplaying of tuition and instruction and to provide more opportunities to get young players involved in the game in areas that require skills, such as alchemy. There are no mechanical benefits provided by the apprentice ability.

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Appropriate roleplaying

- Many abilities require appropriate roleplaying to use

All religious, magical and heroic skills require appropriate roleplaying to use. The roleplaying can be anything that is appropriate to your characterization and to the ability that you are using. Most skills of this kind require some audible speech or noise as part of the roleplaying. For example, you are using the heroic skill that allows you to shatter an enemies shield with your great sword. The appropriate roleplaying is a blow that you roleplay being swung with great force and perhaps a war-cry or an almighty groan of exertion.

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April is in my mistress' face

Out of copyright

Score: Media:April_is_in_My_Mistress'_Face.pdf‎ (pdf)

Learning resources

April is in My Mistress' Face midis:

- all parts: Media:april-is-in.midi

- soprano: Media:april-is-in-sop.midi

- alto: Media:april-is-in-alto.midi

- tenor: Media:april-is-in-tenor.midi

- bass: Media:april-is-in-bass.midi

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Arcane Mark

Contents

- 1 Realm: Autumn

- 2 Magnitude: 2

- 3 Performing the ritual

- 4 Effects

- 5 Additional Magnitude

- 6 Description

- 6.1 OOC note

- 7 Performing the ritual

Realm: Autumn

Magnitude: 2

Performing the ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must possess the magician skill and be willing to receive the arcane mark.

Effects

This ritual places an enduring magical mark on the target character which can be perceived only with magical detection. The mark created by this spell takes the form of the symbol for one of the current conclave orders, as chosen by the target. If a conclave order is dissolved, it's associated arcane mark vanishes from every individual who possesses it.

An arcane mark can be detected by a detect magic spell cast on the character for that specific purpose (a detect magic spell cast for any other purpose does not reveal the mark). If the caster of the detect magic bears the same arcane mark as the target they discover that their marks are the same; otherwise they only discover that the target has an arcane mark.

A character can have only one arcane mark at a time - subsequent casting of the ritual replaces a previous mark. It is possible to perform this ritual with the intent of creating "no mark" to remove an existing arcane mark without replacing it.

The arcane mark is not restricted to any part of the target's body; it cannot be hidden from detection by covering it up.

The arcane mark remains until it is replaced; it may persist even through death.

Additional Magnitude

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 1. Additional characters must be present throughout, and all characters targeted by the ritual receive the same arcane mark.

Description

This ritual is used when joining a Conclave order. Most civil servants associated with the Imperial Conclave have mastered the ritual and will perform it in return for the mana required. The ritual was adapted in the first years of the Conclave by Urizen magicians building on existing formulaic rituals that allowed the caster to mark the target as a member of a specific magical group; by expanding the range of targets and clever use of hearth magics involving identity and the nature of being an Imperial citizen, a ritual that allowed any Imperial citizen to mark any magician with the mark of one of the defined magical orders was created.

A fascinating element of the ritual is that the purely political decisions of the Imperial Senate directly affect it. When a new order is formally created, or an existing order is destroyed, the marks change appropriately. There has been talk for some time among some members of the Unfettered Mind about an experiment to see what would happen if the Senate formally changed the symbol of an existing order - their assumption is that the symbol created with this ritual would change to match. So far, concerns that doing so might effectively dissolve the existing order have meant that they have been unable to get support for their experiment.

Other magicians have drawn parallels between this ritual and the testimony of a priest. The parallels appear superficial; the arcane mark is not visible to a priest using the ceremony of insight, or a mystic consuming Ravenwing Infusion; it is visible only to magical detections such as detect magic or to those employing Magpie Infusion. Even then, magical detection only allows the mark to be seen if the caster specifically uses the spell in that fashion, and when they do no other information is uncovered by their detection.

It is not uncommon for the order the target wishes to join to pay the mana crystal needed to perform the ritual, especially when someone is an established magician changing an order for some reason. Some grandmasters try to organise meetings where several candidates can have the ritual performed on them at the same time, cutting down the amount of mana required to bring a group of new members into their order and adding to the drama of the experience.

A mark has a wider context than just showing a person to be a member of an order; divination magic grounded in the lore of Day can be used to discover basic information aboupeople who bear the same arcane mark as one of the contributors in the nearby vicinity. The civil service perform this ritual at the start of each summit as part of their task to provide the grandmaster of each order with a list of members of their order.

An unknown number of other versions of this ritual exist - some cults and secret societies use related rituals to create specific marks that are not compatible with the mark created by this ritual. In each case, these rituals create a single mark and are jealously guarded secrets.

OOC note

A new character with the magician skill can join the order of their choice when they are created without needing access to the ritual; they are assumed to have been able to find the required mana crystal and someone to perform the ritual for them.

It is not possible to 'falsify' an arcane mark, whether one created by this ritual or a similar ritual. For example, if a secret order uses a variant of arcane mark to mark out their members, the only way to duplicate that mark is to through that specific formulaic ritual. It is possible for an Imperial citizen to spontaneously perform this ritual, however, as the ritual is part of Imperial Lore.

It is important to note that this ritual does not create any sort of bond.

Performing the ritual

Many magicians prefer to perform this ritual in the Hall of Worlds; some magicians say it strengthens the bond between the target and the magical order. The target often makes a point of touching or associating themselves with a physical symbol of the order; it's common for Navarr to cut or trace a stylised version of the symbol onto the skin of the target, while many Urizen and Highborn prefer to receive the ritual from someone who is already a member of their preferred order, strengthening bonds of connection and loyalty. Lann is often evoked during the performance, as are the virtues of Loyalty, Pride and Ambition (and the associated paragons and exemplars).

A common thread in any casting is that the target recites a short catechism, or makes a short statement, about their belief in magic and why they choose to join this order. Some rituals involve recitation of the manifesto of the order, or an almost Hermetic series of questions and answers between the ritualists and the targets.

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Archetypes

See also: Group Archetypes

The Brass Coast

Dhomiro

A Dhomiro is a member of a Freeborn family who is chosen by the family to be their representative to the wider world; sometimes as a leader, sometimes as an emissary.

Kohan

Kohan are groups of volunteer and outcast warriors-without-family, who traditionally pledge loyalty to a group of hakima.

Sutannir

Sutannir perform inspiring religious ceremonies for the Freeborn, and (more importantly) organise the parties that follow.

Hakima

Hakima are highly-organised groups of magic-users whose loyalty is to the nation, not their family. They are taken to be wise.

Corsair

Freeborn Corsairs are traders and privateers who deal with - and raid - barbarian shipping in the Bay of Catazar.

Scrivener

Scriveners are Freeborn contract-writers who help traders frame the terms of their deals, and then decorate them with artwork and calligraphy.

Dawn

Earl

The Earl of a Dawnish Noble House is the House's leader, who leads the House in all its great achievements and who sets its conditions of membership.

Knight-errant

Knights-Errant are men and women engaged in their Test of Mettle, who are still technically yeomen but who are expected - and who are questing - to prove themselves glorious.

Questing knight

Questing Knights are those Knights who have proved themselves worthy in their Test of Mettle and have chosen to keep on questing for ever-greater glory.

Troubadour

A Troubadour is a priest who learns all the stories of their Noble House, past and present, and tells them in poetry and song to inspire their people to greatness.

Witch

Witches are Dawnish magic-users. In noble houses, they fight alongside the House's warriors. Most others belong to Weaver Cabals, independent groups of ritual witches which accept both yeomen and noble members.

Guiser

Itinerant entertainers who often combine magic with their performances and practice dramaturgy. They are often (sometimes justly) accused of being spies, tricksters and mountebanks as well as performers.

Enchanter

Some Earls who have studied magic choose the title "Earl-Enchanter" or simply "Enchanter". Most learn ritual magic to benefit their people; some build relationships with powerful Summer Eternals.

Seneschal

A Noble House's Seneschal is a trusted yeoman who oversees its financial affairs, arranging deals and trades and keeping the House solvent.

Advocate

Dawnish Advocates are yeoman politicians who navigate the murky waters of Senate politics for their noble masters.

Retainer

A yeoman Retainer is a Dawnish Noble's most trusted attendant, who works closely with a particular Noble, or sometimes for the whole House.

Highguard

Exarch

The Exarch, or Exarchs, are those who are appointed by a Highguard Chapter as their leader(s) as determined by the Chapter's creed, or by embodying its principles.

Guardian

Guardians form the core of Highborn military, taking on a range of roles in defence of their Chapters, and in prosecuting vigilant warfare.

Unconquered

The Unconquered are Highguard's elite guerilla troops. They are prone to using ruthless tactics, even operating behind enemy lines, to destroy the enemy's capacity to make war.

Cataphract

Cataphracts are Highguard's elite heavy warriors, who once rode horses into battle but who, in modern times, represent a resolute and unbreakable wall of steel.

Wayfarer

Wayfarers are Highborn priests with a long-standing tradition of teaching the truth of The Way to the ignorant, and seeking out Examplars and Paragons born in other lands.

Inquisitor

Highborn Inquisitors are zealous defenders of The Way from those that would threaten it, whether mortal or supernatural.

Steward of the Dead

Stewards of the Dead dedicate their lives to preserving the legacies of the worthy. This includes the interring of remains as well as the preservation of legacies and tales.

Magister

Magisters are the master magicians of Highguard, often with an affinity for Winter Magic. They shape magic using movement, sound and the chime of bells.

Benefactor

Benefactors are affluent Highborn merchants and tradesfolk who do not pursue wealth for its own sake, but who sponsor individuals, great works and endeavours.

Archivist

Archivists are a unique class of Highborn scholar dedicated to preserving the essence, or truth, of history, over and above accounts and evidence that may seek to undermine that truth.

Imperial Orcs

Warlord

Legions chose their own commanders, called warlords, with individuals chosen for their ability to provide clear effective leadership in battle, according to the traditions of the individual legion

Soldier

Most Orcs follow the path of the Soldier, loyal warrior of their Legion.

Pitfighter

Professional fighters of the Pits in which the Orcs hone their combat skills; trading on the reputation for skill and strength that they have built up in previous fights, pitfighters buid their careers until their notoriety means that other orcs begin to seek them out and actively challenge them.

Shaman

Most orcs only experience communion with the ancestors when battle is upon them but a few individuals - called shamans - are able to hear the voices more frequently; they are almost incessantly surrounded by the constant input of ancestral advice much of it bearing a contradictory or even hostile message.

Preacher

Those Imperial Orcs who embrace the Way and become priests.

Warcaster

The highly physical traditions of the Wintermark runesmiths has appealed to some orcs who adopt a similar approach and become Warcasters.

Oathwright

Oathwrights believe that the bond between an item and a person affects them both, items may gain worth by being owned and bonded to the right person and the right item affects an individuals’ hopes of becoming an ancestor.

Bonesetter

Usually trained apothecaries, physicks or both, Bonesetters are expected to attend to the physical needs of the legion, but their remit runs well beyond this.

Thief-taker

Working closely with Imperial Magistrates ,Thief-takers earn their income by collecting bounties on criminals who have fled the law and more rarely by taking payments from private individuals looking to identify perpetrators of crimes.

Reaver

Soldiers of the Legions who become dedicated to raiding and mercenary work.

The League

Merchant Prince

A Merchant Prince is head of a Guild, the tight-knit mercantile organisations which define the shape of League society.

Bravo

Bravos are the members of the mercenary Free Companies, as rough and rowdy off the battlefield as they are disciplined and professional on it, and immensely proud of their Companies.

Bishop

The Bishops of the League are its high priests, who provide Virtuous guidance to any who can afford it, and who compete using the size and influence of their congregations.

Troupe Magician

Troupes are bands of actors who often go masked while performing, and when performing ritual magic. To them, magic is a commodity like any other.

Mountebank

Mountebanks are street magicians whose tricks may be sleight of hand or genuine magic, many of whom skirt the edges of the law playing short-cons and rigging street games.

Cicisbeo

A Cicisbeo is an expensive professional paramour, the only exception to League culture's absolute prohibition on extramarital relations.

The Marches

Steward

A steward is the chosen head of a Marcher household. However a steward leads their household only with the consent of the other yeoman.

Beater

Beaters are a roaming informal police force, learning every part of the land, watching for thieves, vagrants and other ne’er-do-wells. Beaters are often instrumental in settling land disputes between neighbors and they have a vital role in the tradition of beating the bounds. Most are skilled woodsmen or hunters.

Yeoman

The yeoman is to many the archetypal inhabitant of the Marches. They are a hard people, who own their own land and are well accustomed to a long day working it. Military service is a proud tradition in the Marches, and the majority of yeomen are also soldiers.

Monk

Monks minister to the spiritual welfare of the folk around their monastery, largely ignoring Household boundaries. They divide their time between study of the Imperial Faith and working the farmlands claimed by the monastery.

Friar

Friars work their own land and provide spiritual advice and counsel to their fellow yeomen in their household. Many also serve as scholars for their community, acting as a chirurgeon, and teaching letters and history to young children.

Landskeeper

A landskeeper is a figure from the Marches magical tradition, who supports the territories or the nation as a whole. Landskeepers can use a variety of methods, from hearth magics and good practical advice to rituals.

Mummer

Itinerant entertainers who combine theatrical performance with magic using the techniques of dramaturgy. They attend fairs, markets and other regular gatherings performing plays and feats of skill but are often greeted with a suspicion and (sometimes unfairly) accused of being tricksters and mountebanks.

Alderman

Aldermen are the appointed leaders of market towns,and are the rough equivalent of the yeomen. In most cases these men or women are wealthy merchants of the town, but often they include prominent town folk such as a friar or blacksmith who lives in the village.

Navarr

Brand

Navarri who have dedicated themselves to the service of the community, who work tirelessly to aid others without fee. They might be from any profession - Thorn, Vate, blacksmith, tanner, it doesn't matter. They are named for the brand burned into the skin on their left cheekbone.

Thorn

A Navarri sworn to service in battle - usually, but not necessarily, a warrior. Always tattooed, they often wear warpaint into battle.

Guide

A Navarri who follows the path of the Virtues, and takes it upon themselves to ensure that members of the Empire have found the place in society that they are best suited to.

Broker

A Navarri who serves as an intermediatey between a buyer and a seller, usually claiming some sort of payment from the deal.

Vate

The magical practitioners of Navarr. Often called upon to perform rituals in service of the nation and the Empire, they are the Navarri most trusted to meet with Eternals or their Heralds.

Urizen

Arbiter

An Arbiter is the appointed leader of a Spire, often (but not always) its wisest and most skilled mage.

Sentinel

Sentinels are scholar-warriors who strive for excellence in the ways of warfare. In battle, they prefer to stay in reserve until it is clear where they are most needed.

Questor

The Questors are a sect of rationalist priests who believe the Way of Virtue is an unfinished doctrine, and must be questioned to understand its truth, relevance and moral rightness.

Illuminate

The Illuminates are an Urizen priesthood who work improve the Empire's Virtue by identifying and influencing pivotal figures to become Virtuous.

Mage

Urizen Magi are cunning politicians who use magic to bolster their influence, both in the mortal world and in the Eternal Realms.

Stargazer

Stargazers are pure scholar-mages who study and experiment to advance humankind's understanding of magic and the Realms, and use their power to improve the world.

Seer

The Seers are kin to the Torchbearers, seekers after objective truth who maintain extensive libraries. Many are powerful diviners.

Architect

Architects meticulously study the Empire's economy to identify where and when to invest for the best return, and to exert the most influence.

Torchbearer

The Torchbearers are a political movement devoted to spreading truth as wide and as fast as possible, in a quest to keep the Empire "honest".

Varushka

Boyar

A Varushkan Boyar is the hard heart of a Varushkan community, whose first duty is as a strong protector of their people. Second to that, they arbitrate and govern their vale in council with their Wise Ones.

Warden

The Warden brotherhoods are heroic warriors who employ magical protection along with their armour and weapons to hunt down the terrors of the Varushkan wilderness, and to uphold Imperial Law.

Schlacta

The Schlacta are Varushka's well-organised bands of soldiery, who provide defence to a place or an employer.

Wise One

Wise Ones are the true hearts of Varushkan communities. They are the thinkers who deal with those problems which cannot be dealt with by strength, and who look through the appearance of things to discover the threats lurking beneath.

Volhov

A Volhov is a Varushkan who studies magic, particularly warding magic (so necessary to Varushka's safety) and divination, to uncover threats before they grow too great to deal with. They often find it necessary to deal with Eternals, and sometimes even to pacify Varushka's deadly Sovereigns with rituals or bargains.

Cabalists

Cabals are teams of ritual magic-users, who often act as individual groups, independent of their vales. Each Cabal is different from each other, but their magical might grants them considerable influence.

Storytellers

Varushkan Storytellers are the nation's ragged priests, often itinerant, around whom entire communities will gather to hear news, entertaining tales, and spiritual messages told well.

Stzena

The inheritors of a tradition of night-sentries, Stzena are bands of musicians who perform at local events.

Wintermark

Thane

The leader of a Hall in Wintermark, a Thane settles disputes that lie outside the law and provides civic and military leadership.

Bannerman

Warriors whose purpose is to raise the morale and fighting spirit of their companions. Bannermen often literally carry their warband's banner.

Stormcrow

The ragged priests of Wintermark, who act as guides, witnesses and confessors, and who provide spiritual and moral inspiration and guidance for the Winterfolk.

Runesmith

Craftsmen who specialise in the magic of the old runes of Wintermark, who create engraved weapons and armour, or scribe warding marks to protect people or places.

Icewalker

The cunning mages of the Suaq, who use their magical skills and their knowledge of the Ice as part of their hunting tradition.

Mediator

A Wintermark merchant who specialises in negotiating weregild between aggrieved parties.

Maggot

A scavenger, a looter on the battlefield; "Maggots" are seen as scum by most Winterfolk.

Mystic

Deeply spiritual Kallavesi who make predictions about the future and advise their fellows on the wisest course of action. Often a magician, but some do it with hearth magic and intellect.

Scop

The professional entertainers of Wintermark, Scops are known for their mastery of saga and song, and their skill with alliterative poetry. They are responsible for granting an adult name to a child coming to adulthood.

Grimnir

The battlefield doctors and healers of Wintermark, Grimnir swear an oath to stay clear of the front lines.

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Archmage

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Powers

- 2.1 Addressing the Conclave

- 2.2 Ambassador to the Eternals

- 2.3 Presentation of Gambits

- 2.4 Master of Magic

- 2.5 Regalia of the Archmage

- 2.5.1 Staff of the Archmage

- 2.5.2 Chain of Aesh

- 2.5.3 Belt of Stars

- 3 Selection

- 4 Removal

Overview

Archmage is an Imperial title bestowed upon a magician by the members of the Conclave. There are six archmagi in the Conclave; one for each of the magical realms. They serve as a focal point for ritualists of that realm, as well as helping to guide the use of the Conclave's resources.

The six archmagi match the six realms into which magic is divided. Where the influence of a grandmaster is primarily political, the archmagi are responsible for attending to the magical business of the Conclave. They are assumed by the Senate, the Military Council, foreign dignitaries and Eternals alike to be well-versed in the capabilities and lore of their Realm. The archmagi are often seen as the public faces of the Conclave; they are the individuals most likely to be consulted by other Imperial bodies when they wish to know what magical possibilities exist.

Each archmage is addressed by their title and the name of the Realm of magic they stand for - Tavistock, Archmage of Spring or Archmage Reyon d'Esange of Summer. The title archmage comes originally from Urizen, a development of the title mage.

Powers

Each archmage position is an Imperial title in the Conclave.

Addressing the Conclave

Once per summit, an archmage can raise an address to the agenda of a Conclave session for free. This power is intended to be used to let an archmage appraise the Conclave of a magical problem or development related to their realm of mastery, but the archmage is free to address the Conclave however they wish.

Ambassador to the Eternals

Each archmage is expected to represent the Empire to the Eternals of their Realm, and vice versa. Most Eternals understand that the archmage is a representative of the Empire and look to them for assistance. The majority of Eternals will meet with the appropriate archmage before meeting with other magicians, or ask the archmage to be present at a meeting. They also instruct their Heralds to look to the archmage for support and protection should it be necessary.

Presentation of Gambits

Each archmage can present a single gambit during each Conclave session. A gambit is a request for magical resources to be provided by the Conclave. Each Conclave order decides how much support to offer the gambit from their Conclave vault. If collectively the Conclave agrees to provide all the resources requested then the materials are given to the archmage by the civil service at the end of the session. The Principle of Presence means that an archmage can appoint a proxy to raise a gambit on their behalf - but the proxy cannot present it.

Master of Magic

In situations where it is unclear if a specific act of magic breaches a Declaration of interdiction or association with a herald or eternal breaches a Declaration of Enmity an Imperial Magistrate may issue a formal request for the appropriate archmage to provide a ruling. Control of the judicial process remains with the Magistrate, but the Archmage's ruling on whether the act is a breach of the relevant declaration is binding.

An archmage is legally obligated to provide a ruling when requested by a magistrate or else to direct the magistrate to another archmage better able to clarify the situation.

Regalia of the Archmage

Each archmage receives a staff, a chain and a belt when they take the title. Together these are referred to as the regalia of the archmage. These items are re-enchanted each year. If an archmage loses their position, then the items must be given to the new archmage. If part of the regalia is lost or stolen it may be replaced depending on the resources available to the Conclave; otherwise it remains lost until the next Winter solstice when a replacement is made. Theft of part of an archmage's regalia is a very serious business. Archmagi are encouraged to take all appropriate precautions to keep these items safe (such as arranging for someone with access to the Reading the Weave ritual to bond the item to them).

The regalia is created by a reclusive order of Dawnish artisans in Weirwater who pledged themselves to this task in the first years of the Conclave.

Staff of the Archmage

The archmage takes custody of the ceremonial staff of the archmage. Each of the staffs of the archmagi is a ritual staff, appropriate to the realm of the archmage, which grants two additional ranks of the appropriate realm lore skill.

Chain of Aesh

The chains are magical items that can be used to empower ritual magic, and are bound to the archmage in the same manner as other magical talismans. Once per event the archmage can evoke the power of their chain before a ritual from their Realm is performed to reduce the effective magnitude of that ritual by 10. The archmage does not need to be a participant or contributor to the ritual, they only need to be present; likewise, they do not need to be of the same nation as the coven they are using the chain to assist.

Belt of Stars

The belt allows an archmage to help different covens work together. Once each summit, they can invoke it to allow multiple covens from the same nation to co-operate on a single ritual from the archmage's realm of magic. This counts as a daily ritual use by each coven involved in the ritual, and while the covens may perform a ritual together, they are still treated as separate covens for all other purposes (for example, a ritual that affects an entire coven will only affect one target coven). Each coven can use their own paraphenalia while performing a joint ritual. The target covens must all be from the same nation but that does not have to be the same nation as the archmage invoking the belt.

Any ritual performed with the power of the belt of stars takes an extra minute to perform for each additional coven involved.

Selection

The appointment, replacement or removal of an archmage is made by declaration of candidacy as part of the agenda of a Conclave session. A candidate can be presented for the post of archmage only once a season.

Removal

An archmage serves until they are replaced by another magician using the Declaration of Candidacy. An archmage cannot be revoked by any assembly of the Imperial Synod.

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Arete

Excellence is not an act but a habit.

At its most basic, Arete suggests that whatever can be “done” can be done “better.” Being content that one is “good enough” is seen as a failing. Arete exists in all endeavours from preparing food to building an aqueduct. The concept stems from a belief that human actions are of paramount importance; the world is a place of conflict and difficulty, and human value and meaning is measured against individual effectiveness in the world.

The Urizen apply the term to anything; for example, the excellence of a chimney, the excellence of a goat to be bred and the excellence of a human. The meaning of the word changes depending on what it describes, since everything has its own peculiar excellence; the arete of a person is different from the arete of a building.

In people, Arete is strongly linked to the Way of the Virtue and is sometimes referred to simply as “virtue”. For a human being to possess Arete they must instinctively embody some or all of the seven virtues. The virtues represent scales against which individuals and their actions can be weighed to see if they possess Arete.

Arete is borrowed from classical Greek and adapted for Empire. It is the core Urizen philosophy, an idea that underpins their cultural personality; our presentation is intended to be a relatively simple concept that any player can work into their characterisation if they are playing an Urizen character. As Urizen is a land of countless philosophies if you wish to play a character with a detailed knowledge of philosophy, then the contemporary Greek philosophies such as Stoicism and Epicureanism are good source material, once adapted, for more esoteric Urizen philosophies.

Better a smooth pebble than a rough diamond

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Arhallogen

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Spring

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Spring

Sobriquets

Most commonly, Arhallogen is called the Spider King (although gender has little meaning for this powerful creature, it is usually addressed by male honorifics).

It is also occasionally referred to by other Eternals by a name that sounds like a sequence of quick clicking noises - noises commonly produced by Arhallogen, its heralds and its spawn.

Appearance

A swarm of poisonous insects and arachnids that speak with a single whispering voice; a monstrous spider-like, scorpion-like horror, all pincers and deadly stingers; or sometimes an insect-like vaguely-humanoid shape in cobweb robes and an iron crown, bearing a poisoned glaive.

Concerns

Arhallogen is an inhabitant of the Spring Realm, and part of the family of Eternals that are the most alien to humanity. It seems to be fascinated by the ways living things prey on and compete with each other, especially the adaptations and natural qualities that let them hunt, kill and consume prey - or that let the prey fight off their predators.

Unsurprisingly, the Spider King rates venom as one of the most potent tools that any living creature can employ, and is delighted to encounter new poisons.

As of Winter Solstice 378YE, Arhallogen has the enmity of the Imperial Conclave.

Boons

This dark Eternal encourages competition between living things, not so much out of a desire to see death or conflict but apparently from an urge to see living things survive and prosper. It offers a number of boons, many of them violent, and often involved with crushing weaker prey or poisoning stronger creatures to make them weak.

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Arms of the Warwitch

Description

A rod and a one-handed sword are the most common combination for the Arms of the Warwitch, although it is by no means the only arrangement of these arcane weapons. They are obviously favoured by warriors who combine magical lore with martial prowess. Ironically, these arcane weapons are not especially popular with the traditional war witch, who tends to focus more on raw magical power. They are much more commonly used in the League, Brass Coast, Varushka and among the Navarr; even there it is rare to find a warrior who uses both offensive magic and aggressive combat techniques. It is much more common to find a magician with offensive magic and a the confidence to keep themselves or their allies fighting, or a magician who relies on the ability to strike crippling blows and uses healing or utility magic off the battlefield.

In the League, the Brass Coast and Highguard this arcane weaponry is called a set of dragonbone scales, and they are often engraved with a set of unbalanced merchant's scales. The name references the way the wielder 'balances' their confidence and inner fire with their magical power.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of a one-handed weapon and either a rod or a wand.

- Requirement: You must have both the ambidexterity and magician skills to bond to these items.

- Effect: You may either expend one hero point to regain one personal mana, or expend three personal mana to regain one hero point.

- Materials: Crafting the arms of the warwitch requires seven measures of dragonbone, three ingots of green iron and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make a pair of these items.

The Festival of the Little Mother was at its height. Tassato sparkled like a diadem with candles at every corner, and its party-goers shone no less, with jewels at every throat. The city-folk said that the Vass and Gancio themselves were in town, and in full fest. The Cozido was fit to burst with locals and visitors. Small bowls of the stew for which the tavern was named were passed from hand to hand over the crowd, and gratefully accepted by drinkers at three tables in what would usually be a quiet corner...

One was occupied by a Troupe from the south, in for the week and all four still masked from the night's performance.

"...I loved your Beast, Mikael. A work of genius."

"Ah, it would have been nothing without your Mountebank, father!"

"True, true. Here, they may see the Mountebank as a hero, but those of us with more refined tastes see him as the braggart and thief he is. Not to put too fine a point on it, that is the difference between Sarvos and lesser cities."

There was a scraping sound, as chairs were pushed back from the second table. Two men in cloaks and leathers stood and took stance. One spoke:

"Refined, you say? Not quite 'stilled enough yet, I think. Are you ready for the retort, sir?"

"Oh, a Bravo of Mestra! How delightful! How rude of me not to introduce us! I am Jof, the Vassa there is my wife Mia, the Beast is my son, Mikael, and Gancio is Skat, our manager. We are four, and you are two. Tell me, is your sword as sharp as your tongue?"

"We shall put a fire under you, sir, and see that long neck bend to us, under Tassato's heat..."

"You know the name of the Troupe of the Seventh Seal, of course? You know our performances are... Spellbinding?"

"What a coincidence..." said the first as the pair pulled back their cloaks, and each drew short sword and rod.

The second added: "Not Bravos, but 'braggarts'. Though we can match words with deeds: can you and yours...?"

The "fight" was short. Two of the Sarvan Troupe had hardly drawn before they were slammed back to the wall. The one called Mikael was stuck fast to the floor, unable to offer any assistance to his father, last in the fight.

In a final flurry, one of the Tassato mountebanks swiveled with a flourish, swept his rod round in a languid arc, and touched the other on the chest. The Empowered fighter stabbed in low octave, and the Sarvan actor in the Mountebank's mask fell to the floor, grunting in pain, as his left leg collapsed under him.

"As I said. You will bow..."

The occupants of the third table had paused in their carousing to watch the scuffle. A man in parti-coloured green-and-blue of utter flamboyance stood, and swept a generous bow:

"Two rings, I note? May I interest you both in a third? I am Signeur of the Free Company of Bacalhau. Yes, it is our little joke. We named ourselves when that was all we had to eat defending Holberg, and it stuck. However. The Company of Salt Cod. We travel well, we outlast our enemies... and we are hiring."

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Army qualities

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 New Qualities

- 3 Cruel

- 4 Disciplined

- 5 Fast

- 6 Foraging

- 7 Glorious

- 8 Guerilla

- 9 Hard Bitten

- 10 Haunted

- 11 Magic

- 12 Mercenary

- 13 Physick

- 14 Relentless

- 15 Resilient

- 16 Resourceful

- 17 Siege

- 18 Scouting

- 19 Skirmishing

- 20 Venomous

Overview

All Imperial armies and most barbarian armies possess qualities that give them advantages in certain situations. These qualities represent the unique strength of each army reflecting the flavour of the army and the nation to which it belongs.

New Qualities

When a new Imperial army is raised, it receives a quality automatically that reflects it's purpose, the nation who has raised it, and the conditions under which it was mobilized. Most Imperial nations have one or two qualities that are common for their armies, but it is possible for plot developments to provide the option for to choose a different quality.

Existing Imperial armies already have a quality representing their traditional roles and history. Such qualities cannot be changed, nor can any army ever have more than one quality.

Cruel

- Can use the merciless onslaught order when attacking

- The presence of a cruel army in a territory is impossible to conceal and is always obvious to other armies in the same territory

- Other Descriptors: Dread, Fearsome, Merciless, Monstrous, Terrifying

A cruel army breaks the morale of its opponents. It may employ ruthless tactics, torture of prisoners and civillians, monstrous auxillaries or psychological tricks that cause even the most disciplined army to prefer flight over capture. Enemy forces often withdraw well before their troops are in danger of being routed, aware that overconfidence in the face of a cruel opponent could lead to the loss of their entire army. No current Imperial army has this quality, but in the past both the Iron Helm of Varushka (disbanded during the reign of Empress Mariika) and the Dance of Blood of Navarr (destroyed by the Jotun in 245YE) employed dreadful tactics against their barbarian opponents.

Merciless onslaught

- An enemy army that takes casualties from this army will break if their military strength falls below 1,500 (or below 2,250 if they are large

The army tries to break the spirit of their enemy. They ambush or overrun the enemy, leave mutilated corpses or maimed opponents to warn their comrades. Some cruel armies may employ monstrous beasts, summoned creatures, or psychological tactics designed to demoralise the opposing forces.

Disciplined

- Can use the strategic defence order when defending

- Other Descriptors: Strategic, Tactical, Vigilant

A disciplined army is well-organised and relentlessly drilled. Every soldier is a professional who knows their place in the chain of command. The Granite Pillar of Highguard are armies known for their discipline. Several attempts have been made in the past by the sentinels of Urizen to raise a disciplined, strategically minded army that embrce the national philosophy of arete.

Strategic defence

- The army gains an additional victory point for each enemy army in the territory that takes an attacking order to a maximum of 5 additional victory points.

The strategic army concentrates on orchestrating well planned defences designed to exploit flaws in the enemy strategy. The army excels at taking advantage of the slightest mistake or misjudgement by enemy commanders.

Fast

- Can move five territories each season rather than the usual three. It must stop moving when it enters a hostile territory.

- Other Descriptors: Durable, Pathfinder, Organized.

A fast army is able to move quickly over long distances. This is not just a quality of speed - moving thousands of soldiers overland is a daunting logistical prospect. Within the Empire, a fast army takes advantage of the trods whenever it can, supplementing their magic with forced marches and expertly organised baggage trains. The Freeborn Fire of the South and the Navarr Black Thorns are both known for their speed and mobility.

Foraging

- Can use the plunder order when attacking

- Other Descriptors: Looter, Scavenger, Snaffler, Raider, Maggots (derogatory)

A foraging army excels at stripping enemy settlements and casualties of valuables. The Freeborn Red Wind Corsairs are known for their ability to gather resources in enemy territory. Some Wintermark armies find fighting alongside a foraging army distasteful - the deeply ingrained cultural dislike for "maggots" is well known.

Plunder

- The army generates wealth based on the number of victory points generated.

- Does not change army strength, casualties inflicted or casualties suffered.

- The army does not loot it's allies: they must be in hostile territory or facing some enemy opposition to use this order.

The army concentrates on looting enemy forces. They launch attacks intended to capture baggage trains and other financial objectives. They focus on capturing mines, forest preserves, farms, businesses, mana sites and herb gardens. A portion of this bounty in the form of money, herbs, crystal mana, crafting materials and potentially even rare materials such as weirwood, mithril or white granite are claimed by the army general.

Glorious

- Can use the triumphant charge order when attacking

- Can use the final stand order when defending.

- Other Descriptors: Crazed, Heroic, Honourable, Righteous.

A glorious army is full of fighting spirit, and is capable of utter commitment to the act of war. Stories are still told of the Burning Falcon, a Freeborn army with many kohan that was wiped out to the last soldier holding off a Jotun force three times it's own size during the invasion of Kallavesa in 247YE; troubadours still sing of the last-ditch, foolhardy assault of the Dawnish Gryphon's Pride against the barbarians in the Barrens. Today, the Dawnish Hounds of Glory are glorious, while the Green Shield of Wintermark are known for their heroism.

Triumphant charge

- The ability of this army to capture territory is increased by two-fifths.

- Casualties inflicted by this army are increased by one fifth.

- Casualties suffered by this army are increased by half.

A general who unleashes their troops in a triumphant charge seeks great victory, but pays a great price. The army confronts the strongest enemy troops and the most defended positions, and attempts to rout them. Individual soldiers and companies engage in valiant attacks, employing risky tactics to defeat their opponents. The army will gain much more ground, but does so at the cost of increased casualties.

Final stand

- Any victory gained by the enemy converts to additional casualties taken by this army, rather than territory gained.

- Every enemy victory point causes 100 additional casualties to this army until the army disbands.

Sometimes a general needs to hold a position regardless of cost. A final stand trades Imperial lives for every inch of ground that would otherwise be lost. The order is rarely used; even if the army is not wiped out, it will almost certainly be severely weakened. When an attacking force must not be allowed to gain territory or establish a beachhead, it is incredibly effective.

Guerilla

- Can use the hit and run order when defending

- Other Descriptors: Adaptable, Hunter, Ranger, Territorial.

A guerilla army is adept at fighting in difficult terrain. It is often organised into many small companies that can fight independantly of each other, employing scouts and messengers to keep each element of the force appraised of the status and position of other forces. The Northern Eagle army of Varushka has extensive experience fighting in difficult terrain; the Winter Sun of the Imperial Orcs incorporates hard lessons learned by the original rebels fighting the Empire in the southern territories.

Hit and run

- Your side must control a region with the forested, hilly or marsh keyword.

- The ability of this army to defend territory is increased by a fifth.

- Casualties suffered by this army are decreased by a fifth.

- Casualties inflicted by this army are decreased by a fifth.

The army uses their mastery of wilderness survival to impede enemy advances. They set up camp in defensible locations, use hidden paths to move around, and employ natural features of the wilderness to hamper their attackers. A guerilla army in a defensible position does everything it can to make itself hard to attack, rarely presenting the enemy with an opportunity for a pitched battle. This tactic is especially effective at slowing the advance of an enemy force while awaiting reinforcements

Hard Bitten

- Can use the make them pay order when defending

- Other Descriptors: Garrison, Unyielding, Stubborn

A hard-bitten army refuses to give ground to invaders. When fighting from defensive positions they can inflict massive casualties on enemy forces that dare to approach them. The Strong Reeds of the Marches are a stubborn army who use every advantage to make their enemies pay for every inch of Marcher soil they try to take, while the Fist of the Mountain possess a dogged refusal to back down before their foes. Some Druj armies are adept at using traps and treacherous tactics to slowy grind an agressor down as they attempt to claim barbarian territory.

Make them pay

- Casualties inflicted by this army are increased by two fifths

- Casualties suffered by this army are increased by a fifth

The army attempts to bleed the enemy, making them pay for every inch of ground surrendered. The army takes any chance to butcher their attackers; enemies suffer greatly increased casualties if they push forward, at the price of increased losses for the defenders.

Haunted

- Can use the reap the harvest order when attacking

- Other Descriptors: Accursed, Leech, Slave, Unliving

A haunted army gains strength as it defeats enemies. It might contain creatures that are able to consume the corpses of those they have defeated or be empowered with fell winter magics that allow them to raise the dead as husks to fight again. A haunted army that gains strength using this order cannot take itself above it's normal maximum strength. No Imperial army has ever had this quality; no encountered barbarian army has had this quality, either.

Reap the harvest

- The ability of this army to capture territory is decreased by one-fifth

- If the army is victorious it gains 10% of all the casualties slain in that campaign as free resupply

The army recovers the bodies of those who have fallen on the battlefield, using the corpses to replenish the army, at the cost of pushing forwards and taking territory. If the army is not victorious then they do not gain any resupply from this order.

Magic

- Rituals that target a territory may be performed using the general of this army as a focus

- The general receives a report detailing significant magical effects in the territory the army occupies

- The general receives a small bounty of crystal mana harvested by the magicians associated with the army, usually twenty five crystal mana.

- Other Descriptors: Arcane, Necromantia, Occult, Sorcerous

A magic army contains many magicians, and soldiers trained to fight alongside magicians. They can construct a temporary regio during a campaign, and provide a bounty of crystal mana to their general for use in creating helpful enchantments. The Citadel Guard of Urizen possess this quality. Rumours suggest that the native defenders of Karsk who have been assisting the Varushkan generals during their fight against the Thule also possess this quality. Several Thule armies possess similar sorcerous powers. The Axou and the Jarmish also field several armies with this quality.

Ritual targetting

This army contains many magicians and magical experts. The general of the army can serve as a focus for any ritual that targets a territory, replacing the requirement for that ritual to be performed at a regio in the target territory. This only works for rituals targetting the territory where the army is currently on campaign. The general must be present throughout the ritual. Examples of rituals that can be empowered in this way might include Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae (although the target territory must still contain a suitable region), or a curse such as Rivers Run Red or Naeve's Twisting Blight.

Mercenary

- The army can use siege, scouting, foraging, resilient or skirmishing once each per year

- Other Descriptors: Flexible, Free Company

A mercenary army has experience working with and integrating mercenaries and other independent military units. They may employ siege engineers, expert scouts, wagon raiders, light infantry or free companies, but each group can only be employed once each year. The Wolves of War is a League army that attracts mercenary banners and free companies from across the empire.

Mercenary Options

A mercenary army is versatile, but can only employ each type of specialist troop once a year. For example, the general of the Wolves of War is appointed in Autumn. They might immediately employ wagon raiders (and use the pillage order), but then cannot employ those auxilliary troops again until after the next Autumn summit.

Physick

- Can use the tend the fallen order when defending

- Other Descriptors: Apothecary, Grimnir, Healer, Herbalist, Hospitaller, Support

A physick army contains a large number of battle-field hardened healers of various traditions, and soldiers adept at fighting alongside them. The force excels at using medical skills, establishing mobile field hospitals, and applying principles of triage to save those who can be saved. There is no Imperial army with this quality at the moment since the Wintermark Bloodcloaks were lost to the Thule during the reign of Empress Brannan. Known for their crimson cloaks, the army was composed of many grimnir and mystics; all save a few were slaughtered during a disastrous retreat from Otkodov.

Tend the fallen

- All casualties suffered by this army are reduced by a fifth.

- All casualties suffered by allied armies in the same territory who are taking defensive orders are reduced by a tenth.

- The ability of this army to defend territory is reduced by a fifth.

The army establishes mobile field hospitals, and supply points while ensuring allied forces are accompanied by talented physicks and soldiers trained to support them. Medicinal herbs are gathered, and healing or defensive potions distributed to officers. The army focuses on moving casualties away from battlefields, patching them up, and returning them to the front.

Relentless

- Can use the cut them down order when attacking

- Other Descriptors: Bloodthirsty, Ruthless, Savage

A relentless army is capable of focused, sustained attacks against their enemies. They may have superior equipment, advanced combat training, or simply possess an unquenchable thirst for the blood of their foes. Within the Empire, the Bounders are known for their relentless pursuit of their enemies while the Summer Storm of the Imperial Orcs are known for their miltary acumen and carefully channelled bloodlust. It is also a common quality for Jotun and Druj armies.

Cut them down

- Casualties inflicted by this army are increased by three tenths

- Casualties suffered by this army are increased by a fifth

The army takes every opportunity to engage with the enemy to try and cut them down. They may claim some territory, but this is secondary to their goal of slaughtering as many of the enemy as possible. This emphasis on engaging the enemy means that the army loses more troops itself; but the commitment to fighting and preparations it takes mean that it suffers comparatively less than the opponents it engages.

Resilient

- Can use the grinding advance order when attacking

Other Descriptors: Cautious, Defensive, Responsive

A resilient army fights defensively, even while advancing. It often represents an army that specialises in heavy armour and shields, but it might also represent an army of soldiers with above-average fortitude or endurance. The heavily armoured Golden Sun of Dawn, and the adaptable Golden Axe of Varushka are resilient armies.

Grinding advance

- Casualties suffered by this army are reduced by three tenths.

- Casualties inflicted by this army are reduced by a fifth.

The army slowly advances, consolidating every gain beore moving forward. The army looks to avoid direct engagements with the enemy, ceasing their advance and taking defensive positions if they are engaged.

Resourceful

- This army can benefit from emergency resupply regardless of what territory they are in or whether they are engaged by the enemy.

- This army can benefit from natural resupply regardless of what territory they are in as long as they are not engaged by the enemy.

- Other Descriptors: Quartermasters, Superior Logistics

A resourceful army has expert logistical support. It can quickly distribute resources and assign new soldiers, even while under attack. It may also represent an army whose soldiers are doggedly committed to their cause, so that soldiers who are so badly hurt they would normally be decommissioned fight to be allowed to rejoin their units. The Eastern Sky army of Dawn and the Drakes of the Marches enjoy the support of the people of their nation, represented by regular investment of people and resources to keep the army at fighting strength.

Siege

- Can use the storm the walls order when attacking

- Other Descriptors: Engineer, Sappers

A siege army excels at attacking fortifications. The army is experienced with fighting over the walls of enemy castles, and supported by engineers and artisans who can quickly built siege engines. The Valiant Pegasus of Highguard has the siege quality, and before they disbanded to aid the defence of Holberg, the League army of the Towerjacks were experts at taking enemy fortifications.

Storm the walls

- The army must be attacking a region containing a fortification or else the order defaults to cautious advance

- The ability of this army to capture the fortified region is increased by half

- Casualties suffered by the army are increased by three tenths.

The army unleashes hell against the fortification. While catapults and trebuchet pound the walls, siege towers and ladders are deployed to allow the soldiers to take the fight to the defenders. Meanwhile, engineers work to undermine the walls, and massive covered rams are deployed against the gates. The loss of life is likely to be severe, but the fortification will fall much more quickly than it might in a prolonged siege.

Scouting

- The general who commands the army receives a report about forces present in the same territory as the army

- Other Descriptors: Astute, Farsight, Infiltration

A scouting army is adept at gathering information about opposing forces. While it is active in a territory, associated rangers, agents and magicians gather intelligence about opposing forces in the area. They compose a report specifically for their general which includes information such as details of the campaign armies in the territory; their allegiance; an estimation of their strength; the name of their general; information about their special qualities; significant local fortifications; and other potentially useful strategic and tactical information about the campaign and the forces involved in it. Because this information is gathered by mundane means, and by agents in the field, it is rarely impeded by magical effects such as Drawing the Penumbral Veil. Both the Navarr army of the Quiet Step and the Highborn unconquered auxilliaries of the Seventh Wave are excellent scouts.

Skirmishing

- Can use the outmaneuver order when attacking

- Other Descriptors: Maneuverable, Flanking, Tactical

A skirmishing army specialises in outmaneuvering it's opponents. The mobility and independence of the troops composing the army makes it extremely effective at exploiting situations where some or all of the enemy armies have committed to defence, rather than attack. There are currently no Imperial armies with this quality; the venerable Thundering Tide, composed of the descendants of the old Highborn light cavalry units, were disbanded during the reign of Empress Mariika. Many of the unconquered and cataphracts that used to belong to this army would go on to join the Seventh Wave

Outmaneuver

- The army gains an additional victory point for each enemy army in the territory that takes a defensive order, to a maximum of five additional victory points.

- If there are no enemy armies in the territory using defending orders, it defaults to Balanced attack.

The army attempts to take advantage of the enemies defensive stance and lack of mobility. The army probes the enemy defences, determines where they are weak, and reconfigures it's attack plan to exploit those weaknesses. The more enemy forces defending a reason, the more complex the countermeasures the army employs to strengthen its own attack.

Venomous

- Can use the fire in the blood order when attacking

- Other Descriptors: Ambush, Assassin, Poisonous, Treacherous

A venomous army contains soldiers skilled in the use of poison and unorthodox tactics. The force contributes these experts to support allied attacks, luring enemies into traps or taking advantage of engagements to savagely ambush their foes. There is no Imperial army with this quality at the moment.

Fire in the blood

- All casualties inflicted by this army are increased by a tenth.

- All casualties suffered by this army are increased by a tenth.

- All casualties inflicted by allied armies in the same territory who have issued attacking orders are increased by a tenth.

The army works with their allies to set up ambushes, feints and opportunities to bypass enemy defences to kill high-value targets. Other elements of the force distribute poisoned weapons, or valuable offensive potions, to their allies.

Template%3AWar Council Further Reading

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Artefacts

An artefact is a magical item whose enchantment is permanent. These items can only be permanently destroyed with the Words of Ending ritual or by certain powerful creatures (including some eternals).

Artefacts are not common because they require a significant investment of the exotic material ilium. The most common place to acquire this are material is from the Imperial Bourse; several Seats (such as the Regario dossier or The Scorrero Nets) provide their holder with a bounty of ilium. Occasional finds of ilium by private citizens also tend to be auctioned through the Bourse to the benefit of the lucky prospector.

Every artefact has a name, and many exert strong influence over their wielders in the form of roleplaying effects. Over time these roleplaying effects may become more pronounced, or subtly shift, based on the significant events in which the item is involved. This is a permanent part of the item and cannot be removed with a ceremony of exorcism.

An artefact is still affected by the shatter call, but can always be repaired with the mend spell.

Creating an atefact

An artisan can create an artefact version of any magical item they know how to craft.

Creating an artefact requires one ring of Ilium for each ingot and measure required to make the item, with a minimum of 10 rings of Ilium.  For example, crafting a permanent duelist's scales sword, which requires seven ingots of orichalcum, three ingots of tempest jade, three ingots of weltsilver and three units of beggar's lye will require sixteen rings of Ilium to craft as an artefact.

The ilium must be imbued into the item at the same time it is crafted; it's not possible to make an existing magic item into an artefact.

The creator gives the artefact a unique name when they craft the item, which appears on the item ribbon; they may choose to imbue the item with a roleplaying effect. Such roleplaying effects usually reflect the nature of the artisan, or the purpose for which it is intended.

For example, Guntherm's Hammer is an artefact greathammer crafted for the Steinr Emperor Guntherm which shares the magical qualities of a Captain's Command weapon but fills the wielder with a strong desire to kill any orc standing on Imperial soil.

Further reading

- You can learn more about the artisan skill used to make magical items here.

- You can learn more about the many magical items that can be created by Imperial artisans here, and the list of items available is found.

- You can learn more about how magical items are made by artisans here.

- You can learn more about the various special materials that artisans use to craft items here, including the rare star-metal ilium.

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Art of the Deal

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a fleet. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The fleet provides an additional 120 rings of profit over the next season, in addition to normal production, but only if it engages in foreign trade.

The character who controls the target resource is under a roleplaying effect for at least ten minutes after the ritual is performed: they feel a strong sense of the worth of every item they possess, and of how much they would trade to acquire the items and attributes of others. They see all interactions in transactional terms, and are absolutely disinclined to engage in either altruistic or charitable action.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event. If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory. If the fleet does not engage in foreign trade during the next downtime, the ritual has no effect.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional fleets as long as they are controlled by characters in the same band. Each additional fleet increases the magnitude by 6. The character who controls each fleet must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This ritual enchants the traders associated with a fleet resource, giving them an innate feel for deals and trade. As with Rivers of Gold and similar effects it serendipitously influences the likelihood that they will make profitable deals, and it grants supernatural insight into the shifts and trends of the markets through which they move. It is very subtle in it's effect, but it means that a trader with a hold full of trade goods reaching the Asavean Archipelago or the Sarcophan Delves is assured not only of purchasing valuable goods of use to Imperial citizens but also returning with a hold groaning with obscure and exotic trade goods that will sell well on the docks, paradors, bazaars and markets of the Empire.

As with many such rituals, especially in the Realm of Autumn, the effect is more economical the more fleets it targets. Six crowns for four crystal mana is one thing; eighteen crowns for ten crystal mana is much more appealing. The true joy of this ritual for many Autumn ritualists is the knowledge that their magic is reaching half-way around the world. Through this ritual and others like it, their influence is felt in distant parts of the globe, without their ever having to leave their comfortable chairs in the Empire.

On occasion fleets enchanted by this ritual have returned to the Empire with exotic, unexpected trade goods whose value has far exceeded what was expected. There are whispered stories of rare trade goods, exotic narcotics, supernatural liquors, minor enchanted items and even (on one occasion) a ring of ilium found among the many fine items acquired by the traders whose ships were under the influence of this Autumn spell.

Mind you it is also worth noting that some of these "items" have brought nearly as much danger as they have presented opportunities for profit and influence, such as the time a Freeborn dromond returned with an exiled Jormite princess hiding in a weirwood wardrobe, or when a Dawnish caravel returned from the Sarcophan Delves with a delicate golden ring stolen by tomb robbers whose unsleeping, undying guarding proceeded to pursue it to the Empire and cause havoc in Weirwater.

Common Elements

This ritual encourages profitable deals and exchanges, and enhances the natural interpersonal skills of a merchant or trader. The performance is often accompanied by coins and other precious items, especially those symbolic of foreign trade. In The Marches and The Brass Coast, coins taken from a previous venture's profit are often used as a way to 'prime' the enchantment and attract more wealth. The rune Pallas is often evoked, but so are subtle rune of plots and the serendipitous rune of chance, as well as the rune of discovery - chosen both for it's connection to ships and to highlight the idea that the wealth this ritual offers is sought - it does not simply fall into the lap of the merchant. Symbols of Prosperity are also common, often with an invocation highlighting the rewards of hard work.

Foreign traders are a component of some rituals; Navarr ritualists often mix blood with that of a visitor to the Empire to symbolically encourage understanding between strangers; likewise, Varushkan ritualists might create an oath or promise between the target and a representative of a foreign land, and use that oath to strengthen the ritual. Stones from foreign seaports might be the target of the enchantment, then used for ballast on the flagship of the fleet, and flags or even sails woven by skilled ritualists might be enchanted and used to help the ship navigate treacherous waters both literal and metaphoric.

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Asavean Archipelago

The information presented here is designed to give a feel for the foreign nation, and is by no means exhaustive. The focus of the Empire campaign is on the Empire and its citizens, and while this information can be used to create backgrounds or inform role-playing on the field; it is not intended that players portray characters from this foreign nation without discussion with Profound Decisions.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Terrain

- 3 People

- 4 Politics

- 5 Magic

- 6 Religion

- 7 Look and Feel

- 8 Languages

- 9 Asavean Archipelago in play

Overview

A predominantly island culture, Asavea possesses a small empire scattered across a sprawling archipelago, far across the ocean to the west. A timeless and cultured nation, it sees itself as having moved beyond the questioning and struggle of more primitive lands. The Asavean people consider their society to approach perfection; change is considered unnecessary and disruptive and should be avoided as much as possible.

Until around a hundred years ago, the Asavean empire had holdings all over the world. Over the last century they have slowly withdrawn, turning their attention inwards. They appear to be a nation in decline, although they are still powerful enough to maintain a presence on the 'world stage'.

Of particular interest to Imperial citizens are the Asavean ports which are open to trade with the Empire.

Terrain

Asavea is much warmer than the Empire, and centred around several chains of volcanic islands. Their land mass isn't huge (probably about the equal of any two Imperial nations), but it is densely populated. Each island is surrounded by floating shanty towns inhabited by the poorest members of Asavean society. The Asavean engineers are experts at creating structures on and in water, draining swamps and performing other tasks that allow them to expand the habitable land-mass of their archipelago. In the past they have regularly used powerful ritual magic in the pursuit of more living space, but these days they prefer to do their land-sculpting with large numbers of slaves over many decades.

People

The people of Asavea are almost exclusively human. Members of all six lineages are known among them, but only the merrow lineage really prospers. Members of other lineages (especially cambion and briar) are often seen as being 'troublemakers' and exiled to positions in the subject territories. Several of the ruling families have strong merrow blood. Orcs are almost unknown; they are usually considered to be exotic, primitive savages who none-the-less enjoy a level of mystique and feature in several lurid Asavean tales of adventure (usually as cannibalistic worshippers of dark god-spirits who bring the foolish adventurer's expedition to a nasty end).

The archipelago is ruled through a system of shared hereditary nobility known as the Plenum. The head of each of each major household has a seat on the Plenum and receives a set share of the nation's wealth. While the Plenum can make laws and take decisions, they rarely do so quickly, and years of debate and consultation of precedent can be required to make major changes. In truth the Plenum more often discusses matters such as art and philosophy, preferring to let their slave-run civil service administer to the day-to-day affairs of state.

Almost all manual labour, and a good deal of skilled labour is done by the slave class, which constitutes the majority of the population. However, slaves are strictly stratified and spend a lot of time trying to advance themselves. A high-caste slave could wield similar influence to an Imperial citizen, and slaves are generally well treated. However, children of slaves automatically start at the lowest caste, and must work their way up through effort and rigorous examinations. Slaves cannot be granted freedom, as it is an accepted part of the natural order of things that they remain so. The vast majority accept the stratification of Asavean society without question; those who do not are exiled or executed.

Although the Asaveans still regard themselves as sprung from heroic stock, the truth is that they no longer regard the military as either glorious or important. Members of the Plenum caste often serve as officers, but this is merely considered tedious civic duty, and most allow their competent slave-soldiers to handle things.

The Asaveans are extremely wealthy due in part to their large slave-fleets and their dominant position for shipping. They trade extensively to both east and west, and are known to deal with nations far beyond those familiar with Imperial traders in lands beyond the setting sun. Despite their emphasis on social stability, Asavea has an enormous and insatiable appetite for luxury goods and rare objects. Anything unique, novel or aesthetically pleasing fetches a high price, as the nobles are always looking for items to add to their collections.

Politics

According to the legends of the islands, the archipelago was once home to monsters, with the only safety to be found in walled city-states who feuded continually with each other. Starvation was common, and resources were scarce because the interior lands were so dangerous. In myth, the heroes known as the Asav were born directly out of the ocean; shining champions who conquered the bickering cities, united the people of the archipelago and destroyed the monsters. The Asav brought order and civilisation, and by tradition the members of the Plenum caste claim blood descent from them

The rulers of a number of smaller nations near the Asavean Archipelago are 'advised' by satraps appointed by the Plenum. These nations maintain a polite fiction of independence but are Asavean subjects in all but name. The satraps often help the smaller nation maintain order through the use of Asavean troops. Imperial citizens who have visited these smaller nations often comment that the Asaveans they encounter there seem more alert, competent and committed to the ideals of their nation than those they encounter in the Archipelago itself. These lesser nations tend to speak the same mix of languages that are spoken on Asavea proper, and it is likely that they form the root from which the Asavean people have sprung.

The defences of the island chains are impressive, with fortifications that have been added to for centuries, and standing armies of well equipped and drilled slave-soldiers. Many Asavean structures, especially those built outside the Archipelago proper, are heavily fortified - a remnant of a time when their ancestors were constantly under threat of war or invasion. With deep pockets, and large stores, they can always afford to simply retreat behind their walls, allowing time for their allies to send aid. Modern Asavean architecture focuses more on beauty than defensibility.

While they have a large navy, their vessels are more commonly trading or pleasure ships. Almost all Asavean ships use banks of oars and slaves to supplement their sails, and are based on developments of the dromon and the liburna. Although they maintain a small number of military vessels, they often rely on mercenaries to protect their fleets. While the Asavean shipwrights were the best in the world just over a century ago, their designs have been superceded by those of younger nations such as the Empire and the Sarcophan Delves; Imperial vessels may be more dependant on the vagaries of the wind but they do not require slaves, and those of the Sacrophan Delves are often moved by entirely reliable crews of tireless unliving creatures rather than slaves that require food, drink and discipline.

Magic

At their height, the Asavean sorcerers were powerful wielders of ritual magic. Over the last century or so, their magical power has declined. The Asavean Archipelago has fewer magicians than the Empire, although this is likely to be more due to a lack of access to teaching than to any lack of actual magical ability. Most of their ritual magicians are now slaves, although every coven is lead by a member of the Plenum caste.

Magicians of the Plenum caste perform their civic duties in a perfunctory way, spending most of their time in private research into the wonders of the universe - or naval gazing as many Imperial magicians would have it. There are some very loose ties between the Asavean magicians and the Imperial Order of the Unfettered Mind, as well as with similar cabals in other parts of the world.

Religion

They are polytheistic, and completely open to any religion that doesn't interfere with the smooth functioning of their state. However, fervent belief is seen as uncouth and uncivilised, and those of the Plenum caste see religion as being a matter of tradition rather than spirit. Slaves are often deeply religious, but know well enough to be quiet and discrete in public.

There are over a hundred Asavean god-spirits, and only their priests are likely to know more than a handful. Priests are often extensively tattooed with images that represent the god-spirits to which they feel the closest connection. Offerings are made to the god-spirits by those who need good fortune in an area that god-spirit oversees, or who wish a rival to suffer bad luck in that area, or who wish to fend off bad luck. Offerings are usually burnt before an image of the god-spirit in question by a priest. Human sacrifice is not a common practice but is known to have taken place in the past, and there are dark mutterings among Imperial missionaries that in some extreme cases it continues to this day.

This practice informs the belief among members of the Plenum caste that goods burned with the body accompany the soul into its afterlife. Hence members of the nobility have a tradition of amassing enormous collections of exotic items to be burned with them on a slave-ship when they die. In the past, the slaves were also burned with their masters, but these days this only applies if the slaves themselves constitute a collection. They amass libraries, treasure vaults and halls full of antiquities, only to have them all burned to ash with them upon death. They regard this as rather obvious, and engaging in one-upmanship for collections is a major past-time amongst the Plenum class.

Recently the Way of the Imperial faith has begun to find a foothold amongst the slaves of Asavea, and several members of the Plenum are becoming alarmed – objecting to its strident and atheistic tone. They have exhorted the Imperial missionaries to “tone down” their rhetoric for the public good. However it is a little unclear whether this growing dissatisfaction is a result of Imperial missionaries, or whether agents from the Sumaah Republic are to blame.

Look and Feel

Asavea is much warmer than the Empire, and this is reflected in their dress. Long tunics are common, sometimes with a loose robe in a contrasting colour worn over the top. Tunic and robe alike will often possess decorative embroidery - even slaves have access to materials that allow them to decorate their clothing. White is the most common colour for the tunic, with red, purple and green being the most common colours for the loose robe. The most valuable tunics are bleached brilliant white with beggar's lye, while the most valuable robes are dyed in a number of deep blue hues using iridescent gloaming and Cerulean Mazzarine. Asavean blue is a valuable coloured cloth that is sold throughout the known world.

Members of the Plenum caste of both sexes usually wear a toga over the top of their tunic, rather than a robe. Only the highest ranking slaves are allowed to wear the toga, and only the Plenum caste are allowed to wear the prestigious black toga on pain of death. The toga is usually worn only out of doors or in very formal situations, and is rarely embroidered or decorated.

Jewelery tends to be ostentatious but an Asavean would rather wear one or two pieces of extremely fine and valuable jewelry than drip with gold and gems - quality over quantity is a traditional Asavean saying and applies especially in this area.

Languages

The Asavean people are the descendants of a number of tribes from a wide geographic area. The dominant languages of the archipelago are represented by those from the romanic language group especially French, Italian, Portugese, Romanian and Spanish. French and Spanish are slightly more dominant than the others, and at various points in their history one or the other has dominated Plenum business; when people refer to Asavean they may be talking about any of these tongues.

Asavean Archipelago in play

The Asavean Archipelago is a nation that has become hide-bound, inward-looking and decadent. It is facing a slow decline into obscurity, and whether it goes quietly, explodes in a frenzy of violence, or somehow renews itself, only time will tell. At it's peak a hundred years ago, it can be seen as an "elder statesman" of the other nations active on the 'world stage'. It combines a number of ideas and images from real-world Roman, Greek, Byzantine, Phoenician and Egyptian empires as well as diverse fictional sources such as Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast or even David Eddings' Mallorea.

While Asavea is a nation based on slavery, the institution is so old and hierarchical that the majority of the slaves consider it entirely normal. For the most part, only those slaves on the very bottom rung of society - those who labour in fields and mines - have a poor quality of life. Many of the slaves in the higher echelons have a lifestyle that peasants in other parts of the world would envy. To many Asaveans, freedom is a terrifying prospect which is generally believed to lead to starvation and death, or murder at the hands of criminals. The entire society reinforces this belief, and those who agitate for freedom are viewed at best as insane and at worst as anarchists who want to destroy society. This is not the prevalent attitude among the subject territories, but even there the presence of Asavean troops and the protection of Asavean naval forces is seen as a good thing that helps prevent society collapsing into widespread anarchy.

The Asavean people as a whole are traditional and hierarchical, introspective and faintly smug but they are no more stupid or cruel than anyone else. They consider their society as close to perfect as makes no difference, and tend to ignore critics as being irrelevant, ignorant or rude.

Asavean merchants travel to several locations favoured by the Empire, and their languages are spoken all over the known world as a consequence. Characters who speak French, Italian or other 'Asavean' languages might never have visited the archipelago itself, and may have only a tenuous connection to the distant island empire.

It's worth noting that the Asavean god-spirits are not 'real' in the way the virtues of the Way are real - these are not Eternal cults, and Imperial scholars suggest that many of them are defied versions of folk heroes whose stories have taken on a supernatural edge. Asavean priests lack access to any religious skills; have no use for liao; and while they believe in reincarnation they assume that people are reincarnated into the same caste they were in their previous life. Their faith is very institutionalised and secularised, and it seems that few Asavean people actually believe in the god-spirits. Some of these god-spirits have odd similarities to Paragons and Exemplars, and the Asaveans are quite happy to absorb the gods, folk-heroes and ancestors of other nations into their bloated pantheon.

In short, while many Imperial citizens find Asavean society offensive, it will take a lot more to change it than a foreigner going to Nemoria and telling the teeming citizenry that they are 'doing it wrong'.

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Asavean Archipelago ports

Overview

There is only one port available to Imperial characters with the fleet resource; Nemoria, jewel of the Asavean Archipelago.

Some Imperial fleets skirt the central islands of the archipelago and trade with the various smaller subject states dominated by the Asavean Satraps. These states tend to be poorer than Asavea itself, and trade in roughly the same goods (OOC: It is fine to role-play trading with one of the subject nations, but your character will receive the same goods regardless of whether they go to Nemoria proper or not.)

Nemoria

Jewel of the balmy Asavean Archipelago, the civilised folk of Nemoria welcome traders who bring exotic curiosities. White marble columns, exotic flowers, the hustle-and-bustle of the great wharf-side markets where slaves buy food for their noble masters from higher-ranking merchant slaves, Imperial vessels lie alongside ships from nations far to the west beneath the setting sun, unknown in the Empire.

A range of goods can be acquired by traders from the Empire visiting Nemoria. Foreign visitors enjoy a status within Asavean society roughly equivalent to that of a high-ranking slave, although they have more freedom to travel and trade. Still, a merchant must be cautious not to get on the wrong side of a politically powerful member of the Plenum caste - or one of their favoured slaves.

In addition to orichalcum and tempest jade from the mines of the subject territories, Asavea trades extensively in iridescent gloaming and rich dyes of all colours, luxurious jewelry and exotic food and drink from lands unknown to the Imperial citizenry. The warm forests of several islands are given over to the cultivation of Cerulean Mazzarine, which is also used in the many subtle and gorgeous blue dyes favoured by many Asaveans.

Trade with Nemoria

A starting fleet resource that engages in trade with Nemoria during downtime will produce 3 doses of cerulean mazzarine, 3 ingots of orichalcum, 3 measures of iridescent gloaming and 2 ingots of tempest jade. A fleet that has been upgraded, or that engages in piracy, will produce more valuable resources according to this chart of foreign ports.

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Ascendance of the Highest Mind

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 9

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 9

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the magician skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains the ability to cast up to three spells as if they knew them. The spells are chosen during the ritual, and must be known to at least one character who contributes to the performance.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 5. Additional characters must have the magician skill and be present throughout; each target receives the ability to cast the same spells.

Description

Like Illuminate the Higher Mind and Transcendent Mastery, this ritual imprints precise knowledge of how incantations are performed, their effects and limitations, into the mind of the target. By using that knowledge they can perform the spell 'by rote' and greatly increase their personal knowledge of magical incantations.

The magical knowledge is more fragile than that granted by Illuminate the Higher Mind and erodes completely overnight. It allows a coven to focus their magical lore into a number of individual magicians, often with the intention of sending those individuals somewhere the coven as a whole are not going. It is rarely cast by a solo ritualist, although it would certainly be possible - the problem is that a ritualist powerful enough to perform the ritual solo rarely has a broad range of skills from which to choose. That said, there are several cases where a venerable volhov or a wise one has shared potent incantations with a young apprentice, or a staid enchanter has bestowed a surprising range of battlefield incantations on an ally.

Common Elements

The ritual usually involves a symbolic transfer of knowledge between the character or characters who know the chosen spells, and the recipients. Often this mimics the master/apprentice or student/teacher relationships, and sometimes it involves the casting of the spell to be taught. In cases where there are multiple magicians 'donating' spell knowledge, each will give a short lecture or demonstration in turn while the rest of the coven counterpoint with chants or gentle music.

Further ideas might be found in the description of Illuminate the Higher Mind.

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Ascetic Star of Atun

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

The ritual fails if you or the target are hit, or attack another character.

Effects

This ritual removes the venom condition from the target.

The ritual will not treat more powerful poisons, but target receives a feeling of clarity and well-being that may also helps alleviate roleplaying effects that cause nausea or fever. (such as that which may come from some traumatic wounds).

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters. The magnitude increases by one for every two additional targets. All targets must be present throughout, and the ritual fails if any of the targets are hit, or attack another character.

Description

The Navigator Atun is a Paragon of Wisdom, and most stories that speak of her describe her a Highborn ascetic; reserved, calm and distant. Some legends say that she lived almost entirely on bread and water for philosophical reasons, eschewing meat entirely, and treating alcohol and narcotics alike as poisons that had no place in her body. Some of her followers believed that her disdain for many worldly affairs freed her mind to allow her to refine her already powerful intellect, and to maintain a clear and rational sense of what was important at all times. Through her discipline, she attained mastery over her physical desires, and by mastering them, transcended them.

Not all historians or theologians agree with these stories, but nonetheless this ritual is intended to emulate her ascetic mastery over her own body. Through the power of the Realm of Day, individuals can master their own bodies and drive out dangerous impurities,

Ascetic Star of Atun restores the victims of venom from such sources as a venom spell or the use of a Barbed Spear. While the purify spell is more versatile (and the purge spell is faster and more powerful), this ritual is very effective at alleviating this condition from a number of people such as the victims of rituals such as Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague or The Grave's Treacherous Edge, or those who have been fighting deadly creatures such as plaguewulfs or hyrda. A single competent ritualist can restore nearly a dozen injured or dying people with a handful of mana crystals; a coven can restore a small army.

The ritual is also useful when a group of explorers encounter a source of weakness unexpectedly. Any circle of Day ritualists can spontaneously perform Ascetic Star of Atun, and while this may be expensive for them to do so it can preserve the life of a number of people who might otherwise risk death with every battle.

Common Elements

Lights, open flames and and mirrors are both common elements in this ritual, as are fresh water and meditation. Focusing the mind to overcome the body is an important feature, as are invocations that drive out evil or corruption. Bleeding is also a common element. A Navarr or Varushkan ritualist in particular is likely to inflict a small cut on the target, drawing the poison in their body out with their blood. For the Navarr this has obvious resonance, while for the Varushkan ritualist the small wound is often left to intentionally scar as a reminder to avoid being poisoned again.

Even on a battlefield, it is common for the ritualists to.try and create a feeling of tranquility and calm. The targets may be instructed to focus their attentions on some stationary point (which is where lights, mirrors and open flames come in useful); their bodies may be cleansed with fresh water or their thirst's quenched. It is also common to include slow, measured rhythms such as the ringing of a bell or gong, or the beating of a drum to help the targets focus their minds.

In The League this ritual is often associated with the character of The Doctor or The Bishop, and the use of The Chalice; in Dawn, some cabal of weavers make use of a favour that is used to draw out the poison from the target and symbolically burnt at the completion of the ritual.

The Cavul rune is an obvious symbol evoked in this ritual, but some ritualists prefer the rune of wisdom or rune of mastery; the constellations of The Fountain or The Key are another common element, as is the firebird which heals itself through supernatural immolation.

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Ascetic Star of Atun

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

The ritual fails if you or the target are hit, or attack another character.

Effects

This ritual removes the venom condition from the target.

The ritual will not treat more powerful poisons, but target receives a feeling of clarity and well-being that may also helps alleviate roleplaying effects that cause nausea or fever. (such as that which may come from some traumatic wounds).

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters. The magnitude increases by one for every two additional targets. All targets must be present throughout, and the ritual fails if any of the targets are hit, or attack another character.

Description

The Navigator Atun is a Paragon of Wisdom, and most stories that speak of her describe her a Highborn ascetic; reserved, calm and distant. Some legends say that she lived almost entirely on bread and water for philosophical reasons, eschewing meat entirely, and treating alcohol and narcotics alike as poisons that had no place in her body. Some of her followers believed that her disdain for many worldly affairs freed her mind to allow her to refine her already powerful intellect, and to maintain a clear and rational sense of what was important at all times. Through her discipline, she attained mastery over her physical desires, and by mastering them, transcended them.

Not all historians or theologians agree with these stories, but nonetheless this ritual is intended to emulate her ascetic mastery over her own body. Through the power of the Realm of Day, individuals can master their own bodies and drive out dangerous impurities,

Ascetic Star of Atun restores the victims of venom from such sources as a venom spell or the use of a Barbed Spear. While the purify spell is more versatile (and the purge spell is faster and more powerful), this ritual is very effective at alleviating this condition from a number of people such as the victims of rituals such as Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague or The Grave's Treacherous Edge, or those who have been fighting deadly creatures such as plaguewulfs or hyrda. A single competent ritualist can restore nearly a dozen injured or dying people with a handful of mana crystals; a coven can restore a small army.

The ritual is also useful when a group of explorers encounter a source of weakness unexpectedly. Any circle of Day ritualists can spontaneously perform Ascetic Star of Atun, and while this may be expensive for them to do so it can preserve the life of a number of people who might otherwise risk death with every battle.

Common Elements

Lights, open flames and and mirrors are both common elements in this ritual, as are fresh water and meditation. Focusing the mind to overcome the body is an important feature, as are invocations that drive out evil or corruption. Bleeding is also a common element. A Navarr or Varushkan ritualist in particular is likely to inflict a small cut on the target, drawing the poison in their body out with their blood. For the Navarr this has obvious resonance, while for the Varushkan ritualist the small wound is often left to intentionally scar as a reminder to avoid being poisoned again.

Even on a battlefield, it is common for the ritualists to.try and create a feeling of tranquility and calm. The targets may be instructed to focus their attentions on some stationary point (which is where lights, mirrors and open flames come in useful); their bodies may be cleansed with fresh water or their thirst's quenched. It is also common to include slow, measured rhythms such as the ringing of a bell or gong, or the beating of a drum to help the targets focus their minds.

In The League this ritual is often associated with the character of The Doctor or The Bishop, and the use of The Chalice; in Dawn, some cabal of weavers make use of a favour that is used to draw out the poison from the target and symbolically burnt at the completion of the ritual.

The Cavul rune is an obvious symbol evoked in this ritual, but some ritualists prefer the rune of wisdom or rune of mastery; the constellations of The Fountain or The Key are another common element, as is the firebird which heals itself through supernatural immolation.

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Ashen Mantle

Description

These robes are sometimes considered the pinnacle of the weaver's art. The process of creating them consists of carefully treating the fabrics involved with beggar's lye and colouring them with dyes infused with iridescent gloaming. The magisters of Highguard are particularly fond of these beautiful vestments, and use only the richest dyes to combine with the finest and most subtle decoration. In Urizen the robes are delicately shaded and sometimes simply called Robes of the Magi, although even there the traditional name is used more commonly.

In the Brass Coast by contrast these robes are usually bright, clashing colours and fine fabrics with beautiful dragonbone decorations, while those volhov lucky enough to own an ashen mantle prefer one made from fine waterproofed lamb's wool.

For many magicians an ashen mantle and a Staff of the Magi are an obvious combination, greatly increasing their spellcasting abilities.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You gain three personal mana.

- Materials: Crafting an ashen mantle requires twenty-four measures of iridescent gloaming, thirteen measures of dragonbone, ten measures of beggar's lye and six ingots of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

She leant on the lectern, cleared her throat, and looked down at her notes.

"Dating from the second century of the Empire, the Shroud Empirical is an item of historical, magical and artistic significance, and hence far too valuable to be actually worn except on occasions of national celebration. One of the very first Ashen Mantles constructed (at least to the modern arcane definition), the Shroud was commissioned by Arbiter Layana as her official robes of office.

"A well-constructed Mantle is a challenge to the skilled crafter, but the Shroud was intended as a clear signal of the dominance of Urizen's arts to the rest of the world. It depicts a map of the entire nation in silken threads, picked out with seed pearls and minuscule worked glow-stones. Skillfully interlaced with this are passages from some of the greatest philosophers and magicians of Urizen, some lines written to a scale so small that they are difficult to read with the naked eye. Woven through it all are threads of puissant magical power arranged in a pattern meant to depict the Net of the Heavens itself.

"Those of a conspiratorial bent also assert that Layana left the secrets of many of her most cunning rituals somehow woven into this relic, for those with the wit to decipher them. It is said that more than one archivist has gone insane simply staring at it's endlessly complex pattern."

She cleared her throat again and looked up.

"As you can see the item is in excellent condition, despite it's sojourn in the ruined citadel of Karos. Two of my agents died recovering this beautiful and powerful artefact from Spiral. It is unique, a priceless example of artisanship and a symbol of Urizen cultural ideals.

"So I believe we shall start the bidding at one hundred crowns, ladies and gentlemen.

"Do I hear one hundred?"

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Ashen_Mantle&oldid=32302"

Assembly of Nine

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Assembly_of_Nine&oldid=20769"

Assign Holberg

That Holberg be allocated to the League

Proposed by Semmerholm, seconded by Astolat

Overview

- An alternative was suggested; that Holberg be assigned to the Imperial Orcs.

- The motion passed by 19 to 11 in favour of the League.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Campaign Outcome

- Holberg has been assigned to the League, and can elect a Senator.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Assign_Holberg&oldid=36000"

Assignment of Karsk

Assignment of conquered territory of Karsk to an Imperial nation.

Procedural vote.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Campaign Outcome

- 4 Voting

Overview

- The territory of Karsk was conquered following a heroic opportunity in the region of Lestasny

Date

- Spring 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- The territory of Karsk is now part of the nation of Varushka.

- It was noted that the territory is not secure; orcs of the Thule tribe still control three of the seven regions. The loss of a single region would result in the loss of this Imperial territory.

Voting

State

Varushka

Imperial Orcs

Result

Vote

26

0

Varushka

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Assignment_of_Karsk&oldid=26994"

Assignment of Karsk II

That the territory of Karsk be allocated to an Imperial Nation.

Proposed by Mitwold, Seconded by Karov.

Overview

- The territory of Karsk was reconquered by Imperial forces during the Autumn of 378YE.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- The territory of Karsk is now part of the nation of Varushka.

- It is noted that the territory is still not secure - the Thule still control three of the seven regions.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Assignment_of_Karsk_II&oldid=35361"

Assignment of Segura

To assign conquered territory of Segura to the Brass Coast.

Proposed Segura, Seconded Kahraman

Overview

- The territory of Segura was conquered following an extended military campaign

Date

- Summer 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- The territory of Segura is now part of the nation of the Brass Coast.

- It was noted that the territory is not secure; orcs of the Lasambrian hill tribes still control three of the seven regions. The loss of a single region would result in the loss of this Imperial territory.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Assignment_of_Segura&oldid=35358"

Assignment of Skarsind

Assignment of conquered territory of Skarsind to an Imperial nation.

Procedural vote.

Overview

- Assigned to Wintermark.

- Passed unanimously.

Date

- Autumn 377YE (Event Four 2013).

Campaign Outcome

- The territory of Skarsind is now part of the nation of Wintermark.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Assignment_of_Skarsind&oldid=23908"

Assignment of The Brilliant Shore

The Brilliant Shore, a source of White Granite in Skarsind, to become a National Bourse position assigned to Wintermark.

Procedural vote

Autumn 377YE

Overview

- The Brilliant Shore to become a National Bourse position.

- Passed by 21 votes to 4.

Synod Veto

- This motion was vetoed by the General Assembly of the Imperial Synod

Campaign Outcome

- The Imperial Synod used the power of the veto.

- This procedural motion will automatically be raised again during a sitting at the next Summit.

- The Brilliant Shore is currently unassigned. Production from Autumn 377 has been stockpiled and will be made available to the first Imperial citizen elected to operate The Brilliant Shore.

Constitution

Assignation of The Brilliant Shore to Wintermark is legally extraneous. A national Bourse position can only be eligible to Imperial citizens of the nation that controls the territory the resource is in.

Winter 377YE

The Brilliant Shore to become a National Bourse position.

Procedural vote

Overview

- The motion during the Autumn Equinox 37Y7E was vetoed by the Imperial Synod.

- The question of the assignment of the Brilliant Shore was automatically raised again at the Winter Solstice 377YE.

Date

- Winter 377YE

Campaign Outcome

- The The Brilliant Shore is now a National Bourse position.

- Production from Autumn 377 has been stockpiled and will be made available to the first Imperial citizen elected to operate The Brilliant Shore.

Constitution

Assignment as a National resource means that the Brilliant Shore automatically comes under the auspices of the nation that controls the territory wherein it is located - in this case Skarsind in Wintermark.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

21

3

Passed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Assignment_of_The_Brilliant_Shore&oldid=26346"

Assign Segura

To assign conquered territory of Segura to the Brass Coast.

Proposed Segura, Seconded Kahraman

Overview

- The territory of Segura was conquered following an extended military campaign

Date

- Summer 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- The territory of Segura is now part of the nation of the Brass Coast.

- It was noted that the territory is not secure; orcs of the Lasambrian hill tribes still control three of the seven regions. The loss of a single region would result in the loss of this Imperial territory.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Assign_Segura&oldid=28681"

Astolat

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 The Castle of Thorns

- 3.2 Brightway

- 3.3 Laroc

- 3.4 Oldheart

- 3.5 Weaving

- 3.6 Kethry’s Grove

- 3.7 Boar’s Hollow

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 The Chase

- 4.2 Coombe

- 4.3 Groveyard

- 4.4 Winterbourne

- 4.5 Withy

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

Central, well defended, civilized and beautiful, Astolat is the heartland of the nation. It is famous for its rose gardens, and the offering of a single Astolat rose is considered the perfect gift of true love (as in the Dawnish song The Rose Garden). In the north of Astolat, the majestic granite mountains are rich in ore, but occasionally threatened by their proximity to the wild forests which shelter beasts, barbarians and bandits.

Recent History

Major Features

The Castle of Thorns

Seat of the old Dawnish Kings and Queens, in Withy. Given over now to a great park, and almost completely engulfed in rose bushes, the Castle of Thorns serves as an academy for the training of civil servants, and is where most of the day-to-day business of running the Nation takes place. Each Dawnish Senator has apartments within this beautiful edifice, decorated with the produce and images of the territory they represent.

According to legends, the roses that enshroud the castle of thorns are the remnants of a magical defence created in pre-Imperial times by the enchanter Queen Jessamy. When the castle was besieged, she wove a great thicket of magically strengthened roses that surrounded the castle and tore the attacking forces to pieces when they tried to press the siege. The thicket lasted for only a season, but bought time for Jessamy's husband and allies to rally and come to her defence. The roses of the castle of Thorns are highly prized to this day as a symbol of enduring love and loyalty.

The River of Sighs runs past the Castle of Thorns. This wide, deep, fast flowing river was the site of the First Empress' legendary leap that won her entry to the house of Cevise. Traditionally set as a challenge for yeomen who were considered to be seeking to rise above their station, there are still knights-errant today who try to duplicate the Empress' jump, and the majority of those who fail are swept away and drowned.

OOC Note: The Castle of Thorns is a third rank fortification.

Brightway

A peaceful settlement in the glades on the edge of Miaren. Famed for Aurelie's Rest, a Dawnish centre of healing, where physicians and surgeons do what they can to aid those who are crippled or seem beyond cure -- in Brightway they may find rest for a while.

Laroc

Famous for its tournament ground, which sets a standard for pageantry that other, lesser, nations can only envy. Many Dawnish who care for the glory of the duel hold Laroc in their hearts as they fight elsewhere.

Oldheart

An ancient town famed for its fine fruit brandies, set in an unusually verdant landscape; blossom is abundant in spring and its autumns are fruitful. The weaver cabal here weaves in willow withies, not cloth, and if any in Dawn have links to the Marchers, it is the weavers of Oldheart.

Weaving

A centre of learning for ritual magics, where cabals plan the greatest of rites, and discuss what their voice in the Conclave should say for the greater good of Dawn and Empire. As a waymeet, it's also a town of many inns, where you'll often find questing knights or squires swapping stories, desperate for news of chances for heroism in far-flung places. Adelmar the Lion, Exemplar of Ambition was born here, and a small shrine marks the site where his family once lived.

Kethry’s Grove

A glade dedicated to the Paragon, Kethry, thought to be where Makin once courted her. Often used by the Dawnish as a place of vigil for those who follow Pride.

Boar’s Hollow

A great statue of a boar, fully 20 hands high, moss covered and inscribed with writings of Terunael, stands here in a small hollow, apparently watching the border with Varushka. Some amongst the Dawnish regard it as a place of fertility.

Regions

The Chase

Coombe

Groveyard

Winterbourne

Withy

OOC Notes

- Each region of Astolat is under the control of the Dawnish (and by extension, the Empire), making this a staunchly Imperial territory.

- The Castle of Thorns is a rank three fortification.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Astolat&oldid=33099"

Astronomancy

As above, so below; As below; so above.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Invocation and Command

- 3 As Above, So Below

- 4 Tulpas

- 5 Constellations

Overview

The constellations have been known since time immemorial – they figure, largely unchanged from their present forms, on some of the oldest buildings and artifacts in the world. Many magicians – especially those of Urizen – believe them to be a map or chart of the powers of the world reflected above – as if the sky were a great dark lake and reflected on its surface was the means to understand, control and manipulate the forces of nature.

At its core, astronomancy is a magical tradition that involves identifying patterns in the stars associated with fundamental magical and natural laws, and drawing power from them to fuel ritual magic. These patterns - the constellations - are held by many astronomancers to be the same tools the Creator used to forge Creation. Like the runes and the narrative principles of dramaturgy, Astronomancy is a means of placing magic in context and understanding it.

Invocation and Command

The stars are handles – physical ways to grab the force of magic. Nobody in the Empire imagines The Stork is an actual stork. That arrangement of stars you can see in the sky is the way it is to represent one of the primal powers of creation; by using that imagery and incorporating it into your rituals, you are tapping into that primal power and associating your ritual with it.

Astronomancers believe that the sky is limitless, and so are the powers it represents; the constellations known and codified by the Empire are merely the tip of the iceberg. Every star is part of a constellation and every constellation is a representation of a cosmic principle, a natural force or a universal power. The codified ones are simply those whose meaning and purpose is clearly understood; there exist many more to discover, comprehend and codify. Every Astronomancer dreams of naming a new constellation and adding them to the great catalogue.

Using the constellations the easy way, an Astronomancer can draw the design on an implement or artifact, arrange things or people to recreate the design below (such as standing your ritualists in the shape of The Fountain or The Chain) or simply invoke them during a ritual to shine favourably or unfavourably upon the outcome or a specified target. By naming propitious stars to someone you could bless or curse them.

As Above, So Below

Astronomancers firmly believe that echoing the structure of the constellations strongly influences the environment – it is not uncommon to find an Urizen spire's encampments laid out in the form of The Net, or Astronomancer’s chambers arranged specifically to evoke a particular constellation.

Tulpas

The constellations are not sentient or sapient in any meaningful way – they are symbols of potentiality, emblems of cosmic forces ill-understood by the Empire’s magicians. But sometimes during a ritual, a combination of the existence of the constellation, coupled with the efforts of the magician, will cause the manifestation of a Tulpa. These are thought-forms; concepts and ideas given form by magical will and the motive power of the Constellation.

Tulpas are curious creatures – constructs of will and magic that make it easier to form a connection between the constellation and mortal men. The process by which a Tulpa forms and manifests is structurally and magically very similar indeed to the process by which a national Egregore is formed; some Astronomancers view them perhaps as the understandable face of principles too vast and alien for our minds to clearly understand. As the Varushkan Egregore sometimes represents a way for magicians to understand what it means to be Varushka, to interact with the soul of a nation in a meaningful way, so Tulpas of the Claw allow a magician to interact with the principle of conflict between living things.

They are bridges, formed by magicians to connect them to these potent principles. Essentially the magician gives the magic a physical form or a spiritual form that is easier for mortal minds to interact with. In a real sense, if the magician were not doing the ritual the Tulpa would not exist - it is like a combination of the cosmic principle and the ritual itself. It exists from moment to moment at the point where magicians work magic using it. Through the principles of Astronomancy, the tulpa allows magicians to connect to the power of the constellations; they are not entities in the way the Eternals are entities; the Urizen in particular describe them as being much more like cosmic ushabti.

Whilst Tulpas traditionally form their own bodies, Astronomancers who are deeply aligned with a constellation during a working sometimes experience what they describe as “brushing by” or "alignment" with a Tulpa. The ritualist’s mind brushes the consciousness of a Tulpa during a ritual and the ritualist finds themselves behaving in a way which personifies or exemplifies the principle of the Constellation. The ritualist does not lose control or consciousness, they remains in control of their own actions; but all factors to do with the constellation are amplified.

Constellations

There are eighteen constellations recognised by Imperial astronomancers, from which they can draw power:

Constellation

The Law

Common magic

The Chain

Things hold together

Bonds, oaths

The Chalice

Things heal; things apart come together

healing, mending, connections

The Claw

Things bleed

Battle, destruction, violence

The Door

Things move and change

transport, travel, personal transformation

The Drowned Man

Things end

Curses, misfortune, ending

The Fountain

Things live

Growth, fertility, foundations

The Great Wyrm

Things change and transform

magic, grand transformation

The Key

Things are revealed

scrying, opening, skills

The Lock

Things can be hidden

wards, defence, concealment

The Mountain

Things are not easy

obstacles, effort, trials

The Oak

Things endure

strength, endurance, fortitude

The Phoenix

Things learn

knowledge

The Spider

Things are watched by a hidden eye

hidden forces, eternals, sovereigns

The Stallion

Things procreate

fertility, growth, wealth

The Stork

Things matter

decisions, responsibility, leadership

The Web

Things are connected

relationships, synchronicity, sympathy

The Three Sisters

Things are connected by blood

consequences, ties of blood, sorrow

The Wanderer

Things are not what you think or Things go awry

destiny, fate, chance

In each case, the common magic mentioned is just a starting point or summary. The individual pages for each constellation contain a lot more information about the use of a constellation in ritual magic or spellcasting.

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Astronomancy&oldid=35707"

A Sudden Farewell

Song by Jamie Wakefield (https://soundcloud.com/jamie-wakefield/a-sudden-farewell)

Chords, Verses: Em G D Am x3, Em G D (Em); Chorus: Em G D; Bridge: Em

Verse 1 (Navarr) Into the eve'ning, My lover, we're leaving. No time left for grieving. Our oaths we fulfil.

Our lives we will offer. A step to here-after. A future made better, For Terunael

Chorus (Thorn) Aye, my lover. A sudden farewell. Aye, my lover. A sudden farewell.

Verse 2 (Thorn) Long we've provided, Our people we guidance, Without us, their stridings, Will travel a far.

Our future decided, Before we're divided, Let's lie here united, As Thorn and Navarr.

Chorus (Navarr)

Bridge (Thorn) Hear me x4

Verse 3 (Navarr) We should be preparing, And what your suggesting, Would use, though its tempting, What time we have ill.

Soon, when we're long gone, Our people embark on, An exodus begun, For Terunael.

Chorus (Thorn)

Bridge x2 (Navarr then Thorn)

Verse 4 (Thorn) Your hard dedication, Is all to your credit, But we've done all we can, and we have to let go.

Let's show we have no doubt, For soon we will bow out. But the dance will continue With other heroes.

Verse 5 (Navarr) Then let us make our rest, And lie in the forest, And let us show our trust, In those who follow.

Let this be a lesson, To trust in your brethren, As our fore-bearers once did, For Terunael.

Coda (both) Aye, my lover, For Terunael (Repeat to end)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=A_Sudden_Farewell&oldid=24523"

Atuman

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

Atuman, one of the Twin Navigators of Highborn Legend, was initially recognised as a Paragon of Ambition by the Highborn Assembly of the Virtuous, in the time before the Synod. Following the creation of the Synod, the General Assembly recognised Aldones di Sarvos as the reincarnation of Atuman, which denied Atuman's ascension as Paragon. Consequently, Atuman has been regarded as an Exemplar of Ambition.

Biography

Signs

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Atuman&oldid=16324"

Atun

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

- The Paragon Atun of the Highborn, one of the famed Twin Navigators, who - along with Atuman, Exemplar of Ambition - steered the ships that bore the Highborn through unknown waters to their new homeland, as part of their exodus from their doomed home. After the landing, Atun followed a vision of her own and sailed away to an unknown destination. She left behind some students who honoured her memory and ultimately became the Scions of Atun and devoted their lives to spiritual matters, including unlocking the mysteries of liao.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Atun&oldid=20350"

Atun's Ring

Description

The most common forms taken by Atun's ring is either a single band marked with one rune associated with each of the six realms or a single ring formed of six interwoven bands, each of a different precious metal.

The rings are named for the Paragon Atun, the sister of Atuman, Exemplar of Ambition. Stories indicate that Atuman was a powerful magician, prone to visionary experiences even without the use of magic, and a mistress of multiple realms. When she departed the nascent Highborn nation she left the artefact magical ring that bore her name with her brother as a keepsake. Her followers crafted lesser rings in its image, and when the Freeborn began their exodus it is believed that all three founding sisters bore versions. The use of the rings was also widespread among the magicians of Tassato and Sarvos, and three were given as gifts by the Highborn magisters to the magicians of Urizen during early diplomatic exchanges.

The original ring would be a treasure beyond price, were it to be found, but it vanished during the tumultuous years of the Highborn civil war. Its last known bearer was Permion the Lawmaker, and it was not seen again after his assassination.

Rules

- Form: Jewellery (Talisman)

- Effect: Once per day you may use this ring to gain one additional rank of any one ritual lore for the purposes of performing a single ritual.

- Materials: Crafting Atun's ring requires six ingots of orichalcum, six ingots of tempest jade, six ingots of weltsilver, six measures of ambergelt, six measures of beggar's lye and six measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

You must be a magician to be bonded to one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Atun%27s_Ring&oldid=31892"

Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

The Auditor of Senatorial Accountability is an Imperial ceremonial title created by the Imperial Senate in Spring 377YE with responsibility to investigate the use of Imperial funds by Senators.

The Imperial Senate has responsibility for allocating and spending the treasury. They do this by appointing individual Senators to oversee projects from building a shipyard to raising an army. They also disburse funds to worthy causes such as the Anvil hospital or toward the creation of valuable tools for the Empire. In all such cases, it is the responsibility of the chosen individual to ensure that the funds are used wisely and for the purpose they are intended.

In Spring 377YE, the Senate chose to create an auditor to oversee these activities. Given responsibility for ensuring funds were being spent for the purposes for which they had been disbursed, the Auditor is expected to report back to the Senate with it's findings.

Responsibilities

The Auditor of Senatorial Accountability is charged with ensuring that funds allocated to Senators by the Imperial Senate are spent wisely and for the purpose for which they were intended. The findings of the Auditor should be reported to the Senate.

Powers

The Auditor of Senatorial Accountability is a ceremonial title - it has no legal powers to force citizens to cooperate with investigations.

The Civil Service has outlined a number of possible powers that would be within the ability of the Senate to grant, and appropriate to the remit of the position, but assigning one or more of these powers would require further motions.

Selection

The title is appointed by decision of the Assembly of Nine. There is no requirement for the Auditor to be a member of the Synod, although it has been suggested that access to the Synod power of inquisition would be helpful in pursuing the responsibilities of the position in the absence of other powers.

Removal

The Auditor serves until they die, step down or are revoked.

The Auditor can be revoked by the General assembly or the Assembly of Nine.

History

- The current incumbent is Nadezhda Darva of Varushka, as of Spring 377YE

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Auditor_of_Senatorial_Accountability&oldid=28226"

Auras

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Auras&oldid=19733"

Auras illegal in the Civil Service hub

To expand the existing law regarding auras on the Senate to include the Civil Service Hub. The Citizens granted a vote would be the Magistrates and Civil Servants

Proposed by Astolat, seconded by Bastion.

Overview

- Extend the law prohibiting auras in the senate.

- This motion has not passed into law at this time, pending a decision of the Imperial Synod whether to seek the veto.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- A synod member has indicated an intention to discuss raising a veto, so this does not come into effect until after the first Senate session at the Spring Equinox event.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Auras_illegal_in_the_Civil_Service_hub&oldid=35560"

Auras illegal in the Senate

To remove the aura of Vigilance from the Senate and to make it illegal for an aura to be emplaced on the Senate building without prior explicit permission from the Senate

Proposed by Zenith, seconded by Hercynia.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Remove the aura of Vigilance from the Senate

- Make it illegal for an aura to be placed on the Senate building without prior explicit permission from the Senate

- Passed unanimously

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013).

Cost

- None

Campaign Outcome

- The prohibition against placing auras on the Senate building has been added to Imperial Law.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Auras_illegal_in_the_Senate&oldid=23543"

Autumn Realm (Redirected from Autumn)

Redirect page

Realms

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Autumn_Realm&oldid=13938"

Autumn Equinox 2013

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Battles

- 2.1 Volunteering

- 3 Site Map

- 4 OOC Camping

- 5 Traders

- 5.1 Battle Ready

- 5.2 Chows Emporium

- 5.3 Coelred Monger

- 5.4 Darkblade

- 5.5 Eldritch

- 5.6 Evenlode Studio

- 5.7 Gem’s Trading Co

- 5.8 Grand Expedition

- 5.9 Having A Larp

- 5.10 Light Armouries

- 5.11 Mandala Studios

- 5.12 Millstream Forge

- 5.13 Romany Robes

- 5.14 Saxon Violence

- 5.15 Skian Mhor

- 5.16 Tallows

- 5.17 Velvet Glove Costumes

- 5.18 Warriors Wardrobe

- 5.19 White Rose Apparel

Overview

This page currently lists all the details that are specific for our fourth Empire event - the Autumn Equinox 2013. There is an additional page with event information which lists arrival and departure times and similar details that are common for all Empire events.

Battles

At the Autumn Equinox we will be running two large battles, one 11:00 Saturday morning and one 11:00 Sunday morning, along with a large number of smaller encounters. The large battles will follow the normal rules for battles; you may only participate in a single battle as your character and you must monster the other battle if you decide to participate in one.

Volunteering

Players are welcome to volunteer to help PD crew the smaller encounters, but are not obliged to do so - anyone who volunteers to help by monstering an encounter will receive a token that enables you to collect a free drink from the bar as thanks.

Site Map

The map shows the layout of the OOC camping fields and the IC area. The grey lines in the in-character field are roads that go through the camps. These roads will be laid out with fencing pins and nylon rope until the start of the event. You must not pitch your tent in the road, the red hats are under instructions to move any tents pitched in the IC roads.

No cars are allowed in the IC camping area at this event - they may only use the road indicated by the grey line that circles around the field. The road will be wide enough for you to pull up and park so that you can unload your vehicle next to your camp. Please unload your camping equipment and then move your vehicle to the car park before putting up your tent to allow other players to unload.

If you have a trailer or a large vehicle such as a minibus then you may drive that on to the field to unload. To do that you must wait at the IC entrance to the field. A member of the PD security team will then escort you vehicle to your camp where you can unload your vehicle. Once you are ready to move your vehicle to the car park you must request a member of the PD team escort your vehicle off the field.

OOC Camping

The OOC camping area will be laid out in lines with fencing pins and nylon rope. The system is designed to separate the tents from the cars so the rope has signs hanging from it which indicates that you should park you car adjacent to the rope and then pitch your tent on the other side of the rope.

Do not pitch your tents in the wide lane between the guide ropes, this lane must be kept free for access.

Traders

The following traders have booked for the event.

Battle Ready

Hand crafted leather goods.

Chows Emporium

Costume, leather gloves, products related to drinking and accessories.

Coelred Monger

Suppliers of replica costume and artefacts.

Darkblade

Leather Stuff.

Eldritch

Weapons and armour.

Evenlode Studio

Evenlode Studio supply a wide range of props and costume. These include all kinds of leather armour and costume, masks suitable for Empire, natural accessories and much much more.

Gem’s Trading Co

Costumes and leatherwork. Fine quality tailored garments and LRP props. Also a wide range of hand made leather items and missile weapons supplied by Arrow Kaster available to order.

Grand Expedition

Costume and jewellery and trips to foreign parts.

Having A Larp

Costume, weapons, armour and LARP accessories.

Light Armouries

Supplier of latex weapons and props.

Mandala Studios

High quality latex prosthetics and masks tailor made for the Empire campaign.

Millstream Forge

Metalwork - located next to Skian Mhor.

Romany Robes

A range of beautiful costume at reasonable prices.

Saxon Violence

A wide range of weapons suitable for Empire.

Skian Mhor

Latex Weapons and props. Costume, armour, leatherwork, chainmail, tents and all types of LRP supplies and essentials.

Tallows

Beautiful weapons and shields that are perfect for Empire.

Velvet Glove Costumes

Costumes, make-up, prosthetics, jewellery with more to come!

Warriors Wardrobe

A wide range of costume made for Empire.

White Rose Apparel

Beautiful armour.

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Autumn magic

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Resonance

- 2.1 Prosperity

- 2.2 Trade

- 2.3 Influence

- 2.4 Bands

- 2.5 Binding

- 2.6 Craftsmanship

- 2.7 Travel and Communication

- 3 Dissonance

- 3.1 Personal Strength

- 3.2 Vegetation

- 3.3 Creation

- 3.4 Creativity

- 3.5 Destruction

- 3.6 Healing

- 3.7 Coarseness

- 4 Further Reading

Overview

The magic of Autumn is the magic of influence and prosperity. Where Summer enhances the capabilities of the individual, or Winter diminishes those same capabilities, the magic of Autumn spreads outwards from its targets along points of correspondence to affect large areas or large numbers of people. To a degree the magic of Autumn is the magic of scale – it is the ability to bless crops, or to blight them; to reveal mineral deposits or conceal them; to unite people or cause them to become fractious; to aid travel and movement over large distances, or to impede it. Autumn magic is subtle - its most powerful effects often come together due to synchronicity and serendipity. To an outside observer, many Autumn magic effects appear to be entirely natural and coincidental.

The magic of travel is also part of the Autumn purview. Whether it is speeding the movement of a shipping fleet or transporting four hundred warriors over great distance, the rites of Autumn play on the connections between here and there to bridge the gaps in the world. That same magic can be used to confound direction sense – there is a tale of a rite that causes all the pathways through a forest to loop back on themselves, and of an army still trapped somewhere unable to find their way out even through death.

Magic that deals with wealth, prosperity and comfort – or the appearance of the same – is also part of Autumn. It preserves food and drink, it enhances the potency of wine and the flavour of meat, it repairs broken things. Magicians who work extensively with Autumn magic often describe the experience as being mentally taxing, as if they are negotiating with a cunning opponent, persuading it to perform a task for them. Autumn magicians are often seen as arrogant or controlling, because they feel they must cultivate an indomitable will if they are to work the most powerful magics.

Autumn magic is the most powerful because it harnesses some of the most potent, subtle forces in creation - not just synchronicity but the ability for mortals to work together to create wonders. Influence and wealth go hand in hand and provide potent tools for shaping the world.

Resonance

Prosperity

Money, wealth, and the comfort that derives from it are all resonant motifs of the Autumn realm. Other realms provide ways to improve the production of resources but few can compete with Autumn and none where the outcome is purely monetary. The Autumn realm has a special love for wealth, especially precious metals of all kinds and magic that deals with the creation of wealth falls squarely within the remit of Autumn.

Examples: Streams of Silver, Rivers of Gold, The Chamber of Pallas, Art of the Deal, The Lure of Distant Shores, Rivers of Gold, Gathering the Harvest, and Gift of the Wily Broker.

Trade

Some claim that Autumn magic's resonance with wealth is really only a consequence of a deeper connection - with the act of trade itself. Autumn rituals that create wealth usually do so by enhancing the trades carried out to produce the wealth, but the very idea of exchanging one good for another is fundamental to the realm of Autumn. Rituals that help satisfy desires and needs through mutual agreements and exchange are most powerful when performed using Autumn magic.

Examples: Ephisis' Scale, Before the Throne of Estavus, Twist of Moebius, Vault of Hoarded Wisdom, Like Water Through Your Fingers and Balanced Scales of Lann.

Influence

Magic that strengthens and empowers influence and authority is strongly resonant in Autumn. Where the Summer realm grants power through prowess and majesty, the Autumn realm prefers a more subtle approach based on enhancing loyalty and command. Interestingly, unlike Summer, Autumn can also weaken central authority, by creating rituals that encourage individual ambition and aid conspiracies and treachery.

Examples: The Conspirator's Cloak, Mantle of the Golden Orator.

Bands

Autumn magic resonates strongly in any ritual that attempts to create magical bonds between members of a band. The Realm claims mastery over all magics that involve allegiance and loyalty, especially where those rituals involve the creation of binding contracts. For the most serious agreements, the Lictors, a powerful Autumn Eternal, can be invoked to ensure that all parties are suitably bound. This resonance covers more than just pacts, however, covering any magic that connects people, through webs of influence, diplomacy, and allegiance.

Examples: Create bond spell, Arcane Mark, Mark of Ownership, Ties that Bind, Scrivener's Bloodmark.

Rituals that bring disparate groups together, binding them to a common cause are resonant with Autumn magic. Magic that works to empower a group, improving coordination, trust and loyalty, enhancing the strengths that flow from cooperation are all favoured by the Realm.

Examples: Shared Mastery of the Magician's Guild, Barked Command of the Iron Serjant, Circle of Gold, Sum of the Parts, Braying Horns of War, Bound by Common Cause

Binding

Autumn magic delights in complex chains and knots that bind things together. The motif of chains made of countless links and ropes woven from innumerable fibres is seen everywhere in the Autumn realm. Skilled magicians can translate this resonance into magic that literally binds the target in place. Rituals and spells that entangle the target, metaphorically or physically, are all possible using Autumn magic.

Example: Imurrement of Leaden Chains, Stance of the Constricting Scourge, Brazen Claws of the Lictor, Inescapable Chains of Bitter Glass, and the Entangle spell.

Craftsmanship

The Autumn realm claims dominion over the skill of the artisan, the act of turning raw materials into more complex, more useful items. This is especially true of metals, both base metals and precious metals, all of which are strongly favoured by the realm. Although magical items themselves are not of the realms, being made of materials found squarely within the mortal world, magic that marks them, bonds them, and affects them is common in Autumn. The realm resonates with most aspects of craftsmanship and powerful Autumn rituals allow craftsmen to work in a fraction of the time it would normally take them.

Examples: Hand of the Maker, Mark of Ownership, The Anvil of Estavus, The Blade Bites Back, Smooth Hands Shape The World, Timeless Hammer Rhythm, and Shadow of the Bronze Colossus.

Travel and Communication

The idea of communication is central to the Autumn Realm, but Autumn magic also resonates strongly with anything that empowers the travel needed to support such contact. The very notion of travel, the idea of roads, and the movement of people and ideas is an often overlooked resonance within Autumn.

Example: Call Winged Messenger, and The Ambassadorial Gatekeeper.

Dissonance

Personal Strength

Autumn hates making individuals stronger. It likes to grant influence, not strength or prowess. It despises the heroic warrior king. Where Summer is about doing it yourself, or empowering a champion, Autumn is about getting someone else to do it, or empowering a group. This means there are few personal enchantments in Autumn, and those that are tend to be associated with objects (such as Shadow of the Bronze Colossus).

Vegetation

There is very little wild vegetation in the Autumn realm. Even a garden in an Autumn city is likely to be made of cunning replicas created from metal and gems rather than actual trees or plants. There are no forests or sprawling meadows in Autumn; all vegetation in autumn is tamed. There are farms, and well-maintained gardens but most of the terrain is made up of cities and the coiling stone and metal labyrinths that connect them. While Autumn magic can enchant a farm, it is impossible to use Autumn magic to encourage wild growth.

Creation

Autumn magic does not create matter from nothing; the essence of crafting is to modify and combine materials to make something else. Autumn magic could never spin gold out of straw, or conjure a sword out of thin air. It might allow someone to work faster, or with limited tools, but it will never bypass the need to actually make something. Modifying and combining existing things is the way of Autumn.

Creativity

Likewise, autumn is not creative. Inspiration and the kind of imagination that creates a brand new item are much more resonant with Night. There is an essential spark missing from Autumn magic when it comes to making new things. The Eternals of Autumn often make copies of creatures - a copper butterfly or a heart of gold - but really their power lies in manufacture, not innovation. Autumn eternals do not make art, and often fail to appreciate it's more ephemeral representations. A gold ring is a solid thing, a display of wealth. A poem is just words put together in an interesting order - it isn't "real".

Destruction

Autumn magic does not destroy. The magic is about accumulating and trading things of value; destroying something valuable is a dreadful crime against the realm and it's magic. It may allow a team of wreckers to work with supernatural speed and instinctive co-operation to tear a boat apart quickly and efficiently but the magic itself cannot simply make the boat fall apart into it's component pieces. When an Autumn magician wishes to destroy a castle, they must enchant an army to smash it apart with catapults. When it wishes to ruin someone, it encourages chance to turn against you; it doesn't destroy your money.

Healing

Autumn is great for fixing broken objects - the mend spell is very resonant with Autumn. It is useless for fixing broken people - the heal spell is dissonant. Autumn would much rather replace a crippled hand with a cunning steel replica than try to restore the damaged tissues. At its heart, there is something cold and mechanical about Autumn magic that resonates poorly with healing and health. It is almost impossible to directly heal someone with Autumn magic.

Coarseness

Autumn is all about being subtle, it hates booming loud things, fireballs and flashy effects. Autumn moves and influences others, and it does so with finesse. Magic that draws attention to itself creates dissonance - leave earthquakes and walking forests to Summer and Spring. The ideal Autumn magic influences and encourages, it doesn't act directly. Using a tool to overcome a problem is the essence of Autumn, but the paradox is that the magic of Autumn itself is rarely the right tool to use.

Further Reading

- Ritual theory

- Spring magic

- Summer magic

- Autumn magic

- Winter magic

- Day magic

- Night magic

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

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Realms (Redirected from Autumn Realm)

Redirect page

Realm

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Autumn rituals

Ritual

Explanation

Magnitude

Arcane Mark

Marks a magician as a member of an order.

2

Hand of the Maker

Identifies the crafter of an item.

2

Mark of Ownership

Marks a bonded item as owned.

2

Streams of Silver

Adds 24 rings to a business' production during the next season.

2

The Anvil of Estavus

Mends an item.

2

Shared Mastery of the Magician's Guild

Grants knowledge of a spell known by a member of the coven.

3

The Blade Bites Back

Grants an extra use to a biting blade that has been used that day.

3

Ephisis' Scale

Allows trade with the Eternal Ephisis.

4

The Chamber of Pallas

Creates roleplay aura of conviviality in location.

4

The Conspirator's Cloak

Grants an aura of confidence to a character.

4

Ties that Bind

Determines who is bonded to an item.

4

Before the Throne of Estavus

Swaps raw materials for Autumn mana.

6

Call Winged Messenger

Sends a magical letter.

6

Mantle of the Golden Orator

Increases a congregation for the next season granting additional 3 Liao and 6 votes in the synod.

7

The Ambassadorial Gatekeeper

Lets someone accompany the caster to the Hall of Worlds.

7

Art of the Deal

Adds 120 rings to the resources produced by a fleet if it trades during the next season.

8

Scrivener's Bloodmark

Creates a delayed curse between contractees.

8

Twist of Moebius

Allows a coven to perform an extra ritual tomorrow at the cost of a ritual today.

8

Vault of Hoarded Wisdom

Coven can consume mana crystals to restore personal mana.

8

Barked Command of the Iron Serjant

Three targets gain partial weapon mastery for a day.

9

Circle of Gold

Five characters gain a one-use Stay with Me they can use on each other.

9

Imurrement of Leaden Chains

Gives a coven a one-use ability to entangle opponents.

10

Smooth Hands Shape The World

Grants ability to cast mend faster for a season.

10

The Lure of Distant Shores

Enhances resources gained when a fleet takes the trade action over the next season.

10

Stance of the Constricting Scourge

Grants a one-use ability to call entangle with weapon or implement.

11

Rivers of Gold

Adds 180 rings to the production of a business in the next season.

12

Timeless Hammer Rhythm

Grants an artisan the ability to craft an item overnight.

14

Gathering the Harvest

Replaces Strong Ox, Golden Sun and adds 400 rings to the production of a farm.

15

Gift of the Wily Broker

Adds 1 Liao, 1 of each type of Resource and 1 of each type of herb to production of a business over the next season.

15

Sum of the Parts

Three participants contribute health to a champion.

15

Braying Horns of War

Allows a banner to join battles or skirmishes separate to it's nation for a season.

20

Brazen Claws of the Lictor

Grants ability to call entangle with an implement three times over a day.

22

Balanced Scales of Lann

Increases one realm lore at the cost of Autumn realm lore for a season.

24

Shadow of the Bronze Colossus

Grants four ranks of endurance to heavy amour wearer for a day.

24

Like Water Through Your Fingers

Curses a character to lose three-quarters of all resource production for a year.

30

Inescapable Chains of Bitter Glass

Allows one area-of-effect entangle.

40

Bound by Common Cause

Enhances a campaign army for each military unit attached to it.

80

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

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Avigliana di Sarvos

And I say to you, that whilst the vaults of Highguard, and the grain stores of the Marches, may store wealth, only the League can make it.

Avigliana di Sarvos, on addressing the Senate

Virtue

Avigliana di Sarvos was recognised as an Exemplar of Wisdom by the Synod in the year 76 YE, as she lay on her death bed.

Biography

Avigliana was born in the city of Sarvos on the year that the Empire was founded. The daughter of a money-lender, Avigliana learned the accountant's trade, but had a grander vision.

When the first Empress died, she judged the judged the situation wisely, and moved to Tassato in order to gain the ear of Emperor Giovanni.

Her work at the time was primarily on large-scale accounting, but many of the larger guilds were confined to the League by complex exchange rates and the lack of a shared currency. The idea of an Imperial currency was not a new one, but Avigliana was able to appeal to the Emperor on behalf of his home city, and also appeal to the Imperial Senate, to entrust the League with the creation of the single universal measure of the Empire's wealth.

Although she continued to work with the Imperial Mint, she used her influence to set up the School of Epistemology, to which she eventually retreated entirely, seen only by the students there. But her writing became prolific – pamphlets and letters would emerge from the school, bearing her seal, talking about subjects both mundane and esoteric.

These writings form the “Epistemologicon”, which is held, in coded form, by the school. A modern edition, “Excerpts from the Epistemologicon” is an ongoing project by the new master of the school, Niccolo Dos Tassatos.

The school continues to support the Empire – many diplomats are trained there, as are spies and cartographers, using a highly specialised approach that only the Path of Wisdom can offer.

Signs

The Assembly of Wisdom held that Avigliana demonstrated the following signs of being an Exemplar:

- Avigliana was recognised as being the reincarnation of Kala, a Urizen Exemplar of Wisdom. Both were committed to weighing and measuring the world they dwelt in. It was simply a matter of what was weighed and measured, and how.

- Avigliana's efforts in contributing to the Imperial Mint, and in seeing the League's currency - and fascination with wealth - accepted across the Empire, demonstrated her benevolence to the Empire.

- Through her school Aviligliana encouraged citizens of the League to take note of the world they lived in and put the truth of it in writing. The school continues to teach spies, diplomats and cartographers, alongside the the more traditional accountants and priests. Those that study there study Aviligana's works closely, which illustrates how she inspired others.

- Some claim that the Imperial Mint is Avigliana's legacy, but she has also left behind a magnificent reliquary that pilgrims have visited and meditated in the presence of.

- Finally, demonstrating the sign of salvation, Avigliana wrote extensively about Wisdom as a path to Ascension; teaching the laity to meditate on the entire Labyrinth as a means of transcending it's function. As an extension of this, she also wrote a treatise on the distant future of the Empire, and the rewards, and dangers, of mass Ascension of large numbers.

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Axos

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 People

- 3 Culture and Customs

- 4 Abridged History

- 5 Axou Military Concerns

- 6 Axou Economic Concerns

- 7 Axou Religious Beliefs

- 8 Axou Magic Traditions

- 9 Axou Territories

- 10 Look and Feel

- 11 Axos in Play

Introduction

The Axos Citadels are located to the south east of the Empire sharing a border with Skoura and Urizen. Their name refers to the chain of citadels that protrude from the crags that line the coast. A people with an ancient history, the Aneleito Axou, or Merciless Axis, are an allegiance of sorcerous city states each answering to a sorcerer king. The Citadels have fierce rivalries with each other, but stand together against the barbarians and the Empire. Due to the catastrophic losses they have suffered, they are more given to diplomatic outcomes and solutions. They have developed strong cultural ties with the people of the mountain in Skoura, trading with them for ore and stone in exchange for military aid and sorcerous assistance. .

Never particularly friendly to the Empire, they politely closed their borders against Imperial traders in 207YE. Prior to that there had been a few border skirmishes, but given their closest neighbours were the Urizen, these skirmishes rarely came to anything. In 330 YE, diplomatic overtures from the Senator for Spiral were sent into Axos but rebuffed; it is believed that the Urizen were attempting to arrange a joint defence of that beleaguered territory but no records exist one way or another.

People

The people of Axos are well educated and have a reputation for being cunning, pragmatic and arrogant - convinced that their way of life is superior to all others. Recent information about the Axou is sparse; since they closed their borders, most of what is known of their society is based on written works nearly a century and a half out of date.

Their population is almost entirely concentrated in their massive citadels. Very different to the measured open spaces that characterize Urizen spires the diplomat Mercadia de Sarvos wrote in 196YE "It is as if someone has taken the city of Tassato, or perhaps a nest of vipers, and built it into the side of a mountain." Of the people, Savella of Stormspire wrote in her short treatise Studies of the Axou "It is as if someone has taken all the misplaced confidence of the most boastful citizen of the League, mixed in the worst elements of the parochialism of the Marches, and then forced thousands of them to live on top of one another like rats!"

Culture and Customs

Like their neighbours and, allegedly, distant cousins the Urizen, the Axou are steeped in magical tradition. It is believed that their culture is strongly influenced by their mystical beliefs in - some might say obsession with - death and what happens afterwards.

In person, Axou usually appear friendly and welcoming, but to Imperial citizens often seem superstitious and unpredictable. They are known to have made a great study of summoning and communicating with the spirits of the dead - a practice they call necromantia. Their skills in this area rival and in some areas exceed the knowledge of the Empire.

The people are grouped into clans known as Ile, which appear to be organised in a very hierarchical fashion. In each Ile there is a circle of sorcerers known as the Ilae who are responsible for leading their household and holding its secrets. Amongst these, an Ilarch is chosen to lead the house and represent the Ile to the Commander of the Agema Guard. One Ile within each citadel is pre-eminent. The Ilarch that holds the Throne and the Crown of the citadel take the title of Grand Ilarch and have undisputed control over the citadel.

While Axou culture is far from egalitarian, and while slavery is not illegal, they tend not to keep slaves. They are not above selling captured orcs into slavery in Jarm or Asavea, but there are few actual slaves in the nation itself. Rather, the Axou rely on an ambitious underclass eager to work for any wage or the possibility of patronage from one of the great clans or houses. Drug use is common among the lowest tiers of Axou society, and there are also popular arena combats in which teams of volunteer warriors fight in specially designed gladiatorial contests - sometimes to the death although more often not - against each other, thrill-seeking foreigners and savage beasts for purses of gold and the adulation of the masses.

Abridged History

The early Nikitis Axou or Victorious Axis were a nomadic people who navigated the Skoura plains using a series of peaks along the coast as markers for their hunting patterns. Over time, monuments were built on these peaks, then settlements, then the Axou Citadels that stand today. Imperial scholars theorize that the original Axou were cousins of the modern Urizen and Navarr, although the Axou have denied this repeatedly. There is some evidence that exiles from the nations that would become the Eastern Empire found a welcome of sorts in Axou, and many Ile have Highborn, Dawnish and Urizen ancestors. Unfortunately these exiled Imperial ancestors tend to have left dark reputations for heresy, criminality or sorcery behind them in the Empire, a fact which has in the past caused some tension with the Axou.

During the time of Emperor Nicovar the Axou closed their borders; two years later they launched an unexpected attack into the Imperial territory of Spiral. The attack was eventually rebuffed, but seriously damaged relationships with the Axou from that point onwards. The motivation behind the Axou attacked are unclear, but it seems likely that it was an opportunistic activity by a single citadel looking to gain access to Urizen magical resources rather than a concerted effort of the entire nation.

Axou Military Concerns

The armies of the Axou consist of the Agema and the Toxatai, heavy and light skirmishers respectively. Many Toxatai are magicians as well, wearing mage armour on the battle field. Agema by contrast are usually fully devoted to the fighting arts. Crescent shaped shields, long thin swords, and sorcerous rods are the weapons of choice among the Axou, although both the Agema and the Toxatai are known to make good use of compact bows before engaging in melee.

Axou forces are often supported by small numbers of elite magical troops known as Tavos Ageli. These creatures are identified by their heavy armour and the face-covering masks that they wear. Urizen sentinels who have faced them in battle say that they appear to be moderately intelligent, or at least cunning, and appear to possess both great strength and barely controllable blood-lust. Their exact nature is unknown. Some scholars theorize that they are similar to the husks created with Quickening Cold Meat, most likely preserved human corpses possessed by more powerful Winter spirits; others believe they are similar to the undying soldiers summoned with Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust, perhaps the result of an enduring pact with an Eternal such as Sorin or Kaela.

Axou Economic Concerns

The Axos do not trade with the Empire. The Axou have close ties with the Skoura who they rely on for many raw materials. The citadels that lie along the coast are known to make use of fleets of dark-sailed ships that have been encountered as far afield as Asavean Archipelago and Principalities of Jarm. They are known to trade extensively with the Sarcophan Delves. It is believed that the jungle-like forests of central Axos are a hostile environment with few raw materials, a serious problem for a nation with as much interest in magical implements and robes as the Axos. Prior to 307YE the Axou were known to offer a particularly good price for Imperial dragonbone. They are also believed to have little access to Weirwood, and are known to import much of the Mithril they require from Skoura in return for access to the fine white granite with which they build and expand their citadels.

The Axou have a reputation for being duplicitous and untrustworthy in matters of trade, but this may be based on a misconception. While the nation is united in matters of self-defence the individual citadels - and often individual families within them - see to their own trade agreements and one family or citadel rarely feels bound by an agreement made by another Ile or Ilarch.

Axou Religious Beliefs

The Axou are known to have a series of spiritual beliefs based on the relationship between body and soul. They are known to dig vast mausoleum warrens beneath their Citadels where the dead are interred, and it is believed that they consider the passage of the soul into the Labyrinth of Ages to be a bad thing. Like many orc tribes, they are believed to revere the spirits of their ancestors to an unhealthy degree.

Axou mystics use all manner of divinatory methods to seek to communicate with the spirits of the dead - cards and runes are common, especially runes carved from the bones of dead people. They are also known to pursue visionary trances, and in the past have sought access to Liao specifically to seek contact with dead spirits. Even the most sensible-appearing Axou will make offerings to the spirits of their dead ancestors who they appear to believe cluster around their living descendants at all times - the most common offerings appear to be alcohol and food mixed with the fresh blood of the offerer.

It is important to the Axou that the bones of the fallen are taken back to the citadel - parallels are drawn with the Marcher desire to be interred in Marcher soil. Following skirmishes with the Empire the Axou have been known to pay for the safe return of their fallen soldiers, and are known to honour every agreement they have made with Imperial troops designed to allow themselves and their opponents to recover the bodies of the dead and injured. On the rare occasions that Axou mercenaries have fought alongside Imperial troops, this single-minded desire to recover the bodies of the dead has lead to occasional problems - Axou troops will often take foolhardy risks in their pursuit of their dead comrades.

Axou Magic Traditions

The magicians of Axos appear to be as competent and talented as their Imperial counterparts; if they have a weakness it is that each citadel and in many cases each Ile jealously guards it's own magical lore. The Axou are known to make regular deals with the Eternals, especially those of the Realms of Autumn and Night. Their interest in necromantia means that several seek out specific Winter eternals whose interests align with their own - especially Kaela and Sorin.

Axou Territories

Axos appears to be made up of several areas of land equivalent to an Imperial territory. Each Citadel is believed to be situated on the mausoleum of the founder of the structure, and is named for that founder. The land that surrounds the citadel shares the same name; so the Tunnels of Kaban control an area of land called Kaban. The six citadels of Axos are:

- the Towers of Kantor; which has the closest ties of any of the Citadels with the Skoura

- the Chambers of Issyk; perhaps the most active of the citadels in external trade especially with the Principalities of Jarm.

- the Tunnels of Kaban; known to be almost constantly at war with the Druj barbarians.

- the Gates of Ipatovo; like the Tunnels of Kaban engaged in war with the Druj.

- the Halls of Maykop, believed to have the largest necropolis in Axos and be home to the most advanced practitioners of necromantia.

- the Spires of Solokha; while this is the closest citadel to the Empire, it is believed to have been abandoned or destroyed at some point after the closing of the borders.

Look and Feel

TBC.

Axos in Play

Axos lies near to the Empire, and the Axou speak the language known as Imperial, represented by English. Axos does not directly border any Imperial territory, and it's people are insular - much of the information presented here may be a century or so out-of-date. The Axou are not at war with the Empire, but they are not friendly, either. Imperial player characters will not have greater knowledge about Axos than is presented here, and it is very unlikely that any background that includes periods of time spent in Axos will be accepted. This may be subject to change based on activities that take place during the game.

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Baersark's Rage

Description

A baersark's rage lets the wearer recover quickly from crippling wounds. It is a popular piece of armour with many Kallavesi warriors, and they have introduced it to the Steinr who fight alongside them. It allows a hero to rise up from incapacitating wounds and then fight for a short time even in the face of active opposition. Kallavesi-made suits often have boar-hide as the base and may incorporate a boar mask, calling upon the beast's almost boundless tenacity. Indeed, Baersark was the name of a particularly huge and vicious boar which roamed Kallavesa centuries ago, slaying many hunters who sought to make their names by killing it. Eventually a team of Suaq slew it, but it killed severeal of their number before it fell, charging down the spears embedded in its flesh to gore its killers with its massive tusks. Its hide was used to make the first examples of this armour.

Navarr skirmishers also value this armour when spread out in forests and far from medical attention. Some wait for the right moment to heave themselves to their feet and join the fray once more, waiting for their opponents to disregard them as a threat. Others regard this as foolhardy for every moment spent bleeding is a dangerous one and every moment on the ground could be the last if a foe decides to deal a finishing blow. Navarri archers sometimes call this armour Arrow Catcher when being polite and a string of more colourful words in the heat of battle, for a barbarian chieftain dressed in such armour can take several arrows to keep on the ground.

There is debate over which runes are best to work into this armour. Rhyv is used in its healing aspect, but some hold that those suits encourage their wearers to shed their blood freely in the knowledge that they can recover and that such a cavalier attitude is unhealthy. Verys, the rune of might, is a popular alternative, multiplying the wearer's natural reserves of strength.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of medium armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You are restored to three hits when you use the unstoppable skill.

- Materials: Crafting a suit of baersarks' rage requires eleven ingots of weltsilver, seven measures of ambergelt, four ingots of tempest jade and four measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The sneer on Jaster's face disappeared as the big Kallavesi lumbered back to his feet, despite the crossbow bolt protruding from his chest. Suddenly the bravo began to sincerely regret his duellist's title of "one shot", since he carried no other ammunition, nor any weapons larger than the silvered pocket knife he used for cleaning his nails.

"the Spotted Bull cannot be killed by one arrow!" snarled the Kallavesi, unsheathing a war-knife that would have doubled as a sword for most people.

This duel was going considerably awry.

"Has anybody got a spare crossbow bolt?" shouted Jaster, barely evading another swing from his enraged opponent...

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Bailiff of the Grand Market

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Ministry

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

- 7 The Title in Play

Overview

The Bailiff of the Grand Market is an Imperial title awarded to a Marcher citizen. It is a Marcher position appointed through the Bourse but chosen by Marcher yeomen with votes allocated based on the size of their farm holdings.

The Bailiff has offices in Meade, but it is a rare Bailiff who spends much time there. While the title is associated closely with the weekly or bi-weekly markets of Mitwold, the Bailiff is regularly involved in trade fairs and markets across the Marches, and Marchers from every territory have regularly held the post. The title pre-dates the formation of the market towns, and comes from a time when almost every town and village in the nation would have their own regular market.

Traditionally the Bailiff's role was to ensure security at fairs and markets across the Marches. In return, they were guaranteed a hearty meal, a minimum of one meat pie and a tankard of ale. More importantly, however, to help the Bailiff meet the costs of their office they were given the opportunity to buy some goods before the market officially opened allowing shrewd bailiffs to secure bargains for themselves. Many markets considered it a matter of pride to ensure that the Bailiff turned a good profit in exchange for their hard work in keeping the marketplace safe and fair for all.

Within the space of a season, the Bailiff might find themselves in a position to buy beggar's lye and ambergelt at a fair from a village in the birchwoods of Upwold; a cask of Wintermark mead and some measures of dragonbone from a Suaq peddlar in a town square in Mitwold; a basket of tempest jade from a scowling stallholder at the great market in Meade; a basket of assorted herbs at a dour fair in Bregasland or even a handful of crystal mana at a strained gathering in Overton.

When the Marches joined the Empire some of the more expensive responsibilities of the Bailiff were assumed by the civil service. Marchers are loath to abandon their traditions however; the presence of an honest Bailiff was considered to be good for trade as it let everyone know that the market was safe to travel to. With the help of Emperor Giovanni the role of Bailiff was incorporated into the Bourse, to allow the civil servants to identify the individual with the most support from other yeomen.

Responsibilities

The Bailiff is expected to ensure fairs, markets and trade gatherings in the Marches are undertaken in a traditional and honest fashion. They also have some responsibility for ensuring that the major roads between towns and villages remain free of bandits and feni who might otherwise restrict trade. In practice, this is quite a tall order for a single individual - many markets have their own local bailiff or sheriff who sees to the security of their fair.

Specifically, the Bailiff oversees the Grand Market in Meade which takes place on the third weekend of each month and attracts traders from across the Marches and even occasionally from Wintermark to the north.

Powers

Ministry

As a ministry, the Bailiff of the Grand Market can purchase quantities of trade goods at a set price. The Bailiff decides how much money to spend during downtime from their character page. Money is removed from, and resources are placed into, the character's inventory when the downtime is processed.

Total Money Spent

Production

6 Crowns

2 measures each of Ambergelt, Beggar's Lye and Dragonbone

1 dose each of Imperial Roseweald, Marrowort and True Vervain

2 ingots of Tempest Jade

14 Crowns

3 measures each of Ambergelt, Dragonbone and Beggar's Lye

2 doses Imperial Roseweald, Marrowort, True Vervain and Bladeroot

3 ingots of Tempest Jade

2 doses of liao

1 mana crystal

30 Crowns

5 measures each of Ambergelt, Dragonbone and Beggar's Lye

3 doses each of Imperial Roseweald, Marrowort, True Vervain, Bladeroot

2 doses of Cerulean Mazzarine

5 ingots of Tempest Jade

2 doses of liao

2 mana crystals

70 Crowns

11 measures each of Ambergelt, Dragonbone and Beggar's Lye

5 doses each of Imperial Roseweald, Marrowort, True Vervain, Bladeroot

3 doses of Cerulean Mazzarine

11 ingots of Tempest Jade

4 mana crystals

3 doses of liao

Selection

This title is appointed during the Winter Solstice. The Bailiff of the Grand Market is appointed by citizens of the marches who control farm personal resources. The larger the farm an individual has, the more votes they can allocate in support to a candidate. The voting is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.

Only a Marcher character may hold the title. They do not receive a seat on the Bourse nor access to the private auction.

Removal

The Bailiff of the Grand Market is appointed every year. They cannot be revoked by any Assembly of the Imperial Synod.

History

- Hamnet of Gallowdale, have farmed the hills on the border between Mitwold and Upwold was appointed bailiff in Winter 377YE.

The Title in Play

The role does not provide additional information about events in the Empire, nor allow the player holding it to request special reports or downtime actions. These details are assumed to be below the abstraction layer. The title holder is encouraged to create their own stories about their activities within reasonable limits and to get involved in events appropriate to their title during the game, but they do not have any powers beyond those explicitly listed in the section on powers.

These details exist partly to provide context and character to the role - and partly to allow our writers to use the title as a plot hook. Plot that involves the position will be rare - but all the campaign positions in Empire have these details to create the potential for it to happen.

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Balanced Scales of Lann

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 24

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 24

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the Autumn lore skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target character experiences a shortlived roleplaying effect; they become dizzy and suffer from vertigo for a few moments.

Once the dizziness passes, the target loses one rank of Autumn lore and gains one rank of one other ritual lore. They do not gain any additional mastered rituals for the new lore, nor lose the mastery of any Autumn rituals they have already mastered.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 14. Additional characters must be present throughout. Characters who are targeted by the ritual may gain an additional rank in different realm lores.

Description

This ritual exchanges skill with Autumn magic for skill with the magic of another realm. It is rarely used on masters of Autumn magic themselves, unless they have a pressing need to diversify their abilities. It is most commonly used on ritualists who possess a modicum of Autumn lore but are specialists in other realms, or on generalist ritual casters who have a need to temporarily focus their attention on another realm.

Common Elements

The ritual often involves some sort of symbolic exchange or balance. A target may begin with something representing their understanding of Autumn lore in one hand and transfer it to another hand, or they may trade it to one of the ritualists in return for a symbol of their new mastery. In other versions a rune representing Autumn magic, often Lann is inscribed on the skin and then replaced or washed away and a new rune connected to the new lore is applied.

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Ballad of the Schlacta

To the tune of Katusha. Lyrics by David Holley.

Once, in Karsk, I came across a meadhall Mead, they served, just one Ring for a pint “We’ll drink here”, oh, I called out to my cousins “Sun’s gone down, we’ll drink right through the night”

Dawnish lads, were sat around a table Gleaming armour, ready for a fight “Drinks for them”, oh, I called out to the barkeep “Maybe they’ll drink with us through the night”

Pissed, we got, a Throne had passed our pockets Dawnish lads, just pissed their pretty tights “Had too much”, oh, I called out to the tavern “Only schlacta drink right through the night”

One got up, and waved his dagger at me “You!” he said, “I challenge to a fight” Thrown outside, oh, he landed in a snowdrift With some luck, he’ll make it through the night

Mead we had, and mead we kept on drinking ‘Til outside, did glow the morning light Drink, drink, drink, til Varushka’s day is dawning Time to leave, we’ve made it through the night.

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Balms of the Fountainhead

Mastery of these recipes allows an apothecary to brew preparations valuable to ritual magicians versed in the Lore of Spring. With one of these potions a ritualist can wield the magic of the Spring Realm more effectively, but they also become more susceptible to the influence of that Realm.

Vernal Balm

This textured ointment is quickly absorbed through the skin, speeding the blood and enhancing a magicians awareness of Spring power. It is often mixed with pigment and used to draw or paint runes or looping designs on the skin of the face and hands just prior to the start of a ritual; while the balm itself is absorbed, the pigment remains behind.

Some magicians find the almost narcotic sensations that accompany use of this balm to be very appealing. The vernal balm helps to strip away complexity, and allows a magician to see straightforward solutions to problems, as well as freeing them from emotion constraints and encouraging them to express themselves simply and directly.

- Form: Salve.

- Description: This blood-red ointment smells delicious. It has an oily, greasy texture if you rub it between finger and thumb, and it is quickly absorbed into your skin causing your entire hand to tingle.

- Roleplaying Effects: You become prone to sudden mood shifts and displays of strong emotion. Your attitudes become more straightforward, and you find complex plans and overthinking frustrating. You would rather take action than talk about it.

- Mechanical Effects: If you possess the Spring Lore skill then you gain one additional rank to the next spring ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Two drams each of Imperial Roseweald and Marrowort, one dram of True Vervain and one crystallized mana.

Suffusion of Blood

This blood-red elixir allows a ritual magician to exert great power in the Realm of Spring. It allows a ritualist to align their reserves of personal power with the Realm by synchorinsing their emotions and behaviour with that of the Spring. By seeking out the ways that the human spirit most reflects (or is reflected by) the supernatural Realm, they unlock great potential to weave Spring magic.

Some magicians find the sensation of working Spring rituals with the aid of the suffusion of blood to be almost ecstatic. They pursue opportunities to use the potion, even when there are sufficient crystallized resources available. The thrill of directly wielding the power of a Realm, rather than using an intermediary, coupled with the emotional influence of both the elixir and the realm leads to addictive behaviour. Masters sometimes tell their apprentices the cautionary tale of Angelique von Tassato, a League ritualist who beggared and ultimately destroyed her own troupe in pursuit of the freedom she could only find in the arms of the suffusion of blood.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: When this blood-red elixir catches the light, it glows with a faintly translucent aura. The scent smells of freshly cut grass, and causes your nostrils to tingle. The sweet, fruity taste causes a moment of dizziness.

- Roleplaying Effects: You become very direct, preferring to go directly to the heart of a problem, say what you think, or deal with immediate problems. You find it difficult to think about the past, or anything more pressing than the immediate future. You also become emotionally volatile, and are especially short-tempered. Anything that frustrates or irritates you is likely to cause you to lash out against its source.

- Mechancial Effects: If you possess the Spring Lore skill then you can use up to 3 personal mana as if it were crystal mana on the next spring ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Three drams of Imperial Roseweald, two drams of True Vervain, and one dram each of Cerulean Mazzarine, Marrowort and Bladeroot.

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Groups (Redirected from Banner)

Redirect page

Bands

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Bannerman's Band

Description

A bannerman's band is a ring, usually worn by bannermen, standard-bearers, bards, scops, Varushkan stzena, Dawnish troubadours, many priests and even League Cicisbeo. It is a valuable item that allows a supporter or assistant to use their charisma and inner strength to keep their allies alive in the most desperate straits. While the common name is used throughout the Empire, the individual nations often refer to them by the name of an archetypal supporter from their own culture - thus there are cicisbeo signets, troubadour's rings and brother's bands in various places.

A bannerman's band is a princely gift given to a member of a fighting company whose bravery and loyalty are seen as being inspirational. Some companies with a long history are lucky enough to own an artefact-quality version of the ring which is passed from one 'mascot' to another. Being chosen to carry one of these treasured relics is a mark of great honour. The nature of war means that these priceless rings often fall into the hands of enemies, unfortunately; recovering one of these rings and returning it to the company to which it belongs can easily create a lifelong debt, especially in places such as the Marches and the League where debts are not treated lightly.

Rules

- Form: Jewellery (Talisman)

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to use the stay with me skill. Once per day you may use the stay with me skill without spending a hero point.

- Materials: Crafting a bannerman's band requires five ingots of green iron, four measures of ambergelt and five measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Dear Tomasina di Sarvos, Captain of the Company of the Black Banner,

Firstly, allow me to extend my warm congratulations on the birth of your granddaughter, a girl whom I am certain will be as full of the virtues of courage and pride as those who gave her birth. Keep her close and love her dearly, and she will not falter for want of good examples to guide her.

Secondly, please request from my messenger the package accompanying this letter now. I hope that you recognise it, my dear friend. I only wish that I could deliver it in person, but the terms of my contract keep me across the water for now, and it seemed too important to wait once I discovered its origins.

This fine ring fell into my possession on campaign along the Brass Coast, among a hoard of otherwise trivial jewellery being auctioned after its capture from foreign reavers. My lieutenant recognised it immediately as a Cicisbeo’s Signet, and clearly decorated with a banner of Sarvos, and yet though it lingered on the edges of our awareness, none among the crew could place it by sight. Call it a failing of vigilance, perhaps, but my banner-book was damaged by water some years ago, and parts of it remain utterly illegible. As you are aware, I am not presently on friendly terms with the Reckoner guilds, and I did not wish to entrust it to another, and so it lay unknown, an object of fierce curiosity, for these past two years.

Eventually, however, along came a torch-bearer of Urizen who wished to travel in foreign parts. He boarded the same Freeborn ship as us, and his own notes on the banners of the Companies of the League were quite extensive. It was then, some days into the voyage, that we recognised it in those notes as the old seal of the Company of the Black Banner, formerly the Black Swan Ascendant, which your grandfather re-named and valiantly rebuilt after its defeat at sea.

Imagine my delight at the discovery. I swear to you, that nervous old mountain-goat did not appreciate being shaken with quite such excitement as I felt at that moment. Immediately we made landfall I attempted to amend the terms of my contract to permit me to deliver the ring myself, but alas, you know the Freeborn: signed in a cambion’s blood, the contract was immutable. I do not blame them; when I look back, the gesture seems a tad off-colour, but such was my delight.

Instead, you have it from the hand of my most trusted lieutenant Drago Durante di Sarvos, along with this letter, sealed with two kisses of joyful affection, one for each cheek. I hope that when we next meet, I will have the honour of seeing it resplendent on the hand of your cicisbeo.

I must to the campaign trail now, but know that a part of my thoughts go with this ring to you.

With warmest regards, I remain,

Yours,

Fabrizio di Sarvos

Captain, Company of the Bald Eagle

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Banner of the Bold

Description

The intricate needlework required to embroider a banner of the bold is time consuming in the extreme. Trace amounts of dragonbone and iridescent gloaming are used to trim and reinforce the sturdy cloth of the standard, but it is the intricate designs worked into the fabric itself that provide most of the magic. In truth at least some of the effect is likely to be a placebo - any unit of fighting men and women benefits from the presence of their own standard - but the true potency of this banner becomes clear when the soldiers are exposed to auras of fear and dread such as those produced by some horrors or Eternals, or built by enemies of the Empire to protect key areas.

As with most magical banners, a banner of the bold bears the appropriate symbols for the heraldry or livery of the soldiers who will use it. This means that the banners are most often made for commission, although some artisans focus their attention on producing fine blank canvases which can be embroidered or painted with appropriate symbols after they have been sold.

A banner of the bold often bears the runes Feresh or Tykonus worked into the banner pole, or embroidered around the edge. Some banners, especially those made by Dawnish weaver cabals use the intricate Summer sigil, carefully worked in thin silver or gold thread into the reverse of the flag proper.

Rules

- Form: Standard. Takes the form of a magical standard.

- Effect: Any character bonded to this banner who is exposed to a roleplaying effect that creates fear can respond by becoming resolute and brave instead (as if they had spent a hero point).

- Materials: Crafting a banner of the bold requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

It is said that the General Halmerad always insisted on having his command banner unfurled and present when he was due to appear before the Empress Varkula. This was, of course, a sign of martial respect, and not - as has been scandalously suggested by certain other scholars - an indication that he in any way feared his beloved monarch...

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Barbarian

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Orc Tribes

- 3 Creating a Minor Tribe

- 4 Making Barbarian Kit

- 5 Playing the Tribe

Overview

It is not possible for anyone to play a barbarian character as your player-character. All the players at Empire are playing Imperial characters or characters welcome in the Empire. Barbarians are not welcome at Anvil and there are few long term roleplaying opportunities for them there. However everyone has the opportunity to play a barbarian at the event by joining the monster team for one or more of the big battles or the smaller quests.

Monstering one battle is a requirement for each battle you play in Empire, so even if you don't want to volunteer at other times it still makes sense to approach monstering in a way that will make the experience more enjoyable for you and the other players. Everything that follows is completely optional - but getting enthused about the opportunities to play barbarian roles doesn't just improve the event - it makes the experience of monstering more fun.

The Orc Tribes

In Empire, barbarians are classed as any people that the Empire is currently at war with.

There are several distinct barbarian powers which represent hostile tribes, kingdoms, and nations. The barbarians are designed to look cool in massive numbers in battles; to provide immersive, exciting and dramatic combat encounters; and to allow a range of interactions outside of combat. Most of the barbarian powers that currently surround the Empire are orcs.

There are scores of different orc tribes, all of whom have members spread throughout the barbarian orc lands and even some living as brigands within the Empire's borders. The four most powerful tribes control lands as large as a nation in the Empire and rule over the other tribes that live there.

- The Jotun are warlike but honourable, and occupy a large swathe of land to the west of Wintermark and The Marches.

- The Thule are dominated by their magicians, and engage in merciless reaving of any lands they invade. They are found across the mountains to the north of Varushka in an area called Otkodov.

- The Druj are a comparatively small tribe that uses fear to exert influence over a number of smaller tribes. They are found in the swamps and forests to the east of Dawn and Highguard and known for their treachery and their love of terror-tactics.

- The Grendel primarily occupy a land-mass to the south of the Bay of Catazar, and are kept at bay by the activities of the Freeborn corsairs. They are also found in numbers on the Broken Coast to the south of Urizen.

The orc barbarians are not a monolithic threat - the tribes may form temporary alliances, but they sometimes fight each other with as much ferocity as they show to the Empire. Smaller orc tribes are scattered across the Empire as bandits, or live outside its borders in numbers. The orcs of the hills between the Brass Coast and their foreign neighbours (Faraden and the Iron Confederacy) are a case in point.

Creating a Minor Tribe

Because there are many lesser tribes spread throughout all the barbarian lands, the armies of the Thule, the Druj, the Jotun and the Grendel will normally be led by two or three units drawn from the dominant tribe (played by our skirmish team) but include units from all the other tribes that exist. We have quite deliberately not listed all these minor tribes, so that players who want to get more involved in playing a barbarian can have the opportunity to create their own tribal identity.

Creating your own barbarian tribe works best if you are involved with a group of players who like to come and monster together at the events. You can agree a name and a simple background concept for who your tribe are, you can even write some simple history if you want to. You can email us if you want to check anything or discuss any ideas with us. When you volunteer to play your barbarian characters we'll encourage you to form up together as a unit so you can develop some common experiences from the battles your tribe has fought in.

Because of the way the setting has been created, if you are playing a member of a minor tribe, that tribe can still appear in every battle. There will be members of your Black Lion tribe living in the lands of every major tribe, so there is no reason at all that your tribe won't be fighting for them on the battlefield.

Making Barbarian Kit

One of the best ways to get the most out of live roleplaying is having nice kit for the characters you play, and many players enjoy making kit. We spend a lot of money buying new kit for our barbarians - but you don't have to rely on what Profound Decisions can supply - you can create your own costume for your barbarian role just as you might for your own Imperial player-character.

If your group have created their own minor tribe - then that creates many opportunities for creating costume for that tribe. You could choose appropriate tribal symbols for your group and create shield covers or tunics emblazoned with the symbol - you can create a banner with the device on it. Obviously this involves time and effort, but your group will look awesome when they are playing barbarians - and that means you'll get more prominent roles and you'll enjoy the experience more.

It doesn't have to cost much, there are guides online that show how to create a barbarian orc costume very cheaply. Even just adding a few touches to the armour provided to all the volunteers playing barbarians will make your group look amazing.

how do make a very basic orc monster kit for £10 - photo tutorial.

Playing the Tribe

The Imperial characters who take the battlefield are the strongest heroes in the Empire - they are not always victorious on the field of battle, but they are never outmatched by their barbarian enemies who usually fall like wheat before them. Realistically if you are playing a barbarian you can expect to die a lot. There isn't there much point in creating a detailed character identity with a complex back story and a long list of character goals - you won't have much chance to do anything but fight and you'll likely die quickly. Creating a detailed individual character is what playing an Imperial player-character is all about.

Playing a barbarian is about getting invested in the idea of your tribe's identity and not worrying about the individual characters. The character you are playing is going to get killed - but the tribe you are creating will have a place in every battle. They have a history that endures from one battle to another. If you capture a banner from an Imperial group during a battle in Karsk - you can carry that battle onto a later Varushkan battle to give them a chance to claim it back. By creating a strong idea for the group, you have something to roleplay with whenever you are playing your barbarian tribe that will make the experience more fun.

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Barbed Spear

Description

The first barbed spears were crafted and wielded in combat by the Navarr, but they are not the only people to make use of these weapons. In the League the weapon is sometimes called a Biting Glaive, and valued for its ability to inspire terror in opponents. In some quarters these weapons are also known as Teeth of Vengeance, because they are often used to ensure the death of an opponent who has harmed the wielder or one of her companions. This specific usage of the barbed spear has caused concern in the Synod because it can help to encourage unvirtuous behaviour.

While it is common for a barbed spear to bear the rune Rhyv, as with weapons that have a negative effect on both wielder and foe the barbed spear is often marked with the rune Irremais.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a pole-arm.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect:You may spend a hero point to call VENOM with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a barbed spear requires elevenmeasures of beggar's lye, three ingots of green iron and three ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Iuceph ducked, without slowing, and the two-handed battleaxe swept harmlessly over his head. He struck out to the left, and turned the movement into a tight spin, sweeping to the right and then rolling forward. He came to his feet, his heart pounding, his breath short, every muscle protesting. Both his opponents were still standing. He felt as if he was on fire.

He leapt forward, striking out again, catching another of the bandits across the shoulder, then twisted away before the woman could close the distance. He jumped and rolled again, swerving his body away from the thrust of the last brigand's clumsy strike, slicing his weapon across his side.

He felt dizzy for a moment. He wiped his hand across his forehead, and it came away with a sticky mixture of sweat, blood and yellow paint. He frowned. One of the bandits must have marked him at some point in his charge. He didn't remember it. The adrenaline began to sour, and he became aware of the familiar fizzing ache of the venom in his body. He looked over his shoulder to check what he already knew; that the dance was done.

The reavers lay where they had fallen, still, breathless. The brigands had tried to flee; they knew as soon as his glaive bit them that there would be no mercy for them today. They lay still now, each marked a second time by one of Graciana's arrows. These men and women, maddened by privation or greed, had learnt a hard and final lesson here today.

Now that the fight was done, the village healer came hurrying over with a flask of apricot brandy, swirling it vigorously to mix the sanguine hibiscus with the sweet liquor. The kohan accepted it with a nod and a strained smile, and allowed the doctor to tend his wounds and quiet the tempest in his blood.

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Bards

Bards

- Provide music and entertainment at events appropriate to the nation.

- Encourage PCs to perform and entertain each other.

- Encourage national identity through music, storytelling and dance.

- Help to immortalize characters who have heroic deaths.

Each member of our bard team plays a single role throughout the event as an active bard and performer in their nation. The primary responsibility is to produce music and entertainment in the evenings and to encourage and support PCs doing the same. The goal is to ensure that every camp has a festival feel with celebrations taking place through the event. They are also intended to encourage a strong sense of national identity in their nation, using their performances and roleplaying to encourage players to embody the brief. Their final responsibility is to collect stories of characters who have died in tragic or heroic circumstances and to try to preserve their tales so that all players are encouraged to live up to the heroic challenges the game presents. It is possible for a bard to play other roles some of the time if they wish.

Being a bard requires credible ability to perform and entertain. Story-telling, singing or instruments are all fine, but please don't ask to be a part of the bard team unless you have the out-of-character skills and confidence to play the role. You have total freedom to play your character as you please provided you bear in mind the out-of-character responsibilities of the role, so a bard is a great role for anyone who wants to get stuck into the game but also wants to be involved with performance and entertainment at the event.

Current Nation Bards:

Mark Chilvers is organizing and recruiting the bards for Empire. We are still looking for bards for the Imperial Orcs, Brass Coast, Dawn and Highguard.

Nation

IC Name

OOC name

Wintermark

Wulfmear Dunwold

Mark Chilvers (organizer)

Wintermark

Tiny Dunning

Tony Taylor

Varushka

Nadezhda Nadyovna Gremani

Jude Reid

Varushka

Elka Nadyaovna Gremani

Daisy Abbott

The Marches

Sister Meredith Stellamaris

Abigail Seabrook

The Marches

Kit of the Ramsbrucks

Kathryn Wheeler

Urizen

Nicassia of Phoenix Reach

Claire Sheridan

Urizen

Dhiamara Aurian Coulson

Navarr

Gerallt Brackensong

Jamie Wakefield

The League

Salvatorri Galletti di Sarvos

Chris Robins Kennish

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Barien

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Summer

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

- 2 Castellan

- 3 Known Heralds

Eternal of Summer

Sobriquets

Barien is called the Iron Duke.

He is sometimes called the Seneschal of the Road, the Lord of the Crossroads, Knight of the Long Road, the Host of Hosts or the Traveller. He is the Master of Challenges, the Keeper of the Revels and the Reeve of the Summer Lands. A common name among the Winterfolk, the Jotun and the people of the Commonwealth is Barien Dragonforge, referring to his hidden forge rather than his role as master of challenges - he accepts this title with mild good humour. The Sumaah and Asaveans alike both call him Iron-Staff.

It is unwise to call him the Lame, Half-hand or Maimed Lord but never to his face.

Appearance

The Iron Duke appears as a man of average height and build. His ears are pointed and his skin is covered with coiling silver and grey marks. The Duke is lame - he favours his right leg, and sometimes leans on his iron-bound staff for support. He makes no secret of the fact that his lameness is a "natural" condition, rather than the result of any injury.

In contrast to many of the other Summer eternals, he dresses conservatively; favours dark, subdued colours; and eschews jewelry save for a circlet of polished weltsilver that surmounts his brow. When dealing with the Empire his attire is often influenced by the fashions of Dawn or the Marches, but from time to time he favours clothing more appropriate to a Wintermark Runesmith.

The Knight of the Crossroads is an artisan, and at any given moment is likely to have several wondrous items about his person which he may call upon if he feels the need to defend himself - and lend or gift to someone he considers worthy. On the rare occasions he has chosen to fight, he wields his iron staff with devastating skill.

When Barien is encountered as part of group, he may be accompanied by members of his own household, or by those seeking his favour. The former tend to be skilled individuals who serve as seneschals, heralds, messengers and artisans. The latter are eternals of Summer who are paying a debt to Barien, or seeking his favour. They are often knights or entertainers, and may be heralds in their own right in service to other eternals.

The most common figure accompanying Barien is his Castellan, an eternal whose power is comparable to that of the Iron Duke and who is his most trusted lieutenant.

Concerns

Barien exemplifies meeting. setting and overcoming challenges. He regularly sets challenges for those who seek to prove their worth, but also ensures that great successes - or even brave failures - are recognised and celebrated. He favours not only heroes and champions, but also the troubadours, scops and storytellers who celebrate their deeds.

He is scrupulously neutral in the rivalries and alliances of the Summer Realm. His role means he regularly oversees tournaments and presents challenges to the other eternals. he is a regular guest at the courts of Eleonaris and Cathan Canae in particular. He has no realm of his own, but his household travels freely from place to place, and his court is based in a great pavilion camp or outdoors under the open sky. It is not unknown for his heralds to pitch their tents in strong Summer regio from time to time, offering hospitality to travelers and engaging them in contests of strength, wit and will. A common task set by Barien to those who seek his favour is to set their tent up at a crossroads and challenge all travelers to appropriate contests of arms or wit.

In personality Barien is much more restrained than many of the other eternals of Summer. He is absolutely confident in himself, his abilities and the abilities of his court. He is polite - friendly even - to those who treat him and his people with respect, but those who presume too much or who assume too great a level of familiarity find him cold and condescending. Anyone who tries his patience will be given one opportunity to apologise and if they do not they will be ejected from his presence.

He admires self confidence, while disdaining overconfidence and arrogance. People who actively seek out ways to test themselves and hone their abilities find it easier to attract his favour. He enjoys helping others solve their problems almost as much as he loves seeing an underdog overcome the obstacles life has placed in their way. Woe betide the individual who asks Barien for help they do not need, however. He is much more likely to offer advice or suggest allies the petitioner might seek out than he is to involve himself directly. Despite this there are several stories of individuals who asked Barien for advice, triumphed over their challenges, and then received some minor gift of Barien's favour in recognition of their accomplishments.

Barien does not favour any particular form of challenge - strength of arms, cunning, wits and subtlety are all equally important to him. He appears to prefer challenges that pit people against each other if only because it means every challenge will produce a victor, but he celebrates victory over nature or the self with almost as much enthusiasm. The mountaineer who conquers a mountain nobody else has ever scaled receives just as warm a welcome from the Master of Revels as the warrior who saves a village from ogres.

The Master of Revels takes hospitality extremely seriously. Anyone who eats or drinks under his roof and treats him with the cordial respect he is due is treated as part of his household, and he expects the same in return for his heralds and agents. He may ask an unwelcome guest to leave, but when he does so the guest will be assured of safety until they reach the mortal world again - but they should be very cautious about returning to his court.

He has no patience for those who demand what is not due to them - those who expect respect without earning it, or who express feelings of entitlement. Those who take their position, possessions or friends for granted or who assume they are 'owed a living' by the universe irritate him, and he has little time for them. The complacent and the content also annoy him, but he is more likely to try and challenge their complacency or contentment than to eject them from his court.

He absolutely despises both cheats and those who claim deeds or glory they have not earned. On the rare occasions such individuals have been exposed before him, he has lain terrible curses on them that have robbed them of their strength and will, and occasionally seen them waste away and die.

The Iron Duke is known to look on the Empire with approval as a place where merit often determines success; where personal glory is recognised and celebrated; and where commitment to ideals and goals is encouraged. While he predictably favours people of Dawn, he is also known to appreciate the Wintermark willingness to test themselves and the stubborness of the Marchers. He is also said to have a soft spot for the Imperial orcs and is believed to greatly admire their commitment to their plan.

He is also known to approve of the Jotun orcs, however, and this has occasionally resulted in short periods where he has been the subject to the enmity of the Imperial Conclave.

In Wintermark he is strongly associated with Jotra, rune of challenges and Tykonus, rune of victory.

Boons

The most common boon offered by the Iron Duke is a challenge - an opportunity to face dangerous odds and either triumph or fail. The ritual Challenge the Iron Duke is specifically designed to allow mortal magicians to find those worthy of the Duke's time. He has been known to offer covens who favour this ritual boons that make the ritual easier to perform, or that allow the coven to help arrange the challenge more easily.

Barien is an artisan, and he makes many of the rewards he offers to victorious challengers himself. He also collects items of worth - and in this regard his definition of 'worth' is very similar to that of the Imperial Orcs. Specifically, he likes to acquire items associated with heroes and champions which he then uses as the basis for the magical items he crafts to reward the victorious. When questioned about it, he explains that his purpose is two-fold. First, he honours the champion who bore the worthy item; second, he finds it easier to make a potent artifact from a worthy relic. Magical items crafted by Barien often encourage personal pride, strength of will and the drive to seek out and overcome obstacles in their bearers.

The Master of Revels knows how to prepare a magical brew that restores bodily strength and integrity, removing supernatural afflictions such as the Curse of Gangrenous Flesh or the Curse of Decrepitude and similar effects. Gaining a flask of this strong elixir always requires someone to complete a difficult quest on Barien's behalf.

He has some ability to help smooth the path of those seeking a personal challenge. He might identify someone who knows the location of an object a questor seeks, or suggest ways to overcome a certain problem presented by a difficult quest. This aid never removes the danger from a challenge or quest; instead it helps make the quest or challenge attemptable. For example, when the Knight-errant Trisant sought aid in defeating the terrible Azerdack it was Barien who told him about the Kallavesi mystic who could prepare a defensive elixir to let them penetrate the fetid glen where it dwelt - although this meant Trisant and his companions had to face three challenges from a Jotun warlord in order to secure the rare flowers that formed the basis of the elixir.

While he is largely disinterested in trade, he is said to value dragonbone and ilium, and favours those who offer him gifts of these materials - although any suggestion that these gifts are bribes or payment is likely to annoy him.

It's a tired metaphor, but those who face challenges are forged in a way that those who live an easy life are not. I don't think I need to belabour my point any further?

Castellan

This eternal is a woman with two swords and mithril armour who serves as Barien's champion, body-guard and primary agent. She never uses any other name than Castellan, and is his trusted lieutenant. She bears the same silvery designs on her skin as her Lord. She is an extremely practical creature, who speaks in terse sentences, and unlike Barien she is much less tolerant of fools and time-wasters.

She is rarely encountered apart from Barien but on the very rare occasions that she is alone she is generally pursuing her personal interest in the challenges that face those who fancy themselves in love. Occasionally, she intentionally places obstacles in their way to test the strength of their commitment to each other.

She is described in the writings of Lydia de Courland as "one of the least romantic patrons of star-crossed lovers one could hope to meet; her advice is direct, her support uncompromising and her patience for fools almost entirely non-existant."

Known Heralds

The following are known heralds of Barien:

- There is speculation that Barien is served (knowingly or perhaps otherwise) by a herald or heralds called Aben-Nuath

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Barked Command of the Iron Serjant

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 9

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 9

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets up to three characters from the same banner. Each character must be present throughout. A character with the weapon master skill must also be present throughout (although they are not enchanted by the ritual).

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual targets up to three characters from the same banner. It requires the participation of a character who is part of that banner who has the weapon master skill. The target characters gain the ability to fight with one weapon type chosen from the list: one-handed spear, two-handed weapon, pole-arm or pike, chosen by the character who has the weapon master skill. Each target receives the ability to use the same weapon.

As long as they are enchanted, the targets experience a roleplaying effect; they feel a desire to stick together, fighting alongside each other and with the character who 'trained' them in their new combat skill.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Every two additional characters increases the magnitude by 5. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

While this enchantment does not precisely turn a group of raw recruits into an elite fighting force, it is considered valuable for it's ability to grant soldiers the ability to quickly master a weapon favoured by their military unit so they can fight alongside them (or in some cases, specifically to gain the benefits of being bound to a magical standard such as Glory's Call or the Yeoman's Flag). It is especially favoured by Imperial orcs whose legions prefer to fight with a recognisable combination of weapons and armour, and in The Marches for allowing everyone the opportunity to take their place in a bill-block or pike-wall.

Some ritualists employ the effect of Barked Command of the Iron Serjant on themselves, forming a temporary banner with a skilled combatant and working the performance around their instructions. In Urizen where this ritual is often called Lesson of Shared Excellence the transfer of skills tends to be accompanied with more careful attention to stance and achieving the right feeling of centred discipline than on barking instructions at magicians as if they were green recruits on a parade ground.

Common Elements

The focus of this ritual is the character who acts in the role of the iron serjant. That person may be one of the ritualists, but is more commonly someone selected for both their martial ability and their capacity to convey their expertise to others. In The Marches or a League Free Company this is as often as not a boisterous drill sergeant or similar character, who runs the targets of the ritual through the use and care of the weapon while correcting their mistakes. The ritualists sometimes join this drill, or mark the targets and their weapons with runes or tokens. At the climax it is common for the targets and the iron serjant to share a drink or a toast to their eventual victory.

Oaths, toasts and rousing speeches are also common, as are recitation of songs favoured by soldiers while the weapon drill takes place. The ritual often focuses less on rousing the fighting spirit of the targets, and more on encouraging them to fight together and obey orders; invocation of Paragons and Exemplars of Loyalty are especially common, as is the use of the rune Lann.

"Alright, you ill-born swine, show me your drill," the sergeant shouted at the few warriors chosen from out of the household's ranks. Quickly they fell to work, standing shoulder to shoulder and lowering their pikes. They stepped, they thrust, they defended, they stepped again.

Only their step was out. And their thrust was off. It was so bad, one of them almost dropped his pike. When it came to defending, he watched four of them die to an enemy inside their reach. It was awful.

"By Vigilance," he swore under his breath. He hoped they reaped better than they fought. As he watched, several of them lost and regained their footing hurriedly, and stepped without a thrust to catch up with their fellows. He turned to the Steward of the Household, who was busy trying to maintain some dignity beneath her obvious disappointment. "Who trained this lot?"

"That would be Blind Harry," she said. The old soldier had, perhaps, not been up to his former standard in the months before he'd died of old age. And his eyesight couldn't have helped.

One of them fumbled his pike, and tripped as he tried to force its tip out of the ground.

"By all that's..." Sergeant Dick gritted his teeth, "You're not sending this lot anywhere without an Autumn cabal. I'd say Summer, but I ain't trading competence for common sense. You need Autumn. Lots of it. I'll be their iron serjent, or they'll just get 'emselves murdered. Just tell me, please, by Wisdom, tell me you've got friends in Autumn." White-faced, the Steward nodded. "Course you do," the sergeant muttered, "Bloody townies, honestly, I tell you..."

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Basic Skills

Contents

- 1 Hole Punching.

- 1.1 Why:

- 1.2 When:

- 1.3 Where:

- 1.4 How:

- 1.4.1 Additional Tip:

- 2 Cutting.

- 2.1 What:

- 2.2 Why:

- 2.3 When:

- 2.4 Where:

- 2.5 How:

- 2.6 Skiving.

- 2.6.1 Common problems:

- 2.6.2 Additional Tips:

- 3 Edge Finishing.

- 3.1 What:

- 3.2 Why:

- 3.3 When:

- 3.4 Where:

- 3.5 How:

- 3.6 Bevelling.

- 3.7 Burnishing.

- 3.7.1 Additional Tips.

- 4 Setting.

- 4.1 What:

- 4.2 Why:

- 4.3 When:

- 4.4 Where:

- 4.5 How:

- 4.6 Rivets.

- 4.6.1 Solid.

- 4.6.2 Tubular.

- 4.6.3 ‘Rapid’ Rivets.

- 4.6.4 Additional Tips:

- 4.6.5 Common Problems:

- 4.7 Snap Fasteners.

- 4.7.1 Additional Tips:

- 4.8 Eyelets.

- 4.9 Buckles.

- 4.9.1 Additional Tips:

- 5 Dyeing.

- 5.1 What:

- 5.2 Why:

- 5.3 When:

- 5.4 Where:

- 5.5 How:

- 5.5.1 Essential tip:

- 5.5.2 Common problems:

- 5.6 Penetrative Dyes.

- 5.7 Surface Dyes.

- 5.8 Antiques & Highlighter.

- 5.8.1 Common Problems:

- 5.8.2 Additional Tip:

- 5.9 Surface Finishing.

- 5.9.1 Common Problems:

- 5.9.2 Additional Tips:

- 5.10 Blocking.

- 5.11 Edge Dye.

Hole Punching.

Why:

Holes are wonderful things. Rivets need them, lacing needs them, they can make sewing easier and yet whilst being so useful, they can also be a repetitive pain.

When:

Generally it’s worth marking where your holes are needed just prior, or at the same time are marking on any design (especially if tooling VegTan leather), but it can be advisable to leave off actually punching them until the leather has been dyed and finished. Whilst damp leather can be slightly easier to cut (and therefore punch through) if you apply dye to pre-punched leather it will obviously soak through the holes and bleed onto the reverse (grain) side. This is not necessarily an issue and is not overly wasteful, however unless the underside is then also sealed the colour can be prone to transferring to items being worn underneath. When punching holes for rivets, snaps and eyelets it is best for them to be as snug a fit as possible. Line the post of the rivet etc up alongside the stem of your punch to assess the fit. Be aware when using thinner leathers and suede there can be a small amount of stretch to it, so it is best err on the side of caution; you can always punch again, larger, if needed, but you can’t put bits back to make it smaller.

Where:

Holes can be punched pretty much anywhere you can get a punch to, which is why drive punches are much more versatile than a rotary punch; which can only reach a small way in from the edge.

How:

Unless you’re using a rotary punch, always place something underneath the leather you are punching through. Not just to protect your work surface, but also to prolong the life of the punch; one strike against a stone block and that’s the end of your drive punch. Card isn’t really suitable for this, though a very thick piece of scrap leather (or a stack of thinner pieces) will work as a minimum; cutting mats for knives are generally too thin as you run the risk of driving the punch right through it with a solid mallet strike. The best to use is a substantial piece of tough rubber or nylon; a cheap alternative to those sold specifically for this purpose is a good quality nylon, kitchen chopping board. Simply rest the punch over the mark, hold the punch perpendicular to the leather and strike with a mallet. The amount of force required is as variable as leather itself, from a tap to a solid whack. Not just thickness but the type of leather and whereabouts on the hide it is from all play a part in determining its toughness. Practice will enable you to judge, but it can be better to err on the side of caution; you can always hit it again, but once you driven your punch all the way through in one hit and blunted the cutting edge , it’s too late.

With a rotary punch the process is almost the same. Simply line up the punch with the mark and apply pressure. Sometimes with rotary punches, especially on thick leather, they can leave a small amount of uncut fibres on the very outside of the hole, meaning the waste section won’t easily come out. A slight rotational twist to either side whilst pressure is applied can give a clean cut.

Additional Tip:

Wherever possible you should punch holes from the facing side of the leather downwards, not from the grain side upwards. As each hole is punched the waste section of leather is forced upwards, through the hollow stem of the punch, and ejected out of the side (or top on a rotary punch). By punching from the facing side down a slight curve is formed on the smooth leather, making it’s passage through the tool’s stem fairly straightforward. This tends not to happen for the grain side and so the waste section is prone to resisting and merely compresses when the next hole is punched; jamming the tool and preventing it cutting properly. If this does happen it can be cleared with very careful application of a bradawl, stylus or similar long, thin, strong piece of metal. However, be warned, if it slips you can risk braking the cutting edge of the punch, rendering it useless, and possibly injure yourself too.

Cutting.

What:

Tools used in this section:

Why:

Well obviously you need to cut and trim a finished piece, but also, unless you are creating something the size of half a cow, it is far easier to remove a rough section from a hide to work on.

When:

Leather can be expensive so, much like with fabric, the best way to get the most out of your material is efficient layout of the pattern. Lay out a template on the reverse (grain) side of the leather, mark it out with a ballpoint pen and use this as your cutting guide prior to marking any design or pattern onto the facing side.

Where:

Large hides can be cut on the floor if you don’t have a table large enough. Make sure to protect the surface underneath, ideally with a specialised cutting mat, though thick card or rubber can serve equally well. This is not just to protect your carpet or table, but also to prolong the usefulness of your knife blade.

How:

Light leathers can be relatively easily cut by simply using a decent pair of scissors. However care should be taken when cutting smooth surfaced leathers to position the scissors to the outside of item (as illustrated). This will give a clean cut edge rather than one compressed by the scissor blade .

There are shears that are specifically designed to be capable of cutting the heavier weights of leather most often used for LRP projects.

Alternatively a knife can create a cleaner and more versatile cut and if being used to cut a straight line always use a metal ruler; a blade is far less likely to skip across a metal ruler than a plastic one, which can also easily become notched and scored. The toughness of the leather being used, along with the pressure that needs to be maintained to ensure a smooth cut will dictate which kind of knife would be suitable. Scalpels, whilst extremely sharp, are not particularly strong and so would not be recommended for anything other than the lightest of leather. A better alternative would be something similar to an Xacto craft knife with a substantial handle. These will better take the pressure whilst also being fine bladed enough for more intricate shapes. Depending on the thickness of the leather repeated cuts may be needed, but it is generally better to cut slowly, smoothly and more than once than putting excessive pressure on a knife; this will more often than not, result in a jerky, rough cut and be more likely to slip, break or otherwise be potentially dangerous.

Specific leatherworking knives can easily cut through the toughest of leather, however they are not suited to intricate shapes and are best used to remove a section from a large hide to make it easier to work on. Draw-gauge knives, or strap-cutters, are a very quick and easy way to make straps, belts and anything that requires a parallel cut. Simply use a knife/metal ruler to provide the initial straight edge then measure in the desired width of the strap. Again use the knife and ruler to make a starting cut of about 1”-2”; this will enable the leather to be pulled through the strap-cutter slightly to more easily start it off. (On heavier leathers this initial cut is not always required, provided the cutter’s blade is sharp the leather will be cut rather than resist and buckle when pushing it through to start.) Set the strap-cutter to the required width and depth as illustrated, then insert the leather into the initial cut and then pull through to complete the cut.

Release the bolt at the end of the handle, this will allow the cutting gauge to slid through until the desired width is reached. If the leather is excessively thick or thin you can adjust the depth with the small bolt at the end of the cutting gauge and by carefully squeezing closed, or prying open, the blade end with a pair of pliers; keeing it set at about 4mm is generally OK for more leathers. Set the width by matching the measure with the edge of the handle, then simply re-tighten the main bolt.

Ensuring the straight edge is kept firmly butted against the handle of the cutter can have a bit of a knack to it, some people prefer to draw the cutter across the leather whilst holding that firmly, others find it easier to hold the cutter steady whilst pulling or pushing the leather through. As with most things, practice until you find a way that suits you best.

Skiving.

Skiving, rather than just not doing any work, is actually a specialised horizontal cut used to thin leather. It can be done by machine or by hand with a wide range of specialised knives. Ideally it should only be done to the reverse (grain) side of the leather, as the surface (skin) side contain the most densely packed and strongest fibres thereby retaining the most strength possible on a thinned section.

Generally it is most often done along edges where joins are formed, at the end of straps to allow for better fitting of buckles or where handles are to be sewn into place and if done carefully, can even thin a very small area of leather around a punched hole to allow for a depressed, hidden rivet. The latter can also be used to allow a secure set for a snap fastening on leather that would otherwise be slightly too thick for the length of the snap’s post. For skiving an edge along which a stitched or riveted join will be done it is probably most easily achieved with a straight skiving knife or a ‘Super Skiver’ (a handy beginner’s tool sold by Tandy). With a Super Skiver, simply place the leather on a flat work surface and hold firmly in place. Hold the Super Skiver towards one end of the leather, protruding over the edge and resting at a slight angle as illustrated.

Applying enough pressure for the blade to bite into the leather carefully draw the tool towards you, trimming the edge as you go. The depth of the cut (and therefore the thickness of the leather remaining) is dictated both by the amount of downwards pressure exerted and by the angle at which you hold the tool itself; usually between 30 and 45 degrees.

To use a plain skiving knife the action is pretty much the same as the Super Skiver, except you are pushing the blade away from you rather than drawing towards you.

Also there is no guard or other guide on how deep you cut; it is purely down to your own control over the blade itself and holding your leather firmly. One slip and it could easily be ‘that’s all she wrote’ for your work, and possibly your fingers!

Probably one of the most versatile knives that can be used for skiving is a ‘Head Knife’, also known as a ‘Round Knife’. Skiving, cutting, trimming, all can be done using a head knife, however it is very much an acquired skill that is almost totally unlike using any other kind of blade. Once learnt though, you may wonder why you bothered with so many other knives...

... and yes, even after 20 years I’m still learning different ways of using it!

Held in a similar fashion to a regular skiving knife, a head knife is also pushed away from you rather than drawn towards. However, due to the curve in the blade the angle at which it must be held is far less otherwise you run a far higher chance of simply creating a channel that is much thinner along one area that the other. Also, being a larger blade, it requires more effort to control so you don’t either gouge deeper as you apply pressure or alternatively, simply slip upwards and skip across the leather’s surface; possibly only stopping in your fingers!

For narrow strips or around rivet holes a ‘French Skiver’ is possibly best and easiest tool to use. It is very similar to an edge beveller, only with a ¼” (6mm) wide blade. Again, this is one that is pushed away from you rather than being pulled towards. Seat the edge of the blade over the cut edge of the leather, apply pressure to start the cut and then push carefully away from you whilst holding the leather firmly with the other hand as illustrated. The depth of the cut is controlled not only by the angle at which you hold the tool (usually about 20-40 degrees) but also by the amount of pressure applied. Take care when making the first pass along the very edge of the leather as it is easy for the blade to dig deeper due to there being no resistance against the tool’s outer edge.

Once you reach the end of the section to be skived, place the blade back at the start, yet this time set it approx half the blade’s width in from the cut edge and proceed as before. This time the leather on the outside edge of the tool will act as a guide to help prevent you cutting too deeply. Continue in this fashion until you have skived the desired width and depth. If you are doing this at the end of a narrow strap (e.g. to allow a better seat for a buckle) then you may find that it will only take three passes with the tool to achieve the full width of the strap. In which case it can sometimes be easier to effectively make two ‘first passes’, one along either cut edge and then make the third down the middle.

To make a depression for a hidden rivet, or to allow a shorter one to be used, first punch the hole. Position the French Skiver exactly as before only instead of seating the edge of the blade over the cut edge of the leather, seat it just inside the rivet hole. As you apply pressure to make the cut carefully pivot the tool around this central point, skiving as you go.

Common problems:

With the Super Skiver the blade itself is held in the tool at a slight curve. Be aware of this when using it to skive a broad section as it will obviously cut deeper at the centre than at the edges.

Additional Tips:

Little and often is the key here. You can always keep going over the leather, removing thin strips each time; you can’t really stick it back on once you’ve slipped and taken a chunk out of your precious work!

Edge Finishing.

What:

Tools used in this section:

Why:

Unless they are being over-laced or otherwise concealed, bevelling and burnishing the edges of a piece can add so much to the finished look and is relatively simple to achieve. It also serves a purpose in enabling straps to more easily pass through loops and buckles without unnecessarily wearing or roughing up the edges. Finally a burnished edge, even without any form of edge dye, is more resistant to moisture entering, opening up the fibres and thereby weakening the leather.

When:

The following techniques of edge bevelling and burnishing are generally only used on VegTan leather and are performed before any dyeing or sealing. Neither is appropriate for suede though bevelling can be undertaken, with care, on bridle leather or the facing side of full grain or oiled leathers.

Where:

Bevelling effectively trims off the sharp corner along the edge of a knife cut and is most commonly done to both the facing and reverse edges. By burnishing it the edges are further smoothed and rounded off.

How:

Bevelling.

Specific edge bevelling tools come in a variety of sizes, though annoyingly they are generally numbered rather than simply referring to the width of the blade, so here is a rough guide to make your shopping a little easier:

No 1 = 1mm No 2 = 1.5mm No 3 = 2mm No 4 = 2.5mm No 5 = 3mm

The actual depth of the cut can also be determined by how acute an angle you hold the tool against the leather, but the variation is minimal and not horrendously noticeable if you are also going to be burnishing the edge. The action is simple enough, however it can take some practice when dealing with curves and tight corners. Hold the tool so the corner of the cut leather edge sits snugly against the blade whilst firmly holding the leather in place with your other hand. You then simply push the tool away from you, running along the cut edge, stripping off the corner as you go.

As you come to the end of a stroke you can finish by pushing the blade forwards and away from the leather, lifting it and removing the trimmed strip. Alternatively you can stop dead, without completely removing the trim, readjust your grip on the leather and then continue the next stroke exactly where you left off. It may be appropriate to only bevel the facing edge of a piece, however, on belts or substantial pieces like armour it is useful to also bevel the reverse side. Like much of leatherworking, there is no real ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to do it, only the way you are most comfortable with which achieves the desired results.

Burnishing.

To burnish the edge it first needs to be moistened. This can be done simply with water, however best results are achieved with a product called Gum Tragacanth; this helps the fibres adhere together and can be diluted with water by up to 50%. Draw either a damp sponge or wool dauber gently across the very edge of the leather. Be careful not to soak it or the edge will become too soft. If this does occur just leave the item to dry until it is just damp. Practice will enable to you gauge this.

Large items can be held on a steady surface with the part to be worked slightly protruding over the edge. Smaller items can simply be held in one hand and straps or belts can often be propped perpendicular to a work surface. If using a variable burnisher ensure the leather sits easily within the ‘U’ section; too tight a fit and track marks will be left on either side of the leather as it is forced through. Too loose is much less of an issue as with care and gentle angling of the burnisher a reasonable finish can still be achieved.

With the leather held steady, firmly and repeatedly rub the burnisher along the edge until a smooth finish has been achieved. It’s that simple.

Additional Tips.

On fine, thin leather it can be difficult to apply enough pressure without the leather buckling. However, if it is placed flat on a work surface a straight burnisher can be angled and rubbed across the uppermost corner as illustrated.

For particularly thick leather that does not fit within the ‘U’ section a similar technique to that described above can be used. Instead of simply laying the leather flat on the work surface, position it near to the edge. Rub the burnisher firmly along the edge, gradually shifting the angle so as to work across the corner and along the bevelled and cut faces as illustrated. Once this has been done on the facing side, simply turn the piece over and repeat on the reverse side.

Setting.

What:

Tools used in this section.

Why:

There are a large number of items used in leatherworking that require setting in some form or another, from the structurally essential rivets to decorative gems or other adornments. The basic skill is the same, unsurprisingly, hammering, but both the setting tools and anvils differ, as does the amount of power required.

When:

Generally setting items is one of the final stages in completing a piece either by attaching components together, adding buckles, straps etc or for adding purely decorative pieces. Whilst rivets and eyelets can be dyed over doing so can impair both their finish and that of the dye. Like re-spraying a car, the best results are often achieved by completing each individual component prior to assembly.

Where:

Wherever possible, set rivets on a solid metal surface such as an anvil. Mini 2lb ones are ideal for use on top of a workbench or table but even a small metal plate placed on a brick can do. Unless the anvil is secured to the surface on which it is resting, it can be advisable to place some form of cushioning between the anvil (or brick) and the workbench/table; mostly to avoid the vibrations causing things to bounce or slip.

How:

Rivets.

Riveting is possibly the quickest and simplest method of fastening leather together but not always the most appropriate depending on the look you are trying to achieve. Ensure the holes used are a snug fit and not too loose. This is especially important with lightweight leather and suede; there will be a certain amount of stretch that can make a rivet more likely to pull through under pressure if the hole is already slightly too large. Use the correct length of rivet for the job in hand. This can be of slightly less importance when using ‘Rapid’ rivets, however solid and tubular ones require a certain amount of excess to actually form the ‘set’.

Solid.

Solid rivets are generally the best choice if you are looking to secure leather to a substantial piece of metal and there is likely to be much rotational movement and/or load bearing, e.g. a strap to a metal greave or breastplate. Any movement of a raw metal edge against the rivet could easily wear through lighter ‘Rapid’ rivets. Insert the rivet through the pieces to be joined so that the flat head is on the facing side and place the washer on the tapered end. Use the hollow part of the setter to drive the washer down to be snugly seated against the surface.

Using a pair of cutters trim the excess to <2mm. It should not be trimmed to be flush to the washer. Using the concave part of the setter hammer the excess flat whilst using a rotational motion with the setter itself. This will form the excess into a mushroom shape and secure it over the washer.

This is one of the few times when using a metal hammer can be better as it gives a sharper blow; additionally the required setter is a fairly robust tool and more capable of taking the abuse than others.

Tubular.

These are relatively strong rivets and often used in many automatic riveting machines. They are suitable for any connection where substantial load bearing is required, e.g. for securing a heavy section of leather to be hung from a belt or when using a single rivet to secure a strap or buckle. They are not particularly suited to any location which is going to be subject to continued rotational movement (such as on articulated items) unless an additional washer is used. This is simply because the peened rivet curls back with potentially sharp edges that will chew away at the reverse side of the leather joint. To gauge the correct size of rivet to use the post should ideally be protruding between 2-3mm. Insert the rivet through the pieces to be joined so that the flat head is on the facing side. Seat the setter snugly into the hollow, open end of the rivet.

Ensuring the setter is held perpendicular to the leather’s surface/anvil strike it firmly with a mallet until the rivet splits and is forced firmly back against the leather.

‘Rapid’ Rivets.

These are possibly the most readily available rivets in a number of finishes, sizes and can be found in both single and double cap varieties. This gives them incredible versatility for use within LRP, from securing decorative items to kit, straps and buckles to joining separate lames of articulated armour. Whilst they are less substantial than tubular rivets they are certainly up to the task for the majority of uses in LRP, especially when a number are used in close proximity, e.g. a triangle of three used to secure straps form breastplates, greaves etc. To gauge the correct size rivet to use the post should ideally be protruding between 1-2mm. Insert the rivet through the pieces to be joined so that the base of the rivet is on the reverse/hidden side of the item and seat the cap onto the protruding end of the rivet. Hold the setter perpendicular to the leather/anvil and strike firmly with a mallet.

The amount of force required to completely set the rivet can be achieved with a few small taps, a gentle tap then hit or a single whack. It’s personal preference and through practice you will get a feel for it and how you are most comfortable doing it. On an open ended (rather than double capped) rivet you can see through to where the body of the rivet has compressed and flattened to secure the cap.

Additional Tips:

Likewise with these particular rivets they can be set using nothing more than a metal hammer and a hard surface like a brick or paving slab. Watch your fingers and it won’t be the prettiest of finishes (you are highly likely to mark the leather) but it can be done if you don’t have access to the correct tools.

Common Problems:

The main pitfall with these types of rivets is in using one that is too long. With insufficient support to keep the rivet upright it will compress at an angle, skewing the layers that are being secured. That said, whilst this may look unsightly and not be the most structurally strong connection, if it has been mashed together well enough it’s unlikely to separate and so still can serve its purpose.

Snap Fasteners.

Readily available in a variety of finishes and colours these can provide a relatively simple fastening solution, especially where straps and buckles are either awkward or relatively unnecessary. The holes for these fasteners need not be as snug a fit as for rivets, however, it is wise to avoid making them overly large as this can result in the peened section of the post deforming the male or female cap and thereby giving an insecure set. Ideally the post of both the ‘button’ and base should protrude through the leather by about 1-2mm. On thicker leather careful skiving around the hole can enable these fastenings to be used.

Rest the outer ‘button’ in the concave anvil and locate outermost piece of leather over it, outside facing side down, then place the female cap over the protruding post. Seat the setter snugly into the hollow, open end of the post. Hold the setter perpendicular to the leather/anvil and strike gently to peen the post back against the cap. Rest the base on the flat surface of the anvil and locate the innermost piece of leather over it, inside facing down, then place the male cap over the protruding post. Proceed to set as above.

Additional Tips:

It is better to set these with a series of gentler strikes, occasionally lifting the setter to check the state of the peened post and cap rather than with just a couple of whacks. The posts should curl back neatly against the cap, but it is very easy for them to split to one side or for the hole in the cap to deform or even split; especially if the setter is not exactly perpendicular or if the mallet strikes at a slight angle.

Eyelets.

Readily available in a variety of finishes and sizes eyelets are basically reinforcement for holes. They help to stop shape deformation and wear and are most useful when the hole will come under some form of pressure, e.g. from lacing to hold a vambrace closed or sleeve on a jerkin. Choose a size appropriate to whatever is going to be threaded through it but also be aware that ideally they also need to be able to protrude around 2-3mm through the leather to be securely set. Ideally the hole used needs to be as snug a fit to the eyelet as possible, especially on the lighter weight leathers which may have some stretch in them. Mainly because the peened edge only folds back over a small distance and if it is too close to the hole’s edge there is a great risk the eyelet will easily be pulled out. There are versions available with small washers that can alleviate this problem and are perhaps better used with finer leathers for better security. Insert the eyelet through the leather with the facing side outwards. Seat into the shaped anvil and if using a washer, place over the protruding eyelet stem.

Hold the setter perpendicular to the leather/anvil and strike firmly to peen the stem back against the leather or washer. The amount of force required can vary depending on the size of the eyelet and the amount protruding so it’s best to use a few gentle strikes, checking as you go, until you get a feel for it.

Buckles.

The two main things to be aware of when setting buckles are ensuring enough allowance is provided for both the central bar of the buckle and the full width of the rivet. Too much and the buckle will be loose. It won’t come off, it’ll just be annoying, but it’s better to err on the side of caution; too little and the leather will be too tight around the buckle-bar and there could be difficulty setting the rivet properly. As a rough guide, fold the leather loosely over, leaving enough of a gap that you would otherwise be able to fit the buckle bar in. Make a mark on either side of the fold a couple of mm in then flatten out the leather. These marks will form the endpoints for the prong’s slot.

Whilst there are specialist hole punches readily available to make the central slot for the prong, it can be done with a regular hole punch and some careful work with a knife. Use the end points you have just marked to punch two holes the same diameter, or slightly larger, than the buckle’s prong. Then carefully cut between them either using a small ruler or, if you’re more willing to risk your fingers, it can be done freehand. It is probably better to make repeated, light cuts, than use too much pressure and risk slipping. An additional tip is to only cut away from the hole to the centre rather than all the way across from hole to hole. This way is less likely to cause an overcut as illustrated.

The two rivet holes can then be marked approx 3/8”-5/8” (10-15mm) out from each end of the slot.

Additional Tips:

As a guide, for a simple pressed ¾” buckle as illustrated, an average allowance of 1 ¾” (45mm) between the rivet holes is appropriate when using 3mm leather. If you have more than a couple of the same size buckles to set then it can be useful to make a template of either card or leather to save measuring each one individually.

Generally a single rivet is sufficient to hold a buckle in place that is likely to not come under excessive strain. For example holding a pouch/ bag flap shut, or for vambraces and greaves where the load is distributed between a number of straps/buckles. However, for added strength, or for wider straps, additional rivets can be placed either in a line or alongside each other.

If the leather being used is excessively thick where the buckle is to be placed, then it can be skived down from the far end to just prior to the first rivet hole as illustrated. This will obviously weaken the leather slightly so be careful to only remove enough to allow for a comfortable fold over the buckle.

Dyeing.

What:

There is a vast range of dyes, stains, pigments and paints designed for use on leather, and an even wider range of products that aren’t but can still be used. Feel free to experiment but always bear in mind the durability, flexibility and permanence of what you are using.

Why:

On natural VegTan leather used for tooling and carving you will probably want to colour it in some way, be it in a subtle or strong fashion. Even if you wish to keep the natural colour it is recommended you seal the leather to help protect against damage from water and light scuffs. Though you should be aware before choosing to leave a natural finish that VegTan leather will continue to effectively ‘tan’ itself when exposed to natural light and so will continue to darken in tone. This action can therefore cause shadows and highlights if something is placed on top of it (effectively blocking the light) for even a relatively short period of time; as little as an hour under a midday summer sun!

When:

As VegTan leather needs to be cased (sprayed, sponged or soaked with water) for tooling, any dyeing or staining needs to be done once all your work is completed. It is generally advisable to seal items in some way one you have finished working and dyeing VegTan leather. Not only does this help to preserve the surface from damaging watermarks, is can also help prevent any transference of dye both during wear and if the item does get wet (it’s LRP, during a British summer, it’s going to rain at some point). It is also advisable to dye and finish each component prior to any setting of snaps, rivets etc. Not only will you achieve and more even appearance and colour but each item will be more effectively sealed, as opposed to missing areas under straps, riveted joins etc.

Where:

Most dyes, stains and finishes are used across the facing surface of the leather; they are also suitable for use on the reverse (grain) side if it is likely to be exposed to view. However be aware that this side will be slightly more absorbent. There is also a specialist dye, Fiebing’s Edge Dye, which is specifically formulated for, you guessed it, the cut edges of your leatherwork.

How:

Essential tip:

First thing, wear a pair of gloves unless you want to be trying to scour your fingers with acid and a wire brush for the next two days! Disposable latex ones are fine if you are using Antique or Highlighter, but can sometimes not be thick enough for other dyes, especially alcohol based ones; leaving you with stained fingers like you’ve been smoking sixty roll-ups a day for a decade. Reasonable household rubber washing up gloves work best. There are almost as many ways to dye and stain leather as there are dyes and stains; each will provide subtly differing results. Likewise, leather being a natural medium, the same dye can provide a different finish or tone across similar yet separate hides; frustratingly sometimes even across the same hide! It is therefore advisable, when making a matched set of anything, to use leather from the same hide as far as is possible. The method of application can be by brush, sponge, cloth, wool dauber or even a small piece of dense sheepskin. There are advantages and disadvantages to each and much of it comes down to personal preference. Brushes can leave streaks and brush marks, as can daubers. Sponges often deliver an excessive amount of dye, again, as can some daubers, whereas cloths can sometimes not deliver enough leaving a patchy finish. A piece of trimmed sheepskin can be the most consistent, however they can be tricky to obtain; too dense or coarse and streaks can be a problem, too soft and an inconsistent amount of dye will be delivered. There is a knack to their selection and trimming, however they are my preferred medium so unless otherwise stated consider the following advice given as if they were being used. Though the techniques themselves are pretty much the same across the board, I would advise practising on scrap leather to find whichever suits you best.

Common problems:

A streaky or patchy finish. This is most commonly caused by an uneven application of the dye across the surface overall. The bigger the area being dyed the harder it is to maintain an even coat. To combat this it is important to dye each piece in a single session. If a break is taken for long enough to allow the dye to dry it is much harder to blend it with the un-dyed section. Likewise, simply applying additional coats can sometimes simply exacerbate the problem; excessive layers will simply build on each other rather than even out the tone. This can particularly be a problem with Tandy’s Eco-Flo ‘All in One Stain & Finish’ for as it contains a varnishing agent within the dye it will become tacky and streaky if a second coat it applied. With penetrative dyes the best approach is to keep the initial application as even as possible. The first contact will always deliver the most dye to the leather. The further the dye is spread beyond that point the less will be delivered to soak into the leather. However it can often still continue to ‘colour’ the surface of the leather and so patches can be missed until it dries; where more has penetrated it will dry a darker tone. For surface dyes this is less of an issue. However maintaining an even pressure over the entire application is what will help alleviate any streaking. Likewise with antiquing and staining, even pressure is most important, not just when applying the colour, but also when removing the excess.

Penetrative Dyes.

These are dyes that soak through the surface and into the grain of the leather. This can give a better depth of colour and generally be more resistant to scratches and scuffs revealing the natural colour of the leather below. One application is generally enough to provide a good even tone with alcohol or oil based dyes, though with lighter colours and some water based variants a second, more sparing coat, can be helpful. Many of these dyes within a single range (such as Fiebing’s Leather Dye) can be mixed together to provide a wide range of individual colours and shades. The lighter ones can also provide a good base colour for further antiquing or highlighting. Gently apply using a small overlapping circular motion, working from one side to the other. When you feel it running dry, reload your ‘swab’ (be it a sponge/dauber/whatever) and continue where you left off. You shouldn’t need to use much pressure to transfer the dye from the swab to the leather, if you do then it generally means that the swab is drying out and you need to reload. It is better to work little and often rather than over-soak. Once everything is completely dry, you should use a clean cloth to buff over the entire piece to remove any excess surface pigment. Some dyes will shed more than others; oil dyes tend to shed the least.

Surface Dyes.

Not surprisingly, surface dyes barely penetrate the leather to colour it or, in the case of acrylics (like Tandy’s Cova Color), merely adhere to the surface and do not penetrate at all. This can make them more subject to revealing scratches and scuff marks, though this can actually be useful if that’s the overall look you are trying to achieve. A very good example of a surface dye is Tandy’s Eco-Flo ‘All in One Stain & Finish’. Applied in a similar fashion to penetrative dyes however, it is recommended that a greater load is delivered in a single session. You should work it well across the surface of the leather with overlapping stoke, maintaining an even pressure to distribute it over a larger area. Once the full area is evenly covered and any cuts, tooling etc are filled, change to a clean cloth, or piece of soft sheepskin, and buff over the entire piece to remove any excess stain.

Acrylics are effectively paints rather than dyes and are used in exactly the same manner as if you were painting on to paper or canvas. Used neat they are generally opaque, though be aware that if you are using them over an already dyed surface some lighter colours (especially white) will pick up and transfer the dye below. They can be diluted with water to varying degrees, becoming more translucent. Some interesting effects can be gained this way by using them as a wash over other colours. It is advisable to build up thin layers, allowing each to fully dry in between, rather than rely on plastering it on. When applied too thick, particularly over large areas, acrylics can be prone to cracking and flaking; especially if the area in question is designed to be flexible (e.g. across the spine of a book).

Antiques & Highlighter.

Antique and Highlighter are both very similar products that achieve a very similar effect. The difference (apart from the colour range) is simply the viscosity of the product; Antique is thicker. That’s pretty much it. Both can be used as a surface dye and applied directly onto VegTan leather, though being thinner, Highlighter will require more coats to provide any real depth of colour. However the durability of the finish is inferior to penetrative dyes, or even surface dyes such as those mentioned above. Significantly the lightfast quality of these is not particularly good and so will be subject to fading in strong light; worth bearing in mind when storing items, if something has been partially laid across an item you can be left with a distinct shadow with faded colour where exposed. The real benefit to these products is to build up in depressions and surface cuts thereby providing a variable contrast of tones within a piece overall. This makes them particularly suited for use on tooled work, or on pieces which you have specifically damaged the surface of (be it with a mallet, blade, rasp or simply jumped up and down on) to give an aged, battle-damaged look.

Applied in a similar fashion to surface dyes you should work it well across the surface of the leather with overlapping stokes, maintaining an even pressure to distribute it over a larger area. Once the full area is evenly covered and any cuts, tooling etc are filled, leave the item to dry. Important: Do not leave for longer than 10 minutes. Fill a bowl with clean, slightly warm water, wet a sponge or cloth and wring out until it is just damp. Now proceed to remove the excess dye using the damp sponge. Use a similar overlapping, circular action to the initial process of dyeing but only a light pressure is generally required. Keep going until either the sponge is dry, therefore leaving no further mark on the surface of the leather, or else saturated with excess dye; the latter being noticeable as you will be left with streaks of excess dye rather than it being removed. In this case, quickly rinse the sponge clean in the bowl, squeeze out as much water as possible and continue where you left off.

Common Problems:

When using Antique or Highlighter on a single large piece it can be difficult to maintain an even tone without any patching. This is simply because the longer any excess is left on the surface the harder it becomes to remove. Over a large area you will need to rinse clean your sponge or cloth a number of times, all the while the last bit you get to has had extra time to set. Apart from obviously working as smoothly yet as fast as possible, the only other way to help alleviate any patching is by using a large cloth rather than a sponge. Whilst the latter is quicker to rinse and squeeze out, with a cloth you don’t need to do this and can simply shift it about to use a clean section.

Additional Tip:

To increase the durability of the finished colour you can apply a base colour with a penetrative dye and then use a complimentary or even contrasting antique or highlighter over the top. The results can be widely varied depending entirely on the combination of colours and strengths of dye used, so experimentation on scrap leather prior to final dyeing is advised.

Surface Finishing.

There are a wide variety of finishes available, some of which perform the same function so selection can simply be a case of personal preference. Products like Tandy’s Super Shene and Satin Shene will give a reasonable level of water resistance (though not ‘proofing’) and have the added advantage of coming in both a high gloss and satin finish. Likewise Fiebing’s Leather Sheen or Acrylic Resolene provide a similar glossy finish (though Resolene is more mellow) and can be applied in the same ways as the Tandy products. A brush or sponge are both viable methods of applying the above finishes. Brushes can be more useful over small or detailed pieces however are more likely to leave tracks or uneven coverage over a larger area. Sponges can allow easier, more even coverage over larger pieces but care needs to be taken over heavily tooled areas as they can often cause excessive foaming or bubbles. Gentle, overlapping, straight strokes (as opposed to the circular motion for dyeing) will give a reasonably smooth delivery. Wash clean any brushes or sponges immediate after use with water if you would like to be able to use them again.

Common Problems:

Brush marks and streaks can easily be caused by passing the brush or sponge over the finish whilst it is still tacky. Unfortunately there is little that can be done about this other than the obvious of not allowing it to happen in the first place. If it does however, a second coat applied with a little more pressure over the entire item, prior to the first completely drying, can sometimes help even out the coverage. Additionally some stains or surface dyes can be lifted somewhat by these finishes and leave slightly coloured smears. This is more likely to happen where excess dye has built up in deep cuts or heavily tooled areas. Extra care should be taken when dyeing items like this to ensure as much excess is removed as possible. Beyond that, very careful and gentle application of the finish with as little pressure as possible should help to avoid too much pick-up.

Additional Tips:

There are a number of finishes available, such as Fiebing’s Leather Balm, Tan Kote and Carnauba Creme which are not water resistant. These may be used to seal your work and tend to result in a more mellow finish. They also tend to contain ingredients that help keep leather supple, so are particularly useful for more flexible items such as book covers. If a more waterproof finish is required then specialist proofers such as Nikwax can be used. However be warned that not all products work well together, so rather than potentially ruin your work it is best to check their suitability on some scrap which you have dyed the same way as your project. If this isn’t possible then test on a small unobtrusive area of the item itself and give the proofer time to be fully absorbed and then re-test for colour fastness. Additionally some waterproofing products such as Mink Oil, or leather conditioners such as Neatsfoot Oil or Fiebing’s Saddle Oil, whilst they will undoubtedly will protect your leatherwork, are not recommended for use on leather which has been water-hardened (cuir bouilli) or case moulded (cold water moulding). This is because the oils in these products are specifically used as they are deeply penetrative and serve to swell and separate the leather’s fibres (which is why heavily oiled leather is so supple). However, this action is contrary to mechanism by which hardening and moulding works, which is (very basically) to swell the fibres and then contract them more tightly into a new position.

Blocking.

Blocking (sometimes termed ‘resisting’) is a very useful technique that can create beautifully subtle colour effects or help preserve more striking differences. The specific product for this is Tandy’s Eco-Flo ‘Block Out’. Applied neat with a brush and carefully painted over an area then allowed to dry completely. This will then resist any colour bleed when undertaking further highlighting or antiquing.

A similar effect can also be achieved by using Super or Satin Shene, though neither provide quite as an effective resistance as Block Out. You can apply multiple coats instead (usually 2 or 3) or use it to your advantage to create subtle shades of colour.

Wash clean any brushes immediate after use with water.

Edge Dye.

Fiebing’s Edge Dye is formulated to provide a good seal on the vulnerable cut edge of your leather. Whilst you do not have to bevel and burnish the edge first, doing so with provide you with the best possible seal and help prevent excessive wear. Edge Dye is available in regular bottles, or a squeeze bottle with an integral sponge applicator. However, this applicator can become split and worn prior to using all the dye in the bottle. A wool dauber can be used, but it can prove to be wasteful and not be particularly neat when trying to keep the dye just to the leather’s edge. Personally I’ve not found better than a small strip cut from a sponge, folded and gripped by a clothes-peg. As it gets worn, simply discard the sponge and replace as necessarily. To apply simply dip the sponge (or dauber etc) onto the surface of the dye and pick up a small amount onto the sponge. If needed, scrape any excess off against the top of the bottle, then gently draw it along the edge of the leather. Continue reloading and applying all the way round then leave to dry. If required apply a second coat to obtain an even colour. Edge Dye is only available in black and brown, which is generally suitable for most projects, indeed a black edge can provide a nice contrasting finish to a piece dyed a lighter colour overall. However, if you are intending to keep a natural VegTan finish, then there is an alternative: a plain beeswax block. Rub with a fairly firm pressure along the leather’s edge to apply some wax to the leather and then rub vigorously over it with a burnisher. The friction will warm the wax and blend it into the leather providing a seal. This method can also be used if you wish to keep the dyed edge the same colour as the surface of the piece. It is worth bearing in mind though that it will not be quite as durable a seal as that provided by a specialist edge dye.

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Basic Tooling Skills

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Casing

- 1.1 To case or not to case?

- 1.2 Dampening

- 1.2.1 Additional Tip

- 2 Marking

- 2.1 Freehand

- 2.2 Craftaid

- 2.3 Tracing

- 2.3.1 Additional Tip

- 3 Swivel Knife

- 4 Mallet (or Maul)

- 5 Beveller

- 5.1 Common Problem

- 5.2 Additional Tip

- 6 Backgrounder

- 7 Pear Shader

Casing

For leather to be tooled it ideally needs to first be cased, which is an old, technical and clever term for getting it wet. The reason it has an old, technical and clever term for it is because, unfortunately it’s not just any old kind of ‘wet’.

There are a number of ways of casing leather, some of which are a bit misleading. Firstly the idea of submerging leather and then sealing it in an airtight container or bag for 24 hours isn’t really casing it; it’s just soaking it! This is because, being airtight, none of the excess moisture can escape so you may as well have just dunked your leather in a bath and proceeded to tool it immediately; the results of which would be just as poor as the leather would be far too wet and soft to hold any definition.

In broad terms, to case leather it should be briefly submerged in luke warm water; the amount of time is entirely dependent on the density and thickness of the leather. Very fine leather will require just a quick pass through the water, whereas thicker, heavier weight leather should be left submerged until the rate of bubbles rising from the flesh side begins to slow. It should then be allowed to breathe, either simply placed to one side or traditionally it was placed in a wooden box (the wood would possibly absorb some of the moisture evaporated from the leather and the boxes certainly weren’t airtight).

This period of ‘resting’ allows the moisture to fully penetrate even into the deep fibres of the leather and be retained there whilst the surface is allowed to dry. The leather is ready to be worked when the surface has returned to its original colour but still feels cool when placed against your skin due the moisture retained within.

The dryer surface will provide resistance to the swivel knife and tools, thereby remaining crisp; the softened fibres within will be easily compressed by your tool’s impact and remain that way.

That said, the main traditional reason for properly casing leather for tooling is that when the surface is sufficiently dry, and the inner fibres sufficiently moist, the surface will colour through and ‘bruise’ when the inner fibres are compacted; giving a variety of shades to the natural colour of the leather.

To case or not to case?

If you are intending on keeping the natural colour of the VegTan leather and are simply going to use a clear seal over it once your work is complete, then properly casing it first will give you the finest results. Likewise if you are intending on moulding the leather then the methods used for casing (with some temperature variants) can be used.

However, if you are simply going to be dyeing over the leather with any colour, the subtlety of the natural shading is going to be lost, so is it really worth all the preparation? In all honesty, no; I don’t believe it is.

Dampening

A simple plant mister or spray bottle, preferably one with an adjustable nozzle or as fine a spray as possible and plain tap water. This is all I’ve ever really used for tooling leather that is later going to be dyed. Simply spray the entire piece of leather you are going to be working on until it is evenly covered and there is minimal water sitting on the surface; though how much you actually spray will depend on how thick the leather is.

For fine grade, thin leather just a quick pass over will be sufficient, for thicker ‘armour’ leather (3mm and above) it is best to aim for some remaining on the surface and allow it to soak in completely prior to starting work.

What you don’t want is for the surface to be too wet. Yes this will mean it is much easier to mark and cut, but this is because it is softer and therefore won’t provide as crisp or clean lines and even the most minor of tooling mistakes will be shown; even nail marks where you have rested you hand can be picked up!

You are aiming for the surface to be ‘just damp’ when you start work. In that way you will have time to progress before you need to spray it again; which on a large piece you will need to do repeatedly.

As you work you should begin to feel it becoming slightly tougher, your strikes need to be a little harder and the feedback has a little more bounce to it. This is when the inner fibres are drying out and it’s time to give it the once over with the spray again. This is an acquired skill that will develop over time. Though sadly this will not be made any easier by the simple fact you are working with a natural material, meaning that each hide will have its own variations. Sorry about that.

You can dampen your leather with a wet sponge or cloth instead. However it can be more difficult to provide an even coverage in addition to often making the leather too wet and needing to wait longer for it to dry prior to starting work.

Additional Tip

Make sure you dampen the entire piece you are working on and not just the section you are intending to tool. This will avoid the creation of water or tide marks that, more often than not, will continue to show through as variations once the leather has been dyed.

Marking

There are a number of different ways to mark your design onto your leather. Each has their advantages and disadvantages and the success of some are unfortunately dependant on how artistic you are.

Freehand

Either in pencil prior to dampening your leather or with a plain stylus after you have dampened it. With a light pressure draw your design directly onto the surface of the leather. The advantage in this is you can either incorporate natural flaws in the piece of leather or tailor your design to make the best use of the space available as well as creating a truly unique piece. The disadvantage can also be that it will be unique, therefore replicating a complex freehand designs can prove to be difficult. It also, unfortunately for some, requires you be able to draw in some capacity.

Craftaid

A ‘Craftaid’ is a preformed template, usually made of plastic (though you can make your own in wood or leather) where the basic lines of a design appear as raised ridges. Once you have dampened your leather you simply place the Craftaid face down where you would like the design to be and evenly apply pressure to the reverse side of it, either with your hand, spoon end of a stylus or even gently tapping it with your mallet. Lift the Craftaid off and it will have formed a series of depressions all ready for cutting. It's that simple. The advantage in these is that it enables anyone, regardless of any drawing ability, the opportunity to tool a design, some of which can be quite complex. The disadvantage is that they are each fixed and so cannot be made slightly smaller or larger to fit your piece of work.

Tracing

This is the general method of transferring designs to leather. The best medium to used is tracing film as it is unaffected by the dampness of the leather that would otherwise cause tracing paper to easily tear, it also stands up well to repeated used over the same design. However, with care, good quality tracing paper can be used, though generally not for more than a couple of reproductions. First trace your design from the original onto the film. I would recommend using a pencil as some pens only work sporadically on film and additionally can cause transference of the ink to the leather. Pencil can also sometimes transfer to the leather, but is easily removed simply through the actions of tooling and so will not impair the final dyed finish. Once you have dampened your leather rest the film with the design in the desired position then simply re-trace over it. This can be done again with a pencil or a stylus or even with a ball point pen (it doesn’t matter if it won’t mark the film). Be careful not to move the film whilst you are tracing the design. When done simply lift it away and you will be left with a slightly darker, bruised mark where the pressure has transferred the design to the leather. This is the most versatile method of transferring designs and one that allows you to use a vast array of original source images to turn into tooled work. Clever moving and re-tracing of a repeating design can enable you to go from straight sections to round curves. Likewise, with some artistry, you can specifically tailor a design to make the best use of available space within your overall template. Best of all, you can do it again, and again, and again.

Additional Tip

If you wish to create a matched, mirror image of your design, you do not need to redraw it, simply turn the film over and re-trace from the other side. This is where you can run the risk of ink transfer to the surface of the leather.

Swivel Knife

To use a swivel knife you rest your index finger across the rest and lightly grip the barrel between your middle and ring fingers and your thumb as illustrated.

Rest the knife perpendicular to the cased leather and apply pressure with your index finger and draw the knife towards you to make a simple straight cut. To curve the cut the basic action is exactly the same but as you draw it towards you to roll the barrel between your fingers and thumb to turn the blade to either side. Initially you may find it easier to make a slight curve, stop and lift the blade clear, turn the leather on your work surface and carefully reposition the blade before continuing your cut.

It is generally easier to pivot around your little finger, so clockwise for left-handers and anti-clockwise for right-handers.

Mallet (or Maul)

To use a mallet (or maul if you prefer) for tooling the grip is often subtly different that if you were making a firm strike for setting for example. Generally softer grip is used, one that allows you to feel the feedback through from the leather. By that I mean actually feeling how tough the leather is, whether it is resisting the tool’s impression, whether it is solid or soft, springy or firm. It is a hard thing to describe, but trust me when I say it’s an even harder thing to feel yourself if you got your mallet in some kind of death grip. It is rare that you will need to use much more that a firm tap for tooling, and most often it will be a gentle tapping bounce that drives the tool against the leather. As such a gentle, balanced and flexible grip is essential, in addition to the fact that you will find it far more comfortable to sustain for a potentially long period of time.

Personally I tend to barely grip the haft of the mallet at all and pretty much just balance it on my middle and ring fingers, using my wrist to provide the motion and my index finger and thumb to control it. Some people grip it more firmly; others hold it further down the haft or even by the head itself. Again, there is no real right or wrong way, only the way you find most comfortable, but relaxed control and feel are key, not power.

Beveller

Exactly how you hold the tool is another matter of personal preference, much like the mallet. Generally it should be gripped between the thumb and side of the index finger, with the tip of you middle and ring finger used as further support. Depending on the curve of the line I will tend to have my little finger both sticking out and resting on the leather, to pivot round for a large curve, or resting underneath my ring finger for tight curves or long straight lines.

The two main points are to be holding the tool perpendicular to the leather and not to have it in a tight grip that will only serve to make your hand ache after a few minutes.

The tip of the beveller should rest lightly in the cut and be struck directly down into the leather.

With each strike your fingers should act like a spring to return the tool to the same height, just resting on the surface of the leather. In this manner you gradually move along the line, being guided by the tip of the beveller along the cut. Whether you draw the tool towards you or away from you is entirely a matter of preference and you may find it equally as comfortable going either way; some people even prefer to curl their arm round so that they are working from side to side with the tool facing them. There is no right or wrong way, only your way.

To start with you may find it easier to take it slowly, step by step, a tap at a time. Strike. Move the tool. Strike. Move the tool. Strike. Making a conscious placement of the beveller between each strike. As you practice and get more comfortable with the action and confident with your grip on the beveller, you will find you think less about exactly where you place the beveller and begin to slide it gently across the surface as you go.

The ultimate in control is when you don’t need to use the tip in the cut as a guide but can hover the tool just above the leather’s surface and still follow the line smoothly.

It is advisable not to move the tool too far between each strike, instead allow each one to overlap the previous by at least half. This will help to eliminate edge marks and the second strike will help to even out the tool mark from the first and so on. Also essential in eliminating tool marks is maintaining an even strength to your mallet strikes. One random heavier strike will leave a clearly deeper impression of the tool behind that will be harder to smooth out than if you have made a few random lighter blows.

Textured bevellers are at the same time both easier and more difficult to use. They can be easier as you can find the tool almost biting into the impressions from the previous strike, and so may find it easier to progress evenly along the line. That can also make it harder to maintain a smooth progression as the texture doesn’t allow it to easily slide along the surface, therefore developing the skill of ‘hovering’ the tool is more useful, but at the same time can give rise to mis-strikes.

Common Problem

Other than tool impressions being left along the line of the work, the most common problem with bevelling is a mis-strike. This is where the tool does not follow the line and either makes an impression slightly off to one side or the other.

If you are lucky and mis-strike on the bevelled side then it can be blended in with a few graduated strokes over it along the correct line of the cut. If the tool has strayed into the clean area of the design, then it’s a little harder to hide. Careful rubbing over with the smooth back of the spoon end of a stylus can blend light mis-strikes in, but be warned that this does subtly change the surface of the leather and will possibly be made even more noticeable with dyeing; especially antiquing which is designed to show up irregularities of the leather’s surface.

To be honest, unless you are going to attempt to re-cut your line and completely re-bevel it, I would leave the mis-strike as it is. These things happen, it’s not a flaw, it’s a design feature.

Additional Tip

If you do find that you are leaving minor tool impressions behind, it can be beneficial to run the beveller back over your work, using a firm, regular pressure to help smooth them out before you continue on with the next section. Alternatively, once all the bevelling has been done you can go over the entire thing with the ‘spoon’ end of a stylus. In much the same way, using the smooth back of it to even out any marks, though if it is in an area you will later be backgrounding it’s not really necessary; the textured background will hide the majority of marks made by a beveller. This is only tip is only really relevant to smooth bevelling.

Backgrounder

The strikes required will be generally heavier that for bevelling but other than that the method for holding the tool is the same. Likewise the aim is, as far as possible, not to leave individual tool marks but a evenly textured surface; remember, it is easier to blend in a lighter area by going over it again but the only way to blend in a single heavy hit it to go over everything to match it.

As you will be covering a block area rather than following a single line there often won’t be a cut line to follow, unlike bevelling. This generally means that it is worth cultivating the ‘hovering’ action of the tool, holding and returning it to a point just above the surface of the leather after each strike. In this manner you are freer to move your hand to influence the area of effect.

Whilst this can take a measure of control that may take time to acquire, it’s not always important to be neat and ordered when backgrounding. In fact there are times when having a much more random movement can actually be beneficial. Generally if you are filling in a small area it can be worth following the bevelled perimeter and gradually work your way inwards.

For larger areas, or when you are fading the background effect out to the surface of the leather then small circular, or more random, movements can give you a better overall effect; it is also more likely to blend in any accidental individual tool marks.

Pear Shader

Pear shaders are held the same way as the previous tools but perhaps with a slightly stronger grip. This will enable you to smoothly move the tool over the surface of the leather as there are generally no cuts to guide you; though many designs may allow for a light dotted line to show roughly where to shade (see Tracing).

Strike strength will vary greatly depending on how deep a depression you wish to make. Remember the larger the surface area of the tool the harder the strike will need to be to make a significant impression and vice versa.

It can be used with just a single hit, or a series of strikes, gradually becoming softer as you move the tool. Due to its convex shape it is far less likely to leave a distinct edge to the tool mark, it can be easily blended in to the regular finish of the leather due to the smoothness with which it can be glided over the surface.

With textured shaders you don’t get the same glide and so must hover the tool to move it smoothly. There is no real right or wrong way to use a shader so experiment away. You can create some fantastic undulating textures just by randomly moving it about, gliding it along or even twisting it in your grip as you strike.

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Basic Tools

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

It is worth mentioning now that your choice of tools should be primarily one of comfort and not cost. You can have the most expensive, top brand maul, but if you are more comfortable using a cheap wooden mallet then the chances are that it is with the cheap mallet that you’ll produce your best work. It may sound like a load of hippy nonsense, but it is the simple truth that when working with a natural medium, be it leather, wood, whatever, the quality of your work will be very much reflective of the ‘feel’ you have with the medium you are using. Such sensitivity is greatly enhanced by familiar and comfortable tools. That said, there are times when the quality of your tools will help and they will often tend to be easier to use.

Contents

- 1 Swivel Knives

- 1.1 Metal

- 1.2 Ceramic

- 1.3 Blade shape

- 2 Mallets

- 2.1 Wooden

- 2.2 Rawhide

- 2.3 Nylon or Polymer

- 3 Beveller

- 3.1 Where to Use

- 4 Backgrounder

- 4.1 Where to Use

- 5 Pear Shader

- 5.1 Where to Use

Swivel Knives

Unique to leather tooling, a swivel knife is essential. It comes in two parts, the main barrel of the knife itself and an interchangeable blade.

The barrel is definitely a matter for comfort as its action is quite unlike anything you’ve probably ever used before. The two main areas for consideration are the finger rest and the ease at which it will turn. The former is most important as the latter can generally be made acceptable with a tiny drop of oil. However, if the height of the rest is incorrect for you then you will find using the knife either becoming rapidly tiresome and a strain, or you will be unable to exert enough pressure with enough control to make a reasonable cut.

There are no magic formulae for how high the rest should be in comparison to your hand size, it’s a purely personal thing that you will only really be able to judge through use. Therefore it can be wise to invest in one with an adjustable rest and simply fiddle with it until it’s comfortable. If you are lucky enough to have one included within a starter kit that is at the correct height for you, but is an uncomfortable shape then try covering it. Anything from a piece of foam and gaffa tape, to a couple of plasters, if it works for you, it’s all good.

The blades for swivel knives however are an excellent example of where more expensive can often prove to be a wise investment. In most starter kits the blade included is somewhat broad, chunky and it is simply physically impossible to create a fine and intricate cut with it, no matter how good you are. Investing in a good quality fine blade will enhance your initial cuts, and therefore the resulting work.

Metal

There are a number of precision ground metal blades available that suit most, if not all, situations; from broad flat blades to angled blades for finer detailed work. One thing they all share in common is that they will need to be kept in good condition, regularly stropped and honed to continue providing you with a clean cut.

Ceramic

Relatively expensive, ceramic blades are generally found in almost as wide a range as metal ones. Their main advantage is that they keep a keen edge, do not need to be honed, and barely need to be stropped either. Their disadvantage is in the fact that they are somewhat brittle and so are far more likely to chip or break if knocked against something hard or dropped. When I first started tooling, I bought my first ceramic blade on the second day, and then I dropped it five years later and had to buy another one; I’ve used that almost exclusively now for well over a decade! I’ve never needed to sharpen it, and probably even only strop it once a year, if I remember!

Blade shape

If you are unlikely to be carving or tooling fine, intricate shapes or very small or tight curves then a straight blade will most likely suffice. They do require the swivel knife to be held at a greater angle (rather than almost perpendicular for angled ones) so as to cut with the corner of the blade and this is generally what makes tight curves somewhat more difficult to achieve cleanly. Often they are also slightly thicker and are therefore capable of giving a wider cut. This gives them slightly more versatility when it comes to carving accents.

Angled blades taper to a point that enables far more intricate and fine cuts to be made. If you are considering complex knot-work, small designs, tight curves or even more pictorial carving then this is probably a more versatile blade to invest in.

Though this is a somewhat specialised blade, the ability for it to provide consistent, even parallel cuts can be an incredible time saver, especially for very fine knot-work or flora, leaf stems etc.

Mallets

Well, technically there are hammers, mallets and mauls, though generally it isn’t advisable to use a metal hammer when tooling leather for two reasons. Firstly and most importantly, they give a very sharp strike and therefore it is more difficult to gauge the feedback from the leather. Secondly, the tools are generally made from softer alloys than metal hammers and so will deform if used with them, though this in itself isn’t necessarily much of an issue.

The difference between a mallet and a maul is basically in the shape of the head. A mallet will give you a flat striking surface and a maul has a curved one. Mauls are also generally found in heavier weights than mallets. There is no real right or wrong time to use one of the other, though you can get a greater range of strikes (by using the curve to deflect some of the force) from a maul that you can from a mallet. However, their use can be something of an acquired skill and to be honest it’s not one I’ve even felt that comfortable with so I only use a mallet. As with so much of leatherworking, it’s personal preference so if possible, try before you buy.

Wooden

Most of the starter kits you can buy will come with a simple wooden mallet. There is nothing wrong with this and if you prefer a lighter weight you may find you want to stick with it for tooling purposes. However, they are not very durable (the surface of the head can easily become damaged, so it is recommended you get an alternative for setting and any embossing, both of which are likely to require firmer strikes.

Rawhide

Usually relatively heavy, rawhide mallets can be a good alternative to wooden ones and are also more durable. The face will degrade over time but can take a lot more punishment that a wooden mallet. They can give quite a sharp strike with a fair bit of bounce to it that can be harder to control, but this does soften as the head becomes more worn in.

Nylon or Polymer

This is where the greatest range can be found. From relatively cheap, medium weight mallets to top of the range, weighted and balanced mallets and mauls. The heads themselves can be found in differing densities, and therefore give differing levels of bounce and feedback; generally the harder they are the more durable but also the more bounce-back you get. The main advantage I’ve found with poly-headed mallets is that even as the head is damaged with use, the feedback you receive from each strike remains fairly constant. Due to this I’m still using the same mallet that I bought over fifteen years ago and it still feels the same to work with as it did back then (or at the very least it has changed so imperceptibly over the years that I’ve grown used to it).

Beveller

Of the three most basic tooling skills of bevelling, backgrounding and shading, bevelling is probably the most used of all. Additionally good bevelling can really lift the quality of a piece of work so it is a skill worth taking the time to practice with. Like many ‘tooling’ tools bevellers come in a number of variations, both in size and those with a smooth or textured face and each has a very slightly different way of being used. Generally the smaller the tool the easier it can be driven into the leather and so will possibly need a lighter strike, the broader the tool, the harder the strike. Most basic sets will contain a medium sized beveller, though if it is one with a textured face I would recommend getting a smooth faced one too as it is such as essential and versatile tool. Additionally once you’ve mastered a smooth beveller then the transition to a textured one is easier than the other way round.

Where to Use

The simple answer to this is almost everywhere! Creating borders, lifting a design or ‘raising’ a section, as a prelude to background shading, creating the illusion of an overlap (essential when tooling knot-work), all are achieved with bevelling. The general rule of thumb is to bevel on the outside of a design, or on the side of a line where you would wish a ‘shadow’ to form. The more artistic the design, the more difficult it can be to judge which side to bevel on, but both practice and/or frequent checking back to reference material will help.

If you wish to background shade an area, it can be useful to bevel on that side of the line as it will provide you with a cleaner edge.

Backgrounder

Like bevellers, backgrounders come in a variety of sizes and a wide range of textures. The most basic and oft used is a simple cross-hatched, diamond texture, but you can get some quite random ones; even a pebble effect. Regardless of the face, the manner in which they are used is the same, with the same prevision as bevellers regarding surface size in relation to strike strength.

Where to Use

Generally the point of these tools is to evenly reduce the overall surface area of a section, thereby effectively ‘lifting’ the remainder of the design. Most commonly they are used evenly within small enclosed sections of a design, for example within the lines of Celtic knot-work. However, they can be used on the edge of a design, gradually fading out by using lighter and lighter strikes, to blend in with the smooth leather surface.

Pear Shader

Yet again, like bevellers, pear shaders are available in a variety of sizes and with either a smooth or textured face. For the same reason as the beveller this is another tool I would recommend getting in a smooth face as well if your initial kit only contains a textured one. The smooth face will allow for a good glide over the leather whereas a textured one will require a certain amount of hovering.

Where to Use

This is a very versatile tool that can quickly and easily give a real tactile lift to a piece. On plain VegTan which bruises (shows a darker colour) under impact this tool can literally shade your work. Though this effect is lost with most dyeing techniques the impressions they make, smooth depressions and channels, can make a piece just beg to have you run your fingers over it. Often used on American western saddles and tack to give a sense of curvature to floral carving, it can do similar and lends itself very well to heraldic designs and scroll work.

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Basileus Kade

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Autumn

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Autumn

Sobriquets

Known as the Sovereign Lord of Locks, Basileus Kade is the master of intrigue, espionage and brutal power plays.

While he sometimes appears in female or monstrous guise, Basileus Kade is generally referred to with masculine pronouns, He is sometimes known as the Patron of Spies and Traitors due to his role in keeping people's secrets. Kade is dubbed Prince of the Black Vaults, in recognition of the role that espionage and military defence play in his realm - and of the oubliettes to which those who fail or displease him are consigned.

He is also known as the Keeper of the Weir, due to his interest in fleets and sea trade and to the great canals that run like a web through his Eternal city. A mistake over the nature of Eternal politics had him known as Nightbane due to the belief that his role in keeping secrets secure put him in direct opposition to the eternals of Night and Sadogua in particular; more correctly he has a great deal of interest in extending his influence to include the Eternals of other Realms, especially those of the Whisper Gallery.

Appearance

Basileus Kade has three distinct forms, and swaps between them as he wishes. Most commonly he appears to be a powerfully built man dressed in the well-tailored clothes of a professional of some kind. He also appears as a striking woman, dressed in less formal attire, and sometimes presenting himself as Basileus Cadence, the wife of Basileus Kade. Those who go along with this charade often find the Eternal to be a more generous and gregarious host - although whether this is an act or a consequence of the supernatural bonds involved in taking on a role, scholars are unclear.

The also appears as the Beast of the Locks; a monstrous horned creature reserved for the darkest of Kade's moods. He often wears the tattered remains of a fine suit of clothing, and while he rarely carries a weapon in his other guises, as the Beast he may wield a brutal double-edged gladius and a main gauche. When he is encountered in this form Kade is at his most dangerous. All pretence of civilisation is abandoned, and he appears entirely consumed with the ruthless application of power to achieve one's goals. All the scholars agree - deal with the Beast of Locks extremely carefully.

Regardless of form, he wears discreet yet obviously valuable jewelery to reinforce his appearance as a man of station. Regardless of his attire, he always wears a belt with a lock and set of chains chains worn over the buckle. His demeanour is that of a stern disciplinarian, direct talking, decisive and intimidating. However else he appears, Kade is always wealthy, powerful and in control.

It is not common for an Autumn Eternal to change shape so freely, and scholars of the Eternals theorize that he has access to an item of power, possibly a mask or the belt of locks he wears at all times - a tool that helps to keep those he deals with uncertain and off-balance.

Kade never appears alone. He may remain aloof, allowing his heralds to do the talking for him (especially when he is in the guise of the Beast of the Locks). Other times he plays the gracious host, entertaining his guests with conversation and fine food - but a guest should never forget that this creature is a being of intrigue and power, and that very little he says or does should be taken at face value.

Concerns

Ultimately, Kade is manifestation of raw, naked ambition and control, He is a power-monger, a figure who decides who will prosper and who will be ruined within his domain. Everything has a place within his grand scheme, and the world is divided into those who support him, and those who are yet to support him.

In his own realm, Kade is concerned with the never ending politics of the charter houses of the City of Locks. These brutal displays of dog-eat-dog politics are continuous and never ending, as the citizens constantly vie for the blessing of their Lord Sovereign. These concerns inevitably spill over into the temporal realm and into the Empire. Kade encourages the charter houses to look for sources of power and influence outside of the Realm of Autumn to give them an advantage in their constant competition against each other.

Kade is always reaching outwards, looking to extend his influence from his centre of power to envelop and encompass everything else. In this regard, he embodies the idea of trade as a tool of control, and many of his Heralds function as both traders and spies; gathering intelligence that can be used to extend the power of both Kade and the City of Locks.

While the enmity between Kade and the Night Eternal Sadogua is a myth, the Lord of Locks has spent an eternity attempting to master and harness the Eternals of the Whisper Gallery. Unfortunately, he believes that every action taken to achieve this goal increases the chances of Basileus' own secrets being used against him by the Whisper Gallery. He engages in convoluted schemes to bring them under his control, but dearly wishes to know precisely what they know about him. His goals are further hampered by the various problems that trying to exert influence over the Eternals of another Realm present to the Autumnal lord; not least the fact that while he understands the power of secrets to blackmail and influence others, he cannot really comprehend the more mystical and philosophical concepts in the way the Night eternals do. For their part, the Night eternals pretend to neither know nor care about Basileus Kade, and this drives him to distraction - he cannot fathom their wider plans, and until he can understand them he cannot influence them.

Boons

Kade gathers secrets; not mystical secrets like the Eternals of Night, but the secrets gathered by spies and agents who watch and record what the people around them are doing. He spreads his influence by influencing those who seek influence and control over those around them - anyone could become a node in his web of power and control. He helps those who want to protect their investments, build on the assets and alliances and increase their share of whatever market they are competing in - all the time ensuring that he increases his own share of that market through the person he is aiding. Magicians prepared to make a strong deal, and willing to accept the risks of a continuously changing foreign and possibly alien market can get access to the incredible resources and assets in the halls and vaults of the City of Locks.

Kade encourages his Heralds to make deals with magicians, and those who are clever enough can reap great rewards; but they must be careful not be crushed by the rapidly changing politics of the city. This is especially true when you consider that the magician will not be able to directly get involved in the management of any assets they gain in the city and will have to trust that the Charter House will protect their interests. The most common way of achieving this goal is to have plenty of resources to draw on in the Empire to be used as capital, and to ensure that any agreements are carefully worded. The representatives of the Charter Houses will never break the word of a contract, but they have no regard for the 'spirit' of an agreement - only the actual words on the paper.

Those dealing with Kade should take care to remember that trade is not his primary goal; it is a means to increasing his power and control over the world. While some Autumn Eternals engage in trade for the love of the deal and its subtleties, ultimately Kade is concerned only with power over others. Playing the game with the Sovereign Lord of Locks is not for the faint hearted, and although the rewards are great, the possibility of the Lictors - or worse - collecting on debts owed cannot be ignored.

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Bastion

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Bastion

- 3.2 Sybela

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Bastion Rounds

- 4.2 The Elms

- 4.3 Stoneside

- 4.4 Sybella Cross

- 4.5 Woodbury

Overview

Bastion is the heart of the Highborn nation. The beautiful rolling plains are dotted with woodlands and carefully maintained parks, and with great stone chapterhouses that date back to the first years of the Revelation.

Recent History

Many refugees from Reikos have made new homes in Bastion.

Major Features

Bastion

The sacred city of Bastion, the White City, is a marvel of marble and mosaic. Even her enemies cannot deny her magnificence – the white marble domes and towers raised up to the demonstrate the glory of a virtuous life, the roads trodden smooth by the footsteps of countless philosophers, warriors and pilgrims. More garden than city, the skyline is dominated by the tall spires and elegant architecture of the huge chapterhouses. The entire city has been expressly designed as a monument to the devotion of the Highborn. When the Imperial Synod recognizes a paragon or exemplar, then a new basilica is constructed here to celebrate their life and deeds.

Few Highborn dwell here permanently but most important folk make a pilgrimage once every year. Every chapter maintains a hostel in the great city, to serve as a dwelling for members who visit. The wealthiest and most powerful Highborn often possess their own residence here.

Sybela

A small trading town where goods from local farms are sold, Sybela boasts an unusually large number of inns, since it acts as a crossroads for travel between Highguard, the League, Urizen and Dawn. It’s a key stopping point on the pilgrim routes to Highguard. For some, the journey is an important as the destination and Sybela is one place where pilgrims meet, and join together to travel through the still-dangerous lands between the civilised places of the world.

By order of the Imperial Senate, in early 377YE a series of watchtowers and fortified inns were constructed around Sybela following an increase in bandity. The works were overseen by Bridget Eastville (senator for Mitwold) as part of a larger plan to provide protection to towns throughout the Empire. While the defences are not sufficient to qualify Sybela as a fortification, they have already helped reduce brigandry throughout the territory.

Regions

Bastion Rounds

The Elms

Stoneside

Sybella Cross

Woodbury

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Battle Anthem

Lyrics by Daisy and Jude. The tune is very roughly based on Debochadan by Severa Nazarkhan, from her album Sen.

It is said that the nine declarations made in this Empire battle anthem each refer to one of the nine Imperial nations. Which one is which is, however, a matter of much debate...

A pdf of the lyrics and the tune can be found here.

RECORDING of this song : Media:battle-anthem.mp3

Harmonies as taught by Daisy (don't completely match the recording).

Transcription of above for lower voices and instruments by Bill Lewis:

- Media:Empire_Battle_Anthem_-_Voice.pdf‎

- Media:Empire_Battle_Anthem_-_Guitar.pdf‎

- Media:Empire_Battle_Anthem_-_Violin.pdf‎

- Media:Empire_Battle_Anthem_-_Bass.pdf‎

I am the spear that's swift to strike in anger I am the shield that turns all foes away I am the walls raised high against the darkness Standing fast until the day.

One voice, one people and one Empire One throne and one loyalty One will to drive us ever onward One glorious destiny!

I am the iron quarried from the mountains Forged in fire till only steel remains I am the wind that gives the Empire breath and life I am the quick blood in its veins.

One voice, one people and one Empire One throne and one loyalty One will to drive us ever onward One glorious destiny!

I am the flame that burns inside the Empire's heart I am the earth's great bones, steadfast and sure I am the bonds that hold us fast in fellowship That forever will endure

One voice, one people and one Empire One throne and one loyalty One will to drive us ever onward One glorious destiny!

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Battlefield ritual

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Rules

- 3 The Coven Bond

- 4 Anvil

- 5 Ritual list

- 5.1 Spring

- 5.2 Summer

- 5.3 Autumn

- 5.4 Winter

- 5.5 Day

- 5.6 Night

- 6 OOC reasoning

- 7 Further Reading

Overview

Rituals require a referee to be present when they are cast, but finding a referee who is free on a battlefield can be extremely difficult to do. This significantly impacts on the effectiveness of several rituals which are explicitly designed to be cast in battle. To make it easier for players to perform these rituals, there is a special set of rules that apply to these battlefield rituals, allowing them to be cast without a ref.

Rules

- On the battlefield, you may cast certain rituals without the presence of a referee

- Be sure you understand the effects and limitations of the ritual

- Rip any mana crystals you have used on completing the ritual

- You must do your best not to exceed the ritual uses per day available to your coven

- After leaving the battlefield, report all rituals you have cast to a referee

- If you wish to cast any other rituals on the battlefield, please inform a referee as early as possible on the day of the battle

If you are casting one of the listed battlefield rituals then you may do so without waiting to get a referee. Calculate the mana cost and perform the ritual, ripping the appropriate number of mana crystal cards at the conclusion of your roleplaying. Brief all targets on the effect once the ritual is complete. Please try your best to remember the number of targets and the mana cost you have paid.

Not all of these rituals work exactly as you may expect. Last Breath Echoes, for example, would be an excellent tool for covering up a murder if it didn't require a willing target, while Blood of the Hydra targets limbs, not characters. If you are planning to cast a battlefield ritual then you must make sure that you fully understand the rules for that ritual. It is well worth checking your understanding with a referee before the battle if you are performing a battlefield ritual for the first time.

There are usually a number of referees available after the battle is over. Find a referee and report all the battlefield rituals you have cast so that they can log them.

These rules only apply to the battlefield rituals listed below; if you wish to cast any other ritual on a battlefield you will need to make sure you have a referee present as normal. This is most likely to happen if you try and inform a referee of your intentions as early as possible on the day of the battle.

The Coven Bond

- A coven may only perform a limited number of rituals together each day

- Make sure that everyone who is part of your coven is aware of how many rituals the coven has done that day

You must do your best not to use your coven bond more times per day than you are permitted under the rules. By default, you may perform two coven rituals per day. Make sure that you know before going on the battlefield how many times your coven may use their bond today. If you perform a coven ritual at which not all coven members are present, ensure that absent members are updated OOC when next you meet them.

Anvil

Please find a referee, as usual for ritual casting, if you wish to cast any of these rituals in Anvil. If the situation is genuinely time-critical then you may cast them without a referee, as if you were on the battlefield. Such situations are expected to be uncommon on the main field.

Ritual list

The following rituals may be cast without a referee on the battlefield.

Spring

- Blood of the Hydra

- The Hands of Sacred Life

- Hearthfire Circle

- Rot's Rightful Claim

- Charge of the Rushing Wind

Summer

- Renewed Strength of the New Day

- Stout Resolve of the Unyielding

- Glorious Crown of Enchantment

Autumn

- The Anvil of Estavus

- The Blade Bites Back

- Imurrement of Leaden Chains

Winter

- Hungry Grasp of Despair

- Last Breath Echoes

Day

- Ascetic Star of Atun

- Cold Water from the Mountain

- Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis

Night

There are no night rituals that can be performed on the battlefield without a referee.

OOC reasoning

Referees can add a lot to rituals: they will check your maths, keep track of coven bonds, and look up details of the rules while you get on with your ritual. They can tell you your wounds are closing themselves with bark rather than skin, curse you with illiteracy, or drop a Tulpa on your head. On the battlefield, though, there aren't yet enough referees to guarantee you get one to your Hands of Sacred Life before the targets have bled to death or been overrun by orcs. We are recruiting more refs but even if we manage to double the size of the referee team, that would still be the case: there are a lot of ritualists, and the woods are large. The benefits of having a ref present for a ritual are outweighed, in these cases, by the fact that requiring their presence makes the ritual useless.

There are other rituals that are useful on the battlefield, but are not on this list; Rising Roots that Rend Stone needs a referee (probably grinning, and holding the trigger for a pyro) to handle the effect, for example. The rituals on this list are here because the cost of going and getting a referee in a battle outweighs the benefit of having a referee present when it is cast.

Further Reading

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

- Battlefield Rituals

- Enchantments

- Curses

- Ilium

- Magic Items

- Herbs & Potions

- Cosmology

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Battlefield_ritual&oldid=32831"

Battlefield ritual (Redirected from Battlefield Ritual)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Rules

- 3 The Coven Bond

- 4 Anvil

- 5 Ritual list

- 5.1 Spring

- 5.2 Summer

- 5.3 Autumn

- 5.4 Winter

- 5.5 Day

- 5.6 Night

- 6 OOC reasoning

- 7 Further Reading

Overview

Rituals require a referee to be present when they are cast, but finding a referee who is free on a battlefield can be extremely difficult to do. This significantly impacts on the effectiveness of several rituals which are explicitly designed to be cast in battle. To make it easier for players to perform these rituals, there is a special set of rules that apply to these battlefield rituals, allowing them to be cast without a ref.

Rules

- On the battlefield, you may cast certain rituals without the presence of a referee

- Be sure you understand the effects and limitations of the ritual

- Rip any mana crystals you have used on completing the ritual

- You must do your best not to exceed the ritual uses per day available to your coven

- After leaving the battlefield, report all rituals you have cast to a referee

- If you wish to cast any other rituals on the battlefield, please inform a referee as early as possible on the day of the battle

If you are casting one of the listed battlefield rituals then you may do so without waiting to get a referee. Calculate the mana cost and perform the ritual, ripping the appropriate number of mana crystal cards at the conclusion of your roleplaying. Brief all targets on the effect once the ritual is complete. Please try your best to remember the number of targets and the mana cost you have paid.

Not all of these rituals work exactly as you may expect. Last Breath Echoes, for example, would be an excellent tool for covering up a murder if it didn't require a willing target, while Blood of the Hydra targets limbs, not characters. If you are planning to cast a battlefield ritual then you must make sure that you fully understand the rules for that ritual. It is well worth checking your understanding with a referee before the battle if you are performing a battlefield ritual for the first time.

There are usually a number of referees available after the battle is over. Find a referee and report all the battlefield rituals you have cast so that they can log them.

These rules only apply to the battlefield rituals listed below; if you wish to cast any other ritual on a battlefield you will need to make sure you have a referee present as normal. This is most likely to happen if you try and inform a referee of your intentions as early as possible on the day of the battle.

The Coven Bond

- A coven may only perform a limited number of rituals together each day

- Make sure that everyone who is part of your coven is aware of how many rituals the coven has done that day

You must do your best not to use your coven bond more times per day than you are permitted under the rules. By default, you may perform two coven rituals per day. Make sure that you know before going on the battlefield how many times your coven may use their bond today. If you perform a coven ritual at which not all coven members are present, ensure that absent members are updated OOC when next you meet them.

Anvil

Please find a referee, as usual for ritual casting, if you wish to cast any of these rituals in Anvil. If the situation is genuinely time-critical then you may cast them without a referee, as if you were on the battlefield. Such situations are expected to be uncommon on the main field.

Ritual list

The following rituals may be cast without a referee on the battlefield.

Spring

- Blood of the Hydra

- The Hands of Sacred Life

- Hearthfire Circle

- Rot's Rightful Claim

- Charge of the Rushing Wind

Summer

- Renewed Strength of the New Day

- Stout Resolve of the Unyielding

- Glorious Crown of Enchantment

Autumn

- The Anvil of Estavus

- The Blade Bites Back

- Imurrement of Leaden Chains

Winter

- Hungry Grasp of Despair

- Last Breath Echoes

Day

- Ascetic Star of Atun

- Cold Water from the Mountain

- Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis

Night

There are no night rituals that can be performed on the battlefield without a referee.

OOC reasoning

Referees can add a lot to rituals: they will check your maths, keep track of coven bonds, and look up details of the rules while you get on with your ritual. They can tell you your wounds are closing themselves with bark rather than skin, curse you with illiteracy, or drop a Tulpa on your head. On the battlefield, though, there aren't yet enough referees to guarantee you get one to your Hands of Sacred Life before the targets have bled to death or been overrun by orcs. We are recruiting more refs but even if we manage to double the size of the referee team, that would still be the case: there are a lot of ritualists, and the woods are large. The benefits of having a ref present for a ritual are outweighed, in these cases, by the fact that requiring their presence makes the ritual useless.

There are other rituals that are useful on the battlefield, but are not on this list; Rising Roots that Rend Stone needs a referee (probably grinning, and holding the trigger for a pyro) to handle the effect, for example. The rituals on this list are here because the cost of going and getting a referee in a battle outweighs the benefit of having a referee present when it is cast.

Further Reading

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

- Battlefield Rituals

- Enchantments

- Curses

- Ilium

- Magic Items

- Herbs & Potions

- Cosmology

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Battlefield_ritual&oldid=32831"

Battlefield Rituals

- On the battlefield, you may cast certain rituals without the presence of a referee

- Be sure you understand the effects and limitations of the ritual

- Rip any mana crystals you have used on completing the ritual

- You must do your best not to exceed the ritual uses per day available to your coven

- After leaving the battlefield, report all rituals you have cast to a referee

- If you wish to cast any other rituals on the battlefield, please inform a referee as early as possible on the day of the battle

Many rituals do not require a referee to cast on the battlefield. If you wish to cast one of these, do not spend any time or effort looking for a referee. Calculate the mana cost and perform the ritual, ripping the appropriate number of mana crystal cards at the conclusion of your roleplaying. Brief all targets on the effect once the ritual is complete. Record or remember the number of targets and the mana cost you have paid.

Not all of these rituals work exactly as you may expect. Last Breath Echoes, for example, would be an excellent tool for covering up a murder if it didn't require a willing target, while Blood of the Hydra targets limbs, not characters. Make sure you fully understand the rules for the ritual, as opposed to the outcome you desire or the rules that make most sense, before casting these rituals. If in doubt, find a referee, ideally before the battle.

Contents

- 1 The Coven Bond

- 2 Enchantments

- 3 After the battle

- 4 Off the battlefield

- 5 Ritual list

- 5.1 Spring

- 5.2 Summer

- 5.3 Autumn

- 5.4 Winter

- 5.5 Day

- 5.6 Night

- 6 OOC reasoning

The Coven Bond

You must do your best not to use your coven bond more times per day than you are permitted under the rules. By default, you may perform two coven rituals per day. Make sure that you know before going on the battlefield how many times your coven may use their bond today. If you perform a coven ritual at which not all coven members are present, ensure that absent members are updated OOC when next you meet them. If members of your coven attempt to perform a coven ritual and you are aware that you have exhausted the coven bond for the day, inform them of this OOC.

Enchantments

Some of these rituals (indicated with an asterisk (*) in the list below) create an enchantment on their targets. This will overwrite any previous enchantment on that character. Ensure that you brief the target on this, in addition to the enchantment's effect. To ensure that Profound Decisions apply this to the correct character, please record or remember at least two of the target's CID, character name, and player name when casting one of these rituals.

Many enchantments last until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the target participates in. If these are cast on the battlefield, they last until the end of the current battle, skirmish or quest: the enchantment will wear off when you return to Anvil through the Sentinel Gate, assuming your character is lucky enough to make it out.

After the battle

After you have left the battlefield, please find a referee and inform them of any rituals you have cast, the number of targets, the mana cost paid, whether you used your coven bond, and in the case of rituals that create enchantments the identity of the targets. Please do not do this on the battlefield.

Off the battlefield

Please find a referee, as usual for ritual casting, if you wish to cast any of these rituals on the main field. If the situation becomes time-critical, you may cast them without a referee, as if you were on the battlefield. Such situations are expected to be uncommon on the main field.

Ritual list

The following rituals may be cast without a referee on the battlefield. Rituals marked with an asterisk (*) create an enchantment. You must record the target's identity for rituals which create an enchantment.

Spring

- Blood of the Hydra

- The Hands of Sacred Life

- Hearthfire Circle

- Call Down Lightning's Wrath *

- Rot's Rightful Claim

- Charge of the Rushing Wind

Summer

- Renewed Strength of the New Day

- The Hammer of Thunder *

- The Leaping Hare *

- The Swan's Cruel Wing *

- Stout Resolve of the Unyielding

- The Sound of Drums *

- Glorious Crown of Enchantment

Autumn

- The Anvil of Estavus

- The Blade Bites Back

- Imurrement of Leaden Chains

Winter

- Crumbling Flesh and Withering Limbs *

- Hungry Grasp of Despair

- Unyielding Constitution *

- Last Breath Echoes

Day

- Ascetic Star of Atun

- Horizon's Razor Edge *

- Cold Water from the Mountain

- Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis

Night

This section intentionally left blank.

OOC reasoning

Referees can add a lot to rituals: they can check your maths, keep track of coven bonds, and look up details of the rules while you get on with your ritual. They can tell you your wounds are closing themselves with bark rather than skin, curse you with illiteracy, or drop a Tulpa on your head. On the battlefield, though, there aren't enough referees to guarantee you get one to your Hands of Sacred Life before the targets have bled to death or been overrun by orcs. Even if the size of the referee team doubled, that would still be the case: there are a lot of ritualists, and the woods are large. The potential benefits of having a ref present for a ritual are outweighed, in these cases, by the fact that requiring their presence makes the ritual useless.

Some of the rituals on this list are of pretty questionable use on the battlefield, but if you want to refresh your Swan's Cruel Wing because you've used its cleave for today, it's your mana: knock yourself out. A lot of other rituals are useful on the battlefield, but not on this list; Rising Roots that Rend Stone needs a referee (probably grinning, and holding the trigger for a pyro) to handle the effect, for example. The rituals on this list are here because the cost of going and getting a referee in a battle outweighs the benefit of having a referee at the ritual.

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Battle safety

Health and Safety in battles

It is the responsibility of everyone taking part in a battle to consider their own safety and that of the participants around them. All participants in battles should adhere to the instructions of referees and other members of crew, who have your safety and enjoyment as their primary consideration. The following are points that all participants should bear in mind when taking part in combat activities at Profound Decisions events:

- Hydration: You should endeavour to bring water with you onto a battlefield and take on more water during lulls in fighting.

- Trip hazards: When fighting you have a better view of the ground behind your opponent than they do, you should under no account deliberately push opponents over obstacles in order to gain an IC advantage, OOC safety always comes first.

- Exhaustion: Battles are stenuous physical activities, you should endeavour to fight within your limits and take breaks where needed to avoid over-exerting yourself.

- Footwear: Battles at Empire events primarily take place in woods, you should strongly consider sensible supportive footwear for taking part in battles

- Suncream: While the woods do provide cover from the sun, some battles will occur on hot days and you should therefore prepare appropriately.

Man Down procedure for battles

While anyone can call a Man Down, it should only be done with the belief that an actual injury has occurred, not simply because someone has fallen over.

Under no account should you use the call 'Man Down' to indicate an IC injury of attract the attention of healers or physicks. Man Down is solely to be used to indicate a suspected Real Life injury

If players or crew believe there is a ‘man down’ incident in their area, they should:

- Stop fighting

- Kneel down

Players should not spread the call wider than the immediate area of the incident, this is to ensure the battle can continue to flow, and the appropriate crew can get to the location.

Man Downs remain localised until called battle-wide by the battle manager. This will be indicated by repeated blasts with a whistle, and passed on over the radio. Referees in the vicinity of the incident should remain standing and raise their yellow cloth to assist medics and other crew to reach the incident. Depending on the severity of the injury, referees may keep the area timed out until it’s resolved, or move players away from the incident and resume fighting in the area by calling ‘time in’, this will be done with a ‘3, 2, 1, TIME IN’ call after all participants are repositioned.

In minor incidents, such as displaced glasses, Imperial and Barbarian players in the area should use the common sense practise of stopping fighting, assisting the recovery of the glasses and then continuing from where they were.

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Battlesmith's Panoply

Description

A Battlesmith's Panoply is a powerful suit of mage armour, granting both increased arcane power and durability. In Urizen, where it is commonly called the Warlock's Net, it is said that this mage armour allows any mage to go into a battle unformed, focusing their strengths where they are most needed, being free to adapt and flow as their needs change. In Wintermark, a runesmith wearing a battlesmith's panoply is often said to have forged himself for nothing but war, and that those who bond to such an item make a powerful fork in their skein.

These potent forms of mage armour are commonly brightly coloured, with multiple shades created by the extensive use of iridescent gloaming dye, orichalcum and weltsilver threads and the polished and subtly shaded ambergelt inlays used in their construction. It often bears both of the runes Jotra and Wyr.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour, you gain two additional personal mana and two additional ranks of endurance.

- Materials: Crafting a Battlesmith's Panoply requires eleven measures of iridescent gloaming, nine measures of ambergelt, eight ingots of green iron five measures of beggar's lye, eleven ingots of orichalcum and nine ingots of weltsilver. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"How does it work? Hard to explain to somebody without the gift of magic - no offence." Tacitus sipped his pale blue wine thoughtfully.

"Here. Take a knight." His hand rested absently for a moment on one of his pieces, almost stroking it. "He puts on his armour a piece at a time until he's all covered up, head-to-toe. Look at him and what do you see? A man, a man wearing armour. Two things, connected but distinct."

His hand drifted away again. He looked into the middle distance for a moment, twisting the stem of his glass.

"Look at me in my panoply and you're seeing one thing, not two. They've put their armour on, I've become mine."

He looked across the table at his opponent, his eyes hooded . Then shrugged and a smile spread across his face as he picked up one of his pieces and moved it emphatically to a new position.

"I can't make it any plainer than that."

The other player frowned down at the board and asked a question designed to distract the magician as much as elicit an answer.

"What? No! Of course it's not controlling me, any more than your arm is controlling you. It's more like... it magnifies you, makes you more of yourself." He laughed then. "It's easy to get cocky when you're new to it. You'll find a fair few of us who are superstitious about wearing somebody else's panoply - no telling what bad habits it could pass on..."

His brow creased then, just for a moment; but his opponent's attention was focused on the board between them and his frown passed unnoticed.

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Bear Claws

Description

Often crafted in the form of two one-handed axes, these destructive weapons are equally effective at tearing a shield apart and smashing the haft of a pike or polearm. Kallavesi artisans devised these blades to allow warriors to mimic more closely great predatory beasts and thus more readily draw upon their power and courage. Although Bear Claws are the common styles, others are known as Wolf Claws, Eagle Claws or even Boar Tusks and are usually wielded with the appropriate mask.

These weapons are also popular in Varushka, where their power to splinter wood is appreciated in logging as well as in battle. Known as Felling Hatchets, bearing these weapons is sometimes seen as a sign that the wielder intends to battle human or at least human-like foes who carry weapons and shields, rather than Wolves or animals.

They are a popular weapon with a certain foreign nation, where they are often crafted as sickles or curved swords and called Twin Moon Blades.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of two one-handed weapons.

- Requirement: You must have the ambidexterity skill to bond to these items.

- Effect: You can call SHATTER against an item you hit with both weapons simultaneously by spending a hero point.

- Materials: Crafting a set of bear claws requires eight ingots of tempest jade, seven measures of dragonbone and three ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make a pair of these items.

Twelve trolls toiled to tear and torment,

To beat bloody that bold and brutal bear,

Their crude cleavers its crushing claws did crumble,

And with spirited swipes their skin and substance sever,

Only one orge outlasted the onslaught to overwhelm,

And fell the fiercest foe found in frozen forests,

It stooped to skin the savage and in surprise it saw,

The hide a human hid, her heart that hairy hunter had haunted,

Its deepest daring drawn and damage dealth til death descended.

~ Excerpt from the Poems of the Scop Rakel Skein-spinner

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Before the Throne of Estavus

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets an opaque container.

Effects

When the ritual is performed, the ritualists put any number of ingots or measures of special materials in an opaque container. At the completion the contents disappear, presented to the factotum of Estavus, an Autumn eternal who is always hungry for raw materials from the mortal realm.

It will take at least an hour for anything to happen, potentially longer. After this time, when the box is opened, it will contain a single pouch of ashes from the fire-mountain Shikal for every five ingots or measures of raw materials offered in tribute.

Each pouch of ash can be used as part of an Autumn ritual as if it were up to three crystals of mana. All the ashes in a pouch are consumed regardless of how much is needed, but the pouch can be passed among multiple magicians who are contributing to the ritual if desired.

The ashes have no use in spellcasting, or in the rituals of other realms.

Description

The Eternal Estavus, called the Forgemistress, is always hungry for rare materials from the mortal realm. This ritual represents a binding covenant between the Eternal and mortal magicians - in return for the raw materials she desires, she provides them with the magical ashes which she has in abundance. The ashes are only useful for Autumn rituals, but they allow a coven with a surfeit of special materials to convert their surplus into additional ritual power.

The ritual becomes more economical the more ingots are transferred at once, and unlike similar rituals the magnitude does not increase as the number of materials transferred increases. Before he became interested in the Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court ritual, the Freeborn scholar Serval i Riqueza of the Unfettered Mind spent a year (and a small fortune in ingots from his family's green iron mine) exploring the way this ritual worked. He concluded that, like Missive for Sadogua, the ritual could theoretically have been designed at a lower magnitude if its only purpose was to send materials to an Eternal. He theorised that the additional magnitude existed to ensure a small 'profit' for Estavus, but that without the extra magnitude the exchange would not be binding - the Autumn Eternal would be free to simply take the ingots or measures and provide nothing in return. The additional mana and magnitude make the ritual a 'formal' exchange. He also commented in his footnotes that he appreciated the symmetry that a pouch of the ashes of Shikal was exactly sufficient to allow a single casting of this ritual, and mused that this was probably not a coincidence.

Some magicians dislike the overtones of submission in the name of this ritual, and prefer to call it The Slopes of Mount Shikal.

Common Elements

A box or sack, often of rare woods. fine silk or velvet, is the obvious focus used with this ritual, The container is often inscribed with the rune Lann, or with symbols of weights and scales. Ink and parchment may be used to write down the exact contents of the box and the expected return in pouches of ashes, and transferred along with the ingots. Often the ritualists weigh and measure the ingots carefully before they place them in the container, to ensure that everything is above board.

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Beneath the Skin

By Leslie Snow youtube version

Children playing in the snow Further out than they should go, Saw a stranger walking near – Never stopped to think or fear.

CHORUS Hair like snow, eyes that gleam, Things aren’t always what they seem. Teeth too long, hands too thin – Always look beneath the skin!

Greetings children, the woman said, It’s so cold, I’m chilled near dead, Where’s your camp and family, too? Won’t you take me home with you?

CHORUS

Long white hair and eyes like ice, She spoke so fair she seemed so nice; Foolish children did not ask, Why she set them such a task.

CHORUS

They did not wait to find a guard, They led her straight to their own yard. They did not think to ask their kin, They brought her home and let her in.

CHORUS

And when she was well hid inside, Then she cast off her human hide. Her fangs grew long, her claws sprang free – A hungry fierce snow beast was she!

CHORUS

And all that night through every tent She stalked and slaughtered as she went. When the sun raised up his head, Half of all that tribe lay dead.

CHORUS

For pretty words and pretty whiles And pretty looks and pretty smiles – Those folks where slain and scattered all, Because they let their caution fall.

Hair like snow, eyes that gleam, Things aren’t always what they seem. Teeth too long, hands too thin – Always look beneath the skin! Always look beneath the skin!

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Benefactor

Had you not returned with a map of a shorter, safer, path through the Great Forest they would have called me a fool for funding your expedition as I did. Yet you are alive and have triumphed. I will ensure that this map will make us both rich and your Ambition and Courage are justly rewarded.

Lorkas the Benefactor

Overview

Benefactors operate a wide range of entreprenurial endeavours, whether this is a business that operates solely in the field, such as a place to eat, or through more infrastructure-based trade through downtime resources, such as mines. For most benefactors, wealth is not an end in itself but a means to fund and support the projects that truly interest the benefactor, a principle that even extends to the Imperial Bourse. A benefactor may take a less advantageous trade if it means that they have the resources they need for their desired project, though a benefactor that beggars themself may be seen as lacking Prosperity and Wisdom and not to be taken seriously.

Benefactors are not moneylenders, they do not lend money and charge interest. Instead they invest in people and projects, providing money to help fund something in the hope that all the participants can gain as a result. The Highborn believe that this is a more ethical way for those who have money to employ it, since the benefactor takes the risk alongside the people they choose to invest in.

Beyond purely monetary concerns, benefactors actively encourage people to make moral decisions when dealing with economics, discouraging the rapacious economic practices of other nations in favour of a virtuous approach to dealing. Benefactors believe that virtuous men and women set prices for things which are fair and buy and sell them accordingly. To do otherwise, to justify price gouging by citing market forces, is to abdicate responsibility for your own actions to an impartial and consequently immoral force. In the eyes of many Highborn this is equivalent to stealing food from a child “because nature made you hungry”.

There is no formal organization of benefactors, but some have been known to gather in co-operation, and many of them use the symbol of the unbalanced scales, the upper pannier containing coinage and the lower (heavier) pannier containing some symbol of morality or mankind such as a heart or a skull.

Creating a benefactor

A benefactor will have a means to support themselves, either through commerce at festival or through the season. They will also have one or more projects that interest them, and may feature in their chapter's creed, to which the benefactor's funds and resources are primarily directed. Groups of benefactors may collaborate on a project, and may even be part of a particularly commerce- or project-focussed chapter. Alternatively, they may come together with an intention of pooling resources that will collectively benefit individual projects or investments.

Examples of possible projects or Investments that may appeal to a benefactor:

- Supporting an individual or group in their political aspirations

- Providing material support to a chapter in living to its creed

- Outfitting and funding an expedition to locate or obtain lost relics of Paragons

- Funding research into metaphysical lore around the Labyrinth of Ages

Playing a benefactor

The role of the benefactor can be found in various forms throughout various media. There are few adventurers and heroes who get very far without the means of a entrepreneur to aid them on their way. Examples include:

- Marcus Brody, who underwrote so many of Indiana Jones' adventures

- Professor Inkling, who funds and equips the Octonauts

- Squire Trelawny, who supported the expedition to Treasure Island

Though some of the examples above involve characters who play subordinate roles to the titular characters, the benefactor in Empire can be more of an equal partner and is rarely silent.

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Benefactor (Redirected from Benefactors)

Had you not returned with a map of a shorter, safer, path through the Great Forest they would have called me a fool for funding your expedition as I did. Yet you are alive and have triumphed. I will ensure that this map will make us both rich and your Ambition and Courage are justly rewarded.

Lorkas the Benefactor

Overview

Benefactors operate a wide range of entreprenurial endeavours, whether this is a business that operates solely in the field, such as a place to eat, or through more infrastructure-based trade through downtime resources, such as mines. For most benefactors, wealth is not an end in itself but a means to fund and support the projects that truly interest the benefactor, a principle that even extends to the Imperial Bourse. A benefactor may take a less advantageous trade if it means that they have the resources they need for their desired project, though a benefactor that beggars themself may be seen as lacking Prosperity and Wisdom and not to be taken seriously.

Benefactors are not moneylenders, they do not lend money and charge interest. Instead they invest in people and projects, providing money to help fund something in the hope that all the participants can gain as a result. The Highborn believe that this is a more ethical way for those who have money to employ it, since the benefactor takes the risk alongside the people they choose to invest in.

Beyond purely monetary concerns, benefactors actively encourage people to make moral decisions when dealing with economics, discouraging the rapacious economic practices of other nations in favour of a virtuous approach to dealing. Benefactors believe that virtuous men and women set prices for things which are fair and buy and sell them accordingly. To do otherwise, to justify price gouging by citing market forces, is to abdicate responsibility for your own actions to an impartial and consequently immoral force. In the eyes of many Highborn this is equivalent to stealing food from a child “because nature made you hungry”.

There is no formal organization of benefactors, but some have been known to gather in co-operation, and many of them use the symbol of the unbalanced scales, the upper pannier containing coinage and the lower (heavier) pannier containing some symbol of morality or mankind such as a heart or a skull.

Creating a benefactor

A benefactor will have a means to support themselves, either through commerce at festival or through the season. They will also have one or more projects that interest them, and may feature in their chapter's creed, to which the benefactor's funds and resources are primarily directed. Groups of benefactors may collaborate on a project, and may even be part of a particularly commerce- or project-focussed chapter. Alternatively, they may come together with an intention of pooling resources that will collectively benefit individual projects or investments.

Examples of possible projects or Investments that may appeal to a benefactor:

- Supporting an individual or group in their political aspirations

- Providing material support to a chapter in living to its creed

- Outfitting and funding an expedition to locate or obtain lost relics of Paragons

- Funding research into metaphysical lore around the Labyrinth of Ages

Playing a benefactor

The role of the benefactor can be found in various forms throughout various media. There are few adventurers and heroes who get very far without the means of a entrepreneur to aid them on their way. Examples include:

- Marcus Brody, who underwrote so many of Indiana Jones' adventures

- Professor Inkling, who funds and equips the Octonauts

- Squire Trelawny, who supported the expedition to Treasure Island

Though some of the examples above involve characters who play subordinate roles to the titular characters, the benefactor in Empire can be more of an equal partner and is rarely silent.

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Binding Threads

Description

The binding threads are a weapon and an implement infused with magical power that allows the wielder to root an opponent to the spot. Their use is often accompanied with a great roar. Some wielders make a point of striking the opponent with both the weapon and the implement (usually a rod) simultaneously when they employ it's magic.

They are a popular choice with warrior-magicians who work with Imperial magistrates, as well as with a number of wardens and Dawnish war witches who especially appreciate the ability to keep a fast moving or fleeing opponent in place where they and their allies can get to it.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of a one-handed weapon and either a rod or a wand.

- Requirement: You must have both the ambidexterity and magician skills to bond to these items.

- Effect: You may call ENTANGLE by spending a hero point.

- Materials: Crafting the binding threads requires seven measures of dragonbone, five measures of ambergelt and three ingots of green iron. It takes one month to make a pair of these items.

Tassato was crowded, every street awash with revellers, and two brightly costumed actors were taking wine at a street table.

"So: your rod and blade lose their enchantment in...."

"A week. Made just after the Festival last year. And yours?"

"Two months. And between us we have?"

"36 rings and two measures of ambergelt."

"Not the five of ambergelt, three of iridescent gloaming, and Prosperity knows how much dragonbone we need then?"

"No. Nor the six ingots of green iron..."

"That presents a problem..."

"Indeed."

An apothecary's shop, some minutes later.

"My good man, we are but humble actors, who leaven our poor work with minor magics. The leader of our humble troupe was mortified when a critic accused us of wallowing in the the third act of "The Captain, the Chamber and the Coin" Wallowing! Pride damn him! A little short of pace perhaps, but the needs of the magic... Hearing this, our director flew into such a fury, and sent us out into the busy street to fetch such fine materials as are required for a Mantle of the Mountebank."

"A what?"

"You have not heard of it? Why, the most useful of robes for such as ourselves! Once we fetch our wardrobe mistress the requisites she'll run one up in a month, and our Captain's penultimate speech will be a mere minute! Not the two he needs now... Why, the improvement to the scene will be immeasurable!"

"I have not. I'll check, but I have not..."

The apothecary turned and reached for a heavy book, the collected notes of years of study of the craft, and rumours and tales gathered from artisans across Empire.

"No, there's no mention of such a... Ah."

A sharp pain at his kidney, the trademan froze.

"Indeed... Robbery. We may not be actors, but our need is just as great as some crass ham caught butchering a classic. You'll excuse the affront, I hope?"

"Perhaps no masks to be worn in your shop in future? Or may I advise retaining the services of a bravo?" added the other, as he emptied the contents of small drawers, bowls and bags into a sack.

The door shook with three hammering blows as a long-haired woman in the hood of an Imperial thief-taker crashed in.

"Halt in the name of the Empire!"

"Really? Or will it be you who halts..." said one of the robbers as he took guard.

Thrust and parry, riposte and beat. Glassware crashed to the floor and tables of stock were over-turned as the two circled and probed. In a flurry of blows, the advantage of short blade and rod versus long sword in a confined space was clear. With a final balestra and lunge, the thief-taker's defenses were pierced. She stood rooted to the spot, blood oozing from her shoulder.

"Murder is such a foul word, and its penalty so severe... But that's simply a scratch, and with a lead of ten heartbeats? I doubt you'll catch us..."

The other booted the back door of the shop, and the pair were away...

An alleyway, shortly afterwards

Panting a little, the pair removed their masks and stripped off their gaudy outer garments, revealing serviceable leathers underneath. Emptying the sack onto the alley-floor, one counted measures and ingots, while the other unfolded cloaks.

"Do you know, that feels better already. Back to our true selves. Time for a holiday, I believe. Some Company will be hiring, of a certainty. Shall we to a low tavern, the sort frequented by fighters and those who like to think of themselves as such?"

"To start a fight, and see who's watching?"

"Indupitably."

"The Cozido?"

"Indeed!"

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Bishop

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Religious Heritage

- 3 Creating a bishop

- 4 Playing a bishop

Introduction

Bishops represent the clergy and religious leaders of League society. They have embraced the truth and power of The Way and the Imperial Synod. Each has a church and is responsible for the spiritual guidance of a congregation of lay citizens, as well as playing an active part in the Synod.

Religious Heritage

Religious heritage in the League is both dervived from, and a rebellion against, the more inflexible and stuffier approaches of Highguard's chapters and wayfarers. Whilst still respecting, and recognising, the importance and reality of Virtue, the bishops of The League understand the importance and reality of power too.

There are many routes an individual may take to become a bishop. For some, they simply follow in the footsteps of their parents with their congregations learning to respect their wisdom, much as they have done for generations before. Other more entrepreneurial bishops have invested in a location, perhaps having identified a holy place or relic, and used their charisma and connections to draw a congregation to that location. Some such bishops are even given support by a guild.

Regardless of how the status is attained, it is fiercely and jealously guarded. bishops understand that perception is everything, and so many ensure to present themselves in the finest manner, with civility and style - though of some bishops it has been said that their compliments can sometimes cut more deeply than a bravo's blade. In the sea of the imperial faith, the bishop is a shark.

If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of folk,

I will find something in them which will hang them.

Bishop Armand of the League Assembly

Creating a bishop

Bishops are powerful and influential figures who are responsible for the spiritual leadership of congregations of League citizens. The best way to play a bishop is to select a religious downtime resource which will represent a church, tomb, pilgrimage site or other holy location wherein the bishop can administer guidance and direction to the laity. These congregations can be in any part of the League, even if the bishop elects to travel extensively leaving day-to-day matters to junior clerics.

There is no actual requirement for a bishop to know any of the liao ceremonies, as such rituals are not actually required to give sound counsel. Some bishops elect to sell the liao allocated to their holy site so that they may use the funds to further the worth of the faith in more practical ways. Others find that the liao ceremonies are an important part of exerting social pressure.

Bishops may operate alone or as part of a larger group. Within a group of bishops, one or more is usually nominated as their leader or spokesperson given the title of archbishop. Such groups may also include junior priests, who know liao ceremonies but have no congregation, as well as other League folk who have dedicated their lives to The Way.

A Bishop may choose to graciously grant their patronage to a guild or a free company, though never as a common member or bravo. Doing so is usually a calculated act. Such a patronage can enhance the status and reputation of both the group and the bishop, provided that the conduct of each reflects well on the other.

Playing a bishop

For a bishop of the League, perception and reputation are important concerns. The clergy of the League are no less competitive than any bravo or merchant prince, but success is measured by profile and influence. A celebrated bishop is far more likely to be asked to conduct a state funeral or be consulted by senators. Yet, for all that they are a prominent part of a Faith that extols individual Virtue, bishops of the League are perhaps more likely than most to take a pragmatic approach to the Virtues, accepting that - sometimes - the ends justifies the means.

It is possible to play a less-competitive bishop with no interest in politics, machinations and status. Such bishops are important to the more politically-minded and may be courted for the support and resources they can provide. After all, a bishop who commands the attention of other bishops, whether courting or courted, must indeed be a force to be reckoned with.

For inspiration of figures who have walked the tightrope of religious credibility with political acumen and ruthlessness, some good examples are Jeremy Irons' portrayal of Rodrigo Borgia, various interpretations of Cardinal Richelieu from The Three Musketeers, and Abbot Hugo from the Robin of Sherwood TV series.

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Bishop (Redirected from Bishops)

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Religious Heritage

- 3 Creating a bishop

- 4 Playing a bishop

Introduction

Bishops represent the clergy and religious leaders of League society. They have embraced the truth and power of The Way and the Imperial Synod. Each has a church and is responsible for the spiritual guidance of a congregation of lay citizens, as well as playing an active part in the Synod.

Religious Heritage

Religious heritage in the League is both dervived from, and a rebellion against, the more inflexible and stuffier approaches of Highguard's chapters and wayfarers. Whilst still respecting, and recognising, the importance and reality of Virtue, the bishops of The League understand the importance and reality of power too.

There are many routes an individual may take to become a bishop. For some, they simply follow in the footsteps of their parents with their congregations learning to respect their wisdom, much as they have done for generations before. Other more entrepreneurial bishops have invested in a location, perhaps having identified a holy place or relic, and used their charisma and connections to draw a congregation to that location. Some such bishops are even given support by a guild.

Regardless of how the status is attained, it is fiercely and jealously guarded. bishops understand that perception is everything, and so many ensure to present themselves in the finest manner, with civility and style - though of some bishops it has been said that their compliments can sometimes cut more deeply than a bravo's blade. In the sea of the imperial faith, the bishop is a shark.

If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of folk,

I will find something in them which will hang them.

Bishop Armand of the League Assembly

Creating a bishop

Bishops are powerful and influential figures who are responsible for the spiritual leadership of congregations of League citizens. The best way to play a bishop is to select a religious downtime resource which will represent a church, tomb, pilgrimage site or other holy location wherein the bishop can administer guidance and direction to the laity. These congregations can be in any part of the League, even if the bishop elects to travel extensively leaving day-to-day matters to junior clerics.

There is no actual requirement for a bishop to know any of the liao ceremonies, as such rituals are not actually required to give sound counsel. Some bishops elect to sell the liao allocated to their holy site so that they may use the funds to further the worth of the faith in more practical ways. Others find that the liao ceremonies are an important part of exerting social pressure.

Bishops may operate alone or as part of a larger group. Within a group of bishops, one or more is usually nominated as their leader or spokesperson given the title of archbishop. Such groups may also include junior priests, who know liao ceremonies but have no congregation, as well as other League folk who have dedicated their lives to The Way.

A Bishop may choose to graciously grant their patronage to a guild or a free company, though never as a common member or bravo. Doing so is usually a calculated act. Such a patronage can enhance the status and reputation of both the group and the bishop, provided that the conduct of each reflects well on the other.

Playing a bishop

For a bishop of the League, perception and reputation are important concerns. The clergy of the League are no less competitive than any bravo or merchant prince, but success is measured by profile and influence. A celebrated bishop is far more likely to be asked to conduct a state funeral or be consulted by senators. Yet, for all that they are a prominent part of a Faith that extols individual Virtue, bishops of the League are perhaps more likely than most to take a pragmatic approach to the Virtues, accepting that - sometimes - the ends justifies the means.

It is possible to play a less-competitive bishop with no interest in politics, machinations and status. Such bishops are important to the more politically-minded and may be courted for the support and resources they can provide. After all, a bishop who commands the attention of other bishops, whether courting or courted, must indeed be a force to be reckoned with.

For inspiration of figures who have walked the tightrope of religious credibility with political acumen and ruthlessness, some good examples are Jeremy Irons' portrayal of Rodrigo Borgia, various interpretations of Cardinal Richelieu from The Three Musketeers, and Abbot Hugo from the Robin of Sherwood TV series.

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Biting Blade

Description

A biting blade is a respectable weapon that grants additional power to a skilled soldier, as well as offering the ability to strike a significant blow to an individual who is not a professional warrior. The weapon is sometimes simply referred to as an Orichalcum Blade or (in the poetry of Wintermark) a Dawnfire Blade or Duskfire Blade in reference to the slight reddish tinge to the metal produced by alloying orichalcum with steel.

The biting blade is the weapon many common folk think of then they think of a traditional 'magic sword.' Artisans in Wintermark especially like to inscribe the rune Jotra on a biting blade, and Dawnish crafters often shape the pommel into he head of a gryphon or engrave one onto the blade directly.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed weapon.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day, you may call CLEAVE with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a Biting Blade requires seven units of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The ragged stranger watched as the Steinr smiths completed their long forging, the chant rising and falling as they hammered at the hot metal one last time. Sing-song voices echoed strangely around the forge as the golden-red rays of a winter's sun sank slowly behind the mountains.

"Red the fires of the forge

Red the blade and red its thirsts

Red the wine that it drinks so deep

Red the mouths that it opens wide

Red the dying light of day

Red its dreams"

With one last chorus of hammer-strikes the blade was gathered up in tongs and a great cloud of steam rose up with a hissing noise into the dusk air. A few more moments of examination and testing and the Steinr women turned to the stranger, offering the fruit of their long labours. The eldest smith spoke for them all, "The debt is settled, outlander, you have your blade. Make no mistake, we have felt this one's skein - it is a crow-feeder, a widow-maker, a flesh-cutter and a spiller of blood. Bond yourself to this, and you'll know nothing but strife for the rest of your days."

The ragged man leaned forward and took the blade in one scarred hand. Even with an unwrapped hilt and before cleaning and sharpening, he fancied he could feel the proficiency of murder this thing represented - a yearning toward mayhem and death. He hissed a breath inwards through his remaining teeth. Oh yes, this would do most excellently for his revenge...

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Black Iron Blade

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 1.5 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character or item which must be present throughout.

The ritual must include the use of an edged weapon or tool used to cut the target character or item..

Effects

This ritual breaks bonds in the same way as the create bond spell. The ritualist must touch the target item or character. The ritual severs any or all bonds connected to the target at the discretion of the casters.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional targets. The magnitude increases by one for every additional target. All targets must be present throughout.

Additional Magnitude

When the ritual is performed on a single target, the magnitude can be increased to overcome effects that prevent the destruction of a bond, such as Riddle Hides the Reward or certain curses. If the magnitude of Black Iron Blade is at least equal to the magnitude of the effect, the bond is severed. This use of the ritual may permanently remove some cursed bonds, but is generally insufficient to remove more powerful and enduring effects. For example, an item that by it's nature makes it hard to sever a bond created to it will not lose that property if a bond is severed with Black Iron Blade. When the magnitude of the ritual is increased and all bonds are targeted, the ritual severs any bond to the target that is the same or lower magnitude.

Description

This ritual allows a magician or coven to simultaneously sever large numbers of bonds. It is sometimes used to dissolve an oathbound band, or to remove several characters simultaneously. While it is moderately expensive, at the point where it is necessary to cut five or more bonds at the same time it begins to become more appealing.

The ritual can also prove effective at dissolving bonds that cannot easily be cut in the traditional way. Certain curses, such as Riddle Hides the Reward can be negated through the use of Black Iron Blade provided it is performed at sufficient magnitude to overcome the power of the curse. The ritual has also proved effective when dealing with certain cursed items (and even artefacts) where destroying the item with Words of Ending was considered less than ideal. Genuinely cursed items that resist attempts to cut the bond created to them are thankfully rare but not unknown.

Common Elements

This ritual always involves a small cut or nick to the target, which is highly symbolic of the severing of the bond. Anything that cuts or unravels is also appropraite. Some ritualists tie a cord, ribbon or thread between the target and the item to be unbonded, and then ceremonially cut it at the climax of the spell. Others require the target to cast the item away, over their shoulder, or into a basin of water. Considering that any magician can perform create bond, mastery of this ritual is comparatively rare.

The rune Yoorn, especially when inscribed on shears, is a common element of this ritual. The name of the Eternal Kaela may be evoked, especially when cutting the bond between a cursed object and an individual - some magicians prefer to evoke the name of Wise Rangara, and symbolically unravel the bond rather than cutting it directly.

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Black Plateau

Words and tune by Claire Sheridan. recording

A song written by Nicassia of Phoenix Reach after the first skirmish to the Black Plateau, Spiral, in YE377.

Through the gate and here we go, Up, up to the Black Plateau, With courage and pride to face the foe, High up on the Black Plateau.

There is a place in Urizen fair, Up, up to the Black Plateau, Where whispering voices fill the air, Those who tread should tread with care, Don’t trust what you hear on the air, High up on the Black Plateau.

Gathered people, wild and cruel, Up, up on the Black Plateau, They’ll laugh in your face as they run you through, High up on the Black Plateau.

There is a place in Urizen bold, Up, up on the Black Plateau, Where wild men worship something old, The sight of it will leave you cold, They’ll take your blood to feed its soul, High up on the Black Plateau.

Blades of venom, blades of glass, Up, up to the Black Plateau, Will stop you if you try to pass, High up on the Black Plateau.

There is a place in Urizen high, Up, up to the Black Plateau, Where they’ve got blades to warp your mind, An anger unknown to our kind, Don’t lash out or get left behind, High up on the Black Plateau.

Through the gate and here we go, Up, up to the Black Plateau, With courage and pride to face the foe, High up on the Black Plateau.

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Blacksmith's Wage

Description

The haft of this useful weapon is polished with ambergelt, and coloured with iridescent gloaming. Often it is reinforced with rings of orichalcum alloy, that occasionally seem oddly warm to the touch. The weapon has no particular puissance in combat, but "heals" itself when it is damaged. No matter how old, the weapon tends to look much as it did when it was first forged. Casual wear and tear from use vanishes overnight, and if the weapon sustains more catastrophic damage - if it is cleft in twain by a greatsword or rendered into pieces by a weapon such as a Sundering Axe - it can restore itself completely provided the wielder wants it enough. The ability of the weapon to repair itself gives it it's common name, as it takes a blacksmith's wage, because a warrior need not buy a new weapon when this one is damaged, nor pay anyone else to repair it for her.

Some artisans craft the head of a blacksmith's wage to resemble the rune Pallas, but more often the rune is simply marked on the haft near the base. Likewise, the rune Xun is sometimes used to form the head of an pole-axe, or inscribed on the metal, and traced when the magic inherent in the weapon is evoked.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a pole-arm.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: After 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying you can spend a hero point to repair this pole-arm.

- Materials: Crafting a blacksmith's wage requires nine ingots of orichalcum and five ingots of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The clash and clamour of battle seemed distant now, faded to just a dull hubbub across the slithering morass that surrounded Alfonzo. He cursed as his boots slipped and squelched through the muck, blade gripped tightly in one hand while the other fumbled for support against a wet-barked, leaf-bare tree that poked sullenly out of the marsh.

Lazzaro couldn't have gone far. The captain's breastplate lay discarded at the tree's base, filthy water pooling across the ornate curlicues embossed onto its surface. Alfonzo sneered and regained a little bit of his bravo's swagger, despite the mud seeping into his boots; Lazzaro's famous armour, was now just another piece of rusting detritus abandoned to the wet dirt. It felt fitting, given what was going to happen next.

When the Free Company's retreat on the flank had turned into a full-scale rout, Alfonzo had felt the weight of the hallowed amulet of Ambition against his chest – a gift from Orsino, his uncle and his priest, that had come with an admonition to seize opportunity by the throat and never look back at what might have been. So he'd run after Lazzaro as fast as he could, even as the pursuing orcs snarled and roared and hacked at those lagging behind, with the idea set in his head that now was his chance. He'd make an opening for his own advancement and get payback for Lazzaro's insults, all in one stroke – and all hidden amidst the chaos and confusion of the rout.

He'd shouted to Lazzaro, watched the captain turn and slow his pace for a moment, letting Alfonzo catch up. As they drew level, Alfonzo had swung his own enchanted blade with all his might. Long months of saving his pay were worth it; he felt the sword vent its own roiling anger into the glaive that Lazzaro hastily swept up to block, and then that weapon's etched wooden haft had splintered apart, reducing it to so much kindling wood.

It was then that Lazzaro had surprised him, sprinting off with the glaive's wreckage gripped tightly against his chest – but not running towards the distant bridge and its promise of safety. Instead, down the slippery slope he went, splashing and sliding to a halt where this accursed swamp carved the battlefield's edge, loosening buckles and shedding the weight of his armour as he went.

Now standing at the bottom of the same slope, musing how much he hated this blasted, dripping place, Alfonzo cursed once more, at length and with venom. He cursed the swamp; cursed the arrogant Lazzaro; cursed his own slowness for not striking fast enough and slitting the captain open there and then in the rout.

Now, slogging through the wet fen under the weight of his own plate, he knew he held the advantage – Lazzaro had no weapon, no armour and no-where to go, not past the rushing river at the swamp's far border and certainly not past the orcs that ravened and howled out their victory on the battlefield. It was just a matter of time til he found his prey.

At the edge of a murky pool, the bravo peered across the mist-wreathed ground, trying to make out Lazzaro's shape through the skeletal, sickly fingers of marsh-trees reaching for the hidden sun. Against all the other dripping, burbling, sloshing noises of the swamp, Alfonzo paid no heed to the gentle slop of water that pushed past his boots ... and then something heavy slammed into his back-plate and sent him sprawling into the water.

The pool closed in around him, shockingly cold, and as he tried to push himself up he found the weight of his own armour sinking him deeper into the mud below, a sucking grip that folded round his forearms and only pulled down harder. He thrashed and struggled, but it was already too late, the freezing embrace of the quagmire sucking the strength from his limbs as it dragged him down into darkness.

Lazzaro stood over the pool for a little while, watching as the bravo struggled beneath the surface and, finally, fall still. He leaned on the haft of his glaive, its reassuring and renewed strength the only thing keeping him standing in the face of today's bitter loss – the battle, the reputation of his Free Company, and now a promising young man who'd have made a good second in time. If only he'd been able to reign in his arrogance, or been a little more patient.

“Ambition's a virtue, lad,” he said without venom, even as the last bubbles frothed the surface of the muddy pool, “but rash stupidity's a different lady indeed, even if they do both share their mother's looks.”

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Blackwillow Twist

Description

The blackwillow twist is a flexible, resilient weapon whose head is usually made of greensteel (an alloy of green iron), and whose haft is treated with ambergelt. In the hands of even a relatively green recruit it can render an opponent briefly helpless, allowing the wielder to strike while the enemy is off-guard, or make a swift retreat.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed spear.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may call STRIKEDOWN with this one-handed spear.

- Materials: Crafting a blackwillow twist requires eight ingots of green iron and five ingots of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Bladeroot

Description

This perennial flowering plant grows most commonly in cold environments, and is often called frost narcissus. The plant itself flowers briefly in late winter/early spring and is almost unique in that it's flowers are grey in colouration - a ring of six circular petals around a darker inner trumpet. It is said to grow most freely over the graves of lovers, and in art and literature is closely associated with premature death. The woody bulb of the bladeroot is noticeably elongated compared to that of similar plants earning it the name Irremaisahne among the Suaq hunters due to its similarity to the Winterfolk Rune of Wisdom.

The root is mildly toxic, causing nausea, vomiting and dizziness if consumed raw. Properly prepared, these negative side effects pass quickly.

Rules

- Can only be applied by a character with the physick skill.

- Using 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying the physick can remove the weakness condition from a target.

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Blessing of New Spring

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a farm. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The farm earns an additional 10 rings at the Spring Equinox (event 2), the Summer Solstice (event 3) and the Autumn Equinox (event 4). The ritual ends at the start of winter.

This spell is intended to be cast at the Winter Solstice. If the spell is cast later in the year, then money that would have been gained in earlier seasons is lost. It is useless if performed after the Summer Solstice.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional farms in the same territory. Each additional farm increases the magnitude by 1. The character who controls each farm must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This spell is intended to be cast at the Winter Solstice. It is less efficient and productive if cast later in the year and is useless if performed after the Summer Solstice. If the spell is cast later in the year, then money that would have been provided during any missed seasons is lost. Performed at the optimal time, and left to run it's full course, the ritual provides a total of 30 rings of additional profit to the owner of the target farm.

A farm effected by the ritual will provide more and better crops, increasing the amount of money at the spring, summer and autumn equinoxes. Once it is in place, it also allows for more powerful rituals to be cast. It serves as an anchor for the Strong Ox, Golden Sun ritual, permitting even more wealth to be reaped from the soil.

The blessing of new spring is a very old ritual indeed, practiced in various forms throughout the world. The power of this ritual infuses animals and plants with vigour and fertility. Crops grow quickly, and in great abundance; they are naturally healthy and resistant to threats such as harsh weather, frost, disease and parasites. Animals are fruitful, with large litters, and young creatures grow quickly and enjoy great health. If there is a downside to the ritual it is that it increases the amount of work that must be done - crops must constantly be tended for weeds, and animals become a little more restive as they become more fruitful.

In the long term, however, the benefits of this ritual should not be underestimated. It is understandably popular in The Marches, and there are covens of landskeepers who work hard to ensure that they can perform this ritual on many farms simultaneously. Such covens also work to master Strong Ox, Golden Sun and Gathering the Harvest if they can, so they can offer even greater prosperity to the households and monasteries. With tension growing between householders and the market towns, many landskeepers refuse to perform the blessing of new spring and similar rituals to benefit the aldermen; the townsfolk have begun to look outside the Marches for magical support for the few farms they do own.

Common Elements

The ritual creates fertility and encourages hardy growth of plants and animals. Ritual performances often include the evocation of the rune Bravash or the constellation of The Fountain. Hearth magics and symbols associated with health and Prosperity are also commonly evoked, such as shedding small amounts of blood or offering a cup or bowl of wine, ale, milk or mead to the targets.

In the Maches, a portion of the produce that the farm produced the previous year might be used in the ritual; a similar element might be used in a Freeborn ritual intended to bless the produce of an orchard or vineyard.

Artificers can construct a ritual focus that enhances the performance of this ritual, and its associated rituals. The Straw Mask can be used any number of times a day, and it will allow even a novice spring ritualist to perform Blessing of New Spring without having mastered it and without the assistance of a coven; it will allow a more skilled ritualist to add an additional farm or two to the performance depending on the mastery of the wearer; and when combined with the Imperial Regio it will allow a magician without even a basic grounding in Spring lore to perform this ritual by themselves.

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Blood and Bone

This very simple chant can be used alone or as the basis for more complicated chants/phrases over the top

Blood, blood, blood, blood and Bone, bone, bone, bone. Steel, steel, steel, steel and Stone, stone, stone, stone.

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Blood and Salt

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 12

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 12

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a fleet. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target fleet earns additional profit during the next season, but only if it engages in piracy. The effect of the ritual increases the level of the target fleet by 5 ranks, which is sufficient to effectively double the production of a starting fleet.

The character who controls the target resource is under a roleplaying effect for at least ten minutes after the ritual is performed: they feel unrestrained and unconcerned about the consequences of their actions, with an urge to take what they want; they feel uninhibited about using violence against anyone who gets in their way.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event. If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory. If the fleet does not engage in piracy during the next downtime, the ritual has no effect.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional fleets belonging to characters in the same banner. Each additional fleet increases the magnitude by 8. The character who controls each fleet must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This ritual is sometimes called Blood in the Water, The Shark Amidst the Nets, The Corsair's Cruel Smile and other equally poetic names. It helps to ensure that a fleet will get good weather and excellent tides, and fires the crew up with vigour and primitive strength. The more aggressive the crew is, the more the magic of Spring encourages them and strengthens them; if they engage in the relatively bloodless pursuit of trade, the enchantment will quickly fade.

A crew enchanted by this ritual does not turn on itself (although there are stories of crews who were already mutinous who tore each other apart once the enchantment began to erode their inhibitions and restraints); nor do they become monstrous (although there are also stories of cruel, merciless men and women who lost the last vestiges of humanity under the influence of this enchantment); they are, after all, possessed of free will. If a fight does break out they are less likely to offer or accept quarter or mercy, and likely to fight with wild, terrifying abandon. In many cases, the sheer ferocity of the sailors in the enchanted fleet is enough to convince the prey to give up without a fight.

The ritual is obviously most common among the Freeborn corsairs and adventurous League privateers; there are also plenty of reports of the Grendel using similar enchantments. It is common for those who receive the benefit of the spell to offer a portion of any plunder they gain in the coming season to the ritualists, although this is by no means mandatory - not least because some ritualists prefer to be paid in advance rather than trust to the short memories of corsairs and privateers.

Common Elements

The ritual both influences the weather and fills a crew with both vigour and bloodlust. Ritual performances often include the evocation of the rune of storms or the constellation of The Claw. Blood is often shed during this ritual, often mixed with a cup or bowl of water or spirits and shared by the targets. Sometimes the ritual involves the targets cutting themselves with a blade and swearing oaths to be merciless in pursuit of their prey. There are often invocations of sharks or kraken during the performance of Blood and Salt.

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Blood-dimming Tide

Description

These rods allow a magician who fights on the front lines to heal themselves and an ally without needing to leave the fray. They are equally useful to the dedicated battlefield healer who risks being hurt while getting to their patients, and to the war witch who fights alongside the other nobles of their house.

In Varushka a potent artefact known as the Brother's Arm appears several times. It is most commonly mentioned in the tales of Johann of Gristlev who used it extensively while fighting alongside his elder brother Gustav against the three powerful Mora who had stolen in to their town. The historicity of the Gristlev brothers is debated - in some parts of Varushka they are considered Exemplars of Courage and Loyalty, but the Synod has never recognised them as actual people. If the actual brother's arm could be found, it would go some way towards helping to prove these two men actually existed..

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day when you cast the swift heal spell, you may use it on two targets rather than one. The second swift heal must be delivered within 10 seconds of the first.

- Materials: Crafting a blood-dimming tide requires seven ingots of weltsilver and seven measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Three times did the three wicked Mora circle the little town. Three times they begged the watchmen to let them in, calling out each time "Oh, we are hurt, we are wounded, we are dying!", but the watchmen, wise to the Mora's wicked ways would not let them in.

"Three times they circled, until finally they found the one house that had not hung the primroses and marigolds by their door - the house of the old baker Tomtar - and when they found that house, they changed back in to their belegged forms and slithered in through the window of that house ..."

Little Tomtar drew his legs up beneath the brightly coloured blanket, his eyes and his mouth all three forming perfect "O" shapes of horror and delicious excitement. His father leant forward so that the candlelight cast strange shadows across his face. He smiled wickedly at his son, letting the horror of what the mora might do to the foolish baker sink in. Then he clapped his hands together, making the boy leap almost out of his skin.

" ... right in to the trap that the brave Brothers of Gristlev had laid! With a roar like a hero of the Empire, Gustav Gristlev courageously threw himself in to battle with the three wicked creatures, knocking their beaked heads together. Loyal Johann Gristlev leapt to his brother's side, drawing his knife and the glittering weltsilver rod.

"Blow for blow they traded with the three Mora, whose curved blades cut red ribbons in our brave boys. But each time Johann felt his own strength fail, he would reach out with that strange magical rod that the white owl had given him, using it's power to heal his brother's wounds and in doing so, he would also feel the fight return to his own limbs.

"They fought and they fought until finally the three wicked Mora became black ravens again and fled back to their dark mistress, flying high across the vale, never to be heard of again."

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Bloodfeather Harness

Description

The bloodfeather harness is popular with those Kallavesa mystics who integrate a bird-mask into the armour along with feathered vambraces and greaves. Some Marcher artisans hunt mandowla, making leather from their ursine hide and working their feathers into the decoration of the mage armour.

When the wearer of the harness is critically wounded, its magic slows their heartbeat and grants them precious minutes before they are finally claimed by death. Time itself seems to slow down from the point of view of the wearer, and many of those who have been saved by the magic of this mage armour have described experiences in which they could not help but dwell on the significant events of their entire life, and the consequences of their deaths - some returned to their comrades profoundly changed. In some parts of Brass Coast it is called a nervous guest or occasionally the more waggish lurker on the threshold to laughingly poke fun at a reluctance to step through the door of death and enter the labyrinth.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this mage armour you gain three additional ranks of fortitude.

- Materials: Crafting a bloodfeather harness requires five measures of beggar's lye, five measures of ambergelt, and twelve ingots of weltsilver. It takes one month to make one of these items.

I woke screaming by a warm hearth, yet not as warm nor as welcoming as the heart-warmed hearth which for nine months had been my home.

I grew stronger, grew taller, learned to speak, learned to walk, learned to read.

I grew stronger, grew taller, learned to fight, learned to live.

I grew stronger, grew taller, learned wisdom and courage, pride and vigilance.

I grew into a man, and lived as a man. I took a wife – or she took me, I was never sure.

I fought with my people in the skin of a bear. I took its ferocity into my heart, and the scop gave me its name. I carried the banner, and stood by my Thane’s side.

With my rod and my axe I fought for my people. Through boredom and battle, through days both harsh and joyous, I stood for the strength and character that make our people great.

And now I lie dying, an arrow in my heart. Only my harness keeps me from the Labyrinth’s gate. I am certain that my body is being moved. If the Grimnir can save me, then their skill will be the mark of their own greatness.

Perhaps I dream in convalescence. Perhaps I am already saved. Or perhaps it is too late, and I go now to a new life, to write a new tale.

Whatever my fate, I am content with it. Whether it comes today or tomorrow, I am content with it.

A hero’s story ends in death.

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Bloodfire Periapt

Description

A bloodfire periapt most commonly is made as a green or red stone worn on a chain, although they are also worn as rings or bracelets. They are often marked with the rune Rhyv and Verys. Some Varushkan and Winterfolk artisans mark these items with Irremais, a rune associated with sacrifice - or shape the pendant stone in the form of a hanging blade.

These amulets grant the wearer a feverish, unnatural strength when they are stuck by envenomed attacks. Some fanatics have been known to intentionally envenom themselves to draw on the sick vitality these talismans offer, but doing so is an extremely risky proposal that has lead to these items being christened Fool's Bargains.

Rules

- Form: Jewellry (Talisman)

- Effect: .While under the effect of VENOM, you gain two additional ranks of endurance. You lose two hits from your current total if the VENOM is cured, or you lose this item.

- Materials: Crafting a bloodfire periapt requires fourteen ingots of weltsilver, six ingots of orichalcum, six ingots of green iron and six measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Yisalto was his name, the son of a Riqueza ritual dancer and wandering naga poet, but he was never called anything but the Serpent.

They say he lived atop a pillar of brass amongst the cliffs of Kahraman, refusing to eat anything except the most venomous of birds, beasts and insects, drinking only from a fouled well. When the sweet horns of war sounded, the Serpent slithered down from his lair in the mountains and danced amongst the spear-points and axe blades of the enemy. Each poor soul that felt his caress knew their doom as his magic turned the blood in their veins to poison. The Serpent laughed to see the strong become weak at his merest touch, even as his own blood flowed thick and dark until it seemed that his flesh could never contain such vileness.

But in the end the Serpent fell prey to a force more treacherous and poisonous than himself - love. As he slept his lover stole away the charmed necklace that let him draw strength from his venom, and the Serpent died, thrashing and foaming in agony like his many victims.

His tower still stands, surrounded by the bones of the creatures that thought to make a meal of his remains...

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Blood of the Hydra

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The character with the target ruined limb must be present throughout.

The ritual fails if you or the character are hit, or attack another character.

Effects

At the completion of this ritual you may restore a limb ruined with the CLEAVE call or IMPALE call.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional limbs. The magnitude increases by one for every two additional limbs. All targets must be present throughout, and the ritual fails if any of the targets are hit, or attack another character.

Description

Blood of the Hydra is a simple healing ritual that is more powerful the more patients it treats. It draws on the same powers as the restore limb incantation. It sees most use on battlefields, or in the aftermath of accidents and disasters. A single competent ritualist can restore a dozen injured people with a handful of mana crystals.

The restore limb spell is more versatile, and takes less time to cast, but any magician is likely to find their personal reserves of strength quickly depleted in the aftermath of an especially vicious engagement. The ritual is also quite easy to improvise in emergencies; anyone who has made even a cursory study of the lore of Spring can spontaneously evoke the healing power of the hydra.

The ritual causes a ruined limb to spontaneously regenerate; broken bones, torn flesh, ruptured blood-vessels and ripped muscles spontaneously knit back together. The experience can be very painful, and can be quite unnerving to watch. This healing usually restores the limb without leaving a scar, restoring the limb to full utility within a couple of seconds.

The hydra is a multi-headed reptilian beast that possesses both incredible healing power and a deadly poisonous bite. This combination of features means many scholars draw parallels between the beast and the magic of the Spring realm. This particular ritual is modeled directly after the remarkable ability of the hydra and some other lizards to restore their own crippled limbs with almost supernatural speed.

Common Elements

Performing this ritual often includes herbs, bandages and other trappings of the healer's profession. It is also common to mix earth or clay with water to create mud, which is slapped onto the damaged limbs to help seal them. Indeed, as with many other healing rituals, water is a common element. Washing the ruined limb with fresh or salt water is a common way to begin the ritual.

The sight of ruined flesh and bone restoring itself can be unsettling, and so many ritualists especially among the Dawnish and Urizen wrap linen, silk or cotton bandages around the ruined limb during the ritual, removing them only when the magic has run it's course. In a similar way, Marcher ritualists weave bracers of corn or grass around the elbow and wrist or knee and ankle of their target, drawing on the fertility and healing magic implicit in the harvest. In The League this ritual is often associated with the character of The Doctor, and the use of The Chalice.

Elements such as wholesome food, the Rhyv rune, the constellation of The Fountain and (obviously) the supernatural regeneration of the hydra can all be evoked to restore vitality to the targets of this ritual.

Some magicians call this ritual Blood and Ashes, and evoke the power of the legendary firebird when they perform it. These ritualists often mix ashes and fresh water or honey together to create a poultice, and draw on the healing power and warmth provided by fires and hearths to speed the healing process.

Life flows through each of us; our magic allows us to reach out to our fellows and nurture that life as a gardener might nurture a failing flower.

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Bloodsilver Spike

Description

This polished rod is often made of alloyed weltsilver and iron around a wooden core and tapered at one end. It delivers powerful and immediate healing, knitting grievous wounds to bring badly injured warriors back to their feet in seconds, and for this reason is valued widely among the armies of the Empire.

It is most commonly carried by second and third-rank magicians, especially among the ranks of the Imperial Orcs, who value its power to quickly bring warriors back from the brink of death. Among the Navarr it is sometimes known as the Second Chance, for those who undertake the dangerous duty of flanking an enemy may find themselves in need of its quick healing if the enemy tries to quickly overwhelm them.

It is often engraved with the runes Rhyv or Feresh.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you can cast the swift heal spell as if you knew it and without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a Bloodsilver spike requires ten ingots of weltsilver. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Kallak saw it coming long before Rald did. The Ironheart Legion, right at the centre of the Imperial battle-line, had to run into the enemy's chieftain, and here he was: massive, cruelly scarred, an imposing figure in the finest armour his tribe had managed to scavenge from their raiding out of the Barrens.

Of course Rald was going to go for him. The young fool couldn't resist the chance.

The two Orcs' swords clashed with a shock that rang across the battlefield, and with a nod from her sergeant, Kallak stepped back out of the lines and over toward the impromptu duel. Rald fought like a true Orc of the Empire, disciplined and trained, a brilliant swordsman. He scored a line across the chieftain's forehead and landed a deep cut in one of his arms, as well as pounding on his armour a few times - but he made the mistake of youth, and attacked too often. He left an opening, and the ferocious barbarian knocked him from his feet with a mighty sweep and ran him through on the ground.

The chieftain gave a great, incoherent roar, lifting his jagged sword high in his good arm.

Kallak, who had begun her spellcasting as she ran, burst through the ranks and gave Rald a none-too-gentle tap with the tip of her Bloodsilver Spike. His eyes shot open and he yelped in pain as magic coursed through him, knitting arteries and veins in an instant and closing up skin and bone over the top of them.

Kallak helped him to his feet, and he clapped her on the shoulder in thanks as he headed back into the fray.

She saw the fear in the barbarian's eyes as he saw the Ironheart Legion's finest swordsman facing him for a second time, bloody but uninjured, and seconds later he fell. For all the violence he had done to impress his tribe with his might, the barbarian chieftain had no magician who could support him so well. Moments later, Rald hefted his head high into the air, and with a great cry of dismay, the enemy broke.

Kallak stayed behind to patch up the fallen as the front rank of the Legion set off after the fleeing barbarians, leaving the chasing and butchering to the younger and swifter warriors. Her Bloodsilver Spike had gained much worth from her acts today, and she'd played her part in a fine story indeed.

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Bloodsteel Barb

Description

Vicious barbed spears, the bloodsteel barb is patterned after a fishing spear, with wicked protrusions designed to tear flesh and scrape bone, or to hook clothing or skin and allow a sharp twist to snap or fracture a limb. At it's most effective it easily penetrates light leather or padded cloth and inflicts catastrophic damage on the soft meat beneath.

While the orichalcum alloy head of a bloodsteel barb is often reddish-gold in colour, the weapon takes its name more from the traditional method of forging and tempering the metal. Once the metal has been purified in a bath of beggar's lye, living blood is mixed into the alloy. In certain darker times the final quenching of the spear would be in the body of a living orc, to give the weapon a taste for orcish blood. If the orc prisoner was not killed in a single thrust the weapon would be melted down and the crafting process begun again. This cruel practice has fallen out of favour in these more civilised times; perhaps more importantly, there is evidence that it gave rise to hateful, twisted weapons whose bloodthirsty hunger tainted the wielder and tempted them into barbarism and ultimately drove them to madness. In some cases the weapon failed to strike at a vital moment, dragging the wielder to their death at the hands of the orcs.

Today, it is much more likely that an artisan will allow several drops of their own blood to run into the metal. Anyone who actually committed a murder while creating a bloodsteel barb would face the full fury of Imperial Law.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed spear.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day, you may call CLEAVE with this spear.

- Materials: Crafting a bloodsteel barb requires thirteen ingots of orichalcum, three measures measures of beggar's lye, and three measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“So this weapon was quenched in the blood of one of my kin, fresh from the forge?”

The League merchant's affable grin had frozen into a rictus that didn't dare so much as twitch. Tammat took the barbed spear in one hand, felt its weight – light, but with enough heft to strike hard and fast if she put her weight behind a jab.

She did so, testing the motion, and grunted with satisfaction. The merchant actually jumped as she did so, flinching back, and Tammat had to stifle a snort of disgusted amusement. What did he think was going to happen – did he really believe she'd impale him on his own wares in a fit of rage, like some sort of savage?

The orc cast her gaze along the weapon rack, eyeing the other fine spears that the armoury had produced, but none of them called to her like this old weapon. It hadn't been cared for much, just left propped against the wall at the back – as if the armourers were ashamed of its provenance in this enlightened modern age but still loathe to simply toss away a weapon that had been infused with ilium.

But the barbed head was still sharp enough, and Tammat figured she'd just need to add a twist to the end of a jab to let the vicious little hooks do their job in the guts of a skewered foe. Under her fingers the residual energy of the spear, that lingering sense of battle-hunger, tingled gently and alluringly.

“Well?” she demanded, rounding on the hapless man.

“Er, yes,” he admitted, taking sanctuary in the truth.

“A slave taken fresh from the barbarians, or one who'd laboured for the Empire?” she pressed, watching his brow furrow as he desperately tried to think.

“Er, a, er, a mining slave. It was how it was done, back then. They took old slaves who were worn out and, er...” The merchant tailed off, looking genuinely upset at the notion. Not upset enough to get rid of the weapon and give up the profit, though, Tammat thought to herself.

“Good. I'll take it, then. What's the price?”

Relief dawned like sunrise on the little man's face. “Really? You're sure? It's quite expensive ...”

“Of course I'm damn sure. Why else do you think I'd say what I did? The price, man?”

And as he hurried to flip open the trade-ledger with ink-stained fingertips, and as Tammat counted out the coins from her pouch, she watched the spear with wary respect. You died in service to an empire that's embraced us now. I'll give your sacrifice meaning, even if you'd never have seen this outcome. We need you now – we need the help of those who have come before us. If you're across the Howling Abyss, I'll make you proud with the victories I'll win with this spear born of your blood.

The deal done, she took firm grip of the spear, looking closely at the runes etched down its head – runes once doused and cooled in an orc's seared innards.

And if you're not proud of that, well, then I'll have to blaze my own path across the Abyss and knock some sense into you.

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Blood-sweat Hauberk

Description

Whether constructed of mithril or tanned leather, the most important step in crafting a blood-sweat hauberk is the removal of all impurites. The metal to make the rings, or the leather from which the armour is created, are extensively treated with beggar's lye to ensure the highest possible degree of purity is achieved.

This armour comes with an obvious cost - the wearer is left physically exhausted by the experience of burning the venom out of their system. In the right circumstances, however, it can be a life-saver. The Navarr were the first to devise these sets of leathers in response to the poisons of the Vallorn, drawing their tradition of ritual blood-offering. They were often made with a convenient slit in one sleeve where the wearer could make the cut without ruining the garment. Warriors who often need the power of this armour while battling the Vallorn are occasionally nicknamed Gore-Cuffs due to the inevitable bloody stains they bear.

When first introduced to this form of armour by Navarr Brokers, most other peoples were leery about making use of them, lacking the Navarr's attitude to blood. However, some apothecaries adopted them as protective clothing while at work in case of small explosions and accidental poisonings, leading to the nickname Herbalist's Hauberk. Particularly paranoid political figures have been known to wear these almost constantly, including rumours that one Draughir Cardinal of Vigilance, Antonia Constanza di Sarvos, took to wearing her Blood-Sweat Hauberk as a night-dress.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of light armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend 10 seconds appropriate roleplaying that includes a self-inflicted cut to remove VENOM. You are immediately subject to the WEAKNESS effect.

- Materials: Crafting a blood-sweat hauberk requires eight measures of beggar's lye and four ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make this item.

It was past dark in the tavern again, and the woodsmen were telling tales of death again. Narrow escapes, and the deadly breath of the monster in the trees, and how they'd once had to leave someone behind.

I remembered one night a time ago, when they'd been telling the same tales and wizened old Karys looked up from her embroidery and leant in close and whispered "Oh, they imply they know it all, but don't you listen to them my bright boy." She jerked her head to where one of the woodsmen was recounting the tale of the plaguewulf. "What do they really know about poisonous air? Next time a brand comes through, you ask one of them about the deep woods and the things that live here, and the poisonous air."

Next time a Navarri striding came though the vale, I asked one of their warrior-artisans about poisonous air, and what to do about it. In return for furs and leather, she taught me how to burn beggarwood, and what metal to use to make a mesh, and I spent every spare moment making myself what they called a blood-sweat hauberk. A good thing to wear if you're fighting Vallorn-monsters, she said, and she told me there'd be a price to to pay for using it.

On the night of the blood moon we'd gone out hunting in that bit of the forest where old Marushka had fallen, I was decked out in my new armour, ignoring the others' funny looks. The plaguewulf came down on us, and the poisonous howling took a few, and it burned me but it didn't kill me. I was barely ready for how damn exhausted using the hauberk made me, but I kept myself on my feet and put the last axe in through its face and brought it down. It tore my guts as it fell, but I didn't die.

Next time, the end of the woodsmen's tale had been about me, and how I'd been just a normal warrior, with not a spit of magic to call on, but I'd still been able to fight when I should have been dead. I caught old Karys chuckling but she smiled at me and gave me the shirt she had been embroidering all Winter, the shirt she'd meant for Marushka.

So that's why I wear a thick-furred animal-pelt round my shoulders now. Cos I earned it.

It's a good story, is that one.

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Bloodwoven Braid

Description

A bloodwoven braid is usually crafted to appear as at least three thin rods woven together. Sometimes the braids interweave, sometimes it takes the form of two strands weaving around a third. It is commonly made of precious metal and weltsilver alloys, although a core rod of carefully shaped and stretched ambergelt is also a common feature. The wand is often wrapped with the hair of a loved one, especially in Navarr or Varushka, or bound with a beautifully woven favour in Dawn. In the Marches it is common to craft the wand to resemble stalks of wheat, and to weave fresh stalks of wheat, blades of grass or supple orchard twigs around the wand.

The woven strands that make up the wand are sometimes fancifully carved; in some places it is called a hydratongue wand and the various strands are carved at each end to depict serpents' or dragons' heads, drawing on the legendary healing power of that many-headed legendary beast.

A unique artefact example of this wand was crafted for the Urizen healer-magician Sithicus by his wife from eight strands of white-gold and a single strand of ilium. Called the Fountain of Life, in honour of that constellation, it was lost along with Sithicus' entire expedition somewhere in the depths of Spiral in 334 YE.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day you may cast the heal spell as if you knew it and without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a bloodwoven braid requires seven ingots of weltsilver, three measures of iridescent gloaming, three measures of ambergelt and two measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Big Henry was having a fine day indeed. The burly Marcher couldn't suppress the smile that demanded pride of place on his bearded face; wherever he looked, there seemed another reason to be glad.

The dry dirt of the track kicked up in little clouds of dust as Henry strode along it, each puff stirred and tugged by the pleasant breeze that danced across the countryside. Overhead the sun shone bright and proud, a pride that the Marcher shared as he looked out across the farmsteads that cut a patchwork into the forests. Rich earth, the swaying ranks of golden crops, the woodlands' shadows filled with the flitting shame of abundant game; Big Henry could see the virtuous prosperity of the Marches everywhere he looked. Nowhere more so, in fact, than the heavy coin-purse that hung from his belt, rich with his takings from the market-deals in Wayford.

As he reached the turn in the track, the place where the wagon-ruts swerved across onto the winding path towards his own farmstead, Henry found that something threatened to upset his sense that all was right and good in the world. Squinting, he couldn't see Alfred or Thomas in the fields where they should have been hard at work with hoe and shovel. That alone would have been irritating – he'd sworn that this summer would be the defeat of the great stone that squatted in the upper field and took up space that should have gone to good wheat, and the pair were supposed to be using oxen and the new rope he'd bought to shift it. But while he muttered an annoyed curse at the brothers' laziness, he noted he couldn't see Agnes either. In this weather, nothing would have stopped his diminutive wife from setting about her work under the open sky of the yard, even with little Margaret stumbling around in her wake.

So Big Henry frowned and hurried his pace a little, wondering what might have happened. Half-way down the wheel-rutted path he saw young Becca, Branden's girl, perched on the fence, playing with her poppet. It looked like she was weaving together grass, wheat and bark into a little wand for the tiny figure.

Despite his disquiet, Big Henry stopped to greet his neighbour's child and to admire her delicate work. The girl beamed up at him as the big man stooped to take a closer look. “You've made her look like a little Landskeeper,” he said with an indulgent smile. “Is that a wand?”

Becca nodded happily. “A man with no hair ran past with one in his hand,” the little girl said, holding the 'wand' up so that Big Henry could better see her handiwork. “It was silver and gold and brown. He was going to do important magic with it.” She nodded sagely.

Henry thanked the virtues that the child didn't notice how he paled. The bald man she spoke of could only be Gregor the Landskeeper, and the wand – that gleaming wand of weltsilver, amber and willowbark – that could only be the magician's most potent healing tool.

And stiff-jointed old Gregor would never run anywhere if it wasn't an emergency.

“Which way did the man with the wand go?” he asked Becca, trying to keep the rising panic from his voice. It was to no avail when, with the inevitability of a nightmare's beginning, the girl pointed at his farmstead. He swore loudly.

Big Henry started running for home, nothing left in him of the day's good humour.

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Boarskin Vest

Description

To call this thick leather armour a 'vest' is misleading. Most often it takes the form of a tough leather breastplate, greaves and bracers worn over layers of either thin chain or lighter leather. It takes it's name from the tradtional materials used to make them, although it is also known as a bearhide vest or very occasionally a mammoth-hide hauberk in places where mammoths are hunted. The bearer is said to enjoy some of the legendary fortitude and bloody-minded stubborness of the animal the armour is made from. It is common for the armour to include a helmet decorated with the tusks or made from the head of the creature that provided the armour. Like many such pieces it is considered good luck for the warrior who will wear the armour to hunt and kill the animal in question themselves.

In the Marches this armour is considered quite primitive, but is popular with beaters and with those who are capable of single-handedly taking on and defeating a boar. It is considered very good attire for a Dawnish yeoman or poor knights looking to make a name for themselves.

In Urizen, they make a similar armour by alloying weltsilver and mithril to produce articulated plate armour usually called a mountainfall carapace that is usually polished to mirror-sheen brightness with ambergelt resin. Sentinels in mountainfall carapace are often advance scouts or mobile infantry, and small groups of them serve as covert messengers carrying important documents between spires.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of medium armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You gain two ranks in the Fortitude skill while wearing this armour.

- Materials: Crafting a boarskin vest requires eight ingots of weltsilver and three measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

As if by some unspoken command, the other patrons of the drinking hall had made space round the roaring fire for the three scarred veterans. Each had been eyeing the other two with surly challenge since they had arrived amongst the other mercenaries, and the tension was obvious even to the villagers. By now, everyone was eager to see just how the triumvirate were going to settle the matter of dominance between them.

The little Marcher village usually saw no more violence than that of a farmer wringing a chicken's neck, but since that Urizen general had arbitrarily inked a line of no retreat against the orc invaders, the place had become a key forward post with a swelling garrison of Marcher soldiers and mercenaries from farther provinces of the Empire. One little village simply wasn't big enough for these three muscular, swaggering thugs and their vastly bloated egos.

The first to break the silence was the biggest of the three, a Marcher himself, his skin a patchwork of impressive scars and one leg crooked from a badly-set break. He hauled himself up from his seat to the cheers and muttered encouragements of his fellows, slammed down his flagon and lurched over to the fireplace, offering the other two veterans a glowering snarl as a prelude.

“I'm Mangler John,” he bawled. The tavern's smoky air bore witness to a moment where the mercenaries and soldiers all spat jeers or shouted affirmation, then the villagers were hushing them; the farmers wanted to hear what the thug had to say. “Mangler John! You better remember that name! I'll spill the most orc blood in this war, aye!”

He limped back and forth before the fireplace, spittle frothing at the edges of his mouth. “I hunted the Snaggle-Tusked,” he snarled, slapping his calloused palms against the leather of his armour. “Hunted him over three days and nights after he killed Old Yelm in Rutherwick, when the Beaters were too afraid to do it! I took him down with spear and axe, and made the old tusker do some good for the damage he'd caused – made him into this!” He bellowed with laughter as he tugged at the gnarled, twisted boar-tusks that jutted out from his helm. “I killed the most bastard-tough old boar in the Marches, and no orc'll stop me!”

The sound of a chair clattering against the floor came as the Dawn woman stood up, face scornful. “Some old boar? That's all you managed? Damn pig was probably half-dead by the time you found it – no way you'd catch up with a lively young one with that leg of yours.” Mangler John scowled, but it was clear that his rival had the floor now.

She strode up before the fire. “I am Knight-Errant Isolde and it is I who the orcs will learn to fear the most, not some broken old has-been. You see these furs, these teeth?” She plucked at the leathers that hung over her gleaming chain armour, and the dangling, scrimshawed teeth that dangled from them. “Wolves, the hungriest and most vicious of the winter season's dark, that came from the mountains to maraud Dawnish yeomen! Orcs are not like grunting, waddling pigs of the forest! They are hungry for blood, fast, vicious, and they work in packs! I have hunted creatures of their ilk before, and my armour tells the tale of it!”

Isolde stepped back to her seat where the other Dawnish met her with grins and cheers, then silence fell and all eyes went to the last of the three – the orc. The lean muscle of his bare arms rippled as he pulled himself to his feet and strode to the fireplace, a massive cascade of bear-fur hanging from his shoulders over the boiled leather that encased his torso. His forehead was framed with the upper jaw of the bear, its dead face pinned in mimicry of a snarl atop his scalp.

He hadn't even spoken yet, and the villagers were impressed. But even as he took a breath and opened his mouth, the tavern's door clattered open.

A slight-framed woman snorted irritably as she tried to navigate the doorway, but the great curves of trophy mammoth-ivory that were bound to her shoulder-plates made the whole affair rather tricky. Finally in the warm embrace of the hall's interior, she stomped across the intervening space to the bar itself, her armour covered in layers of thick mammoth-hide leather with clattering ivory-charms dangling from every hem. The Winterfolk woman gruffly ordered a drink, and it was only when the innkeeper had laid it down before her and she'd had a chance to gulp back a refreshing swig that she realised the whole place was staring at her. When she turned in her seat, the bear-clad orc was actually still gaping.

“What?” she demanded, confused.

When it became clear that their gazes were on the great rack of mammoth-tusks bound across her shoulders, the Winterfolk shrugged.

“It got in my way.”

Then she turned back to her drink. The orc, chastened, quietly sat back down, and the other two veterans stared into their flagons without a further word.

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Boggarts in Morrow

Unwelcome Discovery

The rocks were slick and slippery with rainwater, but Clytemnestra stepped lightly and her balance never faltered. She paused momentarily, eyes closed, to feel the moisture against her skin, before shaking her head to dislodge droplets from her barbels.

The route was well-worn as Clytemnestra - and many before her - had walked it to the location of the Spire's mana site. A perfect spot that, almost like a rockpool on the coast, gathered flows of magic to the point they crystallise.

Cresting the rise, Clytemnestra paused again, this time eyes open and alert. Figures were gathered by the small stone shallow where the mana gathered; three of them, on their hands and knees. They had the look of naga yeoman about them, but they were many miles from Dawn or the Marches. Clytemnestra reached behind her back and pulled forth two ornately carved, and yet visibly well-used, rods. Adopting a battle-ready stance, weapon in either hand, Clytemnestra advanced. "Identify yourselves," she called out, without any waver in her voice.

The three figures jumped to their feet immediately, faced Clytemnestra and hissed, before fleeing.

Clytemnestra advanced on the mana site carefully, but also resigned to what she would find. Fragments of broken crystal lay scattered about the bowl, and in smaller number than usual.

"Boggarts," hissed Clytemnestra .

Civil Service Report

Citizens across the Urizen territory of Morrow are reporting sightings of boggarts. These vermin, believed to have originated from the Realm of Night, are manavores and deliberately seek out flows of magic, and the places they pool, to feed upon. Possessing an inherent magic akin to the ritual The Twilight Masquerade, their primary defence is camouflage, and they rarely approach or attack citizens.

Past experience has shown that territories infested with boggarts experience a significant decline in mana production. Conversely, in more positive news, boggart faeces are also known to enrich - or perhaps transform - soils and enhance their fertility. Consequently, this rarified manure is sought after by citizens who can use it to enhance production of herb gardens or farms in the territory. These faeces sadly cannot be stored or transported well, as their potency swiftly fades.

Swarms of Boggarts are a known phenomenon and across the Empire's history; a number of responses have been tried to varying degrees of effect:

- The civil service estimates that the consequences of doing nothing about this boggart infestation will be a massive[1] reduction in Morrow's mana site supply, accompanied by a moderate increase in herb garden[2] and farm productivity[3] in Morrow.

- As manavores, boggarts pose little threat to the lives of citizens and only threaten Imperial resources. Consequently, the Academy has, in the past, taken the opportunity to arrange boggart hunts for younger citzens keen to practice their martial skills. The outcome of a successful boggart hunt would mean less mana would be lost to the vermin[4]. This would have no impact on the benefit to farms and herb gardens.

- The Senate during the reign of Empress Mariika hit upon a scheme where - using scares, lures, and mana as bait - boggarts could be coaxed from one territory into another. In this way, the boggarts were relocated from Astolat to Miaren, which benefitted from the increased herb production and was mana poor at the time. This action could be carried out by the Senate for a cost of 10 Thrones or by a Conclave Gambit of 21 Mana. The motion or gambit must specify a single territory adjacent to Morrow the boggarts were being relocated to, otherwise it could not succeed.

- Before becoming Emperor, Nicovar proposed to the Senate that boggart lures could be improved upon to become boggart traps so that the mana supply could be protected, and the boggart faeces harvested for the enhancement of herb gardens. This proved very popular. This action could be carried out by the Senate for a cost of 25 Thrones or by a Conclave Gambit of 40 Mana. This would significantly reduce the mana lost to vermin[5] and, if the Academy completed a successful boggart hunt, would ensure no mana was lost.

- There is also the belief that as manivorous Night-creatures, the boggart population could be directly affected by the intervention of Sadogua. There is a story from the First Interregnum that the then Archmage of Night demanded Sadogua remove boggarts from Kahraman, and whilst Sadogua agreed, the outcome was that they were relocated to Madruga with their numbers swollen. It is unclear what price Sadogua sought for his aid on that occasion, or even if the story is true.

The above options are the lessons learned across the history of the Empire. The civil service does not expect that this is an exhaustive or absolute list. Costings for Senate Motions, Conclave Gambits or Synod Rewardings can be requested from the civil service at the Hub.

Footnotes

- [1] -4 mana production per mana site

- [2] +2 random herbs per herb garden

- [3] +36 rings of income per farm

- [4] 1 less mana lost per mana site

- [5] 3 less mana lost per mana site

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Bold Navarr Men

Original Song: The Bold Fenian Men (Trad) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrmWwe6Ep1M

New lyrics by Joanna VanderHoeven

'Twas down by the glenside, I met an old woman She was picking young nettles and she scarce saw me coming I listened awhile to the song she was humming Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Navarr men

'Tis fifty long years since I saw the moon beaming On strong manly forms and their eyes with pride gleaming I see them again, sure, in all my daydreaming Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Navarr men

Some died on the glenside, some died near a stranger And wise men have told us that their cause was a failure They fought for the Empire and they never feared danger Glory O, Glory O, to the bold Navarr men

I passed on my way, Empire be praised that I met her Be life long or short, sure I'll never forget her We may have brave men, but we'll never have better Glory O,Glory O, to the bold Navarr men

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Bolholt Song

Tune by Kathryn Wheeler, lyrics by Jude Reid

Bregaslanders, blood and bone Bolholt! Bolholt! Strong as iron, hard as stone Bolholt! Bolholt! Hard at work by day and night Never beaten in the fight Courage, pride and loyalty Marcher yeomen are we

For the land we'll tireless toil Bolholt! Bolholt! Golden corn and rich brown soil Bolholt! Bolholt! By our oath and duty bound Loyal as a hunting hound Courage, pride and loyalty Marcher yeomen are we

Bolholt maids have beauty rare Bolholt! Bolholt! In all the Empire none so fair Bolholt! Bolholt! Bolholt lads are stout and strong Handsome as the day is long Courage, pride and loyalty Marcher yeomen are we

Fearsome foes wait on the field Bolholt! Bolholt! Still we'll fight and never yield Bolholt! Bolholt! Raise the banner up on high Now they'll hear the battle cry Courage, pride and loyalty Marcher yeomen are we

Time to put aside your plough Bolholt! Bolholt! March with me to battle now Bolholt! Bolholt! On to victory or death Never fail while we draw breath Courage, pride and loyalty Marcher yeomen are we

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Bolstering Bill

Description

The Marcher yeomen make use of these practical pole-arms in their fighting lines to help reduce casualties. A couple of soldiers armed with these weapons can provide speedy assistance to fellow warriors who have collapsed due to injuries, allowing them to move back out of the press under their own steam. A warrior armed with a bolstering bill may be a trained physician themselves, but more likely they are expected to keep fighting to cover the retreat of their comrade and keep the line solid.

The character of Bolstering Bill appears in a number of comic songs, stories and poems in various parts of the Empire as a simple yet well-meaning soldier-boy who helps his companions through any number of amusing or hair-raising scrapes with a combination of good humour, honest camaraderie and more than a little tough love. While these tales are generally accepted as being made up, the character of Bolstering Bill is sometimes mentioned as being an Exemplar of Loyalty

In Highguard and Wintermark especially, it is common for a pair of champions to fight side-by-side, each equipped with one of these weapons (and occasionally other similar items such as the Bondring). In this case, the weapon is generally called a brother's beacon (Highguard) or a brothers' bulwark (Wintermark), regardless of the genders of the warriors involved. In other nations one of these weapons may be called variously an indomitable hook or a good neighbour.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a pole-arm.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may use stay with me as if you knew it without spending hero points while wielding this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a bolstering bill requires seven ingots of weltsilver and six ingots of green iron. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“You've done me an immeasurable honour,” the exarch said. “You've done this whole Chapter an honour. Your impeccable service, your tireless devotion... these serve as a shining example for your comrades and for all of us.”

The sisters each bowed their head in humble acceptance of the exarch's praise. Both were resplendent in their armour, the articulated plates polished to a dazzling sheen that shone beneath the sun's warm glare. The warm wind plucked at the pennants that hung over the courtyard's expanse, dappling the gathered Chapter-folk beneath in dancing patches of shadow.

The exarch cleared his throat and carried on, projecting his voice as best he could across the assembly of his people. “With each of your victories, your virtues are made more clear. With each of your wise words to your fellows, you strengthen our whole chapter.”

He tucked one wisp of loose white hair back within his cowl, and nodded towards where the Magister waited, bearing two silk-swaddled lengths. “In turn, we wish to honour both of you. The loss of either of you would be a loss as grievous to any of us as that of our own children, a loss to this Chapter's very soul.”

Around the courtyard arose a quiet affirmation of the exarch's words. It wasn't a chant or a cheer, just dozens of good, true-hearted men and women speaking their own agreement with what was being said.

The younger sister was clearly feeling the emotion of the moment, but her Cataphract training kept her expression firm and humble. Her elder sibling, though, was sniffing back the tears, and the exarch gave her a warm smile of encouragement.

“More than that, your virtues are so widely known now that when others speak of our Chapter, they praise us for your work. As such, it would be churlish were we to show other Chapters that we ourselves did not honour your devoted efforts. Because of this, I have had two sister-weapons commissioned for your panoplies, armaments to bear with you on your duties. These two weapons share the same love that you have for one another, and that we have for you. With these in your grasp, no foe will take you from us or from each other.”

The Magister took his cue and strode forwards, struggling a little under the weight of his burden. The exarch took one at a time, drawing off the silk wrappings to reveal the patterned silver-and-green of the metal beneath; two fine glaives, brothers'-beacons wrought with skill and artifice. The sisters, solidly-built Cataphracts, accepted the weapons as he offered them with no heed for their weight.

The elder sister met his gaze, tears still bright in her eyes but matched by the smile upon her face. He'd never seen her so happy.

“Cataphract Jedidah, Cataphract Mehetabel, you are both examples that the rest of us would do well to follow. With these glaives, I ask only that you guard each other as you have guarded us, that we may never be robbed of your virtue by the Empire's foes."

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Bolstering Bill (Exemplar)

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

Bolstering Bill was recognised as an Exemplar of Loyalty by the Highborn Assembly of the Virtuous following his stories and legends being brought to Bastion by pilgrims and Wayfarers.

Biography

Signs

- Bolstering Bill has left a legacy in the form of the weapon that carries his name.

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Bondring

Description

Sometimes called a dragonbone ring, a bondring is a piece of magical jewelry favoured by anyone who links their life to that of another. They are used extensively by League cicisbeo, by trusted dawnish retainers, by bodyguards across the Empire, and by sworn shield-brothers and battle-partners from all nations. They are also a popular gift between lovers, and it is not uncommon for a wedding to include an exchange of bondrings and the ceremonial bonding of the partners together.

The magic of the bondring works through the power of the bond. It allows the wearer to offer aid and succour to their partner - the person they are bonded to. In some cases, two such wearers are bound together with mutual bonds but this is not a requirement (for example, while a bodyguard or cicisbeo is likely to be bonded to a patron or client, the reverse is rarely the case). While a bondring does not offer dramatic healing power, it cannot be denied that these talismans save lives across the Empire every year.

A bondring is almost always a ring, or less commonly a bracer, either made from dragonbone or decorated with dragonbone inlays. They are frequently decorated with symbols of love, commitment or Loyalty (such as hounds, hawks or falcons); runes such as Zorech, or Lann; or stones that evoke the image of the Three Sisters or the Chain.

Rules

- Form: Jewellry (Talisman)

- Effect: To use this item you must be bonded to another person with a special bond. Once per day you may use either stay with me or get it together on the person you have bonded to as if you knew them without spending a hero point. The bondring allows the create bond spell to be cast to connect you to a single willing target; you can be bonded to only one person at a time, and if you stop being bonded to the bond ring, your personal bond breaks. The target character cannot break this bond, but neither do they count as being bonded to you.

- Materials: Crafting a bondring requires seven measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Boneweaver

Description

These powerful adjuncts to a magician's healing arts are most often made of bone. They repair arms and legs that have been crippled by cleaving strikes or pierced with arrows. They are especially popular with Imperial Orc shaman, who can bring the legion warriors back to full fighting strength quickly while conserving their personal mana for emergency healing or offensive spells. In all nations, they are a common tool of stretcher-bearers, allowing them to get warriors walking again and able to head to the chirurgeons unassisted. This has won the wand the name Cripple's Delight.

Finding bones long enough to form the core of these wands can be problematic as the best results are achieved with single bones without any fractures or cracks. Horse leg bones were once used, but since their extinction, the long bones of oxen are the most common materials in many lands. In Varushka, the bones of bears and boar are used due to their size and association with the virtue of Courage, to inspire the injured to overcome hardship and claim victory. Careful application of amberbelt can provide additional length, encasing the bone like a fly in amber. In some examples, tiny fractures appear in the bone every time they are used, taking on the injuries they cure, eventually causing them to shatter at the end of their lifespan.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Three times per day when you cast the restore limb spell you can do so without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a boneweaver requires ten measures of amberbelt, ten ingots of weltsilver and eight measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The human's blood was drizzling out from between Durn's fingers, staining his white wrist-wrap a carmine red. He felt his grip slither and slip from the flowing red fluid, and grunted as he tightened his grasp around Tancred's upper arm.

Everything below the Dawnish soldier's elbow was a ragged mess, but his shoulder wasn't looking much better either. Tancred's face had paled and Durn could tell he'd gone into some sort of shock, the human mind's way of trying to deal with the intense agony he must be suffering.

That and his Abyss-damned jokes. It was an old ritual between the two friends.

“W-What do you call it when an orc tries to sing?”

“Attempted murder,” Durn grunted. He reached to his side where the wand was tied, working to extricate it from the knots there. “What do you call a band of humans running away?”

“I... I don't know.” Tancred spasmed and coughed, wincing as he did so, and the shaman frowned at the fresh spatter of blood running between his fingers.

“An army.” He had the wand free now.

“Hah! G-good one. What do orcs call their enemies?” A beat. “Dinner.”

Durn raised an eyebrow as he held the wand aloft. “How do you tell if a human is a great warrior?”

Tancred frowned through the haze of pain. “No idea.”

“Me neither, I've never met one.” That got his friend laughing. Durn quickly muttered the incantation then tapped the wand to the human's wrecked limb.

“That... that's a good one, I th-agh Ways-damnit that hurts aargh!” Tancred clenched his jaw as the bones of his arm reset with a crack, flesh and tendon knitted back together and nerves flared with fresh agony.

And then the spell was done and the nobleman was sitting up, flexing his repaired limb with a slight look of wonder on his face. The flesh still bore wounds, but the magic had done enough to give Tancred back the use of his sword-hand.

“Now get back up and into that fight,” Durn ordered him. “We've a battle yet to win, and I don't think those things care whether it's orc or human flesh they're eating at the end of the day.”

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Bound by Common Cause

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 80

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 80

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets an Imperial army. The general responsible for the army must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual dramatically increases the logistical cohesion of a campaign army. The campaign army gains an additional boost to it's combat ability dependant on the number of additional military units that are assigned to fight alongside it. The bonus is subject to diminishing returns. The first 15 units add 50 effective strength each; the second 15 add 40 effective strength each; the third 15 add 30 effective strength each; the fourth 15 adds 20 effective strength each and the final 15 add 10 effective strength each to a maximum bonus of 2,250 additional strength for 75 additional military units.

The additional army strength granted by this enchantmen is affected by the orders given to the army. While the effect is expressed as being equivalent to additional soldiers, this enchantment never reduces casualties suffered by the army..

While the enchantment persists, the general responsible for the army experiences a roleplaying effect: they are never satisfied with the size, strength, military readiness or agreed tactics of their army, band, nation or Empire; they seek to improve things, doubting the opinions of others and being driven to fine new ways to improve their army and the capacity of the soldiers under their command.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

This ritual empowers and enhances an army, using the Imperial general as focus. The enchantment improves the internal logistics of the campaign army, and harmonizes it with the logistical needs of smaller units. The net result is that it becomes easier for independent units to join that campaign army and fight alongside it with enhanced ability. Nobody misses a meal, nobody goes hungry, everyone has dry clothes, good boots, sharp weapons, clean armour ... the ritual serendipitously arranges things so that temporary auxiliaries fight effectively alongside the main body of the army. It even serves to minimize and quell inter-unit rivalries, or at least turn them towards a desire to fight the enemy better than a rival, rather than engage in drunken fistfights. Consequently, this ritual is something of a boon to mercenary commanders, whether serving as generals or leading smaller units. The ability to integrate disparate military units into a larger body helps keep the Imperial troops cohesive and this magic enhances that even further.

This ritual is both weak and powerful when it comes to enhancing the effectiveness of an Imperial army. Weak because it provides no advantage at all to an army that has no auxiliary units attached to it; strong because with enough negotiation or money, an army can gain a significant increase to it's effectivness not only due to the enchantment but due to the presence of all the additional military units.

Common Elements

This ritual enhances a campaign army, and the general of the target army serves as a vital focus for delivering the magic. It is common to include a banner or standard that will be used by the target force as a focus for the ritual. Other common elements include the invocation of Paragons and Exemplars of Wisdom and Loyalty. Other elements include girding or crowning the military leader, the rhythmic beat of military drums, the presence of warriors from as many different nations as possible as witnesses especially if those warriors swear oaths to fight alongside the general in battle.

The rune of bargains, Lann, is favoured for this ritual as the Day rune Aesh which represents thought and clarity. The constellations of The Chain and The Three Sisters might be invoked, as might the character of The Prince, especially in a scene set on The Battlefield or The Counting House.

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Imperial Bourse (Redirected from Bourse)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Role within the Empire

- 3 Entry requirements

- 4 Elections and Appointments

- 4.1 Losing the tItle

- 4.2 Proxies

- 5 History

- 6 Powers and functions

- 6.1 Control of Ilium and Building Materials

- 6.2 Access to the Private Auction

- 6.3 Operation of the Public Auction

- 6.4 Auction of Appointments

- 7 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 7.1 Mithril

- 7.1.1 The Singing Caves

- 7.1.2 The Fortress of Salt

- 7.1.3 The Brilliant Star

- 7.1.4 The Great Mine of Briante

- 7.1.5 The Great Pits of Ennerlund

- 7.2 Weirwood

- 7.2.1 The Golden Trees of Seren

- 7.2.2 The Hunt of Alderei the Fair

- 7.2.3 The Heartwood of the Great Vale

- 7.2.4 The Weirwater Vales

- 7.2.5 The Canterspire Circle

- 7.2.6 The Great Forest at Reikos

- 7.3 White Granite

- 7.3.1 The Damation Cliffs

- 7.3.2 The Night Quarry

- 7.3.3 The Arratan Gamble

- 7.3.4 Sutton Stone Quarries

- 7.3.5 The Brilliant Shore

- 7.4 Ilium

- 7.4.1 Syrene's Wisdom

- 7.4.2 The Scorrero Nets

- 8 National Bourse Positions

- 8.1 The Master of The Imperial Mint

- 8.2 Castellan of Spiral Castle

- 8.3 Mithril

- 8.3.1 The Eternal Shafts of Time

- 8.3.2 The Legacy

- 8.4 Weirwood

- 8.4.1 The Thimble

- 8.5 White Granite

- 8.5.1 The Granites of Veltsgorsk

- 8.5.2 The Vigilant Swan

- 8.6 Ilium

- 8.6.1 The Steel Fist

- 8.6.2 The Broken Shore Bounty

- 8.6.3 The Stonefield Ice Caves

- 8.6.4 The Regario Dossier

- 9 Other Titles

Overview

The Imperial Bourse is the economic hub of the Empire. Its role is to ensure the prosperity of the Empire and to provide access to much needed resources to those who can afford them.

Role within the Empire

The Bourse is designed to ensure that ilium, mithril, weirwood and white granite are directed to where they can provide the most economic benefit, rather than being assigned by political or military patronage. Merchants bid for a position on the Bourse and those that are successful gain control of one of the Bourse positions that control production. It is then left to them to sell the resources at whatever price they can. Although there are frequent accusations of profiteering, when the market functions as intended it ensures that significant sums of money are paid to the Bourse for use by the Empire.

Decisions within the Bourse are taken by auction, with members placing money in the Bourse coffers to register their support for or against a motion. Such auctions are rare however, most of the Bourse activity is economic in nature and takes place without central organisation. The money collected by the Bourse, as part of the process of selecting members and making decisions becomes the property of the Empire.

The Bourse has gained two other roles over the years, operating the public and private auctions. The public auction is open to anyone present; most goods sold are herbs, mana crystals, resources, building materials and occasionally even Ilium are sent to the Bourse by Imperial citizens who want a good price for their goods but have neither the inclination nor the time to attend the meetings at Anvil. The private auction is for Bourse members only and sells rare and unique items that agents of the Bourse have sourced from across the Empire and the World.

Entry requirements

There are over a score of different Bourse positions, the majority of which are auctioned off once a year. Although a citizen may bid for as many positions as they choose, an individual can only hold one Imperial title. The auction itself uses an open bidding system and payments must be made immediately.

There are a handful of Bourse positions which are not auctioned off. These positions reflect the relative economic wealth and priorities of nations like Varushka. As a result these resources are controlled by vote of members of that nation based on what resources they control. These positions are identified separately below.

You can find details of who holds which seat here.

Elections and Appointments

During each season, all the Bourse Seats (both Imperial and National) that produce a single material are re-elected or re-appointed. During the event that a seat is due to be re-elected, the current holder does not receive any materials. Once the seat has been re-elected, the new holder receives that season's production, and secures the production until the next time the seat is due to be re-elected.

- Weirwood seats are re-elected at the Winter Solstice.

- Ilium seats and the Master of the Imperial Mint are re-elected at the Spring Equinox.

- White Granite seats are re-elected at the Summer Solstice.

- Mithril seats are re-elected at the Autumn Equinox.

Losing the tItle

What happens when a Bourse seat loses their title depends on how they lost it.

- If the holder of a Bourse seat dies, the seat is re-auctioned (or appointed). The new holder of the seat does not receive any wains or rings of ilium until the start of the next event. The money raised by the auction (if any) becomes part of the estate of the dead character, and the Magistrates do their best to ensure that money goes to the seat's beneficiaries.

- If the holder of a Bourse seat resigns their position, the seat is also re-auctioned (or appointed). Again, the new holder of the seat does not receive any wains or rings until the next event. The money raised in the auction is paid to the character who resigned their seat.

- If the holder of a Bourse seat receives a Writ of Excommunication, they are stripped of their Bourse seat. It is re-elected (or appointed), and the money raised is claimed by the Imperial Synod.

- The holder of a Bourse seat cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.

In all cases, the money initially paid for a seat remains as part of the annual budget of the Imperial Senate.

Proxies

Any member of the Bourse, may appoint a proxy. It is not uncommon for Bourse members to auction the right to stand as their proxy to another party - as this allows the proxy to bid in the private auction.

History

Mithril, weirwood and white granite are essential to the prosperity of the Empire and its citizens. Deposits of these materials tend to be large but few in number so they are carefully protected. Ilium is also rare and almost priceless due to its arcane powers. When the Empire was formed control of key supplies of these materials was placed in the control of the Bourse; it was explicitly designed to keep control of these precious materials out of the direct control of the Empress and the Senate.

Over time the role of the Bourse has grown, its members instituted a private auction to give them access to some of the most valuable items in the Empire. This was so successful it was eventually copied and a second public auction was introduced to allow citizens of the Empire to sell basic goods at the Bourse.

Powers and functions

Control of Ilium and Building Materials

Mithril, weirwood and white granite are essential to upgrade a personal resource to make it more productive. They are also needed for the large projects authorized by the Senate such as the creation of new armies or the building of bridges and fortifications. Ilium is used by artisans and magicians to make rituals and enchantments permanent. Each Bourse member has control of a single resource, for a single year (unless they are replacing an existing position which has become vacant). They can dispense this resource as they choose.

Access to the Private Auction

The Bourse holds a single private auction, only Bourse members can attend and bid on the items auctioned. Bourse agents scour the Empire and the world looking for rare and potentially valuable items to bring them to the Bourse where they are auctioned off to the highest bidder. Details of the handful of lots are usually posted in the Bourse several hours before the auction begins.

Operation of the Public Auction

Although not formally one of the powers of the Bourse, the public auction takes place in the Bourse and is operated by the civil servants who run the Bourse. The auction is open to all and supplies of herbs, mana crystals, resources, minor magical items and small lots of weirwood, mithril and white granite are auctioned to the highest bidder. It is relatively rare, but not unknown for more valuable items like Ilium, true liao or powerful items to appear in the public auction. Details of the lots are posted in the Bourse one hour before the auction begins.

Auction of Appointments

Over the years the Bourse has helped to create various minor Imperial positions and officers to help the Empire function. Individuals are appointed to these positions by auction - Bourse members commit funds in support of their preferred candidate. The candidate that receives the most support is appointed - and all bids by their supporters become the property of the state.

Imperial Bourse Positions

There are sixteen Bourse positions that are assigned to the highest sealed bid. These positions are available to any citizen of the Empire who does not already control an Imperial title or position. This means that members of the Synod, military or senate can bid for one of these Imperial Bourse position, but must resign their position if they are successful.

Mithril

All mithril seats are re-elected during the Autumn Equinox.

The Singing Caves

The Singing Caves are found in Mournwold not far from the besieged settlement of Overton. Still in Imperial hands, albeit only just, the Singing Caves take their name from the strange voices that echo forth when the wind blows above. Many Imperial citizens are concerned about what will happen to the Singing Caves when the Jotun invaders make a significant attempt to conquer the last Imperial hold outs in this desolate territory.

This Bourse position produces 28 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Fortress of Salt

In the mountains north of Temeschwar is the famous Fortress of Salt. The fortress guards the entrance to one of the richest deposits of mithril in the Empire, and is massively fortified as a result. The mine workings also produce large amounts of salt and most of the walls are covered in a fine layer of white powder.

This Bourse position produces 25 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Brilliant Star

In the peaks of Tomari in Redoubt, overlooking the Urizen spire of Delving is the Brilliant Star. Allegedly the most beautiful of all the star shaped tunnel complexes that undermine the mountains, it's walls gleam slightly even when there is no other light.

This Bourse position produces 24 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Great Mine of Briante

At the heart of the mining settlement of Briante is the great mine that shares it's name. Perhaps the deepest mine in the Empire, it has been dug deeper and deeper over the centuries to excavate the precious mithril that is found deep underground.

This Bourse position produces 22 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Great Pits of Ennerlund

Holberg was rightly famous for its impressive engineering works and few are more impressive than the Great Pits of Ennerlund, with their complex mine workings and mechanized pumps. The pits were lost when Holberg was overrun and the mine - and its bounty of mithril - were sabotaged by the Druj barbarians during the liberation of Holberg..

Under Imperial control this Bourse position produces 27 Imperial wains of mithril every season. It is unclear how much, if any, production now remains or what measures may need to be taken to restore the pits to an operable state.

Weirwood

All weirwood seats are re-elected during the Winter Solstice.

The Golden Trees of Seren

In the heart of the Miaren are the ruins of Seren, destroyed a millenia ago by the Vallorn and slowly being reclaimed. The area is still dangerous, but the Vallorn growth here left large copses of weirwood trees dotted through the surrounding forest.

This Bourse position produces 28 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Hunt of Alderei the Fair

The hunt is a great weirwood forest that was also the site of one of the most vicious battles against the forces of Alderei the Fair, the tyrant-boyar of pre-Imperial Varushka. At the foot of the Opascari mountains, this vital strategic asset was nearly burnt to the ground in the wake of the Imperial victory, and said to be haunted to this day. The site is believed to take it's name from the treasure seekers who combed the surrounding woods looking for traces of Alderei the Fair in the decades after his defeat.

This Bourse position produces 26 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Heartwood of the Great Vale

The Great Vale in Hercynia contains large areas of precious weirwood. Although the area is threatened by Thule barbarians, the Empire has maintained control of the Heartwood, albeit barely.

This Bourse position produces 25 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Weirwater Vales

Weirwood is named for the forests that dot this landscape and the rich supplies of weirwood they produce. Legend claims that the first weavers made a pact with the Eternals to make the land fertile, but that the magic has slowly dwindled with time.

This Bourse position produces 23 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Canterspire Circle

The lower slopes of Canterspire are marked by strange circles of weirwood that grow rapidly despite the barren soil. It is clear that some magic is responsible for their ruddy health, but no ritual has ever been devised that can repeat this phenomena which certainly predates the arrival of the Urizen.

This Bourse position produces 22 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Great Forest at Reikos

On the borders of Reikos, the great forest is an abundant source of valuable timber including precious weirwood. It was lost when the territory was over-run by Druj barbarians and is not currently being auctioned.

Under Imperial control this Bourse position would produce 25 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

White Granite

All White Granite seats are re-elected during the Summer Solstice.

The Damation Cliffs

The Cliffs are located near Damata in Kahraman and are well protected with a sequence of fortifications to guard the approach. Damation granite is flecked with silver marks although these are purely cosmetic and do not lessen its value.

This Bourse position produces 27 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

The Night Quarry

The Night Quarry is located high in the mountains of Miekarova near the Painted Caves. White Granite is produced here using a technique that fills the air with a fine white dust that quickly settles on the skin. As a result the workers have a ghostly pale complexion until they wash. The decision of the Imperial Senate to make it an Imperial bourse position angered many Varushkans at the time; it was also the site of an early engagement between orc slaves and Imperial troops known as the Night Quarry Massacre. After two weeks of intermittent fighting around the quarry, Varushkan troops and revolting slave miners alike were slaughtered when Thule barbarian raiders happened across it and took advantage of both sides' weakness. To this day, miners claim to hear the occasional moans of trapped orcs, dying warriors and exultant Thule echoing in dark, giving the site an unwholesome reputation

This Bourse position produces 26 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

The Arratan Gamble

It is claimed that on a clear day you can see the Arratan Gamble from the tallest spires of Tassato. This massive white granite quarry has a bad reputation, and many who have paid to control it have ended up ruined as a result.

This Bourse position produces 25 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

Sutton Stone Quarries

These hardworked quarries are in Upwold near the border with Mournwold and within sight of the Old Pig. They have long produced an unusually hard and well wearing creamy-coloured limestone that has become so famed as superb quality building stone that the name of the Quarry itself has become eponymous for all other caches of Sutton Stone that have been found. The limestone is seamed with white granite.

This Bourse position produces 23 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

The Brilliant Shore

Until recently large amounts of white granite were quarried from this cliff face near Gildenheim. When the sun reflects on the workings on the cliff face the reflection is blinding and gives the quarry its name. The Brilliant Shore was one of the first areas seized by the Thule when Skarsind fell, and reclaimed at the turning point of the recent war.

This Bourse position produces 26 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

Ilium

All ilium seats are re-elected during the Spring Equinox.

Syrene's Wisdom

In the silver mines above Syrene there are sometimes found brilliant blue seams, no more than a few inches long, that dull chisels upon the first strike. Although these seams are small and difficult to work they yield a constant supply of Ilium.

This Bourse position produces 7 rings of Ilium every season.

The Scorrero Nets

A wise Hakima learnt by chance many years ago that the Scorrero carries ilium in its waters, washed from the land and carried towards the sea. Now nets are placed in the water at key points, primarily along the length of the Scorrero that runs through Feroz, to sieve out the precious material before it can be lost forever.

This Bourse position produces 5 rings of Ilium every season.

National Bourse Positions

These appointments are Bourse positions, but they can only be filled by a citizen of the appropriate nation. In addition they are not auctioned off, as Imperial Bourse positions are, but voted upon by resource owners from that nation. The larger the personal holding an individual has, the more votes they can allocate in support to a candidate. The voting for national Bourse positions is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.

National Bourse positions are otherwise identical to Imperial Bourse positions.

The Master of The Imperial Mint

The Master of the Imperial Mint is a bourse position reserved for the citizen of the League who presents the largest bid. The Master has powers to speak and address the Senate.

Castellan of Spiral Castle

Until 368YE, the Castellan of Spiral Castle was a bourse position reserved for a Dawnish citizen, appointed with the support of Dawnish military units. When Spiral Castle disappeared behind a wall of impenetrable mist, the title and the seat it represented effectively became vacant. The Castellan had powers to order the resupply of Imperial armies stationed in Weirwater.

Mithril

All Mithril seats are re-selected during the Autumn Equinox.

The Eternal Shafts of Time

In the mountains near Vorota in Karov are the Eternal Shafts of Time. These ancient shafts were old long before the Empire was born and the size and shape suggests that those who once worked them were not human. Time seems to run strangely in the shafts, workers claim some days simply run longer than others and the output of the mines supports their claims.

Ownership of the Shafts was hotly contested between the citizens of Temeschwar and those of Varushka in the early days of the Empire, but in the end the Varushkans retained control of them. Control of the Shafts is assigned to whichever Varushkan candidate receives the most support from Varushkan owners of mine resources.

This Bourse position produces 27 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Legacy

This vast mine complex is one of the few places in Spiral that remain under Imperial control. It is mostly played out today, but still manages to produces significant quantities of mithril for whoever controls it. According to legend the site was part of a great gift to the Urizen people but the details are lost to time.

Control of the Legacy is assigned to whichever Urizen candidate receives the most support from Urizen owners of mana sites.

This Bourse position produces 22 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

Weirwood

All Weirwood seats are re-appointed during the Winter Solstice.

The Thimble

The Thimble is a vast stretch of forest that covers a series of rolling hills allegedly laid out in the pattern of a tailor's thimble. The Thimble was one of the earliest areas of Therunin to be cleared of Vallorn influence and it now provides an impressive supply of valuable weirwood for the Navarr use.

Control of the Thimble is assigned to whichever Navarr candidate receives the most support from Navarr owners of herb gardens.

This Bourse position produces 24 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

White Granite

All White Granite seats are re-appointed during the Summer Solstice.

The Granites of Veltsgorsk

Deep in the mountains of Volodmartz lie the open mines of Veltsgorsk. The white granite that comes from these mines is sometimes streaked with pink quartz - storytellers claim it is steeped in the blood of all those who have died fighting over Volodmartz in the past, and will help give life to nearby vegetation as a result.

Control of Veltsgorsk is assigned to whichever Varushkan candidate receives the most support from Varushkan owners of forest resources.

This Bourse position produces 26 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

The Vigilant Swan

This quarry complex north of Riverwatch was one of the last outposts of the Highborn during the Druj invasion. It fell to the barbarians in late 377YE, despite the efforts of the brave defenders at Tabernacle. The stoneworks is now a massive, open-cast quarry - an open wound in the face of the earth. When they retreated from the quarry, the Druj slaughtered most of their defenceless slaves, completing the degradation of the Vigilant Swan by turning it into a great open grave.

Control of the Vigilant Swan was assigned to whichever Highborn candidate receives the most support from Highborn owners of congregations. While it was liberated by Highborn and Navarr forces, the decision about it's future is still uncertain as of the start of Spring 379YE..

This Bourse position produced 25 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

Ilium

All ilium seats are re-appointed during the Spring Equinox.

Bourse seats that are allocated on the basis of raids conducted by military units, piracy by fleets, or similar are based on the total effective size of all the contributing resources over the last four seasons.

The Steel Fist

In recent years Imperial Orc forces have swelled the ranks of the Imperial armies, tipping the scales against the barbarian threat. The previous Empress Britta enjoyed particularly strong support from the Orcs and in return she helped create the position of the Steel Fist.

To reward the Imperial Orcs for the work undertaken in supporting the Imperial armies, the Bourse allocates the Steel Fist to whichever legion provides the most assistance to Imperial armies on campaign. Small legions combine their efforts so that they can be counted together to compete for this great prize which is awarded every Spring Equinox.

This Bourse position produces 8 rings of Ilium every season.

The Broken Shore Bounty

The Grendel represent a powerful threat to the Empire and only constant raids by Imperial vessels against the halls and vessels of the Broken Shore serve to prevent them invading the Empire. The seat comes with a well-protected villa in the port-town of Cazar, in Feroz. The corsairs families of the Brass Coast see it as a point of honour to control the Broken Shore Bounty.

To reward the Freeborn for the risks they take, the Bourse allocates the Broken Shore Bounty to whichever fleet performs the biggest raid against the Grendel port of Dubhtraig. Small fleets combine their efforts so that they can be counted together to compete for this great prize which is awarded every Spring Equinox.

This Bourse position produces 7 rings of Ilium every season.

The Stonefield Ice Caves

Large deposits of Ilium are buried in this massive glacier, but the ice is every bit as hard to work as stone and the precious metal must be picked from the walls of the frozen tunnels.

To reward the Winterfolk for the risks they take, the Bourse allocates the control of the Stonefield Ice Caves to whichever military unit performs the biggest raid. Halls often combine their efforts so that they can be counted together to compete for this great prize which is awarded every Spring Equinox.

This Bourse position produces 5 rings of Ilium every season.

The Regario Dossier

Established in 173YE, the Regario Dossier serves to support the League diplomats active all over the world, making contacts with foreign powers and attempting to sway them to the Empire's side. Such activities require considerable funds but the gains for the Empire are difficult to overstate. If too many foreign powers were to ally with the barbarians, the fate of the Empire would surely be lost.

This Bourse position is reserved for a citizen of The League who presents the largest bid. The payment is used to pay for bribes and other diplomatic arrangements.

This Bourse position produces 4 rings of Ilium every season.

Other Titles

A number of other titles are also appointed through the Bourse. Any title that has economic power or responsibilities is likely to be bound to the Bourse. Unless the position includes administration of a supply of mithril, weirwood, white granite, or ilium however it does not bring with it a seat on the Bourse or access to the private auction. The appointment of all these titles is organised and processed by the civil servants attached to the Bourse.

A list of other titles bound to the Imperial Bourse can be found here

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Bow safety

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Weapon Check

- 3 Bow Safety

- 4 Using your Bow

- 5 Checking Arrows

- 5.1 IDV Arrows

- 6 Further Reading

Overview

Bows and crossbows are one of the more dangerous weapons in LRP, if they are used inappropriately. If you are planning to play an archer at Empire then you must make sure that you follow all these safety rules. Failure to do so will result in you being unable to take to the battlefield.

Weapon Check

You must take your bow to the Weapon checking team and have it checked before you use it. When you take a bow to weapon check they will ask you to string the bow and then fire it at a nearby target. The aim is to ensure that you know how to string a bow safely and how to pull your shot when firing on nearby players. If the weapon check team are not satisfied that you are able to use a bow safely then you will receive a quick demonstration lesson in how to use a LRP bow safely.

Bow Safety

- Ensure that your bow is correctly and securely strung

- Take the distance to your target into account before firing. DO NOT full draw at a target 10ft or less away

- Do not parry or strike with your bow! It is NOT a melee weapon

An incorrectly strung bow is a danger to you and other players as well as demonstrating a lack of experience with a bow. You must know how to string a bow correctly.

Modern LRP bows and crossbows are capable of firing a LRP arrow much further than most of the older equipment in use by the hobby a decade ago, even though their poundage at full draw has not changed. It is not safe to fire an arrow at high speed at a close target. If you have a bow you must reduce you draw when firing at nearby targets. You must not use a bow full draw at a target that is 10ft or closer to you; as you cannot reduce the pull for a crossbow you must not fire it at all at a target closer than 10ft.

Using your Bow

- You must check every arrow you use before firing them

- If your bow is of a higher poundage ensure that limbs are warmed before a large fight

Arrows must be checked every time they are used. It is particularly important to check every arrow before you reuse as an arrow recovered from a battlefield has a high chance of being unsafe. The guidelines for all archers checking their arrows are below; if you are unsure then ask a ref or a member of the weapon checking team.

Checking Arrows

- Check the head is secure and free from debris

- Check the shaft is not cracked or split

- Check the arrows does not have missing or loose flights

- Check if the nock is loose or split

IDV Arrows

IDV tear-drop arrows are not usable at any Profound Decisions events.

Further Reading

- Event safety

- Weapon checking

- Bow safety

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Brand

Some Navarr choose to dedicate themselves to the service of the people. Those who make this public commitment are called Brands because their oath of service is marked with an actual brand, an indication of how seriously they take the matter. They bear this brand on their left cheekbone, and the design varies with the individual. The brand serves to remind them of their oath, but also to single them out, so that people who are looking for a Brand can easily find one. This life of service can be arduous and difficult, but most Brands shoulder it willingly. Their reward is the acknowledgement and respect they receive from other Navarr.

The remit of a Brand's responsibility may be as large or as small as they choose. Some Brands consider themselves to have pledged their service to the fellow members of their Striding or Steading. Others take a grander view, seeing themselves as servants of the Navarr people or even the entire Empire.

Brands work tirelessly to help their chosen community prosper without charge. They employ their skills to aid others when requested and the best of them seek out ways to help. When a task is too difficult to be accomplished alone, the Brand will ask others for help. When asked to help by a Brand it is implicit that the aid requested is in everyone's best interests.

The Navarr choose who they want to follow, picking their leaders accordingly. In theory anyone who can offer effective leadership and wisdom might attract Navarr to follow but in practice they expect their leaders to be Brands. The Navarr believe that leaders should be servants of the community, so they expect those who would act in that role to swear an oath accordingly. They can be very suspicious of those who seek to lead without first undertaking the Brand's pledge.

There is a great deal of similarity between the oaths of the Brand and those of the Thorn or the Vate. As a result those Brands interested in martial matters are usually also Thorns, whilst those with some mastery of magic may become a Vate as well.

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Brand (Redirected from Brands)

Some Navarr choose to dedicate themselves to the service of the people. Those who make this public commitment are called Brands because their oath of service is marked with an actual brand, an indication of how seriously they take the matter. They bear this brand on their left cheekbone, and the design varies with the individual. The brand serves to remind them of their oath, but also to single them out, so that people who are looking for a Brand can easily find one. This life of service can be arduous and difficult, but most Brands shoulder it willingly. Their reward is the acknowledgement and respect they receive from other Navarr.

The remit of a Brand's responsibility may be as large or as small as they choose. Some Brands consider themselves to have pledged their service to the fellow members of their Striding or Steading. Others take a grander view, seeing themselves as servants of the Navarr people or even the entire Empire.

Brands work tirelessly to help their chosen community prosper without charge. They employ their skills to aid others when requested and the best of them seek out ways to help. When a task is too difficult to be accomplished alone, the Brand will ask others for help. When asked to help by a Brand it is implicit that the aid requested is in everyone's best interests.

The Navarr choose who they want to follow, picking their leaders accordingly. In theory anyone who can offer effective leadership and wisdom might attract Navarr to follow but in practice they expect their leaders to be Brands. The Navarr believe that leaders should be servants of the community, so they expect those who would act in that role to swear an oath accordingly. They can be very suspicious of those who seek to lead without first undertaking the Brand's pledge.

There is a great deal of similarity between the oaths of the Brand and those of the Thorn or the Vate. As a result those Brands interested in martial matters are usually also Thorns, whilst those with some mastery of magic may become a Vate as well.

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The Brass Coast culture and customs (Redirected from Brass Coast culture and customs)

Contents

- 1 Family

- 2 Hospitality

- 3 Syrah

- 4 Contracts

- 5 Art

- 6 Marriages and relationships

- 7 Funerals

Family

Family is important to the Freeborn. They live in extended family groups covering several generations with a strong emphasis on helping and supporting each other. Occasionally Freeborn will extend the privilege of family membership to valued friends, long-term employees or waifs and strays - these adoptees are whole-heartedly welcomed and are treated no different from blood relations. To the Freeborn, betraying your family is unforgivable.

The responsibility that the Freeborn feel for family members does not extend to others. The Freeborn make a point of disclaiming any responsibility for the wellbeing of others. They do not regard themselves as obliged to help the poor or the sick, the disposessed or the homeless. They may be as charitable as they please, but they refuse to accept that it is their responsibility to care for others.

Hospitality

On the Coast, food and drink is only offered freely to family. Since most Freeborn habitually avoid favours and social debts but all Freeborn enjoy hospitality, both giving and receiving, the custom is always to offer to pay before receiving refreshments. A Freeborn approaching a tent of revelry might ask the price for a seat at the table. A token price of a ring or two indicates that they are very welcome to join, a price in crowns indicates that the meeting is private and the Freeborn should look elsewhere, but an exorbitant price in thrones is a deliberate insult.

Despite the ritualized nature of the exchange, actual payment is required. To the Freeborn mind, it is the payment that ensures that no further obligation exists on the part of either party. For close friends or clearly impoverished a Freeborn might offer a fine meal for help with the dishes or even an afternoon's work. It is easy to be itinerant in Freeborn society, so long as you don't mind working for your supper.

Syrah

Syrah is the ritualized drink of the Freeborn, habitually offered to guests, business associates and drunk during family affairs. Each family carefully guards their own recipe for syrah, and there is a common belief that to give away its secret is to give some of your good luck to another. Syrah can be almost anything, a brew of coffee or tea sweetened with honey or sugar, a fruit juice or a fine wine, but should be pleasant and appealing. It is not strongly alcoholic, since it is intended to be drunk as a family and when business is being discussed. Offering Syrah before the opening of trade negotiations is considered not only polite, but beneficial to the coming talks.

Contracts

Written contracts are exceptionally important in Freeborn culture. The best contracts are short and succinct but clearly identify the obligations of both parties. To the Freeborn mind, making an agreement commits the integrity of their soul to the deal. If they contract to do something their reputation is at stake if they cannot carry out the letter of the contract. For this reason, almost all enduring contracts include fiscal clauses for default. This is not meant as a lack of commitment, but simply to avoid being a hostage to fortune should circumstances change and make it impossible for the parties to complete the deal. The Freeborn see no shame in going back on contracts provided the default bonds are paid - since such defaults are, of course, a part of the letter of the contract.

A scrivener is often employed to help make sure that a contract is clear and that both sides understand their obligations. These professionals also serve as witnesses who can help confirm the validity of a contract. Many scriveners are cambions, and there is a superstition that the blood of a cambion (usually a thumb print) upon a document of trade will bring good fortune to the signatories - or dire circumstance to one who breaks the contract.

Art

Calligraphy is highly valued along the Brass Coast. They value books but treasure those that are beautifully illuminated. To the Freeborn, every aspect of writing is an important artistic statement. The language used should be articulate and possess a lyrical quality; the letters and words should be written with bold ink strokes on beautiful paper or parchment that is then decorated and illuminated. Given their emphasis on deals, it is no surprise that the Freeborn prefer their contracts to be beautifully inked. They often display particularly fine examples on the walls of their homes, especially ones that have great sentimental or fiscal value.

Marriages and relationships

Freeborn society does not favour men or women but tribal and familial lines are always matrilineal. Because of this while men may marry into a Freeborn family and tribe, women can not. If a Freeborn woman marries then her spouse joins her tribal family. On the rare occasion when two Freeborn women from different tribes marry, they live together but formally remain members of different tribes.

Marriage outside the tribe is relatively rare. Much more common is for Freeborn men and women to form temporary attachments. These attachments are romantic or physical in nature, but with no assumption that they will last for life. In fact with some pairings there is no assumption that they will last more than a night.

All marriages – and indeed most extended attachments – are formalised with a contract in which each participant lays down the parameters of the relationship. A marriage or relationship contract commonly covers matters such as the duration of the relationship, the rights and responsibilities of the participants, the expectation of fidelity and the options for marriage and relationship contracts with others, the division of shared wealth both during and after the relationship ends, and at least one clause covering how the relationship may be ended prematurely by either party. This rather cold-blooded practicality around matters of the heart is just another manifestation of the Freeborn's fiscal approach to life. These contracts ensure that both parties know the value the other places on the attachment. Not all attachments require a contract, but if a relationship is going to last for more than a few weeks, it is considered a sensible precaution against misunderstandings.

Funerals

Freeborn dead are wrapped in spice-infused wraps of black cloth and then burned. The resulting ashes are scattered on the sea, or on the winds of the plain, depending on the family's wishes.

A funeral is rarely a sombre affair. The Freeborn take joy in a life well-lived and they consider it an insult to mourn its passing. Attendees wear brightly coloured robes, and focus on celebrating the life of the deceased. It is normal for the will to be read by a Sutannir at the height of the party. The will is a last chance to share a joke with loved ones and it is traditional for it to be as humorous as possible, akin to a best man's speech at a wedding. On the rare occasion when grief is appropriate, such as with the death of a child, the grieving is much shorter but just as open and intense.

Old tradition says that those lost at sea take new form as dolphins who will guide and guard lost ships. While no-one really believes it these days, it is a stock element in many stories involving sea travel.

A personification of death sometimes appears in Freeborn stories, and is especially popular in plays and as a dramaturgic archetype. As a character, Death is usually mocked as a figure of fun, a bumbling idiot and a clown who can easily be outwitted through courage and cunning. The counterpart of death is Fortune, who personifies ideas of luck and chance as well as fate or destiny. These literary tropes have a deeper philosophical context; such stories often explore the idea that death may come suddenly and without warning, as a result of happenstance or bad luck. This is especially important to a people as dedicated to getting as much out of life as the Freeborn are.

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The Brass Coast economic interests (Redirected from Brass Coast economic interests)

Money is the most versatile tool in existence. Every Freeborn is to one degree or another looking to “make their fortune” because wealth brings status and luxury and it gives you a freedom that is denied to the poor.

Freeborn traders go beyond the frankness that is normal for everyday Freeborn and strive for a degree of honesty that would shame a priest. They regard it as a matter of skill to obtain the best possible price while being utterly open about the goods they sell. This probity is not driven solely by moral concerns, but also practical ones. The Freeborn have achieved an extraordinary reputation for not cheating their customers - a reputation that drives business to their door. Any Freeborn trader who stoops to lying about their merchandise for the sake of a better deal, puts the prosperity of all Freeborn at risk. As a result they protect this reputation very aggressively. Freeborn traders who do seek to twist a deal or sell a light load are dealt with without mercy.

About the only things the Freeborn do not buy or sell are slaves. Slavery of Imperial Citizens is illegal in the Empire, and the Freeborn take no part in the trade even when overseas. While the Freeborn do not hold with slavery, they approve of the idea of hard work as punishment, treating the wages a criminal might have earnt doing a job honestly as payment towards the resolution of their crime..

Contracts

When it comes to making financial agreements more complex than a direct exchange of goods, Freeborn are most comfortable dealing through contracts. As a consequence, Freeborn merchants usually seek out the services of a professional scrivener to formalise their relationships. A discreet, neutral scrivener can work out and witness a contract that satisfies both parties, and they are very much in demand. Combining the skill to express ideas simply and clearly in writing with a talent for arbitrating between individuals to help them express what they actually want, these scriveners are the backbone of Freeborn economic life.

The Freeborn prefer to abide by the letter of a contract, rather than the “spirit". Arguments about what was “meant” by the contract are inevitably circular and unhelpful. Where the meaning of a contract must be discussed or clarified, it is again to the professional scrivener that the Freeborn merchant turns. The best scriveners are also artists, or employ someone capable of making their contracts look attractive and professional with fine calligraphy and colourful flourishes. A disproportionate number of scriveners are of the cambion lineage. Common superstition suggests that their connection to the Autumn realm helps them to instinctively understand how to frame a contract, and their blood marked on a document is traditionally held to grant good fortune to the enterprise involved.

Paradours

When an outsider thinks of a Freeborn trader, they are often thinking of the proprietor of a parador. Brass Coast towns always have at least one parador, a communal social house of music, story-telling, drinking and dance. At the end of a hard day of work the people of the Freeborn can often be found here discussing their latest ventures or telling extravagant and grand tales of their ancestors, friends and relatives.

As with most Freeborn businesses, a parador is traditionally owned by an extended family which may maintain more than one structure, or operate a “travelling parador” akin to a circus or fair. In addition to the services and entertainments they provide, the best paradors are places of trade. While a lot of formal business takes place at the bazaar, the parador is where merchants go to relax and it is often where the real business of complex trade takes place. The parador is where merchants can informally come to an agreement concerning more risky ventures, bulk deals and investment opportunities over chilled fruit and wine.

Corsairs

The Freeborn are not the strongest military in the Empire, but there is one area where their strength is uncontested – on the open seas. Every Freeborn tribe includes dozens of families who make their living as corsairs, sea-borne raiders who prey on barbarian shipping passing through the Bay of Catazar. The Freeborn detest piracy, but they regard privateering as a perfectly legitimate form of warfare, albeit a highly profitable one. Corsair groups are usually Freeborn families who own one or more seaworthy vessels. Corsairs are not just privateers, they commonly engage in foreign trade. A common saying suggests that the only difference between a privateer and a merchant is that the privateers get their goods cheaper.

In the early days of the Empire, the Freebornn often vied with the League to be the first to forge trade links with the foreign nations who are not hostile to the Empire - and the corsairs regularly acted as guards and escorts to Imperial merchant ships off all nations.

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Brass Coast Egregore

Dust, Fire and Glass

The Egregore of the Brass Coast carries three names, Dust, Glass, or Fire. Which it answers to seems to depend on the mood of the host, the whims of the Egregore, or the needs of the nation.

- Dust dresses comfortably and luxuriantly and talks on the importance of family and plain honest speaking.

- Glass is a quiet philosopher, dressing practically, and likes to talk about the soul and what it means to be Freeborn. Glass also occasionally appears dressed as a kohan.

- Fire prefers the exuberant styling of a sutannir, encouraging parties and celebrations, and to inspire those going to war.

All three are fond of dancing and sharing tales and life.

Current Host

Marcela I Erigo is the current host, Marcela hails from the coast. She grew up amongst the traders and corsairs who berthed their ships there, bringing all that was best in the Nation, and dealing with travelers from within and without the Empire. She speaks very little of her life before becoming the Egregore preferring instead to focus on listening and encouraging the stories of others. What is known is that she has an extensive family, including a younger brother of about 11, and many Aunts and Uncles, that she was a corsair or sailor for her family and is no stranger to fighting (but has suffered a war wound that occasionally flares up) and that she has visited or dealt with Suumah sufficiently to speak the language for trade purposes.

As per Freeborn tradition, when she became Egregore, she put aside her family name, taking the nation as family.

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The Brass Coast lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Brass Coast lineage and species attitudes)

Cambion have a special place in Freeborn society, a tradition that dates back to the murky prehistory of the Freeborn. According to legend a particularly clever cambion (whose origin is usually tied to the teller in some way) convinced the founders to sign a cleverly worded trade agreement. This binding oath is allegedly what has kept the Freeborn together as a people. This story has created a superstition that the blood of a cambion (usually a thumb print) upon a document of trade will bring good fortune to the signatories. As a result Freeborn cambion often study to become scriveners.

The calm nature of the merrow is at odds with the fiery Freeborn way of life. Merrow rarely find themselves comfortable in Freeborn society and there are few to be found. Many Freeborn parents of a merrow child will take that child to a spire in Urizen, where the child will find a better life. There is no shame in this; the Freeborn recognize that a merrow will struggle to find a life in the tribes and encourage the parents to make a decision that is seen as being in the best interests of the child. The parting song Without You is traditionally associated with this custom.

The Freeborn Emperor Ahraz i Contero i Guerra, freed the orc slaves and was instrumental in bringing them into the Empire. As a people, they have a great deal of time for the Imperial Orcs, encouraging them to make a place for themselves. On the whole the Freeborn prefer to deal with people - whatever they may look like - honestly and consequently they are amongst the folk most likely to treat a non-human individual as an equal.

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The Brass Coast magical traditions (Redirected from Brass Coast magical traditions)

Magic is a source of wonder and pleasure to the Freeborn. They expect people performing magic to entertain, and many Freeborn magicians will enhance their rituals with stage magic tricks simply to please the crowd. Some Freeborn learn a handful of non-magical sleight-of-hand tricks or illusions while a few entertainers specialize enough to develop a whole act.

Within a family there is often at least one individual who has made a more serious study of magic. These individuals accept a responsibility for teaching relatives who are interested in learning a few magical knacks, and use their magic to help their family and harm their enemies as well as try to scry the vagaries of fortune and fate. These magicians tend to be practical, and often combine their study of magic with crafting or medicinal lore.

Freeborn ritualists practice a tradition that says ritual magic is the act of building up power from the participants and creating a connection to the Realms, rather than the more traditional assumption that the magician draws power down from the Realms to the world. As such, all their rituals attempt to include their bystanders as participants whether that is chanting, clapping or singing. Magicians of each tribe bring a unique perspective to their magical arts. The Riqueza perform ritual magic using loud, rhythmic, energetic drumming; the Guerra prefer physical movement combined with fire and light. The Erigo use a less energetic style, often accompanying their rituals with soothing, harmonious music. Most Freeborn ritual groups prefer to work magic at night, in the open air, in the same way their founders did.

While ritual magicians within a family are hardly unknown, the more powerful and organised magicians in Freeborn society are the Hakima. These politically active covens view other Freeborn magicians as unsophisticated dabblers at best, and ignorant meddlers at worst. The Hakima are highly skilled practitioners of ritual magic and custodians of magical lore handed down to them by the founders of the tribes. They are dedicated to preserving the integrity of the nation as a whole and regularly look to recruit competent ritual magicians from the tribes into their own circles.

More than being just magicians, the Hakima exemplify a connection to the founders of the tribes and the history of the Freeborn. They are traditionally held to be wise, able to perceive the larger picture more effectively than most Freeborn who are anchored in more mundane activities. They may be consulted when important decisions need to be made within a family, or when magical assistance is sought. They rarely wait to be consulted however – a Hakima is likely to be poking around any important business ready to offer a suggestion as to what to do next.

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Brass Coast Maps

See Also

- Feroz

- Kahraman

- Madruga

- Segura

PRINT INFORMATION - Each map is set to print at A3 size (the resolution varies between 175ppi and 300ppi). Do not print larger than this or it will pixellate. If you print smaller, the quality will improve slightly. Various sizes are available by clicking on the image. To print, make sure you download the ORIGINAL size image (should be between 2700 and 5000 pixels wide. Feel free to add your own textures etc

Maps by Daisy Abbott

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The Brass Coast military concerns (Redirected from Brass Coast military concerns)

While the Freeborn nation supports two Imperial armies, organized along traditional lines, most Freeborn families encourage their children to practise some martial skills. The Freeborn remember a time when the families were responsible for their own defence and they try to remain prepared in case that day should come again. Those Freeborn who are not career soldiers are by day traders, farmers and labourers, only turning to martial matters when required, though all are ready to do so.

Many families maintain a small dedicated fighting force, usually family members who have shown a capacity for martial excellence. These warriors protect Freeborn caravans and settlements from bands of raiding orcs or adventurous bandits. Families take pride in equipping their warriors with the best equipment they can afford. These family warriors often train to fight in heavy armour in close formation.

Contents

- 1 Kohan

- 2 Imperial Armies

- 2.1 The Red Wind Corsairs

- 2.2 The Fire of the South

Kohan

Centuries ago, the hakima began to gather Freeborn who had been disowned and turned them into a fighting force. By serving their tribe the Freeborn were able to find a way to redeem themselves. These groups were called kohan, meaning without family, and their number has grown considerably over the years. Although they still accept those who have been cast out, most kohan are volunteers, individuals who find such joy in battle that they cannot give it up. They fight for the joy of battle, flinging themselves into combat with a blood-thirsty relish that can easily dispirit an enemy. Kohan often adopt flamboyant costume and grotesque body paint, the better to unnerve their enemies. When they are not fighting they are usually found celebrating their continued survival with that same intensity.

Groups of kohan usually form loose bands of soldiers who live and fight together, the group serving as a surrogate for the family they have left behind. Groups of kohan are driven by very different reasons but the traditional ones pledge their service directly to a group of hakima. They regard this devotion as a higher calling and see their path as a spiritual one. A “family” of kohan is generally quite loose, and its membership fluid. Indeed, members may come from any of the three tribes, laying aside tribal rivalries for as long as they are part of a kohan band. Kohan who cannot fight due to pregnancy or injury generally return to their birth family either until they are ready to fight again, and sometimes kohan choose to rejoin their original family permanently.

Imperial Armies

The Brass Coast currently fields two imperial armies; the Red Wind Corsairs and the Fire of the South.

The Red Wind Corsairs

The core of this army is made up of corsairs and is in some ways the closest the Empire currently has to a naval force. Many of the soldiers who serve with this army have experience serving as sailors, and the force is supported by a number of boats and ships. The army often takes advantage of this to reinforce and support difficult positions, or move quickly to areas where it can do the most good. The experienced privateers who often serve as officers excel at foraging for supplies in enemy territories, and a portion of the booty they acquire is tithed to the general of the army. The first Brass Coast General leads the Red Wind Corsairs, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer solstice each year.

The Fire of the South

The soldiers of this army are trained in tactics appropriate to flat, open land. Often recognised by their brightly polished armour, their warriors and supply lines are trained to be especially mobile and responsive to attacks from any direction. This gives them a marked advantage over less adaptive armies, allowing them to cover great distances very quickly. The second Brass Coast General leads the Fire of the South, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Autumn equinox each year.

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The Brass Coast music (Redirected from Brass Coast music)

Contents

- 1 The Music of The Brass Coast

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Songs

- 1.3.2 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.3 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The Music of The Brass Coast

Style summary

Like the Freeborn themselves, their music is rhythmic, vigorous and fiery. Waily reeded or brass instruments, rich vocal harmonies and the strumming of strings resound in counterpoint with the ever-present syncopation of drums, tambourines and claves. It is said a Freeborn will make an instrument out of anything - hands, cutlery, tables and crockery are all used to enthusiastically accompany performers. Their vocal tradition involves not only the singing of complex melodies and accompaniment, but also encourages others to join in ululating harmonies, drones and chants. The overall impression is vibrant, noisy and enthusiastic - music, like everything in their lives, is to be savoured to the utmost.

Brass Coast music draws on the real world inspiration of Corsican music, Spanish Pilgrim songs, Italian lauda, and New World sea shanties. Although they are a seafaring nation, more traditional English shanties (such as Poor Tom Bowling, The Mermaid etc.) would be better suited to the musical tradition of the Marches.

Commonly known songs

- Riqueza's Dream Telling one version of the tale of the founding of the Brass Coast this song is popular in taverns and Alcazars. It has sparked off several diplomatic incidents by 'accidentally' offending Highborn visitors.

- Sail Away Across the Sea This popular song expresses the Freeborn's joy in a seafaring life.

A musical tradition

Various kinds of performance are inherent to the practice of magic in the Brass Coast. See Brass Coast Magical Traditions for more information.

One for the kids

Further examples

Songs

- Fire Maringo - easy call and response song

- Riqueza's Dream - medium call and response song

- Sail Away Across the Sea - medium call and response song

- Stella Nuova - TO DO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yQkJ9aaZKg

- Inez y Guerra medium call and response about a famous Captain

- Wagon song medium difficulty travelling song with chorus accompaniment

- Without You hard Corsican chant in 3 parts

- Lost Segura - plaintive lament for lost territory.

- Virtue Never Falter - rousing chorus song also widely sung in Highguard

- Farewell Farewell - rousing funeral song from Highguard but also popular in the Brass Coast due to boat references

Instrumentation and tunes

High percussion e.g. tambourines, shakers, clapping, high drums; reeded woodwind (especially if a bit waily and 'snake charmer' sounding); high metallic pipes/penny whistles; jangly bouzoukis or guitars.

Other performance traditions

- Dance/fire dance, a huge part of Brass Coast Magical Traditions.

How to adapt your repertoire

- Never perform without giving your audience a way to join in. Get them clapping or stomping, or tell them to cheer or repeat when they hear certain words. If you are ambitious teach them a simple ostinato to go under the song. It's all about the participation!

- Rhythms could be much lighter than other nations, keep them syncopated (off beat), and on tambourines, castanets, shakers, or light drums. Keep your playing light and bouncy!

- Don't be afraid to ornament when you are singing, have a listen to some waily Spanish or Arabic medieval music and copy the style into the songs you are choosing.

Our sources

- Instrumental: Susanna Seivane,

- Song: Severa Nazarkhan, Corsican chants (e.g. Corsica: Chants Polyphoniques (CD) on Harmonia Mundi label), Spanish Music of Travel and Discovery (CD), various pilgrim songs arranged by Katy Cooper of Glasgow Madrigirls, Martin Codax's Songs of Friendship, Marie Kerouz (Maronite liturgical music), Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (urdu-pop), Arany Zoltan

- Good list of sea shanty lyrics (stick to the Spanishy sounding ones): http://www.boundingmain.com/Lyrics.htm

A Brass Coast youtube playlist to get you in the mood! To add to this get in touch with Daisy or post your own.

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The Brass Coast religious beliefs (Redirected from Brass Coast religious beliefs)

The Freeborn believe their people are shaped from the elements of dust, fire and glass. The eternal wind-blown dust of the plains is their history, the loyalty for family and continuity of their people. The ferocity of fire is their burning passion for life and their bright and unquenchable spirit. The purity of glass is their soul, the reflection of their transparancy and once broken can never again be mended. Dishonesty and wickedness shatter your soul and pieces of it are lost with each act of deception.

This belief underpins a very personal relationship with matters of faith and the spirit, one that is rarely articulated directly outside of poetry or song. From the outside the Freeborn seem impious and disrespectful. However the Freeborn have great respect for the Paragons and the Way of Virtue, but they have little time for the priests and Synod that exist to mediate – or dilute - their message. The Synod, with its Doctrines and Heresies, is often seen as being full of pomposity and self-importance, whereas a truly faithful person understands what is true and what is false in their soul. There is a Freeborn Assembly, but it generally has no formal structure outside of the Synod, being more a collection of individuals. The Freeborn Assembly only tends to come together when there is a matter serious enough to warrant the use of its powers.

As a result Freeborn religious ceremonies tend to place their emphasis on celebration rather than sermons. They celebrate sacred festivals with entertainment, feasting, parties and dancing. Many families include a devout priest or spiritual family member who can be relied on to oversee these indulgences, but for the largest and most important festivities the Freeborn seek out the services of a sutannir.

A cross between a professional priest and a party organizer, sutannir conduct important ceremonies such as the coming of age or a wedding, and see to the spiritual needs of the Freeborn as a whole. Before the ceremony many paint their face and limbs with stylised flames in bright colours and dress in flamboyant costumes. A good sutannir will keep their words short and evocative, knowing audiences prefer to be inspired to virtue rather than lectured. When not speaking they manage the entertainments to make sure that everyone attending is drawn into the celebrations. While it may be the festivity that the Freeborn remember rather than the ceremony, the best sutannir are able to provide religious instruction and support without labouring their point.

Coal-walking, fire breathing, fire dancing and other symbolic performances that represent the Freeborn passion for life are always popular at Freeborn religious celebrations. Lone sutannir will hire sufficient entertainers and artisans skilled at these activities to fill the night's entertainment, concentrating on managing their performances to ensure the best overall impact. Sutannir groups usually include numerous talented performers in their ranks who can cover most of the skills most commonly in demand.

Sutannir also perform funeral ceremonies.

Feast of the Broken Wheel

The only festival the sutannir do not perform is the Feast of the Broken Wheel, known by many as Fool's Day. On this day, the Freeborn turn virtue on its head and celebrate the contrary. The festival takes place on the second day of the Autumn Equinox, and starts at sunset and lasts until midnight. The proud become humble, ties of loyalty may be ignored, the prosperous become ascetic and the wise act as fools. It is a time of foolishness, pranks and trickery that begins with a symbolic chase, where seven effigies of the Paragons are chased from the camp in a gleeful and chaotic parade. Everyone is encouraged to try harmless skills like juggling and music – the more terrible the performance the more it is applauded. The festival usually ends in a drunken stupor. On Fool's Day, even the most moral Freeborn try their hand at telling untruths and lies - often with comical degrees of success.

The festival is considered blasphemous by some in the Imperial Synod but, to date, the Freeborn Assembly has done little to discourage it, or penalise those involved. Some have argued that, by permitting it, it helps the Freeborn embrace The Way more readily for the rest of the year.

Last night, Ramak invited me to what he said was a religious ceremony. This morning, my head is pounding and I will never eat again. We did not talk about Courage, but we danced on fire. We did not contemplate Prosperity, but we enjoyed the finest things from many lands. We did not read about Pride, but sang the songs of our homelands till our throats were hoarse. I can attest the Freeborn care deeply about the fate of their souls – but they just do not speak of it as we do.

Elina the Wayfarer taken from Epistles to the Winds of Virtue, 24BE

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Brass Coast religious beliefs (Redirected from Brass Coast Religious Beliefs)

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The Brass Coast religious beliefs

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Bravash

Contents

- 1 The Seedpod, Rune of Fertility

- 2 Using Bravash in magic

- 3 Crafting with Bravash

- 4 Machine Embroidery

The Seedpod, Rune of Fertility

Affiliated with the Realm of Spring

Bravash is the Seedpod, and represents nature in uncounted variety; it represents the drive to procreate and the cycle of growth from seed to tree to fruit to seed again. It is symbolic of life’s ability to beget life in its own image as well as the unthinking and unending urge to create new life in a thousand different forms. It is strongly affiliated with agriculture; when evoked to enhance the fertility and abundance of a field it is called the Plough.

It is also commonly called the Goat, representing the savagery of the natural world. It is the instinct to drive off competitors, the cruelty of nature and the drive to spread and occupy every niche. Combined with Hirmok the Scythe, the Autumn Rune of Dominion, it represents domesticated beasts whose fertility serves their human masters.

This rune has special significance in The Marches. Farmers might evoke it as they sow seed, and it is usually inscribed on the dolmens that dot the fertile countryside. In Highguard Bravash is sometimes associated with the propagation of the Way of Virtue, and in Urizen and Navarr with the spread of ideas, recognizing the chaotic way that thought spreads and develops over time.

Using Bravash in magic

Bravash is evoked with magic that causes living things to become fruitful. It can also be used to enhance the general health and vitality of a living person or natural place. It is often used with magic that is intended to spread in a predictable fashion, or that is intended to encourage wild growth.

Crafting with Bravash

Couples throughout the Empire inscribe the rune of Bravash on their beds, either upright or inverted, depending on whether or not they wish for a child (although relying on the rune alone is a risky proposition at best). It is also inscribed on farm tools, or over the lintels of animal pens for the same reason. Many apothecaries use the rune to mark preparations that are intended to enhance or restore virility or vitality, or occasionally inverted to signify preparations that cause lethargy or prevent conception.

Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Bravash in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneBravash.jef

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Brave Varushka Forth

by Stephanie Heath and Anna Clifford-Tait

Recording here: Brave Varushka Forth

A cry that echoes in the valleys Heed the call from beyond the sea Though the baying wolves are gath'ring Now must start the first journey

Chorus: Strangest lands await us Brave Varushka forth Set your course before the winter Keep a watch upon the North

Sons and daughters of the mountains Chase the dream, abate your fear Brave the shadows, fight the darkness Those you leave will shed no tear

Travel fast, the Wardens guarding Step not first among the trees Bring us back your tales of gladness Songs of life to stir the bees

Sons and daughters of the mountains Forge your name upon the field Though some may fall beneath the shadow With shattered sword and splintered shield

Those you leave will call you homeward Those you leave will sing your names We will keep the hearth fire burning Bravest heroes, seek your fame.

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Bravo

When employing soldiers, their possession of good manners is slightly less important than their ability to regurgitate cooked lobsters.

Basidi de Verrario, Private Letters

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Military heritage

- 3 Creating a bravo

- 4 Playing a bravo

Overview

Bravos represent the warriors and soldiers of League society. They are men and women committed to fighting, usually as part of a Free company.

Military heritage

Many bravos start as ruffians, thugs and even petty criminals on the streets of The League cities. They come to the attention of a free company or guild through a combination of bravado and raw talent. Aping the attitudes of the free companies, gangs of aspiring bravos engage in fights and acts of petty vandalism and disobedience. Some end up dead, some end up falling foul of the law and some are lucky enough to attract the attention and patronage of a guild or free company. Even those who fall foul of the law may find themselves in a free company - it is a common punishment for unruly men and women with some level of chutzpah to be sentenced to life as a soldier of the League.

Bravos are men and women known for their swagger. Their behaviour is loud and loutish - they drink, carouse and fight among themselves when they are off duty. They are not simply thugs - they are unruly and boisterous, but they reserve their violence for each other and members of rival free companies. When they are in the field, an element of this braggadocio remains, but it is tempered by the seriousness of war.

The behaviour of off-duty bravos is seen as an useful safety valve - an opportunity for fighting men and women to blow off a little steam. They often refer to being "at licence" - they literally are given permission by their commanding officer to squander their money gambling, drinking and whoring as long as they remember that they are representing the honour of their free company. As long as nobody is killed or permanently maimed, and as long as property damage is kept within managable limits, the rest of League society tends to turn a blind eye.

This unruly, swaggering behaviour serves a dual purpose. In addition to relaxing or blowing off steam, it serves as an advertisement for the free company. If a drunken brawl results in one free company trouncing the bravos of another, the victors are more likely to win lucrative contracts. By the same token, if a bravo murders someone or shows disrespect for the rules, it reflects badly on the entire free company and the likelihood of employment is reduced. In a way, it is a military expression of the same drive that causes other citizens of The League to engage in displays of wit and savoir faire - it keeps them sharp, and leaves others in no doubt as to their skills.

In many cases, the reputation of a band of bravos is enough to ensure that their employer is untroubled. In part, a free company is often paid to be larger than life, and even bravos stationed in a city to protect the interests of a merchant prince are likely to spend some time being seen, and ensuring everyone remembers their reputation and skill with casual violence.

If a band of bravos - or more than one band - damages property or possessions, it is traditional for their commanding officer to ensure that all losses are covered in cash by the next evening. Provided the payment is forthcoming, magistrates are generally not involved. If more than one band of bravos is involved, it is traditional for each company to offer full payment, meaning that when two bravos smash up an inn or brothel, the owner ends up with twice as much money as the damage that has been done, further discouraging the populace from complaining about the behaviour of the bravos.

All of this can occasionally cause problems when a free company comes into contact with a military unit from another Nation. Soldiers and warriors from outside The League are often unaware of the unwritten rules of bravo behaviour and mistake an invitation to a brawl for a serious threat to life and limb.

Creating a bravo

Bravos are fighting men and women, first and foremost. The most common way to play a bravo is to design a free company. Free companies move around, and so bravos may come from any part of the League, or even beyond. A bravo is likely to still feel some loyalty to their city of their birth however, and balancing loyalty to your city and your free company could create interesting tension for your character.

Almost all bravos fight. Younger bravos tend to focus on combat skills, while officers and older bravos may pick up a few other areas of interest.

Free companies often include members who are not bravos, especially medical characters, and are likely to have at least one character who handles contracts and money. These characters may or may not buy into the bravo lifestyle.

It is possible to play a bravo who is not part of a free company. The swagger and bragadoccio of the bravos is adopted by warriors all over The League, and the personal guards of a merchant prince or bishop, the streetwise protectors of a mountebank or even the boisterous "stage hands" of a troupe of magicians can all be interesting options for a bravo.

Playing a bravo

Bravos are expected to be boastful, larger-than-life characters, who display a cocky and swaggering attitude. They squander their money gambling and having a good time, and take advantage of the informal attitudes of The League to cause a little trouble. They brag about their successes, sometimes exaggerating them out of all proportion, and disparage the achievements of other soldiers to goad them into a fight. At the same time, though, they know on some level that they only get away with this because it is largelly harmless, and because they make up for any bad feelings they might cause by being relatively disciplined soldiers when it comes to the crunch.

Being able to provide the rough and dirty insult that sparks off a fight between rivals is a valuable skill for a bravo, but there is a line between having fun and being offensive. The violence that bubbles below the surface of a Bravo should still be used as an excuse to roleplay with others rather than slip into out-of-character bullying.

The idea that the bravos are walking advertisements for their free companies extends even to those who are part of other group structures - by displaying the right attitude, you drawn attention to your merchant prince, troupe or bishop. By the same token, if you are a criminal it reflects badly on your companions.

The bravo should rarely pass up an opportunity to show off. Actively challenge other bravos to contests of physical prowess and combat skill, and feel free to extend this attitude to warriors from other Nations. If you discover that a certain bunch of Marcher yeomen likes to sit at a certain table in the bar, occupy it with your friends and challenge them to make you move. If you find out that a certain Dawnish knight likes a quiet cup of tea at a Highguard teahouse, crash their party and see if their companions have the stones to ask you to leave.

When it comes to the battlefield, keep the attitude but remember that at the end of the day you need to survive and defeat your enemies to be taken seriously.

Some of the early scenes from The Three Musketeers (1973) film, between the musketeers and the Cardinal's Men, capture the spirit of competing bravos, as do any number of other military-themed films featuring larger-than-life characters full of machismo up to and including the space-station brawls in Starship Troopers or the rough interplay of the marines in Aliens.

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Bravo's Blade

Description

The Bravo’s Blade is a savage weapon, capable of inflicting devastating damage on an opponent. It is said that even those not from the Free Companies develop the Bravo swagger with one of these swords on their belt. However Bravos themselves are unlikely to draw one of these blades in one of their all-to-common tavern brawls because the blade is too lethal. This has led to the belief among warriors in other Nations that a Bravo only draws such a blade to kill – a story the Bravos themselves only encourage!

There are tales in Sarvos of an infamous mage-assassin who wielded a Bravo’s Blade and rod. They first cast the venom spell then following up with a blow from the Bravo’s Blade. The assasin wore a mask and was never identified, and became known as the Maledict, from the potion bottle left behind at the scene of every crime.

In some Varushkan histories the tyrant-boyar Alderei the Fair was said to have wielded an artefact-quality blackened sword with the properties of a bravo's blade. This had led some schlacta to believe that they should never follow a commander that bears a bravo’s blade, lest they play some part in the return of the dark king. This of course does not stop them being popular in Varushka. They are particularly valued among the Wardens.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed weapon.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to call IMPALE with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a bravo's blade requires twenty ingots of tempest jade, seven ingots of orichalcum, seven ingots of green iron and five measures of dragonbone It takes one month to make one of these items.

The heavy set Yeomen thumped after me. They were all trussed up in heavy leathers and light mithril chain hauberks. There were five of them and one of me.

“Pay up, you was cheating us” said one of their big dirty faces.

I reached the end of the alley. I’d taken a wrong turn. It was a dead end.

“Now, now, ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure we can settle this reasonably. All I was doing was winning,” I replied and gave them one of my finest smiles.

“Yeah,” they said while brandishing heavy cudgels and wicked looking daggers “with these.”

Now normally I could have taken all eight of them, but I was wearing my best dress and I didn’t want to get too much muck on it. I drew my blade. The tempest jade foil glistened in the moonlight. I gave them my award-winning smile again.

“Well then, en garde,” I held the thin rapier out towards the brutes, even in the half light they could see what it was.

They took a step back, one ran and then they all ran. One tripped and fell into the gutter. I swear on my rings he wet himself. I kicked him in the ribs for good measure and left for the next tavern.

Now how about that drink you owe me?

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Bravo (Redirected from Bravos)

When employing soldiers, their possession of good manners is slightly less important than their ability to regurgitate cooked lobsters.

Basidi de Verrario, Private Letters

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Military heritage

- 3 Creating a bravo

- 4 Playing a bravo

Overview

Bravos represent the warriors and soldiers of League society. They are men and women committed to fighting, usually as part of a Free company.

Military heritage

Many bravos start as ruffians, thugs and even petty criminals on the streets of The League cities. They come to the attention of a free company or guild through a combination of bravado and raw talent. Aping the attitudes of the free companies, gangs of aspiring bravos engage in fights and acts of petty vandalism and disobedience. Some end up dead, some end up falling foul of the law and some are lucky enough to attract the attention and patronage of a guild or free company. Even those who fall foul of the law may find themselves in a free company - it is a common punishment for unruly men and women with some level of chutzpah to be sentenced to life as a soldier of the League.

Bravos are men and women known for their swagger. Their behaviour is loud and loutish - they drink, carouse and fight among themselves when they are off duty. They are not simply thugs - they are unruly and boisterous, but they reserve their violence for each other and members of rival free companies. When they are in the field, an element of this braggadocio remains, but it is tempered by the seriousness of war.

The behaviour of off-duty bravos is seen as an useful safety valve - an opportunity for fighting men and women to blow off a little steam. They often refer to being "at licence" - they literally are given permission by their commanding officer to squander their money gambling, drinking and whoring as long as they remember that they are representing the honour of their free company. As long as nobody is killed or permanently maimed, and as long as property damage is kept within managable limits, the rest of League society tends to turn a blind eye.

This unruly, swaggering behaviour serves a dual purpose. In addition to relaxing or blowing off steam, it serves as an advertisement for the free company. If a drunken brawl results in one free company trouncing the bravos of another, the victors are more likely to win lucrative contracts. By the same token, if a bravo murders someone or shows disrespect for the rules, it reflects badly on the entire free company and the likelihood of employment is reduced. In a way, it is a military expression of the same drive that causes other citizens of The League to engage in displays of wit and savoir faire - it keeps them sharp, and leaves others in no doubt as to their skills.

In many cases, the reputation of a band of bravos is enough to ensure that their employer is untroubled. In part, a free company is often paid to be larger than life, and even bravos stationed in a city to protect the interests of a merchant prince are likely to spend some time being seen, and ensuring everyone remembers their reputation and skill with casual violence.

If a band of bravos - or more than one band - damages property or possessions, it is traditional for their commanding officer to ensure that all losses are covered in cash by the next evening. Provided the payment is forthcoming, magistrates are generally not involved. If more than one band of bravos is involved, it is traditional for each company to offer full payment, meaning that when two bravos smash up an inn or brothel, the owner ends up with twice as much money as the damage that has been done, further discouraging the populace from complaining about the behaviour of the bravos.

All of this can occasionally cause problems when a free company comes into contact with a military unit from another Nation. Soldiers and warriors from outside The League are often unaware of the unwritten rules of bravo behaviour and mistake an invitation to a brawl for a serious threat to life and limb.

Creating a bravo

Bravos are fighting men and women, first and foremost. The most common way to play a bravo is to design a free company. Free companies move around, and so bravos may come from any part of the League, or even beyond. A bravo is likely to still feel some loyalty to their city of their birth however, and balancing loyalty to your city and your free company could create interesting tension for your character.

Almost all bravos fight. Younger bravos tend to focus on combat skills, while officers and older bravos may pick up a few other areas of interest.

Free companies often include members who are not bravos, especially medical characters, and are likely to have at least one character who handles contracts and money. These characters may or may not buy into the bravo lifestyle.

It is possible to play a bravo who is not part of a free company. The swagger and bragadoccio of the bravos is adopted by warriors all over The League, and the personal guards of a merchant prince or bishop, the streetwise protectors of a mountebank or even the boisterous "stage hands" of a troupe of magicians can all be interesting options for a bravo.

Playing a bravo

Bravos are expected to be boastful, larger-than-life characters, who display a cocky and swaggering attitude. They squander their money gambling and having a good time, and take advantage of the informal attitudes of The League to cause a little trouble. They brag about their successes, sometimes exaggerating them out of all proportion, and disparage the achievements of other soldiers to goad them into a fight. At the same time, though, they know on some level that they only get away with this because it is largelly harmless, and because they make up for any bad feelings they might cause by being relatively disciplined soldiers when it comes to the crunch.

Being able to provide the rough and dirty insult that sparks off a fight between rivals is a valuable skill for a bravo, but there is a line between having fun and being offensive. The violence that bubbles below the surface of a Bravo should still be used as an excuse to roleplay with others rather than slip into out-of-character bullying.

The idea that the bravos are walking advertisements for their free companies extends even to those who are part of other group structures - by displaying the right attitude, you drawn attention to your merchant prince, troupe or bishop. By the same token, if you are a criminal it reflects badly on your companions.

The bravo should rarely pass up an opportunity to show off. Actively challenge other bravos to contests of physical prowess and combat skill, and feel free to extend this attitude to warriors from other Nations. If you discover that a certain bunch of Marcher yeomen likes to sit at a certain table in the bar, occupy it with your friends and challenge them to make you move. If you find out that a certain Dawnish knight likes a quiet cup of tea at a Highguard teahouse, crash their party and see if their companions have the stones to ask you to leave.

When it comes to the battlefield, keep the attitude but remember that at the end of the day you need to survive and defeat your enemies to be taken seriously.

Some of the early scenes from The Three Musketeers (1973) film, between the musketeers and the Cardinal's Men, capture the spirit of competing bravos, as do any number of other military-themed films featuring larger-than-life characters full of machismo up to and including the space-station brawls in Starship Troopers or the rough interplay of the marines in Aliens.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Bravo&oldid=34048"

Braying Horns of War

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 20

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 20

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a banner; at least two members of that banner are required. Each character must be present throughout.

The ritual also requires a physical standard which must be present during the ritual.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

All characters in the banner gain the ability to travel together to a battle or skirmish that their national banner is not attending. The effects automatically extend to new characters who join the banner, and are lost if a character leaves the banner. This does not allow characters or banners to attend more battles or skirmishes than normal.

The ritual enchants the shared bond possessed by all members of the banner; it does not count as an enchantment on the individual members of that banner.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

This enchantment is very similar to the effect of a magical Mercenary Banner. It is most popular in The League where it is seen as a viable alternative to relying on that magical standard - allowing members of a Free Company to select an enchanted standard that better suits their fighting style. Some magically-adept Imperial Orcs see this ritual as a possible way to advance the plan, by allowing legions to fight on various fronts - although others protest that this may stretch their forces too thinly.

It is also somewhat popular with the Freeborn, whose restless and individualist leanings mean that they often have good reasons to attend battles other than those chosen by the Freeborn general; in these cases the entire family often gets together for an evening of feasting and celebrating before the Hakima perform the ritual, generally following a reassurance that the targeted banner will fight in the interests of the Brass Coast - or it's philosophies.

The ritual is likewise useful to both Navarr and Urizen warrior contingents. Being able to offer assistance in return for political aid, or to provide vital skills or magic on a battlefield, are both good reasons to perform this ritual; while it targets a banner, there is no reason that such a banner could not be made up entirely of magicians, doctors, scouts or ritualists.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, an actual standard or similar item that represents the unity of the target banner forms the focus. The standard is usually held by a soldier from the banner, and serves as a symbol of the bond that unites members of the target band. The ritual often involves recitation of the banner's oath, and while it requires only two members to be present it is common for the entire band to attend the ritual. As the title suggests, martial music such as maching drums, the sounding of horns or trumpets and the songs of soldiers are a common accompaniment to this ritual.

The rune Lann is often evoked with this ritual, but so is the rune of conspiracy; the constellation of The Chain or The Web may be evoked, and a dramaturgical performance (or tale) involving The Captain or The Bishop and The Counting House is common.

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Brazen Claws of the Lictor

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 22

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 1.5 Option

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 22

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the magician skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains the ability to call entangle three times following the rules for a heroic call. The call may be made with any implement with which they are proficient.

While the enchantment lasts, the target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect: they are reminded of every favour or debt they owe, or are owed, and of every grudge they bear against people who have wrongs them. It is hard to resist the urge to settle grudges, especially if those people are nearby.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 13. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Option

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute green iron for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of green iron spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Description

This enchantment allows the target to wrap their enemies in invisible chains, As with Stance of the Constricting Scourge this ritual allows the target to restrict the moment of their opponent with a simple strike from a weapon or implement, without requiring additional spellcasting. It is useful against skirmishing opponents on the battlefield, but it is also sometimes used to help capture gangs of fugitive criminals.

The ritual evokes themes of ownership, punishment and control. It encourages the target to take vengeance on those they consider to have wronged them, meaning it is often viewed with suspicion by followers of the Way. At the same time this reminder of past offences against the target or their family is seen as a bonus in some parts of The Marches, where the people have long memories. It also reminds the target of debts owed or owing; this gives it particular resonance with the dead reckoning of The League, and coincidentally ensures that the targets become aware of any debts they incur or that are incurred while under the influence of the enchantment.

The Autumn Eternals known as the Lictors are not themselves directly invoked by this ritual, despite the fact that it delivers similar powers to those these creatures are said to wield. The Lictors hunt oath-breakers, and those who refuse to honour agreements, contracts or obligations. They are said to resemble hooded figures wrapped in heavy iron and green iron chains, with razor-sharp brass claws and horns, and iron face-masks. Armed with scourges, whips, flails, ropes and nets they stalk the dark places of the Autumn realm. According to some stories, they can be summoned to pursue, capture and punish those who have broken important oaths or refused to honour their debts.

Common Elements

This ritual invokes powers of binding, capturing and punishment. It often includes instruments of restraint such as chains, ropes, nets and even ribbons. Targets may be wapped in chains or ropes by the ritualists. Invocations of heros, Paragons and Exemplars whose stories include tracking, chasing and capturing fugitive (such as the Paragon Vardas) are a common element. The rune Hirmok may be painted on the targets, and the trappings of judges, thief-takers, bounty hunters and badgers may all be used. In The League it is common to place metal masks on the targets, or ask them to recite a list of debts they wish to collect. Similarly in The Marches a series of grudges might be recounted.

Tokens of green iron are often used in this ritual - even if the metal is not being used to empower the target directly tokens made from these materials may be given to the targets.

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Bregasland

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview - "The Dour Fens"

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Graven

- 3.2 Greywater

- 3.3 Ottery

- 3.4 Sallow

- 3.5 Fisher’s Rock

- 3.6 Rushring

- 3.7 Graven Rock

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Gravenmarch

- 4.2 Grey Fens

- 4.3 North Fens

- 4.4 Ottermire

- 4.5 The Rushes

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview - "The Dour Fens"

Sandwiched between the barbarian-held woods of Liathaven and the sea lies Bregasland, an area comprising partially of fenland leading to the coast. Home to “Bregas” (fenlanders), this is a place of small islands of abundantly fertile soil, surrounded by seemingly endless marshes where eels are caught. There are several households here made up entirely of merrow, and several settlements populated by people who have been shunned but cannot bring themselves to leave the Marches.

Bregasland is home to partially sunken ruins, including several stone circles that pre-date Marcher possession of the land. For some reason the marshwalkers that are comparatively common in the marshes tend to leave these ruined structures alone. It is also home to dangerous man-eating lizards, giant insects, flesh-eating plants, bottomless bogs and strange lights that seek to lure the incautious into deadly situations. Those who explore the depths of the marshes here sometimes disappear without trace ...

Recent History

Since the Jotun took Liathaven there has been an increase in raiding along the southern borders of Bregasland. Many residents are concerned that the barbarians will launch a major assault through the Rushes and Gravenmarch. While Bregasland has several forts and castles, they are generally small and mostly located along the western borders; building a major fortification is hampered by the boggy ground.

Major Features

Graven

Grew rich from Graven Rock, its high fields and mineral wealth. In happier times the Navarr came here often, with news and trade-goods from far afield. Many’s the inhabitant here who started life far, far away, brought here by a Navarr Guide. Nowadays, it’s the base of supply for the castles and forts that defend Bregasland against the barbarians in the Mourn and the forests of Liathaven.

Greywater

The furthest west any wise Marcher will go. Beyond lie foreign parts. The locals make their living primarily from eel-fishing, but since this isn’t a trade that leads to many exports, some of the more daring amongst them will scour the surrounding marsh for unusual plants and flowers. These are dried, and sold through the markets at Meade for study across the Empire. The “grey” comes from slip clay stirred up by frequent storms: it’s not the best water to drink. There’s a thriving market in pure water; left to settle in vast oak tanks and carefully decanted.

Ottery

A small fishing port that trades the produce of the marshes to Meade and across the Westmere to Wintermark.

Sallow

People here keep themselves to themselves to a degree found off-putting even by other Bregaslanders. If those who don’t know press friendship on Sallowfolk, long knives come out and many’s the Sallow-cut who can tell you it’s best not to pry. The people of Sallow deal in cutting and drying rushes that are shipped to the other towns of the Marches for roofing.

Fisher’s Rock

A black stone mound that emerges from the middle of the fens near Greywater. Atop it is a ruined tower ascribed to the Sentinel. It is said to be haunted, often showing strange lantern lights that lead people astray in the fens. The area around the rock sometimes yields treasures - old cups, coins, or sometimes more significant artefacts. As a result, many of the local clannish Merrow spend their time as prospectors; although they are as likely to return bloated with poison and on the brink of death as they are to return with something of interest.

Rushring

A partially-submerged stone circle, the notorious site of a number of ritual killings in 365AF.

Graven Rock

An enormous smooth flat grey-stone plateau approximately 4 miles in each direction, extending from the ground with a gently sloping face of only 50 metres or so. If one could view it from a great height it would have the appearance of a large flat pebble buried in the ground with only its upper level surface exposed. This unusual stone deposit sits in some of the largest expanses of fertile territory in Bregasland. The outer surface of the rock is covered in various entrances and doorways, which are the evidence of many hundreds of years of mining and excavation of the rock’s rich mineral core.

Regions

Gravenmarch

Grey Fens

Keywords: Marsh

North Fens

Keywords: Marsh

Ottermire

Keywords: Marsh

The Rushes

Keywords: Marsh

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Bregasland are under Imperial control

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Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 160

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 160

The magnitude of this ritual may fluctuate as the Empire expands or contracts.

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets the entire Empire. It must be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil. The ritual requires a map of the entire Empire which is used to harness and focus it's power.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The ritual enchants the entire Empire. Every mine in the Empire produces two extra measures of special materials. These additional materials will match the base type selected when the mine was created.

In addition, many inhabitants of the Empire experience odd incidents of deja vu and find themselves remembering things they had thought were forgotten, especially the location of lost items and things they have read or witnessed, often many years in the past.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event..

Description

This old and dramatically powerful ritual enchants the entire Empire for a short time. It effects every mine resource in every region within the Empire. Much like Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart , the ritual is about helping miners to locate deposits of raw materials rather than creating substances out of nothing,

During a season when this ritual is in effect, there are increased incidences of people encountering Day regio, or the Heralds of Day Eternals. Indeed, the Eternals of Day themselves seem to become more active after periods when this ritual is performed, and more interested in the activities of Imperial citizens. There is a superstitious belief that more merrow are born during this period, but there is no evidence for that. There is some anecdotal evidence that especially high-lineage merrow feel especially energized to pursue their goals during this period, but that is all.

Common Elements

This is a powerful ritual, and few covens can perform it by themselves. When this ritual has been performed in the past, it has often been achieved with the use of at least one Web of Celestial Attunement and with supplies of crystal mana from the Imperial Conclave. A coven that plans to perform it often spends several days in preparation, knowing that the eyes of the Empire are likely to be on them.

Symbols of divination and discovery are used throughout. The ritual is almost always performed under the open sky, in front of an audience - there is rarely any room for secrecy in a Day ritual of this magnitude. The map that is a central focus for the ritual is often carefully marked with ink or painted or inscribed with the runes of Day. it is usual for one or more of the ritualists to recite the names of the Imperial territories or even regions throughout the casting as a counterpoint to the ritual invocation.

Music is common, often gentle and carefully scored, to further counterpoint the invocation. The names of Day Eternals may be used, but this is less common that invocations of popular historical characters from around the Empire, especially those whose stories are concerned with prosperity, wealth, engineering and planning.

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Bright Lantern of Ophis

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single magical effect which must be present throughout.

Effects

The ritual reveals information about an enchantment, curse or other magical effect. It is most often used on a character or item that is present. It can also be used on a special effect that is anchored to an area such as the aura created by The Solace of Chimes.

When completed the ritual provides the following information about the magical effect:

- It determines the realm and magnitude of the effect

- It determines what the effect does, and provides details of how it works.

- It reveals any remaining duration.

- It reveals any conditional effects, or any special methods that exist for removing the effect.

- It may provide information about where the magical effect has come from (a ritual or the supernatural abilities of an Eternal, for example).

Some of these effects are similar to those provided by detect magic but unlike that spell, Bright Lantern of Ophis can penetrate effects designed to stymie or confuse divinations such as Incantation's Mystic Mask. The ritual must match or exceed the magnitude of any concealing effect on the item to penetrate it; otherwise the only information the ritual will reveal is whether the item is bonded or not; that there is an obscuring effect; and the magnitude and realm of that effect.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual to penetrate more powerful shrouds or masks.

Description

This ritual is rarely useful for identifying effects that can be created by the spells mastered by Imperial magicians; it is much more useful for investigating and analysing effects created by barbarians, foreigners and Eternals or by those rare effects that occur spontaneously. It is usually a good idea to use detect magic or a similar spell first, to ensure that there is actually something there to analyse.

It will only work on a magical effect that is actually present, and close enough to touch. For example, to gather information about a magical ward the ritualists must get close enough to touch the effect. This means that it might be useful to gather information about a large-scale effect such as a curse on a territory, but only if the magicians are actually in that territory examining something directly effected by the magic. To use Bright Lantern of Ophis to analyse a magical effect blighting the trees in a the forest sof Miaren. the ritual must be performed within touching distance of a blighted tree. It is usually much more effective to use The Eye of the High Places.

This ritual is very old; there is some supposition that the detect magic spell was refined from it centuries ago.

Common Elements

This ritual often involves active divination, often with runestones or cards. Lenses and mirrors are often used to closely examine the target, scyring for the signs of bonds and magical effects. The area where the ritual is performed is usually well-lit, either by sunlight or by multiple lamps, laterns, light-stones or fires. The runes Sular and Ophis may be evoked - the former by covens who actively examine and seek information during the performance, the latter by covens that prefer to rely on sudden revelation to deliver information to them. The former group are usually active in handling the target, while the latter focus more on drawing up (or down) magical energies and may use incense, water or even some narcotics to empower their ritual.

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Bringing in the Sheaves

Bringing in the Sheaves by Jim Boyes

A great version available on "Funny Old World" by Coope Boyes and Simpson.

Harmony recording sung by Glasgow Madrigirls: Media:bringinginthesheaves.mp3

Solo Youtube version.

SCORE COMING SOON!

Though it's way past harvest time Some still toil and work and wagons rattle Corn still stands in rank and line And defies us all We can see it in our past Blood will out and joy will battle Though we work in different ways we're bringing in the sheaves

(Chorus) - Bringing in the sheaves, we're bringing in the sheaves. Though we work in different ways we're bringing in the sheaves

Though we started from the land Some of us do roam abroad The hand upon the gliding plough is not for everyone Changing seasons help us see Those who hear a different drummer Though not in one harmony, we're bringing in the sheaves

(Chorus)

What lay dormant in the soil Is wakened by the kiss of summer So the fruits of yesteryear become the years new corn Every stem has at its core, part of those who went before In turn they will be kept in store by bringing the sheaves

(Chorus)

In conclusion bear in mind What example has begun What today you do in kind has power for everyone True strong aims will pass along To your daughters and your sons So may they in years to come be bringing in the sheaves

(Chorus)

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Britta's Glory

This has been adapted by Rosie Goldsmith from The Chemical Worker's Song by Great Big Sea as sung here.

A pdf of the lyrics and tune can be found here.

A solo voice recording can be found here.

And it’s Charge, Dawn, Charge, We’ll fight with every breath And every step we take today is one step nearer death But we’ll charge Oh she marched across the Empire and she blazed into each heart Warrior and general, bright as flame she stood apart With thunder all around her and with fire upon her brow To keep our Empire free from harm she made her solemn vow

Chorus

The Jotun threat had hit them hard, but still the west she won Out to the East so fast she flew, she shone just like the Sun Side by side with Dawn she stood, at bloody Summerholm And crystal clear it was to all our Empress had come home

Chorus

Her Virtue strong and splendid, made an Empire’s life-blood beat With fire and steel and fury, all her foes they met defeat Until one bitter winter when at Skarsind battle found The Young Empress had perished, lying dead on frozen ground

Chorus

Now we’re marching out from Anvil underneath a weeping sky For Glory and for Vengeance with our banners raised up high We’ll make them fear her memory, cast them down into the mud For Throne and Crown and Britta, we will make them pay in blood!

Chorus

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Britta's song

Lyrics by Claire Bowden and David Sheridan, music by Bob Dylan (Percy's song) as sung here.

A pdf of the lyrics and tune can be found here.

Bad news, bad news came to me where I sat, Turn, turn, turn again, The Empress' army are not coming back, Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind.

The Empress' army were gallant and true, Turn... They went off to war and they would see it through, Turn...

They had mages with mana and warriors with swords, Turn... Shieldsmen and pikemen would have their reward, Turn...

To protect our Empire from the Thule out beyond, Turn... With axe and with arrow, with rod and with wand, Turn...

They raised up the banner and raised up the cry, Turn... Out into the mountains and grey snow-hung sky, Turn...

Their scouts they were cunning, their fighters so brave, Turn... In the hope that this territ'ry to finally reclaim Turn...

But the Thule they were ruthless; they called down a storm, Turn... Of snow, hail and chill winds all magically-borne, Turn...

Our Britta was sure they had not come in vain, Turn... Determined that Skarsind would be ours again, Turn...

Stout resolve was gifted to all, Turn... So the army would fight on and not too soon fall, Turn...

But it was not enough against such a foe, Turn... And out in the mountains the bitter winds moan, The old song, the rain and the wind.

So you now, and I, friend, must make the attack, Turn, turn, turn again, The Empress' army are not coming back. Turn, turn, to the rain and the wind.

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BrocÃ©liande

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 The Broch

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Elerael

- 4.2 Black Boughs

- 4.3 Boar's Dell

- 4.4 Dark Ranging

- 4.5 Greenweald

- 4.6 Terunael

- 4.7 Vale's Lament

- 5 OOC Note

Overview

Lush BrocÃ©liande, on the border between Dawn and Highguard, is considered by the Navarr as ancestral homeland and is the single largest forested expanse in the Empire. This is where Navarr and Thorn first danced. The Navarr have been unable to make any significant gains in this territory against the Vallorn, and there is limited Navarr presence here.

The majority of Navarr steadings in BrocÃ©liande are centred around Boar's Dell in the north, and around the Broch in Vallorn-infested Black Boughs. While all steadings fight against vallornspawn, those in BrocÃ©liande generally see the most "action" - especially the Broch situated as it is deep inside the circumfrence of the BrocÃ©lieande infestation. Green lung is a constant threat in much of BrocÃ©liande.

Much of the interior of the territory is still unknown to modern scholars, both within the Navarr and without. The vallorn covers the vast majority of the land here, choking any Terunael ruins or artefacts, and drowning those who venture too far with it's powerful, deadly miasma.

Recent History

Over the last fifty years, much of the forest was infiltrated by barbarian orc communities settling from the Barrens. They largely avoided the Navarr, until the surprise attack from the Druj forces passing through the Forest of Peytaht as part of their invasion of Reikos. While the Druj took and held Elereal they made no effort to push for further control of BrocÃ©liande. Indeed, they seemed more interested in keeping the vallornspawn at bay than in engaging with the Navarr.

Throughour 378YE, the orc settlers from the Barrens retreated out of BrocÃ©liande, leaving their makesthift camps to fall into disuse or be overrun by vallornspawn.

Major Features

The Broch

The largest collection of steadings of the Navarr, well-defended and constantly guarded. It is the western edge of the Navarrâ€™s watch on the barbarians and darker horrors of BrocÃ©liande. It is both fortification against the orcs, and a place of ritual where Vates gather when necessary to counter specific magical threats. Buried deep within the miasma at Black Boughs, the Broch is perhaps the steading most at risk of being overrun at any moment. Few can spend too much time here - even if the danger were not sufficient, there is the ever-present risk of green lung.

Regions

Elerael

Elerael was one of the few regions of BrocÃ©liande initially under Navarr control. The most prominent steading here, Eleriâ€™s Stead, was once a comparatively peaceable place, a Navarr counterpart to High Chalcis where herbs and forest plants were studied. It was swept away as orcs flooded from the Forest of Peytaht.

The orcs were most likely Druj from Reikos, but it is not clear how much of a presence they still maintain here. Some Navarr scouts have reported an increase in wallornspawn attacks into Elerael, increasing in severity dramatically after the Reikos trods were damaged in 378YE.

Keywords: Forested

Black Boughs

Keywords: Forested, Vallorn

Boar's Dell

The northernmost region of BrocÃ©liande is the site of Greenstead, a stone-walled steading built with support from Rucastle as Dawn and the Navarr threw a ring around the dark heart of the forest there. It is often assaulted, but with Dawnish support it has always held. There has long been a bond - and several intermarriages - between the two settlements.

Keywords: Forested

Dark Ranging

Keywords: Forested, Vallorn

Greenweald

Keywords: Forested, Vallorn

Terunael

This is the heart of the Vallorn in BrocÃ©liande, and the most storied of the ancestral cities of the Navarr.

Keywords: Forested, Vallorn

Vale's Lament

Keywords: Forested, Vallorn

OOC Note

- As of Spring 379YE, the barbarian orcs control Elerael. The Vallorn occupies Back Boughs, Dark Ranging, Greenweald, Vale's Lament and Terunael. The Navarr (and thus the Empire) holds Boar's Dell.

- To claim BrocÃ©liande, the Empire needs to hold four of the seven regions. This is currently impossible without reducing the power of the Vallorn.

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BrocÃ©liande Be Stronger Now

Original Song: Lyonesse by Celtic Legend -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Piv-ZLla4wA

New lyrics and adaptation by Jamie Wakefield. Chords are next to stanza title.

Verse 1 - Am D Am, Am D F, Am D Am x2 Broceliande, be stronger now The Winds of Change have come for thee To wander hence but still return From't' darkest watches e'er I see

Chorus (continues through verses) â€“ Am The walkers came from the darkest watches. The walkers came from the darkest watches.

Verse 1 (repeated) - Am D Am, Am D F, Am D Am x2 Broceliande, be stronger now The Winds of Change have come for thee To wander hence but still return From't' darkest watches e'er I see

Verse 2 - Am G Am, Am G F, Am G Am x2 Broceliande, be stronger now Although the wilds has come for thee I will return to wander hence With tears of salt to fill the sea.

Bridge - F, Dm C I see I see

Chorus (continues through verse) - Am The walkers came from the darkest watches. The walkers came from the darkest watches. The walkers came from the darkest watches. The walkers came from the darkest watches.

Verse 3 - Am D Am x2, Am G Am x2 Through weary days that turn to night Broceliande, I'll wait for thee Though I may be asleep in dust My spirit dances endlessly

Bridge - F, Dm C My spirit My spirit

Chorus â€“ Am F x2, Am The walkers came from the darkest watches. The walkers came from the darkest watches. The walkers came from the darkest watches. The walkers came from the darkest watches. The walkers came from the darkest watches. The walkers came from the darkest watches.

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Brother Blades

Description

The brother blades are most commonly crafted as a pair, whether of swords, axes or hammers. Pains are taken to ensure the weapons are as similar as possible, and traditionally the materials used to create the best of them are taken from the same ore quarried in the same mines. That is not to say that 'unbalanced pairs' don't exist, but they are in the minority. Even unbalanced pairs tend to be similar, save for size, such as a longsword paired with a shortsword in the off-hand. A rapier paired to a stiletto is a combination popular among bravos determined to armed under all circumstances, sometimes called ‘Pins and Needles’. So valuable is the idea of the weapons as twins that wielders take great pains to make sure that they remain reflections of each others, ensuring that any decoration of one is mirrored on the other.

It is possible to permanently mark or change the appearance of these weapons; to do so the wielder has one of the weapons altered and then uses their magical power to "copy" that change to the other weapon. This process is unreliable, and is ineffective at copying anything other than cosmetic changes to the physical shape of the weapons.

Means of invoking the pair’s power varies greatly. Navarri paired hand-axes sometimes have oaths impressed into the leather wrappings of the handles, proclaiming the weapons’ devotion to each other, which is repeated by the wielder to restore the shattered twin. All across the Empire, soldiers press together the intact blade with the remnants of its companion and invoke the rune Pallas, which has power over crafted goods.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of two one-handed weapons.

- Requirement: You must have the ambidexterity skill to bond to these items.

- Effect: Once per day you can repair one or both of these weapons with ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying.

- Materials: Crafting a set of brother blades requires seven ingots of orichalcum and three measures of ambergelt and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make a pair of these items.

The Brass Coast trader lifted up the sword, and weighed it in his hands. It was a fine blade, alike to its brother as ordered, and now was the moment of truth. The price had been low, he thought, but he was just finishing a Conquerors’ Sword like the one wielded by his illustrious tribes-mate Jone i Arco and that had taken every scrap of rare stuff he'd been able to lay hands on. On average, he though, he'd make more over three months than if he'd made three common blades. The other side of the tavern table was his customer, known to him, from a nation known to him, and without any of the honesty that the Freeborn would show. Would he press for still lower?

The Temeschwari took the blade. It was, as promised, the twin of the one he'd already had delivered. Imperial horse in gold relief on the blade, red leather hilt. It would match his Merchant Prince's brigandine and robe perfectly.

The Freeborn's hand drifted down, under the table, and wrapped round the reassuring steel of his knife.

"So, the price..."

"Eight Crowns the pair. As contracted. The balance of four is due." said the Freeborn. Amethyst and topaz gleamed on the Temeschwari's fingers as two stacks of coins were pushed over the table: transaction done.

And as the he left, the Freeborn's grip relaxed.

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Repair Holberg defences (Redirected from Build Holberg defences)

To build defenses at Holberg

Proposed by Necropolis, seconded by Karov

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Perform emergency repair of the gates and walls of Holberg based on plans presented to the League by the engineer Rhiner Van Hesselman.

- Passed at 45 Thrones with 13 votes against

- Funds disbursed to Adamah of the Silent tide, Senator for Necropolis.

Date

- Spring 377YE

Cost

- 100 crowns

- 25 wains white granite

- 10 wains weirwood

- 25 measures of Bladeroot

- 25 measures of Imperial Roseweald.

Progress

- Paid by Oksana Kazaku, senator for Temeschwar in Spring Equinox downtime

Campaign Outcome

- Walls of Holberg restored to full strength.

The resources committed to the project allowed plans put forward by the League engineer Rhiner Van Hesselman to be implemented. The defences of Holberg were repaired to pre-siege levels, despite the fact that the territory was not under Imperial control at the time.

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Build The Fires High

Original Music & Lyrics by Anna Clifford Tait and Stephanie Heath

RECORDING of this song : Build The Fires

Darkness comes, the snow is falling Check the herd, make sure they're all in Build the fires high tonight And may the wolves go hungry

We are the heart that burns in the cold We are the shepherds guarding the fold Build the fires high tonight And may the wolves go hungry

Chorus: This is the land of our father's children Dark and hungry, secrets hidden Here we stand and this land we'll hold 'Gainst the fear and the cold

We are the mothers, fathers and brothers We are the sisters, husbands and lovers Build the fires high tonight And may the wolves go hungry

We are the Wardens, clearing your way We are the ones holding darkness at bay Build the fires high tonight And may the wolves go hungry

Chorus x2

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Bullroarer's Shout

Description

A bullroarer is a simple musical instrument, a piece of shaped wood swung around the head to create an eerie, echoing moan. The Kallavesi warriors who favour these weapons often mimic that behaviour, swinging them in great circles while roaring or moaning. Most often the Winterfolk make these weapons in the form of long-hafted heavy axes, and batter their foes into submission, and they are very popular with the Steinr as well as their more mystical cousins.

The Urizen, Navarr, and Freeborn favour more fluid, flexible versions of these weapons, commonly referring to one as an Onrushing Tide - an irresistible weapon that sweeps enemies before it but is valued especially for its ability to dominate the battlefield. These weapons are often take the form of spears or glaives, and marked with the rune Hirmok.

This powerful weapon combines the responsiveness of green iron with the raw power of tempest jade, enhancing every swing from the wielder. It is a devastating tool in the hands of a competent wielder, capable of breaking enemy lines to pieces, slaughtering powerful champions in single combat, and allowing great control over the warrior's immediate vicinity.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a pole-arm.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Three times per day may call STRIKEDOWN with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a bullroarer's shout requires fifteen ingots of green iron, ten ingots of tempest jade, seven ingots of orichalcum and seven measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Marko roared, spinning his long axe around his head as he charged. He took the first orc in the chest, lifting him off the ground, and followed through with three bone-crushing blows. To the left and right of him, Gytha and Dunstan fought axe-and-shield, more cautious. Not Marko - he bellowed, and struck out, knocking the orc fighting Gytha on his arse.

The thane took advantage of the opening, shearing her opponent's arm at the elbow. Dunstan wheeled, his shield ready, and the three of them took a moment to pick their next opponents. Marko threw back his head and let out another terrifying bellow, pawed the ground and lowered his head, his horns pointing towards a tight group of shield-bearing orcs to the left. His companions shouted their assent, and they were off.

Steaming in the winter chill, Marko swung his axe into one of the orc shields. The barbarian tried to brace himself for the blow but the force of the warrior's charge, and the power of his axe, sent him sprawling. The orcs to either side closed in, but Gytha and Dunstan gave them no opening.

A third got in a lucky stab, but Marko knocked his weapon aside with the haft of his axe, then reversed his blow and hacked the orc's legs out from under him. Before the enemy could rise, the Kallavesi slammed his weapon down once, twice. The orc, a champion of his kind, pulled himself to his feet, his armour dented but not broken. He brought his shield round to protect himself, and again Marko slammed him to the ground, knocking the shield aside and aiming a devastating blow to one of his legs, fracturing bone and leaving the orc writhing in agony, desperately trying to fight from the ground.

His suffering was soon ended.

Surrounded by fighting, Marko swung his axe around his horn-masked head again, threw back his head, and bellowed his defiance and his victory to the twilight sky.

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Burnished Orb

Description

Few ritual tools are as splendid as those associated with the practice of Summer magic. This valuable item is usually crafted in the form of a metal orb inlaid with tempest jade and usually decorated with gold, silver and precious gems. It is infused with potent enchantments and attuned to the realm of Summer. A coven can use it to draw on the power contained in ingots of orichalcum and align it with their own magic, allowing them to reduce or in some cases replace the need for crystal mana when performing Summer rituals.

A burnished orb most often takes the form of an actual 'covenstone' wielded by one of the magicians in a ritual, but it is not the only shape appropriate to this item. Some covens possess burnished orbs that take the form of a bowl or chalice, while others possess a literal crown that is worn by one of the ritualists to display the aspects of majesty and potence that are core to many Summer rituals. The item is often marked with runes; or with images associated with power and strength such as physically strong animals (stags and eagles being the most common); clenched fists; castles; or the accouterments of war. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses it is careful to ensure that it plays a central role in their ceremonies - in addition to it's ceremonial use it is a symbol of their unity of purpose and their coven oath.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Members of the coven who are performing a Summer ritual they have mastered may use orichalcum in the place of crystal mana. Every two measures of orichalcum spent count as one crystal mana.

- Materials: Crafting a burnished orb requires five ingots of tempest jade, four ingots of orichalcum and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Burnished Rampart

Description

A burnished rampart, sometimes called an Undying Shield, a Brazen Shield or occasionally even an Orichalcum Shield is most often made of metal, with an iridescent gloaming finish. The shield itself is difficult to destroy without the use of magic.

It was first devised by the runesmiths of the Steinr to test the resolve of young warriors. Many cocky youngsters would claim that if only their shields had not been shattered by the hammers of the trolls, they would have held the line until their deaths. Tired of such boasting, a Runesmith named Thyra created the first Undying Shields and offered them such warriors, telling him that if true heroism burned in their souls, then such a shield would never fail them. Some were worthy of the shields' magic while some fled with little but splinters.

A burnished rampart may be engraved with the rune Pallas, often inlaid in gold or a gold-orichalcum alloy. Some bearers will mark their shields with paint to show how often it had been broken and repaired, as a display of their determination and dedication to the Virtue of Pride.

Rules

- Form: Shield (Talisman). You cannot make a burnished rampart that is a buckler.

- Effect: After 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying you can spend a hero point to repair this shield.

- Materials: Crafting a burnished rampart requires thirteen ingots of orichalcum and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Dafyth rocked backwards under the strength of the blow, the orc’s great weapon swept thunderous blows as the Navarri warrior struggled to raise his shield to block each strike. The shield was a fine piece of work, the metal embossed with twisting roots and flowering vines picked out along it in shining ambergelt. He was sure something had broken in his arm from the last block though and he wasn’t sure how much longer he could go on.

The orc could see the human warrior was tiring and followed a sweeping blow of its sword with a swift elbow to the face, shattering teeth with the armoured limb and sending the Navarr sprawling to the ground. Dafyth looked up at the orc, spitting broken teeth and blood, as it raised its weapon for one final strike. With a feral roar it brought the sword down, the Navarr warrior barely had time to pull his shield over his body before the blow fell. The shield split neatly in two pieces, surviving just long enough to protect the young Thorn from a killing strike.

Dafyth rolled away and grabbed a handful of dirt from the floor and flung it into the eyes of his attacker earning him precious seconds. With that he ran, carrying both pieces of the broken shield with him.

After a hundred yard sprint, he ducked behind a thorny bush, the clanking sound of rusted orc armour lumbering after him. He looked at his broken shield and silently thanked the distant artisan who had crafted it for him. He tugged sharply on the fine roots around him yanking them from the ground and hastily wrapping them around the two halves of the broken shield and reciting the words that the crafter had drilled into him.

In an instant the two halves clicked back together as if time was rewinding, the knotty roots melding with the shield until they seemed as if they had always been part of it. Dafyth smiled a crack-toothed smile which coupled with the bloody war paint gave a visage as ugly as any orc.

He turned to face his pursuer and with a furious war cry he charged …

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Bursar of the Conclave

The Bursar of the Conclave is an Imperial title bestowed on a magician. It is appointed through the Conclave.

The position was established by unanimous vote of the Imperial Senate in Summer 377YE. The vote followed extensive political maneuvering within the Conclave, and a Declaration of Concord laying out the responsibilities and powers the magicians wished the Bursar to possess.

Contents

- 1 Responsibilities

- 2 Powers

- 2.1 Addressing the Conclave

- 2.2 Gambit of Commerce

- 3 Selection

- 4 Removal

- 5 History

Responsibilities

The purpose of the Bursar is to help the Conclave raise money to acquire resources for Conclave members and to arrange the purchase of materials and items that the Conclave wishes to acquire. They are expected to liaise closely with the archmagi and the grandmasters of the orders to identify what is available and what is required.

Powers

The Bursar of the Conclave is an Imperial title in the Conclave.

Addressing the Conclave

Once per summit, the Bursar can raise an address to the agenda of a Conclave session for free. This power is intended to be used to allow the Bursar to appraise the Conclave of the current financial status of the Conclave, the contracts in progress and the opportunities available - but the bursar is free to address the Conclave however they wish.

Gambit of Commerce

Once during each summit, the Bursar can present a single gambit during a Conclave session. The gambit is raised to the agenda, presented, debated and resourced in the same way as a gambit raised by an archmage. The Principle of Presence means that the Bursar can appoint a proxy to raise a gambit on their behalf - but the proxy cannot present it.

Selection

The appointment, replacement or removal of the Bursar is made by the declaration of candidacy as part of the agenda of a Conclave session. A candidate can be presented for the post of Bursar only once a season.

Removal

The Bursar serves until they are replaced by another magician using the Declaration of Candidacy. The Bursar cannot be revoked by any assembly of the Imperial Synod.

History

- Iago Melfizzi of the Golden Pyramid, a League citizen from Tassato associated with the Carta di Morella, was the first Bursar of the Conclave.

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Bursar of the Imperial Academy

The position was created by unanimous vote of the Senate in Winter 377YE.

Responsibilities

The Bursar receives funds from the Imperial treasury which are intended to be used to purchase tools and materials to be used in the education of the future heroes of the Empire by the Academy at Anvil.

Powers

The Bursar of the Imperial academy is an Imperial title appointed by the Senate and connected with the Academy.

Stipend

The Bursar receives a stipend of 6 Thrones annually from the Senate budget.

Selection

This title is an Imperial position appointed by the Senate and serves until they die, step down or are revoked.

Removal

The Bursar can be revoked by a simple majority of the General Assembly or by the Assembly of Nine.

History

During the Winter Solstice 377YE, the Senate appointed the Urizen Titus Hopkirk as the first Bursar; no other candidates were considered.

In Winter 378YE the Bursar's tenure was changed from annual to lifetime and the stiped was adjusted from 1 Throne 4 Crowns each season to six Thrones annually.

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Business

Contents

- 1 Definition

- 2 Production

- 3 Downtime Options

- 4 Upgrades

- 5 Diversification

- 6 National Implications

Definition

A business can represent almost any structure or property that could produce an income, such as inn, a smithy, a brothel, theatre or similar structure. It shouldn't be land or a farm - if that is what you want to take then we would recommend you choose the farm resource instead. But it can represent a trader who buys and sells goods within the Empire (if you want to represent a character who travels overseas to trade then choose a fleet).

Production

A business produces 9 crowns.

Downtime Options

There are no downtime options for a business. It produces income automatically.

Upgrades

A business can be upgraded using white granite obtained from the Bourse. Each time a business is upgraded, the owner receives an additional income of 36 rings from then on.

To upgrade a business requires Imperial wains of white granite equal to the level the business is being upgraded to. So the first upgrade of a starting level 1 business costs 2 Imperial wains of white granite, from 2 to 3 costs 3 Imperial wains, etc.

Diversification

A business can be diversified to sacrifice income for resources. To diversify a business requires one Imperial wain of mithril and one Imperial wain of weirwood. Each time a business diversifies, the owner chooses one resource produced by a mine; the business produces 2 ingots of the chosen metal but produces 36 rings less income.

National Implications

Senators in the League are chosen on the basis of who can command the most support of individuals with substantial investments in the city. This is represented by the business personal resource. A League character who has been operating a business personal resource in a League city receives 10 votes for that city's senatorial elections. If a business is upgraded - then the character who operates that business receives 2 additional votes for each upgrade.

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Butcher's Bill

Description

These pole-arms are comparatively cheap to craft, and this helps to make them popular among both the Marcher households and the League Free companies. They can be bought in moderate numbers, and used to add additional strength to a unit of skilled soldiers, or allow a recruit to fight nearly as well as their more experienced colleagues.

Their extensive use on the battle-field as part of tight formations has given them a brutal reputation that is not entirely deserved. They take their name from the butcher's bill, the list of casulaties after a battle. Several generals have referred to the use of these weapons as "balancing the butcher's bill" by ensuring there are more casualties on the enemy side than on the Imperial side.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a pole-arm.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may call either STRIKEDOWN or CLEAVE with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a Butcher's Bill requires eight ingots of orichalcum and two ingots of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"An answer, if you please, ma'am!"

The sutler looked up from her ledger at the servant in front of her, and replied: "Do me the honour of informing the Merchant Prince that his business may provide him with a solid income, but he will need to extend his reach if he wishes to arm one in five of his company's recruits with even the cheapest of artisan-crafted weapons."

"But the reputation of the soldiery of Tassato!"

"...will survive this minor setback. Train them harder, and longer. I can profit better in Overton, and my concern is the Prosperity of my Guild."

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Butcher's Cleaver

Description

A butcher's cleaver is a practical weapon that allows the wielder to deliver a crippling blow to an enemy. Despite being made of mystical materials, artisans often make these weapons in the shape of crude, heavy butcher's cleavers in honour of the tale of Kaisa Battle-Butcher, the Icewalker who used such a weapon to trick a band of barbarian raiders.

These weapons gained great popularity among the Imperial Orcs after they were introduced to the legions by Wintermark Runesmiths, as the heavy style appealed to the Orcish tastes. Some called them ”Thrace’s Bounty” after the rumour that the leader of the rebellion acquired one of these cleavers among the first weapons the rebels looted. The Worth of that cleaver, if it were located, would be staggering.

In the Marches, these take the more orderly form of long axes and are known as Wayford Axes after the town in Mitwold, where several were made and sold to notorious bandits. One of those same axes was later used to behead members of the gang, once it was bonded to the town executioner as a fee for her work. This hasn’t tarnished the design’s reputation as much as expected, as yeomen are too sensible to dismiss a useful weapon on such grounds.

Jotra, the rune of battle, is a common feature of these weapons but a few bear Yoorn, the rune of ending, to emphasise the deadliness of the wounds delivered.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a two-handed weapon.

- Requirement: You must have the Weapon Master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to call CLEAVE with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a butcher's cleaver requires five ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

How Kaisa became the Battle-Butcher

In years which followed the founding of the kingdom of Wintermark, barbarian bandits still prowled the sparsest parts of the land and preyed on the smaller halls, like runtish dogs snapping at a wounded deer. Kaisa was a young Suaq, dwelling in one such hall in deep woods of Sermersuaq, when one night came the report that a band of orcs was fast approaching the settlement. The thane told his people to brace themselves for death, for they lacked the strength of arms to see off such a threat.

Kaisa stepped forward and said, "Do not despair so quickly! I can drive off this horde, if you will grant me a single boon."

The thane snorted and said, "I do not see how one young magician can face such a band and hope to win, but we have little left to lose now. What do you wish to ask of me?"

"Grant me that axe you have been forging, my thane, and I shall get rid of them all," she asked with a smile.

"That axe? But it is barely finished. The magic has settled but it still needs shaping. It looks little better than a butcher's cleaver."

"That will serve me well, my lord. It is all I ask of you."

With a shrug, the thane granted her the weapon. Kaisa bound it to her with a swift spell and set off to find the bandits. That proved simple as the orcs did not try to hide their path. Kaisa stepped out before them and challenged them to send their best warrior to fight her. Thinking to make some sport out of the silly human, the orcs agreed.

Kiasa had learnt to wield such a weapon but was no great warrior. Still she found the single opening she needed to put the enchantment to good use, throwing her heart and soul into a fearsome blow. The orc champion fell at her feet and at once she cut off his head.

The other bandits were astonished.

"Are you that hall's finest warrior?" their leader asked. "Is that your finest weapon?"

"Oh no," replied Kaisa. "I am but a lowly butcher and this is but my butcher's cleaver. I use it to cut up goat meat The others are all far greater warriors than I and armed with blades far more brilliant. They sent me to see if you were worth their time."

The orcs pondered what kind of people would think such a weapon suitable only for chopping up goats. As one, they decided that they did not wish to meet such people in battle. As one, the orc bandits fled.

And that is how Kaisa became known as Kaisa Battle-Butcher.

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By Chance It Was

Trad

Clannad do a rather pretty version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j9HkMBde1o&feature=kp

Simple chords. Guitarists: If you want to avoid the bar chord, capo 2 and play Dm Am.

[Em] By chance it was I met my love It did me much surprise Down by a shady myrtle grove Just as the sun did [Bm]rise. [Em]The birds they sang right gloriously And pleasant was the air And there was non save she and i Among the flowers fair.

In dewy grass and green we walked She timid was and coy How can'st thou choose but pity me My pretty pearl, my joy How comes it that thou stroll this way? Sweet maiden tell me true Before bright phoebus' glittering ray Has supped the morning dew?

I go to tend the flocks I love The ewes and tender lambs That pasture by the myrtle grove That gambol by their dams There I enjoy a pure content At dawning of the day Then, hand in hand, we lovers went To see the flock at play.

And as we wended down the road I said to her, "sweet maid, Three years I in my place abode And three more must be stayed The three that I am bound so fast O fairest wait for me And when the weary years are past Then wedded we will be."

"three years are long, three times too long Too lengthy the delay" And then I answered in my song "hope wastes them quick away Where love is fervent, fain and fast And knoweth not decay There nimbly fleet the seasons past Accounted as one day."

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Call Down Lightning's Wrath

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the battle mage skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains the ability to call strikedown with a staff once per day when they hit a target, following the rules for a heroic call.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 6. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

Much like Charge of the Rushing Wind, Call Down Lightning's Wrath harnesses natural forces to grant a magician a potent attack. When the power of this enchantment is invoked it does not literally call a bolt of lightning down to strike an opponent; rather, the force of the staff-strike is greatly enhanced, lifting the target off their feet and slamming them back down to earth. In some cases, especially when the magician's staff is made of wood or bone, the implement might seem to twist around the ankles or legs of the target and wrench them off their feet.

Many magicians find that while under the effect of this ritual their staff becomes a little unruly, occasionally seeming to shift or twist of it's own volition. There are also folk-tales in which magicians who use this ritual attract storms, sometimes with dangerous implications for their friends and family - although the magician herself is usually left unhurt even when the story recounts how bolts of lighting are attracted to their staffs.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes storms, hurricanes and typhoons. Some magicians, especially Suaq icewalkers prefer to use animal imagery with the spell, evoking the spirit of the wolf-pack, the leaping hare or the charging bull. Among the Urizen the invocation tends to focus more around the idea of disrupting the poise of an enemy - unbalancing them with a perfectly timed strike that causes their own momentum to cause them to fall over.

Regardless of the invocation, it cannot be denied that this is a violent, disruptive ritual. As with many rituals that invoke the destructive forces of nature, clashing, discordant music, thundering rhythms and violent movement are key elements in this ritual. Copper cymbals, especially among Freeborn ritualists, are regularly included in the performance of this ritual - copper is a material that is believed to attract lightning and may feature in other forms in a ritual.

Other elements might include the runes Mawrig or Verys (often accompanied by the rune of dominion; the evocation of The Claw or The Stallion; a violent scene in which characters are at the mercy of powerful storms; or images of horses, bulls or chimerae.

The storm that raged overhead was not natural, Hugo was sure of it. Even embroiled in the heat of battle, the war-witch could feel his staff lurch in the direction of each lightning-strike, while he tried to keep it tightly focused on the enemy before him. Even through his heavy leather gloves, patterned with the rampant gryphon of his House, he felt it jolt as if with lightning of its own every time it hit the enemy. The battle was going well, and all he had to do now was keep fighting hard and not get struck by lightning.

Out of nowhere, a pair of spear-wielding orcs thrust forward out of their line, and by some dire circumstance, struck grievously at the warriors either side of him. Both fell to the ground, one screaming, the other silent. He had a second to act.

Left. He struck, and as he did, the world burst into terrifying brightness. The staff slammed into the orc with a force far greater than any mortal hands could grant it, and a bolt from the heavens flung him to the ground. The moment seared itself into Hugo's brain forever: the hate on his enemies' faces, the axes and spears raised in battle, the dead and the dying on both sides. More than just the sight: the heavy weight of the wood in his hands, the seeping cold of the rain, the shock which ran through him into the thick mud beneath.

If the strike was awesome, the peal of thunder that accompanied it was appalling. The whole battle paused for a moment as each and every warrior, Dawnish and barbarian, winced in pain and shook their heads to clear them of the terrible thunder. At the centre of it, Hugo yelled in pain without hearing himself.

The orc to his right looked at him like a monster, and he roared as if he were one. He raised his staff high over his head, preparing to strike. Then he fled, leaping out of the way of the staff and putting a few more feet between the two of them. He jabbed cautiously, but there was fear in his eyes now. The rest of his group kept a respectful distance.

Hugo glanced over his shoulder and cried out for a healer, and stood guard over his fallen comrades. Soon, they would break. For now, he still had glory to win!

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Callidus

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Autumn

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

- 2 The Secretaries of the Argent Tontine

- 2.1 Numis

- 2.2 Malleas

- 2.3 Zand

Eternal of Autumn

Sobriquets

Known as the Prince of the Argent Tontine, Callidus is most concerned with greed.

He is also called Sovereign-Lord of the City of Chains, a fanciful reference to the many deals and agreements he has made - as far as anyone knows he does not rule an actual city at all (despite rumours that he owns a portable citadel of iron and white basalt), preferring to remain a peripatetic instigator.

Appearance

Callidus is a potent horned male with fine clothing. He is rarely encountered without a ledger or two, and never without the ability to create a contract.

He is usually accompanied by one or more of his secretaries - clever Eternals in their own right who serve as his proxies and advisors. His massive appointment tome, the Iron Ledger, is kept by his meticulous Heralds, who often appear as Freeborn cambions. Scrupulous and precise, Callidus sometimes sends Heralds to offer bargains, or to follow-up on bargains made by others.

Concerns

Callidus seeks to control everything through greed and desire. He exemplifies the idea that everyone wants something, and that by identifying their desires and being able to supply their needs, an individual can wield immense power. He also sees greed itself as the primary motivating force of living things, and supports and extols philosophies that highlight the influence of avarice and wealth.

While all Autumn Eternals enjoy bargains, Callidus revels in them. He invariably creates a contract to cover any agreement he makes, and is the Autumn Eternal most likely to invoke the Lictors to witness an important agreement. He invariably sticks to the letter of a contract, and some bargainers have met unfortunate fates due to not reading their agreement carefully enough. He can and has been bested in his bargains, and tales are told of heroes who dealt with the Silver Prince and came away rich, but his nature is such that a bargain that seems fair at first often grows more constrictive and dangerous as time goes by.... Callidus is quite pragmatic; he does not hold those who best him in contempt; he often tries to arrange an audience with them to discuss how they bested his contract, so that he can avoid the same mistakes another time. However, he is absolutely ruthless in hunting down anyone who breaks a bargain they have made with him.

Callidus's has no single home within the Autumn realm, but instead cultivates an ability to be in the right place at the right time. While his movements seem random, through synchroicity he often finds himself in the right place at the right time to offer someone what they desperately want. His secretaries share this ability to some degree, but for some reason they are limited to appearing a crossroads; literal crossroads as well as figurative crossroads, however.

While the massive amount of business engaged in by his army of scribes and secretaries would necessitate a palace of bureaucracy, instead all such paperwork is contained within the single Iron Ledger. The Ledger itself seems to operate on much the same principles as Callidus himself; simply by inserting his hand he seems to be able to pull out the document he is seeking.

Callidus must surely have an enormous collection of religious items, after centuries of buying such things from mortals, but where he keeps this vault is unknown. Fanciful tales claim that his immense wealth is stored by the Lictors, while others say that his Ledger can be "unfolded" to reveal a massive citadel of iron and white basalt that is his true domain.

While undoubtedly the equal in power of any of the rulers of the cities of Autumn, Callidus does not compete with them directly. Rather he acts as a broker for such beings, supplying their desires, acting as a notary and occasionally offering advice. Beings of such scope are too clever to deal with Callidus lightly, and only utilise his services when completely necessary. However, by long standing tradition Callidus is generally free to meet and bargain with any of their underlings, and thus passes across the Labyrinth unmolested.

Traditionally Callidus uses a Fleur-de-Lys type symbol as his seal, the three points symbolising the three Secretaries that he is currently using. Competition to remain at such a level is fierce, and his underlings constantly scheme to advance themselves.

The Prince of the Argent Tontine is fascinated with mortal religions. Callidus undestands that faith is a powerful force, but one that is extremely ephemeral. One of his personal desires is to understand the value of faith, and the need it satisfies in the faithful, the better to manipulate others using their beliefs. An extremely patient Eternal, he has been studying mortal religion for centuries, and often appears to tempt or bargain mortals away from their faith. Over this time he has amassed a great trove of lore on faith, and is said to possess several relics of the Imperial religion. His knowledge is best described as being 'technical' - he understands the politics of religion much better than he does individual faith.

Callidus is associated with both the rune Lann, and the rune Queros.

Boons

Bargains themselves fascinate Callidus, and he has several supernatural powers relating to creating and sealing them. He is known to possess many favours with other Eternals, and to draw on them to fulfill bargains on his behalf. He is particularly keen of getting bargainers into his debt, and reinforcing his ability to call those debts due with curses. His bargains are more likely to involve the bargainer doing or not doing something in return for a favour or service - it is less likely to involve mere payment with materials.

His most potent abilities deal with the manipulation of desire and greed, and guiding serendipity to increase wealth. He also possesses several abilities that deal with bonds, especially bonded items, and is said to be able to locate highly desired items in the material world with sufficient inducement, especially those that are unique or exotic.

Some priests are interested in the religious artefacts Callidus has gathered, but they tend to be very leery about entering into a bargain with the Eternal. Callidus appears to take particular delight in challenging and testing priests and other strongly religious characters who come to deal with him.

The Secretaries of the Argent Tontine

Unlike Eternals such as Basileus Kade, Callidus runs a tight ship. The Eternals who serve him do so out of a belief in his creed and a desire to increase their own wealth and service their own needs. There are few stories of incidents where one of them attempts to overthrow or betray Callidus, and many scholars theorise that all the Eternals of the Argent Tontine are bound with oaths and contracts that keep them loyal.

The Secretaries - literally secret keepers - who serve Callidus are lesser Eternals rather than Heralds. They sometimes deal with the Empire directly. either pursuing their own agenda or operating as proxies for Callidus. They may arrange audiences in the Hall of Worlds, or send Heralds on their own business. The three best known of Callidus' secretaries, who have dealt with the Empire in the past, are Numis, Malleas and Zand.

Numis

A female Eternal who is fascinated by the role of coins and hard currency in agreements. She occasionally likes to take credit for inventing the idea of currency, or spreading it across the mortal realm - it is not clear if she expects this claim to be taken literally. She is the longest serving of Callidus' secretaries and is acknowledged as the entity who designed the iron coins used in many parts of the Autumn realm.

Malleas

A male Eternal who favours gamblers and wagerers. He is known to send Heralds to arrange wagers on important events, and often creates bargains that involve gambles or risky ventures - he is also known to lend money but demand extortionate rates of interest for the repayment of the debt with dire consequences for forfeiture. He has been Callidus' secretary for the shortest time (barely longer than a century or so) and is known to favour both gaudy displays of wealth and allowing others to make a pitch as to why he should invest some of it in them. He often seems to lose out on deals, but never seems to grow any less wealthy.

Zand

A lawyer, and usually dresses in the style of a wealthy Freeborn scrivener, but in colours few Freeborn would choose. His robes and tagelmust are the dull metallic colours of well-handled coinage, and the deep black of oxidised silver. Scrupulous and precise, he is fascinated by the way contracts are created and used to regulate behaviour. He effects the air of a stereotypical bureaucrat – obsequious to Callidus, polite to those he wants something from, and relatively rude to those he has no use for. He is the Eternal most frequently sent forth to make deals with mortals at present, but this is subject to change at Callidus' whim.

One or more of the secretaries tends to attend Callidus when he deals with mortals, and may make their own bargains at the same time.

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Call Winged Messenger

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single letter which must be present throughout; the letter should be addressed as clearly as possible to the person it is intended for.

Effects

At the completion of the ritual the target letter vanishes, as if grabbed by a fast-moving unseen presence. The ritualists will often hear the swift beating of wings, or the clatter of claws immediately before or after the letter vanishes.

The letter is conveyed to a single character who the ritualists clearly identify by name, location and (if appropriate) title, who lives on the mortal Realm. It can take anywhere from several hours, to several days, for the letter to be delivered. There seems to be no relationship between the physical distance to the target and the time the letter takes to arrive.

OOC Elements

This ritual is much more successful for sending a letter to a non-player character than sending anything else, or sending something to a player-character. While it could be used to deliver a message to someone on the field at Anvil, it may not arrive until the next event depending on our ability to actually deliver the letter. In almost all cases, when sending a letter to a player-character the ritualists would be better served paying someone to deliver it by hand on their behalf.

Description

This ritual appears to create or conjure an invisible, incorporeal messenger that will carry a letter almost anywhere in the mortal realm. The letter targetted by the ritual must be in the open - if it is in a box or a pocket the ritual fails. It is usually placed on a table between ther ritualists, or held up in one hand for the spirit to 'grab' as it flies past. Ritualists have reported sudden winds, whipping breezes, the sound of fast-beating wings and the 'awareness of an invisible presence' at the completion of the ritual, and recipients have reported similar sensations on occasions where they have been aware of the letter arriving.

There is some disagreement among ritualists as to whether the spell literally conjures an invisible, incorporeal spirit or if it simply transfers the letter directly. Attempts to catch or spot the spirit, assuming it exists, have proved universally unsuccessful.

The ritual does not create any special ability for the recipient to reply. If the letter is important enough, the recipient may arrange for this spell or a variant to be used to deliver a message of their own, or they may (depending on how far away they are) ask a merchant, or dispatch a messenger or courier to deliver a letter on their behalf.

Using the ritual to send a message to an Eternal has proved ineffective; the letter appears to just vanish. There is a theory that the letter is simply dropped somewhere random, possibly at an appropriate regio; regardless that are no verifiable reports of someone discovering that their letter has reached the target Eternal.

Attempts to transport goods with this ritual have met with mixed results. Anything much heavier than a pamphlet or a dozen sheets of paper may cause the ritual to fail. Anything that is clearly not a written message, such as a box or pouch, also tends to cause the ritual to fail. Some minor success has been achieved at sending a few items around the size of rings, coins or a handful of ingots of material, provided they are carefully wrapped inside a well-addressed package, but anything heavier or larger tends to cause the ritual to fail.

Common Elements

A letter, pamphlet, folded or rolled scroll or stack of documents is the focus of this ritual. The letter should be held together firmly - held together with ribbon or string, carefully folded, perhaps even made into a small, light package and sealed with wax. It should be clearly addressed, and the address recited loudly and clearly during the ritual. The runes Queros or Sular are often evoked with this ritual, as are totemic spirits of fast or winged creatures such as ravens or hawks, or legendary beasts such as gryphon or some form of winged beast.

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Campaign outcome

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Fighting Strength

- 3 Rituals

- 4 Military Units

- 5 Orders

- 6 Miscellaneous Effects

- 7 Fortifications

- 8 Total Strength

- 9 Victory Points

- 10 Casualties

- 11 Calculations

- 12 Disbandments

- 13 Example 1

- 13.1 Victory

- 13.2 Casualties

- 14 Example 2

- 14.1 Victory

- 14.2 Casualties

- 15 Further Reading

- 15.1 Core Brief

- 15.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Empire military downtime system uses a simple mathematical framework to calculate the outcome each season of a campaign. The values are presented below, along with some worked examples, so that players who are interested can understand precisely how the results are derived.

Fighting Strength

Each army has a fighting strength, a number that reflects the raw military strength of the army. Most armies begin with a fighting strength of 5,000, the equivalent military power to 5,000 raw recruits. As an army suffers casualties the fighting strength is reduced to reflect this.

Rituals

Ritual

Victory

Casualties

Clarity of the Master Strategist

+2000

0

Knights of Glory

+3000

+3000

Quickening Cold Meat

+1000

+1000

- Rituals that increase the fighting strength of an army are added on first

Some rituals increase the effective fighting strength of an army, either for purposes of calculating victory, casualties, or both. If such a ritual is in place, then this is the first modifier added.

The table shows the rituals in Imperial Lore with the modifiers they provide.

Military Units

- Imperial armies benefit from having military units assigned to support them

- A starting military unit adds 100 fighting strength

- The fighting strength for military units is added second

The fighting strength of every military unit that is assigned to support an army is added to the total effective fighting strength for purposes of victory and inflicting casualties. A starting military unit has a fighting strength of 100. Each additional rank of improvement increases the fighting strength by 20.

Military units do not suffer casualties like an army, they are always at full strength regardless of any campaigns they participate in.

Orders

Type

Order

Victory

Casualties

Attacking

Cautious Advance

-20%

-20%

Balanced Attack

0

0

Overwhelming Assault

+20%

+20%

Defending

Give Ground

-40%

-50%

Solid Defence

0

-20%

Heroic Stand

+30%

+20%

- Orders change the effective fighting strength of an army

- The effects of orders are added third

The fighting strength of an army is then modified based on the orders submitted by their general. Orders may change the fighting strength for purposes of calculating victory, casualties, or both.

There is no requirement for all the armies in a campaign to submit the same orders. The modifier an army receives is based on the order submitted for that army only.

Miscellaneous Effects

Ritual

Casualties

Rivers Run Red

+100%

Rivers of Life

-50%

- Miscellaneous effects are applied at the same time as orders

Other effects may influence the campaign and are applied at this time. Examples include the rituals Rivers Run Red and Rivers of Life.

Fortifications

- Fortifications in a territory add their fighting strength to the side that controls them

- A fortification that isn't attacked adds its fighting strength only for calculating victory

- A fortification that is attacked adds its fighting strength for casualties and twice its strength for calculating victory

A basic fortification has a maximum of 3000 fighting strength, larger fortifications are stronger. If the region the fortification is in is not attacked, then whichever side controls it adds the strength of the fortification to their total but only for calculating victory. The fortification does not cause any casualties if it is not attacked.

If the region the fortification is in is attacked, then it adds its fighting strength to the total for causing casualties and adds twice its fighting strength to the total for the side that controls it for calculating victory.

A fortification takes a share of casualties as if it were an army, but only if the region it is in is attacked. Any fortification that falls below 1000 fighting strength is destroyed, regardless of its size.

Total Strength

- The effective fighting strength of all armies on the same side is added together.

If an army on either side has submitted an attack order, then the resulting campaign involves all opposing armies in the territory, regardless of what orders they have submitted. The effective fighting strength of every army fighting on the same side is added together to calculate the total strength of each side.

Victory Points

- The side with the highest effective fighting strength is victorious.

- They gain 1 victory point for every complete 1000 points differential.

- It requires 10 victory points to take a region.

The fighting strength of the two sides is compared, the victor is the side with the highest total strength after adjustments for orders, military units, and any rituals that are in place.

The scale of the victory is equal to the difference in the two sides total fighting strength. Victory is quantified using victory points; one victory point is accumulated for each full 1000 points of difference in fighting strength.

If the victorious side includes armies that have submitted orders to attack, then the victory points translate into land captured by the side. It requires ten victory points to take control of a region. A partial capture is possible, victory points are recorded between campaigns, so no victory points are "wasted".

If the victorious side includes armies that have submitted orders to defend, then the victory points translate into reduced casualties. Each victory point translates decreases the casualties taken by an army by 1%.

If the victorious side includes some armies with attack orders and some armies with defend orders, then the victory points are split pro-rata based on their effective fighting strength between the two sides to determine land captured and casualties reduced.

Casualties

- An army inflicts 10% of its effective fighting strength as casualties

- Casualties are divided amongst the armies based on the orders submitted

- Some orders and some rituals affect the number of casualties taken

Both sides in a campaign will inflict casualties on each other. The total effective fighting strength of each side is recalculated using only the modifiers that apply for causing casualties. The base figure for the total casualties inflicted is 10% of this score.

If the enemy force includes more than one army, then the casualties are divided between the armies according to the orders submitted. Armies that submit attacking orders will take a greater share of the casualties than armies which are defending. The final ratios are based on a qualitative judgement of the in-character description of the orders submitted.

Casualties are then adjusted based on the orders submitted and the presence of any appropriate rituals. Modifiers to casualties are stated in percentage adjustments. All percentages are added together and then applied as a single adjustment to calculate the final total for the number of casualties incurred.

The final casualties incurred are applied to each army, reducing it's remaining fighting strength.

Calculations

- All positive modifiers are added together and then added to the base number

- Next, all negative modifiers are multiplied together and multiplied against the base number

All positive modifiers are applied first. They are all added together and then added to the base number.

Following this calculation, all negative modifiers are then applied. All negative modifiers are multiplied together and applied against the result of applying all the positive modifiers.

Disbandments

- An army which falls below 20% of it's maximum value automatically disbands

The fighting strength of any army that falls below 20% of its maximum value automatically disbands. A normal army that falls below 1000 fighting strength disbands (1500 for a large army). The army routs from the territory and is completely destroyed.

Example 1

- Imperial army 1: 3500 fighting strength, overwhelming assault, Clarity of the Master Strategist

- Imperial army 2: 1500 fighting strength, Cautious Advance, 40 starting military units supporting

- Barbarian army 1: 7500 fighting strength, heroic stand, Quickening Cold Meat

- Barbarian army 2: 4000 fighting strength, solid defence

- Barbarian army 3: 2000 fighting strength, give ground

- Territory Curse: Rivers Run Red

Victory

- Imperial army 1: 6600 ((3500 + 2000) * 120%)

- Imperial army 2: 4400 ((1500 + 4000) * 80%)

- Barbarian army 1: 10200 ((7500 + 1000) * 120%)

- Barbarian army 2: 4000

- Barbarian army 3: 1200 (2000 * 60%)

The total Imperial fighting strength for purposes of victory is thus 11000. The total barbarian total is 15,400. The barbarians win by 4300 - gaining 4 victory points. All of which are spent reducing casualties. The Imperial side do not gain any victory points.

Casualties

- Imperial army 1: 3500 fighting strength

- Imperial army 2: 5500 fighting strength (1500 + 4000)

- Barbarian army 1: 7500 fighting strength

- Barbarian army 2: 4000 fighting strength

- Barbarian army 3: 2000 fighting strength

The Imperial total is 9000, so the baseline figure for casualties inflicted is 900. The Barbarian total is 13500, so the baseline figure for their casualties inflicted is 1350.

The plot team decide to split casualties evenly to the Imperials, inflicting 675 casualties to each attacking army. The casualties suffered by the barbarian forces are divided evenly between the barbarian armies. The effects of the orders and the Rivers Run Red ritual are then applied to find the final casualty figures.

The victory points gained by the defending barbarians reduces their casualties by a further 4%.

- Imperial army 1: 1485 (675 * 220%)

- Imperial army 2: 1080 (675 * 160%)

- Barbarian army 1: 663 (300 * 220.8%)

- Barbarian army 2: 461 (300 * 153.6%)

- Barbarian army 3: 288 (300 * 96%)

The casualties suffered by Imperial army 2 are so severe that it falls below 1000 fighting strength and is disbanded.

Example 2

- Imperial army 1: 5000 fighting strength, overwhelming assault

- Imperial army 2: 4000 fighting strength, overwhelming assault

- Barbarian fortification: 3000 fighting strength

- Territory Curse: Rivers of Life

Victory

- Imperial army 1: 6000 (5000 * 120%)

- Imperial army 2: 4800 (4000 * 120%)

- Barbarian fortification: 6000 (3000 * 200%)

The total Imperial fighting strength for purposes of victory is thus 10800. The total barbarian total is 6000. The Imperial forces win by 4800 - gaining 4 victory points. They will need to accrue 6 more victory points to take the fortification.

Casualties

- Imperial army 1: 5000 fighting strength

- Imperial army 2: 4000 fighting strength

- Barbarian fortification: 3000 fighting strength

The Imperial armies take 300 casualties divided evenly between them. The barbarian fortification takes 950 casualties.

- Imperial army 1: 90 (150 * 60%)

- Imperial army 2: 90 (150 * 60%)

- Barbarian fortification: 950

The River of Life ritual does not affect the casualties taken by the fortification.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Military Council

- War

Additional Information

- Imperial armies

- Orders

- Casualties

- Territory

- Army qualities

- Spy network

- Fortification

- Campaign outcome

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Campaign outcomes

Contents

- 1 Overvew

- 2 Philosophy

- 3 Framework

- 4 Claiming a region

- 4.1 Establishing a beachhead

- 4.2 Claiming special resources

- 5 Increased casualties

- 6 Decreased casualties

- 7 Further Reading

Overvew

The outcome of a campaign is found by comparing the total army strengths of both sides in the territory. Even though individual armies are given specific orders, the outcome of the entire campaign as a whole is determined by all the armies on both sides. The side with the higher effective army strength wins.

The scale of the victory and the number of casualties each side suffers is determined by the opposing army strength. The nature of any victory and the allocation of casualties is based on the orders submitted by the generals on both sides.

The initial outcome is contingent on the comparison of the relative army strengths of the two sides - the greater the difference between the two army sizes, the more effective the victorious side has been. But this possible outcome is then significantly affected by the battles and skirmishes linked to that campaign that take place at the event.

Philosophy

We have an extremely simple system to determine which side is winning in a campaign. This system is a crude mathematical framework - it is not intended for use by players when they are roleplaying and there is no need for most players to understand it. It's primary purpose is to give us a mechanism to calculate the scale of the victory achieved by the winning side that is simple, easy to calculate and can be consistent from campaign to campaign, year to year. We present the basics here so that those players who are interested can read them and have confidence that PD are being as fair as is possible in determining the outcomes of different campaigns.

Framework

The total army strength of each side present in a territory is calculated and compared. The side with the largest army strength is considered to be winning and generates a number of victory points for that side. These points are converted into outcomes by the battle plot team based on the orders submitted by the generals on both sides.

E.g. The Imperial forces have three armies present, a total army strength of 10,000, while the Druj forces in the territory have a total army strength of 22,000. The Druj force is stronger - so they are winning the campaign. The margin is 12,000 - accruing 12 victory points for the Druj. These victory points are expended to gain control of a region (10 points) and the remaining two points are spent decreasing the casualties taken by the Druj. The battle plot team then create the narrative that describes the campaign and the current outcome.

Additional victory points can be assigned, at a cost to the armies involved. For example if a general has given orders for her army to fight a defensive withdrawal, we might give the enemy force bonus victory points towards their goal of taking control of a region but offset this against the reduced casualties taken by the retreating Imperial army.

Victory points can be expended to gain control of a region, to increase the number of casualties inflicted, or to decrease the number of casualties taken. Points are allocated between these core outcomes based on the orders submitted by the generals of both sides.

The outcome need not be binary; individual armies may still achieve some of their goals even if the campaign as a whole is not going well. Usually, though, they achieve these goals either through direct player action at an event or at greater cost to the individual armies involved.

Claiming a region

When an army claims a region, it falls under the control of that army's side. In the case of a region with a special quality, such as a terrain keyword or a fortification, all the armies on the same side benefit from the region anywhere in the territory from that point on. For example, if an Imperial army takes control of the Forest of Shadows, all Imperial armies in the territory with the forest keyword gain the advantage of that keyword.

Establishing a beachhead

It is much more difficult to claim a region in a territory where your side does not already control a region. This is one of the reasons the Empire and barbarians alike take pains to conquer an entire territory rather than permit their enemies to keep control of some of the land.

Claiming special resources

If a region contains a physical campaign resource such as a white granite quarry, a library or a large named green iron mine, then the Imperial Senate is responsible for assigning control of those resources. The Imperial Military Council may offer suggestions, but ultimately the distribution of the spoils of war is a political matter.

Increased casualties

Rather than attempting to conquer regions in a territory, a general may issue orders to engage and destroy the enemy forces. In this case, victory points will be expended to increase the casualties taken by the opposite side.

Decreased casualties

Generals who issue orders to avoid engagements, retreat or to defend a region may experience less casualties than predicted. Victory points are expended to reduce the casualties taken.

If both sides in a campaign are defending fortifications - or otherwise acting to decrease casualties - then it is possible for neither side to take any casualties. In effect the campaign has been a stand off with little or no direct fighting taking place. It is still possible for battles or skirmishes at the event to bring additional benefits to the Imperial forces, even if the campaign was a stand off.

Further Reading

- War

- Territories and regions

- Casualties

- Keywords

- Imperial armies

- Fortifications

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Captain's Command

Description

The sentinels of Urizen and the cataphracts of Highguard alike appreciate the tactical versatility granted by these powerful weapons, Whether sweeping a foe's legs out from under them, or driving an enemy back with a mighty blow and an intimidating shout, the captain's command offers a greatly enhanced range of options.

The Freeborn often call these weapons Tempest Blades because the kohan who wield them use them to devastating effect when moving quickly through the massed ranks of opponents, spreading confusion and scattering their enemies in disarray like powerful winds.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a two-handed weapon.

- Requirement: You must have the Weapon Master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to call STRIKEDOWN or REPEL when you strike with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a captain's command requires twelve ingots of tempest jade, eleven ingots of green iron. five measures of dragonbone and three ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

When asked to solve the riddle of the Mysterious Knot by the adepts of ancient Tsark, the sword-scholar Sulemaine simply took up her blade and cut the adepts in two.

"Mystery only exists when someone is interested," were her final words on the subject.

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Captain's Mask

Description

The Captain's Mask empowers a ritualist with the ability to confer additional toughness. The mask is often in the shape of a polished steel mask that covers the forehead and cheeks, reminiscent of a helmet, and is often emblazoned with thunderbolts. Another common form, particularly favoured by Dawnish magicians, is a full- or half-face sun mask.

The mask often incorporates the Rune of Battle, sometimes openly and sometimes on the inside so that it rests against the brow of the wearer. A martial animal such as a lion, or the bear and the boar popularised as symbols of Courage by Varushkan storytellers. Likewise, a Wintermark-made mask is likely to represent a hawk or falcon - birds associated with the virtue of loyalty.

While this is most often crafted in the form of a mask, it is sometimes created as a brooch or large amulet depicting crossed swords upon a bright shield. A few League magicians favour an orichalcum ring. set with a red or amber stone, and engraved on the inside with a martial motto or inspirational phrase from their coven oath; such a ring often specifically represents their loyalty to their coven.

As with all the magical masks, these are used to grant additional power to perform ritual magic. In this case, it enhances Splendid Panoply of Knighthood; and Strength of the Bull. A lone Summer ritualist can use the power of the mask along with the Imperial regio to enchant their allies without the aid of a coven, while a committed band of magicians might use the mask to help them enchant large numbers of warriors with a single performance. The mask can even allow a magician who has no ritual knowledge at all to contribute their presence to their covens ritual, drawing on the regio to further empower their contribution.

Rules

- Form: Foci

- Effect: Gain 1 rank for Splendid Panoply of Knighthood; and Strength of the Bull

- Materials: Crafting a Captain's Mask requires nine ingots of orichalcum, three measures of dragonbone and four measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Captain of the Senate Guard

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 2.1 Unwelcome Visitor

- 3 Powers

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

This title was created at the Winter Solstice summit of 377YE, and Irontide Isk appointed to the position by the Senate.

Responsibilities

The Captain is expected to protect the Senate and public gallery whenever the senate is in session. The Captain does not have any official legal jurisdiction or powers, but the magistrates recognize the Captain's right to treat the Imperial Senate and public gallery as if they were their camp for purposes of the unwelcome visitor defence while the Senate is in session.

Unwelcome Visitor

There is a traditional defence to an assault charge which applies where unwelcome visitors who refuse to leave your camp are cut down, removed from camp and then provided with sufficient medical assistance to avoid permanent injury. One who is accused of assault but wishes to claim this defence should plead not guilty if it goes to trial. However, if the magistrate decides that the accused’s behaviour was unreasonable they will be found guilty.

Powers

The Captain of the Senate Guard is a ceremonial title - it has no legal powers to compel any citizen to aid in the assistance of the Senate and does not receive a stipend. The position is appointed by the Imperial Senate.

Selection

This title is an Imperial position appointed by the Senate to serve for a year following their appointment.

Removal

The Captain is appointed for a term of one year. They can be revoked by the General Assembly, the Assembly of Nine, or the Assembly of Loyalty.

History

The first Captain of the Senate Guard was Irontide Isk of the Irontide of the Summer Storm.

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Caress of Arhallogen

Description

This wooden staff is often marked with the shape of spiders, scorpions and other poisonous bugs. It sometimes seems sticky to the touch, and several owners have commented that the staff sometimes seems to be watching them. It is named for the Eternal Arhallogen, who has dominion over many forms of insect and arachnid. Some scholars believe that the knowledge of how to make these magical implements was first derived from that Eternal, and that each one that is made is somehow connected to the King of Spiders. It has been noted by some Urizen stargazers and Dawnish enchanters in particular that the Eternal and it's heralds seem better disposed towards magician-diplomats who are bonded to one of these items.

The Synod used their influence to ban the creation of this item during the reign of Empress Teleri, but the Empress Varkula had that decision reversed, claiming with characteristic practicality that she largely did not care where a magician got their power from as long as they used it in the service of the Empire. Still, creation or possession of one of these staffs may cause concern in the Synod, and result in an individual being called before one of the assemblies (especially the assembly of Vigilance.)

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day you may cast the venom or paralysis spell without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a caress of arhallogen requires nine measures of beggar's lye, nine measures of ambergelt and ten measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"You want to beat orcs then you've got to understand how they think. They aren't afraid of dying on the end of a sword or a spear. Torture don't scare them - they'll just spit in your eye and fight you with every breath. But the idea of just being helpless, pissing yourself with anger as the enemy chain you up and drag you away to be a slave for the rest of your life, now that's something that gets them where it hurts. Let 'em know that if they come near us then their precious families and tribes will be labouring as our slaves until the end of time. That's where these come in, because the real power they've got isn't magic, it's fear."

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Caricomare

Caricomare is a district of the League city of Sarvos. In 348YE it was devastated by a terrible tempest; in 378YE it was restored and reinvigorated thanks to the generous donations of the citizens and the tireless work of it's Senator.

Contents

- 1 History

- 2 Destruction

- 3 Rebirth

- 3.1 The Mystery of the Shifting Statue

- 4 The Mayor of Caricomare

History

Caricomare was a vibrant trading hub for the empire, famous for it's miraculous quays. Ships from across the Bay of Catazar, and the wide world beyond, were regular visitors to the jewelled city and their engagement with League society often began there.

The tomb of the Empress Giselle stands in the ruins of the Alivetti guild estates here, but the ward was better known as the site of the wondrous Caricomare Quays, a great marvel unmatched elsewhere in the world. The mechanical quays were devastated by the storms that flooded this part of the city. The repairs were considered too costly and the floods created a displaced populace, compounding the overcrowding in the city. Caricomare spent three decades as an abandoned, dangerous place, a maze of flooded streets and waterlogged buildings, but it was said that riches could still be found in the depths, for those brave enough to investigate.

Destruction

In 348YE, the city was struck by a terrible tempest that did significant damage to many coastal parts of the city and lead to the flooding and eventual sinking of the southern district of Caricomare. Reclaiming the ruined quarter of the city was deemed "too expensive" by the Senate - a move that some bitter Sarvosans believe to have been intended as a punishment for the League and the city of Sarvos in particular, in the wake of the unpopular Empress's death.

Rebirth

It seemed as if Caricomare was doomed to remain a haunted ruin forever. But in 378YE a decision by the Imperial Senate saw the beginning of a major reconstruction effort in Caricomare, to drain the flood and to appoint a Mayor to oversee the district. Thanks to these efforts, the area is once again a thriving district of Sarvos despite thirty years of neglect. Many sections had to built over, using the sunken ruins as the foundations for new structures, but great pains were taken to include as much of the original architecture as possible. The tomb of Empress Giselle in the Alivetti guild estates was one such area; painstaking raised from the waters and returned to its former glory. Other historic buildings have also been raised and restored or rebuilt in their previous image with numerous families and Cartas reclaiming lost property throughout the district.

Some of the sunken roads have been left underwater and cleared of wreckage, leaving simple water ways that serve as canals and as a memorial to those who were lost to the storm. Many of the bridges build to span the waterways are adorned with memorial plaques and mementos. The districts of the Caricomare have been redesigned to keep trade, the districts life blood, flowing smoothly. Wide roads and canals now run through the district from the quayside like the spokes of a wheel, allowing people and goods to get where they need to be quickly.

Among the many new additions is the Notturno district, the official home of the Caricomare Night Market. During the day it is another bustling market place, however as the sun sets it really comes alive. Some outrageous claims have been made that the Night Market is lit by more lights than there are stars in the sky, but it cannot be denied that the grand marketplace is an unceasing riot of colours and sounds whether it is noon or midnight. Anyone and everyone is welcome, whether they want to trade, entertain or be entertained.

The quayside is trading again, but the mechanical quays are still too badly damaged to function and whole sections had to be dismantled in the restoration process. Until the docks are fully rebuilt the Caricomare won’t be the trade hub it once was.

An obvious new addition is the gleaming white statue that adorns the quayside depicting Senator Miroslav of Sarvos, who championed the rebuilding in the Senate and now watches over the results of his hard work.

The Mystery of the Shifting Statue

Over the Winter of 378YE, the statue of Miroslav underwent a dramatic, unexpected change. The statue itself was quickly concealed behind a wall of scaffolding and dust-sheets ... but not quickly enough. Gossip initially suggested that the entire statue had warped and shifted like hot wax, changing from a depiction of the proud Senator into an effigy half-goat, half-serpent with twisted features, cloven hooves and impious horns.

Even with a few guards preventing access to the statue, any number of urchins and interested citizens have uncovered the truth - the statue has "only" changed so that the facial features reflect those of a snide naga. Rather than gazing out across the bay, the statue leans slightly forward, whispering conspiratorially behind one raised hand, forked snake-tongue protruding and an expression of malicious glee. Casual examination by magicians suggests this vandalism is not the result of a mundane attack; a weak aura of Night magic could be easily discerned around the sculpture for the first month or so.

The sculptor who was initially engaged to create the statue, Anatrice di Sarvos, has made little secret of the fact that she is not interested in returning to a finished piece and considers the fact that the statue has altered to be "not my problem." In private she has amended this to "not my problem - I've been paid."

The Mayor of Caricomare

With the restoration of the district, the Imperial title of Mayor of Caricomare has once again become available. Responsible for overseeing the district and representing it's cosmopolitan citizenry to the Senator; those same citizens trust the mayor to vote on their behalf in the Sarvosan senatorial elections each summer.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Caricomare&oldid=35716"

Cartographer's Eye

Description

A cartographer's eye may take a number of forms; a sphere of glass or crystal, often contained within bands of metal; a set of actual map-maker's tools; or a beautifully inlaid and detailed map are all common forms. The item is usually set with tempest jade and often has precise measurements laid out in weltsilveraround the edges to help focus the minds of the magicians who use it on the widergeographical scale.

The first cartographer's eyes were used by Marcher landskeepers to extend the influence of rituals such as Blessing of New Spring, Strong Ox, Golden Sun and Gathering the Harvest. They were quickly adopted by magicians in other nations, however, especially in Varushka, The Brass Coast and the The League. The ability to extend the power of rituals to cover far-flung businesses and farms is especially valuable to magicians of those nations. While the similar Orator's Chalice is commonly used for the benefit of warriors and armies, the cartographer's eye is much more valuable to economically minded magicians; they are rarely shy about charging for the added versatility that comes from it's use. Some magicians lament the fact that there seems to be no way to combine the power of the cartographer's eye with that of the orator's chalice; the coven must always choose between using their rituals on members of two bands, or on targets in two regions, never having both options.

It should be noted that while this is a powerful tool, it is useless when combined with rituals that effect entire regions or territories; it cannot be used to enchant or curse two regions or two territories. The restriction is subtle, and often hard to explain to non-magicians, but it boils down to the fact that it only effects rituals that affect a distinct range of targets within a geographical region by extended the area within which those targets may be selected.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: When your coven performs a ritual that targets resources in a single territory, they can also include resources from a second territory provided both are part of the same nation

- Materials: Crafting cartographer's eye requires five ingots of tempest jade, five ingots of weltsilver and four measues of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Cartographer%27s_Eye&oldid=32404"

Carts Come Home

Carts Come Home was written by Jennet of Mourn, to commemorate the Marchers lost in the battle for Karsk.

OOC it was written by Daisy, loosely based on the trad tune The Water Is Wide. Recording is here.

The carts come home, the oxen heavy laden With Marcher bones, brought from another nation Our girls come home, in fallow fields they're lying And all alone, I see the farmer crying.

The carts come home, the oxen heavy laden Our orchards grown, will hang heavy in the autumn Our girls come home, in fallow fields they're lying For seeds are sown, where other flowers lie dying

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Carts_Come_Home&oldid=25276"

Carve the Crystal Guardian

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 20

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 20

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a mana site. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual conjures a band of warriors drawn from the crystals of the mana site, and imbued with vital essence from the magic that gathers there. The warriors form a powerful military unit under the control of the character who controls the target mana site, and fight under that character's command during the coming season.

The target mana site produces no crystal mana during the coming season. At the end of the season, or if they are destroyed, the warriors return to the mana site and dissolve back into it, restoring its production to normal.

The military unit created consists of supernatural troops that can be assigned to join a campaign army or undertake raiding. The warriors are especially well suited to fighting as part of a campaign army, but are still effective when they undertake a raid.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional mana sites in the same territory. Each additional mana site increases the magnitude by 15. The character who controls each mana site must be present throughout the ritual, and each receives control of their own military unit.

Description

The crystal warriors called forth by this ritual draw themselves together from light, raw mana and the minerals found at the mana site. They begin as rough crystal shapes but quickly become more complex until they eventually take humanoid form. Scholars who have studied the magic believe that they are imbued with the spirits of certain lesser creatures of the Realm of Day, and that is why their consciousness is so well suited to obeying orders and fighting alongside an organised army. They are usually accoutered with staves and mage-armour or with pole-weapons with the appearance of medium armour. Regardless of the appearance, their armour or lack thereof does not seem to restrict their ability to fight or the ability to use their supernatural abilities. The majority of these crystal warriors are capable of performing a limited repertoire of battlefield spells, often related to the nature of the mana site from which they are formed. Observers have seen crystal warriors channeling mana to duplicate effects such as heal and repel to aid their allies, restore their own numbers, or harry their enemies. Careful interrogation of these warriors has suggested that their magical abilities are much closer to the inmate abilities of Eternal heralds, or the functions of magical items, than to true spellcasting.

These supernatural warriors can speak, and appear to be intelligent although there is something ... distant about them, as if they are not entirely focused on the present or the conversation. They follow orders well, but tend to become confused by strong emotions and unruly celebrations, and do not seem to have individual names (although they clearly have individual identities). They maintain a slightly angular or jerky quality that harks back to their supernatural origins, and often appear to be composed of crystal or metal rather than flesh; they can be hurt and even disrupted by blows as easily as any other warrior, however. They can be healed by magic, but the chirurgeon and physick skills are often of limited use once they have taken sufficient damage to incapacitate them.

Magicians who have spent time in the courts of the Eternals of Day have reported encountering very similar beings as guards and servants. The stargazer Lydia of Beacon's Hollow claimed in an address to the Imperial Conclave that these creatures were actually constructs similar in principle to the ushabti but animated by a more complex form of magic that gave them the appearance of being living creatures with personalities. She further theorised that this was why the destruction of the warriors had no effect on the mana site itself - that it simply tied up the energies of the location in the form of crystal constructs, and that the magic 'snapped back' when there was no more need to maintain the warriors' psuedo-personalities. Regardless, it is reasonably well-known that some Day Eternals are prepared to offer materials or items that assist with the performance of this ritual, although they rarely do so lightly.

In Highguard this ritual is viewed with some some suspicion; as with Conclave of Trees and Shadow there is concern that some of the crystal warriors are capable of remaining beyond the duration of the ritual, for their own reasons. The Freeborn express concerns also, that the crystal warriors are somehow enslaved by the one who controls them, because it is much less clear where the motivating spirit comes from than it is with the Conclave ritual. Regardless, the enchanters of Dawn, the Marcher landskeepers and the Urizen magi are all known to make good use of this spell. Many enchanters see it is a powerful way to reinforce their troops with well-disciplined, resplendent warriors; the landskeepers see it as drawing on the energy of their territories to support the household troops; and the Urizen, unsurprisingly, see it as a marvellous, if expensive, alternative to relying on mundane soldiers to fight their battles.

In the past, this ritual has been used to call up warriors to take part in a tourney or to test the mettle of soldiers or knights. The expense of performing the ritual means that this is a rare, magical activity that attracts warriors from all over when it is attempted, especially in Dawn. Like several other summoned creatures, the crystal warriors cannot pass through the Sentinel Gate at Anvil. As with creatures such as the husks conjured by Quickening Cold Meat, magicians theorise that this is because the gate cannot latch-on to the spirits of Day (or magical construction, depending on which theory one ascribes to) that empower them; when they try to travel through the gate their spirit-less 'bodies' simply shatter into dull chunks of material and their now bodiless spirits flare, and are extinguished (or return to the Realm of Day).

(OOC Note: Under most circumstances the crystal warriors summoned during Profound Decisions events will unfortunately have to remain primarily as a downtime or plot resource rather than something that can be used on the field. At player events, this might not be the case; but we cannot commit to phys-repping crystal warriors at short notice nor can they be used in uptime battles due to their inability to pass the portal.)

Common Elements

The ritual often involves a map of the mana site to be enchanted; in the case of the Urizen a map of the entire area may be studied, and that information woven into the invocation itself. Where possible the ritual is performed using crystals that come from the man site in question although this is not a requirement. Other common features include minerals from the target area; valuable crystals of gemstones; symbols of Loyalty; or weapons and armour (or implements and mage armour), especially enchanted version of thoseitems.

As with many Day rituals, mirrors, light and careful invocations are common elements. The character who will control the summoned crystal warriors may be symbolically girded as a warrior or general, or crowned in some fashion, especially with a crystaline crown. The name of the Eternal Zakalwe is often evoked during the performance of this ritual.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Carve_the_Crystal_Guardian&oldid=32768"

Casinea

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Anvil

- 3.2 Casca’s Doom

- 3.3 The Silent Sentinel

- 3.4 Syrene's Wisdom

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Casfall

- 4.2 Greatwood

- 4.3 Mareholm

- 4.4 Syrwatch

- 4.5 Woodwych

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

In Highguard's northwest, Casinea is an old and wealthy territory and the site of the town of Anvil, the political heart of the Empire.

The hills are rich with marble and granite quarries. Gold, silver, weltsilver, tempest jade and precious stones have been mined here for centuries. Several wealthy chapters protect the quarries and mines to ensure the protection of the vital assets against barbarians.

Recent History

As with Bastion, Casinea has seen an influx of refugees from beleaguered Reikos in recent years.

Major Features

Anvil

Location of the Senate, and the Sentinel Gate. Four times a year the powerful citizens of the Empire meet here to determine the future of their people. The ruins of the old smithy in which the First Empress took shelter from her enemies when a young woman, Anvil is said to be where the first open declaration of the dream of Empire was made. After her ascension to the Imperial throne, the Empress declared that the small settlement would be preserved for the lifetime of the Empire in memory of sacrifices made by those sheltering her. Since then Imperial parliaments have been held there, but the town itself has never been allowed to grow.

Casca’s Doom

A small chapter built round a shrine to Loyalty in the early days of Empire. Casca was a Magister who was ordered to perform a mighty work of magic to shake the ground beneath an orc army’s feet. Despite reservations, the ritual went ahead at the command of the Senate. Legend has it that she continued to chant even when the power grew too much and the ritual failed, splitting the ground and burying her in the rubble. Her doom is considered a lesson by many magisters in Highguard today. Loyalty must be tempered with wisdom, and the voice of the Conclave must be heeded.

The Silent Sentinel

According to myth, the foundations of this castle were lain by the Paragon known as The Sentinel. The lower parts are made of black basalt and granite, with upper levels of later construction reinforced with white stone. The castle is considered one of the ugliest in the Empire, but it is also known to be one of the strongest. Today it guards against aggression from Reikos, as well as potentially providing military support to the people of Anvil should any enemy force threaten the heart of the Empire. (OOC Note: The Silent Sentinel is a second rank fortification in Marehom).

Syrene's Wisdom

Syrene's Wisdom is a Bourse position which produces Ilium.

Regions

Casfall

Greatwood

Mareholm

Syrwatch

The great quarry of Syrene's Wisdom is found in the hills near the town of Syrene. A quiet community set around a small pool in the hills near Anvil, surrounded at a distance by a number of watchtowers and beacons. It is kept under close scrutiny by both magisters and the Conclave; Eternal heralds often visit the pools to speak with Imperial citizens.

Woodwych

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Casinea are controlled by the Highborn (and by extension the Empire), making this a staunchly Imperial territory.

- The Silent Sentinel is a second rank fortification.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Casinea&oldid=33097"

Castellan of Spiral Castle

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Resupply

- 3.2 Seat on the Bourse

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 The Title in Play

Overview

The title of Castellan of Spiral Castle is an Imperial title appointed by the people of Dawn.

Built in pre-Imperial times, Spiral Castle stands in the centre of a small weirwood forest, at the heart of a strong Summer regio . The Earl of Spiral Castle has always been an Enchanter, and usually possessed of a strong changeling lineage. The household is controlled by the Cassilon family, and many of the nobles who live there are descendants of Empress Richilde. During the height of the Sun Queen's reign, the Imperial Senate agreed to a request that the resources of Spiral Castle be dedicated to the support and upkeep of the armies of the Empire, and of Dawn in particular.

The title of Castellan was created to allow the somewhat insular inhabitants of the castle to fulfill their duties without having to spend too much time away from their castle. When Imperial armies are not in need of emergency supplies, the nobles and yeomen of Spiral Castle tend to their weirwood groves, practice their magic, hawking and hunting, and commune with the Eternals of the Summer Realm. Over the centuries, they have drifted further and further away from Imperial concerns, and some members of the Imperial Synod have expressed concerns over whether they are entirely human any more.

After the death of Emperor Hugh in 368YE, the inhabitants of Spiral Castle abruptly withdrew from contact with the Empire, shrouding their woodland behind a wall of swirling mist. Attempts to make contact have so far been ignored, and attempts to penetrate the mist have left explorers disoriented, emerging from the mists very close to where they entered them after hours of stumbling through hostile woodlands.

Responsibilities

The Castellan is responsible for directing the efforts of Spiral Castle to provide emergency resupply of armies based in Weirwater. They have the final say on which army will benefit from the Castle's bounty. They are also expected to represent the nobles of Spiral Castle in their dealings with the outside world - which primarily means keeping them at arm's length and discouraging visitors.

Powers

Resupply

Each season the inhabitants of Spiral Castle could perform emergency resupply on a single Imperial army. The army needed to spend the entire season in Weirwater, and recovered 500 strength (in addition to the natural resupply the army receives). They could not benefit from any other emergency resupply while at Spiral Castle.

The army received this emergency resupply as long as the region of Weirmoor was in Imperial hands.

Seat on the Bourse

The Castellan of Spiral Castle had a seat on the Bourse, and was able to attend the private auction.

Selection

Before the inhabitants of Spiral Castle withdrew behind their wall of enchanted mists, this title was appointed during the Summer Solstice. The Castellan of Spiral Castle was appointed by citizens of Dawn who control military units. The larger the military unit an individual had, the more votes they could allocate in support to a candidate. The voting was handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.

Only a Dawnish character was able to hold the title. It was traditional for a yeoman to hold the title, but there was no legal requirement that this be the case.

Removal

The Castellan of Spiral Castle was appointed every year. It could not be revoked by any Assembly of the Imperial Synod.

The Title in Play

The role does not provide additional information about events in the Empire, nor allow the player holding it to request special reports or downtime actions. These details are assumed to be below the abstraction layer. The title holder is encouraged to create their own stories about their activities within reasonable limits and to get involved in events appropriate to their title during the game, but they do not have any powers beyond those explicitly listed in the section on powers.

These details exist partly to provide context and character to the role - and partly to allow our writers to use the title as a plot hook. Plot that involves the position will be rare - but all the campaign positions in Empire have these details to create the potential for it to happen.

Spiral Castle represented a source of weirwood that was entirely dedicated to a single purpose - resupplying armies. As a consequence, the weirwood provided by the woodlands around the castle had an enhanced effect. If Spiral Castle were decommissioned, the woodlands would produce no more than around sixteen wains a season at best.

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Cast Off The Chain of Memory

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target must be willing. If they are unwilling or unaware of the purpose of the ritual, it fails.

Effects

During the ritual the target must describe an event, location, or person they wish to forget; alternatively they may select a specific day and forget everything that happened during it between sunrise and sunrise the next day.

At the conclusion of the ritual, the unwanted memory is wiped away. The character no longer remembers it. This is not an enchantment - the memory has simply ceased to exist. The character will remember that this ritual was used, but will quickly cease to remember what it was they wished to forget unless reminded by another character.

Description

This ritual frees the target from the weight of unwanted memories and the emotions that accompany them. The ritual might remove the memory of an event - a battle, a murder, a conversation with a person or a betrayal, for example. It might remove all memories to do with a specific person, or connected to a place, or it might remove the memory of a terrible, painful day. Sometimes the excised memory leaves residue behind - for example someone who chooses.to forget the day of their wedding will still remember their spouse, although they may become confused as they will be unable to remember a marriage. Likewise, a character who forgets their spouse may still have a dim recollection of a wedding day, especially the parts of it that involved other people, and may become confused if reminded that it was their own wedding day.

This ritual is used as a way to treat traumatic experiences and some emotional wounds. Knowingly aiding a criminal by wiping away memories of illegal actions that are still under investigation by the Imperial authorities sometimes leads to the ritualists being brought before a magistrate as accomplices or accessories.

Common Elements

Masks or items that represent the memory to be removed are often used, and may be shattered during the ritual. Sometimes a mirror is used to capture the reflection of the target as they describe the memory they no longer wish to remember. Often a Kallavesi ritual will involve a posset or nostrum that causes the target to fall asleep after they have described the memory they wish to lose, and when they awaken the memory has gone like chalk-marks in the rain.

Among the Highborn, and those few Imperial Orcs who have mastered this ritual, the memory will often be written down rather than spoken aloud, and the piece of writing destroyed or buried. A Highborn target will often bring pages from their journal describing a period or event they wish to forget and ceremonially burn them or destroy them in water. A Freeborn or Navarr ritual is likely to involve fire and sometimes ash, which may be used to mark the body of the target with swirling, designs..Hypnotic dancing and music may also be used, to relax the mind and allow the unwanted memory to slip peacefully away.

The Diras and Xun rules are often used, but sometimes the runes Aesh, Hirmok or Cavul may be employed to help with the mastery of the mind, or the purity of memories.

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Casualties

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Calculating casualties

- 3 Resupply

- 3.1 Army Resupply

- 3.1.1 Natural Resupply

- 3.1.2 Emergency Resupply

- 3.2 Navy Resupply

- 3.2.1 Natural Resupply

- 3.2.2 Emergency Resupply

- 4 Further Reading

- 4.1 Core Brief

- 4.2 Additional Information

Overview

Both sides involved in a campaign take casualties. This is represented by a reduction in their effective fighting strength.

Casualties represent fatalities, permanent damage to equipment and lost resources. Thanks to easy availability of magical, herbal and surgical healing, injured soldiers are generally restored to full fighting fitness within a short period of time, and are not counted as casualties.

Calculating casualties

Each side in a campaign normally inflicts casualties on the other side equal to one tenth of it's fighting strength. The casualties are split among all the armies present in the territory based on the orders submitted by the generals on both sides, the outcome of the campaign, and the actions of player characters during time-in as a guide. However the armies of a side are assumed to stand and fight together, it is not possible to pick of an enemy army.

An army that falls below 1,000 army strength is disbanded, routed, or annihilated. It is effectively destroyed and ceases to exist as a significant force although individual soldiers may still survive.

E.g. There are three full strength Dawnish armies fighting in the Barrens. They have a total fighting strength of 15,000 so they will inflict 1500 casualties on the opposing forces. The precise number of casualties may be adjusted due to the orders submitted and any appropriate rituals in place as well as any battles that have taken place.

The casualties are split equally between the enemy armies present and then the casualties each army incurs is adjusted based on the order submitted for that army.

Resupply

Army Resupply

An army that has suffered casualties and is below full strength can be resupplied. Resupply represents new equipment and materials, and new recruits to replace the dead.

An army cannot normally regain strength while in a contested territory. To be resupplied, a campaign army must be in a territory controlled by it's allies, and not engaged by an enemy force at any point during the season.

An army cannot be resupplied above it's maximum fighting strength normally 5,000 (7,500 for a large army).

Natural Resupply

If an Imperial army spends the entire season in an Imperial controlled territory with no opposing armies present then it automatically recovers 500 strength. A large army recovers 750 strength.

Emergency Resupply

The Imperial Senate may pass a motion to authorize the purchase of additional materials - in the form or either mithril or weirwood - to speed up the resupply of an Imperial army. These materials represent weapons and armour as well as tents, wagons, siege equipment and other supplies. This represents a concerted effort by the Empire to bring the target army back up to full strength. Emergency resupply, like natural resupply, takes a season to complete.

Unless the Senate imposes additional restrictions, a senator authorized to oversee the resupply of a specific Imperial army can do so freely for a year following the passage of the motion.

In a single season, the first 50 wains of mithril or weirwood restore 20 army strength for each wain allocated. The next 50 wains provide an additional 15 army strength each. The next 50 wains provide an additional 10 army strength - and so on. The rate of emergency resupply resets each season so mithril and weirwood spent in a subsequent season is not affected by earlier actions.

Following a decision of the Imperial Senate, it is the responsibility of the Senator (or other agent of the Senate, such as the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies) to call for a moment of silence honouring the dead after any motion for emergency resupply is passed.

Navy Resupply

A navy cannot normally regain strength while in a contested territory. To be resupplied, a campaign navy must be in a territory controlled by it's allies, and not engaged by an enemy force at any point during the season.

An navy cannot be resupplied above it's maximum fighting strength normally 5,000 (7,500 for a large army).

Natural Resupply

If an Imperial navy spends the entire season in an Imperial controlled territory with a dockyard without being involved in a campaign then it automatically recovers 500 strength.

Emergency Resupply

The Imperial Senate may pass a motion to authorize the purchase of additional materials - in the form of weirwood or mithril - to speed up the resupply of an Imperial navy. These materials represent repairs to existing warships as well as new vessels, shipboard weapons, food and materials for the ships and their crews, and other supplies. This represents a concerted effort by the Empire to bring the target army back up to full strength. Emergency resupply, like natural resupply, takes a season to complete.

Unless the Senate imposes additional restrictions, a senator authorized to oversee the resupply of a specific Imperial navy can do so freely for a year following the passage of the motion.

In a single season, the first 50 wains of weirwood or mithril restore 20 army strength for each wain allocated. The next 50 wains provide an additional 15 army strength each. The next 50 wains provide an additional 10 army strength - and so on. The rate of emergency resupply resets each season so weirwood or mithril spent in a subsequent season is not affected by earlier actions.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Military Council

- War

Additional Information

- Imperial armies

- Orders

- Casualties

- Territory

- Army qualities

- Spy network

- Fortification

- Campaign outcome

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Category-Mage Robes

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Crystaltender's Vestment

1/day you may spend one Crystalised Mana to restore three Personal Mana

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Volhov's Robe

2/day lets a character take part in a ritual with a coven of the same nation; when you use this ability, it counts towards the daily limit of coven rituals you can perform. You can't be in a coven when you use this robe.

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

5

3

Shimmergold Coat

You gain +1 Endurance

1

4

0

0

3

0

0

0

3

Trollsweave Vest

You can cast the Heal spell in 5 seconds instead of 10

1

0

0

0

8

8

0

0

0

Alabaster Cerement

You gain three ranks of Fortitude provided that you are Dedicated or Annointed

1

0

0

0

3

6

7

3

0

Opaline Coat

Gain 2 personal mana

1

0

0

0

0

0

7

5

13

Robe of Blood and Bone

3/day you can perform the Heal, Purify or Repair Limb incantation on another character without expending any mana.

1

0

0

5

12

10

8

0

3

Moonsilver Doublet

You may cast the Swift Heal spell for 1 mana instead of 2

1

3

0

0

15

0

9

3

11

Glamourweave Robe

You may cast the Empower spell for 1 mana instead of 2

1

9

0

15

0

0

7

0

11

Ashen Mantle

Gain 3 personal mana

1

0

0

0

0

6

10

13

24

Pages in category "Mage Robes"

The following 11 pages are in this category, out of 11 total.

A

- Alabaster Cerement

- Ashen Mantle

C

- Crystaltender's Vestment

G

- Glamourweave Robe

M

- Template%3AMage Robes

- Moonsilver Doublet

O

- Opaline Coat

R

- Robe of Blood and Bone

S

- Shimmergold Coat

T

- Trollsweave Vest

V

- Volhov's Robe

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Mage_Robes&oldid=36133"

Category-Arcane Implements

Name

Power

Time

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragonbone

Irridescent Gloaming

Sanguine Staff

Gain 1 rank of Spring Lore

1

9

14

20

Choleric Staff

Gain 1 rank of Summer Lore

1

14

9

20

Melancholic Staff

Gain 1 rank of Autumn Lore

1

14

9

20

Phlegmatic Staff

Gain 1 rank of Winter Lore

1

9

14

20

Enigmatic Staff

Gain 1 rank of Night Lore

1

9

20

14

Luminous Staff

Gain 1 rank of Day Lore

1

14

20

9

Pages in category "Arcane Implements"

The following 6 pages are in this category, out of 6 total.

C

- Choleric Staff

E

- Enigmatic Staff

L

- Luminous Staff

M

- Melancholic Staff

P

- Phlegmatic Staff

S

- Sanguine Staff

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Arcane_Implements&oldid=19168"

Category-Arcane Weapons

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Mountebank's Surprise

1/day after casting the Empower spell you also gain the benefit of the Empower spell

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Warden's Fists

1/day you may use the weapon to call CLEAVE or the rod to cast REPEL without expending hero points or mana.

1

2

2

2

0

0

0

2

0

Arms of the Warwitch

You may either expend 1 hero point to regain 1 personal mana, or expend 3 personal mana to regain 1 hero point.

1

0

0

3

0

0

0

7

3

Jade Hammers

You may cast STRIKEDOWN as if it was a 2 mana point spell

1

0

5

0

0

0

0

5

3

Binding Threads

You may call ENTANGLE by spending a hero point.

1

0

0

3

0

5

0

7

0

Children of Thunder

You may call REPEL by spending a hero point.

1

0

5

3

0

0

0

7

0

Shears of Winter

You may cast SHATTER as if it was a 2 mana point spell

1

0

3

3

0

0

0

8

3

Trodwalker's Readiness

You gain +1 hero point and +1 personal mana.

1

5

5

8

0

0

0

5

5

Thorns of the Rose

After you sucessfullly Entangle a character, you may then call Impale aginst them by spending a Hero point.

1

0

12

5

0

0

0

7

5

Pages in category "Arcane Weapons"

The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total.

A

- Template%3AArcane Weapons

- Arms of the Warwitch

B

- Binding Threads

C

- Children of Thunder

J

- Jade Hammers

M

- Mountebank's Surprise

S

- Shears of Winter

T

- Thorns of the Rose

T cont.

- Trodwalker's Readiness

W

- Warden's Fists

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Arcane_Weapons&oldid=31848"

Category-Autumn Ritual

Pages in category "Autumn Ritual"

The following 38 pages are in this category, out of 38 total.

A

- Arcane Mark

- Art of the Deal

- Autumn rituals

B

- Balanced Scales of Lann

- Barked Command of the Iron Serjant

- Before the Throne of Estavus

- Bound by Common Cause

- Braying Horns of War

- Brazen Claws of the Lictor

C

- Call Winged Messenger

- Circle of Gold

E

- Ephisis' Scale

G

- Gathering the Harvest

G cont.

- Gift of the Wily Broker

H

- Hand of the Maker

I

- Imurrement of Leaden Chains

- Inescapable Chains of Bitter Glass

L

- Like Water Through Your Fingers

M

- Mantle of the Golden Orator

- Mark of Ownership

R

- Rivers of Gold

S

- Scrivener's Bloodmark

- Shadow of the Bronze Colossus

- Shared Mastery of the Magician's Guild

- Smooth Hands Shape The World

- Stance of the Constricting Scourge

S cont.

- Streams of Silver

- Sum of the Parts

T

- The Ambassadorial Gatekeeper

- The Anvil of Estavus

- The Blade Bites Back

- The Chamber of Pallas

- The Conspirator's Cloak

- The Lure of Distant Shores

- Ties that Bind

- Timeless Hammer Rhythm

- Twist of Moebius

V

- Vault of Hoarded Wisdom

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Autumn_Ritual&oldid=31356"

Category-Bows

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Oathkeeper

Gain 1 hero point

1

0

0

8

0

5

0

0

0

Wayfinder

Gain 2 hero points

1

0

0

17

0

12

7

3

0

Pages in category "Bows"

The following 3 pages are in this category, out of 3 total.

B

- Template%3ABows

O

- Oathkeeper

W

- Wayfinder

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Bows&oldid=31840"

Category-Daggers

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Scorpion's Sting

1/Day may call VENOM with this dagger. You are also affected by VENOM.

1

0

0

0

0

4

7

0

0

Pages in category "Daggers"

The following 2 pages are in this category, out of 2 total.

D

- Template%3ADaggers

S

- Scorpion's Sting

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Daggers&oldid=31832"

Category-Dawn

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

This page collects all the information relevant to Dawn.

Pages in category "Dawn"

The following 56 pages are in this category, out of 56 total.

- Dawn

A

- Advocate

- Annan Water

- April is in my mistress' face

- Astolat

C

- Castellan of Spiral Castle

- Chants for naughty children

- Come my pretty one

D

- Dawn children

- Dawn costumes

- Dawn culture and customs

- Dawn economic interests

- Dawn hearth magic

- Dawn history

- Dawn icons and artistry

- Dawn leadership

- Dawn lineage and species attitudes

- Dawn look and feel

- Dawn magical traditions

D cont.

- Dawn Maps

- Dawn military concerns

- Dawn music

- Dawn people

- Dawn religious beliefs

- Dawn territories

- Dawnish War Song

- Dirge for Fidele

E

- Earl

- Elizabethan recorder music

F

- Five Little Ploughboys

G

- Glory

H

- His Banner's Not Mine

K

- Knight-errant

M

- Marriage in Dawn

- My Bonny Lass She Smileth

N

- Noble house

Q

- Questing knight

R

- Retainer

S

- Semmerholm

- Seneschal

- Spinning Song

- Squire

- Sweet Kate

T

- Tam Lin

- Tanner's Hill

- The Barrens

- The Moon's Only Daughter

- The Rose Garden

- Though Philomena Lost Her Love

- Troubadour

W

- Weaver cabal

- Weaver's Curse

- Wedding Air

- Weep O Mine Eyes

- Weirwater

Y

- Yeoman of Dawn

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Dawn&oldid=4080"

Category-Day Ritual

Pages in category "Day Ritual"

The following 33 pages are in this category, out of 33 total.

A

- Alignment of Mind and Blade

- All the World in a Grain of Sand

- Ascendance of the Highest Mind

- Ascetic Star of Atun

B

- Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths

- Bright Lantern of Ophis

C

- Carve the Crystal Guardian

- Clarity of the Master Strategist

- Clear Lens of the Eternal River

- Cold Water from the Mountain

- Crystal Clarity of the Rational Soul

C cont.

- Crystaline Focus of Aesh

D

- Day rituals

- Distillation of Diverse Parts

E

- Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis

- Eyes of the Sun and Moon

H

- Horizon's Razor Edge

I

- Illuminate the Higher Mind

K

- Kimus' Glaring Eye

P

- Piercing Light of Revelation

R

- Reading the Weave

- Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart

R cont.

- Revelatory Light of the Empyrean Spheres

S

- Sign of Aesh

- Skein of Years

- Standing at the Threshold

- Sular's Promise

- Swim Leviathan's Depth

T

- The Celestial Library

- The Eye of the High Places

- The Solace of Chimes

- Thought Becomes Action

- Transcendent Mastery

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Day_Ritual&oldid=31360"

Category-Descriptive Text Required

See also:

IC Text Required

Magic Items List

Pages in category "Descriptive Text Required"

The following 128 pages are in this category, out of 128 total.

A

- Alabaster Cerement

- Alignment of Mind and Blade

- Almery of Purity

- Amberglass Orb

- Atun's Ring

B

- Balanced Scales of Lann

- Binding Threads

- Blackwillow Twist

- Bloodfeather Harness

- Burnished Orb

C

- Captain's Mask

- Cartographer's Eye

- Cast Off The Chain of Memory

- Challenge the Iron Duke

- Champions Shining Resolve

- Chant of Long Years

- Chasuble of Majesty

- Children of Thunder

- Choleric Staff

- Chorus of the Righteous

- Chrysalis Pendant

- Cold Water from the Mountain

- Corsair's Bloody Mask

- Cowl of Ashes

- Cowl of Judgement

- Crimson Ward of Summer Stars

D

- Devastating Maul of Inga Tarn

- Dragonbone Orb

- Dragonbone Reliquary

- Dragonbone Symbol

- Dragonbone Tunic

E

- Echoes of Glory

- Embrace the Living Flame

- Enduring Breastplate

- Enigmatic Staff

- Escharotic Cauldron

- Ethereal Manacle

- Exarch's Standard

G

- Glory to the Sovereign

- Greensteel Orb

H

- Horizon's Razor Edge

I

- Icon of Judgement

- Icon of the Forge

I cont.

- Icon of the Hearth

- Icon of the High Tower

- Icon of the Justicar

- Icon of the Pilgrim

- Icon of the Witness

- Inquisitor's Cassock

- Inspiring Refrain

J

- Jade Hammers

K

- Keeper's Habit

L

- Labyrinthine Vestments

- Lodestone Shears

- Luminous Staff

M

- Mantle of Lordly Might

- Mask of Gold and Lead

- Mask of the Mountebank

- Melancholic Staff

- Mercantilist's Mask

- Might of the Myrmidon

- Mirror of the Virtuous

- Missionary Dalmatic

N

- Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords

O

- Oathsworn Spine

- Orator's Chalice

P

- Pallid Flesh of the Dead King

- Pauper's Key

- Phial of the Sun

- Phlegmatic Staff

R

- Radiant Orb

- Rhythm of Deep Resonance

- Righteous Aspergil

S

- Sanguine Staff

- Secrets of Skillful Artifice

- Secrets of the Empty Heart

- Shackle of the Unvirtuous

- Shackles of Insight

- Shears of Winter

- Simar of Certainty

- Song of the Noonday Sun

- Splendid Panoply of Knighthood

- Splendid Vestment

- Staff of Command

- Staff of Life

- Still Waters, Running Deep

S cont.

- Stout Resolve of the Unyielding

- Straw Mask

- Strength of the Bull

- Strigine Mask

- Sunfire Pectoral

T

- Talon of the Gryphon

- Templar's Cuculla

- Tenacity of Jotra

- The Barren Land

- The Drowned Threshold

- The Ebb and Flow of Battle

- The Empty Horizon

- The Eternal Gambit

- The Fields of Glory

- The Flickering Flame

- The Fountain of Thorns

- The Green World

- The Hammer of Thunder

- The Iron Labyrinth

- The Key and the Gate

- The Leaping Hare

- The Mountainous Oak

- The Sound of Drums

- The Spider's Web

- The Swan's Cruel Wing

- The Syphon of Stars

- The Vagabond Wyrm

- The Vigour of Youth

- Troubadour's Tunic

- Twilight Orb

U

- Unbreakable Behemoth's Strength

- Unyielding Constitution

V

- Vitriolic Orb

W

- Warcaster's Oath

- Wayfarer's Pyx

- Wayfarer's Robe

- Web of Celestial Attunement

- Whisper of Conviction

- Whispering Shadow Courtiers

- Winternight Lifestealer

- Wyrmstone Mortar

- Wyvernsting Spaulders

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Descriptive_Text_Required&oldid=15172"

Category-Foci

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Cowl of Ashes

Gain 1 rank for the Whispers through the Black Gate ritual

1

0

0

0

0

0

4

3

3

Corsair's Bloody Mask

Gain 1 rank for the Blood and Salt and Merciless Wrath of the Reaver rituals

1

0

5

3

0

0

0

4

3

Mercantilist's Mask

Gain 1 rank for the Streams of Silver and Rivers of Gold rituals

1

7

0

0

0

0

3

3

2

Captain's Mask

Gain 1 rank for Splendid Panoply of Knighthood and Strength of the Bull

1

9

0

0

0

0

0

3

4

Mask of Gold and Lead

Gain 1 rank for The Eight-Spoked Wheel and the Retrograde Wheel rituals

1

0

0

0

0

0

3

4

9

Mask of the Mountebank

Gain 1 rank for the The Twilight Masquerade and Masque of the Blinded Weaver rituals

1

0

0

0

0

0

4

5

7

Straw Mask

Gain 1 rank for the Blessing of New Spring, Strong Ox and Golden Sun , and Gathering the Harvest rituals

1

3

0

0

3

3

3

4

3

Strigine Mask

Gain 1 rank for Reading the Weave, Eye of the Sun and the Moon and Piercing Light rituals

1

7

0

0

9

0

0

3

2

Ring of Adversity

1/day Gain 1 rank of Spring, Winter or Night Lore

1

0

6

0

0

9

9

0

6

Ring of Triumph

1/day Gain 1 rank of Summer, Autumn or Day Lore

1

9

0

6

9

0

0

0

6

Atun's Ring

1/day Gain 1 rank in any one Lore

1

6

6

0

6

6

6

0

6

Pages in category "Foci"

The following 16 pages are in this category, out of 16 total.

A

- Atun's Ring

C

- Captain's Mask

- Corsair's Bloody Mask

- Cowl of Ashes

F

- Template%3AFoci

M

- Mask of Gold and Lead

M cont.

- Mask of the Mountebank

- Mercantilist's Mask

R

- Ring of Adversity

- Ring of Triumph

- Rivers of Gold

- Splendid Panoply of Knighthood

R cont.

- Streams of Silver

- Strength of the Bull

S

- Straw Mask

- Strigine Mask

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Foci&oldid=31904"

Category-Foreign Nations

Foreign Nations

Pages in category "Foreign Nations"

The following 15 pages are in this category, out of 15 total.

A

- Asavean Archipelago

- Asavean Archipelago ports

- Axos

C

- Commonwealth

- Commonwealth ports

F

- Faraden

- Foreign nations

I

- Iron Confederacy

P

- Principalities of Jarm

- Principalities of Jarm ports

S

- Sarcophan Delves

- Sarcophan Delves ports

- Sumaah Republic

- Sumaah Republic ports

- Suranni pantheon

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Foreign_Nations&oldid=20668"

Category-Heavy Armour

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Warrior's Plate

Gain 1 rank of the endurance skill

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Goldentide Mail

You may spend a hero point to cure VENOM and taking 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying

1

7

0

0

0

0

5

0

0

Enduring Breastplate

Ignore the effects of any single traumatic wound until the end of the battle

1

5

8

0

0

0

0

0

0

Defiant Steel

With 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying you may spend a hero point to cure a CLEAVED or IMPALED limb

1

3

0

5

7

3

0

0

0

Knightly Redoubt

Gain 2 ranks of the endurance skill

1

13

0

0

7

0

0

0

0

Goldenfire Scale

Regain all lost hits when you use Second Wind

1

7

0

8

7

0

0

0

0

Runeplate

Gain 2 Hero Points

1

7

0

24

0

0

5

3

0

Winterborn Warmail

Gain 3 ranks of the endurance skill

1

16

0

0

9

9

5

0

0

Gryphonsoul Aegis

1/day regain all lost hits when you use Unstoppable

1

0

0

7

15

11

9

0

0

Pages in category "Heavy Armour"

The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total.

D

- Defiant Steel

E

- Enduring Breastplate

G

- Goldenfire Scale

- Goldentide Mail

G cont.

- Gryphonsoul Aegis

H

- Template%3AHeavy Armour

K

- Knightly Redoubt

R

- Runeplate

W

- Warrior's Plate

- Winterborn Warmail

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Heavy_Armour&oldid=31843"

Category-Heavy Armour

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Warrior's Plate

Gain 1 rank of the endurance skill

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Goldentide Mail

You may spend a hero point to cure VENOM and taking 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying

1

7

0

0

0

0

5

0

0

Enduring Breastplate

Ignore the effects of any single traumatic wound until the end of the battle

1

5

8

0

0

0

0

0

0

Defiant Steel

With 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying you may spend a hero point to cure a CLEAVED or IMPALED limb

1

3

0

5

7

3

0

0

0

Knightly Redoubt

Gain 2 ranks of the endurance skill

1

13

0

0

7

0

0

0

0

Goldenfire Scale

Regain all lost hits when you use Second Wind

1

7

0

8

7

0

0

0

0

Runeplate

Gain 2 Hero Points

1

7

0

24

0

0

5

3

0

Winterborn Warmail

Gain 3 ranks of the endurance skill

1

16

0

0

9

9

5

0

0

Gryphonsoul Aegis

1/day regain all lost hits when you use Unstoppable

1

0

0

7

15

11

9

0

0

Pages in category "Heavy Armour"

The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total.

D

- Defiant Steel

E

- Enduring Breastplate

G

- Goldenfire Scale

- Goldentide Mail

G cont.

- Gryphonsoul Aegis

H

- Template%3AHeavy Armour

K

- Knightly Redoubt

R

- Runeplate

W

- Warrior's Plate

- Winterborn Warmail

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Heavy_Armour&oldid=31843"

Category-Highguard

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

This page collects all the information relevant to Highguard.

Pages in category "Highguard"

The following 48 pages are in this category, out of 48 total.

- Highguard

A

- All Come Listen

- Anthem of Cantiarch's Hold

B

- Bastion

- Benefactor

C

- Casinea

- Chapter

- Circle March

E

- Enoch and Levi

F

- Farewell Farewell

- For Once I Was A Young Man

G

- Gone

H

- Highguard children

- Highguard costumes

- Highguard culture and customs

- Highguard economic interests

H cont.

- Highguard Go To War

- Highguard hearth magic

- Highguard history

- Highguard icons and artistry

- Highguard leadership

- Highguard lineage and species attitudes

- Highguard look and feel

- Highguard magical traditions

- Highguard Maps

- Highguard military concerns

- Highguard music

- Highguard people

- Highguard religious beliefs

- Highguard territories

- Horses

- Hymn to Vigilance

I

- Idumea

L

- Least of my Kind

M

- Magister

N

- Naughty Pilgrim Song

- Necropolis

- Nursery Rhyme about Lineage

O

- O Oriens

P

- Pride of the Highborn

R

- Reikos

S

- Silent Tide

T

- The Good Old Way

- The Navigators

- The Ritual for the Departed

U

- Unconquered

V

- Virtue Never Falter

- Virtues Anthem

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Highguard&oldid=4083"

Category-Icons

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Icon of Judgement

You can perform the EXCOMMUNICATE ceremony as if you knew it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Icon of the Forge

You can perform the HALLOW ceremony as if you knew it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Icon of the Hearth

You can perform the CONSECRATE ceremony as if you knew it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Icon of the High Tower

You can perform the INSIGHT ceremony as if you knew it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Icon of the Justicar

You can perform the EXCORCISM ceremony as if you knew it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Icon of the Pilgrim

You can perform the ANNOINTING ceremony as if you knew it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Icon of the Witness

You can perform the TESTIFY ceremony as if you knew it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Pages in category "Icons"

The following 8 pages are in this category, out of 8 total.

I

- Icon of Judgement

- Icon of the Forge

- Icon of the Hearth

I cont.

- Icon of the High Tower

- Icon of the Justicar

- Icon of the Pilgrim

I cont.

- Icon of the Witness

- Template%3AIcons

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Icons&oldid=31859"

Category-IC Text Required

See also:

Descriptive Text Required

Magic Items List

Pages in category "IC Text Required"

The following 200 pages are in this category, out of 291 total.

(previous 200) (next 200)

A

- Alabaster Cerement

- Align the Celestial Net

- Alignment of Mind and Blade

- All the World in a Grain of Sand

- Almery of Purity

- Amberglass Orb

- An Echo of Life Remains

- Anathemic Call of Bug and Briar

- Ascendance of the Highest Mind

- Ascetic Star of Atun

- Atun's Ring

B

- Balanced Scales of Lann

- Barked Command of the Iron Serjant

- Before the Throne of Estavus

- Binding Threads

- Black Iron Blade

- Blackwillow Twist

- Blessing of New Spring

- Blood and Salt

- Blood of the Hydra

- Bondring

- Braying Horns of War

- Brazen Claws of the Lictor

- Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths

- Bright Lantern of Ophis

- Burnished Orb

C

- Call Down Lightning's Wrath

- Call Winged Messenger

- Captain's Mask

- Cartographer's Eye

- Carve the Crystal Guardian

- Cast Off The Chain of Memory

- Censer of Benediction

- Challenge the Iron Duke

- Champions Shining Resolve

- Chant of Long Years

- Charge of the Rushing Wind

- Chasuble of Majesty

- Children of Thunder

- Chirurgeon's Healing Touch

- Choleric Staff

- Chorus of the Righteous

- Chrysalis Pendant

- Churning Cauldron of Bravash

- Circle of Gold

- Circle of Trust

- Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust

- Clarity of the Master Strategist

- Clear Lens of the Eternal River

- Coil of the Black Leech

- Cold Water from the Mountain

- Conclave of Trees and Shadow

- Corsair's Bloody Mask

- Cowl of Ashes

- Cowl of Judgement

- Crimson Ward of Summer Stars

- Crumbling Flesh and Withering Limbs

- Crystal Clarity of the Rational Soul

- Crystaline Focus of Aesh

- Curse of Decrepitude

- Curse of Gangrenous Flesh

D

- Death's Door

- Delve Deep, Beneath the Mountain

- Devastating Maul of Inga Tarn

- Devastating Scythe of Anguish and Loss

- Distill the Serpent's Stone

- Distillation of Diverse Parts

D cont.

- Dragonbone Orb

- Dragonbone Reliquary

- Dragonbone Symbol

- Dragonbone Tunic

- Drawing the Penumbral Veil

- Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt

E

- Echoes of Glory

- Embrace the Living Flame

- Enfeebling Echo

- Enigmatic Staff

- Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis

- Ephisis' Scale

- Escharotic Cauldron

- Ethereal Manacle

- Eyes of the Sun and Moon

F

- Fallow Fields and Dried Meat

- Fan the Flame of New Life

- Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague

- Fight Tooth and Nail

- Fire in the Blood

- Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea

- Fountain of Life

- Freedom of the Soul

- Freezing Brand of Irremais

G

- Gancio's Gamble

- Gathering the Harvest

- Glorious Crown of Enchantment

- Glory to the Sovereign

- Gnawing, Endless Hunger

- Gravedigger's Vest

- Greensteel Orb

H

- Hallow of the Green World

- Hand of the Maker

- Hands of the Healer

- Hearthfire Circle

- Hero's Girdle

- Hold Back Frozen Hunger

- Horizon's Razor Edge

- Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw

- Hunger of the Draughir

- Hungry Grasp of Despair

I

- Icon of Judgement

- Icon of the Forge

- Icon of the Hearth

- Icon of the High Tower

- Icon of the Justicar

- Icon of the Pilgrim

- Icon of the Witness

- Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence

- Illuminate the Higher Mind

- Illuminates' Amulet

- Imurrement of Leaden Chains

- Incantation's Mystic Mask

- Inescapable Chains of Bitter Glass

- Inevitable Collapse into Ruin

- Inquisitor's Cassock

- Inspiring Refrain

- Irrepressible Monkey Spirit

J

- Jade Hammers

K

- Keeper's Habit

- Kimus' Glaring Eye

L

- Labyrinthine Vestments

- Last Breath Echoes

- Like Water Through Your Fingers

- Lodestone Shears

- Luminous Staff

M

- Mantle of Lordly Might

M cont.

- Mantle of the Golden Orator

- Mark of Ownership

- Mark the Flesh Incorruptible

- Mask of Gold and Lead

- Mask of the Mountebank

- Masque of the Blinded Weaver

- Melancholic Staff

- Mercantilist's Mask

- Merciless Wrath of the Reaver

- Midwife's Recourse

- Might of the Myrmidon

- Mirror of the Virtuous

- Missionary Dalmatic

- Missive for Sadogua

- Mountainfall Bracers

N

- Naeve's Twisting Blight

- Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords

O

- Oathsworn Spine

- Orator's Chalice

P

- Pakaanan's Iron Shutters

- Pallid Flesh of the Dead King

- Pauper's Key

- Phlegmatic Staff

- Piercing Light of Revelation

R

- Radiant Orb

- Raise the Standard of War

- Rampant Growth

- Ravenous Tongue of Entropy

- Reading the Weave

- Renewed Strength of the New Day

- Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart

- Rhythm of Deep Resonance

- Righteous Aspergil

- Rising Roots that Rend Stone

- Rivers of Life

- Rivers Run Red

- Roaring Chimera Rod

- Rot's Rightful Claim

- Ruthless Vigilance, Healthy Crop

S

- Sanguine Staff

- Secrets for the Shadow Courier

- Secrets of Skillful Artifice

- Secrets of the Empty Heart

- Shackle of the Unvirtuous

- Shackles of Insight

- Shadow of the Bronze Colossus

- Shadowed Glass of Sung

- Shared Mastery of the Magician's Guild

- Shears of Winter

- Shroud of Mist and Shadow

- Sift the Dreamscape's Sands

- Sign of Aesh

- Signs and Portents

- Silent Bell

- Simar of Certainty

- Skin of Bark, Blood of Amber

- Smooth Hands Shape The World

- Song of the Noonday Sun

- Sorins Rite of Agony

- Spider Folds the Net

- Splendid Panoply of Knighthood

- Splendid Vestment

- Staff of Command

- Staff of Imperial Mastery

- Staff of Life

- Stance of the Constricting Scourge

(previous 200) (next 200)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-IC_Text_Required&oldid=15173"

Category-Imperial Orcs

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

This page collects all the information relevant to Imperial Orcs.

Pages in category "Imperial Orcs"

The following 21 pages are in this category, out of 21 total.

- Imperial Orcs

B

- Blood and Bone

E

- Erthe Upon Erthe

I

- Imperial Orc music

- Imperial Orcs children

- Imperial Orcs culture and customs

- Imperial Orcs economic interests

I cont.

- Imperial Orcs hearth magic

- Imperial Orcs history

- Imperial Orcs leadership

- Imperial Orcs lineage and species attitudes

- Imperial Orcs look and feel

- Imperial Orcs magical traditions

- Imperial Orcs military concerns

I cont.

- Imperial Orcs people

- Imperial Orcs religious beliefs

- Imperial Orcs territories

P

- Pit-fights

- Preachers

S

- Shamans

W

- Worth

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Imperial_Orcs&oldid=4091"

Category-Jewellery

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Circlet of Falling Snow

When you are exposed to any roleplaying effect you can expend 1 mana to justify remaining calm and relaxed.

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Dragonbone Symbol

When this item is the subject of a HALLOW ceremony, the ceremony lasts as long as the item does.

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Bondring

1/day you may use either stay with me or get it together on the other person you have bonded to, without spending a hero point.

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

7

0

Alderman's Edge

You gain the weapon master skill

1

0

8

0

0

0

0

3

0

Greensteel Bracelets

You gain the shield skill

1

3

0

8

0

0

0

0

0

Shackle of the Unvirtuous

While wearing this ring, your aura is concealed from the INSIGHT skill; you cannot use any liao skills or imperial liao while bonded to this item

1

0

4

0

6

0

0

3

0

Bannerman's Band

Wearer gains the stay with me skill, and may use it once a day without spending a hero point

1

0

0

5

0

4

0

5

0

Chrysalis Pendant

You may spend a hero point and five seconds of appropriate roleplaying to restore the use to another character's limb that has been disabled with the CLEAVE or IMPALE calls.

1

0

0

0

8

5

3

0

0

Pauper's Key

2/day may open a portal as if they had cast the open portal spell

1

0

0

2

7

0

9

0

9

Abraxus Stone

When hits are restored to you by any means then you are also cured of the venom condition.

1

0

7

0

9

0

12

0

0

Bloodfire Periapt

While under the effect of VENOM, you gain 2 endurance. You lose 2 hits from your current total when the VENOM is cured.

1

6

0

6

14

0

6

0

0

Circlet of Command

Whenever you activate the Get It Together skill, you may use it on two characters at once for the cost of 1 Hero Point. You must have one hand on each target.

1

7

5

4

15

0

0

7

0

Pages in category "Jewellery"

The following 13 pages are in this category, out of 13 total.

A

- Abraxus Stone

- Alderman's Edge

B

- Bannerman's Band

- Bloodfire Periapt

- Bondring

C

- Chrysalis Pendant

- Circlet of Command

- Circlet of Falling Snow

D

- Dragonbone Symbol

G

- Greensteel Bracelets

J

- Template%3AJewellery

P

- Pauper's Key

S

- Shackle of the Unvirtuous

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Jewellery&oldid=32542"

Category-Light Armour

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Stoutheart Gambeson

Gain 1 rank of the fortitude skill

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Soldier's Harness

Gain 1 rank of the endurance skill

1

0

0

0

0

8

0

0

0

Winter's Breath

1/day you may use Second Wind

1

0

0

0

5

5

0

0

0

Blood-sweat Hauberk

You may spend 10 seconds appropriate roleplaying including a self-inflicted cut to remove VENOM. You are immediately subject to the WEAKNESS effect.

1

4

0

0

0

0

8

0

0

Runemark Shirt

Gain 1 Hero Point

1

0

0

8

0

0

0

0

5

Jack of Irons

1/day you may spend ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying to repair one of your limbs that has been ruined by the cleave or impale call.

1

0

0

0

5

7

0

0

4

Ivory Aketon

Gain 3 ranks of the fortitude skill

1

0

0

0

7

10

5

0

0

Spiritskin Coat

2/day you may use Second Wind

1

0

0

0

7

11

7

0

5

Pages in category "Light Armour"

The following 9 pages are in this category, out of 9 total.

B

- Blood-sweat Hauberk

I

- Ivory Aketon

J

- Jack of Irons

L

- Template%3ALight Armour

R

- Runemark Shirt

S

- Soldier's Harness

S cont.

- Spiritskin Coat

- Stoutheart Gambeson

W

- Winter's Breath

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Light_Armour&oldid=31841"

Category-Mage Armour

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Hero's Girdle

Gain 1 rank of the endurance skill

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Warmage's Belt

1/day may use Second Wind

1

0

0

0

5

4

0

0

0

Healer's Harness

Damage taken by you or your target does not interrupt spells you are casting (for spells such as heal, create bond or night pouch).

1

0

7

4

0

0

0

5

0

Vambraces of Regeneration

Twice per day you may spend ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying to repair one of your limbs that has been ruined by the cleave or impale call.

1

8

0

0

3

5

0

0

0

Splintering Gorget

Twice per day when you cast the weakness spell, you may do so without spending any mana.

1

0

5

0

3

0

5

0

5

Wyvernsting Spaulders

Twice per day when you cast the venom spell, you may do so without spending any mana.

1

5

0

0

3

0

5

0

5

Sunfire Pectoral

Gain 1 personal mana, Gain 1 rank of the endurance skill

1

5

0

11

0

0

0

0

5

Bloodfeather Harness

Gain 3 ranks of the Fortitude skill

1

0

0

0

12

5

5

0

0

Twilight Pauldrons

Gain 2 personal mana

1

0

5

0

3

0

5

0

11

Forge of Isenbrad

You may cast the Mending spell in 5 seconds instead of 10. 2/day you can cast mend on any item you are bonded to without spending any mana.

1

12

0

0

0

9

0

4

5

Gravedigger's Vest

1/day regain all lost hits when you use Unstoppable

1

0

0

9

9

11

7

0

5

Mountainfall Bracers

You may cast the Paralyse spell for 1 mana instead of 2

1

0

7

0

0

13

9

7

5

Battlesmith's Panoply

Gain 2 personal mana, gain 2 ranks of the endurance skill

1

11

0

8

9

9

5

0

11

Pages in category "Mage Armour"

The following 15 pages are in this category, out of 15 total.

B

- Battlesmith's Panoply

- Bloodfeather Harness

F

- Forge of Isenbrad

G

- Gravedigger's Vest

H

- Healer's Harness

H cont.

- Hero's Girdle

M

- Template%3AMage Armour

- Mantle of the Mountebank

- Mountainfall Bracers

S

- Splintering Gorget

S cont.

- Sunfire Pectoral

T

- Twilight Pauldrons

V

- Vambraces of Regeneration

W

- Warmage's Belt

- Wyvernsting Spaulders

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Mage_Armour&oldid=35002"

Category-Magic Items

Pages in category "Magic Items"

The following 200 pages are in this category, out of 290 total.

(previous 200) (next 200)

A

- Abraxus Stone

- Acolyte's Mercy

- Alabaster Cerement

- Alderman's Edge

- Almery of Purity

- Altruist's Recompense

- Ambergelt Baton

- Amberglass Chain

- Amberglass Orb

- Apprentice's Blade

- Template%3AArcane Weapons

- Arms of the Warwitch

- Ashen Mantle

- Atun's Ring

B

- Baersark's Rage

- Banner of the Bold

- Bannerman's Band

- Barbed Spear

- Battlesmith's Panoply

- Bear Claws

- Binding Threads

- Biting Blade

- Blacksmith's Wage

- Blackwillow Twist

- Blood-dimming Tide

- Blood-sweat Hauberk

- Bloodfeather Harness

- Bloodfire Periapt

- Bloodsilver Spike

- Bloodsteel Barb

- Bloodwoven Braid

- Boarskin Vest

- Bolstering Bill

- Bondring

- Boneweaver

- Template%3ABows

- Bravo's Blade

- Brother Blades

- Bullroarer's Shout

- Burnished Orb

- Burnished Rampart

- Butcher's Bill

- Butcher's Cleaver

C

- Captain's Command

- Captain's Mask

- Caress of Arhallogen

- Cartographer's Eye

- Censer of Benediction

- Champion's Bastion

- Chant of Long Years

- Children of Thunder

- Choleric Staff

- Chorus of the Righteous

- Chrysalis Pendant

- Circlet of Command

- Circlet of Falling Snow

- Corsair's Bloody Mask

- Cowl of Ashes

- Cowl of Judgement

- Crystaltender's Vestment

D

- Template%3ADaggers

- Dawn's Glory

- Death's Door

- Defiant Steel

- Dragonbone Orb

- Dragonbone Reliquary

- Dragonbone Symbol

D cont.

- Dragonbone Tunic

- Duelist's Scales

E

- Earthquake Drummers

- Echoes of Glory

- Enduring Breastplate

- Enfeebling Echo

- Enigmatic Staff

- Escharotic Cauldron

- Ethereal Manacle

- Exarch's Standard

F

- Farmer's Scythe

- Fell Iron Fury

- Template%3AFoci

- Forge of Isenbrad

- Forlorn Hope

- Furrowed Wake

G

- Gancio's Gamble

- Garrison's Vigilance

- Giant's Maul

- Glamourweave Robe

- Glory's Call

- Goldenfire Scale

- Goldentide Mail

- Gravedigger's Vest

- Greensteel Bracelets

- Greensteel Orb

- Grimnir's Hearthfire

- Gryphonsoul Aegis

H

- Healer's Harness

- Template%3AHeavy Armour

- Crafting skills

- Hero's Girdle

I

- Icon of Judgement

- Icon of the Forge

- Icon of the Hearth

- Icon of the High Tower

- Icon of the Justicar

- Icon of the Pilgrim

- Icon of the Witness

- Template%3AIcons

- Illuminates' Amulet

- Inquisitor's Cassock

- Inspiring Refrain

- Ironbrand Thorn

- Ivory Aketon

J

- Jack of Irons

- Jade Hammers

- Template%3AJewellery

K

- Keeper's Habit

- Knightly Redoubt

L

- Labyrinth's Gate

- Labyrinthine Vestments

- Lamia's Whisper

- Landskeeper's Oath

- Landsknecht's Zweihänder

- Template%3ALight Armour

- Lodestone Shears

- Luminous Staff

M

- Template%3AMage Armour

- Template%3AMage Robes

- Maggot's Talon

- Magic items

- Template%3AMagical Standards

- Magistrate's Grasp

- Mask of Gold and Lead

- Mask of the Mountebank

- Mazzarine Spindle

M cont.

- Mediator's Mail

- Template%3AMedium Armour

- Melancholic Staff

- Mercantilist's Mask

- Mercenary Banner

- Mirror of the Virtuous

- Missionary Dalmatic

- Mithril Shirt

- Moonsilver Doublet

- Mountainfall Bracers

- Mountebank's Surprise

- Template%3AMusical Instruments

N

- Neophyte's Aid

O

- Oakheart Shield

- Oathkeeper

- Oathsworn Spine

- Template%3AOne-Handed Spears

- Template%3AOne-Handed Weapons

- Opaline Coat

- Orator's Chalice

P

- Template%3APaired Weapons

- Template%3AParaphernalia

- Pauper's Key

- Phial of the Sun

- Phlegmatic Staff

- Pilgrim's Shield

- Template%3APole-arms

- Pugilist's Shillelagh

Q

- Quiet Word

R

- Radiant Orb

- Radiant Torrent

- Rake's Progress

- Razorleaf Hasta

- Reaving Mattock

- Redsteel Chisel

- Template%3ARegalia

- Template%3AReliquary

- Rhythm of Deep Resonance

- Righteous Aspergil

- Ring of Adversity

- Ring of Triumph

- Template%3ARitual Staves

- Roaring Chimera Rod

- Robe of Blood and Bone

- Template%3ARods

- Runemail

- Runemark Shirt

- Runeplate

- Runesmith's Gavel

S

- Sanguine Spear

- Sanguine Staff

- Sanguine Thorn

- Sceptre of the Necropolis

- Scorpion's Sting

- Scrivener's Seal

- Seer's Probe

- Shackle of the Unvirtuous

- Shackles of Insight

- Shadowbound Donjon

- Shears of Winter

- Shieldbreaker

- Template%3AShields

- Shimmergold Coat

- Silent Bell

- Simar of Certainty

- Soldier's Coat

(previous 200) (next 200)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Magic_Items&oldid=31807"

Category-Magic Standards

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Banner of the Bold

All Characters bonded to this banner may respond to Fear roleplaying effects with Bravery

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Mercenary Banner

You may travel to a battle that your national banner is not attending

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

10

7

Exarch's Standard

A character wielding a 1-handed weapon and shield may call CLEAVE 1/day

1

12

0

7

0

0

7

17

3

Gancio's Gamble

A character wielding a bow may use Second Wind 1/day

1

7

0

0

12

7

0

17

3

Garrison's Vigilance

A character wielding a shield and wearing heavy armour on torso and one other appropriate location gains 1 endurance

1

12

0

0

3

7

0

17

7

Glory's Call

A character wielding a great weapon may call SHATTER 1/day

1

7

12

0

0

0

7

17

3

The Spiral Sigil

A character wielding a Mage Staff gains one personal mana

1

0

12

0

0

3

7

17

7

Yeoman's Flag

A character wielding a pole weapon may call STRIKEDOWN 1/day

1

7

0

12

0

7

0

17

3

Thorn's Kiss

A character wielding a spear and shield may call VENOM 1/day

1

0

10

0

7

0

14

17

3

The Last Retort

A character wielding a pike may call STRIKEDOWN 1/day

1

9

7

13

0

5

0

27

9

Pages in category "Magic Standards"

The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total.

B

- Banner of the Bold

E

- Exarch's Standard

G

- Gancio's Gamble

- Garrison's Vigilance

G cont.

- Glory's Call

M

- Template%3AMagical Standards

- Mercenary Banner

T

- The Spiral Sigil

T cont.

- Thorn's Kiss

Y

- Yeoman's Flag

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Magic_Standards&oldid=31844"

Category-Masks

Name

Power

Time

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragonbone

Irridescent Gloaming

Cowl of Ashes

Gain 1 rank for the Whispers through the Black Gate ritual

1

4

3

3

Mask of the Mountebank

Gain 1 rank for the The Twilight Masquerade and Masque of the Blinded Weaver.

1

4

5

7

Strigine Mask

Gain 1 rank for Reading the Weave, Eyes of the Sun and Moon and Piercing Light of Revelation rituals

1

7

9

3

2

Mask of Gold and Lead

Gain 1 rank for The Eight-Spoked Wheel and The Retrograde Wheel rituals

1

3

4

9

Captain's Mask

Gain 1 rank for Splendid Panoply of Knighthood and Strength of the Bull

1

9

3

4

Straw Mask

Gain 1 rank for the Blessing of New Spring; Strong Ox, Golden Sun; and Gathering the Harvest rituals

1

3

3

3

3

4

3

Mercantilist's Mask

Gain 1 rank for the Streams of Silver and Rivers of Gold rituals

1

7

3

3

2

Corsair's Bloody Mask

Gain 1 rank for the Blood and Salt and Merciless Wrath of the Reaver rituals

1

5

3

4

3

Pages in category "Masks"

The following 8 pages are in this category, out of 8 total.

C

- Captain's Mask

- Corsair's Bloody Mask

- Cowl of Ashes

M

- Mask of Gold and Lead

- Mask of the Mountebank

- Mercantilist's Mask

S

- Straw Mask

- Strigine Mask

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Masks&oldid=19304"

Category-Medium Armour

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Mediator's Mail

You may spend a hero point to use second wind

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Mithril Shirt

Gain 1 rank of the endurance skill

1

2

0

0

0

4

0

0

0

Boarskin Vest

Gain 2 ranks of the fortitude skill

1

0

0

0

8

3

0

0

0

Runemail

Gain 1 Hero Point

1

0

0

10

0

0

0

3

0

Splint Mail

With 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying you may spend a hero point to cure a CLEAVED or IMPALED limb

1

4

0

5

3

7

0

0

0

Wardensweave Scale

Gain 2 ranks of the endurance skill

1

9

0

3

0

7

0

0

0

Baersark's Rage

Restored to 3 hits when you use Unstoppable

1

0

4

0

11

7

4

0

0

Tombsteel Guardian

2/day you may use Second Wind

1

5

0

0

13

7

0

5

0

Soldier's Coat

1/day regain all lost hits when you use Unstoppable

1

0

9

0

15

11

9

0

0

Pages in category "Medium Armour"

The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total.

B

- Baersark's Rage

- Boarskin Vest

M

- Mediator's Mail

- Template%3AMedium Armour

M cont.

- Mithril Shirt

R

- Runemail

S

- Soldier's Coat

- Splint Mail

T

- Tombsteel Guardian

W

- Wardensweave Scale

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Medium_Armour&oldid=31842"

Category-Musical Instruments

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Chant of Long Years

You may perform ceremonial skills other than DEDICATE as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Wisdom

1

0

7

3

0

0

5

3

0

Chorus of the Righteous

You may perform ceremonial skills other than DEDICATE as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Loyalty

1

0

5

7

0

0

3

3

0

Echoes of Glory

You may perform ceremonial skills other than DEDICATE as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Courage

1

7

0

9

0

0

0

3

0

Inspiring Refrain

You may perform ceremonial skills other than DEDICATE as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Ambition

1

9

0

0

7

0

0

3

0

Rhythm of Deep Resonance

You may perform ceremonial skills other than DEDICATE as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Prosperity

1

0

0

0

0

0

7

3

9

Song of the Noonday Sun

You may perform ceremonial skills other than DEDICATE as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Pride

1

7

9

0

0

0

0

3

0

Whisper of Conviction

You may perform ceremonial skills other than DEDICATE as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Vigilance

1

0

0

0

7

0

9

3

0

Pages in category "Musical Instruments"

The following 8 pages are in this category, out of 8 total.

C

- Chant of Long Years

- Chorus of the Righteous

E

- Echoes of Glory

I

- Inspiring Refrain

M

- Template%3AMusical Instruments

R

- Rhythm of Deep Resonance

S

- Song of the Noonday Sun

W

- Whisper of Conviction

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Musical_Instruments&oldid=31858"

Category-Navarr

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

This page collects all the information relevant to Navarr.

Pages in category "Navarr"

The following 54 pages are in this category, out of 54 total.

- Navarr

A

- A Sudden Farewell

- All the Pretty Ponies

B

- Bold Navarr Men

- Brand

- Brocéliande

- Brocéliande Be Stronger Now

- By Chance It Was

C

- Caution for the Dawnish Youth

D

- Down in the Rugged Glen

H

- Heart of the Song

- Hercynia

I

- I Come and Stand at Every Door

- It Is Not Yet Day

L

- Liathaven

M

- Miaren

- Miaren (song)

N

- Navarr (song)

N cont.

- Navarr children

- Navarr costumes

- Navarr culture and customs

- Navarr economic interests

- Navarr hearth magic

- Navarr history

- Navarr leadership

- Navarr lineage and species attitudes

- Navarr look and feel

- Navarr magical traditions

- Navarr Maps

- Navarr military concerns

- Navarr music

- Navarr people

- Navarr religious beliefs

- Navarr Running Song

- Navarr territories

O

- On the Wall

O cont.

- Outside in the Distance

R

- Redhound

S

- Steading

- Striding

- Striding One

T

- Ten Thousand Miles

- Terunael (song)

- The Oak (song)

- The Wind That Shakes The Barley

- Therunin

- Thorn

- Thorn Battle Cadence

- Thoughts on Navarri attitude

- Through the dark places

- Trod

V

- Vallorn

W

- Wayhouse

- Windblow, home

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Navarr&oldid=4086"

Category-Night Ritual

Pages in category "Night Ritual"

The following 35 pages are in this category, out of 35 total.

A

- Align the Celestial Net

C

- Cast Off The Chain of Memory

- Conclave of Trees and Shadow

D

- Distill the Serpent's Stone

- Drawing the Penumbral Veil

- Dreams in the Witch House

- Dripping Echoes of the Fen

E

- Embrace the Living Flame

F

- Freedom of the Soul

I

- Incantation's Mystic Mask

M

- Masque of the Blinded Weaver

- Missive for Sadogua

N

- Night rituals

R

- Riddle Hides the Reward

S

- Secrets for the Shadow Courier

- Secrets of Skillful Artifice

- Secrets of the Empty Heart

- Shadowed Glass of Sung

- Shroud of Mist and Shadow

- Sift the Dreamscape's Sands

- Signs and Portents

- Still Waters, Running Deep

T

- The Chamber of Delights

- The Cuckoo's Egg

T cont.

- The Ebb and Flow of Battle

- The Eight-spoked Wheel

- The Retrograde Wheel

- The Twilight Masquerade

- Thief's Arcane Gambit

- Transmogrification of the Soul's Echo

U

- Unfettered Anarchy

V

- Vale of Shadows

- Verdant Bounty of the Twilight Bayou

W

- Whispering Shadow Courtiers

- Wondrous Forests of the Night

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Night_Ritual&oldid=31362"

Category-One-handed Spears

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Razorleaf Hasta

May spend a hero point to call CLEAVE

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Stumbleroot Spear

May spend a hero point to call STRIKEDOWN

1

0

0

6

0

3

0

0

0

Blackwillow Twist

1/day may call STRIKEDOWN

1

0

0

8

0

5

0

0

0

Ironbrand Thorn

Gain 1 Hero Point

1

0

3

10

0

0

0

0

0

Oathsworn Spine

1/day may call ENTANGLE

1

0

0

0

0

10

0

0

7

Bloodsteel Barb

2/day may call CLEAVE

1

13

0

0

0

3

3

0

0

Sydanjaa's Call

May spend a hero point to call REPEL

1

0

10

0

0

10

0

0

0

Winternight Lifestealer

Spend a hero point to call IMPALE

1

5

13

7

0

0

7

0

0

Terunael Warlord

2/day, may call either ENTANGLE, REPEL or CLEAVE

1

12

12

0

0

15

14

0

5

Pages in category "One-handed Spears"

The following 9 pages are in this category, out of 9 total.

B

- Blackwillow Twist

- Bloodsteel Barb

I

- Ironbrand Thorn

O

- Oathsworn Spine

- Template%3AOne-Handed Spears

R

- Razorleaf Hasta

S

- Stumbleroot Spear

T

- Terunael Warlord

W

- Winternight Lifestealer

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-One-handed_Spears&oldid=31838"

Category-One-handed Weapons

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Apprentice's Blade

May spend a hero point to call CLEAVE

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Thresher's Cudgel

1/day call SHATTER against a mage implement

1

0

6

0

0

0

0

0

0

Biting Blade

1/day may call CLEAVE

1

7

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Triumphant Blade

Gain 1 Hero Point

1

3

0

10

0

0

0

0

0

Duelist's Scales

May spend hero points to call WEAKNESS. You are also affected by WEAKNESS

1

7

3

0

3

0

3

0

0

Shieldbreaker

Spend a hero point to call SHATTER against a shield

1

5

7

5

0

0

0

0

0

Thundering Mace

1/day may call STRIKEDOWN

1

5

7

7

0

0

0

0

0

Vorpal Sword

2/day may call CLEAVE

1

13

0

3

0

0

3

0

0

Sundering Axe

May spend hero point to call SHATTER

1

7

9

5

0

0

4

0

0

Bravo's Blade

May spend a hero point to call IMPALE

1

7

20

7

0

0

0

5

0

Pages in category "One-handed Weapons"

The following 11 pages are in this category, out of 11 total.

A

- Apprentice's Blade

B

- Biting Blade

- Bravo's Blade

D

- Duelist's Scales

O

- Template%3AOne-Handed Weapons

S

- Shieldbreaker

- Sundering Axe

T

- Thresher's Cudgel

T cont.

- Thundering Mace

- Triumphant Blade

V

- Vorpal Sword

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-One-handed_Weapons&oldid=31835"

Category-Other Weapons

Item

Power

Time

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Scorpion's Sting

1/Day may call VENOM with this dagger. You are also affected by VENOM.

1

0

0

0

0

4

7

0

0

Oathkeeper

Gain 1 hero point

1

0

0

8

0

5

0

0

0

Wayfinder

Gain 2 hero points

1

0

0

17

0

12

7

3

0

Pages in category "Other Weapons"

The following 3 pages are in this category, out of 3 total.

O

- Oathkeeper

S

- Scorpion's Sting

W

- Wayfinder

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Other_Weapons&oldid=18508"

Category-Paired Weapons

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Brother Blades

If one weapon from this pair is shattered, you can mend it as long as you are holding the other weapon in the pair. This takes 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying. If both weapons are shattered simultaneously, one must be mended by other means before th

1

7

0

0

0

3

0

0

3

Rake's Progress

2/day, when you use CLEAVE, you may use it on two targets instead of one. You have only 10 seconds to deliver the second CLEAVE

1

11

0

0

0

0

0

3

0

Earthquake Drummers

You can call REPEL against a target you hit with both weapons simultaneously by spending 1 Hero Point.

1

0

9

0

0

0

0

7

0

Bear Claws

You can call SHATTER against an item you hit with both weapons simultaneously by spending 1 Hero Point.

1

3

8

0

0

0

0

7

0

Pages in category "Paired Weapons"

The following 5 pages are in this category, out of 5 total.

B

- Bear Claws

- Brother Blades

E

- Earthquake Drummers

P

- Template%3APaired Weapons

R

- Rake's Progress

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Paired_Weapons&oldid=31849"

Category-Paraphernalia

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Amberglass Orb

Members of the coven who are performing a Spring ritual they have mastered may use Ambergelt in the place of crystal mana. Every 2 measures of Ambergelt spent count as 1 crystal mana.

1

0

5

0

0

4

0

3

0

Burnished Orb

Members of the coven who are performing a Summer ritual they have mastered may use Orichalcum in the place of crystal mana. Every 2 measures of Orichalcum spent count as 1 crystal mana.

1

4

5

0

0

0

0

3

0

Greensteel Orb

Members of the coven who are performing an Autumn ritual they have mastered may use Green Iron in the place of crystal mana. Every 2 measures of Green Iron spent count as 1 crystal mana.

1

0

5

4

0

0

0

3

0

Radiant Orb

Members of the coven who are performing a Day ritual they have mastered may use Weltsilver in the place of crystal mana. Every 2 measures of Weltsilver spent count as 1 crystal mana.

1

0

5

0

4

0

0

3

0

Twilight Orb

Members of the coven who are performing a Night ritual they have mastered may use Iridescent Gloaming in the place of crystal mana. Every 2 measures of Iridescent Gloaming spent count as 1 crystal mana.

1

0

5

0

0

0

0

3

4

Vitriolic Orb

Members of the coven who are performing a Winter ritual they have mastered may use Beggar's Lye in the place of crystal mana. Every 2 measures of Beggar's Lye spent count as 1 crystal mana.

1

0

5

0

0

0

4

3

0

Dragonbone Orb

1/day members of the coven who are performing a ritual that they have mastered may use Dragonbone in the place of crystal mana. Every 2 measures of Dragonbone spent count as 1 crystal mana

1

0

8

0

0

0

0

5

0

Cartographer's Eye

When your coven performs a ritual that targets resources in a single region or a single territory, they can also include resources from a second region or territory provided both are part of the same nation

1

0

5

0

5

0

0

4

0

Orator's Chalice

When your coven performs a ritual that targets characters who must be in a single band, they can also include characters from a second band provided both bands are from the same nation

1

0

5

4

0

0

0

5

0

The Fields of Glory

1/day your coven can perform a Summer ritual that does not count towards your daily limit

1

5

5

3

0

0

0

3

0

The Barren Land

1/day your coven can perform a Winter ritual that does not count towards your daily limit

1

0

5

3

0

0

5

3

0

The Empty Horizon

1/day your coven can perform a Day ritual that does not count towards your daily limit

1

0

5

0

5

0

3

3

0

The Flickering Flame

1/day your coven can perform a Night ritual that does not count towards your daily limit

1

0

5

0

0

3

0

3

5

The Green World

1/day your coven can perform a Spring ritual that does not count towards your daily limit

1

0

5

0

3

5

0

3

0

The Iron Labyrinth

1/day your coven can perform a Autumn ritual that does not count towards your daily limit

1

0

5

5

3

0

0

3

0

Web of Celestial Attunement

Your coven may join another coven from the same nation and perform a single ritual together. This counts as a daily ritual use by your coven as well as the target coven. While your covens may perform a ritual together, they are still treated as separate covens for all other purposes (for example, a ritual that affects an entire coven will only affect the target coven, not both covens). Your coven does not gain the benefit of the other coven's paraphenalia while performing a joint ritual.

1

5

7

0

0

0

0

10

0

The Eternal Gambit

1/day your coven can perform a ritual that does not count towards your daily limit

1

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

The Mountainous Oak

2/day your coven can perform a Summer ritual that does not count towards your daily limit

1

12

7

9

0

7

0

5

2

The Fountain of Thorns

2/day your coven can perform a Spring ritual that does not count towards your daily limit

1

0

7

0

9

12

7

5

2

The Key and the Gate

2/day your coven can perform a Day ritual that does not count towards your daily limit

1

7

7

0

12

0

9

5

2

The Spider's Web

2/day your coven can perform a Autumn ritual that does not count towards your daily limit

1

0

7

12

9

0

7

5

2

The Drowned Threshold

2/day your coven can perform a Winter ritual that does not count towards your daily limit

1

0

7

9

0

0

12

5

10

The Syphon of Stars

1/day when your coven performs a ritual all members of the coven who have not mastered that ritual gain an additional rank in the appropriate lore

1

5

7

5

5

5

5

6

5

The Vagabond Wyrm

2/day your coven can perform a Night ritual that does not count towards your daily limit

1

0

7

0

0

9

7

5

15

Pages in category "Paraphernalia"

The following 25 pages are in this category, out of 25 total.

A

- Amberglass Orb

B

- Burnished Orb

C

- Cartographer's Eye

D

- Dragonbone Orb

G

- Greensteel Orb

O

- Orator's Chalice

P

- Template%3AParaphernalia

R

- Radiant Orb

T

- The Barren Land

T cont.

- The Drowned Threshold

- The Empty Horizon

- The Eternal Gambit

- The Fields of Glory

- The Flickering Flame

- The Fountain of Thorns

- The Green World

- The Iron Labyrinth

- The Key and the Gate

T cont.

- The Mountainous Oak

- The Spider's Web

- The Syphon of Stars

- The Vagabond Wyrm

- Twilight Orb

V

- Vitriolic Orb

W

- Web of Celestial Attunement

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Paraphernalia&oldid=32434"

Category-Pole-arms

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Farmer's Scythe

May spend a hero point to call STRIKEDOWN

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Sanguine Spear

May spend a hero point to call CLEAVE

1

0

0

5

0

0

0

0

0

Butcher's Bill

1/day may call STRIKEDOWN or CLEAVE

1

8

0

0

0

0

0

0

2

Bolstering Bill

1/day may use Stay With Me

1

0

0

6

7

0

0

0

0

Warden's Bardiche

Gain 1 Hero Point

1

0

0

10

0

3

0

0

0

Blacksmith's Wage

After 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying you may spend hero point to repair this weapon

1

9

0

0

0

5

0

0

0

Barbed Spear

May spend hero points to call VENOM.

1

3

0

3

0

0

11

0

0

Magistrate's Grasp

May spend hero point to call ENTANGLE

1

4

0

4

0

9

0

0

0

Labyrinth's Gate

You may spend a hero point to call IMPALE on a prone opponent

1

4

17

9

0

0

0

0

0

Fell Iron Fury

2/day may call STRIKEDOWN or CLEAVE

1

10

0

15

0

7

0

0

0

Bullroarer's Shout

3/day may call STRIKEDOWN

1

7

10

15

0

0

7

0

0

Pages in category "Pole-arms"

The following 12 pages are in this category, out of 12 total.

B

- Barbed Spear

- Blacksmith's Wage

- Bolstering Bill

- Bullroarer's Shout

B cont.

- Butcher's Bill

F

- Farmer's Scythe

- Fell Iron Fury

L

- Labyrinth's Gate

M

- Magistrate's Grasp

P

- Template%3APole-arms

S

- Sanguine Spear

W

- Warden's Bardiche

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Pole-arms&oldid=32544"

Category-Regalia

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Mirror of the Virtuous

If the bearer leads an ANOINTING ceremony, all effects apply to the bearer as well as the target.

1

0

0

0

6

0

0

3

0

Shackles of Insight

1/day you can perform INSIGHT on two targets at the same time; you must be able to touch both targets

1

0

7

0

0

0

0

3

0

Illuminates' Amulet

2/day when you use a dose of Liao to perform a religious ceremony you regain 1 personal Mana.

1

0

0

0

5

0

0

3

5

Unblinking Eye

1/day you may use the INSIGHT skill as if you knew it without requiring any Liao.

1

3

7

0

5

0

0

3

0

Censer of Benediction

When you participate in a CONSECRATE, HALLOW or ANOINTING ceremony, you may add an additional rank by spending an additional Liao

1

5

0

6

0

7

0

3

0

Righteous Aspergil

When you participate in a TESTIFY ceremony, you may add up to two additional ranks by spending up to two additional Liao

1

3

7

0

6

0

0

5

0

Silent Bell

When you participate in an EXORCISM ceremony, you may add up to two additional ranks by spending up to two additional Liao

1

0

0

7

0

0

10

5

0

Pages in category "Regalia"

The following 8 pages are in this category, out of 8 total.

C

- Censer of Benediction

I

- Illuminates' Amulet

M

- Mirror of the Virtuous

R

- Template%3ARegalia

- Righteous Aspergil

S

- Shackles of Insight

S cont.

- Silent Bell

U

- Unblinking Eye

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Regalia&oldid=31857"

Category-Religion

Religion

Pages in category "Religion"

The following 46 pages are in this category, out of 46 total.

A

- Ambition

- Ambition roleplaying effects

- Anarchy roleplaying effects

B

- Bishop

C

- Ceremonies overview

- Chapter

- Courage

- Courage roleplaying effects

F

- Freedom Heresy

G

- Good Walder

- Guides: Synod

I

- Imperial Synod

- Imperial theology

- Investigative Theology

L

- Liao

- Liao and the Labyrinth of Ages

L cont.

- Liao ceremonies

- Loyalty

- Loyalty roleplaying effects

M

- Malign spiritual presences

- Monastery

P

- Paragons and Exemplars

- Peace roleplaying effects

- Pride

- Pride roleplaying effects

- Primer: Synod

- Prosperity

- Prosperity roleplaying effects

- Pure liao

R

- Religion

- Religious Crimes

- Religious skills

S

- Schisms and Heresies

- Signs of the Paragon and Exemplar

- Symbols, icons and trappings

T

- The Doctrines of the Faith

- The history of the Way

- The Virtues

- The Way

- The Way and the non-human

- Troubadour

V

- Vengeance roleplaying effects

- Vigilance

- Vigilance roleplaying effects

W

- Wisdom

- Wisdom roleplaying effects

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Religion&oldid=6812"

Category-Reliquaries

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Wayfarer's Pyx

When this item is the subject of a HALLOW ceremony, the ceremony lasts as long as the item does.

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Dragonbone Reliquary

When a member of the sect performs anointing, dedication, exorcism or excommunication on a member of the sect, they gain an extra rank of strength to the ceremony by spending an additional Liao

1

4

0

0

0

0

0

9

0

Almery of Purity

1/day when a member of the sect performs a ceremony of exorcism or excommunication on another member of the sect, each dose of liao contributed counts double for the potency of effect.

1

3

0

0

5

0

10

9

0

Pages in category "Reliquaries"

The following 4 pages are in this category, out of 4 total.

A

- Almery of Purity

D

- Dragonbone Reliquary

R

- Template%3AReliquary

W

- Wayfarer's Pyx

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Reliquaries&oldid=31861"

Category-Rituals

Ritual Summaries by Realm

- Rituals of Spring

- Rituals of Summer

- Rituals of Autumn

- Rituals of Winter

- Rituals of Day

- Rituals of Night

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Pages in category "Rituals"

The following 200 pages are in this category, out of 226 total.

(previous 200) (next 200)

A

- Align the Celestial Net

- Alignment of Mind and Blade

- All the World in a Grain of Sand

- An Echo of Life Remains

- Anathemic Call of Bug and Briar

- Arcane Mark

- Art of the Deal

- Ascendance of the Highest Mind

- Ascetic Star of Atun

- Autumn rituals

B

- Balanced Scales of Lann

- Barked Command of the Iron Serjant

- Battlefield ritual

- Before the Throne of Estavus

- Black Iron Blade

- Blessing of New Spring

- Blood and Salt

- Blood of the Hydra

- Bound by Common Cause

- Braying Horns of War

- Brazen Claws of the Lictor

- Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths

- Bright Lantern of Ophis

C

- Call Down Lightning's Wrath

- Call Winged Messenger

- Carve the Crystal Guardian

- Cast Off The Chain of Memory

- Challenge the Iron Duke

- Champions Shining Resolve

- Charge of the Rushing Wind

- Chasuble of Majesty

- Chirurgeon's Healing Touch

- Churning Cauldron of Bravash

- Circle of Gold

- Circle of Trust

- Clad in Golden Raiment

- Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust

- Clarity of the Master Strategist

- Clear Lens of the Eternal River

- Coil of the Black Leech

- Cold Water from the Mountain

- Conclave of Trees and Shadow

- Crimson Ward of Summer Stars

- Crumbling Flesh and Withering Limbs

- Crystal Clarity of the Rational Soul

- Crystaline Focus of Aesh

- Curse

- Curse of Decrepitude

- Curse of Gangrenous Flesh

D

- Day rituals

- Delve Deep, Beneath the Mountain

- Devastating Maul of Inga Tarn

- Devastating Scythe of Anguish and Loss

- Distill the Serpent's Stone

- Distillation of Diverse Parts

- Drawing the Penumbral Veil

- Dreams in the Witch House

- Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt

- Dripping Echoes of the Fen

E

- Embrace the Living Flame

- Enchantment

- Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis

- Ephisis' Scale

- Eyes of the Sun and Moon

F

- Fallow Fields and Dried Meat

- Fan the Flame of New Life

- Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague

F cont.

- Fight Tooth and Nail

- Fire in the Blood

- Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea

- Forge the Wooden Fastness

- Formulaic ritual

- Fountain of Life

- Freedom of the Soul

- Freezing Brand of Irremais

- Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae

G

- Gathering the Harvest

- Gift of the Wily Broker

- Glorious Crown of Enchantment

- Glory to the Sovereign

- Gnawing, Endless Hunger

H

- Hallow of the Green World

- Hand of the Maker

- Hands of the Healer

- Hearthfire Circle

- Hold Back Frozen Hunger

- Horizon's Razor Edge

- Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw

- Hunger of the Draughir

- Hungry Grasp of Despair

I

- Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence

- Ilium

- Illuminate the Higher Mind

- Imperial Lore

- Imurrement of Leaden Chains

- Incantation's Mystic Mask

- Inescapable Chains of Bitter Glass

- Inevitable Collapse into Ruin

- Irrepressible Monkey Spirit

K

- Kimus' Glaring Eye

- Knights of Glory

L

- Last Breath Echoes

- Like Water Through Your Fingers

M

- Mantle of Lordly Might

- Mantle of the Golden Orator

- Mark of Ownership

- Mark the Flesh Incorruptible

- Masque of the Blinded Weaver

- Merciless Wrath of the Reaver

- Midwife's Recourse

- Might of the Myrmidon

- Missive for Sadogua

N

- Naeve's Twisting Blight

- Night rituals

- Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords

P

- Pakaanan's Iron Shutters

- Pallid Flesh of the Dead King

- Piercing Light of Revelation

Q

- Quickening Cold Meat

R

- Raise the Standard of War

- Rampant Growth

- Ravenous Tongue of Entropy

- Reading the Weave

- Regio

- Renewed Strength of the New Day

- Retreat to the White Caves

- Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart

- Revelatory Light of the Empyrean Spheres

- Riddle Hides the Reward

- Rising Roots that Rend Stone

- Rituals

- Rivers of Gold

- Rivers of Life

- Rivers Run Red

R cont.

- Rot's Rightful Claim

- Ruthless Vigilance, Healthy Crop

S

- Scrivener's Bloodmark

- Secrets for the Shadow Courier

- Secrets of Skillful Artifice

- Secrets of the Empty Heart

- Shadow of the Bronze Colossus

- Shadowed Glass of Sung

- Shared Mastery of the Magician's Guild

- Shroud of Mist and Shadow

- Sift the Dreamscape's Sands

- Sign of Aesh

- Signs and Portents

- Skein of Years

- Skin of Bark, Blood of Amber

- Smooth Hands Shape The World

- Sorins Rite of Agony

- Splendid Panoply of Knighthood

- Spontaneous magic

- Spring rituals

- Stance of the Constricting Scourge

- Standing at the Threshold

- Still Waters, Running Deep

- Stout Resolve of the Unyielding

- Streams of Silver

- Strength of the Bull

- Strong Ox, Golden Sun

- Sular's Promise

- Sum of the Parts

- Summer rituals

- Swim Leviathan's Depth

T

- Talon of the Gryphon

- Tenacity of Jotra

- The Ambassadorial Gatekeeper

- The Anvil of Estavus

- The Blade Bites Back

- The Celestial Library

- The Chamber of Delights

- The Chamber of Pallas

- The Conspirator's Cloak

- The Cuckoo's Egg

- The Dance of Navarr and Thorn

- The Ebb and Flow of Battle

- The Eight-spoked Wheel

- The Eye of the High Places

- The Forest Remains

- The Grave's Treacherous Edge

- The Hammer of Thunder

- The Hands of Sacred Life

- The Leaping Hare

- The Lure of Distant Shores

- The Retrograde Wheel

- The Solace of Chimes

- The Sound of Drums

- The Swan's Cruel Wing

- The Twilight Masquerade

- The Vigour of Youth

- There Is No Welcome Here

- Thief's Arcane Gambit

- Thought Becomes Action

- Thundering Roar of the Lion-bound Horn

- Thunderous Deluge

- Thunderous Tread of the Trees

- Ties that Bind

- Timeless Hammer Rhythm

- Touch of Vile Humours

(previous 200) (next 200)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Rituals&oldid=31369"

Category-Ritual Staves

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Choleric Staff

Gain 1 rank of Summer Lore

1

14

9

0

0

0

0

20

0

Enigmatic Staff

Gain 1 rank of Night Lore

1

0

0

0

0

9

0

20

14

Luminous Staff

Gain 1 rank of Day Lore

1

0

0

0

14

0

0

20

9

Melancholic Staff

Gain 1 rank of Autumn Lore

1

0

0

14

9

0

0

20

0

Phlegmatic Staff

Gain 1 rank of Winter Lore

1

0

0

9

0

0

14

20

0

Sanguine Staff

Gain 1 rank of Spring Lore

1

0

9

0

0

14

0

20

0

Pages in category "Ritual Staves"

The following 7 pages are in this category, out of 7 total.

C

- Choleric Staff

E

- Enigmatic Staff

L

- Luminous Staff

M

- Melancholic Staff

P

- Phlegmatic Staff

R

- Template%3ARitual Staves

S

- Sanguine Staff

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Ritual_Staves&oldid=31855"

Category-Robes

Item

Power

Time

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Crystaltender's Vestment

1/day you may spend one Crystalised Mana to restore three Personal Mana

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Volhov's Robe

2/day lets a character take part in a ritual with a coven of the same nation; when you use this ability, it counts towards the daily limit of coven rituals you can perform. You can't be in a coven when you use this robe.

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

5

3

Shimmergold Coat

You gain +1 Endurance

1

4

0

0

3

0

0

0

3

Mantle of the Mountebank

When you are performing a solo ritual without drawing on a coven bond and without using a regio, you can perform that ritual in one minute rather than two

1

3

0

0

3

3

0

0

5

Trollsweave Vest

You can cast the Heal spell in 5 seconds instead of 10

1

0

0

0

8

8

0

0

0

Alabaster Cerement

You gain three ranks of Fortitude provided that you are Dedicated or Annointed

1

0

0

0

3

6

7

3

0

Opaline Coat

Gain 2 personal mana

1

0

0

0

0

0

7

5

13

Robe of Blood and Bone

3/day you can perform the Heal, Purify or Repair Limb incantation on another character without expending any mana.

1

0

0

5

12

10

8

0

3

Glamourweave Robe

You may cast the Empower spell for 1 mana instead of 2

1

9

0

15

0

0

7

0

11

Moonsilver Doublet

You may cast the Swift Heal spell for 1 mana instead of 2

1

3

0

0

15

0

9

3

11

Ashen Mantle

Gain 3 personal mana

1

0

0

0

0

6

10

13

24

Pages in category "Robes"

The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total.

A

- Alabaster Cerement

- Ashen Mantle

C

- Crystaltender's Vestment

G

- Glamourweave Robe

M

- Moonsilver Doublet

O

- Opaline Coat

R

- Robe of Blood and Bone

S

- Shimmergold Coat

T

- Trollsweave Vest

V

- Volhov's Robe

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Robes&oldid=18518"

Category-Rods

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Forlorn Hope

You may cast the Swift Heal spell as if you know it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Storm Sceptre

You may cast the Repel spell as if you know it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Tactician's Demand

You may cast the Empower spell as if you know it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Yeoman's Bounty

You may cast the Weakness spell as if you know it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Whelpmaster's Fang

You may cast the Weakness spell 1/day as if you knew it without spending any mana

1

0

0

0

0

0

7

0

0

Windreaping Sickle

You may cast the Repel spell 1/day as if you knew it without spending any mana

1

0

7

0

0

0

0

0

0

Bloodsilver Spike

You may cast the Swift Heal spell 1/day as if you knew it and without spending any mana

1

0

0

0

10

0

0

0

0

Neophyte's Aid

Gain 1 mana

1

0

7

0

0

0

0

0

3

Quiet Word

You may cast the Paralyse spell 1/day without spending any mana

1

0

0

0

0

10

0

0

0

Tumultuous Gyre

Once per day, when you cast Repel, you may cast it on two targets instead of one. The second repel must be delivered within 10 seconds of the first

1

0

8

0

0

0

0

0

3

Blood-dimming Tide

Once per day, when you cast swift heall, you may cast it on two targets instead of one. The second swift heal must be delivered within 10 seconds of the first

1

0

0

0

7

0

0

0

7

Witches' Hammer

1/day you may call SHATTER when you cast Repel

1

0

12

0

0

0

7

0

7

Stormweaver

You may cast the Repel spell 3/day as if you knew it and without spending any mana

1

0

15

5

0

0

5

0

7

Radiant Torrent

2/day, when you cast swift heal, you may cast it on two targets instead of one. The second swift heal must be delivered within 10 seconds of the first

1

3

0

0

15

0

0

12

5

Sceptre of the Necropolis

1/day you may call IMPALE when you cast paralysis.

1

0

5

0

0

12

20

0

5

Roaring Chimera Rod

You may cast the Empower spell 3/day without spending any mana

1

10

7

17

0

0

0

5

7

Pages in category "Rods"

The following 17 pages are in this category, out of 17 total.

B

- Blood-dimming Tide

- Bloodsilver Spike

F

- Forlorn Hope

N

- Neophyte's Aid

Q

- Quiet Word

R

- Radiant Torrent

R cont.

- Roaring Chimera Rod

- Template%3ARods

S

- Sceptre of the Necropolis

- Storm Sceptre

- Stormweaver

T

- Tactician's Demand

T cont.

- Tumultuous Gyre

W

- Whelpmaster's Fang

- Windreaping Sickle

- Witches' Hammer

Y

- Yeoman's Bounty

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Rods&oldid=32513"

Category-Senate

Pages in category "Senate"

The following 57 pages are in this category, out of 57 total.

3

- 376YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

- 377YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

- 377YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

- 377YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

- 378YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

- 378YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

- 378YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 379YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

A

- Advisor on orc affairs

- Advisor on the Vallorn

- Ambassador to Asavea

- Ambassador to Jarm

- Appointments by the Senate

- Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

C

- Captain of the Senate Guard

- College of Magic

- Commission

C cont.

- Conscience of the Senate

- Crystal Architect of the Spires

E

- Embassy

F

- Fortification

G

- Great work

- Guardian of Britta's Shrine

H

- Historical research

I

- Imperial army

- Imperial Elections

- Imperial Magus

- Imperial Master of Works

- Imperial navy

- Imperial Senate

- Imperial title

K

- Keeper of the Memorial Gardens of Treji

- Keeper of the Sapphire Stair

- Keeper of the Spice Gardens

M

- Master of the Imperial Mint

- Mayor of Caricomare

M cont.

- Minister of Historical Research

- Ministry

N

- New Imperial titles

O

- Opportunities

P

- Powers of the Imperial Senate

Q

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

R

- Runeforge

S

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- Senate design

- Senate motion

- Senate session

- Senator

- Sinecure

- Speaker for the Senate

- Spider's Tollkeep

- Spy network

T

- The Dredgemaster of Feverwater

- The Throne

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Senate&oldid=28901"

Category-Shields

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Pilgrim's Shield

You gain one rank of Endurance provided that you are Dedicated or Annointed

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Champion's Bastion

When you spend a hero point, you gain 1 hit straight afterwards

1

0

3

7

3

0

0

0

0

Oakheart Shield

You gain one rank of Endurance and one rank of Fortitude

1

0

0

0

6

9

0

0

0

Burnished Rampart

You can spend 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying and a hero point to repair this shield

1

13

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

Warcaster's Oath

Damage taken by you or your target does not interrupt spells you are casting (for spells such as heal, create bond or night pouch).

1

0

5

7

0

0

0

4

0

Stormguard Bulwark

You gain one rank of Endurance, and one mana

1

9

5

0

0

0

0

0

7

Pages in category "Shields"

The following 7 pages are in this category, out of 7 total.

B

- Burnished Rampart

C

- Champion's Bastion

O

- Oakheart Shield

P

- Pilgrim's Shield

S

- Template%3AShields

- Stormguard Bulwark

W

- Warcaster's Oath

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Shields&oldid=34974"

Category-Spring Ritual

Pages in category "Spring Ritual"

The following 37 pages are in this category, out of 37 total.

A

- Anathemic Call of Bug and Briar

B

- Blessing of New Spring

- Blood and Salt

- Blood of the Hydra

C

- Call Down Lightning's Wrath

- Charge of the Rushing Wind

- Chirurgeon's Healing Touch

- Churning Cauldron of Bravash

- Curse of Gangrenous Flesh

F

- Fan the Flame of New Life

- Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague

- Fire in the Blood

- Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea

F cont.

- Forge the Wooden Fastness

- Fountain of Life

H

- Hallow of the Green World

- Hands of the Healer

- Hearthfire Circle

I

- Irrepressible Monkey Spirit

M

- Merciless Wrath of the Reaver

- Midwife's Recourse

R

- Rampant Growth

- Rising Roots that Rend Stone

- Rivers of Life

- Rivers Run Red

- Rot's Rightful Claim

S

- Skin of Bark, Blood of Amber

- Spring rituals

T

- The Dance of Navarr and Thorn

- The Forest Remains

- The Hands of Sacred Life

- Thunderous Deluge

- Thunderous Tread of the Trees

- Touch of Vile Humours

- Turns the Circle

U

- Unending Cascade of Blood's Fire

V

- Vitality of Rushing Water

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Spring_Ritual&oldid=31354"

Category-Staffs

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Lamia's Whisper

You may cast the Venom spell as if you know it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Landkeeper's Oath

You may cast the Entangle spell as if you know it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Pugilist's Shillelagh

You may cast the Repel spell as if you know it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Unseen Encasement

You may cast the Paralyse spell as if you know it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Wendigo's Bargain

You may cast the Weakness spell as if you know it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Death's Door

You may cast the Venom spell 1/day without spending any mana.

1

0

0

0

0

0

3

0

3

Amberglass Chain

You may cast the Entangle spell 1/day as if you knew it without spending any mana.

1

0

0

0

0

7

0

0

0

Enfeebling Echo

You may cast the Weakness spell 1/day without spending any mana.

1

0

0

0

0

0

7

0

0

Shadowbound Donjon

You may cast the Paralyse spell 1/day without spending any mana.

1

0

0

0

0

6

0

0

3

Ethereal Manacle

Once per day, when you cast Entangle, you may cast it on two targets instead of one. The second entangle must be delivered within 10 seconds of the first.

1

0

0

0

0

7

0

4

0

Staff of Power

1/day you may cast any spell that you know for no mana cost

1

0

5

0

0

0

0

0

10

Staff of Command

You may cast the entangle, repel and paralysis spells as if you knew them

1

0

10

0

0

7

0

0

5

Staff of Life

You may cast the heal, restore limb and purify spells as if you knew them

1

0

0

0

7

0

10

0

5

Caress of Arhallogen

2/day you may cast VENOM or PARALYSE without spending any mana

1

0

0

0

0

9

9

0

10

Furrowed Wake

2/day you may call STRIKEDOWN when you cast Entangle

1

0

12

5

0

3

0

0

9

Staff of the Magi

2/day you may cast any spell that you know for no mana cost

1

5

7

0

0

0

12

0

13

Suzerain's Command

3/day you may cast REPEL or ENTANGLE without spending any mana

1

0

15

0

0

17

0

0

10

Staff of Imperial Mastery

You may cast any spell on the spell list as if you knew it

1

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

7

Pages in category "Staffs"

The following 19 pages are in this category, out of 19 total.

A

- Amberglass Chain

C

- Caress of Arhallogen

D

- Death's Door

E

- Enfeebling Echo

- Ethereal Manacle

F

- Furrowed Wake

L

- Lamia's Whisper

L cont.

- Landskeeper's Oath

P

- Pugilist's Shillelagh

S

- Shadowbound Donjon

- Staff of Command

- Staff of Imperial Mastery

- Staff of Life

- Staff of Power

S cont.

- Staff of the Magi

- Template%3AStaffs

- Suzerain's Command

U

- Unseen Encasement

W

- Wendigo's Bargain

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Staffs&oldid=32511"

Category-Summer Ritual

Pages in category "Summer Ritual"

The following 31 pages are in this category, out of 31 total.

C

- Challenge the Iron Duke

- Champions Shining Resolve

- Chasuble of Majesty

- Clad in Golden Raiment

- Crimson Ward of Summer Stars

D

- Delve Deep, Beneath the Mountain

- Devastating Maul of Inga Tarn

F

- Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae

G

- Glorious Crown of Enchantment

- Glory to the Sovereign

K

- Knights of Glory

M

- Mantle of Lordly Might

- Might of the Myrmidon

N

- Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords

R

- Raise the Standard of War

- Renewed Strength of the New Day

S

- Splendid Panoply of Knighthood

- Stout Resolve of the Unyielding

- Strength of the Bull

- Strong Ox, Golden Sun

- Summer rituals

T

- Talon of the Gryphon

T cont.

- Tenacity of Jotra

- The Hammer of Thunder

- The Leaping Hare

- The Sound of Drums

- The Swan's Cruel Wing

- The Vigour of Youth

- Thundering Roar of the Lion-bound Horn

U

- Unbreakable Behemoth's Strength

- Unbreakable Spirit, Unbreakable Blades

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Summer_Ritual&oldid=31353"

Category-Talismans

Item

Power

Time

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Circlet of Falling Snow

When you are exposed to any roleplaying effect you can expend 1 mana to justify remaining calm and relaxed.

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Dragonbone Symbol

When this item is the subject of a HALLOW ceremony, the ceremony lasts as long as the item does.

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Pilgrim's Shield

You gain one rank of Endurance provided that you are Dedicated or Annointed

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Bondring

1/day you may use either stay with me or get it together on the other person you have bonded to, without spending a hero point.

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

7

0

Escharotic Cauldron

When you use the apothecary skill to create a potion you may substitute two drams of Marrowort for one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine, or two drams of Cerulean Mazzarine for one dram of Marrowort. You can only make this substitution once per preparation.

1

0

0

0

0

7

0

0

0

Wyrmstone Mortar

When you use the apothecary skill to create a potion you may substitute two drams of Imperial Roseweald for one dram of Bladeroot, or two drams of Bladeroot for one dram of Imperial Roseweald. You can only make this substitution once per preparation.

1

0

0

0

0

0

7

0

0

Mirror of the Virtuous

If the bearer leads an ANOINTING ceremony, all effects apply to the bearer as well as the target.

1

0

0

0

6

0

0

3

0

Phial of the Sun

Once per day when you use the physick skill you can decant some of the juice from this phial and use it as if it were any one herb. An apothecary cannot use this juice when creating a potion.

1

0

0

0

3

3

2

0

0

Shackles of Insight

1/day you can perform INSIGHT on two targets at the same time; you must be able to touch both targets

1

0

7

0

0

0

0

3

0

Alderman's Edge

You gain the weapon master skill

1

0

8

0

0

0

0

3

0

Cowl of Ashes

Gain 1 rank for the Whispers through the Black Gate ritual

1

0

0

0

0

0

4

3

3

Greensteel Bracelets

You gain the shield skill

1

3

0

8

0

0

0

0

0

Lodestone Shears

Twice per day an artificer can use these shears to cut a bond connecting to an item they can make as if they were casting the create bond spell

1

0

6

0

0

0

6

0

0

Champion's Bastion

When you spend a hero point, you gain 1 hit straight afterwards

1

0

3

7

3

0

0

0

0

Illuminates' Amulet

2/day when you use a dose of Liao to perform a religious ceremony you regain 1 personal Mana.

1

0

0

0

5

0

0

3

5

Shackle of the Unvirtuous

While wearing this ring, your aura is concealed from the INSIGHT skill; you cannot use any liao skills or imperial liao while bonded to this item

1

0

4

0

6

0

0

3

0

Bannerman's Band

Wearer gains the stay with me skill, and may use it once a day without spending a hero point

1

0

0

5

0

4

0

5

0

Oakheart Shield

You gain one rank of Endurance and one rank of Fortitude

1

0

0

0

6

9

0

0

0

Burnished Rampart

You can spend 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying and a hero point to repair this shield

1

13

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

Captain's Mask

Gain 1 rank for Splendid Panoply of Knighthood and Strength of the Bull

1

9

0

0

0

0

0

3

4

Chrysalis Pendant

You may spend a hero point and five seconds of appropriate roleplaying to restore the use to another character's limb that has been disabled with the CLEAVE or IMPALE calls.

1

0

0

0

8

5

3

0

0

Corsair's Bloody Mask

Gain 1 rank for the Blood and Salt and Merciless Wrath of the Reaver rituals

1

0

5

3

0

0

0

4

3

Mask of Gold and Lead

Gain 1 rank for The Eight-Spoked Wheel and the Retrograde Wheel rituals

1

0

0

0

0

0

3

4

9

Mask of the Mountebank

Gain 1 rank for the Disguise Lineage and Masque of the Blinded Weaver.

1

0

0

0

0

0

4

5

7

Mercantilist's Mask

Gain 1 rank for the Streams of Silver and Rivers of Hold rituals

1

7

0

0

0

0

3

3

2

Warcaster's Oath

You do not lose the mana for any spell that you are interrupted while casting

1

0

5

7

0

0

0

4

0

Unblinking Eye

1/day you may use the INSIGHT skill as if you knew it without requiring any Liao.

1

3

7

0

5

0

0

3

0

Stormguard Bulwark

You gain one rank of Endurance, and one mana

1

9

5

0

0

0

0

0

7

Censer of Benediction

When you participate in a CONSECRATE, HALLOW or ANOINTING ceremony, you may add an additional rank by spending an additional Liao

1

5

0

6

0

7

0

3

0

Righteous Aspergil

When you participate in a TESTIFY ceremony, you may add up to two additional ranks by spending up to two additional Liao

1

3

7

0

6

0

0

5

0

Silent Bell

When you participate in an EXORCISM ceremony, you may add up to two additional ranks by spending up to two additional Liao

1

0

0

7

0

0

10

5

0

Straw Mask

Gain 1 rank for the Blessing of New Spring, Strong Ox and Golden Sun , and Gathering the Harvest rituals

1

3

0

0

3

3

3

4

3

Strigine Mask

Gain 1 rank for Reading the Weave, Eye of the Sun and the Moon and Piercing Light rituals

1

7

0

0

9

0

0

3

2

Abraxus Stone

When under the effect of VENOM, your bleed count is reduced by 3 minutes instead of to zero

1

0

7

0

9

0

12

0

0

Pauper's Key

2/day may open a portal as if they had cast the open portal spell

1

0

0

2

7

0

9

0

9

Ring of Adversity

1/day Gain 1 rank of Spring, Winter or Night Lore

1

0

6

0

0

9

9

0

6

Ring of Triumph

1/day Gain 1 rank of Summer, Autumn or Day Lore

1

9

0

6

9

0

0

0

6

Bloodfire Periapt

While under the effect of VENOM, you gain 3 endurance. You lose 3 hits from your current total when the VENOM is cured.

1

6

0

6

14

0

6

0

0

Atun's Ring

1/day Gain 1 rank in any one Lore

1

6

6

0

6

6

6

0

6

Circlet of Command

Whenever you activate the Get It Together skill, you may use it on two characters at once for the cost of 1 Hero Point. You must have one hand on each target.

1

7

5

4

15

0

0

7

0

Pages in category "Talismans"

The following 33 pages are in this category, out of 33 total.

A

- Abraxus Stone

- Alderman's Edge

- Atun's Ring

B

- Bannerman's Band

- Bloodfire Periapt

- Bondring

- Burnished Rampart

C

- Censer of Benediction

- Champion's Bastion

- Chrysalis Pendant

- Circlet of Command

C cont.

- Circlet of Falling Snow

D

- Dragonbone Symbol

E

- Escharotic Cauldron

G

- Greensteel Bracelets

I

- Illuminates' Amulet

L

- Lodestone Shears

M

- Mirror of the Virtuous

O

- Oakheart Shield

P

- Pauper's Key

- Phial of the Sun

- Pilgrim's Shield

R

- Righteous Aspergil

- Ring of Adversity

- Ring of Triumph

S

- Shackle of the Unvirtuous

- Shackles of Insight

- Silent Bell

- Stormguard Bulwark

T

- Talisman

U

- Unblinking Eye

W

- Warcaster's Oath

- Wyrmstone Mortar

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Talismans&oldid=21703"

Category-The Brass Coast

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

This page collects all the information relevant to the Brass Coast.

Pages in category "The Brass Coast"

The following 36 pages are in this category, out of 36 total.

- The Brass Coast

B

- Brass Coast Maps

D

- Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

F

- Family

- Farewell Farewell

- Feroz

- Fire Maringo

H

- Hakima

I

- Inez y Guerra

K

- Kahraman

- Keeper of the Spice Gardens

L

- Lost Segura

M

- Madruga

- Matrilineality

- Mistress of the Glass Parador

R

- Riqueza's Dream

S

- Sail Away Across the Sea

T

- The Brass Coast children

- The Brass Coast costumes

- The Brass Coast culture and customs

- The Brass Coast economic interests

- The Brass Coast hearth magic

- The Brass Coast history

- The Brass Coast leadership

T cont.

- The Brass Coast lineage and species attitudes

- The Brass Coast look and feel

- The Brass Coast magical traditions

- The Brass Coast military concerns

- The Brass Coast music

- The Brass Coast people

- The Brass Coast religious beliefs

- The Brass Coast territories

V

- Virtue Never Falter

- Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

W

- Wagon song

- Without You

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-The_Brass_Coast&oldid=4081"

Category-The League

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

This page collects all the information relevant to The League.

Pages in category "The League"

The following 37 pages are in this category, out of 37 total.

- The League

A

- A League Costume Diary

- A League Costume Diary 2

- Aldones di Sarvos

B

- Bishop

- Bravo

C

- Custodian of the Assayer's Guild

F

- Free company

G

- Guild

H

- Holberg

L

- League icons and artistry

- League Maps

- Lovely Joan

M

- Mountebank

R

- Rings in the League

S

- Sarvos

T

- Tassato

- Temeschwar

- The League children

- The League costumes

- The League culture and customs

- The League economic interests

- The League hearth magic

- The League history

- The League leadership

- The League lineage and species attitudes

T cont.

- The League look and feel

- The League magical traditions

- The League military concerns

- The League music

- The League people

- The League religious beliefs

- The League territories

- Tower Song

- Treggajoran Wartha

- Troupe

U

- Uncle Vyig

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-The_League&oldid=4084"

Category-The Marches

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

This page collects all the information relevant to The Marches.

Pages in category "The Marches"

The following 56 pages are in this category, out of 56 total.

- The Marches

B

- Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Bregasland

- Bringing in the Sheaves

C

- Carts Come Home

- Chants for naughty children

D

- Designing a costume for your character - a Marcher Costume diary

F

- Feni

G

- Good Walder

H

- Here's A Health to the Company

J

- Jack and the Giant

K

- Kalenda Maya

L

- Landskeeper

M

- Marcher At My Side

- Marcher battle song

- Marcher household

- Marches Battle Song

- Marches Maps

- Market Town

M cont.

- Men of Fenrose

- Mitwold

- Monastery

- Mournwold

- Mournwold Harvest

O

- Only Remembered For What We Have Done

P

- Pretty Ploughboy

- Proverbs

- Pull Down Below

R

- Rebel March

S

- Silent Giants

- Steward

T

- Ten Thousand Miles

- The Marches children

- The Marches costumes

- The Marches culture and customs

- The Marches economic interests

- The Marches hearth magic

- The Marches history

T cont.

- The Marches icons and artistry

- The Marches leadership

- The Marches lineage and species attitudes

- The Marches look and feel

- The Marches magical traditions

- The Marches military concerns

- The Marches music

- The Marches people

- The Marches religious beliefs

- The Marches tales

- The Marches territories

- The Unquiet Grave

- Tom A'Bedlam's song

U

- Upwold

W

- Wassail

- Whose Pigs Are These?

Y

- Ye Mariners All

- Yeoman of the Marches

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-The_Marches&oldid=4085"

Category-Tools

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Escharotic Cauldron

When you use the apothecary skill to create a potion you may substitute two drams of Marrowort for one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine, or two drams of Cerulean Mazzarine for one dram of Marrowort. You can only make this substitution once per preparation.

1

0

0

0

0

7

0

0

0

Wyrmstone Mortar

When you use the apothecary skill to create a potion you may substitute two drams of Imperial Roseweald for one dram of Bladeroot, or two drams of Bladeroot for one dram of Imperial Roseweald. You can only make this substitution once per preparation.

1

0

0

0

0

0

7

0

0

Phial of the Sun

Once per day when you use the physick skill you can decant some of the juice from this phial and use it as if it were any one herb. An apothecary cannot use this juice when creating a potion.

1

0

0

0

3

3

2

0

0

Lodestone Shears

Twice per day an artificer can use these shears to cut a bond connecting to an item they can make as if they were casting the create bond spell

1

0

6

0

0

0

6

0

0

This category currently contains no pages or media.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Tools&oldid=31856"

Category-Two-handed Weapons

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Woodcutter's Axe

May spend a hero point to call SHATTER

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Butcher's Cleaver

May spend a hero point to call CLEAVE

1

5

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Reaving Mattock

1/day may call SHATTER

1

0

7

0

0

0

0

0

0

Dawn's Glory

Gain 1 Hero Point

1

0

0

10

3

0

0

0

0

Giant's Maul

1/day may call STRIKEDOWN

1

0

7

7

0

0

0

0

0

Landsknecht's Zweihander

2/day may call SHATTER

1

3

13

0

0

0

3

0

0

Trollhammer

May spend hero point to call PARALYSIS. You are also affected by PARALYSIS

1

0

10

0

0

6

6

0

0

Captain's Command

May spend hero points to call REPEL or STRIKEDOWN

1

3

12

11

0

0

0

5

0

Trollslayer's Crescent

Gain 2 Hero Points

1

5

0

21

10

0

0

3

0

Pages in category "Two-handed Weapons"

The following 10 pages are in this category, out of 10 total.

B

- Butcher's Cleaver

C

- Captain's Command

D

- Dawn's Glory

G

- Giant's Maul

L

- Landsknecht's Zweihänder

R

- Reaving Mattock

T

- Trollhammer

- Trollslayer's Crescent

T cont.

- Template%3ATwo-Handed Weapons

W

- Woodcutter's Axe

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Two-handed_Weapons&oldid=31837"

Category-Urizen

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

This page collects all the information relevant to Urizen.

Pages in category "Urizen"

The following 34 pages are in this category, out of 34 total.

- Urizen

1

- 18 Rings

A

- Arete

B

- Black Plateau

C

- Cold, Crisp Air

F

- From the Spires Tall

H

- Hungry Goat

M

- Morrow

N

- Net of the Heavens

P

- Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

R

- Redoubt

S

- Speak of Your Love

S cont.

- Spiral

- Spire

T

- The Stargazer's Song

U

- Urizen children

- Urizen costumes

- Urizen culture and customs

- Urizen economic interests

- Urizen hearth magic

- Urizen history

- Urizen Icons and Artistry

- Urizen leadership

- Urizen lineage and species attitudes

U cont.

- Urizen look and feel

- Urizen magical traditions

- Urizen Maps

- Urizen Memorial Song

- Urizen military concerns

- Urizen music

- Urizen people

- Urizen religious beliefs

- Urizen territories

Z

- Zenith

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Urizen&oldid=4087"

Category-Varushka

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

This page collects all the information relevant to Varushka.

Pages in category "Varushka"

The following 51 pages are in this category, out of 51 total.

- Varushka

A

- Alderei the Fair

- All The Ushka

B

- Ballad of the Schlacta

- Beneath the Skin

- Brave Varushka Forth

- Build The Fires High

D

- Dos Vidanya

F

- Footprints

H

- Hearth and Home

- Here's To Varushka

- Hurry, Hunter

I

- If Varushka Wills

K

- Karov

- Karsk

- Keep the Fires Burning

L

- Lord of Winter

M

- Marching song

- Miekarova

- Mother Varushka

- Mother Varushka Goes to War

- Mravalzhamier

R

- Raise up your glass to Varushka

S

- Stzena

T

- The Beast of Volgadurn

- The Brewer's Lesson

- The North wind doth blow

- The Sovereign

- The Walker of the Snow

V

- Varushka children

- Varushka costumes

- Varushka culture and customs

- Varushka economic interests

- Varushka hearth magic

V cont.

- Varushka history

- Varushka icons and artistry

- Varushka leadership

- Varushka lineage and species attitudes

- Varushka look and feel

- Varushka magical traditions

- Varushka Maps

- Varushka military concerns

- Varushka music

- Varushka people

- Varushka religious beliefs

- Varushka territories

- Varushkan Monster

- Varushkan Road

- Volodmartz

- Volodny

W

- Warden

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Varushka&oldid=4089"

Category-Vestments

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Keeper's Habit

1/day you may perform or contribute to a CONSECRATE ceremony without expending liao

1

0

0

5

0

5

0

3

0

Missionary Dalmatic

1/day you may perform the DEDICATE ceremony without expending liao

1

5

0

0

3

0

0

5

0

Templar's Cuculla

1/day you may perform or contribute to an EXORCISM ceremony without expending liao

1

0

0

0

0

0

7

3

3

Troubadour's Tunic

1/day you may perform or contribute to a TESTIFY ceremony without expending liao

1

7

0

0

0

0

3

3

0

Wayfarer's Robe

1/day you may perform or contribute to an ANOINTING ceremony without expending liao

1

0

0

0

0

0

5

3

5

Dragonbone Tunic

1/day you may perform the HALLOW ceremony without expending liao

1

0

0

0

7

0

0

7

0

Simar of Certainty

1/day you may perform the EXCOMMUNICATE ceremony without expending liao

1

0

0

0

0

0

11

3

0

Labyrinthine Vestments

1/day you may perform or contribute to a religious ceremony without expending liao.

1

0

0

0

7

0

7

5

0

Inquisitor's Cassock

2/day you may peform an INSIGHT ceremony without expending liao

1

0

7

0

7

3

12

4

7

Splendid Vestment

When you participate in a CONSECRATE, HALLOW, ANNOINTING, EXORCISM, TESTIFY or EXCOMMUNICATION ceremony, you may add an additional rank by spending an additional Liao

1

8

0

0

5

0

13

5

13

Cowl of Judgement

When you perform the EXCOMMUNICATE ceremony you may add up to three additional ranks by spending up to three additional Liao

1

0

0

0

9

0

21

5

10

Pages in category "Vestments"

The following 12 pages are in this category, out of 12 total.

C

- Cowl of Judgement

D

- Dragonbone Tunic

I

- Inquisitor's Cassock

K

- Keeper's Habit

L

- Labyrinthine Vestments

M

- Missionary Dalmatic

S

- Simar of Certainty

- Splendid Vestment

T

- Templar's Cuculla

- Troubadour's Tunic

V

- Template%3AVestments

W

- Wayfarer's Robe

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Vestments&oldid=31860"

Category-Wands

Item

Power

Months

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Acolyte's Mercy

You may cast the Heal spell as if you know it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Mazzarine Spindle

You may cast the Restore Limb spell as if you know it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Runesmith's Gavel

You may cast the Mend spell as if you know it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Swanfeather Schema

You may cast the Purify spell as if you know it

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Altruist's Recompense

You regain one lost hit everytime you cast the Heal spell

1

0

0

0

5

0

0

0

3

Witchwood Wand

Gain 1 personal mana

1

0

0

0

0

0

3

0

7

Scrivener's Seal

You may cast Create Bond 2/day without expending mana

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

5

7

Ambergelt Baton

Once per day you may cast Heal, Purify and Restore Limb on the target simultaneously as if you knew them without spending any mana

1

0

0

0

4

7

0

0

3

Bloodwoven Braid

You may cast the Heal spell 2/day as if you knew it without expending mana

1

0

0

0

7

3

2

0

3

Redsteel Chisel

You may cast the Mend spell 2/day as if you knew it without expending mana

1

7

0

6

0

0

0

0

3

Maggot's Talon

You may break all a target's bonds when you cast the Create Bond spell

1

0

0

0

0

0

4

12

8

Seer's Probe

You can cast DETECT MAGIC or VOICE FOR THE DEAD 3/day as if you knew them without spending any mana

1

0

7

0

11

0

0

3

3

Boneweaver

You may cast the Restore Limb spell 3/day without expending mana

1

0

0

0

10

10

0

0

8

Sanguine Thorn

You purify venom when you cast the Heal spell

1

7

0

0

0

0

13

0

10

Grimnir's Hearthfire

3/day the target regains all lost hits when you cast the Restore Limb spell

1

0

0

0

16

9

0

0

7

Woundbinder

You may cast the Heal spell 4/day as if you knew it without expending mana

1

0

0

0

21

13

14

0

9

Pages in category "Wands"

The following 17 pages are in this category, out of 17 total.

A

- Acolyte's Mercy

- Altruist's Recompense

- Ambergelt Baton

B

- Bloodwoven Braid

- Boneweaver

G

- Grimnir's Hearthfire

M

- Maggot's Talon

- Mazzarine Spindle

R

- Redsteel Chisel

- Runesmith's Gavel

S

- Sanguine Thorn

- Scrivener's Seal

S cont.

- Seer's Probe

- Swanfeather Schema

W

- Template%3AWands

- Witchwood Wand

- Woundbinder

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Wands&oldid=31845"

Category-Wintermark

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

This page collects all the information relevant to Wintermark.

Pages in category "Wintermark"

The following 39 pages are in this category, out of 39 total.

- Wintermark

A

- A Kallivesi Costume Diary

C

- Cattle Calls

H

- Hahnmark

- Heroism

- Ho Ho Away We Go

I

- I Wish My Baby Was Born

K

- Kalenda Maya

- Kallavesa

- Kallavesi

L

- Lament for Skarsind

- Low Down in the Broom

M

- My Ain True Love

M cont.

- Mystic

S

- Sermersuaq

- Skarsind

- Skarsind Spoils of War

- Steinr

- Suaq

T

- The Scop's Gift

- The Snow It Melts the Soonest

- Two Men Came to Your Hall Door

W

- Wintermark children

- Wintermark costumes

- Wintermark culture and customs

- Wintermark economic interests

W cont.

- Wintermark hearth magic

- Wintermark history

- Wintermark Icons and Artistry

- Wintermark lineage and species attitudes

- Wintermark look and feel

- Wintermark magical traditions

- Wintermark Maps

- Wintermark military concerns

- Wintermark music

- Wintermark people

- Wintermark political leadership

- Wintermark religious beliefs

- Wintermark territories

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Wintermark&oldid=4090"

Category-Winter Ritual

Pages in category "Winter Ritual"

The following 42 pages are in this category, out of 42 total.

A

- An Echo of Life Remains

B

- Black Iron Blade

C

- Circle of Trust

- Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust

- Coil of the Black Leech

- Crumbling Flesh and Withering Limbs

- Curse of Decrepitude

D

- Devastating Scythe of Anguish and Loss

- Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt

F

- Fallow Fields and Dried Meat

- Fight Tooth and Nail

- Freezing Brand of Irremais

G

- Gnawing, Endless Hunger

H

- Hold Back Frozen Hunger

H cont.

- Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw

- Hunger of the Draughir

- Hungry Grasp of Despair

I

- Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence

- Inevitable Collapse into Ruin

L

- Last Breath Echoes

M

- Mark the Flesh Incorruptible

N

- Naeve's Twisting Blight

P

- Pakaanan's Iron Shutters

- Pallid Flesh of the Dead King

Q

- Quickening Cold Meat

R

- Ravenous Tongue of Entropy

- Retreat to the White Caves

- Ruthless Vigilance, Healthy Crop

S

- Sorins Rite of Agony

T

- The Grave's Treacherous Edge

- There Is No Welcome Here

- Traitor's Fate

U

- Unyielding Constitution

W

- Ward of the Black Waste

- Whispers through the Black Gate

- Wind of Mundane Silence

- Winter rituals

- Winter's Ghosts

- Wisdom of the Balanced Blade

- Wither the Seed

- Withering Touch of Frost

- Words of Ending

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Cathan Canae

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Summer

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Summer

Sobriquets

Cathan Canae is called the Queen of Ice and Darkness or the Lady of the Frost.

She is sometimes called called The Breath of Winter (perhaps confusingly, given she is an Eternal of Summer), Mistress of Blizzards and The Immovable One.

Appearance

This Summer Eternal appears either as a tall, muscular woman dressed in heavy chain in the style of a Wintermark warrior-heroine, bearing a vicious hooked pole-arm called Ironwind. On her brow is a tall crown of ice set with three blue jewels. She usually wears a mantle of white bear-fur, which stories say was made for her by the Suaq icewalker-hero Fainomaiken from the hide of the titanic Devilbear that haunted the wastes of Sermersuaq centuries before the Steinr came and the people of Wintermark became one.

On the rare occasions that she is presenting a more peaceful mien, she dresses in the manner of a rich Steinr thane, or wealthy Varushkan boyar, usually with her white mantle over the top and her regal crown. She is by turns imperious; mighty; cold as the glacier; furious as the blizzard.

Cathan Canae is rarely encountered alone; she is usually accompanied by warriors or occasionally ogre-like giants or savage supernatural beasts. She rules a great swathe of territory in the Summer realm from her immense frozen citadel. Her realm is composed of awe-inspiring mountains, frozen waterfalls, glaciers and trackless snow-covered plains, haunted by legendary monsters and bands of savage warriors. Her armies regularly engage in skirmishes and battles with those of Eleonaris on the Fields of Glory and Hayaak for mastery of the Forest of Arden.

Concerns

Cathan Canae exemplifies and glories in physical strength; she is the awesome strength of the glacier, the might of the howling blizzard, the irresistable majesty of the mountain, the implacable force of the avalanche. She reaches for the strength that none can stand against, and that cannot be overcome - both the irresistible force and the immovable object. She is extremely stubborn, and respects only two things; might and resilience. She is extremely proud, and those who disrespect her earn her unending ire.

In many stories it is Cathan Canae who sends blizzards and avalanches down from the mountains, or south from the frigid wastes, to batter Wintermark and Varushka. She does not do this from wickedness, but because it is in her nature to test others. Those who endure the onslaught of winter, or who fight with courage against the armies of their enemies, become ever stronger, ever more capable of resisting whatever the world throws at them.

In Wintermark she is strongly associated with the rune Verys.

Boons

Cathan Canae can give boons of strengh, martial prowess and supernatural endurance or fortitude. She almost always demands that those who would receive her boons prove their strength bu defeating one of her champions or enduring a challenge of their resilience, constitution or will. According to stories the hero Fainomaiken endured twelve impossible tasks during his fabled courtship of this proud queen, including holding back the glacier Immanoviel for a year-and-a-day and enduring seven days and seven nights naked beneath the frozen waterfall called Unending Frost. Modern heroes are likely to receive slightly less dramatic challenges, but those who fail are often left broken or maimed. Cathan Canae has neither mercy nor respect for those who fail to live up to her high standards of excellence.

On rare occasions she will lend a weapon, shield or piece of armour from her extensive collection to a mortal to wield for a time. Her artisans are some of the most skilled in the Summer realm, and work with all manner of exotic materials including living ice, water, wind and starlight. Even other Eternals of Summer seek the aid of her crafters.

Sometimes she will offer the services of her giant warriors, massive Eternal humanoids often reaching seven or eight feet in height and possessed of unspeakable strength. She may likewise send some of the legendary beasts and savage hunters of her realm to bedevil mortals. or be prevailed upon to raise a blizzard or avalanche, or aid mortal ritualists in doing the same.

Some mortal ritualsts are able to prevail on ancient pacts to call forth a frozen fortification from her realm, and she can make this process easier or harder.

A very few men and women have wooed Cathan Canae; those who impress her with their strength, courage and fortitude may spend one night as her consort. Should they survive this honour it is said that ever after they are inured to the cold of winter- they can walk naked through the mightiest blizzard without difficulty, or swim the frozen floes of Tsirku without fear.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Cathan_Canae&oldid=34702"

Cathan Canea

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Summer

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Summer

Sobriquets

Cathan Canae is called the Queen of Ice and Darkness or the Lady of the Frost.

She is sometimes called called The Breath of Winter (perhaps confusingly, given she is an Eternal of Summer), Mistress of Blizzards and The Immovable One.

Appearance

This Summer Eternal appears either as a tall, muscular woman dressed in heavy chain in the style of a Wintermark warrior-heroine, bearing a vicious hooked pole-arm called Ironwind. On her brow is a tall crown of ice set with three blue jewels. She usually wears a mantle of white bear-fur, which stories say was made for her by the Suaq icewalker-hero Fainomaiken from the hide of the titanic Devilbear that haunted the wastes of Sermersuaq centuries before the Steinr came and the people of Wintermark became one.

On the rare occasions that she is presenting a more peaceful mien, she dresses in the manner of a rich Steinr thane, or wealthy Varushkan boyar, usually with her white mantle over the top and her regal crown. She is by turns imperious; mighty; cold as the glacier; furious as the blizzard.

Cathan Canae is rarely encountered alone; she is usually accompanied by warriors or occasionally ogre-like giants or savage supernatural beasts. She rules a great swathe of territory in the Summer realm from her immense frozen citadel. Her realm is composed of awe-inspiring mountains, frozen waterfalls, glaciers and trackless snow-covered plains, haunted by legendary monsters and bands of savage warriors. Her armies regularly engage in skirmishes and battles with those of Eleonaris on the Fields of Glory and Hayaak for mastery of the Forest of Arden.

Concerns

Cathan Canae exemplifies and glories in physical strength; she is the awesome strength of the glacier, the might of the howling blizzard, the irresistable majesty of the mountain, the implacable force of the avalanche. She reaches for the strength that none can stand against, and that cannot be overcome - both the irresistible force and the immovable object. She is extremely stubborn, and respects only two things; might and resilience. She is extremely proud, and those who disrespect her earn her unending ire.

In many stories it is Cathan Canae who sends blizzards and avalanches down from the mountains, or south from the frigid wastes, to batter Wintermark and Varushka. She does not do this from wickedness, but because it is in her nature to test others. Those who endure the onslaught of winter, or who fight with courage against the armies of their enemies, become ever stronger, ever more capable of resisting whatever the world throws at them.

In Wintermark she is strongly associated with the rune Verys.

Boons

Cathan Canae can give boons of strengh, martial prowess and supernatural endurance or fortitude. She almost always demands that those who would receive her boons prove their strength bu defeating one of her champions or enduring a challenge of their resilience, constitution or will. According to stories the hero Fainomaiken endured twelve impossible tasks during his fabled courtship of this proud queen, including holding back the glacier Immanoviel for a year-and-a-day and enduring seven days and seven nights naked beneath the frozen waterfall called Unending Frost. Modern heroes are likely to receive slightly less dramatic challenges, but those who fail are often left broken or maimed. Cathan Canae has neither mercy nor respect for those who fail to live up to her high standards of excellence.

On rare occasions she will lend a weapon, shield or piece of armour from her extensive collection to a mortal to wield for a time. Her artisans are some of the most skilled in the Summer realm, and work with all manner of exotic materials including living ice, water, wind and starlight. Even other Eternals of Summer seek the aid of her crafters.

Sometimes she will offer the services of her giant warriors, massive Eternal humanoids often reaching seven or eight feet in height and possessed of unspeakable strength. She may likewise send some of the legendary beasts and savage hunters of her realm to bedevil mortals. or be prevailed upon to raise a blizzard or avalanche, or aid mortal ritualists in doing the same.

Some mortal ritualsts are able to prevail on ancient pacts to call forth a frozen fortification from her realm, and she can make this process easier or harder.

A very few men and women have wooed Cathan Canae; those who impress her with their strength, courage and fortitude may spend one night as her consort. Should they survive this honour it is said that ever after they are inured to the cold of winter- they can walk naked through the mightiest blizzard without difficulty, or swim the frozen floes of Tsirku without fear.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Cathan_Canea&oldid=26087"

Cattle Calls

Cattle calls of Scotland and Sweden suit the Wintermark vocal style.

- "Ha la ha la hi lass, come away with the kye lass, lo lo kin o!" Live recording by Madrigirls, harmony arrangement by Katy Cooper: http://www.madrigirls.org.uk/audio/1cattlecall.mp3

- Free vocalisation cattle call from Jamtland in Sweden by Emma Härdelin: http://www.jamtlandica.com/mp3/Kaukning_EH.mp3

- A reindeer call from Norway: Olay Loy Loyla. Listen to the track on Nevermas by Madrigirls

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Cattle_Calls&oldid=795"

Caution for the Dawnish Youth

Song by Jamie Wakefield (https://soundcloud.com/jamie-wakefield/caution-for-the-dawnish-youth)

Chords: Dm Asus Dm Dsus Dm Asus

Verse 1 How can you pretend to know of violence, Sitting, reading fairy tales of war? Tell me what's the worst that you can fear! A papercut? My Dawnish friend, our wounds are deeper still.

Chorus Ai! Ai-ee-eh! Ai-ee-eh! Ai! Ai-ee-eh! Ai-ee-eh!

Verse 2 The borders of The Empire are too fragile, To let an enemy get half-a-chance. Kill them where you can, Use everything you have to hand. Noble grace will send you to your grave.

Chorus

Verse 3 with bridge. The Striding walks the trod to save our homeland. The Steading guards the wood 'till they return. You would blindly wander in alone? You cannot see. You cannot hear. There in the deep... The Vallorn lie.... They never sleep... They're waiting...

Chorus

Verse 4 On the road, the paths we tread are endless. The weariness will wear you to the bone. The enemy will wait for you to stumble. With vigilance, your only coat of steel.

Chorus

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Caution_for_the_Dawnish_Youth&oldid=24521"

Cavul

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 The Swan, Rune of Purity

- 2 Using Cavul in magic

- 3 Crafting with Cavul

- 4 For Machine Embroidery

The Swan, Rune of Purity

Affiliated with the Realm of Day

Cavul is the Swan, which represents purity, clarity and calm. It removes corruption and restores things to their original condition. It is also called the Rune of Clarity, and is used during meditation to center the mind and shut out external influences.

Purity protects from outside influences by reinforcing what is present (protection and warding) or restoring things to their original condition (removing corruption and taint). It has strong connections with water, and magic that evokes Cavul often includes elements of washing, cleansing or drinking with pure liquid.

The Rune of Purity has unfortunate political connections. It has been used by movements that consider lineage to be a taint on humanity, as well as by groups who oppose the involvement of magicians or the Eternals in Imperial affairs. Prior to their arrest in 342YE, the Fraternity of the Swan inscribed Cavul on the bodies of their Imperial Orc victims as a call to arms against the so-called corruption of the Empire by orcs.

Using Cavul in magic

Cavul is evoked with magic that reinforces, protects against outside influence, removes taint or impurity, or cleanses. Many magicians evoke this rune by name, or trace it on the body of their target when performing the Purify incantation.

Crafting with Cavul

Scholars, monks and politicians may bear the Swan Rune on a ring that they can study to calm their emotions without drawing attention. While it is sometimes placed on or inside a drinking vessel (especially by those who fear poisoning) it is not popular with those who enjoy carousing. It is said that the presence of Cavul removes the flavour of any alcohol it comes into contact with. It is used on flasks and water skins by travelers, to keep the liquid inside fresh.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Cavul in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneCavul.jef

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Celestial Arch

Contents

- 1 Motto

- 2 Symbol

- 3 The Manifesto

- 4 Membership of the Order

- 5 Conclave vault

Motto

Knowledge and power in union.

Symbol

A symbol that has been associated with this Order in the past has been a dark blue archway surmounting a six-pointed star

The Manifesto

The Order of the Celestial Arch holds the following to be true:

- Both politics and magic are the art of the judicious application of power

- Magicians, by nature of their knowledge, discipline, perception and power are prepared for leadership

- Negotiation with Eternals and diplomacy with Foreign Powers are comparable skills, and of comparable importance to the Empire

The Order of the Celestial Arch therefore exists to:

- Ensure that the the major political decisions receive the benefit and insight of Conclave mages

- Encourage those in positions of leadership and authority to hone their skill through study of magic

- Ensure unity of purpose between the Conclave and the Senate

Membership of the Order

The Celestial Arch often works closely with Senators seeking a voice in the Conclave, and prepared to return the favour in the Imperial Senate. They lobby constantly for more magicians to take up political life, and make no secret of the fact that many of them support magicial training as a prerequisite of candidacy for the Senate. The order often tries to recruit magicians who are also Senators, or at the very least to maintain good relations with them.

They tend to make an effort to maintain good relations between the Empire and friendly Eternals, while being quick to identify Eternals who are enemies of the Empire and proscribe interaction with them. As with the Sevenfold Path they have a no-nonsense approach to magicians who fall back on curses and other actions likely to damage the standing of magicians as a whole in the Empire - a surprising number of threshers who are also magicians belong to this order.

The grandmasters of the Celestial Arch try to wield magic and politics with equal aplomb. This order tends to attract a number of Urizen magi, which can often give them easy access to crystal mana.

As magicians interested in political, as well as magical, power the Celestial Arch often see the advantage of gambits that will garner political favours, either within the Conclave or with other Imperial bodies. While their main interest usually lies with the Senate, they see the value in gambits that will encourage the military council, synod or bourse to feel indebted to the Conclave - which means they may find themselves ready allies in the Rod and Shield, Sevenfold Path or Golden Pyramid as a consequence.

Conclave vault

Each summit, the Conclave vault of the Celestial Arch garners the following resources;

- 10 crystal mana from bequests.

- A pro-rata share of the Font based on the precedence of the orders at the previous summit.

- A portion of ilium based on their position among the orders as determined by precedence.

- 2 ingots of tempest jade, 3 measures of iridescent gloaming, and 2 measures of dragonbone from existing bequests.

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Censer of Benediction

Description

A censer or brazier of benediction is a religious talisman used to offer additional potence to ceremonies that hallow, consecrate or anoint. At it's most basic it takes the form of a vessel used for burning incense or aromatic herbs as part of a ceremony - msot often used in conjunction with liao. These talismans may consist of anything from a simple earthenware bowl or fire pots to an intricately carved silver or gold vessel. They are most often decorated with symbols of Loyalty, Courage, Prosperity or Ambition or with devices appropriate to the faith as a whole (especially the sevenfold-labyrinth design).

A priest who uses one of these handy talismans is able to create more powerful auras than normal by using more than the normal dosage of liao. It is quite common for a priest that is bonded to this article of regalia to use it in all religous ceremonies, even those to which it does not necessarily offer any additional potence.

Rules

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of ceremonial regalia.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: When you perform or participate in a consecrate, hallow, or anointing ceremony, you may add an additional rank of strength to the aura by spending an additional Liao.

- Materials: Crafting a censer of benediction requires seven measures of ambergelt, six ingots of green iron, give ingots of orichalcum and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Ceremonies overview

Contents

- 1 Performing a Ceremony

- 1.1 Selecting Roleplaying Effects

- 1.2 Duration

- 2 Anointing

- 3 Consecration

- 4 Hallowing

Performing a Ceremony

- Every ceremony requires ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying and a dose of liao to perform

- Most ceremonies involve the creation or removal of roleplaying effects

- Priests can cooperate to make roleplaying effects more difficult to remove

- All ceremonies require the presence of a referee

Each of the eight religious skills can be used to perform a ceremony. All ceremonies require ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying and one dose of liao for each participant. Most ceremonial skills involve the creation or removal of roleplaying effects, that can affect an area, character or item.

Priests can work together to perform most ceremonies, to strengthen the effect and make it harder to remove. Each priest who participates in a ceremony must have the relevant skill and must consume one dose of liao. A priest may only support another priest if they are dedicated to the same virtue as that priest or if they are not dedicated to any virtue.

Religious skills do not require touch, but do require you to be close enough to touch the target. If there are multiple participants, they must be close enough to touch the target or another participant.

Selecting Roleplaying Effects

- The roleplaying effects of a ceremonial skill are determined by the virtue of the lead priest

Anointing, hallow and consecrate allow a character to create roleplaying effects on a person, item and area respectively. The roleplaying effect created is determined by the virtue of the priest who is performing the ceremony, or by the priest leading the ceremony if more than one priest is participating.

Some ceremonial skills provide a number of different roleplaying effects that can be created. In this case the lead priest must choose one of the roleplaying effects from those available for their virtue.

The roleplaying effects that can be created by the seven virtues are:

- Ambition

- Courage

- Loyalty

- Pride

- Prosperity

- Vigilance

- Wisdom

Dedication, anointing, consecration and hallow create effects that depend on the virtue dedication of the priest leading the ceremony. Characters who are not dedicated to one of the seven virtues cannot lead such a ceremony but they may always contribute to make the effect harder to remove. They may perform other ceremonies normally.

Duration

- Consecration and hallowing effects created with ceremonial liao will last a season - until the next PD event

- Anointing effects created with ceremonial liao lasts for an encounter

- Roleplaying effects created with true liao last indefinitely

- Any ceremonial roleplaying effect can be removed by an exorcism of equal strength

- Any ceremonial roleplaying effect can be replaced by another effect of the same type of higher strength

Anointing

- Anointing creates a roleplaying effect on a character

If an anointing ceremony is performed by members of a sect who both share a virtue, and possess the anointing skill, then they may cooperate to achieve a more powerful outcome. The strength of the ceremony produced is equal to the number of participants who have the skill being used - but only one participant needs to consume a dose of liao to achieve the result. To participate in a ceremony using the power of the sect bond, all participants must be part of the same sect, share a virtue (or be of The Way) and possess the skill.

The insight ceremony will reveal the presence of an active anointing.

The recipients of an anointing, will receive a card with the roleplaying effects printed on it and the strength of the anointing. You can keep this card until the next morning to remind you of the effects that your character is under.

Consecration

- Consecration creates an aura, a roleplaying effect that covers a small area

Consecration can be used to consecrate an area to a virtue. It creates an aura, a roleplaying effect that affects everyone who enters the area.

Consecration is most effective when used on a tent, building or clearly demarcated area. The aura affects everyone who comes within 15 feet of the point where the consecration was performed. Multiple consecrations can be used to affect the entirety of a larger tent or structure if required.

Hallowing

- Hallow creates a roleplaying effect on a magical item

- Hallow can only be performed on items that have a special item ribbon

Hallowing allows a priest to bless an item to turn it into a simple relic dedicated to their virtue. The hallow creates a roleplaying effect on the item which affects any character that is bonded to the item and using it in the appropriate way for that type of magical item.

Characters who are bonded to a hallowed item will receive a hallowed item card that describes the roleplaying effects that they are experiencing.

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Ceremonies overview (Redirected from Ceremonies Overview)

Contents

- 1 Performing a Ceremony

- 1.1 Selecting Roleplaying Effects

- 1.2 Duration

- 2 Anointing

- 3 Consecration

- 4 Hallowing

Performing a Ceremony

- Every ceremony requires ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying and a dose of liao to perform

- Most ceremonies involve the creation or removal of roleplaying effects

- Priests can cooperate to make roleplaying effects more difficult to remove

- All ceremonies require the presence of a referee

Each of the eight religious skills can be used to perform a ceremony. All ceremonies require ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying and one dose of liao for each participant. Most ceremonial skills involve the creation or removal of roleplaying effects, that can affect an area, character or item.

Priests can work together to perform most ceremonies, to strengthen the effect and make it harder to remove. Each priest who participates in a ceremony must have the relevant skill and must consume one dose of liao. A priest may only support another priest if they are dedicated to the same virtue as that priest or if they are not dedicated to any virtue.

Religious skills do not require touch, but do require you to be close enough to touch the target. If there are multiple participants, they must be close enough to touch the target or another participant.

Selecting Roleplaying Effects

- The roleplaying effects of a ceremonial skill are determined by the virtue of the lead priest

Anointing, hallow and consecrate allow a character to create roleplaying effects on a person, item and area respectively. The roleplaying effect created is determined by the virtue of the priest who is performing the ceremony, or by the priest leading the ceremony if more than one priest is participating.

Some ceremonial skills provide a number of different roleplaying effects that can be created. In this case the lead priest must choose one of the roleplaying effects from those available for their virtue.

The roleplaying effects that can be created by the seven virtues are:

- Ambition

- Courage

- Loyalty

- Pride

- Prosperity

- Vigilance

- Wisdom

Dedication, anointing, consecration and hallow create effects that depend on the virtue dedication of the priest leading the ceremony. Characters who are not dedicated to one of the seven virtues cannot lead such a ceremony but they may always contribute to make the effect harder to remove. They may perform other ceremonies normally.

Duration

- Consecration and hallowing effects created with ceremonial liao will last until the next PD event

- Anointing effects created with ceremonial liao will last until the next morning

- Roleplaying effects created with true liao last indefinitely

- Any ceremonial roleplaying effect can be removed by an exorcism of equal strength

- Any ceremonial roleplaying effect can be replaced by another effect of the same type of higher strength

Anointing

- Anointing creates a roleplaying effect on a character

If an anointing ceremony is performed by members of a sect who both share a virtue, and possess the anointing skill, then they may cooperate to achieve a more powerful outcome. The strength of the ceremony produced is equal to the number of participants who have the skill being used - but only one participant needs to consume a dose of liao to achieve the result. To participate in a ceremony using the power of the sect bond, all participants must be part of the same sect, share a virtue and possess the skill.

The insight ceremony will reveal the presence of an active anointing.

The recipients of an anointing, will receive a card with the roleplaying effects printed on it and the strength of the anointing. You can keep this card until the next morning to remind you of the effects that your character is under.

Consecration

- Consecration creates an aura, a roleplaying effect that covers a small area

Consecration can be used to consecrate an area to a virtue. It creates an aura, a roleplaying effect that affects everyone who enters the area.

Consecration is most effective when used on a tent, building or clearly demarcated area. The aura affects everyone who comes within 15 feet of the point where the consecration was performed. Multiple consecrations can be used to affect the entirety of a larger tent or structure if required.

Hallowing

- Hallow creates a roleplaying effect on a magical item

- Hallow can only be performed on items that have a special item ribbon

Hallowing allows a priest to bless an item to turn it into a simple relic dedicated to their virtue. The hallow creates a roleplaying effect on the item which affects any character that is bonded to the item and using it in the appropriate way for that type of magical item.

Characters who are bonded to a hallowed item will receive a hallowed item card that describes the roleplaying effects that they are experiencing.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Ceremonies_overview&oldid=34881"

Cerulean Mazzarine

Description

The deep blue flowers of this delicate plant resemble butterflies. So perfect are the blooms that they trick other butterflies into alighting on them and thus help to pollinate the plant. It favours warm, dry environments and is most common in the wild around the Bay of Catazarr, growing equally well in the orchards of the Brass Coast, on the lower slopes of Urizen, and in the gardens of Sarvos. It has thick, fleshy leaves that produce a numbing sap with analgesic properties.

Rules

- Can only be applied by a character with the physick skill.

- Using 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying the physick can restore a limb that has been cleaved or impaled.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Cerulean_Mazzarine&oldid=34474"

Challenge the Iron Duke

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 30

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 1.5 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 30

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Summer regio. The target character must be present throughout.

As part of the performance, the ritualists must create a written challenge detailing exactly who the target is. The proclamation is destroyed as part of the ritual (OOC Note: The proclamation, or a copy, should be given to the referee.)

Effects

This ritual challenges the Eternal Barien, binding him to provide a challenge to the target. If the challenge is overcome, Barien offers a reward to the target commensurate with the difficulty and nature of the challenge.

The ritual binds Barien to provide a challenge to a given character only once. Characters who cheat during a challenge arranged by the Iron Duke are likely to make the Eternal angry, and he is capable of cursing those who transgress the rules of a challenge he has set down.

Whatever the outcome, the result of the challenge becomes known among all the Eternals of Summer.

Additional Targets

Additional characters can be targetted be effected by the ritual, as long as they are members of the same band. Each additional target increases the magnitude of the ritual by 5. The challenge Barien delivers, and the reward he provides, will assume that all characters targeted by one casting of the ritual will face it together. All targets must be present throughout the performance of the ritual.

OOC Elements

The proclamation created and used during the ritual is given to a referee, and used to target the ritual.

It may take some time for Barien to arrange a challenge, but a Herald is likely to be dispatched on his behalf to accept the challenge within a day or so. The Iron Duke selects challenges that are difficult, but never impossible - it is his nature to test targets, not to trick or destroy them. Challenges often involve fighting, but this is not a requirement. Barien's Heralds will often seek out other player characters to serve as the adversaries for characters involved in this ritual challenge.

Description

Barien is known as the Iron Duke, and the arbiter of worth. It is his nature to identify and recognise those who have overcome challenges. He possesses many treasures that he can loan or give to challengers who answer his challenge, and other boons that may be even more valuable. Further, once someone undergoes the challenge to Barien, other Summer Eternals are soon made aware of the outcome and this may permanently influence how they react to the characters involved,

The ritual binds Barien to provide a challenge to a given challenger only once. After someone has challenged him through this ritual, he may decline to offer a challenge if it is performed a second time, although in such a case the Eternal usually sends a herald to tell the challenger or the ritualists his decision. Indeed, Barien does much of his work in preparing the challenge through his Heralds, and prefers to get other mortals to provide obstacles for the challengers rather than to rely on purely supernatural sources of opposition. It is not unknown for two mortals or bands of mortals who have both been targeted by the ritual to find themselves pitched against each other, or against a slightly stronger force of mortals with whom they have a connection - Barien often uses his Heralds and discussions with magicians to determine ironic or obviously suitable challenges based on what he can learn about the challengers.

On several occasions a Dawnish enchanter who has been approached to provide a Test of Mettle or Test of Ardour has instead made meeting and defeating the challenge of the Iron Duke the heart of the Test. This is often seen as a sign of respect for the petitioner, and Barien takes such challenges extremely seriously it is one of the few circumstances where the Duke might become involved personally with the challenger.

An Urizen stagazer by the name of Caellia of Clearwater made a close study of this ritual and several others like it. She argued convincingly that it is actually no different to Missive for Sadogua - it simply creates a conduit between the ritualists and the Eternal, and allows for a transfer of information. It could theoretically be cast for a single crystal of mana. However, the ritual has been intentionally designed to be much higher magnitude, and she theorised that this was partly to bind the Eternal to an agreed-on pact, and partly to provide power that Barien could then use to create a challenge.

While the ritual is popular in Dawn, it also has obvious appeal to many Winterfolk, adventurous Freeborn and legions of Imperial Orcs looking for an opportunity to 'prove' themselves. Some Highborn who understand the ritual are torn between a general suspicion of the Eternals and the Highborn love of competition; after all, this ritual is tailor-made to allow a clever mortal to pit her wits against an Eternal and show what humans are truly made of.

Common Elements

The proclamation of challenge is a vital element in this ritual. It is often prepared on a scroll, and read by the challenger at the end of the ritual. Other common elements involve stories and songs of glorious or heroic deeds, girding the challenger with arms and armour, or anointing the target with oil, blood or wine. Banners and flags are often used, as are heraldic themes, the sounding of horns, and on some occasions the ritual is used at the beginning of a tourney in the hope that Barien will deliver some sign of the challenge by the end of the tourney.

Any or all of the Summer runes might be evoked, depending entirely on the nature of the targets.

"The first time was for love - if you can believe that! Faced some Marcher lad with arms like tree-trunks, swinging a great mattock thing around like it didn't weigh anything. Funny you only think to be scared once you're actually in there with some big bastard looming over you, eh? He should've won it, too, but he got careless and slipped, and I wasn't about to let him have the chance to knock any more of my teeth out! In at him with my axe - bet that left a mark that still stings come Winter! After all that, the girl I was mooning over ended up running off with my best friend, ain't love grand?

The second time was a matter of pride. I'd taken a bad wound campaigning up around Skoura (no, you won't find it in the history books, "never happened" so they say), and I'd been laid up for weeks afterwards, and limping a bit beyond that. Anyway, word was out that I wasn't fit for duty no more, so I spent all my savings challenging old Barien again. I guess he remembered me from last time, because he sent out some ... thing ... Not rightly sure what it was, but it was damn tough. Luckily I'd got a good few years of free company work under my belt by this point, and though my sword snapped off in it, I got me this better one in return, aye, and all the work I could ask for as well.

The third time, that was just plain foolishness. "Top of my game", I thought, "I can handle anything old Iron Britches throws at me, no problem". Think of it, beating old Barien three times in a row! Course, this time the challenge was to steal a hat from every Imperial general. As you can plainly see, Magistrate, that one didn't go so well..."

- Testimony of Ilsa Van Der Holberg, two time victor of the Iron Duke's challenge

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Challenge_the_Iron_Duke&oldid=28667"

Champion's Bastion

Description

A warrior who can withstand mighty blows can fight for longer. A champion's bastion is often of alloyed green iron and steel, inlaid with weltsilver designs. The more active a warrior wielding this shield is on a battlefield, the more the field repays that action by granting them vigour and helping them shrug off minor wounds.

The history of this item is fiercely disputed, with the Highborn and the Dawnish both claiming it as their development. It certainly predates the Empire; carvings in the Necropolis tomb of Miriam the Strong, a Highborn hero of the Patrician War, appear to show her gaining strength from her glowing shield after striking down her enemies. Her shield, War's Reward, was stolen from her tomb in the early years of the Empire, and has long-since disappeared from Imperial history, but its depiction of a unicorn and a pegasus rampant is widely known among Highborn historians. If the shield still exists, it would be an artefact of remarkable worth, not least as the oldest known example of a Champion's Bastion.

Ironically, the grounds for this claim are the source of the dispute with the Dawnish, who claim that Miriam was a Dawnish Noble who travelled to Highguard to aid Permion's rebellion. The evidence for this is largely a folk tradition in Dawn, but as with many troubadours' tales, the Dawnish regard it is as just as true as the glory in it.

This shield is generally found in the possession of those with a passion for battle beyond even other warriors. Warlords of the Imperial Orc legions value these shields, usually boldly decorated with their legion’s symbol, as a means of staying upright for longer to inspire their followers in battle. Some hear particularly loud bursts of ancestral whispering while using the shield, believing it invigorates their souls along with their bodies. The Dawnish similarly bear these shields with heraldic decoration. Some very wealthy Knightly Orders strive to bestow one of these shields upon every new member, bearing the order’s heraldry. It is sometimes called Glory’s Reward as it rewards glorious actions with renewed strength and harks back to the name of Miriam the Strong's shield. It can lead to over-confidence. One knight is famously recorded as saying, just prior to the battle where she was hacked apart by a dozen orcs, “Give me Glory’s Reward and a bucket of Bannerman’s Honey, and I’ll slay the lot myself.”

In Dawn, the Gryphon runes are commonly used as a set upon these shields, along with depictions of gryphons about to strike. Elsewhere, particularly in Wintermark, firebird imagery is used, invoking its strength of spirit and fabulous healing powers.

Rules

- Form: shield (Talisman). You cannot make a champion's bastion that is a buckler.

- Effect: Whenever you spend a hero point you regain one hit immediately afterward.

- Materials: Crafting a champion's bastion requires seven ingots of green iron, three ingots of tempest jade and three ingots of weltsilver. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The scop was holding court in a raucous corner of the tavern. He had an audience of drinkers all over the Empire, but his attention was on three: a Marcher, a Dawnish knight and most particularly on the hero of his Hall. She'd recently returned from Skarsind. The Imperial army had lost, and his job was to drag crumbs of glory out of defeat, to fire the citizens of Empire to the challenge of battles to come.

"Shield-guarded glory-tall, legend, tho' stature-small,

Great Kiri! Axe-maid! The best of our hall!

Two foes she faced alone, turn-swings she cut one down,

left his skull axe-cleaved, and turned to the next

Down swung his mighty axe, leaving the lime-wood cracked.

She's hurt. She rises! she back-handed hacks!"

Not bad, he thought as he smashed a tankard towards the next table to punctuate the end of the line. He raised his arm to Kiri:

"Blood-slick that deadly glade, death for orc foe-man made,

Giant she stood there, bestriding the field!".

They're laughing now. He's got them, he knows, but always leave them wanting more and that knight's Troubadour is tuning up on the next table.

He'd something in his mind about the shield that Arte had made her. "Sturdy-light lime-wood board, bastioned with tempest jade, Green-iron girded and welt-silver-wired!" or something like that. A bit literal for a tavern-song, really. Best keep it for the Hall. He can feel he'll be asked for a verse about this next time his Hall gathers to remind themselves they are all heroes, and their legends will live forever.

"Axe-ready glory-torn, Wintermark newly-born,

bonded like sword-edge, a nation for war.

Ice-crafty Suaq-scouts, Steinr-line weapons high,

storm-crows amongst us, wise Kallavesi.

First Empress came to us, Wisdom she spoke to us

Empire like thanes-hall, nine nations as one.

Soul-singing, gathered here, heroes of Kolti's hall!

These are our stories, they say who we are."

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Champions Shining Resolve

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains an additional hero point.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 6. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

Great deeds - if not neccessarily heroic deeds - are at the heart of the Summer Realm. This ritual functions a little like the empower incantation, but is even more versatile. As with crafted items such as the Triumphant Blade or a suit of Runeplate it is most effective when it is used to enchant someone who either already possesses a reserve of passion and heroic drive, or who is armed with a Butcher's Cleaver or similar item that can be 'powered' by the ritual.

Even without other uses, the ability to steel the will and resist outside influences is sometimes useful in it's own right; anyone can benefit from the ability to overcome malign spiritual forces, even if it is only for a short time.

The name of the ritual is the subject of some controversy. Some magicians claim it is Champion's Shining Resolve, intending it to be used on one or two glorious and heroic warriors. Other magicians claim it is Champions' Shining Resolve, meaning it is most appropriate to use it on multiple warriors so that all can benefit. The Highborn and Urizen magicians who make a study of such things suggest that one can learn something about one's peers by asking them what they think the ritual is called.

Common Elements

This ritual often involves anointing the target in some way, often with wine or blood. It may also include a symbolic crowning with green leaves or (especially in The Marches) a circlet of woven corn or grass. The names of heroic individuals (especially powerful ancestors, even for targets who are not themselves Imperial Orcs) or particularly inspirational Paragons and Exemplars are another common element, as are symbols of Pride.

Any of the Summer runes might be evoked, but Feresh, the rune of majesty, is the most common. An evocation of The Stallion or The Oak may be appropriate with this ritual, as may evocations of horses; animals that represent pride or majesty such as eagles or lions; and legendary or heraldic beasts such as gryphons, chimerae and unicorns.

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Change to Navarr voting

Alteration to internal Navarr voting protocols regarding those who have no formal territory.

Proposed by Therunin, seconded by Tassato.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Legal Ramifications

Overview

- Change Navarr voting protocols regarding those who have no formal territory

- Passed unanimously.

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013).

Cost

- None

Legal Ramifications

Changing the voting is a constitutional issue. This was struck down by the Magistrates.

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Change Urizen voting

Proposal for changes to the Urizen voting method for senators in the event of a draw.

Should more than two candidates be standing then the candidate with the lowest voting strength will conceded with their votes being recast.

Should it be a draw with no lowest candidate then those previously unable to vote would be granted a voting strength of one.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Legal Ramifications

- 6 Election Clarification

Overview

- This motion is in two parts; the first part addresses concerns over resolving ties during Senatorial elections.

- The second part gives a vote to those who cannot vote in Urizen senatorial elections.

- Passed unanimously.

- Advised by the Civil Service that the motion may have constitutional implications, or require the agreement of the egregore of Urizen.

Date

- Passed Spring 377YE (Event Two 2013).

Cost

- None

Progress

- Ongoing

Legal Ramifications

- The civil service has clarified the procedure for resolving ties during senatorial elections.

- Attempting to give a vote in the Urizen elections to non-ritualists is unconstitutional. This was struck down by magistrates.

OOC Notes

Given the nature of voting in Empire and the fact that the Empire has been around for hundreds of years, it is difficult to imagine that draws have not occurred frequently over that time. Therefore, it was a design flaw not to notice that the system needed one or more mechanisms for trying to resolve draws, that should have formed part of the campaign setting from the outset - so that detail has been corrected.

In theory, it is perfectly possible to allow the players to try and introduce rules to decide voting ties for each nation as they occur - but in practice that stretches credibility and interest. There isn't, in practice, that much game to be had from determining the mechanisms involved - and it seemed better, on balance to adopt the majority of what the players wanted - a mechanism to move forward when draws happen - and make that part of the setting.

Generally speaking we are keen to discourage players from discussing and attempting to implement significant changes to the voting mechanisms. These mechanisms are part of the game design - and they are designed to be inequitable and unfair - partly to try and enhance the character and flavour of each nation and partly to encourage politics and play. We want players to deal with the problems that the political systems cause - not dismantle and 'fix' the political system itself. It would be trivially easy for us to have written a simple fair one-citizen-one-vote democratic system for the Empire - we spent a lot of time designing the systems that exist instead because we think that ultimately they will produce a more exciting game for people.

For this reason, any attempt to extend voting in Urizen to non-magi was always going to be struck down as unconstitutional. Such a change makes perfect sense - but it removes the strong motivation to play a magician if you are playing an Urizen character, it weakens the setting by removing the emphasis on Urizen magicians as politicians and it reduces the complexity and politics of the game by giving everyone an equal voice, rather than forcing some groups to rely on others for representation.

Election Clarification

In the case of a tie, all save the top two candidates are eliminated and the election is re-run. If the deadlock continues, the election is tied and nobody is elected to the position.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Change_Urizen_voting&oldid=23557"

Changing Doctrine

"...that I maintain that there is a pressing need for a Doctrine of Inclusionism that will settle the question of the Eternals and their right and proper role in the creation we all share.

Illuminate Cicero, addressing the General Assembly

The Doctrines of the Faith are the foundational pillars of the Imperial Faith and the Way. They represent the distilled wisdom and knowledge Synod priests across the ages in statements. In essence, the doctrines define the Imperial Religion and the beliefs that it imparts as part of teaching a virtuous life to the citizens of the Empire.

The wilful rejection, or perversion of, the Doctrines of the Faith, or actively teaching and promoting False Doctrines is defined as heresy, which is a religious crime. Consequently, what is, and is not, doctrine and the wording of those doctrines, is an ongoing debate within the Synod. It is also the means by which definitive answers are provided to settle religious debates and controversies.

Given the significance of doctrine, only the majority support of the General Assembly can add, remove or amend doctrines of the faith. This requires a greater majority of the General Assembly.

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Chant of Long Years

Description

Chant of Long Years allows the user to perform ceremonies dedicated to Wisdom. It is common for a magical musical instrument of this type to be decorated with koans, parables or wise sayings. A chant of the long years may be any type of musical instrument, but most often it is a soft or quiet woodwind instrument.

This instrument is equally valuable to a priest who is dedicated to one of the other six virtues as it is to a priest who is dedicated to none of the virtues - a priest of the Way. Indeed, in some ways it is more useful to the latter philosophy of priest - it allows them to use the ceremonies of anointing, consecration and hallowing; without an instrument such as this, they would be restricted to supporting other priests in creating these auras. Likewise, a priest dedicated to a virtue other than wisdom can partake of a little of the versatility of the priest dedicated to the Way as a whole, aiding priests in the creation of an aura as if they shared their dedication.

Some artisans believe Wisdom is represented by Irremais, Rune of Wisdom.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of any kind of musical instrument.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may perform religious skills other than dedication as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Wisdom.

- Materials: Crafting Chant of Long Years requires 7 ingots of tempest jade; 3 ingots of green iron; 5 measures of beggar's lye; 3 measures of dragonbone; It takes 1 month to make one of these items.

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Chants for naughty children

Hey Daddy, if I'm not allowed to sing this because it's rude then why did you start laughing as soon as the lady left the tent?

There are a few children's rhymes in Dawn and The Marches that are very rude and only sung by very naughty children. Expect to get yourself and your parents in trouble if anyone catches you singing this!

To the tune of Freres Jacques.

Dawnish version

Mucky Marcher, mucky Marcher You're no good, you're no good Failed your Test of Mettle, failed your Test of Mettle Go eat mud, go eat mud!

Marcher version

Dawnish dandy, Dawnish dandy Run away, run away We will do the fighting, we will do the fighting, While you play, while you play!

Exceptionally Naughty Chant about the Dawnish Sung Only By Extremely Bad Children

In dawn we all get up at noon I eat my soup with a silver spoon When I want a cup of tea I clap my hands and it's made for me My seneschal's here to wash my hair I can't go out if he's not there He'll change my bib when there's food in it And he wipes my arse when I take a shit

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Chants_for_naughty_children&oldid=19056"

Chapter

The oldest chapters are amongst the most heavily fortified, with concentric rings of stone built over the centuries as the settlement has grown. Inside the walls are beautiful stone buildings dressed with marble frescoes depicting scenes of the lives of the Paragons or Imperial triumphs. Every chapter has a degree of autonomy, but they are unified by their heritage, their faith and their belief in the Empire.

At the centre of each chapter is the chapterhouse, a beautiful edifice constructed of hard granite dressed with white marble. The chapterhouse is a place of devotion, but also the heart of the community. It serves as a meeting hall and storehouse, and as the final line of defense if the chapter is attacked. The Highborn pride themselves on the strong sense of community within a chapter. They work together and often eat together, meeting daily in the chapterhouse for prayers and to break fast. The people of a chapterhouse are brought about by a shared purpose and belief. There tend to be few social barriers within a chapter as craftsmen, soldiers, scholars, labourers and priests come together regularly to affirm their bonds of loyalty, or eat together, or celebrate. The tensions within Highguard, where they exist, tend to be between differing chapters whose beliefs and attitudes may conflict.

The first chapters were built inside existing fortifications constructed on the borders of Highguard. These chapters carry the burden of protecting the nation against barbarian raids and incursions and include hundreds or even thousands of experienced soldiers. Later chapters were constructed in the interior where there is less need of constant vigil so these tend to include more scholars, philosophers and craftsmen.

The chapters were born during The Revelation, when the people rejected corruption and hungered for virtue, yet this was a time before the Synod and there were many conflicting views about the nature of virtue and of visions granted by pure liao. Each chapterhouse offered the promise of salvation, enlightenment and protection from corruption and wickedness encapsulated in their creed. The nature of a chapter’s creed varies but the broad theme was to state the shared beliefs and purpose of the chapter – and how they held to virtue over corruption.

Some chapters held to a single Virtue, and some even to a single Paragon, such as the Scions of Atun. Others, such as The Illuminated Soul, took a broader approach, welcoming all forms of virtue but requiring those that dwelt there to be transparent in all aspects of their lives so that deception and wickedness had no place to hide. A smaller set focussed their creed on a purpose or calling, for example the creed of The Arrows of Truth speaks of their calling to hunt and slay dangerous creatures that have escaped the Eternal Realms. Even in the age of the Imperial Synod, there are chapters who hold that their way of living, their creed, is the equal or superior of The Way, which is for lesser souls.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Chapter&oldid=29436"

Chapter (Redirected from Chapters)

The oldest chapters are amongst the most heavily fortified, with concentric rings of stone built over the centuries as the settlement has grown. Inside the walls are beautiful stone buildings dressed with marble frescoes depicting scenes of the lives of the Paragons or Imperial triumphs. Every chapter has a degree of autonomy, but they are unified by their heritage, their faith and their belief in the Empire.

At the centre of each chapter is the chapterhouse, a beautiful edifice constructed of hard granite dressed with white marble. The chapterhouse is a place of devotion, but also the heart of the community. It serves as a meeting hall and storehouse, and as the final line of defense if the chapter is attacked. The Highborn pride themselves on the strong sense of community within a chapter. They work together and often eat together, meeting daily in the chapterhouse for prayers and to break fast. The people of a chapterhouse are brought about by a shared purpose and belief. There tend to be few social barriers within a chapter as craftsmen, soldiers, scholars, labourers and priests come together regularly to affirm their bonds of loyalty, or eat together, or celebrate. The tensions within Highguard, where they exist, tend to be between differing chapters whose beliefs and attitudes may conflict.

The first chapters were built inside existing fortifications constructed on the borders of Highguard. These chapters carry the burden of protecting the nation against barbarian raids and incursions and include hundreds or even thousands of experienced soldiers. Later chapters were constructed in the interior where there is less need of constant vigil so these tend to include more scholars, philosophers and craftsmen.

The chapters were born during The Revelation, when the people rejected corruption and hungered for virtue, yet this was a time before the Synod and there were many conflicting views about the nature of virtue and of visions granted by pure liao. Each chapterhouse offered the promise of salvation, enlightenment and protection from corruption and wickedness encapsulated in their creed. The nature of a chapter’s creed varies but the broad theme was to state the shared beliefs and purpose of the chapter – and how they held to virtue over corruption.

Some chapters held to a single Virtue, and some even to a single Paragon, such as the Scions of Atun. Others, such as The Illuminated Soul, took a broader approach, welcoming all forms of virtue but requiring those that dwelt there to be transparent in all aspects of their lives so that deception and wickedness had no place to hide. A smaller set focussed their creed on a purpose or calling, for example the creed of The Arrows of Truth speaks of their calling to hunt and slay dangerous creatures that have escaped the Eternal Realms. Even in the age of the Imperial Synod, there are chapters who hold that their way of living, their creed, is the equal or superior of The Way, which is for lesser souls.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Chapter&oldid=29436"

Charge of the Rushing Wind

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 10

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 10

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying.

Effects

At the completion of this ritual, all contributors gain the ability to cast the repel spell once as if they knew it and without spending any mana.

When cast with more than one contributor, this ritual always counts as a use of the coven bond and counts towards the number of rituals the coven can perform that day.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Description

The Charge of Rushing Winds is a battlefield spell that allows a coven of Spring magicians to drive their opponents before them. Used with care, it allows each of them to exert their ritual mastery to immediate tactical effect. The most common battlefield use is to allow a coven to help break a line of shields, or a charge, or to push enemies out of defensible positions. It is at it's most useful when the ritualists are supported by (or are themselves) battlemages and warriors.

The ritual is more powerful the more members of the coven are present, and reaches it's highest potential the more ritualists who have not personally mastered the ability to repel their foes through spellcasting.

As the name implies it captures some of the power of the gale-force wind, but it could just as easily be said to harness the power of the river in tumult. Either way, the ritualists are often profoundly aware of the dangerous natural forces they are wielding; their implements often feel as if they might be snatched from their hands at any moment. In some cases, especially if the ritual is performed during turbulent weather, ritualists may find themselves caught in gusts of wind that do not seem to touch others, occasionally stumbling or staggering for no apparent reason.

This ritual has existed in one form or another since the earliest records, and it is likely that the repel incantation itself began as a refinement of the power it grants.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes natural forces of wind and water. Clashing, discordant music or thundering rhythms are common. The effect of the ritual itself is violent, so violent movement and loud invocations are normal. A Freeborn coven often combines loud drumming with energetic, whirling dances during which the ritualists violently crash their implements together; a circle of Highborn magisters by contrast may combine slow, irresistible movement with chants or rhythms that begin to speed up as the ritual gathers momentum.

Other elements might include the runes Mawrig or Verys, the evocation of The Claw or The Stallion, a violent stage-fight between two angry characters, or images of horses, bulls or chimerae.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Charge_of_the_Rushing_Wind&oldid=32749"

Chasuble of Majesty

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 9

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 9

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must possess the dedication skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

When the target performs or participates in a consecrate, hallow, anointing, exorcism, testimony, or excommunication ceremony, they may add an additional rank by spending an additional Liao.

The target is under a powerful roleplaying effect; they are confident in their causes, philosophies and beliefs, and may choose to respond to any roleplaying effect that would cause them to doubt or abandon them with a declaration of certainty and bolstered commitment.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same sect. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 5. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

It is easy to focus solely on the physical and war-like potence of the magic of Summer, but as this enchantment demonstrates there is much more to the Realm than that. This ritual enhances and strengthens the spiritual powers of a Religious skills#priest, allowing them to perform more potent ceremonies through the use of additional liao.

While some priests are concerned about allowing magic to influence them, there are many more who see the strength this ritual can grant in a very positive light. Whether they are creating a potent consecration or exorcising a force of corruption, the usefulness of Chasuble of Majesty cannot be denied. Indeed, the ritual was first used extensively by Highborn magisters, and some religious magicians point to it as proof that magic is another tool for humanity to use in pursuit of it's glorious destiny.

The ritual is named for the traveling garment popular among pre-Imperial pilgrims, although it is also commonly called Mantle of Majesty. A roughly oval piece of tough woolen cloth, with a hole in the centre through which to pass the head, falling below the knees on all sides and gathered up on the arms to allow them to be used freely. It became associated with several early Chapters and as the Way spread, so too did the chausable. While it was eventually replaced by the beautiful robes favoured by high ranking priests today, the chausable remains popular with some sects, especially among the priests of the Assembly of the Way.

Common Elements

This ritual often incorporates religious imagery of the Imperial Virtues. Some magicians, especially in Wintermark use the seven accepted runes of the faith when they perform the ritual, but others prefer to focus more on symbols of the Way, especially the seven-spoked wheel.

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Child protection information

Contents

- 1 Child protection policy

- 2 Code of Good Practice

- 3 Definitions of Abuse

- 4 Advice on Responding to an Allegation

- 5 Nominated child protection officers

- 6 Accreditation

Child protection policy

- Profound Decisions runs Empire LRP events (‘the event’) on four weekends each year at the Wychavon Live Roleplaying Centre near Honeybourne in Worcestershire.

- The aim of the event is to provide an interactive environment for live roleplayers of all ages to enjoy as individuals, groups or families.

- The event is organised by Profound Decisions Ltd (‘the event organiser’), a family run company based in Preston, Lancashire.

- All policies and guidelines relate to children under the age of 18 and vulnerable adults of any age. Prior to the event the event organisers will draw the attention of parents or guardians (‘carers’) to the latest version of the policy available online for their information. This acknowledges the part they play in partnership with the event organiser in the implementation of a child protection policy.

- Carers of vulnerable adults should inform Profound Decisions of all relevant circumstances surrounding their dependent before arriving at the event.

- The event aims to provide a safe environment for children to enjoy live roleplaying alongside participants of all ages, as far as is reasonable and practicable, but it is not a child care organisation in the full meaning of the Protection of Children Act 1999.

- Carers are reminded that the physical and emotional safety of children together with their belongings remains their responsibility during the event. All carers should ensure that they are familiar with any activities their dependents are engaging in before allowing them to participate.

- All those who assist in running the event are volunteers. They are recruited upon recommendation by those who manage the event as professional people in their own right and/or supporters of the event with good character. The event holds contact details for all personnel, but standard crew are not processed or cleared by the Disclosure and Barring Service (previously called the Criminal Records Bureau).

- After discussion with the DBS, they have informed us that we are not eligible to request DBS checks on crew, as it is not required for the activities we provide. In essence, the new guidelines state that because there is no intention to provide activities to children or vulnerable persons without the presence of a parent or guardian then it is not possible to request a DBS check as this would violate the privacy of our crew.

- When attending the event, carers must ensure that children are adequately supervised by themselves or by another responsible adult acting on their behalf. Our cleared crew will offer to act in this capacity upon occasion as part of their event activities. Our standard crew are not able to provide supervision. Camping areas and toilets are not supervised.

- The event follows a strict non-discrimination policy and all participants are treated equally irrespective of race, gender, religion, physical/mental disability, sexual orientation, age or ethnic origin.

- In the event of a problem, any member of crew may be approached and, if not able to deal with the problem themselves, they will contact somebody who is able to help. All problems will be dealt with sympathetically and discreetly, and will be properly documented where that is appropriate.

- All event crew are familiar with this policy and the guidelines and definitions that follow.

- There are no formal restrictions on photographing the event or participants. Photographers are asked to be discreet to preserve the immersive feel of the event, through application of common sense and following the directions of the event organiser where given.

- This policy is kept under review by the event organiser and will be improved or enhanced from time to time as may be deemed necessary.

- All volunteers working for the event are given access to a copy of this Child Protection Policy with the following Code of Good Practice and Definitions of Abuse. They will pass any concerns to one of the nominated officers (listed at the end of this document), and are expected to observe all the agreed procedures.

- The event organisers will store in an electronic format only the necessary information relating to the administration and operation of the event. This is broadly limited to contact information, game information about the characters an attendee is playing and any declared medical conditions that will be passed to the first aid team.

Code of Good Practice

- Good practice includes valuing and respecting children as individuals and the adult modelling of appropriate conduct. Appropriate conduct excludes bullying, racism, sectarianism, sexism or other forms of discrimination.

- It is important to minimize any physical contact with children who attend the event, beyond what is an essential part of roleplaying activities. Avoid any inappropriate or sexual contact, regardless of the in-character situation.

- You must take all reasonable steps to avoid spending time with a child who is by themselves. If you are supervising children without their carer present, try to ensure that you are working with groups of two or more children at any give time. You should also try to ensure that you are working alongside at least one other cleared crew member. There should be two or more adults in the company of two or more children at all times, as far as is reasonably possible.

- Do not make suggestive or inappropriate remarks to or about a child, even in fun, as these could be misinterpreted.

- Those who abuse children can be of any age (even other children), gender, ethnic background or class. It is important not to allow any preconceptions preventing the appropriate action being taken.

- It is the responsibility of every adult to prevent the physical, sexual or emotional abuse of children and young people wherever they can and to report any actual or suspected abuse that comes to light.

Note - scope for abuse will be minimized if the event is run with the safety of all its members in mind and sensible steps are taken in dealings with children. If an allegation is made, or concerns are raised, they should – with minimum delay – be brought to the attention of one of the persons named at the end of this document.

Definitions of Abuse

The following definitions of child abuse are taken from the HM Government publication “Working Together to Safeguard Children” 2006.

- Physical Abuse. Physical abuse may involve hitting, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. It may be the result of a deliberate act, but also could be caused through the omission or failure to act to protect.

- Emotional Abuse. Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill treatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. These may include interactions that are beyond the child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning, or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve causing children frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may occur alone.

- Sexual Abuse. Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative (e.g. rape, buggery or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts. They may include non-contact activities, such as involving children looking at, or taking part in the production of pornographic material or watching sexual activities, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

- Neglect. Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger, or the failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to a child’s basic emotional needs.

It is important to note that the event involves the context of a live roleplaying game and children may be directly or indirectly exposed to simulated behaviour or themes that could otherwise be of concern. The event organiser places clear responsibility on the carer to ensure that children and vulnerable adults are immediately removed from any situations that concern them. If at any point the event organiser believes that this responsibility is not being followed then they reserve the right to sanction, remove or ban the Carer or child involved from this or future events.

Advice on Responding to an Allegation

The following information is intended to assist you should you become involved in a potential child protection situation:

- Always stop and listen straight away to someone who wants to tell you about incidents or suspicions of abuse, and stay calm. Take what is said seriously: it is rare for children to make false allegations.

- If you can, write brief notes of what they are telling you while they are speaking – these may help later if you have to remember exactly what was said. Keep your original notes however rough: it is what you wrote at the time that may be important later, not a tidier and improved version you wrote up afterwards. If you don’t have the means to write at the time, make notes of what was said as soon as possible afterwards.

- Never make a promise that you will keep what is said confidential or secret. If you are told about abuse you have a responsibility to report it so that action can be taken. Give reassurance that only those who need to know will be told.

- Do not ask leading questions that might give your own ideas of what could have happened (e.g. “Did he do XX to you?”), just ask: “What do you want to tell me?” or “Is there anything else you want to say?”

- Allow the child to continue at his/her own pace and reassure the child he/she has done the right thing in telling you.

- Inform the child what you will do next and with whom the information will be shared.

- Never attempt to carry out an investigation of suspected or alleged abuse by interviewing people etc. yourself; you could cause more damage and spoil possible criminal proceedings. That is a task for a professional person working with a Child Protection agency, and would follow a referral from the event’s nominated child protection officer.

Nominated child protection officers

The event officers who need to know about any allegation of child abuse and who are responsible for taking any necessary action are:

- Matthew Pennington.

- Alison Pennington.

Accreditation

Thanks to the following organisations for sight of their child protection policies:

- North London Festival of Music, Drama and Dance

- Wansbeck Music Festival

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Child_protection_information&oldid=30075"

Children of Thunder

Description

The children of thunder are most often a mace and a rod. Bound with green iron and inlaid with tempest jade decoration, these arcane weapons are used to strike powerful blows that drive an opponent away.

According to some artisans, every time the weapon or the implement hits an opponent it stores a tiny portion of the energy used to strike that blow. When needed, the cumulative force is unleashed in a single stroke, hurling the enemy away. Some wielders as a consequence make a habit of striking the children of thunder against solid surfaces before a battle, in the hope that they can build up a charge, as it were.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of a one-handed weapon and either a rod or a wand.

- Requirement: You must have both the ambidexterity and magician skills to bond to these items.

- Effect: You may call REPEL by spending a hero point.

- Materials: Crafting the children of thunder requires seven measures of dragonbone, five ingots of tempest jade and three ingots of green iron. It takes one month to make a pair of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Children_of_Thunder&oldid=31937"

Chirurgeon's Healing Touch

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 12

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 1.5 Options

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 12

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target can use stay with me twice a day as if they knew the skill without spending any hero points.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 8. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Options

The ritualists may consume up to 10 drams of True Vervain as part of the ritual. Every dram consumed in this way reduces the magnitude of the ritual by 1.

Description

Sometimes a chirurgeon finds that time is against them, and that life hangs in the balance. Sometimes a warrior needs to get a comrade to safety now, before the enemy can kill them both. The Chirurgeon's Healing Touch ritual gives immediate options to the target, allowing them to quickly get an ally on their feet and moving under their own steam.

To use the healing power provided by this ritual, the recipient usually breathes deeply onto their cupped hands, or rubs them swiftly together to make them warm, then places them on the forehead of their injured companion. Warmth and vitality then flows from the lungs and heart, through the hands, into the patient and jolts them back to life.

Common Elements

As with many healing rituals, blood and water are common elements, but so is the concept of breath and breathing. Washing the hands with water or wine is common, as is the inhalation of steam especially steam from a bowl where healing herbs are brewed. The True Vervain herb is especially valuable as a symbol for this ritual, and the pungent juice of crushed leaves is often used as a way to boost the power of the ritual - while it is rare to see a coven use large amounts of true vervain (it is rarely effective to consume the healing power of the herb to grant healing powers), it is sometimes used to make the ritual more accessible to smaller groups.

Invocations using the names of great healers, legendary beasts such as the firebird, and and the constellation of The Fountain are all popular images to use with this ritual. Runes such as Rhyv may be used, but the healing might also be evoked through the rune of thought or the rune of majesty.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Chirurgeon%27s_Healing_Touch&oldid=35092"

Choleric Staff

Description

The Choleric Staff taps upon the power of the Realm of Summer to maximise the potential of the bearer's ritual power. These arcane implements are employed throughout the Empire to fortify the abilities of Summer ritualists.

A choleric staff is often slightly shorter and heavier than other. In the Marches, a staff of this kind is often referred to as a soldier's shillelagh and wielded by magicians and covens that specialise in providing warlike enchantments. Such staves are carved from gnarled oak branches inlaid with tempest jade and dragonbone sigils and shod in alloys of orichalcum and iron. Marcher battle magicians or those with an Alderman's Edge wield these staves to good effect on the battlefield supporting their yeoman allies.

It is common to see such an implement engraved with the the runes of Summer or with depictions of constellations such as the Oak, the Mountain or the Stallion. A staff of summer stars is a favourite with Urizen and Dawnish ritual magicians who specialise in the higher magnitude rituals such as Mantle of Lordly Might or Glory to the Sovereign.

Making an artefact version of the choleric staff is a costly endeavour, but there are a handful of such items in the Empire. They are usually passed down from magician to magician within a single coven. One of the best known is the staff of the noonday sun, crafted in 172YE by Karina Matrinova Vos, a Varushkan volhov from Karov who used it to allow herself to perform Chasuble of Majesty by herself in the wilderness, as part of her self-appointed role as a defender and pilgrim of the Way. The staff has been passed from magician to magician ever since, usually within the Conclave order of the Sevenfold Path, and is said to strongly influence it's wielder toward hunting and destroying cults deudicated to heretical virtues.

Archmage Staff

The staff of the Archmage of Summer is a version of the choleric staff crafted to a secret pattern, and grants twice as much power to the wielder. Unlike most such staves, the same physical staves are reforged each year; some of the staves are believed to have developed spontaneous auras as a consequence, and blamed for a certain 'gung ho" attitude among the archmagi of Summer.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a ritual stave.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Gain 1 rank of Summer Lore.

- Materials: Crafting a Choleric Staff requires the nine ingots of tempest jade, fourteen ingots of orichalcum, twenty measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Chorus of the Righteous

Description

Chorus of the Righteous allows the user to perform ceremonies dedicated to Loyalty. A common form of this instrument is a simple drum or even tambourine, something that can be played to produce a tune that an audience or other participants in the ceremony can easily take up with clapped hands, stamped feet or instruments of their own.

This instrument is equally valuable to a priest who is dedicated to one of the other six virtues as it is to a priest who is dedicated to none of the virtues - a priest of the Way. Indeed, in some ways it is more useful to the latter philosophy of priest - it allows them to use the ceremonies of anointing, consecration and hallowing; without an instrument such as this, they would be restricted to supporting other priests in creating these auras. Likewise, a priest dedicated to a virtue other than loyalty can partake of a little of the versatility of the priest dedicated to the Way as a whole, aiding priests in the creation of an aura as if they shared their dedication.

Some artificers believe Loyalty is represented by Lann, Rune of Bargains

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of any kind of musical instrument.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may perform religious skills other than dedication as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Loyalty.

- Materials: Crafting Chorus of the Righteous requires 5 ingots of tempest jade; 7 ingots of green iron; 3 measures of beggar's lye; 3 measures of dragonbone; It takes 1 month to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Chorus_of_the_Righteous&oldid=33685"

Chrysalis Pendant

Description

A chrysalis pendant is often crafted of blue crystal or decorated with deep azure stones especially lapis lazuli. It commonly takes the form if a butterfly, or a hanging cone reminiscent of a cocoon. It is primarily of use to bannermen, bards and leaders who use their strength of personality and willpower to ensure the good-health of their companions. With a few moments of confident attention the wearer can slip dislocated limbs back into position, numb the pain of a shocking blow, or otherwise help their companions overcome the damage inflicted to an arm or a leg.

Rules

- Form: Jewellery (Talisman)

- Effect: You may spend a hero point and five seconds of appropriate roleplaying to restore the use to another character's limb that has been disabled with the CLEAVE or IMPALE calls.

- Materials: Crafting a chrysalis pendant requires eight ingots of weltsilver, five measures of ambergelt and three measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Stop whinging! It's not as bad as it looks!"

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Chrysalis_Pendant&oldid=31666"

Churning Cauldron of Bravash

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual requires a receptacle such as a bowl or cauldron into which the target herbs are placed.

Effects

This ritual requires up to five drams herbs (Imperial Roseweald, Bladeroot, True Vervain, Cerulean Mazzarine or Marrowort), which are placed into a container such as a bowl or cauldron. All the herbs must be of the same type.

The ritual creates one dram of herbs for each herb placed in the container during the ritual.

The referee will put the additional herbs into the container. It may take up to an hour for the additional herbs to form, and the referee may offer a prompt when the cauldron has finished churning. If the herbs are removed prematurely the ritual may fail, or result in less herbs being created.

The ritual may be performed using drams of herbs not common to the Empire, but the results are likely to be unpredictable.

Description

The Spring realm is nothing if not fecund; through this magic, even dried or prepared herbs can be made supernaturally fruitful. The ritual uses existing herbs to create new herbs of the same type, and is especially popular with apothecaries and physicians who do not themselves own a herb garden. The rich League doctor; the itinerant Varushkan herbalist; or the Urizen mage seeking additional herbs to brew a ritual potion, can all benefit from the ability to effectively transform crystals of mana into valuable herbs.

This ritual is effective with the five herbs found commonly in the Empire. It specifically works with herbs, and experiments using other mundane or supernatural vegetable matter have had little success. It may work to create additional drams of herbs found outside the Empire, but the results are likely to be uncertain.

The Churning Cauldron of Bravash has no effect on potions, or on herbs that have already been combined to make a preparation - for example, it cannot be used to create additional doses of liao despite the fact that that valuable substance has a herbal basis.

It is important to note that the herbs used in this ritual are not consumed; they serve as the 'seeds' from which the new herbs are created, rather than as components.

Common Elements

The most obvious element included in this ritual is the cauldron or bowl used to hold the herbs. Covens and individual magicians who perform the ritual regularly tend to have a specific receptacle that they prefer to use. Often this container has a lid or cover that can be closed to prevent accidental removal of the herbs before they are ready. It may be made of precious materials, and is commonly marked with the rune of fertility.

Water is another common element used in the ritual - the receptacle is often filled with a little fresh water to encourage the growth of new herbs. In the same manner, agricultural symbols and images may be evoked; some Marcher and Varushkan ritualists include a handful of soil from a prosperous farm along with the herbs, while Navarr vates may sprinkle a few drops of their blood over the herbs to encourage them to quicken with new life.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Churning_Cauldron_of_Bravash&oldid=35161"

Circle March

Shaker hymn.

Circle March on youtube (arranged by Katy Cooper) A slightly different version (which would work in harmony) is here, transcribed by Aaron Walter

I love to see the wheels in motion Love to see them moving round Love to hear the drums a-beating Love to hear the trumpet sound

Lo lo lo etc.

Add more lyrics if you like.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Circle_March&oldid=19928"

Circle of Gold

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 9

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 1.5 Options

- 1.6 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 9

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets up to five characters from the same band. Each character must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target characters gain the ability to use stay with me once without needing to know the skill or spend any hero points; however, they can only use the ability on another character who was also a target of this ritual*.

As long as they are enchanted, the targets experience a roleplaying effect; they feel a desire to stick together, whether on the battlefield or off it. They feel a strong urge to defend the other targets of the ritual, whether from physical harm or from insults.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same band. Every two additional characters increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Options

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute weltsilver for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of weltsilver spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

OOC Elements

Note that the targeting restriction of this ritual this does not mean "people who are enchanted with Circle of Gold" it is "people who were targets of the same Circle of Gold ritual". The targets of a given ritual can only use the stay with me skill on other targets of the same ritual performance.

Description

Battlefields are dangerous places, and this ritual grants an enchantment that allows members of a tight-knit band to prevent their comrades succumbing to mortal wounds easily. The dynamic of the group it is used on often influences how the enchantment is perceived - some groups use this healing as soon as one of their number is incapacitated, while others focus their attention on keeping a certain key member of the group (such as a healer, officer, magician or reckless warrior) on their feet.

Participants feel a strong urge to stick together, and tend to be very defensive of each other. It has an unfortunate side effect of encouraging groups of warriors to become embroiled in brawls and honour-duels; on more than one occasion a Free Company captain has been known to restrict his bravos to camp after the ritual is performed to prevent them becoming engaged in a fight with other bravos and wasting the enchantment's power.

Common Elements

As with many similar rituals, it is common for the targets to share a drink or consume food together, often with a toast or rousing cheer to mark the beginning and end of the ritual. Tokens are often given to the targets, especially tokens of weltsilver or those woven or painted with a group insignia. Some ritualists have any weltsilver they plan to use towards the performance of the ritual twisted into rings, one for each target of the ritual.

Many ritualists, especially Imperial Orcs, Marchers and Varushkans, encourage the participants to recite of some sort of oath of fraternity or mutual protection while joined in a literal circle, arm to arm. Images and invocations of camaraderie, Loyalty and mutual respect are common, as is the rune Lann and the constellation of The Chain. Scenes involving The Captain in various guises, often on The Battlefield are often used by dramaturgists to help create an appropraite atmosphere. The evocation of totem beasts that hunt in packs or small groups such as wolves (especially for League or Winterfolk ritualists) are also common, especiall winged beasts,

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Circle_of_Gold&oldid=22654"

Circle of Trust

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 12

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 12

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The target characters must be present throughout, and must verbally assent to the use of the ritual.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

At the completion of the ritual, all contributors gain the ability to call IMPALE against each other using any melee-weapon or implement, at will, for the duration.

When cast with more than one contributor, this ritual always counts as a use of the coven bond and counts towards the number of rituals the coven can perform that day.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Description

This potent binding spell connects the members of a coven with bonds of trust. Any member of the group becomes capable of inflicting potentially fatal wounds on any other member using any weapon or implement. It is rarely invoked, but is sometimes combined with the swearing of the coven oath, or the renewal of the same. At it's core, it creates a sense of obligation by empowering each member of the coven to kill or main every other member.

A coven that uses Circle of Trust is usually characterised by extreme civility and respect between members. It is also used by covens that fear treachery or betrayal - when all other members can strike crippling blows, anyone betraying the coven faces potentially devastating repercussions. While it is part of Imperial Lore, it has to be said that it is most often performed by secretive societies or cults who fear exposure of their agenda or deeds.

As with Traitor's Fate, from which this ritual was developed, there are several variants of this ritual. While this ritual is rare, the variants are almost unknown. Rumours resurface from time to time of a version known as Silence of the Flock which can be triggered to cause the heart to explode in a covenmate's beast if they speak of cult secrets.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes a binding oath. Each contributor must verbally assent to the ritual, and such assent is usually woven into the performance. QUiet, oppressive music is common as are elements such as the mixing of blood between covenmates, the signing of contracts, and the painting of the runes Yoorn, Lann and Queros.

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Circlet of Command

Description

A circlet of command is sometimes called a serjeant's helm a barracker's ring depending on the form it takes. Usually formed of beaten weltsilver alloyed with silver, mithril or iron, it is often inlaid with green iron. In Dawn and Urizen it is often made in the form of a chain or net of weltsilver and green iron, secured at the temples. In the Marches and Varushka it is as likely to be a sturdy open-faced helmet made of green steel, with weltsilver decoration. Either way, it is sought after by sergeants, captains and martially inclined priests. It grants strength to the words of encouragement spoken - or more commonly, shouted or barked - at injured soldiers to help keep their fighting spirit strong.

Some legends attribute the very first circlet of command to the Paragon of Courage Korl, who discovered the secrets of metal-working deep beneath the earth. It is said that he wore a twist of metal about his arm to remind others that with bravery anything could be accomplished and that this reminder would give his fellows fresh strength to battle on against the monsters plaguing their land. A circlet of command crafted as an armband is often called Korl’s Crown.

Rules

- Form: Jewellery (Talisman)

- Effect: When you use the get it together skill, you may use it on two characters at the same time for the cost of only one hero point. You must have one hand on each target throughout the five seconds of appropriate roleplaying used with the skill.

- Materials: Crafting a circlet of command requires fifteen ingots of weltsilver, seven ingots of dragon bone, seven ingots of orichalcum, five ingots of tempest jade and four ingots of green iron . It takes one month to make one of these items.

Burmoth yelled in pain as an orc blade bit into his shoulder tearing his flesh. Beside him his sister Beate faired little better, bleeding from half a dozen cuts that were slowly sapping her strength. The Wintermark force was being pressed hard by the orcs; sorely outnumbered their line was slowly being forced to give ground and the once crisp white snow of the battlefield had become a crimson slush. The Kallavesi leader had been slain near the beginning of the battle, poisoned by a crazed skirmisher and then peppered with arrows. The loss of leadership so early had seen the usual good order of the Wintermark warriors slowly deteriorate until they were in danger of becoming little more than pockets of resistance in a sea of orc bodies.

Burmoth and Beate raised their shields, fending off several more strength-sapping blows but losing ground. Beate screamed as an orc spear slipped through her guard and into her armpit. Distracted by his sibling's cry, Burmoth failed to see the mace that crashed into his head, knocking his helmet clean off and sending him stumbling back dizzily. He knew that the end was coming.

He was shocked, then, when his blurred vision saw a huge shape push past them both and bury a pair of rune-covered axes into the skulls of the orcs that had moments before been set to end their lives. The giant Kallavessi left his weapons imbedded in the orcs and lifted the pair to their feet as if they were children, not fully grown adults armoured for war. He placed a huge hand on each of them; hands that would be better suited on a bear and spoke.

“Spotted Bull has seen your skeins, little ones, yours is not the time yet!” he smiled with teeth like tombstones. Beneath his bull-head helm there was blood in his hair, Matted and sticky it clung around the ornate circlet he wore at his temples. interwoven strands of weltsilver, orichalcum and green iron with a cloudy green gemstone set central above his eyes. As he spoke it seemed as if a miniature snowstorm whipped inside the gem, swirling hypnotically.

“Spotted Bull will tell you when you can die! Until then you slay orcs until your arms grow tired, then you slay some more and you worry not about tiny scratches like that!”

Emboldened by his certainty, Burmoth and Beate felt the fading fires of their spirit reignite. Beate grunted and hefted her axe, Burmoth untied his hair, no longer needing it tight as his helmet was lost. They resembled the warrior heroes of Wintermark tales, shouting battle-cries and rallying their comrades.

Spotted Bull laughed, pulled free his axes from the orcs at his feet and charged after them with a battle song on his lips.

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Circlet of Falling Snow

Description

A circlet of falling snow is an intricate piece of work, a pinnacle of the jewelcrafter's arts. Usually made of silver or platinum, and designed with an eye to simplicity of form. They are often decorated with regular geometric designs such as spirals or mazes, intended to serve as meditative foci to soothe the mind and clarify the thoughts of the wearer. While often fashioned as a circlet, it is just as common to see one in the form of a ring or a pendant. Emissaries who deal with the Eternals find these items to be useful tools when keeping a clear head, or when cultivating the correct mindset to deal with the complex inhabitants of the Realm of Day. They are very popular in Urizen where they are considered useful in helping to maintain poise; remaining calm allows a magician to channel their emotions into constructive action, rather than being overwhelmed by it.

Though unlikely, questing enchanters of Dawn can be often found in possession of these items which they call pennants of pure heart. They are commonly given as favours to a lover or a true friend so that if they come across Malign spiritual presences they remain Loyal to their heart. They often take the form of richly embroidered strips of cloth interwoven with threads of precious metals and mithril depicting a chain linking heraldic symbols.

They are also useful to magician-exorcists, particularly Highborn Magisters and some stewards of the dead. The Highborn artisans call them way bells and craft them in the form of delicately engraved bells or chimes, worn as pendants.

Isenbrad, Paragon of Wisdom, is a legendary smith said to have been so skillful he was able to craft from ice and snow. Stories suggest that he crafted the first circlet of falling snow to allow him to find his way in the eternal ice-storm Sydanjaa.

These items are often marked with runes such as Irremais, Rune of Wisdom, Cavul, Rune of Purity , or even Hirmok, Rune of Dominion (especially if combined with Zorech, Rune of Passion).

Rules

- Form: Jewellery (Talisman)

- Effect: .You may expend a point of personal mana at any time to justify remaining calm and collected when exposed to a roleplaying effect (as if you had spent a hero point). This expenditure of mana has the same restrictions as casting a spell.

- Materials: Crafting a circlet of snow requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

It was strange, Aurora thought, that despite all of the perils of her Test of Ardour, and all she had done to win Guy's hand, the hardest and most frightening part was still standing here in front of his mother. The old Enchantress might have been carved from stone, her face as hard and unyielding as the ancient throne she sat on, her amber wolf's eyes as sharp and hard as the diamonds studding the circlet on her brow.

'It seems you have been successful,' the Enchantress said at last. Aurora caught a glimpse of jagged teeth in her near-lipless mouth. It was strange to see the same features she adored in her fiancé on his mother's face, rearranged into something monstrous. She wondered which bloodline would dominate in her children, if she and Guy ever conceived - whether her daughters would have the old woman's white, furrowed skin, amber eyes - and her malice. 'I cannot confess myself delighted at the prospect of acquiring a changeling as my daughter-in-law. It will not have escaped your notice that House DeVries has strong blood, old blood. Winter blood. We are proud of our ways, and you may not find them to your liking. That said, you have won my son's hand, and also, it would seem, his affections, and have persevered where many others have failed.'

Aurora fought to keep her face expressionless. Many others? She'd be having words with Guy later. Lady DeVries went on.

'At any rate, I have a small gift for you.' On cue, her steward stepped forward, holding a small velvet cushion, on which rested a silver filigreed circlet, wrought into exquisite swirls and lines. Aurora took a halting step forward and reached out her hand to take it. 'Put it on then. Good, it fits. I had concerns about the ears.

'Thank you,' Aurora said hesitantly. 'It's beautiful.'

'Yes, it is,' the Enchantress said with vulpine satisfaction. 'And knowing my son, you're going to need it.'

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Citizens, priests, pilgrims and dedication

Citizens, Priests, Pilgrims and Dedication

For the average Citizen of the Empire, it is simply enough to know of the Seven Virtues and how they apply to their lives. There is no requirement to honour one above another for all seven are part of The Way and will guide their spirit through the Labyrinth of Ages.

Priests of the Way have made greater study of the mysteries and doctrines of the faith. They provide guidance to citizens about how to live virtuously and have learned ceremonies that enrich the lives of virtuous citizens and enhance an individual’s understanding of the Virtues.

The liao ceremony of Dedication allows a human to more sharply focus their spirit onto one particular Virtue Path. This focus enables a dedicated Priest to perform other ceremonies that provide greater insight and illumination into the Virtue. Consequently, dedication is reasonably common amongst Priests who wish to provide ministry and guidance relating to a specific Virtue Path, whilst other Priests choose not to dedicate and so represent all Seven Virtues equally.

Dedication is regarded as being of little benefit to the average citizen as it is not believed to aid reincarnation by itself. However, some layfolk do choose to become Dedicated for their own reasons. Such individuals are called Pilgrims and are said to walk in the Path of the Paragon. A few Pilgrims even go on to be recognised by the Synod as Exemplars of the Virtue whose words and deeds are an inspiration to others.

Despite some claims to the contrary, the evidence is that whilst a Pilgrim or dedicated Priest may continue to respect all Virtues, a spirit can only be dedicated to one Virtue and attempts to dedicate to more than one results in a loss of focus and, consequently, dedication. The individual is then free to seek to dedicate themself anew.

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Civil Claims

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Resolving the dispute by other means

- 3 The civil hearing

- 4 Applicability

- 5 Further Reading

Introduction

Where a citizen (the plaintiff) has a disagreement with another person (the defendant) which cannot be resolved between them, then they may seek redress under the civil law. A plaintiff may also seek redress on behalf of another individual they are responsible for in law (such as a young child). The civil law is predominantly concerned with maintaining fair dealings in the relationship between citizens. Magistrates who apply the civil law are guided by the seven virtues, and in so doing will attempt to come to as just and equitable a judgement as is possible in the circumstances, based on the evidence before them.

Resolving the dispute by other means

Magistrates are usually reluctant to hear cases where there is some other preferred method of resolution. For example, the national customs of both parties might provide a mechanism for the resolution of their dispute. Disputes regarding certain trade agreements might normally be resolved according to the rules of the Bourse.

Where an individual is convicted of a criminal offence the magistrate will normally provide compensation to the victim from the convict's resources as part of the criminal trial sentencing if they believe it is appropriate. It is sensible for victims of crime to discuss this with the presiding magistrate before the trial, but if this isn't possible Magistrates will often waive their fee if they can deal with it summarily.

The civil hearing

The plaintiff must seek out a Magistrate to arrange for a hearing to take place at which both plaintiff and defendant (and any witnesses) are present. There is usually a charge of one crown for this service which is payable before the case will be heard. At the appointed time the presiding Magistrate will hear the case and deal with any procedural issues (such as missing parties or witnesses) as they arise.

In order for a claim to be successful the magistrate must be satisfied that the plaintiff has suffered harm as a result of the defendant's unvirtuous behaviour and that it is just and fair to apply redress. There is no specific burden of proof applied to either party. The Magistrate will decide the merits of the claim based on the evidence. The plaintiff should request an appropriate redress as part of their submission to the court.

Both plaintiff and defendant have as wide a latitude to argue their case as the Magistrate permits within the brief time allowed. When the Magistrate deems sufficient time has been accorded to this matter (usually no more than ten minutes) she will render judgement, which is binding on both parties. Breaching the terms of the Magistrate's order will very likely result in a finding of contempt of court. It is not unusual for Magistrates to reserve judgement, especially in those cases where they are of the view that the parties should have resolved this matter between themselves or where both parties have behaved inappropriately.

The Magistrate has a wide latitude available with regard to orders for redress or sanctions to any affected party, although compensation or orders for the ownership of assets are the most common remedies. Magistrates will normally only apply criminal sanctions where crimes are proven to their satisfaction during the course of the hearing. If this is the case the magistrate will usually summarily convict the offender.

Applicability

- You may not bring a civil claim against the state or its officials for the exercise of their legal powers: any such grievances should be taken before the Synod, the Throne or other applicable bodies. The Synod in particular are responsible for ensuring the vitue of those who hold imperial office and have a number of powers to remedy deficiencies in this regard by individuals.

- Normally you may only bring a civil claim against a citizen for their use of magic against you if they have already been declared a sorcerer by the Conclave. Exceptionally, if they have been convicted of an offence relating to your claim (which has not itself already been remedied as part of the criminal trial) then you may also bring a civil claim.

- Blackmail, slander and libel are neither criminal offences nor can they be the basis for a civil claim.

- Fraud is not a criminal offence but it may form the basis for a civil claim. However, under imperial law the principle of "buyer beware" strongly applies. The purchaser assumes the risk that the product might be either defective or unsuitable to their needs unless other terms are agreed between the parties concerned.

Further Reading

- You can gain a more detailed overview of Imperial law here.

- You can learn more about the Non-Player Character and Player Character officers of the law here.

- You can learn more about how trials are conducted here.

- You can review the list of current criminal offences here.

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Civil Service Look and Feel

Contents

- 1 A guide to making the civil service uniforms

- 1.1 Materials

- 1.2 The Applique

- 1.2.1 You will need:

A guide to making the civil service uniforms

These pattern pieces are drawn on standard 1cm grid pattern paper.

Materials

- 2m purple cotton velvet, width no less than 110cm. An appropriate fabric is here.

- 2m dark olive green cotton

- 30cm heavy iron on interfacing

- 1x frog fastener

1. Cut out pattern pieces from velvet - 2 fronts, 1x back on fold, 4x sleeve caps on fold, 2x collar. Cut 2x fronts and 2x backs from lining.

2. Fuse interfacing to one collar piece and two of sleeve caps

3. Follow instructions below to applique design.

4. Sew velvet fronts to back at shoulder seams. Press seams open. Stay stich 3/8 in from neck edge and clip at intervals to stitching line. Repeat with lining.

5. Sew two collar pieces right side to right side. Clip curves. Turn the right way out and press. Tack along lower edge to hold in place.

6. With right side to right side, pin collar piece to neck edge, easing to fit, leaving 3/8in of garment front free as seam allowance at left and right front. Sew. Pin lining onto other side, sandwiching collar between lining and velvet, and stitch along previous stitching line again. Stitch lining to velvet down both fronts, being careful not to catch the edge of the collar in stitching line.

7. Sew long convex edge of sleeve caps right side to right side, using one interfaced piece per side. Clip curves and turn, tack along free edge as per collar. Matching centre to shoulder seam, sew right side to right side to velvet.

8. Sew side seams of velvet and lining.

9. Continuing from stitching at bottom left and right front, sew lining to velvet, right side to right side around bottom hem, leaving small gap to turn at centre back. Clip curves and turn, press. Slipstitch gap closed by hand.

10. Staystitch 3/8 inch from armscye, lining and velvet. Clip to stitching at intervals. Turn raw edges towards each other, pin and slipstitch velvet to lining around bother armscyes, concealing raw edge of sleeve caps.

The Applique

You will need:

- The fronts of the coat

- Gold taffeta

- Gold/brown thread

- Machine set to zig zag

- Quilters fusible web - Wonder-under, heat-n-bond, fuse-a-web or similar

- Gold seed beads (I use Guterman)

- Beading or sharp needle

1. Trace both horses onto the heat-n-bond. Some brands will tell you which side to use, others not. If it's not clear, very gently separate the layers at one corner. The paper will adhere more to one side of the web than the other - use the MORE adherent side to draw on.

2. Once you've copied them, roughly cut out a square around each design.

3. Carefully peel the less sticky paper from the web. Your design side should still be attached to the web.

4. Press the sticky side of your fusible web to the WRONG side of the taffeta fabric. This should stick pretty well.

5. Carefully using nail scissors cut around your designs. You should now have two horses with a paper patch stuck to one side.

6. Peel off the remaining paper, giving you two sticky fabric horses.

7. Stick them to your garment fronts, trying to keep them symmetrical as per the illustration.

8. Using a dishtowel or pressing cloth to sit between the garment and your iron, press several times briefly with a hot steam iron. This should stick the design to the fabric.

9.Using a narrow zig zag on your sewing machine, topstich the edges of the horse to the fabric. This is fiddly, so take your time.

10. Finally, using your gold coloured thread, couch beads around the design, covering your machine stitching. Thread two needles and knot them - bring from wrong side to right side. String beads onto one and use the other to couch the beady string down, trying to get it to look like a seamless string of beads around the design..Do this all the way around both horses. Bring both needles to the back and secure. Finished!

Some fusible webs don't have paper on both sides - this is ok. Just trace onto the one side of paper that you have, then, when it comes to sticking it to the fabric, lay it in position and give it a quick press with a hot steam iron - not too long but a second or so should be enough to stick it. The rest is the same.

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Clad in Golden Raiment

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 5

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 1.5 Option

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 5

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a Military unit. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The military unit gains a small bonus to it's effectiveness during campaign battles. This bonus is equivalent to temporarily upgrading the unit once; the effective fighting force of the unit is increased by 20 when it is assigned to support a campaign army or fortification.

The character who controls the military unit experiences a short-lived roleplaying effect:They greatly desire recognition and approval for themselves and their military unit; they want to ensure people know that they are the leader of a powerful force of fighters. Anyone who belittles or disparages them or their soldiers is likely to be met with anger and perhaps even physical violence. The effect persists for at least ten minutes after the ritual is complete.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional military units controlled by members of the same banner. Each additional military unit increases the magnitude by 3. The character who controls each unit must be present throughout the ritual.

Option

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute orichalcum for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of Orichalcum spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Description

This ritual was developed under the guidance of the Varushkan Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash during his tenure as Dean of the Lyceum. It grants great strength of will and fighting spirit to a military unit for the coming season. The soldiers in that unit are proud of their identity as part of a fighting group, and prepared to defend their name and honour against anyone who mocks, disrespects or disparages them or their fellow soldiers. They stand up taller, take great pains to ensure their weapons and armour are maintained, and bear symbols of their military identity prominently and passionately. They are driven to demonstrate their martial prowess to their fellow soldiers, and the camaraderie they feel at being part of a military force is greatly enhanced.

Unlike the more powerful Raise the Standard of War, the ritual rarely causes discipline problems. The pride the soldiers feel in their military unit, and the camaraderie the ritual engenders towards their fellow soldiers, reduce the likelihood of clashing with other soldiers - as long as they receive the respect they feel they deserve. It is rarely wise to assign a band of fighting men and women enchanted with this ritual to an Imperial army containing soldiers from rival units or associated with factions who are traditional enemies - even worse, two unfriendly bands both enchanted with this ritual are likely to come to blows in short order.

While the ritual lacks the raw power of Raise the Standard of War and similar ritual enchantments, it's advantages are twofold. First, it is quite effective at enchanting a number of military commanders and their warrior bands in one go. Second, the enchantment can be easily performed by any relatively competent Summer ritualist without drawing on their coven bond. It is also cheap enough in terms of crystal mana (and versatile enough that orichalcum can be used to spread the cost) that even the poorest military commander should be able to afford the initial outlay, and provide their forces with a small but still militarily relevant bonus.

Common Elements

This ritual enhances a small military force, using a connection to its leader to spread magic through the entire unit. It should be quite common to include a banner or standard bearing the sigil, heraldry, livery or colours of the target unit. The researchers suggest that evocation of Paragons and Exemplars of Pride and Courage would be appropriate to the performance of this ritual, as might dramaturgical workings that employ the Prince, the Captain and possibly even the Bishop or constellations such as the Chain or the Stork.

The hearth magic of girding the military leader is especially appropriate to this ritual, especially in rich cloth the colour of gold, the sound of martial horns or drums, and the presence of warriors from the same nation as the target as witnesses, especially if they engage in spirited cheering or support.

The eagle-rune of majesty is very appropriate to the performance of this ritual.

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Clarify the powers of the Minister of Historical Research

The Civil Service request clarification whether the Senate intend for the Researcher of Magic to draw funds from the treasury

Procedural Motion.

Overview

- The Imperial title of Minister of Historical Research was created at the previous summit. The civil service raised a procedural motion to clarify how the costs of research requests submitted by the minister should be met.

Date

- Winter 377YE

Campaign Outcome

- The Senate clarified that the Senate did not intend for the Minister of Historical Research to be given a stipend, nor to draw money directly from the Imperial Treasury.

Constitution

The Senate may still choose to provide some or all of the funds to the Minister of Historical Research on a case-by-case basis, but doing so would require a senator to raise a motion to disburse funds.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

1

26

Failed

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Clarify the powers of the Quartermaster General

The Civil Service request clarification of how the Quartermaster General is appointed and which Senate powers the title should carry

- Resupply an Imperial army

- Raise a new Imperial army

- Repair a fortification

- Create a new fortification

Procedural Motion.

Overview

- The Imperial title of Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies was created by the Senate at the previous summit. The civil service raised a procedural motion to clarify the powers and appointment of the Quartermaster.

Date

- Winter 377YE

Constitution

- The Quartermaster General has the power to resupply Imperial armies, they do not have the ability to raise new armies, or to construct or repair fortifications.

- The title is appointed by the Military Council, not the Imperial Senate.

Voting

State

Votes Against

Votes For

Result

Resupply an Imperial army.

1

24

Passed

Raise a new Imperial army

25

0

Failed

Repair a fortification

25

0

Failed

Create a new fortification

25

0

Failed

Appointed by military council

3

24

Passed

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Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 20

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 20

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a military unit. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual summons a contingent of around a dozen undying warriors from the grim legion of the Eternal Kaela and binds them to fight alongside a mortal military unit.

The military unit gains a significant bonus to its effectiveness during campaign battles. This bonus is equivalent to temporarily upgrading the unit five times; the effective fighting force of the unit is increased by 100 when it is assigned to support a campaign army or fortification.

The character who controls the military unit experiences a short-lived roleplaying effect: they are suddenly reminded of every time in the past that they, or someone they care about, has been close to death (or actually died), and receive a premonition of their eventual demise.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional military units controlled by members of the same banner. Each additional military unit increases the magnitude by 15. The character who controls each unit must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

The grim legion of the Eternal Kaela is made up of mortal warriors who have accepted her boon of endless existence. This ritual conjures perhaps a dozen of her troops, often an experienced unit of soldiers who have fought together before - often for centuries. They are armed and usually heavily armoured, and they fight with implacable, hopeless determination. More importantly, perhaps, they cannot be killed. They shrug off wounds that would kill a mortal, quickly recovering from their injuries. It is common to see one of these terrifying, silent soldiers fighting with the broken remains of arrows protruding from chest or belly.

The undying warriors do not socialise with the other soldiers in the military unit. They require neither food nor drink, and minimal sleep. They have little conversation, and efforts to strike up friendships are coldly rebuffed. At the end of the season, the grim legionary knows he or she will be returning to the Realm of Winter. By the time they are sent forth again, it is likely that every soldier they fight alongside will have been dead for decades. Furthermore, many of those warriors who took Kaela's gift were already embittered by decades of war and death. They take little joy in life, because transitory pleasures are nothing compared to life's assured continuance.

At the end of the season, or if one of the warriors is injured so badly that they can no longer continue to fight, they simply march away. Nobody has successfully followed the departing warriors, but it is believed they pass through or into a regio of Winter and return to the domain of their mistress.

This ritual is not popular in the Empire, but it's practical application means that it sees some use. Few Dawnish nobles are prepared to fight along the grim legion for long - they are a reminder that ultimately war is a grim business and that there are many for whom glory is fleeting. Likewise the Highborn champions find the undying soldier distasteful - and more than a few priests claim that they are not, cannot be, mortal warriors but rather are Eternals spirits in the guise of human warriors. The ritual sees most use in The Marches, Varushka and among the Navarr, simply because the folk of these nations need little reminder that war is a dark, bloody, muddy, and often ultimately thankless business.

This ritual is also sometimes called Raise the Tattered Banner, a reference to the Summer ritual Raise the Standard of War - and to the torn and battered pennants some of the undying warriors fly. .

Common Elements

This ritual issues a summons to beings from the Realm of Winter. They do not appear immediately, but arrive to fight alongside the target military unit within a few days. The ritual usually involves an invocation to Kaela, who commands the grim legion. Common elements include the naming of dead or legendary warriors, especially any who are known to serve in the grim legion. The trappings of death and war are often intermingled - a Freeborn captain might be wrapped in a black robe, while any target might wear a shroud or other funereal mantle, over their armour. Other elements may include girding the military leader; crowning them symbolically, often with ivory or bone; the sound of martial horns or drums, and the presence of warriors from the same nation as the target as silent witnesses. Like many Winter rituals, music is often brooding and unsettling. In many rituals the leader of the target legion offers a symbolic payment to Kaele and her warriors, often in the form of spilt wine or blood, or the scattering of coins which are left in the mud where they fall. Tattered or torn banners are often raised, especially those which have seen a great deal of use on a battlefield.

The rune of ending is often evoked with this ritual. The rune Tykonus is never used with this ritual; the ritual will apparently fail outright if this rune is visible on the person of any of the ritualists or their target.

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Clarity of the Master Strategist

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 80

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Power

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 80

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets an Imperial army. The general responsible for the army must be present throughout.

During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Day regio.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual places an enchantment on the soldiers of a campaign army that allows them to make and execute strategic and tactical plans more effectively. The target campaign army gains a boost to it's combat ability equivalent to 2,000 additional soldiers but only for purposes of determining victory - that is, the army does not inflict additional casualties. The additional army strength granted by this enchantmen is affected by the orders given to the army. While the effect is expressed as being equivalent to additional soldiers, this enchantment never reduces casualties suffered by the army.

The general used to focus this ritual experiences a short-lived roleplaying effect: they are immediately made aware of every single soldier and piece of equipment in the target campaign army, their status, readiness and prowess. This rush of information is often sufficient to knock a general off their feet or even cause a loss of consciousness, but fades entirely within around ten seconds. In some cases, a referee might use this opportunity to draw their attention to conditions or circumstances around the campaign army that may have plot implications.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Power

This ritual can be used to improve the effect. Every effective 2,000 strength added to the campaign army increases the magnitude of the ritual by 60.

Description

This ritual empowers and enhances an army, using the Imperial general as focus. Every soldier in the target army gains an increased awareness of their role within the army, and the needs of the army as a whole. Officers are aware of the status and needs of the soldiers who fight under them, and gain a much greater understanding of the purpose and goal of strategic and tactical decisions. Captains and commanders receive an even more wide-ranging awareness, being able to understand and collate information about enemy movements and strength, the effects of terrain and weather, and the probabilities of success for any given maneuver. The army does not become infallible, but it gains an unparalleled ability to work as a single unit and to make informed decisions about how best to proceed. This clarity extends to interactions both with other campaign armies and with soldiers who join the army later, helping them to integrate and allowing the commanders to make reasonable decisions about their abilities.

On the battlefield, warriors under this enchantment fight cohesively, and sometimes display a supernatural awareness of their surroundings, their fellow soldiers, and the overall progress of the battle.

This ritual is also sometimes called Ascent of the Pyramid, a reference to the Day Eternal Sinokenon who is sometimes invoked during this ritual for it's ability to perceive the many parts that make up a whole, and to assist in unifying those disparate agencies towards a single aim. More often, it is associated with the Eternal Zakalwe whose philosophies of warfare are often expounded while the ritual is performed, and who is known to offer boons that empower it's performance.

Common Elements

This ritual enhances a campaign army, and the general of the target army serves as a vital focus for delivering the magic. It is common to include a banner or standard that will be used by the target force as a focus for the ritual. Other common elements include the invocation of Paragons and Exemplars of Vigilance and Loyalty, as well as the names of Day Eternals associated with information such as Kimus and Sinokenon but most especially Zakalwe. Other elements include girding or crowning the military leader, the rhythmic beat of military drums, the presence of warriors from the same nation as the target as witnesses. Another common element is the use of crystals and mirrors to reflect parts of the ritual, slowly moving them towards a single location to symbolise the coming together of disparate elements.

The rune of thought, Aesh, is favoured for this ritual as are the Autumn runes Queros and Lann. The constellations of The Chain and The Three Sisters might be invoked, as might the characters of The Captain or The Doctor.

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Clear Counsel of the Everflowing River

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 20

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 20

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual can only be performed between 9pm and 11pm

Effects

This ritual allows the casters to seek aid from the Night Eternal known as Sung in solving a mystery that eludes them. During the ritual, the casters must clearly voice a question that they seek help in answering - for example, "What is the source of the Vallorn?"; "What is the purpose of this artifact recovered from Skarsind?"; "What do the Jotun hope to gain from this war?" and so forth.

Sung will endeavour to appear at the nearest regio one hour after this ritual is performed. A suitable casting of operate portal by a magician in the regio will allow Sung to approach. If this happens, then Sung will return an answer at the regio. If this does not happen then Sung will await another opportunity to provide the answer.

Description

Codified by Simarghl, the Empty One, in early Spring 379YE, and added to Imperial lore at the equinox, this ritual was created with the assistance of the eternal Sung. The Rainbow Serpent possesses a well known fascination for mysteries of all kinds. It bears some startling similarities to the commonly known ritual Swim Leviathan's Depth – although as a ritual of the Realm of Night the magic involved in it's actual performance differs greatly from that ritual of the Realm of Day.

The Counsel works by creating a loose connection to Sung, the Night eternal, and solicits her insight into a specific question. It is clear that Sung will never simply provide the answr to the question, even if she knows it – unlike the straightforward nature of Leviathan, it is not in the nature of this winged serpent to deny a petitioner the pleasure of unravelling a mystery themselves.

Rather, she might provide hints or cryptic advice as to how to approach the mystery; she might send one of her heralds to actively assist the ritualists in their explorations; she might point them in the direction of someone or something who can help them make progress; she might deliver an enciphered clue, or a riddle whose solution points to the next step in uncovering the truth. In some cases, she might even provide assistance to help the ritualists uncover the true question – the question she thinks they should be asking.

The ritual is almost useless when it comes to determining simple facts; using it to ask a simple question whose answer is easily uncovered and known to many such as “Who is the Jarmish ambassador?” is likely to result in a sharp and unhelpful response. Ideally, the ritual is used to gain assistance with investigating something genuinely baffling, confusing or puzzling.

Sung appears to have placed no restriction on this ritual. There appears to be no clause in the agreement that allowed the ritual to be created that allows Sung to withdraw her approval at a later date. It appears to be a genuine attempt to offer mortal magicians the ability to treat with her without limitations – apart from those imposed by the nature of the ritual itself.

The second part of the ritual must be performed at a strong Night regio – the regio at Anvil is quite sufficient – an hour after the ritual is completed. The operate portal spell is employed to create a connection between the mortal realm and the realm of Night, allowing the eternal to speak to the ritualists. Her primary concern will be to deliver her counsel to those who performed the ritual, but she might linger for a few moments to discuss other matters. This is very unlikely to result in a physical manifestation – and even when it does, it will be a projection or shadowy seeming of Sung rather than her actual presence. Occasionally, the result might be a herald of Sung especially if the eternal does not know the answer to the question raised, and is intrigued by the mystery it poses.

If for some reasons the ritualists are unable to contact Sung at a regio, she may choose to respond in a different manner but this is impossible to predict. Such responses are likely to take the form of visitations by heralds; however, it is likely she will want an explanation as to why the ritualists failed to complete their magic and a poor answer may sour relations between the coven and the Rainbow Serpent.

Sung rarely lies, but she never tells the entire truth as she knows it. She enjoys misleading and obfuscating, hiding the "facts" in layers of doubt designed to allow people to come to their own conclusions. Speaking about direct facts or trying to cut through to the heart of a situation is a surefire way to annoy this subtle Eternal. "It is the mystery which endures." says Sung. "The light of truth kills the mystery, and leaves the seeker desolate."

Like all divinations that solicit the aid of an eternal, Sung is bound to offer assistance but that assistance is limited both by the bounds of her knowledge, and by her essential nature (an aspect of the Law of Essential Nature, of course). As with similar magic, the true power of the ritual is to provide a group of practitioners with the ability to communicate with the eternal in a certain way, with the expectation of a response that – while it might not be immediately helpful – will be at least as useful as an audience with that eternal might have been.

Common Elements

This is a divination in two parts. The first part of the ritual can be performed anywhere and is reasonably straightforward. As a ritual of the Realm of Night that petitions Sung, elements that obscure the identity of the practitioners – or the performance itself – are strongly resonant. Masks, veils, hoods and cloaks are all appropriate to the ritualists (as is the dramaturgical Instrument of the Cloak, obviously) – especially if they are brightly coloured to match the wings of the eternal evoked.

Performing the ritual in darkness – or most especially by the light of the stars, moon or a single candle is also strongly resonant with the magic. The ritual might be performed in whispers, and a suggestion from the Nameless One was that the ideal way to perform this ritual is to do it in front of an audience who, while they know a ritual is being performed, are left baffled as to the precise nature of that ritual.

The props used in divination are also appropriate – gazing into a bowl of water or a piece of smoked glass is an obvious element, as is burning a feather and observing the smoke. Runes or cards might be repeatedly cast or consulted, and patterns identified – indeed, doing so might provide unexpected, intuitive insight into the mystery in question even before Sung becomes involved.

The question itself, ideally, is written down so that it is clear what it is the ritualists wish to ask Sung. The performers might meditate on the question, or burn the parchment as part of the ritual.

The rune Wyr resonates well with this ritual, as does the persona of the Witch or the Mountebank. A Dawnish magician might evoke images of sphinxes or owls (a beast also appropriate to both Varushkan and Wintermark performances, of course). The astronomancer might point to the constellations of the Key, the Spider or the Web.

On the Nature of Mysteries and Secrets

Sung is the Lord of Mysteries and the Lady of Illusions; she is only minimally interested in “secrets”- something she leaves to the eternals of the Whisper Gallery. The difference is often difficult to explain.

A secret is something that is known only to a few. For example, the special combination needed to open the vault of a League banker is a secret. The banker knows it; her wife might also know it; the artisan who created the vault might know it. The nature of the combination is a simple fact – a string of numbers – a secret rather than a mystery.

A mystery is something baffling, something to which there is no straightforward answer, or something that nobody knows the answer to. The difference can be surprisingly subjective. Imagine that the League banker's vault were discovered in an empty house. For those who found the vault, stripped of context, it becomes a mystery. “Whose vault is this?” they might ask. “What might it contain? How might we open it? Why is it here in this empty house?” While the answers to those questions might appear straightforward, for the people asking the questions they represent a mystery – one full of potential and delicious intrigue. Sung might enjoy helping those people uncover the answers in a way she might not if they simply asked her if she knew the combination.

From the original text

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Clear Lens of the Eternal River

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 10

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 10

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual requires a ring; lens; piece of glass or crystal; or a similar focus that is studied during and after the performance.

Effects

This ritual divines information about the surrounding location.

The ritual is most effective at discovering facts, analyzing auras, and providing historical details about a locale. For example, if a sorceror has murdered several villagers as part of a ritual at a circle of stones, and left a valuable scroll behind, the ritual might reveal that: "five people bled to death within this circle of stones recently"; "a magnitude forty Spring ritual was performed inside the circle recently"; "the area within the stones is a powerful Spring regio"; "a dark haired woman was here recently but left more recently; "these standing stones were raised two hundread years ago" and that "the third stone can be activated with the operate portal spell to allow access to a chamber within the regio." It does not reveal information about motivations or emotions.

Any character who contributed to the ritual can use the ritual focus to study the area and gain information about it from a referee; they should roleplay looking at the things through the focus, and the referee will often give information only about what they actively examine. The effects persist for at most ten minutes, and end prematurely if the ritualists leave the rough vicinity where it was performed.

The kind of information the ritual provides is influenced by the locale. If cast inside a building it will provide information about that building. If cast in a graveyard, it will provide information about the entire graveyard, and possibly specific points of interest such as a nearby mausoleum or a specifically interesting grave.

At the very least it always provides information about enchantments in the immediate vicinity on places, structures or items.

OOC Elements

As with Shadowed Glass of Sung this ritual is designed to help ritualists quickly survey an area for points of interest; it is not usually a substitute for interacting with the environment, but it often provides additional details, significance and context to the history of a location. This ritual tends to provide facts, rather than subjective information. Interpreting the details is up to the players.

Description

The lens that serves as the focus can be passed from ritualist to ritualist; only the characters who participated in performing the ritual can discover anything by peering through it. It is only really effective when examining a location - it rarely reveals information about objects smaller than man-sized that are reflected in it, and it has limited effectiveness when revealing information about people.

One potential use is to identify shapeshifters; the mirror can often recognise a shapechanger or a herald for what it truly is. The more enmeshed in their role they are, the harder they are to identify however. A shapechanger that does not know it is a shapechanger is the least likely to be revealed by this spell.

Rituals like this have been used since time-out-of-mind by groups such as the Suaq icewalkers, the Urizen torchbearers, Freeborn treasure hunters and Dawnish enchanters looking for regio. The information it provides is often fragmentary, and interpreting it can prove quite challenging. It is most often performed when the ritualists encounter a mysterious or magical location - while it can provide some details about events in places like Anvil it is rare to learn anything of significance there.

The ritual is popular in Urizen, drawing as it does on the hearth magics of eyes and lenses. It is also somewhat popular in Varushka, where a warden who can perform the ritual solo can quickly gather information about a mystery, or detect the presence of a mora or other shapechanger.

This ritual is named for the concept that time itself is a river, flowing from the past to the future with the position of the onlooker divining the present. It is exceptionally rare, but there are some reports that the ritual occasionally provides information about future events - although when and how this happens is impossible (currently) to predict.

Common Elements

This is a divination ritual, and often involves runestones or cards as well as the item that serves as the focus. The focus item can be anything that one of the ritualists can look through. Common examples are actual lenses, discs of crystal or glass, polished pieces of tempest jade or ambergelt or even rings of metal. The lens is often washed in pure water, or boiled briefly in water or wine. Geometric blue and white designs painted around the eyes of the ritualists are another common element, reinforcing the connection to eyes and vision.

The rune Sular is often used with this ritual - it is much concerned with discovery than revelation. Scenes in which The Doctor uncovers or solves a mystery are another common element, as are evocations of the virtues of Wisdom or Vigilance, [{Exemplars and Paragons]] such as Vardas the witch hunter, or refrences to wise animals or creatures such as sphinxes.

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Clemency

Confession and clemency

- A Synod priest that has granted a citizen sanctuary may take that citizen's confession, or they may permit another Synod priest to do so.

- A Synod member who has taken confession may accompany the fugitive to their trial to plead for clemency.

- A plea for clemency must be made on Virtuous grounds. To be effective the priest must present a clear case that demonstrates that the actions of the accused were Virtuous, albeit illegal.

- It is not possible to submit a plea for clemency unless the accused pleads guilty at the start of their trial.

- Further guidance on making effective clemency pleas is available here.

Wayfarer Isaac looked through the flap of the tent at the waiting orcs, who in turn were watching the sand trickle through the hourglass. Isaac took a breath and let out an inaudible sigh as he turned his attention back to young pilgrim who had made her way to the tent.

"...and I cut him nearly in two. As he dropped to the floor, I took another swing and, just like that, two pieces."

Isaac winced at the glee in the zealot's voice. "And pray tell me which virtue was foremost in your heart as you slew the yeoman?"

"Vigilance, of course. On the grounds that he was a briar who had been hiding it and clearly up to something."

Isaac shook his head slowly, musing once again that loyalty was proving a difficult path to walk this day. "I shall accompany you to your trial, but I recommend you use the remaining time available to us to put your affairs in order."

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Clemency guidance

This is a copy of a document published by the Magistrates in Summer 378.

CLEMENCY – A GUIDE FOR PRIESTS

by Magistrate Reinholz

This guide is intended to provide additional guidance to priests to assist them in making pleas for clemency. I stand as the author of this document which will provide you with insights into the established legal processes in this area, as described by a serving magistrate.

THE BASICS

When a person who is charged with a crime comes before the Court they have a choice – to plead guilty or not guilty. If, and only if, they plead guilty then they may ask for a priest to plead for clemency on their behalf.

Normally the accused will have been given time before the trial to find a priest, to make their confession and to explain their actions. If this time has not been given the defendant should ask the Court for a short adjournment to make such arrangements.

No priest is obliged to make a plea for clemency. If the priest accepts this duty then they should take care to examine the facts of the case in detail. The priest must then use their own judgement of the virtues of the act in question. They will be called as a witness to present a short plea for clemency to the Court. Precisely how the priest deals with this is entirely up to the priest – indeed if the priest feels there is no virtue in the act then there is nothing wrong with the plea stating exactly that. The priest is not obliged to only present a case in support of the defendant. Priests should be aware that they will need to persuade the magistrate as to the virtues of the act in question.

WHAT IS THE MAGISTRATE LOOKING FOR IN A CLEMENCY PLEA?

The magistrate is looking for facts which substantiate the defendant's actions as being virtuous. They are interested in the actual reasons in the mind of the defendant at the time of, and before the crime (rather than rationalisations afterwards). Talking about the motivation and pre-meditation of the defendant may well help the plea by demonstrating the argument within the defendant's mind about the virtues of the act.

Magistrates appreciate it when the priest is as concise as possible, and does not dwell on the agreed facts of the case. They should avoid re-arguing the facts of the case as if they were now trying to prove the defendant not guilty (it is too late for that!) It is generally better to focus on one or two of the most appropriate Virtues, rather than many. If there is a relevant historic example of Virtuous behaviour which addresses the same issues then referring to this may also be persuasive.

WHAT CLEMENCY IS NOT

A plea for clemency in no way obligates the magistrate to release the defendant. There is no automatic immunity for the defendant, just because a priest says the act was virtuous. Normally one might expect to see a direct effect from a successful plea– such as the commutation of a death sentence to a lesser punishment. However, this is not always the case. This may not mean the plea was unsuccessful, but it may have had insufficient weight to reduce the appropriate punishment below the threshold for execution. The more heinous the crime, the harder it will be for the clemency plea to have an actual effect on the outcome.

SOME NOTES ON “THE HERO'S BURDEN”

A common subject of a plea is that the crime was necessary for the greater good. Magistrates are likely to consider persuasive, arguments which satisfactorily address the following sorts of issues: 1) Why was due process unable to deal with the situation? 2) Why did the burden fall upon this individual? 3) Was the crime proportionate to the burden?

The fact alone that due process has not dealt with the issue is not enough. There must be an element of urgency – a deadline of some sort that prevents the due process from being effective in addressing the situation.

Magistrates will also consider why it fell to this person to break the law to deal with the situation. Why them and no one else? Did the urgency of the situation demand it, was there no one else they could turn to for help?

The third point is simply that this burden does not permit the hero to justify anything they want. Their actions must be proportionate to the circumstances. As a further aside it should be noted that magistrates may view with suspicion those necessary “acts of virtue” which leave the only other witness dead and therefore unable to defend themselves.

CLEMENCY EXAMPLE CASE STUDY

Alyosha, a simple farmer, has been accused of the theft of 2 bags of grain from the barn of a near neighbour. Alyosha accepts the facts of the case, and his guilt, and asks a priest to plead for clemency at his trial.

Without clemency, the full weight of the law will bear down upon him since the assumption by the court will be that there is no mitigation. The priest needs to convince the magistrate that the act was virtuous, or had at least aspects of virtue for any lessening of sentence. The better the plea, the greater the reduction in sentence.

Example 1 The priest simply informs the court that Alyosha stole the grain to feed his family, a necessary act for their prosperity.

Result: Minimal, if no effect on the outcome. The priest has not elaborated on the reason for the need for the act. Even a career criminal needs to feed their family. That does not make his thefts virtuous.

Example 2 The priest argues that Alyosha's family were on the brink of starvation and that he acted out of Loyalty to them and for their Prosperity. He acted Courageously, seizing the chance to take the grain in knowledge that he could be punished if caught. He was wise because it would be foolish to allow his family to starve. He had shown Ambition by the audacity of the theft And finally the act of saving his family gave him, and his family, Pride that he had been Vigilant in his duties as head of the household for them to survive.

Result: Minimal. Whilst the priest has elaborated on the reason for the theft – that his family were starving – she has not explored the reasoning why the theft was the only possible route of action. Further, by listing all seven virtues with trivial interpretation she creates the impression that she is not clear how Alyosha is virtuous but will try anything to help. It is better to concentrate on as few Virtues as possible.

Example 3 The priest argues that Alyosha's family were on the brink of starvation and that he acted out for their Prosperity. She explains that the risk of starvation was caused because a band of barbarians had raided his farm, stealing his stores and burning his crops. He had stolen one of the bags to provide just enough grain to keep his family alive until the next harvest, and a second bag of seed grain to ensure he had a harvest to plant. Further, in choosing the victim he choose a miserly, unvirtuous individual who he knew had more than enough grain, rather than steal from those with little, for he wished to minimise the effects on the prosperity of others

Result: Greatly reduced sentence, with minimal financial burden. By concentrating on Alyosha's virtue of Prosperity and elaborating further on the motivation and Alyosha's thoughts on the Virtue before committing the crime the Priest has been at least partly convincing. She has plead that Alyosha believed the crime necessary and in his choice of victim and the size of the theft had sought to minimise the damage he caused. What he has not demonstrated is the reason why the act of breaking the law was absolutely necessary.

Example 4 In this example the priest pleads identically to example 3, except that she elaborates further on the actions Alyosha and his family performed after the raid, but before the theft. Here he explains that Alyosha created a plan to preserve the prosperity of his family which they all enacted. His wife and young children worked hard to recover what they could from the burnt fields and barn – his wife had collapsed from her labours and the fingers of his four year old son were covered with blood from trying to scrape the few lost grains from cracks in the barn floor and walls. Alyosha himself had rounded up anything of value that he could spare and sold it in the village and spent the rest of his time calling on friends and neighbours to ask for help. None had offered any. He had petitioned the local authorities, on behalf of all those in a similar position and whilst he had been given assurances that “something will be done” no immediate aid was forthcoming and there was no sign that any form of alms would arrive before death.

The priest further explains that Alyosha has thought long and hard before committing his crime and has done his utmost to minimise the damage to the Prosperity of others. He did not immediately hand himself in to the authorities after the act only because he wanted to immediately feed his family and plant at least some of the seed, but has never denied his crime when apprehended.

Result: The magistrate releases Alyosha without sanction. Here the priest has explained the full course of actions, He has demonstrated that the normal “due process” would likely have led to the death of his entire family. Talking about Alyosha's pre-meditation has done no harm. A rash or unconsidered act is much less likely to be the act of the virtuous.

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Coil of the Black Leech

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 10

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 10

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must possess the magician skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

Whenever the target casts the weakness spell and strikes a target, they immediately regain up to three lost hits. The ritual does not grant the target any ability to cast the weakness spell.

While under this enchantment, the target experiences a roleplaying effect: whenever they gain hits due to this enchantment, they feel a rush of pleasure. Once they have used this ability once, they feel a constant urge to use it again even when they are not injured.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 8. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This vampiric ritual takes advantage of the way the weakness spell works to revitalize the caster when they strike a foe. It brings with it a dangerous, gnawing hunger to experience the pleasant taste of another's strength. Targets are often advised to seek out a priest to remove the tainted hunger that accompanies the enchantment. A cautionary tale suggests that the twisted, accursed leech-priests of the Sarcophan Delves were created using a variant of this ritual, or fell into the clutches of an Eternal of Winter after their reliance on this magic became too pronounced.

This enchantment is sometimes coupled with the use of a Wendigo's Bargain or similar enchanted implement. The magic also has an obvious synergy with the Splintering Gorget mage armour.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes leeches, bats and other creatures that feed on the blood of the living. They may shed blood into a goblet of sweet wine for the target to drink, or offer gifts or tokens that represent the power to take strength from others. The runes Kyrop and Naeve are commonly evoked, and some magicians favour the name of Wendigo or even Sorin (whose philosophy of growth through suffering seems a peripheral match for this ritual).

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Cold, Crisp Air

Come, new light, For my love, Send my heart across the cold, crisp air. Clouds must part, Here above, So he’ll know that I will soon be there.

My father said, We cannot wed, Still, I long to be in your arms, Light fills the sky, To you I’ll fly, Send my heart across the cold, crisp air.

The towers steep, Hold the key, Send my heart across the cold, crisp air. My studies long, Will play their part, So he’ll know that I will soon be there.

Behind me a note, On which I wrote, How I long to be in your arms, Light fills the sky, To you I’ll fly, Send my heart across the cold, crisp air.

A flash of light, An answer true, Send my heart across the cold, crisp air. I turn to leave, My life and Spire, And I know that I will soon be there.

My father said, We cannot wed, Still, I long to be in your arms, Light fills the sky, To you I’ll fly, Send my heart across the cold, crisp air.

There he stands, Like winter, cold, He’s seen my heart across the cold, crisp air. A sob, a roar, The icy floor, He screams that I am never to be there.

My father’s tears, Fill me with fear, How I longed to be in your arms, My heart fills the skies, Now I must fly, Send my love across the cold, crisp air.

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Cold Water from the Mountain

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying.

Effects

At the completion of this ritual, all contributors gain the ability to cast the purify spell once as if they knew it and without spending any mana.

When cast with more than one contributor, this ritual always counts as a use of the coven bond and counts towards the number of rituals the coven can perform that day.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Description

This ritual is primarily a battlefield spell that allows a coven of Day magicians to remove weakness and venom when it is needed. Once the ritual has been cast, it is quicker to deliver immediate effect than it is to cast a ritual such as Ascetic Star of Atun. The ritual also empowers a coven to remove minor weakness, not just venom, as with the Axcetic Star.

The ritual is more powerful the more members of the coven are present, and reaches it's highest potential the more ritualists who have not personally mastered the ability to purify their allies through spellcasting.

As the name implies, ritualists often combine the peformance of the purify effect with a little fresh water to quench the thirst, or cleanse the wounds of the target.

This ritual has existed in one form or another since the earliest records, and it is likely that the purify incantation itself began as a refinement of the power it grants.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes forces of purification such as water or fire. Quiet music is common, as are invocations of healing. The rune Cavul is a very popular element.

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College of Magic

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senate Commissions

- 2.1 Benefits

- 2.1.1 Arcane Projection

- 2.1.2 Ritual Texts

- 2.1.3 Specialisation

- 2.2 Costs

- 3 Existing Colleges of Magic

Overview

A college of magic allows the creation of new formulaic rituals. A formulaic ritual can take decades to complete, requiring extensive resources and many dangerous experiments. A college of magic speeds this process up dramatically by providing a forum for expert magicians and magical theorists to collaborate, providing them with good quality equipment and the guidance of a single individual who directs their research.

There are already two colleges of magic in the Empire: the Lyceum and the Halls of Knowledge in Urizen. The former is overseen by the Dean of the Lyceum, a powerful position appointed by the Imperial Conclave; the latter is directed by the Provost of the Halls of Knowledge, an Urizen appointed by the people of Urizen.

Senate Commissions

The Imperial Senate may pass a motion for the construction of a college of magic allowing the Empire to increase the number of new rituals that they can create. The Senate must select a territory and region where the college is to be built.

When the construction is complete a new Imperial title is automatically created. The title may be either an Imperial or National position. The Senate motion should state what the title is called, and how it will be appointed. The well worn path is for an Imperial position to be appointed by Declaration of Candidacy before the Imperial Conclave while a national position would be appointed by the people of that nation through the Imperial Bourse.

Benefits

Arcane Projection

The master of the college of magic can encourage the magicians associated with it to cooperate in the creation of an arcane projection each season. This does not require the expenditure of any crystal mana. The projection will be valid during the next summit. It may detail a magical effect of any realm or magnitude.

Ritual Texts

The magicians of a college can be directed to research the formula of a new ritual so that it can be mastered. The ritual must already exist in the form of an arcane projection, but there is no requirement to select one they have personally commissioned. A college can work on formalising one ritual at a time, and the research may take anywhere from a season to several years depending on the complexity and the resources available. The amount of time it takes to complete research into a ritual depends on the magnitude of that ritual.

It requires three months (one season) for every 10 ranks of magnitude the final ritual will have.

If research is not completed, the college keeps notes on their work so far, and may resume it at a later date from where it was left off.

At the completion, the master of the college receives a ritual text suitable for use in mastering the ritual. They may keep the knowledge of the ritual restricted to themselves and their allies, or through a Declaration of Imperial Lore the Conclave can have that ritual added to the wider body of Imperial Lore, making it available to any ritual magician in the Empire.

Specialisation

A college may be created with a speciality in one of the six realms of magic. This specialisation is free, and is almost always declared when the college is commissioned. When the college is directing research towards a project that is part of the speciality lore, the work proceeds at the rate of 15 ranks of magnitude each season.

Furthermore, when working in the speciality realm, the master of the college can increase the rate at which the ritual is researched by spending money to purchase rare materials, esoteric tomes and exceptional equipment, and to secure the temporary assistance of reclusive or avaricious experts.

The first five ranks of additional research in a season cost 2 Thrones. The next five ranks cost a further 5 Thrones. The next five ranks cost a further 10 Thrones, and so on doubling the price for each additional five ranks of research within the same season.

A college can have only one specialisation; changing a specialisation once it has been declared would be extremely expensive.

Costs

- Materials: 60 wains of Mithril, 60 wains of Weirwood and 60 wains of White Granite

- Time: 1 year

- Labour: 45 Thrones

- Upkeep: 25 Thrones (but see below)

There are a limited number of magicians in the Empire who are prepared to help with research of new rituals. This means that each new college of magic that is constructed will have an increasing upkeep cost - to reflect the fact that it must pay more to entice those independent magicians that remain to work there.

Existing Colleges of Magic

The list includes all existing colleges of magic in the Empire.

- Dean of the Lyceum

- Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

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Combat skills

Contents

- 1 Thrown

- 2 Ambidexterity

- 3 Marksman

- 4 Weapon Master

- 5 Shield

- 6 Endurance

- 7 Fortitude

Thrown

You may throw weapons of 8” or larger provided that it has been passed as safe for throwing. Throwing weapons may include axes and javelins, but you cannot throw shuriken, rocks or tiny throwing knives shorter than 8” long.

Ambidexterity

This skill allows you to simultaneously wield two weapons (or implements) up to 42” long each. Your opponent still only takes one hit per second at most if hit swiftly and repeatedly - even when using two weapons at once. It is not possible to wield two weapons at once without this skill. You cannot wield two weapons if either is longer than 42”.

Marksman

You may use a bow or crossbow. All missile weapons require both hands to shoot, and do IMPALE automatically, with no need to call the effect.

Weapon Master

This skill allows you to wield one-handed spears, two-handed weapons, pole-arms and pikes.

Shield

Any character can use a buckler up to 15” in diameter. A character with this skill can use a larger shield; the maximum size for the shield is based on the shield shape.

A shield must be gripped by a handle held in the hand to protect the wearer. A shield that is simply strapped to the body does not protect the wearer. All blows that strike a slung shield are considered to hit the character wearing it.

Endurance

You gain 1 additional global hit each time you purchase this skill. The cost to purchase this skill increases by 1 pt each time you purchase this skill.

Fortitude

Fortitude

Bleed Time

Bleed Time under Venom

0

3 minutes

30 seconds

1

4 minutes

40 seconds

2

6 minutes

50 seconds

3

9 minutes

60 seconds

Normal characters bleed to death in three minutes if they are reduced to zero hits. Each time you purchase this skill the time taken for your character to bleed to death increases. The increase is one minute for the first level of fortitude purchased, two minutes for the second level and so on. The cost to purchase this skill increases by 1 pt each time you purchase this skill.

Normal characters bleed to death in thirty seconds when affected by venom. Each level of this skill that you purchase gives you ten additional seconds before you become terminal when affected by venom. The increase is ten seconds for the first level of fortitude purchased, ten seconds for the second level and so on.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Combat_skills&oldid=31088"

Come my pretty one

Come, My Pretty One - Traditional Dawnish courting song

Lyrics and music by Claire Bowden

https://soundcloud.com/herecosyouare-1/come-my-pretty-wav

A pdf of the tune and lyrics can be found here.

Come, my pretty one, and dance with me, All in your red dress, trimmed with ribbons, There’s a whole wide world out there for you to see, But the days are short, and few in number, So dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, My pretty one.

Come, my merry one, and sing with me, All by the firelight, gaily glowing, There’s a whole wide world out there for you to see, But the night is dark, and filled with terrors,* So sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, My merry one

Come my bravest one and fight with me, All in your armour, brightly gleaming, There’s a whole wide world out there for you to see, Your enemy’s near and great in number, So fight, fight, etc… My bravest one.

Come, my jolly one and drink with me, Where wine and beer are freely flowing, There’s a whole wide world out there for you to see, And bring back tales of your valour, So drink, drink etc My jolly one.

Come, my hungry one and feast with me, All in your best coat, or your leathers, There’s a whole wide world out there for you to see, But it wouldn’t serve to leave here starving, So feast, feast, etc My hungry one.

Come, my darling one and lie with me, With naught between but breath and longing, There’s a whole wide world out there for you to see, But the night is dark, and all too lonely, So lie, lie, etc My darling one.

Come, my fearless on and die with me, All for the glory and songs hereafter, There’s a whole wide world out there for you to see, But our lives are short and ever changing, So die, die, etc My fearless one.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Come_my_pretty_one&oldid=20863"

Commission

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Costing

- 3 Improvements and Repairs

- 4 Oversight

- 5 Known Commissions

- 5.1 Military Commissions

- 5.2 Civilian Commissions

- 6 Creating a New Commission

- 7 Opportunities

- 8 Administration

- 9 Further Reading

- 9.1 Core Brief

- 9.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Senate has the power to commission important projects or great works of construction that will benefit the Empire. Any Imperial citizen can make use of mithril, weirwood or white granite they have purchased to improve a resource they own. But regardless of how much wealth they possess no citizen can recruit their own army or simply order the construction of a great work - this requires the power of commission.

Senate motions that involve commissions must set a budget allocated from the Imperial treasury to fund the construction. It is not uncommon for the budget allocated to be zero - a sign that the Senate will allow a commission to proceed but does not wish to support it - but it cannot require funds be provided to the Imperial treasury in return for permitting a commission to proceed.

Some commissions automatically result in the creation of a new Imperial title - for example raising a new army causes the creation of a new Imperial general - creating this title is an integral part of the commission and does not require a second motion to be considered by the Senate.

Costing

Any commission that is proposed by a senator will be costed by the civil service, so that the Senate can make an informed decision on whether to pass the motion. The civil service use extensive ledgers of known costs based on the desired outcome - so they can cost any request for something that has been built before - or a variation thereof - provided the citizen makes clear what they want the commission to do. Where the desired outcome is not stated or not clear then the costing takes longer as the civil service are forced to guess what the proposer wanted.

Most costs are defined in terms of the number of wains of mithril, weirwood and white granite which are required to complete the construction. Costings will also state any ongoing upkeep costs as well as the time required to complete the construction. Civil servants are present during the construction of the commission, so it is not possible to construct anything other than the commission approved by the Senate.

It is possible to request something that has never been constructed before, but such a construction may not be physically possible and the costing is likely to take much longer, as much as a year. The civil service have to do extensive research to look into the practicality of the request and use day magic to make predictions of the materials required.

The civil service try to provide costings to any citizen who requests them, but if they are unusually busy then they will prioritize requests for costs which are linked to a motion that has actually been proposed.

Improvements and Repairs

In addition to new commissions, the Senate may also pass motions to upgrade or improve existing commissions. In the cast of armies and fortifications they can also pass motions to expend the resources needed to return the army to full strength or repair the fortification. These motions follow the same processes used for new commissions.

Oversight

If the Senate passes a commission, then the member of the Senate that proposed the motion is then responsible for overseeing the project. Any funds allocated from the treasury are given directly to the proposer to use for the completion of the commission. The citizen remains responsible for the commission and legally empowered to authorize it, even if they lose their position in the Senate during that time. The only way a commission overseer can be changed is if the citizen dies or is excommunicated; only then is Senate legally permitted to pass a motion to assign one of their number to complete the project.

A character can go about spending their funds as they see fit, and can delegate some or all of the responsibility to others, but they are ultimately considered to be responsible for ensuring the project is completed.

Known Commissions

The following pages describe the current library of known commissions distilled from the ledges maintained by the Imperial civil service. We will maintain this list with any new commissions that develop in play.

Military Commissions

- Imperial army

- Imperial navy

- Fortification

- Spy network

Civilian Commissions

- Sinecure

- Ministry

- Great work

- Embassy

- College of Magic

- Runeforge

Creating a New Commission

If a new commission is being created then there are several important details that need to be included. Commissions normally need to be based in a specific region in a territory. The commission will need a name - and if there is a new Imperial Title associated with the position then that will need a name also. If there is a new Imperial title and it bears any particular duties or responsibilities then this is particularly important information.

Sinecures, ministries, and great works are all effectively classifications for different types of structure that the Senate can commission. It is very helpful to provide as much flavour and detail on how a new commission works as possible. While these in-character details do not affect the rules that are important for the campaign and can influence plot developments involving the commission.

We will provide help or advice on creating these details on request. In particular, players are welcome to email Profound Decisions to discuss new commissions they are seeking to have created. If essential details are omitted then we will either try to contact the character that proposed the motion to create the commission to get details from them or else we will make up the missing facts.

Opportunities

Opportunities are seeded into the game from plot. Opportunities are usually commissions; often they will circumvent or exceed the regular play balanced rules for determining the outcome of a commission.

A commission opportunity must be proposed by a senator to be voted on as any normal commission, but it may provide the ability to do something at reduced cost, or in a way that could not normally be achieved. The nature of the plot will normally dictate what benefits the opportunity provides, as well as what information is available on those benefits.

Administration

Any character who has used the power of commission, should put the documents representing the wains of mithril, weirwood and white granite that they are committing to their project in their bag that they hand in at the end of the event. They should then email Profound Decisions to make us aware that you want to pay for a commission. We will remove the money or resources from your inventory as soon as we are aware that you wish to make a payment. If anything is removed from your inventory by us that you did not wish to use in this way then please let us know as quickly as possible.

Please do not include a note when you hand in your wains as it is impossible to process these notes at the point where your bag is processed.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Commission&oldid=35994"

Commission Egregore histories

We propose the creation of a written history of the lives of the Egregores and their hosts. This work will be collated and maintained by Gwyliwr of the Carrion and other interested historians selected by him and will be submitted to the Imperial Archives.

Proposed by Miaren, seconded by Hercynia.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Progress

- 4 Constitution

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Supporting the creation of a document.

- Passed with 3 votes against.

Date

- Spring 377YE.

Progress

- Unknown.

Constitution

- The Senate has not created a position with the authority, responsibility or stipend to achieve this task

The civil service opinion is that the Senate could have chosen to create an Imperial position with the responsibility to compile Egregore biographies and histories. The position could have been granted a stipend. Without the creation of an Imperial position, this motion has no legal implications.

It is important to note that no Egregore, current or past, is obligated to co-operate with this project - any more than any citizen of the Empire is required to share their history with strangers.

Campaign Outcome

While there are no Imperial archives as such, reasonable efforts will be made to ensure that copies of completed histories will be made available to the people of the Empire.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Commission_Egregore_histories&oldid=24029"

Commission Imperial audit

Perform an Imperial economic audit in detail to be provided to the Senate.

Proposed by Zenith, seconded by Hahnmark.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

- 5 Constitution

- 6 Notes

Overview

- Provide an Imperial economic audit in detail.

- Passed 25 votes to 3.

Date

- Passed Autumn 377YE.

Cost

- 10 Thrones.

Campaign Outcome

- Civil servants are preparing a detailed audit to be presented in person to the Imperial Senate.

Constitution

The Imperial treasury that is made available to the Senate is what remains from taxation and auctions in the Imperial Bourse after appropriate deductions to meet the running costs of the Empire are removed. The Master of the Imperial Mint receives a breakdown of income and expenditure for the Empire which includes outgoings for Imperial armies, fortifications, stipends, running costs for any great work that require them and the costs to administer the territories of the Empire. The Senate has the ability to curtail most of these outgoings by abrogating past motions, demobilizing armies and dismantling existing fortifications and great works but they cannot change the Empire's territorial administration costs, these are fixed.

Notes

The level of detail provided in information available to the Master of the Mint and the Senate is set by the limits for Abstraction in the game.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Commission_Imperial_audit&oldid=28840"

Commission roll of honour

We should give official recognition to the loyalty of those military unit commanders who commit their troops to support our armies in the field. We suggest a roll of honour be posted each season listing those who have aided each campaign.

Proposed by Kallavesa, seconded by Astolat.

Spring 377YE

Overview

- A public record of military units aiding Imperial armies to be produced and made public.

- Passed unanimously.

Cost

- The Civil Service compiles this information for the benefit of the Military Council; as such additional costs involved in creating an additional copy for purposes of the roll of honour are negligible.

Progress

- Imperial Roll of Honour created.

Campaign Outcome

When the civil servants compile lists of recent military campaigns for the Military Council, an additional copy of the information will be made and disseminated via the Hub.

It is worth noting that if this information were not already being compiled, or if many additional copies were required, the costs would likely be significantly higher.

Winter 377YE

That the Roll Of Honour defined in Senate sessions passim is available in the Imperial Public Library for all citizens to see.

Proposed by Hahnmark, seconded by Volodmartz.

Overview

- The public record of military units aiding Imperial armies to be recorded for posterity.

- Passed unanimously.

Progress

- Complete

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

24

0

Passed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Commission_roll_of_honour&oldid=26405"

Commonwealth

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

The information presented here is designed to give a feel for the foreign nation, and is by no means exhaustive. The focus of the Empire campaign is on the Empire and its citizens, and while this information can be used to create backgrounds or inform role-playing on the field; it is not intended that players portray characters from this foreign nation without discussion with Profound Decisions.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Terrain

- 3 People

- 4 Poltics

- 5 Magic

- 6 Religion

- 7 Leerdam (Eastern Commonwealth)

- 8 Volkavaar (Western Commonwealth)

- 9 Languages

Overview

The Commonwealth is a young nation, taking it's first major steps on the world stage. Guided by a philosophy of the greatest good for the greatest number of people, the nation is convinced that it can make the world a better place - a conviction that makes it's neighbours very nervous. Three times in the last fifty years, the Commonwealth has been at war with nearby countries and in each case they have been victorious. Yet rather than turning their conquered enemies into vassals, they have done everything possible to incorporate them into the greater Commonwealth.

Of particular interest to Imperial citizens are the Commonwealth ports which are open to trade with the Empire.

Terrain

People

Poltics

Magic

Religion

Leerdam (Eastern Commonwealth)

In Leerdam the Eastern Commonwealth finds it's purest expression; traders from across the sprawling nation come to trade with foreign merchants, while mendicant preachers advocate their strange philosophy of "the greatest good" to visitors and residents alike.

Volkavaar (Western Commonwealth)

The mithril spires of Volkavaar are snow-bound all year round. Here the Commonwealth operates its great university of magic and engineering, and the grand Temple of the Common Good serves as a point of pilgrimage for their strange faith.

Languages

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Commonwealth&oldid=35192"

Commonwealth ports

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Leerdam (Eastern Commonwealth)

- 2.1 Trade with Leerdam

- 3 Volkavaar (Western Commonwealth)

- 3.1 Trade with Volkavaar

Overview

There are two Commonwealth ports available to Imperial characters with the fleet resource; Leerdam in the east and Volkavaar in the west.

Leerdam (Eastern Commonwealth)

In Leerdam the Eastern Commonwealth finds it's purest expression; traders from across the sprawling nation come to trade with foreign merchants, while mendicant preachers advocate their strange philosophy of "the greatest good" to visitors and residents alike.

Some of the oldest, and arguably richest, cities of the Commonwealth are found in the east. Leerdam serves as a provincial capital, a centre for trade with the rest of the world. Some of the wealthiest men and women in the Commonwealth are found here, maintaining elaborate townhouses and a lifestyle that might impress an Asavean noble.

Trade with Leerdam

A starting fleet resource that engages in trade with Leerdam during downtime will produce 3 doses of bladeroot, 3 ingots of tempest jade, 3 ingots of green iron and 2 measures of beggar's Lye. A fleet that has been upgraded, or that engages in piracy, will produce more valuable resources according to this chart of foreign ports.

Volkavaar (Western Commonwealth)

The mithril spires of Volkavaar are snow-bound all year round. Here the Commonwealth operates its great university of magic and engineering, and the grand Temple of the Common Good serves as a point of pilgrimage for their strange faith.

Over the last century a program of public works has transformed the western provinces from isolated rural communities to integrated towns and cities with all the advantages that Commonwealth artisans can provide. Roads snake through dark pinewoods, sturdy stone bridges span previously unfordable rivers, and walls of white granite encircle most settlements. Flimsy wooden structures increasingly give way to granite and weirwood structures; entire new towns have been constructed to house labourers, carefully planned by the professors of the university of Volkavaar.

The progress of this urbanisation has lead to a massive demand for building materials and labour. Quarries for white granite have unearthed rich veins of weltsilver in the hills, and the drive to harvest more and more lumber has opened up hitherto unexploited forests dripping with ambergelt. While many of these resources are turned to the great machine that is the Commonwealth's expansion, the surplus is traded across the world, as are the crystal mana produced in great abundance by the magicians of the western provinces.

Trade with Volkavaar

A starting fleet resource that engages in trade with Volkavaar during downtime will produce 3 measures of ambergelt, 3 measures of weltsilver and 3 mana crystals. A fleet that has been upgraded, or that engages in piracy, will produce more valuable resources according to this chart of foreign ports.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Commonwealth_ports&oldid=26691"

Imperial Conclave (Redirected from Conclave)

Magic is but a tool like any other, what matters is the mind that wields it.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Role Within The Empire

- 3 History

- 4 Sessions

- 5 Participation

- 6 Further Reading

- 6.1 Core Brief

- 6.2 Additional Information

- 7 Ongoing Concerns

Overview

The Conclave is an organisation effectively open to all magicians in the Empire. Members of the Conclave explore, discuss and use magic for the benefit both of the Empire and the magicians themselves. Much of the business of the Conclave is hidden from the eyes of non-Magicians, taking place in the Hall of Worlds. At the same time it's influence can be far-reaching - it has access to the magical resources of the entire Empire, and has the ability to make decisions about magical matters that are legally binding on Imperial citizens.

Role Within The Empire

The Conclave is charged with oversight of magic across the Empire. Its remit includes encouraging the use of magic in the best interests of the people of the Empire; preventing the misuse of magic to damage the interests of the Empire; and advising the Imperial Senate, Military Council and Imperial Synod on arcane matters.

It possesses specific powers to promote and protect safe and prosperous use of magic by its citizens, through the use of declarations. The Conclave also controls a pool of magical resources that are allocated via gambits for use in specific projects supported by one or more Conclave order.

The Conclave also acts to direct magical research in the Empire. The Conclave appoints the Dean of the Lyceum, a prominent post that has has access to the resources needed to research new rituals in the span of years rather than the decades that would be required for a magician working alone.

History

Mages from Urizen were heavily involved in the creation of the Conclave and the power and nature of the body reflects much of their approach to life. The Urizen passion for magic caused many Urizen magi to attend and speak at the first Conclave meetings, even though the nation did not formerly join the Empire until after the death of the first Empress. In many ways the structure and arrangement of the Conclave reflects how the early Urizen would have chosen to rule the entire Empire, had they been given a free hand in such matters. Instead the design and creation of the Conclave was as imagined, but its remit was heavily constrained; the powers of the Conclave deal only with magic and the use of magic in the Empire.

The first Conclave deliberately chose to hold all their sessions in the Hall of Worlds at Anvil to limit the ability of non-magicians to interfere in their business. The Conclave has always met here although records show that this arcane location changed significantly in the decades that followed the formation of the Empire, growing in size and shape and taking on the form that it assumes today. Unpredictable, seemingly random, changes still occur but most are now cosmetic in nature. Many Conclave magicians subscribe to the idea that the Hall of Worlds adapts to suit the needs of those who meet there, as other chambers in the realms are known to do, reflecting the uses to which it is put.

Sessions

The official business of the Conclave takes place at the Conclave sessions - which are always held in the Hall of Worlds. The Conclave normally has a single session each evening during any Imperial summit. The agenda for these sessions is managed by the civil service but items can be added to the agenda by any individual in exchange for a mana crystal. Agenda items are divided into three types; addresses - an opportunity for individuals to provide Conclave members with information; declarations - which allow Conclave members to vote on issues of policy; and gambits - formal requests by the appointed officers of the Conclave to utilize the resources of the Conclave.

Because of the potential size of the Conclave - which exceeds even that of the Synod - sessions are subject to strict rules that determine who can speak and for how long. These rules are referred to as the three principles; the Principle of Proportions, Principle of Precedence and Principle of Presence. The principles are designed to balance the desire of members to speak with the need to prevent Conclave sessions from becoming unnecessarily long. Civil servants administer the operational procedures of the Conclave, but in practice the chamber is dependent on members to police the rules to keep sessions moving. In return the Conclave provides every member with a vote that allows them to directly influence the decisions that the chamber takes.

Most members of the Conclave choose to join a Conclave order. These are political bodies with clear philosophies about how magic should be used. Joining an order allows an Imperial magician to unify their voice with other like-minded magicians as well as giving them influence over how the Conclave expends the magical resources it accrues.

Participation

Any Imperial magician who attends a session in the Hall of Worlds at Anvil is considered to be a member of the Conclave. They are eligible to vote in declarations and to join a Conclave order if they wish to do so. Members of an order elect a grandmaster who provides leadership and direction to the order. Most Imperial magicians who attend Conclave sessions regularly choose to join an order, but it is not mandatory and some individuals prefer to remain independent of any political affiliation, the better to influence all of them.

There are strict rules to determine who can speak and when, but anyone who is present at a session has the right to speak, provided they pay for their time with a mana crystal for every minute spent talking. Membership of the Conclave is a requirement to vote but not to speak. It is possible, albeit difficult, for non-magicians to reach the Hall of Worlds so anyone who makes the effort to reach the Hall of Worlds can address the Conclave, if they can afford it. It is rare for citizens who are not magicians to do this, however it is not uncommon for beings of the realms, eternals and their heralds who are present at meetings to speak before the Conclave.

Being a magician is a legal requirement to vote in declarations or to join an order, so any individual who attempted to pass themselves off as a magician without the requisite skill would be guilty of subverting the agencies of the state. It is common practice to assume every citizen present is a magician but magistrates do pass judgement when imposters are uncovered.

Anyone can add an address or a declaration to the agenda for a Conclave session, if they provide a mana crystal, they need only find a suitable civil servant to do so. However there is rarely any value in doing so unless you can be physically present to speak on the matter.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Conclave session

- Conclave powers

- Declaration

- Gambit

- Conclave appointments

- Conclave order

Additional Information

- Conclave address

- Principle of Precedence

- Principle of Presence

- Principle of Proportions

- Conclave vault

- OOC design

Ongoing Concerns

Information about past Declarations made by the Conclave that are still in effect can be found at:

- Declarations of Interdiction

- Declarations of Sorcery

- Declarations of Amity

- Declarations of Enmity

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_Conclave&oldid=35245"

Conclave address

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Procedure

- 2.1 Raising an address

- 2.2 Presentation

- 2.3 Debate

- 2.4 Resolution

Overview

A Conclave address is an opportunity for an individual to make a presentation to the Imperial Conclave.

Procedure

Raising an address

Any Imperial citizen can place an address on the agenda for the next Conclave session. Placing an address costs a mana crystal, paid when the address is raised. The civil servant records the name of the person raising the address who may also choose to add a short sentence summarizing the topic of their address.

Presentation

Presenting an address allows an individual to speak before the Conclave, for up to one minute in duration, on whatever topic they desire. If they wish to speak for longer than a minute then they may spend additional crystal mana to do so as normal.

Legally, an address is considered to be any agenda item that does not require a vote of the Conclave. Traditionally, addresses are used to provide the assembled magicians with important information, or to inform the Conclave of significant magical or political developments.

The Warmage, Bursar, Imperial Magus and any archmage have the power to raise a single address for free each summit. They are expected to use their addresses to report on the progress of any gambits they have been fulfilling, but there is no legal requirement for them to do so.

Debate

After the presentation is complete, the grandmaster of each order may nominate someone present to speak, in order determined by the Principle of Precedence. Every speaker must pay crystal mana for the right to present their views. It is considered rude to move the debate away from the topic of the address - magicians who attempt to pursue unrelated agendas are often barracked by the assembled magicians until they stop talking.

Resolution

After the discussion, the address is complete and the civil servant moves on to the next address, or the process of resolving the declarations begins.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Conclave_address&oldid=29687"

Conclave appointments

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Conclave Appointments

- 2.1 Selection

- 3 Removal

Overview

Appointments by the Imperial Conclave are made by Declaration of Candidacy. If a character is successful then they remain in position until they die, resign the title or are replaced by a new declaration.

Conclave Appointments

- The six archmagi, one for each magical realm.

- The six grandmasters, one for each Conclave order

- The Dean of the Lyceum, responsible for developing new rituals

- The Warmage who liases closely with the Military council

- The Bursar of the Conclave who buys and sells on behalf of the Conclave.

- The Imperial Magus is a Conclave representative in the Senate who advises them on arcane matters

Selection

Any Imperial citizen may hold an Imperial position, appointed by the Conclave, provided it is the only Imperial title they control. It is possible for the Senate to create a national position appointed by the Conclave, in which case any Imperial citizen of that nation would be eligible to hold that title.

It is not constitutionally possible for the Conclave to restrict an Imperial title to only magicians (or only members of the Conclave). In practice, by holding their meetings in the Hall of Worlds, the Conclave have found a practical solution that ensures that it is rare that anyone who is not a magician is able to make a declaration of candidacy.

Removal

When Urizen joined the Empire they were instrumental in the formation of the Conclave. As a result of their actions, the constitution was amended to lay out the duties of the Conclave and stated that "it shall be guided by fraternities of magicians under the general aegis of the Senate, and without interference from the Synod."

As a result it is not possible for the Synod to revoke an Imperial title appointed by the Conclave.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Conclave_appointments&oldid=36195"

Conclave design

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Goals

- 3 The Price of Words

- 4 The Price of Peace

- 5 Of Mice and Magi

- 6 Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt!

- 7 A WizardCivil Servant Did It

- 8 The Perils of Fair Play

Overview

We have overhauled the design and function of the Conclave to try and improve the game experience of interacting with it. This page presents the thinking that underpins the new design.

Goals

The core goal for the Conclave is to capture the feel of the classic fantasy trope of a body of political magicians - a recurrent theme in literature like Feists' Magician or Trudi Canavan's Black Magician novels. The concept of powerful wizards arguing over the dispensation and control of the forces of magic ought to present countless opportunities for interactions and plot.

The inherent flaw in this conceptual picture is that meetings - of magicians or indeed anyone else - are usually more enjoyable in literature than they are when roleplayed out. At their best they can be tense dramatic political scenes, at their worst they drag on interminably with little if anything actually decided. The challenge is to make every member of the Conclave feel involved and enabled while preventing sessions degenerating into a talking-shop. This trade-off is particularly acute in the Conclave because there are literally hundreds of magicians in the game - the design for the Conclave needs to try to involve all of those players - by ensuring it is fun for so many players to be involved.

When reviewing the Conclave our starting point was that there were two possible models for a political house. It could be en elective body where the player-base exercise power by choosing who would be part of the body - and by their interactions with those who are part of the body. The Senate, the Military Council and the Bourse all work this way - albeit in very different ways. The alternative is a representative body - one where everyone who wishes to be part of the body can partake personally. The Synod works like this - but it was brilliantly designed by Daniel Williams to function with so many members.

We feel that the fundamental goal for the Conclave - indeed the implication of the very name - is that it should be a representative body - one in which all magicians can take part and wield power directly - not one that elects individuals to do that. To do that and remain enjoyable and dramatic the design for the Conclave needed to rival that of the Synod - whilst remaining as distinctive as possible.

The Price of Words

The previous design concentrated its focus on voting - allowing only a few characters to wield power directly in the Conclave. To counter this lack of individual participation, players had extended the rules to allow everyone to talk. The patch and the flawed design produced a Conclave that left players feeling disenfranchised - because they couldn't influence the outcome directly - but meant that meetings ran on for hours as the political issues were debated.

In a social situation - where characters are meeting to discuss something - talking is expensive. The more talk that takes place, the more frustrated most players become as the meeting inevitably begins to drag. The blunt truth is that we like to talk more than we like to listen. We had identified this problem very early on in the design of Empire - which is why locations like the Senate use an NPC chair to keep meetings on message and on time. But that approach could not work in the Conclave - not with the potential for hundreds of characters all wanting to speak on every subject.

Re-examining the situation it was clear the original design was poor. The Conclave rules in play restricted the thing that was relatively easy to scale to hundreds of players (voting) but didn't restrict the thing which does not scale well (talking). The polar-opposite design - one where the power to talk was as expensive IC as it is OOC (in terms of the impact on other player's enjoyment), but voting was open to everyone present - is a significant change but one we believe will make the Conclave a more dramatic and exciting place to lock horns with your fellow magi.

The Price of Peace

To an extent we have already seen that begin to happen with the dramatic conflict between the Synod and the Senate in the final event of the first year. But the game is designed so that players can gravitate towards the elements of the game that best fit what they enjoy. Political strife will always be rare in the Military Council - it is at the coal face of the war with the barbarians. Players who like a very directed, unified engagement with a clear external enemy to fight against are much more likely to find that in the Military Council than anywhere else in the game.

But the Conclave - a body of magicians many of whom will never take the battlefield should be the opposite end of the spectrum. This is the place to go if face-to-face battles with a horde of barbarians is really not your thing. Of course we would still expect players to make all the usual arguments about the good of the Empire - but our hope was that the countervailing instinct - the selfish instinct to advance your own position would provide a platform for some great political infighting.

Going over the design again we realized that this hadn't happened in the Conclave as much as we had hoped in the first year because we had fundamentally blocked the avenues to advancement and inadvertently placed massive emphasis on the good of the Empire. The members of the Conclave orders had to cooperate to elect a grandmaster - then the grandmasters had to cooperate to elect the archmages. Then the archmages had to cooperate to spend the Conclave's money. It's difficult to imagine a set-up that could have a stronger emphasis on cooperation and the good of all.

Like the change to voting, the new design is a significant change to the existing set-up - but it provides vastly more support for individual and collective advancement. The orders are set-up to have a political agenda - by giving them control of the Conclave's resources - we make it easier to direct those resources towards those goals. Previously the Conclave resources were split equally between the archmages - now they are allocated to the orders based on their size - the better to make clear that each order appreciates that this is their mana to use for their goals.

There are other more minor changes that lie alongside this one, but they all build on this common goal - to make the orders feel like their Conclave vault belongs to them - that it is theirs to use as they see fit. The hoped for outcome is that gambits become a hell of a lot less consensual - that cooperation becomes something that is difficult for the orders to achieve - not something that is expected. There will be plenty of players calling for the orders to put aside their differences for the good of the Empire of course, but with the new design for the Conclave that should suddenly become an awful lot harder to achieve - and thereby produce a more enjoyable game for those involved.

Of Mice and Magi

Our ideal Conclave should have two identities - one is political a Conclave in which the orders circle each other looking for political advantage and power. In this world positions like archmage are playing pieces on the board. The more archmagi an order controls, the easier it is for them to dominate the political landscape of the Conclave. The changes to voting, to the gambits and the grandmasters are all designed to help support this.

But the Conclave has another identity - this is a meeting of magicians. There are six great realms of magic, with mysteries to be unravelled, challenges to be overcome and powers to be mastered. We want the magicians of the Conclave to take an interest in the magic of the setting - and the natural figures for that to happen are the archmagi. The previous design had them as deeply political figures - the redesign exchanges that political power for increased mastery of magic - in particular of abilities that allow them to cooperate with ritualists throughout the realms. The ability to raise gambits is primarily limited to archmagi precisely so that they can emphasize the magical identity of the Conclave - to balance the political identity of the orders.

Lightning Bolt! Lightning Bolt!

The design of combat magic in Empire deliberately prioritized one core design principle. We wanted magic to be important - but we wanted the best possible fighter in a fight... to be a fighter... There are many different ways to build a LRP game, but the Ad&d historical approach in which magic utterly eclipses fighting - but the fighter has better endurance - was definitely not what we wanted in Empire.

It is also, observably difficult to build a magic system that makes casting magic at your enemies look cool and immersive to other participants. It is rare to find an author that can make a magical duel enjoyable to read in literature - where they can do anything - it is far more difficult to make flinging spells awesome in a live roleplaying game. Empire's primary approach to this problem is to deliver combat magic spells with rods and staffs - to allow the participants to feel the blow and respond naturally. But whatever the approach used, it is almost inevitably that watching a dozen warriors duel will always be more immersive and engrossing than watching a dozen magi shouting at each other - a contest that is often decided by how fast you can gable you can spit out your spell vocals.

If we had designed a magic system that meant that wizards could tear warriors apart on a battlefield - the contest might still have been somewhat underwhelming for participants and onlookers - because of the limitations on magic in a fest LRP system. In fact, given the dominance of the armoured warrior on the battlefield it was inevitable that the contest would be dominated by warriors.... not wizards. Absent any political powers in the Conclave - or in fact any discernible relationship with the Conclave - it was inevitable that the role would effectively become a martial contest to put a champion on the Military Council. There is nothing wrong with that conceptually - but it falls short of the influence and authority that we wanted for the warmage.

The new role is a political appointment by the Conclave - and thus is much more clearly a part of the Conclave. Uniquely, the title grants power in the Military Council and in the Conclave. We hope that future warmages will find many ways to utilize that advantage to benefit both houses... and themselves.

A WizardCivil Servant Did It

We've updated this as a few players have asked us to provide some kind of IC explanation for the change, so we've done as requested.

The official explanation for this change (and a few other minor changes to things like Bourse auction methods) is that it is always done the old way in the first year following a "Time of Emergency" and then automatically reverts to the standard method after one year.

The time of emergency was what happened in the first year following the death of Empress Britta and most of the Empire's finest who died with her. This was why every senator at the first event was having to be elected and so on - it was the rules following a time of emergency when basically everyone who was running the Empire is dead. The explanation is that the Civil Servants have one set of rules to use when running the Empire in the year that follows the declaration of emergency - and then they revert to the standard rules (the ones now on the wiki).

Obviously this is a figleaf justification, we are not attempting to claim that this is a seamless elegant solution, but hopefully it will help to minimize the impact of the changes for individual players - allowing them to roleplay that what happened has happened. It isn't particularly helpful to postulate that individual civil servants are somehow engaged in some kind of conspiracy to control the Empire; this isn't some kind of actual plot you can interact with - it's a justification by PD for the changes we are making to the game to make it better for everyone playing it.

The Perils of Fair Play

There are a few risks with the new design for the Conclave. One is that players will continue to put aside all differences and self-interest and denude the game of ooc enjoyable political intrigue and conflict in favour of united action against the barbarians. We believe we've done everything possible to mitigate that threat. There are simple but very powerful elements in the design - like the ability of the orders to purchase crystal mana to add to their vaults - which should massively reinforce the ideal presented in the setting. It's not the Empire's mana... it's your mana...

But there is another more fundamental risk - the dark shadow of fair play that looms over the new Conclave design. The idea that it costs mana to talk in the Conclave is central to the whole design. It means that the orders have to expend resources to try and sway each other in session, so it gives costs to manoeuvres on the political battleground. But critically it is essential to have this in place if the meetings are not to run for hours and hours - far beyond the endurance of even the most political live roleplayer. For the Conclave to be fun - the rules on talking at a Session will have to be strictly enforced. Our civil servants can do that... but only to a point... without buy-in from the players it just won't work.

The risk is that players feel that the rules simply aren't fair. There is a natural egalitarian spirit in most live-roleplayers - we all want each other to enjoy the event. We all want each other to be involved and have a good time. So naturally - if a fellow live roleplayer wants to say something, the natural instinct is to let him speak. That's "fair". What does not seem fair - is to make him pay for the privilege and then shout him off stage the moment his minute is up.

Economists call this the tragedy of the commons. The forbearance of the players is our "commons" - the longer any individual talks, the more individuals who stand up and talk - the more the patience of the collective will of the assembled players is consumed. But that is hard for anyone in the room to see - what is clear to see is the benefit being enjoyed by the player who gets up to speak. The net result is that allowing players to speak without paying mana - allowing players to speak after their time is up - makes the game more enjoyable for that player - but makes the game a tiny bit less enjoyable for every other player in the tent. By prioritizing the individual over the collective good of everyone present - by being "fair" - the players are actually being unfair to themselves and to everyone else present.

We hope that the players will grab the Principle of Proportions and embrace it with both hands. When a magician tries to remain talking after his sands are run out, please - shout him down - heckle her off stage. When a character has paid to talk, we hope that players will take that moment to be "fair" to them and let them speak (a few shouts of "shame" at appropriate moments are to expected!). But when a player tries to break the Conclave rules (and trying will be fun too!), then that is the moment to be "fair" to everyone. A loud chant of "Mana! Mana!" until they pay up or cede the floor may seem harsh - but it will actually make the game more fair - and more enjoyable - for everyone who wants to take part in the Conclave.

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Imperial Magus (Redirected from Conclave Liaison to the Senate)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Right of Address

- 3.2 Advising the Senate

- 3.3 Addressing the Conclave

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

The title was created at the Winter Solstice summit of 377YE, and Concordia Sforza of Sarvos appointed to the position by declaration of the Conclave.

Responsibilities

The Liaison is expected to take responsibility for providing the Senate with advice on magical matters. Following further discussion, these responsibilities were expanded to give the Imperial Magus the responsibility to advise the Imperial Conclave of the Senate's position on magical matters.

Powers

The Imperial Magus is an Imperial Title appointed by the conclave.

Right of Address

The Imperial Magus has the right to make an address to the Senate once per summit. This is intended to allow them to present important information for the Senators consideration. To use this power, the Magus informs the Civil Service that they wish to address the Senate. Their address will be added to the agenda for the next Senate session.

Advising the Senate

The Imperial Magus is entitled to enter the Senate chamber at the start of a Senate session and participate in the debates. They do not have the power to raise motions or to vote on a motion. This power is intended to be used to participate in Conclave related discussions.

Addressing the Conclave

Once per summit, the Imperial Magus can raise an address to the agenda of a conclave session for free.

Selection

The Imperial Magus is appointed by declaration of the Conclave. They remain in post until replaced or they step down. Any Imperial citizen may hold the post.

Removal

The Imperial Magus is replaced by declaration of the Conclave. The Imperial Magus cannot be revoked by the Synod.

History

The first Imperial Magus was Concordia Sforza of the Carta Bellamarina of Sarvos. When it was initially created, the title was Conclave Liason to the Senate and had only the right to address the Senate.

At the Autumn Equinox summit 378YE the powers of the title were amended, and re-titled Imperial Magus. During the Spring Equinox 379YE, the responsibilities of the title were further expanded to include a responsibility to keep the Imperial Conclave appraised of the Senate's position on magical matters.

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Conclave of Trees and Shadow

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 20

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 20

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a forest. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual calls forth a band of shadowy warriors drawn from the darkness beneath the boughs of the target forest, and imbued with a vital essence that comes from the trees there. The warriors form a powerful military unit under the control of the character who controls the target forest, and fight under that character's command during the coming season.

The target forest produces no special materials during the coming season. At the end of the season, or if they are destroyed, the warriors return to the forest and melt back into it's shadows, restoring it's production to normal.

The military unit created consists of supernatural troops that can be assigned to join a campaign army or undertake raiding. The warriors are especially well suited to raiding actions, but are still effective when they fight as part of a campaign army.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional forests in the same territory. Each additional forest increases the magnitude by 15. The character who controls each forest must be present throughout the ritual, and each receives control of their own military unit.

Description

The shadow warriors called forth by this ritual ooze forth from between the trees into clearings and across boundaries. They begin as shapeless forms of living darkness, but quickly take on more physical forms. Scholars who have studied the magic believe that they are made partially from darkness, partially from the vital essence of the forest, and partly from lesser spirits of the Realm of Night. They are usually armed-and-armoured in a fashion that reflects the kind of raw materials commonly gathered from the forest that spawns them. For example, a forest that produces iridescent gloaming tends to form warriors with pole-arms and robes, while a forest that produces ambergelt spawns warriors with great two-handed axes and dark furs. A forest that normally provides dragonbone tends to produce warriors in hides armed with one-handed spear and shield, while a forest that produces beggar's lye spawns warriors in blackened chain with great shields and maces. These effects are by no means universal.

The shadow warriors invariably appear to be in medium armour. They can speak, and appear to be intelligent although there is something ... hollow about them, as if they are not entirely present. They follow orders well, but tend to shy away from fire and bright lights. They maintain a slightly incorporeal quality, as if they are not entirely physical, but they can be hurt and even disrupted by blows as easily as any other warrior. They tend to move quietly, even in a group, and excel at taking small groups of enemies unaware - they are quite proficient when raiding into barbarian territories.

Magicians who have spent time as guests of the Eternals of Night have reported encountering very similar beings as guards, servants and even courtiers in those realms. The enchanter Chretien l'Incroyable wrote a well-researched treatise on them and claimed that these creatures were actually formless - that like the Eternals themselves they are shapeshifters who take on forms based on the expectations of observers. This ritual, he theorised, used the energy of mana to summon these spirits and clothed them in a form of animus or eidolon drawn from the target forest. He further theorised that the warriors did not actually die when 'killed'; the essence drawn from the forest returned to it, and the warriors' spirits returned to the Realm of Night. Regardless, it is reasonably well-known that several Night Eternals are prepared to offer materials or items that assist with the performance of this ritual, although they rarely do so lightly.

In Highguard this ritual is called Call Forth the Hollow Men and is frowned upon; there is some suspicion that some of the shadow warriors are capable of remaining in the world for their own reasons, especially when they have been summoned with the assistance of an Eternal. In Varushka the ritual is used carefully; some wise ones are concerned that it would be better if the darkness-under-the-trees remained there, in a land where that darkness may already be haunted by malign spirits. The ritual remains popular, however, because it offers a way to call up a band of warriors in a time of need - there are several stories of volhov, cabalists and Marcher landskeepers who have used this ritual to great effect when vales or villages have been threatened by monsters, Feni or bandits.

In the past, this ritual has been used to call up warriors to take part in a tourney or to test the mettle of soldiers or knights. The expense of performing the ritual means that this is a rare, magical activity that attracts warriors from all over when it is attempted, especially in Dawn. Like several other summoned creatures, the shadow warriors cannot pass through the Sentinel Gate at Anvil. As with creatures such as the husks conjured by Quickening Cold Meat, magicians theorise that this is because the gate cannot latch-on to the spirits of Night that empower the shadow warriors, and when they try to travel through the gate their spirit-less 'bodies' are simply shredded back into darkness and the vital essence of the trees.

(OOC Note: This might make an interesting event for a player-event, but under most circumstances the shadow warriors summoned during Profound Decisions events will unfortunately have to remain primarily as a downtime or plot resource rather than something that can be used on the field.)

Common Elements

The ritual often involves a map of the forest to be enchanted; in the case of the Navarr a map of the trods near the forest may be studied, and the shapes worked into new designs suggesting swirling tendrils extending from the trods to embrace and surround the target forest. Other common features include samples of the raw material most suited to the forests; wood, leaves or flowers taken from the forest; symbols of Loyalty; weapons and armour, especially those appropriate to the shadow warriors likely form are also a strong element.

As with many Night rituals, music and dance are common elements. The character who will control the summoned shadow warriors may be symbolically girded as a warrior or general, or even crowned with a circlet of leaves from the target forest.

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Conclave order

The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct her to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.

Lebannon of Haros Water

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Joining an Order

- 2.1 Changing Order

- 3 Powers of membership in an order

- 3.1 Electing a Grandmaster

- 3.2 Participation in Gambits

- 3.3 Establishing Precedence

- 3.4 Right of Challenge

- 4 Existing orders

- 5 Creation and Dissolution of an Order

Overview

The orders are political bodies with clear philosophies about how magic should be used. They are made up of like-minded individuals and exist to bring together mages who share a common vision for how magic should be used in the Empire. There is no requirement for a magician to join an order, and many magicians involve themselves in the discussions of multiple orders.

Any individual present who is not a member of an order can still take part in Conclave business. They can still raise items to the agenda, suggest gambits to an archmage, speak before the Conclave (if they have the support of a grandmaster), and complete the resourcing of gambits as individual members of the Conclave.

Each order also controls their own Conclave vault. The vault contains mana crystals and materials that are distributed by the Conclave to the order for their use. As they are the property of the order, they can only legally accessed through a gambit. The grandmaster of the order announces the decisions of their order when dealing with the contents of the vault, but any member can call for a vote to over-rule a grandmaster with whom they disagree on the allocation of materials.

Joining an Order

Any Imperial magician may join any order. To become a member requires the use of a simple magic ritual. Several civil servants associated with the Conclave have mastered this ritual and can perform it on an Imperial citizen at no additional cost beyond the crystal mana required. The ritual places an invisible mark on the target which can be revealed with detect magic and several other rituals.

During character creation, a character with the magician skill can join an order without needing to expend any crystal mana. A character who chooses not to take this option will need to join an order in play at the usual cost.

Changing Order

A magician can change order by replacing their Arcane Mark with the Arcane Mark of their new order. As a new member of an order, the magician counts for precedence at any subsequent Conclave meetings they attend and may speak against their grandmaster's statement for resourcing a gambit.

However, a magician who changes order cannot vote in the election for a new grandmaster, if they were a member of another order when that order voted for a grandmaster in the last year. In effect you cannot participate in the election for a new grandmaster if you were previously eligible to vote when a grandmaster was elected at any of the previous three summits. Attempting to influence the election of a grandmaster without due authority is electoral fraud and can carry harsh penalties.

Powers of membership in an order

Electing a Grandmaster

A member of an order can vote to determine who the grandmaster of the order will be. The grandmaster must be a member of the order to be eligible to stand.

Participation in Gambits

A member of an order can request and participate in a vote to over-rule the decision of their grandmaster when resourcing a gambit.

Establishing Precedence

During a Conclave session, the number of members of an order present determines precedence. The precedence of an order determines when they speak, what share of the Conclave resources they receive and the order in which they announce their response to a gambit. The first step in each conclave session is establishing precedence which means counting the members of each order present.

Only members of the order, who bear the order's Arcane Mark, count for precedence. Attempting to deceive the count is considered electoral fraud.

Precedence is also used to determine the distribution of resources into the vault belonging to that order.

Right of Challenge

Claiming to be in an order one is not a member of is considered electoral fraud. Any member of an order may request that another member prove their membership in the presence of a magistrate; in this case the onus is always on the challenger to provide the magic needed to examine the target's Arcane Mark.

Existing orders

In the modern era, the following Orders are legally recognised as part of the Conclave:

- The Celestial Arch: The Celestial Arch maintain that the skill and knowledge required to master magic mean that magicians are naturally better leaders and statesmen. They champion the cause of magicians and magic in choosing the Empire's course.

- The Golden Pyramid: The manifesto of the Golden Pyramid centres on the role of magic in generating wealth across the Empire. This Order also champions the causes of artisans, and the right of all magicians not to be treated as servants or slaves.

- The Rod and Shield: The most martial of the orders, the manifesto of the Rod and Shield centres on the role of magic in defending the Empire and expanding its borders. The Rod and Shield is a popular order with battlemages and healers.

- The Sevenfold Path: The Sevenfold Path manifesto centres on the belief that magic serves the Empire best when it is used virtuously, and that the virtuous should not fear magic. It often serves as a bridge between the Conclave and the Imperial Synod.

- The Shuttered Lantern: The Shuttered Lantern focuses on the protection of the Empire and the accumulation of knowledge about allies and enemies alike. They are known to favour scrying, espionage and other subtle uses of magic.

- The Unfettered Mind: The Unfettered Mind believe that the study and use of magic are ends in their own right. They work to expand the Empire's arcane knowledge and power, and oppose measures to curtail or constrain Imperial magic.

Creation and Dissolution of an Order

New orders can be created, and existing orders dissolved, by a constitutional vote of the Senate. A newly created order requires a clear statement as to its purpose and attitudes to magic, and a symbol, similar to those possessed by existing orders, that is used with the Arcane Mark ritual. When an order is dissolved, the contents of it's vault are redistributed among the remaining orders.

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Conclave session

We do not need to like each other to meet as a Conclave, but we must respect each other if we hope to be effective. My principle of proportions ensures respect for other magicians is accorded in the most sublime way. Each of us will weigh the balance of our business against the Conclave's precious time using the scales of magic itself. If the price seems too high, then perhaps what you have to say is not as important to us as it is to you...

Iñes i Guerra

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Conclave Principles

- 3 Speaking before the Conclave

- 4 Setting the Agenda

- 5 Session Order

- 6 Concluding the Agenda

Overview

Like the Senate and the Military Council, the Conclave conducts its official business at formal sessions, where matters are discussed and votes are cast. Although Conclave members meet to discuss business throughout the day (the rules of the Conclave positively encourage magicians to pursue their goals outside the sessions), the sessions are the best chance to address the entire Conclave and the only time that declarations and gambits can be passed.

Traditionally, the Conclave has one formal session each evening during the Imperial summit.

Conclave Principles

Rather than have a civil servant chair a session, as effectively happens in the Senate, the Conclave employs three ancient principles to ensure the smooth running of their meetings. The Principle of Precedence, uses a count of members of the Conclave orders present for the session to determine in what order individuals are eligible to speak, as well as how much of the Conclave's resources each order receives.

The Principle of Proportions demands payment from any individual who wishes to speak, one mana crystal per minute that the speaker wishes to employ. All mana collected is added to the Conclave vault. Official appointments by the Conclave receive limited opportunities to speak without paying this cost, but no other exemptions are allowed. Eternals, foreign dignitaries, even the Empress herself had to pay. Formally the mana is considered a bequest, but no-one is under any illusion that what is demanded is payment - payment to all the assembled magicians to recompense them for the time.

The Principle of Presence prevents a magician from authorizing a proxy to speak on their behalf to the Conclave. The individual who lodges an agenda item with the civil service is the individual who must present that item to the Conclave, they cannot pass the opportunity to do so to another individual. In practice this principle is rarely restrictive to anyone but archmagi and individuals who are unable to reach the Hall of Worlds.

Speaking before the Conclave

Following the Principle of Proportions, speaking before the Conclave costs the speaker one crystal mana for every minute they wish to talk. Every agenda item costs a mana crystal to raise - but automatically entitles the party who lodges the item to a minute to present their case. If they wish to speak for longer than this, they must pay for additional time.

After the presentation is complete, the grandmasters of the orders may nominate volunteers to speak on the topic being discussed, in order determined by the Principle of Precedence. For a declaration only, the first individual chosen by each order receives a single free minute to speak, additional minutes must be paid for with mana.

The nominated speaker, need not be a member of the grandmaster's order but must be an Imperial citizen. Independent magicians and other beings present in the hall can speak, if they receive the nomination of a grandmaster to do so. It is also possible for a grandmaster to nominate a magician from another order, if they wish to do so.

Minutes are timed using a set of minute glasses provided by the civil service, who are also responsible for ensuring that individuals obey the time limits. The civil servants have the legal power to remove a magician once their allotted time has expired, but this is rarely needed, Conclave magicians are positively encouraged to police themselves - by barracking any magician who attempts to carry on speaking until they pay the mana or relinquish the floor.

Since the speaker has paid for their time, those assembled are required to let the speaker use their minute freely. It is most common to speak for the duration, but some magicians invite questions from the floor to answer. Shouts of support or rejection from the floor are acceptable - but shouting a speaker down or trying to talk over them will result in censure by the civil service. When important matters are being discussed there are often scores of whispered conversations taking place between members of the Conclave.

The mana must be provided before the nominated individual begins talking; when someone plans to talk for more than a minute it is common to provide the civil service with a pile of mana to use as they speak.

Setting the Agenda

Any Imperial citizen can add an item to the agenda by approaching a civil servant associated with the Conclave and raising the agenda item. To do so they must bequeath a single mana crystal to the Conclave. At the next Conclave session, each item on the agenda is raised and resolved by the meeting in the order in which they were raised.

Any member of the Conclave can ask to review the agenda for the next session. The agenda is closed an hour before the session is scheduled to begin, so that copies can be made. Copies are generally placed at the Civil service hub and in the Hall of Worlds, and one copy typically furnished for each grandmaster and archmage.

An item raised to the agenda can be either an address, a declaration (including Declaration of Candidacy), or a gambit. Except in the case of a grandmaster invoking the veil of their order, the specifics of the address or declaration must be recorded on the agenda. A character who places an item on the agenda is automatically guaranteed a single minute to speak on the subject without further cost, but it must be that character that speaks. The rules of the Conclave forbid any individual from using a proxy to speak in their place.

The person who raised the agenda item may withdraw it at any time, but they do not get their crystal mana back.

Session Order

Each Conclave session follows a strict order; precedence is established, addresses are made, declarations resolved, and finally gambits are presented and resourced.

The first business of any Conclave session is to establish precedence. Once this is complete the items on the agenda are debated in strict order, starting with the addresses, then any declarations, and finally the gambits.

Addresses are dealt with in the order they were raised to the agenda. The same is true for declarations and gambits with the exception that declarations with similar outcomes are resolved at the same time as the last agenda item was raised. For example, if more than one individual has challenged for a title, they will all be resolved in together, at the point determined by the last challenge registered.

Each agenda item is announced by the civil service and then the person that raised the item with the civil servant is allowed to make a presentation on it, up to a minute in length. If they wish to speak for longer than a minute, then they must pay to do so.

Once an address or declaration is complete, magicians from the orders may speak.Once magicians from the orders have spoken, then any other individuals present may speak, in order determined by the civil servants.

Concluding the Agenda

Once all agenda items are dealt with and the gambits have been heard, the conclave session ends. If a session ends prematurely for any reason, remaining agenda items are added to the start of the next Conclave agenda.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Conclave_session&oldid=33404"

Conclave vault

No, Grandmaster. It is not 'yours'.

It is ours.

Lebannon of Haros Water

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Allocation

- 2.1 Bequests

- 3 Gambits

- 4 Resources

- 4.1 Crystal Mana

- 4.2 Ilium

- 4.3 Raw materials

- 4.4 Rare Items

Overview

The Conclave has a store of resources, usually referred to collectively as the Conclave vaults. The resources exist predominantly in the form of crystal mana and ilium, but some other materials also end up in vaults. These reserves are built up from a range of sources including donations, Conclave politics and seizures from sorcerers and barbarians.

Each Conclave order has its own vault. At the start of each summit, all materials collected since the last summit are divided up between the vaults, in proportion to the size of the order as determined by the Principle of Precedence at the previous summit. Once the resources have been added to a vault, they are considered to be the property of that order; they may only withdraw materials from their vault to fund a gambit.

Allocation

Resources are divided among the orders based on the Principle of Precedence as recorded at the previous summit. Civil servants divide the Conclave resources between the orders based on all the magi counted in total at the previous summit. For example, if the total precedence of the previous summit was 100, and 100 mana crystals were available, and the total precedence for the Sevenfold Path was 30, then 30 mana crystals would go into their vault.

Divisions are rounded down and any resources that are not allocated as a result are held over until the next summit.

Bequests

Any Imperial citizen, and anyone with whom the Conclave has declared amity, can approach the civil service and donate materials to the order of their choice. On rare occasions they may donate materials to the Conclave as a whole. When this happens, the civil service announces the bequest to the Conclave and any magician can present a declaration of entitlement to suggest that the bequest be either added to the vault of an order, or assigned to a specific individual. Until a bequest is assigned, it is kept in trust by the civil service. Once assigned, the assignment is permanent; while a bequest can be assigned by the Conclave, they have no ability to take the bequest back again or reassign it once their decision has been made.

This is a common way for Eternals to support either the Conclave or the specific orders for which they have an affinity.

Gambits

Conclave materials and resources are granted to the orders to allow them to pursue their political and magical agendas for the good of the Empire. However, to prevent corruption, the only way for an order to access the contents of their vault is by resourcing a gambit.

Resources

Crystal Mana

There is a large pool of crystal mana available to the Conclave at the start of each solstice or equinox, referred to as the font. The font is divided up amongst the vaults of the Orders before the first Conclave session of each summit.

The basic font, as of the Winter Solstice 377YE is 122 crystal mana. This basic pool is supplemented by any mana collected under the Principle of Proportions as well as mana seized from sorcerors and enemies of the Empire. The amount of mana in the font may vary from season to season, and any remainder that cannot be allocated to a vault carries over to the next season.

Crystal mana can also be added to an order's vault directly by the grandmaster's power to fund their order; from mana expended during the election of a grandmaster and from bequests.

Precedence Order

Ilium

First

3 rings

Second

3 rings

Third

3 rings

Fourth

2 rings

Fifth

2 rings

Sixth

1 ring

Ilium

The Conclave has small reserves of ilium, which are distributed to the vaults. They are predominantly requested by gambits that involve either permanent enchantments or the creation of artefacts to be used by magicians.

The ilium is not distributed pro-rata. Rather, it is divided into six "pots" which are distributed to the orders based on their order of precedence (the first pot goes to the largest order at the previous summit, and so on down to the smallest order).

Raw materials

Each Order's vault receives a trickle of ingots and measures of special materials. These are primarily delivered as gifts or bequests from Imperial citizens. Unlike crystal mana, the raw materials are bequeathed to an order and are placed directly in that order's vault.

As with the ilium, these materials are generally used to resource gambits that involve crafting items for magicians, although some gambits intentionally substitute materials for crystal mana (for those rituals that allow materials to be substituted for crystal mana, or for those covens with access to covenstones that allow such substitution for a specific realm).

Rare Items

On occasions, enchanted items, scrolls or ritual texts may end up in the possession of a specific order's vault or the Conclave as a whole. Items controlled by the Conclave as a whole using a endowment. It is important to note that an item held in a vault can only be accessed using a gambit that specifically requests the item. This is risky - if the Order refuses the gambit then the entire gambit fails.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Conclave_vault&oldid=30915"

Condemnation

"...an Atun herself shall turn her gaze from you, as your soul lingers, unmourned, in the darkest recesses of the Labyrinth. You are excommunicated."

"You... you can't do that! Your writ of excommunication never passed the General Assembly!"

"You are condemned as a heretic. I will be sure the magistrate's know it. Besides, if the Assembly lacked the spine to issue a writ of excommunication against the likes of you, what makes you think they have the will to condemn me?"

The Synod is responsible for investigating religious crimes in the Empire and bringing these cases to the magistrates.

A priest of a Virtue Assembly may call for a judgement of condemnation to be made against an individual or small group, such as a coven, sect or banner, in relation to a religious crime, or a refusal to respond to inquisition.

A judgement of condemnation determines that there is a case to be brought to the magistrates . The priest who brought the motion of condemnation is usually expected to be part of any group that addresses the magistrates, and present the basis for the condemnation.

The magistrates will then consider:

- Whether the presenting priests have sufficiently established a religious crime has taken place

- The severity of the religious crime in terms of harm, or potential harm, to the Empire

- Any pleas for clemency

The magistrate will then make a ruling accordingly.

Individuals subject to a judgement of condemnation may also be subjected to liao ceremonies, independently of the magistrate's ruling.

The full detail of how magistrates prosecute religious crimes can be found here.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Condemnation&oldid=35239"

Congregation

Contents

- 1 Definition

- 2 Production

- 3 Downtime Options

- 4 Upgrades

- 5 Diversification

- 6 National Implications

Definition

A congregation can represent almost any structure or location where people could receive spiritual instruction, such as a monastery, a church, a sacred grove, a burial site, or similar structure.

Production

A congregation entitles the owner to ten votes in the Imperial Synod. In addition the Imperial civil service will provide the owner with five doses of liao.

Downtime Options

It is possible to sell the liao produced by a congregation. You receive 12 rings for each dose of liao that you sell in this way.

Upgrades

A congregation can be upgraded using white granite obtained from the Bourse. Each time a congregation is upgraded, the owner receives two additional votes in the Synod and one additional dose of liao from then on.

To upgrade a congregation requires Imperial Wains of white granite equal to the level the congregation is being upgraded to. So the first upgrade of a starting level 1 congregation costs 2 Imperial Wains of white granite, from 2 to 3 costs 3 Imperial Wains, etc.

Diversification

A congregation cannot be diversified.

National Implications

Senators in Highguard are chosen by the Highborn National Assembly on the basis of who gets the least votes against them. This vote is a normal Synod vote - but only Highborn characters with a congregation personal resource can vote.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Congregation&oldid=23424"

Conscience of the Senate

No. Call it the Conscience of the Senate. If I have ever have need of a conscience... I'll find my own priest.

Varkula, The Throne

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Limitations

- 3.1 One Year Only

- 4 Powers

- 4.1 Member of the Senate

- 4.2 Representation

- 4.3 Proposal

- 4.4 Voice of Virtue

- 5 Selection

- 6 Removal

- 7 History

- 8 Further Reading

- 8.1 Core Brief

- 8.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Conscience of the Senate is an Imperial title appointed by the cardinal of the Assembly of the Way in the Imperial Synod. It is considered a virtue title of the Assembly of the Way.

The Conscience must be a lay-person; this means that if the appointee has a congregation, they must give up their membership of their assembly and lose the ability to participate in the business of the Imperial Synod for as long as they serve.

Responsibilities

The Conscience is intended to observe Senate affairs; to speak on behalf of the virtuous; to keep the senators focused on their duty to the citizens of the Empire rather than their own aggrandizement; and to represent the Synod in the Senate when needed.

Limitations

One Year Only

The Conscience serves for up to one year, unless removed from office early. In addition, no person may hold the seat of the Conscience more than once in their lifetime. This restriction is historical in nature, put in place when the post was first created to limit the power of the Conscience.

Powers

The Conscience enjoys many of the same powers as a senator with the advantage that they do not need to worry about re-election. Some Consciences decline to use these powers, seeing their role as more ceremonial; others take full part in the business of the Senate, engaging in spirited debates with their fellow senators.

Member of the Senate

The Conscience is a member of the Senate. They are entitled to enter the Senate chamber at the start of a Senate session and participate in the debates.

Representation

The Conscience may cast vote on any majority motion that is brought before the Senate. They may not vote on a motion that requires a constutitonal vote.

Proposal

The Conscience may propose a single motion for consideration by the Senate each summit.

Voice of Virtue

The Conscience may may abstain from any vote in the Senate. The conscience will often be called on to speak on matters relating to the Synod.

Selection

The cardinal of the Assembly of The Way may appoint any citizen to be the Conscience, provided that that citizen has never held the position previously. It is frowned upon to name a conscience from the same nation as the cardinal.

Removal

The conscience may hold the seat for no longer than a year, or until a new cardinal of the Way is appointed and chooses to name a replacement.

The Conscience can be revoked by the Assembly of the Way, the Assembly of Nine or the General Assembly.

History

During the reign of Empress Teleri, all the cardinals of the Synod were granted the abilities now wielded by the Conscience. They used them in a variety of ways, and to the increasing chagrin of the Imperial Senate. When Empress Varkula came to the throne, she orchestrated matters so that the Senate was able to successfully remove those powers from the cardinals. As a compromise, however, the post of the Conscience was created and it's appointment left in the hands of the Cardinal of the Way. The intention is that rather than representing the interests of any one Virtue assembly it will instead represent all the virtuous citizens of the Empire.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Conscience_of_the_Senate&oldid=28441"

Construct Academy Religious Studies sinecure

To create the Sinecure “Custodian of the Academy Religious Studies” at the request of the Senate's counterparts in the Academy Junior Council, to provide Liao with the intention that it be used in Academy. To be built at Canterspire in Morrow.

Proposed by Casinea, seconded by Conscience of the Senate

Overview

- Create a Sinecure for the use of The Academy.

- The sinecure will produce 18 Liao each season.

- Passed at 30 Thrones

Date

- Passed Autumn 378YE

Cost

- 10 wains of White Granite

- 2 Thrones 4 Crowns

- Time: 3 months

Progress

- 10 wains of white granite and 2 thrones 4 crowns supplied by Zephram of Cantiarch's Hold after Winter Solstice 378.

Campaign Outcome

- Sinecures are life-time appointments.

- When the sinecure is complete it will create the Imperial title of Dean of Pilgrims.

- This will be an Imperial position that can be held by any Imperial citizen.

- The title will be appointed by the Senate following the normal guidelines.

- This is an Imperial sinecure, and can be revoked by the General Assembly or Assembly of the Nine.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Academy_Religious_Studies_sinecure&oldid=35668"

Construct a Marcher graveyard in Holberg

To build in Holburg a cemetery for the Marchers raised as husks.

Proposed by Temeschwar, seconded by Semmerholm.

Overview

- A Marcher graveyard involves importing soil from the Marches and planting Marcher apple trees.

- No funds were requested

Date

- Spring Equinox 378YE

Cost

- 3 Wains of Weirwood

Progress

- None at present

Production

- None

Campaign Outcome

TBC

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

26

0

Passed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_a_Marcher_graveyard_in_Holberg&oldid=28142"

Construct a memorial at Anvil

To construct a memorial in Anvil to the memory and everlasting glory of those who have given their lives in the service of the empire. This memorial serves as a tribute to those we have lost, a comfort to those who remain, and an inspiration to those yet to come..

Proposed by Casinea, seconded by Zenith.

Overview

- Defeated 9 votes to 18

Date

- Autumn 377YE (Event Four 2013).

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_a_memorial_at_Anvil&oldid=23869"

Construct Asavean Embassy

Construct an embassy for the Asavean Empire in Sarvos.

Proposed by Sarvos, seconded by Temeschwar.

Overview

- Construct an embassy for the Asavean Archipelago in Sarvos.

- Passed at 35 Thrones

Date

- Winter 377YE

Cost

- 20 White Granite

- 20 Weirwood

Progress

- 20 wains of white granite and weirwood supplied by Mirislav, Senator for Sarvos after Spring Equinox 378.

Campaign Outcome

- The embassy will be a ministry that allows the Imperial citizen appointed to operate it to purchase Cerulean Mazzarine, Orichalcum, Iridescent Gloaming, Tempest Jade and True Vervain.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

22

2

Passed

At 35 Thrones

18

6

Passed

At 40 Thrones

9

15

Failed

Amendment

Disburse an additional 5 Thrones to purchase White Granite for the previously approved Asavean Embassy.

Proposed by Miaren, seconded by Weirwater.

Overview

- Passed at 5 Thrones

Date

- Winter 377YE

Progress

- Funds disbursed to Senator Miaren

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Asavean_Embassy&oldid=29294"

Construct Barrens Spy Network

Create spy network in The Barrens.

Proposed by Volodmartz, seconded by Skarsind.

Overview

- Construct a spy network in The Barrens.

Date

- Spring 378YE.

Cost

- 10 weirwood

- Upkeep: 2 Thrones per season from the Senate budget

- Time: 3 months to construct

Progress

- 10 wains of weirwood provided by Hector de Rondell after the Spring Equinox 378.

Campaign Outcome

- Once complete any Imperial citizen can assign a military unit they control to support the spy network.

- If the equivalent of five military units are assigned, then a map of the territory showing settlements will be shown.

- With ten military units, the location and nature of armies, naval routes and trading partners in the territory will be discovered.

- With fifteen military units, the location and size of fortifications in the territory will be discovered.

- Information will go to the players who assigned military units to the network.

- Military units assigned to a spy network also receive the normal resources they would receive when supporting an army.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

23

2

Passed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Barrens_Spy_Network&oldid=27069"

Construct cargo dock at Caricomare

Funds for the purchase of 20 white granite to be used on the construction of a cargo dock in Carciomare which would proved 20 white grante per season (from) the Asaveans (This would create a new Imperial Bourse position)

Proposed by Holberg, seconded by Mitwold

Overview

- To be constructed in Sarvos, on the Caricomare docks.

- The production of this ministry is unknown.

- When the construction is complete, it will automatically create a new Imperial title which will be an Imperial position.

- The well worn path for appointing the title would be through the Imperial Bourse; this is clearly an economic position. The method of doing so would be either through open auction if the title were designated as Imperial, or by the appropriate method for the nation the title is assigned to if it is made National.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Costs

- Unknown

Campaign Outcome

- Once construction is complete, this motion will cause the creation of a new Imperial title, this will be an Imperial Bourse position.

- Any trade with the Asavean Archipelago, especially trade in valuable materials such as white granite, requires the co-operation of Asavean merchants. Without their cooperation, these docks will not provide any special benefit.

- A synod member indicated an intention to raise a veto; however, the Imperial Synod had successfully used this power earlier during the summit so no veto is possible and construction can begin post-haste.

Constitution

- For the purposes of clarity; this will not create an additional seat on the Imperial Bourse.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_cargo_dock_at_Caricomare&oldid=36307"

Construct college of magic in Morrow

To construct a magical College aligned with the Realm of Summer within the territory of Morrow. The Dean of the College to be appointed by vote of the Conclave

Proposed by Redoubt, seconded by Kallavesa

Overview

- Permission to create a College of Magic in Morrow, specialising in Summer magic.

- Corvus, Archmage of Summer, was called as an expert witness.

- No funding was sought

Date

- Winter 378YE

Cost

- Materials: 90 wains of White Granite, 30 wains of Mithril, 20 wains of Weirwood

- Time: 1 year

- Labour: 35 Thrones

- Upkeep: 25 Thrones (this number is dependant on the number of other colleges in the Empire)

- Special%3A This college of Summer magic is being built to designs provided by the Eternal Meraud; as such it differs from the standard cost to build a College of Magic.

Progress

- Unknown

Campaign Outcome

- When complete, the college will automatically create the Imperial title of "Dean".

- Dean of the college will be appointed through the Declaration of Candidacy.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_college_of_magic_in_Morrow&oldid=35658"

Construct conservatory for the Anvil Hospital

To create the sinecure of Origen's Rest, to be appointed by the senate, with the intention that it be used for the benefit of the Anvil Hospital.

Proposed by Segura, seconded by Tassato

Overview

- To construct a conservatory in Zenith, using the herb garden of the retired speaker Origen as a foundation

- Passed at 15 Thrones

Date

- Summer 378YE

Cost

- 27 Weirwood

Production

- The conservatory will produce 10 doses of True Vervain and 5 each of Marrowort, Imperial Roseweald, Cerulean Mazzarine and Bladeroot each season.

Progress

- 27 wains of weirwood were allocated to this project by Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato in Autumn 378YE

- The conservatory will be completed by Winter 378YE

Constitution

While the intention of the motion is to benefit the Anvil Hospital, the citizen who receives the sinecure will be free to decide how to use the bounty of herbs they receive.

Campaign Outcome

- The conservatory will be based in Zenith.

- The creation of the sinecure creates an Imperial Title which is assigned by the Senate.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_conservatory_for_the_Anvil_Hospital&oldid=34669"

Construct Faraden embassy

To build an Embassy to Faraden in Anduz (Segura) We are asking for funds from the Senate for this. Start 60, go up in 20s.

Proposed by Therunin, seconded by Mitwold.

Overview

- Construct a Faraden embassy in Anduz, in the Freeborn territory of Segura.

- Passed at 80 Thrones

Date

- Winter 378YE

Costs

- Materials: 20 wains of Weirwood and 20 wains of White Granite (This is less than the Standard cost for an embassy)

- Time: 1 season

- Upkeep: 5 Thrones

Progress

- Funds disbursed to Senator Therunin

- Before the Faraden will recognise the embassy, the Towers of Anduz will need to be rebuilt.

- 20 wains of weirwood and 18 wains of white granite supplied by Caerwyn after Spring Solstice 379YE

Campaign Outcome

- When the embassy is complete it will automatically create the Imperial title of Faraden ambassador.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Faraden_embassy&oldid=36331"

Construct fortified garrison in Overton

Seek Disbursement of funds with the intent of purchasing wains for the building of a Blockhouse in the Mourn, with a view to future upgrades.

Proposed by Upwold, seconded by Feroz

Overview

- Construct a fortified garrison in the town of Overton in the Mournwold.

- Passed at 15 Thrones

Date

- Summer 378YE

Cost

- 5 wains of white granite for a fortified manor house to provide a place of refuge for local citizens.

- 5 wains of weirwood for a staging house, which would allow military units to base themselves in Overton to protect the citizenry.

- 2 Thrones Upkeep

Progress

- 5 wains of white granite provided by Silas Merrick of the Marches in Summer 378YE.

- 5 wains of weirwood provided by Silas Merrick of the Marches in Autumn 378YE.

Campaign Outcome

A fortified manor house which will provide a place of refuge for local citizens has been constructed. This should protect the people of Overton from the worst effects of raiding by the Mournwold Jotun.

Once the project is complete by Winter 378YE it will be possible for military units to assign to the Overton garrison to both protect the town and it's environs, and gather information about Jotun operations in the Mournwold in a manner similar to a spy network.

Units

Outcome

5

Protects the enclave from Jotun raids.

10

The location and nature of armies, naval routes and trading partners in the territory.

15

The location and size of fortifications in the territory and the names of any military commanders present.

The results are cumulative, so if 15 military units in total are assigned then the players receive all the benefits listed on the table.

A copy of the information gained is provided to every player who assigned a military unit to the spy network, along with the the normal resources they would receive if they were supporting an army instead.

Upgraded military units are proportionally more effective. Each upgrade a military unit has adds the equivalent of 1/5 of an extra unit to the overall tally.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_fortified_garrison_in_Overton&oldid=35597"

Construct fortified manor in Liathaven

To build a Fortified Manor at Beacon Point in Liathaven, with a view to future upgrades.

A Fortified Manor will provide a place of Refuge for local Citizens, which will assist against raiding.

Proposed by Therunin, Seconded by Miekarova

Overview

- Construct a fortified garrison at Beacon Point in Liathaven.

- Passed in principle

Date

- Passed Autumn 378YE

Cost

- 8 wains of white granite and 2 Thrones

- Time: 3 months

Progress

- None

Campaign Outcome

- When completed, a fortified manor house will provide a place of refuge for local citizens.

- This should protect the people of Beacon Point from the worst effects of raiding by the Jotun as well as the attacks of bandits in the southern mountains.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_fortified_manor_in_Liathaven&oldid=29728"

Construct herb gardens at Treji

To create a sinecure, the Memorial Gardens of Treji to the Summer Storm, to be appointed by the senator of Hercynia.

Proposed by Hercynia, seconded by Tassato.

Date

- Passed Autumn 378YE

Cost

- This will cost 10 wains of weirwood.

Progress

- 10 wains of weirwood provided by Rhain Winters Vigil of the Navarr after Winter Solstice 2015.

Campaign Outcome

- The sinecure will produce 6 bladeroot, 6 true vervain, 2 cerulean mazzarine, 2 imperial roseweald, and 2 doses of marrowort per season.

Constitution

- Sinecures are normally life-time appointments.

- This is a national sinecure, and can be revoked by the Navarr National Assembly, General Assembly, or Assembly of the Nine.

- This sinecure is regarded as unconstitutional because it uses an inappropriate method of appointment. The motion was not struck down by magistrates at the time and the construction has already been approved.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_herb_gardens_at_Treji&oldid=35322"

Construct Horddalat spy network

The creation of a spy network to explore the lands West of imperial Territories, to be based in Horddalat.

Proposed by Therunin, seconded by Mitwold.

Overview

- Construct a spy network in the Jotun-controlled territory of Horddalat.

- Hordallat is described in a recent piece of historical research concerning the reign of Emperor Guntherm. "The Marchers headed down the southern coast of the Gullet, into Narkyst, and made a spirited attempt to capture the territory named Hordalant on the border of Bregasland; they successfully overran the marshes of Blutgahn and the plains of Ashahohn but were incapable of making further progress."

Date

- Spring 379YE.

Cost

- 10 weirwood (Standard costs)

- Time: 3 months to construct

- Upkeep: 2 Thrones per season from the Senate budget

Progress

- Unknown.

Campaign Outcome

- Once complete any Imperial citizen can assign a military unit they control to support the spy network.

- If the equivalent of five military units are assigned, then a map of the territory showing settlements will be shown.

- With ten military units, the location and nature of armies, naval routes and trading partners in the territory will be discovered.

- With fifteen military units, the location and size of fortifications in the territory will be discovered.

- Information will go to the players who assigned military units to the network.

- Military units assigned to a spy network also receive the normal resources they would receive when supporting an army.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Horddalat_spy_network&oldid=36219"

Construct House of Barbs

Civil Service Summary: To create a Sinecure in Hercynia - The "House of Barbs", with the associated title "Voice of Barbs" to be elected by the Navaar national assembly, and provide 12 votes in the Synod.

Proposed by Hercynia, seconded by Miaren

Overview

- Passed at 1 ring

- To be constructed in Hercynia.

- The sinecure will provide 12 votes in the Imperial Synod to the Voice of Barbs.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Costs

- Materials: 10 wains of white granite (Standard costs).

- Time: 3 months to construct per 50 wains of materials used

- Labour: 2 crowns per wain

- Upkeep: None

Progress

- 1 ring disbursed to Senator Hercynia; the senator for Hercynia returned 1 ring to the Imperial treasury.

Campaign Outcome

- When the House of Barbs is complete, it will automatically create the title "Voice of Barbs".

Constitution

- Sinecures are life-time appointments.

- The title "Voice of Barbs" provides votes in the Imperial Synod, and so grants the holder of that title the legal powers and responsibilities of membership of the Synod. If the holder of the title is not already a member of the Synod, it automatically includes membership of all appropriate assemblies (usually the General Assembly, the Assembly of the Way, and the appropriate National Assembly).

- In future, any Senator submitting a motion of equivalent length or verbosity will be advised to revise it before the motion will be accepted by a speaker.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_House_of_Barbs&oldid=35983"

Construct Jarmish Embassy

Construct an embassy for the Principalities of Jarm in Redoubt.

Proposed by Sermersuaq, seconded by Upwold.

Overview

- Construct an embassy for the Principalities of Jarm in Cargo, Redoubt.

- Passed at 40 Thrones

Date

- Winter 377YE

Cost

- 20 White Granite

- 20 Weirwood

Progress

- Materials provided by Atte, Senator for Sermersuaq after Summer Solstice 378.

- While the Jarmish Embassy has been built in Cargo, the House of Princes is refusing to name an ambassador until the Senate chooses which of their ports the reciprocal embassy will be establised in.

Campaign Outcome

- The embassy will be a ministry that allows the Imperial citizen appointed to operate it to purchase crystal mana, Dragonbone, Ambergelt, Green Iron, iridescent Gloaming, Cerulean Mazzarine and Marrowort.

- Oswi Twice-Burned was appointed Ambassador to Jarm at the Autumn Equniox 378YE

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

27

0

Success

At 35 Thrones

26

1

Success

At 40 Thrones

23

4

Success

At 45 Thrones

4

23

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Jarmish_Embassy&oldid=32941"

Construct Liathaven spy network

Fund the creation of a spy network in Liathhaven, additionally to provide 2 thrones per season to allow the upkeep of this network.

Proposed by Miaren, seconded by Hercynia.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Passed 25 votes to 3.

- Passed at 10 Thrones.

Date

- Autumn 377YE

Cost

- 10 weirwood.

- Upkeep: 2 Thrones per season from the Senate budget.

- Time: 3 months to construct

Progress

- 10 wains of weirwood supplied by Rhys, Senator for Miaren after Spring Equinox 378.

Campaign Outcome

- Once complete any Imperial citizen can assign a military unit they control to support the spy network.

- If the equivalent of five military units are assigned, then a map of the territory showing settlements will be shown.

- With ten military units, the location and nature of armies, naval routes and trading partners in the territory will be discovered.

- With fifteen military units, the location and size of fortifications in the territory will be discovered.

- Information will go to the players who assigned military units to the network.

- Military units assigned to a spy network also receive the normal resources they would receive when supporting an army.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Liathaven_spy_network&oldid=34643"

Construct Madruga shipyard

Build a new Imperial shipyard in Madruga

Proposed by Sarvos, seconded by Madruga.

Overview

- Provides additional wealth to Freeborn fleets operating from Madruga.

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013).

Cost

- 35 Wains of White Granite

- 5 Wains of Weirwood

Progress

- Costs paid by Mirislav, Senator for Sarvos in the Spring Equinox 2013 downtime

Production

- Increased wealth for Madrugan shipping

This great work means that all Freeborn fleets operating out of Madruga will produce more wealth for their owners. The total benefit will be 720 rings per season - divided between all the fleets which are active in Madruga that season.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Madruga_shipyard&oldid=28835"

Construct mana repository in Morrow

To develop the mana crystal capacity of Morrow.

The creation of a Sinecure: The Phoenix Caverns, a mana crystal facility in Morrow, Urizen.

The owner of the Sinecure, the Augur of the Phoenix Caverns, whose duties will be to manage the caverns, will be appointed by Urizen Senators in unanimity, falling back to a greater majority nomination by the senate.

Proposed by Morrow, seconded by Karov.

Overview

- To create a sinecure providing a bounty of crystal mana.

- Defeated

Cost

- 10 wains of mithril

Date

- Spring Solstice 378YE

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

8

18

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_mana_repository_in_Morrow&oldid=28844"

Construct Master Apothecary's Garden

To create a herb garden sinecure in Wintermark for the purpose of potion manufacture to benefit the troops of the Empire.

Proposed by Hahnmark, seconded by Astolat

Overview

- More details forthcoming

- Passed at 36 Thrones

- The sinecure will produce 21 herbs each season

Date

- WInter 378YE

Costs

- Materials: 12 wains of weirwood (Standard costs).

- Time: 3 months to construct per 50 wains of materials used

- Labour: 2 crowns per wain

- Upkeep: None

Progress

- 12 wains of weirwood supplied by Hengest Dun of Wintermark

Campaign Outcome

- When complete, the sinecure will automatically create the Imperial title (unknown name).

Constitution

- Sinecures are life-time appointments.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Master_Apothecary%27s_Garden&oldid=35767"

Construct memorial at Anvil

Create a sinecure of a Memorial to the fallen on Anvil.

Proposed by Conscience of the Senate, seconded by Bastion

Overview

- Construct a memorial in Anvil

- Passed in principle; no funding requested

Date

- Summer 378YE

Cost

- 3 Wains of White Granite to create the monument.

- 10 White Granite to create the monument as a sinecure.

Progress

- Unknown

Campaign Outcome

- Unknown; depends on what is built.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_memorial_at_Anvil&oldid=36330"

Construct Mercantile Exchange in Temeschwar

To build the Lukash Biessek von Temeshwar Merchantile Exchange, a Great Work in Temeshwar to benefit all the businesses in the territorial area with better profitability.

Proposed by Temeshwar, seconded by Necropolis

Overview

- The motion was defeated

Date

- Autumn 378YE

Cost

- 40 wains of White Granite

- And 10 Thrones

- Produces 900 rings, divided between the businesses of Temeshwar

- Upkeep: 0

- Time: 3 months to construct

Progress

- None

Campaign Outcome

- This would have created a Great work in Temeschwar to benefit all the businesses owned by League citizens in that territory.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Mercantile_Exchange_in_Temeschwar&oldid=29664"

Construct museum

That the museum in Tabernacle (of Riverwatch, Rekios) has been destroyed in the recent fighting, that it be rebuilt in the lands of Bastion.

A museum for the storage and display of Imperial relics and artefacts.

Proposer is willing to self fund, but would like to ask the senate and the senators for contributions.

Proposed by Bastion, seconded by Necropolis.

Overview

- Construct an Imperial museum in Bastion.

- Passed at 8 Thrones

Date

- Summer 378YE

Cost

- 10 wains of white granite

Progress

- 10 wains of white granite supplied by Jada of Highguard after Winter Solstice 378YE.

Campaign Outcome

- Unknown

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_museum&oldid=35598"

Construct Otkodov spy network

Create spy network in Odtokov.

Proposed by Morrow, seconded by Hahnmark.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

- 6 Note

Overview

- Passed at 12 Thrones with 0 votes against

- Money distributed to Morrow

Date

- Summer 377YE.

Cost

- 10 weirwood

- Upkeep: 2 Thrones per season from the Senate budget

- Time: 3 months to construct

Progress

- Paid by Ioseph, Senator for Morrow in Summer Solstice downtime.

- Following the discovery of a territory map of Otkodov, this spy network will discover more information about the central territory of Verthandi.

Campaign Outcome

- Once complete any Imperial citizen can assign a military unit they control to support the spy network.

- If the equivalent of five military units are assigned, then a map of the territory of Verthandi showing settlements will be shown.

- With ten military units, the location and nature of armies, naval routes and trading partners in the territory will be discovered.

- With fifteen military units, the location and size of fortifications in the territory will be discovered.

- Information will go to the players who assigned military units to the network.

- Military units assigned to a spy network also receive the normal resources they would receive when supporting an army.

Note

The motion to create a spy network was passed in secret by the Imperial Senate. Not all Imperial citizens are aware of it's existence.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Otkodov_spy_network&oldid=34878"

Construct Printer's Guild Museum of Wonders

That a sinecure be created in the city of Tassato "The Printer's Guild Museum of Wonders" to provide a permemant and fitting home for the printer's guild's collection of Relics and Artifacts, such that they can be displayed and researched by any interested citizen.

The Sinecure to be Appointed by the Cardinal of Prosperity

The Sinecure to produce votes in the Prosperity Assembly.

Proposed by Tassato, seconded by Semmerholm

Overview

- To be constructed in Tassato.

- The sinecure will provide 12 votes in the Prosperity Assembly to the Curator.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Costs

- Materials: 10 wains of white granite (Standard costs).

- Time: 3 months to construct per 50 wains of materials used

- Labour: 2 crowns per wain

- Upkeep: None

Progress

- 10 wains of white granite and 20 crowns supplied by Silvio de Tassato.

Campaign Outcome

- When the The Printer's Guild Museum of Wonders is is complete, it will automatically create the title "Curator".

Constitution

- Sinecures are life-time appointments.

- The title "Curator" provides votes in the Prosperity assembly of the Imperial Synod, and so grants the holder of that title the legal powers and responsibilities of membership of the Prosperity assembly. If the holder of the title is not already a member of the Synod, it automatically includes membership of all appropriate assemblies (usually the General Assembly, the Assembly of the Way, and the appropriate National Assembly). Edit needed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Printer%27s_Guild_Museum_of_Wonders&oldid=36333"

Construct shrine for Britta's body

Arrangements for the effects, body and goods of the late Empress Britta to be laid to rest in Necropolis (effects) and the Kallevesi marshes (remains) and for appropriate monuments to be erected in both locations.

Proposed by Necropolis, seconded by Sermersuaq.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Production

- 6 Election

- 7 Legal Ramifications

Overview

- Arrangements for the body of the late Empress Britta to be laid to rest in the Kallevesi marshes

- Arrangements for her effects to be laid to rest in Necropolis

- Appropriate monuments to be erected in both locations

- Create Imperial Title Guardian of Britta's Shrine.

- Passed at 7 Thrones with 12 votes against, money distributed to Necropolis

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013).

Cost

- 10 White Granite

Progress

- Paid by Adamah, Senator for Necropolis, in Spring Equinox downtime

- Ruth of the Cenotaph appointed by the Highborn

Production

- Sinecure providing 10 Synod Votes and 5 Liao

Election

- Senate Appointment

Future holders of this Imperial Title will be chosen by unanimous decision of the Highguard senators.

Legal Ramifications

- Unconstitutional but not struck down

This sinecure is regarded as unconstitutional since it creates votes in the Synod but is appointed by the Senate allowing the Senate undue influence the Synod. The motion was not struck down by magistrates at the time and the construction has now been completed.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_shrine_for_Britta%27s_body&oldid=24000"

Construct Starlight Drift of Shimmering Snow

To create the Sinecure “Starlight Drift of Shimmering Snow”, to produce Mana in Zenith

Proposed by Zenith, seconded by Redoubt

Overview

- More details forthcoming

- The sinecure will produce 9 crystal mana each season

- The senator has indicated this motion is self-funded

Date

- Passed Autumn 378YE

Cost

- 10 wains of mithril and 2 thrones

- Time: 3 months

Progress

- 10 wains of mithril and 2 thrones supplied by Cato, senator for Zenith after Autumn Equinox 378.

Campaign Outcome

- When complete, the sinecure will automatically create the title of Custodian of the Starlight Drift.

Constitution

- Sinecures are life-time appointments.

- The title will be a National position, appointed by unanimous decision of the Senators for Urizen.

- The title will be able to be revoked by the Urizen assembly, the General assembly and the Assembly of nine.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Starlight_Drift_of_Shimmering_Snow&oldid=29995"

Construct Sumaah embassy

Permission to build an Embassy for the Sumar Republic plus funding towards the cost of the building.

Proposed by Bastion, seconded by Upwold.

Overview

- This motion was defeated

Date

- Winter 378YE

Costs

- Materials: 25 wains of Weirwood and 25 wains of White Granite (Standard cost)

- Labour: 12 Thrones

- Time: 1 season

- Upkeep: 5 Thrones

Campaign Outcome

- This would have allowed the construction of an embassy with the Sumaah Republic.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Sumaah_embassy&oldid=35554"

Construct Sumaah embassy II

To grant permission to construct an embassy for the Sumah Republic.

Proposed by Upwold, seconded by Necropolis.

Overview

- Construct a Sumaah Republic embassy.

- The location is currently unknown, and the civil service intend to raise an administrative motion to have this clarified.

- Passed at 0 Thrones.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Costs

- Materials: 25 wains of Weirwood and 25 wains of White Granite (Standard cost)

- Labour: 12 Thrones

- Time: 1 season

- Upkeep: 5 Thrones

Progress

- Unknown

Campaign Outcome

- Follows the defeat of a similar vote in Winter 378YE.

- When the embassy is complete it will automatically create the Imperial title of Ambassador to the Sumaah Republic.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Sumaah_embassy_II&oldid=36258"

Construct Sylvihrafn Crystal Henge

To create the new sinecure of the Sylvi Hrafn Crystal Henge, to produce Mana.

Proposed by Skarsind, seconded by Kallavesa

Overview

- The sinecure based in Skarsind will produce 9 crystal mana each season

Date

- Passed Autumn 378YE

Cost

- 10 wains of mithril and 2 thrones

- Time: 3 months

Progress

- 10 wains of mithril and 2 thrones supplied by Jorma Steelhail, senator for Skarsind after Autumn Equinox 378.

Campaign Outcome

- When complete, the sinecure will automatically create the title of Guardian of the Cairn.

Constitution

- Sinecures are usually life-time appointments.

- The title will be a national position, appointed by unanimous decision of the senators for Wintermark.

- The title can be revoked by the Wintermark Assembly, the General Assembly and the Assembly of Nine.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_Sylvihrafn_Crystal_Henge&oldid=35230"

Construct the Glorious Fountain of Dusk and Dawn

To create the Sinecure "The Glorious Fountain of Dusk and Dawn" to produce Mana in Morrow. Assigned by Urizen senators. This is self funded.

Proposed by Zenith, seconded by Karsk

Overview

- More details forthcoming

- The sinecure will produce 9 crystal mana each season

Date

- WInter 378YE

Costs

- Materials: 10 wains of mithril (Standard costs)

- Time: 3 months

- Labour: 20 crowns

- Upkeep: None

Progress

- 10 wains of mithril and 2 Thrones 4 crowns supplied by Cato, senator for Zenith after Autumn Equinox 378.

Campaign Outcome

- When complete, the sinecure will automatically create a new Imperial title to oversee it.

Constitution

- Sinecures are life-time appointments.

- The title will be a National position, appointed by unanimous decision of the Senators for Urizen.

- The title will be able to be revoked by the Urizen assembly, the General assembly and the Assembly of nine.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Construct_the_Glorious_Fountain_of_Dusk_and_Dawn&oldid=35594"

Contact the Lasambrian orcs

Contact the Lasambrian orcs to discuss the possibility of removing themselves from Segura and alliance against the Jotun.

Proposed by Therunin, seconded by Upwold.

Overview

- Open diplomatic relations with the Lasambrian orcs.

Date

- Spring Equinox 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- Attempts were made to send Winged Messengers to the Lasambrian orcs.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

25

0

Passed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Contact_the_Lasambrian_orcs&oldid=28100"

Corsair

The only difference between a privateer and a merchant is that the privateers get their goods cheaper.

Freeborn Proverb

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Military heritage

- 3 Creating a Corsair

- 4 Playing a Corsair

Overview

Corsairs epitomize Freeborn daring and adventure. Since the earliest days of the Brass Coast, their ships have ranged across the known world seeking opportunities for trade and excitement, and defending both Freeborn and Imperial interests at sea. The corsairs embrace these traditions, but they excel as sea-borne raiders who prey on barbarian shipping passing through the Bay of Catazar. The Freeborn detest piracy, but they regard privateering as a perfectly legitimate form of warfare - and a highly profitable one at that. By focusing their attacks against the ships (and occasionally coastal settlements) of nations the Imperial Senate has declared barbarians, they not only avoid censure but gain the approval of the Empire.

Few corsairs are not just privateers - most engage in foreign trade when it suits them, especially when the Bay is undergoing a period of relative stability. Their most common enemy is the Grendel but it has been decades since a serious Grendel attack has threatened the Empire, and most of that force were sunk long before they reached shore. There are still sporadic engagements between the orc ships and the ships of corsairs, of course, but increasingly corsair families are looking further afield - to trade with foreign nations.

There is significant difference between a pirate and a privateer. If the Freeborn applaud the triumphs of their corsairs, and enjoy the wealth and plunder they bring back, the Empire tolerate it because the actions of the corsairs damage the barbarians who dwell across the bay from attempting a naval invasion. Problems arise if a corsair chooses to engage in piracy against the shipping of a foreign nation that is not at war with the Empire. Though more profitable, this can lead to a breakdown in diplomatic relations or even a shift towards open hostility. This can in turn prompt sweeping action by the Senate - as seen in the Summer 378YE motion to place civil service observers on all ships leaving Imperial ports.

There is some grey area where ships belonging to slavers are concerned - more than one corsair has justified attacks against vessels from the Asavean Archipelago and the Principalities of Jarm as missions to free slaves.

As professional sailors, corsairs often have their own odd traditions which are unique to their ship or family. While they make light of it, corsairs often appear superstitious to outsiders. They often express the idea that luck, fortune or chance are things that can be attracted or driven away and engage in odd behaviours intended to encourage good luck or discourage bad luck. Partly, this stems from the sailor's awareness of how much their life and livelihood depends on the vagaries of forces beyond their control - especially the weather. Many corsair songs and stories personify luck as a whimsical man or woman, a force of nature akin to a storm. When luck is with a corsair, this figure is friendly. When luck turns sour, this mythical figure turns cruel and hateful. Fortune is often depicted as the paramour of Death, alternately seeking and fleeing the grim reaper's embrace.

Corsairs who are followers of the Way tend to hold the Exemplar Zemress in special regard. Occasionally, a corsair priest will attempt to have Emperor Barabbas recognised as an Exemplar of Prosperity - many corsair families got their start thanks to the Highborn Emperor's ship building programs - but the idea has never gained much traction due to the prevailing opinion that Barabbas was a profligate fool.

Military heritage

Wheras many families maintain a small, well-equipped force of warriors, it is much more common for everyone in a corsair family to be able to fight except for a small, well-financed force who take a more supportive role. This tendency to encourage everyone on a crew to learn to fight helps make the corsairs the scourge of the open sea - and is sometimes the only difference between them a traditional Freeborn family.

Unlike other Freeborn warriors, who are used to fighting in large open spaces, corsairs developed their fighting style on ships, on the narrow alleys of ramshackle pirate ports, and on treacherous beaches all over the world. Each corsair fights in the style they are comfortable with - one may favour a hooked axe, another a pair of short blades. Battles at sea often begin with an exchange of missiles - as a consequence, many corsairs are proficient with javelins or bows, and while it is not common the Catazarri crossbow is also a popular weapon. The bhuj - the trademark Freeborn heavy spear - is also popular, especially among shipboard marines who value the ease with which they can skewer boarders or send them tumbling into the sea.

Because they value mobility (and the ability to swim), many corsairs are lightly armoured. The bold show off their success with ornately gilded plate, especially if they are anticipating a fight on land. More pragmatic corsairs favour a hauberk of mithril scale with an easily-doffed helmet and toughened leather greaves and bracers.

In battle, many Corsair captains like to lay out a goal or goals for an engagement then trust the crew to get on with it, rather than spend time on a complicated tactical plans or worrying about contingencies. On the occasions where a corsair has served as a Freeborn general, they have been notable for their commitment to making sure the soldiers under their command understand as much about a battle as possible - the better to empower them to react to the tumultuous, changing circumstances on the field of war. Obviously this "seat of the pants" approach to warfare can cause a great deal of friction with those used to imposing a top-down strategy.

There's a tide in everything; ride it right, and you make your fortune.

Corsair Saying

Creating a Corsair

The corsairs are designed to encourage a more general mix of fighting and trading than a traditional family. Moreso than other Freeborn, corsairs are adventurous and crave excitement. They're much more likely to take personal risks in the pursuit of profit or a new experience. They embody a swashbuckling approach to life, and to a degree are inspired by the antics of Sinbad in stories and film.

A corsair group is created like a Freeborn familiy, but emphasises ships and fighting. The fleet resource is an obvious choice, but a band of corsairs is also likely to include one or more military units that may represent marines. That's not to say that everyone in a corsair family will be a sailor - there is plenty of room for other Freeborn archetypes. One member of a corsair family might be a priest or sutannir who oversees an island congregation, while another might be concerned with trading the goods the family brings back from barbarian ships and foreign parts to other Imperials (represented by a small business).

Most corsair families have a "base" which is almost invariably somewhere on the shores of the Brass Coast, and will represent both the harbour from which the family fleets operate and probably the location of any other personal resources . You might hail from a large settlement on the mainland such as Siroc or Cazar. Alternatively, your family may lay claim to one of the inumerable islands off the coast of Madruga and Feroz. Some small islands may be home to a single corsair family, which the larger ones are more likely to be shared by two or three groups. It is a rare corsair who is not based in Madruga or Feroz, since neither Kahraman nor Segura have a coastline.

It is uncommon for a corsair family to contain a powerful ritual coven, although not unknown. When a corsair group needs magical support, they traditionally seek the aid of the Hakima. Indeed, there are groups of Hakima who make the corsairs the focus of their attention, concentrating on supporting and subtly guiding corsair families to the benefit of the nation. Rituals that enhance a corsair ship such as Blood and Salt and Sular's Promise are the most popular enchantments.

A lone corsair is a perfectly acceptable character concept - you might represent a larger "off screen" corsair family, or be an independent captain who embraces the free-wheeling philosophy of the corsair.

Playing a Corsair

Corsairs tend to dress more simply than other Freeborn, preferring practical trousers and a light tunic when they are working. Their flair for wealth tends to show through with jewellery worn at wrist and neck. Metal chains are especially popular with corsairs, as are pieces that appear exotic to Imperial eyes - especially those that have an exciting story attached to them.

Corsairs are not the only people who own ships in the Brass Coast by any stretch. However, the corsair character concept revolves around boats, sea-travel and fighting. They cultivate "larger than life", flamboyant attitudes, often portraying themselves as swashbuckling adventurers. They share the traditional Freeborn distaste for personal boasting, but they take great pleasure in telling embellished stories of their escapades. The goal is to stress how exciting and dramatic their lives are, rather than how brilliant their personal accomplishments are. You may want to play your character as a little "wilder" than your fellows on the Brass Coast - enjoying the opportunities presented by "shore leave" to enjoy good food and drink and good company before returning to sea for extended periods of time cooped up on a ship in the middle of the ocean.

As a corsair, you should be aware of your luck and may want to adopt a few harmless superstitions about it. You may laugh off any suggestion that you take ideas of luck and fortune seriously, but as a sailor you are aware that random chance plays a large role in your survival and prosperity. You may engage in specific actions that you only half-believe will attract good luck or keep bad luck away.

If you own a fleet, you should consider making regular raids against the Grendel. You will earn a good living from such raids but it will also gain you valuable influence in the election for the Broken Shore Bounty, which is a seat on the Imperial Bourse that provides the rare material ilium. Many corsairs consider control of this resource to be especially prestigious, because of the triumphs needed to achieve it.

It may be worth noting that the corsair is not a criminal archetype. By default, they raid the ships of the enemies of the Empire. They do not prey on the ships of their fellow Imperial nations, nor do they regularly attack the ships of neutral foreigners.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Corsair&oldid=31277"

Corsair's Bloody Mask

Description

The Corsair's Bloody Mask empowers the wearer to perform rituals which empower a fleet or military unit.

Otherwise known as the Crimson Reaver Mask, this talisman is often crafted to resemble a ferocious green beast of the sea, spattered with the blood of its last victim; or a maniacally grinning face with blood dripping from the sides of the mouth.

Their construction sometimes incorporates Rhyv the Rune of Blood.

Rules

- Form: Foci

- Effect: Gain 1 rank for the Blood and Salt and Merciless Wrath of the Reaver rituals

- Materials: Crafting Corsair's Bloody Mask requires five ingots of tempest jade; three ingots of green iron; four measures of dragonbone; three measures of iridescent gloaming; It takes one month to make one of these items.

"May the wind be at your backs, your sails remain full, and your prow hold fast."

"May your blades remain keen, your armour stalwart and your minds clear. Be not afraid, for you have magic at your back."

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Corsair%27s_Bloody_Mask&oldid=31898"

Corsets in Empire

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Corsets and Curve Control

- 1.1 So what is the problem with corsets?

- 1.2 What is right about corsets?

- 1.3 When might corsets be 'ok'?

- 1.4 When and which corsets are not right?

- 1.5 Corsets and armour

- 1.6 Finding alternative figure control

Corsets and Curve Control

An issue that the art department have discussed again and again is what to say about corsets. They are a popular piece of clothing at LRP but will be discouraged in most situations at Empire. How on earth do we approach this? I have tried to address this contentious issue here: failure or success, please take a moment to read it if you are thinking of wearing a corset in Empire.

So what is the problem with corsets?

In general they were little used until the Tudor period, placing them outside the historical influences for Empire. The silhouette they create (and shapes are very important in our visual memory) will normally be evocative of a far more modern age. Overbust corsets in particular create a restrictive and stiff torso that isn't really evident in the middle ages - lets not get stuck into historical arguments though.

They still look like underwear. Only in the last 40 years have they been seen as outwear and perhaps only in the last 10 have they not been considered particularly provocative when worn as clothes.

We are often guilty of substituting in a corset instead of finding a more style-specific top. Most factions or groups at an LRP event will have women in corsets regardless of what the style, period or region that group takes its influence from. Normally the corsets are also a modern design made from modern construction techniques and might be the same thing we wear clubbing. We need to kick our imaginations into gear.

What is right about corsets?

If Marilyn Monroe wore them, I want to too - that woman had a figure to die for. Most women, regardless of their weight or shape, spend too much of their life feeling overweight. When we come to LRP part of the escapism is leaving our insecurities at the gates and feeling like a goddess for the weekend. My post-baby jelly-belly gets in the way of this and I strive to keep it firmly locked away, clinched under a fitted bodice until I get home and slump back into being an unglamorous working mum.  It's important that the costumes we wear make us feel like a warrior princess during our holidays away from reality.

When might corsets be 'ok'?

As underwear beneath your costume. This is probably the best way to get the control you want whilst keeping your costume more Nation specific. For the most in-keeping silhouette an under bust corset or waspie will be best. However, a modern hourglass shape corset may help you get the elegant curves of the medieval period (I'm sure those girls were sporting some tight lacing to achieve the figures portrayed in contemporaneous art).

As part of your armour. See below.

Snuck in as a layer in your costume. This a more tricky area to circumscribe. Perhaps an easy way of looking at it is that you shouldn't be able to see the most of the corset. Perhaps in dawn or the League sector of the front could be seen filling the deep 'v' of a gown front (like a plastron). In Navarre a leather corset could be teamed up with a split skirt and rough jacket over the top. In Urizen it might be glimpsed under your robes with a sash around the middle.

When and which corsets are not right?

There won't be a setting where wearing a corset on its own as a top will be right. It will need to be mixed in with other layers as mentioned above, or better still, used as underwear.

Those conical breast-squashing Tudor and Elizabethan ones, or the later 's' bend tend to create the wrong shape (a very distinctive late-period and unnatural one) so are unlikely to work in Empire. The exception might be in the league where tudor corsets could be worn under a gown. Remember that the gowns waist should be high regardless of the corset under it.

Corsets and armour

Finding good armour for women is hard. Even if we are tall enough for men's plate or brigandines they are rarely comfortable and almost never flattering.  leather corsets are popular for these reasons amongst others. The problem is that they don't look like a piece of protective clothing and won't meet the requirements for armour at Empire. All is not lost however, as leather corsets make a good basis for female fitted leather armour. Layer soft leather waistcoats or short cuirass over the top and add  tassets or a leather skirt. Chain mail can be worn underneath and the leather corset gives it shape and is very effective at lifting a lot of weight off your shoulders. Underbust designs are best as they allow more movement in the torso. More guidelines on making your own leather armour will be added to the Empire wiki over time.

Finding alternative figure control

Our challenge as women is to find flattering, figure forming tops, dresses and bodices that can replace corsets and fit our nation briefs more closely. The following suggestions are by no means an exhaustive list.

Wide Belts. Perhaps a tightly tied sash like this or perhaps a stiffened fabric belt. A wide leather belt will look great in the Wintermark to give waist definition.

Reinforced bodices. Using a stiff lining fabric such as heavy linen or canvas will allow dresses to be laced  or buttoned tighter without wrinkling of the fabric or bulging of the bits underneath. The bodice of a dress could also be reinforced by using a flexible plastic boning along the seam lines.

Corsage or doublet. The idea of a corsage has been suggested in Wintermark, Dawn and Highguard. It would also work in the Marches and perhaps in Urizen, the League and the Brass Coast if adapted. It is essentially a shaped vest that laces at the back. Historically it was worn over a bliaut (very full dress with long hanging sleeves) and featured frequently in pre-Raphaelite art. It is a simple thing to make (basic pattern in the Wintermark costume brief) and can be reinforced as above in order to lace it tightly over your costume. There is no reason why this couldn't also be used over trousers and shirt in a similar way to a sleeveless doublet, and would therefore work for women who aren't keen on long skirts.

Fitted dresses. A well fitted dress works wonders for the figure but is difficult to buy off the peg. For those of you who make your own costume, one approach is to leave the side seams open from armpit (potentially up into the upper arm) to hips and lace these closed like this or this. Tutorials on how to do this and other tricks will hopefully be added to the wiki soon.

This isn't an easy task, but it should be part of our drive to improve our costume event after event. The Empire costume advisors are around to help with costume in general and on how to get a more flattering effect without corsetry.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Corsets_in_Empire&oldid=35201"

Council address

I've heard what General Igund suggests and I have a counter proposal; I warn you now, it involves less heroism and fewer dead soldiers. Nobody wins a war by dying. You win a war by making the other bastards die in such numbers that they run back across the mountains with their scaly tails between their legs.

General Nadia, Boyar of the Black Hills

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Procedure

- 2.1 Raising an address

- 2.2 Presentation

- 2.3 Discussion

- 2.4 Decision

- 3 Further Reading

- 3.1 Core Brief

- 3.2 Additional Information

Overview

A Council address is an opportunity for an individual to speak to the Imperial Military Council during a Council session. Only a handful of Imperial titles confer the right to address the Military Council, .

The Senate may create new Imperial titles with this power if they wish; this is most appropriate where the holder of the title does not attend Military Council meetings, but has responsibilities that require them to report to the Military Council.

Procedure

Raising an address

An Imperial citizen who has the right to address the Military Council may do so by informing the Herald of the Council of their intention. The Herald will add the item to the agenda for the next session. The Herald will record the general nature of the address, and a citizen who deviates dramatically from their declared topic risks censure.

The citizen should ensure that they are present at the chamber at the start of the session. They are likely to be called early as addresses are usually dealt with before other agenda items, but after reports from the Field Marshal and the Herald.

Presentation

The citizen making an address will be allowed five minutes to speak during which those present are expected to remain reasonably quiet. The purpose of an address is to present the Council with information that is of interest to them, or to request their assistance. Individuals who try the Council's patience by talking too long on a subject that it is clearly of diminishing interest to everyone present may be directed to conclude their address early by the Herald.

Discussion

After the presentation is complete, the Herald may allow some time for members of the Council to ask questions and for the speaker to reply. The amount of time allocated to such discussions depends entirely on how much additional business the Military Council has. It is possible that discussion will have to be perfunctory.

Decision

It is possible that the address will require the Military Council to make a decision - either to use on of it's powers or to otherwise present a collective opinion. If necessary, the Herald will call for a vote.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Muster

- Council Session

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

Additional Information

- War

- Council Address

- Appointments to the Military Council

- The Throne

- Herald of the Council

- Warmage

- Appointments by the Military Council

- Field Marshal

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- OOC Design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Council_address&oldid=35259"

Council session

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Member of the Military Council

- 3 Speaking in a Council session

- 4 Setting the Agenda

- 5 Powers of the Council

- 5.1 Appointment

- 5.2 Pardon

- 5.3 Spoils of War

- 6 Speaking outside a Council session

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

Council sessions are formal meetings of the Military Council. They are distinct from the muster, being shorter and having a broader focus. A Council session is intended to last for no longer than one hour; the Herald of the Council is responsible for ensuring business is presented, discussed and resolved in a timely fashion. The sessions let the military council receive battle reports and other military briefings, as well as allowing them opportunities to propose and discuss strategies for the coming months.

A council session is also an opportunity for representatives of other political bodies to make addresses to, or requests for aid form, of the Military Council. Individuals such as the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies may put forward their plans for resupply, or the High Exorcist might offer the generals the chance to receive additional priestly support during an up coming battle.

Member of the Military Council

Only members of the Military Council and key civil servants may speak freely during Council sessions. Any title that grants membership of the Council automatically grants the right to speak on any issue being discussed and to participate in any vote brought before the chamber. The current Imperial titles that are classed as a Member of the Military Council are:

- The Throne

- General

- Warmage

Members of the Imperial Synod have the right of witness which grants them the right to attend council sessions, but not to speak. In practice, it is common for any Imperial citizen who is interested in the affairs of the Military Council to attend sessions, provided they do not disturb the meetings. Citizens who are not members of the Military Council may only speak in session if they are requested to do so by a Council member with the right to speak and the request receives the assent of the Herald.

Speaking in a Council session

The Herald of the Council acts as an impartial chair to keep the discussions civil and organised. They have the power to silence anyone present in the chamber, or to expel them from the chamber, but such powers are rarely used. The preferred approach in the Council is to allow members to discuss matters freely. The Herald will usually only intervene where a speaker is repeating themselves, attempting to browbeat other council members, or is straying far off the topic being discussed. They are disciplined about keeping the meetings running to time however and will bring a discussion to an end once the allotted time has been used.

The Herald will introduce each agenda item, by stating the nature of the issue that the assembled council members are being asked to discuss. If any member of the Council wishes they may demur, requesting that the Herald strike the item from the agenda. If this happens, the Herald may take a quick show of hands to determine if the majority present wish to continue with the item. If they do not, then the Herald may move to the next item on the agenda. It is not possible to object to the presentation of an address to the Council, only to an item of business on the agenda.

Setting the Agenda

The Herald of the Council prepares the agenda on behalf of the Council. Any member of the Council may view the agenda and may add something to it by informing the Herald in good time before the Session begins. The Herald will normally try to arrange the agenda so that the least contentious items to discuss are raised first. That way, if less time is required to discuss these items, then time is freed up for discussing other items later. Likewise, they may collate similar agenda items to together for the sake of simplicity and smooth running order.

In addition to the agenda items, there will often be one or more addresses which are usually handled first. The initial address at the Council session following a battle is automatically given over to the Field Marshal. The session after each battle also includes an address by the Herald, where they update the assembled members of the Council with all available information on the progress and outcome of the battle. This address usually involves confirmation of what objectives were achieved. The Herald may also present reports from Imperial scouts, or details about spoils of war.

A discussion may lead to a call from members of the Council to exercise one of the powers of the Imperial Military Council. When this is the case, the Herald may call for a vote.

Powers of the Council

The Military Council has three legal powers that it wields collectively. They are not used in the muster, but they can be employed at any time during a Council session; there is no requirement to raise a specific agenda item. Most often, an opportunity to use one of these powers is raised during a discussion during a session and then voted on.

All these powers require a majority of eligible Council members to vote in favour, otherwise the vote is rejected. When invoking these powers, members of the Council who are not present are counted as a vote against, likewise Council positions which are currently vacant.

Appointment

The Military Council may be able to directly appoint someone to an Imperial title. An Imperial appointment is voted on by all the members of the Military Council, while a national position is decided by majority decision of the generals of that nation.

An Imperial appointment by the Military Council can normally be revoked by the General Assembly and the Assembly of Nine, while a national appointment can also be revoked by the appropriate National Assembly.

Pardon

A general or adjutant can use their right of address to make a formal request for the Military Council to pardon an Imperial citizen who has been sentenced to death by penal military service. They must add their address to the agenda for the next meeting in the normal manner, but make clear who they will be seeking a pardon for. It is possible, though rare, to use a single address to request a pardon for a group of individuals provided they can be clearly identified.

Spoils of War

When spoils of war are captured by Imperial armies on campaign, then the legal responsibility to assign them falls to the Military Council. The Herald will add an address to the agenda for the first Military Council session after the muster so that they can present details of the spoils of war. The Council will then discuss them and how they might best be allocated. When this discussion has concluded, the Herald will call a vote as to what method will be used to allocate the spoils.

If the Council are unable to agree a method then the Herald will automatically raise the issue again at the next Council session. If the Council cannot reach an agreement by the end of the summit, then control of the spoils passes to the Imperial Senate who can attempt to dispose of them at the next summit.

Speaking outside a Council session

Members of the Military Council are strongly encouraged to meet and discuss their business outside the regular hours of the muster and the Council sessions. The sessions are intended to be an opportunity for members of the Council to address everyone in a formal setting, they are not meant to be the first opportunity for a general to discuss matters with their colleagues. On occasion the Herald will advise a Council member looking to add a point to the agenda that a matter might be better discussed privately outside of a session rather than raised in Council.

On occasion some Council members will arrange to arrive at a session early, or remain behind after the session is concluded in an attempt to discuss matters with other members of the Council. This practice is encouraged provided it remains a private agreement between colleagues and no attempt is made to create a de facto extension of a muster or Council session. The Herald encourages private discussions between Council members so that discussions in session can be expedited and efficient, not so that they can be dragged out indefinitely.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Muster

- Council Session

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

Additional Information

- War

- Council Address

- Appointments to the Military Council

- The Throne

- Herald of the Council

- Warmage

- Appointments by the Military Council

- Field Marshal

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- OOC Design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Council_session&oldid=35256"

Courage roleplaying effects

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Consecration of Courage

- 3 Anointings of Courage

- 3.1 The Trial of Courage

- 3.2 The Proof of Courage

- 3.3 The Purity of Courage

- 3.4 The Light of Courage

- 3.5 The Revelation of Courage

- 4 Hallows of Courage

- 4.1 Hallowing of Irontooth

- 4.2 Hallowing of Permion

- 4.3 Hallowing of the Scrivener

- 4.4 Hallowing of the Bull

- 4.5 The Hallowing of Isaella's Resolve

- 4.6 The Hallowing of Ashwine's Rose

Overview

These roleplaying effects are created by priests dedicated to the virtue of Courage who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character performing an anointing or hallow must pick one of the appropriate roleplaying effects when they perform the ceremony.

Consecration of Courage

- In this place, your doubts and uncertainties feel weaker and unimportant; you feel an impulse to speak and act without concern for consequence.

Anointings of Courage

The following are a range of auras that can be summoned onto a living soul, with their consent, by priests whose own souls are dedicated to Courage:

The Trial of Courage

- You feel an urge to seek out something of which you are afraid and to confront it; your feelings about the thing you fear are unchanged.

Description: This aura is common, and reasonably popular, for a range of different reasons. Priests of courage have been known to use it to illustrate the path of courage to pilgrims or other citizens, and show them that courage is more than words. Other priests have used this to help test the virtue of those who would, or claim to, walk the path and help them overcome their own weaknesses. In more than one tale, this aura - or something like - is used to teach humility to the boastful, such as the mighty warrior who claims no fear in battle, but who balks at reading their poetry to strangers.

The Proof of Courage

- You are filled with a desire to prove your courage, and are far less inclined to back down from a confrontation. You also feel more inclined to take opportunities that present themselves.

Description: Priests of courage have been able to use this aura to shore up the hearts of those who are about to enter into conflict and have doubts, whether this is a battlefield full of orcs or a Senator about to clash with others on the senate floor. Pilgrims who are plagued with indecision have also found this aura beneficial in making a courageous choice. This aura is popular in overcoming the presents of malign spiritual presences, and especially those that cause fear and doubt.

The Purity of Courage

- You feel a sense of surety. Any fears you have about the consequences of your actions are muted. Attempts to make you doubt what you know to be true cause you to feel irritation and annoyance.

Description: Fear and doubt are the natural enemies of the pilgrim on the path of courage. Priests of courage have used this aura to help pilgrims strengthen themselves against these forces, and live their lives by the teaching that states "do not fear to act; only be shamed by inaction".

The Light of Courage

- Any fear and uncertainty you feel about the unknown diminishes, and you feel more able to face it. If you are bleeding, or terminal, any fear of death you have is lessened, and a strong sense of curiousity about what lies beyond life rises in its place.

Description: Many priests of the path of courage know that much of fear's power is rooted in the unknown, such as what may lie in the shadows and darkness even if they be empty. Priests have been able to use this aura to help pilgrims confront and explore these unknowns and thus diminish their power. This has not been a popular use of this aura in Varushka, where it has resulted in the unfortunate disappearance of pilgrims. A widespread unknown that causes fear is of what lies beyond death. Even the virtuous pilgrim may falter at being confronted with the mysteries of the Labyrinth of Ages and doubts about their own reincarnation, and so this aura has found a place for some in receipt of last rites as they are dead or dying.

The Revelation of Courage

- The next time you sleep you experience vivid dreams concerning the things you are afraid of, forcing you to confront unwelcome truths and self-deception. Your dreams show you facing and conquering these fear, and reveal how your fear merely gives power to your doubts. You awaken renewed, ready to overcome the things you fear and with a new sense of purpose.

Description: It is easy to assume that the things one fears cannot be overcome. Worry leads to self-doubt, inner turmoil, inaction and cowardice. Priests on the path of courage know the power of helping a pilgrim face the things they fear, and learn the truth that no matter how insurmountable something may seem, the first step to overcoming it is to cast aside fear and doubt. Some priests also favour the use of this aura in assisting those who are plagued by nightmares to strengthen themselves against these, and overcome them.

Hallows of Courage

Hallowing of Irontooth

- You feel an urge to seek out, expose and penalise cowardice and weakness. This impulse includes the desire to use this item in doing so, if it would be appropriate.

Hallowing of Permion

- You feel an urge to seize any opportunity that presents itself. Conscious failure to seize any such opportunity causes the feeling to change to one of revulsion and rejection, which flows from the item to you, for as long as you are bonded to it.

Hallowing of the Scrivener

- You feel an urge to ensure that the words you write be the raw truth from your heart. The idea of using mealy-mouthed ‘weasel words’ is repellent to you. If you knowingly deceive whilst under this effect, the feeling changes to one of revulsion and rejection that flows from the item to you for as long as you are bonded to it.

Hallowing of the Bull

- You feel a desire to keep up the spirits and resolve of those around you to avoid them succumbing to weakness and doubt. This includes a desire to use this item in achieving this outcome, if it would be appropriate to do so.

The Hallowing of Isaella's Resolve

- You feel a strong urge to disregard any possible consequences that may arise from taking any action you feel in your heart to be right. This includes an impulse to use this item in taking that action, if it is appropriate to do so.

The Hallowing of Ashwine's Rose

- You find it almost impossible to doubt what you believe in your heart to be true. Attempts to dissuade you without compelling evidence are far less likely to succeed.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Courage_roleplaying_effects&oldid=19732"

Bands (Redirected from Coven)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Role of Bands

- 3 Joining a Band

- 4 Creating a Band

- 5 Banners

- 6 Covens

- 7 Sects

- 8 Linking Bands Together

Overview

In Empire it is possible for characters to formalize their loyalty to each other by creating a band. Bands draw on the hearth magic of oaths combined with magical bonds created by magicians to allow members to use certain skills, rituals and items more effectively on each other. For instance ritualists who are part of the same coven (a type of band) can combine their skills to perform more powerful rituals.

Bands are intended to build on the characterisation of the group concept that you have created for your characters. They are there to recognize and support the choice to act as part of a Dawnish noble house, a League guild or a Freeborn family. Players creating characters together are encouraged to use the potential abilities of bands to add depth and character to their group concept.

The Role of Bands

We encourage players coming to Empire to attend as part of a band with their friends. Bands can help to add depth and enjoyment to characterization, making all the characters feel more real and be more fun to play. The band can have its own identity and history and gives characters a way to belong to something that is bigger than they are, yet is still something they can create a history and background for. Bands give OOC friends good IC reasons to roleplay together and good groups are great for helping new players get involved in a game.

The brief for every nation in Empire includes several archetypes to help you develop the idea for a band. For instance a noble house in Dawn, or a chapter in Highguard. There are pages for some of these archetypes explaining the part they play in the setting and offering advice on how to create and play one. These concepts have been designed to be fun to play, but the list is not meant to be restrictive. You can create a travelling band of Dawnish troubadours, or a secretive guild of Highborn artisans if you wish to. Working with your friends, you have the same freedom to create a group concept as you do to create your own character.

Joining a Band

- There are three types of band, banners, covens, and sects

- You may join one of each type of band when you create your character

- You can only ever join a band with members of the same nation

- Joining a band in play requires a magician using the create bond spell

There are three types of band: banners, covens and sects. You may join a single banner, a single coven, and a single sect at the same time, but a character can never be a member of two banners at the same time, nor two covens or two sects. If you are creating a new character then you may choose one band of each type to begin play as part of - but you can leave any of the options blank if you prefer. Please ensure that you have the permission of the players who are part of a band before joining.

E.g. The Highborn chapter of Exile's Hold is a banner. The members gain all the benefits of being a banner but any character that joins this group cannot join any other banner. They must break the bond with this banner before joining any other banner.

To join a band in play you must find a magician to perform the create bond spell. You can only be a member of one of each type of band at once. For example, if you are a member of an existing banner, then you cannot join another band that is a banner without first breaking the bonds that join you to your existing banner. You can only join a band with members of the same nation.

Creating a Band

- You must use the website to create a band

- Bands must have a name, an oath and a nationality

- Oaths must be appropriate for the setting

- An oath can never be changed

One player will need to use the website to create a new band, but it must only be done once - other characters then join that band. A band can be secret or public. If the band is public, then the name of the band and the nation it is associated with is public to all players in the game. Players making a character can choose to begin play as part of a public band. If the band is secret, then the name of the band is not visible to any player. New characters must join the band in play, they cannot begin play as part of a secret band.

Bands use the hearth magic of an oath to give them power. For this reason, a band must choose an oath when it is created. The oath is usually reasonably short - because it must be recited by any character who joins the band in play. The player creating the band online should enter the text for the oath when they create the band. The only requirement for the oath is that it is in-character and suitable for the setting, any oath that meets these requirements is fine.

Although an oath is required to create a band, it is not magically enforced - there is no automatic magical consequence for any individual that breaks their oath. It is a matter for the roleplaying of the characters who are members of the band to deal with any character who breaks their oath. Once created, the oath cannot be changed, a new band must be formed if characters wish to change their oath.

You can still create a band on the system, even if the benefits are not relevant for your group concept. By picking one of the three options (banner is usually the easiest, if your group plans to fight together at all) and ignoring the additional rules you can still submit details and background about it, even if it doesn't benefit from being a banner, coven or sect.

Banners

- A banner may benefit from using a magical standard

If your band incorporates the idea of a group of warriors that fight together then you may wish to create a banner to represent this. A banner is named for their ability to use a magical standard, which is a magical item created by an artisan. Magical standards provide a potential benefit to every member of the banner.

Covens

- A coven may combine their skills to perform rituals together

- A coven can perform up to two rituals a day

- A coven may benefit from paraphernalia

Groups that intend to perform rituals together need to create a coven. A coven is a band of oath-sworn magicians who choose to work together to perform powerful rituals that they could not do alone.

Members of a coven can work together to perform a ritual with each participant contributing crystalized mana to a ritual up to the limit of their ability. This allows a coven to perform much more powerful rituals than an individual could achieve alone. A coven may also benefit by being bound to ritual paraphernalia, a powerful magical item created by an artisan.

A coven can only perform up to two rituals each day. A character may perform any number of rituals by themselves and they may include others in the ritual performance. But the power of the coven can only be used to combine magical strengths twice per day. Some magical paraphernalia increase the number of rituals a coven can perform in a single day.

If a character is part of a coven that have already perform a ritual together that day, then they may join another coven but they cannot participate in another ritual conducted by that coven until the next day.

Sects

- When members of a sect co-operate to perform some liao ceremonies the cost is reduced to one liao

- A sect may benefit from using a magical reliquary

If your group concept incorporates the idea of a shared set of beliefs and worship then you may wish to create a sect to represent this. A sect is a band of oath-sworn devotees of the Way who choose to work together to further their common goals.

If members of a sect co-operate to perform a ceremony of anointing, consecration, dedication, excommunication, exorcism, hallowing, or testimony, only one dose of liao needs to be consumed to achieve the result, no matter how many members co-operate. All the other rules for co-operation in ceremonial skills still apply.

For example, if two members of a sect who are both dedicated to Vigilance and both have the anointing skill perform a ceremony together to anoint a target, then they may may produce the same effect as two priests cooperating - but need only consume a single dose of liao.

A magical reliquary provides a benefit to every member of the sect that is bonded to it.

Linking Bands Together

Although a band must be either a banner, coven, or sect; it is common for players to have a background concept that includes characters who are linked in multiple ways. In these situations it is perfectly appropriate to create more than one band whose concept and background is linked.

For example, a group of players intend to play a Marcher Household but some of them want to play monks while the others play yeomen. They create a banner called House Cawford and a sect called Cawford monastery - to represent the large monastery on the Cawford lines. House Cawford players can choose to start as members of either group and join the other group in play.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Bands&oldid=35335#Covens"

Cowl of Ashes

Description

The Cowl of Ashes empowers a ritualist with the ability to summon a spirit of the dead - drawing upon the crepuscular power of the Realm of Winter to transcend the Labyrinth, but for a short time.

These talismans are often crafted as a dark headsman's cowl or a brooch depicting a deathmask or skull and sometimes incorporate Gralm, rune of Destiny or Yoorn, the rune of Ending.

Rules

- Form: Ritual Mask.

- Effect: Gain 1 rank for the Whispers through the Black Gate ritual

- Materials: Crafting a Cowl of Ashes requires four measures of beggar's lye, three measures of iridescent gloaming and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Cowl_of_Ashes&oldid=31896"

Cowl of Judgement

Description

The deep hood of this cowled robe allows the wearer to maintain a sense of anonymity and formal behaviour. It is modeled after a traditional garment worn by some inquisitors, and tends to be voluminous, ankle-length and possess wide sleeves. The design was historically popular with Highborn inquisitors and League bishops; it was also adopted by some Marcher monks and friars who make a habit of the age-old tradition of shriving. There is something ominous about a cowl of judgement, and about the priests who wear them.

The cowl of judgement appeals most to priests who are concerned about the spirituality and dedication of their fellow priests. It allows them to perform powerful excommunications that are very difficult to remove, and so it is rarely invoked casually. Wearers may encounter suspicion from their fellows; after all, by donning this robe the priest implies that she has both the judgement to evaluate her peers and the will to cast them out if she finds them wanting.

Unlike many other Vestments, such as a Splendid Vestment or a Troubadour's Tunic, the cowl of judgement tends to be a little sombre with subdued decoration, often restricted to moonsilver (weltsilver and mithril threads) designs around the hems, especially around the cowl.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: When you perform the excommunicate ceremony you may add up to three additional ranks to the effect by spending up to three additional Liao.

- Materials: Crafting a cowl of judgement requires twenty-one measures of beggar's lye, ten measures of iridescent gloaming, nine ingots of weltsilver and five measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Cowl_of_Judgement&oldid=32333"

Crafting skills

Artisan

- You must purchase artisan before you can take any other crafting skills

During the downtime between events, you may craft up to three magical items using rare materials that you have in your possession. The materials are used up to create the item. You may only craft items that you know how to make.

Rare materials are produced by mines and forests, which are personal resources.

You may also bond any item that you can make to a willing person. A character can only use a magical item if it is bonded to the wielder.

When you choose this skill you can pick four magical items that your character is able to create. The choices you can make are limited as follows:

- The first item must require no special materals to make

- The second item must require a maximum of 10 total special materials to make

- The third must require a maximum of 20 total special materials to make

- The fourth item can be chosen with no restrictions.

The character creation system is setup to enforce these restrictions automatically.

At the first event you attend you will receive 3 items that you have already created. These will be:

- The first item that you selected with 9 months still to go before it expires

- The second item that you selected with 6 months still to go before it expires

- The third item that you selected with 3 months still to go before it expires

Extra Item

You may choose one additional item that your character knows how to make each time you purchase this skill. There are no restrictions on what this item can cost.

Further reading

- You can learn more about the many magical items that can be created by Imperial artisans here, and the list of items available is found.

- You can learn more about the permanent magical items known as artefacts here.

- You can learn more about how magical items are made by artisans here.

- You can learn more about the various special materials that artisans use to craft items here, including the rare star-metal ilium.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Crafting_skills&oldid=34434"

Create bond

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This simple spell is one of the first that a magician learns to cast. Every magician is able to cast it; along with operate portal and detect magic, it represents a shared suite of powers common to everyone who works magic. Being able to forge magical bonds is a key part of learning to cast spells and especially to perform rituals. Where detect magic teaches an apprentice magician to perceive magical energies, this spell teaches them the fine control needed to cast other, more complex, spells.

The ability to create bonds is a vital tool both for joining a coven and unlocking the abilities of magical items. Other than potions and herbs, most magical items can only be used if the user is bonded to them. By creating a bond, the magician attunes an individual to the magical properties of the item. A human or orc can have only a limited number of items bonded to them at one time. Many magicians speak of these limitations in terms of chakra, visualising them as magical nodes from which bonds can be created that link with any of a broad class of magical items. While the three object chakra are the most commonly understood, magical scholars also recognise several additional chakra including those that allow a person to be bound to other people as part of a magical group such as a coven, sect or banner.

Magicians often talk about bonds as if they are literal threads of magical energy connecting things together. While many visualise them in these terms, it is a little misleading - the bond does not literally extend as a line of magic between a person and their sword, for example. It is not possible to track an item one is bonded to. Rather, the bond could be thought of as an attunement between two things - a unique mark that both share that signifies a profound connection.

Bonds do not break naturally, but mastery of this spell allows a magician to actively sever an existing bond. A magician will quickly become aware if they are attempting to create a bond where one already exists, before they expend any personal mana. If a magician wishes to "over write" an existing bond, they first need to destroy the existing connection which requires a seperate casting of the spell.

It is worth noting that an artificer also has the ability to bond characters and magical items, but their abilities are quite limited in that they can only bond items they know how to make, and they can neither break a bond, nor bond people to each other to form groups.

There are a number of things that can interefere with or assist a magician in creating a bond. For example, an effect might conceal a bond or make it difficult to break without ritual magic. There are also several ways to divine information about or using bonds - for example the ritual Reading the Weave can uncover all sorts of information about bonds and bonded items or people while Ties that Bind is a valuable investigative tool that can discern who is bonded to a specific item as long as a magician who has previously cast create bond on it is present. A magician who wants to enhance their ability to create and break bonds might invest in a Scrivener's Seal, a magical wand that allows the create bond spell to be performed twice a day without depleting personal mana.

Casting

- Type: Regular spell

- Cost: 1 Personal mana

Effects

This flexible spell can be used to perform a number of separate tasks, but only one may be used each time the spell is cast. Each of these uses requires the assistance of a referee.

- Create a bond. You may bond a willing character to a suitable item or group. You must be close enough to touch both character and item.

- You can also use this spell to bond a character to a band (a coven, banner or sect).

- Bands and items such as magical standards, ritual paraphernalia and reliquaries can be bonded to a band. A single use of this spell can bond a band to an item, provided that a willing member of the band is present throughout.

- Break a bond. You can break an existing bond between a character and an item as long as one or the other is present.

- You can break a bond between a character and a group as long as the character is present. CHECK THIS

Sample Vocals

The following are sample vocals you can use to cast this spell if you don't want to make up your own.

- (touching a character and a sword) "I am the bridge between this and this, I am the path and when I am done you will remember this moment of connection, no matter how great the distance between you. This sword belongs to you, and you to it. You are bound together by memory of this moment."

- (cutting a character's thumb) "Blood is blood, it is your life, your name echoes in every drop, it marks what it touches, it marks it as yours."(presses thumb against item to be bonded) "With this mark, you are bonded."

- (evoking the chain') "Things hold together. Five stars and five fingers, weaving five threads together to make a binding, this to this. Take hold of this and choose to be bound, not to slavery but to a greater cause."

- (tracing runes on the targets) "The seed grows to a sapling, winding roots in the earth and branches in the air, catching at the wind. The wave ripples in the water, binding and spinning the skein to link these two together until the end comes."

- (receving a coin from the target) "There is power in payment, here in the counting house. This coin is small but in time could move an Empire. So I weave a tiny thread, that in time can bind destiny and shape fate. You spend your coin to buy my skill, and I tie your fortunes together."

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: Evrom and Yoorn are good choices for initiating or destroying a bond, respectively. Some traditions suggest that it is good luck to mark a young person with the rune of beginning the very first time they are bonded to a band. Any of the Autumn runes can be evoked when creating a bond, but especiall Hirmok to signify ownership or Queros when creating a connection to a band. When using runes to create a bond, it is common to mark both targets with that rune as part of the casting; when breaking a bond, the rune is sybollically washed away or rubbed out.

- Astronomancy: The Chain is suitable to any use of this spell whether forming or breaking a bond. Likewise the Web represents connection, and is especially appropriate when renewing a bond that has existed previously. The Three Sisters are effective when bonding people together, but some astronomancers prefer to avoid using this constellation due to the omens of sorrow and loss that surround it; these magicians suggest that the Chalice, with it's imagery of things coming together or seperating, is much more apposite. In each case, the astronomancer often uses the constellation to represent the bond itself rather than the magical process of creating the bond.

- Dramaturgy: The Prince has a strong resonance with bonding magic, representing ideas such as unlocking or claiming power, swearing oaths to a group, or demonstarting authority. Other personae might come in to play depending on the nature of the bond being created - using the Bishop to bond someone to a sect, for example, or the Captain to bond a yeoman to a weapon. The Coin is a strong instrument to use when either creating or breaking a bond - some magicians incorporate the payment of a ring into the casting of the spell. Likewise, any League dramaturgist can see the value of using imagery associated with the Ring when creating a bond to a group. Evoking the images of the Counting House is also very appropriate when casting this spell - some dramatists prefer to perform it while seated at a table across which payment and the item to be bonded or unbonded are passed.

- Other traditions: A lttiel water from the same container sprinkled on both targets, or a little blood from a character, both help reinforce the idea of bonding two things together. Paragons or totem animals associated with Loyalty or Prosperity might also be appropriate.

- Realms: Creating a bond is unequivocably tied to the Autumn realm, with it's themes of connection and ownership. Breaking a bond has obvious correspondence to the realm of Winter.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_bond&oldid=33067"

Create Egregore histories

We propose the creation of a written history of the lives of the Egregores and their hosts. This work will be collated and maintained by Gwyliwr of the Carrion and other interested historians selected by him and will be submitted to the Imperial Archives.

Proposed by Miaren, seconded by Hercynia.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Legal Ramifications

- 6 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Supporting the creation of a document.

- Passed with 3 votes against.

Date

- Passed Spring 377YE (Event Two 2013)

Cost

- None.

Progress

- This project is ongoing,

Legal Ramifications

- The Senate has not created a position with the authority, responsibility or stipend to achieve this task

The civil service opinion is that the Senate could have chosen to create an Imperial position with the responsibility to compile Egregore biographies and histories. The position could have been granted a stipend. Without the creation of an Imperial position, this motion has no legal implications.

It is important to note that no Egregore, current or past, is obligated to co-operate with this project - any more than any citizen of the Empire is required to share their history with strangers.

Campaign Outcome

While there are no Imperial archives as such, reasonable efforts will be made to ensure that copies of completed histories will be made available to the people of the Empire.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_Egregore_histories&oldid=23558"

Raise Highguard army (Redirected from Create Highguard army)

To raise a new army to muster in Anvil under a Highguard general.

Raised by Hercynia, seconded by Necropolis.

Overview

- To raise a new Highborn army to muster in Anvil

- Passed at 120 Thrones with 9 votes against, money distributed to Necropolis

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013).

Cost

- 150 Wains of Mithril

- 1 year to construct

The army should have cost 250 wains of mithril.

Progress

- 150 Wains of Mithril supplied by Adamah, Senator for Necropolis, throughout 376.

Production

- 5000 pt Highborn army

Election

- Senate election

The general of the army will be appointed by the Highborn Senators following the standard procedure once the army is complete.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Raise_Highguard_army&oldid=26300"

Create Imperial Banner

Senate to fund an Imperial banner for the Military Command on the field.

Proposed by Casinea, seconded by Morrow.

Overview

- Senate to fund an Imperial banner for the Military Council on the field

- Passed with 1 vote against, funds provided by Senator for Hercynia

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013)

Cost

- Unknown

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_Imperial_Banner&oldid=23546"

Create law of delegation protection

Any delegations from barbarian nations who arrive on the field at Anvil under a flag of peace should have protection under the law and shall be protected as citizens for the duration of their visit to the Empire.

Proposed by Miaren, seconded by Segura.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Creating a law to offer protection to barbarian delegations

Date

- Passed Autumn 378YE

Cost

- None

Campaign Outcome

- This law appears to extend the status of foreigner to any barbarian delegation that reaches the field at Anvil.

- The law was amended during the Winter Solstice 378YE.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_law_of_delegation_protection&oldid=35378"

Create law of desecration

Create religious law of desecration - making it illegal to remove spontaneously created auras such as legacies of ascendance to paragonhood. Includes consecrations, hallowings and anointings.

Proposed by Zenith, seconded by the Conscience.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Creating a law making it illegal to remove spontaneously created auras.

- Passed by 23 votes to 4.

Date

- Passed Summer 377YE (Event Three 2013).

Cost

- None

Campaign Outcome

- The prohibition against removing spontaneously generated auras has been added to Imperial law.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_law_of_desecration&oldid=23571"

Create law outlawing the Vyig

Membership of the organisation known as the Vyig is illegal. Furthermore, possession of Vyig tattoos is illegal and such tattoos will be defaced in addition to any other punishment.

Proposed by Temeschwar, seconded by Tassato.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Creating a law making it illegal to be a member of the criminal organisation known as the Vyig.

Date

- Winter 378YE.

Cost

- None

Campaign Outcome

- The Vyig organisation is outlawed.

- Having Vyig tattoos is made a crime, and the default punishment is that the tattoos will be defaced.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_law_outlawing_the_Vyig&oldid=35404"

Create roll of honour

We should give official recognition to the loyalty of those military unit commanders who commit their troops to support our armies in the field. We suggest a roll of honour be posted each season listing those who have aided each campaign.

Proposed by Kallavesa, seconded by Astolat.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- A public record of military units aiding Imperial armies to be produced and made public.

- Passed unanimously.

Date

- Passed Spring 2013

Cost

- The Civil Service compiles this information for the benefit of the Military Council; as such additional costs involved in creating an additional copy for purposes of the roll of honour are negligible.

Progress

- Complete

Campaign Outcome

When the civil servants compile lists of recent military campaigns for the Military Council, an additional copy of the information will be made and disseminated via the Hub.

It is worth noting that if this information were not already being compiled, or if many additional copies were required, the costs would likely be significantly higher.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_roll_of_honour&oldid=23559"

Create title of Admiral

Create the title of Admiral, assigned by the Senate on an election cycle of one year, with the right to attend Military Council meetings. Their responsibilities are to coordinate with Fleet owners on best possible targets.

Proposed by Weirwood, seconded by Necropolis.

Overview

- Create a title within the Senate to advise on fleet actions.

Date

- Spring 2014

Campaign Outcome

- The Imperial title of Admiral was created.

- Nominations for the title were opened on the last day of. the Spring summit, and it is intended the position be appointed on the first evening of the Summer Solstice 378YE

Constitution

The right to attend does not include a voice or a vote, they can be silenced by the generals if they choose.

The intention is that in the future this power will be expanded to include the ability to bind fleets to the Admiral's representation, but the costs and technicalities of this are being revised by Imperial Audit and Costings for discussion at a future summit.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

21

6

Passed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_Admiral&oldid=28999"

Create title of Advisor on the Vallorn

Create the title Advisor on the Valorn, to be nominated by a unanimous decision of Navarr senators, falling back to a greater majority of the senate. To have the powers: Right of Address to the Senate, right to request one item of research each summit (at standard costs) and the right to raise one free motion of Interdiction in the Conclave per summit. To receive a Stipend of 2 crowns.

Proposed by Kahraman, seconded by Redoubt.

Overview

- Create a title within the Senate to advise on the Vallorn

Date

- Spring 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- The Imperial title of Advisor on the Vallorn was created.

- The Senate decided not to provide the Advisor with a stipend.

- A procedural motion followed on Sunday afternoon and Merel Pathfinder was appointed to the role.

Constitution

The formal process for electing a national position of this kind is for Merlot, the master of elections, to hold an election involving the relevant nation's senators.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

16

11

Passed

@ 2 Crowns

12

15

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_Advisor_on_the_Vallorn&oldid=28093"

Create title of Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

To request an Auditor to be chosen by full Synod by whichever means the Synod see fit to audit accounts of Senators to whom funds have been supplied by Senate vote, auditor to then report back to the Senate.

Proposed by Astalot, seconded by Semmerholm.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Campaign Outcome

- 4 Election

- 5 Constitution

Overview

- Create an Auditor of Senatorial Accountability with responsibility to investigate Imperial Senators.

- Passed with one vote against

Date

- Passed Spring 377YE (Event Two 2013).

Campaign Outcome

- This position has a responsibility to investigate Senate expenditure and report to the Senate.

- This is a ceremonial title.

Election

- Synod General Assembly Appointment

The title is elected by the General Assembly of the Imperial Synod, and once chosen will serve for life, until they resign or until revoked by the General Assembly or Assembly of Nine.

The first election of the Auditor of Senatorial Accountability took place at the Autumn Equinox 377YE.

The current incumbent is Nadezha Dava of Varushka

Constitution

The civil service opinion is that there are a range of legal powers that might have been considered appropriate to this position. As the title is assigned by the Synod, the auditor could have been granted the authority to use inquisition on members of the Imperial Senate. The position could have been given the authority to address the Senate. An additional Senate vote would now be required to grant any additional powers to this position.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_Auditor_of_Senatorial_Accountability&oldid=24481"

Create title of Bursar

Create a position of Bursar within the Conclave.

Proposed by Kahraman, seconded by Redoubt.

Overview

- Create a title within the Imperial Conclave in support of prior declaration

- Passed by 27 votes to 0

Date

- Summer 2013

Campaign Outcome

- The Imperial title of Bursar of the Conclave was created.

Constitution

Members of the Conclave were advised that any attempt to limit the remit of the Burser's powers - or to make them answerable to the Archmage would be unconstitutional. Likewise, attempts to grant the Burser access to the Bourse private auction are not legal.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_Bursar&oldid=26212"

Create title of Bursar of the Imperial Academy

That the Senate agree the creation of the imperial title Bursar of the Imperial Academy.

Appointed by the Senate, to receive a stipend.

Responsibilities will be to purchase such tools and material as are necessary to the education of our children.

It may be revoked by the Synod General Assembly, or the Assembly of the Nine, in line with ordinary guidelines on revocation of imperial titles.

Proposed by Morrow, Seconded by Casinea.

Overview

- Create an Imperial Title title within The Academy.

Date

- Winter 377YE

Cost

- Stipend: 6 Thrones annually, distributed as 1 throne and 4 crowns each season.

Campaign Outcome

- The Imperial title of Bursar of the Imperial Academy was created.

- The title will be appointed annually by the Senate during the Winter Solstice summit as a result of procedural vote.

- Titus Hopkirk was appointed to the title.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

23

0

Passed

At 2 Thrones

23

0

Passed

At 4 Thrones

23

0

Passed

At 6 Thrones

12

11

Passed

At 8 Thrones

8

15

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_Bursar_of_the_Imperial_Academy&oldid=35568"

Create title of Captain of the Senate Guard

To create the position of "Captain of the Senate Guard", voted by simple majority by the senate of nominated citizens, for a term of one year. Revokable by the Assembly of Loyalty.

Responsibilities are to protect the Senate and Public Gallery whenever the senate is in session.

Granted the ability to use the defence of Unwelcome Visitor within the Senate building.

Proposed by Weirwater, Seconded by Bastion

Overview

- Create an Imperial title within the Senate

- The Captain is given leave to treat the Imperial Senate and public gallery as if they were their camp for purposes of the unwelcome visitor defence while the Senate is in session.

Date

- Winter 377YE

Campaign Outcome

- The title of Captain of the Senate Guard was created.

- Irontide Isk was nominated; there were no other contenders.

- Irontide Isk was appointed to the title

Constitution

The Captain of the Senate Guard is a Ceremonial title because it does not include a stipend or one or more legal powers of the Imperial state.

The Imperial Senate has given the Assembly of Loyalty the ability to revoke the Captain of the Senate Guard. The Constitutional Scholars point out that this is in addition to the ability of the Assembly of Nine and the General Assembly to revoke the title. The Senate can give additional assemblies the power to revoke a title, but they cannot create a title in such a way that they remove the ability of an assembly to revoke it.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

Motion as Stands

25

2

Passed

Nominate Irontide Isk

27

0

Passed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_Captain_of_the_Senate_Guard&oldid=26369"

Create title of Conclave Liaison

Create an liaison from the Conclave with the the power to address the Senate

Overview

- Passed unanimously

Date

- Winter 377YE

Campaign Outcome

A new Imperial title, the Conclave Liaison to the Senate has been created. The title will be appointed by declaration of the Conclave and has the power of address in the Imperial Senate.

- The title was amended at the Autumn Equinox 378YE summit, and the title changed to be Imperial Magus.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_Conclave_Liaison&oldid=29691"

Create title of Crystal Architect of the Spires

To create the position of Crystal Architect of the Spires, appointed by Urizen senators with the authority to create non-voting Mana sinecures in Urizen. These sinecures to be self-funded and appointed by Urizen Senators as national positions.

Proposed by Zenith, seconded by TBC.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- The Crystal Architect of the Spires can commission the construction of mana sinecures in Urizen.

- Any sinecures commissioned by the Crystal Architect of the Spires will automatically create titles when they are completed. The holders of these titles will be appointed by the senators of Urizen as national positions,

- To use their power, the Crystal Architect of the Spires provides an announcement to the Civil Service, who present the decision to the Senate. No voting is possible by the Senate at this point, as the power has been delegated to the Crystal Architect of the Spires. The Imperial Synod may, however, choose to exercise their veto over the Architect's decision.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Cost

- None

Campaign Outcome

- The title of Crystal Architect of the Spires was created

- Tiberius Echostorm was duly appointed to the position by the senators of Urizen,

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_Crystal_Architect_of_the_Spires&oldid=36078"

Create title of High Exorcist

Create a new imperial title; the High Exorcist. .

- Has right of Address to the Military Council

- Is appointed by the Assembly of the Nine

- Serves for one Year

- Can be revoked by a Simple Majority of the General Assembly

Proposed by Kallavesa, Seconded by Temeschwar

Overview

- Create an Imperial Title title within the Imperial Synod

Date

- Winter 377YE

Cost

- Stipend: 3 Thrones

Campaign Outcome

- The Imperial title of High Exorcist was created.

Constitution

It is possible for the Senate to grant the High Exorcist the right to vote on the Military Council - doing so would automatically allow the holder of the title to be present throughout the a Military Council session and to speak freely. The Warmage operates in such a way at present. However this would be a substantive change to the working of the Empire, so would require the approval of The Throne.

The Constitutional Scholars wish to point out that if the Synod elect a High Exorcist who has control of a congregation, then the High Exorcist will automatically benefit from the Right of Witness, and cannot then be excluded from a Military Council session. Moreover the holder of the title is welcome to request permission to speak and can do so at the sufferance of the Council. The Adjutants appointed by each General operate in such a way at present.

It was initially ruled that it was not possible to give the High Exorcist the Power of Address in the Imperial Military Council. This Power of Address gives the holder the right to address the Senate (Conclave members have a similar power for the Conclave), but there is no equivalent power in the Military Council and the structure of the Military Council sessions does not allow for citizens to make addresses. Further examination of this decision lead to it's reversal in 378YE.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

26

0

Passed

At 1 Throne

26

0

Passed

At 2 Throne

25

1

Passed

At 3 Throne

22

4

Passed

At 4 Throne

13

13

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_High_Exorcist&oldid=34228"

Create title of Imperial Chaplain Consular

To appoint an imperial position: Imperial Chaplain Consular

A synod virtue title (of the way) to be appointed by the Cardinal of the Way.

Responsibilities: Advise Imperial Ambassadors on matters pertaining to the way. Provide Oversight of Imperial Ambassadors for the Synod. Study foreigners to facilitate comparative theology

Powers:Once per Season, may inquist an imperial ambassador without requiring a Judgement of the Synod. May spend up to five thrones per season from the Virtue fund.

Proposed by Bastion, seconded by Therunin.

Overview

- The Imperial Chaplain Consular can inquisit any Imperial Ambassador for the Imperial Synod.

- They may remove up to five thrones from the virture fund without requiring a judgement ... something about an anouncement?

Date

- Spring 379YE

Cost

- None

Campaign Outcome

- The title of Imperial Chaplain Consular was created

- Hywel Summercrow of Navarr was duly appointed to the position by the Cardinal of the Way.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_Imperial_Chaplain_Consular&oldid=36183"

Create title of Imperial Inquisitor

The creation of the title of Imperial Inquisitor.

Responsibilities: Coordination and overseeing of Inquisition in the Empire Working with the Militia to ensure Inquisitions occur correctly within the Empire.

Powers: Once per summit, the ability to, in addition to any existing judgement, call an Inquisition without the need for a vote in the Synod.

Appointed by the Assembly of the Nine, revoked by the Assembly of the Nine or the General Assembly.

Proposed by Necropolis, seconded by Temeschwar.

Overview

- Create a title within the Imperial Synod

Date

- Spring 2014

Campaign Outcome

- The Imperial title of Imperial Inquisitor was created.

Constitution

No term limits have been specified for this position. The standard constitutional processes for the term of office apply if nothing is specified by the Senate. In this case that means that the title will be re-elected annually.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

21

7

Passed

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Create title of Imperial Master of Works

The creation of an Imperial Master of Works, with responsibility and the legal authority to carry out fortification works on behalf of the senate answerable to the synod, as per all imperial posts. The Master of Works to be awarded a fixed stipend by the senate, payable each season to fund these works.

Proposed by Mitwold, seconded by Semmerholm.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Passed 25 votes to 1

- Funded at 10 Thrones

Date

- Autumn 377YE

Cost

- Stipend: 10 Thrones per season from the Senate budget

Campaign Outcome

- Imperial Master of Works

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_Imperial_Master_of_Works&oldid=26232"

Create title of Imperial Orc observer

Requiring an Orc observer for the Senate to be elected and given the right to speak on the Senate floor, though no direct vote or motion raising powers.

Proposed by Astalot, seconded by Semmerholm.

Contents

- 1 Overivew

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Election

Overivew

- Created the Imperial Title Advisor on orc affairs.

- Passed with 3 votes against and awaiting Constitutional Court opinion and Imperial Assent

- While this was deemed a constitutional issue, the constitutional court review later determined there were no constitutional issues.

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013).

Cost

- None

Election

- Senate election

The Advisor is selected by the Imperial orc nation. The generals will appoint it, and if they are not unanimous the decision falls to the Senate in the same manner they would select a General (all candidates put themselves forward). This may be seen as setting a precedent for the senator selection process when the Imperial Orcs claim their first territory.

The Advisor on Orc Affairs has the ability to speak in the Senate.

The Advisor has the right to address the Senate. They may require the Speakers to timetable an address to the Senate each season as they see fit.

The Advisor cannot be removed from the Senate except by the Throne or by the Speakers.

The Advisor can be revoked by the Imperial Orc assembly, the General Assembly or the Council of Nine.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_Imperial_Orc_observer&oldid=29925"

Create title of Minister of Historical Research

Create a titled position with the authority to perform historical research.

Proposed by Morrow, Seconded by Astolat

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Create a minister responsible for historical research

- Passed by 19 votes to 6

Date

- Autumn 377YE

Cost

- Imperial research requests cost 5 Thrones each.

- The civil service are able to process a maximum five research requests each season. Appointment of an Imperial citizen as minister allows them to authorize any of those five requests - it does not increase the number of requests possible.

Campaign Outcome

- Imperial title Minister of Historical Research created

- Civil service have requested clarification by the Imperial Senate on how they intended the costs of research requests to be met. A procedural motion has been raised to clarify this issue at the next Senate session.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_Minister_of_Historical_Research&oldid=23986"

Create title of Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

Appoint a Minister for Resupply in Miaren.

Proposed by Astolat, seconded by Morrow.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

- 5 Constitution

Overview

- Create Imperial title with the power of the Senate to authorize resupply of armies.

- Passed at 25 Thrones with 16 votes for, 8 votes against.

Date

- Autumn 377YE.

Cost

- Stipend: 25 Thrones per season from the Senate budget

Campaign Outcome

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies created.

Constitution

The Senate were advised that it is not possible to create a great works that could automatically provide emergency resupply to armies based in Miarren without a source of appropriate materials, mithril or weirwood, that could meet the costs. The senators elected to create an Imperial title with the authority to carry out the work instead.

When the title was created it was unclear which other powers, if any, this title had been granted. The civil service raised procedural motions at the Winter Solstice Summit 377YE to clarify whether this title had the power to:

- resupply an Imperial army.

- raise a new Imperial army.

- repair a fortification.

- create a new fortification.

If the title did possess one or more of these powers, they would still be procedurally announced to the Senate by the civil service (although no voting would be involved), and subject to the veto of the Imperial Synod.

The outcome of the procedural motions was to clarify that the Quartermaster General had the power only to resupply an Imperial army.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_Quartermaster_General_of_the_Imperial_Armies&oldid=26160"

Create title of the Dean of the Academy

That the title of Dean of the Academy be created with the power to raise one motion before the Senate each summit, with the Responsibility of raising that motion on behalf of the Academy Student Council.

Proposed by Morrow, Seconded by Bastion.

Overview

- The title will be appointed by the Imperial Senate.

- This title may be revoked by the Assembly of the Nine or the General Assembly

- The Dean - or the Student Council - will still need to find a second.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Campaign Outcome

- The Imperial title of Dean of the Academy was created.

Constitution

- There are constitutional issues with this motion.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_the_Dean_of_the_Academy&oldid=36247"

Create title of trade envoy

To appoint ambassadors to foreign nations to pursue trade in bulk raw materials. Ambassadors to be appointed to the Principalities of Jarm, the Asavean Archipelago, Faraden, the Commonwealth and the Sumaah Republic. Results to be presented for Senate approval at the next meeting.

Proposed by Tassato, seconded by Temeschwar.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Constitution

- 5 Progress

- 6 Election

- 7 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Appoint ambassadors to foreign nations to pursue trade in bulk raw materials.

- Ambassadors to be appointed to the Principalities of Jarm, the Asavean Archipelago, Faraden, the Commonwealth and the Sumaah Republic.

Date

- Passed unanimously Spring 377 (Event Two 2013).

Cost

- None

Constitution

- This motion should have been presented as five separate motions so that senators could vote individually

- These positions have a responsibility to initiate trade with the foreign nation

- The Senate has not chosen to assign any powers or functions to these positions

- The Senate has not chosen to assign any money to support these positions

Progress

The purpose of these positions appears to be closer to trade envoys, than to actual ambassadors - the Senate appears to wish these positions to find a way to allow the Empire to trade for bulk raw materials with neighbouring powers.

The civil service have provided those appointed with the names of known contacts in the foreign powers so that they may initiate communication with them via Winged Messenger.

It is possible that a trade embassy might be built to allow regular trade to be automated. This would require significant investment of bulk resources - the civil service strongly recommend that this construction does not begin without firm agreements with a foreign power on trade terms first.

Election

At the event the following people were appointed to theses positions by the Senate.

- Constanza Barassadi di Tasssato of the league for the Principalities of Jarm

- Adnanna Dionati of the League for the Asavean Archipelago

- Braganza i Arco of the Brass Coast for the Faraden

- Destain of Derondell of Dawn for the Commonwealth

- Elisir of Urizen for the Suma Republic

Campaign Outcome

???

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Create_title_of_trade_envoy&oldid=29309"

Creation of an Imperial lottery

That the senate create a position of sinecure, to be allocated by the Navarr senators to organise and administrate a lottery. We suggest 40% of the takings to be used as prizes, 10% to be given to the title, 50% to be given to the senate.

Proposed by Therunin, seconded by Mitwold.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Constitution

Overview

- Defeated 6 votes to 20

Date

- Autumn 377YE

Cost

- A sinecure produces an income for the Imperial citizen appointed to be responsible for it. Any sinecure would require at least 10 wains of White Granite, Weirwood or Mithril to build, dependent on income produced.

Constitution

This position does not appear to be a sinecure, it does not appear to involve the expenditure of materials to create a structure that would produce an income. At present any Imperial citizen could choose to operate a lottery and can choose to grant a portion of the profits earned to the Imperial Senate.

If the Senate wish to pass a law criminalizing gambling - except via the operations conducted by a character with an appropriate Imperial title then they could do so - but the title would need to be appointed by the Bourse, since this activity would fall within their purview.

It is perfectly legal to include expectations of behaviour with a motion and the Synod are encouraged to take such suggestions into account when determining whether to revoke an individual. However it is beyond the constitutional limits of the Senate's powers to create legally binding requirements for how an Imperial title holder should discharge their responsibilities.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Creation_of_an_Imperial_lottery&oldid=23918"

Criminal Trials

Contents

- 1 The role of the Magistrate

- 2 The role of witnesses

- 3 Structure of the pre-trial process

- 4 Structure of the trial process

- 5 Sanctions for contempt of court

- 6 Punishments and sentencing

- 6.1 Punishments available

- 6.2 Other possible consequences of conviction

- 7 Factors when determining sentence

- 7.1 Weregilds

- 7.2 Serious Crimes

- 7.3 Examples of sentencing policy

- 7.4 Penal military service

- 8 Differences in the criminal process for religious crimes

- 8.1 Differences in the structure of the pre-trial process

- 8.2 Differences in the structure of the trial process

- 9 Further Reading

The role of the Magistrate

All trials are presided over by an NPC magistrate. It is the role of the NPC magistrate to run trials in a manner which is expeditious, just, and wherever possible, provides an environment in which entertaining role-playing can occur. Magistrates will aim to conclude trials within ten minutes in most circumstances and so time given to both witnesses and the accused will be strictly controlled.

Imperial courts follow an inquisitorial (rather than adversarial) model. This means that the magistrate is responsible for investigating the facts of the case, rather than acting as an impartial referee between a prosecutor and a lawyer for the accused.

There is no prosecution or defence and the accused normally speak for themselves. If the magistrate is satisfied that the accused is unable to represent themselves adequately for some extraordinary reason then they may allow another person to speak in their stead. This does not exempt the accused from the requirement to answer any questions put to them by the magistrate.

There are no juries. Judgement is made by the presiding magistrate. Occasionally a magistrate may ask one or more of her peers to sit with her in judgement over a particularly difficult case.

The law allows magistrates to accept any evidence, including hearsay.

The minimum persons required to be present for a trial to be valid are the presiding magistrate, and at least one other person. The accused should also be present if possible, but may be tried in their absence if they abscond. Magistrates may choose to try all of those accused in connection with a particular crime or crimes at the same time. This is particularly likely where a criminal conspiracy by a group of individuals is suspected.

Where there are multiple offences which might apply to the accused the Magistrate is only required to set out the most serious charge(s). This does not prevent the accused from being found guilty of a lesser related offence. If found guilty, the punishment will also take into account any relevant lesser offences where appropriate.

Example one: The accused is charged with murder. It is possible that he might be found guilty of murder, manslaughter, assault or any other relevant lesser offence that the circumstances dictate.

Example two: The accused attacks members of the militia when they come to arrest him. He might be charged only with assault, even though this assault occurred while resisting arrest. If found guilty his punishment will take account of the fact that the assault took place against members of the militia while he was resisting arrest.

The role of witnesses

Most trials consist of the magistrate questioning witnesses relevant to the case. This will usually involve the investigating officer and the accused, among others. Where relevant this may include expert witnesses who are believed to possess relevant specialist knowledge. Trials are often decided purely on the basis of witness testimony.

As such, witnesses who provide false testimony are subject to harsh penalties. It is not unknown for a magistrate to impose a summary punishment upon a false witness without recourse to an additional trial. There is no requirement for witnesses to be sworn in because every citizen is always bound by their constitutional obligations. Witnesses who fail to attend a trial to which they are called run the risk of being found in contempt of court.

The accused may request the magistrate to call specific witnesses to give evidence, and may ask to question any witness themselves, but the magistrate is not required to allow it.

Structure of the pre-trial process

The accused will be presented before the court. The accused may be accompanied by a priest (if they intend to plead guilty and ask for clemency) or possibly by a friend or legal advisor.

The magistrate may choose to dismiss all the charges if they find no case to answer. Otherwise, the charges against the accused will be detailed and they will then be asked how they plead in relation to each charge: guilty or not guilty.

If the accused pleads guilty then before pronouncing punishment the magistrate will allow any priest present (or the Empress) to plead [clemency] on their behalf. Alternatively, if a weregild arrangement has been made with the victim then this must be approved by the magistrate. The magistrate may also investigate and consider any other pertinent evidence or testimony prior to sentencing.

When determining the accused's punishment the magistrate will take into account the seriousness of the crime and any mitigating factors presented by the priest in their plea for clemency. Further guidance on making effective clemency pleas is available here.

If the accused pleads not guilty then the magistrate will make arrangements for a trial to be held to investigate the facts of the case to determine guilt. If the accused refuses to plead then the magistrate may treat this as a guilty plea. In either case a plea for clemency will not be permitted.

If all the relevant witnesses and evidence are available then the trial may proceed summarily. Alternatively, if further investigations are required or witnesses are not currently available, the magistrate will release the accused on their oath that they will present themselves when it is time for their trial. Occasionally a magistrate will set other limitations on the accused’s behaviour while awaiting trial.

Where a magistrate has reason to believe that the accused is an absconsion risk or will not comply with their conditions they may require the payment of monies or assets to the Court in surety. These assets will be returned after the trial, provided that the accused does not abscond, breach any conditions or commit any further crimes.

If an accused absconds then the magistrate may try them in their absence. It is likely the magistrate will draw an adverse inference from the accused's failure to attend and also find them guilty of contempt of court. Any citizen can use reasonable force to apprehend them for the reward, although in practice it is often thief-takers and militia who are in the best position to do so.

Exceptionally, the magistrate may order the accused to be held in supervised custody until their trial can begin. This is only permitted where the magistrate believes the accused would be likely to commit further crimes if they were released. If so, the trial must be carried out as soon as reasonably practicable.

Structure of the trial process

The magistrate summarises the charges and then questions the accused about their version of events. The accused may be given an opportunity to make a statement.

The magistrate questions any witnesses and examines any other evidence. The accused may also be given an opportunity to question witnesses or examine the evidence.

The magistrate may give the accused a final opportunity to speak before either retiring to consider or passing judgement. The magistrate will then pronounce the sentence. Punishment is usually carried out swiftly but those sentenced to death might be allowed time to make final arrangements.

Sanctions for contempt of court

If a magistrate believes that any person is impeding the course of justice they may charge them with contempt of court and hand down a summary punishment. For example, this might be because that person is disruptive during a trial, disrespectful of the magistrate's authority, fails to attend court or fails to obey their lawful order.

If this occurs during a trial the offender will likely be fined and possibly also removed from the court. If the accused is found guilty of contempt and removed from the court the magistrate may allow someone else to represent them.

There is also a more serious charge of perverting the course of justice, most often applied when an individual fabricates evidence or bears false witness.

Punishments and sentencing

Magistrates will use their discretion to match the punishment to the crime. All punishments are potentially available to magistrates in respect of any crime.

Punishments available

- Fine: The most common punishment by far. The amount of the fine may vary due to multiple factors: the seriousness of the crime, previous convictions and the wealth of the accused. The magistrate may also levy additional fines to be given in compensation to the victim(s). The magistrate’s power to issue fines also includes the power to confiscate the convict’s assets, without limitation. Where the magistrate believes that the convict’s assets have been transferred to other persons in order to avoid confiscation they may take action against them for attempting to pervert the course of justice.

- Execution: The ultimate penalty. This is reserved for the most serious crimes. While there is no set method of execution laid down by the law, the interests of justice are usually served by swift and sober methods.

- Military penal service: When sentencing a convict to death the magistrate may offer the alternative of dying in the service of the empire.

- Branding: this is considered a somewhat primitive and archaic punishment by some magistrates but it is still occasionally practised.

- Magical punishments: Although rare, occasionally a magistrate may choose to legally sanction the use of magic upon a convict if that is the most appropriate course of action.

Other possible consequences of conviction

- Public denouncing of convict and potentially their group: Magistrates may use their position to denounce a convict, along with their associates. Such denouncements have no legal force of themselves but are usually used to bring matters to the attention of applicable bodies who can take action. Sometimes denouncements serve as a public warning about an individual or group. For example, a magistrate convicts a certain senator of a crime and then reports this to priests of the Synod. He formally requests the Synod revoke the senator.

- Religious consequences: It is not unheard of for religious powers such as testimony or excommunication to be applied to a convict after the trial. Although a magistrate cannot directly order the use of religious powers during sentencing she can make a formal request to the Synod to do so and may be able to provide liao for this purpose.

Factors when determining sentence

What follows is a list of possible factors that a magistrate may take into account when sentencing, but it is not an exhaustive list. The factors most likely to carry the most weight are listed first but any one of the factors could, in the right circumstances, override all others.

- the harm (or potential harm) caused by the crime

- relevant previous convictions

- clemency: the persuasiveness of the plea

- the imperial interest (such as making an example of a convict to deter others, or showing mercy where it is just)

- for fines only, the wealth of the accused may be taken into account in order to avoid fines being either trivial or unjust

- the wishes of the victim or their family

Weregilds

Weregilds are an old Wintermark custom whereby compensation payments are made to the victim of a crime by the perpetrator. When Wintermark joined the Empire these customs were adjusted to fit into the Imperial Law. In order to benefit from a weregild arrangement the accused must ensure that agreement is reached with the victim before their trial and for this purpose mediators are often employed to negotiate with both parties to find the right weregild.

The weregild not only replaces any compensation to the victim that would otherwise have been set by the magistrate, but agreeing this settlement with the victim is also taken into account positively during sentencing in a similar way to clemency. Magistrates will refuse to take into account weregilds which are unfair to the victim. Even where the weregild is accepted, the Magistrate may still apply severe punishments if the needs of justice demand it.

Weregild arrangements are a secular alternative to pleading clemency and they are are treated as an admission of guilt by the accused.

Serious Crimes

In general, the following crimes are notable in that they will often result in the death penalty for those convicted:

- murder

- malsanguino.

- treason

- perverting the course of justice

- contravening a Declaration of Sorcery

- contravening a Declaration of Interdiction

- religious crimes involving dedication to a false virtue

Bear in mind that any crime may carry any punishment, up to and including death, if the circumstances warrant it.

Examples of sentencing policy

Most assaults are punished with a modest fine, since given the wide availability of healing there are usually no lasting consequences. On the other hand, if attempted murder is proven this is much more serious and may warrant execution.

Murder is usually punishable by death, unless there are extenuating circumstances. Consequently, those who admit their guilt and arrange for a priest to plead clemency on their behalf are much less likely to be executed. However clemency does not in any way guarantee this - please see here for further guidance on making clemency pleas in court.

Theft is usually punishable by fine. Thieves who are unable to meet fines are sometimes branded. Only where there seems to be no appropriate alternative punishment would execution be contemplated for a thief. This might be the case for a serious repeat offender who professes to have no means to pay his fine, but this is not common.

Perverting the course of justice is an extremely serious offense. Magistrates are often inclined to make examples of those convicted by sentencing them to death.

Penal military service

For the most serious crimes, a magistrate may sentence a convict to penal military service as an alternative to execution. A convict has the right to refuse, instead choosing execution. Penal military service offers a method by which the convict can attempt to redress their crimes by dying in military service for the Empire. If there is a suicide mission then it is likely that they will be sent on it, in other battles they will be placed in the most perilous positions by the commanding general. The commanding general has the power to summarily execute any of these convicts on the battlefield if they fail to follow orders, try to flee the field or attempt to carry out further crimes.

While those sentenced to penal military service are away from the battlefield they are free to go where they want and to and spend their time how they wish. However, they are usually branded in a prominent place to warn others of their crimes. Should they be caught committing further crimes it is likely that they will be summarily tried and executed by the presiding magistrate.

Occasionally, those sentenced to penal military service repay their debt to the Empire by repeated and conspicuous acts of heroism on the battlefield. The Imperial Military Council has the power to free convicts from their penal service in such circumstances.

Differences in the criminal process for religious crimes

The process for dealing with religious crimes is somewhat different than for other crimes.

Differences in the structure of the pre-trial process

In order for someone someone to be prosecuted for a religious crime they must first be condemned by one of the Virtue Assemblies.

Magistrates are often disinclined to hold suspects for long periods while waiting for the condemnation of an appropriate Assembly. If this is an issue, this process can often be expedited by going to the Assembly of Nine, the Imperial Inquisitor, or any other titled position that wields the legal power of inquisition and condemnation.

The magistrate will require an expert witness from the relevant assembly to present the basis for the condemnation and to assist them as required at trial. This is usually (but not necessarily) the priest who brought the motion of condemnation.

The accused may choose how to plead but, as the Synod have already condemned them for their crime, there are very limited grounds for them being found not guilty.

Differences in the structure of the trial process

The remit of the magistrate who tries the case is limited to the following issues.

The accused can only be found not guilty if the magistrate determines that either:

- the accused has been condemned for something that does not meet the legal definition of a religious crime. For example, simply making an unvirtuous suggestion does not necessarily meet the definition of blasphemy; or

- that the condemnation is not a bona fide exercise of the Assembly's powers, but is in fact a vexatious or malicious attack on the accused. It will be presumed that the condemnation is bona fide in the absence of any evidence to the contrary.

The magistrate will throw out the case if the expert witness does not satisfy them as to the first point.

The second point will only be considered if the accused pleads not guilty.

If the accused is convicted the magistrate is also responsible for determining an appropriate punishment in accordance with their sentencing guidelines.

As in all cases, the harm (or potential harm) caused by the crime is often the main factor in determining sentence. So for example, if the convict has promoted heretical teachings to other citizens but there is no evidence that citizens were swayed or influenced in any way, the amount of harm caused is likely to be modest.

In practice the death sentence tends to be reserved for the worst offenders only, in particular those who dedicate themselves to a false virtue, commit idolatry to a similar degree, or who continue to repeat their crimes.

Further Reading

- You can review the list of current criminal offences here.

- You can learn more about civil trials and claims against fellow citizens here.

- You can learn more about the Non-Player Character and Player Character officers of the law here.

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Crimson Ward of Summer Stars

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 7

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 7

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must possess the battle mage skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target character gains two additional ranks of endurance, but only while wearing mage armour.

They are also under a roleplaying effect; they feel confident in their personal prowess, and certain that their magic is a match for any challenge they may encounter.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 5. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual, also known as the Thunder of the Stag's Heart and the Prism of the Glorious Soul empowers a magician to make greater use of their mage armour. The protective ability of the armour is enhanced, but the ritual achieves that by enhancing the aura of the wearer rather than the armour itself. Battle-magicians, especially Dawnish war-witches and Imperial orc warcasters make extensive use of this enchantment, preparing themselves for the dangers of the battlefield. Some mages feel that the ritual can lead to dangerous over-confidence in battle, or speculate it may magnify personality flaws with repeated use.

Common Elements

This ritual usually involves the magician and their mage amour. The armour is often donned as part of the performance, each piece accompanied by an invocation or marked with a rune or symbol. It is common for a coven of battle-magicians who have gained some knowledge of Summer rituals to perform this ritual together on their own coven, the morning before they take the field.

Another common element is marking key points on the body that correspond roughly to the locations where mage armour is worn (the brow, the shoulders, the forearms, the shins, the belly, the chest and the neck), or (especially for a vate) spilling a few drops of blood from those locations before donning the mage armour.

The rune Feresh is often used with this ritual, and evocations of The Stallion, of horses or bears, and especially of gryphons.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Crimson_Ward_of_Summer_Stars&oldid=31290"

Crow on the Cradle

Original Song by Sydney Carter (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8x0uMV1EsY)

New lyrics by David Proctor

The summer is ending, the brokers weigh corn Now is the time for a child to be born She'll laugh at the trees and cry without fear And if she's a Thorn she'll carry a spear Sang the crow on the cradle

And if it should be that this baby's a Vate Never you mind if she shares Navarr's fate With blood on her fingers and and a knife in her hands And the Vallorn behind her wherever she stands Sang the crow on the cradle

And when it should be that the child takes the Brand They'll dance along with her and with her they'll stand With a scar on her cheekbone And a suit of dark maille And before her the ruins of Terunael Sang the crow on the cradle

The crow on the cradle, the husks in the night Somebody's baby is born to our fight The crow on the cradle, the green and the black Somebody's baby is not coming back Sang the crow on the cradle

Your striding or steading will sweat and they'll fight To hold back the vines that creep in the night Hush-a-bye little one, never you weep The corpse glade is ready for when you should sleep Sang the crow on the cradle

Bring me my bow, and I'll shoot that bird dead That's what Navarr and Thorn long ago said The crow on the cradle, what can we do? Ah, this is a thing that I'll leave up to you Sang the crow on the cradle

The crow on the cradle the husks in the night Somebody's baby is born for our fight The crow in the cradle, the cities of dust One day we'll take back all that we have lost Sang the crow on the cradle

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Crumbling Flesh and Withering Limbs

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 9

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 9

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must possess the magician skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

Once each day during the duration of the enchantment the target can call CLEAVE with a rod when they hit a target, following the rules for a heroic call.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 8. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual allows a magician to channel destructive, painful magic through their rod. The spell blasts flesh and twists bone, leaving a limb useless and crippled or immediately incapacitating a target with an agonizing burst of pain if it strikes the chest or belly. The rod needs to strike reasonably exposed flesh, but the magic penetrates heavy clothing and light armour with ease. The effects of the withering cleave can be treated in the same way as a blow from a sword or axe.

As with Kimus' Glaring Eye, the magic of this ritual can be used by a magician in armour because they are not actually casting a spell when they invoke it's power. For a ritualist with no other useful incantations, this can prove moderately useful on a battlefield as long as they select the right moment to strike with their withering strike. Even magicians with useful battlefield magic can still find this enchantment useful however; it gives a powerful strike when used at the right point in a battle, and is certainly enough to deal a crippling blow to an enemy magician.

Sometimes this ritual is named Sorin's Chastising Touch, evoking that Eternal's philosophy of learning and strength through suffering. Some scholars believe the name refers to a more potent version of the ritual that allows additional uses, and is used by certain tyrannical magicians to inflict crippling injuries on recalcitrant minions.

Common Elements

This ritual almost always involves the target's.implement in some fashion. Sometimes the rod is anointed with noxious preparations, sometimes magician and rod alike are marked with the rune Kyrop which symbolises weakness. Invocations involving old age, disease and sickness are included.

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Crystal Architect of the Spires

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Commission construction of mana structures

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

The Crystal Architect of the Spires is an Imperial Title appointed by the Senate.

The title was created at the Spring Equinox summit of 379YE.

Responsibilities

The Crystal Architect is responsible for overseeing the creation of mana sinecures in Urizen. They can only authorise construction in Urizen territories, and they can only authorise the construction of structures that provide mana - not votes of any sort.

Powers

Commission construction of mana structures

The Crystal Architect can commission the construction of structures in Urizen that will produce crystal mana. The materials required for construction are provided by the Crystal Architect. Each such commission automatically creates a sinecures, one that is appointed by unanimous decision of the Urizen senators. Control of the sinecure is a lifetime title, unless it is revoced by the General Assembly, the Council of Nine or the Urizen Assembly.

To use this power, the Crystal Architect provides an announcement to the Civil Service, who present the decision to the Senate. No voting is possible by the Senate at this point, as the power has been delegated to the Crystal Architect. The Imperial Synod may, however, choose to exercise their veto over the Crystal Architect's decision.

Selection

Th advisor is a Urizen national position appointed by the Senate. Under normal circumstances it will be appointed by unanimous vote of the Urizen Senators.

Because this is a national position, the title can only be held by a Urizen.

Removal

The Crystal Architect of the Spires is appointed during the Spring Equinox, and serves for a term of one year. They can be revoked by the General Assembly, the Assembly of Nine or the Urizen assembly.

History

The first Crystal Architect of the Spires was Tiberius Echostorm, who immediately set to work commissioning not one but two new structures in Urizen: The Caves of the Claw, overseen by the Custodian of the Claw in Morrow, and the Tower of the Fall, overseen by the Keeper of the Tower of the Fall in Zenith.

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Crystal Clarity of the Rational Soul

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

At the conclusion of the ritual, the target is infused with an aura of calm and serenity.

They experience the following roleplaying effect; they feel calm, collected and clear-headed. Although pressing matters have not lost their importance, they are contemplative and focused on intellectual activity rather than physical action. They must respond to any roleplaying effect created by an aura by remaining calm and detached, rather than the normal effect of the aura.

This aura replaces, but does not remove, any other roleplaying effect the target is currently experiencing. When the enchantment ends, any other auras that the character is experiencing resume, assuming they have not expired.

While under the effect of this enchantment, no information can be gained about the target with the insight ceremony, beyond the fact that the character is invisible to that skill.

Unlike other auras created by magic, this enchantment cannot be directly supplanted by the anointing ceremony. The ceremony will still work (provided there is no pre-existing aura on the target of greater strength), but the Crystal Clarity of the Rational Soul enchantment immediately suppresses it.

The enchantment can be removed by an exorcism ceremony regardless of strength.

The aura can be detected with the detect magic spell

The effect lasts until it is removed or until the next sunrise, whichever comes first.

Description

This ritual creates a powerful aura that dampens emotions and clears the mind. It suppresses other auras, even those created by priest ceremonies. The target becomes clear and collected for the duration, and is neither supported nor hindered by other similar enchantments or auras.

This ritual is viewed with a great deal of suspicion by many priests; it dampens the natural ambitions and exuberance of the human soul, and prevents targets from benefiting from auras created by hallow, anointing or consecration. In the eyes of these priests, this ritual is a curse and those who rely on it are weakening themselves and their fellows.

Individuals who are exposed to this effect for long periods of time find it increasingly difficult to bring themselves to take heroic action; they are detached from some essential element of their soul that allows them to perform incredible feats. They also feel it increasingly difficult to express strong emotion even when not under the effect of the aura; love, hate, anger, joy, happiness and sadness all become muted. These lingering effects fade over time, but some scholars of Day are concerned that over-reliance on this ritual can permanently damage the soul or personality of the target.

The most common use for this effect is to allow someone who has come under dark influence to be able to endure or face it until a priest can be found.

Common Elements

this ritual usually involves a period of meditation or symbolic cleansing. bells, chimes and soft music as well as reflective surfaces and crystals are often involved. The rune [{Cavul]] is usually painted or traced over the target.

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Crystaline Focus of Aesh

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 32

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 32

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This enchantment effects the coven bond directly. The next ritual that is performed using the coven bond has it's magnitude reduced by ten.

When the ritual is completed, each ritualist present experiences a short-lived roleplaying effect: they become profoundly aware of all other members of the coven present. For a short period (at least thirty seconds), they are unable to understand or in some cases even perceive people who were not part of the ritual. The coven members experience the same effect during the next ritual they cast, using the coven bond, even if they were not involved in performing this ritual.

The enchantment ends when the coven bond is used to perform a ritual, or at the next sunrise, whichever comes first.

Description

This is an adaptation of the Sign of Aesh spell, designed to allow a coven to focus their minds and knowledge much more effectively. It is sometimes used to allow a coven to perform a ritual that is beyond their combined powers, whether due to the absence of one or more ritualists, or because they lack the raw understanding to perform a spontaneous effect. It can also be used to allow ritualists to add another target to a ritual they do not have quite enough mastery to achieve by themselves. It is especially effective at allowing scholars of Day magic to perform rituals of other lores in which they are less proficient.

It cannot be denied that this effect is 'expensive', costing easily sixteen crystal mana to get a comparatively small bonus. The advantage is that by reducing the magnitude of the next ritual, the coven effectively gets at least five crystal mana, and even more benefit if they are able to perform a ritual effect that might otherwise have been out of their reach. It is also worth noting that some Eternals of Day have access to objects or substances that can enhance the effectiveness of this ritual, or allow it to be performed with less crystal mana.

Common Elements

This ritual often involves group meditation, or chants including the recitation of a complex mathematical formulae. Similar effects are achieved by reading from books or scrolls. Reciting a rote passage without reference to written text is another element that helps bring the minds of the ritualists into harmony. Bells, chimes and gongs might be used; sometimes the ritualists focus on their fading notes, sometimes all the ritualists strike individual instruments in unison, harmonising their music as they harmonise their minds.

Many ritualists draw a complex diagram on the ground during this ritual, sometimes with coloured sand or powder, but more often with myriad small pieces of crystal. If this diagram can be created free-hand by multiple ritualists, it again makes it easier to unite their efforts and strengthen their coven bond.

The rune Aesh is almost always evoked with this spell, often in the form of a complex hand-gesture.

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Crystaltender's Vestment

Description

These simple robes are sometimes reinforced with mithril, silver or golden threads, and are usually made from rainbow silk. They are relatively easy to create, but require painstaking attention to detail in preparing the embroidery that runs through them. While they were originally favoured by magicians who tend mana sites, they are increasingly popular with magicians who focus their magic on spellcasting rather than ritual magic. Although a piece of crystallised mana can be used to cast any spell, many magicians find this robe’s power gives them more versatility.

By invoking the simple charms woven into the fabric of the vestment, a magician can unwind the magical essence inside a piece of cyrstalised mana. The resulting energy is channeled through the precious metal embroidered into the robe, and infuses the wearer, restoring their personal ability to perform incantations. Many users report a feeling of giddiness and some tingling during the process, but there has been no firm evidence that it is harmful in any way.

These robes are among the signature creations of the Witch Weavers of Dawn, particularly those who take up war magics later in their careers and need to make use of their ritual-focused resources. Since no obscure materials are needed, this pattern is often the first a witch weaver will learn, testing both their skill at embroidery and enchantment. Xun, the rune of transformation, is most commonly used along with its associated imagery of butterflies or winged serpents. Navarr Vates also make use of these robes, more often in the form of decorated leather garments, preferring to draw their magic from within than from a crystal that might be dropped or lost when needed.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you can consume a piece of crystallised mana to restore three points of spent personal mana.

- Materials: Crafting a crystaltender's vestment requires no special resources. It takes two months to make one of these items.

"Addictive? My dear sir, such rumours are plainly base slander, put about by those less accomplished in the arcane arts. It simply is not possible to become addicted to mana, no matter how much magical power one absorbs. Really, I assure you, the late Arbiter Vortis did not explode because he absorbed too much mana! Clearly, he exploded because he forgot to carry forward a seven in his ritual calculations... I have said all I intend to say on the matter and I bid you a good morning."

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The Leaping Hare (Redirected from Cunning Puissance of the Leaping Hare)

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target may call STRIKEDOWN once per day with a pole-arm.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This enchantment is among one of the best-known Summer rituals. Along with The Swan's Cruel Wing, The Hammer of Thunder and Strength of the Bull it provides a coven with the ability to select the right enchantment to enhance any band of warriors.

The ritual is usually referred to by it's popular Marcher name. The swift movement of the hare, and the way it weaves back and forth underfoot, are an image associated for the quick and deft use of a bill to hook a target's legs out from under her. Some magicians use the name of their own favoured totem animal in the ritual - for example it is called The Dancing Fox by some Navarr, while several cabals of Dawnish war-witches call it Glittering Salmon Leap, and a few Urizen refer to it as the Charge of the Mountain Goat.

Common Elements

This ritual usually involves both the target and their pole-arm. A ritualist might trace matching runes on weapons and warrior, or might anoint them with a mixture of blood and oil. The target is often persuaded to perform a series of quick, deft maneuvers; sweeping, jabbing and hooking as the ritualist weaves magic over the warrior and the pole-arm. Legendary warriors, especially those who displayed cleverness or guile, are often invoked as are Paragons and Exemplars of warlike mien.

Any of the Summer runes might be evoked, but Jotra, the rune of battle, is the most common. An evocation of The Stallion or The Oak may be appropriate with this ritual, as are evocations of horses and unicorns.

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Current Affairs

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Current news and Information

- 2 Senate Reports

- 3 Synod Reports

- 4 Imperial Titles and Election schedules

- 5 Newspapers and other publications

Current news and Information

This is a collection of reports and information from the Civil Service about Senate and Synod decisions as well as elections and any other note worthy articles. Where possible this information will be updated after each Summit. The records held here start with the summit of Winter 376 shortly after the death of Empress Britta.

Senate Reports

Details of the discussions and decisions of the Senate can be found in the Senate Sessions.

Synod Reports

Details of the discussions and decisions of the Synod can be found in the Synod Reports.

Imperial Titles and Election schedules

Current holders of Imperial positions can be found in the Current Imperial Titles Report. Historical archives of previous seasons can be found at the end of the report.

A list of which season each post is elected can be found in the Election Schedule

Newspapers and other publications

A collection of various newspapers published for the Summits at Anvil can be found in the Newspaper Collection

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Recent history (Redirected from Current Imperial Titles)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 379

- 2.1 Spring Equinox

- 3 378

- 3.1 Winter Solstice

- 3.2 Autumn Equinox

- 3.3 Summer Solstice

- 3.4 Spring Equinox

- 4 377

- 4.1 Winter Solstice

- 4.2 Autumn Equinox

- 4.3 Summer Solstice

- 4.4 Spring Equinox

- 5 376

- 5.1 Winter Solstice

Overview

The following are summaries of the history of the Empire since the death of Empress Britta in 376 YE.

A list of the seasons when each Imperial title is elected can be found in the Election Schedule. For the titles that are not elected every season, please refer to the permanent titles page

379

Spring Equinox

- 379YE Spring Equinox winds of fortune

- 379YE Spring Equinox winds of war

- 379YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

- 379YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

- 379YE Spring Equinox Synod judgments

378

Winter Solstice

- 378YE Winter Solstice winds of fortune

- 378YE Winter Solstice winds of war

- 378YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

- 378YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 378YE Winter Solstice Synod judgments

Autumn Equinox

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Imperial titles

- 378YE Autumn Equinox winds of war

- 378YE Autumn Equinox winds of magic

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Synod judgements

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Conclave declarations

Summer Solstice

- 378YE Summer Solstice Imperial titles

- 378YE Summer Solstice winds of war

- 378YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

- 378YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements

- 378YE Summer Solstice Conclave sessions

Spring Equinox

- 378YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

- 378YE Spring Equinox winds of war

- 378YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

- 378YE Spring Equinox Synod judgements

- 378YE Spring Equinox Conclave declarations

377

Winter Solstice

- 377YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

- 377YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 377YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

- 377YE Winter Solstice Conclave sessions

Autumn Equinox

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Imperial titles

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Synod judgements

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Conclave declarations

Summer Solstice

- 377YE Summer Solstice Conclave declarations

- 377YE Summer Solstice Imperial titles

- 377YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

- 377YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements

Spring Equinox

- 377YE Spring Equinox Conclave declarations

- 377YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

- 377YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

- 377YE Spring Equinox Synod judgements

376

Winter Solstice

- 376YE Winter Solstice Conclave declarations

- 376YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

- 376YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 376YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Recent_history&oldid=35937"

Curse

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Pronouncement of Doom

- 3 Removal

- 4 Identification

- 5 Curses and the Law

- 6 Further Reading

Overview

A curse is a persistent, harmful magical effect. Imperial Lore contains many rituals that create curses. Most are not illegal although their use is overseen by the Imperial Conclave. Many eternals have been known to curse those who cross them, but curses can also be caused by malign magical creatures and sometimes just by exposure to magical forces that have run amok.

A target may be under any number of different curses at once.

Pronouncement of Doom

- Most ritual curses are delivered using a pronouncement of doom

- One of the contributors must deliver the pronouncement

- They have 15 minutes after they complete the ritual to deliver the curse

- They must be close enough to touch the target and audibly curse them using appropriate roleplaying

- You must have a referee present

- If the curse cannot be delivered then it will rebound on the caster

Several ritual curses in Imperial Lore, such as Gnawing, Endless Hunger, are delivered using a pronouncement of doom. One of the ritual contributors must be selected during the ritual to deliver the curse. Once the ritual is complete, they have fifteen minutes to find the target. A referee, usually the one who observed the ritual, must accompany the magician when they seek out their victim.

Once they have found the target, the magician must use a few seconds appropriate roleplaying that make it clear to everyone present that a curse is being delivered. They must be close enough to touch their target when they make the pronouncement.

If the magician delivering the curse has not found a target within fifteen minutes of the completion of the ritual, the spell automatically rebounds and they are targeted by the power of the curse themselves. A referee may indicate when the deadline is getting close. This backlash is one reason that curses are not lightly invoked; some magicians have even risked cursing an innocent person rather than suffer their own curse, even though they are at serious risk of being declared a sorcerer for such an act.

Removal

- Most curses last for a year or until they are removed

- It is easier to create a curse using ritual magic than to remove it

Removing a curse is a significant indicating; rituals to remove a curse effect will almost always be many magnitudes higher than the magnitude of the ritual that created the curse. In most cases, a specific ritual or a minimum magnitude will be named. Each curse is unique, and the method of removing it also tends to be unique - there is no generic remove curse ritual in Empire.

Some curses can also be removed by the intervention of a powerful creature or item. Like rituals there is no single eternal with the power to remove any curse, rather specific creatures or items have the ability to remove a specific curse. For example, the ability of the Eternal Yaw'nagrah to restore fertility may allow her to remove a curse of infertility, but is likely to be of little use against a Curse of Decrepitude. Powerful creatures almost invariably require quests or favours in return for removing a curse, and gaining their assistance or access to a powerful item are likely to involve difficult quests.

It is possible to make a curse permanent through the use of ilium.

Identification

- Detect magic can identify the presence of a curse

- Divination rituals may provide more information on the nature of a curse

The detect magic incantation will detect the magnitude and realm of an effect and indicate if it is a curse. Rituals such as Bright Lantern of Ophis or Wisdom of the Balanced Blade will provide more details. Information about well-known or legendary curses may also be possessed by bards and scholars.

Curses and the Law

- It is not illegal to curse someone

Using magic on another person is never in and of itself a crime. However if the effect of the magic meets the definition of a crime then the fact that this effect was achieved by magic is no defence. For example, a curse of poverty doesn't meet the definition of any criminal offence but a death curse most certainly does. Any curse that does not meet the definition of a crime falls under the purview of the Imperial Conclave. It is up to the Conclave to decide if a magician has overstepped the bounds and used magic in a way that threatens the Empire. If they decide this is the case, then those involved can be declared sorcerers.

Further Reading

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

- Battlefield Rituals

- Enchantments

- Curses

- Ilium

- Magic Items

- Herbs & Potions

- Cosmology

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Curse of Decrepitude

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 50

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Removing the Curse

- 1.5 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 50

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. At the end of the ritual one of the contributors is chosen to deliver the curse with a pronouncement of doom.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

This ritual creates a curse that is delivered to a target with a pronouncement of doom: one contributors is chosen to deliver the curse, and they must do so within fifteen minutes or it falls on their own head.

While under the curse, the target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect; they feel extremely aged and infirm, whatever their actual age. Physical exertion leaves them tired and out-of-breath.

In addition, while under the curse the target is under the effect of WEAKNESS. This weakness cannot be removed by any means as long as the curse remains in effect. Any resources used to try and remove the weakness are consumed without effect.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Removing the Curse

The curse can be removed by certain powerful creatures or items. It can also be alleviated by powerful rituals that remove curses of physical debilitation such as the "egg"produced by Distill the Serpent's Stone.

OOC Elements

A briar can use their natural vitality to throw off the exhaustion that comes from physical exertion, but all the other effects apply as normal.

Description

This dreadful curse can leave it's victim utterly enervated, and provides many of the symptoms of advanced age or long sickness. A warrior can still fight, but cannot summon the strength to strike a mighty blow. A magician cannot manage the simplest spell, and is incapable of effectively contributing to a ritual. An artisan can craft beautiful items, but can barely summon the energy to use one. Exhastion, aching joints, dimmed vision, wandering mind and many other forms of frailty become their constant companions.

Common Elements

As with many curses this ritual often involves a recitation.of the grievances against the target; sometimes flames are lit at the start of the ritual and extinguished, one by one, to represent the weakening of the target's spirit and body. Ashes and dust are another common component. The rune Kyrop is often evoked, symbolising the weakness of old age that the curse will bring, and the runes Irremais or Verys may be defaced or destroyed to represent the loss of wisdom and strength. The constellation of the Drowned Man may also be invoked; after all this ritual represents a harsh reminder of the inevitability of death for many ritualists.

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Curse of Gangrenous Flesh

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 40

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Removing the Curse

- 1.5 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 40

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. At the end of the ritual one of the contributors is chosen to deliver the curse with a pronouncement of doom.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

This ritual creates a curse that is delivered to a target with a pronouncement of doom: one contributors is chosen to deliver the curse, and they must do so within fifteen minutes or it falls on their own head.

While under the curse, the target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect; you feel feverish and unwell; and your skin constantly itches. When you are wounded, your wounds often weep pus.

In addition, while under the curse the target is under the effect of VENOM. This venom cannot be removed by any means as long as the curse remains in effect. Any resources used to try and remove the venom condition are consumed without effect.

You are more likely to suffer infected wounds and similar complications; you should see a referee after any significant engagement (a battle, skirmish or similar) in which you lost hits to see if your wounds are festering. You must see a referee after any engagement in which you were dying (and survived due to some magical assistance)

If you become terminal while under this curse, you are likely to be overwhelmed with feverish delirium and suffer a slow, agonising death as the flesh rots from your bones.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Removing the Curse

The curse can be removed by certain powerful creatures or items. It can also be alleviated by powerful rituals that remove curses of sickness such as the consumable produced by Distill the Serpent's Stone.

OOC Elements

A briar can use their natural vitality to shake off the feeling of sickness and fever, but all the other effects apply as normal.

Description

This dreadful curse can leave it's victim prone to fevers, chills and a general malaise of sickness. Worse, when badly injured their wounds weep pus and quickly become infected. A seriously injured victim of this curse soon lapses into madness and death as they literally rot while still alive - skin and flesh slough from bones, starting with the extremities; the body bloats with gas; the brain is poisoned with the juices of decay and they soon die in fevered agony. This is a very unpleasent thing to see happen, especially to a loved one.

Some victims go out of their way to avoid this horrible fate. Certain enchantments and items can help to alleviate the fatal effects of the curse, but generally these are only effective for someone who already possesses reserves of bodily fortitude. For many people, the only way to survive this curse is to avoid dangerous situations that might cause serious injury.

Common Elements

As with many curses this ritual often involves a recitation.of the grievances against the target. The ritual often involves the burning of meat, or the torture with fire of a poppet that represents the target. Rotting food and drink may be another component, especially meat that is ripe with sickness. The runes Rhyv (to poison the blood), Bravash (to encourage sickness to breed and spread) and Kyrop (to encourage sickness to weaken the target) may be evoked, as might the constellations of The Claw or The Drowned Man.

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Custodian of the Assayer's Guild

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Ministry

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

- 7 The Title in Play

Overview

The Custodian of the Assayer's Guild is an Imperial title awarded to a League citizen. It is a national position appointed through the Bourse.

The Custodian is responsible for checking the weights and measures used by the Temeschwari assayers. The position is largely ceremonial, but it puts the Custodian (and their agents) in an excellent position to deal directly with League and Varushkan miners who have struck rich seams of ore in the mountains.

Early attempts were made to keep this position solely in the control of the citizens of Temeschwar, but merchants in the other League cities asserted that the decisions made by the Custodian directly impacted their businesses, and the election was left as pan-League.

Responsibilities

The Custodian is expected to ensure that the weights and measures used by the assayers of Temeschwar - and by extension, the rest of the League - are maintained and untampered with. The close contact with miners, smelters and assayers all over the League allows ample opportunity for the Custodian to acquire supplies of rare metals at bargain prices, and it is expected they will make those metals available to their cousins in the League - at an appropriate profit, of course.

Powers

Total Money Spent

Production

12 Crowns

8 ingots of Green Iron , 4 ingots each of Orichalcum and Weltsilver

30 Crowns

16 ingots of Green Iron, 8 ingots each of Orichalcum and Weltsilver

64 Crowns

32 ingots of Green Iron, 16 ingots each of Orichalcum and Weltsilver

Ministry

As a ministry, the title of Custodian of the Assayer's Guild allows the holder to purchase quantities of special materials at a set price. The Custodian makes their decision how much money to spend during downtime from their character page. Money is removed from, and resources are placed into, the character's inventory when the downtime is processed.

Selection

This title is appointed during the Spring Equinox. The Custodian of the Assayer's Guild is appointed by citizens of the League who control business personal resources. The larger the business an individual has, the more votes they can allocate in support to a candidate. The voting is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.

Only a League character may hold this title, and so only a League character may bid for the position. They do not receive a seat on the Bourse nor access to the private auction.

Removal

The Custodian of the Assayer's Guild is appointed every year. They cannot be revoked by any Assembly of the Imperial Synod.

History

- Dieter Angelovic von Temeschwar was appointed to the post of Custodian of the Assayer's Guild in Spring, 378YE.

The Title in Play

The role does not provide additional information about events in the Empire, nor allow the player holding it to request special reports or downtime actions. These details are assumed to be below the abstraction layer. The title holder is encouraged to create their own stories about their activities within reasonable limits and to get involved in events appropriate to their title during the game, but they do not have any powers beyond those explicitly listed in the section on powers.

These details exist partly to provide context and character to the role - and partly to allow our writers to use the title as a plot hook. Plot that involves the position will be rare - but all the campaign positions in Empire have these details to create the potential for it to happen.

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Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial

Overview

The position was established by a motion of the Imperial Senate during the Summer Solstice 378YE.

Responsibilities

The Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial is responsible for ensuring the good maintenance of the war memorial itself. Traditionally, individuals who look after such monuments are called on to speak on behalf of the dead especially during memorial services.

Powers

The High Exorcist is an Imperial title in the Synod. It grants custodianship of a sinecure.

Point of Pilgrimage

The Custodian receives 6 liao and 12 votes in the Imperial Synod. If the custodian is not a priest, these votes could be used in the General Assembly. If the custodian is a priest, they can call on these votes in any assembly they already participate in.

Selection

It is unclear at this time how the Custodian of the Imperial War memorial is appointed.

Removal

As with most sinecures, the assumption is that they hold the position until they die, step down or are revoked.

The Custodian can be revoked by a simple majority of the General Assembly.

History

The Highborn Ira of Felix's Watch was the first custodian of the imperial war memorial.

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Daddy Fox

There are various versions of this song that are suitable for several nations.

This first acapella version (Daddy Fox, Muldoon' Picnic) would be great for The Marches or Dawn whereas this version (The Fox, Nickel Creek) would be more suited to The League or The Brass Coast perhaps.

A pdf of the Marches/Dawn version can be found here.

Marches/Dawn version

1. Daddy Fox went out on a chilly night With a ring tong dilly dong kyro me Prayed for the moon to give him light With a ring tong dilly dong kyro me. Cho: Hey fa la lee, fa la la, fa la lero, Hey fa la lero lero lee Up jumped John, ringin' on his bell, With a ring tong dilly dong kyro me.

2. He ran till he came to a cozy pen The ducks and geese were kept therein

3. He grabbed the grey goose by the neck Up with the little ones over his back

4. Old Mother Flipper-Flopper jumped out of bed Out of the window she stuck her little head

5. John ran up to the top of the hill Blew his little horn both loud and shrill

6. The fox he ran to his cozy den There were the little ones 8, 9, 10

7. Then the fox and his wife without any strife Cut up the goose with a carving knife

League/Brass Coast version

The Fox went out on a chilly night He prayed for the moon to give him light For he had many a mile to go that night Before he reached the town-o, town-o, town-o He had many a mile to go that night Before he reached the town-o

He ran till he came to the farmers pen The ducks and the geese were kept therein He said a couple of you are gonna grease my chin Before I leave this town-o, town-o, town-o A couple of you are gonna grease my chin Before I leave this town-o

He grabbed the great goose by the neck He threw a duck across his back And he didn't mind the quack, quack And the legs all danglin' down-o, down-o, down-o He didn't mind the quack, quack And the legs all danglin' down-o

Well the old gray Woman jumped out of bed Out of the window she popped her head Cryin' John, John the great goose is gone The Fox is on the town-o, town-o, town-o John, John the great goose is gone And the Fox is on the town-o

He ran till he came to his nice warm den And there were the little ones 8, 9, 10 Sayin' Daddy, Daddy better go back again It must be a mighty fine town-o, town-o, town-o Daddy, Daddy go back again For it must be a mighty fine town-o

The Fox and his Wife, without any strife They cut up the goose with a fork and a knife And they never had such a supper in their life And the little ones chewed on the bones-o, bones-o, bones-o They never had such a supper in their life And the little ones chewed on the bones

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Damaris

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

At the Summer Summit, 377 YE, Damaris of Cantiarch's Hold in Highguard was recognised as an Exemplar of Courage by the Assembly of Courage.

Biography

Signs

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Dawn's Glory

Description

These great two-handed swords are very impressive when wielded by a knight in a harness of full plate, striding across the battlefield driving their enemies before them. It is common for them to be granted by Dawnish Knightly Orders to a new member who has just passed their Test of Mettle. When given in such a way they are traditionally decorated with the heraldic symbols of the errant’s new order.

They also have some popularity in The Marches where Yeomen with a sense of irony commission great green iron poleaxes called Dawn’s Folly.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a two-handed weapon.

- Requirement: You must have the Weapon Master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You gain one additional hero point.

- Materials: Crafting a dawn's glory requires ten ingots of green iron and three ingots of weltsilver. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Lord Bohemond held out the great two-handed sword towards Annice.

“Annice, have you been to all nations Imperial and saved the life of one citizen of each in turn as was your Test of Mettle?”

“That I have, sir” she replied solemnly

“Then arise, Lady Annice.Take this blade as a sign of membership of the Order of the Spring Colt”

Lady Annice rose from her knee, plate clinking into position. She turned to face the rising sun. A cloud of dust had risen over the lip of the hill. She held the new sword aloft and smiled, the Weltsilver horse’s head glistened in the light. The assembled host cheered and roared, louder even than the approaching barbarian mass. Lady Annice stepped forward against the orc charge. The crude battleline broke like a wave upon the cliffs.

~ from The Tale of the Battle of Knightmaker Hill by Troubadour Sibylla Pridesvoice

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Dawn children

Despite - or perhaps because of - the warlike nature of life in Dawn, the children of yeomen and nobles alike are sheltered, indulged and encouraged to make the very most of their childhood. They are not expected to undertake apprenticeships or work for their parents until they are of age, but instead are allowed a great deal of freedom to play. It is a parent's responsibility to educate their children to a reasonable standard, and most can read, write, perform arithmetic and understand imperial and national history by adulthood.

Play, however, is not unstructured, and children are encouraged to participate in games which develop skills they may need later in life. Particularly popular amongst the noble houses are games of war, where children learn how to correctly handle weapons, fight individually and in groups and learn to command troops in miniature. Minstrels often teach such things, using the tales of great heroes to inspire and structure the games.

Children born into or adopted into noble houses are often given positions of responsibilty as squires.

Things every child should know

- A challenge lost makes you a better opponent next time - Do not be afraid of failing, as long as you learn from it.

- Follow your heart but use your head. - Be true to yourself but make sure you think things through and ask the advice of those who can help.

- Learn from heroes, do not copy them - Heroes past and present have much to respect, but make sure you know how and why they accomplished their great deeds, not just that they did.

- There is no honour in letting someone win - Giving away your victory dishonours both you and your opponent. Once the glory fades, they will not thank you.

- Be proud of your achievements, however small - A small deed done today may lead to a greater one tomorrow.

- Know what your name means - Who are you named after? Be ready to tell anyone who asks a story about your namesake.

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Dawn costumes

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Fabrics

- 3 Similar nations

- 3.1 The Marches

- 3.2 Wintermark

- 3.3 The League

- 4 Research

- 4.1 Movie Costume Research

- 4.2 Historical Costume Research

- 4.3 Reenactment groups

- 5 Men

- 5.1 Bliaut and Surcote

- 5.2 Robes, gowns and cotehardies

- 5.3 The Houppelande

- 6 Women

- 6.1 Fantasy and "historically inspired" gowns

- 6.2 Houppelandes and Burgundian gowns

- 6.3 Cotehardie and Sideless Surcote

- 7 Hats, outerwear and accessories

- 7.1 Hats, crowns and headdresses

- 7.2 Cloaks

- 7.3 Hoods

- 7.4 Accessories

- 8 Armour

- 9 Weapons

- 10 Heraldry

- 11 Bibliography

- 12 Costume sellers

Overview

"Dawn is the land of valour; the classical images of gleaming plate, of brightly coloured banners and traditional heraldic devices provide the imagery for the nation. Where the Marches is gritty and down to earth, Dawn is the opposite in glowing primary colours. There is a sumptuous nature to the materials and tones used, idealistic in design instead of practical. Arthurian, pre-raphaelite and the neo-medievalism movements all provide strong themes and forms to the nation."

Clothing in Dawn draws inspiration from the clothing of 12th-15th Century England and France, Pre-Raphaelite artists such as Edmund Blair Leighton, Dante Gabriel Rosetti and John William Waterhouse, and fantasies such as Lord of the Rings, Merlin and Game of Thrones. On the battlefield, the Dawnish are a pageant of glittering armour, blazing heraldry and exquisite banners; at peace, they wear elegant and well cut tunics, houpellandes and surcotes. Women may also choose to wear gowns, usually with a long, smooth silhouette, full skirts and either tight sleeves to the wrist, or flowing trumpet or bell sleeves that fall in folds from the elbow.

Fabrics

Dawn is a country where you can really go wild with your fabrics and indulge yourself. For high status characters, rich wools, intensely coloured silks, fine linens and velvets are all a wonderful choice. Don't automatically assume that they're more expensive - like every fabric, there's a range, and if you shop carefully you can pick up some superb bargains. Ebay is always good. Try to stick to natural fabrics or natural/synthetic blends - pure synthetics are uncomfortable and wear badly, with very few exceptions.

You might like to take inspiration from history and consider body linens - a soft white linen shift or shirt against your skin. This is a good idea not only because it's comfortable, but also because it protects your outer garments from sweat and stains. If you'd prefer not to use linen for reasons of expense or weight, a soft cotton muslin works beautifully for this. For outer garments, try fine wools, brocades, velvets and silks; for cloaks, cotton velvet and wool melton are ideal.

A guide to fabrics for kitmaking

Similar nations

The Marches

Parts of the Marches were once Dawnish, so it should come as no surprise that there are significant similarities in the costume. Both draw their inspiration from medieval north-western europe, so the bulk of the difference is in the materials used. The Marches tend towards a palette of natural colours in wools and linens, less lavish designs and simpler construction. The Dawnish, by contrast, favour bright, heraldic colours, contrasting trims and fabrics and more flowing garments using more material. Accessories play a big part in making an outfit look Dawnish - a colourful long belt, a jewelled dagger sheath, an ornate leather purse or a crown can all make relatively simple and understated costume look regal.

Wintermark

Wintermark shares some basic similiarities in terms of garments and cut with Dawn, but it should be even less bright and less lavish than that Marches. Some very high status Steinr might wear something to the Senate that a Dawnish yeoman would wear in the fields - if you have a beautiful, simple tunic in drab colours, try accessorising it with a good belt, fine jewellery or a hood or mantle in a contrasting colour and suddenly it will look a lot more Dawnish.

The League

Though robes, houppelandes and surcotes should be fairly distinct, gowns, especially the Burgundian, can be similar in Dawn and the League. To keep the looks distinct, keep the lines of Dawnish costume clean and elegant, omitting any pinking or slashing, avoiding sleeve puffs and the very Italianate-looking Borgia-style gowns. As always a hat or headdress will help in keeping the look Dawnish.

Research

Re-enactment costume from the 12th-15th centuries is ideal, but imaginative use of historical costume with a fantasy flair is even better. Whatever look you go for, from the wide choices presented, make sure it's bright, glorious and fun to wear.

Movie Costume Research

- Movie costume guide

- Lord of the Rings research

Historical Costume Research

There's an enormous wealth of information on the web aimed at re-enactors, larpers and SCA enthusiasts. Google searches on Medieval re-enactment, War of the roses and 13th, 14th or 15th Century re-enactment will all provide helpful inspiration.

Reenactment groups

Some links to reenactment groups' costuming guides - a helpful source of inspiration and information.

- Company of Saint Sebastian

- Buckingham’s Retinue

- Company of Saynt George

- The Medieval Siege Society

- St Hubert's Rangers

Men

For male costume, there are a wealth of historical and fantasy looks to form the basics of your costume. The look should be dynamic, dramatic and exude power. As always, try to avoid flimsy fabrics and drab colours if you can as these will take to evoke other nations - Dawnish clothes should demonstrate the wearer's exquisite taste, rank and nobility.

Bliaut and Surcote

A bliaut is a 12th century tunic, worn often with a sleeveless overtunic in heraldic or house colours. It's an easy look to achieve, either from off-the-peg reenactment kit or through making your own, and with a hood and cloak can look really splendid.

When worn over armour, a surcote is a great alternative to a tabard - unlike a flimsy cotton tabard a fitted surcote won't ride up, twist round your neck or tangle in your leg armour, and can look a lot more flash and substantial for relatively little extra work.

- How to make a t-tunic

- How To - Make a Surcote

- An inspiring hood

- A good hood article

Robes, gowns and cotehardies

On men, a gown is a reasonably close fitting robe, usually buttoning down the front, with long close fitting sleeves to the wrist. It persists to this day as the cassock and in the clothes of choristers and some very traditional public school uniforms, all of which means both patterns and off-the-peg versions are fairly readily available.

It's a very adaptable look - a fantasy treatment could take the basic silhouette and standing collar, and shorten the overall length, either with full length or half length sleeves, as worn by Boromir, Uther Pendragon and Jaime Lannister for a "warrior's coat". It looks good worn open over chainmail. A close-fitting variant of this is the cotehardie which usually has lots of closely spaced buttons down the front and the sleeves - try googling "cotehardie". It can be a tough look to pull off, but well worth it!

Patterns:

- Butterick 6844

- Simplicity 2235

- Simplicity 4697 (unfortunately out of print but you might get it on ebay)

- Simplicity 2089(this one would need a little adapting - closed sleeves rather than open, but would do a nice over-robe like Boromir's if you make a sleevless version)

- McCall 4745 This is actually a civil war uniform, but if you make up the blue version with an asymmetric closure it's very close to Jaime Lannister's coat above. Warning - the pattern runs a little large, so unless you're planning on wearing it over mail consider going down a size.

- Reconstructing history man's cotehardie

The Houppelande

This is a loose robe-like garment which can be knee or ankle length, with a variety of sleeves and necklines, which can be worn belted or loose. It's different from the style above as the waist isn't fitted - a great choice to show off lots and lots of thick and heavy fabric. It has the major advantage that you can just throw it over anything at all underneath and not worry about your under-kit being revealed. However, it really needs to be in fairly heavy cloth to look right, ideally wool, and can get a bit stuffy in hot weather. Team it with a chaperon hat for a really resplendent look!

- Period Patterns 26

- How to draft a Houppelande pattern

- Houppelande drafting

- More drafting instructions

- Butterick 5626 (you could make a really fun houppelande out of this!)

Women

There is absolutely nothing to stop women wearing any of the styles above - the Empire doesn't require long skirts to be worn for modesty any more than it requires your hair to be covered. However, there's fun to be had in resplendent gowns - and you can be as historically inspired as you like without needing to choose an "authentic" but unflattering style.

Fantasy and "historically inspired" gowns

The blue dress is made of two contrasting fabrics - a gold brocade and a blue fabric which you could replicate with a richly coloured fine wool, silk or linen. Use Simplicity Pattern 4940 (http://www.simplicity.com/p-2201-costumes.aspx) view C (without the corselet/vest), and cut your centre front piece and lower sleeves out of the brocade to contrast with the blue. The pattern will give you a slightly thicker band of brocade at the neck, which you could easily trim down, and will sit on your shoulders rather than off (which is much more practical for active wearing). I'd suggest replacing the zip down the back with lacing - it's just as easy and lacing never jams or breaks in a field.

For the cream dress and the blue cloak, you could use Butterick 4377, and sew it in a soft silk velvet or a good synthetic stretch velvet. If you use a decent heavy stretch velvet, you could omit the lacing down the back and just wear it as a pullover dress. For a different look you could use silk, lightweight wool or linen - just choose a lush, rich colour. For the neckline, you could cut a piece of brocade to match the curve of your neckline and carefully sew it on by hand, or you could get some fancy trim or ribbon. For the belt, try looking for a charity shop chain link belt, or make one out of a strip of silk and an old buckle, or use some fancy trim. eBay is a great source of trim - for some really splendid beaded trim at very reasonable prices I use this eBay shop. About 2m would do a great jewelled belt; they also sell shaped pieces designed to go on the necklines of dresses. For the cloak trim, the same ebay shop is good, or you could try searching for damask trim or brocade trim.

Lord of the Rings is a great source of inspiration for women's dresses. Simplicity 4940 is a good place to start, as is McCall's 4491. alleycatscratch.com breaks down every costume in the movie, and is a fantastic resource for choosing the right pattern, fabrics, trim and accessories - even if you don't want to exactly duplicate a LotR costume, it's full of useful information. A word of warning - while many of Arwen's gowns are ideal for Dawn, avoid the more oriental looking ones as they are probably better suited to Urizen. Eowyn's White Gown, Coronation Gown, Green Gown and Victory Gown are all ideal, but many of the others belong in Wintermark or the Marches.

Houppelandes and Burgundian gowns

Houppelandes are great on women, too. It's not the easiest look in the book, but it's very striking. The one in the leftmost picture is velvet lined in fur, which gives it tremendous bulk and body - an alternative would be to line most of it in thick blanket wool, saving your fur or fake fur for the edges.

- Period Patterns 26

- How to draft a Houppelande pattern

- Houppelande drafting

- More drafting instructions

- Simplicity 5925

- Reconstructing History 005

- Fantastic resource on 15th Century dresses and headgear, with patterns

The Burgundian gown is a later development of the Houpellande, usually closer-fitting with a deep v neck and and a broad belt just under the bust. Stick to the heavy draped versions; later Italianate ones in lighter silk with close fitting sleeves are more suitable for the League.

- Simplicity 9058

- Reconstructing History 007

- More drafting instructions

Cotehardie and Sideless Surcote

The cotehardie is a close fitting supportive gown, also known as the gothic fitted dress, usually buttoning down the front and the sleeves, and worn with a leather or metal belt around the hips. It's simple in construction, though needs a little fitting. One lovely historical example is the Moy Gown, which has a unique construction pattern for the sleeves, and makes a lovely intermediate to advanced project. You can easily fake the look of a cotehardie with a modern princess seamed dress. Here's a How To to give you some ideas: How to adapt a commercial pattern to make a high status dress

For formal occasions, a great way to dress up a cotehardie is by putting a sideless surcote over the top, ideally in house colours and bearing your heraldry. Make a full length version of the pattern above, either adding lacing down the sides or cutting a little more away to reveal the gown underneath. Usually the belt goes over the cotehardie, under the surcote.

- Simplicity 2573

- How to make a cotehardie

- How to make a heraldic sideless surcote

Hats, outerwear and accessories

Hats, crowns and headdresses

Although not a required part of costume, a headdress, crown or hat can be the finishing touch that pushes a costume from good to fantastic. A crown, either metal or a good substitute, can look fabulously regal on a noble or earl. A less formal look which still adds stature and majesty is the Chaperon, which was initially a hood worn sideways on the head and gradually developed into a more structured hat. Hoods are also good, particularly for yeoman characters, with particolouring, dagging and buttons helping to keep the look from sliding towards the Marches.

For historical women's headgear, looks are virtually limitless. Historical inspiration can be drawn from royalty of the 11th century (crown and veil), through the ever changing noble fashion of Templars, padded roll and veil, through to the elaborate steeple hennins of 15th century France, and the English butterfly headdresses of the same time. Even a simple padded roll, ren-fest style, can look good with a lower status costume.

Unsuitable hats - Try to avoid any historical looks from the Tudor period and later, as they can look a bit incongruous with medieval fantasy costume. And remember, headwear is for display and not for modesty, so consider rich, bright colours and sparkling whites, and leave the dull linen coifs to the Marches.

- http://www.kats-hats.co.uk/index.shtml

- http://medievalmilliner.blogspot.co.uk/

- http://thecostumersmanifesto.com/costumeoldsite/history/100pages/chaperons.htm

- http://www.virtue.to/articles/reticulated.html

Beautiful living-history standard crowns:http://www.pewterreplicas.com/dept.asp?id=33

How to make your own:http://www.alleycatscratch.com/lotr/makingem/Tips/MakingCirclets.htm

Cloaks

A cloak is a near-essential part of your costume, and a great opportunity to give your kit a finishing touch and keep you cosy. For light fabrics, you can make a gathered-neck cloak with a drawstring for ease of construction- with heavy wools and velvet, a semicircular or circular mantle works best to reduce bulk at the neck and drapes beautifully. Try edging or lining your cloak in good fake fur for a really regal look, or adding a pelt around the shoulders (charity shops often won't sell fur coats up front, but store them in their back room and will allow you to make a donation in exchange for taking them away. If they don't have any, leave your details and get them to call you if any are handed in.)

http://garbindex.com/cloak/patterns.html http://www.reddawn.net/costume/patterns.htm

Hoods

Another very variable garment with dozens of options for length, colour and decoration meaning a hood can be a simple or fancy as you like.

- Good information and patterns for hoods

- Cowl and hood

- Various hood patterns

- Reconstructing History 008 - Multiple head wear items

- Reconstructing History 009 - Multiple women's head wear items

Accessories

A long medieval belt makes a fantastic accessory. These are the cheapest I've found, and they're lovely and come in lots of colours.

http://www.lionheartreplicas.co.uk/shop/index.php?productID=252

These ones are rather more expensive, but gorgeous http://www.jelldragon.com/belts.htm

Armour

Plate armour is the ideal look for Dawn, but can be expensive. Re-enactment suppliers and ebay are a good place to look.

Plate armour: http://www.whiteroseapparel.com/ http://www.getdressedforbattle.co.uk/

Chain mail supplies and finished items: http://www.theringlord.com http://www.armchair-armoury.co.uk/chainmail.htm

Lightweight polyurethane replicas: http://www.nortonarmouries.com/

Medieval plate style Leather armour: Totally Leathered Totally Leathered provides custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

Idiom Productions Costume and Props Workshop creates custom hand-tooled leather armour, clothing and LRP weapons

Evenlode Studios - High quality leather armour, costume and props handmade

Make your own: Here's a tutorial on how to make moulded leather armour And here's one on how to make plate out of wonderflex

Weapons

The classic Dawnish weapons of long sword and heater shield are fortunately widely available from LRP weapons makers. For swords, a classic cruciform shape is ideal, and detailing on the hilt can look as superb as the clean lines of unadorned quillions. If you're not fortunate enough to be commissioning a custom shield painted with your heraldry, consider making a cloth cover for your shield and appliquéing or painting your heraldic device onto it.

http://www.skianmhor.co.uk http://www.saxonviolence.com/index.php http://www.tallowsfx.com/

Heraldry

Heraldry is a huge part of Dawnish identity, and any member of a noble house or weaver cabal should define their group and personal heraldry, and consider working it into their costume. Even if a house isn't dressed identically, there's no doubt that using their heraldic colours in part of each member's kit makes a strong unified statement on and off the battlefield, and looks damn amazing too.

Here's a project showing you how to work a heraldic device into your costume: See also how to make a surcote.

- Medieval Art and Woodcraft Historical and historically inspired banners, flags and livery badges.

Bibliography

- The Medieval Tailor’s Assistant, Sarah Thursfield – Pretty much the bible for medieval costumes. Covers the layers from underwear to outerwear for the periods 1200-1500, plus headwear and accessories. Goes into detail about how to make the garments, which fabrics to use etc. A really excellent book.

- Medieval military costume, Gary Embleton – Very useful book using colour photographs of live models. Goes into detail about everything from 13th Century foot soldiers to 15th Century knights, with sections on underwear, armour, women’s dress and Landsknechts.

- Make Your Own Medieval Clothing for men, and for women, by W. Zerkowski and R. Fuhrmann, plus Headwear and Shoes available on the German website. Great books, giving designs for lots of different garments, though few instructions on how to make them. This would be more suitable for an experienced costume maker.

- Patterns for Theatrical Costumes by Katherine Strand Holkeboer Gives scalable patterns.

- Medieval Costume in England and France - no patterns, but great for ideas on silhouette and style. Mostly black and white.

- The Evolution of Fashion Sadly out of print. A great introduction to how dress changes through the middle ages and up to the present day.

Costume sellers

- The Midgard Seamstress Custom made UK LARP and Re-enactment costumes

- Angrave Designs Custom costume production and embroidery

- Arm Street Medieval and Fantasy clothing from Russia (English language website)

- Cloak’d and Dagger’d

- Custom Costume Company Bespoke designs for re-enactors and roleplayers

- Historic EnterprisesAmerican based costume company. Trades at TORM

- Kats HatsStunning medieval hats as well as beautiful pouches and gloves

- Medieval Dress Company Clothing and leatherwork

- Matuls Clothing, armour tents and camp accessories from Poland (English language website)

- Revival Clothing

- Sally Green

- Sew-mill

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Dawn culture and customs

Contents

- 1 The Test of Mettle

- 2 The Test of Resolve

- 3 The Test of Ardour

- 4 Fostering and adoption

- 5 Heraldry

- 6 Funerals and births

The Test of Mettle

The Imperial citizenship tests were created by the Dawnish but the Test of Mettle remains unique to Dawn. The test exists to judge who is glorious enough to join the ranks of the nobility. Passing a noble house's test makes the applicant part of that house. Consequently it is almost impossible to pass the test unless the noble house that is judging you is amenable to your success. Dawn legends are full of tales of heroic individuals passing the tests against such odds but the reality is usually more prosaic.

Any Imperial Citizen is eligible to attempt the Test of Mettle and most scions of noble houses attempt it. In theory any yeoman child can take the test, a fact of which the Dawnish are inordinately proud. In practice, while the rewards for success are high, the tests are difficult to pass without the support that an upbringing in a noble house provides. The tests are difficult even for noble children and groups of them will often work together to help each other pass their test.

Ignominy befalls those who attempt the test and fail, whether yeoman or noble born, and the test is difficult to pass and often dangerous, not least because many Dawn children take the view that you should pass the test or die trying. For this reason most tests are deliberately open-ended, giving the aspirant as much time as is needed to prove their worth. Those attempting to pass their Test of Mettle are formerly called knights-errant and are often accorded some of the privileges of nobility.

The Test of Resolve

When a dispute arises between members of a noble house, it falls to the Earl to settle the matter. Usually the Earl sets a challenge to resolve the matter - a Test of Resolve. Choosing one side or the other risks favouritism. It is much more in the Dawnish spirit for the matter to be settled with a challenge. The loser faces the judgement of the Earl, which can be anything up to expulsion from the house. The penalty is announced before the test begins, which has lead to several tragic incidents. Refusing to comply with or enforce an agreed penalty causes a great loss of renown for all involved.

A fair test is one that plays equally to both parties' strengths; if two knights are arguing then an Earl might order a bout of arms to settle their dispute. If a knight and a troubadour disagree, an Earl is much more likely to set them a challenge that does not favour either of their particular skills. It is possible for either party to employ a champion from their house to compete in their stead. Champions are rare however for they share the fate of the noble whose cause they championed if they lose.

Tests of Resolve are often offered to citizens of other nations who bring complaints against individual nobles. They are not always accepted; however facing such a challenge is a simple way for a foreigner to impress, especially if they can win, or at least lose graciously.

A Test of Resolve between members of a noble house is the only way for a noble to be ejected from the house. Such tests are rare for the challenger risks the same fate as the person they challenge; the loser is stripped of their nobility and reduced to the status of yeoman. Such a fate is almost irreversible; it is exceptionally rare for another house to allow a former noble to join. They must take a second Test of Mettle to prove themselves and such tests are fatally difficult; it must be clear to everyone who witnesses the test that it was difficult enough to erase the stain of previous failure.

The Test of Ardour

Marriage brings yet another challenge for the Dawn nobility. The suitor must put their troth to the house of their intended. The Earl of the house must set the suitor a test of their choosing, called a Test of Ardour. A request for marriage, like a request for a Test of Mettle, may not be refused. If the suitor succeeds then they marry their intended and become a member of their spouse's house.

In theory such a troth can be put to a house without the understanding of the man or woman that the suitor seeks to wed. In practice such behaviour is more the stuff of legend than reality. A marriage test that appears fatally difficult is a sure sign of an unwanted affection. More commonly noble lovers conspire to decide whose Earl can be persuaded to set the easier test.

The Test of Ardour is just one of the many complex social rules surrounding marriage in Dawn.

Fostering and adoption

Before Imperial rule forbade war between the houses, it was commonplace for a defeated noble to swear oaths of fealty or good intention. To ensure these oaths were kept, all the noble's children would be taken as hostages. To avoid this fate, a noble would send every second child to be raised in the houses of friends and allies. Over time it became increasingly common for powerful nobles to adopt talented children into their own family.

This custom continued after the Empire brought peace to Dawn so that now children passed over at birth are raised as full members of the noble house that adopts them. Such children have the same rights and responsibilities as their siblings who are born into the house; the Dawn ideal is that an Earl should treat all the members of their house as if they were of the same blood. Tawdry tales of Earls who fall short of this ideal are common, but it is not unusual for an adopted noble to become Earl of a house.

It is possible, though rare, for yeoman children to be adopted by a noble family. Occasionally it occurs because a child catches the eye of a noble, impressing them with their potential, but usually this is done as an act of gratitude towards a parent by a powerful noble. A common tale in Dawn concerns a noble whose loyal retainer does them a great service, and the noble rewards them by adopting their child - after all, there is little advantage in adoption of an aged retainer to either party.

Heraldry

Every Noble House has its own unique heraldry. On the field, in camp and decorating every castle and manor house in Dawn is their distinctive and glowing heraldry, woven and embellished by the witches of the weaver cabals. Any noble of the House is entitled to bear its arms on their surcote and shield, and when the House marches to war they do so under their banner. Yeomanry require a noble house's permission to bear their arms, but most nobles prefer their retainers to be dressed in their colours, the better to emphasize the glory and majesty of their house.

Although knights-errant are not technically noble, they are permitted to carry the majestic royal blue national banner, displaying a blazing golden sun, and to display the device on their arms. For this reason, nobles who wish to conceal their identity, or house affiliations, sometimes choose to present themselves using Dawn's heraldry rather than their own.

Dawnish heraldry favours bold colours, high contrast stripes and chevrons and fantastical beasts as devices. Very complex heraldry with multiple divisions and colours is generally avoided as confusing and less splendid then a simpler but more striking design.

On the rare occasions when a noble is stripped of rank and exiled from their House, they are usually publically stripped of their heraldry, their shield is defaced and their name struck from the House's records. In some Houses they are given a cloak or surcote in dull brown undyed cloth as a mark of shame before they are driven out.

Funerals and births

Funerals are sombre occasions in Dawn, accompanied by a period of public mourning for friends and relatives. A Dawnish funeral often represents a display of grief, an outpouring of passionate despair that a loved one has departed the mortal world. After the funeral itself, the friends and relatives of the departed celebrate the return of the soul to the wheel, and tell great tales of the dead to persuade the hand of destiny to speed the hero’s return, but they do so in the knowledge that the parting of death is something tragic, not something commonplace.

After death, the body is normally interred in a grave, usually marked by flowering plants or trees. Where several people die at once, such as in the aftermath of a battle, a barrow mound may be raised. Graves in Dawn are generally well tended by surviving relatives, and as memory fades they are slowly forgotten. The graves of heroes, however, often become sites of pilgrimage for those inspried by their tales, who also ensure that the site is tended. Several great heroes are interred in the marble tombs of the Necropolis in Highguard, but this is not commonplace. In a nation of glorious heroes, it requires something special for the priests to request that a body be interred in the necropolis to serve as an inspiration to the entire Empire.

There is a tradition of visiting expectant mothers and telling tales of great heroes, to awaken the heroism of the unborn baby’s past lives. There is a folk belief that an unborn child has a close connection to the Labyrinth that may persist for up to a year after birth, and if a baby consistently seems to "react" to certain tales, it is taken as a sign that the child may be a reincarnation of one of the characters in that tale. The Imperial Synod does not endorse this belief, but it does not prevent the tradition remaining popular.

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Dawn culture and customs (Redirected from Dawn Culture and Customs)

Contents

- 1 The Test of Mettle

- 2 The Test of Resolve

- 3 The Test of Ardour

- 4 Fostering and adoption

- 5 Heraldry

- 6 Funerals and births

The Test of Mettle

The Imperial citizenship tests were created by the Dawnish but the Test of Mettle remains unique to Dawn. The test exists to judge who is glorious enough to join the ranks of the nobility. Passing a noble house's test makes the applicant part of that house. Consequently it is almost impossible to pass the test unless the noble house that is judging you is amenable to your success. Dawn legends are full of tales of heroic individuals passing the tests against such odds but the reality is usually more prosaic.

Any Imperial Citizen is eligible to attempt the Test of Mettle and most scions of noble houses attempt it. In theory any yeoman child can take the test, a fact of which the Dawnish are inordinately proud. In practice, while the rewards for success are high, the tests are difficult to pass without the support that an upbringing in a noble house provides. The tests are difficult even for noble children and groups of them will often work together to help each other pass their test.

Ignominy befalls those who attempt the test and fail, whether yeoman or noble born, and the test is difficult to pass and often dangerous, not least because many Dawn children take the view that you should pass the test or die trying. For this reason most tests are deliberately open-ended, giving the aspirant as much time as is needed to prove their worth. Those attempting to pass their Test of Mettle are formerly called knights-errant and are often accorded some of the privileges of nobility.

The Test of Resolve

When a dispute arises between members of a noble house, it falls to the Earl to settle the matter. Usually the Earl sets a challenge to resolve the matter - a Test of Resolve. Choosing one side or the other risks favouritism. It is much more in the Dawnish spirit for the matter to be settled with a challenge. The loser faces the judgement of the Earl, which can be anything up to expulsion from the house. The penalty is announced before the test begins, which has lead to several tragic incidents. Refusing to comply with or enforce an agreed penalty causes a great loss of renown for all involved.

A fair test is one that plays equally to both parties' strengths; if two knights are arguing then an Earl might order a bout of arms to settle their dispute. If a knight and a troubadour disagree, an Earl is much more likely to set them a challenge that does not favour either of their particular skills. It is possible for either party to employ a champion from their house to compete in their stead. Champions are rare however for they share the fate of the noble whose cause they championed if they lose.

Tests of Resolve are often offered to citizens of other nations who bring complaints against individual nobles. They are not always accepted; however facing such a challenge is a simple way for a foreigner to impress, especially if they can win, or at least lose graciously.

A Test of Resolve between members of a noble house is the only way for a noble to be ejected from the house. Such tests are rare for the challenger risks the same fate as the person they challenge; the loser is stripped of their nobility and reduced to the status of yeoman. Such a fate is almost irreversible; it is exceptionally rare for another house to allow a former noble to join. They must take a second Test of Mettle to prove themselves and such tests are fatally difficult; it must be clear to everyone who witnesses the test that it was difficult enough to erase the stain of previous failure.

The Test of Ardour

Marriage brings yet another challenge for the Dawn nobility. The suitor must put their troth to the house of their intended. The Earl of the house must set the suitor a test of their choosing, called a Test of Ardour. A request for marriage, like a request for a Test of Mettle, may not be refused. If the suitor succeeds then they marry their intended and become a member of their spouse's house.

In theory such a troth can be put to a house without the understanding of the man or woman that the suitor seeks to wed. In practice such behaviour is more the stuff of legend than reality. A marriage test that appears fatally difficult is a sure sign of an unwanted affection. More commonly noble lovers conspire to decide whose Earl can be persuaded to set the easier test.

The Test of Ardour is just one of the many complex social rules surrounding marriage in Dawn.

Fostering and adoption

Before Imperial rule forbade war between the houses, it was commonplace for a defeated noble to swear oaths of fealty or good intention. To ensure these oaths were kept, all the noble's children would be taken as hostages. To avoid this fate, a noble would send every second child to be raised in the houses of friends and allies. Over time it became increasingly common for powerful nobles to adopt talented children into their own family.

This custom continued after the Empire brought peace to Dawn so that now children passed over at birth are raised as full members of the noble house that adopts them. Such children have the same rights and responsibilities as their siblings who are born into the house; the Dawn ideal is that an Earl should treat all the members of their house as if they were of the same blood. Tawdry tales of Earls who fall short of this ideal are common, but it is not unusual for an adopted noble to become Earl of a house.

It is possible, though rare, for yeoman children to be adopted by a noble family. Occasionally it occurs because a child catches the eye of a noble, impressing them with their potential, but usually this is done as an act of gratitude towards a parent by a powerful noble. A common tale in Dawn concerns a noble whose loyal retainer does them a great service, and the noble rewards them by adopting their child - after all, there is little advantage in adoption of an aged retainer to either party.

Heraldry

Every Noble House has its own unique heraldry. On the field, in camp and decorating every castle and manor house in Dawn is their distinctive and glowing heraldry, woven and embellished by the witches of the weaver cabals. Any noble of the House is entitled to bear its arms on their surcote and shield, and when the House marches to war they do so under their banner. Yeomanry require a noble house's permission to bear their arms, but most nobles prefer their retainers to be dressed in their colours, the better to emphasize the glory and majesty of their house.

Although knights-errant are not technically noble, they are permitted to carry the majestic royal blue national banner, displaying a blazing golden sun, and to display the device on their arms. For this reason, nobles who wish to conceal their identity, or house affiliations, sometimes choose to present themselves using Dawn's heraldry rather than their own.

Dawnish heraldry favours bold colours, high contrast stripes and chevrons and fantastical beasts as devices. Very complex heraldry with multiple divisions and colours is generally avoided as confusing and less splendid then a simpler but more striking design.

On the rare occasions when a noble is stripped of rank and exiled from their House, they are usually publically stripped of their heraldry, their shield is defaced and their name struck from the House's records. In some Houses they are given a cloak or surcote in dull brown undyed cloth as a mark of shame before they are driven out.

Funerals and births

Funerals are sombre occasions in Dawn, accompanied by a period of public mourning for friends and relatives. A Dawnish funeral often represents a display of grief, an outpouring of passionate despair that a loved one has departed the mortal world. After the funeral itself, the friends and relatives of the departed celebrate the return of the soul to the wheel, and tell great tales of the dead to persuade the hand of destiny to speed the hero’s return, but they do so in the knowledge that the parting of death is something tragic, not something commonplace.

After death, the body is normally interred in a grave, usually marked by flowering plants or trees. Where several people die at once, such as in the aftermath of a battle, a barrow mound may be raised. Graves in Dawn are generally well tended by surviving relatives, and as memory fades they are slowly forgotten. The graves of heroes, however, often become sites of pilgrimage for those inspried by their tales, who also ensure that the site is tended. Several great heroes are interred in the marble tombs of the Necropolis in Highguard, but this is not commonplace. In a nation of glorious heroes, it requires something special for the priests to request that a body be interred in the necropolis to serve as an inspiration to the entire Empire.

There is a tradition of visiting expectant mothers and telling tales of great heroes, to awaken the heroism of the unborn baby’s past lives. There is a folk belief that an unborn child has a close connection to the Labyrinth that may persist for up to a year after birth, and if a baby consistently seems to "react" to certain tales, it is taken as a sign that the child may be a reincarnation of one of the characters in that tale. The Imperial Synod does not endorse this belief, but it does not prevent the tradition remaining popular.

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Dawn economic interests

Money is a frequent challenge in Dawn, especially for the noble houses. There is no glory in making money; an obsession with money is seen as tawdry, something that is beneath those who have proven themselves, so most nobility express a very public disinterest for it. As a result merchants and those who handle money are almost always yeomen.

This can lead to unfortunate circumstances - many nobles are so used to the idea of having enough money for whatever diversion they turn their thoughts to that they have little concept of what something is actually worth. Their unworldliness is one of the reasons that they have difficulty maintaining support in the Senate, which (as far as many nobles can tell) spends more time worrying about budgets than it does about glorious battle against the enemies of the Empire.

Still, the bills must still be paid, so most houses employ at least one seneschal. Seneschals are a broad class of yeoman retainers who include chamberlains who organise and oversee the day-to-day household affairs of the nobility and castellans who see to the care and maintenance of castles. Regardless of their specific duties, seneschals are generally responsible for handling the finances of a noble house. A seneschal runs the house's affairs on behalf of the nobility, and can be one of the most powerful individuals in the house.

There is also an element of "problem solving" about the duties of a seneschal. Many nobles do not want to be troubled with the mundane details of a task, and it is common for a noble to announce a tourney with only a few days notice, or expect their trusted retainer to make a problem go away without offering any suggestions or guidance as to how such a task might take place. Occasionally, this trust may be abused - a seneschal might go too far in the service of their noble house, and bring shame to their house.

Seneschals tend to work on behalf of a noble house, and usually have a close relationship with the Earl of that house. The system works so well that a few nobles are attended by a yeoman, called a retainer, who acts in a similar but much more personal capacity. Dawnish retainers combine various elements of valet, maid, personal assistant and servant in one person. They attend and assist a noble, seeing to the day-to-day support of their patron. By necessity, there is usually a deep bond of trust between a noble and their retainer and they are often close friends. It is common for a seneschal to begin their career as the retainer of a noble who later becomes Earl of their noble house.

Dawnish merchants are almost invariably yeomen, but skilled craftsmen are more likely to be members of the nobility. The ability to make beautiful - and often magical - objects for the use of their fellow nobles is seen as a noble calling it its own right, and few nobles want to see a yeoman with such power over other nobles.

Noble craftsmen prefer to dedicate their time to making glorious weapons that can be wielded by great heroes, rather than producing a dozen breastplates for a unit of yeoman soldiers. Because of this most houses struggle to find ways to equip their soldiers, being forced to rely on seneschals to provide the weapons and armour their troops need. Seneschals in turn are forced to look to the more prosperous nations such as the Brass Coast or the League to equip their forces, a situation that their neighbours are never slow to point out whenever they want to irritate their Dawn neighbours.

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Dawn Egregore

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

The Knight of Roses

The Dawn Egregore, the Knight of Roses, is a mysterious soul that shares Dawn's close ties with the Eternals, and is the only Egregore known to travel to the Hall of Worlds. Throughout Dawn's history it has had several incarnations, though in recent years appears most often as a warrior resplendant in plate armour bearing the National heraldry on its surcote ('The Lady') or in full court dress with a musical instrument ('The Minstrel'). Although the Knight does not usually initiate or set challenges itself, it offers advice and guidance on the subject, and always acts to remind the Dawnish of their glorious history, and the greatness that is theirs for the taking. It seems especially drawn to Troubadours, and as it moves through the camp encourages them in tales of nobility, hospitality, heroism and virtue, to inspire the nation to match and exceed these tales in turn.

The egregore does not confine its attentions to the nobility, and can be a vocal supporter of yeomen wishing to rise to take their test of Mettle. Unlike many other Egregores, the Knight of Roses can be quite vocally critical if it believes the tradition of the Test of Mettle is being misused - although what it considers "misuse" is anyone's guess. It has been known to intervene on behalf of two lovers petitioning its aid, particularly in its incarnation as the Minstrel. The Knight makes no secret of its contempt for Jack-of-the-Marches, embodying the tensions between the two Nations.

It is said that on a few, rare occasions, the Knight of Roses has given and accepted a favour from a mortal - legends tell of Knights so valiant and devoted to their nation and the Empire that the Knight was moved to acknowledge and return their devotion. Although it still wears what are said to be these favours, it will not speak of those who gave them, neither confirming nor denying the legend.

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Dawn hearth magic

Favours

A favour is an effective talisman that can ward off curses and the pernicious influence of Eternals but only if worn openly. The greater the affection that the donor feels for the recipient, the more effective the Hearth Magic becomes. Favours are also sometimes used to deliver curses, and there are plenty of tales of a stolen favour bringing ruin to the one who loses it.

Love

Love is a powerful force in Dawn, and its inclusion in magic can make effects more potent but also more unpredictable. Romantic love is the most powerful and most unpredictible, but filial love and even platonic love between friends have a power of their own. Dawnish tales talk of lovers or friends who return from death for a few moments to offer comfort or protect their loved ones, or to encourage them to seek vengeance on their betrayers. Love that is betrayed is said to give rise to curses of its own accord. Finally, love is said to be the one force that can bind souls together in the Labyrinth, and bonds of love may mean that two souls are reborn and driven to seek one another out through multiple incarnations.

Girding

Armour and shields are a hearth magic connected with identity in Dawn. Donning one's armour and girding oneself with weapons and armour before a battle, particularly with the assistance of friends and trusted companions, is seen as a way of "donning" a glorious persona. A knight becomes larger than life by girding themself in armour, and in a similar way a Senator may "gird" themselves with fine robes, documents and a short dagger before addressing the Senate to create a powerful persona so that others can see their glory.

There are stories of people who put on another's armour - again engaging in the ritual of girding themself - and who either gain the strength of the person whose armour they are wearing, or perform some other great deed in their name, or who are mistaken for the person whose armour they don despite the unlikelihood of that actually happening. Most of these stories are romantic in nature, although several are tragedies in which someone dies in the place of their lover. A rare few are cautionary tales in which a villain masquerades as the hero to bring ruin down on her head after she has carelessly left her panoply where it may be stolen by her foe.

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Dawn history

Dawn's forebears came from overseas, seeking to carve out a kingdom. Their early history is full of glorious battles, as noble houses fought against the orcs and drove them out of the fertile lands to found the kingdom. Rather than quarrel amongst themselves, the noble houses agreed to settle the throne's succession by tourney. The death of any ruling monarch would be followed by a grand tourney with the Earl of the winning house taking the crown.

In the years that followed the founding of the Kingdom, a group of disaffected Yeomen chose to leave their lord's lands. They marched across the country, heading for the western borders and the fertile plains beyond. They were joined on their pilgrimage by hundreds more disgruntled yeomen and became known as the Marchers. They had no real weapons or armour, and the nobility fully expected them to be slaughtered by orcs or die of starvation. Instead, the Marchers slaughtered the orc tribes they encountered and created a kingdom for themselves; the Marches, a patchwork of cleared lands controlled by a score of fractious yeoman households.

There were frequent but sporadic conflicts with the Marches in the centuries that followed. Occasionally one or the other would attempt to expand into the neighbouring nation's territory. To this day the westernmost parts of Dawn and the easternmost parts of the Marches are scattered with battlefields and castles that are largely abandoned since the formation of the Empire. Armed conflict is a thing of the past, with both the Marches and Dawn holding equal status within the Empire, but Dawnish who question the validity of their ancient traditions are often gently reminded that they could go and live in the Marches if they don't like it.

Joining the Empire

The story of Dawn's admittance to the Empire is considered one of the great romantic epics. Numerous songs, poems, stories and plays are written about it. The actual events have probably been blurred by the passage of time and the pens of the troubadours, but all agree that it hinged on the marriage of the Empress to the last Dawn King, Rodric of Astolat, called the Lame, a powerful Enchanter.

According to the troubadours, Rodric was a bachelor with unreasonably high standards who looked destined to die unwed. When Cien, a naga yeoman with aspirations to be troubadour, came to Rodric for the Test of Mettle, he was challenged to find the king a suitable bride. The task seemed impossible but with the assistance of a Navarr guide, Cien returned with news of a Highguard woman who was the match for any Dawnish noble. Impressed by stories of the woman's prowess and fiery passion and smitten by Cien's description of her beauty, King Rodric vowed to make her his wife.

Acting on Cien's advice, the King ordered a splendid tourney in Astolat and invited all the powerful nobles of Dawn. The Empress arrived at the tourney in the company of Earl Elayne de Cervise but bearing the flag of Dawn, the traditional arms for a knight-errant. The king and everyone present was entranced by her power and bearing. Only nobles may enter the tourney, but before the assembled host, the Empress demanded a test of Mettle from Earl Cervise.

The Empress was challenged to make an impossible leap across the deep river that runs alongside the Castle of Roses, a traditional response for yeomen whose demands for a Test of Mettle were unwelcome. The Empress readily agreed; still wearing her armour she mounted her horse and together they jumped the river. The sight was so impressive - the more so for horses were practically unknown in Dawn - that it was impossible for any to deny her claim and she was accepted into the house of Cervise.

Cien urged his king to declare his ardour for the Empress before any other noble had chance to pledge a troth. Rodric declared his love for her and demanded the Test of Ardour from Earl Cervise. Before the assembled crowd, the Lady demanded the unthinkable - to prove his love for the new scion of the House Cervise, he must give up his throne - and granted Rodric until the start of the tourney to decide his response. The next morning, following a night of discourse with the Empress, Rodric agreed to abdicate his throne. In doing so he won the Test of Ardour and entered House Cervise as the Empress' husband, whereupon she declared her intention to enter the grand tourney to become Queen of Dawn.

In the tourney that followed, Rodric and his bride rallied Earls who favoured entry to the Empire to their side to oppose those Earls who resisted the idea. It was made clear to all that the tourney was not just for the throne but for the fate of Dawn. The battle was fierce, but the Empress' forces claimed the field, and she was crowned Queen.

In the weeks that followed she moved quickly to secure Dawn's place in the Empire, her victory in the grand tourney meant that even those Earls who had opposed her could not deny that she had followed the customs and traditions of Dawn and beaten them fairly.

Dawn has prospered under Imperial rule and grown in strength, gaining land as the barbarians have been driven back. When the Empire began to stagnate, the nation's emphasis on military strength meant that it was able to repulse the invaders. It is a source of enormous pride to the Dawnish that theirs is the only nation that has never lost a territory to the barbarians.

Dawn has often struggled to gain political support in the Senate. When Dawn armies successfully defeated the forces of the city of Holberg, League politicians were able to convince the Senate to assign the territory to League control. Despite support for Dawn from Wintermark and Varushka, a strong coalition of League and Marcher senators were able to convince Urizen and Highguard that the best thing for the Empire would be to allow Holberg to become part of the League.

While this defeat happened over two hundred years ago, it has not been forgotten. Centuries later, when the territory was lost to the barbarians, the loss was in no small part due to the political divisions the territory still evokes. Dawnish politicians know that Holberg is seen by many as a challenge to their claim to never have lost a territory to the barbarians. When celebrated League wit Gisel van Holberg said "Dawn has never lost territory to the barbarians, but it has lost territory to the civilized" during a tense debate in the Senate, she provoked Earl Jofre de Culwich so badly, the Speaker had to order him to leave the chamber.

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Dawn history (Redirected from Dawn History)

Dawn's forebears came from overseas, seeking to carve out a kingdom. Their early history is full of glorious battles, as noble houses fought against the orcs and drove them out of the fertile lands to found the kingdom. Rather than quarrel amongst themselves, the noble houses agreed to settle the throne's succession by tourney. The death of any ruling monarch would be followed by a grand tourney with the Earl of the winning house taking the crown.

In the years that followed the founding of the Kingdom, a group of disaffected Yeomen chose to leave their lord's lands. They marched across the country, heading for the western borders and the fertile plains beyond. They were joined on their pilgrimage by hundreds more disgruntled yeomen and became known as the Marchers. They had no real weapons or armour, and the nobility fully expected them to be slaughtered by orcs or die of starvation. Instead, the Marchers slaughtered the orc tribes they encountered and created a kingdom for themselves; the Marches, a patchwork of cleared lands controlled by a score of fractious yeoman households.

There were frequent but sporadic conflicts with the Marches in the centuries that followed. Occasionally one or the other would attempt to expand into the neighbouring nation's territory. To this day the westernmost parts of Dawn and the easternmost parts of the Marches are scattered with battlefields and castles that are largely abandoned since the formation of the Empire. Armed conflict is a thing of the past, with both the Marches and Dawn holding equal status within the Empire, but Dawnish who question the validity of their ancient traditions are often gently reminded that they could go and live in the Marches if they don't like it.

Joining the Empire

The story of Dawn's admittance to the Empire is considered one of the great romantic epics. Numerous songs, poems, stories and plays are written about it. The actual events have probably been blurred by the passage of time and the pens of the troubadours, but all agree that it hinged on the marriage of the Empress to the last Dawn King, Rodric of Astolat, called the Lame, a powerful Enchanter.

According to the troubadours, Rodric was a bachelor with unreasonably high standards who looked destined to die unwed. When Cien, a naga yeoman with aspirations to be troubadour, came to Rodric for the Test of Mettle, he was challenged to find the king a suitable bride. The task seemed impossible but with the assistance of a Navarr guide, Cien returned with news of a Highguard woman who was the match for any Dawnish noble. Impressed by stories of the woman's prowess and fiery passion and smitten by Cien's description of her beauty, King Rodric vowed to make her his wife.

Acting on Cien's advice, the King ordered a splendid tourney in Astolat and invited all the powerful nobles of Dawn. The Empress arrived at the tourney in the company of Earl Elayne de Cervise but bearing the flag of Dawn, the traditional arms for a knight-errant. The king and everyone present was entranced by her power and bearing. Only nobles may enter the tourney, but before the assembled host, the Empress demanded a test of Mettle from Earl Cervise.

The Empress was challenged to make an impossible leap across the deep river that runs alongside the Castle of Roses, a traditional response for yeomen whose demands for a Test of Mettle were unwelcome. The Empress readily agreed; still wearing her armour she mounted her horse and together they jumped the river. The sight was so impressive - the more so for horses were practically unknown in Dawn - that it was impossible for any to deny her claim and she was accepted into the house of Cervise.

Cien urged his king to declare his ardour for the Empress before any other noble had chance to pledge a troth. Rodric declared his love for her and demanded the Test of Ardour from Earl Cervise. Before the assembled crowd, the Lady demanded the unthinkable - to prove his love for the new scion of the House Cervise, he must give up his throne - and granted Rodric until the start of the tourney to decide his response. The next morning, following a night of discourse with the Empress, Rodric agreed to abdicate his throne. In doing so he won the Test of Ardour and entered House Cervise as the Empress' husband, whereupon she declared her intention to enter the grand tourney to become Queen of Dawn.

In the tourney that followed, Rodric and his bride rallied Earls who favoured entry to the Empire to their side to oppose those Earls who resisted the idea. It was made clear to all that the tourney was not just for the throne but for the fate of Dawn. The battle was fierce, but the Empress' forces claimed the field, and she was crowned Queen.

In the weeks that followed she moved quickly to secure Dawn's place in the Empire, her victory in the grand tourney meant that even those Earls who had opposed her could not deny that she had followed the customs and traditions of Dawn and beaten them fairly.

Dawn has prospered under Imperial rule and grown in strength, gaining land as the barbarians have been driven back. When the Empire began to stagnate, the nation's emphasis on military strength meant that it was able to repulse the invaders. It is a source of enormous pride to the Dawnish that theirs is the only nation that has never lost a territory to the barbarians.

Dawn has often struggled to gain political support in the Senate. When Dawn armies successfully defeated the forces of the city of Holberg, League politicians were able to convince the Senate to assign the territory to League control. Despite support for Dawn from Wintermark and Varushka, a strong coalition of League and Marcher senators were able to convince Urizen and Highguard that the best thing for the Empire would be to allow Holberg to become part of the League.

While this defeat happened over two hundred years ago, it has not been forgotten. Centuries later, when the territory was lost to the barbarians, the loss was in no small part due to the political divisions the territory still evokes. Dawnish politicians know that Holberg is seen by many as a challenge to their claim to never have lost a territory to the barbarians. When celebrated League wit Gisel van Holberg said "Dawn has never lost territory to the barbarians, but it has lost territory to the civilized" during a tense debate in the Senate, she provoked Earl Jofre de Culwich so badly, the Speaker had to order him to leave the chamber.

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Dawn icons and artistry

The Dawn flag is a golden sun-in-splendour against a blue field. Heraldry is ubiquitous – regional, national and personal. Every house has their own heraldry and banner as do groups of Questing Knights and Knights-errant. Even the weaver’s cabals are entitled to their own device.

Heraldry in Dawn largely uses the mythical beasts – gryphons, lions, unicorns, dragons as opposed to the more earthly boars, bulls and stags of the Marches. They are fond of bold and distinctive designs, and many houses have ancient and elaborate banners bearing their heraldry. There is no doubt that amongst the Dawnish are some of the most resplendently embroidered and appliquéd banners in the Empire.

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Dawnish War Song

This song works well if the singers do one verse in unison, perhaps with tabor or drum, then musicians on instruments like shawms, fifes and war-drums join to repeat the tune.

The tune is the first theme of Dead Can Dance's saltarello, but you could play instrumentals with any of their variations or make up some of your own.

A pdf of the lyrics and sheet music can be found here.

Sword and shield and armour bright Yeoman and witch and knight Now we march and now we fight Now have no fear, fight with me for glory here

Instrumental

Trumpet call and battle cry Raise the standard up on high Victory or else we die Now have no fear, fight with me for glory here

Instrumental

Take your weapons in your hand Shield to shoulder now we stand Never yield a foot of land Now have no fear, fight with me for glory here

Instrumental

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Dawn leadership

Dawn is dominated by powerful noble houses. The houses manage their great estates and raise soldiers to fight for the Empire. Membership of a noble house is achieved by passing the house's Test of Mettle, although a degree of status is assumed by those sons and daughters who have been raised in a house (who are technically yeomen until they pass their test).

Each house sets its own test and only the behaviour of those who have passed the test reflects on the house. As a result a house must keep the tests difficult to maintain its reputation. Those houses that make the tests too easy face the very real risk of having no children placed with them by other nobles - no Dawn parent would want to place their child with a house that is tarnished by mediocrity.

Houses are lead by an Earl who is selected from among the members of that house. Earls usually dedicate themselves to the advancement of their noble house. It is the responsibility of the Earl to set tests such as the Test of Mettle and the Test of Ardour. The accomplishments of a House reflect directly on its Earl, an acknowledgement of the role that the Earl plays in ensuring that every member of the house is given the support they need to triumph. Likewise the bearing with which an Earl comports themselves reflects on the whole house, so Earls are expected to take their responsibilities seriously, to conduct themselves with gravitas and to expect and receive respect from their fellow Dawnish.

Some houses also choose to appoint an heir-presumptive, an individual who the house agrees will take over the Earlship if the current Earl is no longer able to perform their duties. The heir-presumptive is often a staunch ally of the Earl, someone chosen to bolster their control of the house. But the role can just as easily serve the opposite function, some nobles choose an heir-presumptive to signal the limitation of the Earl's power and what might happen if they overstretch their authority.

Only nobles become Senators or Generals, although Imperial law prevents this being mandatory. While it is theoretically possible for a yeoman to be chosen for high office, a yeoman who showed the qualities that made them eligible for such a position would almost certainly be approached by Dawnish noble houses keen to attract a rising star whose glory would reflect well on them.

The Synod and the Conclave, by contrast, are open to both yeomen and noble alike, although again a yeoman who rose to prominence in one of these structures would likely attract a great deal of attention from the Dawnish nobility.

By contrast, it is considered demeaning for nobles to involve themselves in the business of the Bourse. Making money is simply not considered glorious in Dawn, it is the business of yeomen and not something that nobles should be worrying about. A noble who spent too much time in the Bourse might cause others to question their commitment to glory and to the furtherance of their house's goals.

Leading a territory

Each territory in Dawn sends a single Senator as represenative to the Senate. To choose their senators, the noble houses compete in a grand tourney. Only nobles may participate in a Grand Tourney - Yeomen may take the field only to rescue defeated participants for medical treatment.

There is one contest for each territory, and no requirement that a candidate live in the territory for which a senate seat is available. The Earl of the noble house that wins a grand tourney appoints the Senator for that territory. A noble house that has won a Grand Tourney may not take part in any further Grand Tourneys while their chosen Senator is sitting.

Politics play a role in the tourney of course, but at the end of the day this is Dawn – one cannot achieve glory by getting other people to do one's work. Several households may ally for a Grand Tourney, but in this case they all fight on behalf of one noble house. So if the House of Culwich, the House of Bardi and the House of Agaron fight as one side, they must declare before the battle which of their number will appoint the senator and if they are victorious all three of them are barred from future Grand Tourneys while the chosen Senator is sitting. It is not unknown for Earls to form unofficial alliances between their houses, supporting each other surreptitiously to avoid being recorded with the winner. This deeply inglorious tactic invites widespread condemnation if it is uncovered; it is impossible to forbid it but but it is clearly against the spirit of the Grand Tourney.

It is not uncommon for the Earl of a victorious house to take the seat themself, but many choose not to, preferring to leave the business of the Senate to those trained to it. The Senate offers opportunities for much glory, but is time-consuming - the Earl may find it better to appoint a member of their household. This leaves the Earl free to concentrate on the business of their house, but ensures that any glory achieved in the Senate still reflects on the house and by extension the Earl.

The political battlefield of the Senate is one that is difficult for many nobles to master. Dawnish Senators are often supported by an advocate - a yeoman who makes a study of the Senate and the history of the Empire. While the nobles make impassioned speeches on the Senate floor, it is their retainers who help them prepare those speeches and work hard to ensure that the political realities of Imperial life do not scupper the nobles' plans.

The senators for each Imperial territory are re-elected at specific equinox and solstices during the year. The senator for Weirwater is elected at the Summer solstice, the senator for Semmerholm is elected at the Autumn equinox, and the senator for Astolat is elected at the Winter solstice,

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Dawn lineage and species attitudes

Any lineage is generally considered a mark of distinction in Dawn and individuals of every lineage, particularly the changeling and cambion, are common in many noble houses. Lineage clearly identifies an individual as being special, and great things are assumed of those who possess any amount of lineage. As a result, the Tests of Mettle are often significantly harder for those with lineage, not because of prejudice but simply because their "magical blood" is assumed to give them an edge. An exception to this is the treatment of the briar lineage. Following the events of the Freedom Heresy, there has been an undercurrent of suspicion towards those touched by the Spring realm.

The naga lineage prospers in Dawn, especially in the ranks of the troubadours. Their instinctive understanding of passion and the drives of their blood synergize well with the priestly calling of the troubadour; they follow the historical role played by Lord Cien in the founding of Dawn. Naga troubadours have an especial knack for, or interest in, arranging and nurturing romances between noble and yeoman alike, and many ensure that the tales of tragic romantic love that underpin many more glorious legends are not forgotten. There is a tacit understanding and acceptance in Dawn that naga troubadours play an active part in match-making between nobles and those seeking to arrange lovers' trysts will often seek out their assistance.

A small number of noble houses are pure-bred, setting their Tests of Mettle such that only those that share their lineage can pass them. These houses often send their human-born children to other houses, and prefer to foster lineaged children. They are often equally accepting of yeomen children with lineage, and some actively seek them out. This practice is particularly common with changeling houses.

Imperial Orcs are a difficult question for the Dawnish. They seem worthy of a measure of respect, and seem to understand the concept of glory, but no noble house would consider offering one a Test of Mettle. They are not human, and consequently while they may be valued allies, they are never likely to be accepted alongside the humans of the other nations of the Empire.

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Dawn lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Dawn Lineage and Species Attitudes)

Any lineage is generally considered a mark of distinction in Dawn and individuals of every lineage, particularly the changeling and cambion, are common in many noble houses. Lineage clearly identifies an individual as being special, and great things are assumed of those who possess any amount of lineage. As a result, the Tests of Mettle are often significantly harder for those with lineage, not because of prejudice but simply because their "magical blood" is assumed to give them an edge. An exception to this is the treatment of the briar lineage. Following the events of the Freedom Heresy, there has been an undercurrent of suspicion towards those touched by the Spring realm.

The naga lineage prospers in Dawn, especially in the ranks of the troubadours. Their instinctive understanding of passion and the drives of their blood synergize well with the priestly calling of the troubadour; they follow the historical role played by Lord Cien in the founding of Dawn. Naga troubadours have an especial knack for, or interest in, arranging and nurturing romances between noble and yeoman alike, and many ensure that the tales of tragic romantic love that underpin many more glorious legends are not forgotten. There is a tacit understanding and acceptance in Dawn that naga troubadours play an active part in match-making between nobles and those seeking to arrange lovers' trysts will often seek out their assistance.

A small number of noble houses are pure-bred, setting their Tests of Mettle such that only those that share their lineage can pass them. These houses often send their human-born children to other houses, and prefer to foster lineaged children. They are often equally accepting of yeomen children with lineage, and some actively seek them out. This practice is particularly common with changeling houses.

Imperial Orcs are a difficult question for the Dawnish. They seem worthy of a measure of respect, and seem to understand the concept of glory, but no noble house would consider offering one a Test of Mettle. They are not human, and consequently while they may be valued allies, they are never likely to be accepted alongside the humans of the other nations of the Empire.

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Dawn look and feel

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Feel

- 3 Breakdown

- 3.1 Influences

- 3.2 Materials

- 3.3 Colours

- 3.4 Clothing

- 3.5 Armour

- 3.6 Shields

- 3.7 Weapons

- 4 Noble costume

- 5 Noble Dresses

- 6 Yeomen costume

- 7 Headwear

- 8 Jewellery

- 9 Plate

- 10 Mail

- 11 Leather

- 12 Shields

- 13 Children

Overview

Dawn is the land of valour; the classical images of gleaming plate, of brightly coloured banners and traditional heraldic devices provide the imagery for the nation. Where the Marches is gritty and down to earth, Dawn is the opposite in glowing primary colours. There is a sumptuous nature to the materials and tones used, idealistic in design instead of practical. The Arthurian, pre-raphaelite and neo-medievalism movements all provide strong themes and forms to the nation.

There is a touch of tragic flaw to the people here though also, with elements of Shakespeare's tragedies and Tennyson's poems threaded through their lives, leaving shadow in contrast to all the glorious polished armour.

Also see Dawn costumes and Dawn icons and artistry.

Feel

Arthurian, competetive, gleaming, glorious, romantic, Shakespearean, tragic, triumphant.

Breakdown

Influences

Idealised high medieval, Pre-raphaelite, Arthurian

Materials

Linen, velvet, silk, damask, brocade, fur linings and trim, butter-soft kid leather and suedes.

Colours

The palette is summer, a meadow in full bloom. It’s a myriad of bright, floral colours, accented with some darker jewel shades. Gold, emerald green, bright reds, clear sky blues set off against an occasional sumptuous black. Whatever the colour it should be vivid and lush but remain tasteful.

Clothing

The classic dress for all genders is a long robe with full sleeves or houppelande. The cloth may be silk, velvet, brocade or fine wool and could be subtly patterned. They are often fur trimmed. These are generally worn over a long shirt, well cut trousers and high legged boots.

Some Dawnish might choose to wear a dress or bliaut instead, with simple flowing lines and quite a low neck line, possibly revealing a chemise or shift below. Sleeves are again often extravagantly long.

Houppelandes may be worn over a long shirt, well cut trousers and high boots.

Headgear for everyone is extravagant, and it is definitely headgear rather than hats. Chaperons are often worn to impress, and the type of headresses worn by Arthurian women are the stuff of legend and fantasy. Circlets and headbands are also popular for all whether made of gold or simple leather.

Jewellery is exquisite - a jewelled dagger sheath, a filigreed necklace, a pair of combs, even the poorest will have a piece of treasured jewellery handed down.

Armour

Most knights wear the heaviest and most flamboyant armour they can afford, often covered with a surcoat bearing their personal or house heraldry. Some will wear mail, some with plated reinforcement, and some a full harness. Knights Errant often wear less armour but everyone who is part of a noble house will sport their colours.

High quality leather armour mimics the form of plate – breastplates, gorgets with articulated arms, vambraces etc may all be worn and often bear their owners’ heraldry as a form of rich decoration. Full length ‘coats’ of leather scale or plates may be worn alone or under more leather armour.

The armour is designed not only to protect in war but also to proclaim their glory and make their deeds all the more memorable.

Shields

Shields are highly popular in Dawn, as much for their decoration as their ability to protect. Heater shields are the favoured shape, decorated with personal or household devices.

Weapons

The archetypal Dawnish weapon is the medieval broadsword, but ornate warhammers, maces and axes are also used. Missile weapons are rare; archery is seen as a fitting contest of skill, rather than a glorious weapon of war.

Noble costume

Noble costume should be resplendent. The cut is simple - sleeves may be dagged but are not slashed or puffed - but the fabrics are luxurious, the colours are rich and hems are lined with fur or ermine. Often costume is in house colours or embroidered with the house’s device.

Noble Dresses

Cuts are simple, but the materials, the colours, the linings and the trims are rich, detailed and luxurious. Silk, velvet and brocade are ideal.

Yeomen costume

Dawnish Yeomen wear less resplendent costume than their betters, but many are prosperous and most still dream of joining the nobility. They mix easily with the nobility and richer yeomen may look similar to nobles from an impoverished house.

Headwear

Dawnish Headwear encompasses all the more elaborate medieval variety of hats, up to the start of the Renaissance. Headgear for all genders is extravagant, and it is definitely headgear rather than hats. Chaperons are often worn to impress, and the type of headresses worn by Arthurian women are the stuff of legend - henins, crispinettes etc. Regal jewellery such as crowns and tiaras are common for all Earls and powerful nobles.

Jewellery

Jewellery is an important part of costume for male and female Dawnish nobility. Ideally it should be ornate and bejewelled to emphasize the status of the wearer. Jewellery is exquisite - a jewelled dagger sheath, a filigreed necklace, a pair of combs, even the poorest will have a piece of treasured jewellery handed down. Fillets, circlets and headbands are also popular for all whether made of gold or simple leather.

Plate

The very wealthiest Dawn Knights possess a harness of plate, but it is more than just armour. The nation, house or personal symbol maybe etched, engraved or decorated on the armour. Alternatively a rich embroided cloak could be thrown over the plate. A beautiful surcoat or jupon like the one Henry V is wearing emphasizes the knight’s regal nature.

Mail

Mail is highly valued, either worn under plate or by itself. Ideally such armour should include a surcoat or a robe decorated with a house symbol, often a fabulous beast like the dragon.

Leather

Leather armour is common in Dawn, and is often worn by yeomen and knights-errant. It should range from simple protection to something designed to look as stunning as possible.

Shields

Shields are highly popular in Dawn, as much for their decoration as their ability to protect. Heater shields are the favoured shape, decorated with personal or household devices. The traditional Dawnish shield is a heater (as shown held by the woman below) or a kite shield. Whatever the shape, a shield is the perfect place for a Dawnish noble to display their personal arms or the insignia of their house.

Children

Young children are an opportunity for noble houses to display their wealth and power. Squires are dressed in robes decorated with the house symbols. Older children, noble or yeoman, want the most expensive clothes their parents can afford.

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Dawn look and feel (Redirected from Dawn Look and Feel)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Feel

- 3 Breakdown

- 3.1 Influences

- 3.2 Materials

- 3.3 Colours

- 3.4 Clothing

- 3.5 Armour

- 3.6 Shields

- 3.7 Weapons

- 4 Noble costume

- 5 Noble Dresses

- 6 Yeomen costume

- 7 Headwear

- 8 Jewellery

- 9 Plate

- 10 Mail

- 11 Leather

- 12 Shields

- 13 Children

Overview

Dawn is the land of valour; the classical images of gleaming plate, of brightly coloured banners and traditional heraldic devices provide the imagery for the nation. Where the Marches is gritty and down to earth, Dawn is the opposite in glowing primary colours. There is a sumptuous nature to the materials and tones used, idealistic in design instead of practical. The Arthurian, pre-raphaelite and neo-medievalism movements all provide strong themes and forms to the nation.

There is a touch of tragic flaw to the people here though also, with elements of Shakespeare's tragedies and Tennyson's poems threaded through their lives, leaving shadow in contrast to all the glorious polished armour.

Also see Dawn costumes and Dawn icons and artistry.

Feel

Arthurian, competetive, gleaming, glorious, romantic, Shakespearean, tragic, triumphant.

Breakdown

Influences

Idealised high medieval, Pre-raphaelite, Arthurian

Materials

Linen, velvet, silk, damask, brocade, fur linings and trim, butter-soft kid leather and suedes.

Colours

The palette is summer, a meadow in full bloom. It’s a myriad of bright, floral colours, accented with some darker jewel shades. Gold, emerald green, bright reds, clear sky blues set off against an occasional sumptuous black. Whatever the colour it should be vivid and lush but remain tasteful.

Clothing

The classic dress for all genders is a long robe with full sleeves or houppelande. The cloth may be silk, velvet, brocade or fine wool and could be subtly patterned. They are often fur trimmed. These are generally worn over a long shirt, well cut trousers and high legged boots.

Some Dawnish might choose to wear a dress or bliaut instead, with simple flowing lines and quite a low neck line, possibly revealing a chemise or shift below. Sleeves are again often extravagantly long.

Houppelandes may be worn over a long shirt, well cut trousers and high boots.

Headgear for everyone is extravagant, and it is definitely headgear rather than hats. Chaperons are often worn to impress, and the type of headresses worn by Arthurian women are the stuff of legend and fantasy. Circlets and headbands are also popular for all whether made of gold or simple leather.

Jewellery is exquisite - a jewelled dagger sheath, a filigreed necklace, a pair of combs, even the poorest will have a piece of treasured jewellery handed down.

Armour

Most knights wear the heaviest and most flamboyant armour they can afford, often covered with a surcoat bearing their personal or house heraldry. Some will wear mail, some with plated reinforcement, and some a full harness. Knights Errant often wear less armour but everyone who is part of a noble house will sport their colours.

High quality leather armour mimics the form of plate – breastplates, gorgets with articulated arms, vambraces etc may all be worn and often bear their owners’ heraldry as a form of rich decoration. Full length ‘coats’ of leather scale or plates may be worn alone or under more leather armour.

The armour is designed not only to protect in war but also to proclaim their glory and make their deeds all the more memorable.

Shields

Shields are highly popular in Dawn, as much for their decoration as their ability to protect. Heater shields are the favoured shape, decorated with personal or household devices.

Weapons

The archetypal Dawnish weapon is the medieval broadsword, but ornate warhammers, maces and axes are also used. Missile weapons are rare; archery is seen as a fitting contest of skill, rather than a glorious weapon of war.

Noble costume

Noble costume should be resplendent. The cut is simple - sleeves may be dagged but are not slashed or puffed - but the fabrics are luxurious, the colours are rich and hems are lined with fur or ermine. Often costume is in house colours or embroidered with the house’s device.

Noble Dresses

Cuts are simple, but the materials, the colours, the linings and the trims are rich, detailed and luxurious. Silk, velvet and brocade are ideal.

Yeomen costume

Dawnish Yeomen wear less resplendent costume than their betters, but many are prosperous and most still dream of joining the nobility. They mix easily with the nobility and richer yeomen may look similar to nobles from an impoverished house.

Headwear

Dawnish Headwear encompasses all the more elaborate medieval variety of hats, up to the start of the Renaissance. Headgear for all genders is extravagant, and it is definitely headgear rather than hats. Chaperons are often worn to impress, and the type of headresses worn by Arthurian women are the stuff of legend - henins, crispinettes etc. Regal jewellery such as crowns and tiaras are common for all Earls and powerful nobles.

Jewellery

Jewellery is an important part of costume for male and female Dawnish nobility. Ideally it should be ornate and bejewelled to emphasize the status of the wearer. Jewellery is exquisite - a jewelled dagger sheath, a filigreed necklace, a pair of combs, even the poorest will have a piece of treasured jewellery handed down. Fillets, circlets and headbands are also popular for all whether made of gold or simple leather.

Plate

The very wealthiest Dawn Knights possess a harness of plate, but it is more than just armour. The nation, house or personal symbol maybe etched, engraved or decorated on the armour. Alternatively a rich embroided cloak could be thrown over the plate. A beautiful surcoat or jupon like the one Henry V is wearing emphasizes the knight’s regal nature.

Mail

Mail is highly valued, either worn under plate or by itself. Ideally such armour should include a surcoat or a robe decorated with a house symbol, often a fabulous beast like the dragon.

Leather

Leather armour is common in Dawn, and is often worn by yeomen and knights-errant. It should range from simple protection to something designed to look as stunning as possible.

Shields

Shields are highly popular in Dawn, as much for their decoration as their ability to protect. Heater shields are the favoured shape, decorated with personal or household devices. The traditional Dawnish shield is a heater (as shown held by the woman below) or a kite shield. Whatever the shape, a shield is the perfect place for a Dawnish noble to display their personal arms or the insignia of their house.

Children

Young children are an opportunity for noble houses to display their wealth and power. Squires are dressed in robes decorated with the house symbols. Older children, noble or yeoman, want the most expensive clothes their parents can afford.

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Dawn magical traditions

Those who study magic are called witches in Dawn. Witches can be any gender, and cover two traditions. War witches are magicians who master useful incantations and take the battlefield. Those that are part of a noble house are expected to fight with the rest of the household. War witches train alongside a house's warriors, using their magical skills to deliver aid at the most pivotal moments of battle. Some are skilled with weapons, but all are drilled so that they can keep their wits in the thick of battle, and skilled war witches are highly prized by their house.

Of all the nations of the Empire, Dawn seems to be the most closely affected by the magic of the Eternals. Heralds, the faithful servants of the Eternals, are a much more common sight here than anywhere else, and Dawn legends are replete with personal encounters between nobles and powerful Eternals. What is clear is that for better or worse, some Eternals take a particular interest in the Dawn people, particularly in the nobility.

Weavers

Those who emphasize the study of ritual magic are usually referred to as witch weavers. They are named for their habit of focusing on weaving as part of their magic, but the term is used for anyone who uses ritual magic in Dawn. The glorious and forthright nature of Dawn means that they can be a little skeptical of the more group-oriented practice of ritual magic. Many noble magicians compensate for this by striving to be a powerful war witch as well, the two traditions being by no means exclusive.

While it is uncommon for a noble house to include an entire team of witch weavers, it is very rare for houses to be formed only of weavers, none of whom have any experience as war witches. More common are the weaver cabals, groups of witch weavers drawn from all elements of Dawnish society, who stand outside the direct control of the noble houses.

The first weaving cabals began as a place for noble magicians to trade skills and cultivate magical and crafting techniques, but eventually they found it more effective to leave their houses to work magic together. Over time the cabals became independent of the Dawn houses, choosing their own heads and even adopting their own children. As the cabals cannot set Tests of Mettle, they include yeomen amongst their numbers. It is not uncommon for a noble to forsake their noble house when they join a weaving cabal, as a form of self-imposed exile or retirement.

Much of their time is spent weaving cloth, embroidering banners and engaging in similar arts. As well as being beautiful and practical works of art, the items the weaver cabals produce tend to have protective charms woven into them. Some cabals now practice other forms of ritual magic but Summer magic remains closely tied up to the making and embroidering of cloth. A properly witch-woven banner from Dawn is the envy of every military unit in the empire.

Many weaver cabals perform magics to bring good fortune to villages, fertile harvests and good weather. As a result they tend to be more popular with Dawnish yeomen than the war witches prized by the noble houses. The popularity of the weaver cabals has translated into considerable political clout. As a result few noble houses will refuse a request by a noble witch to study with a weaver's cabal even if they harbour a fear that the student may not return to their house.

Although secretive, and rarely acknowledged, some weavers specialize in curses. Several famous tales (including the song Weaver's Curse speak of knights who jilted their magical lovers, only to find their enchanted banner a curse that ensured their inglorious defeat.

Guisers

In Dawn, some yeomen practice dramaturgy as a way to weave ritual magic. They are often compared to the Mummers of the Marches, and the two groups share several traditions and a common ancestor. They tend to be itinerants, traveling from place to place around Dawn and visiting fairs, tourneys and banquets to offer their services or perform for a few coins. They offer their magical services primarily to the yeomen, but it is not uncommon for a seneschal to employ a band of guisers to perform a ritual on behalf of their Earl. Their peripatetic nature, and the fact that they practice ritual magic, means that they are sometimes viewed with suspicion - while the entertainments and services they provide are appreciated, they are rarely entirely trusted. Bands of guisers are regularly assumed to contain spies who enhance the profits they earn from magic and drama with the sale of interesting titbits they gather as they meander around Dawn. There is generally little affection between bands of guisers and weaver cabals - guisers practice their magic openly, and more than one weaver cabal has ended up blamed for rituals actually performed by a band of guisers who have since left the area.

Like the mummers, guisers tend to have a smattering of lore in several realms but unlike their Marcher counterparts they have a marked tendency towards magic from the realm of Night. Being able to create a magical disguise, divine significant events, uncover hidden secrets and provide magical entertainments such as The Chamber of Delights are all valuable services guisers are known to provide.

Guisers tend to weave formal dramatic conceits into their rituals. Their performances sometimes appear 'stagy' to observers from the League; characters in a guiser production are much more likely to declaim a speech than they are to engage in natural conversation with each other. Stories are almost invariably tragic in nature, and the most popular entertainments - and rituals - involve the rise and heroic death of the protagonist. Many rituals and performances involve strong, obvious elements of romance - the greatest guisers pride themselves on being able to make their audience weep with their art.

When working dramaturgy a guiser is more likely to have a sumptuous costume than they are to have a beautiful mask. When masks are used they are often understated, practical and minimalist, allowing the ritualist to express their character's inner conflicts through facial expressions. Guisers use their beautifully crafted costumes to draw in hearth magic to 'gird' themselves in the trappings of the persona they will assume.

Guiser performances often involve music of some sort, and some guiser bands work with a Troubadour as fellow-entertainers or supporters. By working with a priest, the guisers gain a measure of respectability. Likewise, while Guising is generally seen as a yeoman pursuit, this does not prevent nobles serving as patrons for such groups, employing their magical or entertainment services, or indulging in dramatic pursuits.

Enchanters

The apogee of magical power in Dawn is the tradition of the Enchanter, a witch who becomes Earl of a house. Wielding both the magic of incantation and ritual, enchanters are viewed as mystical powerhouses regardless of their actual abilities, not least because they often have the resources of their entire house at their command. Many make pacts with the Eternals to further enhance their arcane powers, and deal with Eternals on a more-or-less equal footing, backing up their magical might with political clout. Enchanters have played a key role in the history of the Dawn, and in stories are often portrayed as patrons and paramours of famous knights.

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Dawn Maps

See Also

- Astolat

- The Barrens

- Semmerholm

- Weirwater

PRINT INFORMATION - Each map is set to print at A3 size (the resolution varies between 175ppi and 300ppi). Do not print larger than this or it will pixellate. If you print smaller, the quality will improve slightly. Various sizes are available by clicking on the image. To print, make sure you download the ORIGINAL size image (should be between 2700 and 5000 pixels wide. Feel free to add your own textures etc

Maps by Daisy Abbott

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Dawn military concerns

Dawn currently maintains three armies to fight in the Imperial wars and has provided four in better times when Imperial fortunes allowed. Very few endeavours provide as many opportunities for glory as warfare. Drawn to glory as it is, it is unsurprising that Dawn prides itself on its martial traditions. Not all nobles deck themselves in a harness of plate, but every noble looks for opportunities to fight their foes toe-to-toe. Not for the Dawnish noble is the cowardly ambush or the subversive flank - they seek to face their opponents directly.

The rank and file soldiers are eager yeomen, seeking opportunities for glory. They are led by the most capable nobles available who share their soldiers ambitions. Few Dawn generals will lead from the rear. While there is some glory in a well-planned battle, little compares to the glory of a lord or lady who leads their troops to victory. As such most yeomen have an abiding respect for their military leaders, born of shared ambitions and shared dangers.

Shields are highly popular in Dawn, as much for their decoration as their ability to protect. Heater shields are the favoured shape, decorated with personal or household devices. Missile weapons are rare, and regarded with some suspicion. Despite their obvious uses, it's difficult to see anything glorious in shooting an enemy at thirty paces. Archery is seen as a fitting contest of skill, rather than a glorious weapon of war.

Dawnish men and women in the active pursuit of glory, particularly those risking their lives to do so, are often referred to simply as knights. Knightly behaviour on the battlefield is expected of nobles and yeoman alike. Those who identify themselves as knights are stating openly that they will act gloriously. Although only nobles may enter the Grand Tourney, the military strength of a noble house in battle is usually expressed as the number of knights they can field.

Men and women engaged upon a Test of Mettle, seeking to prove their glory, are called knights-errant. The term is used equally to describe anyone looking to prove themselves by seeking danger and adventure. Most often they are the sons and daughters of noble houses, but groups of yeomen who wish to attract the attention of the noble houses may also become knights-errant.

Some Knight-errant enjoy the life of high adventure so much that they continue the lifestyle after passing their Test of Mettle, declining the political life of a house noble. Questing Knights, as they are usually known, usually form a tight-knit group with other, similarly minded Knights, and often dedicate themselves to some great quest or higher cause that they know can never be completed. If such groups are perpetuated through the generations as newly ennobled Knights join the ranks to replace losses, they usually become a recognized knightly order. Such groups are usually distinctive, perhaps a unique code of honour that every member must swear or an Eternal patron to whom they swear loyalty.

Bands of knights-errant and questing knights usually include a troubadour where possible, to inspire them to glory and to record their accomplishments for posterity.

Contents

- 1 Imperial Armies

- 1.1 The Golden Sun

- 1.2 The Hounds of Glory

- 1.3 The Eastern Sky

Imperial Armies

Dawn fields three imperial armies; the Golden Sun, the Hounds of Glory and the Eastern Sky.

The Golden Sun

As befits a nation with such an emphasis on heavy armour, the soldiers who fight under the Golden Sun banner are especially resilient, known for their implacable, barely resistable, advances through enemy territory. There is some friendly rivalry between soldiers of the Golden Sun and the Hounds of Glory.

The first Dawnish General leads the Golden Sun army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer solstice each year.

The Hounds of Glory

Fighting beneath bright crimson banners surmounted by a winged hound, the hounds of glory pride themselves on being unstoppable in battle. They press the foe, driving them back inch by inch, and are supported by archers and magicians that make them especially glorious in battle. There is some friendly rivalry between the Hounds of Glory and the Golden Sun, and when their soldiers meet they often engage in contests of strength and martial might.

The second Dawnish General leads the Hounds of Glory, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Winter solstice each year.

The Eastern Sky

Fighting beneath an emerald green banner bearing the golden image of the rising sun, the Eastern Sky is the youngest of the Dawnish armies, but has a long and proud tradition of defending the Dawnish heartlands from orc aggression. They receive regular supplies from the people of Dawn; both civillians and soldiers alike possess a great deal of pride in the Eastern Sky and the families and descendants of those who have fought beneath the banner are fierce in their support. This means that the Eastern Sky can recover quickly even while on campaign. Many of the soldiers of the Eastern Sky have a particular hatred for the Druj barbarians; traditionally they are first to see the carnage the cruel orcs leave behind when they manage to gain access to an Imperial village.

The third Dawnish General leads the Eastern Sky, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Autumn equinox each year.

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Dawn music

Contents

- 1 The Music of Dawn

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.2.3 Funeral Songs

- 1.2.4 Wedding Music

- 1.2.5 Songs about notable people/entities in Dawn

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Songs

- 1.3.2 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.3 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The Music of Dawn

Style summary

Arthurian high medieval, chivalric, courtly, 'high' culture, battle anthems, tales of love, glory, and tragedy.

Dawn draws on the more formal folk and classical traditions of Shakespearean/Elizabethan period, for example madrigals, as well as fantastical folk tales from the English or Irish tradition.

Commonly known songs

- Sweet Kate - medium difficulty madrigal for 3 female voices

- Dawnish War Song - medieval song with drums and other instruments

- Britta's Glory - Verse-chorus war song

A musical tradition

All sensible knights understand that for their glory to continue after death, you rely on the skill and conviction of minstrels and storytellers. What better way to earn glory and reputation than to let them see your deeds for themselves? Therefore it is not uncommon for questing knights to invite along the best minstrel they can find to accompany them on a quest - it goes without saying that the safety of the minstrel is paramount. The best singers and storytellers have a song or tale ready for the victory feast the same evening, and direct retellings of glorious battles and the valour of Dawnish knights in either victory or death are always enthusiastically received!

One for the kids

- Five Little Ploughboys

- Chants for naughty children

Funeral Songs

- Dirge for Fidele

- When I Am Laid

Wedding Music

- Wedding Air

Songs about notable people/entities in Dawn

- The Ballad of Sir Alain, written for a knight killed in glorious battle

- Sir Isobel, a traditional Dawnish song which has had a recent rise in popularity

- The Novarion Phoenix, written about a Dawnish house

- Sir Colwyn, a recently-written song about a Dawnish knight.

- Onward to Glory I Go, an adaptable song of glory, popular amongst questing knights.

Further examples

Songs

- Come my pretty one - Dawnish song about life

- Sweet Kate - medium difficulty madrigal for 3 female voices

- Tam Lin - fantastical folk tale, medium difficulty

- April is in my mistress' face - difficult madrigal set for SATB

- Annan Water - gloomy ballad about drowning, medium

- Though Philomena Lost Her Love - medium difficulty madrigal, 3 female voices.

- My Bonny Lass She Smileth - SATB madrigal

- Weep O Mine Eyes - SATB madrigal, hardish

- Tanner's Hill - fantastical ballad, easy

- The Moon's Only Daughter - wistful ballad, easy

- His Banner's Not Mine - Love song, easy

- Weaver's Curse - cautionary tale, easy

- Spinning Song - tragic love song, easy

- The Rose Garden - Tragic love song, easy

- Sweet, Stay Awhile - Elizabethan love song, medium

Instrumentation and tunes

- Anything vaguely courtly using recorders, plucked strings, single drums, harps, autoharp, or similar.

- Elizabethan recorder music - very appropriate for Dawn, especially if played on recorders or harp with a single drum.

Other performance traditions

- Courtly dances.

How to adapt your repertoire

- Sing in a formal rather than bawdy style. Up the properness and pathos of your words. Strum your guitar like a lute. Roll your rrrrs!

Our sources

Thomas Morley, Kate Rusby, Bill Jones, Glasgow Madrigirls, the other Madrigirls who actually sing more madrigals,

Here is a youtube playlist to get you in the mood!

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Dawn music (Redirected from Dawn Music)

Contents

- 1 The Music of Dawn

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.2.3 Funeral Songs

- 1.2.4 Wedding Music

- 1.2.5 Songs about notable people/entities in Dawn

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Songs

- 1.3.2 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.3 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The Music of Dawn

Style summary

Arthurian high medieval, chivalric, courtly, 'high' culture, battle anthems, tales of love, glory, and tragedy.

Dawn draws on the more formal folk and classical traditions of Shakespearean/Elizabethan period, for example madrigals, as well as fantastical folk tales from the English or Irish tradition.

Commonly known songs

- Sweet Kate - medium difficulty madrigal for 3 female voices

- Dawnish War Song - medieval song with drums and other instruments

- Britta's Glory - Verse-chorus war song

A musical tradition

All sensible knights understand that for their glory to continue after death, you rely on the skill and conviction of minstrels and storytellers. What better way to earn glory and reputation than to let them see your deeds for themselves? Therefore it is not uncommon for questing knights to invite along the best minstrel they can find to accompany them on a quest - it goes without saying that the safety of the minstrel is paramount. The best singers and storytellers have a song or tale ready for the victory feast the same evening, and direct retellings of glorious battles and the valour of Dawnish knights in either victory or death are always enthusiastically received!

One for the kids

- Five Little Ploughboys

- Chants for naughty children

Funeral Songs

- Dirge for Fidele

- When I Am Laid

Wedding Music

- Wedding Air

Songs about notable people/entities in Dawn

- The Ballad of Sir Alain, written for a knight killed in glorious battle

- Sir Isobel, a traditional Dawnish song which has had a recent rise in popularity

- The Novarion Phoenix, written about a Dawnish house

- Sir Colwyn, a recently-written song about a Dawnish knight.

- Onward to Glory I Go, an adaptable song of glory, popular amongst questing knights.

Further examples

Songs

- Come my pretty one - Dawnish song about life

- Sweet Kate - medium difficulty madrigal for 3 female voices

- Tam Lin - fantastical folk tale, medium difficulty

- April is in my mistress' face - difficult madrigal set for SATB

- Annan Water - gloomy ballad about drowning, medium

- Though Philomena Lost Her Love - medium difficulty madrigal, 3 female voices.

- My Bonny Lass She Smileth - SATB madrigal

- Weep O Mine Eyes - SATB madrigal, hardish

- Tanner's Hill - fantastical ballad, easy

- The Moon's Only Daughter - wistful ballad, easy

- His Banner's Not Mine - Love song, easy

- Weaver's Curse - cautionary tale, easy

- Spinning Song - tragic love song, easy

- The Rose Garden - Tragic love song, easy

- Sweet, Stay Awhile - Elizabethan love song, medium

Instrumentation and tunes

- Anything vaguely courtly using recorders, plucked strings, single drums, harps, autoharp, or similar.

- Elizabethan recorder music - very appropriate for Dawn, especially if played on recorders or harp with a single drum.

Other performance traditions

- Courtly dances.

How to adapt your repertoire

- Sing in a formal rather than bawdy style. Up the properness and pathos of your words. Strum your guitar like a lute. Roll your rrrrs!

Our sources

Thomas Morley, Kate Rusby, Bill Jones, Glasgow Madrigirls, the other Madrigirls who actually sing more madrigals,

Here is a youtube playlist to get you in the mood!

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Dawn_music&oldid=32950"

Dawn people

Life in Dawn is a quest, a great contest in which the goal is to achieve glory at any cost.

The people of the Dawn are divided by the Test of Mettle. Those who have passed the Test are granted the status of nobility, the right to call themselves lord or lady, and entry into one of the noble houses that rule Dawn. Those who have never taken the test are yeomen, farming their land, fighting as rank and file in the Dawn armies, or serving as retainers to Dawnish nobility.

At the heart of each house is a powerful noble family, but the tradition of adoption means that many members of a house are only nominally related to each other. Membership is determined not by birthright but by passing the Test of Mettle set by the house. Each house is led by an Earl, selected by the nobility that make up the house. A member of a noble family who has not passed their Test of Mettle is technically a yeoman, although one that may enjoy significant comfort depending on their family.

Nobility and its trappings are widely and lavishly celebrated. Tourneys are held to mark religious celebrations, weddings, births - almost any public occasion will be used as an excuse for nobility to display their feats at arms. Not only knights take part - musicians, magi and craftsman are all encouraged to participate in public demonstrations of (generally friendly) rivalry, with prizes awarded to those judged best by their peers.

Romance is a vital part of life in Dawn. The Dawnish pride themselves on their charm and good manners and they enjoy courting and flattery. Flirtation is commonplace and accepted even among married Dawnish, provided it does not go beyond words. But if an inhabitant of Dawn seeks more, then they must woo a man or woman to convince them to accept a marriage proposal. Marriage in Dawn, especially for the nobility, brings its own complications and challenges.

Apprenticeship, and the relationship between master and apprentice, is a common tradition for Dawnish yeoman. The children of nobility are more likely to be instructed by tutors, skilled professionals hired to teach them hunting, singing and the arts of war. Most tutelage include a series of ever more difficult, and sometimes dangerous, challenges.

Money is largely seen as something as the business of the yeomanry in Dawn. A noble enjoys the comforts and opportunities wealth affords, but few care where it comes from. A noble house usually employs a professional yeoman called a seneschal to manage their estates while a noble will keep a retainer to deal with the ignoble activities of counting coins, working out budgets and paying for things. When an earl decides to throw a tourney, they tell their seneschal to see that it happens. A noble who worries about money risks forgetting that what matters in Dawn is glory.

Names

Names in Dawn are inspired by chivalric French and Arthurian romance. Given names in Dawn are full of romance and meaning. Parents might name their children after great heroes, after beloved relatives or virtues to which they wish the child to aspire. A name should have a story, which the child should be ready to tell if asked – “I was named for my uncle, who fell defending the Barrens at the battle of the Seven Fords the year I was born.”

Formally, all nobles append the name of the noble house to which they belong. However, a noble may also be known for the manner in which they passed their test of mettle, for a distinguishing feature or for their heraldry. Geoffrey of House Rousillon, for example, might be known as Geoffrey the Brave, Geoffrey Wyrmsbane, Geoffrey the Short or simply Geoffrey Rousillon. An unpopular noble might find themselves mocked by the common use of an unflattering nickname.

Several noble houses retain the archaic prefix ‘de’ before the House’s name. The more traditional see this as mark of distinction and ancient lineage - other, newer houses have dismissed it as outmoded.

Sample names

- Male: Ancelyn, Balian, Bohemond, Eddard, Gawaine, Geoffrey, Guy, Hugh, Kay, Phillip, Rodric, Roland, Stephen, Tristan

- Female: Alys, Alienor, Annice, Circe, Elaine, Honour, Igraine, Isolde, Marguerite, Marthe, Mathilde, Melusine, Morgaine, Sibylla

Titles

Members of a noble house are addressed by their given name, prefaced with Lord or Lady (e.g. Lord Raynard de Courville). The head of the house may use only the house’s name (e.g. Lady Elaine de Courville, on rising to be the head of the household, is now addressed simply as Lady de Courville), but all other members must also use their given name.

A witch who is the head of a House usually adds the epithet of ‘Enchanter' or enchantress to their name. (e.g. Earl Raynard the Enchanter de Courville or often just Raynard the Enchanter.)

Yeomen usually take their trade as their surname (e.g. Fletcher, Steward etc.)

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Dawn religious beliefs

The Dawnish have little interest in impersonal sermons. They believe that a priest should move their congregation, to inspire them to greatness. Most noble houses desire to have a troubadour, who can perform tales and poems of the great Dawn legends. No Dawn inhabitant, yeoman or noble, can fail to be stirred to action when hearing the glorious tales of the heroes of the past. Troubadours provide moral guidance, filling the role of priests, as well as acting as historians, bards and keepers of legend.

The Dawn Assembly of the Imperial Synod is somewhat notorious for its competing troubadours seeking to use the Synod to validate and immortalise the subjects of their tales in fame - or sometimes in infamy. While some troubadours engage in the other business of the Synod, the majority put the interests of their own house ahead of any other duty or responsibility.

Embodiment is an important tradition for pious nobles of all kinds. A pious noble seeks to be recognised as a Champion of Virtue, embodying one of the Virtues to its greatest extent. Most nobles who aspire to be a Champion of Virtue are knights, especially questing knights. Each year during summer, aspirants who seek to be acknowledged as a Champion of Virtue meet with other aspirant Champions and the troubadours to share tales of their exploits.

The assembled troubadours award the accolade to the nobles who they feel best embody the Imperial Virtues - a position of great honour in Dawn. If they do not identify a fitting candidate for a virtue then they do not appoint anyone as the Champion. Lists are kept by the troubadours, who make a special point to repeat the tales of these pious individuals and encourage them to exemplify the Virtues not only to the people of Dawn but also to the rest of the Empire. Several Exemplars are known to have come from among the Dawnish Champions of Virtue, and at least one Paragon.

As with many positions of honour in Dawn, yeomen are not considered as aspiring Champions. If they had it in them to become honoured in this manner, they would be part of a noble house.

As far as the Imperial Synod is concerned, Dawn is one step away from being a hotbed of heresy. The people have adopted the Imperial Faith with gusto, but they continue to hold glory as the greatest calling, and often see virtue merely as a means to that end.

I write as one burdened by failure and shame. The Dawnish

embrace their immortality far more readily than they do the Seven Paths

of Virtue. Time and again, I have told them: Passion is not a Virtue;

Glory is not a Virtue; Greatness is the product of Virtue, not its purpose.

Yet, for all my efforts, many still see virtue as a means to an end,

not an end in itself. The Dawnish may aspire to match or exceed

the Paragons’ deeds, but only for the sake of their own Legends.

I am returning to the Chapter, but I bring with me a score of

Troubadours who would have their living knights recognised as

Exemplars, and pretty much all the dead ones as Paragons.

Simeon the Wayfarer, taken from Epistles to the Winds of Virtue, 14 BE

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Dawn territories

Dawn is relatively flat, dotted with expanses of largely untamed forest and rocky crags. The forests are maintained by the noble houses of Dawn as part hunting preserve and part training ground. They are home to wild animals, bandits, monsters and ruins, and occasionally these inhabitants cause trouble for nearby villages.

Territories

- Astolat

- Weirwater

- Semmerholm

- The Barrens (never conquered)

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Day Realm (Redirected from Day)

Redirect page

Realms

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Day magic

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Resonance

- 2.1 Divination

- 2.2 Revelation

- 2.3 Mastery

- 2.4 Perfection

- 2.5 Focus

- 2.6 Force

- 3 Dissonance

- 3.1 Deception

- 3.2 Intuition

- 3.3 Physicality

- 3.4 Passion

- 4 Further Reading

Overview

The magic of day is insightful, cerebral, rational and calm. It grants crystalline clarity, and unquestionable certainty. It is the magic of the conscious mind, of logic and reason; of knowledge and understanding. It lives in the eternal quest for mastery of the self and the world; it whispers that what can be understood can ultimately be controlled. It is the unblinking light that, should a mortal stare into it for too long, brings blindness.

The most obvious use for the magic of Day is in divination. Rituals of the magic of Day are effective at scrying the present, but they might also be used to uncover details about past events and to prognosticate about the future. It is impossible to divine precisely who will survive on a battlefield, for example, because there is so much randomness and chaos; but it is possible to extrapolate the likely outcomes of actions based on past experience. Day magic excels at uncovering details - numbers of troops, for example, or the precise magnitude of an enchantment. It does not guess - it reveals or divines the truth with relentless precision.

It is a realm of cool intellect, and can be used to clear the mind or suppress unwanted passions, even to the point of cutting one off from one's emotions. Not all revelations are benign - the mortal mind and senses can be overwhelmed with information or blinding light. It is also a magic that purifies – it can be used to destroy poisons and corruptions of various sorts, and restore things to pristine, unsullied forms – although in doing so it can destroy qualities such as experience or taste. Food that is purified with the magic of Day tends to end up tasting quite bland, and alcohol is purified to the point where it is just water.

Magicians who make extensive use of Day magic often describe it as being filled with energy and clarity - to an almost painful degree. Without the precise will of the magician directing it, the magical power simply continues to build and build until the ritual magician can bear no more and the powerful sensation becomes almost painful. When performing a ritual magicians are often intensely aware of the way the magic flows through them, under the control of their will - almost as if they were living lenses focusing the unformed power of Day to achieve their goals.

It is the most powerful realm because it reveals the truth - with limitless understanding comes a limitless power to control the world.

Critics of Day magic often claim that the realm is possessed of a seductive hunger for precision and control, that it whispers to those who attempt such rituals, seducing the unwary as they attempt to master it. Most of the eternals of the realm are unified by a strong philosophy of determinism and some magicians versed in the Realm come to share this view.

Resonance

Divination

Both the Day and the Night Realm resonate with divination magics, but each realm takes a radically different approach. While the Night Realm concerns itself with instincts, feelings, and qualities, the Day Realm is only resonant with measurable commodities and with rational quantifiable facts. Numbers, distances, quantities, all fall within the realm of Day and rituals that divine these pieces of information or which apply the knowledge in some way (for example, to find deposits of valuable minerals or avoid dangers during trade) are far more powerful here than with any other realm.

Although the Day Realm is pre-eminent in the divination of quantifiable information, even this realm has limits and many responses will come as estimates. However the realm despises pure conjecture and though eternals from the realm can be convinced to provide an opinion, divinations performed using Day magic never provide anything more than the facts that can be verified.

Examples: Bright Lantern of Ophis, Reading the Weave, Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart, Skein of Years, Clear Lens of the Eternal River, Sular's Promise, Eyes of the Sun and Moon, The Eye of the High Places, Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths, and the detect magic spell.

Revelation

The light of the Day realm dispels illusions, reveals secrets and shatters deceptions. It is the light of revelation that seeks the essential truth of all things. Revelation can be dangerous though; too much information can overwhelm a mortal mind. Likewise, too much light can damage mortal sight.

Examples: Piercing Light of Revelation, Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis, Swim Leviathan's Depth, All the World in a Grain of Sand, Revelatory Light of the Empyrean Spheres

Mastery

The Day Realm offers the gift of lucidity to those who can appreciate it. The realm resonates with any magics that help the subject be calm, rational, and clear headed. Skilled magicians have used the power of the realm to create rituals that help provide self-control of the mind and the body, focusing the attention and meditating to unlock memories and internal strength. The Day Realm encourages all these things in search of the ultimate goal, allowing the magician mastery of the world around them.

Examples: The Solace of Chimes, Crystal Clarity of the Rational Soul, Illuminate the Higher Mind, Ascendance of the Highest Mind, Thought Becomes Action, Transcendent Mastery, and Clarity of the Master Strategist.

Perfection

The Day Realm abhors impurity and weakness and seeks to remove it wherever it can. It longs for perfect, unchanging order. Crystals in particular are the favoured materials of the realm and many Day magicians make use of them in their rituals. This resonance empowers many Day rituals making them effecting at removing contaminants and poisons, or otherwise restoring things to their essential nature, as well as rituals that seek to perfect the self.

Examples: Ascetic Star of Atun, Distillation of Diverse Parts, and Cold Water from the Mountain.

Focus

Day magic offers more than just information. The skilled magician can use the power of the Realm to focus their efforts, allowing them to act in the optimum way at the essential moment. Such control can allow magicians to reach beyond their normal means or use their existing abilities in superhuman ways.

Examples: Horizon's Razor Edge, Sign of Aesh, Standing at the Threshold, Crystaline Focus of Aesh, and Alignment of Mind and Blade

Force

The Day Realm's association with light is well known, but the true resonance goes deeper than this. In the Day Realm light exists as an outpouring of energy, that drives all things before it. This tendency of the realm - to move things under the control of the wielder allows skilled magicians to use the energy of the Day Realm to repel their enemies.

Examples: Kimus' Glaring Eye, and the repel spell.

Dissonance

Deception

The Day Realm does not deceive, conceal or dissemble. While it tends to be direct rather than subtle, the Realm exists to bring the truth into the light and it cannot be used to hide information or obfuscate the facts.

Intuition

The Day Realm has no time for gut instincts, hunches or guesses, it deals only in quantities and facts. Some of the eternals of the realm can be cajoled into providing their view of something, based on the information they have, but this quality sets them apart from the Realm itself which provides no such conjecture.

This purity of approach can be a limitation. Divination rituals that use the Day Realm are always rigidly specific about what information they return, they are neither flexible nor adaptable.

Physicality

The Day Realm deals with concepts rather than materials - it divines information about them, but it doesn't manipulate physical objects. Day magic might be able to tell you why something was broken, but it cannot fix it. The realm is ethereal, and rituals that work directly on bodies and objects are often highly dissonant.

Passion

The Day Realm is the epitome of calm, methodical, rational thought. It might create powerful roleplaying effects, but they tend to be focused inward rather than outwards. It is much more likely to mute roleplaying effects than strengthen them and rituals that encourage passion and emotion are almost impossible to perform using Day magic.

Further Reading

- Ritual theory

- Spring magic

- Summer magic

- Autumn magic

- Winter magic

- Day magic

- Night magic

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

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Realms (Redirected from Day Realm)

Redirect page

Realm

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Day rituals

Ritual

Explanation

Magnitude

Ascetic Star of Atun

Removes venom.

2

Piercing Light of Revelation

Removes obscuring effects and opens night pouches.

2

Horizon's Razor Edge

Grants one-time use of cleave with a weapon.

3

Illuminate the Higher Mind

Shares knowledge of one spell with another magician for a season.

3

Distillation of Diverse Parts

Recover herbs from potion.

4

The Celestial Library

Gives book or scroll to Eternal.

4

The Solace of Chimes

Creates a calm roleplay aura.

4

Bright Lantern of Ophis

Analyses a magical effect.

6

Reading the Weave

Divine details of bonded item or person.

6

Cold Water from the Mountain

Gives a coven a one-use ability to cast purify over the next ten minutes.

8

Crystal Clarity of the Rational Soul

Grants an aura of calm and serenity to a character for a day.

8

Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart

Adds 8 additional ingots to the production of a mine over the next season.

8

Sign of Aesh

Reduces the magnitude of the next Day-realm ritual you cast by yourself by 2.

8

Skein of Years

Discovers information about the history of an item.

8

Ascendance of the Highest Mind

Target learns up to three spells known by the coven for a day.

9

Clear Lens of the Eternal River

Grants information about the immediate vicinity.

10

Thought Becomes Action

Grants the ability to cast all standard spells in 5 seconds.

11

Kimus' Glaring Eye

Grants the ability to call three repels with a rod over the course of a day as long as your other hand is empty.

12

Sular's Promise

Grants a fleet greatly increased results from trading action during the next season.

12

Eyes of the Sun and Moon

Divines details of campaign armies in a territory.

14

The Eye of the High Places

Divines effects on a region or territory.

14

Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis

Grants coven a one-use ability to cast paralyse over the course of ten minutes.

15

Swim Leviathan's Depth

Communes with an eternal to divine the causes events.

18

Standing at the Threshold

Allows a coven to perform an extra ritual each day for a season.

19

Carve the Crystal Guardian

Transforms a mana site into a powerful military unit for a season.

20

All the World in a Grain of Sand

Curses a character with madness that prevents ritual casting.

30

Crystaline Focus of Aesh

The next ritual the coven performs has it's magnitude reduced by 10.

32

Transcendent Mastery

Target gains all spell knowledge.

45

Alignment of Mind and Blade

Grant the use of one impale each day for a season when wielding one-handed weapon or one-handed spear.

50

Clarity of the Master Strategist

Grants an increasing bonus to a campaign army when it is on campaign.

80

Revelatory Light of the Empyrean Spheres

Grants one use of area-of-effect paralysis.

150

Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths

Enhances the production of all mines in the Empire.

160

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

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Day Song and Night Song

Words by Jude. Arrangement by Daisy. Original tunes are Kis kacsa fürdik and Móðir mín í kví, kví

Helper files

You can source a full score IC. Here are some recordings to help you learn.

Day Song - melody: File:Day-night.mid

Night Song - melody: File:Day-song-melody.mp3

Midi file of all harmonies: File:Night-song-melody.mp3 (it plays very slowly so you can pick out the harmony lines)

Day Song

Stitching and spinning Carding and weaving From light of morning On till the evening Forge fires are burning Bellows are blowing Mill-wheel is turning Work never slowing

Night Song

When the dark is falling When the sun is setting low When the evening skies are burning Leave them all and dance with meWhen the evening skies are burning Leave them all and dance with me

Listen to me calling Now the moonlight's on the snow When the midnight stars are turning Leave them all and dance with me When the midnight stars are turning Leave them all and dance with me

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Dean of Pilgrims

The position was created by unanimous vote of the Senate in Winter 378YE.

Responsibilities

The Dean oversees donations of liao to the Imperial Academy. The liao is intended to be used in the education of the future heroes of the Empire by the Academy at Anvil. The Dean is also likely to be responsible for overseeing the accomodation and support of religious visitors or pilgrims to the Academy.

Powers

The Dean of Pilgrims is an Imperial title appointed by the Senate and connected with the Academy.

Stipend

The Dean receives a stipend of 6 Thrones annually from the Senate budget.

Selection

This title is an Imperial position appointed by the Senate and serves until they die, step down or are revoked.

Powers

Stipend

The Dean of Pilgrims receives 18 liao each season from voluntary donations, supplemented by the Imperial Civil Service.

Removal

The Dean can be revoked by a simple majority of the General Assembly or by the Assembly of Nine.

History

During the Winter Solstice 378YE, the Senate approved an annexe to the spire of the Imperial Academy..

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Dean of the Lyceum

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Guiding the magicians of the Lyceum

- 3.2 Arbiter of Imperial Lore

- 3.3 Apartments at the Lyceum

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

- 7 OOC Note

Overview

The Dean of the Lyceum is an Imperial title in the Conclave bestowed on a magician.

The Lyceum was established during the reign of Empress Aenea on an island east of Siroc. It is a centre of arcane learning in the Empire, and the Dean of the Lyceum maintains sumptuous apartments here. Approach to the island is carefully controlled by the inhabitants, and the most promising magicians are invited to study or teach there. When not pursuing research for the Dean, the masters of the Lyceum dedicate themselves to their own pursuits in comfort and security.

In practice, many members of the Lyceum do not live in the physical college itself, rather they participate in research through exchanges of letters for which they receive a small stipend from the college. There are (for example) Varushkan masters of the Lyceum who spend most of their lives with their cabal, Urizen masters of the Lyceum who rarely leave their dreaming spires, and Freeborn and Navarr masters who make a great deal of use of Call Winged Messenger to send the results of their researches to their colleagues at the Lyceum while maintaining their mendicant lifestyles.

Responsibilities

The Dean oversees the Lyceum, and directs the progress of Imperial ritual research. While the Lyceum is often seen as the foremost centre of magical research, there is some rivalry with similar institutions elsewhere in the Empire and beyond.

While the Dean has the final say in the research agenda of the Lyceum, it is common for other magicians to approach her and suggest areas which might benefit one or other of the orders, Imperial Nations or other interest groups in the Empire. Historically some Deans have taken a scholastic approach to their position while others have used it to enrich themselves.

Powers

The Dean of the Lyceum is an Imperial title in the Conclave.

Guiding the magicians of the Lyceum

The Lyceum is a centre of magical learning where ritual magicians from across the Empire come to study, debate, discuss and pursue arcane mastery. In return for maintaining a good standard of living, these magicians are expected to perform ritual research and study for the betterment of the Empire. The Dean is responsible for setting the direction that research takes.

Firstly, the Dean can encourage the magicians of the Lyceum to cooperate in the creation of an arcane projection each season. This does not require the expenditure of any crystal mana. The projection will be valid during the next summit. It may detail a magical effect of any realm or magnitude.

Secondly, Dean can direct research towards formalizing a new ritual so that it can be mastered. The ritual must already exist in the form of an arcane projection, but there is no requirement to select one they have personally commissioned. It is important to note that creating a new formulaic ritual is an art not a precise science - the final ritual may differ from the spontaneous magic described in the arcane projection. The Lyceum can work on formalising one ritual at a time, and the research may take anywhere from a season to several years depending on the complexity and the resources available. The amount of time it takes to complete research into a ritual depends on the magnitude of that ritual. It requires at least three months (one season) for every twenty ranks of magnitude the final ritual will have. If research is not completed, the Lyceum keeps notes on their work so far, and may resume it at a later date from where it was left off.

At the completion, the Dean receives a ritual text suitable for use in mastering the ritual. The Dean may keep the knowledge of the ritual restricted to themselves and their allies, or through a Declaration of Imperial Lore the Conclave can have that ritual added to the wider body of Imperial Lore, making it available to any ritual magician in the Empire.

If the Declaration of Imperial Lore passes, the Conclave must raise the ten Thrones required to pay for the work involved. A motion requesting funding from the Imperial Senate is often put forward, if there are good relations between the two houses.

Arbiter of Imperial Lore

Once per summit, the Dean of the Lyceum can raise either a Declaration of Imperial Lore or Declaration of Interdiction to the agenda of a Conclave session without spending crystal mana. They follow all other rules and guidelines for submitting an article for the Conclave agenda (it must be in advance, with the assistance of a civil servant, and they are responsible for any presentation).

Apartments at the Lyceum

The Dean has fine apartments at the heart of the Lyceum itself. These luxurious chambers have been built and rebuilt by the finest architects the Empire has to offer and allow the Dean (and their family if desired) to live a rich lifestyle marked by fine food, access to luxuries and exposure to cultural excellence from across the Empire.

Selection

The appointment, replacement or removal of a the Dean is made by the declaration of candidacy as part of the agenda of a Conclave session. A candidate can be presented for the post of Dean only once a season.

Removal

The Dean cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod. The Dean serves until another magician takes the title, or another Dean is appointed in the Conclave. When a Dean loses their title, research on their projects ends although it is not unknown for a Dean to return to ealier projects of interest and have them completed in their name.

History

- The enigmatic Varushkan calabist, Simargl, the Empty One of the the Circle of Zulgan-Tash served as Dean in the years following the death of Empress Britta. A powerful master of Night magic, Simargl traditionally wore a great hood that concealed his features and was known for his acerbic humour - which some complained was indistinguishable from rudeness.

OOC Note

The Dean uses their ability to prepare an arcane projection during Downtime, and selects the arcane projection they wish to formulate by e-mail to Profound Decisions (empire.rules@profounddecisions.co.uk) prior to the next event. The final magnitude of the ritual text is not guaranteed to be the same as that of the arcane projection.

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Death's Door

Description

This staff is usually bleached white, then bound from head to toe in strips of black leather secured with iron fixtures. The iron is often allowed to become rusted, giving the item and even more threatening appearance. It takes its name from the idea that it opens the door of death - readying the target to be pushed through it. Some wielders claim that when they invoke its magic they hear a distant creak; as of a great iron-bound portal slowly opening. In Temeschwar it is sometimes called a black wedge implying that the door is held open for a waiting victim.

Some wielders report a peculiar phenomenon - in some cases the staff marks the palms of the wielder's hands with a sooty black mark that resists attempts to remove it with water and soap but fades naturally in a day or so. Those who make extensive use of the staff, especially those who supplement its power with their own performance of the venom spell find that the marks take longer and longer to fade and are a little larger each time. Apocryphal tales speak of a Volhov named Mstislav the White whose arms were said to be permanently stained black to the elbow thanks to his extensive use of the white gate, an artefact version of this staff bound in pale leather and secured with polished steel.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day when you cast the venom spell you can do so without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting death's door requires three measures of beggar's lye and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Step in. Strike. Release. Shudder. Step back.

The drill was as old as the Viper Company itself. Polonius had developed it when the enemy's numbers became clear; a means of terrifying the foe in the first seconds of the battle, knocking the wind out of their first charge. It was a stroke of genius, and since then, the High Gate Spire's artisans had begun producing the White Gates en masse.

Step in. Strike. Release. Shudder. Step back.

The shudder was an inevitability, the one moment in all the world that the men and women of the Spire were allowed, however tacitly, to lose their Poise. Endless training, envenoming one another to grow accustomed to the terrible, wracking nausea of the spell, reduced it to a second or two, but it was always there.

Breathe deeply. Focus. Accept. Begin casting. Deliver.

At the cry of 'Sting', the front-line Sentinels hefted their shields and took up defensive postures, allowing the staff-wielding second line their room to strike. Their precision was unearthly, their discipline formidable, and they moved with mechanical perfection. They could afford nothing less if they were to face a foe twice their number and win.

Step in. Strike. Release. Shudder. Step back.

The argument was logical, its premises sound and its conclusion inevitable. Sentinels did not feel fear in battle. The only thing the Vipers had to fear was their own spell-casting, the venom that poured both ways through the staff, the inevitable moment when they lost their Poise. So they would train, and train, and train, until their frail mortal bodies learned what their souls knew already: that they would win, that they must win, and that the soul-rending sickness was not a sympton of defeat but of victory.

Breathe deeply. Focus. Accept. Begin casting. Deliver.

There was no difference between the training-field and the battlefield. The First Fang would deliver the spell. They would step back, where others might stagger. They would turn to their partners, who would restore them within seconds. And then they would prepare the purgative spell themselves, while the Second Fang, their saviours, heeded the call to sting. Then they would heal the Second Fang, and set about the true business of battle.

Step in. Strike. Release. Shudder. Step back. Breathe deeply. Focus. Accept. Begin casting. Deliver.

Through practice, discipline. Through discipline, arete. Through arete, victory. Through victory, conquest.

There could be no other way.

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Declaration

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Procedure

- 2.1 Raising a declaration

- 2.2 Presentation

- 2.3 Debate

- 2.4 Resolution

- 3 List of Declarations

- 3.1 Declaration of Candidacy

- 3.2 Declaration of Concord

- 3.3 Declaration of Endowment

- 3.4 Declaration of Sorcery

- 3.5 Declaration of Reconciliation

- 3.6 Declaration of Amity

- 3.7 Declaration of Enmity

- 3.8 Declaration of Neutrality

- 3.9 Declaration of Imperial Lore

- 3.10 Declaration of Dissemination

- 3.11 Declaration of Interdiction

- 3.12 Declaration of the Balance

Overview

The Conclave has a number of powers to enable them to fulfil their constitutional role to support the proper use of magic by the Empire. These powers are grouped together as the Declarations of the Conclave. Declarations are used by the Conclave to determine policy and to appoint citizens to the Imperial titles appointed by the Conclave. They always require a vote by the assembled Imperial magicians to pass.

A declaration can generally be thought of as a short sentence beginning "The Imperial conclave declares ..." and then a single specific thing such as "...that I am Archmage of Winter" or "...that Sadogua should be considered an ally of the Empire."

Procedure

Raising a declaration

A declaration is placed on the agenda for the next Conclave session. Placing a declaration costs a mana crystal, which must be paid when the declaration is raised. The civil servant records the name of the person raising the declaration and the specifics of what that declaration is about. For example "Xavier i Guerra raises a Declaration of Sorcery against Pieter Vanderhooven" or "Lebannon of Haros Water raises a Declaration of Candidacy for the title of Archmage of Winter".

The grandmaster of each order has a power called the veil of night which allows them to raise a declaration to the agenda without revealing any specifics of that declaration, in which case it is recorded as ""The Grandmaster of (Order) raises a declaration."

Presentation

The format follows the approach used for an address. Each declaration in turn is announced by the civil service, in the order in which they were placed on the agenda. The individual who raised the declaration to the agenda then has one minute to present their position, they must spend crystal mana if they wish to speak for longer.

Debate

After the declaration has been presented, those present may pay mana for the right to discuss the subject, in order determined by the Principle of Precedence.

Resolution

After the discussion is complete, every Imperial magician present may vote in favour or against, or may choose to abstain. If more magicians vote in favour than vote against, the declaration is carried. In the case of a tie, the declaration is considered to have failed.

The civil servants supporting the meeting may choose to count votes on a general aye or nay where the outcome is very clear. If voting is required, magicians normally vote by raising their hands and are counted out by order with civil servant counting independents and verifying any counts.

List of Declarations

Declaration of Candidacy

The Conclave can declare someone to hold a specific title controlled by the Conclave. This is most commonly used to propose someone for the title of archmage, Warmage or Dean of the Lyceum, but there are a number of other temporary or permanent positions that might be allocated using this declaration. Occasionally, this declaration has been used to simply remove someone from their position, by declaring that their post should be filled with nobody.

It is typical for the civil service to group all declarations of candidacy that effect the same position together at the point on the agenda where the last one was raised and conduct a single vote for the position. In this case, each individual who has raised that declaration makes a presentation in the order they raised their candidacy, then a single discussion takes place followed by a single vote. The candidate with the most votes takes the title.

The incumbent does not automatically get to make a presentation - although there is nothing to stop them raising themselves as a candidate if they realise someone is challenging for their title. They may speak normally during the discussion period, and the incumbent is automatically presented as an option during the voting process without the need for a separate declaration.

A Declaration of Candidacy comes into legal effect at the end of the session, after all the gambits are resourced. It is the responsibility of the previous holder of the title to ensure that all regalia passes to the new title holder speedily and with the minimum of fuss.

Declaration of Concord

The Conclave makes an agreed upon statement of belief, intent or support. It has no binding legal element but clearly expresses the intent of the Conclave. It is often used to decide that the Conclave agrees to bring a matter before the Senate, and potentially to nominate someone responsible for liaising with the senators to raise a motion there.

Occasionally the Declaration of Concord is used in advance to declare that a specific magical act will not be considered sorcery. In 326YE for example, a number of curses were placed on individuals who had been identified by the Shuttered Lantern as supporters of the briars involved in the Freedom heresy. Given the personal power of several of these individuals, the covens involved sought this Declaration immediately before placing the curses and used it (successfully) as a defence when magicians associated with the Imperial Senate and Imperial Synod tried to have them declared sorcerers in the aftermath.

The Declaration of Concord has also been used to set in motion the sequence of events that lead to the creation or dissolution of a Conclave order.

Declaration of Endowment

Any mana or illium that the Conclave owns is automatically added to the Font - for distribution between the orders. Other property, such as materials, items, money and even resources, are not added to the Font - they remain the property of the Conclave until they are distributed by a Declaration of Endowment.

Anyone raising a Declaration of Endowment must state what property of the Conclave they wish to transfer and who to. The recipient may be any Imperial citizen - but it can also be one or more of the Conclave orders. Any resources, items or riches endowed on an order are added to that order's vaults. They may only be accessed thereafter via a gambit.

The Conclave cannot rescind a Declaration of Endowment; once passed the item or items become the full legal property of the recipient. The Conclave can indicate that they expect a magician to bequeath an item to the Conclave when they are finished with it, but they cannot create a legal obligation to do so as part of a Declaration of Endowment. If the Conclave is bequeathed a resource that provides an ongoing income then they may either pass a declaration to endow the resource - or instead endow some portion of the income accrued to date.

Declaration of Sorcery

The Conclave may declare a magician to be a sorcerer. The most common reason for this declaration is as a result of an abuse of 'legal curses' against citizens or allies of the Empire, or against those engaged in suspect trade of magical resources (often in conjunction with a legal penalty assessed by an Imperial magistrate). If this Declaration is made:

- the sorcerer is prohibited from contributing to rituals.

- the sorcerer is prohibited from carrying or using crystal mana.

- the sorcerer is not permitted to run a mana site; the resource is confiscated by the civil service.

- the sorcerer cannot hold any title within the Imperial Conclave.

- the sorcerer cannot use mana to raise an item to the conclave agenda.

- the sorcerer cannot use mana to speak before the conclave.

- the sorcerer is prohibited from knowingly interacting with Eternals or their heralds.

All crystal mana owned by someone declared to be a sorcerer is legally forfeit to the Conclave. A sorcerer who violates these prohibitions will be subject to arrest and trial before a magistrate. During the Spring Summit 378YE, the Imperial Senate voted to add a prohibition against interaction with eternals and their heralds to the declaration.

Declaration of Reconciliation

The Conclave may reconcile a sorcerer with the Empire. If this declaration is made, all rights that were taken from them are returned. They regain possession of any confiscated mana site, but not of any crystal mana it may have produced while they were sorcerers.

This declaration can also be used to remove or modify a ban placed by the declaration of interdiction.

Declaration of Amity

The Conclave may declare a specific eternal is an ally of the Conclave. Members of the Conclave are encouraged to demonstrate courtesy and even aid these Eternals, or their Heralds, where it is possible for them to do so. The Eternal, and any associated Heralds, gain the rights of Amity. This declaration overturns a declaration of enmity.

In some cases, the Empire has attracted the attention of an eternal they wished to intiate contact with through this declaration. The Declaration of Concord has been used occasionally with some success, but the most effective way to get the attention of an eternal who is not currently interested in the Empire is through the Declaration of Amity.

Further information about the rights of Amity and a list of the Eternals who currently benefit from these rights is available here.

Declaration of Enmity

The Conclave may declare a specific Eternal to be an enemy of the Empire. If this declaration is made, it becomes dangerous for anyone to consort with the Eternal named in this declaration, or with their Heralds. Such an act usually results in the offender being declared a sorcerer, but they may also face investigation by a magistrate for treason. Having enmity from the Conclave brings with it a number of other drawbacks. It automatically overturns a declaration of amity.

Further information about the effects of Enmity and a list of the Eternals who are currently enemies of the Empire is available here.

Declaration of Neutrality

This declaration removes either amity or enmity from a specific target and returns them to a neutral legal status. Any benefits gained from, or penalties imposed by, the previous status are lost at the end of the conclave session.

Declaration of Imperial Lore

Rituals that are part of Imperial Lore are widely available to any Imperial citizen. New rituals may be added to Imperial Lore by this declaration. The declaration instructs the civil service to arrange for a specific ritual be added to the body of Imperial Lore, allowing magicians all over the Empire to receive training in the ritual. This process requires three things:

- A copy of a ritual text detailing the ritual which is used up as part of the process

- A successful Declaration of Imperial Lore

- Ten thrones which are given to the civil service to pay for distribution of the ritual

Once a ritual is added to Imperial Lore it is functionally impossible to remove it. The best the Conclave can do is attempt to declare performance of the ritual to be sorcery with the Declaration of Interdiction. In the past, the Conclave has often approached the Imperial Senate for assistance paying the ten Thrones, but this requires a separate motion from the Senators.

Declaration of Dissemination

While rituals that are part of Imperial Lore are available to any Imperial citizen, there are circumstances where a magician might wish to share one of these rituals with someone else, or may simply desire a ritual text for their own personal library. Doing so invariably requires the creation of a ritual text, which can be handed over to the target. A magician who brings a declaration of dissemination before the conclave must name a specific ritual that is part of Imperial lore. They may also name a person or group who will receive the ritual text - for example "the Jarmish house of Radz" or "the Asavean ambassador". If the declaration passes, the civil service will arrange to create a ritual text and deliver it to the individual by the start of the next solstice or equinox at the latest.

Creating a ritual text through the declaration of dissemination requires ten thrones, which are given to the civil service to pay for the codification of the ritual.

Declaration of Interdiction

The Conclave may censor specific rituals, items and materials that represent a significant magical danger to the Empire. In the case of rituals it doesn't prevent knowing the ritual, but it means that producing the magical effect that that ritual creates is henceforth illegal. For magic items and materials it is illegal to use the interdicted items or materials and they should be handed in promptly to the civil service to be destroyed or placed out of reach, as appropriate.

Declaration of the Balance

This declaration requires every grandmaster pass a vote of confidence from the members of their order who are present. If the declaration succeeds then each order in turn votes whether to support for the grandmaster or not, starting with the order with the highest precedence. If the majority of members support their grandmaster, their position is safe; if the majority do not, then the grandmaster loses their position at the end of the conclave session, and the civil service arrange a new election before the next conclave session.

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Declarations of Amity

The following is a record of those eternals and heralds who are currently placed under a Declaration of Amity:

Name

Realm

Notes

Ylitha-Rose

Spring

Named as a grandchild of Yaw'nagrah and granted amity in the Summer of 378YE

Stormcrow Vora

Spring

Named as a grandchild of Yaw'nagrah and granted amity in the Summer of 378YE

Sadogua

Night

Named as a friend and ally of the Empire in the winter of 378YE

These entities are protected by Imperial Law.

This record was last updated following the Summer Solstice of 378 YE

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Declarations of Enmity

The following is a record of those eternals and heralds who are currently placed under a Declaration of Enmity:

Name

Realm

Notes

Eleonaris

Summer

This eternal was declared an enemy of the Empire in the Summer of 378YE

It is a crime for citizens to have dealings with these entities.

This record was last updated following the Summer Solstice of 378 YE

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Declarations of Interdiction

The following items have been placed under a Declaration of Interdiction by the Conclave:

Item

Notes

Drake's Eggs

These have been placed under interdiction since the summer of 378YE

Vallorn Rituals

These have been placed under interdiction since the summer of 378YE

Vallorn Seeds

These have been placed under interdiction since the summer of 377YE

Possession or use of the above items is a crime under Imperial Law

This record was last updated following the Summer Solstice of 378 YE

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Declarations of Sorcery

The following citizens have been named as sorcerers by the Conclave through a Declaration of Sorcery:

Name

Nation

Notes

Alex Lansdale of Bregasland

The Marches

Declared in the summer of 378YE

Evander Slak

The League

Declared in the summer of 378YE

Cnaeus the Briar

Unknown

Declared in the spring of 377YE

It is a crime for the above named to have crystal mana in their possession, perform rituals or interact with Heralds and Eternals.

This record was last updated following the Summer Solstice of 378 YE

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Declare peace with Barrens orcs

To declare those three tribes of Orcs previously subserviant to the Druj now occupying the Barrens to be Foreigners not Barbarians in the hope of opening negotiations with them.

Proposed by Temeschwar, seconded by Holberg.

Overview

- Under Imperial law, this motion grants all the legal protections and responsibilities of a foreigner to the orcs of the Barrens.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Campaign Outcome

- The declaration means that the orcs of the Barrens are foreigners under Imperial Law.

- As of the end of Spring 379YE, there has been no official response from the orcs of the Barrens.

Constitution

- While the orcs of the Barrens are recognised as foreigners, any invasion of the Barrens by Imperial troops would be a criminal offence.

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Declare peace with Lasambrian orcs

A declaration of peace with the Lasambrian orcs and promotion to foreign nation status, upon the condition of the return of the remaining occupied regions of Segura, in exchange for 62 wains of either Weirwood, Mithril or White Granite

Proposed by Segura, seconded by Astalat.

Overview

- Passed in principle

- Passed at 110 Thrones

Date

- Passed Autumn 378YE

Cost

- 62 wains of Weirwood, Mithril or White Granite

Progress

- Funds disbursed to Arisena i Ezmara i Guerra, Senator for Segura

Campaign Outcome

- The declaration means that the orcs of the Lasambrian hills are foreigners under Imperial Law.

- Magistrate's interpretation: A declaration of peace (or war) can only be absolute because a senate motion cannot compel the actions of a future senate. The conditions referred to above are therefore provided for information purposes only. In the event that the conditions are not fulfilled (or for any other reason) a future senate may raise a motion to declare war on the Lasambrian Orcs.

- After the Autumn Equinox, the Lasambrian orcs ceded the regions of Segura they controlled back to the Empire and withdrew into the Lasambrian hills.

- The Eastern Sky Imperial army of Dawn claimed the vacated regions for the Empire; there was some token resistance from a few orcs who refused to withdraw from the Empire, and from bandits who had prospered without Imperial law.

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Decoctions of Hoarfrost

Mastery of these recipes allows an apothecary to brew preparations valuable to ritual magicians versed in the Lore of Winter. With one of these potions a ritualist can wield the magic of the Winter Realm more effectively, but they also become more susceptible to the ambiguous influences of that Realm.

Decoction of the Hungry Moon

This black liquid has an unpleasantly oily texture, and often contains small amounts of bladeroot or marrowort matter as sediment that settles on the bottom of a flask. It must be shaken thoroughly before consuming. It tastes very unpleasant indeed, and while some apothecaries add sugar to the mixture the general consensus agrees that doing so can damage the potion's effectiveness. When consumed, it cools the blood and chills the heart; by focusing a magician towards the dark emotional states it enhances the synergy between a mortal and the Winter Realm.

Some Dawnish enchanters employ the decoction prior to having dealings with Winter Eternals; the emotional side-effects apparently help the enchanter achieve in a mindset conducive to negotiations with these dangerous creatures. With the same reasoning, some Varushkan Volhov have been known to embrace the moon before meeting with certain sovereigns. It is an expensive way to focus the mind, but one that has seen some success. While being possessive of allies and friends might make the magician prone to conflict with the Eternal (or the Sovereign), and make it hard to reach a compromise, it can be very helpful in ensuring the creature respects the negotiator even after the negotiations fail.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This black, oily elixir has a thick sediment at the bottom that seems to drink in any light that hits it. It tastes vile, like rotting meat. It would require quite an effort of will for most people to drink this liquid.

- Roleplaying Effects: This potion tastes unpleasantly of spoiled meat. You become emotionally cold but highly possessive and protective of your friends and allies.

- Mechanical Effects: If you possess the Winter Lore skill then you gain one additional rank to the next winter ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Two drams each of Bladeroot and True Vervain, one dram of Marrowort and one crystallized mana.

The Barren Watchtower

This gritty black elixir contains tiny pale particles in suspension, and has a dehydrating effect on the drinker. It permits a ritual magician to exert great power in the Realm of Water. It allows a ritualist to bind the powers of the Realm by force of will, dominating the magic and turning it to the magician's ends.

This potent elixir was perfected by the magisters of the Circle of the Barren Watchtower, a necromantic cabal studying at the Necropolis. Following some early criticism of their use of the elixir, the noted theologian of the time Saul pointed out that while such a potion can create dangerous urges, it also allows mortals to demonstrate their ability to perform ritual magic using only their innate abilities - it frees them from reliance on crystallised mana. Further, he asserted that a magician who knows that the elixir is influencing her thoughts is in a much better position to resist that influence - and receives valuable experience dealing with other un-Virtuous urges.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This black, oily elixir seems to drink in any light that hits it. The thick sediment at the bottom hangs in the liquid for several minutes after it is shaken up. The salty, bitter taste gives you an urge to rinse your mouth out.

- Roleplaying Effects: Drinking this elixir makes you very thirsty and dry mouthed. You become cold and calculating, seeing everything in terms of cost and benefit. Individual lives or needs become meaningless in the face of your goals and what you consider to be best. You feel a powerful urge to ensure you and yours are safe, regardless of the cost to other people.

- Mechanical Effects: If you possess the Winter Lore skill then you can use up to 3 personal mana as if it were crystal mana on the next winter ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Three drams of Bladeroot, two drams of Marrowort and one dram each of Imperial Roseweald, Cerulean Mazzarine and True Vervain.

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Defiant Steel

Description

Weltsilver steel is pale and reflective, but also resilient and flexible. Such armour is effective at absorbing the force of a powerful blow that might otherwise cripple or incapacitate the wearer. Reinforced with green iron and orichalcum steel, and inlaid with ambergelt and tempest jade, the armour focuses the will of the wearer to allow them to recover swiftly from attacks that might leave a lesser warrior maimed.

This enchantment is unheard of on full suits of plate, which already protect their wearer from broken bones. Instead, breastplates accompanied by greaves or bracers are the most common form, followed by sets of breastplates and helms. The armour’s power helps to make up for the reduced coverage, a boon for those who prefer a lighter and more flexible suit of plate. Leaders among the Freeborn Kohan favour this armour in the form of scalemail, calling is “Drake-scale” after the great reptiles which plague the region. Occasionally it is also called “Wyvern-scale”, as it is most useful to those without functioning arms.

Arm and leg coverings often double as splints to help the wearer push their limbs back into shape as they draw upon the armour’s power. Some suits are decorated with etchings of Cerulean Mazzarine to draw upon the knowledge of that herb’s healing sap, the image acting as a substitute for medical treatment. Others bear Xun, the rune of transformation, invoked to change a mangled limb to an unbroken one.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of heavy armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: With ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying you may spend a hero point to repair one of your limbs that has been ruined by the cleave or impale call.

- Materials: Crafting a suit of defiant steel requires seven ingots of weltsilver, five ingots of green iron, three measures of ambergelt, and three ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Through the fray came the naga, her gleaming blades a whirling storm that lopped off arms, scythed through wrists, gouged bellies and licked at necks; in her wake, a stream of dancing silken threads and bright strips of cloth tailing out from her armour. That armour shone, bright with brass and silver, its scales rippling and shimmering at each step the naga kohan took. She laughed and howled as she went, leaving blood and fallen foes behind as she danced onwards.

Watching the destruction being wrought by a single woman – and a scaled aberration at that – was infuriating. Strong warriors began to drop back from her coming, fearful of the dervish and her blades. The Thule champion gritted his teeth, jaw muscles taught, but kept his rage in check. The woman was the purpose of this raid, after all – the Thule had identified that she was the one bearing the artifact blades, a pair of lethal weapons that would be of far more use in the tribe's hands than some pathetic human girl.

At least, that's what the ritualists had told him, and the champion had nodded at the time because, well, how much challenge could one snake-woman and her allies be? And now here they were, a band of Varushkans and the kohan who had allied with them facing down the superior numbers of strong Thule warriors, and the first inklings of disquiet were worming their way into the champion's mind.

It had gone far enough, anyway. Since the massed blades of the tribesmen clearly weren't up to the task, he'd have to take matters in hand himself.

And so the kohan's dance of death came to a sudden halt, a bellowed cry ordering the nearest Thule orcs out of her path and leaving her in an open space with no victims in sword-reach. The woman, scaled of skin and armour, looked surprised for just a single moment; then, as she saw the champion thundering towards her, his axe whirling, she twisted those reptilian features into a fresh grin.

The champion snarled in satisfaction as that grin turned an expression of agony; his first feint worked and the axe-edge tore into her arm, leaving the human staggering away and clutching at the ruined mess below her right elbow.

One of her swords lay at her feet, a length orichalcum gleaming like a captured ray of sunlight amidst the grass.

And that was the trick of it, the ritualists had said. Together, the paired blades would be lethal, empowering her far beyond her normal capabilities; but now, with just a single blade, the magic would not come to her call. Her overconfidence had been her weakness.

“Yield or die,” he spat.

Sobs of agony turned to pained laughter. He scowled, forehead creasing into a frown, as the woman straightened up and smirked defiantly. Then even he, the scarred veteran of a dozen battles, winced in sympathy as there was a noisy cracking and splintering of resetting bone, fresh blood drizzling down from her ruined forearm; the armour itself seemed to flow and tighten, the scales glimmering and slithering like a fish in the sunlight – or, perhaps, like a moulting serpent.

It forced the arm back into shape as the serpentine human laughed out the last of the pain; and the champion watched in shock as sloughed-off, bloody skin slopped to the floor. What was left was a freshly mended limb, whole once more; the scales of the naga's hands looked tender and new.

She flexed the arm, nodded in satisfaction, and scooped up the second blade where she had dropped it. With that, the kohan gestured the Thule champion back for another try, and he gave a long-suffering sigh. Time to do this the hard way, then.

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Define Jarmish embassy

To assign the Jarmish Embassy a remote principality to work with.

Proposed by the Imperial Civil Service.

Overview

- The Senate requests that the Principalities of Jarm construct their Imperial embassy in the port city of Rigia in the eastern Principalities.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- This decision should cause the Principalities of Jarm to recognise the Imperial embassy in Cargo.

- Oswi Twice-Burned was appointed Ambassador to Jarm at the Autumn Equniox 378YE

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Delve Deep, Beneath the Mountain

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 12

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 1.5 Limitations

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 12

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a mine. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

At the start of the next event the target mine provides 100 rings and six ingots of additional materials, in addition to the materials it would normally provide. The additional materials are always of the same type as the basic mine, regardless of any improvements.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional mines in the same territory. Each additional mine increases the magnitude by 10. The character who controls each mine must be present throughout the ritual.

Limitations

This ritual is not able to affect the production of mithril, weirwood or white granite.

Description

This ritual was first developed by the Urizen, but has proved extremely popular in Varushka. It uses the magic of Summer to provide valuable benefits to the mine itself, to the workers who operate the mine, and ultimately to the owner. In parts of Wintermark there is a similar ritual called Build the Dragon's Hoard, which seems particularly effective at finding rich deposits of gold.

Firstly, it keeps mine workers strong and healthy, helping them work long hours without becoming exhausted. Furthermore, accidents become less common, as pit-props are reinforced and mine tunnels themselves are simply less likely to collapse. These factors help the miners to uncover additional ingots of the precious materials that are so useful to artisans

Secondly, it helps the miners to find pockets of valuable materials - gemstones and precious metals especially. A bounty of diamonds or sapphires, a king's ransom of mithril or silver, even a rich seam of coal or iron - all these can be sold at a handsome profit, whether directly to individuals or to representatives of the bourse. Occasionally some wonder of the deep earth is uncovered; a cavern whose walls glitter with crystals; a black sea of fresh water that has never seen the light of day where blind white fish devour each other and are in turn devoured by larger fish; or a gallery where every movement causes echoing sounds to roll through the depths. Without this ritual, these natural splendors would never be seen by mortal eyes, and some magicians anticipate the discovery of another such delight with bated breath.

Finally, some workers report hearing odd noises in the depths. Tunnels sometimes appear that have not been carved out by any mortal hand. Sometimes miners report hearing "songs" in the dark - deep bass voices rumbling under the earth, and barely-audible whispering on the edge of hearing. The latter is especially true when they are drawing close to a hidden pocket of valuables, as if the gold itself were singing to them. While some miners find the experience unsettling, others begin to enjoy being under ground so much that they spend more and more time in the lightless depths, sometimes just wandering the tunnels with their lanterns, as if looking for something. Perhaps it is fortunate that the ritual does not last more than a season or so.

Common Elements

The ritual helps bring prosperity to a mine owner. Ritual performances often include the evocation of the rune Feresh or Tykonus, or sometimes the rune of wealth. Hearth magics and symbols associated with good fortune and Prosperity are also commonly evoked, such as shedding small amounts of blood or offering a cup or bowl of wine or mead to the targets - especially when this involves one or more coins or polished gemstones.

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Designing a costume for your character - a Marcher Costume diary

Contents

- 1 Costume Design for Larp

- 1.1 Part 1 - Design and Planning

- 1.1.1 What sort of person is my character going to be?

- 1.1.2 What IC and OOC practical considerations do I need to take into account?

- 1.1.3 What images from the media appeal to me that might help me with my design?

- 1.1.4 Ready to scribble?

- 1.1.5 Breakdown - Layer by layer

- 1.1.6 What have I got already?

- 1.1.6.1 Accessories

- 1.1.6.2 Fabric and materials

- 1.1.7 So what do I need?

- 1.1.7.1 Fabric

- 1.2 Part 2- Making it

- 1.2.1 Sewing with Commerical Patterns

- 1.2.2 Specialist Historical Patterns

- 1.2.3 Pattern Books

- 1.2.4 Kirtle

- 1.2.5 Cloak

- 1.2.6 Smock

- 1.3 Finished!

Costume Design for Larp

Getting the right costume can be a crucial part of developing your character - not all of us have the luxury of commissioning a complete outfit from scratch, and assembling a new look from a mix of old and new kit can be a real challenge. Here's how I generally go about designing and assembling costume, using my work-in-progress Marcher musician as an example as I go.

Part 1 - Design and Planning

What sort of person is my character going to be?

Here's where you try and get a basic idea of the person you're going to portray. Are they rich or poor? Practical or fanciful? What do they like and dislike? What elements of the brief am I going to pick up on here?

One of the fun things I liked about the Marches brief is its practicality - it's not that the people aren't well off, it's just that they see no reason to squander money on fripperies - in fact, there's a real reverse snobbery that I thought I could pick up on. I want this outfit to be understated and very plain, for the most part, with a few little details that make it stand out. I'm going to use a palette of mostly browns, greys and creams, with a few touches of brass and gold here and there.

What IC and OOC practical considerations do I need to take into account?

Most outfits need a pouch to carry your IC money; it's helpful to have another pouch or a hidden pocket to keep your OOC essentials, such as OOC money and spirit gum for running makeup repairs. You can set yourself a budget here if you like...!

I'm considering using facial prosthetics for this character, so the neckholes are going to have to be reasonably wide to accomodate potential horns, and I might need to consider lacing down the front. I'll tuck the skirts up when it's muddy.

I also really, really hate getting cold at events, so I want lots of layers that I can pile on at night.

What images from the media appeal to me that might help me with my design?

Have a look at the internet - it's full of pictures from films and TV that might help you get an idea of how you might want your outfit to look. You don't have to copy them, but forming a mini "mood board" can help you get an idea of what you might like your costume to look like.

The look of Marian in the recent Robin Hood film, Lady Stark in Game of Thrones and Eowyn in Lord of the Rings all appeal to me - that slightly worn, grimy practicality was something I really wanted to get across in my costume. I also like the layers of the toning colours in these costumes - while I'm not going to copy any of them exactly, I like the colour palette and the general style.

Ready to scribble?

You don't need to be a great artist to draw a quick sketch, and you don't need to show it to anyone but yourself! If you find it difficult to get the proportions of figures right, [this] webpage has templates you can print out and trace, then sketch the rough lines of your costume out over the top.

Terrible, isn't it? Wax crayons clearly aren't my medium. However, you can make out the rough outlines of the design - a white headscarf, an ankle length dress with apron and front lacing, a belt, elbow length sleeves and a darker brown shoulder cover/partlet (which I'm not altogether convinced by, on looking at it, but it can be added or not at the end.) I think I might also add a very similar overdress/kirtle, but I'm confident enough that it'll look ok that I don't feel the need to draw another layer - though I might before the end.

Breakdown - Layer by layer

So, I'm now fairly confident that I know what I want my outfit to look like. Layer by layer, I'm going to wear:

- a white cotton or linen long sleeved smock (I have a short sleeved one that'll do at a pinch). I might make a couple of these as they'll get pretty sweaty in use, and it'd be nice to have a fresh one each day at the event. They also keep my outer layers from getting stinky.

- a brown wool kirtle. I think I'll line this, for neatness and durability, but I'll use lightweight cotton for the lining to stop it being too hot. Elbow length sleeves and pin-on ones for cold nights.

- a slightly different shade of brown wool over-kirtle - I'll make this one a bit baggier and not bother with a front closure. This may cause problems if I have outsize horns, but I think two layers of centre front lacing, one over the other, might be a bit clumsy. I'll line this in wool for warmth, I think.

- I'm considering a dark brown wool cloak, possibly lined in polar fleece, with fur trim around the collar.

- A pair of short hose (possibly in red wool)

- Belt, with accessories

- Headscarf and apron, possibly a hood as well, but I'll come to that at the end (and once I've decided on horns/no horns)

What have I got already?

You can have a look through your kit stash and see if there's anything you can use - in fact, sometimes you can base a whole costume around a really great bit of kit that you have already. What do I need? Always worth a rummage in your local charity shop.

Accessories

Despite having a huge pile of junk in my house, this costume is much more understated than the kind I usually go for, so I'm a bit worried that I won't have anything that'll work. However, a quick rummage shows up a wooden cup, a brown leather belt, a pouch and a big ring of brass keys, which all work with the look I'm going for. With this costume in mind, I also picked up a couple of linen tablemat type things from Oxfam for the princely sum of £2 and £4, which will be my apron and headscarf. I've got my medieval boots, which I might dye or beeswax to a co-ordinating colour (but I'll save that for the end). I also have my trusty coyote fur, which I got from House of DeClifford and which is presently on a different cloak.

Fabric and materials

I've got three metres of some heavyweight homespun looking wool (charity shop, £10), which will do nicely for the overkirtle. I've also got about 8m of cotton calico leftover from other projects which will line the kirtle nicely. Brown thread, check. Packet of eyelets for the front, check.

So what do I need?

Fabric

For the kirtle, I'll need 3m of wool -- a quick call to [Ceolred Monger] furnished me with 8m of lovely brown wool herringbone (£5 per metre)- lightweight and with a great stretch across the bias. Why 8m I hear you ask? Well, the first three metres is for making into my dress. The second 5m is for lining the overkirtle for coziness, but I want to machine wash it (and dye it) so that it felts up, and you lose a lot of length doing that. (2 packets of Dylon later, and it's a subtly different brown, but it does look like a different fabric, which I wanted - I don't want to be too "matchy" across the layers).

If I make the cloak, I'll need between 3 and 6 metres of heavy wool coating in brown, and possibly the same amount of polar fleece. Yes, it's not an historically accurate fabric, but like I said, I really, really hate being cold at events, and nothing compares to a polar fleece lining for staying warm.

Part 2- Making it

When it comes to making your gear, you'll have to decide whether to use patterns or not. For the early medieval period, lots and lots of garments were constructed out of squares and triangles, and with a measuring tape and a sense of adventure you can make tunics, trousers, cloaks and surcotes without needing a pattern. For more fitted garments, either for a later period or for more fantasy inspired creations, patterns can go a long way towards making your job a lot easier.

Sewing with Commerical Patterns

Commercial patterns are readily available online and in sewing shops, and have the advantage of being generally quite simple to follow, well illustrated and fairly clearly explained. Some of them can be a bit 'costumey', in the sense that they'll make something that's all right to wear once or twice to a party, but might prove uncomfortable or flimsy with repeated use. I prefer my kit to be more durable and feel like something that my character could wear day-to-day (or at least regularly), so a bit of careful selection is needed when choosing a pattern like this. Many brands, such as Simplicity, McCall'sButterick and Burda have specific lines dedicated to costuming for cosplay and Renaissance faires which can be very handy. Be warned though -these patterns run very large, and assume that you're 5 ft 6 and (if a woman) a B cup, so you might well want to make a trial run in cheap sheeting before you cut your expensive fabric. The sizes they use are not the same as "ready to wear clothes", so always measure yourself and get the size that corresponds to your measurements. You might also want to consider changing a zip (if the pattern calls for it) for lacing - partly because it looks more "coolthentic" in many cases, but partly because zips can catch or jam in a field, rendering the whole garment unwearable - disastrous if you haven't brought a spare.

Finally - a word of caution - these companies have a pretty wide definition of what counts as medieval. Don't trust their research - decide what you want to look like and find a pattern to match.

Specialist Historical Patterns

By contrast, specialist historical patterns by the likes of Reconstructing History or Authentic Patterns are usually brilliantly researched and period appropriate. They might not be as easy, though, might need you to use more specialist sewing techniques and sometimes the pattern pieces don't fit together very intuitively. They may also be shaped to fit a body moulded by foundation garments of the period (which you can usually get a pattern for, you just need to build your costume from the body out). You won't usually have to adapt them much, though, and if you're a reasonably confident sewer they can be a brilliant starting point. They are usually a bit more expensive than commercial ones, but are printed on thick paper rather than tissue, which makes them very re-usable. You won't generally get them in sewing shops, though, so you'll have to get them online or at re-enactment fairs.

Pattern Books

If you're going to be doing a lot of sewing, getting a few books with scalable patterns can be a good investment. The Medieval Tailor's Assistant is a fantastic book which I heartily recommend to anyone interested in making their own costume, and available on Amazon amongst other places. There's nothing to stop even a beginner using the techniques described - it looks daunting at first but everything is broken down step by step, so if you're feeling brave jump in and see how you get on.

Kirtle

I drafted my own pattern for the kirtle, partly using the techinque described in The Medieval Tailor's Assistant. It consists of four pieces for the body, and two elbow length sleeve pieces. Because I was machine sewing, though, I used a victorian technique for the lining which is described here- it's a bit tricky to get your head round at first, but once you get going it works very well. Given that it was the first time I'd tried it, I'm very, very pleased with the results - the lining matches perfectly and is secured at every seam. I then lined the sleeves separately, and faced the neckline and the hem by hand using bias strips cut from the wool.

Here's the dress made up and pinned to my dummy before adding trim, sleeves and eyelets for lacing

For the front closure, I left the front seam open to about 8 inches lower than my waist, then set eyelet in with eyelet pliars at 1 inch intervals, following the pattern for spiral lacing. 58 eyelets later came the arduous task of oversewing them all with embroidery thread - partly for the look of the thing, and partly because it makes it damn near impossible for the eyelets to pull out in use. Then, inspired by the kit guide written for Cabot's Company, a group with astonishingly high kit standards, I luceted a long cord out of some brown knitting wool to lace up the front.

The sleeves I made separately, basically by using the sleeve bit from this pattern which I've used before, and lining it in the same cotton calico as the dress. I then can tuck it up under the sleeve of the dress, stick a pin through all layers at the shoulder and have long sleeves when I want them, and short sleeves for working or in hot weather.

Cloak

I found drab khaki coloured wool melton on eBay for £5 per metre, so bought 6m to make a full circle cloak. I used the full width of the fabric and ended up with a wonderful, floor length, soft, drapy cloak that looked sensational. Unfortunately I had the revelation that it would be the worst idea in the world to wear it in a potentially soggy field, so I chopped it off to mid calf length. On the up side, I had enough left over for a winged hood, lined in the remnants from my sleeves.

Smock

I cut up an old brown bedsheet to make a smock, using the T tunic pattern on the wiki. Nice cool underlayer for the hot days, and the fact that the bedsheet had been washed about a million times makes it lovely and soft.

Finished!

This is me posing - I'm pleased with it!

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Detect magic

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This simple divination is invariably the first one that a magician learns to cast. Every magician is able to cast it; along with Operate portal and Create bond, it represents a shared suite of powers common to everyone who works magic. Being able to perceive magical auras is a key part of learning to cast spells and perform rituals. Once an apprentice magician masters the ability to attune their perceptions to magic, the spell allows them to perform a number of simple functions relating to magical energies.

While many magicians think of magical auras in terms of visual effects, the experience of detecting magic is highly personal. Some magicians, especially those who have studied the music of the spheres, interpret magical effects in terms of musical notes. Magicians with naga lineages in particular are known for their discerning senses and report feeling, smelling or even tasting magical auras through the use of this spell.

Detect magic is versatile but does not provide in-depth information about a magical effect. Where complex magical effects are concerned, the Bright Lantern of Ophis is much more effective at divining details of a magical effect.

For all it's versatility, a magical investigator can rapidly deplete their store of personal mana. Anyone who wants to specialise in this kind of divination may want to invest in a Seer's Probe which allows the wielder to cast extra detect magic spells in a day (and, as a bonus, grants access to voice for the dead as well).

Finally, it is worth noting that perception of magical auras is not restricted to magicians - the Magpie Infusion is a herbal preparation that can be used to duplicate the effect of detect magic in a limited fashion.

Casting

- Type: Regular spell

- Cost: 1 Personal mana

Effects

This flexible spell can be used to perform a number of seperate tasks, but only one may be used each time the spell is cast. Each of these uses requires the assistance of a referee.

- Discern Enchantment. By casting the spell on a single target that is close enough to touch, you determine the level and realm of any enchantment on the target.

- Identify Ritual Performance. You can use this spell to discern the magnitude and realm of a ritual that is being cast if you are close enough to hear the words of the ritual.

- Identify Magical Item. By casting the spell on a single magic item you can determine it's basic abilities. When used in this way it does not reveal the presence of any additional qualities such as the presence of a curse, hallow or hidden roleplaying effect. Using the spell in this way will also detect any enchantments on the target item.

- Discern Arcane Mark. You may cast this spell on a single target to determine if they have an Arcane Mark, and whether than arcane mark is the same as your own (assuming you have one). When cast for this specific purpose, it does not discover any other information about enchantments on the target. This use of detect magic is closely tied to the Right of Challenge of the members of the Conclave orders.

- Discover Conjunction. Detect Magic can also be used to interact with the Sentinel Gate, the powerful teleportation portal that stands in Anvil and allows characters to quest and take part in battles. When you use the spell in this way, you can ask a referee if a specific conjunction is anticipated. You must specify as exactly as possible the destination you are looking for - it is not enough to just name a territory or region. For example, you might ask if there will be a conjunction to "The shrouded glen, on the outskirts of Mournstead in Liathaven" - it is not enough to just ask if there is a conjunction to Liathaven or Liath's Ring. When used in this way, the referee will tell you if there is a conjunction; when it will open; how many people may pass through it; and any special circumstances that related to that conjunction.

Some effects can conceal information from detect magic, but in that case the presence of the obscuring effect itself is always detected by this spell. There are no enchantments that will cause detect magic to give false information.

If the spell targets an item. and that item is under the effect of Mark of Ownership, then details of that mark are revealed in addition to any other information sought with the specific spell use.

Sample Vocals

The following are sample vocals you can use to cast this spell if you don't want to make up your own.

- (with eyes closed and one hand almost touching the target) "By the light of the hidden moon, let my inner eye be opened. Let my inner eye be opened and let me see more than mortal men. Let me see more than mortal men and look beyond the world of colour and shape. Let me look beyond the world of colour and shape and see the true world beyond. Let me see the true world beyong, and let my inner eye be opened. Let my inner eye be opened, bu the light of the hidden moon."

- (evoking the Door) "Upon my brow is the crown of four stars; it grants me authority to command the hidden gate. Let the star of the east attend and grant me wisdom; let the star of the west attend and grant me insight. Let the star of the south burn away the shadow; let the star of the north grant me sight beyond the veil. Let the paths of the future be shown to me, Sentinel Gate I command you speak to me with the voice of the Heavens."

- (sketching each rune in turn in the air above the target) "I cast the runes before me. I invoke the bright lantern. I invoke the light of truth. Illuminate this (man/woman) with the light that reveals all. I bring for the light that drives away confusion and lays bare the secret lore at the heart of all things."

- (during a careful examination of the target) "I have been called and I am here; the Doctor, who sees keenly and separates truth from deception. My keen eyes cannot be deceived, by keen wit cannot be lead astray, my voice cannot be stilled when I speak of hidden things. Nothing can hide from my gaze, and all secrets are laid bare before me. I come to present my diagnosis, as I have been bid."

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: The obvious runes to include in detct magic are Sular, Aesh, Ophis and Irremais all of which deal with knowledge or information. The runes Diras and Wyr might also be appropriate to some casters, especially when exploring a mysterious or enigmatic magical effect. Finally, a rune that reflects the nature of the target might suggest itself - the rune of plots suits an attempt to detet an arcane mark for example.

- Astronomancy: the Key suits detect magic in general, as does the Spider, but it is worth noting that the Door has obvious correspondences when using the spell to determine the presence of a conjunction on the Sentinel Gate.

- Dramaturgy: Two personae are associated with this spell. The Doctor works through careful examination and study of a target, while the Witch represents a more intuitive approach. Lantern, which reveals things when lit, is also a good match for this spell - either pretending to kidle an invisible flame in an actual phys-rep or calling its authority as a tool of revelation and discovery.

- Other traditions: A Dawnish witch might evoke the power of a wise sphinx, while a Wintermark or Varushkan magician might call on totems associated with wisdom (ravens and spiders or squirrels respectively).

- Realms: Detect magic, as a divination, has clear correspondence with the realms of Day and Night, but it could also been seen as an expression of wisdom and thus tied to the realm of Winter. Determining information about an object, or about the Sentinel Gate also has obvious resonance with the Autumn realm.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Detect_magic&oldid=33024"

Devastating Maul of Inga Tarn

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 30

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 30

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

Four times per day the target may call SHATTER against a shield with a two-handed weapon.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 16. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual is named for the Exempalr or Courage Inga Tarn, whose miraculous strength and unquenchable spirit serve as an inspiration throughout the Empire. It allows an individual to shatter the shields of opponents, and gains additional potence when combined with a heroic warrior wielding a weapon such as a Reaving Mattock or Landsknechts Zweihander. The enchantment potentially allows one person to batter down a line of shields all by themselves.

Other versions of this ritual exist; The Ruinous Blade is a similar ritual that is often used with greatswords or two-handed axes, while The Trollcrusher's Mattock is an old name for the ritual attributed to the Steinr runesmiths or Hahnmark.

Common Elements

This ritual often involves symbols of Courage, and invocations of physically powerful creatures such as bears, gryphons or dragons. Sometimes riven shields are used as a component, and the target may be encouraged to undertake a symbollic act of destruction as part of the performance such as breaking a board with fist or foot.

Verys, the run of might is commonly used with this ritual, either drawn on the arms of the target or on their two-handed weapon.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Devastating_Maul_of_Inga_Tarn&oldid=31252"

Devastating Scythe of Anguish and Loss

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 150

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Uses

- 1.5 Option

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 150

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single mage implement which must be present during the ritual.

Effects

The power of the ritual is stored in the implement targeted by the ritual. Any one of the contributors can unleash the power of the ritual while holding the implement to allow them to call MASS SHATTER.

The power of the ritual can be invoked only once.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Additional Uses

The ritual can be used to place more than one use into the target implement. Each additional use increases the magnitude of the spell by 100. Any uses left over are lost at the end of the ten minutes. You cannot charge up more than one implement with this ritual.

Option

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute tempest jade for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of tempest jade spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Description

This battlefield ritual allows a powerful magical attack to be unleashed against a group of enemies. It destroys all their shields, weapons and implements, regardless of whether they are currently wielded or not. The shattered items can be repaired as normal, but until they are the targets are effectively disarmed.

Like similar rituals, the attack is temporarily stored in a rod, staff or wand, and then unleashed at the most tactical moment. Unsurprisingly, this effect is very demoralizing and usually results in surrender or rout by the effected enemies.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, a coven often invokes symbols of destruction, loss and despair. Some magicians spit spiteful invocations of hate and malice, while others engage in pounding war chants or evoke powers of rot, rust, age and ruin. This is a ritual that creates a violent force, and as such the ritual itself is often violent with sudden movement and discordant or clashing music. Drums and cymbals are quite appropriate, but the sound of horns being blown can be a particularly powerful element.

The focus of this ritual is an implement, and the role it plays in the ritual can be quite important. Some ritualists take it in turn to beat the implement against a solid surface, passing it back and forth as the strength of the ritual grows. Others place the implement in the middle of the ritual and move around it, touching it with their hands and magic as they increase the power of the ritual. Many covens create a specific implement for use in this ritual, usually a staff, and mark that staff permanently with runes of destruction and ending.

Other common elements in this ritual might include runes, especially Yoorn or Mawrig. The rune of hunger or the rune of weakness might also be evoked, as might mighty beasts known for their devastating strength and ferocity such as the chimera or dragon.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Devastating_Scythe_of_Anguish_and_Loss&oldid=32641"

Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Ministry

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

- 7 The Title in Play

Overview

The Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills is an Imperial title awarded to a Freeborn citizen. It is a national position appointed through the Bourse.

The Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills serves as an arbitrator and mediator charged with keeping peace between the often volatile families of Kahraman. In the process, the Dhomiro encounters plenty of opportunities to trade for orichalcum from the mines of Damata; tempest jade from the quarries of the Jade Range. and beggar's lye gathered from the beggarwood forests above Gambit.

Some Dhomiro take their title very seriously, and spend their spare months actively travelling through Kahraman looking for opportunities to improve the lot of the Freeborn who live there. Others leave the job to agents - reaping the rewards of their position by proxy.

Responsibilities

There is a tacit expectation that the Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills will help ensure the economic stability of Kahraman - and where possible help increase the prosperity of the mine owners and artisans that make the hills their home. In practice, they are rarely called on to intervene directly but it is not unknown for inhabitants of Kahraman having purely economic problems to bring them to the Dhomiro before they bother a senator with them - even where the title holder is not themselves a Kahraman native it is assumed they have sufficient self-interest to remain concerned about the general economic welfare of the hill dwellers.

On occasion, the Dhomiro may be asked to help out with problems concerning the Great Mine of Briante or the Damation Cliffs, especially where those problems have arisen from conflict between the Freeborn and the individual who holds the Imperial Bourse seat. Some politically astute Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills have invested the wealth they accrue from their title towards placing trusted family members in control of those valuable seats on the Imperial Bourse.

Powers

Ministry

As a ministry, the title of Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills allows the holder to purchase quantities of special materials at a set price. The Dhomiro spends their decision about how much money to spend during downtime from their character page. Money is removed from, and resources are placed into, the character's inventory when the downtime is processed.

Total Money Spent

Production

9 Crowns

7 ingots of Tempest Jade, 3 measures of Beggar's Lye and 3 ingots of Orichalcum

17 Crowns

10 ingots of Tempest Jade, 6 measures of Beggar's Lye and 6 ingots of Orichalcum

24 Crowns

12 ingots of Tempest Jade, 7 measures of Beggar's Lye and 7 ingots of Orichalcum

30 Crowns

14 ingots of Tempest Jade, 8 measures of Beggar's Lye and 8 ingots of Orichalcum

35 Crowns

16 ingots of Tempest Jade, 9 measures of Beggar's Lye and 9 ingots of Orichalcum

Selection

This title is appointed during the Autumn Equinox. The Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills is appointed by citizens of the Brass Coast who control fleet personal resources. The larger the fleet an individual has, the more votes they can allocate in support to a candidate. The voting is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.

Only a Brass Coast character may hold the title. They do not receive a seat on the Bourse nor access to the private auction.

Removal

The Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills is appointed every year. They cannot be revoked by any Assembly of the Imperial Synod.

History

- Estrella of Feroz was appointed to the title in Winter 378YE.

The Title in Play

The role does not provide additional information about events in the Empire, nor allow the player holding it to request special reports or downtime actions. These details are assumed to be below the abstraction layer. The title holder is encouraged to create their own stories about their activities within reasonable limits and to get involved in events appropriate to their title during the game, but they do not have any powers beyond those explicitly listed in the section on powers.

These details exist partly to provide context and character to the role - and partly to allow our writers to use the title as a plot hook. Plot that involves the position will be rare - but all the campaign positions in Empire have these details to create the potential for it to happen.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Dhomiro_of_the_Cinnabar_Hills&oldid=30589"

Diras

Contents

- 1 The Shuttered Lantern, Rune of Secrets

- 1.1 Using Diras in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Diras

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Shuttered Lantern, Rune of Secrets

Diras is the Shuttered Lantern, the mirror and antithesis of Ophis, Rune of Revelation. The light inside is concealed, as the truth is concealed within a secret. It is sometimes called the Thief’s Lantern, because it governs things that are actively concealed or hidden, as well as obfuscation, illusion and active deception.

Diras especially applies to the idea of hidden knowledge; the more someone attempts to conceal a fact, the more it becomes governed by Diras. What the Shuttered Lantern conceals, it can also be used to uncover; some magicians use Diras exclusively in their divinations, claiming that this approach is more intuitive and challenging than the brute force approach represented by using Ophis.

Despite it's use in uncovering secrets, this is very much a warding rune. Sometimes called the Vault, Diras represents a valuable item protected by secrecy. It is rumored that the lives of each of the Volodny is concealed inside a container marked prominently with this Rune which is why they are so difficult to find. The weakness of these hidden lives is that one person (the Volodny) must always know where the item is, making it vulnerable to powerful divination.

At one time, Diras was known as both the Magician's Rune and the Apothecary Rune. Both professions presented the inner workings of their craft as secrets, and guarded them jealously from other practitioners. In this aspect it was sometimes called the Gate of Silence or the Threshold, and passing through Diras was a metaphor for the accumulation of secret learning. Since the Founding of the Empire this interpretation of the Diras has fallen into disrepute. Shortly after joining the Empire, the efforts of the magi of Urizen to found the Conclave and strengthen the magic of the nations saw a concerted effort to replace the use of Diras in this fashion with Aesh, Rune of Thought.

The Rune of Secrets differs from Wyr, the Rune of Mystery in that a secret is invariably something that is actively concealed, wheras a mystery is something that is by its nature difficult to understand. In some ways the relationship between Diras and Wyr mirrors the relationship between Ophis and Sular the rune of discovery.

The Rune has strong associations with the powerful Night Eternal Sadogua, Patron of Wizards, and that enigmatic creature regularly uses the rune as it's personal sigil. Magicians who accept a gift of secrets from the Toad King are often marked with Diras in the form of a tattoo, brand or birthmark somewhere on their bodies.

Using Diras in magic

Diras is evoked with magic that conceals or hides things, but it can also be used with magic intended to uncover such things. It is a powerful rune to use with magic that deceives through illusion, or through diverting or preventing divination. It is often sewn into the fabric of a container intended to be the target of the night pouch incantation.

Crafting with Diras

Because it has a connection to obfuscation and concealment, Diras is used as part of the fastening of a cloak worn by a scout, thief or assassin. It is also a common rune painted on masks or sewn into veils - any piece of clothing whose purpose is to obfuscate or confuse identity; given the nature of the rune, however, it is common for craftsmen to use all their artifice to try and conceal the rune itself, a practice especially prevalent among Kallavesi, Freeborn and League crafters. Diras is also engraved onto locks and vault doors, on the threshold of private chambers, and onto the lids of coffers and lockboxes whose contents are protected by secrecy as much as by strong steel.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Diras in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneDiras.jef

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Diras&oldid=32278"

Dirge for Fidele

Youtube version at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpVZMalZWdA There are several variations on this song, more info here: http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=14863

Fear no more the heat o' the sun, Nor the furious winter's rages; Thou thy worldly task hast done, Home art gone, and ta'en thy wages; Golden lads and girls all must, All follow thee, and come to dust.

Fear no more the frown o' the great; Thou art past the tyrant's stroke: Care no more to clothe and eat; To thee the reed is as the oak: The sceptre, learning, physic, must All follow this, and come to dust.

Fear no more the lightning-flash, Nor the all-dreaded thunder-stone; Fear not slander, censure rash; Thou hast finished joy and moan; All lovers young, all lovers must Consign to thee, and come to dust.

No exorciser harm thee! Nor no witchcraft charm thee! Ghost unlaid forbear thee! Nothing ill come near thee! Quiet consummation have; And renownéd be thy grave!

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Disburse additional funds for Marcher army

235 thrones to COMPLETE the raising of the 4th Marcher Army..

Proposed by Upwold, seconded by Bregasland

Overview

- A request for additional funds towards the commission of a fourth Marcher army.

- Passed at 235 Thrones

Date

- Winter 378YE

Progress

- 235 Thrones disbursed to Senator Upwold.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_additional_funds_for_Marcher_army&oldid=35384"

Disburse funds for mithril research

To fund research by the Provost of the Halls of Knowledge to increase Mithril production in Redoubt, and request that that research is made available in Imperial Lore.

Proposed by Redoubt, seconded by Astolat.

Overview

- A request for funds to be used by the Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

- Passed at 34 Thrones

Date

- Winter 377YE

Cost

- Request was for 34 thrones toward the cost of research, and an additional 10 thrones to make the results part of Imperial Lore.

Progress

- Funds disbursed to Senator Redoubt

Campaign Outcome

- Preliminary research has indicated that it is impossible to use ritual magic to improve the production of mithril, white granite, weirwood or ilium.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

27

0

Passed

At 34 Thrones

27

0

Passed

At 44 Thrones

10

17

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_for_mithril_research&oldid=30959"

Disburse funds for strategic rituals

Overview

- Request for funds to provide mana towards the performance of strategic rituals.

Progress

- 95 Thrones disbursed to Ariadne of the Auric Horizon, Proxy Senator for Morrow during the Autumn Equinox 378YE

- 25 Thrones disbursed to Probus, Senator for Redoubt during Spring Equinox 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- The intention of these motions is that the funds be used to purchase crystal mana to allow the performance of rituals that benefit the Empire and the Imperial armies on a strategic level.

Autumn 378YE

Disbursal of funds for the intention of funding of the purchase of Mana to be used for strategic military purposes.

Proposed by Morrow, seconded by Sarvos.

Overview

- Passed in principle

- Passed at 95 Thrones

- Money to be distributed to Senator Morrow

Spring 378YE

Disbursal of funds with the intent of use to be casting strategic rituals on armies.

Raised by Redoubt, seconded by Madruga.

Progress

- 25 Thrones disbursed to Senator Redoubt

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

23

5

Passed

at 25 Thrones

17

11

Passed

at 50 Thrones

12

16

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_for_strategic_rituals&oldid=35363"

Disburse funds for strategic rituals II

Dispersement of funds to purchase resources to assist in strategic castings.

Proposed by Morrow, seconded by Sarvos

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

Overview

- A request for funds with which to buy materials for rituals with military applications.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Cost

- Passed at 100 Thrones

Progress

- 100 Thrones disbursed to the Senator for Morrow

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_for_strategic_rituals_II&oldid=35513"

Disburse funds to add a ritual to Imperial Lore

To request funding to place a ritual, approved by the conclave, into imperial lore.

Proposed by Karov, seconded by Miekarova.

Overview

- A request for funds to be used to add a ritual to the body of Imperial Lore.

- Passed at 7 Thrones

Date

- Spring 379YE

Progress

- Funds disbursed to Simarghl, proxy Senator for Karov

Campaign Outcome

- The cost to place a ritual in Imperial lore is 10 Thrones, and requires a declaration of the Imperial conclave..

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_add_a_ritual_to_Imperial_Lore&oldid=36029"

Disburse funds to add Skein of Years to Imperial Lore

Disbursal of funds to place a ritual developed by the halls of knowledge into Imperial Law: Skeins of Years.

Raised by Morrow, seconded by Bregasland

Overview

- Request for funds to pay for adding Skein of Years to Imperial Lore.

- Ritual developed at the Halls of Knowledge.

Date

- Summer 378YE

Progress

- 10 Thrones disbursed to Senator Morrow

Outcome

Adding a ritual to Imperial Lore requires a Declaration of Imperial Lore from the Imperial Conclave. These funds are intended to pay for the ritual to be added, pending the decision of the Conclave.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_add_Skein_of_Years_to_Imperial_Lore&oldid=28692"

Disburse funds to aid Liathaven citizens

Send an aid package to Liathaven

Proposed by Kalavasa, seconded by Therunin.

Overview

- A request for funds

- Passed at 10 Thrones

Date

- Passed Autumn 378YE

Progress

- Funds disbursed to Uskolli, Senator for Kallavesa.

- Additional funds for this project were contributed to the civil service by Geraint Broad-Backed, consisting of 4 Thrones, 7 Crowns, 16 rings and 5 measures of Ambergelt.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_aid_Liathaven_citizens&oldid=29999"

Disburse funds to Autumn Archmage

Disbursement of funds to the Archmage of Autumn intended for use in ritual "Bound to the Common Cause"

Proposed by Bregasland, seconded by Semmerholm.

Overview

- Disburse funds to the Autumn Archmage to fund the casting of Bound by Common Cause.

- Passed at 5 Thrones

Date

- Winter 377YE

Progress

- Funds disbursed to Senator Bregasland

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

18

6

Passed

At 5 Thrones

17

7

Passed

At 10 Thrones

10

19

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_Autumn_Archmage&oldid=26371"

Disburse funds to Bregasland

Overview

- Request for funds to be used to resupply the Imperial armies.

Progress

- Autumn 378YE, 400 Thrones disbursed to Orrick, Senator Bregasland

- Summer 378YE, 200 Thrones disbursed to Orrick, Senator Bregasland

Autumn 378YE

Motion to provide funds with the intention of resupplying the Imperial Armies, either though future motions or the Imperial Quartermaster.

Proposed by Bregasland, seconded by Hahnmark

Summer 378YE

To distribute funds to Bregasland with the intention of resupplying the armies. The Quartermaster General will be called as an expert witness.

Proposed by Bregasland, seconded by Mitwold

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_Bregasland&oldid=29647"

Disburse funds to Conclave Grandmasters

Overview

- A request for funds to be used by the Grandmasters of the Conclave orders

Date

- Passed Winter 377YE

- Passed Summer 378YE

- Passed Autumn 378YE

Progress

- 12 Thrones disbursed to Senator Kahraman in Winter 377YE

- 25 Thrones disbursed to Senator Redoubt in Summer 378YE

- 26 Thrones 4 Crowns disbursed to Marissa Shatterspire, Senator Redoubt in Autumn 378YE.

Constitution

The Constitutional Scholars point out that while the Senate can indicate it's wishes as to how the money it disburses should be used, these wishes have no legal standing and all such disbursements can be used as the recipient sees fit.

Autumn 378YE

Disbursal of funds with the intention of purchase of mana though the Ministries of the Grand Masters for the Conclave Vaults.

Proposed by Redoubt, seconded by Volodmartz

Summer 378YE

Disbursement of funds to the Grand Masters of with the intention of buying Mana for the Vaults.

Proposed by Kahraman, seconded by Redoubt.

Winter 377YE

Disbursal to the Grandmasters of the Conclave with the intention that they use the funds for the purchase of mana.

Proposed by Kahraman, seconded by Redoubt.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

26

0

Passed

At 6 Thrones

26

0

Passed

At 12 Thrones

26

0

Passed

At 18 Thrones

5

21

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_Conclave_Grandmasters&oldid=29693"

Disburse funds to hire Autumn mercenaries

Proposed dispursal of senate funds to engage Autumn Realm military Auxillery (armies) to support imperial campaign in Holberg. 3 Armies are available for hire. 40 Thrones per Army.

Proposed by Weirwater, seconded by Semmerholm

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Progress

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- A request for funds to hire eternal mercenary soldiers from the Autumn realm.

- Passed at 120 Thrones

Date

- Winter 378YE

Progress

- Funds disbursed to Senator Weirwater.

Campaign Outcome

- Unknown

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_hire_Autumn_mercenaries&oldid=35508"

Disburse funds to Miekarova militia

To fund militia in Miekarova to crush the anarchy cultists there.

Proposed by Miekarova, seconded by Volodmartz

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Progress

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- A request for funds to help deal with the situation in Miekarova.

- Passed at 26 Thrones

Date

- Winter 378YE

Progress

- Funds disbursed to Senator Miekarova.

- 26 Thrones paid to fund the Miekarova militia.

Campaign Outcome

- The disruption in Miekarova is disrupting the operation of military units based in that territory (a penalty of 6 resources if the military unit were raiding, or 60 strength if assigned to assist an Imperial army).

- 26 Thrones is sufficient to partially mitigate the disruption (a penalty of 2 resources if the military unit is raiding, or 20 strength if assigned to assist an Imperial army).

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_Miekarova_militia&oldid=35389"

Disburse funds to nominated entity

Disbursal of 200 thrones to a nominated entity, with the intention that it be used to pay wages and upkeep in the event of imperial deficit, and that the remaining be repaid to senate funds in one year.

Proposed by Astolat, seconded by Tassato.

Overview

- Attempt to create a loan to a nominated individual from the senate treasury.

- Defeated

Date

- Spring 378YE

Constitution

It is not possible for the Imperial Senate to act as creditor to a loan, but it may disburse funds to a senator who could then enter into a loan agreement which would be legally binding. However the Senate cannot set terms for how a disbursement must be used - nor even create a legal requirement for it to be repaid.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

15

13

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_nominated_entity&oldid=28152"

Disburse funds to the Dean of the Lyceum

Respond to a request for funding to add two rituals to the body of Imperial Lore.

Proposed by Feroz, seconded by Morrow.

Overview

- A request for funds to be used by the Dean of the Lyceum to add two rituals to the body of Imperial Lore.

- Passed at 20 Thrones

Date

- Spring 378YE

Progress

- Funds disbursed to Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra, Senator for Feroz

Campaign Outcome

- The rituals The Cuckoo's Egg and Clad in Golden Raiment were added to the body of Imperial Lore in accordance with the decision of the Imperial Conclave.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

24

0

Passed

10 Thrones

24

0

Passed

20 Thrones

24

0

Passed

30 Thrones

1

23

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_the_Dean_of_the_Lyceum&oldid=36028"

Disburse funds to the Gatekeeper of Wisdom

I propose that funds should be granted to the Gatekeeper of Wisdom for the purchase of true liao to investigate past life visions over the next year.

Proposed by Karov, seconded by Madruga

Overview

- Request to allocate funds to the Gatekeeper of Wisdom.

- Passed at 8 Thrones

Date

- Winter 378YE

Progress

- Funds disbursed to Senator Karov

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_the_Gatekeeper_of_Wisdom&oldid=35385"

Disburse funds to the Jarmish Cartel

To approve the organisation of the Jarmish Cartel, who seek to trade with the new port of Eastern Jarm exclusively, in return for the virtuous release of their slaves in contract, within one year. A disbursal of 50 thrones to cover the agreement of Eastern Jarm will be required.

Proposed by Segura, seconded by Kharaman

Overview

- This motion combines senate approval of the Jarmish Cartel with a disbursement of funds.

- Passed at 35 Thrones.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Progress

- 35 Thrones disbursed to Senator Segura

Campaign Outcome

- This motion refers to the eastern Jarmish port of Rigia, recently opened to the Empire following the completion of the Jarmish Embassy in Cargo.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_the_Jarmish_Cartel&oldid=36049"

Disburse funds to the Quartermaster General

Disbursal of funds with the intent of use to be given to the Quartermaster General for resupplying of up to eight armies. (Requested, 225 thrones).

Proposed by Tassato, seconded by Astolat.

Overview

- A request for funds for the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- Passed at 175 Thrones

Date

- Spring 378YE

Progress

- Funds disbursed to Senator Tassato.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

25

1

Passed

100 Thrones

25

1

Passed

125 Thrones

25

1

Passed

150 Thrones

25

1

Passed

175 Thrones

17

8

Passed

200 Thrones

10

16

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_the_Quartermaster_General&oldid=27012"

Disburse funds to the Quartermaster General II

To allocate funds for resupply of the Imperial Armies.

Proposed by Bregasland, seconded by Sermersuaq

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

Overview

- A request for funds for the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- Passed at 300 Thrones (defeated at 350 Thrones).

Date

- Winter 378YE

Cost

- 300 Thrones

Progress

- 300 Thrones disbursed to Senator Bregasland.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_the_Quartermaster_General_II&oldid=35382"

Disburse Funds to the Quartermaster General III

Motion to resupply the imperial armies.

Proposed by Bregasland, seconded by Hahnmark

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

Overview

- Despite the wording of this motion, this motion is to disburse funds with the intention supplying the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies with sufficient funds to purchase materials to perform emergency resupply of as-yet unnamed Imperial armies.

- Passed at 100 Thrones.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Cost

- 100 Thrones

Progress

- 100 Thrones disbursed to Senator Bregasland.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_Funds_to_the_Quartermaster_General_III&oldid=35969"

Disburse funds to Ywain de Gauvin

Disbursement of funds with the intent to purchase or commission a Vorpal Sword for Sen. Ywain De Gauvain in recognition of his virtuous acts on the battlefield.

Proposed by Casinea, seconded by Conscience.

Overview

- A request for a disbursement to be used to commision a Vorpal Sword.

- Defeated in principle

Date

- Winter 377YE

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

3

21

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_funds_to_Ywain_de_Gauvin&oldid=26308"

Disburse further funds to the Quartermaster General

Disbursal of funds with the intention that the Quartermaster General can resupply the imperial armies.

Proposed by Skarsind, seconded by TBC

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

Overview

- A further request for funds in addition to those disbursed through an earlier motion.

- Passed at 200 Thrones.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Cost

- 200 Thrones

Progress

- 200 Thrones disbursed to Senator Skarsind.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_further_funds_to_the_Quartermaster_General&oldid=36150"

Disburse Imperial budget

Any excess Senate budget at the end of a festival be divided equally between the Military Council and the Conclave for the betterment of the Empire.

Proposed by Volodmartz, seconded by Redoubt.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Legal Ramification

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Any excess Senate budget at the end of a festival be divided equally between the Military Council and the Conclave.

- Passed with 10 votes against

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013).

Cost

- All remaining budget

Any money left over at the end of an event is split 50/50. One sixth goes to each Archmage vault I think, and the remaining cash is passed to the Military Council civil service until allocated by Council vote.

Legal Ramification

The Senate cannot force the Conclave or the Military Council to reveal how the money is spent. The money, once given to the other houses, is theirs to do with as they will; the senate surrenders up all claim to how it's spent or what is done with it.

Money given to the Conclave is added to the vaults of the archmagi.

Campaign Outcome

- Permanent allocation of budget created

Imperial civil servants will continue to distribute the Senate budget according to this system until instructed by a Senate motion to stop.

Development: The disbursement was abrogated during Summer 377YE.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_Imperial_budget&oldid=24010"

Distillation of Diverse Parts

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a potion prepared by an apothecary which must be present throughout.

Effects

This ritual targets a potion created by an apothecary. It renders the potion down into it's component parts allowing the herbs used to brew the potion to be recovered. This may take a short time to complete.

The ritual will not recover Liao or mana crystals that have been used in a potion, although it will extract a ring of ilium that has been used in the creation of a powerful elixir.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional potions. Each additional potion increases the magnitude by 1. Additional potions must be present throughout, but there is no requirement for them to be of the same type.

Description

This is a relatively simple ritual that separates a potion into it's various parts. In addition to the herbs that are recovered, it leaves the ritualists with neat piles of salts, mundane herbs, thimbles of water or alcohol and the like. One odd element is that the ritual always provides the herbs used in a standard recipe; it doesn't seem to matter if the apothecary who brewed the potion used an item such as an Escharotic Cauldron to substitute additional herbs.

This ritual 'can' be used to extract the components used in a poison that has been mixed with another substance, but only if the poison has not already been ingested, and if the ritual is begun 'before' the poison breaks down and becomes useless.

The ritual destroys a dose of liao if there is any in the potion; the reason for this appears to be that it breaks the liao down into it's component pieces along with everything else in the elixir. Likewise, it cannot return crystals of mana because they are 'used up' in the creation of the potions that involve them. It 'can' get ilium out of a potion, however, and that rare ability makes it occasionally a very lucrative ritual indeed.

Common Elements

This purification ritual often involves fire, but might just as easily involve lenses or mirrors used to reflect light onto the targetted potions. In some cases, the ritualists engage in procedures familiar to the herbalist, but in reverse. Repeatedly diluting and then decanting the potion, or using a process of magically-enhanced distillation may also be an element. The rune Cavul is often invoked, unsurprisingly.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Distillation_of_Diverse_Parts&oldid=30928"

Distill the Serpent's Stone

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 70

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 70

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. Performing this ritual requires one ingot and one measure of each of the eight special materials, as well as a single ring of ilium.

Effects

During this ritual the four ingots and four measures of special material, and the ring of ilium are combined to create an egg-sized mass of dark material known as a serpent's stone.

The material is stable and permanent once created. It can be used once to perform one of the following powerful effects:

- A magician can use the serpent's stone to temporarily boost a single Realm Lore skill by 5 ranks while performing a single ritual, even if they do not possess that realm lore normally.

- It can be used to transform up to thirty ingots or measures of any one of the eight special materials into thirty ingots or measures of any one of the other materials (except ilium) permanently.

- It can be used to remove poisons. It will immediately purify a single character any venom they are suffering, and will cure any poison for which a cure exists, provided the patient is still alive.

- It can be used to remove curses of magnitude 70 or lower that involve poison, sickness or physical debilitation. For example, it will remove the Curse of Decrepitude or the Curse of Gangrenous Flesh.

When used for any of these purposes, the serpent's stone is consumed and used up.

Description

This ritual is the current pinnacle of alchemical transformation. It seeks to create a perfected material, a substance of higher nature than the dross of the mundane world around it. To a degree it succeeds - the serpent's stone is able to purify almost any substance and remove almost all poisons as well as many curses. It hints at the possibility of true transformation, the ability to move beyond The Eight-spoked Wheel and The Retrograde Wheel to master the physical world. It even has the ability to greatly enhance ritual magic, offering raw power to any magician that can be channeled to create powerful effects.

Some alchemists refer to the serpent's stone as the azoth, a theoretical or legendary material that provokes unexpected and miraculous changes in materials and individuals. This exotic liquid may be entirely conceptual, but the Eternals Soghter and Murit are often associated with it, and some alchemists believe that this ritual is the first step towards uncovering the nature of this awesome substance. These alchemists believe that mastery of the azoth would allow an alchemist complete mastery of the material world.

This ritual is also ruinously expensive, and there are covens who have beggared themselves trying to discover the secret of the stone's transformative power..

Common Elements

This is an alchemical mystery, and almost always includes elements such as fire; beakers, bowls and other pieces of alchemical equipment; water and other liquids, including blood (some ritualists use a little blood from one each of a human, a changeling, a briar, a naga, a cambion, a draughir, and a merrow); charts and diagrams; and the other trappings of this ancient magical lore. The ritual requires the ritualists to combine eight ingots of special material and an ingot of ilium, and consequently a vessel such as a crucible or cauldron is often the central focus of the magic.

Many ritualists wear masks or veils when they perform this ritual - not least because there are occasionally noxious byproducts of the transformation. This ritual is often performed in private; the serpent's stone is powerful, and can be a highly coveted treasure.

The forces of the heavens are often referenced in alchemical rituals. If the theory that the stars represent in some way the tools of the Creator are true, then evoking the power of astronomancy seems entirely appropriate to the practice of enacting permanent transformation. The constellation of The Great Wyrm in particular is likely to be evoked. The names of the Eternals Murit and Soghter are sometimes used, especially in their aspects as the Azoth, a theoretical compound that provokes miraculous transformation.

The rune Xun which represents transformation is usually evoked with this magic, although it is common to include Wyr, Diras and even Zorech to show that this ritual is near the pinnacle of the study of Night magic; it is also a mystery, and the material it creates comes as much from secrets as the passion for alchemical mastery. Some alchemists also include Aesh for the power of the mind, or Cavul to represent the idea of purifying materials into higher forms.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Distill_the_Serpent%27s_Stone&oldid=31583"

Disburse Imperial budget (Redirected from Distribute Imperial budget)

Any excess Senate budget at the end of a festival be divided equally between the Military Council and the Conclave for the betterment of the Empire.

Proposed by Volodmartz, seconded by Redoubt.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Legal Ramification

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Any excess Senate budget at the end of a festival be divided equally between the Military Council and the Conclave.

- Passed with 10 votes against

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013).

Cost

- All remaining budget

Any money left over at the end of an event is split 50/50. One sixth goes to each Archmage vault I think, and the remaining cash is passed to the Military Council civil service until allocated by Council vote.

Legal Ramification

The Senate cannot force the Conclave or the Military Council to reveal how the money is spent. The money, once given to the other houses, is theirs to do with as they will; the senate surrenders up all claim to how it's spent or what is done with it.

Money given to the Conclave is added to the vaults of the archmagi.

Campaign Outcome

- Permanent allocation of budget created

Imperial civil servants will continue to distribute the Senate budget according to this system until instructed by a Senate motion to stop.

Development: The disbursement was abrogated during Summer 377YE.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Disburse_Imperial_budget&oldid=24010"

Dos Vidanya

Original Music & Lyrics by Anna Clifford Tait and Stephanie Heath

RECORDING of this song : Dos Vidanya

Chorus: Dos vidanya, those who go before us Dos vidanya, our blood and our heart Pahka, we'll soon come to meet you Just for now, good bye and good night.

No tears we weep for you, we understand Your lives were gave up to appease our cold land But darkness and hunger, they touch you no more Now your names are woven into our land's lore (=law: deliberately ambiguous)

The strength that you offered, the kindess you shared The visions that drove you, the passions that flared As long as these mem'ries remain like a spark Then you remain also, to light up the dark.

Bridge, kinda: We whisper your names to the flames We whisper your names to the flames We call on the memory of the bargain we made We whisper your names to the flames

(Then hum, or repeat bridge as necessary, while those around the fire come forward and whisper to the fire the names of the lost) (Finally repeat chorus)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Dos_Vidanya&oldid=25292"

Down in the Rugged Glen

Original Song by Jamie Wakefield (https://soundcloud.com/jamie-wakefield/down-in-the-rugged-glen)

Chorus – D G D Cadd9 D x2; Verses - C D Csus2 D x2

Chorus (Slow) Down in the rugged glen, From olden days that are for-gotten Over the hills and then, Across the water.

Verse 1 Until the time, When ways we have trod converge into one, Full of grace, And gathering where we dance in the sun.

Chorus Down in the rugged glen, From olden days that are for-gotten Over the hills and then, Across the water.

Chorus (Double time) Down in the rugged glen, From olden days that are for-gotten Over the hills and then, Across the water.

Verse 1 Until the time, When ways we have trod converge into one, Full of grace, And gathering where we dance in the sun.

Chorus Down in the rugged glen, From olden days that are for-gotten Over the hills and then, Across the water.

Verse 2 And when the day turns dark, The fires will burn and brighten the night. Take my hand, And dance with me 'til the dawn's first light.

Chorus Down in the rugged glen, From olden days that are for-gotten Over the hills and then, Across the water.

Coda Down in the rugged glen, From olden days that are for-gotten Over the hills and then...

(Slow) …Across the water.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Down_in_the_Rugged_Glen&oldid=24519"

Dragonbone Orb

Description

Most dragonbone orbs are made of ceramic, wood or stone inlaid with tempest jade; although there are some metal or glass orbs of this type, many craftsmen consider these to be inferior materials. They are usually adorned with swirling lines that do not touch one another; with dragons and wyverns; or with symbols specifically relevant to the coven that will use them. A dragonbone orb is infused with potent enchantments and attuned to the power of the bonds that unite a coven. With it, a coven can use measures of dragonbone to enhance and manipulate the bonds that connect them, reinforcing their personal power and using to to reduce or in some cases replace the need for crystal mana in their rituals. Unlike other similar orbs, a dragonbone orb must 'rest' after each use, and some covens refer to the item as if it were a living thing that is 'exhausted' through use.

Dragonbone orbs rarely take other forms, although some are crafted in the shape of ceremonial rods. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses it is careful to ensure that it plays a central role in their ceremonies. The dragonbone orb is a potent representation of the bonds that tie a coven together, and the power that their oaths allow them to wield.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Once per day members of the coven who are performing a ritual they have mastered may use dragonbone in the place of crystal mana. Every two measures of dragonbone spent count as one crystal mana.

- Materials: Crafting a dragonbone orb requires eight ingots of tempest jade and five measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Dragonbone_Orb&oldid=32403"

Dragonbone Reliquary

Description

A dragonbone reliquary generally takes the form of a sturdy box or other container, marked with symbols of the sect to which it is a sacred object. While the most common form is as a container for relics, this is by no means the only shape these items take; anything that is imbued with spiritual significance or spiritual power may serve as a dragonbone reliquary.

As with all reliquaries, the dragonbone reliquary is bonded to an entire sect of the faithful, offering them additional spiritual strength. It is very rare indeed for such an item not to be hallowed simply due to the strength the sect can draw from such a ceremony being shared among them all. More importantly, the dragonbone that is used to infuse the reliquary strengthens and supports potent spiritual ceremonies; when offering succour to their fellows, the priests of a sect bonded to a dragonbone reliquary can create and remove auras of impressive strength.

Rules

- Form: Reliquary. Takes the form of a ceremonial reliquary.

- Effect: When a member of the sect performs anointing, dedication, exorcism or excommunication on a member of the sect, they gain an extra rank of strength to the ceremony by spending an additional Liao.

- Materials: Crafting a dragonbone reliquary requires nine measures of dragonbone and four ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Dragonbone_Reliquary&oldid=32391"

Dragonbone Symbol

Description

A symbol of dragonbone is a common piece of jewelry worn by the devout. It is popular with adherents of the Way who are not themselves priests. While it's power is limited, it provides spiritual strength in time of need. It is very popular with those who must spend extended periods of time away from friends and family, especially those who will be beyond the reach of a trusted priest. The most common form for one of these symbols to take is an amulet, medallion, pendant or badge marked with a symbol associated with one of the virtues, a paragon or exemplar, or with the Way as a whole. Tiny amounts of dragonbone are worked into the symbol, which serves as a focus for the hallow ceremony.

Rules

- Form: Jewellry (Talisman)

- Effect: When this item is the subject of a hallow ceremony, the effect of the ceremony lasts as long as the item does.

- Materials: Crafting a dragonbone symbol requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Dragonbone_Symbol&oldid=31643"

Dragonbone Tunic

Description

A long tunic embroidered with weltsilver-and-mithril thread, the dragonbone tunic is considered one of the most practical priestly vestments. It is often designed to be worn under professional clothing by devout artisans, and usually has tight sleeves for additional ease of movement.

The power of this vestment allows a priest to perform or contribute to additional hallow ceremonies without the need for additional liao; they are very much in demand as a consequence.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may perform or contribute to a hallow ceremony without expending any liao. You must be able to perform the hallow ceremony to use this ability.

- Materials: Crafting a dragonbone tunic requires seven measures of dragonbone and seven ingots of weltsilver. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Dragonbone_Tunic&oldid=32328"

Drain the flooded streets of Caricomare

The docks at Caricomare have long been sunk, and upon this thirty year anniversary of the terrible storm that wrecked havoc on this historical dockyards, the senator for Sarvos wishes to propose that they are rebuilt.

The Civil Service auditors have costed the repair at 50 Weirwood 50 Thrones, and the senator wishes to effectively build these new docks, and to oversee them, a new position of Mayor of Caricomare, appointed by the current sitting senator for the territory, with powers to represent Caricomare and 25 assigned votes in territorial elections. They will be paid 15 Crowns a season, the upkeep to the senate is zero.

Proposed by Sarvos, seconded by Zenith

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

- 6 Constitution

Overview

- Permission to restore Caricomare in Sarvos.

- No funding requested.

- Passed in principle.

Date

- Autumn 378YE

Cost

- 50 wains of white granite

- 50 Thrones

- Time: 6 months to construct

- Upkeep: None

Progress

- 50 wains of white granite presented by Mirislav, Senator for Sarvos after Autumn Equinox 378YE.

- 50 Thrones presented by Mirislav, Senator for Sarvos after Autumn Equinox 378YE.

- The project is now complete.

Campaign Outcome

- Made the flooded district of Caricomare habitable again.

- Completion automatically created the title Mayor of Caricomare

Constitution

This motion is complex, but in the opinion of the constitutional magistrates the arrangement is preferable to one in which a position that provided votes in election of the senator for Sarvos is appointed by Imperial citizens who are not League residents of Sarvos.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Drain_the_flooded_streets_of_Caricomare&oldid=35850"

Dramaturgy

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 Dramaturgy beyond the League

- 2 Using Dramaturgy

- 2.1 The Rule of Three

- 2.2 The Personae

- 2.3 The Instruments

- 2.4 The Thrones

- 2.5 The Chorus

- 2.5.1 The Beast

- 2.5.2 The Fool

Overview

The most popular form of ritual magic in The League is dramaturgy - an elaborate form of theatre where a series of characters, settings and items are imbued with symbolic and mystic significance which is used to shape the flow of magic. In classic dramaturgy, there are a set of recognisable characters, situations and items whose shared recognition fuels the magic of the ritual.

Six characters - called the personae - are central to dramaturgy, and at least one of them appears as the protagonist of a piece of theatre. The others appear as part of a supporting cast who may act favourably, neutrally or antagonistically to the protagonist depending on their nature and associations. One character - the Fool - acts as an invisible narrator when exposition is needed, and often represents the ritualists themselves. The fool is a commentator who shapes the drama, and thus the magic of the ritual.

Dramaturgy is sometimes used overtly, but it may also occur subtly. A League troupe will present an entire play or opera in which only one or at most a few key scenes are actually part of the magical working they are performing. They challenge onlookers to guess which elements are significant, and to unravel the magical purpose of their working.

Outside the League, similar principles are used to weave narrative power into rituals. Storytelling has power, whether it comes through the medium of drama or the recitation of a sagas, songs or even the invocation of heroes, paragons and exemplars.

As with all magical systems, you do not have to use dramaturgy if you don't want to. This is a shared set of guidelines that magicians can use to add additional significance to their rituals, not a prescriptive list of elements that must be included or your ritual will fail.

Dramaturgy beyond the League

This discussion focuses on League dramaturgy, but this form of ritual magic is also used in parts of The Marches, in Dawn and in Wintermark.

In The Marches, dramaturgy is sometimes practiced by mummers. Bands of mummers, maintain an itinerant existence as magicians and entertainers, much closer in feel to the mountebanks of the League than their troupe-magicians. They pride themselves on working magic through improvisation, without scripts but with a strong intuitive feel for the stories they create and the roles they use to work their magic. League troupes look down on mummers, considering them to lack subtlety, finesse or style.

In Dawn, some yeomen practice rituals almost indistinguishable from their Marcher counterparts, but call themselves guisers to try and distance themselves. These guisers tend to weave more formal dramatic conceits into their rituals, and may sometimes work with a Troubadour as fellow-entertainers or supporters. By working with a priest, the guisers gain a measure of respectability. There is generally little affection between bands of guisers and weaver cabals.

In Wintermark, and to a degree in Varushka, dramaturgy exists more often in the form of storytelling and the singing of sagas, rather than in dramatic productions. A single ritualist, or a small coven will weave a tale through words and voice rather than by taking on the role of a character. A common performance style is for a single ritualist (often a scop or volhov to narrate a story while the other members of the coven take on symbolic roles within that story. Again, the roles are usually recognisable to students of dramaturgy, although as with mumming and guising, they are seen as poor substitutes for true dramaturgy.

Using Dramaturgy

At its core, dramaturgy is the practice of using narrative to create magic. Some troupes revel in the complexity and cleverness of constructing a hidden ritual-within-a-ritual, but this is unneccessary for the practice of dramaturgy. A coterie of mountebanks on a street corner performing an improvised comedic routine with three actors and a small dog are just as capable of enacting Rivers of Gold as a full operatic performance of The Palace of Thieves in a gilded opera house.

Whatever variant of dramaturgy is employed, there are three constants. A tale is told, that has symbolic connection to the magic being worked; a connection is made between the ritualists and archetypal characters or iconic places, things and activites; and an audience is drawn into the ritual, their presence and focus granting additional power to the ritual working.

The Rule of Three

When selecting elements for the ritual, one must include the correct Throne for the realm of magic being performed. At least two other elements must be symbolically pertinent as well. You can include as many irrelevant elements as you please, but at least three things that the audience sees must be recognisably congruent with the intention of the ritual. This means that small Troupes with few resources are much more obvious in their intentions, while large and wealthy troupes can put on enormous performances, subtly hiding their magical intentions through misdirection.

But as they Mountebanks are fond of saying, the best way to slip something past an observer is to keep them focused on what your other hand is doing, and even a small troupe can use their wits to fool an audience into putting it's attention elsewhere.

The Personae

The personae are the protagonists, and they form the focus of the ritual. They tend to each have their own mask, and they represent the magic itself - the intent of the ritualists. In the League they almost invariably bear the name of one of the four rivers that flow into the Bay of Catazar, and their identities change depending on which name they are given. Other characters may be named after a river, but this is usually done to obfuscate the intent of the ritual.

Persona

Realms

Magical Associations

The Captain

Summer, Spring

war and fighting; military endeavour; disasters that must be overcome; Courage and Loyalty

The Doctor

Day, Winter

brutal or efficient magic; divinations and curses; oaths; punishing the wicked or corrupt; scholars; Wisdom and Vigilance

The Witch

Autumn, Night

Influence; exploring mysteries; healing; secret wisdom; herbs and potions; renewing the spirit; revealing things; Wisdom and Prosperity

The Prince

Autumn, Winter

wealth; authority; oaths and wards; curses; the Senate, the Throne and the Empire as a whole; Ambition, Prosperity, Loyalty and Pride

The Bishop

Summer, Day

strengthening, supporting or revealing; the Synod; faith; rationality; Vigilance, Wisdom, Loyalty and Pride

The Mountebank

Spring, Night

Transformation and deception; unleashing primal forces; physical strength; destructive behaviour; Ambition and Courage

The Instruments

Instruments is the term that League Troupes use to refer to their physical props; a collection of specific items which are as much a part of the cast as the players themselves. Many groups have a collection of items which has been handed down through their history, and they are usually stored with great care and reverence - it is not uncommon for one or more of them to be enchanted items that assist with ritual magic.

Many dramaturgists believe that the instruments, through repeatedly being involved in rituals, pick up some of the magic they are used with. They take on a kind of life of their own, becoming members of the troupe in their own right. When an instrument is broken or worn beyond repair, League Troupes perform a funeral with great ceremony for it, attending masked and dressed as dramaturgical characters enacting a tragic play. This is performed with all seriousness; the 'dead' instrument is eulogised in the same way a dead actor might be remembered, buried with great ceremony and a wake is held that night, before a replacement is 'welcomed' to the troupe the following day.

The instruments represent the method of the magic. For example, the cloak represents concealment while the cup represents restoration, enchantment or transfer of power. Subtle and intricate messages can be created by passing an item between characters - as with all things dramaturgical it is a point of pride to many writers to prove their cleverness by the complex interactions of Instruments and characters on stage.

Instrument

Common Associations

The Cup

Prosperity and fulfillment, change

The Lantern

Illumination and knowledge; seeking; mysteries or secrets; divination

The Ring

Loyalty and oaths; bonds and bands; transfer of power; bargains, deals (and geases)

The Cloak

Taking on a role; disguise; concealment; defence

The Blade

Conflict, war, suffering, combat; healing; removal of obstacles; sacrifice

The Coin

Transactions; rewards or consequences; payment

The Thrones

There are six settings for dramaturgical rituals, each one representing a Realm of magic. The throne usually matches the realm of the ritual, but not always; when performing the Autumn curse Like Water Through Your Fingers, some dramaturgy troupes will set the ritual in the counting house (because it is an Autumn ritual),wheras others will set it in the tomb (because it is a curse). Some companies might choose to use backdrops or props to evoke the various settings, while others might simply choose to express it in a minimalist fashion through dialogue and story - if they cannot evoke the throne through their actions, they argue, then they are poor dramaturgists.

Throne

Themes

Common Associations

The Chamber

Privacy, honesty

Exposing weakness; revealing facts; divination; transformation

The Battlefield

Conflict, death

Strength, empowerment, commitment

The Tomb

Tragedy, transition

Curses; condemnation; conclusions; oaths and promises; weakness, fear, poison

The Counting House

Money, power

Prosperity; items, objects; personal resources and possessions

The Library

Learning, introspection

Knowledge; meditation; purification; healing

The Garden

Creation, destruction

Primal forces; fertility and bodily health; confusion; anarchy

The Chorus

The Chorus represents minor characters who move the narrative forward. They represent events in the dramaturgical working - they assist or hinder the protagonist, and they encompass the subtleties of the ritual.

When they are allied with the protagonist they are benefices, and when they are opposed to the protagonist they are malefactors. A member of the chorus with it's own agenda is called a fortune, and tends to represent chance or fate. Characterisation and appearance can vary wildly depending on the troupe or the play. They often appear unmasked, and a troupe challenges themselves by making the identity of the chorus obvious through action and dialogue rather than easily-recognisable costume elements.

In theatrical performances, they often end up as clowns or entertainers whose japes serve to amuse the audience while a scene changes or the actors prepare themselves for new roles. Some of the chorus characters reflect lesser versions of personae. Two in particular are worth mentioning however, the Beast and the Fool.

The Beast

Without subtlety, mercy or indeed any redeeming qualities, the Beast represents villainy in its most profound and horrifying form. It may represent a literal beast; the evil that lairs in he hearts of men; the lurking fear of the unknown; a curse; a hidden enemy; or the threat posed by untamed and unleashed natural forces.

Traditionally portrayed as an orc in many plays, this tendency has fallen out of fashion in recent years, and now generally the beast appears as a human of monstrous appetites and unrestrained desires. There is little subtlety in this character, but the beast may appear not only as a cruel warrior, but as an abusive parent or spouse or a tyrannical overlord. The conquest of the beast is often the climax of a play, or a ritual. Some traditions portray the beast as a nightmarish horror with a mask made from the skull of a horse, hung in ribbons and occasionally bells, representing unknown supernatural forces or malign spiritual energies.

The Fool

The Fool is technically a member of the chorus, but deserves special mention. The Fool stands apart from all the rest, and is invisible to the other characters. He or she acts as narrator and commentator on the action. The Fool can be likened to the Chorus of Greek Drama, continually breaking the fourth wall and urging the audience to engage with the narrative.

The Fool sometimes pauses the play and walks unseen through the frozen characters, commenting on their pasts, actions and destinies; in some troupes he can move the characters to indicate a change of scenery or the passage of time.

He is the only member of the cast to appear unmasked, and usually wears a simple white robe or tabard. Not all troupes include the Fool - the role is especially unpopular in Holberg where it is considered an example of overly-clever Sarvosan pretentiousness.

The fool might be considered the counterpart of the Blank Rune in the Wintermark runeset. In Tassato and Temeschwar, the Beast and the Fool are often played by the same cast member.

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Dramaturgy Archive

Other Common Archetypes

- The Servant with Two Masters is always torn between loyalties, often representing a core dilemma in the play that must be resolved (an example might be either lead from Romeo and Juliet who are torn between family and love).

- The Wise Councillor, sometimes appears as a Senator or doctor, and is usually older. The wise councillor has experience and gives good advice that is often ignored. Sometimes a magician. This figure will often serve to lay out the central dilemma, offer solutions to it, or refuse to be tempted to perform inappropriate action even if the result of doing so is tragic (an example might be Thomas Moore from A Man For All Seasons or Prospero from The Tempest).

- The Lover, who is often unlucky in love and comes to a bad end. The lover is usually naive and that naivete, coupled with their passion, spells their doom. Sometimes they represent a goal that is to be achieved - a rescue or a union or other resolution to the core dilemma of the play - but sometimes they are a temptation that tries to lead the central character astray.

- The Bishop, a priest or priestess, usually advanced in years and a heavy purse, soemtimes counting coins, sometimes dispensing sweets to the crowd in a display of charity and prosperity. The Bishop usually straddles both the mudnane world and the spiritual, and presents practical advice as well as spiritual support.

- The Captain, a bravo or professional soldier, a braggart with a lustful eye who nonetheless is a man of action. The captain is never cowardly, and often dies valiantly despite earlier boastfulness.

- The Mountebank, a swindling conman, who steals apples from children, often a compatriot of the Beast. Mountebanks may be clever anti-heroes but more often are deceptive, manipulative and crude. They often symbolise a problem that needs to be overcome thorugh wit and cunning (examples might include anything from the man who tricks Jack into swapping his cow for beans, through various Shakespearean clowns, all the way to actual villains such as Iago from Othello).

- The Beast, a hulking inhuman monster with savage teeth who eats human flesh, especially children. Sometimes it is represented by an orc, although this practice has fallen out of favour a little. It is also represented as a savage thug companion to the Moutnebank. It usually symbolises dark forces, something that must be overcome with strength or combat, hunger, wickedness or evil (an example might be Caliban from The Tempest).

Using the Archetypes

You should treat this list as inspiration, obviously, but it can help to come up with a play on short notice. For example, if you are about to perform a ritual to grant a soldier or group of soldiers extra battlefield prowess, you might scan the list. The targets are from Holberg and are brave warriors, so using Holberg either alongside or in the place of the Captain seems obvious, maybe giving her a sidekick represented by Vassa. You put in a Beast for them to overcome, and a Wise Councillor to offer good advice (representing the ritual). You then throw in a lover to be rescued - after all, you're performing to a small audience of bravos here not a sophisticated Sarvosan crowd - and start to work with the rest of the troupe on some lines and a light action sequence.

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Drawing the Penumbral Veil

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Night regio. This ritual targets a territory, and must be performed at a regio in that territory. If the ritual is used to target an Imperial territory, it may instead be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The ritual targets a single territory. At the completion of the ritual the target territory is sheltered by a shadowy penumbra that dissipates and blinds attempts to scry the territory or divine information about it with magic. Unless the divination or scyring ritual is performed with a magnitude at least equal to the magnitude of the veil, the only information it can gain is the presence of a Night enchantment and the magnitude of the effect.

Any scrying or divination ritual that attempts to penetrate the veil, or any ritual that attempts to actually remove it, must have a magnitude at least equal to the of the veil

Anyone traveling to the territory will find that the night sky appears strange and unfamiliar - the stars are not where they are expected to be, and the moon often seems closer, or further away. The more mana has been spent to create the veil, the more unfamiliar the night sky becomes. This may cause some consternation among the folk living in that territory.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual to create a more powerful veil.

Description

This ritual is a two-edged sword. It makes it very hard for enemy magicians to scry on events in the target territory, but it also attracts attention. What could the magicians be doing in that territory that is so important? The Freeborn magician Alcin i Guerra used to claim that he spent much of his spare time at Anvil weaving this ritual around random territories in the Empire to confuse and unsettle barbarian shamans. He made such extensive use of the ritual that it is still called Alcin's Celestial Confusion in some parts.

Common Elements

A common focus for this ritual is a map depicting the target territory. It is sometimes obscured during the casting, or even burnt at the completion. Sometimes the map is created from sand or painstakingly drawn with salt or coloured powders, so it can be obscured with a gesture by the ritualists. Another common element involves the use of shuttered or dark lanterns, or flickering candles, or dim lightstones which provide limited illumination and are passed from ritualist to ritualist around the central map focus, symbolizing the shifting of the stars that accompanies the ritual veil.

The rune Wyr is commonly used during this ritual, and the constellation of The Wanderer is often invoked.

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Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 30

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Removing the Curse

- 1.5 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 30

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. At the end of the ritual one of the contributors is chosen to deliver the curse with a pronouncement of doom.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

This ritual creates a curse that is delivered to a target with a pronouncement of doom: one of the contributors is chosen to deliver the curse, and they must do so within fifteen minutes or it falls on their own head.

While under the curse, the target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect; whenever they sleep they suffer nightmares of being hunted through a dark wasteland by an implacable, inescapable foe or foes. Whenever they are alone, they feel as if something unspeakable is closing in on them, especially if it is night time.

In addition, while under the curse the target cannot recover hero points or personal mana naturally. Instead of being recovered overnight, they are recovered at the start of each month.

Other effects that restore hero points or mana points such as the Philtres of War, Philtres of the High Peaks and Crystaltender's Vestment work normally.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Removing the Curse

Effects that allow a character to experience a dreamless sleep prevent the nightmares, but do not allow the character to regain hero points or personal mana. They let the character roleplay that their sleep has been untroubled, but they do not protect from the other roleplaying effects.

The curse can be removed by certain powerful creatures or items. It can also be alleviated by powerful effects that remove supernatural fear. While an anointing, especially of Courage, may help the target endure the effects, it cannot remove the curse.

OOC Elements

This curse effectively makes hero points and personal mana into event resources rather than daily resources. While the ritual indicates that resources recover at the start of the month, it is the intention that they are always available at the start of a player event.

Description

This dreadful curse can leave its victim on the verge of insanity. Night after night they are hunted in their dreams, unable to rest properly, and unable to face their pursuer (should it even exist). They often become pale and withdrawn .. but they also crave the company of others because the oppressive power of the curse quickly makes them afraid to be alone.

Some elements of the constant nightmares are common between victims. The chase takes place through a wasteland - through a twisted forest, across a frozen plain, among the maze-like streets of a crumbling city or through the rooms of a cyclopean citadel. The pursuer is never seen, although it is frequently heard - it's breath is felt on the back of the neck, it's claws or weapons may be felt grabbing at the hair or cloak, it's thundering hooves or mournful howling may be heard distantly ... or right behind. The dreamer themself is almost always weakened or crippled in some way - reduced to childhood, horribly injured, unarmed, unarmoured and alone, bereft of strength and magic alike. Courage is insufficient; challenges to the phantom pursuer merely seem to bring with them a mounting sense of unease that turns into dread and finally a supernatural compulsion to flee.

Magical scholars believe that this curse is more than just a phantasm, that it creates a connection between the target and some horrible predatory creature, possible the Eternal known as the Wendigo, perhaps some other primaevil force of terror. Some victims claim to have been hunted by massive, emaciated wolves reminiscent of the Hounds of Sorin.

(OOC Note: You should feel free to create details of your vivid, lucid dream using the information presented here as a starting point. A referee will not provide additional specific information about the dream beyond what is presented here.)

Common Elements

As with many curses this ritual often involves a recitation.of the grievances against the target as are invocations to fearful and mysterious agents of paranoia and dread. Ritualists may cowl themselves or use fearsome masks - Winterfolk ritualists often wear the headdresses of predatory beasts and call on their totems when they perform the ritual.

The rune Kyrop is often evoked, symbolising the weakness that the curse will bring.

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Dreams in the Witch House

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 12

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 1.5 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 12

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual requires a map of the target territory.

Effects

At the completion of the ritual the contributors receive images that reveal information about the military campaign in a territory. It provides impressions and intuitions as to the current objectives of enemy armies.

Each contributor receives a similar vision. These visions often contain symbolic elements, but will usually give a clear, general idea of the current objectives of enemy forces in the territory. This information is not completely reliable; the actions of player characters during an event may cause this information to become obsolete.

The spell is most reliable where there are only two sides in a conflict; if it targets a territory where there are forces from more than two sides, the information may become confusing.

If a campaign army or a region within the target territory is under an effect that obscures information such as Drawing the Penumbral Veil, this spell can only penetrate it if it has been performed with a magnitude at least equal to that of the enchantment. Otherwise only the presence, Realm and magnitude of the effect are revealed.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual in order to pierce more powerful rituals of concealment.

OOC Elements

It is very important to understand that the information derived from this ritual may be subject to change based on what player characters do during an event.

Letting a referee know at least an hour in advance that you plan to perform this ritual and what the target territory will be will make it easier to ensure that the information is ready and will prevent delays.

Description

The ritual was developed under the guidance of the Dean of the Lyceum, Simargl the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash. It continues the Dean's fascination with dreams, impressions and invading the thoughts of other living beings.

This ritual is likely to be useful in helping Imperial Generals to determine their strategy for the coming season. The information is subject to change, but it will be reliable at the point the ritual is cast. It is designed to focus on strategic goals and objectives with a wide scope, rather than narrow or immediate agendas.

Some scholars at the Lyceum questioned the usefulness of this ritual when compared to Eyes of the Sun and Moon. They were largely ignored as the applications are obvious – while the information is transient it is reliable at the point it is received and may also potentially give insight into longer-term goals of enemy nations.

Ophelia von Tassato Regario, who helped adapt the methods of targeting the ritual's magic using a map of the territory, expressed some interest in seeing what would happen if the ritual were performed on Broceliande or one of the other Navarr territories – this experiment has yet to be performed.

Common Elements

This is a divination ritual, and often involves runestones or cards as well as the map which serves to target the magic. Mirrors, crystals and other reflective surfaces are often involved, set up around the map and used to focus the attention of the contributors.

As a night ritual, it is also appropriate to include the consumption of specially prepared food, drink or mild narcotics allowing the contributors to more easily achieve a trance-like state.

Symbols connected to the enemy armies, or to the territory, are also helpful as would be tokens that represent various emotional states or military goals. The ritual is often performed in doors.

The rune Diras is a classic complement to this ritual, being connected as it is with secrets. It is also appropriate to evoke Gralm or Ull to represent the influence of chance and destiny. In dramaturgy, the character of the Witch is very appropriate (in an early casting, Ophelia Von Tassato Regario portrayed the witch as courtesan who seduced secrets from an enemy general). The evocation of the virtues of Wisdom or Vigilance is sometimes used (especially, given the Varushkan inspiration for the ritual, in the shape of virtuous animals).

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Dripping Echoes of the Fen

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 64

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 64

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Night regio.

This ritual targets a specific region. During the performance of the ritual the casters must name a region within the target territory which has the "marsh" keyword.

The ritual may target a region in a territory which is under Imperial control (that is, which is eligible to appoint a Senator) when cast from the Imperial regio. To effect a region in a territory that is not under Imperial control, the ritual must be performed at a regio within the target territory.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The ritual targets a single region of marsh or swamp within a territory. Over the course of the next few days a powerful enchantment settles over the region which offers protection to armies belonging to the force that controls the area.

The magical structure mimics the effect of a 2,000 strength fortification in the enchanted region. The fortification helps determine victory, and if the region is attacked it may inflict casualties. Unlike a mundane fortification, the magical fortification does not absorb any casualties itself. The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

This enchantment shrouds troops belonging to the force that controls the region; in places it pools to create fortification-like enclaves of mist that actively mislead and confuse attackers. In other areas it encourages marsh-creatures to attack patrols and causes scouts to become lost - sometimes permanently. A sense of creeping dread settles over forces belonging to an invading army and they are likely to become more cautious.

The marsh becomes more dangerous; bogs are deeper and harder to spot; waterways shift and change without warning; the weather worsens, and at night a sinister mist settles over the region full of dancing lights and flitting shapes. Under the influence of this spell, a marshland or fen can become a lethal deathtrap; invaders find themselves following phantasmal echoes and witch-lights that lead them into ambushes, while the fen-paths seem to open for the defenders and the same witch-lights may guide them to safety when needed.

Some reports speak of odd creatures emerging from the mists to assault enemy forces - shadowy warriors, disturbing phantasmal mirages, and even the rare report of a beasts such as drakes, dire crocodiles or even the occasional wyvern roused to assault the attackers. The ritual is effective at turning the natural predators of a marsh against an army, encouraging creatures such as catoblepas or marshwalkers to attack rather than retreat. On a few occasions it has also reportedly riled up some unliving spirits that lie in restless slumber beneath the marsh waters.

This ritual increases the difficulty a hostile force will have in claiming a region, even if there is no army to oppose them directly, Local militia and the like are able to take advantage of the defensive enchantment (once they recognise it for what it is) to engage in effective guerilla tactics, harrying and confusing a much larger force, at least for a time.

The ritual is an enchantment, and can in theory be made permanent with ilium. This has not been done in the history of the Empire, however.

The ritual can occasionally backfire; the ritual always aids the force that claims the region. Occasionally Imperial ritualsts have inadvertently aided the enemies of the Empire when a dramatic shift has allowed a barbarian force to claim an area of land while the Dripping Echoes of the Fen was in effect.

Common Elements

This ritual includes elements of concealment, and so is often performed while wearing masks or veils. Smoke is often used to represent the mists and confusion that the ritual evokes. Often, a map of the territory where the target region lies is included. It is often obscured during the casting, or even destroyed in water at the completion. Sometimes the map is created from sand or painstakingly drawn with salt or coloured powders, so it can be washed away at the culmination of the ritual. Some ritualists allow clouds of incense to blow over it to symbolically create enshrouding mists, while others create designs with blood or ink to confuse and mislead invading armies.

The rune Wyr or Diras are commonly used during this ritual, and the constellation of the Wanderer or the Web may be invoked. A dramaturgy performance in which the Witch or the Mountebank are involved in an intrigue in the Garden - might be appropriate. The names of Eternals such as Sadogua, Sung and the Whisper Gallery might also be evoked.

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Druj

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Tribe

- 3 Warriors of the Druj

- 3.1 The use of poison

- 4 Magic

- 5 The Imperial Orcs

- 6 History

- 7 Look and Feel

- 8 Playing the Druj

Overview

No other orc tribe is as ruthlessly dedicated to survival as the Druj. When defeated they always come back stronger and craftier, learning from each failure. Driven by the desire to avoid the Howling Abyss, they push themselves to the limits seeking ever more cunning exploits to prove their worth to their ancestors.

From a young age the Druj are taught that each living creature is defined by its weaknesses. The successful guard their weaknesses well, and exploit those of others. Those who show weakness are merely there to be manipulated, and will fall to the Howling Abyss, never to speak to their descendants or aid their tribe from beyond. One of the most potent weaknesses is fear, and the Druj are past masters of making it their servant, using it as a weapon against their enemies. As long as it benefits the tribe in the long term, the Druj will use any underhanded tactic in pursuit of success; poison, ambushes and dark magic are all part of their repertoire.

Druj seek to inspire such dread in their enemies that they will have won the battle before they even come to fight. The weak will bow before them, while the strong will seek easier prey elsewhere. Their society is tiered on perceived weakness; powerful clans expect deference from their lessers, who in turn do their best to twist and manipulate those slaves, servants and allies beneath them. A vast and terrible web of fear and cruelty extends about the Druj lands. The Druj regard a battle as being like a hunt: The objective is to get the enemy panicked and tiring themselves out so that they are easily separated and picked off. They like to inflict injuries that will slow the enemy down and saddle them with wounded and poisoned. They make extensive use of lures and ambushes, and consequently they much prefer fighting in terrain with good cover, and typically have hidden units ready to strike at vulnerable flanks and then melt away again. They don't want to get sucked into mass stand-up fights if possible, but they excel at skirmishing.

It is said that the Druj have a saying "You cannot betray your enemies" (which the Navarr stole from them). It is well known among the other major orc tribes that an alliance with the Druj will last only until it benefits the Druj more to betray them than to keep the alliance. Deals with the Druj often become a cat-and-mouse game to see who breaks their agreement first. This applies only to their fellow orcs; when it comes to Imperial citizens, any offer a Druj makes is almost certainly a trap. Many Imperials have met a tragic end because they either assumed that this time the Druj were not tricking them, or because they assumed they saw the trap ... missing the other traps nested within.

The Druj are led by chieftains known as Het, each of whom commands several large extended families collectively referred to as a clan. Clan leadership is achieved through successful raiding, and demonstrations of skill, cunning or willpower. A prospective Het must also pass a series of grueling tests administered by the shamans, such as seizing hot coals without flinching, devouring live poisonous beast, reciting family history and exploits without pause or error while simultaneously defending themselves from arrows, or sneak through enemy territory and kill a single specific opponent and then escape.

Each clan has a single poisonous beast or plant as it’s totem, and will also typically have an adjective on the clan name. For instance Creeping Nightshade, Bone Scorpion and Black Hydra are all large and powerful clans, each with their own special area of expertise.

The Tribe

The Druj make great use of subject tribes, sending them into battle ahead of their own forces. They are viewed with fear and dread by the other orc tribes who live in the East, known for their ruthless cruelty against those who try to betray them. They are also known for their unpredictable magnanimity, however, richly rewarding members of smaller tribes who serve them well. Their very unpredictability helps to maintain their position of power. Many Imperial soldiers who think they have fought the Druj have actually fought members of a subject tribe, perhaps supported by a few small units of Druj warriors who seek to exploit the chaos of the battlefield to strike at their opponents before withdrawing.

More than any other tribe. the Druj make use of herbs and potions. The apothecaries of the Druj are respected for their ability to poison enemies and heal allies. They equip their warriors and magicians alike with preparations that allow them to replenish their resources, and are constantly seeking new ways to employ their herbal lore. Some escaped Druj slaves speak of being used as experimental subjects by the twisted druj herbalists who test poisons, antitodes and narcotics on them.

Compared to the Jotun and the Thule, the Druj have few artisans, preferring to reinforce their troops with potions. The best enchanted items are invariably claimed by the Het and the Ghulai.

Warriors of the Druj

Among the Druj, certain warriors especially stand out. They include:

- There is usually only one group of Pakad or Blooded on a battlefield. The Het and his personal guard are better equipped and trained than the other tribe members, and can give a decent account against even heavily armoured enemies. They dress as fearsomely as possible, with horribly intricate scarring on their bodies and fragments of enemy body parts decorating their armour. They only wield weapons taken from enemies, and as such they can have quite a motley appearance. Each Het has their own style of deployment, but typically the Blooded are held in reserve and used as a hammer blow to break the enemy spirit once the other forces have located a weakness. They also are often accompanied by some terribly abused monstrous beast, chained and enraged for combat. The shamans supply a variety of drugs to make the blooded more fearsome in combat.

- The Chikad or Pincers are heavy skirmishers, equipped with relatively light armour and weaponry designed to quickly inflict as much damage and confusion as possible, allowing them to leap in and scatter an enemy unit. If this succeeds then they quickly maim or kill as many fallen foes as possible, then fall back. They typically favour weapons that cripple their foes or unbalance their foes. A number of Druj battle-magicians are deployed as part of groups of Chikad, focusing on incantations that let them scatter heavily armoured formations.

- The Hupul or Stingers are skirmishing archers. These small, close-knit units function as snipers and scouts, but they work closely with the Chikad - harrying the enemy to draw them into ambushes. In combat they move around a lot so that enemy units can't pin them down, and mobility is their main defence. Well-drilled groups are capable of continually leapfrogging through the forest, giving covering fire to each other. When fighting heavily armoured units, they like to lure them up hills to attack, then simply abandon the position and flee, thus tiring the enemy. The Hupul are sometimes called the faceless, especially by their Highborn equivalents, due to their common practice of swathing their heads in dark rags, giving them an eerie faceless appearance.

- The Tepel are dedicated apothecaries who accompany Druj warriors onto the battlefield. The Buruk Tepel are the master apothecaries, who are rarely encountered by Imperial troops; masters of herb lore and poison they often serve as advisors or aides to powerful Het. They prefer to send their apprentices onto the battlefield, while they remain safely behind the lines providing potions and philtres to the Druj warriors. The Tepel are also called Shrikes, and many of them practice a gruesome form of execution that involves impaling still-living enemies on vicious barbed spikes. In some cases, Tepel have been seen to heal or stabilise recognisable officers or healers among their opponents specifically to make the practice of impaling them all the more horrific.

- Armies of Druj are often supported by one or two swamp- or forest-dwelling beasts, especially catoblepas and marshwalkers. These creatures are often deployed to spread chaos and fear, and when supported by other Druj warriors are often used to break defended positions.

The use of poison

The most well-known quality of the Druj is their use of poison and infection. They make extensive use of a herbal preparation they call swamp fever, but some warriors favour a blade venom they refer to as sweetblood. Many Imperial citizens have heard tales of Druj force-feeding fallen warriors - especially fallen healers or recognisable heroes - horrible preparations that cause them to die in agony to demoralise their opponents.

Armies fighting Druj should be prepared to find their wounds poisoned, festering or becoming infected; even Druj subject tribes routinely smear their weapons in filth and excrement.

Magic

Druj magicians are trained in combat magic to fight alongside the warriors. They are especially proficient at spells that poison or weaken their foes. Druj rituals often involve venomous plants and animals. Commonly these are handled or consumed during rituals, allowing them to poison the ritualists multiple times.

Only magicians that have proven themselves in battle are inducted into the Ghulai caste and taught the secrets of the tribe’s rituals. Some shamans with connections to Ghulai ancestors side-step the initiation, serving instead as apprentices to more experienced Ghulai from their family. Thanks to natural attrition the Ghulai are comparatively rare, but tend to be individually powerful. Secretive and sinister, even the Het tread lightly when asking for their aid, as it often comes at a high price. Ghulai are are commonly accompanied by several apprentices for protection and menial labour. They also employ a form of bone-casting using etched human skulls as an aid to scrying rituals - preferably the skulls of enemy magicians and a Druj seen bearing many human skulls is usually a waning that a potent Ghulai has taken the battlefield.

The Ghulai make extensive use of Spring rituals, and are known to enjoy the effect that Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague has on enemy soldiers. They are also known to favour Night magic that conceals or misdirects, although the Ghulai pride themselves on evoking these kinds of rituals in subtle ways - for example, a Druj magician will often use an obscuring ritual to misdirect Imperial diviners as part of a feint.

Powerful Ghulai seem to be responsible for creating horrific totem mounds for the Druj; these blasphemous shrines are built from the desecrated remains of enemies of the Druj and are found throughout their territory. They are enchanted through poorly understood means to create oppressive miasma of fear and dread. The older these totem-mounds are, the larger the area they cover. Once the aura is established, merely destroying the totem mound simply causes it to begin decaying - Imperial priests work alongside armies to track down and swiftly cleanse these spiritually corrupt areas. Lesser effects have also been reported as connected to Druj battle-standards, and there is a great deal of debate among theologians and academics who study the Druj as to whether these are truly ritual enchantments or whether Druj shaman are using abilities similar to consecration and hallow, possibly empowered by some hitherto-unknown herbal preparation. No compelling evidence of the latter has been uncovered, and while some Druj prisoners have hinted that this is the case all Imperial scholars know that the Druj lie.

The Imperial Orcs

TBC

History

TBC

Look and Feel

On the battlefield the Druj strive to project a terrifying image. They usually wear dark colours, suitable for hiding in bogs and swamps, often with hints of dark green and yellow. Their gear is often designed to strike terror into the hearts of the enemy, but they will rarely encumber themselves with anything that would make fleeing impractical. Bones and skulls (especially the latter impaled on spikes or staves), body parts, leather made from human or orc hide, vicious and intimidating runes, armour spikes ... all of these are common Druj decorations.

Druj are very fond of weapons that keep their enemies at bay; spears, thrown weapons and bows are especially favoured. Warriors who must fight in close combat favour pole-arms over one- or two-handed weapons.

Playing the Druj

The Druj are cruel and without mercy. They much prefer short, skirmishing engagements followed by a retreat to a more defensible location. They like to spread chaos and fear, and their tactics are often characterised by the idea of a 'burst of violence'. Druj aren't stupid, they only fight when cornered or at an advantage. Typically a close skirmish unit returns to the shamans for restoration, or retreats once their resources are depleted, and hence they are rarely afraid to unleash all their special powers to overwhelm an opposing force with 'shock and awe' tactics. While the normal rules about executing fallen opponents apply, a Druj warrior who ends a battle with a cleaving blow will cheerfully use it on a fallen opponent before retreating.

Like all good hunters, the Druj carefully study their prey, and do their best to provide themselves with appealing bait. Against Imperials they have found that artefacts of faith or Imperial history or national culture often generate a disproportionate level of emotional response - something they find quite delightful for luring the headstrong humans into traps.

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Duelist's Scales (Redirected from Duelist's scales)

Description

The weapon known as a duelist's scales takes it's name, perhaps unsurprisingly, from the League custom of duelling. Wielding one of these weapons, a duellist can neutralize almost any advantage his opponent might have in terms of heroic maneuvers, spells or special items.

The Wintermark rune Lann is sometimes engraved into the hilt of a duellist's scales, or inset with tempest jade into the pommel. More commonly the weapon is marked with Kyrop, the rune of weakness - which has led to some cunning Suaq christening those who wield the blades Cold Fish - referencing both the use of the word scales in the common name, and a common term for the rune itself.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed weapon.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to call WEAKNESS. You are also affected by WEAKNESS.

- Materials: Crafting a duelist's scales requires seven ingots of orichalcum, three ingots of tempest jade, three ingots of weltsilver and three units of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The trumpets shrieked a brazen salute, and Lord Percy Firefoot, knight of House Bernicia, stepped into the arena to a crashing tide of cheers and applause. Men and women alike threw red roses as the young noble strode forward, his arms raised, flanked by his squires bearing his banner of a cerulean gryphon on a golden field.

Roland stood his ground, doing his best to appear nonchalant. He flicked his eyes towards the stands, to the box where the Earl of Astolat had risen to gently applaud the champion. Lady Isobelle, in whose honour the tourney had been thrown, had both hands on the wall of the box, and Roland could see even from here that her knuckles were white as she clenched the hard wood. She did not look at Roland, her gaze fixed on Lord Firefoot.

It seemed the cheers would go on forever, but they could not have lasted for more than a few minutes at most. As they started to die down, the Earl of Astolat raised one hand, and held it at shoulder height. The crowd fell silent. Roland incongruously wondered what odds were being offered on his victory by the yeoman touts he knew would be somewhere in the hall. His mind was desperately trying not to think of what was about to happen, when the Earl dropped his hand and the duel began.

Roland was suddenly conscious of a presence at his side. A stout woman with gently curling horns and golden eyes had touched his sleeve politely. She wore the colours of the Earl, one of his retainers.

"The Earl wishes you to know that he bears you no personal ill-will, but the terms of the Test were quite clear. Defeat his chosen champion in a contest of arms, on the tourney field. He wishes you to know that it is not too late - you may yield to Sir Percy and retire. Perhaps some lesser House will accept your petition in a few years; but you will not become a noble of House Astolat and, if you persist in this fool's challenge, the dice will fall where they may and you will have nobody else to blame but yourself. And, perhaps, your mother who has filled your head with foolish fancies."

Roland nodded absently, indicating his understanding. The retainer hovered for a moment, and then withdrew. As soon as she was off the field, the Earl dropped his hand.

Immediately Lord Firefoot drew both his vicious battleaxe and his shield. The bright noon sunlight made the pale yellow tempest jade inlaid on the green iron weapon glitter and dance. It caught the orichalcum in the goldenfire chain he wore beneath his azure plate, making it flow like molten honey. The golden runes on the leonine helm flickered and danced. It seemed as if the sun itself had sent down a champion to face him. Roland was painfully aware of his borrowed chain hauberk, his battered shield, the helm that looked more like a bucket than anything designed for war.

He muttered a prayer to Kord, the smith, to inspire him and steel his heart against the fear that sought to overwhelm it and drew the sword the old woman had given to him. The Blade of the Black Gryphon, she had called it. Blackened orichalcum blade set in a battered hilt inlaid with green stone and bound with silvered wire.

As Lord Percy came inexorably onward, confident in his weapon, his armour, his magical helm, Roland stepped up to test whether the Lord Firefoot was really as glorious as the troubadours claimed - or whether there was truth to the rumour that he had become too dependent on his enchanted panoply ...

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Duelist's Scales

Description

The weapon known as a duelist's scales takes it's name, perhaps unsurprisingly, from the League custom of duelling. Wielding one of these weapons, a duellist can neutralize almost any advantage his opponent might have in terms of heroic maneuvers, spells or special items.

The Wintermark rune Lann is sometimes engraved into the hilt of a duellist's scales, or inset with tempest jade into the pommel. More commonly the weapon is marked with Kyrop, the rune of weakness - which has led to some cunning Suaq christening those who wield the blades Cold Fish - referencing both the use of the word scales in the common name, and a common term for the rune itself.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed weapon.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to call WEAKNESS. You are also affected by WEAKNESS.

- Materials: Crafting a duelist's scales requires seven ingots of orichalcum, three ingots of tempest jade, three ingots of weltsilver and three units of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The trumpets shrieked a brazen salute, and Lord Percy Firefoot, knight of House Bernicia, stepped into the arena to a crashing tide of cheers and applause. Men and women alike threw red roses as the young noble strode forward, his arms raised, flanked by his squires bearing his banner of a cerulean gryphon on a golden field.

Roland stood his ground, doing his best to appear nonchalant. He flicked his eyes towards the stands, to the box where the Earl of Astolat had risen to gently applaud the champion. Lady Isobelle, in whose honour the tourney had been thrown, had both hands on the wall of the box, and Roland could see even from here that her knuckles were white as she clenched the hard wood. She did not look at Roland, her gaze fixed on Lord Firefoot.

It seemed the cheers would go on forever, but they could not have lasted for more than a few minutes at most. As they started to die down, the Earl of Astolat raised one hand, and held it at shoulder height. The crowd fell silent. Roland incongruously wondered what odds were being offered on his victory by the yeoman touts he knew would be somewhere in the hall. His mind was desperately trying not to think of what was about to happen, when the Earl dropped his hand and the duel began.

Roland was suddenly conscious of a presence at his side. A stout woman with gently curling horns and golden eyes had touched his sleeve politely. She wore the colours of the Earl, one of his retainers.

"The Earl wishes you to know that he bears you no personal ill-will, but the terms of the Test were quite clear. Defeat his chosen champion in a contest of arms, on the tourney field. He wishes you to know that it is not too late - you may yield to Sir Percy and retire. Perhaps some lesser House will accept your petition in a few years; but you will not become a noble of House Astolat and, if you persist in this fool's challenge, the dice will fall where they may and you will have nobody else to blame but yourself. And, perhaps, your mother who has filled your head with foolish fancies."

Roland nodded absently, indicating his understanding. The retainer hovered for a moment, and then withdrew. As soon as she was off the field, the Earl dropped his hand.

Immediately Lord Firefoot drew both his vicious battleaxe and his shield. The bright noon sunlight made the pale yellow tempest jade inlaid on the green iron weapon glitter and dance. It caught the orichalcum in the goldenfire chain he wore beneath his azure plate, making it flow like molten honey. The golden runes on the leonine helm flickered and danced. It seemed as if the sun itself had sent down a champion to face him. Roland was painfully aware of his borrowed chain hauberk, his battered shield, the helm that looked more like a bucket than anything designed for war.

He muttered a prayer to Kord, the smith, to inspire him and steel his heart against the fear that sought to overwhelm it and drew the sword the old woman had given to him. The Blade of the Black Gryphon, she had called it. Blackened orichalcum blade set in a battered hilt inlaid with green stone and bound with silvered wire.

As Lord Percy came inexorably onward, confident in his weapon, his armour, his magical helm, Roland stepped up to test whether the Lord Firefoot was really as glorious as the troubadours claimed - or whether there was truth to the rumour that he had become too dependent on his enchanted panoply ...

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Duelist%27s_Scales&oldid=31984"

Earl

Overview

An earl is the leader of a Dawnish noble house. The title is used for both men and women. Each noble house appoints an earl, to lead the house. Being the earl is an inherently political position; the character is not expected to undertake the kind of glorious actions appropriate for a Dawnish noble - instead their time and energies should be devoted to ensuring that the other members of their house have every possible help to act. In this way the glory of the house is ensured and it is this glory that reflects in turn upon the earl themselves.

Setting Tests

One of the most important roles of the earl is setting Tests of Mettle, Ardour and Resolve. This ability underpins most of the power of an earl, and allows the Dawnish system of noble houses to operate. Make sure that you understand the tests and how they work, they can be a very powerful tool in helping you control your house as well as making awesome stories!

The key thing to appreciate about the tests of Mettle and the test of Ardour is that they have absolutely no value at all, except what you give them as earl. While the setting claims that everyone who is a noble has passed their Test of Mettle, the reality is that any player who wants to play a noble can just create a character that is already noble. That means that anyone who has deliberately created an adult character that is trying to pass the Test of Mettle has done so precisely because they want the challenge of a near-impossible test, they want the drama and the epic story that comes from passing such a test.

You won't do these players any favours at all if you set them an easy test. More likely you risk harming their fun by removing any sense of challenge and development for them. If you're called upon to set a Test of Mettle, don't be rushed into it. Passing a test should take years, so it's fine if it takes you a day or two to come up with something cool. If you are struggling to think of something cool try talking to the Dawnish Egregore or to the other earls.

Spend some time talking to the character and try to get to know them and understand them. The more appropriate the test is for that character, the better. You want to set a test that is difficult, but you want it to match their character's skills. Telling a magician that they have to duel ten orcs armed only with a spear is difficult to the point of impossible - but it's no fun for the player. Telling them they have to retrieve the Eternal Queen of Summer's crown and bring it to the lake of ice is probably more difficult - but it's something they won't be prevented from doing because of their character's skills.

The only exception to this is with young players who have come of age in-character. These players have not had the chance to create a noble character, as all Dawnish children begin as yeomen. It is possible that they will be excited by the chance to spend years trying to become noble - but it is possible that they will want to play a noble character without this barrier. In this case it may be appropriate to set an easier test or even have one conducted "between events" if the player wishes. Talk to the players involved, there are no hard and fast rules for this sort of thing, it is down to the individuals and how they feel about it.

Some noble houses use traditional, publicly known tests. For example, House DuPont of Astolat traditionally demanded the head of an orc shaman or warlord, taken in battle. If your group has decided to create a traditional test for the house then you can choose to use that in play whenever you are asked to set a test.

Enchanters

An earl who possesses magical powers may style themselves an enchanter. With the resources of an entire noble house to back them up, Enchanters can exert a great deal of influence over the nation. Sometimes an earl becomes an enchanter later in life, studying magic as a means to expand their personal power.

Most enchanters possess at least a basic mastery of ritual magic, focusing on the magic of the Summer Realm (which grants strength to them and their troops) and the Autumn Realm (which deals with prosperity and influence). The primary weakness of ritual magic from the point of view of an enchanter is that it is most powerful when supported by a group of ritual magicians, and Dawnish noble houses tend to shy away from this practice in favour of the more glorious battlefield incantations.

Perhaps most importantly, an enchanter is in a good position to deal with the Eternals on a more-or-less equal footing. Enchanters often pursue relationships with Summer Eternals, who respect the personal power of a mighty individual more than they do the more diffuse power of a ritual group or lesser magician.

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Earthquake Drummers

Description

Most often crafted as a pair of maces, these weapons are based on a design originally used by the barbarian orcs.

The Warden fellowships of Varushka favour them to thin out the ranks of their enemies, should they find themselves outnumbered or surrounded. Particularly famed for their use was the Brotherhood of Thunder who all bore these weapons and used them to fight the Wolf swarms of Miekarova. They were well-known for triumphing in the face of overwhelming numbers through judicious use of these weapons.

Earthquake Drummers are also found among the Frayed of Wintermark who use them much as the barbarian orcs did, charging the enemy before the battle lines meet in hopes of causing as much chaos among their foes as possible. Weapons made for this purpose sometimes bear Mawrig, the rune of Storms and Disaster, as a symbol of their ill-fated owners and the chaos they hope to sow among their enemies.

Stretcher-bearers and field doctors with some martial skill appreciate these weapons as a form of defence when at work on the battlefield, earning them the name Doctor's Orders.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of two one-handed weapons.

- Requirement: You must have the ambidexterity skill to bond to these items.

- Effect: You can call REPEL against a target you hit with both weapons simultaneously by spending a hero point.

- Materials: Crafting a pair of earthquake dummers requires nine ingots of tempest jade and seven ingots of dragonbone. It takes one month to make a pair of these items.

"...so you had formed a shield-wall, according to practise?"

The young Guardian stood bolt upright, a bead of sweat forming on his brow.

"Yes, Ma'am. The Unconquered with us came through the line, the sergeant commanding called the order, we closed ranks and locked."

"...and you joined the second rank? And what happened next, may I enquire?"

"Yes, Ma'am. The orcs came, ma'am, and we faced them off. Shield to defend myself against any pikes in their second rank, sword to attack the orc charging the guardian to my front and left. As it is written."

"...and then?"

"A guardian in the front rank near me called a challenge to the largest of the orcs, who came straight at them, ma'am. "

"...do carry on..."

"The orc was carrying two hammers, ma'am. Shouldn't have been much trouble to an experienced shieldmaiden. Barbarians armed like that usually concentrate of beating your shield away, and don't bother with the parry that much. But this one had some magic on them. Battered her shield for a second, no longer, then she was barrelling backwards through the ranks, causing an awful mess. That first orc came through the gap in the line, and others followed. It caught her on the ground, and smashed her face in, begging your pardon ma'am."

"In Empire we call such weapons "Earthquake Drummers". A few in Wintermark carry then, a Warden or two also. I have heard worse. And seen such errors before. That is not Courage, that is foolishness. And how many others fell?"

"I do not know ma'am. A fair few."

"And you left your assigned position, am I right?"

"Yes, ma'am. I ignored the orcs who'd broken the line, and stepped into the gap in the front rank, ma'am. The front line must stand as one, and others would kill those who'd come through."

"Magic is a fact of the battlefield, is it our response that marks us as heroes. You are accepted as a Cataphract. Congratulations."

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Echoes of Glory

Description

Echoes of Glory allows the user to perform ceremonies dedicated to Courage. A common form for this musical instrument is a horn or trumpet, something that can be used to sound a rousing note before a battle. Some priests, especially those of the Brass Coast, Wintermark and the Navarr like to use big, deep drums. During a ceremony, the drums are beaten with a slow rhythm that echoes a heartbeat, helping the celebrants to achieve the right mental state.

This instrument is equally valuable to a priest who is dedicated to one of the other six virtues as it is to a priest who is dedicated to none of the virtues - a priest of the Way. Indeed, in some ways it is more useful to the latter philosophy of priest - it allows them to use the ceremonies of anointing, consecration and hallowing; without an instrument such as this, they would be restricted to supporting other priests in creating these auras. Likewise, a priest dedicated to a virtue other than courage can partake of a little of the versatility of the priest dedicated to the Way as a whole, aiding priests in the creation of an aura as if they shared their dedication.

Some priests consider the common name of this instrument to be slightly heretical, and prefer to call it a Echoes of the Last Post.

In Wintermark, Courage is represented by Jotra, Rune of Battle.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of any kind of musical instrument.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may perform religious skills other than dedication as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Courage.

- Materials: Crafting Echoes of Glory requires 7 ingots of orichalcum; 9 ingots of green iron; 3 measures of dragonbone; It takes 1 month to make one of these items.

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Egregores

Egregores

- Are the first point of contact for players in each nation

- Source of plot in the nation

- Get new players involved in the plot and in the politics of the nation

- Encourage the players to maintain the visual and thematic identity of each nation

- Are the radio operator in each camp

Each nation has a single Egregore [1] spirit that represents the personification of the nation created through ritual magic. This may be present in more than one host body at any time. The ritual was created by the Brass Coast to ensure that the nations of the Empire retained their independent character and culture. In the game they will act to encourage the players to maintain the visual and thematic identity of their nation. The egregores are an effective channel for plot writers to deliver plot "news" to the players about what is going on in their nation. They work particularly closely with the new player plot team to try to ensure that new players are involved in the plot and also involved in the politics of the nation. They are a point of contact for PD crew for players in a nation and will have a covert radio. They are not there to make decisions for the nation or provide leadership or direction. It is possible for an egregore to play other roles some of the time if they wish.

Being an egregore requires some charisma and personal presence. The egregores do not have any real power in the nation so their influence will primarily derive from what they can achieve through roleplaying. You need to be in touch with the politics of your nation to be able to get new players involved in it. Being an egregore is a great role for anyone who wants to play an evocative role in the heart of a nation but does not want to be in charge.

Current Egregores:

All our egregores have now been cast.

Nation

Egregore Name

OOC names

Brass Coast

Dust, Fire and Glass

Linette Withers

Dawn

The Knight of Roses

Keeley Knight

Highguard

Escon

Matt Heath

Imperial Orcs

Grud The Unshackled

Dave McKenna

The League

Guise

Rick Jackson

The Marches

Jack-of-the-Marches

Ritch Keeling

Navarr

Liaven

David Young & Liz Duggan

Urizen

Menos

Toni Badnall

Varushka

Mother Varushka

Dave Kibblewhite

Wintermark

Sulkavaris, Knower of Names

Andrew Dudgeon, Charlotte Barratt & Al Bevan

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Elayne Silverlark

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

Elayne Silverlark, was recognised as an Exemplar of Loyalty by the Highborn Assembly of the Virtuous following tales her commitment and devotion were brought to Bastion by pilgrims and Wayfarers in the time before the Synod.

Biography

Lady Elayne Silverlark of Dawn, who was an exceptional troubadour gifted in many arts - musically, poetically, dramatic and more - and was highly sought after by great houses and exceptional knights, offering gold, glory, love and more. Yet Elayne was unwaveringly Loyal to Endric, whose skills and reputation were never more than adequate on a good day. Many households sought Lord Endric's services, not for his talents, but for those of the one who accompanied him. It is said that it was Elayne's belief in Endric that gave him the will to confront an orc warband many times his number and hold them at bay until reinforcements arrived. Lord Endric died of his wounds, and ever after, Elayne exemplified her loyalty by ensuring that all of Dawn learned of his sacrifice.

Signs

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Eleonaris

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Summer

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

- 2 Jaheris

- 3 Eleonaris and Jaheris in Empire culture

Eternal of Summer

Sobriquets

Eleonaris has many titles; she is the Queen of the Fields of Glory, the Lady of Pennants, the Commander of the Golden Armies, the Soverign in Scarlet and Gold and The Lion of Summer.

She has many other names besides; bards and Troubadours in her court and beyond compete to glorify her name with flattering titles. She smiles indulgently, but their adoration rarely turns her head.

Appearance

The Queen of the Fields of Glory.appears as a powerful woman in gold and red. She has a golden mane reminiscent of a lion, and her skin is marked with swirling patterns that are said to spiral outwards from her heart. When she is calm these markings are golden, but when she is in a wrathful aspect or going to war, they are deep crimson.

She may be attired in a flowing gown or clad head-to-toe in plate harness. Usually she appears in clothing and armour reminiscent of The Brass Coast, although sometimes she appears as a resplendent Dawnish noble. Very occasionally she may appear in garb that echoes the leaders or nobles of other warrior societies.

Eleonaris is almost never alone; she is generally accompanied by nights, nobles, courtiers, soldiers and servants. Some of these are lesser Eternals, others seem to be more akin to magical creatures in the form of men. Like their mistress, they tend to be fierce and proud. Most bear banners, pennants, tabards or surcotes bearing some sort of image of a golden lion on a red background.

Concerns

Eleonaris seems to be the ruler of a great swathe of the Summer Realm called the Fields of Glory. She also claims parts of the Forest of Arden, and is known to contend with other Eternals for dominance of other territories. She is said to have a number of lesser Eternals who serve her as vassals - lords and ladies and knights of her court, each of which is responsible for a demesne within her greater Realm. Whether this is 'real' or not is never clear - it is possible that these Eternals simply play at being a feudal court for their own amusement, but if so they take their game so seriously that ignoring it can have serious repercussions.

The Commander in Crimson and Gold exemplifies ideas of nobility, civility, and, conquest. Her armies, resplendent in gold-and-red, fight beneath her leonine pennant in great tourneys, and in open warfare with the armies of other Summer Eternals. She seems to have a great deal of time for those who have earnt the respect they are given through war or politics.

She is strongly associated with the runes Feresh and Tykonus.

During Summer Solstice 378YE, Eleonaris was made subject to the Declaration of Enmity by the Imperial Conclave. This status continued until Winter 378YE when the Declaration of Reconciliation was used to restore her to neutrality, primarily due to the influence of Corvus of the Spire of the Auric Horizon, Archmage of Summer.

Boons

Magicians consort with Eleonaris because she is an exemplar of the ideas of war and leadership. She can offer some of her warriors to fight in mortal battles, as well as giving boons that relate to command, majesty and the arts of war. She has a great love of banners, pennants, heraldry, livery and the like and her weavers are known to spin enchanted threads and dyes that can help a mortal artisan or weaver create magical standards of great potence. She is known to love both orichalcum and iridescent gloaming, and gifts made with these materials are sure to get her attention.

Eleonaris offers boons related to battle, leadership and nobility; she does not appreciate the idea of raiding, or of small bands that fight for their own glory. Those who seek those kinds of boons would be better seeking the court of cold Cathan Canae, the Queen of Ice.

Jaheris

A figure often associated with Eleonaris is her consort-brother-son-father Jaheris. He is usually clad in blue-and-silver, and appears with the horns of a stag. His device is a silver unicorn on a blue background.

He is sometimes her rival, and sometimes her ally. In some stories he is her father who she overthrew to claim her throne, in others he is her son who strives to usurp his mothers' seat. Sometimes it seems he is her beloved consort, but he always plots against her and is cast down. Sometimes he is her brother, who seeks to take her throne by force. In contrast to Eleonaris, he appears to be an Eternal magician rather than a knight or warrior - he is known to offer magical trifles to those who aid him in his schemes.

Their armies and courtiers clash in open conflict - there is comparatively little scheming or plotting between them. Rather their relationship seems to exemplify the clash of kings, the thrill of ambition, and the striving between powerful individuals to claim dominance over one-another and the world.

He sometimes seeks to draw others into his schemes against Eleonaris, but it is perhaps worth remembering that (as the enchanter Lydia de Courland said in one of her studies of the Eternals of Summer) "Jaheris is treachery and ambition incarnate, but this is the Summer realm, not the Autumn realm; his schemes never succeed, and it may be that they never can. The only way he can ever usurp Eleonaris would be to become mightier, more noble, more powerful than she - and were that to happen I truly believe the only result would be that the two of them would swap roles. He would become the regal king of the Fields of Glory, and she would become the bitter rival scheming to steal his throne. In fact, I would not be surprised to discover that exactly that had happened before, perhaps many times. Indeed, it could well be that they are not two Eternals at all, but one powerful magical spirit in two bodies."

Eleonaris and Jaheris in Empire culture

- The Lion and the Unicorn - Song about Jaheris and Eleonaris becoming well known, especially by those associated with the Summer Realm

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Elizabethan recorder music

Below are the contents of a book of Elizabethan recorder music which is out of publisher's copyright.

Each piece is arranged for 4 instruments.

Callino Casturame

Phylis was a fair maid

Sellenger's Round

Go from my window

Now is the month of Maying

When from my love

Never Weather Beaten Sail

Under the Greenwood tree

Go to bed sweet muse

John come kiss me now

File:10.JPG

200px

Since first I saw your face

Awake sweet love

All in a garden green

When that I was and a little tiny boy

Here is a Minuette and Trio for two recorders.

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Embassy

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senate Commissions

- 3 Benefits

- 3.1 Ambassador to a Foreign Nation

- 3.2 Authority

- 3.3 Favour

- 3.4 Intrigue

- 3.5 Further Agreements

- 3.6 Costs

- 4 Limitations

- 5 Existing Embassies

Overview

Creating an embassy allows the Empire to open diplomatic relations with a foreign nation or empire. Embassies formalize the communications between the Empire and other powers, allowing respective governments to send official communications. Operating an embassy requires the an Imperial citizen is appointed to act as ambassador, and duly empowered to speak on behalf of the Empire.

The Empire can open embassies with distant foreigners such as Asavea, Jarm and the Commonwealth. These foreign powers are empires in their own right and have a similar level of might and influence to the Empire, but are far away over the seas and have many concerns of their own. The Empire can also open embassies to nearby foreigners such as the Axos, the Faraden and the Iron Confederacy. These nations possess power equivalent to one or two Imperial nations, but they are much closer to the Empire and their concerns are much more likely to be aligned with Imperial concerns.

Senate Commissions

The Imperial Senate may pass a motion for the construction of an embassy. The senate must select a territory, and a region within that territory, where the embassy will be constructed.

Each embassy is tied to a single foreign nation. When the construction is complete a new Imperial title of ambassador is automatically created. Appointment follows the normal constitutional process for an Imperial position appointed by the Senate and re-appointed each year after that.

The Senate does not need the approval of the foreign nation to begin construction, but unless a foreign nation chooses to recognise an embassy and to reciprocate then it will not provide any benefits of any kind.

Benefits

Ambassador to a Foreign Nation

An embassy opens an official channel for diplomacy with a selected foreign nation or power. The ambassador is likely to receive regular communication from their counterparts in the foreign nation, often via the use of the Call Winged Messenger ritual. There is an expectation that the ambassador will reply to these communications, again most likely by the use of Call Winged Messenger.

Members of foreign nations may interact with the Empire even without an embassy, but they will usually be private individuals rather than official representatives. For example, a group of Faraden mercenaries may look for work during a summit at Anvil, but without an embassy it is unlikely that the Lady of the Five Winds would send diplomats to discuss a major trade treaty.

Authority

The civil service provide support to allow the ambassador to speak on behalf of the Empire when dealing with foreign dignitaries from the relevant nation. If the visitors are present at the summit and have requested an official audience, then the Senate room is made available for use by the Ambassador at least once. The ambassador is expected to receive guests from the Imperial throne and to decide on who will be present in the chamber during this audience.

Favour

Merchants of both sides who engaged in trade between the Empire and the foreign nation have many reasons to want to curry favour with an ambassador. Commonly they will take a portion of the items they buy and sell and make them available to the ambassador at favourable prices.

This favour is reflected by the automatic creation of a small ministry as part of an embassy. This allows the ambassador to directly purchase raw materials from traders and merchants of the associated nation. For example, the Asavean embassy allows the ambassador to purchase Cerulean Mazzarine, Orichalcum, Iridescent Gloaming, and Tempest Jade directly for Imperial currency. The materials provided may fluctuate, but will be tied to those which the foreign nation has regular surpluses of.

Intrigue

Foreign nations are like characters in their own right, and seek to draw the Empire into their intrigues. The Asavean Plenum might seek to enlist the Empire in its conflict with the Sumaah Republic, for example. One member of the Plenum might seek to engage Imperial support in a conspiracy against another Plenum family. A high ranking noble might want to employ foreign mercenaries to help put down a slave revolt, or to locate a prized artefact. All of these create narrative opportunities, decisions and conflicts for the Empire and particularly for the ambassador.

Further Agreements

The Ambassador may be able to secure additional agreements with a foreign nation. Nations rich in resources might be persuaded to make some available for sale, while others might be convinced to share their magical knowledge, or make exotic and rare goods available for sale. A nation might even be persuaded to provide military support, although the cost for such help would likely be high. These agreements will come as opportunities, or might be actively pursued by the ambassador through letters or face-to-face meetings with foreign ambassadors.

In some cases, these agreements will require the creation of new Imperial titles with the authority to oversee them. If the Senate chooses to approve the agreement and create the title then its appointment would be expected to follow normal constitutional rules.

Costs

- Materials: 25 wains of Weirwood and 25 wains of White Granite

- Labour: 12 Thrones

- Time: 1 season

- Upkeep: 5 Thrones

Limitations

Operating an embassy is completely dependent on the agreement and cooperation of the foreign nation it is tied to. An embassy with a hostile foreign nation that is not prepared to accept Imperial diplomacy provides no benefits of any kind.

Even if an agreement is made and an embassy is constructed, it remains contingent on the continuing goodwill of the foreign nation that it houses. If relations sour then they may choose to end contact with the Empire at any time.

An embassy is built to the designs required for a specific foreign nation - it is not possible to reallocate a building to a new nation and no nation would accept the insult of being offered a used embassy built for another nation.

The ambassador is responsible for representing the Empire in its relations with the foreign nation. They are given authority by the Senate to speak on behalf of the Empire and will be treated accordingly. Although the ambassador cannot legally declare war, their words and actions can easily create diplomatic incidents which cause the foreign nation to declare war on the Empire.

Existing Embassies

The following embassies have been constructed in recent years:

- Asavean Embassy

- A Jarmish embassy has been constructed in Cargo in Redoubt, but at present it is not occupied due to ongoing diplomatic issues between the Empire and Jarm.

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Embrace the Living Flame

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains an additional hero point. They also experience a powerful roleplaying effect: they find it difficult to keep their emotions under control. When they are happy, they laugh out loud; when sad, they weep piteously. They find it almost impossible not to step up and confront people or situations that make them angry, especially if those situations involve challenges to deeply held beliefs or philosophies.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 6. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

Passion lies at the heart of the Night Realm, and there is much more to passion than lust or desire. This ritual fans the flames of greatness that lie inside everyone, encouraging them to undertake heroic deeds. As with crafted items such as the Triumphant Blade or a suit of Runeplate it is most effective when it is used to enchant someone who either already possesses a reserve of passion and heroic drive, or who is armed with a Butcher's Cleaver or similar item that can be 'powered' by the ritual.

Some ritualists view the ability to strike mighty blows or shrug off dreadful injury to be a secondary importance next to the effect the ritual has on the spirit of a target. Otherwise meek individuals can be encouraged to match the fury of a battle-ready kohan, while a Dawnish Yeoman may find the spell gives them the confidence they need to seek out their test of mettle. Even without other uses, the ability to steel the will and resist outside influences is sometimes useful in its own right; anyone can benefit from the ability to overcome malign spiritual forces, even if it is only for a short time.

Among the Urizen this ritual is often called Harness the Cold Flame. In keeping with their study of poise, the ritual involves encouraging a passionate, emotional response then helping the target to capture that intense emotion and harness it to their will. Urizen under the influence of this ritual do not display their emotions as freely as others, but are much more likely to actively seek out things that offend them to confront with the force of their banked passions.

Common Elements

This ritual often involves consuming a drink, especially spiced or mulled wine, or consuming a narcotic of some sort. Fire is a common element; weapons may be wielded, especially as part of a dance; drumming, which begins at a slow tempo and accelerates or the singing of energetic, loud songs also work well with this ritual.

Some ritualists, especially among the Imperial Orcs and Winterfolk try to get the target worked up by attacking their beliefs or things they care about, although this can backfire (and it is rarely effective if the target knows in advance that this method is to be used). In The Brass Coast and Varushka the target is encouraged to join in energetic dancing or drumming, while in The Marches or Highguard the ritual may be performed at the end of a tiring sporting event or physical context. Anything that gets the heart pounding and the blood racing can make a powerful adjunct to this ritual.

Symbols of Pride, Ambition and Courage are often used, as are scenes that inspire or exalt the audience; the rune Zorech is an obvious fit for this ritual. The Eternal Janon, the shadowed fire is often evoked during the performance of this ritual, especially through impassioned drumming accompanied by frenzied dancing.

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Emperor Ahraz

Contents

- 1 Reign: 324 YE - 329 YE TBC

- 2 Called:The Liberator

- 2.1 Early Life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death and Legacy

Reign: 324 YE - 329 YE TBC

Called:The Liberator

Early Life and Election

In 322YE, The Orc Rebellion began in Varushka, By 324YE, the Senate was desperate to end the rebellion. Following very public promises by the Freeborn senators that they would end the rebellion, they elected a Scrivener named Ahraz i Tamerlin i Guerra to the throne. The only Freeborn emperor to date his reign would be short and unhappy and marked by violence and internal conflict.

Reign

The Emperor led a force of Brass Coast forces and troops from other nations that had supported his election in pursuit of the rag-tag orc armies. Unknown to those outside his immediate circle, he had already begun negotiations with the orcs using contacts established earlier in the rebellion by Freeborn merchants. Several meetings took place, where Ahraz reiterated his people’s antipathy for slavery and desire to see the orcs freed. The Emperor offered full citizenship to any orc who would swear to serve the Empire and committed to achieving freedom for all orcs enslaved by the Empire. After weeks of protracted talks, Ahraz was able to convince the orcs of his sincerity and extracted from them an oath to serve the Imperial throne. Marching to Anvil in a calculated show of strength, the Emperor presented the agreement to the Senate. Partly through his own personal charisma, but mostly through the hard work of his allies, Ahraz was able to get his proposals ratified by the Senate.

After the end of the Orc Rebellion, Ahraz was called before the Synod and questioned about his actions and the motivation therof. In a passionate speech he expressed the shame he felt that so much of the Empire he loved had been built on the back of slavery. He argued that every coin in the Imperial Treasury had been paid for with orc blood, and successfully defended his actions in the name of each of the virtues in turn.

Ahraz' reign was marked by upheaval and rebellion. He survived three assassination attempts from those ruined by the loss of the orc slaves, one of which claimed the life of his beloved daughter. His actions were openly criticized as having lead to the Freedom Heresy that began during his second year on the throne, despite his protestations. His decision, supported principally by the Navarr to refuse to send the army after the secessionists was seen as a sign of weakness, despite his repeated claims that the anarchists would prove their own worst enemies.

Death and Legacy

After the barbarians sacked the secessionist stronghold, Ahraz stepped down from the throne and lived out the rest of his life in seclusion in mountains of Kahraman. He died shortly afterwards, and reports at the time say that he looked like a man easily twice his actual age of forty-seven. His body was interred in the Necropolis in an understated black marble tower.

In 342 YE, a legion of Imperial Orcs were apprehended attempting to break into the tomb of Emperor Ahraz. While initially mistaken for tomb robbers, they made no effort to resist arrest. Investigation of the tomb indicated they had touched nothing, but had left behind the body of three dead orcs wrapped in shrouds. The dead orcs had been among the negotiators who had first met with the Emperor and been swayed by his arguments. Having recently died, the legion had decided to inter them alongside the Emperor who had brought them into the Empire, When questioned further, they simply maintained that they felt it was inappropriate for Emperor Ahraz to be alone in death. Despite some initial resistance, the appropriateness of the move found supporters in both the Synod and the Senate, and over the next twenty years the tomb was re-opened another seven times. Emperor Ahraz' tomb now has an honour guard of ten dead orc heroes.

At the Summer Solstice of 378YE, a priest of the League, Isaac di Sarvos, called for the Synod to recognise Ahraz as an Exemplar of Courage, which was done by both the Virtue and General Assemblies.

"What price their freedom? Better to ask what price their slavery! What price for the spread of contempt from those who lead to those who follow? What price for indolence and opposition to innovation becoming commonplace in the halls of power? What price to the suffering of those innocent-born for the unjust gain of another? You speak of price, and Freeborn though I be, I will put no price on these things. I cannot, I will not sell the Empire's ideals so cheaply.

Have we learned, I say, have we learned nothing from the fall of the Highborn patricians? Any system predicated on corrupt practices is inherently unstable and doomed to fall. And furthermore, I might add, slavery itself is totally antithetical to the founding principles of our Empire, where from the earliest days we saw the virtue of anyone being able to achieve even the highest offices in the land solely based upon their own merit and determination."

..

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Emperor Ahraz (Exemplar)

Contents

- 1 Virtue

- 2 Biography

- 3 Signs

- 3.1 Disputed Sign

- 4 Revelations of the Exemplar

Virtue

Emperor Ahraz was recognised as an Exemplar of Courage by the Synod at the Summer Solstice of 378YE.

Biography

The deeds for which Emperor Ahraz has been recognised as an Exemplar of Courage relate to those he made during the Orc Rebellion. Emperor Ahraz led an army of imperial soldiers in pursuit of escaped orc slaves. The expectation of many had been that he would crush the rebellion through force of arms.

The reality was that Ahraz sought to take a different path, for which he did not have popular support or surety of success. Emperor Ahraz managed to secure peace with the escaped slaves, an end to orc slavery and the creation of the Imperial Orc nation. Unlike more martial demonstrations of Courage, the example of Emperor Ahraz is one of conviction and willingness to take an untried path toward an uncertain outcome.

A fuller biography of the Emperor Ahraz can be found here.

Signs

The Assembly of Courage held that the Emperor Ahraz i Tamerlin i Guerra demonstrated the following signs of being an Exemplar:

- Ahraz's actions in ending the orc rebellion that ravished the Empire and threatened the manifest of human destiny demonstrate his Benevolence.

- Ahraz underwent a spiritual Pilgrimage to the heart of the Imperial Faith when he was called before the Synod to answer for his actions. His courage in the strength of his convictions proved true as he successfully argued for the virtue of the Orcish Liberation.

- By raising the orcish slaves out of bondage, Ahraz is responsible for their Salvation and the very possibility of their conversion to The Way. Those Imperial Orc priests who today preach that by embracing the Virtues, the Imperial Orcs can strengthen themselves as well as creating a better future for their descendants do so because of the courage of Ahraz.

- The strength of Ahraz’s beliefs in the evils of slavery proved an Inspiration to the whole Empire which is felt even today in how the very laws of the land extend the right to liberty to all people.

- By personally extracting from the orc rebels their vows of fealty and oaths of loyalty that bound them eternally to the Empire and the Throne, Ahraz’s Legacy stands in the form of the valiant and mighty Imperial Orc Nation.

Disputed Sign

- Ahraz experienced a True Liao vision which featured the Exemplar of Courage, Gilda Ashwine. However, it is not presently established whether he fully was Recognised as the reincarnation of the Exemplar, or if his soul had simply known her in a previous life.

Revelations of the Exemplar

Ahraz builds upon our understanding of the Virtue of Courage by granting us greater insight into the canon of the path established by the Exemplar Permion the Navigator. Ahraz shows us the necessity of Courage in facing wickedness and corruption not just in external foes to Humanity, but when it has become entrenched in our own societies.

Much as Permion cleaved to what he knew to be truth in order to take on the power of the Patricians for the betterment of mankind and Highguard, Ahraz’s dedication to his ideals in the face of the condemnation of his fellow Imperial Citizens liberated us all from the shackles of orcish slavery and saved the Casinean Empire from devastation by the Orc Rebellion. Ahraz reveals to us the Virtue in the acts of bravery needed to make revolutionary change for the good of Humanity, and to hold to the absolute strength of our convictions even in the face of condemnation and death. Further, he builds upon the understanding of Courage given to us by Permion by showing how we might embody this strength of convictions in the Imperial Age.

Courage means to stand without quaking before evil, even when that evil is inside us and our allies.Isaac di Sarvos, Priest of Courage, Summer 378YE

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Emperor Barabbas

Contents

- 1 Reign: 180YE to 199YE

- 2 Called: the Mariner

- 2.1 Early life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death and Legacy

Reign: 180YE to 199YE

Called: the Mariner

Early life and Election

Emperor Barabbas was a Highborn man who grew up hearing stories of Atun and Atuman and became obsessed with the sea at an early age. He was a charismatic, strong-willed man who developed a following in the Senate while serving as one of the Highborn generals. In his mid-thirties he parlayed his reputation and various alliances into a political career, and eventually to the throne.

Writers of the time described him as surprisingly open and friendly; he undermined the stereotype of the dour Highborn, without ever giving the impression of being impious. During his life he was praised for his Ambition, Pride and Prosperity, although as the theologian Bishop Eulaile de Tassato is said to have remarked after his death "He was as brave as he was ambitious, as proud as he was prosperous, and as wise as he was able to regurgitate whole lobsters."

Reign

Barabbas was elected in a time of expansion, and while he served adequately as the director of the land armies, his real desire was to extend Imperial control over the entire Bay of Catazar. At this time the Grendel were particularly active, launching several concerted raids against the southern coast of the Empire.

Barabbas spent a fortune funding exploration, pouring money into the coffers of the Freeborn shipbuilders. He sought to build a powerful Imperial navy capable of conquering nations overseas, to spread the Empire to Surann, Skoura and ultimately to the destroy the threat of the barbaric Grendel by conquering Attar. He soon realised that he lacked any real skill as a shipwright, but that did not stop his raw enthusiasm for the mariner's art infecting those around him.

He supported the Freeborn expansion into Segura, but his focus was not entirely on the Brass Coast; he encouraged mariners and sailors of all nations to look beyond the borders of the Empire. He was not solely a warmonger, despite some attempts by his political enemies to paint him as such. He actively encouraged trade with foreign nations whose attitudes and politics were not entirely opposed to those of the Empire. A number of trade routes that still exist today were established by Barabbas' pioneers. He also encouraged the Senate to spend money expanding many settlements with good harbours - Siroc, Sarvos, Meade, Trivento and even Bastion all benefited from his maritime spending.

While his enthusiasm allowed the Empire to build a solid fleet, his failure to conquer Attar destroyed the majority of the Imperial warships as well as the fortunes of many of those he had convinced to invest in his ambitious project. Since then the Senate has shied away from any naval projects on a similar scale.

Death and Legacy

Consequently Emperor Barabbas is perhaps best known for the manner of his death. He was lost when his Barabbine fleet ran into stormy seas two days south of Joharra, resulting in the first, biggest – and most expensive – naval disaster of Imperial history. Their intention was to build a foothold on Attar and begin a war of extermination against the Grendel.

The only enduring legacies of his reign are the naval defences along the Bay of Catazar, and the ships of the Freeborn corsairs. The Freeborn took shameless advantage of his generosity towards all things maritime, using the endowments and investments he encouraged to build the solid core of Freeborn ships that defend the bay to this day.

Emperor Barabbas rests uneasy beneath the sea; the memorial obelisk that bears his name in the Necropolis sits above an empty chamber. Over the years after his death three distinct stories about his end began to circulate. In one, Barabbas is born again as an albino (or black) dolphin who aids stranded mariners in the Bay of Catazarr. This story is likely fanciful, and a development of the more traditional stories about dolphins told to Freeborn children.

The second story suggests that Barabbas, denied burial, is unable to pass through the Labyrinth and instead continues a tortured existence as a restless shade. According to rumour this ghostly spirit has visited Emperors, Freeborn dhomiro and Highborn generals to warn them of raids along the coast by the Grendel and other enemies of the Empire. No reliable evidence to support this claim exists.

Finally, there is a story that Barabbas' flagship, the Basilisk's Daughter, was attacked at the height of the storm and dragged beneath the waves by a kraken of tremendous size. Given that two-thirds of the fleet was lost in the storm, some eye-witnesses certainly survived, but this story did not come to the attention of Imperial historians until some thirty years after the Emperor's death, making it's provenance suspicious.

Only one of the ships that set sail with Barabbas survives today; the Lazy Basilisk, an inn on the quayside of Sarvos is made from the remains of the last surviving remains of the Barabbine fleet. It is believed to currently be owned by one of the wealthier (and most secretive)Reckoner guilds. Perhaps unfairly, to this day, to call a ship a “Barabbine tub” is a grave insult to the ship’s crew, and is often thrown at a Freeborn corsair crew by jealous League rivals.

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Emperor Frederick

Contents

- 1 Reign: 168 YE - 179 YE

- 2 Called: The Philosopher or The Republican

- 3 Early Life and Election

- 4 Reign

- 5 Death and Legacy

Reign: 168 YE - 179 YE

Called: The Philosopher or The Republican

In some tracts of a religious nature he is also sometimes called The Heretic.

Early Life and Election

Born in 131YE, Frederick Ritter van Holberg was the grandson of Commonwealth immigrants who became Imperial citizens. His parents lectured at the University of Holberg, and he spent much of his early life around academics. In his teens he went through a particularly noteworthy rebellious phase during which he developed the prodigious appetite for wine that stayed with him throughout his life - and ended abruptly in 153YE when he was near-fatally stabbed during a drunken brawl. After his brush with death, Frederick abandoned the life of the rake and bravo, and became a doctor of philosophy and political theory.

Rather than spending his time in academia, however, he spent the next ten years touring the Empire arguing with anyone who was prepared to listen about the nature of humanity, morality, ethics and responsibility. He became a regular attendee of the quarterly Anvil summits, and began to attract fellow scholars from across the Empire with week-long symposia where robust debate and wine flowed equally. In addition to his love of debate and fine wine, he is remembered as an accomplished dog breeder. having been married only briefly - his husband was killed during a skirmish with Druj forces near their native Holberg - he regularly quipped that he found having a family too difficult and ultimately too painful, and that his dogs provided him all the companionship he needed. He is always depicted in art and sculpture with one or more dogs, of various breeds; "A man's loyalty is often conditional," he wrote "but it is never that way with a hound. The Varushkans are right when they say loyalty is a dog. I would trust my life to my dogs before I would trust any human soldier or cicisbeo because when I look into my dog's eyes I know his heart. I can never say about a human being."

He dabbled in the Imperial Bourse, allegedly making a small fortune while the Chair for the Great Pits of Ennerlund by cornering the market on sales of mithril to the Urizen (who were at that time involved in a program of expanding their mana sites in Zenith and Spiral). He is said to have invested his money wisely in businesses across the League and even in some nations outside the Empire, leveraging his investments not only into personal wealth but also into political capital.

After his time in the Bourse, he served several times in the Senate, twice as Senator for Holberg and for one memorable six-month term as compromise proxy Senator for Tassato. He was a clever and vocal critic of Empress Varkula, who referred to him frequently as a greased weasel and more than once had him ejected from the Senate when his seemingly disingenuous questioning of her policies began to grate. Much of his opposition to the Empress revolved around her heavy-handed attitude to the Imperial Synod and Bourse - but he always supported her efforts to improve social mobility and freedom for the citizenry as a whole.

After the death of Varkula, Frederick set his eyes on the throne, and achieved his goal within a year.

Reign

In contrast to his predecessor on the throne, Emperor Frederick employed a light touch on the tiller of Imperial politics. He rarely used the powers of the Throne, with the exception that he endeavoured to attend every meeting of the Senate, Synod, Military Council and Imperial Conclave. In pursuit of the latter, he had an artefact Pauper's Key constructed by the renowned artisan Catherine de Sarvos, which allowed him to enter the Hall of Worlds. Some scholars suggest the artefact was usable more often than the common example, but the key itself was stolen shortly after Frederick's death and its current wherabouts unknown so this cannot be verified.

His primary method of influencing the Empire was with his speech. He was a renowned orator - surviving writings from his reign suggest that there were very few people who could hold their own against him when he spoke before the Senate or the Conclave. He spoke passionately about the need for the Senate to remember that it represented the people of the Empire - it did not rule them. Frederick worked hard to remain accessible to anyone who cared enough about a situation or subject to come to an Anvil summit. He sometimes described the role of the Throne as being to represent the Empire to the Senate; to be a Senator whose constituency was the entire Empire and everyone in it.

Frederick encouraged the military council to consolidate the gains Empress Varkula had made, and clashed several times with generals who wanted to continue expanding into barbarian territory. By no means a pacifist, Fredericks first concern remained the citizens of the Empire - he opposed plans that put them needlessly at risk, whether they were soldiers or civilians. "We deal too often in numbers," he famously said while ejecting the General of the Army of the Citadel from the Military council. "We would all do well to remember that each one of those numbers is also a name."

Much of what modern scholars know of Frederick comes from his writings. He wrote one book before his acension to the throne, and two more afterwards, as well as authoring numerous pamphlets, academic papers and three books of poetry. Thanks to Emperor Nicovar, intact copies of his books are extremely rare but there are many fragments and his works are regularly referenced in other philosophical and political texts. Unfortunately, the lack of definitive volumes has allowed factions with various often contradictory views to quote segments of his works, often out of context. For example, several of the more public supporters of the Freedom Heresy referenced Frederick's boook Anarchy and Liberty as supporting their cause when in fact most scholars agree that the Emperor absolutely refuted the idea that the selfish freedom to Do what thou wilt was acceptable in a civillised society.

What remains underlines a clear philosophy that is often described as republicism. Most clearly, Frederick argued that the Empire existed not for it's own aggrandisment or the glory of it's generals or senators, but for the benefit of it's people. He argued that individuals owed no fealty to either their nation or the Throne, but rather a commitment to shared prosperity, security and personal freedom. He insisted that Imperial law and especially the Imperial Constitution existed not to punish or constrain but to secure liberty while allowing people from many different social, political and economic backgrounds to work together.

His first book "The Empty Throne" laid out his personal philosophy of accountability, personal responsibility, and the duties of the citizen to the state and the state to the citizens. He was clear in his belief that Senators especially needed to remember that whatever power they held their wielded only on the sufferance of the people of their territory. Likewise, the Generals wielded their military authority on a mandate from the people who had appointed the senators who in turn appointed them - and the same was true for an Emperor or Empress. He demanded similar accountability from the Conclave and the Synod, urging magicians and priests alike to take on the communal responsibility for keeping their leaders and their processes "honest, both by the legal sense and by the spirit of the constitution."

He demanded absolute transparency in the way the Senate in particular used it's powers and spent it's treasury, while protecting the people from unneccessary oversight or obervation by the state. When he achieved the throne he put much of this theory into practice; he argued that the honest Senator and the forthright General had nothing to fear from making their motivations and decisions apparent to the people they represented. He urged the citizenry to wield "The hammer of the Synod" against any appointed representative who put self-interest ahead of their duty to the people.

He made much of the fact that the people of the Empire selected their own leaders. The processes were not perfect, and it was clear that every individual did not have equal power to select their leaders, but he argued that in every case the electorate was selected from those that each nation considred to have the largest investment in that nation and by extension the people of that nation". In his second book, On Responsibility he wrote that "The ability to participate in politics is not an inalienable right; rather it is a prize and one that we must fight for if we are not to take it for granted." In private he is said to have believed that the Empire would be stronger if everyone was able to participate in the election of their Senators, but feared that such universal suffrage would make it too easy for future generations to undervalue their enfranchisement.

His philosophy suggests that those who sought high office must be held to higher standards than the people they represented - that while the citizens of the Empire were not subjects, the Senators and the Generals were the servants of the people. This double-standard often angered his contemporaries, but it is very clear he lived this philosophy during his entire time in office.

He rarely participated in Synod activities, prefering to remain as an observer alone. In private, he was known to have little patience for the inter-Assembly politics of the Synod. Some historians have accused him of being a Lucidian or an adherent to the faith of the Commonwealth, but there is little real evidence that he held any strong religious belief as such. Rather he spoke many times on the importance of cultivating a rational mind, and of reasoning out the correct way to behave in any given situation.

Througout his life he was accused of blasphemy for continuing to promote the idea of personal freedom. His final book Anarchy and Liberty spoke at length about the difference between the corrupting temptation of 'primal, selfish anarchy and the importance of personal liberty - and his belief that the constitution itself safeguarded the liberty of the individual to live free from oppression and tyranny. "We do not have, nor want to have, the selfish freedom to do whatever we want regardless of consequence. Rather we have and want the liberty to live good, prosperous lives without harming outselves or our neighbours. It is up to humans to carve liberty from the rotten wood of a corrupt creation, to safeguard it from the tyrant and the slaver, and to use it to build a better world for all humanity." He compared the difference to that between the primitive and irrational drive toward Vengeance and the civillised, rational quest for justice.

This last book was finished less than a month before his death, and some scholars believe it was the inflammatory nature of this text that lead to his assassination.

Death and Legacy

Emperor Frederick was assassinated in the Summer of 179YE during one of his regular symposia. According to witnesses, the Emperor was deep in his cups as were most of his guests. Feeling a pressing call of nature, he left his tent and did not return. His body was found less than fifteen minutes later - he had been stabbed to death and his throat cut. Signs indicated he had been slain with a Scorpion's Sting dagger, brutally and efficiently by at least two assailants. The Archmage of Winter herself performed Whispers through the Black Gate in pursuit of the assassins, but the Emperor's shade was unable to provide any clue as to who had killed him or why. "Í was Emperor," the ghostly spirit is said to have reorted "I was not in the business of making friends."

The case is still technically open. There are many wild theories about who killed the Emperor - some historians look to the Imperial Synod, outraged by the publication of his third and final book in which he explained his belief in the importance of personal liberty. Others suggest vested interests in the Senate or the Imperial Bourse, threatened by the growing republicanist sentiment the Emperor supported, silenced the Emperor before he could raise a motion to dissolve the Empire and replace it with a different political body. Still others suggest there was an occult element to the murder, citing the expended mana crystals found nearby. Some discredited theories suggest that the entire murder story was a fabrication, and that the Emperor actually died somewhere else - possibly the steps of the Senate or the Military Council. It is unlikely the mystery will ever be solved.

He was buried in Necropolis in a white granite tomb, shrouded with grape vines. The tomb is watched over by a statue of his beloved companion, his hound Percy, who is buried alongside his master. The inscription on the statue reads "Nearly anyone can stand adversity, but to test someone's true character, give them power."

His primary legacy today lies in the various checks and balances on the power of the Senate, and the encouragement to use them. In particular, the reticence of the Civil Service to spy on the citizenry is often laid at his door. While republicist political philosophies have waxed and waned in power over the centuries since, the idea that those citizens appointed to high office remain subject to the approval of those who appointed them remains strong to this day.

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Emperor Guntherm

Contents

- 1 Reign: 239 YE - 248 YE TBC

- 2 Called: The Bold or The Bloodthirsty

- 2.1 Early Life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death and Legacy

Reign: 239 YE - 248 YE TBC

Called: The Bold or The Bloodthirsty

Early Life and Election

Guntherm Hefthammer was a Steinr warrior who rose to prominence in wars against the Jotun.

Reign

Guntherm was committed to expanding the reach of the Empire, and chafed under the economic restrictions placed by his predecessor, Empress Mariika. He proposed and received support for numerous campaigns to the east and west, as well as several probing attacks against the Thule to the north.

The early part of his reign is mostly concerned with the defence of Imperial territories; the treasury was dedicated to a program of castle and fortress building that helped reinforce key borderlands areas against the barbarians. With these fortifications in place, Guntherm launched an all-out attack on the barbarians, claiming a great deal of land. However, his troops were largely unable to hold the territories they took and a massive betrayal by the Druj in 245 YE saw Guntherm trapped fighting a war on three fronts. The final straw came with the complete destruction of the Navarr 'Dance of Blood army during a disastrous attempt to ambush an invading Jotun force in Bregasland.

In response, Guntherm arranged a peace treaty with the Jotun for the next two years, and turned the full attention of the Imperial armies on the Druj. With brutal efficiency, the Imperial war-machine drove the Druj eastward, delivering a series of crushing attacks from which they would take decades to recover. At the completion of the two-year peace-treaty, the Jotun invaded Sermersuaq and Guntherm returned to fighting their armies and reclaiming lost territory.

Dramatists tend to paint Guntherm as a gung-ho warrior, but historians point to his practicality in matters of warfare. As he reportedly said to the Military Council before proposing a treaty with the Jotun: "fighting on one front is barely a war, but trying to fight on three fronts gets everyone killed."

Death and Legacy

Guntherm died fighting the Jotun, suffering a severely fractured skull. He lapsed in and out of consciousness for three days. During this time he repeated his desire to be interred in the Necropolis of Highguard, claiming that while he was a Steinr, he was also an Emperor and it was only fitting he lie alongside his peers.

There was some resistance from his family, but in the end Guntherm was carried to Pharos and interred in a hall of black marble and granite where he lies in state to this day. Persistent rumours arose shortly after his internment that his body had been stolen and re-interred in the swamps of Kallavesa by his daughters Brigid and Jaara.

History tends to pain Guntherm as a thick-headed warrior, but this is not entirely fair. He was a competent and inspiring general, and some scholars argue that he did the best he could in a bad situation. Still, some nations focus on the military defeats they suffered during his reign - the Navarr lost the Dance of Blood, and the Freeborn army of the Burning Falcon were slaughtered during the 247YE invasion of Hahnmark when the kohan fought to the last drop of blood to preent a force three times it's size claiming the academy at Ishal.

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Emperor Hugh

Contents

- 1 Reign: 348 YE - 368 YE

- 2 Called:The Fat

- 2.1 Early Life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death and Legacy

- 3 Hugh in Play

Reign: 348 YE - 368 YE

Called:The Fat

Also The Well-meaning, The Weak, The Unready or The Ill-prepared

Early Life and Election

Born in 321, as the nephew of the Dawnish general Leon de Rousillon, and the scion of a politically and militarily powerful Dawn noble house, great things were expected of Hugh de Rousillon. Despite being born into a life or privilege, insisted on earning his nobility the hard way, spending several years as part of a band of Knights-errant. He traveled across Dawn and most of the southern Empire performing heroic deeds and seeking challenges, and for several years served as Castellan of Spiral Castle. When he finally approached the Earl de Rousillon for his test of mettle he was challenged to deal with a particularly nasty band of Druj attacking into Weirwater and the Highborn territory of Reikos. Hugh lead a glorious band who sought out the Druj, pinned them down with magical assistance from a chapter of Highborn magisters and wiped them out.

In his youth he was known as a personable, enthusiastic and idealistic Questing knight with extensive experience both on tourneys and on the battlefield. He served as a Dawnish General on two occasions, partly due to his popularity with the Dawnish nobility and partly due to the influence of his Uncle Leon, a major participant in Dawnish and Imperial politics at the time.

Following the disastrous end to the reign of Empress Giselle, the Military Council used all their political pull to ensure that the next presence on the Throne would be sensitive to the concerns of the Generals. Hugh was convinced by his uncle to make a play for the Throne. With extensive support from the Dawnish, Marcher, Freeborn and Wintermark senators (no doubt encouraged by the generals of their respective nation, still smarting over the disasters they saw as being forced on them by Empress Giselle's refusal to listen to their advice), and with his personal charisma persuading several other Senators (especially those of Highguard) to support his claim, he ascended the Throne.

Reign

Unfortunately, he was an absolutely abyssmal administrator, incapable of delegation, torn between the realities of political life and his personal idealism. A firm believer in glory, personal worth, leading-from-the-front, openness and altruism he was entirely unprepared for the Imperial court that fifteen years of Empress Giselle had created. Many Senators, especially those of The League, Navarr and Urizen were cautious of him as an individual, and of the cabal of generals they saw as pulling his strings.

Hugh was quickly torn between what he saw as his duty to his supporters, and his duty to the Empire. His drive to act for the greater good alienated both those senators who had supported him, and those who were already suspicious of him. While his enthusiasm and idealism were contagious, they seemed to work only while people were in his physical presence - left to their own devices, his supporters quickly began to identify flaws in his ambitious plans.

Despite the growing divide between the Military Council and the Imperial Senate, Hugh enjoyed a lot of support in the Imperial Synod. A devout man, he especially favoured the Virtues of Courage, Loyalty, Pride and Ambition. The troubadours of Dawn in particular sang his praises and encouraged other priests to do the same.

Emperor Hugh quickly discovered that both his uncle and the other generals expected him to be a figurehead, and he rebelled almost immediately. He rightly identified that the strategies proposed by the Generals were designed to protect their own people first and the Empire second. He challenged this position but only succeeded in making matters worse - the loose cabal of generals quickly collapsed into infighting and accusations, while the Senate continued to make increasingly unrealistic demands of them. The Marcher generals blamed Hugh and his uncle personally for the loss of Mournwold and Liathaven in 349YE, claiming that they had supported Hugh specifically to prevent the disastrous military defeat they suffered; this lead to even more bad blood between the Marches and Dawn and served as a remarkable ill-omen for the start of Hugh's tenure as Emperor.

In an effort to try and head of further disaster, Hugh began wooing the increasing jaded Senators with a dizzying number of feasts, banquets, tourneys and spectacles. Unfortunately, while he was trying to bring the Senators round the Generals were squabbling so badly with each other over dwindling resources that their armies began to lose, and lose badly.

While Hugh was on the throne, the Empire lost Mournwold, Liathaven, Segura, Reikos and finally Karsk - and along with them the senators who held their seats. His Uncle Leon was a casualty of the battle for Liathaven, and without his support Hugh floundered even more terribly. The Imperial Senate and the Military Council consistently squabbled over apportioning blame for these defeats; senators of individual nations refuse to assist each other for fear that their own lands be lost next. His speeches before the Senate were applauded, and largely ignored; likewise his efforts to create a united strategy among the generals.

Hugh became increasingly disillusioned throughout his reign, losing himself in drink and fine food. He is said to have taken the fall of Reikos particularly badly, given his role in helping defend it during his test of mettle.

Death and Legacy

By the end of his reign, the Emperor was almost unrecognisable as the energetic young man he had been when the took the Throne. Trying to stay ahead of the manipulations and machinations of the Senate had left him exhausted and despondent, while years of feasting had left him corpulent and unhealthy, barely able to fit into his harness when he lead the attack against the Thule invading Karsk.

According to those who saw him on the morning of that final battle, he was a broken man who actively sought out his death at the hands of the Thule. His body was recovered, and he was interred in the Necropolis in a beautiful marble tomb decorated with slender minarets and bas reliefs of knights and dragons. On the same day as his funeral, the inhabitants of Spiral Castle withdrew from the Empire behind a wall of enchanted mist and have not been seen since.

At the time Hugh received the lion's share of the blame for the Empire's many defeats but there is little evidence that Hugh did anything other than try to keep the Empire from becoming even more fractured during his reign. Cruel historians were quick to dub him the Fat, but more recent scholars have named him The Unready or The Unprepared. Several Dawnish scholars and troubadours, especially those associated with House Roiusillon, would very much like to see his name cleared and his legacy treated with the respect it deserves.

"Why can't they all just get along?"

Hugh in Play

Hugh was Emperor between 10 and 25 years before the beginning of the campaign. The Emperor oversaw a time of increasing internal fractiousness, and was increasingly considered ineffective and irrelevant by both the Imperial Senate and the Military Council. An older character, or a parent or grandparent might have been one of those people who supported or opposed Hugh's appointment; who feasted, fought or quested alongside him in his youth. A character in their thirties or fourties could easily have known Hugh when he was in decline, and even fought with him on his increasingly desperate campaigns to protect Imperial territory.

The Emperor is a recent historical character, and unlike earlier emperors and empresses much of what is known is considered factual. He was very much a well-meaning character out of his depth in the political world; frustrated by his inability to get people to work together, and by the way his plans always seemed to fall apart. Backgrounds that reveals Emperor Hugh to have been influenced by outside forces (beyond the generals who clearly played a role in his coronation), or to have been a cynical and self-serving wastrel, for example, are likely to be rejected.

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Emperor James

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Reign: 257YE - 281YE TBC

- 2 Called: the Wise

- 2.1 Early life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death and Legacy

Reign: 257YE - 281YE TBC

Called: the Wise

Also known as the Gardener; in varushka he is called The White Granite Emperor. In his native Marhes he is usually referred to as the Mournful.

Early life and Election

James of Sarcombe (called Solid James by his fellow townfolk) was born in 215 YE, the third of five children. Raised in the mining town of Sarcombe in the Mournwold from an early age he was instilled with the Marcher values of working hard, loyalty and practicality. He served as a soldier for several years during his youth, fighting with the Drakes in a number of campaigns against the Jotun in Bregasland and Hahnmark, and against the Thule in Volodmartz. He distinguished himself as a capable leader, although he never sought the position of general despite the support of many of his fellow Marchers.

He returned home after the death of his elder sister Mary, and took charge of the family. He never spoke much of his time serving in the military but always held a deep respect for soldiers that carried on until the end of his life. He married some few years after his return and worked with his wife in helping soldiers who returned from the battlegrounds find places in the Mourn to settle down and lead productive lives. His wife died due to complications during the birth of their first child, and he never remarried.

Following her death, he was elected to the Senate as the representative of the Moun in 250YE, a post he held seven times over the next ten years. His reputation for a level head, a keen eye for detail and an ability to take the long term view made him, at that time, an ideal choice. He served with distinction; he offered sensible advice to his fellow Marcher Senators, defusing arguments among them, and helped weld them into a powerful voting bloc that soon forged a solid alliance with the senators of Wintermark and Navarr. He was a talented orator, and while he is generally described as ill-favoured even his rivals could not deny his charisma and wisdom. His famous close but tempestuous friendship with Jonty deWolfe, Senator for Weirwater was the subject of several famous poems and plays that are still performed today.

Following the reigns of two war-like figures, the Empire was close to a tipping point. James distinguished himself as the leader of a group of Senators opposing the reign of Empress Brannan, clashing repeatedly with the Throne. His work dealing with returned soldiers - many of them maimed or spiritually injured by the trauma of war - gave him a unique view into what the constant battles were costing the people of the Empire. He and his allies came to feel that lives were being carelessly thrown away by the Empress and her Generals. His increasingly vocal opposition focused on the way that the drive for constant expansion left no time for either recovery or consolidation, and in one landmark speech claimed that it was time for the Empire to apologise to the husbands, wives, parents and children of those whose lives had been thrown away in a relentless drive for meaningless glory.

After Empress Brannan was revoked by the Imperial Synod, James was encouraged by his supporters to claim the Throne. According to A Crown of Tears - the acknowledged masterpiece of Freeborn playwright Elsa i Canarra i Riqueza - he was unaware that his peers intended to announce his candidacy for the Throne until the motion was brought in the Senate. While modern historians consider this to be an apocryphal tale, Senate records of the time mention that the Senator for the Mourn requested an overnight recess immediately after the motion was brought. Cynical scholars suggest he and his supporters used this time to canvas additional support, while others (especially Elsa i Canarra i Riqueza) point to this as a period of self-examination and spiritual questioning where James balanced his desire for the Throne against the need for a wise Emperor to undo the damage the war-like predecessors had inflicted on the Empire.

In the end, James took the Throne - narrowly defeating his only significant rival, Jonty deWolfe of Dawn. This conflict marked the tragic end of their long friendship, and Jonty became one of James' fiercest opponents during his long reign.

Reign

On taking the Throne, James immediately set about using his powers (especially the hand of the chancellor) to repair the damage he saw as the legacy of his predecessors. This culminated during the Winter of 265YE with a motion brought before the Senate to "fix" the borders of the Empire - to make it illegal for the Empire to add new territory until such time as the Senate and the Synod were both in agreement that the Empire was sufficiently strengthened as to be able to hold those territories.

His motion brought howls of outrage, but he defended his proposal with wisdom and common sense. He compared the Empire to a garden, and the barbarians outside it's borders as vermin who were turning the garden into a wasteland. "The way to deal with vermin," he suggested, "is to build a fence. And take a spade to the heads of any who cross that fence. And sometimes to head out with your household and hunt the vermin back to their lairs and remind them why they are afraid to come into your garden."

The motion was discussed for two days. The Synod was as divided as the Senate, and as soon as the motion was announced the senate began a discussion as to whether they should use their veto. With the assemblies of Vigilance, Wisdom and Prosperity on one side and the assemblies of Courage, Ambition and Pride on the other, the debate among the priests rivaled that among the Senators for intensity and passion. The motion passed - just - and remained in place until it was removed in 304YE.

In the years that followed Emperor James concentrated his efforts on defending the borders of the Empire and rebuilding depleted resources. He was sometimes accused of being a coward by his detractors, but with little evidence. He fought fiercely to defend the Empire and drive the barbarians out of regions they had taken. He dealt with foreign trade interests with an iron fist; following an incident in which several Jarmite merchants were caught trying to exploit tensions between the Marches and Dawn he ejected all Jarmite citizens from the Empire and encouraged the owners of the Imperial fleets to prey on the ships of Jarm until their House of Princes issued a formal apology to the Senate. As he said before the Senate, "The Empire is a family; and sometimes it might seem that I fight with my brother; but woe betide the stranger who seeks to get between us for I will hold his arms while my brother punches him."

A great many fortifications were built during James' reign, but he also saw to it that any settlement over a certain size had resources available to build walls should it desire to do so. He worked carefully with the Bourse, respecting their independence of Senatorial control but also ensuring that those Bourse seats who dealt fairly with the Senate prospered using all the means at his disposal. In parts of Varushka he is still known as the White Granite Emperor - it is believed that nearly a third of all vales in Varushka today benefited from gifts of materials granted by the Senate to their defence.

If there is a theme to the reign of Emperor James it is that of respect; he encouraged the houses of power in the Empire to work together, to put aside their differences, but also to take nothing for granted. When the Conclave discovered a ritual that would benefit the farmers of the nations, he made it clear to the Senate that they owed them a debt of thanks. When the Senate voted to resupply an army, he reminded the Generals that the Senate was under no obligation to use it's powers in this way.

Death and Legacy

Paradoxically, James' reign was just as violent and bloodsoaked as that of Emperor Guntherm and Empress Brannan. Where it differs is that the Empire fought a war defensively, and consolidated their position before recovering the land they had lost. The closing of the borders did not mean that the Empire became complacent; they regularly assaulted barbarian lands to disrupt their armies, burn their settlements and slaughter their soldiers. Unlike the years prior to James' reign, however, they made no attempt to claim barbarian territory and withdrew back to the fortifications within the Empire once their campaigns were over. By employing short, aggressive campaign strategies they minimised the slow depletion of resoures that had marked earlier reigns.

James died peacefully in the Spring of 281YE following a sickness of the lungs contracted during the Winter. He was interred in the Necropolis alongside his predecessors. Following his wishes, rather than being placed in a marble mausoleum, he was buried in soil transported at some expense from his native Mournwold. His tomb is now an orchard of apples with a simple monument of white granite in the centre. Three times a year there is a quiet ceremony where the custodians irrigate each of the trees with barrels of water taken from the Marches. For many who enjoy the quiet and solitude the garden this is the first inkling they receive that their silent refuge is the tomb of an Emperor.

Today he is seen as a larger-than-life character, a man whose deeds have surely been inflated. Among modern, cynical historians it is assumed that no man could have been as successful as Emperor James is seen to have been using just charisma, common-sense and respect for others. Regardless, none of his detractors have discovered anything else to account for his success. He had many supporters, it is true, but he dealt fairly with his enemies as well as his friends. He is sometimes credited with being the source of the phrase "I disagree completely with what you are saying but I will defend to my last drop of blood your right to say it, even while I punch you in the jaw for saying it."

Attempts have been made twice (once in 283YE and again in 308YE) to have James declared an Exemplar (once of Wisdom and once of Vigilance). Neither attempt has been successful. There are even some claims that he was a reincarnation of Sulemeine bin Tazal, the sword-saint of pre-Imperial times whose status as Paragon or Exemplar is unclear and possibly heretical.

Emperor James' reign is followed by a period known as the Second Interregnum. His legacy is sometimes denounced by modern scholars as leading to stagnation and laying the foundations of the problems the Empire would suffer during the reigns of later Emperors and Empresses. More even-handed historians disagree, pointing the to co-operation between the various seats of power, the increase in general quality of life and the comparative peace his reign left for future generations as an important period of recovery and a consolidation without which the Empire would have risked a slow descent into fractious barbarism. They also point out that James never intended the fixing of the borders to be permanent - that he presented it as a way for the Empire to prepare for further expansion rather than an admission that the barbarians had defeated them. He always intended that the Empire would begin expanding again once it could be sure that it's reach did not exceed it's grasp.

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Emperor Nicovar

Contents

- 1 Reign: 200 YE to 209 YE

- 2 Called: the Mad

- 2.1 Early life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death and Legacy

Reign: 200 YE to 209 YE

Called: the Mad

Early life and Election

The Urizen draughir who would grow up to be one of the most infamous figures in the history of the Empire was born in Ankarien, a great library in Spiral. For much of his early career Nicovar was a dedicated Urizen philosopher, as well as a skillful magus and a clever speaker. He served with distinction as an archmage of the Conclave, and was an acknowledged expert in the use of the rituals of the realm of Day.

Following the external-focus of the rule of Emperor Barabbas, the Senate was actively looking for someone more internally-focused to take the throne. Nicovar was a strong candidate, and was elected with the notable support of a number of his fellow magicians from other nations (along, obviously, with many others). In retrospect, there were accusations that some magical conspiracy had been responsible for his appointment, but there was never any hint of inappropriate behaviour.

Reign

In the early years of his reign it was clear that Nicovar was a brilliant administrator. He expanded the role of the civil service in support of the Empire, founding several academies for the training of aides and secretaries to help run the day-to-day business of the Empire. His court was hailed as a place of learning, and he surrounded himself with experts in dozens of subjects from all across the Empire. He spent three years working with the civil service and the generals of the Empire in overhauling and improving the efficiency and scope of the logistical support received by Imperial armies, and he instituted dozens of well-planned and well-thought-out programs to improve the life of people from all walks of life.

Optimists believed he would usher in a new golden age of reason and expansion for the Empire.

Unfortunately, as every school child learns, it was not to be. A decade of attempting to micromanage every element of the Empire, as well as a reliance on the magic of Day to gather and interpret ever greater amounts of information, eventually triggered a descent into madness. The early signs were generally dismissed as overwork; it was only when some of his advisers began to compare notes that they spotted a dreadful pattern. He began to demand extreme amounts of record keeping and it became increasingly clear that he was not in his right mind.

The genius Emperor had begun to see patterns in events that appeared increasingly paranoid. He began to put into operation controlling policies that divided the Senate and the Synod. The priests of the Assembly of Vigilance were encouraged to actively pursue internal and external threats, while those of Loyalty were given a wide remit by Nicovar to ensure and bind those closest to the Emperor with blessings to encourage their dutiful nature.

Nicovar himself demanding increasingly large amounts of crystal mana and the performance of increasingly esoteric divinations in pursuit of some conspiracy that made sense only to the draughir's crazed mind.

Things came to a head in 209 when without warning the Emperor began to send our loyal troops to burn down the Empire's libraries. There was a revolt, which culminated in the destruction of the central repository of records in Highguard and several key spires in Urizen - even his home spire of Ankarien was not spared. Thousands of volumes of history, philosophy, magic and science were burned - in many cases along with the scholars who fought desperately to protect them. Civil war threatened.

It was while the mad emperor was overseeing the siege of the School of Epistemology in Tassato that he was executed by the captain of his own guard, the Navarr Thorn Isaella. Despite appeals for clemency from the Synod, Isaella took full responsibility, and was convicted as a traitor, while simultaneously being lauded as an Exemplar of Courage and duty and a hero of the Empire.

Death and Legacy

Despite his madness, Nicovar was still Emperor. His body was entombed in a small three-sided pyramid in the Necropolis, without ceremony. A trio of Urizen sentinels stand guard outside the pyramid to this day; it is an honour to be chosen to join the guard. The Urizen are quick to point out that they do not do so for fear of Nicovar's return - they are quite confident he is gone, and his spirit moved along the great wheel - but as a penance for not having spotted his insanity earlier. Several of the Highborn Stewards of the dead have put forward a theory that the vigil is actually concerned with ensuring that the Emperor never reincarnates; the magi of Urizen deny this suggestion. Privately more than a few priests have suggested it might not be a bad thing if Nicovar is never reborn.

Nicovar is gone, but his legacy endures to this day. The destruction of the libraries left a big hole in the history of the Empire - centuries of wisdom lost to the flames. The history of the Empire prior to this point had been almost fatally damaged; when men and women speak of Empress Richilde or the founding of Highguard, there are holes in their knowledge that may never be filled. Even the truth about Nicovar himself has been obscured; playwrights of the League particularly have spared no effort to paint him as a hateful, insane, spiteful caricature of a draughir plagued by unwholesome appetites and seething insanity. The truth is more likely that he was a clever man undone by his own ambition, by his inability to leave the details alone.

Still ... there are rumours. The most common concerns a series of journals kept by the Emperor both before and after his ascension of the Throne. Allegedly the later volumes are so infused with his mad insights into the imaginary conspiracy he was convinced threatened the Empire that they will slowly drive insane any scholar who studies them. If they exist their whereabouts are unknown.

Perhaps more worryingly, Nicovar's Staff of the Magi has never been accounted for. He almost certainly had it with him when he met his death at the end of Isaella's spear-point ... but what happened to it afterward, only the Thorn herself is likely to have known, and she never spoke of it.

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Emperor Walter

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Reign: 371 - 373 YE TBC

- 2 Called:The Ham-fisted

- 2.1 Early Life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death and Legacy

Reign: 371 - 373 YE TBC

Called:The Ham-fisted

Early Life and Election

Emperor Walter Upwold was a Marcher naga.

Reign

He was a catastrophically incompetent Emperor who never went into the Senate during his short reign.

Death and Legacy

He left the throne after a comparatively short time.

IC Text"

..

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Empire overview (Redirected from Empire Overview)

Formed nearly four hundred years ago when the First Empress began her crusade to unite all humanity, the Empire has grown and prospered ever since despite being surrounded by barbarian enemies. Made up of nine great nations, the Empire is politically and legally unified. Everyone is an Imperial citizen but the Empire seeks to maintain the unique culture and customs of the different nations.

The Empire has a complex political system that shares power between a number of institutions. At its head is the Throne, the seat of the Emperor or Empress and the most powerful political position in the Empire. The Throne is not hereditary; the occupant is chosen by the Senate (a council of representatives chosen from each nation) to oversee the running of the Empire. When the Throne is empty, most of its powers are held by the Senate.

The Synod exists to keep the Empire virtuous. This august body is formed from every priest in the Empire who has a recognized congregation. It has many powers defined in the Imperial Constitution, and is the only body able to dismiss an Imperial citizen from a position once they have been appointed. The prosecution of wars and the defence of the Empire is the responsibility of the generals appointed to the Military Council, whilst the most powerful magicians in the Empire protect and support their own through the Conclave. The Bourse oversees matters of economics, helping to build the Empire and enrich its citizens.

The day-to-day operation of the Empire is attended to by the magistrates and functionaries of the Imperial Civil Service. These NPCs (non-player characters) ensure that the laws are upheld. They also ensure that the tedious business of logistics and administration is attended to without those who rule having to waste their time with such matters. They have an untarnished reputation for integrity and impartiality. The magistrates ensure that everyone has recourse to the law, while the functionaries see that armies are fed and transported where the Generals order and that workers are hired and paid for building projects that the Senate authorizes.

What binds the Empire together is the Way of Virtue, a single religion shared by every citizen which teaches that humans enjoy reincarnation after death and that adherence to the seven great Virtues will ensure a swift reincarnation. The Way recognizes the legacy of the heroes of the past, while encouraging every citizen to work towards the triumph of humanity.

That triumph is not assured; the Empire has enemies on all sides. Barbarian tribes and kingdoms that look on the success of humanity with jealous eyes. They remember a time when they ruled this land and pounce on any opportunity to restore their own fortunes. The dream of the First Empress will not be complete until these barbarians are defeated once and for all.

Five things to know about the Empire

- It is an enlightened republic. The Empire belongs to its citizens and at its best it serves their interest. It does not keep slaves or discriminate between its citizens on grounds of age, gender, sexuality or lineage.

- It is unified by faith. The Way of Virtue is the official state religion based on philosophy and reincarnation. It is the only legal religion allowed in the Empire and is accepted in some form by almost all citizens.

- It does not tolerate murder. The Empire has a strong legal system that serves to identify and prosecute criminals especially murderers. Our NPC magistrates will use every possible in-character resource to punish those who break the law.

- It has many enemies. The Empire is surrounded by barbarians, the majority of whom are orc tribes and kingdoms. There has never been a year when the Empire was not at war with at least one of them.

- It is defended by its heroes. The Empire relies on its heroic citizens to defend it. Many elements of Imperial society works to encourage the citizenry to step up to this challenge. Children are taught to be the heroes of tomorrow.

What the Empire is not

- An aristocracy. The Senate appoints an Emperor or Empress and the senators are in turn chosen by the prominent inhabitants of the nations. This pattern is widespread throughout the Empire; it has no aristocratic or dynastic family lines and no tradition of inherited power or titles. Wealth may be inherited, but power is granted by your peers.

Further reading

- The Throne

- The Imperial Senate

- The Imperial Synod

- Religion

- The Imperial Military Council

- The Imperial Conclave

- The Imperial Bourse

- Imperial Law

- Imperial history

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Empire rules

Welcome to the Empire rules; here you can find out how to create characters and play the game. If you have any questions then check the FAQ first and if that doesn't help then please contact Profound Decisions and we will answer your questions.

Playing the Game

This section tells you how to play the game - providing the rules and guidelines for creating your character as well as roleplaying the character at an event.

Combat

All player-characters are able to fight in Empire if they choose. The combat rules explain what to do in skirmishes and battles and how to use your skills.

Safety

Safety is important to ensure that events are as safe as possible. Everyone must make sure that they understand these rules even if they do not intend to fight.

Groups

Players creating characters together can create a concept for a group to link those characters together. There are special rules some types of groups, called bands in Empire.

Skills

A character is defined by the skills that they possess. You can purchase any skill you want for your character, though some skills must be bought first.

Magic

Magicians are able to wield the force of magic, using it to drive enemies away or mend shattered weapons and bones. Read this section if you are interested in playing a magician.

Resource

Resources provide a character with wealth and precious resources. Every character in Empire may control campaign resources and a single personal resource.

Potion

Herbs can be mixed by characters with the apothecary skill to make potions and poisons. Potions can be consumed by anyone, providing valuable magical benefits.

Magical Items

There are scores of different magical items that exist in Empire. They are created and sold by player-characters and many characters will have access to one or two.

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Employ Civil Service to observe Fleets

Place a Civil Servant on all fleets leaving Imperial waters with the intention of cessation of piracy. Proposed by Sermersuaq, seconded by Skarsind

Overview

- Piracy of foreign fleets is damaging relations with foreign nations

- The Senate has instructed the civil service to put observers on every Imperial fleet to ensure compliance with the law

Date

- Summer 378YE

Upkeep

- 50 Thrones per season

Campaign Outcome

- The presence of a civil service observer on every fleet in the Empire makes it effectively impossible for PCs to engage in piracy of foreign nations or trade with barbarian nations. Consequently both options have been removed from the downtime system immediately.

- This measure was abrograted during the Spring Equinox 379YE summit.

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Empower

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This spell allows a magician to support heroic soldiers on the battlefield, helping them to use their martial skills at key moments.

It is often associated with the Dawnish; there are many stories of enchanters using it to direct their fellow nobles. It is also popular with the Urizen both for supporting their sentinels, and for directing a warrior to unleash a specific valuable attack at a pivotal moment in an engagement.

Some magicians view this spell as strengthening or inspiring their target. More cynical or arrogant magicians think of it in terms of using a warrior as a living weapon to achieve their aims on the battlefield.

Casting

- Type: Offensive spell

- Cost: 2 Personal mana

Effects

You may allow the target to make a single heroic call based on the weapon that they are using within 10 seconds. They may call STRIKEDOWN if they are wielding a pole-arm, SHATTER if they are wielding a two-handed weapon or CLEAVE if they are wielding a one handed weapon or a one handed spear. The target cannot use an implement to deliver an empowered blow.

Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- TBC

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: Any of the Gryphon Runes will serve caster and target well when invoked, though some prefer to invoke Hirmok or Cavul to lend expertise - granting the target "dominion" over their weapon or gifting them with "purity" to strike truly, rather than simply granting them strength. Mawrig may be invoked, particularly when the subject will use their new strength to SHATTER an enemy's weapon or shield.

- Astronomancy: The Oak is by far the most common of the constellations called upon when casting this spell, though as with invoking Cavul, The Stork may also be used to imbue the subject with the skill needed to make a decisive strike. The Claw can be called upon, particularly when the subject will go on to CLEAVE an enemy with their new strength, or more rarely, The Mountain may be used to lend monstrous strength to a pole-arm's STRIKEDOWN.

- Dramaturgy: The Captain is strongly associated with this spell, both for the caster - one who gives strength to others - and for the subject, who strikes truly and Virtuously. The Bishop may also be invoked, lending strength to another.

- Other traditions: A Dawnish witch might evoke the spirit of the mythical unicorn or the martial prowess of the chimera when casting this spell.

- Realms: This spell is strongly associated with the lore of the Summer realm. Some magicians - especially those who see themselves as directing or commanding the warriors around them - see a resonance with Autumn lore

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Empress Aenea

Contents

- 1 Reign: 103 YE - 120 YE

- 2 Called: The Builder

- 2.1 Early Life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death and Legacy

Reign: 103 YE - 120 YE

Called: The Builder

Early Life and Election

Born and raised in Highguard, the girl who would become Empress Aenea was a student of architecture, who helped build and design everything from mausoleums to castles.

Reign

Aenea's attention was heavily focussed on the systems and apparatus of the Empire, with modifications to the roads, the infrastructure of the Civil Service, the organisation of the Bourse, and the Imperial Senate and Imperial Law in search of refinement. She largely ignored the Imperial Synod, which continued to exercise its political powers in pursuit of the spiritual well-being of the Empire - only when the priests interfered with Aenea's projects for expanding and consolidating the infrastructure did she pay much attention to them.

She was also responsible for building the Lyceum in the Bay of Catazarr east of Siroc, and establishing the position of the Dean of the Lyceum to help the Imperial Conclave perform magical research in the service of the Empire, free of political control. When asked why she did not have the Lyceum built in Urizen, she is reported to have simply shrugged and said "The Urizen sometimes need to be reminded that while they may consider themselves foremost among the magicians of the Empire, their peers elsewhere do not think that considering something is the same as proving it." She refused to answer other questions, but was very careful to underline that while the Lyceum had been built in the sea near Freeborn territories it was to be overseen by the Imperial Conclave and not the Senator of Madruga.

Historians point to this (among other incidents) as a foremost example of her abrasive personality; according to her contemporaries she lacked many social graces. Her brilliance lay in her ability to identify problems and find practical resolutions to them. She saw it as her role to build, reinforce and strengthen the Empire with the same direct and pragmatic approach she might take to building, reinforcing and strengthening a castle wall.

One of Aenea's failings was that she left foreign affairs, including military matters, entirely to the Senate and the Military Council without oversight; she was interested only in the Empire itself.

The Senators and the Generals took this as an opportunity to expand the borders of the Empire, and their perceived aggression disquieted nearby foreign nations. Several border wars occurred during Aenea's tenure on the throne, and at various points the Empire was at war with Faraden, The Iron Confederacy, Axos and Skoura.

In 118 YE, the Sumaah Republic officially broke with the Imperial Synod and technically excommunicated not only the Empress but all the priests of the Empire. Historians to this day disagree as to whether the Empress might have been able to head-off this international incident had she been more interested in foreign policy; several scholars point to key points at which the intervention of the Empress might have defused the increasingly tense situation.

The Empire was technically at war with the Sumaah Republic for the next two hundred years, but the vast distances involved meant that military conflict was all but impossible, All trade between the Republic and the Empire ceased, however, and it was not until 326 YE that the trade-routes were re-opened.

Death and Legacy

Aenea died. Parallels are occasionally drawn with the later Emperor Nicovar, but as the historian Senator Luca de Tassato said "A ruthless attention to detail is not the same as being obsessed with details."

After her death the Throne remained empty until the ascension of Empress Varkula in 125YE. During this time, the Senate became increasingly fractious and factionalised, creating the environment that allowed the ruthless Varushkan to sieze power.

""By enabling free education in the magical arts, access to the title of Conclave Mage has also become free. Being free it has lost value, and it is important to the wellbeing of this Empire that the Conclave be comprised of mages who know the value of the work they do."

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Empress Brannan

Contents

- 1 Reign: 249YE - 257YE

- 2 Called: the Relentless

- 3 Early life and Election

- 4 Reign

- 5 Death and Legacy

Reign: 249YE - 257YE

Called: the Relentless

Also known as the Crazed in some circles, and the Revoked in others.

Early life and Election

The girl who would later become Empress Brannan was born in the High Thorn Path striding of the Navarr in 225YE. She was a talented battlefield magician, and a proficient wielder of Summer ritual magic. She served more than once as both the archmage of Summer and the Grand Master of the order of the Rod and Shield as well as being warmage three times during the reign of Emperor Guntherm, a post she held while fighting alongside him during his final campaigns against the Jotun.

In the aftermath of Guntherm's death, Brannan campaigned for and took the throne, vowing to continue the glorious campaigns that her predecessor had begun and gain new territory and new wealth for the Empire, driving it's borders ever outwards. She also encouraged the Navarri vates to prepare new trods through the territories she would claim, intending to speed the process of corroding the power of the vallorn and allowing speedy reclamation of the lost Terunael cities.

Reign

Immediately after taking the throne, Empress Brannan initiated a ruthless punitive campaign against the Jotun, seeking restitution for what she saw as the murder of her predecessor. The Empire made significant gains in Narkyst, and it appeared at one point that they might succeed in claiming the entire territory held by the southern Jotun. Before her campaign against the Jotun was complete, however, she launched an attempt to claim the Barrens from the Druj subject tribes, and pushed eastwards into the Vore and the area around the Feverwater. Tired, overstretched armies fought increasingly costly battles to the east and the west - some historians theorise that had the Thule not been so badly defeated by Emperor Guntherm, and able to take advantage of the situation, it is likely that they would have been able to overrun northern Varushka and Wintermark with little opposition.

Brannan was a skilled battlefield commander, but she appeared to have little regard for the strategic considerations that followed her victory. Inevitably, settlers in Narkyst and the Barrens alike were slaughtered as soon as the armies moved to their next target. Injured soldiers barely had time to recover from their wounds before they were sent back into battle again. The entire Empire began to suffer a little from 'battle fatigue' - the constant demands of the military council drained Imperial reserves and the constant resources expended on resupplying tired armies meant little mithril or weirwood to use either on other projects or on expanding the resources of the citizenry.

As her reign went on, the Empress made increasingly bold use of powers that other Emperors had used more cautiously. She used her responsibilities as the defender of the Empire to become effectively the general of the Black Thorns, and attempted more than once to have herself voted the ability to assume more than one generalship. She used her position as master of magic to dissolve the Imperial Conclave repeatedly, whenever they resisted her demands for more mana and magic to assist the armies of the Empire. She even issued demands to the Faraden, Iron Confederacy and Skoura for mithril and military support, threatening to declare war if her demands were not met.Perhaps most egregiously, she used the power of veto to dominate the Imperial Senate, bullying them into approving her demands for more troops.

It is difficult to see how she managed to remain on the Throne for as long as she did, but historians point out that for most of her reign she was simply seen as 'hot-headed' and passionate. She listened to advice, and wielded her powers with a moderate amount of restraint for much of her time on the Throne. It was only in the last three years, when it was clear that all the territory she had captured with her armies was being reclaimed by resurgent barbarian forces, that she began to go 'off the rails'.

Even more significantly, she had begun to rely further and further on the magical support of certain Eternals, specifically Eleonaris and Hayaak of the Realm of Summer. Both Eternals offered increasing numbers of magical troops, and in return for certain concessions they offered powerful enchantments to the armies of the Empire. While the soldiers who received these blessings enjoyed great strength and fervour for war, the number of changeling births in the Empire began to rise. A number of beasts thought legendary ravaged parts of Dawn and Varushka. Magicians of the Conclave quietly warned that the Empress was giving over more than perhaps she should in her increasing desperation to defeat her enemies and secure the territory she had taken.

Regadless of the truth behind these allegations, in the end, the Empire had had enough. Even the assemblies of courage. pride and ambition could not continue to defend her careless abuse of her position. At the Spring Equinox of 257YE the general assembly of the Imperial Synod voted near unanimously to revoke Empress Brannan and remove her from the Throne.

Their actions sent shockwaves throughout the Empire. For the next six months, until Emperor James took the throne, the Empire endured a time of almost unprecedented crisis while still at war on multiple fronts.

Death and Legacy

Empress Brannan died shortly after her revocation. Historians generally believe that she took her own life, but there is no clear evidence one way or the other. Despite having been removed from the Throne, she was still interred in Necropolis - the Cardinal of Pride at the time of her death lambasted those priests who argued that she should not be accorded such an honour. For much of her reign she had been a heroine of the Empire, and should not be denied the honours she had earnt because of later failings. Still, her tomb is on the very outskirts of the necropolis - a short tower of weirwood surrounded by a maze of white granite walls.

In some ways, Brannan is almost a footnote, sandwiched between the glorious Emperor Guntherm and the wise Emperor James. While she won many battles, she ultimately kept losing the war. Her constant drive to move on to the next fight, to keep expanding at all costs, was seen as ultimately futile. This is not entirely fair - under her reign the Empire ultimately secured several territories that had been in danger of being lost. The raw expression of Imperial military might gave the rulers of Faraden and the Iron Confederacy a fine example of what the Empire could achieve if it turned its mind entirely to warfare.

The Navarr in particular remember her with a combination of sadness and pride. She laid a lot of the ground work that allowed the vallorn to be cleared from much of Hercynia, and she launched several attacks against the Druj with the intention of allowing parts of Therunin to be reclaimed. She encouraged expansion of the trods where possible, but she also made great use of Navarr scouting expertise in her campaigns. Many Winterfolk and Dawnish likewise consider her reign bittersweet; some of the most glorious engagements of the third century took place during her time on the throne. She made resources available to generals, soldiers and battle-magicians on a scale that has never been repeated, and they were able to demonstrate the victories they could achieve with such support. Unfortunately, her lack of strategic thinking meant that all these victories were ultimately hollow.

She is also a cautionary tale. It seems that Brannan genuinely believed that if the Empire stopped expanding, it would become stagnant; she seems to have been equally genuine in her belief that the Empire could ultimately smash the orc barbarians and bring their lands into the Empire. Unfortunately a combination of impatience and short-sightedness meant that she tried too much, too soon, and the Empire paid the consequences.

Empress Brannan took the lion firmly by the scruff of the neck and by the tail, and then discovered the key problem; once you have the lion's attention, what do you do next?

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Empress Britta

Contents

- 1 Reign: 374 YE - 376 YE

- 2 Called: The Young Empress

- 2.1 Early Life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death and Legacy

- 3 Britta in Play

Reign: 374 YE - 376 YE

Called: The Young Empress

Early Life and Election

In 349 YE the Steinr Britta Gilderling was born in Skarsind, the north-eastern Wintermark. Her territory beset by problems with the Thule barbarians. She grew up to be a competent warrior and an inspiring battlefield commander.

In 369 YE she was appointed to the Imperial Military Council as one of the Wintermark generals. Her appointment came at the insistence of the senator for Kallavesa, and the Kallavesi mystics were among her earliest supporters when her Imperial ambitions became clear.

Britta served with distinction as a general. While she was a capable fighter, on the battlefield, she served as a bannerman fighting with standard in one hand, sword in the other and her mighty horn Warcaller at her belt. Always at the heart of the action she was seriously injured numerous times, especially during the retreat from Skarsind. She fought desperately to help as many of her people survive the Thule incursion as possible, and was instrumental in defending the smiths of Gulhule as they fled the oncoming barbarian tide.

Those who fought alongside her were often smitten by her, although she never married. The scops began to tell stories of the way she burnt with a spiritual fire that inspired and strengthened everyone around her, and after her coronation these stories became commonplace among troubadours and bards. Even during her early career she was often pointed to as the epitome of a Steinr hero, and an example of what every virtuous warrior should aspire to be.

Serving under the incompetent leadership of Emperor Walter, she saw first-hand the damage that was caused by someone unsuitable occupying the Throne.

In 371 YE she personally helped coordinate a brilliant campaign on the western borders of the Empire, pushing the Jotun barbarians out of Sermersuaq and Kallavesa at the head of joint Wintermark and Marcher armies. Without her excellent leadership and inspirational presence is it widely believed that both territories would have been lost to the orcs. She left her army to defend the western borders of Wintermark. but took her personal forces across the Empire to the east.

Britta's personal troops, and those of her close allies, joined the engagement on the eastern front against the Druj. Her presence was instrumental in helping the Dawnish armies drive the Druj out of Semmerholm, and in reinforcing the garrisons at Holberg after they came under concerted attack from barbarian forces.

Wherever she went she spread the idea that enough was enough; that it was time for the Empire to take a stand, to throw back the barbarians, to stop thinking defensively, each in their own corner. Time to begin thinking like an Empire again, take back what was lost and then destroy the barbarians and expand the Empire.

Reign

With growing grass-roots support, Britta openly challenged the corruption of the Senate and Synod. Her impassioned speeches shamed many senators and priests, and she declared herself as candidate for the Throne. While some senators were inspired by her, the more self-serving senators quickly saw which way the wind was blowing and concealed their dislike of the new Empress, voting in her favour to try and secure their political careers. She was elected by a significant majority

She had seen the mistakes of the previous three incumbents, and vowed openly not to repeat them. She had the courage to speak her mind, but she tempered this with the wisdom to select competent advisors, and give those advisors the freedom to act on behalf of the Empire.

She surrounded herself with competent generals, and began to formulate and prosecute a campaign to recover lost territories and drive the barbarians back. She demanded that the Synod turn its eye on the Empire and weed out the virtueless parasites who had grown fat feeding on it's life-blood. She called on the Conclave to resolve it's internal squabbling and find magical ways to support the Empire and it's people.

A popular and charismatic figure, she united the people of the Empire behind her and dealt ruthlessly with her enemies using all the tools available to a popular Empress.

People began to call her the Young Empress, and hailed her as the reincarnation of the First Empress, come to protect the Empire in its time of need.

She found particular favour with the Imperial Orcs; wheras previously the throne had tended to keep them at arms' length, she brought them into the inner circle of her advisors. She promised them her support in gaining lands for themselves if her campaign of expansion was successful.

Death and Legacy

Britta was killed during a disastrous battle at the Autumn Equinox 376YE. She and the majority of the heroes of the Empire risked using a dangeously anomalous conjunction on the Sentinel Gate to attempt a decapitation attack against Thule forces in Skarsind. It went disastrously wrong. The Empress and most of her supporters - including the majority of the generals, senators, archmagi and cardinals - were killed by the barbarians. A state of emergency was declared.

News of her death came as a particularly bitter blow to many Imperial Orcs. One of their strongest supporters been snatched away before she could fulfill her promise to help them take land.

Many feared that the Empire may return to the dark years of divided and weak leadership. Her body was recovered by remaining heroes during the Winter Solstice 376YE, and interred in the swamps of Kallavesa while her regalia was placed in a shrine in the Necropolis.

Britta in Play

The young Empress is definitely dead, and part of the story of the first Empire event will deal with what her death means for the Empire as a whole. Some elements of that death are intentionally obscured with that in mind. For the most part, any character can have had interactions with Britta, simply because she has been the most recent holder of the Throne.

Almost anyone who has attended a meeting at Anvil over the last five years or so will have had a chance to meet and work with her.

Anyone may have fought in one of her campaigns, both before and after she was Empress.

You can't have been her closest advisors or her bodyguard or her lover because they are dead. All of her key supporters are dead.

When Britta launched her attack she took with her the heroes of the Empire - the majority of the Senators, Generals and titled characters in the Synod and the Conclave went with her. Anyone who help a position but stayed behind is likely to be considered to have been a coward or a splitter, especially by NPCs.

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Empress Giselle

Contents

- 1 Reign: 331 YE - 346 YE

- 2 Called: The Unwise

- 2.1 Early Life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death and Legacy

- 3 Giselle in Play

Reign: 331 YE - 346 YE

Called: The Unwise

Early Life and Election

Empress Giselle de Sarvos was a born politician; clever, manipulative and cunning. Her guild, the Alvetti carta, were long-established players in the games of the Jewelled City and she enjoyed every advantage growing up. While she was not lineaged herself, she had ties with several reckoner guilds both through her mother, a naga, and her merrow husband Teodore von Mestra. She never lacked for useful information about the political and financial affairs of her allies and rivals. Through a delicate web of blackmail and patronage she cultivated agents and business interests throughout the League, and made a special point of extending her reach to Siroc, Meade as well.

She made little secret of her love for the League. Wherever she could exert influence, she encouraged the prosperity of the League as a whole. While she obviously favoured her supporters, she was not selfish with her patronage and favoured League citizens over citizens of other nations wherever possible. While her interests were primarily economic and political, she made regular charitable donations to the bishops of Prosperity and Pride, and was an active patroness of the church of the Little Mother. She encouraged politically minded League bishops to take active part in Synod politics; even before she became Empress the League National Assembly enjoyed an unparalleled influence over religious matters. She was even-handed in her largesse - despite being a child of the bay of Catazar she was as active in Temeschwar and Holberg as she was in Sarvos and Tassato

Some historians credit her with actively fanning the flames of Senatorial worry after the loss of Spiral in 331 YE, encouraging the idea that the Empire would need unified leadership in the wake of that crisis, Most historians see her as being more opportunistic; recognising the chance to increase her power and the power of the League she loved, she did exactly what she had done to become a merchant prince; employ blackmail, bribery and patronage to bring as many senators as possible under her influence.

Reign

Unfortunately the approach that had made her a successful merchant prince helped made her a dangerously ineffective Empress. Her skills were honed on the subtle battlefields of the League, and they proved to be much less effective on the larger stage of Imperial politics. She made little effort to conceal her love for her own nation, which immediately made her unpopular. While she was free with her patronage, those who refused it were often cut off completely from the Throne; in some cases she actively blocked their future careers if she considered them a threat to her allies, her nation or her own position. Her habit of playing her supporters off against one another to safeguard her own position deepened the divisions in the Senate. Her agents, alert for signs of dissension and potential blackmail material encouraged an atmosphere of suspicion and paranoia.

Under her benign gaze an atmosphere of nepotism flourished in the Empire as never before. She even exerted influence over the election of several Senators, and for many years the Freeborn Senator for Madruga was in her pocket following extensive 'loans' to her political campaign. She even managed to exert some influence over the selection of senators in Dawn and the Marches by favouring her allies with gifts of money to help them claim their Senate seats.

Her allies in the conclave never lacked for crystallized mana, and for a brief period in 338 YE five of the six Archmagi were magicians of the League, each owing their position to the patronage of the Empress. Efforts by the Synod to express their disapproval for her methods were repeatedly stymied either by priests who owed patronage to her or by priests who simply approved of her bold character. Few could fault her virtues - without a doubt she was proud, ambitious, prosperous and loyal. She simply directed her virtue more towards her nation that toward the Empire.

After months of wrangling with the Synod, Giselle made an outrageous and extremely unwise claim to be a reincarnation of the Paragon Empress Richilde despite a complete lack of evidence. Encouraged to use True Liao, in 341 YE she scandalised the Synod by taking her husband Teodore as her guide, whose confirmation of her past-life as Richilde was considered transparent and unconvincing in the extreme. In what many saw as an attempt to emulate Aldones di Sarvos, she completely misread the mood of the Synod. Giselle merely succeeded in alienating several of her Dawnish supporters and outraging many of her supporters in the Synod. It proved to be a turning point in her reign.

Further scandal was to follow; in 342 YE damaging letters between the throne, the Senator of Madruga and the Aldermen of Meade came to light in which it became clear that she was trying to encourage the cities of Meade and Siroc to secede from their nations and join the League. It ended the political career of the Freeborn senator, and saw relationships between the Marcher households and the Market Towns sour even further. Giselle was able to distance herself from the plan, but in the process was forced to abandon some of her supporters who bore the brunt of Freeborn and Marcher ire in the Senate.

For many these revelations were the final straw. By 344 YE it became clear that not even her supporters in the Synod could quiet the growing dissatisfaction at the methods and her obvious favouritism towards the League. Before she could be publicly censured, however, the Druj barbarians and their subject tribes launched a series of attacks along the eastern borders of the Empire, ranging deep into the Barrens and attacking the outskirts of Semmerholm and Weirwater. In the face of this aggression, and massive political pressure from the Senators of Dawnish, the Empress made a hurried reconciliation with the Synod, and turned her attention to the defence of the Empire.

Death and Legacy

After two years of campaigning against the Druj, Empress Giselle was killed at Holberg during an ill-fated attempt to defend the territory. She repeatedly ignored the advice of her Generals - that the apparent weakness in the Druj lines was clearly a trap. Her refusal to listen lead to the resignation of the Marcher General Maria of Upwold and the Brass Coast General Xavier i Torelia i Riqueza, and she personally removed the Dawnish Generals Leon de Rousillon (coincidentally uncle of her successor to the throne, Emperor Hugh) and Elaine de Ballion when they point-blank refused to send Dawnish troops to the aid of Holberg.

Exactly what happened at Holberg is not clear, but Giselle and her husband were killed as the Imperial forces were defeated - the Druj and their allies took the territory and lay siege to the city to this day. The Empress, riddled with deadly venom, survived long enough to refuse the honour of being interred in the Necropolis and instead insisted on being entombed in her beloved League alongside her husband. She was placed in a massive marble tomb in Caricomare where she rested for only two years before the Alivetti estates were devastated in the storms that sank the streets and drowned that part of the city.

Following her death, the Synod wielded the power of revocation against several senators who owed their position to her patronage, much to the chagrin of those priests who still saw her as a larger-than-life character strong in the virtues of pride, prosperity and even loyalty. The resulting divisions persisted for many years.

Her own guild, and several others that had been tied to her patronage, suffered near-catastrophic reversals of fortune; the Alivetti in particular were left almost destitute (by League standards). Historians point ironically to her love of the League, and the fact that it was during her reign that the League suffered one of its greatest setbacks (the loss of Holberg).

It was decades before the reputation of the League recovered from the taint of having had such an inwardly-focused Empress, and to this day many citizens of the League consider her reign to have been a low-point, rather than a high point, in their history. There is no doubt that Giselle was a clever manipulator, but her skills did not transition well to the wider canvas of Imperial politics. She was charismatic, but personal magnetism was insufficient to win her enemies to her cause. She understood politics, but she woefully misunderstood how complex the Imperial political arenas actually were.

Her reign is used as an object lesson of the dangers of overconfidence, of under-estimating the political savvy of the other nations, of the damage that can be done by placing someone who loves their nation more than the Empire on the Imperial Throne, and of the importance of listening to one's generals.

"She loved unwisely, and too well."

..

Giselle in Play

Giselle was on the throne between 30 and 40 years before the beginning of the campaign. The Empress made little secret of her love for the League, and many of her manipulations are common knowledge. Her reign is marked with a political shift towards the League, and is a period of turmoil and political upheaval within the Empire. It is possible that a character might belong to a Marcher household, Dawnish noble house or League Guild that was involved in Giselle's machinations. A parent or grandparent might have been one of those people who owed high political office to Giselle's patronage - or whose career was effectively ruined by a refusal to play by her rules. The Generals who warned Giselle against the Druj trap in Holberg are now seen as wise tacticians, and set a fine example for chracters who might want to follow in their footsteps.

Those close to the Empress mostly suffered reversals of fortune when she left the throne, but not all of them - the Alivetti guild still exists, for example,, albeit in a much reduced state. Playing members of a group ruined following their support of Giselle who are now looking to recover from past legacies, or even to re-interpret Giselle in a more positive political light, could make for a potentially fascinating story arc.

The Empress is a recent historical character, and unlike earlier emperors and empresses much of what is known is considered factual. She is very much a political character who makes mistakes due in part to her fierce love of the League, and in part to her overconfidence. She is manipulative, but she is not a super-villain. Backgrounds that reveals Empress Giselle was influenced by outside forces, to have been a figurehead for her husband, or to have arranged the Druj threat against Dawn to further her political career, for example, are unlikely to be accepted.

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Empress Mariika

Contents

- 1 Reign: 212 YE - 234 YE

- 2 Called: The Cunning

- 2.1 Early Life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death and Legacy

- 3 Tekupala

Reign: 212 YE - 234 YE

Called: The Cunning

Early Life and Election

Mariika Ymmasdottir, is also called Mariika Markling and is one of the heroes of Wintermark. Her parents were Suaq merchants who traversed the whole of Wintermark, and made regular visits to the Marches where they were deeply involved in the transport of grain to the northern nation and in negotiations with the Navarr brokers. Mariika was characterised as a quiet girl who loved to watch and listen, and some of he childhood friends assumed she would choose to join the Kallavesi when she came of age - but she did not. Her cambion lineage drove her to be ambitious and instead of becoming a mystic she took the lessons she had learned from her parents and their contacts in the Marches and applied them to the enrichment not of a single hall but to the folk of Wintermark as a whole.

She was not a charismatic woman, but possessed apparently bottomless reserves of practicality, good sense and cunning. The quiet, observant girl grew into a confident, gregarious woman who loved to talk with strangers and engage in verbal sparring for the sheer joy of it. She quickly gained a reputation for honesty that rivaled that of the Freeborn traders with whom she dealt, but could be as stubborn as a Varushkan mine-owner or as cautious as an Urizen architect. Many of her writings survive to this day, and whenever she wrote on matters of trade and economy she repeatedly highlighted the importance of understanding the people you were trading with. You did not need to like them, but to make the best deal it was important to be able to think like them. Her writings on business and warfare were collected after her death into a volume called "The Good Deal." .

She became a regular presence at the quarterly meetings at Anvil, first in the company of her parents and then as the leader of a group of Wintermark merchants in her own right. A regular at the Bourse she served on two separate occasions as Senator for Sermersuaq. When it was clear that Emperor Nicovar was descending into madness, she became one of his outspoken critics. She was not a demagogue, but she repeatedly pointed out that the paranoia and suspicion flourishing under his reign was driving the nations of the Empire apart. While she did not take a direct stand against the Emperor, she certainly used her Senatorial position to oppose many of the more extreme measures he tried to instigate in the last years of his reign.

After the disastrous end to Nicovar's reign, the Empire went without a presence on the Throne for three years. Recriminations, internal disputes and bickering marked the Senate and the Synod. The mad emperor's obsession with book-keeping and minutae has placed crippling burdens on the civil service; coming on the heels of Emperor Barabbas' maritime spending and the military expansion of Empress Varkula the Empire was on the verge of economic collapse. In 212 YE the Senate prepared to attempt to pass a motion that would levy additional taxes on the richest members of society, a move that was as unconstitutional as it was potentially disastrous for the Empire.

With the support of a large number of merchants, guildmasters, Freeborn, League Merchant Princes, Urizen architects and Varushkan senators, as well and the majority of the Imperial Bourse, Mariika presented a counter-suggestion. If she were made Empress, she would improve the Empire's finances within five years. She did not win the Senate over with wild promises; rather she presented them with solid economic facts and projections, furnished by the Civil Service. She warned the Senate that the single best way to save the Empire was not to start robbing it's citizens, but to let the people who understood money do what they did best. She was elected by a narrow majority.

Reign

Immediately after her election, she went to work with a vengeance. She called together the finest financial minds in the Empire, and together they spent three months examining the problems. At the end of this time she returned to the Senate and announced a number of measures she was confident would shore up the Empire and see it prosper.

Her first step was to loosen the strangle-hold the Senate kept on certain key resources. Amid howls of outrage she put forward motions that would move control of a number of important positions (such as the Master of the Imperial Mint) to the Bourse.

Her ruthless efficiency was not restricted to the Senate. She disbanded two entire armies (the Varushkan Iron Helm, and the Thundering Tide of Highguard), and slashed funding to the Military Council, demanding that instead of a constant siphon on the Imperial treasury the generals find a way to do more with what they already had. She gave the Bourse control of a number of raw material surpluses, to the consternation of merchants across the Empire. Further she codified several positions that had previously been filled on an ad-hoc basis, recognised the office-holders as Imperial officers, and then made them pay for their positions by again handing responsibility for filling those positions to the Bourse. All moneys raised by the Bourse in auctioning these new positions would go into the Imperial coffers, minus a small percentage to pay for the running of the Bourse. Perhaps just as importantly it was Mariika who suggested laws that restricted the way the rare material ilium, vital to both the crafting of artefacts and the performance of certain rituals, could be traded.

The Synod and the Conclave mostly avoided her reforms, but they did not escape her scathing tongue. She roundly criticised the Cardinals and the Archmagi for letting the Empire get into the state it found itself in. Both magicians and priests had a responsibility to use their powers in the service not of the Throne, but of the people of the Empire, and if they would not do so then perhaps it was time for them to step aside and make way for people who would.

One of the new positions she created made her unpopular in the Marches to this day; it was Mariika who came up with the idea to offer Imperial Charters to settlements in the Marches, giving them the status of market towns. She offered similar considerations to other nations but only in the Marches was the offer taken up, to the consternation and outrage of many stewards who tried to prove that the move was unconstitutional.

Her reforms were not solely focused on the Empire; while she encouraged renewed trade between the nations, she also continued to encourage trade with foreign nations, bringing the wealth of the world to the Empire. While her reign was not without complications,it is remembered by historians today as the start of a period of unmatched prosperity for the Imperial citizens.

After her economic reforms were pushed through the Senate, Mariika took a step back from the business of governance. Rather than attempting to micromanage, as Nicovar had done, or pursuing personal projects as Barabbas had done, she chose to remain slightly distanced from Imperial politics. Instead, she looked to the example of Emperor Giovanni and the First Empress and surrounded herself with competent advisors, encouraging those with natural talent to seek out positions from which they could serve the Empire by serving their own interests. Two of her closest advisors were the enigmatic Kallaevsi shaman Tekupala and the Steinr warrior-hero Inga Tarn. The League historian Marconi of Holberg wrote a definitive biography of Mariika in which he claimed that "There was not one person in the Empire of whom it could be said they received their position through any influence of the Throne; truly it was a golden age."

She was very unpopular in the Military council, who blamed her for several defeats in the early years of her reign. It soon became clear that Mariika bore no malice towards the generals, despite having disbanded two of their armies. As the economy recovered, as more money rolled into the treasury, she diverted those funds to ensure that the armies were well-equipped and well provisioned. Her arguments were always that it was the responsibility of the armies to be efficient - that over time they had become bloated and set-in-their-ways. By encouraging more small military forces to take responsibility for themselves, and by ensuring that the campaign armies were examples of excellence and had the best logistical support, they became much more effective than mere numbers would suggest.

In 217, five years after she took the throne, Empress Mariika went before the Synod. As the guardians of the well-being of the people. she asked if they felt she had fulfilled her promise. If they felt she had failed, she told them, they should revoke her office and she would not contest it. The Synod took three days to reach a decision, advised by civil servants they agreed that she had indeed reversed the downwards trend in the Imperial finances and stabilized the crumbling economy.

Death and Legacy

After her address to the Synod, Mariika remained on the throne for another seventeen years. She continued to encourage others to take an active part in running their Empire, campaigning tirelessly for greater understanding between the nations, and repeatedly calling for less interference by the Senate in the financial affairs of their citizens.

The first clear signs of the illness that would later claim her surfaced in 233 YE. but she had been unwell for some time. She had concealed the wasting disease that was slowly killing her from all save her closest friends. In 234 YE she returned to Sermersuaq to look upon her homeland for the last time and abdicated the throne. As Winter gathered, she set off on a final pilgrimage into the eternal ice storm of Sydanjaa, accompanied only by Tekupala.

Mariika was not universally popular of course. Many Varushkans and Marchers felt that they bore the brunt of many of her reforms, and there were elements in the Synod who whispered darkly that as a cambion she would surely go as mad as Nicovar before her had. Even some of her own people disliked her; she refused to show favouritism towards Wintermark, and when challenged by the drunken Skarsind Senator she bitterly pointed out that her heritage had taught her not to put any part of her people above the others - and that as Empress, her people were all the folk of the Empire.

"I am born of Suaq and of a land of three peoples as one. If I look beyond the borders of Wintermark and count all the Empire as my people, am I diminished or exalted?"

..

Tekupala

The Kallavesi mystic Tekupala is variously recorded as a man and a woman. An accomplished practitioner of the magic of Night, he (or she) also appeared as variously a human, a naga and a briar, apparently through the use of ritual magic. He (or she) maintained that the secret of her (or his) identity was key to the magic he (or she) practiced, and responded to questions regarding it with riddles.

Tekupala served as one of the primary advisors to Empress Mariika, turning up out of the blue one evening shortly before she became Empress. For several years Tekupala served as the Archmage of Night, and made great use of the powers granted by that position to confound and disable the enemies of the Empire.

The mystic was the last person to see Empress Mariika alive, returning from the storm alone several years after they had departed. The Kallavesi would not speak of what had happened, and disappeared again shortly after returning Mariika's spear to her surviving family. Over the next two hundred years, a figure claiming to be Tekupala occasionally appears to offer cryptic advice. Although each time the figure looks entirely different, they maintain the tradition of concealing their true gender. Those who have studied the matter claim that these later Tekupala are most likely members of a secret society of magicians based out of the swamps of Kallavest.

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Empress Richilde

Contents

- 1 Reign: 36 YE to 69 YE

- 2 Called: the Sun Queen

- 2.1 Early life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death

Reign: 36 YE to 69 YE

Called: the Sun Queen

Early life and Election

As with many of the early Empresses and Emperors, facts about Empress Richilde are a little difficult to pin down. She is well represented in poems and stories, but many of the details of her life come from the surviving works of troubadours and bards rather than historians.

Born in 9 YE, Richilde was a Dawnish noble of House Cassilon in Astolat. From an early age she was exceptional - witty, charismatic, with an indomitable spirit. According to the troubadours she had the natural talent and ability to turn her hand to anything that is often considered a consequence of a strong connection to her past lives. Along with her siblings and cousins she received a fine education, benefiting from tutors brought from as far afield as Urizen and the Brass Coast, paid for by the Earl de Cassilon. She was well versed in politics, music and literature, enjoyed hawking, hunting; was a mistress of the harp; and had composed at least eight well-received heroic poems by the time she was twenty-one. During her youth and early adulthood, she served as an Advocate, which gave her a broad understanding of the Imperial political process when she later served as the Senator for Astolat.

Richilde's passed a legendary Test of Mettle; the Earl of Cassilon told her she must bind the dawn to the dusk if she wished to become a noble. She responded by calling the nobles of House Cassilon to join her in the gardens just before dawn, telling them they should leave when they were bored. As the sun rose, she began to weave a tale of such compelling beauty and grandeur that the nobles lost track of time. Not one of them left, and as she completed her tale they realised to their surprise that they had spent a whole day lost in the wonder of the tale she told.

During her early life she traveled extensively, finding allies among the artists and politicians of the other nations, especially in the The League, the Brass Coast, Highguard and Urizen. After the death of Emperor Giovanni, she parlayed this network into political influence and with the support of her fellow Dawnish senators and the voice of the Troubadours in the Synod, she was elected Empress.

Reign

From the beginning her court was a place of splendour; she surrounded herself with musicians, artists and scholars from across the Empire. From the scops of Wintermark to the bards of the Marches, anyone with a tale to tell or a song to sing was welcome to perform before Empress Richilde. Those who impressed her received endowments or the benefit of her patronage in establishing themselves. While her love of art and music was seen initially as indulgent, it became clear that it served a greater purpose. By encouraging the nations to appreciate each others' stories, history and art, she helped them gain a greater understanding of each other.

In private, she expressed the concern that if the Empire was simply a machine for making war against barbarians it would fail; no matter how complex and developed its bureaucracy might be, it would ultimately prove a hollow achievement unable to stand the test of time. Only by celebrating, by taking joy in it's achievements and it's citizens, could it hope to survive more than a few centuries, weather the inevitable failures and crises that would come, and emerge as something greater than the sum of its parts.

Throughout her reign she encouraged the celebration of the deeds of heroes, both past and present. She encouraged the nations to take pride in their history, but also to see the achievements of the Empire as a whole as being their achievements. In 39 YE, with assistance of advisors from Highguard and the League she esablished funds, overseen by the civil service, to support bards and artists across the Empire, creating the tradition of the Imperial bards who have inspired the Empire ever since.

Poems and stories suggest she was as capable a warrior as she was a politician, but Urizen historians suggest that this is likely to be the fanciful exaguration of minstrels and poets rather than fact. Rather than being a great warrior, or a great general, she is remembered as having an ability to inspire trust and to recognize ability in her Generals, leaving them a free hand to act as they saw fit in the service of the Empire. This lead to a series of invasions that expanded the Empire, adding the territories of Karsk, Semmerholm, Redoubt and Reikos. While the Empress herself did not fight in any of the major campaigns, she accompanied the armies in the manner of a living banner - inspiring and exhorting her troops and firing them to achieve victory.

Death

At her funeral, after a thirty year reign, it is said the entire Empire mourned. She was carried with great ceremony from her home near Auvanne in Semmerholm, via Anvil, to the Necropolis and interred in a great tomb built at some expense by the finest stonesmiths of the day. Over the centuries since it has become a great honour for a hero, especially a Dawnish hero or troubadour, to be interred in the Ring of Champions, a series of tombs and mausoleums that surrounds Richilde's resting place.

Shortly after her death the Synod recognised Richilde as an Exemplar of Pride. 150 years later, the troubadours of Dawn finally succeeded in having her recognised as a Paragon, making her the first Paragon of the modern period..

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Empress Richilde (Paragon)

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

Biography

Empress Richilde's biography can be found on the Imperial History page.

Signs

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Empress Teleri

Contents

- 1 Reign: 77 YE to 91 YE

- 2 Called: the Pious

- 2.1 Early life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death and Legacy

Reign: 77 YE to 91 YE

Called: the Pious

Early life and Election

Teleri of the Summerdance Striding spent most of her life as a successful broker, negotiating trades between Steadings and later between nations. She became a Senator in 74 YE and used her natural aptitude for brokering trades between nations to build a solid base of support within the Senate. She was elected by a small majority in 77 YE.

Reign

Once Empress, Teleri used her influence to partake of the Imperial liao. She was guided on her vision by Simon Kingstoke, Cardinal of the Way. There is no record of the vision she saw, as neither the Marcher Cardinal nor Teleri ever spoke of it. However, from that day, the Empress used her skills and influence toward increasing the remit of the Synod to care for the spiritual well-being of the Empire. Together they worked to institute the position of the Conscience to participate in the Senate, and ensured that the rights of clemency, sanctuary and witness were treated with the appropriate respect.

It is during her reign that the Synod first begins to find a role for itself in Imperial politics, using their political, rather than simply spiritual, powers to full effect. The role Assembly of the Way as a facilitator and enhancer of the other assemblies is cemented during this time, as well as the right of the throne to claim the first potion of Imperial Liao for it's own use, or the use of a favoured individual. Using that right, Teleri would go on to utilise the visionary substance several more times, but no record of any of the visions remains.

Under Teleri, the Synod first used the power of Revocation; the Marcher general Hereford holds the dubious honour of being the first to be removed from his Imperial office for gross offences against Prosperity and Ambition. This caused quite a stir, and the Senate immediately moved to try and block the revocation, only for the Empress and the entire Imperial Synod to descend on the Senate chamber en masse. The Assembly of Nine indicated that the General Assembly was in righteous accord - not only would any attempt to reverse their decision be unconstitutional, they would immediately employ their power of Veto to block the Senate.

Tense negotiations ensued, during which the constitutional right of the Synod to actually use the powers it possessed was explained in detail. The Senate took some time to get used to the idea that the Synod was not merely a ceremonial body, but a house of their peers who absolutely intended to use their powers in pursuit of their remit. Over the next few years a major 'house-cleaning' took place in the Senate and among the Generals, as a commitment to Virtue (or an appearance of the same) was finally accepted as an important requirement for high office in the Empire.

Outside of her role in support of the Synod, Empress Teleri’s reign is generally regarded as unexceptional although the Synod did push for a short-lived border war with the Faraden which involved a lot of sabre-rattling on both sides but comparatively little actual fighting.

Death and Legacy

Empress Teleri stepped down from the Throne voluntarily in 91 YE as the rigours of age began to catch up with her. She made a final pilgrimage to the Necropolis and passed away peacefully in her sleep. She is interred in a beautiful tomb set at the centre of a sprawling garden laid out in the pattern of the sevenfold labyrinth.

Towards the end of Teleri's reign, the Senate granted the Cardinals of the Synod a vote each in the Senate. While there were challenges on constitutional grounds, the civil service at the time ruled that the virtue assemblies could be said to have similar weight as representing the will of the citizens of the Empire as the territories did. Initially, the Cardinals abstained from voting on motions that did not directly relate to matters of virtue, but in the years following Teleri's reign (a period known as the First Interregnum they increasingly flexed their political muscle. They would continue to do so until the reign of Empress Varkula. While the Cardinals potentially wielded a powerful 'block vote' of eight votes in the senate, they were rarely united in their voting - except most notably when the Senate attempted to remove their votes during the reign of Empress Aenea.

Over the next few centuries, the power of the Synod would wax and wane, but it was under Empress Teleri that they first found the strength to assert their power.

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Empress Varkula

Contents

- 1 Reign: 125YE to 167YE

- 2 Called: the Undying

- 2.1 Early life and Election

- 2.2 Reign

- 2.3 Death and Legacy

Reign: 125YE to 167YE

Called: the Undying

Early life and Election

Empress Varkula (also known as the Dowager Empress, the Iron Empress, the Carrion Queen and the Winterborn) ruled for over forty years, the longest uninterrupted rule in the Empire’s history. A Varushkan draughir, she rose through the ranks of the Imperial army before making the leap to politics.

Reign

Taking advantage of a weakened and divided senate, she manipulated (and in some cases, allegedly extorted) her way to the throne, and then set about dramatically increasing the military strength of the Empire. She forced several bills through the Senate that increased the number and size of the Imperial Armies, and during her time on the throne personally took the battlefield in battles that secured Zenith, Holberg, Skarsind and Miekarova as imperial territories, as well as fighting off two failed barbarian attempts to take back Kahraman and Reikos.

While her reign saw a great increase in the scope and efficiency of both the armies and the civil service, the individual nations chafed under her rule. She is said to have had little time for national politics, and did not especially care which Nation claimed the territories she helped to conquer (she is said to have laughed uproariously when The League claimed Holberg from under the noses of the Dawnish). Rather she was interested in the health and wellbeing of the Empire as a whole, not it's component parts. As she said during one speech in the Senate: My arms and my legs are part of me, but they are not the whole of me.

She was ruthless in her treatment of her political enemies, especially in the Synod, and went some way to reducing the influence the priesthood had gained under previous, more pious, Emperors and Empresses. Specifically, she was able to orchestrate the removal of the Senatorial votes the Cardinals had gained during the reign of Empress Teleri. The political struggle was as intense as any martial conflict the stubborn Empress had overseen, and when the dust settled the Cardinals had lost their vote - with the exception of the Cardinal of the Way. In a compromise that also spoke of Varkula's love of the people of the Empire, the position of the Conscience of the Senate was created and the appointment of the title left in the hands of the Assembly of the Way.

At the same time took pains to ensure that the quality of life of the common citizen improved, enacting several sweeping reforms designed to ensure social mobility and freedom from oppression in all parts of the Empire. Under the hawk-like gaze, the rights of the Imperial Magistrates to investigate and prosecute crimes were extended, and despite some circumstantial evidence to the contrary, she insisted that while the Senate and the Throne could make laws, they would have a minimal role in enforcing those laws.

Death and Legacy

Throughout her reign she was the victim of frequent assassination attempts, many of which she fought off personally, others of which left her scarred and eventually crippled. By the time of her death at the age of seventy-six, it was fully four days before anyone dared to approach the throne and try to remove her body – even then apparently her fingers were so tightly coiled around the arm rests that they had to be broken before she could be removed.

She is buried in a black basalt tomb in the Necropolis, behind three doors bound with iron and allegedly wrapped in magical wards. The inscription above the entrance to her mausoleum reads "Asleep at last". and may be considered to be as much a prayer as a statement. Reports have come from the necropolis that when Holberg was lost to the barbarians there was an disturbingly loud noise from her tomb, repeated again twenty-seven years later when Skarsind fell. There are some who worry that if another of the territories she added to the Empire are surrendered to the barbarians the final door of her tomb will be thrown off its hinges and the Empress they called "the undying" would emerge again to sort the situation out, whether the Empire wants her to or not ...

“Every time I thought to myself that I was getting too old, too impatient with foolish prattle, too willing to use cruelty and fear to keep the senate in line, every time I felt tired and yearned for peace, why, the fools would try to have me killed, and I would resolve anew to rule for as long there was even one spark of life left in my body! They could have my throne when they pulled it from my cold, dead hand,s and not one moment before.”

“Other rulers were loved by their subjects, but I was stronger than that. I never courted their love, for love is fickle and demanding. They respected me, they feared me – perhaps they even hated me – But I would not change one minute of my reign. A monarch must remember always that their people will turn on them; I lived my life with a blade at my throat. I never grew complacent, never trusted in popularity, never shied from making the hard choices. I found an Empire of brick, I left it one of marble. History can judge me as it will, but do not speak to me of love.”

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Enchant Imperial Banner

Senate to fund an Imperial banner for the Military Command on the field.

Proposed by Casinea, seconded by Morrow.

Overview

- Senate to fund an Imperial banner for the Military Council on the field

- Passed with 1 vote against, funds provided by Senator for Hercynia

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013)

Cost

- Unknown

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Enchantment

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Targeting

- 3 Contagion

- 4 Duration

- 5 Identifying Enchantments

- 6 Removing Enchantments

- 7 Further Reading

Overview

An enchantment is a persistent, beneficial magical effect, usually produced by a ritual, or less commonly by an Eternal.

Targeting

- Formulaic rituals that create enchantments must be cast on a target

- A target can only ever be under a single enchantment at once

Any given target may only be under a single enchantment. If a new enchantment is created on a target, it completely removes the earlier enchantment. Most rituals can only be cast on one type of target; this will be specified in the ritual description.

A ritual enchantment commonly targets:

- A character These are among the most common sorts of enchantments. Splendid Panoply of Knighthood and Fan the Flame of New Life are both enchantments that affect a character.

- A resource These rituals usually enhance a personal resource owned by a character who is present when the ritual is performed. Examples include Rampant Growth and Streams of Silver are both enchantments that affect a resource.

- A campaign resource These rituals usually enhance campaign resources like an army, which is controlled by a character present when the ritual is performed. Examples include Knights_of_Glory is an enchantment that affects a campaign resource.

- An item Very few rituals directly target items, Enchantments that target items are almost exclusively the preserve of the realm of Night, and are used to conceal information about an object or it's bonds (such as Masque of the Blinded Weaver). The practice of giving magical properties to objects is largely the preserve of the artificer rather than the ritualist.

- A region, territory, or empire Some powerful rituals, such as Drawing the Penumbral Veil or Hallow of the Green World, target everything in a very large area. Such enchantments are usually indiscriminate - hallow the Green World targets every herb garden in the Empire regardless of who owns it.

It is possible for someone to benefit from multiple enchantments, even though they can only be targeted by one. For example, if Hallow of the Green World is cast then it targets the Empire - and the Empire can only be the target of one enchantment at once. But the effect benefits every herb garden in the Empire - a herb garden that is currently targetted by it's own enchantment then it will gain the benefits of both enchantments.

Contagion

- Some enchantments can target a resource if the owner or controller is present

Most rituals require the target of the ritual to be present when the ritual is delivered. Some rituals make use of the magical law of contagion to affect a structure that is far aware. This is most common with personal and campaign resources; the target for these rituals can be the character who owns or controls the resource. Although these rituals are expressly designed to target the resource through the character linked to it, the resulting enchantment is on the resource, not on the character.

For example, Bound by Common Cause affects an Imperial army. To cast it, the current general who controls the army must be present throughout the ritual. This ritual creates an enchantment on the army, the general acts as a conduit allowing the ritualists to enchant the army - he or she is not enchanted themselves.

Duration

- Encounter duration enchantments last until after the next major encounter

- Season duration enchantments last until the start of the next Empire event

The majority of enchantments are either 'encounter' - a duration that lasts for a single quest, skirmish or battle or 'season' - expiring at the start of the next Empire event that Profound Decisions runs.

- Encounter Rituals that last for an encounter expire after the end of the next quest, skirmish, or battle the character goes on. They automatically expire at the end of the current event if they have not been used beforehand. Occasionally a quest may not involve any combat and our team will specify that the quest has not expended the use of any encounter enchantments. If a ref informs you that a quest did not expend your encounter duration rituals, (and only if directly informed by a referee), then they were not expended, even if used during that quest.

- Season Rituals that last for a season expires immediately before the start of the next Empire event run by Profound Decisions. This means that the target could also be benefit at any sanctioned events that take place before the next event, if the event organizers allowed. Any season or encounter rituals that are cast at player events will end before the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

It is possible to make an enchantment permanent through the use of ilium.

Identifying Enchantments

- Detect Magic can detect the presence, realm, and magnitude of an enchantment on a target

- More powerful divinations can reveal the nature of the enchantment

The detect magic incantation will tell the caster if a target is under an enchantment; the realm that enchantment comes from; and the magnitude of the enchantment. Further information requires deduction or the use of more powerful divination rituals.

Removing Enchantments

- A new enchantment replaces any existing enchantment

- A permanent enchantment cannot be replaced

The most recent enchantment is the only one that applies to a target. A magnitude 50 enchantment affecting a target is removed by a magnitude 2 enchantment that affects the same target. The only exception to this rule is that an enchantment that has been made permanent with ilium is not replaced by a new enchantment. The new enchantment fails, regardless of it's magnitude.

Further Reading

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

- Battlefield Rituals

- Enchantments

- Curses

- Ilium

- Magic Items

- Herbs & Potions

- Cosmology

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Enduring Breastplate

Description

The enduring breastplate bolsters the strength and will of the wearer, allowing them to push aside the pain of a serious injury until they have finished fighting. Some conditions can be overcome entirely in this way, but the majority still need treatment when the battle is over. In some cases, the use of this breastplate has lead to death - while a warrior might be able to continue fighting despite their cracked ribs or internal bleeding, if they wait too long the condition can turn fatal and the breastplate is no use against the onset of death.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of heavy armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You may ignore the effects of any single traumatic wound until the end of the battle.

- Materials: Crafting an enduring breastplate requires eight ingots of tempest jade and five ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

She'd been winning the debate in the Senate, she felt. The Senator for Morrow, looking as untidy as ever, was pressing for a front-line role for mages, but the assembled representatives of the Empire were with me. Magic is best used as behind the front lines, leaving those who stand and fight to hold the line, and then press to victory.

***And when you see the opening, use the shield to counter-weight...***

Then the Navarri messenger came in, and the world changed just a little. Nothing was going to get decided while the floor was such a tumult, so she'd called for silence. This wasn't time for debates about strategy. She proposed the Senate instruct the military council for direct assistance to the Wintermark, and asked: "Who's with us?", and one by one they all fell in behind her. Even the Senator for Morrow accepted the inevitable.

***And all your weight behind the sword-blow, and cleave...***

She'd lobbied hard to be allowed to go with the elite force the Military Council decided was the right strategy. It had cost her heavily, she'd owe the General of the Bastion army for some time. He personally made a place for her in General Irontongue's contingent. But by the Virtuous path, she knew it was worth it. Even if it still hurt to breath, and she owed her life to a mail shirt that had been restored every year by the artisans of her Chapter for longer than anyone could remember. They weren't done yet, she'd be back out soon, the General said.

***And turn and revel in victory over the barbarian...***

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Enfeebling Echo

Description

These staves are sometimes carved with aged and tired faces, or crafted to resemble crooked and withered limbs. The power of the enfeebling echo is to lay an impression or suggestion of great age and physical debilitation on those against whom they are used. Over time a wielder who relies heavily on a staff such as this sometimes begins to develop physical symptoms of great age - liver spots on the hand, graying hair, wrinkles, and even in some extreme cases fragile bones and declining vision and hearing. These marks rarely disappear when the wielder stops relying on the staff, and in some places the implement is called an enervating promise, foreshadowing as it does the weakness that many associate with old age. Those with lineage rarely experience any such physical effects from an enfeebling echo, however.

In Dawn, Highguard and Holberg the staff is often carved with the head of a snarling wolf, and called a hungering wolf as a consequence. Magicians from the eastern nations of the Empire maintain that the staff itself feeds on the life and energy of both wielder and target, drinking their strength in the same way that a dark tree greedily drinks water through it's roots. In Dawn in particular, with its emphasis on glory, a staff that can drain someone of their most heroic traits enjoys a particularly dark reputation - as do its wielders. A seemingly young magician marked with signs of great age appears as the villain in any number of folktales from this part of the Empire.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day when you cast the weakness spell you can do so without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting an enfeebling echo requires seven measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Coruscare." The old naga's voice came out just as strong as Sybilla remembered, just as determined, and overlaid with the despite that she remembered well.

"That's Magistrate Sybilla to you," the young woman asserted, "I serve the Empire now."

"Oh, how you've changed," her quarry smirked falsely, "You aren't the first Magistrate to discover my heresy, nor the first to take Rhonwen's Leap face-down in the Gancio. I've killed better than you."

"Heresy is the pretext, Thekla. The cause of vengeance may serve the Empire when it aligns with the law."

"Ha! Oh, how I wish the fine cloaks of the Synod were here to hear such words from one of their loyal slaves. Do you wish your last words to be heresy?"

Sybilla bit back the desire to retort. She knew how this conversation went. She'd practised it in her head a thousand times while she followed the subtle clues that led her to the cottage by the waterfall, and its too-familiar inhabitant. "It's only heresy if one venerates it. I know when to stop. You didn't."

"True. And yet what is society without it? Virtue is easy when everyone is virtuous. When the rot sets in, when fools like Walter allow their friends free rein simply because they're rich, when entire Spires and entire cities drench themselves in the fruits of unjust exploitation and ceaseless war and believe themselves right simply because they have the power to exert their will - who speaks for the exploited? Who speaks for peace?"

"The law does, Thekla. You just never saw that."

"I saw the law acquit those who should have been put to death." Thekla's Poise cracked just a little, just as Sybilla had expected it to. Thekla would explain herself to her erstwhile student. She had to. She believed she had done right. She might have blood on her hands, but she would never have had it any other way.

"And so the path that ends only in death," Sybilla said, quoting her tutor's advice in years gone by.

"It does," Thekla nodded, the corners of her mouth turning up in a genuine smile, "It does."

There was a moment of pause, while each considered the truth of their tragic path.

Sybilla drew herself to her full height - half a foot shorter than her quarry, but still impressive in her fine-pointed mage armour - and knocked the butt of her staff on the flagstone of the heretic's hearth. "Thekla, formerly of the Coruscating Spire, I am here to arrest you on four counts of murder and six of assault with a magical weapon, and a single count of devotion to the false Virtue of Vengeance."

"Is that the law? That you must tell me my crimes before you kill me? Am I supposed to feel sorry, then? Is my heart supposed to break, hearing that the Empire that betrayed me no longer wishes my wisdom and courage to put to its bloody employ? The desire for vengeance is at the heart of a just society, but your Empire eats its young without any heed paid to the most crucial Virtue of all. It's a pity you won't find that out until your next life. You were always such a capable student."

Sybilla shook her head. The time for talking was over. "So. To the death, then?"

"Not here. We will duel by the waterfall."

Sybilla nodded and followed Thekla out of the back door of her peaceful little cottage. "I hope you've made your peace," she said, as they strode like companions through the herb-garden, through a small allotment growing carrots and potatoes. This would be a beautiful place to die, if it all went wrong. This would be a beautiful place to kill, if it did not.

"Years ago, when I first embarked on this bloody path. The life of contemplative solitude is not to be underestimated, and my passions have always been magical, rather than interpersonal. Have you made yours?"

"No," Sybilla said, shaking her head. That was why she would win.

"I'm sorry to hear that, girl," Thekla said, hefting her staff and assuming an aggressive stance. "You can't win here. I have decades of experience and more personal power than all of your Sentinels put together. You might be right by your people's fallen standards, but I am right by the unquestionable authority of absolute morality, and..." she paused and looked to the sky, and for a brief moment, Sybilla saw regret on her scaled face, "I wish I didn't have to stoop to your methods, but I have the might to defend my past."

"And those Magistrates you've defeated before didn't understand how you thought. That magic would bring you victory. It will not today."

"Strange. I don't feel any less capable. You still face me as a pup barking at a wolf."

Sybilla smiled and unwrapped the velvet coating from her staff, revealing its gnarled wolf's-head, its panoply of bitter and agonised faces. "I understand you, Thekla, and that's why I know how to defeat you. You have one spell, and then nothing more. Not strength, but speed, and precision, and discipline, will determine our duel. One blow from this stave, and then we're both just women with staves and agonising headaches. But I am armoured. I am young. I am strong. And I have trained for this day for the ten years since you abandoned your people. Since you abandoned me." She raised the staff and felt her centre, as hard and bright as a pearl in the Net. She was ready. At last, she would have vengeance. At last, she would have closure. And she would do so without taking a step outside the course of the law, without betraying the will and destiny of her Empire. She would win, and stagger back down the mountainside to the civilisation that loved her.

She had not made her peace. She had not accepted the inevitability of her own death. That was why she would win.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Enfeebling_Echo&oldid=32516"

Enigmatic Staff

Description

The Enigmatic Staff taps upon the power of the Realm of Night revealing the inner secrets of ritual magic. These arcane implements are employed throughout the Empire to fortify the abilities of Night ritualists.

These polished black staves often bear subtly scintillating runes of black upon black: Diras, the Rune of Secrets and Wyr, the Rune of Mystery.

The staff of the Archmage of Night is a version of the engimatic staff crafted to a secret pattern, and grants twice as much power to the wielder.

Template%3AHandImplement

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a ritual stave.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Gain 1 rank of Night Lore.

- Materials: Crafting a Enigmatic Staff requires the nine measures of ambergelt, fourteen measures of iridescent gloaming and twenty measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Enoch and Levi

(traditional song from Adina's Charge)

Original: Three Blind Dogs - Jean o’Bethelnie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkhps7U7PkE

Recording: https://soundcloud.com/oxfordgirl/sets/highguard-filk

There were four and twenty Cataphracts at the great hall And Enoch the Lancer was fairest of all There were sixteen Unconquered, eight dark and eight fair, and Levi the archer was the swiftest one there

Down came handsome Enoch, with his brothers behind And his eyes were on Levi like the hound on the hind

So he screws up his courage as tight as can be Saying "Sieur, could I ask for but one dance with thee?" He’s turning round lightly with an eye full of scorn Saying "Sieur, keep your dancing; we hunt on the morn."

So come the next morning in mist before day Ten bleary young huntsmen are armed for the fray. When Levi's seen Enoch with the sun in his hair, He's laughed like the jackdaw and he's fled like the hare.

"Oh chase me and catch me if catch me you can And prove you're a hunter, if you'd be my man." Then Enoch's straight on him, he's swift to the trail Swears "May my heart burst ere I falter or fail!"

Through fen and through forest they're running full well And Levi's the faster on flat and on fell. But Enoch so tireless, never pauses nor rests; While Levi's heart's stuttering so quick in his breast.

They've hunted the morning and hunted the noon; He's chased up the sun, and he ran down the moon. Alone on the hillside his breath caught and failed; But Enoch's hand caught him ere ever he fell.

"Now in my arms, Levi, so in my arms stay, All dressed in white armour, for our wedding-day." "Oh keep your white armour and keep your grey hood! I fight in brown leather; in brown I will wed."

Up spoke the Lord Exarch, with fearsome great scowl, Saying "Who is this Enoch? What colour his cowl? What name has his Chapter? What deeds to it stand That make him so worthy of our Levi's hand?"

So up spoke swift Levi, full wrathful was he, "I've chosen him, Exarch, as he's chosen me. O Enoch, fair Enoch, you shine where you stand, And you'll shine all the brighter with my ring on your hand!"

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Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 15

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 15

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying.

Effects

At the completion of this ritual, all contributors gain the ability to cast the paralysis spell once as if they knew it and without spending any mana. Each contributor experiences a roleplaying effect; they find it irritating when living creatures move around, especially if they do so quickly, or without obvious purpose; they feel an urge to carefully catalogue and neatly arrange things that are disordered such as spilled grain or scattered coins.

When cast with more than one contributor, this ritual always counts as a use of the coven bond and counts towards the number of rituals the coven can perform that day.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Description

The Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis is a battlefield spell that allows a coven of Day magicians to hold their opponents stationary for a few moments. Used with care, it allows each of them to exert their ritual mastery to immediate tactical effect. The most common battlefield use is to allow a coven to immobilize skirmishers, or to hold enemy warriors still so that the magician's allies can deal with them quickly and efficiently. It is at its most useful when the ritualists are supported by (or are themselves) battlemages and warriors.

The ritual is more powerful the more members of the coven are present, and reaches it's highest potential the more ritualists who have not personally mastered the ability to paralyse their foes through spellcasting.

The ritual draws on the tendency of Day to codify, catalogue and organise; it also uses the ability of Day to overwhelm the mind with information or sensations. By creating a link between the Realm, the magician, their magic and the opponent - using the implement as a conduit - the sensations and magical forces are unleashed to bind both in place for a few moments.

This ritual has existed in one form or another since the earliest records, and it is likely that the paralysis incantation itself began as a refinement of this power.

Common Elements

This ritual often involves light, mirrors, amber and ambergelt. Some ritualists dissolve resin in water, weaving the magic as the resin cools and sets. The ritual may involve intricate music that becomes slower and fainter as the ritual progresses or movements that begin violent but then become more restrained and eventually cease altogether at the climax. Another common element involves weaving threads, ropes or cords together in an intricate pattern; this is especially popular with Dawnish weaver cabals, or with Marcher ritualists who may use long ribbons held above the head of a stationary ritualist, slowly weaving them together until the focal magician is entirely encased.

Other elements might include the rune Ophis or Hirmok, the constellation of the Lock or the Spider, and animals such as spiders that immobilize their prey.

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Entangle

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This spell binds the target, preventing them from moving their feet for a short period.

Casting

- Type: Offensive spell

- Cost: 1 Personal mana

Effects

You may call ENTANGLE against the target struck by your implement.

Entangle makes it impossible for the target to move their feet for ten seconds. They may otherwise move and fight normally.

Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- "Hirmok's grasp hold you still - ENTANGLE!"

- "I call upon the Door and close it behind you - ENTANGLE!"

- "I have you now, snared in my web of magic - ENTANGLE!"

- "By my might, I command the tides of battle - ENTANGLE!"

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: Hirmok is the quintessential Rune used to cast this spell, as the magician dominates the target's movement. A magician prone to showing off might make some grand gesture as she invokes Feresh or Verys, controlling the flow of battle with her magic.

- Astronomancy: The crushing weight of The Mountain is often invoked to hold the target as if by a great weight, and "closing The Door" may be used to prevent the target from fleeing or advancing.

- Dramaturgy: The Prince is sometimes invoked to command the target to remain still, though The Bishop may be argued to have more authority. Rarely, The Mountebank may be invoked, trapping the target as the trickster character ensnares her mark before moving in for the kill.

- Other traditions: A Dawnish witch might echo the enervating roar of the chimera when casting this spell, and a Navarri Vate might invoke the Great Dance - stopping the target in their tracks, or making them miss a crucial step.

- Realms: This spell has a strong connection with the lore of the Autumn realm.

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Ephisis

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Autumn

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Autumn

Sobriquets

Known as the Hidden Prince, Ephisis is a mistress of trade, barter and fair exchange.

She is sometimes referred to as the Accounter, and the Lady of the Counting House. She is the Sovereign Lady of the City of Gold and Lead and the Prince of Scales. She is sometimes referred to as the Invisible Hand in reference to both her sequestration and to certain economic theories. Her love of trade sometimes leads to her being called the Merchant Queen. Her great wealth is often referenced in the title Grand Plutocrat.

In Asavea she is sometimes worshipped directly as a patroness of merchants, traders and wealth; in both the Jarm and Axos she and her heralds are courted for the various mercantile boons they offer. The magicians of the Sumaah Republic consider her, along with Estavus and Prospero to be an acceptable Eternal to treat with; that said it is illegal for any citizen of Sumaah to deal with Ephisis without the assistance of a priestly mediary from the Assembly of Prosperity or the Assembly of Wisdom.

The Sarcophan have something of a love-hate relationship with Ephisis; their tendency to seek a profit without regard for ethics, and to engage in piracy, occasionally grates with this fair-minded Eternal.

Ephisis is always referred to as being female.

Her heralds are often referred to as chamberlains or senechals in reference to the role they have in managing the City of Gold and Lead on her behalf.

Appearance

No mortal in living memory has provably interacted directly with Ephisis. She does not host audiences in the Hall of the Worlds, and deals entirely through intermediaries. This has lead to a lot of speculation – but nobody has met a herald who has met her, either. She apparently never leaves her citadel – a pyramid of polished gold at the centre of the sprawling city she rules.

The City of Gold and Lead is built on the Plains of Aggido, framed between two great mountains. Some texts refer to it as the City of Five Rings, referring to the five great concentric walls that have been built to contain the city as it grows. The closer one gets to the central citadel, the richer and more influential the citizens. The central ring is said to be a place of wonders where some of the wealthiest of the Autumn Eternals can be found – along with the embassies from the other Eternals. Almost all the buildings in and around the City are businesses – Ephisis rules the greatest trade hub in the Realm.

The High Merchant is closely associated with the rune Lann, which represents bargains, and the rune Pallas which represents wealth. Her sigil is the balanced scale, and appears on many official documents and banners of the City of Gold and Lead.

Concerns

While nobody has ever met Ephisis directly, scholars can theorize about her philosophies and concerns based on the actions her Heralds take.

Ephisis is fascinated with trade in all it's forms. She encourages trade across the Realm and the mortal world - from a bartered exchange of goods, to the most complex financial schemes of the League or the Sarcophan Delves.

She opposes attempts to restrict or control trade, but equally is fascinated by them and by what they can teach her about her obsession. She is known to be ambivalent about taxes – and the citizens of the City of Gold and Lead are known to pay a tenth of their profits to the Accounter's coffers. Of taxes, she has repeatedly expressed the opinion that taxation is a form of trade – the government provides services and facilities, and the citizens contribute to their upkeep. That said, she has also praised systems where citizens voluntarily donate to the state, and those anarchies where the individual has no responsibility to the state at all.

Ephisis is immensely rich. In her opinion, wealth is both a means to an end (securing happiness), and a way of recognising talent and ambition. People who make themselves wealthy in their society deserve to be more powerful because they have worked hard to gain their wealth. Wealth is also an equaliser – anyone can become wealthy, and unwise investments can plunge a complacent plutocrat into the gutter.

Core to her philosophy, however, is the belief in ethical behaviour. This quality is sometimes seen as being at odds with her obsession with trade. Ephisis expects trade to be 'honest' and absolutely despises cheats and con artists. While profit is integral to many trading models, it is up to the merchant, the customer and their society to determine what is a 'fair' profit on a transaction. She dislikes business practices that involve tricking, or deceiving customers or workers and despises the use of force to take wealth from others.

While Ephisis mostly focuses on the trade of material goods. She dislikes trades involving 'future favours'; she dislikes attempts to turn economic interactions into social interactions, and absolutely despises welchers and those who fail to pay their debts. She views many social exchanges in terms of trade. Whether it is a stonemason sculpting a statue for a client, a mercenary fighting for an employer, or a mine-worker extracting ore, all these activities are trades of time and skill for recompense. A common phrase used by the Eternals of the City of Gold and Lead is that the only real commodity of any value is time.

Her heralds are often used as advocates by other Eternals and mortals alike, and view mediation as another form of trade. She would always rather mediate a dispute than fight, but that is not to say that she is weak. She employs brotherhoods of mercenary soldiers to guard her city, and they are very well paid indeed.

In the Autumn Realm, Ephisis remains neutral. She is believed to have close ties with Estavus, but to keep the other Eternals at arm's length. There is particular rivalry between Ephisis and Prospero over the Echoing Bazaar – a mirror of her own marketplaces but one where favours and influence are used rather than good hard coin. Many of the other powers of the Autumn realm come to the City of Gold and Lead to trade, and none are interested in losing access to her services. A Prince who attacked Ephisis would risk drawing the ire of all the other Princes.

Ephisis and her heralds regularly invoke the Lictors. Given they are invariably dealing from an open and honest position, they see no harm in using magic to ensure that anyone they are dealing with is incentivised to be likewise honest.

Within the Empire, Ephisis is known to favour the Freeborn especially, being impressed by their commitment to honesty in business dealings. The murky practices of the League are a source of constant frustration, and she is known to be interested in the slow struggle between market towns and households in the Marches. On the whole, Ephisis is a quiet supporter of the Empire, especially impressed by the instutiton of the Imperial Bourse. Indeed, her Heralds have directly intervened to assist or protect the Bourse on the rare occasions where it has been threatened.

Boons

Ephisis is the mistress of exchange. She is a source of many boons that enhance trading ventures – and can weave potent enchantments to improve businesses and fleets.

She is also fascinated with the idea of open trade. Her Heralds often demonstrate the ability to quickly evaluate the magical properties of an object offered for trade. She is known to share this ability with some mortals, although the boon often comes at a steep price.

Most magicians know the Eternal through the ritual Ephisis' Scale. Beneath her citadel, Ephisis has vaults of unimaginable size, containing all the valuable items she has accumulated through trade with her fellow Eternals and the mortal world. It is impossible to guess what lost treasures, secrets and objects of incalculable worth are contained in those vaults. “Mundane” trade with Ephisis is very common – she has an encyclopaedic knowledge of everything she owns, and queries to the Eternal regarding specific items have sometimes been remarkably successful.

This connection with the preservation of wealth means that Ephisis has access to some of the finest vaultsmiths and lockmakers in the Autumn Realm. She is known to be able to create secure containers similar to those made with the night pouch incantation or the Secrets for the Shadow Courier ritual, and may share them with magicians.

Ephisis seems to have no interest in cursing anyone. Indeed, she is much more likely to trade for something that can help remove a curse than to help a magician in placing one. Curses that disrupt trade are particularly abhorrent to her – a single malediction can disrupt the economic activity of an entire region.

Ephisis does not deal in influence. She never does something for a promised favour in the future. This does not mean that she does not understand intangible trades – only that she avoids trades where someone promises to do something unspecified at a future date. A deal in which one party agrees to perform a specified task for payment is eminently acceptable to the Eternal.

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Ephisis' Scale

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. It targets an opaque container.

Effects

When the ritual is performed, the ritualists put any amount of unliving material inside an opaque container up to 8" by 8" by 8" maximum volume. After casting the container is left closed; the contents have been conveyed elsewhere.

It will take at least an hour for anything to happen, potentially longer. Ritualists may receive a prompt when the box is no longer empty; when the box is opened, there is something new there.

The ritualists at this point have two choices; remove and keep the items, or refuse the trade and close the box again. The ritualists have a short time to examine and evaluate the poffered trade before making a decision, but they cannot keep only some of the goods - it is an all-or-nothing proposition. If the box is closed, the contents will be swapped back for the original item(s) over a short period.

Description

This ritual allows magicians to engage in measured trade with the Realm of Autumn, specifically with the Eternal Ephisis. Ephisis greatly desires goods and items from the mortal Realm. Ephisis is known to be scrupulous in her commitment to fair trades - wherever possible, the goods she offers in return she (or her factotums) consider to have roughly equal value to the goods she has been offered. Sometimes her assessment is unbalanced, either due to a misconception about the mortal Realm or because the ritualists have inadvertently sent her something that has unexpected value to the Autumn Eternals.

Common goods offered for past trades using this ritual have included examples of all the special materials known on the Mortal realm, as well as herbs, potions and other preparations (even liao on a few occasions), coins both Imperial and otherwise and crafted or enchanted items (especially jewelry). More exotic items reported over the years have included unique herbs or materials; consumable items like the ashes of Shikal but occasionally connected to another realm; unfamiliar potions and narcotics; unique gemstones unknown in the mortal Realm; scrolls of unknown ritual magic; deeds of ownership, sometimes Imperial sometimes otherwise; a miraculous mechanical golden bird that whispered prophecies to its owner for seven years before slowly winding down; a copper-and-agate beetle with the ability to diagnose and treat illnesses; and a pair of rings that allowed.instantaneous communication with no apparent limitation of distance.

Some ritualists attempt to influence Ephisis' counter-offer by including a scroll or letter with the submitted goods. This generally seems to have no effect, although one scholar suggested that Ephisis and her factotums may treat the paper and ink as additional offered trade goods, rather than viewing them as an attempt at communication.

It is common practice for ritualists who master this ritual, and plan to engage in it often, to place a gong, bell or chime next to or on top of the container in which their trade goods were offered. The magic of the ritual causes the gong, bell or chime to ring when the transaction progresses to the next stage. Some ritualists have reported odd sounds, smells or bursts of light accompanying the transition; all apparently designed to discreetly draw attention to the fact that there are goods to be considered, or that the transaction is over.

Some ritualists have bargained with Ephisis for larger containers in which to place goods. For example, the Marcher mage-smith Alan of Cotter's Barn was known to possess a weirwood case 6' long and 2' wide and deep with which he traded the fruits of his crafting with Ephisis. It is also possible to arrange special agreements with Ephisis or her factotums. The League apothecary Helena Jung von Holberg apparently possessed an oak-and-brass potion case, for example, that ensured that any trade with Ephisis that trades offered for potions would always involve herbs or other, more exotic, potions.

As with Missive for Sadogua and similar Eternal-themed rituals, 'Ephisis' Scale' uses a small amount of mana to open a conduit to the Eternal in question, allowing a small amount of material to be transferred. The additional magnitudes reinforce or recognise the nature of an agreed pact - in this case that Ephisis or her factotums will consider an object or objects offered in trade and offer something of equal value in return. The Freeborn scholar Serval i Riqueza of the Unfettered Mind, who made a study of several of these rituals, posited that the additional magnitude served as a 'handling fee' for Ephisis, to ensure that the Eternal always made a slight profit even when the suggested trade was not accepted.

Common Elements

A box or sack, often of rare woods. fine silk or velvet, is the obvious focus used with this ritual, A coven or ritualist often has a specific container that they favour for use with this ritual, of the standard dimensions. The container is often inscribed with the rune Lann, or with symbols of weights and scales. Ink and parchment may be used to write down the exact contents of the box; it is common to draw attention to any special provenance or properties of the offered goods that might otherwise be overlooked. Placing a gong, bell or chime near the box may cause it to be rung as the ritual completes.

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Erthe Upon Erthe

"Their blasted chanting gets into your head... it is solid and endless, like their marching battle lines. On and on they chant, and every so often you hear something you understand amongst the guttural noise - something about sharp blades, or rotting flesh. It is one thing facing this across a battlefield and another thing entirely to be amongst it."

This early English song provides a great sound for Imperial Orc chanting (or if you prefer steady, low singing). The tune is here but this is a rather light/fast version which isn't particularly suited to Imperial Orcs.

Each vowel tends to have its own syllable so it should be pronounced e.g. "Erth - e", "wroch - te", " has - e" on - e" etc. This gives the songs a driving rhythm.

Erthe out of erthe is wonderly wroghte Erthe hase geten one erthe a dignite of noghte Erthe upon erthe hase sett alle his thoghte How that erthe upon erthe may be heghe broghte

Erthe upon erthe wolde be a kinge Bot how erthe to erthe shall thinkes he no thinge When erthe bredes erthe and his rentes home bringe Thane shall erthe of erthe have full harde parting

Erthe upon erthe winnes castells and towrres Thane sayse erthe unto erthe, "This es al ourres" When erthe upon erthe has bigged up his barres Thane shall erthe for erthe suffere sharpe scowrres

Erthe goes upon erthe as molde upon molde He that gose upon erthe, gleterande as golde Like erthe never more go to erthe sholde And yitt shall erthe unto erthe ga rathere than he wolde

Whye erthe lurves erthe, wondere me thinke Or why erthe for erthe sholde other swete or swinke For when erthe upon erthe has broughte within brinke Thane shall erthe of erthe have a foul stinke

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Escharotic Cauldron

Description

This apothecary's bowl is traditionally made of iron, and used to boil herbs and other components when brewing a potion. Some ceramic, bone or wooden examples exist, used to steep herbs in boiling water rather than held directly over a fire. An escharotic cauldron is often decorated with ambergelt, and inlaid with pieces of ivory. Regardless, it is usually of sturdy construction and insulated against the hot liquids it is generally employed to enchant.

An escharotic cauldron often bears the rune Xun, although older examples are often inscribed with Diras, the rune of secrets. Traditionally in Wintermark the apothecary carves or paints the runes Bravash (representing the Marrowort) and Verys (representing cerulean mazzarine) onto the inside of the cauldron before they use it.

Rules

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of a tool.

- Requirement: You must have the Apothecary skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: When you use the apothecary skill to create a potion you may substitute two drams of Marrowort for one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine, or two drams of Cerulean Mazzarine for one dram of Marrowort. You can only make this substitution once per preparation.

- Materials: Crafting an escharotic cauldron requires seven measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Establish contact with Barrens orcs

To send Winged Messengers to the unaligned Orcs of the Barrens, inviting them to send a delegation to Anvil

Proposed by Skarsind, seconded by Sermersuaq

Overview

- There are believed to be independent orcs in the Barrens engaged in conflict with the Druj

- The ritual Call Winged Messenger can be used to send a letter to anyone whose name and physical location is known to the caster

- Passed in principle; no funding requested

Date

- Summer 378YE

Cost

- Call Winged Messenger is an Autumn ritual of magnitude 6; a coven who has mastered the ritual can perform it for 3 crystal mana per casting

Progress

- Unknown

Campaign Outcome

- Unknown

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Establish Imperial Orc Assembly

Establish a national assembly for the Orc people as for other nations' assemblies in the Synod.

Proposed by Conscience, seconded by Hercynia.

Overview

- Establish an assembly for the Imperial Orcs in the Imperial Synod.

- Recognises the judgement of the Assembly of Pride

Date

- Winter 377YE

Campaign Outcome

- A national assembly for the Imperial Orcs has now been established in the Imperial Synod.

- The national assembly will have all the powers and responsibilities of other national assemblies.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

25

0

Passed

"The Assembly of Pride believes that the Empire is proud of all its citizens, in that all citizens are equal within the eye of the Empire. We call upon the Imperial Orcs to form a National Assembly within the Synod, to see to the virtue of those who hold elected Imperial positions within their nation”

Samson of Highguard, Cardinal of Pride (Autumn Equinox 377YE)

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Estavus

Contents

- 1 Eternals of Autumn

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternals of Autumn

Sobriquets

Most commonly, she is known as The Forgemistress.

She may also be called The Prince of Shikal and The Bronze Artisan.

Appearance

Estavus is a powerfully built female with bronze skin and curling steel horns. Her left arm appears to be made of metal, and she is usually clad in a metal breastplate wielding a two-handed hammer. She is often marked with soot either from her infernal volcanic home or from her work at her forge.

The Forgemistress is often accompanied by lesser Eternals and Heralds who serve her as guards or assistants, but she is often found with magical metal constructs such as brass minotaurs; warriors crafted of living dragonbone; or bejeweled courtiers of ivory and porcelain who converse in gentle, soothing terms and appear quite intelligent.

Concerns

The Prince of Shikal dwells in a great city that occupies an active volcano of immense size. The Forge of Shikal holds the immense workshop of Estavus, suspended above the living magma of the volcanic caldera. Her city is inhabited by artisans and labourers, and riddled with deep delves that drop down far below the surface of the Realm into great mines.

Estavus is driven to build, construct and create. Her ambition is to reshape entire worlds; she seeks to encourage others to do the same by mastering nature and building great cities and fortresses. If she had her way, the wilderness wound be tamed with roads and cities, and natural things would be found only in parks. She is especially driven to create artificially living things that mimic natural plants and beasts.

She constantly desires raw materials from the mortal Realm; while she has access to strange metals from the mines around her domain, she has no ready source of the magical materials found in the mortal Realm.

While she is somewhat singleminded, she is still an Eternal of Autumn. She is fascinated by, and well versed in, the ways that crafters can exert power. Being able to make something for someone else is potentially an incredible source of influence. The rarer the things a crafter can craft, the more power they wield. She supports and encourages the formation of artisan guilds that create monopolies to protect their interests and influence their fellows, and she is known to have a special interest in League carta, Dawnish weaver cabals, and both Marcher and Winterfolk smiths. She is said to have a great deal of interest in the guilds of the Sarcophan Delves.

Boons

Estavus has made numerous bargains with mortal ritualists and offers her power diectly to rituals such as The Anvil of Estavus and Before the Throne of Estavus and indirectly to Timeless Hammer Rhythm or Smooth Hands Shape The World. She can offer several boons related to artisan skill. She may be called on to provide any of these boons, or to craft unique weapons and armour in her forge as well as larger structures such as castles, bridges or roads.

She is also known to lend her constructs to mortals for a short time, sometimes as additional troops and sometimes in a more personal capacity. She can even create unique constructs, and several heroes have replaced lost limbs with enchanted metal equivalents that possessed potent magical powers.

What she can create she can also destroy - she can reduce anything created by crafters or artisans to its component parts. Likewise she can destroy constructs, and offer assistance in the form of shattering blows or weapons.

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Ethereal Manacle

Description

These staffs are usually made of stout hardwood, treated with ambergelt and bound with dragonbone. Often they are decorated at either end, sometimes with grasping claws. They often have the rune Queros worked into them, and may be carved to look as if they are wound with chains. An ethereal manacle allows a competent magician to split the power of the entangle incantation to root two opponents in place, rather than one.

Sometimes called a magician's retreat, a little contemptuously, it cannot be denied that rooting two opponents to the spot can give the bearer a good head start. A skilled battle magician, however, is quite capable of rooting a pair of opponents to the spot and then beating both of them down with the advantage of superior reach, even though the magician starts the fight outnumbered. Matially-minded runesmiths and curmudgeonly landskeepers are both known to make good use of the short time their opponents cannot move to make them regret trying to gang-up on a magician.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day when you cast the entangle spell, you may use it on two targets rather than one. The second entangle must be delivered within 10 seconds of the first

- Materials: Crafting an ethereal manacle requires seven measures of ambergelt and four measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Evenlode Studio

Evenlode Studio was the lead designer for all the look and feel of Empire.

We make exquisite leather armour and other high quality costume pieces for theatrical and film productions as well as use in the LRP and re-enactment hobbies. As well as our designs which you can buy online, we work with designers on film & theatre productions and are also happy to create individual custom orders.

The company ethos is to use beautiful natural materials; leather, wood and hides to produce film quality armour, costume and props. We draw our inspiration from historical and mythical sources with the aim of creating an authentic feel in all our work. Even our fantasy designs aspire to have that ‘could have been true’ element. All of our work is hand made by us in the UK.

Contact details:

- Website

- Facebook

- Email: enquiries@evenlodestudio.com

- Telephone: 01993 869028

- Mobile: 07718 751453

- By Post: Evenlode Studio, 101 High Street, Finstock, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 3DA.

Empire Look and Feel

We have produced a number of pieces already that would be appropriate for various nations, from the leather lorica of an Unconquered of Highguard to simple decorative medieval belts that would set off almost any costume.

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Evenlode Studio (Redirected from Evenlode Studios)

Evenlode Studio was the lead designer for all the look and feel of Empire.

We make exquisite leather armour and other high quality costume pieces for theatrical and film productions as well as use in the LRP and re-enactment hobbies. As well as our designs which you can buy online, we work with designers on film & theatre productions and are also happy to create individual custom orders.

The company ethos is to use beautiful natural materials; leather, wood and hides to produce film quality armour, costume and props. We draw our inspiration from historical and mythical sources with the aim of creating an authentic feel in all our work. Even our fantasy designs aspire to have that ‘could have been true’ element. All of our work is hand made by us in the UK.

Contact details:

- Website

- Facebook

- Email: enquiries@evenlodestudio.com

- Telephone: 01993 869028

- Mobile: 07718 751453

- By Post: Evenlode Studio, 101 High Street, Finstock, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, OX7 3DA.

Empire Look and Feel

We have produced a number of pieces already that would be appropriate for various nations, from the leather lorica of an Unconquered of Highguard to simple decorative medieval belts that would set off almost any costume.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Evenlode_Studio&oldid=11799"

Event information (Redirected from Event Information)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Tickets

- 3 Arrival Times

- 4 Time in

- 5 Registration

- 6 IC Photographs

- 7 Weapons Check

- 8 Telephone

- 9 GOD

- 10 First Aid

- 11 Toilets

- 12 Woods

- 13 Food and Drink

- 13.1 Curry Knights

- 13.2 Feast

- 13.3 Noodle Van

- 13.4 Tyches

- 13.5 Skian Mhor

- 13.6 Appleby Coffee

Overview

The following event information is applicable for all our events in 2015. Please feel free to point people to this page if they are looking for information on details for times, dates and other recurring event details.

Tickets

The gate crew at all PD events have a list of every player who is booked for the event on it. They will check your name off as you arrive. If you are not sure if you are booked for the event, then you can check your booking status by logging in to your PD account or by emailing the head office.

Please make sure that you have entered your car registration number on your PD account if you are travelling by car.

If you have claimed the concessionary ticket price, please make sure that you email a copy of your proof of eligibility to the head office or bring a copy with you to the event.

Arrival Times

Players are allowed on site from 11am on the Thursday before the event starts. There is an additional charge of £5 to arrive one day early; this is paid on the gate.

The gate will close at 10pm and will open again at 10am on Friday morning. If you are arriving after this time, there will be a number on the gate that you can call and security will open the gate to allow you in.

Time in

Empire begins at 6pm on Friday and ends at 1 am that night. On Saturday time in begins at 10 am and ends at 1am. At the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, there is a second full day of play from 10 am to 1am. On the last day of an event time in begins at 10 am and ends at 3pm.

All players must be off site by the evening of the last day.

Registration

We will open GOD for event registration as early as possible on Friday. We will put up a sign outside GOD as soon as it is open. Once you have pitched your tent then come to GOD to collect your event pack. Your event pack will contain your character card, your character's money, phys-reps for resources and liao you have, ribbons for any special items and cards for mana crystals and herbs.

IC Photographs

We will have a member of the GOD team taking photographs of characters in their costume. You can collect your pack without getting your photo taken in the first year, but please try and get your character's photograph taken when you get a spare moment. At future events you will not be able to collect your pack until we have a picture of your character.

Your picture should be of you wearing your costume and kit and any make-up or prosthetics that are appropriate.

Weapons Check

Bring your weapons to the weapon check point at the tavern to get them checked by a Profound Decisions weapons checker before use. Any weapon that fails a safety check must be returned to your car or left with GOD until the end of the event.

Telephone

For appropriate use only, our on-site mobile number is 07817 133793. This will be manned by Profound Decisions event team on the run up to the event, and held by our security team throughout the event. If you need to get hold of Profound Decisions to report an emergency then you can call this number.

GOD

Any enquiries that you have about your character, the game or the event can be dealt with at GOD. This is located in the OOC camping field, near the entrance to the IC area.

First Aid

The First Aid tent is immediately in front of GOD. Qualified first aid staff are available at all times here or via GOD. Please report any medical problems to First Aid or to any member of staff with a radio.

Toilets

There are two toilet blocks, one in each OOC camping field. There are two additional toilet blocks in the the market place. The location of the toilet blocks will be marked on the site map for each event.

Woods

Please note that with the exception of the Navarr camp, the adjoining woods are not part of the IC site. The woods will be in use throughout the event for battles and plot. You should not enter the woods unless you are instructed to do so by a referee.

Food and Drink

Drinks and snacks are available from our fully IC tavern. The bar will be serving drinks on Thursday evening, but is OOC until time in on Friday. There are five caterers at this event providing food for real money.

Curry Knights

Curry Knights will offer curry and pancakes in the OOC area.

Feast

Feast provide a range of wholesome food from the large white marquee in the OOC area.

Noodle Van

There will be a noodle van opposite feast selling a range of more exotic meals.

Tyches

Tyches will offer a sit down meal from their restaurant next to the tavern.

Skian Mhor

Skian Mhor will be serving from the kitchen next to their trade stall in the market place.

Appleby Coffee

Appleby Coffee will be providing a range of hot drinks and snacks.

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Event safety

Contents

- 1 Fighting safely

- 2 Battle Safety

- 3 Weapon checking

- 4 Armour

- 5 Grappling, body contact and shields

- 6 Non-contact

- 7 General safety

- 8 Safety Calls

- 9 Further Reading

Fighting safely

- You must pull all of your attacks so that they land with virtually no force

- You must avoid hitting the groin, neck or face

- Try to avoid hitting the breasts or head where there is an alternative target

- You must avoid combat if you are drunk

It is essential that you know how to fight as safely as possible using the practices common to most British live roleplaying events. If you are new to live roleplaying then please speak to a member of our GOD crew and they will arrange a suitable demonstration for you so that you can be confident that you are following all the rules:

- When you use a weapon in combat, you must pull the blow so that it lands with negligible force. Your opponent should feel a light touch and nothing more.

- You must not thrust with any weapon unless it is a thrust-safe pole-arm.

- You must avoid hitting the groin, neck, or face; you should avoid aiming at the breasts or head where there is a viable alternative target.

- You must not strike another character with the pommel or hilt of your weapon. You must not grab or trap an opponent’s weapon when they are wielding it.

- You must not attempt to parry an arrow or bolt with a weapon.

- You must only throw a weapon if you know a Profound Decisions weapon checker has approved it for throwing.

- If you are using a bow then you must follow the bow safety guidelines; you must not pull the bow to full draw when shooting at a character who is nearby and must not aim a bow or crossbow at the head.

- If you are using a flail then you must drop the weapon immediately if it becomes entangled in your opponents weapon or costume.

- If you are not using a one-handed weapon then you must follow the appropriate weapon grip rules for the category of weapon you are using.

- You must avoid combat if you are drunk.

These rules exist to reduce the dangers inherent in combat at a live roleplaying event to an acceptable minimum, but they do not constitute a guarantee of safety. Our safety record is excellent, but by choosing to attend an Empire event, you agree to accept the risks inherent in taking part in a full contact sport.

Battle Safety

It is the responsibility of everyone taking part in a battle to consider their own safety and that of the participants around them. All participants in battles should adhere to the instructions of referees and other members of crew, who have your safety and enjoyment as their primary consideration. The following are points that all participants should bear in mind when taking part in combat activities at Profound Decisions events:

- Hydration: You should endeavour to bring water with you onto a battlefield and take on more water during lulls in fighting.

- Trip hazards: When fighting you have a better view of the ground behind your opponent than they do, you should under no account deliberately push opponents over obstacles in order to gain an IC advantage, OOC safety always comes first.

- Exhaustion: Battles are stenuous physical activities, you should endeavour to fight within your limits and take breaks where needed to avoid over-exerting yourself.

- Footwear: Battles at Empire events primarily take place in woods, you should strongly consider sensible supportive footwear for taking part in battles

- Suncream: While the woods do provide cover from the sun, some battles will occur on hot days and you should therefore prepare appropriately.

Weapon checking

- All your weapons must be checked at every event

You must take all weapons, bows, crossbows, shields, and projectiles (arrows and bolts) that you have brought to an event to a weapon checker to have them checked against our weapon checking guidelines. These items must be checked at every event you attend. If a weapon checker does not approve your equipment for use then you must put the item in your vehicle or leave it at GOD for the duration of the event. If you are not satisfied with the decision then you may request a second opinion from our head weapon checker. The decision of the head weapon checker is final.

If a weapon checker approves an item then they will attach a coloured elastic band to the item. We change the colour of the elastic bands for each event. You must not use any item for melee purposes unless you know it has been approved for that use.

You can carry items such as a walking stick, wooden staff or banner but they must never be used in melee, so they do not need checking with the weapon checkers. We do not allow anyone to have metal weapons at events except for display or sale purposes, so you may not carry one without our prior approval for each event.

Armour

- Metal armour must be of a grade where it will not tear in use revealing sharp edges.

- Metal armour must have its edges rounded off in such a way there are no burs or snags which could damage props or players

- There must be suitable straps and attachments so armour does not come loose

- There must not be any protruding sharp decoration such as spikes that could damage weapons or people

Any suit of armour that you use at an event must not have sharp protruding edges. If you are in any doubt about the safety of your armour then you should have it examined by a weapon checker.

Grappling, body contact and shields

- You must not grapple or make bodily contact while fighting

- You may hook shields with an axe but may not grab weapons with your hands

- You may push with a shield but you may not shield barge

You must try to avoid body contact with other players during combat. You must not grapple or trip another player.

If you have the prior permission of your opponent in a small fight then you may both decide that you are happy to allow each other to grapple or use other techniques. You must have the explicit permission of your opponent beforehand and you can only do this in a small, carefully planned fight between individuals such as a duel or display. Permission must be given to you personally; you must not assume that a player who is happy to grapple with a trusted friend is happy to grapple with you.

You may hook a shield with an axe or similar hooked weapon, to pull it out of the way. You should be aware that some LRP axes are specifically designed and built to support this, the axe head is heavily reinforced with leather to allow it to withstand the force. If your weapon is not designed for it, you will break the weapon by doing this.

You may push with a shield, if you are moving at a slow walking pace or less but you must not shield-barge, you cannot run into another player using a shield or other similar item. You may not use a shield as a weapon to strike another player.

Non-contact

- You must not touch or physically attack anyone with their hand in the air

- You can put your hand in the air to indicate that no one should touch you

- If you do this, your character is reduced to 0 hits and is now dying

- Profound Decisions do not guarantee that you will not be hit

You may have health reasons that mean you wish to avoid becoming involved in combat. If this is the case you may put your hand in the air to indicate that you do not wish any player to make physical contact with you. This is called being non‑contact and, while its use is uncommon at events, it is important that you understand the rules so that you can ensure the safety and well-being of other players.

If a fight starts near you then you can put your hand as high in the air as you can and keep it there, to indicate that you are non‑contact. If you indicate that you are non-contact, then you immediately lose all your body hits and start dying. You may move yourself out of the immediate melee before lying down or leaning against a tree or similar or may remain standing with your hand clearly raised. You may cease being non-contact at any point by putting your hand down, but you should not do this if you would become involved in the same melee.

It is up to the individual when or if they choose to go non-contact. There is no requirement at all to go non-contact at the start of a fight, or because a fight has happened near you. It is perfectly acceptable to move away from a melee while remaining in-character and mobile and only become non-contact if a character moves to attack you.

If you see any player indicate that they are non-contact then you must not hit them with a melee weapon, fire a bow or crossbow at them, or touch them. The player is still IC and you may roleplay with them normally but you may not hit or touch them while they are non‑contact.

It is important to note that nobody can guarantee that you will not be hit while you have indicated that you are non-contact. A live-roleplaying melee is a deeply confusing experience and mistakes can happen. If you have health reasons that make it critical that you are not hit with a latex weapon then you may need to avoid combat entirely and you must decide whether the event is safe for you to attend at all.

General safety

- Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility

- Do not attempt to defend a tent

Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility at an event. Be aware of any potential hazards, and if a fight begins then move away from tents, guy ropes, and other hazards such as tables, chairs, and braziers. It is not enough to be aware of such dangers when fighting; you must move away from such dangers to ensure that other participants in the fight are not at risk.

If your character has fallen over in a fight then you should crawl out of the way of the combat. You must make sure that anyone who has fallen over has room to move away.

Please ensure that you pay particular attention to safety when fighting near tents. Tents present an additional hazard for anyone fighting so you must not use them as a defensive feature.

All tents are considered to be highly flammable in the Empire setting, so your character can easily fire a tent to force the occupants to come out. Obviously, you must not set fire to any object of this kind at an event; you must obtain a referee if you want to force other characters to come out of a tent in this manner.

The nature of an event is such that trip hazards such as uneven ground, tree roots, guy ropes, and tent pegs are unavoidable. Given the poor lighting conditions that prevail at night, one of the most important safety precautions you can take is to ensure that you wear footwear that combines good grip with firm ankle support.

Safety Calls

- There are two safety calls MAN DOWN and TIME FREEZE

Empire uses two safety calls to help keep fights as safe as possible. These are fully described on the calls page.

Further Reading

- Event safety

- Weapon checking

- Bow safety

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Event_safety&oldid=30509"

Event safety (Redirected from Event Safety)

Contents

- 1 Fighting safely

- 2 Battle Safety

- 3 Weapon checking

- 4 Armour

- 5 Grappling, body contact and shields

- 6 Non-contact

- 7 General safety

- 8 Safety Calls

- 9 Further Reading

Fighting safely

- You must pull all of your attacks so that they land with virtually no force

- You must avoid hitting the groin, neck or face

- Try to avoid hitting the breasts or head where there is an alternative target

- You must avoid combat if you are drunk

It is essential that you know how to fight as safely as possible using the practices common to most British live roleplaying events. If you are new to live roleplaying then please speak to a member of our GOD crew and they will arrange a suitable demonstration for you so that you can be confident that you are following all the rules:

- When you use a weapon in combat, you must pull the blow so that it lands with negligible force. Your opponent should feel a light touch and nothing more.

- You must not thrust with any weapon unless it is a thrust-safe pole-arm.

- You must avoid hitting the groin, neck, or face; you should avoid aiming at the breasts or head where there is a viable alternative target.

- You must not strike another character with the pommel or hilt of your weapon. You must not grab or trap an opponent’s weapon when they are wielding it.

- You must not attempt to parry an arrow or bolt with a weapon.

- You must only throw a weapon if you know a Profound Decisions weapon checker has approved it for throwing.

- If you are using a bow then you must follow the bow safety guidelines; you must not pull the bow to full draw when shooting at a character who is nearby and must not aim a bow or crossbow at the head.

- If you are using a flail then you must drop the weapon immediately if it becomes entangled in your opponents weapon or costume.

- If you are not using a one-handed weapon then you must follow the appropriate weapon grip rules for the category of weapon you are using.

- You must avoid combat if you are drunk.

These rules exist to reduce the dangers inherent in combat at a live roleplaying event to an acceptable minimum, but they do not constitute a guarantee of safety. Our safety record is excellent, but by choosing to attend an Empire event, you agree to accept the risks inherent in taking part in a full contact sport.

Battle Safety

It is the responsibility of everyone taking part in a battle to consider their own safety and that of the participants around them. All participants in battles should adhere to the instructions of referees and other members of crew, who have your safety and enjoyment as their primary consideration. The following are points that all participants should bear in mind when taking part in combat activities at Profound Decisions events:

- Hydration: You should endeavour to bring water with you onto a battlefield and take on more water during lulls in fighting.

- Trip hazards: When fighting you have a better view of the ground behind your opponent than they do, you should under no account deliberately push opponents over obstacles in order to gain an IC advantage, OOC safety always comes first.

- Exhaustion: Battles are stenuous physical activities, you should endeavour to fight within your limits and take breaks where needed to avoid over-exerting yourself.

- Footwear: Battles at Empire events primarily take place in woods, you should strongly consider sensible supportive footwear for taking part in battles

- Suncream: While the woods do provide cover from the sun, some battles will occur on hot days and you should therefore prepare appropriately.

Weapon checking

- All your weapons must be checked at every event

You must take all weapons, bows, crossbows, shields, and projectiles (arrows and bolts) that you have brought to an event to a weapon checker to have them checked against our weapon checking guidelines. These items must be checked at every event you attend. If a weapon checker does not approve your equipment for use then you must put the item in your vehicle or leave it at GOD for the duration of the event. If you are not satisfied with the decision then you may request a second opinion from our head weapon checker. The decision of the head weapon checker is final.

If a weapon checker approves an item then they will attach a coloured elastic band to the item. We change the colour of the elastic bands for each event. You must not use any item for melee purposes unless you know it has been approved for that use.

You can carry items such as a walking stick, wooden staff or banner but they must never be used in melee, so they do not need checking with the weapon checkers. We do not allow anyone to have metal weapons at events except for display or sale purposes, so you may not carry one without our prior approval for each event.

Armour

- Metal armour must be of a grade where it will not tear in use revealing sharp edges.

- Metal armour must have its edges rounded off in such a way there are no burs or snags which could damage props or players

- There must be suitable straps and attachments so armour does not come loose

- There must not be any protruding sharp decoration such as spikes that could damage weapons or people

Any suit of armour that you use at an event must not have sharp protruding edges. If you are in any doubt about the safety of your armour then you should have it examined by a weapon checker.

Grappling, body contact and shields

- You must not grapple or make bodily contact while fighting

- You may hook shields with an axe but may not grab weapons with your hands

- You may push with a shield but you may not shield barge

You must try to avoid body contact with other players during combat. You must not grapple or trip another player.

If you have the prior permission of your opponent in a small fight then you may both decide that you are happy to allow each other to grapple or use other techniques. You must have the explicit permission of your opponent beforehand and you can only do this in a small, carefully planned fight between individuals such as a duel or display. Permission must be given to you personally; you must not assume that a player who is happy to grapple with a trusted friend is happy to grapple with you.

You may hook a shield with an axe or similar hooked weapon, to pull it out of the way. You should be aware that some LRP axes are specifically designed and built to support this, the axe head is heavily reinforced with leather to allow it to withstand the force. If your weapon is not designed for it, you will break the weapon by doing this.

You may push with a shield, if you are moving at a slow walking pace or less but you must not shield-barge, you cannot run into another player using a shield or other similar item. You may not use a shield as a weapon to strike another player.

Non-contact

- You must not touch or physically attack anyone with their hand in the air

- You can put your hand in the air to indicate that no one should touch you

- If you do this, your character is reduced to 0 hits and is now dying

- Profound Decisions do not guarantee that you will not be hit

You may have health reasons that mean you wish to avoid becoming involved in combat. If this is the case you may put your hand in the air to indicate that you do not wish any player to make physical contact with you. This is called being non‑contact and, while its use is uncommon at events, it is important that you understand the rules so that you can ensure the safety and well-being of other players.

If a fight starts near you then you can put your hand as high in the air as you can and keep it there, to indicate that you are non‑contact. If you indicate that you are non-contact, then you immediately lose all your body hits and start dying. You may move yourself out of the immediate melee before lying down or leaning against a tree or similar or may remain standing with your hand clearly raised. You may cease being non-contact at any point by putting your hand down, but you should not do this if you would become involved in the same melee.

It is up to the individual when or if they choose to go non-contact. There is no requirement at all to go non-contact at the start of a fight, or because a fight has happened near you. It is perfectly acceptable to move away from a melee while remaining in-character and mobile and only become non-contact if a character moves to attack you.

If you see any player indicate that they are non-contact then you must not hit them with a melee weapon, fire a bow or crossbow at them, or touch them. The player is still IC and you may roleplay with them normally but you may not hit or touch them while they are non‑contact.

It is important to note that nobody can guarantee that you will not be hit while you have indicated that you are non-contact. A live-roleplaying melee is a deeply confusing experience and mistakes can happen. If you have health reasons that make it critical that you are not hit with a latex weapon then you may need to avoid combat entirely and you must decide whether the event is safe for you to attend at all.

General safety

- Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility

- Do not attempt to defend a tent

Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility at an event. Be aware of any potential hazards, and if a fight begins then move away from tents, guy ropes, and other hazards such as tables, chairs, and braziers. It is not enough to be aware of such dangers when fighting; you must move away from such dangers to ensure that other participants in the fight are not at risk.

If your character has fallen over in a fight then you should crawl out of the way of the combat. You must make sure that anyone who has fallen over has room to move away.

Please ensure that you pay particular attention to safety when fighting near tents. Tents present an additional hazard for anyone fighting so you must not use them as a defensive feature.

All tents are considered to be highly flammable in the Empire setting, so your character can easily fire a tent to force the occupants to come out. Obviously, you must not set fire to any object of this kind at an event; you must obtain a referee if you want to force other characters to come out of a tent in this manner.

The nature of an event is such that trip hazards such as uneven ground, tree roots, guy ropes, and tent pegs are unavoidable. Given the poor lighting conditions that prevail at night, one of the most important safety precautions you can take is to ensure that you wear footwear that combines good grip with firm ankle support.

Safety Calls

- There are two safety calls MAN DOWN and TIME FREEZE

Empire uses two safety calls to help keep fights as safe as possible. These are fully described on the calls page.

Further Reading

- Event safety

- Weapon checking

- Bow safety

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Event_safety&oldid=30509"

Evrom

Contents

- 1 The Sapling, The Rune of Beginning

- 1.1 Using Evrom in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Evrom

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Sapling, The Rune of Beginning

Affiliated with the Realm of Spring

Evrom is the Sapling, which may one day be a great oak tree. It is the counterpart of Yoorn, the Winter Rune of Ending. Symbolic of innocence and a future of infinite possibilities, the child just born and yet to learn of the world, it is sometimes called the Mother and Child. It is sometimes called the Cave Mouth, and in that aspect represents allowing a new idea to take root in your soul, leaving behind ignorance and past mistakes.

Evrom can also be symbolic of uncertainty; when all paths stretch ahead it may not be clear which one to take. Even the least auspicious of beginnings can lead to great fortune or end in catastrophe. When used to illustrate the uncertain future Evrom is known as the Rippling Pool.

The Rune of Beginning is commonly combined with the Winter Rune Yoorn, representing the idea that before something new can begin, something else must end. This combination commonly represents the idea of birth - as the baby enters the world, the time of pregnancy is at an end. Less commonly it may be used to grant significance to any transition from one stage of life to another - a marriage ceremony may sometimes involve these two runes being drawn on the hands of the participants to signify that their lives apart are ending and they are embarking on a new life together.

Evrom is also used to represent the hope of reincarnation – where Yoorn represents the end of life, Evrom holds out the promise of a new beginning.

The first Empress is often pictured with the rune of Evrom engraved into her sceptre alongside Queros, the rune of Dominion. It is also present in other artwork depicting significant points in history, such as the departure of the March folk from Dawn, the founding of Wintermark and so on.

Using Evrom in magic

Evrom is often evoked as the first step in complex magics, especially in situations that call for a series of linked rituals. It is sometimes used with Yoorn to delineate the ending of one stage and the beginning of another. Beginning the ritual in this way opens a clear path to the realms in order to draw out the necessary power in a controlled manner. It is also used by members of a new coven when enchanting their Coven Hearthstone for the first time.

Crafting with Evrom

Evrom is not commonly used by itself on crafted items, although it is a common element of any item given as a gift that recognises a new venture (such as a wedding gift). It is a common feature alongside Yoorn on the tools of a midwife, and in its aspect as a symbol of reincarnation it is sometimes placed on tombs and other burial sites.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Evrom in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneEvrom.jef

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Exarch's Standard

Description

The exarch's standard is carefully made from fine linen cloth, purified and whitened with beggar's lye and embroidered with goldwork thread of orichalcum. It often has green iron rings that fasten it to the banner pole, and even when not bourne by a unit of Highborn soldiers the design tends to involve stark colours that stand out dramatically against a white background. In Dawn however it is more traditional to see the cloth dyed a vibrant colour, sometimes with trace elements of iridescent gloaming used to make the hues even more impressive.

At one point these items were commonly a patrician's banner, but after the disastrous overthrow of the patricians in Highguard, the Highborn generally refuse to use that name, although it is still used in parts of the League (especially Tassato and Sarvos). The banner has different names in different nations, although most artisans also know this as an exarch's standard. So in various parts of the Empire it might be called a dhomiro's flag, thaneshall banner, earl's pennant, steward's standard, warlord's banner, wolfshead standard, brand's rally, boyar's banner or an arbiter's inspiration.

Rules

- Form: Standard. Takes the form of a magical standard.

- Effect: Each character bonded to this banner wielding a one handed weapon and shield (other than a buckler) can call CLEAVE once per day.

- Materials: Crafting an exarch's standard requires seventeen measures of dragonbone, twelve ingots of orichalcum, seven measures of beggar's lye seven measures of green iron and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“Boy, which ones are ours again?” the old general asked his aide. He stood atop a hill flanked by his personal guard. He squinted with rheumy eyes at the mass of bodies engaged in brutal combat some distance away.

“Err, the ones with the shield, sir, to the east” the young lad replied, handing the general another goblet of spiced mead. At nearly seventy the general had been present during the orc rebellion and he made no bones about his feelings for them as Imperials.

“Well, boy, send one of those Navarr runners to them. Tell them I need them here immediately, and tell them that’s an order.” He sloshed back the goblet of mead before dropping it to the floor. His bodyguards kept their expressions neutral, but it was obvious they were worried about their general.

His aide cleared this throat nervously.

“But, general, sir ... they’ll never push through that horde, they’re a defensive legion sir, you already retracted their assault detachment, we need to reinforce them if anything. Sir."

The general scowled, moving his liver spotted hand to the hilt of his sword, his bodyguards visibly bristled with anticipation.

“I said that is an order” he snarled through clenched teeth.

***

“He wants what?”

Tuk looked down at the diminutive Navarr changeling standing before him. His huge steel-clad frame dwarfed the tiny man, but he showed no fear of the massive orc warlord. The Navarr opened his mouth but before he could reply, the orc snatched the parchment from his hand, reading it quickly and tearing it in two before throwing it to the ground. He sighed.

“Well, if the general orders it then it shall be done, tell him we shall be there before the sun moves a hand-span across the sky.”

The Navarr nodded and darted off as quick as he had appeared. The warlord returned to his warriors who had been given a brief respite in the fighting after driving back another barbarian assault. He knew they couldn't hold out forever but the last order they’d received had been to hold there and hold they had. Now the general had ordered them to move and by the crown he would do it as best they could.

He snatched their banner from the ground where it had stood triumphant for almost half of the day, the bright white of the banner splattered with gore from the days fighting, the legion symbol all but masked in viscera. The horse skull emblems, cast in green iron and dangling along its length were encrusted with drying blood and jangled as he lifted it. His warriors fell silent as he spoke.

“Warriors of the Steelstorm, you have fought and you have killed for the Empire. We have been as a rock amongst the tide of our barbarian kin, they have crashed upon us and we have broken them!”

They cheered enthusiastically, banging their shields in unison.

“Now we must be as the scythe that sweeps through the wheat, let us split them as surely as the day splits the night! Let us show them the folly in facing the Steelstorm legion! Let us show them the folly in opposing the Empire! Orcs; advance!”

The warriors cheered and stormed towards the barbarians where they mustered for another assault. Warlord Tuk stood proudly at their centre, blade in one hand, banner in the other, surrounded by a dozen orcs, shields locked and blades in hand. Behind their vanguard a handful of warcasters ready to mend shields should they be cleft by the Jotun's great-axes.

With a mighty roar the warlord stepped up the pace, his warriors matched him, and the enemy likewise broke into a ragged charge. The two forces clashed in a storm of blades. Where the barbarians met Imperial steel and strong shields, the Steelstorms' blades met orc flesh. Inspired by the banner, wherever their blades fell so too did a barbarian. Limbs were shorn from bodies and bodies where sliced in twain.

Warlord Tuk held the banner high as he could, pushing his advance through the heart of the Jotun line. The barbarians fell back before the ferocity of their attack, their forces routing before the wrath of the disciplined warriors they faced, driving toward the far-off general’s position.

***

“Well, they might be barely better than those savage dogs we face, boy, but I have to respect their dang tenacity” the general told his aide, already penning his next orders.

“Give them this. Those Marcher lads need support down by the valley and I don’t want them orcs hanging around any longer than necessarily. They worry the troops. Dismissed.”

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Extension of Jotun Ceasefire

Overview

The Jotun have requested a further two year extension of the current ceasefire between them and the Empire.

Date

- Rejected Spring Equinox 378YE - Vetoed by the Synod

- Accepted Spring Equinox 378YE

Accepted

To extend the treaty with the Jotun. Proposed by Bastion, seconded by Hahnmark.

Overview

- Accept the proposed extension to the Jotun ceasefire treaty.

- A prior motion to reject the ceasfire was vetoed by the Imperial Synod.

Campaign Outcome

- The Senate agreed to accept the proposed extension. The treaty will now end at the start of the Spring Equinox summit 380YE.

Constitution

A motion that is vetoed by the Imperial Synod would not normally be eligible to be raised again at that Summit. However this rule exists to ensure that the Senate are not able to circumvent the oversight of the Synod. In this situation, where it is clear that the Senate wished to take account of the views of the Synod and time was pressing, it is reasonable for the motion to be raised again.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

Unanimous

0

Passed

Rejected

To reject the proposed extension to the Jotan treaty. To send a response to the Jotan formally declining the request to extend the treaty. Proposed by Mitwold, seconded by Kallavesa.

Overview

- Reject the proposed extension to the Jotun ceasefire treaty.

Synod Veto

- This motion was vetoed by the General Assembly of the Imperial Synod

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

24

4

Passed

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Eyes of the Sun and Moon

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 14

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 1.5 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 14

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual requires a map of the target territory.

Effects

At the completion of the ritual the contributors receive images that reveal information about military forces in that territory, including:

- the presence, name and allegiance of a campaign army, along with an estimation of it's current fighting strength.

- the presence, name and current allegiance of any fortification, as well as an estimation of it's current strength.

Each contributor receives the same vision. These visions are not symbolic, but clearly detailed within the limitations of the spell.

If the target territory is under an effect that obscures information such as Drawing the Penumbral Veil, this spell can only penetrate it if it has been performed with a magnitude at least equal to that of the enchantment. Otherwise only the presence, Realm and magnitude of the concealing effect are revealed.

If one or more military forces in the area are under an obscuring effect, the ritual will reveal the presence, Realm and magnitude of the concealing effect, but no other information about that target - including whether it is a fortification or an army. The ritual reveals information about other forces in the area as normal.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual in order to pierce more powerful rituals of concealment.

OOC Elements

The result of this spell may be delivered in the form of a written vision. If this is the case, the contributors can study their vision as long as they like, but cannot discuss it or make notes until they have handed the slip back to a referee; at that point they are free to roleplay however they like - they may play through the process of receiving the vision, or act as if they have been in waking trance and the vision has already passed.

Description

This ritual is valuable for helping generals make decisions about the threats that face the Empire and how best to respond to them. It allows for a reasonably thorough evaluation of opponents and allied armies alike, and is adept at spotting special enemy forces that might otherwise escape detection - especially those under magical shrouds.

It takes it's name from the way that the visions usually begin at a great height above the target territory and then quickly focus inwards. The casters have a sensation of incredibly fast movement, as if their viewpoint were roaming back and forth over the territory at blurring speeds, then suddenly halting to observe a specific force before moving on, again at a break-neck pace.

Many Suaq icewalkers call this ritual The Flight of Birds and claim that the mystic viewpoint it provides is much closer to that of a fast-flying bird than of any celestial body. In the Marches it is often called Beating the Bounds, and the landskeepers who perform it use imagery that includes both the idea of protecting their land from interlopers and intruders, and symbols that include knowing the nature and extent of one's territory. It is very common for them to include the senator for a particular territory as an additional focus, or to gather people with connections to the regions of the territory under observation.

Common Elements

This is a divination ritual, and often involves runestones or cards as well as the map which serves as the focus. Mirrors, crystals and other reflective surfaces are often involved, set up around the map to grant new perspectives on the information it contains. Symbols connected to the sun, moon or stars are common, as are bones or feathers of birds (especially for Winterfolk or Varushkan ritualists). Tokens representing known or recent information about the forces in a territory can also help when performing this ritual. Some ritualists carefully pore over the map as the visions unfold, while others focus on expanding their consciousness to gain a 'bird's-eye view' of the area under consideration. The ritual is often performed out-of-doors under the open sky, especially when the sun or moon are visible.

The rune Sular is often used with this ritual, as are scenes in which military strategy are discussed with characters such as the Captain or the Doctor; the evocation of the virtues of Wisdom or Vigilance; or of keen-sighted animals such as eagles or hawks; or creatures such as sphinxes.

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Forums & Facebook (Redirected from Facebook & Forums)

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Forum

- 3 Facebook Page

- 4 Involvement Groups

- 5 Facebook Player Groups

- 5.1 Nation Groups

- 5.2 Lineage Groups

Introduction

With over fifteen hundred players, Empire has an active online community that use a wide range of different social media. We maintain our own forums for users to discuss the game and related issues but there are also a plethora of Facebook groups used by different groups of players.

Forum

Profound Decisions host their own official Empire forum for players and crew alike. These forums are firmly moderated to ensure that conversations remain polite and on-topic. If you want to have a public discussion with the game designers or the crew about any aspect of Empire then this is the perfect place for it.

Facebook Page

We maintain our own official Facebook page which we try to update regularly with blog posts and important news about the game. If you just want to keep abreast of the latest news it is worth liking and following the page.

Involvement Groups

There are a number of Facebook community groups - these are small groups where players and crew look at things that they can do together to improve the game. The goal for members of these groups is to pool their skills and time to improve the game for everyone.

- Sewing Circle - for LRPers interested in making costume for the Empire game

- Set Building - for LRPers interested in helping build the sets for the games

- Parents - for Empire LRPers bringing children to the game

Facebook Player Groups

There are a plethora of Empire facebook groups that have been created by players. These groups are not official and are not moderated by Profound Decisions. They are a good place to go if you are interested in talking to other players about a specific aspect of the game.

Nation Groups

Lineage Groups

- Briar

- Cambion

- Changeling

- Draughir

- Merrow

- Naga

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Fallow Fields and Dried Meat

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a farm. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The farm earns an additional 18 rings at the Winter Solstice (event 1). The ritual ends at the start of spring.

This spell is intended to be cast at the Autumn equinox (event 4), but may be cast earlier. However it should be noted that this ritual is an enchantment and is not cumulative with effects such as Gathering the Harvest.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional farms in the same territory. Each additional farm increases the magnitude by 1. The character who controls each farm must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This spell is intended to be cast at the Autumn equinox, to help a farm endure through the Winter months, It is very popular in Varushka and The Marches. While it can be cast earlier in the year, it provides it's additional revenue only during the Winter solstice; casting it earlier is rarely very effective, unless the farm owner is certain they will not be able to find someone to perform Blessing of New Spring on their lands.

A farm effected by the ritual will find that stores of grain will be free of rot or scavengers, and that dried or preserved foodstuffs will remain edible until Spring at least. Hardy plants that bring forth fruit in winter have their yield increased; the weaker plants are killed by this ritual, allowing stronger plants to flourish. Animals and farmers alike find they require less food, and crops remain healthy much longer than usual, often allowing for a second, smaller harvest at the very end of the agricultural year. The ritual discourages and in some cases kills small scavengers and predators, meaning that animals and stores are protected even during the harshest winter, and that there are often additional sources of meat on or around the farm. It also helps to ensure that surplus stocks are available for sale, by ensuring the farmers need less food themselves.

This is a very old ritual indeed, practiced in various forms throughout the world. It has one deeply unpleasant waulity that is rarely spoken of; it preserves anything that can be eaten, regardless of whether civilised humans would wish to eat it. As a consequence, even corpses will not rot during the Winter season if they are stored on the farm. This can prove useful - in Wintermark and Varushka the ground is often frozen solid during winter months making burials difficult ... but it can also place blasphemous, unwholesome temptation to those who misjudge the amount of food they need to see them through the winter. Luckily, in the modern Empire, starvation is very rare, but in centuries past this ritual has been blamed for certain corrupt acts of cannibalism.

Common Elements

The ritual preserves food and animals, and also encourages the growth of hardy plants. Ritual performances sometimes include the evocation of the rune Bravash, but more often the rune Naeve is used (albeit in a negative or warding capacity). Symbols associated with health and Prosperity are also commonly evoked, such as shedding small amounts of blood or offering a cup or bowl of wine, ale, milk or mead to the targets.

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Family

Overview

The three tribes of the Freeborn are each sub-divided into scores of different families. These extended families are the basis of Freeborn society; members of a family will often live together in large sprawling estates of houses and villas. In contrast to their mercantile attitude with others, family members can be generous and gracious with each other, without any expectation of favour or obligation. What they do expect is a strong sense of loyalty towards the family, to betray your family is one of the most heinous crimes you can commit in Freeborn eyes.

Families are always matrilineal; descent is traced through the woman's line. This means that if two Freeborn marry, the man is expected to leave his family and join his wife's family. Children are always raised by the mother and the men and women of her family. In this way the Freeborn can ensure that every single member of the nation can trace an unbroken line back to the three Founders.

A family can be exceptionally large, so there is no requirement for the active members be closely related to each other. They also have a habit of adopting individuals with no family of their own who have become fast friends of one or more family members. Such people do not become an actual member of the family, unless they marry a woman of the family, but they are otherwise treated no different from blood family.

Each family appoints a Dhomiro, effectively the head of the family. The main role of the Dhomiro is to represent the family to outsiders and to give the family leadership and direction. Each family has their own method for selecting their Dhomiro, but it is usually a senior member of the family who is well respected by all. The goal is to identify an individual whose leadership will benefit the family and who they can unite behind. It is not unusual for the Dhomiro to change over time; most sensible Dhomiro will step aside if they realize they no longer possesses the support of their family.

Creating a Freeborn Family

The Freeborn family is intended as the easiest way for most groups of players to create a Freeborn group. Freeborn families often have sprawling mercantile interests, so it is a simple way to create a group who intend to try and earn their fortune in the Empire. Smaller families often work together to run a parador, the traditional Freeborn meeting place, so they are perfect for any group that is interested in running a professional hospitality tent. Freeborn families can easily include most characters: skilled warriors who protect the families' caravans, learned mages who serve as fortune tellers for the family or wise priests who offer spiritual advice and organize great parties. The Freeborn family has been designed to include all these characters.

A family can be as small or as large as you like. Characters who are part of the family don't need to be related to other characters, they may be distant relations, or even outsiders who have simply been adopted into the family. There might be hundreds of your family who never attend events, working on your family's estates, fighting as mercenaries in the Empire or crewing a fleet of ships. Or your family might be just the characters played by you and your friends when you come to the events. The Freeborn family is intended to be flexible enough to support whatever suits the background for the kind of family you want to play.

Before choosing to play a Freeborn family, it is worth looking at the other social roles that exist in Freeborn society. A group that wants to play the members of a ritual team may find something built around the Hakima concept is a better fit for them. Or if your group wants to focus totally on fighting and battles you can play that as a family group but it is also worth looking at the Kohan to see if that is a more enjoyable basis for a group. If you want a more general mix of fighting and trading, you could create a Freeborn family but play one that operates one or more corsair ships.

You will need to pick one of the three Freeborn tribes for your family to be part of - the Erigo, the Riqueza or the Guerra. Your tribe has no direct game effect, but it's does affect which Hakima groups your family might work most closely with and it will affect your roleplaying with other families. If you don't know which tribe you want to be part of, then we recommend picking whichever tribe currently appears to have the fewest families in it.

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Fan the Flame of New Life

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets two willing characters. Each character must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

Both targets are under a roleplaying effect: they feel lusty and vigorous.

Any attempt at natural conception between the two target characters during the duration of the enchantment will be successful.

If the characters could not conceive together if they were both in their physical prime, the enchantment will not ensure conception. For example, it will not allow conception between an orc and a human, but it might allow conception where one of the characters was very old; it will even temporarily alleviate symptoms of impotence in a man.

The enchantment lasts until the next sunrise.

Description

As with Midwife's Recourse, this ritual is viewed with a little suspicion in some parts. They fear that they are potentially exposing an unborn child to the magics of the Spring realm risks tainting them with the Briar lineage. Imperial scholars have found no concrete evidence that the ritual has any lasting negative effects on the targets or any children conceived with it's help - although the way the briar lineage manifests makes it very difficult to get conclusive proof either way.

The ritual is sometimes included as part of a marriage ceremony, especially where the couple involved are keen to start a family. It is a costly indulgence, but the romantic effects of the ritual mean it is sometimes used even where there is no chance of the partners conceiving together.

One word of warning that is often given to targets who could conceive normally without assistance is that the use of the ritual somewhat increases the likelihood of twins, or occasionally triplets.

The ritual is equally effective on animals as it is on humans, although the expense rarely makes it worth the effort of using it to improve the fertility of pigs, oxen or goats.

Common Elements

The most common element used in this ritual is the rune Bravash although there are some magicians who are unsettled by the implication of comparing a human to a goat or other domestic animal. The rune Verys is sometimes substituted - often with a certain amount of ribald commentary from onlookers.

The attitude towards sexuality demonstrated by the targets, the performers or their nation often influence how the ritual is performed. For example, in some parts of the Empire it is viewed with a certain degree of earthy frankness and open reference to the act and symbols of procreation are used. In other parts of the Empire the mystery of conception and the power of love will be expounded upon in a subtle and gentle ceremony designed to bring two people into spiritual as well as physical harmony.

As with all rituals that target more than one person it is common for the performance to include the sharing of a drink, or for the targets to be symbolically bound together, often with red cord or sashes at one of their wrists. The primal imagery of fire may be evoked as well - the targets may leap through or pass between fires, representing both the ability of fire to thaw frozen earth and the idea of 'heating the blood' to inspire passion. In The Marches especially the targets will walk barefoot across freshly-tilled soil, and may scatter handfuls of seed as they do so, drawing a connection between the land's fertility and their own.

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Faraden

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 People

- 3 Culture and Customs

- 4 Abridged History

- 5 Faraden Military Concerns

- 6 Faraden Economic Concerns

- 7 Faraden Religious Beliefs

- 8 Faraden Magic Traditions

- 9 Faraden Territories

- 10 Look and Feel

- 11 Faraden in Play

Introduction

Faraden lies to the west of the Empire. It is a rocky, hilly nation on the far side of the Lasambrian hills. The Faraden are canny traders and fierce warriors. Up until very recently, the Faraden traded frequently with the Freeborn at Anduz, but since the fall of Segura in 363 YE this has become a good deal more difficult. They are known to trade with their neighours the Iron Confederacy, but also with lands to the south and west that are largely unvisited by Imperial traders - their nation serves as a “gateway” to the southwestern parts of the continent.

The people of Faraden have a lot in common with the Empire but are very independent. A major bone of contention is that their religion is closely realted to the Imperial faith but includes elements that the Imperial Synod believes is heretical, which helps make them extra touchy around Imperial citizens. They are often unprepared for what they see as the 'superior' attitude of their Imperial neighbours

People

The people of Faraden gather together into extended families, each lead by a High Lord or High Lady. The nation as a whole is lead by the Lord (or Lady) of the Five Winds, who is chosen by agreement of the High Lords and High Ladies and serves for life. The Lord of the Five Winds in practice comes from one of a half-dozen extremely rich “noble” families to whom the other families owe debts of loyalty and allegiance. It is a somewhat feudal society. Lords and Ladies serve as judges, while the High Lord or High Lady effectively rules the nation with the support of the Lords.

Politics between the various powerful families can become intense, especially when it is time to select a new Lady of the Five Winds. The support of a powerful Imperial faction can offer additional weight to a High Lord or High Lady in their internal maneuvering.

In this nation, the traders are very much in charge, and pay their warriors to protect their people and their borders. They do not especially value ambition, and consequently it is traditional for a family to specialise in one or two areas. They're not a true caste-based society, but a Faraden who is at odds with the profession practiced by her family will need to find another family prepared to take them in, and another family will only do this for people who are very skilled.

Changing family is always done as part of a transaction; it costs money to buy someone from their family, so the family “buying” you needs to be sure it will get a return on its investment. Priests usually oversee adoption ceremonies and often testify that the adoptee is now part of the family. This is important given Faraden spiritual beliefs about reincarnation, but it increases the cost to the family adopting their new member as Liao must usually be secured.

Unlike their Imperial neighbours, Faraden keep human slaves. Criminals, especially thieves, are often sentenced to slavery for a period of time depending on the value of the item they stole and the dishonour the theft caused. Faraden slaves always serve for a period of time, and their sentence can be ended prematurely if their family chooses to buy their debt off; foreigners are kept indefinately and are not well treated.

Culture and Customs

As a people, they are first-and-foremost traders, who look for wealth outside their palaces, and outside their borders. They are not the daring, reckless adventurers that the Freeborn are, nor the cunning and ruthless mercantilists of the League, but rather they are clever entrepeneurs who view wealth as a means to an end rather than an end in itself - comfort, happiness and power all flow from the coin purse.

The most striking element of Faraden culture is the value they place on the concept of honour. Each Faraden has a sense of personal honour, but also recognises family honour and national honour. An offense against any one of these causes them to become intractible and even hostile. They will tell someone if they are offending their honour and then the onus is on that person to make amends – if they've been insulted with words, then a sincere apology sorts the situation out. If the situation is not quickly dealt with, it will often escalate until a High Lord or High Lady becomes involved.

Tied up with their idea of honour is a form of escalating lex talionis – every punishment among the Faraden includes an element of deterrent and is often quite cruel. If someone steals from them, then not only is the item returned but they expect punishment for the dishonour caused often in the form of mutilation, corporal punishment or enslavement. If someone kills one of their relatives, they expect that person and one of their relatives to be killed in return, and so on. This means that the Faraden are fairly law-abiding people, but their concept of legality puts them squarely at odds with the codes of Imperial Law.

This fierce attitude to law and justice means vendettas are common between rivals, and are often settled by bloodshed. Sometimes those vendettas get settled on Imperial soil, which can lead to all sorts of diplomatic incidents.

They especially enjoy flags, streamers, kites and other things that move in the wind; most Faraden settlements are decorated with these adornments, and wind-chimes are common. They also like wind instruments over any other sort – recorders and penny whistles particularly.

As a nation they fear and hate the sea – in tales it is a place of horror full of dreadful creatures that kill anyone foolish enough to venture out onto it. Sea storms are seen as ill omened (as opposed to storms over land which represent the power and fury of nature and are seen as good omens). Sailors are figures of superstitious dread among the Faraden and they do not willingly associate with them.

Abridged History

It is unclear when the Faraden first came to the lands they now inhabit, but they are believed to have migrated there from somehwere further south around six hundred years ago. They carved a land out from the barbarian orcs in the area who were no match for their single-minded, methodical campaign. When the Freeborn arrived in the land that is now the Brass Coast there were a few scattered families of Faraden living in western Segura, who were either absorbed by the Freeborn, fell to Orcish agression from the Lasambrian hills, or voluntarily relocated back to Faraden.

Relations between Freeborn and Faraden remained cordial, and when Highborn missionaries eventually crossed the Lasambrian Hills to Faraden they found a people receptive to their teachings, and a religion not massively dissimilar to the Imperial Faith. However the Faraden had no interest in joining the Empire, and refused to give up their core philosophical belief in Justice, nor to recognise as essential the virtues of wisdom, vigilance or ambition. Religious conflict with the Empire briefly boiled over during the reign of Empress Teleri when certain reactionary forces in the Imperial Synod called for a war with the impious 'barbarian' Faraden, but the fighting was short lived and found little support with any of the Imperial nations who shared a border with their eastern neighbours.

Occasional bands of Faraden warriors have served as mercenaries, especially in The Marches and Wintermark; in return some groups of Imperial soldiers have spent a little time as auxilliaries to Faraden forces protecting their northern borders from the Jotun.

Faraden Military Concerns

The Faraden favour families of professional warriors and soldiers who protect their borders, although even the most mercantile or religious family is likely to have a few members who practice with arms and armour to protect their kin from bandits or rampaging beasts. They also have a history of skirmishes along their borders with the Iron Confederacy, and even occasionally with troops or bandits out of Segura. Since Liathaven was taken by the orcs, however, the Faraden have apparently been having increasing problems with the southern Jotun, as well as having to fend off opportunistic raids from the Lasambrian hills.

In battle Faraden warriors prefer round shields, one-handed swords and bows. They layer leather and metal armour, and the more ornamental the armour, the higher the warrior's status the warrior. They prefer to fight with small units rather than engaging in large campaign battles, but when the Lord (or Lady) of the Five Winds calls they are capable of fielding large armies made up of units that can still function independently in pursuit of a military goal.

Faraden Economic Concerns

The Faraden value wealth, but they value it for the comfort and opportunity it brings, rather than as an end in itself. Relations between families often involve the transfer of wealth, not only in the form of coins but in goods and animals. It is common for families to be tied with almost feudal bonds, where a smaller family gives regular tribute to a larger family in return for protection or access to resources. Other families serve as retainers to larger families in return for payment.

The Faraden make their own lead coins for internal use, but they use coinage from all over their part of the world, and that includes Imperial coinage. As a nation where trade is paramount, they are adept at valuing the coins of other nations; some are melted down for their metal content, others are traded as a commodity in their own right. For example, a Faraden family with a surfeit of Imperial coinage will trade it to a family with stronger Imperial ties, possibly in return for commodities or currency of interest to the nations with which they in turn trade.

Their traders range far and wide; it is common for a group of Faraden traders to set off with a wagon or two laden with goods and disappear for a year or two, returning home with entirely different goods and (hopefully) plenty of coins. Their connections with distant foreigners mean they often have odd materials or items for sale when they visit the Empire.

The Faraden do not have much in the way of forest, so they are often willing to trade for weirwood and especially the iridescent gloaming that they use to make their richest dyes. In return they trade the fruits of their western mines (especially orichalcum and weltsilver).

Faraden Religious Beliefs

In the Faraden, Highborn wayfarers and Freeborn sutannir found a people receptive to their teachings, and a religion not massively dissimilar to the Imperial Faith. However the Faraden refused to recognise as essential the virtues of wisdom, vigilance or ambition. More worryingly for the Highborn, they claimed that 'justice' was as important as the other virtues and insisted on including it alongside courage, loyalty, prosperity and pride. While they are spiritual kin to the people of the Empire, but the shared similarity of their beliefs just throws the differences into stark relief - there are priests on both sides who would like to see the matter of their religious differences settled once and for all.

The priests of Faraden refuse to accept the truth of the Labyrinth and instead teach that after life there is an endless howling waste where souls wander; the more virtuous they are in life, the more friendly the spirits of that place are, and the more they help the wanderer to find their way back to true life. They also believe that souls are always born into the same family; wiping out all members of a family consigns the dead spirits of that family to an eternity of wandering in the howling waste, until they eventually become malign spirits. This belief in reincarnation along familial lines is one of the reasons that adoption between families is such a significant event in a Faraden life.

Faraden priests have minimal access to liao, meaning that liao ceremonies are much less commonly practiced among them. What liao they do have access to is often traded with the Empire, and some Navarr especially make a point of trading liao to the Faraden. As a consequence of their restricted access to spiritual ceremons, priests are rarer in Faraden than in the Empire and many serve in roles as advisors to political figures than as religious figures.

Funerals are air burials; the body is laid out on a raised platform and left for the elements and the birds. Sometimes valuable items are placed on these platforms and it is a capital crime to take them. An item that falls off a platform is available for anyone to take however, and if the platform collapses. it is taken as a sign that the spirit has been reborn and the items can be claimed. Burying people in the ground is seen as abhorrent, and burning them is seen as offensive. Vultures and other carrion-birds are seen as lucky by the Faraden.

Faraden Magic Traditions

As with merchants, warriors and priest some families specialist in magic and sell their services to the other families. Each family jealously guards its store of ritual lore, and so Faraden magicians are not as widely versed as those of the Empire although they often possess a ritual or two unknown by their neighbours to the east. Their ritual performances often involve streamers, smoke and other things that rise into the wind, and their magicians often use fakir-like tricks, flash powder and the like to create odd effects alongside their actual magic to impress their audiences.

Wind and fire are used extensively as metaphors for magic, and their stories contain images of spirits and magical creatures whose bodies are composed entirely of living flame and living wind. It is never entirely clear if the magician believes in these spirits, or if they are merely metaphors for magical processes. Their ritual magicians use the same names for the four 'corporeal' realms as their Imperial neighbours. Instead of Day and Night however they call the remaining two Realms Wind and Flame. The wind they say travels everywhere and sees and knows everything. The flame by contrast dances, shifts and changes; comes from nowhere, and returns to nowhere when it dies.

Faraden Territories

Faraden is a little larger than an Imperial nation, and the population is usually spread out across a number of towns that surround the estates of a High Lord or High Lady. The Palace of the Five Winds is the largest settlement in Faraden, but only just approaches the size of the Imperial cities of Meade or Siroc. Fortifications are common - almost all settlements are surrounded by a stone wall. Faraden love to make their homes as sumptuous and beautiful as they can afford. Their buildings are designed with strong aesthetics as well as practical considerations, and they are very skilled at working with stone, especially white granite. Minarets, domes and towers are all very common features in Faraden architecture and they are known to be talented bridge and road builders as befits the broken terrain that forms most of their home.

Look and Feel

The basic influence on Faraden costume is medieval Mongolia and has been summarized as: an pright collar (preferably on a base layer); a wrap-around tunic (preferably as an over layer); fuller sleeves but tight from wrist to elbow; constrasting or decorative trim to edges; fuller/baggy trousers that are either tight to knee or tucked into long boots. Armour is worn in layers: a top layer of plated leather is common, but as a sleeveless vest rather than a full-length hauberk. Below that some padded armour, like a short-sleeved gambeson, with nicely decorated shoulders, both worn over a raw silk long-sleeved tunic. Heavier armour is likewise worn in layers, and it is much more common for Faraden warriors to wear chain armour than plate (this image might represent a heavily armoured Faraden.

The Faraden are a wealthy people, and show it by dying kit deep, vibrant colours. While their costume shows obvious signs of Mongolian influence, the colour palette is much richer than the traditional darker browns, and is often highly ornamented. Colourful sashes are a common element of their costume, as is curling decoration reminiscent of wind or smoke.

Faraden in Play

Faraden lies near to the Empire, and they speak the language known as Imperial, represented by English.

The Faraden are guardedly friendly to the Empire as a whole. For the most part, they do not send their priests to negotiate with the Empire, and the Empire has learned not to send missionaries to Faraden unless they are prepared to be cautious. Religion remains a point of contention, and the Faraden so no signs of changing their traditions any time soon. Honour can also cause problems - casual friendliness from Imperial citizens has been misinterpreted as contempt, leading to tragic misunderstandings. Faraden visitors to the Empire are often on their 'best behaviour' but accidents can and do happen, and the Faraden expect anyone who offends against their values, persons or goods to be punished severely which often puts them at odds with Imperial Law.

The information here should be sufficient to create a character with a background connection to Faraden, but a connection to one family is unlikely to impress a member of another family. It is worth bearing in mind that while the Faraden draw on Mogolian imagery, they are not plains-living, warlike cavalry-folk; they are traders first and warriors second. They drive wagons drawn by oxen, they don't ride horses.

The Faraden do not have ports; you could however represent trade with this nation using a business resource, especially if you diversify the resource to include small amounts of orichalcum or weltsilver.

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Farewell Farewell

Original song is Arkansas (Sacred Harp 271), with slight filk. Youtube recording at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPj2QWXowFY

Farewell, farewell to all my days, For I must cross the twisting maze, I’ll launch my boat upon the sea, This land is not the land for me.

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Farm

Contents

- 1 Definition

- 2 Production

- 3 Downtime Options

- 4 Upgrades

- 5 Diversification

- 6 National Implications

Definition

A farm can represent almost any type of farm or agricultural holding. It could be vinyards, orchards of fruit or more prosaically sheep, cattle or crops. It shouldn't be a forest or wood - if that is what you want to take then we would recommend you choose the forest resource instead.

The size of a farm can vary dramatically, depending on how productive the land is and what crops are grown, a normal size for a farm would be around twenty acres but an orchard might be much smaller, only a few acres, while a sheep farm on the Urizen hills could easily be ten times this size.

Production

A farm produces 9 crowns.

Downtime Options

There are no downtime options for a farm. It produces income automatically.

Upgrades

A farm can be upgraded using weirwood obtained from the Bourse. Each time a farm is upgraded, the owner receives an additional income of 36 rings from then on.

To upgrade a farm requires Imperial wains of weirwood equal to the level the farm is being upgraded to. So the first upgrade of a starting level 1 farm costs 2 Imperial wains of weirwood, from 2 to 3 costs 3 Imperial wains, etc.

Diversification

A farm can be diversified to sacrifice income for resources or herbs. To diversify a farm requires one Imperial wain of mithril and one Imperial Wain of white granite. Each time a farm diversifies, the owner chooses one resource produced by a forest or a single herb; the farm produces 2 measures of the chosen natural material or two doses of the herb but produces 36 rings less income.

National Implications

Senators in The Marches are chosen by the steward who controls the most land in furlongs (an old Imperial unit of agricultural measure). This is represented by the farm personal resource. A Marcher character who has been operating a farm personal resource in a Marcher territory contributes 20 furlongs to the steward whose group they are in or to whom their group has sworn fealty. If a farm is upgraded - then the character who operates that farm contributes 4 additional furlongs for each upgrade.

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Farmer's Scythe

Description

Sturdy oak and sharp metal alloyed with tiny amounts of green iron; a farmer's scythe is testimony to the skill of the artisan who crafts it. These responsive pole-arms allow the wielder to channel their passion into sweeping blows that unbalance even the most skilled of opponents. They take their name from an early (no doubt apocryphal) anecdote in which a League bravo attempts to intimidate a young Marcher yeoman, likening their bill to a farming implement. In some parts of the Empire, especially in the Marches and the Brass Coast, it is a point of pride to craft these weapons using metal reclaimed from agricultural tools.

These pole-arms also developed among the Navarr as enhancements for their iconic barbed spears. They could be made easily whilst travelling thanks to the absence of exotic materials in the design and work well in the brutally practical Navarri style of warfare. Some small teams of Thornborn will arm themselves with a mixture of these weapons and Labyrinth's Gates, allowing them to bowl over and dispatch foes quickly, leading to the Navarri name Labyrinth's Keys. Jotra, the rune of battle, is most commonly used on these weapons, regardless of their form.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a pole-arm.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You can spend a hero point to call STRIKEDOWN with this pole-arm.

- Materials: Crafting a farmer's scythe requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

The raider roared in fury as he pounded across the last few yards of ground towards the line, crop stubble crushed under his boots as he swung his axe with a flourish that he knew would drive fear into the hearts of these mere farmer-folk. The dour grey sky overhead echoed with the whoops and yells of his kindred who came in his wake, their blood fired with the promise of victory and plunder.

He grinned with feral joy as the farmers lowered their simple little spears – just implements for harrowing the ground and the crops, remade into pathetic little arrangements of haft and blade. So they had at least the spirit to fight and not to flee, which would make this all the more satisfying.

And then he was on them, boots struggling to keep footing in the rich dirt. He drew the axe back and then, quick as a flash, one of the farmers was on him – that hooked polearm the man clutched in white-knuckled hands whipped out and around his leg and, with a yank, the raider suddenly found himself on the ground, thrashing in the cold mud.

Next came raw, agonising pain as another farmer stabbed a glaive down into the raider's gut, through his innards, pinning him to the ground. He tried to shout and roar his defiance but it came out as a bloodied gasp. The farmer just frowned and twisted the glaive a bit, driving it deeper into the ground as fresh torment spasmed out of the raider's stomach and left him scrabbling with fading strength at the polearm's haft.

His hands just left reddened smears as the farmer leaned down against the glaive.

Alone in his world of pain, the raider didn't pay heed to the noise of the carnage, the shouts and screams that he'd recognise as his own kin and, then, the muddy thudding of retreating boots. The world was getting dark and cold as he finally lost the will to struggle any further, hands gripping the glaive as if embracing it now. The farmer just looked down dispassionately, as if seeing off a slaughtered animal in a pen.

“Bit of a mess.” Another farmer, blood splashed up one arm, mopping his brow.

“Aye, that it is,” the first retorted, finally wrenching his weapon from the barbarian's innards. He glanced up at the dark clouds overhead. “Think there's rain coming.”

“Aye. Best we get the injured back for tending before it falls,” the second Marcher nodded, sparing the fallen raider a last look. “And be getting these buried in the dirt.”

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Feast of the Loom

Original tune Hallow's Eve by Chris Hoban. Words adapted by Daisy Abbott and Jude Reid.

Rehearsal recording of the Feast of the Loom song here (Varushkan harmony version).

Recording with the chorus only here

Song for the Feast of the Loom

Chorus: Go light the lantern at your door, to honour those who've gone before The worlds that part us now are near, the Loom will weave another year

The westering sun is pale and wan, the days are dark, the nights are long, A chill is in the evening air, and wind stirs in the branches bare

(Chorus)

Sweep out the hearth and clear the grate and bid folk welcome at your gate, when darkness comes we'll bar the door, and feast till we can eat no more

(Chorus)

We'll tell the tales of heroes brave, and those we loved lost to the grave The hearth fires that tonight we burn, will light the Way for their return,

(Chorus)

Now round the bonfires lightly tread To welcome in the year ahead The seasons turn through frost and dew Until the year is born anew

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Fell Iron Fury

Description

The Fell Iron Fury is a weapon for an individual. No nation could afford the cost of spreading these through even a small unit. However, a commander who leads from the front, or the sort of heroes who are sent through the portals to do great damage at a precise point - these are the people who the nations of the Empire outfits with their best. Few are the artisans with the knowledge of how to make them, fewer still the treasuries with the stores of green iron and ambergelt needed.

The Kohan of the Freeborn, the Sentinels of Urizen, or perhaps a particularly successful Warden. These are the people who will look to get themselves outfitted with a Fell Iron Fury. Fighters with the knowledge of when to strike to kill, when to disable, and when to knock down. Warriors with the skill to hit precisely enough to kill through the gaps in heavy armour; anyone can use the weapon will leave a lightly-armoured enemy dying.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a pole-arm.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day you may either call CLEAVE or STRIKEDOWN with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a Fell Iron Fury requires fifteen ingots of green iron, ten ingots of orichalcum and seven measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

General Johor was already in his cups when Iskandar entered. He gestured angrily with a crumpled up note clenched in one fist. He tossed a wineskin over to his aide and started ranting without further preamble.

"Enrico is complaining about Felix again, isn't he?" The general began an improbably high-pitched impersonation of the Freeborn champion's accent. "He has no fire in him, no spirit. That serenity speaks of a hollow soul, a soul of ice, nothing in it that would excite the smallest measure of loyalty, the passion that welds a family together, so that it will bleed for itself. You cannot trust him with the captaincy! He will never be able to lead troops!"

General Johor crumpled the piece of paper up, threw it into the fire and grabbed another scroll from his table. skandar wisely said nothing and let him burn himself out.

"And of course as soon as Felix gets a whiff of one of Enrico's messengers I have scant minutes before the sentinel finds an excuse to send one of his own. 'I don't wish to appear brusque, but that painted dancer is only a mere breath from barbarism. Uncouth. That whirling, it's hardly a proper combat form, and is a danger to any troops unfortunate enough to fight near him. It is more like dancing that the serious business of making war. I could argue that when he does the right thing it can only be coincidence, so dizzy must he be from all that spinning; I think that it might be considered a poor decision to give such as he a position of authority in tomorrow's battle etc etc."

The second letter followed the first into the fire and the General sat down heavily in his chair. He put his head in his hands

"It's hard to believe they both buy the same weapon from the same artisan. All I asked for were some people who knew one end of a pole-arm from the other. Who'd be a general in this bloody Empire?"

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Feni

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

The Feni are human barbarians most commonly encountered in wild places of the Marches and occasionally other parts of the north-western Empire. They lived in much of the area that is now the Marches since before the first Marchers arrived in those lands and drove the orcs out. History suggests that some of the Feni tribes were once the subject people of the orcs who occupied this area. They seem to have a clannish structure, with individual groups of Feni being geographically and socially separated from others.

Appearance

The Feni dress primarily in leather and fur, and use spears and javelins. They paint or tattoo their bodies with bands of colour and intricate spiral designs, almost always in muted greens and yellows. They make extensive use of camouflage, which makes it easy for them to hide and to attack from ambush.

Culture and Customs

The Feni are considered inbred and backwards. They mostly keep to themselves, but at semi-regular intervals they raid into parts of the Marches, southern Wintermark and the northern Brass Coast. These raids are primarily concerned with thieving goods and produce - they kill anyone who gets in their way, and anyone with a weapon or armour is fair game, but they do not go out of their way to murder non-combatants.

Sometimes the Feni are more destructive, killing every person in a village, and burning the place to the ground. Some circumstantial evidence suggests that they do this when they are launching revenge attacks against people they believe have wronged them in some serious way.

The Feni are skilled scouts who excel at hiding and attacking from ambush. They make regular use of herbal potions and poisons, but they seem deficient in battlefield magic - few magicians have ever been encountered among their number. They seem to have access to some magic that makes it hard to track them or locate their settlements, most likely suggesting that they have a number of ritualists specialized in the magic of Night, or that their settlements are built in areas that are naturally warded in some fashion.

Like all humans, they have at least a little lineage. There are reliable accounts of Draughir and Briar among their raiding groups. They appear to have an absolute hatred for orcs. There have been numerous incidents where entire orc patrols have been encountered butchered to a man and their corpses horribly mutilated, clearly the victims of the Feni. Unfortunately, they seem to lack either the ability or inclination to differentiate between the barbarian orcs and the Imperial Orcs, and at least one legion of orcs has been lost to Feni while on maneuvers in the northern Marches.

Their primitive appearance is highlighted by what seems to be a lack of indigenous metalwork - they use stolen weapons and armour when they can acquire it, but many have been encountered using bronze or even flint weapons. Items recovered from dead Feni, or occasionally thrown up for trade by peddlars, have been simple and functional, suggesting that improvements in crafting techniques over the last six centuries have largely passed them by.

Occasional efforts to make peaceful contact have not gone well; while some Beaters and itinerant merchants are able to arrange a meeting with one or two representatives of a Feni tribe, they describe them as uncommunicative, suspicious bordering on paranoid, and uncooperative.

The Feni in Play

The Feni are barbarians. They raid Imperial villages and farmsteads, then melt back into the wilderness. They build around themes of border raiders, and operate in a similar manner to the cattle raiders of Irish myth, a stereotypical view of the border reivers in the north of England, and a little of the raiding vikings that plagued the British coastline in the middle-ages. There are also elements of the fictional hillbillies that appear in movies such as Southern Comfort. These are a people that wants no part of the wider world. insular and paranoid, who view strangers merely as both a threat and a source of resources.

It should be noted that they are primarily thieves - they steal, and don't go out of their way to commit atrocities unless they are doing so as part of a vengeance raid.

The Feni are more likely to be encountered as enemies during a skirmish or small-scale encounter than they are in a pitched battle. Their thieving ways may lead to complications, especially for Marcher characters, but it is easy to see how they could feature in the backgrounds of Navarr, Wintermark and Freeborn characters.

It is not unknown for a village or hall to have cautious peaceful relations with the Feni; there may be a neutral location near a settlement where occasional trades take place, for example. Such trade is illegal in the Empire. The Feni have do not trade anything that is not available in the Empire, and have no use for money, but seem to be quite good with herbs. Contact with the Feni could serve as an interesting source explanation for a character's herb garden personal resource.

You cannot have a Feni as a character, because they are considered enemies of the Empire. A background in which you spend extensive time among the Feni is likely to be rejected; part of the point of the Feni is that they are outside the Empire and not especially understood by its citizens.

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Feresh

Contents

- 1 The Eagle, Rune of Majesty

- 1.1 Using Feresh in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Feresh

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Eagle, Rune of Majesty

Affiliated with the Realm of Summer

The golden rune, Feresh is the the eagle surveying its domain and the stag atop the highest peak. It is the mark of greatness, of profound correctness that wells forth in nobility of form, deed and thought. It calls to all that is best both in the human spirit and in the natural world. It is also called the Rune of Beauty and the Rune of Splendour.

Feresh is the monarch with no need of guards, the priest who sways the congregation with her quiet presence, the warrior who defeats their opponents with their courage before battle is even joined. Feresh intensifies qualities, forces and energies and in this regard is sometimes called the Horn. It is also a rune that grants a measure of protection from outside influences, especially those which might cause doubt, confusion, shame or humility, and in this aspect is called the Helm.

The danger of Feresh is that it does not create, it merely enhances what is already present. If it is marked on someone or something that is flawed, the flaw is magnified along with whatever other qualities are present. It becomes the strength that breaks the thing that is strong. Feresh is used along with Jotra, Tykonus and Verys to represent Glory by many Dawnish magicians and crafters; here it represents Glory as a quality of the spirit.

Sometimes referred to as the “Emperor Rune”, some pre-Imperial gold currency carried its seal. Many Winterfolk leaders bear Feresh on an amulet or other piece of jewelery, but anyone who aspires to greatness may look to the rune for inspiration.

Feresh is also connected to the Imperial Virtue of Pride, and is said to have a strong affiliation for the Changeling lineage.

Using Feresh in magic

Feresh is evoked with magic that enhances qualities in individuals, or is invoked to provide influence over others. It is also an intensifier, and is sometimes used to add additional power to another magical effect such as when raising a storm. Dawnish War Witches often evoke Feresh alongside the other Summer Runes when performing the empower incantation.

Crafting with Feresh

The Eagle is sometimes marked on helmets, or referred to circumspectly by helms shaped like the head of an eagle, or surmounted by eagle wings, it is considered to grant a measure of protection from fear, but also to empower the wearer with confidence and the ability to resist the harsh cruelties of war.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Feresh in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneFeresh.jef

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Feroz

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Isle of the Osseini

- 3.2 The Spice-Gardens of Feroz

- 3.3 The Scorrero Nets

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Afarjasse

- 4.2 Cazar Straits

- 4.3 Fontargenta

- 4.4 Morajasse

- 4.5 Oranseri

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

Feroz is the southernmost territory of the Brass Coast, and like Madruga has both isles and coastline. Here the climate is warm and humid, perfect for the cultivation of different plants. This is the home of the fabulous spice gardens of Feroz, a source of great revenue for the people of this territory. The seas are more treacherous here, and to the south and the west the barbarians constantly threaten by land. As a result many armed merchantmen patrol the seas, and groups of young warriors journey along the borders, fighting skirmishes against jealous foes.

There is a traditional rivalry between the families of Feroz and those of Madruga to the north. Madruga was the first-settled territory of the Freeborn, and there is a popular stereotype that the people who live there are "stuck up". This stereotype is more humourous than hateful - the Freeborn move around too much to allow such prejudice to root itself too firmly in their psyche. Still, if a citizen of Feroz wants to insult a citizen of Madruga, they will fall back on accusations of arrogance and an over-reliance on tradition.

Some of the finest apothecaries on the Brass Coast live in Feroz - the art of potion making has been studied here for centuries and there are a great many herb gardens. The land mainland is a criss-cross patchwork of farms and small settlements - a great deal of food and drink is produced here and exported to other Freeborn territories.

The Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel is often quite active in Feroz, occasionally dealing with agents of the Spice Gardens or traders from the Jewelled Isles. The Vizier is an Imperial title that is appointed each Spring by Freeborn citizens who control fleet personal resources.

Recent History

Major Features

Isle of the Osseini

So-named for the legendary malignant spirits who once plagued the island. The sutannir here are famed for their knowledge of the arts of exorcism. Foreigners claim the Isle is still home to those who have died at sea at the hands of the corsairs of Shantarim, but most Freeborn have no truck with such foolishness.

The Spice-Gardens of Feroz

The spice-gardens are legendary - a set of heavily-walled enclosures covering several acres where the finest spices in the Empire are grown. A rich source of trade for whoever controls the gardens, the Imperial title of Keeper of the Spice Gardens has changed hands between families only a handful of times in the last few centuries, and the bargaining leading up to a new appointment has regularly involved the whole nation.

The Scorrero Nets

The Scorrero Nets is a Bourse position which produces ilium.

Regions

Afarjasse

In the middle of nowhere, on the plains of Afarjasse, is the quiet settlement of Afar. Established by Hakima with close ties to the Guerra tribe, a potent regio tied to the realm of Night. It is a faraway place dedicated to the practise of ritual magics that support the Freeborn. It is not hard to reach, but it stands alone in a sea of sprawling grasslands and does not encourage casual visitors. On nights when powerful magics are performed, Afar is visible for miles around - great bonfires are built and massive drums used to build powerful rhythms to help raise (or draw down, or both) the passionate energy for powerful workings.

Cazar Straits

The islands of the Cazar Straits are dominated by corsair families. The largest settlement is the port-town from which the islands take their name - high-cliffed Cazar. Built around a bustling dock, it is a safe harbour that often serves as home port for the fleets that protect the Bay from barbarian ships. The holder of the Broken Shore Bounty (a seat on the Imperial Bourse) has the use of a fortified villa in the hills near Cazar.

In the southern islands stands the town of Shantarim, another corsair stronghold whose families engage in fierce competition with their northern rivals. It is somewhat less cosmopolitan in nature than Cazar - visitors from mainland families sometimes encounter prejudice and suspicion.

Keywords: Coastal

Fontargenta

The trading port of Bramar stands on the coast here. Surrounded by rich agricultural land, it's bountiful cornfields compete with Marcher grain in markets across the southern nations of the Empire, and whose vineyards are justly famous. It serves as an important hub for the Imperial wine trade, with many excellent vintages passing through it's docks - both from the Brass Coast to the rest of the world, and from the rest of the world to the Brass Coast and thus the Empire.

Keywords: Coastal

Morajasse

Western Morajasse is the site of the great Spice Gardens. The largest town here is Mora. Once simply a spice-market, the barbarian invasion of Segura saw a burst of rapid militarisation of this peaceful settlement. Refugees are common here: some supported by their families, others looking to work in the market. With the liberation of the western territory, a strange reversal has taken place - the pool of desperate labourers has largely dried up with refugees returning to their homes. Mora benefitted greatly from their presence, and now the town feels "empty" - it remains to be seen how it will cope with it's sudden transition from military staging point to once again being at the heart of a stable territory.

Oranseri

Across the bay from billowing Siroc stands the town of Oran, a thriving port specialising in high-value products such as fine wines and spice mixes. It has cheaper dock fees than Siroc, and a number of entrepreneurs prefer to operate here as a consequence - especially those merchants who are just starting out. It has a reputation for being more energetic than it's larger neighbours to the north and south. Joharra by contrast is considered more stable, and is better known for its industry than it's trade. Famous throughout the Empire for its cloth and dye-work, Joharra is called the Rainbow by coastal sailors who mark their progress round the coast with first sight of the great billowing cloths hung out to dry on tall wooden frames along the low cliffs.

Keywords: Coastal

OOC Notes

- Each region of Feroz is controlled by the Freeborn (and by extension the Empire), making this a staunchly Imperial territory.

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Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 50

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Uses

- 1.5 Option

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 50

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single mage implement which must be present during the ritual.

Effects

When the ritual is completed, all participants are struck by a VENOM effect.

The power of the ritual is stored in the implement targeted by the ritual. Any one of the contributors can unleash the power of the ritual while holding the implement to allow them to call MASS VENOM.

The power of the ritual can be invoked only once.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Additional Uses

The ritual can be used to place more than one use into the target implement. Each additional use increases the magnitude of the spell by 30. Any uses left over are lost at the end of the ten minutes. You cannot charge up more than one implement with this ritual.

Option

The ritualists may burn up to 20 measures of beggar's lye as part of the ritual. Every two measures used in this way reduces the magnitude of the ritual by 1.

Description

This battlefield ritual allows a powerful magical attack to be unleashed against a group of enemies, filling them with supernatural poison and feverish sickness. Like similar rituals, the attack is temporarily stored in a rod, staff or wand, and then unleashed at the most tactical moment.

The ritual has a strong affinity for the caustic material beggar's lye. A coven can take advantage of this affinity to help reduce the difficulty (and cost) of performing the ritual.

This ritual has a number of uses, but two are worth noting. Firstly, it is useful when facing groups of creatures with regenerative or supernatural-healing abilities. This might mean exotic beasts such as undead, vallornspawn, but even a barbarian force might qualify if it is supported by a number of magicians who are making good use of healing spells. Secondly, it is a very effective terror tactic. Those caught in the arc of the spell are left in no doubt as to the merciless intent of their opponents; no prisoners will be taken in this engagement. That fact alone is sometimes enough to break the morale of an enemy, or at least encourage them to withdraw until they can remove the venom.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, a coven often invokes symbols of poison and disease. Some magicians prefer to weave incantations involving poisonous plants and venomous animals, while others may work spells that suggest disease, sickness and pestilence. Eternals such as Arhallogen and Llofir may be invoked, or the names of specific malignant plagues could be used.

The focus of this ritual is an implement, and the role it plays in the ritual can be quite important. Some ritualists, especially in Varushka pass a single implement from magician to magician, whispering curses and dire promises of doom to the tool before handing it on. Others might place the implement at the centre of the ritual and leave it stationary while they move around it weaving their magic and scattering beggar's lye.

Other common elements in this ritual might include the runes Mawrig, Naeve or Yoorn, the evocation of The Claw or The Drowned Man, the slow ringing of heavy bells suitable to a funeral, or evocations of the hydra, .hydra, wyvern or the basilisk (especially for the Freeborn, Highborn and The League).

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Field Marshal

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Leadership

- 4 Powers

- 4.1 Right to Address the Senate

- 4.2 Right to Address the Council

- 4.3 The Equine Rod

- 5 Limitations

- 6 Selection

- 7 Removal

- 8 Further Reading

- 8.1 Core Brief

- 8.2 Additional Information

- 9 OOC Design Notes

Overview

The Field Marshal is elected by the Imperial Military Council to provide the Empire with leadership for a major battle involving the Empire's heroes. They serve only for a single battle, the position of Field Marshal has no role in the ongoing military campaigns involving the Imperial armies. The position is mostly ceremonial with few legal powers but it is prestigious - nearly half of those who have sat on The Throne have served as Field Marshal at some point during their life.

Responsibilities

The Field Marshal is appointed to lead the Imperial heroes who travel through the Sentinel Gate to do battle with the barbarians. They have the ultimate authority for determining the plan for the battle although in practice they are well advised to do so in concert with the generals of the Military Council. They do not have the power to order generals or other citizens to fight, so the support of the Council can be pivotal in ensuring that everyone follows the plan.

The Field Marshal is expected to report to the Senate on the conduct and outcome of a battle, including any exceptional actions undertaken by individuals or banners under their command, as well as explaining any failures that may have taken place. If the Field Marshal does not survive the battle, then tradition dictates that those Imperial generals who do survive must draw straws to see who will fulfil the responsibility.

In 134YE, the Marcher Field Marshal Rose Hale of Meade burned to death in a wicker man before she could account for the battle before the Senate. Although her friar argued that Rose had acted virtuously, accepting responsibility for the disastrous strike on the Jotun position near Meade, she was excoriated for her cowardice in the Senate and excommunicated post-mortem by the Synod. The Conclave only narrowly failed to pass a declaration to summon her shade using Whispers through the Black Gate to address an extraordinary session of the Senate. Chasina of the Stone Souls Chapter, Archmage of Winter declared that "alive or dead, Rose Hale will do her duty and account for those who died today."

Leadership

Only the Field Marshal has the authority to set the battle plan that will be employed by the Empire. Although the Field Marshal does not have the legal power to issue orders to Imperial citizens on the battlefield, they are expected to give instructions and direction to the Imperial generals present and to those serving under them. They can't legally compel a citizen to follow orders, but there is a clear expectation from most Imperial citizens that those present on the battlefield will act on any reasonable instruction.

It is not illegal for a citizen to defy the instructions of the Field Marshal but those who do so openly usually find themselves punished by their fellow citizens, especially the Cardinals and priests of the Synod and the other generals of the Military Council, if they cannot justify their actions.

It is possible to commit a crime by actively undermining a Field Marshal (or any Imperial general). Any attempt to interfere with the leadership of a battle, for example by changing instructions or acting to prevent them from reaching their destination is classed as subverting the agencies of the state and can carry a heavy penalty.

Powers

Right to Address the Senate

The Field Marshal has the Right of Address for the Senate session that follows their battle. By tradition this is usually the first issue put to the Imperial Senate by the civil service. Because of the formality of the power, it is not normally necessary for a Field Marshal to inform the civil service in advance of their intention to address the Senate.

Right to Address the Council

The first address at the Council session following a battle is automatically given over to the Field Marshal. If the Field Marshal is a member of the Military Council then they this address in is addition to any they might normally give. Traditionally the Field Marshal will use their address to provide an overview of how the battle went including commendations for any Imperial citizens or banners whose conduct was notably exemplary.

The Equine Rod

The Field Marshal was once granted possession of an Imperial artefact, the Equine Rod, an ancient baton topped with a horses head that is both a potential magical item and a symbol of office. The Equine Rod was lost in 364YE when the Field Marshal Isold de Rousillon, the adopted niece of Emperor Hugh was caught in a trap by Grendel raiders and slaughtered. A non-magical replacement for the Equine Rod was lost when Empress Britta was killed in 376YE.

Limitations

The Field Marshal is a ceremonial title - they do not have the legal authority to order a citizen of the Empire to fight as they command. In practice, since they have been chosen by the Imperial Military Council it is likely that the majority of those who sit on the Council will give the Field Marshal their full support, but this is not guaranteed. Most of those who are granted the position more than once begin their career by providing leadership to achieve consensus amongst Council members.

Likewise the Field Marshal does not have the legal authority to compel Imperial citizens to fight or serve. An Imperial general can give orders to members of their army who are on campaign with them - but no Imperial citizen can legally give orders to the heroes and heroines who volunteer to risk their lives by going through the Sentinel Gate. A new Field Marshal is best advised to use the Imperial generals and their adjutants as a chain of command to communicate their wishes.

Although the Field Marshal does have some legal powers, it is not considered to be an Imperial title under the terms of the constitution. This is because of the extremely limited tenure of the position - a successful Field Marshal may be called upon multiple times, but each appointment effectively lasts for a single day.

A Field Marshal may never appoint a proxy - even if they are dead or dying.

Selection

The Military Council select the Field Marshal for each battle, by vote when a unanimous candidate cannot be agreed upon. This is often surprisingly contentious; consensus is the ideal and is often reached, but if it cannot be generally agreed upon, then all suggested candidates are put to the vote, with the candidate receiving the least votes being eliminated each time until only one remains.

Removal

The Military Council are legally required to decide who will be the Field Marshal by the midnight on the night before a battle. The Council may change their mind at any point up to this time, by majority of all the Imperial generals in position.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Muster

- Council Session

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

Additional Information

- War

- Council Address

- Appointments to the Military Council

- The Throne

- Herald of the Council

- Warmage

- Appointments by the Military Council

- Field Marshal

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- OOC Design

OOC Design Notes

The idea that the Empire does not legally enforce a chain of command reflects the design goals of Empire - to place an emphasis on the agency of individual players. Players who think in terms of modern notions of professional soldiers, even from the medieval period might question how realistic this arrangement is. Traditional military dogma presents the idea that a clear unified chain-of-command backed by legal punishment for those who do not follow orders is the most effective approach.

Some historical accounts of war do reflect the Empire approach however - the story of Achilles in the fall of Troy is one of an independent hero, serving under his own cognizance and not beholden to the Greek kings. Although Empire uses the medieval period as its primary historical inspiration, the influence of earlier periods and cultures permeates the setting. In particular, the setting is founded on the notion that the players - those who attend the summits at Anvil - are the heroes of the Empire - not the foot-soldiers.

The reason we chose this approach for Empire is because the out-of-character enjoyment of the Empire players is critically more important than the in-character triumph of the Empire. Most live roleplayers who go on to the Empire battlefield are looking to enjoy themselves as heroes acting on their own agency, not find themselves subjugated to a chain-of-command that robs them of their independence in return for enhanced battlefield efficacy. In Empire you can't be ordered to go and fight away on the other side of the battlefield from your friends in your group, you can't be ordered to hold a reserve position if you want to get stuck into the fight.

Of course players are free to choose characters and groups who are more disciplined and who employ a more rigid chain of command if they wish. A Highguard chapter, an Imperial Orc legion, or a Marcher household might well encourage everyone to follow orders to the letter - the better to reflect the disciplined character of those nations. But a Wintermark band of Frayed seeking a good death or a group of Freeborn corsairs can choose a different path.

Groups should expect to face the wrath of the Empire if they refuse to follow the instructions of the Field Marshal and the Imperial generals - they can expect to be denounced by the Senate they risk being revoked or excommunicated by the Imperial Synod, even by their own National Assembly. The Empire is not forgiving of those whose actions imperil their compatriots on the battlefield - and it possesses tools to punish them if the action is sufficiently blatant or egregious to move people to act. But these judgements are down to other players through the political system - they will not usually derive from our NPC magistrates through the legal system.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Field_Marshal&oldid=35265"

Fight Tooth and Nail

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 20

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 20

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

Twice each day the target can use the unstoppable skill as if they knew it and without spending any hero points.

In addition the target experiences a roleplaying effect: they find it difficult to show mercy to their opponents; they feel an urge to execute fallen enemies on the battlefield, and to pursue fleeing enemies until they can beat them down and execute them. In social situations they are likely to lash out at anyone who they think is threatening themselves or their friends, and will feel the urge to beat such people down and then execute them.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 12. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual grants the target the implacable ability to rise from death's door time after time. It unfortunately brings with it a strong urge to destroy anyone who threatens the safety of the target, their friends or their family. Some have likened the effect to the strange mental aberration that causes otherwise normal-appearing men and women to go on killing sprees, especially in the depths of winter. Some warriors find that the urge to mercilessly kill their enemies causes them no real problems; the wise pay attention to such individuals, and watch for signs of incipient corruption.

Both Sorin, the tomb-king and Kaele, the lady of sorrows, are associated with this ritual. The former Eternal is always fascinated by things that allow mortals to overcome hardship and strengthen themselves by doing so; the latter bestows similar boons herself, both to those who please her with their acceptance of the inevitable and to the warriors of her own grim legion.

The ritual is surprisingly popular in certain quarters among the Highborn magisters, especially those who work closely with the unconquered. The ability to get-back-up during a fight is a potent one. Highborn magicians are also often priests, or have close allies who are priests, whose ceremonies of exorcism and anointing can prove helpful in aiding a warrior under this enchantment to keep her sense of perspective, and her sanity. .

Common Elements

This ritual is often performed with throbbing, menacing music that grows in intensity as the performance reaches it's conclusion. Invocations include drawing on the grim power of the will to stave off death, and bolstering or deadening the flesh, or slowing and cooling the blood. Fearsome, tenacious totem creatures such as badgers, bears and wolverines may be evoked, and it is common to mortify the flesh of the targets, carving runes such as Verys or even Yoorn into the skin. In The Brass Coast, this ritual is often accompanied by a dance, song or story mocking the foolishness of death.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fight_Tooth_and_Nail&oldid=22746"

Fire in the Blood

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 24

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 24

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character, who must have the magician skill.

The ritual requires an opaque container such as a wooden box into which the targets place their hands at the completion of the ritual.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

At the climax of the ritual, the target character place one of their hands in an opaque container such as a box or hollow tree.

The target feels an agonising pain, and is immediately subject to the venom condition. They also suffer a roleplaying effect that causes them to feel as if their blood is on fire, which lasts for at least 10 seconds and then fades to a dull, throbbing pain that does not completely fade. For the duration of the enchantment the target will be struck with bouts of fever, nausea and dizziness at dramatically appropriate moments.

The target also gains one additional rank of Spring Lore for purposes of performing rituals. They do not gain any additional mastered rituals.

The venom caused by this ritual cannot be cured by the purify or purge spells, or by similar magical effects, and will not heal naturally. It can only be healed through treatment by a physick using a dram of Imperial Roseweald, or by the use of a ritual such as Ascetic Star of Atun.

The enchantment ends immediately if the venom is removed. Once the duration of the enchantment is up, the venom can be purified normally.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 14. Additional characters must be present throughout, and must each place their hands into the same opaque container.

Description

This ritual creates a pact between the target and the Eternal Arhallogen. Some ritualists believe it is the Spider King itself who poisons the targets, others believe that it is some subject creature or simply a magical effect similar to an extremely potent venom spell. During the Winter Solstice 378YE, the eternal Arhallogen gained the enmity of the Imperial Conclave. While this is the case, this ritual is under interdiction and it is illegal to perform.

While the agonising venom quickly fades, it does not leave the target's system. Some targets discover a puffy, discoloured mark on the hand they placed in the opaque container that does not recede until the enchantment ends - sometimes this mark may take a vaguely threatening form.

In very rare cases, the ritual can be fatal to those of a weak constitution; the agony of the initial sting does not fade but instead continues to intensify until they are driven mad with pain and either kill themselves or die of heart failure. (OOC Note: This is an entirely voluntary outcome for the spell, and will not be mandated by a referee.)

Interestingly, a version of a very similar ritual called Spores of Madness and Wisdom is said to have been known to several Bregasland Merrow, Kallavesa Naga and Sarvosan Reckoner guilds which draws similar power from the Eternal Llofir, but can be cast only in pitch blackness. The ritual, if it exists, is not a commonly known ritual.

Common Elements

The obvious component of this ritual is the opaque container into which the recipients must place their hands. While the usual container is a box or chest, some traditionally minded ritualists prefer to use the bole of a hollow tree. Some ritualists include the use of analgesic preparations to dull the pain of the initial poisoning, while others consider this to be a sign of weakness.

The rune Rhyv, coupled with Irremais, Aesh or Diras are sometimes evoked with this ritual, carved into the container or painted on the skin of the recipient.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fire_in_the_Blood&oldid=35721"

Fire Maringo

Trad. Recording by Madrigirls here

Harmonies as taught by Daisy

Lift him up and carry him along, Fire Marengo, fire away, Send him down where he belongs, Fire Marengo, fire away.

Stow him down in the hold below, One more turn and then we'll go

Ease him down and let him lay, One more turn and then we're away

When I gets back to the old Brass Coast I'll pass a line to the one I missed most

I'll haul her high, I'll haul her low, I'll bust her blocks and make her go

Isn't she a pretty little craft, Hot shot to the fore and rounded in the aft

Screw the cotton, screw it down Let's get the hell from Sirroc town

Lift him up and carry him along, Send him down where he belongs.

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Five Little Ploughboys

Lyrics by Jude

Tune - 3 little monkeys

Five little ploughboys marching off to war Pitchforks boldly held before One forgot his brush and one forgot his comb Five little ploughboys had to march back home

Four little plough boys marching off to  war Pitchforks boldly held before One forgot his  pouch and one forgot his sack Four little ploughboys had to march right back

Three  little ploughboys marching off to war Pitchforks boldly held before One forgot his ink and one forgot his pen  Three little ploughboys turned around again

Two little ploughboys marching off to war Pitchforks boldly held before One forgot his hawk and one forgot his hound Two little ploughboys had to turn around

One little ploughboy marching off to war Pitchfork boldly held before 'Now it's getting dark come in,' his mummy said One little plough boy went home to his bed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Five_Little_Ploughboys&oldid=7421"

Fleet

Contents

- 1 Definition

- 2 Production

- 3 New Players

- 4 Downtime Options

- 5 Upgrades

- 6 Diversification

Definition

A fleet represents one or more ships; it could be a single large swift vessel or a fleet of half a dozen much smaller vessels. Fleets are able to sail to foreign ports to trade for resources and precious items that are valuable in the Empire.

Production

If the players does not select a downtime option for their fleet, it is randomly assigned a single foreign port to visit between events. The owner gains the resources to be had from trading at that port.

New Players

A new player who starts with a fleet receives a random trading result from the table below. It is not possible to choose which port your fleet has traded at before you attend your first event.

Downtime Options

You may choose one of ten foreign or barbarian ports to trade or raid. Each port provides different commodities for the fleet ower.

Upgrades

A fleet can be upgraded using weirwood obtained from the Bourse. A fleet produces more valuable resources each time it is upgraded, according to this chart of foreign ports.

To upgrade a fleet requires Imperial wains of weirwood equal to the level the fleet is being upgraded to. So the first upgrade of a starting level 1 fleet costs 2 Imperial wains of weirwood, from 2 to 3 costs 3 Imperial wains, etc.

Diversification

Instead of Trading with a Foreign port or Raiding a Barbarian port, you may choose to Raid a Foreign port or Trade with a Barbarian port. Doing either provides 1 additional effective level to the personal resource for the purposes of that action.

Raiding a Foreign port will aggravate that nation and will be investigated as a crime under Imperial Law if it is discovered. If sufficient raiding occurs it will lead to the port being closed to the Empire, and therefore unavailable for trading. If this occurs it will still be possible to raid that port, but there will no longer be a bonus for doing so. Further raids against that port may result in them offering aid to the Empire's enemies.

Trading with a barbarian port will aid those Barbarians. It will not make them more friendly to the Empire, and indeed is illegal.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fleet&oldid=35302"

Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 40

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 40

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Spring regio. This ritual targets a territory, and must be performed at a regio in that territory. If the ritual is used to target an Imperial territory, it may instead be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The ritual targets a single coastal territory. Over the course of the next few days powerful storms will blow up, battering the coast and ships at sea with treacherous waves, gale-force winds and torrential rain.

All navies in the area are likely to be driven back and suffer significant damage.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

This ritual has been used historically for dealing with Grendel war-fleets, and with occasional harassment by organised pirates or the Iron Confederacy raiders. With sufficient mana, it can be used to protect large swathes.

The effect causes some difficulties for smaller fleets, but they are usually better able to ride-out the effects and outrun the worst consequences of exposure to the storms created by this ritual.

The ritual fell out of favour in the Empire, due to the fact the Grendel had not been seen in decades, and there are no foreign war fleets currently threatening the Empire.

Common Elements

The map that forms the focus for this ritual is an important element. It is often drenched during the casting in fresh water or wine, sometimes mixed with blood. Sometimes the map is created by pouring liquid onto dry sand, quickly tracing the rough contours of the coastline of the target territory, then washing it away.

The rune Mawrig is commonly used during this ritual, as are dangerous marine beasts such as kraken, or legendary personalities such as the Old Man of the Sea.

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Footprints

Tune: Shen Khar Venakhi. Words by Daisy.

RECORDING of this song : Media:footprints.mp3

Oh - - - - -, wherever you go - - - - You leave footprints in the snow - - -

On the battlefield, midst the hue and cry - - - You looked death in the face and were not afraid to die - - -

In the Labyrinth, you know where to turn - - - Footprints that you made in life will guide your return. - - -

Oh - - - - -, wherever you go - - - - You leave footprints in the snow - - -

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Foreign nations (Redirected from Foreign Nations)

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Overview

Foreigners are people that are not part of the Empire, that the Empire is not currently at war with. The Empire trades with many of these foreign powers, and may host delegations from them. Foreigners have no ability to directly influence the future of the Empire, but may have political agendas that guide their interaction with the players.

Foreign Neighbours

Nations that are not part of the Empire but which are not barbarians are sometimes called 'local foreigners'. They are smaller than the Empire, and possess a level of influence and military power roughly on par with one to three Imperial nations. They tend to share borders with the Empire, and many are threatened by the same barbarian tribes that threaten their Imperial neighbours.

They speak the same tongue as the Empire, and engage in limited amounts of trade. This trade does not usually involve fleets; rather it could be represented with a business, or role-played. Larger scale trades may be entered into but these would be the result of politics with non-player characters from the neighbouring nations.

The primary foreign neighbours of the Empire are:

- Faraden, a hilly nation of traders with a long history of cooperation with the Freeborn that lies to the west of the Empire.

- Axos, a magocratic nation that closed its borders some time ago and is only now beginning to emerge from self-imposed isolation. It lies to the east of Urizen.

- Skoura, a mountainous nation with rich mines and introspective citizens that lies to the south of Urizen.

- The Iron Confederacy, a nation of feudalistic warlords who worship false gods, lying to the south of the Brass Coast.

- The Vore, a nation ringed by impassable mountains that lies to the north-east of the Empire

Distant Foreigners

Distant foreigners primarily exist in downtime, although their representatives may attend events or enter correspondence with Imperial citizens. They represent nations that are on par with the Empire in terms of influence and capability - and in interest in world-wide events. They are all physically within four or five weeks hard-sailing of the Empire (meaning a fleet can reach them and return in a single downtime period; this also means it is largely unfeasible to try and invade them or for them to invade the Empire).

These nations do not speak Imperial as their primay-language (although many citizens there will be familiar with the language). A number of other real-world language families are assigned to represent the languages of these foreign nations, and to the smaller independent nations and tribes that surround them.

The five primary foreign nations active on the world stage as peers of the Empire are:

- The Asavean Archipelago, an old and self-satisfied nation with a taste for luxury.

- The Sarcophan Delves, a ruthless mercantile nation built in the ruins of a fallen civilisation.

- The Principalities of Jarm, a fractious magocracy known for exotic wonders and cut-throat politics.

- The Commonwealth, a comparatively young society founded on the principle of the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

- The Sumaah Republic, a secretive nation that shares the faith of the Empire but rejects the Synod

The list is not exhaustive - there may be other foreign nations out there but they are neither important nor active enough to be trading partners for the Empire. There are also extensive nations beyond the "known world" of the Empire campaign - too far away for regular trade to exist with them.

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Foreign ports

Port

Material

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Dubhtraig (Grendel)

Cerulean Mazzarine

0

0

1

1

1

2

2

2

Green Iron

2

2

2

3

3

3

4

4

Imperial Roseweald

1

1

2

2

2

3

3

3

Liao

0

1

1

1

1

2

2

2

Mana Crystal

1

2

2

2

3

3

3

4

Money (Rings)

54

54

66

66

78

78

78

90

Tempest Jade

3

3

3

4

4

4

5

5

Kavor (Principalities of Jarm)

Cerulean Mazzarine

4

4

5

6

6

7

7

8

Green Iron

3

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

Iridescent Gloaming

3

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

Mana Crystal

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

5

Kierheim (Jotun)

Ambergelt

3

3

3

4

4

4

5

5

Bladeroot

2

2

2

3

3

3

4

4

Dragonbone

1

2

2

2

3

3

3

4

Marrowort

0

0

1

1

1

2

2

2

Money (Rings)

30

30

36

42

42

48

48

54

Orichalcum

3

3

4

4

4

5

5

5

Weltsilver

0

1

1

1

2

2

2

3

Leerdam (Commonwealth)

Beggar's Lye

2

2

3

3

4

4

5

5

Bladeroot

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

Green Iron

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Tempest Jade

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

7

Nemoria (Asavean Archipelago)

Cerulean Mazzarine

3

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

Iridescent Gloaming

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

6

Orichalcum

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

7

Tempest Jade

2

2

3

3

4

4

4

5

True Vervain

0

0

0

1

1

1

3

3

Rigia (Principalities of Jarm)

Ambergelt

0

1

1

1

1

2

2

2

Dragonbone

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

7

Green Iron

3

3

3

4

4

4

4

5

Imperial Roseweald

2

2

3

3

4

4

5

5

Mana Crystas

2

2

3

3

4

4

5

5

The Sarcophan Delves (The Sarcophan Delves)

Beggar's Lye

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

7

Imperial Roseweald

3

3

4

4

6

6

7

7

Marrowort

3

3

5

5

6

6

8

8

Weltsilver

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

7

Vezak (Principalities of Jarm)

Ambergelt

3

4

5

5

6

7

7

8

Dragonbone

3

4

5

5

6

7

7

8

Mana Crystal

3

3

3

4

4

4

5

5

Marrowort

0

0

0

1

1

1

2

2

Volkavaar (Commonwealth)

Ambergelt

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

7

Bladeroot

0

0

1

1

2

3

3

3

Mana Crystal

3

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

Weltsilver

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

7

Zemeh (The Sumaah Republic)

Dragonbone

4

4

5

5

6

6

7

7

Imperial Roseweald

0

2

2

4

4

6

6

8

Liao

3

4

4

5

5

6

6

7

Orichalcum

4

4

5

5

6

6

7

7

Notes

- For a brief time in 378YE, it was possible to commit piracy against, or trade with, the Grendel-dominated port of Apulus. This is no longer possible as the port has been, to all intents and purposes, destroyed.

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Forest

Contents

- 1 Definition

- 2 Production

- 3 Downtime Options

- 4 Upgrades

- 5 Diversification

Definition

A forest represents an area of woodlands that are harvested to gain magical materials. It shouldn't be a farm or a garden - if that is what you want to take then we would recommend you choose the farm resource or a herb garden resource instead.

Production

Upon taking a forest, you must choose one of ambergelt, beggar's Lye, dragonbone or iridescent gloaming. A forest produces 10 measures of the chosen material.

Downtime Options

It is possible to harvest additional materials from a forest during any given season. You may spend 6 crowns to have the forest produce an additional 5 measures of the same material as it would naturally produce.

Upgrades

A forest can be upgraded using white granite obtained from the Bourse. Each time a forest is upgraded, the owner receives an additional 2 measures from then on.

To upgrade a forest requires Imperial wains of white granite equal to the level the forest is being upgraded to. So the first upgrade of a starting level 1 forest costs 2 Imperial wains of white granite, from 2 to 3 costs 3 Imperial wains, etc.

Diversification

A forest can be diversified to sacrifice production of one material for another. To diversify a forest requires one Imperial wain of mithril and one Imperial wain of weirwood. Each time a forest diversifies, the owner chooses a different resource from the list for forests; the forest produces 2 measures of the new material at the expense of 2 less of the original material.

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Forge of Isenbrad

Description

Isenbrad, Paragon of Wisdom, is a legendary smith said to have been so skilful he was able to craft weapons and armour from ice and snow. This sturdy Mage Armour allows a magician to repair broken items quickly and efficiently, but comes into it's own when dealing with items to which they are personally bonded. Indeed, the forge of Isenbrad could conceivably allow a magician to use tools of ice, provided they were bonded to them and had a short time between strikes to repair their shattered tools.

It finds greatest favour among shield-bearing magicians, particularly in Highguard, Dawn and among the Imperial Orcs, who can make up for their light armour with a shield that is very hard to destroy. While Warcasters appreciate the practical benefits of this armour, it is the Oathwrights who are utterly fascinated by its implications. They ponder what it means for a soul to be able to reshape items by channelling the power of the bond through the enchantment upon the armour. They are often cautious about the use of this armour, fearing that bonding to unsuitable items would be even more dangerous while wearing it.

These potent suits of mage armour are commonly pale in colour, and almost always bound with the Runes - Irremais, the rune of wisdom, Pallas, the rune of wealth and Feresh, the rune of majesty. A Redsteel Chisel is considered an excellent companion to this armour and they are occasionally made as sets by those who wish a reputation as an artisan’s artisan.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the mend spell in 5 seconds rather than 10. Twice per day you can cast the mend spell on any item you are bonded to without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a forge of Isenbrad requires twelve measures of orichalcum, four measures of dragonbone nine measures of ambergelt and five measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The immense beast crashed through the Imperial lines, bellowing and flailing as it went. Wherever one of its immense limbs swung through the air with all the finesse and gentleness of a tree-trunk, men were smashed to the ground and weapons shattered. Even strikes against its stony hide left edges dulled and spears splintered.

But Tarquinius could see that the lumbering behemoth was just a spearhead; its clumsy assault served to break the line but, through the smoke and mayhem of the battlefield, the Sentinel could see a wedge of barbarians storming forward in its wake.

The moronic beast was still just driving forwards like a rudderless ship. It ploughed through the other side of the lines and kept on towards the woods, howling its fury and its pain. It had done what its handlers wanted, forging a vulnerability in the battle-formation that the barbarians would now exploit.

So Tarquinius plunged forwards amidst the soldiers. “They come!” he roared as he forced his way to the front. “They come! Form yourselves back up! Make ready for an assault!”

But many of the warriors were clutching at splintered hafts or broken blades after the behemoth's attack, and uncertainty flickered across their faces as they saw the barbarian troops rushing across the battlefield towards them.

Tarquinius reached out for the nearest man's ruined sword, scooped the shattered blade from the earth and shouted the incantation as he slammed the pieces back together. They sealed into one piece with a flare of magic, and then he simply twisted the bent blade back into shape as he continued to chant.

That done, he shoved the thankful soldier back towards the front, then turned to the next; this time a woman clutching pieces of spear. A handful of dirt in one hand, Tarquinius bound the splinters together with spatters of earth, then once again his incantations forged the weapon anew into one solid whole.

On and on he went, forging the broken weapons of the Imperials back together until his throat was hoarse with the chanting, his soul empty of power, his pouch of crystals now held no more than dust and broken fragments. But in that minute, a dozen more Imperials now stood ready to meet the enemy rather than flee with shattered blades.

And a dozen more could make all the difference.

Through the dust and the confusion came the barbarians, their orderly wedge thundering across the last yards to the Imperial forces.

“Hold the line! Hold the line!”

They held.

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Forge the Wooden Fastness

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 64

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 64

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Spring regio.

This ritual targets a specific region. During the performance of the ritual the casters must name a region within the target territory which has the "forested" keyword.

The ritual may target a region in a territory which is under Imperial control (that is, which is eligible to appoint a Senator) when cast from the Imperial regio. To effect a region in a territory that is not under Imperial control, the ritual must be performed at a regio within the target territory.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The ritual targets a single region of forest within a territory. Over the course of the next few days a powerful enchantment settles over the region which offers protection to armies belonging to the force that controls the area.

The magical structure mimics the effect of a 2,000 strength fortification in the enchanted region. The fortification helps determine victory, and if the region is attacked it may inflict casualties. Unlike a mundane fortification, the magical fortification does not absorb any casualties itself..

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

This enchantment causes existing vegetation to weave itself together into defensive structures. Thickets of thorns and briars form, and in some places masses of branches and roots mesh together to create veritable walls of living vegetation. In addition, the forest itself becomes sensitive to the presence of living creatures, acting to hinder 'enemies' and parting to allow the swift passage of 'allies'. The enchantment seems to choose who is friend and who is foe based on who has the greater claim to the area.

In addition existing vegetation becomes more dangerous. Fungal blooms sprout in damp wood that release hallucinogenic or poisonous spores when enemies come too close. Open wounds caused by briars or thorns quickly become infected, potentially leading to fever and even death. Insects become larger and more hostile, and any wasp or bee-sting is likely to result in painful swelling rather than a mere nuisance. While vegetation does not move when anyone is looking, trails and clearings often seem to vanish overnight leading to armies and scouts becoming lost.

This ritual increases the difficulty a hostile force will have in claiming a region, even if there is no army to oppose them directly, Local militia and the like are able to take advantage of the defensive enchantment (once they recognise it for what it is) to engage in effective guerilla tactics, harrying and confusing a much larger force, at least for a time.

The ritual is an enchantment, and can in theory be made permanent with ilium. This has not been done in the history of the Empire, however.

The ritual can occasionally backfire; the ritual always aids the force that claims the region. Occasionally Imperial ritualsts have inadvertently aided the enemies of the Empire when a dramatic shift has allowed a barbarian force to claim an area of land while the Forge the Wooden Fastness was in effect.

Common Elements

During the performance of the ritual it is common to weave strands of thread, wool, rope or vine together either to form makeshift walls or to create complex, shifting patterns. Often.natural plants are woven together as part of the performance, symbolising the formation of larger structures in the target forest. Poisonous creatures may be involved as part of the ritual, and noxious herbs may be burnt.

A map is often used as the focus for this ritual and obscured during the casting, buried in fertile earth or soaked with water and left for spores or even plant cuttings to overwhelm. Sometimes the map is created from sand or painstakingly drawn with salt or coloured powders, so it can be easily washed away at the culmination of the ritual.

The runes Bravash and Hirmok are commonly used during this ritual, and the constellation of The Oak is often invoked. It is not uncommon for Navarr vates and Suaq icewalkers in particular to reference cunning folk heroes. A [[dramaturgical|dramaturgy performance often includes the Captain, often lost in the Garden or lead astray by the Mountebank. The Eternal Irra Harah is often evoked, but Llofir might also be mentioned when the ritual is performed in a suitable location (such as the marshy forests of Therunin).

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Forge_the_Wooden_Fastness&oldid=34964"

Forlorn Hope

Description

The "forlorn hope" is a military term used by some League Free Companies to refer to a band of soldiers or other combatants chosen to take the leading part in a military operation, such as an assault on a defended position, where the risk of casualties is high. Some mercenary units have one or two of these rods crafted intentionally for use by hired magicians, paying the additional costs to bond their wielders and supplying them with as many useful potions or pieces of crytallised mana as they can afford. Such magicians are usually quite well paid.

There is rarely opportunity to provide more economical magical healing in such situations, and it is in the midst of battle that the swift heal spell comes into it's own. In the Marches a forlorn hope is sometimes called a pressman's needle, while in Dawn, Highguard and Wintermark it is more commonly known as a vanguard's succour.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You can cast the swift heal spell as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting a forlorn hope requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

"Keep him on his feet! Keep him on his feet! If those things get in here, we're all going to die, and he's the only thing keeping them out!".

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Forlorn_Hope&oldid=33125"

Forms of magical items

Contents

- 1 Personal Items

- 1.1 Armaments

- 1.2 Garments

- 1.2.1 Armour

- 1.2.2 Clothing

- 1.3 Accoutrements

- 1.3.1 Shields

- 1.3.2 Jewellery

- 2 Bands Items

- 2.1 Magic Standards

- 2.2 Covenstones

- 2.3 Reliquaries

Personal Items

Characters may bond to three different forms of personal items. You may only be bonded to one item of each type: Armaments, Garments, Accoutrements.

Armaments

- Armaments are items designed to be wielded

- Wherever feasible you should be wielding an armament in your hand(s) when you use its magical abilities

- You must be able to wield an item to bond to it

Armaments include weapons, implements, icons and musical instruments.

Garments

- Garments are items designed to be worn

Armour

- You must be wearing suit of armour to benefit from its magical abilities

- Mage armour must meet the coverage rules for mage armour

To count as enchanted armour, it must cover the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a helm), the arms and the legs, or you may cover half of your arms and legs.

Clothing

- A robe must be a phys-rep of clothing

Robes must cover the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a hood), the arms or the legs, or at least half of your arms and legs.

Accoutrements

- Accoutrements include items such as shields and jewellery (including talismans and masks)

Shields

- A shield must be a weapon-safe phys-rep of a shield, it cannot be a buckler

- You must be wielding a shield to use its magical abilities

Jewellery

- You must be wearing a piece of jewellery to benefit from its magical abilities

Jewellery must be a phys-rep of an item that is worn. It may take the form of actual jewellery such as an amulet, ring, bracelet or circlet. It may also take the form of any other small item intended to be worn such as a mask, embroidered favour, decorative braid and the like. As much as possible the item should look distinctive and decorative.

Bands Items

Magic Standards

- A banner may only be bonded to one magic standard at a time

- Must be a phys-rep of a banner or standard

- Up to fifteen people from the same banner can be bonded to a magical standard

A magic standard must be a phys-rep of a banner or standard. It should be an item that is carried, rather than a back-banner or a tabard. Ideally it should consist of a banner pole at least 60" long, and should bear a flag, pennant or banner with a design on it.

To gain the benefit of a magical standard you must be bonded to it, should be fighting with the unit bearing the item, and have seen it held aloft by a member of your banner in the last few minutes.

Covenstones

- A coven may only be bonded to one covenstone at a time

Reliquaries

- A sect may only be bonded to one reliquary at a time

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Forms_of_magical_items&oldid=23678"

Formulaic ritual

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Imperial Lore and the Ritual List

- 3 Creating a New Formulaic Ritual

- 4 Ritual Texts

- 5 Adding a Formulaic Ritual to Imperial Lore

- 6 Further Reading

Overview

Formulaic rituals are rituals whose techniques and practices have been successfully refined to make the ritual as efficient and easy to cast as possible. Formulaic rituals are highly focussed - the caster gives up flexibility to gain reliability and efficiency. In addition magicians can learn to master formulaic rituals, making them even easier to cast.

There is a large body of formulaic rituals that have been promulgated throughout the Empire by the Imperial Conclave called Imperial Lore. These rituals are not the only formulaic rituals in existence, but they are so well known that they can be attempted by anyone powerful enough to do so.

Ritual Summaries

Spring rituals

Summer rituals

Autumn rituals

Winter rituals

Day rituals

Night rituals

Imperial Lore and the Ritual List

- Imperial magicians can attempt any ritual that is in Imperial Lore if they have the ranks to do so

- An Imperial magician may choose to master a formulaic ritual that is part of Imperial lore

The ritual list describes all the formulaic rituals which are part of Imperial Lore. These rituals are known throughout the Empire and any magician or coven that has sufficient magical power can attempt to cast them.

Magicians can learn to master formulaic rituals that are part of Imperial Lore. Mastering a ritual means that any crystal mana used is doubled in effect, which makes the ritual much easier and cheaper to cast.

It is possible to master a ritual that isn't in Imperial Lore using a ritual text. A coven of magicians can only attempt a formulaic ritual that is not in Imperial Lore if one or more of the contributors has mastered the ritual.

Creating a New Formulaic Ritual

- Creating a new formulaic ritual would take an individual decades

- Some Imperial titles are able to direct scores of magicians to create formulaic rituals more quickly

- Creating a new ritual requires the magicians to cooperate to create a ritual text

Creating a new ritual is a significant undertaking. In pre-Imperial times it might take decades to formulate even a simple ritual.

To improve the speed with which new formulaic rituals could be created, the Empire created titles such as the Dean of the Lyceum and Provost of the Halls of Knowledge to co-ordinate the research efforts of many disparate magicians. By working together these magicians are able to create formulaic rituals much more quickly. The citizen who holds either of these Imperial titles can direct the research of Imperial magicians allowing them to create one or more new formulaic rituals.

To create a new formulaic ritual, a magician must start with an appropriate arcane projection, which will form the basis for the ritual being created. It is not always possible to duplicate a spontaneous effect using formulaic magic, so the final ritual may not end up identical to the original spontaneous effect. It may be more or less difficult to perform, and some elements of the ritual may have to be changed. In particular, formulaic magic is more flexible than spontaneous magic, for example divinations that can be cast on any item or enchantments that can be cast on a variable number of targets. The formulaic version of a ritual will automatically take advantage of these benefits where possible, but other than this it will be as close to the original spontaneous effect as the magicians involved can make it.

The new formulaic ritual is only complete once a ritual text has been produced. The ritual text is given into the care of the magician who held the Imperial position when the work was completed.

Ritual Texts

- A ritual text describes a formulaic ritual

- A magician or coven can use a ritual text they possess to perform the ritual

- Magicians can learn to master the ritual contained in the ritual text

- It is not possible to copy a ritual text

A ritual text is a rare, magical item that contains all the details necessary to perform a ritual. Most (though not all) ritual texts take the form of a description of the ritual, including all the rules, and at least some in-character commentary on the ritual. A ritual text contains sufficient information that any coven that holds one may use it to attempt to duplicate the effect of the ritual spontaneously, exactly as if the ritual text were an arcane projection.

A magician who has the physical ritual text can also choose to master the ritual it describes by buying the extra ritual skill or using an empty ritual slot. This follows all the other rules for learning a skill during time-in. The text must be taken to GOD or shown to a referee to allow the ritual it contains to be mastered in the field. A coven may attempt a formulaic ritual that is not in Imperial Lore if one of the contributors has mastered it, even if they no longer have access to the original text.

Unless a ritual text is formally added to the body of Imperial Lore (through Declaration of the Imperial Conclave), only someone who has possession of the text can master it. A magician cannot teach mastery of the ritual to another character without the text present.

Adding a Formulaic Ritual to Imperial Lore

- The Imperial Conclave can pay to add a ritual text to Imperial Lore

- The ritual text is used up as part of the process

If the owner of a ritual text wishes then they can ask the Imperial Conclave to add the ritual to Imperial Lore. If the Imperial Conclave agree and the costs are met, then the ritual text is consumed but the ritual becomes part of Imperial Lore.

Once a ritual text has been added to Imperial Lore it follows all the normal rules for formulaic rituals in Imperial Lore. Any Imperial magician may attempt to cast the ritual; they may choose to master the ritual if they have a slot available; and they could then teach any other magician to master it.

Further Reading

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

- Battlefield Rituals

- Enchantments

- Curses

- Ilium

- Magic Items

- Herbs & Potions

- Cosmology

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Formulaic_ritual&oldid=34734"

For Once I Was A Young Man

Traditional Highguard (OOC: Lyrics by Aaron Walter, Music by Jude Reid)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=For_Once_I_Was_A_Young_Man&oldid=22241"

Fortification

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Fortification Strength

- 3 Senate Commissions

- 3.1 Costs

- 3.2 Improvement

- 3.3 Repair

- 3.3.1 Automatic Repair

- 3.3.2 Emergency Repair

- 4 Upkeep

- 5 Military units

- 6 Current Fortifications

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

The world of Empire is littered with walled settlements, fortresses, keeps, castles and fortified bridges. These lesser structures may be the target of a quest or skirmish but they are not important for the calculation of army strength present in a territory. Only mighty fortifications are tracked: sturdy castles, networks of carefully positioned forts; great stone walls with sentinel towers.

Fortification Strength

- A starting fortification contributes 3,000 fighting strength to the owning side

- If the fortification is attacked, its contribution is doubled

- If the fortification is attacked, its contribution also inflicts casualties

A campaign fortification is stationary and located in a specific region. Fortifications have a strength, based on the same scale used for Imperial armies. A small campaign fortification has a strength of 3,000 - equivalent to fighting strength of 3,000 raw recruits.

The strength of any fortifications in a territory are added to the strength of the armies present, but only for purposes of determining which side is victorious. Fortifications do not inflict or take casualties unless the orders issued by the generals for the campaign indicate that they are attacking the fortification or the region it defends. The effective fighting strength of a fortification (but not any military unit assigned to support it) is doubled if the region it is in is attacked, for calculating victory and casualties.

For example, if the campaign is focused on capturing a forest region in Karsk then the presence of a 3,000 strength fortification in a nearby region will be important for determining which side is winning, but will not directly affect casualties. If the orders for the campaign involve trying to assault the fortification, then it inflicts and takes casualties like a campaign army with a fighting strength of 6,000.

Senate Commissions

The Imperial Senate can pass motions to create new campaign fortification or to improve or repair existing ones.

Costs

- Materials: 80 white granite and 20 Thrones.

- Time: 1 year to construct

- Upkeep: 10 Thrones per season.

Improvement

The Imperial Senate can pass a motion to improve the quality of an existing fortification. Improving a fortification takes one year to complete. The fortification must be controlled by the Empire throughout.

- Increasing a fortification from a strength of 3000 to a strength of 6000 requires 120 wains of white granite.

- Increasing a fortification from a strength of 6000 to a strength of 9000 requires 140 wains of white granite.

Further increases in the strength of a campaign fortification follow the same cost increase structure.

Repair

Fortifications are damaged when they are involved in a campaign. The upkeep costs provide for some automatic repair over time, provided the territory is under Imperial control, but the progress is slow. The Senate may pass a motion to pay for emergency repairs.

Automatic Repair

If an Imperial fortification is located in an Imperial controlled territory and is not subject to an attack during that season then it automatically recovers one tenth of its maximum strength every season. Imperial fortifications in territories which are not controlled the Empire or which are attacked during a season are not automatically repaired.

Emergency Repair

The Imperial Senate may pass a motion to authorize the use of additional materials - either white granite or weirwood - to speed up the repair of an Imperial fortification. This represents a concerted effort by the Empire to repair the fortification. Emergency repair, like natural repair, takes a season to complete.

In a single season, the first 30 wains of white granite or weirwood restore 20 strength for each wain allocated. The next 30 wains provide an additional 15 strength each. The next 30 wains provide an additional 10 strength - and so on. The rate of emergency resupply resets each season so the white granite and weirwood spent in a subsequent season is not affected by earlier actions.

Upkeep

Fortifications require far less money to pay for their upkeep than an Imperial army - but they are still not free. A basic fortification costs 10 Thrones per season. A 6000 strength fortification costs 18 Thrones and a 9000 strength fortification costs 24 Thrones. Stronger fortifications cost proportionately more.

Fortifications are one of the first priorities of the civil service after the armies are paid for. If there is insufficient income in the Imperial treasury to pay for the upkeep of a fortification then it provides no benefits of any kind that season.

Military units

Some wealthy or powerful citizens maintain their own independent military unit. These units can be attached to a fortification to increase its effective strength. This is done by the orders of the military unit’s commander (submitted using the personal resource downtime system).

The experienced and capable troops in a starting military unit provide an advantage out of proportion to their numbers, adding the equivalent of 100 raw recruits to the strength of the fortification they support.

Current Fortifications

Fortification

Nation

Territory

Level

Court of the White Fountain

Urizen

Redoubt

1

The Eastern Guard

The Marches

Upwold

1

Fort Braydon

The Brass Coast

Kahraman

1

Fort Mezudan

Urizen

Spiral

1

Forte Fidelis

The Marches

Mitwold

1

The Gate

Dawn

Semmerholm

1

Holmauer

The League

Holberg

1

The Will of the Wintermark

Wintermark

Skarsind

1

Holberg

The League

Holberg

2

The Silent Sentinel

Highguard

Casinea

2

Temeschwar

The League

Temeschwar

2

Towers of the Dawn

Dawn

The Barrens

2

The Castle of Thorns

Dawn

Astolat

3

There are many lesser fortifications scattered across the Empire, keeps, towers and walled towns. These smaller fortifications are part of the Empire, and form an important protection against bandits and raiders - but they are not large enough to count as fortifications that make a difference for the defence of an entire region or territory against forces the size of an army.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Military Council

- War

Additional Information

- Imperial armies

- Orders

- Casualties

- Territory

- Army qualities

- Spy network

- Fortification

- Campaign outcome

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fortification&oldid=35289"

Fortification (Redirected from Fortifications)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Fortification Strength

- 3 Senate Commissions

- 3.1 Costs

- 3.2 Improvement

- 3.3 Repair

- 3.3.1 Automatic Repair

- 3.3.2 Emergency Repair

- 4 Upkeep

- 5 Military units

- 6 Current Fortifications

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

The world of Empire is littered with walled settlements, fortresses, keeps, castles and fortified bridges. These lesser structures may be the target of a quest or skirmish but they are not important for the calculation of army strength present in a territory. Only mighty fortifications are tracked: sturdy castles, networks of carefully positioned forts; great stone walls with sentinel towers.

Fortification Strength

- A starting fortification contributes 3,000 fighting strength to the owning side

- If the fortification is attacked, its contribution is doubled

- If the fortification is attacked, its contribution also inflicts casualties

A campaign fortification is stationary and located in a specific region. Fortifications have a strength, based on the same scale used for Imperial armies. A small campaign fortification has a strength of 3,000 - equivalent to fighting strength of 3,000 raw recruits.

The strength of any fortifications in a territory are added to the strength of the armies present, but only for purposes of determining which side is victorious. Fortifications do not inflict or take casualties unless the orders issued by the generals for the campaign indicate that they are attacking the fortification or the region it defends. The effective fighting strength of a fortification (but not any military unit assigned to support it) is doubled if the region it is in is attacked, for calculating victory and casualties.

For example, if the campaign is focused on capturing a forest region in Karsk then the presence of a 3,000 strength fortification in a nearby region will be important for determining which side is winning, but will not directly affect casualties. If the orders for the campaign involve trying to assault the fortification, then it inflicts and takes casualties like a campaign army with a fighting strength of 6,000.

Senate Commissions

The Imperial Senate can pass motions to create new campaign fortification or to improve or repair existing ones.

Costs

- Materials: 80 white granite and 20 Thrones.

- Time: 1 year to construct

- Upkeep: 10 Thrones per season.

Improvement

The Imperial Senate can pass a motion to improve the quality of an existing fortification. Improving a fortification takes one year to complete. The fortification must be controlled by the Empire throughout.

- Increasing a fortification from a strength of 3000 to a strength of 6000 requires 120 wains of white granite.

- Increasing a fortification from a strength of 6000 to a strength of 9000 requires 140 wains of white granite.

Further increases in the strength of a campaign fortification follow the same cost increase structure.

Repair

Fortifications are damaged when they are involved in a campaign. The upkeep costs provide for some automatic repair over time, provided the territory is under Imperial control, but the progress is slow. The Senate may pass a motion to pay for emergency repairs.

Automatic Repair

If an Imperial fortification is located in an Imperial controlled territory and is not subject to an attack during that season then it automatically recovers one tenth of its maximum strength every season. Imperial fortifications in territories which are not controlled the Empire or which are attacked during a season are not automatically repaired.

Emergency Repair

The Imperial Senate may pass a motion to authorize the use of additional materials - either white granite or weirwood - to speed up the repair of an Imperial fortification. This represents a concerted effort by the Empire to repair the fortification. Emergency repair, like natural repair, takes a season to complete.

In a single season, the first 30 wains of white granite or weirwood restore 20 strength for each wain allocated. The next 30 wains provide an additional 15 strength each. The next 30 wains provide an additional 10 strength - and so on. The rate of emergency resupply resets each season so the white granite and weirwood spent in a subsequent season is not affected by earlier actions.

Upkeep

Fortifications require far less money to pay for their upkeep than an Imperial army - but they are still not free. A basic fortification costs 10 Thrones per season. A 6000 strength fortification costs 18 Thrones and a 9000 strength fortification costs 24 Thrones. Stronger fortifications cost proportionately more.

Fortifications are one of the first priorities of the civil service after the armies are paid for. If there is insufficient income in the Imperial treasury to pay for the upkeep of a fortification then it provides no benefits of any kind that season.

Military units

Some wealthy or powerful citizens maintain their own independent military unit. These units can be attached to a fortification to increase its effective strength. This is done by the orders of the military unit’s commander (submitted using the personal resource downtime system).

The experienced and capable troops in a starting military unit provide an advantage out of proportion to their numbers, adding the equivalent of 100 raw recruits to the strength of the fortification they support.

Current Fortifications

Fortification

Nation

Territory

Level

Court of the White Fountain

Urizen

Redoubt

1

The Eastern Guard

The Marches

Upwold

1

Fort Braydon

The Brass Coast

Kahraman

1

Fort Mezudan

Urizen

Spiral

1

Forte Fidelis

The Marches

Mitwold

1

The Gate

Dawn

Semmerholm

1

Holmauer

The League

Holberg

1

The Will of the Wintermark

Wintermark

Skarsind

1

Holberg

The League

Holberg

2

The Silent Sentinel

Highguard

Casinea

2

Temeschwar

The League

Temeschwar

2

Towers of the Dawn

Dawn

The Barrens

2

The Castle of Thorns

Dawn

Astolat

3

There are many lesser fortifications scattered across the Empire, keeps, towers and walled towns. These smaller fortifications are part of the Empire, and form an important protection against bandits and raiders - but they are not large enough to count as fortifications that make a difference for the defence of an entire region or territory against forces the size of an army.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Military Council

- War

Additional Information

- Imperial armies

- Orders

- Casualties

- Territory

- Army qualities

- Spy network

- Fortification

- Campaign outcome

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fortification&oldid=35289"

Fortify Ateri in Spiral

To complete the partial fortification in Ateri in Spiral.

Approved by the Imperial Master of Works.

Overview

- The completion of the fortification, Fort Mezudan, at Ateri in Spiral.

- Fortification approved by the Imperial Master of Works.

Date

- Approved Winter 377YE

Cost

- 25 wains of white granite (Standard cost)

- Time: 1 season

- Upkeep: 10 Thrones

Progress

- 25 wains of White Granite provided by Marcus of Endsmeet Autumn Coven, after Winter Solstice 377YE

Campaign Outcome

The partially complete fortification, Fort Mezudan, in Spiral has now been completed.

Voting

This motion was approved by the Imperial Master of Works using the legal power to raise fortifications granted by the Imperial Senate.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fortify_Ateri_in_Spiral&oldid=26563"

Fortify Golden Downs in Mitwold

To create a fortification in Mitwold.

Approved by the Imperial Master of Works.

Overview

- The creation of a new fortification, Forte Fidelis, at Golden Downs in Mitwold.

- Fortification approved by the Imperial Master of Works.

Date

- Approved Winter 377YE

Cost

- 100 wains of white granite (Standard cost)

- Time: 1 year

- Upkeep: 10 Thrones

Progress

- 25 wains of White Granite provided by Richard Tunstall, Imperial Master of Works, after Winter Solstice 377YE

- 25 wains of White Granite provided by Richard Tunstall, Imperial Master of Works, after Spring Equinox 378YE

- 25 wains of White Granite provided by Richard Tunstall, Imperial Master of Works, after Summer Solstice 378YE

- 25 wains of White Granite provided by Richard Tunstall, Imperial Master of Works, after Autumn Equinox 378YE

Campaign Outcome

Construction of the fortification is now complete.

Voting

This motion was approved by the Imperial Master of Works using the legal power to raise fortifications granted by the Imperial Senate.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fortify_Golden_Downs_in_Mitwold&oldid=35065"

Fortify Miekarova

Permission to raise a fortress in the territory of Miekarova to defend against possible threats from the Northern Barbarians

Proposed by Volodmartz, seconded by Zenith

Overview

- The creation of a new fortification, currently unnamed, in Miekarova.

- This motion was defeated.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Costs

- Materials: 80 white granite and 20 Thrones. (Standard costs).

- Time: 1 year to construct

- Upkeep: 10 Thrones per season.

Progress

None

Campaign Outcome

This would have allowed the construction of a rank one fortification in Miekarova.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fortify_Miekarova&oldid=35530"

Fortify Miekarova II

To raise a fortress in Miekarova (Self Funded)

Proposed by Miekarova, seconded by Karsk

Overview

- The creation of a new fortification, in the region of Perumaki.

- The fortification will be named Grimhold.

- The fortress is being built in the Vale of Strascovia, home of the Vor'Azi people, using the crumbling ruins of their ancestral castle as the foundation.

- A previous motion to raise a fortification in this Varushkan territory was defeated in Winter 378YE.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Costs

- Materials: 80 white granite and 20 Thrones. (Standard costs).

- Time: 1 year to construct

- Upkeep: 10 Thrones per season.

Progress

- Unknown

Campaign Outcome

- When complete, this will see a rank one fortification in Miekarova.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fortify_Miekarova_II&oldid=36038"

Fortify multiple towns

That for the next two seasons (Spring and Summer) three towns or regions within the Empire to be fortified. The towns or regions to be chosen by the Senator for Upwold.

Proposed by Upwold, seconded by Sermersuaq.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Legal Ramifications

- 6 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Fortify the towns of the Empire.

- Passed at 60 Thrones with 9 votes against, money distributed to Upwold

Date

- Passed Spring 377YE (Event Two 2013).

Cost

- 600 wains of white granite

Progress

- 39 white granite to fortify regions in Miaren, Karov and Semmerholm.

Legal Ramifications

- This motion does not follow constitutional protocol

Senate motions should only contain a single item. The motion was not struck down by magistrates at the time and the construction has now begun.

The civil service opinion is that this objective could have been achieved by creating an Imperial position with responsibility for constructing fortifications in the Empire. This position could have been granted the legal authority to order the fortification of a region and a stipend from the treasury to achieve this.

Campaign Outcome

- Seren, Delev and Lacre have been partially fortified

Partial fortification does not confer a military advantage. It is sufficient to redress any banditry problems in those areas, but not sufficient to class as a separate fortification. It would require a total of 261 additional wains of white granite to complete the three fortifications.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fortify_multiple_towns&oldid=24096"

Fortify Overton

To build a Fortification at Overton in Mitwold

Proposed by Mitwold, seconded by Bregasland

Overview

- The creation of a new fortification, currently unnamed, at Overton in the Mournwold.

- Passed in principle.

Date

- Passed Autumn 378YE

Cost

- 100 wains of white granite

- Time: 1 year

- Upkeep: 10 Thrones

Progress

- 25 wains of white granite provided by Bridget Eastville of The Marches after Winter Solstice 378YE.

- 25 wains of white granite provided by Bridget Eastville of The Marches after Spring Equinox 379YE.

Outstanding

- 50 wains of white granite

- 2 seasons of construction

Campaign Outcome

Constructing a fortification requires a minimum of 25 wains of white granite for each season of construction until the full amount is paid. The campaign fortification is created after four successful seasons of construction.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fortify_Overton&oldid=36248"

Fortify Skogei (Redirected from Fortify Skarsind)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Outstanding

- 6 Campaign Outcome

- 7 Autumn 377 YE

- 7.1 Overview

- 7.2 Voting

- 7.3 Constitution

- 8 Summer 377YE

- 8.1 Voting

Overview

- Fortify Skogei.

Date

- Passed Summer 377YE

- Amended Autumn 377YE

Cost

- Upkeep: 10 Thrones

- 88 wains of white granite

- 4 Seasons of construction

Progress

- 25 wains of white granite presented by Hengest Dun, Senator for Hahnmark after Winter Solstice 377YE

- 13 wains of white granite presented by Hengest Dun, Senator for Hahnmark after Summer Solstice 377YE

Outstanding

- 50 wains of white granite

- 2 seasons of construction

Campaign Outcome

- Skogei is partially fortified.

Partial fortification does not confer a military advantage. It would be sufficient to offer a reasonably secure base of operations from which to plan the re-integration of Skarsind into the Empire, but not sufficient to class as a separate fortification.

Autumn 377 YE

Maintain and upgrade fortifications in Skarsind.

Proposed by Hahnmark, seconded by Kallavesa.

Overview

- Improve the fortifications at Skogei.

Voting

- Passed unanimously.

Constitution

When no limitations are placed on the extent or duration of Senate authorization to construct a fortification an army, the assumption is that the maximum possible limits apply; the senator may provide material for the construction up to a year after the motion is passed.

Summer 377YE

To provide funds to reinforce the foothold established in Skarsind as recommended by the military council

Proposed by Hahnmark, seconded by Therunin.

Voting

- Passed at 15 Thrones, money distributed to Hahnmark

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fortify_Skogei&oldid=28095"

Fortify Skogei

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

- 6 Autumn 377 YE

- 6.1 Overview

- 6.2 Voting

- 6.3 Constitution

- 7 Summer 377YE

- 7.1 Voting

Overview

- Fortify Skogei.

Date

- Passed Summer 377YE

- Amended Autumn 377YE

Cost

- Upkeep: 10 Thrones

- 88 wains of white granite

- 4 Seasons of construction

Progress

- 25 wains of white granite presented by Hengest Dun, Senator for Hahnmark after Winter Solstice 377YE

- 13 wains of white granite presented by Hengest Dun, Senator for Hahnmark after Summer Solstice 377YE

- 25 wains of white granite presented by Hengest Dun, Senator for Hahnmark after Spring Equinox 378YE

- 25 wains of white granite presented by Hengest Dun, Senator for Hahnmark after Summer Solstice 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- The Will of the Wintermark ("Hengesthal") has been completed at Skogei.

Autumn 377 YE

Maintain and upgrade fortifications in Skarsind.

Proposed by Hahnmark, seconded by Kallavesa.

Overview

- Improve the fortifications at Skogei.

Voting

- Passed unanimously.

Constitution

When no limitations are placed on the extent or duration of Senate authorization to construct a fortification an army, the assumption is that the maximum possible limits apply; the senator may provide material for the construction up to a year after the motion is passed.

Summer 377YE

To provide funds to reinforce the foothold established in Skarsind as recommended by the military council

Proposed by Hahnmark, seconded by Therunin.

Voting

- Passed at 15 Thrones, money distributed to Hahnmark

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fortify_Skogei&oldid=30009"

Fortify Tassato

To build a Fortification in Tassato

Proposed by Tassato, seconded by Feroz

Overview

- The creation of a new fortification, The Rezia Redoubt, in Tassato Mestra.

- Passed at 250 Thrones

Date

- Passed Autumn 378YE

Cost

- 80 wains of white granite and 20 Thrones (Standard cost) or 100 wains of white granite

- Time: 1 year

- Upkeep: 10 Thrones

Progress

- 20 wains of white granite provided by Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato after Autumn Equinox 378YE.

- 20 wains of white granite and 10 Thrones provided by Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato after Winter Solstice 378YE.

Campaign Outcome

- Constructing a fortification requires a minimum of 25 wains of white granite for each season of construction until the full amount is paid. The campaign fortification is created after four successful seasons of construction.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fortify_Tassato&oldid=35591"

Fortify Town defences

Defensive improvements required for towns in the League, Marches and Highguard.

Proposed by Mitwold, seconded by Temeschwar.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Constitution

- 6 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Defensive improvements required for towns in The League, The Marches and Highguard

- Passed at 60 Thrones with 13 votes against, money distributed to Senator Mitwold.

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013)

Cost

- 40 wains of White Granite will provide sufficient fortification to suppress banditry in these regions

- 300 wains of White Granite are required to fortify these regions

Progress

- 40 wains of White Granite presented by Bridget Eastville nee Talbot, Senator for Mitwold in Winter Solstice 2013 downtime

Constitution

- This motion does not follow constitutional protocol

Senate motions should only contain a single item. The motion was not struck down by magistrates at the time and the construction has now begun.

Campaign Outcome

- Banditry in League, Marches and Highguard suppressed

- Meade, Sybela and Mellfort have been partially fortified.

Partial fortification does not confer a military advantage. It is sufficient to redress the banditry problems in those areas, but not sufficient to class as a separate fortification. It would require a total of 260 additional wains of White Granite to complete the three fortifications.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fortify_Town_defences&oldid=23995"

Forums & Facebook

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Forum

- 3 Facebook Page

- 4 Involvement Groups

- 5 Facebook Player Groups

- 5.1 Nation Groups

- 5.2 Lineage Groups

Introduction

With over fifteen hundred players, Empire has an active online community that use a wide range of different social media. We maintain our own forums for users to discuss the game and related issues but there are also a plethora of Facebook groups used by different groups of players.

Forum

Profound Decisions host their own official Empire forum for players and crew alike. These forums are firmly moderately to ensure that conversations remain polite and on-topic. If you want to have a public discussion with the game designers or the crew about any aspect of Empire then this is the perfect place for it.

Facebook Page

We maintain our own official Facebook page which we try to update regularly with blog posts and important news about the game. If you just want to keep abreast of the latest news it is worth liking and following the page.

Involvement Groups

There are a number of Facebook community groups - these are small groups where players and crew look at things that they can do together to improve the game. The goal for members of these groups is to pool their skills and time to improve the game for everyone.

- Sewing Circle - for LRPers interested in making costume for the Empire game

- Set Building - for LRPers interested in helping build the sets for the games

- Parents - for Empire LRPers bringing children to the game

Facebook Player Groups

There are a plethora of Empire facebook groups that have been created by players. These groups are not official and are not moderated by Profound Decisions. They are a good place to go if you are interested in talking to other players about a specific aspect of the game.

Nation Groups

Lineage Groups

- Briars

- Cambion

- Changeling

- Draughir

- Merrow

- Naga

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Forums_%26_Facebook&oldid=22222"

Fountain of Life

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 9

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 9

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the magician skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains the ability to cast the spells heal, purify and restore limb as if they knew them.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 5. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

Fountain of Life allows a magician to perform three useful healing incantation as if they knew them. Many ritualists focus entirely on mastering rituals, and this enchantment allows them to 'unlock' their reserves of personal mana and use them in dangerous situations to heal their companions. It also sees some use in allowing a magician who already possesses a good store of personal mana to expand their versatility.

This spell grants an almost instinctual ability to understand the incantations it provides; magicians say there is no real sense that they understand the intricacies of the spells in question. Rather they possess an intuitive, instinctual awareness that they can shape and channel magical energy to bolster and heal their friends, that fades away when the enchantment ends. Some magicians feel a strong urge to use their new healing powers at the first opportunity, as often as possible, until they are entirely spent. These individuals need to maintain a strong grip on their instincts to avoid expending all their energy in a frenzy of healing, and ensure that their new abilities are employed where they will do the most good.

Common Elements

This ritual sometimes involves people who already possess the spell knowledge it imparts, or even items such as a Staff of Life or Mazzarine Spindle, and symbolically sharing that magical knowledge with the target. It is also common to paint runes such as Rhyv, Aesh or Irremais or occasionally Hirmok on the hands of a target; to evoke the power of the Fountain; or to cut the target and allow a symbolic sacrifice of blood to fall onto natural vegetation.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fountain_of_Life&oldid=32753"

The Brass Coast (Redirected from Freeborn)

“Life is short — let it never be dull!”

The Freeborn of the Brass Coast are travellers, traders, lovers and poets. They are exuberant and flamboyant; when they laugh their humour is infectious and without spite, when they love they do so with a passion that is without guile and when they’re angry, their wrath is like a summer storm – terrible to behold but swift in passing. To be Freeborn is to be driven by a hunger for life, to see the world, to taste every delicacy, sample every wine and tell every tale. Success is measured in wealth, family and influence, not out of greed, but for the joy success brings.

The Freeborn prize individual freedom and responsibility. Although they are capable of serving a cause they have little respect for authority. Pompous or self-important individuals, especially those who think that titles and positions have made them important, are ridiculed on the Coast. Respect is earned, it cannot be bought or appointed.

While others see them as outspoken and brazen, their honesty is without arrogance, for to aggrandise the self is vulgar, while to praise the deeds of another is an art. Their tales are bawdy enough for a common tavern and grand enough for a lordly court alike and can fill a room with laughter, tears or gasps of horror.

Their wagons and ships cross the world bringing exotic goods that command the finest prices. They are renowned for their corsairs, who operate out of the Bay of Catazar. These daring privateers risk everything ensuring that the Empire's enemies are unable to threaten her shores and earning a fortune in gold in the process. It is a dangerous life but one that perfectly suits the Freeborn passion for high adventure.

Five things to know about the Freeborn

- They are notoriously candid. Brazen in person, and disarmingly frank in negotiation, they are never afraid to speak their mind when they want to.

- All things can have a price. The Freeborn believe the fairest way to reckon the worth of something is to put a price on it.

- They prize freedom and responsibility and disdain arrogance. The Freeborn philosophy is that society is best served when every individual is responsible for themselves and to themselves.

- They crave adventure and excitement. None more so than their corsairs who are the terror of the high seas.

- They like agreements to be explicit. The Freeborn like everybody to know exactly what has been agreed to.

What the Freeborn are not

- Desert dwellers. Grassy plains, rocky mountains and shipboard on the ocean are where the Freeborn live.

- Dodgy camel sellers or slave traders. Freeborn traders are upfront and scrupulously honest - the very opposite of the stereotype of the obsequious, wheedling trader.

- Matriarchal or patriarchal. The Freeborn are matrilineal, they take their mother’s family name, but other than this their society is completely gender blind. There are no harems or seraglios in the Empire.

The nation

Core Brief

- The people

- Culture and customs

- Look and feel

Further reading

- History

- Leadership

- Economic interests

- Military concerns

- Religious beliefs

- Magical traditions

- Hearth magic

- Lineage and species attitudes

- Territories

- Children

- Music

- Costumes

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=The_Brass_Coast&oldid=30608"

Freeborn family Redirect page

Families on the Brass Coast

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Freeborn_family&oldid=5992"

Free Company (Redirected from Free Companies)

Redirect page

Free company

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Free_Company&oldid=11105"

Free company

“Some Dawnish bravo once told me that they march for glory. I asked him how many bushels of wheat his glory was worth. No respect for logistics, the Dawnish. He got his glory, and I got his armour afterwards, so I suppose we’re both happy. Not in the market for a gorget are you? Only one previous owner…”

Margen, Quartermaster of the Holberg Eagles Free Company

Introduction

Free companies are military groups in the The League. They are usually mercenaries and in the northern cities they are sometimes referred to as landsknechts. Although the free companies lack the breadth of interests of a guild, they share their emphasis on loyalty and this has given them a reputation for effectiveness and discipline on the battlefield that is unusual amongst mercenaries.

Free Companies are famous for their magnificent attire. While some units avoid uniforms as such, they usually adopt a pair of unit colours. Slashed and particoloured, puffed and dagged, their clothes are an unmistakable badge of the profession. A common story says that this style of clothing originated with a habit of making clothing out of the banners of defeated enemies, but now their flamboyance is a badge of honour, a means of standing out and declaring their identity. Some free companies produce their own weapons and armour, mindful of the advantages that a strong unit appearance can bring when seeking contracts. Less prosperous units make do with an assortment of armour, picked up from fallen foes.

The free companies hire themselves out wherever there's a need for disciplined soldiers who are largely unconcerned about moral issues. They send their most senior member out to negotiate terms, and then join an Imperial army on campaign. Often, they'll follow a League general simply because of the financial might of the League, but they are generally happy to follow where profit leads. They are notorious for doing whatever needs to be done to win, even in a country where a ruthless commitment to achievement is commonplace. This tends to make them unpopular with the more high-minded Nations, and they rarely find employment in Highguard or Urizen.

History is littered with stories of free companies who have gone too far and paid the price - well-known is the tale of Antek of Temeschwar and his Company of the Iron Jawed, who after a number of inconclusive engagements with the Yellow Hand orcs used a group of Dawnish civillians as a lure to draw a large barbarian force into a prepared battlefield. His tactics resulted in the death of all of the orcs and most of the civillians. The Company of the Iron Jawed followed the straggling barbarians back to their settlement, and butchered every single one of them - including all their children - impaling their bodies on stakes as a warning to other orcs. To this day, the battlefield and the orc settlement are said to be haunted by the spirits of the tortured and the betrayed. With the support of the Synod, the outraged Dawnish denounced Antek for his brutality. He was ultimately executed for treason and the Company of the Iron Jawed disbanded, but on his way to his execution, Antek is said to have shrugged and said simply "There will be more Dawnish. But there will be no more Yellow Hand orcs."

Creating a Free Company

The free companies are intended to allow players to create iconic mercenary characters in the League. While the guilds regularly hire mercenaries and employ guards, a free company allows a group of players to play a dedicated mercenary group, rather than creating a guild. A free company can be as large as you like but in order to be effective it is essential to have some military presence, either in uptime or downtime. Many free companies include members from every city in the League - if the members of your group take military units rather than other downtime options there is little incentive for them to be from the same city.

There's plenty of space for a variety of non-combat characters in a free company - medical staff, commissariat and crafters can all fit in. Specifically, to fit into the League background your free company will need someone who can sign deals on its behalf, the "Signeur". That person does not have to be the battlefield commander, and would be an interesting role for someone who wishes to play in a free company, but is not as interested in fighting. Creating a guild is worth a read for some general advice about the guilds.

An example of an iconic free company in film is Rutger Hauer's band in the film Flesh and Blood.

Playing a Free Company

At events, groups have the choice of which battles to participate in, giving free companies the opportunity to leverage their military skills to try to earn coin. While many nations expect their military groups to fight in the best interests of the nation, as a free company you should protect your right to fight for coin. It can be extremely difficult to make money as a mercenary; most players want to fight in the battles, so you don't have the same bargaining power that historical mercenaries might have had - unless you can ensure you are able to sell the choice of who you fight for. Beware of other players trying to invoke patriotism to justify why you should fight without being paid!

If members of your group have taken military units as downtime resources you will also be able to use these to help the Empire fight campaigns against the barbarians. Like fighting at events, the more you can keep your options open as to which armies your units support, the more money you will be able to earn by using your troops.

"It was a glorious summer night as the three lieutenants, Mueller, Ostravo and Dovarosz, stood well back to admire the blazing conflagration that had once been the the cider press house at Andecello. Around them the men and women of the Glorious Lacuna Free Company had managed to rescue several tun barrels of cider, and had rolled them out beneath the apple trees for sampling. One bravo filled his helm to the brim from a gushing keg, while another was visible only as a pair of waggling pantalooned legs sticking from the top of the barrel. All in all, the kind of thing one might expect to see after any Free Company victory. Suddenly Captain Roncavo strode into view, the garnets of his cape flashing in the firelight. He slapped one bravo on the back hard enough to spit out a mouthful of cider before striding atop a barrel and adopting his best stage voice.

“My beautiful bravos, my brothers and sisters in arms! Tonight we sup from the heady brew of victory, while the enemy samples the dusty kegs of defeat!”

The bravos cheered and someone thrust a mug of cider into the captain’s hands. The captain raised it high, “Andacello was just the beginning, my friends, the Esperanda guild have made good on their word – the steel of their coffers now flows for as long as we can keep defeating these brigands. So drink up, lads and lasses, drink up!”

The lieutenants continued to watch, bemused, as the Captain was hoisted shoulder high and carried off as a hero.

Mueller turned to his companions, “I tell you what, he can’t fight, he doesn’t know squat about soldiering, and he’s more puffed up than a Freeborn pastry, but sometimes I think hiring that Mountebank was the best decision we ever made…”

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Free_company&oldid=36304"

Free company (Redirected from Free Company)

“Some Dawnish bravo once told me that they march for glory. I asked him how many bushels of wheat his glory was worth. No respect for logistics, the Dawnish. He got his glory, and I got his armour afterwards, so I suppose we’re both happy. Not in the market for a gorget are you? Only one previous owner…”

Margen, Quartermaster of the Holberg Eagles Free Company

Introduction

Free companies are military groups in the The League. They are usually mercenaries and in the northern cities they are sometimes referred to as landsknechts. Although the free companies lack the breadth of interests of a guild, they share their emphasis on loyalty and this has given them a reputation for effectiveness and discipline on the battlefield that is unusual amongst mercenaries.

Free Companies are famous for their magnificent attire. While some units avoid uniforms as such, they usually adopt a pair of unit colours. Slashed and particoloured, puffed and dagged, their clothes are an unmistakable badge of the profession. A common story says that this style of clothing originated with a habit of making clothing out of the banners of defeated enemies, but now their flamboyance is a badge of honour, a means of standing out and declaring their identity. Some free companies produce their own weapons and armour, mindful of the advantages that a strong unit appearance can bring when seeking contracts. Less prosperous units make do with an assortment of armour, picked up from fallen foes.

The free companies hire themselves out wherever there's a need for disciplined soldiers who are largely unconcerned about moral issues. They send their most senior member out to negotiate terms, and then join an Imperial army on campaign. Often, they'll follow a League general simply because of the financial might of the League, but they are generally happy to follow where profit leads. They are notorious for doing whatever needs to be done to win, even in a country where a ruthless commitment to achievement is commonplace. This tends to make them unpopular with the more high-minded Nations, and they rarely find employment in Highguard or Urizen.

History is littered with stories of free companies who have gone too far and paid the price - well-known is the tale of Antek of Temeschwar and his Company of the Iron Jawed, who after a number of inconclusive engagements with the Yellow Hand orcs used a group of Dawnish civillians as a lure to draw a large barbarian force into a prepared battlefield. His tactics resulted in the death of all of the orcs and most of the civillians. The Company of the Iron Jawed followed the straggling barbarians back to their settlement, and butchered every single one of them - including all their children - impaling their bodies on stakes as a warning to other orcs. To this day, the battlefield and the orc settlement are said to be haunted by the spirits of the tortured and the betrayed. With the support of the Synod, the outraged Dawnish denounced Antek for his brutality. He was ultimately executed for treason and the Company of the Iron Jawed disbanded, but on his way to his execution, Antek is said to have shrugged and said simply "There will be more Dawnish. But there will be no more Yellow Hand orcs."

Creating a Free Company

The free companies are intended to allow players to create iconic mercenary characters in the League. While the guilds regularly hire mercenaries and employ guards, a free company allows a group of players to play a dedicated mercenary group, rather than creating a guild. A free company can be as large as you like but in order to be effective it is essential to have some military presence, either in uptime or downtime. Many free companies include members from every city in the League - if the members of your group take military units rather than other downtime options there is little incentive for them to be from the same city.

There's plenty of space for a variety of non-combat characters in a free company - medical staff, commissariat and crafters can all fit in. Specifically, to fit into the League background your free company will need someone who can sign deals on its behalf, the "Signeur". That person does not have to be the battlefield commander, and would be an interesting role for someone who wishes to play in a free company, but is not as interested in fighting. Creating a guild is worth a read for some general advice about the guilds.

An example of an iconic free company in film is Rutger Hauer's band in the film Flesh and Blood.

Playing a Free Company

At events, groups have the choice of which battles to participate in, giving free companies the opportunity to leverage their military skills to try to earn coin. While many nations expect their military groups to fight in the best interests of the nation, as a free company you should protect your right to fight for coin. It can be extremely difficult to make money as a mercenary; most players want to fight in the battles, so you don't have the same bargaining power that historical mercenaries might have had - unless you can ensure you are able to sell the choice of who you fight for. Beware of other players trying to invoke patriotism to justify why you should fight without being paid!

If members of your group have taken military units as downtime resources you will also be able to use these to help the Empire fight campaigns against the barbarians. Like fighting at events, the more you can keep your options open as to which armies your units support, the more money you will be able to earn by using your troops.

"It was a glorious summer night as the three lieutenants, Mueller, Ostravo and Dovarosz, stood well back to admire the blazing conflagration that had once been the the cider press house at Andecello. Around them the men and women of the Glorious Lacuna Free Company had managed to rescue several tun barrels of cider, and had rolled them out beneath the apple trees for sampling. One bravo filled his helm to the brim from a gushing keg, while another was visible only as a pair of waggling pantalooned legs sticking from the top of the barrel. All in all, the kind of thing one might expect to see after any Free Company victory. Suddenly Captain Roncavo strode into view, the garnets of his cape flashing in the firelight. He slapped one bravo on the back hard enough to spit out a mouthful of cider before striding atop a barrel and adopting his best stage voice.

“My beautiful bravos, my brothers and sisters in arms! Tonight we sup from the heady brew of victory, while the enemy samples the dusty kegs of defeat!”

The men cheered and someone thrust a mug of cider into the captain’s hands. The captain raised it high, “Andacello was just the beginning, my friends, the Esperanda guild have made good on their word – the steel of their coffers now flows for as long as we can keep defeating these brigands. So drink up, lads and lasses, drink up!”

The lieutenants continued to watch, bemused, as the Captain was hoisted shoulder high and carried off as a hero.

Mueller turned to his companions, “I tell you what, he can’t fight, he doesn’t know squat about soldiering, and he’s more puffed up than a Freeborn pastry, but sometimes I think hiring that Mountebank was the best decision we ever made…”

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Free_company&oldid=33466"

Freedom Heresy

Roots of the Freedom Heresy

In 324YE Crescencia i Marusa i Riqueza a Freeborn priest of the briar lineage began to preach the heresy of freedom. Taking advantage of the closing months of the orc rebellion, she acquired several followers despite the overt opposition of the Synod. Her particular take on the false virtue of freedom was that individuals should be free to do whatever they wanted without regard to the wishes of others.

The heresy attracted a large number of followers, most of whom were of the briar lineage. After several months the heretics began to openly call for the briar people to live apart from the rest of the Empire in their own state or nation.

Rebellion

In 325 YE, Crescencia and her followers including a Dawnish general named Lord Geoffrey of House Casillon, siezed control of several castles on either side of the eastern border between Semmerholm and The Barrens. They intended to use the castles to establish a briar free-state. Their coup was bloody, resulting in the deaths of many soldiers who refused to support the heretical cause.

Reprisals were swift and bloody. An Imperial force lead by Lady Marthe de Cervise attacked the briars and drove them out of the castles. They retreated into the barrens, establishing a tiny kingdom there called Montane and calling for briars, secessionists and "lovers of freedom" from across the Empire to join them.

While the Synod and the Dawnish and Highborn senators pushed for a major military campaign against the briars, other voices were less convinced. The Navarr in particular argued successfully for restraint claiming that the problem would correct itself given time. For two years there was a flood of disaffected individuals, mostly briars, travelling to Montane, while the Senate and the Synod were at an impasse on gaining a resolution on how to resolve the problem.

The fall of Montane

In Winter 328 YE, the orc barbarians assaulted Montane. It soon became clear that the briars were unable to withstand the orc armies, and several entreaties were sent to the Empire pleading for assistance. All were refused and within two years the occupants of Montane who were not killed were carried away as slaves. Crescencia and several of her closest followers where caught while fleeing to Dawn. Their trial and execution on charges of heresy and blasphemy in 329, signalled the end of the the Freedom Heresy.

In the aftermath, teams of exorcists from the Synod were dispatched into Montane to cleanse the area of auras summoned by the blasphemous cult. This included banishing auras from buildings and tainted relics, as well as liberating citizens who had been possessed. The findings reported by the exorcists were that the situation in Montane had deteriorated even before the orcs attacked. Under the influence of so-called freedom, liberty had swiftly turned to licence, and discipline and vigilance had waned. One Troubadour claimed that, given another year, the rebels would have been no better than barbarians themselves.

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Freedom of the Soul

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

At the conclusion of the ritual, the target is infused with an aura of passionate energy.

They experience the following roleplaying effect; whenever you experience an emotion, you experience it far more strongly than normal. You switch between one extreme emotion and another freely and without restraint. You are much more likely to question anything that restrains your behaviour, whether it is a law, an expectation of society, or a sign that says 'no entry' on it. You may respond to any roleplaying effect that attempts to dampen your expression of emotions, or to create feelings of calm, clarity or tranquility, with an exuberant, passionate burst of emotion such as anger, happiness or enthusiasm.

The enchantment can be removed by an exorcism ceremony regardless of strength. An anointing ceremony with a strength of 2 or higher will replace (and end) this enchantment. The aura is not visible to a character using the insight ceremony.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same band. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 1. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual creates a powerful aura on the characters who participate in it. It is often described as being similar to being under the influence of certain narcotics. For the most part, the aura encourages joyful, positive behaviour - but it is just as likely to send an incautious person into a spiral of sadness and despair, or drive someone with repressed anger into a violent outburst. Some individuals relish the way the enchantment encourages them to question convention, or encourage them to indulge in their pleasures without worrying about the consequences until the next day.

Some students of Night magic view this ritual as an expensive narcotic to offer to the jaded and the bored, or to "help a party go with a bang". Others of a more mystical bent consider this enchantment to be a spiritual experience designed to free the mind from imposed restraints, or to achieve a cathartic release of pent-up frustrations. They view using this ritual 'for fun' as being an abuse of something much better suited to helping people explore philosophical truths about freedom and responsibility.

The enchantment can be emotionally and physically exhausting. Regardless of whether it is being used to explore philosophical concepts or simply for fun, it is usually cast at night to restrict the potential duration. On a few are occasions, subjects have made themselves very ill indeed by forgetting to eat or drink while filled with enthusiasm and in the grip of powerful emotions.

Common Elements

this ritual often involves a symbolic 'freeing' of the target from chains or bonds. Narcotics are a common element, as is the consumption of strong drink or herbal preparations. Fires that are stoked and made brighter, or music and dance that begins quietly and becomes faster and more exhuberant, are also regular components of this ritual.,

The rune Zorech is unsurprisingly a common element.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Freedom_of_the_Soul&oldid=33093"

Freezing Brand of Irremais

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 10

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Removing the Curse

- 1.5 OOC Element

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 10

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must be aware that this ritual is being used on them.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

This ritual permanently marks a character with a magical brand in the shape of the Irremais rune. The target character must be aware that this ritual is being used on them, although they need not be willing - this often means they must be restrained in some way.

During the ritual, the ritualists announce a single action that they believe the target took that requires punishment. This is the reason for the brand and must be clear to the target if the roleplaying effect below is to work.

At the conclusion the rune Irremais is permanently marked onto the skin of the target, usually appearing on the forearm or cheek (the ritualists cannot specifically define where the mark appears). The brand cannot be removed; if the skin in that area is removed or damaged, the mark reappears somewhere else.

The target also experienced a powerful roleplaying effect: If anyone asks you whether you have been branded with Irremais, you feel excruciating pain if you do not answer them in the affirmative. Likewise, if they ask you why you were marked, the brand burns with cold fire taht is extremely painful unless you give them the reason the ritualists gave when they performed the ritual.

It does not matter if you believe you are guilty of performing the action the ritualists named; the ritual does not compel you to say you are guilty, or that you did it, only to give the reason the ritualists gave for their action.,

The detect magic always detects the presence of this curse; rather than providing realm and magnitude it specifically tells the caster taht Freezing Brand of Irremais is in effect.

The roleplaying effect caused by this curse cannot be removed with the exorcism ceremony, and while it may be resisted for a short time by abilities such as those granted through the use of hero points you should roleplay the great effort it takes to suppress the pain of the brand if you wish to avoid admitting to its presence, or the action the ritualists have defined as your 'crime'.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Removing the Curse

The brand can be removed by certain powerful creatures or items with the power to break oaths. It could also be removed by a ritual of at least magnitude 40, although it is likely that doing so would have permanent implications for the target. Finally, a coven made up entirely of ritualists who contributed to placing the brand in the first place can perform the ritual again with the express intention of removing the brand.

OOC Element

When deciding the reason for the brand it is usually best to be clear and succinct. "You killed your friend" or "your negligence cost dozens of lives" or "you showed cowardice in the face of the Jotun" are easy for the target to remember and to provide when asked. The target does not need to use the exact wording, so ambiguously phrased reasons may provide them with a loophole; that is absolutely in keeping with the nature of the magics involved here.

The target may choose where the brand appears (forearm or cheek or, with the approval of a referee, somewhere else). It may be phys-repped with make-up but a prosthetic or textured material such as collodion is ideal. Profound Decisions make-up department may be available to help phys-rep the result of this ritual, but it is especially ideal if the players who performed the ritual can help the target.arrange the brand.

Description

This ritual is a punishment, pure and simple. It can also be abused for use as a tool of subtle torture. While it is most often used to mark someone who has committed a serious transgression, there are several stories of innocent men and women condemned to bear the brand due to the machinations of their enemies. The brand cannot easily be removed, so many ritualists refuse to perform it unless they are absolutely sure it is warranted.

It's main value is that it prevents a target from hiding the fact of it's existance, or denying that the punishment was inflicted. It serves as a constant reminder that the target has been punished - either with good cause, or unjustly. Once it becomes common knowledge that the rune exists, life can easily become a living torment as people who consider themselves clever or funny (or who have been wronged) force the target to repeat the details of their punishment over and over.

Receiving this brand often spells the end of a political career, but this is not always the case. While being forced to admit to bearing the mark, or repeat that it was placed due to negligence, can both be frustrating, some politicians have refused to allow their alleged shame to stop their ambitions.

Common Elements

Symbols of law, vengeance, justice and punishment are used with this ritual, as are chains, locks and physical brands. The target may have the rune branded or carved into their flesh as part of the ritual, and both ice and ice-water are commonly used. The ritualists must be clear what the reason for the brand is, and this is often written down on a scroll that is given or pinned to the target.

This ritual is usually performed in public; the more public, the better. It obviously involves the evocation of the rune Irremais, but may also include the names of certain Eternals associated with punishment or curses, including the Lictors and Wise Rangara. Dramaturgists may invoke the authority of The Prince, or the cold judgement of The Doctor.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Freezing_Brand_of_Irremais&oldid=32788"

Friendly rivalry

Friendly Rivalry

Being from different armies, Alkar and Vendek had never come across each other before their units were both assigned to the Strong Reeds. Winter Suns fighting alongside the Summer Storm, the pair first met on the field, and shed blood together. Battle done, they sat sharpening their weapons, arguing about which arrmy was best. After a long debate about the piles of barbarian orcs killed, and desperate situations rescued, Alkar pointed out how much the Winter Suns had done for The Plan. "Two years ago, Kalindar Stormcrow of the Winter Suns became the first Orc Archmage. Last year, not only did the Imperial Orcs gain a National Assembly in the Synod but, at the Autumn Equinox, our Preacher Atla was six votes from becoming Cardinal of the Way. That's got more orcs spending time thinking about The Way than anything else ever."

Vendek snorted, "Almost Cardinal isn't a title. And who broke the siege of Holberg?"

Back and forth they argued about which army was doing more to make The Plan happen, until Alkar offered a bet. "One day the Plan will succeed, and an Imperial Orc will stand as Senator for the first time. If they're from my army, you request a transfer to my unit. If the Senator is from your army, I'll transfer to you."

Vendek grinned, "Done. Worth it just to see you struggling to keep up when we charge..."

Civil Service Report

Military units from the two orc legions have been deployed in conflicts away from the legions they originate from. This has resulted in more occasions where orcs from each of the two legions have fought alongside one another. On the whole, this has been highly positive and observations have said it has build stronger links between the two. However, legion identity remains strong for these orc soldiers and this has manifested into a sense of friendly rivalry and competition. This has included contests of sparring, athletics and which legion has contributed the most to The Plan. No ill effects have been reported from this (excluding the occasional injury) and there is no reason to prevent it continuing.

Imperial prognosticators have identified that there could be benefits to taking advantage of this rivalry. Recognition and validation of one of the legions could see a boost to its morale that would increase the battlefield effectiveness of its military units. Conversely, widespread and non-specific recognition, whilst positive, would have no appreciable effect.

In more specific terms:

- If the Orc National Assembly passes a Statement of Principle noting and praising the Summer Storm's successes toward the achieving the Imperial Orc ambition, but omits the Winter Sun, then it is expected that the military units attached to that army will experience a temporary, yet significant, boost in morale and effectiveness. [1]

- If the Orc National Assembly passes a Statement of Principle noting and praising the Winter Sun's successes toward the achieving the Imperial Orc ambition, but omits the Summer Storm, it is expected that the military units attached to that army will experience a temporary, yet significant, boost in morale and effectiveness. [2]

- If the Orc National Assembly passes a Statement of Principle noting and praising the successes of the Winter Sun and Summer Storm toward the achieving the Imperial Orc plan, there is no appreciable effect [3].

As is the case with Synod judgments, a judgment made by the General Assembly would be deemed to have greater authority than that of a National Assembly.

Footnotes

- [1] The Military Units originating from the Summer Storm army will gain a temporary boost equivalent to a two level upgrade

- [2] The Military Units originating from the Winter Sun army will gain a temporary boost equivalent to a two level upgrade

- [3] No impact on military units

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Friendly_rivalry&oldid=35294"

From the Spires Tall

March out bravely, From the Spires tall, Armour shod, sure of foot, Warriors all,

The Empire calls us now, Out we march to war, Poise in ev’ry movement made, A silent roar.

Heed the general’s shout, Move at his command, Shield and rod, wand and staff, Sword at hand.

Strike our foes down, Move and hold the line, Weapons swift, eyes aflame, Banners high.

March then* home again, To the Spires tall, Armour shod, victorious, Warriors all.

*Can be sung as “now” if on the return

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=From_the_Spires_Tall&oldid=21560"

Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 64

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 64

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Summer regio.

This ritual targets a specific region. During the performance of the ritual the casters must name a region within the target territory which has the "hilly" keyword.

The ritual may target a region in a territory which is under Imperial control (that is, which is eligible to appoint a Senator) when cast from the Imperial regio. To effect a region in a territory that is not under Imperial control, the ritual must be performed at a regio within the target territory.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The ritual targets a single region of hills or mountains within a territory. Over the course of the next few days a powerful enchantment settles over the region which conjures a citadel of stone-hard, semi-translucent ice to offer protection to armies belonging to the force that controls the area.

The magical structure mimics the effect of a 2,000 strength fortification in the enchanted region. The fortification helps determine victory, and if the region is attacked it may inflict casualties. Unlike a mundane fortification, the magical fortification does not absorb any casualties itself.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

This enchantment causes a fortification formed of enchanted ice to manifest at a strategically significant location in the target region. This citadel is called forth from the frigid realm of Cathan Canae, the Queen of Ice and supports the force that controls the area. In some cases, a series of mighty towers appears instead or, more rarely, a number of vertiginous icy walls manifest at either end of an important pass.

The fortification is extremely resistant to damage; fire does not melt it and siege engines find it exceptionally hard to damage. In some cases, especially in winter, howling winds and unseasonal snowfall will assail besieging forces. These effects are irregular, but highlight the raw ferocity of the frozen north and the coldest season. The ritual is an enchantment, and can in theory be made permanent with ilium. This has not been achieved in the history of the Empire, but in theory such a citadel would last until destroyed.

This ritual increases the difficulty a hostile force will have in claiming a territory, even if there is no army to oppose them directly, Local militia and the like are able to take advantage of the defensive enchantment to hold off larger forces, at least for a time.

Common Elements

It is common with this ritual to invoke the name of Cathan Canea, or to call on the memory of famous castle builders such as Willard d'Onnecour or the Sentinel. Dramaturgy involving the erection of a castle, especially on The Battlefield at the orders of The Captain might be appropriate, as might evocations of the constellation of The Oak.

A map is sometimes used as an additional element, often obscured during the casting with water or exposed to snow or ice. Sometimes the map is created from sand or painstakingly drawn with salt or coloured powders as part of the ritual, reinforcing the idea of raising a magical fortification.

The runes Verys and Feresh are commonly used during this ritual, and the constellation of The Oak is often invoked.

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Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae (Redirected from Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canea)

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 64

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 64

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Summer regio.

This ritual targets a specific region. During the performance of the ritual the casters must name a region within the target territory which has the "hilly" keyword.

The ritual may target a region in a territory which is under Imperial control (that is, which is eligible to appoint a Senator) when cast from the Imperial regio. To effect a region in a territory that is not under Imperial control, the ritual must be performed at a regio within the target territory.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The ritual targets a single region of hills or mountains within a territory. Over the course of the next few days a powerful enchantment settles over the region which conjures a citadel of stone-hard, semi-translucent ice to offer protection to armies belonging to the force that controls the area.

The magical structure mimics the effect of a 2,000 strength fortification in the enchanted region. The fortification helps determine victory, and if the region is attacked it may inflict casualties. Unlike a mundane fortification, the magical fortification does not absorb any casualties itself.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

This enchantment causes a fortification formed of enchanted ice to manifest at a strategically significant location in the target region. This citadel is called forth from the frigid realm of Cathan Canae, the Queen of Ice and supports the force that controls the area. In some cases, a series of mighty towers appears instead or, more rarely, a number of vertiginous icy walls manifest at either end of an important pass.

The fortification is extremely resistant to damage; fire does not melt it and siege engines find it exceptionally hard to damage. In some cases, especially in winter, howling winds and unseasonal snowfall will assail besieging forces. These effects are irregular, but highlight the raw ferocity of the frozen north and the coldest season. The ritual is an enchantment, and can in theory be made permanent with ilium. This has not been achieved in the history of the Empire, but in theory such a citadel would last until destroyed.

This ritual increases the difficulty a hostile force will have in claiming a territory, even if there is no army to oppose them directly, Local militia and the like are able to take advantage of the defensive enchantment to hold off larger forces, at least for a time.

Common Elements

It is common with this ritual to invoke the name of Cathan Canea, or to call on the memory of famous castle builders such as Willard d'Onnecour or the Sentinel. Dramaturgy involving the erection of a castle, especially on The Battlefield at the orders of The Captain might be appropriate, as might evocations of the constellation of The Oak.

A map is sometimes used as an additional element, often obscured during the casting with water or exposed to snow or ice. Sometimes the map is created from sand or painstakingly drawn with salt or coloured powders as part of the ritual, reinforcing the idea of raising a magical fortification.

The runes Verys and Feresh are commonly used during this ritual, and the constellation of The Oak is often invoked.

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- Stormguard_Bulwark.html

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- Synod_Results,_Winter_Summit,_377YE

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- toc.html

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- Wiki_Updates

- Will

- Windblow,_home

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Fund the Academy

That the Senate grant funding to provide resources to the Academy for the training of our next generation.

Proposed by Bastion, seconded by Casinea.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

Overview

- Disburse funds to the Academy

- Passed at 5 Thrones with 12 votes against, money distributed to Bastion.

Date

- Passed Spring 377YE (Event Two 2013)

Cost

- 5 Thrones

Progress

- Complete; and funds were disbursed to Simiel of the Shattered Tower, the Senator for Bastion.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Fund_the_Academy&oldid=23561"

Furrowed Wake

Description

A Furrowed Wake is a stout wooden stick, reinforced with bands of green iron and inlaid with tempest jade decorations. It allows a skilled magician to twist their magic to throw a target to the ground rather than driving them out of their presence. In many ways this is a superior method of capturing an opponent to the more traditional entangle spell.

Imperial Orc Warcasters favour this staff when having learnt the repel spell. It allows them to get up close and personal with their opponents without them running away, and when using the furrowed wake they can often hear the voice of an ancestor screamingly urging them to brutalize their enemy as they are on the ground, calling it the Stave of Antecedent Might. It is also useful for Thief-takers' when a group of pole-arm wielders contains a few Warcasters and their tactic involves knocking their quarry to the ground. It allows the Warcasters to be part of the disciplined strategy.

There is debate among nations about which rune this staff should be marked with. Among the Navarr, Winterfolk and Varushkans Mawrig, the rune of Storms, is used, for the ability to surprise and bring down the weak. However in Highguard, the League and Urizen Mawrig represents Disaster and is seen as a particularly ill omen. They instead prefer to mark their Furrowed Wakes with Xun, rune of Transformations, representing the transition from the magical to the physical. For this reason in Urizen it is often decorated with iridescent butterfly wings gaining attacks with it the sobriquet Butterfly Wing Storm.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day when you cast the repel spell, you may call STRIKEDOWN rather than REPEL.

- Materials: Crafting a furrowed wake requires twelve ingots of tempest jade, nine measures of iridescent gloaming, three measures of ambergelt. and five ingots of green iron. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"And so we see that while it is quite easy to project force THUS!", she muttered a word, reached out a hand and released a pulse of energy that sent one of her two already-bruised acolytes flying across the courtyard to be pinned to a wall with a wet smack. She drew forth a small rod from her robes and touched it to the other acolyte, "We must still always be prepared for the relatively simple matter of adjusting that force to act in a crucially different way." She spoke a word of power again, and the other acolyte's legs where whipped from under him, toppling him onto the hard cobbles of the training yard. "Here ends today's lessons."

"It is our honour to learn at your feet, mistress", the two acolytes wheezed in unison.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Furrowed_Wake&oldid=32705"

Future territory assignment

The first captured virgin territory to be given as homeland to the Orcs granting them a Senate seat and encouraging all Senators to expedite this.

Proposed by Bregasland, seconded by Therunin.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Legal Ramifications

Overview

- First captured virgin territory to be given as homeland to the Orcs

- Passed with 10 votes against

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013).

Cost

- None

Legal Ramifications

- None - it is unconstitutional for the Senate to make decisions about what the Senate in the future must do.

OOC Notes

Empire is designed so that significant political events will occur that must be addressed by the players - issues like the allocation of territories which must be decided by the Senate. If players vote on future events - to dictate the outcome of an event before it has happened - that basically robs the future players of fun they should have had. It also creates all kinds of tedious situations where players are encouraged to vote to over-turn a decision they took earlier - we're keen to avoid the game being bogged down with too many procedural votes of this kind.

Rather the game is designed so that important votes like this are taken at the point where they are relevant - and many cannot be reversed - precisely to stop players trying to share things (which is a great in-character solution, but terrible for game drama) and to stop them constantly changing their collective mind every time the make-up of the Senate or similar changes.

For all these reasons and more, it is not possible for one of the houses to take a vote instructing any future body of Imperial citizens on how they must vote. Basically you can vote on things that are happening now - but not on things that are going to happen in the future.

Of course it is possible for the Senate to express its will - to make a public statement saying something should happen. That's perfectly acceptable - but it's not constitutional as a binding piece of law that characters are legally obliged to either follow or repeal. This statement clearly illustrates what the Senate wanted to happen at the time the vote was taken (being unconstitutional has no effect on that), so at the point where the Senators come to vote it is likely to be an important part of the politics - it just isn't a legal requirement.

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Gallant Archer

Tune trad. Scottish Athole Gathering. Lyrics by Daisy Abbott, Jude Reid, and Kath Wheeler.

IC written by Jennet of Mourn.

Chorus: Who will go with gallant Archer? Who will go with Sweet Will's men? He's the flower of the Bregas And the darling of the fen See the white rose in his bonnet See his banner proudly sway His good sword he now has drawn it And has flung the sheath away

Fighting in the woods of Chalcis Orcs and monsters all were killed Highborn, Freeborn all to safety Marchers last to leave the field A sudden rush from Orcish forces Loud and clear retreat did sound As the portal closed behind us Three bold men lay on the ground

Chorus

Up then spoke Courageous Archer "Marchers we have all to do Jack can open up the portal But we must bravely step back through If they live we'll bring them back And celebrate our Loyalty And if they're dead we'll bring them home To lay beneath an apple tree."

Chorus

Every faithful Marcher followed Strong as steady as the tide Returned into the field of battle Stoutly marching side by side Ever watchful, ever onward Generals, Captains, brave Yeomen, Scoured the dark and faced the danger To bring the Cullachs home again!

Chorus

Of the three that day were rescued Two were wounded mighty sore And one did give his life for Empire Birchland did rise up no more So Marchers always stand together To make a loss of one from three Join me now in praise and song For William Archer's bravery!

Chorus

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Gambit

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Procedure

- 2.1 Raising a Gambit

- 2.2 Presentation

- 2.3 Debate

- 2.4 Resolution

- 2.4.1 Challenging the Grandmaster

Overview

The Conclave has a store of resources, usually referred to as the Conclave vaults. The resources exist predominantly in the form of crystal mana and ilium, but some other materials also end up in the vaults. There is one vault for each Conclave order - the contents are assigned to that order to pursue their magical and political goals within the Empire. However they cannot access their vault directly - they must do so via a gambit.

Each gambit is a request to make use of the resources of the orders. Most gambits are presented by an archmage, but the Warmage also has the power to raise one gambit per summit. Each gambit is heard and resolved in the order it was placed.

Procedure

Raising a Gambit

A gambit is placed on the agenda for the next Conclave session. Only a limited number of people have the power to raise a gambit. There is no cost to do so. An archmage may raise one gambit at each Conclave session; the Warmage and similar titles (such as the Bursar of the Conclave) gain the ability to raise a single gambit at each summit.

A gambit must include the name of the person raising it, and the specific resources required, and may include a short summary of the purpose the materials will be used for. Care should be taken in submitting a gambit - once it has been submitted, the mana crystals and resources requested cannot be changed.

Presentation

Each gambit is presented in turn, in the order they were raised; they must be fully resolved before the next one is heard.

The civil servant supporting the meeting announces the gambit, the resources required and, if there is one, the purpose given for the resources. The individual who raised the gambit receives one minute to explain their intent and attempt to persuade the assembled magicians to support them. They may spend additional crystal mana under the Principle of Proportions if they wish to do so.

Because of the Principle of Presence, the holder of the Imperial title that raised the gambit cannot nominate or proxy another individual to present the gambit for them - they must present their own gambits or else forego a presentation.

Debate

After the presentation is complete the grandmaster of each order may nominate someone present to speak, in order determined by the Principle of Precedence. Every speaker must pay mana for the right to present their views on the issue. It is considered rude to move the debate away from the subject of the gambit - magicians who attempt to pursue unrelated agendas are often barracked by the assembled magicians until they stop talking.

Resolution

Once the discussion is complete, each grandmaster has a minute to discuss the gambit with the members of their order who are present. Once the minute has expired, each grandmaster must declare how much (if at all) they are prepared to put forward for the gambit.

Starting with the order which has the highest precedence (the reverse of the order used when talking during the agenda), each grandmaster announces what resources their order will put forward. To make matters easier for the civil servants, the grandmasters often write the amount down, and pass it forward, at the same time that they announce their orders decision to the Conclave.

Once the full materials required for the gambit are resourced, the civil servant announces the gambit is complete. It is not possible to 'over-resource' a gambit and any excess announced by the last order to resource it is not spent.

After the orders have spoken, if the gambit has not been fully resourced there is a chance for any individual or individuals present to make up the shortfall from their own pocket. If not, then the gambit fails and no resources are spent. If someone does come forward to resource the remainder of the gambit they must present the materials required there and then - if not the gambit fails.

If a gambit succeeds then the resources are given to the holder of the Imperial title that submitted it, or to their proxy, after the Conclave session is complete.

Challenging the Grandmaster

The legal power to allocate mana or resources to a gambit is made by the grandmaster of that order - however they may only do so with the backing of those members of their order who are present. The civil servant counting the gambit will ask if the order is in agreement. If they are not, then a quick show of hands is taken to determine who is in favour and who against. If the order does not support the grandmaster, that order contributes nothing to resourcing the gambit - there is no chance to change the amount. Only members of an order can vote on whether they support their grandmaster or not.

It is rare for a grandmaster to be vetoed in this manner, and if often leads to resignation, as it indicates the grandmaster has lost the support of their order. Few grandmasters like to be publicly challenged by a member of their own order; they often prefer to compromise with fellow members simply to prevent the possibility of a challenge being made.

- The Summer Archmage requires thirty-five crystals of mana so that Amelia Larkwood de Rousillon may grant the Shining Panoply of Knighthood to the Earl de Rousillon and her soldiers before they face the Druj in battle tomorrow morning.

- The Night Archmage requires forty crystals of mana to equip multiple couriers with secure document pouches

- The Warmage requires ten crystals of mana for Garrett of Osterly so that he may scry the dispositions of the Thule armies near Skarsind.

- The Day Archmage requires twenty crystals of mana so that the Rod and Shield order may raise the Standard of War on the forces defending Mahnraking Hall in Hahnark.

- The Winter Archmage requires thirty-five crystals of mana so that her coven may defend themselves against malignant magic while they explore a haunted forest in Varushka.

- The Spring Archmage requires nine measures of beggar's lye, five measures of iridescent gloaming, five measures of orichalcum and nineteen rings of ilium with which to commission wyvernsting spaulders for use by the Warmage.

- The Autumn Archmage requires seventeen crystals of mana so that the Sevenfold Path may use the Mantle of the Golden Orator to support their allies in the Imperial Synod

Gambits presented to the Conclave of the first Summer session, 369YE

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Gancio's Gamble

Description

The first use of Gancio's Gamble was among the crossbowmen of Holberg, who have long put it to use in the defence of their city against the barbarians who came to attack them out of the Barrens. The Merchant Prince Ferdinanda Piacenti di Sarvos popularised their use around the Bay of Catazar by fielding a company of crossbowmen in a Brass Coast campaign who became legendary for their resilience in a melee. For this reason it is sometimes known in Sarvos and among the Freeborn corsairs who use it as the Sarvos Standard - a name best not spoken around the bravos of Holberg.

Gancio's Gamble is now used widely across the Empire. It is especially common among the Highborn Unconquered, who rely on its strength to help them overcome greater numbers when they spring their ambushes, and the battlefield archers of Navarr and Marches.

The standard is traditionally known by four white stripes running vertically up its length, traditionally made of dragonbone but nowadays just as likely to be painted on. The Holbergers claim that the tradition comes from the banner of the Company of the Bright Star, famed defenders of their city, which had alternating black and white stripes.

Rules

- Form: Standard. Takes the form of a magical standard.

- Effect: Each character bonded to this banner wielding a bow can use second wind once per day.

- Materials: Crafting Gancio's gamble requires seventeen measures of dragonbone, twelve ingots of weltsilver, seven ingots of orichalcum, seven measures of ambergelt and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"I, Franz Schweinsteiger von Holberg, being true in Virtue and strong of heart, do on this day voluntarily enlist myself as a soldier in the Company of the Bright Plume, in its service and that of the Empire. I swear my oath to defend the city of Holberg and the territory which it rightfully controls.

"I will bring low my enemies, wherever and whenever I find them. With my bow and my sword I will lay them low.

"I submit myself to the articles of service of the said Company. I accept the rate of its pay. I accept without reservation the conditions of its service for the five years of my pledge.

"I take my oath beneath the banner which has made us great. I bond myself to it of my own free will. I understand its power and the responsibilities that follow. I will not flee from battle, nor submit to weakness in my hour of need. I will stand and fight until I am dead or victorious.

"With my brothers and sisters in battle I make my oath. Beneath the standard we stand as one. We will be reliable, unquestionable, unbreakable and unbroken.

"With Virtue and magic we make our bond. So let it be!"

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Garrison's Vigilance

Description

This banner is often employed defensively, but it is also carried into battle by such diverse warriors as armoured Dawnish nobles, Highborn cataphracts and Imperial orc legions. It is sometimes called an Iron Battleflag when it is used by a battlefield army, rather than an emplaced garrison.

Rules

- Form: Standard. Takes the form of a magical standard.

- Effect: Each character bonded to this banner wielding a shield and wearing heavy armour on the torso and at least one other valid location gains an additional rank of endurance.

- Materials: Crafting garrison's vigilance requires seventeen measures of dragonbone, twelve ingots of orichalcum,seven measures of ambergelt, seven measures of iridescent gloaming and three ingots of weltsilver. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Gathering the Harvest

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 15

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 15

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a farm which must already be enchanted with the Strong Ox, Golden Sun ritual. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual completely replaces the effect of Strong Ox, Golden Sun.

The farm earns an additional 400 rings at the Autumn Equinox (event 4). The ritual ends at the start of winter.

This spell is intended to be cast at the Summer Solstice. If the spell is cast earlier in the year, then money that would have been gained from Strong Ox, Golden Sun or Blessing of New Spring is lost.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event. If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional farms in the same territory. Each additional farm increases the magnitude by 12. The character who controls each farm must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This spell is intended to be cast at the Summer Solstice, and it is a little less productive if cast earlier in the year and is useless if performed after the Summer Solstice. A farm effected by the ritual will gather it's crops faster, and with less wastage; the weather remains fairer for longer; and all the minor elements that might damage or reduce the value of a crop tend to be mitigated or avoided. Every harvest is a bumper harvest under this ritual; stalks bend practically double with corn and wheat, fruit are oversized and succulent, animals are fat and complacent to the slaughter ... it ensures wealth, prosperity and comfort for the farmers and their families, as well as plenty left over to sell ata profit.

As with the blessing of new spring, this is a very old ritual indeed. The ritual is understandably popular in The Marches, and there are covens of landskeepers who work hard to ensure that they can perform this ritual on many farms simultaneously. Such covens also work to master Blessing of New Spring and Strong Ox, Golden Sun if they can, and know that their ability to perform this ritual gives them a useful political tool when dealing with the households and monasteries.

Common Elements

The ritual brings prosperity, and of all the farm enchantments this is the one that tends to have the most dramatic performances. Ritual performances often include the evocation of the rune Pallas. Hearth magics and symbols associated with strength and agricultural Prosperity are also commonly evoked, such as sweat, salt, honey, ale, milk or grain. Foodstuffs are often shared and a toast drunk, with a libation poured onto the soil in acknowledgement of the role it plays in providing a fine harvest.

In The Marches, a portion of the produce that the farm produced the previous year might be used in the ritual. In a similar way, a Varushkan cabal or circle of Wintermark magicians might use honey made in an especially prosperous year with fresh-baked runebread, to draw a connection between then and now.

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General

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Member of the Military Council

- 3.2 Command of an army

- 3.3 Appoint an Adjutant

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 Further Reading

- 6.1 Core Brief

- 6.2 Additional Information

Overview

Each Imperial army is commanded by a single general - a new title is automatically created when a new army is created. A general is usually selected by the senators of their nation but once appointed they have sole authority for issuing commands to their army. They also have a voice and a vote in the Imperial Military Council allowing them to influence the use of the major conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate.

Responsibilities

Each general is responsible for the Imperial army they command. They have the absolute final say on the orders that army will receive. It is common for a general to cooperate with other members of the Military Council, particularly other generals of their nation, but they are under no requirement to do so.

As a member of the Military Council, the generals shoulder a portion of the Council's responsibility for conducting military campaigns against the enemies of the Empire - claiming new territory, protecting the borders and wielding the martial might of the Empire to the best of their ability. This places any general in a difficult position as they must balance national interests with the constant clamour to put the Empire first.

As part of the Council, they have the power to determine how the conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate are employed. This important responsibility includes selecting an Imperial citizen to act as Field Marshal providing leadership to all the Imperial forces that take the field. Although technically any Imperial citizen may be appointed as Field Marshal to lead on the battlefield, in practice the honour usually falls to a member of the Military Council.

A successful general must manage the political pressures of their appointment with a keen strategic mind and a natural affinity for leadership on the battlefield. It is widely considered one of the most difficult jobs in the Empire. Some generals take advantage of the challenge to pave the way for a successful career in the Senate, or even climb their way to The Throne on the back of successful campaigns and carefully gathered allies. Others retire from public life, haunted by their failures and accusations of incompetence.

Powers

Member of the Military Council

Each general is a member of the Imperial Military Council. They can participate in discussions, vote on matters of importance, and add items to the agenda for a Council session.

Command of an army

A general commands a single Imperial army, drawn from volunteers from their nation. Once a general is given their command, they have sole authority to order the army to move or attack as they choose. Traditionally the generals of one nation will cooperate but it is not a requirement and a general is within their rights to give orders as they see fit.

The civil service provide each general with a report on the state of their army at the start of each summit. The briefing covers the current strength and location of the force; the details of any campaign the army was involved in; and a description of casualties incurred or additional troops recruited. Newly appointed generals can request a copy of this briefing from the civil service; the Herald of the Council is in the best position to provide one but any civil servant should be able to help.

A general issues orders to their army during the summit, on a paper that is handed to the Herald of the Council. By tradition only the Herald accepts orders - other civil servants will usually decline to accept military orders.

Giving Orders

Customarily, generals have benefited from advice and support of the people of their nation when submitting orders. Although the final decision lies with the general, securing support from the armed forces controlled by individual captains can mean the difference between success and failure for a campaign. The egregores often helped arrange these meetings, although some nations organised semi-formal meetings to discuss matters (the thorns of Navarr for example, or the boyars of Varushka). Although not formally part of the Military Council, these meetings to discuss national strategy were traditionally held during a Senate session to uphold the spirit of the Imperial Constitution which forbids senators from involving themselves in military affairs.

This tradition fell out of favour only recently - during the reign of Emperor Walter the incompetent incumbent saw these meetings as opportunities for his toadies and agents to interfere in the military business of the individual nations. Empress Britta encouraged the nations to restore the tradition, although she personally preferred to lead the generals and the nations through personal charisma. Now that the turmoil after her death has died down, there are voices suggesting that a return to the historical state of affairs is the wisest course of action.

Appoint an Adjutant

Because of the dangers facing an Imperial general, they are permitted to appoint an adjutant rather than a proxy. An adjutant operates under the same legal restrictions as a proxy, with one notable exception. If the general who appointed an adjutant dies, then their adjutant automatically assumes the full powers of their general until a new election can be held. This situation helps to reduce the chance that the Empire might find itself with no-one to command its armies.

The adjutant serves in this fashion until a new general is appointed. It is important to note that a new general can be appointed (by unanimous decision of a nation's senators or by a motion in the Imperial Senate) at any time, and immediately replaces the adjutant.

Because of the more formal nature of an adjutant, it is common for generals to work closely with the adjutant and to introduce them to the Military Council, so that the Herald and other generals can identify them. In addition some generals have found it effective to share some of the responsibilities of their title with their adjutant, particularly those areas they do not enjoy handling. An experienced general might appoint an adjutant who can lead from the front; a general more concerned with leadership on the battlefield might appoint an adjutant to handle the political pressures and challenges of strategic planning.

As generals appoint an adjutant, they may not also appoint a proxy.

Role of the Adjutant

Many generals treat their adjutant as either an apprentice or as a political appointee, choosing a candidate whose support can buttress their own. But the role has been used in many ways through the Empire's history, Empress Varkula was particularly known for "encouraging" newly appointed generals to adopt their predecessor as an adjutant to advise them, at least where the general was favoured. Perhaps the most infamous use was by General Nadia, dread Boyar of the Black Hills, who appointed the brilliant but maimed wise one, Vuk Enakov. Vuk successfully appeared before the Imperial Synod in place of Nadia to defend more than a dozen high profile Inquisitions.

Selection

Generals are normally elected on the anniversary of the creation of the army they lead. Each title is a national position appointed by the Senate. Under normal circumstances it will be appointed by unanimous vote of the Senators of the appropriate nation.

Only a citizen of the appropriate nation may be appointed as a general of an army from that nation.

All general positions that are due to be elected during a summit immediately become vacant at 6pm time-in Friday. Adjutants lose their poisition also at this time. The senators can inform the civil service of their unanimous decision as to the new general at any point after this. There is no deadline for the elections, but the muster provides an impetus to declare who the general is in a timely fashion.

Removal

A general serves until the next election for the title. A general can be revoked by the General Assembly, the Assembly of the Nine and by the appropriate National Assembly of the Imperial Synod.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Muster

- Council Session

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

Additional Information

- War

- Council Address

- Appointments to the Military Council

- The Throne

- Herald of the Council

- Warmage

- Appointments by the Military Council

- Field Marshal

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- OOC Design

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Giant's Maul

Description

These massive greatclubs are two-handed weapons that strike especially powerful blows, designed to lift a foe off their feet. Verys, the Rune of Might commonly marks the striking surface of these weapons.

Marcher smiths claim the design is a tribute to a legendary figure known as Steeple Jack, a man said to be over seven feet tall. He was famed for going to battle armed with a small tree and could knock even the sturdiest warrior from their feet without spell or enchantment. Some stories even claim that Steeple Jack could even bowl over the now extinct horses with a single blow. Giant's Mauls were devised to let lesser men and women replicate Jack's feats of strength.

The giant's maul is also popular in the cities of the League. There it is employed in the defence of the city walls in times of siege. Invaders stepping on to the walls from siege towers and ladders are often greeted with brutal strikes from these clubs, causing them to lose their footing and fall from the fortifications. This sequence of step, blow, stumble and long fall has become known as the Holberg Hustle among the defenders of the besieged city.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a two-handed weapon.

- Requirement: You must have the Weapon Master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may call STRIKEDOWN with this two-handed weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a giant's maul requires seven ingots of green iron and seven ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Gawaine looked around in the brief respite from fighting. His soldiers had been ambushed by the barbarians, outnumbered caught off guard in the middle of a torrential downpour. He knew that he had to do something to turn the tide of the skirmish lest he and his men be overwhelmed. He had little strength left - the fighting had been vicious and he knew his wounds were serious. At his feet lay a trio of orcs, their lifeblood flowing from precise wounds. he snorted in disgust at the lack of challenge they had provided. But his concern for his troops was great. “What say you, coward?” he smirked, baiting the orc chieftain into reaction.

He spied the leader of the orc ambush, a hulking creature draped in grisly trophies. He closed his eyes for a second, allowing the tenets of courage to steel his resolve. He knew what he must do.

“You shall fall before this blade, beast! I, Gawaine de Courville, challenge you to honourable combat” the knight spoke, raising his sword to his lips and kissing the hilt before pointing the blade at the towering orc that led the rabble of barbarians before him. The skirmish continued around him, proud Dawnish warriors matching the ferocity of the orcs with steely discipline. He saw that the tide of the battle was turning more against the humans with every moment.

“Your hide will make a fine blanket for my children” the orc snarled, baring jagged teeth that had been filed to sharpened points. It readied the monstrous blackened-iron mace in his hands which had moments before been embedded firmly in the blood sodden ground. The remains of an unfortunate Dawnish warrior hung in visceral strings from the spiked head. With a guttural roar the orc charged forward, the oversized weapon dragging a deep furrow in the ground behind him as it ran. Gawaine raised his shield and prepared for the anticipated clumsy blow of the brute that charged towards him, a simple step to his the left and then a thrust to the throat should see the fight over in seconds. He doubted his shield could survive the impact of such a massive weapon, but it presented a tempting target that he felt sure the barbarian would be unable to resist.

He misjudged the step.

Gawaine heard the thundering ring of metal on metal as the mace connected with his shield and then pain spread through his body. His vision spun as he tumbled through the air like a straw doll. He made out flashes of combat around him and shocked human faces, time seeming to slow to a crawl as he was lifted from his feet to land in an undignified heap a full three paces from where he had stood. He tried to right himself but his head swam and his limbs refused to move, his heavy steel armour pinning him to the rainsodden ground. The orc chieftain followed up, hitting him while he was down, and he felt something break inside him. The beast roared its hatred to the rainclouds, a sneering grin on its inhuman face. Colour leached out of the world, pain threatening to overwhelm Gawaine's exhausted frame.

He struggled to turn his head to face the orc chieftain, pain shooting along his spine, as it stamped away from him. He looked around at his men and knew that this was the pivotal point of the fight. He refused to say in the mud, determined to show courage in the face of the enemy. As he pushed himself up to one knee and raised his shield, he saw surprise on the faces of orcs fighting nearby, renewed hope on the faces of his men.

“Is that all you can muster, beast? You’ll have to try harder!” he roared his challenge and spat onto the mud, the ivory of a lost tooth glistened in the glob of crimson that left his mouth. “Now lets see if you can manage that again!”

He charged the shocked barbarian chieftain, shield forward and sword raised. “For Dawn” he yelled, the cry taken up by his soldiers; he doubted he could survive many more blows from that cruel weapon but he was sure that he would earn his glory that day.

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Gift of the Wily Broker

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 15

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 15

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a business. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The business provides additional wealth over the next season, in addition to normal production.

At the start of the next season the target business provides one dose of liao; one ingot each of orichalcum, tempest jade, weltsilver and green iron; one measure each of iridescent gloaming, ambergelt, dragonbone and beggar's lye; and one dram each of the herbs imperial roseweald, marrowort, bladeroot, true vervain and cerulean mazzarine.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event. If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional businesses in the same territory. Each additional business increases the magnitude by 12. The character who controls each business must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

As with rituals such as Rivers of Gold and The Lure of Distant Shores, this enchantment subtly influences the flow of trade, gently warping the effects of chance and synchronicity to encourage people to visit, and spend time in, the target business. Rather than directly improving profits, however, the ritual manipulates chance to provide the owner with a range of valuable goods that can be used for a variety of purposes or sold-on at a profit.

As the name implies, the ritual is popular with Navarr brokers who use it to improve their options when it comes to arranging small trades. It is also popular in The League - but much more with mountebanks then members of the troupes. It allows the streetwise mountebanks to accumulate useful materials for their various schemes, and supports their images of themselves as clever traders and experts at acquisition. They tend to call it Gift of the Cunning Mountebank.

Common Elements

This ritual attracts wealth and opportunity, and the performance is often accompanied by coins and other precious items. In The Marches and The Brass Coast, coins taken from the previous season's profit are often used as a way to 'prime' the enchantment and attract more wealth, while in The League the ritual often involves complex echanges of masks, items or symbols - often combining sleight-of-hand with disingenuous invocations. The rune Pallas is often evoked, but so are subtle rune of plots and the serendipitous rune of chance. Symbols of Prosperity are also common, often with an invocation highlighting the rewards of clever trade rather than hard work.

.. so then I traded him a handful of bladeroot for two bottles of beggar's lye, but on my way back to my digs, I bumped into Lupo who was after losing some tattoos quick-smart for some reason, and he offered to trade me some orichalcum ingots he'd come across in return for one of the bottles, but I'd need to collect them myself for Lucia. I said yes of course - any excuse to visit Lucia's place, and while I was there we got talking and I let her keep most of the orichalcum in return for an invitation to the Bishop's big feast, and that all got very interesting because that Navarr fellow - you know the one, the trader - was there and wanted to talk ambergelt. I've never had much use for the stuff but I know Thierry was after some for a wand, so we made an arrangement and he tipped me some of the yellow stuff and a few coins but while I was leaving the Bishop wanted to know what the Navarr wanted and I asked him for the anointing of Ambition, cheekily like - he said he was too busy but he gave me a pot of liao to get it done myself - I reckon there was more going on with the broker than I'd understood, there usually is. So there I was with my satchel filled to bursting, in the rain down by the river - and I'd only gone out to look into some true vervain for Maria ... which I did get hold of, true, but ... well there's a bit more story to go, and the next bit happens when I'd got back to the shop to find three Iron Tide fellows with long faces and a tale of woe involving magic swords and green iron and a pouch of tempest jade and dragonbone they'd picked up in the east ..."

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Gilda Ashwine

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

Gilda Ashwine was recognised as an Exemplar of Courage by the Highborn Assembly of the Virtuous, after pilgrims and Wayfarers brought tales and evidence to Bastion in the time before the Synod.

Gilda who was born in Dawn but who, along with her family, was sold into slavery by a wicked Earl. Gilda escaped but none believed her, calling her a liar or madwoman. Hounded from the land of her birth, she lived among the Freeborn for a time before eventually finding the proof that exposed the Earl's deeds.

Biography

Signs

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Glamourweave Robe

Description

These fine robes are made of the finest cloth woven with threads gold, silver, mithril and orichalcum. The robes are most often dyed with a vibrant and delicate combination of green iron ore and iridescent gloaming, leaving the cloth with a viridian, cerulean or deep umber tone, decorated with copper-and-green-iron alloy wire. The intent is usually to impress onlookers, and to grant a confidence and sense of pride to the wearer. They are very popular in Dawn, Urizen and Highguard, places where magicians are likely to fight in close proximity to warriors. On a battlefield the robes are often worn over or beneath a suit of mage armour.

The robes are often embroidered with runes such as Zorech, Feresh or Tykonus, although robes intended for an enchanter or a general are likely to include the runes Hirmok. In Urizen, the rune Lann is most often used on these robes, representing a notional bargain between the magician and the sentinels who work with him - they will protect and support the magician and in return the magician uses his magic to protect and support the sentinels..

Symbols of Pride and Courage are often included on these robes, especially when they are worn by Highborn magisters or priests with a mastery of magical lore.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: When you cast the empower spell, you do so at a cost of 1 mana rather than 2 mana.

- Materials: Crafting a glamourweave robe requires fifteen ingots of green iron, nine ingots of orichalcum, seven ingots beggar's lye of and nine measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Arbiter Fulvia of Thunderspire,

It is with my deepest regret that I must inform you of the death of your envoy, Seer Gnaius Thunderspire.

Gnaius reached our city via the Dawnish pass, braving terrible conditions to reach my audience. I found him to be urbane, polite and clever, a credit to your Spire and your people, and I am glad to confirm that I am happy to agree to your suggested exchange. Copying the texts he mentioned will benefit both my guild and your spire and I look forwards to adding your offered tomes to our library.

Sadly, with the enemy at the gate and growing pressure within our streets, the city grows less safe. I am still attempting to discover who sent the assassins, but they struck when I was taking dinner with Gnaius and a number of other note-worthies of the city – as yet, I am unsure as to who their true target was.

Nonetheless, as my bodyguards rushed to defend us from our assailants, it is with the utmost respect and awe that I must tell you that Gnaius – unarmed, and clad only in the beautiful cerulean of his envoy's robes – stood from dinner, graced me with a final comment about the quality of the fine wine we had partaken of, and strode to where my men held back the assassins at the top of the stairs.

There, he wove battle enchantments such as I have rarely seen. I wish to reiterate that he was entirely unarmed and unarmoured, yet still he stood proudly and bestowed upon the bodyguards blessings of the utmost vigour and speed. Under the blessed effects of his incantations, they fought as hard and fierce as dervishes of the Virtues, and Gnaius kept weaving his spells even when I felt sure he must falter and stumble from the sheer effort. The sight of the noble Seer, a man of learning holding back the foe with his words even as his robes shimmered in the lamp-light, will stay in my mind as an inspiration and as an honour to the fallen.

I am aggrieved to say that, while our assailants might have lacked in virtue, they did not lack in wits, and upon realising that their imminent defeat was caused by one lone magician, they struck at him instead. Their blades were coated with toxic venoms.

I promise you that I will not rest until I have discovered those responsible for this assault, and I will ensure that both my own guild and Thunderspire are avenged for the insult done and the lives lost. For now, I have kept his robes; not out of greed but because they bear the Rune of Debt, and I will hold to it as a reminder of the debt I owe Gnaius and, in turn, yourself and your spire.

When justice has been done, I will wash the robes clean and return them to you.

Yours in Virtue,

Guildmistress Katarina of Holberg, of the Saeftinghe Charter of Reclamation

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Glorious Crown of Enchantment

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 15

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 15

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying.

Effects

At the completion of this ritual, all contributors gain the ability to cast the empower spell once as if they knew it and without spending any mana.

When cast with more than one contributor, this ritual always counts as a use of the coven bond and counts towards the number of rituals the coven can perform that day.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Description

The Glorious Crown of Enchantment is a battlefield spell that allows a coven of Summer magicians to empower their warrior allies. Used at the right moment, it allows each of them to exert their ritual mastery to immediate tactical effect. The most common battlefield use is to support an army after a long or punishing battle, inspiring warriors to strike decisively against their enemies; to bring them down, to break their shields, or to drive the foe before them with a triumphant charge. It is at it's most useful when the ritualists are supported by skilled, heroic warriors.

The ritual is more powerful the more members of the coven are present, and reaches it's highest potential the more ritualists who have not personally mastered the ability to empower their allies. It is likely that the empower incantation itself began as a refinement of this ritual.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes proud or ferocious animals such as lions, bears, gryphons, unicorns or chimerae. Loud, inspirational music or the sound of horns are common, as are the use of tools made of orichalcum or gold.

Other elements might include the rune Feresh, or an inspirational speech from The Captain or The Witch.

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Glory

The Dawn zeal for a glorious life infects both yeoman and noble alike. Every challenge is an opportunity to relish, a chance to better oneself, to prove one's worth. Most nobles devote their life to honing their skills and seeking out opportunities for glory. Every yeoman who takes the battlefield knows that life is presenting them with an opportunity to prove themselves and so the Imperial army recruiters can afford to pick and choose from long lines of volunteers.

Although triumph is the ultimate goal, the glory comes as much from attempting dangerous and difficult deeds as from succeeding. What draws disdain is not failure but inaction, passing up a chance for glory because of indecision or a fear of defeat. The Dawnish take failure as seriously as they take success, but mindless stupidity is not tolerated - glory accrues to those who did everything imaginable to succeed, not to those whose only plan was to throw themselves on their enemies swords.

The Dawnish believe that the more people know of your glory, the more quickly you will pass through the Labyrinth of Ages. They consider glory superior to the Wintermark notion of heroism because glory requires the acknowledgement of your peers. Glorious acts are intrinsically difficult, it is not enough to be successful, the glorious individual must prove the act was noteworthy by accomplishing it in an impressive or dramatic way. Finding a loophole around a challenge isn't useless - but it isn't glorious - for that is something anyone could have achieved. Glory is also different to heroism in that only your own deeds matter, you are judged purely on your own merits, you cannot achieve glory by riding on another individuals success.

Troubadours argue over what constitutes the most glorious deed - the difficulty and challenge of the deed are important but so is the motivation of those involved. Glorious deeds are not just difficult or dangerous they serve a higher purpose. To slay the dragon is glorious but it is more glorious still to do it for love.

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Glory's Call

Description

A Glory's Call is obviously a popular standard among the Dawnish. Many examples which have led armies in particularly glorious battles and campaigns may be found hanging in their Noble Houses' halls, and the Knights of the House fighting under a new Glory's Call, with the intent of winning glory for that banner and then retiring it for display. Needless to say, any troubadour worth her salt should know the great stories of all her House's banners, but the Glory's Call in particular should stand out among the rest.

It is also a common banner in Wintermark, where it is often called the Fearsome Strike. Steinr warbands who carry a Fearsome Strike banner have been known to decorate it with the rune Naeve surrounded by several copies of the rune Jotra, displaying their hunger for battle. This is regarded by some as reckless, but the threat in the gesture is undeniable. One of the most famous examples of this magical standard is surely Winter Fury, the white-stag battle-flag of Queen Ilsin whose army was apparently devoured long ago by vallornspawn in Hercynia following a short-lived war with the pre-Imperial Navarr.

Some Highborn chapters also carry the banner, referring to it either by its Dawnish name or the older name of Purity's Rage. Those Cataphract units who carry it invariably bear terrifying reputations.

Rules

- Form: Standard. Takes the form of a magical standard.

- Effect: Each character bonded to this banner wielding a two-handed weapon can call SHATTER once per day.

- Materials: Crafting a glory's call requires seventeen measures of dragonbone, twelve ingots of tempest jade, seven measures of beggar's lye, seven ingots of orichalcum and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Is their any true Dawnish-born whose heart doesn't beat faster at the chance for glory?

Who amongst us has not heard it's call? Who amongst us has not thirsted to sup from that golden chalice?

What lies before you now is glory; Rough-hewn from orcish flesh and spears, but glory none the less.

Those who fall shall still have youth and health ten-thousand summers for now

For their names and their deeds shall reverberate on through the ages

And for those few, those happy few, that win through to plant our standard atop a mound of orcish dead

Shall we not count ourselves the most blessed band of brothers and sisters ever to take the field of battle?

- Pippin the Bold's speech before the battle, The Gryphon in Summer, Act 3, Scene 2

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Glory to the Sovereign

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 34

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 1.5 Options

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 34

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must possess the weapon master skill. This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target of this ritual receives two benefits; they receive two additional ranks of endurance, and twice per day they may call cleave when wielding a one-handed weapon, one-handed spear, two-handed weapon or polearm with which they are proficient.

In addition, the target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect; they feel a strong urge to do great deeds that will make them the centre of attention, the take particular pleasure in approval and adulation. They particularly want to do things that will make them be seen as worthy, strong and powerful warriors; being overlooked or dismissed may cause them to lose their temper.

As long as the enchantment lasts they may respond to any effect that would make them afraid or hesitant by charging straight in, roaring or bellowing.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 20. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Options

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute orichalcum for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of orichalcum spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Description

This ritual enchantment empowers any warrior to strike devastating blows and endure many attacks in return. it heartens them, and fills them with what many Wintermark scops call the heroic spirit - the urge to achieve and be recognised for great deeds. It is an expensive ritual to perform, but it gives quintessential strength and potence to the warrior it targets.

Some ritualists associate this to the Fields of Glory in the Summer Realm, a place of conflict and splendour overseen by the Lady Eleonaris, called The Sovereign in Scarlet and Gold. While that glorious and terrible monarch can grant powers very similar to this effect to her chosen, she has no direct connection to this ritual - if anything the enchantment is more strongly connected to the fields themselves, and to the concept of glory and prowess that lie at the heart of Summer.

Common Elements

This ritual usually involves both the target and their armoury. A ritualist might trace matching runes on weapons and warrior, or might anoint them with a mixture of blood and oil. A toast is often drunk, especially when the ritual is performed on a band of warriors rather than a single target. The target is often garbed or girded in a new surcote or tabard that bears their heraldry or livery; sometimes they are symbolically crowned with a wreath of flowers, leaves or even gold. Legendary warriors, especially those who fought and triumphed against great odds, are often invoked as are Paragons and Exemplars of warlike mien.

Any of the Summer runes might be evoked, but Tykonus, the rune of victory, is the most common. An evocation of The Stallion or The Oak may be appropriate with this ritual, as are evocations of strong and ferocious animals such as lions, bears, unicorns, chimerae and dragons. Any number of Eternals might be mentioned, especially Eleonaris or Cathan Canae.

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Gnawing, Endless Hunger

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 20

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Removing the Curse

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 20

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. At the end of the ritual one of the contributors is chosen to deliver the curse with a pronouncement of doom.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

This ritual creates a curse that is delivered to a target with a pronouncement of doom: one contributors is chosen to deliver the curse, and they must do so within fifteen minutes or it falls on their own head.

While under the curse, the target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect; they are constantly hungry and thirsty. Wholesome food or drink consumed tastes of nothing at all, but the ritual gives no ability to consume rotting meat or other unwholesome substances which will taste just as unpalatable as ever..

In addition, while under the curse the target cannot benefit from Bladeroot, True Vervain, Marrowort, Cerulean Mazzarine or Imperial Roseweald, nor any potion brewed from them. The herb or potion is used up, but has no effect. If a character applies a herb to you using the physick skill, you should let them know afterwards that it has had no effect..

While the curse is also unaffected by ingested herbal poisons, including Gutwrench, Tisane of the Stuttering Fool and Tincture of the Whipped Cur. The exeption to this protection is that the VENOM and WEAKNESS calls from Redwillow Paste and Oil of Blackthorn have their full effect on you.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Removing the Curse

The curse can be removed by certain powerful creatures or items. It could also be alleviated by a powerful effect that removes hunger..

Description

This horrible curse creates a constant, gnawing hunger and unquenchable thirst which serves to make the target miserable. The curse is horrible, but it is doubly horrible to warriors or magicians who expect to place themselves in harm's way because it also robs the wholesome qualities of herbs. This means that not only can the target not be treated by the herbal arts of the physick, they cannot benefit from the many useful potions created by an apothecary. Consumables that are not made from herbs will have their normal effect, although they will still taste bland - for example, a target could not drink beggar's lye or sea-water safely.

Until the curse is delivered (or fails), the ritualists who performed the curse also feel ravenously hungry and thirsty. While this may make them uncomfortable, it does not prevent them from benefiting from or being harmed by herbal substances.

Common Elements

As with many curses this ritual often involves a recitation.of the grievances against the target; the destruction of wholesome food or drink - wine mixed with blood or spit is often poured out onto the ground. The rune Naeve is an obvious fit for this ritual, and the rune Kyrop is sometimes evoked as well, symbolising the weakness that the curse will bring.

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Goldenfire Scale

Description

In the Brass Coast, this beautiful orichalcum alloy armour is favoured by Kohan and corsairs alike. It allows them to shrug off terrible wounds and continue to fight. Some corsairs attach favourite golden coins, won in successful raids, to their armour in small net pouches to add good fortune on top of the armour's already considerable power. In other parts of the Empire, this armour is built as gold-sheened orichalcum chain. Its gaudy and striking appearance makes it popular with Changelings everywhere.

It was first created in Dawn where it is most commonly called Irrepressible Plate. It was devised by a Changeling named Antonin de Baudin as part of his Test of Mettle. He was challenged to remain standing throughout a battle with a notoriously vicious band of barbarian orcs. The test would have suited a dedicated warrior, but Antonin was an artisan of great repute and the test was clearly devised to deter him. The proud changeling refused to accept the snub and spent a year and a day at work in his forge to create a means of victory. During a brutal raid, the Knights of House Baudin were joined by a mysterious figure entirely encased in armour of magical metals. The stranger turned the tide of the battle, recovering his strength each time the Knights thought the orcish forces had overcome him. At the battle's end, the stranger removed his helm and revealed himself as Antonin, his test complete with the aid of his Irrepressible Plate and a considerable supply of Philtres of Strength. Antonin eventually became Earl of the house.

The four runes of Summer are commonly etched onto this armour, to bring additional strength to supplement the determined soul bonded to it.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of heavy armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: When you use the second wind skill you are restored to full hits.

- Materials: Crafting a suit of goldenfire scale requires seven ingots of weltsilver, eight ingots of green iron, seven ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

We pulled the corsair in his golden armour out of the pile of bodies, and at first I was sure that he must be dead. Through blood-caked lips he asked us if the battle was over. We told him that it was not, the orcs were still pressing hard on the left flank and we had been ordered to search for survivors prior to falling back. Grunting, he rose back to his feet, spat out a tooth and a mouthful of blood, stretched his shoulders and hefted his wicked falchion through a couple of sweeps. When I told him that he was heading in the wrong direction, that we were retreating, he called back over his shoulder "You're retreating, I'm advancing."

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Golden Pyramid

Contents

- 1 Motto

- 2 Symbol

- 3 The Manifesto

- 4 Membership of the Order

- 5 Conclave vault

Motto

Power begets wealth; wealth begets Power

Symbol

The most popular symbol symbol of the order is step-pyramid of three levels with bronze at the bottom, silver in the middle, and gold at the top.

The Manifesto

The Order of the Golden Pyramid holds the following to be true:

- Magic is a commodity like any other and its practitioners should not be subjected to any undue expectation or requirement

- The talents of the Empire's artisans are no less a valuable magical resource than spellcasting and rituals

- Magic has the power to strengthen by enriching and prospering

The Order of the Golden Pyramid therefore exists to:

- Stand up for those magicians who are pressured to use their skills for free, like a servant or slave

- Support the application of magical resources in matters of economic gain that inevitably bring prosperity to the Empire as a whole

- Stand up for the artisans and promote their interests across the Empire

Membership of the Order

This Golden Pyramid appeals to artisan-magicians and magicians versed in economic magic (from Rampant Growth and Blood and Salt through Rivers of Gold all the way to Verdant Bounty of the Twilight Bayou and Hallow of the Green World). After the Sevenfold Path this is the order that has the largest number of magician-priests, albeit usually priests dedicated to Prosperity. It's members work to enrich themselves, but they also safeguard the rights of magicians to expect fair recompense for their magic. They are often at odds with the Rod and Shield.

The Order of the Golden Pyramid began as a reaction against a perceived culture of entitlement; as the nations increasingly assumed that magicians should donate their skills to the Empire for free. Since their creation many members have supported the right of artisans, as well as magicians, to have a voice in the Conclave; but this attitude is far from universal within the Order. At it's most altruistic, the Order tries to represent the interests of artisans as fellow practitioners of esoteric lore, and often approaches them for support and funding (or to discuss gambits that include the crafting of magic items).

As befits an order fascinated by wealth, members of the Order often strive to cultivate good relations with the Imperial Bourse and magicians who also occupy Bourse seats are often actively wooed by the Golden Pyramid. When it works well, this relationship gives the Golden Pyramid access to items from the Bourse private auction on behalf of other members of the Conclave, and the Pyramid has been adroit at using this access for political capital. Even when their influence in the Bourse is limited, the Golden Pyramid has a tradition of encouraging archmagi to present gambits that involve performing economic rituals to garner support or influence with Imperial citizens who own businesses, mines, forests and fleets.

Members of the Golden Pyramid traditionally consider it completely acceptable, even expected, for their Grandmaster to gain their position by open bribery. It is also common for the grandmaster to take advantage of their access to wealthy patrons to help fund the order.

Conclave vault

Each summit, the Conclave vault of the Golden Pyramid garners the following resources;

- 10 crystal mana from bequests.

- A pro-rata share of the Font based on the precedence of the orders at the previous summit.

- A portion of ilium based on their position among the orders as determined by precedence.

- 2 ingots of green iron, 3 measures of ambergelt, 3 ingots of orichalcum and 3 measures of beggars lye as a result of existing bequests.

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Goldentide Mail

Description

The orichalcum and steel alloys used in creating this heavy mail are extensively purified in salt- or mineral-rich water mixed with beggar's lye. Many Wintermark artisans insist that the waters of the hot springs of Taniki create the best goldentide mail, while Freeborn armoursmiths claim that the water of the hot springs cannot rival simple seawater - especially that taken from the coves near Midport. Those without sources of pure water steep the alloys in solutions of Imperial Roseweald, drawing the herb’s cleansing properties into the metal.

The armour purifies the blood of the wearer, driving out lingering effects of venomous blows. It is called Goldenhart Plate in Dawn and Highguard, and often decorated with the image of a white stag with golden horns. Highborn Magisters once held that this armour’s magic is simply a conduit for the power of the human soul, overcoming the troubles of the physical world. That Imperial Orcs proved just as capable of using this armour caused some uproar among theologians and a rapid retreat from their previous opinion.

The form of the invocation varies greatly depending on the wearer, each drawing on their own ideas of purity and strength. Highborn wearers might urge themselves to greater virtue, while a Steinr warrior might likened themselves to some resilient animal like a mammoth or badger. Wearers everywhere invoke the runes worked into the armour. The most commonly used is Cavul, the rune of purity, which leads to the name “Swan-Mail” in some places, especially in Wintermark.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of heavy armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: After 5 seconds appropriate roleplaying that includes a loud invocation of cleansing you may spend a hero point to remove the venom condition from yourself.

- Materials: Crafting goldentide mail requires seven ingots of orichalcum and five measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Everything was swaying around Estavan, and he was pretty sure it wasn't wind making the branches and trunks of the forest move like that. He'd know this was going to end badly as soon as he'd seen the thick, tangled limbs of the woods ahead of them; he'd just known. And now here he was, staggering like he'd drunk a barrel full of Varushkan mead all by himself, his blood afire with poison.

Into the forest the Freeborn column had marched, feet stomping in timely rhythm as they hurried to support the Marcher push into barbarian-claimed land. Estavan had advised keeping to the flatter plains and taking the longer, safer route to reach General Haytham's encampment, but Marshal Alarico had overruled him, ordering them on through the wooded valleys to save time.

And Estavan had to admit that time was a key factor, but now here he was, stumbling through the woods after the column had been ambushed. Among the trees, he could see the bright silks and burnished mail of fleeing soldiers; somewhere behind, the brutish snarls of the barbarians and the vile, arachnoid things that had come skittering down from the canopy, great bull-sized horrors with venom-dripping fangs and snatching claws.

He knew he must be quite a sight, puncture wounds in his shoulder and lurid green toxins smeared down his chest. The poison was agonising, and his dulled instincts just wanted to run, to keep running til he was free of these cursed trees.

But, in the end, Estavan was a proud man, and he knew he had a duty to attend to.

He stumbled to a halt, leaning against a gnarled tree-trunk as he reached within and drew on the bond that connected him to the golden-plated armour encasing his body. He spat the incantation that he'd spent long hours memorising, back when Gracia had given him the armour as part of the marriage-contract. Then Estavan doubled over as the armour jolted with power, a potent spark that flooded into his muscles and rocked his body with a spasm.

And, like that, the venom was gone, the burning replaced with a cool, soothing sense of calm. Estavan coughed, retched and spat out a thick gobbet of oozing green ichor, the vile taint expelled by the armour's magic.

He stared down at the toxic expectorate for a moment, then straightened up and gathered his wits. Men were still fleeing around him, but he couldn't let this rout turn into a slaughter. His pride wouldn't allow for defeat now.

“Sons of the Coast! Daughters of Brass!” he bellowed, raising up his sword to gleam in the shafts of sunlight that punched down through the canopy. “To me! Hold steady and face the foe! To me!”

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Gone

Adapted for Empire by Aaron Walter. Score

Original by Ioanna Gika, from Snow White and the Huntsman.

Gone the brave and gone the best, Come the grave and eternal rest, O' pierce our hearts and dwell on within, Dead our family, dead our kin,

Gone the light and gone the flame, Come now peace and immortal name, A satin white cloak, and a polished black cart, Dead our brother/sister, dead our heart.

Gone the sun and gone the moon, Come the night and the morning's gloom, Whisper your prayers and toll on the bell, Sigh your sorrows, and weep farewell.

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Bolstering Bill (Redirected from Good Neighbour)

Description

The Marcher yeomen make use of these practical pole-arms in their fighting lines to help reduce casualties. A couple of soldiers armed with these weapons can provide speedy assistance to fellow warriors who have collapsed due to injuries, allowing them to move back out of the press under their own steam. A warrior armed with a bolstering bill may be a trained physician themselves, but more likely they are expected to keep fighting to cover the retreat of their comrade and keep the line solid.

The character of Bolstering Bill appears in a number of comic songs, stories and poems in various parts of the Empire as a simple yet well-meaning soldier-boy who helps his companions through any number of amusing or hair-raising scrapes with a combination of good humour, honest camaraderie and more than a little tough love. While these tales are generally accepted as being made up, the character of Bolstering Bill is sometimes mentioned as being an Exemplar of Loyalty

In Highguard and Wintermark especially, it is common for a pair of champions to fight side-by-side, each equipped with one of these weapons (and occasionally other similar items such as the Bondring). In this case, the weapon is generally called a brother's beacon (Highguard) or a brothers' bulwark (Wintermark), regardless of the genders of the warriors involved. In other nations one of these weapons may be called variously an indomitable hook or a good neighbour.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a pole-arm.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may use stay with me as if you knew it without spending hero points while wielding this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a bolstering bill requires seven ingots of weltsilver and six ingots of green iron. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“You've done me an immeasurable honour,” the exarch said. “You've done this whole Chapter an honour. Your impeccable service, your tireless devotion... these serve as a shining example for your comrades and for all of us.”

The sisters each bowed their head in humble acceptance of the exarch's praise. Both were resplendent in their armour, the articulated plates polished to a dazzling sheen that shone beneath the sun's warm glare. The warm wind plucked at the pennants that hung over the courtyard's expanse, dappling the gathered Chapter-folk beneath in dancing patches of shadow.

The exarch cleared his throat and carried on, projecting his voice as best he could across the assembly of his people. “With each of your victories, your virtues are made more clear. With each of your wise words to your fellows, you strengthen our whole chapter.”

He tucked one wisp of loose white hair back within his cowl, and nodded towards where the Magister waited, bearing two silk-swaddled lengths. “In turn, we wish to honour both of you. The loss of either of you would be a loss as grievous to any of us as that of our own children, a loss to this Chapter's very soul.”

Around the courtyard arose a quiet affirmation of the exarch's words. It wasn't a chant or a cheer, just dozens of good, true-hearted men and women speaking their own agreement with what was being said.

The younger sister was clearly feeling the emotion of the moment, but her Cataphract training kept her expression firm and humble. Her elder sibling, though, was sniffing back the tears, and the exarch gave her a warm smile of encouragement.

“More than that, your virtues are so widely known now that when others speak of our Chapter, they praise us for your work. As such, it would be churlish were we to show other Chapters that we ourselves did not honour your devoted efforts. Because of this, I have had two sister-weapons commissioned for your panoplies, armaments to bear with you on your duties. These two weapons share the same love that you have for one another, and that we have for you. With these in your grasp, no foe will take you from us or from each other.”

The Magister took his cue and strode forwards, struggling a little under the weight of his burden. The exarch took one at a time, drawing off the silk wrappings to reveal the patterned silver-and-green of the metal beneath; two fine glaives, brothers'-beacons wrought with skill and artifice. The sisters, solidly-built Cataphracts, accepted the weapons as he offered them with no heed for their weight.

The elder sister met his gaze, tears still bright in her eyes but matched by the smile upon her face. He'd never seen her so happy.

“Cataphract Jedidah, Cataphract Mehetabel, you are both examples that the rest of us would do well to follow. With these glaives, I ask only that you guard each other as you have guarded us, that we may never be robbed of your virtue by the Empire's foes."

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Good Walder

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

Biography

The stories of Good Walder hail from the Marches. Accounts vary of this bluff, good-natured, traveller, including that he was a travelling merchant, pilgrim or was simply restless. In most stories, Good Walder would come upon a village and holding and, if he found the people there were good and virtuous, their fields would flourish, their labours succeed and they would know health and happiness. If he found them small-hearted and miserly, misfortune oft befell them, sometimes at the hands of Good Walder himself and his oaken club.

Signs

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Gralm

Contents

- 1 The Crossroads, Rune of Destiny

- 1.1 Using Gralm in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Gralm

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Crossroads, Rune of Destiny

Gralm is the mystic counterpart of Ull the rune of chance. Unlike many other runes it does not have an association with one of the realms of magic. An esoteric rune, it avoids simple classification. In conjunction with Ull, it represents the concept of skein. It represents choices, and the ability to make the vital choices that ultimately define the destiny of the individual.

The Rune of the Crossroads represents the key decisions that define a life, the decisions where a refusal to make a choice is still a decision. It recognises that while a person does not have control over the universe, or the situations it throws at them, they have ultimate control over their own decisions. It is sometimes called the Hero Rune as a consequence, and an individual whose choices have wide-reaching consequences is often said to have walked the road of Gralm.

Some mystics use the rune of destiny to represent the labyrinth of ages. These mystics claim that death is the ultimate destiny of all mortals, but the labyrinth represents an ultimate choice. These mystics claim that the soul chooses what form to be reborn in. Some even go so far as to claim that the labyrinth is in fact the mortal world, and that the path the individual traces through that world is the true purpose of existence.

Using Gralm in magic

Gralm is rarely used in magic; it is most commonly used in enchantments designed to empower an individual with great power.

Crafting with Gralm

Gralm is often worked into items that provide heroic abilities, and may be evoked with the empower incantation,

The paths fork and divide. With each step you take through the labyrinth, you make a choice; and every choice determines future paths. However, at the end of a lifetime of walking you might look back, and see only one path stretching out behind you; or look ahead, and see only darkness.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Gralm in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneGralm.jef

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Grandmaster

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Powers

- 2.1 Guiding the Conclave

- 2.2 Veil of Night

- 2.3 Resolution of Gambits

- 2.4 Funding the Order

- 2.5 Power of Precedence

- 2.6 Membership List

- 3 Selection

- 3.1 Hustings

- 4 Removal

Overview

Grandmaster is an Imperial title bestowed upon a magician who is a member of a Conclave order. Each Order is represented by a single grandmaster, which means that at this time there are six grandmasters.

Grandmaster is a political title closely involved with the running of the Conclave. Grandmasters encourage members of their order to participate in conclave affairs, and represent their Order during a Conclave session. Most grandmasters also work to maintain cohesion within their order and to encourage members to pursue and advance the manifesto of the order. A strong grandmaster can organise the magicians that are part of their order and help them wield political and magical power throughout the Empire.

Powers

Each grandmaster position is an Imperial title in the Conclave.

Guiding the Conclave

Once per summit, each Grandmaster has the ability to add a single declaration to the agenda of a Conclave session without spending crystal mana. They follow all other rules and guidelines for submitting an article for the Conclave agenda (it must be in advance, with the assistance of a civil servant, and they are responsible for any presentation).

Veil of Night

Once per summit, when they submit a declaration to the Conclave agenda, a grandmaster can choose to invoke the veil of night. If they do so, they are not required to reveal any detail of a declaration: it is recorded simply as "The Grandmaster of (Order) presents a declaration under the veil of night."

Resolution of Gambits

The grandmasters of the Conclave orders present the decision of their order during the hearing of gambits. They do so with the tacit support of their order but it is not unknown for a Grandmaster to be challenged when presenting their decision on a gambit.

Total Money Spent

Production

15 Crowns

12 crystal mana

35 Crowns

24 crystal mana

60 Crowns

36 crystal mana

90 Crowns

48 crystal mana

125 Crowns

60 crystal mana

Funding the Order

The grandmaster has the ability to spend money to buy crystal mana for their order's vault. The civil service uses the money spent in this manner to buy directly from other Imperial citizens who have access to crystal mana, and places it directly into the vault. A grandmaster can spend money each season as if they controlled a ministry.

Power of Precedence

During a Conclave session the ability to speak before the Conclave - to address the assembly - is controlled by the grandmasters. After the presentation of an agenda item is complete, the grandmaster nominate volunteers to speak on the topic being discussed, in order determined by the Principle of Precedence.

During each declaration the first person nominated by a grandmaster to speak can do so for a full minute without paying a crystal mana. Grandmasters often use this ability themselves, although they are under no obligation to do so. This ability does not apply when debating an address or gambit.

Membership List

The civil service service compiles a list of those who have used arcane mark to join each order who are visiting Anvil and make that list available to the grandmaster.

Selection

Each grandmaster is selected by full members of their Conclave order. Only a member of the order can present themselves for the title, and only a member of the order can vote in a grandmaster election. The candidate who gains the most votes from the members of their order receives the title of grandmaster. Once a magician has been eligible to vote in a grandmaster election they cannot vote in the election of the grandmaster of a different order until a year has passed.

A grandmaster serves for a year, until a Declaration forces their re-election, or until they die or step down. The schedule for annual re-election is:

- Spring - Golden Pyramid and Sevenfold Path

- Summer - Unfettered Mind

- Autumn - Shuttered Lantern

- Winter - Celestial Arch and Rod and Shield

Hustings

At an event where a grandmaster is to be re-elected, the civil service organises hustings immediately prior to a Conclave session usually on the Saturday evening. The Hall of Worlds is ceded to the order in question, and they have an allotted period of time (around half an hour) to decide their grandmaster. While members of other orders (and priests exercising the right of Witness) can attend the meeting they cannot speak, and the civil service will exclude anyone who attempts to interrupt the proceedings.

Each candidate receives a minute to state their case, but may spend crystal mana to make a longer speech if they require (at the rate of one crystal mana per minute as usual). Each magician who is a full member of the Order may then cast one vote. The candidate who receives the largest number of votes gains the title of Grandmaster of the order.

Crystal mana paid during hustings is not added to the font, but is instead placed directly into the order's vault at the next summit.

Removal

A grandmaster serves until the start of the next election or until a declaration of the balance is made.

A grandmaster cannot be revoked by any chamber of the Imperial Synod.

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Gravedigger's Vest

Description

A leather boss, usually hung on the chest, often forms the centre-piece for this suit of mage armour; matching vambraces and belt usually complete the set. When the armour is made of metal, it is most often of green iron alloyed with silver and set with pale-coloured crystals. Not many magicians are able to unlock the power of the gravedigger's vest, but those who can are able to draw on fading spiritual energies to revitalise themselves when they are at death's door. In parts of Highguard it is sometimes called a gatekeeper's vest or more rarely a hesitant threshold, both referencing the idea of death as a door through which the spirit passes to enter the labyrinth,

Orc warcasters are among those who make the most use of the gravedigger's vest, and those who do so have reported many times that the voices of their ancestors especially clearly.

Wearers often speak of a sensation of being watched in the hours after they use the power of the gravedigger's vest, especially after dark and most especially when they are in places associated with death such as mausoleums, graveyards, cemeteries and (of course) the Highborn Necropolis. They rarely report any feelings of threat or danger, only the feeling of something or someone paying attention to them. Quite a few of those who talk about these feelings actually find the experience reassuring, and have a number of theories about what it is that watches and what it may imply about death; they usually keep these theories to themselves.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day when you use the unstoppable skill you regain all lost hits.

- Materials: Crafting a gravedigger's vest requires five measures of iridescent gloaming, eleven measures of ambergelt, nine ingots of green iron, nine ingots of weltsilver, and seven measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Great work

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senate Commissions

- 2.1 Benefits

- 2.2 Costs

- 3 Limitations

- 4 Responsibility

- 5 Multiple Great Works

- 6 Recent Great Works

Overview

A great work is any major economic investment which is sufficiently large in scope that it provides a benefit to the inhabitants of an entire territory. The return can take the form of money, herbs, materials for crafting items, mana crystals or even liao.

Great works do not normally result in the creation of an Imperial title, as most great works do not require an Imperial citizen be appointed to oversee them.

Senate Commissions

The Imperial Senate may pass a motion for the construction of infrastructure capable of improving the wealth generated by resources in a territory.

It is also possible for the Senate to pass a motion to upgrade a great work, increasing the benefits that it provides.

Benefits

Each great work is linked to a specific type of personal resource in a specific territory. Every member of that nation who attended the last event and who owns the appropriate personal resource in the territory gains the benefit.

The size and effectiveness of the great work sets the total size of the benefit that accrues to everyone in the territory - this benefit is divided equally between the affected players of that nation each season (in the setting there are wide reaching benefits to other NPCs but these are ignored when calculating returns for play balance reasons).

The type of benefits gained are determined by the nature of the great work, not the resource it applies to. For example, the Madruga Shipyard provides a benefit of money to all Freeborn fleets in Madruga.

Costs

- Materials: Variable (minimum 40 wains)

- Time: 3 months to construct per 50 wains of materials used

- Labour: 2 crowns per wain

- Upkeep: None

The more resources are devoted to constructing a great work, the greater the return. Under normal circumstances, the material required will be the one associated with upgrading an equivalent personal resource. For example, at least 40 wains of mithril is required to create a great work that produces mana crystals.

Wains

Money

Ingots

Herbs

Mana Crystals

40

900 rings

50

75

37

56

1080 rings

60

90

45

80

1300 rings

72

108

54

100

1440 rings

80

120

60

160

1800 rings

100

150

75

280

2340 rings

130

195

97

In addition to the wains required, it costs 2 crowns per wain to pay for labour and skills to complete the construction.

The table shows some standard costs and benefits for a range of great works. For example a greak work created by the Senate using 56 wains of mithril could produce 40 mana crystals each season. There is no upper limit on how many wains can be used to construct a great work; provided at least 40 wains are used, then any amount can be spent to build it.

Limitations

It is not possible to create a great work which boosts the production of military units. If the Senate wishes to spend significant sums to increase the military effectiveness of the Empire then they must do it by raising armies or constructing fortifications.

It is it not possible to create a great work which creates ilium, liao, mithril, weirwood, or white granite.

Great works are not affected by rituals that target personal resources. A ritual that increases the production of a green iron mine will not affect a great work that provides green iron nor one that benefits green iron mines.

Only members of a nation may benefit from a great work - a vast series of forges throughout Skarsind might provide a bonus to all Wintermark mines based in the territory - but Wintermark characters dwelling in other territories - and characters from other nations would not benefit from the great work.

Responsibility

The Senator for a territory is expected to be responsible for any problems that might beset the structures represented by a great work. For example, if Grendel corsairs are raiding the Madruga shipyards, then the Empire will expect the Madruga senator to deal with the problem.

Multiple Great Works

The Senate may commission a great work be upgraded - or create a second great work in a territory that is intended to benefit the same personal resource. For instance the Senate could authorize the creation of a vast rope works in Siroc in Madruga that would provide an income in crowns to all fleets based in the territory.

Because the new great work would benefit fleets in the Madruga, the same as the existing great work, the Madruga shipyard does, the effectiveness would be reduced. In effect the total benefit would then correspond to the total amount of wains spent constructing great works that benefit fleets in Madruga. The civil service can provide estimates on the total benefit that will accrue from the completion of a great work in a territory. These estimates are only valid for the current state of the territory.

A second great work in a territory that benefited owners with different personal resources would provide the full effect listed.

Recent Great Works

The list includes all great works which have been created or appointed in recent times.

- Madruga Shipyard

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Greensteel Bracelets

Description

Occasionally known as a Squire's Reward in Dawn, these items normally take the form of either a sturdy bracer crafted from an alloy of green iron, or occasionally a pectoral of the same material. They are usually decorated with simple orichalcum inlays. Powerful noble houses in Dawn keep a set of these bracelets on hand at tournaments, calling them Tourney Trinkets, and lend them to those who wish to participate in martial contests but lack training. On several occasions, such participants have won the day and been rewarded with the bracelets as their prize.

In Highguard, there is a quiet trade in these bracelets as gifts for more timid youngsters when they are sent off to do their military service. Those who struggled with martial skills during their childhood occasionally find worried relatives slipping them this talisman. It is sometimes considered a little shameful to be found relying on such items, but sensible soldiers know that an actual, physical shield is a better protection on the battlefield than the virtue of Courage alone.

Rules

- Form: Jewellery (Talisman)

- Effect: While wearing this piece of jewelry you gain the shield skill.

- Materials: Crafting a set of greensteel bracelets requires eight ingots of green iron and three ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Our Striding has walked the Trods since the Third Leaving. We do not all have time to become Brands, nor is that all our calling. Yet we must travel the dark places in the Forests-Once-Ours, and watch them lest the Vallorn spread to threaten the civilisation we have mapped in barbarian blood. I have ambergelt, taken from the living trees that are our treasury. I need green iron, and orichalcum, so that I can shield my people, so that we can shield the Empire."

The Broker stood square on to the merchant's desk, more at home here than others of his nation, yet still a reminder that not all of Empire were city-folk. The merchant considered her answer carefully; she had underestimated a broker once before and would not do so again.

"Ambergelt?" she said. "Obviously I'm interested, but I'm also interested to see what the Varushkans have to offer. As to green iron and orichalcum ... the Freeborn, and the Marchers alike have paid me good steel in the past for both - my Guild could mine so much the deeper with the Thrones these metals would earn at Anvil!"

The Navarr inclined his head in agreement.

"Still, I have ambergelt and I need green iron and orichalcum. I am here now. Are you interested?"

The merchant tried a different tack.

"As a matter of interest, what is it that your striding needs with these metals? I ask only because there have been a few incidents recently."

Two weeks ago his neighbour had been dragged before the magistrates. Some opportunist had been making scorpion's sting daggers, and there had been numerous fatalities. The source of the materials used had been traced, and the merchant involved fined quite steeply. She did not think the Navarr were likely to be making anything illegal, but it was worth checking.

"The artisans in my striding will use them to make greensteel bracelets. We are due to travel from here through dangerous territory, and every shield will help my people in their journey. Why do you ask?"

The merchant kept her face straight, but she scented opportunity. She negotiated carefully, and half an hour later they shook hands and the broker departed. The merchant scattered a little more sand on her contract, blew on it, and finally allowed herself a satisfied smile. Enough metal for three greensteel bracelets, two for the Navarr striding and one for her. She knew that the Earl of Royston intended to make a play for the senator's seat in Weirwater next time the nations gathered at Anvil. The gift of a greensteel bracelet would put her in the Earl's good graces. From there it should be an easy step to encourage him to vote in support of the League's trade proposals, and they would all profit.

"Do you think he knew?" Asked her clerk, suddenly, from his desk near the door. The merchant considered for a moment.

"Possibly. But what does it matter? The broker will remember me next time he passes through and come to me first, the Earl gets a useful trinket to help pad out his line for their Tourney, and I get the ear of the next Senator for Weirwater, at least for a time. Nobody loses, least of all the Navarr."

Smiling, she locked the contract in her desk drawer, and returned to work.

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Greensteel Orb

Description

Greensteel orbs are usually created in the form of a metal orb inlaid with tempest jade and bound with greensteel bands. They are often engraved across their surface with interlocking lines reminiscent of mazes, nets or even spider's webs; or inscribed with runes. They are rarely composed of stone, wood or bone although ceramic or glass versions are not unknown - natural materials rarely make good greensteel orbs. The orb is infused with potent enchantments and attuned to the realm of Autumn. A coven can use it to draw on the power contained in ingots of green iron and align it with their own magic, allowing them to reduce or in some cases replace the need for crystal mana when performing Autumn rituals.

While this item is usually made in the form of a 'covenstone' wielded by one of the magicians in a ritual, this is not the only shape appropriate to this item. Some covens possess metal bowls or chalices, while others prefer masive chains of iron and greensteel links, sometimes worn by one of the ritualists, sometimes passed from hand to hand during the ritual. These items are usually regular, but they invariably look like made, rather than natural, things. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses it is careful to ensure that it plays a central role in their ceremonies - in addition to it's ceremonial use it is a symbol of the oath that binds them together.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Members of the coven who are performing a Autumn ritual they have mastered may use green iron in the place of crystal mana. Every two measures of green iron spent count as one crystal mana.

- Materials: Crafting a glassteel orb requires five ingots of tempest jade, four ingots of green iron and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Grimnir's Hearthfire

Description

This short ashen wand is polished and coloured, then wound around with weltsilver strands. It is a powerful aid to a battlefield magician, allowing them to more quickly restore those who have taken serious wounds. As the name implies, this wand is closely associated with the Grimnir, the dedicated healers of Wintermark. It is rare for a Grimnir to commission such an item themselves. More often, grateful Thanes or warriors will present them as gifts to a Grimnir who has saved their lives. Traditionally the weltsilver for the wand will be smelted in a fire begun from the embers of the hearth in the intended Grimnir's hall, to strengthen the eventual bond between magician and wand.

In the Marches, the wand is known as Fletcher's Bane as it is often used to treat individuals who have been repeatedly hit by arrows. Indeed, the wands themselves are sometimes made of old arrow-shafts with Rhyv, the rune of blood, repeated over the entire surface.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Three times per day when you cast restore limb on the target you may also simultaneously restore all their lost hits.

- Materials: Crafting a grimnir's hearthfire requires sixteen ingots of weltsilver, nine measures of ambergelt and seven measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

In retrospect, Luukas thought to himself through the blur of pain, throwing a harpoon at an ice bear hadn't been the greatest act of Wisdom he had ever committed. True, it had gotten the bear's attention and he had successfully baited it into the back of the orcish battleline. And true too that the bear had made quite a mess of those orcs when it had arrived. The suaq warriors would kill it eventually, the Icewalker was sure, now that they didn't have orcs to worry about. It would all have worked out so well if the bear hadn't knocked him down a cervase on its way to the orcs. Now he lay slowly freezing, his body battered and a broken leg twisted beneath him.

As he watched his red blood seep across the white ice, he pondered what his next life would be like. Hopefully he would be a naga again - he did so enjoy being a naga. Perhaps he would be Freeborn. It would make a nice change in climate.

"Should have known it was you behind such a ridiculous trick," growled a voice above him.

Luukas forced open his eyes in time to see a cloak-wrapped figure ease himself into the crack in the ice. Luukas smiled as he recognised the thick beard and broad-brimmed hat.

"Just in time, Gondlir," he rasped at the Grimnir. "I was about to wipe my feet on the doormat of the Labyrinth."

"Well, you've got a choice. You can have your flesh fixed or your bones unbroken. I have power enough for one spell."

Luukas sighed. He didn't make the best decisions when bleeding heavily.

Gondlir cracked into a smile and pulled a silvery wand from the folds of his cloak.

"I'm just winding you up. You're lucky. It's got one more left for the day."

Gondlir traced the wand across Luukas' wounds and muttered an ancient rhyme. Claw-marks melted shut, bruises faded and somewhere in his leg fragments wriggled to rejoin themselves into the proper shape. Luukas sat up, still a little giddy.

"Don't suppose you have any of that medicinal alcohol as well?"

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Group Archetypes

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

See also: Archetypes

The Brass Coast

Family

A family is a collection of related people led by a Dhomiro. They are all descended from one of the three tribes: the Erigo, the Riqueza and the Guerra. They contain all manner of different people.

Kohan

Kohan are groups of volunteer and outcast warriors-without-family, who traditionally pledge loyalty to their tribe's Hakima.

Parador

Brass Coast towns always have at least one parador, a communal social house of business, music, story-telling, drinking and dance. They are often formed of a number smaller Families working together.

Hakima

Hakima are highly-organised groups of magic-users whose loyalty is to the tribe, not their family. They are taken to be wise.

Corsair

Freeborn Corsairs are traders and privateers who deal with - and raid - bararian bshipping in the Bay of Catazar.

Sutannir

Sutannir perform inspiring religious ceremonies for the Freeborn, and (more importantly) organise the parties that follow. They usually include numerous talented performers in their ranks as well as priests.

Dawn

Noble House

A group of individual that have all passed the Test of Mettle, usually set by the House’s Earl. It also contains Yeoman loyal to the house.

Knightly Order

A knightly order is made up of Questing Knights who have proved themselves worthy in their Test of Mettle and have chosen to keep on questing for ever-greater glory. They sometimes have rules governing behaviour and seek an Eternal as a patron.

Weaver Cabal

Weaver Cabals are groups of witches specialising in ritual magic .They are not Nobles but not entirely Yeomen. They perform magics to bring good fortune to villages, fertile harvests and good weather as well as weaving magic items.

Highguard

Chapter

Description

Stewards of the dead

Description

Unconquered

Unconquered units are elite Highborn warriors designed to fight battles by any means, in any conditions. They operate with a high level of autonomy, often behind enemy lines or in unknown territory.

Cataphracts

Cataphracts units are Highguard's elite heavy warriors, who once rode horses into battle but who, in modern times, represent a resolute and unbreakable wall of steel.

Imperial Orcs

Legion

Description

Reavers

Description

The League

Guild

Description

Free Company

Description

Troupe

Description

Mountebank

Mountebanks are groups street magicians whose tricks may be sleight of hand or genuine magic, many of whom skirt the edges of the law playing short-cons and rigging street games. A group of mountebanks combines ritual lore with a variety of other skills, doing whatever works to complete their goals.

Bishop

The Bishops of the League are its high priests, who provide Virtuous guidance to any who can afford it, and who compete using the size and influence of their congregations. Groups of Bishops are led by an Archbishop.

The Marches

Household

A group of Yeomen led by one of their number, called the Steward

Landskeeper

A landskeeper is a figure from the Marches magical tradition, who supports the territories or the nation as a whole. Landskeepers can use a variety of methods, from hearth magics and good practical advice to rituals.

Market Town

Alderman

Monastery

Monks minister to the spiritual welfare of the folk around their monastery, largely ignoring Household boundaries. They divide their time between study of the Imperial Faith and working the farmlands claimed by the monastery.

Navarr

Striding

Description

Steading

Description

Urizen

Description

Description

Varushka

Warden

The Warden fellowships are heroic warriors who employ magical protection along with their armour and weapons to hunt down the terrors of the Varushkan wilderness, and to uphold Imperial Law.

Schlacta

The Schlacta are Varushka's well-organised bands of soldiery, who provide defence to a place or an employer.

Vale

Description

Cabalists

Cabals are teams of ritual magic-users, who often act as individual groups, independent of their vales. Each Cabal is different from each other, but their magical might grants them considerable influence.

Wintermark

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Bands (Redirected from Groups)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Role of Bands

- 3 Joining a Band

- 4 Creating a Band

- 5 Banners

- 6 Covens

- 7 Sects

- 8 Linking Bands Together

Overview

In Empire it is possible for characters to formalize their loyalty to each other by creating a band. Bands draw on the hearth magic of oaths combined with magical bonds created by magicians to allow members to use certain skills, rituals and items more effectively on each other. For instance ritualists who are part of the same coven (a type of band) can combine their skills to perform more powerful rituals.

Bands are intended to build on the characterisation of the group concept that you have created for your characters. They are there to recognize and support the choice to act as part of a Dawnish noble house, a League guild or a Freeborn family. Players creating characters together are encouraged to use the potential abilities of bands to add depth and character to their group concept.

The Role of Bands

We encourage players coming to Empire to attend as part of a band with their friends. Bands can help to add depth and enjoyment to characterization, making all the characters feel more real and be more fun to play. The band can have its own identity and history and gives characters a way to belong to something that is bigger than they are, yet is still something they can create a history and background for. Bands give OOC friends good IC reasons to roleplay together and good groups are great for helping new players get involved in a game.

The brief for every nation in Empire includes several archetypes to help you develop the idea for a band. For instance a noble house in Dawn, or a chapter in Highguard. There are pages for some of these archetypes explaining the part they play in the setting and offering advice on how to create and play one. These concepts have been designed to be fun to play, but the list is not meant to be restrictive. You can create a travelling band of Dawnish troubadours, or a secretive guild of Highborn artisans if you wish to. Working with your friends, you have the same freedom to create a group concept as you do to create your own character.

Joining a Band

- There are three types of band, banners, covens, and sects

- You may join one of each type of band when you create your character

- You can only ever join a band with members of the same nation

- Joining a band in play requires a magician using the create bond spell

There are three types of band: banners, covens and sects. You may join a single banner, a single coven, and a single sect at the same time, but a character can never be a member of two banners at the same time, nor two covens or two sects. If you are creating a new character then you may choose one band of each type to begin play as part of - but you can leave any of the options blank if you prefer. Please ensure that you have the permission of the players who are part of a band before joining.

E.g. The Highborn chapter of Exile's Hold is a banner. The members gain all the benefits of being a banner but any character that joins this group cannot join any other banner. They must break the bond with this banner before joining any other banner.

To join a band in play you must find a magician to perform the create bond spell. You can only be a member of one of each type of band at once. For example, if you are a member of an existing banner, then you cannot join another band that is a banner without first breaking the bonds that join you to your existing banner. You can only join a band with members of the same nation.

Creating a Band

- You must use the website to create a band

- Bands must have a name, an oath and a nationality

- Oaths must be appropriate for the setting

- An oath can never be changed

One player will need to use the website to create a new band, but it must only be done once - other characters then join that band. A band can be secret or public. If the band is public, then the name of the band and the nation it is associated with is public to all players in the game. Players making a character can choose to begin play as part of a public band. If the band is secret, then the name of the band is not visible to any player. New characters must join the band in play, they cannot begin play as part of a secret band.

Bands use the hearth magic of an oath to give them power. For this reason, a band must choose an oath when it is created. The oath is usually reasonably short - because it must be recited by any character who joins the band in play. The player creating the band online should enter the text for the oath when they create the band. The only requirement for the oath is that it is in-character and suitable for the setting, any oath that meets these requirements is fine.

Although an oath is required to create a band, it is not magically enforced - there is no automatic magical consequence for any individual that breaks their oath. It is a matter for the roleplaying of the characters who are members of the band to deal with any character who breaks their oath. Once created, the oath cannot be changed, a new band must be formed if characters wish to change their oath.

You can still create a band on the system, even if the benefits are not relevant for your group concept. By picking one of the three options (banner is usually the easiest, if your group plans to fight together at all) and ignoring the additional rules you can still submit details and background about it, even if it doesn't benefit from being a banner, coven or sect.

Banners

- A banner may benefit from using a magical standard

If your band incorporates the idea of a group of warriors that fight together then you may wish to create a banner to represent this. A banner is named for their ability to use a magical standard, which is a magical item created by an artisan. Magical standards provide a potential benefit to every member of the banner.

Covens

- A coven may combine their skills to perform rituals together

- A coven can perform up to two rituals a day

- A coven may benefit from paraphernalia

Groups that intend to perform rituals together need to create a coven. A coven is a band of oath-sworn magicians who choose to work together to perform powerful rituals that they could not do alone.

Members of a coven can work together to perform a ritual with each participant contributing crystalized mana to a ritual up to the limit of their ability. This allows a coven to perform much more powerful rituals than an individual could achieve alone. A coven may also benefit by being bound to ritual paraphernalia, a powerful magical item created by an artisan.

A coven can only perform up to two rituals each day. A character may perform any number of rituals by themselves and they may include others in the ritual performance. But the power of the coven can only be used to combine magical strengths twice per day. Some magical paraphernalia increase the number of rituals a coven can perform in a single day.

If a character is part of a coven that have already perform a ritual together that day, then they may join another coven but they cannot participate in another ritual conducted by that coven until the next day.

Sects

- When members of a sect co-operate to perform some liao ceremonies the cost is reduced to one liao

- A sect may benefit from using a magical reliquary

If your group concept incorporates the idea of a shared set of beliefs and worship then you may wish to create a sect to represent this. A sect is a band of oath-sworn devotees of the Way who choose to work together to further their common goals.

If members of a sect co-operate to perform a ceremony of anointing, consecration, dedication, excommunication, exorcism, hallowing, or testimony, only one dose of liao needs to be consumed to achieve the result, no matter how many members co-operate. All the other rules for co-operation in ceremonial skills still apply.

For example, if two members of a sect who are both dedicated to Vigilance and both have the anointing skill perform a ceremony together to anoint a target, then they may may produce the same effect as two priests cooperating - but need only consume a single dose of liao.

A magical reliquary provides a benefit to every member of the sect that is bonded to it.

Linking Bands Together

Although a band must be either a banner, coven, or sect; it is common for players to have a background concept that includes characters who are linked in multiple ways. In these situations it is perfectly appropriate to create more than one band whose concept and background is linked.

For example, a group of players intend to play a Marcher Household but some of them want to play monks while the others play yeomen. They create a banner called House Cawford and a sect called Cawford monastery - to represent the large monastery on the Cawford lines. House Cawford players can choose to start as members of either group and join the other group in play.

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Gryphonsoul Aegis

Description

Crafting a suit of this armour is a serious undertaking for even a skilled armoursmith. The correct alloys must be made, the correct engraving and inlays, all designed to focus the irrepressible power of the human spirit. A warrior in a gryphonsoul aegis is extremely difficult to kill, provided that he can avoid venoms and curses that snuff out his life.

The armour is fairly popular in Dawn, and many suits are of Dawnish manufacture. They are often build with the four Gryphon Runes (Tykonus, Verys, Feresh and Jotra), or etched with an image of a gryphon. Some rare suits are constructed with an eagle-head helm and clawed gauntlets and boots, visually capturing the image of the heraldic beast.

In other parts of the Empire, the armour has a variety of other names. In Varushka for example, Schlacta wear heavy Hearthfire Chain and rely the power to see them through the dark winter nights. Both the Freeborn and the Highborn follow a tradition of delicately engraving each scale of the Lionsong Paean with a word, phrase or poetic line invoking strength, Courage or the name of a Paragon or Exemplar.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of heavy armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour, once per day you regain all lost hits when you use the unstoppable skill.

- Materials: Crafting a Gryphonsoul Aegis requires fifteen ingots of weltsilver, eleven ingots of ambergelt, seven ingots of green iron, and nine ingots of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“Damn bandits,” the schlacta said. He didn't sound particularly upset or fearful, which Radomir found strange given that the warrior was slumped on the ground with a sword thrust into his guts. The schlacta's blood was already staining the damp dirt around him; all that heavy armour hadn't done the man much good when Jasna had crept up behind him and slammed her blade through a chink at his waist.

Radomir ignored the fallen warrior's growled irritation and stepped over him; the man would be dead soon enough; he had little blood left in him. Instead the bandit cast his gaze round the little campfire the schlacta had been warming himself at, wary for any other guards here.

But there were none.

The bandit chief gave an incredulous laugh. “Just one man watching the approach? Really?”

Goran shrugged, standing straight from where he was rifling through the schlacta's discarded pack. Over at the edge of the cliff Radomir could see Mila crouched in vigil, frowning down at the village below. When she too shrugged, he relaxed. “Well, I guess they really are that stupid, then. We'll cull them like the sheep they are. Jasna, I want you to-”

He turned to his second in command, but the sharp-featured and light-footed woman wasn't standing any more. The schlacta was somehow back on his feet, and the very sword that Jasna had run him through with was now in his blood-slick grip. The soldier grunted as he pulled its tip out of the fallen woman's side, seemingly hampered little by his own injury.

Suddenly, that heavy armour looked daunting indeed.

“So,” said the schlacta affably, “shall we try this again? Three against one is hardly fair odds for you, so I'll let you get a head start if you want to run now.”

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Guardian of Britta's Shrine

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 A Portion of Liao

- 3.2 Voice in the Synod

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

The Guardian of Britta's Shrine is an Imperial title created by the Imperial Senate in Winter 376YE. The position of guardian is a sinecure, requiring minimal responsibility but offering a regular income.

Following the death of Empress Britta in 376YE, heroic efforts recovered her body and many of her effects from the Thule barbarians. The body was interred in the swamps of Kallavesa while her personal accoutrements were placed in a shrine of white granite in Necropolis. The eternal flame that burns in the courtyard before the memorial serves as a place of pilgrimage for those wishing to meditate on and show their respects to the departed Empress, whose inspirational example is already seen by many as re-igniting the flame of Imperial Pride following the disastrous reigns of Empress Giselle, Emperor Hugh and Emperor Walter.

Some controversy surrounds the sinecure; it is regarded as unconstitutional since it creates votes in the Synod but is appointed by the Senate, allowing the Senate undue influence the Synod. It is also very unusual in that it provides votes in the Synod but does not provide votes in the Highborn elections. The motion was not struck down by magistrates at the time, however, and so the title stands.

Responsibilities

The Guardian oversees the shrine dedicated to the memory of the dead Empress, and ensures the eternal flame is not extinguished.

Powers

A Portion of Liao

The sinecure provides five measures of liao to the Guardian each season, to be used as they see fit.

Voice in the Synod

The Guardian of Britta's shrine may sit in the Imperial Synod, and possesses 10 votes in Synod affairs (or an additional 10 votes if they already have a congregation). They may use these votes in any assembly they are eligible for.

it is important to note that this sinecure does not give the holder any ability to participate, or gain extra votes, in the election of Highborn senators.

Selection

The Guardian is a Highborn national position appointed by the Senate. Under normal circumstances it will be appointed by unanimous vote of the Highborn Senators.

Because this is a national position, the title can only be held by a Highborn citizen.

Removal

The Guardian serves has tenure and serves until they die, step down or are revoked.

The Guardian can be revoked by the Highborn assembly, the the General assembly or the Assembly of Nine.

History

The first Guardian of Britta's Tomb is Ruth of Highguard, a Steward of the Dead belonging to the Cenotaph chapter of Necropolis.

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Guidelines for all young live roleplayers

Live-roleplayers of all ages are welcome to take part in Empire, but it is important to appreciate that you are playing a game alongside adults so we expect you to be mature and to play the game the same way they do. This means that you should try to stay in-character as much as possible. If you need to drop out-of-character then try to leave any areas that are filled with other players who are roleplaying before you stop roleplaying, so that you don’t disturb their game.

In this game, you will be roleplaying a character who is the same age as you are in real life. There is a range of briefing material that you can read, including some elements that are written specifically for younger players. The more familiar you are with these, the better the you will be able to roleplay; you will get more respect from other players and be included in the game more.

Empire will not make your character a grand hero, but it will offer you the chance to roleplay becoming one if you engage with the game and roleplay accordingly. Your character will not begin as anyone special, but you will be no more or less important than the characters of other players of any age who are attending the game. By roleplaying and reacting as your character you will have opportunities to become an important part of the game world as your character grows up.

Please make sure that you have read the specific guidelines and policies appropriate to your age. The restrictions that are in place are designed to protect everyone attending the event. If you break the rules then you will not be able to attend further events until you are significantly older.

In particular, please note that you are not permitted to purchase alcohol from the tavern before you are eighteen and you are not permitted to take the battlefield until you have passed the warrior test and have the approval of your parent(s). If you break these rules you put the entire event in jeopardy for everyone who is playing and you will not be allowed to resume playing the game before you turn eighteen.

We are confident that you can demonstrate that you are every bit as capable at roleplaying as the adults. But ultimately it’s down to you to show how good a roleplayer you can be.

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Guidelines for parents or carers

If you are bringing your child to a Profound Decisions event, then you are taking responsibility for their behaviour and their actions. Profound Decisions will operate parts of the game aimed at younger players, but you remain responsible for your child at all times. If we gave Empire a film classification it would be “Parental Supervision Required” - as the parent or carer you are expected to provide that supervision. It is not the responsibility of others players to change their behaviour to take account of your children.

Empire allows young roleplayers to attend and participate - it is not a creche or an alternative to baby-sitting. You must not bring children over five who are not interested in roleplaying to the event.

All players are asked not to make IC complaints about children that are dropping out-of-character or crying. You must respect this request by minimizing any disruption caused by your child dropping out-of-character. If your child is upset or crying, then please consider the context - in a public IC area is like being in a cinema; in your own tent is like being in your own house; in someone else’s tent it’s like being in their house. Act accordingly and where appropriate take your child out of the area to comfort them or until they are ready to resume roleplaying.

If you are the parent or carer of a child then you must roleplay a character who is the parent or carer of the child. You should expect other characters to hold your character to be IC responsible for the IC actions of your IC children. For instance your character can be prosecuted by a magistrate if your child is a thief or a mugger.

As a parent, I am fully aware how normal it is to feel protective of your children, but you must not use this as justification to OOC confront another player. If you are unhappy out-of-character with the behaviour of another player (of any age), then the correct response is to bring this to the attention of a member of the PD crew. We will deal with the situation.

You must appreciate that very young children are not old enough to effectively participate in an LRP game. We have chosen not to exclude the under 5s, to allow children to play the game to the best of their individual abilities, rather than using age as a marker to nominate who can or can’t play the game. However there is a very considerable burden on anyone caring for young children and you must expect this to impact on your own ability to enjoy the event.

In addition to these general guidelines, please make sure that you read the age related rules and guidelines that apply to your child. It is your responsibility to ensure that you and your child meet all of these rules. This remains true, even if another adult agrees to look after your child for a period of time during the event.

We will be inflexible and unsympathetic in dealing with any parent that does not follow the rules. We believe that doing so is the best way to protect all children and parents, to ensure that their ability to enjoy the event is not harmed by the actions of individuals. When speaking to LRPers it is clear that the majority are happy to welcome young live-roleplayers to participate at our events, provided that the parents and children are meticulous in meeting clear standards of behaviour. We intend to build on that support by demonstrating that the majority can meet these standards and by refusing further entry to the minority that cannot.

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Guides: Synod

Contents

- 1 An Introduction to the Synod

- 1.1 Duties

- 1.1.1 I – Appoint a Cardinal for your Virtue Assembly

- 1.1.2 II – Exercising of Judgement

- 1.1.3 III – The Spiritual Wellbeing of your Nation, and the Empire

- 1.2 Rights

- 1.2.1 I – Witness

- 1.2.2 II – Sanctuary

- 1.2.3 III – Confession and Clemency

- 1.2.4 IV – Judgement

An Introduction to the Synod

Membership of the Imperial Synod is an important calling and carries with it a number of Duties and Rights. This guide is intended to aid new members of the Synod in fulfilling their duties, and remind them of the purpose of the Rights.

Duties

As a member of the Synod you have the following duties:

I – Appoint a Cardinal for your Virtue Assembly

- Your Virtue Assembly is determined by your Virtue Dedication or, if you are Undedicated, you are considered a member of the Assembly of the Way

- If the Assembly has no Cardinal, you should ensure that your voice is heard in the appointment of the Cardinal

- If the Assembly has a Cardinal, you share in the responsibility for the judgements and decisions they make as part of the Assembly of the Nine

- If you feel that the Cardinal is not representing the Virtue or The Way in the manner they should, it is your duty to take action

Consult with the Functionaries of the Synod on how to take necessary actions in relation to this duty. This can include identifying a Cardinal if they are unknown to you.

II – Exercising of Judgement

- As a religious leader, it is accepted that you are possessed of good and virtuous judgement

- Your duties including passing judgement on matters presented to the Synod Assemblies

- There are no formal meetings at the Synod, as you are expected to spend time attending to the needs and wellbeing of the lay citizens

- You should check in at the Synod across the day to check with the Functionaries if any matters have been presented for your judgement

- In time, you will get a sense for when to visit. If in doubt, we recommend once every three hours for a few minutes as a guideline.

Consult with the Functionaries of the Synod on seeing the judgements and how to register your own.

III – The Spiritual Wellbeing of your Nation, and the Empire

- As a religious leader, you already minister to the spiritual wellbeing of several Citizens from your home nation.

- Within the Synod, you are a member of three Assemblies: Virtue, National and General

- Your duties within these Assemblies are to ensure that the Empire remains virtuous and that any corruption, idolatry, heresy or blasphemy is identified and dealt with

- You have access to a number of powers to take action against threats you have identified.

If you wish to use any of the powers of the Assemblies to oppose wickedness, consult with the Functionaries of the Synod as to what options are available to you, and what may be the easiest way to access them.

Rights

As a member of the Synod, you are afforded various Rights to ensure that you are able to carry out your crucial role in the Empire:

I – Witness

- As a member of the Synod, you have the right to enter any common space within the Empire, including the Military Command Tent, to observe that all citizens are behaving virtuously

- If you are prohibited from exercising this right, you may notify the Synod Functionaries or the Judiciary

- This right exists only whilst you are maintaining a discreet presence. Causing a disruption, or disturbance, forfeits this privilege in that time and place.

II – Sanctuary

- If you are in the Synod tent, or on consecrated ground, and an individual asks you for Sanctuary from the Imperial Law, you may grant it for the turn of an hourglass

- This right is intended to ensure that the Imperial Law is being enforced with reference to the Seven Virtues.

- The turn of the hourglass is so that the individual may either gather the proof of their innocence, or confess their crime and the virtues that informed it

- You, or a fellow Synod member, may appeal to the Judiciary for an extension of the hourglass

III – Confession and Clemency

- Where an individual has been granted sanctuary in the Synod, or on consecrated ground, you may take their confession.

- The confession will be in relation to the crime for which they have sought sanctuary

- Having taken confession, you may accompany the individual to the Judiciary and appeal for clemency on the grounds of the virtues that informed the crime

- Be warned, this right is not to be taken trivially or abused. If the individual offends again in the future, it will reflect poorly on you and charges may be brought.

IV – Judgement

- As your duties include giving your judgement on matters before the Synod, you too may call on your fellow Synod members to pass judgement

- Judgements can cover a range of matters including inquisition, revocation of Imperial positions, reward of virtuous acts, changing doctrines of the faith and more

- The Functionaries of the Synod can advise you of the options available to you, and effective ways of accessing them.

- When a judgement is put before the Synod Assemblies, a deadline will be set by which Synod members will be expected to have expressed their judgement.

- After the deadline, the Functionaries of the Synod will tally the judgements of the Synod members and document the Judgement of the Synod.

- Although the Synod is not required to meet, some Synod members have found it advantageous to explain the judgement they seek to make to their peers to ensure their support during the judgement process.

If you have any questions or require further clarifications regarding these Rights, it is advised that you consult with the Functionaries of the Synod regarding their interpretation.

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Guild

In ancient Catazarria the merchant prince would licence wealthy interests to participate in the politics of their city. To do so the group in question had to present a document outlining their goals, heraldry and founding principles. If the prince smiled upon their efforts (or at least, on the accompanying gift), they would grace it with their seal and it would become an official legal document. Thus, an ancient Catazarri could point to their "carta" (paper), proving that they had the right to lead. Their ability to monopolize trade faded though after they joined the Empire, due to the competition from craftsmen in other cities and nations. Most responded by expanding their remit.

Nowadays the process of authorising a guild is a adminstered by the Imperial Civil Service, and the document itself has come to be known as a charter. The terms are interchangeable. Some older Catazarri guilds insist on the archaic term, while more modern charters, especially those from Holberg, use charter instead. Some guilds operate without a charter, but for those that have one it is an object of immense pride. Typically decorated in gold leaf, illuminated in fine coloured inks and adorned with the seals of bishops and Empresses, it is frequently displayed as a public statement of wealth and power. An ancient charter is well regarded, and will garner a guild respect even if their financial fortunes are not so illustrious. It is not unknown for an ailing guild to even sell their charter, and a thriving trade exists in counterfeits and stolen charters.

By tradition the leader of these ancient organisations carried a signet ring with the seal of the guild upon it, and thus only they could sign documents on behalf of the entire guild. This practice earned them the title of "signeur" or "signeura" (when their power wasn't great enough to justifiably claim the title of prince), and this has persisted to the present day.

Discussions within the guild are often heated, citizens of The League appreciate a passionate argument, but if consensus cannot be reached on an important issue then the signeura may simply raise their hand, palm inwards to display the ring with the seal of the guild. This is done to remind the other guild members that the guild follows their lead, and should abide by their decision while doing so. It is not done lightly, as it can be seen as a reprimand for excessive bickering or childlike behaviour, and can lead to extreme bad feeling. In any event the other guild members must accept the signeura's decision or a challenge their leadership immediately.

A small number of guilds demand that every member be either a blood relative, or married to a blood relative. Often referred to as "camorra" in a slightly derogatory way, these guilds have a largely undeserved reputation for dubious morals and underhand dealings. They are marginally more common in Temeschwar and Tassato than elsewhere.

Creating a guild

The guild is intended as the major social grouping for the League; a network of skilled and ambitious people who have bound their fortunes together for mutual gain. Smaller guilds typically specialise in order to take advantage of a niche while larger ones tend to be extremely diverse, but these patterns are far from set in stone. A free company, for instance, is a type of guild who specialises in mercenary work and tends to have few fixed assets as a result.

It may be a good idea to consider whether you want to have a group charter when creating a guild, and how vigorously you expect the members to adhere to it. Having a charter will serve as a good advertisement to new potential players who might wish to join. You should consider carefully what your group will enjoy playing, and try not to put in place rules that will be hard to enforce, or lead to constant internal friction. Nebulously virtuous principles and grandiose goals that will encourage the guild to strive will probably serve you best unless you have a group dedicated to a real hardcore concept.

Each guild's specific goals and methods vary, but almost universally involves accumulating political and financial power. Success is about more than cash though, it is about renown and sophistication. Whatever your guild does, it should at least claim to be the best at it. Membership in your guild should be something that others aspire to. Everybody should know its name and recognise its heraldry. Remember; the guild endures after you are gone, leave its legend greater than you found it.

Even if a character isn't a member of your guild (or even your nation), they can still associate with it - The League encourages hiring specialists. Such freelancers may never have the security or prestige of guild membership, but they can hire themselves out to the highest bidder. A servant that betrays a guild after accepting its coin will seldom last long, though.

Within a guild the player characters represent the leaders and owner, and while the guild may have thousands of staff across its holdings, players are are the only ones who get to make major decisions. A leader who doesn't attend events is no leader in the eyes of a League citizen, and will most likely find themselves replaced in short order - those who make the effort to attend get to make the decisions.

You may wish to base your guild in a single city; Holberg, Sarvos, Tassato or Temeschwar. A guild that spreads itself too thin stands little chance of influencing local politics, so if you want a bigger share of the political power you are better concentrating on the least-populated territories. Your character certainly will come from a single city, so make sure you know its foibles and fashions lest you appear a buffoon in front of your peers!

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Guild (Redirected from Guilds)

In ancient Catazarria the merchant prince would licence wealthy interests to participate in the politics of their city. To do so the group in question had to present a document outlining their goals, heraldry and founding principles. If the prince smiled upon their efforts (or at least, on the accompanying gift), they would grace it with their seal and it would become an official legal document. Thus, an ancient Catazarri could point to their "carta" (paper), proving that they had the right to lead. Their ability to monopolize trade faded though after they joined the Empire, due to the competition from craftsmen in other cities and nations. Most responded by expanding their remit.

Nowadays the process of authorising a guild is a adminstered by the Imperial Civil Service, and the document itself has come to be known as a charter. The terms are interchangeable. Some older Catazarri guilds insist on the archaic term, while more modern charters, especially those from Holberg, use charter instead. Some guilds operate without a charter, but for those that have one it is an object of immense pride. Typically decorated in gold leaf, illuminated in fine coloured inks and adorned with the seals of bishops and Empresses, it is frequently displayed as a public statement of wealth and power. An ancient charter is well regarded, and will garner a guild respect even if their financial fortunes are not so illustrious. It is not unknown for an ailing guild to even sell their charter, and a thriving trade exists in counterfeits and stolen charters.

By tradition the leader of these ancient organisations carried a signet ring with the seal of the guild upon it, and thus only they could sign documents on behalf of the entire guild. This practice earned them the title of "signeur" or "signeura" (when their power wasn't great enough to justifiably claim the title of prince), and this has persisted to the present day.

Discussions within the guild are often heated, citizens of The League appreciate a passionate argument, but if consensus cannot be reached on an important issue then the signeura may simply raise their hand, palm inwards to display the ring with the seal of the guild. This is done to remind the other guild members that the guild follows their lead, and should abide by their decision while doing so. It is not done lightly, as it can be seen as a reprimand for excessive bickering or childlike behaviour, and can lead to extreme bad feeling. In any event the other guild members must accept the signeura's decision or a challenge their leadership immediately.

A small number of guilds demand that every member be either a blood relative, or married to a blood relative. Often referred to as "camorra" in a slightly derogatory way, these guilds have a largely undeserved reputation for dubious morals and underhand dealings. They are marginally more common in Temeschwar and Tassato than elsewhere.

Creating a guild

The guild is intended as the major social grouping for the League; a network of skilled and ambitious people who have bound their fortunes together for mutual gain. Smaller guilds typically specialise in order to take advantage of a niche while larger ones tend to be extremely diverse, but these patterns are far from set in stone. A free company, for instance, is a type of guild who specialises in mercenary work and tends to have few fixed assets as a result.

It may be a good idea to consider whether you want to have a group charter when creating a guild, and how vigorously you expect the members to adhere to it. Having a charter will serve as a good advertisement to new potential players who might wish to join. You should consider carefully what your group will enjoy playing, and try not to put in place rules that will be hard to enforce, or lead to constant internal friction. Nebulously virtuous principles and grandiose goals that will encourage the guild to strive will probably serve you best unless you have a group dedicated to a real hardcore concept.

Each guild's specific goals and methods vary, but almost universally involves accumulating political and financial power. Success is about more than cash though, it is about renown and sophistication. Whatever your guild does, it should at least claim to be the best at it. Membership in your guild should be something that others aspire to. Everybody should know its name and recognise its heraldry. Remember; the guild endures after you are gone, leave its legend greater than you found it.

Even if a character isn't a member of your guild (or even your nation), they can still associate with it - The League encourages hiring specialists. Such freelancers may never have the security or prestige of guild membership, but they can hire themselves out to the highest bidder. A servant that betrays a guild after accepting its coin will seldom last long, though.

Within a guild the player characters represent the leaders and owner, and while the guild may have thousands of staff across its holdings, players are are the only ones who get to make major decisions. A leader who doesn't attend events is no leader in the eyes of a League citizen, and will most likely find themselves replaced in short order - those who make the effort to attend get to make the decisions.

You may wish to base your guild in a single city; Holberg, Sarvos, Tassato or Temeschwar. A guild that spreads itself too thin stands little chance of influencing local politics, so if you want a bigger share of the political power you are better concentrating on the least-populated territories. Your character certainly will come from a single city, so make sure you know its foibles and fashions lest you appear a buffoon in front of your peers!

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Hahnmark

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Kalpaheim

- 3.2 The Fingers

- 3.3 Gulnar’s Deeps

- 3.4 Runegrott

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Bruckland

- 4.2 Kalpamark

- 4.3 Kronemark

- 4.4 Northspires

- 4.5 Southridge

- 4.6 Valasmark

- 4.7 Wood Heath

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

The territory of Hahnmark is spread along a series of treacherous mountain passes, the rolling foothills beneath and the wide plains that stretch toward Sermersuaq and Kallavesa. In ancient times it was the centre of the troll kingdom, but today is considered the ancestral homeland of the Steinr in Wintermark. The other passes through the mountains are likewise protected by fortified halls, preventing access to the rolling hills that drop down towards fertile plains.

In the oldest days, before the coming of the Steinr, Hahnmark was the heart of the troll kingdoms and it was here that the three peoples first came together to oppose their enemies, and to create the union that has made their people the strongest in the world. The peaks of eastern Hahnmark are scattered with relics from the troll kingdom, mostly ruined and empty, or haunted by malignant spirits who hate the people of the lowlands with an endless, frigid spite. The higher peaks are avoided by sensible folk as a consequence.

Hahnmark is a rugged land, like the people who call it home. A slight majority of the population are Steinr, but as always there is a nearly equal presence of Suaq and Kallavesi people in its prosperous halls. The people of the rolling hills enjoy a high level of prosperity, their wealth coming from trade with other Imperial nations; from the mines and farms of the mountains and the flatlands; and from the strong sword-arms of it's warriors.

The Senator for Hahnmark is appointed by the Steinr during the Autumn equinox, and is almost invariably from Steinr stock.

Recent History

During the invasion of Skarsind, many refugees came down through Pakaanen's Pass to find temporary homes in Northspires and Bruckland. Since the territory has been reclaimed, many are returning to their homes - although a number have chosen to stay permanently in Hahnmark. Concerns that the Thule might come further west and invade Hahnmark proved groundless, but there were repeated calls for the Hall at Kalpaheim and the vigilant Stormspires to be reinforced and further fortified. Successive Senates failed to agree to the amount of white granite needed, and the projects were largely abandoned.

Major Features

Kalpaheim

The largest settlement in Wintermark. Once capital of the entire nation, this is the site of the original joining of the three cultures. The settlement circles a stone fortress built in the first days after the defeat of the trolls - the Hall at Kalpaheim - parts of which extend into tunnels dug deep beneath the mountains. A prosperous hub for trade with other nations, Kalpaheim guards a large pass through the mountains that serves as a major trade-route down into the Marches, and the rest of the Empire. Other valuable trade routes include those to Hercynia in the north-west, and through the Navarr territory to the forests and mines of Skarsind and ultimately Varushka.

As well as safeguarding the prosperity of Hahnmark, Kalpaheim is a central feature in the heritage of the Winterfolk. The Face of King Ulmo, an immense carving of the first monarch of Wintermark, looks down upon Kalpaheim from the side of one of the western mountains. It serves as a reminder that the eyes of history are upon the town and the people of Wintermark. This impressive feat is one of the wonders of the Empire, constructed long before the nation joined the Empire by a trio of Artok under the control of the icewalker Gilda Heimssdottir. She also dug out most of the tunnels that parts of the hall now occupy.

The Fingers

When the Steinr travelled through mountain passes to find the Suaq and Kallavesi, they sought guidance in visions. It is said that this high-mountain with its four jagged peaks rose above the mist in the early daylight, pointing out the way. It is now home to a religious settlement called The Fingers, where the virtues that founded Wintermark are celebrated; the Courage to carry such a bold plan through, the Pride gained through the trials of the journey, and the Loyalty that now joins the three peoples.

Gulnar’s Deeps

An old series of copper mines in northern Kalpamark that unexpectedly broke into a much larger cave network beneath. The full extent of the caves has never been mapped, since ice and meltwater make much of it treacherous, but a wealth of minerals and metals now comes from the deeps.

Runegrott

In southern Northspires is found a vast labyrinthine chamber in the ice, in which many runes are carved. They are thought to be very old, and some scholars argue that the origin of runes in Wintermark lies here, rather than in the caves beneath Gildenheim. The chamber is carefully guarded. It is a matter of debate as to whether the runes bear any message -- some claim the original laws of Wintermark, and thus the Empire -- were taken from the inscriptions in this chamber.

Regions

Bruckland

Of all the regions of Hahnmark, Bruckland has the highest concentration of halls that have a majority of Suaq members. The cold, flat plains are scattered with low, artifical hills atop which lie stone beacons and desolate watchtowers. Between the hills wander large domesticated herds of deer, elk and the occasional mammoth. Fruitless attempts to domesticate the mammoths have largely been abandoned, but there are a few stubborn mammoth herders in Bruckland who follow the herds and occasionally harvest an old or injured member for ivory, hide and meat.

The most famous settlement in Bruckland, the fishing hamlet of Turelva lies across the waters of Kronevann from Kronehal. The two settlements enjoy a friendly rivalry in all matters; an annual fishing contest between the two has become a four day festival which boasts attendees from as far afield as Dawn.

Kalpamark

The heartland of Hahnmark, site of Kalpaheim and the face of King Ulmo. The halls of Kalpamark are some of the most prosperous and influential in Hahnmark - possibly in the whole of Wintermark.

Keywords: Hilly

Kronemark

The flattest part of Hahnmark, the downs of Kronemark are a patchwork of fishing villages and farms. The largest settlements sprawl around the shore of the icy lake Kronevann, or along the many streams that connect it to its sister lakes in Bruckland. The best known of the settlements on the Kronevann is Kronehal. Claimed as the home of Sigrid Alvsdottir, legendary champion of the Steinr who slew Vatr, the one-eyed warleader of the trolls and as her reward claimed the crown of the Steinr.

Northspires

The hills and mountains of Northspires are a rich source of Orichalcum and Tempest Jade. Some of the highest peaks in Wintermark are found here, and there are scattered ruins on the upper slopes that date back to the height of the troll kingdoms. Several halls look down across the rest of Hahnmark from here, the most famous of which is probably the Stormspires. A remote fortress and watchtower whose commander is often titled ‘the Eyes of the North’, Stormspire keeps a careful watch on any traffic from the North. One of the key major beacons, the folk of Stormspire also maintain and staff a smaller network of beacons on nearby peaks.

Keywords: Hilly

Southridge

In the years before the foundation of the Empire, the rolling downs and woodlands of Southridge were the site of regular skirmishes between the Winterfolk and the Marchers. These came to an end with a final peace treaty, signed at the settlement of Moot. Grim-faced folk drew lines on maps and agreed to fight orcs, not each other. The place of meeting grew into a small trading settlement where Marcher grain goes north, and Wintermark sends its worked metal and leather south. Despite nearly five centuries of relative peace, however, there are occasional tales of haunted battlefields and unfortunate incidents with rowdy Marchers who ought to know better.

The woodlands and rugged gulleys of Southridge are also home to at least one hidden tribe of Feni who mostly keep to themselves but occasionally engage in banditry against travelers or poorly defended halls.

Keywords: Hilly

Valasmark

Rugged Valasmark slopes down towards the cold fens of Kallavesa to the south-west. In a populous valley near the centre of the region stands Valashal, a Hall almost entirely peopled by groups of Steinr, accepting warriors from all over the nation. Its stated intent is to be the greatest focus of martial heroism in the country and therefore the world. Without Suaq, their casualties in time of war tend to be horrific; but they also attract scops from far and wide to sing of their bravery and their dead are remembered for their glorious deeds.

Keywords: Hilly

Wood Heath

On the edge of the forests on the southern side of Hahnmark stands the bustling logging town of Woodhall which supplies a great deal of of the wood, charcoal and Beggar's Lye for Wintermark’s building, crafting and smithing. Woodhall also sees regular caravans from Temeschwar to the east, and enjoys cordial relations with the Marchers of Upwold to the south.

As with Southridge to the west, there is believed to be at least one tribe of secluded Feni in Wood Heath, although their attentions are mostly directed toward Upwold and Miaren.

Keywords: Hilly

OOC Notes

- The regions of Hahnmark are under the control of the people of Wintermark (and by extension the Empire) making the territory staunchly Imperial.

- This page is still under development - the next stage is to review approved backgrounds for details that would enrich the description of the territory.

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Hakima

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Politics

- 3 Magical heritage

- 4 Creating a hakima

- 5 Playing a hakima

- 5.1 Other Magicians

Overview

The hakima are the guardians of magical lore in the Freeborn tribes. They trace their role back to the three founders who were each powerful ritualists with their own style and emphasis. A group of hakima recruits the most promising individuals from Freeborn families and give their loyalty to the nation as a whole, rather than any individual family. By drawing together ritualists from different backgrounds, the hakima ensure they have sufficient ability to cast powerful rituals, something that would be difficult for a single family to achieve by itself.

The hakima play an important political role in Freeborn life, acting as neutral arbiters and serving as the glue that holds Freeborn society together. The traditional role of the hakima is to provide advice and direction to individuals and families, and to help the nation as a whole prosper. While there are fools in any position, the position of hakima is well respected by most Freeborn who appreciate that they represent something of a higher calling. The best hakima use this respect to direct the Freeborn families in the best interests of all; the worst try to browbeat families into doing as they say.

The hakima have no formal power, but their neutrality gives them an important social role in helping to settle disputes and their magical skills mean that their support for individual families is invaluable, something they can translate into additional political influence. Members of hakima groups should try to make sure they are present when all important business is being decided by the Freeborn, to ensure that the right decisions are made.

While they see their first loyalty as being to the nation, they also recognise that tribal and familial identity are vital parts of that national identity. They vehemently oppose anything that might threaten the tribes, or compromise what it means to be Freeborn. While a group of Hakima may represent all the tribes, the individual preserves their link to the founder. They keep the tribal element of their name, and never stop thinking of themselves as a Riqueza, Guerra or Erigo - not least to remind everyone else of the importance of tribal identity to the Freeborn.

If life was just about manipulating magic it would be easier by far.

Freeborn Proverb

Politics

The political power and influence of the hakima inevitably ebbs and flows depending on their numbers. The hakima were numerous In the run up to Britta's death, but many lost their life in the battle that claimed the last Empress. With their numbers significantly reduced since then, the hakima have struggled to muster the strength needed to cast the most powerful rituals and have seen their influence wane as a result.

Opinions on how to fix this problem remain divided. Traditional hakima groups favour covens formed along strict tribal lines, but in recent years many hakima have advocated that hakima of different tribes should try to work together to help the Freeborn of the Brass Coast prosper. Increasingly progressive groups of Riqueza, Guerra, and Erigo are seen working together on political and magical matters. These groups claim it is impossible for them to effectively help the families if they insist on sticking to narrow tribal lines. The conservatives warn that this new approach risks diluting the tribal legacy of the Brass Coast.

Magical heritage

More than being just magicians, the hakima exemplify a connection to the founders of the tribes and the history of the Freeborn. They are traditionally held to be wise, able to perceive the larger picture more effectively than most Freeborn who are anchored in more mundane activities. They may be consulted when important decisions need to be made within a family, or when magical assistance is sought. They rarely wait to be consulted however – a hakima is likely to be poking around any important business ready to offer a suggestion as to what to do next.

They are especially cautious about preserving the links to the founders that form the underpinning of tribal identity. They have little time for dabblers and charlatans who debase the legacy of the Founders, and offer advice that claims to be based on divination but is as often as not made up on the spot.

Traditional Hakima groups draw specifically on the original approach to magic used by their tribe's founder. Progressive covens prefer to combine the key elements of all three tribal traditions to include drumming, fire and poetry. As with all Freeborn ritualists, it is common for a ritual to be accompanied by a number of non-ritualists whose role is to create the proper atmosphere by joining in the singing and dancing. Wheras a "dabbler" will perform a ritual with and for the benefit of a single family, however, a Hakima group is likely to invite any and all Freeborn to participate in their magical workings.

Creating a hakima

The hakima are intended to allow players to play a group of Freeborn ritualists who also have a significant role in the politics of the Freeborn nation, if they choose to do so. Players can choose to create a hakima group rather that play a traditional Freeborn family.

Individual hakima characters are recruited from every Freeborn family, so you can still define your Freeborn family as part of your background. If you want to be from an existing Freeborn family, one played by current players, then it's worth contacting the group just to check they are happy with you doing that. Balancing the loyalties to your tribe with old ties to a family can be part of the fun of playing a hakima . Otherwise you can define a small NPC family that your character is from.

It's perfectly acceptable to have characters in the group who aren't playing hakima. Members who want to play warriors should take a look at the kohan character role, who are often found with the hakima. There is no reason why a group of hakima wouldn't associate with a sutannir or a merchant, but if your group doesn't include these sorts of characters you are likely to be dependent on the other Freeborn family groups for help, a situation which will make the events much more enjoyable for everyone in your group. You will have to roleplay with the Freeborn families to obtain what you need, which is a lot more fun than just being able to sort it out without any roleplaying required.

Focusing your group on magic will make it more enjoyable for everyone in the group but it will also bolster your groups reputation and ability to perform powerful rituals. The hakima's position is derived from the magical support they render to the other families, the more focused on magic your group is, the more important you will be to all the other family groups.

It is possible to play a hakima character who is part of a Freeborn family group. Most hakima try to separate their duties to the nation from their ties to their family, but this is not always possible. Your character might be associating with a family to help give them direct guidance; working with them to achieve some long term goals; or simply belong to a group of hakima who maintain closer ties with their blood relatives than normal. Ultimately though the respect the families are supposed to have for the hakima is based on their neutrality, on the fact that the hakima are loyal to the Freeborn people rather than any individual family. You can't expect other players to treat you as a hakima if you are very obviously just a ritualist who is part of an Freeborn family group. If you want to play a ritualist who is part of a family group, it may be better to play that idea to the hilt, perhaps even a character who has rejected the role of the hakima in favour of remaining loyal to their family.

You can create and play a lone hakima ; it's hard to be powerful as an individual ritualist but your character may be able to make themselves essential by performing weak but important rituals. If you playing a hakima who is part of a group or coven of traditionalists, then you will need to ensure you are a member of the same tribe as the others. If you are joining a progressive coven then you are free to pick your own tribe.

Playing a hakima

The political role of the hakima is meant to be a subtle one. Part of their influence comes from the way they place the good of the nation above that of the family, so the more unbiased you can be, the more power you are likely to wield. The magic rituals you can offer are valuable to other groups, so don't be afraid to use that to get what you want from them, but the more subtle you can be about it, the better. If you try to throw your weight around and expect other players to do what you say because "the brief says the Freeborn respect the hakima" you are going to get nowhere. The hakima are supposed to be shrewd and wise in their dealings with the families; you have to play that part of the Freeborn brief to get other players to play theirs! Still, some Hakima such as the Red Hills Coven of Kahraman make careful use of curses when dealing with those who transgress the traditions of Freeborn society - such magic represents the "stick" that accompanies the "carrot" offered by the enchantments of an organised Hakima coven.

Most Hakima consider the welfare of the Freeborn more important than that of the other nations that make up the Empire. In a dispute between a Freeborn family and a League Guild for example they will almost certainly be staunch supporters of their fellow Freeborn. This can be a great excuse to be stubborn, and help other Freeborn players resist the temptation to compromise with outsiders.

Please don't be intimidated by the magical traditions set out for the three tribes. It's great if you are able to make effective use of your tribe's magical tradition, but it's not required. You're better off picking an approach that you're confident you can do well and enjoy than trying something you are hesitant about.

Other Magicians

The hakima are written with a degree of hostility towards those ritualists and spell casters who are not hakima but have remained part of a Freeborn family group. These characters directly undermine the power and influence of the hakima by offering the families a way to perform rituals without being dependent on the hakima. Traditionally the hakima have derided them as charlatans, which for a group who view themselves as wise and learned guides is meant to convey a degree of scorn and contempt for these dabblers, but how you react to their presence will depend on their numbers and power.

Whatever approach you take it is critical to appreciate that the family magicians represent an existential threat to Brass Coast society. The more family magicians there are - the less the families need the hakima. But the hakima are the glue that binds the three tribes together - without them the nation risks splintering and ultimately that would seem them destroyed. So the existence of family magicians ultimately threatens the entire existence of the Brass Coast.

A degree of hostility and contempt towards family magicians can help to remind everyone that these partisan dabblers are a break from the traditions of Freeborn society. If the hakima are numerous and able to perform powerful rituals than they can use that influence to encourage a degree of disdain for family magicians. But whatever the political situation on the ground, by far the most effective way to neutralize the threat of the family magicians is to recruit them into the hakima ranks. Most hakima are drawn from the families, if you can make this happen in play then it will be a significant boost to the power of the hakima and help to preserve the Brass Coast way of life for future generations.

If your hakima coven is small in number, than disdainful superiority over the families will be difficult to pull off. You might need to take a more proactive approach, using items like Volhov's robes to work with family magicians to help them perform more powerful rituals. The key point to remember if you do that is that the role of the hakima is a higher calling than that of a family magician who is at the beck and call of his dhomiro. One uses magic as a political tool to gain influence to better serve the entire Freeborn nation - the other is a lackey who uses his magic at the behest of his group to earn them a few extra coins. But anyone can become a hakima, you just have to show them the way.

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Hallow of the Green World

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 160

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 160

The magnitude of this ritual may fluctuate as the Empire expands or contracts.

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets the entire Empire. It must be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil. The ritual requires a map of the entire Empire which is used to harness and focus it's power.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The ritual enchants the entire Empire. Every herb garden in the Empire produces three additional herbs over the next season. The type of herb must be chosen and named as pert of the ritual.

In addition, fertility increases across the Empire for animals, plants and people. While this is not immediately noticeable, in coming seasons there will be many more healthy children born.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event..

Description

This old and dramatically powerful ritual enchants the entire Empire for a short time. It effects every herb garden in every region within the Empire, giving them a significant boost to both the fertility and general health of plants and animals.

During a season when this ritual is in effect, there are increased incidences of people encountering Spring regio, or the Heralds of Spring Eternals. Indeed, the Eternals of Spring themselves seem to become more active after periods when this ritual is performed, and more interested in the activities of Imperial citizens. There is a superstitious belief that more of the children conceived during this period will express the briar lineage in later life, but the way the briar lineage develops has made a definitive study extremely difficult. There is some anecdotal evidence that especially high-lineage briar feel especially vigorous and during this period, and are a little more likely to lash out at those who anger them.

Common Elements

This is a powerful ritual, and few covens can perform it by themselves. When this ritual has been performed in the past, it has usually been achieved with the use of at least one Web of Celestial Attunement and with supplies of crystal mana from the Imperial Conclave. A coven that plans to perform it often spends several days in preparation, knowing that the eyes of the Empire are likely to be on them.

Ritual performances often include the evocation of the Runes of spring especially Bravash, and of the constellation of The Fountain. Hearth magics and symbols associated with health and Prosperity are also commonly evoked, such as shedding small amounts of blood or offering libations of wine or milk. The Eternal Yaw'nagrah may be mentioned, but it is more likely that Imperial heroes and the names of Paragons and Exemplars will be called upon. The ritual often initiates, takes place during or culminates in,a raucous feast or festival that can last long into the night,

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Hand of the Maker

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The target item must be present throughout.

Effects

This simple divination determines who made a crafted item. It generally provides the common name of the character, and may include an image of that person.

In the case of an item that has been empowered multiple times, of if the item's enchantment has expired, the ritual only shows the image of the last person to empower that item.

Description

This simple divination ritual both recognises the prowess and skill of an artisan and serves as another tool in the investigator's arsenal with which to uncover thieves. The ritual is low enough in magnitude that it can be spontaneously woven in cases where discovering who made an item may help uncover greater crimes or prove that an item has been acquired illicitly.

Common Elements

As a divination this ritual often involves the use of runestones, cards or similar devices. A League ritualist may study a card spread, or carefully handle the item using magical senses to uncover the handiwork of a specific artisan. A Marcher cunning-man might scry the face of the crafter in a metal water-bowl or glass sphere.

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Hands of the Healer

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 16

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 16

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the magician skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target can cast the heal and restore limb spells in 5 seconds rather than 10 seconds. The target does not gain any additional knowledge of, or ability to cast, these spells.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 9. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

Where Fountain of Life allows a magician to perform healing spells, Hands of the Healer allows a magician who is already proficient with magical healing to use their spells more quickly, reducing the likelihood that they will be interrupted. The ritual accelerates the use of items such as the Acolyte's Mercy wand, or a Bloodwoven Braid, as well as the spells cast by a magician under their own power.

Common Elements

As with many healing rituals, blood and water are common elements. Washing the hands with water or wine is common, as are invocations using the names of famous or legendary physicians and healers. The firebird, which heals itself instantly with the power of flame; the herbs True Vervain or Cerulean Mazzarine; and the constellation of The Fountain are all popular images to use with this ritual.

Runes such as Rhyv or the rune of thought may also be evoked - the first in its role as the rule of healing as well as bloodhsed, the latter in its aspect as the rune that is concerned with education and mental skills.

Some Dawnish and Wintermark rituals paint the rune of majesty on the hands of the target, seeking to imbue them with consummate healing skill.

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Harvest Time

Lyrics by Jude, to the tune of Pull Down Lads as sung by June Tabor on her album 'Airs and Graces'.

A pdf of the lyrics and tune can be found here with an additional verse if you choose to use it.

Harvest time The corn stands tall and ready We'll reap the grain and sow again The seeds of what will be You marched with Britta's army To fight for loyalty And while you're away, it's here I'll stay Till you come back to me

Darkness falls And all the land lies dreaming The stars are bright and shine tonight They burn as bright as day They'll guide you on till morning Until the east is gray And across the land the dolmens stand Like milestones on your way

Seasons turn And autumn's changed to winter And in the sky the ravens fly Above the frozen fen We'll stand up on the hillside And light the wicker men And like beacons bright they'll burn tonight To guide you home again

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Harvest_Time&oldid=21570"

Hayaak

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Summer

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Summer

Sobriquets

Hayaak is called the Gryphon-King.

He is also known variously as the Brother of Lions and the Hawk Lord.

Appearance

Hayaak is a heavy-set masculine figure with a feathered brow. When he is in a warlike mood he wears a helm shaped like the head of an eagle, armour made from the thick hide of some monstrous lion, and gauntlets with clawed fingers; when he is calm, he wears fine gold and brown clothing in the style of a Dawnish Earl with a golden crown. He is rarely without his warhorn and his great two-handed axe.

He is usually encountered in the wilds; while he apparently owns a great castle, he is most often found hunting in the vast expanse of the Forest of Arden, which surrounds his domain and the dominion of which he contests with several other Summer Eternals. Those who meet Hayaak are left in no doubt that this is a being with a quick temper; he has an aura that warns them of the danger of attracting his ire. Weak-willed individuals cannot meet his gaze, and must fight to stay in his presence if they think they have offended him.

The Gryphon-king has a well-known weakness; he enjoys and savours tales of romance, especially those that involve treachery and retribution. Some bards and troubadours have performed before Hayaak and received valuable gifts or boons when their work has pleased him, and occasionally painful curses when their work has bored or offended him.

Concerns

Hayaak exemplifies the wrath that lies at the heart of the Summer Realm. When he is in a good mood, he is gregarious, regal and welcoming. His mood can shift quickly in response to a real or imagined slight, and while it is rare for him to become angry when he does he seeks to annihilate whatever has drawn his ire. He is often involved in conflicts with other Summer Eternals.

Relatively straightforward and bluff, Hayaak is passionate about questions of honour and revenge. He encourages those who consider themselves wronged to seek redress, but seems to lack a sense of justice. One stargazer described him as being "wildly disproportionate in his retribution; tread mud through his home and he will burn down your town to settle the score."

Boons

This moody Eternal is known for his Lion-bound horn that drives foes before it, and the one-handed spear Retribution that shatters the shields of his enemies and inflicts deadly wounds on their bodies - only a knight in full harness can hope to stand against Hayaak in battle - and he will sometimes offer a fraction of these powers to mortals. He can also fan the flames of wrath or vengeance in a mortal heart, helping to harden them for the retribution they feel they must take.

Many of Hayaak's court are knights and warriors, and he is known to lend their aid to mortal endeavors from time to time, especially in pursuit of vengeance.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Hayaak&oldid=26086"

Heal

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This powerful spell restores the physical vitality of a target, even one that is on the verge of death. It is equally effective at restoring a scribe who has taken a minor wound, or a hulking ogre who has been critically injured. There seems to be no limit to the ability of this spell to restore someone to full strength. The experience of being healed by magic is highly subjective; some patient describe it as a great burst of vitality that rushes through them like a flood; others as a slow trickle of sensation that begins at the magician's hands and spreads with growing speed throughout their bodies.

The power of this spell is indiscriminate; it cannot be used to partially heal someone (such as a prisoner). Further, it can heal almost anything animate, even things that might otherwise not be considered to be alive in the usual sense - it restores shambling husks and ushabti as efficiently as it restores a human or orc. On the other hand, it is unable to help things that are not animate - while a tree can be considered to be alive, the heal spell has no effect on it.

This is perhaps the most powerful source of emergency healing available in the Empire, but its abilities are strictly delineated. It will not help with a traumatic wound; someone may be fully healed but slowly dying from a ruptured spleen or fractured skull. It will not regenerate a crippled or ruined limb, nor combat poison, venom, curses, weakness or diseases. While magical methods of dealing with all these conditions exist, a magician who wishes to optimise their medicinal capabilities will need to learn additional spells such as restore limb and purify.

Magical healing requires the magician to focus their attention on the patient, and anything that disrupts that attention causes the spell to fail. More than any other regular spell, heal is likely to be cast in dangerous environments, and the magician must take care that neither they nor their target are in immediate danger of having to fight before they begin the spell. A single blow, regardless of who strikes it or is struck, can disrupt the spell forcing the magician to start again. Magicians who anticipate needing to heal allies caught in the middle of an engagement master the swift heal spell, which is much quicker to cast but more taxing on the magician, or invest in specialist items such as a Trollsweave Vest.

There are several magical items that can enhance or empower the heal spell. They range from simple tools such as Altruist's Recompense wand that lets a magician share in some of the healing they provide, all the way to objects of great power such as the Woundbinder or the Robe of Blood and Bone which can dramatically increase the number of times the spell can be cast in a day.

Casting

- Type: Regular spell

- Cost: 1 Personal mana

Effects

This spell completely restores all lost hits to a living target. It does not affect a limb that has been affected by a CLEAVE or IMPALE call.

Sample Vocals

The following are sample vocals you can use to cast this spell if you don't want to make up your own.

- (touching the target with a blade) "The day is not done, it is not time to sleep / I charge you to awake, your courage revealed / Arise this moment, your battle oaths to keep / Stand now, and step forth for you are healed!"

- (evoking Rhyv) "You are wounded, and your blood has been spilled on the ground, but the well of life is bottomless. Blood calls to blood, my blood to yours, both of us bound by the ebb and flow of the eternal sea. Let me share my strength with you, it is like the ocean, let it flow into you. It leaves me undiminished, and fills you with life, healing your wounds."

- (sprinkling water) "Things heal. What is broken shall be mended. What is weak shall be made strong. Things now apart will come together and be made one. Drink now from the celestial chalice, drink deeply from the cup of the heavens and behold! You are healed!"

- "Life calls to life; I tell you now to let the life flow into and through you, to wash away your pains; your wounds are stripped away before the torrent of life, which always finds a way. My power fills you, in every corner of your being, filling you with life and raising you up. Live, stand, be healed!"

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: The rune of Blood, Rhyv, is usually invoked with healing magic and this spell is no exception. In some places, Rhyv is synonymous with healers - the Anvil Hospital bears the rune on its banners, for example. On a battlefield Verys or Tykonus, might be used especially when healing a soldier who needs the strength to return to the fray.

- Astronomancy: An astronomancer is likely to invoke the Chalice to heal someone, and may even carry an actual cup or water skin marked with the six stars of the constellation to use with this spell.

- Dramaturgy: The persona of the Witch is considered a good fit for healing magic, but the Bishop is also a reasonable choice - she restores and strengthens the spirit and the body alike. In a similar way, the boundless enthusiasm of the Mountebank can be harnessed in a way that trivialises the patient's wounds and fills them with the energy. When time is of the essence, the instrument of the Blade is evoked - there is rarely much shortage of physical blades on a battlefield; when the magician has more time, the throne of the Library is evoked with soothing words and images. Surprisingly, the Doctor is rarely used with this spell; its primal nature is seen as being at odds with the cool rationality of that persona which is more suited to cutting out infection.

- Other traditions: All traditions see value in using water or water imagery with this spell, to cleanse a wound or as a damp cloth applied to the patient. Fire is also a primal healing image, sometimes drawing on the symbolism of cauterising a wound. The herb True Vervain, even for a magical healer, has strong associations with healing and restoring strength.

- Realms: The obvious correlation of this spell is with the Spring realm. It fills a target from a bottomless reservoir of vitality and life. It also possesses resonance with the realm of Summer, however - it imbues the target with the strength to keep fighting, allowing them to shrug off even potentially fatal blows and return to the battle or escape their enemies. A few magicians, especially Varushkan spellcasters, consider the spell to have connections with Winter, preserving the target and delaying their inevitable demise for a short time.

- Further Reading: If you plan to make extensive use of this spell, you may want to read over Healing in Empire, a short article about medicine in the Empire world.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Heal&oldid=33130"

Healer's Harness

Description

This delicate suit of mage armour is well suited to protecting a magician healer who must operate on or near the front lines. Dedicated healers study physik as well as magic and so have their mage armour made with many pockets and ties for their equipment, giving the armour its name. The application of tempest jade can sometimes give the armour a shimmering surface and many dying soldiers have been overjoyed it see that oil-green colouring appear above them, giving it the name Saviour's Sheen. The harness also sees some popularity among the mountebanks of the League, giving a better chance of healing themselves if their audience turns nasty. They follow a similar design to battlefield healer's harnesses, but the pockets are more likely to be filled with cards and other people's purses.

The rune Cavul is often embossed on these suits of mage armour to help the wearer maintain concentration despite the pain of their wounds.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Damage taken by you or your target does not interrupt spells you are casting (for spells such as heal, create bond or night pouch).

- Materials: Crafting a healer's harness requires seven ingots of tempest jade, five measures of dragonbone and four ingots of green iron. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The rain lashed furiously on the hillside and the valley beneath, and the sky was grey as granite and just as hard. One by one, the six Sentinels of Coppermount Spire regained their senses, trapped to varying extents in the hungry mud of the landslide that had knocked them from their lonely road.

Castor was the first to recover his senses. Quickly the healer drew his wand, fine oak and dragonbone, and shocked himself with healing energies to stave off the worst of the harm the world seemed to wish him. He shivered, but how much worse it must have been for those who didn't boast gills and scales and a certain natural immunity to the cold and wet. He'd have to move fast, especially since they were already in gryphon territory and the damned things could smell weakness from miles away.

Looking around, the rest would all need help. Katerina and Gnaeus were the least trapped, which meant that they would be the quickest to help. He dreaded to think what injuries hid beneath the surface of the mud, but he'd sort them out when they were free.

He dug Gnaeus out quickly, and delivered a similar jolt of healing energy which made the young Merrow wince. The two of them started to dig Katerina out, Gnaeus digging his shield into the mud to provide a little shelter and stop the flow of rainwater over their best warrior's prone form.

Castor had almost freed her when someone stabbed him in the back with a handful of knives, hard enough to knock him off his feet. The gryphon landed right next to him a few seconds later, but Castor's head was still reeling. He heard a scream, not of pain but of threat, or the best Gnaeus could manage. The beast's attention was divided, and it screeched back a threat at the boy. Castor swallowed and rolled to one side to get to his feet.

Then it pounced right over Castor's head and flattened Gnaeus in an instant.

There was no time to think. Gryphons pinned their prey and bit at the throat. He knew Gnaeus would be dead in seconds.

It was so un-Urizen, it was so un-Merrow that he would spend the rest of his life wondering what tug of instinct had driven him to Zorech at that moment. Castor started casting the healing spell the boy would desperately need. He lowered his head and ran toward him. And then, with a shouted challenge, he shoulder-barged a gryphon out of his way.

He discharged the spell into Gnaeus' wounded chest as he passed over him, and the boy yelped in surprise. So did the gryphon, which fell to its side in the mud. The world spun as he landed atop it on his side. He felt ribs sticking through fur; it was hungry and desperate. Probably the runt of its litter, outcast from its pride. On a good day, they would kill a gryphon like this in seconds-

The thought was interrupted as it almost bit his arm off at the shoulder. Castor screamed. It shook him off as it stood again, and backed off to deliver another terrifying screech. He pushed himself to a kneel with his good arm and began to cast the spell that would give his other arm back.

It darted in towards him and raked him with a sharp talon. He stumbled, but the draining feeling of magic discharge didn't come. The threads of iridescent gloaming that ran through his armour pulsed briefly, and the breastplate seemed to tighten a little around his chest. It glanced down, looking puzzled at the display. He took the chance to kick it in the head and it backed off a few paces.

Castor winced and finished the spell this time. There was a flash of searing fire as the flesh of his shoulder grew in, and then he noticed Katerina, free and fighting the thing with just her spear while Gnaeus recovered his shield. He had the Captain's forethought to thank for saving him precious mana with the Healer's Harness. Castor readied his next spell, and then wondered, in a detached way, how exactly he intended to deliver it.

The fight wasn't over by a long way...

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Healing in Empire

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Magical Healing

- 3 Mundane medicine

- 4 Starvation, suffocation and hypothermia

- 5 Real World Knowledge

Overview

By the nature of the game, most of the rules for healing are centred around treatment of wounds sustained on the battlefield. Of course, illness, disease, ageing and death are facts of life in the Empire world, just as they are in our own, but it is unlikely that a character will suffer from a mundane pneumonia, cancer or stroke as a result of plot, therefore there is limited need to have a specific rules mechanism in place for their treatment. However, an attempt at explanation follows.

Magical Healing

The heal spell and its variants represent the channeling of raw power to knit bone, mend sinew and close wounds, magically restoring damaged tissue to full vitality. Immensely powerful and instantaneous, when used correctly, it is life-saving. However, its very power is its limitation - that creative force cannot be used with the precision to treat more complex internal maladies - just as traumatic wounds such as a ruptured spleen or liver require the meticulous and targeted hands of an operating physick, there is no way that a healing spell could be targeted to remove a tumour, clear a clot from an artery or repair the damage caused by a heart attack or stroke.

By that same logic, 'healing' rituals are limited. While a spring ritual to channel the regenerative powers of nature might succeed in reattaching a recently severed limb, an attempt to repair infarcted brain or scarred myocardium would be doomed to failure - it simply isn't possible to control such an awesome force in such a targeted way - the healing has gone beyond simple regeneration into the reconstruction and replacement of complex tissue structures, which is impossible. It could be considered analogous to holding a cigarette in one's lips and trying to light it with a flamethrower.

Some rituals, and bargaining with Eternals, may allow life to be extended by supernatural means, but this is not healing in the true sense, and always comes at a cost.

Mundane medicine

In-game, physick is both better and worse than real world medicine. In treating injuries it is far more reliable, as long as the patient is reached in time. Long term sequelae of trauma are rare, and recovery is usually complete. Magical herbs have curative effects on wounds and poisons, and full health can be restored within minutes.

All-cause mortality in the game world falls somewhere between the patterns of medieval Europe and the modern day. Deaths from accidents and trauma are rarer than in history, due to the availability of physick and healing. The effects of local infections, too, are readily treatable, and therefore contaminated wounds and puerperal sepsis are far less common. Surgeons are skilled and hygienic; there is no bar to the study of anatomy and therefore it is well understood.

However, diseases akin to pneumonia, cholera and typhoid may still affect a population, and, like the medieval physician, IC physicks and healers may find their treatments limited to hydration, analgesia and some herbal remedies of unreliable effect. There are no effective antibiotics, no parenteral fluids and no transfusions.

Likewise, cancer, heart disease and stroke remain largely untreatable. A physick might remove a localised tumour, but there is no option to treat it once it has spread. All men are mortal, and while physick and healing may prevent premature death, wear-and-tear and the passage of the years will still return each soul to the labyrinth, and sometimes the physick's last and only ability is to relieve suffering and to ease that passage.

Starvation, suffocation and hypothermia

Mortal flesh requires food, water, warmth and air, and in their absence there is no power, magical or mundane, which can sustain it. Suffocation, starvation and hypothermia could be considered as similar to traumatic wounds - in order to restore hits, the precipitating factor needs to be removed within a given time, after which a skilled physick would be able to restore hits through treatment. Artificial respiration might be a suitable IC way of treating a nearly drowned patient ('restoring the breath'?), but it would also be fine to use any other IC method such as squeezing the water out by compressing their abdomen, moving their arms to stimulate breathing or inducing (IC) vomiting - it's the character's skills that allow the effect, which you can roleplay however you like.

Real World Knowledge

An understanding of real world medicine can be a great basis for roleplay, but it's equally valid to be an incense-burning Kalivesi shaman, a Marcher barber-surgeon armed with hot pitch and leeches, or a Highguard priest who believes his ability to heal is the direct result of his personal virtue - all will work equally well IC as long as the correct skills are used. Researching and using medieval terminology would be a great adjunct to roleplay.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Healing_in_Empire&oldid=32736"

Hearth and Home

Original song " Byla Cesta" trad. Moravian. Words by Daisy.

RECORDING of this song : Media:hearth-and-home.mp3

Springtime blossom scents the air with flowers Summer sunlight brings long evening hours

Chorus: O Varushka! O Varushka, never more I'll roam In Varushka, in Varushka lies my hearth and home

Autumn forests ring with axe and song Winter's beauty only for the strong

Chorus

In the night time, parting lovers weaving Only braids and never tears when leaving

Chorus

Weeks go by, another year is turning Turning homeward where my heart is yearning

Chorus

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Hearth_and_Home&oldid=11309"

Hearthfire Circle

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying.

Effects

At the completion of the ritual, all contributors recover all lost hits. Each limb crippled by impale or cleave is restored, and the effect of venom is removed from each contributor.

When cast with more than one contributor, this ritual always counts as a use of the coven bond and counts towards the number of rituals the coven can perform that day..

Description

This potent spell restores an individual, or more commonly an entire coven of spring magicians, to full health. It is an effective battlefield spell both for covens who risk danger to heal their allies, and for those who take the field to fight alongside the warriors of the Empire. While the ritual is useful to any magician, the magnitude reflects the fact that it is most effective when performed by a group of Spring ritualists working together and sharing the healing energy among themselves.

Like all such rituals that rely on the power of the coven bond to grant them additional potence, the effects of the ritual are greater the more members of the coven are present and able to participate fully in the performance.

Common Elements

This ritual is very old; in pre-Imperial times it was widely practiced by covens of many nations, especially among the Steinr, Marchers and the Varushka. The ritual often includes things that evoke or symbolise ideas of safety, home and the hearth. Consequently fires, wholesome food, drink and music are all common elements used in the performance of this ritual. Where food and drink are used, they are often passed from person to person among the coven-mates, sometimes in an intricate pattern reminiscent of a dance.

A coven of Marcher landskeepers might include a bushel of grain taken from the recent harvest, or even good beer made from the same; a circle of Hakima are likely to engage in drumming and singing together with favoured friends and families; a school of cabalists will share dark bread and honey; a League Troupe or band of mountebanks may repeat their coven oath and touch rings together to reinforce the strength provided by their guild; and a coven of Navarr vates are likely to use small amounts of blood or red paint to trace designs on the hands or faces of their companions.

The important thing is to reinforce the bond between members of the coven, and evoke healing power through such elements as the runes Rhyv, Cavul or even Queros.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Hearthfire_Circle&oldid=30824"

Heart of the Song

Song by Peter Scrowther - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYY32ziq-Ag

Chords in First Verse and Chorus.

Chorus 1 O come all you weary trav'llers, [G D G] Let us take time from our journey, [Em C G] A few moments long, [Em C G] 'To delay all tribulation [G D G] In the cooling breath of silence, [Em C G] At the heart of the song. [G D C] The heart of the song. [C D G]

Verse 1 As we journey through mountains, [Em G] in pursuit of our dream, [C] How we hurry to capture the prize! [Am G C] Catching glimpses of valleys, [Em G] with tumbling streams. [C] Let us stop some day when we have time. [Am G C]

Chorus 2 O come all you weary trav'llers, Let us take time from our journey, A few moments long, If we lose sight of each other, I will meet in the silence, At the heart of the song. The heart of the song

Verse 2 All those questions and mysteries, That discomfort your mind, O what wouldn't you give for one sign! There may not be the answers, You've been hoping to find, But the questions will glimmer and shine!

Chorus 3 Like the starry eyes of lovers, And the moon beneath the water, When the magic is strong, If we lose sight of each other, I will meet in the silence, At the heart of the song. The heart of the song

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Heath magic Redirect page

User:Delvy

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Help:Adding A Page

Roughly, follow this procedure:

Create A Link

Find a page you want to link from, edit it, and put the desired page name in link brackets e.g.

[[My New Page Title]]

Think about the title as it will appear on the page itself, not as it should be in a link. If you want to change the link text, you can do so by separating it from the title with a pipe (|) character, e.g.

[[My New Page Title|Link to my new page]]

Now when you reload that page, you should see a red link to your new page. Click on it, and you will be editing your new page.

Add Content

Put in whatever content you want.

Note It's good to get into the habit of sprinkling double-square brackets around the first use of a new term, it encourages people to make new pages. For example:

The Alam regularly consult with their top magicky people, the [[Hakima]]...

That way, even if you don't make the page about the Hakima yourself, someone will be encouraged to.

Make It Navigable

When you're done, consider adding it to a category (or categories), so that it'll play nicely with the rest of the site. If it's a new category, you might want to consider updating the Breadcrumbs file. And you might conceivably want to add it to any of the menus.

If, for example, it's an article relevant to a particular nation, it should be put in two categories - Nations, and the nation itself. e.g. add this text to the bottom of the document.

[[Category-Nations]]

[[Category-Alam]]

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Help:Categories

Putting A Page In A Category

To put a page in a category, just add a link like so:

[[Category-SomeCategory]]

preferably at the bottom of the page you want to put in the category. For example, this page has:

[[Category-Help]]

A page can be in multiple categories.

Linking To A Category

To link to a category index page, just add a link like so:

[[:Category-SomeCategory]]

or

[[:Category-SomeCategory|Go to a category]]

(note the extra colon). For example, here's a link to Category-Help.

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Help:Editing

Special Pages

- What Links Here

Mediawiki Help

- Help:Formatting

- Help:Links

- Help:Images

- Help:Tables

- Help:Categories

Empire wiki Help

- Help:Adding A Page

- Help:Editing Empire Navigation - Top and side menus.

- Help:Editing Breadcrumbs - The trail along the top of the page.

- Help:Empire Extras - Additional formatting, IC text, stub pages, pull-out boxes, buttons, captioned images and all sorts.

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Help:Editing Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs are the hierarchical links at the top of the page (for example, for this page, it's Empire / Help / Editing Breadcrumbs).

This is a very manual thing for MediaWiki. You have to edit a set of rules in Imperial:Breadcrumbs.

There are lots of ways it can work, but I think the easiest is to make sure every page is in a category (see Help:Categories for how to do that), and then use the category name to define the breadcrumbs.

For example, if the Imperial:Breadcrumbs trail contains:

* Rules @ [[Main Page|Empire]] > [[Rules Overview|Rules]] >

* Help @ [[Main Page|Empire]] > [[Help]] >

then anything in the Rules category will have a breadcrumb trail of Empire (links to Main Page), Rules (links to the Rules category index) and so on.

If a page is in more than one category then it'll match the first one it finds.

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Help:Editing Empire Navigation

Editing The Top Menu

You need to edit the Imperial:TitleBar page. It's a fairly straightforward list using the syntax for bullet-lists in Wiki markup. You can have up to two levels of list - the top level entries are the visible links when the menu is closed, the sublists are the pop-up menus.

For example, this text:

* [[Home]]

* My Menu

** [[Page 1]]

** [[Page 2]]

gives you two menu entries, Home and My Menu. Home will be a link to the page called Home. My Menu will be a dropdown, containing two submenu items that link to Page 1 and Page 2.

If you want the menu item names to be different from the pages you're going to, no problem - just use the standard Wiki retitling feature. A pipe character (|) separates the page you want to go to from the title of the page that's displayed in the menu. For example:

* [[Home|Go Home]]

* My Menu

** [[Page 1|Go to Page 1]]

** [[Page 2|Go to Page 2]]

Editing The Left Menu

You need to edit the Imperial:LeftBar page. The list format should be fairly obvious from what's in the file already. It's another type of list, consisting of section headers and wiki links. Again, you can retitle links using the pipe symbol as before.

<nav-list>

<nav-header>A Header</nav-header>

<nav-item>[[Page 1|Go to Page 1]]</nav-item>

<nav-item>[[Page 2]]</nav-item>

<nav-header>Another Header</nav-header>

<nav-item>[[Kicking|How to kick people]]</nav-item>

<nav-item>[[Punching|How to punch people]]</nav-item>

</nav-list>

Editing The Footer

Edit the page Imperial:Footer. It's a bit more complicated than the other two, because there's a set of three columns and then a footer line beneath. It should be obvious enough from the existing content.

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Help:Empire Extras

I've added a bunch of additional extensions and such, to support the Bootstrap skin.

If you want to add to the menus, see Help:Editing Empire Navigation.

Contents

- 1 Grid Layout

- 2 Boxes

- 3 In-character

- 4 Captioned Image

- 5 Buttons

- 6 Hero Unit

- 7 Navigation Lists

- 8 Quotes

- 9 Labels

- 10 Magic Words

- 11 Special Syntaxes

- 12 Stub Article

- 13 PDF Book

- 14 Songs

Grid Layout

You can use Bootstrap extensions to lay out things in a grid. Nice for putting together a front page. There are 9 grid elements in the main content area, and you use them by putting together fluid rows and spans. The spans need to add up to nine. For example:

<row-fluid>

<span3>A Cell</span3><span3>Another Cell</span3><span3>A third cell</span3>

</row-fluid>

would give you three equally-sized cells.

You can have as many rows as you like. You can use span1 to span12.

Boxes

<box>You can use this syntax to add boxes.</box>

You can use this syntax to add boxes.

In-character

<ic>Use this syntax to add an in-character box in which to write documents etc.</ic>

Use this syntax to add an in-character box in which to write documents etc.

Captioned Image

{{CaptionedImage|file=Example.jpg|title=A popup title|caption=A caption underneath|align=left|width=100}} Here is some test text to show floating the image left.

{{CaptionedImage|file=Example.jpg|title=A popup title|caption=A caption underneath|align=none}}

Here is some test text to show floating the image left.

Buttons

Button Another Button

A Row Of Buttons

[[Button((.btn))]]

[[Another Button((.btn))]]

<btn-group>[[A((.btn))]] [[Row((.btn))]] [[Of((.btn))]] [[Buttons((.btn))]]</btn-group>

Hero Unit

Top-middle of main page. You can also use an uploaded image as a background to the hero unit.

<hero-unit image="imageFileName">Some awesome prose here!</hero-unit>

Navigation Lists

(used for the left-hand menu)

<nav-list>

<nav-header>XXX</nav-header>

<nav-item>Item</nav-item>

<nav-dropdown title="SomeTitle">

<nav-item>SubItem 1</nav-item>

<nav-item>SubItem 2</nav-item>

</nav-dropdown>

</nav-list>

Quotes

A long quotation that might be of interest to someone.

Someone Famous

<quote by="Someone Famous">A long quotation that might be of interest to someone.</quote>

A long quotation that might be of interest to someone.

Someone Famous

<quote-right by="Someone Famous">A long quotation that might be of interest to someone.</quote-right>

Labels

Default Success Warning Important Info

<label>Default</label>

<label type="success">Success</label>

<label type="warning">Warning</label>

<label type="important">Important</label>

<label type="info">Info</label>

Magic Words

__NOTITLE__

Special Syntaxes

[[some link((.class))]]

adds class to the link. e.g.

[[some link((.btn))]]

gives some link

Stub Article

{{stub}}

gives

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

PDF Book

{{pdf}}

gives

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

If put at the top of a normal page, collects all the pages that page links to.

If put on a category page, collects all the pages in that category.

Songs

<song>

Here's a song line

and here's another.

and here's the next

verse

</song>

Here's a song line and here's another.

and here's the next verse

This is make it easier to lay out songs on the site - inside song tags, line-breaks will be respected.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Help:Empire_Extras&oldid=2975"

Help:Formatting

You can format your text by using wiki markup. This consists of normal characters like asterisks, single quotes or equal signs which have a special function in the wiki, sometimes depending on their position. For example, to format a word in italic, you include it in two pairs of single quotes like ''this''.

Contents

- 1 Text formatting markup

- 2 Level 2

- 2.1 Level 3

- 2.1.1 Level 4

- 2.1.1.1 Level 5

- 2.1.1.1.1 Level 6

- 3 Paragraphs

- 4 HTML tags

- 5 Inserting symbols

- 6 HTML tags and symbol entities displayed themselves

- 7 Other formatting

Text formatting markup

Description

You type

You get

character (inline) formatting – applies anywhere

Italic text

''italic''

italic

Bold text

'''bold'''

bold

Bold and italic

'''''bold & italic'''''

bold & italic

Escape wiki markup

<nowiki>no ''markup''</nowiki>

no ''markup''

Escape wiki markup once

[[API]]<nowiki/>extension

APIextension

section formatting – only at the beginning of the line

Headings of different levels

== Level 2 ==

=== Level 3 ===

==== Level 4 ====

===== Level 5 =====

====== Level 6 ======

Note:

- Skip Level 1, it is page name level.

- An article with 4 or more headings automatically creates a table of contents.

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

Level 6

Horizontal rule

Text above

----

Text below

Text above

Text below

Bullet list

* Start each line

* with an [[Wikipedia:asterisk|asterisk]] (*).

** More asterisks gives deeper

*** and deeper levels.

* Line breaks<br/>don't break levels.

*** But jumping levels creates empty space.

Any other start ends the list.

- Start each line

- with an asterisk (*).

- More asterisks gives deeper

- and deeper levels.

- Line breaks

don't break levels.

- But jumping levels creates empty space.

Any other start ends the list.

Numbered list

# Start each line

# with a [[Wikipedia:Number_sign|number sign]] (#).

## More number signs gives deeper

### and deeper

### levels.

# Line breaks<br/>don't break levels.

### But jumping levels creates empty space.

# Blank lines

# end the list and start another.

Any other start also

ends the list.

1. Start each line

2. with a number sign (#).

1. More number signs gives deeper

1. and deeper

2. levels.

3. Line breaks

don't break levels.

1. But jumping levels creates empty space.

4. Blank lines

1. end the list and start another.

Any other start also ends the list.

Definition list

;item 1

: definition 1

;item 2

: definition 2-1

: definition 2-2

item 1

definition 1

item 2

definition 2-1

definition 2-2

Indent text

: Single indent

:: Double indent

::::: Multiple indent

Note: This workaround may be controversial from the viewpoint of accessibility.

Single indent

Double indent

Multiple indent

Mixture of different types of list

# one

# two

#* two point one

#* two point two

# three

#; three item one

#: three def one

# four

#: four def one

#: this looks like a continuation

#: and is often used

#: instead<br/>of <nowiki><br/></nowiki>

# five

## five sub 1

### five sub 1 sub 1

## five sub 2

Note: The usage of #: and *: for breaking a line within an item may also be controversial.

1. one

2. two

- two point one

- two point two

3. three
three item one

three def one

4. four

four def one

this looks like a continuation

and is often used

instead

of <br/>

5. five

1. five sub 1

1. five sub 1 sub 1

2. five sub 2

Preformatted text

Start each line with a space.

Text is '''preformatted''' and

''markups'' '''''can''''' be done.

Note: This way of preformatting only applies to section formatting. Character formatting markups are still effective.

Start each line with a space.

Text is preformatted and

markups can be done.

Preformatted text blocks

<nowiki>Start with a space in the first column,

(before the <nowiki>).

Then your block format will be

maintained.

This is good for copying in code blocks:

def function():

"""documentation string"""

if True:

print True

else:

print False</nowiki>

Start with a space in the first column,

(before the <nowiki>).

Then your block format will be

maintained.

This is good for copying in code blocks:

def function():

"""documentation string"""

if True:

print True

else:

print False

Paragraphs

MediaWiki ignores single line breaks. To start a new paragraph, leave an empty line. You can force a line break within a paragraph with the HTML tag <br/>.

HTML tags

Some HTML tags are allowed in MediaWiki, for example <code>, <div>, <span> and <font>. These apply anywhere you insert them.

Description

You type

You get

Inserted

(Displays as underline in most browsers.)

<ins>Inserted</ins>

or

<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Underline</span>

Inserted

or

Underline

Deleted

(Displays as strikethrough in most browsers.)

<del>Deleted</del>

or

<span style="text-decoration:line-through;">Deleted</span>

Deleted

or

Deleted

Fixed width text

<code>Source code</code>

or

<tt>Fixed width text</tt>

Source code

or

Fixed width text

Blockquotes

text above

text above

<blockquote>blockquote</blockquote>

text below

text below

text above text above

blockquote

text below text below

Comment

<!-- This is a comment -->

Comments are only visible

in the edit window.

Comments are only visible in the edit window.

Completely preformatted text

<pre> Text is '''preformatted''' and

''markups'' '''''cannot''''' be done</pre>

Note: For marking up of preformatted text, check the "Preformatted text" entry at the bottom of the previous table.

Text is '''preformatted''' and

''markups'' '''''cannot''''' be done

Customized preformatted text

<pre style="color:red">

Text is '''preformatted'''

with a style and

''markups'' '''''cannot''''' be done

</pre>

Note: A CSS style can be named within the style property.

Text is '''preformatted'''

with a style and

''markups'' '''''cannot''''' be done

Customized preformatted text with text wrap according to screen width

<pre style="white-space: pre-wrap">

This longer sentence is used to demonstrate text wrapping. </pre>

This longer sentence is used to demonstrate text wrapping.

Inserting symbols

Symbols and other special characters not available on your keyboard can be inserted through a special sequence of characters. Those sequences are called HTML entities. For example, the following sequence (entity) &rarr; when inserted will be shown as right arrow HTML symbol → and &mdash; when inserted will be shown as an em dash HTML symbol —

Note: Hover any character to find out the symbol that produces it. Some symbols not available in the current font will appear as empty squares.

HTML symbol entities

á

Â

â

´

Æ

æ

À

à

ℵ

Α

α

&

∧

∠

Å

å

≈

Ã

ã

Ä

ä

„

Β

β

¦

•

∩

Ç

ç

¸

¢

Χ

χ

ˆ

♣

≅

©

↵

∪

¤

†

‡

↓

⇓

°

Δ

δ

♦

÷

É

é

Ê

ê

È

è

∅

Ε

ε

≡

Η

η

Ð

ð

Ë

ë

€

∃

ƒ

∀

½

¼

¾

⁄

Γ

γ

≥

>

↔

⇔

♥

…

Í

í

Î

î

¡

Ì

ì

ℑ

∞

∫

Ι

ι

¿

∈

Ï

ï

Κ

κ

Λ

λ

〈

«

←

⇐

⌈

“

≤

⌊

∗

◊

‎

‹

‘

<

¯

—

µ

·

−

Μ

μ

∇

–

≠

∋

¬

∉

⊄

Ñ

ñ

Ν

ν

Ó

ó

Ô

ô

Œ

œ

Ò

ò

‾

Ω

ω

Ο

ο

⊕

∨

ª

º

Ø

ø

Õ

õ

⊗

Ö

ö

¶

∂

‰

⊥

Φ

φ

Π

π

ϖ

±

£

′

″

∏

∝

Ψ

ψ

"

√

〉

»

→

⇒

⌉

”

ℜ

®

⌋

Ρ

ρ

‏

›

’

‚

Š

š

⋅

§

Σ

σ

ς

∼

♠

⊂

⊆

∑

⊃

¹

²

³

⊇

ß

Τ

τ

∴

Θ

θ

ϑ

Þ

þ

˜

×

™

Ú

ú

↑

⇑

Û

û

Ù

ù

¨

ϒ

Υ

υ

Ü

ü

℘

Ξ

ξ

Ý

ý

¥

ÿ

Ÿ

Ζ

ζ

‍

‌

Description

You type

You get

Copyright symbol

&copy;

©

Greek delta letter symbol

&delta;

δ

Euro currency symbol

&euro;

€

See the list of all HTML entities on the Wikipedia article List of HTML entities. Additionally, MediaWiki supports two non-standard entity reference sequences: &רלמ; and &رلم; which are both considered equivalent to &rlm; which is a right-to-left mark. (Used when combining right to left languages with left to right languages in the same page.)

HTML tags and symbol entities displayed themselves

&amp;euro;  → &euro;

<span style="color: red; text-decoration: line-through;">Typo to be corrected</span>  → Typo to be corrected

&lt;span style="color: red; text-decoration: line-through;">Typo to be corrected&lt;/span>  → <span style="color: red; text-decoration: line-through;">Typo to be corrected</span>

Other formatting

Beyond the text formatting markup shown above, here are some other formatting references:

- Links

- Images

- Tables

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Help:Formatting&oldid=45"

Help:Images

This page explains the image syntax when editing the wiki. You or another user must usually upload an image before you can use it on a page.

Images that are stored on a MediaWiki server are usually rendered by using the File: namespace prefix. The alternate Media: namespace prefix is also usable to reference the original media file content (for rendering or downloading it separately, out of any MediaWiki page).

Contents

- 1 Supported types for images

- 2 Rendering a single image

- 2.1 Syntax

- 2.2 Stopping the text flow

- 3 Linking to an image without displaying it

- 3.1 Link to description page

- 3.2 Link to another page

- 3.3 Link directly to the media file

- 4 Files at other websites

Supported types for images

The following file formats are supported by default:

- .jpg or .jpeg, .png, .gif

Rendering a single image

Syntax

The full syntax for displaying an image is:

[[File:filename.extension|options|caption]]

where options can be zero or more of the following, separated by pipes (|):

- Format option: one of border and/or frameless, frame, thumb (or thumbnail);

Controls how the rendered image is formatted and embedded in the rest of the page.

- Resizing option: one of

- {width}px — Resizes the image to fit within the given maximum width in pixels, without restricting its height;

- x{height}px — Resizes the image to fit within the given maximum height in pixels, without restricting its width;

- {width}x{height}px — Resizes the image to fit within the given width and height in pixels;

- upright — Resizes an image to fit within reasonable dimensions, according to user preferences (suitable for images whose height is larger than width).

Note that the image will always retain its aspect ratio, and can only be reduced (not increased) in size unless it's in a scalable media type (bitmap images cannot be scaled up).

The default maximum size depends on the format and the internal image dimensions (according to its media type).

- Horizontal alignment option: one of left, right, center, none;

Controls the horizontal alignment (and inline/block or floating styles) of the image within a text (no default value).

- Vertical alignment option: one of baseline, sub, super, top, text-top, middle, bottom, text-bottom;

Controls the vertical alignment of a non-floating inline image with the text before or after the image, and in the same block (the default vertical alignment is middle).

- Link option: one of

- link={target} — Allows to change the target (to an arbitrary page title, or URL) of the generated link, activable on the rendered image surface; e.g. [[File:Example.jpg|20px|link=http://www.wikipedia.org]] renders as (external link), or [[File:Example.jpg|20px|link=MediaWiki]] renders as (internal link).

- link= (with an empty value) — (MediaWiki 1.14+) Displays an image without any activable link; e.g. [[File:Example.jpg|20px|link=]] renders as .

! Link does not work with thumb, thumbnail or frame.

- Other specific options:

- alt={alternative text} — (MediaWiki 1.14+) Defines the alternative text (maps to the HTML attribute alt="..." of the generated <image /> element) of an image that will be rendered if either the referenced image cannot be downloaded and embedded, or if the support media must use the alternative description text (e.g. when using a Braille reader or with accessibility options set by the user in its browser).

- page={number} — Renders the specified page number (currently only applicable when showing a .djvu or .pdf file).

The options can be given in any order. If the given options conflict each other, the latter is applied, except for the format options, where the options take the priority in the order of: frame; thumb (or thumbnail); frameless and/or border.

If a parameter does not match any of the other possibilities, it is assumed to be the caption text. Caption text shows below the image in thumb and frame formats, or as mouseover text in border, frameless formats or when the format is omitted. Caption text displayed in the thumb and frame formats may contain wiki links and other formatting. In the other options, wiki-formatting will not work though transclusion will.

If no caption text is supplied, a caption is automatically created showing the file name. To completely remove the caption, set it to <span title=""></span>. For example, [[File:Example.jpg|20px|<span title=""></span>]] renders as .

Stopping the text flow

On occasion it is desirable to stop text (or other inline non-floating images) from flowing around a floating image. Depending on the web browser's screen resolution and such, text flow on the right side of an image may cause a section header (for instance, == My Header ==) to appear to the right of the image, instead of below it, as a user may expect. The text flow can be stopped by placing <br style="clear: both" /> before the text that should start below the floating image.

All images rendered as blocks (including non-floating centered images, left- or right-floating images, as well as framed or thumbnailed floating images) are implicitly breaking the surrounding lines of text (terminating the current block of text before the image, and creating a new paragraph for the text after them). They will then stack vertically along their left or right alignment margin (or along the center line between these margins for centered images).

Linking to an image without displaying it

Link to description page

If you put a colon (:) before File:, the image will not be embedded and the link will lead to the description page of the file.

[[:File:Example.jpg]]

[[:File:Example.jpg|Sunflowers]]

results in

File:Example.jpg Sunflowers

Link to another page

Note: link does not work with thumb or frame.

This will make a 50px width picture with a link to the page MediaWiki:

[[File:Example.jpg|50px|link=MediaWiki]]

Link directly to the media file

You can use the pseudo-namespace “Media” to link directly to a file without rendering it, bypassing the description page.

[[Media:Example.jpg]]

[[Media:Example.jpg|Sunflowers]]

results in

Media:Example.jpg Sunflowers

The same result can be achieved by adding a colon before the namespace (works with categories too):

[[:File:Example.jpg]]

You can also use:

[[Special%3AFilePath/Example.jpg]]

which can be used to link to a potential file, even if it doesn't exist. You can also use:

{{FILEPATH:Example.jpg}}

which generates an external URL to the file inline: http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/images/a/a9/Example.jpg

Files at other websites

You can link to an external file available online using the same syntax used for linking to an external web page. With these syntaxes, the image will not be rendered, but only the text of the link to this image will be displayed.

[http://url.for/some/image.png]

Or with a different displayed text:

[http://url.for/some/image.png link text here]

Additional MediaWiki markup or HTML/CSS formatting (for inline elements) is permitted in this displayed text (with the exception of embedded links that would break the surrounding link):

[http://www.example.com/some/image.png Example '''<del>rich</del>''' ''<ins>link text</ins>'' here.]

which renders as: Example rich link text<ins> here.

If it is enabled on your wiki (see Manual:$wgAllowExternalImages), you can also embed external images. To do that, simply insert the image's url:

http://url.for/some/image.png

Currently, embedded images cannot be resized, but they may be formatted by surrounding MediaWiki markup or HTML/CSS code.

If this wiki option is not enabled, the image will not be embedded but rendered as a textual link to the external site, just like above.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Help:Images&oldid=57"

Help:Links

There are five types of links in MediaWiki:

1. Internal links to other pages in the wiki

2. External links to other websites

3. External links to internal pages in the wiki

4. Interwiki links to other websites registered to the wiki in advance

5. Interlanguage links to other websites registered as other language versions of the wiki

Contents

- 1 Internal links

- 2 External links

- 2.1 External links to internal pages

- 2.2 External link icons

- 2.3 How to avoid auto-links

- 3 Interwiki links

- 3.1 Interlanguage links

- 4 See also

Internal links

To add an internal link, enclose the name of the page you want to link to in double square brackets. When you save the page, you'll see the new link pointing to your page. If the page exists already it is displayed in blue, if it does not, in red. Selflinks to the current page are not transformed in URLs but displayed in bold. (If you really want to link to the current page, use an anchor (see below), or [[#top|current page]] which always links to the top.)

The first letter of the target page is automatically capitalized, unless otherwise set by the admins, and spaces are represented as underscores (typing an underscore in the link will have a similar effect as typing a space, but is not recommended, since the underscore will also be shown in the text).

Description

You type

You get

Internal link

[[Main Page]]

Main Page

Piped link

[[Main Page|different text]]

See also Meta:Help:Piped link

different text

Hide namespace shortcut

[[Help:Contents|]]

Short for [[Help:Contents|Contents]]

Contents

Word-ending links

[[Help]]s

[[Help]]ing

[[Help]]ers

[[Help]]anylettersyoulikehere

Helps

Helping

Helpers

Helpanylettersyoulikehere

Avoiding word-ending links

[[Help]]<nowiki />ful advice

[[wikipedia:GNU General Public License|GPL]]<nowiki />v3

Helpful advice

GPLv3

Redirect

#REDIRECT [[Main Page]]

See also Help:Redirects

→ Main Page

Internal link to an anchor

[[#See also]]

Section headings and the top of the page are automatically anchored.

#See also

Internal link to an anchor from different text

[[#See also|different text]]

different text

Setting an internal link anchor

<div id="NameOfAnchorHere">optional text</div>

Omit the "optional text" for invisible anchor.

optional text

Internal link to an anchor at another page

[[Help:Images#See also]]

Help:Images#See also

Internal link to the current page's talk page

[[{{TALKPAGENAME}}|Discussion]]

See also Help:Magic_words#Page_names

Discussion

Internal link to a subpage

[[/example]]

Shortcut for [[Help:Links/example]]. See also Help:Subpages.

/example

Internal link to a subpage without the leading slash

[[/example/]]

Shortcut for [[Help:Links/example|example]].

example

Internal link to a category page

[[:Category-Help]]

See also Help:Categories

Category-Help

Internal link to an image or a file of other types

[[media:example.jpg]]

[[media:example.pdf]]

See also Help:Images

media:example.jpg
media:example.pdf

Internal link to the user's user page

[[Special%3AMyPage]]

Special%3AMyPage

External links

To add an external link, enclose the name of the page you want to link to in single square brackets. When you save the page, you'll see the new link pointing to your page, with an arrow icon after it to show that it was coded with single bracket external link syntax, and thus may lead to another site.

Description

You type

You get

External link

http://mediawiki.org

http://mediawiki.org

External link with different label

[http://mediawiki.org MediaWiki]

MediaWiki

Numbered external link

[http://mediawiki.org]

[1]

External links with file icons

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.avi video] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.ogg sound] [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.pdf document]
See #External link icons for currently supported icons and extensions.

video

sound

document

External link to the same host

http://{{SERVERNAME}}/pagename

http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/pagename

External link to other host passing the pagename

http://google.com/search?q={{PAGENAMEE}}

See also: URL encoded page names

http://google.com/search?q=Links

Mailto link

[mailto:info@example.org email me]

email me

Mailto named with subject line and body

[mailto:info@example.org?Subject=URL%20Encoded%20Subject&body=Body%20Text info]

info

External links to internal pages

To add a link to a page on the same wiki using URL query parameters, you may need to use external link syntax.

Description

You type

You get

External link to the current page's edit page

[http://www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=Help:Links&action=edit Edit]

Edit

External link to the current page's edit page using the fullurl parser function

[{{fullurl:{{PAGENAME}}|action=edit}} Edit]

See also Help:Magic_words#URL_data and #External links

Edit

External link to the current page's edit page, and styled to look like an internal link

<span class="plainlinks">[http://www.mediawiki.org/w/index.php?title=Help:Links&action=edit Edit]</span>

The plainlinks class can be used in cases where you want an external link to look like an internal one, by suppressing the icon that normally appears after it.

Edit

External link icons

Test link

Icon

Trigger

[2]

external-link-ltr-icon.png

.external, http://, gopher://

[3]

lock-icon.png

https://

[4]

mail-icon.png

mailto:

[5]

news-icon.png

news://

[6]

file-icon.png

ftp://

[7]

talk-icon.png

irc://

[8]

audio-icon.png

.ogg, .mid, .midi, .mp3, .wav, .wma

[9]

video-icon.png

.ogm, .avi, .mpeg, .mpg

[10]

document-icon.png

.pdf, .pdf#, .pdf?

How to avoid auto-links

When you put a URL on a wiki page it will be automatically converted into an external link, like this:

http://mediawiki.org

To avoid that effect, put the URL between <nowiki> tags, like this:

<nowiki>http://mediawiki.org</nowiki>

To get this:

http://mediawiki.org

Interwiki links

Interwiki links are links with the internal link markup to a website registered in advance. For example, you can link to the Sunflower article on http://en.wikipedia.org by typing [[wikipedia:Sunflower]], which will result in a link wikipedia:Sunflower. This is because http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ is registered to your wiki by default with the prefix of wikipedia. This link may not work properly, if the admin of your wiki has changed the setting. Unlike internal links, interwiki links do not use page existence detection, so an interwiki link will appear blue even if the page does not exist on the remote wiki.

Similar to internal page links, you can create piped links, with alternate link label, e.g. [[wikipedia:Sunflower|big yellow flower]], this is the link big yellow flower.

Basically this is an abbreviation for longer URLs. A very similar link could be created as a normal external link by typing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunflower big yellow flower], but interwiki links allow you to type out an easy and compact link, almost as if you are linking to a page on your own wiki.

More details are at Manual:Interwiki. To edit the interwiki table on your site, see the InterWiki extension.

Interlanguage links

If your wiki has other language versions, you may find “interlanguage links” in the sidebar, just below toolbox in the box named “in other languages.”

Interlanguage links behave similarly to interwiki links, except that they are listed in the sidebar. To create an interlanguage link from a page, just type [[language prefix:pagename]] wherever you like in the page; the language prefix is the prefix specified at your wiki for the other language version (typically the ISO language code).

If you want to make the interlanguage link appear in the content of the page, you can add a colon before the language prefix:

[[:en:Sunflower]] → en:Sunflower

When link is both interwiki and interlanguage, the order is wikipedia:en:Sunflower.

See also

- Linked images

- meta:Help:Links

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Help:Links&oldid=47"

Help:Tables

Tables may be authored in wiki pages using either XHTML table elements directly, or using wikicode formatting to define the table. XHTML table elements and their use are well described on various web pages and will not be discussed here. The benefit of wikicode is that the table is constructed of character symbols which tend to make it easier to perceive the table structure in the article editing view compared to XHTML table elements.

As a general rule, it is best to avoid using a table unless you need one. Table markup often complicates page editing.

Contents

- 1 Wiki table markup summary

- 2 Basics

- 2.1 Table headers

- 2.2 Caption

- 3 XHTML attributes

- 3.1 Attributes on tables

- 3.2 Attributes on cells

- 3.3 Attributes on rows

- 3.3.1 Simple one-pixel table border

- 3.4 HTML colspan and rowspan

- 3.5 With HTML attributes and CSS styles

- 3.5.1 Attributes

- 3.5.2 Column width

- 3.6 Accessibility of table header cells

- 4 Caveats

- 4.1 Negative numbers

- 4.2 CSS vs Attributes

- 4.3 Common attributes for columns, column groups and row groups

- 5 See also

Wiki table markup summary

{|

table start

|+

table caption, optional; only between table start and first table row

|-

table row, optional on first row -- wiki engine assumes the first row

!

table header cell, optional. Consecutive table header cells may be added on same line separated by double marks (!!) or start on new lines, each with its own single mark (!).

|

table data cell, required! Consecutive table data cells may be added on same line separated by double marks (||) or start on new lines, each with its own single mark (|).

|}

table end

- The above marks must start on a new line except the double || and !! for optionally adding consecutive cells to a line. However, blank spaces at the beginning of a line are ignored.

- XHTML attributes. Each mark, except table end, optionally accepts one or more XHTML attributes. Attributes must be on the same line as the mark. Separate attributes from each other with a single space.

- Cells and caption (| or ||, ! or !!, and |+) hold content. So separate any attributes from content with a single pipe (|). Cell content may follow on same line or on following lines.

- Table and row marks ({| and |-) do not directly hold content. Do not add pipe (|) after their optional attributes. If you erroneously add a pipe after attributes for the table mark or row mark the parser will delete it and your final attribute if it was touching the erroneous pipe!

- Content may (a) follow its cell mark on the same line after any optional XHTML attributes or (b) on lines below the cell mark. Content that uses wiki markup that itself needs to start on a new line, such as lists, headings, or nested tables, must be on its own new line.

- Pipe character as content. To insert a pipe (|) character into a table use the <nowiki>|</nowiki> escaping markup

Basics

The following table lacks borders and good spacing but shows the simplest wiki markup table structure.

You type

You get

{|

|Orange

|Apple

|-

|Bread

|Pie

|-

|Butter

|Ice cream

|}

Orange

Apple

Bread

Pie

Butter

Ice cream

The cells in the same row can be listed on one line separated by || (two pipe symbols). If the text in the cell contains a line break, use <br /> instead.

You type

You get

{|

|Orange||Apple||more

|-

|Bread||Pie||more

|-

|Butter||Ice<br />cream||and<br />more

|}

Orange

Apple

more

Bread

Pie

more

Butter

Ice

cream

and

more

Extra spaces within cells in the wiki markup, as in the wiki markup below, do not affect the actual table rendering.

You type

You get

{|

|  Orange    ||   Apple   ||   more

|-

|   Bread    ||   Pie     ||   more

|-

|   Butter   || Ice cream ||  and more

|}

Orange

Apple

more

Bread

Pie

more

Butter

Ice cream

and more

You can have longer text or more complex wiki syntax inside table cells, too:

You type

You get

{|

|Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,

consetetur sadipscing elitr,

sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt

ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat,

sed diam voluptua.

At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores

et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren,

no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum

dolor sit amet.

|

* Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet

* consetetur sadipscing elitr

* sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt

|}

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua.

At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.

- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet

- consetetur sadipscing elitr

- sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt

Table headers

Table headers can be created by using "!" (exclamation mark) instead of "|" (pipe symbol). Headers usually show up bold and centered by default.

You type

You get

{|

! align="left"|Item

! Amount

! Cost

|-

|Orange

|10

|7.00

|-

|Bread

|4

|3.00

|-

|Butter

|1

|5.00

|-

!Total

|

|15.00

|}

Item

Amount

Cost

Orange

10

7.00

Bread

4

3.00

Butter

1

5.00

Total

15.00

Note: When using attributes as in the heading 'Item' a vertical bar '|' is used for separation. Not an exclamation character '!'.

Caption

A table caption can be added to the top of any table as follows.

You type

You get

{|

|+Food complements

|-

|Orange

|Apple

|-

|Bread

|Pie

|-

|Butter

|Ice cream

|}

Food complements

Orange

Apple

Bread

Pie

Butter

Ice cream

XHTML attributes

You can add XHTML attributes to tables. For the authoritative source on these, see the W3C's HTML 4.01 Specification page on tables.

Attributes on tables

Placing attributes after the table start tag ({|) applies attributes to the entire table.

You type

You get

{| border="1" align="center" style="text-align:center;"

|Orange

|Apple

|12,333.00

|-

|Bread

|Pie

|500.00

|-

|Butter

|Ice cream

|1.00

|}

Orange

Apple

12,333.00

Bread

Pie

500.00

Butter

Ice cream

1.00

Attributes on cells

You can put attributes on individual cells. For example, numbers may look better aligned right.

You type

You get

{| border="1"

|Orange

|Apple

|align="right" | 12,333.00

|-

|Bread

|Pie

|align="right" | 500.00

|-

|Butter

|Ice cream

|align="right" | 1.00

|}

Orange

Apple

12,333.00

Bread

Pie

500.00

Butter

Ice cream

1.00

You can also use cell attributes when you are listing multiple cells on a single line. Note that the cells are separated by ||, and within each cell the attribute(s) and value are separated by |.

You type

You get

{| border="1"

| Orange || Apple     || align="right" | 12,333.00

|-

| Bread  || Pie       || align="right" | 500.00

|-

| Butter || Ice cream || align="right" | 1.00

|}

Orange

Apple

12,333.00

Bread

Pie

500.00

Butter

Ice cream

1.00

Attributes on rows

You can put attributes on individual rows, too.

You type

You get

{| border="1"

|Orange

|Apple

|align="right"|12,333.00

|-

|Bread

|Pie

|align="right"|500.00

|- style="font-style:italic; color:green;"

|Butter

|Ice cream

|align="right"|1.00

|}

Orange

Apple

12,333.00

Bread

Pie

500.00

Butter

Ice cream

1.00

Simple one-pixel table border

The default table formatting uses the "border-collapse: separate" model, which adds table cell spacing (which also separates the table outer border from its content cells). Even with a zero cellspacing, the borders of consecutive cells (and of the overall table container) will add up, so to get a one-pixel separation between cells, you need to selectively remove one or more of the four borders of cells.

Such tables may be formatted more simply, using the "border-collapse: collapse" CSS property; in this table formatting model, the cellspacing attribute (or the CSS "border-spacing:" property) and the table's "padding:" CSS property is ignored and only the larger border of adjacent inner cells (or the table border for outer cells) will be used.

An example of the above for one-pixel table border, using each model (without need for external extensions):

You type

You get

{|style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: #000; padding: 0"

|-

!style="border-style: solid; border-width: 0 1px 1px 0"| Orange

!style="border-style: solid; border-width: 0 0 1px 0"| Apple

|-

|style="border-style: solid; border-width: 0 1px 0 0"| Bread

|style="border-style: solid; border-width: 0"| Pie

|}

Orange

Apple

Bread

Pie

{|style="border-collapse: collapse; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: #000"

|-

!style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1px"| Orange

!style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1px"| Apple

|-

|style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1px"| Bread

|style="border-style: solid; border-width: 1px"| Pie

|}

Orange

Apple

Bread

Pie

Notes :

- When using the "border-width:" CSS shortcut property, the order of the four space-separated specified values is: top, right, bottom, left. As an example from above:

"border-width: 0 1px 0 0"

When there are fewer than 4 values, the value for left takes its default from the value for right, the value for bottom takes its default from the value for top, and the value for right takes its default from the value for top.

- The HTML attributes (such as "width=", "border=", "cellspacing=", "cellpadding=") do not need any length unit (the pixel unit is assumed). The CSS style properties (which override the HTML attributes) require an explicit length unit (if the value is not 0) such as "px" for the pixel.

HTML colspan and rowspan

You can use HTML colspan and rowspan attributes on cells for advanced layout.

You type

You get

{| border="1"

!colspan="6"|Shopping List

|-

|rowspan="2"|Bread & Butter

|Pie

|Buns

|Danish

|colspan="2"|Croissant

|-

|Cheese

|colspan="2"|Ice cream

|Butter

|Yoghurt

|}

Shopping List

Bread & Butter

Pie

Buns

Danish

Croissant

Cheese

Ice cream

Butter

Yoghurt

With HTML attributes and CSS styles

CSS style attributes can be added with or without other HTML attributes.

You type

You get

{| style="color:green; background-color:#ffffcc;" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="0" border="1"

|Orange

|Apple

|-

|Bread

|Pie

|-

|Butter

|Ice cream

|}

Orange

Apple

Bread

Pie

Butter

Ice cream

Attributes

Attributes can be added to the caption and headers as follows.

You type

You get

{| border="1" cellpadding="20" cellspacing="0"

|+ align="bottom" style="color:#e76700;" |''Food complements''

|-

|Orange

|Apple

|-

|Bread

|Pie

|-

|Butter

|Ice cream

|}

Food complements

Orange

Apple

Bread

Pie

Butter

Ice cream

Column width

Column width can be added as follows.

You type:

{| style="color:black; background-color:#ffffcc;" width="85%" cellpadding="10%" cellpadding="15%" cellspacing="0" border="1"

| colspan="2" | This column width is 85% of the screen width (and has a background color)

|-

| style="width: 30%;background-color:white;"| '''This column is 30% counted from 85% of the screen width'''

| style="width: 70%;background-color:orange;"| '''This column is 70% counted from 85% of the screen width (and has a background color)'''

|}

You get:

This column width is 85% of the screen width (and has a background color)

This column is 30% counted from 85% of the screen width

This column is 70% counted from 85% of the screen width (and has a background color)

Accessibility of table header cells

Table header cells do not explicitly specify which table data cells they apply to (those on their right on the same row, or those below them on the same column). When the table is rendered in a visual 2D environment, this is usually easy to infer.

However when tables are rendered on non-visual medias, you can help the browser to determine which table header cell applies to the description of any selected cell (in order to repeat its content in some accessibility helper) using a scope="row" or scope="col" attribute on table header cells. In most cases with simple tables, you'll use scope="col" on all header cells of the first row, and scope="row" on the first cell of the following rows:

You type

You get

{| border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"

|-

!scope="col"| Item

!scope="col"| Quantity

!scope="col"| Price

|-

!scope="row"| Bread

| 0.3 kg

| $0.65

|-

!scope="row"| Butter

| 0.125 kg

| $1.25

|-

!scope="row" colspan="2"| Total

| $1.90

|}

Item

Quantity

Price

Bread

0.3 kg

$0.65

Butter

0.125 kg

$1.25

Total

$1.90

Caveats

Negative numbers

If you start a cell on a new line with a negative number with a minus sign (or a parameter that evaluates to a negative number), your table can get broken, because the characters |- will be parsed as the wiki markup for table row, not table cell. To avoid this, insert a space before the value (| -6) or use in-line cell markup (|| -6).

CSS vs Attributes

Table borders specified through CSS rather than the border attribute will render incorrectly in a small subset of text browsers.

Common attributes for columns, column groups and row groups

The MediaWiki syntax for tables currently offers no support for specifying common attributes for columns (with the HTML element <col />), column groups (HTML element <colgroup>...</colgroup>) and row groups (HTML elements <thead>...</thead>, <tbody>...</tbody><code> and <code><tfoot>...</tfoot>). Those standard HTML elements are not accepted even in their HTML or XHTML syntax.

All the rows and cells (header or data) of the table are rendered within a single implicit row group (HTML element <tbody>...</tbody>) without any attributes or styles.

See also

- meta:Help:Sorting

- wikipedia:Help:Tables

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Help:Tables&oldid=60"

Herald of the Council

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Duties

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Member of the Military Council

- 3.2 Recognition and Agenda

- 3.3 Convention and Dissolution

- 3.4 Powers of Censure

- 3.4.1 Silence

- 3.4.2 Exclusion

- 3.4.3 Expulsion

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

- 7 The Herald in Play

- 8 Further Reading

- 8.1 Core Brief

- 8.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Civil Service appoint one or more of their number as Herald of the Council. This position is designed to ensure the smooth operation of the Military Council and has powers of censure to support that.

The Herald of the Council is an NPC only position. Its role is to ensure the smooth running of Military Council meetings - not to play the game.

Duties

The Herald of the Council helps to ensure that Imperial Military Council meetings, both the muster and each Council session take place in a timely and effective fashion. They keep order in the chamber, ensure the rules are followed and try to make sure everyone has a chance to speak. They are responsible for ensuring that every general has a voice, and oversee any votes that take place.

The Herald oversees an office responsible for preparing briefings to the Military Council, and liaising between the Council and the Imperial Scouts. They also ensure that the orders submitted by the generals are distributed to their Imperial army, and that every member of the military council knows how to use the powers they possess.

Powers

Member of the Military Council

The Herald is a non-voting member of the Military Council, and may speak freely during Council meetings. In practice, as a civil servant, the Herald tries to keep their voice impartial and restrict their comments to ones needed to ensure the smooth operation of the Council.

Recognition and Agenda

The Herald recognises people who are not members of the military council who are invited to speak during a Council session. They also manage the agenda, determining how long to allocate to each item based on other business.

Convention and Dissolution

The Herald calls a meeting of the Military Council to order, and formally declares it closed. When the Herald declares a meeting closed, it's business is considered completed. For example, when the Herald closes the muster, the decision of the Military Council is fixed and cannot be changed later, even if further information comes to light afterwards.

Powers of Censure

The Herald of the Council has the power to sanction anyone attending a muster of Council session once the meeting is open. This power is used to censure rowdy or disruptive generals, but extends equally to a private imperial citizen inside the chamber, a priest attempting to use the right of witness to act in an inappropriate manner and even, in theory The Throne.

As with the Speaker for the Senate, the Herald can apply three sanctions, each of increasing magnitude:

Silence

The first sanction is silence. The Herald can silence a persistently rude or boorish individual; they will not be allowed to speak or answer points made while silenced although they may still vote. In a Council session, the sanction lasts until the discussion of the current agenda item is complete; but if a member of the Council is silenced during a muster then they cannot speak again during that muster.

Exclusion

Should this prove insufficient the second sanction is exclusion - the offending individual is obliged to leave the Military Council meeting until either the end of the muster or the end of the discussion of the current agenda item if the Council is in session. This denies them the right to vote on the matter, so it is considered a serious punishment. They may re-enter the chamber following the vote. This sanction is rarely used on anyone other then members of the military council - the Herald usually skips over it and moves straight to expulsion when dealing with a rowdy or disruptive priest or Imperial citizen.

Expulsion

The third and final sanction is expulsion - the individual is expelled from the muster or Council session. They lose their chance to vote on any issue, and forfeit any address they may have intended to make. This is an extreme sanction and historically is used on members of the Military Council only in response to grave misdemeanours such as threats of violence in the chamber.

Selection

The Civil Service selects the Herald for the Council. Although the title is usually referred to in the singular, the civil service may grant the title to more than one citizen.

Removal

The Herald of the Council can be revoked by the General Assembly or the Council of Nine of the Imperial Synod.

History

The position of Herald is a development of a traditional Dawnish role; that of a retainer whose role is to advise the nobility and to handle mundane logistics. These heralds kept track of the heraldry of individual houses within Dawn - but they also had a traditional role overseeing and arranging the logistics of tourneys. While Tom Drake was demanding national control of the armies, Elaine de Celadorn (Senator for Astolat) was liaising with the Imperial Senate to provide the Military Council with the civilian support she felt it desperately needed.

Despite some initial resistance, Elaine was able to convince the members of the Military Council that by handing control of the logistics of the Imperial armies to the newly formed civil service, up to and including the arrangement of their meetings, they would be freed up to focus their efforts on strategy and leadership.

The Herald in Play

The Herald is an NPC whose role it is to keep Military Council sessions fun and engaging for the participants.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Muster

- Council Session

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

Additional Information

- War

- Council Address

- Appointments to the Military Council

- The Throne

- Herald of the Council

- Warmage

- Appointments by the Military Council

- Field Marshal

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- OOC Design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Herald_of_the_Council&oldid=35261"

Herb garden

Contents

- 1 Definition

- 2 Production

- 3 Downtime Options

- 4 Upgrades

Definition

A herb garden represents an area of land where herbs grow. A herb garden can be of almost any size - it could be a tiny personal garden in an Urizen spire, meticulously tended and cared for, or it could be a vast forest in Wintermark or Varushka that a character scours in search of wild herbs.

Production

A herb garden produces 6 doses of true vervain, 2 doses of cerulean mazzarine, 2 does of bladeroot, 2 doses of Imperial roseweald and 2 doses of marrowort.

Downtime Options

It is possible to obtain a higher yield from a herb garden. You may spend 6 crowns to have the herb garden produce an additional 3 true vervain, 1 cerulean mazzerine, 1 Imperial roseweald, 1 bladeroot and 1 marrowort in that season.

Upgrades

A herb garden can be upgraded using weirwood obtained from the Bourse. Each time a herb garden is upgraded, the owner chooses a single herb from the list. The herb garden produces 2 additional doses of that herb from then on.

To upgrade a herb garden requires Imperial wains of weirwood equal to the level the herb garden is being upgraded to. So the first upgrade of a starting level 1 herb garden costs 2 Imperial wains of weirwood, from 2 to 3 costs 3 Imperial wains, etc.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Herb_garden&oldid=35304"

Hercynia

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Treji

- 3.2 The Heartwood of the Great Vale

- 3.3 The Gate of Summer

- 3.4 The Vallorn of Hercynia

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Northpines

- 4.2 The Glen of Shadows

- 4.3 Deer's Folly

- 4.4 Old Ranging

- 4.5 Summersend

Overview

Ice-bound northern Hercynia is a forest territory entirely contained in the Nation of Wintermark, situated in the Great Vale, a bowl of mountains that surround both Hercynia and Skarsind. It is an inhospitable place, but where the Trods flow so the Navarr travel. Over the centuries, the Navarr have made slow but steady inroads here, reclaiming much of the forest from the particularly malicious Vallorn that dwells within it.

The trees of Hercynia are ancient, and the soil of the forests is home to a great wealth of dragonbone which for centuries was carefully harvested and used extensively by the runesmiths in the forges at Treji.

Recent History

The fall of Skarsind in 373YE left the people of Hercynia facing immediate danger, as the Thule orcs tried to force their way into the forest to achieve the capture of the whole of the Great Vale. Barbarian forces took the runeforges of Treji, but made no further ground. With the defeat of the Thule forces in Skarsind, it is likely that a concerted effort could be made to recover the territory claimed by the orcs.

Of particular concern to the people of Hercynia is the idea that concerted push from the orcs could result in the loss of more ground, and (coupled with the presence of the vallorn in Deer's Folly), the loss of the entire territory. Thankfully, the defeat of the Thule in Skarsind made this much less of a possibility. In the Winter of 377YE, the Summer Storm army swept down from the foothills to the north into the Glade of Shadows and shattered the barbarian presence there. The Imperial orcs liberated Treji, and freed hundreds of enslaved Navarr. The commander of the barbarian orc presence, the hated Harak the Red, was not accounted for among the dead and is believed to still be at large in Hercynia.

Major Features

Treji

A stone-built steading in the heart of the winter forest at The Glen of Shadows, and one of the only places where the Navarr had a number of large forges, built with aid from the Winterfolk. Steinr apprentices are often placed with the Navarri for a time, to learn the working of wood alongside metal. The steading fell to the barbarian orcs in the fall of Skarsind in 372YE and was liberated by the Imperial orcs in the Winter of 377YE. The forges were devastated during the fighting and by last-ditch sabotage by the spiteful Thule defenders. Hundreds of Navarr slaves were liberated in the process, including a number of artisans who had been forced to create weapons and armour for their captors. A number of prisoners were unaccounted for, however - many of the runesmiths captured when the steading was taken had already been sent north to captivity in Otkodov.

The Heartwood of the Great Vale

The Great Vale in Hercynia contains large areas of precious weirwood in northern Summersend. Although the area is threatened by Thule barbarians, the Empire has maintained control of the Heartwood, albeit barely.

The Heartwood of the Great Vale is a Bourse position which produces weirwood. Under Imperial control this Bourse position produces 25 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Gate of Summer

Two huge stones and a top lintel stand in the middle of a clearing, carved about with boar, deer and other game, and symbols representing summer. It is covered in moss, and no-one has ever seen a hint of any magic from it.

The Vallorn of Hercynia

The vallorn of Hercynia is often characterized as "malicious" or "patient." It does not seem to be as vibrant as the vallorn in more southerly climes, and is certainly not as aggressive as the vallorns of Brocéliande or Liathaven. Still, while incursions from vallornspawn are few and far between, they are especially vicious when they do come. Over the centuries, it has been beaten back to a dark heart in eastern Deer's Folly but efforts to dislodge it entirely have failed.

Regions

Northpines

The mountains of north-west Hercynia are home to several mines that have been worked since before there was an Empire. The slopes of the mountains are thick with ancient pine trees, rich in Ambergelt and Dragonbone. This was the easiest region to clear of Vallorn influence during the slow war of attrition to regain Hercynia, and there have been no major incursions of vallornspawn into the mountains in centuries. This region is famously where Myfanwy (one of the earliest companions of the First Empress) was born, and where she was called to help mediate a dispute between rival steadings during the unsuccessful first attempt to bring the Urizen into the Empire. Some conspirators claim that had Myfanwy made the trip with the First Empress, the Urizen could have been convinced to join the Empire early.

Several secluded passes through the mountains into Skarsind served as trade routes prior to the invasion of the Thule. In later years they were used to launch scouting missions into the barbarian-held territory. The steadings of the region are considered a little odd by many Navarr, and occasionally accused of having more in common with the Winterfolk than with their own cousins. There may be a little truth to this - with the loss of the Glen of Shadows to the barbarians, Northpines was cut off from the rest of Hercynia - and indeed the Empire - by a combination of barbarians and the vallorn-infested region of Deer's Folly to the south.

Keywords: Forested, Hilly

The Glen of Shadows

The steading of Treji still stands here, but has been extensively damaged by the battle between the Imperial orcs and the barbarian occupiers. The artisans who made their home here combined the working of wood and metal to make weapons and armour for the Thorns of Hercynia and to support their Winterfolk allies. The Glen of Shadows was especially known for the fine magical bows and spears, easily matching the more workmanlike produce of the Wintermark runesmiths.

The famous Shadowglyn Distillery is located here on the lower slopes of the Northpines. The once famous distillery produced some of the best drinks in the Empire until it was destroyed in a pitched battle between the Thule and Navarr defenders, during fighting in the territory. Production has recently restarted at the site, under the auspices of Wern Taur Thorntarry.

Keywords: Forested

Deer's Folly

Another mountainous area of Hercynia, but one that has fared less well than Northpines. While the mountains to the west create a natural barrier against the worst effects of the vallorn, a poisonous miasma lies over much of the region. The noxious atmosphere pools in valleys and spreads through the forest from the vallorn of Hercynia, wrapped tight around the ruins of an ancient Terunael city in the east. There are only a handful of steadings in Deer's Folly and they are all built in the western mountains - no steading established closer to the vallorn heart has survived more than a decade before it is overrun. The Winterfolk Queen Ilsin is believed to have met her end here at the hands of the Vallornspawn - some scholars point to the fact that her famous standard bore a white stag and suggest it is more than coincidence the region is known as "Deer's Folly" - but if it had a name before this it is known only to historians. (OOC Note: This region is not considered to be in Imperial hands. It cannot be reclaimed until the power of the vallorn is broken.)

Keywords: Forested, Hilly, Vallorn

Old Ranging

The forests of Old Ranging are carefully cultivated by the inhabitants of the Steadings here. The woods are rich with animal life, and many hunters make a good living providing pelts, furs and fine meats to merchants and traders who travel across the Empire. Likewise, the manystreams and shallow rivers are rich with an impressie variety of fish and a number of steadings here raise domesticated deer and even goats whose meat is very much in demand. There are several well-established trade routs from Old Ranging to Kalapheim and Winterfolk merchants are a common sight in the Summer months. It has not always been this way of course - there are several battlefields here that date back to pre-Imperial times when the ancestors of the modern Winterfolk, spurred on by their successes against the trolls attempted to conquer Hercynia. The tragic tale of Queen Ilsin is sometimes told by both Navarr and Winterfolk, recounting how her army was lead through Old Ranging by the clever Navarr and tricked into marching into Deer's Folly where the 'thousand strong army' was devoured by the Vallorn. The tale is probably an exaggeration but seems to have at least some basis in truth. It marked the last major conflict between the Navarr and the Winterfolk in Hercynia, although to this day Suaq explorers make occasional forays into Old Ranging seeking for some sign of Queen Ilsin's personal standard Winter Fury which is believed to be a potent artefact.

In recent years, as the heart of the Vallorn of Hercynia has become more restive, there has been an increase in vallornspawn attacks on hunting parties along the northern borders - but never in great numbers, and the attacks have been dealt with swiftly and effectively by vigilant Thorns.

Keywords: Forested

Summersend

The forests of Summersend are sparse, giving way to the plains of Gildenheim to the north. The Gate of Summer is found here, along with several other well-explored Terunael ruins. Several steadings are built on a foundation of old Terunael structures, and it is from here that the push to drive back the Vallorn is overseen. There are several old battlefields here, most dating back to pre-Imperial times and to attempts by the Vard ancestors of the Varushkans to conquer Hercynia. Most of these battlefields have long since been forgotten but one - Mourning Hollow on the very south-eastern borders - is avoided to this day as it is said to be haunted by the unquiet spirits of dead Vard and Navarr warriors due to the result of a forgotten curse or betrayal.

In addition to the usual occasional incursions from the vallorn of Hercynia, there have been several skirmishes with the orcs both from Skarsind and from the Glen of Shadows to the north-west. The fortified steadings here served as a base of operations for forays into Skarsind during the recent war, and a number of Wintermark refugees were helped to safe havens in Hahnmark to the south west.

The Heartwood of the Great Vale is in northern Summersend, right on the edge of the Glen of Shadows.

Keywords: Forested

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Here's A Health to the Company

Trad. Tune here.

A pdf of the lyrics and tune can be found here.

Kind friends and companions, come join me in rhyme Come lift up your voices in chorus with mine Come lift up your voices, all grief to refrain For we may or might never all meet here again

Chorus: Here's a health to the company and one to my lass Let us drink and be merry all out of one glass Let us drink and be merry, all grief to refrain For we may or might never all meet here again

Here's a health to the dear lass that I love so well For her style and for her beauty, there's none can excel There's a smile upon her countenance as she sits on my knee There is none in this wide world as happy as me

Chorus

Our ship lies at anchor, she's ready to dock I wish her safe landing without any shock If ever I should meet you by land or by sea I will always remember your kindness to me

Chorus x 2

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Here's To Varushka

To the tune of [Polushka Polye], lyrics by David Holley

A wake song, can be sung straight or as a round.

Here’s to Varushka, mighty bold Varushka Iron of the Empire from your birth Iron of the Empire from your birth

Here’s to Varushka, bitter cold Varushka Give our fallen cousins to the earth Give our fallen cousins to the earth

Here’s to Varushka, steadfast old Varushka Virtue see your soul to swift rebirth Virtue see your soul to swift rebirth

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Hero's Girdle

Description

These sturdy suits of mage armour help a magician survive the dangers of the battlefield. In Wintermark this armour has been used for centuries. Both the icewalkers who ranged across the north alongside the hunters and warriors of the Suaq and the warrior-magi of the Steinr relied on this simple magical armour to strengthen themselves in dangerous environments. When the Steinr fell from the heavens, their runesmiths combined their heavier designs with the lighter, more mobile designs of their new allies. Today's Hero's Girdle usually incorporates a solid leather belt (or a leather pectoral) marked with one of the runes of Summer - most commonly Verys, the rune of Might.

These are among the earliest enchanted items mentioned in the annals of Urizen, as armoursmiths strove to improve their designs for mage armour. This was one of their first advances, made from the hides of a hardy breed of goat which lived only on the highest peaks of Morrow, studded with gems in the pattern of constellations. Though other designs for mage armour soon surpassed it, the technique is still taught to apprentices early in their careers as a practice piece.

Dawnish war witches often have Hero's Girdle bearing the heraldry of their Noble House, while all across the Empire, covens with a love of battle have matching sets made, emblazened with imagery symbolising their coven oath.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour, you gain one additional rank of endurance.

- Materials: Crafting a hero's girdle requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

"Quarterly Or and Gules, in the first quarter a mullet Argent."

Justin hated these spot tests, especially when he was busy with something else. The squire had enough to think about with his Noble's armour and well-being without worrying about heraldry. He set down the pails of water from the well and brought the heraldry to mind - this one, at least, he knew. "Um... Robert Arnheim, Earl-Enchanter of House Arnheim."

"Correct," Tomas nodded briefly; it was the most approval that Justin ever saw from the Cambion Noble. "Barry nebuly of six Gules and Or."

"Renee, Earl-Enchantress of House Coudray." That was an easy one.

"Argent, three chevronels Sinople."

Damn it. That one always came up. And the very fact that he could never remember it seemed to be the very reason he could never remember it. It was self-perpetuating. He hung his head. "I don't know, my Lord," he admitted at last.

"Fool! You must know all of these and more and you have only two days before the tourney. Imagine the shame you will bring to us when the Lady Willemina de Gera notices you staring at her girdle with your lips moving, trying to work out her name to announce her!"

The young Changeling bit his lip in annoyance. Why all the Enchanters had to wear their livery on their girdles was quite beyond him. Would the hearts of their cuirasses not have sufficed? Why must it be their precious girdles with their precious magic in them? "I will learn them, my Lord, I promise you," he said, affecting shame to smother the flare of his annoyance.

"See that you do, or there will be a bitter surprise for you once they are departed. Not for nothing do they wear their livery on their girdles," he said, as if he could read the boy's mind, "Many of them have been saved by the power in that armour. Many of them would not be alive if it were not for the skill and devotion of the armour-smiths who made them. And the armour would not serve them if it were not made their own. See that you pay due respect to that fact, and do not spend undue time staring at them in public." Tomas made a gesture of dismissal and went on his way.

Justin sighed and gritted his teeth. One day he would be a Noble, and then, he supposed, all this would come naturally. Protocol, livery, respect. He hefted his water-pails again and set off across the courtyard. It was going to be a long, long day.

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Heroic skills

Contents

- 1 Heroic Skills

- 2 Hero Points

- 3 Cleaving Strike

- 4 Shattering Blow

- 5 Mighty Strikedown

- 6 Second Wind

- 7 Unstoppable

- 8 Stay With Me

- 9 Get it Together

Heroic Skills

- You must purchase hero points before you can take any other heroic skills

You must purchase one or more hero points before you can purchase any of the heroic skills listed in this section. These skills (and some items that can be gained in play) allow you to expend hero points to achieve game effects.

To use a hero point you must use appropriate roleplaying for the skill or ability that you are using. A heroic blow might be bold and dramatic and accompanied by a mighty roar, other skills should be roleplayed as appropriate.

If you are using an offensive heroic ability and the target does not visibly respond to your heroic call then your blow has not affected and the hero point is not spent. You only expend a hero point when using a heroic call if the target is affected by the call.

Your character’s hero points replenish overnight.

Hero Points

The first time you buy this skill you receive 2 hero points. You gain one additional hero point each time you purchase the skill after that. The cost to purchase hero points increases by 1 pt each time you purchase the skill.

You may expend a hero point at any time to justify responding in anyway you choose to a roleplaying effect that your character is subject to.

Cleaving Strike

If you have a hero point then you can expend it to call CLEAVE when striking a single blow with any one-handed weapon that is between 24” and 42” long. If you also have the weapon master skill then you can use the skill with any weapon up to 84” long.

Shattering Blow

If you have a hero point then you can expend it to call SHATTER when striking a single blow with any two-handed weapon that is between 42” and 60” long.

Mighty Strikedown

If you have a hero point then you can expend it to call STRIKEDOWN when striking a single blow with any two-handed pole-arm that is between 60” and 84” long.

Second Wind

You may restore up to three lost hits by expending a hero point and spending at least two seconds appropriate roleplay of visibly catching your breath, letting forth a roar of renewed vigour or similar. You must still have hits remaining to use this skill. It does not restore the use of a limb that has been CLEAVED or IMPALED.

Unstoppable

If you are bleeding to death, you may restore one hit and stop bleeding to death by expending a hero point and staggering to your feet. You must clearly roleplay getting to your feet in order to use this skill.

You may use this ability up to one minute after your death count begins. Once the first minute of your death count has passed, you cannot use this skill. You do not regain the use of a limb that has been CLEAVED or IMPALED.

You cannot use the Unstoppable skill if you are under the effect of VENOM.

Stay With Me

You may restore one hit to a bleeding companion and stop them bleeding to death by spending a hero point and performing at least five seconds of uninterrupted roleplaying encouraging them to get back on their feet. You must be close enough to touch the target and it does not restore the use of a limb that has been CLEAVED or IMPALED.

Get it Together

You may restore three body hits to a companion who still has body hits remaining by expending a hero point and performing at least five seconds of uninterrupted appropriate roleplaying encouraging them to pull themselves together. You must be close enough to touch the target and it does not restore the use of a limb that has been CLEAVED or IMPALED.

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Heroism

The Winterfolk admire heroism and believe that it speeds your passage through the Labyrinth of Ages. Although heroism is not one of the seven Virtues, acts of heroism encompass any or all of them to some extent. Heroism does not require success, but it does demand that the possibility of triumph exists; there is nothing heroic about wasting your life in a foolhardy charge. Heroism is often easiest to notice in battle, but many noble qualities or outstanding achievements demonstrate heroism. A clever Suaq who outwits an Eternal in a battle of riddles or a wise Kallavesi surgeon whose herb-lore saves a dozen lives are both heroes.

Heroic acts are distinguished by what is achieved or attempted, not how difficult or dangerous they are. Deliberately making an act more difficult than it need be impresses no-one in Wintermark. Equally the heroism is not diminished if the act is accomplished with others; indeed the more people who are involved in act the more heroic it becomes. It is brave to charge the orc line, but it is heroic to lead the charge.

The Winterfolk regard heroism as superior to Dawnish ideals of glory. In their eyes glory is needlessly vain; a Winterfolk hero does not need to have other people know of their accomplishments. They believe that the pursuit of glory encourages people to make their challenges needlessly difficult and denies the value of wit and guile. In Wintermark nobody demands that your actions be impressive; it is enough that they are effective.

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High Exorcist

Overview

The position was established by unanimous vote of the Senate in Winter 377YE. The High Exorcist exists to advise the Military Council on the use of ceremonies on the battlefield. The intent is that the priest who holds the title will co-ordinate the use of liao against malign auras and creatures during Imperial military actions. A stipend was assigned to allow the High Exorcist to obtain, commission and distribute such items or works as are needed in support of this goal. Examples of the latter might include liao for use in ceremonies of exorcism or magical items such as a Templar's Cuculla or an Icon of the Justicar.

Responsibilities

The High Exorcist is expected to advise the Military Council on the use of religious ceremonies on the battlefield, and to co-ordinate volunteers using liao against malign auras and spiritual enemies.

Powers

The High Exorcist is an Imperial title in the Synod.

Right of Address

The High Exorcist has the right to make a address to the Imperial Military Council once per summit. This is intended to allow them to advise the Military Council on spiritual matters, to offer assistance or to ask for assistance in helping the priests of the Way to better support Imperial forces. To use this power, the High Exorcist informs the Herald of the Council that they wish to make an address, which willthen be added to the agenda for the next Council session.

Stipend

The High Exorcist receives a stipend of 7 Thrones each season from the Senate budget.

Selection

The High Exorcist is appointed by judgement of the Assembly of Nine.

Removal

The High Exorcist serves for one year. The High Exorcist can be revoked by a simple majority of the General Assembly.

History

During the Winter Solstice 377YE, the Assembly of Nine appointed the Urizen Solas of the Waxing Sun as the first High Exorcist by a greater majority; no other alternatives were considered.

The original motion to create the title attempted to grant the Right of Address in the Military Council, but at the time this was ruled unconstitutional. Further examination of the situation lead to a reversal of that decision in 378YE.

In Sring 379YE the Senate voted to increase the High Exorcist's stipend from the original 3 Thrones each season to 7 Thrones each season.

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Highguard children

Highguard is not a populous nation and every child is considered a precious blessing. Although children are forbidden by Imperial law to use liao before they come of age, they are expected to study and embody the virtues from a young age. As heirs to the great heritage of the Highborn, children are encouraged to push themselves to live up to the heroes of the past.

Children are encouraged to question what they see and experience, especially where the Virtues are concerned. They are encouraged to talk about the things they have seen with their parents, especially the actions of others which they could not see the Virtue in. This allows them to gain a better understanding of the Virtues by asking their parents to explain how they apply in everyday life, as well as helping their parents to be vigilant against any corruption in their children's lives.

Children who have a solid grounding in the Way are often given a purple ribbon or seven pointed star by the priests, so that they can help other children learn about the Virtues.

Things every child should know

- Know the Seven Virtues. Try to be as virtuous as possible and inspire the same in those around you.

- Learn about the Paragons and Exemplars. Study their lives and follow their example, you may yet become one!

- Be vigilant! Look for signs of corruption and report them to a trusted adult, so that they can take appropriate action.

- Practice makes perfect. Look for opportunities to perfect your arguments by trying them out on people, challenge your friends to races or competitions, never pass up the chance to test yourself and hone your skills.

- If you don’t understand something, ask. It’s the only way you’ll learn. It’s an adult’s job to be able to explain things.

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Highguard costumes

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Note: The tone and style of this page may need editing. All costume advice pages should be written in third person voice, using verbs that make clear that this page is advice, not direction.

Contents

- 1 Look and feel

- 2 Similar nations

- 2.1 Dawn

- 2.2 Marches

- 3 Research

- 4 In detail

- 4.1 High status characters

- 4.2 Priests

- 4.3 Templars

- 4.4 The Unconquered

- 4.5 General items

- 4.5.1 Cowl

- 4.5.2 Veil

- 4.5.3 Cloak

- 5 Jewellery

- 6 Armour

- 7 Shops

Look and feel

The Highborn look is generally practical and restrained. Its beauty is in both the small touches – the geometric trim on the robes, the exquisite jewellery. Colours are deliberately stark and contrasting, and outfits in black and white are commonplace. Many members of a chapter choose to adopt similar garb, with the symbol of their chapter displayed prominently on the chest, shoulders, or at the breast. This is particularly true for Highborn warriors who show their solidarity and loyalty with their fellows by marching into battle decked in identical garb. Of all the nations of the Empire, the Highborn are the most inclined to uniformity, a visible display of their inner commitment to their shared faith and destiny.

Rather than displaying impractical frivolity in the cut of their garments, Highborn show their taste and wealth in jewellery, and the decoration of cloth. Jewelled and embellished trims at the hems of garments are popular, as is the intricate braiding of hair and heavy, elaborate jewellery.

Highguard is one of the nations with the least historical inspiration. It draws its influence heavily from classic fantasy such as Lord of the Rings, with a real emphasis on the Numenorian and Gondorian styles brought to life in the Peter Jackson trilogy. The look is strong and stark, and what makes it relatively easy to create a strong and distinctive look is the colour scheme - almost any western european medieval look in black, white and a touch of jewel toned colour will look excellent.

Similar nations

Dawn

Highguard probably has most in common with Dawnish costume - the love of rich, lavish fabrics, elegant in cut but with elaborate trim and jewellery is a feature they share. However, Dawnish costume should be a vivid pageant of colour; by contrast, Highguard clothing should be high contrast, mostly in black and white, with a hint of jewel-toned colour. Veils and cowls help to keep the look distinct.

Marches

Monks in the marches will wear similar robes to those in Highguard. Sticking to black or white, and adding geometric trim around your robes, possibly with the addition of a mitre-like hat for high status priest looks very Highborn.

Research

An excellent source of information on making fantasy costumes inspired by Lord of the Rings is Alley Cat Scratch. It covers everything from garment patterns, metalwork and sourcing trim. Re-enactment sources referenced on the Marches, Dawn and Wintermark pages are all good for inspiration - the colour palette, more than the shape of the garment, gives the uniform look to the nation.

Books The Medieval Tailor’s Assistant, Sarah Thursfield – Pretty much the bible for medieval costumes. Covers the layers from underwear to outerwear for the periods 1200-1500, plus headwear and accessories. Goes into detail about how to make the garments, which fabrics to use etc. A really excellent book.

Historical Costume Research Google searches on Medieval re-enactment, Wars of the roses and 13th, 14th or 15th Century re-enactment will all provide helpful inspiration.

Reenactment groups Some links to reenactment groups' costuming guides - a helpful source of inspiration and information.

- Company of Saint Sebastian

- Buckingham’s Retinue

- Company of Saynt George

- The Medieval Siege Society

- St Hubert's Rangers

In detail

High status characters

A rather severe look - black velvet or brocade works beautifully in contrast with silver fasteners or buttons. For any gender, a close fitting gown looks suitably Highborn, referencing without overtly stating their faithfulness.

A gown is a reasonably close fitting robe, usually buttoning down the front, with long close fitting sleeves to the wrist. It persists to this day as the cassock and in the clothes of choirsters and some very traditional public school uniforms, all of which means both patterns and off-the-peg versions are fairly readily available.

It's a very adaptable look - a fantasy treatment could take the basic silhouette and standing collar, and shorten the overall length, either with full length or half length sleeves, as worn by Boromir, Uther Pendragon and Jamie Lannister for a "warrior's coat". It looks good worn open over chainmail. A close-fitting variant of this is the cotehardie which usually has lots of closely spaced buttons down the front and the sleeves - try googling "cotehardie". It can be a tough look to pull off, but well worth it!

Patterns:

- Butterick 6844

- Simplicity 2235

- Simplicity 4697 (unfortunately out of print but you might get it on ebay)

- Simplicity 2089(this one would need a little adapting - closed sleeves rather than open, but would do a nice over-robe like Boromir's if you make a sleevless version)

- McCall 4745 This is actually a civil war uniform, but if you make up the blue version with an asymmetric closure it's very close to Jamie Lannister's coat above. Warning - the pattern runs a little large, so unless you're planning on wearing it over mail consider going down a size.

- Reconstructing history man's cotehardie

- McCall's kirtle pattern

- Historical patterns

- Child dress pattern

- Female tunic and bliaut pattern

For a high-necked gown on a woman, you could also use Simplicity 4940 making both the body of the gown and the yoke in matching black velvet. You then have the option to highlight the join with embroidery or sewing on links from a chain necklace, or you could just let it become invisible for a very elegant severe look.

This look could be achieved reasonably inexpensively with about 5m of cotton sheeting or cotton muslin (<£10) and a metre of wool or velvet for the over-bodice. Use Simplicity 4940 for a version with full sleeves, or make a narrow sleeved gown and use the over-bodice, but back lace with eyelets it rather than using a zip. For trim, this ebay seller usually has a lovely selection of silver, gold and coloured jacquard trims reasonably inexpensively. For heavy beaded and jewelled trim at very reasonable prices I use this eBay shop. About 2m of silver and black trim would do a great jewelled belt; they also sell shaped pieces designed to go on the necklines of dresses. Here is an exhaustive breakdown of the inspiration dress.

You could also use Simplicity 4940 for this dress, making the body in cotton velvet and the yoke in a metallic brocade. Here is this dress in detail, with lots more images and suggestions on how to get the look.

Priests

Highborn priests usually dress in white or dark robes with decoration in a stark colour to stand out.

Priests who choose not to dress like Templars (below) might draw inspiration from the images above. Based on the Eastern Orthodox tradition, these priests have layered robes with decorated over-garments, perhaps with a mitre-type hat or a padded roll on their head. A how-to for a basic robe, tabard and hood is linked below. Over the top, you could make a "stole", which is essentially a long scarf worn around the neck and falling past the waist - trimmed with an ornate ribbon trim this would look very dramatic. Try searching for ecclesiastical trim on ebay - there is a huge variety available relatively cheaply. You could also make a tabard or circular cape and trim it in matching colours.

A guide to ecclesiastical vestments

An alternative look, ideally suited to the Keepers of the Dead, is a more monk-like costume. This is made up of similar layers - an ankle-length robe, with or without a simple over-tabard and with a hood or cowl. The robe can be worn loose or belted with a cord or narrow braid of cloth for convenience and ease of movement. Coarse, heavy fabrics such as linen, silk noil and wool work well for this look, in dark grey or black. To make it slightly more fancy (and avoid confusion with the marches) you could trim the edges with a contrasting geometric trim (perhaps a greek key or swirl) such as those available from this ebay seller or similar.

A guide to ecclesiastical vestments

The carthaginian costume guide covers how to make an under-robe, over-robe, Dalmatic-type poncho and braided belt. Add some ecclesiastical trim (and leave off the headdress!) and you've got a great priest outfit!

How to make a tabard

How to make a padded roll hat

How to make a hood

Templars

Most Highborn warriors cover their armour with a long flowing surcoat. The ideal surcoat is black or white with a design in a stark contrasting colour. The Crusader knights exemplify this tradition in real history, although an original design for a chapter’s emblem is ideal if possible.

The key to the uniform Templar look is a surcote or tabard in their chapter colours with a design on it. While lightweight fabrics such as polycotton are cheap and easy to work with, if your budget allows, consider using a heavier cotton, linen or silk, with or without lining, as these materials drape better, look better and wear better. That said, a unit in matching surcotes, even lightweight ones, looks fabulous, so don't worry too much about your materials.

If you have fabric left over, consider making a circular or semicircular cloak to match, perhaps with your chapter symbol on the breast or on the back.

How to make a simple tabard

How to make a surcote - only slightly more difficult than a tabard, and much easier to wear. Also covers how to use Fusible Webbing to add a heraldic device to your garment

Tutorial 3 on this link covers how to make a tunic and cape - by increasing the diameter of the cape you can make it a full or calf-length one

The Unconquered

Most avoid the distinctive high contrast clothing favoured by most Highborn in favour of something more concealing and many wear lighter armour or forego armour altogether.

The base layer for the Unconquered is a knee-length tunic, either without armour or with lighter armour worn over it. A palette of neutral forest colours helps them scout and remain unseen when in the field, so choosing browns, greens and greys is in keeping with this. Less elaborate than many other Highguard costume, there is still a role for contrasting trim, particularly if the character is wearing their "special occasions" clothes. Adding a fur or fake fur mantle might add to the look - a cheap and cruelty-free way of adding fur trim to your costume is to get old fur coats from charity shops and cut them down - sometimes they also have 1940s style capelets which need very little alteration to be used as a shoulder piece.

How to make a tunic How to make leather scale armour the easy way! Body moulded hardened leather armour

General items

Cowl

At its simplest, a cowl is a cylinder of fabric that sits around your shoulders and over your head. Choosing a soft, drapey fabric like muslin will help it sit properly. A 1 yard piece of muslin or silk habutai that's 45 inches wide, seamed down its length and hemmed at either raw end will make a very full, drapy cowl. For the "monk" or "Keeper of the Dead" look above, use a yard of fabric that matches the rest of your robes.

Veil

Again best made using a very soft, drapy fabric like muslin, a veil is a circular, oval or rectangular piece of fabric to sit on your head. The Freeborn use veils to cover the lower half of their face; the Highborn look is far more concealing and drapes over the entire head, usually held in place by a circlet, crown or ribbon band. Don't skimp on the fabric - muslin is very cheap and a 2 or 3m length will give a sumptuous look to your veil. Consider edging it in lightweight trim for a finished look, or round the corners and turn a narrow hem. If you wear it just by putting it on your head then holding it on with a circlet, over time the veil will shift and ride up, leading to the dread "muffin head" look. For comfort and style, you might want to consider pinning it to a ribbon tied around your head, or utilising the methods in this tutorial, though bear in mind that for the SCA they wear the veil in a more historical fashion to cover the hair, rather than to sit over the face.

To uncover your face while wearing a veil the Highborn way, flip it back over the crown or band holding it in place, like a bride's veil, without taking it off your head. It's then ready to flip forward and cover your face again whenever you want.

Cloak

A cloak is a near-essential part of your costume, and a great opportunity to give your kit a finishing touch and keep you cosy. For light fabrics such as muslin, you can make a gathered-neck cloak with a drawstring for ease of construction- with heavy wools and velvet, a semicircular or circular mantle works best to reduce bulk at the neck and drapes beautifully. For a priest's mantle, a semi-circle or 3/4 circle cloak works best.

- List of cloak patterns

- Cloak patterns and help

Jewellery

The Highborn are a people with a manifest destiny, to unite the human nations and lead them to a virtuous future. Their jewellery reflects their heritage, it is refined, elegant and regal. Gold or silver worn on the brow suggests authority.

Any refined and elegant jewellery works in Highguard, best in matching sets to tone with the costume. Particular emphasis is on crowns and circlets. Lord of the Rings replica jewellery is an expensive but very beautiful way of getting the look, but there are numerous "inspired by" items, often on ebay, and several excellent tutorials on how to make your own out of wire, clay and beads.

- Official LOTR merchandise

- How to make crowns

Armour

Plate armour:

- http://www.whiteroseapparel.com/

- http://www.getdressedforbattle.co.uk/

Leather plate and lorica:

- Totally Leathered Totally Leathered provides custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

- Idiom Productions Costume and Props Workshop creates custom hand-tooled leather armour, clothing and LRP weapons

- Evenlode Studios - High quality leather armour, costume and props handmade

- Darkblade has suitable lorica for the unconquered.

Chain mail supplies and finished items:

- http://www.theringlord.com

- http://www.armchair-armoury.co.uk/chainmail.htm

Lightweight polyurethane replicas:

- http://www.nortonarmouries.com/

Make your own:

- Here's a tutorial on how to make moulded leather armour

- And here's one on how to make plate out of wonderflex

Shops

- The Midgard Seamstress Custom made UK LARP and Re-enactment costumes

- Angrave Designs Custom costume production and embroidery

- Custom Costume Company Bespoke designs for re-enactors and roleplayers

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Highguard culture and customs

“A pure soul in a pure body.”

Contents

- 1 Washing and cleanliness

- 2 Recording history

- 3 Competition and skill

- 4 Art

- 5 The cowl

- 6 Funerals

- 7 Day of the Dead

Washing and cleanliness

Cleanliness is important to the Highborn. Highborn bathhouses are complex affairs with steam rooms, cold plunge pools, as well as heated baths and massage tables. A Highborn’s first impulse on arriving somewhere after a journey is to clean away the dust of the road. Small fountains, pools and fonts are commonly found outside Highborn chapterhouses, and even individual homes, so that those entering can perform a token cleansing of hands and face. Scented finger-bowls are common between courses at a meal.

In foreign lands or on campaign, cleanliness can be more difficult to maintain. If limited clean water is available, most Highborn will preserve the ritual aspects of washing, such as flicking a few drops over head and shoulders, dabbing a little on the eyes and forehead, or merely wetting the tips of fingers. If no clean water is available, symbolic gestures are performed instead; raising both hands to the face, then passing them over the head is a gesture that means “I would wash myself if I had water.” This gesture is occasionally used to mean “I wash my hands of this situation” and can even be used during an argument to express a sentiment roughly equivalent to “I am tired of you and want you gone”.

Recording history

Personal, as well as national, history is important to the Highborn. Many Highborn keep journals - diaries or collections of letters are the most common forms. These writings may be private, but it is also common for Highborn who are away from home to write short pieces intended to be shared with friends and family - reading travelogues and biographies are popular pastimes. The best writings are those that are considered to give a very personal viewpoint on events. Full of passion, they let the reader share the insights of the writer, and empathise with their emotions.

On death these personal writings are usually bequeathed either to a favoured family member or to the Stewards of the Dead, to form part of the library at the heart of the Necropolis. It is considered a great honour for an individual’s thoughts and experiences to be preserved as an inspiration and guide to future generations.

Competition and skill

Not all Highborn are warriors, but most enjoy competition, whether tests of fitness, skill or intellect. Especially popular at present is the Cathleon, a challenge based on a training regime favoured by many of the Unconquered, consisting of a footrace, javelin throws and a second footrace. The entire event is run in a single sequence, testing speed, skill and endurance. To win, the victor must run to the target, throw three javelins through a target hoop and then return to the start. There are no set distances or target-sizes; the competitors agree these details before a Cathleon begins.

Physical prowess is not the only way to earn respect from Highborn. Prestige lies in skill with tactical games such as chess, backgammon, othello, draughts, tafl and go. They also enjoy wagering on these games, although there is a general distaste for games of pure chance such as roulette or dice.

Art

Mosaics are popular, their swirling patterns recall the winds and the tides; at their hearts, stylised representations of the heroes of old. Vast and vaulted marble domes; dusty cloisters smelling of old parchment; cool villas with fountains at their heart fill the household with the song of the water. An artistic movement has been growing over the last two decades that moves away from the traditional complex mosaics towards a simpler style involving the shaping of coloured stone to fit together in designs reminiscent of stained glass – a more elegant and modern refinement of an ancient art.

Highborn musical traditions favour the flute and other wind instruments. On days when the wind is high, a chapterhouse resounds with the song of wind chimes, aeolian harps and bells.

The cowl

Before the dissolution of the Patrician Council, the tradition amongst the Highborn was that those carrying out funerary rites went hooded when doing so as a mark of respect. When the Navigator dissolved the Council, he did so hooded, a gesture believed to indicate the Council’s “death”. Since that time, a practice has arisen amongst many Highborn, particularly those in authority, to wear hoods or cowls, usually in the colours of their Chapter. The custom has it that when the hood is down, the wearer is speaking informally as themselves, but with the hood up they speak formally, such as representing others or passing a judgement. The act of raising or lowering the hood can, in such cases, change the atmosphere in a room significantly, and there are few sights as intimidating as a group of hooded Highborn moving with purpose.

Funerals

Death is an important moment in each spirit's cycle, with an opportunity to celebrate the virtues shown in the life that has now passed and meditate on whether the spirit might at last escape the Labyrinth. Mourners customarily wear sombre veils and cowls. Traditionally the dead have their hands and face carefully washed once they are in repose. They are then veiled for a final time and each person who has something to say upon the virtue of the individual takes their turn before the will of the deceased is read aloud. Bells are tolled throughout the proceedings to carry the words to the dead.

Testaments are common in Highguard. It is normal for bequests to be made on the basis of the virtues displayed by the recipient, rather than on any ties of blood. Any remaining chattels are gathered by the Chapter itself. All of this is done with some haste so that the body may be properly prepared for internment within their Chapter's mausoleum or, if they are particularly virtuous, within the Necropolis itself. Regardless of whether mortal remains are involved every Highborn wants their name inscribed on a monument in the Necropolis. Those of the briar lineage are almost never interred; their bodies are burnt and the ashes scattered over water.

Day of the Dead

Taking place on the second day of the Winter equinox, the Day of the Dead is an important celebration that serves as a memorial for those lost in the preceding year. Respects are paid throughout the day with Chapters remembering those they have lost in their own traditional sombre and serious manner until dusk comes. As light fades from the sky it is common for the Highborn to begin a candle- and lantern-lit slow procession around their homes or chapterhouses. The celebrants walk in silence except for the intoning of bells or the speaking of the names of those who have passed into the Labyrinth; the procession often visits places that were important to a deceased individual in life.

Once the procession is complete, a celebration of those lives usually begins with songs and stories of the virtues of the Highborn. It is common for friends and loved-ones to share anecdotes and readings from their own journals or letters, or those of the departed.

The following morning is often used to celebrate those who have been born to, or joined, the nation in the last year, with many taking the opportunity to re-swear their oaths to Chapters and to Nation. It is also a common that Highborn give small meaningful gifts on this day, the most precious ones being considered by some to be those made by the gift-giver.

In pre-Imperial times, midnight on the Day of the Dead marked the end of one year and the beginning of the next. Old Highborn documents (and some traditionalist historians) still count the Day of the Dead as the last day of the year which can occasionally lead to confusion.

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Highguard economic interests

“The pursuit of wealth is the foundation of suffering.”

There is a deep-seated distrust of the pursuit of wealth for its own sake amongst the Highborn. Highguard is founded on the concept that only action can be virtuous, and their culture rewards assiduous effort and self-improvement. “Wealth” by itself is a passive force; usury – charging interest on a loan – is considered despicable because the lender has no active role in what transpires.

In place of the moneylenders common elsewhere, the Highborn are proud of their benefactors. Often older merchants, benefactors make their wealth work for themselves and others. They try to encourage virtue by acting as patrons to other merchants. They may help a young trader get established, or participate in a risky but ambitious venture that has potential benefits beyond purely economic ones. Rather than lending money and charging interest, benefactors invest in enterprises and in individuals, sharing the risk – and sharing the profits.

Gambling on games of chance is as dubious as usury, since there is no action the participants can take to improve their chances of winning other than to cheat. That said, the Highborn love to wager on contests of skill, whether they are participating or not. Professional book-keepers collect wagers and distribute winnings, taking a small percentage for their service; some specialise in organising contests and competitions specifically to encourage wagering.

Permanence is a civic virtue in Highguard and there is no doubt that the nation produces the best architects and masons in the Empire. The quarries of Casinea produce a breathtakingly beautiful marble that absorbs heat when it is warm and exudes it when cold, making it the ideal building material. Other crafts include the creation of decorative mosaics and fabrics with complex geometric patterns. The Highborn also produces fine quality paper and coloured inks, used extensively to record the histories and archives of the nation.

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Highguard Egregore

Escon

Escon is the Highguard Egregore. Escon has three primary interests; to embody the Imperial Faith and commitment to Virtue, to promote the martial spirit of the Highborn, and to expand the knowledge of the Nation. The spirit encourages competition, but as a means to the end of promoting and encouraging Highborn in the pursuit of excellence, rather than as an end in itself. Most of all, Escon encourages the Highborn to embrace their history and pursue Virtue with every part of their being.

Escon always tries to help people make up their own minds and come to their own conclusions, through careful questioning and encouragement to examine motivations, actions and beliefs. This is not done to demonstrate intellectual superiority, but rather to encourage the Highborn to develop their own powers of deductive reasoning. Escon is quite capable of making definitive statements when the situation demands it.

Current Host

The current host is Ehud, Son of Leah, of Reumah's Redoubt. Formerly having served in Reikos during and after its fall as an Unconquered before injury caused him to retire to Bastion. There he take up the role of an artisan within the Redoubt, specialising in stained glass works of art when he was not producing shields for his Chapter and the frontlines of battle.

Wearing a gold circlet at summits, as during the season, he moves from Chapter to Chapter listening to his people's conversations, asking questions for them to ask of themselves and playing games of skill.

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Highguard Go To War

A battle hymn written by Nathan Hoyle that describes the different chapters within Highguard.

A pdf can be found [here].

A midi can be found [here].

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Highguard_Go_To_War&oldid=21762"

Highguard hearth magic

Bells and chimes

The Highborn hang wind-chimes in their doorways to bring back memories of those they have lost, and the echoes of wisdom from earlier days. Meditating to the sound of wind chimes is said to help to attune one to thoughts of one’s ancestors and prior incarnations, and allow the dead to “speak” to the living through their memories. The household use of bells endures for similar reason, in the belief that the wind carries the breath and words of the departed. It is commonly held that bells can speak for those who have no breath or voice. The sound of bells ringing encourages the Highborn to remember the words of dead people who are important or inspirational to them.

More practically, bells and chimes exert influence over the unquiet dead. Restless spirits will not approach the sound of wind chimes, and the ringing of bells causes such creatures to flee in terror. As a consequence, most people who spend any time around the dead - especially the Stewards of the Dead and Magisters - will keep a bell on their person at all times.

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Highguard history

Contents

- 1 The founding

- 2 The horses of Highguard

- 3 The First Empress

- 4 Archivists

The founding

Seven centuries ago, the Highborn arrived on the Bay of Catazar. Seventeen great vessels carrying pure souls crossed the sea from the south looking for new lands. They left behind a land and people slowly being consumed by corruption and darkness. They were steered by the legendary Navigators, a pair of visionary twins named Atuman and Atun who were later acknowledged as an Exemplar of Ambition and a Paragon of Wisdom respectively.

Upon landing, Atuman founded the city of Pharos at the mouth of the river Couros. Atun – following a vision of her own – took only the flagship, bade her brother farewell and set sail, never to be seen again.

The navigators of the first vessels formed a council of Patricians to advise Atuman the Navigator. After his death his eldest daughter took the title of Navigator and ruled in his place while the Patricians also named heirs from amongst their offspring. The council ruled wisely for many years but as the generations passed the Navigator and the Patricians became more obsessed with preserving their power and their bloodlines and degenerated into self-interest and corruption.

During this time, trade with the Navarr introduced the Highborn to Vinum, a herb which was used medicinally and recreationally. However, the Scions of Atun, a group of ascetics and mystics, discovered a process of refining into a substance called Liao. They used Liao to experience visions, and in other ceremonies, that revealed the Labyrinth of Ages. This enlightenment, about the immortal nature of the human spirit and the power of virtue, sparked a period of time now referred to as The Revelation.

The Revelation stirred a spiritual yearning within the people and swept across the land, awakening many to a new and profound understanding of life. This awakening was further fuelled by widespread disillusionment with the venal ways of the Patricians. The Scions and other groups born of The Revelation left Pharos, sicked by the corruption that riddled the city. Along the borders of the nation they built their own communities, called chapters, each dedicated to teaching a profound way of living inspired by The Revelation and guarding against corruption.

As the chapters grew, the Patricians became jealous of their influence and passed laws to try to control them. Things came to a head in the time of the Navigator Permion, who later generations would call the Lawmaker – a Navigator who strove to serve the people rather than his own interest. Permion sought to reach out to the leaders of the chapters, starting with the most influential, Lepidus of the Seven Stars. Lepidus is now acknowledged as a Paragon of Pride. He taught Permion about the greatness of the Highborn, what they had been and could be again, and helped him find the will to oppose the wickedness of the Patricians.

Permion the Lawmaker's judgements and actions brought the Patricians into conflict with him and also with each other. Rather than allow the nation to fall into anarchy, Permion declared martial law and dissolved the Patrician Council. In its place, he invited the chapters to form an Assembly of the Virtuous to advise him.

The response of the Patrician Council was swift and bloody, and a bitter civil war ensued. Permion was assassinated, along with his wife and three of his four children. Various Patricians tried to claim the title of Navigator and the city of Pharos was burned to the ground by rival armies. Eventually the Assembly was forced to act. After mobilizing the military strength of the chapterhouses it crushed the remaining Patrician forces and assumed the governance of the nation. Today, the Lawmaker is recognised as an influential Exemplar of Courage.

The Assembly of the Virtuous elected to turn the ruins of Pharos into the Necropolis, a great mausoleum to house the bodies of all those slain in the war. They also ordered the construction of Bastion, a new city which would serve as a civic and religious centre for the Highborn thereafter and vowed that no Highborn would ever war with other Highborn again.

The horses of Highguard

The Highborn fleet carried with them a great herd of horses. These legendary beasts embodied noble virtues of loyalty, strength and dignity. Mounted on their mighty warhorses, the Highborn were unbeaten in battle and the creatures became the iconic symbol of the nation, reflecting the martial spirit of the people. The venal ways of the Patricians caused the herds to dwindle until none remained and since the dawn of the Empire they have passed into legend. Highborn parents tell their children the tale of the loss of their horses to teach them never to take blessings for granted.

The First Empress

The First Empress was Highborn, and the last to ride a legendary Highborn steed. After taking liao, she revealed that all human souls are re-incarnated on the same wheel, regardless of whether they were Highborn. Therefore, to preserve the future of Highguard and enlighten all worthy human souls, it was essential to unite all of humanity under a single banner, such that Highborn reborn elsewhere would still come to know their heritage and the Way of Virtue. From Highborn faith, the Empire came into being, changing the face of the world forever.

Archivists

Highguard looks to the past to understand the present and predict the future. Its scholars, priests and wizards thirst for tomes and artefacts that reflect on the Empire. There is a roaring trade in books, scrolls and tablets, the more obscure the better. While relics of the holy prophets or antique magical articles are valuable in and of themselves, high prices are also paid for tangible evidence of past life experiences.

Archivists collect the histories of Highguard, and of the Empire. They see history as a story that exists not to record dead facts, but to inspire the living. As a consequence, facts that undermine the central truth of an event or the life of a historical character are actually dangerous. A new fact that suggests a wise historical judge never existed, or that a brave general was actually a coward, could do irreparable damage. It could destroy the faith of the living in the individual hero but also undermine the very idea of learning the lessons from history. Destroying or discrediting such lies is as important as revealing the facts that encourage and inspire the living.

This means the Highborn archivists are often at odds with their counterparts in other nations, especially the Urizen seers and torchbearers. In recording and publicizing “facts”, without applying any moral judgement, Urizen historians deny the inspiration offered by history and its role in making the present and the future better. A common rumour suggests that Highborn archivists maintain hidden storehouses of knowledge deemed too dangerous for the common people. This rumour is baseless. If a piece of information uncovered is considered dangerous to the Empire, it is destroyed so that no future generation can be harmed by its rediscovery.

Archivists are romantic figures in Highguard. While the truth is that many of them are quiet scholars and scribes, the popular image is of them as active, energetic people who go to dangerous locations to retrieve valuable information or artefacts for the good of the nation and the Empire as a whole. They face danger frequently, and often have to work against those who want to foolishly spread dangerous information or unleash deadly magic.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Highguard_history&oldid=29216"

Highguard history (Redirected from Highguard History)

Contents

- 1 The founding

- 2 The horses of Highguard

- 3 The First Empress

- 4 Archivists

The founding

Seven centuries ago, the Highborn arrived on the Bay of Catazar. Seventeen great vessels carrying pure souls crossed the sea from the south looking for new lands. They left behind a land and people slowly being consumed by corruption and darkness. They were steered by the legendary Navigators, a pair of visionary twins named Atuman and Atun who were later acknowledged as an Exemplar of Ambition and a Paragon of Wisdom respectively.

Upon landing, Atuman founded the city of Pharos at the mouth of the river Couros. Atun – following a vision of her own – took only the flagship, bade her brother farewell and set sail, never to be seen again.

The navigators of the first vessels formed a council of Patricians to advise Atuman the Navigator. After his death his eldest daughter took the title of Navigator and ruled in his place while the Patricians also named heirs from amongst their offspring. The council ruled wisely for many years but as the generations passed the Navigator and the Patricians became more obsessed with preserving their power and their bloodlines and degenerated into self-interest and corruption.

During this time, trade with the Navarr introduced the Highborn to Vinum, a herb which was used medicinally and recreationally. However, the Scions of Atun, a group of ascetics and mystics, discovered a process of refining into a substance called Liao. They used Liao to experience visions, and in other ceremonies, that revealed the Labyrinth of Ages. This enlightenment, about the immortal nature of the human spirit and the power of virtue, sparked a period of time now referred to as The Revelation.

The Revelation stirred a spiritual yearning within the people and swept across the land, awakening many to a new and profound understanding of life. This awakening was further fuelled by widespread disillusionment with the venal ways of the Patricians. The Scions and other groups born of The Revelation left Pharos, sicked by the corruption that riddled the city. Along the borders of the nation they built their own communities, called chapters, each dedicated to teaching a profound way of living inspired by The Revelation and guarding against corruption.

As the chapters grew, the Patricians became jealous of their influence and passed laws to try to control them. Things came to a head in the time of the Navigator Permion, who later generations would call the Lawmaker – a Navigator who strove to serve the people rather than his own interest. Permion sought to reach out to the leaders of the chapters, starting with the most influential, Lepidus of the Seven Stars. Lepidus is now acknowledged as a Paragon of Pride. He taught Permion about the greatness of the Highborn, what they had been and could be again, and helped him find the will to oppose the wickedness of the Patricians.

Permion the Lawmaker's judgements and actions brought the Patricians into conflict with him and also with each other. Rather than allow the nation to fall into anarchy, Permion declared martial law and dissolved the Patrician Council. In its place, he invited the chapters to form an Assembly of the Virtuous to advise him.

The response of the Patrician Council was swift and bloody, and a bitter civil war ensued. Permion was assassinated, along with his wife and three of his four children. Various Patricians tried to claim the title of Navigator and the city of Pharos was burned to the ground by rival armies. Eventually the Assembly was forced to act. After mobilizing the military strength of the chapterhouses it crushed the remaining Patrician forces and assumed the governance of the nation. Today, the Lawmaker is recognised as an influential Exemplar of Courage.

The Assembly of the Virtuous elected to turn the ruins of Pharos into the Necropolis, a great mausoleum to house the bodies of all those slain in the war. They also ordered the construction of Bastion, a new city which would serve as a civic and religious centre for the Highborn thereafter and vowed that no Highborn would ever war with other Highborn again.

The horses of Highguard

The Highborn fleet carried with them a great herd of horses. These legendary beasts embodied noble virtues of loyalty, strength and dignity. Mounted on their mighty warhorses, the Highborn were unbeaten in battle and the creatures became the iconic symbol of the nation, reflecting the martial spirit of the people. The venal ways of the Patricians caused the herds to dwindle until none remained and since the dawn of the Empire they have passed into legend. Highborn parents tell their children the tale of the loss of their horses to teach them never to take blessings for granted.

The First Empress

The First Empress was Highborn, and the last to ride a legendary Highborn steed. After taking liao, she revealed that all human souls are re-incarnated on the same wheel, regardless of whether they were Highborn. Therefore, to preserve the future of Highguard and enlighten all worthy human souls, it was essential to unite all of humanity under a single banner, such that Highborn reborn elsewhere would still come to know their heritage and the Way of Virtue. From Highborn faith, the Empire came into being, changing the face of the world forever.

Archivists

Highguard looks to the past to understand the present and predict the future. Its scholars, priests and wizards thirst for tomes and artefacts that reflect on the Empire. There is a roaring trade in books, scrolls and tablets, the more obscure the better. While relics of the holy prophets or antique magical articles are valuable in and of themselves, high prices are also paid for tangible evidence of past life experiences.

Archivists collect the histories of Highguard, and of the Empire. They see history as a story that exists not to record dead facts, but to inspire the living. As a consequence, facts that undermine the central truth of an event or the life of a historical character are actually dangerous. A new fact that suggests a wise historical judge never existed, or that a brave general was actually a coward, could do irreparable damage. It could destroy the faith of the living in the individual hero but also undermine the very idea of learning the lessons from history. Destroying or discrediting such lies is as important as revealing the facts that encourage and inspire the living.

This means the Highborn archivists are often at odds with their counterparts in other nations, especially the Urizen seers and torchbearers. In recording and publicizing “facts”, without applying any moral judgement, Urizen historians deny the inspiration offered by history and its role in making the present and the future better. A common rumour suggests that Highborn archivists maintain hidden storehouses of knowledge deemed too dangerous for the common people. This rumour is baseless. If a piece of information uncovered is considered dangerous to the Empire, it is destroyed so that no future generation can be harmed by its rediscovery.

Archivists are romantic figures in Highguard. While the truth is that many of them are quiet scholars and scribes, the popular image is of them as active, energetic people who go to dangerous locations to retrieve valuable information or artefacts for the good of the nation and the Empire as a whole. They face danger frequently, and often have to work against those who want to foolishly spread dangerous information or unleash deadly magic.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Highguard_history&oldid=29216"

Highguard icons and artistry

The first Empress fought under a banner depicting a rearing grey stallion on black, and so the horse became the symbol of the Empire and its leader. But to many Highborn only the best sculpture and art in the grand cathedrals in Highguard can capture the true qualities of the horse. Although their great steeds are gone, the horse remains an image of strength, willpower, speed, loyalty and grace.

Today the heraldic beast of Highguard is the Basilisk, a crested aquatic lizard. It can be found drowsing in marble, curled around alcoves or uncoiling across mosaic floors. Its eyes are always depicted shut as though asleep – except on the banner of war. The legend has it that Isora, the daughter of Permion the Lawmaker, used magic to command a Basilisk from its Eternal Realm. Where once it had been a threat, it became a guardian creature who slumbered at her command to be awoken in defence of Highguard at the time of the Highborn’s greatest need. It is a reflection of the Highborn magical and physical might, and also of the fact that even the mightiest Eternals must bow to the will and magic of mortals.

Highguard’s flag is the Basilisk coiled around the Black Bell of the Necropolis. Bells are frequently used in Highborn heraldry. Bells also form a key part of decoration, architecture, ceremony and even fashion. The way in which they remind the living of the dead, and recall the past to the current generation, works just as well in imagery as sound.

Benefactors use the symbol of the unbalanced scales, the upper pannier containing coinage and the lower (heavier) pannier containing some symbol of morality or mankind such as a heart or a skull.

Mosaics are popular, their swirling patterns recall the winds and the tides; at their hearts, stylised representations of the heroes of old. Vast and vaulted marble domes; dusty cloisters smelling of old parchment; cool villas with fountains at their heart fill the household with the song of the water. An artistic movement has been growing over the last two decades that moves away from the traditional mosaic as a fiddly mass of tiny squares towards a simpler style involving the shaping of coloured stone to fit together in designs reminiscent of stained glass – a more elegant and modern refinement of an ancient art.

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Highguard leadership

Most Highborn live in or near one of the chapters, the great walled settlements, that are spread across the plains that surround the river Couros. Each is a fully functional community incorporating families and individuals from all walks of life, who share a common set of beliefs in the form of a creed.

Each chapter chooses one of their own, called an exarch, to provide the chapter with civic and moral leadership. The exarch is most commonly the one who best embodies the chapter’s creed; a priest or one who has been schooled in philosophy and faith is usually chosen. As a result, most Highborn who are politically ambitious begin by seeking training as a priest. Highborn history clearly shows the perils of choosing a leader who is not virtuous, so they make no apology for placing this criterion above any other.

The holy city of Bastion is the capital of the nation. Every chapter maintains a hostel of some kind here, so that members who make the pilgrimage have somewhere to stay. At one time the Assembly of the Virtuous would meet here regularly to decide the business of the state. When Highguard agreed to join the Empire, the Assembly of the Virtuous was used as the cornerstone for the Imperial Synod, becoming the Highborn Assembly wholesale, and spreading the mandate to watch for any sign of moral decay in the soul of the Empire.

Most political business moved to the Senate after the creation of the Empire so those members of the Highborn Assembly interested in politics now meet when the Imperial Court meets, the better to appoint Highborn Senators. Bastion is no longer the seat of government of the Highborn Nation, but it remains the spiritual home of the Way of Virtue and pilgrims from all over the Empire travel here.

Leading a territory

In the days before the Empire the Exarchs were subject to the approval of the Assembly of the Virtuous, to ensure that chapters were led by devout individuals. That power lapsed generations ago; now only the senators come before the Assembly for ratification.

The Highborn Assembly selects senators by interrogation. Each chapter whose chapterhouse is in the contested territory may put forward a single candidate for consideration by the Assembly. Chapters are assumed to have sufficient wisdom to be able to select their most virtuous member. On the rare occasion where a chapter is unable to pick a single candidate, they forfeit their right to be considered during that election.

Candidates come before the Highborn Assembly where they are expected to answer questions designed to assess their moral rectitude. The Assembly does not exclusively select priests to high office, but it is clear that those who have priestly training have considerable advantage in answering the moral dilemmas and philosophical questions put to them. After examining the candidates, each member of the Assembly secretly votes to indicate which candidate they felt was least trustworthy. The candidate with the least votes against them is then declared the winner. If two or more candidates receive equal fewest votes, then all other candidates are eliminated and another round of voting takes place.

The senators for each Imperial territory are re-elected at specific equinox and solstices during the year. The senator for Bastion is elected at the Summer solstice, the senator for Casinea is elected at the Autumn equinox, and the senator for Necropolis is elected at the Winter solstice.

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Highguard lineage and species attitudes

Highguard is not a generous nation to the less than fully human. In the crudest and simplest of terms, they are perceived as being spiritually suspect. While it is undeniable that they embrace the virtues with great passion, they must continually resist the siren call of their blood, or risk corruption by their lineage. As a result those with lineage are watched until they have proved themselves. Even then, many Highborn still regard them with suspicion for fear that they may eventually succumb. Individuals of lineage whose humanity has triumphed are upheld as inspirational tales of how the human spirit can conquer anything.

A few Highborn cambion and changelings choose to remove or disfigure the visible marks of their lineage. Calling themselves the Unveiled, they saw their horns down to stumps, to demonstrate to everyone that they have renounced their heritage.

The briar lineage is considered especially suspect. It is believed that the area around a dead briar may be seeded with alien, supernatural foliage. The bodies of dead briars are commonly burnt and their ashes scattered over water; while there are a few monuments to heroic briars in the the Necropolis, there are none of this lineage actually interred there.

Orcs and other non-humans are judged more harshly than the lineaged. Their inability to use liao casts doubt over their ability to reincarnate, and so it is considered impossible for them to meaningfully embrace the Imperial Faith. This makes them less than human in the eyes of many Highborn.

The issue of Imperial Orcs is a thorny one in Highguard. The Highborn Senators were united in opposing the admittance of orcs into the Empire, and called on the Synod to veto the move when they were defeated in the Senate. Today, some Highborn are inclined to treat them charitably for making the effort to be civilised, whilst others maintain a traditional attitude of contempt and hostility. Very few have any enthusiasm for seeing the orcs gain further power and influence within the Empire. As long as the orcs are seen to embrace Imperial values, there is little their Highborn critics can do beyond providing the voice of caution. It seems inevitable that in the end, the orcs will undermine the strength of the Empire either as part of a long-term treachery, or simply by diluting the traditions which have formed and sustained its greatness.

Sharp horns, gold eyes, stop your ears against their lies

Knife ears, stag’s horns, rue the day that they were born

Scaled skin, fangs white, never meant to see the light

Neck gills, webbed toes, best kept where the pondweed grows

Beast’s eyes, white skin, bar the door lest they come in

Bark skin, green vine, forgotten be till end of timeTraditional Highborn children's rhyme now frowned on in Imperial society

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Highguard lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Highguard Lineage and Species Attitudes)

Highguard is not a generous nation to the less than fully human. In the crudest and simplest of terms, they are perceived as being spiritually suspect. While it is undeniable that they embrace the virtues with great passion, they must continually resist the siren call of their blood, or risk corruption by their lineage. As a result those with lineage are watched until they have proved themselves. Even then, many Highborn still regard them with suspicion for fear that they may eventually succumb. Individuals of lineage whose humanity has triumphed are upheld as inspirational tales of how the human spirit can conquer anything.

A few Highborn cambion and changelings choose to remove or disfigure the visible marks of their lineage. Calling themselves the Unveiled, they saw their horns down to stumps, to demonstrate to everyone that they have renounced their heritage.

The briar lineage is considered especially suspect. It is believed that the area around a dead briar may be seeded with alien, supernatural foliage. The bodies of dead briars are commonly burnt and their ashes scattered over water; while there are a few monuments to heroic briars in the the Necropolis, there are none of this lineage actually interred there.

Orcs and other non-humans are judged more harshly than the lineaged. Their inability to use liao casts doubt over their ability to reincarnate, and so it is considered impossible for them to meaningfully embrace the Imperial Faith. This makes them less than human in the eyes of many Highborn.

The issue of Imperial Orcs is a thorny one in Highguard. The Highborn Senators were united in opposing the admittance of orcs into the Empire, and called on the Synod to veto the move when they were defeated in the Senate. Today, some Highborn are inclined to treat them charitably for making the effort to be civilised, whilst others maintain a traditional attitude of contempt and hostility. Very few have any enthusiasm for seeing the orcs gain further power and influence within the Empire. As long as the orcs are seen to embrace Imperial values, there is little their Highborn critics can do beyond providing the voice of caution. It seems inevitable that in the end, the orcs will undermine the strength of the Empire either as part of a long-term treachery, or simply by diluting the traditions which have formed and sustained its greatness.

Sharp horns, gold eyes, stop your ears against their lies

Knife ears, stag’s horns, rue the day that they were born

Scaled skin, fangs white, never meant to see the light

Neck gills, webbed toes, best kept where the pondweed grows

Beast’s eyes, white skin, bar the door lest they come in

Bark skin, green vine, forgotten be till end of timeTraditional Highborn children's rhyme now frowned on in Imperial society

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Highguard look and feel

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Feel

- 3 Breakdown

- 3.1 Influences

- 3.2 Materials

- 3.3 Colours

- 3.4 Clothing

- 3.5 Armour

- 3.6 Shields

- 3.7 Weapons

- 4 Costume

- 5 Cowls & veils

- 6 Priests

- 7 Jewellery

- 8 Cataphract armour

- 9 Surcoats

- 10 Unconquered

- 11 UniformIty

- 12 Children

Overview

The Highborn look is generally practical and restrained. Its beauty is in the small touches – the geometric trim on the robes, the exquisite jewelry. Colours are deliberately stark and contrasting, and outfits in black and white are commonplace. Many members of a chapter choose to adopt similar garb, with the symbol of their chapter displayed prominently on the chest, shoulders, or at the breast. This is particularly true for Highborn warriors who show their solidarity and loyalty with their fellows by marching into battle decked in identical garb. Of all the nations of the Empire, the Highborn are the most inclined to uniformity, a visible display of their inner commitment to their shared faith and destiny.

Rather than displaying impractical frivolity in the cut of their garments, Highborn show their taste and wealth in jewellery, and the decoration of cloth. Jewelled and embellished trims at the hems of garments are popular, as is the intricate braiding of hair and heavy, elaborate jewellery.

Also see Highguard costumes and Highguard icons and artistry.

Feel

Regal, confident, righteous, stark, traditional, disciplined, militant, uncompromising.

Breakdown

Influences

Gondor, Crusader Knights

Materials

Highborn materials are usually processed, such as wool, cotton, silk and velvet. They are typically solid and of the highest quality available as befits the rank of the wearer.

Colours

Black with a white contrast is most common but where there is colour, it is likely to be dark - bottle green, red, charcoal and midnight blue - and always set against the contrast of white or cream.

Clothing

The Highborn dress in simple, practical lines – wearing long, layered robes and tunics in starkly contrasting colours, most often simple layers of black and white or sometimes using black or white as a contrast to different colours. Decorative mosaics and fabrics with complex geometric patterns are popular.

Highborn women may choose to wear a dress rather than a robe. Highguard dresses are constructed along simple but formal lines in dark fabrics. They often have a high neckline or standing collar; lengthwise they always come at least to the ankle.

Veils are commonly worn by all genders both in funeral rites and on other sombre occasions. They set the wearer apart, offering anonymity and a sense of de-personalisation. They are often worn when distasteful actions, or those associated with a rank or position of authority rather than an individual, have to be undertaken

Some Highborn, particularly those in authority, wear hoods or cowls, usually in the colours of their chapter.

Armour

Highborn armour tends to be full length and layered or segmented. Heavy black leather is common, sometimes with pieces of plate worn over it. The Unconquered usually leave their head uncovered, but Cataphracts favour a full helm, ideally decorated with wings. Carved or decorated black vambraces are often worn for additional protection.

Shields

Large kite or heater shields are common. They are usually decorated in a uniform design with the chapter emblem in stark contrast.

Weapons

Highborn warriors prefer to fight in close formation and prefer weapons suited to this style; short swords, spears, and bows.

Costume

Highborn costume is elegant and flowing, long layered robes and tunics, dark coloured in starkly contrasting colours, most often simple layers of black and white or sometimes using black or white as a contrast to different colours.

The Highborn are a militant people and this is reflected in their dress.

Cowls & veils

Highborn veils are designed to cover the face to conceal the wearers identity and project anonymity. Cowls are a common feature of Highborn costume, especially for the powerful.

Priests

Highborn priests usually dress in white or dark robes with decoration in a stark colour to stand out.

Jewellery

The Highborn are a people with a manifest destiny, to unite the human nations and lead them to a virtuous future. Their jewellery reflects their heritage, it is refined, elegant and regal. Gold or silver worn on the brow suggests authority.

Cataphract armour

Highborn armour is usually full length - coats of plates, scale or mail with leather or plate over it. Armour is often segmented or banded for flexibility and ease of movement.

Traditional lorica in hard leather or metal can work for Highborn, particularly if the suit is tooled or decorated or the outfit incorporates a Highborn style surcoat or cloak.

Surcoats

Most Highborn warriors cover their armour with a long flowing surcoat. The ideal surcoat is black or white with a design in a stark contrasting colour. The Crusader knights exemplify this tradition in real history, although an original design for a chapter’s emblem is ideal if possible.

Uniforms for some Highborn chapters include cloaks with the chapter’s emblem repeated on each shoulder.

Unconquered

The unconquered serve as scouts, often operating far behind enemy lines. Most avoid the distinctive high contrast clothing favoured by most Highborn in favour of something more concealing and many wear lighter armour or forego armour altogether.

UniformIty

Members of the same chapter will often adopt a unifom look using identical or matching items like surcoats. The visual unity emphasizes the unity of purpose and helps a chapter project power. Of all the nations, the Highborn have the strongest tendecy to form shield walls and fight in close-order formations.

Children

Clothing for Highborn children is usually sombre and simple but good quality, with more elegant garments reserved until they come of age.

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Highguard magical traditions

Priests who work to master magic are called magisters in Highguard. The early magisters studied methods of communicating with the dead and uncovering the secrets of the past. The Highborn Magisters strive to be the foremost masters of Winter magic in the Empire. Most operate out of hostels based in the Necropolis, where the silence and contemplative atmosphere of the city of the dead lends itself perfectly to measured and contemplative study.

While there is no doubt they possess powerful magic, the magisters are still considered to be priests. They study virtue alongside magic, and many work hard to try and inspire virtuous behaviour in wizards of other nations – or an understanding of magic in other priests.

Magisters tend to be cautious of the Eternals, as they are not only powerful, but they clearly seek to use that power to influence humanity. The Highborn believe that as masters of their own destiny, humans should seek to outwit Eternals wherever possible, seizing opportunities to take their strength and harness it in service to the Empire. Eternals are clearly monstrous and inhuman. It is a source of continual frustration to the magisters that other wizards fail to recognise this, no matter how seriously the magisters try to educate them in their dealings with other realms. The magisters treat most often, and most comfortably, with the Eternals of Winter, who they see as more open and honest, as they do not try to deny or conceal their evil nature. The Eternals of the other realms are equally dangerous, but present a pleasing and deceptive face, which many accept without scrutiny.

The magical tradition of Highguard combines movement and sound. The slow beating of drums, the sonorous chime of bells and the recitation of ceremonial passages form the basis of their ritual magic, often accompanied by stylised and graceful gestures.

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Highguard Maps

See Also

- Bastion

- Casinea

- Necropolis

- Reikos

PRINT INFORMATION - Each map is set to print at A3 size (the resolution varies between 175ppi and 300ppi). Do not print larger than this or it will pixellate. If you print smaller, the quality will improve slightly. Various sizes are available by clicking on the image. To print, make sure you download the ORIGINAL size image (should be between 2700 and 5000 pixels wide. Feel free to add your own textures etc

Maps by Daisy Abbott

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Highguard military concerns

“We are the thunder on the earth, we are the steel tide that drowns the foe.”

Highguard has a military heritage of which it is justly proud. Most Highborn serve with one of the three Highborn armies as part of their “coming-of-age”. This service is considered necessary to the formation of Highborn character, and maintains the connection between the people of today and their warrior ancestry. Most skills can be put to use in a military context, although those serving as medics, quartermasters and ancillary troops do not earn as much respect as their more warlike colleagues.

Most Highborn return to their chapter after leaving the army. The most skilled soldiers become part of the elite guards that protect the chapter against barbarians and other threats. These warriors, called guardians, train daily with their comrades learning to fight as a unit in close formation. Chapters outfit their guardians with weapons and armour and most provide a surcoat adorned with the chapter’s heraldic device, usually in black and white or similarly contrasting colours. Some groups of guardians choose to specialise, training to become cataphracts or unconquered, in line with the oldest martial traditions of the Highborn.

In the earliest days of Highguard, the cataphracts rode into battle on mighty warhorses, devastating their enemies with shield and lance. Today the horses are gone, but the cataphracts remain, embodying a warrior tradition that embraces the highest virtues of the Imperial Faith. Heavily armoured, they serve as living standards, encouraging and supporting those who fight alongside them with their commitment to achieving victory. The best of them burn with fervour, filling them with righteous fury when they face the enemies of the Empire in close combat. Likewise, when an army must fall back, it is the cataphracts who guard the retreat.

The counterpart to the cataphracts are the unconquered. These skilled warriors undertake scouting missions, employ sabotage and terror as weapons to weaken their foes, and seek out specific targets on a battlefield. In contrast to the archers and skirmishers of many other nations, the unconquered favour medium armour and short bows, and are not shy about engaging in close combat with hand weapons if the tides of battle make retreat-and-fire an unappealing option.

The unconquered are used to operating with a high level of autonomy, often behind enemy lines or in unknown territory. Despite this independence, the best of them know that they operate as one part of a larger plan, that their duty is to ensure that the forces they accompany achieve victory. Unconquered who arrogantly assume they can win the day all by themselves generally meet unpleasant ends.

Highborn generals and soldiers alike embrace the concept of a vigilant war. This principle teaches that strong defences and pre-emptive strikes are the most effective way to curtail an enemy’s ability to be an aggressor, minimising the impact on civilians, and making it the most practical and moral solution to the matter of war. On the battlefield their troops work together to utterly overwhelm their enemies as quickly as possible, cataphracts driving them from the field while the unconquered deny them any chance to regroup and counter-attack.

Contents

- 1 Imperial Armies

- 1.1 The Granite Pillar

- 1.2 The Seventh Wave

- 1.3 The Valiant Pegasus

Imperial Armies

Highguard fields three imperial armies; the Granite Pillar, the Seventh Wave, and the recently created Valiant Pegasus.

The Granite Pillar

The champions of the Granite Pillar are usually arrayed in heavy armour with shield and sword, supported by cataphracts and martially inclined magisters. They practice tactics designed to emphasise their discipline, and are always accompanied by military chaplains who dedicate themselves to supporting and blessing the soldiers, helping them to remain focused on the battlefield and highlighting the virtues of Loyalty, Courage and Pride.

The first Highborn General leads the Granite Pillar army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer solstice each year.

The Seventh Wave

While the core of the Seventh Wave is heavily armoured champions, it is supported by a number of unconquered, scouts, skirmishers and magicians. The army makes great use of mixed-arms tactics, supporting shield-and-sword with bow, or bow with pole-arm and pike. They are adept scouts, capable of quickly sizing up their enemies and giving clear reports on all elements of the military campaigns in which they are involved.

The second Highborn General leads the Seventh Wave, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Autumn equinox each year.

The Valiant Pegasus

The Valiant Pegasus is a relatively new army; recruitment was only completed in 378YE. The force incorporates some of the finest Highborn siege architects, and is well prepared both to take advantage of Imperial fortifications and bring down barbarian strongholds. As a new army, it has yet to establish a particular identity or reputation for itself.

The third Highborn General leads the Valiant Pegasus, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Spring equinox each year.

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Highguard music

Contents

- 1 The Music of Highguard

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.2.3 Songs about notable people and entities in Highguard

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Songs

- 1.3.2 Instrumentation

- 1.3.3 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The Music of Highguard

Style summary

Highguard's music draws its inspiration from Western church choral music, plainsong and shapenote music (also known as Sacred Harp). Of these, the last probably best exemplifies the musical style - Highguard music is robust and enthusiastic, and accessible to all levels of talent. They enjoy rich harmonies and proudly devotional texts, although amongst themselves a wicked sense of humour occasionally emerges in some soldiers' songs and there are also some surprisingly tender lullabies.

Commonly known songs

- Virtues Anthem - usually led by one singer with everyone joining in the refrain

- Circle March - very easy repeating song

- Hymn to Vigilance - usually led by one singer with everyone joining in the refrain

Popular with all strata of Highguard society, these three songs are heard in chapters, the necropolis, and the fields. It is when the army marches to war with its battle choir, however, that the full majesty of Highguard music is best displayed.

A musical tradition

The Highguard Battle Choirs are a great imperial tradition - no nation matches to battle with the same holy fervour in their singing. Usually accompanied by a single drumbeat, the sound of the Highguard army in full voice is an awe-inspiring and intimidating sound. Often a small number of more confident singers lead the chant in a call-and-response pattern. At least in this context the choirsters are warriors first and musicians second - the singers need not be particularly talented, as it is holy fervour and their indomitable will that characterises the battle choir.

One for the kids

- Circle March - very easy repeating song

- Nursery Rhyme about Lineage- a very naughty chant, not to be repeated in front of anyone with Lineage!

Songs about notable people and entities in Highguard

- Enoch and Levi - romantic ballad, Highguard style...

- Pride of the Highborn - anthem of Adina's Charge

- Silent Tide- anthem of the Chapter of the same name.

- Anthem of Cantiarch's Hold

- Vigilance Guide Our Faithful Watch -A song commemorating the founder of Felix's Watch.

Further examples

Songs

- For Once I Was A Young Man -cautionary tale about the virtuous life

- The Ritual for the Departed - haunting funerary song

- Gone - another song for partings and funerals

- Virtues Anthem - shapenote song with chorus

- The Navigators - shapenote song, medium

- Circle March - very easy repeating song

- Hymn to Vigilance - medium call and response plainsong

- Idumea - medium shapenote song about reincarnation

- Naughty Pilgrim Song, an alternative to all the serious songs sung in Highguard!

- O Oriens - easy plainsong

- Virtue Never Falter - rousing song with chorus, also popular in the Brass Coast

- Least of my Kind - stirring battle song

- Farewell Farewell - rousing funeral song from Highguard but also popular in the Brass Coast due to boat references

- Highguard Go To War - Battle anthem

- All Come Listen - a well known, simple song that can be sung as a round

Instrumentation

- Highborn musical traditions favour the flute and other wind instruments. On days when the wind is high, a chapterhouse resounds with the song of wind chimes, aeolian harps and bells.

- Trumpets and bugles are often blown before a battlefield charge.

Other performance traditions

How to adapt your repertoire

- If singing in harmony, try to sing in consecutive 4ths or 5ths. This gives a fantastic 'plainchanty' sound perfect for Highguard. An example is Circle March (arranged by Katy Cooper) which starts in unison then goes into 4ths before full harmony.

- Many songs can be made to sound plainchanty by just pulling the rhythm all over the place. Have a listen to some church psalms and simply substitute your own lyrics.

Our sources

Shape note/Sacred Harp singings (Northern or Southern Harmony), any plainchant choir,

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Highguard_music&oldid=33742"

Highguard music (Redirected from Highguard Music)

Contents

- 1 The Music of Highguard

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.2.3 Songs about notable people and entities in Highguard

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Songs

- 1.3.2 Instrumentation

- 1.3.3 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The Music of Highguard

Style summary

Highguard's music draws its inspiration from Western church choral music, plainsong and shapenote music (also known as Sacred Harp). Of these, the last probably best exemplifies the musical style - Highguard music is robust and enthusiastic, and accessible to all levels of talent. They enjoy rich harmonies and proudly devotional texts, although amongst themselves a wicked sense of humour occasionally emerges in some soldiers' songs and there are also some surprisingly tender lullabies.

Commonly known songs

- Virtues Anthem - usually led by one singer with everyone joining in the refrain

- Circle March - very easy repeating song

- Hymn to Vigilance - usually led by one singer with everyone joining in the refrain

Popular with all strata of Highguard society, these three songs are heard in chapters, the necropolis, and the fields. It is when the army marches to war with its battle choir, however, that the full majesty of Highguard music is best displayed.

A musical tradition

The Highguard Battle Choirs are a great imperial tradition - no nation matches to battle with the same holy fervour in their singing. Usually accompanied by a single drumbeat, the sound of the Highguard army in full voice is an awe-inspiring and intimidating sound. Often a small number of more confident singers lead the chant in a call-and-response pattern. At least in this context the choirsters are warriors first and musicians second - the singers need not be particularly talented, as it is holy fervour and their indomitable will that characterises the battle choir.

One for the kids

- Circle March - very easy repeating song

- Nursery Rhyme about Lineage- a very naughty chant, not to be repeated in front of anyone with Lineage!

Songs about notable people and entities in Highguard

- Enoch and Levi - romantic ballad, Highguard style...

- Pride of the Highborn - anthem of Adina's Charge

- Silent Tide- anthem of the Chapter of the same name.

- Anthem of Cantiarch's Hold

- Vigilance Guide Our Faithful Watch -A song commemorating the founder of Felix's Watch.

Further examples

Songs

- For Once I Was A Young Man -cautionary tale about the virtuous life

- The Ritual for the Departed - haunting funerary song

- Gone - another song for partings and funerals

- Virtues Anthem - shapenote song with chorus

- The Navigators - shapenote song, medium

- Circle March - very easy repeating song

- Hymn to Vigilance - medium call and response plainsong

- Idumea - medium shapenote song about reincarnation

- Naughty Pilgrim Song, an alternative to all the serious songs sung in Highguard!

- O Oriens - easy plainsong

- Virtue Never Falter - rousing song with chorus, also popular in the Brass Coast

- Least of my Kind - stirring battle song

- Farewell Farewell - rousing funeral song from Highguard but also popular in the Brass Coast due to boat references

- Highguard Go To War - Battle anthem

- All Come Listen - a well known, simple song that can be sung as a round

Instrumentation

- Highborn musical traditions favour the flute and other wind instruments. On days when the wind is high, a chapterhouse resounds with the song of wind chimes, aeolian harps and bells.

- Trumpets and bugles are often blown before a battlefield charge.

Other performance traditions

How to adapt your repertoire

- If singing in harmony, try to sing in consecutive 4ths or 5ths. This gives a fantastic 'plainchanty' sound perfect for Highguard. An example is Circle March (arranged by Katy Cooper) which starts in unison then goes into 4ths before full harmony.

- Many songs can be made to sound plainchanty by just pulling the rhythm all over the place. Have a listen to some church psalms and simply substitute your own lyrics.

Our sources

Shape note/Sacred Harp singings (Northern or Southern Harmony), any plainchant choir,

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Highguard_music&oldid=33742"

Highguard people

The Highborn have always known their destiny. From the first, they brought civilisation, and carved a nation from the wilderness, driving the barbarians before them as they expanded. This civilisation, intimately connected to their notion of Virtue, has only grown and strengthened over the years, finally reaching its maturity at the birth of the First Empress and the formation of the Imperial Creed.

Most dwell in chapters, fortified settlements spread across the plains and linked by roads, rivers and canals. The chapters are united by a common purpose, a creed that defines their own subtle interpretation of the Way of Virtue. The Highborn pride themselves on the strong sense of community within a chapter. They work together and often eat together, meeting daily in the chapterhouse for prayers and to break fast.

It is said – only half in jest – that every Highborn, no matter what their calling, is also part-soldier and part-priest. The grain of truth at the heart of the proverb is that the Highguard are raised from a young age not to take what they have for granted, but to be constantly alert to threats both martial and spiritual.

Highguard is a distinguished nation. Their days of rapid change, hurried conquest and shifting rulerships are behind them, and their culture has reached a pinnacle of insight and stability. The Highborn are proud of their accomplishments; if they are wary of change it is because they have worked so hard to achieve what they have. This caution has served them well through the founding and expansion of the Empire, allowing them to strengthen their culture and faith without the dilution of barbarian customs. Their love for Imperial civilisation drives them to defend it from those who would diminish it – whether invading foreigners, well-meaning Imperial converts or the sinister Eternals.

Although the Highborn are justifiably proud of their role in creating the Empire, they are vigilant against the vices of hubris and indulgence. In Highguard, everyone must do their part to ensure the triumph of nation and Empire. Those that are raised up to positions of power are expected to do more than most. To the Highborn way of thinking, Senators and the like are the servants of the Empire, hand-picked by the citizens to display moral rectitude and provide leadership. With power comes a tremendous responsibility; to be decisive and proactive, to use the power you have been given to benefit all. Those who use such positions to make themselves wealthy or idle are regarded with contempt.

A sense of history is profoundly important to the Highborn. More than the dry recording of facts, Highborn history is explicitly written as a chronicle to inspire future generations. Elements such as an invigorating narrative, a strong central character and an enlightening lesson are considered far more important than useless – or worse, negative – details. Highborn scholars consider speculation over the accuracy of any given historical account (all of which are by their nature subjective) pointless, and instead focus on its relevance as a lesson to the present and future. This has been known to bring them into conflict with the Urizen archivists. The Highborn abhor the indiscriminate Urizen approach to source material and their refusal to apply a rigorous moral judgement to what they record and propagate.

Names

Highguard first names are primarily Old Testament Biblical in flavour.

They are chosen carefully for the child in order to establish the appropriate resonance and also consideration of the surname they will bear. Within a chapter there is usually little need for a second name, where there is confusion people often identify the specific individual by referencing a notable parent, ie Dinah, daughter of Eli.

When being formally introduced or described to people from outside a chapter, it is customary to append the individuals chapter to their name, reinforcing that it is the community in which the Highborn is a member that is more important than matters of blood. Chapters themselves are normally named after their founder and where, or why, they were founded, ie Ezekiel's Guard or Rebekah's Haven.

This means a Highborn might be called, for instance, Dinah of Ezekiel's Guard or Saul of Rebekah's Haven, using the previous Chapters. If the Highborn changes Chapter, for some reason, it is normal to take a completely new name to represent the change of direction in the individual.

Sample names

- Male: Aaron, Amos, Caleb, Eli, Enoch, Ephraim, Gideon, Hiram, Hosea, Ira, Levi, Mordecai, Noah, Reuben, Saul, Seth.

- Female: Abigail, Delilah, Dinah, Esther, Jemimah, Leah, Miriam, Naomi, Rebekah, Sarah, Tamar.

Naming resources

Wikipedia has an excellent list of biblical names, along with the historical meanings.

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Highguard religious beliefs

“Virtue is contagious; so is vice.”

Bastion is the birthplace of the Way of Virtue and the Imperial Synod was founded here. In the days before the Empire was founded, chapters like the Winds of Virtue sought to take The Way to other nations. This in turn led many pilgrims to travel to Highguard seeking to experience their past lives. During the early decades of the Empire a constant influx of visitors came to the great city, many of whom engaged in discussion with the Highborn priests and each other before carrying the seeds of the Way of Virtue back to their own nations.

Highborn priests are dedicated to the Way of Virtue, and in ensuring that it does not become corrupted by outside forces. Through virtue, the Empress was able to forge a union of the disparate human nations. It is that same virtue that keeps the Empire strong to this day. Highborn priests at home, in the Synod and throughout the Empire continue to preach the Orthodox Imperial Creed, ever vigilant for heresy that might undermine it.

Wayfarers

Highborn priests know that the strength of the Empire is intimately bound to the Imperial Faith. This has lead to the tradition of the Wayfarers - priests who act like missionaries, travelling the Empire to encourage the people to actively embrace not only the Imperial Faith but the ideals of the Empire itself. They often make a close study of the people they move amongst, reminding them of their own heroes and virtuous exemplars.

Warfarers tend to wear a wide sash of braided black and white cloth as a symbol of their office. It is usually worn over a traditional Highborn robe with a heavy cowl or veil. They try to help people make up their own minds and come to their own conclusions, through careful questioning and encouragement to examine motivations, actions and beliefs.

The Inquisition

Highborn history teaches the dangers inherent in the senate system. When the Patrician Council turned from serving the good of the nation and became self-serving, it nearly destroyed Highguard. Ever mindful of the dangers, Highborn priests are vigilant for treason, hypocrisy and corruption. They watch the Imperial Senate for warning signs that it has become corrupted, and are prepared to take action to ensure it remains the servant of the Empire and not its master. They also look closely at outside influences – foreigners, Eternals, so-called “free thinkers” and the like.

The Highborn know how important it is to preserve the purity of the Imperial Faith, and the Empire as a whole. Highborn priests ensure that the Imperial Synod retains the powers of Inquisition and Revocation, and actively use those powers to ensure the Empire thrives. Priests who embrace an inquisitorial role often use the image of the Basilisk Awake – a lizard with terrible red eyes that legend says can strike the unworthy dead with is piercing gaze.

The Synod has occasionally debated requesting the Senate authorize the formalization of an official Imperial Inquisition, to give it additional binding powers. Support for this is mixed; some priests argue that enhanced powers would make the Inquisition more effective, others argue that the duty of vigilance and inquisition is one that all priests should exercise - that it should not be restricted to members of a separate body. All attempts to create a formal body have foundered in the past - instead there have been countless unofficial groups, often acting in secret, who have dedicated themselves to the spirit of Inquisition, looking to root out heresy and those guilty of less-than-virtuous behaviour.

Stewards of the dead

Some Priests become Stewards of the Dead. Dedicated to recording the deeds of heroes of the Empire, they maintain the tombs and mausoleums of the Necropolis. Their calling means they do more than simply tend graves – they collect stories and histories of the dead, and use these stories as a method to encourage and inspire the living. They officiate at funerals in Highguard, generally an entombment of the body, but regardless of whether mortal remains are involved every Highborn wants their name inscribed on a monument in the Necropolis.

By tradition, every dead Emperor and Empress should be entombed in the Necropolis, and the Stewards take this responsibility very seriously. They also “collect” the bodies of heroes of other Nations, and offer to inter them in the Necropolis which serves as a reminder of the deeds of heroes.

It is also the role of the Stewards to deal with the excursions of dead spirits. Usually this takes the form of a shade or spirit with pressing business that reaches out towards its living relatives in a terrifying manner. The Stewards are charged with interceding and laying the spirit to rest. At the same time they work with the Magi to ensure that the occasional ambulatory corpses that appear in the necropolis are dealt with respectfully but effectively.

The Stewards generally dress in simple robes in the style of whichever chapter they belong to. They often carry a book to record the deeds of heroes, and at festivals recite tales to bring to life the memory of those who have gone before. They ring bells and speak to the accompaniment of wind-chimes, allowing the breath of the dead to add their own contribution to the tales of their deeds.

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Highguard territories

The territories of Highguard run along the length of the river Couros; from the Necropolis at the river’s mouth, past the rich and fertile fields and plains to holy Bastion, through the Great Forest and up into the mountains of Cuna where the river has its source.

Territories

- Bastion

- The Necropolis

- Casinea

- Reikos (lost)

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Hirmok

Contents

- 1 The Scythe, Rune of Dominion

- 1.1 Using Hirmok in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Hirmok

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Scythe, Rune of Dominion

Affiliated with the Realm of Autumn

Hirmok is the well-tended field, the orderly demesne of the strong ruler. It is the boundary that defines a sphere of influence and rejects all else. That which is Hirmok is bent to one service; all strength and resources moulded into something greater.

Amongst its concerns are the orderly imposition of the will over the vagaries of mortal nature and the elements. As such it can be a harsh rune, and is sometimes called the Tyrant’s Rune, but in truth it could be seen as perfectly in accord with the Imperial Virtue of Loyalty.

This is also a rune that indicates mastery of the self, or of outside forces. In Urizen for example it is sometimes combined with Aesh the Rune of Thought to represent Arete.

More than reach, the rune concerns itself with grasp, it is a claim that has been staked and will be defended. The ancient trolls often erected stone piles with this rune to mark the boundaries of their petty kingdoms, and Marcher beaters sometimes employ a similar scratchmark when beating the bounds. The great gates of Holberg are said to have it stamped on every brick, every piece of timber and every nail as one simple warning: what’s ours shall never be let go.

Using Hirmok in magic

The Rune of Dominion is evoked in magic that controls other forces, and it is often used as part of dangerous or destructive rituals to control and channel the release of energies. It is sometimes evoked in magic of binding or geasing, especially when one of the parties involved is not voluntary. Finally, it is a powerful rune when used in magic that identifies possessions or defines an area especially for warding purposes. Some magicians evoke Hirmok when performing the entangle incantation.

Crafting with Hirmok

While it has some negative connotations, it is a common rune found on jewellery that is used to signify leadership, such as the Seigneur ring of League Merchant Princes or the coronet of an Earl.

Call upon that which beats back the wild growth of spring, carefully stores up the golden harvests of Summer and guards against the ruin of winter.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Hirmok in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneHirmok.jef

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His Banner's Not Mine

This song is popular in various parts of the Empire, and the nationalities of the lovers are often changed to suit the audience.

Lyrics by Daisy and Jude, music traditional Scottish as sung by the Poozies here (different lyrics): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om6LfM-nleU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

A pdf of the tune and lyrics can be found here.

His banner's not mine, not mine, not mine His banner's not mine, bonny though the colours be

I saw him in the market square In the sunlight standing there A bonny boy with flaxen hair And oh his smile is dear to me

Next day I buckled on my shield And lifted up my sword to wield Who should I see there on the field But the lad that was so dear to me...

His banner's not mine, not mine, not mine His banner's not mine, bonny though the colours be

My love he is a Marcher born And to a Dawnish Earl I'm sworn And oh, in two my heart is torn But still his banner's dear to me

Come dawn the army will depart And many months we'll be apart I'll hold forever in my heart His banner that's so dear to me

His banner's not mine, not mine, not mine His banner's not mine, bonny though the colours be

He's off defending distant shores And I must fight another war Perhaps I never shall see more His banner that's so dear to me,

But maybe there will come a time When our two nations stand combined He'll raise his banner next to mine The banner that's so dear to me

His banner's not mine, not mine, not mine His banner's not mine, bonny though the colours be

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Historical Empresses and Emperors

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Overview

There have been nineteen Empresses and Emperors since the Empire was founded.

Reign

Name

Title

Nation

Number

1YE - 22YE

First Empress

the First

Highguard

1

23YE - 34YE

Emperor Giovanni

the Peacemaker

League

2

36YE - 69YE

Empress Richilde

the Sun Queen

Dawn

3

71YE - 91YE

Empress Teleri

the Pious

Navarr

4

91YE-103YE

n/a

First Interregnum

n/a

n/a

103YE - 120YE

Empress Aenea

the Builder

Highguard

5

125 YE - 167 YE

Empress Varkula

the Undying

Varushka

6

168YE-179YE

Emperor Frederick

the Philosopher

League

7

180 YE - 198 YE

Emperor Barabbas

the Mariner

Highguard

8

200YE - 209YE

Emperor Nicovar

the Mad

Urizen

9

212YE - 234YE

Empress Mariika

the Cunning

Wintermark

10

239YE - 248YE

Emperor Guntherm

the Bold (or the Bloodthirsty)

Wintermark

11

249YE - 257YE

Empress Brannan

the Relentless

Navarr

12

258YE-281YE

Emperor James

the Wise

Marches

13

(278 YE - 300YE

n/a

Second Interregnum

n/a

n/a

300YE - 318YE

Empress Deanne

?

?

14

324YE - 329YE

Emperor Ahraz

the Liberator

Brass Coast

15

331YE - 346YE

Empress Giselle

the Unwise

League

16

348YE - 368YE

Emperor Hugh

called the Fat

Dawn

17

371YE - 373YE

Emperor Walter

called the Ham-fisted

Marches

18

374YE - 376YE

Empress Britta

called the Young Empress

Wintermark

19

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Historical research

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 No Imperial Archives

- 3 Commissioning Historical Research

- 4 Further Reading

- 4.1 Core Brief

- 4.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Empire has been in existence for nearly four hundred years; human civillization stretches back much further than that. The recent settlements by Dawn and the Highborn were proceeded by centuries of orc barbarian chaos and before that the Bay of Catazarr area was home to the sprawling kingdoms that were the ancestors of Navarr, Wintermark, Urizen and Varushka. Any given scholar today knows only a part of the epic history of humankind.

No Imperial Archives

There are no Imperial Archives - no secret libraries maintained by the civil service. Instead, there are libraries, archives, records, and similar across the Empire. There are scores across the Empire - even the Navarr Stridings carry books and scrolls with them in their wagons. Every Wintermark hall keeps a tally of judgement stretching back generations. Every Dawnish house keeps records of its most glorious members. Each Highborn chapter records the deeds of its worthy scions, every Urizen spire maintains libraries both arcane and more mundane in nature. The Marchers have memories written and oral that stretch back to the times before there were any Marchers, while the Varushkan Wise Ones and Cabalists maintain written records and keep the rich tradition of stories and cautionary tales alive from generation to generation. The tribes of the Brass Coast maintain family archives the first scrolls of which were carried with the exiled Founders when they left Highguard. The League cities build white granite libraries dedicated to the history of the city-folk and jealously guard the personal histories of guilds and grudges and debts owed. While the Imperial Orcs are new to the Empire, their cultural drive to education and their reverence of the written word have already begun amassing records, books and scrolls.

There are millions of documents in the Empire. Once upon a time, hundreds of years were spent copying tomes and collecting documents together ... and then Nicovar the Mad burnt them down. Recreating these Imperial Archives would cost millions of thrones and take centuries. The closest the Empire has to an Imperial archive at the moment is the great mass of writing that is spread across the entire Empire.

Commissioning Historical Research

Finding specific information in the decentralised Imperial memory is a daunting and expensive task. Teams of people must spread out across the Empire to seek out lore buried in any of the countless personal libraries. The civil service has a team of librarians with great experience of these searches so the most effective way to uncover information about the past is for the Imperial Senate to commission these experts to organise a program of research.

Commissioning historical research costs 5 Thrones, and the civil service has the resources to perform up to five such tasks each season.

Because of their experience the civil service can usually give an estimate of how likely they are to find some information. On occasion, they will have information easily accessible in which case no additional research is required and no cost is assessed. Sometimes the project will be so massive in scale that the costs will be considerably higher.

Once the research is complete, the civil service provides a report summarizing their findings. This is usually given to a named individual, although it may also be made available to any Imperial scholar who asks through public dissemination.

More information about recent research that has taken place can be found here

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

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Imperial history (Redirected from History)

Imperial historians date from the foundation of the Empire. Events that happened after the Empire is created are recored as YE for "Year of the Empire" and BE for "Before the Empire." Most nations had their own calendars before the foundation of the Empire so historical documents that predate the Empire use different systems. A very few Highguard historians stubbornly cling to the numbering SL for "Since Landfall" dating from the point at which they first set foot on these shores, but this is a largely discredited system.

Contents

- 1 The distant past

- 2 Formation of the nations

- 3 Foundation of the Empire

- 3.1 Year Zero

- 3.1.1 (1 YE - 5 YE) Internal conflict

- 3.1.2 (6 YE) The Senate, The Synod and the Military Council

- 3.1.3 (22 YE) Death of the First Empress

- 3.2 (22 YE - 34 YE) Reign of Emperor Giovanni the Peacemaker

- 4 Consolidation of the Empire

- 4.1 (36 YE - 69 YE) Reign of Empress Richilde, the Sun Queen

- 4.1.1 (46 YE) Karsk captured

- 4.1.2 (52 YE) Semmerholm defeated

- 4.1.3 (54 YE) Scouring of Redoubt

- 4.1.4 (56 YE) Reikos gained

- 4.2 71 YE - 91 YE Reign of Empress Teleri the Pious

- 4.2.1 (74 YE) Westward expansion

- 4.2.2 (88 YE) Invasion of Kahraman

- 4.3 92 YE - 102 YE The First Interregnum

- 4.4 103 YE - 120 YE Reign of Empress Aenea the Builder

- 4.5 125 YE to 167 YE Reign of Empress Varkula, called 'The Undying'

- 4.5.1 (125 YE) Assimilation of Zenith

- 4.5.2 (136 YE) Fall of Holberg

- 4.5.3 (154 YE) Skarsind pacified

- 4.5.4 (167 YE) Domination of Miekarova

- 4.6 168 YE to 179 YE Reign of Emperor Frederick, called 'The Philosopher'

- 4.7 (180 to 198 YE) Reign of Emperor Barabbas

- 4.7.1 (183) Expansion into Segura

- 5 Stability

- 5.1 (200 YE - 209 YE) Reign of Emperor Nicovar "the Mad"

- 6 (204 YE - 259 YE) Years of turmoil

- 6.1 (212 YE - 234 YE) Reign of Empress Mariika

- 6.2 (239 YE - 248 YE) Reign of Emperor Guntherm

- 6.3 (249 YE - 257 YE) Reign of Empress Brannan

- 6.4 (257 YE - 281 YE) Reign of Emperor James

- 6.4.1 (265 YE) Fixing the borders

- 6.5 (281 YE - 300 YE) The Second Interregnum

- 6.6 (300 YE - 318 YE) Reign of Empress Deanne

- 6.6.1 (322 YE - 324 YE) The Orc Rebellion

- 6.7 (324 YE - 329 YE) Reign of Emperor Ahraz "the Liberator"

- 6.7.1 (324 YE - 328 YE) The Freedom Heresy

- 7 Decline

- 7.1 (331 YE) The Decline begins

- 7.2 (331 - 346 YE) Reign of Empress Giselle 'the unwise'

- 7.3 (348 - 368 YE) Reign of Emperor Hugh, called 'the fat'

- 7.4 (371 - 373 YE) Reign of Emperor Walter, the ham-fisted

- 7.5 (374 YE) Coronation of Empress Britta

- 7.5.1 (376 YE) Death of the Young Empress

The distant past

According to historians among the Navarr, Urizen and Winterfolk, the orcs occupied land that had once belonged to early human kingdoms. What is known is that there were some powerful human kingdoms at this time, but that they were ultimately defeated and overthrown by the orcs.

When the first waves of human colonization began, most of the initial inhabitants were in retreat - the Navarr to their forests, the Urizen to their mountains, the Suaq and the Kallavesi to the inhospitable north, the Ushka huddled around their camp fires, and the Feni lurking in their wilderness. There were also humans living among the orcs, largely as chattel, slaves or subjects. Where these humans were freed from orc oppression, they were usually assimilated by the conquerors leaving no records of their own culture.

Formation of the nations

Three waves of colonization brought people that founded new human nations. The Highborn are generally held to be the first, landing in the south, the forebears of Dawn and The Marches settled in the east and the Steinr and Vard appeared in the north leading to the creation of Wintermark and Varushka respectively.

These nations grew in size and power through constant warfare with their neighbours, particularly the barbarian orcs who claimed the land as their own. While the nations were successful, life was hard and brutal for the initial settlers and historians believe that it was only a matter of time before these new human nations would have been overrun and subjugated, like their predecessors.

Foundation of the Empire

Year Zero

With an eye to the conflict between the human nations and the risks posed by the orcs, the First Empress began her crusade in Highguard. She gathered around a small group of like-minded individuals from various nations and with their assistance, and with the aid of the Navarr, she brought together the leaders of humanity to discuss the barbarian threat. Her vision and charisma - and the hard work of her allies - convinced many of them to recognise the value of an Empire. The people of Urizen declined to join, but sufficient folk from The Brass Coast, Dawn, Highguard, The League, The Marches, Navarr, Varushka and Wintermark accepted the proposal to allow them to form the Empire.

(1 YE - 5 YE) Internal conflict

In the early years the Empire concentrated on consolidating its position. The creation of the Empire led to a brief but bloody civil war in the Marches and the first of many battles with the orcs. During this time the first Egregores were created through a ritual created by the Hakima of The Brass Coast to ensure that the various nations are able to maintain their distinct cultural identity.

The most significant conflict was in Varushka where the Imperial forces engaged those of the corrupt boyar Alderei the Fair who threatened to conquer Varushka and create his own corrupt Empire. With the magical aid of the Volodny magicians, his armies proved to be a match for the Imperial forces. The efforts of powerful magicians ultimately neutralised the Volodny and the tyrant boyar was defeated by the Marcher general Tom Drake, although his body was never recovered.

(6 YE) The Senate, The Synod and the Military Council

The Empress and her advisors laid the groundwork for Imperial structures to support and empower the Empire. Building on traditions of government in Wintermark, the Senate was created to advise the Empress and give the nations a voice in the rule of the Empire. Following a plan developed in the Marches, the Military Council of generals was set up to coordinate the military forces of the various nations. The Synod was formed by the priests of Highguard, allowing the Imperial Faith to serve as a unifying force with a remit to ensure that the leaders of the Empire did not become corrupt.

(22 YE) Death of the First Empress

The First Empress led her troops from the front, rallying and inspiring them in their campaigns against their enemies. She died on campaign in battle against an orc barbarian tribe on the Brass Coast who were subsequently wiped out. She was interred in the Necropolis at Highguard, creating the tradition for many dead Emperors and Empresses that followed.

The last known horse, the mount of the First Empress, died at this time. Highguard tales described the pair's final battle, but Urizen records of army logistics from this period suggest that the horse died before the Empress. Although the first Empress is always shown on a horse, there were no more horses after this time.

(22 YE - 34 YE) Reign of Emperor Giovanni the Peacemaker

After the death of the First Empress, Emperor Giovanni of Tassato was chosen by the Senate to replace her. An advisor to the late Empress, Giovanni was a statesman and politician rather than a military leader like his predecessor. He set about ensuring the Empire had the infrastructure required to help it prosper. His first act was to initiate a tradition of meeting once every three months at the site of the first meeting where the Empire was formed. A Senate building was built on the site, and it was declared Imperial Territory.

Giovanni approached the people of Urizen with an invitation to join the Empire, and this time they accepted. In return they offered their expertise as scholars and mages. Urizen scholarship slowly helped to raise levels of education and literacy across the Empire. Harnessing the power of Urizen divination with the manpower of the civil service helped Giovanni to transform the Imperial Civil Service into its current form.

The Urizen worked with the Empire to create the Imperial Conclave, inspired by experiences during the war with Alderei the Fair in Varushka. The divided magicians of the Empire, each jealously guarding their own secrets, were barely able to neutralise the much smaller force of the Volodya, and the Senate was keen to ensure that this does not happen again.

Giovanni also laid the foundations of the Imperial Bourse, and worked with the Senate and Synod to codify the body of Imperial Law. During his reign he establisheed a single currency based on steel coins issued by the Imperial Mint, based in Tassato under the ultimate control of the Civil Service. Giovanni died in 34 YE but his legacy was at least as durable as that of his predecessor. His relentless commitment to civilisation earned Giovanni the epithet "Peacemaker".

Consolidation of the Empire

(36 YE - 69 YE) Reign of Empress Richilde, the Sun Queen

Following the reign of Emperor Giovanni, there is a brief period during which the Throne is unoccupied. The next Empress is Empress Richilde of Dawn. Senator for Astolat, this accomplished Dawnish noble parlayed her cleverness and charisma into political influence. She instituted the Imperial bards, served as a patroness of the arts, accompanied the Imperial armies on campaign as an inspirational symbol of the Throne, and worked extensively to encourage both national and Imperial pride. After her death, she was recognised as an Exemplar and later a Paragon of Pride.

(46 YE) Karsk captured

Imperial armies from Wintermark and Dawn supported the Varushkan force's conquest of Karsk. The war was long and did not produce tales of heroism or glory.

(52 YE) Semmerholm defeated

An unusual alliance between Marcher and Dawnish forces caused the destruction of a major orc tribe in the territory now known as Semmerholm.

(54 YE) Scouring of Redoubt

A combined Imperial force assisted the seers of Urizen in systematically removing the majority of orc occupants from the territory of Redoubt. Urizen control of the territory expanded allowing it to be represented in the Senate.

(56 YE) Reikos gained

Highborn forces finally succeeded in conquering the Reikos on the borders of the Great Forest of Peytaht. The territory was accepted as part of the Empire although it took over a year to return the first senator for the territory.

71 YE - 91 YE Reign of Empress Teleri the Pious

This Navarr Empress was deeply involved in the business of the Synod, and it was during her reign that they first began to exert the political powers they possessed. During her reign, the Synod gained increasing influence over all other parts of Imperial life, especially the Imperial Senate.

(74 YE) Westward expansion

A campaign to secure the western flank of the Empire took the Mourn from orcs and secured Mitwold to the sea, giving the Empire a western coastline.

(88 YE) Invasion of Kahraman

Freeborn and Marcher armies concluded a successful pincer invasion of the mountainous territory of Kahraman. The occupants were split in two by the invasion and forced out of the territory in the following years.

92 YE - 102 YE The First Interregnum

Following the reign of Empress Teleri there is a period known as the First Interregnum during which there was nobody seated on the Throne. This period is marked by close co-operation between the Conclave, Bourse, Senate and Military Council with the Imperial Synod serving a vital role as supporters and intermediaries. As the interregnum progresses, however, there is increasing dissatisfaction with the dominance of the Synod.

103 YE - 120 YE Reign of Empress Aenea the Builder

The Highborn Empress Aenea spent most of her reign improving the infrastructure of the Empire. Several border wars occurred during Aenea's time on the throne, and at various points the Empire was at war with Faraden, The Iron Confederacy, Axos, Skoura and even (technically) the Sumaah Republic.

125 YE to 167 YE Reign of Empress Varkula, called 'The Undying'

Taking advantage of a weakened and divided senate the ruthless Varushkan Empress Varkula manipulated (and in some cases, allegedly extorted) her way to the throne. She then set about dramatically increasing the military strength of the Empire. Her reign saw the Empire's borders expand, and also saw a reduction in the powers of the Synod that had expanded in the reigns of more pious Emperors and Empresses.

(125 YE) Assimilation of Zenith

The seers of Urizen completed the assimilation of Zenith after a lengthy campaign involving Highborn and League forces and a long sequence of powerful rituals.

(136 YE) Fall of Holberg

Imperial armies from Dawn conquered the territory of Holberg. The city of Holberg was convinced to join the Empire by League diplomats, leading to a political coup in the Senate that resulted in the territory being assigned to the League.

(154 YE) Skarsind pacified

Although it proved impossible to drive the barbarian orcs from Skarsind, enough of the territory was conquered and fortified for it to be declared an Imperial territory.

(167 YE) Domination of Miekarova

Steady expansion by the Varushkan boyars over the preceding century led to the inclusion of Miekarova within the Empire.

168 YE to 179 YE Reign of Emperor Frederick, called 'The Philosopher'

Frederick Ritter van Holberg reigned for eleven years, over a time of relative peace during which the Empire consolidated the gains secured in the reign of Empress Varkula. He was a philosopher and political scholar who fiercely protected the rights of the individual over those of the state, and encouraged citizens of all nations to view the prosperity and security of the Empire as both their responsibility and something in which to take great pride.

(180 to 198 YE) Reign of Emperor Barabbas

The Highborn Emperor Barabbas was driven by the desire to expand the Empire to control the entire Bay of Catazar. He was only marginally successful, managing primarily to alienate the people of Surann and Skoura and ultimately seeing his Barabbine fleet sink in a terrible storm that would have left the Imperial Navy crippled if not for the foresight of his Freeborn allies.

(183) Expansion into Segura

A united front by the Hakima of the Guerra and Riqueza led to the Brass Coast expansion into Segura.

Stability

(200 YE - 209 YE) Reign of Emperor Nicovar "the Mad"

The first reversals in the Empire's fortune occurred during the reign of Emperor Nicovar. Initially a brilliant administrator, Nicovar expanded the role of the civil service in support of the Empire. However, a decade of attempting to micromanage every element of the Empire, as well as a reliance on the magic of Day to gather and interpret ever greater amounts of information, eventually caused him to descend into madness.

The draughir Emperor became increasingly unstable, perceiving patterns in events that appeared paranoid to others. His unpopular policies divided the Senate and the Synod, and there were rumbles of civil war. He began to demand extreme amounts of record keeping and it became clear that he was not in his right mind.

Things came to a head in 209 when Emperor Nicovar sent his troops to burn down the Empire's libraries. There was a revolt, which culminated in the destruction of the central repository of records in Highguard and several key spires in Urizen. The mad emperor was executed by the captain of his own guard, the Navarr Thorn Isaella. Despite appeals for clemency from the Synod, Isaella took full responsibility, and was convicted as a traitor, while simultaneously being lauded as an exemplar of courage and duty and a hero of the Empire.

The destruction of the libraries left a big hole in the history of the Empire - thousands of books and scrolls are lost. While records still existed, there were many gaps and those that remained were fragmentary. Since then scholars have attempted to recreate the books and records they had lost, but with mixed success.

(204 YE - 259 YE) Years of turmoil

This period was characterized by a sequence of military defeats as earlier conquests were lost to resurgent barbarian forces beginning with Segura in the Brass Coast in 204 and ending with the war in Karsk in 259. Most of the defeats were eventually reversed, with the borders moving back and forth. By the end of the years of turmoil, the Empire actually controled slightly more land than at the beginning, but the period is still regarded as a low point in Imperial history.

(212 YE - 234 YE) Reign of Empress Mariika

After three years without an Emperor or Empress, the Suaq Empress Mariika ascended the Throne. The Empire was on the verge of financial collapse, and Mariika's reign is remembered for her ruthless and efficient reorganisation of the Imperial Economy. She disbanded two entire armies, slashed funding to the Military Council, gave the Bourse control of a number of raw material surpluses, recognised several informal positions as Imperial offices, and generally took steps to ensure the Empire avoided economic disaster.

(239 YE - 248 YE) Reign of Emperor Guntherm

The Steinr Emperor Guntherm ascended the Throne after a series of successful campaigns against the Jotun barbarians. He was committed to expanding the reach of the Empire, and chafed under the economic restrictions placed by his predecessor. The early part of his reign is committed to strengthening the borders of the Empire, and a number of castles and fortresses were built during his reign. The latter part of his reign is known for some of the bloodiest battles in Imperial history.

(249 YE - 257 YE) Reign of Empress Brannan

The Navarri Empress Brannan followed Guntherm to the throne, and was another military-minded ruler dedicated to smashing the orcs and expanding the borders of the Empire. Ultimately, her abusive attitude to the powers of the Throne, and allegations of improper relations with certain Eternals resulted in her being the only Emperor or Empress to be revoked by the Imperial Synod. Despite her failings, some of the most glorious battles in Imperial history take place during her reign, she showed what the Empire was capable of when sufficient resources were given to it's armies, and with her support the Navarr made great advances in their fight to destroy the vallorn and reclaim their lost cities.

(257 YE - 281 YE) Reign of Emperor James

The Marcher Emperor James took the throne as a peacemaker - not to make peace with the barbarians, but to make peace within the Empire. He was responsible for fixing the borders of the Empire..

(265 YE) Fixing the borders

The Senate decreed that the Empire was now large enough and argued that further expansion was counterproductive, despite vociferous argument from the Synod and the Military Council. Trade routes with various foreigners were established, and peace treaties were signed with various barbarians,ushering in an era of economic growth and prosperity.

Some barbarians continued to threaten the borders, but the armies shifted to a more defensive role.

(281 YE - 300 YE) The Second Interregnum

After James' reign, a period of relative peace settled on the Empire. The borders were reinforced, relationships between the Senate, the Synod and the Military Council achieved a degree of status quo, and both the Conclave and the Bourse focused on their own interests. Modern scholars suggest that this was a period of increasing complacency and introspection for the Empire, but others point to the high quality of life for most citizens, the various advances in magic, the arts and technology, and consider it a golden age built on the solid foundations laid by Emperor James' reign.

(300 YE - 318 YE) Reign of Empress Deanne

Empress Deanne ends the Second Interregnum by taking the throne in 300 YE.

(322 YE - 324 YE) The Orc Rebellion

Prior to 322 YE, many orcs that were defeated in battle were enslaved. Orcs had no rights in the Empire before this time, as they were not considered people in the eyes of the Constitution. There were slave populations in Dawn, Wintermark and Highguard and especially in Varushka and The League.

During this period an orc hero arose among his people, leading them in armed revolt that saw them occupy parts of Varushka, the League, Dawn and the Marches. The Freeborn Emperor Ahraz arranged a deal with the orcs, and a motion to recognise them as people was brought before the Senate. The motion passed by a tiny margin, making the Imperial Orcs citizens of the Empire.

(324 YE - 329 YE) Reign of Emperor Ahraz "the Liberator"

The only Freeborn Emperor to date, Ahraz came to the throne with promises to end the Orc Rebellion. He did so by bringing the slaves into the Empire, and by recognising the right of orcs to be citizens. His reign was marked with turmoil, and he abdicated in 329 YE a broken man.

(324 YE - 328 YE) The Freedom Heresy

A briar priest preaching the heretical virtue of freedom ultimately inspired an attempt to secede from the Empire. When the rebellion was defeated by Imperial forces, the priest led her followers into The Barrens where they attempted to found a rogue state; the kingdom of Mountane. In 328 YE the heretics were destroyed by barbarian orcs, and in 329 YE the ringleaders of the heresy were tried and executed for heresy and blasphemy.

Decline

(331 YE) The Decline begins

In 331YE the territory of Spiral was lost to Urizen. This marked the start of the current period called the decline. A greedy and corrupt Senate, more concerned with internal political manoeuvring than the strength of the Empire, supported two weak occupants of The Throne (Empress Giselle de Sarvos and Emperor Hugh the Fat of House Rousillon) and a third catastrophically incompetent Emperor (the weak and self-indulgent naga-lineaged Emperor Walter Upwold who did not enter the Senate once during his two year reign).

The Synod was mostly concerned with dogmatic disputes and began to lose sight of its mission.

In 346 YE the territory of Holberg was lost to the barbarians. This triggered a defensive mindset and a period of recriminations. More territories were lost, leading to further defensiveness and less inter-nation cooperation. The generals of the Military Council found it impossible to collaborate effectively during this period. The addition of the first Imperial Orc generals in 351 YE simple made the matter worse.

Several more territories on the edges of the Empire were lost during this time.

(331 - 346 YE) Reign of Empress Giselle 'the unwise'

Empress Giselle de Sarvos of the League takes the throne following the loss of Spiral in 331 YE and despite some early efforts entirely failed to re-take that territory. Her reign is marked with a period of political upheaval largely caused by the Empress herself whose blatant favouritism towards the League splits the Senate and the Synod, and causes problems among the generals and the archmagi. Her reign ends with her death during the battle for Holberg which sees that territory lost to the Empire.

(348 - 368 YE) Reign of Emperor Hugh, called 'the fat'

After the death of Empress Giselle de Sarvos, Hugh de Rousillon of Dawn takes the crown. Nephew of the Dawnish general Leon de Rousillon, and a noble of a politically and militarily powerful Dawn noble house, Hugh was a personable, enthusiastic and idealistic knight with extensive battlefield experience. Unfortunately, he was an absolutely abyssmal administrator, incapable of delegation, torn between the realities of political life and his personal idealism. His reign is marked by a dizzying number of feasts, banquets and tourneys during which he desperately tried to woo an increasingly jaded Imperial Senate, as well as a sequence of crushing military defeats as Generals began to compete with each other over dwindling resources.

By the end of his reign, the Emperor was almost unrecognisable as the energetic young man he had been when the took the Throne. Decades of feasting had left him corpulent and unhealthy, barely able to fit into his harness. Trying to stay ahead of the manipulations and machinations of the Senate had left him exhausted and despondent. According to those who saw him in the fateful battle for Karsk that spelled the end of his reign and ultimately his life, he was a broken man who embraced the peace offered by death.

(371 - 373 YE) Reign of Emperor Walter, the ham-fisted

Emperor Walter Upwold was a Marcher naga who took the throne under dubious circumstances and was widely considered to be a disaster for the Empire. Under his 'reign' the Senate fell even further into open bickering and factionalism. He choked to death on an olive pit in 373YE during a state dinner with a group of Sarcophan and Jarmite diplomats.

(374 YE) Coronation of Empress Britta

A Steinr woman named Britta became the nineteenth Empress. In the wake of the disastrous Emperor Walter (who was already being termed "the Ham Fisted") she took up the sword and shield and challenged the corruption of the Senate and Synod. She surrounded herself with competent generals, and began to formulate and prosecute a campaign to recover lost territories and drive the barbarians back.

A popular and charismatic figure, she united the people of the Empire behind her and dealt ruthlessly with her enemies. She had the wisdom to select competent advisors. People began to call her the Young Empress, and hailed her as the reincarnation of the First Empress, come to protect the Empire in its time of need.

(376 YE) Death of the Young Empress

The Empress Britta was killed during a disastrous attempt to retake Skarsind. The first event in the game took places four weeks after her death was confirmed.

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Ho Ho Away We Go

Tune is an Iroquois lullaby, words by Daisy Abbott. A harmony arrangement of this by Katy Cooper is available by getting in touch with Daisy

Midi and video available here

Ho ho away we go Ho ho away we go Ho ho away we go And home again and home again

Fly fly honey bee Fly fly honey bee Fly fly honey bee And make your gold and make your gold

Swim swim silver fish Swim swim silver fish Swim swim silver fish Into the waves into the waves

Ho ho away we go Ho ho away we go Ho ho away we go And home again and home again

Add more verses as you like.

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Holberg

Build strong city walls and the world must come to you - and it will come to you, if only to marvel at your walls.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 The City of Holberg

- 3.2 The Great Pits of Ennerlund

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Holfried

- 4.2 Holmauer

- 4.3 Misericorde

- 4.4 Utterlund

- 4.5 Ennerlund

- 4.6 Rebeshof

- 4.7 The Morass

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

Holberg joined the League in 136YE under a riot of political strife in the Senate. The lands that surrounded the city were under the control of barbarian orcs until they were driven back in an epic five year war of conquest by Dawnish nobles and forces loyal to them. But Holberg itself was never conquered; the city was protected by a dozen high walls and the Dawnish armies had little taste for a lengthy siege. When the city was convinced to side with the Empire by League diplomats, it also successfully requested the Senate assign the territory to the League. Dawnish senators were incandescent with fury but there was nothing they could do and Holberg became the prosperous fourth city of the League.

In the decades that followed Holberg grew rich and prosperous. The lands around the city possessed a rich agricultural heritage, well known for their fine vineyards.

Recent History

In 346YE, however, barbarians attacked the territory, sacked the vineyards, burnt the hardwood groves so precious to the city's crossbow makers, and laid siege to the walled city. The Senate remained paralyzed throughout this time, unable to secure funding and forces to raise the siege and in the end the territory was lost to the orcs and remains under Orc rule to this day.

By early 377YE, the walls of Holberg were in a sorry state. The Imperial Senate passed a motion to supply emergency aid to the citizens of the city, following a plan suggested by the master engineer Rhiner Van Hesselman. Money and resources supplied to the city allowed for emergency repairs to be made to the walls, while herbs and medical supplies helped to counter the insidious effects of Druj poisons. Despite the fact that the city was under siege, heroic action meant that the defences were restored to full strength.

In Summer 378YE, the defenders had been forced back to defensive positions within the upper city. The Druj, made overconfident by earlier victories, pressed their advantage in Autumn ... with disastrous consequences for the barbarians.

Over Winter 378YE, Holberg was liberated by a massive force of Imperial troops. The Druj fortress of Rebeshof was devastated, and the barbarian invaders driven back to the northern forests. At the same time, however, their magicians unleashed a dreadful curse on Holberg, causing malignant spirits to animate aggressive trees throughout the area.

Is Holberg cursed?

Empress Giselle met her end here and Emperor Hugh spent much of his reign trying to get support to retake the city. Some claim that when Empress Britta decided to concentrate her efforts on the western Empire it was as much due to her belief in the curse as it was about any amount of residual nationalism. According to the scandalous Sarvosian novel The Waters of Rebeshof, the curse was the work of a Weirwater weaver cabal seeking vengeance for the humiliation of the Dawnish. No evidence to support these scurrilous claims has ever come to light.

Major Features

The City of Holberg

Holberg itself has not yet fallen. Famous for its engineers, builders and architects, the city is immensely fortified and defenders still hold out to this day. The only approach to the city that remains viable is through a narrow pass that leads over the mountains and into Dawn. The remnants of the Towerjacks army serve as a de facto garrison in Holberg, but every year their situation becomes worse. Citizens from Holberg clamour for the territory to be reclaimed, and press for the siege to be broken and the territory retaken. Unfortunately, while the city itself is still intact, the territory of Holberg is no longer under Imperial control so the city has lost their Senate seat until it can be reclaimed. The League lays part of the problem in regaining Holberg at the feet of the Dawnish. They claim that Dawnish Senators use every excuse to focus attention elsewhere, and Dawnish Generals actively resist plans that would allow the recapture of the city. Even the Empress seemed unable to break the deadlock.

Despite the currently tenuous situation, Holberg remains a vital part of the League. The city is notorious for its inventive brilliance, its ability to think of ingenious solutions to problems. Holberg invented the crossbow, but it is not inventions it is known for, so much as the ability of the inhabitants to use what they have to find solutions never before seen. Many Holberghians see life as a complex puzzle, one for which they are seeking the solution. They do not respect flights of fancy - but these people have found ways to build a city on a mountainside. They are utterly pragmatic but ingenious with it.

There is also an emphasis on learning and study that is found nowhere else in the Empire outside Urizen. Holberg already had its own university when it joined the League, something the other cities soon copied. It does not have great libraries to rival Urizen or Highguard but it is a centre of excellence for tutelage, particularly in practical skills like engineering and surgery. There have been several free companies from Holberg whose reputation as siege engineers was unrivalled throughout the Empire. Holberg gives the League a scholarly excellence that allows it to hold its own with rival nations like Urizen - they may not be able to retake the lowlands without help from the Empire, but they have ensured that the city will not fall.

The Great Pits of Ennerlund

The Great Pits of Ennerlund were rightly famous for the impressive application of ingenious League engineering. Dug dangerously close to the bounds of the Morass the mithril mine was kept dry by mechanised pumps. The pits were lost when Holberg was overrun and the mine - and its bounty of mithril - were sabotaged during the Winter Solstice 378YE. It is unclear how much of the mines still remain, or what will be required to restore it to operation - if such a thing is even possible.

The Pits were an Imperial Bourse position which produced mithril. Under Imperial control this Bourse position produced 27 Imperial wains of mithril every season. It is not currently being auctioned.

Regions

Holfried

This is where the great fortified city of Holberg stands. It is one of the greatest fortifications in the Empire but has been besieged by hostile barbarians for a little over thirty years. Holfried is the only region in the territory that is in the hands of the Empire as of Winter, 377YE. (OOC Note: The walls of Holberg are a rank 2 fortification).

In Spring 378YE the Imperial Senate arranged the creation of a cemetary at the foot of the southern wall. Marcher soil and apple trees were imported and watered with waters taken from streams in Mitwold, Upwold and Bregasland.

Keywords: City

Holmauer

The sprawling suburbs of Holmauer are a region unto themselves. Outside the walls of Holberg proper, they have been devastated by decades of war, cannibalised by the barbarians to build fortifications of their own. Makeshift barricades gave way to increasingly sophisticated fortresses, and then to rubble. The walls of Holauer finally ceased to be a consideration in the Autumn of 378YE - a shattered casualty of the ebb and flow of battle against the Druj.

Keywords: Ruins

Misericorde

The northernmost region of Holberg, these dark forests were once a haunt of bandits and brigands – the bandit “warlord” Graffler made his base of operations here – and have a poor reputation as a result.

Keywords: Forested

Utterlund

The forests of Utterlund are tamer than those of Misericorde. At one time they served as a hunting preserve and the were the site of several cultivated woodland preserves that produced valuable raw materials for use in several industries. Owned and worked by local people, many forest workers are still in the area, enslaved by the barbarian.

Keywords: Forested

Ennerlund

The Great Pits can be found here. Most of the region as dotted with light woodland, although great swathes of it have been clear-cut by loggers and by labourers associated with the mithril mine - indeed the area directly surrounding the mineworks was entirely stripped of trees long ago and is sometimes referred to as the "Ennerlund Wastes".

Rebeshof

A wide plain, once dominated by an unsightly fortification built over the several decades by the orc invaders with looted stone. Human slaves were used to work the remaining farms here, providing food to their conquerors. In Winter 378YE the fortress was destroyed by Imperial armies during the liberation of Holberg.

The Morass

In the past, the Morass has been partially drained. Since the territory of Holberg fell the waters have risen and the swampy land expanded, turning most of the region back into boggy marsh and drowning a great many farms that once exploited the naturally fertile soil of the reclaimed land. There have been several reports of marshwalkers in the last decade although whether these are natural creatures or part of the Druj forces is unclear - the Druj will be sure to exploit them given the chance, however.

Keywords: Marsh

OOC Notes

- As of the beginning of Spring 379YE the Empire controls the regions of Holfried, Holmauer, Rebeshof, Ennerlund and the Morass. The territory is once again Imperial, although it has not yet been assigned to a nation.

- Holfried is a level two fortification, while Rebeshof is a level one fortification.

- The level one fortification at Holmauer was destroyed in Autumn 378YE, along with the last remaining coherent structures in Holmauer.

- The level one fortification at Rebeshof was destroyed in Winter 378YE

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Holberg Wine

Holberg Wine by Jake Wilson, arranged by Chris Robins Kennish Recording

Holberg wine - Dark as mountain skies, Holberg wine - Stains the skin where it touches, Holberg wine - Wets the earth where it falls, Holberg wine - Soaks into the ashes.

(Chorus) The shadows of Winter, Must harden the fruits, To wait for the morning, Of Spring’s bright new shoots.

Heady wine - So sweet to the taste, Heady wine - May fall from the cup, Heady wine - As it darkens the lips, Heady wine - Dark rivers run over.

(Chorus)

Did you see the smoke from the vines? Hear the roar as they came? From the flames, from the foe. To the walls, to the city, Behind the gates, And a life hard as steel.

(Chorus)

City gates - High mountain walls, City gates - Keep your weapons together, City gates - And your loved ones close, City gates - Mud turned by hard boots.

(Chorus)

Holberg wine - Dark mountain halls, Holberg wine - Nothing grows but Courage, Holberg wine - Where the land has been burned, Holberg wine - To the deep, thirsty roots.

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Hold Back Frozen Hunger

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 14

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 14

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The area to be enchanted with this ward must be clearly apparent to those within, and without, it's bounds.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual targets a building or well defined, walled area. It must be performed inside that location.

At the completion, the area is warded against undead creatures. An undead creature approaching the boundary is always aware that the area is warded; if it enters it is immediately weakened for as long as they remain in the area. Even undead creatures that are larger-than-human-sized will be weakened by the power of the ward if they enter it.

When used inside a building, the ward protects the entire structure. Any openings in the structure - doors and windows especially - must be clearly marked with runes or symbols of warding. The building must be a reasonably permanent structure, preferably of wood or stone; the ritual will not work on a tent or other entirely similar structure.

For purposes of this ritual, a walled area must be composed of solid posts, preferably wooden. Posts should be placed at least three pace, and at most five paces, apart and protrude out of the ground at least three feet. The posts should be clearly visible, and ideally clearly marked as 'special' - carved or painted with runes for example.

As with anything you might be taking onto a battlefield, or that is likely to have people fighting around or near it, the phys-reps should be as safe as possible (no sharpened points, for example). Please do not tie rope between the posts; if it is not clear where the boundary is, you will need to use more posts.

The ward can be taken down by moving, removing or defacing the warding signs, but undead cannot do so themselves. Assuming it is not interfered with, the ward stays in place until the duration expires.

If undisturbed, the ward remains until the next sunrise.

Description

This is a powerful ritual that keeps undead or unliving creatures such as husks, wights, wraiths, restless spirits at bay or weakens them if they enter the warded area. Husks and other weak undead will usually hesitate before entering the area; the more powerful the undead creature is, the more it has to lose and the less likely it is to enter the ward if it has any choice. There are stories that suggest that the ward has had some success at keeping some other unnatural creatures at bay; specifically those that are unliving, rather than undead - volodny and the grim warriors of the legion of the Eternal Kaela are both said to be weakened by this ward, as are some sovereigns. Not many experiments have been done - in the words of the itinerant volhov Pakaanan "The time to experiment with this kind of thing is when there is an angry Sovereign in your village, slaughtering your warriors; if you try to find out earlier, there's a good chance that your experiments will end with an angry Sovereign in your village, slaughtering your warriors."

In parts of Varushka, and with some places near the Highborn Necropolis it is common practice to have warding runes carved or painted above the doors and windows of a house, or on fence-posts set up to surround a shrine, church, hall or similar structure. Then, should undead enemies threaten, those unable to fight flee to the safe location, which is then warded through the reasonably quick ritual. The alternative - to create the ward afresh each morning - would quickly deplete the mana reserves of an entire coven without useful effect, and leave everyone vulnerable should undead creatures attack.

Common Elements

The most common runes to use with this ritual are the Wintermark runes Yoorn and Kyrop and the common tower symbol associated with Vigilance. In Varushka these wards are often supplemented with staring humanoid faces or the heads of geese, while in Wintermark bird-heads are common on the top of any warding poles. In The Marches the warding symbols often include stylised figures of guardians, or straw poppets- sometimes with small daggers, needles or shields bound to their limbs. Highborn ritualists usually ensure there is a bell to hand, and bells are rung throughout the warding ritual itself - not least because they serve to warn the community that there is danger.

When performing the ritual, the ritualists often walk the boundaries of the waded area, invoking protection. They often burn incense, or scatter ashes, and check that all the warding symbols are intact. Some ritualists place bowls of fresh- or salt-water at each entry point. Fire is often used as well, especially when the ritual is performed at night.

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Horizon's Razor Edge

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 3

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 3

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target may call cleave once with any melee weapon except a pike. While under the enchantment the target experiences a roleplaying effect: you feel focused and ready, you are on the lookout for an opportunity to act decisively, achieving your goals with as little unnecessary effort as possible.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Every two additional characters increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

With the power of this ritual, a warrior is granted clarity of purpose, empowered to strike a single decisive blow that can cripple a limb or render a lightly- or unarmoured opponent incapacitated with one swift strike. It is also known as Strike of Running Water among the Navarr who make good use of it with spear-and-shield fighting style, and as The Sentinel's Poise in parts of Urizen.

This enchantment is sometimes compared unfavourably to The Swan's Cruel Wing. While it has a much shorter duration, it is still useful in that it allows a scholar of Day magic to offer a combat enchantment to an ally or group of allies. Summer magicians may excel at combative magic, but their realm is not the only one that sees virtue in magic that allows warriors to strike decisive blows.

Common Elements

This ritual usually involves both the target and their armoury. A ritualist might trace matching runes on weapons and warrior, or might encourage them to run through a weapon-drill. Some magicians encourage the targets to remain absolutely still, sometimes in an uncomfortable martial pose, until the climax of the ritual when they explode into action with a single dramatic strike. A toast of fresh water of fruit juice is often drunk, especially when the ritual is performed on a band of warriors rather than a single target. Legendary warriors, especially those who fought only when neccessary, are often invoked as are Paragons and Exemplars who showed great patience

Any of the Dayrunes might be evoked. Cavul, the rune of clarity and Aesh, the rune of thought, are commonly marked on the weapon and the wielder respectively. An evocation of The Key may be appropriate with this ritual, as might evocations of creatures such as mantids or birds.

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Horses

The Highborn fleet carried with them a great herd of horses. These fabulous beasts embodied Loyalty and the noble virtues of strength and dignity. Mounted on their mighty warhorses, the Highborn were unbeaten in battle while swift messengers allowed distant settlements to remain in contact with one another and fostered a sense of community and unity. They were the emblem of the fiery spirit of adventure and strength that made the Highborn unconquerable – companions but never servants, allies but never subjects.

Such a great asset, however, commanded a tremendous price, and eventually the sacred bond of man and horse was corrupted by economics. A single gelded male when traded could sell for more than its weight in gold and gems, a market that was hard for the corrupted Patrician Council to refuse. Several patrician families grew rich and powerful through trading horses, and through careful business practice and astute management of market forces created a near-monopoly on horse-trading within the kingdom.

Short-sighted self interest, and poor husbandry brought tragedy. Through over-selling and over-gelding, the population of Highborn steeds dwindled and their vigour and fiery spirit diminished through in-breeding. The orcs, perhaps sensing that their much feared enemies were mortal after all, embarked on a vicious raiding campaign to murder as many horses as possible, which exacerbated an already growing problem.

All of this might have been overcome, however, but the horses themselves were wasting away. Once comrades-in-arms and brother warriors, their status had been reduced to that of military assets and livestock, too much for their proud spirits to bear. Even after the power of the patricians was broken the damage was done and all attempts to restore them were in vain. The last horses perished in the early years of the Empire, the last few broken relics and curiosities of a once magnificent species. History tells that they died of grief, their spirits destroyed by the exploitation of greedy men and women who should have protected them as a sacred charge.

The loss of the horses during the early years of the Empire was a huge loss to Highguard, and one from which the Highborn took many years to recover. To this day the phrase “horse-trading” remains a powerful insult. In honour of their lost steeds, and as reminder of the lesson learned, they preserve the image of the horse as a powerful symbol of nobility and pride, and a sobering reminder of the perils of taking blessings for granted.

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How Assemblies make Judgments

Contents

- 1 Summary

- 2 Raising a Judgment

- 3 Resolving a Judgment

- 4 Congregation Influence

Summary

- At each summit weekend, every Synod priest can put one judgment before an Assembly they are a member of.

- At each summit weekend, Synod priests can vote on any judgment before an Assembly they are a member of.

- It is recommended that Synod priests check at regular intervals, two or three times a day, to see if there are any judgments they have been asked to make.

Raising a Judgment

To put a judgment before an Assembly, the Synod Priest needs to seek out an appropriate civil servant who will normally be available at the Hub or other designated location at Anvil.

The priest then needs to identify:

- Which of the Synod's powers they are looking to utilise

- Against whom the judgment is directed, for example, which General they seek to revoke, or whom they wish to reward with money or resources from the Virtue Fund

- Which of the Assemblies they are looking to place it before

The Civil Servant will record the judgment in their records, and on a notice which is displayed in a prominent, public, location. The notice will include a deadline, by which time the priests of the Assembly will have been expected to render their judgment.

Marrok of Dawn wishes to raise a judgment of inquisition against members of a League coven believed to be consorting with Wendigo. Marrok seeks out an appropriate civil servant and indicates that he wishes to do this through the Assembly of Vigilance, of which he is a member. A deadline is set for four hours after Marrok raised the judgment, at which time the judgment will be resolved.

Resolving a Judgment

During the time between a judgment notice going up, and its deadline, priests of the appropriate Assembly can register their judgment either for, or against, the notice raised. They do this by seeking out an appropriate civil service, usually at the Hub. Members of an Assembly can request that a civil servant accompany them to a location of their choosing. This is most commonly to record multiple judgments that have been agreed in a meeting.

For a judgment to be successfully made, it needs to achieve a majority. There are two kinds of majority:

- A lesser majority is one where the votes in support of the judgment exceed those made against it

- A greater majority is one where the votes in support of the judgment exceed one half of the Assembly's voting strength

Where a judgment achieves a greater majority, it can be resolved ahead of its deadline as it cannot be defeated.

Marrok's judgment of inquisition would normally only require a lesser majority to pass. However, the Assembly of Vigilance are not minded to wait for the potential evil-doers to cover their tracks and ensure over half their number support the judgment well before the deadline, securing a greater majority and the right to deliver swift inquisition.

Congregation Influence

The votes of Synod priests in determining a majority are not equal. A priest's judgment is measured in influence, and their influence is weighted by the size, or importance, of their congregation. Information about how to increase the influence of a congregation is available here.

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Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 50

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Uses

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 50

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single mage implement which must be present during the ritual.

Effects

The power of the ritual is stored in the implement targeted by the ritual. Any one of the contributors can unleash the power of the ritual while holding the implement to allow them to call MASS WEAKNESS.

The power of the ritual can be invoked only once.

When the power of MASS WEAKNESS is invoked, the character is struck with weakness and cursed. The weakness can be cured normally, but the curse may need additional treatment.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Additional Uses

The ritual can be used to place more than one use into the target implement. Each additional use increases the magnitude of the spell by 30. Any uses left over are lost at the end of the ten minutes. You cannot charge up more than one implement with this ritual.

Description

This battlefield ritual allows a powerful magical attack to be unleashed against a group of enemies, weakening them and leaving them incapable of casting spells, using enchanted items or performing heroic deeds. Like similar rituals, the attack is temporarily stored in a rod, staff or wand, and then unleashed at the most tactical moment.

For many Winter ritualists, the Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw is superior to both the weakness spell and rituals such as Hungry Grasp of Despair because it spreads the curse of weakness among many enemies but only a single ally suffers the curse in return. They agree that it is unfortunate for the ritualist who has to deliver the curse, but one magician losing their power for a time is a small price to pay for blasting an enemy company. Used wisely, this ritual can neutralise an elite band (such as an orc chieftain and his bodyguards) ir cut-off an entire enemy coven from their magic. It is even useful when fighting some supernatural threats; for example, it can prevent a mob of husks from rising again when they are struck down.

When the power of this ritual is unleashed, the ritualist doing so often feels an overpowering urge to unleash a screaming howl; at the same time they are struck by the backlash of the effect and weakened, and feel a curse settling on their shoulders. Stories report curses ranging from a hunger for rotten meat to crippling effects comparable to the weakness caused by Curse of Decrepitude or the sickness associated with Curse of Gangrenous Flesh. Magical scholars have theorised that the curse may be associated with the Wendigo, and can be mitigated by boonsfrom that dangerous Eternal. Other scholars suggest that this is just another lie of the Wendigo, and that the curse comes directly from the destructive spiritual energies unleashed through the implement; that it is simple a price to be paid for the power to condemn so many others to despair and (presumably) defeat.

In the Marches this ritual is sometimes called Topple the Lofty Pedestals, while in The Brass Coast it is referred to as Calling the Black Wind.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes forces of despair, fear and hunger. Oppressive music or thundering rhythms that begin fast and become slower and slower, symbolic of the way power ebbs from those effected by this curse, are common; so are frenzied dances that reach a climax with the performers collapsing as if from exhaustion. The slow ringing of bells often accompanies this ritual.

The focus of this ritual is an implement, and the role it plays in the ritual can be quite important. Some ritualists, especially in Varushka pass a single implement from magician to magician, whispering curses and dire promises of failure and despair to the tool before handing it on. Others might place the implement at the centre of the ritual and leave it stationary while they weave their magic around it.

Other elements might include the runes Kyrop or Naeve, or a dramaturgical scene in which the Captain succumbs to despair and frailty. For an astronomancer, the ritual has a clear correspondence with the Drowned Man constellation. Some Dawnish - and even a few Highborn magicians - consider evoking the spirit of the malign manticore.

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How to adapt a commercial pattern to make a high status dress

Attempting something that looks as complex as a medieval style dress can be a pretty daunting prospect, even for someone with a bit of experience in dressmaking. Fortunately, there are lots of patterns available, ranging from some very "costumey" ones made by pattern companies such as Simplicity, Butterick and McCall's, through to incredibly well researched and complex ones by the likes of Reconstructing History.

The beauty of using a pattern is that you don't have to do it exactly like the instructions say. The pattern gives you the basic shapes, and from there you can play with colours, lengths, trims and buttons until you get something uniquely your own. Using this pattern, I made a dress in heraldic colours with buttons down the front, as a good approximation of a medieval cotehardie, suitable for a Dawnish lady, a wealthy marcher Steward, or even a Highguard noble, particularly if you made it in black or black-and-white to match her Chapter's colours.

Butterick 4287 is a good pattern for a medieval dress that you can have a lot of fun with. Here's how I did it, with a few pointers that might save you some time, and spark off your own creativity.

Contents

- 1 Working with commercial patterns

- 2 Butterick 4827

- 3 Fabric

- 4 Walkthrough

- 5 What else could I do?

Working with commercial patterns

If you've got experience using patterns, feel free to skip this bit! Here are a few things to be aware of if you're just starting out.

Pattern sizes don't match ready-to-wear If you wear a size 14, for example, in day to day clothes, don't assume that you'll cut and make a size 14 in your pattern. When you go to get your pattern, make sure you know your waist, bust and hip measurements, and buy the pattern that matches them (you usually get a range of three sizes for each pattern). When you're cutting out, use the size that matches your largest measurement.

Patterns tend to run a little big Generally they make up a little large. Part of this is the design, and part of it is that the seam allowances are usually larger than you think. Make sure you read the instructions and sew the correct distance from the edge of the pieces.

You may not be 5 ft 6, but the pattern thinks you are If you're much taller than this, I suggest adding a bit to the length of the skirts. If you're shorter, you can trim it off at the end.

It's not as hard as it looks Take your time, read the instructions through and take it one step at a time.

Butterick 4827

This is a princess seamed, full length dress with a small train, long straight sleeves and a scoop neck. The pattern shows it with a shaped neck facing, a faced back opening and a laced closure with eyelets.

Fabric

You will need-

- 3m of each of two colours of fabric. I used linen-look cotton - cheap and cheerful at £4.50 per metre.Pre-wash it on a hot wash to get all the shrinkage out of the way.

- 54 small round metal buttons or thereabouts (mine cost 10p each)

- 1m lining fabric for the sleeves - cotton curtain lining at £1.75 per metre from ikea looks good

- Thread

- 1m bias binding

Walkthrough

Cut out your pattern pieces - 1, 2, 3 and 4 are the front, side front, side back and back of the dress, in the size that matches your measurements. Cut the sleeve piece out too.

Now, lay out your unfolded fabric, with one colour on top of the other, and pin the pattern pieces on. Ignore the cutting layout given in the pattern - it's rubbish and wasteful. Move your pieces around so you can fit them all in, and so that you waste as little fabric as possible. You can always widen or narrow the skirt parts of the pattern pieces to fit the cloth you have. Then cut your pieces of fabric out- you should end up with one set of front, side front, side back, back and a sleeve in each colour. Ignore all the other pattern pieces.

Pin your pieces together- the pattern instructions will help here. Where the front meets the side front, you'll have to be quite careful - match the notches and slightly stretch one piece of fabric more than the other so that they line up perfectly along the seam line (1,5cm from the edge). Pin all the pieces together, then slip the gown over your head and see if you can get it on - pins should be on the outside.

The pattern is really big!

I found it was enormous at this stage- way baggy at the neck, and I could slip it on without any need for a closure (which is handy, and I decided to keep it that way). I moved the pins at the centre front and centre back so that at the top it was tighter- from the bust down I kept it the same, but pinned in a good two inches front and back at the neck, smoothly tapering that line until it met the seam line lower down. You might find getting a friend to pin the back in helps

Check you're happy with the fit, and slither out, losing as few pins as you can at this stage. Sew down your pinned lines, removing the pins as you go (otherwise you might break a sewing machine needle). Once sewn, remove all the pins. Try the frock on again. Re-pin and stitch if you need to alter the fit in some areas.

Now iron all your seams. I mean it! Finish your neck line with bias tape - sew it right side to right side round the neck, then turn it to the inside so it's invisible, and stitch it in place by hand.

Take your sleeve pieces and make sure you've got them the right way round.Then match each sleeve to its lining and sew the cuff edges together. You can then sew the sleeve and its lining continuously into a long tube, then turn the lining inside the outer fabric and tack it together at the sleeve head, having made a complete lined sleeve. You can stitch around the top to hold the two layers together - stitch close to the edge, and this will be hidden in the armhole of your dress.

Next, fit the sleeve to the arm hole in the dress, following the instructions in the pattern (and easing it a little bit as you go) and stitching your sleeves in place. Start by matching the underarm seams of the sleeve and the dress, and pin the shoulder seam so it matches the middle of the top of the sleeve, then pin it evenly all the way round. I put the sleeves in backwards this time. (See, there isn't a mistake you can make that I haven't done already!)

Hem the bottom edge of your frock. No one will see it, so use the sewing machine and spare your sanity.

Then, down the centre front seam, mark 1 inch intervals in dots of marker pen, and sew your buttons on for decoration. I advise getting a good movie while you do this. It's fiddly and time consuming, but details like this can really make your costume stand out.

Done! Total cost: £38, plus whatever you paid for the pattern - which, if you've cut and pinned it carefully you can use again. Wear with a belt.

What else could I do?

I found the sleeves on the original pattern a bit wide, so I tapered them down to a narrow cuff. You could do that if you want, or cut them off at the elbow, or keep them wide so you can roll them up.

You could change the length of the dress to make it ankle, knee or thigh height - you could put the buttons on in groups of 2 or 3, or space them out more.

You could alternate coloured panels in the dress, make it in one colour, put lacing down the front, add trim round the collar...

Make it your own! Now go have fun.

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How to - Make a felt hat

Contents

- 1 Varushkan Felt Hat

- 1.1 Choosing Fabric:

- 1.2 Marking up:

- 1.3 Sewing:

- 1.4 Stretching to shape:

- 1.5 Finishing:

Varushkan Felt Hat

This is a traditional European style of hat, simple to make using very basic materials and tools. Traditionally it would be made starting with raw woollen fleece. This would be wound around a conical wooden former, wetted with urine and pounded with wooden bats until the wool compressed together to form a cone of felt. Once dried the cone would be dampened and reshaped into any of a variety of styles. Thankfully, today we have access to ready-made felt…

The instructions below give a quicker and less smelly way of achieving the same. You’re welcome to have a go at using the more traditional method though I suggest using a strong detergent solution instead of urine!

Choosing Fabric:

The hat needs to be made from an unstructured felt rather than a felted woven fabric as it has to be permanently stretched. Ideally you need a heavy-weight felt (at least 4mm) to give you the proper stiffness but most modern craft felt is quite thin. You can get round this by using the felt doubled.

Depending on the size of your head, the width and the thickness of the felt you'll need about 3/4 meter, or a whole meter if you're doubling up the fabric.

Marking up:

The hat starts out as a cone shape so you need to cut a quarter circle. Measure round your head just above the eyebrows and use this measurement (A-B) to mark out an arc from one corner. CLARIFICATION: This measurement is just to give you the right proportions for the hat, neither of the straight edges or the curved line actually fit around the brow line. If you are doubling up, mark out a second piece about 1cm smaller (grey).

Sewing:

Pin the straight edges of the cone together, overlapping the straight edges rather than making an edge to edge seam. Sew by hand using a loose running stitch. If you're doubling up, make sure the smaller cone is inside. TIP: It's easier to sew from the pointed to the open end rather than the other way round.

Turn under the edge of the open end about 1cm (if you've doubled up, just turn the overlap. Sew along the turn to hold it in place, again using a loose running stitch, but leave a long tail of thread and don't fasten off the end. You need to allow the thread free to pull through the felt when you stretch the brim.

Stretching to shape:

Thoroughly wet the felt then press out the excess water with a towel (don't wring!).

Now you start to stretch the brim, working from the very edge round and round and working inwards. Pull from side to side, stretching along the edge of the brim, NOT outwards from the crown. The brim will get narrower from edge to crown – this is normal.

Some felts don't need much force to stretch, others will take a lot of pulling so start gently. This is where you'll need to use your judgement as to how far up the hat you need to go and how much you need to stretch to get the shape you want. You'll end up with a brim that curves gently into the crown rather than sharply.

Finishing:

Leave the hat to almost dry. While it's still very slightly damp press the brim with a hot iron to fix the shape. Leave to dry completely.

Repeat the stretching and finishing steps until you're happy with the shape.

Decorate & trim to taste (or lack of…)

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How to make a fur hat

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Making the hat

- 2.1 Materials

- 2.2 Washing the wool

- 2.3 Constructing the hat

- 2.4 Trimming

- 3 Working out the point

Overview

A fur-edged hat is a simple piece of kit to make that particularly suits Wintermark, Varushka and a League citizen hailing from the northern city of Temeschwar. It's easy to imagine a well-travelled Marcher or Navarr wearing something like this as well, or perhaps even a Dawnish yeoman pulling one down over their ears on a freezing winter morning.

This guide was written by Oliver Busby, and has been rated "suitable for a beginner" by our local costume expert.

Making the hat

I first had the idea thanks to this article here, and conveniently I had some short haired dark brown fake fur that I bought a couple months ago along with a whole load of purple wool I bought before Christmas. This should be the kind of thing that anyone can make with very little materials and is of course perfect for Norse inspired settings or other similar cultures (Varushka or Wintermark in Empire LRP for example) but to be honest I think you could use it at most events and get away with it to keep your head warm.

Materials

The only materials that are needed are the wool, the fake fur and some thread. I used a strip of fur about 6 by 24 inches (obviously will be less if you have a smaller head) and a length of wool about 30 by 7 inches (but if you were smarter than I was, you could manage it with less fabric thanks to better template placement). I don’t know the exact price but I would be surprised that it come to more than £6-10 or so, and most of that due to the expense of the fake fur I picked up.

Washing the wool

The first thing was to wash the wool, which I was reliably informed was a good idea. I think there are more professional ways of doing it, but my wool was washed in the machine, with a bit of liquid detergent on a 30 degree wash for 50 minutes. I didn’t see much difference so i washed it again at a higher temperature and when it came out there was a noticeable difference in the amount the cut edges frayed (much less after washing) which makes the project a lot easier thanks to there being no need to hem it.

Constructing the hat

Onto the construction. There are various ways of doing this but they all consist of cutting triangles of fabric and stitching them together. Depending on the style you can just cut out two large and long triangles that are sewn together leaving a long section that is folded over and held by a pin like this one or it can be made with smaller panels like the one I linked at the start.

I decided to follow the more generic skullcap version and go with 4 panels, the length of which I got by measuring the circumference of my head and then dividing it by 4, and I got the height by following these instructions. I also added an inch or two to the circumference to take into account the fur I would be adding later and my hair. I recommend erring on the side of caution here, far better to make it too big and cut out later then find yourself with too small a hat.

I used some old card to work up the template as I didn’t have any spare fabric around, and then cut 3 more triangles out of card that I pinned together to check the fit. I had my fair share of dud attempts, so don’t get disheartened if you have to re-do the template a few times to get it right.

For my finished template, I ended up with four triangles in the hat and gave each one a 90 degree angle on the top - I did this just by using the corner of my ruler.

After the fit was right I cut the four triangles out of the wool, and pinned them together to check the fit on my head before stitching them together with a blanket stitch. It is an incredibly easy stitch to do, just lie the two pieces of fabric flat and follow this tutorial here, with this tutorial laying out how to finish your sewing. It also gives a nice border if you were to use a thicker thread in a different colour (which I should have done) and want to leave the seams showing.

Now you have your basic hat shape, try it on again for the fit. I actually had to unpick one side of sewing and cut it down a bit to ensure a better fit. Don’t worry if it appears to be about half an inch or an inch too big, this space is needed for the fur trim you are adding in a moment.

Trimming

Take your strip of fur and cut it to match the circumference of the hat then pin a small part of it wrong side up to the inside of your hat like so. Take care to use a stanley knife or something similar to cut along the backside of the fur and not scissors as it causes a huge mess and ruins the fur.

Use a running stitch or a backstitch to sew the fabric and the fur together then remove the pins. This anchors the fur to the hat and helps to tighten the fit to your head ensuring that the hat should fit snug.

Now you decide how wide of a fur trim you want on your hat and trim it down accordingly. I think my fur was about 5 inches wide including the part tucked on the inside but it is up to personal taste.

Pin the fur in place alongside the outside of the hat and then just like before sew the fur onto the fabric. For this bit I flipped the hat inside out which was a lot easier as it meant the fur wasn’t obscuring the needle and thread.

There you have it! One fur lined hat.

Working out the point

This is a fairly simple guide for working out the angles involved in making the hat come to a point.

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How to - make an amazingly easy kirtle

How to make a Kirtle

What's a kirtle, I hear you ask? Well, it's a term used to describe a close fitting dress or underdress, worn through a lot of the middle ages. The one we're going to make today is roughly based on the ones they were wearing in the 15th century, and it's a lovely comfortable and practical garment that's cool in summer and works as a great underlayer in winter. This one is sleeveless but you could add sleeves, or make a separate pair and lace or pin them on for a different look.

If you're part of the Marcher Authenticity Brigade (of which I'm a fully paid up obsessional member) you'll be pleased to see these historical images of women wearing sleeveless kirtles just like the ones we're going to make. In late 15th century art you see women painted in domestic situations in just this kind of sleeveless kirtle, particularly in pictures about births. For everyone else, they do look cool, don't they?

You will need

- 3m of cotton, linen or lightweight wool, 60 inches wide (if you're making a particoloured dress like mine get 1.5m of each) (I used linen look cotton at £5 per metre - you could use ikea coloured cotton at £3 per metre if you wanted something cheaper - £15)

- 3m of cotton lining (Bomull from ikea is great - £1.75 per metre for unbleached calico) (£5.25)

- Thread in a matching or darker colour. (TIP: if you think you might dye the garment later, get cotton or silk thread. Normal sewing thread won't dye and you'll end up with visible stitching. Coats cotton thread is very good. Guterman quilting cotton thread is too coarse.) (£1)

- A tape measure

- A pen, soft pencil or chalk

- A packet of eyelets (£4)

- 2-3 metres of ribbon, cotton tape or cord (£1)

- An iron

Total cost - £26.25

The Basic Process

What we're going to do is draw a simple pattern consisting of two back and two fronts based on your body measurements. We'll then assemble the lining and the outer fabric step by step, with no visible machine stitching or need for hand finishing except for the bottom hem which you can choose to finish by machine or by hand depending on your preference. There are quite a few steps to the process but none of them is hard, and by taking it a bite at a time even a beginner can make a success of the project.

Making your pattern

Back and front pattern pieces

These are the two pattern pieces that you're going to map out. As written you'll get a pattern for a close-fitting, supportive dress with little or no ease - if you're anxious about the fit or want a looser kirtle then add a couple of inches to the seam allowances at the sides, and pin it to check the fit and adjust before you start sewing.

Key to measurements

- a)nape of neck to waist + 1/2 an inch. Point z is 2 inches below this line.

- b)base of neck to shoulder - point x should be about 1 inch higher than point y so the shoulder line slopes nicely.

- c)1/2 inch + 1/2 of the distance between your shoulders measured behind your head

- d)1 inch + 1/4 of your underbust measurement

- e) 1 inch + 1/4 of your waist measurement

- f) waist to armpit measurement (get the tape right into your armpit!)

- g) waist to ankle + 2 inches

- h) nipple level to waist, measured straight down your side (don't measure down the curve of your breast)

- i) underbust level to waist, measured straight down your side

- j) 1 inch + 1/2 x (bust measurement - 1/2 your underbust measurement)

- k) 1 inch + 1/4 of your underbust measurement

The straight line and the dotted line down the front piece show two alternative cutting lines for the front skirt. If you're not very curvy (like me) it's can look nice to have a relatively straight front to this. Alternatively if you want more volume in the skirts or have more of a difference between your waist and hip measurements you can flare it along this seam line too. If you want lots more volume in your skirts you could add triangular gores of fabric down the lines marked g.

Cutting out your pieces

Fold your lining fabric in half across the way, selvedge to selvedge. You can either scale your pattern up on pattern paper or newspaper then lay it on, or draw it directly on to your fabric - either works. The picture below shows roughly how you can arrange them - depending on your size you might get a more efficient layout than I have. If you're experienced and happy to play around with it you can waste less fabric if you cut gores to give the skirts more width - you can even add them to this pattern out of your leftover scraps if you want.

Suggested cutting layout

You can see from the faint lines in the picture below how the back looks drawn directly on to the fabric.

Scaled up back piece

And now cut them out - you should have two front, and two back pieces of lining as below.

Front and back pieces cut out - I'd definitely flare the centre back skirt piece a bit more than I've done here if I were to make this again

Next you can use your lining pieces as a pattern for cutting out your outer fabric - cut them on the fold exactly as above.

Sewing it up

If you have a preferred way of assembling garments then do it whichever way suits you! Here follows a step by step walkthrough for one way of many to do it.

Very important! The difference between a good outcome and a great one is pressing your seams as you go along.

Set your iron up now beside your sewing table. Every time you sew a seam, press it open. You can sew a few then press them in batches to save time if you like, but don't sew across a seam before you've pressed it. Promise me!

- Sew the two back pieces of the lining together down the centre back seam. Press the seam open. Sew the fronts to the backs at the shoulder seams. Press the seams open. Repeat for the outer.

The red half doesn't show up very well on the red carpet. Blue looks good though!

- Next, lay your lining on top of your outer, right side to right side, matching seams and shapes. Make a mark or notch on both sides of the centre front about six inches below your waist.

- Pin the two layers together around both armholes, and starting at the mark or notch you just made, pin them together up the centre front on one side, all the way round the neck and down the other side of the centre front until you reach the mark or notch again.

- Stitch along your pin line around both armholes, and from the notch or mark to the matching one on the other side as you just pinned them.

You can see the stitching line around one armhole and around the neckline in this picture

- Now clip your curves. This means cutting little v shaped notches out of your seam allowance, almost to your stitching line, which allows the fabric to curve neatly when you turn it the right way out.

Once you've clipped your curves it should look a bit like this

- Now, pull the fronts through the shoulder straps to turn them the right way out. Suddenly this should start looking a lot like a finished project!

Press the front edge, neck edge and armholes.

Even though you haven't sewn the side seams up yet it's starting to look like a dress

- Next you're going to sew up the side seams. The easiest way of doing this is finding the seam at either end of the armhole where the outer and lining are sewn together, matching the two seams together and putting a pin in at the point with the right sides together . You should then be able to match the lining front to the lining back down the side seam, and the outer front to the outer back down the side seam, and if you pin them together you can start at the lining hem and sew all the way up to the armhole and all the way down to the hem of the outer fabric. Do this on both sides.

- You then need to do something similar to match the centre front seams at your notches. Where your stitching lines end on both sides, open the two layers out at the seam and again put at pin in at the join with the right sides together. You can then match the right sides of the outer fabric, and the right sides of the lining. This time it's easier to sew from the "crotch" seam all the way down to the hem, first on the outer, then on the lining.

- Phew! Got that? Ok, now look at your dress and be very proud. You have basically constructed your garment.

The dress is now basically made

- Now let it hang, ideally overnight on a hanger or a dressmaker's dummy. You can now pin both layers together around the hem and hem it up by your preferred method - I like to sew bias tape to the hem, press it up and slipstitch the bias tape to the lining by hand. You may prefer to use the machine!

Lacing up the front

To look really historical, I recommend spiral lacing. This involves slightly offsetting your eyelets so that the top and bottom match perfectly, but the rest don't, so that when you're lacing up the cord runs up in a spiral. It holds the edges together very nicely. Of course, if you prefer the criss-cross look (like a shoelace!) then just space your eyelets evenly. Either way I like them with a one inch gap.

You can see how the marks are offset for spiral lacing

- Make holes - the safest way to do these is to puncture the fabric with an awl, then widen the hole out with a knitting needle - this pushes the fibres apart rather than cutting them and will make your eyelets more durable. I'm a glutton for punishment and I'll be oversewing my eyelets, so I just punched holes.

- Following the manufacturer's directions, put your eyelets in. I recommend 2 part eyelets (the ones that come with a washer) for durability.

Now with the eyelets in

- Now add your ribbon, tape or cord to lace it up the front, and you're done!

It gapes a little bit on Mabel because I squish and she doesn't. Still looks good though!

Wearing it

Wear it over a white shift or blouse, and this will look bloody amazing!

What now?

Got an extra £1?

Buy yourself an extra 1/2m of Bomull cotton and make yourself an apron by cutting a rectangle about 14 inches wide by 36cm long, hemming it and sewing the top edge to a bit of cotton tape to act as a waistband for instant workwear.

Got an extra £2 and like handsewing?

Buy two skeins of embroidery thread and oversew your eyelets. Not only will you please the Marcher Authenticity Brigade, you'll make your eyelets a lot more durable. And it looks nice too.

Got an extra £5? Make Harry happy by making some headwear

Buy 1m of nice wool and use the pattern on this page under the heading "Cynthia's version" to make yourself an open hood. Tie some leftover lining round your head like a headscarf, pop your hood on top and you'll look great.

Got an extra £20 and want something really useful and special?

Order yourself a medieval belt in a colour of your choice, like one of these. Tie round waist with the end dangling down and feel brilliant.

Hungry for more?

Why not use the How to make a t-tunic tutorial to make a shift to go under it - if you get an extra 2m of ikea bomull cotton it makes a great lightweight underlayer and you're still under £30!

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How to - Make an awesome furry mantle

How to make a fur-trimmed mantle

furry cloak

Winter is coming... Stay cosy!

TIP: always cut fur or fake fur with a scalpel or Stanley knife from the wrong (leather) side. Scissors will cut the pile and leave it looking messy and weird.

You will need

- 3m of fabric which is 60 inches wide. Wool, the thicker and softer the better. Ebay is your best bet for this - try searching for wool coating in the colour of your choice - often remnants are available in 3m lengths for about £15. You probably won't do better than this in the shops, but the sales are good. (http://history-explorer.co.uk/ does lovely heavyweight wool for £5-6 per metre)

- Thread in a matching or darker colour. (TIP: if you think you might dye the garment later, get cotton or silk thread. Normal sewing thread won't dye and you'll end up with visible stitching. Coats cotton thread is very good. Guterman quilting cotton thread is too coarse.)

- Fur. Cheap option: an old fur coat, or a fur collar from a charity shop. Expensive option, a coyote pelt from http://www.houseofdeclifford.com - try their coyote seconds or thirds, or the backs or pieces, depending on your budget (these pelts are from necessary culls in north America - House of Declifford have an excellent reputation as an ethical supplier).

- Bias binding - about 9m. c=2πr, so you can work it out exactly if you want.

- A fastener or brooch

TIP: often charity shops won't display fur collars or coats, but if you ask they'll usually bring them out from the back room. You can also leave your details and they'll call you when they get one donated.

Total cost - about £15-20 for wool. £10 for an old fur coat, or £20 upwards for coyote fur

First - take a look at this picture:

This is the basic shape of your cloak, where r=the width of your fabric. If your fabric is very long and you're not, you might want to make your circle a little smaller, but in fact you're as well to do that at the end when you hem it, as you lose quite a bit of length as you go. 60inch wide fabric makes a good cloak for most people, varying from ankle to mid calf length depending on your height. If your fabric has a nice finished edge (selvage) you can position the long flat edge along it, which saves you having to have to hem the front edges.

For your head to go through, you'll need to cut another, smaller semicircle as shown:

Make this hole smaller than you think - 3 inch radius is a good start, and gradually widen it out if that's not enough, but remember when you bind or hem the neck edge it'll get bigger.

Bind your neck edge and hem with bias binding for a neat finish, or just turn a hem, accepting that it'll go bobbly. Here's why you should do it with bias tape:

http://tutorials.abbott.me.uk/home/bias-tape

At this point, you can stop, and have a cloak which looks like this:

no fur on this one

Putting the fur on

Coyote version:

Put your cloak on, and position the coyote pelt over your shoulders with the face on one side and the tail on the other - they should hang about level with each other, but sometimes it looks a bit better if it's asymmetric. Put a couple of pins in at either side, and one right at the nape of your neck to hold the pelt in place (a friend can help here).

Slip the cloak off, and stitch from the centre back around to the front, oversewing the edge of the pelt and the edge of your cloak. Leather needles can help here, or a thimble to drive it through. You might find a few tacking stitches holding the face and tail of the pelt to the front edges of your cloak helps.

Add a brooch or fastener to hold it shut. Two matching brooches and a chain is a nice way of holding it on over your armour.

Old Fur Coat Version

http://tutorials.abbott.me.uk/stay-warm/furry-cloak

And there it is! Done! You've made an awesome furry cloak.

furry joy!

What else can I do with this pattern?

- Make it in different colours! Line it for extra cosiness!

- You could use fake fur if you prefer - choose the expensive stuff, often in the bridal section, as it looks and wears much better. Cut a semicircle of smaller radius than your cloak, with the long straight edge along one of the CUT edges of your fur fabric, not the selvage. You can then cut out the same neck semicircle and sew the fur fabric to the cloak fabric right side to right side along the neck edge. You can hem the front edges together or separately.

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How To - Make an easy kids cloak

How to make a really easy kids' cloak

This pattern makes a cloak to fit a 2-4 year old - you could make it for a bigger kid by using a longer piece of fabric and increasing the length of the body -the head hole and the hood won't need altering. You could even make it longer with a really deep hem which you can let out as your child grows.

You will need

1m of fabric at least 60 inches wide - wool for a warm cloak (polar fleece makes a nice machine washable substitute) Thread in a matching or co-ordinating colour A brooch to pin the neck shut, or a fastener to sew on.

Instructions

Following the picture below, cut out two pieces - the big wide one will be the body of the cloak, and the littler one will be the hood.

Now, following the picture below, fold the hood piece as shown and sew down one edge - this will be the back of the hood.

Now, carefully matching the middle of the LONG EDGE of the body piece to the seam at the back of the hood, and matching the FRONT EDGES of the hood to the SHORT EDGES of your body piece, gather or pleat the LONG EDGE of the body piece to the NECK EDGE of the hood piece. Sew this seam all the way around. Your cloak is now basically done.

Finally, hem all the way around.

Get your child to stand still for long enough to pin it around their neck - the neck hole is deliberately large to a) allow for growth and b) allow them to slip out without getting stuck if their cloak gets caught on something, but you can overlap the edges if you prefer a tighter fit. If you want, sew on a fastener, or just pin it shut with a brooch.

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How to - make a really easy Medieval cote

How to make a Medieval Cote

A cote is a front fastening overgarment that looks very medieval - often it's worn in colours that reflect a character's allegiance to a household or group. It's ideal for the Marches, Dawn and Highguard, and could be adapted for other nations through imaginative use of fabrics. You can vary the length from a daring 14th century mid thigh to a conservative late 1400s knee length, or even longer for a scholar or doctor character.

You will need

- 2m of wool, cotton velvet or heavyweight linen 60 inches wide

- 2m of cotton lining (Bomull from ikea is great - £1.75 per metre for unbleached calico - the one in the walkthrough is actually lined in polar fleece/old ikea blanket for keeping a small person cosy at night)

- Thread in a matching or darker colour.

- A tape measure

- A pen, soft pencil or chalk

- Buttons - pewter if you're feeling fancy, wood if you're feeling understated

- An iron

The Basic Process

What we're going to do is draw a simple pattern consisting of two back and two fronts based on your body measurements. We'll then assemble the lining and the outer fabric step by step, with no visible machine stitching or need for hand finishing except for the bottom hem which you can choose to finish by machine or by hand depending on your preference. There are quite a few steps to the process but none of them is hard, and by taking it a bite at a time even a beginner can make a success of the project.

Making your pattern

pattern pieces

These are the two pattern pieces that you're going to map out - a torso piece where the back and front only differ in the depth of the neckline (about 1 inch at the back, about 3 inches at the front) and a sleeve piece.

When you're cutting out, cut the back of the coat on the fold of your fabric - it saves you having to sew up the back seam.

The coat you'll see being made in the walkthrough is a toddler sized one but the process is the same (the neckline is a bit shallower on both sides and there's a little less ease in the body, but it otherwise follows the same process.

Key to measurements

- a)point of shoulder to base of neck. Point of shoulder to centre back distance is (1/2 of the distance between left and right shoulder points, +1 inch)

- c)shoulder to a couple of inches below your armpit - give yourself a bit of room here

- d)2 inch + 1/4 of your chest measurement

- e) nape of neck to length you want the coat to be, + 2 inches

- f) shoulder point to knuckles, + 1 inch

- g) put the measuring tape round your wrist in what feels like a comfortable cuff width. Make sure your hand can slip through easily. Add 1 inch.

- h) is actually easier just to measure on one of the body pattern pieces, then use that length to shape a nice shallow curve for the top of the sleeve piece.

using armhole to measure the sleeve head directly

sleeve shape

When you're patterning out your sleeve, you might find it easier as I've done to do it on the fold so both halves are identical. Just remember to half g) if you're doing it that way, otherwise you'll get excitingly baggy sleeves.

Cut two fronts, two back and two sleeves of both outer and lining fabric.

Sewing it up

Body

If you have a preferred way of assembling garments then do it whichever way suits you! Here follows a step by step walkthrough for one way of many to do it. 1/2 inch seam allowance is about right.

Very important! The difference between a good outcome and a great one is pressing your seams as you go along.

Set your iron up now beside your sewing table. Every time you sew a seam, press it open. You can sew a few then press them in batches to save time if you like, but don't sew across a seam before you've pressed it. Promise me!

- Take your lining pieces and sew the fronts to the backs at the shoulder seams. Press the seams open. Repeat for the outer fabric.

Just the same as the kirtle tutorial, you note...

- Next, lay your lining on top of your outer, right side to right side, matching seams and shapes.

- Pin up the front, round the neckline and down the other front.

- Stitch along your pin line.

You can see the stitching line around the neckline in this picture

- Now clip your curves. This means cutting little v shaped notches out of your seam allowance, almost to your stitching line, which allows the fabric to curve neatly when you turn it the right way out.

Once you've clipped your curves it should look a bit like this

Press the front edge, neck edge and armholes.

- Next you're going to sew up the side seams - outer layer, right side to right side, then lining, right side to right side. You should now have a fetching waistcoat shape!

Looking good...

- Before we go on to the sleeve, pin the outer and lining together, wrong side to wrong side round both armholes, then stitch or zigzag the two layers together very close to the edge. You're going to treat both layers as on at the armhole from now on.

That weird looking pink thing is my knee

Sleeves

- Right side to right side, sew one outer sleeve to one lining sleeve along the cuff edge. Repeat for the other sleeve.

You can see the stitch line along the straight edge

- Now open those two layers of fabric out, and, matching the seam, fold the sleeve in half down its length, and pin down the long edge. Making sure you've matched the seam, stitch all the way down the outer and keep going all the way down the lining.

You can see the stitch line along the straight edge

- Turn it so the outer is on the outside with the lining on the inside. You can turn back the cuff - this is why the sleeves are so long!

- Tuck the lining down the sleeve - you don't want it getting caught in the next bit.

Attaching sleeves to body

- Matching the underarm seam of sleeve and body, and the midpoint of the top curve of the sleeve with the shoulder seam, pin the sleeve into the armhole, matching right side to right side. The pattern gives you ever so slightly more sleeve length than armhole length - usually you can fudge this with the pins, but if you've got too much sleeve for the armhole shave a little bit off the top curve.

Sleeve pinned in - only the outer of the sleeve is pinned to both layers of the body. Sleeve lining is still stuffed down the sleeve, out of the way.

- Now sew round the armhole, attaching the sleeve. Repeat for the other side.

- You are nearly done! Just a bit of hand sewing and buttonwork to do.

Basically done

- Now let it hang, ideally overnight on a hanger or a dressmaker's dummy.

Finishing

You've got three more jobs to do- deciding on fasteners, sewing the sleeve linings into the body of the coat, and hemming the bottom edge.

Hemming

Use a method of your choice. For this I like to turn the hem up and tuck the raw edge in, then handstitch it down.

Basically done

Attaching the sleeve lining

Pull the sleeve lining up so it's poking out of the armhole on the inside. Pinning as you go, turn the raw edge of it under, and pin the sleeve lining into the armhole, matching seams.

Pin all the way round

Now handstitch the sleeve lining to the lining of the body, trying not to catch the outer fabric of either. Your stitches don't need to be too tiny or neat, but secure your thread well and put a few extra stitches in to lock your thread every few inches.

Fasteners

If you have a buttonhole attachment on your machine, you're laughing for the next bit - just mark your buttonholes at the desired spacing with the button-marks equally spaced on the other side, and away you go. I like to use these buttons spaced one inch apart.

You can work your buttonholes by hand, too - folk in the middle ages didn't seem too fussed about making them all that neat. Or, if that amount of handsewing doesn't appeal, you could use Norwegian clasps like these ones for a different look.

And here's one I made earlier

I'm still waiting for the buttons to arrive for the blue velvet one, so photos will have to wait too.

Wearing it

Wear it belted over a close-fitting pair of trousers or hose, and you'll look very swish. A narrow charity shop belt (about 1/2 inch wide) with a plain brass buckle will set you back about £1 and looks very authentic with it - in my opinion more so than a broader one.

Got an extra £5? Make Harry happy by making some shoulder or headwear

Buy 1m of nice wool and use one of the patterns on this page to make yourself a hood or chaperon.

Got an extra £20 and want something really useful and special?

Order yourself a medieval belt in a colour of your choice, like one of these. Tie round waist with the end dangling down and feel brilliant.

Hungry for more?

Why not use the How to make a t-tunic tutorial to make a short T tunic to go under it - if you get an extra 2m of ikea bomull cotton it makes a great lightweight underlayer and you're still under £30!

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How to - Make a Suaq Coat

How to make a Suaq costume out of an old fur coat

Paul Bassinder's awesome photo guide

1. Long fur coat, turned inside out with the lining removed

2. From the back

3. Coat cut to length and sleeves shortened

4. Collar cut down to the neckline

5. Hood: Rectangle cut out of the base (removed in step 3).

6. Hood stitched on with waxed thread.

7. Any holes, including those from pocket removal are roughly over-stitched with fur edges turned out.

8. Stencils: Images printed out on thin card and only black pieces cut out.

9. Images drawn on in pen and filled in with black leather dye.

10. Edging: Leather straps cut to length. Stitching line, zig zag and circles added. Stitching holes marked and punched.

11. Leather stained.

12. Edges glued in places to hold whilst stitching. 1" bone tubes added to arms for extra decoration.

13. Holes punched for thonging to do up front of coat.

14. Thonging in place on innermost side.

15. Thonging pulls through outermost side and simple fastening used.

16. Back of coat.

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How To - Make a Surcote

Contents

- 1 How to make a surcote

- 1.1 Instructions

- 1.2 Optional: decorating one or both sides

- 1.3 How about adding a heraldic logo or beast?

- 1.3.1 You will need

- 1.3.2 Too complex?

How to make a surcote

Over your bliaut , why not show your loyalty with a glorious surcote made in your House's or Lord's colours? This is a garment that is fundamentally really simple - at its simplest, four pieces of cloth and four seams that looks fantastic and is (you guessed it!) historically correct. The fun comes in decorating it. This tutorial not only teaches you how to make the basic version, but talks you through a fabulous stripy alternative either as a walk-through to copy it in this or other colours, or as inspiration for making your own heraldic designs.

First, a note on heraldry. This is not a re-enactment. There are no rules.

Historically, there are a million rules governing what you can and can't do in heraldry. Ignore them. This is not a re-enactment. You can do pretty much whatever you like with colours and symbology, and if anyone tells you that it's wrong, feel free to ask them what the elves wore in the Hundred Years War. One thing that's worth saying, though, is that heraldry should be about recognisible designs and high contrast. For that reason, I'd recommend thinking about sticking with the colour rules that talk about metals and colours. Confused? Read on.

"Metals" in heraldry are actually white and yellow. This is because on your shield, you could leave them as metals, but on your surcote which was made to match, they'd have to be in the nearest two colours of cloth. Heraldic "colours" are all the other colours. The rules say that when you're putting a design in one colour onto another colour, "Metals" should go on "Colours" and vice versa, but a "Colour" shouldn't go on a "Colour", and a "Metal" shouldn't go on a "Metal". So a gold lion on a red shield is fine, but a white lion on a yellow shield is right out, and so is a green lion on a blue shield.

If you think about these examples, it kind of makes sense. If you're trying to see the Earl of Warwick at a hundred yards through a pitched battle at dusk, you want something that's high contrast and really stands out. White and yellow are the perfect contrast to all the other colours and make your unique heraldry much easier to see. For that reason, I've put black stripes (Colour) on a yellow field (Metal) - it works for wasps and it works for me,

Anyway, it's something to think about. Mull it over, and if you still want that purple dragon on a black shield, you go right ahead.

Instructions

Things you will need

- 1.5m of wool fabric in two different colours for the 2 colour version

- 1m of a third colour of wool as well if you're making the magnificently stripy version. (I used red and yellow for the base and black for the stripes)

- Black thread

- A tape measure

- A pen

- An iron. I really mean it this time.

Here is your basic shape:

You're going to cut two exactly like this, and two mirror images. The dimensions on this image will make up something that will fit over the T tunic in the previous tutorial. The neck hole can be approximated - you want something a little bit narrower and a little deeper than your under-tunic, so you get a flash of contrasting colour.

Again, make sure that the dimensions will go round your chest and add to them if necessary. If you're going to wear it over armour, make sure you have your armour on when you measure, and add at least 5 inches in total to your armoured chest measurement. You may have to make the armholes deeper.

Here is a picture showing you how to sew it together -it's really as simple as sewing the shoulder seams (front to back on both sides), then the sides of the surcote. At the front, sew it from the neck down to about half way, then hem the edges below that - this gives you a split for mobility.

Hem the front split and the bottom, the armholes and the neck. Bias tape is a nice way of doing the curved edges. (http://tutorials.abbott.me.uk/home/bias-tape )

Optional: decorating one or both sides

While it looks great in one or two colours, you can make your heraldry really unique by putting stripes, chevrons or any design on one or both sides of your surcote. It's easiest to do before sewing it up.

First, mark your stripes. The easiest way of doing it is to cut a piece of cardboard about 3 inches wide by 3 feet long and use it as a guide to mark your stripes at the angle you like on two cut pieces. You can choose to make the back and the front identical, or they can mirror each other so on the back the colours are reversed - there's no problem with either, so just do what you prefer. Mark your stripes on your fabric.

Now, cut your "stripe" fabric (black in this case) into 4 1/2 inch wide strips. You can usually just rip across the fabric, but check your fabric rips nicely and evenly before doing too many.

On your first marked line, pin your black stripe along it like so:

Sew this line, using your pins as a guide to get your stitches on the marked line.

Then, turn the stripe over so that the stitched seam is covered by it, and press it.

You can then turn the other side under and pin it in place ready to be hand or machine stitched down from the top. Then do this with every alternate line marked on your coloured piece.

Eventually all your black stripes will be sewn on, and your machine stitching will be covered under the fold of the black fabric.

Well done. Now do it again on the matching piece. This is fiddly and time consuming, but don't mistake that for being impossible. Take your time, pin and press where necessary, and you'll get great results.

To fix the other side of the black stripes, you can either topstich them down by machine, following the line of your pins that are holding them in place, or, if you don't want machine stitching to be visible, you can slipstich them down by hand.

If your black stripes are at the neckline, you might want to topstitch round the edge before you trim off the excess black stripes, just so it behaves as one piece of fabric as you work with it. Even if you don't want any machine stitching to be visible, this will be concealed in the shoulder seam and in your neck finishing, so don't worry about it.

Then just sew your four pieces together as above, remembering that the stripy side is the correct side, so you want your seams on the reverse.

Here it is with the bliaut underneath.

Hang on - can't I just sew strips of the two colours together to make a stripy bit of fabric, then cut my pieces from that?

Yes you can. In fact, I've done it that way before. Two caveats - if your stripes aren't going to be horizontal or vertical, the fact that you have to cut out the pieces at an angle to make the stripes slant means you waste a lot of fabric. Second, because you're cutting on the bias (i.e. not on the straight grain of the fabric) your stripy piece will drap and sag in a different way to the other side. Not too much of a problem, but it can look a bit uneven. But if you're going to have horizontal or vertical stripes, it's a time saver.

How about adding a heraldic logo or beast?

You will need

- The cut bits of your surcote

- Contrast fabric

- Thread to match your contrast fabric

- Machine set to zig zag

- Quilters fusible web - Wonder-under, heat-n-bond, fuse-a-web or similar

- Optional: Gold seed beads (I use Guterman)

- Beading or sharp needle

1. Trace or draw your design onto the heat-n-bond. Some brands will tell you which side to use, others not. If it's not clear, very gently separate the layers at one corner. The paper will adhere more to one side of the web than the other - use the MORE adherent side to draw on. If your design is asymmetrical, remember it will be facing the opposite way when you transfer it, so you might want to reverse it first.

2. Once you've copied it, roughly cut out a square around each design.

3. Carefully peel the less sticky paper from the web. Your design side should still be attached to the web.

4. Press the sticky side of your fusible web to the WRONG side of the contrast fabric. This should stick pretty well.

5. Carefully using nail scissors cut around your design. You should now have your design with a paper patch stuck to one side.

6. Peel off the remaining paper, giving you a sticky fabric logo.

7. Position as desired!

8. Using a dishtowel or pressing cloth to sit between the garment and your iron, press several times briefly with a hot steam iron. This should stick the design to the fabric.

9.Using a narrow zig zag on your sewing machine, topstich the edges of the patch to the fabric. This is fiddly, so take your time.

10. Optional: Finally, using your patch-coloured thread, couch beads around the design, covering your machine stitching. Thread two needles and knot them - bring from wrong side to right side. String beads onto one and use the other to couch the beady string down, trying to get it to look like a seamless string of beads around the design..Do this all the way around. Bring both needles to the back and secure. Finished!

Some fusible webs don't have paper on both sides - this is ok. Just trace onto the one side of paper that you have, then, when it comes to sticking it to the fabric, lay it in position and give it a quick press with a hot steam iron - not too long but a second or so should be enough to stick it. The rest is the same.

You can see a project featuring this technique here:

http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/Civil_Service_Look_and_Feel

Too complex?

If you want something a bit simpler, try using felt for your appliqued patch - the edges won't fray, so you can just stitch round with a straight stitch, or by hand, and not bother with the beads to cover the stitching. Felt won't wear as well as woven fabric, but that's ok if you're careful.

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How to make a t-tunic

How to make T - Tunic

Every outfit needs a foundation, and here's a tunic that's a great place to start. Even though we're not re-enactors, it's basically historically accurate, and has several nice practical features. All you need to be able to do is thread a sewing machine and sew a straight line - you could even do this with handsewing, though it might take a while. The measurements supplied are for a garment which will fit up to a relatively large man (44in chest) but as it's an unfitted garment it will work on people a lot smaller - just shorten the arms.

TIP: If you'd like a more personalised fit, measure across your shoulders from one edge to the other, add an inch and use this for the width of your front and back pieces (you might want to check that it is larger than half of your chest measurement +3 inches - otherwise use the larger of the two measurements). For the arm length, measure from the edge of your shoulder to the bone at your wrist, and add an inch. Always err on the side of largeness - you can always trim it down.

You will need

- 2.5m of fabric which is 60 inches wide. We suggest linen, as it's comfortable, cool in summer and warm in winter, reasonably cheap and looks fantastic.

- Thread in a matching or darker colour. (TIP: if you think you might dye the garment later, get cotton or silk thread. Normal sewing thread won't dye and you'll end up with visible stitching. Coats cotton thread is very good. Guterman quilting cotton thread is too coarse.)

- A tape measure

- A pen

- An iron

Total cost - about £13. You should be able to get linen for £3-6 per metre (try ebay). Shown with a charity shop belt (£2.75)

First - take a look at this picture:

This is basically what your bliaut looks like, laid flat, from the front. Looks like a T shirt, right? The body is a big rectangle, as are the sleeves. The little blue bits under the arms are triangles of fabric called gussets, which act to give you a little bit of room under your arms for comfort and movement, and take the stress off the seams at that point. The red triangles are called gores - they're sewn on to the straight piece to give leg room.

This is how it looks before you sew up the side seams:

Looks fiddly! Why can't I just cut that shape in one piece?

The answer is that there's no reason why not. In fact, you can find specific instructions on just how to do that here: http://tutorials.abbott.me.uk/odyssey/rome

The trouble with the one piece construction method is that you waste a lot of fabric, and if you're big you'll find the sleeves too short. Historically, loom width was far less than the width of modern fabric, so they invented ingenious solutions like pieceing the garment to save money when fabric was expensive and labour was cheap. But try it this way - the underarms are more comfortable and hard wearing, and you'll save fabric and money.

Ok. But why do I need an iron?

You'll get a much better result if you press your seams at every step. Once you've sewn a seam, put it on the ironing board and press it open - it will look like this:

You can sew several seams then press them open, but a good rule is don't sew across a seam until you've pressed it. Feel free to ignore this bit if it's too complex or you can't be bothered, but I guarantee it'll improve your final result.

Cutting out the pieces

- The Fronts (white): Cut two pieces measuring 25inches by 42 inches

- The Sleeves (yellow): Cut two pieces measuring about 18 inches by 25 inches

- The gussets (blue): cut four pieces which are right angled triangles with the two short sides measuring 6 inches (in essence, cut two 6x6 squares then cut them in half along the hypotenuse, like a posh sandwich)

- The gores (red): cut four right angled triangles, about 24 inches long by 14 inches wide.

Here is a possible cutting layout for 60 inch wide fabric - if you do it this way you should get your garment cut out of 2.1m of fabric, but it's always best to have a bit spare for cockups.

Putting it together

The best place to start is sewing the front to the back along one of the short edges. Cut the neckhole by cutting a shallow scoop shape, like in the diagram, about 8 inches across and about 2 inches deep - start small, you can always enlarge it later. Now, fold the sleeves in half along the SHORT edge, and mark the centre point on both. Sew your gussets on to the sides of your sleeves - they should look like this:

Match the mark you made to the shoulder seam on each side, and sew the sleeves to the body pieces (front and back). It should look like this:

Optional extra step

If you omit this step, you'll have a perfectly wearable garment, but it will have quite wide sleeves. That's fine if that's the look you're going for, or if you're planning on tucking them into vambraces. If you want a neater look, you'll need to taper the sleeves. This is dead easy.

After you've sewn the gussets on, but before you sew the sleeves onto the body, lay your sleeves out flat. The edge without the gussets is the end that's going to be at your wrist. Fold the sleeve in half down its length, and measure out five inches from the folded edge at the wrist, then mark that point on both sides of the folded cloth. When you unfold it, you'll have two marks which are ten inches apart, centred on the mid point. Draw one line from each of these points to connect to where the gusset meets the sleeve at the other end, then trim off the excess cloth. This sounds clunky - the picture shows it much better:

So you see you've now got a nicely tapered cuff. If you want the wrist to be tighter or baggier, just increase or decrease the width of the fabric at the cuff end.

Now sew in the gores. TIP: start from the bottom edge and sew up. Now if you lay it flat, we're back to this picture:

Now all you do is fold it in half along the line in the drawing, and sew along the dotted lines, like so:

Hem the cuff and the lower edge - you can do this by hand or by machine, either is fine.

To finish the neckline, you can turn the raw edge inside and hem it by hand. Check your head goes through the hole before you start!Or, to make it neater, use bias tape. You can read a short article on how to do that here (Part A - how to make a nice curved neckline on your garment). http://tutorials.abbott.me.uk/home/bias-tape

And there it is! Done! You've made your very own historically accurate tunic. Belt it, add your trousers and you're good to go.

What else can I do with this pattern?

- Try making it longer, for a robe or dress. Make the sleeves elbow length for a different look.

- You can make it in different colours and materials for different nations - black or white for Highguard, bright heraldic colours for Dawn, a nice muted natural brown for the Marches.

- You can make the skirts much wider by making wider gores. However, if you do, you should change the shape of the gores from right angled triangles to isocelese triangles, otherwise the sides of your bliaut will be much longer than the front and back. The pictures shows how:

Hungry for more?

Why not learn How To - Make a Surcote?

Want something simpler?

It doesn't get easier than the one piece tunic on the Roman kit making page here

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=How_to_make_a_t-tunic&oldid=17720"

How to - Make a wizard's or monk's outfit

How to make a Wizard or Monk's outfit

Wizard!

This outfit consists of three parts - an undertunic, a long circular cloak, and a circular mantle. Make it in soft wool or similar for a cosy, easy costume - it takes a lot of fabric, so if your budget is tight, look for a wool/synthetic blend - this stuff was £2 per metre, and looks and handles just like wool.

You will need

- 6m of fabric which is 60 inches wide for the long cloak, 2m for the mantle and 21/2 metres for the undertunic - 10 1/2 metres will be expensive if you don't shop carefully, so do look around. A quick ebay search brought up grey and black for £2.99 per metre - you might do better - try searching for "wool blend suiting".

- Thread in a matching or darker colour. (TIP: if you think you might dye the garment later, get cotton or silk thread. Normal sewing thread won't dye and you'll end up with visible stitching. Coats cotton thread is very good. Guterman quilting cotton thread is too coarse.)

- Bias binding

- 2 fasteners or brooches

Total cost - about £32 for fabric

Tunic

Make one of these: http://empire.crew.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/How_To_-_Make_a_T_-_Tunic

Overcloak

1.Cut a circle with a diameter of about 14 inches for a generous, elbow-length cape. It's easier if you fold your fabric into quarters and just mark out a quarter, cutting through all four pieces at the same time.

2.Cut a tiny neck-hole. If folded in quarters your neckhole radius should be about 2 inches.

3.Cut from one edge in a straight line to the neck hole.

4.Hem or bias-tape all edges.

5. Put a fastener or brooch at the neck edge.

alt text

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Long Undercloak

Do exactly as you did for the short cloak, but use a circle whose radius is the full width of the fabric. To achieve this, you'll need to cut two semicircles, like this:

Two semicircles

Then cut your neck hole, and sew one to the other down one long straight edge to make a whole circle when you lay it out flat on the floor.

Put your cloak on, and fasten it at the neck. Get a friend to position the cloak so that the centre back seam runs right down the middle of your back. With pins or chalk, mark a point on your arm just below your shoulder on both sides, and your elbow height with your arms hanging by your side. Connect these two points in a straight vertical line, one on each side.

Take your cloak off and cut a slash along these lines - this lets your arms poke out. Adjust for comfort. Hem or bind the slashes.

You can tack the neck edges of your cloak and overcloak together, keep them separate or sew them together, whatever you like. Keeping them separate means you can put a tabard in between though, which is nice if you want to.You don't really need a pattern for a tabard, but here's one anyway:

http://tutorials.abbott.me.uk/home/really-simple-costume-1

Wizard!

What else can I do with this pattern?

- Want to save fabric? Make a semicircular cloak rather than a full circle and save 3m. Make the cloak from this one but leave off the fur:

http://empire.crew.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire-wiki/How_to_-_Make_an_awesome_furry_mantle

- Ignore the full length cloak, and lengthen the T tunic to ankle length for a different look.

- Add a matching hood, tabard or cowl.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=How_to_-_Make_a_wizard%27s_or_monk%27s_outfit&oldid=12704"

Hunger of the Draughir

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 3

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 3

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains one additional rank of fortitude, and experiences a roleplaying effect: they feel hungry all the time, and no amount of food can satisfy them, although they suffer no physical disadvantages.

In addition, however, the target gains the draughir ability to eat carrion: the target can get sustenance from anything they can eat or drink, even if it would normally cause them to become sick, and don’t need as much food, drink or sleep as normal. They can eat rotting meat, spoiled vegetables and uncooked flesh ir drink blood, stagnant water or rancid milk without ill effect.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same band. Every two additional characters increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

The target of this ritual is imbued with a splinter of the Winter Realm's relentless hunger; it lodges in their gut and writhes there, leaving them ravenous. Yet at the same time it causes some of Winter's cold, hard resilience take root in them, turning their blood cold and thick.

In today's Empire it is rare for anyone to starve; yet this has not always been the case. In pre- and early-Imperial times this ritual would sometimes be performed by a runesmith or a volhov on volunteers from an isolated community, who would them be able to live on leftovers and carrion while their families and friends shared out the best of their meagre provisions through periods of drought, poor-harvest or long winter. It is a common tale that some of those who volunteered sired or gave birth to draughir as a consequence of the ritual, and even today there are magicians who counsel against being intimate with others while under this enchantment. In times of reasonable plenty, this spell is mostly useful for enhancing the constitution of an individual who is already quite tenacious, or as an adjunct to the use of an Abraxus Stone.

This ritual is sometimes associated with the Eternal Sorin; some ritualists evoke the name of Wise Rangara and claim that this ritual represents hard decisions and sensible, practical solutions to problems. A very few ritualists invoke Wendigo; those who do so, do so secretly and use the fortitude this ritual grants them to engage in unspeakable feasts. When such ritualists are uncovered, they are often declared sorcerers by the Imperial Conclave, or at the very least brought before magistrates to answer charges of murder or desecration.

Common Elements

As with many enchantment rituals, common elements include the consumption of food and drink; unlike many such rituals, it is common to use spoiled food or drink rather than wholesome sustenance. Unsurprisingly, the rune of hunger is often used, painted onto the skin especially the skin of the belly. Likewise an evocation of The Drowned Man, or of carrion beasts such as crows, rats or even hyena may be appropriate. Navarr ritualists may mark the target with the blood of a draughir,but usually only if one of the ritualists is of that lineage.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Hunger_of_the_Draughir&oldid=22710"

Hungry Goat

Hungry Goat Song

Lyrics by Jude

Melody traditional Gaelic, as sung by Karine Polwart here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSsmZsZhVac&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Early in the morning And without any warning My goat ate all the pants That were hanging on the line

Chorus: Goaty, goaty, hungry little goaty Goaty, goaty, hungry all the time

Daddy went to borrow Some pants to wear tomorrow But the goat had eaten mummy's And had eaten all of mine

Chorus: Goaty, goaty, hungry little goaty Goaty, goaty, hungry all the time

Daddy started cursing And the goat looked full to bursting But it went back to the washing 'cause we didn't see in time

Chorus: Goaty, goaty, hungry little goaty Goaty, goaty, hungry all the time

So later in the morning And with hardly any warning My goat ate all the socks That were hanging on the line...

(repeat with other articles of clothing)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Hungry_Goat&oldid=7379"

Hungry Grasp of Despair

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 10

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 10

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying.

Effects

At the completion of this ritual, all contributors gain the ability to cast the Weakness spell once as if they knew it and without spending any mana.

When cast with more than one contributor, this ritual always counts as a use of the coven bond and counts towards the number of rituals the coven can perform that day.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Description

The Hungry Grasp of Despair is a battlefield spell that allows a coven of Winter magicians to deny their enemies the ability to use their powers or enchanted items. It withers their ability to use mana, or to engage in heroic action. Unlike rituals such as Charge of the Rushing Wind or Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis, this ritual is effective only when used with care; they must be confident that their sacrifice will have sufficient impact on the enemy to make it worthwhile. A common battlefield use is to allow a coven to help demoralize and disempower an elite band, or an enemy coven. It is at it's most useful when the ritualists are supported by (or are themselves) battlemages and warriors.

The ritual is more powerful the more members of the coven are present, and reaches it's highest potential the more ritualists who have not personally mastered the ability to weaken their foes through spellcasting.

Among some League mountebanks and more cynical troupes it is called Fear, for the Mighty. This references the idea that it is the powerful who have the most to lose from the effect of this ritual. In Wintermark it is sometimes called Kyrop's Balance; in The Marches it is Levelling the Playing Field. In some parts of Dawn it is scurrilously called Humble the Errant Knights; a name with multiple meanings depending on who is performing the ritual.

This ritual has existed in one form or another since the earliest records, and it is possible that the weakness incantation itself began as a refinement of the power it grants.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes forces of despair, fear and hunger. Oppressive music or thundering rhythms that begin fast and become slower and slower, symbolic of the way power ebbs from those effected by this curse, are common; so are frenzied dances that reach a climax with the performers collapsing as if from exhaustion.

Other elements might include the runes Kyrop or Naeve, or a dramaturgical scene in which the Bishop slowly succumbs to weakness and frailty. An astronomancer might invoke the power of the Drowned Man constellation, while a Dawnish witch might call on the spirit of the insidious manticore or the echoing roar of the terrible chimera.

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Hurry, Hunter

Original Music & Lyrics by Anna Clifford Tait and Stephanie Heath

RECORDING of this song : Hurry Hunter

Hunter steps through shadows swiftly Creeping, creeping carefully Following the signs that lead him Signs of promise, signs of life

Chorus: Hurry, hunter, darkness chases Don't let nightfall catch you out Once the sun sets, your role changes Blood on snow, you are the prey

Up ahead a movement flashes Hunter freezes, senses strain There she is - the bow swings ready, Arrow nocks to bring her down.

Chorus

Still the moment, silence rings out Arrow looses, flying fast At the last, the gentle doe hears Shivers, bucks and off she goes.

Chorus

Hunter runs, a trail of crimson Stains the snow, the shot was true But the doe is fleeting, fleeing Chase is on to win the prize.

Chorus

Blood on snow the trail grows thicker Weaker, slower, still she runs Hunter thinks of crying children Follows on as darkness falls.

Chorus

Silver body lies before him Crumpled on the forest floor Hunter sees, then come the growlings Children they are crying still.

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Hymn to Vigilance

Original tune Akk Fader. Very quiet recording here.

I arm myself with sword and shield To take the battlefield And daily armed with faith I go To face a subtler foe An empire pure and whole  Must ever be our goal O let me ever vigilant stand Defending faith and land

False doctrines and deceitful words Across the lands are heard And all our sacrifice has bought In the end shall be for nought, If malcontents and fools And raised on high to rule O let me ever vigilant stand Defending faith and land.

These words shall ever be our charge Upon our souls writ large The Empire is our destiny Its guards and lords are we For should we ever fail The darkness shall prevail O let me ever vigilant stand Defending faith and land

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Hymn_to_Vigilance&oldid=7253"

I Come and Stand at Every Door

I Come and Stand at Every Door Original lyrics by Nazim Hikmet

I come and stand at every door But no one hears my silent tread I knock and yet remain unseen For I am dead, for I am dead.

I'm only seven although I died In ancient cities long ago I'm seven now as I was then When children die they do not grow.

The last I saw was fell Vallorn My eyes grew dim, my eyes grew blind Death came and turned my bones to dust And that was scattered by the wind.

I need no sleep, I need no breath I need no fruit, nor even bread I ask for nothing for myself For I am dead, for I am dead.

All that I ask is that for peace You fight today, you fight today So that the children of this world May live and grow and laugh and play.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=I_Come_and_Stand_at_Every_Door&oldid=7596"

Icon of Judgement

Description

These ceremonial tools, in common with several other, allow a priest to perform or assist with a Liao ceremony that they have not personally mastered. The icon of judgement is the rarest of it's kind. They are often crafted from thin rods or even short staffs, or from a bundle of thin rods bound together with bands of precious metal. This last form is a metaphor for the idea that a single stick can be broken, but several sticks bound together are almost impossible to snap. Given the uses to which this item, and the ceremony it provides, are commonly put the bundle's symbolism is especially apt.

An icon of judgement requires months of work by a skilled artisan, commonly with a set of tools inlaid with dragonbone used especially for crafting religious items. The materials used are usually carefully purified, and in the The Marches in particular a crafter will not embark on creating one of these icons without first being shriven by a trusted priest. Unlike most other icons, an icon of judgement is rarely ornamented. They are serious items with a very serious purpose.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of an icon.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: While you are wielding this icon you can perform the excommunicate ceremony as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting an icon of the hearth requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Icon_of_Judgement&oldid=32140"

Icon of the Forge

Description

As with other, this ceremonial tool allows a priest to perform a Liao ceremony. These icons often bear images of paragons and exemplars such as Isenbrad who are closely associated with crafting; or characters such as Bolstering Bill or Inga Tarn whose legends are connected with special objects. An icon of the forge is sometimes designed to open so that an object can be placed inside it during the ceremony. Other common forms include a bowl or jug used with purified water or oils, or a hefty aspergil or thurible.

It can take months for a skilled artisan to create an icon of the forge. The materials used often include small amounts of magical materials, and it is very common for a crafter to use tools inlaid with dragonbone when working on an icon. More so than other icons, the icon of the forge tends to be intricately worked and some artisans who specialise in making religious accouterments take great care and Pride in making an icon that allows a priest to lay auras over the work of their peers. In Wintermark it is common to see one marked with runes, while in some parts of The Marches and Dawn these icons tend to be more practical in appearance - but still solidly made and decorated.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of an icon.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: While you are wielding this icon you can perform the hallow ceremony as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting an icon of the hearth requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Icon_of_the_Forge&oldid=32139"

Icon of the Hearth

Description

As with other, this ceremonial tool allows a priest to perform a Liao ceremony. These icons often bear images of paragons and exemplars closely associated with the home, with defending places or with hospitality but in truth it is difficult to make definitive statements about their appearance beyond the fact that they tend to be significant religious items wielded during a ceremony.

It can take months for a skilled artisan to create an icon of the hearth. The materials used often include small amounts of magical materials, and it is very common for a crafter to use tools inlaid with dragonbone when working on an icon. It is also quite common for an icon of the hearth to be beautifully inlaid with precious metals and stones, and for it to be left in pride-of-place in a shrine when not in use. In many devout homes, an icon of the hearth is the first ornament seen when one enters through the main door, even if the home itself is not consecrated to one of the Virtues.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of an icon.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: While you are wielding this icon you can perform the consecrate ceremony as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting an icon of the hearth requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Icon_of_the_Hearth&oldid=32143"

Icon of the High Tower

Description

An is generally a ceremonial tool that allows a priest to perform a Liao ceremony they have not personally mastered. The icon of the high tower often bears symbols associated with Wisdom or Vigilance, or the images of paragons and exemplars who showed great insight or clarity of thought, especially the sentinel. The Highborn are sometimes call one an icon of the beacon, while Freeborn, Navarr and Urizen alike may wield an icon of the clear sky. For various reasons they often take the form of a stout walking stick or rod with a sphere of clear gemstone, polished metal sphere or crystal set into one end.

An icon of the high tower requires months of work by a skilled artisan, commonly with a set of tools inlaid with dragonbone used especially for crafting religious items. They often including trace amounts of the magical materials, especially tempest jade and weltsilver.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of an icon.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: While you are wielding this icon you can perform the insight ceremony as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting an icon of the hearth requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Icon_of_the_High_Tower&oldid=32966"

Icon of the Justicar

Description

As with other, this ceremonial tool allows a priest to perform a Liao ceremony. These icons often bear images of paragons and exemplars who defended people against false virtues, corrupt individuals or supernatural threats.

An icon of the justicar is the fruit of months of work for a skilled artisan. The work often includes small amounts of the magical materials, and it is very common for a crafter to use tools inlaid with dragonbone when working on an icon. Icons of the justicar take their name from a title given to some exorcists and inquisitors in the pre-Imperial history of the Brass Coast, who specialised in driving out malign spirits or cleansing unpleasent auras from people, places and objects. In many parts of the Empire they are crafted to resemble torches or braziers, or may actually be censers used to burn strong-smelling materials. In some parts of Varushka they are commonly created in the shape of sturdy metal candlesticks, in which beeswax candles are burnt during exorcism ceremonies.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of an icon.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: While you are wielding this icon you can perform the exorcism ceremony as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting an icon of the hearth requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Icon_of_the_Justicar&oldid=32146"

Icon of the Pilgrim

Description

As with other, this ceremonial tool allows a priest to perform a Liao ceremony. These icons often bear images of paragons and exemplars closely associated with ideas of travel and stories of service to others, but it is difficult to make definitive statements about their appearance beyond the fact that they tend to be significant religious items wielded during a ceremony.

An icon of the pilgrim is the fruit of months of work for a skilled artisan. The work often includes small amounts of the magical materials, and it is very common for a crafter to use tools inlaid with dragonbone when working on an icon. Icons of the pilgrim take their name from their use in preparing a devout traveller for a journey away from home, granting them spiritual strength when they must go into dangerous situations or even when they simply have to spend a period away from their family and friends. They often take the form of an aspergil, thurible or bowl of water or oil that is used to literally anoint the body of the ceremonial subject.

In some parts of Highguard they take the form of a polished bowl in which the priest and the pilgrim alike wash their hands, or even sometimes their feet. In Wintermark, The Brass Coast and The League they commonly appear as a large chalice or goblet with which the priest and the pilgrim share a drink of wine or fresh water as part of the ceremony.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of an icon.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: While you are wielding this icon you can perform the anointing ceremony as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting an icon of the hearth requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Icon_of_the_Pilgrim&oldid=32963"

Icon of the Witness

Description

These ceremonial tools, in common with several other, allow a priest to perform or assist with a Liao ceremony that they have not personally mastered. The icon of the witness is often decorated with images of exemplars and paragons who have exalted others more than themselves, or whose tales include inspirational moments of judgement, revelation and the like. It is common for one of these icons to include themes of measuring or weighing - scales are often used, but so are short staves marked at regular intervals. The paagon Zoria is said to have crafted the first icon of the witness, an artefact in the shape of a three-foot rod marked in inches, although the truth of this claim is difficult to ascertain.

An icon of judgement requires months of work by a skilled artisan, commonly with a set of tools inlaid with dragonbone used especially for crafting religious items.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of an icon.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: While you are wielding this icon you can perform the testimony ceremony as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting an icon of the hearth requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Icon_of_the_Witness&oldid=35076"

Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 15

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 15

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Winter regio. This ritual targets a territory, and must be performed at a regio in that territory. If the ritual is used to target an Imperial territory, it may instead be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

The target territory is scoured with unpleasant weather, and magicians in the area begin to feel increasingly uncomfortable. In some cases they become depressed and lethargic, in others short tempered and aggressive.

All mana sites in the territory provide only half as many mana crystals as they would otherwise produce in the coming season. The ritual may also damage weak regio, as well as encouraging some magical beasts to either become lethargic or dangerously aggressive.

Description

The power of this ritual encourages bad weather across the territory, but also brings with it a malaise that seeps into the spirits of magicians - while their personal mana reserves are not effected, they often become either lethargic and depressed or short-tempered and aggressive if they spend an extended period in the territory.

The ritual also effects supernatural creatures, either encouraging them to become lethargic and docile or aggressive and ill-tempered. Used against the barbarians, it is most likely to penalise the Thule and the Druj rather than the Jotun or the Grendel.

The ritual has been invoked once in the last hundred years by Imperial citizens on an Imperial territory; during a dispute between a Freeborn covens based in Siroc and several troupes in Sarvos, the ritual was used by the Freeborn to drain the mana sites of theCity of Jewels. In this case, the Freeborn coven were exonnerated by the Imperial Conclave who deemed the matter to be resolved internally without the intervention of magistrates. The ritual is not deemed to involve theft - the mana is simply depleted, not stolen.

A few scholars are concerned about where the mana is going if it is not forming mana crystals; suspicious types suggest it is being stolen by or channeled into the Winter Realm in some way.

Common Elements

The ritual releases a malign, oppressive force into a territory. Grim, throbbing musical rhythms, slow threatening movement and invocations of dread and hunger are all used to raise and direct this malign power. It is common to evoke the rune Naeve or Kyrop with this ritual. Some Wintermark covens attempt to channel or mitigate it's effects with Hirmok, or to channel the depleted mana towards their own mana site but they do not report much success.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Icy_Maw_Devours_the_Spark_of_Essence&oldid=35674"

Idiom Productions

Contents

- 1 Idiom Productions

- 1.1 Dawn

- 1.2 The League

- 1.3 Wintermark

- 1.4 Highguard

- 1.5 Navarr

Idiom Productions

Contact Details: idiomleather@gmail.com

Idiom specialises in custom hand crafted leatherwork, encompassing styles and projects limited only by the imagination.

Idiom designs to your needs. Detail and style can vary from one item to another: from a fur lined tunic to moulded, hand-tooled plate armour, finished with gold seal. The quality however, remains consistent.

We will assess any job offered to us: If we can't offer you our services, we will at least offer you our advice.

Find us at http://www.facebook.com/idiomproductions and

Under construction http://www.idiomproductions.co.uk/home

Below are a few of our custom orders which could be used for Nations in Empire.

Dawn

One of our projects was to produce a Medieval plate armpiece. This would be perfect for Dawnish light armour and could be tooled with your personal emblems.

The League

This Breast plate used tailoring techniques to give it a rigid curve to the front and back in order to achieve an historical plate effect. It would work well for a street bravo or lightly armoured soldier.

Wintermark

A large part of our recent work has been in producing fantasy leather armour with a dark ages feel.

Highguard

We have produced many sets of lorica. The image below shows one decorated with knotwork, but for highguard the emblem of your choice (feathers or wings for example) could be used

Navarr

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Idolatry, blasphemy and heresy

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Religious Crimes (Redirected from Idolatry, Blasphemy and Heresy)

Contents

- 1 Religious Crimes

- 1.1 Idolatry

- 1.2 Blasphemy

- 1.3 Heresy

- 1.4 Abuse of Powers

- 1.5 Desecration

Religious Crimes

The Imperial constitution charges the Synod with the responsibility for the spiritual welfare of the Empire. The Imperial bureaucracy has interpreted this, in part, as a remit for the Synod to investigate religious and spiritual crimes.

Central to this responsibility is that the Imperial faith does not undermine, or in any way supplant, Imperial law. Consequently, whilst the priests of the Synod may investigate religious crimes, they must present their case to the judiciary, who will then rule on the guilt of the identified person or persons, and determine their punishment.

The Synod powers relevant to this process are inquisition and condemnation.

Further information on the relation to Imperial Law can be found here.

The current list of religious crimes includes Idolatry, Blasphemy, Heresy, Abuse of Powers and Desecration.

Idolatry

The crime of idolatry is defined as: Subsuming human will and destiny to any inhuman entity or force. This includes the worship, veneration or exaltation of any such being or power.

This crime incorporates the worship of "gods", Eternals and other supernatural beings, though some priests have considered applying it in a political context as well.

Blasphemy

The crime of blasphemy is defined as: The denigration of the Paragons and the Paths of Virtue. This includes promoting False Virtues and the teachings, or example, of False Exemplars or False Paragons.

The Feast of the Broken Wheel practiced by the Freeborn is contentious and some priests in other nations have accused it of being blasphemous, though, to date, no attempted condemnation of any participant has been successful.

Heresy

The crime of heresy is defined as: The willful rejection, or perversion of, the Orthodox Doctrines of the Faith as laid down by the Imperial Synod, or actively teaching and promoting False Doctrines.

The Synod does permit the discussion, and debate, of the doctrines, and potential variations thereof, as part of theological investigation and learning. The criminal act is the teaching of “truth” that has not been recognised as such by the Synod. Virtuous priests will first seek to change Doctrine in the Synod, rather than undermine it.

Abuse of Powers

The crime of abuse of powers is defined as: The misuse, or abuse, of the powers of a priest. This includes the powers of the Synod, as well as liao ceremonies.

The Synod is charged with ensuring the proper conduct of all priestly Imperial citizens, whether they are Synod members or not. Abuse of Synod powers may include looking to use confession and clemency to pervert the law, rather than promote virtue. Abuse of priest ceremonies may include use of the excommunication ceremony on an Imperial citizen without them having first been excommunicated by the Synod.

Desecration

The crime of desecration is defined as: The removal of spontaneously created auras such as legacies of ascendance to paragonhood. This includes such auras arising on areas, objects and people.

The Senate passed this into law in Autumn 377. The Magistrates' interpretation is that in order for this law to accord with constitutional principles it must be tried as a religious crime. The reference to paragonhood in the example makes it is clear that this law deals with complex issues around virtue and doctrines of the faith and accordingly any prosecution requires condemnation by the appropriate synod assembly.

Anger radiated from Garath, filling the tent in which he was sat. The Sentinel by the doorway tensed in response. Conversely, Casia, her black-eyes unblinking, appeared entirely unpeturbed and gently stroked her barbels as she considered the broker.

“This is a travesty, and a waste of time,” spat Garath, “Do you really have nothing better to do with your time, fendweller?”

Casia merely considered him in silence.

“You had no right to haul me in like some criminal!” Gareth railed, “I was in the middle of an important trade deal. You’ve cost me a lot of money and I’ll have every ring of it out of your sodden hide.”

The merrow Illuminate simply lifted her cup and drank from it. Taking her time to finish it if full, she turned again to Garath. Rising from her seat she circled his seat before she finally spoke.

“I’m curious,” she said, without irony, “I have spoken at length to some of your business partners. You are a successful trader, there is no doubt. Yet the part that I do not understand is what you do with the liao you purchase from the Bloodhammer legion. No one I have spoken to reports you ever selling any of it.”

Garath snarled, “Is that it? My cousin Gwyn is a Guide. I provide it to him as part of the work of the Faith. Go and ask him.”

Casia nodded, and paused to produce a notebook in which the name was carefully inscribed. As she was putting her pen away, the tent flapped jostled and another Sentinel entered carrying a bag.

Garath blanched, “That’s mine! You’ve no right…”

“I think you will find that priests of the Synod have the right to go a great many places,” Casia interrupted calmly, as she took the bag from the armed man. Reaching in she produced a handful of small documents.

“Oh my,” she said, her tone unchanged despite the expression of surprise, “I do believe I have seen some of these in the tavern. Leaflets extolling the glory of Elora, Goddess of Hope.”

The black eyes fixed themselves on Garath again, “I do believe that’s heresy, blasphemy and idolatry in one single stroke. Thank you for your time Broker Garath, your inquisition is concluded. I would suggest you do not make any plans to leave Anvil as I am quite sure the magistrates will be wanting a word.”

As Garath rose, Casia gestured and the two Sentinels moved to either side of him. Garath glared at his shadows, but said nothing as he left the tent with the two following him.

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Idumea

Slight filk by Jude Reid & Daisy Abbott. youtube recording with the score to sing along

3-part harmony version

RECORDINGS by Muldoon's Picnic

- Full harmony - Media:518idumea-harmony.mp3‎

- Tune - Media:518idumea-tenor.mp3‎

- Bass - Media:518idumea-bass.mp3‎

- Treble - Media:518idumea-treble.mp3‎

And am I born to die? To lay this body down! And must my trembling spirit fly Into a world unknown?

A land of deepest shade, Unpierced by human thought The dreary regions of the dead, Where all things are forgot.

Soon as from earth I go What will become of me? As through the Labyrinth I'll go And then reborn I'll be!

But through the twisting maze, My soul will find rebirth To seek the truth through night and day Upon the turning earth!

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If it had a Heart

Original Song: If I had a Heart by Fever Ray (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBAzlNJonO8)

New lyrics by Gabrielle Falquero

Thought it couldn’t end and wanted more More, then Vallorn, then Vallorn Thought it couldn’t end and wanted more More, then Vallorn, then Vallorn

If it had a heart it would hate you If it had a voice to scream After the night when I wake up I'll see what tomorrow brings Aaaaaah aaaaaah aaaaaahhh ... If it had a voice to scream

Dragging feet, a husk insane Will it ever ever reach the floor? More, then Vallorn, then Vallorn Crushed and filled with all it found underneath and inside just to come around More, then Vallorn, then Vallorn

Aaaaaah aaaaaah aaaaaahhh ... If it had a voice to scream

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If Varushka Wills

Original Music & Lyrics by Anna Clifford Tait and Stephanie Heath

RECORDING of this song : If Varushka Wills

Come listen to my song Join in and sing along The fire burns, its orange light Will keep us safe all through the night.

Tell a tale, play your part Burns the fire, burns the heart Play and sing, drink and dance Now's your moment, now's your chance.

Find the path through dark and cold Man and woman, young and old Keep the fire, keep the spark Keep us dancing through the dark.

Winter cares not for your name Dark will take us all the same Hold together, standing strong Noise and music, bind our throng.

Turns the season, turns the wheel Hunger bites, a sting like steel Passions burn through snow and ice Our family, our land, our life.

We are many, we are one Come together, day is done Gainst the darkness, gainst the night Build our shield of blood and light

Share our warmth, take a hand Tap your feet and join our band Through the night the flames grow higher To match the dancers, flying fire

What the morrow brings, who knows? Still the river onward flows Will we all be standing still? If Varushka wills, we will!

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Ilium

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Using Ilium in Rituals

- 2.1 Roleplaying Effects

- 2.2 Removing a Permanent Effect

- 3 Creating Artefacts

- 3.1 Roleplaying Effects

- 3.2 Destroying an Artefact

- 3.3 Creating Schema

- 4 Further Reading

Overview

Ilium is a rare mineral that falls from the sky. In any given year very little Ilium actually falls, but it has been falling for a very long time indeed. It is primarily found in three places; deep underground, under the sea and occasionally in craters - the latter very rarely indeed. One of the most valuable pieces of jewellery one can own is a ring of Ilium – indeed, it is often measured in terms of the amount required to make a ring.

Sometimes called star metal, Ilium is a pale, dull metal that when polished up looks quite a lot like platinum. It is always cool to the touch, and is almost impervious to heat – it is difficult and time consuming to work. However, artisans who work with Ilium are prepared to put in the extra effort because this exceptionally valuable material allows them to extend the lifespan of their crafted items indefinitely and create artefacts.

Ritual magicians also have a use of ilium. It can be used to give a ritual enchantment or curse a permanent duration. It can also be used by apothecaries in the preparation of the valuable Elixir of Exalted Puissance and Elixir of Emyrean Art.

Unlike other materials, ilium is not produced by mines or forests. Imperial ilium is allocated through campaign resources, most of which are assigned to the Imperial Bourse. Occasionally a small deposit of ilium will be found by a lucky NPC mine owner, diver, fisherman or farmer. Found ilium is usually publicly auctioned at Anvil.

Using Ilium in Rituals

- Ritualists can use Ilium to make some enchantments and curses permanent

- A permanent rituals requires at least three rings for every level of magnitude of the ritual

To make the effect of a formulaic ritual permanent requires a number of rings of ilium equal to three times it's magnitude, with a minimum of ten rings. It is not possible to make a spontaneous ritual effect permanent using ilium.

Effects that lower the magnitude of an effect do not change the amount of ilium it requires to make it permanent. The ilium must be consumed when the ritual is performed; an existing enchantment cannot later be made permanent with ilium.

Only enchantments and curses with a duration of season or year can be made permanent in this way.

Some other rituals can also incorporate ilium to get additional effects such as Distill the Serpent's Stone; such cases are specifically mentioned in the ritual description.

Roleplaying Effects

- You cannot use exorcism to remove the roleplaying effects of a permanent ritual

The roleplaying effects created by many rituals are also made permanent when the ritual is made permanent. As such, they cannot be removed with the ceremony of exorcism.

Removing a Permanent Effect

- Permanent enchantments are not replaced by a new enchantment, the new enchantment fails

- Permanent rituals can still be removed by other methods

Making an enchantment or curse permanent only affects the natural duration of the effect, it does not impede other methods of removal or other restrictions on their duration.

A ritual requires an additional condition to prevent it ending prematurely (for example, a mark on the face or that the target be incapacitated) then a permanent effect still ends if that condition is not being met.

For example, the various rituals that grant additional production to farms such as Blessing of New Spring are rarely performed using ilium because such rituals always end at the start of winter.

There is one exception; an enchantment that is made permanent with ilium is not supplanted if the target is subject to another enchantment unless that enchantment also uses ilium. The permanent enchantment persists and the new enchantment fails. A permanent enchantment can be removed with ritual magic, although there is no formulaic ritual in Imperial Lore at the moment that does so. The magnitude of the ritual must equal or exceed the number of rings of ilium used to create the permanent enchantment.

Creating Artefacts

- Artisans can create artefacts, permanent magic items, using ilium

- Creating an artefact requires at least one ring of ilium for each ingot or measure required to make the item

An artefact is a magic item whose properties are permanent. An artisan can create an artefact version of any magical item they know how to craft.

Creating an artefact requires one ring of Ilium for each ingot and measure required to make the item, with a minimum of 10 rings of Ilium. For example, crafting a permanent duelist's scales sword, which requires seven ingots of orichalcum, three ingots of tempest jade, three ingots of weltsilver and three units of beggar's lye will require sixteen rings of Ilium to craft as an artefact.

The ilium must be imbued into the item at the same time it is crafted; it's not possible to make an existing magic item into an artefact.

Roleplaying Effects

- All artefacts created by artisans have roleplaying effects on the user

- You cannot use exorcism to remove the roleplaying effects from an artefact

Every artefact has a name, which appears on the item ribbon. Artefacts also exert strong influence over their wielders in the form of roleplaying effects. Over time these roleplaying effects may become more pronounced, or subtly shift, based on the significant events in which the item is involved. This is a permanent part of the item and cannot be removed with a ceremony of exorcism.

The creator can attempt to give an artefact a unique name when they craft the item. They may also try to imbue the item with roleplaying effects that they would like, however artefacts seem to have a life of their own and some artisans even claim the item choses it's own name. When you create an artefact you should e-mail Profound Decisions with details of the item, the name and the roleplaying effect that you would like. We will pick a name and roleplaying effects for the item based on the information you provide. We are most likely to change comedic names or effects that are inappropriate for the setting.

The best roleplaying effects reflect the nature of the artisan, or the purpose for which it is intended. For example, Guntherm's Hammer is an artefact greathammer crafted for the Steinr Emperor Guntherm which shares the magical qualities of a Captain's Command weapon but fills the wielder with a strong desire to kill any orc standing on Imperial soil.

Destroying an Artefact

- Artefacts cannot be destroyed by mundane means

- Artefacts are affected by SHATTER, but can be repaired with the Mend spell

Artefacts can only be permanently destroyed with the Words of Ending ritual or by certain powerful creatures (including some eternals). The permanent magic imbued in the item make it immune to mundane methods of destruction.

An artefact is still affected by the shatter call, but can always be repaired with the mend spell.

Creating Schema

In conjunction with a runeforge, iium is also used to create schemata. Schemata are magical "texts" that describe the method of creating a magic item. Any artisan can study a schema and master the methods involved in creating the magic item it describes.

Further Reading

- Rituals

- Magic Items

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Illuminates' Amulet

Description

These amulets are most often found among the Highborn and the Urizen, where magician-priests are relatively common. The first amulets were used by Urizen illuminates, but a great many were given as gifts to Highborn missionaries and priests, and the Urizen freely shared the secret of crafting them with the ashen priests. While this appears on the surface a highly altruistic act on behalf of the Urizen, cynics suggest it was motivated more by a desire to encourage more priests to study magic, and more magicians to study religion.

Constructed from dragonbone and woven with threads coloured with gloaming, they provide the wearers with the ability to refresh their magical reserves through spiritual activity. They are often crafted in the form of amulets or medallions bearing the image of one of the symbols of the Way, or of a specific image associated with one of the Imperial virtues. In some places the amulet bears the rune Cavul or Aesh, or occasionally Irremais, or (especially in Urizen) the image of a constellation such as the Phoenix or the Key.

As with many such items, it is common to hallow an illuminates' amulet.

Rules

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of ceremonial regalia.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day when you use a dose of Liao during a religious ceremony, you can regain one point of personal Mana.

- Materials: Crafting an illuminates' amulet requires five measures of iridescent gloaming, five ingots of weltsilver and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Illuminate the Higher Mind

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 3

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 3

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the magician skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains the ability to cast one spell as if they knew it. The spell is chosen during the ritual, and must be known to at least one character who contributes to the performance.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Every two additional characters increase the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must have the magician skill and be present throughout; each target receives the ability to cast the same spell.

Description

Illuminate the Higher Mind provides spellcasting ability. Like Ascendance of the Highest Mind and Transcendent Mastery imprints precise knowledge of how the incantation is performed, it's effect and limitations, into the mind of the target. By using that knowledge they can perform the spell 'by rote'.

It is very useful for allowing a coven to expand their versatility; a common use is to allow members to perform useful spells such as heal, empower, swift heal, purify, or purge that might be useful in a coming battle. It's use is not limited to coven-mates however; some covens and magicians make a point of mastering as many incantations as possible, selling the ability to perform a useful spell to other magicians. For example, a coven might temporarily teach a band of Dawnish war-witches how to perform the venom spell when they must enter an area infested with vallornspawn husks, or to give a Navarr magician-messenger the ability to perform the night pouch incantation to help them conceal valuable documents.

While it is often used by a coven, it is a simple enough ritual that a single scholar of Day magic might perform it; it might even be improvised if there is enough need. It is slightly more useful to a coven merely because there is likely to be a larger number of spells available among the contributors.

Common Elements

The ritual usually involves a symbolic transfer of knowledge between the character or characters who know the chosen spell, and the recipients. Often this mimics the master/apprentice or student/teacher relationships, and sometimes it involves the casting of the spell to be taught.

Tokens marked with the rune Aesh may change hands, and there may be a symbolic (or very real) payment between student and teacher, especially in a Freeborn or League ritual. The Navarr may enact a merging or exchange of blood, but they are as likely to pass written scrolls from one to another.

In Varushka this ritual often involves a spoken oath from the recipient to use the spell granted responsibly; an oath which is often taken very seriously by the magician who is the source of the spell knowledge. Among Imperial orc warcasters a combination of copying the incantation down and an oath to use the spell for the good of the legion may be combined (often overseen by an oathwright). Some Imperial orcs ritualists call on an ancestor to inspire the target with the chosen spell, but this is rarely attemped unless the target is a shaman. In a similar way, some Highborn magisters seek to inspire their target so that one of their past lives may awaken enough to let them channel the chosen spell.

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Imperial army (Redirected from Imperial armies)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Army Size

- 2.1 Large Armies

- 2.2 Special Quality

- 3 Senate Commissions

- 3.1 Costs

- 3.2 Recruitment

- 3.3 Resupply

- 3.4 Enlargement

- 4 Upkeep

- 5 Maximum numbers of Imperial Armies

- 6 Military Units

- 7 Current Armies

- 7.1 Brass Coast

- 7.2 Dawn

- 7.3 Highguard

- 7.4 Imperial Orcs

- 7.5 The League

- 7.6 The Marches

- 7.7 Navarr

- 7.8 Urizen

- 7.9 Varushka

- 7.10 Wintermark

- 8 Further Reading

- 8.1 Core Brief

- 8.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Empire is defended by its armies. Each army is a large force, capable of acting independently and supported by their own logistics with baggage trains, siege engines, and foragers. They are therefore able to venture beyond the boundaries of the Empire and, so long as their casualties are low, remain fully capable despite being engaged in prolonged campaigns.

The typical member of an Imperial army is fed and billeted by the civil service but is not paid in coin. These volunteers have signed up for two years Imperial Service - they are trained and equipped and then assigned to an Imperial army. if they choose to leave the army at the end of that period they receive payment in land from the Empire (equivalent to a level one farm).

Although the lure of land is what draws most citizens to Imperial Service, the training and equipment received can be valuable. Most members of the many independent military units spread across the empire are former soldiers.

Each Imperial army is commended by a general. While generals are chosen by Senators, once appointed the general has sole authority to order the army to move or attack as they choose. Traditionally the generals of one nation will cooperate but it is not a requirement and a general is within their rights to give orders as they see fit.

Army Size

To allow players to make sensible and meaningful comments about the capability of their armies, each army has a fighting strength (usually 5000). This number represents the effective fighting force of the army - equivalent to 5000 raw recruits. The civil service uses complex day magic to quantify the effective fighting force of each Imperial armies, providing this IC information to the Imperial generals. An actual Imperial army may have more or less than 5000 soldiers in it, the civil service only provide the Generals with precise information on the actual fighting strength, since this is the critical number needed to make effective strategic decisions.

Barbarian armies tend to be much larger than Imperial armies, although in practice their fighting strength is usually similar.

As an army takes casualties its fighting strength drops. An army whose fighting strength falls below 1,000 will immediately disband.

Large Armies

The majority of campaign armies have a maximum strength of 5,000 fighting force. A large army, however, has a maximum fighting strength of 7,500. A large army still counts as only a single campaign army. Turning an existing standard Imperial army into a large army requires a motion by the Imperial Senate, and costs 200 wains of mithril over a year (minimum 50 mithril each season until it is completed).

Special Quality

Each Imperial army has a unique quality that is permanently fixed at the time the army is created and which reflects the character and flavour of the army.

When a new army is being created it will automatically develop a quality dependent on the nation raising the army. In many cases the quality will depend on events at the time and be influenced by decisions taken by the characters involved in raising the army.

Senate Commissions

The Imperial Senate can pass a motion to recruit a new Imperial army, or to resupply, improve, or enlarge an existing army.

Costs

- Materials: 250 mithril.

- Time: 1 year to construct

- Upkeep: 50 Thrones per season.

Recruitment

All Imperial armies must use recruits drawn from a single nation. Each nation can only physically support a limited number of armies at one time; this number cannot be exceeded.

When the army is complete a new Imperial title of general is created in the Imperial Military Council. Appointment follows the normal constitutional process (human generals are selected by the senators of the nation) and re-appointed each year after that.

A newly created Imperial army is at its maximum strength of 5,000. It begins play mustered in one of the Imperial controlled territories belonging to the nation where it was raised.

Resupply

The strength of an Imperial army declines as it suffers casualties. While an army will slowly resupply and reinforce itself over time, the Senate can pass a motion to provide the army with additional resupply. The army to be resupplied must be in a friendly territory, and may not be engaged with any enemies.

Further details of how an Imperial army can be resupplied by the Senate can be found here.

Enlargement

The Senate can contribute resources to increase the strength of an existing campaign army, making it large. The army in question must be in an Imperial territory and not engaged with any enemies, and the process takes a year. It costs 50 wains of mithril each season until complete (for a total cost of 200 wains of mithril).

Upkeep

Although the soldiers in an Imperial army are not paid for their service, an army still costs a huge amount of money to operate. Each Imperial army costs 50 Thrones per season, paid for from the Imperial Senate budget. Each large army costs 75 Thrones per season.

Maximum numbers of Imperial Armies

The Empire cannot sustain an unlimited number of armies. In addition to the significant drain on the treasury of the Imperial Senate, each individual nation can only provide so many soldiers. The supply number for each nation represents the maximum number of Imperial armies that nation can sustain at any given time. The Senate cannot raise a new Imperial army if it would take the nation over its supply number.

The only reliable way to increase the supply number is to add additional territories to the nation in question. Likewise, the loss of territory to the barbarians may reduce the supply number for that nation.

At this time, the maximum number of armies a nation can support are as follows:

- Dawn and the Marches: 4 armies each

- The Brass Coast, Highguard, Navarr and Wintermark: 3 armies each

- The Imperial Orcs, and Varushka: 2 armies each

- The The League and Urizen 1 army each

The League would be able to support an additional army if they regain control of the territory of Holberg.

A nation will not contribute its support to maintain an army from another nation. The only way for players to increase the number of armies a nation can support is to conquer additional territory.

Military Units

Some wealthy or powerful citizens maintain their own independent military unit. These units can be attached to an army to increase its effective fighting strength. This is done by the orders of the military unit’s commander (submitted using the personal resource downtime system).

The experienced and capable troops in a starting military unit provide an advantage out of proportion to their numbers, adding the equivalent to 100 raw recruits to the strength of the army they support.

Current Armies

At present there are 21 Imperial armies.

Brass Coast

- The Red Wind Corsairs

- The Fire of the South

Dawn

- The Golden Sun

- The Hounds of Glory

- The Eastern Sky

Highguard

- The Granite Pillar

- The Seventh Wave

- The Valiant Pegasus

Imperial Orcs

- The Winter Sun

- The Summer Storm

The League

- The Wolves of War

The Marches

- The Drakes

- The Strong Reeds

- Bounders

Navarr

- The Black Thorns

- The Quiet Step

Urizen

- The Army of the Citadel

Varushka

- The Army of the Northern Eagle

- The Army of the Golden Axe

Wintermark

- The Fist of the Mountains

- The Green Shield Army

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Military Council

- War

Additional Information

- Imperial armies

- Orders

- Casualties

- Territory

- Army qualities

- Spy network

- Fortification

- Campaign outcome

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Imperial army

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Army Size

- 2.1 Large Armies

- 2.2 Special Quality

- 3 Senate Commissions

- 3.1 Costs

- 3.2 Recruitment

- 3.3 Resupply

- 3.4 Enlargement

- 4 Upkeep

- 5 Maximum numbers of Imperial Armies

- 6 Military Units

- 7 Current Armies

- 7.1 Brass Coast

- 7.2 Dawn

- 7.3 Highguard

- 7.4 Imperial Orcs

- 7.5 The League

- 7.6 The Marches

- 7.7 Navarr

- 7.8 Urizen

- 7.9 Varushka

- 7.10 Wintermark

- 8 Further Reading

- 8.1 Core Brief

- 8.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Empire is defended by its armies. Each army is a large force, capable of acting independently and supported by their own logistics with baggage trains, siege engines, and foragers. They are therefore able to venture beyond the boundaries of the Empire and, so long as their casualties are low, remain fully capable despite being engaged in prolonged campaigns.

The typical member of an Imperial army is fed and billeted by the civil service but is not paid in coin. These volunteers have signed up for two years Imperial Service - they are trained and equipped and then assigned to an Imperial army. if they choose to leave the army at the end of that period they receive payment in land from the Empire (equivalent to a level one farm).

Although the lure of land is what draws most citizens to Imperial Service, the training and equipment received can be valuable. Most members of the many independent military units spread across the empire are former soldiers.

Each Imperial army is commended by a general. While generals are chosen by Senators, once appointed the general has sole authority to order the army to move or attack as they choose. Traditionally the generals of one nation will cooperate but it is not a requirement and a general is within their rights to give orders as they see fit.

Army Size

To allow players to make sensible and meaningful comments about the capability of their armies, each army has a fighting strength (usually 5000). This number represents the effective fighting force of the army - equivalent to 5000 raw recruits. The civil service uses complex day magic to quantify the effective fighting force of each Imperial armies, providing this IC information to the Imperial generals. An actual Imperial army may have more or less than 5000 soldiers in it, the civil service only provide the Generals with precise information on the actual fighting strength, since this is the critical number needed to make effective strategic decisions.

Barbarian armies tend to be much larger than Imperial armies, although in practice their fighting strength is usually similar.

As an army takes casualties its fighting strength drops. An army whose fighting strength falls below 1,000 will immediately disband.

Large Armies

The majority of campaign armies have a maximum strength of 5,000 fighting force. A large army, however, has a maximum fighting strength of 7,500. A large army still counts as only a single campaign army. Turning an existing standard Imperial army into a large army requires a motion by the Imperial Senate, and costs 200 wains of mithril over a year (minimum 50 mithril each season until it is completed).

Special Quality

Each Imperial army has a unique quality that is permanently fixed at the time the army is created and which reflects the character and flavour of the army.

When a new army is being created it will automatically develop a quality dependent on the nation raising the army. In many cases the quality will depend on events at the time and be influenced by decisions taken by the characters involved in raising the army.

Senate Commissions

The Imperial Senate can pass a motion to recruit a new Imperial army, or to resupply, improve, or enlarge an existing army.

Costs

- Materials: 250 mithril.

- Time: 1 year to construct

- Upkeep: 50 Thrones per season.

Recruitment

All Imperial armies must use recruits drawn from a single nation. Each nation can only physically support a limited number of armies at one time; this number cannot be exceeded.

When the army is complete a new Imperial title of general is created in the Imperial Military Council. Appointment follows the normal constitutional process (human generals are selected by the senators of the nation) and re-appointed each year after that.

A newly created Imperial army is at its maximum strength of 5,000. It begins play mustered in one of the Imperial controlled territories belonging to the nation where it was raised.

Resupply

The strength of an Imperial army declines as it suffers casualties. While an army will slowly resupply and reinforce itself over time, the Senate can pass a motion to provide the army with additional resupply. The army to be resupplied must be in a friendly territory, and may not be engaged with any enemies.

Further details of how an Imperial army can be resupplied by the Senate can be found here.

Enlargement

The Senate can contribute resources to increase the strength of an existing campaign army, making it large. The army in question must be in an Imperial territory and not engaged with any enemies, and the process takes a year. It costs 50 wains of mithril each season until complete (for a total cost of 200 wains of mithril).

Upkeep

Although the soldiers in an Imperial army are not paid for their service, an army still costs a huge amount of money to operate. Each Imperial army costs 50 Thrones per season, paid for from the Imperial Senate budget. Each large army costs 75 Thrones per season.

Maximum numbers of Imperial Armies

The Empire cannot sustain an unlimited number of armies. In addition to the significant drain on the treasury of the Imperial Senate, each individual nation can only provide so many soldiers. The supply number for each nation represents the maximum number of Imperial armies that nation can sustain at any given time. The Senate cannot raise a new Imperial army if it would take the nation over its supply number.

The only reliable way to increase the supply number is to add additional territories to the nation in question. Likewise, the loss of territory to the barbarians may reduce the supply number for that nation.

At this time, the maximum number of armies a nation can support are as follows:

- Dawn and the Marches: 4 armies each

- The Brass Coast, Highguard, Navarr and Wintermark: 3 armies each

- The Imperial Orcs, and Varushka: 2 armies each

- The The League and Urizen 1 army each

The League would be able to support an additional army if they regain control of the territory of Holberg.

A nation will not contribute its support to maintain an army from another nation. The only way for players to increase the number of armies a nation can support is to conquer additional territory.

Military Units

Some wealthy or powerful citizens maintain their own independent military unit. These units can be attached to an army to increase its effective fighting strength. This is done by the orders of the military unit’s commander (submitted using the personal resource downtime system).

The experienced and capable troops in a starting military unit provide an advantage out of proportion to their numbers, adding the equivalent to 100 raw recruits to the strength of the army they support.

Current Armies

At present there are 21 Imperial armies.

Brass Coast

- The Red Wind Corsairs

- The Fire of the South

Dawn

- The Golden Sun

- The Hounds of Glory

- The Eastern Sky

Highguard

- The Granite Pillar

- The Seventh Wave

- The Valiant Pegasus

Imperial Orcs

- The Winter Sun

- The Summer Storm

The League

- The Wolves of War

The Marches

- The Drakes

- The Strong Reeds

- Bounders

Navarr

- The Black Thorns

- The Quiet Step

Urizen

- The Army of the Citadel

Varushka

- The Army of the Northern Eagle

- The Army of the Golden Axe

Wintermark

- The Fist of the Mountains

- The Green Shield Army

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Military Council

- War

Additional Information

- Imperial armies

- Orders

- Casualties

- Territory

- Army qualities

- Spy network

- Fortification

- Campaign outcome

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Imperial:Breadcrumbs

- Costume @ Empire > The Nations > Costume >

- Synod @ Empire > Empire overview > The Synod >

- Military @ Empire > Empire overview > The Military Council >

- Conclave @ Empire > Empire overview > The Conclave >

- Bourse @ Empire > Empire overview > The Bourse >

- Senate @ Empire > Empire overview > The Senate >

- The Law @ Empire > Empire overview > Imperial Law >

- Religion @ Empire > Empire overview > Religion >

- History @ Empire > Empire overview > Imperial history >

- Magic @ Empire > The World > Magic >

- Eternals @ Empire > The World > Eternals >

- Realms @ Empire > The World > Realms >

- Gazetteer @ Empire > The World > Gazetteer >

- Lineages @ Empire > Lineages >

- Foreign Nations @ Empire > The World > Foreign nations >

- Barbarians @ Empire > The World > Barbarians >

- Varushka Music @ Empire > The Nations > Music > Varushka Music >

- Wintermark Music @ Empire > The Nations > Music > Wintermark Music >

- Dawn Music @ Empire > The Nations > Music > Dawn Music >

- Marches Music @ Empire > The Nations > Music > Marches Music >

- League Music @ Empire > The Nations > Music > League Music >

- Brass Coast Music @ Empire > The Nations > Music > Brass Coast Music >

- Highguard Music @ Empire > The Nations > Music > Highguard Music >

- Urizen Music @ Empire > The Nations > Music > Urizen Music >

- Navarr Music @ Empire > The Nations > Music > Navarr Music >

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- Music @ Empire > The Nations > Music >

- The World @ Empire > The World >

- Egregores @ Empire > The Nations > Egregores >

- Imperial Orcs @ Empire > The Nations > Imperial Orcs >

- Highguard @ Empire > The Nations > Highguard >

- The League @ Empire > The Nations > The League >

- Dawn @ Empire > The Nations > Dawn >

- The Marches @ Empire > The Nations > The Marches >

- Navarr @ Empire > The Nations > Navarr >

- The Brass Coast @ Empire > The Nations > The Brass Coast >

- Varushka @ Empire > The Nations > Varushka >

- Wintermark @ Empire > The Nations > Wintermark >

- Urizen @ Empire > The Nations > Urizen >

- Nations @ Empire > The Nations >

- Magic Items @ Empire > The Game > Rules > Magic Items >

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Imperial Chaplain Consular

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Inquisit Imperial Ambassador

- 3.2 Withdraw funds

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

The Imperial Chaplain Consular is an Imperial Title appointed by the Cardinal of the Way.

The title was created at the Spring Equinox summit of 379YE.

Responsibilities

The Chaplain Consular has three main responsibilities. They are expected to advise Imperial Ambassadors on matters pertaining to the Way - to offer them theological guidance and spiritual counsel in their dealings with foreign nations. They are to provide oversight of Imperial Ambassadors for the Synod - to ensure that the representatives of the Empire are free from heresy, and do not become seduced by the strange ways of foreign nations. Finally, they are expected to study foreign religions, and to share their conclusions in order to facilitate comparative theology

Powers

Inquisit Imperial Ambassador

Once per summit, the Imperial Chaplain Consular may call an inquisition against an Imperial Ambassador without the need for a vote in the Synod. This is in addition to any existing judgements they have raised normally. This use of the power may be escalated to a Condemnation just like any other inquisition. To use this power, the Imperial Chaplain Consular must still place a judgement before the Synod, but it is considered to pass automatically at the point it is presented.

At the time it was created, this power could be employed against the Ambassador to Jarm and the Ambassador to Asavea, and would also apply to the ambassadors responsible for any other embassies the Empire might build.

Withdraw funds

The Imperial Chaplain Consular may remove up to five Thrones each season from the Virtue fund without requiring a vote. To use this power, the Imperial Inquisitor must still place a judgement before the Synod, but it is considered to pass automatically at the point it is presented. Judgements to remove money from the Virtue Fund are in addition to any existing judgements they have raised normally.

When using this power, the Imperial Chaplain Consular should still indicate the group or individual that is to be rewarded.

Selection

The Chaplain Consular is appointed by the Cardinal of the Way, during the Spring Equinox. They serve a term of one year.

Any Imperial citizen may hold the title.

Removal

The Imperial Chaplain Consular serves for a term of one year, until death, or until revoked.

They can be revoked by the General Assembly or the Assembly of the Way.

History

The first Imperial Chaplain Consular was Hywel Summercrow of Navarr, appointed in Spring 379YE by Cardinal Bishop Beodun Snowlock of Wintermark. The decision has prompted some speculation that the Cardinals of the Way intend to follow the traditions surrounding the Conscience of the Senate - specifically that it is customary to select a candidate from a nation other than that of the Cardinal.

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Imperial Constitution

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Purpose

- 3 Changes to Imperial Law

- 4 The Imperial Constitution

- 5 Commentary on the constitution

Overview

The Constitution was produced at the dawn of the Empire, by the First Empress and her supporters. It is a set of axioms which dictate how the Empire can be governed and the rights of the nations of the Empire and their citizens. Although it is possible to change the Constitution, it is intentionally difficult to do so and impossible until The Throne is occupied. Even then, the NPC Magistrates of the Constitutional Court must ratify any changes to the constitution or to the way it is interpreted.

Purpose

The point of the Constitution is to ensure that Empire remains an enjoyable game to play. Senators have wide ranging powers to change the laws of the Empire, but the Constitution exists to reduce the chance that they use these powers to make the game less enjoyable. It inhibits players from reducing the complexity of the political system and tries to prevent them using undue power in the Senate to punitively victimize disenfranchised groups. Ultimately the Constitution limits the powers of players in the interest of keeping the game fun. Any attempt to change the constitution which we believe will adversely affect the enjoyment of the game will not be ratified by our NPC magistrates.

Changes to Imperial Law

The Senate has the power to introduce new laws or to change existing laws. Any suggested changes are assessed by the Imperial Civil Service to see how they accord with the Imperial Constitution. A proposal may be consistent with the Constitution or inconsistent with the Constitution (in the latter case the motion is described as having constitutional implications).

- A motion that is consistent with the constitution can be passed by majority vote of the senators present.

- A vote that has constitutional implications requires the approval of two-thirds of all current senators in the Empire and must be authorized by The Throne and approved by three senior Magistrates.

Any character may discuss a proposed motion with the functionaries of the Senate to try to find a way to make it consistent, or stop it being inconsistent with the Constitution. They will offer advice as best they can. There is no right of appeal however, as the functionaries are NPCs. Their decisions are made in the interests of keeping the game enjoyable, they are not made so as to create plot when players disagree with them.

Where a motion with constitutional implications is passed and ratified the civil service will amend the constitution as necessary and add any relevant notes for interpretation to their commentary of it.

The Imperial Constitution

In concord with the representatives of the great nations of humanity, we declare the founding of our Empire. Let us be joined together by common destiny; to build a great Empire; to serve and protect its people; to let them prosper and achieve greatness and spread across the face of Creation together in unity.

Let this constitution set out the strong principles upon which our Empire will be founded; to serve as the solid base upon which we will build our glorious undertaking; and to mandate the responsibilities and duties of our people, our nations and our Imperial future.

By signing these accords of Empire we(1) agree to be joined in a single union to be governed in accordance with the principles of this constitution.

We shall be united in law and policy, but free to maintain the traditions that have made each of us strong. The nations of our Empire will be embodied by the spirit of an egregore, created to preserve its essential character. Our Empire will recognize as citizens those whose oath to accept the culture of a nation; to honour the virtues of the Way, and to support the laws of the Empire(2), is accepted by those egregore.

To these citizens we will guarantee dignity(3), freedom(4), and prosperity(5). Each citizen that owns land or property will tithe annually wealth equal to a single crown(6) to be used in service of the Empire that protects them. Citizens shall not hold more than one high office at a time and must exercise their powers in person(7); those whose virtue causes them to be offered numerous Imperial titles must choose between them. In this way no citizen shall accumulate so much responsibility that they consider themselves better than their fellows.

The Throne shall lead the Empire and represent her in all things. It shall be a beacon to her people and a terror to her enemies. Whenever the Throne sits in the great councils laid out in this constitution, then their voice shall carry the greatest weight(8).

The Civil Service shall serve The Throne and the people, and be bound in oaths of loyalty to the Empire(9). They will be civil in their dealings and treat each citizen by their virtues, without prejudice or favour regardless of wealth, nationality or title. They will choose amongst them those who will serve as magistrates, to ensure the law is a friend to no-one but instead the servant and the master of all.

The Senate shall ensure the good governance of the Empire. The Senate will assume responsibility for relations with other nations, for the creation of just laws and for the allocation of Imperial taxes as the Senate sees fit, by majority vote. The confirmation of the Empress's(10) right to occupy the Throne requires the approval of the greater majority of senators(11). Matters of similar weight(12) require similar consideration and the approval of the Throne and must be ratified by the magistrates to ensure that this constitution is protected(13).

Each territory of the Empire(14) will elect a single senator to participate in the Senate, according to the traditions of the nation that claims it. Territorial nationality shall be decided by vote of the existing Senate, where it is legitimately disputed(15).

The Military Council shall ensure the rigorous defence of the Empire. Each nation in the Empire will raise armies as directed by the Senate. The Senate will appoint a general for each army, but only where the will of the nation in this matter is not clear(16). The Military Council will execute the strategy of war without interference from the Senate. If the Throne finds complaint with the worst of their number then she may carry the burden of their office until an acceptable replacement may be found.

The Civil Service will ensure that those who soldier to defend our Empire will be equipped and provisioned to meet this challenge. Citizens who render two year's service to the Military Council will receive 50 acres of land or equivalent wealth or property if land is not to be had.

The Synod shall ensure the virtuous behaviour of the Empire. The Synod will remove from Imperial Office those whose behaviour is deemed unvirtuous whether they sit upon the Throne; serve the people in the Senate or on the Military Council or in the Civil Service; or serve within the councils of the Synod itself(17) The Synod will ensure the behaviour of individual citizens does not debase the Empire.

Those who stand in the Synod shall express the views of their congregation. The Synod will establish assemblies that each may know their virtue and select the most virtuous amongst them to lead. Voting in the Synod will be performed by such assemblies as are rightfully able to weigh the virtue of an action or individual, in accord with their nationality and authority. The civil service will render to these priests such liao as is needed to minister to their congregation. The Throne and those amongst them with the greatest virtue will be given True Liao to distribute as they see fit, excepting one dose which shall be rendered to whichever citizen has demonstrated the greatest prosperity, in service of the Synod.

The Conclave(18) shall ensure the fit and proper use of magic in the service of the Empire. They will identify those arcane practitioners whose arts work against the Empire, so that they may be condemned. The Conclave will accord a voice to those citizens who demonstrate command of magic and demonstrate the necessary commitment to the authority of the Conclave. The Conclave will appoint leaders who will assist in the allocation of such resources as are needed to further its aims; it shall be guided by fraternities of magicians under the general aegis of the Senate, and without interference from the Synod(19).

The Bourse(20) shall control access to those resources that are essential to the prosperity of any great empire. Appointment to the Bourse shall be established by auction and shall be free of all interference of the Senate, or from the Synod(21). Such resources as are already controlled by the Imperial nations shall remain in the careful custody of those Nations; those that are discovered or conquered after the founding of the Empire may be eligible to any Imperial citizens. The funds raised by the Bourse through distribution of its estates will remit what profit they can support to the Senate(22).

No coin may be accepted that has not been produced in the Mint(23) and which does not bear the rightful stamp of The Throne.

By these principles, councils, and virtues we agree to be governed in perpetuity; not as chains of unchanging servitude, but as inspiration to exalt us and drive our great endeavour.

Commentary on the constitution

1. One copy of the Imperial Constitution was created for each of the eight nations present at the creation of the Empire. Further copies were created when Urizen and later the Imperial Orcs joined the Empire. All original copies of the constitution are stored in the capital in Highguard.

2. The wording to “support the laws” rather than simply uphold or obey the laws is used to justify the requirement for all citizens to render all reasonable service to a magistrate when required.

3. The guarantee of citizens' “dignity” is always invoked when citizens or senators attempt to propose motions or laws that would restrict or require particular dress codes or speech. It is occasionally seen as a rebuke for individuals who are perceived to be wasting the Senate's time with frivolous motions.

4. The guarantee of citizens' “freedom” ensures that slavery of Imperial citizens is illegal throughout the Empire, but it also prevents incarceration for crimes committed, a punishment common in some foreign nations. The guarantees originally only extended to Imperial citizens, but the joining of the Imperial Orcs to the Empire was conditional on this protection being extended to all ‘people’. It required a constitutional vote of the Senate to change the interpretation of the Constitution such that that guarantee of “freedom” was taken to outlaw all slavery.

5. The guarantee of citizens' “prosperity” is presented by nations like the League and the Brass Coast as proof that the Empress intended citizens to be able to pursue their own wealth and prosperity without consideration for the Empire itself. It has been used countless times to rule unconstitutional motions and laws intended to raise additional taxes for the Senate or to seize control of the estates of the Bourse. As a result taxation remains fixed at levels laid out in the constitution.

6. In the original document this amount was rendered as “a measure of silver coin” but was amended when Emperor Giovanni founded the Imperial Mint and the Empire moved to the modern currency of rings, crowns and thrones.

7. “No citizen shall hold more than one high office at a time” expresses the clear restriction that no citizen can hold two offices of state at one time. All attempts to define individual Imperial titles and positions as outside this restriction have always been ruled to be unconstitutional.

8. The phrase “their voice shall carry the greatest weight” has changed interpretation twice since the beginning of the Empire. At present, in the Senate, and the Military Council, where each member has only a single vote, the phrase is used to indicate that The Throne may veto any motion or stratagem that is proposed. In the Synod, where voting is weighted by the size of an individual's congregation, The Throne wields one more vote than those accorded to the largest congregation present.

The Throne has never held a position in the Conclave or the Bourse, which allegedly reflects the lesser status of these bodies compared with the Senate, Military Council and Synod. The Bourse does not take decisions as a body, but the Conclave categorically does. Critics of the current situation claim that The Throne's absence from The Conclave reflects the fact that the First Empress possessed no magical abilities; but this raises the prospect of how any occupant of The Throne who did not possess magical abilities might sit in council there. In theory The Throne might nominate a magician to sit in their place, but scholars point out that this would run counter to the spirit of the constitution which requires a citizen be present if they wish to act in their name.

In all cases the clause that The Throne must be present to exert their powers remains pivotal. Emperors and Empresses have regularly been forced to choose in which council they will sit; although their power is considerable, it cannot be used after the fact.

9. “Oaths of loyalty to the Empire” - this paragraph establishes the role of the Civil Service. These oaths are rarely spoken of in public, but they are believed to include powerful hearth magic that guarantees the probity of those who serve.

10. Although the wording is the same on all copies of the constitution, citizens of any gender are able to assume the Throne.

11. Most motions before the Senate are decided by majority vote of those Senators present. The “greater majority of Senators” requires the support of two-thirds of all the senators of the Empire, whether or not they are present or have even been elected.

12. “Matters of similar weight” is taken to indicate any law or ruling that would change the constitution or its interpretation, or change the balance of powers between the different bodies of the Empire. The practical implication of this is that while the constitution can be changed, the the Senate may only do so by a vote of the greater majority (commonly referred to as a constitutional vote).

13. “Founding principles are protected” empowers the Magistrates to refuse to allow changes to the law and the constitution which are deemed to not be in accordance with the founding principles of the Empire. There have been three attempts by the Senate and the Throne to force through the implementation of laws that were deemed unconstitutional since the founding of the Empire; two attempts to increase taxation in the Empire and one attempt to limit the power of the Synod. All three attempts were firmly rebuffed by the Civil Service and were ultimately abandoned.

14. The Civil Service use a combination of magic and essential geographic features like rivers and mountain ranges to identify a territory. These are divided into regions. The civil service define a “territory of the Empire” as any territory where the majority of the regions in the territory are under Imperial control. Any territory where the majority of regions are not under Imperial control does not receive representation in the Senate.

15. The nationality of a conquered territory has only been disputed once in the history of the Empire, when the city of Holberg surrendered to the League, after the surrounding regions were conquered by Dawnish forces. The ensuing Senate vote confirmed that Holberg would be treated as a League territory. Attempts by Dawnish senators to introduce a motion to over-turn this decision in Dawn's favour were ruled to be unconstitutional, due to the absence of any factors that meant that Holberg's status was “legitimately disputed”.

16. The “will of the Nation” is taken to mean the unanimous decision of the senators appointed to represent that nation in the Senate. Only where a unanimous decision cannot be reached does the appointment of the generals fall to a majority vote of the whole Senate.

17. The Synod have in the past removed senators, generals, cardinals, civil servants and even an empress. They do not have the ability to remove the officers of the Conclave; neither do they have the ability to remove citizens from seats on the Bourse.

18. These provisions regarding the Conclave were added during the reign of Emperor Giovanni the Peacemaker. Previous references to the Conclave were aspirational - “We shall establish a body of magicians to use magic to strengthen and protect the Empire.” It was not until Giovanni brought the Urizen into the Empire that the Conclave in it’s current form took shape.

19. The Orders of the Conclave are created and dissolved by the Senate, rather than the Synod. The magicians who helped to form the Conclave were adamant in their belief that they should serve the Empire, not the Synod. In theory, a constitutional change could be used to grant the Synod powers over the Conclave, but to date no such attempts have been successful.

20. These provisions regarding the Bourse were added during the reign of Emperor Giovanni the Peacemaker. Previous references to the Bourse were aspirational - “We shall establish a market to protect the economic interest of the citizens from those who would exploit or tax them in the name of good government.”

21. Although the Bourse enjoys immunity from revocation (like the Conclave), it's members are still subject to excommunication, as this power is considered to be used against the individual - not the office they hold.

22. The paragraph about resources was added during the reign of Empress Mariika, who oversaw an extensive modification of the role and responsibility of the Bourse. She ensured that the profits raised by auctions in the Bourse went to the Senatorial treasury.

23. In the original document this amount was rendered as “a measure of silver coin” but was amended when Emperor Giovanni founded the Imperial Mint and the Empire moved to the modern currency of rings, crowns and thrones.

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Imperial Inquisitor

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

This Imperial title was established by vote of the Senate in Spring 378YE. The holder is responsible for coordinating and overseeing inquisition in the Empire working with the Imperial Militia to ensure inquisitions occur correctly within the Empire. Although the title holder has no power to limit or direct the use of inquisition by the Synod they do have the power to carry out an inquisition in their own name.

Responsibilities

The Imperial Inquisitor is responsible for overseeing and co-ordinating the use of inquisition in service of the Empire. They are expected to work with both the Imperial militia and the Imperial Synod to ensure inquisitions are performed correctly.

Powers

The Imperial Inquisitor is an Imperial title in the Synod. Once per summit, they may call an inquisition without the need for a vote in the Synod. This is in addition to any existing judgements they have raised normally. This use of the power may be escalated to a Condemnation just like any other inquisition.

To use this power, the Imperial Inquisitor must still place a judgement before the Synod, but it is considered to pass automatically at the point it is presented.

Selection

The Imperial Inquisitor is appointed by judgement of the Assembly of Nine.

Removal

The Imperial Inquisitor serves for one year. They can be revoked by the Assembly of Nine and the General Assembly.

History

While the title was established during Spring 378YE, no citizen was named to the position at that time. In Summer 378YE, Petra Petrivna Melikov of Vauruska (a former Cardinal of Vigilance) was appointed to the position.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_Inquisitor&oldid=36204"

Imperial law (Redirected from Imperial Law)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Magistrates and trials

- 3 Magistrates and the Constitution

- 4 Purpose

- 5 Further Reading

Overview

Imperial Law is the body of law which has been created by the Imperial Senate and which extends the principles laid down in the Imperial Constitution. The law is prosecuted by magistrates, members of the Imperial Civil Service who are trained in Imperial jurisprudence. Magistrates act as judges during trials, determining guilt and sentencing and are able to deputise individuals to help them enforce the laws. The Throne and members of the Imperial Synod may appeal for clemency on behalf of the accused to obtain a reduced sentence.

Magistrates and trials

The implementation of the Law is overseen by the magistrates. They instigate an investigation into any potential crimes they are aware of; any character who believes a crime has been committed may bring the matter to the attention of a magistrate. The magistrates have far-reaching legal powers to allow them to go anywhere in the Empire and demand an audience with any citizen, similar to those possessed by the Synod. The magistrates may also deputise citizens to act on their behalf, either to gather evidence or to arrest a suspect.

Trials are inquisitorial rather than adversarial. There are no juries and no barristers. Trials are conducted by the magistrate who weighs the evidence and determines guilt and the accused is expected to speak in their own defence. The magistrate has the authority to silence anyone from speaking in their court and will use this power to ensure that trials remain short and dramatic.

Modern legal frameworks do not apply. There is no right to silence; if the accused refuses to answer a question, the magistrate may make an adverse inference about their guilt. Hearsay and circumstantial evidence are admissible. If a person has been murdered late at night, reports that the accused is known to dislike the accused may be weighted as evidence.

If the magistrate finds the accused guilty then they will proceed to sentencing. If the accused has pleaded guilty, a member of the Imperial Synod may submit a plea for clemency on their behalf. The plea must be based on Virtuous grounds; that is they must establish that the accused was acting virtuously, albeit illegally, when they committed their actions.

Magistrates have considerable power but are known to be bound by powerful magical oaths to uphold the spirit of the Law. As such they are considered to be above reproach. Their decisions may be incorrect - they are not infallible - but they are known to be absolutely impartial and honest.

Magistrates and the Constitution

Any motions passed by the Senate which change the Imperial Constitution or the way it is interpreted require authorization by The Throne and approval by the NPC magistrates.

These magistrates perform a dual IC and OOC function:

- IC They are responsible for ensuring that the founding principles of the constitution are protected.

- OOC They will not ratify a change to the constitution which Profound Decisions believe will adversely affect the enjoyment of the game. As the IC wording of the constitution is already written with this in mind, we believe that they will be able to provide IC reasoning for any rejection of a constitutional change.

Normally there are three chief magistrates who rule on constitutional matters in addition to their other duties. There is no right to appeal against their verdict. These magistrates are usually happy to discuss senatorial motions which may have constitutional implications and they will offer advice as best they can.

Examples of things which are guaranteed to be rejected by the magistrates include expelling a nation from the Empire, dispossessing citizens of their wealth and property, centralizing additional powers to the Throne or Senate, disestablishing the Bourse, Conclave, Military Council or Synod or frivolous or stupid laws.

Purpose

The point of the Law is to attempt to create a game in which there is a strong effective legal sanction against theft and murder. The goal is to create a convincing, compelling and original setting and also to encourage the majority of player-vs-player activity in the game to remain political rather than murderous. By making murder difficult to get away with, we hope to ensure that it is the least attractive option open to a player in dealing with their political enemies, rather than the most attractive option. The goal of Empire is to focus on a high degree of political interaction between players but have the balance of combat take place between players and monsters.

All magistrates will be NPCs, so that they work solely towards the goal of making the Law be trustworthy and effective. Any player character in this role would be minded to have other in-character considerations, other than to promote the game. The magistrates are also briefed to ensure that trials remain short and sweet, rather than running on interminably which is common in situations where they are not rigorously controlled.

Because the magistrates primary role is to make the law effective, they will never be used to run plot around corruption or other themes. They can be swayed by clever or charismatic testimony but they cannot be bribed, blackmailed or browbeaten.

Further Reading

- Overview of Imperial law

- Officers of the Law.

- Criminal Trials.

- Civil Claims.

- List of Criminal Offences.

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Imperial Law at sanctioned events

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Magistrates at Events

- 3 Trials of Player Characters

- 4 The Role of the Militia

- 5 Plots involving Trials

- 6 Results of Trials

- 7 Further Help

- 8 Further Reading

Overview

What follows are some suggestions about running plot involving legal matters at sanctioned events. Although all the laws are publicly available on the wiki, there are some particular considerations to bear in mind for legal plot at sanctioned events.

Magistrates at Events

While trials at sanctioned events will probably be relatively rare, organisers may want to be prepared to conduct one if the need arises. Trials may only be carried out by NPC magistrates. Sometimes a magistrate from the main Empire events will be in attendance, and if so they will carry out such duties as the circumstances require. However, as their presence cannot be relied upon, you may want to consider giving a member of your crew the role of magistrate, if that's appropriate. All the material you need to do so is publicly available on the wiki, but please remember that magistrates are bound by powerful oaths to prevent corruption and will always try their utmost to be fair and just. We would also ask that your NPC magistrates refrain from giving out sentences of penal military service to players at sanctioned events. This is because we believe there are very limited circumstances in which it would be an appropriate punishment.

Trials of Player Characters

We think it is normally preferable for magistrates to conduct all trials at the sanctioned event that the alleged criminal activity was committed at. However if the suspect is a player character then they can be tried by the Magistrates at the next event at Anvil, if that would be more appropriate (e.g. your event is set in a wild area) or if you are not confident you can run a fair trial in accordance with imperial law at your event. We think this may often be less desirable than an immediate trial, as memories will have faded and key players may not be in attendance, but if you do this, please get in touch before the next event so we can make any necessary arrangements.

The Role of the Militia

The militia players are vital to the process of justice in Anvil. They typically perform the bulk of any investigation work and brief the magistrates before cases go to trial. There may be players who are members of the militia at a sanctioned event who can conduct any required investigations, but if no PC militia are attending, or if your plot requires NPC militia, then organisers can give the militia roles to members of their crew. If numbers are limited then investigations can also be conducted by a magistrate acting alone.

Plots involving Trials

It's worth bearing in mind that any plots you run involving potential sorcerers, heretics, idolators, blasphemers and the like may be complicated by the fact that there are really no legal mechanisms for dealing with them outside of the institutions of Anvil. So for example, someone can't be prosecuted for heresy at a sanctioned event because the appropriate assembly of the synod is not available to condemn them for it. If someone took the law into their own hands to deal with the problem they may be prosecuted for any crimes they have committed (e.g. murder) either at the sanctioned event or at a later event.

Bear in mind that similar issues do not arise if you run a plot involving someone who was declared a sorcerer, heretic etc in a time before the game began (before Winter 376YE).

Results of Trials

We would find it very helpful for sanctioned event organisers to provide the results of any trials conducted by their magistrates at their events. Please let us know details of the accused, the charge, their plea, the verdict, the punishment and anything else you think we should know. If there was anything else that happened at your event that you think the Magistrates should know about, please pass that on too.

Further Help

Please get in touch if you would like advice about possible legal ramifications of your plots and we'll do our best to help.

Further Reading

- Sanctioned event rules

- Imperial Law at sanctioned events

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Imperial Law Overview

This page is intended to provide an out-of-character summary of the Imperial Law; it details the basic principles of the law and the key concepts. Most players should be able to get a general feel for the laws of the Empire from reviewing this page.

Contents

- 1 Principles of Imperial law

- 2 Key Concepts

- 3 Individuals and the law

- 4 Five things about Imperial Law

- 5 Further Reading

Principles of Imperial law

The principles of Imperial Law are contained in its constitutional documents. The Imperial Constitution sets out:

- the principles underlying the relationship between the Nations and the Empire and the role of the Imperial Civil Service;

- the organs of the state and their appointed representatives; and

- the principles underlying the relationship between the citizen and the state.

Key Concepts

The nations which comprise the Empire are governed by Imperial Law which applies equally everywhere in the Empire. While each nation has its own traditions and customs they are superseded in circumstances where they conflict with Imperial Law. Imperial law is based on principles rather than legalistic precedents set by previous cases.

Any member of the Imperial Senate may submit a bill or motion to the civil service who will table it for debate by the Senate. There are additional requirements which apply to pass any legislation which amends the constitution. The Synod General Assembly have powers to veto legislation, particularly where it changes the constitution.

Those accused of crimes or engaged in civil claims are normally be expected to speak for themselves. Accordingly, there is no tradition of barristers within the Empire. You can play a lawyer who advises their clients about the law, but imperial law is intended to be simple to understand without being an expert.

Magistrates are non-player characters who are accorded wide-ranging discretionary powers under the constitution to investigate and try those accused of crimes and arbitrate in civil disputes. We will never run plot in Empire involving the corruption of magistrates or any other NPC civil servants.

The Imperial Synod have a number of legal powers which they use in furtherance of their role to ensure the spiritual wellbeing of the Empire. They also have a key role to play in the prosecution of religious crimes.

Individuals and the law

All characters in Empire will fall into one of the following broad categories in relation to the law:

- Citizens of the Empire must fulfil their obligations to the State and in return they receive associated rights, including protection under Imperial law.

- The child of an Imperial citizen has the full protection of the law as if they were a citizen. Until a child becomes a citizen their parents or guardians are responsible in law for any criminal or civil offences that they commit.

- Barbarians are defined as anyone with whom the Empire is at war. They have no recourse to Imperial Law (with one major exception, see below) but they may be the subject of it. Eternals and the Heralds of Eternals who are the subject of a declaration of enmity by the Imperial Conclave are considered enemies of the Empire and treated as barbarians. Unauthorised dealings with barbarians is illegal and will be investigated as treason. More information, including a list of Eternals currently under Enmity, can be found here.

- Any delegations from barbarian nations who arrive on the field of anvil under a flag of peace have protection under the law as if they were imperial citizens for the duration of their visit and for their direct passage out of the empire.

- Broadly, foreigners are any person who is neither a citizen nor a barbarian. Foreigners are subject to the law and are accorded protection by it as if they were a citizen, but they do not otherwise enjoy the benefits of citizenship. However, Eternals, and the Heralds of Eternals, are not treated as foreigners (thereby receiving protection under the law) unless they are the subject of a declaration of amity made by the Imperial Conclave.

- If a citizen forswears their oath to their Egregore and thereby ceases to be a citizen they become a foreigner (and so still benefit from the protection of the law). Citizens and former citizens who fight against the Empire will (if feasible) be tried for their crimes, rather than be treated as barbarians.

Five things about Imperial Law

- There is no right to silence for those accused of crimes. When questioned by a magistrate or deputised member of the militia in furtherance of their duties an accused must answer. If they do not a magistrate may draw an adverse inference. All citizens who witness crimes are expected to promptly inform either a member of the militia or a magistrate. Concealing crimes or assisting others to evade arrest is a serious offence.

- There are no prisons in the Empire. Those accused of crimes are usually released upon swearing an oath that they will attend their trial at the time set by the magistrate. Thief-takers will be ready to recapture them for a reward if they abscond.

- A citizen cannot be punished for saying that he will do something (which is illegal) before he has done it. Accordingly there are no laws which prohibit blackmail, threats of violence and so on. However, anything a citizen says may be used in evidence against them. So if a citizen threatens to kill someone and that person is then murdered, his death threats are potential evidence.

- Slavery is illegal in the Empire.

- Magistrates will use their absolute discretion as to what evidence they will consider when coming to their verdict. So a magistrate might choose to hear out a particular witness's testimony, or they may stop, redirect or dismiss them, entirely as they see fit.

Further Reading

- You can learn more about the Non-Player Character and Player Character officers of the law here.

- You can learn more about how trials are conducted here.

- You can learn more about civil trials and claims against fellow citizens here.

- You can review the list of current criminal offences here.

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Imperial Lore

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Ritual magic is powerful but it cannot do everything. Many more rituals exist, however, than are recorded in the extensive libraries of Imperial magicians. The concept of Imperial Lore exists to differentiate between all the rituals that might exist and those rituals that are common knowledge within the Empire.

Creating a new ritual is a significant undertaking. In pre-Imperial times it might take decades to formulate even a simple ritual so it could be mastered. The Empire created titles such as the Dean of the Lyceum and Provost of the Halls of Knowledge to help co-ordinate the research efforts of many disparate magicians to speed the process of formulating new rituals.

Once a new ritual is created, however, it is the property of the person who oversaw the research. It exists only in the form of a ritual text which is a special item that contains all the information needed to master the ritual. Unless a ritual is formally added to the body of Imperial Lore (through Declaration of the Imperial Conclave), only someone who has the physical ritual text can master it, and it is no easier to perform spontaneously than any other effect.

Contents

- 1 Imperial Lore

- 2 Spontaneous Casting

- 2.1 Spontanteous Rituals that are part of Imperial Lore

- 2.2 Spontanteous Rituals that are not part of Imperial Lore

- 3 Ritual Texts

Imperial Lore

There is a library of known rituals that have been performed by Imperial magicians, which is referred to as the body of Imperial lore. There are many more rituals, and potential rituals, than are part of Imperial lore. Even where an Imperial citizen has not mastered a ritual that is part of Imperial lore, it is easier to perform that ritual spontaneously than it is to perform an entirely new ritual effect "off the cuff."

Any character can master a ritual that is part of Imperial lore, either by spending experience points during downtime or by studying at an event. A ritual that is not part of Imperial lore, even if it was been codified or formulated (for example by the Dean of the Lyceum or the Provost of the Halls of Knowledge) cannot be mastered freely. Instead, the character must use a ritual text that contains the details of that ritual.

The Imperial Conclave has the ability to add new rituals to this body of knowledge through the Declaration of Imperial Lore. Doing so requires access to the appropriate ritual text, which is "used up" during the process of making the ritual part of Imperial Lore.

Spontaneous Casting

Any ritual magician can try to perform a ritual they have not mastered. Doing so is quite tricky - the magicians involved must create the magical effect "on the fly" and this requires both extensive skill and more mana than performing a ritual they have mastered. A ritual can include both characters who have mastered it, and characters who are contributing on a spontaneous basis.

Spontanteous Rituals that are part of Imperial Lore

It is easier to spontaneously cast a ritual that is part of Imperial lore - even though a magician may not have mastered it, they probably know how to avoid the obvious pitfalls in performing it, or a few simple techniques to make the magic easier to perform. A ritual that is part of Imperial lore is performed at the recorded magnitude - so a coven of magicians versed in the Lore of Day who do not know Bright Lantern of Ophis can create it's effect. Each magician uses mana up to their ranks in the Day ritual lore as usual - but the mana counts on a one-for-one basis (rather than being doubled as it is for a magician who has mastered the ritual). If they have six ranks and six mana, however, they can perform the ritual as effectively as any character who has mastered it.

Spontanteous Rituals that are not part of Imperial Lore

A ritual that is not part of Imperial Lore can still be attempted. For example, a common spontaneous ritual is one that allows a coven to send a short message to an Eternal. The ritual Missive for Sadogua is a Magnitude 2 ritual that sends a message to the eternal Sadogua. A similar ritual to send a message to Meraud would be in the Summer realm and, where it formulated, would likely be Magnitude 2 as well.

However, it is much harder to create a spontaneous ritual from scratch - to create a ritual effect that is not part of Imperial Lore. The magnitude of a spontaneous ritual that is created "from scratch" - even if it is similar to an existing ritual - is at least 50% higher than the magnitude it would have if it were forumulated. To continue the example, Letter to Meraud would be at least magnitude 3.

Sometimes, a ritual may exist that is formulated but not part of Imperial Lore. For example, at the Winter 377YE Summit the Dean of the Lyceum presented a ritual called The Cuckoo's Egg which allowed a foreigner to be brought through the Sentinel Gate. While that ritual had magnitude 6, until it was included in Imperial Lore it would still require 9 mana to cast spontaneously.

A character who has mastered a ritual that is not part of Imperial Lore triples the amount of mana they contribute when the ritual is performed spontaneously.

Sometimes the magnitude of a spontaneous ritual will change between events. This represents the fact that it is much easier to decide the appropriate magnitude for a ritual effect after the event, rather than during it. It is extremely rare for the magnitude of a ritual to change once it has been formulated by a character, or recorded in a ritual text.

Ritual Texts

A ritual text is a rare, magical item that contains all the details necessary to master a ritual. A ritual text is created when a ritual is formulated by a character with the specific power to direct research, such as the Dean of the Lyceum. Most (though not all) ritual texts take the form of a description of the ritual, including all the rules, and at least some in-character commentary on the ritual.

A character who has the physical ritual text can master the ritual it describes by buying the extra rituals skill or using an empty ritual slot. This follows all the other rules for learning a skill during time-in. Unless the ritual is part of Imperial lore, a character cannot teach it to another character without having the ritual text. The ritual text must be taken to GOD to allow the ritual it contains to be mastered in the field.

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Imperial Magus

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Right of Address

- 3.2 Advising the Senate

- 3.3 Addressing the Conclave

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

The title was created at the Winter Solstice summit of 377YE, and Concordia Sforza of Sarvos appointed to the position by declaration of the Conclave.

Responsibilities

The Liaison is expected to take responsibility for providing the Senate with advice on magical matters. Following further discussion, these responsibilities were expanded to give the Imperial Magus the responsibility to advise the Imperial Conclave of the Senate's position on magical matters.

Powers

The Imperial Magus is an Imperial Title appointed by the conclave.

Right of Address

The Imperial Magus has the right to make an address to the Senate once per summit. This is intended to allow them to present important information for the Senators consideration. To use this power, the Magus informs the Civil Service that they wish to address the Senate. Their address will be added to the agenda for the next Senate session.

Advising the Senate

The Imperial Magus is entitled to enter the Senate chamber at the start of a Senate session and participate in the debates. They do not have the power to raise motions or to vote on a motion. This power is intended to be used to participate in Conclave related discussions.

Addressing the Conclave

Once per summit, the Imperial Magus can raise an address to the agenda of a conclave session for free.

Selection

The Imperial Magus is appointed by declaration of the Conclave. They remain in post until replaced or they step down. Any Imperial citizen may hold the post.

Removal

The Imperial Magus is replaced by declaration of the Conclave. The Imperial Magus cannot be revoked by the Synod.

History

The first Imperial Magus was Concordia Sforza of the Carta Bellamarina of Sarvos. When it was initially created, the title was Conclave Liason to the Senate and had only the right to address the Senate.

At the Autumn Equinox summit 378YE the powers of the title were amended, and re-titled Imperial Magus. During the Spring Equinox 379YE, the responsibilities of the title were further expanded to include a responsibility to keep the Imperial Conclave appraised of the Senate's position on magical matters.

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Imperial Master of Works

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Maintain Fortifications

- 3.2 Stipend

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

The Imperial Master of Works is an Imperial Title appointed by the Senate.

The title was created at the Autumn Equinox summit of 377YE.

Responsibilities

The Master of Works is responsible for overseeing the maintenance and improvement of fortifications on behalf of the Senate. When first created, the Master of Works had the ability to commission new fortifications, but that power was removed by the Imperial Senate in Spring 378YE.

Powers

Maintain Fortifications

The Master of Works can improve and repair fortifications. The materials required to construct the fortification are provided by the Master of Works.

To use this power, the Master of Works provides an announcement to the Civil Service, who present the decision to the Senate. No voting is possible by the Senate at this point, as the power has been delegated to the Master of Works. The Imperial Synod may, however, choose to exercise their veto over the Master's decision.

Stipend

The Master of Works receives no stipend from the Imperial Treasury.

Selection

This title is an Imperial position appointed by the Senate to serve for a year following their appointment.

Removal

The Master of Works is appointed for a term of one year. They can be revoked by the General Assembly or the Assembly of Nine.

History

- The position was available for appointment from Autumn Equinox summit of 377YE.

- Richard Tunstall, a Marcher from the Talbot family of Mitwold, was the first citizen to hold the title.

- At the Spring Equinox 378YE, the Senate voted to remove the Master of Works' ability to create new fortifications, and assigned a 10 Throne stipend to the title.

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Imperial navy

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Army Size

- 2.1 Special Quality

- 3 Senate Commissions

- 3.1 Costs

- 3.2 Recruitment

- 3.3 Resupply

- 4 Upkeep

- 5 Current Navies

- 6 Further Reading

- 6.1 Core Brief

- 6.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Empire has not had an Imperial navy since the days of Emperor Barabbas.

Each navy represents a large force of warships, capable of acting indepedently. They are able to venture into the seas, and potentially even traverse the trackless oceans. A navy is harder to maintain than an army - while a platoon of new recruits can swell the numbers of a damaged military force on land, repairing and replacing damaged ships requires more specialist facilities.

Navies can fight at sea, but they can also transport an Imperial army, or support land engagements in a limited way. A navy must be supported in the same way as an Imperial army, and counts towards the maximum number of armies that a given nation can maintain.

As with soldiers in an Imperial army, sailors who are part of an Imperial navy are fed and billeted by the civil service but are not paid in coin. These volunteers have signed up for two years Imperial Service - they are trained and equipped and then assigned to an Imperial navy. If they choose to leave the navy at the end of that period they receive payment in land from the Empire (equivalent to a level one farm).

Each Imperial navy is commended by an admiral. While admirals are chosen by Senators, once appointed the admiral has sole authority to order the navy to move or attack as they choose.

Army Size

To allow players to make sensible and meaningful comments about the capability of their armies, each navy has a fighting strength (usually 5000). This number represents the effective fighting force of the navy in terms of both ships and combat-capable personnel - equivalent to 5000 raw recruits. The civil service uses complex day magic to quantify the effective fighting force of both armies and navies, providing this IC information to the Imperial admiral who commands the navy. This is an assessment of the impact the navy will have during an engagement; it takes into account warships, deck-mounted weapons and other equipment, marines, battle-trained sailors, and the ease with which the ships communicate with each other. The civil service only provide the admirals with precise information on the actual fighting strength, since this is the critical number needed to make effective strategic decisions.

Barbarian navies are usually larger than Imperial navies, but tend to lack cohesive communications or command structures meaning that in practice their fighting strength is usually similar.

As a navy takes casualties its fighting strength drops. An navy whose fighting strength falls below 1,000 is destroyed as the remaining vessels sink with all lives lost.

Special Quality

Unlike an Imperial army, Imperial navies do not have a special quality.

Senate Commissions

The Imperial Senate can pass a motion to create a new Imperial navy, or to resupply an existing navy.

Costs

- Materials: 250 weirwood.

- Time: 1 year to construct

- Upkeep: 50 Thrones per season.

Recruitment

All Imperial navies must use recruits drawn from a single nation. Each nation can only physically support a limited number of forces at one time; this number cannot be exceeded.

A navy can only be constructed in a region with the Coastal quality that contains an active great work in the form of a dock or shipyard. At the moment, only the docks at Atalaya allow the construction of an Imperial navy. The great work does not have to be in a territory from the same nation as the navy will belong to.

When the navy is complete a new Imperial title of admiral is created in the Imperial Military Council. Appointment follows the normal constitutional process (human admirals are selected by the senators of the nation) and re-appointed each year after that.

A newly created Imperial navy is at its maximum strength of 5,000. It begins play docked in the territory where it was raised.

Resupply

The strength of an Imperial navy declines as it suffers casualties. While a navy can slowly resupply and reinforce itself over time, the Senate can pass a motion to provide the navy with additional resupply. The navy to be resupplied must be in a friendly territory with a Coastal region, and may not be engaged with any enemies.

Further details of how an Imperial navy can be resupplied by the Senate can be found here.

Upkeep

Although the sailors and marines in an Imperial navy are not paid for their service, a navy still costs a huge amount of money to operate. Each Imperial navy costs 50 Thrones per season, paid for from the Imperial Senate budget.

Current Navies

There are no Imperial navies at this time. In the time of Emperor Barrabas, the Empire raised three Imperial navies; the Highborn Basilisk Arisen, the Freeborn Golden Fleet and League Hullbreakers. All three were lost during the disastrous attempt to invade the Grendel territories.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Muster

- Council Session

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

Additional Information

- War

- Council Address

- Appointments to the Military Council

- The Throne

- Herald of the Council

- Warmage

- Appointments by the Military Council

- Field Marshal

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- OOC Design

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Imperial Orc Egregore

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Grud The Unshackled

Grud The Unshackled, White Death is the Egregore of the Imperial Orcs.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_Orc_Egregore&oldid=33622"

Imperial Orc music

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 The Music of Imperial Orcs

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs or chants

- 1.2.1 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.2.2 Other performance traditions

- 1.3 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.4 Our sources

The Music of Imperial Orcs

Style summary

Taiko drumming, repetitive chants, early English songs as sources.

Born from the armies of Thrace and the freed slaves of the Empire, the Imperial Orcs have settled near the City of Anvil and created many family groups and Several Legions. Having lived for many generations as slaves, there is little that remains of any tribal history or culture. Consequently, the music of the Orcs is derivative of many influences. Also, Orcs lived in many parts of the Empire, where snatches of songs were overheard and adapted.

Slave songs - These were composed in many mines and sung to simple beats played on improvised percussion instruments, these are often sombre laments for lost freedom and tales of a terrible life in slavery.

War songs - Composed by the legions during and after the rebellion. These are songs of great deeds, the joy of battle and the comradeship of arms. Played with drums and often consisting of rhythmic chants. Also marching songs for those long days on the way to war.

Songs of ‘Worth’ - The Orcish culture of recalling the history of objects and investing them with worth, alongside the worship of, and connection to, the ancestors, has led to many stories and songs being composed that are handed down from singer to singer or from Shaman to Shaman. Some are told as epic tales and sagas, and some are made into simple songs. The recent exposure to many of the Empire’s cultures has brought many musical influences into the orc encampment and songs can be done in many styles, although they still have an orcish feel of chants and repetition to them, and instrumentation is often simplified to percussion, drones and layers of voices.

Commonly known songs or chants

- Blood and Bone - very easy chant, good for improvising

- Erthe Upon Erthe - a rhythmic chant or song with difficult early English words

- An Orcish marching chant. https://www.dropbox.com/s/rt63e2g9soxgk2e/Orc%20March%21.wma

- A song about the habits of Orcs. (based on the lyrics of Stan Nichols) https://www.dropbox.com/s/ftfui32zsk7lyoa/Rant%20and%20Roar.mp3

Instrumentation and tunes

Use drums and Bodhrans for percussion.

Use of simple chords or even drones.

Other performance traditions

Tales of how 'objects of worth' have gained their value are popular. For example a banner that has been carried through several campaigns would have the battles that it was carried in told as a long story. It may mention the chiefs that fought under it, and warriors who performed great acts of courage or sacrifice. This could be told as a saga with some sections sung or chanted, and be accompanied by a drumbeat or clapping to help get the audience involved.

How to adapt your repertoire

It is important that music for the Orcs has the correct 'feel'. It should not be too folky or modern in feel. If you want to adapt a song that you know, try performing it with just drums or unaccompanied.

There could also be a simple chorus to allow others to join in with or another vocal line. Try to add underlying bass lines or simple chants to run under the verses or choruses. Layered vocals make an excellent effect.

Our sources

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Imperial Orc observer

Requiring an Orc observer for the Senate to be elected and given the right to speak on the Senate floor, though no direct vote or motion raising powers.

Proposed by Astalot, seconded by Semmerholm.

Contents

- 1 Overivew

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Election

Overivew

- Created the Imperial Title Advisor on orc affairs.

- Passed with 3 votes against and awaiting Constitutional Court opinion and Imperial Assent

- While this was deemed a constitutional issue, the constitutional court review later determined there were no constitutional issues.

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013).

Cost

- None

Election

- Senate election

The Advisor is selected by the Imperial orc nation. The generals will appoint it, and if they are not unanimous the decision falls to the Senate in the same manner they would select a General (all candidates put themselves forward). This may be seen as setting a precedent for the senator selection process when the Imperial Orcs claim their first territory.

The Advisor on Orc Affairs has the ability to speak in the Senate.

The Advisor has the right to address the Senate. They may require the Speakers to timetable an address to the Senate each season as they see fit.

The Advisor cannot be removed from the Senate except by the Throne or by the Speakers.

The Advisor can be revoked by the Imperial Orc assembly, the General Assembly or the Council of Eight.

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Imperial Orcs children

Children are very important within orc society, as the survival of the legions relies on the young. Most Imperial Orcs feel a special affection for children of their legion, even those that are not their own and will fight to the death to protect them from harm. Harm is seen as real risk to life and limb however; orc children are not spoiled. There is a belief that life is hard and that children must learn this from an early age. There is an orc saying that to shield the child is to expose the legion. Young children are never taken on campaign into enemy territory but they do travel with the legions as they march around the Empire. Sharing the harsh conditions that their parents experience is seen as character building.

Although children cannot legally take the battlefield before they pass their citizenship tests, they are still expected to serve the legion from a young age. Young children run messages for warlords, shamans and other important figures while older children work with bonesetters to acquire wealth and resources for the legion or acting as lookouts for thief-takers. Youth is seen as a handicap, since a child is prevented from taking the battlefield, they must compensate and look to help their legion in other ways.

When not working children are encouraged to fight and play games that teach them tactics and strategy or to study magic, literacy and history. It is accepted that children will want to engage in frivolous games that will not ultimately benefit them, but such things are seen as rewards for hard work.

Imperial Orcs live tough lives and those who fight in the Imperial armies know that death may find them at any point. As a result, they often look to pass on important belongings to children from an early age. Items of worth are particularly important. It is believed that learning to value the worth of an item, being able to recite its history and legacy, helps a child learn what it means to be an Imperial Orc as well as inspiring them to worthy deeds of their own. Weapons are common, once a child is old enough to carry one responsibly but pieces of jewellery, bones and other worthy pieces are all considered suitable for children. A young orc who carries an item of worth is expected to know its provenance and be able to tell stories of the deeds that helped it acquire worth. Some adult orcs, especially preachers like to challenge youngsters carrying such items to tell these tales, as a way of instilling pride and building confidence.

Once a child has passed the warrior test they are then old enough to fight in the fighting pits. The first fight is often a short, nervous affair and considered something of a rite of passage by many parents, but young orcs are encouraged to treat the pits with due respect. An orc should have reason to go to the pits, not simply because they are looking to prove they have become an adult.

While younger orcs do not hear their ancestors as often or as strongly as adult orcs do, it is important to teach them the difference between 'good' ancestors (those who offer guidance that helps them grow as part of the Empire) and 'bad' ancestors (those who give bad advice, or encourage them to do things at odds with the Imperial Orc way of life).

Things every child should know

- You have just one life, use it wisely. It should be your goal to become an ancestor.

- Your legion is your family. Wear your legion's symbols with pride.

- Support the Empire. You are part of the greatest power on earth, work hard to be worthy of it.

- Items have stories. These stories tell you what a person or item is worth, learn them well.

- Keep the laws. Without law we are nothing – Imperial law must be upheld at any cost.

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Imperial Orcs culture and customs

Contents

- 1 Worth

- 2 Symbols

- 3 Writing

- 4 Pit-fights

- 5 Clothing

- 6 Families

- 7 Funerals

Worth

In addition to the intrinsic value of an item, Imperial Orcs believe that some items have an additional quality they call "worth" that is defined by their provenance. This quality is based on the history of an item, who made it, what happened to it and how it came to be in the Orc’s possession. It is based on the belief that a person’s unique personal effects are imbued with qualities of that person during important moments. Items gain worth over time, as they are passed down generations, so old heirlooms are particularly prized.

Items also have worth if they are fashioned by the individual that used them so most Imperial Orcs take great pride in creating and maintaining as many of their own belongings as they can. Few orcs have the time to master such skills, so their personal effects may often have a rough, crude appearance, but this is of little concern to an orc compared to the idea that their belongings should have worth. When an Imperial Orc dies in battle, those who fought alongside them will often take one of the fallen’s worthy items as a mark of respect. To be buried with all your belongings is considered a great shame for an Imperial Orc, an indication that your death had no worth.

Symbols

Orcs feel a strong need to be part of a well-defined group. They tend to see the group’s identity as an essential part of their own identity, and they like to have clearly visible symbols of membership. This group identity is almost never expressed as uniformity, as that would deny individual choice and hark back to the time when Imperial Orcs were slaves. They prefer the items they use to be unique to them and to have as much worth as possible. For orcs, the solution is to paint or carve symbols onto belongings like shields and armour, or to paint or embroider them onto clothing. In some cases specific items such as skulls or jewellery may be attached to equipment as a symbol. The ability of symbols to draw groups together and create identity is a form of hearth magic.

Orc symbols are usually added to items by the owner themselves. The simplest are painted or drawn, but more skilled orcs will burn, gild or embroider symbols onto their belongings. Orcs dislike uniformity so symbols are usually recurring interpretations of a theme rather than a specific design used by everyone. In a legion of orcs that use a dagger as their symbol for example, each design may be a slightly different shape, size and colour, but provided they make the individual’s legion clearly identifiable then they achieve their purpose. It is the underlying motif that is prized; the visible demonstration of allegiance.

When items change hands, old symbols are rarely painted over, rather they are allowed to fade, so that they become part of the story of an item, a way to tell its worth. New symbols are usually painted over the top of old symbols on items like shields, but multiple symbols of allegiance on clothing and armour add to the worth of an item so they are kept provided the bearer can still advertise their identity and allegiance clearly with their own symbols.

Many Imperial Orcs have adopted the Imperial Horse as the unofficial symbol of their nation. They embellish personal equipment with the image and incorporate it into banners and other symbols. Most orcs belong to a legion and the Imperial Horse usually takes pride of place next to the legion symbol.

Writing

Literacy is considered a defining symbol of adulthood by Imperial Orcs; in some ways more important than the ability to fight. As slaves, orcs were unable to learn to read and write and many older orcs endured years of difficult lessons following their freedom – some still struggle to read or write well. Literacy has become a prized skill by Imperial Orcs, symbolic of the freedom they fought to achieve and children raised by Imperial Orcs have its value drilled in to them from an early age. Imperial Orcs assume that any orc can fight by the time they reach adulthood, but they do not take literacy for granted.

The written word is regarded with some reverence by many orcs. While books are less interesting to them, the idea that you can record the words someone has said, and thereby immortalize what would otherwise be lost, has a mystical quality to many orcs. This ability to continue to inspire or advise generations after the individual speaker has died is seen as akin to the way an ancestor can inspire or advise after they are dead.

Pit-fights

Most orcs enjoy fighting or watching others fight in much the same way a citizen of the Marches might enjoy a ball game. Consequently wherever Imperial Orcs are found there is likely to be a place set aside for pit fighting. This practice allows for weapon training and grudge settling in front of an appreciative audience, while on a practical level fighting allows orcs to deal with frustration or boredom while keeping a clear head at other times. Pit fights are never to the death; killing someone in a pit fight is as much murder as killing someone in the tavern.

Clothing

Almost all Imperial Orcs wear wraps around their ankles, wrists and neck. When the first Orcs were freed from slavery the wraps were used to hide the scars caused by chains and manacles. Although there are few remaining Imperial Orcs who bear the scars of slavery, the wraps have became a mark of solidarity in the nation. Wearing them is seen as a acknowledgement of the past, recognizing the sacrifices made by your forebears.

Many orcs now use other garments to cover these areas, but almost all orcs cover them in some way. To leave the skin in these areas exposed is considered shameless by most Imperial Orcs - a taboo akin to public nudity - it is thought to show disdain for your parents and implies that the individual thinks they are better than older Imperial Orcs because they are not scarred. More than one young orc who thought to flaunt the custom has been taught the error of their ways in the pit.

Families

When they were slaves the orcs became used to the idea of raising their children, only to lose contact with them when they came of age. Imperial slave owners regularly sold young orcs as soon as they became adults. As such, orc parents came to believe that they had to teach everything their child needed to know about the world before they reached maturity. Even after they liberated themselves, the orc parents continued this tradition of preparing them to make their own way in the world.

A young orc is unlikely to follow their parent into the "family business". They are even unlikely to join the same legion as their parents. They are much more likely to join another legion, encouraged by family and stranger alike to make their own way in the world. In doing so they keep the nation strong, but they also keep it connected and prevent it breaking up into tribes - siblings in two legions maintain a bond and recognise each other as kin. Having blood relatives in many different parts of the nation helps the orcs maintain a sense of that nation as being part of their family.

Outsiders imagine that orcs do not care much for their children but this is an entirely mistaken view. They send their children away because they value them, wanting them to grow up to be strong and independent adults capable of taking responsibility for themselves. Children are so precious to Imperial Orcs that they find the idea of orphans horrifying. As a result it is not uncommon for Imperial Orcs to adopt abandoned human orphans and raise them as their own children. Such individuals must join another nation when they come of age, but most remain firm allies of the Imperial Orcs for the rest of their life.

Funerals

Imperial Orcs believe it is essential to stay together even in death. Every effort is made to ensure that the fallen are not left alone on the field of battle. Orcs bury their dead in mass graves and the fallen are carried in ceremony until they are joined by others or their bodies can be added to an existing grave.

When a shaman or an Imperial Orc ritualist dies, it is common to claim a few bones from the body. These bones are carved or etched and used to create talismans useful in orcish ritual magic.

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Imperial Orcs economic interests

Imperial Orcs see money as something that separates free citizens of the Empire from slaves. Perhaps more so than many humans they understand the freedom that comes with being able to buy and sell things freely. A number of the first generation were raised in League cities, and possessed a well-developed appreciation for the power that comes with wealth. In keeping with their instinctual desire to be part of a group, however, many Orcs see a distinction between personal wealth - enough money to live in comfort - and the wealth of the legion - the wealth that comes from and is used to keep everyone in the legion well equipped, fit and capable of doing their jobs.

Contents

- 1 Bonesetters

- 2 Thief-takers

- 3 Reavers

- 4 Resources

Bonesetters

Many legions pool the majority of their wealth and resources, using it to provide for the members of the legion on the basis of need. A warlord will usually appoint one or more individuals to look after a legion’s wealth. By tradition these people are called bonesetters and are usually trained apothecaries, physicks or both.

Bonesetters are expected to attend to the physical needs of the legion, but their remit runs well beyond this. Most bonesetters proactively work to enrich their legion, investing the legion’s resources as they see fit to try to increase the legion’s wealth. Bonesetters have no formal powers but they often broker deals for the skills of individual legion members or even the whole legion, if they are confident that their warlord will support them. A competent bonesetter who is working in the best interests of their legion can usually count on their support. Few orcs want to annoy the individual whose responsibility it is to treat the wounded but more importantly, the genuine bonesetter is assumed to be making deals for the benefit of the entire legion.

Thief-takers

Orcs despise criminals or indeed anyone who puts their own interests above that of their group. As a result Imperial Orcs find themselves natural supporters of the Imperial legal system. If an Imperial Orc witnesses corruption or lawbreaking, they are likely to take steps to immediately arrest the criminal, and take them straight to the nearest magistrate for judgement. As a result many have found a niche for themselves serving as thief-takers.

Thief-takers earn their income by collecting bounties on criminals who have fled the law and more rarely by taking payments from private individuals looking to identify perpetrators of crimes. Thief-takers are overseen by the Imperial magistrates and the most effective work closely with them. Some legions encourage their members to take this work, believing that it earns wealth for the legion as well as performing a valuable service, but some orcs enjoy the work so much that they make a life for themselves outside the legion forming small bands with other successful thief-takers.

The large number of orcs prepared to carry out this work, and their strict adherence to the letter of the law, particularly enacting magistrates’ orders which would make others’ lives politically very uncomfortable has meant that in recent years more and more of this work is brought directly to the Imperial Orcs. In particular a number of magistrates have adopted the “culprit’s walk” where suspects are forced to walk around the orc camp before being released on bail. The culprit’s walk makes it easier for orc thief-takers to identity suspects that fail to return for trial as well as making the culprit aware of the resources available to bring them to justice. There have been three attempts by the Senate to ban the culprit’s walk but thus far they have all been unsuccessful.

Reavers

Most orc legions support large groups of heavily trained soldiers who are no longer serving directly in the Imperial army. These soldiers are usually deployed with the orc armies, to further bolster their strength, but periodically they perpetrate raids on barbarian lands to earn much needed wealth for their legion. This arrangement ensures that more power remains with the warlords rather than being commanded directly by the Imperial generals. Wise generals work closely with those warlords whose legions are part of their army; ensuring they have enough opportunities to raid barbarian lands to keep their legions supplied helps ensure their continued support and cooperation.

A handful of legions have come to enjoy the freedom and wealth that raiding brings and no longer maintain links with the armies. These groups, called reavers, usually support themselves primarily by raiding and by hiring as mercenaries with one of the Imperial armies. Reavers are largely tolerated by legion orcs; their raids help to enrich the orc nation and the Empire and damages their enemies, but are often disorganized or poorly focused. It is seen as a good way of life for those orcs who chafe under the leadership or strict discipline of army life to still serve the nation.

The line between legions and reavers is easily crossed. Legions that find themselves unable to respect the generals of the armies often take up the reaving lifestyle, sometimes for years at a time. Likewise reavers who prosper enough to become prominent often join one of the armies to allow them to play a full role in orc society.

Resources

A few Imperial Orcs maintain lands and resources near to the legion camps. Most orcs regard mines with a great deal of distaste and few orcs can be convinced to work them. As a result Imperial Orcs tend to avoid them and the few orcs that do own them usually hire local labour. Shortfalls in resources and other materials that the Imperial Orcs need are usually provided by reavers.

Most Imperial Orcs favour military units and only a few invest in herb gardens, mana sites or other static resources. The plan needs as much military might as can be brought to bear, and when it is complete the goal is to relocate to the new territory which will be more difficult for those with close ties to existing resources.

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Imperial Orcs hearth magic

Symbols

Symbols as marks of identity and loyalty are culturally important to Imperial Orcs, but they are also a form of hearth magic. Symbols are used to bind people together, and can be used to strengthen magic that affects groups of people. Imperial Orcs dislike uniformity, so the symbols they use are rarely identical in size and shape; what is important is the thematic image and implied unity. The power of the hearth magic lies in the repetition of the symbolic meaning, rather than in the shape and colour.

The hearth magic of symbols can also be used to create or enforce identity. For orcs, the decision to adopt a symbol is never taken lightly because they know that wearing the symbols of others creates bonds that work to encourage loyalty and unity.

Worth

Imperial Orcs believe that items have worth based on their history and deeds, how they have passed from one owner to the next and how they have been used. Worth is important in to the ancestors, but it is also an effective hearth magic because the item can influence the owner as much as the owner influences the item. As items gain worth, they pass the essence of that power on to their wielder. A sword used to perform courageous deeds helps the bearer be courageous; a sword used to perform cowardly backstabbing encourages the wielder to be a cowardly backstabber.

This means that the orcs believe that some items with worth are better off being destroyed. An example might be the crown of Alderei the Fair - nobody can deny it has worth but that worth is tainted and corrupt because of the terrible deeds it was part of. Anyone who takes that item runs the risk of becoming cruel and tyrannical.

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Imperial Orcs history

Contents

- 1 Slavery

- 2 The Uprising

- 3 The Revolt Spreads

- 4 Citizens of the Empire

- 5 Three Generations

Slavery

The Imperial Orcs began as slaves. By the time the First Empress was putting her Empire together, generations of orcs had been born, lived and died as slaves to the human nations. Slaves were rare in Navarr and Urizen, because they had little use for them, and in the Brass Coast because slavery was an abomination to many. However it was commonplace everywhere else in the Empire; just as it was common for humans to labour as slaves in the lands the Orcs controlled. For the forerunners of the Imperial Orcs the founding of the Empire swelled their numbers as more Orc tribes were conquered but it brought no respite from their toil.

Orc children were traded like livestock. The old and the weak were left to starve. Thoughtless cruelty was commonplace. The most common attitude of slave owners was that orcs were lucky to be alive, the only alternative they saw was death for those who resisted the expansion of the Empire. Those orcs who escaped captivity were simply never seen again, unless they were hunted down and brought back to the camps to face execution as a warning to the others.

Orcs taken as slaves were deliberately separated from their tribes to make them easier to handle. The result was that the orcs had lost all sense of identity, stripped of their tribal heritage by generations of slavery. As a result when an orc managed to escape, they made no effort to rescue anyone else.

The Uprising

The uprising began in Varushka with the legendary orc warlord Thrace. Young, confident and strong-willed, he saw something that no previous orc slave had seen. The other orc slaves were not strangers, they were part of his legion and his tribe. Through force of will and physical might, he bound his fellows together. He engineered a collapse in the mine allowing the entire legion to escape as one. A single escape was not enough for Thrace and his legion - they had decided that all the slaves kept by the Empire were their people, and they set out to free as many of their tribe as they could.

Thrace's legion began raiding nearby slave enclosures, freeing other orc slaves and appropriating weapons and food for their growing band. Wherever Thrace's legion went, they offered the slaves they liberated a simple choice. Join our legion and come with us, or stay by yourselves and try to make it alone. The majority chose to join the legion, and their numbers quickly grew. Throughout the Summer there were numerous battles with Varushkan troops sent to deal with the uprising, but the results were indecisive and with winter closing in, the Varushkans were forced to abandon the pursuit.

By this time the legion had grown so large that Thrace was forced to split his forces in three to allow them to survive the winter. They spent the cold months practising with the armour and weaponry they had captured. Messengers were sent to the barbarian tribes, to seek aid, but they were bloodily rebuffed. If anything, the barbarian tribes seemed to hate the liberated slaves even more than the humans. From surviving emissaries, the news trickled back that no escaped orc slave had ever been accepted among the barbarians; those few who had survived the arduous trek to the lands claimed by the barbarians, and those slaves in territories that had fallen to the barbarians, were simply killed.

With the first thaws of spring, the Imperial army tried to catch the orcs in a decisive engagement, but Thrace and his warlords resisted. The Imperial generals called in reinforcements, and finally they managed to corner the orc force with no opportunity for escape. The orcs still had the advantage of numbers, but they had only a fraction of the weapons, armour and training of their enemies and it was clear that defeat was certain without a miracle of some kind. Determined not to allow the uprising to be crushed, the legion sent the best warriors out in small groups in the night with orders to slip past the Varushkan armies and carry the uprising to all the lands of the Empire. To give them cover to make their escape, Thrace led the legion in a surprise attack against the encamped Varushkan armies.

Woefully under-equipped compared to the Imperial troops, the legion managed to keep the Varushkans busy until late in the day. They fought valiantly, desperately, but they were no match for the massed might of two imperial armies. It is widely believed that Thrace died in the engagement with the Imperial armies. To date no Imperial Orc can claim reliably to have heard his voice and some believe this means he is not actually dead. It seems unlikely that he is alive, but equally unlikely that such a pivotal figure would not have become an ancestor after death.

The Empire crushed the slaves and on the orders of the Varushkan generals no prisoners were taken. Every orc not killed in the battle was executed, and survivors were mercilessly hunted through the early winter months. The bodies were burnt in massive funeral pyres, and the Empire considered the matter at an end.

The Revolt Spreads

On the first day of spring of the next year, the soldiers that Thrace had ordered to flee Varushka attacked slave camps in Wintermark, Dawn, the League and Highguard. They had spent the winter spying out all the weakest defended areas where slaves were being held and they fell on them slaughtering any Imperials not smart enough to run. Their numbers swelled rapidly, just as they had done in Varushka, while the Empire struggled to respond to a widespread threat erupting in lands it considered secure.

There were atrocities on both sides during this period - stories of entire camps put to the sword by terrified owners, or villages sacked and every human within slaughtered by rampaging orc slaves in search of supplies. Not all contact between orcs and humans was hostile however; a handful of notable Freeborn and League merchants realized the potential for profit and began to sell weapons and provisions to the orc legions in return for plundered ores.

While the orcs tried to avoid pitched battles, their groups became too large to move effectively especially in open lands. Several major engagements took place in Dawn and Wintermark and although the orcs suffered a number of defeats there were always more camps to raids so their numbers continued to grow. The message of the revolt spread through the orc population, no matter how hard the Empire tried to prevent it. "We are one tribe," it ran. "We are one people, and we will not be slaves any longer." Several camps spontaneously revolted and while most such mini-uprisings were ruthlessly suppressed enough succeeded, forming new legions who set out to join up with their free fellows.

As the year drew on, the disparate orc forces converged on the League city of Temeschwar still acting on the orders given to them by Thrace the year before. They created a massive encampment near the city where thousands of slaves were held. The city was well defended however and it was clear that they lacked the numbers to take it so they pushed north into Varushka intent on surviving the winter there as they had done the year before.

It was there, that Emperor Ahraz of the Brass Coast made contact with them, initially via contacts cultivated by Freeborn merchants, and later in person. While the Empire tends to take a dim view of Ahraz, the orcs mostly speak of him as a man of great sincerity and passion who convinced them that he could not only save their people, but give them a purpose and a home. All they had to do was swear to serve the Empire and the Imperial Throne.

Several legions refused to accept Ahraz' offer - to join the Empire that had enslaved them - and even the Emperor could not ensure their safety. They headed into the Varushkan wilderness, and out of the Imperial Orc histories. Some were exterminated by the Imperial Armies, others were prey to monsters, and a few exist today as beleaguered bandit tribes.

Those who accepted Ahraz' offer marched along with his forces to Anvil, in a calculated show of force, to where the Senate was sitting. The Emperor presented the agreement to the Senate, and hours of frantic politicking took place. The Emperor's faction won the vote. Several far-reaching changes took place as a consequence; it became it illegal to keep orcs as slaves and those who swore to serve the Empire were accepted as Imperial citizens.

Citizens of the Empire

Acceptance of the orcs as citizens of the Empire meant the end of slavery. Those few orcs still enslaved were brought to the vast camps based near Anvil. Tents and provisions were provided but life in these refugee camps was crowded and dirty. As months passed these camps became the de facto home for the Imperial Orcs. The Civil Service made a great push to recruit orcs into the Imperial army; the discipline of army life suited the orcs and keeping their people together made it possible to exert leadership over them.

The years that followed also required each of the now-Imperial Orcs to take the Tests of Adulthood. They learned to read and write first from Urizen teachers, and then from each other. These were the first of the skills that the orcs had been denied as slaves, but others followed - metalworking, building, sewing - all had to be relearned.

Many orcs were keen to abandon the past and embrace the opportunity they had won for themselves as citizens of the Empire. The legacy of Thrace was to show the orcs that they were a people, and one that existed long before Ahraz made them citizens of the Empire - the orcs know that the Emperor did not make them one people, it merely gave their people a name.

Three Generations

News of the acceptance of orcs into the Empire brought renewed conflict with the barbarians on every border. Some of the Imperial Orcs claim that the invasions were launched with the intention of attacking them directly, but there is little proof to support this and the barbarians remained as divided as ever.

At first the Imperial generals were hesitant to use the orcs. Many believed that the Imperial Orcs would prove unreliable in battle, some openly questioned their reliability. The first Imperial Orcs took their places at a meeting of generals in 351 YE, and despite initial scepticism, they proved time and again what they and their people were capable of doing when fighting for the Empire.

Since that time, the Imperial Orcs have been caught up in the struggle to cement their identity and to learn how to be Imperial citizens. It is only with the coming of age of the third generation, the first generation of orcs to have been born entirely as Imperial citizens, that they are now beginning to make their presence felt on the Imperial stage.

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Imperial Orcs leadership

Most Imperial Orcs choose to belong to a legion. The legions are organized along military lines, and choose one of the Imperial Orc armies to be part of. In practice the legions are a cross between a regiment and an informal family group. Although not all the members of a legion are warriors, or even members of the army, the camaraderie and mindset of the career soldier tends to permeate throughout a legion.

Each orc legion chooses its own name and symbols but most can also be identified by their favoured fighting style.One legion may have a bias for plate armour and pole-weapons, while another favours sword and shield. Warriors are usually expected to have at least a basic mastery of their legion's favoured style. Each legion is fiercely proud of its identity in battle, and a healthy, good natured rivalry exists between legions with regard to tactics and combat style. This rivalry is put aside on the battlefield, and warlords are careful to ensure that it never undermines loyalty and service to the Empire; the place for combat between members of rival legions is the fighting pit, not the battlefield.

Banners are particularly important to Imperial Orcs. Legion camps are often decorated with banners displaying legion symbols, as Orcs find it reassuring to be surrounded by images that reinforce their group identity. Many bear an image of the horse as a symbol of the Empire alongside specific legion markings and colours. Imperial Orcs differentiate between banners, which are general symbols of legion identity, and a legion standard. Many legions have a legion standard, which is a symbol of the legion's pride. Trophies from particularly notable legion members or items of exceptional worth that once belonged to someone in the legion are often added to a legion standard.

Legions chose their own commanders, called warlords, with individuals chosen for their ability to provide clear effective leadership in battle, according to the traditions of the individual legion. Orcs expect their leaders to be inspirational as well as astute so the majority of warlords are powerful warriors who lead from the front. Those who lead by cunning alone need to be particularly smart and their legions are often small but very tight knit. Warlords appoint members of the legion to a chain of command beneath them, so that if they fall in battle they can be quickly replaced – the life of the legion is always more valuable than the life of any individual.

Most legions have a clear chain of command with harsh punishments for disloyalty or disobedience. Imperial Orcs usually have little sympathy with individuals who refuse to follow orders. In battle, those who find themselves at odds with a legion’s leadership face summary court martial, at other times they are usually expelled from the legion. In such cases a group of orcs usually form their own rival legion, while an individual must attempt to join another legion or face existence alone.

Few Imperial orcs have much time for or interest in the sophisticated political intrigues so popular in places such as the League. They are perfectly capable of understanding that a senator might say one thing and mean another, but among themselves they expect plain talking. In part this is because Imperial Orcs expect and demand an unyielding chain of command. Leaders amongst the orcs will usually explain the details of a plan because they want their followers to understand it, but they rarely if ever feel the need to justify it. In the view of most Imperial Orcs you either trust your leaders implicitly or you choose someone different to follow. Undermining your leaders weakens the whole legion, and is regarded with contempt when done to advance your own position.

Generals

With no territories of their own, the Imperial Orcs do not possess senators. As a result the effective leadership of the nation lies with the warlords, and most especially with the two Imperial Orc generals. Generals are chosen by bouts between legion members under rules agreed when the orcs joined the Empire. Under this system, any warlord wishing to be considered presents themself along with their legion to the civil service overseeing the election process. The warlord of the largest legion puts forward half their members and the opposing warlord then picks members from their own legion to duel with them. The remainder of the second warlord’s legion are then presented and the warlord of the largest legion chooses members remaining from their own legion to duel them. The legion that wins the most duels may then choose the general.

If three or more legions are contesting a position, then each legion presents a third of its force for the others to choose members to fight in order of size. If the contest is a draw, then those warlords with the highest number of wins must fight a final fight with each other to determine the winner. Since the warlord with the smaller legion will not have sufficient members to pair off for each fight, they have two choices, they may find a volunteer to fight for them from outside their legion – or they may choose a contestant from an earlier fight to contest a second bout. In the first instance they may choose anyone, but if the individual chosen is not a member of their legion then they do not score a point for winning (but they do deny their opponent a point by not losing). In the second case they may win and add to their legion’s score, but they must fight without any magical or herbal healing between the first and second bout.

Imperial Orcs are proud of this process, which they believe works well to find the best candidates to be generals. Inspirational warlords, and warlords whose leadership keeps their legion members alive, tend to have the largest legions, which is a natural advantage in the contest. However there is considerable tactics in choosing who will fight against whom, it is considered a weak strategy to pit your best warriors in order against their best – the more a warlord knows about the fighting capabilities of legion members, the more effectively they can pick the fights.

It is not uncommon for politics to play an important role in the process. Often there is only one clear contender, in which case the legions will usually arrange a ceremonial contest to ensure that due propriety is done. Contests may also see political deals and agreements- it is considered exceptionally poor form to not bring every member of your legion to the contest, but private deals between warlords and individual warriors are acceptable. It is not unknown for a winning legion to choose the other warlord to be general, a process which brings great honour to all participants The winning legion is assumed to be acting in the best interests of the Imperial Orcs, while the selected general is considered to be so inspirational that they have been chosen despite not being strong enough to win the contest.

Since Autumn 377YE, the Imperial orc generals have also been responsible for appointing the Advisor on orc affairs, an officer of the Imperial Senate with responsibility to advise the Senate on orc matters. The selection method is seen as foreshadowing the likely method of appointing Imperial orc senators - a reversal of the normal method whereby senators would select generals.

Shamans

Shamans play an important role in the leadership of Imperial Orc society. Their link to the orc ancestors is considered to provide valuable insight and wisdom. By tradition shamans are consulted by Imperial Orc generals and warlords before significant decisions are made, so that they can provide the ancestor’s guidance. Many warlords have a specific favoured shaman they regularly consult, while the generals are more likely to speak to all the shamans present. Individual Orcs also seek out shamans for advice when they make important decisions, either to receive guidance in making up their minds or to see how the ancestors feel about the course of action they have decided on.

It is not uncommon to ignore the advice shamans give though it should always be weighed and considered. The orcs' barbarian ancestors do not understand the life of the Imperial Orcs, and their voices tend to be the loudest of those heard by the shamans. There are exceptions; some shamans possess enough wisdom that their advice is valuable even when it does not come directly from an ancestor, and other shamans have an affinity for one or more helpful ancestors whose words often seem to be more relevant to their Imperial descendants.

Leading a territory

When the Imperial Orcs joined the Empire they agreed that their generals would eventually pick their senators. In the case that the generals cannot unanimously decide on who will take the senate seat for a territory, the senate as a whole will select from all available candidates.

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Imperial Orcs lineage and species attitudes

Orcs do not have lineage. To most Imperial Orcs, humans with lineage are still citizens of the Empire, and they do not discriminate against them especially. Many orcs see no difference between humans with lineage and humans without lineage.

There is a common enmity between barbarian and Imperial orcs. During the uprising efforts were made to make contact with the barbarian tribes but they were rejected. In some cases the emissaries were simply killed, but some tribes made offers of help or sanctuary only to betray them to the Empire. Prior to the uprising some orcs believed that escaped slaves were welcomed by the barbarian tribes; it has become increasingly clear that escaped slaves were simply killed if they reached the barbarian lands. The motivation for the barbarians' hatred of the Imperial Orcs is not clear, but it seems to stem from a fundamental belief that they are somehow dirty or spiritually corrupt.

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Imperial Orcs look and feel

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 Feel

- 1.2 Influences

- 1.3 Colours

- 1.4 Materials

- 2 Clothing

- 2.1 War Skirt

- 2.2 Leg and Arm Wraps

- 3 Arms and Armour

- 3.1 Weapons

- 3.2 Armour

- 3.3 Shields

- 3.4 Mage implements and armour

- 4 Icons and Artistry

- 5 Less Appropriate

- 5.1 Warhammer and Warhammer 40K

- 5.2 The Lidless Eye and the White Hand

Overview

The Imperial Orc look is a patchwork of second-hand clothing and equipment collected together. Equipment is aged and worn, a reflection of the Orc preference for old items with history and story over things that are new. Imperial Orcs have been free for barely the span of two generations, enough time to learn basic skills but not enough to master them. Moreover most orcs take pride in being able to make and maintain their own clothing and equipment but they have little interest in their appearance. As such Imperial Orc craftwork lacks sophistication - it is simple and practical.

Base colours are dull or dark; brown is seen as a practical colour that hides mud and dirt stains. These will be contrasted with stark colours like blood red or midnight blue. The surface of weapons and armour are often treated, dulling, darkening or painting the metal to protect them against further rust. Clothing and equipment are all marked with symbols of identity, painted, carved or stitched onto the surface.

Imperial Orcs are practical people who like their belongings to reflect their physical lifestyle. As a result clothing tends to be strong and hard wearing, to resist wear. Leather is common, as are linen and wool - practical materials that will wear well and can be patched and repaired. Tailoring is basic; most orcs wear a simple tunic often combined with a warskirt made up of pieces of leather hung from a belt.

Weapons are heavy and solid, designed to withstand the most brutal impacts without shattering and to pulverize bones rather than cut the flesh. Bows and crossbows are both used occasionally, but most orcs prefer to get close to their enemy.

Feel

Proud, practical, poor, old, worn, independent, physical, fierce.

Influences

Costume is heavily influenced by the Dark Ages; weapons and armour by the Lord of the Rings.

Colours

Dull or dark natural shades, particularly brown. Primary colours such as blood red or midnight blue may be used for contrast or to highlight an item.

Materials

Orcs use practical and hard wearing materials like wool, hessian, canvas and especially leather. Materials are usually dyed or stained to protect them and to hide mud or dirt. They also use iron reinforcing clothing with plates of iron and patches of chain.

Clothing

The basic Imperial Orc costume is a woollen t-tunic or similar linen tunic with a simple cut. Dark Age fabrics and costume patterns with their simple cuts are ideal for Imperial Orcs. These drawings show some of the art team’s original ideas for Imperial Orcs in the Empire setting based on the ideas that their clothing is simple practical items they have taught themselves to make since winning their freedom.

Clothing is often supplemented with patches of mail or pieces of plate. Orcs are no more likely than any other Imperial Citizen to wear armour all the time, but armour is considered a mark of status, so small pieces of armour demonstrate the wearer’s right to dress as they please.

Many things owned by Imperial Orcs are ripped and torn or pitted with rust, their appearance hopelessly affected by the rigours of age and hard use. Orcs regard these signs of age as a necessary improvement for a thing to gain worth and care little for the aesthetics. As a result their appearance is usually a motley collection of clothing and items that have been worn and used for decades.

Imperial Orc clothing is often heavily patched and repaired. Being independent of others means being able to maintain your own belongings, so most orcs mend their own clothes. Ever pragmatic, the repairs are usually made with whatever materials are readily to hand.

War Skirt

A war skirt is a common piece of Imperial Orc clothing, fashioned from layers of leather worn over each other and secured to a heavy leather belt or hero belt.

Leg and Arm Wraps

Almost all Imperial Orcs wear wraps around their ankles, wrists and neck to hide any scars once caused by chains and manacles. Many orcs now use other garments to cover these areas, but almost all orcs cover them in some way. To leave the skin in these areas exposed is considered shameless by most Imperial Orcs - a taboo akin to public nudity. Wraps are less common in battle, but heavy gauntlets and boots cover the ankles and bevors are a common piece of armour worn to protect the neck as well as cover it.

Wraps or similar are not essential, but they are a very effective way to easily hide skin on the wrists ankles and neck. This means you don't have to bother painting it and avoids all the usual complications and problems when make-up runs.

Arms and Armour

Weapons

Imperial Orcs prefer weapons that can endure for generations without shattering or corroding away. As a result they favour oversized weapons with plenty of heft designed to smash through bone rather than to thrust or pierce the flesh. Swords usually have thick heavy blades almost like cleavers. Many continue the blade over the guard of the handle giving the weapon a fierce and brutal demeanour.

Armour

Heavy, layered armour, thick leather, mail and plate are common. Imperial Orc armour usually shows signs of wear. Mail and plate is often rusted while the surface of leather armour will usually be cut and notched. It is extremely rare for armour to be made as a complete suit - it is much more common for pieces to be cannibalized from various disparate sources.

Shields

Round shields are preferred, usually painted or daubed with crude symbols. Warcasters often use a kite shield rather than a round shield both to have the biggest shield possible and to make up for their lack of heavy armour.

Mage implements and armour

Shamans prefer implements fashioned from or decorated with with bone, while warcasters prefer heavy iron rods that can serve as effective weapons without the aid of magic. Mage armour is often fashioned from thin leather with symbols interwoven with runes and other decorations.

Icons and Artistry

Orcs feel a strong need to be part of a well-defined group. They tend to see the group’s identity as an essential part of their own identity, and they like to have clearly visible symbols of membership.

Orc symbols are usually added to items by the owner themselves. The simplest are painted or drawn, but more skilled orcs will burn, gild or embroider symbols onto their belongings. Orcs dislike uniformity so symbols are often recurring interpretations of a theme rather than a specific design used by everyone. In a legion of orcs that use a dagger as their symbol for example, each design may be a slightly different shape, size and colour, but provided they make the individual’s legion clearly identifiable then they achieve their purpose. It is the underlying motif that it is prized; the visible demonstration of allegiance.

Many Imperial Orcs have adopted the Imperial Horse as the unofficial symbol of their nation. They embellish personal equipment with the image and incorporate it into banners and other symbols. Most orcs belong to a legion and the Imperial Horse usually takes pride of place next to the legion symbol.

Orc icongraphy itself is often stark, hard edged or stylised and almost seems to be an opposite to the extravagant artistry of Dawnish heraldry. It often depicts chains, manacles or other items associated with slavery and hard labour alongside more martial symbols like weapons or armour.

There is always some element of Imperial imagery included in Legion banners, though they are also depicted with a similar martial aspect. For example the horse is generally armoured, the crown mounted on or part of a helm.

The colours used often ape the limited palette of Highguard with red, black and white being popular, as well as occasional use of Imperial gold and purple. However the main body of many Legion and group banners come in a wide range of colours with each one bearing some significance to the individual Legion or group.

Less Appropriate

In defining the ideal look and feel for the Imperial Orcs we have chosen not to include some images. Orcs are a common feature in many settings but we wanted to create our own version of orcs that fit with the story and setting of Empire. For this reason we deliberately omitted elements from other settings that are so striking and memorable that it is impossible to see them without thinking of the game that created them.

We've listed some of the items we chose not to include in the look and feel below along with a short explanation of why they are not perfect for the Imperial Orcs. It is okay to use these items as part of your kit, creating a costume is always a compromise as time and money are limited. What we want to do is be clear on the suggestions we are making, so that players who are looking to create new kit or add to their existing kit can be confident about what will look great for the nation.

Warhammer and Warhammer 40K

The Games Workshop settings are iconic and memorable and have inspired many LRP characters. The imagery is instantly recognizable to anyone who is familiar with the games and conjures up images of the culture and style of Games Workshop orcs. We have deliberately chosen to draw most of our inspiration from the orcs and the Uruk-hai presented in the recent Lord of the Rings movies rather than the Games Workshop setting. For this reason it is much better to avoid iconic Games Workshop symbols like the yellow crescent of the Bad Moon Orcs or the vibrant green of their green skins if humanly possible.

The Lidless Eye and the White Hand

Orcs in Empire are far from the bestial creatures presented in the books and films but Tolkien's orcs are one of the inspirations that we have used. However neither Saruman nor Sauron exists in Empire so it is better to avoid their iconic symbols, the lidless eye and the white hand, if possible.

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Imperial Orcs magical traditions

Much of the magical arts of the Imperial Orcs were lost during the generations in which they were enslaved. Since winning their freedom, they have experimented freely as well as employing techniques, spells and rituals learned from other nations. Urizen in particular was adamant that the orcs needed to learn magic and arranged for Urizen magi, runesmiths and icewalkers from Wintermark, and volhov and cabalists from Varushka to teach the orcs.

Ancestors and Rituals

Learning ritual magic proved a painstaking process for the Imperial Orcs. Attempts to incorporate loud passionate drumming to get the blood pumping in the way some barbarian tribes perform rituals seems to draw the attention of the ancestors in much the way battle does. These ancestors were hostile and disruptive as is the way with many Imperial Orc ancestors and this made mastering ritual magic incredibly difficult. For a while some magi worried that the orcs might simply be incapable of mastering the art at all.

Eventually the shamans discovered a way to solve their problems using a combination of two powerful Imperial Orc hearth magics. The first is to encourage as many members of the ritualists' legion to be present as possible while performing a ritual, along with banners and flags bearing the legion symbols. The presence of the legion members and their symbols helps to reinforce the sense of identity and belonging that all orcs feel and increases the chances that one of the legion's ancestors will be able to return to watch the ritual.

By itself this is not sufficient; to be effective it must be combined with the second hearth magic, employing worth to ensure the right ancestor is called. Shamans and ritualists keep dozens of items of worth from older ritualists who have died. These trinkets are rarely weapons, magical implements are common but the best items are bone talismans, pieces of bone of varying size taken from a dead shaman's body and carved or etched with the story of their worth. The icewalkers were able to teach the orcs techniques to invoke the names of these ancestors while presenting bone talismans and other items of worth linked to them. When done right it ensures that that ancestor comes to witness the ritual and if the participants have chosen wisely then even the shamans receive advice and help at best or relative quiet at worst.

Shamans took an interest in ritual magic from the start, but this ability to gain moments of clarity and lucidity has served to make ritual magic even more appealing. As a result many seek out any opportunity to perform ritual magic.

Warcasters

The highly physical traditions of the Wintermark runesmiths appealed to some orcs who adopted a similar approach. As their confidence with magic developed they began to craft their own approach to battle magic and moved away from the runesmiths' emphasis on magical runes. What the warcasters wanted was a way to use magic whilst clearly remaining part of their legion. Two core approaches have developed, but regardless of the tactics they favour, all warcasters strive to be disciplined soldiers, used to fighting shoulder-to-shoulder in the thick of battle.

Some warcasters favour the best mage armour they can acquire, a heavy rod and a large shield. Unlike most Imperial Orcs, warcasters favour the kite shields more commonly seen among the Dawnish and Highborn. They also favour offensive spells that repel, entangle or paralyse their foes - many practice delivering a paralysis or entangle spell so as to get the best defensive benefit from their shields. These warcasters seek to fight alongside their legion comrades in toe-to-toe engagements with their enemies.

Other warcasters prefer to fight in the second rank, eschewing a shield and instead claiming the right to carry the legion standard. The logic for this honour is clear - the standard marks their location for the rest of their legion, but is less of an encumbrance than it might be for a warrior as it still leaves a hand free to cast spells. Warcasters who favour this combat style master support magic such as spells that mend or heal their fellow soldiers.

Oathwrights

The Oathwright tradition grew out of Imperial Orc experiences with the create bond spell. They began to question what exactly was happening when a bond was forged between an orc and an item. Discussions with several of the volhov tutoring the orc magicians lead them to question how the bonding interacted with the concept of worth, and to become fascinated by the oaths and promises that served as the underpinning of some Varushkan magic.

The common attitude that a bond is simply a practical application that allows an individual to use a magic item is seen as naïve by these orcs. Imperial Orc items, especially magical items, often have worth and the decision to create a bond between a person and an item is not a decision to be made or unmade lightly. Oathwrights believe that the bond between an item and a person affects them both, items may gain worth by being owned and bonded to the right person and the right item affects an individual's hopes of becoming an ancestor.

Bonds between individuals are even more important and oathwrights take a special interest in these. They often help people craft oaths, offering words of caution and advice and helping them to create vows that are articulate but precise. All magicians can create bonds, but most Imperial Orcs prefer to seek out an expert in the field. Oathwrights take their responsibilities very seriously and often counsel against foolhardy oaths or question an individual about situations where they might feel compelled to break their oath. The best charge for their services, expecting to be paid for their time and their wisdom.

Their interest in oaths, agreements and bargains made them a natural fit for serving as diplomats to the Eternals, where they work hard to extract binding promises from these powerful supernatural beings to aid the Empire and the Imperial Orcs.

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Imperial Orcs military concerns

At present there are just two Imperial Orc armies, although both are over-sized, roughly fifty percent larger than other Imperial armies. Plans have been mooted a few times for splitting the forces to create three armies, but the two armies were created when the orcs joined the Empire and have a long and noted history that few orcs are willing to give up - most take great pride in their army's achievements. Imperial Orcs are also aware that much of their political unity arises from the tight-knit nature of the armies and the legions attached to them and they are keen to prevent their loyalties being divided amongst too many armies and generals. Ultimately though the biggest consideration has simply been the practical costs involved in reforming the orc armies - the costs involved, the loss of efficiency as the armies are reorganized and the time in barracks required to complete the change.

The Orc generals face a number of difficult challenges. With no land of their own to defend, their troops are free to fight on any of the Imperial borders but this also robs them of political influence in the Senate. They are keenly aware that their military strength is their strongest advantage and that they must use it to the best advantage of the Imperial Orc nation, deploying their forces where they can bring the most benefit. While the most political capital might be accrued by going where the fighting is heaviest, this brings with it commensurate losses. Other nations are likely aware of the Imperial Orc desire for land, and the best Orc generals know they must be careful not to have their patriotism exploited to increase the influence of another nation at the cost of Orc lives.

The barbarian orcs harbour a particular hatred for the Imperial Orcs, often singling them out on the battlefield where possible. The Imperial Orcs have learned to use this to their advantage, exploiting the hatred the barbarians feel for their Imperial cousins to encourage them to make foolish tactical decisions. When fighting alongside the Navarr for example a legion may lure an opposing band of barbarian orcs into a prepared ambush, drawing the brunt of the opposing forces forward so the Navarr thorns can engage their flanks.

Although orcs strive to preserve themselves and their legion, cowardice is one of the most heinous of crimes – an act of self-preservation which threatens others. By contrast, the truest form of courage an orc can show is to give their life so that the legion can survive; it is difficult to become an ancestor if you fall before old age, and as this is the very zenith of orcish achievement, it takes a truly selfless orc to make the hardest sacrifice. Tales are told of such heroes, but they are always tinged with regret at the waste of life. Every orc that falls in battle is seen as a cause for sorrow, an early death prevents them from becoming an ancestor as well as diminishing the strength of the legions.

Pit Fighting

Pit-fights are a significant part of Imperial Orc culture, a revered practice that entertains and unites orcs in the Empire. Some individuals find themselves drawn to the experience of the pits, returning to fight there over and over. Some are drawn simply by the adrenalin of the experience, finding the roar of the crowd and the adrenalin of the challenge is too addictive to resist.

The very best are able to become professional pit-fighters. They trade on the reputation for skill and strength that they have built up in previous fights, until their notoriety means that other orcs begin to seek them out and actively challenge them. Most pit-fights are fought for joy of battle, some are fought to settle grudges and establish a rough pecking order. A professional pit-fighter can charge for the right to fight them because an orc wants to make a name for themself beating one of the best or perhaps because they want to learn something from the fight. The best pit-fighters are not just warriors, they are experts at working the crowd to a fever-pitch, so some orcs prefer to fight them just because the onlookers make the fight so much more rewarding. The taboos against betting on a pit-fight do not apply to making your own living from it - and the best pit-fighters are legends - at least amongst the orcs.

A few pit-fighters see their role as more than just a great way to make a living. Pit-fights are a deeply spiritual experience, for participants as well as for onlookers. The energy of the crowd, the adrenalin of the battle beckons to the ancestors and draws them closer. Many pit-fighters hear their ancestors urging them on during the fight and this experience is what drives many orcs to return to the pit over and over again. It is even more important for Imperial Orc shamans who need to commune with the ancestors and consult them to offer their guidance for the warlords.

As a result some skilled pit-fighters are closely associated with the shamans, working with them to decipher the wisdom from their words and determine what advice the ancestors are trying to communicate. These fighters see their job as a calling, they compete to make their battles as dramatic and exciting as possible, the better to allow themselves and the shamans to hear the voices of the past. Shamans often query fighters on what they heard, if anything, while fighting, but pit-fighters who emphasize the spiritual side of their calling will often ensconce themselves with the shamans for hours afterwards, working together to make sense of the ancestors' words.

Imperial Armies

The Imperial Orcs field two imperial armies; the Winter Sun and the Summer Storm. They are described in more detail here.

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Imperial Orcs people

The majority of Imperial Orcs are soldiers, enlisted in a legion in one of the two Imperial Orc armies. Orcs have an instinctive desire to belong to something, to be part of something bigger than themselves, enjoying the camaraderie and the sense of commitment and purpose. For an Imperial Orc, their legion, their army and the Empire itself are a fundamental part of their identity; they take great pride in being part of something greater than any individual and the triumphs of the Empire are their triumphs. The barbarian orcs feel the same passion towards their tribes and nations – for the Imperial Orcs the Empire is their tribe.

Even those who do not serve in the army tend to live in one of the many legion camps that are now dotted around the Empire, either permanently dwelling there or moving from camp to camp with one of the Imperial armies. Life in the camps is subject to military discipline, even for those who are not formally part of one of the armies, but most orcs are comfortable with the rough but unyielding discipline of legion life.

Life in the legion camps is crowded; orcs sleep in large communal tents and eat, train and work together. Orcs tend to become anxious and uncertain when alone and seeking solitude is often taken as a sign of illness. They expect individuals to seek out company and welcome those who do but they are often suspicious of those who choose to stand alone, whether human or orc. Orcs act primarily in the interest of their legions and they expect others to do likewise; they are particularly distrustful of individuals who claim to represent only themselves. An individual, or better still a group, acting on behalf of a larger body are usually much better received.

Imperial Orcs identify with the Empire on a personal level, viewing its triumphs as their triumphs. They view a crime against the Empire as a crime against them personally; to an Imperial Orc a betrayal of the Empire is the same as being personally betrayed. Many even take a crime against another Imperial citizen as seriously as a crime against a member of their own legion, making little distinction between citizens in this regard. As such they are staunch supporters of Imperial Law and will go to great lengths to hunt down criminals. They especially despise thieves and robbers; the right to own belongings was denied to them as slaves and many Imperial Orcs see theft of their possessions as a crime that attacks their rights as Imperial citizens.

In the mind of most Imperial Orcs, the laws have no grey areas - one is either innocent or guilty and punishment is required to absolve the guilty of their crimes. Although they accept the authority of the magistrates without question, Imperial Orcs believe that only retribution can allow a criminal to rejoin their legion with honour. In cases where individual circumstances have mitigated a crime and reduced the punishment imposed, Imperial Orcs often regard the convicted as marked and shamed, even going so far as to express open distrust thereafter. A criminal who “gets off lightly” is unlikely to be welcome in the Orc camp in the future, and some Orcs convicted of crimes have been known to ask that their sentences be increased to avoid such a fate.

Orcs are a profoundly martial race - a passion for fighting is literally 'in their blood' - and Imperial Orcs are no exception. Like many humans they enjoy battle and take great pride in fighting for their Empire and their legion. But for Orcs the elation of battle is literally a spiritual experience; for many it is the only time that they can hear their ancestors communicating to them. Some hear only half-whispered voices urging them on or shouting warning or advice, some hear nothing at all, but almost all derive a cathartic fulfilment from the act of fighting, but the fact that all orcs receive guidance from their ancestors is central to their religious beliefs.

The danger, of which the Imperial Orcs are only too aware, is that the thrill of battle is seductive and becomes addictive. Barbarians often lose their sense of self-preservation completely when urged on to fight by their ancestors, but their numbers are almost limitless. The individual barbarian dies, but the tribe lives on. The population of Imperial Orcs by comparison is perilously small and they cannot afford to fight recklessly. Discipline does not come easily to the Imperial Orcs, but the legions train to ensure that they are capable of withdrawing when a retreat is called or holding themselves in reserve until the order to advance is given. Many Imperial Orcs have come to consider that this battlefield discipline and command of tactics is one of the things that makes them superior to their barbarian cousins. All are aware that it is essential if they are to survive long enough to win territories of their own.

Nobody likes to be considered stupid, but Imperial Orcs take particular exception to the idea that they are uneducated or "slow." Some orcs react very negatively indeed to any suggestion that they might not be able to follow someone's train of thought, or might not be able to read something for themselves. They make little distinction between someone inadvertently patronising them in a well-meaning way, and someone who is trying to directly insult their intelligence. Actively mocking an orc's ability to read or write is to openly insult their status as a civilised citizen of the Empire.

"You don't think this enormous sash is a bit much?"

"It's fine, stop fiddling with it, just act like you wear it all the time."

"It looks ridiculous over my doublet, why would anyone believe I wear it all the time?"

"Because they don't like individuals and they don't like people who claim to work for themselves so we are buying this Biting Blade on behalf of the Illuminated Guild of Temeschwar, and that's why we are wearing sashes with lanterns on them. I've been through this with you twice, just stand behind me, nod occasionally and look like you care. You're getting paid 3 rings for this charade, think about that if it helps to focus your mind."

"Won't they realize you're just buying it for yourself?"

"Possibly... almost certainly if you can't play your part properly. But if they do, they'll still appreciate that I've made the effort. So I'll still get a cheaper price. But I hired you because you're supposed to be an actor, so for goodness sake, act."

"So long as I don't end up in the cooking pot. I hear they eat people they don't like."

"And I hear that failing actors who can't pay their debts displease the Prince."

Contents

- 1 Orc Names

- 1.1 Legion Name

- 1.2 Personal Names

- 1.2.1 Sample male names

- 1.2.2 Sample female names

- 1.3 Honorifics

Orc Names

Legion Name

All orcs use their legion name in a similar way that a human might use a family name. Most orcs put the legion name first, so an orc might introduce themselves as "Irontide Cled", "Bloodcrow Emmal" or "Sunhammer Sutin."

Legion names tend to be two words that describe their goals, their fighting style or some major event in their history. For example, the Irontide Legion favours heavy armour, wheras the Bloodcrow Legion favours lightly armoured skirmishers and the Sunhammer Legion prides itself on its weaponsmiths and jewellers.

Personal Names

Literacy has only become widespread amongst the Imperial Orcs since they won their freedom. As a result most names are short and simple and tend not to have silent letters - they are written the way they are spoken.

Male orc names are clipped; short, sharp sounds. Very few male orcs have a name with more than two syllables.

Female orc names are usually two-syllable with a double consonant in the middle. Many female orc names are palindromes - written down they read the same backwards as forward. Very few female orcs have a name with more than three syllables or less than two.

Sample male names

Ar, Atok, Brank, Brint, Cled, Col, Drok, Dakt, Durn, Erken, Eft, Frar, Furit, Grawik, Gru, Hent, Hurd, Irek, Ikis, Jekri, Jord, Kalt, Kask, Kulid, Kulk, Lunt, Lask, Matal, Murn, Natak, Nirak, Palt, Pest, Rilt, Rul, Sart, Slu, Sutin, Talik, Thada, Trast, Urt, Usak, Wesk, Yent

Sample female names

Adda, Agga, Attra, Bannak, Brakklo, Colla, Crillit, Dattia, Drokkan, Dakktar, Emme, Emmal, Ferrak, Garrasha, Gillig, Hajjah, Happak, Hollan, Illeska, Likkil, Innar, Jannik, Jinnij, Kabbak, Kessek, Kressik, Mannam, Narrik, Pessep, Presshak, Reller, Rosslin, Roshhok, Sakkia, Sollos, Tannap, Takkat, Tammat,Thonnot, Tullet, Urreska, Ussa, Usshak, Verrkan, Werrun, Wessik.

Honorifics

Imperial Orcs avoid boastful honorifics. An orc will use an Imperial title when on official business, but the rest of the time tends not to draw attention to it. Likewise, they avoid honorifics such as "the Mighty" or "Icebinder." The individual orc expects others to recognise them by their legion and personal name, and if they need to add some additional element detailing their deeds, they suggest their history or personal story is not strong enough to stand by itself.

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Imperial Orcs religious beliefs

Contents

- 1 Liao and the Labyrinth

- 2 The Howling Abyss

- 3 Imperial Orc ancestors

- 4 Becoming an ancestor

- 5 The ancestors in play

- 5.1 Things the ancestors say

- 5.2 Ancestors and hero points

- 6 Shamans

- 7 Preachers

- 8 The Imperial orc National Assembly

Liao and the Labyrinth

Imperial Orcs derive no benefit from taking liao and do not believe that they reincarnate. It is a key tenet of Imperial Orc belief that each orc has only one life, and that after they die there is no coming back.

Exactly what happens to the soul of an orc after death depends on how they have lived their lives. Most orcs fall into the Howling Abyss that they believe waits for them after death. The Howling Abyss tears their soul to pieces and casts those pieces into oblivion. Such orcs are utterly annihilated and gone forever. It is literally a fate worse than death.

Some humans claim that the lack of reincarnation is proof that orcs have no souls, but the Imperial Orcs believe that the souls of orcs are simply different to the souls of humans. Experiment has shown that auras created with liao ceremonies still affect orcs as do ceremonies such as insight and testimony so the majority of synod members accept that orcs must have souls even if doubt remains over their ability to enter and pass through the Labyrinth of Ages.

The Howling Abyss

The greatest, the most powerful, the truly legendary orcs, those capable of inspiring a generation with their deeds, are able to cross over the Howling Abyss to the other side. What lies on this farthest shore is not known, for these ancestors never speak of it, but they are strong enough to pass back through the darkness. By doing so they are able to influence and guide their descendants, to speak to them, and to lead them through the Abyss after death - provided they are worthy.

Orcs who have powerful ancestors may receive help from them when they die. The ancestors come for those who have managed to achieve greatness, who strive and succeed against the odds, and help them cross the Howling Abyss. These orcs will return across the Howling Abyss many times, seeking to help their allies and offspring grow strong, but eventually they become too weak to make the journey and can no longer return. Only the most powerful ancestors, those capable of making the journey unaided are able to continue to aid their descendants forever more.

Orcs hear the words of their ancestors in battle when roused to fury. These voices are those of orc ancestors whose greatness allows them to cross the Howling Abyss to offer guidance to their descendants, or those who have been aided in crossing the Howling Abyss by the ancestors.

Imperial Orc ancestors

For Imperial Orcs, the words of their ancestors are often confused and incoherent urging battle with the Empire, rather than its enemies. They have identified three rough groups of ancestors whose voices they can hear. The smallest group is made up of a tiny handful of first- and second-generation Imperial Orcs whose voices are hard to hear. The second group is made up of a small number of slaves whose voices are also weak, and who mostly advise the Imperial Orcs to fight the humans or flee them. The largest group is made up of ancestors connected to the barbarian tribes from which the Imperial Orcs were originally taken - they tend to be angry, barely comprehensible voices that generally urge you to take violent or aggressive action against the rest of the Empire.

It is an unspoken fear for many Imperial Orcs that their ancestors are not strong enough to carry them across the Howling Abyss, and that their slave and barbarian ancestors will never guide them through the darkness because they do not embrace the violent, anti-human teachings of these resentful ancestors. They are left with the inescapable conclusion that unless they can produce strong, inspirational ancestors their people are doomed to oblivion after they die.

Imperial Orcs seek new Imperial Orc ancestors – ancestors who can understand the Empire and the lives the Imperial Orcs have chosen, and offer them support and guidance. The only way this can happen is for Imperial Orc heroes to emerge, and through their deeds and the reverence of their people, gain the strength to cross the Howling Abyss.

Becoming an ancestor

To become an ancestor, an orc must be carried within the proud hearts of their people. They must pour their tale into the soul of future generations and become a legend while still alive, respected and admired by their peers and offspring. It is not, however, one that is easily achieved. Each victory in battle, each notch on their blade and each new story to tell around the fire adds to their legacy, and the quest towards becoming an ancestor. Some Imperial Orcs seek triumph in battle in the name of the Empire, aiming to fell the mightiest foes while still living to fight another day. Others seek to remain in the hearts and memories of their people for their wisdom or cleverness, strengthening and nurturing their fellow orcs and building an enduring legacy for later generations.

The ancestors in play

How well your character can hear the ancestors is left almost entirely to the individual player's character and roleplaying. The usual time to hear the ancestors is when you're in a heightened state of anger or fear, especially in combat. You become aware of them around you; usually it's a rumbling of many voices where you can't make out the meaning, but sometimes you can hear an individual ancestor offering guidance.

It is extremely unlikely that a ref will ever inform you that an ancestor is talking to you - or what they are saying. What is important to bear in mind is that you aren't just making this up - orcs really do hear voices when they are agitated, and when they compare notes they often hear the same kinds of voices telling them the same kinds of things. The ancestors really do move orcs to acts of heroism and glory, or try to encourage them to stab an insolent Dawnish knight in the guts in the middle of a tense negotiation...

Orcs can only hear an ancestor if they are a direct descendent of them, knew them well when they were alive or are a descendent of someone who knew them well. This means that you may hear your aunt or your grandfather, if you regard that figure with respect and admiration, but other Imperial Orcs probably won't unless they are also have a link to your ancestor.

Things the ancestors say

The ancestors are only dimly aware of your character and what you are doing, so the guidance they offer is invariably quite general in nature. In battle, they may alert you to imminent danger with a shout of warning. It is very common for them to exhort you to action but the words they use are never specific. If they do use a name, it is as likely to be someone else's name as your own. Despite this the advice given is applicable to what you are doing, at least most of the time.

Although it may sometimes appear as if the ancestors are talking to you, they cannot hear your words. The ancestors are only dimly aware of you and your actions. Long experience has taught the orcs that the ancestors cannot hear you speak and cannot hold a conversation with you; they have a message to deliver, and they deliver it.

When your grandad urges you to charge the enemy, and you do, there might be a few parting words of approval; if you decline to follow his advice, there may be a feeling of anger and some shouted abuse, but grandad does not enter into a dialogue about why he wants you to charge the enemy or what alternative courses of action might be equally good.

Ancestors and hero points

When an Imperial Orc spends a hero point, they are much more likely to hear the voice of an ancestor. You may want to roleplay that an ancestor is guiding your hand when you use cleaving strike for example, or that it is the voice of an ancestor shouting at you that gives you the strength to get back on your feet when you are down. It is especially appropriate to roleplay hearing an ancestor when you use a hero point to change your response to a roleplaying effect - the urging of an ancestor lets you act in a way counter to that the external influence is causing.

Shamans

Most orcs only experience communion with the ancestors when battle is upon them but a few individuals - called shamans - are able to hear the voices more frequently. Shamans occupy a unique position in Imperial Orc society, as a result, but many are moon-struck, their minds affected by the constant attempts by the ancestors to communicate with them.

Preachers

The Imperial Virtues are clearly a part of what makes the Empire what it is. As a result most Imperial Orcs at least pay them lip service and there is a drive amongst some orcs to embody the virtues as keenly as possible, to prove themselves the equal of any human citizen of the Empire. Those Imperial Orcs who embrace the Way and become priests are called Preachers.

The Imperial orc National Assembly

Originally, the orcs did not have their own national assembly within the Imperial Synod. During the Winter summit of 377YE, a motion was brought before the Imperial Senate by the Conscience of the Senate - the Imperial orc Gralka of the Stormcrows. The motion passed with unanimous support, and an Imperial orc assembly was established.

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Imperial Orcs territories

Though they control no territories, the Imperial Orcs are legally considered the tenth nation of the Empire. Some critics claim that the Imperial Orcs cannot be considered on par with real nations because they do not possess lands of their own but Imperial magistrates have repeatedly confirmed that any newly conquered territory could be assigned to the Imperial Orcs.

The problem for the Imperial Orcs is that the assignment of newly conquered territories is determined by vote of the Imperial Senate, but with no lands they possess no senators and hence no votes in the Senate. This problem is compounded by the other nations' focus on reclaiming territories that were once part of their own lands; there is little chance they would be able to claim Holberg or Reikos even if they wanted them. To gain lands of their own, the Imperial Orcs may need to look to the lands controlled by the barbarians that have never been part of the Empire.

The Imperial Orcs strongly supported Empress Britta, and fought in all her campaigns. She promised them her support in gaining lands for themselves if her campaign of expansion was successful, but with her death that promise remained unfulfilled.

Contents

- 1 The Plan

- 2 The Armies of the Imperial Orcs

- 2.1 The Winter Sun

- 2.2 The Summer Storm

The Plan

After the orcs agreed to join the Empire, the first problem that had to be addressed was where they would live. The human nations that had formed or joined the Empire held lands of their own. Territories that were liberated from the barbarians were incorporated into existing nations. But as slaves, the orcs claimed no lands of their own and no Imperial senators, not even the Freeborn were keen to offer the Imperial Orcs a home within their borders. To resolve the problem the representatives of the orcs proposed a simple plan - the orcs would become a nation without territories, claiming no land of their own until they could conquer one following Imperial statute. This proposal relieved the fears of many senators and helped to win the support of the League, although it was heavily criticized by the Highborn.

Although decades have passed without any new territories being added to the Empire, the agreement still forms the basis for what most Imperial Orcs refer to simply as the "Plan". Help the Empire conquer new lands and have the senate assign them to the Imperial Orc nation so that they will have a homeland of their own. Most Imperial Orcs are not naive about the obvious military, political and historical difficulties that must be overcome to achieve their plan, but many believe that their journey to full citizenship in the Empire will not be complete until they do so. As a result the leaders of the Imperial Orcs and the legions themselves make a deliberate effort to keep the orcs together as a people, enduring the hard life in the legion camps as a sacrifice that must be made to achieve their ultimate goal. Individuals who settle down in other nations are seen as undermining the moral imperative for the Imperial Orcs to be given lands of their own and are regarded with open hostility by many.

The Armies of the Imperial Orcs

The Imperial Orcs have two armies which serve as their homes and their main source of political power. The armies themselves were founded in the aftermath of the revolt, and initially they were geographically influenced. Today, however, the third generation of orcs attach themselves to the army with which they feel the greater philosophical attraction rather than basing their decision on which army their grandparents' legion belonged to.

Orcs do not generally wear a uniform symbol of the army they belong to, but some may add a white sun or a red lightning bolt.

The Winter Sun

This army began with a core of orcs who had been slaves in Varushka, Temeschwar, Highguard and Wintermark. Vicious fighting against the Varushkan armies had decimated the numbers of the freed slaves in that nation, and harsh winters had contributed further to the death toll. The first magicians among the Imperial Orcs belonged to this army, however; they found it easiest to absorb the teachings of the Varushkan and Wintermark tutors the Urizen magi arranged for them. The hard core of the army were made up of many who had known Thrace and the other founders of the revolt personally, and they continued to develop the vision of freedom that had first spurred them to escape the mines.

Today the Winter Sun is the more politically active of the two Imperial Orcs armies, but it is also the army most likely to use magic in pursuit of the Plan. They garner favours, both through military aid and careful use of their magical resources. More warcasters and oathwrights fight under the banners of the Winter Sun than the Summer Storm, and they have more Preachers.

The first Imperial orc General leads the Winter Sun, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Winter solstice. This is a large army with a history of fighting in fighting in difficult terrain.

The Summer Storm

This army was formed from orcs who had originally been slaves in Dawn, The Marches and the southern and eastern cities of The League. Their uprising had taken part in the rich heartlands of the Empire, and they did not need to deal with the harsh northern climate that troubled orcs in Varushka, Wintermark and Highguard. They also tended to be better equipped; they were more able to loot weapons and armour, and were in a good position to deal with the 'war profiteers' from The Brass Coast and League cities. Perhaps just as importantly, the southern slaves were often surprisingly well versed in tactics, subterfuge and trade than their northern cousins - many more of them had spent their time as bodyguards, bouncers or gladiators than in the north.

Today the Summer Storm pride themselves on their military acumen. They are the hammer of the Imperial Orcs, well armed and armoured, versed in strategy and tactics, and supported by cunning bonesetters and thief-takers. They tend to be richer in terms of wealth and crafted items, and the first smiths and artisans were part of the Summer Storm.

The second Imperial orc General leads the Summer Storm, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer Solstice. This is a large army, known for it's ruthless commitment to the arts of war, and it's indomitable fighting spirit.

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Imperial Roll of Honour

Overview

The Imperial Roll of Honour is a list of military units that have supported the Empire's armies each season. The lists are compiled by civil servants following a motion passed by the Imperial Senate.

Winter Equinox 378YE

Support

Citizen

Nation

Territory

Banner

Holberg

Drax de Crooked

Highguard

Bastion

Shattered Tower Banner

Liathhaven Spy Network

Cullen

Navarr

unknown

Exile's End

Liathhaven Spy Network

Owyn

Navarr

unknown

Exile's End

Liathhaven Spy Network

Brennos Brackensong

Navarr

Broceliande

Liathhaven Spy Network

Kestrel

Navarr

Broceliande

Brackensong Steading (Banner)

Liathhaven Spy Network

Carr Foxden

Navarr

Hercynia

Foxden

Liathhaven Spy Network

Cormac Farkas

Navarr

Liathaven

Liathhaven Spy Network

Marr

Navarr

Liathaven

Keepers of the Way

Liathhaven Spy Network

Rees

Navarr

Liathaven

Keepers of the Way

Liathhaven Spy Network

Ulric Y'Basden

Navarr

Liathaven

Y’Basden

Liathhaven Spy Network

Rowyn Realms Reach

Navarr

Miaren

Open Skies

Liathhaven Spy Network

Cain

Navarr

Therunin

Kithkin

Liathhaven Spy Network

Geraint Broad-Backed

Navarr

Therunin

Open Skies

Liathhaven Spy Network

Cigydd Summer Crow

Navarr

Therunin

The Summer Crows

Overton Garrison

Alusair Farstrider

The Marches

Upwold

The Boundarymen

Overton Garrison

Gwalter

The Marches

Upwold

The Boundarymen

Overton Garrison

William Guildenstern

The Marches

Upwold

The Boundarymen

Black Thorns

Merryn Farkas

Navarr

Therunin

Ruis Farkas

Drakes

John of Meade

The Marches

Mitwold

Fist of the Mountains

Brandgar Tyrshalting

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Horsa Tyrshalt

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Rheged Redspear

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Golden Axe

Ilya (need to finish the name later)

Varushka

unknown

Grimhold Schlacta

Golden Axe

Magnus Anatolyvich Prochnost

Varushka

Karov

The Embers of Ivarsgard

Golden Axe

Branislav Vuk Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Grimhold Schlacta

Golden Axe

Olaf Gregorson |Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Grimhold Schlacta

Golden Axe

Senghir Vorbarra Strascovian

Varushka

Miekarova

Grimhold Schlacta

Golden Sun

Bohemond De Rondell

Dawn

Astolat

House De Rondell

Golden Sun

Vulgaris Vicarious

Dawn

Weirwater

House Orzel

Granite Pillar

Solomon of the Silent Tide

Highguard

unknown

Granite Pillar

Abathar

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Arthuse

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Brutus Claudas (2)

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Lazarus

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Isaac

Highguard

Necropolis

Granite Pillar

Archelaus

Highguard

Reikos

The Grey Watchers of Peytaht

Green Shield

Balder

Wintermark

unknown

Dunhearth Hall

Green Shield

Sulkavaris ( formerly Guthwulf)

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Green Shield

Teothric 'Stand'

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Green Shield

Eadric

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Green Shield

Arden Heimdal

Wintermark

Hahnmark

The Herd

Green Shield

Kye Knife-Born

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Green Shield

Aerdon Korpisson

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Green Shield

Aethelstan Korping

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Green Shield

Ognuk Olanssen

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

The Rangers of Nanuk

Green Shield

Theis Brennursen

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

The Rangers of Nanuk

Green Shield

Wulfsige

Wintermark

Skarsind

Green Shield

Bruin Dunning

Wintermark

Skarsind

Dunhearth Hall

Green Shield

Elthwyn

Wintermark

Skarsind

Dunhearth Hall

Green Shield

EryWood of Dunning

Wintermark

Skarsind

Dunhearth Hall

Green Shield

Agmund Al'gren

Wintermark

Skarsind

The Iron Hearth

Northern Eagle

Vilkas Antonovich Prochnost

Varushka

Karov

Grimhold Schlacta

Northern Eagle

Tomislav Straskovic

Varushka

Miekarova

Northern Eagle

Outpost Leader Chernabog

Varushka

Miekarova

Grimhold Schlacta

Quiet Step

Bleddyn Eternal

Navarr

Hercynia

The Wind Striders

Summer Storm

drak

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

Redhands

Summer Storm

Braka

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Bruk

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Irontide Kask

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Irontide Kul

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Irontide Rad

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Vio

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Valiant Pegasus

Belial

Highguard

Bastion

Shattered Tower Banner

Valiant Pegasus

Jada

Highguard

Bastion

Shattered Tower Banner

Valiant Pegasus

Solomon

Highguard

Bastion

Shattered Tower Banner

Valiant Pegasus

Melchior Benjamin Fletcher

Highguard

Necropolis

Banner of the Cenotaph

Valiant Pegasus

Thomir

Highguard

Necropolis

Banner of the Cenotaph

Valiant Pegasus

Krugur

Highguard

Necropolis

Shattered Tower Banner

Valiant Pegasus

Jericho

Highguard

Reikos

Drusilla’s Resolve

Valiant Pegasus

Mordecai 'The Bitter'

Highguard

Reikos

Drusilla’s Resolve

Winter Sun

Gralka

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Winter Sun

Rykana

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Wolves of War

Clarence Oswald

Dawn

unknown

House Arwood

Wolves of War

Sagramore

Dawn

unknown

House de Gauvain

Wolves of War

Morcant De Rondell

Dawn

Astolat

Glorious Great-Steel

Wolves of War

Robert de Gauvain

Dawn

Astolat

House de Gauvain

Wolves of War

Garravaine De Rondell

Dawn

Astolat

House De Rondell

Wolves of War

Lord Colwynn de Rondell

Dawn

Astolat

House De Rondell

Wolves of War

Tancred

Dawn

Astolat

House De Rondell

Wolves of War

Valentin Ivarovich Severyan

Dawn

Astolat

House Orzel

Wolves of War

Sir Bowen Steiner Seren

Dawn

Astolat

House Seren

Wolves of War

Peter Fletcher

Dawn

Astolat

House Vandale

Wolves of War

Amoret d'Acier

Dawn

The Barrens

Wolves of War

Soldier

Dawn

The Barrens

Wolves of War

Escalados de Carsenere

Dawn

The Barrens

House de Carsenere

Wolves of War

Garlon de Carsenere

Dawn

The Barrens

House de Carsenere

Wolves of War

Tarwin De Carsenere

Dawn

The Barrens

House de Carsenere

Wolves of War

Johann Rookwood

Dawn

The Barrens

House Martel

Wolves of War

Bohemonde "Bo" Steward

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Wolves of War

D'Eon

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Wolves of War

Frederik Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Wolves of War

Lady Clarice Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Wolves of War

Ozren Ivarovich Severyan

Dawn

Weirwater

House Orzel

Wolves of War

Tapion Orzel

Dawn

Weirwater

House Orzel

Wolves of War

Brother Ibrahim the South Paw

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Wolves of War

Ishmael

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Wolves of War

Paul

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Wolves of War

Calistarius

Highguard

Bastion

Shattered Tower Banner

Wolves of War

Cuth

Highguard

Bastion

Shattered Tower Banner

Wolves of War

Ardon

Highguard

Casinea

Cantiarch's Hold

Wolves of War

Barachel of Adina's Charge

Highguard

Casinea

Daintree Survivors

Wolves of War

Lilith

Highguard

Casinea

Felix's Watch Banner

Wolves of War

Benaiah

Highguard

Reikos

Shattered Tower Banner

Wolves of War

chibz

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Wolves of War

Dorri

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Bloodcrows

Wolves of War

Rok

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Bloodcrows

Wolves of War

Dayus

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Wolves of War

Emjin

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Wolves of War

Gor

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Wolves of War

Karr

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Wolves of War

Krell Stormcrow

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Wolves of War

Saru

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Wolves of War

Stormcrow Dren

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Wolves of War

T'onk

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Wolves of War

Volk

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Wolves of War

Prosperity Holzer

The League

Holberg

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Wolves of War

Silas van Hoepenkak di Savros

The League

Sarvos

The League Light Company

Wolves of War

Gabriel Barossa

The League

Tassato

Company of The Red Fox

Wolves of War

Feroce Lupo

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Wolves of War

Michael

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Wolves of War

Stern Von Holberg

The League

Temeschwar

The Orphans

Wolves of War

Dumack

The Marches

Upwold

Emerald Order

Wolves of War

Sir Cobus

The Marches

Upwold

Emerald Order

Wolves of War

Nadezhda Nadyovna Gremani

Varushka

unknown

Family Gremani

Wolves of War

Hubert Annanovich Volchytravni

Varushka

Karsk

Wolves of War

Maarit Akkova Cendro

Varushka

Miekarova

Wolves of War

Brontiv Sonyavich Gremani

Varushka

Miekarova

Family Gremani

Wolves of War

Ravenka Nadyovna Gremani

Varushka

Miekarova

Family Gremani

Wolves of War

Vasiliy Krenyenkov Valeskai Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Grimhold Schlacta

Wolves of War

Stannes Molotov Sciany

Varushka

Miekarova

Vale of Sciany

Wolves of War

Guthwine Bjorning

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Bjornholt

Wolves of War

Vanhe Korppi

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Wolves of War

Odda Baldulfsson

Wintermark

Skarsind

Wolves of War

Hellios NightStalker

Wintermark

Skarsind

Cohort Of the Frayed

Wolves of War

Thanmir Hrafnar

Wintermark

Skarsind

Hrafnar

Autumn Equinox 378YE

Army

Citizen

Nation

Territory

Banner

Black Thorns

Merryn Farkas

Navarr

Therunin

Ruis Farkas

Citadel Guard

Rowyn Realms Reach

Navarr

Miaren

Open Skies

Citadel Guard

Nadezhda Nadyovna Gremani

Varushka

unknown

Family Gremani

Citadel Guard

Pavel Gregorivitch Milyukov

Varushka

Miekarova

Citadel Guard

Brontiv Sonyavich Gremani

Varushka

Miekarova

Family Gremani

Citadel Guard

Jaromir "Jarek" Draganov Gremani

Varushka

Miekarova

Family Gremani

Citadel Guard

Ravenka Nadyovna Gremani

Varushka

Miekarova

Family Gremani

Drakes

Jack of The Marches

The Marches

Bregasland

House Ramsbruck

Drakes

John of Meade

The Marches

Mitwold

Golden Axe

Olaf Gregorson |Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Grimhold Schlacta

Golden Axe

Senghir Vorbarra Strascovian

Varushka

Miekarova

Grimhold Schlacta

Golden Sun

Valentin Ivarovich Severyan

Dawn

Astolat

House Orzel

Granite Pillar

Abathar

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Brother Ibrahim the South Paw

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Brutus Claudas (2)

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Ishmael

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Paul

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Nicanor

Highguard

Bastion

Felix's Watch Banner

Granite Pillar

Calistarius

Highguard

Bastion

Shattered Tower Banner

Granite Pillar

Solomon

Highguard

Bastion

Shattered Tower Banner

Granite Pillar

Cayleb

Highguard

Casinea

Felix's Watch Banner

Granite Pillar

mathayus

Highguard

Necropolis

Granite Pillar

Krugur

Highguard

Necropolis

Shattered Tower Banner

Granite Pillar

Jericho

Highguard

Reikos

Drusilla’s Resolve

Granite Pillar

Mordecai 'The Bitter'

Highguard

Reikos

Drusilla’s Resolve

Northern Eagle

Varla Blackwood

Highguard

Casinea

Quiet Step

chibz

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Quiet Step

Gor

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Quiet Step

Karr

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Quiet Step

Rawk

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Quiet Step

Saru

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Quiet Step

Stormcrow Dren

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Quiet Step

Rhonwen

Navarr

Broceliande

Brackensong Steading (Banner)

Quiet Step

Cigydd Summer Crow

Navarr

Therunin

The Summer Crows

Seventh Wave

Cuth

Highguard

Bastion

Shattered Tower Banner

Summer Storm

Braka

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Bruk

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Irontide Isk

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Irontide Rad

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Rek

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Vio

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Hellios NightStalker

Wintermark

Skarsind

Cohort Of the Frayed

The Siege of Ipatovo

Dumack

The Marches

Upwold

Emerald Order

The Siege of Ipatovo

Sir Cobus

The Marches

Upwold

Emerald Order

Winter Sun

Brandgar Tyrshalting

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Winter Sun

Tager Defender of the Fallen Tyrshalt

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Winter Sun

Bucklund

Wintermark

Hahnmark

The Hunters Of The Mark

Winter Sun

Bjarvoc Bjornson

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Vesalligr

Winter Sun

Ranulf Six-Lives

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Vesalligr

Winter Sun

Svipul Stormdancer

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Winter Sun

Aethelstan Korping

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Wolves of War

Sagramore

Dawn

unknown

House de Gauvain

Wolves of War

Garravaine De Rondell

Dawn

Astolat

House De Rondell

Wolves of War

Lord Colwynn de Rondell

Dawn

Astolat

House De Rondell

Wolves of War

Madoc De Rondell

Dawn

Astolat

House De Rondell

Wolves of War

Sir Bowen Steiner Seren

Dawn

Astolat

House Seren

Wolves of War

Escalados de Carsenere

Dawn

The Barrens

House de Carsenere

Wolves of War

Garlon de Carsenere

Dawn

The Barrens

House de Carsenere

Wolves of War

Bohemonde "Bo" Steward

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Wolves of War

D'Eon

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Wolves of War

Frederik Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Wolves of War

Lady Clarice Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Wolves of War

Barachel of Adina's Charge

Highguard

Casinea

Daintree Survivors

Wolves of War

Carr Foxden

Navarr

Hercynia

Foxden

Wolves of War

Merel

Navarr

Therunin

Pathfinders

Wolves of War

Alessandro i Covasi Erigo

The Brass Coast

Segura

Wolves of War

Beltran I Ezmara I Erigo

The Brass Coast

Segura

Wolves of War

Isandro i Sotero i Riqueza

The Brass Coast

Segura

Wolves of War

Prosperity Holzer

The League

Holberg

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Wolves of War

Silas van Hoepenkak di Savros

The League

Sarvos

The League Light Company

Wolves of War

Gabriel Barossa

The League

Tassato

Company of The Red Fox

Wolves of War

Jorah Andriksson

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Wolves of War

Michael

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Wolves of War

Stern Von Holberg

The League

Temeschwar

The Orphans

Wolves of War

Erwillian Mann

The Marches

Mitwold

The Talbots

Wolves of War

Walter Savage

The Marches

Mournwold

Wolves of War

Darius

The Marches

Upwold

Emerald Order

Wolves of War

Augustus

Urizen

Morrow

Wolves of War

Lycier

Urizen

Morrow

Banner of the Phoenix

Wolves of War

Nihils

Urizen

Morrow

Banner of the Phoenix

Wolves of War

Vitellius

Urizen

Morrow

Banner of the Phoenix

Wolves of War

Vulpes

Urizen

Zenith

Wolves of War

Tanwyn Ankarien

Urizen

Zenith

Ankarien's Revenge

Wolves of War

Elysia Cascade

Urizen

Zenith

Spire of the Celestial Cascade

Wolves of War

Guthwine Bjorning

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Bjornholt

Wolves of War

Joakim

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Wolves of War

Marius

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Wolves of War

Kye Knife-Born

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Wolves of War

Lumi

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Wolves of War

Vanhe Korppi

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Wolves of War

Bruin Dunning

Wintermark

Skarsind

Dunhearth Hall

Wolves of War

Adrian Kilvson

Wintermark

Skarsind

Holt Hyrde

Wolves of War

Oslyn Ulfricson

Wintermark

Skarsind

Holt Hyrde

Wolves of War

Ardith

Wintermark

Skarsind

Sigehold Hall

Wolves of War

Eeva

Wintermark

Skarsind

Sigehold Hall

Summer Solstice 378YE

Army

Citizen

Nation

Territory

Banner

Fist of the Mountains

Cigydd Summer Crow

Navarr

Therunin

The Summer Crows

Fist of the Mountains

Vihtori Emberling

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Emberholt

Fist of the Mountains

Aedred 'Firebird' apMagor

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Skardi

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Bjarvoc Bjornson

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Vesalligr

Fist of the Mountains

Harald

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Vesalligr

Fist of the Mountains

Wulfric

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Fjellreven

Fist of the Mountains

Rheged Redspear

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Fist of the Mountains

Paavo

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Fist of the Mountains

Leofric 'The Hound'

Wintermark

Skarsind

Fist of the Mountains

Bruin Dunning

Wintermark

Skarsind

Dunhearth Hall

Fist of the Mountains

Stanmaer

Wintermark

Skarsind

Holt Hyrde

Fist of the Mountains

Wulfric Ukkosson

Wintermark

Skarsind

Holt Hyrde

Fist of the Mountains

Ragnar

Wintermark

Skarsind

Renwaerd

Golden Axe

Nadezhda Nadyovna Gremani

Varushka

unknown

Family Gremani

Golden Axe

Vilkas Antonovich Prochnost

Varushka

Karov

Grimhold Schlacta

Golden Axe

Magnus Anatolyvich Prochnost

Varushka

Karov

The Embers of Ivarsgard

Golden Axe

Hubert Annanovich Volchytravni

Varushka

Karsk

Golden Axe

Pavel Gregorivitch Milyukov

Varushka

Miekarova

Golden Axe

Tomislav Straskovic

Varushka

Miekarova

Golden Axe

Ravenka Nadyovna Gremani

Varushka

Miekarova

Family Gremani

Golden Axe

Branislav Vuk Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Grimhold Schlacta

Golden Axe

Olaf Gregorson |Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Grimhold Schlacta

Golden Axe

Senghir Vorbarra Strascovian

Varushka

Miekarova

Grimhold Schlacta

Golden Axe

Vasiliy Krenyenkov Valeskai Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Grimhold Schlacta

Green Shield

Raedmund Bjornling

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Bjornholt

Green Shield

Cynwulf Ashburh

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Darkwolves of Argonne

Green Shield

Bucklund

Wintermark

Hahnmark

The Hunters Of The Mark

Green Shield

Ranulf Six-Lives

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Vesalligr

Green Shield

Joakim

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Green Shield

Kye Knife-Born

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Green Shield

Svipul Stormdancer

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Green Shield

Aerdon Korpisson

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Green Shield

Aethelstan Korping

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Green Shield

Vanhe Korppi

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Green Shield

Ognuk Olanssen

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

The Rangers of Nanuk

Green Shield

Rolo Tostiggssen

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

The Rangers of Nanuk

Green Shield

Osric

Wintermark

Skarsind

Green Shield

Volk

Wintermark

Skarsind

Green Shield

Oslyn Ulfricson

Wintermark

Skarsind

Holt Hyrde

Green Shield

Aelfric Nose-Biter

Wintermark

Skarsind

Sigehold Hall

Green Shield

Ardith

Wintermark

Skarsind

Sigehold Hall

Green Shield

Jussi

Wintermark

Skarsind

Sigehold Hall

Green Shield

Ulwen

Wintermark

Skarsind

Sigehold Hall

Hounds of Glory

D'Eon

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Northern Eagle

Stanislav Borodin Havel

Varushka

Volodmartz

Vale of Triosk

Summer Storm

Valentin Ivarovich Severyan

Dawn

Astolat

House Orzel

Summer Storm

Amoret d'Acier

Dawn

The Barrens

Summer Storm

Johann Rookwood

Dawn

The Barrens

House Martel

Summer Storm

Barachel of Adina's Charge

Highguard

Casinea

Daintree Survivors

Summer Storm

Cayleb

Highguard

Casinea

Felix's Watch Banner

Summer Storm

Lilith

Highguard

Casinea

Felix's Watch Banner

Summer Storm

Ruth

Highguard

Casinea

Felix's Watch Banner

Summer Storm

Aaron Storm

Highguard

Casinea

Storm's Fury

Summer Storm

Jericho

Highguard

Reikos

Drusilla’s Resolve

Summer Storm

Mordecai 'The Bitter'

Highguard

Reikos

Drusilla’s Resolve

Summer Storm

Kale Stormcrow

Imperial Orcs

unknown

Stormcrow

Summer Storm

Braka

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Bruk

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Rek

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Vio

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

chibz

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Summer Storm

Garad

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Summer Storm

Emjin

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Summer Storm

Gor

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Summer Storm

Gralka

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Summer Storm

Kalindar

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Summer Storm

Karr

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Summer Storm

Krell Stormcrow

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Summer Storm

Saru

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Summer Storm

Skar

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Summer Storm

Stormcrow Dren

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Summer Storm

T'onk

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Summer Storm

Brennos Brackensong

Navarr

Broceliande

Summer Storm

Kestrel

Navarr

Broceliande

Brackensong Steading (Banner)

Summer Storm

Carr Foxden

Navarr

Hercynia

Foxden

Summer Storm

Bleddyn Eternal

Navarr

Hercynia

The Wind Striders

Summer Storm

Cormac Farkas

Navarr

Liathaven

Summer Storm

Rowyn Realms Reach

Navarr

Miaren

Open Skies

Summer Storm

Merel

Navarr

Therunin

Pathfinders

Summer Storm

Merryn Farkas

Navarr

Therunin

Ruis Farkas

Summer Storm

Beltran I Ezmara I Erigo

The Brass Coast

Segura

Summer Storm

Isandro i Sotero i Riqueza

The Brass Coast

Segura

Summer Storm

Jager Von Vinterhosen

The League

Holberg

Compagnia De Rossi

Summer Storm

Tybalt Von Ungeist

The League

Holberg

The Holberg Hawks

Summer Storm

Armand Vittori

The League

Sarvos

Banner of the Cup

Summer Storm

Vigo Orlando Scarlatti de Sarvos

The League

Sarvos

Carta Bellamarina

Summer Storm

Antonio Renzi Di Sarvos

The League

Sarvos

The Printers' Guild

Summer Storm

Gabriel Barossa

The League

Tassato

Company of The Red Fox

Summer Storm

Ivan von Rigo

The League

Temeschwar

Banner of the Cup

Summer Storm

Lann

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Summer Storm

Leo Alexio

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Summer Storm

Michael

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Summer Storm

Nicolo Sanguedolce Di Sarvos

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Summer Storm

Carlov Izmon de Temeschwar

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of Torn Banners

Summer Storm

John of Meade

The Marches

Mitwold

Summer Storm

Doomack.

The Marches

Upwold

Summer Storm

Alfred Dægan

The Marches

Upwold

Emerald Order

Summer Storm

Athalger Rowen

The Marches

Upwold

Emerald Order

Summer Storm

Edward Isambard

The Marches

Upwold

Emerald Order

Summer Storm

Sarus Auricspire

Urizen

unknown

Horizon's Edge

Summer Storm

Augustus

Urizen

Morrow

Summer Storm

Vitellius

Urizen

Morrow

Banner of the Phoenix

Summer Storm

Tanwyn Ankarien

Urizen

Zenith

Ankarien's Revenge

Summer Storm

Elysia Cascade

Urizen

Zenith

Spire of the Celestial Cascade

Valiant Pegasus

Ardon

Highguard

Casinea

Cantiarch's Hold

Wolves of War

Gereke Delfholter

The League

Holberg

Holsburger Haudegen

Spring Equinox 378YE

Army

Citizen

Nation

Territory

Banner

Black Thorns

Bleddyn Eternal

Navarr

Hercynia

The Wind Striders

Black Thorns

Cormac Farkas

Navarr

Liathaven

Black Thorns

Rowyn Realms Reach

Navarr

Miaren

Open Skies

Black Thorns

Sketh

Navarr

Therunin

Black Thorns

Geraint Broad-Backed

Navarr

Therunin

Open Skies

Black Thorns

Merel

Navarr

Therunin

Pathfinders

Black Thorns

Merryn Farkas

Navarr

Therunin

Ruis Farkas

Eastern Sky

Amoret d'Acier

Dawn

The Barrens

Fire of the South

Gray Fullbuster

Highguard

Reikos

Drusilla’s Resolve

Fist of the Mountains

Aelfric Wolfsbane

Wintermark

Skarsind

Bjornholt

Fist of the Mountains

Thanmir Hrafnar

Wintermark

Skarsind

Hrafnar

Golden Axe

Branislav Vuk Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Grimhold Schlacta

Golden Axe

Olaf Gregorson |Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Grimhold Schlacta

Golden Sun

Durien

Dawn

Weirwater

House Martel

Granite Pillar

Roman Aleksander Alinyova

Highguard

Bastion

Granite Pillar

Brutus Claudas (2)

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Gideon

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Abigail

Highguard

Casinea

Granite Pillar

Barachel of Adina's Charge

Highguard

Casinea

Daintree Survivors

Granite Pillar

Cayleb

Highguard

Casinea

Felix's Watch Banner

Granite Pillar

Mordecai 'The Bitter'

Highguard

Reikos

Drusilla’s Resolve

Green Shield

Aethelstan Korping

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Green Shield

Joakim

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Green Shield

Aerdon Korpisson

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Hounds of Glory

Darius

Dawn

Astolat

Emerald Order

Hounds of Glory

Ywain the Persistent

Dawn

Astolat

House de Gauvain

Hounds of Glory

Escalados de Carsenere

Dawn

The Barrens

House de Carsenere

Hounds of Glory

Dorri

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Bloodcrows

Hounds of Glory

Rok

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Bloodcrows

Hounds of Glory

Osgar Aldissen

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

The Rangers of Nanuk

Northern Eagle

Magnus Anatolyvich Prochnost

Varushka

Karov

The Embers of Ivarsgard

Northern Eagle

Vilkas Antonovich Prochnost

Varushka

Karov

The Embers of Ivarsgard

Northern Eagle

Staslo Cziboriev Dmienka

Varushka

Miekarova

Northern Eagle

Ravenka Nadyovna Gremani

Varushka

Miekarova

Family Gremani

Otkadov Spy Network

Archemorus

Urizen

Morrow

Citadel of Eye's Overwatch

Quiet Step

Kestrel

Navarr

Broceliande

Brackensong Steading (Banner)

Quiet Step

Cigydd Summer Crow

Navarr

Therunin

The Summer Crows

Red Wind Corsairs

Braka

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Red Wind Corsairs

Bruk

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Red Wind Corsairs

Gen

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Red Wind Corsairs

Irontide Kask

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Red Wind Corsairs

Irontide Rad

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Red Wind Corsairs

Takkat

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Red Wind Corsairs

Vio

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Red Wind Corsairs

Carr Foxden

Navarr

Hercynia

Foxden

Red Wind Corsairs

Isandro i Sotero i Riqueza

The Brass Coast

Feroz

Red Wind Corsairs

Antonio Guerra

The Brass Coast

Kahraman

Red Wind Corsairs

Vito Sayap Guerra

The Brass Coast

Kahraman

Red Wind Corsairs

Anisa i Muhareeb i Guerra

The Brass Coast

Kahraman

Flame of Anduz

Red Wind Corsairs

Berenguer i Muhareeb i Guerra

The Brass Coast

Kahraman

Flame of Anduz

Red Wind Corsairs

Saif i Muhareeb i Guerra

The Brass Coast

Kahraman

Flame of Anduz

Red Wind Corsairs

Beltran I Ezmara I Erigo

The Brass Coast

Segura

Red Wind Corsairs

Vaan

Urizen

Morrow

Horizon's Edge

Red Wind Corsairs

Aedred 'Firebird' apMagor

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Red Wind Corsairs

Brandgar Tyrshalting

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Red Wind Corsairs

Eofor Tyrshalt

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Red Wind Corsairs

Hail

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Red Wind Corsairs

Sigurd Stenning

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Stenstorp

Red Wind Corsairs

Vanhe Korppi

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Red Wind Corsairs

Ragnar

Wintermark

Skarsind

Renwaerd

Strong Reeds

chibz

Imperial Orcs

unknown

Strong Reeds

Gralka

Imperial Orcs

unknown

Stormcrow

Strong Reeds

Kale Stormcrow

Imperial Orcs

unknown

Stormcrow

Strong Reeds

Saru

Imperial Orcs

unknown

Stormcrow

Strong Reeds

Grud the Eggy Greg

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

Strong Reeds

Kappa

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

Stormcrow

Strong Reeds

Krell Stormcrow

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

Stormcrow

Strong Reeds

Dayus

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Strong Reeds

Emjin

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Strong Reeds

Kalindar

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Strong Reeds

Karr

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Strong Reeds

Miccali

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Strong Reeds

Skar

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Strong Reeds

T'onk

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Strong Reeds

Volk

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Valiant Pegasus

Isolde Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Valiant Pegasus

Lady Clarice Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Valiant Pegasus

Abathar

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Valiant Pegasus

Ardon

Highguard

Casinea

Cantiarch's Hold

Winter Solstice 377YE

Army

Citizen

Nation

Territory

Banner

Black Thorns

Cormac Farkas

Navarr

Liathaven

Black Thorns

Merel

Navarr

Therunin

Pathfinders

Black Thorns

Merryn Farkas

Navarr

Therunin

Ruis Farkas

Drakes

Krieger Merkwurdigliebe

The League

Holberg

Holsburger Haudegen

Granite Pillar

Roman Aleksander Alinyova

Highguard

Bastion

Granite Pillar

Cayleb

Highguard

Casinea

Felix's Watch Banner

Granite Pillar

Ruth

Highguard

Casinea

Felix's Watch Banner

Hounds of Glory

Francis de Wulf

Dawn

Astolat

House de Gauvain

Hounds of Glory

Ywain the Persistent

Dawn

Astolat

House de Gauvain

Hounds of Glory

Bohemond De Rondell

Dawn

Astolat

House De Rondell

Hounds of Glory

Lord Colwynn de Rondell

Dawn

Astolat

House De Rondell

Hounds of Glory

Charles Russell

Dawn

Astolat

Morning House (Banner)

Hounds of Glory

Amoret d'Acier

Dawn

The Barrens

Hounds of Glory

Escalados de Carsenere

Dawn

The Barrens

House de Carsenere

Hounds of Glory

Garlon de Carsenere

Dawn

The Barrens

House de Carsenere

Hounds of Glory

Taliesin Steelsmith

Dawn

The Barrens

House de Carsenere

Hounds of Glory

Frederik Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Hounds of Glory

Isolde Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Hounds of Glory

Lady Clarice Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Hounds of Glory

Nicanor

Highguard

Bastion

Felix's Watch Banner

Hounds of Glory

Ardon

Highguard

Casinea

Cantiarch's Hold

Hounds of Glory

Esau

Highguard

Casinea

Cantiarch's Hold

Hounds of Glory

Barachel of Adina's Charge

Highguard

Casinea

Daintree Survivors

Hounds of Glory

mathayus

Highguard

Necropolis

Hounds of Glory

Melchior Benjamin Fletcher

Highguard

Necropolis

Banner of the Cenotaph

Hounds of Glory

Thomir

Highguard

Necropolis

Banner of the Cenotaph

Hounds of Glory

Skinner

Highguard

Reikos

Hounds of Glory

Gralka

Imperial Orcs

unknown

Stormcrow

Hounds of Glory

Saru

Imperial Orcs

unknown

Stormcrow

Hounds of Glory

Krell Stormcrow

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

Stormcrow

Hounds of Glory

Bruk

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Hounds of Glory

Gust

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Hounds of Glory

Irontide Isk

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Hounds of Glory

Irontide Kask

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Hounds of Glory

Irontide Rad

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Hounds of Glory

Vio

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Hounds of Glory

Garad

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Hounds of Glory

Matak

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Bloodcrows

Hounds of Glory

Dayus

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Hounds of Glory

Emjin

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Hounds of Glory

Kalindar

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Hounds of Glory

Karr

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Hounds of Glory

Silalli

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Hounds of Glory

Owyn

Navarr

unknown

Exile's End

Hounds of Glory

Brennos Brackensong

Navarr

Broceliande

Hounds of Glory

Dane

Navarr

Liathaven

Hounds of Glory

Saeros Splitroot

Navarr

Miaren

Hounds of Glory

Rowyn Realms Reach

Navarr

Miaren

Open Skies

Hounds of Glory

Terin Realms Reach

Navarr

Miaren

Open Skies

Hounds of Glory

Sketh

Navarr

Therunin

Hounds of Glory

Cain

Navarr

Therunin

Kithkin

Hounds of Glory

Geraint Broad-Backed

Navarr

Therunin

Open Skies

Hounds of Glory

Cigydd Summer Crow

Navarr

Therunin

The Summer Crows

Hounds of Glory

Arran I Scipio I Guerra

The Brass Coast

Feroz

Hounds of Glory

Isandro i Sotero i Riqueza

The Brass Coast

Feroz

Hounds of Glory

Berenguer i Muhareeb i Guerra

The Brass Coast

Kahraman

Hounds of Glory

Vito Sayap Guerra

The Brass Coast

Kahraman

Hounds of Glory

carlos I astuto I guerra

The Brass Coast

Madruga

Hounds of Glory

Beltran I Ezmara I Erigo

The Brass Coast

Segura

Hounds of Glory

Siegfried van Holberg

The League

Holberg

Hounds of Glory

Otto Freidrich Von Holsberg

The League

Holberg

Compagnia De Rossi

Hounds of Glory

Ivan von Rigo

The League

Temeschwar

Hounds of Glory

Darius Rosenthal

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Hounds of Glory

Jorah Andriksson

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Hounds of Glory

Lann

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Hounds of Glory

Leo Alexio

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Hounds of Glory

Nicolo Sanguedolce Di Sarvos

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Hounds of Glory

Oriana Sartelli

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Hounds of Glory

Reaoheal

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Hounds of Glory

Roger Maynard

The Marches

unknown

Hounds of Glory

Harry Armstrong

The Marches

Mournwold

Hounds of Glory

Walter Savage

The Marches

Mournwold

Hounds of Glory

Sarus Auricspire

Urizen

unknown

Horizon's Edge

Hounds of Glory

Archemorus

Urizen

Morrow

Citadel of Eye's Overwatch

Hounds of Glory

Ludovigo "Aquila Overwatch" Vitali

Urizen

Morrow

Citadel of Eye's Overwatch

Hounds of Glory

Vaan

Urizen

Morrow

Horizon's Edge

Hounds of Glory

Vulpes

Urizen

Zenith

Hounds of Glory

Tanwyn Ankarien

Urizen

Zenith

Ankarien's Revenge

Hounds of Glory

Decius Cascade

Urizen

Zenith

Spire of the Celestial Cascade

Hounds of Glory

Magnus Anatolyvich Prochnost

Varushka

Karov

The Embers of Ivarsgard

Hounds of Glory

Vilkas Antonovich Prochnost

Varushka

Karov

The Embers of Ivarsgard

Hounds of Glory

Staslo Cziboriev Dmienka

Varushka

Miekarova

Hounds of Glory

Danica Mala Severyan

Varushka

Miekarova

Eagles of Gnijezdo

Hounds of Glory

Valentin Ivarovich Severyan

Varushka

Miekarova

Eagles of Gnijezdo

Hounds of Glory

Zdenka Branovna Ulavna

Varushka

Volodmartz

Hounds of Glory

Mandrake Lightfoot

Wintermark

unknown

Hounds of Glory

Silvia

Wintermark

unknown

Hounds of Glory

Calhoun

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Hounds of Glory

Sulkavaris ( formerly Guthwulf)

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Hounds of Glory

Teothric 'Stand'

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Hounds of Glory

Athelstan Brunson

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Bjornholt

Hounds of Glory

Aedred 'Firebird' apMagor

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Hounds of Glory

Brandgar Tyrshalting

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Hounds of Glory

Eofor Tyrshalt

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Hounds of Glory

Rynweald

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Hounds of Glory

Tager Tyrshalt

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Hounds of Glory

Hallgeir Sherarding

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Sherard Hunters (Banner)

Hounds of Glory

Harald

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Vesalligr

Hounds of Glory

Ranulf Six-Lives

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Vesalligr

Hounds of Glory

Brand Wulfgarsson

Wintermark

Kallavesa

Hounds of Glory

Sighelm

Wintermark

Kallavesa

Hounds of Glory

Aethelstan Korping

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Hounds of Glory

Joakim

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Hounds of Glory

Kye Knife-Born

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Hounds of Glory

Rheged Redspear

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Hounds of Glory

Sigurd Stenning

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Stenstorp

Hounds of Glory

Aerdon Korpisson

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Hounds of Glory

Vanhe Korppi

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Hounds of Glory

Niilo Beinteinssen

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

The Rangers of Nanuk

Hounds of Glory

alrik wrothgarson

Wintermark

Skarsind

Hounds of Glory

Bjorn Fellsword

Wintermark

Skarsind

Hounds of Glory

Eran

Wintermark

Skarsind

Hounds of Glory

Jussi

Wintermark

Skarsind

Hounds of Glory

Laughing Wulfric

Wintermark

Skarsind

Hounds of Glory

Odda Baldulfsson

Wintermark

Skarsind

Hounds of Glory

Osric Skarsindson

Wintermark

Skarsind

Hounds of Glory

Volk

Wintermark

Skarsind

Hounds of Glory

Aelfric Wolfsbane

Wintermark

Skarsind

Bjornholt

Hounds of Glory

Wulfric Ukkosson

Wintermark

Skarsind

Holt Hyrde

Hounds of Glory

Thanmir Hrafnar

Wintermark

Skarsind

Hrafnar

Hounds of Glory

Ragnar

Wintermark

Skarsind

Renwaerd

Northern Eagle

Nadezhda Nadyovna Gremani

Varushka

unknown

Family Gremani

Northern Eagle

Iana

Varushka

Miekarova

Northern Eagle

Senghir Vorbarra Strascovian

Varushka

Miekarova

Northern Eagle

Ravenka Nadyovna Gremani

Varushka

Miekarova

Family Gremani

Quiet Step

Kestrel

Navarr

Broceliande

Brackensong Steading (Banner)

Strong Reeds

Jack Flint

The Marches

unknown

House Bolholt

Strong Reeds

Edwin de Warrenne

The Marches

Bregasland

Order of the Forgotten Word

Summer Storm

T'onk

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Stormcrow

Autumn Equinox 377YE

Army

Citizen

Nation

Territory

Banner

Bounders

Kestrel

Navarr

Broceliande

Brackensong Steading (Banner)

Bounders

Rowyn Realms Reach

Navarr

Miaren

Open Skies

Bounders

Jack Flint

The Marches

unknown

House Bolholt

Bounders

Robin Longshanks

The Marches

Mitwold

The Cullach

Bounders

Trough

The Marches

Mitwold

The Cullach

Bounders

'green' jack woodruff

The Marches

Upwold

The Applewood Levy

Bounders

William Guildenstern

The Marches

Upwold

The Boundarymen

Citadel Guard

Sarus Auricspire

Urizen

unknown

Horizon's Edge

Citadel Guard

Heretus Quicksilver

Urizen

Morrow

Citadel Guard

Decius Cascade

Urizen

Zenith

Spire of the Celestial Cascade

Drakes

Jager Von Vinterhosen

The League

Holberg

Compagnia De Rossi

Drakes

Harry Armstrong

The Marches

Mournwold

Eastern Sky

Escalados de Carsenere

Dawn

The Barrens

House de Carsenere

Eastern Sky

Frederik Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Eastern Sky

Lady Clarice Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Fire of the South

Arran I Scipio I Guerra

The Brass Coast

Feroz

Fire of the South

Rheged Redspear

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Fist of the Mountains

Nicanor

Highguard

Bastion

Felix's Watch Banner

Fist of the Mountains

Athelstan Brunson

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Bjornholt

Fist of the Mountains

Aedred 'Firebird' apMagor

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Brandgar Tyrshalting

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Eofor Tyrshalt

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Hail

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Tager Tyrshalt

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Hallgeir Sherarding

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Sherard Hunters (Banner)

Fist of the Mountains

Harald

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Vesalligr

Fist of the Mountains

Leofric 'The Hound'

Wintermark

Skarsind

Fist of the Mountains

Thanmir Hrafnar

Wintermark

Skarsind

Hrafnar

Fist of the Mountains

Einar

Wintermark

Skarsind

Stenstorp

Golden Axe

Avery Thornwood

Dawn

unknown

Golden Axe

Onni Gidyon Veromaa

Varushka

Miekarova

Golden Axe

Ravenka Nadyovna Gremani

Varushka

Miekarova

Family Gremani

Golden Sun

Lord Colwynn de Rondell

Dawn

Astolat

House De Rondell

Granite Pillar

Brother Ibrahim the South Paw

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Ishmael

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Issac Arctos

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Granite Pillar

Cayleb

Highguard

Casinea

Felix's Watch Banner

Granite Pillar

Aaron Storm

Highguard

Casinea

Storm's Fury

Granite Pillar

Krugur

Highguard

Necropolis

Green Shield

Ranulf Six-Lives

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Vesalligr

Green Shield

Aethelstan Korping

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Green Shield

Joakim

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Green Shield

Elthred

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Holt Hyrde

Green Shield

Kye Knife-Born

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Green Shield

Aerdon Korpisson

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Green Shield

Vanhe Korppi

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Green Shield

Uhtraed the Eager

Wintermark

Skarsind

Anfalhearth

Hounds of Glory

Bohemond De Rondell

Dawn

Astolat

House De Rondell

Hounds of Glory

Tristram de Carsenere

Dawn

The Barrens

House de Carsenere

Northern Eagle

daker

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Bloodcrows

Northern Eagle

Magnus Anatolyvich Prochnost

Varushka

Karov

The Embers of Ivarsgard

Northern Eagle

Branislav Vuk Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Northern Eagle

Senghir Vorbarra Strascovian

Varushka

Miekarova

Northern Eagle

Vasiliy Krenyenkov Valeskai Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Otkadov Spy Network

Nihils

Urizen

unknown

Otkadov Spy Network

Severus

Urizen

Morrow

Banner of the Phoenix

Otkadov Spy Network

Acherus

Urizen

Morrow

Citadel of Eye's Overwatch

Otkadov Spy Network

Archemorus

Urizen

Morrow

Citadel of Eye's Overwatch

Otkadov Spy Network

Tanwyn Ankarien

Urizen

Zenith

Ankarien's Revenge

Otkadov Spy Network

Olaf Gregorson |Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Otkadov Spy Network

Stanislav Borodin Havel

Varushka

Volodmartz

Vale of Triosk

Seventh Wave

Solomon of the Silent Tide

Highguard

unknown

Strong Reeds

Edwin de Warrenne

The Marches

Bregasland

Order of the Forgotten Word

Summer Storm

Irontide Savrem

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Wolves of War

Otto Freidrich Von Holsberg

The League

Holberg

Compagnia De Rossi

Wolves of War

Gereke Delfholter

The League

Holberg

Holsburger Haudegen

Wolves of War

Octavio di Virtos

The League

Tassato

The College of Virtue's Pursuit

Wolves of War

Nicolo Sanguedolce Di Sarvos

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Wolves of War

Stanislav Krieger Van Temeschwar

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of Torn Banners

Summer Solstice 377YE

Army

Citizen

Nation

Territory

Banner

Bounders

Frederik Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Bounders

Lady Clarice Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Bounders

Geraint Broad-Backed

Navarr

Therunin

Open Skies

Bounders

Gianni Di Signeur

The League

Holberg

Bounders

Octavio di Virtos

The League

Tassato

The College of Virtue's Pursuit

Bounders

Jorah Andriksson

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Bounders

Nicolo Sanguedolce Di Sarvos

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of the Ashen Tower

Bounders

Carlov Izmon de Temeschwar

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of Torn Banners

Bounders

Stanislav Krieger Van Temeschwar

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of Torn Banners

Bounders

Jack Flint

The Marches

unknown

House Bolholt

Bounders

Edwin de Warrenne

The Marches

Bregasland

Order of the Forgotten Word

Bounders

Anvar

The Marches

Mitwold

Bounders

Robin Longshanks

The Marches

Mitwold

The Cullach

Bounders

Drustan Tudwal

The Marches

Mournwold

Bounders

Harry Armstrong

The Marches

Mournwold

Bounders

Walter Savage

The Marches

Mournwold

Bounders

William Barnes

The Marches

Upwold

The Boundarymen

Bounders

William Guildenstern

The Marches

Upwold

The Boundarymen

Bounders

Decius Cascade

Urizen

Zenith

Spire of the Celestial Cascade

Citadel Guard

Leonius

Urizen

Zenith

Spire of the Celestial Cascade

Drakes

Veselin Gorganov Bashnya

Varushka

Karsk

Drakes

Zdenka Branovna Ulavna

Varushka

Volodmartz

Eastern Sky

Amoret d'Acier

Dawn

The Barrens

Fire of the South

Isandro i Sotero i Riqueza

The Brass Coast

Feroz

Fire of the South

Beltran I Ezmara I Erigo

The Brass Coast

Segura

Fist of the Mountains

Avery Thornwood

Dawn

unknown

Fist of the Mountains

Escalados de Carsenere

Dawn

The Barrens

House de Carsenere

Fist of the Mountains

Garlon de Carsenere

Dawn

The Barrens

House de Carsenere

Fist of the Mountains

Cuth

Highguard

Bastion

Fist of the Mountains

Abathar

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Fist of the Mountains

Brother Ibrahim the South Paw

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Fist of the Mountains

Brutus Claudas (2)

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Fist of the Mountains

Ishmael

Highguard

Bastion

Cohort of the Winter Bear

Fist of the Mountains

Neariah

Highguard

Bastion

Ezekiel's Free Company

Fist of the Mountains

Nicanor

Highguard

Bastion

Felix's Watch Banner

Fist of the Mountains

Ardon

Highguard

Casinea

Cantiarch's Hold

Fist of the Mountains

Barachel of Adina's Charge

Highguard

Casinea

Daintree Survivors

Fist of the Mountains

Keziah, daughter of Laban

Highguard

Reikos

Fist of the Mountains

Skinner

Highguard

Reikos

Fist of the Mountains

Archelaus

Highguard

Reikos

The Grey Watchers of Peytaht

Fist of the Mountains

Owyn

Navarr

unknown

Exile's End

Fist of the Mountains

Brennos Brackensong

Navarr

Broceliande

Fist of the Mountains

Kestrel

Navarr

Broceliande

Brackensong Steading (Banner)

Fist of the Mountains

Carr Foxden

Navarr

Hercynia

Foxden

Fist of the Mountains

Kale Vigil

Navarr

Hercynia

Winter's Vigil Striding

Fist of the Mountains

Rowyn Realms Reach

Navarr

Miaren

Open Skies

Fist of the Mountains

Eira

Navarr

Miaren

ThornKyst

Fist of the Mountains

Sketh

Navarr

Therunin

Fist of the Mountains

Nihils

Urizen

Morrow

Fist of the Mountains

Acherus

Urizen

Morrow

Citadel of Eye's Overwatch

Fist of the Mountains

Archemorus

Urizen

Morrow

Citadel of Eye's Overwatch

Fist of the Mountains

Tanwyn Ankarien

Urizen

Zenith

Ankarien's Revenge

Fist of the Mountains

Sulkavaris ( formerly Guthwulf)

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Fist of the Mountains

Athelstan Brunson

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Bjornholt

Fist of the Mountains

Brandgar Tyrshalting

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Eofor Tyrshalt

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Horsa Tyrshalt

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Bjarvoc Bjornson

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Vesalligr

Fist of the Mountains

Harald

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Vesalligr

Fist of the Mountains

Ranulf Six-Lives

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Vesalligr

Fist of the Mountains

Joakim

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Fist of the Mountains

Kye Knife-Born

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Fist of the Mountains

Leofric 'The Hound'

Wintermark

Skarsind

Fist of the Mountains

Bruin Dunning

Wintermark

Skarsind

Dunhearth Hall

Fist of the Mountains

Einar

Wintermark

Skarsind

Stenstorp

Golden Axe

Magnus Anatolyvich Prochnost

Varushka

Karov

The Embers of Ivarsgard

Golden Axe

Sdravko Ibramovich Bashnya

Varushka

Karsk

Granite Pillar

Cayleb

Highguard

Casinea

Felix's Watch Banner

Granite Pillar

Aaron Storm

Highguard

Casinea

Storm's Fury

Granite Pillar

Mordecai 'The Bitter'

Highguard

Reikos

Drusilla’s Resolve

Green Shield

Ilya (need to finish the name later)

Varushka

unknown

Green Shield

Branislav Vuk Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Green Shield

Olaf Gregorson |Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Green Shield

Senghir Vorbarra Strascovian

Varushka

Miekarova

Green Shield

Staslo Cziboriev Dmienka

Varushka

Miekarova

Green Shield

Vasiliy Krenyenkov Valeskai Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Green Shield

Tor

Wintermark

unknown

Ringhal

Green Shield

Brengar Argonning

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Darkwolves of Argonne

Green Shield

Aethelstan Korping

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Green Shield

Elthred

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Holt Hyrde

Green Shield

Rheged Redspear

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Green Shield

Vanhe Korppi

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Green Shield

Osric Skarsindson

Wintermark

Skarsind

Quiet Step

Cormac Farkas

Navarr

Liathaven

Seventh Wave

Solomon of the Silent Tide

Highguard

unknown

Seventh Wave

Abaddon

Highguard

Necropolis

Summer Storm

Braka

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Bruk

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Gen

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Irontide Isk

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

IronTide MAN

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Irontide Rad

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Irontide Stik

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Vio

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

The House de Plantaget army, Iron Confederacy

Rion Albany

Dawn

Semmerholm

House Rykker

Winter Sun

Voska Kyrov Bashnya

Varushka

Karsk

Wolves of War

daker

Imperial Orcs

Winter Sun

Bloodcrows

Spring Equinox 377YE

Army

Citizen

Nation

Territory

Banner

Citadel Guard

Gaius Quicksilver

Urizen

unknown

Citadel Guard

Heretus Quicksilver

Urizen

Morrow

Drakes

Gereke Delfholter

The League

Holberg

Holsburger Haudegen

Eastern Sky

Lord Colwynn de Rondell

Dawn

Astolat

House De Rondell

Eastern Sky

Frederik Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Eastern Sky

Lady Clarice Novarion

Dawn

Weirwater

House Novarion

Eastern Sky

Herbs

Wintermark

Kallavesa

Fist of the Mountains

Beltran I Ezmara I Erigo

The Brass Coast

Segura

Fist of the Mountains

Eofor Tyrshalt

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Rynweald

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Tager Tyrshalt

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Renwaerd

Fist of the Mountains

Ranulf Six-Lives

Wintermark

Hahnmark

Vesalligr

Fist of the Mountains

alrik wrothgarson

Wintermark

Skarsind

Fist of the Mountains

Leofric 'The Hound'

Wintermark

Skarsind

Fist of the Mountains

Thanmir Hrafnar

Wintermark

Skarsind

Hrafnar

Golden Axe

Acherus

Urizen

Morrow

Citadel of Eye's Overwatch

Golden Axe

Archemorus

Urizen

Morrow

Citadel of Eye's Overwatch

Golden Axe

Tanwyn Ankarien

Urizen

Zenith

Ankarien's Revenge

Golden Axe

Caius Cascade

Urizen

Zenith

Spire of the Celestial Cascade

Golden Axe

Decius Cascade

Urizen

Zenith

Spire of the Celestial Cascade

Golden Axe

Ilya (need to finish the name later)

Varushka

unknown

Golden Axe

Maksim Vladimirovich Bashnya

Varushka

Karsk

Golden Axe

Branislav Vuk Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Golden Axe

Senghir Vorbarra Strascovian

Varushka

Miekarova

Golden Axe

Vasiliy Krenyenkov Valeskai Strascovich

Varushka

Miekarova

Golden Axe

Outpost Leader Chernabog

Varushka

Miekarova

Outpost 31

Golden Axe

Stannes Molotov Sciany

Varushka

Miekarova

Vale of Sciany

Golden Axe

Stanislav Borodin Havel

Varushka

Volodmartz

Vale of Triosk

Granite Pillar

Cayleb

Highguard

Casinea

Felix's Watch Banner

Granite Pillar

Ruth

Highguard

Casinea

Felix's Watch Banner

Granite Pillar

Mordecai 'The Bitter'

Highguard

Reikos

Drusilla’s Resolve

Green Shield

Aethelstan Korping

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Green Shield

Kye Knife-Born

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Saker

Green Shield

Algar Stenning

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Stenstorp

Green Shield

Aerdon Korpisson

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Green Shield

Vanhe Korppi

Wintermark

Sermersuaq

Sussivari Oathsworn Fyrd

Hounds of Glory

Bohemond De Rondell

Dawn

Astolat

House De Rondell

Northern Eagle

Zakhar "The Grim" Dragovin Vassillich

Varushka

Miekarova

Quiet Step

Drusta Grey Stone Vigil

Navarr

Hercynia

Winter's Vigil Striding

Quiet Step

Kale Vigil

Navarr

Hercynia

Winter's Vigil Striding

Quiet Step

Cigydd Summer Crow

Navarr

Therunin

The Summer Crows

Red Wind Corsairs

Vasco Al-Bakhari

The Brass Coast

Madruga

Al-Bakhari Trading house

Seventh Wave

Seth

Highguard

Casinea

Seventh Wave

Barachel of Adina's Charge

Highguard

Casinea

Daintree Survivors

Seventh Wave

Melchior Benjamin Fletcher

Highguard

Necropolis

Banner of the Cenotaph

Summer Storm

Grud the Eggy Greg

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

Summer Storm

Braka

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Bruk

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Irontide Isk

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Irontide Stik

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Irontide Varn

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Summer Storm

Vio

Imperial Orcs

Summer Storm

The Irontide

Winter Sun

Vilkas Antonovich Prochnost

Varushka

Karov

The Embers of Ivarsgard

Winter Sun

Stanimir Ratmirov Bashnya

Varushka

Karsk

Winter Sun

Voska Kyrov Bashnya

Varushka

Karsk

Winter Sun

Staslo Cziboriev Dmienka

Varushka

Miekarova

Winter Sun

Ravenka Nadyovna Gremani

Varushka

Miekarova

Family Gremani

Winter Sun

Krztsztof Goranovich Stanislaus

Varushka

Volodmartz

Vale of Triosk

Winter Sun

Jaromir Casimirovich Rasimil

Varushka

Volodmartz

Zima Ruinakh

Wolves of War

Tybalt Von Ungeist

The League

Holberg

The Holberg Hawks

Wolves of War

Octavio di Virtos

The League

Tassato

The College of Virtue's Pursuit

Wolves of War

Matthias Van Temeschwar

The League

Temeschwar

Wolves of War

Stanislav Krieger Van Temeschwar

The League

Temeschwar

The Brotherhood of Torn Banners

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Imperial Roseweald

Description

The Imperial Roseweald, also called the sanguine hibiscus, is a reddish-brown plant whose trumpet-shaped flowers are the colour of dried blood. It grows well in temperate climates. The roots of the plant are prised for their medicinal qualities, but must be carefully prepared. Incorrectly prepared it can induce symptoms including profuse sweating, temperature fluctuation and fever.

Imperial Roseweald is easily confused with common roseweald. While the petals of that plant are often dried and used to make a tangy and flavoursome tea (popular both hot and cold), it has no medicinal properties.

Properly applied, Imperial Roseweald can be used to remove venom.

Rules

- Can only be applied by a character with the physick skill.

- Using 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying the physick can remove the venom condition from a target.

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Imperial Sodalities

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Sodalities in Play

- 3 Creating a Sodality

- 4 Secret Societies

- 5 Current Sodalities

Overview

There are organisations in the Empire that have grown in influence beyond the confines of a single nation. These organisations are collectively referred to as Imperial Sodalities. They are associations or societies that have a common purpose and sufficient reach or influence to be relevant to the Empire as a whole - but they are not part of the Imperial government and most do not receive financial assistance from the Senate or logistical assistance from the civil service.

Sodalities in Play

From time to time we will create new sodalities and add them to the wiki, to use as a vehicle for ongoing plots. This may represent a sodality that has recently been created, or one that has been around for a while but has not been active an Anvil previously. Most Imperial citizens have at least heard of the Imperial Senate or the Imperial Synod but a sodality is vastly less powerful and prestigious than these bodies and it is common for people to be unaware of their existence before they encounter them.

Creating a Sodality

It is not possible for players to create a sodality as part of character creation - the banners, sects and covens that new players can create are based in the nation they choose to play, but the definition of an Imperial sodality is a group with a reach or scope that extends beyond a single nation.

It is possible for players to create a sodality in play - a good example of this is the Anvil Field Hospital which players have created. If players establish an organisation that clearly has an influence that extends to all Imperial citizens at Anvil that persists for more than a year then we will try to update the wiki with information about them.

Secret Societies

The Empire has a number of secret societies - sodalities who wish to avoid operating openly. Some of these societies have good reason to hide, they may have criminal or heretical intent - others simply prefer to remain in the shadows. If the existence of a secret society becomes common knowledge in the Empire, due to the actions of players, then we will update the wiki with information on what is commonly known about them.

Current Sodalities

- Anvil Field Hospital - The Anvil Hospital and Imperial School of Medicine

- Iron Raptors - A clearing house that pay Imperial citizens to carry out difficult and dangerous work.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_Sodalities&oldid=24396"

Imperial theology

OOC NOTE: The contents of this section are purely for players interested in Doctrinal and Theological Roleplay.

Knowledge of Imperial Theology is NOT a requirement for all Priest characters or Imperial Citizens.

We are Travellers on the Way.

Our spirits are immortal;

They have endured before and will again.

We follow in the footsteps of the Paragons,

Whom showed humanity the Paths of Virtue.

By uniting the Paths and creating the Synod,

The First Empress showed us The Way.

Across the Labyrinth of Ages, the Virtues guide our spirits.

We shall not surrender our destiny to inhuman powers.

Death is not the end of our journey.

With each generation, Virtue makes us stronger.

Until as Paragons we shall conquer Death itself.

The Creed of the Winds of Virtue Chapter of Highguard

Introduction

For the average Citizen of the Empire, it is sufficient to know the Seven Virtues and how they apply to your life so that your passage through the Labyrinth of Ages can be swift and assured and you can be reborn stronger. Even simple lay preachers of The Way need not concern themselves with the subtleties and complexities of the Imperial Religion.

However, for many senior Priests within the Synod, as well as keen scholars, the foundations of the faith are a source of much discussion, debate and analysis. Senior clergy of the Synod may be asked about their opinion on key points of contention.

Index

- Liao

- The Doctrines of the Faith

- Signs of the Paragon and Exemplar

- Schisms and Heresies

- Investigative Theology

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_theology&oldid=20672"

Imperial title

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Eligibility

- 3 National Title

- 4 Responsibilities

- 5 Powers

- 6 Term of office

- 7 Ceremonial titles

- 8 Further Reading

Overview

An Imperial title grants the bearer wealth or legal powers. Most come with a set of responsibilities that the recipient is expected to undertake. The most famous Imperial title is Empress (Emperor for a man or sometimes the Throne) but senator, cardinal, general, archmage and the Bourse seats are all examples of powerful Imperial titles.

Eligibility

Any Imperial citizen is eligible to be appointed to an Imperial title, but the constitution explicitly forbids any citizen from holding two Imperial titles simultaneously. A senator cannot be a general - nor can they be appointed to the Keeper of the Dark Groves of Boroz. Any title may be surrendered at any time, so a citizen who is elevated to a second Imperial titles must immediately select which office they wish to hold.

National Title

Some Imperial titles are only eligible to members of a specific nation. For example, only a League character can become a League senator or hold a League position in the Bourse. These titles are commonly referred to as national titles, they are governed by all the same rules as a normal Imperial title - you cannot hold more than one Imperial title at once - but they can only be conferred on a member of the appropriate nation.

Responsibilities

Most titles come with a responsibility or duty that the holder is expected to perform. For instance a citizen granted the title of Defender of the Senate might be charged with ensuring the defence and security of the Senate during the meetings at Anvil.

There is no contractual obligation to uphold the responsibilities of an office - it is not possible to create a title that requires specific action or dictates how the responsibilities must be discharged. However the responsibilities of an office are important - it is not unknown for citizens to face the threat of revocation by the Synod for failing to adequately discharge the responsibilities of the title they have accepted.

Powers

All Imperial titles include either a stipend or one or more powers of state. Powers of state are legal powers exercised by one or more of the five house of government. For example, the General Assembly of the Synod is able to veto a Senate motion, but The Throne can also wield this power - without needing to consult the Synod. A stipend is a regular income which is drawn directly from the Imperial treasury.

Term of office

Lesser Imperial titles usually have tenure. Once elected, the holder of the title remains in place until they die, resign the position or are revoked by the Synod. More powerful titles are usually subject to re-selection on an annual basis.

All Imperial titles have clearly defined rules that state how the occupant can be removed.

Ceremonial titles

There are many other titles that an Imperial citizen may possess. For example, a prominent Marcher citizen may hold the title of Steward, an influential Conclave magician may be appointed as the Mouthpiece of Meraud, a powerful Eternal from the Summer Realm. Any title that does not include a stipend or one or more legal powers of the Imperial state is officially classed as a ceremonial title, even if it the position grants the bearer tangible benefits.

A ceremonial title is not considered to be an Imperial title and does not count against the limit of one Imperial title per citizen. A character may possess any number of ceremonial titles.

Further Reading

- New Imperial titles - explaining the powers of the Senate to create new titles

- Titles by season - listing the titles which are reappointed each season

- Recent history - includes historical lists of appointments to titles at previous events

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_title&oldid=26665"

Imperial title (Redirected from Imperial Title)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Eligibility

- 3 National Title

- 4 Responsibilities

- 5 Powers

- 6 Term of office

- 7 Ceremonial titles

- 8 Further Reading

Overview

An Imperial title grants the bearer wealth or legal powers. Most come with a set of responsibilities that the recipient is expected to undertake. The most famous Imperial title is Empress (Emperor for a man or sometimes the Throne) but senator, cardinal, general, archmage and the Bourse seats are all examples of powerful Imperial titles.

Eligibility

Any Imperial citizen is eligible to be appointed to an Imperial title, but the constitution explicitly forbids any citizen from holding two Imperial titles simultaneously. A senator cannot be a general - nor can they be appointed to the Keeper of the Dark Groves of Boroz. Any title may be surrendered at any time, so a citizen who is elevated to a second Imperial titles must immediately select which office they wish to hold.

National Title

Some Imperial titles are only eligible to members of a specific nation. For example, only a League character can become a League senator or hold a League position in the Bourse. These titles are commonly referred to as national titles, they are governed by all the same rules as a normal Imperial title - you cannot hold more than one Imperial title at once - but they can only be conferred on a member of the appropriate nation.

Responsibilities

Most titles come with a responsibility or duty that the holder is expected to perform. For instance a citizen granted the title of Defender of the Senate might be charged with ensuring the defence and security of the Senate during the meetings at Anvil.

There is no contractual obligation to uphold the responsibilities of an office - it is not possible to create a title that requires specific action or dictates how the responsibilities must be discharged. However the responsibilities of an office are important - it is not unknown for citizens to face the threat of revocation by the Synod for failing to adequately discharge the responsibilities of the title they have accepted.

Powers

All Imperial titles include either a stipend or one or more powers of state. Powers of state are legal powers exercised by one or more of the five house of government. For example, the General Assembly of the Synod is able to veto a Senate motion, but The Throne can also wield this power - without needing to consult the Synod. A stipend is a regular income which is drawn directly from the Imperial treasury.

Term of office

Lesser Imperial titles usually have tenure. Once elected, the holder of the title remains in place until they die, resign the position or are revoked by the Synod. More powerful titles are usually subject to re-selection on an annual basis.

All Imperial titles have clearly defined rules that state how the occupant can be removed.

Ceremonial titles

There are many other titles that an Imperial citizen may possess. For example, a prominent Marcher citizen may hold the title of Steward, an influential Conclave magician may be appointed as the Mouthpiece of Meraud, a powerful Eternal from the Summer Realm. Any title that does not include a stipend or one or more legal powers of the Imperial state is officially classed as a ceremonial title, even if it the position grants the bearer tangible benefits.

A ceremonial title is not considered to be an Imperial title and does not count against the limit of one Imperial title per citizen. A character may possess any number of ceremonial titles.

Further Reading

- New Imperial titles - explaining the powers of the Senate to create new titles

- Titles by season - listing the titles which are reappointed each season

- Recent history - includes historical lists of appointments to titles at previous events

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Imperial:TitleBar

- The Game

- Introduction to LRP

- --

- = About Empire =

- Game overview

- Getting Involved

- Children

- Costume

- Photography

- --

- = Events =

- Event List

- Standard Event Details

- Site Details

- Sanctioned events

- --

- = Crew =

- Event Management

- Crew Guidelines

- --

- = Resources =

- Traders

- --

- = Contact Details =

- Contact Us

- Forums & Facebook

- Nations

- Overview

- --

- The Brass Coast

- Dawn

- Highguard

- Imperial Orcs

- The League

- The Marches

- Navarr

- Urizen

- Varushka

- Wintermark

- --

- Costume Advice

- Music

- --

- FAQ

- The People

- = Species =

- Orc

- --

- Lineage Overview

- Briar

- Cambion

- Changeling

- Draughir

- Merrow

- Naga

- --

- FAQ

- Religion

- Overview

- --

- = The Seven Virtues =

- Ambition

- Courage

- Loyalty

- Pride

- Prosperity

- Vigilance

- Wisdom

- --

- Imperial Theology

- The Empire

- Overview

- --

- = Imperial Structures =

- The Senate

- The Synod

- The Military Council

- The Conclave

- The Bourse

- --

- The Throne

- --

- The Academy

- Civil Service

- --

- Imperial Law

- Imperial History

- --

- The Sentinel Gate

- The World

- Overview

- --

- Maps

- Gazetteer

- --

- Realms

- Eternals

- Barbarians

- Foreign nations

- --

- Languages

- Pronunciation Guide

- --

- Setting FAQ

- Rules

- Overview

- --

- Playing the Game

- Combat

- Safety

- Battles

- --

- Bands

- Skills

- Roleplaying Effects

- Ceremonies

- Magic

- Rituals

- Game Items

- Potions

- Magical Items

- Resources

- --

- Rules Update

- FAQ

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Imperial wain

An Imperial wain is a unit of measurement equivalent to five hundred kilograms in modern units.

Historically, it was the amount of material that filled an average-sized wagon. Standardized in the reign of Emperor Giovanni, it is commonly used to describe the amounts of mithril, white marble and weirwood used in construction of a resource and large-scale projects such as bridge and dam building.

Wains in Play

The definition of an Imperial wain is a caravan load of material. We don't remotely expect players to phys-rep these commodities; the intention is that players trade the promissory notes provided by the civil service instead. However, if we choose to phys-rep a wain of material on a battlefield then we will try to get the weight as close to 500Kg as reasonably possible. You can expect that to be a volume of around half a cubic metre.

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Improvement Suggestions

Explicit in the social contract of Empire is the committment that players make to improve their kit between events. It's a daunting prospect; you spend all that time and money putting together a decent set of kit, then you have to think of ways of improving it after every event. It never ends! Some people like their costume and don't want to change it; others just don't know where to start. Here's a page of suggestions that might inspire you.

Contents

- 1 Kit isn't just costume

- 1.1 Food

- 1.2 Drink

- 1.3 Accessories

- 1.4 Hats and Headwear

- 1.5 Props and Phys Reps

- 2 So there you have it!

Kit isn't just costume

When it comes to this sort of thing, your kit isn't just the clothes you wear at the event - it's everything that your character uses and interacts with as part of their personal equipment, from the pouch on their belt to the Grand Pavillion they sleep in. One of the easiest ways to start improving your kit is by replacing the modern essentials with historical or fantasy-looking equivalents; with a few easy (and cheap!) swaps, not only your immersion but also the look of the field as a whole gets better and better.

Food

Whether you bring your own food or eat from the traders, paying a little attention to your eating equipment is a great way to get started. Plastic fork and polystyrene container doesn't really fit with the fantasy aesthetic, so, why not try one of the following?

- Got £2?

A wooden bowl from a charity shop and a spoon from your cutlery drawer instantly makes mealtimes look IC.

- Got £5?

Ikea do a nice big wooden bowl for £4.50 - it holds a lot of stew with room for your bread as well.

- Got £10?

For a really lovely touch you could consider a reproduction pewter spoon like the ones from Lionheart Replicas

- Got £25?

How about an eating set that you can hang on your belt in a little leather sheath like the ones from Two Js? It comes with a spike (a pricker...heh) and a knife (or you could get one with a fork if you're into that fancy league stuff).

- Got £50?

The Grand Expedition Trading Company does a feasting set in a bag - a full set of crockery and cutlery in a nice looking IC bag to carry them in.

Drink

Plastic pint glass? No thanks. Help your costume and the environment by getting an IC drinking vessel!

- Got £2?

Many charity shops will sell metal tankards, old steins or even earthenware pottery for a few quid. Add a loop of leather or cord to tie it to your belt and you're ready for a drink whenever the mood takes you.

- Got £7?

Why not get a 100% medieval and surprisingly sturdy pint tankard from Court Potteries?

- Got £25?

How about a personalised decorated cover for your plastic pint glass? White Rose Apparel will make them to order in a design of your choice, and have a lovely selection off the peg. If you're the kind of person who doesn't like washing up this might suit you!

Accessories

Once you've got your basic outfit, you can have a lot of fun personalising it to your nation with accessories and trims. For nations that love bling, like Brass Coast, The League and Dawn, Primark is well worth a visit for its costume jewellery selection. There's often "statement pieces" or cocktail rings which really add to the opulence of your look. For Navaar and Wintermark you can often find wooden beads or things with a more "tribal" look like these custom pieces by Kelly, which can accent the more primitive end of the costumes. For the Marches, don't despair - how about medieval-looking livery badges? Etsy can be a nice place to look for handmade jewellery, and Ebay is full of bargains on old costume jewellery.

Hats and Headwear

Ever seen a fantastic costume that goes all the way to the neck- then stops? Pictures of Renaissance Fairs in America often have good examples of fantastic costumes which are amazingly detailed below the chin, and are topped off with a bare head that looks somehow incongruous. A good hat completes your outfit!

- Got £2?

A simple length of ikea cotton tied round your head makes a great headscarf for a low status outfit. It's particularly good for women, and gives you something to pin your hood to.

- Got £5?

You can get fake flowers from lots of home dec shops (also Ikea..) and make yourself a flowery headband. Or if you can sew a little bit make one of these out of an old pillowcase or a scrap of fabric. Many larp traders will also sell you one for not much money if you really can't face needle and thread.

- Got £10?

How about making a hood? Here's a nice way of doing it

Props and Phys Reps

One thing that lots of us are guilty of is using herb cards or mana cards instead of the phys rep themselves. Rather than just tucking them into a pouch and taking them out to rip, why not make a dedicated pouch which could actually hold the quantities that you carry - for Phyicks or Apothecaries, why not five pouches of different colours, one for each herb then filling them with appropriately coloured household herbs.This tutorial explains how. Again, they're something you can pick up at Traders but they're so easy to sew, even by hand, that you might not even need to.

So there you have it!

This is a tiny selection of ideas that might spark off your creativity for improving and developing your kit between events. It doesn't have to be big, or flashy, or expensive, but everyone from the first-event-beginner to the seasoned pro has something to bring to make the game cooler and more immersive for everyone.

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Imurrement of Leaden Chains

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 10

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 10

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying.

Effects

At the completion of this ritual, all contributors gain the ability to cast the entangle spell once as if they knew it and without spending any mana.

When cast with more than one contributor, this ritual always counts as a use of the coven bond and counts towards the number of rituals the coven can perform that day.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Description

This battlefield ritual allows a coven of Autumn magicians to lock their enemies in place. Used with care, it allows each of them to exert their ritual mastery to immediate tactical effect. The most common battlefield use is to allow a coven to hold a group of skirmishers in place, prevent auxiliaries coming to the aid of their comrades, or take advantage of a group that has become separated from the main body of an army, preventing them from rejoining the central force. It is at it's most useful when the ritualists are supported by (or are themselves) battlemages and warriors.

The ritual is more powerful the more members of the coven are present, and reaches it's highest potential the more ritualists who have not personally mastered the ability to restrain their foes through spellcasting.

Some ritualists find that their implements become increasingly heavy when this ritual is performed. As the ten-minute duration drags on the rod, staff or wand seems to grow more and more massive in their hands; it eventually requires a major effort of will to heft it into place.

This ritual has existed in one form or another since the earliest records, and it is likely that the entangle incantation itself began as a refinement of the power it grants.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven invokes themes of binding, restraining and dominating others. Methodical, slightly threatening music or implacable drum rhythms are common. The effect of the ritual itself is to prevent movement, so music and dance often begin violent and then suddenly stop, pause or slow. A Freeborn coven often combines loud drumming with energetic, whirling dances that suddenly pause mid-beat at the climax; a circle of Marcher landskeepers may invoke themes of trespass or invisible boundaries, especially if using the ritual on a Marcher battlefield. Ritualists of The League and the Imperial Orcs often use themes of capturing and restraining criminals in their ritual invocations.

Other elements might include the rune Hirmok, or the totem spirits of animals that trap and restrain such as spiders or pythons; the brazen lictors of the Autumn Realm may also be invoked.

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Incantation's Mystic Mask

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying.

Effects

This ritual masks the nature of the next ritual performed after it is complete. The mask conceals all details of the second ritual; effects such as detect magic and any divination effect of a lower level can only determine that the magic exists; that it is concealed by a Night Realm effect; and the magnitude of that effect.

If this ritual is performed by a solo caster then it effects the next ritual that character casts by themselves before the next sunrise.

If this ritual is performed by a coven then it effects the next ritual cast with that coven bond.

Divination effects that match or exceed the magnitude of Incantation's Mystic Mask can learn information about the ritual or it's effects, but the mask remains intact. This mask extends to the fact that the ritual was cast, and to any auras, curses or enchantments created as a result of the ritual.

The ability to mask the next ritual persists until a ritual is performed, or until sunrise, whichever comes first. The mask itself lasts for as long as the masked ritual endures.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual to create a more powerful mask.

Description

The main purpose of this ritual is to deter snooping into the doings of Night magicians. It adds a little to the perception of students of Night Lore as being underhand and untrustworthy - after all, claim their critics, why would they want to conceal their magic in this way if they have nothing to hide? When they can be bothered to reply, specialists in the Lore of Night wonder why their detractors want so badly to monitor what they are up to ... and the debates continue and so the world turns.

The ritual can be valuable when using enchantments or curses on land claimed by barbarians, as it makes it much harder for enemy magicians to work out precisely what is going on, and how it might be stopped.

Pedants claim that this ritual ought to be called Invocation's Mystic Mask but they are usually given short-shrift by students of Night lore. Most rituals contains a certain amount of incantation, after all. Still, there is an ongoing competition among many students of Night magic to see who can come up with the most outlandish name for this ritual to use when speaking among themselves or with outsides; the potential confusion created by dozens of different names for the same ritual effect amuses both the Night magicians, and the Eternals.

Common Elements

The magicians who perform this ritual almost always conceal their identities behind masks and hoods, and many include gloves and robes as well. It is common for the ritual to be performed in darkness and conditions of as much secrecy as the coven can arrange. Lighting is likely to be dim, and music subdued. Many ritualists work hard to create an atmosphere of confusion and uncertainty.when they perform Incantation's Mystic Mask, swapping masks and identities, and weaving nonsensical words into their invocations as they work.

The runes Diras and Wyr are used interchangably with this ritual, and some ritualists include Sular, Cavul, Irremais and especially Ophis, but in defaced or inverted forms. The constellation of The Wanderer is also invoked, as are the names of Eternals such as Sadogua and especially members of the Whisper Gallery, the Keepers of Secrets.

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Increase the Imperial Guerdon

To raise the allocation of funds to the Guerdon.

Proposed by Skarsind, seconded by Redoubt

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- A request that the Imperial Guerdon be increased.

- Passed at 180 Thrones

Date

- Winter 378YE

Cost

- Passed

Campaign Outcome

- The Imperial Guerdon was increased to 180 Thrones.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Increase_the_Imperial_Guerdon&oldid=35511"

Inescapable Chains of Bitter Glass

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 40

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Uses

- 1.5 Option

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 40

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single mage implement which must be present during the ritual.

Effects

The power of the ritual is stored in the implement targeted by the ritual. Any one of the contributors can unleash the power of the ritual while holding the implement to allow them to call MASS ENTANGLE.

The power of the ritual can be invoked only once.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Additional Uses

The ritual can be used to place more than one use into the target implement. Each additional use increases the magnitude of the spell by 25. Any uses left over are lost at the end of the ten minutes. You cannot charge up more than one implement with this ritual.

Option

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute ambergelt for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 measures of ambergelt spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Description

This battlefield ritual allows a powerful magical attack to be unleashed against a group of enemies. It binds them in place for a short time, allowing the magician's allies to overwhelm them if they act quickly. It is especially useful when used to support soldiers with pole-arms against enemies with short weapons, or to pin down skirmishers so that archers can devastate them with arrows or crossbow bolts.

Like similar rituals, the attack is temporarily stored in a rod, staff or wand, and then unleashed at the most tactical moment. I fall the similar battlefield rituals, this is the easiest to perform..

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, a coven often invokes symbols of binding, stagnation and hesitation. Some magicians weave invocations of doubt and uncertainty, while others evoke subtle forces intended to subvert the battle-plans oftheir enemies. Skirling pipe-music may often be involved, as might interweaving flutes. Sinuous dances are common, but so are things that bind - chains, threads, ropes, nets and even ribbons.

The focus of this ritual is an implement, and the role it plays in the ritual can be quite important. Some ritualists take it in turn to spin and twirl the implement, passing it back and forth as the strength of the ritual grows. Others place the implement in the middle of the ritual and move around it, touching it with their hands and magic as they increase the power of the ritual, or binding it in some way as their magic builds. Many covens create a specific implement for use in this ritual, usually a staff, and mark that staff permanently with runes of domination and mastery.

Other common elements in this ritual might include runes, especially Hirmok. Beasts such as spiders and great serpents that crush their prey may be mentioned, and some Freeborn use images of octopi, squid or even kraken in their magic. The constellation of The Chain are sometimes invoked, as are the names of the Autumn Eternals know as the Lictors.

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Inevitable Collapse into Ruin

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 40

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 40

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single mage implement which must be present during the ritual.

Effects

The power of the ritual is stored in the target implement. Any of the contributors can touch that implement to a battlefield fortification to seriously damage or destroy it.

The power of the ritual can be invoked only once.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Description

This battlefield ritual deals with similar forces to Ravenous Tongue of Entropy, but on a much larger scale. it locates and exploits weaknesses in a fortification. Beams warp and split, mortar crumbles, hawsers fray and snap and the entire edifice groans under the attack of magic that speeds decay and aging.

It often takes a short time for the full power of the ritual to manifest, which can make it a particularly dangerous ritual for the contributor charged with delivering the final stage and touching the target fortification. Some foolish covens have tried to perform the ritual while physically touching the fortification, while protected by heavily armoured warriors with powerful shields, but all it takes is a single arrow-shot from the defenders and the ritual collapses. It is much more common to see one or more well-defended ritualists fight their way through to the fortification with the charged implement, relying on the fact that at least one of them will make it into position - and then either hold against the defenders, or retreat while the magic does it's work.

This ritual targets the weakest parts of a defensive structure. While it may not collapse or destroy an entire wall, it is likely that the ritual will create multiple breaches, tear down a gatehouse, collapse a row of mantlets or the like.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, a coven often invokes symbols of slow destruction - wind and rain - and forces of neglect, incompetence and misfortune that can combine to bring even the strongest structure into ruins. The Eternal Kaele may be invoked, and it is also common to use pieces from a ruined structure to help grant the ritual power.

The implement charged with this spell is a key element in the ritual, and the role it plays in the performance is very important. Some covens may create a special staff or rod, often constructed from the wood of a collapsed building or rotted tree, specifically for use with the ritual, which is then discarded after the battle. The implement may be passed between the ritualists, or placed at the centre of the ritual as a focus for the magic of the coven.

The runes Yoorn and Mawrig are often evoked with this ritual, and some Wintermark ritualists complete their casting by carving or painting them onto the structure they wish to destroy. The constellation of the Key is sometimes evoked, as is the Wanderer.

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Inez y Guerra

Words by Jude to the tune of Cuncti Simus Concanentes. Call and response.

When I first laid eyes upon her Inez y Guerra Golden sun was shining on her Inez y Guerra

She was brave and she was daring, Captain of a swift corsair Grace was in her every movement, fiery eyes and flowing hair

With the crew she'd sweat and toil Inez y Guerra Every man was true and loyal  Inez y Guerra

Every word she spoke was treasure, when she smiled it brought me joy Every soul aboard adored her, first mate down to cabin boy

Though she scorned both shield and armour Inez y Guerra When she fought no foe could harm her Inez y Guerra

If I were a wealthy Captain, with a ship upon the sea I would sail a golden galleon,'Fair Inez' her name would be

Like a ship upon the ocean  Inez y Guerra Beauty in her every motion Inez y Guerra

With a hold packed full oftreasure, home upon the storm I'd ride I would lay it at her feet if only she would be my bride

Though I never could deserve her- Inez y Guerra All my lifelong days I'll serve her  Inez y Guera

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Information for 11-15 year olds

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Ticket costs £20 less discounts

- 3 Parental responsibility where appropriate

- 4 Must have suitable costume

- 5 IC tests to become an IC adult

- 6 Characters begin as non-combatants

- 7 IC Area for young players

Overview

Children of this age are becoming adults and many players of this age are just as capable of remaining in-character all day as any adult. We assume that roleplayers at this age are able to participate and roleplay fully in the game setting. The additional rules are designed only to ensure that all participants are fully protected.

Ticket costs £20 less discounts

We expect a child of this age who is attending to have a character and roleplay at an event, with full participation in many areas. If the parent or guardian attending the event is eligible for a discount (a student or in receipt of benefits or a pension) then the ticket costs £10.

Parental responsibility where appropriate

At this age it is acceptable for participants to roleplay for long periods without their parents present. You should still be aware of what your child is doing and they should check in regularly with you.

Must have suitable costume

All participants of this age should dress in costume appropriate for their character. Footwear is difficult in LRP, but sports trainers are no longer acceptable at this age.

IC tests to become an IC adult

Children mature at different rates and our rules are designed to encourage them to seek to become full citizens of the Empire. Older participants in this age range may take the Test of Citizenship which is a basic IC test designed to ensure that a young player is capable and ready to be treated as a full member of the game. Once a young live roleplayer has passed this test, then their character will be treated as an adult character and will be allowed to choose a personal resource, operate campaign resources and spend eight character points on skills as a starting character. Until this point, they will have no skills, and will therefore be able to utilize the Apprentice Ability

Characters begin as non-combatants

Children of this age cannot participate in a skirmish or battle before they have passed the Test of Arms. Parents may allow their children to spar with other children using standard latex weapons, but they should not attack other characters under other circumstances. Fights on the main field are likely to be rare at Empire, but if one does start, then your child should know to leave the immediate area by the most effective route, to ensure their own safety. Young players of this age who are involved with The Academy will have the opportunity to fight while on quests organized through the Academy.

Older participants in this age range my take the Test of Arms with permission from their parent(s). This is a basic IC test designed to ensure that a younger live roleplayer is ready to take the battlefield - our refs will check they are a safe combatant, understand the combat rules and are physically mature enough to participate in the battles. Young players who are judged to be ready to pass will be allowed to take the Test once they are 14 or over.

IC Area for young players

The IC site includes a large tent and courtyard area dedicated to IC activities for young players called The Academy. The crew in attendance when the tent is open, offer supervised sparring and combat training, lessons in Imperial Geography and History and similar. These activities are intended to be for parents and children; parents may not leave their children here by themselves.

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Information for 16-18 year olds

Overview

At this age we consider young people to be full participants in the game and they will be treated, as far as possible, as adults. However, if any roleplayer believes they are the target of abusive behaviour then we encourage them to speak to one of our staff. At this age, roleplayers do not need to be accompanied to the event by a parent or carer and can automatically play a full character that can take the battlefield.

The bar

Roleplayers who are under eighteen should be conscious of the legal restrictions placed on them. Attempting to buy alcohol from the bar risks damaging the entire event. Anyone caught attempting to buy alcohol from the bar will be refused further entry to the event until they turn eighteen.

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Information for 7-10 year olds

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Ticket costs £10 less discounts

- 3 24/7 responsibility required

- 4 Must have suitable costume and toys

- 5 Game participation is encouraged

- 6 A character but no skills

- 7 Characters are non-combatants

- 8 IC area for young players

Overview

We expect children of this age to be able to roleplay and participate in our game, albeit with restrictions and limited expectations for those at the lower end of this age band. At this age children are becoming more independent and our rules reflect this.

Children at the lower end of this age range are unlikely to want to roleplay for long periods of time. Parents should consider this and make suitable arrangements, for instance bringing books and toys and taking regular breaks in your own tent or camp or in the OOC area.

Ticket costs £10 less discounts

We expect a child of this age who is attending to have a character and roleplay at the event, and the charge reflects this. If the parent or guardian attending the event is eligible for a discount (a student or in receipt of benefits or a pension) then the ticket costs £5.

24/7 responsibility required

You do not have to supervise your child at all times, however your child should only be out of your direct supervision with your permission and must return in the timeframe set by you. Our golden rule at this age is: “You must know where your child is at all times. Your child must know where you are at all times.”

Must have suitable costume and toys

Children should dress in costume appropriate for their character. Footwear is always difficult in LRP, particularly for children who are still growing quickly, so neutral coloured footwear (plain shoes, trainers or wellies) is acceptable. Wooden toys are ideal for young children; bright plastic or battery-operated toys are not allowed in the IC area.

Game participation is encouraged

Parents are encouraged to keep their children with them while roleplaying on site and to involve their children in what they are doing. You should return to your own camp or to the OOC area if your child ceases to enjoy the roleplaying.

A character but no skills

The intention for Empire is to create a world in which children play children as realistically and credibly as possible. We intend to try to make the experience of being a child in the world of Empire as epic as possible, but children are not great heroes risking their lives to save the Empire, they merely have the chance to become one as they grow up in the game.

Because of this, children are expected to create a character on our system. However children cannot have skills or resources until their character passes the Test of Citizenship. There is no lower age limit, although most graduates are around 11 or older. We intend to deliver a game aimed at our young players that is based around their characters and what they want to learn and do and is not contingent on skills or resources.

Until they pass their Test of Citizenship, young players have no skills, so they may utilize the Apprentice Ability

Characters are non-combatants

Children of this age cannot participate in a fight without the express prior agreement of a member of our referee team. This is only likely to be forthcoming for children taking part in supervised IC activities arranged for children; they will not be allowed to take the battlefield. Fights on the main field are likely to be rare at Empire, but if one does start, then your child should know to leave the immediate area by the most effective route, to ensure their own safety.

Parents may allow their children to spar with other children using a suitable phys-rep for a child’s sparring weapon (like the wooden sword that Arya uses in the first series of Game of Thrones).

IC area for young players

The IC site includes a large tent and courtyard area dedicated to IC activities for young players called The Academy. The crew in attendance when the tent is open, offer supervised sparring and combat training, lessons in Imperial Geography and History and similar. These activities are intended to be for parents and children; parents may not leave their children here by themselves.

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Information for under 7s

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 No charge but must book in advance

- 3 24/7 supervision required

- 4 Must have suitable costume

- 5 Must have suitable toys

- 6 A character but no skills

- 7 Non-combatant at all times

- 8 IC area for young players

Overview

The rules for under-7s are based around the assumptions that a young child cannot engage significantly with the roleplaying and that they need constant supervision by their parents. The goal of these rules is to ensure that parents are clear about what they need to do to ensure that their young children do not damage the event for others.

Some of these rules will only apply to the IC area. There is obviously no requirement or restrictions for costume or toys in the OOC camping field.

No charge but must book in advance

We do not expect a young child to play a significant role in the game, so there is no charge for them to attend. However they must be booked in advance of the game, in the company of a booked adult who is their parent or carer. This is to ensure that we have an accurate list of young children attending the event.

24/7 supervision required

Any under-7 must be supervised at all times by a parent or nominated carer. This can be onerous; parents should consider whether it is worth attending an event with an under-7 if they do not have two or more adults to share the responsibility. Parents of young children must be aware that they can easily disrupt the game for other players. You must remove your child from an area where other players are roleplaying if they become disruptive. Young children are prone to wandering off, so parents must take care to ensure that they remain close at all times.

The requirement for supervision applies even when your child is asleep. You cannot leave a young child sleeping without their parent or carer present.

Must have suitable costume

A baby should be swaddled or dressed in blankets or costume which are appropriate to the setting. Young children should have suitable costume. Footwear is always difficult in LRP, particularly for children who are still growing quickly, so neutral coloured footwear (plain shoes, trainers or wellies) is acceptable.

Must have suitable toys

A young child will want to play with toys. The perfect toys are ones that are passable in the setting, such as wooden farm animals. You must not bring bright coloured obviously plastic toys or any toys that are battery operated into the IC area.

A character but no skills

The intention for Empire is to create a world in which children play children as realistically and credibly as possible. We intend to try to make the experience of being a child in the world of Empire as epic as possible, but children are not great heroes risking their lives to save the Empire, they merely have the chance to become one as they grow up in the game.

Because of this, young children are encouraged to create a character on our system, however children cannot have skills or resources until their character passes the Test of Citizenship, There is no lower age limit, although most graduates are around 11 or older. We intend to deliver a game aimed at our young players that is based around their characters and what they want to learn and do and is not contingent on skills or resources.

As under 7s have no skills, they may utilize the Apprentice Ability.

Non-combatant at all times

There are no circumstances under which it is acceptable for an under-7 to be involved in combat. Since a parent or carer must be supervising the child at all times, this means that that individual cannot be involved in combat either. It should not be difficult to avoid combat at Empire, however if combat does occur near you or your child, then you must gather up your child and immediately leave the area by the most effective route. It is exceptionally unlikely that another character would want to attack you while you are doing this, but if that does appear to happen then you must put a hand in the air and follow the rules for being non-contact.

IC area for young players

The IC site includes a large tent and courtyard area dedicated to IC activities for young players called The Academy. Older children in this age group may participate in children's activities organised by PD and other aspects of the game if they are able to roleplay appropriately. They must be accompanied by a parent/carer at all times and should be removed from the area if they cease to roleplay.

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Infusions of Feathers

These mystic infusions grant those who inhale them supernatural insight. They are intended to be poured into hot water and the resulting steam drawn into the lungs, from where it's semi-narcotic effect flows throughout the entire body. Extensive use of these infusions can have a detrimental effect on the peace of mind of the user, and they are best employed sparingly.

These potions are, unsurprisingly, popular with the Kallavesi and with mystics of all nations. The modern recipes used to brew the infusions were refined over centuries in the swamps of Kallavesa, but the Navarr used similar preparations for centuries, and can claim the credit for first developing the Ravenwing infusion at the very least.

Magpie Infusion

This volatile oil dissolves quickly in warm water, or can be thrown directly onto hot coals or open flame to create a small cloud of strongly scented steam. Taken deep into the lungs, it allows the drinker to perceive magical auras, or gain an instinctive feel for the qualities of a ritual being performed nearby.

- Form: Infusion.

- Description: This oily blue substance smells of summer flowers. When exposed to the air, it begins to evaporate. A tiny amount on your fingertip immediately begins to bubble and soon evaporates into a thin blue-tinted cloud.

- Roleplaying Effects: Your tongue and lips are numbed, meaning your speech is slurred. You find yourself blinking rapidly, or suffering from watering eyes. Any spell that you hear being cast causes you to perceive dramatic displays of colourful light that can be quite distracting.

- Mechanical Effects: Inhaling the steam from this infusion grants you the ability to use the detect magic spell once during the next ten minutes without requiring you to know the spell or expend any mana.

- Recipe: Two drams of Cerulean Mazzarine.

Ravenwing Infusion

This pale red concoction produces a thick, lingering steam that hangs in the air for several moments unless actively inhaled. It causes a momentary dizziness, and then the individual who has partaken of it can perceive auras around living beings. Be closely examining these auras, the imbiber can potentially gain useful insights. The infusion also causes the user to have exceptionally vivid dreams for up to a full day after using it, and many mystics believe that there were hidden messages in those dreams, either hints of the future or insight into the nature of the skein.

Initially this preparation was of most use to mystics who interpreted the information gained from auras in various esoteric ways; several mystics. With the slow spread of the Imperial faith, Ephraim son of Miriam, a Highborn archivist that the preparation also allowed the user to perceive the effects of certain religious ceremonies, without the use of Liao.

- Form: Infusion.

- Description: This crumbly red substance smells strongly of exotic spices. When rubbed between finger and thumb the spicy scent intensifies dramatically.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel suddenly dizzy, and then lose the ability to see colours; everything becomes visible in shades of grey. The exception is that you can see colourful auras around living creatures, with the colour and intensity reflecting how you feel about that person. The night after taking this infusion you will have exceptionally vivid dreams.

- Mechanical Effects: Inhaling the steam from this infusion grants you the ability to use the insight skill once during the next ten minutes without requiring you to know the skill or expend any liao.

- Recipe: One dram each of Cerulean Mazzarine, Imperial Roseweald, Bladeroot and Marrowort.

Goosewhisper Infusion

This midnight blue liquid hisses and bubbles when exposed to heat, and releases a cloud of shimmering barely visible steam. If it is inhaled deeply, a chill sensation emanates from the chest through the whole body. After a moment, the imbiber enters a hypnogogic trance during which they receive symbolic visions concerning important events. These are visions of things that may come to pass in the near future, or have recently occurred, or which are currently occurring. There is no way to focus these visions towards specific topics of interest.

- Form: Infusion.

- Description: This midnight blue solution is a thick, resinous liquid. It has a sweet, sharp scent that causes your nostrils to tingle and chills your lungs. The unpleasant, acrid flavour makes drinking it unappealing.

- Roleplaying Effects: For around an hour after experiencing this infusion you see things out of the corner of your eye; anyone you are not looking at directly appears to be surrounded by a shimmering multicoloured halo. You tend to see things in symbolic ways, and may see weird images hanging around people you know, relating to how you feel about them. These effects are very pronounced if you are a member of the naga lineage.

- Mechanical Effects: Inhaling the steam from this infusion causes you to enter a trance during which you suffer a brief but intense vision. This vision is provided by a referee, and will contain information about things that are happening, have happened or may happen at the event. There is no way to direct this vision towards a specific topic. These visions are the same as those received from the Signs and Portents ritual; you will receive the same vision if you are part of that ritual, or have already performed it.

- Recipe: Two drams of Bladeroot and one dram each of Marrowort and True Vervain.

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Inga Tarn

Virtue

In 308 YE, Inga Tarn was declared an Exemplar of the Virtue of Courage by the Assembly of Courage.

Biography

Inga was the daughter of a Steinr blacksmith and grew up helping her parents at the forge. From an early age she was remarkably strong, possessed of a stubborn spirit and unparalleled boldness. Throughout her life she wielded a massive two-handed maul that she crafted herself, marked with runes, and used to scatter the enemies of Wintermark and the Empire.

Inga Tarn was a famed companion to Empress Mariika. She met Empress Mariika during one of her earliest visits to Anvil, and the pair remained fast friends until Inga's death in 230 YE fighting to defend the Varushkan territory of Miekarova against a Thule incursion. In life Inga served several times as a Wintermark general, but was possessed of a great wanderlust and thirst for adventure. She spent a great deal of time travelling the Empire and fighting it's enemies, with an ear for the concerns of the 'common folk' of the Empire.

There are many stories about her adventures still told today in the Empire. She is known to have spent a year in Varushka fighting alongside several of the Warden fellowships - in one tale her prodigious fortitude allows her to defeat three monstrous mora in a drinking contest, leaving the creatures insensible and unable to harm anyone in the settlement where she was staying. She travelled with several Navarr Stridings, and lead a small contingent of Wintermark heroes to aid the thorns against the Vallorn of Therunin. In one popular (if apocryphal) tale told in the Marches she single-handedly won every contest of strength during a great fair held near the town of Sarcombe in the Mournwold before being outwitted in a game of riddles.

Inga Tarnnever claimed to be fearless, but her bravery in the face of terrible enemies strengthened the spirits of those who fought alongsidfe her. She often served as a living banner, encouraging cowed villagers standing up to the bandits who terrorised them, or serving as the bulwark that prevented soldiers from routing in the face of dreadful odds.

To this day Inga Tarn is remembered as a larger-than-life hero, a woman who seized life by the throat and never apologised.

Signs

The Assembly of Courage cited the following signs of Inga's exemplardom:

- Inga left behind a legacy in the form of Avalanche, her famed rune-forged two-handed hammer, that played a significant part in many of her adventures.

- Inga is also attributed with miracles in relation to her superhuman physical strength.

- For both her service to the Empire as a General of Wintermark, and for her deeds in defence of citizens during her adventuring days, Inga was credited with the sign of benevolence.

- However, the strongest sign of Inga's exemplardom is held to be her inspiration. Not only did her heroic courage serve as a rallying point for her allies on the battlefield, but she stands as an example of someone unafraid to speak her mind, sieze the opportunities life offered her, and pursue the things she believed in regardless of the odds against her or the opinion of strangers.

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Inquisition

Yes, I know they will lie. Everyone lies. I want to hear what they sound like when they are lying. I want them to know I can see through them.

Inquisitor Reuben, of the Assembly of Vigilance

The primary purpose of Synodical inquisition is to investigate and publicize behaviour the Synod considers to potentially unvirtuous.

Upon the judgement of an appropriate assembly, an individual, or specific group, may be required to face inquisition.

By specific group, this primarily means members of a banner, sect, coven or equivalent. You cannot put a Synod Assembly, Conclave Order, or Nation to inquisition, for example.

Timing and Location

An individual, or small group, that faces a judgment of inquisition must come to a designated location at a time specified by the Assembly that made the judgment.

The duration of the inquisition is one hour. However, additional time may be granted by a magistrate, if they are presented with sufficient grounds or evidence.

Refusing to participate in an inquisition can be ground for escalation to condemnation around the issue in question. The lack of co-operation and compliance will be taken into consideration by the magistrates. In extreme cases, refusing to participate can, at the discretion of a magistrate, be considered a crime against the processes of state.

Format

The format of the inquisition may vary. However, Imperial law is still in force during the inquisition. Consequently, unlawful treatment of the person under inquisition is still a crime. Additionally, an individual or group may only be subjected to inquisition once per summit.

Escalation

A priest who has called for, and received, an Assembly’s support in carrying out inquisition may proceed to escalate this to condemnation. This does not count as raising another Synod judgement but is an extension of the inquisition.

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Inquisitor's Cassock

Description

A cassock is an ankle-length robe especially popular with priests of Highguard and The League. It may be tight or loose-fitting, and is often sumptuously dyed in rich colours with gold, silver or mithril embroidery. Among priests of the Freeborn, Varushka and Navarr it is more likely to be a long coat, usually of stout wool but also likely to be richly coloured and decorated.

The inquisitor's cassock is favoured by priests who judge, weigh and evaluate the spirits of those around them. While popular with inquisitors, it is also useful to spiritual advisors, and especially to Navarr guides. A priest in a guide's robe or coat of judgement was often a common sight at trials, considering the spiritual debts and marks on the aura of those for whom he might later ask clemency. This vestment is also useful to those who make a habit of examining the victims of wicked spirits, or those under the thrall of dark powers. Not all malignant forces warp the soul, but the signs of spiritual damage are often a clear sign of the involvement of a corrupt entity - which makes the inquisitor's cassock especially useful to spiritually adept wardens and Wise ones.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day you may perform an insight ceremony without expending any liao. You must be able to perform the insight ceremony to use this ability.

- Materials: Crafting an inquisitor's cassock requires twelve measures of beggar's lye, seven ingots of weltsilver, seven ingots of tempest jade, seven measures of iridescent gloaming, four measures of dragonbone and three measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Inspiring Refrain

Description

Inspiring Refrain allows the user to perform ceremonies dedicated to Ambition. Unlike many other magical instruments, which are often chosen for their simplicity, an inspiring refrain is often an expensive instrument that requires considerable skill to play - stringed instruments are especially popular. Such an instrument tends to be understated - decoration will be tasteful rather than ostentatious. The priest wielding the Inspiring Refrain wishes to be recognised for their skill, not for the raw value of their instrument. Many owners make a point of purchasing expensive oils or waxes to ensure their instrument remains pristine and obviously of fine quality - it is common to incorporate small amounts of ambergelt into such waxes.

The Inspiring Refrain is often used by talented priests of the League - being able to create an aura that encourages ambition is a useful arrow in the quiver of any bishop. Likewise, a Dawnish troubadour dedicated to one of the other virtues may value the ability to anoint a questing knight or knight-errant with the Clear Path or the Calling.

This instrument is equally valuable to a priest who is dedicated to one of the other six virtues as it is to a priest who is dedicated to none of the virtues - a priest of the Way. Indeed, in some ways it is more useful to the latter philosophy of priest - it allows them to use the ceremonies of anointing, consecration and hallowing; without an instrument such as this, they would be restricted to supporting other priests in creating these auras. Likewise, a priest dedicated to a virtue other than ambition can partake of a little of the versatility of the priest dedicated to the Way as a whole, aiding priests in the creation of an aura as if they shared their dedication.

In Wintermark, ambition is represented by Naeve, Rune of Hunger; however the darker connotations of this rune mean that it is often hidden inside the frame of the instrument. This has lead to some artisans referring to the instrument as a Hidden Hunger - a common poet term for ambition itself.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of any kind of musical instrument.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may perform religious skills other than dedication as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Ambition.

- Materials: Crafting Inspiring Refrain requires 9 ingots of orichalcum; 7 ingots of weltsilver; 3 measures of dragonbone; It takes 1 month to make one of these items.

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Investigative Theology

Investigative Theology

The Imperial Religion is not the product of one text or one teacher, but the accumulated wisdom of many investigative theologians. The first to refer to themselves as such were the Scions of Atun Chapter from Highguard's history. It was the Scions who thoroughly investigated the properties of liao and its various states, and constructed the first Gateway. From there, they - and other investigative theologians - have studied the effects of liao and the visions, learning about the nature of humanity, virtue, the Labyrinth and history.

Under Imperial and Synod Law, Investigative Theologians are permitted to consider alternatives to the Doctrines of the Faith, but are not permitted to teach these as truth. Doing so without having amended the Doctrines through the General Assembly is Heresy and a threat to the unity of the Synod and the Empire. The truth, it is maintained, has its own authority and will be recognised by the General Assembly of sound spiritual leaders.

It has been necessary in Imperial History to remind some Investigative Theologians that their studies are on, and in relation to, the soul of the Empire herself, and are not merely academic in nature.

Nevertheless the following are the most commonplace strands of Investigative Theology:

- Visionary Theology - The discovery of Pure Liao was a revolutionary breakthrough for theology, and many investigative theologians pursue it ardently. Others seek to replicate similar discoveries through other non-Liao means.

- Archaeology - It was the discovery and analysis of sites and relics of the past that confirmed that Pure Liao visions were rooted in truth. Consequently, there are several investigative theologians who seek funding for expeditions to battlegrounds, known locations of Paragons, and other key sites. In some cases, this is an essential part of confirming whether a virtuous person was truly an Exemplar or even a Paragon.

- Comparative Theology - Although clearly backward and ill-informed, the various Foreign nations have their own religious traditions which have arisen without the insights that the Empire possesses. Whilst the Synod guards the Empire against idolatry and blasphemy, some Investigative Theologians also believe that study of Foreign Religion may yield insights in the Labyrinth of Ages. Equally, there may be Foreign Paragons or Exemplars of Virtue whose qualities have gone unrecognised in their homelands.

- Theology of Reason - The Doctrines of the Religion are founded on the analysis of the phenomena collected and observed by past theologians. This analysis is rooted in the sound judgement of the members of the Synod. The Synod is required to defend the Doctrines of the Faith but, within the Synod itself, they may be discussed more robustly to refine and purify mortal understanding of the spiritual world.

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Invite an Archmage to address Senate

To invite an archmage of the conclave to address us on the activities of the conclave and how they can assist the empire.

Proposed by Kallavesa, seconded by Sermersuaq.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Progress

- 4 Constitution

Overview

- Passed 25 votes to 3.

Date

- Passed Autumn 377YE.

Progress

- Savik Summerstorm, Archmage of Winter, addressed the Senate Summit of 377YE.

Constitution

It is very rare for it to be deemed constitutional for the Senate to have the power to compel an Imperial citizen to appear before them, that power more normally resides with the Imperial Synod, but they can grant the power of address to an Imperial citizen, either on an ongoing basis or to be used once.

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Ironbrand Thorn

Description

Sometimes called a greensteel spear, these weapons have a long history of being carried by Navarri brands. Service to the wandering nation is a difficult calling and those who hear it require a determined spirit. These spears bolster the soul bonded to them, often feeling reassuringly solid in their owner's hand. Some brands have likened their presence to that of a faithful companion, ever ready to defend and reassure their masters. While bonded to such a spear, brands find it a little easier to shrug off malicious influences which might drive them to fail in their duty to their people. These spears are sometimes decorated with patterns reflecting the wielder's tattoos and brands to strengthen the bond between them. Historians agree that it was a greensteel spear was the weapon used by Isaella to murder the mad Emperor Nicovar in 209 YE.

These spears also find favour in Urizen. They are well-suited to the precise style of battle practised in the citadels and aid the wielder in mastering themselves, encouraging mental clarity and versatility rather than providing brute force. In some spires, the spearheads are made from particularly clear pieces of tempest jade and are known as stormeye spears, reminding the wielder to maintain a calm thoughtfulness even in the chaos of battle. During their manufacture, the tempest jade is gently smoothed into shape using water from the purest mountain springs and after using their spears in battle, sentinels are encouraged to cleanse the spears with water from the same spring, removing all traces of blood and filth, to maintain both the blade's quality and their own mental purity. Naturally Cavul, the rune of purity, is worked into many of these spears.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed spear.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You gain one additional hero point.

- Materials: Crafting an ironbrand thorn requires ten ingots of green iron and three ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"This spear was made for you by the smiths of the Striding. It cost time, sweat, and precious resources. Properly wielded, it will make someone into a hero, and a hero into a legend. It is fitting that the first blood it tastes should be yours, so that you shall know the marks of its thorns all your days."

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Iron Confederacy

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 People

- 3 Culture and Customs

- 4 Abridged History

- 5 Iron Confederacy Social Structure

- 6 Iron Confederacy Military Concerns

- 7 Iron Confederacy Economic Concerns

- 8 Religious Beliefs

- 9 Magic Traditions

- 10 Look and Feel

- 11 The Iron Confederacy in Play

Introduction

The Iron Confederacy lies to the south-west of the Empire, across the Lasambran hills from the Brass Coast. Their nation is made up of a number of large duchies allied in a loose confederacy. The northern duchies are heavily forested, while the western duchies are hilly and craggy rising to a low mountain range. The central duchies are warm, fertile plains that serve as a breadbasket for the rest of the nation.

The long coastline of the Iron Confederacy is particularly treacherous, and there are comparatively few areas within sight of land where large ships can travel safely. In many places sheer cliffs rise steeply, and in others there are great shoals of sharp rocks just below the surface.

The people of the Iron Confederacy call themselves the Suranni, the Children of Surann, and believe they are descendants of a divine forbear who ascended to heaven after founding their nation. Their noble families trace direct lines of descent to this deified ancestor. They are a highly warlike people, characterised by cruel and uncompromising nature, respect for martial might, suspicion of 'magic' and said to be envious of the Empire and indeed all other human nations.

People

The ancestors of the Iron Confederacy came from across the sea around 800 years ago. They quickly subjugated the local human population and engaged in a gleeful war of extermination against the orcs, driving the survivors north into the Lasambrian Hills. At this time, according to their legends, they were ruled by a single divinely inspired Queen who, on her death, ascended to heaven and became a goddess. Her eldest child followed her onto her throne, and for several centuries the Surann as they called themselves were ruled by a hereditary monarch.

They are a hard, proud, jealous people whose society is fundamentally feudal. All real power rests with the dukes and duchesses, and they appoint barons to oversee their lands. The peasants are at the bottom of the pyramid, and have few rights. Unlike their Imperial neighbours, they believe that people are born into their station in life and should accept their place in the world. The reward for living one's life according to one's status is to be reforged (reborn) with a higher status in the next life - the most virtuous and hard-working servants of their kingdom are reborn into the noble families. The most respected form of service to the gods is to serve as a soldier, and soldiers who die in battle against the enemies of their duchy are guaranteed to be forged as soldiers in their next life.

All lineages are known in the Iron Confederacy, but the naga bloodline is among the most common. It is very rare outside the nobility or the priesthood, but all the noble families of the Confederacy have threads of naga lineage running through them. Naga children born to commoner households, as well as non-naga lineaged children born to nobles, are usually given up to the priesthood which has lead to a very strong lineaged presence among the priests who are themselves prohibited from marriage.

The duchies are ruled by a duke or duchess, a member of a hereditary noble caste that enjoys many priviliges at the cost of grave responsibilities. There are seven duchies in all, each with a reasonable amount of autonomy within the confederacy but bound together by their shared faith and a politically neutral priesthood.

Culture and Customs

The Iron Confederacy knows that justice and virtue come from uncompromising strength. The strong dominate the weak, and the weak offer tribute to the strong to secure their protection and patronage. Strength most often comes from martial might. As such, the warriors and soldiers of the confederacy rule over the farmers and artisans. The best weapons and armour belong to the noble families, each of which traces a descent from the original monarchs and thus has divine blood in their veins.

Their highly feudal culture, the Iron Confederacy is bound by iron-clad laws overseen by priestly judges. Even a duke an be called to answer for crimes against the confederacy. The greatest Suranni knights live and breathe the laws of the nation as handed down by Divine Surann Herself to Her priests. Many of these laws have to do with how a warrior should fight, but there are also very clear instructions to merchants, miners, farmers, artisans and priests about their responsibilities to their duchy and the Confederacy as a whole.

The Suranni are deeply suspicious of magicians, and rogue sorcerors are usually executed by beheading. They consider the religious skills granted to the Imperial priests of the Way (and those of the Faraden as well for that matter) as being a form of magic that is especially offensive to their deities based on the exploitation of narcotics and the base credulity of ignorant people. Liao is quite illegal in the Iron Confederacy - but then so are a great many other 'narcotic' substances. Even trade in medicial herbs such as sanguine hibiscus (which the Suranni never all Imperial Roseweald, for obvious reasons) and bladeroot are carefully controlled, and several potions with so-called narcotic qualities (OOC: roleplaying effects) are illegal outside of the nobility unless administered with the approval of a priest.

Abridged History

The forebears of the Iron Confederacy came from overseas, seeking to carve out a kingdom. Their early history is full of glorious battles, as noble houses fought against the orcs and drove them out of the fertile lands to found their kingdom. United under the strong leadership of Queen Surann (a possibly mythical figure), the people lived in harmony until her death. She was followed onto the throne by four generations of divinely-inspired monarchs until her great-great-great-grandson tore the kingdom apart by producing no clear heir. The duchies fought among themselves in a bitter civil war that saw the orcs of the Broken Shore and the Lasambrian hills slowly begin to push back the frontiers of civilisation.

At the height of the crisis, however, the goddess Surann inspired her favoured priests to bring the warring dukes and duchesses together. Wielding her divine glory, they were able to create a system of laws based on respecting the sovereignty of the individual duchies but also highlighting their duty to the Suranni people as a whole. The line of kings and queens was declared to be at an end, and the previous monarchs' divine right to rule would be wielded by their mortal descendants - the noble families of the new Iron Confederacy.

The priesthood have been responsible for maintaining the confederacy ever since. There have been squabbles between the duchies in the centuries since, but they have never again erupted into civil war. The legal system of the Iron Confederacy leaves some 'safety valves' which the duchies can employ to work off their frustrations and engage in struggles for land and dominance, but these are suspended in times of national crisis such as attempted orc invasions (or their occasional united attacks against outside forces).

There have been several skirmishes between the Confederacy and the Empire. The Freeborn have bourne the brunt of these conflicts, but not uniformly. During the Highborn civil war they attempted naval landings south of Necropolis and attempted an invasion of the (then) free city of Sarvos. Both attacks were rebuffed. In the early years of the Empire, while the Imperial army was busy facing the threat of Alderei the fair, a major assault was against the Brass Coast that was defeated by a combination of Freeborn and Marcher armies supported by timely intelligence gathered by The League. In TBC YE a fleet of ships landed a small army south of the Necropolis near Rebekah's Leap in response to a perceived threat from the Empire. The fighting was short-lived, and ended with the surrender and repatriation of the Confederacy armies.

For the last century, the Iron Confederacy has mostly concerned itself with protecting it's borders from the raids of the Grendel, and slowly expanding it's reach to the south and south-west, adding it's seventh and newest duchy in 342YE.

Iron Confederacy Social Structure

The seven dukes and duchesses control all the land, and all inhabitants of their duchy are their subjects. The priesthood and the Knights of the High Temple stand off to one side, serving as a neutral body that oversees the laws and helps mediate disputes between duchies. Each duchy is ruled by a single hereditary noble family that descends from the original deified founder.

The priesthood serve as judges, with their Knights of the High Temple (often abrdiged to temple knights or simply templars) as the active enforcement arm. The Knights of the High Temple are independent of the duchies, and have the right to cross any boundary in pursuit of fugitives or to arrest criminals whose activities threaten more than one duchy. On occasion an entire order of these 'templars' will take the battlefield, supported by the divine blessing of the priesthood, and form an almost irresistable force that serves to keep the Suranni duchies 'honest' in their dealings with one another.

The lowest of the low are the slaves. Most slaves who work in fields, mines or households are humans. The Iron Confederacy does not have many orc slaves, and they primarily serve in the military as shock troops, considered ultimately expendable because they are not human. They are routinely set to fight to the death for the entertainment of their masters, and any signs of rebellion are brutally put down. Some humans who breed orc soldiers function as mercenaries in the rivalries between the duchies, offering bands of murderous inhuman troops to the service of one duke and then another.

While outsiders see the people of the Iron Confederacy as brutal and amoral, they consider themselves disciplined adherents to a harsh code of justice. They think nothing of cutting the hand off a thief, or beaheading a magician. A man or woman who breaks their marriage vows, regardless of station, will be exiled and imprisoned for their crimes. Those who voice or teach heresy against the divinities deserve to be hanged, because they are attacking the very basis of Suranni society. Cruel as it may be, the foundations of the Suranni legal code lie in mutual respect, filial piety, duty to the nation and loyalty to the state - married to an absolute conviction that the nobles are simply better than everyone beneath them in status - after all, divine blood flows in their veins.

Iron Confederacy Military Concerns

The might of the Iron Confederacy is found in it's knights. Wearing the heaviest armour surmounted with a nasal helm, they form an irresistable wave of metal that sweeps their enemies before it. They favour heavy kite shields and swords, or large two-handed weapons. They usually wear a nasal helm, and wear brightly coloured tabards and surcoats that announce their allegiance to one of the noble houses. They often bear blessings bestowed by the Suranni gods through the agency of their priests.

The majority of knights are nobles, although they are supported by a lower caste of minor landless knights (usually in chain over leather) who may come from common stock and are selected for their strength and martial ability. They are often much more brutal and unyielding than their noble masters, having much more to 'prove'. A particularly successful minor knight may receive a grant of land from their duke, usually a farmstead or two or a small vilalge, which they oversee on behalf of their betters.

Minor knights are often responsible for rounding up the peasant levies and militia that support the armies of the Iron Confederacy. They are usually poorly armed and armoured, relying on heavy leather and often without shields. Peasant levies fight with pole-arms and bows. While they are not considered especially effective, only the most stupid battlefield commander throws her levies away pointlessly - sacrificing peasants without achieving victory is seen as the height of folly by the nobility, because ultimately it is the peasants that put food on the noble tables.

All Confederacy armies are supported by priests wielding enchanted staves. These priests use divinely granted power to provide miraculous healing to the soldiers, and deliver powerful blessings that strengthen knights and peasant-levies before battles. Priests are rarely armoured, preferring to rely on their faith to protect them from the blows of their enemies.

Finally, the Iron Confederacy uses some units of slave troops - conquered orcs who are trained to fight and die for their noble lords. These orcs are sent ahead of them to attack their enemies, and are considered absolutely expendable.

Iron Confederacy Economic Concerns

The Iron Confederacy is not very good at commerce. They trade among themselves, paying for goods and services with coins of silver, electrum and gold (42 silver pennies to a shilling, 5 (electrum) shillings to a gold crown). Imperial merchants who have examined their coinage claim that it is heavily adulterated with nickel and copper. The rarest and most prized of their coins are bloodmarks (there are 13 gold crowns to each Bloodmark). Forged from an alloy of orichalcum and gold, it is illegal for anyone other than a Suranni noble to carry or use a bloodmark.

The Confederacy maintains a small fleet of warships, which tend to be slow and heavy with oars run by slaves. They focus their attentions on defending the shores of the Confederacy from the Grendel. Thanks to the good job the Freeborn corsairs do keeping the Bay of Catazaar free of Grendel vessels, the confederacy takes the brunt of the occasional orc aggression from the Broken Shore. Their few merchant vessels are likewise heavy and slow-moving, and their involvement in foreign trade seems to be limited to exchanges of goods with the Faraden and some southern parts of the Brass Coast.

The most common resources in the duchies of the Iron Confederacy are green iron in their western hills, and ambergelt in the northern forests. The Dukes are also said to hold fortunes in mithril in their vaults - indeed, all trade in mithril and weirwood is controlled by the nobility, and endangering a duchies' supply of these valuable materials - or trading them to foreigners - is a capital offence. The Confederacy seems to have comparatively little access to white granite, and what it does have is largely locked up in fortifications and walls.

Religious Beliefs

The Iron Confederacy believes in the existence of divine spirits, gods and goddesses, who rule over the material world from a hidden heavenly realm. Their priests teach that these gods and goddesses observe the mortal world, and the Suranni are their favoured people. The priests are the intermediaries of the Divine Court, and as such they wield the power to bless the favoured and curse the enemies of the nation. Imperial scholars believe that these gods are deified Imperators.

The gods are often depicted in statue form in Suranni homes. Indeed, children regularly paint images of the gods onto card, creating a small deck that is sometimes used for divination. Most Suranni adults own a set of these cards made when they were young - a constant reminder of the power of their Pantheon over everyday life.

While some priests may privately favour one or more of their divinities over the others, they worship all the deities as a group rather than separating into individual temples. They point to the way the Empire divides it's gods up as yet more proof that their theology is ultimately flawed.

Every noble house has a cadre of priests who serve as advisors; while the first loyalty of the nobles themselves is to their own family and kingdom, the priests are united across national bodies. They help to keep the Confederacy united, and serve as mediators and judges outside the immediate control of the noble houses. A sufficiently powerful cadre of priests can bring even a Duke to brook for a transgression against the laws of the Confederacy.

Priests maintain monastaries throughout the kingdoms, living apart from the rest of the Suranni. Unwanted children - especially lineaged children, and most especially naga born to non-noble families or non-naga born to noble families - are commonly given to the priests to raise. By law, priests are celibate. Although they are not required to be sexually abstinent, any children they sire or bear are removed and raised apart from their parents in another monastary. The priesthood teach that this is a burden placed on them by their Goddess, as well as a reminder that it was an ungrateful child (Dumon) who tore the earlier golden age of the monarchy apart. External scholars suggest it may be rooted in a precaution to prevent the priesthood forming a dynasty that might threaten the ducal families.

The priests of the Iron Confederacy point to the blessings their gods bestow on them as proof of their power. They can perform great rites together that grant strength and fortune in battle, ensure good harvests, provide weapons and armour, discern the truth and strike down enemies and the unfaithful in the name of their gods.

Details of the Suranni Pantheon can be found here.

Magic Traditions

There are few magicians in the Iron Confederacy, because most people would rather rely on the tried-and-trusted rites of the priesthood. Magicians ae suspicious, untrustworthy characters seen as being in league with Dumon the Liar, the dark god of the Suranni pantheon. Some magicians, accepting their innate corruption, seek out the priesthood and live out their lives in seclusion using their magic under the watchful gaze of the priests; others denounce Dumon and make the priesthood their vocation.

Magicians who do not accept the corrupt source of their power and denounce Dumon are executed without mercy. A foeign magician taken in battle by the Iron Confederacy is often summarily executed unless there is a priest present - in which case there will usually be a quick trial followed by execution. The most common form of execution is beheading; the head is taken by the priests and incinerated in a furnace along with certain aromatic herbs. Magical tomes and implements are usually thrown into the furnace alongside the heads.

Priests warn against dealing with the Eternals as demonic agents of Dumon. Magicians who deal with Eternals are subject to hanging, drawing and quartering when they are uncovered.

Look and Feel

The strongest influence of the costume of the Iron Confederacy is 12th- or 13th-century Norman (wikipedia has a passable reference here). Their knights wear chain, fight with kite shields, and wear the icnonic nasal helm. They top the entire thing off with brightly coloured surcoats or tabards in the colours of their noble house. Plate is less common than in the Empire, and usually a sign of nobility.

Noble heraldry is much more rigid than that used in Imperial nations such as Dawn or the Marches; each duchy has a simple livery that is generally two-colours, favouring dark shades. These are often combined in sumple geometric shapes. Each Duchy has a single image that is strongly associated with it, and appears regularly on surcotes, banners. Commonly known symbols are the raven, the wolf's head, and the coiling dragon. While a shield may bear this heraldry, it is much more common for the shield to be unadorned or daubed with a simple symbol, in preference for a finely coloured surcoat or tabard

Knights of the High Temple favour heater shields over kite shields, and are more likely to wear mithril plate over heavy steel chain. They wear surcoats or tabards of a single colour, rather than the dual-colours that represent allegiance to a noble house.

Both men and women wear their hair long, often tying it back in a long strip of cloth. The wimple sees extensive use, especially among older women.

A common element in both noble and peasant costume is a short cloak, worn over one shoulder and secured with a brooch.

Priests tend to a slightly more Roman-inspired look. They wear loose single-coloured robes or long tunics, and invariably cover their heads with a wimple or long cotton shawl. Some go so far as to cover their entire face with a veil or shawl, in honour of the god-king Kavol. Priests almost invariably wield staves, and never bear weapons longer than a dagger or wear armour.

Peasants wear whatever scarps of leather and wool they can get together, often in the form of shapeless smocks with hose and sandals.

The Iron Confederacy in Play

The Confederacy lies near to the Empire, and the Suranni speak the language known as Imperial, represented by English. Some of their more archaic terms and words may have their roots in real-world French (represented in-character as one of the tongues of the Asavean Archipelago).

On the whole the Suranni do not like the Empire. Imperials tend to consider them to be one step removed from barbarians, backwards feudalists who give up all control of their destiny to a patently fictional pantheon of 'gods' and enforce brutal, oppressive 'justice' to keep their people under control. The Suranni in turn characterise the Imperials as weak, fractious milksops who lack the courage to face reality unless they are in a drug-induced stupour and allow cowardly politicians to chain their warriors in bonds of paper and formality. They haven't even got a proper legal system, and they have so little gold that they have to make their coins out of tin!

It doesn't help that the Suranni (and indeed, arguably, the Empire) are convinced that they have a 'heavenly mandate' (or 'manifest destiny') to rule, and that their way of life represents the pinnacle of human achievement.

The information here should be sufficient to create a character with a background connection to the Iron Confederacy. While the Confederacy largely dislikes the empire and does not engage in much trade, that is not to say that individual duchies are entirely anti-Imperial in nature. Some of the northern duchies have a history of trading with the Freeborn, and at least one of the coastal duchies sends regular vessels north to Sarvos, Temeschwar and The Marches.

There are no ports in the Iron Confederacy that are currently open to Imperial trade, but you could represent connections to the Iron Confederacy with a business that diversifies into ambergelt or green iron - although this is likely to make the most sense in the Brass Coast, Sarvos, Temeschwar or the Marches.

While they are not barbarians (at the moment) the Confederacy as a whole makes little secret of it's dislike of the Empire. Even a connection to one of the ducal families is likely to be of limited use. By living in the Empire, a character has effectively cut ties with their family, and may well be treated as a traitor regardless of their motivation for being in the Empire. A much more likely characterisation would be one where your family left the Confederacy (quite possibly by stealth) a generation or so ago to avoid the oppressive regime - or to escape punishment for a crime. This might be especially appropriate for a character with the magician skill which is grounds for execution or imprisonment in the unenlightened Confederacy.

A background that would require you to have further information about the religion of the Iron Confederacy or it's gods is unlikely to be approved. The nature of the Suranni deities is intentionally left vague, and precisely how their divine blessings work is a secret that is intended to unfold in play, not in a 'secret briefing sheet'.

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Iron Raptors

Overview

The Iron Raptors is a clearing house for difficult and dangerous work. Private citizens with money who want barbarians driven back from their lands, bandits cleared from their roads or monsters removed from their forests will pay the raptors to find someone to attempt the job. The raptors collect these commissions and take them to Anvil where they look to hire heroes, glory-hunters, and mercenaries willing to take a few risks.

The work is dangerous and poorly paid. Despite this the raptors are rarely short of warriors willing to take their coin. A few crowns is too low a price for any sane man or woman to risk her life, but the hired Raptors are able to keep any valuables acquired in the course of the work - provided it is legitimate bounty - and that can be enough to make the meagre pay worth the risk.

More likely most folk who hire on with the Raptors are young, desperate or both. Anvil is overwhelming for citizens coming to their first summit and it is a sorry truth that folk looking to make a name for themselves will hire on with the Raptors in the belief that the enterprise offers them a chance to make a name for themselves. In a world where everyone is busy with their own business, the Raptors offer an open door and a warm welcome to anyone who looks like they can swing a sword or cast a spell.

Over the course of the Raptor's chequered history, a few who have hired on with them have done fabulously well. Those who run the Raptors are quick to tell tales of a few lucky souls who won extraordinary wealth - and while the tales are older than the hills - the lure of striking rick on a job is enough to convince the ambitious and the greedy to sign on.

The Raptors even claim that some who sign up with them do so to serve the interests of the Empire. A Dawnish knight-errant might hire on with the Raptors as a way to win glory slaying a wolf in the dark forests of Varushka. A band of Highguard guardians might sign up to fight off bandits or barbarians simply for the satisfaction of knowing their work makes the Empire safer and more prosperous. Most folk keep their reasons to themselves and those who run the Raptors rarely bother to ask too many questions.

History

The Iron Raptors were originally a band of Varushkan wagon raiders. They took advantage of an opportunity to make money by serving as middle-men, rather than by spilling their own blood directly. By bringing skilled individuals together with rich people with problems that needed solving, they were able to afford a comfortable lifestyle - and accept many more contracts than they could hope to fulfill by themselves.

The Iron Raptors tend to come and go at Anvil. Most years they have a prominent position in the market place - but when work dries up and there is no profit to be made, they may not show up for years on end. They were absent in the first year after Britta's death, but they have returned to Anvil now that the Empire is reestablishing itself and the wheels of commerce are once again turning.

The Magistrates keep a close eye on the Raptors - it would be easy for the jobs they peddle to cross the line that separates a citizen from a criminal. For their part most Raptors try to stay the right side of the law and make themselves available to the magistrates when needed. The work is hard enough without adding any trouble with the militia.

On occasions the Raptors have worked for the Military Council - offering soldiers, battle mages and scouts for vital missions. More commonly though the Military Council is able to handpick volunteers for these essential missions and prefers to remain aloof from these mercenaries.

The Bourse is a more reliable ally. Affluent men and women all too often have reason to hire those who will risk their lives for money. The existence of the Raptors is useful to those who can afford the fees. As a result they have often publicly defended the Raptors when something has gone amiss.

The Synod tends to have mixed relationships with the Raptors. Notable priests of Wisdom have publicly decried the tragedy of sending young citizens to their death in foolhardy death or glory missions. But other priests have been just as quick to point out the virtue in the Raptor's work - ambitious prosperous citizens of the Empire courageously seeking their fortune in the world.... in some ways the Raptors are just a metaphor for the Empire itself.

Raptors in Play

We're running a number of plots at the next event through the Iron Raptor enterprise. The Empire setting describes many dangers - raids into barbarian lands, attacks on bandit strongholds and battles with the creatures that lurk in the dark recesses of the Empire. The Raptors will help to bring this aspect of the setting to the fore by giving players - especially new players - a chance to risk life and limb in the dangerous wilds of the Empire. It is a chance for high adventure, for glory and for the more worldly - for some rings and crowns that will help you pay for your way in Anvil.

You will be able to find the Raptors in the market place, opposite the tavern. The Iron Raptors are effectively mercenaries though they have nothing to do with the battles and wars of the Empire leaving that work to the League Free Companies. The kind of plots accessible through the Raptors are especially designed to appeal to new players who have not yet got involved with the politics of the Empire where a chance for adventure and reward appeals. For those with everything to gain - or nothing to lose - the Raptors offers a chance for adventure and glory.

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Irra Harah

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Spring

- 2 Sobriquets

- 3 Appearance

- 4 Concerns

- 5 Boons

Eternal of Spring

Sobriquets

Irra Harah is known as the Prince with a thousand foes. He is generally referred to with the masculine pronoun, but like all Spring Eternals actually lacks strong concepts of gender.

Several scholars believe that the Eternal itself has never actually made an appearance, and that he always speaks through a Herald. In parts of Varushka Irra Harah is called Papa Otec, and those who wish to protect their children from the dangers of the Varushkan wilderness may seek his favour. He is also known as Guard of the Young, and some Imperial Orcs call him as Thorn of the Ancestors and Shackle Smasher. He is associated with an idolatrous cult who call him The Golden Hare and wear icons of that animal as a badge of membership.

The Sumaah Republic and Commonwealth alike proscribe contact with this Eternal. In the Asavean Archipelago he is known as il Odioso which means the Hateful One - he is associated with various slave revolts and allegedly supports nations subject to Asavean rule against their masters. In the Sarcophan Delves they call him the Prince of Beggars and his heralds are known to occasionally assist both the dregs of Sarcophan society and those tribes the beggar-kings seek to exploit.

Appearance

Irrah Harah is invariably young, and takes the form of a humanoid with strong briar lineage. He is usually dressed in leather armour, and carries a one-handed spear and a shield. Any equipment he bears is woven from briars, vines, branches and leaves - occasionally it will include elements such as stone or polished flint but it rarely includes any metal. On occasion he appears in a less martial aspect, in which case he wears clothing appropriate to that of a slave, outsider or oppressed people.

The Prince with a Thousand Foes appears in a number of very ancient stories told to children. In such tales, he appears as a child, rabbit or sparrow, and usually encounters a creature clearly based on the Eternal Arhallogen which wishes to eat him. Through cunning, deception and Courage Irra Harah escapes or in rare circumstances defeats Arhallogen. It is believed that this enmity is reflected in reality - given Arhallogen is the epitome of the strong predator and Irra Harah epitomizes the weak and preyed upon, this is unsurprising.

Scholars are uncertain what Irrah Harah's "true" form may look like - it is speculated that it is a wild expanse of bramble-choked, wild woodland in the same way that Yaw'nagrah is a mighty forest or Llofir is a region of fungus.

Concerns

Irrah Harah is extremely sophisticated - for a Spring Eternal. It is concerned with the oppressed, the silenced and the powerless. Early tales suggest that Irrah Harah's interest in the weak and the conquered has grown throughout history and that initially it's concerns revolved mostly around survival by any means. Even today, Irrah Harah will tend to suggest that the truly weak flee rather than offer armed resistance to overwhelming force. When the weak must fight, he encourages them to use any weapon at their disposal, and win by any means necessary to secure their safety.

He has neither interest in nor time for the strong, mighty and powerful; they can look after themselves. His primary concern is with the physically weak who must use tools other than personal strength to survive in a hostile world. As his concerns have matured, he has increasingly encouraged the downtrodden to stand up for themselves and question their lot in life. Some are encouraged to leave dangerous situations - there are a few minor anecdotes that suggest one of the Landskeepers involved in the Marcher exodus from Dawn spent time communicating with Irra Harrah. Others are encouraged to take up arms against tyrants or rulers who deny them freedoms they themselves take for granted. It appears to not entirely understand the concept of peaceful resistance, but approves of the use of activism, rhetoric and social change sthose who are luck enough to live in civillised nations where such things are possible.

He is not concerned about fighting people’s battles for them, but it concerned with giving people the ability to stand up for themselves. He will rarely help those in power or with status, but will often help those who are fighting to survive struggling. Irra Harah is also concerned about defending children and providing for them, and his vengeance about those who abuse or undervalue children is legendary. He is interested in the Empire, however, and was happy to help the Imperial Orcs when they were fighting to be accepted.

The Prince with a Thousand Foes strongly encourages the protection of the next generation and the preservation of the young. Irrah Harah believes strongly that children should be protected at all times; everyone should ensure that children are preserved from physical dangers and raised with the cleverness and cunning to ensure they survive to have children of their own. Anyone who cannot have, or chooses not to have, children should spend time protecting and strengthening their pack, tribe, clan or family.

During the Orc revolt, several slave-magicians were able to meet with Heralds of Irra Harah and gain boons that helped them support their allies, destroy slaver stocades and the like - one common boon was a cudgel that smashed chains apart. During the Orc revolt, Irra Harah was placed under Declaration of enmity by the Imperial Conclave; the declaration persisted through the events of the Freedom Heresy - the Eternal made no attempt to hide it's support for the briars and by extension the atrocities they committed in the name of their personal freedom. This decision of the Conclave apparently made no interest to the Eternal at all, who continued to use whatever power it could to interfere in the Empire.

The declaration was overturned in 368YE; the Heralds of Irrah Harah offered valuable assistance to several communities besieged by barbarians - they helped citizens in Reikos, Spiral, Liathaven and the Mournwold to escape orc attackers, and several Navarr steadings in Liathaven are still receiving sporadic aid.

Boons

This Eternal wishes those who are fighting to better themselves and to improve themselves. He generally only helps when the chips are down and people have nowhere else to go. Gifts from Irra Harah tend to be straightforward; the most common take the form of simple items made of natural materials that contain properties that heal, empower or protect. Weapons are less common boons, and they generally have properties that smash enemy defences or weapons or cripple enemy combatants.

Irra Harrah is also known to grant boons that smash structures designed to contain or imprison people, or that enhance rituals with similar effects. Likewise, he encourages mortals to fight back by whatever means they can against powerful opponents - poison, venom and vicious curses are all appropriate weapons to use to free or protect oneself and one's family.

On occasion, Irra Harrah also offers boons that will help an underdog take the first steps towards prosperity or at least prevent starvation or disaster. There are sporadic tales of sudden bursts of fertility for otherwise barren farms that allow a bumper harvest, or a sequence of inexplicable multiple-births in the herd of domestic or hunted animals that allow a group on the verge of starvation to not only survive the winter but sell their surplus to improve their position

The curses of Irra Harrah are varied and unsubtle; those who harm children, in particular, will discover their own flesh sloughing from their bones and eventually face a gruesome death.

If you cannot hide, run.

If you cannot run, yield.

If you will not yield, kill.

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Irremais

Contents

- 1 The Blade, Rune of Wisdom

- 1.1 Using Irremais in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Irremais

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Blade, Rune of Wisdom

Affiliated with the Winter Realm

Irremais is the Blade, the knife that flenses away foolishness and self-deception until what remains can truly be called wise. Irremais is a hard tutor and its lessons are comfortless - the rune teaches us to learn from our mistakes, to see the world around us as it truly is, and to cast all comforting falsehoods and illusions to one side. Although it shares some superficial similarities to Sular, rune of Discovery, Irrimais represents the wisdom that comes from life's hard experience, not the process of searching for an academic or absolute truth.

As wisdom increases, so too is innocence lost, and Irremais also represents the hard transition from childhood (both literal and figurative) into adulthood and from adulthood into old age. The road to wisdom is a hard one, and the price to travel it is high; but for those who are willing to stay the course, the reward is a deep and fulfilling understanding of the reality of the universe.

Irremais is sometimes called the Rune of Sacrifice – by stripping away or abandoning what is unneccessary, the individual becomes wiser. It is also occasionally called the Rune of Punishment – it represents the idea that by sparing the rod, the child is spoiled. The best punishments teach or rehabilitate the wrongdoer, and where they inflict suffering they do so for their own good.

Suaq legend relates that Irremais was the first daughter of Sermerssuaq, who walks among the tribes of her brothers and sisters to pass on the wisdom she took from her mother's womb. Cautionary tales tell that those who listen grow strong and prosper; those who do not starve, freeze and perish on the ice. She shares her names with the Irremais root, a famously bitter tasting herb used as a purgative.

Using Irremais in magic

Irremais is invoked in the attempt to augment or search for wisdom, such as the detect magic spell, as well as in rituals designed to punish or rehabilitate a criminal or transgressor. It is popular with savants and scholars, as well as with magistrates and others involved in the even-handed enforcement of law.

Crafting with Irremais

In Urizen, some magi wear it between their brows on a headband or circlet to absorb its power although those who do so, rather than using one of the Day runes, are sometimes considered a little reckless. As a rune that signifies “putting away childish things” it is often inscribed on a gift for a son or daughter on successfully completing their test of adulthood.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Irrimais in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneIrrimais.jef

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Irrepressible Monkey Spirit

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 28

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 28

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

Twice each day the target can use their choice of unstoppable or second wind as if they knew them and without spending any hero points. They can choose each time they use this ability which skill to employ.

In addition the target is under a roleplaying effect: they feel exuberant, energetic and enthusiastic; they become bored easily, and frustrated by any period of inaction or extended concentration. They may choose to respond to any roleplaying effect that would cause them to become weary, despondent or sad by instead becoming exceptionally energetic and immediately doing something as exuberantly as possible.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 16. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual was first recorded by the Freeborn magician Sagai i Tobera i Guerra, who spent much of his earlier life as a member of a kohan band, and his middle years as a corsair. In later life he extended his studies to embrace ritual magic, and eventually rose to prominence as the Spring Archmage of the conclave. He helped codify this ritual shortly before his death at the tragically young age of eight-nine.

This ritual draws on two themes; the spirit and vitality of youth, and the energy and vitality of Spring. It allows a warrior to heal themselves on the battlefield without the assistance of a physick, chirurgeon or magician, extending their ability to be self-reliant.

Some magicians dislike the comparison between the warriors of the Empire and the frivolous monkey, despite Sagai's assertion that it is a fine totem for a ritual that grants it's targets boundless enthusiasm and reserves of energy as well as the ability to bounce-back from serious injury. Some magicians prefer to refer to it as Unfailing Resilience of the Kudzu and it is referred to as such in many tomes , especially those used by the vates. In Wintermark there is a virtually identical ritual called The Inevitable Thaw while the dignified Highborn magisters employ a version they call The Unceasing Ocean.

Regardless, the ritual is popular with covens of Spring magicians looking for a versatile, if somewhat expensive, benefit to give an allied warrior that they see as being as useful as any Summer enchantment.

Common Elements

This ritual is often performed with exuberant and energetic music, incantations and dance in a style reminiscent of the traditional Guerra style, even if the coven is not made up of Freeborn ritualists. Invocations include drawing on the inevitable power of spring to breed life from dead or barren Winter soil, the mysterious power that surrounds the birth of new living beings, and in many cases the naming of energetic totem creatures such as monkeys. Even calm Urizen and restrained Highborn covens find it difficult not to invest this ritual with energy and exuberance.

Common elements include the rune of fertility; the evocation of The Fountain or The Stallion; a comedic or action-oriented scene with plenty of physical business; and images of horses, monkeys, and especially winged beasts.

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Isaella

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

Biography

Signs

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Isenbrad

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

- Isenbrad of the Steinr is also known as a Paragon of Wisdom. A smith known for good judgement and counsel, Isenbrad quested with Godric against a terrible troll kingdom. Upon the loss of their weapons, Isenbrad turned his legendary skills to shaping weapons of ice and carved the secrets of his art upon the walls of the cave using runes.

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It Is Not Yet Day

Adapted from Níl Sé'n Lá (trad) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcdG8LS2WHc

Chords: Verse & Chorus - D5 Am G; Bridge - Dm F, Dm F G.

Verse 1 I came by a house last night told the woman I am staying said to her:"The moon is bright, and my fiddles tuned for playing"

Chorus Tell me that the night is long Tell me that the moon is glowing Fill my glass I'll sing a song And will start the music flowing

Verse 2 Never mind the rising light There's no sign of day or dawning In my heart it's still the night And we'll stay here till the morning

Chorus

Verse 3 It's not day nor yet awhile I can see the starlight shining In my heart it's still the night And we'll stay here till the morning

Bridge Fill the glasses one more time And never heed the empty bottle Turn the water into wine And turn the party up full throttle

Verse 4 Don't go out into the cold Where the wind and rain are blowing For the fire is flaming gold And in here the music's flowing

Chorus

Verse 5 Tell me that the night is long Tell me that the moon is gleaming Fill my glass, I’ll sing a song And we'll keep the music streaming [Hold G] Until all the songs are sung

Chorus

Coda Tell me that the night is long Tell me that the moon is glowing Fill my glass I'll sing a song

And we'll start the music... Start the music... Start the music flowing!

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Ivory Aketon

Description

This padded jacket takes its name from its pale colour, rather than from any use of ivory in it's construction. While the outer layers are thick cotton, it is padded inside with multiple layers of delicate silk. When the wearer is seriously injured, the silk serves to staunch the flow of blood, helped preserve life - at least for a time.

In the Brass Coast this armour is more commonly called an ashwine aketon, in honour of Gilda Ashwine, an exemplar of Courage whose unyielding determination to see justice served they see reflected in the dogged refusal of the wearer to let death take them. It is worth noting, however, that an ashwine aketon is usually dyed a pale golden-yellow colour as part of the creation process, for few people wealthy enough to afford one are inclined to wear white armour.

In the League certain troupes use these aketons while performing a dangerous stunt in the most famous, or infamous, scene in "The Fallen Herald." The scene traditionally lasts for over five minutes and involves the eponymous herald lying dying in the arms of their cicisbeo for the entire scene. For this reason it both the scene and the Aketon are known as The Cicisbeo's Embrace. The most ambitious and courageous performers use live weapons to inflict real injuries. There is somewhat of a competition between different troupes over who can endure longest death scene. Of course it would be shameful to have a performer die or be permanently injured during a performance, so there is a always a Physick on hand. It is often supplemented with Tinctures of the Open Sky to make the performance last even longer.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of light armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour you gain three additional ranks in the fortitude skill.

- Materials: Crafting an ivory aketon requires ten measures of ambergelt, seven ingots of weltsilver and five measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Esmerelda’s memories came back in a rush. The foreigners’ captain was making a show of himself, supremely confident, bearing his chest to the Freeborn corsairs. He believed his archers would keep them suppressed. For the most part, he was right.

She waited for the third volley to strike, and leapt with feline grace into the rigging. She unstrung an arrow, nocked it, and aimed. The enemy’s captain met her eye, and his laughing grin faltered. She loosed. It was the best shot she’d ever made.

Then she was here, and it was now, and apparently she should have drowned. “What happened? What in Ashwine's name happened?”

"Careful now, those Highborn we're ferrying get very upset when they hear swearing." So much so, in fact, that the captain had forbidden the use of swear-words among his crew for the voyage - and yet somehow, the missionaries only seemed to get more annoyed when they heard the names of the Paragons taken blithely in vain.

“You fell,” the Hakima said, “After you leapt onto the rigging in defiance of volley after volley of arrow-fire. Your captain tried to stop you, but you seemed determined to make a pincushion of yourself, and so you did. We thought you’d gone overboard and were lost.”

“We’d finished the fight by the time Iago i Jameel spotted you,” the captain said, “Hanging off the side of the ship, head-down, leg broken, caught in the mainsail-rigging they cut with those blasted crescent-arrows. We were sure you must have drowned or bled out down there. It was all of ten minutes after you were shot.”

“It’s the armour,” she croaked, and the captain nodded.

“Oh yes, the armour of Ashwine. The Aketon, they called it, and here I was thinking it was a gambeson. We’re all very glad for it giving you the confidence to perform such a valiant act of heroism. The Sutannir was preparing a eulogy when we pulled you from the water, you know?" He smiled a smile of genuine relief, and squeezed Esmerelda's shoulder warmly. "Well, anyway, I'm glad you did buy it. All that silk seems to have done the trick. As soon as you’re out of here, mind, I think the Sutannir has a parable waiting for you – something about the candle that burns brightest? – and I know for a fact those Highborn missionaries we’re carrying would just love to sit you down for a long, earnest and really boring sermon about the Virtue of Wisdom...”

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I Wish My Baby Was Born

Trad.

See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9maHQiDw-A Tim Eriksen, Riley Baugus & Tim O'Brien

Very slightly filked lyrics below:

I wish, I wish my baby was born And sitting on its papa's knee And me, poor girl, were dead and gone And the cold marsh growing o'er my feet

I ain't ahead, nor never will be Till the sweet apple grows on a sour apple tree But still I hope the time will come When you and I shall be as one

I wish, I wish my love had died And sent his soul to wander free Then we might meet where ravens fly Let our poor bodies rest in peace

(optional) The owl, the owl is a lonely bird It chills my heart with grief and terror That someone's blood there on his wing That someone's blood there on his feathers.

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Jack and the Giant

A traditional pre-imperial children’s story from the Marches. The “Giant” in the tale would appear to be a mountain-troll from the description, many of whom do migrate down to the lowlands after a harsh winter, or as advancing age render them unable to take game for themselves. The reference to Jack and the axe of gold before the formation of Jack the egregore is most intriguing.

- Eurontis Marele, “Folklore in the Empire”, Vol 4

Jack and the Giant

A long time ago, back in the days before the Empire, a great gory she-giant came thundering down from the mountains. Her vasty swag-belly had turned to slack skin, for winter had been hard and the hill-sheep seemed to get more nimble with each passing year. Down through the hills she came, cursing and groaning. Down through the fens she came, creeping and weeping. Down to the Marches she came, down to find the flesh of children to fill her empty belly.

But as she crossed the bawns of the Marches, who should she come upon but a young beater by the name of Jack, who was sitting down to eat his lunch upon a tree he had just felled with his axe. “Tell me, oh son of the sod, which way to the nearest village?” She rumbled (for giants have the gift of speech, even if they use it but seldom), “Quickly now, lest I crack your bones and milk their marrow for my gruel!”

Jack set his head to the side, just so, and looked up at her as if she was a tree for the felling. He saw her terrible tearing talons, like a brace of skinning knives on the end of her bony fingers. He saw her fearsome fangs, sharp and black like the beaks of a nest of crows. And he saw her great lantern eyes, rheumy and milk-stained with age.

“Ma’am, I’d be most happy to oblige you, but a favour for a favour seems fair – won’t you please help me move this log first? Then I’d be most obliged and tell you the directions you want.”

“Why should I do aught for you? I could pop off your head as easy as spitting, see if I don’t!”

“True, but then you wouldn’t have you directions, and it’s many a mile to the nearest village.”

Her stomach growled so loudly that a nearby owl fell stunned from her perch and Jack had to clap his hands to his ears to keep from being deafened. At last she sighed, “Where is this log? Be quick about it, woodsman.” Full well she intended to kill him for his impertinence, even though his bones were too tough for her old teeth to grind.

“Why, just in front of you, ma’am, if you’ll but reach for it.”

Blindly she groped her great hands across the ground.

“Where? I feel nothing.”

She reached down further, sniffing at the ground like a dog.

“You’ll just need to reach a little lower, a little lower…” and so saying, Jack grabbed his axe and struck her wicked head from her shoulders with a single blow. The thunder of her fall was so great it knocked down trees for a mile around and blew Jack clean out of his boots.

And that is the story of how Jack the beater slew the giant. He was rewarded with an axe of gold, which was not much use for cutting wood, but he wore it nonetheless, as a reminder that “There’s ne’er a tree so big it can’t be felled.” He carries it still, just ask him if you don’t believe me…

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Jack in the Green

Tune and lyrics by Martin Graebe. Good version on youtube here

Free mp3 of Daisy singing Jack in the Green with Glasgow Madrigirls.

"This song has always been very popular with the Ramsbruck family of Bregasland, to whom Jack belonged before he became Jack. Jack himself has heard it so often he scarcely reacts - unless the singers venture one of the less-well-known raunchy verses, which sometimes causes a raised eyebrow, or a quiet "Now then" before Jack goes back to doing whatever he was doing before."

Now Winter is over I'm happy to say And we're all met again on the first day of May And we're all met again for to dance and to sing And to go about dancing with Jack- in - the- Green

Jack- in - the- Green, Jack- in - the- Green And we'll dance every Springtime with Jack- in - the- Green

Now Jack- in - the- Green is a vey strange man Though he dies every Autumn he is born every Spring And each year on his birthday we dance through the streets And in return Jack he will ripen the wheat

With his mantle he'll cover the trees that are bare And our gardens he'll trim with his jacket so fair And the fields he will sow with the hair of his head And the corn it will ripen til old Jack is dead

Now the sun is half up and it tokens the hour When the children arrive with their garlands of flowers So now let the music and dancing begin And toast the good heart of young Jack- in- the- Green

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Jack of Irons

Description

This useful armour is most often crafted in the form of a heavy arming jacket, usually with reinforced steel jack chains on the arms. It is popular with officers and sergeants in Marches and the League. A variant form of the jack of irons called the bloodiron hauberk is crafted in Wintermark, mixing weltsilver and mithril to provide a long leather jacket that covers the arms and upper legs and is worn over mithril chain.

In the the Marches it is also called a jack of chains; both names come from a legendary giant called variously Jack-in-chains, Jack-of-Irons and Bloody Jack. Wrapped in heavy chains and wielding a terrible spiked club, the massive creature is said to be twice the size of a man and impossible to kill. According to stories the creature recovers almost immediately from even mortal wounds, and limbs hacked off continue fighting. Popular tales suggest that the demonic horror was defeated by a girl variously known as Clever Jill and Wise Mary who tricks the beast into falling down a well from which it is unable to escape. The legend insists that the giant is still buried under the earth somewhere near the modern town of Wayford.

Interestingly, some scholars believe the creature spoken of in Suaq and Kallavesi legends that they call the skinned king may be the same creature, although in the stories of Wintermark the giant beast has no skin and is ultimately defeated by a clever hunter who creates a human-shaped mannikin of fresh deer meat studded with spiked hooks, and then taunts the giant into grappling the mannikin. Trapped by the hooks, the giant cannot escape and is rolled down a steep incline into the waters of Westmere where it is assumed to have drowned.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of light armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may spend ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying to repair one of your limbs that has been ruined by the cleave or impale call.

- Materials: Crafting a jack of irons requires seven measures of ambergelt, five ingots of weltsilver and four measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Why would I, Rhondira Havarri, the greatest thief in all of Sarvos, choose such a martial piece of armour? Rhondira Havarri who stole the signet ring from the Prince of Tassato! Rhondira Havarri who seduced the Bishop of Vigilance and made off with his coinbox! Rhondirra Havarri who forged the signature of the head of the civil service and proclaimed a day's holiday throughout the League! Why would I choose armour? Why, precisely so that I could pull my hand through such cruelly tight handcuffs as you have used, my friend. It mends broken bones quite splendidly quickly. Ah, you have notice that your blade is in my hands now? Yes, and the coin-purse as well, if you please. You will not be collecting the sizeable bounty on my head this day, but you're a comely lad, so Rhondira Havarri will leave you with a kiss for your troubles..."

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Jade Hammers

Description

A set of jade hammers are often a one-handed mace or warhammer and a sturdy rod, both inlaid with decorative tempest jade. By weaving the two items together, a warrior-magician can unleash a burst of powerful magic that sends an opponent sprawling. Many wielders make a point of striking their target with both the weapon and the implement simultaneously, but this is not actually required for their magic to function.

Attempts to create this thundering blow through traditional spellcasting have so far been unsuccessful. It seems that the complex crystalline structure of the tempest jade used in their creation harnesses the magic energy of the wielders in a way either too complex for a mortal to duplicate, or amplifies it in a way that cannot be duplicated by a human magician. Indeed, to date, nobody has succeeded at creating a rod that can achieve this task alone - the closest anyone has come is the Witches' Hammer which releases magical energy in a barely contained burst, and even then is only useful to someone who has already mastered the repel spell - though it is worth noting that the rod in question also uses a large amount of tempest jade in it's construction.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of a one-handed weapon and either a rod or a wand.

- Requirement: You must have both the ambidexterity and magician skills to bond to these items.

- Effect: You may cast STRIKEDOWN as if it were a two-mana-point offensive spell.

- Materials: Crafting a pair of jade hammers requires five measures of dragonbone, five ingots of tempest jade and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make a pair of these items.

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Janon

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Night

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Night

Sobriquets

Janon is most commonly known as the Shadowed Fire. This ephithet refers to the strong symbolic connection between the Eternal and the rune Zorech, but also to the idea of a fire that warms the body, but provides only a limited amount of light. Some stories credit Janon with the ability to peer out fires that burn low in the presence of lovers, for example, while poets often claim that the shadowed fire is a metaphor for the mortal spirit, whence comes all passion.

Like many Night Eternals, Janon collects names to itself. Some artists call it the Muse of Fire and claim the inspiration it brings can come at the price of health or sanity. It is variously called Firebrand and Torchbearer - it encourages anyone with strong philosophical, political or social stances to express their causes without fear of censure.

The Faraden call it the Night Sword and claim that it sometimes offers boons to those who give up everything in the name of vengeance (indeed, there is said to be a ritual specifically designed to sever a Faraden vengeance-seeker for their past that involves burning symbols and mementos of the life they leave behind in pursuit of justice).

Appearance

Javon appears proud of the fact that it is a wyrm (that is, it's true form is that of a wingless lizard as distinct from the serpent-form Night Eternals who possess feathered wings such as Sung). As with other wyrms, this tends to mean that the Shadowed Fire is more earthy and concerned with practical matters than the more cerebral and philosophical serpents such as Soghter. Janon is rarely encountered in anything approaching it's 'true form' however - as with most Night Eternals it loves to change it's shape. Old stories suggest it's true form is that of a ruby-red lizard with patches of golden scales, who glows like the embers of a banked fire.

The Shadowed Fire puts on bodies in the way a human might put on a suit of clothes. It is known to claim that a body, like a sword or a harp, is nothing more than a tool. It should be honed, of course, but the body is not the person - the person is the burning spirit shaped by passion, that hides inside. Since the Imperial Orcs became part of the Empire, Janon has increasingly been seen adopting the form of an orc.

The Heralds of Janon usually refer to themselves as members of it's band - as it's companions. The only constant among them is that they tend to be easy-going, open with their emotions and passions, and capable of reckless action at the drop of a hat.

Concerns

Janon burns with passion, and encourages others to be like it is. Inevitably, this passion sometimes takes the form of carnal pursuits - Janon is known to be prone to regular infatuations with mortals from all walks of life. However, it would be foolish - perhaps even dangerous - to assume that Janon is a dissolute rake. It encourages all passions equally - it is as likely to help someone take vengeance on a hated enemy as to help a general rouse her shattered troops before a battle, or encourage an uncertain senator to make a landmark speech about a contentious topic.

It is known to have a love-hate relationship with followers of Way. It encourages mortals to embrace their passions, and several times it has worked through allies in the Sevenfold Path Conclave order to give support and inspiration to the priests of Ambition, Courage, Loyalty and Pride. Unfortunately, it has also offered succour to cults of Anarchy and Vengeance. At various points, it's involvement with such blasphemous or heretical cults has lead to a (usually short-lived) Declaration of Emnity.

Worse, Janon is known to offer it's aid to the Jotun barbarians on occasion. It makes little effort to conceal this fact, but as near as agents of the Shuttered Lantern can tell, it's aid is limited to evocation in a few rituals - the Jotun favour more direct magics in their battles against the Empire.

Even when it is not patronizing heretical cults or barbarian enemies of the Empire, Janon is unequivocal in it's belief that passion must be followed despite the constraints of society. Laws that exist to censor, or restrict freedom of expression, are anathema to it. It is said to work occasionally with Lashonar to encourage mortals to rebel against repressive tyrannies. It's support of individual freedoms is not unilateral - on rare occasions where someone has used the defence of their own freedom as a way to take it away from others, Janon has been known to whip itself into a devastating fury with unfortunate consequences.

Janon enjoys the company of artists, but also warriors such as the Freeborn kohan, political individuals committed to a cause, and anyone with an interesting obsession

Boons

Janon encourages people to follow their passions. It is said to have the capacity to recognise people with reserves of inner strength; it is known to be able to revitalise those reserves, stoke their power and even occasionally give boons that let mortals use their heroic passions in different or more effective ways in pursuit of their driving ambitions. Consequently, it is often evoked during rituals such as Embrace the Living Flame or Still Waters, Running Deep.

The touch of the Eternal is known to create powerful enchantments similar to Freedom of the Soul, Secrets of the Empty Heart or Unfettered Anarchy as it deems appropriate. It also has some ability to free individuals from the imposition of unwanted passions or obsessions, especially those that come from curses.

Janon apparently loves tempest jade and orichalcum, and those seeking it's aid sometimes offer gifts crafted from these materials.

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Jewellery Guide

by Jamie Hall - Contemporary and Medieval Metalworker

Contents

- 1 Safety

- 2 Historical “Authenticity”

- 3 General Notes

- 4 Types of Jewellery & Decorative Metalwork

- 5 What size?

- 6 Metals

- 7 Gemstones

- 8 Chains

- 9 Making Jewellery

- 10 Reconditioning Jewellery

- 11 Art History & Archaeology

Safety

- Live roleplay involves physical combat. You should take the same precautions you would for a contact sport.

- Jewellery should not have spikes or sharp edges.

- Avoid brittle items, like glass, ceramics and some plastics.

Safety comes before any other consideration when wearing jewellery; most jewellery is safe to wear, but injury to yourself and others can happen if you wear inappropriate items. Live roleplay is a physical hobby, so you may wish to take that into consideration when wearing body piercings, long necklaces and fragile items. If you are producing jewellery for sale, make sure you comply with legal regulations which cover metals such as lead, nickel and cadmium.

As with armour and other clothing, jewellery should not have spikes or sharp edges, particularly when worn as a ring.. Claw-set stones should not protrude too high above the finger, and the claws should be burnished down to prevent them from catching. Try rubbing them on your lips – if they feel sharp, they could cause damage to fabric, latex or skin.

Glass was used in some periods to make rings, bangles and tableware. Some modern glass will be strong enough, but you are best to avoid brittle items. Anything that can shatter on impact can harm the wearer or other players. Likewise, hollow or fragile items are more likely to get damaged during a fight.

Historical “Authenticity”

- The purpose of this guide is to help you choose jewellery which evokes a medieval fantasy setting.

- Empire LRP is set in a fictitious world, which draws on many sources, including real world history. These historical sources make ideal inspiration for costume and characters, but they do not need to be followed for the sake of "authenticity".

- We can make use of the look of medieval jewellery – modern methods give a shine that can look gaudy next to "medieval-ish" costume.

Because the world of Empire has some real world sources, it's possible to make use of art history when choosing or making jewellery. However, we are not bound by the real world - a brief description of medieval art history terms is included for those who are interested, but it is not essential reading; film, television and computer games provide a range of excellent "medieval-ish" jewellery to draw inspiration from.

There is no requirement to use styles and methods from the past. Where they are particularly useful is the "finish" of the item – that's the way the surface looks when the item is completed. Electric polishing motors are commonly used in today's jewellery workshop, and they provide a fast way of creating a highly polished, mirrored surface. This can look conspicuously modern in a fantasy setting, and it can actually be easier and cheaper to use archaic methods such as scratch-brushing and burnishing. These can often be applied to modern jewellery to improve its appearance.

Some nations, particularly Dawn and Urizen, may suit a highly polished finish. Nations including Urizen and Highguard, are harder to assign to a historical period, and the best inspiration may be found in the media, or even 20th Century styles.

General Notes

- Men's and women's jewellery – be aware that Empire LRP has no gender discrimination.

- Medieval jewellery was intended to be seen in sunlight or firelight – what looks bad under an electric bulb may look fabulous in the field.

- Items with lots of contrast and detail will usually have the best look.

Aside from hair pins, hair nets and tiara's, there are few types of jewellery that men didn't wear during the middle ages. There is no gender discrimination in Empire LRP, so you should wear anything that is appropriate to your costume.

Before the introduction of gas and electric lighting, jewellery would only be seen in sunlight or firelight. Sparkle is important, but the whole object does not need to be bright; ancient artisans didn't have access to high-speed polishing motors, so while they could achieve a highly polished surface, it was a slow and laborious process. Modern items may actually need dulling down a little, which you can do with simple tools.

Historical designs tended towards the complex; even when simple geometric patterns were used, they tended to be in combinations, to create more elaborate items. Detail is better than plain surfaces – texture, engraving, filigree and gemstones were all used to break up the surface. The high points of the metal could then be cut or rubbed to make them sparkle, while the lower surfaces retain their matte finish. Multiple copies of objects, like coins or badges, don't need to look exactly the same – small variations in colour and finish actually improve the look of groups of objects.

Types of Jewellery & Decorative Metalwork

- Rings

- Chains of Office

- Belt Buckles

- Brooches

- Pendants

- Torcs

- Earrings

- Bracelets

- Belts

- Bangles

- Hair/hat pins

- Reliquaries

- Necklaces

- Badges

- Tableware

- Crowns

- Tiaras

- Hair nets

- Aiglets

What size?

- Jewellery should be comfortable to wear – you should make sure that it fits you.

- Necklaces and bracelets are easy to measure, but rings are more of a challenge.

This can be a difficult question. Some items, like brooches and pendants, can be worn regardless of your size, but rings and chains, in particular, come in a wide range of sizes, and if you don't normally wear jewellery, it can be daunting. You'll find metric and imperial measurements alongside arbitrary lettering – that's how it is in the trade, and I won't make an apology for it here. If you can't try the item on, adjustable jewellery is one option – chains that can be fastened at different lengths, and rings and bangles that can be bent to fit the wearer.

Chains are the simplest – a very short necklace would be 16” - any smaller than that would be a very tight fit for most adults. Women wear most necklaces as 16”, 18” or 20”, with anything above 24” being extremely long. Men usually add a couple of inches to those lengths, but tend not to wear longer necklaces. Chains above 30” are generally meant to be worn doubled, but there are some safety issues for the neck if you do this. Bracelets are much shorter than necklaces – they are usually around 7.5” for women, and 8.5” for men. To work out what size you want, use a piece of string around your neck, or a tape measure.

Rings are the other thing that you are likely to need a measurement for, as you need to measure your finger. A jeweller will have equipment for measuring these sizes, so if you are able to, it may be a good idea to visit a jeweller to get your fingers measured (many jewellers will only provide this service if you are a customer). UK ring size is measured in letters, but you can try measuring the diameter or circumference of your finger or knuckle (whichever is thickest), and use the table on this page. Be aware that you'll only have an approximate idea from that table, and the only way to be certain about the fit of a ring is to try it on!

Bangles are much like rings, but they fit the wrist. They can be measured like a bracelet, but people have differently shaped wrists, and there are several types of bangle, including open torc, continuous push-on bangle, or hinged.

You might also need a measurement for a belt or a crown, but a tape measure will usually be adequate for that.

Metals

- Gold and silver are the best known metals for jewellery, but bronze and pewter are good alternatives.

- Steel and titanium were not used for jewellery in the past, but if they can be made to look appropriate with the right design and finish.

- Processes like electro-plating can be used to make items look more precious.

Gold and silver have been the metals of choice for thousands of years. Ductile and malleable, they are perfect for making small items like jewellery. Gold will usually be outside the budget of the larper, silver will sometimes be affordable. Copper and its alloys – (bronze and brass) have been used for thousands of years for jewellery and tools. Bronze and brass can make good "synthetic" gold if they are treated right, and can be plated to look like gold or silver. One particular alloy is called Pinchbeck – it's a brass alloy that looks a lot like gold. Pewter and other tin alloys were, and are, used for casting objects like badges and brooches, but less common for rings and chains due to softness of the metal. Leaded pewters are best avoided due to their toxicity, particularly old items with obvious lead oxide corrosion.

Steel was not worn as jewellery until much later in history, but is perfectly acceptable so long as the finish isn't too modern. It can be hard to take the polished shine off steel, because it is so hard. Modern metals like titanium are also fine, so long as the design and finish are appropriate to the setting. As with steel, these metals are primarily for industrial use, and are hard to work with.

Electro-plating can be used on copper and other base metal items, to make them look like silver or gold. This is a great way of reducing the cost of jewellery, Very thin plating will wear through fast, particularly for jewellery that might rub up against metal armour. It also makes it harder to physically or chemically improve the appearance of the item, because there is a risk of wearing through the plating. You should use the services of a professional plater, as many of these processes are toxic. In the past silver and other metals were sometimes "gilded" with gold and mercury to improve their appearance. Modern electro-plating does not give quite the same appearance, but it can be rubbed with a brass brush, for a more appropriate lustre. High-carat electro-plating is best, as it is a good colour match for the pure gold gilding done in the past.

Gemstones

Gemstones have always been valued for their colour and physical properties. Modern gemstones are usually cut with facets – these reflect the light, and in the case of diamonds, the facets are calibrated to the refractive properties of diamond, ensuring maximum reflectivity. This was not the case in the past – stones were cut using hand-held tools, and the facets were large, simple shapes. Modern synthetic and simulation stones can also look “too perfect” - a bit of imperfection will improve the appearance of the stone.

Normally, the live roleplayer won't be looking at precious stones like diamond and emerald, but many of the semi-precious stones are more eye-catching, they have a wider range of colours, and their low cost makes them affordable. Synthetic and simulation stones are also available, and there are glass and plastic alternatives.

There are a few stones that are good to look out for:

- Pearls are very medieval – if they are irregular pearls, they will look more interesting than the spherical pearls that you see in modern jewellery.

- Cabochon stones are smooth rounded shapes that were very common in the past, as they were easier to polish than faceted stones.

- Intaglios are designs cut into the stone in counter-relief, for example many seal rings are made this way. Cameos are the opposite, cut in relief so that the design rises out of the stone.

- Simple faceted stones – many Victorian cuts are appropriate for a medieval-ish setting. Rose, simple and swiss cuts, for example.

- Enamelling provides a lot of colour for very little cost. Some of the brightest colours are best avoided.

- Beads have been used throughout history, and are appropriate for any of the Imperial nations – an Urizen magi and his necklace of spheres, or a Navarri collecting the bones of barbarian Orcs. You can make your own beads easily enough.

Chains

- Thin and hollow chains should be avoided, as they are fragile, and don't hang well.

- Anyone equipped to make chain maille can produce chain jewellery.

- Pendants can be worn to enhance the chain.

Very thin chains can only be made by machines, so they have a factory-made look, which is less than ideal. They can be fragile and unsuitable for a vigorous activity like larp. Likewise, hollow chains are best avoided. They also ride up around the neck due to their light weight.

Pendants that hang loose on a chain are good, because they will stay in position if the chain is moved. The pendants and chains can then be swapped around for different characters. To do that, the fittings on the chain need to be smaller than the pendant loop, so that the pendant can be taken off the chain. As an alternative to chains, pendants could be worn around the neck on fabric or leather thong.

With a pair of pliers and a bag of "jump rings" (split rings), a wide range of chain patterns can be produced. Precious metal jump rings are available from bullion dealers like Cookson. Base metal rings are available from other suppliers. If you are equipped to make chain maille, you are equipped for making jewellery chains. Two pairs of smooth-jawed "parallel" pliers are the best tools for this task, as the rings don't slip around when you are gripping them. Aluminium is probably best avoided, as the surface won't "age" in a way that looks natural for precious metals, and it is a very light-weight material, so it won't hang well.

Making Jewellery

- Manufacturing jewellery can be expensive and difficult to learn.

- There are various methods which are more accessible, including chain-making and working with beads.

Jewellery manufacturing is an ancient craft, first done with primitive tools. As a rule, the simpler the tools, the more skill required to use them, while modern equipment can be prohibitively expensive for the non-professional. For example, heating metals like silver and bronze requires high temperature torches or furnaces. Pewter can be worked at much lower temperatures, achievable in the home, but you still need safety equipment. This limits the range of techniques that can be used by the amateur.

There are a number of alternative ways of making jewellery, which do not require high temperatures and expensive equipment. Bracelets and necklaces can be done by anyone who can make chain-maille. More ambitious projects could use techniques called Loop-in-Loop and Trichinopoly. Beading and wire-wrapping tutorials can be found online – some of the designs can look conspicuously modern, so think carefully before undertaking a project using beading and wire-wrapping, but simple bead necklaces and bracelets can be ideal jewellery for live roleplay. In that case, the choice of beads will usually be more important than the method used.

Non-metal jewellery is another option – a leather pendant could be marked with a Rune, and hung on a fabric necklace, for example. Nations like the Navarr are well-suited to these kind of items.

Reconditioning Jewellery

- If jewellery has a modern finish, it may be possible to alter it using an abrasive and a tool called a burnisher. A very soft abrasive like a brass brush or "scratch brush" is ideal; courser abrasives can damage your jewellery.

- Tarnish, oxidation, enamel or niello in recessed areas improves contrast, and can make the piece look older.

You may already own items of jewellery – if they have a high sentimental or financial value, you may not want to use them for live roleplay, but many items of costume jewellery are ideal. Don't worry if they don't look new; modern jewellery can look too new for a medieval fantasy setting, so a bit of tarnish or oxidation may enhance the item.

If they are particularly tarnished, it's ideal if you can keep the tarnish in the recessed areas, and brighten up the highlights. Two tools are particularly useful for this – a brass brush (or scratch brush), and a burnisher. The brass brush is used as a gentle abrasive; it's harder than the non-ferrous metals used for most jewellery, but only just, and while it easily removes the oxidation layer, it won't do much damage to the metal itself. You can get similar brushes in steel, but this will be too hard, and can remove detail from the design of the item.

It's usually best to avoid completely removing oxidation – the high points on the metal should be fully cleaned, leaving the recessed areas darker. This enhances the appearance of “relief” or depth on a ring. This doesn't work with a plain object like a wedding ring, but most other designs will benefit from it.

The type of brass brush you are looking for will have very thin bristles about 3cm long, with smooth ends. A stiffer or sharper brush will make the item look too “scratched”. Aim to brush the item in one direction, and spend a minute or so working on a small piece like a ring. The style of brush used in industry is a long rectangular wooden handle, with bristles along half the length; other styles exist, but this type lets you use long strokes of the brush.

If you have a bench grinder or Dremel-style rotary tool, you can get brass brush attachments to fit them – take care to hold the item safely and securely, and avoid using the device at high speeds. The process will work well even at a lower speed. Take particular care with electro-plated items, because powered brushes can rip the plating off surprisingly quickly.

Once you have a surface you like, the final step is to burnish the item. The purpose here is to polish the highest details on the design, using a polished tool called a burnisher. This is a very ancient method, and its so simple that you can use the back of a stainless steel kitchen knife. Using some pressure, you need to drag the burnisher across the surface of the metal. This will naturally pick out the very highest parts, and you are not aiming to burnish the recessed areas. Using this method gives a sparkling effect that will be particularly obvious in sunlight, and gives you historically authentic “bling”.

With a newer item, there may be no oxidation, and you may wish to apply a chemical agent to oxidise the surface. This can be done with products like “liver of sulphur”, but please take care when using any chemical agent. The item must then be scratch-brushed and burnished to bring out the colour. Another option is to use painting techniques to improve the contrast of the item, but this should be done carefully, ideally using a matte rather than gloss finish. If you have very deep recessed areas, you can mix a colourant with epoxy resin, fill the area, and then grind the resin flat – the effect can look like enamel or, in black, like a technique called niello.

Art History & Archaeology

There is an untapped wealth of information about the jewellery and metalwork of the past. Although re-enactment websites are a great place to start, they often don't give a very broad view of the material culture of the past. On the other hand, art historians and archaeologists don't aim their work at the costume maker, so it can take a bit of practice to use the excellent resources that are available on the internet.

The first thing is to familiarise yourself with some of the terminology – this will help you understand books on the subject, and it also is very useful when using search engines on the internet. Here are a few terms:

- Metalwork – For reasons that escape me, if you search for "jewellery" or "jewelry" (the US spelling) you don't get a lot of search results. This is because technical studies are more focused on the process than they are on the form – jewellery is just one way to use the metal.

- Non-Ferrous – although gold and silver are most commonly associated with jewellery, the skills required are similar for precious metals, for copper and it's alloys, and for tin and pewter. For this reason, a lot of archaeological finds will specify tools as being for non-ferrous metalwork, as it isn't always clear precisely which metal they were used for. Non-ferrous means "without iron".

- Material Culture – This basically means "stuff people had". It's a very distinct archaeological approach, but it tends to put objects before people, so it's perfect for finding out about historical jewellery. It's also useful for other media, like ceramics and textiles.

- Liturgical – throughout history, religions have been a major patron of decorative and fine art. Liturgical metalwork is a great source for ideas, but remember that a lot of the religious imagery won't be appropriate for Empire LRP, or other fantasy games.

- Secular – a rather broad term, this is everything that isn't religious in nature. A lot of tableware is included in this category, and many items of jewellery, although it's common to find pagan and Christian symbolism hidden in the designs of apparently secular jewellery.

- Fine Art – usually refers to single exceptional pieces of work, often made to the precise requirements of a patron. This is not quite the same as the definition used in modern universities.

- Decorative Art – often made to a very high artistic standard, the decorative arts are those which are produced in larger numbers, or using repetitive methods – manufacturing pottery is decorative, as are stone carvings like gargoyles, and most pieces of jewellery fall into this category.

It may also be useful to familiarise yourself with some of the names for different periods in Art History. These often, but don't always, match with the periods of social history. It's worth noting that there can often be significant overlap of art historical periods. Here are just a few of the styles:

- Migration Period (Europe, 300-900) – This is a very broad term, used to describe the movement of various Germanic tribes, as the Roman Empire was beginning to decline. It reflects a Europe that is turning it's back on the Roman Empire, and it subverts the norms of Roman styles. It developed into various other, local styles, which include Insular and Viking. There are, broadly speaking, three styles, defined by a researcher called Salin. These are:

- Style I – Sometimes called Tiersalat or Animal Salad, this style consists of stylised animals which are chopped up into different parts and used to fill spaces in objects which somehow manage to subvert and echo the norms of Roman art. In theory, it is quite a brutal style, but the pieces themselves are often very beautiful.

- Style II – this is best known in Insular art, and it consists of animals which are still stylised, but are now smooth and sinuous, and often connecting in repeating patterns using interlace (sometimes called knotwork). Christianity is a strong influence on the later forms of this style,

- Style III – the art of the Vikings and other northern European cultures, this emerges later, and contains many of the sinuous and interlaced features of Style II, but with a complex and more terrifying appearance. Dragons and sea creatures are more common, perhaps befitting the sea-faring nature of the Vikings. Unlike the British Isles, Scandinavia was slow to embrace Christianity, and this is reflected in the pagan symbolism of their art

- Insular (Britain, 400-1000) – This is a broad term for the styles used in the British Isles in the post-Roman period, until the Norman conquest of England. It has its origins in pre-Roman Celtic styles, and also the "barbarian" art of Migration-era Europe. There are stylistic links with Viking art. Probably the best know examples of this style, in metal, are the Sutton Hoo and Staffordshire Hoard finds. The Book of Kells and the Lindisfarne Gospels are fantastic examples on paper. Styles I and II are very prominent in Insular art, but it also has a strong Celtic influence; for example, the Hunterson Brooch has Celtic imagery hidden within it. The style is a British continuation of the Migration Period art brought by the Germanic tribes that settled from the 5th Century onwards.

- Byzantine (Eastern Mediterranean, 400-1450) – This is a true continuation of Roman art, but much evolved by differences in population between the Eastern and Western empire when they split. They maintained many of Rome's Classical styles, including the primacy of the human figure in images, but the Greek-speaking population had their own artistic traditions. Through trade, their metalwork was known across Europe, and Byzantine art was a major influence on the Romanesque style, which is a key visual style in Medieval Europe.

- Romanesque (Europe, 1100-1300) – Although it does not stem directly from Roman art, the Romanesque style was part of a move back towards Roman civilisation, which eventually culminated in the Renaissance. As well as drawing on Europe's own past, it was strongly influenced by the Byzantine art of the Near East, but seen through the lens of the "barbarian" styles that dominated after the fall of the Roman Empire. The first Crusade was probably a factor in the Byzantine link, but be aware that there were many trade and artistic links before that time; Carolingian and Ottonian art laid the ground work for Romanesque, and already had a strong Byzantine influence. Repeating patterns of acanthus leaves are characteristic of this style, and there is a move towards figurative naturalism that is rarely seen in earlier post-Roman Europe. The Romanesque style remained a key part of European art for several centuries, eventually being replaced by Gothic art, and having a strong influence upon it.

- Gothic (Europe, 1200-1500) – Stemming from the Romanesque style in France, Gothic sees a return to the primacy of the human form. Geometric forms and animals move to the background, and the level of figurative naturalism is very high; it can be hard to tell if some of these pieces are Gothic or Renaissance, and the former is a major influence on the latter. Starting slightly later, International Gothic is the term is for the pan-European adoption of this style.

- Renaissance (Europe, 1400-1600) – In the popular imagination, the Renaissance is 15th - 16th century Italy. In practice, the style is pan-European, beginning in northern Europe. There are strong elements of the Classical art of Greece and particularly Rome, which fitted well with ideas of an innovative post-Medieval society. The Catholic church had always played up its links to Imperial Rome, and wealthy collectors sought out Classical artefacts for their collections, just as collectors do in the modern day. However, their awareness of history was more limited than our own – it was common for High Medieval works to be attributed to more ancient artisans, and the figurative naturalism that we associate with the Renaissance can often be seen in the Gothic and even Romanesque styles that preceded it. That's not to say that the Renaissance was not an important period – studies of the human body and other natural forms did leap forward in this period. A look at the sketches of Leonardo Da Vinci reveals a style that can seem strikingly modern. Be aware that the end of the Renaissance is explicitly outside the brief for Empire LRP.

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John Barleycorn

Martin Carthy's youtube version

There was three men came out of the west, Their fortunes for to try, And these three men made a solemn vow, John Barleycorn should die. They ploughed, they sowed, they harrowed him in, Throwed clods upon his head, And these three man made a solemn vow, John Barleycorn was dead.

Then they let him lie for a very long time Till the rain from heaven did fall, Then little Lord John sprung up his head, And soon amazed them all. They let him stand till midsummer Till he looked both pale and wan, And little Lord John he growed a long, long beard And so became a man.

They hired men with the scythes so sharp To cut him off at the knee, They rolled him and tied him by the waist, And served him most barbarously. They hired men with the sharp pitchforks Who pricked him to the heart, And the loader he served him worse than that, For he bound him to the cart.

They wheeled him round and round the field Till they came unto a barn, And there they made a solemn mow of poor John Barleycorn. They hired men with the crab-tree sticks To cut him skin from bone, And the miller he served him worse than that, For he ground him between two stones.

Here’s little Lord John in a nut-brown bowl, And brandy in a glass; And little Lord John in the nut-brown bowl Proved the stronger man at last. And the huntsman he can’t hunt the fox, Nor so loudly blow his horn, And the tinker he can’t mend kettles nor pots Without a little of Barleycorn.

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Jotra

Contents

- 1 The Swords, Rune of Battle

- 2 Using Jotra in magic

- 3 Crafting with Jotra

- 4 For Machine Embroidery

The Swords, Rune of Battle

Affiliated with the Realm of Summer

The Crimson Rune, the thunderhead mark and the crossed blades; Jotra has many titles. It is the Rune of Conflict, Struggle and Strife and also the Rune of Challenges. It is the spark that sets the fields afire, the tempest that uproots the mighty tree, the floodwater that tears at its own riverbank. It is the red cant woven from discord and strife - the oldest song in creation. It is the struggle at its most raw; the simple urge to overwhelm.

Jotra fans the embers of opposition and draws them into a raging inferno that consumes all before it. It revels in conflict, heedless of cost or even victory, savoring only the struggle itself. It is the challenge, the pitting of the self against another or against the world, that Jotra exemplifies. It is often the counterpart of Tykonus, the Rune of Victory, but does not itself presuppose that one will overcome rather than being defeated.

While many magicians see only the physical nature of Jotra’s power, it is also a rune that represents strife and conflict of a more cerebral nature. An Urizen politician might proudly bear the rune on their staff, indicating to everyone that they are prepared to fight with words and wits. A doctor from Holberg might have the rune inscribed on their instruments, to remind themselves that they contend against death itself.

Along with Feresh, Tykonus and Verys to represent Glory by many Dawnish magicians and crafters; here it represents Glory through challenges, and through contending against worthy foes or difficult situations.

Jotra is sometimes associated with the Imperial Virtue of Courage.

Using Jotra in magic

Jotra encourages and empowers conflict, and is commonly invoked in battle magic or in any scenario where the magicians must content against either another force or another group of magicians. It tends to cause opposing runes to increase their friction, drawing out their power to destruction in a mighty conflagration.

Crafting with Jotra

The rune of battle is the rune most commonly inscribed on weapons by Winterfolk weaponsmiths, especially on weapons such as an Apprentice's Blade or a Biting Blade. It is less commonly found on shields, but as a rune that represents the clash of forces it is sometimes used in the hope that a shield will 'fight' any sword blow that strikes it.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Jotra in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneJotra.jef

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Jotun

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Tribe

- 3 Warriors of the Jotun

- 3.1 The Jotun Challenge

- 4 Magic

- 5 The Imperial Orcs

- 6 History

- 7 Look and Feel

- 8 Playing the Jotun

Overview

The Jotun are orcs who dominate the lands to the west and north-west of the Empire. Historically they have been especial threats to Wintermark, the Marches and the Navarr territory of Liathaven. They are barbaric by Imperial standards, but they are neither savage nor primitive. They enshrine the warrior-ideal, and seem to fight the Empire as much for the joy of battle as for any desire for territory or hate for the humans.

The Tribe

Much of what the Empire knows about the Jotun has come from interviews with slaves, both orc slaves and human slaves taken by the Jotun who later escaped. They are a warlike tribe that values strength-in-arms and fighting-spirit as their highest virtues; to become more like their ancestors, they seek out challenges against which to test their might and their nerve. While they may view climbing a mountain, wrestling a mandowla or swimming across the Gullet to be renown-worthy acts, they seek true glory and renown in battle.

Jotun ancestors drive them to achieve victory in combat, to fall surrounded by their foes, and to face every threat or obstacle head-on. Jotun regularly fight for sport and pleasure among themselves, as well as to establish precedence. As with all orcs when they have slain ten times their number. It is the bravest or strongest warriors who are able to cross the Howling Abyss to help their ancestors.

This tribe tends to act in a fashion identified by their Imperial neighbours as "honourable." They almost never use poison or venom, for example, preferring to win their battles by strength of arms. They may use complex tactics, but rarely employ ambush or other guerilla tactics unless they are greatly outnumbered. They will usually accept a surrender unless they have reason to believe they are being tricked in some manner, and often allow injured opponents to retreat. They have also been known to allow opponents who have fought bravely to gather their dead or injured, or retreat from the battlefield - while ruthlessly crushing those who they believe have behaved in a treacherous manner. However, they are known to greatly respect those who fight unarmoured or against impossible odds ... and express that respect by giving such opponents a glorious and honourable death in battle.

This is not to say that the Jotun are all warriors. Jotun who are not soldiers tend to be farmers rather than hunters. and it is believed by Imperial scholars that they have learnt many techniques of agriculture and animal-husbandry from their human slaves. Orcs who do not fight have lower status than even the least experienced warrior, however, so it is no surprised that the majority of Jotun prefer to practice the arts of war and leave farming to their human thralls or subjects.

Warriors of the Jotun see little honour in killing the weak or the unarmed, and prefer to take them as thralls. Human (and orc) thralls are treated reasonably well by the Jotun; as long as they show proper respect to their overlords, they are usually left to their own devices. Many modern Jotun thralls are the descendants of humans taken in battle, and consider the Empire their enemy as some tragic attempts to 'free' them have demonstrated.

The Jotun are also competent builders, able to quickly and efficiently throw up stockades and pallisades around their camps and settlements, as well as possessing several strong stone fortresses especially along the shores of the Gullet. Some Highborn scholars suggest that the orcs did not build these fortresses themselves, but rather occupied the structures of some earlier inhabitants (some go so far as to suggest these castles were built by the Paragon of Vigilance known as The Sentinel). The Jotun are also known to have several clans who specialise in artifice, specializing in making strong, durable weapons and armour. The northern and western mountains of Kallsea are believed to be rich in orichalcum and green iron.

Warriors of the Jotun

Among the Jotun, certain warriors especially stand out. They include:

- The Jarls are the leaders of the Jotun, and are always their strongest warriors. The Jarls seem to rule areas of land in Narkyst and Kallsea, dominating the orcs and humans that live in those areas and contending among themselves for prestige and honour. Jarls are effectively chiefs-of-chiefs, and often have several lesser Jarls (both Jotun and from subject tribes) who offer them fealty and tribute. A general is often a lesser Jarl, taking charge of battle-field tactics at the command of a more powerful Jarl who sets strategic goals for their army.

- The Ulvenwar are among the most noticeable warriors on the battlefield, wearing the head and pelt of a large bear, wolf or dire beast they have slain with their bare hands. They are usually armed with great weapons, rarely wield shields, and their faces are often painted or tattooed with warlike symbols. They are often selected from a young age and extensively trained in groups, pitted against each other in multiple challenges, and only the one who defeats the others is deemed worthy of becoming ulvenwar. Many ulvenwar appear to be shamans, or enjoy some special relationship with the Jotun ancestors.

- The Skjaldborg are surprisingly disciplined units of warriors who live together and are considered elite soldiers by most Jotun. They generally wield shield and spear, and the ties between them appear to be even more pronounced that the ties between normal members of a tribe. According to some stories, they believe that if one of them possesses the strength of will to cross the Howling Abyss, that warrior will return to carry their battle-siblings across when they die. They tend to be much more defensive than other Jotun, and occasionally use a variant of the challenge in which they call out a unit of enemy warriors. Skjaldborg never leave one of their number behind if there is any chance they can be rescued. Skjaldborg are often the warriors of a subject tribe, fighting in the style of their Jotun overlords.

- the Yegarra are usually lightly armed and armoured, and wield hunting weapons especially javelins and spears. They serve as runners, messengers and scouts and are usually encountered in small numbers. On the battlefield they engage in skirmishing tactics, but their real targets are the skirmishers, scouts and messengers of the enemy force. Some yegarra are humans who seek to gain the appoval and respect of the orcish warriors; they often serve as auxiliaries or supporters to the core Jotun force. Human yegarra often look quite primitive, with rags or scraps of fur and bone tied to their makeshift leather armour.

The Jotun Challenge

Most Imperial citizens have experience of the Jotun only in the context of fighting, and engagements often involve the Jotun Challenge. The Jotun love one-on-one fights, but they have little respect for or appreciation of "champion battles" as such - they seem to believe that everyone on the battlefield should be prepared to act as a champion. An engagement with Jotun will often involve a group breaking up to engage their Imperial opponents one-on-one.

The challenge begins with the orc pointing at an opponent with their weapon and then raising their head up to show their necks to their opponent. Making a slashing or ripping gesture with their hand as they bring their head down with a snarl. This signal shows that they consider the person they are looking at as worthy of honourable combat. The same gesture is often used by warriors facing the Jotun, especially Steinr warriors.

The target may return the challenge, and engage the Jotun in single combat that ends until one warrior cannot continue; withdraws indicating they consider the other combatant their superior; or surrenders to the other, offering them the chance to strike them down or take them as a thrall. It is important to note that the battle does not pause during a challenge, but efforts by warriors on either side to join in void the challenge and may cause loss of honour to the Jotun involved, or give the Imperials a reputation for treachery. The Jotun are most likely to offer a challenge to, or accept a challenge from, someone they have identified as Winterfolk or Dawnish.

Imperial citizens often ignore the challenge, in which case the engagement proceeds in the more traditional way. A Jotun who does not wish to accept the challenge will usually indicate this with an exaggerated shake of the head. This is the most common response from a Jotun challenged by someone they have identified as a Navarr or Druj.

If the challenged warrior spits on the ground, they indicate that they do not consider the challenger to be a worthy opponent, or that they do not trust the target not to act in a dishonourable way. This is generally treated as an invitation to engage in a fight to the death, without any concern for rules of enagement. Jotun treated in this fashion, will generally fight until either they or their opponent is dead. This is the most popular response from a Jotun challenged by an Imperial Orc, assuming they even acknowledge the challenge.

Magic

Like all over intelligent beings the Jotun employ magic, but they do not seem to consider it a particularly appropriate weapon for the battlefield. The majority of Jotun magicians appear to focus of healing and restoring the limbs, armaments or general health of the warriors. There are few battle-magicians among them, and even those tend to focus on the swift heal, empower and purge incantations rather than the more aggressive spells. Jotun magicians rarely wear mage armour or wield staves.

The Imperial Orcs

The Jotun despise the Imperial Orcs. They never challenge them, and will not accept a challenge from one of them. They do not offer them quarter, nor expect it from them. Attempts by Imperial Orcs to change this attitude have been tragically unsuccessful.

History

The Jotun tribe is geographically divided but culturally united. The northern Jotun control the area dubbed Kalsea by the Winterfolk. They tend to be a little more cautious and more traditional than their southern cousins, and have a great deal of experience fighting the forces of Wintermark - they have been raiding into Sermersuaq and north-western Kallavesa since before the arrival of the Steinr. There are known to be a number of human settlements scattered across Kallsea, whose inhabitants offer tribute and fealty to their orc masters. These humans often fight alongside the Jotun, and seem to have little love for the Empire; while they are clearly not the equal of their inhuman overlords, they seem to have a social position below that of a minor orc tribe but above that of slaves or thralls. In 371 YE the Empress Britta dealt the northern Jotun a crushing defeat, driving them back into Kallsea and while they have made a few raids into Wintermark since then, they have not launched a significant attack against the Empire.

The southern Jotun occupy the area the Winterfolk call Narksyt. In pre-Imperial times they occupied much of western Bregasland and accompanied their northern cousins in raiding Kallavesa. With the arrival of the Marcher army from the east, they were eventually driven out of the marshes. Their numbers were swelled by the lesser tribes driven westward from what is now the Marches; according to historians, they engaged in a brutal war of dominance with the lesser tribes, conquering them and requiring them to offer fealty. Today the southern Jotun are much more aggressive than the northern branch of the tribe; in 347YE they began a campaign of conquest against the Mournwold, sweeping through Liathaven and driving out both the Navarr and the Marchers. They still occupy these territories to this day and make regular raids into Kahraman, Mitwold, Bregasland and even as far east as Tassato.

At various points in their history, the Jotun have entered into pacts with the humans of the Empire, most notably during the reign of Emperor Guntherm. These treaties reflect earlier conventions between the Jtoun and the Winterfolk in the years prior to the formation of the Empire. Such pacts and treaties take the form of ceasefires, and rarely last more than two years although in some cases they have been renewed. Some thanes living on the borders, and even a few Marcher stewards have engaged in smaller-scale pacts with individual clans of Jotun in a similar way.

Look and Feel

The Jotun value courage, strength and martial prowess above other attributes. They do not throw their lives away, nor use their subject tribes as disposable troops, but they are invariably looking for a way to increase their honour, with an eye towards becoming ancestors when they die. The only true dishonour, most Jotun recognise is showing fear in the face of the enemy, or striking a worthy opponent down by treacherous means.

Jotun favour axes and hammers over other weapons, whether two-handed or coupled with a round shield. They tend to shy away from bows, and seem to have no appreciation for the crossbow as a weapon of war - when it comes to ranged combat they prefer thrown axes or javelins. Their love of battle and emphasis on personal glory and honour, as well as their war-like traditions. means that many Jotun warriors are a match one-on-one for their Imperial counterparts, striking savage blows, breaking shields asunder or fighting on with incredible vitality.

The colour red appears to have totemic significance for the Jotun, and figures on most of their banners. They consider powerful creatures such as dire lions, dire bears and dire boars and mandowla to be potent symbols of strength and might. and many Jotun standards are topped with skulls of such animals.

Playing the Jotun

TBC

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Kaela

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Winter

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Winter

Sobriquets

Most commonly, Kaela is called the Lady of the Grim Host after the army of undying warriors she commands.

She is also known as the Sorrowful One, sometimes as End-of-Strength, sometimes as The Lady of Oblivion. among the Icewalkers of Wintermark she is called the Cold-Hearted; the Urizen stargazers refer to her as Dark-Between-The-Stars and say she despises and fears the Net of the Heavens; the Navarr call her Queen of Silence and say that she despises music and dance; and in The Marches she is called The Black Dog or (in whispers) The Black Bitch.

Her influence is strong in Axos and, to a lesser degree, the Sarcophan Delves. The Axou call her Queen Esk and seek her favour; there are several covens of magicians who serve as her agents selecting the best and brightest to convey to her presence so she may add them to her Grim Legion. In the Sumaah Republic she is shunned; magicians who deal with her are likely to face charges of blasphemy, heresy, idolatry or all three. In the Asavean Archipelago she is worshipped as a goddess - she is referred to as la Reine sur le Trône Noir (the queen on the black throne) and it is customary for wealthy Asaveans, especially those of advanced age, to offer a sacrifice of food, wine and blood to her at the Winter Solstice.

Appearance

This Winter Eternal appears either as a pale-skinned woman dressed in black armour, usually with a helmet crowned with the antlers of an elk and bearing a greataxe, or as an ancient crone dressed in dark-green and black with jewelry made from finger-bones. Traditionally she has appeared dressed as a Varushkan wise-one or boyar, but in recent decades she has taken to attire reminiscent of The Brass Coast or The League.

Kaela is never encountered alone; she is always accompanied by the warriors of her grim legion and by her undying attendants.

Concerns

Kaela exemplifies weakness, despair, old-age, senility and desperation. She takes no joy in these things, but presents them as simple, unquestionable facts. Everything fails. Everything dies. Everything falls apart. In the end, entropy wins.

It is not a matter of whether things will collapse, merely a matter of when. She respects those who strive to hold back the end ... as long as they accept that the end is inevitable, that there is no hope. Likewise she appreciates those who work to open the eyes of others to the essential futility of existence ... as long as they accept that their own actions are largely meaningless as well, in the long term. Optimists and priests alike tend to incur her cold wrath.

Despite her concern with ending and death, she is not especially interested in the undead. Husks, wights, ghosts and the like are said to bore her. At the point where a being becomes undead, they have already died - already lost - and undead creatures are pitiful shadows of living beings. In some cases, according to scholars, she has referred to them literally as shadows - cast-off by the mortal who created them. Like many Winter Eternals her pragmatic nature does not balk at the use of the undead as tools, but she does not consider them people. Her grim legionnaires are sometimes mistakenly referred to as undead, but she prefers to call them "unliving" - they are neither alive, nor dead, and have never actually stopped living.

Unlike beings such as Llofir however, Kaela does not despise the undead - for the most part she simply ignores them. She rarely, if ever, offers boons that destroy them, and never offers boons that allow them to be created except in the most short-lived circumstances (such as by enhancing the ability of Quickening Cold Meat to call forth Winter spirits to temporarily ride empty corpses).

Many priests despise Kaela; they fear that she is trapping human souls, removing them from the cycle of reincarnation. The Imperial Synod has prevailed on the Imperial Conclave several times to declare her an enemy of the Empire. Some theologians speculate that the undying legions do not have souls at all; that the human dies, and their soul moves on to the Labyrinth, and that the grim warriors are merely memories of themselves, little more than husks animated by a particularly strong animus. Speculation is likely to continue, as Kaela herself has no interest in answering questions about souls; she is generally dismissive when challenged.

In Wintermark she is strongly associated with the rune Kyrop.

Boons

Kaela's gifts are sorrow, despair and weakness; very few people want them for themselves. She can also offer wisdom, but always at a price - usually blindness or crippling infirmity. Some scholars say this is proof that she is connected to The Thrice-cursed Court; others point out that what she offers is wisdom, not power and that while the two appear similar, in the Winter Realm they are poles apart.

Her greatest boon, and the one she is most often approached to provide, is release from the fear of death (for at least as long as Creation endures). She can take someone who is not dead, even if they hover on the very brink of death, and bring them to her hopeless Realm to live on for eternity as one of her undying warriors. Sometimes she allows magicians to invoke her grim legion to fight alongside living warriors, but this return to the mortal Realm is always short-lived, and is a cruel reminder of the light, life, colour and joy that can never be experienced in the domain of Kaela.

Kaela prefers to take warriors over civilians, but anyone who has fought and striven in life who wishes to avoid death at any cost may find a place in her sorrowful court. Very rarely, she will bring forth a specific member of her legions to speak to mortals, provided they can be invoked by name and is among the legion. It is entirely at her whim if she chooses to do so. She can even be prevailed upon to allow one of her legion to die, but she will certainly charge a high price for this 'gift'.

Some seek out her ability to grant a painless death - she is said to be able to end anything that exists. She can kill a willing individual with a gentle caress, and it is said that even an apparently immortal creature such as a Volodny can be obliterated by her kiss. However, she is not a murderer and has no interest in forcing extinction on anyone. Only those who embrace death willingly will receive the painless death she offers. Her ability to kill is not limited to living beings - she is often evoked when performing Words of Ending, Black Iron Blade or by those attempting to unravel a permanent curse or enchantment.

Very rarely, Kaela offers a boon to an artist who has attracted her attention. She is known to appreciate well-crafted lays of lament, tragic poems, sad songs and theatrical events that end in despair, sorrow and bittersweet loss. A musician, playwright or poet who seeks to win her approval must be careful however, as she is known to dismiss those who fail to please her with a curse or a crippling malediction.

"By all means enjoy your life,

"But never forget that it is fleeting.

"Even if you manage to avoid violence, accident, pestilence ... even then you will age; you will decline; you will grow weak and infirm; your vision will dim, you will begin to forget; and then you will die. So will everyone you know and so will all your children down through all the ages until Creation itself gutters ... and goes out like a candle.

"So by all means, return to your home and raise your family, and strive to build a better world, and fight terrible wars for what you know is right and true; it gives one real hope for the whole future of Creation ... except, of course, we both know it has none."

OOC Note : The Grim Legion

It is entirely possible for a PC to join the Grim Legion in play, usually though an audience with the Eternal. The PC must still be alive when they reach her chamber, and is usually Terminal. A character who is accepted into the Legion feels their infirmity drop away, and is restored to full health but they can never leave Kaela's realm without her permission. The player may have time for a final farewell to loved ones, but at the end of the audience the character is considered to have died or retired and cannot be played any further.

Requests to speak to specific player characters who have joined the Grim Legion are invariably refused. Joining the Grim Legion exists as a dramatic in-character way for a Terminal character to 'die' and once the role-playing is complete, there will be no further chances to play that PC just as there are none when a PC dies by any other means.

Individuals who have joined the Grim Legion are also considered dead by the Egregore ability to sense if someone is alive.

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Kahraman

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 The Gilded Peak

- 3.2 The Northern Peaks

- 3.3 The Great Mine of Briante

- 3.4 The Damation Cliffs

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Braydon's Jasse

- 4.2 Gambit

- 4.3 Jade Range

- 4.4 Serra Briante

- 4.5 Serra Damata

- 4.6 OOC Notes

Overview

The mountains of Kahraman rise from the great grasslands of Soroche to the south and the Mournwold to the north. It's a treacherous land of broken rock and barren mountainside. Fast-flowing streams spill down deep jagged-edged valleys. There's precious little in the way of vegetation, only scrub that clings to the slopes. However, there are riches in the mountains; here the Freeborn find precious bametals and minerals, often as sediment lying in the streambeds. Scattered settlements shelter in the valleys, with the remains of stone fortresses and watchtowers decaying on the heights above, remnants from the days before Empire when the Freeborn warred with the Marches.

To the south of the mountains of Kahraman lie sweeping grass plains, a seemingly desolate landscape dotted with strange rock formations shaped by the wind. Here the Freeborn graze the bulk of their herds of goats and sheep. The wind from the west, the Delés, is constant and bitingly cold at night. As a result, for shelter, Freeborn communities settle in bowl-shaped depressions cut from the earth, their tents sunk below the plains surface.

The families of Kahraman have a somewhat undeserved reputation for being quarrelsome; as a response, the Freeborn established the post of Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills to help mediate their disputes and to encourage trade between the sometimes quite isolated settlements here. The Dhomiro is an Imperial title that is appointed each Autumn by Freeborn citizens who control fleet personal resources.

Recent History

Since Liathaven and the Mournwold fell into the hands of the Jotun barbarians, there has been an increase in raids by orcs from the north. The Freeborn maintain vital trade routes and communications with the Navarr holdouts in Beacon Point.

Major Features

The Gilded Peak

The mountain that separates the valley of Briante and the ancient stronghold of Fort Braydon bears a most peculiar summit, which at sunset or dawn gleams as if the rock is made of gold. The mountain is treacherous, and no-one has yet achieved it, although many have tried. “Climbing the Gilded Peak” has passed into local parlance as a phrase meaning “a fool’s dream”.

The Northern Peaks

The mountains along the northern borders of Kahraman are the home of several vicious clans of orc barbarians. Descended from mine working slaves who revolted during the orc rebellion, they refused all overtures from the Empire and expressed no interest in becoming Imperial orcs. Rather they created out-of-the-way strongholds for themselves and proceeded to prey on travelers and poorly defended caravans. Most of their spite was reserved for traders trying to cross the mountains to Liathaven, but in the years since they went rogue they have launched more than one concerted attack on a mining camp or northern village. The Empire would very much like to deal with them permanently, but they are like weeds - when one group is put down, another springs up a few years later to claim it's territory.

The Great Mine of Briante

At the heart of the mining settlement of Briante is the great mine that shares it's name. Perhaps the deepest mine in the Empire, it has been dug deeper and deeper over the centuries to excavate the precious mithril that is found deep underground.

This is an Imperial Bourse position. It is allocated to any Imperial citizen by open auction. It produces 22 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Damation Cliffs

The Cliffs are located near Damata and are well protected with a sequence of fortifications to guard the approach. Damation granite is flecked with silver marks although these are purely cosmetic and do not lessen its value.

The Damation Cliffs are an Imperial Bourse position. It is allocated to any Imperial citizen by open auction. It produces 27 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

Regions

Braydon's Jasse

The valeys of Braydon's Jasse are home to many small mining villages and the isolated homes of Freeborn families who value their privacy. The most famous feature of the Jasse is Fort Braydon, an old fortress dating from the days before the Marchers, when the Brass Coast kept watch against the barbarians and the Feni. The recent barbarian incursions have led to the the rebuilding of its walls and strengthening of its defenses. (OOC Note: Fort Braydon is a rank 1 fortification).

Gambit

Wide, arid plains characterise Gambit - named because every venture begun there is said to run a little extra risk but offer a little extra profit. Sunk into a natural depression in the rock-slopes that mark the southern limits of the Kahraman mountains is Rojota. Surrounded by goat-farming land, it is a hard place to scratch a living. Its fame is for a peculiar method of foretelling the future. Precious - for the Brass Coast - scraps of wood are left to weather in dust blown by the Delés and interpreted by sutannir skilled in such matters.

Jade Range

The Jade Range takes its names both from the rich deposits of tempest jade in the hills, and from the dark, rich colouration of it's grassy plains, kept lush by great underground aquifers. The grazing here is good, nearly a match for that of the Great Grasses in Madruga or the Sorbal Grasses of Segura. The plains are spotted with settlements, the largest of which is probably Nestor’s Bounty, named for a scrivener who made a vast fortune writing contracts for the sale of rich claims found in the hills. As with Briante, this town is well-known for its mines, particularly precious stones and tempest jade.

Serra Briante

This hilly region is named for the Briante valley and the town that shares the same name. Surrounded by rich open-cast mines, Briante is now home for a number of displaced Navarr steadings, pushed out of Liathaven by the Jotun incursions. The town still maintains the Navarr beacons that once allowed the inhabitants of southern Liathaven to maintain simple communication with their northern neighbours - as well as provide early warnings of potential attacks from western lands outside the Empire. The Briante lies at the heart of the valley.

Keywords: Hilly

Serra Damata

One of the most important settlements in the Serra Damata is the town from which the region takes it's name - Damata. A trading centre for the surrounding peaks, where rich deposits of orichalcum are still found, Damata is famed for its walls, every metre of which is covered in finely calligraphed script, recording stories that have been told amongst the Freeborn for generations. One day, they say, there will be no more room for writing, and then the town will perish, its life written. In the meantime, Dawnish troubadors and Winterfolk scops alike travel for some distance to learn the stories on the walls of Damata. The Damation Cliffs, a valuable Imperial Bourse seat, are found near Damatia.

Keywords: Hilly

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Kahraman are in the hands of the Brass Coast (and by extension the Empire).

- Fort Braydon is a rank 1 fortification.

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Kala

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

Kala was recognised as an Exemplar of Wisdom by the Highborn Assembly of the Virtuous.

Biography

Signs

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Kalenda Maya

Kalenda Maya, medieval. Score and performance by Kathryn Wheeler.

This tune is played throughout Wintermark and the northern Marches and is often used as a dance tune.

Mp3, used with permission Media:Kalenda_maya.mp3

Score, used with permission Media:Kalenda_Maya.pdf

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Kallavesa

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Rundhal

- 3.2 The Sovevann

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Kallavesa Marsh

- 4.2 Rundhal Marsh

- 4.3 Skymark

- 4.4 West Marsh

- 4.5 Wittal Grove

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

This is the ancestral home of the Kallavesi, a land of cold stagnant bogs. The land changes through the seasons, but always has a feeling of brooding stillness. In the warmer months it is a boggy marsh cut through with streams and fjords. In the winter the waterways freeze over and the whole land is covered with frost and snow. The marsh serves as the national graveyard and this is a place of ancient secrets and mysticism. The stories of the mystics say that in ancient times a flight of crows flew over the marshes scattering feathers into the waters below. Where each feather landed, a Kallavesi emerged from the marshes.

It is a mournful land, but a beautiful one. Thanes' halls are traditionally constructed entirely from wood here and those built in marshy areas are raised up on stilts. Many halls in Kallavesa are built around sacred places or places with a magical reputation. There are not believed to be any troll ruins in Kallavesa; while stories occasionally speak of shattered halls buried beneath the Rhundal Marsh, these tales are considered largely fanciful or allegorical.

Parts of Kallavesa, especially the West Marsh have a reputation for being haunted. Not only are the marshes where the honoured dead of Wintermark are interred, they have also seen regular battles through the ages. Several vicious battlefields lie drowned beneath the boggy marshes; the Jotun have raided across the narrow sea from Kallsea since time-out-of-mind; in pre-Imperial centuries there were irregular border skirmishes across the southern borders - first with with the the orcs who dwelt where Bregasland and Mitwold lie today, later with Marchers who displaced them. Orc and human dead alike lie in the deep pools of the western and southern marshes, and they do not always lie still.

Kallavesa is rich to many fine herb gardens. Perhaps as a consequence of the many battlefields buried beneath the marshes, the territory is known for the quality of the bladeroot that grows here. The Kallavesi themselves are acknowledged experts in the use of herbs - the Infusions of Feathers were first developed here in the Wittal Groves and later shared with apothecaries from across the Empire.

The Senator for Kallavesa is appointed by the Kallavesi during the Winter Solstice, and is almost invariably of Kallavesi stock.

Recent History

In the Winter of 370YE the Jotun invaded in force, taking West Marsh and pushing into Skymark. Before they could consolidate their hold, however a joint campaign by Wintermark and Marcher armies drove them out under the leadership of a young Skarsind general named Britta. Without her excellent leadership and inspirational presence is it widely believed that both Sermersuaq and Kallavesa would have been lost to the orcs. Further attempts at invasion were stymied by the re-vitalised and re-equipped armies left behind to guard against another attack.

The marshes of Kallavesa are the final resting place of the great heroes and heroines of Wintermark. Alone of all previous Emperors and Empresses, Empress Britta was interred in the marshes rather than resting at Necropolis. The Highborn have built a shrine and appointed a Guardian of Britta's Shrine, but the body itself (or as much of it as was recovered from the Thule) rests beneath the waters of Kallavesa.

Major Features

Rundhal

Once the capital of Kallevesa, in Ruhdahl where mystics sent dreams to the Steinr, and where the wise met to choose the monarch of Wintermark before the Empire. It is still a place of utmost importance to those who follow the Kallavesi traditions, and is where many of the oldest traditions are passed on. Scops come to the round hall to learn the stories and songs that tell their nation who they are and inspire heroes across all of Empire.

The Sovevann

The weed-choked waters at the heart of Kallavesa, boundaries and waterways shifting and reform all the time, as small islands of floating reeds drift on unpredictable currents. Attempts to build permanent structures here are stymied by chaotic nature of the floating islands and the presence of several large colonies of marshwalkers who will not tolerate the disruption of their boggy territory.

Regions

Kallavesa Marsh

Sandwiched between the Westmere and the Sovevann, this is the place most outsiders think of when they imagine Kallavesa. Boggy marsh, dotted with lone huts on stilts where pale herons stalk and burbling frogs maintain an eerie chorus at dawn and dusk. These are the haunted marshes where the heroes of Wintermark rest, and the few scattered halls here are generally given over to the study of The Way of serve as hostelries for visiting pilgrims come to honour the dead.

The largest settlement in this region is Masi home to the dead and those who guard them. Funerals are usually held here. On the rare occasions that a Feni or Jotun raid is not turned back at the borders, it is the warriors of Masi who force them back.

Keywords: Marsh

Rundhal Marsh

Site of Rundhal, the largest permanent settlement in Kallavesa. It is a place dedicated to wisdom and the mystic learning of the Kallavesi. While Rundhal Marsh is boggy and damp, the western stretches towards Hahnmark are somewhat elevated and drier - here are found many copses of beggarwood and other softwoods, carefully tended by stewards who ensure their health and that the availability of wood for building the unique stilted buildings of the marshes.

Keywords: Marsh

Skymark

The northernmost of the Kallavesa regions is chilled by northern winds for much of the year, but is also home to rich farms and sprawling holds. Small fishing fleets are common here, and several of the villages here maintain ties with their cousins in Sermersuaq via the Rikkivesi and the Atkonartoq. In southern Skymark is Ishal, across the cold waters of Sovevann from Rundhal and Masi, furthest of the three settlements round the lake at the heart of Kallevesa. This is where the wise go to read the future in the flight of birds and the night skies, as the scops learn at Rundhal and the dead heroes rest in the marshes near Masi. It’s a place for the old, for learning and for clear thought. "Threes, and threes and threes," the seers say, those who foretold the coming of the Steinr.

West Marsh

On the shores of the Westmere stands Westerhal, home to the small fleet of Kallavesi boats that keep the coast safe from Jotun raiders. Its importance has slowly dwindled, in part due to the rise of Meade in the Marches which has much better access to wood and stores, but the patrol ships of the Marches are uncommon this far north. Once it was the second settlement of Kallavesa, and there are residents who would like to see it take its place again as a center of trade and defence of Wintermark - perhaps with a new fortification.

Keywords: Marsh

Wittal Grove

At the heart of the grove stands Wittal, a place of learning and the study of herbs and plants. Many Grimnir have spent a season or more studying here, as have healers from further afield, even a few from far Urizen. Some never return from foraging expeditions into the deep-woods; the Feni are usually blamed. The inhabitants of Wittal also maintain the The Tree of Swords, a lone elm tree in a glade hung with the swords of dead Wintermark warriors that is also the heart of a strong Winter regio. Weapons are hung there of warriors who died with their quests uncompleted. It’s said that if the tree ever flowers, the warriors will return.

Where the trees join the marshes, on the shores of the Westmere, stands the small port of Fisk. Before there was an Empire, Fisk was an armed camp watching the orcs of what is now Mitwold (and later, the Marchers who displaced them). After the formation of the Empire, the warriors largely left Fisk and the traders moved in. Today, Fisk is a small but prosperous port allowing adventurous ship owners to trade with Meade and the Marchers and even with foreigners across the sea as far as the Asavean Archipelago and the Sumaah Republic.

Keywords: Wooded

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Kallavesa are under Imperial control

- This page is still under development - the next stage is to review approved backgrounds for details that would enrich the description of the territory.

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Kallavesi

The Kallavesi are a numinous people whose ancestral homeland lies in and around the cold marshland of Kallavesa. They are the spiritual backbone of the nation, acting as seers and guardians of the dead. Many Kallavesi are mystics, magicians or priests, but the Kallavesi honour wisdom in all forms. Kallavesi hunters and warriors use their understanding of their Skein and the interpretation of omens to guide them in ways that often seem peculiar to less spiritual people. This wisdom is the essential trait of the Kallavesi, and they understand that there is more to the world than the obvious structures that are visible to everyone.

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Karov

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Delev

- 3.2 The Weeping Stone

- 3.3 The Eternal Shafts of Time

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Duzekani

- 4.2 Kamienczka

- 4.3 Malimorzi

- 4.4 Skoremujac

- 4.5 Wieliczka

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

The rich heartland of the nation, and the wealthiest territory in terms of timber and amber, this is where most outsiders think of when Varushka is mentioned. The vales here exist among rich forests, where they have not been cleared to make way for small farms. Karov has the largest towns in Varushka, and the majority of its boyars come from this relatively civilised territory. A great deal of trade happens in Karov, with wagon trains and river barges carrying raw materials south to Temeschwar or Weirwater and north to more isolated valleys who are in need.

Despite its settled nature, it would be a mistake to think the land is entirely tamed and great tracts of wilderness still remain, often home to particularly malignant – if quiescent – sovereigns. These creatures awaken or emerge from time to time with often tragic consequences - so the wise ones take care to ensure each generation remembers the warning stories about creatures whose last depredations may have been in the times of their grandparents or great-grandparents.

Karov was one of the first places settled by the Vard during their early conflict with the Ushka. They ruthlessly cleared areas of forests to build their settlements and some of the oldest towns show clear influence of their shared heritage with the Steinr of Wintermark, especially in the west. Indeed, there are several old battlefields in western Karov where Vard and Steinr, and later Varushkan and Wintermark, clashed in the distant past long before the foundation of the Empire. A number of very old tales from Karov include two siblings who romance a stranger; the former represent Vard and Steinr, the latter the Ushka. Invariably the elder sibling wins the affection of the stranger, and the younger angrily retreats to the west. This is a highly stylised and historically dubious version of the founding of Varushka, but it is popular nonetheless.

On the whole, the folk of Karov enjoy many of the finer things in life - good food, good drink and regular festivals. Many towns and villages in Karov employ Stzena, local musicians who perform at local civic events and celebrations; there are several vales here dedicated specifically to the training of Stzena, and recording and preserving the music and songs of the Varushkan people.-

Recent History

Karov is perhaps the most peaceful of the Varushkan territories. Until Karsk fell to the Thule, they had enjoyed three and a half centuries of peace. In 372YE the Thule attempted to push through Malimorzi and briefly occupied the settlement of Korotny, but they were driven back within a season by the combined forces of the Northern Eagle and Golden Axe. Raiding parties still creep across the border from time to time, but for the most part Karov has been unmolested.

Major Features

Delev

The oldest and proudest of the vales that guard the road from the Semmerlak to Seren and the south, Delev is a hub for the many smaller vales dotted around southern Varushka. It has a complex rivalry with Temeschwar, which outgrew its parent and then left the family to join the League. Delev is again the foremost trading town in Karov, which suits it well. Despite the intervening centuries, there is still some bad blood between the citizens of Delev and those of Varushkan descent in Temeschwar. A particular bone of contention are the Eternal Shafts of Time, which the Temeschwari attempted to "take with them" when they seceded. Several Karov families at least keep alive tales of treachery, ingratitude and attempted theft.

In early 377YE a sequence of fortified watchtowers and walled camp sites was erected around Delev, and in various strategic points along the road to Seren, serving as secure bases of operation for bounty-hunters and wardens concerned with both bandit and wolves alike. Overseen by Henry Ward (senator for Upwold) as part of a larger Senate initiative to provide protection to towns throughout the Empire, the defences are not sufficient to qualify Delev as a fortification but have already helped reduce casual outlawry throughout the territory. They have also prompted some discussion about further work, and the value of building a complete system of forts and castles in the vicinity of this vital trade hub.

The Weeping Stone

This is a great standing stone atop a mound in Kamienczka near the border with Wintermark. The stone appears melted, like the wax of a candle, as if it once stood in a limestone cave. No grass will grow on the mound, and there are several stories of unnatural disappearances in the vicinity. According to legend, roads built in the vicinity of the Weeping Stone fall into ruin with preternatural speed, and any building that can be seen from the stone is likewise doomed to fall apart. The tales say that within three years no two stones will still lie side by side, and there are enough stories of collapsed bridges, unexpected raids and disastrous fires to support this belief.

In legends this locale is sometimes associated with the Sovereign known as the Tallowman, although this connection might simply be based on the way the "melted" appearance of the stone.

The Eternal Shafts of Time

In the mountains near Vorota are the Eternal Shafts of Time. These ancient shafts were old long before the Empire was born and the size and shape suggests that those who once worked them were not human. Time seems to run strangely in the shafts, workers claim some days simply run longer than others and the output of the mines supports their claims. Ownership of the Shafts was hotly contested between the citizens of Temeschwar and those of Varushka in the early days of the Empire, but in the end the Varushkans retained control of them.

The Eternal Shafts of Time is a Bourse position which produces mithril. It is assigned to whichever Varushkan candidate receives the most support from Varushkan owners of mine resources. The bourse position produces 27 wains of mithril each season.

Regions

Duzekani

This lightly wooded region is where Delev - one of the major Varushkan trade hubs - can be found. Duzekani is well-known for the fine quality of its bees, as well as for some of the best forests for finding iridescent gloaming in Varushka (the land is often too cold for the butterflies that produce the rare material to truly prosper). For the most part, however, the woods of Duzekani have been cleared or tamed - this is the civilised heart of the most civilised territory of Varushka.

Kamienczka

The least settled region of Karov, Kamienczka has a reputation for being an unfortunate place to be born. Most of the blame is aimed squarely at the Weeping Stone which stands in the foothills to the west. The only vale of any great size is Olvanshka, home to several Warden fellowships standing guard on the Sovereigns believed to sleep in the hills to its north and west - and who keep a watch over the Weeping Stone for good measure.

Malimorzi

The easternmost of the regions of Karov, and the one most in danger of invasion now that Karsk is in the hands of the Thule. A great deal of trade comes through Malimorzi from other settlements along the shore of the Semmerlak. Much of that trade comes through the bustling port of Korotny, built on the north-western shores of the great freshwater lake that allows trade with Dawn and, at one time, Holberg. It is also known for one of the largest fishing fleets in Varushka. Some of the more entrepreneurial minded inhabitants of Korotny dream of how their fortunes might rise if the Barrens was brought into the Empire and their vessels could trade the length of the southern rivers to Therunin. From time to time, exploratory expeditions set forth to the eastern shore, scouting lands believed to be under the thrall of the Druj or perhaps exotic foreigners. Some return with goods, tales, and a measure of pride. Most do not.

Skoremujac

Forested Skoremujac is a centre for fur-trapping and the production of both ambergelt and dragonbone. Much of this industry revolves around Kolvy. The locals know well that wealth attracts wolves and the hunting is done subject to great care, attempting to leave as little disturbance to any slumbering horrors as can be.

Keywords: Wooded.

Wieliczka

The people of Wieliczka have the closest ties of any Varushkan to the people of the League. The fortified settlement of Vorota was once a vital guard against the people of the south, and it's folk consider themselves the last vale of true Varushka on the road south. It is home to some who chose to leave Temeschwar rather than leave Varushka, and many don’t have the warmest of feelings towards the prodigal city. Indeed, when the Temeschwari ejected their criminals during the notorious Night of a Thousand Torches some of the most organised made it as far as Vorota and laid siege to the town. The settlement has been fortified of late due to the Jotun incursions in Wintermark, and the guards are even more suspicious of travelers than usual.

Keyword: Hills.

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Karov are under Imperial control,

- This page is still under development - the next stage is to review approved backgrounds for details that would enrich the description of the territory.

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Karsk

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Isember

- 3.2 Kosti

- 3.3 Oloy

- 3.4 Veresk

- 3.5 Broken Barrow

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Branoc

- 4.2 Crowslook

- 4.3 Kopevnost

- 4.4 Krevsaty

- 4.5 Lestasny

- 4.6 Moresvah

- 4.7 Nitrost

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

This has always been a war-torn land. The scene of many vicious battles against the barbarians since before Varushka joined the Empire, it is scattered with fortresses, battlefields and ruins. It has an accursed reputation, and many stories refer to the "bloated crows of Karsk, grown fat from human flesh and suffering." At one time this territory was home to numerous merchant boyars who became rich capturing and enslaving orcs to work in the mines of Volodmartz. When the Imperial orcs joined the Empire and it became illegal to keep orcish slaves, the senator for Karsk was brutally murdered during a meeting with a dozen now-ruined Karsk boyars including the last scion of the Zeleny mining family.

Recent History

After a period of escalating raids, barbarian orcs invaded Karsk from the north in 368YE. In a series of surprise attacks they overwhelmed the border fortresses and pushed deep into the heart of the territory. The ferocity and sheer numbers involved in the assault took the Varushkans by surprise, and before the Empire could organize an effective counter-attack, Karsk had fallen.

The campaign against the orcs stretched on for several decades. A few vales held out against the barbarians, backed up by some Imperial forces, a cabal or two and a few fellowships of wardens. Scattered reports revealed that the initial strong invasion quickly stalled. It soon became clear that the invading orcs were fighting among themselves, and with some of the few remaining indigenous orcish bandit tribes.

Following major offensives in Moresvah and Nitrost a strike team assaulted the town of Isember in Lestasny during the Spring Equinox 378YE. A focal point for traitors aiding the Thule, victory resulted in the destruction of the town and drove Thule forces back into the eastern regions. Karsk was once again in Imperial hands - but the campaign was far from over. The Thule forces showed no sign of abandoning the territory. As the year lengthened, the barbarians regrouped and in Autumn launched a counter-offensive. During the Autumn Equinox, Nitrost was lost following a concerted Thule offensive, and with it Imperial control of the territory.

Within three months, however, the tide of war had turned back the other way. A major campaign by Varushkan, Navarr and Urizen forces aided by powerful ritual magic forced the Thule back out of Nitrost, returning the territory to Imperial hands. During the Winter Solstice 378YE, Karsk was once again made part of Varushka - but this time there was a good deal more discussion in the Imperial Senate, and some talk of granting it to the Imperial Orcs as their first territory.

Major Features

Isember

Grew rich off the back of orc slaves, hacking prime timber out of the rich forests overseen by hard-eyed schlacta. When the slaves were freed, and the mercenary spearmen left, the wolves in the forest grew bolder. Isember was in decline long before the orcs came, known as a violent place where anyone could carve out a new living for themselves, with no questions asked as to their background. Evidence came to light that many of the town’s inhabitants may have made bargains with the invaders, and that exiles and outlaws from across the Empire were coming here to fight under the Thule banners. In Spring 378YE a decisive battle was fought here, and the town of Isember largely ruined in what was a turning point in the war with the Thule.

One of the few structures still standing is the poorly-named Sovereigns Heart, a hostelry that for the moment is seeing excellent business serving Imperial troops raiding the Thule - it has proved especially popular with Imperial Orcs and Wintermark raiders. The precarious nature of the inn - right on the edge of Thule-claimed territory - adds a certain dark desperation to the drinking and fighting that are a regular feature of a night spent here.

Kosti

A high-walled fortified town still holding for the Empire, in hope that one day Karsk will build a better reputation back in Empire control. Well-shielded wagon-trains barrel down the road from Triosk with supplies.

Oloy

Once a great centre for the making of defensive talismans. Wise Volhov, natural amber and the silence of isolation combined to make great magics. It fell so fast, few survived and those who did tell of great magical treasures hurriedly hidden. The Thule magicians rapaciously stripped the area of resources, and one of the few to survive their attentions was the Proritsatel Oloy. Much depleted, it nonetheless will provide a bounty of crystal mana to a volhov brave enough to seek it out.

Veresk

The front of the barbarian advance, and a focus of Imperial scouting activity. Wardens watching the area reported incidents of orcs fighting orcs within the barbarian encampments there. Many of the permanent buildings of Veresk have been torn down, but the Vereski Stzena still tend to the spiritual needs of the huddled survivors, too stubborn to leave their homes.

Broken Barrow

A scattered set of stone structures atop a mound. A great stone slab lies in two pieces on top of the central structures. Legend says that its a barrow, but it’s not clear who lay there - it appears empty. Others believe it might have been a settlement. It is not a place where Varushkans will linger after dark. Interestingly, scouts report that it appears to have been left alone by the barbarian invaders.

Regions

Branoc

Hilly Branoc is the site of the sinister broken barrow. The entire region has a bad reputation, as do several of the vales established here.

Keywords: Hilly

Crowslook

A desolate hilly region, the site of many mines … and the site of vicious fighting with the Imperial orcs during the orc rebellion. This is the site of a powerful Winter regio raised by the Thule during the Winter of 376YE, and of the cursed Moye Mucheniye.

Keyword: Hilly

Kopevnost

Site of Kosti, a well built town with low walls in a defensible position. It was never captured by the Thule. The region has a long, gentle coast and has served in the past as a valuable place for food and supplies to be delivered to the defenders of Karsk. A recent murder here brought to light the presence of a mora in the heart of Kosti, and the Travy Mudrosti is the remnant of her tragic tale. The citizens of Kosti asked that the herb garden be added to the spoils of war, no doubt concerned that any curse she may have left might fall on one of their families.

Krevsaty

The rolling hills of Krevsaty is the site of the remains of the settlement of Oloy. The Thule are believed to have a large camp there, extracting as much ambergelt as possible from the surrounding areas. Some scouts suggest they have enslaved a number of talismancers captured when Krevasty fell to the barbarians. The region is the base of operations of a powerful Thule warlock practitioner of Spring ritual magic. Along the northern border with neighbouring Volodmartz lies the Krevsaty Yelta, one of the richest ambergelt forests in Karsk - and one that has managed to remain largely untouched by the barbarians. With Krevasty in Thule hands it is difficult to reach overland, but the long route through Volodmartz still allows the bounty of ambergelt to be claimed by those brave enough to pass through trackless hills and forests.

Keyword: Hilly

Lestasny

Previously this forested region was the location of the town of Isember; a wretched hive of scum and villainy. The humans there joined forces with the Thule barbarians in return for loot and stolen Imperial coin, and attracted bandits, exiles and criminals from across the northern Empire. During the Spring Equinox 378YE a strike force of Imperial heroes descended on Lestasny, scattering it's defenders and putting many of them to the sword. Isember now stands in ruins, and it is unclear whether the Varushkans have any interest in rebuilding it.

A great distance to the east of the ruins of Isember lie the Mir Mozga - a barren stretch of pines, surprisingly rich in dragonbone. The forest has been ignored by the Thule, for some reason; scouts speak of being watched, but with no sign of any living creatures larger than a squirrel.

Keyword: Forested

Moresvah

Reasonably hilly and has a long coast; it was one of the last regions to be taken by the Thule. For many years defenders from the three largest mining families - the Malinov, the Sloev and the Pravin - held out and fought the Thule using the isolated mines and networks of tunnels to avoid capture. Following their liberation by Imperial forces in Winter 377YE the three families broke into their reserves of equipment and materials to offer valuable resources to the armies fighting the Thule here.

Not every mine in Moresvah was so lucky - the Zeleny Zheleza for example was thoroughly plundered by the barbarians during the occupation. This did not stop the Sloev family attempting to take control of the mine in Spring 378YE, but tey abruptly withdrew their petition and the mine ultimately fell under the jurisdiction of the military council as a spoil of war.

Keywords: Hilly

Nitrost

A hilly region, where the ruins of Veresk stand – those buildings that have not been torn down by the invaders have been damaged during the internecine fighting between orc bands. With the region returned to Imperial hands, the slow business of rebuilding can begin. Not everyone wishes to remain in Nitrost, however. The schlacta known as Slava's Schlacta saw their vale overrun by Thule and lost their boyar in the recent war of liberation. With their homes gone, most are looking for a new captain to lead them against the enemies of Varushka.

Keywords: Hilly

OOC Notes

- As of the beginning of Spring 379YE, Imperial forces control the regions of Kopevnost, Moresvah, Lestasny and Nitrost. The territory is still under Imperial control, but the Thule maintain a strong presence in Branoc, Krevasty and Crowslook.

- A list of the spoils of war, allocated by the Military Council at the Summer Solstice 378YE can be found here.

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Karsk spoils of war

Following the liberation of Karsk by Imperial troops in Spring 378YE, these resources were presented to the Military council for assignment as spoils of war during the Summer Solstice, 378YE.

Contents

- 1 Vereski Stzena

- 2 Proritsatel Oloy

- 3 Moye Mucheniye

- 4 Krevsaty Yelta

- 5 The Sovereigns Heart

- 6 Travy Mudrosti

- 7 Mir Mozga

- 8 The Goats of Karsk

- 9 Zeleny Zheleza

Vereski Stzena

Congregation / Rank 3

When their curse-ridden vale was overrun with barbarians, the musicians of Veresk found their Way. With a repertoire of songs and morality tales based on the adventures of the Varushkan virtuous animals, they have been silently travelling the paths of Karsk by day and singing around campfires at night, instilling virtue where they could in the Imperial citizens that remained there. Now with Karsk back in Imperial hands, the Stzena need someone to cater to their spiritual needs on their grim journeys around the harsh territory.

Proritsatel Oloy

Mana Site / Rank 2

It is perhaps ironic that Oloy, renowned as a centre for making defensive talismans, fell so quickly to the barbarian invasion. The mana site of one of the former Volhov working in Oloy, Proritsatel is a circle of ancient tree stumps surrounding a natural crater that remains as a testament to the skill and power of those brave Volhov who died in its defence.

Moye Mucheniye

Weltsilver Mine / Rank 4

This Crowslook mine is tainted with the history of slavery and oppression and was the scene of several bloody battles at the start of the orc rebellion. Collapsed shafts still resonate with what sounds like the death-rattles of former workers and slaves caught in one of the frequent cave-ins. Despite this reputation, there is still plenty of weltsilver in the depths of the hills here for those who care not for its history, only its produce.

Krevsaty Yelta

Ambergelt / Rank 3

The Thule presence in the Krevatsy region has severely depleted the natural supplies of ambergelt. The Krevsaty Yelta is perhaps the largest single source of ambergelt in Karsk that has remained untouched by Thule hands. Perhaps the mere presence of the frightful faces warding the trees were enough to dissuade them, or maybe their extraction plans were thwarted by warding magic that has now faded.

The Sovereigns Heart

Business / Rank 2

This Isember based hostelry has had some rough and ready customers, but an owner can turn quite a profit if they don't mind where the money comes from. Isember has mostly been deserted and ruined, but the Sovereign's Heart still stands, waiting patiently to see if the town will be rebuilt and making its coin on what might become an Imperial outpost or a booming frontier town. Either way, it's owner stands to make some coin.

Travy Mudrosti

Herb Garden / Rank 3

Woe betide he who unwittingly takes a Mora as a spouse and then mistreats her. When Karsk was lost to the barbarians, Grezny Mudrosti of Kopevnost turned to drink and began cursing his wife for their misfortune, little knowing that his wife's tongue held more powerful curses than he could imagine. The neighbours found his body one morning, flayed alive with a bloated crow feasting on his severed tongue. Of his Mora wife Nastasya there was no sign, though her excellently tended and well stocked herb garden remains as the place of refuge she sought from her husband's shouts and fists, all the while waiting patiently for the revenge she craved.

Production - 6 doses of True Vervain, 2 doses of Cerulean Mazzarine, 4 doses of Bladeroot, 2 doses of Imperial Roseweald and 4 doses of Marrowort.

Mir Mozga

Dragonbone Forest / Rank 4

Fine deposits of Dragonbone sit silently amongst the roots in the great forest of Lestasny. The Mir Mozga area is particularly rich in this material which seems to have gone unnoticed and untouched by the recent barbarian incursions. The original owner is unknown, most likely a casualty of war or an Isembrite traitor.

The Goats of Karsk

Military Unit / Rank 3

Boyar Slava Milijovic and his professional soldiery defended their vale in the hills of Nitrost against barbarian incursions for ten long years, but Slava himself fell in battle when the Empire routed the barbarians from his beloved homeland. Once known as Slava's Schlacta, the band have been renamed the Goats of Karsk in 379YE by Hubert Gremani after he took over the leadership.

Zeleny Zheleza

Green Iron Mine / Rank 5

The last actual Zeleny was executed in 325YE for her part in the death of the Senator of Karsk, and the mine has passed through a chain of hands since then. While the three largest mining families - the Malinov, the Sloev and the Pravin - dominate much of the mining activity in Moresvah, the grand mine of Zeleny Zheleza has always been held in Vard rather than Ushkan hands. Local folklore suggests that the mine is cursed, and that the owner will invariably meet a grim end. Despite a long history of conflict with the three dominant families, and despite being thoroughly plundered by the barbarians during the occupation, Zeleny Zheleza remains the most prominent and lucrative single mine in Karsk.

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Karsk spoils of war (Redirected from Karsk Spoils of War)

Following the liberation of Karsk by Imperial troops in Spring 378YE, these resources were presented to the Military council for assignment as spoils of war during the Summer Solstice, 378YE.

Contents

- 1 Vereski Stzena

- 2 Proritsatel Oloy

- 3 Moye Mucheniye

- 4 Krevsaty Yelta

- 5 The Sovereigns Heart

- 6 Travy Mudrosti

- 7 Mir Mozga

- 8 Slava's Schlacta

- 9 Zeleny Zheleza

Vereski Stzena

Congregation / Rank 3

When their curse-ridden vale was overrun with barbarians, the musicians of Veresk found their Way. With a repertoire of songs and morality tales based on the adventures of the Varushkan virtuous animals, they have been silently travelling the paths of Karsk by day and singing around campfires at night, instilling virtue where they could in the Imperial citizens that remained there. Now with Karsk back in Imperial hands, the Stzena need someone to cater to their spiritual needs on their grim journeys around the harsh territory.

Proritsatel Oloy

Mana Site / Rank 2

It is perhaps ironic that Oloy, renowned as a centre for making defensive talismans, fell so quickly to the barbarian invasion. The mana site of one of the former Volhov working in Oloy, Proritsatel is a circle of ancient tree stumps surrounding a natural crater that remains as a testament to the skill and power of those brave Volhov who died in its defence.

Moye Mucheniye

Weltsilver Mine / Rank 4

This Crowslook mine is tainted with the history of slavery and oppression and was the scene of several bloody battles at the start of the orc rebellion. Collapsed shafts still resonate with what sounds like the death-rattles of former workers and slaves caught in one of the frequent cave-ins. Despite this reputation, there is still plenty of weltsilver in the depths of the hills here for those who care not for its history, only its produce.

Krevsaty Yelta

Ambergelt / Rank 3

The Thule presence in the Krevatsy region has severely depleted the natural supplies of ambergelt. The Krevsaty Yelta is perhaps the largest single source of ambergelt in Karsk that has remained untouched by Thule hands. Perhaps the mere presence of the frightful faces warding the trees were enough to dissuade them, or maybe their extraction plans were thwarted by warding magic that has now faded.

The Sovereigns Heart

Business / Rank 2

This Isember based hostelry has had some rough and ready customers, but an owner can turn quite a profit if they don't mind where the money comes from. Isember has mostly been deserted and ruined, but the Sovereign's Heart still stands, waiting patiently to see if the town will be rebuilt and making its coin on what might become an Imperial outpost or a booming frontier town. Either way, it's owner stands to make some coin.

Travy Mudrosti

Herb Garden / Rank 3

Woe betide he who unwittingly takes a Mora as a spouse and then mistreats her. When Karsk was lost to the barbarians, Grezny Mudrosti of Kopevnost turned to drink and began cursing his wife for their misfortune, little knowing that his wife's tongue held more powerful curses than he could imagine. The neighbours found his body one morning, flayed alive with a bloated crow feasting on his severed tongue. Of his Mora wife Nastasya there was no sign, though her excellently tended and well stocked herb garden remains as the place of refuge she sought from her husband's shouts and fists, all the while waiting patiently for the revenge she craved.

Production - 6 doses of True Vervain, 2 doses of Cerulean Mazzarine, 4 doses of Bladeroot, 2 doses of Imperial Roseweald and 4 doses of Marrowort.

Mir Mozga

Dragonbone Forest / Rank 4

Fine deposits of Dragonbone sit silently amongst the roots in the great forest of Lestasny. The Mir Mozga area is particularly rich in this material which seems to have gone unnoticed and untouched by the recent barbarian incursions. The original owner is unknown, most likely a casualty of war or an Isembrite traitor.

Slava's Schlacta

Military Unit / Rank 3

Boyar Slava Milijovic and his professional soldiery defended their vale in the hills of Nitrost against barbarian incursions for ten long years, but Slava himself fell in battle when the Empire routed the barbarians from his beloved homeland. Now his schlacta seek another boyar to lead them into battle and defend the vale from enemies.

Zeleny Zheleza

Green Iron Mine / Rank 5

The last actual Zeleny was executed in 325YE for her part in the death of the Senator of Karsk, and the mine has passed through a chain of hands since then. While the three largest mining families - the Malinov, the Sloev and the Pravin - dominate much of the mining activity in Moresvah, the grand mine of Zeleny Zheleza has always been held in Vard rather than Ushkan hands. Local folklore suggests that the mine is cursed, and that the owner will invariably meet a grim end. Despite a long history of conflict with the three dominant families, and despite being thoroughly plundered by the barbarians during the occupation, Zeleny Zheleza remains the most prominent and lucrative single mine in Karsk.

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Keeper's Habit

Description

Modelled after the habits favoured by the monks and friars of The Marches, the keeper's habit is usually a wide-sleeved hooded robe. Generally simple in design, they are nonetheless usually constructed of delicate lambs' wool and beautifully decorated. They empower a priest with the ability to create spiritual auras in locations much more often than their supply of liao would normally allow. In particular, important meals in some monastaries begin with the wearer of one of these robes blessing the chamber and the congregation, especially with auras of Prosperity and Pride.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may perform or contribute to a consecrate ceremony without expending any liao. You must be able to perform the consecrate ceremony to use this ability.

- Materials: Crafting a keeper's habit requires five ingots of green iron, five measures of ambergelt and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Keeper of the Memorial Gardens of Treji

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

The Keeper of the Memorial Gardens of Treji is an Imperial title created by the Imperial Senate in Autumn 378YE. The position of keeper is a sinecure, requiring minimal responsibility but offering a regular income of valuable herbs.

The gardens contain a thousand flapping pieces of cloth, each piece from a fallen hero from the battle to retake Treji, both Navarr and Summer Storm alike. Beneath each flag is a small herb garden of Bladeroot and scented flowers. The Bladeroot represents the early deaths of those who fought and the scented flowers chosen to remind those that smell them of summer. At the centre of the garden stands a monument to the fallen crafted from weirwood and enchanted ice. Atop the monument is a statue of a Navarr warrior sanding back to back with an Imperial orc from the Summer Storm legion, their bodies covered like tattoos with the names of the dead. Beneath it reads a plaque.

May we never forget the sacrifice of the Summer Storm legion and the Navari who fought with them to retake Treji.

Let they find their way through the Labyrinth.

Let them find their way over the Abyss to the far shores.

May we never forget we are stronger as a united Empire,

Let those who read this have the virtue to live up to the example set by those liberators.

The appointment of the sinecure is regarded as unconstitutional because a sinecure of this type would be expected to follow the normal rules for a national appointment. The motion was not struck down by magistrates at the time, however, and so the title stands.

Responsibilities

The Keeper oversees the gardens that memorialize the Navarr and Imperial orc heroes who died to retake Treji.

Powers

As a sinecure, the Keeper of the Gardens has no powers, rather they receive an income drawn from the herbs that grow in the carefully tended garden.

The holder of the sinecure receives 6 bladeroot, 6 true vervain, 2 cerulean mazzarine, 2 imperial roseweald, and 2 doses of marrowort per season.

Selection

The Keeper is a Navarr national position appointed by the Senate. Under normal circumstances it will be appointed by unanimous vote of the Navarr Senators, due to the unusual circumstances surrounding the creation of this sinecure it is appointed by the senator of Hercynia.

Because this is a national position, the title can only be held by a Navarr citizen.

Removal

The Keeper serves has tenure and serves until they die, step down or are revoked.

The Keeper can be revoked by the Navarr assembly, the the General assembly or the Assembly of Nine.

History

The first Keeper was Ceinwen, appointed at the Spring Equinox 379YE.

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Keeper of the Sapphire Stair

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Comfortable Income

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

The Keeper of the Sapphire Stair is an Imperial title awared to a League citizen. It is a National position, appointed by unanimous decision of the League senators.

Associated with the Sapphire Stair in Tassato, the keeper is paid a portion of each toll paid for use of the lock. The majority of the monies raised goes to the maintenance and operation of the marvellous locks, but the keeper is assigned enough to ensure a comfortable lifestyle. Perhaps more importantly, this sinecure also brings with it a certain amount of influence in the politics of the city itself due to the influence it grants the holder over trade along the Vassa. As such, control of the sinecure is hotly contested by guilds on both sides of the river and on the irregular occasions when the sinecure must be re-appointed, competition to influence the League senators is extremely fierce.

The Keeper is almost always from Tassato. While there have been incidents where League citizens from other cities have been appointed to the position they have rarely found their tenure to be very satisfying. They either moved to Tassato and became involved in the politics of the city, or they found themselves shunned, villified, harassed and on one very unfortunate occasion during the reign of Empress Brannan, murdered for their temerity in involving themselves directly in a Tassatan matter.

Responsibilities

The title holder is expected to ensure that the Sapphire Stair remains open and in a state of good repair. The actual job of operating the lock falls to civil servants and local labourers, mostly domiciled in the fortified village of Cevia. While the title comes with a comfortable house on the banks of the Vassa, few Keepers actually spend much time there preferring the entertainments of the city of Tassato.

Powers

Comfortable Income

As a sinecure, the Keeper of the Sapphire Stair provides an income drawn from the tolls paid by merchants using the lock.

The holder of the sinecure receives 20 Crowns in income each season.

Selection

The title is selected by unanimous decision of the senators of The League. The title can be held by any League citizen. If a unanimous decision cannot be reached, the title may be appointed by the Imperial Senate instead.

Removal

The Keeper serves until they die, step down or are revoked.

The Keeper can be revoked by the League assembly, the General Assembly or the Assembly of Nine.

History

The previous Keeper of the Sapphire Stair was Rebeca Porteiro di Tassato, a naga member of the Gilt Moth camorra - a wealthy guild from northern Madeiras known for, among other things, trade in fine cloth, dark ale and Navarr goods. Exiled from the city proper nearly two centuries ago following some scandal or other, the guild stays neutral in political affairs. Rebeca herself is known to be a rake, a bravo, and a hellraiser, and has a reputation for daring amorous adventures and remarkable skill with the sword. Rumour suggests that she was appointed to the position in 366YE following the successful seduction of all three League senators.

During Winter 379YE, Rebecca Porteiro di Tassato suffered a fatal injury, and the title passed to Domitila Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato (after some unfortunate misunderstandings around which of the two beautiful Rezia sisters had been appointed to the position). Following this new appointment there has been an increase in argument and political maneuvering between those associated with the 'Stair - including some calls for increased political representation of the lockworkers' guilds.

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Keeper of the Spice Gardens

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

The Keeper of the Spice-Gardens is an Imperial title connected to the Spice Gardens of Feroz. The position of Keeper is a sinecure, requiring minimal responsibility but offering a portion of the finest cerulean mazzarine grown on the Brass Coast. Additional luxury spices are sold to ensure the upkeep of the Gardens and a comfortable salary for the various farmers, horticulturalists and merchants who work as agents of the Spice Gardens, although production has tailed off a little in recent tumultuous decades.

Spices from the Gardens are sold throughout the Brass Coast, and before the fall of Segura were exported, first to the Faraden and then even farther afield. Regular caravan trains cross the Spider's Dream to Sarvos, and from there travel throughout the Empire being especially sought after in the markets of Varushka and Urizen. While the money from this business is not available to the Keeper, it can often help bring a certain level of prestige to the holder of the title among those who consider themselves gourmands.

The title of Keeper has a prestigious legacy. It was created in 213 YE during the reign of Empress Mariika, and many scholars believe it was part of an agreed price paid to gain the support of the Freeborn senators for the sweeping financial changes she instituted. The title changes hands with much less regularity than many other Imperial sinecures - the holders tend to be long-lived, and understand the value of maintaining a level of popularity among their peers that makes revocation a very rare occurrence; only one holder has been revoked (in 296 YE Inigo i Tamari i Erigo was stripped of the title when he was found guilty of using his position to cover trades in illegal substances with a Sarcophan beggar-prince. The Erigo tribe have not held the title since, and several families in Feroz are known to be desperate for the opportunity to claim the title once more).

Responsibilities

The title holder is expected to ensure that the Gardens remain fertile and continue to produce a wide variety of valuable luxury goods and valuable herbs for use by physicians and apothecaries throughout the Brass Coast and beyond. How the Keeper disposes of the herbs they receive is entirely their own business; while there is often pressure placed on them to donate their bounty to various causes the majority choose to either sell them or have them made into potions for sale or personal use.

Powers

As a sinecure, the Keeper has no powers as such. Rather it receives an income drawn from the produce of the Spice Garden in Feroz.

The holder of the sinecure receives 12 doses of Cerulean Mazzarine each season and 2 doses each of Imperial Roseweald and True Vervain. These herbs are valuable to both apothecaries and physicks, but are also considered luxury goods due to their various additional properties.

The Keeper also receives a small portion of the finest spices for their own table. While this has no game effect, the Keeper often cultivates a reputation for gourmet feasting.

Selection

The title is selected by unanimous decision of the senators of The Brass Coast. All the Senators must agree unanimously who will hold the position, or it falls to the Senate to make the decision in the same manner that they would select a General in the event that the Senators of a nation are not in agreement - any potential candidates put themselves forward and there is a vote of the Senate.

Only a Freeborn citizen can hold this Imperial title. While any Freeborn citizen might try to claim the position, the families of Feroz have worked hard over the last several centuries to ensure that it remains in their hands rather than being claimed by someone resident in another territory. While the title is clearly a sinecure, the Keeper often uses their position to gain additional prestige. Some citizens of Feroz would rather informally approach the Keeper for help with problems relating to their farm, herb garden or forest than the Senator of their territory.

Removal

The title of Keeper of the Spice Gardens has tenure and serves until they die, step down or are revoked.

The Keeper can be revoked by the Freeborn assembly, the the General assembly or the Assembly of Nine.

History

Following a bout of ill-health, the previous Keeper of the Spice Gardens, Jeyah i Sadin i Guerra, sadly passed away during a Freeborn celebration in Autumn 377YE. This venerable gentleman had held the title for over 40 years, having first become Keeper at the very beginning of the reign of Empress Giselle in 331YE. He resisted all challenges to his position, and was an outspoken proponent of efforts to recover Segura in the months following its fall, but withdrew almost entirely from public life in 365YE.

Several families of the Brass Coast were already preparing their campaigns to claim the title at the Winter Solstice 377YE; the Feroz Erigo tribe in particular were eager for another opportunity to claim this prized position.

In the end, Reina i Shartha i Riqueza claimed the title and the bounty of herbs it provided.

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Keep the Fires Burning

by Tansy Pye and Anna Clifford-Tait

Recording here: Keep The Fires Burning

The Wolves in the wood cry lonely tears Their hearts are cold with fear They cannot feel the hearths' bright warmth Tis hunger draws them near

Chorus: Keep the fires burning high Keep your voices loud Keep the cold from out your bones Wychlova, sing proud

Snow falls deep and snow falls fast 'twill bury the tents and the gear It spins and dances in the night The drifts are piling near

Chorus

The winds howl cold and biting teeth It tears at our cloaks and the furs It pulls and drags at the screaming trees And flings their branches far

Chorus

On a moonless night the clouds draw in The stars are hidden from sight Beyond the fire's warming glow Wychlova, carry your light

Chorus

Deep in the trees comes a warning growl And eyes aglow in the dark The monsters prowling all around Tis song that holds them back

Chorus

Out in the dark night a hunter's horn The tearing of flesh and of bone A clash of steel and a splash of blood Hunters, we're calling you home

Chorus

As dawn's light comes, the blizzard ends The camp is safe and calm All the children fast asleep Our song is nearly done

Last Chorus: Let the embers warm our bread Let our voices calm The night has passed and the wolves are gone Wychlova, safe from harm.

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Kethry

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

Biography

Kethry is the oldest recorded Paragon of Pride. Kethry dwelt in a time of tribal warfare and her tribe, the Kesh, were conquered by an enemy tribe, who were larger and more aggressive. Many of Kethry’s people turned their back on the ways of the Kesh and adopted the ways of the conquering tribe. Yet, though defeated, Kethry did not yield in her heart and continued to live as her ancestors had; the clothes she wore, the songs she sang, the food she prepared. People from both tribes came to her home and marvelled at her, and some proceeded to follow her example. More and more were swayed until, one day, Makin, the Chieftain of the conquering tribe, awoke to find that all his people were living as Kesh. Bowing to the inevitable he sought out Kethry, courted her and became her consort. In this way did Kethry overcome the strength of her enemies and conquered them with Pride.

Signs

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Keywords

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Applying Keywords

- 3 Gaining new keywords

- 4 List of Keywords

- 4.1 Logistics

- 4.2 Aggressive

- 4.3 Resilient

- 4.4 Siege

- 4.5 Marsh Fighter

- 4.6 Rugged

- 4.7 Forester

- 4.8 Coastal

- 4.9 Scouting

- 4.10 Disciplined

- 4.11 Fast

- 4.12 Magic

- 4.13 Mercenary

- 4.14 Glorious

- 5 Barbarian orc keywords

- 5.1 Fearsome

- 5.2 Poisonous

- 5.3 Savage

- 5.4 Merciless

- 6 Keywords and large armies

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

Imperial armies possess qualities that give them advantages in certain situations. These keywords reflect the flavour of the army and the nation to which it belongs. A military unit assigned to assist a campaign army does not gain the benefit of these keywords. Likewise, the additional strength granted by an enchantment such as Knights of Glory or Quickening Cold Meat is not counted for purposes of determining the effect of a keyword.

Applying Keywords

Some keywords are applied automatically, some like magician and mercenary require the general to provide payment. This payment should be handed into GOD in the general's hand-in baggy - and then an email sent to PD after the event.

Some keywords are applied only if the campaign involves a specific terrain. For instance an army with the Forester keyword may gain a bonus when fighting in a territory with a region with the Forest keyword. These keywords are activated under two conditions:

- Your side controls the region with the keyword

- Your side attacks the region with the keyword

Gaining new keywords

Existing Imperial armies already have one or more keywords representing their traditional roles. An existing keyword can be removed without cost. Adding or removing a keyword requires a motion by the Imperial Senate. An Imperial army can gain additional keywords, but the cost to add each new keyword is progressively more expensive. The first keyword added to an army requires 50 wains, the second 100 wains, the third 200 wains and so on.

Applying keywords to a large army costs 75 wains, 150 wains, 300 wains and so on. These additional costs need to be paid regardless of whether the keyword is being applied to an existing large army, or if a standard army with keywords is turned into a large army.

List of Keywords

Logistics

An army with good logistics has excellent access to supplies and the organisation to make sure they get to where they are needed. They may also be adept at making use of materials scavenged while on campaign, or carry additional supplies with them when they are at war.

Effect: This army can resupply naturally at the rate of 750 strength each season rather than the normal 500 (a large army would resupply at 1,125 troops each season rather than 750). They must still obey the normal requirement for natural resupply. Other ways of resupplying an army are not changed.

Aggressive

An aggressive army focuses on inflicting casualties on the enemies. The soldiers are trained and equipped to gather and exploit information about the lay of the land.

Effect: An aggressive army has the number of casualties it inflicts increased by 10% if it has been in this territory since start of the last season. If it has been in this territory for two full seasons, the extra casualties increase to 20%, and once the army has been in the territory for three full seasons, the additional casualties reach the maximum 30%.

Resilient

A resilient army might be equipped to produce makeshift fortifications, or it might simply possess a stubborn spirit coupled with training in defensive formations.

Effect: A resilient army has the number of casualties it takes reduced by 10% if it has been in this territory since start of the last season. If it has been in this territory for two full seasons, the reduction increases to 20%, and once the army has been in the territory for three fulls reasons, the reduction reaches the maximum 30%.

Siege

An army trained in siege warfare is adept at attacking fortifications. usually this means the army has the expertise to quickly construct catapults, trebuchets and siege towers as well as some expertise in rationing resources and countering enemy engineers. It may also reflect an army with experience fighting in the cramped conditions of a city or castle.

Effect: When attacking a fortification, any damage inflicted on that fortification is increased by 20%. When defending a fortification, the damage inflicted on that fortification by enemies is reduced by 20%.

Note: To gain these advantages, the narrative of the campaign has to involve an actual attack on the fortification - fortifications only inflict or take casualties during attempts to capture or destroy them.

Marsh Fighter

An army experienced in fighting in a marsh gains significant advantages over less experienced armies. They tend to be more comfortable operating in smaller units, may favour ranged weapons, and have the support of magicians or surgeons trained to deal with insect bites, poisonous vermin and disease. They also tend to have a bit of specialist equipment, such as waterproof cloaks.

Effect: The army has it's strength increased by 20% for determining the campaign outcome when the campaign includes a region with the marsh keyword.

Rugged

Fighting in hills and mountains is a risky business. Armies with this keyword tend to have especially skilled scouts and cartographers who track passes, valleys and the like and are always ready to suggest ways to make the best use of the broken terrain. They also tend to have equipment or supplies to help them deal with cold, altitude or difficult terrain.

Effect: The army has it's strength increased by 20% for determining the campaign outcome when the campaign includes a region with the hilly keyword.

Forester

Fighting in a forest is a frustrating undertaking. Trees make it difficult for armies to form up, and so an army with experience fighting in this kind of terrain often split up into several smaller units capable of operating for several days without supervision. Their ability to operate in diffuse formations gives them a significant advantage over armies less versed in guerilla warfare.

Effect: The army has it's strength increased by 20% for determining the campaign outcome when the campaign includes a region with the forested keyword.

Coastal

A coastal army often includes mariners among its soldiers, and is usually supported by boats or even ships. This is the closest the Empire currently has to a naval force. The army is experienced at dealing with sailors and fishermen, travelling by boat and ship, dealing with the realities of amphibious assaults, and making beachhead landings. It is most common among Freeborn armies.

Effect: The army has it's strength increased by 20% for determining the campaign outcome when the campaign includes a region with the coastal keyword. The coastal keyword applies to many areas adjacent to the sea (although not all - the wide beaches of the Brass Coast represent entirely different terrain to the cliffy bluffs of Urizen), and also to some regions around major rivers or other large bodies of water.

Scouting

A scouting army is often broken down into smaller units that can operate semi-autonomously, spreading out over the countryside when it moves. The army is accompanied by trained observers, often equipped with telescopes and signalling mirrors, and often has access to cartographers and detailed maps - and the knowledge to make good use of them.

Effect: When this army is committed to a campaign, it provides reports on the campaign armies in the territory, including the allegiance of the armies, an estimation of their strength and other information such as keywords, local fortifications, significant or noteworthy military units and other potentially useful strategic and tactical information. This information is supplied to the general who commands the army at the beginning of an event.

Disciplined

A disciplined army has well organised chain of command, and every soldier knows what to do if separated from a superior officer. The army is often supported by priests or spiritual advisors - within the Empire they may make use of ceremonies of the Way to provide additional guidance. Armies from Highguard and the Iron Confederacy are most likely to have this keyword.

Effect: This army is disbanded when it takes casualties that reduce it's strength below 250 rather than below 1,000. In addition, a disciplined army is more effective at fighting fearsome enemies. When this army engages fearsome enemies, the benefits of the fearsome keyword are neutralised and the disciplined army inflicts an additional 20% casualties against those armies.

Fast

The soldiers of a fast army are trained to move quickly for long periods of time, carrying their gear. Overland, they can outpace most other armies of similar size. The logistics of the army are often focused towards helping soldiers move, and recovering from forced march.

Effect: The army can move five territories each season, rather than the usual three. It must stills top moving when it enters a hostile territory.

Magic

A magic army contains many more magicians, and soldiers trained to fight alongside magicians, than a standard army. Such armies integrate magical and martial tactics to harry their opponents and achieve difficult goals. Armies from Urizen, Thule and Axos are most likely to have this keyword.

Effect: If the general of this army supplies 35 mana crystals, the army gains a 1,000 point force bonus to fighting capabilities for the next season. This is a flat bonus that is not multiplied by any other keyword.

Mercenary

A mercenary army is not necessarily one that fights for payment, but rather one that has experience working with and integrating independently minded military units who do fight for payment. Armies from the Brass Coast and League are most likely to have this keyword.

Effect: If the general of this army supplies 5 thrones, the army gains a 1,000 point force bonus to fighting capabilities for the next season. This is a flat bonus that is not multiplied by any other keyword.

Glorious

A glorious army lives to fight. Individual soldiers strive to excel, taking joy in fighting stronger opponents and seeking opportunities to defeat their enemies and win their battles. It is most common in Dawnish, Wintermark and Jotun armies.

Effect: The army has it's strength increased by 20% for determining the campaign outcome, but all casualties it takes are increased by 10%.

Barbarian orc keywords

These keywords are associated with barbarian orc armies, especially the Thule and the Druj. They are not normally available to Imperial armies. Unlike the keywords used by the Imperial armies, these keywords are designed to be more circumstantial and to be countered by clever tactics and by direct player action at an event.

Fearsome

A fearsome army uses magic, powerful creatures and terror-tactics to unnerve their enemies and damage their morale. It is most common in Thule and Druj armies.

Effect:The army inflicts an additional 20% casualties on it's enemies, and victory points used to claim regions are 20% more effective. If a fearsome army faces a disciplined army, this bonus is lost and the fearsome army takes additional casualties.

Poisonous

A poisonous army uses herbs, magic and monstrous creatures to inflict sickness and weakness on their opponents. It is most common in Druj armies.

Effect: The army inflicts an additional 20% casualties on it's enemies except when it is facing armies that have been protected from poison and infection (for example, when in an area under the effect of a Rivers of Life ritual).

Savage

A savage army fights better the more desperate it becomes. It is most common among the orcs of the Broken Shore and the Lasambrian Hills.

Effect: When this army has been reduced below half strength, it inflicts an additional 50% casualties.

Merciless

A merciless army specifically targets weakened opponents, seeking to destroy enemy armies rather than simply drive them off. It is most common among Grendel and Druj armies.

Effect: This army inflicts an additional 20% casualties, spread among all opposing armies whose fighting strength has dropped to 2,500 or less.

Keywords and large armies

Being large is not a keyword. A large army simply has a maximum strength of 7,500. Some keywords may work slightly differently when assigned to a large army

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

- Field Marshal

Additional Information

- War

- Imperial armies

- Spy network

- Casualties

- Territory

- Fortification

- Keywords

- OOC Design

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Kimus

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Day

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

- 2 Viziers

Eternal of Day

Sobriquets

The most common name for Kimus is the Unblinking Eye, a name of which the Eternal apparently approves.

As with many Eternals, especially those of the Realm of Day, Kimus has no true gender. It is often referred to as female, but concepts such as this seem to have minimal relevance for this being. It is sometimes called The Celestial Eye, She Who Watches, the Thousand Eyes of the Sun and Moon, the Glass of the Heavens, and the Seer Clad in Veils of Light

In Asavea, it is often called "del sátrapa de la aurora", or 'the satrap of dawn.' Some texts refer to Kimus as the High Mandarin, the First Minister or the Grand Vizier and suggest that it is a subject or agent of Sinokenon. These texts usually reference a very old Asavean scroll called ''A chave e o portão" which claims to detail secrets of the Eternals of the Realm of Day. There is little evidence for the claim that Kimus is in any way subservient to Sinokenon, and modern scholars largely discount these claims - although all such claims are made in texts that reference A chave e o portão - no copies of the original scroll are known to exist outside the archipelago. .

Appearance

Kimus is usually perceived as a statuesque figure wrapped in white and lemon-yellow veils. It is invariably blindfolded, or it's face concealed by a featureless mask. Rather than being blind, Kimus sees through it's thousand eyes - globes of glass, crystal or fire that burn with an unequenchable light and can move independently of their mistress. Whenever it is encountered, it is always surrounded by an aura of piercing white light that can damage the eyes of the unwary, or those who look directly at it.

Kimus rarely moves; the Dawnish Enchanter Rasiyon de Tiron suggested that it may simply be a construct or image created by the floating eyes that are the true form of Kimus. Its voice is described as calm, clear and piercing. The only emotions it seems to manifest are anger and curiosity - magicians who have interacted with it claim that it tends to speak in statements, as if describing how the world was, is or will be if the one it is speaking to does as it is instructed.

As with many of the Eternals of the Realm of Day, Kimus has a number of Heralds and attendants who are usually referred to as viziers. When they visit the mortal realm they are invariably accompanied by a scrying device through which Kimus can observe their surroundings. When encountered in the Realm of Day, audiences with these Viziers will invariably be observed by one or more eyes of Kimus.

Concerns

Kimus proposes a two-fold philosophy. First, only those things which are directly observed can be proven to have occurred, but that the act of observation changes both the events observed and the observer itself. Second, it claims that that only the existence of the self (in this case, Kimus) is sure - the existence of all other things is unsure. It does not attempt to conceal this philosophy, and encourages mortals to think about, explore and challenge the implications of it's belief.

The thousand eyes (the exact number is unknown) allow Kimus to observe multiple events simultaneously, and from multiple viewpoints. It has an insatiable desire to observe events, especially events of significance (although how Kimus defines significance has yet to be determined), but it also sees value in 'experiencing' individuals who have perceived such events - through audiences and discussions. Second-hand information is much less interesting to Kimus; only personal, first-hand accounts truly interest this powerful Eternal.

According to the stargazer Ilitan of Mirrorfalls, Kimus repeatedly demonstrates the ability to perceive events before they happen - in his treatise The Moving Moment he claimed that Kimus does not see existence the same way other beings do, and simultaneously perceives a short distance into both the past and the present. She tried to explain this perception in more detail, but her treatise is considered entirely incomprehensible apart from some references to the idea that it is easier to observe something when one is apart from it, rather than within it. Other scholars suggest Kimus' uncanny ability to predict important events stems more from a it's ability to perform thousands of calculations simultaneously, extrapolating potential future scenarios from present conditions with superhuman capacity.

Of further interest to Kimus is the way that individuals (which may or may not be extensions of Kimus' own mind) are changed by or react to the events they observe - or do not observe. An individual who sees a loved one killed and hunts down the killers fascinates Kimus, but so does one who does not directly witness the events and acts on second-hand knowledge.

This Eternal is also fascinated by the idea of understanding. By observing, studying, experimenting with and thinking about something, an individual can understand that thing - and gain power over it. An individual that understands the whole of creation can set itself ultimately apart from and above creation, assuming a new order of being. Kimus claims that the first step to understanding is perception - that an individual can only ever hope to gain true understanding of (and thus wield true power over) something they can perceive clearly.

Both the Empire and the Commonwealth are of special interest to Kimus because they actively aspire to understand the truths of creation. Older nations, such as Asavea or the Principalities of Jarm tend to try and find shortcuts to true undersatnding - they seek power for it's own sake, or accept received wisdom, rather than striving for true understanding.

Ultimately, Kimus' deep concern with ideas of perception and understanding, and fostering them in others, means that it often serves as a patron of magicians, especially the more restrained members of the Unfettered Mind order. It is known to have little patience for the Shuttered Lantern order; in the past it has expressed frustration at their tendency to pursue 'knowledge rather than understanding' and 'power rather than clarity'.

Unlike many Eternals, Kimus has an interest in practitioners of the Way, especially those who meditate on the virtues of Wisdom and Vigilance. Rasiyon de Tion suggested that ultimately Kimus wishes to understand the nature of the soul as much as any pilgrim of the way, and that it forms a key piece in this Eternal's wider scheme to understand and encompass the whole of existence.

Boons

Kimus is a powerful diviner. It can perform potent acts of scrying, observing distant events as they are happening. It often has first-hand knowledge of significant events from all over the world. It has little interest in the future or the past, except as they are extensions of the present. It can provide boons that empower divination; most commonly in the form of a sphere or ball of glass or crystal which focus the mind and allow the performance of rituals such as Eyes of the Sun and Moon or The Eye of the High Places. Boons from Kimus can also enhance understanding - rituals such as Clear Lens of the Eternal River and Bright Lantern of Ophis allow magicians to observe and gain information using senses normally denied to mortals and Kimus may occasionally grant boons associated with them or with similar powers.

Divination is not the only concern of Kimus however; it is closely tied to concepts of light and force, and claims to have great understanding of the physical forces that make up creation. As a consequence, it is capable of directing large amounts of focused magical energy to harm or protect. It can cause blindness, for example, as well as removing that condition. It can repel or paralyse mortals - indeed, the ritual Kimus' Glaring Eye makes good use of this ability, and it's name is sometimes evoked when casting Revelatory Light of the Empyrean Spheres. The ability to focus the revelatory light has also been used several times to perform an extremely potent version of Piercing Light of Revelation - Kimus is said to despise glamours, obfuscation and illusion, burning them away with the irresistible light of it's gaze.

The crystalline spheres that Kimus lends to magicians might actually be a form of it's thousand eyes. On the few occasions when one of the spheres was broken or shattered there was often an explosion of magical energy that threw those nearby to the ground, stunned them or blinded them.

Very occasionally Kimus will grant a crystalline rod or staff to one of it's agents that grants mastery of violent energy such as that used in the repel incantation. Such implements are considered powerful boons and are often given only in return for a significant gift of weltsilver, a substance which Kimus appears to value very highly.

Rasiyon de Tiron recorded in his journals the experience of 'focusing' the light of Kimus during a battle against the Druj in the Malum. In his account, Kimus agreed to help remove a shroud of madness and nightmares woven by the monstrous Ghulai Tithuman but requied Rasiyon to seve as an "anchor" for it's power. At a key moment. the Dawnish enchanter evoked Kimus' name through a rune carved into his forehead, and a shaft of blinding light struck the magician and every living thing nearby, blinding them and tearing assunder the potent ritual Ghulai Tithuman had created. According to Rasiyon, he lost consciousness and did not recover for three weeks during which time he apparently suffered inexpessible visions of alien vistas. His Druj opponent was apparently likewise stricken, even though he was half a mile from the battlefield. The stargazer Ilitan of Mirrorfalls made a study of the area fifty years later and discovered lingering (though slowly fading) effects that would make it exceptionally difficult for any magician to work certain forms of Night magic in the area for decades to come.

Viziers

There is a strict hierarchy among the viziers of Kimus. The most powerful are minor Eternals in their own right, and do not leave the Realm of Day. The least powerful are actually Heralds, and these are the entities that serve as Kimus' eyes and ears - and hands - in the material world.

Viziers often appear with many of the trappings of the merrow, although their skin colouration tends to be paler - often bone white, ivory or lemon-yellow. They are almost always dressed in sumptuous pale-coloued robes, and invariably carry a crystal sphere, orb, staff or rod. Most are competent magicians, and often possess magical abilities related to scrying, detection and the release of crushing force. They are always marked in some fashion with a symbol associated with Kimus - the rune Ophis, the unblinking eye or the constellation of the key are most common.

Both Rasiyon de Timon and Ilitan of Mirrorfalls agreed that Kimus is aware of everything that it's Viziers are aware of, although they disagreed on the specifics. Rassiyon claimed that Kimus knew only generally what was going on with her viziers, while Ilitan claimed the Eternal had complete understanding of everything the Vizier perceived or experienced.

"O, man of Dawn, how I admire you.

"You perceive barely one fraction of one fraction of what happens in a limited arc to the front of your head. Your hound knows more of the world than you do; it's nose is keener; it's ears keener; every moment it senses a hundred things you cannot imagine; it knows the world around it in a way that would utterly overwhelm you, leave you crying, begging for it to stop.

"The birds that soar in your skies sense the currents of the wind; they can see a mouse creep through the grass from where they hang amid the clouds; they encompass the invisible threads of your world so profoundly that you do not have the language to understand even if I were capable of expressing it.

"The spider ... the tree ... the fish ... you are surpassed in every sense by creatures you consider barely aware ... and yet you aspire to master the lore of the heavens, strive to enfold yourself with true understanding of the nature of your existence.

"O, man of Dawn, you are truly a wonder of creation."

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Kimus' Glaring Eye

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 12

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 12

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the magician skill.

During the ritual the target must be marked on one hand with a depiction of the rune Sular, the rune Ophis, or an open eye.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

During the ritual, one of the target's palms must be painted, marked or tattooed with the Sular tune, the rune Ophis, or a direct depiction of an open eye.

Three times during the duration of the enchantment the target can call REPEL with a rod when they hit a target, following the rules for a heroic call. They can only make this call if the hand marked with the eye is free and open and the symbol is visible; it cannot be in a pocket, gloved or otherwise concealed; nor can it be in use holding anything (including a buckler or shield) or wielding any weapon or implement..

If at any point the image on the palm is disrupted (such as by being washed away in rain), the effects of the ritual immediately end.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 8. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual allows the target to wield mystic powers for a short time, provided they are prepared to honour a pact with the Day Eternal Kimus to present it's sigil when they invoke the power to drive their opponents away. This ritual is not popular - the ability it provides comes at the cost of a great deal of versatility - but for the scholars of Day it sometimes provides much-needed battlefield effectiveness at minimal cost. Even though the target must keep one hand free, the power of the ritual comes from solid strikes with a rod, not direct spellcasting, so a magician under this enchantment can take to the battlefield in full harness should they wish ... provided they leave one gauntlet behind.

This ritual sees most use among the enchanters of dawn, especially those who lack other battlefield spells and can wear full armour and still wield useful magical attacks.

Common Elements

In addition to the mark on the hand, the rune Ophis is often marked on the rod of the target.

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Knight-errant

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Creating a Knight-Errant

- 3 The Test of Mettle

- 4 Playing a Knight-errant

- 5 Groups of Knights-errant

Overview

Technically, anyone in Dawn who has not passed a Test of Mettle is a yeoman, whether they are a farmer, a merchant or the daughter of an earl. Those who are actively seeking to pass a Test of Mettle are called knights-errant. Formally they are not noble, but some, especially those who are noble-born often assume some of the rank and privilege of nobility. With their quest for glory and status, knights-errant are commonly regarded as romantic figures in Dawn.

Knight is a common term for a noble who is an experienced and capable warrior (nobles who study battle-magic are called witches), but a knight-errant can be anyone. You might be a bard and story-teller who is seeking to pass your test to become a troubadour. You might be a craftsman or a magician who wishes to become a witch. A knight-errant is anyone who is trying to publicly pass the Test of Mettle.

Knights-errant often travel the land together, helping each other to triumph in their tests. Such bands travel the land to wherever they are most needed, seeking out opportunities for heroism. Groups of noble-born knights-errant are often accompanied by loyal yeomen; faithful house retainers or childhood friends. The yeomen handle everyday responsibilities allowing the would-be knights to concentrate on less worldly matters. It is not unusual for yeomen to declare themselves knights-errant but they often prefer to adventure by themselves or with others from similar humble upbringings.

The easiest way to pass a Test of Mettle is to petition the noble house you were raised in and pass the challenges they set you. It is a much more challenging to petition another noble house, particularly one with which you have little existing connections. The most ambitious knight-errants, however, seek the ultimate prize – achievements so glorious that they have to be recognized by all the noble houses – hoping for a prestigious noble house to approach them and offer a Test of Mettle. Such achivements are rare, but a knight-errant who is invited into a house rather than petitioning one is seen as being worthy indeed.

The travails of a knight-errant are not just difficult, they can also be expensive. Most Dawn nobles have a fairly cursory disdain for money, it tends to get in the way of a glorious ambition, but no-one can completely ignore the realities of mundane life. To facilitate their quests, many knights-errant or groups of knights, take a patron, a wealthy noble who can financially support their heroic lifestyle. Patrons can be useful, but often come with strings attached, even if just a requirement to serve the patron when called.

Some knights-errant enjoy the life of questing for glory so much that they continue to adventure even after passing their Test of Mettle. Such individuals become questing knights and sometimes form knightly orders of their own.

Creating a Knight-Errant

If you create a knight-errant character then you are playing a character that is not formally a noble but is striving to become one. Your character may be noble-born or yeoman-born depending on what suits your character. Individual knights-errant are seeking glory for the sake of passing their Test of Mettle, or in some cases, for the sake of attracting the attention of the best noble houses to join, so you may define as little or as much family history as you wish in creating your character.

The imagery of warriors in a harness of plate can be an intimidating costume prospect for anyone wanting to play in Dawn if you don't already own expensive armour. Knights-errant, even noble-born ones, are often short of money so it can be a great choice for players who want to play a Dawnish character but don't feel confident that their costume conveys the image of a rich and powerful noble. It is also a great way to introduce a lone character who is looking to join a noble house in-character. It is also worth considering playing a knight-errant if you are interested in playing in Dawn but want to avoid some of the more political aspects of playing a noble.

If you intend to play a knight-errant, it is important to appreciate the large scale of the PD Empire events. You will have epic opportunities for battles as part of a great army fighting the orcs, but you won't be going off on a lone quest to slay a monster. It isn't possible to create that kind of experience for characters at an event where hundreds of players are attending.

Some knights-errant have a patron - usually an Earl or other powerful Dawnish political figure - who provides them with financial backing. Having a patron can create an interesting additional dimension to your character - you shouldn't expect them to give you actual money you can use in the game (although some might) - but you can roleplay that your character's armour, weapons and wealth are from your patron. A useful patron might be able to help you politically at events, or they might place demands on your character forcing you to do tasks for them. A patron may be able to give you some real in-character advantages but ultimately the relationship exists to create interesting roleplaying around.

The Test of Mettle

The Test of Mettle is an important part of your character, so think carefully about your options here. You can create a minor noble house that has set you a Test - doing this means that you can create your own Test and ensure it is suitably challenging and heroic. Avoid having a Test that is too easy to complete, people won't be impressed by a noble who visibly completes an easy Test. If you don't want the challenge of trying to achieve glory in play then it is much easier to create a character who is already noble. The alternatives are to seek out an existing Dawnish noble house and demand a Test of Mettle from them, or to try and be so glorious that the noble houses come to you and try to offer you a Test.

In theory you have the right to demand a Test of Mettle from any existing noble house - in practice it is better to seek out a noble house that is receptive to offering you a Test of Mettle. Otherwise you are likely to be set a Test of Mettle that is inordinately difficult. Beware of any noble house that sets too easy a Test of Mettle however - the point of playing a knight-errant is to roleplay through trying to become a noble by passing your Test. You can only pass one Test, most players will will get far more out of a difficult and exciting Test.

If an Earl does set an easy Test of Mettle, something that simply won't be glorious to attempt or complete - consider rejecting them. Knights-errant want the glory of passing a difficult test - but they also want the glory of joining a powerful house filled with similar glorious individuals. If a noble house sets you an easy Test it demonstrates that they are beneath you - you should seek out a more glorious house better suited to your noble nature!

Playing a Knight-errant

If you strive to play your character in as glorious a way as possible, then you can risk assuming some of the status of a noble, but it is wise to be careful. The point of playing a knight-errant is that your character is not yet noble - if you want to play a noble character who is questing for glory then consider playing a questing knight instead.

A knight-errant should not have their own heraldry. If you have a heraldic shield, consider covering it with black cloth. Knights-errant can wear the colours of Dawn, a dark blue field with a yellow sun on it, either as a flag or as their heraldry. Doing this indicates your status as a knight-errant and not a noble - but remember that the first Empress wore these colours when she first came to Dawn - they should be carried and worn with pride!

If you manage to complete your Test of Mettle while playing your character then you have a few choices. If the Test of Mettle has been set by an Earl in play, then technically you are now part of that Earl's noble house. You may wish to join their group, roleplay that you have nothing more than a loose association with the house or else set up a noble house of your own. If you wrote your own Test of Mettle as part of your background, then you can reinvent your character as a noble in charge of the noble house that set your Test.

If you don't want to play a noble in a noble household, the alternative is to become a questing knight.

Groups of Knights-errant

It is common for groups of knights-errant to travel together in quest for glory. Creating a group of knights-errant is an alternative to playing a Dawnish noble house, but is likely to be less political and more focussed on adventure and battle. All the advice presented above for creating and playing a knight-errant still applies, but it is also possible to play yeomen in the group.

The yeomen with a group of knights-errant, may be men-at-arms accompanying the knights or squires acting as loyal companions and servants. Although not likely to be armed and armoured as well as the knights-errant, men-at-arms should be able hold their own in a battle and squires may or may not fight as they choose. Remember that playing a servant in Empire isn't the same as in other games - most squires should be pragmatic and unashamed about their role in Dawnish society.

Money is not considered glorious so most nobles and knights-errant avoid having anything to do with it if they can. If you have a yeoman in the group it is well worth seeing if they want to handle the group finances. A prosperous noble house may have a yeoman serving as a seneschal so it's perfectly appropriate to have a character in a similar role in your group of knights-errant.

A knight-errant group is often be willing to accept new members if their deeds are sufficiently glorious, so before you create your own, check to see if other groups of knights-errant in the system will have you first. You may well have more fun as part of an existing group of knights-errant than by yourself. Of course, you might rather be in competition with them for the most glorious deeds, so you don't have to join an existing group.

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Knightly Redoubt

Description

Crafted of orichalcum-steel with weltsilver fastenings and decoration, this armour offers powerful protection on the battlefield. It is variously known as Burnished Steel or Orichalcum Harness, and is worn by serious warriors throughout the Empire. The iconic image of a Dawnish knight is a proud warrior encased in this armour, impenetrable to the brutal blows of barbarians. Such is the reputation of the Knightly Redoubt in Dawn that only those who are confident that they have attained great glory will dare wear it. yeomen or knights errant who wear it are often seen as foolish upstarts.

It is therefore slightly aggravating to the artisans of Dawn that one of the things that the Marchers took with them during their rebellion was the design of this armour. It has become a favourite of Marcher generals, though Marcher-made suits tend to consist of several vital pieces, rather than impractically elaborate construction of a complete suit of plate, and are generally less gaudy than the Dawnish equivalents. General Agnes Carver, a key figure in the conquest of Semmerholm, would tease her Dawnish allies by referring to her armour as Nightly Doubt, alluding to her troops' feelings on fighting alongside the Dawnish armies. Occasionally the name is still used but is seen as a slur against Dawn and a sign of disloyalty to the Empire as a whole. More polite Marchers refer to it as Mournwold Mail, for prior to the loss of that territory, the mines of Mournwold produced many of the raw materials used in its production.

The armour is also very popular with the Highborn cataphracts, who care little for the rivaly between Dawnish and Marcher. Often beatifully laquered and decorated and almost invariably with a distinctive winged helmet, the armour is sometimes falled the Final Redoubt or the Armour of Pride. It is widely considred the pinnacle of the armoursmith's art, and suits of armour are passed down within a chapter, being carefully reforged each year. A rare few of these suits ended up being given as gifts to the Imperial Orcs, who consider them items of great worth.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of heavy armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour, you gain two additional ranks of the endurance skill.

- Materials: Crafting a suit of knightly redoubt requires thirteen ingots of orichalcum and seven ingots of weltsilver. It takes one month to make one of these items.

One earl was a warrior, her nose crooked from an old break; one robed and wearing the circlet of his house, an enchanter. They spoke together quietly by lamlight as outside the night brightened into morning. Shortly before the sun created the trees, the two earls nodded, agreement reached.

"Come in, please" called the enchanter.

A young man entered the tent. His demeanour was stern, the face of one who had been tested in battle many times, despite his short years. His gambeson was stained with sweat, blood and the circular marks of mail links. The warrior earl inclined her head, approvingly.

"All discoloured from your hauberk, I see. You are born to glory, Sir Alsalom."

Her companion touched Sir Alsalom lightly on the arm, and in a quiet voice told him "Sir Remy died during the night. Poison, I think. But we need him on the field tomorrow, and we have chosen you from amongst our Houses to be him."

If the young noble felt any pain, he did not show it before the two earls. The hawk-nosed warrior continued.

"There are two reasons we have chosen you. First, we doubt not your virtue. Your courage will be tested as never before, but your loyalty and pride will see you through, of that we have no doubt.

"Secondly, you'll fit his harness, and we need the orcs to see him. They will fear you as they feared him, and you will be twice the man you are with your own armour. I will arm you myself. Take that off please."

Sir Alsalom shrugged off the thick padding that would have sat under his mail, and the battered warrior nodded.

"This may not be a ritual, not as the war-witches would know it, but it has power nonetheless. You have the heads of two noble Houses of Dawn helping you gird yourself for war, Sir."

The dead man's armour was laid out in the pavillion, a thing of beauty and deep woven magic. Burnished and bright it lay, its quality clear to those who knew their craft, marked in silver and gold with the rampant chimera of Sir Remy.

"Arming doublet first. Good. Belt. Cuisses and greaves hang off the belt. Buckle them up tight. Check you can move? Good. Now the standard. Tight round your neck, please. Now arms. Knotted off those points. Rerebraces, vambraces. Back and breast, faulds and tassets next. Now the pauldrons for your shoulders. Last: gauntlets, bascinet, sword."

The enchanter stepped forward. His wand moved in complex dance, weaving runes and magic together. Mighty Verys. Victorious Tykonus. He spoke in a sing-song voice as he worked, his face intent.

"Heart and soul, and song and honour. Blood and pride, and mind and thought." The spell cast, the enchanter sighed. "That armour is yours now, as much as your own skin."

Sir Alsalom felt a presence then, aware of the armour as never before ... and perhaps for a moment aware of Sir Remy, as if he were standing behind his shoulder, laughing and alive again. The young knight closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them his jaw was set and he was ready.

"Now;" he said quietly. "To war."

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Knight-errant (Redirected from Knights-errant)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Creating a Knight-Errant

- 3 The Test of Mettle

- 4 Playing a Knight-errant

- 5 Groups of Knights-errant

Overview

Technically, anyone in Dawn who has not passed a Test of Mettle is a yeoman, whether they are a farmer, a merchant or the daughter of an earl. Those who are actively seeking to pass a Test of Mettle are called knights-errant. Formally they are not noble, but some, especially those who are noble-born often assume some of the rank and privilege of nobility. With their quest for glory and status, knights-errant are commonly regarded as romantic figures in Dawn.

Knight is a common term for a noble who is an experienced and capable warrior (nobles who study battle-magic are called witches), but a knight-errant can be anyone. You might be a bard and story-teller who is seeking to pass your test to become a troubadour. You might be a craftsman or a magician who wishes to become a witch. A knight-errant is anyone who is trying to publicly pass the Test of Mettle.

Knights-errant often travel the land together, helping each other to triumph in their tests. Such bands travel the land to wherever they are most needed, seeking out opportunities for heroism. Groups of noble-born knights-errant are often accompanied by loyal yeomen; faithful house retainers or childhood friends. The yeomen handle everyday responsibilities allowing the would-be knights to concentrate on less worldly matters. It is not unusual for yeomen to declare themselves knights-errant but they often prefer to adventure by themselves or with others from similar humble upbringings.

The easiest way to pass a Test of Mettle is to petition the noble house you were raised in and pass the challenges they set you. It is a much more challenging to petition another noble house, particularly one with which you have little existing connections. The most ambitious knight-errants, however, seek the ultimate prize – achievements so glorious that they have to be recognized by all the noble houses – hoping for a prestigious noble house to approach them and offer a Test of Mettle. Such achivements are rare, but a knight-errant who is invited into a house rather than petitioning one is seen as being worthy indeed.

The travails of a knight-errant are not just difficult, they can also be expensive. Most Dawn nobles have a fairly cursory disdain for money, it tends to get in the way of a glorious ambition, but no-one can completely ignore the realities of mundane life. To facilitate their quests, many knights-errant or groups of knights, take a patron, a wealthy noble who can financially support their heroic lifestyle. Patrons can be useful, but often come with strings attached, even if just a requirement to serve the patron when called.

Some knights-errant enjoy the life of questing for glory so much that they continue to adventure even after passing their Test of Mettle. Such individuals become questing knights and sometimes form knightly orders of their own.

Creating a Knight-Errant

If you create a knight-errant character then you are playing a character that is not formally a noble but is striving to become one. Your character may be noble-born or yeoman-born depending on what suits your character. Individual knights-errant are seeking glory for the sake of passing their Test of Mettle, or in some cases, for the sake of attracting the attention of the best noble houses to join, so you may define as little or as much family history as you wish in creating your character.

The imagery of warriors in a harness of plate can be an intimidating costume prospect for anyone wanting to play in Dawn if you don't already own expensive armour. Knights-errant, even noble-born ones, are often short of money so it can be a great choice for players who want to play a Dawnish character but don't feel confident that their costume conveys the image of a rich and powerful noble. It is also a great way to introduce a lone character who is looking to join a noble house in-character. It is also worth considering playing a knight-errant if you are interested in playing in Dawn but want to avoid some of the more political aspects of playing a noble.

If you intend to play a knight-errant, it is important to appreciate the large scale of the PD Empire events. You will have epic opportunities for battles as part of a great army fighting the orcs, but you won't be going off on a lone quest to slay a monster. It isn't possible to create that kind of experience for characters at an event where hundreds of players are attending.

Some knights-errant have a patron - usually an Earl or other powerful Dawnish political figure - who provides them with financial backing. Having a patron can create an interesting additional dimension to your character - you shouldn't expect them to give you actual money you can use in the game (although some might) - but you can roleplay that your character's armour, weapons and wealth are from your patron. A useful patron might be able to help you politically at events, or they might place demands on your character forcing you to do tasks for them. A patron may be able to give you some real in-character advantages but ultimately the relationship exists to create interesting roleplaying around.

The Test of Mettle

The Test of Mettle is an important part of your character, so think carefully about your options here. You can create a minor noble house that has set you a Test - doing this means that you can create your own Test and ensure it is suitably challenging and heroic. Avoid having a Test that is too easy to complete, people won't be impressed by a noble who visibly completes an easy Test. If you don't want the challenge of trying to achieve glory in play then it is much easier to create a character who is already noble. The alternatives are to seek out an existing Dawnish noble house and demand a Test of Mettle from them, or to try and be so glorious that the noble houses come to you and try to offer you a Test.

In theory you have the right to demand a Test of Mettle from any existing noble house - in practice it is better to seek out a noble house that is receptive to offering you a Test of Mettle. Otherwise you are likely to be set a Test of Mettle that is inordinately difficult. Beware of any noble house that sets too easy a Test of Mettle however - the point of playing a knight-errant is to roleplay through trying to become a noble by passing your Test. You can only pass one Test, most players will will get far more out of a difficult and exciting Test.

If an Earl does set an easy Test of Mettle, something that simply won't be glorious to attempt or complete - consider rejecting them. Knights-errant want the glory of passing a difficult test - but they also want the glory of joining a powerful house filled with similar glorious individuals. If a noble house sets you an easy Test it demonstrates that they are beneath you - you should seek out a more glorious house better suited to your noble nature!

Playing a Knight-errant

If you strive to play your character in as glorious a way as possible, then you can risk assuming some of the status of a noble, but it is wise to be careful. The point of playing a knight-errant is that your character is not yet noble - if you want to play a noble character who is questing for glory then consider playing a questing knight instead.

A knight-errant should not have their own heraldry. If you have a heraldic shield, consider covering it with black cloth. Knights-errant can wear the colours of Dawn, a dark blue field with a yellow sun on it, either as a flag or as their heraldry. Doing this indicates your status as a knight-errant and not a noble - but remember that the first Empress wore these colours when she first came to Dawn - they should be carried and worn with pride!

If you manage to complete your Test of Mettle while playing your character then you have a few choices. If the Test of Mettle has been set by an Earl in play, then technically you are now part of that Earl's noble house. You may wish to join their group, roleplay that you have nothing more than a loose association with the house or else set up a noble house of your own. If you wrote your own Test of Mettle as part of your background, then you can reinvent your character as a noble in charge of the noble house that set your Test.

If you don't want to play a noble in a noble household, the alternative is to become a questing knight.

Groups of Knights-errant

It is common for groups of knights-errant to travel together in quest for glory. Creating a group of knights-errant is an alternative to playing a Dawnish noble house, but is likely to be less political and more focussed on adventure and battle. All the advice presented above for creating and playing a knight-errant still applies, but it is also possible to play yeomen in the group.

The yeomen with a group of knights-errant, may be men-at-arms accompanying the knights or squires acting as loyal companions and servants. Although not likely to be armed and armoured as well as the knights-errant, men-at-arms should be able hold their own in a battle and squires may or may not fight as they choose. Remember that playing a servant in Empire isn't the same as in other games - most squires should be pragmatic and unashamed about their role in Dawnish society.

Money is not considered glorious so most nobles and knights-errant avoid having anything to do with it if they can. If you have a yeoman in the group it is well worth seeing if they want to handle the group finances. A prosperous noble house may have a yeoman serving as a seneschal so it's perfectly appropriate to have a character in a similar role in your group of knights-errant.

A knight-errant group is often be willing to accept new members if their deeds are sufficiently glorious, so before you create your own, check to see if other groups of knights-errant in the system will have you first. You may well have more fun as part of an existing group of knights-errant than by yourself. Of course, you might rather be in competition with them for the most glorious deeds, so you don't have to join an existing group.

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Knights of Glory

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 120

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Options

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 120

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets an Imperial army. The general responsible for the army must be present throughout.

During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Summer regio.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual summons a number of warriors from the Summer Realm to support a campaign army. The presence of these supernatural warriors will raise the strength of the campaign army by the equivalent of 3,000 additional soldiers. The additional army strength granted by this enchantmen is affected by the orders given to the army. While the effect is expressed as being equivalent to additional soldiers, this enchantment never reduces casualties suffered by the army.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Options

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute orichalcum for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of orichalcum spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Description

This ritual draws on pacts with Eleonaris the Eternal Queen of the Fields of Glory in the Summer Realm. The ritual calls one of her hosts to join an established campaign army and fight alongside the troops for a season. These troops are a mix of lesser Eternals, Heralds and embodied spirits. They are usually attired in gold-and-crimson surcotes and fight under the lion banner of their mistress, although some of their heralds will also fly pennants appropriate to the main army if they are asked to do so. They are almost invariably attired in heavy armour, often of burnished bronze, sungold or (in the case of champions) orichalcum-steel. They will die as easily as mortal troops, but they seem to treat death as a minor inconvenience or even a surprise - it is as if they consider themselves immortal. If challenged, they are likely to shrug and comment enigmatically that their slain comrades will "Return to the fields of glory, by and by."

The summoned Eternals fight with the appearance of great bravery and civility; they are cordial to mortal soldiers, although a little distant. They engage mercilessly, with great ferocity, and seem to take an almost unholy joy in challenging and defeating any enemies. They will happily engage in tourneys or honour duels with mortal champions, but they lack a sense of consequences - duels often end in death, or maiming, unless their opponents are very clear on the rules. The Eternal forces are also disinclined to stealth, ambush or other guerrilla tactics preferring to face their opponents head-on. They love to fight other Eternal forces - they will single out groups of shadow warriors, crystal warriors or especially grim legionnaires unless explicitly ordered otherwise, and even then they chafe under such restrictions.

Knights summoned with this ritual are unable to pass through the Sentinel Gate. As with creatures such as the shadow warriors bound by the Conclave of Trees and Shadow or the prismatic soldiers raised by Carve the Crystal Guardian it seems that the magic of the gate cannot transport them; attempts to do so simply seem to result in the knights returning to the Summer Realm prematurely.

When the enchantment ends, the knights travel to the nearest Summer regio and depart the mortal Realm. They carry with them any of their number who have fallen in battle, and the arms and armour of any soldier left behind tends to disappear at around this time - never overtly, but when unobserved the items vanish.

Eleonaris receives a full report from her troops when they return to her, and if they are mistreated, betrayed or misused in some fashion she is likely to swear vengeance against the perpetrators. On the few occasions in the past when this has happened, she has called a truce with both her perennial rival Jaheris and her more occasional sparring partner Hayaak the gryphon-king and enlisted both of them in seeking revenge on those who have dared to betray her trust.

Some enchanters have claimed that Jaheris, the consort-rival of Eleonaris, has been known to offer gifts that allow the summoning of troops loyal to his silver-and-blue Unicorn standard when this ritual is performed. Similar gifts have been offered in the past by Hayaak the Lord of Wrath to summon his hosts of vengeance; by Cathan Canae to call forth her cold-hearted giant warriors; and occasionally by Barien, the arbiter of worth, as a reward for those who have bested one of his challenges

(OOC Note: Under most circumstances any knights created during Profound Decisions events will unfortunately have to remain primarily as a downtime or plot resource rather than something that can be used on the field. At player events, this might not be the case; but we cannot commit to phys-repping Eternal warriors at short notice nor can they be used in uptime battles due to their inability to pass the portal.)

Common Elements

It is exceptionally common to include a flag, pennant, banner or standard as part of this ritual, especially one that bears the device of Eleonaris - a golden lion on the red field. Other common elements include the invocation of brave warriors who have fought for the Empire in the past, and symbols of Pride and Courage. Other elements include girding the military leader, the sound of martial horns or drums, and the presence of warriors from the same nation as the target as witnesses.

The rune of victory, Tykonus, is favoured for this ritual both for its association with banners and flags and for its connection to the Eternal Lady of the Crimson Host..

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Korl

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

Korl is held to be a paragon of Courage, one of the very first recognised by the Highborn Assembly of the Virtuous, and ratified by the first general assembly of the Synod.

Biography

Korl's legend was transcribed by the Highborn in the early days of their settlement in the lands that would become the Empire from oral histories passed down from the arrival of the Vard and Steinr.

The boyhood of Korl is not heavily explored in these tales; most begin with his arriving with the Vard/Steinr.

From there, the commonalities in the tales begin to pick up; he performs a few standard exploits like wrestling mountain lions and making a great spear from the tusk of a dire boar.

There were deep and dark places beneath the world in those times, and the tales suggested that the secrets of metal might be best discovered deep within them. However, few were bold enough to delve beneath the earth in the lightless cold. Those who attempted the deep places came fleeing back empty-handed - or did not return at all.

By the time Korl considered the deep places, it was thought of as foolishness to dare them. Elders and companions - even his own father and sisters - told Korl that he was simply throwing his life away, but he knew that to succeed and thrive in this new world, they would need sharper and harder weapons.

Even once his mind was made up, his path was not easy. His first few delves led only to him stumbling back to the surface, exhausted and battered, having found nothing but dead ends. But he believed passionately in the old tales of metal veins and glowing stone on which the substance could be worked into tools and weapons, and would not listen to anyone who tried to tell him that they did not exist in this new land.

So he scoured the lands that his people were migrating into, for the sharp and shining rock that also figured in the tales. Having found a promising area of jagged basalt and obsidian, deep in the woods to the east of their landing-place, he descended once again.

In contrast to his preliminary battles on the surface, the tales of his subterranean endeavours are unusually lacking in great conflicts with underground creatures. There is one great struggle with a huge, blind worm that occurs in some versions, but in general the challenges detailed are icy, dark pools leading to underwater channels, the gradual dwindling of provisions, and the all-consuming, smothering darkness which no other had been capable of enduring.

Finally, the darkness began to lift, and deep beneath the earth Korl found the glowing stone which he had sought - and unloads the heavy burden of metal he had doggedly carried through all dangers to bring the two together.

There in the fume-choked, red-lit cavern he forged the first axe-head to be made in this land, and carried back not only the axe-head itself, but the seeds of understanding that would lead to the triumph of the great smiths and their charcoal forges.

Once he returned to the surface, any ordinary man - or even any great Exemplar - might reasonably have delivered the hard-won spoils of his quest and gone back to ordinary endeavour. But the very notion of rest was alien to Korl. On hearing that there was trouble in the forest which his people were attempting to occupy, he marched boldly out with the soldiers the very day that he returned from the world beneath, mounting the axe-head on a wooden shaft and naming it Irontooth.

With the axe he had forged, he destroyed legions of the strange creatures that occupied the woodlands - twisted parodies of natural animals, merged together by the foul magics leaking from the Vallorn.

While he was content with hewing their many heads from their bodies indefinitely, one of the shy, shrewd human inhabitants of the forest - those who were not Vard, but Uskha - approached him with an idea. At first he was suspicious, as the Uskha had already began to gain a reputation for attempting to trap the Vard into bargains that would disadvantage them.

But it was clear that both Vard and Uskha would benefit from the demise of the Chimerae, so he was persuaded to listen.

He had always relied on the strength of his mighty arms and indomitable will, but to convince his fellow Vard to go along with the plan, he had to learn the art of persuasion. But having to change his battleground had never daunted him, and his sheer conviction - combined with the obvious benefits of the steel that was beginning to be made to his pattern, the fruits of the last strange endeavour he had insisted upon - supported his cause.

Instead of simply destroying the chimerae as they found them, he persuaded the Vard to herd them into particular areas - which the Uskha quickly sealed off from the wider world with their strange magics, and left signs along the perimeter to warn any from breaching them.

The death of Korl is also a topic on which the recorded tales diverge. Some say that he fell in his prime, confronting a particularly puissant chimera which refused to be lured into the designated places; others, that he had many sons and turned his hand to many battles, but then faced his dotage with the same courage as he had displayed through all his life, becoming an accomplished tutor and storyteller as his strength and vision faded, until one day he simply did not wake.

Signs

- As an ancient paragon of Courage, a handful of people throughout history have had the hubris to claim to be Korl's reincarnation. To date, no visions have been recorded of his life from his own eyes. Most claims of this nature have come from young Winterborn or Varushkans who ultimately disproved their claim by failing to live up to their claimed legend. Consequently, the sign of liberation holds.

- The very early point in history that Korl's exploits took place in means that nothing is recorded that might be an indication of his past lives, so the sign of revelation is impossible to confirm or refute.

- Korl freely shared his hard-won secrets of metal-working with all people, as well as demonstrating courage in defence of his people. There is no real doubt about his benevolence.

- Korl is held up as an inspiration to metal workers and smiths, although the craft has advanced significantly since his time.

- The supreme feats of endurance that his journey required, and the ability to intuit the working of steel while deep within the earth, are attributed as miracles to Korl, as is the act of cutting down an entire forest with a single axe, though this is disputed in recent times..

- While there was no organised religion in Korl's time, his tale still contains a great journey - to the depths of the earth - which has been cast by some as a pilgrimage of Courage.

- Korl's achievement of the sign of salvation is debated. His endeavours led to the military success and safety of his people, rather than the improvement of their souls and assistance in the Labyrinth. The claim that steel-working enables a more civilised state of being and thereby provides more opportunities to pursue Virtue has been made - but it has had dangerous offshoots, the more extreme of which have been declared heretical from time to time, in those who would call skill with artisanry an expression of Virtue in and of itself.

- The legendary axe Irontooth, which is said to convey great feats of supernaturally quickened recovery on its wearer in response to Korl's tireless courage while taking it to battle the chimerae, is a classic example of a Paragon's legacy. Although it has been argued that all things forged of steel are Korl's greater legacy.

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Kyrop

Contents

- 1 The Fish, Rune of Weakness

- 1.1 Using Kyrop in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Kyrop

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Fish, Rune of Weakness

Affiliated with the Realm of Winter

Kyrop, the waning moon, is the thorn in the foot, the rot at the root, the flaw in the heart that leads to downfall. Kyrop bids us remember the maggot within the apple; the tarnish on the reverse of the coin; more than this it urges us to turn over the rock and see what scurries away from the light.

Kyrop is also called the Fish, especially when it represents the idea of circumstantial weakness. The fish is strong in the water, but on land it simply flops about, incapable of action, and slowly dies. In the same way Kyrop reminds us that something that grants an advantage in one situation may become a disadvantage when that situation changes, and vice versa. In some ancient rune sets, Yoorn and Kyrops, Rune of Might are represented by a single runestone, with the direction in which it is drawn and laid determining which meaning it takes.

Sometimes called the Slave's rune, Kyrops exemplifies the underdog, and reminds us that even the greatest can be brought low if the critical point of weakness can be identified and the correct pressure applied. When used alongside Hirmok, rune of wealth, it magnifies that rune's self-corrosive qualities, and invokes over-indulgance, complacency and hubris.

Kyrop is the bane of material goods. Saboteurs among the Navarr or the Unconquered of Highguard often sketch the rune on a structure they plan to destroy; when used to break or speed the decay of an object or structure it is often called the Weakest Link.

Using Kyrop in magic

Kyrop is evoked as the foundation of most curses. It is classically used in combination with the Realm runes to direct and shape any magic intended to harm or weaken an enemy. It is also evoked in the use of magic that destroys or harms the integrity of an individual or object. It has more positive uses; for example it may be combined with Sular, Rune of Discovery, in an attempt to uncover the weakness of an enemy. Unsurprisingly, many magicians evoke Kyrop when performing the weakness incantation.

Crafting with Kyrop

It is rarely used by craftsmen, and is commonly said to speed the decay of anything it is inscribed upon, causing metal to rust more quickly, food and drink to spoil, stone to crumble and wood to rot. The exception lies with crafted items intended to break things, such as a Shield breaker, but even then most craftsmen would use Mawrig or Verys before they would use Kyrop.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Kyrop in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:Kyrop.jef

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Labyrinth's Gate

Description

The gate of the labyrinth is a euphemistic name for this savage weapon that exists solely to end the life of defeated opponents. Whether formed as a poll-axe, a massive hammer or a razor-sharp hafted blade, the weapon is most commonly used by skilled warriors who first send their enemy sprawling, then deliver an irresistible blow that cripples all but the most heavily armoured of foes. According to historical records, the Highborn cataphracts made great use of these weapons in their early wars against the orcs, riding them down on their mighty war steeds, then spearing them while they were on the ground. They are favoured by brutal warriors from the Marches to Wintermark for their ability to strike terror into opponents and dispatch powerful foes.

Some of these weapons bear the rune Yoorn, and in Wintermark they are sometimes called Reaper's Shears. Among the Navarr they are often decorated with intricate labyrinthine designs, and there is an unspoken taboo in some chapters against using them against human opponents. In Urizen some sentinels favour this weapon in the form of a razor-sharp yari, simple and unadorned, and say that it is unseemly that a weapon intended to deliver such devastating blows should appear beautiful.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a pole-arm.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day may spend a hero point point to call IMPALE against a prone opponent.

- Materials: Crafting a labyrinth's gate requires seventeen ingots of tempest jade, nine ingots of green iron and four seven measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The scouts entered stopped. They were uncertain. Only one Navarr was visible. They raised their shields, and split up, tried to surround her. They had learnt caution in today's engagement.

The Brand moved slowly, withdrawing a pace at a time to keep the three scouts in view. As soon as one had her blindsided, they would all attack. She spoke quietly to them, matter-of-fact, to keep them off balance.

"We are few." She said, "Our armies are not like those of the Marchers, or the Dawnish. We are like the Unconquered Highborn, I think. No battlefields unless we must, but the silent kill, the melt-and-fade. We are perhaps most like the Urizen, of all people. Few, so our power must be directed precisely and with most impact. They wield magic, intelligence, precise bladecraft. We do not. We wield fear like a sword. It must be thus. Our Stridings are small, and travel light. Our Steadings rarely fortified, save in secrecy.

"See my war-marks? The painted face I wear? These are not my tattoos, because they are not me. I am not I when I wear them, I am a creature of carnage, a killer born. They make me Other.

"That is what this blade-staff is. See it is marked as I am? With my skill, it is death, so I become Fear. In my hands, it is carnage, so it makes me Terror. Its effect is more than one corpse, it's effect is in the minds of others. It is not the short spear, nor the long pike. It is not to keep enemies from me, but to welcome them on. Into the ground's embrace."

She moved suddenly. Stepped to one side, reversed the blade, and slashed down and across, exhaling hard, snarling like a beast:

"Now you are on the floor."

She drew the weapon up, high above her head. She drove the point down into the orc's belly and scooped up through the heart. The orc splutted, red foam at his mouth.

"Now, you are dead."

She retook her watching, vigilant stance, the weapon's point down and to the right, and stared at the other two.

"Now, you run."

The orcs looked at her, turned and fled. There was a snapping noise, as if a taut cord had broken, and two screams, rapidly cut short.

"And now you die, too..."

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Labyrinthine Vestments

Description

A labyrinthine vestment is a sturdy robe or tunic, often with a hood, that allows a priest to expand their consciousness with a few moments of meditation, in a manner similar to the use of liao. The most common design for one of these garments is a simple robe of a single colour with weltsilver-and-gold embroidery on the cuffs in the form of swirling or angular maze. There are few priests who cannot appreciate the additional opportunities offered by this vestment.

The robe is especially valuable to itinerant or missionary priests who either have limited amounts of liao, or are cut off from it entirely. Indeed, priests who lack a congregation altogether can find the labyrinthine vestment a source of great comfort. This has lead to the item being dubbed a missionary robe or a mendicant's coat in various parts of the Empire.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may perform or participate in any ceremony you know without expending any liao.

- Materials: Crafting a labyrinthine vestment requires seven ingots of Weltsilver, seven measures of beggar's lye and five measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Lambent Essences

Mastery of these recipes allows an apothecary to brew preparations valuable to ritual magicians versed in the Lore of Day. With one of these potions a ritualist can wield the magic of the Day Realm more effectively, but they also become more susceptible to the influence of that Realm.

Like the Magnum Opus, preparation of these recipes involves a slightly more alchemical than herbal approach. Herbs are carefully measured out with mithril, silver and copper spoons, sublimed in weltsilver crucibles and distilled and condensed to draw out their essential natures.

Effulgent Primessence

This delicate, clear liquid often glows slightly in shadowed areas. It rapidly sublimes when exposed to air, becoming a fine vapour that is inhaled by a ritual magician to enhance their perception of the magic of Day. By helping the ritualist to focus their thoughts, they can achieve a synergy with the concepts and themes embodied by that Realm.

Overuse of effulgent primessence can lead to increasing lassitude. It becomes increasingly hard to care about physical things, and there are some rare cases where magicians have starved to death, lacking the inclination to move from their couches to satisfy their hunger or thirst. Users remain coherent, intelligent and capable of rational discourse, which can often hide the signs of effulgent primessence abuse.

- Form: Infusion.

- Description: This clear liquid glows slightly with an inner radience even in shadow. The liquid bubbles and beings to evaporate when exposed to the air. A tiny droplet on your tongue has a delicate, delicious flavour that you cannot quite place.

- Roleplaying Effects: You become calm and cerebral, fascinated by thoughts, ideas and knowledge. You are disinclined to physical action where mental action might be sufficient. Your movements and thoughts become precise and ordered

- Mechanical Effects: If you possess the Day Lore skill then you gain one additional rank to the next day ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Two drams of Marrowort and one dram each of True Vervain, Cerulean Mazzarine and Bladeroot, and one crystallized mana.

Lucent Quintessence

This translucent liquid appears to have a slightly different shade from different angles. It is often diluted with fresh water before it is consumed as it has an almost overwhelming flavour of aniseed that some people find unpleasent. It is brewed from the distilled essences of four different herbs which combine with the essence of the drink and allow them to align their thoughts strongly with the Realm of Day. Complex ideas and strange geometries become easier to comprehend, allowing the drinker to more readily manipulate Day magic with mortal consciousness.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This clear liquid seems to have a slightly different colour from different angles. It smells strongly of anniseed, and a tiny droplet on your tongue reveals it to have an almost overwhelming flavour of aniseed as well.

- Roleplaying Effects: You become highly focused, pursuing things that interest you with stubborn doggedness. You find it difficult to show interest in things that do not engage your intellect, no matter how important it might be to others.

- Mechancial Effects: If you possess the Day Lore skill then you can use up to 3 personal mana as if it were crystal mana on the next day ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Three drams of Marrowort, two drams each of True Vervain and Bladeroot and one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine.

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Lament for Skarsind

Skarsind lay chilled in the cold of the winter Huddled for heat every human and beast Hoarfrost was hard on the walls and the towers  When the orc armies came like a storm in the east

Swift were the soldiers and keen was their courage Ceaseless the struggle and fierce was the fight But for every Orc slain there were six standing ready And Skarsind's walls fell to the inhuman blight

Survivors brought tidings of terror to Hahnmark  Though frost took their fingers and hard fell the snow As heavy as lead were their hearts as they told us: 'Skarsgard is fallen and fast comes the foe.'

'Our walls still stand strong and the soldiers stand ready, And each citizen will bear arms to defend But our numbers are few and we never will hold them For they come in their hundreds and seem without end.'

Then up came the voice of Inge Suvvisdottir Her brow bound with gold, and her words cold and clear 'Wintermark lives by the strength of three peoples, And now we have need of each of of them here.'

'Send word to the Suaq and to Kallivesa Command them to come without any delay Then give me nine warriors sworn to my banner   To harry the horde and to hold them at bay.'

The swiftest of messengers bore forth the orders While Inge strode out to the eye of the storm And nine nights and days in the mountains she fought them Till at last she was slain and the foemen marched on

There at the borderlands army met army Great deeds were done and they won great renown Long nights they fought, and the orc tribes were vanquished But gone was brave Inge and lost was the crown

A tear for the Skarsind, lost land and lost people A tear for the hero in battle laid low A tear for the shame, till at last we take vengeance With steel in our hands, and their blood on the snow.

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Lamia's Whisper

Description

A lamia's whisper is usually a slim, smooth staff of black wood, elegant and refined and often decorated with gold, jade or ivory. In more rural environments, this implement is often called an adder's tongue and unsurprisingly tends to be decorated with images of serpents or occasionally wyrms.

These implements are popular with magicians who belong to the Reckoner guilds of the League. In pre-Imperial times, the naga families of Sarvos were known to carry poisonous staffs and and this is likely the source of their popular name. In particular, because even non-magician members of the families carried staves it made it hard for their enemies to deduce which naga were magicians - and it dissuaded casual harassment of the naga because ruffians could never be sure if the naga they were abusing could respond with a deadly venomous sting. While the fashion is not widespread, it is still maintained by some of the modern Guilds of Reckoners.

The legality of the lamia's whisper has been contested occasionally, citing the legal status of the Scorpion's Sting. The problem lies in the fact that the Empire does not consider knowledge of the venom spell itself to be a criminal offense, so it makes little sense that an implement that merely provides that knowledge should be proscribed.

The best examples of these implements are said to be those made by naga artisans, although this rumour is most commonly spread by naga artisans and so is a little suspect.

CARITA (raising her staff): We don't need to equip everyone with one of these little beauties. We just need to make sure there's enough of them to make you wonder whether your luck's run out today.

The Fallen Herald, Act 2, Scene 2'

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the venom spell as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting an lamia's whisper requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

He comes to you with sillken scales

And silken tales of sorrows told

But oh, behold

Beware the sorrows held

There's venom there, it's told

These tales and scales of black and gold

Extract from The Lamia's Whisper, by Ambriel Chermes

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Landskeeper's Oath (Redirected from Landkeeper's Oath)

Description

These useful staves help to augment the abilities of the ritual-minded Landskeepers. The wood used to craft these staves traditionally is taken from the Marcher territory where the Landskeeper who will wield it was born or raised; this tradition even extends to staves made for non-Marcher magicians. The wood is carefully selected while it is still growing and the tree is watered and tended with care. The living bark is carved with runes, marks, patterns and oaths that the Landskeeper has made. The wood is sometimes trained around a chalk carving or a stone with a hole in that is known to be lucky.

A Landskeeper's Oath often has the rune Hirmok carved into the surface, which occasionally leads to them being called Scythes of Office even though they are not actually scythes, and many Landskeeper's do not rely on them.

In The Brass Coast, where wood is a valuable commodity and long periods of time can be spent at sea, some artisans craft these staves from an old piece of an existing ship as it lives and works, slowly carving the grain and letting the sea weather the wood. Only when the part made of the wood needs replacing is the staff ready, so that nothing is wasted. The item is then named for the part of the ship from which it came such as Gunwale or Capstan.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the entangle spell as if you know it.

- Materials: Crafting a landskeeper's oath requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

“As easy to escape as a Landskeeper’s Oath” ~ Marcher proverb

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Landskeeper

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Magic

- 3 Politics

- 4 Creating a Landskeeper

- 5 Playing a Landskeeper

- 6 Inspiration

Overview

A landskeeper is anyone who uses magic to support the nation as a whole and Marcher traditions in particular. Landskeepers can use a variety of methods, besides hearth magics and rituals, to do this. Some landskeepers technically lack any real magical ability at all, using traditional rites and offering good advice and aid to the Marcher folk. Someone who advises on the effective order to rotate your crops, what herbs to use to bring a pregnant pig to term, or where to place a bushel of wheat to keep out evil spirits, can be a landskeeper, whether or not they also employ magic.

Magic

The landskeepers support the Marcher armies in wartime, providing magical enchantments to protect and empower the soldiers of the Marches, as well as healing the injured. Landskeepers act as they will in the service of what they perceive as the greater good, and they have a great deal of freedom to take unpopular action.

Many landskeepers use curses to deliver appropriate punishments to those who they think have transgressed against Marcher traditions. Even the Stewards are not above the judgement of the Landskeepers in this regard, and a few powerful households have been brought low by Landskeeper curses after they adopted airs and graces or other foreign ways.

Finally, landskeepers deal with the Eternals. Most have a deep suspicion of these creatures, which have complex and inscrutable agendas of their own. Most prefer to deal with the Heralds, the human-like servants of the Eternals with whom it is easier to reach a compromise or mutually beneficial accommodation. Places where Heralds appear are often marked with standing stones.

Politics

The vast majority of Landskeepers keep a certain amount of distance from other Marcher folk. They view the Marches as their charge, and their ultimate responsibility is to the Marcher people and traditions rather than to any individual or Marcher household. When landskeepers do associate with households or market towns directly it is always in pursuit of their own agenda. Many real landskeepers have little time for hedge wizards, magicians at the beck and call of a steward.

At a few points in Marcher history, there have been so many landskeepers that they have formed three or four distinct circles, with each coven taking responsibility for a single territory. More usually landskeepers come together to form a single coven, the better to ensure that their voice is heard through the Marches. Part of their strength, and their ability to operate as they see fit, comes from their control of the magical dolmens that stand throughout the territories. In addition to strengthening the landskeepers, these great stones anchor powerful enchantments that enhance the fertility of Marcher soil. Households who oppose the landskeeper circle risk losing their magical support and even their very prosperity.

Sadly many landskeepers lost their lives in the catastrophic battle that saw the death of Empress Britta in 376YE. Much of the lore concerning the Marcher dolmans was lost with them and the prestige of the landskeepers has waned accordingly. It remains to be seen if a new generation of landskeepers will be able to restore their power and influence.

The landskeepers do not look well on the new fashion for market towns, a departure from the old ways that the majority have opposed at every turn. The aldermen of the market towns tend to have little appreciation for the work of the landskeepers, and their politically protected status makes them hard to influence. In the past, some landskeeper circles have reached an accommodation with the market towns, but these are usually cautious and shaky associations.

Creating a Landskeeper

The Landskeepers are intended to allow players to play Marcher ritualists who also have a significant role in the politics of the Marcher nation, if they wish. Landskeepers are great characters for anyone who is considering attending the event by themselves or as part of a small group. It is perfectly acceptable to play a Landskeeper who isn't a ritualist or even a magician. A landskeeper might be a physick or skilled with potions and herbs, or you could consider playing a blacksmith who is a capable artisan. Being an effective landskeeper is about your characterisation as much as your skills.

Landskeepers are usually born into a Marcher household, so you can still define your Marcher family as part of your background. If you want to be from an existing household, one played by current players, then it's worth contacting the group just to check they are happy with you doing that. Otherwise your character can be from almost anywhere in the Marches.

It is possible to play a Landskeeper who is part of a Marcher household group. Most landskeepers would not regard themselves as a true member of a household, but individuals sometimes associate with a favoured household to achieve some long term goals. In practice the power of the role derives from the landskeepers working together; a landskeeper who is a dutiful member of his household is unlikely to have the same influence or voice as one who makes the landskeeper circle their first loyalty.

If you are creating a landskeeper ritualist, then it is worth considering leaving your choice of rituals open until you have had a chance to meet and talk with other landskeepers. A degree of cooperation is useful when choosing rituals to allow the characters to perform the rituals together effectively.

Playing a Landskeeper

Anyone playing a landskeeper is well advised to seek out the other landskeepers once they enter play. Whether they have chosen to organize themselves into one circle or many, the power of the landskeepers derives from the degree to which they can work together. This is especially true when performing rituals, but their political unity is as important as their magical cooperation.

While they often claim to disdain politics, most landskeepers support the status quo and take the long view of events. In turn landskeepers who completely disrespect the households are striking against the fabric of Marcher society that they are generally assumed to be protecting. Part of their status derives from the way they place the good of the nation above all else, so the more unbiased you can be, the more power you are likely to wield.

The magic rituals that the landskeeper circle can offer are vital to other groups, so don't be afraid to use that to get what you want, but the more subtle you can be about it, the better. If you try to throw your weight around and expect other players to do what you say because "the brief says the Marchers respect the landskeepers" you are going to get nowhere. The landskeepers are supposed to be conservative but fair in their dealings with the households; you have to play that part of the Marcher brief to get other players to play theirs!

The landskeepers are written with a degree of hostility towards those ritualists and spell casters who are not landskeepers but have remained part of a Marcher household group. These characters undermine the power and influence of the landskeepers by offering the households a way to perform rituals without outside assistance. The landskeepers consider them to be hedge wizards, which for a group who view themselves as the guardians of Marcher tradition is meant to convey a degree of scorn and contempt for these dabblers. A good landskeeper character will rarely pass up an opportunity to demonstrate how much more effective at magic they are than a household wizard.

Ultimately though the respect the Marchers are supposed to have for the landskeepers is based on the fact that they put the Marcher traditions and the Marcher nation first. You can't expect other players to treat you as a landskeeper if you are very obviously just a ritualist who is part of an Marcher household group. If you want to play a ritualist who is part of a household group, it may be better to play that idea to the hilt, perhaps even a character who has rejected the role of the landskeeper in favour of remaining loyal to their household.

It is also worth noting that the landskeepers consider the welfare of the Marches more important than that of the other nations that make up the Empire. In a dispute between a Marcher household - or even a Marcher market town - and the Imperial Synod, for example they will almost certainly be staunch supporters of their fellow Marches regardless of what outsiders might decide is "good for the Empire." This can be a great excuse to be stubborn, and help other Marcher players resist the temptation to compromise with outsiders.

Inspiration

These magical Marchers draw on a number of sources for inspiration. They are as much inspired by the cunning folk of European history as the obvious fantastic characters such as Pratchett's witches.

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Landskeeper's Oath

Description

These useful staves help to augment the abilities of the ritual-minded Landskeepers. The wood used to craft these staves traditionally is taken from the Marcher territory where the Landskeeper who will wield it was born or raised; this tradition even extends to staves made for non-Marcher magicians. The wood is carefully selected while it is still growing and the tree is watered and tended with care. The living bark is carved with runes, marks, patterns and oaths that the Landskeeper has made. The wood is sometimes trained around a chalk carving or a stone with a hole in that is known to be lucky.

A Landskeeper's Oath often has the rune Hirmok carved into the surface, which occasionally leads to them being called Scythes of Office even though they are not actually scythes, and many Landskeeper's do not rely on them.

In The Brass Coast, where wood is a valuable commodity and long periods of time can be spent at sea, some artisans craft these staves from an old piece of an existing ship as it lives and works, slowly carving the grain and letting the sea weather the wood. Only when the part made of the wood needs replacing is the staff ready, so that nothing is wasted. The item is then named for the part of the ship from which it came such as Gunwale or Capstan.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the entangle spell as if you know it.

- Materials: Crafting a landskeeper's oath requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

“As easy to escape as a Landskeeper’s Oath” ~ Marcher proverb

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Landsknecht

Landsknecht Costumes

Under construction

Landsknechte were European, predominantly German mercenary pikemen and supporting foot soldiers from the late 15th to the late 16th century, and achieved the reputation for being the universal mercenary of Early modern Europe.

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Landsknecht's ZweihÃ¤nder (Redirected from Landsknecht's Zweihander)

Description

A landsknecht's zweihÃ¤nder is a famous two-handed sword, popular among the mercenaries of Tassato and Temeschwar. There is occasional debate on whether its power is magical in nature or simply down to the weight of the large quantities of tempest jade and orichalcum which go into their production.

The Unconquered of Highguard also employ these swords as part of their guerilla tactics, depriving their foes of weapons, often targeting the enchanted blades and magical implements of the most powerful enemy combatants. Merab of Tobias' Patrol was famed from her skill in deploying her sword and was responsible for the destruction of enchanted staves of every orc shaman in the Great Forest of Peytaht. There have been mutterings than Merab may have been an Exemplar of Vigilance, but insufficient evidence has been presented to the Synod on the matter.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a two-handed weapon.

- Requirement: You must have the Weapon Master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day you may call SHATTER when you strike with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a landsknecht's zweihÃ¤nder requires thirteen ingots of tempest jade. three ingots of orichalcum and three measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The tent was strewn with maps, ledgers, and scraps of paper with jottings, and scratched out sums. Two glasses of wine sat on a tray between two seated figures wearing the finest doublets, heavily embroidered and trimmed with exquisite furs. Rudolph had the contract laid out in front of him, and was carefully reading through it while Denna helped herself to the glazed cherries.

"That out of their pay, a pikeman should supply themselves with a sturdy pike, the whole of which to be between seven and nine feet in length, and such armour as would render their bodies protected against the piercing swords of the common orcs,"

Donna shrugged. "Well, that's satisfactory, isn't it?"

Rudolph nodded. "Yes, business as usual, almost, although there's a fair few spearmen who won't have a pike - but then this! 'That out of their pay, each member of a flank company shall provide such protection of fine steel to render the arrows of the enemy impotent against them.'

"Hmm..." Donna looked into the middle distance for a moment, chewing reflectively, then spat the cherry pit with pinpoint accuracy across the tent. It pinged off a ametal plate of the armour on its stand making Rudolph wince slightly "Yes, that is going to be difficult. Some of them will, but many just won't have that sort of protection. They're not expecting uniforms, too are they?"

Rudolph shook his head.

"No, but listen to this! ...'each to be equipped with a zweihÃ¤nder, between three-and-one-half and five-feet in length, crafted by an artisan skilled in such things, for the discomforting of the enemy's pikes and the staffs of their magicians.' They can't seriously be asking every single soldier in a flank company to have a Landsknecht's zweihÃ¤nder!"

The short man was clearly warming to his subject now. He began ticking points off on his fingers as he spoke.

" There's what, eighty in a general strength in a company?" He asked rhetorically. "That's eleven hundred and twenty ingots of tempest jade, five hundred and sixty ingots of orichalcum and five hundred and sixty measures of beggar's lye each! Why, you could build a house out of the beggarwood alone! Have they no idea of the value of such things! Let alone the fact that it's six and a half years of a swordsmith's time, even if they lasted that long! We'd need seven artisans on staff the entire war, doing nothing but making these things, and they'd need to have started last Summer!"

Donna laughed at Rudolph's agitation. She picked up another cherry and bit into it, savouring the tartness as she considered.

"Well, tell them 'No', not without a bill through the Imperial Senate." She was serious for a moment. "We'll equip any forlorn hope with them, as usual, but they can't seriously expect any more than that. What they are asking for is quite ridiculous. I wonder sometimes if these people have the slightest idea of how much things cost!"

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Landsknecht's ZweihÃ¤nder

Description

A landsknecht's zweihÃ¤nder is a famous two-handed sword, popular among the mercenaries of Tassato and Temeschwar. There is occasional debate on whether its power is magical in nature or simply down to the weight of the large quantities of tempest jade and orichalcum which go into their production.

The Unconquered of Highguard also employ these swords as part of their guerilla tactics, depriving their foes of weapons, often targeting the enchanted blades and magical implements of the most powerful enemy combatants. Merab of Tobias' Patrol was famed from her skill in deploying her sword and was responsible for the destruction of enchanted staves of every orc shaman in the Great Forest of Peytaht. There have been mutterings than Merab may have been an Exemplar of Vigilance, but insufficient evidence has been presented to the Synod on the matter.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a two-handed weapon.

- Requirement: You must have the Weapon Master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day you may call SHATTER when you strike with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a landsknecht's zweihÃ¤nder requires thirteen ingots of tempest jade. three ingots of orichalcum and three measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The tent was strewn with maps, ledgers, and scraps of paper with jottings, and scratched out sums. Two glasses of wine sat on a tray between two seated figures wearing the finest doublets, heavily embroidered and trimmed with exquisite furs. Rudolph had the contract laid out in front of him, and was carefully reading through it while Denna helped herself to the glazed cherries.

"That out of their pay, a pikeman should supply themselves with a sturdy pike, the whole of which to be between seven and nine feet in length, and such armour as would render their bodies protected against the piercing swords of the common orcs,"

Donna shrugged. "Well, that's satisfactory, isn't it?"

Rudolph nodded. "Yes, business as usual, almost, although there's a fair few spearmen who won't have a pike - but then this! 'That out of their pay, each member of a flank company shall provide such protection of fine steel to render the arrows of the enemy impotent against them.'

"Hmm..." Donna looked into the middle distance for a moment, chewing reflectively, then spat the cherry pit with pinpoint accuracy across the tent. It pinged off a ametal plate of the armour on its stand making Rudolph wince slightly "Yes, that is going to be difficult. Some of them will, but many just won't have that sort of protection. They're not expecting uniforms, too are they?"

Rudolph shook his head.

"No, but listen to this! ...'each to be equipped with a zweihÃ¤nder, between three-and-one-half and five-feet in length, crafted by an artisan skilled in such things, for the discomforting of the enemy's pikes and the staffs of their magicians.' They can't seriously be asking every single soldier in a flank company to have a Landsknecht's zweihÃ¤nder!"

The short man was clearly warming to his subject now. He began ticking points off on his fingers as he spoke.

" There's what, eighty in a general strength in a company?" He asked rhetorically. "That's eleven hundred and twenty ingots of tempest jade, five hundred and sixty ingots of orichalcum and five hundred and sixty measures of beggar's lye each! Why, you could build a house out of the beggarwood alone! Have they no idea of the value of such things! Let alone the fact that it's six and a half years of a swordsmith's time, even if they lasted that long! We'd need seven artisans on staff the entire war, doing nothing but making these things, and they'd need to have started last Summer!"

Donna laughed at Rudolph's agitation. She picked up another cherry and bit into it, savouring the tartness as she considered.

"Well, tell them 'No', not without a bill through the Imperial Senate." She was serious for a moment. "We'll equip any forlorn hope with them, as usual, but they can't seriously expect any more than that. What they are asking for is quite ridiculous. I wonder sometimes if these people have the slightest idea of how much things cost!"

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Lann

Contents

- 1 The Hound, Rune of Bargains

- 1.1 Using Lann in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Lann

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Hound, Rune of Bargains

Affiliated with the Realm of Autumn

Lann is the exchange that enriches both parties, the whetstone which sharpens the wits and the weight that restores balance to the soul of the world. Lann is named the Hound, characterising the relationship between humans and domestic dogs as a bargain that benefits both parties. Whenever bargains are made and oaths of exchange made, Lann is the rune called upon. It has a decidedly non-violent aspect, and doesn’t tend to mix well with runes that imply duress or force; it is most powerful when entering into bargains of free will for mutual profit. Lann is also used when making promises, and it is also a rune that implies a degree of balance. When a dangerous imbalance exists, Lann may be evoked to help bring opposing forces into rough agreement. In this role it is called the Balancing Scales – but it does not represent absolute equality, or perfect balance. It instead represents the idea of bringing two things into rough harmony, so that neither side is angry or unhappy, but it absolutely contains the idea that one side may benefit from a bargain more than the other.

It is also called the Talon, or the Rune of Debts, representing favours as well as things that are owed.

Some Freeborn Scriviners suggest using the rune as a seal when helping to draw up a contract, but it is also the rune most closely associated with interactions with Eternals, especially those of Autumn. Dawnish Enchanters often wear it as an amulet, as do Navarr brokers.

Lann is often said to have a strong correspondence with the Cambion lineage, and is closely associated with the Imperial Virtue of Loyalty.

Using Lann in magic

Lann is evoked when working magic that encourages or enforces promises or agreements, and in any ritual that transfers power from one person or thing to another. Some healing magic is enhanced with Lann, representing an agreement by the healed individual to repay the healer in some manner.

Crafting with Lann

Unsurprisingly, this is a rune associated with merchants and traders, and often inscribed on weighing scales or other tools used to apportion merchandise.

In that bloodless battle between will and desire lies the bargain.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Lann in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneLann.jef

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Lashonar

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Night

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Night

Sobriquets

Lashonar is most commonly called Gibbering Lashonar or Lashonar the Loquacious.

It has a number of other names, and seems to make titles up for itself whenever the fancy takes it. Previous examples include Guardian of the Southern Skies, Keeper of the Gates of Wisdom, Eater-of-Silence, Speaker in Dreams and Conscience-of-Kings.

Appearance

Lashonar is a serpent - a sinuous body with great feathered wings who seems at home in the air or on the ground. It is very rare indeed to encounter Lashonar in this shape. Like all Eternals of Night it is a clever shapeshifter and takes on other forms as the mood takes it. The two most common appearances are as a colourfully-dressed bird-like man or woman usually clad in the style of The League or The Brass Coast, or as a wall of shifting colours that speaks with several voices.

To say Lashonar is talkative would be an understatement of epic proportions. It is almost constantly speaking, humming, whistling or making some other quiet noise. It flicks from subject to subject erratically, and appears to have a very short attention span - but is capable of suddenly circling back round to surprise those it is talking to with sudden insights or queries.

When meeting with Lashonar a magician is warned to be careful to avoid direct questions, especially questions to which the only appropriate answers are 'yes' and 'no'. Lashonar reacts unpredictably to questioning; general queries such as "How are you?" or those relating to opinion or supposition such as "Why do you think that is?" are usually safe. Specific questions are dangerous - one enchanter was struck with a malediction that forced them to verbalise their innermost thoughts as a consequence of asking Lashonar exactly why it was interested in a certain bard.

Heralds of Lashonar often have a bird-like appearance, and many have a reputation for being petty thieves. They are generally as loquacious as the Conscience-of-Kings, and tend to view visits to the mortal Realm as an amusing holiday rather than a serious duty..

Concerns

Lashonar exists to communicate, and is quite capable of conversing with itself if it has nobody to talk to. Indeed Lashonar has been observed arguing both sides of a question with equal vigour, and occasionally creates duplicates that appear to house variant personalities, simply for the joy of being able to engage in multiple conversations at once. Lashonar is often characterised as insane, but this is unfair - rather its mind operates very differently from that of a human and it is simply trying to vocalise the many insights that assail it every moment.

All forms of active communication are important to Lashonar. It is largely disinterested in written works, pamphlets, or similar texts with the single exception of personal letters (especially love letters) which it is believed to eat after it has read them. Previous experience with Lashonar has shown the being to be far more interested in hearing the recital of doggerel by a small child than in receiving an entire book full of the finest examples of Wintermark poetry.

Lashonar delights in performances of singing, poetry, storytelling and drama, as well as furious debates; gossip and rumour; and the solving of mysteries. It loves to hear secrets, but often finds itself at odds with the Whisper Gallery; where that group of Eternals hoard secrets, Lashonar effectively destroys them by sharing them with all and sundry.

The Eater-of-Silence loves innuendo, subtle references, double-meanings and clever speakers. It has little time for demagogues, unless they are entertaining, and becomes restive when exposed to monologues. It much prefers the give-and-take of conversation to passive listening. It has an endless capacity for gossip, the more salacious and entertaining the better.

As with all the winged-serpents, there is a more complex side to Lashonar that is easy to overlook. It encourages others to communicate because it is endlessly fascinated by the ways mortals use words to influence each other, especially how they change the feelings and emotions of others. It loves to hear stories of how people change the attitudes of others, or effect actual changes through speech.

It actively opposes efforts to restrict communication; its supporters have several times attempted to overturn laws of heresy and blasphemy that restrict speech. The Eternal also dislikes things that restrict free movement - the ability to go to strange places and talk to strange people is a fundamental right of all thinking beings as far as it is concerned. It encourages the creation of embassies, the use of diplomats rather than armies, and the removal of barriers to travel. It's interests in this regard often align with those of the Eternal Janon, who opposes anything that restricts mortal ability to follow their passions; the two are believed to be occasional allies.

Boons

Boons from Lashonar almost always include speech, communication or movement. It has been known to grant enchantments that empower inspirational speech, and curses that do everything from encouraging the target to lie constantly to removing their ability to speak above a whisper - or below a shout. Lashonar is also known to possess magical drinks made from fruit and honey that can remove curses or empower orators to gather great congregations.

It can also grant abilities to travel, and seems to have an affinity for the use of portals matched by few other Eternals.

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Last Breath Echoes

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 20

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 20

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must be terminal.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual targets a willing terminal character, who always dies at the end of the ritual.

The enchantment restores the target to a semblance of health for a short period of time. It has the following effects:

- The target is restored to full hits and regains all hero points and personal mana.

- They are no longer dying, and may use all their abilities as if they were still alive, with the exception of unstoppable and fortitude.

- The lingering effects of fatal poisons are removed when this ritual is completed; all other conditions must be dealt with as normal, either before or after the ritual is performed.

- They experience a powerful roleplaying effect; they are imminently aware of their coming demise, and that time is slipping away from them - if they want to achieve anything they must act now.

- When reduced to 0 hits; with 5 seconds of appropriate roleplaying; if the enchantment is removed; or after ten minutes in any event, the character dies permanently.

- When the ritual ends, the character is dead and their spirit cannot be contacted with either voice for the dead nor called back with Whispers through the Black Gate.

A character cannot ever be targeted by Last Breath Echoes more than once.

This enchantment cannot be made permanent with ilium.

OOC Elements

Nothing can prevent the final demise of the character once this ritual is performed on them; they will be dead in at most ten minutes. In case of any conflict, this rule takes precedence; the ritual does not 'cure' the terminal state it simply allows a dead character a chance to go out 'with a bang'. A referee will be very strict with the duration of this ritual.

Description

This ritual allows a mortally injured or dying character a few short minutes of activity before they are claimed by death. It has been used several times at key moments in the past. While the ritual is dangerous, those who have taken the opportunity it provides are remembered as some of the great heroes and heroines of the Empire.

When the heart of the Winterfolk champion Firlag Firblagshall burst shortly before a vital battle against the Jotun, his wife lead the coven who enacted Last Breath Echo on her beloved husband, not only allowing him to lead his troops in one final charge but ensuring his death in battle fighting valiantly against the enemy chieftain. When the League senator Riem d'Tassato was fatally poisoned by his ruined rival, he used the time granted by this ritual not to denounce his enemy, nor to seek revenge, but to make a keynote speech to the Imperial Senate, dying immediately after the succesful outcome of the vote was announced. When the enchanter Rose de Javier was savagely beaten by the troll-mage of Wierwater, this ritual allowed her to recover for long enough to lead the Wind of Mundane Silence that sealed that monstrous beast forever within it's own twisted castle-maze.

However ,serious questions exist around what happens to the spirit of the target character at the end of the ritual; necomancy cannot contact that spirit, and neither voice for the dead nor Whispers through the Black Gate appear to work on the dead person. To date, no past-life vision has involved a character who has reliably been known to have ritual performed on them - this is not taken as conclusive proof that this ritual damages the soul; as Clavicus of Sunspire pointed out, the sample sizes are too small to draw a definitive conclusion. Still, these circumstances have fueled concern that the ritual permanently damages the soul in a profound way.

Common Elements

The ritual often takes the form of a funeral for the target. The importance of their last ten minutes is stressed, and symbols of passing time such as hourglasses are commonly used. The target is often anointed with water or oil, and often drinks a draught of fresh water or infused Marrowort. Their reflection may be caught for a moment in a mirror - the idea being that the reflection represents their death and is delayed for a short time. The runes Verys, Evrom, Yoorn or Lann.might all be used, as might the character of The Bishop or the constealltions of The Lock and The Door.

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Imperial Law (Redirected from Law)

Redirect page

Imperial law

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Lay me Low

Traditional / John Tams youtube version

Score (arranged by Jude & Daisy, from Coope Boyes & Simpson): Media:Lay-me-low.pdf

Midi: Media:Lay-me-low.midi

Lay me low, lay me low, lay me low Where no-one can see me Where no-one can find me Where no-one can hurt me   Show me the way, help me to say All that I need to All that I needed you gave me All that I wanted you made me When I stumbled you saved me   Lay me low, lay me low, lay me low Where no-one can see me Where no-one can find me Where no-one can hurt me   Throw me a line, help me to find Something to cling to When the loneliness haunts me When the bitterness taunts me When the emptiness eats me.   Lay me low, lay me low, lay me low Where no-one can see me Where no-one can find me Where no-one can hurt me

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The League costumes (Redirected from League costumes)

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Note: The tone and style of this page may need editing. All costume advice pages should be written in third person voice, using verbs that make clear that this page is advice, not direction.

Contents

- 1 Look and feel

- 2 Regional variations

- 2.1 The Bay of Catazarria

- 2.2 Holberg

- 2.3 Temeschwar

- 3 Similar nations

- 4 Research

- 4.1 Historical influences

- 4.2 The Borgias

- 4.3 Zeffarelli's Romeo and Juliet 1968

- 4.4 Romeo and Juliet (unreleased)

- 4.5 Ever After (1998)

- 5 In detail

- 6 Specifics

- 6.1 The basic garments by layer

- 7 Jewellery

- 8 Armour

- 9 Resources

- 9.1 How To's

- 9.2 Patterns

- 9.3 Reading

- 9.4 Shops

- 10 Things to avoid

Look and feel

"The people of the League are city-folk through and through" - No farming or utility costumes here, and no agricultural class. Your clothes are City clothes and not designed for harsh climates or a manual or physical lifestyles. They should be as far from 'utiity' as you can get them.

"In the League wealth is status" - As the most important people in the League, your costume should reveal your wealth and thereby status.

"Everything is on show" - Your costume should and will say something about you.

"Even the poorest of the League feel free to remark upon the fashions and actions of those around them" - In this nation your costume is more important than in any other. Expect to be judged in character so aim to keep upping your game and raising the standards around you.

"Masks represent anonymity, and are extensively used in magic" - Those playing mages should invest in one or several good masks and aim to adorn and personalize them

"In the south, doublets of richly patterned silks are cut to flatter. Sleeves are full, and the effect is somewhat top-heavy, with trousers fitted to a slender leg" - use bright jewel colors and lighter fabrics for the more southern cities. Hose are the historical option for trousers and easily sourced from reenactment sites. Other tight trousers will be appropriate however, and if only the legs are showing (rather than the crotch) leggings might be a good option and can be found in many colors at the moment. A beautiful doublet is easy to make - or make over an old one one - as seams can be tied rather than sewn. The best investment will be a very full, light undershirt for all genders.

"The northern cities are colder in climate, and clothing reflects that" - They are still city dwellers however and will not let inclement weather get in the way of good fashion. The northern cities will merely add more layers: a longer outer gown or a sleeveless surcoat or both. Fur is seen and heavier fabrics such as thick brocade and velvet. These may be darker in color but still sumptuous. In the north leather might be used in a very tailored way for garments. To the southern cities this might seem very drab indeed.

"Ladies who do not favour doublet-and-breeches often wear elaborate high-waisted gowns" - These are typically the Italian style with a very small bodice and low neckline necessitating a segment of (often contrasting) fabric at the front and an underdress/chemise to cover the chest. The gowns may be sleeveless, have slashed sleeves or the segmented sleeves over the very full chemise/undershirt. In the northern towns the burgundian gown might still be worn with its attached sleeves.

"They’ll never, ever shy from a fight" - Though the women of the League may like to display their wealth and taste with elaborate dresses they wont let a skirt stop them from proving their skill with a sword and outsiders should be wary of underestimating a Catazarri beauty.

Regional variations

The Bay of Catazarria

These stills are all taken from Neil Jordan’s “The Borgias" - the setting and period are perfect for the southern cities of Sarvos and Tassato. The feel here is firmly Southern Europe. Colours are brighter and fabrics typically lighter. Natural colours are considered drab and utility materials such as wool and leather are very dull indeed.

Holberg

Costume in Holberg is less colourful than the southern cities. Materials are thicker and heavier.

Temeschwar

Temeschwar is further north still and the costume reflects that with the use of fur not just as trimming but as an integral part of the costume, and strong Varushkan influence. A simple tutorial for making a fur hat appropriate to Temeschwar can be found here.

Similar nations

Although doublets and long gowns will be worn in both the League and Dawn, follow these tips to keep them distinct:

1. Embellishment: The Dawnish like rich but clean lines and un-fussy tailoring. The League should be the opposite. Go to town on ribbons, flounces, slashes and puffed sleeves. Costume should be extravagant and flamboyant.

2. Waistlines: Fashionable waistlines for dresses in the League are high. Full skirts should fall from the underbust. Dawn's low slung hip belts are thought to be a little provincial. Although high waisted houppelandes existed during this period I would advise avoiding them as they feature strongly in Dawn.

3. Slashes: A key look is to have bits of your undershirt displayed through the gaps in your gown or doublet. The easiest way to achieve this is by having sleeves that are tied on rather than attached. It would be quite easy to do this yourself if you have a doublet with integral sleeves. Replace the seams with ties and pull puffs of your undershirt through. (there will be more on constructing costumes later)

As Temeschwar was historically Varushkan, here there may be some influences from Varushka, perhaps displayed in the traditional style of hat or the cut of a coat. Fur is also common here. However, rich brocades and silks are rarely seen in Varushka.

Research

Historical influences

The League draws its influence from the latest and narrowest historical period of all the Nations. The key looks will be found in the late1400s (1460-1500) and generally more central and southern Europe (Look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1400%E2%80%931500_in_fashion).English fashions of this time are likely to be off mark. It is at the height of the medieval renaissance shortly before our Tudor period. Not everything worn in Europe during this period is 'on brief' however.

A popular european influence of this time is Landsknecht fashions. Landsknechte (German plural, singular Landsknecht) were European, predominantly German mercenary pikemen and supporting foot soldiers from the late 15th to the late 16th century, and achieved the reputation for being the universal mercenary of Early modern Europe (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsknecht) Please read the linked page for more advice on these costumes.

The Borgias

Most of the pictures in the look and feel section are taken from this series which really typifies the look. The costumes in the film are exceptionally high standard. Information on how to get the same look for far less cost are in following sections. Lots of detailed pictures of the costumes can be found here http://theborgias.wetpaint.com/page/COSTUMES

Zeffarelli's Romeo and Juliet 1968

The doublets and gowns in this production are beautiful. Inspiration for Bravos can be taken from the squabbling Capulets and Montagues.

Romeo and Juliet (unreleased)

Currently post production. So far the costumes seem to be suitable for this Nation.

Ever After (1998)

This film beautifully pulls historical and fantasy elements together to produce the excellent costumes. For instance, the prince's doublet in this first picture is not based on a historical pattern but nevertheless captures the feel of the League. Drew Barymore's Ball dress is lovely masquerade inspiration. Baroness Robmilla's green and gold dress would perhaps be perfect for Holberg as it uses heavier velvet and has darker colours. Its attached sleeves also suggest Holberg and the 'v' collar is similar to that of the burgundian gown.

In detail

For fabrics go all out for the richest and plushest ones. Try silks, cottons, brocade and velvets. Good imitations are available for lower cost online. The only fabrics I would suggest staying away from are shiny satin and stretch velour. Often fabrics can be picked up from charity shops. A great place to get vibrant and detailed fabrics at a reasonable price are saree shops.

Undershirts are best made of a thin and light material, highly gathered to give it the ability to be pulled through clothing in many places. A very light muslin might be a historical choice but actually a polyester, plain window 'net' can give a better effect.

Use rich embroidered or gold trims. Think about using ribbon for the ties on both men's and women's clothing.

Where possible use lacing (again consider ribbon for all genders in Catazarria) and make sure the undershirt shows though at every seam and closure.

Specifics

The basic garments by layer

The single most important item of costume for the League will be a billowing undershirt - the more volume the better. If you can't make or source a round or square necked one as here, a standard larp shirt/chemise may do - try buying it oversized. Steer clear of shirts with a turned over collar. Women may wish to wear a long underdress/chemise or a shorter shirt tucked into trousers/hose.

Tight trousers are the ideal legwear. Hose should be the joined type. If you wear a more modern trouser style try hiding the fly and any belt loops with a wider belt or sash. If the top of your trousers is hidden by other layers and the bottom by boots, thick, plain leggings are a cheap and easy option for legwear. (Patterns and tutorials to follow)

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The bodice or doublet should be tight fitting. The neckline can be any shape but avoid high collars on this layer - Ideally have it low to show the undershirt. It should ideally sit at the natural waist, at the top of the hose/trousers or shortly below. The sleeves should tie on rather than be stitched in. If you already have, or buy, a doublet or dress with attached arms you can unpick the arm hole seam and stitch on cord or ribbon ties to instantly transform it into a League costume. If making your own costume sleeves can be elaborately slashed or segmented to show the undershirt/chemise in as many places as possible. This is easy to do as rectangles can be sewn into tubes with a gap at the elbow.

(Patterns and tutorials to follow)

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The two outer garments shown could be worn by any gender. They both fall from the shoulders loosely and can be made from the same simple pattern. The overgown (Simar worn by the male figure) has loose sleeves and is typically tied closed with a sash. The surcoat worn by the woman is very simple but could have false sleeves or box pleats across the back if you are a more confident costumer. Cloaks are also suitable in most forms too.

(Patterns and tutorials to follow)

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Armour for the League is discussed more fully in the armour section, however, for those wearing long gowns the overgown could be open centre front and tucked back to allow free movement when fighting.

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Jewellery

Rings are very important in the League, representing loyalty and allegiances, and should probably be the first item of jewellery that a player invests in.

A wealthy or influential person might wear a large heavy chain loosely around their neck.

Another good way to adorn an outfit might be elaborate hair decoration. Otherwise gold and silver necklaces and bracelets with large stones will work in this nation. Fine chains are unlikely to be opulent enough.

Armour

Bravos are typically lightly armoured with perhaps a more substantive shoulder piece.

A starting Free Company may equip its soldiers with a quilted jack. Wealthier companies may have matching arming doublets, armour and helmets. A breastplate and helm are the basic armour but a full harness is rare. For the very wealthy their breastplate might be very ornately detailed. Scale and chain are unlikely to be seen here.

Resources

How To's

Italian Renaissance Gown construction http://homepages.wmich.edu/~rowen/renbk/rendressbook.html#anchor1163546

How to make your own hose instructions http://historiclife.com/Essays/howto_hose.html

Patterns

15thC doublet and hose. Ideally need to be unattached at shoulder http://www.paulmeekins.co.uk/patterns/patternpages/RH003.html

Early 16thC pattern but still ok as long as you keep the trousers tight, boys! http://www.paulmeekins.co.uk/patterns/patternpages/RH502.html

Pre-Tudor doublet and hose http://www.paulmeekins.co.uk/patterns/patternpages/RH610.html

Very simple women's overgown. You probably won't need to buy the pattern if you have any sewing experience. http://www.paulmeekins.co.uk/patterns/patternpages/RH510.html

The baggy sleeves on the gown are not necessarily perfect (try getting the segmented look by adding tight bands of fabric around the apper and lower arm to pull them in) but the bodice shape and skirts are great http://www.paulmeekins.co.uk/patterns/patternpages/RH511.html

Mens slashed sleeved doublet and hose. This simplicity Pattern is a little late in style but would still look right for the League. To improve it you could crop the doublet short so there was no flared portion over the hips. http://www.simplicity.com/p-7206-burda-style-middle-age-guard.aspx

Womens Gown.A little late in period but a lovely design. It cold be improved by having the sleves constructed seperately and tied on and by raising the waistline a little. http://www.habithat.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/12230

Once again a little late in style but has the right feel. Could be worn with a sleeveless underdress and with a chemise for a better look. The short version would be great for fighting style with trousers and undershirt/chemise. http://www.simplicity.com/p-7937-misses-costume.aspx

Chemise pattern http://www.simplicity.com/p-1722-misses-costumes.aspx#t-0

Reading

Have a look at the art of Albrecht Durer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer), Leonado Da Vinci (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_works_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci) and Sandro Botticelli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botticelli)

Useful, brief historical info, particularly the southern European Styles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1400%E2%80%931500_in_fashion

This is quite interesting. Explains the fashion for showing your chemise/shirt: http://www.homemade-costumes-from-history.com/showing-your-chemise.html

http://www.florentine-persona.com/femflorence.html women's clothing in 15th c Florence

http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/

http://jessamynscloset.com/ image gallery includes 15thC

Detailed pictures of the Borgias costumes http://theborgias.wetpaint.com/page/COSTUMES

Shops

- By the Sword inc Armour and clothing (including reproductions of costumes from the Borgias TV series)

- http://www.theknightshop.co.uk Several different chemise shirt underdress styles

- Angrave Designs Custom costume production and embroidery

- Armstreet Chemises and undershirts. Not really any suitable doublets. One dress (renaissance nobility velvet dress) that although a little late in style would look in keeping

- The Midgard Seamstress Custom made UK LARP and Re-enactment costumes

- Totally Leathered provides custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

- Idiom Productions Costume and Props Workshop creates custom hand-tooled leather armour, clothing and LRP weapons

- Custom Costume Company Bespoke designs for re-enactors and roleplayers

- Evenlode Studios - High quality leather armour, costume and props handmade

Things to avoid

The 16th Century This may be tricky. Unlike the other nations with strong historical influences, here there is a definite cut off. Although there will be some overlap into the 16thC it is important to keep the feel as late 15thC as possible. Here are some tips:

1) Avoid breeches if possible. Although they are "not wrong" they become the mainstay of legwear in the Tudor period. Several of the images in the guide have breeches in them but that is due to a lack of perfect images. If you wear breeches keep them tight to the leg. Do not wear stiff padded ones.

2) Avoid padded clothes of any kind. In general these are too late period.

3) Dont use straight or conical corsets or bodices - these will give a stiff silhouette and the wrong shape. In general, overbust corsets of any kind are wrong for the look. Underbust corsets could be used under clothes for a little extra control.

4) Keep waistlines high. For doublets should stop at the natural waist. For dresses the waistline is underbust.

5) The style is soft and almost a little lazy looking. Everything is loosely tied and shirts/underdresses should seem to fall out of the connecting parts. Overgowns and surcoats fall softly from the shoulders. Shirts and dresses are very full with metres of fabric yet men's doublets and women's bodices loook like there isnt quite enough fabric.

Dandies The League is a Nation of self-made people. There are no gilded spoons and no lazy person will achieve wealth. Although appearance is of critical importance it is not a substitute for ability and action. The typical makeup and dress of the European Dandy comes from the 18th century so is far too late in style.

Wench costumes

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League Egregore

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Guise

Guise, the Egregore of the League, is a richly-dressed figure wearing a mask. It generally wears a mask recognisable as belonging to one of the traditional theatrical characters; Couros, Gancio, Scorrero or Vassa. By observing the mask Guise wears when the Egregore appears, a citizen can get some insight as to what is concerning it and what sort of personality traits Guise might display. In whatever form Guise appears, it has a particular fondness and boundless tolerance for the antics of children.

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The League hearth magic (Redirected from League hearth magic)

Rings

Rings have a power all their own. They are worn to represent loyalty, and become powerful symbols of oaths and promises. Stealing a ring from someone can result in the oath or loyalty it represents being damaged in some way, and there are stories of rings used to inflict terrible curses not only on the original wearer, but on all those who are loyal to them. There are also stories that rings gain a power of their own, especially rings that represent a profound, magical or hidden loyalty - stories tell of rings that draw the shades of the betrayed to drive a villain mad.

Masks

Masks represent anonymity, and are extensively used in magic, but they also represent a hearth magic. The mask conceals the identity of the wearer, or allows that identity to be confused or connected with that of another individual, especially an iconic character. The use of masks is traditional, and can be seen as an evolution of the use of veils and cowls among the Highborn. Masks are also extensively used in ritual magic by many League magicians.

Mirrors

A similar fascination with identity revolves around the use of mirrors. Mirrors show the face that others see, but also sometimes reveal one's true face. There are stories of mirrors that reflect murderers as if they were still covered in the blood of their victims, or of mirrors that show parted lovers the location or fate of the one they are bound to. Mirrors have no identity of their own - they only show what is placed before them. Some Leaguers have adopted a practice originally from Holberg that encourages those with worries or wracked with guilt to confide their problems to their reflection - engaging in imaginary dialogues as they work through the concerns of the day. There are stories of magical mirrors that allow the reflection to take on a life of its own, to serve as advisors to those who use them or to act out the repressed desires of those reflected in them.

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League hearth magic (Redirected from League Hearth Magic)

Redirect page

The League hearth magic

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League icons and artistry

The League flag is a red wolf on white above three rings. The meaning of the rings is a matter for debate - to some it represents the "core virtues" of the League, and to others it represents the "first loyalties" (Empire, City and guilds with the wolf representing the Nation). Citizens of the League love flags and emblems, especially ones that use riddles and puns encoded within the symbols. Every guild has a symbol of their own including the Free Companies, Churches and Troupes.

The four rivers that empty into the Bay of Catazar are central characters in the art and folklore of the Nation. All the classic literature and theatre includes them in one form or another, whether as central characters or “clowns” during the interludes. A popular game between playwrights and critics is to conceal the characters in some way and challenge the critic to locate them.

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The League leadership (Redirected from League leadership)

If you cross a bravo they might break your fingers; cross a merchant prince and they’ll ruin you.

The League cities are administered by the Empire, but they are run by the guilds. These economic affiliations draw members from every section of League society united by common interests and a desire to work together to acquire wealth. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society. Today only a few guilds limit themselves to just one craft; most have expanded to include merchants and traders and thereby cover any economic activities they can draw profit from.

Each guild is headed by a merchant prince - an honorific title for the most economically powerful individuals that harks back to pre-Imperial times. The title is the same for all genders, a mark of respect for Aldones di Sarvos, the League's first merchant prince. Together the most powerful merchants choose their senators but beyond this they usually leave the administration of the cities to the civil service, allowing them to concentrate on increasing the wealth of their guild.

The guilds are not merely a matter of shared interests, but also of oaths and loyalties. Membership of a guild represents one of the most important loyalties a citizen of the League can hold. It is considered at least equal in importance to the loyalty owed to the League, the Empire and one's city. Those who betray their guild find every door closed to them and face exclusion from society and economic life. This is a short road to ruin in the League, a fate that most citizens will do anything to avoid. It is their ability to apply these sanctions that gives the guilds much of the power and influence they wield.

In the League, people wear rings to demonstrate their allegiances, wearing one ring for each major loyalty they owe.

Leading a territory

Each city in the League is a territory of its own and so sends one Senator to the Imperial Senate. Any citizen of the League can have a say in the identity of their Senator - provided they are prepared to work for it. The Civil Service compiles and maintains records of what investments are owned by an individual, and they are allocated a number of votes based on the value of the properties they own in that city. These votes are represented by offical "bonds", and during an election Senatorial candidates for a city try to convince the electors to give them their bonds to show their support. The bonds are then registered with the civil service. The candidate with the largest amount of support when the election ends, as represented by the value of their combined bonds, becomes the Senator.

Timing is important in League senatorial elections. Candidates must declare themselves before the election begins, and after that time no more candidates are admitted. When the elections formally open, they continue for exactly one and a half hours and then they close and no more bonds can be exchanged. Punctuality and good timekeeping are, after all, simply good manners in the League.

While the process itself is quite above-board, that does not prevent a fair degree of politicking behind the scenes. While uncommon, for example, it is not unknown for an individual to claim to be collecting bonds on behalf of one individual, only to then hand them over to another.

The senators for each Imperial territory are re-elected at specific equinox and solstices during the year. The senator for Sarvos is elected at the Summer solstice, the senator for Tassato is elected at the Autumn equinox, and the senator for Temeschwar is elected at the Winter solstice.

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The League lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from League lineage and species attitudes)

The cambions’ instinctive cunning and ambition mean that many of them find a spiritual home in the League. They are especially encouraged to enter the priesthood, and many consider it fortunate to have a cambion bishop perform important ceremonies. The most successful often follow the fashion of capping their horns with bejewelled gold to display their wealth.

Briars find it hard to achieve high positions in League society. Their often blunt demeanour and tendency towards direct solutions means that they are regularly underestimated. The typical League prejudice is that briars are suited to be bravos, and little more. Many briars leave the League when their lineage becomes apparent - and not just because of prejudice. Living for extended periods in the sprawling cities of the League is emotionally and mentally draining for many briars, and the constant pressure of urbanised society can make it increasingly difficult for them to resist the destructive impulses that lurk in their blood.

Reckoners

The Reckoners of the great rivers are dominated by several families with strong merrow and naga lineage. They have done much to establish the position of their lineage in League society. Initially powerful in Tassato, the merrow boatmen of that city began by ferrying citizens across the wide river that separated the twin halves of that city. Over the years, they parleyed their knowledge of the secret assignations of citizens into political and then economic power. Although the boatmen were careful never to pry into the affairs of others, they became experts at deducing some of the nature of other people's business simply by knowing where they were going and who they were talking to.

When Aldones di Sarvos brought the cities of the League together the boatmen found themselves in competition with a guild of Nagas in Sarvos. This secretive guild made a living collecting and compiling lists of favours and debts owed by other guilds - and for a small price revealing the nature of those relationships. The two groups soon saw the benefit of cooperation and began to work together as the Guild of Reckoners.

Although there are now several different Guilds of Reckoners, they continue to display a great interest in secret affairs and espionage, supplementing their normal mercantile activities extensively with spying and information brokering. This suits both the merrow interest in truth and the naga interest in secrets, and serves as a lucrative sideline. As a consequence, many League citizens expect that any merrow or naga they meet will have the latest and most salacious gossip.

Orcs

If the lineages are generally respected and welcomed in the League, the same cannot be said for orcs. For most citizens of the League, Imperial Orcs represent the worst of both worlds; they constantly remind the citizenry of the barbarian threat and they often meddle in local schemes on behalf of their Imperial masters. Few Orcs are interested in deals or profit and thus there is little common ground between them and the average citizen of the League.

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The League magical traditions (Redirected from League magical traditions)

Theatre is a vital part of League society, and theatrical groups called troupes are common. From the most bombastic performances in lavish theatre houses to the simplest productions performed in the streets themselves – the citizens love spectacle and little is more spectacular than League theatre. In part this is due to the common use of magic by a troupe’s performers. Some of this magic is simple stage tricks, but skilled performers use can weave quite literally enchanting performances. Quite how many members of a troupe can perform formal magic is a closely kept secret. A troupe demands every bit as much loyalty as any guild and discretion about the abilities of the members is considered just another part of the rules. Whether producing a performance of Scillio’s "The Fallen Herald" or attempting a dangerous ritual by command of a Merchant Prince, every member of a troupe plays a part.

To the League, magic is a commodity like any other. Although Urizen lays claim to the secrets of grand power and treat it with great dignity, in the League it is the money of a wealthy patron that pays for that dignity. As such, the show a troupe puts on is as important to their reputation as the results they produce. The performers weave knots in time as well as space, drawing influences from the past to spread their patron’s influence in the future. They must make a show of invoking symbols of ambition, loyalty and prosperity, as much because a merchant prince enjoys watching a bravura performance as because of their importance to the ritual.

Most troupes wear masks when they perform ritual magic, and guard these masks carefully. The notion of taking on a character for the purposes of ritual is well established. When one knots the ties on a mask in order to perform enchantment, one does not simply wear a piece of cloth or leather or paper, one is wearing the combined weight of all the stories told about that character - and all the stories that can yet be told. The most famous masks in the League are in in the Armetto Theatre house, in Sarvos. These masks are old and, in some cases, nothing special to look at, but they are exceptionally potent in the hands of a skilled performer.

There is also a belief that these masks not only empower the ritual, but also ensure that any malign influences or backlash will fall on the mask, rather than the wearer because they conceal the identity of the magician. As a consequence, some masks are believed literally to be cursed items - items that cannot be destroyed because to do so is to cause the weight of the malign energies contained within to be released. Several stories - and indeed plays - tell of cursed masks and the trickery that causes their wickedness to be released on the undeserving. (see also masks in Hearth Magic).

Rivalry between troupes is famously intense, and long-standing feuds are commonplace. Troupes compete for the patronage of the most powerful guilds, and performers have even been murdered for changing troupe or giving a bad performance. Open violence is rare, but public duels between performers are an important part of advertising and promoting a troupe's plays - especially when an opening night is approaching. Such matches always draw a fine crowd as performers are expected to retort and riposte while they fight; the eventual victor will be the one who most entertains the crowd the most rather than the one who strikes the winning blow.

The troupes of the League would like to believe that there is no other tradition of magic in the cities, but this is far from true. There is an underclass of street-mage known as mountebanks - a derogatory term first used by the troupes that many of these street mages have claimed for themselves as a badge of pride. Their rough magic is more immediate and improvised, rarely for the benefit of a patron, and often performed on street corners. Many mountebanks are part conjurer, part con-artist, with a widely-held reputation for being crooks and scoundrels - or so the troupes would have you believe. While not all mountebanks are confidence tricksters, enough of them are that their entire profession is viewed with some suspicion.

Many mountebanks combine an understanding of incantations with a little ritual magic, and supplement their understanding with trinkets and even potions and elixirs. They tread a fine line between entertainer and criminal, and those who step over the line are in danger of the serious repercussions that face anyone who cannot follow the rules in League society.

The archetypal example of the mountebank con is the shell game - playing on the greed and hopefulness of their victims to trick them into making a wager they cannot win.

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League Maps

See Also

- Holberg

- Sarvos

- Tassato

- Temeschwar

PRINT INFORMATION - Each map is set to print at A3 size (the resolution varies between 175ppi and 300ppi). Do not print larger than this or it will pixellate. If you print smaller, the quality will improve slightly. Various sizes are available by clicking on the image. To print, make sure you download the ORIGINAL size image (should be between 2700 and 5000 pixels wide. Feel free to add your own textures etc

Maps by Daisy Abbott

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The League military concerns (Redirected from League military concerns)

At present the League provides only a single army to fight in the Imperial wars. At the height of the Empire's power the League was able to field two armies, but since the territory of Holberg fell under the control of barbarians, the need for soldiers to defend the city has absorbed what military strength they can spare. It is a constant frustration for many Merchant Princes that they cannot match the military strength of nations like the Marches or Dawn. However, the structure of Imperial forces does not appeal to many citizens of the League and attempts to find additional volunteers have come to nought.

Most citizens of the League who seek a military life look instead to the free companies and it is here that the nation excels. The free companies are the mercenary units for which the League is famous. Threats are considered downright rude, but most guilds still employ mercenaries; only a fool relies on the rules alone to protect their interests. After all, not everyone in the League is of the League.

Joining a free company is a serious undertaking. A free company is like a guild; members are expected to show the same loyalty, and that loyalty will be tested on the field of battle. Although free companies are renowned for their discipline on the battlefield, they are equally notorious for their riotous behaviour on the streets. Not for nothing are their members called bravos, fighting by day and drinking through the night. When two free companies are housed in the same city then rivalry easily spills over into violence. Brawls and duels abound and running battles in the streets are not unknown. The leaders of the free companies turn a blind eye as long as the bills for the damage do not mount too high, and as long as civillians are left out of the conflict. The Imperial authorities turn a blind eye provided nobody is reported killed.

If the League lack military numbers, they strive to make up for it with competent generals. League tacticians are a byword for brutal brilliance; men and women prepared to contemplate the unthinkable to achieve victory. General Anke Carsten von Temeschwar infamously stated “I am an artist, the battlefield is my canvas” when called before the Synod to justify the cruel tactics she employed against the barbarians.

Crossbows are very much in favour with the League – anyone from wealthy merchants to street bravos might tote one of these exquisitely made devices and the free companies have taken them up with great enthusiasm. While they may lack the range of a Marcher longbow, they are just as effective at short range. Crossbows are easy to produce and simple to master. Once the crossbow is cocked and ready, physical strength is irrelevant. There are not many bow users in the League, and it is considered more of a "hunting weapon" than a weapon of war.

Imperial Armies

The League fields one imperial armies; the Wolves of War. While the League used to field a second army, the Towerjacks, that army ceased to exist in 346YE and now effectively serves as the garrison that protects Holberg from the barbarian forces that besiege it. While they were active, the Towerjacks were known for their expertise at siege warfare.

The Wolves of War

The Wolves of War are an extremely versatile fighting force. Many of the soldiers in this army are bravos from the roughest parts of Temeschwar and Tassato, supported by talented engineers from Holberg and Sarvosian scouts. They are also adept at working with mercenary troops, taking advantage of the great wealth of the League to employ specialist units to help them on campaign.

In Autumn 278YE, the Dawnish Archmage of Autumn, Maurice de Gauvain, took clever advantage of a rare conjunction to gather the ilium needed to place a permanant Bound by Common Cause enchantment on the Wolves of War. This enchantment greatly enhances the ability of the army to work with Imperial military units. It coincidentally means that the General of the Wolves of War is subject to a powerful magical influence, but it remains to be seen how far-reaching this effect will be.

The first League General leads the Wolves of War army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Autumn Equinox each year.

We, the Mercenaries of The League, exist to serve the leaders of the Empire, and bring glory to our nation. Through patronage, we arm ourselves. Through leadership, we gather in companies, and perfect our fighting styles. Through experience, we chart a bloody course across the battlefield, marching not as soldiers, but as heroes. Each nation is a crucible in which champions are forged. The apothecaries and artisans of many nations give up their wares gladly, but The League would never ask such a thing of its citizens. We value their work, and pay them a fair price for it. In turn, we ask for an honest wage, to strengthen our forces, and bring honour to our patrons.

While the civilians of the League will lay down their quills and raise arms against the barbarians, the Free Companies lead a life of perpetual warfare, travelling as one, fighting as one, and willing to die as one, if the Empire demands it. It is this life that our wages pay for, an endless round of marching, drilling and combat.

Our patrons - the noble princes of the League, and the wise Generals of the Empire - need only tell us where and when, and we muster, armed and armoured according to their wishes, and equipped for the enemies that face us. When battle comes, we stand united, fearless against our foes, strengthened by the knowledge that one soldier can show weakness and confusion, but a Free Company will hold the line, and march to victory.A Mercenary Doctrine, Jakub the Unruly, Signeur of the Red Company, 156YE

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The League music (Redirected from League music)

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 The music of The League

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 Songs about notable people/entities in the League

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Songs

- 1.3.2 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.3 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The music of The League

Style summary

The League is a combination of different cultures and its performance traditions reflect that. High art in all its forms, theatre and songs laced with innuendo and hidden meaning, characters who delight in cunning and trickery, flamboyance, opera and baroque/classical stylings accompanied by flutes, guitars, and even brass, themes of playfulness, loyalty and ingenuity. Low culture: comedy song, street magic, and clever rhyming, often poking fun at someone or something.

For the high art of the League, look to European and Spanish-influenced classical music, particularly Italian and German including arias, lieder, and classical instrumental music from Argentina. For low art concentrate on songs with the theme of deals, cunning, trickery, flamboyance, or loyalty and instrumental music with an Italian, Spanish, or Mariachi sound.

Commonly known songs

Songs about notable people/entities in the League

- Marching to Victory - a song about Senator Cesare.

- A Fool in a Crown - a comedy

- The Night of a Thousand Torches - a song from Temeshwar

- Holberg Wine - a tragedy

- Reuben's Brethren - popular with the mercenary companies

- Uncle Vyig - funny song about organised crime, very popular in Temeschwar, usually not sung in other League cities.

One for the kids

Tower Song - a silly round demonstrating League competitiveness.

Further examples

Songs

- Treggajoran Wartha - song about rings and trickery

- Say Gentle Ladies - medium difficulty Mozart aria. A lovely English language arrangement is available to buy here

- Flower duet (Google it)

- Lovely Joan - medium song with a moral

- Tower Song - a funny round demonstrating League competitiveness.

Instrumentation and tunes

- Recorders, flutes and whistles, classically played guitar or stringed instrument, violin, classical accordion.

- Elizabethan recorder music which played on any classical instrument would be appropriate for The League.

Other performance traditions

- Theatre and acting. There is a lot more information about this in The League brief, in particular the page on Troupes.

How to adapt your repertoire

- For 'low culture' sing in a tongue in cheek way, have a game or a joke with your audience.

- For 'high art' sing in an operatic way, up the drama! Have a listen to some Portuguese fado songs and copy the style.

- When playing folk tunes, try to pick ones that are a bit classical or baroque sounding, a good example is The Gale by Susan Conger

Our sources

Italian or German opera, Argentinian tangos and other S. American accordion music (cf. The Oxford Concert Party), classical poetry, Portuguese/Brazilian fado songs, Alejandro Toledo & The Magic Tombolinos

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music.

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League music (Redirected from League Music)

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The League religious beliefs (Redirected from League religious beliefs)

Virtue made the Empire strong, we made it great

Bishop Gilde van Holberg, Address to the Assembly of Prosperity

To the eyes of an outsider, religion in the League seems a little transactional. Many religious buildings and celebrations seem to exist to take money or goods from the citizens in the most splendidly showy way possible. This certainly isn’t to say that priests here are not fervent or devout in their beliefs. They simply recognise that they provide a service and should be recompensed appropriately. Competition amongst priests for provision of lucrative religious services, such as the marriage of a merchant prince or the funeral of a wealthy merchant, is fierce. The priesthood make an effort to provide a spectacle for such events, ensuring that they earn their wage.

The League quality of competition is as strong in matters of faith and spirituality as it is in every other aspect of life. A bishop of the League may be as pious as any priest of Highguard, but they can also be as ruthless and mercantile as any merchant prince. Where the guilds keep score with coin and favour, the bishops use the size and notable membership of their congregations. The most powerful include artisans, tradesman and in some cases mercenaries or dedicated soldiers as well as priests and layfolk. The bishops of the League together form the League Assembly within the Imperial Synod, and when united on a common purpose their political acumen can make them a potent force.

In addition to preaching The Way of Virtue, many of the churches in the League also operate on the basis of providing civic functions paid for by donations, often from the people they have helped. Some employ soldiers to patrol the streets and keep them free of muggers and pickpockets, while others operate schools and hospitals. Others look beyond the borders of the League, actively soliciting donations to help them in their "good works," seeing their city, their nation or even the whole Empire as their congregation and its defence and improvement their responsibility.

Church of the Little Mother

The most famous League church is the Church of The Little Mother. Originally based in Sarvos, churches dedicated to the Little Mother, an Exemplar of Prosperity and the matron of children and orphans, are found in all League cities and in some parts of other Nations as well. The Little Mother takes in orphaned or abandoned children, ensuring that they receive a chance in life. Children are taught basic numeracy and literacy before being apprenticed to a master in the city. The Church sustains itself with donations, often made by former beneficiaries, and is well respected by the Imperial authorities and League people. It can also wield a surprising amount of political power, as many influential people owe their start in life to the priests of the Little Mother.

Aldones di Sarvos

A key figure in the religious life of many citizens is Aldones di Sarvos, who many look to as the founder of the League, and is recognised by the Imperial Synod as a Paragon of Ambition. Aldones started life with nothing and through his labours, fierce competition, skill and swordsmanship, created the first guild and declared himself a Merchant Prince. Aldones did many great deeds throughout his life, but all inspired by the love he bore his city. Aldones' legacy was affirmed when, through his vision and influence, he united the cities of the League, and helped forge a Nation. He disappeared - or ascended - shortly after his keynote speech to the newly-united League, and the final words of his address are inscribed on his memorial in Sarvos to inspire his successors to pursue their goals: "In Highguard, they build castles and call them towns. We will build cities, and call them a nation."

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The League territories (Redirected from League territories)

The city is the mirror of the world. If we cannot master the city, how can we master the world?

Gidea di Sarvos, Reflections

Each territory in the League represents the land that extends around a single great city. Surrounding lands are tightly parcelled into estates, each of which is traditionally worked hard but may also be sculpted for maximum beauty. Commonly country estates are kept for show, but a Merchant Prince will only really relax when at their townhouse in the city, surrounded by the fruits of civilization. The League is small in terms of landmass compared to some other nations, but it still manages to have a sizeable population.

Each of the four cities of the League has something of a character of its own. League citizens from that city may strive to exemplify what they see as the strong qualities of their city, but the truth is that all these characteristics are present in every citizen in the League. The physical city itself seems to have some effect, citizens from one city who move to another often find themselves reflecting the mood of their new home. How much an individual character or group chooses to emphasize the city of their birth - or the city they live in - is entirely up to the player.

Territories

- Tassato

- Sarvos

- Temeschwar

- Holberg (lost)

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Least of my Kind

Original: Least Of My Kind by Three Weird Sisters, found here, adapted by by Katherine Faber.

A pdf of the words and music can be found here.

Covered in dirt and mud, aching and spitting blood Cursing, you start to rise and groan. Far off through field and fell mutters the Chapter bell: Never a Guardian falls alone

Chorus: Think on the battle’s cost; this time the Lancer lost Beaten and broken and blind. Better beware one more, better prepare for war: I was the least of my kind. Prying my arrows cold out of my fingers’ hold Pause to take stock, reflect and rue; Look on the damage done here by a single one What do you think a whole Lance will do?

Chorus

Bury me where I fall, far from the Chapter’s Call; Slain in a fight I could not win; Nearby, Unconquered hear, heads turn with pricking ears Thought you, you fool, that I had no kin?

Chorus x2

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Leatherworking Guide

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

This section is (hopefully) designed to guide and advise anyone with aspirations to do some form of leatherworking. For some many parts will be teaching you to suck eggs, but for others it may be just the knowledge they are looking for.

Making any kit or costume yourself, it can be very rewarding, but sometimes rather daunting to start off with. Though in its very early stages, as this section grows it will build on itself, with the ultimate aim that every skill required to undertake any of the (eventual) projects can be found and referred to here. So whether you have some skills already and wish to push yourself further, have never even picked up a mallet in your life or simply have a particular problem with a project of your own, hopefully, some help can be found here. Maybe I can even save you making some of the (many) mistakes I've made over the years, and possibly even save you from gaining some of the (again, many) scars I have on my fingers!

Regards

Kate Lee

Totally Leathered

Basic Skills

A guide to basic leatherworking skills such as punching, riveting etc. more...

Tooling & Embossing

A step by step guide to tooling and embossing leather. more...

Projects

Step by step leatherworking projects. more...

Suppliers and Resources.

- Lyon's Leathers Wide range of leathers, suedes and buckles.

- Tandy Leather Factory Leather and leatherworking supplies.

- Le Prevo Leather, dyes and other leatherworking supplies.

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Legacy of Thorns

Mastery of these preparations allows the brewing of several toxic substances which can hamper an enemies' ability to fight. They have been extensively used by the Navarr since time immemorial, but many societies have their own equivalents. This includes the barbarian orcs of course - the Druj of the eastern swamps are known to make extensive use of preparations such as these when battling their Imperial enemies.

Navarr apothecaries have spent centuries trying to develop a thicker version of these venoms that can be successfully applied to arrows, but to date they have made no progress.

Contents

- 1 Blade Venoms

- 2 Oil of Blackthorn

- 3 Redwillow Paste

- 4 Gutwrench

Blade Venoms

Two of these preparations are intended to be applied to melee weapons. They cannot be used with arrows or quarrels, and are ineffective when applied to thrown weapons. They are also ineffective when applied to implements such as rods and staffs. It takes five seconds of appropriate roleplaying to apply a blade venom to a melee weapon, after which you must make the appropriate call the next time you hit a target. If ten seconds pass without making the call, the venom is wasted.

You cannot combine the call granted by a blade venom with any other combat or magic call; only one call is made at a time.

Oil of Blackthorn

Oil of blackthorn is an effective blade venom, and has seen extensive use by the Navarr in their battles with barbarians, Vallorn-spawned horrors and hostile outlaws alike. It is considered very useful for dealing with certain creatures of the Vallorn-infested forests; such creature often heal at a preternatural rate, but they die just as easily as anyone else when venom is involved. Indeed, the vallornspawn husks are especially vulnerable to venom, dying very quickly if they are struck with a weapon coated in oil of blackthorn. Varushkan Wardens made occasional use of this venom for the same reason when fighting certain monsters that display similar vivacity.

Among the Unconquered of Highguard this thin slate-coloured oil is more commonly termed Basilisk Ichor. A common tactic is for a close-combat team to use it on their weapons to enhance the effectiveness of a volley of arrows fired by nearby allies - a tactic that some claim they learnt by watching the Navarr - although coordinating this maneuver is quite challenging even for the traditionally organized Highborn. Darker rumours suggest their ancestors first encountered it from the receiving end, either in some past conflict with the Navarr, or perhaps more likely in the interminable border skirmishes with the barbarian orcs.

Technically, oil of blackthorn should be termed oil of blackroot and in parts of Varushka and Urizen they prefer to use this name for this toxic paste. It is occasionally used as an ingestive poison, but the benefits of doing so are minimal; the victim tends to recover quickly after they have thrown up, and there are no permanent effects from consuming the venom orally.

- Form: Oil.

- Description: This thin, oily paste is the colour of gray slate. If you rub it between your finger and thumb it has a slick texture that leaves a faint residue behind on your fingers. The oily taste is offensively and deeply unpalatable.

- Roleplaying Effects: If you have drunk this oil, you are subject to nausea and painful stomach cramps for the next half hour, although if you vomit or are treated with the purify spell or by anything else that can end the weakness or venom conditions, you can alleviate these symptoms early.

- Mechanical Effects: This oil must be smeared on a melee weapon over 5 seconds. The wielder must call VENOM on the next blow with the weapon within 10 seconds.

- Recipe: Two drams of Bladeroot and one dram each of True Vervain, Cerulean Mazzarine and Marrowort.

Redwillow Paste

This sticky rust-coloured paste is called Dogman's Slather in the Marches. While it is occasionally used by beaters, it is more commonly encountered smeared on the spears and clubs of the savage Feni who occasionally plague parts of Upwold.

Again, in Varushka and Urizen it is more commonly called roseweald paste but the semantics of what to call it are generally considered less important than it's effectiveness in neutralizing magicians and enemy champions. As with oil of blackthorn, this paste can be administered orally - or accidentally drunk when mistaken for another substance - but it has minimal effect that soon passes.

- Form: Oil

- Description: This rust-coloured paste smells faintly of stagnant water. It has a sticky texture if you rub it between your finger and thumb that is hard to get rid of. It has an incredibly sweet, sickly taste that is unappealing.

- Roleplaying Effects: If you have drunk this oil, you are subject to the sudden onset of a feverish temperature accompanied by severe sweating, headache, tiredness and other flu-like symptoms that last for the next half hour, although if you vomit or are treated with the purify spell or by anything else that can end the weakness or venom conditions, you can alleviate these symptoms early.

- Mechanical Effects: This oil must be smeared on a melee weapon over 5 seconds. The wielder must call weakness on the next blow with the weapon within 10 seconds.

- Recipe: Two drams of Imperial Roseweald and one dram each of True Vervain, Cerulean Mazzarine and Marrowort.

Gutwrench

This tangy, translucent russet liquid is a nasty ingested poison that can cripple an enemy, allowing them to be easily dispatched. Every now and again a crazed apothecary is caught using this preparation to murder a patient under their care by feeding it to them in the guise of a healing potion. It is normally relatively easy to alleviate, but when fed to an unsuspecting victim makes a potent weapon. There is some evidence that this poison was employed by the Druj in their early dealings with the Highborn, and several stories of massacres in the League's history where food or drink was tainted with this substance to render enemies weakened and speed the kill.

It is illegal to carry gutwrench within the Empire.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This translucent liquid has a red-brown tinge to it and sticks viscously to the inside of the container if you shake it. It smells faintly of over-ripe pears and has a faint, tangy flavour.

- Roleplaying Effects: As long as you suffer from either weakness or venom you feel as if your stomach is on fire; you may experience other symptoms including severe sweating, feverishly elevated temperature, throbbing aches in the head and joints, tiredness, agonizing stomach cramps, nausea, dizziness and painfully heightened senses that make bright lights or loud noises almost unbearable.

- Mechanical Effects: You are subject to both the weakness and venom conditions. These conditions may be removed normally.

- Recipe: Two drams of Imperial Roseweald, two drams of Bladeroot and one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine.

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Legalize Scorpion's Sting Dagger

We wish to repeal the ban on scorpion's sting.

Proposed by Hercynia, seconded by Therunin

Overview

- Remove prohibitions against creation and possession of Scorpion's Sting dagger.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- It is no longer illegal to create or possess a Scorpion's Sting dagger.

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Legendary beasts

Not everything exists in the Empire closed-world campaign, but some magical creatures are quite real. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, only to cover the more common legendary beasts and look at how they exist. or don't exist. in the Empire world.

While this section talks about using parts of these legendary beasts in costume, or their parts in magic, it shouldn't be taken to be an endorsement of that practice in the real world.

The most common use of legendary beasts is on the heraldry of Dawn. Many of these creatures have a generally accepted interpretation, but these are by no means the only things that they are used to symbolise. The way the beast is presented, it's accoutrements, colour and attitude can all change the meaning the beast has for the Noble house that bears it on its shield. Legendary beasts are rarely used in the livery of the Marches

Contents

- 1 Legendary Beasts and magic

- 2 Gryphon

- 3 Unicorn

- 4 Winged Beasts (Pegasus)

- 5 Chimera

- 6 Firebird

- 7 Yale

- 8 Centaur

- 9 Winged Serpents

- 10 Hydra

- 11 Sphinxes and Manticores

- 12 Mandowla

- 13 Dragons, Wyverns and Wyrms

Legendary Beasts and magic

A magician may evoke the spirit or qualities of a legendary beast when performing magic. The most common way to do this is to reference the quality of a legendary beast that matches the spell being cast - for example, referencing the regenerative power of a hydra when casting the restore limb spell, or touching the forehead of the target and calling on the defiant spirit of the unicorn is a good way to cast the empower spell.

In ritual magic. more intricate designs might be used - for example, wrapping the target in a shroud embroidered with images of firebirds, and calling on the power of those creatures to purify sickness and poison may be a flavoursome way to perform a powerful healing ritual. Burning gryphon feathers during a ritual designed to grant a group of allies additional strength on the battlefield, or having them drink from a cup carved from a yale horn durong a ritual that grants endurance or fortitude are both good ways to bring out the flavour of the setting, and som. There is no requirement for these items to be lammied, and rituals that include them may gain the benefit of hearth magic.

Gryphon

The gryphon is a beast that combines the aspect of an eagle and a lion. They are about the size of an adult ox with the forequarters of a great bird of prey and the hindquarters of a predatory cat. Despite their size they are not built to be ridden' there are tales of slightly built heroes and children riding on the back of gryphons but they are almost certainly fanciful. It is doubtful a gryphon could get off the ground with a rider, and even less doubtful that they would tolerate one for any period of time.

An adult gryphon is a match for an armoured knight. Their sharp talons tear through light armour to deliver crippling injuries. They favour hilly and mountainous areas that overlook fertile plains. A pride of gryphon will hunt across a large area, and they have been known to be a nuisance to animal herders in their territory. They mostly avoid humans but they are noted for their ferocity when threatened. They are particularly defensive of their young (which are born live, rather than in eggs) and there are stories of a pride tracking someone who has injured one of their cubs across hundreds of miles. They are capable of coordinated tactics, and work together to bring down larger prey; legends from Wintermark speak of the now-extinct gryphons of the mountains to the west of Skarsind hunting and bringing down adult mammoths.

These majestic beasts are very rare within the Empire; there are a few prides on the lower slopes of Urizen and the mountains of southern Kahraman but otherwise they have been hunted and driven out of areas claimed by Imperial citizens. Much larger specimens are believed to be found in the Realm of Summer, immense creatures that are powerful enough to be ridden by the Eternals of that realm; the gryphons of Summer are said to be intelligent, and capable of conversing. Their relationship, if any, to the beast found in the mortal realm is not known.

The gryphon is used extensively in the heraldry of Dawn. It is an enduring symbol of victory, prowess, pride and potency, and is strongly identified with the runes of Summer. Some Suaq hunters paint gryphons on their leather to draw on their powerful senses and hunting abilities. There is also some small trade in gryphon parts; magicians use feathers in rituals designed to grant strength, courage or pride and artisans are known to work talons, hide, bones and feathers into the construction of some enchanted items.

Gryphon in Play

Gryphon provably exist. They are dangerous opponents, and their ability to fly makes them difficult to fight. It's worth reiterating that they don't serve as steeds; a gryphon would throw someone who tried to ride it onto the ground then tear them apart. They are rare in the Empire, but it is perfectly acceptable to roleplay that fur, feathers or talons are pieces from a gryphon, or to use pieces of them in ritual magic

Unicorn

A unicorn is a horse with a single spiral horn on the forehead, usually with a goat's beard and cloven hooves. They are often white, although not exclusively so. They represent strength, ferocity and nobility of spirit. They are characterised as gentle in peace and implacable warriors in battle. According to stories, unicorns have the ability to variously sense "evil", malignant spirits, cowardice and in some cases unvirtuous souls and attack them without mercy. They also appear in tales as protectors of the innocent, defending lone children from the depredations of monsters or bandits, or aiding those who have been wronged to gain justice from their persecutors. All of these things are just stories, however.

Unicorns do not exist in the mortal realm. Highborn cataphracts sometimes equipped their war horses with armour designed to evoke the image of the unicorn, with specially reinforced headpieces as part of their barding, but the horns were largely ceremonial. This unicorn barding was popular with the limited Dawnish cavalry, and some pieces are still preserved in both nations as relics of a bygone age.

These beautiful beasts are used in the heraldry of Daw as symbols of pride and courage. They are quintessentially noble creatures, proud and regal on the one hand, ferocious and brave on the other. A black unicorn is sometimes used to suggest great passion, while blue and violet unicorns have been used in a few places to represent houses that have a higher-than-normal proportion of War Witches among their number.

As with many legendary beasts, unicorns are said to exist in the Realm of Summer. Some Eternals possess rods and wands that they claim are made from the horns of unicorns. Their spirits are evoked in magic used to empower allies with warlike strength, and their thundering charge is sometimes referenced when casting battlefield magic that drives back an opponent.

Unicorns in Play

Unicorns are not real. It is perfectly fine to have pieces that you claim come from a unicorn, but unless they are a gift from an Eternal such artefacts are not actually from this legendary beast - a unicorn horn is likely to be a carved mammoth tusk, for example. People who claim to have seen unicorns are often pitied, but it must be said that there are plenty of tales of people who swear they've seen the beasts in the wilderness. Claiming to have seen or ridden a unicorn is analagous to claiming to have been abucted by aliens in the real world.

Winged Beasts (Pegasus)

Winged beasts are common in heraldry and myth. They appear often on Dawnish banners or as supporters to their shields.

A horse with wings - usually called a pegasus - is an enduring image. Sometimes depicted as a hippalectryon (a creature with the forequarters of a horse and the hindquarters of a rooster) or a hippogryph (a creature like a gryphon but with the body and tail of a horse rather than a lion), it is a symbol of speed, grace and pride. Sometimes armoured knights are shown mounted on these creatures, often swooping down on their enemies with devastating effect. The winged horse, like the unicorn, is also referenced in early cavalry. Leather barding was often crafted to suggest wings, drawing attention to the incredible speeds a mounted rider could achieve..They are used in heraldry and art, often representing pride, loyalty, grace or ambition.

A hound and wolf with wings, sometimes called cynogriffon, is a symbol of loyalty and ambition. A lion with wings, is a symbol of courage and pride.

Winged Beasts in Play

Sadly these creatures are entirely fictional. Humans still dream of riding flying mounts into the sky, of aerial cavalry that can strike with pinpoint accuracy into the heart of enemy forces ... but dreams are all they are.

Chimera

The term chimera is used to describe any number of creatures that combine the parts of three or more animals. The traditional chimera appears as a lion with two heads - the second being that of a goat, stag or a dragon - with a tail that ends in a serpent's head, often possessing metallic scales on the forequarters. They are often shown as having wings. When presented in heraldry, there are many other versions of this beast incorporating different animals, lacking wings, having more than four legs and so on.

In stories they are ferocious monsters, usually encountered singly, and usually representing some terrible challenge that has claimed the lives of many other heroes. They sometimes appear in Varushkan folk-tales as extremely destructive forces that must be tamed by cleverness - Varushkan chimera are usually wingless but often capable of speech, but presented as monumentally stupid and easily duped. In the stories, the chimera is usually tricked a symbolic three times before it is ultimately defeated and either killed by some natural force (drowning, being caught in a landslide or burnt alive in a forest fire of its own creation) or tamed and made to serve the wise heroine in the completion of further tasks.

Outside of heraldry and stories, there are reports of chimera living in the mountains east of The Barrens, but the majority are believed to live in the peaks around Varushka. They are said to be more common in Otkodov where they are said to prey on the barbrian orcs that inhabit that desolate land. There seems to be a lot of diversity in the forms taken by actual chimera, but they always have at least two heads. There are no verifiable reports of actual chimera possessing functioning wings, although there are persistent stories of some chimera in both Karsk and Skarsind being able to glide for short distances.

The chimera is a legendary symbol of a ferocious, dangerous opponent that is supremely adaptable to battle, whether tearing into an opponent with it's talons, poisoning them with it's serpentine tail, terrorizing them with it's roar or knocking them prone with an overwhelming charge. In some legends the chimera can even breathe fire or spit poison, adding a ranged component to it's deadly arsenal. In the heraldry of Dawn it is used by houses that are especially proud of their battlefield prowess. As with the unicorn, the chimera is sometimes evoked by those casting spells designed to empower their allies with martial prowess, but their terrifying roar might be referenced in magic that drives back and opponent, paralyses them with terror, drives the strength from their body, or roots them to the spot.

Chimera in Play

While chimera are real, they are very rare indeed, and make prodigious enemies. An encounter with a chimera in your background is acceptable, but a background in which you single-handedly defeat one is likely to be rejected; these creatures are capable of eating entire villages and are likely to require the efforts of a band of heroic characters to defeat. Pieces of chimera are very rare indeed.

Firebird

The firebird, also known as the phoenix, is a massive bird of prey that burns with the light of the sun. Some version depict them as being close to great hawks, while others have more of the appearance of a bird-of-paradise. They are strongly associated with fire, and according to legends their feathers continue to burn even when removed from the beast, providing enough light to illuminate a room, lead a hero through a dark night, or keep predatory monsters at bay. Depending on the story the firebird may be able to burn enemies with it's gaze or the slash of its talons.

The phoenix is a variant of the firebird; the phoenix is said to be very long lived, and when it dies it is consumed in a conflagration of irresistible flame. This creature is sometimes seen as a symbol of reincarnation; some priests of the Way consider this to be blasphemous and claim that the phoenix actually represents the idea of resurrection. The bird is reborn not as a new bird, but as a younger incarnation of the same creature. When these legendary beasts appear in stories they are usually presented as being very wise, and possessed of the power of speech; as such they are sometimes connected to the Realm of Day.

The typical role of a firebird is as the object of a difficult quest. It is also a powerful metaphor for ambition - while the hero aspires to capture a firebird, he must take care not to be consumed by its magical flames. The phoenix is often sought in a story in the role of a magical sage whose many lifetimes It is often used in the heraldry of Dawn to suggest ambition, or wisdom.

Both the firebird and the phoenix are often shown in stories to possess incredible healing abilities, and in some cases have the ability to restore a dying person to full health (although such healing never comes without price). Their presence and song is often used in stories to heal and otherwise untreatable poison or disease, and consequently they are sometimes evoked when casting spells that purify or purge or that treat poison or weakness.

Firebirds in Play

There do not seem to be any real firebirds in the Empire. There are stories of firebirds existing in foreign lands, but these are not verified.

Yale

The yale is usually depicted as a goat- or antelope-like creature with massive curling horns and a body spotted like that of a leopard, often with a lion-like tail and occasionally with clawed feet instead of hooves. While sometimes dismissed as being comical, they are used in heraldry to present both the idea of a house whose strength is underestimated, and a house that is proud of its ability to defend its territory and its people. Their goat-like characteristics are greatly exaggerated, and so the yale comes to symbolise great tenacity, stubbornness or a refusal to give in despite the odds.

Some images depict the yale as having a more feline appearance. like a large horned leopard.

While the yale is often believed to be entirely fictional within the Empire, it actually exists in foreign parts. The spotted antelope-like creature does indeed have clawed feet, and is known to live in hot, scrubby grassland. They are omnivorous creatures hunted by certain foreigners and prized for their horns and spotted hides.

Yale in Play

Yale are not found in the Empire, but parts of them are imported by traders. It is fine to claim that horn and spotted furs are parts of a yale.

Centaur

A centaur is the body of a horse with the torso, arms and head of a human replacing the head. They are symbols that combine the strength and dignity of the horse with the skill and intelligence of a man. Some versions present a more slender creature with a body clsoer to that of a deer, often with the pointed-ears and spiral birthmarks of a Changeling.

A centaur bedecked in plate with a shield and lance is a powerful symbol of nobility, and is popular in the heraldry of a Dawnish houses with some history of having had cavalry in their distant past. Some priests object to this union of human and animal characteristics as being inappropriate, but their complaints are rarely taken very seriously.

Centaurs in Play

Sadly these creatures are fictional. While creatures that seem to combine human and animal characteristics certainly exist, the centaur does not.

Winged Serpents

The winged serpent or amphiptere is a great scaled snake with bat- or bird-like wings. They are sometimes shown covered in feathers, at other times they may possess a scorpion-like stinger. They never have arms or legs. They are used in Dawnish heraldry as symbols for cleverness and mystical insight.

The winged serpent does not exist in the mortal world, but is said to be the natural form of the Eternals of the Realm of Night. As a consequence, it is sometimes used on the heraldry of houses that have a higher-than-usual population of Naga. Outside the Empire, a species of flying serpent called a jaculi is known to exist in tropical jungles. No longer than a man's arm, with brightly coloured scales and feathered wings, they are said to glide between trees and to possess a painful, but rarely deadly, sting.

Winged Serpents in Play

These creatures are Eternals and so might be encountered in the same way that other eternals are. Jaculi are rare in the Empire, but it is not impossible for a character to have encountered them or to have some relic of them from a trip to foreign parts.

Hydra

A hydra is any serpentine or draconic monster with multiple heads. In stories they are solitary beasts that dwell in swampy environments. They sometimes have serpentine bodies, sometimes their bodies are more lizard-like. While most hydras have multiple heads and snake-like bodies sprouting from their neck-area, some have a ring of serpent-like heads around a central saurian head. The amphisbaena, which possesses a head at either end of a serpentine body, is also technically a form of hydra .

In stories hydras possess incredible regenerative abilities and often have a deadly poisonous bite. This combination of life and death means they are often considered to be associated with the Realm of Spring. In some stories, their breath itself is poisonous. They usually appear in stories as unspeakable threats that must be faced with fortitude and courage, and in many of the stories the hero eventually dies of wounds sustained during the battle. In at least one story, the hydra regrows each severed head moments after it is cut from the body, making the creature impossible to kill without attacking the well-defended and armoured body.

In heradlry a hydra usually represents a house that considers itself tenacious and resilient. "Individually you may be able to take us," they seem to say, "but together we are too powerful to defeat" The hydra is sometimes associated with the idea of revenge, and consequently houses that use it on their heraldry may have an undeservedly bad reputation.

Magicians may evoke the strength and supernatural healing qualities of the hydra when performing healing magic, especially magic intended to restore a crippled limb.

Hydra in Play

Massive multi-headed, regenerating creatures like the Lernaean Hydra are believed to exist in the Realm of Summer. This is not to say that the creature is fictional however; a three-headed saurian creature with a poisonous bite and remarkable regenerative powers is known to live in the swamps north of Feverwater to the north-east of Urizen. These creatures are incredibly rare however, and having encountered one or possessing a piece of one is a notable event. The eastern barbarians are believed to view the beasts with superstitious dread, and it is believed that some of their poisons are brewed with the venom of these horrors.

Sphinxes and Manticores

A sphinx is a composite creature usually presented with the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle and he head of a human man or woman (or very rarely another creature, most commonly a goat). They are usually associated with wisdom or vigilance, and are often shown watching over tombs and mauseoleums. Several great stone sphinxes are found in Necropolis in Highguard. They are shown as serene and distant creatures, capable of great ferocity in defence of the things they hold dear.

Manticores by contrast are predatory horrors, lacking wings but often with a scorpion-like tail that inflicts a deadly venom. Their bodies are usually lean and often diseased, and they may have more of the look of a hyena or jackal rather than a lion. They are believed to be despoilers of the dead, drawn to carrion which they poison with their noxious bodily fluids after they have eaten their fill. They are associated with bloodlust, savagery and the worst excesses of hatred. They are said to jealously hoard knowledge and wealth, and to break open tombs to get at the treasures hidden within. They are very rarely used in heraldry due to multiple negative associations; a Noble House that did so would be announcing that they are untrustworthy, brutal and savage. While some Draughir might appreciate the fear that using this creature might evoke, they would likely find themselves unwelcome among their peers.

These creatures might be related; despite their wildly differing characteristics, they are both believed to be intelligent, capable of speech, and fascinated by riddles and mysteries. The sphinx in particular is a popular image in Urizen associated with the realm of Day and Night depending on whether it is depicted as a pale-coloured female or a dark-coloured male. According to some fanciful reports they are even capable of working ritual magic, and there are some exotic tales of a sphinx or manticore that assumes human form for one purpose or another.

A magician might evoke the spirit of the sphinx when performing divination magic, while they might call on the dire qualities of the manticore when working curses or spells that weaken their opponents.

Sphinxes and Manticores in play

These creatures are real, but are not found in the Empire. They are native to dry, arid regions and while there are stories of a few being found in the deserts of Xira, these are not confirmed. You are very unlikely indeed to have ever encountered a sphinx or a manticore whether in natural form or transformed into a human (assuming such a thing is even possible).

Mandowla

A mandowla is a sturdy bear-like body with savage talons rather than claws and a head that resembles that of a giant owl with wide eyes and a savage beak. Also known as a nightripper they are often found in small family groups, and like the grizzly bears they resemble they are omnivores - although with a marked preference for raw meat over vegetables or carrion. They are not intelligent, although they have a predator's cunning and are quite capable of attacking humans if they are disturbed or angered. They are most active at twilight, but have both excellent night vision and keen daylight sight. They are most common around Upwold, Skarsind, Hercynia, Liathaven, Miaren and Miekarova, although there are also populations in Redoubt where they were introduced by enthusiastic Urizen naturalists.

These creatures are more dangerous than bears simply because they are so ready to attack and kill humans. They do not go out of their way to hunt humans, but if a family moves into an area containing a village, it will need to be dealt with. The mandowla are tough creatures, and shrug off powerful blows that would cripple a human. In turn they are capable of striking very powerful blows that can bowl over a knight in armour, or shatter a shield or spear into flinders, closing in for the kill once their prey is prone and vulnerable.

In heraldry they represent strength. Their bones and talons may be used in magic or crafted items designed to overcome obstacles with physical prowess rather than guile or cunning.

Mandowla in play

It is perfectly acceptable to have pieces of mandowla, or to have killed one in your background. They are a challenge for a single character to defeat, but a small group especially one armed with long pole weapons should be able to bring one to bear and defeat it.

Dragons, Wyverns and Wyrms

Dragons are great bat-winged reptiles with long tails, thick scales as tough as plate armour, and the ability to breathe fire (or in some stories a variety of other devastating elemental forces such as lightning, fire or freezing wind). They are intelligent and deadly opponents, who hoard treasure and oppress humans with tyrannical demands for the sacrifice of their children and youths. Only the bravest, purest knight can hope to defeat a dragon, and even then only in stories.

Wyverns are savage dragon-like creatures that lack fore-arms. They are vicious predators, cunning rather than intelligent, and possess a venomous bite or scorpion-stinger tail rather than the magical ability to breathe fire. Wyrms are massive serpentine creatures, often with stunted limbs, that often exude deadly poison that blackens and blasts the very earth itself where they lair. They are often defeated in stories by cleverness rather than direct force of arms.

In heraldry, dragons are majestic creatures that epitomize strength, power and puissance. Wyverns are symbols of warlike nature, ferocity and stubborness. Wyrms are rarely used in heraldry, and when they are they represent cleverness and influence; Noble Houses that use the wyrm on their heraldry are often viewed with some suspicion by their peers.

Dragons may be evoked in a variety of spells, from referencing their hidden hoards while casting the night pouch incantation, to calling on their devastating breath and strength when working a ritual of destruction. They are also a common decoration on shields, armour and weapons.

Dragons, Wyverns and Wyrms in Play

Unfortunately, dragons appear to be extinct in the mortal realm if they ever existed there. Occasionally great reptillian bones are uncovered, especially in the mountains or buried in swamps, but there is no evidence that these are from dragons rather than simply being the remains of a great drake. They are believed to exist in the Realm of Summer where they are the most terrible and deadly of the legendary beasts that make that Realm their home. If one were to enter the mortal realm, it would likely prove a match for a small army.

Wyverns are real, and some scholars theorize that they are a particularly vicious breed of drake.

Wyrms are also fictional. While some Eternals of the Realm of Night appear to take similar forms, they are intelligent shapeshifters rather than poisonous horrors.

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Lepidus

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Lepidus is a well-regarded Paragon who ensured his Chapter remembered and safeguarded the great legacy of the Highborn during the dark times of the Patrician’s Council. Lepidus used these seeds to awaken others to Highguard's lost glories and to bring about a renewal which, in turn, laid the foundation of what would become the Imperial Synod.

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Leviathan

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Day

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Day

Sobriquets

Leviathan is, by all accounts, one of the most ancient of the Eternals of the Realm of Day.

Many of its titles refer to its home in the very deepest parts of the Realm-ocean. It is sometimes called The Deepest One or The Foundation; it may be called The Dweller in the Depths or The Abyssal Lord.

It is also said to be a being that exists to observe events and explore how they happen, and how they spawn other events - in this guise it is also called The Watcher Beneath the Waters. The Faraden are known to refer to it by the slightly poetical name of She-Who-Counts-The-Ripples, in reference to its fascination with the root cause of events (and also The Unspeakable One Who Lies Beneath The Eternal Ocean in reference to their fear of the sea).

Appearance

No mortal has ever seen Leviathan. According to its Heralds and the other Eternals of Day, it is a creature of such titanic size that it cannot be seen all in one go. It is said to have the aspect of a gargantuan whale and a serpent of colossal size, with immense faintly glowing eyes and thousands of sail-like fins that extend across its tremendous frame. It dwells at the point where the light of the Upper Realm fades to twilight, but the Realm is never truly dark; Leviathan's scales, fins and hides are said to be colourful, almost hypnotically so.

Its voice is usually described as a rumbling, faintly amused whisper by those who have heard it - while it has never been seen there are those who have spoken to it through one of the hollow glass spheres said to serve as conduits to the part of the Realm it calls its home. In all recorded history, there are no known incidents of Leviathan being anything other than calm, reasonable and pleasant regardless of who or what it is talking to. It is much more likely to terminate an interview than to become angry.

The Heralds of Leviathan appear very much like extremely high-lineage merrow. These creatures, like their patron, are almost insanely calm at all times. They also claim to be quite 'young' - the Heralds of Leviathan apparently continue to grow larger and larger throughout their existences until they become "too big to fit through the doors", in the words of one Herald. It is unclear whether it was joking.

Concerns

Leviathan is concerned with two philosophical areas: the past, and the way it serves as the foundation of the present and future; and the way that actions have consequences both here and now, and in other places and times.

It is fascinated with the way that events spawn other events, and the way they can be traced further and further back; it is known to be engrossed by the question of whether any event can truly be said to have a "root cause" or whether everything is simply a development of something else. If the smallest decision can have repercussions that effect the fate of Empires, can any decision or any event, no matter how minor, really be said to be insignificant?

The Deepest One claims to have been pondering these questions since it first achieved awareness a very long time ago and has not yet reached any conclusions, or even built a durable thesis. It has said many times that it expects the questions that fascinate it to be unanswerable until after creation ends, assuming it ever does.

If Leviathan has a blind-spot it is that clever as it is, it cannot entirely understand motivations. It can observe actions, but sometimes those actions make no sense and cannot be predicted. Leviathan and its agents can only perceive events, they cannot look inside the minds of others no matter how much they desire to do so, so in the end they can only make (extremely) educated guesses about why people do the things they do. This is one of the reasons Leviathan loves to speak to mortals, or send its Heralds to do so; it finds the endless motivations for mortal action fascinating, if slightly incomprehensible.

Boons

Magicians consort with Leviathan and its Heralds for two main reasons. It is fascinated by the past, and so has access to unspeakably detailed, inimaginably vast archives of information about past events; it is fascinated by the philosophy of cause-and-effect, and the question of whether free will can truly be said to exist, and finds discussions about these questions endlessly entertaining. It can grant boons that enhance the ability of diviners and seers to gather information about the present, as well as providing access to the great vaults of artefacts and trinkets that have been given to it in return for its assistance over the centuries. It is known to desire ownership of physical items that were present at, or the cause of, important events.

Unfortunately, Leviathan is very careful about sharing what it knows because the act of sharing information can have vastly unforseen repercussions. But then, as it sometimes observes with a wry tone, so can the act of not sharing information. Those who can convince Leviathan that sharing information will have more (or less) profound impact than not sharing it can learn all sorts of fascinating facts about the past.

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Liao

Liao is a purple powder that is used in ceremonial rites performed by Imperial priests. Liao is provided to everyone who ministers to a congregation, which is a type of Resource.

Liao is made from vinum. Vinum is a white sap that was discovered by the Navarr to form a chewable confection that aids with deep, restful and dreamless sleep; and was often used to treat nightmares and night terrors. For use in these rites, it can be:

- burned as incense and inhaled

- mixed into liquid and imbibed

- mixed into a small capsule and consumed

Ceremonial Liao

The process of turning vinum sap into liao is complex, expensive and time-consuming. It can take many years to mature vinum into liao. Within the Empire, this cost and complexity is arranged by the Imperial Civil Service who process quantities on behalf of the Imperial Faith for use in liao ceremonies.

True, or Imperial, Liao

During the maturing process that turns vinum into liao, around one dose in ten thousand matures to a radiant purple. This has come to be known as True Liao, or Imperial Liao. True Liao is the means by which a human can receive a vision of another time and place, which is held to be their past life.

True Liao is not simply consumed but requires access to a gateway. A gateway is a specially constructed chamber which, when not in use, appears to simply be an empty chamber. Yet when a visionary partakes of True Liao, and enters the gateway, the world around them melts away such that they feel as though they stand in another time and place. The civil service are capable of erecting gateways to the Labyrinth in any location given sufficient opportunity.

True Liao can also be used in place of ceremonial liao to make an annointing, dedication or consecration permanent, rather than temporary. Such use is exceptionally rare, and is usually reserved for Empresses, artefacts, cathedrals, or similar.

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Liao and the Labyrinth of Ages

Liao

Liao is a purple powder that is used in ceremonial rites peformed by Imperial Priests. For use in these rites, it can be:

- burned as incense and inhaled

- mixed into liquid and imbibed

- mixed into a small capsule and consumed

Liao is made from Vinum. Vinum is a white sap that was discovered by the Navarr to form a chewable confection that aids with deep, restful and dreamless sleep; and was often used to treat nightmares and night terrors.

Ceremonial Liao

The process of turning Vinum sap into Liao is complex, expensive and time-consuming. It can take many years to mature Vinum into Liao. Within the Empire, this cost and complexity is borne by the Imperial Civil Service who process quantities on behalf of the Imperial Faith for use in Liao Ceremonies.

True, or Imperial, Liao

During the maturing process that turns Vinum into Liao, around one dose in ten thousand matures to a radiant purple. This has come to be known as True Liao, or Imperial Liao. True Liao is the means by which a human can receive a vision of another time and place, which is held to be their past life.

True Liao is not simply consumed but requires access to a Gateway. A Gateway is a specially constructed chamber which, when not in use, appears to simply be an empty chamber. Yet when a visionary partakes of Ture Liao, and enters the Gateway, the world around them melts away such that they feel as though they stand in another time and place. The civil service are capable of erecting Gateways to the Labyrinth in any location given sufficient opportunity.

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Liao ceremonies

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Anointing

- 3 Consecration

- 4 Dedication

- 5 Exorcism

- 6 Hallow

- 7 Insight

- 8 Testimony

Overview

The Priests of the Way of Virtue have, over several hundred years, discovered ways of using refined liao in ceremonies. These ceremonies are intended to promote spiritual wellbeing in line with the Virtues, as well as addressing the spread of malign spiritual presences that threaten the Empire.

Broadly, it is through the use of liao that the spirit and mind of a priest can touch the Labyrinth of Ages whilst still alive as a mortal, and the ceremonial skills involve subtle manipulations of the Labyrinth.

Anointing

A priest may use this ceremony to infuse an individual with an aura taken from the Labyrinth of Ages, such that it becomes a guiding imperative in their lives. Several priests or a sect may co-operate on this Ceremony and so increase the anointing's enduring presence, making it harder to banish. Anointing has been utilised in a number of different ways, including within key life events, such as marriage. This practice varies by the culture and belief of participants.

A temporary anointing lasts for an encounter, equivalent to the enchantment produced by some rituals. In addition, a character may sometimes be strongly affected by the power of an anointing while they are roleplaying at Anvil. In these circumstances the player may choose to decide that this moment constitutes an encounter and decide that a temporary anointment has expired. This is appropriate when the player has been in a dramatic scene with one or more other characters where their roleplaying has been substantially altered by the aura they were under. Judgement on this is left to the discretion of the player.

Some malign auras may expire after a character has been affected by them. A referee will inform you if this is the case; you cannot choose when it is appropriate for a malign aura to end. Likewise, for an anointment that has been made permanent with True Liao. These auras can usually only be removed using exorcism.

Consecration

A priest may use this ceremony to infuse an area with an aura taken from the Labyrinth of Ages, such that it may be experienced by any who enter that area. Several priests may co-operate on this ceremony and so increase the consecration's enduring presence, making it harder to banish.

A temporary consecration lasts for an season, equivalent to the enchantment produced by some rituals. A consecration on a permanent structure can be made permanent using True Liao.

Dedication

The Ceremony of Dedication marks a soul with a particular quality; most commonly one of the Imperial Virtues. Dedicating a soul with a quality other than an Imperial Virtue is a crime of Blasphemy and Heresy - and potentially Idolatry - under Imperial Law.

Exorcism

The Imperial Virtues are not the only spiritual forces to make a mark on the mortal world. Using this Ceremony, a Priest may banish an aura. This can include auras on people (like anointings) and places (like consecrations). The key use of this ability is the cleansing of malign spiritual presences that have arisen as a result of false gods, blasphemous cults or spontaneous manifestation. Several Priests can co-operate in this Ceremony to ensure that it is powerful enough to overcome the spiritual presence they strive to banish.

Hallow

A priest may use this ceremony to infuse an object with an aura taken from the Labyrinth of Ages, such that its influence can be felt by anyone bearing or wearing the object. Several priests may co-operate on this ceremony and so increase the santification's enduring presence, making it harder to banish.

A temporary hallow lasts for an season, equivalent to the enchantment produced by some rituals. A hallow can be made permanent using True Liao.

Insight

A Priest may use this Ceremony to look at the aura of another. This enables them to see any influences that lie upon it. This will include whether the individual is dedicated, or have received an anointing, or the effects of testimonies. This Ceremony can also be used to identify the presence of a consecrated area, or sacred/profane artefact, though these tend to be more evident. Priests of the Synod often use this Ceremony to seek out malign spiritual presences.

Testimony

A Priest may use this ceremony to exalt or chastise a person to their face. This results in the soul of the target being marked with elements of the testimony. The Way teaches that these marks affect a person's passage through the Labyrinth of Ages for good or ill. Testimony is often incorporated within funerary rites as it is understood to still have its effect if carried out within a day of a person's death in the presence of their remains.

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Liao ceremonies (Redirected from Liao Ceremonies)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Anointing

- 3 Consecration

- 4 Dedication

- 5 Exorcism

- 6 Hallow

- 7 Insight

- 8 Testimony

Overview

The Priests of the Way of Virtue have, over several hundred years, discovered ways of using refined liao in ceremonies. These ceremonies are intended to promote spiritual wellbeing in line with the Virtues, as well as addressing the spread of malign spiritual presences that threaten the Empire.

Broadly, it is through the use of liao that the spirit and mind of a priest can touch the Labyrinth of Ages whilst still alive as a mortal, and the ceremonial skills involve subtle manipulations of the Labyrinth.

Anointing

A priest may use this ceremony to infuse an individual with an aura taken from the Labyrinth of Ages, such that it becomes a guiding imperative in their lives. Several priests or a sect may co-operate on this Ceremony and so increase the anointing's enduring presence, making it harder to banish. Anointing has been utilised in a number of different ways, including within key life events, such as marriage. This practice varies by the culture and belief of participants.

A temporary anointing lasts for an encounter, equivalent to the enchantment produced by some rituals. In addition, a character may sometimes be strongly affected by the power of an anointing while they are roleplaying at Anvil. In these circumstances the player may choose to decide that this moment constitutes an encounter and decide that a temporary anointment has expired. This is appropriate when the player has been in a dramatic scene with one or more other characters where their roleplaying has been substantially altered by the aura they were under. Judgement on this is left to the discretion of the player.

Some malign auras may expire after a character has been affected by them. A referee will inform you if this is the case; you cannot choose when it is appropriate for a malign aura to end. Likewise, for an anointment that has been made permanent with True Liao. These auras can usually only be removed using exorcism.

Consecration

A priest may use this ceremony to infuse an area with an aura taken from the Labyrinth of Ages, such that it may be experienced by any who enter that area. Several priests may co-operate on this ceremony and so increase the consecration's enduring presence, making it harder to banish.

A temporary consecration lasts for an season, equivalent to the enchantment produced by some rituals. A consecration on a permanent structure can be made permanent using True Liao.

Dedication

The Ceremony of Dedication marks a soul with a particular quality; most commonly one of the Imperial Virtues. Dedicating a soul with a quality other than an Imperial Virtue is a crime of Blasphemy and Heresy - and potentially Idolatry - under Imperial Law.

Exorcism

The Imperial Virtues are not the only spiritual forces to make a mark on the mortal world. Using this Ceremony, a Priest may banish an aura. This can include auras on people (like anointings) and places (like consecrations). The key use of this ability is the cleansing of malign spiritual presences that have arisen as a result of false gods, blasphemous cults or spontaneous manifestation. Several Priests can co-operate in this Ceremony to ensure that it is powerful enough to overcome the spiritual presence they strive to banish.

Hallow

A priest may use this ceremony to infuse an object with an aura taken from the Labyrinth of Ages, such that its influence can be felt by anyone bearing or wearing the object. Several priests may co-operate on this ceremony and so increase the santification's enduring presence, making it harder to banish.

A temporary hallow lasts for an season, equivalent to the enchantment produced by some rituals. A hallow can be made permanent using True Liao.

Insight

A Priest may use this Ceremony to look at the aura of another. This enables them to see any influences that lie upon it. This will include whether the individual is dedicated, or have received an anointing, or the effects of testimonies. This Ceremony can also be used to identify the presence of a consecrated area, or sacred/profane artefact, though these tend to be more evident. Priests of the Synod often use this Ceremony to seek out malign spiritual presences.

Testimony

A Priest may use this ceremony to exalt or chastise a person to their face. This results in the soul of the target being marked with elements of the testimony. The Way teaches that these marks affect a person's passage through the Labyrinth of Ages for good or ill. Testimony is often incorporated within funerary rites as it is understood to still have its effect if carried out within a day of a person's death in the presence of their remains.

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Liathaven

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Liaven's Dance

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Beacon Point

- 4.2 Liath's Heart

- 4.3 Liath's Ring

- 4.4 Liaven's Glen

- 4.5 Westwood

- 4.6 West Ranging

- 4.7 Western Scout

- 5 OOC Note

Overview

Liathaven is the ancient western forest between the Freeborn mountains of Kahraman and Bregasland of the Marches. Even in the time of Terunael, the forest was old. There are immense trees in parts of Liathaven that are believed to be thousands of years old, and parts of the forest that even today have seen only a handful of humans pass through them. Liathaven itself is only a spur of a much larger forest that stretches hundreds of miles to the west; a great wood that served as a natural boundary between the Jotun barbarians in the north and the Faraden foreigners in the south.

The wildlife of Liathaven likewise tends to be larger than normal, with forest lions and dire beasts (especially bears, wolves and stags) being comparatively common compared to other parts of the Empire. The weather in Liathaven is changeable, and the territory is known for its heavy storms and strong winds, caught as it is between the temperate Marches and the warmer Brass Coast to the south.

Most parts of Liathaven have been well-settled by the Navarr - those few Terunael ruins that have not been incorporated into steadings have mostly been studied by scholars and archaeologists - but occasionally a hitherto overlooked structure will be found, wreathed in vines or buried under centuries of undergrowth. The richest new ruins are found along the borders of the Vallorn-infested regions of Liath's Heart and Westwood, of course.

Recent History

The Jotun began their invasion of Liathaven in the autumn of 346YE, taking advantage of the eastern-focus of the Imperial armies under the domination of Empress Giselle. They pressed ever eastwards, avoiding the vallorn and seizing many Navarri steadings. The Empire finally lost control of Liathaven in early 349YE despite attempts by the Imperial Military Council to organize a proper counter-offensive.

In the thirty years since the forests fell to the orcs, they have used their foothold here to launch regular raids into Bregasland, and as a staging post for their massed assault against the Mournwold in 349YE. Today, apart from regular raiding bands attacking the Marchers and the occasional forays through the mountains into Kahraman, Liathaven seems quiet - almost peaceful. Despite a slight rise in encounters with vallornspawn, the pessimistic predictions that the Jotun would 'awaken' the Vallorn in Liathaven and cause widespread doom in the territory has so far failed to come true.

With a ceasefire agreed with the Jotun by the Imperial Senate in Summer 377YE, there have been no further attempts to reclaim Liathaven - and it seems unlikely that a major offensive will be launched until the two-year ceasefire ends in Spring 379YE.

Major Features

Liaven's Dance

Woven between the trees of Liaven's Glen is The Dance; a network of earthen trails marked in the grass and the trees, several miles wide, worn into the ground with the footfall of centuries. The Navarr say that it is a symbol for the Great Dance writ large on the earth. Some from Urizen believe that dancing Liaven’s Dance could grant humans a greater understanding the path of the soul through the Labyrinth of Ages. The steading of Liaven’s Dance was ancient, dating back to the earliest days after the Vallorn emerged. It was a regular place of pilgrimage for Navarr practitioners of the Way, and a centre for philosophical thought combining the philosophy of the Great Dance with the Virtues. The fact that it is now in the hands of the Jotun barbarians marks a terrible loss for the Navarr and perhaps the Empire.

Regions

Beacon Point

The region takes its name from the great beacons built along the southern borders of Liathaven, intended to serve as a warning of any major incursion from the west or the southern Faraden. The beacons are simple but effective - basic messages could be sent quickly to stations in the mountains of neighbouring Kahraman, and relayed back to Liaven's Glen. In this way, the southern regions of Liathaven stayed in contact with the northern regions despite the Vallorn between them, and the presence of some bloodthirsty clans of bandit orcs in the mountains to the south. Today, Beacon Point maintains a single very unreliable trade route through the mountains to Kahraman. Travelers and caravans alike are in constant danger from the vicious peak orcs, and communication with the defenders is very patchy as a result. This has made the plight of the Beacon Point steadings more desperate - their resources are stretched even further by the need to support the steadings of Western Scout.

Keywords: Forested

Liath's Heart

Forced out of the surrounding regions, the Vallorn has grown powerful in Liath's Heart. It is wrapped tight around the ruins of Liath Haven, squatting at the centre of a miasmic cloud of poison. There are no Navarr steadings in Liath's Heart. Although occasional forays into the region from Liaven's Glen to the east returned triumphant with some fragment of lore or lost treasure, the most accessible ruins have long since been explored or destroyed by rampaging Vallornspawn. With the Jotun in northern Liathaven, the Vallorn is said to be stirring fitfully in its slumber - but there have been no signs to date that the Jotun are making any particular effort to 'conquer' it.

Keywords: Forested, Vallorn

Liath's Ring

Near the easern border of Liath's Ring stands Mournstead, a stout steading - the last redoubt of the Navarr in Liathaven to fall to the barbarians. The region was known both for sprawling groves of beggarwood trees, and for the occasional standing stone or dolmen in out-of-the-way places. Marcher Landskeepers - especially those from nearby Bregasland were regular visitors to this part of the forest, and it's eerie monoliths. Rumour suggests that the first action of the orcs was to cut them to the ground and bear away the trunks for their victory bonfires, but calmer heads suggest it is much more likely the Jotun will have set their own thralls to harvest the groves for valuable Beggar's Lye.

Keywords: Forested

Liaven's Glen

This area of eastern Liathaven was the first area of Liathaven freed of Vallorn influence some two hundred years before the foundation of the Empire. According to some records, the network of trails and earthworks known as Liaven's Dance was a prototype working designed to weaken the power of the vallorn, eventually culminating in the vast web of trods that now criss-cross the Empire. Several steadings here were home to experienced covens of vates who oversaw potent mana sites and studied the vallorn along the edges of Liath's Heart to the south-west. Many of these vates were killed fighting to protect their homes from the orcs, but some managed to flee into exile.

Of particular note is the library at Turning Spiral. This old steading held a repository of Navarr magical lore that survived the purges of Emperor Nicovar comparatively unscathed. Tragically, its own defenders were forced to destroy it rather than let it fall into barbarian hands. While some of the books were carried to safety by fleeing vates, many hundreds more were incinerated in magically-fuelled fire as the entire steading was transformed into a conflagration by the defenders (a conflagration that claimed not only their lives, but the lives of at least two hundred orcs). Some of the last vates to leave Turning Spiral never reached the safety of Serra Briante to the south - at least two groups are known to have set off but disappeared somewhere in the mountains between Liathaven and Kahraman.

Keywords: Forested

Westwood

The tainted vegetation of the Vallorn spills westward into this region from Liath's Heart. There were a few steadings here, but they have been abandoned due to the twin threats of the vallornspawn and the Jotun barbarians raiding from the west and north. The last steading abandoned to the vallorn was that of Duskwater Tarry, a steading built on raised platforms in the centre of a freshwater lake that protected a dangerous direct trade route between Western Scout and West Ranging. The inhabitants withdrew south in 352YE and it is believed that the vallorn swiftly swallowed it up as it had other abandoned settlements. The entire region now belongs to the Vallorn.

Keywords: Forested, Vallorn

West Ranging

The forests here were reasonably well defended, but the slow drain of Thorns to the battles in the eastern Empire created a weakness the Jotun were quick to exploit. Before the barbarians came, West Ranging was known both for producing fine leather goods and for the Navarr scouts who would regularly slip out of the Empire to spy on - and occasionally raid - the Jotun stockades in the western forests.

Keywords: Forested

Western Scout

The steadings of Western Scout still hold out against the Jotun, but there have been several serious assaults from the forests west of the Empire. In the last few years these attacks have slackened off, but until 377YE there were still occasional raids by Jotun warbands. The Jotun ceasefire has given these steadings a much-needed breathing space. In addition to the Jotun, there are problems with groups of Vallornspawn that occasionally boil out of the infested regions to the north. The westernmost steadings are in tatters; several have been razed by raiders, while the easternmost steadings are barely in a better state. They survive partly due to the efforts of their hunters but also due to vital supplies from Beacon Point - supplies the eastern steadings can hardly spare themselves, given the problems of maintaining a safe route through the mountains to Kahraman.

Keywords: Forested

OOC Note

- As of Autumn 377YE, the Jotun orcs control West Ranging, Liath's Ring and Liaven's Glen. The Vallorn occupies Liath's Heart and Westwood. The Navarr (and thus the Empire) hold Western Scout and Beacon Point.

- To reclaim Liathaven, the Empire needs to hold four of the seven regions.

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Lictors

Contents

- 1 Eternals of Autumn

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternals of Autumn

Sobriquets

Most commonly, Lictors are referred to as The Punishers or The Hunters.

They may also be known as The Chainbound, The Binders, the Brass Magistrates and occasionally The Furious Ones. In The League they are sometimes called The Reckoners. Individual lictors bear names such as 'Implacable', 'Inescapable', 'Treacherhound' and 'Wordbinder'.

Appearance

The Lictors are hooded figures and cloaked, armoured wrapped in heavy iron and green iron chains, with razor-sharp brass claws and horns, and iron face-masks. Armed with scourges, whips, flails, ropes and nets they stalk the dark places of the Autumn Realm, looking for miscreants. Their voices are said to be very quiet, except when they are pursuing their prey when they are said to give voice to deafening metallic cries that chill the blood and may even paralyse a weak-willed target.

Concerns

The Lictors hunt oath-breakers, and those who refuse to honour agreements, contracts or obligations. In the Autumn Realm they are viewed with some suspicion or fear, and even deadly political rivals think twice before breaking sworn agreements. They can be invoked, apparently, by any of the other Eternals of Autumn to officiate over agreements or oaths. Those who break such oaths are mercilessly hunted and either destroyed or carried back to the green iron citadel that the Lictors use as a prison. The Lictors are individually quite potent, but in a group they are almost irresistable, even by the powerful Eternal lords of Autumn. Some Eternals will simply invoke their name when making a promise, indicating that they consider themselves bound, although to what degree this is actually binding, mortals are uncertain.

Magicians who have studied the lictors disagree as to whether they are an order of Eternals, possibly lead by a single powerful figure, or some sort of product of the Autumn Realm itself, an expression of the role that agreements, favours and grudges play in a realm so thematically linked to deception and manipulation.

Boons

The Lictors are rarely encountered by mortals, but there are said to be rituals that can summon them to the Mortal Realm as well as chambers where they can be encountered, or where the outskirts of their green iron citadel can be visited. They can be persuaded to offer boons that deal with binding and holding prisoners, especially oathbreakers and those who have debts to pay. They can oversee mortal covenants, oaths, promises and contracts, placing powerful curses that may fall on those who break their agreements - or even calling down the ire of the Lictors themselves.

They may sometimes accept prisoners; how they transport a mortal prisoner to the Autumn Realm is unclear, and it may be that they simply kill them. They can also allow access to some of those creatures and beings imprisoned in their citadel. They appear to value green iron especially, although they have never explained why and simply ignore questions - it is theorized that they may use it to expand their citadel, or even to craft new Lictors.

They also very occasionally offer bounties - although what someone would have to do to come to the attention of the lictors is unclear and has lead to much nightmarish speculation.

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Light Festival Song

Words by Claire Sheridan, tune by Claire Sheridan and Aneurin Redman-White. [1] recording

Some rediscovered lyrics arranged by Nicassia of Phoenix Reach and Eudaemon of Halcyon Spire for the Light Festival YE379

Fear not the darkness, We will bring light, Push back the shadows, See them flee before us.

Bright lamps and candle-flame, We will bring light, Our own stars to guide us, Lighting all before us.

Lightstones of the mountains, We will bring light, There need be no darkness, Light The Way before us.

Guardians of the Empire, We will bring light, Push back our enemies, See them flee before us.

Fear not the darkness, We will bring light, Push back the shadows, See them flee before us.

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Like Water Through Your Fingers

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 30

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Removing the Curse

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 30

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. At the end of the ritual one of the contributors is chosen to deliver the curse with a pronouncement of doom.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

This ritual creates a curse that is delivered to a target with a pronouncement of doom: one contributors is chosen to deliver the curse, and they must do so within fifteen minutes or it falls on their own head.

While under the curse, the target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect; they find it difficult to hold on to money, and valuables slip out of their grasp. They become increasingly shabby in appearance and often find it physically difficult to hold money or other Game items without dropping them. They have a nagging awareness of every disaster or misfortune that might ruin them, their possessions or their prosperity.

In addition, circumstances conspire to cause the character to lose their valuables; thieves, unfortunate disasters, misplacing a jacket, unexpected bills, holes in the pockets and the like. While under the curse the target loses three-quarters of any production that would have been provided by a personal resource, including that provided by a military unit that takes the raid action and the liao provided to a character who controls a congregation. The money they start each event with is also reduced by three-quarters, and any income from a campaign resource or Imperial position is likewise affected.

The additional production provided by an enchantment such as Rivers of Gold or Rampant Growth is not affected by this curse.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Removing the Curse

The curse can be removed by certain powerful creatures or items. It can also be alleviated by powerful rituals that improve fate and chance,such as TBA.

Description

This horrible curse slowly erodes the wealth of the target. Their resources fail them, their clothes become threadbare, and they are constantly aware of the vagaries of fate that may rob them of their security, prosperity and comfort. They can receive temporary respite from the curse through the use of enchantments that enhance their resources, but slowly and inexorably they are paupered unless they are very lucky.

Some targets have attempted to argue that this curse is tantamount to theft, and have ritualists prosecuted accordingly. Magistrates will not treat this as theft, however, because it technically does not steal from the target; it makes it harder for them to acquire new wealth, it only peripherally damages wealth they have already got. The recourse of the target is to the Imperial Conclave, not the judiciary.

In some parts of the Empire, this curse is called Miser's Ruin - especially by the mountebanks of The League and some itinerant volhov and Marcher cunning folk who view its imposition on the greedy, the avaricious and the cruel to be naught more than poetic justice.

Several Eternals of Autumn are known to have the power to remove this curse - and to deliver their own variants of it - especially Prospero and Ephisis. Unfortunately, neither is inclined to alleviate the effects without a suitably impressive payment - which is made much harder to arrange by the nature of the curse.

Common Elements

As with many curses this ritual often involves a recitation.of the grievances against the target; casting aside coins or items symbolising wealth, especially fine wine mixed with blood or spit that is poured out onto the ground. The rune Naeve is an obvious fit for this ritual, and the rune Pallas is often destroyed or defaced during the casting; Ull and Gralm may also be evoked, representing the power of chance and fate that work together to enact the ruinous curse.

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Lineage

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Creating a lineaged character

- 3 Creating a lineaged group

- 4 Playing a lineaged character

- 5 Limits on lineage

Overview

Lineage represents the touch of magic in your blood, and can occur in many ways. Parents with lineage often give birth to children with their lineage while the offspring of a human and an Eternal Herald is always lineaged. It is also common for fully human parents to give birth to a lineaged child. Lineage can also occur for other reasons, for instance a child born in a primal forest, under the influence of the Realm of Spring might become a briar in later life while a child born during a great famine when Winter holds sway might be born a Draughir.

Creating a lineaged character

If you wish to play a character that is not fully human but you do not want to play an orc then you may select one of the six lineages that are available to a human character. Each lineage is linked to one of the six realms - so if you wish to have lineage then you must pick one of the six shown above, you cannot create your own lineage. Only humans possess lineage, Imperial Orcs are not affected in the same way by the magic of the Realms and do not generate lineage.

Lineage has no effect on your character's skills or abilities but each lineage has a list of trappings - physical and mental characteristics associated with the lineage. You need to decide how much lineage you want your character to possess. It is possible to have only the slightest touch of magic in your blood or to be very strongly affected. How lineaged your character is based solely on their appearance and the way you roleplay the character. If you choose to use most of the mental and physical trappings and to make any phys-reps large and impressive then your character is strongly lineaged (often called high lineage). If you only adopt one or two of the trappings and they are subtle or difficult to spot then your character is not strongly lineaged.

Each lineage has an iconic trapping (such as horns for cambions or pointed ears for changelings). This is the most common physical mark for lineaged characters but is not a required element.

There is a section about attitudes to the lineages in each of the nation briefs. There are individuals of every lineage in every nation in the Empire, lineaged characters are considered human and for the most part they are fully accepted in most lands. The only exception are briars who enjoy a poor reputation as violent and confrontational individuals and suffer prejudice in most nations as a result.

Creating a lineaged group

Individuals with lineage often feel more comfortable in the company of others who share their lineage. Because of this, and the fact that lineage has some tendency to run in the blood, it is possible to create a group of characters who share a lineage. Such characters may have been born in similar circumstances or they may have chosen to seek each other out and work together. For instance, the members of a thane's hall in Wintermark may all be briars due to the presence of a powerful Spring aura in the area. Or a band of Dawnish knight-errants may all be Draughir, having chosen to quest for glory together.

Playing a lineaged character

Each lineage has a description of how the touch of magic influences the personality and attitudes of a character with that lineage. These are meant to be useful hooks to help you build an iconic and interesting character as well as a way to make lineage more interesting for those who interact with them. However it is up to you how you create your character, you are free to interpret these elements as you wish. Even if your character possesses all the physical trappings of a lineage, you don't have to roleplay the mental trappings of a lineage, it simply means your character's personality is not affected by the magic in their blood - that they do not have high lineage.

The Eternals are known to respond positively to approaches from individuals with high lineage of their Realm. In effect they see a character with high lineage as one of their own and a powerful and important lineaged character is more likely to be treated as an equal. This does not guarantee good treatment, it does not guarantee that the Eternal will respond positively, it simply improves the likelihood of being well received, particularly at first meeting. The Physical or mental trappings of high lineage are equally likely to help make a good first impression on an Eternal of the appropriate Realm.

Limits on lineage

There are only six lineages available and the physical trappings listed for a lineage are the only trappings that should be used. You should not mix physical trappings from different lineages or invent your own physical trappings - e.g. you cannot play a merrow with horns or a third eye - if you are considering phys-repping a trapping in an unusual or different way, please contact us to discuss it first.

No matter the circumstances of your birth or the way you came to possess lineage, your character must have been raised in the mortal world. Humans cannot survive for long unchanged in a realm, most that tarry too long become Heralds. For this reason you character's background cannot include anything more than a short trip to a realm, you cannot have grown up in a realm or have been raised there by Heralds or an Eternal.

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List of Criminal Offences

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Crimes against the Person

- 3 Crimes of Property

- 4 Crimes of Position

- 5 Crimes against the Processes of the State

- 6 Religious Crimes

- 7 What isn’t a criminal offence?

- 8 Five things about criminal offences

- 9 Further Reading

Introduction

The definitions of the crimes are brief, but this reflects the laws of the setting. Crimes are based on simple principles and are addressed by following the spirit of the law rather than complex technical arguments. The magistrates will do their best to interpret and apply the law with the pursuit of justice and the imperial interest as their goal. Justice is intended to be swift but fair and to be available to all without the need for lawyers to interpret what the law means to the ordinary citizen.

Crimes against the Person

- Murder: Unlawful assault or other action against a person with intent to kill and which results in someone’s death.

- Manslaughter: Unlawful assault or other action against a person which results in someone’s death.

- Assault: Unlawfully striking a citizen.

There is a traditional defence to an assault charge which applies where unwelcome visitors who refuse to leave your camp are cut down, removed from camp and then provided with sufficient medical assistance to avoid permanent injury. One who is accused of assault but wishes to claim this defence should plead not guilty if it goes to trial. However, if the magistrate decides that the accused’s behaviour was unreasonable they will be found guilty.

Remember that citizens who consent to do so can fight each other without fear of legal sanction, provided that nobody is seriously hurt and they are not causing a public order issue.

- Mayhem: Unlawfully maiming or mutilating a citizen.

- Poisoning: Introducing or applying a poisonous substance or effect to a citizen which causes them harm.

- False Imprisonment: Unlawfully detaining a citizen against their will. Suspects must be directly supervised during any period of lawful custody.

- Malsanguino: Willfully preventing someone from receiving medical attention with the intention of causing them harm.

Note that malsanguino does not apply where somebody simply refuses to provide medical attention.

- Slavery: Unlawfully holding the power of life and liberty over any person.

It is worth noting that orcs were redefined as people when they became a nation of the Empire. Whether a person is a citizen or not is irrelevant, so it is also illegal to enslave barbarian orcs.

A note on piracy: Although there is currently no crime specifically relating to acts of piracy, in practice this activity falls under the crimes of assault, theft, criminal damage, murder and so on. Be aware that acts of piracy committed against foreigners by imperial citizens will be investigated as criminal acts.

Crimes of Property

- Theft: Dishonestly appropriating property belonging to another with the intention of permanently depriving the other of it. The burden is on the accused to satisfy the magistrate as to their intention to return the property.

- Handling Stolen Goods: Receiving or disposing of goods which you know or believe to be stolen.

- Counterfeiting: The falsifying, or unlawfully creating or amending of an imperial document or legal tender.

- Criminal Damage: Unlawfully destroying or damaging any property either belonging to another citizen or to the Empire. Magistrates often refuse to bring to trial cases involving accidents or claims of negligence, preferring such cases to be held in the civil courts. Criminal damage to Imperial property is almost always dealt with in the criminal courts however.

- Possession or supply of controlled substances or items: this includes both illegal narcotics and items. It is illegal to carry the Maggot's Talon wand, and the substance gutwrench. The poisons created by apothecaries using the lores of The Assassin's Gate and The Winter Moon are likewise illegal. Scorpion's Sting daggers were legalised in Winter 378.

- Vallorn cultivation: It is illegal to cultivate vallorn. Note: Magical interactions with Vallorn may fall under the Conclave's constitutional remit to ensure the fit and proper use of magic in the service of the Empire. Magistrates who investigate a potential offence of Vallorn cultivation will seek expert testimony from the Conclave in cases where the position is unclear. For example, planting or tending a vallorn is very likely to be interpreted to be vallorn cultivation but harvesting magical ingredients from a naturally occurring vallorn pod may or may not be.

- Trade of True Liao to foreigners: It is illegal to trade True Liao to anyone who is not an Imperial citizen. However, the distribution of True Liao by the gatekeepers of virtue, for no payment, does not constitute "Trade" for this purpose.

Crimes of Position

- Treason: Aiding barbarians, eternals or foreign powers to act against the interests of the Empire. Committing an assault against the emperor or empress. Only citizens and former citizens of the Empire may be charged with treason.

- Impersonation of an Imperial Official: Falsely and dishonestly claiming to be a senator, civil servant, member of the militia etc. Any person who with intent to deceive impersonates an official of the Empire or does any act calculated falsely to suggest that they are, shall be found guilty of this crime.

- Dereliction of Duty: Volunteering for an imperial duty and then failing to carry it out through neglect or cowardice. Members of the Militia are expected to act in accordance with their duties when they observe a crime in progress or about to occur. Citizens who take the battlefield and then show conspicuous cowardice in the face of the enemy may also be tried for this offence. This offence does not relate to the abuse of an imperial position, which is within the remit of the Synod.

- Membership of the organisation known as the Vyig is illegal. Furthermore, possession of Vyig tattoos is illegal and such tattoos will be defaced in addition to any other punishment.

Crimes against the Processes of the State

- Contempt of Court: any behaviour which impedes the proper operation of the legal process. For example, being disruptive during a trial or disrespectful of the magistrate's authority, failing to attend court (or any other relevant meeting with a magistrate), and failing to obey the lawful order of a magistrate.

- Perverting the Course of Justice: any behaviour calculated to unduly affect the course of the judicial process. For example, bearing false witness, making false allegations, concealing offences or assisting others to evade arrest, interference with witnesses or evidence and evading, withholding or perverting a lawful punishment.

- Subverting agencies of the state: any behaviour which contravenes or subverts the constitutionally protected procedures or powers of an agency of the state.

For example: rigging or ineligible participation in the national election of senators (such as a yeoman disguising their identity to enter a tourney to determine the person who may select Dawnish senators), a senator entering the General’s tent to interfere with their military strategies, a member of the synod being refused the right to witness (without cause) and so on. This crime does not apply to the abuse of constitutionally granted powers by the person or body who is entitled to wield them.

- Resisting Arrest: Any course of action with the intent to oppose a lawful arrest.

- Contravening a Declaration of Sorcery: breaching the prohibitions placed upon a sorcerer is a serious crime.

- Contravening a Declaration of Interdiction: breaching the prohibitions placed upon interdicted magic is a serious crime.

- Improper placement of an aura on the senate building: The placing of an aura on the senate building without prior explicit permission from the Senate.

Religious Crimes

Religious crimes are tried by a magistrate but are raised by the Imperial Synod.

- Idolatry: Subsuming human will and destiny to any inhuman entity or force. This includes the worship, veneration or exaltation of any such being or power.

- Blasphemy:The denigration of the Paragons and the Paths of Virtue. This includes promoting False Virtues and the teachings, or example, of False Exemplars or False Paragons.

- Heresy: The willful rejection, or perversion of, the Orthodox Doctrines of the Faith as laid down by the Imperial Synod, or actively teaching and promoting False Doctrines.

- Abuse of Powers: The misuse, or abuse, of the powers of a priest. This includes the powers of the Synod, as well as liao ceremonies.

- Desecration: The removal of spontaneously created auras such as legacies of ascendance to paragonhood. This includes such auras arising on areas, objects and people.

What isn’t a criminal offence?

- Fraud: Dishonesty calculated for personal gain. However be aware that a victim might raise a civil case in these circumstances.

- Blackmail: Using threats to make a gain or to cause a loss to another.

- Slander and Libel: Making disparaging and false statements about another in public.

- Use of magic: Using magic on another person is never in and of itself a crime. However if the effect of the magic meets the definition of a crime then the fact that this effect was achieved by magic is no defence. For example, a curse of poverty doesn't meet the definition of any criminal offence but a death curse most certainly does. The Conclave are responsible for overseeing the proper operation of magic and have powers which allow them to take action against those who use it inappropriately.

Five things about criminal offences

- Attempt to Commit a Crime: An attempt to commit a crime will be tried in the same way as if they had committed the crime but may (or may not) result in a lesser sentence.

- Aiding and Abetting of Crime: Encouraging, soliciting or helping with the perpetration of a crime. This will be tried in the same way as if the accused had committed the crime but may (or may not) result in a lesser sentence.

- Consent: It is possible for willing participants to give consent so that what would otherwise be crimes being committed against them are not. For example: two individuals who have agreed to spar with weapons would not be guilty of assault for striking each other. It is considered wise to make such terms clear in the event that there is a disagreement later. While duelling is permitted it is not possible to consent to your own murder (but a priest for the surviving party might make a plea for clemency based on the reasons for the duel).

- Lawful Arrest: If an ordinary citizen or member of the militia who believes another person has committed a crime apprehends them, then the law provides some protection against crimes (for example, assault) associated with this act. However, if a magistrate decides that their actions were disproportionate or that it was not reasonable to believe that the person apprehended had committed a crime then this protection will not apply. If a citizen wishes to claim this defence at trial then they should plead not guilty.

- Self-defence: If a citizen reasonably believes that their property or the safety of themselves or others is in immediate jeopardy then they may use reasonable force in order to protect them. If a citizen wishes to claim this defence at trial then they should plead not guilty. The magistrate will determine whether their behaviour was reasonable and if she decides that it was not then the accused will be found guilty. Claims of self-defence will also fail where the accused is already engaged on a course of criminal activity or is subject to lawful arrest. Using a claim of self-defence to justify protecting a barbarian will very likely fail unless the Magistrate is satisfied that the accused reasonably believed that the victim was entitled to protection under the law.

Further Reading

- You can learn more about the Non-Player Character and Player Character officers of the law here.

- You can learn more about how trials are conducted here.

- You can learn more about civil trials and claims against fellow citizens here.

- You can gain a more detailed overview of Imperial law here.

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Llofir

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Spring

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Spring

Sobriquets

Most commonly, Llofir is sometimes The Quiet One or sometimes simply as Ruin.

Like many Spring Eternals, Llofir appears to have no true discernable gender as mortals understand it; some may call it the Rotlord while others refer to it as the Lady of Spores. Occasionally it is referred to as The Great Fungus but seems almost entirely unconcerned with what names mortals give it, and appears immune to flattery.

Appearance

As with Eternals such as Yaw'nagrah, Llofir is believed to be truly massive - an entire ecosystem with a single consciousness behind it. Where Llofir differs from other Spring Eternals is that its body is composed of fungus and molds - sometimes on an epic scale. It is known to 'bud' smaller, humanoid forms that are in some way vessels for its consciousness with which it can speak to mortals; many of these strange creatures serve as its heralds, guards and courtiers. They range in size from a few feet tall through dangerous animalistic creatures to massive, shambling horrors that move like a tide of animate matter.

Concerns

The Quiet One is usually described as calm, placid and extremely long-sighted. Where other Spring Eternals live in the moment, Llofir seems utterly disconnected from concerns of past and future. It in some way exemplifies ideas of natural rot, corruption, decomposition and decay - the way things tend to break down into simpler forms, from which new things arise. It is also fascinated with disease and sickness, and the way they cause healthy organisms to fall apart or become weak.

Some magicians believe that Llofir's interest in rot and decay extends beyond the physical, literal manifestation of decomposition and include the philosophical idea that complex structures such as societies and Empire also need to be periodically killed and broken down so that new societies can grow from the 'mulch' they leave behind. This would be a very sophisticated position for a Spring Eternal to take, but not entirely inconsistent with the 'long view' that Llofir appears to take.

Boons

The Great Fungus has a few boons of interest to magicians; some have to do with encouraging decay and collapse, or the destruction of crafted goods or structures. Others have to do with the hallucinogenic or poisonous properties of many fungi, while some magicians have successfully bartered for the Quiet One's support in the form of the loan of his fungal servitors.

One boon he is usually happy to give is substances that help in the performance of rituals such as Rot's Rightful Claim, Turns the Circle and similar effects that either encourage decomposition, or destroy undead and unliving corpses. Llofir is widely believed to have an uncharacteristic hatred for things which inhabit dead flesh and prevent it rotting.

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Lodestone Shears

Description

These tools allow an artisan to extend their ability to deal with the bonds that all enchanted items require. They most often take the form of a small pair of shears, scissors or snips, depending on the materials the artisan works with. Some traditional crafters - especially in Wintermark, Varushka and among the Navarr - favour rune-carved blades, with which they inflict a tiny nick on a person whose bond they are severing. Often a little of the blood is used to sketch the rune Evrom on the item, assuming both owner and item are present.

Whatever form they take, lodestone shears are usually made of heavy metal and generally marked with the rune of ending.

Rules

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of a tool.

- Requirements: You need the Artisan skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: If you have the artificer skill, you may use these shears twice per day to cut a bond connecting to any item you can make as if you were casting the create bond spell.

- Materials: Crafting lodestone shears requires six measures of beggar's lye and six ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Long Tom Goodfellow

"A coin unspent is merely a piece of pressed metal, but a coin spent is the key that unlocks a world of undiscovered delights! So, another drink in honour of the orphans of the Little Mother before you hit the road?"

Virtue

Tom Goodfellow was recognised as an Exemplar of Prosperity by members of the Imperial Synod in 56 YE.

Biography

Tom Goodfellow, most commonly known by the epithet Long Tom or Long Tom Goodfellow, is respected throughout the Empire as a master apothecary, adviser to the First Empress and an Exemplar of Prosperity.

There is some dispute regarding the birthplace of Long Tom Goodfellow, with people of The Marches, Wintermark and Varushka all claiming he was born within their nation (and claiming he was born with slightly different names). However, some scholars postulate that it makes far more sense that he was originally Navarri. There may be some credence to this, given the amount of travelling he did and his involvement as a personal aide and diplomat to various nations while in service to the First Empress.

The first recorded mention of Long Tom Goodfellow is as an established apothecary who, so it is rumoured, travelled throughout the northern nations upon a horse drawn caravan. He would stay in hamlets and towns for brief periods, dispensing medicines, herbs and tinctures from a temporary shop. He never charged for his cures but wherever he went he would stand upon a small ornate wooden plinth and instruct the local populace in the Virtue of Prosperity. For his service he would ask that people donate whatever they thought fair for their healing.

In the small community of Essk, the people had suffered a particularly harsh winter and had nothing to offer. Long Tom could not stand to see the people suffer and so he offered them what few provisions he had brought with him. It is claimed by witnesses that he climbed upon his plinth and implored those gathered to purify their spirits and devote themselves to the Way. While doing so, he became so infused with spiritual purity that he was able to heal the sick with but a touch of his hands. This is widely known as The Great Healing of Essk and is recognised to be a miracle.

As part of his trade, and almost certainly as a way to drum up business, Long Tom brewed and sold his own ales. His beers gained almost as much fame as his medicinal concoctions and were sought by innkeepers from Liathaven to Karsk for their ability to boost a person's constitution and improve their moral outlook. Today, Long Tom's brewery is based in Anvil and is a major distributor of fine ale that is transported and sold throughout the Empire.

Word of his pious nature and skill as an apothecary grew, eventually reaching the ears of the First Empress. It is believed that she summoned him to a meeting and was so impressed with his knowledge and charming disposition that she employed him to her service. Over the next few years Tom Goodfellow proved a valuable asset as he traveled the lands preaching to and healing those in need. His reputation granted him audiences with people in power and his sharp wit, gregarious nature and penchant for diplomacy opened many doors that eventually led to early negotiations with the First Empress and, ultimately, her foundation of the Empire.

Today, Long Tom is officially remembered for his preaching upon the Virtue of Prosperity and his pious work on behalf of the sick and needy of the early Empire. However, he is most commonly celebrated for his love of fine ales, his gregarious nature and effervescent humour. Patrons of taverns and hostelries still recognise his pious achievements when they donate to the charity barrels situated on the bars of such establishments. The prosperous display of “Tipping Long Tom" is met with a customary cheer and sometimes, depending on the amount of drink involved, an impromptu speech.

During the year 56 YE, a decade after his disappearance in the forests of Varushka, the Imperial Synod recognised Long Tom Goodfellow as an Exemplar of Prosperity.

It is believed that Long Tom's spirit is so pure that he is close to attaining the status of Paragon. Indeed, many priests argue that he has already attained Paragonhood and the fact that no mortal has witnessed a past life vision of Long Tom is proof of this. Should this remain true, it is merely a matter of time until Long Tom is recognised as a true Paragon. A number of priests claim that should the 'Plinth of Essk' be recovered, that this would be recognised as a relic and would be further evidence of Long Tom Goodfellow's elevated status as a Paragon.

Signs

The Assembly of Prosperity cited the following signs of Long Tom Goodfellow's exemplardom:

- Long Tom Goodfellow's devout healing of the sick of the early Empire, as well as his pious instruction upon the Virtue of Prosperity is recognised as a sign of benevolence.

- To this day he is still an inspiration to orders of itinerant priests and healers who travel the land, preaching and curing the sick.

- The Great Healing of Essk is recognised by the Imperial Synod as a miracle.

- Many people attempt to replicate the journeys and lifestyle of Long Tom Goodfellow. For some this is a life choice to which they become devoted, for others it is a temporary expedition during which people hope to further their understanding of the virtue of prosperity. For all, it is a recognised by the Assembly of Prosperity as a pilgrimage.

- Long Tom's ability to sermonize upon the virtues of prosperity and thereby enlighten the leaders and people of the pre-empire is recognised as a sign of salvation.

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Lord of Winter

by Stephanie Heath and Anna Clifford-Tait

Recording here: Lord Of Winter

Ice on the bitter earth Black frost in the meadow Dark trees in their winter death Amid sharp, piercing snow

I don't know what he wants I can't see what he's asking But I am forever bound To the song that he brings

Chorus: I will sing for the winter's dream I will sing for the night I will sing for the summer gone I will sing for the light

I look in his ancient eyes And I see my desires There, 'neath my shadowed heart Grows a dark, stirring fire

Clutched in his frozen arms With his song in my head A blanket of sparkling snow Dwells my everlasting bed

Chorus

The music of boundless ice Which has called since my birth I have given my only love To the dark, frozen earth

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Lost Segura

Tune "Ainte" trad Syrian. Lyrics by Jude. Recording here

Alternative tune and recording by Mark C https://www.dropbox.com/s/68d9b9dvzgnr3pn/Lost%20Segura.mp3

Now breathes the wind from lost Segura Bearing a memory of spices as it blows The  orange trees at noon, their sweet perfume  The gardens at midnight where white jasmine grows

Nothing remains in lost Segura In ashes and dust the City lies And pale, beloved bones lie on cracked stones Lost to the sun and the wind and the skies

Carry my heart to lost Segura Tell it I'll keep the vow I made To the city of my Kin - and once again Sip wine by its river and drowse in its shade

Aaaa, lost Segura...

After Segura was recaptured in 378, new lyrics for this Freeborn song were penned by Estana I Mestiere I Guerra, General of the Red Wind Corsairs.

Breathe free the wind from sweet Segura, Rich spice now fills our senses, fiercely as it grows. Fruit freshly comes to bloom, oh what sweet perfume. The scent of freedom carried as triumph glows.

Ooooh, sweet Segura, we vowed that we would find you, chains cast aside and victory shared. Ooooh, sweet Segura, my heart has never lost you, we are returned and here to stay.

Freedom returns to sweet Segura, in glory and love our cities will rise. Our fallen now avenged, the wind blows red, A storm of salvation from eastern skies.

Oooh sweet Segura etc

My heart has come home, to sweet Segura, Tell all we kept the vows we made. To the city of my kin, and once again, Sip wine by its river and drowse in its shade.

Ooooh sweet Segura, etc

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Lost Territories

These territories are currently lost to the Empire.

- The formerly Urizen territory of Spiral in 331 YE.

- The formerly League territory of Holberg in 346 YE.

- The formerly Marcher territory of Mournwold in 349 YE.

- The formerly Navarri territory of Liathaven in 349 YE.

- The formerly Highborn territory of Reikos in 367 YE.

- The formerly Varushkan territory of Karsk in 368 YE and 378 YE

These territories were formerly lost but have since been regained:

- The Wintermark territory of Skarsind had been lost to the Thule in 373 YE, and was re-captured in the Autumn of 377 YE

- The Brass Coast territory of Segura had been lost in 363 YE and was re-captured in 378 YE.

These territories have never been conquered by the Empire.

- The territory of Brocéliande.

- The territory of the Barrens.

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Lovely Joan

Trad. Slight filk and last verse by Daisy. NB Horses are now extinct in the Empire.

RECORDING by Glasgow Madrigirls Media:lovelyjoan.mp3 Tune is here, guitar tab here

A fine young man he was indeed, He was mounted on his milk-white steed; He rode, he rode himself all alone, Until he came to lovely Joan.

"Good morning to you, pretty maid" And "Twice good morning, sir", she said. He gave her a wink, she rolled her eye Says he to himself,"I'll be there by and by."

"Oh don't you think those pooks of hay A pretty place for us to play? So come with me like a sweet young thing And I'll give you my golden ring."

Then he pulled off his ring of gold "My pretty little miss, do this behold. I'd freely give it for your maidenhead And her cheeks they blushed like the roses red."

"Give me that ring into my hand And I will neither stay nor stand, For this would do more good to me Than twwenty maidenheads," said she.

And as he made for the pooks of hay She leaped on his horse and tore away He called, he called, but it was all in vain Young Joan she never looked back again.

So all League men come and listen to me Never trust a maid for her beauty She'll rob you of your horse and ring And leave you to rage in the meadows green.

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Low Down in the Broom

Tune here

Suggested filk, replace "the broom" with "the reeds".

1. It was last Monday morning, the day appointed was For me to go down to the broom to meet my own true love So bright and pleasant was the day he bore my company And it's low down in the broom, waiting in the broom for me

2. I looked over my left shoulder to see what I could see And there I spied my own true love come running down to me His heart so brisk and bonny to bear my company And it's low down in the broom, waiting in the broom for me

3. I took hold of his hand and gaily sang my heart And now that we're together I know we never shall part Oh no, my love no never, such a thing could never be And it's low down in the broom, waiting in the broom for me

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Loyalty roleplaying effects

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Consecration of Loyalty

- 3 Anointings of Loyalty

- 3.1 The Proof of Loyalty

- 3.2 The Bonds of Loyalty

- 3.3 The Seeds of Loyalty

- 3.4 The Eyes of Loyalty

- 3.5 The Revelation of Loyalty

- 4 Hallows of Loyalty

- 4.1 Hallowing of the Steward

- 4.2 Hallowing of the Bannerman

- 4.3 Hallowing of Bolstering Bill

- 4.4 Hallowing of the Silverlark's Tears

- 4.5 Hallowing of the Token

- 4.6 Hallowing of the Marked's Oath

Overview

These roleplaying effects are created by priests dedicated to the virtue of Loyalty who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character performing an anointing or hallow must pick one of the appropriate roleplaying effects when they perform the ceremony.

Consecration of Loyalty

- In this place, you are clearly aware of the relationships that matter most to you; you feel a desire to ensure the actions you take, and words you speak, support those relationships

Anointings of Loyalty

The following are a range of auras that can be summoned onto a living soul, with their consent, by priests whose own souls are dedicated to Loyalty:

The Proof of Loyalty

- You are filled with a strong sense that loyalty relies on actions, not just feelings. You feel an impulse to prove your loyalty to those most important to you in whatever way you can. This feeling is amplified when you are in the presence of the person, or persons, to whom you are loyal.

Description: Many claim to walk the path of loyalty by speaking of the regard they hold another in. Priests of loyalty have been able to use this aura to teach them of the importance of action. It has also seen use in readying warriors for battle, or in overcoming malign spiritual presences, where the recipient has had a readily available opportunity to demonstrate the truth of their loyalties. This aura has also been used by those facing a decision or uncertainty in ensuring that loyalty informs the choices they make. There are also a few folk tales where a wily priest has used this aura to trick people into revealing their true loyalties beyond what they might claim.

The Bonds of Loyalty

- You feel an urge to be guided by loyalty. Any feelings or commitments that you have which are not directly related to your primary loyalty are weakened by this effect. You feel an impulse to ensure every choice you make is informed by this devotion above all other considerations.

Description: Priests of the path of loyalty have found this anointing to be useful in weddings and other oathswearings, where the loyalties are already clear and established. It has also been used to help citizens and pilgrims prepare themselves for a coming time of trial, or when confronted by a difficult decision. Some pilgrims use this anointing to stir them into action on behalf of those they are loyal to, but who know this will be to their own detriment or harm.

The Seeds of Loyalty

- During this anointing, you were asked to specify an entity, usually a person, a group or the subject of an oath. Whilst this anointing is in effect, you feel a connection to this entity and a sense of loyalty toward her/him/them/it. This applies even if the specified entity would not normally be something you felt any loyalty toward.

Description: This is a relatively controversial anointing and heavily opposed by Lucidians who argue that loyalty cannot, and should not, be imposed on another. However, this remains popular with some priests of loyalty who cite that it can only be used with the consent of the target. It has proven useful in arranged marriages to foster a connection between the spouses that can flourish into a genuine bond. It has been helpful in encouraging estranged parties back into communication and a relationship. However, there is a popular story of the Wayfarer Aaron who, so it is claimed, tricked, or coerced, his captors into receiving the anointing and use the temporary influence to escape from them.

The Eyes of Loyalty

- You feel the positive power of loyalty swell in you and experience urge to see the best in those most precious to you. You are not blind to the faults of those you are loyal to, but you are more inclined to forgive their errors and mistakes, whilst trying to encourage them to rise above them.

Description: One of the hardest trials of the path of loyalty is when the person, or persons, who are the subject of that loyalty falter or otherwise fail. Standing by, or following, one who has given you unwelcome cause for doubt is where many pilgrims have strayed from the path. Priests of loyalty have been able to use this anointing to help bolster a pilgrim's commitment and dedication to another. This has also proven beneficial in helping citizens to forgive one another and approach reconciliation, or at least be forward looking rather than dwelling on the past.

The Revelation of Loyalty

- The next time you sleep you experience vivid dreams concerning the people and ideals that matter most to you in all the world, and how your loyalty upholds and exalts them. You awaken with a clearer understanding of, and renewed commitment to, the things you care about most deeply.

Description: There are some pilgrims who find themselves lacking insight and self-knowledge. Others may find themselves facing conflicting or divided loyalties. Priests of the path of loyalty have been able to use this aura to help these pilgrims explore their own feelings, and priorities, and try and resolve any inner lack or conflict. In some cases, this anointing has been used as part of an initiation, or preparation, to ensure that a person is truly ready to swear an oath or make a similar commitment, by forcing them to look within and see if it is truly where their loyalty lies. Less commonly, this anointing has been requested by those who are parted from those that are precious to them as a means of guaranteeing dreams of that person and reaffirming their connection to them.

Hallows of Loyalty

Hallowing of the Steward

- You feel a strong desire to support and care for those you consider to be your subordinates; you find it harder to consider undertaking selfish actions that do not benefit them.

Hallowing of the Bannerman

- You feel an urge to publically support the decisions and judgements of your superior; you are inclined to keep any disagreements you may have with them private.

Hallowing of Bolstering Bill

- You feel an urge to do all that is within your power to protect those most precious to you from harm, even if this is to your own detriment. This includes an urge to use the item to achieve this, if doing so would be appropriate.

Hallowing of the Silverlark's Tears

- When you are bonded to this item, and in contact with it, you feel a desire to ensure that every action you take be for the benefit of those that are most precious to you. This effect is amplified if you believe the subject of your loyalty is unaware of your devotion to them.

Hallowing of the Token

- When you concentrate for five seconds on this item, you receive an image or other sensation of a person who you associate with this item. If that person is precious to you, the vision/sensation can help you ignore pain, similar discomfort or other roleplay effects. This has no effect on your physical condition, i.e. any effects resulting from damage or game calls.

Hallowing of the Marked's Oath

- When you bond to this item as part of a group ceremony, you feel a strong connection to all others who participated in the ceremony. Their value and importance to you, and your commitment to them, is increased.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Loyalty_roleplaying_effects&oldid=19731"

Luminous Staff

Description

The Luminous Staff taps upon the power of the Realm of Day to bring clarity of sight and thought to the bearer, increasing their ritual aptitude. These arcane implements are employed throughout the Empire to fortify the abilities of Day ritualists.

These often pure-white gleaming implements are usually engraved with Cavul, the Rune of Purity and Aesh, the Rune of Thought.

The staff of the Archmage of Day is a version of the luminous staff crafted to a secret pattern, and grants twice as much power to the wielder.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a ritual stave.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Gain 1 rank of Day Lore.

- Materials: Crafting a Luminous Staff requires the nine measures of iridescent gloaming, fourteen ingots of weltsilver and twenty measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Luminous_Staff&oldid=32134"

Madruga

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Siroc

- 3.2 Atalaya

- 3.3 The Spider's Dream

- 3.4 The Lyceum

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Calvos Sound

- 4.2 Free Landing

- 4.3 The Great Grasses

- 4.4 Lightsea

- 4.5 Siroc Plains

- 4.6 Torres

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

Madruga of the Jewelled Isles is the easternmost territory of the Brass Coast, running from the Kahraman mountains down to the Bay of Catazar. Down the coast of Madruga and Feroz the corsairs and merchantmen raise their sails, running goods to Bastion and Sarvos, trading with foreign powers, and fighting off barbarian incursions.

It is the most densely settled of the Freeborn territories; the nation began here, with the landing of the three sisters and their families at old Atalaya. Over generations, their descendants spread across the mainland building and cultivating, until Madruga was tamed. Today, it is scattered with villages and small towns - the sprawling city Siroc even rivals the cities of the League in size and wealth.

It is the spiritual home of the corsairs; many maritime families have lived on the islands of Free Landing and Calvos Sound since the earliest days of the Freeborn nation.

Madruga has not always been peaceful, however. The Grendel have attacked the islands and towns here for centuries; usually their fleets are intercepted at sea before they can do too much damage, but there have been times when their raiders have sacked coastal settlements. For a few harrowing months in the years before the foundation of the Empire, the Grendel swept in land here conquering Lightsea and the islands, and threatening to burn Siroc. They were turned back after months of vicious fighting, but the memory of their attack is sometimes credited by historians as being a factor in the decision of the Freeborn to join the Empire.

Recent History

Major Features

Siroc

The Sapphire, the City of a Thousand Sails, is acknowledged as the pre-eminent city of the Freeborn. It lies in Madruga close by the border with Feroz. Brightly-coloured tents extend Siroc out far beyond the small cluster of stone buildings that make up the heart of the city. Sails of all shapes and sizes fill the sheltered bay, which is guarded by a series of iron woven nets and chains bought at great expense from the forges of Wintermark.

Siroc is the site of the Glass Parador. The Mistress of the Glass Parador is an Imperial title appointed each Summer by Freeborn citizens who control fleet personal resources.

Atalaya

The town of Atalaya in Free Landing marks the plave where the Brass Coast was born; the first landing of the three sisters and their families. Built around the side of a secluded cove, the seas around the island that shares it's name are a navigational nightmare. Before the Shining Pillar was built, reaching the hidden docks of Atalya was a eat to tax the most skilled ship's crews. Today, the landwards channel has been widened, but is protected by hidden obstructions that only the Freeborn pilots know well.

Atalaya is the oldest Freeborn settlement in the Brass Coast, but it's prominence was eclipsed centuries ago by Quzar. Today, it is a place of pilgrimage for many Freeborn followers of the Way - there are a number of shrines and temples dedicated to Pride and Vigilance here. It is also known for it's deep natural harbour - many ships of the Freeborn fleet count Atalaya as their home port.

Following a motion at the first Imperial Senate session in Winter 376YE, work began to expand the docks of Atalaya. Under the guidance of Miroslav, Senator for the League city of Sarvos, many wains of white granite and weirwood were committed to building both a massive seawall, and a great Imperial shipyard equipped with drydocks, powerful cranes for loading and unloading, and expanded warehouses and work spaces. Completed shortly before Autumn 377YE, the shipyard provides significant benefits to the Freeborn ships based in Madruga.

The Spider's Dream

An elegant bridge spans the river Vassa here, connecting Trivento to the Brass Coast. It is a marvellous piece of engineering that resembles a spider's web. There is a toll to pay, or you can take the long way around. Unfortunately, time has not been kind to the Spider's Dream. Resources initially used to maintain it were siphoned off in the time of Emperor Walter, and the bridge became increasingly dangerous to cross. In Spring 377YE, however, the Imperial Senate took steps to ensure it's restoration to full functionality - reinstating the Imperial Title of Spider's Tollkeep in the process and heading off potentially unpleasant implications for the people of both Sarvos and Madruga.

The Lyceum

The Lyceum was established during the reign of Empress Aenea on an island east of Siroc. It is a centre of arcane learning in the Empire, and the Dean of the Lyceum maintains sumptuous apartments here. Approach to the island is carefully controlled by the magicians and professors, and the most promising magicians are invited to study or teach there.

Regions

Calvos Sound

The town of Calvos stands on the shores of Calvos Sound. The slopes outside the town are rich with grapes, and the fine wins produced here travel all over the Empire. Even the sommeliers of the League pay well for a Calvos vintage. The Exemplar Zemress i Ezmara i Erigo was born here towards the end of the second century YE, and her ship The Kraken's Bane is housed at a special dry dock here, a destination for many pilgrims of Prosperity - even those from as far afield as the Sumaah Republic.

Keywords: Coastal

Free Landing

The sprawling islands that form the region of Free Landing are diverse and well-settled. The islands here were the first home of the Freeborn - the town of Atalaya marks the spot where the Brass Coast proper began. The waters between the islands have a reputation for being treacherous and difficult for foreign captains; during the reign of Empress Aenea the Empire built a great lighthouse here called The Shining Pillar. This massive white-and-gold tower is one of the most prominent landmarks in the Empire often adopted by Freeborn sailors as a symbol of the Brass Coast as a whole; when they can see the beacon of the Shining Pillar, they know ther are home.

Keywords: Coastal

The Great Grasses

These fertile plains are sometimes called the Emerald Sea; the nomadic families sometimes called the Corsairs of the Emerald Sea. The inhabitants have a reputation for being a little more insular than is typical of the Brass Coast. They own large herds, and mostly keep to themselves except when they visit the towns of Siroc Plains, Lightsea and Calvos Sound to sell their animals. There are no permanent settlements of significant size on the Great Grasses.

Lightsea

A well-settled region known for the friendliness of it's paradours. The largest settlement here is Quzar, a bustling port town of white towers and stained glass that is sometimes described as the soul of the Brass Coast. The Towers of Quzar are known as a gathering place for Hakima from all across the nation - an annual "council" meets her every midsummer to share knowledge and gossip.

Keywords: Coastal

Siroc Plains

The plains around the city of Siroc are scattered with small villages and threaded with well-maintained roads. The Lyceum stands on an island off the coast here, and contributes to the reputation of this region as the beating heart of the Brass Coast.

Keywords: Coastal

Torres

The northernmost region of Madruga, and one end of the Spider's Dream. The land here is a little more rugged than in the southern regions, and the climate is generally cooler. The people who dwell here share some of the reputation of the miners of Kahraman; as being suspicious and quarrelsome. Partly this reputation might be a result of regular clashes between Freeborn traders and League merchants out of Sarvos. A regular 'problem' for the inhabitants is that League merchants would prefer to travel south to the more prosperous towns of the eastern coast to sell their wares, bypassing the markets of Torres. It is shameful to admit, but there are more incidents of brigandry against League caravans in Torres than in almost any other area around the Bay of Catazar. When such incidents get out of hand, the Spider's_Tollkeep is often prevailed upon to sort them out.

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Madruga are in Freeborn hands (and by extension, those of the Empire), meaning the territory is resolutely Imperial.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Madruga&oldid=34629"

Madruga shipyard

Build a new Imperial shipyard in Madruga

Proposed by Sarvos, seconded by Madruga.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Production

Overview

- Provides additional wealth to Freeborn fleets operating from Madruga.

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013).

Cost

- 35 Wains of White Granite

- 5 Wains of Weirwood

Progress

- Costs paid by Mirislav, Senator for Sarvos in the Spring Equinox 2013 downtime

Production

- Increased wealth for Madrugan shipping

This great work means that all Freeborn fleets operating out of Madruga will produce more wealth for their owners. The total benefit will be 480 rings per season - divided between all the fleets which are active in Madruga that season.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Madruga_shipyard&oldid=23550"

Maggot's Talon

Description

The power granted by a maggot's talon might appear harmless enough at first sight, but in practice they are almost exclusively used by murderers and robbers to steal the bonded items of their victims quickly and economically. By using the wand in conjunction with the create bond incantation, a victim is unbound from any items which can then be carried away for quick resale.

Possession of this item will result in a hefty fine, as well as confiscation of the item. An equally serious fine is levied against the artisan who crafted the wand if they can be identified. In cases where the wand has been used to rob a murder victim, some magistrates have extended the murderers' sentence to both the wielder and the crafter even if they have not directly participated in the killing. Winterfolk and Imperial Orc magistrates are especially likely to punish the possession of a maggot's talon extremely seriously.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may choose to break all a target's bonds to items when you cast the create bond spell on a character, or all the bonds to characters when you cast the spell on an item.

- Materials: Crafting a Maggot's Talon requires twelve measures of dragonbone, eight measures of iridescent gloaming and four measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"I should have known better than to trust you," Annice said, unable to meet the gaze of the man she had - up until so very recently - considered the love of her life.

"Yes, you should." The Lord's voice wasn't entirely without sympathy; he smiled, the way a patient uncle might humour a foolish child, and raised a hand to gently stroke her face. She flinched at his touch, and he shrugged indifferently, letting his hand fall to his side. "You were the one making it into some great and glorious love story. If you'd been content to enjoy me, as I was to enjoy you, and ask no more than that - well, there'd be no need for these tears now, would there?"

Tears began to roll down her face, dripping onto her hands as they lay in her lap. "I was such a fool to believe you. After those things you said. After everything I did for you. And you, carrying on with that woman behind my back, and the whole castle, the whole town knowing it, and me a laughing stock..."

"Annice, Annice." The Lord got to his feet, concern furrowing his handsome brow. "You're embarassing us both. You should have known there was no possible way a noble like me and a yeoman like you - no matter how gifted and attractive - could ever have married, even if Lady Helene was nothing to do it at all, and I'm afraid that she very much is."

"I suppose that was why you wanted the Radiant Wand. For her," Annice said dully. "Part of your Test of Ardour, was it?"

He spread his hands in a gesture of surrender, with a charming smile that even now tugged at her heart. "I confess it. Can you forgive me?"

She looked away; at her hands, the floor, the arm of the chair - anywhere but his face. "Just take it. It's on my workbench, the one wrapped in red. Take it and get out. I couldn't bear to look at it again - or you."

With an air of triumph, he took the wand, still wrapped exquisitely in the crimson silk, a gold cord bound around in a love-knot, and tucked it through his belt as he turned to leave. As he paused, framed in the doorway, she was reminded of the countless evenings he had come to her; the long hours they had lain together, the secrets and the shy virgin's love that she had confessed to him. It was almost unbearable that all of that sweetness should end in such a bitter way.

The magistrate's men were prompt, as she had known they would be, stopping him almost as soon as he set foot on the street. She could hear his sputtering protests as they searched him, the note of triumph in the Steinr magistrate's voice as she unwrapped the slender wand to reveal a Maggot's Talon, exquisitely wrought in dragonbone with the Lord's heraldry in a glistening inlay.

Dry eyed, Annice Weaver smiled. The first thing her craft had taught her was that a weapon can destroy in more ways than one.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Maggot%27s_Talon&oldid=32720"

Magical Items (Redirected from Magical Item)

Redirect page

Magic items

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magical_Items&oldid=31627"

Magic items (Redirected from Magical items)

Contents

- 1 Bonded Items

- 2 Non-bonded Items

- 3 Artefacts

- 4 Personal Magic Items

- 4.1 Weapons

- 4.2 Armour

- 4.3 Talismans

- 5 Group Magic Items

- 5.1 Magic Standards

- 5.2 Paraphernalia

- 5.3 Reliquaries

- 6 Changing Magic Items

- 7 Schema

- 8 Further reading

Bonded Items

- Most magic items are made by artisans

- You must be bonded to these items to use them

- You can only be bonded to one item of each form at once

- Most magic items last up to four events

Almost all magic items require you to be bonded to them to use them. Magicians can cast create bond to bond a character to an item, or an artisan can bond a character to any item that they know how to make. A bond lasts as long as the magic of an item endures, or until a magician breaks the bond using the a spell.

Personal magic items fall into one of a number of three forms, weapons, armour, and talismans. You can only ever be bonded to one weapon, one suit of armour and one talisman at any one time.

E.g. Your character is bonded to a Shieldbreaker weapon. You cannot become bonded to a Giant's Maul two-handed axe because both of these items are weapons.

A character who has purchased the artisan skill can make at least one magic item before every event. Magic items last for a single year from the day of creation. This means that they can be used at the following four events before the magic is lost.

Non-bonded Items

- Some magic items are activated and do not need to be bonded

A very small number of rare magic items can be used without the user needing to be bonded to them. Usually these items are one-shot items that require activation by the wielder to invoke the magic stored in them. It is not possible to bond to these items.

You should always assume that an item requires bonding unless the explicitly told otherwise. The detect magic spell will tell the caster if an item does not require bonding to use.

Artefacts

- Artefacts are permanent magic items made by artisans using ilium

Artisans can use ilium to make a permanent artefact version of any magic item they can create. These powerful items retain their properties indefinitely, are readily identifiable as unique named items, and can exert powerful roleplaying effects over anyone bonded to them.

Personal Magic Items

- There are three types of magic item a character can be bonded to

- You can only be bonded to one of each form at once

- Many personal magic items require you to have one or more skills to bond to it

Characters may bond to three different types of personal items. You may only be bonded to one item of each form: weapons, armour, and talismans.

Each magic item has its own page on the wiki, but there is a summary of the magic items by category, linked on the right. The summary includes the name and basic effect of the item. There is also a complete summary of all magic items available.

Weapons

Weapons

Skills Needed to Bond

Daggers

One-Handed Weapons

Two-Handed Weapons

Weapon Master

One-Handed Spears

Weapon Master

Paired Weapons

Ambidexterity

Pole-arms

Weapon Master

Bows

Marksman

Arcane Weapons

Ambidexterity, Magician

Wands

Magician

Rods

Magician

Staffs

Magician, Battle Mage

Ritual Staves

Magician

Icons

Dedication

Musical Instruments

Dedication

- Weapons includes all items designed to be wielded

- You must have a weapon in hand and be actively using it to use its magical abilities

Most weapons are magic items designed to be held in the hand and wielded, presented or used. Weapons and implements are the most common armaments, but this type also covers icons, ritual staves and musical instruments.

Paired weapons and arcane weapons is a single magic item that consists of two one-handed weapons or a one-handed weapon and an implement respectively. They are intended to be used together, and both items count as a single object for purposes of bonding.

A ritual stave is designed to be used by a ritualist during the performance of a ritual, it does not need to be a weapon safe implement and you do not need the battle mage skill to bond or use one of these items. You do need the battle mage skill to bond and use a regular magical staff.

Armour

Armour

Skills Needed to Bond

Light Armour

Medium Armour

Heavy Armour

Mage Robes

Magician

Mage Armour

Magician, Battle Mage

Vestments

Dedication

- Armour includes all magic items that cover the body

- You must be wearing magic armour to use its magical abilities

Armour includes all magic items that cover a significant portion of the body when worn. The phys-rep for magical armour must cover the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a helm), the arms and the legs, or you may cover half of your arms and legs.

Robes must cover the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a hood), the arms or the legs, or at least half of your arms and legs. Magical mage armour must comply with the coverage rules for normal mage armour

It is acceptable to wear a suit of heavier armour over the top of a suit of lighter magical armour, provided you phys-rep both sets of armour. You gain the hits and protection of the heaviest armour you wear, and the benefits of any magical armour you wear.

Talismans

Talismans

Skills Needed to Bond

Shield

Shield

Jewellery

Foci

Magician

Tool

Physick or Apothecary or Artisan

Regalia

Dedication

- You must be using a talisman use its magical abilities

Talismans covers several different groups of magical items, including shields, ritual foci, ceremonial regalia, jewellery, and tools. Jewellery, regalia, and foci must be worn to use their magical abilities; shields and tools must be held in the hand to use their abilities.

Jewellery must be a phys-rep of an item that is worn. It may take the form of actual jewellery such as an amulet, ring, bracelet or circlet. It may also take the form of any other small item intended to be worn such as an embroidered favour, decorative braid and the like. As much as possible the item should look distinctive and decorative.

Foci are items such as rings and masks that help focus energies in rituals. They can only be used by magicians.

Some tools are used by physicks, some by apothecaries, and some by artisans. You must have the appropriate skill to use this tool to be able to bond to it.

Group Magic Items

Group Magic Items

Band

Magic Standards

Banner

Paraphernalia

Coven

Reliquaries

Sect

- A band may only be bonded to one magic item at a time

- The magical item must be present and in use for the members to gain the benefit

These magic items must be bonded to a band to gain their benefits. A band can only be bonded to one magic item at a time and it must be present and actively in use for them to gain any benefits from it.

Magic Standards

A magic standard must be a phys-rep of a banner or standard. It must be an item that is carried, rather than a back-banner or a tabard. Ideally it should consist of a banner pole at least 60" long, and should bear a flag, pennant or banner with a design on it.

Some magical standards allow the standard bearer to grant the items' power to up to fifteen members of the banner. The standard bearer will receive a set of power cards that they can choose to give to characters in the banner.

Paraphernalia

Paraphernalia are props used in rituals by covens, that provide powerful bonuses to the magical strength of everyone in the coven. They can be orbs, books, chalices or similar.

Reliquaries

A reliquary can be any phys-rep of a suitable relic, statue, chalice, tome, or actual reliquary.

Changing Magic Items

- You can never use two items of the same type in the same day

- If an item has been used then it cannot be used again that day

Any magician can perform a spell that breaks the bond between an item and a character. If the character has used the ability of their magical item in any way that day then they cannot benefit from the abilities of another item of the same type that day. The item is also affected - any character that is bonded to an item that has been used that day cannot make use of it until the following morning. The ref will inform you if an item has already been used that day when you are bonded to it.

E.g. You have a Shieldbreaker magic weapon that you have used to call SHATTER earlier that day, using the item. You cannot use any other magic weapon until the following day even if you bond to a new weapon. No other character can use this magic weapon until the following day even if they become bonded to it.

If the character or item is not present when the break bond spell is cast then the power of the item for the day is automatically used, as is the character’s ability to use an item of that type for that day.

Schema

- A schema describes the method of creating a single magic item

- A schema requires ilium to create

- An artisan can use a schema they possess to learn how to make the item it describes

- It is not possible to copy a schema

- A schema can be destroyed with the Words of Ending ritual as if it were an artefact

A schema (plural:schemata) is a rare, magical item that contains all the details necessary to create a magic item. Schemata are made at a runeforge. Most (though not all) schema include a description of the item, including all the rules, and at least some in-character commentary on the item.

A character who has the physical schema can learn how to make the item it describes by buying the extra item skill or using an empty item slot. This follows all the other rules for learning a skill during time-in. The schema must be taken to GOD or shown to a referee to allow the item it describes to be mastered in the field.

Every schema is a permanent Item, but it requires the rare material ilium to create. A scheme needs 1 ring of ilium for each ingot or measure of raw materials required to make the final item (to a minimum of 10 rings).

The Imperial Senate can raise a motion to add a schema to the list of items any citizen can learn to make. If the motion passes, it costs 10 thrones to distribute the knowledge contained in the schema. The schema must be handed over to the civil service, and is destroyed in the process. If the Senate chooses to make the knowledge in a schema public knowledge, any character can learn to make the item and it's details will be added to the wiki. The Senate could devolve this power to another body (such as the Imperial Conclave).

Further reading

- Artisan

- Downtime

- Ilium

- Materials

- Runeforge

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magic_items&oldid=35607"

Magic items (Redirected from Magical Items)

Contents

- 1 Bonded Items

- 2 Non-bonded Items

- 3 Artefacts

- 4 Personal Magic Items

- 4.1 Weapons

- 4.2 Armour

- 4.3 Talismans

- 5 Group Magic Items

- 5.1 Magic Standards

- 5.2 Paraphernalia

- 5.3 Reliquaries

- 6 Changing Magic Items

- 7 Schema

- 8 Further reading

Bonded Items

- Most magic items are made by artisans

- You must be bonded to these items to use them

- You can only be bonded to one item of each form at once

- Most magic items last up to four events

Almost all magic items require you to be bonded to them to use them. Magicians can cast create bond to bond a character to an item, or an artisan can bond a character to any item that they know how to make. A bond lasts as long as the magic of an item endures, or until a magician breaks the bond using the a spell.

Personal magic items fall into one of a number of three forms, weapons, armour, and talismans. You can only ever be bonded to one weapon, one suit of armour and one talisman at any one time.

E.g. Your character is bonded to a Shieldbreaker weapon. You cannot become bonded to a Giant's Maul two-handed axe because both of these items are weapons.

A character who has purchased the artisan skill can make at least one magic item before every event. Magic items last for a single year from the day of creation. This means that they can be used at the following four events before the magic is lost.

Non-bonded Items

- Some magic items are activated and do not need to be bonded

A very small number of rare magic items can be used without the user needing to be bonded to them. Usually these items are one-shot items that require activation by the wielder to invoke the magic stored in them. It is not possible to bond to these items.

You should always assume that an item requires bonding unless the explicitly told otherwise. The detect magic spell will tell the caster if an item does not require bonding to use.

Artefacts

- Artefacts are permanent magic items made by artisans using ilium

Artisans can use ilium to make a permanent artefact version of any magic item they can create. These powerful items retain their properties indefinitely, are readily identifiable as unique named items, and can exert powerful roleplaying effects over anyone bonded to them.

Personal Magic Items

- There are three types of magic item a character can be bonded to

- You can only be bonded to one of each form at once

- Many personal magic items require you to have one or more skills to bond to it

Characters may bond to three different types of personal items. You may only be bonded to one item of each form: weapons, armour, and talismans.

Each magic item has its own page on the wiki, but there is a summary of the magic items by category, linked on the right. The summary includes the name and basic effect of the item. There is also a complete summary of all magic items available.

Weapons

Weapons

Skills Needed to Bond

Daggers

One-Handed Weapons

Two-Handed Weapons

Weapon Master

One-Handed Spears

Weapon Master

Paired Weapons

Ambidexterity

Pole-arms

Weapon Master

Bows

Marksman

Arcane Weapons

Ambidexterity, Magician

Wands

Magician

Rods

Magician

Staffs

Magician, Battle Mage

Ritual Staves

Magician

Icons

Dedication

Musical Instruments

Dedication

- Weapons includes all items designed to be wielded

- You must have a weapon in hand and be actively using it to use its magical abilities

Most weapons are magic items designed to be held in the hand and wielded, presented or used. Weapons and implements are the most common armaments, but this type also covers icons, ritual staves and musical instruments.

Paired weapons and arcane weapons is a single magic item that consists of two one-handed weapons or a one-handed weapon and an implement respectively. They are intended to be used together, and both items count as a single object for purposes of bonding.

A ritual stave is designed to be used by a ritualist during the performance of a ritual, it does not need to be a weapon safe implement and you do not need the battle mage skill to bond or use one of these items. You do need the battle mage skill to bond and use a regular magical staff.

Armour

Armour

Skills Needed to Bond

Light Armour

Medium Armour

Heavy Armour

Mage Robes

Magician

Mage Armour

Magician, Battle Mage

Vestments

Dedication

- Armour includes all magic items that cover the body

- You must be wearing magic armour to use its magical abilities

Armour includes all magic items that cover a significant portion of the body when worn. The phys-rep for magical armour must cover the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a helm), the arms and the legs, or you may cover half of your arms and legs.

Robes must cover the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a hood), the arms or the legs, or at least half of your arms and legs. Magical mage armour must comply with the coverage rules for normal mage armour

It is acceptable to wear a suit of heavier armour over the top of a suit of lighter magical armour, provided you phys-rep both sets of armour. You gain the hits and protection of the heaviest armour you wear, and the benefits of any magical armour you wear.

Talismans

Talismans

Skills Needed to Bond

Shield

Shield

Jewellery

Foci

Magician

Tool

Physick or Apothecary or Artisan

Regalia

Dedication

- You must be using a talisman use its magical abilities

Talismans covers several different groups of magical items, including shields, ritual foci, ceremonial regalia, jewellery, and tools. Jewellery, regalia, and foci must be worn to use their magical abilities; shields and tools must be held in the hand to use their abilities.

Jewellery must be a phys-rep of an item that is worn. It may take the form of actual jewellery such as an amulet, ring, bracelet or circlet. It may also take the form of any other small item intended to be worn such as an embroidered favour, decorative braid and the like. As much as possible the item should look distinctive and decorative.

Foci are items such as rings and masks that help focus energies in rituals. They can only be used by magicians.

Some tools are used by physicks, some by apothecaries, and some by artisans. You must have the appropriate skill to use this tool to be able to bond to it.

Group Magic Items

Group Magic Items

Band

Magic Standards

Banner

Paraphernalia

Coven

Reliquaries

Sect

- A band may only be bonded to one magic item at a time

- The magical item must be present and in use for the members to gain the benefit

These magic items must be bonded to a band to gain their benefits. A band can only be bonded to one magic item at a time and it must be present and actively in use for them to gain any benefits from it.

Magic Standards

A magic standard must be a phys-rep of a banner or standard. It must be an item that is carried, rather than a back-banner or a tabard. Ideally it should consist of a banner pole at least 60" long, and should bear a flag, pennant or banner with a design on it.

Some magical standards allow the standard bearer to grant the items' power to up to fifteen members of the banner. The standard bearer will receive a set of power cards that they can choose to give to characters in the banner.

Paraphernalia

Paraphernalia are props used in rituals by covens, that provide powerful bonuses to the magical strength of everyone in the coven. They can be orbs, books, chalices or similar.

Reliquaries

A reliquary can be any phys-rep of a suitable relic, statue, chalice, tome, or actual reliquary.

Changing Magic Items

- You can never use two items of the same type in the same day

- If an item has been used then it cannot be used again that day

Any magician can perform a spell that breaks the bond between an item and a character. If the character has used the ability of their magical item in any way that day then they cannot benefit from the abilities of another item of the same type that day. The item is also affected - any character that is bonded to an item that has been used that day cannot make use of it until the following morning. The ref will inform you if an item has already been used that day when you are bonded to it.

E.g. You have a Shieldbreaker magic weapon that you have used to call SHATTER earlier that day, using the item. You cannot use any other magic weapon until the following day even if you bond to a new weapon. No other character can use this magic weapon until the following day even if they become bonded to it.

If the character or item is not present when the break bond spell is cast then the power of the item for the day is automatically used, as is the character’s ability to use an item of that type for that day.

Schema

- A schema describes the method of creating a single magic item

- A schema requires ilium to create

- An artisan can use a schema they possess to learn how to make the item it describes

- It is not possible to copy a schema

- A schema can be destroyed with the Words of Ending ritual as if it were an artefact

A schema (plural:schemata) is a rare, magical item that contains all the details necessary to create a magic item. Schemata are made at a runeforge. Most (though not all) schema include a description of the item, including all the rules, and at least some in-character commentary on the item.

A character who has the physical schema can learn how to make the item it describes by buying the extra item skill or using an empty item slot. This follows all the other rules for learning a skill during time-in. The schema must be taken to GOD or shown to a referee to allow the item it describes to be mastered in the field.

Every schema is a permanent Item, but it requires the rare material ilium to create. A scheme needs 1 ring of ilium for each ingot or measure of raw materials required to make the final item (to a minimum of 10 rings).

The Imperial Senate can raise a motion to add a schema to the list of items any citizen can learn to make. If the motion passes, it costs 10 thrones to distribute the knowledge contained in the schema. The schema must be handed over to the civil service, and is destroyed in the process. If the Senate chooses to make the knowledge in a schema public knowledge, any character can learn to make the item and it's details will be added to the wiki. The Senate could devolve this power to another body (such as the Imperial Conclave).

Further reading

- Artisan

- Downtime

- Ilium

- Materials

- Runeforge

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magic_items&oldid=35607"

Magical skills

Contents

- 1 Magician

- 2 Extra Spell

- 3 Extra Mana

- 4 Battle Mage

- 5 Ritual Magic

- 6 Extra Ritual

Magician

- You must purchase magician before you can take any other magical skills

You are able to cast the three basic spells; detect magic, operate portal and create bond. You may gain additional spells by purchasing an extra spell. All spells are described in the spellcasting

Each spell requires you to expend mana to cast them. The magician skill grants you four personal mana per day. You may purchase extra mana. Your character’s personal mana replenish overnight.

If you have access to crystalized mana, then you may use these to cast spells instead of your personal mana. Crystalized mana is produced by a mana site, which is a personal resource. A starting site produces seven crystalized mana per event.

Extra Spell

You may choose one additional spell from the list each time you purchase this skill.

Extra Mana

You gain 1 additional personal mana per day each time you purchase this skill. The cost to purchase this skill increases by 1 pt each time you purchase this skill.

Battle Mage

- Allows the character to use a staff to cast spells

- Allows the character to wear mage armour that provides the wearer with two additional hits

- Mage armour does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE

Any character that has purchased the magician skill can use a rod or wand as a mage’s implement to touch a target to cast a spell. This skill allows you to use a staff as a mage’s implement to cast spells. A mage staff can be between 42” and 84” long. During combat, you must hold the weapon in two-hands whenever you use it. If your mage staff is over five feet long (>60”) then you must have at least 18" in separation between your hands when you use it.

Your character may also wear mage armour. Mage armour is a type of magical talismanic armour that protects you against harm but allows you to cast spells. Although mage armour is magical in nature, your character is able to fashion their own armour. If you have purchased this skill then you are considered to have access to a suit of mage armour, in the same way a warrior has access to a suit of mundane armour.

Ritual Magic

Any character that has purchased one or more realm ritual magic skills can perform rituals. Rituals require crystalized mana to cast; they are too powerful to perform with personal mana.

Each ritual will have a magnitude. This is the amount of crystalized mana needed to perform the ritual. The amount of crystalized mana that you can expend is based on your levels of lore in that particular realm. If the ritualist knows the ritual, then the mana that they contribute counts double.

Each level of lore also allows you to pick two free rituals from that realm that your character has mastered. You do not need to pick the rituals you want when you purchase the skill, you may leave the 'slots' free and choose the rituals you want later if you wish.

The cost to purchase a given lore skill for a realm increases by 1 pt each time you purchase that lore skill.

Extra Ritual

You may choose to master two additional rituals each time you purchase this skill. You do not need to pick the rituals you want a tht etime you purchase the skill, you may leave the 'slots' free and choose the rituals you want later if you wish.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magical_skills&oldid=32285"

Magic items (Redirected from Magic Items)

Contents

- 1 Bonded Items

- 2 Non-bonded Items

- 3 Artefacts

- 4 Personal Magic Items

- 4.1 Weapons

- 4.2 Armour

- 4.3 Talismans

- 5 Group Magic Items

- 5.1 Magic Standards

- 5.2 Paraphernalia

- 5.3 Reliquaries

- 6 Changing Magic Items

- 7 Schema

- 8 Further reading

Bonded Items

- Most magic items are made by artisans

- You must be bonded to these items to use them

- You can only be bonded to one item of each form at once

- Most magic items last up to four events

Almost all magic items require you to be bonded to them to use them. Magicians can cast create bond to bond a character to an item, or an artisan can bond a character to any item that they know how to make. A bond lasts as long as the magic of an item endures, or until a magician breaks the bond using the a spell.

Personal magic items fall into one of a number of three forms, weapons, armour, and talismans. You can only ever be bonded to one weapon, one suit of armour and one talisman at any one time.

E.g. Your character is bonded to a Shieldbreaker weapon. You cannot become bonded to a Giant's Maul two-handed axe because both of these items are weapons.

A character who has purchased the artisan skill can make at least one magic item before every event. Magic items last for a single year from the day of creation. This means that they can be used at the following four events before the magic is lost.

Non-bonded Items

- Some magic items are activated and do not need to be bonded

A very small number of rare magic items can be used without the user needing to be bonded to them. Usually these items are one-shot items that require activation by the wielder to invoke the magic stored in them. It is not possible to bond to these items.

You should always assume that an item requires bonding unless the explicitly told otherwise. The detect magic spell will tell the caster if an item does not require bonding to use.

Artefacts

- Artefacts are permanent magic items made by artisans using ilium

Artisans can use ilium to make a permanent artefact version of any magic item they can create. These powerful items retain their properties indefinitely, are readily identifiable as unique named items, and can exert powerful roleplaying effects over anyone bonded to them.

Personal Magic Items

- There are three types of magic item a character can be bonded to

- You can only be bonded to one of each form at once

- Many personal magic items require you to have one or more skills to bond to it

Characters may bond to three different types of personal items. You may only be bonded to one item of each form: weapons, armour, and talismans.

Each magic item has its own page on the wiki, but there is a summary of the magic items by category, linked on the right. The summary includes the name and basic effect of the item. There is also a complete summary of all magic items available.

Weapons

Weapons

Skills Needed to Bond

Daggers

One-Handed Weapons

Two-Handed Weapons

Weapon Master

One-Handed Spears

Weapon Master

Paired Weapons

Ambidexterity

Pole-arms

Weapon Master

Bows

Marksman

Arcane Weapons

Ambidexterity, Magician

Wands

Magician

Rods

Magician

Staffs

Magician, Battle Mage

Ritual Staves

Magician

Icons

Dedication

Musical Instruments

Dedication

- Weapons includes all items designed to be wielded

- You must have a weapon in hand and be actively using it to use its magical abilities

Most weapons are magic items designed to be held in the hand and wielded, presented or used. Weapons and implements are the most common armaments, but this type also covers icons, ritual staves and musical instruments.

Paired weapons and arcane weapons is a single magic item that consists of two one-handed weapons or a one-handed weapon and an implement respectively. They are intended to be used together, and both items count as a single object for purposes of bonding.

A ritual stave is designed to be used by a ritualist during the performance of a ritual, it does not need to be a weapon safe implement and you do not need the battle mage skill to bond or use one of these items. You do need the battle mage skill to bond and use a regular magical staff.

Armour

Armour

Skills Needed to Bond

Light Armour

Medium Armour

Heavy Armour

Mage Robes

Magician

Mage Armour

Magician, Battle Mage

Vestments

Dedication

- Armour includes all magic items that cover the body

- You must be wearing magic armour to use its magical abilities

Armour includes all magic items that cover a significant portion of the body when worn. The phys-rep for magical armour must cover the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a helm), the arms and the legs, or you may cover half of your arms and legs.

Robes must cover the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a hood), the arms or the legs, or at least half of your arms and legs. Magical mage armour must comply with the coverage rules for normal mage armour

It is acceptable to wear a suit of heavier armour over the top of a suit of lighter magical armour, provided you phys-rep both sets of armour. You gain the hits and protection of the heaviest armour you wear, and the benefits of any magical armour you wear.

Talismans

Talismans

Skills Needed to Bond

Shield

Shield

Jewellery

Foci

Magician

Tool

Physick or Apothecary or Artisan

Regalia

Dedication

- You must be using a talisman use its magical abilities

Talismans covers several different groups of magical items, including shields, ritual foci, ceremonial regalia, jewellery, and tools. Jewellery, regalia, and foci must be worn to use their magical abilities; shields and tools must be held in the hand to use their abilities.

Jewellery must be a phys-rep of an item that is worn. It may take the form of actual jewellery such as an amulet, ring, bracelet or circlet. It may also take the form of any other small item intended to be worn such as an embroidered favour, decorative braid and the like. As much as possible the item should look distinctive and decorative.

Foci are items such as rings and masks that help focus energies in rituals. They can only be used by magicians.

Some tools are used by physicks, some by apothecaries, and some by artisans. You must have the appropriate skill to use this tool to be able to bond to it.

Group Magic Items

Group Magic Items

Band

Magic Standards

Banner

Paraphernalia

Coven

Reliquaries

Sect

- A band may only be bonded to one magic item at a time

- The magical item must be present and in use for the members to gain the benefit

These magic items must be bonded to a band to gain their benefits. A band can only be bonded to one magic item at a time and it must be present and actively in use for them to gain any benefits from it.

Magic Standards

A magic standard must be a phys-rep of a banner or standard. It must be an item that is carried, rather than a back-banner or a tabard. Ideally it should consist of a banner pole at least 60" long, and should bear a flag, pennant or banner with a design on it.

Some magical standards allow the standard bearer to grant the items' power to up to fifteen members of the banner. The standard bearer will receive a set of power cards that they can choose to give to characters in the banner.

Paraphernalia

Paraphernalia are props used in rituals by covens, that provide powerful bonuses to the magical strength of everyone in the coven. They can be orbs, books, chalices or similar.

Reliquaries

A reliquary can be any phys-rep of a suitable relic, statue, chalice, tome, or actual reliquary.

Changing Magic Items

- You can never use two items of the same type in the same day

- If an item has been used then it cannot be used again that day

Any magician can perform a spell that breaks the bond between an item and a character. If the character has used the ability of their magical item in any way that day then they cannot benefit from the abilities of another item of the same type that day. The item is also affected - any character that is bonded to an item that has been used that day cannot make use of it until the following morning. The ref will inform you if an item has already been used that day when you are bonded to it.

E.g. You have a Shieldbreaker magic weapon that you have used to call SHATTER earlier that day, using the item. You cannot use any other magic weapon until the following day even if you bond to a new weapon. No other character can use this magic weapon until the following day even if they become bonded to it.

If the character or item is not present when the break bond spell is cast then the power of the item for the day is automatically used, as is the character’s ability to use an item of that type for that day.

Schema

- A schema describes the method of creating a single magic item

- A schema requires ilium to create

- An artisan can use a schema they possess to learn how to make the item it describes

- It is not possible to copy a schema

- A schema can be destroyed with the Words of Ending ritual as if it were an artefact

A schema (plural:schemata) is a rare, magical item that contains all the details necessary to create a magic item. Schemata are made at a runeforge. Most (though not all) schema include a description of the item, including all the rules, and at least some in-character commentary on the item.

A character who has the physical schema can learn how to make the item it describes by buying the extra item skill or using an empty item slot. This follows all the other rules for learning a skill during time-in. The schema must be taken to GOD or shown to a referee to allow the item it describes to be mastered in the field.

Every schema is a permanent Item, but it requires the rare material ilium to create. A scheme needs 1 ring of ilium for each ingot or measure of raw materials required to make the final item (to a minimum of 10 rings).

The Imperial Senate can raise a motion to add a schema to the list of items any citizen can learn to make. If the motion passes, it costs 10 thrones to distribute the knowledge contained in the schema. The schema must be handed over to the civil service, and is destroyed in the process. If the Senate chooses to make the knowledge in a schema public knowledge, any character can learn to make the item and it's details will be added to the wiki. The Senate could devolve this power to another body (such as the Imperial Conclave).

Further reading

- Artisan

- Downtime

- Ilium

- Materials

- Runeforge

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magic_items&oldid=35607"

Magic items (Redirected from Magical items)

Contents

- 1 Bonded Items

- 2 Non-bonded Items

- 3 Artefacts

- 4 Personal Magic Items

- 4.1 Weapons

- 4.2 Armour

- 4.3 Talismans

- 5 Group Magic Items

- 5.1 Magic Standards

- 5.2 Paraphernalia

- 5.3 Reliquaries

- 6 Changing Magic Items

- 7 Schema

- 8 Further reading

Bonded Items

- Most magic items are made by artisans

- You must be bonded to these items to use them

- You can only be bonded to one item of each form at once

- Most magic items last up to four events

Almost all magic items require you to be bonded to them to use them. Magicians can cast create bond to bond a character to an item, or an artisan can bond a character to any item that they know how to make. A bond lasts as long as the magic of an item endures, or until a magician breaks the bond using the a spell.

Personal magic items fall into one of a number of three forms, weapons, armour, and talismans. You can only ever be bonded to one weapon, one suit of armour and one talisman at any one time.

E.g. Your character is bonded to a Shieldbreaker weapon. You cannot become bonded to a Giant's Maul two-handed axe because both of these items are weapons.

A character who has purchased the artisan skill can make at least one magic item before every event. Magic items last for a single year from the day of creation. This means that they can be used at the following four events before the magic is lost.

Non-bonded Items

- Some magic items are activated and do not need to be bonded

A very small number of rare magic items can be used without the user needing to be bonded to them. Usually these items are one-shot items that require activation by the wielder to invoke the magic stored in them. It is not possible to bond to these items.

You should always assume that an item requires bonding unless the explicitly told otherwise. The detect magic spell will tell the caster if an item does not require bonding to use.

Artefacts

- Artefacts are permanent magic items made by artisans using ilium

Artisans can use ilium to make a permanent artefact version of any magic item they can create. These powerful items retain their properties indefinitely, are readily identifiable as unique named items, and can exert powerful roleplaying effects over anyone bonded to them.

Personal Magic Items

- There are three types of magic item a character can be bonded to

- You can only be bonded to one of each form at once

- Many personal magic items require you to have one or more skills to bond to it

Characters may bond to three different types of personal items. You may only be bonded to one item of each form: weapons, armour, and talismans.

Each magic item has its own page on the wiki, but there is a summary of the magic items by category, linked on the right. The summary includes the name and basic effect of the item. There is also a complete summary of all magic items available.

Weapons

Weapons

Skills Needed to Bond

Daggers

One-Handed Weapons

Two-Handed Weapons

Weapon Master

One-Handed Spears

Weapon Master

Paired Weapons

Ambidexterity

Pole-arms

Weapon Master

Bows

Marksman

Arcane Weapons

Ambidexterity, Magician

Wands

Magician

Rods

Magician

Staffs

Magician, Battle Mage

Ritual Staves

Magician

Icons

Dedication

Musical Instruments

Dedication

- Weapons includes all items designed to be wielded

- You must have a weapon in hand and be actively using it to use its magical abilities

Most weapons are magic items designed to be held in the hand and wielded, presented or used. Weapons and implements are the most common armaments, but this type also covers icons, ritual staves and musical instruments.

Paired weapons and arcane weapons is a single magic item that consists of two one-handed weapons or a one-handed weapon and an implement respectively. They are intended to be used together, and both items count as a single object for purposes of bonding.

A ritual stave is designed to be used by a ritualist during the performance of a ritual, it does not need to be a weapon safe implement and you do not need the battle mage skill to bond or use one of these items. You do need the battle mage skill to bond and use a regular magical staff.

Armour

Armour

Skills Needed to Bond

Light Armour

Medium Armour

Heavy Armour

Mage Robes

Magician

Mage Armour

Magician, Battle Mage

Vestments

Dedication

- Armour includes all magic items that cover the body

- You must be wearing magic armour to use its magical abilities

Armour includes all magic items that cover a significant portion of the body when worn. The phys-rep for magical armour must cover the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a helm), the arms and the legs, or you may cover half of your arms and legs.

Robes must cover the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a hood), the arms or the legs, or at least half of your arms and legs. Magical mage armour must comply with the coverage rules for normal mage armour

It is acceptable to wear a suit of heavier armour over the top of a suit of lighter magical armour, provided you phys-rep both sets of armour. You gain the hits and protection of the heaviest armour you wear, and the benefits of any magical armour you wear.

Talismans

Talismans

Skills Needed to Bond

Shield

Shield

Jewellery

Foci

Magician

Tool

Physick or Apothecary or Artisan

Regalia

Dedication

- You must be using a talisman use its magical abilities

Talismans covers several different groups of magical items, including shields, ritual foci, ceremonial regalia, jewellery, and tools. Jewellery, regalia, and foci must be worn to use their magical abilities; shields and tools must be held in the hand to use their abilities.

Jewellery must be a phys-rep of an item that is worn. It may take the form of actual jewellery such as an amulet, ring, bracelet or circlet. It may also take the form of any other small item intended to be worn such as an embroidered favour, decorative braid and the like. As much as possible the item should look distinctive and decorative.

Foci are items such as rings and masks that help focus energies in rituals. They can only be used by magicians.

Some tools are used by physicks, some by apothecaries, and some by artisans. You must have the appropriate skill to use this tool to be able to bond to it.

Group Magic Items

Group Magic Items

Band

Magic Standards

Banner

Paraphernalia

Coven

Reliquaries

Sect

- A band may only be bonded to one magic item at a time

- The magical item must be present and in use for the members to gain the benefit

These magic items must be bonded to a band to gain their benefits. A band can only be bonded to one magic item at a time and it must be present and actively in use for them to gain any benefits from it.

Magic Standards

A magic standard must be a phys-rep of a banner or standard. It must be an item that is carried, rather than a back-banner or a tabard. Ideally it should consist of a banner pole at least 60" long, and should bear a flag, pennant or banner with a design on it.

Some magical standards allow the standard bearer to grant the items' power to up to fifteen members of the banner. The standard bearer will receive a set of power cards that they can choose to give to characters in the banner.

Paraphernalia

Paraphernalia are props used in rituals by covens, that provide powerful bonuses to the magical strength of everyone in the coven. They can be orbs, books, chalices or similar.

Reliquaries

A reliquary can be any phys-rep of a suitable relic, statue, chalice, tome, or actual reliquary.

Changing Magic Items

- You can never use two items of the same type in the same day

- If an item has been used then it cannot be used again that day

Any magician can perform a spell that breaks the bond between an item and a character. If the character has used the ability of their magical item in any way that day then they cannot benefit from the abilities of another item of the same type that day. The item is also affected - any character that is bonded to an item that has been used that day cannot make use of it until the following morning. The ref will inform you if an item has already been used that day when you are bonded to it.

E.g. You have a Shieldbreaker magic weapon that you have used to call SHATTER earlier that day, using the item. You cannot use any other magic weapon until the following day even if you bond to a new weapon. No other character can use this magic weapon until the following day even if they become bonded to it.

If the character or item is not present when the break bond spell is cast then the power of the item for the day is automatically used, as is the character’s ability to use an item of that type for that day.

Schema

- A schema describes the method of creating a single magic item

- A schema requires ilium to create

- An artisan can use a schema they possess to learn how to make the item it describes

- It is not possible to copy a schema

- A schema can be destroyed with the Words of Ending ritual as if it were an artefact

A schema (plural:schemata) is a rare, magical item that contains all the details necessary to create a magic item. Schemata are made at a runeforge. Most (though not all) schema include a description of the item, including all the rules, and at least some in-character commentary on the item.

A character who has the physical schema can learn how to make the item it describes by buying the extra item skill or using an empty item slot. This follows all the other rules for learning a skill during time-in. The schema must be taken to GOD or shown to a referee to allow the item it describes to be mastered in the field.

Every schema is a permanent Item, but it requires the rare material ilium to create. A scheme needs 1 ring of ilium for each ingot or measure of raw materials required to make the final item (to a minimum of 10 rings).

The Imperial Senate can raise a motion to add a schema to the list of items any citizen can learn to make. If the motion passes, it costs 10 thrones to distribute the knowledge contained in the schema. The schema must be handed over to the civil service, and is destroyed in the process. If the Senate chooses to make the knowledge in a schema public knowledge, any character can learn to make the item and it's details will be added to the wiki. The Senate could devolve this power to another body (such as the Imperial Conclave).

Further reading

- Artisan

- Downtime

- Ilium

- Materials

- Runeforge

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magic_items&oldid=35607"

Magic overview

Contents

- 1 Magic Calls

- 1.1 CURSE

- 1.2 ENTANGLE

- 1.3 PARALYSE

- 1.4 REPEL

- 1.5 VENOM

- 1.6 WEAKNESS

- 1.7 MASS

- 2 Spellcasting

- 3 Implements

- 3.1 Wands

- 3.2 Rods

- 3.3 Staff

- 4 Mage Armour

- 5 Rituals

- 5.1 Performing a Ritual

Magic Calls

- There are six magic calls

- The magic calls do not affect targets that are larger than human-sized

- All magic calls delivered with a weapon or implement also cause the target to lose one global hit

- The MASS call when combined with another magic call expands the range to a 20' cone from the caster

There are six magic calls that can affect you. All players should make sure that they are familiar with these calls and their effects.

There is no way to resist a magic call in Empire, but magic calls never affect any creature that is larger than human-sized. Any monstrous creature whose phys-rep is expressly designed to make them taller or wider than the wearer would normally be counts as larger than human-sized. Player-characters (all PCs) always count as human-sized - no matter how large the player is.

CURSE

- You are cursed; see a ref for details when it is appropriate to do so

- The effect lasts until cured

A curse does not immediately affect your character; you are aware that you have been cursed but may continue to fight and act normally. See a referee for more details once you are able to do so without interrupting your roleplaying.

ENTANGLE

- The target may not move their feet; they may otherwise move and fight normally

- The effect lasts 10 seconds

PARALYSE

- The target may talk but may not make any other movement

- The effect lasts 10 seconds

REPEL

- The target must move away from the caster at a brisk walk or faster

- The effect lasts 10 seconds or until you have retreated for 20’

VENOM

- The target’s bleed time drops to zero; they become Terminal immediately if they lose all body hits (and may not use the unstoppable ability)

- The effect lasts until cured

WEAKNESS

- The target may not use any heroic skills, utilize any Enchantments, use any mana or activate any magic items; they may otherwise move and fight normally

- The effect lasts until cured

MASS

- MASS is an area effect call that expands the range of other calls to a 20' cone (maximum 90 degrees) from the caster. It is commonly caused by rituals, though there are unnatural creatures in the world that can cause MASS effects.

Spellcasting

- You must expend personal mana or crystalized mana to cast a spell

- Every magician starts with four personal mana every day

- You cannot cast spells while wearing armour

- All spells require vocals clearly audible to everyone within a few metres

Any character that purchases the magician skill has four personal mana and is able to cast create bond, detect magic or operate portal. Each time a character purchases an extra spell they must choose one additional spell from the spell list.

Your character may also use crystalized mana to cast spells; a single crystal can be used to cast any single spell.

Your personal mana replenishes overnight.

All spell vocals require appropriate roleplaying which must include spell vocals in a clear voice audible to everyone within a few metres of you.

Implements

- Offensive spells can only be delivered using an implement

- Must be a safe phys-rep of a wand, rod or staff

- Should not look like a weapon

An implement is a magical tool that allows a magician to briefly store the effect of an offensive spell before it is released. All offensive spells require an implement to be used. You cannot use an implement to change the casting time or extend the range of regular spells such as mend or heal.

All magical implements must be weapon safe phys-reps. They may appear to be made of any material, and should be decorated and shaped to make it as clear as possible that they are magical implements and not weapons.

Implements come in three broad classifications; wands, rods and staves. Any character with the magician skill can wield a wand or rod effectively, but the Battle Mage skill is needed to wield a staff.

A character can cause a point of damage with an implement, but they cannot be used with the heroic skills cleaving strike, shattering blow or mighty strikedown.

Although any magician may choose to use a wand or rod as an implement, some magical enchantments can only be placed on wands and some can only be placed on rods.

Wands

A wand is 8” to 18” long. Magical wands usually enhance healing incantations such as restore limb or utility incantations such as mend

Rods

A rod is 18” to 42” long. Wielded in one hand, a rod is popular with many magicians who take the battlefield because it can be combined with a shield or with another one-handed weapon (provided the magician possesses the skill to do so). Magical rods most commonly enhance battlefield incantations such as repel or swift heal.

Staff

A staff is 42” to 84” long. It must be wielded in two hands, but greatly extends the magicians reach for delivering implement incantations. Staves are popular with magicians of all backgrounds, but require the Battle Mage skill to use in battle. Magic staves may enhance battlefield incantation or grant benefits to ritual casters.

Mage Armour

- Must cover at least 3 locations including one of the chest, shoulders or waist

- Providers 2 extra hits only

- Does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE calls

Mage armour is a magical talisman that protects you against harm but allows you to cast spells. The talisman is made up of several pieces fitted to the wearer's body to protect them. The parts of the talisman superficially resemble pieces of armour, but armour that is ornate and ceremonial rather than practical. They are often decorated with runes, crystals, gems or other magical accoutrements and it is clear that the armour protects the wearer through magic rather than by physically deflecting blows.

Mage armour provides the wearer with two additional hits. Mage armour does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE. To qualify the talisman must include three of the following items including at least one of the first three items on the list:

- Pauldrons (shoulders)

- Pectorals (upper chest)

- Hero Belt (waist)

- Circlet (head)

- Vambraces (wrists)

- Gorget (neck)

- Greaves (lower legs)

The items must be substantial and cover a significant portion of the area but it is possible to use a single pauldron, greave or vambrace if appropriate for the costume.

Although mage armour is magical in nature, if you have purchased the Battle Mage skill then you are considered to have access to a suit of mage armour, in the same way a warrior has access to a suit of mundane armour.

Mage armour can be made out of any real world material, provided you try to make as clear as possible that your character is wearing magical protection and not mundane armour.

Rituals

- Every ritual draws primarily on one of the six realms

- Every ritual has a cost in crystalized mana to perform the ritual

- A ritualist may only expend mana up to their level of skill

- Crystalized mana expended by a character who has mastered the ritual counts double

- Rituals require several minutes of appropriate roleplaying; it should be obvious to everyone nearby that you are performing a ritual

- You cannot perform rituals while wearing armour

Rituals require crystalized mana to cast, they are too powerful to perform with personal mana. The amount of crystalized mana that each ritualist can expend is limited by their level of skill with the appropriate realm lore. Crystalized mana used by a character that has mastered the ritual counts double.

E.g. A magician is performing the ritual, The Ascetic Star of Atun, a level 6 Day ritual. The ritualist has three levels of skill in day lore, allowing them to contribute three points of crystalized mana, however the caster has mastered the ritual, doubling their effective mana. This allows them to achieve the 6 points required for the ritual.

Performing a Ritual

Rituals require several minutes of appropriate roleplaying.

It should be obvious to everyone nearby that you are performing a ritual. While it is possible to conceal precisely what your ritual is intended to achieve, it is against the spirit of ritual magic to intentionally perform a ritual that appears to have an opposite effect. For example, performing a ritual that looks as if it is intended to heal someone that is actually intended to destroy one of their magic items is inappropriate.

You cannot perform rituals while wearing armour.

Ritualists can contribute to a ritual performance by joining a coven.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magic_overview&oldid=23349"

Magic overview

Contents

- 1 Magic Calls

- 1.1 CURSE

- 1.2 ENTANGLE

- 1.3 PARALYSE

- 1.4 REPEL

- 1.5 VENOM

- 1.6 WEAKNESS

- 1.7 MASS

- 2 Spellcasting

- 3 Implements

- 3.1 Wands

- 3.2 Rods

- 3.3 Staff

- 4 Mage Armour

- 5 Rituals

- 5.1 Performing a Ritual

Magic Calls

- There are six magic calls

- The magic calls do not affect targets that are larger than human-sized

- All magic calls delivered with a weapon or implement also cause the target to lose one global hit

- The MASS call when combined with another magic call expands the range to a 20' cone from the caster

There are six magic calls that can affect you. All players should make sure that they are familiar with these calls and their effects.

There is no way to resist a magic call in Empire, but magic calls never affect any creature that is larger than human-sized. Any monstrous creature whose phys-rep is expressly designed to make them taller or wider than the wearer would normally be counts as larger than human-sized. Player-characters (all PCs) always count as human-sized - no matter how large the player is.

CURSE

- You are cursed; see a ref for details when it is appropriate to do so

- The effect lasts until cured

A curse does not immediately affect your character; you are aware that you have been cursed but may continue to fight and act normally. See a referee for more details once you are able to do so without interrupting your roleplaying.

ENTANGLE

- The target may not move their feet; they may otherwise move and fight normally

- The effect lasts 10 seconds

PARALYSE

- The target may talk but may not make any other movement

- The effect lasts 10 seconds

REPEL

- The target must move away from the caster at a brisk walk or faster

- The effect lasts 10 seconds or until you have retreated for 20’

VENOM

- The target’s bleed time drops to zero; they become Terminal immediately if they lose all body hits (and may not use the unstoppable ability)

- The effect lasts until cured

WEAKNESS

- The target may not use any heroic skills, utilize any Enchantments, use any mana or activate any magic items; they may otherwise move and fight normally

- The effect lasts until cured

MASS

- MASS is an area effect call that expands the range of other calls to a 20' cone (maximum 90 degrees) from the caster. It is commonly caused by rituals, though there are unnatural creatures in the world that can cause MASS effects.

Spellcasting

- You must expend personal mana or crystalized mana to cast a spell

- Every magician starts with four personal mana every day

- You cannot cast spells while wearing armour

- All spells require vocals clearly audible to everyone within a few metres

Any character that purchases the magician skill has four personal mana and is able to cast create bond, detect magic or operate portal. Each time a character purchases an extra spell they must choose one additional spell from the spell list.

Your character may also use crystalized mana to cast spells; a single crystal can be used to cast any single spell.

Your personal mana replenishes overnight.

All spell vocals require appropriate roleplaying which must include spell vocals in a clear voice audible to everyone within a few metres of you.

Implements

- Offensive spells can only be delivered using an implement

- Must be a safe phys-rep of a wand, rod or staff

- Should not look like a weapon

An implement is a magical tool that allows a magician to briefly store the effect of an offensive spell before it is released. All offensive spells require an implement to be used. You cannot use an implement to change the casting time or extend the range of regular spells such as mend or heal.

All magical implements must be weapon safe phys-reps. They may appear to be made of any material, and should be decorated and shaped to make it as clear as possible that they are magical implements and not weapons.

Implements come in three broad classifications; wands, rods and staves. Any character with the magician skill can wield a wand or rod effectively, but the Battle Mage skill is needed to wield a staff.

A character can cause a point of damage with an implement, but they cannot be used with the heroic skills cleaving strike, shattering blow or mighty strikedown.

Although any magician may choose to use a wand or rod as an implement, some magical enchantments can only be placed on wands and some can only be placed on rods.

Wands

A wand is 8” to 18” long. Magical wands usually enhance healing incantations such as restore limb or utility incantations such as mend

Rods

A rod is 18” to 42” long. Wielded in one hand, a rod is popular with many magicians who take the battlefield because it can be combined with a shield or with another one-handed weapon (provided the magician possesses the skill to do so). Magical rods most commonly enhance battlefield incantations such as repel or swift heal.

Staff

A staff is 42” to 84” long. It must be wielded in two hands, but greatly extends the magicians reach for delivering implement incantations. Staves are popular with magicians of all backgrounds, but require the Battle Mage skill to use in battle. Magic staves may enhance battlefield incantation or grant benefits to ritual casters.

Mage Armour

- Must cover at least 3 locations including one of the chest, shoulders or waist

- Providers 2 extra hits only

- Does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE calls

Mage armour is a magical talisman that protects you against harm but allows you to cast spells. The talisman is made up of several pieces fitted to the wearer's body to protect them. The parts of the talisman superficially resemble pieces of armour, but armour that is ornate and ceremonial rather than practical. They are often decorated with runes, crystals, gems or other magical accoutrements and it is clear that the armour protects the wearer through magic rather than by physically deflecting blows.

Mage armour provides the wearer with two additional hits. Mage armour does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE. To qualify the talisman must include three of the following items including at least one of the first three items on the list:

- Pauldrons (shoulders)

- Pectorals (upper chest)

- Hero Belt (waist)

- Circlet (head)

- Vambraces (wrists)

- Gorget (neck)

- Greaves (lower legs)

The items must be substantial and cover a significant portion of the area but it is possible to use a single pauldron, greave or vambrace if appropriate for the costume.

Although mage armour is magical in nature, if you have purchased the Battle Mage skill then you are considered to have access to a suit of mage armour, in the same way a warrior has access to a suit of mundane armour.

Mage armour can be made out of any real world material, provided you try to make as clear as possible that your character is wearing magical protection and not mundane armour.

Rituals

- Every ritual draws primarily on one of the six realms

- Every ritual has a cost in crystalized mana to perform the ritual

- A ritualist may only expend mana up to their level of skill

- Crystalized mana expended by a character who has mastered the ritual counts double

- Rituals require several minutes of appropriate roleplaying; it should be obvious to everyone nearby that you are performing a ritual

- You cannot perform rituals while wearing armour

Rituals require crystalized mana to cast, they are too powerful to perform with personal mana. The amount of crystalized mana that each ritualist can expend is limited by their level of skill with the appropriate realm lore. Crystalized mana used by a character that has mastered the ritual counts double.

E.g. A magician is performing the ritual, The Ascetic Star of Atun, a level 6 Day ritual. The ritualist has three levels of skill in day lore, allowing them to contribute three points of crystalized mana, however the caster has mastered the ritual, doubling their effective mana. This allows them to achieve the 6 points required for the ritual.

Performing a Ritual

Rituals require several minutes of appropriate roleplaying.

It should be obvious to everyone nearby that you are performing a ritual. While it is possible to conceal precisely what your ritual is intended to achieve, it is against the spirit of ritual magic to intentionally perform a ritual that appears to have an opposite effect. For example, performing a ritual that looks as if it is intended to heal someone that is actually intended to destroy one of their magic items is inappropriate.

You cannot perform rituals while wearing armour.

Ritualists can contribute to a ritual performance by joining a coven.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magic_overview&oldid=23349"

Magister

Priests who work to master magic are called magisters in Highguard. The early magisters studied methods of communicating with the dead and uncovering the secrets of the past. Traditionally, the Highborn magisters are the foremost masters of Winter magic in the Empire, drawn to and operating for the most part out of hostels based in the Necropolis. The silence and contemplative atmosphere of the city of the dead lends itself perfectly to measured and dedicated study.

While there is no doubt they possess powerful magic, the magisters are still considered to be priests. They study virtue alongside magic, and many work hard to try and inspire virtuous behaviour in wizards of other nations – or an understanding of magic in other priests.

Magisters tend to be cautious of the Eternals, as they are not only powerful, but they clearly seek to use that power to influence and control humanity. The Highborn believe that as masters of their own destiny, humans should seek out and outwit Eternals wherever possible, gain opportunities to take strength from them and harness it in service to the Empire. Eternals are clearly monstrous and inhuman, and it is a source of continual frustration to the Highborn that wizards of other nations fail to recognise this, no matter how seriously the magisters try to educate and influence them in their dealings with other realms. The magisters treat most often, and most comfortably with the Eternals of Winter, who they see as more open and honest, as they do not try to deny or conceal their evil nature. The Eternals of the other realms are equally dangerous, but present a pleasing and deceptive face, which so many foreigners accept without scrutiny.

The magical tradition of Highguard combines movement and sound. The slow beating of drums, the sonorous chime of bells and the recitation of ceremonial passages form the basis of their ritual magic, often accompanied by stylised and graceful gestures.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magister&oldid=14838"

Magister (Redirected from Magisters)

Priests who work to master magic are called magisters in Highguard. The early magisters studied methods of communicating with the dead and uncovering the secrets of the past. Traditionally, the Highborn magisters are the foremost masters of Winter magic in the Empire, drawn to and operating for the most part out of hostels based in the Necropolis. The silence and contemplative atmosphere of the city of the dead lends itself perfectly to measured and dedicated study.

While there is no doubt they possess powerful magic, the magisters are still considered to be priests. They study virtue alongside magic, and many work hard to try and inspire virtuous behaviour in wizards of other nations – or an understanding of magic in other priests.

Magisters tend to be cautious of the Eternals, as they are not only powerful, but they clearly seek to use that power to influence and control humanity. The Highborn believe that as masters of their own destiny, humans should seek out and outwit Eternals wherever possible, gain opportunities to take strength from them and harness it in service to the Empire. Eternals are clearly monstrous and inhuman, and it is a source of continual frustration to the Highborn that wizards of other nations fail to recognise this, no matter how seriously the magisters try to educate and influence them in their dealings with other realms. The magisters treat most often, and most comfortably with the Eternals of Winter, who they see as more open and honest, as they do not try to deny or conceal their evil nature. The Eternals of the other realms are equally dangerous, but present a pleasing and deceptive face, which so many foreigners accept without scrutiny.

The magical tradition of Highguard combines movement and sound. The slow beating of drums, the sonorous chime of bells and the recitation of ceremonial passages form the basis of their ritual magic, often accompanied by stylised and graceful gestures.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magister&oldid=14838"

Magistrate's Grasp

Description

The pole-arm is very useful for dealing with skirmishers. The superior reach it grants also makes it quite effective for neutralizing enemies armed with one-handed weapons.

It is also a common piece of equipment carried by the badgers working with the Imperial Magistrates. One of the first magistrates, the Varushkan Arnost Whitehair, focused his attention on pursuing and capturing criminals. He equipped his lieutenants with these useful pole-arms, and the name has since stuck. One of the Imperial Magistrates usually takes custody of Arnost's artefact version of this weapon, using it as both a badge of office and as a statement that they will commit themselves to the capture of fugitives.

On occasions where a magistrate's grasp is loaned to a group of volunteers, there is often an impromptu footrace to determine who will wield the weapon - the candidate who wins this race (which often includes obstacles to leap over or duck under) in armour and carrying a pole-arm is usually the one who is bonded to it.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a pole-arm.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You can use a hero point to call ENTANGLE when you hit with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a magistrate's grasp requires nine ingots of ambergelt, four ingots of orichalcum and four ingots of green iron. It takes one month to make one of these items.

It was sundown and the light was a sparkling blaze on the waters of the bay of Catazarr. The Lostok case had been a long and painstaking investigation, and now that it was finally concluded, Magistrate Inskipp and his officers were enjoying the afterglow of justice in the gardens of the Merrow's Marina. Several bottles of excellent Dawnish wine had already been emptied, leaving both the badgers and their master deep in their cups.

"It's good, chief, don't get me wrong, of course it's good. But we celebrate and we drink, and we all know that tomorrow or next week or next month another Lostok will take over exactly where this one finished. I just..., I sometimes wonder what the point is."

Inskipp's face took up its accustomed scowl; the badgers sighed and poured themselves another drink as they prepared for a sermon. "The point, Denarus, the bloody point is all around you! You think a city like this just happens? "Just happens" leaves you with ugly stone shitpiles like Oran, or joyless warehouse towns like Hedra."

He gestured grandly with his goblet, slopping wine onto the finely mosaiced paving stones around the taverna, "This is civilisation, this is the future of the Empire. One day, a long time from now, every city in the Empire is going to be like Sarvos. And they're going to look back on us, at this moment here and now and they're going to know that we were the first and the best."

His mood lightened somewhat as he refilled his drink, "But she's a harsh mistress, civilisation. She has to be tended to like a barbarian goddess - sacrificed to, even. From her first day to her last, the city will make its demands, and it's up to us to meet them without complaint or delay. In the end it's only our willingness to pay the cost of civilisation that separates us from the barbarians."

The sun finally set in a riot of red and gold, framed by the towers and ships of the harbour.,

"Never assume that all this cannot end in an eyeblink. It can. Lostok thought differently, and all it took was one officer of the court and her stick to teach him different."

Beyond them in the city thousands lanterns began twinkling into life as darkness fell. A chill touched the breeze and the table was silent for a moment, each person lost in their own thoughts.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magistrate%27s_Grasp&oldid=32039"

Magistrates

Magistrates

- Imperial character that conducts trials

- Engage players in the legal process

- Try to keep conflict between players political

The magistrates are official Imperial characters who operate the legal system, conducting trials and overseeing the application of the law. Their role is to involve players in the legal process as thief-takers, detectives and militia etc. The point of the magistrates is to do everything in-character, to make murder as difficult to get away with as humanly possible. The goal is to redress the balance of games in which murder is trivial and the cheapest solution to any political problem. Empire is intended to provide a PvM game for players combined with a PvP political game. The magistrates exist to try to ensure that most conflict between players remains political. It is possible for a magistrate to play other roles some of the time if they wish.

Being a magistrate requires some charisma and personal presence. The magistrates have the full backing of the setting, but that will not serve if they cannot get the support of the majority of players. Magistrates need to be unbiased and although they are encouraged to play the role on an ongoing basis they should avoid becoming embroiled in the politics of the game; like all civil servants they are compelled to remain honest and impartial by the magical power of the oaths they have sworn. Being a magistrate is a great role for anyone with an intuition for skullduggery and a sense of drama for making court scenes dramatic.

We are looking for one or two other magistrates.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magistrates&oldid=21102"

Magnum Opus

Mastery of these recipes allows an apothecary to brew preparations valuable to ritual magicians versed in the Lore of Night. With one of these potions a ritualist can wield the magic of the Night Realm more effectively, but they also become more susceptible to the influence of that Realm.

As with the Lambent Essences, brewing these potions involves a somewhat more alchemical than herbal approach. The recipes also tend to be a little abstruse, using metaphor and simile rather than direct instructions on measures or processes. More than one apothecary has wasted large amounts of herbs trying to decipher the precise proportions to use.

Chiaroscuran Balsam

This thin, scented salve is half white and half black. When applied to the skin, the two parts are mixed together and rapidly absorbed by the skin. Users who apply the salve too quickly risk becoming intoxicated by the narcotic rush that floods the system as the balsam is absorbed, which can lead to ritualsts acting in an agitated and excitable state for several minutes until their bodies achieve a natural (albeit shifting) balance with the preparation. Users find it easier to wield more powerful Night magic.

Some ritualists, especially naga, enjoy having a fellow ritualist apply the balsam to their skin rather than doing so themselves. This allows them to indulge in and focus on enjoying the pleasant sensations the balsam arouses. Obviously, there is some risk of beginning to crave the use of chiaroscuran balsam, and some ritual groups are cautious in how much and how often they employ the preparation as a result,

- Form: Salve.

- Description: This mysterious ointment is half black, and half white. It has a heady, almost narcotic scent that causes the blood to pound if it is inhaled, and a smooth, oily texture that is quickly absorbed into the skin.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel giddy and excitable for several minutes after applying this balsam. You feel every emotion very strongly and have a strong urge to be gregarious, to seek out opportunities to interact with others wherever they present themselves, and want to be comfortable, well-fed and content.

- Mechanical Effects: If you possess the Night Lore skill then you gain one additional rank to the next night ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Two drams of Imperial Roseweald, one dram each of True Vervain, Marrowort and Bladeroot and one crystallized mana.

Philosopher's Stone

This two-part elixir is composed of two liquids, one heavier than the other. One part of the potion is red, the other yellow. When shaken, the two liquids mix together to create a swirling, almost hypnotic suffusion of both colours that slowly separates back into two distinct layers. The potion should be shaken and then quickly drunk to get the full effect. It has an indescribable flavour that is rarely the same twice.

Philosopher's Stone was first formulated in the swamps of Bregasland. In some versions of the story, it was developed by a Marcher apothecary working from partially understood inscriptions on a sunken stone. In another version, the naga apothecary was guided in her researches by her lover, a Herald in service to the Eternal Sadogua. Both versions of the story agree that the apothecary - whose name appears to have never been written down anywhere - disappeared shortly afterward. Within a year, draughts of philosopher's stone were for sale in Meade and shortly after in Sarvos and Siroc. Descendants of the unnamed naga have often claimed that she was murdered by conspirators from the League and the Brass Coast with the collusion of mercantile interests in Mitwold after she refused to share the formula; it is unlikely the truth will ever be known.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This elixir holds a crimson liquid and a heavy yellow liquid. They mix when shaken creating a hypnotic suffusion of both colours that slowly separates. It seems never to smell or taste quite the same way twice.

- Roleplaying Effects: This elixir has a strong taste of something (practically any taste is possible). You feel a strong urge to be mysterious and enigmatic; to avoid direct answers, to conceal your intentions and to couch your speech in allusion and metaphor. Direct answers and direct solutions are unsatisfying.

- Mechanical Effects: If you possess the Night Lore skill then you can use up to 3 personal mana as if it were crystal mana on the next night ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Three drams of Imperial Roseweald, two drams each of Bladeroot and Cerulean Mazzarine and one dram of True Vervain.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Magnum_Opus&oldid=34485"

Main Page

Welcome

Welcome to the Empire Wiki; here you will be able to find everything you need to know about Empire, the new live roleplaying game from Profound Decisions, which began Easter 2013. We often upload new content to the site, so if you are returning after a break then check the Wiki Updates section for a list of what has changed since your last visit. For up to date in character information head to the Recent history page.

The Game

Read our introduction to LRP if you're new to the hobby. Then take a look at the game overview to get an idea of what Empire is all about.

The Nations

The Empire is composed of nine human nations and the Imperial Orcs. Each culture is detailed on the wiki including advice on costumes.

Lineage

All human beings may choose one of the six lineages if they are touched by the Realms. Read how each lineage can shape your character.

The Empire

Find out about the political structures of the Empire that will allow the players to shape the game world. Also here is information about the Way of Virtue, the unique Imperial Religion.

The World

The Empire is part of a rich and vibrant campaign setting that includes barbarian enemies, foreign powers and six magical realms as well as their supernatural inhabitants.

The Rules

Empire uses a simple set of rules that are designed to be fun to play but easy to understand. The rules explain how to make a character and how the game works.

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Making a hardened leather mask

Contents

- 1 Mask Making

- 1.1 Materials

- 1.2 Tools

- 1.2.1 A quick note on leather:

- 1.3 Making the mask shape

- 1.3.1 Tip: It can take some time for the bubbles to leave, so tap the leather gently (whilst in the water) and if no new bubbles form after a few minutes then it's ready.

- 1.3.2 Note from the art team

- 1.4 After Baking

- 1.5 Finishing the Mask

Mask Making

This guide will show you how I made a hardened leather mask.

Materials

- 2mm thick veg tan leather, other weights can be used but I find this is a good for masks

- Buckle (+ rivets) for attaching the mask, you could also use string or leather lace

- Leather dyes or Acrylic Paints

- Supersheen, Dubbin Wax or a Leather finisher

- Neat foot oil, leather moisturiser (yes it does exist) or even moisturiser

Tools

- Sharp knife

- Leather Punch

- Hammer (if you are using rivets)

- Hairdryer (I'm not kidding) or patience

A quick note on leather:

The "Grain Side" is the hair side of the animal and is most commonly used for carving and stamping. If you look at the cross-section of the leather you will notice a thin smooth line - this is called the grain layer, it is about one fifth of the thickness of the hide. The "Flesh Side" is the side of the leather that was next to the meat/flesh of the animal. It is generally very rough. Between the two layers are the leather fibres.

Leather

Making the mask shape

Right - lets dive right in - first I cut the leather to the area of the face I wanted to cover. It is a good idea to measure the face first and add the extra leather for the nose. Add a little extra for contingency.

Leather cut to shape

The first step is to soak the leather. When you moisten leather the fibres swell and soften. This makes the perfect mix for moulding leather. I put the leather into bowl of water flesh side up, waited for the air bubbles to form on the flesh side - when the last air bubbles leave the leather it will be ready.

Tip: It can take some time for the bubbles to leave, so tap the leather gently (whilst in the water) and if no new bubbles form after a few minutes then it's ready.

Soaking the leather

I took the leather and put it on the face of the person the mask is for. You can also use a plaster face or even a polystyrene one but the real thing is better.

I moulded the mask to the face by stretching the leather This can be done by kneading the leather with your thumbs. As it dries it will retain its shape, and the thicker the leather the more time it takes. This can take a long time and a lot of patience, but remember that but every time you apply direct heat to leather you run the risk of it warping or cracking. To speed up the process, as I had to hold the leather in place until it was fairly dry, you can put it in an area with warm circulating air, like an airing cupboard. If you're short of time, very gentle heat with a hairdryer can work, but it can risk damaging your leather.

Once the leather is fairly dry I finished it moulding it with my fingers. I aided this process by wetting small areas like the eye sockets and stretching the leather further.

Once I was happy with the shape, I put it in the oven at its minimum settings, and waited until the leather was starting to get fairly rigid.

Note from the art team

While Gary had good results from this, in our experience ovens are so variable that you can risk damaging the leather irreversibly by baking it. We would suggest air drying in a warm, well ventilated area as a safer and more reliable alternative.

If you can put the mask on a former like a plaster face or even just draped over a tin this will help to the mask to keep it shape as it hardens.

After Baking

I trimmed the mask to the required shape - this took a while to get right and I spent extra time making sure the eyes holes were in the right place.

Finishing the Mask

I used a good oil based leather dye to get the colour I wanted. The dyeing process made the mask flexible again so it was back on the form to dry.

At this stage I used Neat's Foot Oil to drying and cracking. It is used to recondition/oil saddles and outdoor gear. It will significantly darken most leathers. You can however use any reconditioning leather product at this point.

Next a coat of Supersheen or Leather Finish to protect my mask from the harsh outdoors. The last coat is a good wax with Dubbin. Dubbin is a wax product used to soften, condition and waterproof leather and other materials. I let it dry again, gave a quick polish with a rag and the mask itself was done. Now just to finish it off.

At this point I added a strap and a buckle.

I hope you have many enjoyable hours creating items of wonder.

Gary Longford

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Making Horns

This guide was created by Denise Piggin of Custom Costume Company.

Curved horns are the iconic trapping of a Cambion. This guide will show you how to make your own.

You will need :-

- A Friend

- Pencil

- 20mm thick Plasterzote foam

- Stanley knife or craft blade (you will need spare blades)

- Evo – Contact glue

- Glue thinner

- Heat gun

- Soldering Iron

- Acrylic ink

- Varnish spray

Sooo, here goes…

Firstly decide how curly and big you want your horns to be (The inner and outer curl will be different lengths). Once you have decided length and width of horns, cut three stripes of Plasterzote foam and mark up the centre line on each piece with a pencil. Do not use an ink pen as the ink has a habit of bleeding through the paint.

The next stage is to glue one side (the side without the pencil marks) with the contact glue on two of the pieces of Plasterzote. Once the glue is ready to go manually curl one of the pieces of plasterzote while your friend carefully glues the other piece in place, this will permanently ‘laminate’ the curl into the foam, You will get some spring-back but not much. Now Glue-up the outside edge of the horn and the remaining piece of plasterzote and once again laminate in place. The third piece of foam can be used to make the horn shape tighter if needed. Also if you are not comfortable with manually shaping the horn, you can wrap the foam around different sized tubes to create the shape. BUT remember you have to curl the other horn the opposite direction otherwise you will have to left or right horns

Once you have your horn blanks its simply a process of carving into the foam to get the shape. I draw the rough shape onto the foam before I start carving to ensure as much symmetry as possible. I should warn you, the foam dulls craft blades very quickly, so you will need quiet a few.

You may have noticed the horns have changed colour, I made up multiple sets of horns in the same day and forgot which set I was photographing! Anyway, once you have sculpted the horns you have a few options, you can leave them plain or you can carve lines into the horns, I prefer this style as it has more details. If you want to carve lines into the horns, mark them with a pencil and then either cut-out a grove or solder them in. WARNING – if you solder the lines wear a mask, the fumes are very toxic!!!!! Also if you have a heat gun you can carefully heat the horns and tighten the shape, but once again use a mask.

If you want to paint the horns, I find it cab help to glue a small block of foam to the base of the horn so you have a ‘handle’ to use while painting the horn. Before you start painting you will need to prime the horn. To do this, thin down the contact glue so its very runny and paint the entire horn with the mixture, Once its dried you can paint the horn.

I generally spray paint a base colour and then add detail to the horn with acrylic ink. To seal the paint and to make the horns more durable, I then varnish the horns. Once they are finished I remove the foam block and either permanently attach the horns to a wig or glue a flat disk to the bottom of the horns and then feed them into a head band.

You can use the same ‘Laminating’ technique to create complex shapes such as wings and other cool stuff

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Malign spiritual presences

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Tomas moved to pick up the sword. Sensing something wrong, I cried out a warning, but it was too late. I could see the change in him immediately. I instructed him to put the weapon down. He refused and told me that he no longer had to do what I told him. I knew then that I would have to exorcise the vile force that controlled him now, but first I would have to seperate him from the cursed blade - and for that I would have to fight him.

The Shadow of Crescencia

Contents

- 1 Malign Spiritual Presences

- 1.1 False Virtues

- 1.2 False Gods

- 1.3 Phenomena and Phantasmagoria

- 2 Examples of Malign Spiritual Presences

- 2.1 Hope

- 2.2 Peace

- 2.3 Anarchy

- 2.4 Vengeance

- 2.5 Fear

- 2.6 Hatred

Malign Spiritual Presences

Although there are Seven Virtues that are known to empower the human soul and guide it through the Labyrinth of Ages, there are other spiritual forces that are present in the world. These malign spiritual presences can arise from false teachers, barbarians, foriegners or even simply by circumstance. Amongst the duties of the Priests of the Way is cleansing and purging the malign spiritual presences utilising the ceremonial rite of exorcism.

Malign spiritual presences have a number of known sources and manifestations. These include:

False Virtues

There are some malign auras that initially appear harmless, even beneficial, but which were ruled as un-virtuous and excluded from the Doctrine of Seven by the early Synod. Consequently, the promotion and propagation of these auras and presences is regarded as Blasphemy under Imperial Law. Nevertheless, some Blasphemous Cults still arise and either explore these auras in secret, or seek to change the Doctrines of the Faith to press for their inclusion.

False Gods

In their ignorance, some Barbarians and Foriegners encounter spiritual auras and manifestations and, instead of understanding that they are echoes from the Labyrinth of Ages, see them as the presence of gods, demons or other supernatural entities. Priests of these false gods may even believe that they are invoking the power of some divine being through their warped approaches to religious ceremonies.

Phenomena and Phantasmagoria

Whereas the propagation of Blasphemous Cults and the worship of False Gods is carried out via mortal agencies, there are occasions where malign spiritual presences can seem to occur as a natural, or indirectly occurring phenomenon. For example, a house in which a horrific crime is committed may attract a malign spiritual aura related to the nature of that crime. Additionally, it has been known for vile and wicked spirits - condemned to wander the Labyrinth of Ages for all time - to break loose and seize control of mortal hosts.

Examples of Malign Spiritual Presences

The following are a few of the spiritual presences that have been excluded from the Doctrines of the Faith and so whose accepted presence constitute at least Blasphemy if not also Idolatry.

Hope

Seemingly benign, this aura has also been referred to as Fortune or Fate and generally conveys that there are greater supernatural forces at work, and that these forces are benign and can be trusted. This seductive aura has been deemed by Synods past as being anathema to all the Virtues for it discourages effort and striving by mortals. It is also an aura often associated with False Gods for it encourages faith in greater powers, which is Idolatry. Some blasphemous auras known to be associated with hope are listed here.

Peace

Another apparently benign aura, Peace has also been known as Tranquility and Harmony. It was ultimately deemed dangerous for promoting passivity and being in conflict with virtues such as Ambition, Courage and Vigilance. At its worst, Peace promotes apathy, indifference and compromise in the face of challenges that confront, even threaten, the Empire. The restful nature of Peace auras is alluring and, some claim, mildly addictive, which is a quality that has been exploited by Blasphemous Cults and False Gods. Some blasphemous auras known to be associated with peace are listed here.

Anarchy

Auras of anarchy - sometimes called freedom or liberity - stir mortal souls against structures and order and were recognised at an early stage as self-destructive forces as well as a threat to the unity and heart of the Empire. Less prone to spontaneous manifestation than some malign presences, Anarchy has been known to take root in Blasphemous Cults that seek to tear down all the Empire has sought to build. This false virtue was extensively preached during the freedom heresy. Some blasphemous auras known to be associated with Anarchy are listed here.

Vengeance

Auras of vengeance - occasionally called justice - are one of the malign spiritual presences that seem to crop up through all agencies in almost equal measure. The aura has been known to manifest in areas of sudden violence and, as such, is commonly associated with hauntings. Equally, there are False Gods and blasphemous cults that utilise auras of vengeance to steer souls down dark paths. These destructive auras were deemed unvirtuous by the Early Synod for fuelling cycles of violence and goading citizens into action, often in defiance of Imperial Law, which is both disloyal and unwise. Some blasphemous auras known to be associated with vengeance are listed here.

Fear

Auras of Fear, like auras of vengeance, are well known for arising spontaneously as well as through False Gods and Blasphemous Cults. In the case of the latter two, it is not that fear is venerated but more that it is used as a means to goad and control other mortal souls. The unvirtuous nature of these auras is apparent in the manner that they stand in direct opposition to Virtues such as Courage and Ambition. Some blasphemous auras known to be associated with fear are listed here.

Hatred

There was some significant debate within the Early Synod before auras of hatred were deemed unvirtuous. Its proponents argued that it was a powerful and motivating force that spurred mortal hearts into action. It was ultimately ruled to be in conflict with the more widely recognised and respected Virtue of Wisdom, being irrational and indiscriminate in its nature. However, there are False Gods and Blasphemous Cults that still seek to use these auras as a means to control mortal souls. Some blasphemous auras known to be associated with hate are listed here.

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Malign spiritual presences (Redirected from Malign Spiritual Presences)

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Tomas moved to pick up the sword. Sensing something wrong, I cried out a warning, but it was too late. I could see the change in him immediately. I instructed him to put the weapon down. He refused and told me that he no longer had to do what I told him. I knew then that I would have to exorcise the vile force that controlled him now, but first I would have to seperate him from the cursed blade - and for that I would have to fight him.

The Shadow of Crescencia

Contents

- 1 Malign Spiritual Presences

- 1.1 False Virtues

- 1.2 False Gods

- 1.3 Phenomena and Phantasmagoria

- 2 Examples of Malign Spiritual Presences

- 2.1 Hope

- 2.2 Peace

- 2.3 Anarchy

- 2.4 Vengeance

- 2.5 Fear

- 2.6 Hatred

Malign Spiritual Presences

Although there are Seven Virtues that are known to empower the human soul and guide it through the Labyrinth of Ages, there are other spiritual forces that are present in the world. These malign spiritual presences can arise from false teachers, barbarians, foriegners or even simply by circumstance. Amongst the duties of the Priests of the Way is cleansing and purging the malign spiritual presences utilising the ceremonial rite of exorcism.

Malign spiritual presences have a number of known sources and manifestations. These include:

False Virtues

There are some malign auras that initially appear harmless, even beneficial, but which were ruled as un-virtuous and excluded from the Doctrine of Seven by the early Synod. Consequently, the promotion and propagation of these auras and presences is regarded as Blasphemy under Imperial Law. Nevertheless, some Blasphemous Cults still arise and either explore these auras in secret, or seek to change the Doctrines of the Faith to press for their inclusion.

False Gods

In their ignorance, some Barbarians and Foriegners encounter spiritual auras and manifestations and, instead of understanding that they are echoes from the Labyrinth of Ages, see them as the presence of gods, demons or other supernatural entities. Priests of these false gods may even believe that they are invoking the power of some divine being through their warped approaches to religious ceremonies.

Phenomena and Phantasmagoria

Whereas the propagation of Blasphemous Cults and the worship of False Gods is carried out via mortal agencies, there are occasions where malign spiritual presences can seem to occur as a natural, or indirectly occurring phenomenon. For example, a house in which a horrific crime is committed may attract a malign spiritual aura related to the nature of that crime. Additionally, it has been known for vile and wicked spirits - condemned to wander the Labyrinth of Ages for all time - to break loose and seize control of mortal hosts.

Examples of Malign Spiritual Presences

The following are a few of the spiritual presences that have been excluded from the Doctrines of the Faith and so whose accepted presence constitute at least Blasphemy if not also Idolatry.

Hope

Seemingly benign, this aura has also been referred to as Fortune or Fate and generally conveys that there are greater supernatural forces at work, and that these forces are benign and can be trusted. This seductive aura has been deemed by Synods past as being anathema to all the Virtues for it discourages effort and striving by mortals. It is also an aura often associated with False Gods for it encourages faith in greater powers, which is Idolatry. Some blasphemous auras known to be associated with hope are listed here.

Peace

Another apparently benign aura, Peace has also been known as Tranquility and Harmony. It was ultimately deemed dangerous for promoting passivity and being in conflict with virtues such as Ambition, Courage and Vigilance. At its worst, Peace promotes apathy, indifference and compromise in the face of challenges that confront, even threaten, the Empire. The restful nature of Peace auras is alluring and, some claim, mildly addictive, which is a quality that has been exploited by Blasphemous Cults and False Gods. Some blasphemous auras known to be associated with peace are listed here.

Anarchy

Auras of anarchy - sometimes called freedom or liberity - stir mortal souls against structures and order and were recognised at an early stage as self-destructive forces as well as a threat to the unity and heart of the Empire. Less prone to spontaneous manifestation than some malign presences, Anarchy has been known to take root in Blasphemous Cults that seek to tear down all the Empire has sought to build. This false virtue was extensively preached during the freedom heresy. Some blasphemous auras known to be associated with Anarchy are listed here.

Vengeance

Auras of vengeance - occasionally called justice - are one of the malign spiritual presences that seem to crop up through all agencies in almost equal measure. The aura has been known to manifest in areas of sudden violence and, as such, is commonly associated with hauntings. Equally, there are False Gods and blasphemous cults that utilise auras of vengeance to steer souls down dark paths. These destructive auras were deemed unvirtuous by the Early Synod for fuelling cycles of violence and goading citizens into action, often in defiance of Imperial Law, which is both disloyal and unwise. Some blasphemous auras known to be associated with vengeance are listed here.

Fear

Auras of Fear, like auras of vengeance, are well known for arising spontaneously as well as through False Gods and Blasphemous Cults. In the case of the latter two, it is not that fear is venerated but more that it is used as a means to goad and control other mortal souls. The unvirtuous nature of these auras is apparent in the manner that they stand in direct opposition to Virtues such as Courage and Ambition. Some blasphemous auras known to be associated with fear are listed here.

Hatred

There was some significant debate within the Early Synod before auras of hatred were deemed unvirtuous. Its proponents argued that it was a powerful and motivating force that spurred mortal hearts into action. It was ultimately ruled to be in conflict with the more widely recognised and respected Virtue of Wisdom, being irrational and indiscriminate in its nature. However, there are False Gods and Blasphemous Cults that still seek to use these auras as a means to control mortal souls. Some blasphemous auras known to be associated with hate are listed here.

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Mana site

Contents

- 1 Definition

- 2 Production

- 3 Downtime Options

- 4 Upgrades

- 5 Diversification

Definition

A mana site represents a location where flows of magic are particularly strong. A practised individual can use solutions of rare salts placed strategically throughout the area to cause mana crystals to form. The flows of magic tend to move as they ebb and flow so the methods used to catch them must be continuously adjusted. Many different methods of measuring or focusing the natural flows of magic are used, the most common being mirrors, geometric solids, lenses, and objects such as windchimes whose movements can be interpretted to determine any adjustments that need to be made.

Production

A mana site produces 7 mana crystals.

Downtime Options

There are no downtime options for a mana crystals. It produces mana automatically.

Upgrades

A mana site can be upgraded using mithril obtained from the Bourse. The first time a mana site is upgraded, the owner receives one additional mana crystals from then on, the second time a mana site is upgraded, the owner receives two additional mana crystals. Production increases continue to alternate in this way every time the mana site is upgraded.

To upgrade a mana site requires Imperial wains of mithril equal to the level the mana site is being upgraded to. So the first upgrade of a starting level 1 mana site costs 2 Imperial wains of mithril, from 2 to 3 costs 3 Imperial wains, etc.

Diversification

A mana site cannot be diversified.

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Mandala Studios

Our mission to provide a quality service in the areas in which we are skilled by caring about your project as much as you do. Our work include: Costuming, Leather Work - Masks, Armour and other Accessories, Masks, prosthetics and our own range of makeup, LRP Weapons, Set building, Props, and Large Creatures along with many other things - if we don't do it, we often know someone who does.

We are experienced at working to tight deadlines with fixed budgets.

Contents

- 1 Company Overview

- 2 Our Relationship with Profound Decisions

- 3 What can we do for you?

- 4 Contact:

- 5 Example Work

Company Overview

Mandala has many years experience in providing bespoke work in many areas of expertise drawing on a large pool of highly skilled workers.

We're based in Coventry UK but ship to customers all over the world, from the US to Australia and everywhere in between!

Our Relationship with Profound Decisions

We have worked for many years with Profound Decisions providing large monsters, props and set dressings for both Maelstrom and Odyssey these have included Gaia and the Stone Golems, Ritual Site stones, the Well and altar for quests, the Minotaur.

For Empire we are producing the Barbarian Orc Masks and Polyurea Armour, a range of Prosthetics for the various lineages and supplying some of the costumes for the Eternals.

What can we do for you?

Our big new thing for next year will be our own range of Polyurea armour as well as expanding our range of Leather work, Costuming and Embroidery. We will be continuing to expand our range of high quality prosthetics to cover all the Empire lineages with custom options, as always, available.

Contact:

Email: info@mandalastudios.co.uk

- Mandala Studios webpage

- Mandala Studios Facebook gallery of work.

Example Work

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Mantle of Lordly Might

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 30

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Options

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 30

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target can use either stay with me or get it together a total of three times each day, without needing to know the skills or spend any hero points. The target can choose which skill to use each time they use the ability, up to a maximum of three total uses in any given day.

The target also experiences a roleplaying effect: they feel a drive to take charge, get things done and assume responsibility for others; they have a strong sense of noblesse oblige. When exposed to any roleplaying effect that might cause them to be humble before, or deferential towards, another person they can instead respond with lordly confidence and noble pride. This effect is exceptionally pronounced for characters of the Chageling lineage, .

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Options

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute orichalcum for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of orichalcum spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual..

Description

This ritual celebrates the majestic, glorious nobility of the Summer Realm. The spring Eternals often inspire awe in mortals, and this ritual gives the target a fragment of that power. With words and charisma, the target can help their allies regain their fighting spirit, or even drive away the spectre of death from a badly injured ally. Mantle of Lordly Might lets them wear their nobility as a mantle to inspire others. The ritual is often used to provide a battlefield commander with the ability to directly aid their troops.

In some parts of the Empire this ritual is called Mantle of the Bard (or Troubadour, or Scop or Bannerman as appropriate) and often serves to enhance the natural abilities of such an individual to bolster their allies. It is interesting to note that unlike many other enchantments, it is not possible to perform this ritual on more than one target simutaneously.

Common Elements

This ritual often involves anointing the target in some way, but most commonly involves placing a crown on their head or a mantle around their shoulders. Symbols of Pride, Loyalty or Ambition are often used, as are trappings of nobility and heroism. For example, a Dawnish noble might have a jewelled circlet ceremonially placed on their brow while being garbed in a fine surcote or cloak, while a Marcher steward is more likely to be given a crown of grass, a sheaf of corn, a mug of beer, a bowl of grain and a symbol of the Imperial Faith to represent the way that the power to lead in the Marches comes from the people themselves .

The rune of majesty is commonly used with this ritual, as is an evocation of The Stallion or The Oak; animals that represent pride or majesty such as eagles or lions; and legendary or heraldic beasts such as gryphons, chimerae and unicorns; or the characters of The Prince or The Bishop.

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Mantle of the Golden Orator

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 7

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 7

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a congregation. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target congregation swells over the next season and is assessed by the civil service to provide an additional 3 doses of liao and an additional 6 votes in the Imperial Synod at the next event, in addition to normal production.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional congregations provided the congregations are all controlled by characters from the same sect. Each additional congregation increases the magnitude by 5. The character who controls each congregation must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This ritual targets a congregation and the community that surrounds it. Although the people influenced by this enchantment are likely unaware, it works through the web of friendship, family and acquaintance among the people near the congregation, gently encouraging them to attend that

As with rituals such as Rivers of Gold, this ritual is very subtle. The enchantment is very difficult to spot without magical means, unless one knows it has been cast. Regardless of the influence, the enchantment does not make the targets embrace the words of their spiritual leader without question; it helps the priests involved with the congregation to understand the people who come to them for advice, or to hear them speak about their faith, but it does not make people more credulous.

The ritual swells a congregation both by attracting the faithful and by influencing the choices of those who are perhaps less devout, gently nudging them towards seeking spiritual support. People in the area who would have sought a place of worship or prayer will tend to choose the enchanted congregation to join. The effects are reasonably temporary; a few of those influenced might continue to attend their new congregation, but the ritual is no substitute for the hard work required to permanently increase the size of a congregation.

Some priests in the Imperial Synod are sharply divided over this ritual. Some view it as a sinister plot to undermine the Way, others as simply a way to encourage the faithful to attend one congregation or another - generally a prosperous or ambitious congregation. The civil service do not make a distinction between a congregation that has temporarily increased in size through the influence of this ritual and one that has been increased by other means - the faithful are still worshipping and receiving spiritual advice, and the rules are quite clear that this means the congregation in question gains additional allocation of liao and votes.

Common Elements

This ritual deals with the Imperial faith, and as such it is usually performed to the accompaniment of a sermon, and with symbols of the Imperial Virtues. The target priests usually make a special effort to attend the ritual in their full finery, and often bring along any members of their congregation or sect who are present.

The invocation is likely to focus on the connections between the priest and their congregation, or the role that a church, temple, shrine or cathedral plays in the lives of the faithful. The constellations of The Web and The Chain may be evoked, especially in Urizen and the runes Queros, Feresh and Irremais may be evoked (especially in Wintermark.

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Mantle of the Mountebank

This item is not implemented at this time.

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Map - Coloured Territories

In scale, this map is around 900 miles north to south.

Maps by Daisy Abbott.

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Map - Detailed Empire

Click on this map to view it in detail. You may need to click again to zoom in on your browser. Believe me, you need to zoom in...

Alternatively, you can take a look at Nicholas Avenell's wonderful zoomable Google version of the Empire Map.

It may be helpful to browse the Gazetteer while reading the map - it gives details of the various settlements and places of interest. For usual pronunciation, see here.

In scale, this map is around 900 miles north to south.

Map by Daisy Abbott.

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Map - Empire Overview

Anvil is the site of the Empire events.

In scale, this map is around 900 miles north to south.

Maps by Daisy Abbott.

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Map - Empire Overview Woodcut

From left to right, the Navarri forests are:

- Liathaven

- Hercynia

- Miaren

- Brocéliande

- Therunin

From left to right, the League cities are:

- Tassato

- Sarvos

- Temeschwar

- Holberg

In scale, this map is around 900 miles north to south.

Map by Daisy Abbott.

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Map - Outside The Empire

Map by Daisy Abbott.

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Map - Regions with Keywords

In scale, this map is around 900 miles north to south.

Maps by Daisy Abbott.

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Marcher At My Side

This song was written by Jennet whilst in command of Tom Drake's army and is popular amongst soldiers. Often only the first three verses are sung.

OOC the tune is the Gallant Forty Twa, words by Daisy, Jude and Kath. Recording is here.

1. Well once I was a farmer Out in the sun and rain I sowed the fields in springtime And reaped the autumn grain But I've put down my ploughing, Took my billhook in my hand And joined that gallant army That's the pride of Bregasland

Chorus: You can talk about your Highguard And your Freeborn Privateers Your Wintermark militia And your Dawnish Volunteers Or any other army, The glorious Empire wide For I'd sooner be a Strong Reed, With a Marcher at my side.

2.Well I was a musician Across the land I'd play From the taverns down in Wayford To the golden fields of Hay But now I am a drummer And I've laid my harp aside And now I march to battle Proudly at the Bounders' side

Chorus (ending with "For I'd sooner be a Bounder, with a Marcher at my side")

3.Well I was once a Friar A pilgrim on the Way My nights were spent in prayer And I tended herbs by day But I've left the monastery And I'm armed with mace and shield And now I preach to Tom Drake's army On the battlefield

Chorus (ending with "For I'd sooner be in Tom Drake's, with a Marcher at my side")

4.Once I was a trapper Culling vermin on the farm But I yearn to use my bow skills To do a greater harm So now I've left the copses Where the fox and deer abide To go to cull the enemy, The Beaters at my side

Chorus (ending with "For I'd sooner be a Beater, with a Marcher at my side")

5.I bargain with Eternals, I circle and recite To bring the crops to fruitfulness Heal blemish and the blight And now, intoning in the fray Unarmed, no plate, no chain This Upwold Keeper strives to keep His fellow Bounders sane

Chorus (ending with "For I'd sooner be a Bounder, with a Marcher at my side")

6.The sickle that scythed through the grain Now reaps a grimmer yield And the billhook that repaired the hedge Lays waste upon the field The Strong Reeds stand unbowed, unbent Against the coming storm And now we thresh right through them Like a flail through the corn

Chorus (ending with "For I'd sooner be a Strong Reed, with a Marcher at my side")

7.Where the land once echoed With hammer striking steel The rhythm of the lathe and loom, The weapon-maker's zeal The gathering troops now gird their loins With the fruits of sweat and blood: The gambeson, the mail shirt, The hauberk and the hood

Chorus (ending with "For I'd sooner be a Marcher, with my fellows at my side")

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Marcher battle song

Original tune Hughie Graeme as sung by June Tabor. Lyrics by Daisy Abbott and Chris Edwards. Recording at Marcher Battle Song or try media:Marcher_Battle_Song.mid

Em Marcher lasses, Marcher lads, Em ______________________ A Leave your homes and leave your farms Em Beat your ploughshares into swords Em ____________ Bm___Em The time has come to take up arms

Repeat

Chorus: A Come along and join with me A __________________ Em Hear the horns the Beaters blow Em Our foes will fall before the scythe Em______________ Bm___Em From earth we come, to earth we go

Join me marching ever on With your billhook in your hand Feel the ground begin to shake When Marchers fight for Marcher land

Repeat

Chorus

We are stout and we are strong Marcher folk will never yield We shall never be afraid With Virtue as our shining shield

Repeat

Chorus

Those that stand before us now They shall reap just as they sow Their bodies will enrich our soil Their blood will make the barley grow

Repeat

Chorus

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Marcher Dirge

Based on the Lyke Wake Dirge http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-nfC4x0p2w&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Each verse features a call and refrain. This dirge pre-dates the Marches conversion to the Imperial Faith, and some more traditional Priests of the Imperial faith consider it near to heretical. That said, the song is still often sung at funerals, particularly in some of the more remote parts of the Marches.

This aye nighte, this aye nighte, —Refrain: Every nighte and alle, Fire and fleet and candle-lighte, —Refrain: And Earth receive thy soul.

When thou from hence away art past —Every nighte and alle, To Whinny-muir thou com'st at last —And Earth receive thy soul

If ever thou gavest hosen and shoon, —Every nighte and alle, Sit thee down and put them on —And Earth receive thy soul

If hosen and shoon thou ne'er gav'st nane —Every nighte and alle, The whinnes shall prick thee to the bare bane. —And Earth receive thy soul

From Whinny Moor when thou may'st pass, —Every nighte and alle, To the great fire thou com'st at last; —And Earth receive thy soul

If ever thou gavest meat or drink, —Every nighte and alle, The fire sall never make thee shrink; —And Earth receive thy soul.

If meat or drink thou ne'er gav'st nane, —Every nighte and alle, The fire will burn thee to the bare bane; —And Earth receive thy soul

This aye night, this aye night, —Every nighte and alle, Fire and sleet and candle-light, —And Earth receive thy soul

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Marcher household

Overview

A Marcher household represents a group of yeomen, led by one of their number who is called a steward. Political power in the Marches rests in the hands of the households.

Creating a household

A household is the easiest kind of Marcher group to create. Even the smallest household's voice can count in the process of selecting the senator for their territory. The group leader will be its steward and is usually the most competent politician in the group rather than a battle leader.

The core of the group will be one or more yeomen. Some of these are likely to be military characters, but not necessarily heavily-armoured soldiers. A household's yeomen are just as likely to be lightly armoured, with bills, mattocks and bows. A household may also include the crafters who live on the household's land, often a smith, a friar or two. Most households also include a few beaters in their number.

You will want to choose a territory to come from: Upwold the oldest and hilliest, Bregasland home to the fen-dwellers, or rich, rolling, Mitwold.

Your group may also have originated from the Mourn, the territory now held by barbarians. It is important to be careful with your choice, as the Mourn does not have a senator, so if your group own lands here they will not be able to draw political power from them.

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Marcher household (Redirected from Marcher Household)

Overview

A Marcher household represents a group of yeomen, led by one of their number who is called a steward. Political power in the Marches rests in the hands of the households.

Creating a household

A household is the easiest kind of Marcher group to create. Even the smallest household's voice can count in the process of selecting the senator for their territory. The group leader will be its steward and is usually the most competent politician in the group rather than a battle leader.

The core of the group will be one or more yeomen. Some of these are likely to be military characters, but not necessarily heavily-armoured soldiers. A household's yeomen are just as likely to be lightly armoured, with bills, mattocks and bows. A household may also include the crafters who live on the household's land, often a smith, a friar or two. Most households also include a few beaters in their number.

You will want to choose a territory to come from: Upwold the oldest and hilliest, Bregasland home to the fen-dwellers, or rich, rolling, Mitwold.

Your group may also have originated from the Mourn, the territory now held by barbarians. It is important to be careful with your choice, as the Mourn does not have a senator, so if your group own lands here they will not be able to draw political power from them.

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Marches Battle Song

Marchers who have sown your grain Reaped it back to grow again Now we march from field and fen On to victory

Now's the day, and now's the hour; See the front o' battle lour; See approach barbarian power- Chains and Slavery!

Wha will be a traitor knave? Wha can fill a coward's grave? Wha so base as be a Slave? Let him turn and flee!

For the Marches land and Law, Freedom's sword will strongly draw, Free-man stand, or Free-man fa', Let him on wi' me!

By Oppression's woes and pains! By their slaves in servile chains! We will drain our dearest veins, But they shall be free!

Lay the proud Usurpers low! Tyrants fall in every foe! Liberty's in every blow!- Let us Do or Die!

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The Marches costumes (Redirected from Marches costumes)

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Note: The tone and style of this page may need editing. All costume advice pages should be written in third person voice, using verbs that make clear that this page is advice, not direction.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 10 Quick Tips

- 3 Making Guides and Examples

- 3.1 Tunics

- 3.2 Cotehardie

- 3.3 Doublet

- 3.4 Shirts

- 3.5 Legwear

- 3.5.1 Braies

- 3.5.2 Pourpoints

- 3.6 Dresses

- 3.6.1 Kirtles

- 3.6.2 Cotehardies

- 3.6.3 Shifts

- 3.7 Headwear

- 3.7.1 Coifs

- 3.7.2 Hoods

- 3.7.3 Hats and caps

- 3.8 Cloaks

- 3.9 Shoes

- 3.10 Armour

- 3.10.1 Jacks

- 3.10.2 Brigandine

- 3.11 Livery

- 3.12 Children's costumes

- 4 Inspiration

- 4.1 Colour Scheme

- 4.2 Historical Women's Wear Reference Material

- 4.3 Historical Men's Wear Reference Material

- 4.4 Reenactment Sources

- 4.5 Guides to Livery

- 4.6 Books

- 4.7 Costume sellers

- 4.8 Armourers

- 4.9 Leather items including shoes

- 4.10 Fur and traditional materials

- 4.11 Camping accessories and other bits

- 4.12 Flags, banners and livery badges

- 4.13 Pewter and cast goods

- 4.14 Wooden items

- 4.15 Tents

Overview

The Marches draws strongly on English history from the 12th century through to the Wars of the Roses for costume, weaponry and armour. The look is earthy, sober and simple with plain flat colours of natural dyes and unbleached cloth. The fabrics are likewise natural - wool, calico, linen and leather combine to give a realistic look. Medieval re-enactments are a great source of inspiration for the look and feel of Marches territory - although unlike history, its worth noting that Marches society is gender neutral. Clothing is chosen according to the situation and activity, rather than through roles assigned to men or women.

"Pride in small things, loyalty to great ones"

10 Quick Tips

- Charity shop fabric rails are a great source of wool blankets that can be made into staples of Marcher costume

- With the popularity of medieval re-enactment, its very easy to buy off the peg hose, doublets, cote-hardie and other key pieces - just head for 12th - 15th Century, rather than Tudor kit when choosing on-line or at kit fairs.

- Don't fancy hose? Don't worry. Any reasonably close fitting trousers in earthy or dark colours will look good for practical Marches characters.

- Households and families are important in the Marches - displaying the house livery can be done cheaply through simple sashes or badges or if you fancy something a bit clearer, follow the guides for livery coats.

- There are a range of options for practical footwear - from bespoke re-enactment shoes to simple desert boots - any soft leather or suede with simple ties, laces or side buckles will look good.

- Worried about all that itchy wool and linen? Shirts and shifts are your friends, both are simple, loose and easily available in cotton and make a good part of the Marchers look. And whilst re-enactment markets are very useful for Marcher supplies, we're not looking for historical accuracy here - there's no expectation for you to be in itchy underwear!

- For those playing a rich Marcher, it could be easy to make choices that make the costume seem very similar to neighbouring Dawn - by sticking to plain fabrics (wool, maybe velvet, but not silks or brocades) and choosing rich autumnal colours rather than bright summery ones confusion can be avoided

- Marcher beaters who are likely to wear light leather armour can avoid being confused with Steinr and Navarr by staying away from furs and going for classic Marcher accessories. Bollock pouches are one example that are really simple to make and easily available to buy.

- Want to indicate low status? Try adding an apron or leather trousers or swap a doublet for a sleeveless jerkin.

- Want to show off high status? Try doing so very discreetly, with a rich lining or carefully chosen buttons rather than ostentatious trims and decoration.

Making Guides and Examples

Tunics

The simplest item a Marcher can wear is the T-tunic, which is a common garment throughout the Empire. In the Marches it will usually be undecorated, long sleeved and belted, and will commonly be worn by the lower classes, with hose or trousers and maybe a simple jerkin - usually made from linen or wool.

- How to make a t-tunic

- T-Tunic instructions

- T-tunic instructions

Cotehardie

A more fitted version of the t-tunic, with central lacing is known as a Cotehardie - this comes in many lengths - from high on the thigh to floor length. It hangs best when made in heavier fabrics, and tends to denote higher status than a simple tunic.

- Period Patterns 23

- Reconstructing History 022

Doublet

A more complex and tailored option is the doublet, like the puffed shoulder, and the baggy upper arm. Doublets are usually between waist and thigh length and can fasten with buttons, lacing or hooks and eyes. Doublets are usually made of wool, but a heavier weight of linen will also work.

- Reconstructing History 003

Shirts

A plain cotton or linen shirt with a round/key-hole neck or simple collar would usually be worn underneath both cotehardies and doublets. These help to soak up sweat as well as stopping the woollen garments from being too itchy.

Shirts can be worn on their own as an alternative to a tunic, perhaps with a leather jerkin over the top.

- Reconstructing History 024 - multi item pattern

- Reconstructing History 008 - multi item pattern

- Tunic style shirt

Legwear

Marcher leg wear is practical and slim fitting. Close fitting trousers are practical and easy to come by or make.

- Basic trousers

Hose is also easier to make and wear than you might think and can be very practical for both day to day wear and fighting:

Woollen hose come as split hose, which are two separate legs with or without integral feet, or joined hose which are one piece with a flap at the groin. Split hose should be worn with long braies, which are a mid thigh length, baggy boxer short style garment. Joined hose, and some split hose will tie or 'point' to either a doublet, or to a 'pourpoint' (literally meaning 'for pointing'), which is a waistcoat style top worn in much the same way as modern braces are! Split hose can also be held up by a belt, if they have loops at the tops of the legs.

Both braies and split hose are very easy to make from scratch, although joined hose are fairly complex to get the fit right, which is the vital component to stopping them splitting! The other important factor for making hose is to make them stretchy. This can be done by using boiled wool, which is naturally stretchy, or 'cutting on the bias' to use fabric's natural stretchy-ness.

- Joined hose

- Reconstructing History 024

- Split hose

Braies

- Reconstructing History 024

Pourpoints

- Pourpoint instructions

Dresses

Women's wear from the historical period offers the option of more fitted styling and longer lengths in a choice of simple dresses made in heavy flowing fabrics and worn over a lighter shift.

The kirtle is the basic pull on, t-shaped gown which was worn throughout northern Europe from the dark ages onwards. kirtles Later kirtles became more fitted and either button or lace up the front. These are often called cotehardies These dresses can also lace up the side, or in the back(showing status as help is required!) and can be as tight or loose as desired.cotehardie They're usually worn over a lightweight underdress called a shift which can be made by simply adding some panels to a t-tunic to allow for movement. All three of these dresses are straightforward to make either from patterns or from pattern diagrams and are easy to buy from both reenactment and LARP suppliers. Generally these dresses are made from wool, but heavier weights of linen or cotton are also suitable.

These dresses can be worn with the skirt tucked into the belt at the front to display the shift underneath, or show off a fancy lining.

Some sources of information and patterns are given below.

Kirtles

- The underdress in this pattern Burda Patterns 7977

- Burda Patterns 7468

- Reconstructing History 018

- Authentic Patterns Late Medieval Kirtle

- Reconstructing History pattern RH002

- Basic pattern instructions

- Basic pattern instructions

- Nehelenia Kirtle pattern

- McCalls Pattern 4490

- McCalls Pattern 4491

- Butterick Pattern 4827

Cotehardies

- Instructions on creating cotehardies

- Period Patterns 21

Shifts

- T-tunic instructions

- How to make a t-tunic

- Reconstructing History pattern RH018

- Reconstructing History pattern RH009

Headwear

Most Marchers will wear some sort of headwear. Hoods, coifs, caps and hats all add to the Marcher look.

Coifs

These can be made from linen, for every day wear, and from leather or padded linen or wool for combat. Coifs can be simple white linen, or embroidered and coloured for a fancier look.

- Coif pattern

- 3 different styles of coif pattern

- Shows how to alter the above pattern to create a nice cap for women

Hoods

Best made out of wool, or leather for beaters in particular. Another very variable garment with dozens of options for length, colour and decoration meaning a hood can be a simple or fancy as you like.

- Good information and patterns for hoods

- Cowl and hood

- Various hood patterns

- Reconstructing History 008 - Multiple head wear items

- Reconstructing History 009 - Multiple women's head wear items

Hats and caps

There are lots of hats that would look great in the Marches, the key kinds are a simple skullcap, a square cap, an acorn cap and the bag or sack hat.

- Skullcap pattern

- Skullcap pattern

- Skullcap pattern

Cloaks

Marchers, being a practical people, have plenty of options for keeping the rain off. Cloaks can be simple half circles, or luxurious full circles. They come with and without hoods, can be decorated by dagging and fastened with pins, buttons or straps. There are a good list of cloak patterns given on this website.

- Nehelenia Patterns - Multi part pattern for men and women

- Nehelenia Patterns - Men's tabard cape

Shoes

For those who'd like to make their own shoes: Medieval shoe pattern

Otherwise desert boots, and other soft leather and suede boots can work well, as can re-enactment specialised supplies. Boots for the rich can rise far higher than the ankle - even over the knee in some cases.

Armour

Jacks

Poor Marchers may wear just a plain coloured padded jack or gambeson as their only armour. Wealthier yeomen have jacks in their household colours and mail or plate over the top if they have it. Richer people will add chain and maybe odd pieces of plate, like a gorget on top, while the rich will wear a full harness of plate. Beaters usually wear lighter armour, either just a padded or leather jack or else a leather tunic like the ones worn by the Rangers in Lord of the Rings.

Padded Jacks are fairly simple, though time consuming, to make from cheap calico quilted to 'batting' used to stuff quilts. The very simplest way is to make a T-Tunic as detailed in the men's clothes section, and simply sew the batting to the calico panels in straight lines before sewing the pieces together. More historically accurate gambesons can be made by sewing channels into the jack and stuffing them with fabric. Instructions for various styles are below;

- Batting stuffed gambeson

- Simple batting stuffed gambeson

- Handmade linen gambeson

- Stuffed jack

- Padded gambesons

- Various arming clothes - coifs, jacks and coat of plates

- Arming coat

- Historical arming coat

- Fancy arming coat

Brigandine

A good option for many Marchers with a bit of money is a brigandine, a series of overlapping metal plates inside a fabric shell. These can be home made, though require equipment to cut and rivet metal and take a lot of time and patience!

- Tutorial on how to make brigandine Patterns from 14th 15th and 16th centuries.

- Instructions and patterns

- 15th Century Archer

Livery

Any Marcher who owns farmland is a member of a Household, albeit perhaps a Household of one, and any Marcher Household can declare a livery. Members of the Household wear the livery colours in some way. Stewards of a Household that alies to a more powerful Household usually retain their own livery, or combine it with the new Households’ colours in some way. Households often wear matching livery jackets - and here's a guide, although simple sashes or badges are also effective ways of showing affiliation.

- How to make a livery coat

Children's costumes

Children in the Marches can be dressed in scaled down versions of their parent's clothes. For toddlers and babies, traditional smocks, or simple t-tunics and drawstring trousers are simple and easy to pull-on garments, that can be made in linen or cotton for easy washing! These types of clothes also have plenty of flexibility in terms of size, meaning you'll get more than one year's use out of them. Small coifs, made as described above are great for keeping the sun off a baby's head and simple straw hats can also be used to stop children burning. Older children can either have their own costumes, or be given adult clothes which are then rolled up and belted to fit - the practical Marchers are unlikely to waste any clothing and hand me downs are a cheap (in and out of character!) way to clothe your children!

General tips for costume for children:

- Robes that stop at knee - mid-calf will be less of a trip hazard

- Headgear that can be very simply retied is great

- Avoiding things that can pull around the neck is wise (strings on cloaks/hats on cords/ tabards that don't secure under the arms

- Wider neck holes, sleeves and armholes will help with getting costume on and off, and leave room for growth

- Information on clothes and swaddling for babies

- Patterns for Medieval children's clothes

- Childrens' dresses

- Childrens' shirt, tunic and hood

- 'Mother and Daughter' dresses

- Revival Clothing's Premade items for children

- Gambeson's Premade items for children

Inspiration

Take a look at some of the thinking that went into creating the Look and Feel of The Marches:

Colour Scheme

Historical Women's Wear Reference Material

As with military clothes, dresses can reflect household livery. 'Parti-coloured' (or split coloured) dresses look very effective. Lara Corset's website gives an excellent overview of all aspects of women's wardrobes in the late 1400s,

Matilda la Zouche's wardrobe follows the reconstruction of several historically accurate outfits for a broad medieval period.

Some general pattern books are available which cover all types of women's wear:

- Medieval Women's dress

- High medieval women's dress

- The Medieval Tailor’s Assistant

- Make Your Own Medieval Clothing for women.

- Nehelenia Patterns - Multi part pattern for men and women

Historical Men's Wear Reference Material

Some general pattern books are available which cover all types of men's wear:

- High Medieval men's dress

- Medieval men's dress

- The Medieval Tailor’s Assistant

- Make Your Own Medieval Clothing for Men

- Nehelenia Patterns - Multi part pattern for men and women

Reenactment Sources

Medieval re-enactment, Wars of the roses and 13th, 14th or 15th Century re-enactment will all provide helpful inspiration.

Guides to Livery

- 15th Century Livery

- Livery coats

- Standards, Badges & Livery Colours of the Wars of the Roses, Pat McGill & Jonathan Jones, Freezywater Publications

- Heraldic Banners of the Wars of the Roses (3 vols), Pat McGill & Thomas Coveney, Frezywater Publications.

- Medieval Art and Woodcraft make livery badges, banners and flags, signage, medical charts etc. to order

Books

- The Medieval Soldier: 15th Century Campaign Life Recreated in Colour Photographs, Gerry Embleton & John Howe,

- English Medieval Knight 1400-1500, Christopher Gravett, Osprey Publishing

- The Great Warbow, Matthew Strickland & Robert Hardy, Sutton Publishing – probably the best accessible book you can get on the subject.

- Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight, David Edge & John Miles Paddock, Saturn Books

Costume sellers

- The Midgard Seamstress Custom made UK LARP and Re-enactment costumes

- Arm Street Medieval and Fantasy clothing from Russia (English language website)

- Cloak’d and Dagger’d

- Custom Costume Company Bespoke designs for re-enactors and roleplayers

- Historic EnterprisesAmerican based costume company. Trades at TORM

- Medieval Dress Company Clothing and leatherwork

- Matuls Clothing, armour tents and camp accessories from Poland (English language website)

- Revival Clothing

- Sally Green

- Sew-mill

Armourers

- https://www.facebook.com/ArmourServices

- https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Medieval-Rats/147041485362649

- http://www.armabohemia.cz/Novestr/homeA.htm

- http://www.armorymarek.com/

- http://www.bestarmour.com/

- http://www.capapie.co.uk/

- http://www.dtok.fsnet.co.uk/

- http://www.lancasters-armourie.co.uk/

- http://www.stgeorgearmouryshop.co.uk/index2.html

- http://www.whiteroseapparel.com/

- http://www.whiterosearmoury.com/

- Darkblade studded leather armour

- Totally Leathered Totally Leathered provides custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

- Idiom Productions Costume and Props Workshop creates custom hand-tooled leather armour, clothing and LRP weapons

- Evenlode Studios - High quality leather armour, costume and props handmade

Leather items including shoes

- Phil Fraser

- Re-enactment shoes

- Historical Shoes

- Historic Shoes German company (English language website)

- Ravenswood Leather Items America site. Non-historical leather items.

Fur and traditional materials

- House of de Clifford Ethically sourced furs of all kinds

- Candles for All Ages Tallow and Beeswax Candles

- Herts Fabrics

- Bernie the Bolt

Camping accessories and other bits

- Sally Pointer Hats and bits and bobs

- Smoke and Fire American company.

- Medieval Market German company (English language website) – Clothing, furniture, and other items

- Medieval Dress Company Clothing and leatherwork

- Matuls Clothing, armour tents and camp accessories from Poland (English language website)

- Reenactors Shop German company (English language website) Lots of bits and bobs, including camping accessories.

- Medieval design 1st -16th century clothing, furniture and other historical products.

Flags, banners and livery badges

- Medieval Art and Woodcraft Historical and historically inspired banners, flags and livery badges

Pewter and cast goods

- Casts from the Past Pewter items including livery badges and some household items

- The Quiet Press Historical buckles, brooches and other ornamental metalwork

- Billy and Charlie's Finest Quality Pewter Goods American company. Pewter badges and other accessories.

- HR-Replikate German company. Jewellery based on archeological finds (English language website)

- Lionheart Replicas Pewterwear

- Pewter Replicas Pewter badges, household items and livery collars

Wooden items

- Douggie the Wood Wooden Furniture

- Robin Wood Authentic wood turned historical items

- Paul Atkin Bowls and other hand turned items

Tents

- Canvas Tents

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The Marches culture and customs (Redirected from Marches culture and customs)

Contents

- 1 Tradition

- 1.1 Hue and cry

- 1.2 Rough music

- 1.3 Shunning

- 1.4 Shriving

- 1.5 The beating of the bounds

- 1.6 Wassail

- 1.7 The wicker man

- 2 Proverbs

- 3 Sports and games

- 4 Funerals

Tradition

Tried and trusted traditions bind the folk together and give a context to their lives. Traditions such as hue and cry, rough music, shunning, shriving and beating the bounds and sacrifice are all part of a system that has worked to make the Marches strong for centuries. Several of these traditions have their roots in necessity - when times are hard, people who act against the interests of their neighbours endanger the entire community. These traditions help to maintain the cohesion of a community, and lay down punishments for those who act against the communal good.

Hue and cry

The Marcher attitude of taking matters in hand is the basis of the hue and cry, the old tradition of law enforcement in the Marches that still endures. Any Marcher who witnesses a crime can raise a hue and cry. All able-bodied people, upon hearing the shouts, are expected to assist in the pursuit until the felon is apprehended. In the pre-Imperial past, the hue and cry would often result in summary justice for a criminal, which occasionally lead to innocent people receiving harsh punishments. Today, suspects are turned over to Imperial magistrates to judge. The readiness of the Marchers to defend the common good derives from their belief in doing the right thing and their pride that they are up to the task of getting it done.

Rough music

Those who break Marcher traditions are often publicly shamed. A suspected sorceror, for example, is a likely target for a shaming; for "rough music".

At its simplest, rough music is simply a group of Marchers making a lot of noise outside the house of the person they're punishing. Rough music is a peculiarly egalitarian punishment. The more Marchers agree with the punishment, the louder it is. The more serious they deem the transgression, the more effort is made in preparation. The more outraged the people are by the behaviour of the target, the longer the music will go on. Some particularly egregious offences see the perpetrator driven out by the din, forced to leave their home behind and hope to start a new life somewhere nobody has heard of their transgression. Sometimes the rough music follows them.

It may start with a procession, it may simply be a gathering. Like a lynch mob, it rarely has any sort of formality to it. The precise nature of the "music" varies across the Marches, but it is always noisy. The noise may just be chanting, or it may involve drumming, rattles, bells, hooting, and improvised instruments such as pots and pans. Sometimes, the victim is presented in effigy, and at its most sophisticated the target is shamed by theatrical performance or puppetry. The only rules are that nobody lays a hand on the target unless they start a fight, and nobody actually enters their home. (See Marches Music for some suggestions regarding rough music)

Shunning

Those who persist in ignoring Marcher traditions may end up subject to Shunning. Individuals who are shunned are effectively cast out of society. They are turned out of their household and find every door closed in their face. Helping or in some cases even acknowledging someone who has been shunned can result in the offender being shunned in turn. Shunning may last for a week, a season, a year or even indefinitely. The extent of the punishment depends on who is enacting it – one family may shun another and anyone who helps them, or an entire household or town might shun someone and encourage all their allies to do the same. Many individuals who are shunned are forced to leave the area.

Children are never shunned. Until someone has passed their test of adulthood, they may be punished by their parents but they are not considered mature or responsible enough to gain any benefit from being shunned. Adults who suggest shunning children are considered to be idiots.

Shriving

Crop-eating vermin such as crows and rats are said to be the spirits of the wicked, suffering between incarnations. To avoid this fate, Marcher folk disavow their actions and try to cleanse their souls through the practice of shriving. A Marcher will often seek out a trusted friar or monk and share the onus of their wicked thoughts or unvirtuous deeds. A priest who hears a confession transfers some of the culpability for the dark deeds recounted to themselves; only an individual who is certain their soul is relatively unsullied will offer shriving.

The beating of the bounds

The beaters mark out what is Marcher and what is not, and they help the Civil Service with the recording of who is loyal to whom. The Beating of the Bounds usually takes place after the harvest is in. At this festival every Marcher marks their land, by walking around the boundary led by the beaters. Certain stones, trees or other marker points around the boundary are beaten literally, ceremonially striking them with sticks or willow wands. Market towns beat the boundaries laid out by their warrant, and individual market towners often have a second ceremony in which they beat the bounds of their shop or workplace. The ceremony is designed to remind all of the size of the holding, but it also works to remind everyone of who is part of the community and who is outside it. On a practical level, the beating of the bounds is often preceded by the beaters ensuring that the boundary areas are safe for the upcoming ceremony, and followed by a period of maintaining and replacing whatever physical markers delineate the bounds - it is a time for repairing fences, planting hedges and the like.

Wassail

After every harvest, Marcher farmers perform this traditional religious ceremony to celebrate prosperity. Wassailing varies from place to place but typically involves parading through the village singing and drinking to the health of the fields and orchards. Food and drink produced during the year is consumed or left as an offering; ale might be used to toast a barley field or a pat of butter buried in a dairy pasture. The parade is often led by the children of the village. As the yeomen go from house to house they share food and drink with their community and receive in return a taste of the food that each household has in excess from their own harvests.

At each Autumn Equinox, Marchers parade from camp to camp, singing the Wassail and sharing their home-grown produce with other nations. Although not expected, other nations often reciprocate in small token exchanges of goods that their own territories have in abundance.

Wassail songs can be found on the The Marches music page.

The wicker man

This is a large figure of wicker and wood, which is set alight to burn sacrifices. Ideal sacrifices are things that have been raised by mortal hands from the land such as crops and domesticated animals. These sacrifices are made to atone for acts of vice. By giving up the rewards of prosperity, and creating the need for more prosperity to replace them, the Marchers believe that they make reparation for their unvirtuous behaviour and in this way ensure that they reincarnate well in the next life.

The greatest sacrifice of all is to give up your own life. This is only ever permitted for individuals whose failure cannot otherwise be redeemed. Primarily this responsibility lies with a person whose actions cause a Marcher territory to be lost. In Marcher eyes, that individual - and everyone who worked and fought for them - is responsible for the failure. By going voluntarily to the wickerman a general or senator absolves not just their own failure but the failures of everyone who served under them. The most recent example was in 349YE when former Senator Thomas Overton of the Mournwold went into the wicker man to absolve himself for his inability to keep his territory out of Jotun hands.

Proverbs

Marchers are keen on mottoes and folk sayings. Many Marcher households adopt a single motto, a phrase meant to formally summarize the spirit of the group. Marchers in general make common use of proverbs, pithy pieces of folk wisdom often expressed as admonitions. Favourites can have double meanings often unnoticed to the outsider. Individuals generally pick one or two that they like or find particularly wise, but some collect dozens of sayings and employ them at every opportunity. While there are some common Marcher sayings that many people know, nobody could expect to know all of them and new ones are regularly created when a pithy comment is repeated.

Sports and games

At their best, Marcher folk relish competition. All kinds of sports and ball games are taken very seriously including (but not limited to) rugby, rounders and shinty. Football might be a familiar game of five-a-side or it might be a more traditionally medieval game with unlimited participants. There is no centralised authority to define and enforce rules; it's traditional for participants to double-check their understanding of the rules before they start. Sporting competitions are sometimes used to decide serious matters or settle disputes. In some cases participation may even be part of ancient treaties between Households.

Beaters Annals for the Household of Barrowfield, Summer’s End Festival, Year of the Empire 294

"I hereby bear witness to the annual match between the allied lesser Households of Elderhowe and Youngerhowe to determine cultivation of the Old Howe orchard, as is the custom since the division of Old Howe farm between the Sons. Rules were agreed as follows:

Teams of five. First to three scores wins.

Elderhowe running from Mill Lane End, scoring at the oak by Blacksmith’s gate, John the Blacksmith counting at the oak.

Youngerhowe running from Blacksmith’s Gate, scoring at the red beech at Mill Lane End, Grey Allan counting at the red beech.

Let it be recorded that Elderhowe won by three scores to two, retaining the orchard for a fourth year. Bond of three baskets of apples, three of pears was promised to Youngerhowe for six pairs of strong hands at picking time.”

Funerals

Marcher dead are buried in good fertile soil, often with an apple seed or small apple sapling planted above the body. There are plenty of stories of Marchers who die far from home and who "rest uneasy in the poor soil, cold in their stony beds" as one song (The Unquiet Grave) has it. Sometimes these are little more than ghost stories, but there is some evidence that so ingrained is the desire to "sleep beneath the apple trees" that the spirits of dead Marchers may trouble friends, relatives or even random travellers until their remains are given a suitable burial.

Should an apple tree actually sprout in a graveyard, the apples are not to be gathered, but are free for the poor and desperate to eat. The wood of these graveyard orchards is said to contain some of the wisdom or knowledge of the deceased. Many Shunned individuals survive on apples taken from graveyards. There is also a common belief that for those souls who have achieved true greatness, the grave is a literal “resting place.” According to this superstition, the greatest heroes of the nation simply slumber beneath the ground, ready to defend the Marches in its darkest hour.

Very few Marcher heroes lie on the cold marble biers of the Necropolis, and those that do have a good thick layer of soil in the tomb under them.

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The Marches economic interests (Redirected from Marches economic interests)

Agriculture is the basis of wealth in the Marches. Even a modest holding produces an income that allows its yeoman to live comfortably. With some improvement, a Marcher farm can pay for luxuries and imported goods. Marcher fields and orchards feed people across the Empire. Trade surplus in the form of cured and preserved meats, flitches of bacon, barrels of beer, bushels of fruit and vegetables, sacks of flour, tanned leather and bales of wool travels from one side of the Empire to the other, purchased by middlemen from the Brass Coast or The League.

Many of these traders come initially to one of the many small but important market towns that dot the landscape. The first market rights were established by Imperial charter, and towns with these rights are outside the direct control of the households. The inhabitants of a market town appoint aldermen, the rough equivalent of the yeomen, to represent the town. In most cases these men or women are wealthy merchants of the town, but often they include prominent town folk such as a friar or blacksmith who lives in the village. Those market towns that employ their own militia usually raise the captain to the rank of alderman.

Most market towns are small, little more than a few score houses on either side of a main street. The Imperial charters prevent a market town being established within a full day's travel of an existing market town but competition and rivalry between market towns is at least as fierce as that between rival households. Because the market towns lack a stake in the political process, they are forced to rely on neighbouring households to represent their interests. While most Marcher folk see this as right and proper, a life of honest toil on the land being superior to a life spent haggling for every last silver, aldermen often have a rather different view.

At the heart of almost every prosperous market town is an inn. These large structures are often fortified, with a wall surrounding the building and adjacent compound. Merchants visiting the town will usually eat and sleep at the inn but so will visiting yeomen bringing their goods to market, unless they have relatives who live in the town. Only Meade is large enough to support more than one inn, so the quality of the food and drink provided by a town's inn can have an impact on the prosperity of the whole town, as foreign merchants may avoid those towns whose inns have a bad reputation.

The innkeeper is almost invariably an alderman of the town and can be one of the wealthiest members of the community. They are often also the best informed; inns tend to be hotbeds of gossip, with news and information being bought and sold as regularly as the drinks.

Many aldermen take great pride in their ceremonial chains of office, sometimes referred to as "Chains of Prosperity". Several towns maintain a healthy level of competition in providing the most magnificent chain for their representative, and some go so far as to commission them as magical items, such as an Alderman's Edge.

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Marches Egregore

Jack-of-the-Marches

Stories of Jack have been told since before the Marchers succeeded from The Dawnish. Said to appear when words or actions have been needed to help common folk with their daily challenges of a life born of hardship and graft. Whether that be the farm hand that appears to help with a difficult harvest, the beater that arrives to assist with local disputes or a Landskeeper that lends their wisdom. A solitary but friendly figure who keeps tender watch, revels in games and lends their voice to song.

With the ritual of the Brass Coast 300 years back Jack stepped out of folklore and to many of the Marches became a much more real, tangible individual linking all members of the Nation just as all Egregores do across the Empire.

Jack as he known now claims to have performed his duties for several generations, 75 years by his last count, but is unsure when that was. Seldom drawn on his life before he took up the mantle he appears as a Beater and performs the role of one. Convinced that “Nothing gets done sat down” he is fiercely stubborn once his mind is made up but never before drawing council from those he believes knowledgeable. Once his shoulders are set to a task no man may tell him no.

Jack has little time for the politics of the senate or the guiding of the synod, but will often seek the advice of Senators and Priests, believing a quiet conversation by a fire side or bar table achieves just as much, and in considerably less time.

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The Marches history (Redirected from Marches history)

The creation of the Marches

The history of the Marchers begins with a rebellion in Dawn of a group of disaffected yeomen determined to leave their lord's lands and make a better life for themselves. With nowhere else to go they marched across the country, heading for the border, intent on claiming land outside of Dawn. They were joined on their pilgrimage by thousands more, until they became known as the Marchers.

The first Marchers had few real weapons or pieces of armour between them. The Dawnish nobility fully expected them to flee the oncoming winter or die at the hands of the orcs. Instead, the Marchers took their farm tools and padded jacks and carved out a kingdom for themselves, slaughtering the orc tribes they encountered and driving them before them with grim determination. Working together they created the Marches, a patchwork of cleared lands controlled by a score of independent-minded yeoman households.

In the following centuries there were frequent but sporadic conflicts with Dawn. Occasionally one or the other would attempt to expand into the neighbouring nation's territory. To this day the easternmost parts of the Marches and the westernmost parts of Dawn are scattered with battlefields and castles that are largely abandoned since the formation of the Empire. Despite the conflicts and the tension, the two nations often refer to each other; Marchers who put on airs and graces are told to "Piss off to Dawn", while Dawn nobility or yeomen who question the validity of their ancient traditions are given equally earthy advice to move to the Marches.

There were also frequent battles between Marchers. Although Marcher households found it easy to unite against a common enemy, they often fell to quarrelling amongst themselves. Bitter feuds and grudges developed, usually over land and often paid in blood. By the time the Empress began her crusade the Marches was split into half a dozen great households, each supported by the loyalties of countless minor households.

Joining the Empire

The First Empress did not come to the Marches. One of her advisors, a Landskeeper called Brigit of Dourfen, spread the word of her first gathering to the Marcher Lords, and while several attended the majority did not. After hearing the Empress speak, the Marcherfolk who were present debated for several days and appointed Henry of Meade to speak for them. Approaching the Empress, he told her that some of the Marchers would join her, but that she would never get all of them. The Empress refused to accept this. "I will take all of you, or none of you." she said, and walked away.

Initially flabbergasted, wise Brigit explained what the Empress probably meant - that the Empire had no use for a divided land. It would not take some of the Marcher Households, and let the others squabble among themselves. If the Marchers were serious about joining, they would need to be united in doing so.

Historians sometimes debate whether the Empress should not simply have used her nascent army to unite the Marches herself, but it is generally agreed that doing so would have been a disaster. The Empire could not afford to become bogged down in a Marcher civil war; and the Marches traditionally are very hard to conquer for any period of time. Their dogged determination and ability to hold grudges would have meant that the Empire would have to have established a military dictatorship in perpetuity to keep the place under control.

The Marchers returned home and a civil war ensued. Those Marcher Households and Landskeepers who sided with the Empress and her vision of a united mankind used diplomacy where they could, and force of arms where they could not. In the end, the forces of those who sided with the Empress were triumphant. The remaining Households drew up on the fields to the west of Dawn and the Empress marched out to meet them on foot with her standard bearer, and asked if they were prepared to join her Empire.

The Marches in the Empire

Marchers from Upwold were involved in the first campaign of the new Empire. Tom Drake of Redston led his household and the territory's Landskeepers to Varushka. They fought through unfamiliar forests, alongside all those who opposed Alderei the Fair and brought Varushka into the Empire. Some say it was Tom who killed the boyar-king; the Redston folk just point at the broken crown on their livery and let that speak for them.

Entry to the Empire brought some changes. Pious Marcher folk returning from pilgrimages to Highguard founded the monasteries which now dot the landscape. Friars have become an important part of most Households and few powerful Marcher households do not have one or more of these learned folk by their side. Imperial writ created the market towns, outside the control of the households. Yet the traditional beliefs that give the Marchers their strength have endured every transformation brought by the Empire.

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The Marches icons and artistry (Redirected from Marches icons and artistry)

Any Marcher who owns farmland is a member of a Household, albeit perhaps a Household of one, and any Marcher Household can declare a livery. Members of the Household wear the livery in some way – perhaps as a coat, or perhaps as a simple sash or badge. Stewards of a Household that alies to a more powerful Household usually retain their own livery, or combine it with the new Households’ colours in some way.

Poppets and other symbols of the land are commonplace. Gates and doors are traditionally decorated with woven bundles of grain on either side, the respect shown to the land prevents evil doers from entering. The hearth is where food taken from the land is prepared. It should always be kept clean and ideally be decorated with fresh cut flowers to prevent food cooked there causing a poison of the blood. Poor March Folk or those on campaign will make do with bundles of grass or common meadow flowers.

The symbol of the seed or apple and seed is a common representation of the soul and the cycle of rebirth. The crow and the rat are both images of ill-omen and bad luck.

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The Marches lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Marches lineage and species attitudes)

Marchers will concentrate on the positives in their own people, and the negatives in others. Those with lineage are like normal folk, just more so. For example, a cambion from your own household might be seen as energetic and spirited, whereas a cambion from some other territory would probably seen as particularly conniving, and one from another nation would be seen as spiteful and ruthless.

We like the marsh. The marsh likes us. Leave us to get on with each other.

The first main exception to this general attitude is the merrow lineage. Merrow as a whole are considered "not quite right" by other Marcher folk; they're secretive, cold and altogether too clever by half. Concentrated around the fens of Bregasland, those families with merrow blood have traditionally kept to themselves. Merrow born elsewhere often move to join one of the merrow households in the marshes.

The other exception is the briar. Many Marcher folk believe the briars are accursed, and they are the only Marchers who may find themselves denied a decent burial in Marcher soil. This is due to the belief that the corpse will taint the soil where it lies and lead to the rise of unnatural and hostile plant life. In the worst cases, their bodies are burnt and the ashes scattered, although some receive more traditional burials but in soil that is outside the Marches. There are also a rare few places where burial grounds specifically for briars are laid aside, often in land that is of no use to anyone else, or that is owned by a briar yeoman, although such places soon acquire a poor reputation and the landowner may attract the Rough Music if the neighbours become too concerned.

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Marches Maps

See Also

- Bregasland

- Mitwold

- Mournwold

- Upwold

PRINT INFORMATION - Each map is set to print at A3 size (the resolution varies between 175ppi and 300ppi). Do not print larger than this or it will pixellate. If you print smaller, the quality will improve slightly. Various sizes are available by clicking on the image. To print, make sure you download the ORIGINAL size image (should be between 2700 and 5000 pixels wide. Feel free to add your own textures etc

Maps by Daisy Abbott

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The Marches military concerns (Redirected from Marches military concerns)

War is a thrice-ploughed field.

Marcher Traditional

The rich Marcher soil gives rise to great military strength and three of the Empire's armies come from the Marches. Marcher generals have a reputation for being cautious, and for valuing victory more than personal glory. War is seen as work, hard dirty work, something to achieve over months of effort, not something to be won or lost in a moment. It is also seen as a shared responsibility, something that everyone who can must face together. On campaign, even Marcher generals who can't fight for whatever reason are expected to share the same risks and privations as the common soldier, one yeoman amongst many.

Powerful households field ranks of heavily-armoured yeomen wearing their colours and fighting together. Neighbours well-used to working together fight shoulder to shoulder. The expectation of loyalty and sacrifice can make a Marcher household a fearsomely cohesive force. Traditional rivalries are put to one side when a Marcher army faces a force of outsiders, and folk who would go out of their way to avoid acknowledging each other will fight back to back against a band of invading orcs.

The strength of the Marcher forces is derived from their long hours of toil. Arms hardened by days at the forge, cutting a forest, or threshing grain are strong enough for any fight. It is common for Marchers to wield weapons made from the tools of their labour; bills used for cutting hedges and great hammers used for driving piles are pressed into service of war. The wealthiest may march in a harness of plate but plenty have nothing more than a hard leather tunic or quilted jack they have made themselves. Their true strength is their loyalty and discipline; at their best a Marcher army is a great hedge of steel, moving inexorably forward like a harvest-gang through a field of wheat.

Service to the Empire in one of the Marcher armies is considered an excellent coming of age for the sons and daughters of a yeoman. This offers them a chance to learn a little of the outside world and to earn enough to purchase their own farm and become yeomen themselves. For a nation that prides itself on its military prowess, it also ensures a steady stream of soldiers with practical experience of battle.

Contents

- 1 Beaters

- 2 Imperial Armies

- 2.1 The Drakes

- 2.2 The Strong Reeds

- 2.3 Bounders

Beaters

Beaters roam through the Marches, learning every part of the land, watching for thieves, vagrants and other ne’er-do-wells. Beaters are often instrumental in settling land disputes between neighbours and they still play a vital role in the tradition of beating the bounds. Beaters often live off the land and most are skilled woodsmen or hunters. They serve as an informal police force, investigating crimes and tracking criminals. While an individual beater often associates with one or more households, they make no secret of the fact that they maintain an informal network among themselves.

The beaters watch the boundaries and defend them against trespass until its forces can muster. They also remain vigilant for internal threats. In addition to the orcs that still occupy the more inaccessible hills and wild forests of the Marches, there are bands of Féni, the ancient people driven from the fertile lowlands centuries ago. These primitive humans cover their skin in green and yellow tattoos and launch raids against civilised Marchers to steal cattle or crops. If something or someone is raiding out of the forests or hills then the beaters are the ones who are called on to hunt it.

In time of war, beaters serve the Marches as scouts, ranging ahead of the main force. Their experience watching the boundaries of the nation makes them useful light troops, particularly in forested areas, an excellent complement to the heavily armoured yeomen.

Imperial Armies

The Marches field three imperial armies; the Drakes, the Strong Reeds and the Bounders.

The Drakes

First lead by the legendary Tom Drake, this army is extremely well-supplied and has an excellent corps of quartermasters, allowing it to recover casualties much more swiftly than normal. Many of the soldiers in this army come from Mitwold, and this has lead to a reputation for dogged determination and occasional internal conflict away from the battlefield. Its ranks have been swelled in recent years with soldiers displaced from the Mournwold, which has helped exacerbate the situation.

The first Marcher General leads the Drakes army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer solstice each year.

The Strong Reeds

Initially raised from the people of Bregasland, there is still a strong territorial bias in the soldiers of this army. The army is notoriously dour, stubborn and hard bitten. The Strong Reeds have a long history of resisiting Jotun agression against the marshes, and have several times in their history fought alongside the Wintermark armies in Kallavesa.

The second Marcher General leads the Strong Reeds army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Winter solstice each year.

Bounders

This adaptable army attracts many beaters who support a solid core of Upwold soldiers and a small cadre of dedicated battlefield magicians. They are skilled skirmish fighters, able to quickly learn the lay of the land and relentless in their pursuit of their enemies. Some of the best military archers in the Empire are part of this army, adept at bringing down their opponents with a combination of clever placement and withering storms of arrows.

The third Marcher General leads the Bounders army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Autumn equinox each year.

The Marcher officer walked out into the middle of the gathered mob, slow and casual, thumbs tucked into his belt. He took a long look around.

“Who here’s got a neighbour they can’t stand?”

The circle of Marchers looked tentatively one to another, a few raised hands and chuckles.

“Quite a few of you, I see. So let me ask you this – raiders come to burn their farm, would you go help them?”

Nods, fist shaking, raised bills and bows.

“Course you would, only common sense; they burn that farm this week, could be yours the week after, couldn’t it?”

He pointed at the gaudily dressed Free Company officers swaggering about in the League lines on their flank.

“See them? I don’t like ‘em. I don’t like their plumes, I don’t like them silly pantaloons, I don’t like the perfumed piss they call wine, or the way they put on airs when they talk, or their grub what’s so full of spices it gives me the gallopin’ trots. Nope, I don’t like ‘em, not one bit. But, them? They’re our neighbours.”

He pointed to the other end of the valley, where thousands of grey-skinned orcs covered the ground like blades of grass on a pasture.

“And those motherless bastards? They’re going to try and burn down our neighbour’s barn.”

Rumbling growl, stamping feet, billhooks banged on the ground.

“We proposin’ to let em?”

Full throated roar, weapons brandished, rising chant.

“Right then, let’s go pull the idiot neighbour’s arse out of the fire, eh?”

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Contents

- 1 The music of The Marches

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 Musical traditions

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.2.3 Songs about notable people/entities in the Marches

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Funeral Songs

- 1.3.2 Battle Anthems

- 1.3.3 Harvest Songs and Wassails

- 1.3.4 More Songs

- 1.3.5 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.6 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The music of The Marches

Style summary

A capella harmony singing, no-nonsense, boisterous and earthy, simple folk and morality tales, minimal instrumentation, heavy ryhthms on guitars, bouzoukis or concertinas. Themes of working the land, agriculture and fishing, harvest, enjoyment of food and drink, recognition of obligation to the land and its people.

The music of the Marches is drawn primarily from the folk song traditions of Devon and Cornwall, Derbyshire and Yorkshire: wassails, shanties, drinking songs, and work songs.

Commonly known songs

- Many people in the Marches will know one version of a Wassail

- Marcher battle song

- Bringing in the Sheaves medium harvest song (not the hymn)

- Carts Come Home - easy song about bring back Marcher dead from the wars

Musical traditions

After every harvest, Marcher farmers perform a traditional ceremony, a Wassail, to scare away evil spirits from the fields and ensure a good crop for the coming year. There are more details on the wassail in the Marcher brief.

In the Marches, misdeeds are sometimes rewarded with a public shaming using noise, music, even satirical performance of some kind, called Rough Music. Some chants are known throughout the Marches such as those below (usually interspersed with verses detailing the misdeed), some songs/performances are written especially for the occasion!

- "Ran tan tan, raise your hand, a sin to us is a sin to the land"

- "Old Fred Thatcher (insert name of miscreant), we know your name, Old Fred Thatcher, you are to blame, Old Fred Thatcher, we know your shame, Old Fred Thatcher, we know your name!"

One for the kids

- Whose Pigs Are These? a fun round

- Chants for naughty children

Songs about notable people/entities in the Marches

- Jack in the Green - a song about the Marches Egregore

- The Culloch Boar - tells of the origins of the Culloch banner

- Bolholt Song - celebrates the Bolholt house

- Gallant Archer - song about William Archer and his part in rescuing three of the Cullochs

- Men of Fenrose - sung by and in honour of the soldiers of Cabot's Company

Further examples

Funeral Songs

- Lay me Low - medium difficulty harmony song

- Marcher Dirge - a bit heretical

- Only Remembered For What We Have Done - medium harmony song

- Carts Come Home - easy song about bring back Marcher dead from the wars

Battle Anthems

- Marcher battle song easy song for marching into battle

- Rebel March easy song for upsetting the Dawnish (and battles)

- Yet another Marches Battle Song

- The Rising of the Moon

Harvest Songs and Wassails

- Bringing in the Sheaves medium harvest song (not the hymn)

- John Barleycorn medium folk song

- Wassail easy call and response, and lots of versions

- Harvest Time - song about the land and Britta's lost army

More Songs

- The Unquiet Grave

- Tom A'Bedlam's song

- Ye Mariners All - medium drinking song

- Here's A Health to the Company - easy drinking song

- His Banner's Not Mine - medium love song

- Pull Down Below - medium shanty with chunky harmonies

- One More Day - easy shanty: lyrics, tune

- Ten Thousand Miles - love song with easy harmony accomp

- Pretty Ploughboy - easy song about saving the lad you love from the war

- Silent Giants - easy song about standing stones

- Carts Come Home - easy song about bring back Marcher dead from the wars

- Marcher At My Side - easy song popular with soldiers in the Marcher armies

- Mournwold Harvest - sad song about orphaned Mournwolders

Instrumentation and tunes

Songs are usually unaccompanied in the Marches, typically sung in raucous harmony rather than using instruments. However sometimes drums, guitars, fiddles, and whistles/recorders are used. For instrumental music, look to the very heavy rhythms of trad English music (the kind of tunes used to accompany morris dancing would be perfect).

- Kalenda Maya - More commonly known in the Marches as The Month of May. A tune sometimes used for Marches dances, typically rather rowdy affairs!

- The Chook Dance - dance tune by Cora and Kit score, recording

- The Bond Ring - dance tune by Cora and Kit score, recording

Other performance traditions

Marches Tales

How to adapt your repertoire

The Marches is all about people singing together so choose songs that have a chorus, or even better, a call and response line. Nothing wrong with a bard leading a song but try to encourage participation from the people around you, even if just banging their tankards off the table. Can you turn your song into a drinking song?! Think of some harmonies ahead of time and if possible teach them to your group instead of using instrumental accompaniment. Any folk song will be fine but especially those in the themes listed above. If you are mostly a solo performer perhaps learn a few easy rounds and sing them with people between your solo numbers.

Our sources

- Songs: Coope, Boyes and Simpson; Muldoon's Picnic; Fisherman's Friends; Chumbawamba (the folky stuff e.g. English Rebel Songs and ABCDEFG), and number of Welsh a capella choirs; all great acapella harmony singers. Seth Lakeman (sans guitar), June Tabor.

- Tunes: Florida, Eliza Carthy

- Great list of harvest themed songs: http://piereligion.org/harvestsongs.html

- Good list of sea shanty lyrics (stick to the very English sounding ones, preferably about fishing): http://www.boundingmain.com/Lyrics.htm

- Good list of sources for English folk suitable for the Marches: http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/folk/

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music.

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The Marches tales (Redirected from Marches tales)

- Jack and the Giant

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The Marches is largely made up of fertile farmland.

- Upwold, The Silver Chase

- Mitwold, Pride of the Marches

- Bregasland the Dour Fens

- Mournwold, the Mourn (lost)

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Marching song

To the tune of Spi Mladyenets'/Cossack lullaby. Lyrics JR/music trad. Another version

RECORDING of this song : Media:varushkan-march.mp3

Melody-only version: Media:Marching_Song.wav

Storms of winter cannot shake us As to war we go Thirst and hunger never break us Onward through the snow

Home and hearth we leave behind us As to war we go Those we love and ties that bind us Onward through the snow

Foul enchantments cannot charm us As to war we go Nor can curse or witchcraft harm us Onward through the snow

At our footfall all shall fear us As to war we go Foes will quail to venture near us Onward through the snow

If I fall upon the morrow As to war we go Raise a cup for me in sorrow Onward through the snow

Though cruel death may yet divide us As to war we go Fallen heroes march beside us Onward through the snow

Hail to those who went before us As to war we go Join me now in rousing chorus! Onward through the snow

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Marching to Victory

Original tune Noi Vogliamo, an Italian rice weeding song. Words by Jude Reid and Daisy Abbott. Original on youtube here

Helper files, chorus only:

- Media:League-tune.mp3

- Media:League-alto.mp3

- Media:League-low1.mp3

- Media:League-low2.mp3

Marching to Victory by the Gremani Family

Chorus: Come join with me in song, to war we march along Fighting for fame and treasure, leaving our life of leisure The buckler and the blade, the weapons of our trade War is the greatest pleasure Marching to Victory!

Thieves may rob you of your treasures golden Fame's a coin that never can be stolen

Chorus:

Place your lover's ring upon your finger And look back when at the gate you linger

Chorus:

Those at home will keep the fires burning All to welcome us on our returning

Chorus:

If you find me with the dead and dying Kiss my lips and leave me where I'm lying

Chorus:

Even death can't rob us of our glory Our deeds will live on in song and story

Chorus:

Dressed for war, Don Cesare's a charmer All the bravos love a man in armour

Chorus:

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Market town

The growth of market towns is relatively new phenomenon – Meade, the largest, is not more than 150 years old – and they are only just beginning to come into their power. They represent a place where a canny individual can make a fortune, where individual achievement, chutzpah and moxie are valued commodities, and they represent an opportunity to travel outside the parochial circle of the traditional Marcher. Market towns send representatives all over the Empire and beyond to secure deals, acquire trade goods, and negotiate contracts. They are rich, and their wealth brings a power of its own that may yet prove to be a match for that of the Households.

Perhaps more than anything else, the market towns create an environment where it is not land, but wealth, that leads to prosperity. If there were to be a bad harvest in the Marches, the market towns would be in the best position to adapt to that disaster and continue to prosper. Those Marcher folk who do not own farmland are beginning to look to the market towns to offer them a different way of life. The most successful towns are starting to grow and exert real influence on nearby Households.

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Market Town

The growth of market towns is relatively new phenomenon – Meade, the largest, is not more than 150 years old – and they are only just beginning to come into their power. They represent a place where a canny individual can make a fortune, where individual achievement, chutzpah and moxie are valued commodities, and they represent an opportunity to travel outside the parochial circle of the traditional Marcher. Market towns send representatives all over the Empire and beyond to secure deals, acquire trade goods, and negotiate contracts. They are rich, and their wealth brings a power of its own that may yet prove to be a match for that of the Households.

Perhaps more than anything else, the market towns create an environment where it is not land, but wealth, that leads to prosperity. If there were to be a bad harvest in the Marches, the market towns would be in the best position to adapt to that disaster and continue to prosper. Those Marcher folk who do not own farmland are beginning to look to the market towns to offer them a different way of life. The most successful towns are starting to grow and exert real influence on nearby Households.

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Market town (Redirected from Market Towns)

The growth of market towns is relatively new phenomenon – Meade, the largest, is not more than 150 years old – and they are only just beginning to come into their power. They represent a place where a canny individual can make a fortune, where individual achievement, chutzpah and moxie are valued commodities, and they represent an opportunity to travel outside the parochial circle of the traditional Marcher. Market towns send representatives all over the Empire and beyond to secure deals, acquire trade goods, and negotiate contracts. They are rich, and their wealth brings a power of its own that may yet prove to be a match for that of the Households.

Perhaps more than anything else, the market towns create an environment where it is not land, but wealth, that leads to prosperity. If there were to be a bad harvest in the Marches, the market towns would be in the best position to adapt to that disaster and continue to prosper. Those Marcher folk who do not own farmland are beginning to look to the market towns to offer them a different way of life. The most successful towns are starting to grow and exert real influence on nearby Households.

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Mark of Ownership

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets an object which must be bonded to a character. Both the item and the character it is bonded to must be present throughout.

Effects

This ritual places an enduring magical mark on the item containing the the name and face of the character that the item is bonded to. A detect magic spell cast on the item reveals that it is the 'property' of that character in addition to other information. Rituals such as Reading the Weave and Bright Lantern of Ophis used on the item will also provide this information.

If an item is bonded to more than one person, the mark can identify it as belonging to a banner, coven or sect, or a member of that band, at the discretion of the ritualist.

Rituals and effects that obscure information about bonds or auras, such as Masque of the Blinded Weaver, will obscure the mark of ownership from lower-magnitude divinations.

An item may be under multiple mark of ownership effects, in which case they are revealed in the order in which they were created.

The mark of ownership lasts as long as the object retains it's magical qualities and is capable of being bonded to a character.

Description

This ritual is effective when performed on an item that might be stolen. It makes it difficult for thieves to fence their stolen goods, and more likely that a stolen item will be returned to them if it is recovered by Imperial Law. While the mark can be obscured, it is virtually impossible to remove.

Some ritualists offer the use of Mark of Ownership to anyone for whom they perform the create bond spell, as do some magician-artisans. This increases the price of the bond, often dramatically, but is often described as offering extra insurance that the item will be returned to them if stolen.

Some artisans have the ritual performed on their behalf when they complete a masterwork item of which they are especially proud. It is also common for someone who has gained the use of a powerful item through an Imperial position (such as the staff of an archmage to have this ritual cast on the object at the start of their tenure. It should go without saying that it is very common to have this ritual performed on an artefact, and a particularly old item may accrue a number of these marks as it passes from hand to hand.

Common Elements

During the ritual the item and it's owner are usually marked in some identical way to help reinforce the idea of ownership. A drop of blood from the owner might be smeared on the item. identical runes or symbols (especially the rune of wealth and symbols of Prosperity or Loyalty) might be painted on both owner and item. In The Marches especially, the target of the ritual is often encouraged to deliver a loud statement of ownership and a challenge to thieves, reinforcing the idea of 'what's mine is mine.'

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Mark the Flesh Incorruptible

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Winter regio. The ritual targets a corpse. The target remains must be present throughout, and close enough to touch.

Effects

This rite preserves the physical remains of a dead person, preventing desiccation, decomposition and putrefaction. Parasites, vermin and scavengers will avoid the body and refuse to consume the dead flesh.

This ritual transubstantiates the dead flesh into a material similar to stone.

The effect is permanent.

Description

This ritual serves several purposes. It preserves a corpse from natural forces of decomposition, and is often used for the same reasons as embalming - to maintain the body from the ravages of time. Many consider it much more respectful than traditionally invasive embalming techniques. It also makes the corpse hard to damage, without notably increasing it's weight. Both of these factors make it a practical ritual to use when a corpse must be transported over long distances for some reason, especially in the hot summer months.

The effect is permanent, and in theory this should be very difficult without the use of ilium. Magical scholars point to the necessity of performing the ritual in a regio, and that it is the nature of Winter magics to endure (they reference the tendency of curses to last for a year as an example). There are also a number of magicians who suspect that the process of flesh being transformed to a stone-like material might be a natural process, pointing to the odd desiccation that effects some corpses, or the way limestone can entomb an item or body.

This ritual is almost invariably performed on the body of a dead Emperor or Empress before they begin their final journey to Necropolis. It is not popular in either The Marches or among the Navarr who prefer natural processes to deal with the corpses of their loved ones. The ritual sees most use among the Highborn magisters, partly because so many of them are also priests and combine the rite with a funeral ceremony.

Versions of Mark the Flesh Incorruptible have clearly been in use for a very long time. Explorers have more than once disturbed undead or unliving guardians who have clearly been treated with ritual effects that preserve them shortly after the point of death, but do nothing to prevent them moving around.

Common Elements

The most common elemente of this ritual are fresh water - especially snowmelt - and ash. The body is usually cleaned, and a little ash scattered over it or mixed with oil to draw the runes Yoorn and Evrom, one over each eye, in hopes of resurrection. The performance of this ritual is usually quiet and understated, and often combined with a funeral rite or at least a euology.

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Marriage in Dawn

Between yeomen, marriage is generally a matter of two individuals going before a noble and asking them to bless their union. All nobles have the right to bless a marriage, and in Dawn it is considered to have the same weight as a binding contract elsewhere. Both spouses must consent to the union verbally three times before two witnesses, but nothing else is required. A third witness, in the form of a troubadour, is often included as a matter of course but is not required, and while the troubadour may perform a religious ceremony after the wedding they are not involved in the actual union.

Things are not so simple when nobles marry, even assuming the suitor can pass the Test of Ardour.

Because of the unusual nature of a Dawn noble house, it is possible and legal for siblings or other close relations to marry. Such unions are legal, but the lovers are expected to remain chaste, even if they share the same gender, to avoid scandal. Those who do are usually rewarded with children from other houses to adopt, while those who don't are shunned and any children they have are often set impossible tests.

Perversely it is not legal for members of the same house to marry, regardless of how they joined the house. This seems strange to outsiders but the Dawnish believe that the house is the family, that the relationship with an adopted brother or sister is as important as that with a biological sibling. For a house to openly treat nobles who were born into the house differently to nobles who have joined the house brings shame to all.

Because of the legal prohibition preventing marriage between members of a house, those who fall in love have few options. They can elope and leave Dawn or else adopt a chaste relationship. Courting and public displays of affection, appropriate for any inhabitant of Dawn are allowed, but nothing more. Illegitimate children bring shame on both parents equally - they are never permitted to join their mother's house and are usually adopted by a loyal yeoman.

In theory a noble may marry a yeoman, but the yeoman is not ennobled by the marriage and such unions are rare and difficult as a result. Dalliances between the nobility and yeomanry are frowned upon; it is beneath the status of a noble to love one who has not proved themself. Tales of yeomen inspired by love to pass the Test of Mettle are a common legend however.

Because of the restrictions, lovers who wish to wed must be members of different houses. Young lovers who have not yet taken their Test of Mettle must request a test from different houses to ensure this and then complete the Test of Ardour. This is considered wise by most Dawnish nobles - it prevents one of the parties completing their test and then pressurizing their Earl to set too easy a Test of Mettle for their paramour. Their intended must pass a test set by another Earl, ensuring that their nobility is fully proven.

If two members of the same house fall in love the only way they can marry is for one to seek a Test of Mettle from another house. Traditionally a second Test of Mettle for a noble who has been thrown out of their house is impossibly difficult, but those whose requests are known to be motivated by love are sometimes not noticeably more difficult than a normal test. The Dawnish nobility well understand the affairs of the heart and do not punish people for seeking happiness. Of course the applicant must still pass a second Test of Mettle and then one of the two must complete a Test of Ardour. And if they are biologically related, their marriage must remain chaste, regardless of gender. Such is the life of a Dawnish noble.

Divorce is not officially recognized in Dawn. Two individuals may separate, but they remain members of the same noble house and no other noble house can accept a Test of Ardour from a Dawn noble while their spouse still lives. The nobility of Dawn demand adherence to the highest ideals of nobility; those who want a simple life of pleasantries should remain yeomen.

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Marrowort

Description

The Marrowort plant grows in small patches, and in the wild is most commonly found around battlefields. Its stems are erect, branched in the upper section, and can grow to four-feet high. It has opposing, stalkless, ovate leaves, and has a naturally pale colouration. It flowers in Spring and early Summer, and the flower-buds and seed-pods alike are collected and crushed to produce a sticky, translucent oil.

Properly prepared Marrowort oil has valuable medicinal properties. Ingested it thickens the blood, slows the heartbeat, and speeds natural healing processes. In emergencies it can be applied directly to a serious wound to help seal it.

Rules

- Can only be applied by a character with the physick skill.

- Using 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying the physick can allow a target to ignore the roleplaying effects of traumatic wounds until the end of the battle.

A character who is treated with Marrowort by a physick may ignore the roleplaying effects of any traumatic wounds they have received until the end of the battle. If a traumatic wound has specific rules effects, then these effects are not affected by Marrowort. The benefits apply until the end of the entire battle that the character is in - effectively until the character leaves the battlefield and returns to Anvil or a similar location.

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Marshwalkers

A marshwalker is a large semi-humanoid creature that appears to be made entirely of plant material. Within the Empire they are primarily found in Bregasland, Kallavesa and Therunin, but they may appear almost anywhere that the marshy conditions they favour can be found. They are also found in the lands of the Druj, and the barbarians sometimes bring them along on battles. They are perhaps most dangerous when exposed to the essence of a vallorn-corrupted environment.

The creatures themselves are not common, and generally not a threat to humans who give them a wide berth. Unfortunately, their migrations often take them near human settlements - and the beasts show little inclination to detour around them. Attempts to divert a marshwalker exodus are complicated by their resilience, their resistance to fire (they are simply too damp to burn), and their ability to smash through most obstacles placed in front of them.

One problem with marshwalkers is that, in their natural state, they are simply a colony of little slimy blobs that are virtually indistinguishable from the mud in which they live. In this state they are no threat to anyone, being primarily concerned with eating small insects, fish and plants and splitting into more tiny, nonthreatening blobs. It is only when they feel threatened, when some biological urge inside them decides it is time to move, or when someone starts building a structure near or threatening their habitat that the colony comes together to assume the much more dangerous form of a wood-armoured humanoid.

Contents

- 1 Appearance

- 2 Marshwalker capabilities

- 3 Culture and Customs

- 4 Marshwalkers in play

- 5 Marshlings

- 5.1 Marshlings in play

- 6 Marshwalker Behemoths

Appearance

Marshwalkers appear to be masses of vegetation coated and held together with thick slime. They are often encased in wood and stone fragments that appear from a distance to be nothing less than armour. The beasts seem to intentionally seek out this coverage in the same way that certain crabs seek the shelter of empty shells. Sometimes human-made elements may creep into this outer covering - pieces of plate, twisted swords and the shattered remains of shields have all been spotted woven into the outer shell of a marshwalker. Likewise, pieces of bone and wooden hafts are sometimes bound up inside the beasts in addition to branches and reeds, giving marshwalkers that have risen from near battlefields or passed through recent war zones a distinctly eerie appearance.

Studies by Marcher and Navarr naturalists have discovered that the marshwalker itself is actually a colony of innumerable tiny creatures similar to slime mold. A marshwalker is created when an entire colony comes together to travel to another location - either due to some migratory urge or to avoid some threat to their habitat.

Marshwalker capabilities

Marshwalkers are preternaturally tough. They can take punishing amounts of damage and continue moving; as long as they have access to fresh vegetation and water they can heal almost completely within a few hours from anything short of total destruction. Their powerful vitality coupled with their lack of vital organs and thick armour means it is dangerous to assume that just because a marshwalker has stopped moving, it has been defeated - their unstoppable advance is often merely slowed by weapon attacks.

Marshwalkers are large. Like all such creatures, they are unaffected by many spells and martial tactics (OOC note: they do not suffer the effects of combat or magical calls, although they still take damage from any blows struck to deliver them.) For example, they cannot be poisoned by conventional blade venoms nor knocked down with a pole-arm strike, and while arrows can wear down their reserves and cause them to retreat they do not have the devastating effectiveness they demonstrate against man-sized enemies.

Marshwalkers are mighty. Even a heavily armoured apponent can be bowled over or sent flying by one of their sweeping blows, and they can shatter a shield or pole-weapon to flinders if it gets too close. Some rare marshwalkers have been encountered that secrete poisonous slime that weakens or even occasionally paralyses opponents. In a very few rare cases, marshwalkers who have been exposed to the vallorn carry with them the miasmic taint of that corrupt environment, envenoming everyone who comes nearby.

Finally, Marshwalkers appear to be inimical to human-made structures. They can tear down minor fortifications in a matter of a few hours. They quickly smash through barricades and other hastily-erected structures designed to try and divert their migrations, and when they move through a human settlement they tend to leave damaged and collapsed buildings in their wake. There are incidents where the Druj have used groups of them to assault gates or towers; while the destruction they wreak is by no means instantaneous, it is thorough and almost irresistible.

Culture and Customs

Marshwalkers do not possess a culture. They are clearly aware of their environment, but they appear unintelligent as humans understand it. They can be cunning, and they are capable of spotting and responding to changes in their surroundings, but they do not have a language, do not speak, and appear to respond to tone of voice only. They are known to issue great echoing horn-like moans that travel great distances across the marshes - there are some reports of colonies assuming humanoid form apparently for this sole purpose. Naturalists have suggested that these serve a similar purpose to wolf howls - communicating over distance simple messages between colonies.

Primarily they are motivated by their desire to move from one place to another; to protect themselves from threats; and to smash human structures they come across. Left to their own devices, they generally collapse back into their component parts once they reach their destination or once the immediate threat (or structure) is removed.

Most of their behaviour seems motivated by basic animal-like instincts. They encrust themselves in stone and pieces of wood to form a tough shell to protect them from damage; they absorb nutrients from water, sun and plant-life to maintain their physical form; when they migrate they do so along reasonably direct routes. One strange behaviour that has caused some difficulty in the past is that, when they encounter a trod, they tend to re-orient their migration along the trod in one direction or another, allowing them to move with surprising swiftness. They rarely stay with a trod for long, unless it is leading them towards a marshy environment, but they can present an unexpected hazard to Navarr stridings.

Colonies are aware of each other and appear capable of rudimentary co-operation, although they generally fight as individuals. While they often move in a loose group, a band of marshwalkers make little attempt to come to one-another's aid during a fight.

The Druj appear to control small groups of Marshwalkers through the use of Spring ritual magic; the specifics of this magic are unclear to Imperial scholars. Marshwalkers controlled by Druj are often festooned with fetishes and similar items - especially shrunken heads and skulls. Whether this is part of the magic that controls them or simply to give them a more threatening appearance is unclear.

Marshwalkers can survive for only a few weeks away from the damp, fertile environments in which they live. Denied water or access to fresh vegetation and insects, they become brittle and begin to die. A marshwalker in this state is desperate and will stop at nothing to reach a safe location - they can inflict massive damage in their singleminded drive to find somewhere safe.

Marshwalkers in play

Due to the nondescript appearance of a colony in it's placid state, a human settlement can live near an area populated by marshwalkers for decades and never realise. There are many stories of marshwalkers rising out of bogs and making straight for new construction begun too near "their" territory; smashing the structures to pieces, and pulverizing anyone who gets in their way, before returning to the marshes and disappearing.

They are very sensitive to anything that threatens their environment. For example, when the Morass in Holberg was drained the engineers required constant protection from dozens of marshwalkers who strode out of the depths of the bogs and swamps bent on destroying everyone and everything responsible for the project.

A marshwalker is a major threat to a village, and several marshwalkers might threaten a small town. A well-equipped militia can probably drive a marshwalker off, but are likely to take serious injuries in the process. A lone character can easily outpace one, and might be able to come up with a cunning way to divert one, but one-on-one will likely be quickly dispatched.

Marshwalkers are designed fill two niches. The first is an unintelligent threat that has an elemental or "natural" theme. They smash up new construction; their presence might complicate stories involving expansion of civilisation; they can even present a nasty threat to a village or bunch of travellers just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They're not evil, but they are implacable and dangerous and heroes may be challenged to find ways to divert them rather than simply cut them down as they cannot be sure that breaking the marshwalker apart will remove the threat of the colony that formed them.

They also fill the niche of "elemental" enemies - they have a purely natural explanation, but they incorporate themes of traditional elements and even golems. They can represent the savage face of "angry nature" without needing any sort of spiritual component - just access to a lot of mud, sticks and bits of stone from which to shape their shambling, wall-smashing bodies.

Marshlings

Smaller marshwalkers have occasionally been encountered. Little larger than man-size, they lack the immense strength of their larger cousins but tend to move faster and find it easier to pass unnoticed when they leave their marshes. They possess all the unnatural vitality of their larger cousins, but seem especially susceptible to certain types of venom which inhibits their fast-healing and fast-recovery abilities.

The reasons marshlings form, rather than a true marshwalker, are unclear but naturalists have posited three scenarios that might lead to them. The most common is that a colony is too small to produce enough mass to form a true marshwalker - the colony collapses into several smaller creatures. The less common is that a particularly large colony creates a full-strength marshwalker but there are still parts left over which puddle together to form smaller marshlings. The third explanation is that a marshwalker colony might be forced to assume the form of several marshlings by magic, emergency, or extensive damage to the primary marshwalker.

In the former case, the marshlings demonstrate "pack-like" behaviour - they are all in some sense the same creature and seem capable of fighting together to a limited degree. The latter case is even more dangerous - the smaller "satellite" marshlings protect and support the central marshwalker - again, they are all part of the same organism.

The most disturbing element of marshlings is that, even more so than full-strength marshwalkers, they tend to incorporate bits of armour and human bone into their outer carapaces. Some stories from the draining of the Morass talk about marshlings amongst the larger marshwalkers who looked a lot like they were wearing armour, with skulls and bits of banner woven into their shells - giving rise, no doubt, to further rumours of supernatural marsh spirits.

Marshlings in play

Marshlings exist for two main reasons; to offer some potential support to marshwalkers, and to make it possible for sanctioned events to have marsh monsters appear in their scenarios without needing large-sized costumes.

Marshwalker Behemoths

In theory, a sufficiently large colony could produce a marshwalker of truly exceptional size. While there are some stories from pre-Imperial times of immense creatures, none have been sighted in recorded history and they are largely assumed to be a creation of fiction.

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Mask of Gold and Lead

Description

The Mask of Gold and Lead empowers a ritualist with the ability to transmute raw materials. The mask itself is almost always metallic in nature, often set with jewels. All the materials used to make it are repeatedly purified in baths of beggar's lye, and some of the finest masks are said to be constructed with substances that have been themselves subjected to alchemical transformations. It is rare to find a Mask of Gold and Lead that does not incorporate Xun, the rune of transformation, often on the forehead of the mask. The rune is often concealed, however - worked into a decorative design, or inscribed on the inside of the mask. While the mask usually covers the entire face, another common design is that of a lower face mask (covering the mouth, nose and chin), often with simple filters incorporated to protect the wearer when they interact with dangerous substances.

In Wintermark, the Kallavesi favour masks in the form of ravens or magpies (for their connection to the Imperial virtues of wisdom and prosperity), while Varushkan mystics prefer masks in the shape of squirrels or bees - both Silver Squirrel or Golden Bee are names associated with this magical item. In both the Brass Coast and Highguard, specially prepared veils weighted with dragonbone and coloured with iridescent gloaming are employed, wrapped around the face and head either as a shroud or a tagelmust.

These talismans are sometimes referred to as an "Alchemists Refrain". While they usually take the form of masks, a few of these are crafted in the form of a jewelled brooch depicting a pestle and mortar, cauldron or alembic (or a squirrel or bee, for Varushkan ritualists). A very few rare examples of actual tools exist - an inscribed metal flask or set of scales intended for ritual use in measuring or alchemically treating the target materials.

As with all the magical masks, these foci are used to grant additional power to perform ritual magic. In this case, the Mask of Gold and Lead empowers the The_Eight-spoked_Wheel and The_Retrograde_Wheel rituals. Both rituals deal with the magical transmutation of one material into another.

Rules

- Form: Ritual Masks (Talisman).

- Effect: Gain 1 rank for The Eight-Spoked Wheel and The Retrograde Wheel rituals

- Materials: Crafting a Mask of Gold and Lead requires three measures of beggar's lye, four measures of dragonbone and nine measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

We are not the alchemists of old, those that would use herbs and ale to form 'a great hardening of steel'! They would have you take dragon wort with ale and much vervain and sow that into lukewarm water, boil it all up and then place your hot billet therein 'that hardening is good for all hand-weapons'. We do not mix lead with marrowort and straw, heat it upon a rock under the moon and expect it to form into gold. No. That is not alchemy, mere buffoonery!

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Mask of the Mountebank

Description

The Mask of the Mountebank empowers a ritualist with the ability to change the appearance of a target, masking their bonds or lineage to the casual observer.

These talismans are often crafted as a harlequin mask or as a Charlatan's Periapt, a jewel which tricks the eye appearing different from varying angles. The most common rune to find on such an item is Diras, the Rune of Secrets.

Rules

- Form: Foci

- Effect: Gain 1 rank for the The Twilight Masquerade and Masque of the Blinded Weaver rituals

- Materials: Crafting a Mask of the Mountebank requires four measures of beggar's lye, five measures of dragonbone and seven measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Oh no, there are no briars here, no siree.

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Masque of the Blinded Weaver

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets either a character or an item which must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual can target a person or item. It conceals all bonds to and from the target and makes it difficult to gather any information about the target with divination magic.

- The detect magic spell (or similar incantation or item-use) will provide only the information that the target is under the effect of a Night ritual, and the magnitude of the effect.

- Any ritual that tries to divine information about the target must be of the same magnitude or greater to penetrate the obscurement. Otherwise the only information it can gather is the presence of a Night ritual effect and the magnitude.

When cast on a character, they experience a roleplaying effect: they occasionally see odd shapes in their peripheral vision which, when looked at closely, are revealed to be other mundane items (a coat on a chair might appear to be a seated stranger until it is looked at directly), or tricks of the light.

When cast on an item, divination will reveal whether the item is bonded or not, but cannot discover any further information, such as who the item is bonded to.

The ritual protects the target even from indirect divination. For example, if a character is obscured by this enchantment a Reading the Weave ritual performed on one of their bonded items confirms that the item is bonded but provides no information about the character beyond the existence of the Masque of the Blinded Weaver effect.

Information about the Masque of the Blinded Weaver enchantment is obscured at the magnitude of the ritual.

Any magician who contributes to this ritual can see any of the bonds connected to the target without difficulty; this ability does not extend to a character who is targeted by the ritual unless they are also a contributor.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Additional Magnitude

You may choose to create a more powerful effect, which is harder to penetrate or remove. You may increase the magnitude of the ritual by any amount.

Description

The Night Realm is a realm of secrets; this ritual draws on that theme to protect a person or an object from divination. The ritual is most effective at preventing prying seers from discovering what items a person is bonded to, or preventing them from discovering who is bonded to an item. As with most concealment effects, the ritual lasts for a full year meaning that most crafted items will have lost their enchantment (and any attendant bonds) by the time the enchantment ends.

In the past the ritual has been used for a number of underhand purposes. During the Freedom Heresy several heretics used it to conceal their connection to sects or anarchy, for example. It has also been used occasionally by assassins to obscure evidence of their connection to weapons such as the Scorpion's Sting. These uses have lead to the ritual being viewed with suspicion in many quarters, but there is nothing illegal about a desire to pursue privacy from snooping magicians.

This ritual makes it difficult to perceive bonds, but a magician or artisan can always connect new bonds to the item, and may be able to cut existing bonds. The problem comes when a character is the target; the inability to determine which bond is which usually means that all their bonds need to be cut before they can be confident they have cut any single bond.

Common Elements

Things that enhance themes of secrecy, concealment and privacy are common elements with this ritual. Ritualists are often masked, cowled or veiled; the ritual is often performed in darkened areas; mirrors may be used to confuse and reflect divination, or symbollic shears, knives or scissors used to 'sever' the bonds that are to be concealed. The target is often shrouded beneath a cloth if it is an item, and some ritualists further obscure a character targetted by the ritual by blindfolding either the person or themselves.

The rune Diras is commonly evoked with this ritual; scenes of confusion and misdirection involving an item, or the power of The Wanderer may also be included.

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Master Medicinal

While any skilled Apothecary can prepare medicinal elixirs, the students of the Master Medicinal learn to make specialist potions that expand on the basic knowledge shared by all students of herbalism.

Tranquil Nostrum

This bitter preparation is valued in situations where soldiers must recover quickly from one battle to prepare for another. It speeds natural healing processes, as well as soothing troubled souls and making the drinker pleasantly relaxed and disinclined to be active or aggressive.

In the Marches it is often called Tom Drake's Tea after the famous general. While some herbalists mix a spoonful of honey or sugar with the mixture to counteract the bitter taste, many yeomen prefer to drink it neat, or seasoned with salt. The famous General is said to have commented several times that the taste reminded him that even in victory, war is a bitter business. His constant companion, Friar (later Abbot) Agnes of Stockland, wrote in her journals that the tranquil nostrum also helped subdue and control the black moods to which the general was subject after every major engagement.

Varushkan wise ones also tend to add salt, and call it Bitteroot Tea. When they administer it, they traditionally ask the patient what wisdom they gained along with their injuries.

In Dawn, the tranquil nostrum is often drunk after Tourneys. Several households maintain a tradition where an injured noble drinks a toast to the assembled company using tranquil nostrum. While many nobles enjoy the attention of a household physick after an engagement, some nobles enjoy the opportunity presented by this preparation to join their companions in boasting and celebrating their victory - or commiserating their loss.

Used in more concentrated amounts, tranquil nostrum is a common treatment for the lingering effects of some traumatic wounds.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This yellow-green liquid clings viscously to the inside of the container. It has a sweet scent, but a tiny drop on your tongue reveals it to be extremely bitter, and a little salty.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel lethargic, sleepy and relaxed, disinclined to be active or aggressive.

- Mechanical Effects: This preparation is used to brew a pot of tea. Each person drinking a cup of the tea recovers all lost body hits after fifteen minutes of rest and relaxation. There is no effect if the drinker is on a battlefield or similar stressful environment. If the drinker attacks a target or is attacked during this time then the effect is negated. The tea loses its beneficial properties fifteen minutes after being brewed regardless.

- Recipe: One dram of Marrowort and one dram of Bladeroot.

Maledict's Medicament

This foul-tasting elixir is favoured not only by those who face sorcerors and enemy magicians, but also by those who expect to encounter Druj barbarians or the dark denizens of the Varushkan forests. A mouthful of this potion causes momentary retching and dizziness, but purges both venom and weakness. The preparation may also be effective as a treatment for cases of mild poisoning, minor curses or similar ailments.

- Form: Liquid

- Description: This deep crimson liquid has a thin layer of scummy froth atop it. It smells unpleasant, and has an oily texture. A drop on your tongue makes you salivate – it is vile and you feel a strong urge to spit the mixture out.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel nauseous and dizzy; you may be overcome with retching and vertigo for a few moments.

- Mechanical Effects: You are relieved of both the venom and the weakness conditions.

- Recipe: One dram of Cerulean Mazzarine, one dram of both Bladeroot and Imperial Roseweald.

The Sovereign Specific

The Sovereign Specific is a potent healing elixir that is often seen as the pinnacle of the apothecary's art. It possesses near miraculous properties; when it is drunk it restores vitality, dulls pain, knits torn flesh and fractured bones, purges venom and alleviates weakness. While it is rare that all of its properties are required by a single patient, it is can be a literal life-saver for a warrior badly beset and far from help.

Among the Suaq and Kallavesi of Wintermark the potion is also welcomed for its versatility - while it is difficult to prepare, it is still a cheaper proposition that carrying doses of multiple potions with more specific effects.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This clear liquid seems almost to sparkle when it is shaken or held up to the light. It smells fresh and a little minty. A drop on your tongue reveals it to have a vibrant, pleasent taste.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel light headed for a moment, then refreshed and full of energy, and an incredible sense of well-being suffuses you. It is hard not to be filled with optimism and enthusiasm.

- Mechanical Effects: This potion removes the venom and weakness conditions from you, restores all limbs ruined by cleave or impale, and restores you to full hits. You may ignore the roleplaying effects of any traumatic wounds you are suffering until the end of the battle.

- Recipe: One dram each of Imperial Roseweald, Cerulean Mazzarine, True Vervain, Bladeroot and Marrowort.

"Now, woman, we shall see who has the last laugh!"

Jennifer of Adlecombe sagged, her vision blurred. Thanks to the wicked magician's vile incantations she barely had the strength to lift her greatsword. Her blood burned with the power of his supernatural venom, and she knew she had only seconds left to live. The outlaw sorcerer held his staff defensively before him, keeping her at bay easily in her wounded state.

The thresher sagged, seeming to support herself on her sword, and then in a smooth motion gulped down the potion she had palmed while her opponent gloated. Immediately energy flowed through her tired body, cleansing her of both the magical venom and the malign curse. She surged forward and in a smooth motion cleft the sorcerer's staff into kindling. The sorcerer had no more than a second to gape at his shattered implement before her second strike cleft through his rune-carved belt, lifted him off his feet and sent him sprawling in a spray of blood.

Unlike her prey, she wasted no time on clever wordplay. Her quarry struggled to rise, slipping in his own blood and whimpering as she approached him. She sheathed her sword, drew out a set of mastercrafted manacles and tossed them toward the prone man. Then she slowly took a small green potion out of her pouch and held it up in one hand, shaking it gently to attract the sorcerer's attention.

"Either you can lie there and bleed to death, monster, or you can put these on. The choice is entirely yours"

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Master of the Imperial Mint

So, to summarize Master, we've no bloody money, no bloody mithril, and no bloody hope of getting any? Right - I move we pass the motion anyway. I don't give two shits where the ruddy Freeborn get the Mithril from. You don't plough another person's field.

Walter Brewer, Senator for Upwold

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Powers

- 2.1 Member of the Senate

- 2.2 Right of Address

- 2.3 Seat on the Bourse

- 2.4 Proxy

- 3 Selection

- 4 Removal

- 5 History

- 5.1 Former Masters of the Mint

- 6 Further Reading

- 6.1 Core Brief

- 6.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Master of the Imperial Mint is based in Tassato and has ceremonial responsibility for producing all Imperial coinage and protecting it against forgers. The position of Master of the Mint comes with an opulent apartment in Tassato overlooking the river as well as a position on the Imperial Bourse. By tradition the Master is able to address the Imperial Senate at their own behest or on the instruction of the Bourse.

This Bourse position is reserved for a citizen of The League who presents the largest bid. The payment is used to pay for the expenses incurred in running the mint. It does not produce any material wealth, but many a skilful occupant has found ways to turn a cheap seat on the Bourse to a profit.

Powers

Member of the Senate

The Master of the Mint is a member of the Senate. They are entitled to enter the Senate chamber at the start of a Senate session and participate in the debates. They do not have the power to raise motions or to vote on a motion.

Right of Address

The Master of the Mint has the right to make a Senate address once per summit. This is intended to allow them to present important information for the senators consideration. To make an address, the Master must inform the Speaker for the Senate of their intention, so that the Speaker can add the address to the agenda for the next Senate session.

Seat on the Bourse

The Master of the Imperial Mint is a Bourse position - they are able to personally participate in the Bourse private auction and take part in any auction of appointments.

Proxy

The Master of the Imperial Mint may appoint a proxy.

Selection

The Master of the Mint is a League Bourse position. Election is by open auction at the Spring Equinox each year. Any League citizen may bid for the title.

Removal

The position of Master of the Imperial Mint is re-selected at the Spring Equinox each year. They cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.

History

- The position is held by Fererro after his election at the Spring Equinox in 379YE.

Former Masters of the Mint

- Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario served from Spring 377YE to his death in Winter 377YE.

- Guillermo Di Tassato served from Winter 377YE for one year (the maximum term) vacating at midnight on Saturday of the Winter Solstice 378YE.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

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Materials

Artisans use rare metals and natural materials to create magical items. Small amounts of these precious materials are produced by personal resources controlled by players and provided to them at the start of every Profound Decisions Empire event that they attend. If you choose a mine or a forest for your personal resource then you must choose one of the eight standard materials for your resource to produce.

Contents

- 1 Metals

- 1.1 Orichalcum

- 1.2 Tempest Jade

- 1.3 Green Iron

- 1.4 Weltsilver

- 2 Natural Materials

- 2.1 Ambergelt

- 2.2 Beggar's Lye

- 2.3 Dragonbone

- 2.4 Iridescent Gloaming

- 3 Ilium

- 4 Common Metals

Metals

A mine produces ten units of one of these four metals. Mines can be upgraded to produce small amounts of the other three metals.

Orichalcum

This lustrous red mineral is most commonly mined at high altitudes, but exists throughout the Empire. It is tough, with a moderate melting point, and when polished looks a lot like gold. It is alloyed with iron to create orichalcum steel, or used in its pure form for inlays and other decorations. As with gold and silver, it can be used to create embroidery thread, although it is more commonly used in the form of jewellery pieces or buttons.

Orichalcum is valued for creating things that break or pierce, and for dissipating powerful blows. It is resistant to normal damage, and does not rust.

Ingots of orichalcum are stamped with the symbol of a shield.

Tempest Jade

This hard stone is prized for its translucency and beauty. It shares the same broad range of colouration found in other classes of jade but is especially translucent. Cloudy imperfections may form within the stone that cause it to change colour, or that shift in intensity over time; these 'tempest clouds' are part of what gives the material it's name.

It is found in small deposits usually along with other hard stones. It is polished and carefully shaped and cut to provide decoration in a variety of crafts, especially in the form of jewellery.

Tempest Jade needs to be worked with care; mishandling the material causes it to splinter, sometimes violently. Artisans sometimes splinter tempest jade intentionally; the resulting splinters are further broken down to create a fine, abrasive dust that is used for polishing metal or finishing wood or leather. Materials finished with tempest jade end up with infinitesimal pieces of the stone embedded in their fabric.

Chunks of tempest jade are scored with a lightning bolt symbol.

Green Iron

This dark mineral is very soft, but has a high melting point. It is found in both iron and copper deposits. Improperly treated it creates a very brittle form of iron. Alloyed carefully with the correct proportions it produces a lightweight steel - even lighter than common mithril - that is supernaturally responsive to the needs of the wielder.

It is most commonly used in making weapons and heavy and medium armour. It is also used with copper to create jewellery, and the ore can be broken down to create glazes for ceramics and for glass, as well as a particularly fine green, blue and brown dyes.

Processed green iron ingots ten to be lighter in colouration than the raw ore, and are stamped with a sword symbol.

Weltsilver

This is a precious metal found in veins of reddish, glistening ore that look like bleeding wounds in the rock. Legend says it is the blood of giants or first men that fell on the ground during some titanic battle. It is commonly found near deposits of other precious metals. Once refined it appears similar to silver, but more lustrous, and a little heavier. It is quite malleable, and has the fascinating quality of both warming up quite slowly and cooling down very quickly.

Weltsilver is very effective at shaping, directing and channelling living energies, but it is also quite resilient and flexible. By itself it is easily damaged, and is commonly alloyed with other materials. Alloyed with iron it creates particularly pale, reflective steel. It is most commonly mixed with gold or copper to create valuable, lightweight metals that are highly decorative. It is also suitable for making thread employed in "gold work" for embroidering banners, cloth and some lightweight armours.

Ingots of weltsilver are stamped with a blood-droplet symbol.

Natural Materials

A forest produces ten units of one of these four natural materials. Forests can be upgraded to produce small amounts of the other three materials.

Ambergelt

Ambergelt or living amber is a soft, resinous material that is carefully extracted from a living tree. Like amber it is found in various colours, and often contains preserved insects as inclusions. It is almost liquid when first extracted, but sets to become a tough, smooth material within a few minutes. It is used most often as decoration, but it can also be dissolved in strong alcohol to create a resinous varnish that adds a deep lustre to wood and leather.

Ambergelt can be carefully shaped and moulded. It is used when crafting items that slow, surround or encase living creatures. It is also sometimes called worldblood, and has some healing and preservational properties.

Measures of ambergelt are stamped with a wasp symbol.

Beggar's Lye

Ashes created by burning the dried wood of the rare beggarwood tree have a number of exotic alchemical properties that make them much in demand among crafters. Mixed with water, it creates a powerful lye solution that removes impurities and helps to tan hides, bleach cloths and quench metals. Mixed with pine resin, it produces a flammable material that can be used to heat forges and furnaces to very high temperatures.

The resulting caustic material removes impurities from other materials; it can be employed to make soft things harder and hard things softer for a short period after immersion or quenching, allowing many materials to be shaped more easily. Cloth bleached with beggar's lye will take other pigments exceptionally well, for example, and leather hides tanned in a solution of beggar's lye are particularly durable.

The fumes from Beggar's Lye are poisonous, and unless precautions are taken will cause breathing difficulties and damage eyesight over time. Those who work extensively with the material often have bleached skin or scars from acidic burns.

Measures of beggar's lye are sealed in ceramic bottles stamped with a skull symbol.

Dragonbone

Sometimes called ' Worldmarrow' this is a soft material that resembles petrified bone or wood. Deposits are found in soil, especially around living trees. It can be carefully shaped and crafted when exposed to heat, but melts rather than burns. It shares many properties of clay or ceramic. It is a truly magical material that is often characterised as being “alive” in some indefinable way, despite being quite clearly inanimate.

Treated correctly it can take on a variety of colours, most commonly ivory white, tan or golden-brown. Once it has been shaped and set, it is quite difficult to damage by mundane means. It is most valued as a material that enhances and modifies the process of creating bonds - it is used in many items that allow multiple individuals to bond to them (such as banners and coven stones) or in items that “split” a single bond (such as paired items).

It is also favoured by followers of the Imperial Faith as a material that resonates well with spiritual energies.

Measures of dragonbone are carefully stamped with a dragon-head symbol,

Iridescent Gloaming

Iridescent gloaming is a powerful dye produced as a by-product in the manufacture of Rainbow Silk, a strong thread that is valuable both for embroidered decorations and for making beautiful cloth. The thread is tough and hard to snap or sever, requiring steady application of pressure to cut making it highly prized.

The silk is spun from the cocoons of the iridescent butterfly, a gorgeous insect with rainbow coloured wings that is uniquely active both during the day and at night. By day, the iridescent butterfly appears pale and drab – wings are usually white, ivory or light pastel shades. By night however, the true beauty of the iridescent butterfly is revealed – the wings become bright and luminous, shifting colour in seemingly random patterns, creating gorgeous displays in Summer and early Autumn as they dance among the twilight groves where their caterpillars feed. The butterfly does not prosper in the climate of the Empire and requires careful attention. It breeds most successfully in the Lands of Silk and Spice, where it is said that these creatures swarm in such profusion that they can transform night to day.

Iridescent gloaming is produced from the remnants of the cocoons which are ground down to produce a thick waxy substance. Iridescent gloaming has an almost magical quality that allows it to take on different colours in the hands of a skilled artisan and is noted for its use in creating exquisite embroidery, or as a colour wash for leather. Its peculiar magical properties make it a common component in items that use magic or produce magical effects.

The iridescent butterfly is used as a symbol by many Dawnish weaver cabals, and a bottle of iridescent gloaming is usually stamped with a butterfly symbol.

Ilium

Sometimes called star metal, ilium is a rare mineral that falls from the sky. It has magical properties that mean it is very much in demand by ritualists, crafters and even some apothecaries. Itis most valuable because it can greatly extend the duration of many rituals and it can be used to create artefacts.

Ilium is not produced by mines or forests. Rather, it is allocated via campaign resources.

Common Metals

Copper and iron are common throughout the Empire and frequently alloyed with other metals to make weapons and armour. Alloys of these metals like bronze, brass and steel are hard and tough; they make equally effective weapons and armour that commonly count as heavy armour in Empire.

In addition to copper and iron, Imperial smiths frequently use mithril. Alloys of mithril are exceptionally light but they are not as hard or tough as copper or iron. Any phys-rep of armour which is made from aluminium or titanium is considered to be a mithril alloy in Empire and counts as medium armour.

All three materials are sufficiently common that any character can own a weapon or suit of armour made of a copper, iron or mithril alloy, provided they have the phys-rep.

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Matrilineality

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Family Names

- 3 Marriage

- 4 Adoption

Overview

The Freeborn are matrilineal - they trace their descent through the female line. There are no significant differences in the Brasscoast between the social roles and positions of men and women - it is simply that they trace their geneology through their mother. This allows every Freeborn character to claim direct descent from one of the three women who founded the nation, Guerra, Erigo, or Riqueza.

Family Names

Normal Brass Coast names include the name of the family and the tribe that a character was born into. For example, a man might be Adan i Contero i Riqueza, effectively Adan of Contero of Riqueza. A woman might be Ines i Vargas i Guerra.

Marriage

Freeborn custom demands that the matrilineal line remain clear regardless of marriage or adoption. When a man marries a woman the normal situation is that he goes to live with his wife's family and becomes part of her family and tribe. If Adan married Ines i Vargas i Guerra he would become Adan i Vargas i Guerra. His children would take the Vargas family and Guerra tribal name of their mother.

If Adan's wife chose to break with tradition and join her husband's family she would might take her husbands family name or keep her own- but she can never take the tribal name. She could call herself Ines i Vargas i Guerra or if accepted by her husbands family she might call herself Ines i Contero i Guerra - but she cannot call herself Riqueza. Her children can never be Riqueza - they cannot trace a line of descent back to that founder, so they cannot claim the title.

When two men marry, they choose a family to join and usually adopt the family and tribal name. When two women marry they will usually adopt the family name of whichever family they choose to live with, but they must both retain their tribal name. Each woman's children, if any, take their mother's tribal name.

Adoption

Adoption is common place in the Brass Coast, in part because of the nature of the the family as a social group. Brass Coast families will often formally adopt family associates into their family making it clear that they view them as one of their own. In these situations the adoptee will usually take the name of the family that adopts them. A Varushkan trader who enjoys good relations with the the family of Adan i Contero i Riqueza may be adopted by the family and be welcome to call himself Goran i Contero. He does not become Goran i Contero i Riqueza unless he marries into the family however.

The situation is slightly more difficult for women. Women cannot take the tribal name, either by marriage or adoption. A female Dawnish witch who settles in Segura might marry into a Freeborn family - or be adopted - and become Igraine i Contero - but she can never become Igraine i Contero i Riqueza. Her children, at best, could take the family name but not the tribal name.

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Mawrig

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 The Torrent, Rune of Storms and Disaster

- 1.1 Using Mawrig in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Mawrig

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Torrent, Rune of Storms and Disaster

Affiliated with the Realm of Spring

Mawrig represents the raw, unbridled, uncontrolled chaos of nature. It is tenacious and uncaring, like the plants that crack paving slabs apart in a city, or the river that bursts its banks and washes away a village as it quests for a new route to the sea. It is the power of the Storm and brings ruination to the works of humankind.

Anything which is out of the control of mortals comes under Mawrig’s influence; as the Talons it is symbolic of many dangerous creatures that live in the wild places, especially the vicious insect horrors that surface from time to time in Navarri territory. Some Vates use Mawrig when they wish to refer to the Vallorn, claiming that it encompasses the central nature of that vegetable horror.

In Highguard, the the League and Urizen the rune Mawrig represents Disaster – curses that target buildings often evoke this rune and it is seen as a particularly ill omen. Among the Navarr, the Winterfolk and the Varushkans it often represents circumstances that sweep the weak and unprepared before them; it is seen as an amoral rather than sinister rune that can teach lessons in flexibility and cleverness.

Using Mawrig in magic

Mawrig is commonly evoked during rituals that are intended to unleash natural forces such as storms or floods, but it is also used with rituals that require a lot of raw energy. Mawrig is rarely used by itself, as to do so is to release magical energy without shape or form. The energies that come forth so easily are unpredictable and can slip from the grasp of an inexperienced practitioner.

Crafting with Mawrig

Mawrig is rarely inscribed on crafted items; such objects have a tendency to be difficult to control or wield, and a tendency to break. It is often inscribed on something that is to be destroyed; on the wall of a condemned building in the League, or on a big rock that a Marcher farmer intends to break up. For the same reason it is painted or carved into catapult stones shortly before they are launched; superstition suggests that inscribing the rune early increases the likelihood that the stone will miss its target and inflict damage on the wrong side.

A warrior who bears Mawrig on their weapon or shield is given a wide berth by the wise, as they are likely to fight with chaotic fury.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Mawrig in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneMawrig.jef

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Mayor of Caricomare

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Comfortable Income

- 3.2 Influence

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

The Mayor of Caricomare is an Imperial title awarded to a League citizen. It is a National position, appointed by the Senator for Sarvos.

The docks at Caricomare were sunk, along with most of the district, during a terrible storm. In Autumn 378YE, on the thirty year anniversary of their destruction, the Senate authorized an ambitious rebuilding project. The docks would be restored, and along with them much of the ruined district.

The mayor is appointed by the Senator for Sarvos, and in turn helps to appoint that Senator. While questions were raised regarding the constitutional implications of this method of choosing the mayor, there are deemed to be no legal or constitutional problems with the title.

Responsibilities

The title holder is expected to oversee the operation of the Caricomare docks and represent the citizens of that district to the Senator for Sarvos.

Powers

Comfortable Income

As a sinecure, the Mayor of Caricomare Receives an income drawn from the profits made from the Caricomare docks.

The holder of the sinecure receives 15 Crowns in income each season.

Influence

The Mayor of Caricomare represents the people and businesses of that district, and receives 25 votes to use in the election of the Senator for Sarvos.

Selection

The title is appointed by the senator for Sarvos. The title can be held by any League resident of Sarvos.

Removal

The Mayor serves for one year, step down or are revoked.

The Mayor can be revoked by the League assembly, the General Assembly or the Assembly of Nine.

History

The title is currently held by Aria Notturno di Sarvos, as appointed by the senator for Sarvos, the first Mayor of Caricomare since the rebuilding, the extensive reconstruction project having been finished shortly before the Spring Equinox 379YE.

For 30 years Sarvos, jewel of the league had its appearance marred by the southern Caricomare district, a shattered sunken ruin left to rot, its people displaced and its riches left for looters after the storm of 348 YE.

But no more, the area is once again a thriving district of Sarvos raised from its watery tomb, after 30 years of neglect the citizens of Sarvos banded together and raised the funds to restore their broken city to its former glory. Many sections had to built over, using the sunken ruins as the foundations for new structures, however great pains were taken to raise and restore some parts, the tomb of Empress Giselle in the Alivetti guild estates was one such area. It was painstaking raised from the waters, its foundations reinforced and then work began to restore it to its former glory. Other historic buildings have also been raised and restored or rebuilt in their previous image with numerous families and Cartas reclaiming lost property throughout the district.

An obvious new additions is the gleaming white statue that adorns the quayside, it depicts Senator Miroslav of Sarvos, who championed the rebuilding in the senate, looking out over the fruits of his hard work.

Some of the sunken roads have been left underwater and cleared of wreckage, leaving simple water ways that serve as canals and as a memorial to those who were lost to the storm. Many of the bridges build to span the waterways are adorned with memorial plaques and mementos. The districts of the Caricomare have been redesigned to keep trade, the districts life blood, flowing smoothly. Wide roads and canals now run through the district from the quayside like the spokes of a wheel, allowing people and goods to get where they need to be quickly.

One of the other new additions in the Notturno district, the official home of the Caricomare Night Market. During the day it is another bustling market place, however as the sun sets it really comes alive. It is claimed that the Night Market is lit by more lights than there are stars in the sky, it is always a riot of colours and sounds, anyone and everyone is welcome, whether they want to trade, entertain or be entertained.

The quayside is trading again, but the mechanical quays are still too badly damaged to function and whole sections had to be dismantled in the restoration process. Until the docks are fully rebuilt the Caricomare won’t be the trade hub it once was.

With the restoration of the district the position of Mayor of the Caricomare has once again become available, the position has yet to be filled.Senator Miraslav of Sarvos

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Mazen

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Autumn

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

- 1.5 Jannam

Eternal of Autumn

Sobriquets

Known invariably as the Many-Faced or Mazen of the Many Faces.

They are also sometimes referred to as the Unseen Hand, and a handful of Urizen texts cryptically refer to them as the Price of Folly (there are arguments as to whether this is a mis-print of 'Prince') or occasionally the Gull-Catcher. In the League, Mazen is sometimes called the Lord of the Masks, owing to their physical appearance and the nature of their boons. In Highguard the most common epithet for Mazen is False-face; in Varushka and Wintermark they are more commonly termed No-face; magicians from all three nations tend to be very cautious when dealing with them, but there are several stories of both Kallavesi and Ushka mystics exploiting Mazen's love of manipulation to gain valuable power in time of need.

In the Sumaah Republic, Mazen is called Løgner which literally means liar and contact with them is absolutely proscribed. The Asaveans call them comduas caras or "with two faces", referring both to their multiple features and their manipulative nature. Unlike the Sumaah the Asaveans consider Mazen to be largely harmless; indeed in some places they are viewed as a minor god of trickery and ambition, and offerings are burnt before statues of the creature. The Jarmish have a number of names for Mazen, the most prevalent of which is Lutkar. While some magician princes are known to make bargains with Lutkar to gain power, doing so is often seen as an act of foolishness or desperation.

A few old League plays feature Mazen, usually as a gently comic figure who helps both villain and hero at different points in the story. There are persistent rumours that one of the thousands of theatrical masks in the Facio Hall of the Armetto Theatre in Sarvos is Mazen’s, but if this is true, nobody has found it.

Mazen is often associated with Queros, rune of plots.

When you know what someone believes, you know who they are, and how to move them.

Appearance

Mazen of the Many Faces is an Autumn Eternal of uncertain form. While other Autumn eternals generally appear to be horned humanoids, Mazen usually appears as the 'Lord of the Masks'; an inhuman creature with a head comprising at least four masks or faces, each of which speaks with its own voice, and with a varying number of limbs. In this form they tend to dress garishly, forsaking the understated elegance of Callidus and the classier denizens of the Labyrinth in favour of displaying their wealth. This form tends to seat themselves on a high throne, so that they speak down to their mortal visitors.

While this is their common form, they have been encountered in a variety of other guises. On occasion they appear as the Chorus - a collection of their Heralds speaking with the same voice; or as the Gallery of Masks - a room full of framed masks which glow with an eerie light and speak with many voices.

They refer to themself using plural pronouns, and eschew any particular gender.

There is a great deal of speculation among Imperial magicians as to the nature of Mazen. Their masks are clearly not actual faces; they have been known to remove them to hand out as boons. On occasions, magicians treating with Mazen have reported that upon removing one mask, another was present beneath it, as if the Eternal had no true face. Others have pointed to the fact that the many forms Mazen takes are at odds with the traditional appearance of Autumn eternals as horned humanoids - they speculate that nobody has ever met the real Mazen, assuming it even exists. Rather, they suggest that all the multifarious shapes Mazen takes are masks, presumably constructed through the cunning artifice of the creature itself or perhaps by the Eternal Estavus given their tendency to include metallic substances. Indeed Daniella Vassa di Sarvos at her trial put forward the supposition that Mazen is in fact a constructed being, perhaps made by Estavus, who freed themself and now pursues their own agenda - while this seems unlikely it goes some way towards explaining the slightly alien and unpredictable nature of the Many-Masked.

Just because something isn't a lie does not mean that it isn't deceptive. A liar knows that he is a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is an artificer of outcomes.

Concerns

Mazen appears less interested in advancing their own power than in encouraging others to do pursue their own goals. They generally encourage mortals to use any tool at their disposal to advance their agenda; subtle action; misdirection; conspiracy; naked power grabs; the use of lies, deception and misdirection; accusations against political rivals; blackmail, bribery and threats; using dupes, pawns and patsies; and the manipulation of sentiment, pride and perceived bonds of loyalty or obligation. To Mazen, power over others is an end in itself, and there is no method too unethical or immoral to achieve that end.

Mazen claims to be interested in what will motivate mortals to put aside their squabbles and work together. They claim that their shape is a metaphor for a nation or other great body of people: greater than the sum of its parts, yet still formed of every individual therein. In an address before the Imperial Conclave in 286YE their Herald Jannam argued that Mazen could make a powerful ally for those in positions of power, especially a great unifying figure prepared to do their work. In passionate rebuttal Nero of the Dreaming Spires - then Grandmaster of the Celestial Arch - reminded everyone that Mazen was an Eternal of Autumn; that their words were not to be trusted; and that they had no interest in the glory of empires, but the glory of Empresses. Mazen's petition for Amity was defeated by a narrow margin.

Mazen's expression of interest in mortal pride, loyalty and co-operation is generally seen as a slightly unconvincing veneer over a deep-seated fascination with silver-tongued manipulators who use these sentiments to control others. They enjoy the antics of ruthless politicians, corrupt leaders and vicious warriors alike - as long as they are charismatic or cunning enough to build up a following; but they reserves a special place in their 'heart' for the artist of the long-con. Mazen is always interested in aiding a truly spectacular con, and the more convoluted the hustle, the better. Confidence tricksters are cautioned that Mazen is equally happy with a trick that ends in spectacular failure as they are with one that ends in spectacular success; it is the spectacle in which Mazen revels.

The most famous recent example of Mazen's patronage was that of Daniella Vassa di Sarvos, a corrupt Master of the Imperial Mint in the reign of Emperor Barabbas. A razor-sharp long-con artist, she convinced many of her victims that she was their friend and ally and that she would use her influence and resources to aid their cause. So thoroughly were many of her victims gulled that they defended her vehemently at her eventual trial, even inventing elaborate theories to account for the evidence against her. Mazen sent Heralds to her funeral, and occasionally refers to her in tones of apparent fondness.

Mazen regularly expresses the opinion that they are the greatest of all Autumn eternals. They consider themself wiser than Basileus Kade, whom mortals fear; more subtle than Callidus, who invokes naked greed; wealthier than Estavus who wastes her time on creation when she would be better served to control creation. Those who follow such paths, they claim, will find themselves easily betrayed, manipulated or used as tools to advance the agenda of another. The Freeborn scholar Serval i Riqueza, when opposing the suggestion that the Unfettered Mind support the development of a ritual to allow trade with Mazen, pointed out that Mazen is quite clearly much less powerful than the Eternals it claims to despise - "Perhaps," he said "It still hasn't had its chance to betray them?" Indeed, while they are often contemptuous of the others, they seem to have little problem co-operating with them - apart from Basileus Kade. Mazen despises Kade, although the details of their enmity are unknown.

Beyond the drive to manipulate and gain power, Mazen is also fascinated with questions of identity. On occasion they have claimed that knowing someone else is the first step toward binding them to your cause. They warn against expressing one's true identity to others, who might be able to find weaknesses to exploit; whenever they offer patronage they recommend concealment and misdirection. Some scholars have suggested that Mazen is trapped in a quest to uncover their own identity - that they lack some fundamental self-knowledge that mortals take for granted. Given they are said to express an irrational dislike of mirrors, there may be some truth in this theory.

Truth; hear it at all times but speak it only when it does not matter.

Boons

Mazen of the Many Faces is fond of magicians, claiming that (in their experience) they are the best-placed to control others. Their boons often come in the form of masks which grant powers to their wielders - ritual power, knowledge of ritual magic and potent auras similar to those created through hallowing are all common boons.

They also have a soft-spot for priests of all faiths and religions, sometimes opining that priests are the most effective wielders of sentiment and the best exploiters of weakness in the mortal world. They offer boons appropriate to the faith of the priest - and while the faithful tend to view Mazen's interest as suspicious, those more interested in political power than the spiritual well-being of others are quick to accept. When dealing with priests of The Way, Mazen is known to make gifts that enhance the Mantle of the Golden Orator as well as objects that increase the ability of the wielder to employ Religious skills. The latter has raised some eyebrows in the Imperial Synod and questions about where Mazen acquires these talismans have never been satisfactorily answered.

Mazen never gives a boon of power directly to a mortal; the boons it offers are always physical objects, and invariably require bonding. Mazen appears to find it appealing that any gift of patronage or power they give can be stolen, traded, given, taken, lost or found.

Control another's actions and you must forever watch your back; control another's heart and they will watch it for you.

Jannam

It is not clear whether Mazen of the Many Faces has many Heralds or only one. When its Heralds appear, they tend to be stone-faced or stone-masked creatures, dressed in a variety of costumes and with a variety of personalities – yet they all claim to be called Jannam, and to be the same entity. Stories from Asavea, Jarm and Sumaah alike all agree that this entity pursues Mazen's goals all over the mortal world.

As with Mazen itself, this appearance is very different to the usual appearance of Autumn Heralds - speculation suggests they are "made things" rather than living creatures. Darker theories suggest that it is the masks that are Mazen's heralds, and that the bodies that wear them are somehow enslaved or subordinate to the mask

Mazen appears to give Jannam free rein, apparently confident that they cannot be betrayed or outwitted.

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Mazzarine Spindle

Description

The name of this implement references the Cerulean Mazzarine, a valuable healing herb that helps treat crippling injuries. The weavers of Dawn use this tapering wands in their work, wrapping fine threads around them for safekeeping. They also use them in magical work, weaving the flesh and bone of shattered and fractured limbs as easily as they weave delicate silk and wool to create garments.

As these wands are often not beyond the means of the reasonably well-off, they are among the more common items employed by warrior-magicians across the Empire, particularly those who have focused on martial training at the expense of their repertoire of spells. Sentinels with a basic understanding of spellcraft find great use in these wands, especially in conjunction with a companion bearing an Acolyte’s Mercy. The relatively plentiful wandmakers of Urizen do a roaring trade in both these wands.

It has been observed that magicians bonded to this wand seem less likely to break limbs, or horns and antlers in the case of certain Lineages, compared to those around them. A powerful blow in battle will still shatter bone, but falls and accidents appear to be less damaging. It is theorised that the borrowed knowledge in the wand teaches the wielder’s bones to be more resilient somehow. Others chalk this up to blind luck, but some especially vain changelings have been known to acquire these wands primarily to prevent shedding.

A mazzarine spindle is most often a shaft of polished and decorated wood, wound around with thick wires of silver alloyed with weltsilver. It is sometimes carved to resemble several long hydra necks twisted around one another, drawing upon legends of such creatures growing back their severed heads at an alarming rate.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the restore limb spell as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting a mazzarine spindle requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

The young man stared out of the window, day-dreaming of glory.

"'Prentice! Fetch me the scarlet silk!"

He started awake, and grabbed the nearest spindle of blood-coloured thread.

"No, not the maroon. The scarlet! This is for Lady Mary of House Bourne, not the common yeomen of the Rucastle garrison!"

He stared blankly at the spindle in his hand, and replaced it, running his hand along various shades of red yarn neatly wound round wooden bobbins.

"Yes, the stack there. No, the next shelf. Yes, that one. If you wish to 'prentice, you must be able to take instruction, young man! First time! See, this is a noble thread, so it's stored nobly! It took me a month's careful work to make that spindle. See the wiring? That's part weltsilver, and worth more than you are I would wager."

The weaver stared sharply at the young man.

"Oh, you're good for nothing today, and don't think I don't know the reason why! Why, it was only thirty years ago that I sat as you do now, waiting for my mistress to release me so I could practise for my Test. Not that the earl wants you - 'Return with the head of an ogre!' is hardly the test she'd set someone she wanted in her House! Still, on the off-chance you survive today, you should at least understand the basics of a craft. The House always has need of embroiderers!"

"Now, tidy up while I take wine."

So it was that that afternoon, a young man stood in a clearing, dappled with late summer sun, sniffing the air to find the monster whose trail he'd lost. After a second or so, he chose. Carefully, quietly, he stalked down a path.

Only to be hit by a mass of muscled fury. His rusty buckler knocked aside, he held up his other arm to defend his face, and the monster raked it with its claws, slicing through his thin leather coat and ruining the arm underneath. He was knocked to the ground, his borrowed sword falling in some leaves, the monster bellowing triumph.

He backed off, crawling, sweating, good hand searching in his shirt. The monster howled a challenge to the sky. He found what he was looking for, and focused his mind. Flesh knitted, bone snapped back into place, and as the monster moved to dispatch him...

He snatched up his sword. The creature lunged towards him, he struck it square in the chest and its weight carried the blade through fur and flesh and bone and heart.

He lay under its body, exhausted by the effort.

With a flurry of trumpets, a noble company entered the glade. Banners fluttering, coats-of-arms showing each to be a noble of a House of Dawn. The most gloriously-panoplied looked, took in the scene, and spoke.

"You know that trick won't work if you're wearing armour? Still, well done... And please replace Mistress Weaver's valuable wand. Unbound. And preferably without her finding it missing..."

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Mediator's Mail

Description

This light mail shirt, usually composed of mithril or made in the form of steel ringmail, is favoured by Winterfolk and Freeborn senators,diplomats, negotiators and merchants who go to dangerous places in the pursuit of their duties. It is also popular with bannermen and scops. In these professions, many lack the boisterous spirit found among those who thrive on the battlefield, so they often seek out inspiring weapons to accompany the armour such as a Triumphant Blade.

Since no rare materials are needed to produce these, the enchantment is derived entirely from the skill of the artisan. In Urizen each ring is polished to the greatest possible shine and exposed to intricate patterns of light, while an Orcish smith might gather a few links from the armour of many of her hardiest comrades before combining them to produce a mail shirt of great Worth drawing on the resilience of all the links’ past owners. In Wintermark and most other lands, tiny runes are etched into some of the rings, usually Evrom, the rune of beginnings, to give the wearer a fresh start or occasionally Naeve, the rune of hunger, to drive the wearer through hardship and on to greater things.

In the Brass Coast it is sometimes crafted from leather and dubbed Scrivener's Scale. The Freeborn Emperor Ahraz is known to have worn a suit of scrivener's scale during most of his career, including his negotiations with the rebellious orc slaves. When queried about why he did not don a more powerful suit of armour he is said to have replied:

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of medium armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to use the second wind skill.

- Materials: Crafting a suit of mediator's mail requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

"I am a diplomat, not a warrior. My armour is more to stop me being a burden on my bodyguards than to aid me in battle. If a fight breaks out, I will do my best but I am no soldier and no amount of armour will make me one. Better I save my money and spend it somewhere it will do good - on weapons and armour for those to whom I entrust my life."

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Melancholic Staff

Description

The Melancholic Staff taps upon the power of the Realm of Autumn to maximise the bearer's ritual power. These arcane implements are employed throughout the Empire to fortify the abilities of Autumn ritualists. Commonly, these staves are shod in metal and often include extensive metallic decoration - they are often bound in chains or inlaid with polished runes. Some magicians have their staves inlaid with precious gems, while others hang coins or even bars of valuable ingots from their ritual staff.

It is usual to see such an implement engraved with Hirmok, the Rune of Dominion; any or all of the runes of Autumn might also be included, especially if the staff is intended for a specific purpose. For example, the staff of Eddard of Mitwold was inlaid with beautifully carved runes of wealth and bargains, and regularly used to empower Gift of the Wily Broker, helping is market town to quickly establish a reputation for being able to lay their hands on all kinds of valuable goods at short notice. Some staves bear all the runes, surmounted by Hirmok - a contentious move that presents the philosophical idea that the Autumn realm wields power over all magic or all human endeavour via serendipity and synchronicity. Magicians who favour this kind of decoration for their melancholic staves are often considered dangerous megalomaniacs or vainglorious idiots.

Due to the strong correlation between maigc of the Autumn realm and themes of wealth and barter, these staves are sometimes called Trader's Staves or (occasionally with a disparaging tone) Tradesman's Staves. The common decoration and the association with bonding leads to them regularly being referred to as Chain Staves or, in Dawn as Iron Spindles. In the League, they are a common sight in the hands of troupe magicians - they are often called Director's Staves.

Archmage Staff

The staff of the Archmage of Autumn is a version of the melancholic staff crafted to a secret pattern, and grants twice as much power to the wielder - but is significantly more expensive to craft in terms of materials required. Unlike most such staves, the same staves are reforged each year. There have been several attempts to replace the archmage staff with a single, artefact staff - a much cheaper proposal in the long run. Three such staves have been crafted in Imperial history.

The first, belonging to the Suaq arcmage Jessam Wheelwright was lost when that worthy and her entourage were cut off from Imperial forces while fighting the Thule in 45YE. Examination with Ties that Bind placed it squarely in the hands of a Thule dragon, where it is presumed to have remained.

The second such artefact staff was constructed two years later, and passed through the hands of several archmagi until it was destroyed. The perpetrators used Words of Ending to unweave the staff as part of a campaign of destruction aimed at the symbols of Imperial power. These so-called Firestarters were a cult of anarchists whose leader claimed to be the maniac Mikkal reborn. They succeeded in destroying four out of the six archmage staves and came dangerously close to destroying the Imperial crown as well. They were eventually eradicated during the reign of Empress Teleri. Some historians suggest that the excesses of these Mikkalites were a factor in the appointment of a hard-line, religious Empress following the death of Empress Richilde.

The final such staff was created in 204YE when a particularly strong order of the Golden Pyramid managed to gain a short-lived monopoly on the ilium seats in the Imperial Bourse. It survived three years before being stolen in 206YE from the body of the assassinated Vincent Talbot of Bregasland.

In the reign of Empress Mariika, the Imperial Conclave responded to a gambit by archmage Eretin de Tassato Regario try and raise more ilium for a fourth artefact staff with a Declaration of Concord expressing the opinion that the Empire should stop wasting the rare star-metal on artefact staves and simply pay the bounty of ingots and measures needed to re-empower them each year. As Grandmaster Maria i Riqueza of the Celestial Arch said "To lose one such staff is unfortunate, to lose two looks like carelessness, to lose three looks like wanton profligacy. If we let you lose a fourth one, then it makes us look like idiots. There is a good deal more green iron in the Empire than there is ilium ..."

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a ritual stave.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Gain 1 rank of Autumn Lore.

- Materials: Crafting a Melancholic Staff requires the nine ingots of weltsilver, fourteen ingots of green iron and twenty measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Mend

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Description

- 1.1 OOC Note

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This powerful spell quickly repairs an item that has been damaged by a shattering blow. It is especially useful for repairing shields that have been rendered useful by a shattering blow. The majority of the damaged item must be present, but at the completion of the spell the item is repaired seamlessly as if it had never been shattered. Some magicians believe that every piece of a broken item "remembers" having once been part of a greater whole, and that this principle guides the magic they use.

This spell is equally effective on magical and non-magical items; even an artefact can be fully restored. A magical item repaired with the mend spell retains all its special properties (although obviously any restricted abilities that have been expended are still used up).

Useful as this spell is, it is difficult to cast in the middle of a fight. The magician needs several moments of completely uninterrupted focus on the target item - which is next to impossible if it is being jerked around during a fight, or if the magician themselves is in danger of being struck. To use mend effectively, the magician usually needs to be behind allied lines - or well protected by their companions while they concentrate on repairing the item. This can be made easier with the use of rituals such as Smooth Hands Shape The World, but even that will not make magically repairing a damaged item instantaneous.

Some magicians who master this spell wait in a safe location with the express intention of repairing damaged magical items when their allies return. These magicians often spend extra time casting the spell, or may make use of props such as a small hammer or a forge to enhance their casting of their ritual.

Many in the Empire sees extra value in this spell; while spells such as heal or purify are powerful, their effects can be duplicated by physick. Swiftly repairing a damaged item, especially a magical item, is possible only through this spell, or more expensive and time-consuming ritual magic such as the Anvil of Estavus. A magician who wants to specialise in this spell may find a Redsteel Chisel wand especially useful.

OOC Note

There is an obvious limitation on this spell which is that it cannot be used on items that have been physically damaged in the real world. If a letter has been torn up or a bottle has been smashed, no amount of IC magic can restore the destroyed phys-rep.

Casting

- Type: Regular spell

- Cost: 1 Personal mana

Effects

This spell repairs an item, such as a weapon or shield that has been broken using the SHATTER call.

Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- I take this broken weapon / To its weakness, my strength lend / I draw the parts together / What is broken shall now mend.

- (tracing runes on a broken weapon) I invoke Pallas! Weapon, remember what you are! I invoke Hirmok! Weapon, heed your master! By the secrets of hammer and anvil I forge you anew; by the words of creation I bid you be whole.

- (placing wand on item) Things endure, tall beneath the stars. Things last through seasons beyond number. Strong in root and branch, standing below as Our Good Oak stands above, this blade shall not be so lightly cast aside!

- (striking item rhythmically) War-drums beat, bold hearts pound, soldiers march to glory’s sound. Hammers smite, burn forge-fires bright, be forged anew by Summer’s might!

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: The nature of the target item might suggest a specific rune to use, but the most common is Pallas, the rune of wealth; the rune can also be a timely reminder to a magician to request recompense for their use of magic. Some mystics favour the run of transformation, changing a damaged object into a wholesome object.

- Astronomancy: In a similar way that an astronomancer might look to the Chalice when performing magical healing, bringing together the broken parts of an item and restoring their integrity has a strong connection to that constellation. When working specifically with wooden items - especially shields or hafted weapons - an astronomancer may look to the strength and growth characterised by the Oak.

- Dramaturgy: A dramaturgist might take on the role of the Mountebank, performing a miraculous restoration and transforming a useless item into a fully repaired one. It is traditional when using the mountebank to conceal the target item in some way, perhaps beneath a cloak. The Captain is also a good fit for this spell, especially when repairing a weapon or shield.

- Other traditions: Obviously, phrases and actions related to crafting are very appropriate with this spell. A Marcher magician in particular might pack soft earth or mud around the pieces of a broken weapon or shield as they cast the spell.

- Realms: The realm of Autumn most closely allies with the mend spell; objects, especially valuable objects, and the idea of craftsmanship are both strong themes. Summer is a close second, especially around ideas of restoring strength or integrity or "reforging" a broken item. Winter is a very poor fit indeed - it is next to impossible to use Winter magic to repair something; it is much more suited to breaking the item in the first place.

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Men of Fenrose

To the tune of 'Men of Harlech' as performed here

Men of Fenrose stop your dreaming Can't you see their spear points gleaming See their warrior pennants streaming To this battlefield

Men of Fenrose stand ye steady It can never be said that ye For the battle were not ready Marchers never yield

From the hills rebounding Hear our warcry sounding Summon all at Mournewold's call The mighty force surrounding Men of Fenrose on to glory This will ever be your story Keep these burning words before ye Marchers will not yield

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Meraud

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Summer

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Summer

Sobriquets

Meraud is sometimes called The Summer Enchanter.

In addition Meraud is sometimes called The Golden Magician or The Lord of Summer Stars. In Varushka he is called The Fire Mage and characterised as a particularly meddlesome volhov. He is sometimes called The Lord of the Lake in reference to his tower, which is apparently built on a great shrouded lake in the Summer Realm.

Appearance

Meraud appears as a magician with golden skin and a leonine mane. His body is often marked with spiral designs that shift and change over time - he claims that each spiral represents the skein of a mortal life that he is observing. He bears either a bandolier of wands, a pair of rods or a single staff. In all cases, these implements bear enchantments that help Meraud in his role of the master of Summer magics.

Traditionally he appears in a flowing robe, with a pointed hat similar to those favoured by itinerant volhov. He also commonly appears as a resplendent Freeborn hakima in red and gold with a tagelmust, and as a Varushkan volhov with a glowing staff. His seal, which often appears on a banner or as part of his costume, is a lion with a staff in it's mouth.

Sometimes Meraud likes to appear incognito, disguising himself with simple enchantments. When he does so, he is always marked out by his apparent strong changeling lineage, by his manner and by the fact that he cannot refuse to answer to his name if he is challenged.

If there is a danger to dealing with Meraud it is that he is extremely mercurial even by the standards of the Summer Eternals. He is prone to sudden enthusiasms and obsessions and unexpected outbursts of wrathful temper. He is said to have a poor memory, and finds it difficult to focus on the past or the future, always being more concerned about the here-and-now.

Meraud is often accompanied by apprentices and journeymen. Usually these are Heralds or Eternals, sometimes they are mortal youths who study magic with Meraud. According to these apprentices, Meraud's tower is a great castle that stands in the centre of an enchanted lake and serves as an academy of magical study. The few mortal children who have spent a season as a guest of Meraud have reported that it is an impossibly magical place full of golden fire, strange adventures and majestic fantastical beasts.

Concerns

The Golden Magician loves magic. He loves the power that it gives an individual, and the way that it can achieve acts of unparalleled potence. He is capable of performing magic himself, and most commonly performs powerful enchantments or potent acts of destruction or creation. He is something of a paradox - he regards the process of becoming powerful as less important than the act of being powerful. He approves as much of the magician who uses his heal spell to support his allies as he does of the coven that masters a powerful ritual. It is using magic that is important, not hoarding it.

He is always pleased to hear stories of mortals using their magic to overcome challenges and obstacles, and is known to enjoy setting such challenges himself on occasion. His enthusiasm is not always a positive thing - he sometimes creates obstacles and challenges without telling anyone what he is doing, disrupting and endangering mortal lives in the process.

He is especially prone to offer patronage to the Rod and Shield order and the Celestial Arch, but also has a soft-spot for the Unfettered Mind, finding their enthusiasm and inventiveness endlessly exciting. Those magicians who consistently develop new rituals, especially in the Summer Realm, or find impressive ways to use existing magic to overcome challenges, often attract his attention.

In Wintermark he is associated with the runes Verys and Tykonus.

Boons

Meraud offers boons to magicians, enhancing and empowering their mastery of Summer lore. More than many other magically-inclined Eternals, Meraud also favours those who specialise in raw spellcasting especially those who use empower and the various other offensive incantations.

He is known to have little interest in most crafted items, but to be endlessly fascinated by the items mortals craft to increase and use their magical power - robes, implements, mage armour and ritual paraphernalia especially. He is said to be capable of creating several unique magical staffs, and may do so for the correct inducements.

On occasion Meraud may be prevailed upon to help perform an impossible act - a powerful magical creation or destruction. In the past he has helped to call down a star to devastate an enemy fortification, created an unquenchable forest fire, and carved a great citadel out of the side of a mountain. He demands a high price for such assistance, and it usually involves a small fortune in crystalised mana.

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Mercantile investment

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Title Creation

- 3 Cost and Time

- 4 Limitations

- 5 Sinecures

- 5.1 Keeper of the Spice-Gardens

- 6 Ministries

- 6.1 The Walker on the Osseus Path

- 7 Great Works

- 7.1 The Caricomare Quays

Overview

The Senate has the power to commission mercantile investments - great works of construction that contribute to the wealth and affluence of the Empire. Mercantile investments usually involve the creation of a large structure or sequence of structures - they always require an amount of mithril, white granite or weirwood to be used. The resource needed matches that used to improve the personal resource the investment most resembles.

Title Creation

Some of these great works result in the creation of new Imperial titles - although these great works are too vast for one individual to operate (in the sense that an Imperial citizen might operate their own personal resource) - accepted practice is that a single worthy citizen is appointed with the responsibility to utilize the benefits of the great work in the best interests of the Empire.

Where a title is created, the senate must decide which arm of the Imperial government will control the appointment of that title. This decision is handled with a procedural vote by the Senate when the commission is completed.

Cost and Time

All mercantile investments require a substantial investment of mithril, white granite or weirwood - at least ten wains. Unlike military procurement - there is no fixed cost to create a mercantile investment - the more wains that are committed to the construction - the more productive the final work will be. The civil service are usually able to produce relatively accurate forecasts of how much benefit might be obtained for a construction of a given size.

For example; the senate decides to create the sinecure title of "Seneschal of the Silver Birches" to receive the benefit from a large forest reservation in Upwold to produce amounts of iridescent gloaming. Land is put aside, and the civil service confirms that the project will need quantities of white granite. If the character overseeing the project provides at least ten wains of white granite then the sinecure is created representing several acres of pristine forest. If the character provides more white granite then the sinecure becomes more impressive and provides greater amounts of iridescent gloaming.

All mercantile commissions up to 40 wains in size take at one season to complete - but the larger they are, the longer they take. For each additional 40 wains committed to a mercantile construction - one extra season is required to complete the construction. Due to the time-scales and the costs involved, the senator who is arranging the commission may provide the materials in stages.

Limitations

Commissions never provide white granite, weirwood, mithril or ilium. Such resources are so valuable, that the Empire has already expended every throne to maximise their production. An opportunity might provide the Senate with a way to access additional materials, but the only predictable way for the Empire to increase the supply of these precious materials is for the Imperial armies to capture the sources of them.

Commissions never provide national votes to the character who holds them; a sinecure described as a great apple plantation in the Marches does not allow the character who holds the title to have additional votes in the Marcher senatorial elections. The character gains a fixed production from the sinecure, not control and ownership of the commission itself. Rituals that enhance personal resources provide no extra production to a commission, any excess that is gained in this way is taken by the people who work the commission - they do not accrue to the Imperial citizen who holds the title.

A commission must have a physical location - one or more specific regions in the Empire. For example, the Spice Gardens of Feroz are in Feroz in the Brass Coast. If that region or territory is lost, or struck with a blight, then the spice gardens will be lost or blighted.

Sinecures

A senate motion may call for the construction of an establishment capable of producing wealth - money, herbs, resources or similar. This motion automatically results in the creation of a sinecure - an Imperial title conferred on whoever is appointed to be responsible for the wealth produced.

A sinecure is very similar to a personal resource such as a farm or mine in that it provides a set amount of resources to the character who holds the position at the start of each event. Unlike a personal resource, however, the sinecure cannot be upgraded or diversified and there are no decisions to be made about what the position provides or how it does so. A sinecure that produces liao will not come with an option to sell that liao in downtime, a sinecure that produces green iron cannot be paid to produce more in the way a green iron mine could.

Sinecures are not affected by rituals that target a personal resource. A ritual that increases the production of a green iron mine will not affect a sinecure that produces green iron.

It is usually considered the responsibility of the character with the Imperial title to address any problems that might beset the resources represented by the sinecure. For example, if Thule reavers are raiding the mines overseen by the Lady of the Upper Halls, then the Empire would normally expect that character to deal with the problem.

Keeper of the Spice-Gardens

An example of a sinecure is the Freeborn title of Keeper of the Spice Gardens. The legendary Spice-Gardens of Feroz - a set of heavily-walled enclosures covering several acres where the finest spices in the Empire are grown - bring with them an Imperial sinecure that is appointed by the Senators of the Brass Coast. While any Freeborn citizen might try to claim the position, the families of Feroz have worked hard over the last several centuries to ensure that it remains in their hands rather than being claimed by someone resident in another territory. Following a bout of ill-health, the previous Keeper of the Spice Gardens, Jeyah i Sadin i Guerra, sadly passed away during a Freeborn celebration in Autumn 377YE. Some families of the Brass Coast are already preparing their campaigns to claim the title.

This sinecure produces several doses of the finest Cerulean Mazzarine in the Empire every season.

Ministries

A ministerial position is an Imperial title that empowers the holder to purchase one or more valuable resources. The Senate can create ministries that allow the title holder to exchange money for materials such as green iron or weltsilver (but not ilium, mithril, white granite or weirwood), crystal mana and herbs.

Ministerial titles empower the character who holds them to turn their wealth into advantage for themselves or for another organization. Many ministries have been appointed over the years with specific goals or the support of specific structures in mind. A ministry differs from a sinecure in a number of ways, but the most obvious is that the sinecure provides a specific income of set materials, while a ministry is potentially able to purchase large amounts of material as their needs and opportunities dictate.

A ministerial position allows a character to purchase specific goods at a set price. During downtime the character with this Imperial title can spend money from their inventory to purchase specific materials.

Each minister has a specific set of options as to what they may purchase and at what price. Ministers spend their money and make their choices during downtime from their character page. Resources purchased are placed in the inventory when the downtime is processed. The specific choices the character can make depend on the nature of the ministerial position and the number of wains spent setting the position up.

For example, a minister who is appointed to operate a vast Mana market in Morrow might have the choice of whether to buy 21 mana crystals for 18 crowns; 42 mana crystals for 36 crowns; or 63 mana crystals for 54 crowns. They could not spend 9 crowns to buy 7 mana crystals.

The Walker on the Osseus Path

The Walker on the Osseus Path was a ministerial position created in the time of Emperor James and charged with acquiring marrowort from all over the Empire to be used on Imperial battlefields to reduce deaths due to serious traumatic injuries. Sadly, successive holders of the title became increasingly corrupt, demanding higher and higher prices for the marrowort they purchased through their title, and in the reign of Emperor Ahraz the title was formally dissolved.

Great Works

Great works are the most impressive of all the possible mercantile investments - these huge infrastructure investments cost at least 40 wains per territory to create but they result in significant increases in production for everyone in the territory who is affected by them.

Although great works are large - they do not result in the creation of a title - the benefits of a great work are split between the occupants of a territory, they do not accrue to an individual.

When a senator proposes a great work, they must identify the territory and resource that the great work will target. There are no options or choices for a great work - and the individual benefits are always uncertain. The size and effectiveness of the great work sets the total size of the benefit that accrues to everyone in the territory - this benefit is divided equally between the affected players of that nation each season (in the setting there are wide reaching benefits to other NPCs but these are ignored when calculating returns for play balance reasons).

The civil service can provide estimates on the total benefit that will accrue from the completion of a great work in a territory. These estimates are only valid for the current state of the territory - if the region is invaded - or other great works are completed in the mean-time then the returns may diminish.

Only members of a nation may benefit from a great work - a vast series of forges throughout Skarsind might provide a bonus to all Wintermark military units based in the territory - but Wintermark characters dwelling in other territories - and characters from other nations would not benefit from the great work.

The Caricomare Quays

Carciomare was once home to a vast array of brilliant mechanical quays. The design of the quays incorporated bladders which allowed them to be inflated or deflated using a huge central bellows - causing the quays to rise up out of the water. This odd ability made it much quicker and easier for ships of all berths to be unloaded at the quays. The result was an improvement in the productivity of every League vessel that operated out of Sarvos.

Sadly the Quays were lost when Caricomare was flooded in 348YE.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Mercantile_investment&oldid=25817"

Mercantile investment (Redirected from Mercantile investments)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Title Creation

- 3 Cost and Time

- 4 Limitations

- 5 Sinecures

- 5.1 Keeper of the Spice-Gardens

- 6 Ministries

- 6.1 The Walker on the Osseus Path

- 7 Great Works

- 7.1 The Caricomare Quays

Overview

The Senate has the power to commission mercantile investments - great works of construction that contribute to the wealth and affluence of the Empire. Mercantile investments usually involve the creation of a large structure or sequence of structures - they always require an amount of mithril, white granite or weirwood to be used. The resource needed matches that used to improve the personal resource the investment most resembles.

Title Creation

Some of these great works result in the creation of new Imperial titles - although these great works are too vast for one individual to operate (in the sense that an Imperial citizen might operate their own personal resource) - accepted practice is that a single worthy citizen is appointed with the responsibility to utilize the benefits of the great work in the best interests of the Empire.

Where a title is created, the senate must decide which arm of the Imperial government will control the appointment of that title. This decision is handled with a procedural vote by the Senate when the commission is completed.

Cost and Time

All mercantile investments require a substantial investment of mithril, white granite or weirwood - at least ten wains. Unlike military procurement - there is no fixed cost to create a mercantile investment - the more wains that are committed to the construction - the more productive the final work will be. The civil service are usually able to produce relatively accurate forecasts of how much benefit might be obtained for a construction of a given size.

For example; the senate decides to create the sinecure title of "Seneschal of the Silver Birches" to receive the benefit from a large forest reservation in Upwold to produce amounts of iridescent gloaming. Land is put aside, and the civil service confirms that the project will need quantities of white granite. If the character overseeing the project provides at least ten wains of white granite then the sinecure is created representing several acres of pristine forest. If the character provides more white granite then the sinecure becomes more impressive and provides greater amounts of iridescent gloaming.

All mercantile commissions up to 40 wains in size take at one season to complete - but the larger they are, the longer they take. For each additional 40 wains committed to a mercantile construction - one extra season is required to complete the construction. Due to the time-scales and the costs involved, the senator who is arranging the commission may provide the materials in stages.

Limitations

Commissions never provide white granite, weirwood, mithril or ilium. Such resources are so valuable, that the Empire has already expended every throne to maximise their production. An opportunity might provide the Senate with a way to access additional materials, but the only predictable way for the Empire to increase the supply of these precious materials is for the Imperial armies to capture the sources of them.

Commissions never provide national votes to the character who holds them; a sinecure described as a great apple plantation in the Marches does not allow the character who holds the title to have additional votes in the Marcher senatorial elections. The character gains a fixed production from the sinecure, not control and ownership of the commission itself. Rituals that enhance personal resources provide no extra production to a commission, any excess that is gained in this way is taken by the people who work the commission - they do not accrue to the Imperial citizen who holds the title.

A commission must have a physical location - one or more specific regions in the Empire. For example, the Spice Gardens of Feroz are in Feroz in the Brass Coast. If that region or territory is lost, or struck with a blight, then the spice gardens will be lost or blighted.

Sinecures

A senate motion may call for the construction of an establishment capable of producing wealth - money, herbs, resources or similar. This motion automatically results in the creation of a sinecure - an Imperial title conferred on whoever is appointed to be responsible for the wealth produced.

A sinecure is very similar to a personal resource such as a farm or mine in that it provides a set amount of resources to the character who holds the position at the start of each event. Unlike a personal resource, however, the sinecure cannot be upgraded or diversified and there are no decisions to be made about what the position provides or how it does so. A sinecure that produces liao will not come with an option to sell that liao in downtime, a sinecure that produces green iron cannot be paid to produce more in the way a green iron mine could.

Sinecures are not affected by rituals that target a personal resource. A ritual that increases the production of a green iron mine will not affect a sinecure that produces green iron.

It is usually considered the responsibility of the character with the Imperial title to address any problems that might beset the resources represented by the sinecure. For example, if Thule reavers are raiding the mines overseen by the Lady of the Upper Halls, then the Empire would normally expect that character to deal with the problem.

Keeper of the Spice-Gardens

An example of a sinecure is the Freeborn title of Keeper of the Spice Gardens. The legendary Spice-Gardens of Feroz - a set of heavily-walled enclosures covering several acres where the finest spices in the Empire are grown - bring with them an Imperial sinecure that is appointed by the Senators of the Brass Coast. While any Freeborn citizen might try to claim the position, the families of Feroz have worked hard over the last several centuries to ensure that it remains in their hands rather than being claimed by someone resident in another territory. Following a bout of ill-health, the previous Keeper of the Spice Gardens, Jeyah i Sadin i Guerra, sadly passed away during a Freeborn celebration in Autumn 377YE. Some families of the Brass Coast are already preparing their campaigns to claim the title.

This sinecure produces several doses of the finest Cerulean Mazzarine in the Empire every season.

Ministries

A ministerial position is an Imperial title that empowers the holder to purchase one or more valuable resources. The Senate can create ministries that allow the title holder to exchange money for materials such as green iron or weltsilver (but not ilium, mithril, white granite or weirwood), crystal mana and herbs.

Ministerial titles empower the character who holds them to turn their wealth into advantage for themselves or for another organization. Many ministries have been appointed over the years with specific goals or the support of specific structures in mind. A ministry differs from a sinecure in a number of ways, but the most obvious is that the sinecure provides a specific income of set materials, while a ministry is potentially able to purchase large amounts of material as their needs and opportunities dictate.

A ministerial position allows a character to purchase specific goods at a set price. During downtime the character with this Imperial title can spend money from their inventory to purchase specific materials.

Each minister has a specific set of options as to what they may purchase and at what price. Ministers spend their money and make their choices during downtime from their character page. Resources purchased are placed in the inventory when the downtime is processed. The specific choices the character can make depend on the nature of the ministerial position and the number of wains spent setting the position up.

For example, a minister who is appointed to operate a vast Mana market in Morrow might have the choice of whether to buy 21 mana crystals for 18 crowns; 42 mana crystals for 36 crowns; or 63 mana crystals for 54 crowns. They could not spend 9 crowns to buy 7 mana crystals.

The Walker on the Osseus Path

The Walker on the Osseus Path was a ministerial position created in the time of Emperor James and charged with acquiring marrowort from all over the Empire to be used on Imperial battlefields to reduce deaths due to serious traumatic injuries. Sadly, successive holders of the title became increasingly corrupt, demanding higher and higher prices for the marrowort they purchased through their title, and in the reign of Emperor Ahraz the title was formally dissolved.

Great Works

Great works are the most impressive of all the possible mercantile investments - these huge infrastructure investments cost at least 40 wains per territory to create but they result in significant increases in production for everyone in the territory who is affected by them.

Although great works are large - they do not result in the creation of a title - the benefits of a great work are split between the occupants of a territory, they do not accrue to an individual.

When a senator proposes a great work, they must identify the territory and resource that the great work will target. There are no options or choices for a great work - and the individual benefits are always uncertain. The size and effectiveness of the great work sets the total size of the benefit that accrues to everyone in the territory - this benefit is divided equally between the affected players of that nation each season (in the setting there are wide reaching benefits to other NPCs but these are ignored when calculating returns for play balance reasons).

The civil service can provide estimates on the total benefit that will accrue from the completion of a great work in a territory. These estimates are only valid for the current state of the territory - if the region is invaded - or other great works are completed in the mean-time then the returns may diminish.

Only members of a nation may benefit from a great work - a vast series of forges throughout Skarsind might provide a bonus to all Wintermark military units based in the territory - but Wintermark characters dwelling in other territories - and characters from other nations would not benefit from the great work.

The Caricomare Quays

Carciomare was once home to a vast array of brilliant mechanical quays. The design of the quays incorporated bladders which allowed them to be inflated or deflated using a huge central bellows - causing the quays to rise up out of the water. This odd ability made it much quicker and easier for ships of all berths to be unloaded at the quays. The result was an improvement in the productivity of every League vessel that operated out of Sarvos.

Sadly the Quays were lost when Caricomare was flooded in 348YE.

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Mercantilist's Mask

Description

The Mercantilist's Mask provides the wearer with a greater understanding of the tides and rivers of wealth that flow through the Empire and beyond; they learn to better manipulate such forces to benefit business. It is rare for one of these masks not to incorporate a Wintermark rune - most often Pallas the Rune of Wealth. Some artisans make use of subtle Queros or serendipitous Ull. Outside Wintermark, the rune is often inscribed on the interior of the mask, often in such a way that it will rest just above the lips of the wearer.

These masks are seldom opulent or bejeweled, instead preferring a subtle touch of gold trim or silver inlay on a plain and well crafted base. Coins are an obvious motif to include when fashioning such an item; in the Brass Coast a popular form of this mask is a lower-face veil composed of two dozen ring coins bound together with orichalcum wires called (unsurprisingly) a Veil of Rings.

Fish are sometimes used - the scales of a fish can appear metallic, and they navigate literal tides in the same way the magician seeks to navigate metaphoric economic tides. In Varushka the mask may be engraved with bees, but a mask in the shape of a squirrel may also work well with the magic employed (the squirrel is wise, but it also collects and stores nuts in a way that has obvious resonance to the behaviour of a business owner).

As with all the magical masks, these are used to grant additional power to perform ritual magic. In this case, the Mercantilist's Mask empowers the Streams of Silver and Rivers of Gold rituals. Both rituals deal with the accumulation of wealth; subtly nudging synchronicity to ensure a steady flow of coins into the pockets of a business owner.

By itself, it will allow even a novice autumn ritualist to perform Streams of Silver without having mastered it and without the assistance of a coven. It is sufficient to empower that simple ritual enough to let a ritualist add one or two additional businesses to a performance depending on the mastery of the wearer. It is even powerful enough to let any magician use the Imperial Regio (or another item that grants additional lore) to perform that ritual without any ritual lore at all!

It is not so impactful when used to perform Rivers of Gold - in theory, it might allow a master of Autumn magic who is familiar with the ritual to perform it by themselves (perhaps one who has access to an appropriate potion or ritual staff). More likely it will help a coven gather sufficient power to perform the ritual with limited mastery, or enchant an additional business that might otherwise be beyond their power with a single performance.

Rules

- Form: Foci.

- Effect: Gain 1 rank for the Streams of Silver and Rivers of Gold rituals.

- Materials: Crafting a Mercantilist's Mask requires seven ingots of orichalcum; three measures of beggar's lye; three measures of dragonbone; and two measures of iridescent gloaming; It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Mercenary Banner

Description

While these banners are most popular among the Free Companies of the League. They are also used by companies of Urizen sentinels who embrace the doctrine of offering assistance at the vital moment on foreign battlefields.

They have also seen extensive use in places where small groups within a nation feel the need to fight on a battlefield apart from the rest of their nation. It is not common, but a band that has an interest in a specific territory, or feels a strong obligation to the folk of another nation, can use one of the banners to accompany an allied army even as the bulk of their national forces fight elsewhere.

Rules

- Form: Standard. Takes the form of a magical standard.

- Effect: A band bonded to this banner may travel to a battle that their national banner is not attending. The banner must be bonded to a single character from a nation whose national banner is attending that battle. While the banner is assigned to another nation you cannot travel to a battle with your own nation.

- Materials: Crafting a mercenary banner requires ten measures of dragonbone and seven measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Captain Lucrenza shook her head sadly “We'd love to accommodate you, Brand Cadaen”

“Love to accommodate you...” repeated her lieutenant, from just behind her shoulder.

“But the fact is that right now the Empire finds itself with more wars than it can comfortably fight – and to be frank, it's a seller's market.”

“Yes, a seller's market...”

The elderly Navarri let his gaze travel over the two figures across the desk. Although they dressed like gaudy fools, he doubted that their Free Company could have accrued so much wealth and power without a shrewd mind directing things. He had the uncomfortable feeling that the two women had already stopped seeing him as a lean old man with tattooed skin, but were instead staring at what they felt to be a big bag of thrones sitting opposite them.

“And I appreciate you taking the time to see me, Captain Lucrenza, I really do. I'm sure you're schedule must be quite hectic. But if the fighting disrupts the use of the trods, or worse still, provokes the Vallorn in the region, then surely the whole Empire will suffer.”

Lucrenza waved a hand, “And I deplore such a possibility, honoured Brand, I truly do.”

“Truly.”

“But those are matters for the senate to take action on, not a humble guilder. I can't be expected to foot the bill for the entire Empire's defence. We already do our bit by providing excellent soldiery to the Empire at affordable prices.”

“Very affordable!” nodded the lieutenant.

“In that respect, madam, I fear our definitions of affordable may vary somewhat. Nevertheless, the Navarr will take the field against the orcs, even if it means that we must sacrifice our lives while others merely seek to turn a profit.”

He gritted his teeth, “I have been given leave to ask your price. It will be met.”

Lucrenza smiled, “Why, I feel a sudden rush of patriotism overtaking me already...”

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Merciless Wrath of the Reaver

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a military unit. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The military unit gains a significant boost to its effective rank, provided it engages in raiding. The enchantment increases the effective rank of the unit by three.

When the ritual is complete, the character who controls the target resource experiences a roleplaying effect; they feel aggressive and ready to solve any problem with violence; they have little patience for anything that gets in the way of their immediate gratification. The effect persists for at least ten minutes..

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event. If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory. If the military unit does not engage in raiding during the next downtime, the ritual has no effect.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional military units belonging to characters in the same banner. Each additional military unit increases the magnitude by 6. The character who controls each military unit must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This ritual is sometimes called Across the Boundary, especially in The Marches, where they have a well-developed sense of 'their' land as opposed to barbarian lands. In The League and Highguard it is commonly called Bloodthirsty Blades because of the way it encourages soldiers to fight mercilessly against their opponents. The enchantment grants a military unit vigour and primitive strength, and heightens their aggression. The more bloodthirsty they are, the more the magic of Spring encourages them and strengthens them; if they operate in the more restrained activity of fighting alongside a campaign army, the enchantment quickly fades.

The Merciless Wrath of the Reaver can be a little risky. The soldiers in a military unit are unlikely to fall on each other unless they are already on the verge of mutiny, but there are stories of bloodthirsty warriors who lost the last vestiges of humanity under the influence of this enchantment. When they engage in battle they are much more likely to attack ferociously to kill or cripple their opponents as quickly as they can and show little mercy. This effect is especially pronounced if the enchantment is placed on a unit of Imperial Orcs, who are often already in danger of giving in to violent urges

It is common for those who receive the benefit of the spell to offer a portion of any plunder they gain in the coming season to the ritualists, although this is by no means mandatory - not least because some ritualists prefer to be paid in advance rather than trust to the short memories of raiders.

Common Elements

The ritual fills a fighting force with both vigour and bloodlust. Ritual performances often include the evocation of the rune of storms or the constellation of The Claw. Blood is often shed during this ritual, often mixed with a cup or bowl of water or spirits and shared by the targets. Sometimes the ritual involves the targets cutting themselves with a blade and swearing oaths to be merciless in pursuit of their prey. There are often invocations of wolves or other predatory animals, especially dire beasts and occasionally manticores during the performance of Merciless Wrath of the Reaver.

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Miaren

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Seren

- 3.2 Brock's Toll

- 4 Minor Settlements

- 4.1 Holt

- 4.2 Rhonwen’s Fall

- 4.3 The Pool of Silver Clouds

- 4.4 The Golden Trees of Seren

- 5 Regions

- 5.1 Goldglades

- 5.2 Holtford

- 5.3 Oakways

- 5.4 Greenfalls

- 5.5 Serenael

- 6 OOC Notes

Overview

In the south is Miaren, a forest of golden trees and fair winds, that lies on the border between Dawn and the Marches. In the early years of the Empire the Vallorn at Miaren was completely destroyed and at the heart of the forest the ruins of the city Seren reclaimed, to be slowly rebuilt. It is now considered the heartland of the Navarr nation, and a symbol of what can be achieved.

Recent History

Miaren is the heartland of the Navarr. Unlike other Navarr territories, conflict here arises either from the internal politics of the Navarr, or from conflicts between stubborn groups of Marcher and Dawnish yeomen brawling across the invisible "border" between their two nations,

Major Features

Seren

Fallen city of Terunael once held by a Vallorn. In the early years of the Empire, the Vallorn was defeated, and the new town of Seren has been built in the ruins, reclaimed from the forest. It is now the premier settlement of the Navarr, consisting of a number of Steadings.

In early 377YE a number of fortified watchtowers and secure campsites were built around Seren, providing local bandit-hunters and scouts safe places to use in their pursuit both of lawbreakers and opportunistic orc raiding parties. The project was overseen by Henry Ward (senator for Upwold) as part of a larger Senate initiative to provide protection to towns throughout the Empire. The defences are not sufficient to qualify Seren as a fortification, but have helped reduce outlawry throughout the territory.

Brock's Toll

Brock's Toll is a famous toll bridge situated roughly halfway between Dawn and the Marches, but historically claimed by both. While it isn't much used by wealthy merchants or nobles, the road that this bridge lies on carries most of the agricultural traffic between Dawn and the Marches, and the operator of the Toll is allowed by tradition to claim one sack from each cart's load.

The bridge is so old that when it was first constructed the Vallorn still controlled most of Miaren. In the early days of the Empire this site changed hands between the two nations several times, often with violence. Even when Earls and Stewards forbade their people to fight, rowdy yeomen would often take matters into their own hands and the Navarr soon became sick of breaking up scuffles over ownership.

Eventually the Imperial Senate took matters into their own hand and decreed that ownership of the Toll would be decided by an annual competition of arms between the yeoman who were so eager to fight. Eventually this evolved into the modern practice of the Brock's Buffet - a brutal (nonlethal) five-aside melee with only one winner left standing to claim ownership for the coming year.

Since 372 YE the Buffet has been won by the Marches, with the most recent incumbent being Bobby Shanks of House Bolholt in 377 YE.

Minor Settlements

Holt

A trade steading with a large and famed wayhouse, on both road and river. For those who wish to avoid Temeschwar for whatever reason, it’s a common stopping place on the road to Highguard from the North of Empire.

Rhonwen’s Fall

Built into the cliff under falls that feed the upper reaches of the Gancio. In less peaceable times when the Navarr spent more time hiding from barbarians than hunting them it was a refuge. The Navarr of old carved intricate patterns into the rock, of trods and of ritual dances.

The Pool of Silver Clouds

A still pool in a quiet glade which, whatever the weather, reflects silver clouds and a blue sky. It is said that some Vates can divine the future in the waters of the pool.

The Golden Trees of Seren

The Golden Trees of Seren is a Bourse position which produces weirwood.

Regions

Goldglades

The Goldglades are named partly for the great stands of ancient oaks that grow here, and partly for the rich bounty of ambergelt that the forest workers harvest here. The steadings of Goldglades are some of the wealthiest in Miaren and indeed Navarr.

Keywords: Forested.

Holtford

Oakways

Greenfalls

Serenael

OOC Notes

- The Navarr (and by extension the Empire) control all the regions of Miaren. It is firmly an Imperial territory.

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Miaren (song)

Original Song by Jamie Wakefield (https://soundcloud.com/jamie-wakefield/miaren)

Chords: Stanza 1&2 - C#m E A C#m A F#m C#m, Stanza 3 - A C#m A E, A G#m F#m B, Stanza 4 – C#m E C#m E A F#m C#m, Bridge - A G#m F#m B x2, Coda - C#m E C#m E A F#m C#m x2.

Verse 1 Miaren, Miaren, Will we meet again, At journey's end, Miaren?

Oh dream, oh jewel, Of Terunael, Do tell me when, Miaren.

How I recall, Your towers of yore, That once filled the blue skies, Now ruined and worn.

But then, Miaren, We'll see you again, In new Seren, Miaren.

Verse 2 Oh new, Seren, Our only haven. From you we will, Rebuild.

Our dream, our jewel, Of Terunael, Begins anew, with you.

But oh... the road, Calls ever to roam, And walking the long trods, I long for my home.

But then, Seren, I'll see you again. At Journey's end Miaren

Bridge (Repeat a few times) But the road, but the road, Calls ever to roam. And walking the long trods, I long for my home.

Coda But then, Seren, I'll see you again, When journey's end, Miaren.

When journey's end, Miaren.

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Midwife's Recourse

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets an unborn baby. The mother of that baby must be present throughout the performance of the ritual.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The unborn baby or babies will be carried to term safely, and be born live and well. Both mother and baby are protected from sickness, weakness and other complications that might arise during the pregnancy.

The enchantment lasts until the child is born.

Description

Despite the obvious benefits of the ritual, Midwife's Recourse is viewed with suspicion by many. who fear that exposing an unborn child to the magics of the Spring realm risks tainting them with the Briar lineage. Some briar parents, by contrast, seek the spell out specifically because they hope it will encourage their offspring to develop the briar trait, fearing that their progeny might otherwise reject them when they come of age.

Imperial scholars have found no concrete evidence that the ritual has any negative effects on child or mother. Only the most extreme individuals would place concern that a child might develop lineage above the safety of mother and baby, and even in the most reactionary parts of the Empire this ritual is used to help with difficult pregnancies.

Even the more suspicious magicians agree, however, that this ritual creates an enchantment on the unborn child, rather than the mother. Consequently, it is generally held that further enchantments, or the use of further Spring magic, that target the mother should have little effect on the baby itself.

Many midwives or physicians see the use of this ritual to be a blessing, but just as many prefer to make use of it only during difficult pregnancies, reassuring expectant parents that there is no need for the magic in routine pregnancies. Despite this it is very much favoured by mothers who must enter high-stress environments during the term of their pregnancy, allowing them to remain active right up to the weeks before birth.

The performance of this ritual is often combined with a meal to celebrate the coming birth, with friends and family often giving presents intended for the child to the expectant parents. In Dawn the Weaver cabal performing the ritual will often provide carefully woven swaddling, or an embroidered sling, intended as gifts for the child to offer it protection even after it is born. It is not uncommon, especially in Varushka, The Marches and The Brass Coast for one or more of the magicians who performed this ritual to be present at the birth.

The ritual is equally effective on animals as it is on humans, although the expense rarely makes it worth the effort of using it to protect a pig, ox or goat.

Common Elements

The most common element used in this ritual is the rune Bravash although there are some magicians who are unsettled by the implication of comparing a human to a goat or other domestic animal. The rune Verys may also be appropriate, especially if the woman targetted by the spell is a warrior. Some ritualists may invoke the name of the Eternal Yaw'nagrah, but this is rare due to unfounded concerns that this further increases the likelihood the child will have the Briar lineage.

Evocations of protection, health and warding are frequently combined with promises to protect mother and child; recitations of the child or the mother's lineage (especially among the Freeborn); invocations of the bonds of Loyalty between family and friends; or the use of herbs to soothe and strengthen the expectant parents.

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Miekarova

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Mormyk

- 3.2 The Painted Caves

- 3.3 The Razors

- 3.4 The Night Quarry

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Dupadealuri

- 4.2 Miechernya

- 4.3 Mieriada

- 4.4 Perumaki

- 4.5 Srodkoja

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

Miekarova is more heavily forested than the rest of Varushka. It is known for its furs, for its hunting, and for its particularly harsh winters. Snow regularly falls here for up to six months in the year, and it is common for vales to be snowed-in during the darkest months. The wolves of Miekarova are especially savage, and every few years or so gather in great hordes that sweep down out of the north, threatening the unwary and causing widespread trouble until they are eventually dealt with. Plaguewulfs are more common here than anywhere else in Varushka, and the sovereign believed to be their progenitor, The Howling Queen, is said to slumber somewhere beneath the hills of north-eastern Miekarova.

Noted for beautiful painted caves beneath several of the larger ranges of hills, it was also the heart of Ushkan mysticism in the dim days long before the foundation of the Empire. It was in Miekarova that the Imperial Faith found its deepest roots in Varushka, and there are a number of vales here that surround churches and shrines to the Way. The priests here are especially vigilant against the dangers of the dark winters and the monsters that come with it, and several warden fellowships make a practice of spending their winters here to offer additional assistance.

Recent History

Major Features

Mormyk

In Mierchernya, Mormyk is the furthest western vale and closest to Wintermark. It enjoyed a long history of good relations with the people of Krysse. Varushkan merchants regularly traveled east to the great market there, while adventurous Winterfolk traders and pedlars were a common feature along the road linking the two. This came to an end with the fall of Skarsind to the Thule in 373YE. Amid concerns that the barbarians would push east into Miekarova, the people of Mormyk fortified their vale and cast expectant eyes towards the barbarian bastion that the orcs had made amid the halls of Estermark. Now that Skarsind is free again, it remains to be seen if the good trading relations between Miekarova and Skarsind can be re-established safely.

The Painted Caves

Several clusters beautifully painted caves lie under the hills of Miekarova, thought to be of Ushkan origin. The paintings in the cave are incredibly vibrant, and iridescent gloaming has clearly been added to the pigments. They are often quite abstract, but occasional enigmatic images of people and animals are common features. Several of the caves are known to have potent wards laid over them that still maintain their power today, and more than one contains a strong regio, usually connected to the realm of Night.

The most famous are those in western Mieriada; they have been extensively explored and the galleries extend for at least a mile beneath the hills. Many of the paintings here are damaged, either by weapons or by a deliberate attempt to deface them, and historians believe the damage may be the result of an early conflict between Vard and Ushka. Others mutter darkly that the damage here has nothing to do with the Vard, but talk about an internal conflict between the ancient Ushka - they generally claim to have come by this information through visionary dreams, and can provide little proof. Some cabalists have claimed that the caves enhance night rituals intended to provide visions, while the famous volhov Pakaanan claimed that the caves were somehow connected to the enigmatic dreams created with Sift the Dreamscape's Sands. Other caves exist under several other peaks

The Razors

These seven spines of black obsidian stand atop a mountain that shadows the road through Perumaki. An outpost at the foot of the mountain observes the razors each morning - they are usually shrouded in cloud as the day dawns, which is a good omen. If the razors are "unsheathed" (clearly visible at sunrise), it often signifies that a band of plagewulfs will attack somewhere along the road before the next sunrise. Warning bells are rung, and runners dispatched to nearby vales to warn them of the danger. The razors themselves have never been closely examined - the approach is sheer and the presence of wolves makes it effectively impossible to approach - but study through spyglass has reinforced the belief that several of the ravening beasts that accompany their unsheathing dwell in caves and gulleys around the top of the mountain. Stories say that the Howling Queen rests under the mountain peak, and sometimes gives audience to brave or foolhardy explorers and volhov. The stories further suggest that the mists that generally shroud the razors are nothing other than a massive cloud of corpse-raising venom similar to that produced by the plaguewulfs. They fear what might happen if that malignant fog were to flow down the mountain and into the vales of Perumaki.

The Night Quarry

The Night Quarry is located high in the mountains of Mieriada near the Painted Caves. White Granite is produced here using a technique that fills the air with a fine white dust that quickly settles on the skin. As a result the workers have a ghostly pale complexion until they wash. The decision of the Imperial Senate to make it an Imperial bourse position angered many Varushkans at the time; it was also the site of an early engagement between orc slaves and Imperial troops known as the Night Quarry Massacre. After two weeks of intermittent fighting around the quarry, Varushkan troops and revolting slave miners alike were slaughtered when Thule barbarian raiders happened across it and took advantage of both sides' weakness. To this day, miners claim to hear the occasional moans of trapped orcs, dying warriors and exultant Thule echoing in dark, giving the site an unwholesome reputation

The Night Quarry is an Imperial Bourse position. Control is allocated to any Imperial citizen by open auction. It produces 27 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

Regions

Dupadealuri

The hills of Dupadealuri are scattered with vines that mine rich veins of Tempest Jade and weltsilver. It is watched over by Essk, a hilltop town behind a great wooden wall. The broad road that runs through Essk links Miekarova to the rest of Varushka. It is famed for the Bell of Essk, a great Wintermark-forged monstrosity that is high in the wooden watchtower at the junction of the roads from Miekarova, Karsk and Karov. This bell can be heard for miles, and is sounded when a known Sovereign of the area has been spied. The tower itself serves as a place of pilgrimage for those dedicated to Vigilance.

Miechernya

The trading vale of Mormyk protects the road from Varushka to Skarsind. Much of the region is wild, and the hills and mountains are home to both mines and well-defended forests that endure the cold winters and occasional attacks by wolves. Another danger in Miecernya are Thule raiders down out of the northern mountains, come from Otkodov to steal the bounty of the miners and the foresters. There are several ancient battlefields in Miechernya where human and orc have clashed - and on occasion a conflict between barbrian and Imperial warriors near one of these battlefields stirs up old ghosts, or remnants of soldiers who attack both sides indiscriminately, angry that their sleep has been disturbed.

Keywords: Hills

Mieriada

This region is known for rich veins of orichalcum in the mountains, and for savage raids by the Thule who sometimes follow the rivers down out of the mountains to attack the vales or the mines. Both the Painted Caves and the Night Quarry are found here.

The most famous vale in Mieriada lies on shores of the Coldmere (which often freezes solid in the depths of winter) lies Wendell’s Hope, a mining vale that grew up round a tavern and trading post. It is unusual in that it's boyar is traditionally the owner of the largest tavern in the vale, which is a place of pilgrimage for the dedicates of Courage. Groups of warriors planning to raid into Otkodov often gather here on their outward journey, and on their return. It is especially welcoming to stzena; the nights are long, and both the miners and the warriors are wealthy. It is sometimes called the Last Warm Hearth in the North.

Keywords: Woods

Perumaki

In the mountains of Perumaki are the Razors, and at the foot of their mountain lies the vale of Razorwatch which keeps an eye on them. As with most regions of Miekarova, Perumaki contains a number of prosperous mines, and there are numerous rich veins of orichalcum and green iron. The richest material in Perumaki is probably silver, however, and a number of businesses are scattered through the vales here that deal in precious metals or fine jewelry.

Perumaki is also the ancestral home of the Vor'Azi, who have lived in the Vale of Strascovia for generations. At the Spring Equinox 379YE, the Imperial Senate approved construction of a fortification at the Vale of Strascovia, builidng on the crumbling remains of the Vor'Azi estates.

Keywords: Hills

Srodkoja

The centre of the northern fur trade; pelts from here adorn many a Dawnish Earl or Merchant Prince of the League cities. The largest vale in Srodkoja is Olodny, and has made much of its wealth from trapping and skinning. It is built to defend against wolf packs - the ditches are deep and the walls thick with spikes - and it serves as a base of operations for both hunters and wagon raiders.

Srodkoja is also the location of Olga’s Ashes, a place of virtuous study, part-built into caverns above the road. Olga was an early Varushkan convert to the Way, a warden by calling, and her ashes are said to have miraculous powers to reveal possessing spirits. Some Varushkans claim her as an exemplar of Vigilance, but she has not been recognised as such by the Imperial Synod.

Keywords: Woods

OOC Notes

- The regions of Miekarova are in the hands of the Varushkans (and by extension, the Empire) making this an Imperial territory.

- This page is still under development - the next stage is to review approved backgrounds for details that would enrich the description of the territory.

The businesses of Miekarova

Several vales of Miekarova are described as dealing in valuable minerals or furs. While you could represent this kind of endeavour with a mine or a farm, you could also represent it with a business. A trading post that deals in ostensibly mundane goods would produce money rather than game materials, making business ideal - and it would be easy to imagine diversifying it to provide small amounts of appropriate raw materials. Perhaps the miners who provide your silversmith with silver occasionally bring ingots of weltsilver as well.

Likewise, while you might represent a gang of wagon raiders with a military unit, an inn or tavern like Wendells Hope that serves as their base of operations would make an interesting business - perhaps again with a little diversification to reflect the spoils of war they might trade you to pay off their bar tab.

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Might of the Myrmidon

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 40

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 40

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target of this ritual gains remarkable martial prowess. They gain the skills weapon master, shield, thrown, cleaving strike, shattering blow and mighty strikedown

In addition, the target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect; they feel a strong urge to seek out powerful, famous and dangerous enemies and defeat them in contests of arms. They feel uncomfortable attacking from ambush or with stealth and feel much prefer to challenge their target openly before they attack.

While under this enchantment they may respond to any roleplaying effect that would make them afraid, weary, make them doubt their abilities or coerce them into following another by loudly declaring a challenge against the source of the effect and confidently moving to attack it or engage with it.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 23. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual enchantment empowers any warrior with great skill. It is a powerful effect that can turn provide a green recruit with the skills and knowledge of a champion. Unfortunately, it provides none of the experience that will let a target wield those skills effectively on the battlefield, nor with the heroic spark they need to get the most out of their abilities. Indeed, a target may become rash, brash and foolhardy and charge recklessly into situations where an experienced veteran would hang back.

Common Elements

This ritual usually involves both the target and their armoury. A ritualist might trace matching runes on weapons and warrior, or might anoint them with a mixture of blood and oil. A toast is often drunk, especially when the ritual is performed on a band of warriors rather than a single target. The target is often garbed or girded in a new surcote or tabard that bears their heraldry or livery; sometimes they are symbolically crowned with a wreath of flowers, leaves or even gold. Legendary warriors, especially those who fought and triumphed over mighty opponents, are often invoked as are Paragons and Exemplars of warlike mien.

Any of the Summer runes might be evoked, but Verys, the rune of strength, is the most common. An evocation of The Stallion or The Oak may be appropriate with this ritual, as are evocations of strong and ferocious animals such as lions, bears, unicorns, chimerae and dragons. Any number of Eternals might be mentioned, especially Eleonaris or Cathan Canae,

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Mikkal

If the Synod recognised such a thing, Mikkal of Varushka - known as the Firestarter - would be an Exemplar of Anarchy.

A cultist of this false virtue, Mikkal delighted in devising elaborate schemes to tear down both "the lies and hypocrisies of society” and "the illusion of security.” Mikkal’s madness is portrayed as being infectious, and he found it easy to attract followers - known as Mikkalites - who he used as pawns in his schemes. Frequently it is only the intervention of Vardas, Paragon of Vigilance, that averts some terrible disaster.

According to the stories and legends, Mikkal and Vardas had a fateful confrontation in which Mikkal committed suicide to escape into the Labyrinth of Ages and be reborn in a time when Vardas would be unable to stop him.

In the year 53 YE, a notorious figure arose claiming to be Mikkal reincarnated. Now styling himself as the “Sovereign of the Empire” he sought to undermine the entire Empire, sowing chaos, disharmony and ruin wherever he could and working to break down the tenuous links between nations. The Mikkalites were hunted down and destroyed and their leader, whose true identity was never uncovered, vowed that he would return again. Some claim that one of those who took the forefront of the battle to the Mikkalites was the reincarnated Ion, Vardas' apprentice, whose timely appearance was not formally recognised.

Staunch supporters of Vardas’ legacy deny that this the leader of this cult was Mikkal the Firestarter who was stopped for evermore by Vardas’ sacrifice, but others worry that should Mikkal be reincarnated again he will embark on another anarchist's crusade.

Later, during the Freedom Heresy, it was speculated that one of the rebels was Mikkal reincarnated to cause strife once again. However, no scholar was able to identify any person who claimed this identity, or mantle, and it is largely considered to be apocryphal.

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Military Council (Redirected from Military)

Redirect page

Imperial Military Council

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Imperial Military Council (Redirected from Military Council)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Role within the Empire

- 3 History

- 4 Sessions

- 4.1 The Muster

- 4.2 Council sessions

- 5 Participation

- 6 Limitations

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Military Council is the gathering of Imperial generals. Individually, the generals have responsibility for the orders given to the the Empire’s armies. Collectively, the Council has the power to determine what use will be made of the major conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate. The Council also meets regularly during events to allow generals an opportunity to share strategic information and receive formal presentations from other citizens, and to wield the legal powers of the Council.

While each general is a member of the Military Council, there is an implicit tension between their responsibility to the nation they represent and the perceived needs of the Empire as a whole. Throughout the history of the Empire, the strength of the Military Council has waxed and waned. When the Council is dominant, the goals of the nations take second place to grand strategies. When the nations are dominant, their goals take precedence over the "good of the Empire".

Role within the Empire

The Imperial Constitution clearly divides the responsibilities for war between the Imperial Senate and the Military Council. Generals are appointed by members of the Senate, but once appointed serve their full term (unless they are revoked by the Synod). Only the Senate can declare war on another nation - or end it - but the generals prosecute those wars and ultimately decide whether to invade a barbarian nation or not. Furthermore, the Senate is forbidden from intervening in the business of the Military Council - it is illegal for a senator to enter the Council chamber while they are in session.

The main role of the Military Council is to determine how to best employ the major conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate. These conjunctions allow the Empire to send hundreds of their most skilled warriors to key strategic locations on the Empire's borders, but there are always difficult decisions to be made about which conjunctions to chose, which nations are best placed to take advantage of them, and who will lead them.

When a battle opportunity leads to the capture of a significant resource, such as an enemy weapon, prisoner or significant trove of barbarian resources, it is the responsibility of the Military Council to decide who will take custody of those resources. Usually the presence of such resources is well known in advance, but an individual citizen can appeal to a magistrate for a decision if they believe that a field marshall has claimed treasures that were not part of the strategic objectives of the battle.

Beyond control of the opportunities provided by the Sentinel Gate, the Military Council has relatively few legal powers. It holds sessions primarily to give generals an opportunity to share military goals and strategies. Finally, the Council also plays a minor role in the judicial system; it has the power to release individuals who have been sentenced to fight to the death in battle, if service has been exemplary. It also has the power to arrange the disposal of all spoils of war, valuable resources that have been captured by Imperial forces on campaign.

History

The structure of the Military Council and the Imperial armies was laid down at the creation of the Empire. The Marcher steward, Tom Drake, argued passionately that the command of Marcher yeomanry must be with a yeoman. He point blank refused to compromise; for Drake it was about the principle of representation and the right for Marchers to choose who they raised up. The military commanders of the other nations broadly agreed with him, and his vision of armies raised within nations and led by generals of those nations appointed by their senators quickly gained ground. It also eased concerns in many quarters of a future Throne who might seek to wield the might of the armies as a tyrant, or that the Military Council itself might a coup to overthrow the Senate.

Sessions

Like the Senate,meetings of the military council are chaired by a civil servant, the Herald of the Council. However the rules of the Council are not as strict as those of the Senate; members may speak freely and come and go as they please during the course of the meeting. The Herald will act to ensure everyone is given an opportunity to speak but ensure that the meetings run to time and does not become repetitive.

Unlike the Imperial Conclave or the Imperial Senate, the Imperial Military Council has two distinct types of meeting. The muster takes place on the first night of each summit at Anvil, and concerns decision about the use of the Sentinel gate. Other meetings, called Council sessions have a broader remit and take place throughout the summit.

The Muster

The most important meeting of the Military Council is the muster which takes place on the first night of each summit at Anvil. At the start of the muster, the Herald will brief the assembled generals about the major conjunctions that the civil service has been able to identify. The generals discuss the opportunities, and decide which conjunctions to use. They then decide which nations will use each conjunction, and who will be in command on the field during each battle.

Once a decision has been reached, the muster is formally over. Those in attendance are then expected to return to their nations and let everyone present know what decisions the Council has reached (secrecy is not usually a concern), so that people may prepare themselves for the battles on the following days. The civil service also ensure that the egregores are informed to try to ensure everyone has a chance to find out when they might be called upon to fight.

Council sessions

The Military Council holds further sessions on each day following the first battle of the summit. They are distinct from the muster - shorter and with a broader focus. Every session has an agenda set by the members of the council and overseen by the Herald. The sessions give individual general an opportunity to wield the collective power of the Council; receive or deliver battle reports and other military briefings; and discuss and evaluate military strategies and concerns.

Participation

Each general is by default a member of the Military Council, as is the Warmage. They can participate in discussions, vote on matters of importance, and add items to the agenda for a Council session.

The right of witness ensures that every member of the Imperial Synod is entitled to observe meetings of the Military Council. In practice it is customary to allow any citizen who is interested in Council business to attend. However neither priests nor other Imperial citizens may speak unless invited to do so by the Herald. The Herald has the legal power to remove anyone from the chamber if their speech or behaviour is impeding the ability of the Council to act. Any Imperial Citizen can ask the Herald to remove a non-citizen from the meeting.

The constitution explicitly forbids senators from entering the Military Council under any circumstances. Some historical scholars claim this reflects the importance the First Empress and her advisers placed on the separating the business of war from the business of politics. Less flattering interpretations point out that since the Empress (or Emperor) is a member of both chambers, this ruling also enhances the prestige and power of The Throne.

Limitations

The Military Council cannot submit orders to the Imperial armies directly; only the appointed general or their adjutant has that authority. Although the Synod is charged with oversight of the Military Council and the generals who sit on it, neither the Military Council nor any other body may compel the generals to act in any way. They cannot even compel a general to attent a council session or muster - and every general has the ability to leave a session once they consider their business completed.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Muster

- Council Session

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

Additional Information

- War

- Council Address

- Appointments to the Military Council

- The Throne

- Herald of the Council

- Warmage

- Appointments by the Military Council

- Field Marshal

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- OOC Design

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Imperial_Military_Council&oldid=35253"

Military Council design

War is merely the continuation of policy by other means.

Carl von Clausewitz

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Sharpe Model

- 3 The Underlying Goal

- 4 Keeping it Simple

- 5 Toy Soldiers

- 6 Scales

- 6.1 Campaign

- 6.2 Battle

- 7 Simple resolution, complex story

- 8 A Civil Servant did it

- 8.1 Changes to Orders

- 8.2 Changes to Upkeep Costs

- 9 A Conjunction did it

- 9.1 Changes to Keywords

- 9.2 Army Quality

- 9.3 Historical Armies

- 9.4 Changes to Meetings

- 9.5 Changes to Military Units

- 10 Further Reading

- 10.1 Core Brief

- 10.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Military Council is the political body of the Empire that deals directly with the war with the barbarians. Although the Council is a political body, it's primary involvement is in the strategic and tactical decisions that concern the deployment of Imperial forces on campaign and on battlefields. Players who like a very directed, unified engagement with a clear external enemy to fight against are much more likely to find that in the Military Council than anywhere else in the game.

Because the Council are directly up against the barbarians who are controlled by us, we need to ensure that there is a clear, simple, system that allows players to make intelligent, rational decisions about how to commit their forces. To give a better understanding of how the Military Council works we have focussed on explaining how war works in Empire - the best way to understand the Military Council is to understand how they do their job.

...in the whole range of human activities, war most closely resembles a game of cards.

Carl von Clausewitz

The Sharpe Model

The setting for the Empire is one of a grand civilisation - of hundreds of thousands of people living in a great empire rising to the height of its powers. To make the scale of the Empire feel right, it needs to have armies - it's difficult to believe in a mighty empire if five hundred soldiers is the most it can put in the field. We wanted the armies to give the sense of coherent narrative to the military campaigns of the Empire to give players a simple, easy-to-understand context for the ongoing wars - our soldiers are fighting here, here and here.

That creates enormous challenges - we obviously can't phys-rep armies of thousands, much as we might like to. More-over we don't want to phys-rep an army of thousands... doing so would create vast arrays of possibilities that we can't control - and we don't want the outcome of the war to be determined by these npcs - they exist only to provide the setting that makes sense of the player actions and decisions - we want the player actions to be the critical element that determines the outcome.

What we want for Empire was summed up by a friend as Sharpe from the novels by Bernard Cornwall - Wellington is on campaign with his army in Spain - his army of thousands spends months manoeuvring and fighting battles with the French - but the outcome is always critically affected by the actions of Sharpe and his small band of elite soldiers.

Boldness governed by superior intellect is the mark of a hero.

Carl von Clausewitz

The Underlying Goal

One of the most important of the core design goals for Empire was to have enjoyable battles take place at events where the outcome of the battles was critically important for the future of the Empire. We wanted the battles to be genuinely challenging so that success hangs in the balance based on the actions of the players. It is essential for the victories and the defeats to be significant in the game setting - so that the military triumphs of the Empire were fundamentally based on the actions of players at events not some computer model.

Although we expect that most of the time the Military Council will work together, we wanted to ensure that political conflict was possible even here. Political conflict can only arise spontaneously in LRP if characters are able to make real, meaningful choices - without that possibility player-led politics is impossible. For bodies like the Senate with it's power to assign the Imperial budget that is relatively easy to achieve - but to achieve that in the military council it has to be possible to make decisions at each event about where and when it commits its forces.

Everything in war is simple, but the simplest thing is difficult.

Carl von Clausewitz

Keeping it Simple

In real war, logistics is incredibly important to the success of an army. Logistics is an incredibly challenging field - ensuring that soldiers, their equipment and their food is in the right place at the right time takes a great deal of skill and a great deal of hard work. We're sure that there is a brilliant LRP game in which players spend their days meticulously planning every element of a military campaign - down to how big the tins of bully-beef should be and wether the key that opens them should go on the top or on the side. However from experience running games with complex military logistics, we have realized that we have no idea how to make that game fun. So we're not running that game again under any circumstances.

That means the players make two kinds of military decision in Empire - where the armies go and where they attack. And where the heroes go and where they attack. All the logistical decisions about supplying and equipping the armies are beneath the abstraction layer for Empire. Detailed plans of how an army moves, how it attacks are fine for roleplaying purposes - but they don't affect the game in anyway. All of this is assumed to be handled by the civil service who automatically make the most advantageous possible decisions for the Empire.

Principles and rules are intended to provide a thinking man with a frame of reference.

Carl von Clausewitz

Toy Soldiers

Empire employs a conceptually complex model to deliver the simplest possible framework that meets all the design goals. The Empire has approximately twenty armies at its disposal with a maximum strength of 5000 soldiers each. These armies are sent on campaign by the general issuing a single order at each event, instructing them on where to go and whether to attack or defend for the next three months.

Between the events Profound Decisions will compare the deployment of the Empire's armies with the deployment of the barbarian forces and will calculate; this is the rough outcome that is taking place as the event happens and in the immediate weeks that follow. The is a purely mathematical calculation with no random element.

This projection is provided by the civil service to the generals at each event they attend, based on scouting reports, military analysis and predictions made using day and night magic. The generals are told what outcome is going to happen if they do not intervene in anyway.

They are then presented with a set of opportunities to intervene, by leading the Imperial heroes from Anvil into a pitched battle - along with analysis of how victory or defeat on these battles will affect the campaign outcome. The better they do on their battle, the more objectives they achieve, the more positive the impact on the outcome of the military campaign that their armies are engaged in. In effect the random element of the clash of armies - the key element that determines the outcome in a meaningful way - is governed by which battles the players choose to fight and how well they do.

With uncertainty in one scale, courage and self-confidence should be thrown into the other to correct the balance.

Carl von Clausewitz

Scales

Campaign

A campaign occurs over months and years involving armies of thousands across a territory. The Imperial generals have the opportunity to change the orders for their armies once every three months - so the orders they give are appropriate to that scale. A campaign consists of dozens of major and minor encounters between Imperial and barbarian forces.

Battle

A battles occurs over a few hours involving armies of hundreds of Imperial heroes against similar numbers of barbarian troops. The Imperial use the Sentinel Gate to travel to the front line where they engage in a single pitched battle at a location that is pivotal to the outcome of the military campaign.

Simple resolution, complex story

The philosophical approach used to determine the outcome of a campaign is designed to be extremely simple, to ensure that it is simple and easy to understand by players. We want players involved with the Military Council to be able to readily comprehend why an outcome has occurred. The rules also completely avoid almost any need for Profound Decisions to make judgements on the strategic value of orders given by the generals as such judgements are always exceptionally subjective.

For this reason, the orders given by the generals do not directly affect the mathematical outcomes calculated using the rules. Which side is winning, the size of their victory and the casualties incurred are all calculated directly from the strengths of the armies involved. The orders the generals submit determine the character of the victory. Which regions are captured and how the casualties are divided between the armies involved in the campaign is set by combining the simple mathematical outcome for the campaign in the territory with the complex free form orders submitted by the generals.

All action takes place, so to speak, in a kind of twilight, which like a fog or moonlight, often tends to make things seem grotesque and larger than they really are.

Carl von Clausewitz

There is no random element to the calculations of the outcome of the wars between the Imperial armies and the barbarian forces - but the outcome of a campaign will be significantly altered by the battles the players participate in at events. The success or failure of the players on the field of battle is the random element in the Imperial wars.

The goal is to produce a simple system with simple resolution mechanics that can be readily understood - but one which allows for complex stories and a rich narrative where triumph is ultimately dependent on the ability of the players at events.

A Civil Servant did it

In overhauling the Military Council, we've made two significant changes to the existing rules. The OOC reasons for these rules are discussed below, with explanations followed by the IC justification

Politics is the womb in which war develops.

Carl von Clausewitz

Changes to Orders

The previous order submission system gave players less options and gave us more flexibility in how we interpreted the results. The problem with this approach was that the flexibility proved undesirable - we don't want to guess what outcomes the players were trying for, we want to be given that information in clear and definitive terms by the players. The previous rules also allowed for trade offs between taking territory and inflicting casualties, but rigorous analysis showed this simply didn't work - it was always better to inflict more casualties.

The new system is more robust and critically it places more control of what happens to an army in the hands of the general issuing the orders - and less control in our hands.

The in-character explanation for this change is that the Civil service had improved their support for the generals, allowing them to submit more detailed and precise orders to their army.

Changes to Upkeep Costs

We have modified the upkeep costs for fortifications from the information that was provided last year to the Master of the Imperial Mint. We've done this because we identified that large castles were untenable under the old system, that the advantages in favour of multiple small fortifications were too great. The new figures create more options for political interaction - since there are a wider range of effective strategies that the players can employ.

The in-character explanation for this change is that the Imperial Senate ordered a complete Imperial audit of the treasury. The nature of conducting an audit is that mistakes are identified. In this case the total administrative costs that the Empire faced have not changed - but expenditure had been incorrectly associated with the upkeep of the various fortifications in the Empire. These mistakes have now been identified by the civil service and the correct figures will be presented to the Senate at the next event.

The enemy of a good plan is the dream of a perfect plan.

Carl von Clausewitz

A Conjunction did it

Over winter 2015 we have completed the overhaul of the Military Council game which was begun at the start of the year. In this final update, we've made a few significant changes to the existing rules. The OOC reasons for these rules are discussed below, with explanations followed by the IC justification.

Changes to Keywords

The previous army keywords system included a large number of passive bonuses which could be accrued by an army based on the nature of the campaign they were involved in. As a result there was some emphasis on treating the issues facing the Military Council as a problem of optimization - of finding the most efficient allocation of armies to campaigns. This tended to undermine the roleplaying that would ideally drive such choices, with armies being sent where they could be most efficient rather than where the general might choose to send them.

We have replaced the sets of keywords with a single quality for each army. The new qualities are designed to provide the general who controls that army with more choices about what in-character orders they give. The aim is to keep the armies distinct and interesting but try to support the game for those generals who want to treat their orders - and what campaign they join - as a choice based on in-character political motivations and social obligations rather than a purely mathematical one based on Imperial strategy.

We have switched to a single quality for each army in an attempt to emphasize that these are in-character qualities that an army embodies, rather than out-of-character terms. The Marcher army is notoriously hard-bitten, allowing them to carry out an effective strategy designed to make the enemy pay.

The in-character explanation for this change is that the Civil Service have reassessed the Imperial military situation following the recent Grand Conjunction. The realignment of the stars has had many subtle and enduring effects that are likely to endure for centuries to come if not forever.

...in war, the advantages and disadvantages of a single action could only be determined by the final balance.

Carl von Clausewitz

Army Quality

Army

Nation

Previous Keywords

Quality

Red Wind Corsairs

Brass Coast

Coastal

Forager

Fire of the South

Brass Coast

Fast

Fast

Golden Sun

Dawn

Resilient

Resilient

Hounds of Glory

Dawn

Glorious, Aggressive

Glorious

Eastern Sky

Dawn

Logistics

Resourceful

Granite Pillar

Highguard

Disciplined

Disciplined

Seventh Wave

Highguard

Scouting

Scouting

Valiant Pegasus

Highguard

Siege

Siege

Winter Sun

Imperial Orcs

Rugged

Guerilla

Summer Storm

Imperial Orcs

Disciplined

Ruthless (Relentless)

Black Thorns

Navarr

Fast, Forest

Fast

Quiet Step

Navarr

Scouting

Scouting

Wolves of War

League

Mercenary, Siege

Mercenary

Drakes

Marches

Logistics, Resilient

Resourceful

Strong Reeds

Marches

Marsh

Hard Bitten

Bounders

Marches

Aggressive

Relentless

Citadel Guard

Urizen

Magic

Magic

Northern Eagle

Varushka

Rugged

Guerilla

Golden Axe

Varushka

Resilient

Resilient

Fist of the Mountains

Wintermark

Rugged

Hard Bitten

Green Shield

Wintermark

Forest, Glorious

Heroic (Glorious)

Historical Armies

Dance in the Blood (navarr, cruel); Iron Helm (Varushka, cruel); Burning Falcon (Freeborn, Glorious); Gryphon's Pride (Dawn, glorious); Bloodcloaks (Wintermark, physick); Towerjacks (league, siege); Thundering Tide (Highguard, skirmish)

.There are times when the utmost daring is the height of wisdom.

Carl von Clausewitz

Changes to Meetings

We have updated the system of Military Council meetings to make them more formal and more organized. The original design goal for Empire was to use either in-character mechanics or our civil service to keep political meetings short and on topic. Unfortunately we failed to carry those design goals through to completion with the original design of the Military Council. The Council had civil servants to support it - but had no mechanism to keep meetings ordered. That resulted in frustration for some players since meetings could run on for hours and it made it difficult for anyone to formally address the council.

The new design carries the Empire game design ethos through to the logical conclusion for the Military Council. While we appreciate almost no player likes having any kind of external authority imposed on them, we believe that keeping the muster and the Council sessions timely will ultimately provide a better game for everyone involved. We are still keen for political PvP to happen; our NPCs exist only to try to prevent meetings from dragging on.

...we must boldly advance into the shadows of uncertainty.

Carl von Clausewitz

The new changes are also designed to emphasize the link between a general and their nation. A general is responsible for sending thousands of citizens of their nation to war - many of whom will never return. The previous arrangement of the Military council stressed the need for Imperial strategy. We want that to remain an important consideration but be something that is keenly balanced with national concerns.

The official explanation for this change is that it is always done the old way in the first two years following a "Time of Emergency" and then automatically reverts to the standard method after that time.

The time of emergency was what happened in the first year following the death of Empress Britta and most of the Empire's finest who died with her. This was why every senator at the first event was having to be elected and so on - it was the rules following a time of emergency when basically everyone who was running the Empire is dead. The explanation is that the civil servants have one set of rules to use when running the Empire in the years that follow the declaration of emergency - and then they revert to the standard rules over time (the ones now on the wiki).

Changes to Military Units

The previous rules for military units stated that they could receive herbs, resources, or money - but that such outcomes were rare. We have now overhauled the military unit downtime system to present players with military units with a few more options and to make those options clearer. In doing that we have also improved the code that determines the rewards received by units raiding so we have updated the wiki pages to reflect that.

The change to rewards for supporting is done to make sense of the rewards received by military units supporting armies and fortifications - in light of the fact that it is possible to do so without ever engaging with the enemy - whilst also giving the Senate greater control over the rewards offered to those characters who wish to support the Empire in this way. We have implemented the changes in such a way as to try and minimize the effect on the existing Senate budget - by providing a one-off reduction in the Senate's existing costs to cover the costs for the new system.

Like the changes to the meetings, these changes reflect adjustments made by the civil service after the Time of Emergency.

But everything takes a different shape when we pass from abstractions to reality

Carl von Clausewitz

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Muster

- Council Session

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

Additional Information

- War

- Council Address

- Appointments to the Military Council

- The Throne

- Herald of the Council

- Warmage

- Appointments by the Military Council

- Field Marshal

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- OOC Design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Military_Council_design&oldid=35276"

Military Council powers

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Command of an army

- 3 Battle Opportunities

- 4 Nation Support

- 5 Choosing a Field Marshal

- 6 Pardon

- 7 Further Reading

Overview

Of all the great political bodies of the Empire, the powers of the Imperial Military Council are the most focussed. The Council's constitutional role is to fight the Empire's wars and it's powers are focussed totally on this goal.

Command of an army

A general commands a single Imperial army, drawn from volunteers from their nation. Once a general is given their command, they have sole authority to order the army to move or attack as they choose. Traditionally the generals of one nation will cooperate but it is not a requirement and a general is within his right to give orders as they see fit.

Generals do not have control of the logistics of their army, all these matters are beneath the abstraction layer; they are handled for the generals by the civil service. Some generals choose to fight in the field with their army, others prefer to issue orders only, but either way such matters are not handled during the political meetings at Anvil.

As a result the civil service will not accept any instruction from a general for precise tactical deployments or operations. What is decided at Anvil is where the army will move and where it will fight - over the next three months and nothing more. It is this decision that the general must make when at Anvil.

Battle Opportunities

During the meetings at Anvil, the Empire has the opportunity to intervene in the ongoing campaigns that the armies are fighting. These interventions are critical to the fortunes of the campaign and the ability to intervene in this way is the Empire's greatest tactical asset. The goal is for the heroes of the Empire, who are gathered together at Anvil, to commit themselves to a single pitched battle with the Empire's enemies at the most pivotal point and thereby turn the tide of war in the Empire's favour.

The opportunities to intervene are prepared for the generals by the civil service who make extensive use of day and night magic divinations and collate numerous military intelligence reports to assess the most effective locations to strike.

Usually, however there are more opportunities to strike, than there are chances to use Sentinel Gate. When this occurs, the military council must choose which opportunities to take. If the council cannot reach a consensus, then the Military Council most vote. In this case, each general has a single vote with ties being decided by The Throne. Deadlock has only ever occurred once in the history of the Empire - and the outcome was determined by drawing runes from a bag; since then common sense has reigned.

Nation Support

Once the battle opportunities are chosen, each nation must decide which battle they wish to support. The portal is not powerful enough to allow the transport of all the Imperial Heroes, so only the very best of each nation attend Anvil and the nations have to choose which battle they will fight.

Because of the nature of the magic involved, a nation must take the field together. The only exception is for bands with a magic standard that carries the Mercenary Banner enchantment. The members of this band can choose to fight with their nation or instead fight a different battle with their banner. Other than this, the nation's heroes take the field together.

The Imperial Civil service use day magic to calculate what distribution of nations may travel on each battle. They give this information to the generals and they discuss amongst themselves which nations will fight on which battles. These discussions are often heated, but are usually resolved sensibly - the generals know from bitter experience that political maneuvering that is too overt can damage a nation's morale if they are sent to fight in a battle in which they have little interest. As a result the council tries to find the best allocation for all.

If they cannot agree an allocation by the time a decision must be made, then the matter is put to a vote, with each member of the Military Council present receiving a single vote.

Choosing a Field Marshal

After the nations have been allocated to battle then the Military Council must choose a single individual to act as Field Marshal, the overall battlefield leader for that battle. Like the issue of nation support this is often incredibly contentious; consensus is the ideal and is often reached, but if it cannot be generally agreed upon, then all suggested candidates are put to the vote.

The Field Marshal has the ultimate authority for determining the plan for the battle and the responsibility for winning the battle opportunity for the Empire. The Marshal is legally obligated to report to the Senate on the conduct and outcome of a battle, including any exceptional actions undertaken by individuals or banners under her aegis, as well as explaining any failures that took place.

Pardon

Imperial magistrates may condemn a character to military penal service in the Empire's armies. These individuals are legally bound to fight with their nation and are expected to be given direct orders by the generals in every battle that they fight. Military penal service is instead of the death penalty so it is considered appropriate to give them high risk orders appropriate to their status and they can be legally executed for disobeying these orders.

If a character or group sentenced to military penal service performs exceptionally well over a prolonged period of time it is possible for the Military Council to vote to grant them a pardon them for their crimes.

Further Reading

- War

- Imperial armies

- Casualties

- Territory

- Fortifications

- Keywords

- OOC Design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Military_Council_powers&oldid=26681"

Keywords (Redirected from Military keywords)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Applying Keywords

- 3 Gaining new keywords

- 4 List of Keywords

- 4.1 Logistics

- 4.2 Aggressive

- 4.3 Resilient

- 4.4 Siege

- 4.5 Marsh Fighter

- 4.6 Rugged

- 4.7 Forester

- 4.8 Coastal

- 4.9 Scouting

- 4.10 Disciplined

- 4.11 Fast

- 4.12 Magic

- 4.13 Mercenary

- 4.14 Glorious

- 5 Barbarian orc keywords

- 5.1 Fearsome

- 5.2 Poisonous

- 5.3 Savage

- 5.4 Merciless

- 6 Keywords and large armies

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

Imperial armies possess qualities that give them advantages in certain situations. These keywords reflect the flavour of the army and the nation to which it belongs. A military unit assigned to assist a campaign army does not gain the benefit of these keywords. Likewise, the additional strength granted by an enchantment such as Knights of Glory or Quickening Cold Meat is not counted for purposes of determining the effect of a keyword.

Applying Keywords

Some keywords are applied automatically, some like magician and mercenary require the general to provide payment. This payment should be handed into GOD in the general's hand-in baggy - and then an email sent to PD after the event.

Some keywords are applied only if the campaign involves a specific terrain. For instance an army with the Forester keyword may gain a bonus when fighting in a territory with a region with the Forest keyword. These keywords are activated under two conditions:

- Your side controls the region with the keyword

- Your side attacks the region with the keyword

Gaining new keywords

Existing Imperial armies already have one or more keywords representing their traditional roles. An existing keyword can be removed without cost. Adding or removing a keyword requires a motion by the Imperial Senate. An Imperial army can gain additional keywords, but the cost to add each new keyword is progressively more expensive. The first keyword added to an army requires 50 wains, the second 100 wains, the third 200 wains and so on.

Applying keywords to a large army costs 75 wains, 150 wains, 300 wains and so on. These additional costs need to be paid regardless of whether the keyword is being applied to an existing large army, or if a standard army with keywords is turned into a large army.

List of Keywords

Logistics

An army with good logistics has excellent access to supplies and the organisation to make sure they get to where they are needed. They may also be adept at making use of materials scavenged while on campaign, or carry additional supplies with them when they are at war.

Effect: This army can resupply naturally at the rate of 750 strength each season rather than the normal 500 (a large army would resupply at 1,125 troops each season rather than 750). They must still obey the normal requirement for natural resupply. Other ways of resupplying an army are not changed.

Aggressive

An aggressive army focuses on inflicting casualties on the enemies. The soldiers are trained and equipped to gather and exploit information about the lay of the land.

Effect: An aggressive army has the number of casualties it inflicts increased by 10% if it has been in this territory since start of the last season. If it has been in this territory for two full seasons, the extra casualties increase to 20%, and once the army has been in the territory for three full seasons, the additional casualties reach the maximum 30%.

Resilient

A resilient army might be equipped to produce makeshift fortifications, or it might simply possess a stubborn spirit coupled with training in defensive formations.

Effect: A resilient army has the number of casualties it takes reduced by 10% if it has been in this territory since start of the last season. If it has been in this territory for two full seasons, the reduction increases to 20%, and once the army has been in the territory for three fulls reasons, the reduction reaches the maximum 30%.

Siege

An army trained in siege warfare is adept at attacking fortifications. usually this means the army has the expertise to quickly construct catapults, trebuchets and siege towers as well as some expertise in rationing resources and countering enemy engineers. It may also reflect an army with experience fighting in the cramped conditions of a city or castle.

Effect: When attacking a fortification, any damage inflicted on that fortification is increased by 20%. When defending a fortification, the damage inflicted on that fortification by enemies is reduced by 20%.

Note: To gain these advantages, the narrative of the campaign has to involve an actual attack on the fortification - fortifications only inflict or take casualties during attempts to capture or destroy them.

Marsh Fighter

An army experienced in fighting in a marsh gains significant advantages over less experienced armies. They tend to be more comfortable operating in smaller units, may favour ranged weapons, and have the support of magicians or surgeons trained to deal with insect bites, poisonous vermin and disease. They also tend to have a bit of specialist equipment, such as waterproof cloaks.

Effect: The army has it's strength increased by 20% for determining the campaign outcome when the campaign includes a region with the marsh keyword.

Rugged

Fighting in hills and mountains is a risky business. Armies with this keyword tend to have especially skilled scouts and cartographers who track passes, valleys and the like and are always ready to suggest ways to make the best use of the broken terrain. They also tend to have equipment or supplies to help them deal with cold, altitude or difficult terrain.

Effect: The army has it's strength increased by 20% for determining the campaign outcome when the campaign includes a region with the hilly keyword.

Forester

Fighting in a forest is a frustrating undertaking. Trees make it difficult for armies to form up, and so an army with experience fighting in this kind of terrain often split up into several smaller units capable of operating for several days without supervision. Their ability to operate in diffuse formations gives them a significant advantage over armies less versed in guerilla warfare.

Effect: The army has it's strength increased by 20% for determining the campaign outcome when the campaign includes a region with the forested keyword.

Coastal

A coastal army often includes mariners among its soldiers, and is usually supported by boats or even ships. This is the closest the Empire currently has to a naval force. The army is experienced at dealing with sailors and fishermen, travelling by boat and ship, dealing with the realities of amphibious assaults, and making beachhead landings. It is most common among Freeborn armies.

Effect: The army has it's strength increased by 20% for determining the campaign outcome when the campaign includes a region with the coastal keyword. The coastal keyword applies to many areas adjacent to the sea (although not all - the wide beaches of the Brass Coast represent entirely different terrain to the cliffy bluffs of Urizen), and also to some regions around major rivers or other large bodies of water.

Scouting

A scouting army is often broken down into smaller units that can operate semi-autonomously, spreading out over the countryside when it moves. The army is accompanied by trained observers, often equipped with telescopes and signalling mirrors, and often has access to cartographers and detailed maps - and the knowledge to make good use of them.

Effect: When this army is committed to a campaign, it provides reports on the campaign armies in the territory, including the allegiance of the armies, an estimation of their strength and other information such as keywords, local fortifications, significant or noteworthy military units and other potentially useful strategic and tactical information. This information is supplied to the general who commands the army at the beginning of an event.

Disciplined

A disciplined army has well organised chain of command, and every soldier knows what to do if separated from a superior officer. The army is often supported by priests or spiritual advisors - within the Empire they may make use of ceremonies of the Way to provide additional guidance. Armies from Highguard and the Iron Confederacy are most likely to have this keyword.

Effect: This army is disbanded when it takes casualties that reduce it's strength below 250 rather than below 1,000. In addition, a disciplined army is more effective at fighting fearsome enemies. When this army engages fearsome enemies, the benefits of the fearsome keyword are neutralised and the disciplined army inflicts an additional 20% casualties against those armies.

Fast

The soldiers of a fast army are trained to move quickly for long periods of time, carrying their gear. Overland, they can outpace most other armies of similar size. The logistics of the army are often focused towards helping soldiers move, and recovering from forced march.

Effect: The army can move five territories each season, rather than the usual three. It must stills top moving when it enters a hostile territory.

Magic

A magic army contains many more magicians, and soldiers trained to fight alongside magicians, than a standard army. Such armies integrate magical and martial tactics to harry their opponents and achieve difficult goals. Armies from Urizen, Thule and Axos are most likely to have this keyword.

Effect: If the general of this army supplies 35 mana crystals, the army gains a 1,000 point force bonus to fighting capabilities for the next season. This is a flat bonus that is not multiplied by any other keyword.

Mercenary

A mercenary army is not necessarily one that fights for payment, but rather one that has experience working with and integrating independently minded military units who do fight for payment. Armies from the Brass Coast and League are most likely to have this keyword.

Effect: If the general of this army supplies 5 thrones, the army gains a 1,000 point force bonus to fighting capabilities for the next season. This is a flat bonus that is not multiplied by any other keyword.

Glorious

A glorious army lives to fight. Individual soldiers strive to excel, taking joy in fighting stronger opponents and seeking opportunities to defeat their enemies and win their battles. It is most common in Dawnish, Wintermark and Jotun armies.

Effect: The army has it's strength increased by 20% for determining the campaign outcome, but all casualties it takes are increased by 10%.

Barbarian orc keywords

These keywords are associated with barbarian orc armies, especially the Thule and the Druj. They are not normally available to Imperial armies. Unlike the keywords used by the Imperial armies, these keywords are designed to be more circumstantial and to be countered by clever tactics and by direct player action at an event.

Fearsome

A fearsome army uses magic, powerful creatures and terror-tactics to unnerve their enemies and damage their morale. It is most common in Thule and Druj armies.

Effect:The army inflicts an additional 20% casualties on it's enemies, and victory points used to claim regions are 20% more effective. If a fearsome army faces a disciplined army, this bonus is lost and the fearsome army takes additional casualties.

Poisonous

A poisonous army uses herbs, magic and monstrous creatures to inflict sickness and weakness on their opponents. It is most common in Druj armies.

Effect: The army inflicts an additional 20% casualties on it's enemies except when it is facing armies that have been protected from poison and infection (for example, when in an area under the effect of a Rivers of Life ritual).

Savage

A savage army fights better the more desperate it becomes. It is most common among the orcs of the Broken Shore and the Lasambrian Hills.

Effect: When this army has been reduced below half strength, it inflicts an additional 50% casualties.

Merciless

A merciless army specifically targets weakened opponents, seeking to destroy enemy armies rather than simply drive them off. It is most common among Grendel and Druj armies.

Effect: This army inflicts an additional 20% casualties, spread among all opposing armies whose fighting strength has dropped to 2,500 or less.

Keywords and large armies

Being large is not a keyword. A large army simply has a maximum strength of 7,500. Some keywords may work slightly differently when assigned to a large army

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

- Field Marshal

Additional Information

- War

- Imperial armies

- Spy network

- Casualties

- Territory

- Fortification

- Keywords

- OOC Design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Keywords&oldid=28759"

Military procurement

Contents

- 1 Overivew

- 2 Campaign Armies

- 2.1 Recruitment

- 2.2 Resupply

- 2.3 Improvement

- 2.4 Specialization

- 3 Fortifications

- 3.1 Construction

- 3.2 Repairing a fortification

- 3.3 Improvement

- 4 Navies

Overivew

While the Imperial Military Council is responsible for determine the strategic plans for the Empire’s armies, it is the Imperial Senate that funds,builds and maintains those armies. They are also responsible for the creation and maintenance of fortifications across the Empire.

The upkeep of armies and fortifications is paid for by the Imperial treasury, with a complete break down of the figures involved provided to the Master of the Imperial Mint each season.

Campaign Armies

Recruitment

By raising a motion, a Senator can propose the creation of a new Imperial army. Each army is raised from and ultimately responsible to a single Imperial nation. Each nation can only physically maintain a limited number of armies at one time, and this number cannot be exceeded.

Creating an Imperial army automatically creates a new general, who is appointed in the usual manner (selection by Senators, except in the case of the Imperial Orcs who use a different method.

Further details of how a new Imperial army is raised can be found here.

Resupply

The strength of an Imperial army declines as it suffers casualties. While an army will slowly resupply and reinforce itself over time, a Senator can raise a motion to propose that the army receive additional assistance in recovering. The army to be resupplied must be in a friendly territory, and may not be engaged with any enemies.

Further details of how an Imperial army can be resupplied by the Senate can be found here.

Improvement

The Senate can contribute resources to improving the strength of an existing campaign army, making it large. The army in question must be in an Imperial territory and not engaged with any enemies, and the process takes a year. It costs 50 wains of mithril each season until complete (for a total cost of 200 wains of mithril).

Specialization

Imperial armies have keywords that represent special abilities or situations where they are especially effective. These keywords also represent the character and flavour of the army.

A Senator can raise a motion to remove a keyword from an army - decommissioning equipment, reassigning key personnel and the like. This is free, and the Imperial army will lose the keyword over the next season.

A Senator can also raise a motion to apply a new keyword to an existing Imperial army. The army must be in a friendly territory and not engaged with an enemy. It takes six months to apply a new keyword to an army. The cost depends on how many keywords the army already has;

- The first keyword applied to an army that does not already have one will cost 50 wains

- The second keyword applied to an army will cost 100 wains

- The third keyword will cost 200 wains

- Further keywords follow the same progression.

Costs are usually paid in mithril, but some keywords may use weirwood or white granite.

Fortifications

Fortifications play an important role in the defence of the Empire.

Construction

A senator can raise a motion to order the construction of a new fortification in a specific region within the Empire. Creating a new fortification takes a year and requires 25 wains of white granite each season (for a final cost of 100 wains of white granite).

Repairing a fortification

Fortifications are damaged when they are involved in a campaign. While a fortification will slowly repair itself over time, a Senator can raise a motion to propose that it receive additional assistance. The fortification in question must be located in an Imperial controlled region and not subject to an attack during the coming season. It requires significant wains of white granite or weirwood to repair a fortification in this way, and the process takes a season to complete.

Improvement

A senator can also raise a motion to begin improving the strength of an existing fortification. This also takes a year, but the cost depends on the current strength of the fortification.

Navies

The Empire does not currently maintain any Imperial navies and has not since the time of Emperor Barabbas. While the Empire could raise a navy, it would require extensive preparation. However, as with the raising of Imperial armies and the building of suitable berths, the decision about how and when to do so would be in the hands of the Senate.

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Military unit

Contents

- 1 Definition

- 2 Production

- 3 Downtime Options

- 3.1 Defending an Area

- 3.2 Special Projects

- 4 Upgrades

- 5 Diversification

Definition

A military unit represents a small band of approximately 20 skilled soldiers. The military unit could be as few as a dozen elite warriors or it could be as many as a hundred raw recruits. Imperial civil servants use simple day magic rituals to rate the effective fighting force a unit is equivalent to 100 raw recruits.

Production

A military unit can raid adjacent regions and territories held by enemies of the Empire to produce valuable resources. This happens automatically if the owner does not select any other option. Raiding produces a random result. The captain of the military unit will receive either ten ingots or measures of a random resource; the equivalent to the production of a herb garden; seven mana crystals; or hack silver and other valuables for which you receive the equivalent worth in thrones (1 throne, 1 crown).

Downtime Options

A military unit can be assigned to fight alongside an Imperial army or defend an Imperial fortification. A normal Imperial Army has an effective fighting force equivalent to 5000 soldiers who are raw recruits. When the skills and experience of a military unit are combined with a campaign army, or fortification, they improve the effective fighting force of the army by the equivalent of 100 soldiers.

A military unit assigned to fight alongside an Imperial army or to defend an Imperial fortification is paid from the Imperial Guerdon - a bursary set up by the Imperial Senate. The value of the Imperial Guerdon is divided between each captain whose military unit supports an army in proportion to the effective strength of their military unit. The Senate may vote to increase or decrease the size of this fund.

Military units lack the deep logistical support that is the backbone of the Imperial armies and without which it is impossible to operate in large numbers. As a result it is not possible for military units to work together independently of an Imperial Army. If you wish your military unit to take part in a military campaign, it can only do so by being attached to an Imperial Army or an Imperial fortification.

Defending an Area

If there is a fortification in a region, then military units assigned to defend that fortification are automatically assumed to patrol the area, seeking out enemy forces and other threats. This improves the defensive strength of the fortification, but the units will also help to prevent barbarian raids, bandit attacks and similar threats where these are known to be taking place. Military units assigned to an Imperial fortification receive a proportion of the Imperial Guerdon, military units assigned to defend a foreign fortification do not.

Special Projects

Sometimes the option to assign a military unit to a special project may be available. The most common example of this is a spy network. Such special projects show up in the Downtime system. Any character can assign their military unit to help with one of these projects.The degree of success depends on the total strength military units assigned. Military units assigned to a special project may receive a proportion of the Imperial Guerdon.

Upgrades

A military unit can be upgraded using mithril obtained from the Imperial Bourse. Each time a military unit is upgraded, the effective fighting force of the unit is increased by 20. This means a 20% increase in returns from raiding and a similar proportional increase in the share of the bursery assigned to the military unit if it supports an army or fortification.

To upgrade a military unit requires Imperial wains of mithril equal to the level the military unit is being upgraded to. So the first upgrade of a starting level 1 military unit costs 2 Imperial wains of mithril, from 2 to 3 costs 3 Imperial wains, etc.

An upgraded military unit contributes more effectively to a special project. A rank 2 military unit is not the same as two basic units; rather it is 20% more effective at aiding a special project. To count as two military units, a standard military unit would need to be upgraded five times.

Diversification

A military unit cannot be diversified.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Military_unit&oldid=36243"

Mine

Contents

- 1 Definition

- 2 Production

- 3 Downtime Options

- 4 Upgrades

- 5 Diversification

Definition

A mine represents a worked holding. It could be a small but profitable shaft mine, a series of underground tunnels but it could be something as small as a panning operation.

Production

Upon taking a mine, you must choose one of Green Iron, Tempest Jade, Weltsilver or Orichalcum. A mine produces 10 Ingots of the chosen material.

Downtime Options

It is possible to obtain additional materials from a mine during any given season. You may spend 6 crowns to have the mine produce an additional 5 ingots of the same material as it would naturally produce.

Upgrades

A mine can be upgraded using mithril obtained from the Bourse. Each time a mine is upgraded, the owner receives an additional 2 ingots from then on.

To upgrade a mine requires Imperial wains of mithril equal to the level the mine is being upgraded to. So the first upgrade of a starting level 1 mine costs 2 Imperial wains of mithril, from 2 to 3 costs 3 Imperial wains, etc.

Diversification

A mine can be diversified to sacrifice production of one material for another. To diversify a mine requires one Imperial wain of white granite and one Imperial wain of weirwood. Each time a mine diversifies, the owner chooses a different resource from the list for mines; the mine produces 2 ingots of the new material at the expense of 2 less of the original material.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Mine&oldid=35307"

Minister of Historical Research

The position was established by majority vote of the Senate in Autumn 377.

Contents

- 1 Responsibilities

- 2 Power

- 2.1 Historical Research

- 3 Removal

- 4 Research

- 5 History

Responsibilities

The purpose of the minister is to authorize research requests, freeing the Imperial Senate from the need to assess each request directly.

Power

The Minister of Historical Research is an Imperial title appointed by the Senate.

Historical Research

The minister has the power to authorize historical research requests. Each request costs 5 Thrones. The civil service is able to process up to five research requests in total per season - research requests authorized by the Senate, the minister or the Advisor on the Vallorn all count against this limit. The results of the research are compiled by the civil service then presented to the minister.

To use this power, the Minister provides an announcement to the Civil Service, who present the decision to the Imperial Senate. No voting is possible by the Senate at this point, as the power has been delegated to the Minister. The Imperial Synod may, however, choose to exercise their veto over the minister's decision.

Removal

The minister serves for one year. They are elected by the Senate every Autumn. The minister can be revoked by the General Assembly and the Assembly of Nine of the Imperial Synod.

Research

A record of some of the research that has been carried out by the Minister can be found here

History

- The Urizen Mage.Ioseph of Phoenix Reach was appointed as the first Minister of Historical Research at the Autumn Equinox 377YE. He was appointed for a second term at the Autumn Equinox 378YE

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Minister_of_Historical_Research&oldid=29707"

Ministry

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Downtime

- 3 Senate Commissions

- 3.1 Costs

- 3.2 12 Wains

- 3.3 16 Wains

- 3.4 20 Wains

- 4 Limitations

- 5 Responsibility

- 6 Recent Ministries

Overview

A ministry is an Imperial title that empowers the holder to purchase one or more valuable resources. The Imperial Senate can create ministries that allow the title holder to exchange money for herbs, liao, mana crystals or materials such as green iron or weltsilver.

Many ministries have been appointed over the years with specific goals or the support of specific structures in mind. A ministry differs from a sinecure in a number of ways, but the most obvious is that the sinecure provides a specific income of set materials, while a ministry is potentially able to purchase large amounts of material as their needs and opportunities dictate.

Ministries may be appointed for life or re-elected annually.

Downtime

Each downtime, a character who controls a ministry will have the option to spend money from their inventory to buy the materials the ministry provides. Each minister has a specific set of options as to what they may purchase and at what price. Ministers spend their money and make their choices during downtime from their character page. Resources purchased are placed in the inventory when the downtime is processed. The specific choices the character can make depend on the nature of the ministerial position and the number of wains spent setting the position up.

For example, a minister who is appointed to operate a vast Mana market in Morrow might have the choice of whether to buy 21 mana crystals for 18 crowns; 42 mana crystals for 36 crowns; or 63 mana crystals for 54 crowns. They could not spend 9 crowns to buy 7 mana crystals.

Senate Commissions

The Imperial Senate may pass a motion for the construction of an establishment that allows the purchase of herbs, resources or similar. This motion automatically results in the creation of a ministry once the construction is complete.

It is also possible for the Senate to pass a motion to upgrade a ministry, increasing the benefits that it provides.

Costs

- Materials: Variable (minimum 12 wains)

- Time: 3 months to construct per 50 wains of materials used

- Labour: 2 crowns per wain

- Upkeep: None

The more resources are devoted to constructing a ministry, the more resources can be purchased each downtime. Under normal circumstances, the material required will be the one associated with upgrading an equivalent personal resource. For example, at least 12 wains of mithril is required to create a ministry that allows the purchase of mana crystals.

In addition to the wains required, it costs 2 crowns per wain to pay for labour and skills to complete the construction.

12 Wains

Purchase Price

Ingots

Herbs

Mana Crystals

140 Rings

12

16

8

340 Rings

24

33

16

700 Rings

36

50

25

16 Wains

Purchase Price

Ingots

Herbs

Mana Crystals

140 Rings

12

16

8

340 Rings

24

33

16

700 Rings

36

50

25

960 Rings

48

67

33

20 Wains

Purchase Price

Ingots

Herbs

Mana Crystals

140 Rings

12

16

8

340 Rings

24

33

16

700 Rings

36

50

25

960 Rings

48

67

33

1240 Rings

60

84

42

The tables shows some standard purchase costs for a range of different sized ministries. For example a ministry created by the Senate using 16 wains of mithril could allow the purchase of 8, 16, 25, or 33 mana crystals each season. There is no upper limit on how many wains can be used to construct a ministry; provided at least 12 wains are used, then any amount can be spent to build it.

Limitations

It is not possible to create a ministry which allows the purchase of ilium, liao, mithril, weirwood, or white granite.

Although a ministry produces items like a personal resource, it cannot be upgraded or diversified in the same way a personal resource can. The only options available are what materials to buy. A ministry that produces liao will not come with an option to sell that liao in downtime, a ministry that produces green iron cannot be paid to produce more in the way a green iron mine could.

Ministries are not affected by rituals that target a personal resource. A ritual that increases the production of a green iron mine will not affect a ministry that produces green iron.

Responsibility

Any citizen who is granted a ministry is expected to be responsible for any problems that might beset the resources represented by the ministry. For example, if Thule reavers are raiding the mines overseen by the Lady of the Upper Halls, then the Empire will expect that citizen to deal with the problem.

Recent Ministries

The list includes all ministries which have been created or appointed in recent times.

- Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Custodian of the Assayer's Guild

- Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

- Grandmaster of a Conclave Order

- Mistress of the Glass Parador

- Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Ministry&oldid=30962"

Mirror of the Virtuous

Description

This rare item of priestly regalia takes the form of a polished or mirrored surface. Common forms include an actual mirror; a polished bowl or dish; and a sphere of glass, crystal of reflective metal. In some cases the mirror is worn as a medallion or pendant, in others it is a ceremonial tool held in the hands. Some priests, especially those of Prosperity and Loyalty, wield these items in the form of cups or goblets from which the recipient of an anointing and the priest herself both drink as part of the ceremony.

The effect of using a mirror of the virtuous is to cause both the priest and the recipient of the ceremony to come under the influence of the same aura.

Rules

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of ceremonial regalia.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: When you are leading an anointing ceremony, the aura applies equally to you and the target at the same strength without spending any additional liao.

- Materials: Crafting a mirror of the virtuous requires six ingots of weltsilver and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Mirror_of_the_Virtuous&oldid=32349"

Missionary Dalmatic

Description

The dalmatic is most commonly a long, wide-sleeved tunic, often decorated with wide heavily-embroidered stripes. Usually of a single bright colour with contrasting stripes, they are modelled after a religious vestment popular in some parts of the Brass Coast with more formal sutanirr.

The missionary dalmatic is especially popular with those priests who initiate others into the faith of the Way because it allows them to perform a dedication ceremony without the need for liao. This is an especially valuable ability when a priest travels to foreign lands, when supplies of liao may be limited.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may perform a dedication ceremony without expending any liao. You must be able to perform the dedication ceremony to use this ability.

- Materials: Crafting a missionary dalmatic requires five ingots of orichalcum, five measures of dragonbone and three ingots of weltsilver. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Missionary_Dalmatic&oldid=32324"

Missive for Sadogua

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. While performing this ritual the ritualist must write a message on a square piece of paper. The message can be up to twenty-five words long. The message must be written in the form of a "magic square" - that is, a five by five grid with one word in each square. The paper must then be folded at least four times.

Effects

When the ritual is complete, the specially prepared paper disappears and is received by the Night Eternal Sadogua; the paper should be given to the referee.

This ritual does not transfer pictures or items.

The Eternal is peripherally aware of who sent the message.

Description

The Night Eternal Sadogua is sometimes known as The Brother of Wizards and is closely associated with the rune Diras. A subtle and secretive Eternal, Sadogua has a great fondness for mortal magicians, and is known to give them gifts in return for favours. This ritual is widely believed to have been given to a cabal of Navarr magicians in pre-Imperial days with a request that they distribute it far and wide - today nobody is sure if there is any truth in this or not, and Sadogua rarely gives the same answer twice.

The ritual is very simple; all it does is transfer a message to the Realm of Night. There is no requirement that Sadogua answer it, and if he chooses to do so it is likely that such answers will come in the form of visits from heralds. Many wizards who use it do so either in the hope of arranging a meeting with Sadogua or one of his allies, or as part of an agreement with that Eternal to deliver certain facts or secrets to him through this medium.

A number of priests are extremely suspicious of this ritual, claiming that it is tantamount to praying, or to making Imperial citizens minions of a foreign Eternal. To date they have had no success in persuading the Imperial Conclave or Imperial Senate to take the matter seriously, but the 'problem' of this ritual (and others like it) occasionally resurfaces among sects who favour greater control of magicians or magic.

Common Elements

The most important element of Missive for Sadogua is the parchment on which the message is written. It must be square, and divided into a five by five grid. If it is not it will still disappear, but it will not reach Sadogua. Ritualists include other elements appropriate both to the Eternal and the Realm of Night. Masks, veils and cowls are often used, especially if the ritualist wishes to obscure or conceal their identity from the Eternal. The ritual is often performed in darkness, as close to absolute as the ritualist can get and still see to write. In some cases, ritualists use a mirror and a candle, and write their message while looking only in the mirror - the mental agility this takes is said to make the ritual more effective, and Sadogua is believed by some to receive messages composed in this fashion more quickly.

Many ritualists finish the ritual by inscribing the rune Diras on the back of the parchment, sometimes in blood but more often in lemon-juice (or some other form of 'invisible ink' as appropraite).

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Mistress of the Glass Parador

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Ministry

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

- 7 The Title in Play

Overview

The Mistress (or Master) of the Glass Parador is an Imperial title awarded to a Freeborn citizen. It is a national position appointed through the Bourse.

The Mistress of the Glass Parador was initially created to help preserve the integrity and reputation of the merchants of the Brass Coast. The title grants the use of beautiful offices in Siroc, and coincidentally offers endless opportunities to acquire valuable goods for personal use or profitable resale. Corsairs and merchants who are looking to sell their goods quickly will often approach the Mistress of the Glass Parador or one of her agents, and she is regularly consulted by the citizens of Siroc on minor matters related to good conduct and business.

The luxurious Glass Parador itself is centrally located, and constructed of beautiful white marble columns, gorgeous stained glass windows and delicate lanterns lit by fine quality glowstones imported from Urizen. It has a small permanent staff, and is a regular stop for merchants and travelers visiting Siroc from all over the Empire and beyond.

Responsibilities

The Mistress of the Glass Parador is expected to ensure that paradors and merchants operating in and around the City of a Thousand Sails are trading honestly. Many of her duties are ceremonial - she is often asked to officially launch new vessels, or to offer advice on business ventures that will travel to distant or dangerous lands. In return, Mistress receives preferential treatment from many corsair and merchant fleets operating out of Madruga, or who visit the Jewel of the Bay.

In actuality, the Mistress of the Glass Parador is no more or less likely to be a paragon of honesty than any other Freeborn merchant. Indeed, they often encounter more opportunities to receive bribes or make disreputable deals than they would if they did not possess the title. This being the Brass Coast it is expected the Mistress will take advantage of the connections offered to enrich themselves. The role offers ample opportunity to purchase luxury goods such as vibrant iridescent gloaming or polished weltsilver.

Powers

Ministry

As a ministry, the title of Mistress of the Glass Parador allows the holder to purchase quantities of special materials at a set price. The Mistress spends her money and makes her choices during downtime from their character page. Money is removed from, and resources are placed into, the character's inventory when the downtime is processed.

Total Money Spent

Production

14 Crowns

8 measures of Iridescent Gloaming, 6 measures of Ambergelt and 6 ingots of Weltsilver

30 Crowns

14 measures of Iridescent Gloaming, 10 measures of Ambergelt and 10 ingots of Weltsilver, and 4 measures of Dragonbone

65 Crowns

21 measures each of Iridescent Gloaming and Ambergelt, 17 ingots of Weltsilver, 11 measures of Dragonbone

120 Crowns

29 measures each of Iridescent Gloaming and Ambergelt, 29 ingots of Weltsilver, and 23 measures of Dragonbone

Selection

This title is appointed during the Summer Solstice. The Mistress of the Glass Parador is appointed by citizens of the Brass Coast who control fleet personal resources. The larger the fleet an individual has, the more votes they can allocate in support to a candidate. The voting is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.

Only a Brass Coast character may hold the title. They do not receive a seat on the Bourse nor access to the private auction.

Removal

The Mistress of the Glass Parador is appointed every year. They cannot be revoked by any Assembly of the Imperial Synod.

History

- Jaoquin i Shartha i Riquez of the New Promise Cartel was appointed Master of the Parador in 377YE.

The Title in Play

The role does not provide additional information about events in the Empire, nor allow the player holding it to request special reports or downtime actions. These details are assumed to be below the abstraction layer. The title holder is encouraged to create their own stories about their activities within reasonable limits and to get involved in events appropriate to their title during the game, but they do not have any powers beyond those explicitly listed in the section on powers.

These details exist partly to provide context and character to the role - and partly to allow our writers to use the title as a plot hook. Plot that involves the position will be rare - but all the campaign positions in Empire have these details to create the potential for it to happen.

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Mithril Shirt

Description

A mithril shirt may also be known as a mithril-coat, a glittermist shirt. Many artisans, especially those creating mithril shirts for use by senators or priests, take especial pains to ensure their work is beautiful and delicate, weaving light rings closely together to create the illusion of silvery cloth or decorating their work with translucent or pale coloured gemstones, carefully shaped pieces of ambergelt, or even small amounts of polished weltsilver-silver alloy. The artefact mithril shirt given as a gift by the Urizen magi of Sunspire to Emperor Giovanni was said to be so encrusted with diamonds and moonstones that it was said to glow when exposed to moonlight, leading to it being called the Starmoon shirt.

When made of leather or other light materials, they are usually called an ambergelt hauberk or ambergelt breastplate. Some Navarr crafters prize red or red-brown ambergelt especially for use when making a suit of this armour, and call the resulting suit a bloodamber jacket of bloodamber breastplate. Bloodamber armour is among the most robust forms of armour used by the Navarr and a Thorn who bonds to it often does so with an oath to bear the brunt of enemy attacks.

Those few Naga who take to a military life tend to be fond of this armour, commissioning coats which echo the shade and patterning of their own scales. This suits are known as “skink-scale shirts” and are often embellished with unnecessary gems to display the wealth of the owner, whilst being well-padded for their comfort. Naga Troubadours who inspire their Noble Houses right on the battlelines are among the most frequent wearers of such armour.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of medium armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour you gain an additional rank of the endurance skill.

- Materials: Crafting a mithril shirt requires four measures of ambergelt and two ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The old man coughed violently, and more than a little blood came up into the delicate silk handkerchief his grand-daughter held out for him. All his Noble House had attended at his side throughout the evening, paying their respects as the cold that wouldn’t go away threatened to claim him, and now he was left with the girl. Just married, glowing with joy and swelling with new life, she made a wonderful reminder that he had another brand-new life to come in just a little while.

“Grandfather, it is a tale of your glory in battle against the foe; why are you so always hesitant to tell it?” She wanted the story of the Battle Beneath the Full Moon, as it had become known. Bohemond was so much better at telling this tale, but he had attended already, and by the custom so old its origins were forgotten, he could not attend at the bedside again this night.

“Alright, I shall tell the tale if I must, but only to you, my dearest grand-daughter, and only today, when I expect to find myself at the doors of the Labyrinth ere the morning. But I warn you now, you will think the less of me for it, and nothing will change that.”

She squeezed his hand and looked terribly earnest, “I promise you I shall not, Grandfather.”

“It was a dark and terrible night, and though we would rather have waited for day, the foe would not give us that chance. We heard that their shamans had prophesied that if they took the field beneath the light of a full moon, a shining beacon would arise to show the winner.

“They thought they could light a great bonfire, and it would stand as the moon’s beacon for them. I suppose that destiny had greater plans for the field that day, the rain had lashed down with the fury of a wrathful Changeling all day, and every stick of wood on the battlefield was soaked through. Not with Highborn pitch could they have lit that bonfire that they made that night.

“Well, Bohemond it was, clever so-and-so, that lamented we had no mithril, and I said we did, but I wore it under my harness. Well, I cast off my cloak as fast as I could, and he unbuckled my breastplate and pauldrons, and we realised what we had there. If the sky cleared and the Moon showed her face, I’d be a shining beacon to all the field. Or, as Bohemond prefers to tell it, a shining beacon to all the Empire. I suppose that’s not too much to say, really, given how well that victory’s served the House.

“Well, by nightfall, the sky still hadn’t cleared. They attacked anyway, in their hundreds. I suppose they thought they might outrun their fate. They marched on us, and we knew that it would be a hard fight, for we were all soaked, both sides, and such a battle is rarely glorious. And then she winked at us, and I lit up for just a minute. A shining beacon told them who’d win that day. A moment later, she lifted the clouds from her, and there I was, glowing so bright you could hardly look at me.

“Well, they fell on us like wolves. They were furious. We stood no chance, the Company of the Great Swan, noble and glorious though we were. Lord Tristram, he went down, and so did Lady Ygraine, and Lord Guillaume the War-Witch. Bohemond fought like a Changeling, like I’d never seen him fight before. We had the beacon, and though it was the Orcs’ prophecy, it was that beacon that bore us through it. I glowed with the light of the Moon, just like Emperor Giovanni, and I must have killed a score, and it was that armour that kept me standing, in both regards.

“Just when I thought I could take no more, I found myself alone with only Bohemond badly wounded by my side, and a circle of them around me, and this look of awe on their ugly faces. They... turned and ran, more or less.”

“... oh Grandfather, I always knew you had great Courage, and Vigilance, and such immense Pride as it makes my heart burst, but such Wisdom with it! Oh, I shall surely name my son Charles when he is born, or else Charlotte, and this story shall be the secret that a mother tells to her child to inspire them to Virtue!”

“...bloody hell. Do you mean, my girl, you’ve been going round thinking me unwise all this time?”

“Hush now, Grandfather, don’t spoil the moment.”

“With any luck, I’ll end up with you for a mother, you cheeky little filly...”

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Mitwold

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview - "The Pride of the Marches"

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Meade

- 3.2 Hay

- 3.3 Odd’s End

- 3.4 Wayford

- 3.5 The Maiden Stone

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Golden Downs

- 4.2 Maiden Downs

- 4.3 Meade March

- 4.4 The Meadows

- 4.5 Oddmire

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview - "The Pride of the Marches"

More than in Upwold or Bregasland, the households of Mitwold engage in feuding and bitter rivalry. The closer two households are to one another in Mitwold, the more likely it is that they are engaged in a bitter feud. This is also the territory where many of the best known ball games are played, and it is a regular occurence for some dispute to be settled by a savage game of rugby, football or rounders.

Mitwold's substantial coast, populated by small fishing villages along the shore, gives way to fertile chalk-soiled downs further inland, with rich game-filled woodland and larger farms and market towns beyond. There's gold in the soil of the north-western portion of the nation; the gold of summer's harvest.

Recent History

Major Features

Meade

The largest settlement in the Marches is the market town of Meade in Mitwold. Crowded around the mouth of the eponymous river on the shores of Westmere, Meade is not only the spiritual and administrative heart for the nation, it’s also a port whose ships deal in fishing, trade with foreign nations and sea defence against the barbarians through Westmere and the Gullet. It’s where Marchers from smaller towns often come to spend hard-earned coin, and more often than not plays host to exotic foreigners. The Harvest’s End Festival sees Meade filled with folk from all across the Empire, and it’s said that no-one sleeps there for a week.

In the wake of the death of Empress Britta in 376YE, semi-organised groups of bandits began to prey on traders travelling by land from Meade. By order of the Imperial Senate, in early 377YE a series of watchtowers and earthworks were constructed around Meade to help address this problem. The works were overseen by Bridget Eastville née Talbot (senator for Mitwold) as part of a larger plan to provide protection to towns throughout the Empire. While the defences are not sufficient to qualify Meade as a true fortification, they have already helped reduce brigandry throughout the territory.

The Bailiff of the Grand Market has a small office in Meade, although most title holders spend little time there (apart from to oversee the security of the grand market on the third weekend of each month). The Bailiff is an Imperial title auctioned each Winter Solstice through the Imperial Bourse that can be held by any citizen of the Marches.

Hay

“The golden fields of Hay” appear in many a Marcher song. Hay is quintessential Marches, a small rural town set amongst rolling fields. Over the last few years a number of those fields have been turned over to military camps, as the Imperial army keeps a close watch on the barbarians in the Mourn. A number of locals have formed themselves into the Hay Irregulars, an unofficial force dedicated to helping turn back the barbarians so that Hay’s fields can be golden once more.

Odd’s End

A bustling fishing port with a chip on its shoulder against the larger Meade, the fisherfolk of Odd’s End pride themselves on being first out to the water, the banner of Odd - a leaping salmon - raised above the waves before their Meade brethren have untied from dock. Odd was a devotee of Pride, and founded a monastery here, settling her folk on the shore when the Marchers first reached the Westmere and declaring that this would be the place where she would end her days.

Wayford

A large market town at the confluence of the upper tributaries of the Meade. A layer of gritstone in between the chalk of the wolds means the river is wide and shallow, allowing livestock from the hills to cross, or embark on riverboats to Meade itself. At the river fork in Wayford stand several gibbets with a long and bloody history, notable in recent years for playing host to Red Walder and his outlaws, a plague on the Mitwold for many years. The town is also notable due to legends that the monstrous creature known variously as Jack-in-chains, Jack-of-Irons and Bloody Jack is buried somewhere nearby.

The Maiden Stone

An ancient dolmen that stands in a scorched area of land in a grove of ash trees. Every year before the Spring festival the farmers of the area weave the largest straw dolly known in the territories. The Straw Maiden, as the creation is known, is 12 feet tall adorned with wild flowers with intricate patterns of vines woven into her skirt. The Maiden’s skirt is hollow at the base and she is placed atop the dolmen. The Landkeepers of the area then bless the Maiden in many nights of ritual. The Maiden then stands in the grove, visited by pilgrims who proffer food, trinkets and other offerings at her foot in the hope that she may bring them some small favour. This continues until the summer has ended. Mysteriously although the Maiden has been exposed to all weathers and temperaments, she does not rot, blow away or decay in any way, staying as fresh and brightly golden as the day she was placed upon the stone. Then, at the festival of Harvest there is another ceremony, the culmination of which sees the Maiden set alight, burning until there is nothing left.

Regions

Golden Downs

In 377YE the Imperial Master of Works approved the creation of Forte Fidelis in Golden Downs. This fortification was completed shortly before the Winter Solstice 378YE. (OOC Note: Forte Fidelis is a rank one fortification).

Maiden Downs

Meade March

The Meadows

Oddmire

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Mitwold are under Imperial control.

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Monastery

Overview

A monastery is more than just a religious building - it is a community of priests in the Marches, wielding power in both the Imperial Synod and the day-to-day lives of the Marcher folk. The first monasteries were founded by pilgrims returning from Highguard, and formed the foundation for the Marcher Assembly.

Monasteries are usually surrounded by fertile farmland that is owned and worked by the monks. This ownership of land allows monasteries to wield political power in the same way as a Marcher household. No abbot has yet become the senator for a March – and to date few households have pledged their loyalty to a monastery - but such a development is not outside the bounds of possibility.

A few monasteries are formed purely of scholars who take little part in warfare, but the majority include capable warriors who will don armour when battle is due. “You don't own it, unless you can defend it.” is a Marcher saying that applies even to monasteries, and the abbots have just as much reason as any household to want to protect what is theirs. Some monasteries extend the right of sanctuary to anyone who comes to them, and warriors are occasionally needed to ensure that right is respected.

Monks

Monks divide their time between study of the Imperial Faith and working the farmlands claimed by the monastery. Monks minister to the spiritual welfare of the folk around their monastery, largely ignoring Household boundaries. They combine the teachings of the Imperial Faith with respect for Marcher tradition, and are generally adept at employing the custom of shunning to discourage un-virtuous behaviour. Where necessary they may also try to encourage the use of the rough music against an individual who refuses to mend their unvirtous ways, although given the highly informal nature of that custom this can be quite a challenge.

Monks usually refer to one another with familial titles (cousin among monks of the same generation, uncle or aunt when talking to an older monk, nephew or niece when talking to a younger monk).

Both male and female monks wear plain garments, not unlike priestly robes in Highguard, though often simpler and less ostentatious.

Creating a monastery

A monastery is a good choice for a religious group from the Marches. The costume is highly distinctive, and beside the obvious roles for priestly characters, the power wielded by abbots can make them powerful participants in the politics of the nation.

In addition to priests, a monastery may have martially minded characters who serve as the defenders of the monastery, but unlike the cataphracts of Highguard, these are likely to be armed and armoured monks who have more in common with the yeomen who fight for the Marcher households.

When building a monastery group, there are some difficult choices to make with personal resources. To have influence in the Marcher Assembly and the Imperial Synod, and access to the precious liao which is vital to some religious ceremonies, your group will need characters with religious personal resources. To have influence in the Marches, however, the monastery will need some characters to control personal resources in the form of farmland - which has the advantage that it will also provide money to the monks that own them.

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Moonsilver Doublet

Description

"Moonsilver" is a term used to describe methods of adding goldwork to garments using a combination of weltsilver and mithril. The garment is surprisingly heavy, and with dragonbone fixtures it can become even more bulky. Like the Wyvernsting Spaulders and the Glamourweave Robe, a moonsilver doublet allows a magician to weave their mana more efficiently, storing tiny amounts in the weave of the doublet to be called on in an emergency. Unlike those more warlike garments, the weave of weltsilver threads allows the wearer to perform the swift heal spell many more times a day.

While the Trollsweave Vest was developed in Wintermark, these robes were devised independently in High Chalcis, in the Highguard territory of Reikos, one of the greatest centres of healing known to the Empire. When the two designs came into contact, there was much debate between artisans about their relative merits. Both result in rapid, mana-efficient healing. The Highborn argued that Moonsilver Doublet was superior as the spell could be delivered in the moments after casting, while the Winterfolk felt there were benefits to not having to poke your patient with a stick. Regardless, both designs have spread across the entire Empire and each healer has to make their own mind up on which is more useful.

These robes are often linked to the virtue of Vigilance, as a battlefield healer must be alert to the needs of those around them. In Varushka, these are decorated with goosefeathers or spider web patterns, as a reference to the the Virtuous Animals of Vigilance. Tower motifs are also common, though it is uncertain whether this tradition is due to the association with Vigilance or with its origins in Highguard.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: When you cast the swift heal spell, you do so at a cost of 1 mana rather than 2 mana.

- Materials: Crafting a moonsilver doublet requires fifteen ingots of weltsilver, eleven measures of iridescent gloaming, nine measures of beggar's lye, three ingots of orichalcum, and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“It’s a bit bloody fancy, isn’t it?” Landskeeper Edith said, inspecting the garment on the tailor’s dummy before her. She’d come down from the Overton hills to Tassato to find a tailor who could sew her a Moonsilver Doublet. Once she’d seen the artisan’s wares laid out before her, she’d tried her hardest to specify that it should not be too bloody fancy, but somewhere along the line the Leaguer seemed to have misunderstood her instructions.

The doublet was about the prettiest piece of clothing she’d seen in her life. The dragonbone collar, inset with weltsilver Rhyv and Pallas runes – ‘to create an abundance of healing’; the broken weltsilver lines running down the lengths of the arms; the iridescent gloaming sheen to the whole thing; and as if that weren’t enough, the fact that the whole thing seemed to be woven of cloth-of-bloody-gold: it was as if the woman had tried to make as fantastical a garment as possible just to annoy her.

“Trust me, senhora Landskeeper, it’s all in aid of the magic. Wearing this, and bearing that fine staff of yours, there will be no young lad or lass of your Company who won’t know you when they need healing. And knowing is half the-”

“They don’t need to see me dressed up like that to know me. They know me ‘cos they know me. I brought half of ‘em into the world, and they know I’ll send ‘em out of it again if they ever laugh at me. Wearing this-” she lifted the sleeve, which fell to the side of the garment again with a faint clicking of weltsilver decoration, “-I would laugh at me.”

“Well, senhora, I suppose I could enclose the whole in-”

“I don’t care what you do. I’ve had too many wee boys die on me recently for lack of mana, and I’m already bothering the Navarri to fetch me a boxload from Urizen. I need this thing for the war we’re fighting while you’re down here charging Thrones for cloth-of-bloody-gold. And I need the Regiments to take me seriously, and they’re not going to do that if I look like a bloody statue. Cover it in sacking if you have to. Just finish it, and by tomorrow.”

The artisan was taken aback. Such people as this Landskeeper were not many to the Crown in the League. Then again, if she had been losing people in battle as she said, no wonder she was in a bad mood. “Of course, senhora, I...”

She didn’t have time to finish. The Marcher had marched off already.

The artisan sighed, took a moment to admire the fine handiwork that would now have to be concealed from all public viewing, and went off to shout at an apprentice. That always helped her mood.

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Morrow

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Canterspire

- 3.2 Sunspire

- 3.3 Highwatch

- 3.4 The Weave

- 3.5 The Eye of Morrow

- 3.6 The Heliopticon

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Altis

- 4.2 Caeli

- 4.3 Operus

- 4.4 Peregro

- 4.5 Ravion

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

The spires of Morrow are amongst the oldest in Urizen, dating back to the nation's birth. The heart of the Heliopticon is here, making it a centre of communication for the Nation. The miracle of the Heliopticon is administered from this territory, and most spires maintain a series of prisms, lenses and mirrors atop their tallest roof in order to pass on the flickering messages that keep the nation in constant communication.

Many spires in Morrow inhabit some of the original buildings discovered on the mountaintops by the first Urizen to ascend the mountains. Large open buildings, with doorways and halls just larger than a human might need, they create a sense of open space that has set the pattern for all Urizen architecture.

Despite its great age Morrow moves inexorably forward, and many of its spires are undergoing constant reconstruction and improvement. It is said that “no two days find the same Morrow” as the Urizen constantly strive to perfect their land even further. A project may take a decade or even more to come to fruition, but the Urizen pride themselves on vision and their desire to perfect their world.

Recent History

Major Features

Canterspire

Over time, a number of spires built around the same high peak have merged to form one whole, the Canterspire. In any other country, it would be called a town, and would sprawl like a nest of termites. As this is Urizen, the merge was carefully planned and executed over centuries. Each Spire specialises in one of the pillars of Urizen philosophy, and they are defended by a network of citadels sitting on the lower peaks.

The Canterspire Circle is a Bourse position which produces weirwood.

Sunspire

This spire watches the forests of Therunin as much as it does the skies and heavens. If any outside Navarr understand the Vallorn, it is the Urizen of Sunspire. Navarri Vates are known to visit here to exchange news and knowledge.

Highwatch

A citadel that focuses on military science and leadership rather than the combat skills of individuals. It is where the Urizen met Giovanni the Peacemaker to negotiate their incorporation into the Empire.

The Weave

A spire dedicated to the study of the Net of the Heavens.

The Eye of Morrow

A small lake at the foot of the mountain that holds the Canterspire. Famed as a place of meditation. The air in this valley is remarkably still, and sound carries a vast distance. A perhaps misleading message is carved into a rock that stands next to the lake - it is in the Imperial tongue, and simply states "The Eye is Closed". That message has been there as long as any can remember.

The Heliopticon

A network of communication devices using bronze mirrors, maintained and used by Urizen since time out of mind.

Regions

Altis

Caeli

Operus

Peregro

Ravion

OOC Notes

- The regions of Morrow are in Urizen (and by extension, Imperial) hands making this a staunchly Imperial territory.

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Mother Varushka

by Stephanie Heath and Anna Clifford-Tait

Recording here: Mother Varushka

Mother Varushka is old as the hills Her tears fill the streams and her sighs turn the mills She smiles at our birth and our passing she mourns But fools and idlers she scorns

Chorus: Varushka, Varushka, our mother so dear She laughs and she weeps and her anger we fear She cradles us closer each day that we spend And when we are gone, still our path she will tend

Mother Varushka is wise as can be She knows what is needed for each thing to be She melts what she can of her snow-covered shawl To give us good food and to keep us safe all

Chorus

Mother Varushka is cunning and brave A thousand times over, our lives she will save Careful and wary, like the spider she spins And watches and waits for the wolves to fall in Chorus Mother Varushka is loyal and true She loves all her children, the old and the new However she struggles neath Winter's cruel yoke She still will defend her own brave Varushkan folk.

Chorus

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Mother Varushka Goes to War

To the tune of Nu tret herzuo, a German flagellation song. Lyrics JR/music trad. Arr. Katy Cooper. A wonderful version of Katy's arrangement sung by Glasgow Madrigirls is here

Helper files: Melody: File:Mvgtw-tune.mp3 Top harmony (one note!) File:Mvgtw-top.mp3 Middle harmony File:Mvgtw-mid.mp3 Bottom harmony File:Mvgtw-bot.mp3

Melody [all verses]: File:Mother Varushka Goes To War.wav

When singing put the last line repeat in. If doing the harmonies either skip the repeat or harmony singers join in with melody for the repeat.

Come Varushka's sons and daughters Arm yourselves for blood and slaughter Now the snows turn red with gore For mother Varushka goes to war (x2)

Come my sisters and my brothers Like your fathers and your mothers Marched to battle years before Now mother Varushka goes to war (x2)

On to battle in the morning Red shall be the new day's dawning Raise the banner high before Mother Varushka goes to war (x2)

Now the drums of war are beating Onward march and no retreating Till we fall to rise no more When mother Varushka goes to war (x2)

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Mountainfall Bracers

Description

Mountainfall bracers are usually made from sturdy material; mithril alloys, shaped pieces of natural amber, or in some cases even pieces of carefully smoothed stone. They are usually accompanied by a set of greaves in a sinilar style, and a pectoral, and the whole is often decorated with ambergelt inlays. They tend to be heavy, and even a muscular magician often finds it difficult to undertake extended periods of exercise while wearing them. Many wearers complain that the mage armour becomes a little heavier every time the paralysis spell is cast with its assistance, although they clearly do not actually weigh more than they did when they were donned.

In Wintermark and the Marches, runesmiths and battle-magicians often practice fighting with heavy weights attached to their wrists and ankles to prepare themselves for using this mage armour. They also practice a discipline developed in Urizen in which they remain completely still for a short period of time and then perform a sudden action that stretches their muscles, unbalances them or the like. This technique allows a magician to take advantage of the paralysis they have inflicted on themselves and their opponent to do something surprising - to draw and strike with a sword, for example, when their enemy expects them to make another attack with their staff, or to move in an unexpected direction to keep their opponent off their guard,

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the paralysis spell for 1 mana rather than 2 mana.

- Materials: Crafting mountainfall bracers requires thirteen measures of ambergelt, five measures of iridescent gloaming, seven measures of dragonbone, nine measures of beggar's lye and seven ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Mountebank

Overview

Mountebanks are a combination of confidence trickster and streetwise magician found in The League. Part con-artist, part street entertainer, mountebanks are street-mages with a (sometimes ill-deserved) reputation as thieves and scoundrels. Mountebanks rely on their wits, often engaging in complex scams and long-term cons against the richest and most powerful members of society. A group of mountebanks combines magical lore with a variety of other skills, doing whatever works to complete their goals. Unlike many ritual groups, mountebanks often experiment with improvisation rather than relying purely on formulaic rituals, tailoring their magic to the specific situation they are in. This is expensive in terms of resources and talent, but can be very rewarding.

Not all mountebanks belong to groups. A street-mage like this may be working alone for a variety of reasons, some of which they will be unlikely to share. They may just prefer the freedom of working as and when they please, or they may be avoiding the telling of a dark secret or escaping a dark past. For whatever reason, these magicians work hand-to-mouth and alone, or very occasionally with another, though the nature of these partnerships is transient - more often a mountebank will team up with somebody with skill at arms, or another skill that they do not share.

Some mountebank covens practice a form of dramaturgy that involves improvised, comedic or slapstick performances to mask their use of ritual magic. This practice is frowned on by the troupe magicians of the league ... which simply makes it all the more appealing to the mountebanks.

Give me a dagger, a coinpurse and a smile, and nothing is impossible

Cicero Telerio di Sarvos, Mountebank

Give me a dagger, a coinpurse, a pair of trousers, a Varushkan fur lined hat, a length of rope, a jar of wine, a map of the sewers, a monkey, another jar of wine and a smile, and nothing is impossible for Cicero Telerio

Antoni Telerio di Sarvos, Mountebank

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Mountebank's Surprise

Description

A wand and a one-handed sword are a common combination for a mountebank in the League. This particular pair of enchantments are favoured by those who specialise in two person confidence tricks. When both of the swindlers are armed with these, they can often take on a surprising number of angry marks by empowering each other. A particularly notorius Tassatan pair named Tullio and Miguelito were known to employ such tactics in the latter part of their career, most notably to escape the guards of the de Guerra Carta after conning their Merchant Prince out of his signet ring, a tale immortalised in the popular opera The Golden Trod.

In Dawn, these items are known as Mirrors of Glory, for by strengthening an ally, the war witch is also strengthened. Those among the Navarr who have taken the oaths of both the Vate and the Thorn sometimes wield these in the form of a green iron axe and a stout worldmarrow rod, calling them Star-Sworn Legacies in remembrance of Star, one of the first Vates, who provided Navarr and Thorn with magical aid in their battles against the Vallorn. A number of Navarr artisans make this items only at night, under visible stars, while reciting the oaths of Vates, Thorns and Brands to teach the two items to support each other and to assist their wielder in aiding others.

In the League, both items often bear Lann, the rune of bargains, representing the benefit of the spell to both parties, while Dawnish versions use the Gryphon runes, placing Feresh and Verys on the rod and Jotra and Tykonus on the blade.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of a one-handed weapon and either a rod or a wand.

- Requirement: You must have both the ambidexterity and magician skills to bond to these items.

- Effect: Once per day after casting the empower spell on a target you also gain the benefit of the empower spell.

- Materials: Crafting a mountebank's surprise requires no special materials. It takes two months to make a pair of these items.

The tavern-master sighed, and went back to his glasses.

"...and then I said.... 'That old saw? Your thumb? Ambition's balls, that was old when Richilde first called for minstrels! Is that your best?', and his friend hissed 'And who are you to say?' and I say 'Why, nothing but a street rat, oh king of cats!', and he spits 'A rat indeed, by the state of your doublet! And what do you want of me?' and so I said 'One of your nine lives; and if that goes well, I'll have the other eight...'"

The ragged man winced to an ill-judged movement. He kept his left arm close to his body, tied up in a makeshift sling.

"Oh, I forget what else. It was witty, though. Of course, then they came for me, the pair of them. Now, I clocked the one of them tap the other one with his wand, and so I was ready for him to be good with his blade, and I caught it on my guard, but I wasn't expected the other to come through so hard so damned fast! He only had a wand out: but no, he drew a blade, and caught me under the standard, right in the pit. Over I went, then it was down to boots in the gutter... Near the church-door by the well, you know it?"

He coughed, into a blood-stained handkerchief.

"Everyone's a critic, aren't they? Now, do you have a spot of Anodyne Embrocation to go with this wine...?"

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Mountebank (Redirected from Mountebanks)

Overview

Mountebanks are a combination of confidence trickster and streetwise magician found in The League. Part con-artist, part street entertainer, mountebanks are street-mages with a (sometimes ill-deserved) reputation as thieves and scoundrels. Mountebanks rely on their wits, often engaging in complex scams and long-term cons against the richest and most powerful members of society. A group of mountebanks combines magical lore with a variety of other skills, doing whatever works to complete their goals. Unlike many ritual groups, mountebanks often experiment with improvisation rather than relying purely on formulaic rituals, tailoring their magic to the specific situation they are in. This is expensive in terms of resources and talent, but can be very rewarding.

Not all mountebanks belong to groups. A street-mage like this may be working alone for a variety of reasons, some of which they will be unlikely to share. They may just prefer the freedom of working as and when they please, or they may be avoiding the telling of a dark secret or escaping a dark past. For whatever reason, these magicians work hand-to-mouth and alone, or very occasionally with another, though the nature of these partnerships is transient - more often a mountebank will team up with somebody with skill at arms, or another skill that they do not share.

Some mountebank covens practice a form of dramaturgy that involves improvised, comedic or slapstick performances to mask their use of ritual magic. This practice is frowned on by the troupe magicians of the league ... which simply makes it all the more appealing to the mountebanks.

Give me a dagger, a coinpurse and a smile, and nothing is impossible

Cicero Telerio di Sarvos, Mountebank

Give me a dagger, a coinpurse, a pair of trousers, a Varushkan fur lined hat, a length of rope, a jar of wine, a map of the sewers, a monkey, another jar of wine and a smile, and nothing is impossible for Cicero Telerio

Antoni Telerio di Sarvos, Mountebank

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Mournwold

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview - "The Mourn"

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Overton

- 3.2 Old Pig

- 3.3 The Singing Caves

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Alderly

- 4.2 Chalkdowns

- 4.3 Freemoor

- 4.4 Green March

- 4.5 Greensward

- 4.6 Ore Hills

- 4.7 Southmoor

- 5 OOC Note

Overview - "The Mourn"

This desolate land was known as the Mourn even before its final fall to the barbarian hordes in 349AE. Originally the name referred to the sound of the wind in the trees and across the craggy hills. Now it seems a more fitting name for the loss which Marcher folk feels at the March's passing. The conquest of Mournwold is fresh in the hearts and memories of many Marchers.

Whearas Upwold and Mitwold in particular are known for their sprawling farms, the rugged terrain of the Mourn is perhaps better known for it's mines. The hills are riddled with rich veins of green iron, and with mine workings dedicated to extracting that ore. Prior to the invastion of the Jotun, there had been a growing tide of dissatisfaction among professional miners that all political power had been vested in the hands of those who owned farms. There were regular complaints that mine owners, like farmers and stewards, owned and worked land - the only difference was that the crops they raised was ore and stone rather than fruit, grain or vegetables. Most likely this dissatisfaction had its roots in certain sharp business practices by some of the lowland stewards, who set the prices for the food sold to the miners.

Recent History

The barbarian forces that eventually defeated the Marchers amassed for months in the forest to the west. Despite the Imperial forces that tried to turn them back, the horde was so numerous and ferocious that Mournwold was lost in pitched battle. As the troops withdrew heavy hearted from a battle they could clearly not win, the hordes did not pursue, they stayed in those hills and valleys, scurrying down the mines, slaughtering and devouring the cattle, defiling and tainting the holy places for their own dark ends. With the loss of the Mourn, the Marches has lost much of its mining.

The last Senator for Mournwold was Thomas Overton, who was also the last Marcher to voluntarily enter the wicker man.

Major Features

Overton

A sheep-farming town and market set on a hill, now the front line of the war between the Empire and the barbarians in the west. It has received strong support from League forces from Tassato. There’s a note of self-interest, but the people of Overton have been grateful for the help. They may not have a senator, but they hold the line for the territory that’s lost.

Since the Senate negotiatied a ceasefure with the Jotun, the threat that the armies of barbrians will sweep across Overton is held in abeyance. However, this has not prevented smaller bands of Jotun sweeping down into the valleys of the Greensward in search of easy riches. In turn, Imperial raiding forces often strike from Overton into the Mourn, drawing more attention and giving the settlement the feeling of an armed camp or glorified barracks.

In Summer 378YE, work finally began on a fortified manor house that could serve as a place of refuge against the barbarians, and should protect the people of Overton from the worst effects of raiding by the Mournwold Jotun. Work continued during Autumn 378YE, and once complete the armoured garrison will serve as a base of operations for the defenders of the town, allowing them to see-off Jotun raids and also gather information about the state of the Mournwold beyond the Greensward.

Old Pig

An aptly-named chalk figure carved into the hills of the wold.

The Singing Caves

The Singing Caves are found on the northern borders of the Greensward not far from Overton. Still in Imperial hands, albeit only just, the Singing Caves take their name from the strange voices that echo forth when the wind blows above. Many Imperial citizens are concerned about what will happen to the Singing Caves when the Jotun invaders make a significant attempt to conquer the last Imperial hold outs in this desolate territory.

The Singing Caves is an Imperial Bourse position that produces mithril. It produces 28 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

Regions

Alderly

A forest of old oak and sycamore. Marcher faerie tales tell of diminutive creatures who hide beneath the trees and prey on unruly children - most likely references to a hidden Feni enclave of some type.

Keywords: Forested

Chalkdowns

Freemoor

Green March

Near the border with Bregasland is the odd monument called High Courage. Looking down across the moors towards Liathaven, it is a large statue of a stag with broken antlers, ascribed to the people of Terunael. On a stone block at the base of the statue Imperial letters simply read “High Courage” but it is clear that they are more recent than the statue itself.

Greensward

The Greensward is the last holdout of Imperial presence in the Mourn. Refugees and survivors have set up camp at Overton. Their morale is kept high by the presence of Greensward Monastery near the southern border, built in a defensive location amid the foothills of Kahraman.

Ore Hills

The ore hills (sometimes rendered, unsurprisingly, as "our hills" in the drawling dialect favoured by the natives) are riddled with mine workings and quarries. The hills are generally rich in veins of green iron, but the Ore Hills are site of some of the most propserous mines in the Mourn.

Keywords: Hilly

Southmoor

The last region to fall to the Jotun so far, Southmoor is the location of Sarcombe. A ruin now, it was once a prosperous mining town, rich off the back of trade in green iron. Refugees from Sarcombe mostly went east to Overton. There is believed to be a major Jotun encampment here, keeping a careful eye eastward to the Greensward - and beyond to Temeschwar.

Keywords: Hilly

OOC Note

- Currently the Marchers, and thus the Empire, control the Greensward. The rest of the territory is in the hands of the Jotun.

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Mournwold Harvest

This songs was written by Jennet IC.

OOC it is the tune of Culloden's Harvest, with words by Daisy. Recording is here.

Chorus: Cold the winds on the moors blow Warm, the enemy's fire glows Black, the harvest of the Mournwold Pain, and fear, and death grow.

1.The children of Mourn are bereft and lamenting Torn from their families, their homes and their land Forced out of the Mourn so their parents could save them The children will live, but their families will stand

Chorus

2.With love of their land they stood firm at High Courage But in scarcely the time that it takes me to sing The flower of the country, cut down by an army As ruthless and cruel as the Winter wind's sting

Chorus

3.The children of Mournwold are left to their weeping With only the memory of families long gone They yearn for their homes and the bones of their families The blackest of hours on this land has begun.

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Mravalzhamier

Some of these songs might seem unattainbly difficult on a first listen because of all the crunchy harmonies. Don't panic, concentrate on the tune and don't worry about the harmony, once separated the lines aren't all that hard! They can be sung by both men and women in close or wide harmony, change the key to suit yourself.

- Toasting song example: Mravalzhamier - easy, 3 parts. Here is a page with the score and a recording of the exact notes from the score. Tune is the middle line.

- Toasting song example: Benia's Mravalzhamier - difficult, 3 parts.

- Another mravalzhamier:

(tune is the middle part)

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Mundane beasts

The climate of the Empire ranges beneath the frigid cold of northern Wintermark and Varushka, through pleasant temperate areas such as the Marches and Dawn down to the warm grasslands of the Brass Coast. Summers are warm and dry, autumn and spring are wet and blustery, and winter is cold and often snowy.

Almost any mundane animal that might be expected to prosper in such environments can be found in the Empire, with the only major exception being that of the horse.

Contents

- 1 Oxen

- 2 Horses

- 3 Mammoths

- 4 Dire Beasts

- 5 Big Cats

- 6 Drakes

- 7 Kraken

- 8 Dodo Birds

- 9 Iridescent Butterfly

- 10 Beyond the Empire

Oxen

The ox is the foundation of a lot of wealth, They have been used as domestic beasts of burden for thousands of years. These relatively placid animals are used to draw ploughs and pull wagons, and are kept for their flesh and leather. They are excellent beasts of burden and what they lack in speed and gracefulness they more than make up for in dogged determination. A man on foot can catch an ox-drawn cart even if it has a fair head start (as many fugitives have learnt to their chagrin), but they cannot be matched for sheer ability to move heavy loads over great distances. Working oxen require shoes, usually made by blacksmiths, which are very different to horse-shoes and require a lot more effort to get onto their cloven hooves.

Oxen in play

These are the same beasts of burden used in our world for around six thousand years. Everyone from a Navarr Striding to a Freeborn trader uses wagons drawn by oxen. They are used in agriculture across the Empire, especially in Dawn and the Marches Nobody uses oxen for cavalry because they are entirely unsuited to it.

Horses

The horse is extinct in the Empire. While there are occasional stories that some have survived outside the Empire, their population was always small and nobody has seen a living example in four hundred years. They have become powerful symbols of the Empire, representing loyalty, strength, speed and fighting spirit. The Imperial Orcs especially use horse symbols, but they are visible on many Imperial buildings and important items.

Horses in Play

In the Empire world, the horse was never a widespread creature as it is in our world. Most people from outside the Empire consider the creatures entirely fanciful. It is fine to use horse images, as the horse is a potent symbol of the Empire, and to possess things that came from or were used with horses, provided they have been well preserved.

Mammoths

There are mammoths in Wintermark and there are known to be herds in Kalsea and a few herds as far south as Narkyst. They are also believed to live in Otkodov where they are extensively hunted by the barbarian orcs. They live in small herds, and are herbivorous. Attempts to domesticate them have proved largely fruitless; they are stubborn, willful creatures that pine and die when kept in captivity. They have been hunted since long before the foundation of the Empire by the Suaq people. A smaller cousin of the mammoth is known to exist in warmer climates outside the borders of the Empire called the elephant.

Mammoths in Play

These creatures are exactly what they seem to be: Mammoths. It is absolutely fine to have hunted them or to have items made out of their body parts. At this time, there are no domesticated mammoths or war mammoths used by Imperial citizens.

Dire Beasts

Some animals in the Empire grow to unusual size, reminiscent in some cases of prehistoric versions. There are dangerous cave bears, great cats with sword-like fangs, primaevil boars, prodigious crocodiles and immense walruses and massive wolves in the wild places of the Empire. Very large versions of less carnivorous creatures also exist - there are immense elk in parts of Varushka and Wintermark, huge cranes pick their way through the reedbeds of the Gancio, and great pale penguins haunt the southernmost reaches of Tsirku.

These creatures are uncommon; where they edge too close to civilisation they quickly become a problem that is addressed by armoured warriors. They are slowly being pushed into extinction, and encounters with them are rare, but they are a know threat of the wilderness. Other dire creatures are known to exist, and in larger numbers, in various places outside the Empire.

Dire Beasts in Play

These beasts are rare, but hardly unknown. A Test of Mettle can easily involve hunting one of these beasts, and a couple of Marchers with long spears might heroically defeat a dire boar in the woods of Upwold. It is fine to roleplay that your armour is made out of dire beast leather, or that the ivory for your wand came from a dire-lion's tusks.

Big Cats

Tigers are native to the foothills of Urizen, and there are some prides of lions on the pampas of the Brass Coast. The forests of Dawn, Navarr and Varushka alike are haunted by large, dangerous cats similar to overgrown mountain-lions or wildcats. These creatures tend to stay away from humans except in rare cases where one develops a taste for human flesh.

Big Cats in Play

Big cats are more common than dire beasts. A lone character in light armour may receive a serious mauling from one of these creatures, and a fully-grown lion or tiger is more than a match for a single armoured knight. It is fine to roleplay that you have hunted them, and in some cases they may even be domesticated (although they do not travel well).

Drakes

Drakes are large reptillian creatures that come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are usually predatory, and while the majority are man-sized or smaller there are a few uncommon breeds that are larger than a man. They are unknown in Wintermark and Varushka and are most common in Dawn and the Brass Coast. They often possess savage jaws and tearing claws, and several breeds have horns or frilled collars that protect their necks. They are sometimes mistaken for dragons although they do not breathe fire and are unintelligent.

Drakes in Play

A large drake would represent a dangerous challenge for a single character, or even a small group, and is more than capable of terrorizing a farming village. A Dawnish test of mettle may have required the defeat of one of these creatures. Smaller drakes are more likely to be pack hunters. It is fine for your character to have fought or killed a drake. and the claws, teeth and hides of drakes are used in crafting or as trophies. While drakes are large, they are not behemoths. They evoke images of dinosaurs, there are no titanic tyrannosaurs or brontosaurs in the Empire - although such creatures may exist elsewhere.

Kraken

Immense squid live in the deep oceans of the world. They are unknown in the Bay of Catazar, but there are verifiable reports of these creatures attacking ships or being seen locked in life-or-death struggles with great whales. They may not be restricted to warm water; there are reports of narwhal being caught with hand-sized sucker wounds. According to some paranoid sailors, the creatures possess an ageless cunning; there are stories of them seeming to shadow oceangoing vessels, or appearing to watch ships for a time before submerging, as well as picking lone sailors off decks and disappearing beneath the waves with them.

While a hungry kraken can apparently be driven off with concerted effort, any vessel that suffers their attentions is likely to be badly damaged. There are no reports of anyone ever actually having killed one of these creatures.

Kraken in Play

While it's fine to roleplay having seen a kraken, or even been involved in fighting one off, you are unlikely to have any real body parts from these creatures. While there are rumours of their sinister intelligence, any background that confirms this trait either way is likely to be rejected.

Dodo Birds

A particular delicacy is the dodo. This flightless bird is common along the coast of the Bay of Catazar and the animal has been domesticated by Brass Coast farmers. The flesh of the dodo is considered an especially tasty delicacy, and often forms the centrepiece of feasts in Dawn and Sarvos.

The dodo thrives in warm environments. They are flightless, and characterised in stories as slow witted, lazy and promiscuous.

Dodo Birds in Play

You can easily roleplay that chicken and similar white meat is dodo meat. It's also appropriate to use quorn or similar vegetarian or vegan ingredients to simulate dodo meat - it can be prepared and served in a dazzling array of ways.

Iridescent Butterfly

The iridescent butterfly, a gorgeous insect with rainbow coloured wings that is uniquely active both during the day and at night. By day, the iridescent butterfly appears pale and drab – wings are usually white, ivory or light pastel shades. By night however, the true beauty of the iridescent butterfly is revealed – the wings become bright and luminous, shifting colour in seemingly random patterns, creating gorgeous displays in summer and early autumn as they dance among the twilight groves where their caterpillars feed. The butterfly does not prosper in the climate of the Empire and requires careful attention. It breeds most successfully in the Principalities of Jarm, where it is said that these creatures swarm in such profusion that they can transform night to day. The silk is spun from the cocoons of their caterpillars is used to manufacture Rainbow Silk, a strong thread that is valuable both for embroidered decorations and for making beautiful cloth. The thread is tough and hard to snap or sever, requiring steady application of pressure to cut making it highly prized.

Iridescent gloaming is produced from the remnants of the cocoons which are ground down to produce a thick waxy substance. Iridescent gloaming has an almost magical quality that allows it to take on different colours in the hands of a skilled artisan and is noted for its use in creating exquisite embroidery, or as a colour wash for leather. Its peculiar magical properties make it a common component in items that use magic or produce magical effects.

The iridescent butterfly is used as a symbol by many Dawnish weaver cabals and other magical cloth workers, It is also strongly associated with the rune Xun, transformation.

Iridescent Butterfly in Play

The forest personal resource can produce iridescent gloaming. it is fine to roleplay that you have items made from rainbow silk, using any light iridescent fabric.

Beyond the Empire

While giraffes, elephants and the like are not indigenous to the Empire, they exist somewhere in the world. Almost any animal that could exist in the real world probably exists somewhere in the Empire world.

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Murit

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Night

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Night

Sobriquets

Most often Murit is known as the "Shaper" thanks to its frequent association with artisans.

It is also commonly known as the "Dragonsmith", partly due to its common appearance and partly due to its propensity for constructing powerful creatures in the same way it apparently constructs objects. In parts of Wintermark and The Marches it is known as the "Night-forge", although that name is used interchangeably to refer to the domain that Murit claims in the Realm of Night. Some Kallavesi mystics and Freeborn apothecaries know it as the Silver Kettle and invoke its name when mixing complex potions. It is also sometimes called the All-consuming-fire in reference to the way the changes it fosters and the miracles it creates can be as destructive as they can be inspiring.

Along with Soghter, Murit is known as the Azoth after a theoretical alchemical compound that enacts miraculous transformations - magicians performing rituals such as The Eight-spoked Wheel, The Retrograde Wheel and Distill the Serpent's Stone often evoke the name during their transformations. Some scholars suggest that Murit and Soghter are lovers or siblings; others maintain that they are actually different facets of the same entity. Neither Eternal seems inclined to discuss their relationship, if any, but a few alchemical treatises contain images of the two serpents wrapped around each other as illustrations of the way disparate substances can be combined together to create new materials.

Appearance

Murit is believed to be a winged serpent, with scales of gold and sapphire and feathered wings resembling beautifully coloured glass. Evidence for this appearance seems entirely anecdotal, based on descriptions by Heralds; no Imperial magician has reported actually encountering Murit in this form. As with all Night Eternals, Murit is a consummate shapeshifter and it most often appears as a saurian humanoid with backwards sweeping horns and feathers, usually clad in a long skirt or kilt and carrying an item emblematic of its interest in crafting - usually either a large smith's hammer, or a pestle-and-mortar. It may appear to be male or female, and as with many Night Eternals gender appears to have little meaning to this shapeshifting crafter.

Humanoid Heralds of Murit often appear as strongly-lineaged Naga. Murit is also known to create artefacts that seem to possess many of the qualities of a Herald - odd magical powers, a personality and specific agendas. These 'living artefacts' are often released into the world, where they can cause great disruption - some form symbiotic relationships with mortal wielders, while others are said to entirely dominate weak willed wielders. Murit seems to view these items as its children, and is known to take a dim view of those who destroy them.

Murit is also known to create unique one-of-a-kind creatures. It seems to see little distinction between creating a great emerald dragon that vomits gouts of vitriol and a delicate songbird that sings in the voice of a harp. While Murit is occasionally accused of creating creatures such as the mandowla, its refusal to revisit earlier works means that these entities invariably remain one-of-a-kind rather than spawning entire species. Unfortunately, they also tend to be naturally immortal unless killed and in the past this has caused problems when they have slipped into the mortal realm. Murit seems to feel little responsibility for their actions.

Concerns

The dragonsmith is fascinated by the way that two things can be combined to create a new thing, greater than the sum of the parts. It is especially interested in miraculous transformations that result from the union of mundane substances or situations. The arts of the apothecary and the artisan are of especial interest to Murit, as is the magical pursuit of mortal alchemy. It is also endlessly fascinated by the changes that can occur when individuals come together, and the way meetings between people can cascade to create profound transformations in the world for good or ill.

Murit's fascination with change and transformation is entirely devoid of a moral component; it sees no difference between a great change that slaughters hundreds and one that exalts them. It often seems to be the magnitude of the change that it finds fascinating, not the implications for those changes.

Like many Night Eternals, Murit adores art and artists. A timeless piece of art can transform those who look on it, inspiring them to creation of their own. It is a little less interested in the artists themselves, believing that the work itself and the way others perceive it is more interesting than the intent or design of the artist. To Murit, a heartfelt song in a faltering voice that brings a tear to the eye is more 'beautiful' than a technically brilliant sculpture.

Murit is known to despise trade, and those who sell the fruits of their labour are disdained by this enigmatic Eternal. The creations of artifice, magic and apothecary should be regarded as an end result in themselves, or freely given with no expectations to assist allies, to destroy enemies, or simply for the unfettered joy of seeing the changes that they enact on the world as they move through it. Obviously this can make it difficult to gain a boon from Murit as it will rarely name a simple payment for a task.

The night-forge is a being driven by novelty; all of its creations are unique. Murit has no interest in recreating a past creation, and is offended by requests that it does so. It considers itself an artist, and believes that no true artist should repeat its work.

While most Eternals have little interest in the inhabitants of other Realms, Murit is known to actively oppose many of the powers of the Autumn Realm. It has several times worked directly against the schemes of Eternals such as Basileus Kade, Callidus and Ephisis but reserves special distaste for the forgemistress Estavus which it seems to view as the epitome of small-minded industry. Unable to directly oppose their aims, it is forced to work through proxies. Some magicians have enlisted Murit intentionally with stories of the plans of these Eternals, and Murit revels in the opportunity to disrupt their designs.

Boons

The most common boons Murit grants are those that make it easier to transform elements and materials, or assist in the practice of alchemy, artisan or apothecary. Its gifts often bring with them a burning drive to create new things, and there are stories of artisans who have literally worked themselves to death in pursuit of a new masterwork.

Murit also likes to introduce new creatures and individuals to each other and observe their reactions. In this vein, it is also known to entrust some of its artefact-Heralds to mortals, on the understanding they will protect them and introduce them to new situations.

The Empire is fascinating to Murit; the way a powerful structure has arisen from a foundation of different nations and people. However, the Empire has been in existence for nearly four centuries now and some stagazers have suggested that Murit may be becoming bored with the relative stability of Imperial life. While Murit is not malignant, they allege that the all-consuming-fire has begun questing around for interesting 'new elements' to introduce to the Empire in a quest to see what happens. These same magicians suggest that Murit has set in motion several strategems aimed at undermining the Imperial Bourse, although they are unwilling or unable to provide specifics.

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Music of the spheres

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Silutaris' Method

- 2.1 Realms and Modes

- 2.2 The Chime

- 2.3 The Drone

- 2.4 Adding other chords

- 2.5 Melody

- 2.6 Discord, fate and chance

- 3 Musical ritual traditions in other nations

Overview

Certain Urizen Stargazers (and more rarely, Magi) understand the complex resonance between the flow of magic and musical composition, and use this to form the basis of their rituals. Some wizards perform themselves; others prefer to form a partnership with a musician or musical group, using the music as a framework for their own meditation and control of power.

Like runes and dramaturgy, the music of the spheres is a means of placing magic in context and understanding it. The most traditional method of ritual music, was discovered centuries ago by Silutaris, Mistress of the Chimes, and is described below. It is well understood by Urizen scholars that Silutaris' method for accessing the music of the sphere is just one approach - many musical magicians have developed their own approaches.

Silutaris' Method

The music is in the notes. The magic is in the gaps between the notes. Listen to the silence.

Silutaris' method uses a system of drone notes, chords and modal melodies to express the magical powers related to each of the Realms, drawing them down into the mortal realm and both reflecting and manipulating them through music. In Silutaris' notes, ritual music is made up of three parts:

- the drone, a sustained note reflecting the primary intention of the ritual

- the chime, a chord reflecting the primary realm of the ritual, supplemented by other chords

- the melody - a written or improvised tune played to complement the drone and the chime, in a musical mode corresponding to the Realm of the ritual.

One musician usually plays each of these three parts. If there are more participants, a second harmonising melody is usually added next, followed by an octave drone, though the practice varies from ritual group to ritual group.

Realms and Modes

NOTE: By convention, and for the purposes of explanation, the modes detailed below are presented relative to the C major scale - that is, each mode has a different starting note (or tonal centre) with the scale being played purely on the white notes of a piano or the lower row of a glockenspiel. Please feel free to transpose into whichever key you prefer to play in; it is the relative intervals and the modes which are important not the absolute pitch.

Each of the Realms corresponds to a mode. The major scale (C to C) is considered to reflect the Mortal Realm of our own reality, and therefore the Silutarian method does not commonly use this mode for melody.

- C -C' - Ionian or major mode - reality, the mortal realm

- D - D' - Dorian mode - the realm of Night

- E - E' - Phyrigian mode - the realm of Autumn

- F - F' - Lydian mode - the realm of Summer

- G - G' - Mixolydian mode - the realm of Day

- A - A' - Aeolian or pure minor mode - the realm of Winter

- B - B' - Locrian mode - the realm of Spring

Therefore, a ritual primarily seeking to call upon the night realm be played in the Dorian mode. The Locrian mode is considered most difficult and counter-intuitive - some Urizen scholars consider this to reflect the hostile and especially unpredictable nature of the spring realm.

The Chime

Magicians using Silutaris' method refer to the chord of the tonic (or tonal centre) of the mode as the Chime, and this forms one of the parts of the musical composition. This is formed by the first, third and fifth notes of the scale- e.g. in the Night mode, the tonic chord would be D/F/A - a D minor chord. In the Day mode, the chime is a G major chord - G/B/D.

The Drone

Once the realm and thus the mode has been selected, a note referred to as the Drone is then selected. In the Silutarian method, each realm has three components - called the tonic, the third and the fifth. The tonic of the chord corresponds to its influence on the physical realm, the third on its influence on the mental realm, and the fifth on the emotional and spiritual realm. Every ritual has a dominant Drone, dependent on the aspect of the realm which is being called upon. Once this aspect is known, the corresponding note is played as a drone note, usually the lowest or highest in the composition and spanning the whole movement. It can either be rhythmically struck and allowed to resonate, as when playing tuned percussion, or sustained throughout. Some wizards, particularly those who perform solo or in small groups express the Drone by playing the first or second inversion of the Chime. In groups of musicians, one usually takes responsibility for maintaining the Drone throughout.

For example, a ritual to involve wisdom would use the third of the A minor chord, C, as its drone. It could also be expressed by playing the first inversion of the A minor chord of the chime - C/E/A.

Adding other chords

Above the drone, the chords of the piece are added. The first and dominant chord of the piece is the Chime, reflecting the primary magical realm of the ritual. Other chords may be used in the composition - if multiple Realms are involved, the chord corresponding to other realms may also be used, reflecting the Realm which the ritual wishes to alter and effect in some way. Some musical ritualists are far more fluid, and improvise chords as well as melody (see below) - others prefer to maintain the chime and drone throughout.

As the C scale (major or ionian mode) reflects the material realm, the C major chord may be used in all ritual composition, and is usually called the Material Chord.

Melody

The final part of the ritual piece is the melody, played in the relevant mode. At this point the Silutarian method is split into two schools - the Compositionalists and the Improvisationalists. The former write out their pieces in advance, mandating when the chords change and the exact notes and timings of the melody; the Improvisationalists prefer to simply allow the music to flow through them and be affected by the variations in magic at the time of the ritual. Silutaris herself was a improvisationalist, though several of her pupils preferred the more formal style.

Whether composed before the ritual or improvised during it, most ritual musicians consider the melody to encapsulate the nature and intention of the ritual. The piece normally begins with music reflecting the situation that the ritual wishes to change, with gradual progression to the state that the ritualists wish to achieve - for example, a ritual to remove a curse of weakness might begin with slow, sparse and halting melody, gradually developing through the course of the ritual into full-bodied and inspiring music.

Discord, fate and chance

In pure magic, as in pure music, there is no discord, only tension and resolution. In the mortal Realm, we are not so fortunate.

Followers of this method acknowledge that all magical workings have an element which is outside mortal control. No magical intention can be perfectly translated to the material realm; this is represented in the music by discordant notes, usually accidental notes not found in the Realm's modal scale. Some musicians include them deliberately at key points in their performance; others simply allow them to arise by chance. It is their transient discord and resolution, some say, that guides the flow of magic towards its intended result.

Musical ritual traditions in other nations

Silutaris' method has gained popularity in many other parts of the Empire, carried across borders by well-travelled musicians from every nation. Ritual music has gained particular popularity amongst the Navaar, who favour a comparatively loose and free-flowing approach which might be compared to the Improvisationalist movement in Urizen. Some troubadours, particularly those with magical as well as priestly skills, use music as part of rituals, though generally the sound is less meditative and there is more focus on the narrative of the music.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Music_of_the_spheres&oldid=34460"

Music template page

First, read the music style summary to make sure your submission is appropriate for the nation. Copy and paste this into your new page.

At the top write the title, original title if any, words and tune credits.

Underneath put any help links or files e.g. Youtube links, score, midis, recordings. [http://yourlinkhere your text here] Do not upload anything without the permission of the copyright holders where something is used with permission please say so.

<song>

Put the lyrics here inside the song tag.

</song>

Edit the categories appropriately. This is important.

[[Category-Wintermark Music]]

[[Category-Wintermark]]

[[Category-Music]]

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Muster

The general who waits until fighting begins to commit their troops is already lost. A battle is won in the hours before the fighting begins. Reconnoiter the field, assess your enemies, deploy your allies.

Álvaro di Tassato, general of the Towerjacks

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Procedure

- 2.1 The Presentation

- 2.2 The Discussion

- 2.3 The Decision

- 3 Closing the Muster

- 4 Further Reading

- 4.1 Core Brief

- 4.2 Additional Information

Overview

The muster takes place on the first night of each summit at Anvil and is the most important meeting of the Imperial Military Council. Before the muster ends, the assembled generals must decide which major conjunctions of the Sentinel Gate they will employ in the coming days. This determines which nations will fight, and who will be chosen to lead on the field of battle.

In order to ensure that the nations of the Empire may have time to act on the decisions of the muster, they must be made within the span of two hours. The Herald of the Council chairs the muster and ensures that the Council meets this deadline.

Procedure

The Presentation

At the start of the muster, the Herald will ask everyone present to be certain that no senators are in the chamber and once that is confirmed the session begins. It is customary for all new generals who have been elected to present themselves along with their adjutant to the Military Council at this stage so that they can be positively identified.

The office of the Herald will then present the generals with a description of the major conjunctions. This may include information determined through divination or the reports of Imperial scouts.

The Discussion

Once the presentation is complete, the Military Council has the remainder of the two hours to reach an agreement on how to use the Gate. They must select two major conjunctions from amongst those available; choose the five nations that will attempt to resolve the challenges presented by each conjunction; and select one Imperial citizen for each battle who will act as Field Marshal.

The discussion is likely to include references to current military campaigns, but the function of the muster is to decide how the conjunctions will be used. The Herald will intervene if the conversation strays too far from this critical issue. The Herald will also act to eject anyone from the tent who attempts to interrupt the discussion, and they may silence anyone who is repeating themselves or attempting to hector other members of the Council. Other than this, they are likely to remain quiet but are available to answer questions from anyone with the right to speak.

The right to address the military council is not available during the muster. Any member of the Council may request that the Herald allow a citizen to speak at the muster but the decision to allow a citizen to speak lies with the Herald. In practice they will take a show of hands of the assembled Council members, only allowing the citizen to speak if a clear majority of the Council wishes to hear what they have to say.

The Decision

It is not unusual for the Military Council to come to a common agreement on the decisions they need to make during the muster. If it is clear that a consensus is not going to emerge, especially if time is running out or if the discussion has become repetitive, then the Herald will call for a vote.

Occasionally, the Herald may call for a vote early. For instance, if it is clear that opinion is divided on which conjunctions to attempt, and this is preventing meaningful discussion of which nations would be involved, then the Herald will call a vote to resolve that issue.

Once all the decisions have been made, either by common consent or by vote, then the muster is formally ended by the Herald. It is not legally possible to reconvene the muster later, even if new information comes to light.

Closing the Muster

After the muster ends, those present are expected to return to their camp to communicate the outcome of the muster to their nations, so that they can prepare for the battles to come. In practice some generals will split this duty with their adjutants; one goes to help organise the nation, and one remains behind to take the opportunity to speak informally to other members of the Military Council about their broader strategic goals.

The hour is upon us Council. We cannot agree and now the Herald reminds us of our duty and bids us vote. So let us vote! As Courage is my witness, those who do not fear to take the field on the morrow will stand with me.

Lady Morgaine, general of the Gryphon's Pride

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Muster

- Council Session

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

Additional Information

- War

- Council Address

- Appointments to the Military Council

- The Throne

- Herald of the Council

- Warmage

- Appointments by the Military Council

- Field Marshal

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- OOC Design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Muster&oldid=35255"

My Ain True Love

youtube version

Lyrics and music by Alison Krauss/Sting. Filk by Jude or Daisy or both.

You'll walk unscathed through smoke and fire, No foeman's blade will cut thee down, No cutlass pull will mark thy face, And you will be my ain true love, And you will be my ain true love

And as you walk through death's dark vale, The dark around you can't prevail, And those who hunt thee down will fail, And you will be my ain true love, And you will be my ain true love.

Asleep inside the dragon's mouth, The captain cries, "Here comes the rout," They'll seek to find me north and south, I've gone to find my ain true love.

The field is cut and bleeds to red, The arrows fly around my head, Until the Grimnir counts me dead, I've gone to find my ain true love, I've gone to find my ain true love.

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My Bonny Lass She Smileth

Out of copyright

youtube version

Score:

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=My_Bonny_Lass_She_Smileth&oldid=5265"

My Child

Words and tune by Dhiamara Coulson. tune

An Urizen Lullaby, by Salviana of Endsmeet Spire

Don't cry my child Don't cry little one Though the nights are short and the days are long There shall be stars tomorrow on the mountain tops And the light will fade And the stars will shine one.

So smile my child So smile little one Though the dawn is breaking and the day has begun There shall me laughter, merriment and books to be read Then when you're all worn out We'll tuck you in bed

Now sleep my child Now sleep little one As the starts are back above you and the night does grow on So be safe my child Be safe little one Let the stars guide you and your fate carry on

Edit the categories appropriately. This is important.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=My_Child&oldid=29140"

Mystic

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Playing a Mystic

- 2.1 Using Magic

- 2.2 Divination

- 2.3 Giving Real Advice

Overview

In Wintermark, mystics are characters who use their skills to help others unravel their skein and make auspicious decisions. The Kallavesi emphasis on wisdom and insight means that many fall easily into the role of the mystic, but there are Steinr and Suaq mystics in some halls. Most mystics are skilled magicians, using a mastery of Night magic to help them unravel the skeins, but even this is not mandatory. In Wintermark, any character that acts as an advisor or counsellor to others, helping them to make wise decisions, is called a mystic.

Playing a Mystic

Any character can aim to be a mystic; magic can help you, but it is not a requirement. What you need is to be able to effectively convince other players that your character can help them predict the future. This is not an easy skill but three suggested methods are discussed below.

Using Magic

There are some Day and Night rituals that allow characters to make prognostications, effectively guesses at what will occur in the future. Of the two types of magic, night magic is likely to be more useful to a mystic, as the results are more open to interpretation and more suited to the numinous approach of the mystic. Although magic provides access to an external source of answers, it is unwise to try to rely solely on it to play the part of the mystic. The answers that magical rituals provide are available to anyone who plays a magician with those skills, and it is easy for other players to treat your character's skills as the basis for advice, rather than your character.

Divination

Mystics use a bewildering array of divination methods to unravel the skeins. The flight of birds is favoured when it is available, as is oneiromancy, the study of dreams, but droplets of hot wax in water and even runes from a bag can all be used. There is no external source of answers when using divination methods, it is entirely up to you to create whatever omens and interpretations you feel are valid. Because many players know this, this method is the least likely to produce answers that other players accept. The key is to make the roleplaying portentious and impressive, the more you involve other players in what you are doing, the more they enjoy the roleplaying the more llikely they are to respond positively to the advice you give them.

There are countless methods that people have invented to divine the future, it is worth having a read through the list and if you are planning to make use of this style, then spend some time thinking about what methods you can use that will be enjoyable for you and other players.

Because you are making up the answers, there is the potential to produce advice that supports or helps your character, rather than the person you are advising. This is fine, but it is worth appreciating that the more transparently self-serving your advice is, the less likely anyone is to want to follow it. The Kallavesi earned their position as advisers and counsellors by developing a reputation for delivering impartial wisdom - you will need to strive for this if you want to be valued as a mystic.

Giving Real Advice

Mystics act as advisers and counsellors to thanes and other important Winterfolk; their role is to help work out when decisions are important and what the most auspicious option is. Your character can have magical skills that help them do this or you can use the inherent mysticism of divination to create your own answers, but you can also just offer real advice. The more alert you are to the political situation, the more aware you will be when important decisions are being made. These are moments to point out that an individual's skein can be forked, that they have the opportunity to make a decision that will fundamentally affect their future. By staying alert to these moments you can help other players see when important decisions are being made and avoid them falling into things without spending time thinking about them and deciding what to do.

If another character turns to you for help, you should ask for as much information about the situation as they can give you. The more you know about the decision they face, the more you can simply give them some good advice based on whatever seems best to you. People making decisions often want validation of the decisions they have made, so that they feel more confident about them, or you can simply act as a counsellor and give as wise and shrewd advice as you can.

Like using divination to create answers, giving good advice means you will need to be careful to try and give impartial and genuinely useful advice when you are trying to build up a reputation as an effective and useful mystic.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Mystic&oldid=11553"

Mystic (Redirected from Mystics)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Playing a Mystic

- 2.1 Using Magic

- 2.2 Divination

- 2.3 Giving Real Advice

Overview

In Wintermark, mystics are characters who use their skills to help others unravel their skein and make auspicious decisions. The Kallavesi emphasis on wisdom and insight means that many fall easily into the role of the mystic, but there are Steinr and Suaq mystics in some halls. Most mystics are skilled magicians, using a mastery of Night magic to help them unravel the skeins, but even this is not mandatory. In Wintermark, any character that acts as an advisor or counsellor to others, helping them to make wise decisions, is called a mystic.

Playing a Mystic

Any character can aim to be a mystic; magic can help you, but it is not a requirement. What you need is to be able to effectively convince other players that your character can help them predict the future. This is not an easy skill but three suggested methods are discussed below.

Using Magic

There are some Day and Night rituals that allow characters to make prognostications, effectively guesses at what will occur in the future. Of the two types of magic, night magic is likely to be more useful to a mystic, as the results are more open to interpretation and more suited to the numinous approach of the mystic. Although magic provides access to an external source of answers, it is unwise to try to rely solely on it to play the part of the mystic. The answers that magical rituals provide are available to anyone who plays a magician with those skills, and it is easy for other players to treat your character's skills as the basis for advice, rather than your character.

Divination

Mystics use a bewildering array of divination methods to unravel the skeins. The flight of birds is favoured when it is available, as is oneiromancy, the study of dreams, but droplets of hot wax in water and even runes from a bag can all be used. There is no external source of answers when using divination methods, it is entirely up to you to create whatever omens and interpretations you feel are valid. Because many players know this, this method is the least likely to produce answers that other players accept. The key is to make the roleplaying portentious and impressive, the more you involve other players in what you are doing, the more they enjoy the roleplaying the more llikely they are to respond positively to the advice you give them.

There are countless methods that people have invented to divine the future, it is worth having a read through the list and if you are planning to make use of this style, then spend some time thinking about what methods you can use that will be enjoyable for you and other players.

Because you are making up the answers, there is the potential to produce advice that supports or helps your character, rather than the person you are advising. This is fine, but it is worth appreciating that the more transparently self-serving your advice is, the less likely anyone is to want to follow it. The Kallavesi earned their position as advisers and counsellors by developing a reputation for delivering impartial wisdom - you will need to strive for this if you want to be valued as a mystic.

Giving Real Advice

Mystics act as advisers and counsellors to thanes and other important Winterfolk; their role is to help work out when decisions are important and what the most auspicious option is. Your character can have magical skills that help them do this or you can use the inherent mysticism of divination to create your own answers, but you can also just offer real advice. The more alert you are to the political situation, the more aware you will be when important decisions are being made. These are moments to point out that an individual's skein can be forked, that they have the opportunity to make a decision that will fundamentally affect their future. By staying alert to these moments you can help other players see when important decisions are being made and avoid them falling into things without spending time thinking about them and deciding what to do.

If another character turns to you for help, you should ask for as much information about the situation as they can give you. The more you know about the decision they face, the more you can simply give them some good advice based on whatever seems best to you. People making decisions often want validation of the decisions they have made, so that they feel more confident about them, or you can simply act as a counsellor and give as wise and shrewd advice as you can.

Like using divination to create answers, giving good advice means you will need to be careful to try and give impartial and genuinely useful advice when you are trying to build up a reputation as an effective and useful mystic.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Mystic&oldid=11553"

Naeve

Contents

- 1 The Fang, Rune of Hunger

- 1.1 Using Naeve in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Naeve

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Fang, Rune of Hunger

Affiliated with the Winter Realm

Naeve is the Fang; it is the empty belly, the gaping maw, the unspeakable hunger that cannot be sated. Merciless and unforgiving, it represents the unending torture of starvation and embodies the darkest longings of the soul which can never be satisfied. It is the need that drives mortals to atrocities in the desperate pursuit of their goals.

Although generally seen as a negative force, Naeve is also connected by some to the Imperial Virtue of Ambition. Naeve's hunger can drive mortals to greatness, and allow them to overcome many obstacles in their path. When used to suggest the drive of ambition, Naeve is sometimes called the Forked Dagger. As with all Winter magic there is always a price to be paid; sometimes the object of the quest is also its price.

Naeve has a lesson to teach. It is said that those who can withstand the depths of Winter, those who have learned to ignore the most savage pangs of hunger, those who have felt every fibre of their being starve and weaken but still rise and walk on each morning can be transfigured by its touch. For these lucky few, Naeve reveals the strength and ambition at their core, burning away all that is weak and redundant. People who have been especially tested by this kind of privation sometimes adopt a tattoo, scar or brand in the shape of Naeve as a badge of honour - especially among the Varushkan, Navarr, Winterfolk and Imperial Orc folk who particularly value those kinds of markings.

Naeve is considered unlucky in some parts of Dawn, due to its association with an infamous group of Draughir Questing Knights calling themselves the Whelps of Sorin, after the hungry Winter Eternal of that name. Adopting the Hungry Rune as part of their coat of arms, they were ferocious in the defence of Dawn and its borders, but were dogged by rumours of acts of violence (and worse) against yeomen, along with accusations of blackmail and protection racketeering. Eventually they were declared outlaws, hunted down by a Dawnish warband led by their own Earl, stripped of their heraldry and once evidence was brought to light of their terrible crimes, publicly executed.

Naeve is a popular girl's name amongst the Navarr, especially from those born during a hard winter or who express the Draughir lineage.

Unsurprisingly, Naeve is believed to have a strong symbollic connection to the Draughir lineage.

Using Naeve in magic

Naeve is evoked most often as a curse; it can be used alone or in combination with other runes to cause famine, poverty, cannibalistic urges or insanity. Some practitioners of Winter magic cite its subtler powers; a hunger for knowledge can drive mortals to greatness - so too can the hunger for glory.

Crafting with Naeve

Like many Winter runes, craftsmen are careful about working Naeve into their merchandise. The most common use for Naeve is on the blade of a weapon, sometimes in conjunction with Rhyv, to create a weapon that 'hungers' for the blood of the enemy.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Naeve in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneNaeve.jef

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Naeve&oldid=23353"

Naeve's Twisting Blight

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 15

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 15

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Winter regio. This ritual targets a territory, and must be performed at a regio in that territory. If the ritual is used to target an Imperial territory, it may instead be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

All crops in the target territory are scoured with blights and unseasonable weather. Preserved foodstuffs are ravaged by rot and mould, and weaker animals fall sick and in some cases die. Residents of the territory often fall ill while this curse is in place.

All farms in the territory provide only half as much money as they would normally provide.

The additional production provided by an enchantment such as Rampant Growth is not affected by this curse.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

This ritual blights a territory with sickness, causing crops to wither, foodstores to become corrupted, and inflicting illness and general malaise on people and animals.

Common Elements

The ritual releases a malign, oppressive pestilence across a territory. Grim, throbbing musical rhythms, slow threatening movement and invocations of dread and hunger are all used to raise and direct this malign power. It is common to evoke the rune Naeve (obviously) and sometimes Kyrop with this ritual.

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National Assembly

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=National_Assembly&oldid=20768"

Nation overview

The Brass Coast

The rolling pampas breeds a people driven by a hunger for life. Never be afraid to speak your mind, be bold and adventurous and take joy in life and the wealth that daring brings. more...

Dawn

Land of knights, war-wizards and yeomen, where nobility comes from a proud spirit not a fortunate birth. Live for glory, die for love and seek immortality in the tales of the troubadour-priests. more...

Highguard

The birthplace of the Imperial Faith and the First Empress, where virtue drives action in pursuit of the highest goals. Rise to the challenge and lead all humankind towards its manifest destiny. more...

Imperial Orcs

No land, just the burning drive to rise above the legacy of the past. Grasp your opportunity and carve out a future for your legion, for your people and for your Empire. more...

The League

Humanity finds its true home in the cities, ruled by the ruthless servants of the Empire. Turn every situation to your advantage and remember that wealth is just a means to an end. more...

The Marches

Stubborn as stone, the Marches are the guts of the Empire. Nature is their servant, bound with looming menhirs and iron ploughshares, a hound tamed and set to lie before their doors. more...

Navarr

The fierce Navarr travel the Empire binding its people together and watching everywhere for signs of danger. Scions of an ancient line, they have lost one empire - they will not lose another. more...

Urizen

High mountains grant unmatched perspective, and let the wise see what should, what can, what must be done. Wield reason and magic in the pursuit of excellence, and the perfect world. more...

Varushka

A rich land of dark tales and darker beasts where the past lies uneasy in its grave. Stake your claim to the wealth beneath the hills, but always be prepared to make the hardest choices. more...

Wintermark

A harsh and unforgiving land, home to warriors, mystics and hunters. Stand fast against the cold, strong in body and spirit, and choose to live and die as a glorious hero. more...

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Nation_overview&oldid=27892"

Nation overview (Redirected from Nation Overview)

The Brass Coast

The rolling pampas breeds a people driven by a hunger for life. Never be afraid to speak your mind, be bold and adventurous and take joy in life and the wealth that daring brings. more...

Dawn

Land of knights, war-wizards and yeomen, where nobility comes from a proud spirit not a fortunate birth. Live for glory, die for love and seek immortality in the tales of the troubadour-priests. more...

Highguard

The birthplace of the Imperial Faith and the First Empress, where virtue drives action in pursuit of the highest goals. Rise to the challenge and lead all humankind towards its manifest destiny. more...

Imperial Orcs

No land, just the burning drive to rise above the legacy of the past. Grasp your opportunity and carve out a future for your legion, for your people and for your Empire. more...

The League

Humanity finds its true home in the cities, ruled by the ruthless servants of the Empire. Turn every situation to your advantage and remember that wealth is just a means to an end. more...

The Marches

Stubborn as stone, the Marches are the guts of the Empire. Nature is their servant, bound with looming menhirs and iron ploughshares, a hound tamed and set to lie before their doors. more...

Navarr

The fierce Navarr travel the Empire binding its people together and watching everywhere for signs of danger. Scions of an ancient line, they have lost one empire - they will not lose another. more...

Urizen

High mountains grant unmatched perspective, and let the wise see what should, what can, what must be done. Wield reason and magic in the pursuit of excellence, and the perfect world. more...

Varushka

A rich land of dark tales and darker beasts where the past lies uneasy in its grave. Stake your claim to the wealth beneath the hills, but always be prepared to make the hardest choices. more...

Wintermark

A harsh and unforgiving land, home to warriors, mystics and hunters. Stand fast against the cold, strong in body and spirit, and choose to live and die as a glorious hero. more...

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Nation_overview&oldid=27892"

Nation FAQ (Redirected from Nations FAQ)

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Can I change nation in play?

- 3 Can I play a mixed-nation character?

- 4 Can we play a mixed-nation group?

- 5 Can I play an Imperial Orc in the Marches?

- 6 Can I be a Dawnish knight without being Dawnish?

- 7 Can I be more than one archetype?

- 8 What if my nationality or archetype is disputed?

Introduction

The following is a list of frequently asked questions that players have sent us. If you have any queries about Empire then it is worth checking the FAQs first, to see if the answer to your question is here. Otherwise email us at empire.rules@profounddecisions.co.uk with any questions about the rules or empire@profounddecisions.co.uk with any other questions about the game. We'll answer as quickly as we can and we'll add your question to our FAQ if we think it is likely to be of interest to other players.

This section of the FAQ contains questions about nations. For questions about other parts of the game, please see the more general FAQ.

Can I change nation in play?

To be a member of an Imperial nation you must be accepted by the egregore of that nation. In effect, this means that an existing character who wants to change nation will need to seek out the egregore of the nation they wish to join and convince them to accept you into their nation. You should make sure you read the page on nationality so that you understand the implications of joining a new nation.

Can I play a mixed-nation character?

All players must choose a single nation for their character. Although a character may have changed nation, the nature of the setting means that they should use the culture, costume and characterization of the nation they are a member of now. This page about nationality gives more information about why characters in Empire are from a single nation.

Can we play a mixed-nation group?

At the event, the main field will be split into ten distinct camping areas, one for each of the nations and one for the Imperial Orcs. Nation is your primary source of identity and the key route into all the politics of the game, so any Marcher character that spends their time hanging around in the Dawnish camp is likely to be cut out of a significant portion of the game. For this reason alone we are actively discouraging mixed-nation groups and asking players to focus on creating a group that draws from one nation.

There are significant rules penalties for mixed-nation groups. Characters take the battlefield by nation, so you cannot take the battlefield and fight together as a group. You can't be part of the same sect and gain any religious benefits and you can't be part of the same coven and work together to perform rituals. In addition you cannot participate in the politics together as the politics of Empire is segregated on national lines.

All of these elements of the game have been deliberately designed to discourage players from playing in mixed nation groups, because we believe it is much more likely that players in mixed nations groups will have a very bad time. In addition to the significant rules penalties described above, you may be ostracized by your fellow players. If that happens you risk being cut out of the roleplaying of the camp, along with your inability to participate in the battles, rituals and politics of the Empire.

It is important to point out that the nations are all part of a single Empire - they might have political differences on many issues but they are fundamentally on the same side. As such it is perfectly reasonable to begin the game having existing alliances and contacts with groups in other nations. If half your friends want to come from Varushka and half want to play Winterfolk then we would advise you make two groups - one from each nation - and put links between them in your respective backgrounds. It's normal to have close friends and allies from other nations.

Can I play an Imperial Orc in the Marches?

Imperial orcs are the equivalent of a nation - they have their own camp, their own armies, their own generals and so on. Anyone planning to play an Imperial Orc should be based out of the Imperial Orc camp.

Can I be a Dawnish knight without being Dawnish?

No. To be knighted is to be a member of a Dawnish noble house - which means being a member of a Dawnish group - for which you must be Dawnish.

Can I be more than one archetype?

When you create your character you can choose a single character archetype from those described for the nation on the wiki. Archetypes are completely optional, you don't have to have one but it tells us a lot about what you consider to be the main role of your character, and we use them when writing some plots. For instance, if we are going to write some plot involving combat in Urizen - then we might aim that plot at players who have told us they are playing a Sentinel. If we're writing plot involving ritual magic in Dawn then we'll look at who is playing an enchanter.

It is difficult for a character to fulfill more than one role at once, though not impossible. At character creation we ask you to pick the archetype that is most relevant for your character. We may then use that information when looking for characters to involve in new plot we are writing. However archetypes are also about the setting and your characterisation, there are no game rules for them, it is simply a shorthand for how you present your character and what you tell the world about yourself. A Wintermark Thane might also be a Grimnir. However the social role, the vows involved, or simply the time required will often make it difficult to fully portray, or even be accepted, as more than one archetype at once.

What if my nationality or archetype is disputed?

Only members of a nation may vote in that nations senatorial elections - and in some cases only members of certain archetypes or characters with elevated social status may vote. For instance in Dawn, only nobles who have passed the Test of Mettle may participate in the senatorial tourney. In most cases who is or is not a Dawnish noble is obvious to everyone present - and the assumption is that all characters will react accordingly. If however there is some genuine doubt, then characters present may dispute an individuals nationality or status.

If that happens, then the civil service will look to the nation's egregore to make a ruling on the matter. An egregore is best placed to know if a character is genuinely or who they claim to be. The election will be halted while the egregore talks privately to the character in question. If the character is able to convince the egregore that they are who they claim to be then they will be allowed to participate in the election. If the player is uncertain, perhaps because they are new to the game, then the egregore will take the time to help them to understand what is involved and work out what the correct answer is.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Nation_FAQ&oldid=35297"

Naughty Pilgrim Song

By the Empire music team

For many nights I tossed and turned And paced the chilly floor No satisfaction could I find I vowed I'd toss no more I sought to fill my empty void With a man from every nation For better ways to spend my days Than endless ma... ...thematics

My eye fell on a Dawnish knight Who looked so big and strong He sang me songs of courtly love At my window all night long He took me in the gardens fair He rode me to the hunt But his sword, alas, was much to small To fill my empty... ...scabbard

To the wintermark I went To find a man so warm He gave me furs and skins to feel And stroked me till the dawn Sagas he did tell to me, oh, how the glory lingers But his tongue was frozen hard Too cold for... ...telling riddles

The marcher folk, so it's been spoke Are strong in leg and back I found a lovely farmer's boy With ripe plums in his sack His mighty hoe, it swung so low Milk white was his complexion The problem, see, was just that he Could not get an... ...arrangement

A Brass Coast bed, so it's been said Is full of fire and passion So a freeborn man became my plan To get my sausage ration I searched the nation up and down To the city of Siroc But every single man I found Had such a tiny... ...purse

I went one day across the bay To find a merchant wealthy I tracked one down in Holberg town Whose purse was full and healthy In wine and song we dallied long In games of chance and luck But when I said "it's time for bed" He was too drunk to... ...get his boots off

I found a lusty woodcutter In the cold Varushkan snow He kissed me in the mountains high And also down below In his strong arms I plied my charms While hail and sleet fell thick But no magic spell that I could tell Could raise his flaccid... ...banner

I found among the Navarr tribes, A man with painted skin So proud and bold, his hair like gold I thought my luck was in All night and day we naked lay With not a stitch between us But I found out you'd need a scout To find his tiny... ...tent

I had a date with a wizard great In a lonely mountain tower I had great hopes that neath his robes Was a wand of fearsome power But his mighty staff just made me laugh Because for all the lore he knew, There's no book in his library To teach him how to... ...entertain

When no one could fulfil my needs In any Empire nation I even went to see the orcs Such was my desperation They thought me mad, but sent my way A warrior of high ranking His weapon was too big to fit So I was back to... ...embroidery

With a heart like stone I wandered home And found my Chaptermaster I told him how my pilgrimage Had ended in disaster His eyes grew bright - we cuddled tight Until our strength was flagging No more I'll roam, for here at home I get a decent... ...education.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Naughty_Pilgrim_Song&oldid=12745"

Navarr children

Choosing to bring another life into the Great Dance is something to be celebrated. In the making, in the bringing into the world, in the life, the learning and ultimately even in death. Parents are considered much like Guides, individuals with a great responsibility for helping their offspring find their place in the dance.

Navarr children are encouraged to take the Imperial tests of citizenship as early as possible, and once they pass they become true members of a Striding or Steading. At that point anyone can offer the youngster help, giving them what guidance they can.

Many Navarr believe that though children are precious they need to be exposed to risk, if not danger. They should be tested often, to challenge and stretch them, but with care so that they gain confidence with each test. Questions are an opportunity to teach and should be answered with thought and care. The children of other nations are an Imperial resource that the Navarr think are often under-valued. Orphans are a particular concern and in the Brass Coast and other lands they often offer a home in the Stridings to children who have lost their homes and their parents to war with the Barbarians. In Varushka naughty children are even warned that unless they behave they will be sent away with the Navarr.

Things every child should know

- Find your place in the Great Dance. Try to experience as many different aspects of life as possible, so that you can see which one suits you best.

- The world is dangerous, learn to outsmart it. The Navarr try to be the smartest and most cunning warriors in the world - learn to outsmart any problems you encounter rather than using brute force.

- Help build the Empire. You are the child of a great Empire, make it stronger by helping people where you can.

- Carry their words to the winds. The Navarr often carry important information for the Empire, always make yourself available to run messages for people if you can.

- Tread carefully in the wild places. Be careful and alert at all times. Be vigilant and look for danger wherever you go.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Navarr_children&oldid=35842"

Navarr costumes

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Note: The tone and style of this page may need editing. All costume advice pages should be written in third person voice, using verbs that make clear that this page is advice, not direction.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 10 Quick Tips

- 3 Making Guides and Examples

- 3.1 Armour

- 4 Children

- 5 Suppliers

- 5.1 Armour

- 5.2 Leather

- 6 Bibliography and resources

Overview

This page aims to offer help in creating a Navarr costume for those who want it. It provides a list of resources that players looking to create a costume, either purchasing one or making one may find useful. There is no one way to create the perfect costume, but the suggestions on this page will help to produce a great costume for Empire.

10 Quick Tips

Making Guides and Examples

Navarr costumes, being mostly leather and fur, require some care and specialist knowledge to create at home. For those people who are unfamiliar with leather work, there are plenty of resources available on the internet.

- Alley Cat Scratch

- eHow

- Do it Yourself

The garments will be simple, and can be based around t-tunics, with a fabric tunic as a base layer and a leather tunic with or without sleeves on top. Light, soft garment suede can generally be sewn on a regular sewing machine providing a stronger (leather specific) needle is used. These are generally available from most sewing and hobby retailers. In this way many of the instructions for making simple fabric items can be duplicated with lightweight leather, though remember leather does not fray like fabric so edges can be left 'as cut' so check any allowances on patterns for hems and seams.

The easiest way to machine sew light leather is to apply a thin line of general purpose glue along the intended stitch line of each piece, this holds them securely in place whilst running each section through your machine. It is recommended to test a small sample with your machine first. Depending on the size of the hide used, for a rougher, more natural edge to a shirt or tunic the leather can be left uncut along the base or round the cuffs.

- Making a T-Tunic

Leather or suede trousers are a staple of Navarr costumes and if care is taken to hide or remove modern belt loops, pockets and zips, leather 'jeans' will be perfectly suitable. Trousers in suede, and brown or green would be preferable to shiny black leather if possible. Leather and fur coats can also be adapted by removing collars, sleeves and buttons to make a robe or waistcoat style coat. Skirts and loin cloths can be made by lacing or sewing a piece (or lots of small pieces) of leather, suede or fur to a belt which can then be buckled around the waist.

Similarly old or damaged parts of existing soft leather costumes can be used to good effect by cutting away excess for a skirt or loin cloths, combining different items in a patchwork of repair to make a single servicable item or simply shredding them to provide cosmetic effect of repaired patches to existing kit.

Decorations will take the form of natural objects like feathers,gemstones, bones, and beads made from wood, stones, clay and shells, which are all readily available through craft shops and online. Leather lacing and decorative stitching using leather thonging can be used in place of embroidery. Acrylic paint is excellent for decorating fabric and leather and is cheap and easy to use. Colours should reflect natural pigments where possible.

Overall, costumes for the Navarr should appear well used, comfortable and practical. Pieces of old costume can be gathered from friends and past characters, or found second hand in charity or vintage shops for a worn and pieced together look.

Armour

Thick hardened leather is the most common form of armour for the Navarr, occasionally supplemented with light chain or scale. Navarr armour often features an asymmetric pattern, with lines and closures that run diagonally across the body rather than vertically.

Existing suede jacks or lighter armour can be augmented with additional rigid leather plates either riveted or laced into place. Card templates may be overlaid to ensure sufficient clearance is left for existing buckles, lacing etc and are easily adjusted to provide a wide variety of patterns and combinations. Such templates can also ensure the most effective use of potentially expensive materials, minimising wastage and even enabling creative use of cheaper offcuts.

Over a single breastplate a simple sleeveless waistcoat may be worn. Extending down to protect the thighs and split at the sides it can be left open at the front, held to the body with a simple belt. Whilst revealing the tougher armour underneath and maintaining flexibility around the waist, additional heavy leather plates or sections of chain can be riveted or laced in place to give further protection to the upper legs.

Children

Navarr children will wear simplified versions of adult clothing - garments that are practical for play but also easy to keep clean. For toddlers and babies, smocks, or simple t-tunics and drawstring trousers are simple and easy to pull-on garments, that can be made in linen or cotton for easy washing! These types of clothes also have plenty of flexibility in terms of size, meaning you'll get more than one year's use out of them. Small coifs, made as described above are great for keeping the sun off a baby's head and simple straw hats can also be used to stop children burning. Older children can either have their own costumes, or be given adult clothes which are then rolled up and belted to fit - the practical Navarr are unlikely to waste any clothing and hand me downs are a cheap (in and out of character!) way to clothe your children!

When making costumes for smaller children, remember to avoid anything tight around the neck - strings, cloaks, hats on cords etc and in addition, all tabards should secure under the arms. Make sleeves and armholes wider than needed; they're the bits that get tight as they grow. Neck holes also need to be bigger than for adults or should fasten at the back.

- Information on clothes and swaddling for babies

- Patterns for Medieval children's clothes

- Revival Clothing's Premade items for children

- Gambeson's Premade items for children

Suppliers

Armour

- Totally Leathered Totally Leathered provides custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

- Idiom Productions Costume and Props Workshop creates custom hand-tooled leather armour, clothing and LRP weapons

- Evenlode Studios - High quality leather armour, costume and props handmade

- Darkblade Leather armour and hoods (note that some of the leather armour on the general page is more appropriate than the nation specific armour. The leaf armour is not particularly good for Navarr)

Leather

- Le Prevo Leather, furs, leatherworking supplies and resources.

- Lyon's Leathers Wide range of leathers, suedes and buckles.

- Tandy Leather Factory Leather and leatherworking supplies.

Bibliography and resources

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Navarr_costumes&oldid=33233"

Navarr costumes (Redirected from Navarr Costumes)

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Note: The tone and style of this page may need editing. All costume advice pages should be written in third person voice, using verbs that make clear that this page is advice, not direction.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 10 Quick Tips

- 3 Making Guides and Examples

- 3.1 Armour

- 4 Children

- 5 Suppliers

- 5.1 Armour

- 5.2 Leather

- 6 Bibliography and resources

Overview

This page aims to offer help in creating a Navarr costume for those who want it. It provides a list of resources that players looking to create a costume, either purchasing one or making one may find useful. There is no one way to create the perfect costume, but the suggestions on this page will help to produce a great costume for Empire.

10 Quick Tips

Making Guides and Examples

Navarr costumes, being mostly leather and fur, require some care and specialist knowledge to create at home. For those people who are unfamiliar with leather work, there are plenty of resources available on the internet.

- Alley Cat Scratch

- eHow

- Do it Yourself

The garments will be simple, and can be based around t-tunics, with a fabric tunic as a base layer and a leather tunic with or without sleeves on top. Light, soft garment suede can generally be sewn on a regular sewing machine providing a stronger (leather specific) needle is used. These are generally available from most sewing and hobby retailers. In this way many of the instructions for making simple fabric items can be duplicated with lightweight leather, though remember leather does not fray like fabric so edges can be left 'as cut' so check any allowances on patterns for hems and seams.

The easiest way to machine sew light leather is to apply a thin line of general purpose glue along the intended stitch line of each piece, this holds them securely in place whilst running each section through your machine. It is recommended to test a small sample with your machine first. Depending on the size of the hide used, for a rougher, more natural edge to a shirt or tunic the leather can be left uncut along the base or round the cuffs.

- Making a T-Tunic

Leather or suede trousers are a staple of Navarr costumes and if care is taken to hide or remove modern belt loops, pockets and zips, leather 'jeans' will be perfectly suitable. Trousers in suede, and brown or green would be preferable to shiny black leather if possible. Leather and fur coats can also be adapted by removing collars, sleeves and buttons to make a robe or waistcoat style coat. Skirts and loin cloths can be made by lacing or sewing a piece (or lots of small pieces) of leather, suede or fur to a belt which can then be buckled around the waist.

Similarly old or damaged parts of existing soft leather costumes can be used to good effect by cutting away excess for a skirt or loin cloths, combining different items in a patchwork of repair to make a single servicable item or simply shredding them to provide cosmetic effect of repaired patches to existing kit.

Decorations will take the form of natural objects like feathers,gemstones, bones, and beads made from wood, stones, clay and shells, which are all readily available through craft shops and online. Leather lacing and decorative stitching using leather thonging can be used in place of embroidery. Acrylic paint is excellent for decorating fabric and leather and is cheap and easy to use. Colours should reflect natural pigments where possible.

Overall, costumes for the Navarr should appear well used, comfortable and practical. Pieces of old costume can be gathered from friends and past characters, or found second hand in charity or vintage shops for a worn and pieced together look.

Armour

Thick hardened leather is the most common form of armour for the Navarr, occasionally supplemented with light chain or scale. Navarr armour often features an asymmetric pattern, with lines and closures that run diagonally across the body rather than vertically.

Existing suede jacks or lighter armour can be augmented with additional rigid leather plates either riveted or laced into place. Card templates may be overlaid to ensure sufficient clearance is left for existing buckles, lacing etc and are easily adjusted to provide a wide variety of patterns and combinations. Such templates can also ensure the most effective use of potentially expensive materials, minimising wastage and even enabling creative use of cheaper offcuts.

Over a single breastplate a simple sleeveless waistcoat may be worn. Extending down to protect the thighs and split at the sides it can be left open at the front, held to the body with a simple belt. Whilst revealing the tougher armour underneath and maintaining flexibility around the waist, additional heavy leather plates or sections of chain can be riveted or laced in place to give further protection to the upper legs.

Children

Navarr children will wear simplified versions of adult clothing - garments that are practical for play but also easy to keep clean. For toddlers and babies, smocks, or simple t-tunics and drawstring trousers are simple and easy to pull-on garments, that can be made in linen or cotton for easy washing! These types of clothes also have plenty of flexibility in terms of size, meaning you'll get more than one year's use out of them. Small coifs, made as described above are great for keeping the sun off a baby's head and simple straw hats can also be used to stop children burning. Older children can either have their own costumes, or be given adult clothes which are then rolled up and belted to fit - the practical Navarr are unlikely to waste any clothing and hand me downs are a cheap (in and out of character!) way to clothe your children!

When making costumes for smaller children, remember to avoid anything tight around the neck - strings, cloaks, hats on cords etc and in addition, all tabards should secure under the arms. Make sleeves and armholes wider than needed; they're the bits that get tight as they grow. Neck holes also need to be bigger than for adults or should fasten at the back.

- Information on clothes and swaddling for babies

- Patterns for Medieval children's clothes

- Revival Clothing's Premade items for children

- Gambeson's Premade items for children

Suppliers

Armour

- Totally Leathered Totally Leathered provides custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

- Idiom Productions Costume and Props Workshop creates custom hand-tooled leather armour, clothing and LRP weapons

- Evenlode Studios - High quality leather armour, costume and props handmade

- Darkblade Leather armour and hoods (note that some of the leather armour on the general page is more appropriate than the nation specific armour. The leaf armour is not particularly good for Navarr)

Leather

- Le Prevo Leather, furs, leatherworking supplies and resources.

- Lyon's Leathers Wide range of leathers, suedes and buckles.

- Tandy Leather Factory Leather and leatherworking supplies.

Bibliography and resources

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Navarr_costumes&oldid=33233"

Navarr culture and customs

Contents

- 1 The Great Dance

- 2 Vows

- 3 Celebrations

- 3.1 Unburdening

- 3.2 The Binding of Thorns

- 3.3 Welcoming

- 4 Funerals

The Great Dance

The central philosophy of the Navarr is the idea that life is a Great Dance in which all humankind is engaged. Some may lead and some may follow, but the Dance is better for everyone when the dancers have the right partners at the right time and place. Many Navarr try to help people find their place and their partners in the Great Dance. People who do not feel ‘right’ where they are should be encouraged to travel to find a new place in the Great Dance, a chance to find a place they will belong, where their partners will be right for them.

Savages, you say! Sir, to not know what was lost with the fall of Mourne… I envy you.

Pasha Mootson, Varuskan Apostle of Courage

Reincarnation is central to this belief - to the Navarr the dead are simply resting for a while before they resume their place. People who find their perfect partner in the Dance are destined to find that partner again and again each time they are born. A partner may not always be a lover, it could be a sibling or simply a close friend.

Vows

The Navarr mark vows, oaths and promises with a physical sign of their intent and commitment, often through tatooing or scarification. The more enduring the commitment, the more permanent the marks. War-paint is applied before a battle, henna tattoos are used for commitments that last a few days or more and permanent pledges or those that will take years to complete are usually marked with tattoos. The Navarr mark the most significant vows with brands. These marks help hold a person to their pledge, but they also make it easier for others to identify those who have sworn themselves to a given role or cause (as discussed in Hearth Magic).

Celebrations

The Navarr have a long tradition of marking important moments in their lives with celebrations. Usually these take the form of a shared meal followed by dancing, drinking and gaming. Marking important times strengthens the links between members of a community - especially an extended community such as the Navarr possess. Three important celebrations observed by the majority of the Navarr are Unburdening, The Binding of Thorns and Welcoming.

Unburdening

Navarr Stridings and Steadings are not fixed – they shift and change over time, as people die, retire or move from one to another, perhaps due to a love-match or to a desire to see other climes. When an individual decides to leave a Steading to join a Striding (or even just to travel to another Steading), the event is celebrated with a simple feast in which they ceremonially burn a list describing the belongings they are leaving behind. This symbolises an intent to give up ownership, and comes with a general assumption that these possessions can be claimed by or redistributed among the Navarr who remain behind. The Navarr are far too pragmatic to burn valuable goods, but the ceremony helps people to let go of the things they do not need.

The Binding of Thorns

When a child passes their test of adulthood they undergo the Binding of Thorns. This important ceremony marks them as a true Navarr. The participants swear the same oath their ancestors swore centuries earlier when their cities were destroyed by the Vallorn and they began their endless migrations. Once the oath is taken, the new Navarr mingle their blood with all other Navarr who have attended the ceremony, and receive the traditional Navarr tattoo. All Navarr who have undergone the Binding of Thorns bear this tattoo, one of endless variations on the motif of briars or intertwined thorns. This ceremony is also used when an adult from outside the Navarr wishes to become one of them.

The Binding reminds the new Navarr that wherever they go they are part of the Navarr, and that regaining the remnants of their former civilisation from the Vallorn is their ancient purpose.

Welcoming

Conscious of the passage of the seasons, the Navarr Stridings congregate at festival times, either together or at the Steadings. The Navarr celebrate the turning of all the seasons but the birth of a new spring and the end of the harsh winter that makes travelling difficult is their major festival. This grand celebration is a time for revelry, feasting, raucous music and wild dancing. It is also traditionally a time for making a new start, abandoning grudges and putting aside past failures to concentrate on the possibilities of a new year.

Welcoming begins with a ceremonial hunt. The traditional quarry of the Welcoming are the Vates, who often adopt fanciful costumes or headdresses that represent game animals, such as stag, hares and pigeons. Details of the hunt vary from year to year; a glorified game of hide-and-seek one year may be followed by a mock hunt through light woodland the next, or a chase across open ground. The hunt is good natured, but some Vates relish the opportunity to employ their magic to make the hunt more exciting.

Funerals

In death, what remains are the memories of your deeds in the minds of your partners in the Great Dance. The Steadings use a traditional corpse-glade where the bodies are laid out in the forest. Such glades are rarely troubled by scavengers or carrion-eaters, and the bodies are simply left undisturbed to moulder.

The Stridings usually commit bodies to simple cairn but a Striding may decide to transport a corpse to a Steading before performing a funeral. There is also a custom where the friends of the deceased make a pilgrimage to a corpse-glade to hang a reminder or memento of their fallen comrade among the branches.

Come, come, why the tears my sweet? Death is just another step in the Great Dance. We all take it.

Nana Bronwyn Wordless

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Navarr_culture_and_customs&oldid=35856"

Navarr culture and customs (Redirected from Navarr Culture and Customs)

Contents

- 1 The Great Dance

- 2 Vows

- 3 Celebrations

- 3.1 Unburdening

- 3.2 The Binding of Thorns

- 3.3 Welcoming

- 4 Funerals

The Great Dance

The central philosophy of the Navarr is the idea that life is a Great Dance in which all humankind is engaged. Some may lead and some may follow, but the Dance is better for everyone when the dancers have the right partners at the right time and place. Many Navarr try to help people find their place and their partners in the Great Dance. People who do not feel ‘right’ where they are should be encouraged to travel to find a new place in the Great Dance, a chance to find a place they will belong, where their partners will be right for them.

Savages, you say! Sir, to not know what was lost with the fall of Mourne… I envy you.

Pasha Mootson, Varuskan Apostle of Courage

Reincarnation is central to this belief - to the Navarr the dead are simply resting for a while before they resume their place. People who find their perfect partner in the Dance are destined to find that partner again and again each time they are born. A partner may not always be a lover, it could be a sibling or simply a close friend.

Vows

The Navarr mark vows, oaths and promises with a physical sign of their intent and commitment, often through tatooing or scarification. The more enduring the commitment, the more permanent the marks. War-paint is applied before a battle, henna tattoos are used for commitments that last a few days or more and permanent pledges or those that will take years to complete are usually marked with tattoos. The Navarr mark the most significant vows with brands. These marks help hold a person to their pledge, but they also make it easier for others to identify those who have sworn themselves to a given role or cause (as discussed in Hearth Magic).

Celebrations

The Navarr have a long tradition of marking important moments in their lives with celebrations. Usually these take the form of a shared meal followed by dancing, drinking and gaming. Marking important times strengthens the links between members of a community - especially an extended community such as the Navarr possess. Three important celebrations observed by the majority of the Navarr are Unburdening, The Binding of Thorns and Welcoming.

Unburdening

Navarr Stridings and Steadings are not fixed – they shift and change over time, as people die, retire or move from one to another, perhaps due to a love-match or to a desire to see other climes. When an individual decides to leave a Steading to join a Striding (or even just to travel to another Steading), the event is celebrated with a simple feast in which they ceremonially burn a list describing the belongings they are leaving behind. This symbolises an intent to give up ownership, and comes with a general assumption that these possessions can be claimed by or redistributed among the Navarr who remain behind. The Navarr are far too pragmatic to burn valuable goods, but the ceremony helps people to let go of the things they do not need.

The Binding of Thorns

When a child passes their test of adulthood they undergo the Binding of Thorns. This important ceremony marks them as a true Navarr. The participants swear the same oath their ancestors swore centuries earlier when their cities were destroyed by the Vallorn and they began their endless migrations. Once the oath is taken, the new Navarr mingle their blood with all other Navarr who have attended the ceremony, and receive the traditional Navarr tattoo. All Navarr who have undergone the Binding of Thorns bear this tattoo, one of endless variations on the motif of briars or intertwined thorns. This ceremony is also used when an adult from outside the Navarr wishes to become one of them.

The Binding reminds the new Navarr that wherever they go they are part of the Navarr, and that regaining the remnants of their former civilisation from the Vallorn is their ancient purpose.

Welcoming

Conscious of the passage of the seasons, the Navarr Stridings congregate at festival times, either together or at the Steadings. The Navarr celebrate the turning of all the seasons but the birth of a new spring and the end of the harsh winter that makes travelling difficult is their major festival. This grand celebration is a time for revelry, feasting, raucous music and wild dancing. It is also traditionally a time for making a new start, abandoning grudges and putting aside past failures to concentrate on the possibilities of a new year.

Welcoming begins with a ceremonial hunt. The traditional quarry of the Welcoming are the Vates, who often adopt fanciful costumes or headdresses that represent game animals, such as stag, hares and pigeons. Details of the hunt vary from year to year; a glorified game of hide-and-seek one year may be followed by a mock hunt through light woodland the next, or a chase across open ground. The hunt is good natured, but some Vates relish the opportunity to employ their magic to make the hunt more exciting.

Funerals

In death, what remains are the memories of your deeds in the minds of your partners in the Great Dance. The Steadings use a traditional corpse-glade where the bodies are laid out in the forest. Such glades are rarely troubled by scavengers or carrion-eaters, and the bodies are simply left undisturbed to moulder.

The Stridings usually commit bodies to simple cairn but a Striding may decide to transport a corpse to a Steading before performing a funeral. There is also a custom where the friends of the deceased make a pilgrimage to a corpse-glade to hang a reminder or memento of their fallen comrade among the branches.

Come, come, why the tears my sweet? Death is just another step in the Great Dance. We all take it.

Nana Bronwyn Wordless

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Navarr economic interests

A common Navarr philosophy is that wealth is measured in the number of allies you have, not the coins in your pocket. Few Navarr have much interest in personal wealth. Trade is a means of making allies and ensuring that people have the things they need rather than a way for merchants to enrich themselves. The Navarr are well aware of the value of money and don't avoid its acquisition, it's just that most of them count allies as considerably more valuable than possessions.

Although the Navarr stridings are small, they play an important role in the Imperial economy. They specialise in moving valuable items, people and messages around the Empire. The Navarr may be the only people that some isolated communities see for months on end. From the earliest days of the Empire they acted as couriers, carrying important messages to far-flung places. They also act as guides, escorting individuals on difficult treks between nations.

Some Navarr choose to create a Wayhouse on the edge of civilized areas. Built along the Trods outside the Navarr heartland, the wayhouses are generally small - often no more than a single farmstead - and are maintained as places for travellers to rest and recuperate before continuing on their journeys.

Like the Freeborn, the Navarr sometimes travel beyond the Empire's borders bringing back rare goods not found within its lands. The trade of dyes and pigments, spices and rare herbs is the what the Navarr are most commonly known for, but they also bring to the Empire unique flora from the deep forests that are especially prized by physicians and mages alike. However, for those rich enough, a ship or house built of Navarr hewn timber from the great trees of the heartwoods is a prize beyond reckoning. Across the Empire, Navarr-carved lintels and door frames are widely known for their properties of warding and defence. From dinner plates to spear-hafts, where timber is concerned the Navarr trade in the best.

A ship of Navarr timber, that is a ship to trust.

Brass Coast proverb

The Navarr expect everyone to work in the best interest of their Steading or Striding.

Brokers

Navarr who are interested in money often become Brokers. A Broker serves as an intermediatey between a buyer and a seller, usually claiming some sort of payment from the deal. The Navarr are in a good position to prosper as Brokers; as travellers they often come into contact with people with needs or a suprlus they want to sell. Clever Brokers spend a lot of time getting to know merchants and traders from other nations, working out where they can make the best introductions to either ensure profit or to achieve some goal of their own.

You should’ve seen their faces! That Navarr Thorn outbid the University of Hundstag for a first folio print of The Crimes of Indulgence!

Harald Nornesborn at the Great Auction of Flowberg, Wintermark

Brokers do not just concentrate on physical goods. A Broker might know of someone with a valuable skill and put them in touch with a patron, for example, or put a band of mercenaries in contact with a marcher lord who needs additional troops and is prepared to pay for them. Sensible traders use the Brokers to perform legwork for them, and pay them a premium wage based on the results they deliver.

Many Brokers are motivated by their belief in the Great Dance rather than monetary gain. They have a free choice of who to put in touch with who, and how they arrange the meeting, and some use this to discreetly ensure that a struggling business gets the work it needs to stay afloat, or that a greedy Earl is put in touch with an equally greedy blacksmith who will charge top rates for their work.

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Navarr Egregore

Liaven

The Navarri Egregore is Liaven, who shares a place in the Great Dance with all of Navarr. Tell Liaven your stories, share how you dance your place in the Dance.

In Spring, Liaven is youthful and energetic, with possibility and curiosity in every step. In Summer, Liaven is more tempered; there is work to be done and preparations to make. In Autumn, time has passed, Liaven knows the path and steps surely. In Winter, Liaven is knowing and steady still, hair grey but eyes bright. Time is short, and life is hard, but there is readiness for what comes next, a looking forward to when Spring comes to again and new life flows once more.

Liaven is all of these things in time as each season comes and goes, a reminder that all seasons pass, and all passings can be adapted to. Liaven is always watching and wandering the Empire near and far, to wherever the Navarr roam. Liaven can be found equally at home in the deepest Forest or the most Urban maze, never forgetting the past, or the consequences of not remaining vigilant, the fate of the lost cities an ever present reminder of the cost of failure.

“Sit, share a fire, rest your feet and tell your story."

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Navarr hearth magic

Tracing patterns

The creation and tracing of complex designs has a magical resonance for the Navarr. At its most basic, it is found in the concept of map-making - of creating designs that mirror the world - and in journeys along paths and roads. A complex design represents a journey, but it can also represents the idea of permanence. Following a path, repeating the actions of someone who has gone before, gives extra weight to the journey and if that journey already has a magical meaning, the repeated tread of many feet recreates and reinforces that magic. The Trods are the most obvious example of the use of designs - tracing out a great complex design, which is then reinforced over and over not only by the Navarr stridings but by every other pair of feet that walks on or near the path.

The marks that accompany the swearing of oaths are often abstract designs, and tracing that design relives the moment when the oath was made.

Tattoos and brands

Tattoos and brands are a powerful example of the use of designs. They add great weight and power to sworn oaths and rituals of loyalty and binding. Marking oneself permanently helps to grant tenacity and durability to oaths, but can also be used to try and extend the duration of some magic. Many Navarr choose to cement vows and solemn undertakings with a tattoo or a brand hoping to draw on the power of the mark to keep them true to their pledge. A prominent mark that can be clearly seen is more powerful than a similar mark hidden on the body.

Blood

Blood is not a hearth magic - there is no known inherent magical effect in blood. Navarr vates often use blood as a symbol of personal sacrifice, and warn that using blood in magic is fraught with potential dangers.

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Navarr hearth magic (Redirected from Navarr Hearth Magic)

Tracing patterns

The creation and tracing of complex designs has a magical resonance for the Navarr. At its most basic, it is found in the concept of map-making - of creating designs that mirror the world - and in journeys along paths and roads. A complex design represents a journey, but it can also represents the idea of permanence. Following a path, repeating the actions of someone who has gone before, gives extra weight to the journey and if that journey already has a magical meaning, the repeated tread of many feet recreates and reinforces that magic. The Trods are the most obvious example of the use of designs - tracing out a great complex design, which is then reinforced over and over not only by the Navarr stridings but by every other pair of feet that walks on or near the path.

The marks that accompany the swearing of oaths are often abstract designs, and tracing that design relives the moment when the oath was made.

Tattoos and brands

Tattoos and brands are a powerful example of the use of designs. They add great weight and power to sworn oaths and rituals of loyalty and binding. Marking oneself permanently helps to grant tenacity and durability to oaths, but can also be used to try and extend the duration of some magic. Many Navarr choose to cement vows and solemn undertakings with a tattoo or a brand hoping to draw on the power of the mark to keep them true to their pledge. A prominent mark that can be clearly seen is more powerful than a similar mark hidden on the body.

Blood

Blood is not a hearth magic - there is no known inherent magical effect in blood. Navarr vates often use blood as a symbol of personal sacrifice, and warn that using blood in magic is fraught with potential dangers.

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Navarr history

Centuries before the Empire was formed, humans already lived in the fertile plains around the Bay of Catazar. They built cities, organized themselves into loose kingdoms, and formed alliances with one another. Even then the humans were threatened by the orcs. At the heart of these kingdoms was the flowering of civilisation that served as the forerunner of the Navarr. Navarr stories call this nation Terunael and record that its cultured cities were run by its magicians.

In the ongoing war against the orcs, Terunael increasingly relied on magic. Over time the stresses of constant magic use took their toll, and without warning the rituals around Terunael unwound catastrophically, creating or summoning the Vallorn into the heart of their kingdom. The cities were consumed by spreading forest, their people attacked by monstrous insects and deadly plants, and though they tried everything to fight it, in the end they had no choice but to abandon their homes.

The Navarr are descended from those who followed the eponymous heroine Navarr and her lover Thorn who swore an oath to restore the civilisation of Terunael. Bound and branded by their oath to regain the cities, they fought desperately to destroy the Vallorn. When it became clear that their enemy could not be defeated by force of arms alone, a magical solution was sought. Navarr and Thorn gave their lives to set in motion a powerful Ritual that would eventually allow the Navarr to defeat the Vallorn.

The Ritual required the Navarr to walk paths of magical power, called Trods. These migrations drew off the life-energies of the Vallorn, weakening it. The further the Navarr travelled, the stronger the effect. Once the Vallorn was sufficiently weakened in an area, then the Navarr were able to attack, reducing the spread of the Vallorn.

The arrival of humans from across the sea drove the orcs from the fertile lowlands. Initially the Navarr viewed the newcomers with suspicion, but they soon realised that these people were potential allies. They made contact, seeking to ensure the safe passage of their stridings, and encouraging the new humans to focus their attention on the orcs rather than engage in costly squabbles with each other.

During this time, Navarr traders introduced the Highborn to Vinum. Vinum was a sap that could be cultivated to a chewable gum which was relaxing, aiding with restful sleep. Highborn chapters experimented with Vinum and one - the Scions of Atun - learned how to process it into a new form. This form which they called liao, possessed many unique mystical qualities, including the ability to unlock visions of past times and places.

Joining the Empire

A Navarr Striding were among the first people to hear the Empress' message of unity. Its leader, Myfanwy of Hercynia, was one of her earliest companions, protecting and guiding her through human lands. After the historic encounter, the Navarr carried her message to anyone who was prepared to listen. They helped arrange the initial meeting at which the foundations of the Empire were laid. The goals and philosophies of the Empress struck a resonant chord deep in their hearts. The Navarr Stridings became the standard-bearers for the Empire, carrying its message to the divided human nations.

Most Navarr could see that the Empire represented a great opportunity for them; a chance to drive back the barbarian orcs meant that their stridings could travel further than ever. The more perceptive saw something deeper, that the proposed Empire was not just a tool to help them regain their cities, it was the first glimmer of the civilisation their ancestors had once enjoyed.

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Navarr history (Redirected from Navarr History)

Centuries before the Empire was formed, humans already lived in the fertile plains around the Bay of Catazar. They built cities, organized themselves into loose kingdoms, and formed alliances with one another. Even then the humans were threatened by the orcs. At the heart of these kingdoms was the flowering of civilisation that served as the forerunner of the Navarr. Navarr stories call this nation Terunael and record that its cultured cities were run by its magicians.

In the ongoing war against the orcs, Terunael increasingly relied on magic. Over time the stresses of constant magic use took their toll, and without warning the rituals around Terunael unwound catastrophically, creating or summoning the Vallorn into the heart of their kingdom. The cities were consumed by spreading forest, their people attacked by monstrous insects and deadly plants, and though they tried everything to fight it, in the end they had no choice but to abandon their homes.

The Navarr are descended from those who followed the eponymous heroine Navarr and her lover Thorn who swore an oath to restore the civilisation of Terunael. Bound and branded by their oath to regain the cities, they fought desperately to destroy the Vallorn. When it became clear that their enemy could not be defeated by force of arms alone, a magical solution was sought. Navarr and Thorn gave their lives to set in motion a powerful Ritual that would eventually allow the Navarr to defeat the Vallorn.

The Ritual required the Navarr to walk paths of magical power, called Trods. These migrations drew off the life-energies of the Vallorn, weakening it. The further the Navarr travelled, the stronger the effect. Once the Vallorn was sufficiently weakened in an area, then the Navarr were able to attack, reducing the spread of the Vallorn.

The arrival of humans from across the sea drove the orcs from the fertile lowlands. Initially the Navarr viewed the newcomers with suspicion, but they soon realised that these people were potential allies. They made contact, seeking to ensure the safe passage of their stridings, and encouraging the new humans to focus their attention on the orcs rather than engage in costly squabbles with each other.

During this time, Navarr traders introduced the Highborn to Vinum. Vinum was a sap that could be cultivated to a chewable gum which was relaxing, aiding with restful sleep. Highborn chapters experimented with Vinum and one - the Scions of Atun - learned how to process it into a new form. This form which they called liao, possessed many unique mystical qualities, including the ability to unlock visions of past times and places.

Joining the Empire

A Navarr Striding were among the first people to hear the Empress' message of unity. Its leader, Myfanwy of Hercynia, was one of her earliest companions, protecting and guiding her through human lands. After the historic encounter, the Navarr carried her message to anyone who was prepared to listen. They helped arrange the initial meeting at which the foundations of the Empire were laid. The goals and philosophies of the Empress struck a resonant chord deep in their hearts. The Navarr Stridings became the standard-bearers for the Empire, carrying its message to the divided human nations.

Most Navarr could see that the Empire represented a great opportunity for them; a chance to drive back the barbarian orcs meant that their stridings could travel further than ever. The more perceptive saw something deeper, that the proposed Empire was not just a tool to help them regain their cities, it was the first glimmer of the civilisation their ancestors had once enjoyed.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Navarr_history&oldid=34455"

Navarr look and feel (Redirected from Navarr Icons and Artistry)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 Feel

- 1.2 Colours

- 1.3 Materials

- 2 Clothing

- 2.1 Shoes

- 2.2 Children

- 3 Icons and Artistry

- 3.1 Jewelry and Decoration

- 3.2 Tattoos

- 3.3 Hair

- 3.4 Banners and Symbols

- 3.5 Decorating their tents at Anvil

- 4 Arms and Armour

- 4.1 Armour

- 4.2 Shields

- 4.3 Weapons

- 4.4 Mage Implements

- 5 Less Appropriate

- 5.1 Celts and Native Americans

- 5.2 Similar nations

- 5.2.1 Wintermark

- 5.2.2 The Marches

- 6 Influences

Overview

The Navarr look draws heavily on the forests for its inspiration. The colours are primarily greens and browns with occasional splashes of dark autumnal red or yellow. Materials are practical, primarily those that come from hunting - leather and fur. Facepaint, tattoos and brands are common, especially on the face and around the eyes. Navarr mark oaths and other important commitments with brands, tattoos or scars. Most warriors only apply war paint before they go into battle, but some Navarr choose to wear it every day, a symbol of their constant readiness.

Rather than rich materials or unusual colours the Navarr personalize their appearance by adorning their costume with beads, feathers, fetishes, and other accessories. It is common to weave such items into the hair.

Also see Navarr Costumes and Navarr Icons and Artistry.

Feel

Wild, unsettling, otherworldly, alert, pragmatic, tattooed, fierce, primal, blood

Colours

The palette is the colours of spring: soft greens and browns, gentle misty greys, and perhaps the dark red of blood.

Materials

Primarily leather and fur, with some layers of cotton, linen or wool. Fine fabrics such as velvet or silk are rare.

Clothing

Navarr clothing is layered, serviceable and well-worn, The Navarr are a practical people and their clothes reflect this. Even for civilians, it often features pieces of leather armour, though this is to protect against the environment as much as enemy weapons. Clothes are suitable for people who live their lives in the wild forests. Not just a robust construction but practical designs, for instance hooded cloaks that give protection against the weather, but can also serve as bedding. Layered clothes are common, so that outfits be easily changed no matter the weather. Belts and straps feature quite heavily – both to secure clothing so it doesn’t snag, and to hold a variety of gear securely while moving through woodland. Patched and mended fabrics are frequent, as worn and ripped clothes are mended 'on the go'.

Navarr style of dress varies, depending on how much contact their striding or steading has with the other nations. Those Navarr who trade with their neighbours are more likely to have access to wool and similar materials so their costume reflects their closer contact with fellow members of the Empire. These clothes will usually be given a Navarri slant though, with fur trims, decoration in natural materials and a natural colour palette.

More remote Navarr may adopt a rougher, more practical or primitive look, primarily comprised of leather, furs and natural materials, suitable for hunters who are used to sleeping rough. In practice, most Navarr fall somewhere between these two extremes.

For more formal functions many Navarr wear highly decorated leathers and their most impressive furs, but more importantly wear their most intricate paints and markings.

Shoes

Navarr shoes can take many forms, as long as they are practical. For this reason close fitting leather boots are most common, often coming to or even past the knee, to protect the lower legs while walking. Ankle boots in soft suede and canvas are also seen, often with the addition of puttees and wraps in cloth and leather.

Children

Navarr children are taught the value of being prepared and ready at all times. They are encouraged to learn to fight with sword, spear and bow from an early age. Their clothing tends to be simplified versions of adult clothing - garments that are practical for play but also easy to keep clean. Older children are often given adult clothing and then belted, tied and strapped to fit.

Icons and Artistry

Jewelry and Decoration

Navarr favour jewelry that represents the twisting journeys of the Great Dance. Knotted metalwork in either base or precious metals; rings, bracelets, armbands, torcs and brooches are the most common types found. When it comes to decoration, natural materials are drawn from heavily. Feathers and fur may trim clothes, and beads made from seeds, wood and stones will adorn many of their garments. Patterns may also be painted onto clothes, again using natural colours like ochre, red, black and white.

Tattoos

Tattoos are common amongst the Navarr, used to memorialize significant moments in the Navarr’s life. They mark sworn oaths with tattoos, brands and scars, as a visible sign of the commitment they have made. Most tattoos are done with a dark red ink, symbolic of the blood that flows beneath the skin. It is not unknown for Thorns and Brands to permanently tattoo their warpaint. Thorn motifs are the most common design. Other common motifs are include blood, twisting plants, star-shaped flowers and feathers.

They use less permanent warpaint on their face or hair when preparing for conflict. It can be meticulously applied in intricate entwined patterns or simply daubed with a finger. Donning the paint helps them prepare themselves and commits them to their course. Many Navarr warriors wear warpaint every day as a sign of their readiness to fight.

Hair

Braids and dreadlocks are common, as are beads and other decorations woven into the hair.

Banners and Symbols

The banner of the Navarr is a great white tree surrounded by a knotted circle of thorny-branches. Most large Steadings and Stridings also have their own banner using similar stark images for their design.

Decorating their tents at Anvil

Arms and Armour

Armour

Thick hardened leather is the most common form of armour for the Navarr, occasionally supplemented with light chain or scale. Navarr armour often features an asymmetric pattern, with lines and closures that run diagonally across the body rather than vertically.

Shields

Shields are narrow and fluted, barely wider than the wielder. They are often heavily decorated with the thorn motif.

Weapons

The iconic Navarr weapon is a spear, often with a barbed shaft and decorated with thorn motifs. This echoes the spear of their legendary hero, Navarr. Otherwise weapons are, light, practical and good for skirmishing rather than heavy combat.

Bows are another favoured Navarr weapon. Like the spear they are an effective tool for hunting as well as a weapon of war.

Mage Implements

Less Appropriate

Celts and Native Americans

As Navarr are not based on Native Americans, large quantities of turquoise beading, and leather tassels are best avoided. Similarly, Celtic style knot-work isn't suitable as decorative patterns.

Similar nations

Wintermark

Navarr tend to wear light leather armour and simple, earth tone clothes, much like the Steinr. Navarr decorations are more likely to come from nature, in the form of paints, feathers and beads, rather than the woven trims popular with the Steinr.

Kallavesi mystics may also be occasionally mistaken for Navarr Vates; however, the Navarr do not wear animal headresses and do not believe in evoking animal spirits.

The Marches

There are also overlaps between the Marches beaters and the Navarr. The beaters tend towards later medieval period clothing, like jacks rather than the tunics and vests popular with the Navarr. The Navarr also tend to use large amounts of furs, pieces of leather and paints that the Marchers would avoid.

Influences

Wood elves, The Rangers from Lord of the Rings.

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Navarr leadership

Throughout their history the Navarr have always adapted and followed the most suitable people required to meet the challenges of the time. It is expected that their leaders will be Brands. The Navarr see leadership as an important but onerous responsibility, with the leaders viewed as servants of the community. Although not all Brands are leaders, Navarr who persistently try to offer leadership to others who haven't become Brands are regarded with suspicion. The purpose of leadership is to give direction to the community- it should be for the benefit of everyone in the Striding or Steading - in the Navarr eyes you can't be a fit and proper leader unless you have become a Brand first.

Rather than formally appoint their leaders, the Navarr follow those Brands whose leadership seems wisest and most effective. The Navarr have no need of mechanisms to remove their leaders; since their leaders have no formal authority their importance comes from the people who elect to follow them and do what they say. If a leader makes unwise decisions, if people have become so unhappy with the current leadership, then they are expected to find themselves a new leader.

In theory the leadership of a Striding or Steading is totally fluid - in practice the Navarr are not gadflies. They understand that leadership is difficult and arduous and that leaders must often make unpopular decisions. Most Navarr strive to give their leaders as much support as they can and it is relatively rare for them to leave a Steading or Striding simply to follow a new leader. The fact that they can do this at any time, however, underpins their social system; the Navarr feel it ensures their leaders stay focussed on serving their community but also helps to prevent grumbling or whining about decisions that have been made. Individuals are expected to either support their Brand's leadership or move to follow a different Brand.

It is common for a larger community of Navarr to have more than one Brand providing leadership, each with an area of responsibility or specialism. Such communities operate either through the informal co-operation of the Brands, or employ a system where the Brand whose responsibilities apply most appropriately to the current crisis takes the lead. When Navarr groups meet, the Brands usually cooperate or choose to follow one of their number who seems to offer effective overall leadership if that is required.

Leading a territory

The Navarr appoint the Senator for a territory by communal agreement. Those who would speak for the territory step forward. Once the candidates are clear, the Navarr present choose who to stand behind. The process is very fluid, it is common for individuals and groups to move to coalesce support where it appears to be most effective. Once it is clear that everyone has made a choice, the individual with the most support becomes senator for the territory.

Only Navarr who are members of a Steading or Striding that is associated with the territory may take part in the process. Although Stridings travel around the Empire, most return to the same territory at least once a year. Any individual or group who has recently taken part in choosing a Senator who then moves territory is forbidden from taking part again until a year has passed.

Senator Jonquil. You would interdict the passage of Ivawr's Striding through Dawn because of what? Some nascent ill-founded fear that our journeys beyond the borders of our glorious Empire will bring a barbarian horde in its wake?

Your Imperial Majesty, it was Riordan who risked all to bring news of the Scaled Host’s march on the Brass Coast. It was the bravery of Pwyll of Therun that lured the Black Byter into the embrace of the Vallorn and it was the Thornborn of Mourn – the like of whom we shall never see again – who defied the Swarm of Vasseir to see your Lord Husband safe to this assembly.

We have walked the Trods of these lands since the Sun and the Moon began their heavenly dance, we have witnessed the deep places and we have guarded your hearth. We leave behind the light so you can rest behind stone-walls. We have earned our place in this magnificent endeavor and we shall claim our birthright. Come, walk with us, noble Jonquil. We have no fear – let us banish yours.Transcript, Senate Meeting

Navarr Senators have a reputation for tactical voting. They accrue political capital with Senators of other nations which they use on key votes, either for the good of Navarr as a nation or for the Empire as a whole.

The senators for each Imperial territory are re-elected at specific equinox and solstices during the year. The senator for Miaren is elected at the Summer solstice, the senator for Therunin is elected at the Autumn equinox, and the senator for Hercynia is elected at the Winter solstice.

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Navarr lineage and species attitudes

The Striding of the Clouded Eye exclusively travels the Trods of Therunin and boasts a purity of Merrow blood rarely found elsewhere.

‘Of Trod and Travels’, A Guide to the Stridings of the Navarr

The Navarr are generally accepting of those with lineage. Most communities have at least one or two individuals with the trace of lineage. Because of the common bond that humans with the same lineage often feel and the way individuals move between Stridings and Steadings, it is not uncommon for them to end up composed largely or solely of Navarr with a single lineage. There are rarely hard and fast rules however; such things are anathema to the adaptable Navarr.

However, one lineage is distasteful to the Navarr. They mostly shun the Briars, whom they can’t help but see as an outward manifestation of the overabundant growth of the Vallorn and as a reminder of what was lost. While intellectually they may understand that a Briar has their place in the Dance like everyone else, Navarr are rarely comfortable in the presence of such a being, and they are rarely welcome amongst the Navarr. Navarr Briars often make efforts to conceal their lineage as much as possible.

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Navarr lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Navarr Lineage and Species Attitudes)

The Striding of the Clouded Eye exclusively travels the Trods of Therunin and boasts a purity of Merrow blood rarely found elsewhere.

‘Of Trod and Travels’, A Guide to the Stridings of the Navarr

The Navarr are generally accepting of those with lineage. Most communities have at least one or two individuals with the trace of lineage. Because of the common bond that humans with the same lineage often feel and the way individuals move between Stridings and Steadings, it is not uncommon for them to end up composed largely or solely of Navarr with a single lineage. There are rarely hard and fast rules however; such things are anathema to the adaptable Navarr.

However, one lineage is distasteful to the Navarr. They mostly shun the Briars, whom they can’t help but see as an outward manifestation of the overabundant growth of the Vallorn and as a reminder of what was lost. While intellectually they may understand that a Briar has their place in the Dance like everyone else, Navarr are rarely comfortable in the presence of such a being, and they are rarely welcome amongst the Navarr. Navarr Briars often make efforts to conceal their lineage as much as possible.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Navarr_lineage_and_species_attitudes&oldid=33223"

Navarr look and feel

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 Feel

- 1.2 Colours

- 1.3 Materials

- 2 Clothing

- 2.1 Shoes

- 2.2 Children

- 3 Icons and Artistry

- 3.1 Jewelry and Decoration

- 3.2 Tattoos

- 3.3 Hair

- 3.4 Banners and Symbols

- 3.5 Decorating their tents at Anvil

- 4 Arms and Armour

- 4.1 Armour

- 4.2 Shields

- 4.3 Weapons

- 4.4 Mage Implements

- 5 Less Appropriate

- 5.1 Celts and Native Americans

- 5.2 Similar nations

- 5.2.1 Wintermark

- 5.2.2 The Marches

- 6 Influences

Overview

The Navarr look draws heavily on the forests for its inspiration. The colours are primarily greens and browns with occasional splashes of dark autumnal red or yellow. Materials are practical, primarily those that come from hunting - leather and fur. Facepaint, tattoos and brands are common, especially on the face and around the eyes. Navarr mark oaths and other important commitments with brands, tattoos or scars. Most warriors only apply war paint before they go into battle, but some Navarr choose to wear it every day, a symbol of their constant readiness.

Rather than rich materials or unusual colours the Navarr personalize their appearance by adorning their costume with beads, feathers, fetishes, and other accessories. It is common to weave such items into the hair.

Also see Navarr Costumes and Navarr Icons and Artistry.

Feel

Wild, unsettling, otherworldly, alert, pragmatic, tattooed, fierce, primal, blood

Colours

The palette is the colours of spring: soft greens and browns, gentle misty greys, and perhaps the dark red of blood.

Materials

Primarily leather and fur, with some layers of cotton, linen or wool. Fine fabrics such as velvet or silk are rare.

Clothing

Navarr clothing is layered, serviceable and well-worn, The Navarr are a practical people and their clothes reflect this. Even for civilians, it often features pieces of leather armour, though this is to protect against the environment as much as enemy weapons. Clothes are suitable for people who live their lives in the wild forests. Not just a robust construction but practical designs, for instance hooded cloaks that give protection against the weather, but can also serve as bedding. Layered clothes are common, so that outfits be easily changed no matter the weather. Belts and straps feature quite heavily – both to secure clothing so it doesn’t snag, and to hold a variety of gear securely while moving through woodland. Patched and mended fabrics are frequent, as worn and ripped clothes are mended 'on the go'.

Navarr style of dress varies, depending on how much contact their striding or steading has with the other nations. Those Navarr who trade with their neighbours are more likely to have access to wool and similar materials so their costume reflects their closer contact with fellow members of the Empire. These clothes will usually be given a Navarri slant though, with fur trims, decoration in natural materials and a natural colour palette.

More remote Navarr may adopt a rougher, more practical or primitive look, primarily comprised of leather, furs and natural materials, suitable for hunters who are used to sleeping rough. In practice, most Navarr fall somewhere between these two extremes.

For more formal functions many Navarr wear highly decorated leathers and their most impressive furs, but more importantly wear their most intricate paints and markings.

Shoes

Navarr shoes can take many forms, as long as they are practical. For this reason close fitting leather boots are most common, often coming to or even past the knee, to protect the lower legs while walking. Ankle boots in soft suede and canvas are also seen, often with the addition of puttees and wraps in cloth and leather.

Children

Navarr children are taught the value of being prepared and ready at all times. They are encouraged to learn to fight with sword, spear and bow from an early age. Their clothing tends to be simplified versions of adult clothing - garments that are practical for play but also easy to keep clean. Older children are often given adult clothing and then belted, tied and strapped to fit.

Icons and Artistry

Jewelry and Decoration

Navarr favour jewelry that represents the twisting journeys of the Great Dance. Knotted metalwork in either base or precious metals; rings, bracelets, armbands, torcs and brooches are the most common types found. When it comes to decoration, natural materials are drawn from heavily. Feathers and fur may trim clothes, and beads made from seeds, wood and stones will adorn many of their garments. Patterns may also be painted onto clothes, again using natural colours like ochre, red, black and white.

Tattoos

Tattoos are common amongst the Navarr, used to memorialize significant moments in the Navarr’s life. They mark sworn oaths with tattoos, brands and scars, as a visible sign of the commitment they have made. Most tattoos are done with a dark red ink, symbolic of the blood that flows beneath the skin. It is not unknown for Thorns and Brands to permanently tattoo their warpaint. Thorn motifs are the most common design. Other common motifs are include blood, twisting plants, star-shaped flowers and feathers.

They use less permanent warpaint on their face or hair when preparing for conflict. It can be meticulously applied in intricate entwined patterns or simply daubed with a finger. Donning the paint helps them prepare themselves and commits them to their course. Many Navarr warriors wear warpaint every day as a sign of their readiness to fight.

Hair

Braids and dreadlocks are common, as are beads and other decorations woven into the hair.

Banners and Symbols

The banner of the Navarr is a great white tree surrounded by a knotted circle of thorny-branches. Most large Steadings and Stridings also have their own banner using similar stark images for their design.

Decorating their tents at Anvil

Arms and Armour

Armour

Thick hardened leather is the most common form of armour for the Navarr, occasionally supplemented with light chain or scale. Navarr armour often features an asymmetric pattern, with lines and closures that run diagonally across the body rather than vertically.

Shields

Shields are narrow and fluted, barely wider than the wielder. They are often heavily decorated with the thorn motif.

Weapons

The iconic Navarr weapon is a spear, often with a barbed shaft and decorated with thorn motifs. This echoes the spear of their legendary hero, Navarr. Otherwise weapons are, light, practical and good for skirmishing rather than heavy combat.

Bows are another favoured Navarr weapon. Like the spear they are an effective tool for hunting as well as a weapon of war.

Mage Implements

Less Appropriate

Celts and Native Americans

As Navarr are not based on Native Americans, large quantities of turquoise beading, and leather tassels are best avoided. Similarly, Celtic style knot-work isn't suitable as decorative patterns.

Similar nations

Wintermark

Navarr tend to wear light leather armour and simple, earth tone clothes, much like the Steinr. Navarr decorations are more likely to come from nature, in the form of paints, feathers and beads, rather than the woven trims popular with the Steinr.

Kallavesi mystics may also be occasionally mistaken for Navarr Vates; however, the Navarr do not wear animal headresses and do not believe in evoking animal spirits.

The Marches

There are also overlaps between the Marches beaters and the Navarr. The beaters tend towards later medieval period clothing, like jacks rather than the tunics and vests popular with the Navarr. The Navarr also tend to use large amounts of furs, pieces of leather and paints that the Marchers would avoid.

Influences

Wood elves, The Rangers from Lord of the Rings.

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Navarr look and feel (Redirected from Navarr Look and Feel)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 Feel

- 1.2 Colours

- 1.3 Materials

- 2 Clothing

- 2.1 Shoes

- 2.2 Children

- 3 Icons and Artistry

- 3.1 Jewelry and Decoration

- 3.2 Tattoos

- 3.3 Hair

- 3.4 Banners and Symbols

- 3.5 Decorating their tents at Anvil

- 4 Arms and Armour

- 4.1 Armour

- 4.2 Shields

- 4.3 Weapons

- 4.4 Mage Implements

- 5 Less Appropriate

- 5.1 Celts and Native Americans

- 5.2 Similar nations

- 5.2.1 Wintermark

- 5.2.2 The Marches

- 6 Influences

Overview

The Navarr look draws heavily on the forests for its inspiration. The colours are primarily greens and browns with occasional splashes of dark autumnal red or yellow. Materials are practical, primarily those that come from hunting - leather and fur. Facepaint, tattoos and brands are common, especially on the face and around the eyes. Navarr mark oaths and other important commitments with brands, tattoos or scars. Most warriors only apply war paint before they go into battle, but some Navarr choose to wear it every day, a symbol of their constant readiness.

Rather than rich materials or unusual colours the Navarr personalize their appearance by adorning their costume with beads, feathers, fetishes, and other accessories. It is common to weave such items into the hair.

Also see Navarr Costumes and Navarr Icons and Artistry.

Feel

Wild, unsettling, otherworldly, alert, pragmatic, tattooed, fierce, primal, blood

Colours

The palette is the colours of spring: soft greens and browns, gentle misty greys, and perhaps the dark red of blood.

Materials

Primarily leather and fur, with some layers of cotton, linen or wool. Fine fabrics such as velvet or silk are rare.

Clothing

Navarr clothing is layered, serviceable and well-worn, The Navarr are a practical people and their clothes reflect this. Even for civilians, it often features pieces of leather armour, though this is to protect against the environment as much as enemy weapons. Clothes are suitable for people who live their lives in the wild forests. Not just a robust construction but practical designs, for instance hooded cloaks that give protection against the weather, but can also serve as bedding. Layered clothes are common, so that outfits be easily changed no matter the weather. Belts and straps feature quite heavily – both to secure clothing so it doesn’t snag, and to hold a variety of gear securely while moving through woodland. Patched and mended fabrics are frequent, as worn and ripped clothes are mended 'on the go'.

Navarr style of dress varies, depending on how much contact their striding or steading has with the other nations. Those Navarr who trade with their neighbours are more likely to have access to wool and similar materials so their costume reflects their closer contact with fellow members of the Empire. These clothes will usually be given a Navarri slant though, with fur trims, decoration in natural materials and a natural colour palette.

More remote Navarr may adopt a rougher, more practical or primitive look, primarily comprised of leather, furs and natural materials, suitable for hunters who are used to sleeping rough. In practice, most Navarr fall somewhere between these two extremes.

For more formal functions many Navarr wear highly decorated leathers and their most impressive furs, but more importantly wear their most intricate paints and markings.

Shoes

Navarr shoes can take many forms, as long as they are practical. For this reason close fitting leather boots are most common, often coming to or even past the knee, to protect the lower legs while walking. Ankle boots in soft suede and canvas are also seen, often with the addition of puttees and wraps in cloth and leather.

Children

Navarr children are taught the value of being prepared and ready at all times. They are encouraged to learn to fight with sword, spear and bow from an early age. Their clothing tends to be simplified versions of adult clothing - garments that are practical for play but also easy to keep clean. Older children are often given adult clothing and then belted, tied and strapped to fit.

Icons and Artistry

Jewelry and Decoration

Navarr favour jewelry that represents the twisting journeys of the Great Dance. Knotted metalwork in either base or precious metals; rings, bracelets, armbands, torcs and brooches are the most common types found. When it comes to decoration, natural materials are drawn from heavily. Feathers and fur may trim clothes, and beads made from seeds, wood and stones will adorn many of their garments. Patterns may also be painted onto clothes, again using natural colours like ochre, red, black and white.

Tattoos

Tattoos are common amongst the Navarr, used to memorialize significant moments in the Navarr’s life. They mark sworn oaths with tattoos, brands and scars, as a visible sign of the commitment they have made. Most tattoos are done with a dark red ink, symbolic of the blood that flows beneath the skin. It is not unknown for Thorns and Brands to permanently tattoo their warpaint. Thorn motifs are the most common design. Other common motifs are include blood, twisting plants, star-shaped flowers and feathers.

They use less permanent warpaint on their face or hair when preparing for conflict. It can be meticulously applied in intricate entwined patterns or simply daubed with a finger. Donning the paint helps them prepare themselves and commits them to their course. Many Navarr warriors wear warpaint every day as a sign of their readiness to fight.

Hair

Braids and dreadlocks are common, as are beads and other decorations woven into the hair.

Banners and Symbols

The banner of the Navarr is a great white tree surrounded by a knotted circle of thorny-branches. Most large Steadings and Stridings also have their own banner using similar stark images for their design.

Decorating their tents at Anvil

Arms and Armour

Armour

Thick hardened leather is the most common form of armour for the Navarr, occasionally supplemented with light chain or scale. Navarr armour often features an asymmetric pattern, with lines and closures that run diagonally across the body rather than vertically.

Shields

Shields are narrow and fluted, barely wider than the wielder. They are often heavily decorated with the thorn motif.

Weapons

The iconic Navarr weapon is a spear, often with a barbed shaft and decorated with thorn motifs. This echoes the spear of their legendary hero, Navarr. Otherwise weapons are, light, practical and good for skirmishing rather than heavy combat.

Bows are another favoured Navarr weapon. Like the spear they are an effective tool for hunting as well as a weapon of war.

Mage Implements

Less Appropriate

Celts and Native Americans

As Navarr are not based on Native Americans, large quantities of turquoise beading, and leather tassels are best avoided. Similarly, Celtic style knot-work isn't suitable as decorative patterns.

Similar nations

Wintermark

Navarr tend to wear light leather armour and simple, earth tone clothes, much like the Steinr. Navarr decorations are more likely to come from nature, in the form of paints, feathers and beads, rather than the woven trims popular with the Steinr.

Kallavesi mystics may also be occasionally mistaken for Navarr Vates; however, the Navarr do not wear animal headresses and do not believe in evoking animal spirits.

The Marches

There are also overlaps between the Marches beaters and the Navarr. The beaters tend towards later medieval period clothing, like jacks rather than the tunics and vests popular with the Navarr. The Navarr also tend to use large amounts of furs, pieces of leather and paints that the Marchers would avoid.

Influences

Wood elves, The Rangers from Lord of the Rings.

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Navarr magical traditions

When the cities of Navarr were consumed by the Vallorn, much of the Navarr magical lore was preserved by distributing it between the Steadings and Stridings. Most still have a few ancient tomes from this time, either the originals meticulously cared for, or copies that have been painstakingly written out. By themselves these books do not offer sufficient knowledge for a young Navarr to learn what is required, but they are enough that those children who become fascinated with magic can begin to learn. To ensure that they can retain a mastery of magic through the generations, the Navarr periodically trade books whenever they meet.

As a result of this approach, magic is seen as the legacy of the nation as a whole, rather than any individual Striding or Steading. Those who devote themselves to the study of magic are expected to acknowledge the gift they have been given and to seek out ways to employ their magic in the service of the Navarr. Not all choose to do this of course; there are selfish individuals in the Navarr as in any nation, but those that do are called Vates.

Vates

Vates are expected to make themselves known to all. Like Brands and Thorns, they usually mark their oath with a brand or tattoo. Because of the similarities with the oaths that Brands and Thorns swear, Vates who enjoy battle often become Thorns and the wisest amongst them sometimes become Brands. The work of a Vate is difficult; they are expected to use their magic carefully but to ensure that the spells they cast serve their community without charge. In return many Navarr try to ensure that they give what support they can spare to the Vates.

Guides make a habit of knowing who the Vates are, so that they can bring individuals to them who need magical help, and the Vates are often called on by the Senators to perform rituals that benefit territories, the Navarr nation or the Empire as a whole. This life of service to the Nation can be arduous and difficult, but most Vates shoulder it willingly. Their reward is the acknowledgement and respect they receive from other Navarr and the opportunity to practise their magic often.

Vates are the only Navarr who are trusted to meet with the Eternals or their Heralds. There is a belief that the oaths of the Vate help them resist the influence of the other Realms, and that they will use their influence with the Eternals only in support of the nation and the Empire. Other magicians - including those of other nations - who have regular contact with the Eternals are often viewed with a little suspicion, especially if they are not prepared to talk about their experiences.

For the Navarr, magic is in the blood. The Vates use blood-letting to draw on their power, to focus their rituals and incantations. The practice preserves the memory of the sacrifice made by Navarr and Thorn, the first Vates, who gave their life to protect the people from the threat of the Vallorn. Blood is a common motif in Navarr rituals.

The Vates only ever use their own blood and the blood of willing participants when performing magic. Blood drawn from an unwilling or dead victim is useless to Navarr magic; it holds no power. Because of their use of blood-letting, it is rare to find a Vate who does not have some ability with the healing arts, either mastery of the powers of Spring or else chirurgery. Many Vates are skilled with both, able to use magic and skill alike to heal wounds and knit bones.

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Navarr magical traditions (Redirected from Navarr Magical Traditions)

When the cities of Navarr were consumed by the Vallorn, much of the Navarr magical lore was preserved by distributing it between the Steadings and Stridings. Most still have a few ancient tomes from this time, either the originals meticulously cared for, or copies that have been painstakingly written out. By themselves these books do not offer sufficient knowledge for a young Navarr to learn what is required, but they are enough that those children who become fascinated with magic can begin to learn. To ensure that they can retain a mastery of magic through the generations, the Navarr periodically trade books whenever they meet.

As a result of this approach, magic is seen as the legacy of the nation as a whole, rather than any individual Striding or Steading. Those who devote themselves to the study of magic are expected to acknowledge the gift they have been given and to seek out ways to employ their magic in the service of the Navarr. Not all choose to do this of course; there are selfish individuals in the Navarr as in any nation, but those that do are called Vates.

Vates

Vates are expected to make themselves known to all. Like Brands and Thorns, they usually mark their oath with a brand or tattoo. Because of the similarities with the oaths that Brands and Thorns swear, Vates who enjoy battle often become Thorns and the wisest amongst them sometimes become Brands. The work of a Vate is difficult; they are expected to use their magic carefully but to ensure that the spells they cast serve their community without charge. In return many Navarr try to ensure that they give what support they can spare to the Vates.

Guides make a habit of knowing who the Vates are, so that they can bring individuals to them who need magical help, and the Vates are often called on by the Senators to perform rituals that benefit territories, the Navarr nation or the Empire as a whole. This life of service to the Nation can be arduous and difficult, but most Vates shoulder it willingly. Their reward is the acknowledgement and respect they receive from other Navarr and the opportunity to practise their magic often.

Vates are the only Navarr who are trusted to meet with the Eternals or their Heralds. There is a belief that the oaths of the Vate help them resist the influence of the other Realms, and that they will use their influence with the Eternals only in support of the nation and the Empire. Other magicians - including those of other nations - who have regular contact with the Eternals are often viewed with a little suspicion, especially if they are not prepared to talk about their experiences.

For the Navarr, magic is in the blood. The Vates use blood-letting to draw on their power, to focus their rituals and incantations. The practice preserves the memory of the sacrifice made by Navarr and Thorn, the first Vates, who gave their life to protect the people from the threat of the Vallorn. Blood is a common motif in Navarr rituals.

The Vates only ever use their own blood and the blood of willing participants when performing magic. Blood drawn from an unwilling or dead victim is useless to Navarr magic; it holds no power. Because of their use of blood-letting, it is rare to find a Vate who does not have some ability with the healing arts, either mastery of the powers of Spring or else chirurgery. Many Vates are skilled with both, able to use magic and skill alike to heal wounds and knit bones.

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Navarr Maps

See Also

- Brocéliande

- Hercynia

- Liathaven

- Miaren

- Therunin

PRINT INFORMATION - Each map is set to print at A3 size (the resolution varies between 175ppi and 300ppi). Do not print larger than this or it will pixellate. If you print smaller, the quality will improve slightly. Various sizes are available by clicking on the image. To print, make sure you download the ORIGINAL size image (should be between 2700 and 5000 pixels wide. Feel free to add your own textures etc

Maps by Daisy Abbott

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Navarr military concerns

War is not a game, it is a life-and-death conflict. Most Navarr warriors have little interest in forming battle lines and engaging their enemies in honourable battle. They are pragmatic, and favour war through ambush, skirmish and guile. They disdain heroic charges and single combat with enemy leaders - better to fade back and draw the enemy into a trap than face them in one-on-one combat.

Donning warpaint – often embellished with a stylised thorn motif – is an important pre-battle ritual and warrior bands work together to paint each other. By donning warpaint, the Navarr warriors display their commitment to the coming fight. Members of a Steading or Striding will often use similar themes, colours or designs to give themselves a clear battlefield identity as a unit, in the same way that other nations use livery or heraldry.

Leather and chain mail are favoured along with the ubiquitous barbed spear, which honours the original spears wielded by the Navarr forebears. Shields, when used, are narrow and fluted, barely wider than the wielder and often heavily decorated with the thorn motif.

Those Navarr who devote themselves to war are called Thorns.

“You can’t betray your enemies.”

The warriors of the Navarr have two primary areas of interest. They are concerned with the defence of the Steadings and Stridings against bandits and barbarians. They also take responsibility for fighting the forces of the Vallorn. The Vallorn represents a hostile environment, replete with dangerous plants and monstrous insects. These creatures make infrequent incursions into Imperial territory, and the Navarr are at the forefront of driving them back. They also prepare for the day when they will be able to assault their enemy directly, both by scouting the areas of Vallorn influence, and by locating areas that might serve as bases of operation, or recruiting allies to help in the inevitable challenge of defeating the Vallorn's progeny.

Imperial Armies

The Navarr field two imperial armies; the Black Thorns and the Quiet Step.

The Black Thorns

This army is especially fast moving, able to cross great distances very quickly. They are especially adept at using the trods to move large numbers quickly, and have excellent logistical support as well as several covens of vates and apothecaries who help restore troops after forced marches. They have a knack, historically, of turning up just in time to help tip the outcome of a campaign.

The first Navarr General leads the Black Thorns army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer solstice each year.

The Quiet Step

The army of the Quiet Step is loosely organised, allowing individual components a certain amount of leeway to operate as they see fit but benefiting from a central logistical core. They are experienced scouts capable of quickly gathering information about the enemy armies they encounter. They are equally adept at facing barbarian orcs, vallornspawn and Varushkan monsters.

The second Navarr General leads the Quiet Step army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Autumn equinox each year.

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Navarr music

Contents

- 1 The Music of Navarr

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.2.3 Songs about notable people/entities in Navarr

- 1.3 Further songs

- 1.3.1 Songs from Terunael

- 1.3.2 Songs about the fall of Terunael

- 1.3.3 Songs on Travelling

- 1.3.4 Battle Music

- 1.3.5 Festival Music

- 1.3.6 Cautionary, Teaching & Work Songs

- 1.3.7 More Songs

- 1.3.8 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.9 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The Music of Navarr

Style summary

Navarr music reflects a dichotomy of wistful remembrance for their old culture and the practicalities of survival in the wild. Recent music has a practicality underlying it. Loud and high calling noises appear throughout the music in order to develop vocal cords for the relay of messages, cries of warning and the roar of a fear inducing charge from hiding. Drumming is widely used for similar reasons. The sounds, in contrast to the melodic music of their old culture, are often harsh which reflects the Navarr attitude towards nature - not one of harmony but of dominance. Much of the music of their lost cities has changed over time to include primal sounds, for example, fast fiddle and pipes or soft unison singing is joined by loud calling and percussion. Lyrics reflect the dichotomy of the memory of lost cities and the practicalities of life in the wild. References to nature are common but are dark and evocative rather than romantic. Work songs and cautionary tales are common as are the themes of travelling, fate, forests, and blood. Songs of the old culture; lost cities and sacrifice concentrate on remembrance rather than lamentation.

To achieve this sound, look at music that fuses Celtic folk styles with African and Amazonian sounds . Music can draw on Scottish, Irish, Greek, Galician, and Basque/French folk tunes as well Tolkienesque fantasy for lyrics, with added African-style percussion (such as Ngoma, Mutuashi and Didadi), Amazonian and Amazigh music, to fuse with the sounds of the old culture.

Commonly known songs

- Ten Thousand Miles - song of love/travelling.

- Thorn Battle Cadence‎ - A war cadence, easy

- Caution for the Dawnish Youth - Cautionary song popular for expressing the Navarr World view

A musical tradition

Music has a practical use in Navarr society. Music plays a prominent part to create social harmony and to invoke the powers from beyond. It is used for work songs and for teaching.

Social rituals are often performed to music, such as courtship rituals where oine lead, supported by their chorus, makes their case, and the other lead, supported by their own chorus, questions them.

Blood Rituals often rely on percussion support to evoke the feel of the pumping heart and helps focus the arts of the Vates.

One for the kids

- All the Pretty Ponies - lullaby remembering extinct horses, very easy.

Songs about notable people/entities in Navarr

- Redhound - A song about a Navarri hero, hard.

- The Walls of Terunael - An address to the Egregore Liaven about walking the trods, the loss of Terunael and the importance of the Empire, easy.

- Ode to Shadowglyn Distillery - A song commemorating the restoration of the Shadowglyn Distillery by Wern Taur Thorntarry, medium.

Further songs

Songs from Terunael

- By Chance It Was - A love song, easy.

Songs about the fall of Terunael

- Brocéliande Be Stronger Now‎ - Powerful song about Brocéliande, medium with difficult lead vocal.

- I Come and Stand at Every Door - sad song about the fall of Navarr cities, easy.

- On the Wall - Song about the final fight for Brocéliande, medium.

- The Ruins of Terunael - A song about the Vallorn, easy.

- A Sudden Farewell - A duet about the last moments together of Navarr and Thorn, medium.

- Terunael - A remembrance song.

Songs on Travelling

- Down in the Rugged Glen - Joyful song of travelling, easy.

- Heart of the Song - A song of respite. Associated with the Brackensong Steading, medium.

- Miaren - Wistful song on the competing desires to travel and to return home to Seren , Hard.

- Ten Thousand Miles - song of love/travelling, medium.

- Run Thorns Run - A boisterous call and response, easy.

- We will go Home (Across the Mountains) - A song about the return from the long trods, easy.

Battle Music

- Navarr Running Song - A war cadence, easy

- Thorn Battle Cadence‎ - A war cadence, easy

- Windblow, home - A call to arms.

Festival Music

- It Is Not Yet Day - A celebratory song, medium.

- Navarr - An old song about the Navarri - traditionally used at the start of dances, medium.

- Striding One - An invitation to dance. easy.

Cautionary, Teaching & Work Songs

- Caution for the Dawnish Youth - Cautionary song popular for expressing the Navarr World view, easy

- If it had a Heart - A dark song about the monstrous nature of the Vallorn, medium.

- Outside in the Distance - A Sentry's song, medium.

- The Oak - Song about sensible use of trees, easy.

- Through the dark places - A song about the Navarri involvement in forming the Empire, easy

More Songs

- All the Pretty Ponies - Lullaby remembering extinct horses, very easy.

- Bold Navarr Men - A song about a failed sortie.

- The Wind That Shakes The Barley - A song of mourning.

- Crow on the Cradle - A dark lullaby, easy

Instrumentation and tunes

Strings, whistles, chanters, djembes, bodhráns and voices. Pretty much any instrument works well in Navarr.

Other performance traditions

- Storytelling is discussed in Navarr Culture and Customs

- Dance

- Poetry e.g. Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.

How to adapt your repertoire

- Western Folk tradition - Stick to folk songs from the folk traditions mentioned as sources or that have a primal sound. Simplify arrangements and then maybe add non-western rhythms, percussion, shouting, calling and mouth music. This will lend the sense that the old culture has been a little forgotten over time and will give added poignancy to the occasional song performed with a pure 'Celtic' sound. Maybe keep one or two songs unchanged and perform them unaccompanied as a powerful reminder of the old culture.

- Non-western traditions - Move songs into English. Try to lean melodies towards a more 'Celtic' sound.

- Try to avoid frenzied drumming circles - the Navarr are an urban culture turned traveller, but wants to return to city life – and try to avoid the ceilidh vibe. Jigs and waltzes don't match the feel of primal otherworldliness.

Our sources

- Modern Gaelic artists; Modern Welsh Language Artists such as Fern Hill; World Fusion such as Afrocelt Sound System (although less electronic) and Baka Beyond; Scottish-influenced Canadian songs and tunes e.g. Ashley MacIsaac, Great Big Sea (although less poppy), the instrumental stuff by Shooglenifty e.g. Arms Dealer's Daughter (CD), Michael McGoldrick (e.g. Wired), Irish folk, Greek folk tunes and dances. modern pipers e.g. Finlay MacDonald,

- Travel-themed songs and poems by Tolkien could provide inspiration e.g. http://allpoetry.com/poem/8500011-I_Sit_And_Think-by-J_R_R_Tolkien and the Misty Mountain song is spot on for the Navarr sound.

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music and here is one for dances.

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Navarr music (Redirected from Navarr Music)

Contents

- 1 The Music of Navarr

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.2.3 Songs about notable people/entities in Navarr

- 1.3 Further songs

- 1.3.1 Songs from Terunael

- 1.3.2 Songs about the fall of Terunael

- 1.3.3 Songs on Travelling

- 1.3.4 Battle Music

- 1.3.5 Festival Music

- 1.3.6 Cautionary, Teaching & Work Songs

- 1.3.7 More Songs

- 1.3.8 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.9 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The Music of Navarr

Style summary

Navarr music reflects a dichotomy of wistful remembrance for their old culture and the practicalities of survival in the wild. Recent music has a practicality underlying it. Loud and high calling noises appear throughout the music in order to develop vocal cords for the relay of messages, cries of warning and the roar of a fear inducing charge from hiding. Drumming is widely used for similar reasons. The sounds, in contrast to the melodic music of their old culture, are often harsh which reflects the Navarr attitude towards nature - not one of harmony but of dominance. Much of the music of their lost cities has changed over time to include primal sounds, for example, fast fiddle and pipes or soft unison singing is joined by loud calling and percussion. Lyrics reflect the dichotomy of the memory of lost cities and the practicalities of life in the wild. References to nature are common but are dark and evocative rather than romantic. Work songs and cautionary tales are common as are the themes of travelling, fate, forests, and blood. Songs of the old culture; lost cities and sacrifice concentrate on remembrance rather than lamentation.

To achieve this sound, look at music that fuses Celtic folk styles with African and Amazonian sounds . Music can draw on Scottish, Irish, Greek, Galician, and Basque/French folk tunes as well Tolkienesque fantasy for lyrics, with added African-style percussion (such as Ngoma, Mutuashi and Didadi), Amazonian and Amazigh music, to fuse with the sounds of the old culture.

Commonly known songs

- Ten Thousand Miles - song of love/travelling.

- Thorn Battle Cadence‎ - A war cadence, easy

- Caution for the Dawnish Youth - Cautionary song popular for expressing the Navarr World view

A musical tradition

Music has a practical use in Navarr society. Music plays a prominent part to create social harmony and to invoke the powers from beyond. It is used for work songs and for teaching.

Social rituals are often performed to music, such as courtship rituals where oine lead, supported by their chorus, makes their case, and the other lead, supported by their own chorus, questions them.

Blood Rituals often rely on percussion support to evoke the feel of the pumping heart and helps focus the arts of the Vates.

One for the kids

- All the Pretty Ponies - lullaby remembering extinct horses, very easy.

Songs about notable people/entities in Navarr

- Redhound - A song about a Navarri hero, hard.

- The Walls of Terunael - An address to the Egregore Liaven about walking the trods, the loss of Terunael and the importance of the Empire, easy.

- Ode to Shadowglyn Distillery - A song commemorating the restoration of the Shadowglyn Distillery by Wern Taur Thorntarry, medium.

Further songs

Songs from Terunael

- By Chance It Was - A love song, easy.

Songs about the fall of Terunael

- Brocéliande Be Stronger Now‎ - Powerful song about Brocéliande, medium with difficult lead vocal.

- I Come and Stand at Every Door - sad song about the fall of Navarr cities, easy.

- On the Wall - Song about the final fight for Brocéliande, medium.

- The Ruins of Terunael - A song about the Vallorn, easy.

- A Sudden Farewell - A duet about the last moments together of Navarr and Thorn, medium.

- Terunael - A remembrance song.

Songs on Travelling

- Down in the Rugged Glen - Joyful song of travelling, easy.

- Heart of the Song - A song of respite. Associated with the Brackensong Steading, medium.

- Miaren - Wistful song on the competing desires to travel and to return home to Seren , Hard.

- Ten Thousand Miles - song of love/travelling, medium.

- Run Thorns Run - A boisterous call and response, easy.

- We will go Home (Across the Mountains) - A song about the return from the long trods, easy.

Battle Music

- Navarr Running Song - A war cadence, easy

- Thorn Battle Cadence‎ - A war cadence, easy

- Windblow, home - A call to arms.

Festival Music

- It Is Not Yet Day - A celebratory song, medium.

- Navarr - An old song about the Navarri - traditionally used at the start of dances, medium.

- Striding One - An invitation to dance. easy.

Cautionary, Teaching & Work Songs

- Caution for the Dawnish Youth - Cautionary song popular for expressing the Navarr World view, easy

- If it had a Heart - A dark song about the monstrous nature of the Vallorn, medium.

- Outside in the Distance - A Sentry's song, medium.

- The Oak - Song about sensible use of trees, easy.

- Through the dark places - A song about the Navarri involvement in forming the Empire, easy

More Songs

- All the Pretty Ponies - Lullaby remembering extinct horses, very easy.

- Bold Navarr Men - A song about a failed sortie.

- The Wind That Shakes The Barley - A song of mourning.

- Crow on the Cradle - A dark lullaby, easy

Instrumentation and tunes

Strings, whistles, chanters, djembes, bodhráns and voices. Pretty much any instrument works well in Navarr.

Other performance traditions

- Storytelling is discussed in Navarr Culture and Customs

- Dance

- Poetry e.g. Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.

How to adapt your repertoire

- Western Folk tradition - Stick to folk songs from the folk traditions mentioned as sources or that have a primal sound. Simplify arrangements and then maybe add non-western rhythms, percussion, shouting, calling and mouth music. This will lend the sense that the old culture has been a little forgotten over time and will give added poignancy to the occasional song performed with a pure 'Celtic' sound. Maybe keep one or two songs unchanged and perform them unaccompanied as a powerful reminder of the old culture.

- Non-western traditions - Move songs into English. Try to lean melodies towards a more 'Celtic' sound.

- Try to avoid frenzied drumming circles - the Navarr are an urban culture turned traveller, but wants to return to city life – and try to avoid the ceilidh vibe. Jigs and waltzes don't match the feel of primal otherworldliness.

Our sources

- Modern Gaelic artists; Modern Welsh Language Artists such as Fern Hill; World Fusion such as Afrocelt Sound System (although less electronic) and Baka Beyond; Scottish-influenced Canadian songs and tunes e.g. Ashley MacIsaac, Great Big Sea (although less poppy), the instrumental stuff by Shooglenifty e.g. Arms Dealer's Daughter (CD), Michael McGoldrick (e.g. Wired), Irish folk, Greek folk tunes and dances. modern pipers e.g. Finlay MacDonald,

- Travel-themed songs and poems by Tolkien could provide inspiration e.g. http://allpoetry.com/poem/8500011-I_Sit_And_Think-by-J_R_R_Tolkien and the Misty Mountain song is spot on for the Navarr sound.

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music and here is one for dances.

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Navarr people

The Navarr were once part of a great nation that was lost to Orcs and failed magic centuries before the Empire began. Although they continue to wander through the wild places, they embrace the Empire as an opportunity to be a part of a great civilisation again. Their cities still exist, buried in the depths of their forests and infested by the Vallorn, a monstrous presence from the past.

Today the people dwell in Steadings, settlements cut into the heart of the woods, or travel in loose groups called Stridings. Individual Navarr move back and forth between the settled life of a steading and the mobile life of a striding as the mood takes them or circumstance dictates.

The Navarr love to travel. The journey can be a means to an end or an end in itself. Some of their journeys serve an arcane purpose, but wherever they are travelling they carry news, messages and people with them. The Navarr see moving people and items around the Empire, to the places where they can do the most good, as a method to solve many problems. The philosophy of the Great Dance teaches that everyone has a place where they can prosper, and helping other people find that place is a calling for many Navarr.

They value self-sufficiency, priding themselves on their ability to prosper in dangerous and inhospitable areas. They make a virtue of being prepared and ready. Many Navarr love the excitement of the hunt; stalking prey heightens their senses and tests their skills and the thrill of the chase gets their blood pumping, reminding them they are alive. Young Navarr, especially, like to test themselves against the world; they like to push themselves, whether it is conquering a mountain peak or blazing a trail to a new destination. They enjoy demonstrating their mastery over nature.

The Navarr are sophisticated enough to realise that self-sufficiency does not mean each individual stands alone. They are a gregarious folk who welcome strangers to their steadings and stridings. They like to cultivate friends and alliances, and relish the opportunity to work as go-betweens. Anyone in the Empire who needs to travel somewhere, or who is looking for a new start, knows that the Navarr are happy to embrace fellow travellers.

The Navarr keep a watch throughout the Empire. When they move through an area, they make an effort to look for problems and dangers, and warn their fellow Imperial citizens about them. A Navarr who discovers a ruined Marcher fortress is now a haven of orcs or bandits will seek out nearby Marcher stewards and beaters, inform them of the problem, and offer whatever assistance they can to help them deal with the threat.

They also maintain a network of small shelters or safe havens along the Trods known as Tarries. Each Tarry is a well-prepared shelter stocked with enough a supply of firewood and dried food for a day or two. These can be used by any traveller in need of shelter, so long as the food and firewood is restocked in return.

The Navarr are as fierce towards their enemies as they are welcoming to their allies. When they march to battle they don war-paint so their allies can see they have committed themselves to the fight and their enemies know to be afraid. The Navarr have little time for notions of honourable combat; ambush, traps, misdirection and poison are all weapons that the Navarr readily employ.

Names

First names

Navarr names are primarily Celtic, mainly drawing on Welsh names.

A child's name is given to a Navarr at birth by the parents, wheras an adult chooses the name they wish to be known by during the Binding of Thorns.

Sample first names

- Male: Aedan, Arawn, Dradan, Breanainn, Cadaen, Caiside, Donndubhan, Drustan, Elisedd, Faelan, Hywel, Ifan, Lindir, Logan, Maddoc, Paul, Saeros, Tomas, Wyl

- Female: Angharad, Brianna, Bronwen, Cordelia, Enys, Gwynedd, Iona, Megan, Myfanwy, Niamh, Olwen, Raelyn, Siani, Rhiannon, Teleri

Naming resources

- Celtic names

- Welsh male names

- Welsh female names

Second names

A Navarr takes the name of their Steading or Striding as their second name.

Steadings and Stridings are named for the event that founded them but these are commonly abbreviated or inferred from a much longer descriptive. The oldest communities have names founded in the myths of the Nation while those more recently founded may seem more mundane by comparison.

Sample second names

- Seventh Day - Abbreviated from "On the seventh day of the Battle of Lower Mirsh, Pwyll slew the Warlord of the Scaled Host"

- Black Blood - Abbreviated from "... the rivers of Mitwold ran black with the blood of the traitors."

- Long Stride - Inferred from "... and we parted ways in 307 YE as Dylan and Lowri the Vate of our Striding could not keep pace with us."

Names are not static; when a Navarr moves between the steadings and the stridings they change their name accordingly.

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Navarr religious beliefs

Navarr priests are called Guides, partly because of the guidance they try to give the Navarr, but more for the practice of trying to guide people to their rightful place in the Great Dance. Although all Navarr see life in terms of the Great Dance, what makes the Guides unique is their concern for the virtue of the people they help. Guides understand that virtue is not inherent in an individual, that it is a product of the person and their circumstances. By helping a person change their circumstances, by guiding them to a place more suited to their temperament, they can help that person become more virtuous.

Guides also work to bring partners together, finding people whose spirits or virtues complement each other, or who were partners in a previous life. The Guides seek to ensure that the people they encounter are given the best opportunity to flourish and in turn add to the Empire and the Great Dance. This might involve recruiting an individual to join the striding and Navarr; or it might be aiding the individual to leave a life of farm-work in the Marches to become a Scrivener on the Brass Coast.

Lock your door, child dear,

Bolt it fast, choke back your fear.

The Forest walks and the Vallorn sigh,

The Stridings tread to feed the Thorn.

Sleep tight, my dear, ’till break of dawn.

Varushkan Nursery Rhyme

This has led to friction – in some places running away to join the Navarr is seen as irresponsibly betraying one’s own life and family. In other circles it’s seen as a desirable goal and a path to high adventure. The idea of joining the Navarr is a common daydream in the Empire for people who feel underappreciated or "stuck in a rut." The truth is a little more prosaic. Few outsiders stay with the Stridings for long, but the Navarr provide these individuals with a home, guiding them towards a place where their skills are needed and they will be welcomed. In this way, the work of the guides helps communities as well as leaving a network of friends of the Navarr across the Empire.

Before the Navarr joined the Empire, their priests served as judges as well as guides. It was the Navarr who insisted that the Synod members have the right to offer sanctuary and to plead for clemency on behalf of those who admitted their guilt. The Navarr do not believe in allowing actions to go unpunishe;, they believe that actions have consequences and people should make amends for what they have done – no matter the reasons for their actions. A Guide who is asked for clemency will often take personal responsibility for the criminal, asking that they be remanded into their custody, and then use all their skills to help that criminal improve their life and their virtue. Guides believe in practical experience and positive deeds as a way to improve individual virtue, rather than lectures or merciless punishment.

You think there's no wilderness in your city, but more people lose their ways in the cities than in the woods

Alim, the Guide

All Guides are taught to beware of the dangers inherent in what they are doing. It is a small step to move from helping people to be virtuous, helping them find the best place for them in the Great Dance, to manipulating people and moving them in such a way that best serves the Guide's own interests. To be accused of manipulating people is a serious accusation and one that brings a degree of public shame to a Brand or a Guide. If any Navarr individual knowingly sets out to manipulate others to achieve their own desires they keep it to themselves.

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Navarr Running Song

Song by Jamie Wakefield (https://soundcloud.com/jamie-wakefield/navarr-running)

Chorus in Bold.

Chords: Em G D Em

Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark

Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark

Navarr run striding over hill and over grass Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark

Navarr Navarr are the terror in the dark Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark

Navarr Navarr all barbarians do fear Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark

Navarr will slaughter every enemy that's near. Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark

Navar run fast. Navarr run far. Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark

Navarr fight hard. Navarr kill fast. Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark

Your blood. Your Loss. Your death. Your cost. Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark

Your life. Your loss. Your head. Your cost. Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark

Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark

Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark Navarr Navarr run in Wintermark

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Navarr (song)

Original Song: "Eireann" by Afro Celt Soundsytem

New Lyrics by Jamie Wakefield

An gcuirfea fios orm [Dm G Dm] Am mbeadh aithne gat orm [Dm G Dm] M’uisci, croi gach crann [F G Dm] An gcuirfea fios orm [G Dm]

I can see your hearts... [G Dm] Sorrow breaks a braver man apart... [F G] I send sorrow to the Vallarn enemy... [Dm G] For it is no use to me... [Dm G] Keep your sorrow from the way... [F Dm] We will return... [G] When the dance... [Dm] When the journey is ended... [G Dm]

Chuiris cros I lar an bhothair dom [Dm G Dm] Lamh na gcarad in am a ghatair dom [Dm G Dm] Feach doimhin isteach id shuile gorm [F G Dm]

Navarr Navarr [C G Dm]

Translation:

Would you search me out Would you recognize me My waters, the heart of every tree Would you look for me

I can see your hearts... Sorrow breaks a braver man apart... I send sorrow to the Vallarn enemy... For it is no use to me... Keep your sorrow from the way... We will return... When the dance... When the journey is ended...

You placed a sign on the road to guide me A hand of friendship in a time of need I look deep into your blue eyes

Navarr Navarr

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Navarr territories

The Navarr territories are scattered throughout the Empire. Most of the land they claim is heavily forested, surrounding the ruins of one of more ancient Navarr settlements.

Territories

- Miaren

- Hercynia

- Therunin

- Liathaven (Lost)

- Brocéliande (Lost - Never conquered)

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Navy

The Empire does not currently maintain any Imperial navies and has not since the time of Emperor Barabbas. While the Empire could raise a navy, it would require extensive preparation. However, as with the raising of Imperial armies and the building of suitable berths, the decision about how and when to do so would be in the hands of the Imperial Senate.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

- Field Marshal

Additional Information

- War

- Imperial armies

- Spy network

- Casualties

- Territory

- Fortification

- Keywords

- OOC Design

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Necropolis

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 The Necropolis

- 3.2 The Shrine of Britta

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Coursmouth

- 4.2 Fishguard

- 4.3 Hedrossan

- 4.4 Highrod

- 4.5 Longbeach

- 4.6 Sanctuary Sand

Overview

The first Highborn settled along the coast of the Bay of Catazarr here, and some of the oldest post-Terunael human structure are found here. In some ways, it is the spiritual centre of the Highguard nation and - to a degree - of the Empire.

Recent History

Major Features

The Necropolis

At the mouth of the river Couros lies Bastion’s shadowed twin, a mausoleum in black marble. Built in the ruins of Pharos - the first Highborn settlement was destroyed in the Patrician war – the tombs have spread to encompass almost all the old ruins. Scattered throughout the ruins are mausoleums built to house the Highborn dead. To many Highborn it is as if the city itself has been entombed, its memory preserved in the house of the dead.

The Necropolis holds the bodies of the Empire’s heroes, along with the Imperial Histories, guarded eternally by the Stewards of the Dead. The legendary mausoleum has become the final resting place of almost every Emperor and Empress. In death, all Highborn desire to be lain to rest here, amongst the heroes of the past, where the Stewards of the Dead watch eternally over their silent graves. It is a tremendous honour for heroes of other Imperial Nations to be offered a final resting place alongside them. Those who would be heroes know that granite – and the words placed upon it – will endure long after their flesh has faded.

The Shrine of Britta

A beautiful white granite shrine honouring the Empress Britta was constructed in early 377YE. While the body of the Empress was interred in the swamps of Kallavesa, her accouterments were placed in the shrine. An eternal flame burns in a paved courtyard in front of the memorial, which serves as a place of pilgrimage for those wishing to pay their respects or meditate on the lessons of Britta's reign and death. The Guardian of Britta's Shrine watches over the memorial, and receives a portion of liao as well as voting power in the Imperial Synod.

Regions

Coursmouth

Where the river Couros empties out into the Bay of Catazarr. The Necropolis is built around the mouth of the river, in the ruins of Pharos (the first Highborn city).

Fishguard

Hedrossan

The river Couros is navigable for much of its length. The trading port of Hedra is a fair distance inland, but is the favoured destination of ships from the League and Brass Coast. Vessels from as far afield as the Marches and even Wintermark prefer to bypass the archaic docks at Crown's Quay and do their trading here. A great deal of grain and other foodstuffs are sold to merchants destined for the peaks of Urizen, despite (or perhaps causing) a great deal of economic rivalry with the port of Cargo in Redoubt.

Highrod

Longbeach

Today Longbeach is best known for the port-town of Crown's Quay. Once a small fishing village called Westport, Crown’s Quay became notable as the preferred port for those wishing to travel to Anvil, and its docks were rebuilt by the military council in the early days of Empire. Legend also says that it was the place the Three Sisters, the founders of the Brass Coast, took ship. Despite it's age and fame, it has never been especially prosperous as a trade port - although several attempts have been made to built lighthouses and to upgrade the quayside they have rarely amounted to significant change. Keywords: Coastal

Sanctuary Sand

This is where the Highborn ships first made landfall. The town of Sanctuary claims it is built on the very spot where Atun's ship first came to rest on the sands of the new world. Since the establishment of Necropolis, this is where funeral boats land their cargo of the dead. From all over Empire, great heroes take their final journey to Sanctuary and then are carried along the steep cliffside trail to therr last resting place.

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Neophyte's Aid

Description

A battlefield can shift without warning, and while several magical implements offer greater power than a neophyte's aid, few can match the versatility of simply having an additional reserve of personal mana to call on. These rods are often the first magical item a young magician acquires, usually as a gift from their mentor. In Urizen and other places where large numbers of student-mages gather, these rods are kept on hand to teach the bond-creating spell. The rod's power is both fairly harmless and provides the student with enough power to break the bond again, making it an excellent training tool. It is also often the first magical rod used by would-be battle-magicians, helping them to get use of such a weapon while providing the fuel for an extra spell.

Demand for these rods increases greatly when sources of crystal mana are scarce. The Navarri Vates and magicians living in the more isolated Varushkan Vales or Urizen Spires find these rods helpful when unable to secure stocks of crystalised mana and value the daily replenishment of the rod's power over the expendable nature of mana crystals. In conjunction with apotion, such as Philosopher's Gold and Leaden Quicksilver, these magicians can even employ the rod's reserve in ritual magic.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: While you are bonded to this rod you have one point of additional personal mana.

- Materials: Crafting a neophyte's aid requires seven measures of iridescent gloaming and three ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“...Thirty-seven barrels of oil, eighteen tanned leather hides, forty-two lengths of oak timber at five yards length each, three hundred arrows and thirty halberds for the Sentinels, four hundred candles and five hundred yards of hemp rope.”

The Urizen mage came to the end of the requisition order. The provisioner nodded, noting each article in his ledger. Around them, the encampment was filled with the bustle of preparations – a column of Marcher infantry filing out through the palisade gates, dozens of Dawnish yeomen polishing armour and hammering out dents, freshly arrived League soldiers lining up to receive their armaments.

“Oh,” said the mage, squinting at a final line on the list. “And a dozen enchanted rods for the neophytes.”

The provisioner spluttered, and not from the dust that the Marcher boots were kicking up as they went past. “A dozen? A dozen? Are you Spirefolk not supposed to possess a trove of such things – and to ask for them for neophytes, no less?”

The mage gave him a wan smile. “I and my pupils have travelled six hundred miles to join this effort, and bringing a veritable trove with us would have been a little beyond the strength of my back, hmm? Not to mention that even a neophyte can save soldiers' lives if he or she has a focusing aid to strengthen their magical reserves.”

A scowl was now resident on the provisioner's face, and showed little intent of giving up its new home. “If it's mana you need, I can authorise another satchel of crystals be delivered instead.”

“If I were leading a circle of ritualists,” the mage countered, “then I would consider your offer a generous one. However, we are here to serve as battle-magi, and I forsee long weeks of campaigning ahead of us. My pupils are going to be pushed to their very limits in the coming conflict. A simple bag of mana crystals will quickly disappear, but the focusing aids will provide every day, for as long as there is strength left in their bearers. It will cost you far more to supply us in mana crystals, in the long run, than to simply acquiesce to my request and dispense the rods.”

“Listen,” the provisioner said, “I can't just hand that calibre of equipment out! You think the Dawnish weavers or enchanters will be happy if I tell them I handed out most of the reserve to some newly-arrived Urizen? I-”

But the mage had clearly had enough, his aquiline visage growing stern. “Listen to me. General Haytham sent us assurance that we would have the supplies we need; I brought my Spire-fellows over six hundred miles on the belief that the good General would prove true to his word.” He was thrusting a letter at the provisioner now, who flinched away as he saw the Marcher General's seal at the bottom of the script. “I will not send out those I have taught into battle just for their power to be squandered, and for good men to die as a result. So would you like me to go and ask the General why his word is suddenly in question, and why he would rather his country-folk not be given the aid of Urizen magi in this war?”

The scowl stayed in place, but the provisioner relented. “Alright, alright. You'll have your blasted rods, and the mana besides.”

“Thank you,” the mage said with a graceful nod. “There. Such a simple decision, but with it, you'll save many men's lives upon the field of battle.”

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Net of the Heavens

Better a little thing done perfectly, than a great deal imperfectly.

The philosophers of Urizen embrace an image they poetically call the Net of the Heavens. Like the Great Dance of the Navarr, this philosophy is a way to understand the world, the course of human interactions and human history. The Net of the Heavens defines creation as being made up of “nodes” or “knots” – pivotal people and events that shape everything around them. By identifying and acting on the most powerful nodes, an individual can ensure that their actions are effective out of all proportion to the effort expended.

The First Empress was a pivotal individual who changed and influenced thousands of other individuals, both when she was alive and in every generation since her death. She influenced other nodes and they in turn influenced the nodes around them. Another example might be an orc chieftain. A powerful node influences and directs countless other individuals; if that node is neutralised then those other nodes are irrevocably changed.

Likewise the Paragons are some of the most pivotal individuals in history. They shape the world around themselves, and do so in a durable and far-reaching way. Their appearance is difficult or impossible to predict, which is unfortunate as influencing a Paragon would allow the Urizen to influence vast swathes of other people.

Events and moments can be pivotal, and a person may become pivotal for a while through a combination of time and space. The first meeting where the Empress outlined her idea for the Empire was a pivotal event, where dozens of influential nodes came together. Likewise, an individual may become pivotal for a few moments through their proximity to another node – Isaella, the soldier who assassinated Emperor Nicovar the Mad became absolutely pivotal as a result of that action, and her choice could have moved the entire Empire in a number of very different directions.

Not all nodes are equally influential or pivotal. An orc chieftan is a pivotal individual, for example, one that influences dozens of other individuals and events. Influencing the orc chieftan is often a much more effective way to deal with the army than open conflict. Those around them may also be important, but are usually less pivotal than the chieftain. Nodes are always connected to other nodes and many Urizen philosophers believe that it is possible to identify the most powerful node in a situation by following chains or strings of nodes backwards, looking for lines of influence to find the most significant node that unites them.

This philosophy is core to all areas of Urizen life, and identifying individuals, times and places where effort can be expended to enact massive changes is a constant drive. Implicit in the idea of the Net of the Heavens is a philosophy of life. The assumption is that to be effective, to demonstrate arete, individuals should seek to understand enough of the world that they can identify the nodes and work out how best to influence them. Part of arete is about avoiding wasted effort - the Net of the Heavens gives a philosophical basis for working out how to act and when. Together with poise the three ideas give the Urizen their reputation for serene calm; they remain focussed and patient, acting shrewdly and deliberately even when events around them are chaotic and in turmoil.

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New Imperial titles

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Powers

- 2.1 Secrecy

- 2.2 Limitations

- 2.3 Restrictions

- 2.4 Responsibilities

- 2.5 Stipend

- 2.6 Creating New Powers

- 3 Appointment

- 3.1 Well Worn Paths

- 3.2 Imperial, National, and Virtue Positions

- 3.3 Election

- 3.4 Removal

- 4 The Imperial Senate

- 5 The Imperial Synod

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 7 The Imperial Military Council

- 8 The Imperial Conclave

- 9 Automatic Titles

- 10 Example

- 11 Further Reading

- 11.1 Core Brief

- 11.2 Additional Information

Overview

Only the Imperial Senate has the power to create a new Imperial title. If another house, such as the Imperial Synod wants a new Imperial title to be created to help them discharge their responsibilities then they must request the Senate create the position for them.

New titles have the potential to possess wide-ranging powers with little or no oversight or constraints. Because of this new titles are subject to constitutional scrutiny by the magistrates to ensure that they preserve the spirit of the Imperial Constitution and do not unduly change the separation of powers between the five great houses of the Empire, Imperial Synod, Imperial Senate, Imperial Bourse, Imperial Conclave, and the Imperial Military Council.

Powers

A title may be assigned one or more legal powers. In the vast majority of cases these are either powers exercised by members of one of the arms of government - or they are powers exercised by that house collectively. For example a burser created by the Senate to investigate expenditure by senators and seek out malfeasance, could be granted the power of inquisition (a power normally exercised collectively by the Synod) and the right of address in the Senate (a legal power normally granted to senators and the like).

Titles created by the Senate in this way do not need to follow the normal restrictions on their usage. For example, for the Senate to employ the power of commission requires a motion be proposed by a senator and approved by majority vote. If the Senate wished to give greater support the Imperial Military Council they could create a title with the power of commission over military procurement - with the duty to arrange the resupply of Imperial armies.

Secrecy

It is possible for the Senate to create an Imperial title that can circumvent the normal legal checks and balances by accessing legal powers without the house that controls those powers having to vote each time they are used. The accompanying ease with which this allows these powers to be used is often cited as the reason for creating a new Imperial title, although historically the same reason is often given for abrogating the title later.

However it is never possible to create an Imperial title that is able to use powers in secret that would normally require a vote or official process of some kind. Normally the magistrates will insist that such powers are authorized using a suitable announcement to the relevant house, such as a Senate announcement. This allows the members of that house to be aware how their powers are being used, it allows the civil servants to determine when powers are being legally accessed and in the Senate it allows the decisions to remain subject to the veto of the Imperial Synod.

Limitations

It is not possible to dictate how a power may be used - the Senate is forbidden from extending its power by creating titles under their direct control. However the Senate can set limitations on how any legal powers can be used. The standard limitations are by nation, territory or house - the holder of that title can then only use those powers on members of that nation, territory or house or commissions based in that nation or territory.

For example, a title might carry the responsibility to secure the defences of Holberg. This title could come with the legal authority to resupply armies of The League and repair fortifications in Holberg. The holder of this title would not be able to resupply other armies or fortify other regions.

It is not acceptable to limit a title in other ways. For instance, it is possible to create a title with the responsibility to support the welfare of the Church of the Little Mother, with the legal authority to authorize the construction of churches and cathedrals. But legal authority could not be constrained in any way so that only the Church of the Little Mother could benefit from the construction.

Restrictions

All Imperial citizens are forbidden to hold more than one Imperial title concurrently. Attempts to create an Imperial title which appears to have more powers than are appropriate for the position are usually ruled unconstitutional - as an attempt to bundle too many responsibilities and power together.

Responsibilities

Senators are encouraged to define carefully what the responsibilities of any Imperial title they propose to create. It is not possible to place legal requirements on how the powers a title possess must be discharged, the holder of an office cannot legally be directed on what actions to undertake to uphold their office. However the responsibilities of an office are important - the Synod is expected to use the stated responsibilities of an office to judge whether a citizen is failing in their duties and needs to be removed by revocation.

Stipend

Any title may be granted a stipend - a regular income which is drawn directly from the Imperial treasury. Titles with responsibilities that are likely to incur significant costs are the most eligible for a stipend, but any post can have one attached to it in theory. A tiny stipend is occasionally used to demarcate an Imperial title from a ceremonial title.

Creating New Powers

The powers of the houses and the titles associated with those houses are well known and understood by constitutional scholars. It is perfectly possible for the Senate to create a new legal power - but any attempt to do so will bring close scrutiny from the magistrates to ensure it is compliant with the ethos of the Constitution. It is usually simpler to incorporate existing legal powers rather than create new ones.

Appointment

When a title is created, the Senate must decide how the position is appointed. The normal constitutional approach is that an Imperial title will be appointed by whichever arm of the Imperial government it draws most of its powers from.

For example, the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies helps the Military Council by resupplying their armies. However the power to authorize the resupply of Imperial armies lies with the Senate - so the most common method is to have the Imperial Senate appoint the position.

The magistrates will almost always allow the Imperial Senate to divest this responsibility to another house if they feel it is appropriate. So the Senate could choose to have the Military Council appoint the Quatermaster General if they felt this was appropriate. However the magistrates will normally act to prevent the Senate drawing undue power to itself by claiming the appointment of new Imperial titles which are more properly the business of another house. For example, if another Imperial college of magic were constructed, the magistrates would almost certainly insist that a dean be appointed by the Conclave.

Well Worn Paths

It is possible for the Senate to create an Imperial title which is appointed in a different way, but varying the mechanism from the traditional forms ensures that the motion will require much greater scrutiny to ensure it is compatible with the Imperial Constitution. Appointments that follow these "well worn paths" are far less likely to be classed as unconstitutional or require a constitutional vote to pass.

Imperial, National, and Virtue Positions

Most Imperial titles are Imperial positions. Any citizen of the Empire is eligible to hold and Imperial position.

The Senate can declare that a new title they have created is a national appointment. A national position is still an Imperial title, but only a citizen of that nation may hold the title. Most of the five houses have standard mechanisms for appointing national positions to allow the people of that nation to make the decision more easily.

In addition a title that is appointed by the Synod may be declared a virtue appointment. Any citizen may hold a virtue appointment, but it indicates the title will be appointed by the cardinal of the appropriate virtue, rather than the wider Synod.

Election

The standard processes for appointing a citizen vary with each house. The methods described represent "well worn paths", common approaches that have been used for decades or more and consequently are known to commonly pass constitutional scrutiny without issue.

It is possible for a Senate motion to request that an Imperial title employ a novel method of election or have an unusual tenure or method of removal. All such motives are automatically subject to a high degree of scrutiny by the constitutional magistrates; the magistrates tend to be very conservative figures and anything that is novel or unique is often regarded with suspicion, just on principle.

Removal

According to the constitution Imperial titles that are appointed by the Senate, Synod, or Military Council should be subject to revocation by appropriate assemblies of the Imperial Synod. Imperial titles that are appointed by the Conclave or the Bourse are not. As with the election, it is theoretically possible for a Senate motion to request that an Imperial title be subject to removal by different or additional means, but such originality is usually frowned upon and rarely passes constitutional scrutiny. In particular attempts to grant the Senate the power to remove a citizen from an Imperial title are always declared unconstitutional.

The Imperial Senate

The Senate has a traditional set of guidelines for all appointments by the Senate.

The Imperial Synod

An Imperial position appointed by the Synod is usually elected by judgement of the General Assembly of the Synod or by judgement of the Assembly of Nine. The position would normally be eligible to be revoked by both assemblies.

A national position appointed by the Synod is usually elected by judgement of the appropriate National Assembly. The title would then be subject to revocation by the national assembly as well as the General Assembly and the Assembly of Nine.

A virtue position appointed by the Synod would be selected by the cardinal of that virtue. The title-holder can then be revoked by their Virtue Assembly and by the General Assembly.

The Gatekeepers are examples of virtue appointments elected by the Synod, one for each virtue.

The Imperial Bourse

An Imperial position appointed by the Bourse is auctioned to the highest bidder. The money paid by the successful bid is added to the Imperial treasury.

The Bourse appoints national positions by vote of members of that nation who hold the resources traditional for that nation. For example, a League position in the Bourse is usually elected by vote of League business owners. Each citizen who owns the right resource receives a number of votes proportional to the size of their resource which they can cast for a single candidate of their choice whenever the position is elected. To be eligible to vote the required resources are:

- The Brass Coast - Fleet

- Dawn - Military unit

- Highguard - Congregation

- Imperial Orcs - Military unit

- Navarr - Herb garden

- The League - Business

- The Marches - Farm

- Urizen - Mana site

- Varushka - Mine or Forest

- Wintermark - Military unit

No titles appointed by the Imperial Bourse can be revoked by the Synod - but these positions are usually reappointed each year.

The Golden Trees of Seren is an example of an Imperial appointment appointed by the Bourse. The Master of the Imperial Mint is an example of a national appointment appointed by the Bourse.

The Imperial Military Council

An Imperial position appointed by the Military Council is elected by simple majority of any members of the Military Council who are eligible to vote who is present when the election takes place. It is customary to carry out the election with a show of hands at a Council session. A national position appointed by the Military Council follows the same process, but only the generals of that nation are allowed to vote.

An Imperial appointment by the Military Council can normally be revoked by the General Assembly and the Assembly of Nine, while a national appointment can also be revoked by the appropriate National Assembly.

The Imperial Conclave

An Imperial or national position that is appointed by the Conclave is normally elected by a standard process of declaration of candidacy. Conclave positions cannot be revoked by the Synod, but can be reappointed at any time by the Conclave following a new declaration of candidacy.

The Dean of the Lyceum is an example of an Imperial position appointed by the Conclave.

Automatic Titles

Some motions of the Senate result in the automatic creation of a new title. For example, if the Senate create a new Highborn army, then this results in the automatic creation of a new Highborn General. If the Imperial armies complete the conquest of a territory, then this results in the automatic creation of a new Senator. If a motion causes a title to be created then any variation to the powers or appointment of the title desired by the Senate must be specified at the point where the motion is passed; the title is assumed to come into being at that point - even though the position usually remains vacant until any work required is complete.

Example

The Auditor of Senatorial Accountability is a ceremonial title appointed by the Synod, with a variation that the position be appointed by the Assembly of Nine, rather than the General Assembly. As the position has no formal powers, this variation is not subject to any constitutional scrutiny. It is noted that the title would benefit from powers such as the right to speak in the Senate and the right to address the Senate or the power of Inquisition.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

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Niccolo Barossa

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Nicolo Barossa

Contents

- 1 Virtue

- 2 Biography

- 3 Signs

- 3.1 Controversy

Virtue

Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario was recognised as an Exemplar of Prosperity by the Synod at the Winter Solstice of 377YE.

Biography

Nicolo Barossa was a shrewd businessman of the League, proud of his home city of Tassato Regario, as well as a committed soldier who distinguished himself on the battlefield.

Shortly after the death of Britta, Nicolo became Master of the Mint and used his position to gain a wealth of information about the Imperial economy, demanding that the Senate have the hard facts they needed to make efficient and prosperous decisions. In this period he made numerous enemies, including rivals in the Bourse who he lambasted for profiteering, as well as Senators who he accused of supporting or allowing deals which would lead to rampant inflation. Never one to hoard wealth, he believed it had to be spent, but spent wisely.

In the year following Empress Britta's death, Nicolo fought in every battle with the League, including numerous engagements in Karsk, the territory which was to eventually claim his life. He had no time for those who eschewed what he saw as their martial duty, wearing his armour to the Senate if necessary so he could march straight to battle once his work was done.

Having received a vision of a Past Life, Nicolo sought the advice of his guide priest, Tancred De Rondell of Dawn. Together they identified clues to the location of a heretical relic, The Cup of Peace, said to be buried near Tassato. They made it their mission to seek out this cup, which was corrupting Imperial citizens to a false Virtue. On the final mission to retrieve the Cup, Nicolo insisted that those guarding it not be killed, as it was more important to bring them back to the true faith of The Way. Once retrieved, the Cup was hallowed to Prosperity, to make it a true relic and have its power used for the benefit of humanity.

The battle in which Nicolo died saw him make a choice to face death rather than compromise. Imperial forces had been sent to stop Thule orcs from performing a series of corrupted rituals. With the army split in two, Nicolo was part of a small force which came upon the final ritual as it was in the midst of being performed. Faced with a clear decision to wait for reinforcements, but let the orcs complete the ritual, or attack immediately against superior odds, the small force of Leaguers, Brass Coast and Marchers charged. They killed the Thule ritualists, but were immediately counter-attacked by a vastly superior force.

Nicolo stood in the rearguard which allowed other Imperial soldiers to get to safety, surrounded by his family. As they lay bleeding and broken, Nicolo and his guildmates crawled together to join hands and recite their banner oath in defiance at the barbarians around them. Angered by their refusal to show fear, the orcs slit their throats.

Nicolo's body was recovered by Imperial forces which arrived on the field soon after, able to win the day because of their sacrifice. He was carried back to Anvil, there to be interred in his family crypt in Tassato Regario. The Varushkan miners who were rescued because this final victory dedicated their families' stored wealth to the good of the Empire, in a final act of Prosperity.

Signs

The Assembly of Prosperity held that the Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario of the Crimson Foxes in the League demonstrated the following signs of being an Exemplar:

- Pilgrimage: In his journeys to Anvil, Nicolo’s faith took him from dedication to Ambition, via a realisation of his true Path, and his experiences in his Past Life Vision, to become (as was written on his soul) a true Prosperous Pilgrim.

- Salvation: Nicolo realised that his soul was called in this life, as in the past, to deal with a Cult of Peace. In destroying said cult, he freed & saved the oppressed and infected souls from idolatry.

- Legacy: He retrieved the Cup of Peace, exorcised and cleansed it, and arranged for its permanent Hallowing to Prosperity as the Cup of Nicolo.

- Benevolence: In his work as Master of the Mint, Nicolo pulled the Empire back from bankruptcy several times: most notably in galvanising the Synod to veto the economically devastating Sarskind Mine Motion. He also remained many hours after senate meetings using his time and wisdom to instruct and inspire Senators on economic theory & principle.

- Inspiration: As well as the senators he taught who use his advice in all their works, there are students of his who continue his economic instruction with the signature ‘Pupil of Nicolo’.

Controversy

- The recognition of Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario was coterminous with a Senate Motion raised by Hywel Summercrow that amended the Synod's recognition of Exemplars. It was held that the judgment of recognition had commenced under the older system of recognition and would therefore stand even though the Senate Motion passed before the judgment concluded.

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Night Realm (Redirected from Night)

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Realms

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Night magic

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Resonance

- 2.1 Obfuscation

- 2.2 Transformation

- 2.3 Intuition

- 2.4 Inspiration

- 2.5 Emotions

- 3 Dissonance

- 3.1 Destruction

- 3.2 Clarity

- 3.3 Strength

- 3.4 Predictability

- 3.5 Discipline

- 3.6 Commerce

- 3.7 Health

- 3.8 Manufacture

- 4 Further Reading

Overview

The magic of night is subtle, intuitive, deceptive and secretive. It is never direct, and never the same twice - it is the essence of transformation and mystery. Where Day magic is focused by the conscious mind, Night magic lives in the unconscious and the subconscious. There is a dream-like quality to Night, and it defies easy categorization or definition.

Night magic excels at concealment. While no other realm can match its power to obfscate or deceive, the magic of Night is often directly opposed by the revelatory magic of the realm of Day. A paradox of Night is that it does not make things invisible - the magic itself can always be detected, and while it may conceal the composition and exact location of a band of soldiers an observer will still be able to see the swirling magical mists that surround them.

What Night can hide, it can also uncover. The divinatory powers of Night magic are always somewhat dreamlike in nature, however, being full of symbols and metaphors that must be interpreted - unlike Day magic, which deals with cold facts. This is also the realm that most exemplifies the power of transformation, and excels at transforming thoughts and ideas even more than it does solid objects. Magicians who make extensive use of Night magic often talk about its elusive, mercurial nature. The magic resists being used, and magicians variously describe the experience as needing to hunt it, coerce it, lure it or tease it out before a ritual can be completed. The magic itself is difficult to pin down - powerful rituals often leave the magicians feeling dazed or in some cases even cause phantasmagoric hallucinations.

It is the most powerful realm because it transforms everything it touches - even the act of divining can uncover truths that prompt unexpected changes in the attitudes or beliefs of the magician wielding it. There is a danger to Night magic. It can lead to selfishness and introspection, and encourage the magician to spend more time considering their own thoughts than the world around them. It encourages the magician to explore ever inward, forsaking the outside world in pursuit of understanding that is difficult or impossible for others to understand.

Resonance

Obfuscation

The Night Realm delights in secrets and mysteries, it loves riddles and puzzles, and it resonates strongly with any ritual that obfuscates things, making them harder to fathom. The realm is perfectly suited for concealing or disguising the true nature of things; it cannot make things invisible, but it can cloak them with magic to provide a screen that baffles the senses. Night magic is uniquely capable of thwarting divinations; it is possible to ward almost anything against divination, especially those of the Day Realm. This resonance can be used in many subtle ways, such as concealing memories from someone.

Night magic does not hide what it has done. Magicians can easily detect the presence of the Night Realm when it is used to baffle their divinations, but the more powerful the concealing Night ritual, the harder it is to pierce the resulting shroud.

Examples Cast Off The Chain of Memory, Incantation's Mystic Mask, Masque of the Blinded Weaver, Secrets for the Shadow Courier, Secrets of the Empty Heart, Riddle Hides the Reward, The Cuckoo's Egg, Drawing the Penumbral Veil, Shroud of Mist and Shadow, and Vale of Shadows.

Transformation

Things are fluid in the Night Realm, constantly changing and in flux. This powerful resonance can be used in many different Night rituals that seek to transform objects and even living beings. Although Night magic may appear chaotic, the truth is that such transformations follow subtle but definite rules - living things in particular cannot be transformed against their will or against their nature.

Night rarely allows anything to be turned into anything - there will often be a pattern than must be adhered to, or a ritual will turn one specific thing into another specific thing. For instance, Night magic can't turn an apple into an elephant, but the more similar the essential qualities of two things are, the easier the transformation from one to the other can be. The essential qualities that Night concerns itself with are the ideals and "inner" qualities of something. A brave knight has more in common with a lion than with a cowardly merchant. The physical similarities are usually irrelevant to Night.

Some transformations are linked to deceptions or tricks. The idea of substitution, of exchanging one thing for another similar thing, is linked to the resonance of transformation in the Night Realm.

Examples: Thief's Arcane Gambit, The Eight-spoked Wheel, The Retrograde Wheel, The Twilight Masquerade, Conclave of Trees and Shadow, Align the Celestial Net, Transmogrification of the Soul's Echo, Dripping Echoes of the Fen, Distill the Serpent's Stone.

Intuition

Like Day magic, Night magic includes many powerful divination rituals. But where Day concentrates on quantities, facts, and numbers, the divinations of Night magic are only concerned with intangible elements - emotions, feelings, and ideas are all susceptible to Night magic. Such divinations are valuable but always uncertain - the answers often come in the form of riddles, puzzles, or visions and require wisdom and experience to interpret them.

The Night Realm delights in conjecture and speculation, the more imaginative and original the better. These inferences are not mere guesses; the Realm excels at bringing together disparate information allowing magicians rare insights. Skilled mages can use Night magic to make predictions and examine mysteries. Forest resources in particular can benefit from these kind of auguries, enhancing their production.

Examples Signs and Portents, Verdant Bounty of the Twilight Bayou, The Ebb and Flow of Battle, Whispering Shadow Courtiers, Shadowed Glass of Sung, and Wondrous Forests of the Night.

Inspiration

The Night Realm prizes imagination and creativity, especially thoughts and ideas dredged up from the subconscious mind. Ideas are not weighed by their practicality or usefulness but by their originality and inherent aesthetic qualities. It is easy to criticize the unworldly nature of the Night Realm, but no other realm possesses this essential resonance, the capacity to create something genuinely new.

Examples Secrets of Skillful Artifice and Sift the Dreamscape's Sands.

Emotions

The Night revels in powerful emotions and passions. It shares some of the intensity and wild energy of the Spring Realm, but it is the emotions themselves that resonate within the Night Realm. Rituals of the realm can enhance sensations and feelings but they are not without risk - the passions unleashed can be so intense they lead to madness.

Examples Freedom of the Soul, The Chamber of Delights, Embrace the Living Flame, Unfettered Anarchy, and Still Waters, Running Deep.

Dissonance

Destruction

Night transforms and conceals but abhors destruction. Destroying something makes creation less diverse, and reduces possibilities. Night even balks at killing people, especially wholesale slaughter. While the ability to strike from concealment can be deadly, it is dissonant to use night magic to directly harm someone physically.

Clarity

The Night Realm seems to regard clarity as a flaw, an imperfection that must be remedied. It always presents information in a way that needs interpretation, striving to be clever or subtle even when that's detrimental to the broader goals. Attempts to gain clarity and precision using the Night Realm are doomed to failure.

Strength

The Night Realm is a realm of smoke and shadows; it excels at transforming and concealing things, but this emphasis on the intangible makes it difficult to use Night magic to create rituals that strengthen or empower the target. There is an insubstantial quality to the Night Realm that makes it dissonant for rituals that attempt to grant increased physical power.

Predictability

Like the Spring Realm, there is an unpredictable tendency to Night magic that is difficult to avoid. It is as if the Realm itself takes delight in surprising those who use it, making it difficult to entirely predict what the outcome will be. Rituals that require order and rigour are often dissonant with the Night Realm because of this essential flaw.

Discipline

Night encourages individuality - it resolutely puts individual needs ahead of collective needs. Night magic never encourages people to obey or respect anyone else, to abide by hierarchies or regimented rules, or to all act in a certain way. Attempts to empower a group of mortals with Night magic always tends to result in a significant loss of discipline, because they cause an inevitable increase in passion. Passion is deeply personal in nature; while some soldiers might be motivated by a passionate patriotism or hatred of the enemy, just as many are actually passionate about going home (and desert) or nurture a deep dislike for an unpopular captain - unleashing those passions with Night magic can end in disaster.

As a result, there are only a few Night magic rituals that are useful in war. Not only are rituals that try to enhance discipline impossible with Night magic, this dissonance actively ruins attempts to use Night magic to make an army or military unit stronger.

Commerce

Although it is possible for a skilled Night mage to profit from their rituals, the idea of profit, particularly notions of commerce, profits and loss, ledgers and coins, are strongly dissonant in Night. In part this reflects the realm's disinterest in facts and figures, but the lack of discipline and predictability are also factors. Rituals that attempt to enhance the produce of coin are impossible in the Night Realm.

When night magic is brought to bear on a personal resource, the outcome is often unpredictable. A ritual that causes a farm to produce herbs or forest resources, or one that makes mines produce random metals and gems is resonant; a ritual that causes a business to produce more money is dissonant. Night magic encurages diversification and unpredictability.

Health

While Night magic can help deal with negative thoughts or mental afflictions, it is useless for healing wounds or regrowing limbs. The body is just a vessel for containing the spirit; a way to provide sensory input for the consciousness.

Manufacture

Night magic loves comforts, but it finds objects boring. Night magic often works through food or drink - transient pleasures that are consumed and enjoyed then gone for good. It can't mend broken objects, nor grant peristent objects special properties in the way Autumn might. This tendency is easy to see in the actions of the Eternal Murit - that creature cares about the art and inspiration that goes into making something much more than it does the item itself, and quickly grows tired of it's creations and moves on to something else. Night magic cannot mend items, for example.

Further Reading

- Ritual theory

- Spring magic

- Summer magic

- Autumn magic

- Winter magic

- Day magic

- Night magic

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

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Night pouch

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This spell enchants a bag or pouch so that its contents cannot be accesses by anyone except the caster. It is ideal for keeping small items of personal value in, or for protecting private correspondence. It is common for couriers, messengers and diplomats with magical powers to carry a night pouch for sensitive documents.

It is possible for strangers to access the contents of a night pouch through the ritual Piercing Light of Revelation, although doing so destroys the magic and usually the physical pouch. A ritualist versed in the lore of Night can use ritual magic to create a durable enchantment similar to a night pouch through the use of Secrets for the Shadow Courier.

Casting

- Type: Regular spell

- Cost: 1 Personal mana

Effects

This spell enchants a suitable bag or pouch so that it cannot be opened by anyone except the caster. The contents of the bag cannot be accessed by anyone but the caster without ritual magic or a special ability. The spell lasts until time out. At time out, the contents of an unopened night pouch is lost.

Any player who has access to this spell may carry a small pouch or small bag; the spell will not affect a bag more than 18” deep or 6” wide. PD will issue every character who has this spell with a night pouch ribbon. When you cast this spell you should fasten your pouch with this ribbon.

Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- (whispering and tracing Diras) Diras! Diras! Diras! Thrice banished and thrice banned, let not these treasures fall to blind and blinding light. Diras! Diras! Diras! Thrice signed and thrice sealed, let these secrets hide within this veil of guarding Night!'

- I work as the bee works, gathering nectar from bloom and blossom. I strive as the bee strives, and golden treasures are my reward. Let my treasures be as honey, secure in the safety of this my honeycomb.

- (pointing to each star in turn while concealing the pouch in the other hand) Star of the east, stretch out your veil! Star of the south, receive that which I hide! Star of the west, let none pass save I, who hold the key! Stars above, lock all within your veil of secrecy!

- (concealing the pouch beneath a cloak ) Diras! I invoke your aid in this dark hour; imbue this pouch with hidden power; holds its treasure out of sight; let none but I claim its gifts this night.

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: While the night pouch itself is usually marked with Diras, the rune of secrets, some magicians prefer to use the rune of wealth. Both of these runes are commonly evoked during the casting of the spell, although couriers and diplomats might include Queros, the rune of plots, if they plan to store sensitive documents in their night pouch. A rare few risk invoking the power of the Unknown Rune, the rune of absence and silence.

- Astronomancy: An astronomancer making a night pouch often evokes the constellation of the Lock, which has resonance with themes of concealment and security.

- Dramaturgy: Both the personae of the Witch and the Mountebank are good choices when creating a night pouch, although the mountebank is often considered to be a better fit when the spell is intended to contain illicit or politically sensitive items. The Cloak has connections with concealment and disguise, and is often used to physically hide the night pouch from all observers while the spell is cast.

- Other traditions: Some magicians evoke the names of paragons or totem animals associated with prosperity when casting this spell.

- Realms: As the name suggests, the spell is connected with the realm of Night - it's magic revolves around concealment and obfuscation.

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Realms (Redirected from Night Realm)

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Realm

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Night rituals

Ritual

Explanation

Magnitude

Freedom of the Soul

Creates an aura on a character that greatly heightens emotions.

2

Missive for Sadogua

Sends a message to an Eternal.

2

Cast Off The Chain of Memory

Excises memory via voluntary amnesia.

4

Incantation's Mystic Mask

Obfuscate the next ritual cast by this coven.

4

Masque of the Blinded Weaver

Obscures bonds between items or characters.

4

Secrets for the Shadow Courier

Creates a year duration night pouch for a character.

4

Secrets of Skillful Artifice

Grants ability to craft a single item.

4

Secrets of the Empty Heart

Gives the ability to die rather than reveal a secret.

4

Signs and Portents

Provides a coven with visions of important events.

4

The Chamber of Delights

Creates an aura in an area that encourages relaxation.

4

Thief's Arcane Gambit

Steals an enchantment.

4

Riddle Hides the Reward

Prevents an existing bond being broken.

6

The Cuckoo's Egg

Allows non-Imperial citizen to be brought through the Sentinel Gate.

6

The Eight-spoked Wheel

Transforms three ingots or measures of materials along an alchemical path.

6

Verdant Bounty of the Twilight Bayou

Adds five measures to the production of a forest over the next season.

6

Drawing the Penumbral Veil

Shrouds a territory from scying.

8

Embrace the Living Flame

Grants an additional hero point for a season.

8

The Ebb and Flow of Battle

Divines the progress of a battle, quest or skirmish.

8

The Retrograde Wheel

Transforms three ingots or measures of materials the other way along an alchemical path.

8

The Twilight Masquerade

Creates a magical disguise that changes lineage.

8

Whispering Shadow Courtiers

Learns a secret about people in the nearby area.

8

Shadowed Glass of Sung

Grants intuitive information about the immediate vicinity.

10

Shroud of Mist and Shadow

Grants a concealing bonus to a military unit for both raiding and war.

10

Unfettered Anarchy

Curses a character with uncontrollable emotions.

10

Dreams in the Witch House

Provides emotional information about a campaign.

12

Clear Counsel of the Everflowing River

Communes with an eternal to explore mysterious events.

20

Conclave of Trees and Shadow

Transforms a forest into a powerful military unit for a season.

20

Sift the Dreamscape's Sands

Grants 1 additional rank of any lore overnight, lasting a day.

20

Vale of Shadows

Conceals a resource from invaders.

20

Still Waters, Running Deep

Grants 2 additional hero points for a season.

26

Align the Celestial Net

Realign regio for the next ritual cast at it.

30

Transmogrification of the Soul's Echo

Permanently change the personality of a willing character, and remove some curses.

60

Dripping Echoes of the Fen

Creates a temporary supernatural fortification in marsh territory.

64

Distill the Serpent's Stone

Creates a unique consumable alchemical item.

70

Wondrous Forests of the Night

Enhances the production of forests throughout the Empire.

160

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Night_rituals&oldid=36353"

Noble house

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Creating a noble house

- 3 Choosing an earl

- 4 Characters in Noble Houses

- 5 Forming a noble house in play

- 6 Heraldry

Overview

Dawn is home to scores of noble houses which represent the best - and occasionally the worst - of what the nation has to offer. These are not traditional, real world historical, noble families - many of the members are not related to one another by blood. While every noble member of the house bears the house's name - it is the shared experience of the Test of Mettle that truly unites a house.

Anyone can challenge a noble house for entry by demanding they set a Test of Mettle. The only members of a noble house are those individuals who have passed the Test of Mettle set by that house. Tests are usually dangerous and difficult and are designed to bring glory to the individual who succeeds. The members of a noble house are expected to continue to try to achieve glory after they join the house. Their actions reflect on the glory of the house itself.

A noble house is usually led by an earl who has responsibility for setting the house's tests. Some noble houses use traditional, publicly known tests. For example, House Dupon of Astolat traditionally demanded the head of an orc shaman or warlord, taken in battle. Your group may create one or more traditional tests for their noble house if they do not wish to leave this choice entirely to the earl.

The cultural practice of adoption is widespread throughout Dawn - noble houses adopt children from other noble families who are raised as one of their own. Children raised as part of a noble house are usually referred to as noble born, they are expected to attempt the Test of Mettle when they come of age and are given the full support of their house to prepare for that task.

Most noble houses are based around one or more castles, estates or manor houses. They are surrounded by villages and hamlets made up of yeomen who look to the noble house for leadership and, where necessary, protection. The houses employ large numbers of yeomen as retainers to work their lands, fight for the houses as men-at-arms and serve in specialized roles such as squires or seneschals.

Creating a noble house

The noble house is intended as the simplest way for most groups of players to create a Dawnish group. Dawnish noble houses are in constant pursuit of glory, giving everyone in the house a motivation to get involved.

The noble members of your house will usually be the characters portrayed by the players in the group - you house may include a few off-screen noble members who never attend events, but it is usually better to avoid assuming that the house includes dozens of nobles who are not played. You can assume that there are a large number of yeomen who help the house to operate and do not attend events, and for whom the noble house is responsible.

Every character is likely to have their own story of how they joined the house, whether they are blood-relatives or fosterlings; newcomers who specifically sought out your house to petition for entry; ennobled yeomen who won recognition for their glorious deeds; a character from another Nation inspired by the Dawnish way of life to become a noble; a noble from another house who married into the house as the result of a failed Test of Ardour; or some more exotic tale of nobility and glory.

Some noble characters, especially younger characters, might technically be yeomen who are currently embarking on their Test of Mettle, or are too young to begin one. These characters enjoy the prestige of being part of the house without having the rights - or responsibilites - of a true noble.

You'll want to pick a territory for your house to hail from. If you're having trouble choosing, we recommend picking the territory with the fewest active groups in-game. After all, Dawn has never lost territory to the barbarian forces outside the Empire, and you're going to need to make sure it stays that way.

Choosing an earl

Each noble house has their own method for selecting their earl, but it is usually a senior member of the family who has already established a glorious reputation. In addition to their formal powers to set tests, the earl is expected to mediate between family members in the case of conflicts. It is rare for an earl to be removed from their position, it is more common for noble houses to split if some of the nobles feel they can no longer accept their earl's authority.

If you are choosing an earl for your group, it is a good idea to pick a player that everyone in the group can get on with and respect. The Empire is not a feudal society and earls have no formal right to the respect of others. But your earl is the embodiment of your noble house - if you want people to respect your noble house then you want them to respect your earl. The best way to achieve that is for everyone in the group to show an appropriate degree of respect for the character. If everyone in your group treats your earl as an important, respected character, then other players will tend to naturally follow suit.

Characters who cannot fight for any reason are a good choice for earl. People should not expect the earl to be leading charges and fighting in tourneys - that is the responsibility of the other nobles of the house, not the earl.

Some houses also have an heir-presumptive - this is another noble character in the house who has been chosen to be earl in the event of the current earl's death. Groups that like to have a great deal of internal politics and roleplay can make this role as political as they want. In groups that prefer a play style where everyone in the group agrees to support each other it is a better idea to have the group choose an heir-presumptive that is a solid ally of the earl, or dispense with this role altogether. Whatever you do, remember that the earl is not an intrinsically hereditary position, so there is no requirement at all to pick one of the earl's offspring as the new earl, if the current earl has been killed.

Characters in Noble Houses

Noble houses can easily include almost any Dawnish character although knights-errant are not formally considered members of the house and questing knights are more usually members of their own knightly order.

Some of the players in your group might want to play a yeoman. This isn't a requirement - you can represent the house's yeomen using personal resources - farms and small military units in particular suggest the presence of yeomen. Most yeomen characters take subordinate roles to the nobles, but the traditions of service in the Empire mean that even yeomen should not be taken for granted. Most larger houses have a seneschal, and although this character is a yeoman, they can be very politically powerful.

Most noble houses will have one or more associated troubadours. These priestly characters help to promote the glorious deeds of the nobles, provide spiritual guidance where it is needed, and may aspire to represent the noble house in the Synod.

Noble magicians are usually called witches in Dawn - they are expected to pursue a life of glory and most are skilled at using magic in battle. Yeomen magicians are called weavers and are usually skilled at ritual magic. Most noble houses include a few witches and you may wish to create a noble house with a tradition of magical prowess, a house of witches led by a powerful enchanter. If you are interested in playing a ritual group in Dawn, then you should also read about the weaver cabals to see if that interests you more.

Forming a noble house in play

Any noble character can form a new noble house in play if they wish. The most common reasons for this to happen is when an existing house becomes too large, or fractures due to internal divisions and several members want to branch out on their own.

Heraldry

Every noble house in dawn has a device that it uses on flags, banners, shields, surcouts ... indeed, pratically anywhere it can find a flat surface that will hold some pigment! This device represents your house and should be the focus of much of the pride of the house.

When picking your heraldry, it is probably best to go for something simple and striking. Empire does not have the complex rules of heraldry that exist in the real world, so the simplest way to make a device is to pick a symbol in one striking colour and put it on a background of a contrasting colour. The most common devices in Dawn are mythical beasts - gryphons, lions, unicorns, dragons, wyverns, winged serpents, chimerae and even fantastical beasts that exist only in the imagination - rather than the more mundane beasts favoured by the rival Marches.

It helps to pick your heraldry with an eye to your costume (or vice versa). Arranging for your nobles and yeomen to wear colours that match their device will create a dramatic impact on the field, and can be done relatively easily through the use of surcoats and cloaks.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Noble_house&oldid=32672"

Noble house (Redirected from Noble House)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Creating a noble house

- 3 Choosing an earl

- 4 Characters in Noble Houses

- 5 Forming a noble house in play

- 6 Heraldry

Overview

Dawn is home to scores of noble houses which represent the best - and occasionally the worst - of what the nation has to offer. These are not traditional, real world historical, noble families - many of the members are not related to one another by blood. While every noble member of the house bears the house's name - it is the shared experience of the Test of Mettle that truly unites a house.

Anyone can challenge a noble house for entry by demanding they set a Test of Mettle. The only members of a noble house are those individuals who have passed the Test of Mettle set by that house. Tests are usually dangerous and difficult and are designed to bring glory to the individual who succeeds. The members of a noble house are expected to continue to try to achieve glory after they join the house. Their actions reflect on the glory of the house itself.

A noble house is usually led by an earl who has responsibility for setting the house's tests. Some noble houses use traditional, publicly known tests. For example, House Dupon of Astolat traditionally demanded the head of an orc shaman or warlord, taken in battle. Your group may create one or more traditional tests for their noble house if they do not wish to leave this choice entirely to the earl.

The cultural practice of adoption is widespread throughout Dawn - noble houses adopt children from other noble families who are raised as one of their own. Children raised as part of a noble house are usually referred to as noble born, they are expected to attempt the Test of Mettle when they come of age and are given the full support of their house to prepare for that task.

Most noble houses are based around one or more castles, estates or manor houses. They are surrounded by villages and hamlets made up of yeomen who look to the noble house for leadership and, where necessary, protection. The houses employ large numbers of yeomen as retainers to work their lands, fight for the houses as men-at-arms and serve in specialized roles such as squires or seneschals.

Creating a noble house

The noble house is intended as the simplest way for most groups of players to create a Dawnish group. Dawnish noble houses are in constant pursuit of glory, giving everyone in the house a motivation to get involved.

The noble members of your house will usually be the characters portrayed by the players in the group - you house may include a few off-screen noble members who never attend events, but it is usually better to avoid assuming that the house includes dozens of nobles who are not played. You can assume that there are a large number of yeomen who help the house to operate and do not attend events, and for whom the noble house is responsible.

Every character is likely to have their own story of how they joined the house, whether they are blood-relatives or fosterlings; newcomers who specifically sought out your house to petition for entry; ennobled yeomen who won recognition for their glorious deeds; a character from another Nation inspired by the Dawnish way of life to become a noble; a noble from another house who married into the house as the result of a failed Test of Ardour; or some more exotic tale of nobility and glory.

Some noble characters, especially younger characters, might technically be yeomen who are currently embarking on their Test of Mettle, or are too young to begin one. These characters enjoy the prestige of being part of the house without having the rights - or responsibilites - of a true noble.

You'll want to pick a territory for your house to hail from. If you're having trouble choosing, we recommend picking the territory with the fewest active groups in-game. After all, Dawn has never lost territory to the barbarian forces outside the Empire, and you're going to need to make sure it stays that way.

Choosing an earl

Each noble house has their own method for selecting their earl, but it is usually a senior member of the family who has already established a glorious reputation. In addition to their formal powers to set tests, the earl is expected to mediate between family members in the case of conflicts. It is rare for an earl to be removed from their position, it is more common for noble houses to split if some of the nobles feel they can no longer accept their earl's authority.

If you are choosing an earl for your group, it is a good idea to pick a player that everyone in the group can get on with and respect. The Empire is not a feudal society and earls have no formal right to the respect of others. But your earl is the embodiment of your noble house - if you want people to respect your noble house then you want them to respect your earl. The best way to achieve that is for everyone in the group to show an appropriate degree of respect for the character. If everyone in your group treats your earl as an important, respected character, then other players will tend to naturally follow suit.

Characters who cannot fight for any reason are a good choice for earl. People should not expect the earl to be leading charges and fighting in tourneys - that is the responsibility of the other nobles of the house, not the earl.

Some houses also have an heir-presumptive - this is another noble character in the house who has been chosen to be earl in the event of the current earl's death. Groups that like to have a great deal of internal politics and roleplay can make this role as political as they want. In groups that prefer a play style where everyone in the group agrees to support each other it is a better idea to have the group choose an heir-presumptive that is a solid ally of the earl, or dispense with this role altogether. Whatever you do, remember that the earl is not an intrinsically hereditary position, so there is no requirement at all to pick one of the earl's offspring as the new earl, if the current earl has been killed.

Characters in Noble Houses

Noble houses can easily include almost any Dawnish character although knights-errant are not formally considered members of the house and questing knights are more usually members of their own knightly order.

Some of the players in your group might want to play a yeoman. This isn't a requirement - you can represent the house's yeomen using personal resources - farms and small military units in particular suggest the presence of yeomen. Most yeomen characters take subordinate roles to the nobles, but the traditions of service in the Empire mean that even yeomen should not be taken for granted. Most larger houses have a seneschal, and although this character is a yeoman, they can be very politically powerful.

Most noble houses will have one or more associated troubadours. These priestly characters help to promote the glorious deeds of the nobles, provide spiritual guidance where it is needed, and may aspire to represent the noble house in the Synod.

Noble magicians are usually called witches in Dawn - they are expected to pursue a life of glory and most are skilled at using magic in battle. Yeomen magicians are called weavers and are usually skilled at ritual magic. Most noble houses include a few witches and you may wish to create a noble house with a tradition of magical prowess, a house of witches led by a powerful enchanter. If you are interested in playing a ritual group in Dawn, then you should also read about the weaver cabals to see if that interests you more.

Forming a noble house in play

Any noble character can form a new noble house in play if they wish. The most common reasons for this to happen is when an existing house becomes too large, or fractures due to internal divisions and several members want to branch out on their own.

Heraldry

Every noble house in dawn has a device that it uses on flags, banners, shields, surcouts ... indeed, pratically anywhere it can find a flat surface that will hold some pigment! This device represents your house and should be the focus of much of the pride of the house.

When picking your heraldry, it is probably best to go for something simple and striking. Empire does not have the complex rules of heraldry that exist in the real world, so the simplest way to make a device is to pick a symbol in one striking colour and put it on a background of a contrasting colour. The most common devices in Dawn are mythical beasts - gryphons, lions, unicorns, dragons, wyverns, winged serpents, chimerae and even fantastical beasts that exist only in the imagination - rather than the more mundane beasts favoured by the rival Marches.

It helps to pick your heraldry with an eye to your costume (or vice versa). Arranging for your nobles and yeomen to wear colours that match their device will create a dramatic impact on the field, and can be done relatively easily through the use of surcoats and cloaks.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Noble_house&oldid=32672"

Noble house (Redirected from Noble Houses)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Creating a noble house

- 3 Choosing an earl

- 4 Characters in Noble Houses

- 5 Forming a noble house in play

- 6 Heraldry

Overview

Dawn is home to scores of noble houses which represent the best - and occasionally the worst - of what the nation has to offer. These are not traditional, real world historical, noble families - many of the members are not related to one another by blood. While every noble member of the house bears the house's name - it is the shared experience of the Test of Mettle that truly unites a house.

Anyone can challenge a noble house for entry by demanding they set a Test of Mettle. The only members of a noble house are those individuals who have passed the Test of Mettle set by that house. Tests are usually dangerous and difficult and are designed to bring glory to the individual who succeeds. The members of a noble house are expected to continue to try to achieve glory after they join the house. Their actions reflect on the glory of the house itself.

A noble house is usually led by an earl who has responsibility for setting the house's tests. Some noble houses use traditional, publicly known tests. For example, House Dupon of Astolat traditionally demanded the head of an orc shaman or warlord, taken in battle. Your group may create one or more traditional tests for their noble house if they do not wish to leave this choice entirely to the earl.

The cultural practice of adoption is widespread throughout Dawn - noble houses adopt children from other noble families who are raised as one of their own. Children raised as part of a noble house are usually referred to as noble born, they are expected to attempt the Test of Mettle when they come of age and are given the full support of their house to prepare for that task.

Most noble houses are based around one or more castles, estates or manor houses. They are surrounded by villages and hamlets made up of yeomen who look to the noble house for leadership and, where necessary, protection. The houses employ large numbers of yeomen as retainers to work their lands, fight for the houses as men-at-arms and serve in specialized roles such as squires or seneschals.

Creating a noble house

The noble house is intended as the simplest way for most groups of players to create a Dawnish group. Dawnish noble houses are in constant pursuit of glory, giving everyone in the house a motivation to get involved.

The noble members of your house will usually be the characters portrayed by the players in the group - you house may include a few off-screen noble members who never attend events, but it is usually better to avoid assuming that the house includes dozens of nobles who are not played. You can assume that there are a large number of yeomen who help the house to operate and do not attend events, and for whom the noble house is responsible.

Every character is likely to have their own story of how they joined the house, whether they are blood-relatives or fosterlings; newcomers who specifically sought out your house to petition for entry; ennobled yeomen who won recognition for their glorious deeds; a character from another Nation inspired by the Dawnish way of life to become a noble; a noble from another house who married into the house as the result of a failed Test of Ardour; or some more exotic tale of nobility and glory.

Some noble characters, especially younger characters, might technically be yeomen who are currently embarking on their Test of Mettle, or are too young to begin one. These characters enjoy the prestige of being part of the house without having the rights - or responsibilites - of a true noble.

You'll want to pick a territory for your house to hail from. If you're having trouble choosing, we recommend picking the territory with the fewest active groups in-game. After all, Dawn has never lost territory to the barbarian forces outside the Empire, and you're going to need to make sure it stays that way.

Choosing an earl

Each noble house has their own method for selecting their earl, but it is usually a senior member of the family who has already established a glorious reputation. In addition to their formal powers to set tests, the earl is expected to mediate between family members in the case of conflicts. It is rare for an earl to be removed from their position, it is more common for noble houses to split if some of the nobles feel they can no longer accept their earl's authority.

If you are choosing an earl for your group, it is a good idea to pick a player that everyone in the group can get on with and respect. The Empire is not a feudal society and earls have no formal right to the respect of others. But your earl is the embodiment of your noble house - if you want people to respect your noble house then you want them to respect your earl. The best way to achieve that is for everyone in the group to show an appropriate degree of respect for the character. If everyone in your group treats your earl as an important, respected character, then other players will tend to naturally follow suit.

Characters who cannot fight for any reason are a good choice for earl. People should not expect the earl to be leading charges and fighting in tourneys - that is the responsibility of the other nobles of the house, not the earl.

Some houses also have an heir-presumptive - this is another noble character in the house who has been chosen to be earl in the event of the current earl's death. Groups that like to have a great deal of internal politics and roleplay can make this role as political as they want. In groups that prefer a play style where everyone in the group agrees to support each other it is a better idea to have the group choose an heir-presumptive that is a solid ally of the earl, or dispense with this role altogether. Whatever you do, remember that the earl is not an intrinsically hereditary position, so there is no requirement at all to pick one of the earl's offspring as the new earl, if the current earl has been killed.

Characters in Noble Houses

Noble houses can easily include almost any Dawnish character although knights-errant are not formally considered members of the house and questing knights are more usually members of their own knightly order.

Some of the players in your group might want to play a yeoman. This isn't a requirement - you can represent the house's yeomen using personal resources - farms and small military units in particular suggest the presence of yeomen. Most yeomen characters take subordinate roles to the nobles, but the traditions of service in the Empire mean that even yeomen should not be taken for granted. Most larger houses have a seneschal, and although this character is a yeoman, they can be very politically powerful.

Most noble houses will have one or more associated troubadours. These priestly characters help to promote the glorious deeds of the nobles, provide spiritual guidance where it is needed, and may aspire to represent the noble house in the Synod.

Noble magicians are usually called witches in Dawn - they are expected to pursue a life of glory and most are skilled at using magic in battle. Yeomen magicians are called weavers and are usually skilled at ritual magic. Most noble houses include a few witches and you may wish to create a noble house with a tradition of magical prowess, a house of witches led by a powerful enchanter. If you are interested in playing a ritual group in Dawn, then you should also read about the weaver cabals to see if that interests you more.

Forming a noble house in play

Any noble character can form a new noble house in play if they wish. The most common reasons for this to happen is when an existing house becomes too large, or fractures due to internal divisions and several members want to branch out on their own.

Heraldry

Every noble house in dawn has a device that it uses on flags, banners, shields, surcouts ... indeed, pratically anywhere it can find a flat surface that will hold some pigment! This device represents your house and should be the focus of much of the pride of the house.

When picking your heraldry, it is probably best to go for something simple and striking. Empire does not have the complex rules of heraldry that exist in the real world, so the simplest way to make a device is to pick a symbol in one striking colour and put it on a background of a contrasting colour. The most common devices in Dawn are mythical beasts - gryphons, lions, unicorns, dragons, wyverns, winged serpents, chimerae and even fantastical beasts that exist only in the imagination - rather than the more mundane beasts favoured by the rival Marches.

It helps to pick your heraldry with an eye to your costume (or vice versa). Arranging for your nobles and yeomen to wear colours that match their device will create a dramatic impact on the field, and can be done relatively easily through the use of surcoats and cloaks.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Noble_house&oldid=32672"

Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 28

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 28

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must possess the magician skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains one rank of the Summer lore skill. They do not gain any additional mastered rituals.

While the enchantment lasts they also experience a roleplaying effect: they become extremely self-confident. They assume that their opinions are important and relevant whatever the situation, They find it difficult to imagine that they could fail at something they set their mind to, and suggestions that they might are deeply offensive.

If the target is a changeling, the roleplaying effect is especially pronounced. A changeling may also choose to temporarily add or increase the amount of Spiral Markings on their body, or may add contact lenses to change the colour of their eyes if they do not already express Fey eyes. These effects are also temporary and generally do not last longer than a few hours after the enchantment ends If a character chooses to temporarily strengthen their lineage in this way, they cannot revert to their normal lineage phys-rep until the enchantment is removed.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 18. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual simply enhances the target's ability to wield Summer magic. It may share a little power with a novice, or allow a master of Summer lore to wield even more power. It has a pronounced effect on the emotions and confidence of the target, which can also cause Summer Eternals to view them in a more positive light as allies - or as potential rivals.

The ritual has a number of variant names, especially among changeling communities. These named generally reference the common trappings of that lineage; it may be Crown of the Majestic Stag, Lore of the Spiral Dance, Wrathful Visage of the Ladies of Summer, Heartbreaking Song of the Swan Maidens or Wise Eyes of the Twilight Councillor.

Common Elements

The ritual often involves symbols of Pride and majesty. A target may be crowned in some literal or metaphorical way, or given a mantle of feathers as part of the casting, The rune Feresh is often marked on the target, often with pigment to which a changeling has added blood or tears. Music and dance are often included in this ritual, especially slow stately music that inspires feelings of majesty and confidence.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Noble_Mien_of_the_Hawk_Lords&oldid=22519"

Nomination of Hector to the Imperial Throne

Nomination of Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade to the position of Emperor.

Proposed by the Conscience, seconded by Sarvos.

Voting

- Defeated 4 votes to 18

Date

- Autumn 377YE (Event Three 2013).

Constitution

The notes record that no proxy votes were allowed for this Senate vote. This is not legal, a body may challenge a proxy if they believe an individual is acting fraudulently, but they cannot unilaterally declare all proxy votes to be invalid, no matter how import a vote seems. Denying the right of proxy to a senator who is unable to be present is tantamount to denying representation to the Imperial citizens that that senator - or that senator's proxy - represents.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Nomination_of_Hector_to_the_Imperial_Throne&oldid=23868"

Nursery Rhyme about Lineage

Hey Daddy, if I'm not allowed to sing this because it's rude then why did you start laughing as soon as the lady left the tent?

Sharp horns, gold eyes, stop your ears against their lies Knife ears, stag's horn, rue the day that they were born Scaled skin, fangs white, never meant to see the light Gilled neck, webbed toes, best kept where the pondweed grows Beast's eyes, pale skin, bar the door lest they come in Bark skin, green vine, cursed until the end of time

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Nursery_Rhyme_about_Lineage&oldid=11741"

Oakheart Shield

Description

These valuable defensive items are most commonly made of wood polished with ambergelt varnish, inlaid with weltsilver. It is popular across the Empire, and of equal value to both warrior and civillian alike. Some artisans who dwell in deep forests will search out trees which have survived lightning strikes, disease or other trauma, and set aside some of the ambergelt harvested from such trees, until its natural death. Then both the wood and the ambergelt from these sturdy examples are used to create Oakheart Shields. As such tough trees can live for decades or centuries, artisans pass on the knowledge of suitable candidates to their apprentices and so on until the tree finally perishes.

In Wintermark, these shields are often roughly hewn and only crudely shaped, in contrast to the usual skill of the nation's artisans. This are a memorial to King Alberic, who fought off an ogre chieftain with only a stout club as a weapon and a length of log as a shield.They bear Feresh, the Rune of Majesty, to improve the shieldbearer's resilence to the hardships of battle.

However in other lands, an oakheart shield is often marked with a rune such as Tykonus, or decorated with images of strength, permanence and endurance such as mountains, oak trees and the like. The heavily armoured cataphracts of Highguard favour these shields, bearing their chapter emblem or the iconography of their favoured virtue. Highborn artisans prefer a steel base to the shield, alloyed with weltsilver and polished with ambergelt, calling them Stoneblood Shields, influenced by the Highborn saying "Wood burns. Stone endures."

Rules

- Form: shield (Talisman). You cannot make an oakheart shield that is a buckler.

- Effect: While you wield this shield you gain one additional rank of both the fortitude skill and the endurance skill.

- Materials: Crafting an oakheart shield requires six ingots of weltsilver and nine measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"In Skarsind, in Wintermark, in our land now gone,

foe-faced Suaq-scout, proud Steinr-line, Kallavasi-wise.

By shield-smith all-aided, in ranks banner-marked,

ambergelt-shining, weltsilver-gilt, oak-hearted.

Stealth-skirting news-bringers, eyes and ears of thanes-all,

told of onrushing hoard, uncountable enemy, nemesis.

Light-armoured, swift-moving, never seen, death-bringing,

nights'-friends, coats ink-marked with foe-blood.

Battle-brawned spear-ranks, stood hard against orc-threat,

sword-girt, mail-clad, rich in Courage, brave bannermen.

Serried-standing, heroes stepping forward, calling defiance,

celebrated in song, hard-faced, proud-helmed, shield-stern.

Wise-counselling storm-crows, oath-marking heart-boldening

moving along lines orc-facing, ritual-weaving shamen.

Not fighters, yet death-Loyal, with battle-magics staff-striking,

then weapons-taking, in death's knot, in last ditch standing.

Bolstered three-ring strength of mind, with strength of craft,

die-harder, bleed-longer, healer-waiting warriors all.

Outlasting other-men, heroes-all, yet for death-hall heading,

greater-hearted lines of graves-unmarked in staunch resistance.

In Skarsind, in Wintermark, in our land now gone,

foe-faced proud Steinr-line, Suaq-scout, Kallavasi-wise.

By shield-smith all-aided, in ranks banner-marked,

ambergelt-shining, weltsilver-gilt, oak-hearted."

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Oakheart_Shield&oldid=31663"

Oathkeeper

Description

These magical bows have been used for centuries by battlefield archers, skirmishers and scouts. It is traditional to whisper promises and secrets to the bow, and some mystically inclined archers swear that their arrows fly truer when they speak an oath or remind the bow of a past promise just before they loose their arrow.

In the League an oathkeeper is sometimes called a final word, but often the crossbow is given an ironic or fanciful name such as diplomacy or compelling argument referencing the ability of the crossbow to bring a conflict to a speedy conclusion. While a crossbow is often seen as a more pragmatic weapon than a longbow, many of the master archers of the League continue the practice of whispering oaths before firing it.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a bow.

- Requirement: You must have the marksman skill to bond to this item.

- Effect:You gain one additional hero point.

- Materials: Crafting an oathkeeper requires eight ingots of green iron and five measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The gruff Holberger wasn't much to look at; a rheumy old bravo with a red-veined nose and a moustache you could lose a cat in. Paunch hung in a roll over his worn belt, and the battered pipe jutting from the corner of his mouth emitted clouds of fumes at seemingly random intervals. This, this, was Albrecht Heynes? The deadliest shot ever to come out of Holberg? The hero of the Graf's Gate massacre?

"According to my information, Signeur Bartelli, this is the man you want by your side if you are planning an expedition into barbarian territory."

"Your sources had better be right, Martellus" put in the young man sourly as he adjusted his finery, "If this is a waste of my time they'll be trying to find you a new cicisbeo position come the morning."

Albrecht wiped the beer foam from his moustache as the two guilders sat down at his table, uninvited. He belched loudly into the younger one's face and then grinned at his rat-faced companion, "Tell me the particulars, I'll name a price. You don't like the price you can go bugger yourself with a splintered broom-handle, because I don't negotiate." The young arse began to splutter about who he was and why he couldn't be talked to like that; all the usual palaver. Albrecht reached over and casually slapped him.

"Good manners? I don't have them, never needed them. I'm the best at what I do, and that's all that should matter to you. You want someone or something killed, and I can do that. So tell me the details, I'll give you a price - payable in advance, of course."

He puffed out another cloud of noxious weed-smoke, "And if you're thinking of having your two apes in the corner there come over and help teach me some manners, how long do you think they'll keep fighting after I pin your balls to the bench?" He pulled the beautifully intricate crossbow known as Final Offer out from under the table where it had been hiding, fully loaded and very deadly.

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Oathsworn Spine

Description

These weapons are often decorated with, or in some cases carved from, bone or horn. In parts of Wintermark they are made from the ivory of the great narwhal, while in other areas it is common to decorate them with the bones of dire beasts, especially great wolves. Hunters, bounty hunters and thief-takers find their properties especially useful - able to prevent prey from fleeing long enough for them to be apprehended or brought down.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed spear.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may call ENTANGLE when you hit with this one-handed spear.

- Materials: Crafting an oathsworn spine requires ten measures of ambergelt and seven measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Oathsworn_Spine&oldid=32019"

Obscure Questions

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Rules

- 2.1 Do Imperial Orcs have lineage?

- 2.2 Does the Extra Item skill increase in cost?

- 2.3 What category does a weapon exactly 42 inches long fall into?

- 2.4 Do I lose my mana if I stop casting a spell before it is complete?

- 3 Setting

- 3.1 Can we make a mixed-lineage group?

- 3.2 Are lineages specific to nations?

- 3.3 What language do the Imperial and Barbarian orcs use?

- 3.4 Will players be allowed to make up their past lives?

- 3.5 Are you going to recommend food styles for nations?

- 3.6 How does the coinage break down?

- 3.7 How does population growth fit with reincarnation?

- 3.8 Can we use historical philosophers as source material?

- 3.9 Is there a breakdown of the types of magic in Empire?

- 3.10 Can a Steinr be a Stormcrow?

- 3.11 Will it be possible for magicians to ally with Eternals?

- 4 Game Style

- 4.1 Are you designing the game through Facebook?

- 4.2 How lethal do you think the game will be?

- 4.3 What happens to a territory when it is conquered?

Introduction

In addition to the list of frequently asked questions this is a list of obscure questions people have asked to which we have provided answers. They are included here for completeness and for reference purposes and searches.

Rules

Do Imperial Orcs have lineage?

No, orcs are a separate species and the lineages on the wiki are specific to humans.

Does the Extra Item skill increase in cost?

No. The cost for all the extra item/ritual/spell skills is one point. The only skills that increase with cost each time you purchase them are those skills in the skill table marked with an asterisk to indicate that they increase in cost each time they are taken.

What category does a weapon exactly 42 inches long fall into?

1-handed weapon (and this extends for 60 inch being 2-handed and 84-inch being polearms).

Do I lose my mana if I stop casting a spell before it is complete?

Yes.

Setting

Can we make a mixed-lineage group?

Mixed-lineage groups are absolutely 100% fine.

Are lineages specific to nations?

No - all lineages are found everywhere, although some are regarded more or less positively in some nations. There are some specific references to create flavour, or to suggest group or character concepts. They're absolutely generalities. Where we don't mention a lineage specifically, the assumption is that the general attitudes prevail (so in the Marches your draughir is fine but the nasty bastard two villages over is a disgrace; in Highguard it's a pity they're a draughir and so on)

What language do the Imperial and Barbarian orcs use?

English - all Imperial and barbarian orcs speak English.

Will players be allowed to make up their past lives?

In Empire, the Synod teaches that reincarnation exists. It’s a matter of doctrine/faith rather than fact. See the list of heresies for what else people may believe is the case. There is no problem with *characters* believing all kinds of things. If someone wants to create a character who believes firmly they are Abraxus Reborn, they can.

The important thing is that the player accepts that this is a *belief*, and will not equate to sanctioning by PD in any form. Pick something relatively innocuous, and the odds you will encounter anything that contradicts it is very small. “I had a dream once that I was a rebel during the Freedom Heresy. My past disloyalty haunts me and is why I am overcompensating in this life.” Claiming to be Abraxus Reborn and that you know where you hid your prophetic scrolls is likely to be a path to disappointment.

True liao visions will be run as “encounters” and we cannot yet say how many we will be running per event but the number will be very few. Statistically, it is a tiny part of the population; which is why administration is handled by the Synod for the worthy. No one should claim to have taken true liao in their background.

Are you going to recommend food styles for nations?

We are intending to have subpages on food in different nations. These will be done by foodies/crazy larp chefs. It's not the highest priority but it is something a number of members of the team are quite passionate about (something to do with making sure they can steal good food when they go out as NPCs). As ever, we're aiming to inspire rather than dictate.

How does the coinage break down?

There are 20 Rings in a Crown and 8 Crowns in a throne (Urizen joined the Empire after the coins had been minted).

How does population growth fit with reincarnation?

Population change is an IC phenomenon. Reincarnation is a matter of IC faith. Reconciling IC phenomena with IC belief is the work of IC theology. The correlation between IC theology and OOC metaphysics will only be definitively revealed at the end of the Empire campaign as providing an OOC answer to an IC question before then removes any basis for IC debate.

Can we use historical philosophers as source material?

The section on Arete says "As Urizen is a land of countless philosophies if you wish to play a character with a detailed knowledge of philosophy, then the contemporary Greek philosophies such as Stoicism and Epicureanism are good source material, once adapted, for more esoteric Urizen philosophies. " The key words are "once adapted", it is useful to ensure that references and context are right for the setting. If you want IC philosophical documentation, then you are welcome to create your own up. Part of the reason we burnt down the libraries in the reign of Emperor Nicovar was to allow a little ambiguity in historical texts and wallpaper over any cracks between group histories.

Is there a breakdown of the types of magic in Empire?

Magic in Empire is based on the manipulation of the six realms. There will be more significantly more information released once the rules and setting are complete.

Can a Steinr be a Stormcrow?

Yes, any of the Winterfolk, the Steinr, Suaq or Kallavesi can be Stormcrows.

Will it be possible for magicians to ally with Eternals?

The Eternals are powerful inhabitants of the other realms that magicians can visit and bargain with. They are unique individuals, rather than a class or type, and those that appear in the game will be recurring characters with goals and ambitions of their own. Some magicians are likely to develop a rapport with some eternals over time, if they are able to find ways to work together.

Game Style

Are you designing the game through Facebook?

We are categorically not designing the game through the Facebook group. Partly because we like designing games, and partly because design-by-committee does not appeal. We listen to people's ideas, if people articulate an idea or concept that we hadn't thought of then of course we look at that. But we make a deliberate effort to pay absolutely no attention to people's opinions and tastes. Our game is much broader than the handful of loud voices on any one internet forum.

How lethal do you think the game will be?

It is impossible to know how lethal a game will be, since a lot depends on how smart the players are. However we want a game with a heavy emphasis on roleplaying and a massive constant churn of characters is incredibly disruptive to the ongoing integrity of a campaign. Consequently our preferred outcome is one where death is relatively uncommon and tends to happen when players are exceptionally unlucky or make serious mistakes on battlefields.

What happens to a territory when it is conquered?

A conquered territory is assigned as part of a nation based on a vote in the Senate.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Obscure_Questions&oldid=35744"

Ode to Shadowglyn Distillery

Original Song by Jamie Wakefield

Wern is a player character in the Thorntarry Striding.

Chords: Chords: Verses – D G A Bm D G A x2, Bm A G D x3, G A; Chorus – D G A x2, D G A Bm, D G A (Key change to F on last “glyn” of last chorus); Bridge (C G D A, C G A G A ); Coda (F Bb C x2, F Bb C Dm, F Bb C)

Verse 1 Well, I've travelled the land, While I held in my hand. A dram of the finest whisky. For I'd purchased a cask, As my striding went past, the Shadowglyn Distillery.

In all of the empire, There's nothing compares, No Astolat brandy, Nor Freeborn liquor, To a single malt served neat. To this connoisseur, The greatest of whiskies is found...

Chorus In Shadowglyn, All your friends will be there, In Shadowglyn, Drinking amber nectar. In Shadowglyn. When you sip it, You'll lighten your spirit. And sing while you're getting them in, In Shadowglyn.

Verse 2 All my wandering days, On the trods far away, 'twas a tipple of whisky my prize. When I emptied my stock, I returned, but with shock! For the heavenly taste was denied!

For my friends were enslaved, And many were dead. The buildings burnt down. The grain pulled from their beds. But worse, the damn orcs had shat in the kegs! No whisky at all could be found...

Chorus

Bridge For long lonely years, I drank deep of my tears, And all shots were like ash in my mouth. 'till the day I did learn, That a man they call Wern, Was the saviour – yes the saviour – of my malt...

Verse 3 So I'm leaving today, And I'm planning to stay, In a hall where I'll never be barred. Be sure, I'll defend her, And never surrender, My bottle, my dear uisge beatha.

For some walk the trods, And some ward vallorn, Some fight Drujan orcs, And others Jotun, But my dance led me here, And I've got a home, Where whisky shall always be found... And downed!

Chorus

Coda All your friends will be there, In Shadowglyn, Drinking amber nectar. In Shadowglyn. When you sip it, You'll lighten your spirit. And sing while you're getting them in, In Shadowglyn.

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Officers of the Law

Officers of the law include:

- Civil service legislators and administrators, primarily supporting the Imperial Senate; these are always Non-Player Characters.

- Civil service magistrates, presiding over the militia and the courts; these are always Non-Player Characters

- The imperial militia; these are almost always Player Characters, but may also be Non-Player Characters

In Empire players will have the opportunity to be deputised into the imperial militia during the course of play. The militia are all drawn from the player base and they are responsible for investigating crime and maintaining law and order. If you wish to apply to join the militia you should approach a magistrate during time-in. If the militia are currently recruiting they will hold interviews in order to select the very best candidates. No advantage will be gained from including in your character’s background that they have been involved in imperial law enforcement in their past.

Those who collect bounties on suspects who have absconded are called bounty hunters or sometimes Thief-takers. They are not officers of the law but they do interact regularly with both the militia and those accused of crimes. Anyone is entitled to collect the bounty available for capturing a fugitive.

Contents

- 1 Magistrates

- 2 The Imperial Militia

- 3 Bounty Hunters

- 3.1 Iron Raptors

- 4 Further Reading

Magistrates

Magistrates are those members of the civil service who are empowered to uphold the law by:

- investigating crimes;

- deputising citizens into the imperial militia;

- dismissing charges for which there appears to be no case to answer;

- setting bond conditions (if any) for accused who are arrested but not immediately tried;

- trying the accused and setting punishments for the guilty;

- attending to judicial matters referred to them by the Senate or Synod; and

- adjudicating civil cases .

Magistrates additionally have the powers which are granted to a deputised member of the militia. The reality is that a large portion of the work entailed in running the justice system is carried out by citizens who are deputised into the imperial militia.

When time permits most magistrates will be happy to answer specific legal queries relating to a citizen’s circumstances.

Civil servants (including magistrates) may be asked questions which relate to IC or OOC game functions. Civil servants are obliged to maintain strict confidentiality about such private discussions so that players may feel free to ask any questions without fear that they will be subject to legal scrutiny.

The Imperial Militia

It is a constitutional obligation for a citizen who has been deputised into the militia to carry out their responsibilities. In practice it would only be in exceptional circumstances that a magistrate would suborn a citizen into the militia involuntarily. A magistrate may deputise a citizen into the militia either temporarily or until such time as they relieve them of their duties. Citizens deputised into the militia are expected to follow the lawful orders of magistrates.

All serving members of the militia have the following general powers and obligations:

- to take reasonable steps to prevent crime and maintain public order;

- to apprehend those suspected of crime(s) in progress and to bring them before a magistrate;

- to report any crimes which require investigating to a magistrate.

Magistrates will also appoint members of the militia to investigate specific crimes (a case). While appointed to investigate a case a member of the militia is both duty-bound and empowered to:

- take reasonable steps to gather evidence in furtherance of their investigation (for example, the questioning of witnesses, performing necessary searches and the seizing of evidence);

- arrest suspects and to bring them before the investigating magistrate;

- to parade the accused before thief-takers before their release;

- to produce at trial those witnesses who are called on to provide testimony;

- to produce any other relevant evidence at trial;

- to ensure that security is maintained at the trial, to support the magistrate's authority and to carry out such other court functions as the magistrate deems appropriate;

- to convey to and carry out punishments where applicable (specialists are sometimes deputised to the militia for executions).

Militia members appointed to oversee a case are referred to as investigating officers. All members of the militia are expected to liaise with the investigating officer and magistrate appropriately.

Members of the militia who distinguish themselves may be given an imperial warrant by a magistrate. This warrant signifies their seniority.

Warrant officers have the following additional powers:

- to deputise citizens into the imperial militia;

- to begin investigations into new crimes under their own authority; and

- to oversee pre-trial cases in progress.

They must still liaise as appropriate with magistrates, but are given more latitude in how they attend to their duties.

Members of the militia (and magistrates) may not enter a place of sanctuary without the express permission of a priest who is responsible for it. Even if permitted to enter they may not arrest or otherwise interfere with anyone within who has been granted sanctuary. An accused may only claim sanctuary for a limited period, usually one hour. This period allows the accused to make a confession and to ask a priest to attend them at trial so that a plea for clemency can be made on their behalf.

Members of the militia are usually only paid reasonable expenses, but they may receive other rewards at the discretion of the investigating magistrate. However members of the militia have good opportunities to gain bounties for recapturing suspects who are released on bond and who have absconded.

Members of the militia who are caught neglecting their duties or abusing their powers will have to account for themselves to a magistrate. Minor infringements will be dealt with informally but more serious failings will lead to dismissal and/or criminal charges. Militia members who use their position to pervert the course of justice will be dealt with severely.

Bounty Hunters

It is a crime under the imperial constitution to incarcerate a citizen, even if they are accused, or convicted of crimes. Some argue that this has its basis in religious belief, since to incarcerate the body, thus forcing it into a state of inaction, stagnates the soul. It is better for the wrongdoer to suffer their punishment and rejoin society to perform a useful function. If it is justified by the crime, or if the convict is too dangerous to be given their freedom, then death is the best alternative. In life, the soul develops, in death the soul is given another opportunity through the medium of reincarnation.

Note that while this approach does not prevent a citizen from being arrested and held in lawful custody, it is illegal for them to be incarcerated and left to languish on their own.

As a consequence of this approach the Empire allows the majority of citizens who are accused of crimes to carry on with their lives if there is a need for a delay before their trial can take place. During the pre-trial process of criminal trials the accused is required to swear an oath that they will present themselves for their trial.

After the accused is released, it is usual for the militia to show them to local thief-takers so that their identity is known to them. This “culprit’s walk” is accomplished today by parading the accused around the Imperial orc camp. The thief-takers are usually joined by interested observers from other Imperial nations, especially Varushkan and Temeschwari bounty-hunters and Marcher beaters.

If the accused absconds and is recaptured a reward will usually be paid by the investigating magistrate. The state also occasionally auctions off assets which are forfeited as a result of fines.

Potentially any citizen (including a member of the militia) may claim the reward for recapturing an absconder not just thief-takers. In practice the militia and those thief-takers who are on good terms with them are in the best position to to identify (and therefore catch) absconders.

Iron Raptors

The Iron Raptors are an organisation that, peripherally, appear to be bounty hunters but their interests are actually much wider. They are not directly associated with the magistrates or the militia; rather they serve as a clearing house for difficult and dangerous work. Private citizens with problems pay the Iron Raptors to find individuals prepared to solve their problems for them. The raptors collect these commissions and take them to Anvil where they look to hire heroes, glory-hunters, and mercenaries to attempt the job.

Further Reading

- You can gain a more detailed overview of Imperial law here.

- You can learn more about how trials are conducted here.

- You can learn more about civil trials and claims against fellow citizens here.

- You can review the list of current criminal offences here.

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Ogre

An ogre is a large humanoid creature, usually at least half-again as tall as an orc or human that possesses incredible strength and reserves of stamina coupled with a ravenous appetite.

They are quite rare within the Empire. In the past they have been systematically hunted when they are found near civillised lands. A few packs exist in the wildest reaches of Varushka and some of the Navarr territories, but most ogres encountered in the Empire have entered from barbarian lands. For some reason they are comparatively common in the wilds east of Dawn, and there are known to be several larger packs in The Barrens. Dealing with a pack of ogres is sometimes considered a fine Test of Mettle for groups of Dawnish knights-errant.

The Jotun, the Thule and even the Druj make use of ogres and ogre packs in their armies. They are given weapons and armour, and as long as they receive a regular supply of fresh meat and opportunity for destruction, they serve as shock troops or heavy infantry. Imperial scouts have observed ogres attacking and killing orcs with as much enthusiasm as they show for attacking humans, and they seem to have no real loyalty to the barbarian forces.

No ogre has ever been observed casting a spell. It is believed that those rare stories of spell-casting ogres are the creation of storytellers; mis-identification of another creature; or the result of a magician (or a powerful creature such as an Eternal or sovereign) imbuing an ogre with temporary magical abilities.

Contents

- 1 Appearance

- 2 Ogre capabilities

- 3 Culture and Customs

- 4 Ogres in play

Appearance

Ogres are said to resemble oversized orcs. Scholars point out, however, that they bear as much resemblance to oversized humans - that their perceived 'orcish' traits are as much a result of focusing on bestial traits and conflating those with the traits that Imperial citizens find distasteful in barbarian orcs. Some stories claim that especially hateful, oversized orc chieftains are the result of breeding between ogres and orcs; this is nothing more than a fanciful creation of fabulists. Orcs and ogres are no more capable of breeding together than orcs and humans (or, indeed, ogres and humans).

Almost all ogres possess one or more inhuman features. Common traits observed in ogres include having an odd number of eyes (both a single eye in the middle, and a third functioning eye above the other two); curling horns (similar to those of a cambion) or a single horn reminiscent of a rhinocerous; tusks similar to those of a boar (or, allegedly, those of a mammoth); bony growths on the body especially around the hands, shoulder, knees and upper back; tufts of coarse hair or even fur appearing in patches over their body or occasionally a full-covering pelt of long fur; and mottled or striated marks on the skin, albeit most often in 'normal' ogrish skin colours rather than anything more colourful.

For many centuries it was believed that these characteristics represented many different breeds of ogre, with definable characteristics. Following decades of study the Highborn scholar Shem proved conclusively that these variant breeds were all examples of a single species - like dogs, ogres display a wide variance in their physical characteristics but are all capable of breeding together to produce offspring. Indeed, Shem proved that ogres with very different physical traits could have a direct bloodline connection to each other, and that offspring often lacked traits found in one of their parents.

Ogres keep growing throughout their lifespan. Given that they do not seem to be subject to death from natural causes, there are stories of truly massive ogres. Such creatures are usually called giants and according to legend two or three of them are capable of engaging with entire armies. If such creatures ever truly existed, none have been encountered by Imperial forces in the last three hundred years.

Ogre capabilities

Ogres are freakishly strong. They ae capable of wielding massive weapons in one hand and may be able to break down a gate or light pallisade with their bare fists. Most often they carry with great clubs (often young trees or fallen logs), sending enemies sprawling with every strike. When equipped with more advanced weapons they are capable of smashing shields and delivering critical wounds against which only the heaviest armour provides protection. Occasionally they take the weapons of fallen foes, but most often they are equipped with advanced weapons (and armour) by the barbarian orcs who use them in their armies.

Ogres are large. Like all such creatures, they are unaffected by many spells and martial tactics (OOC note: they do not suffer the effects of combat or magical calls, although they still take damage from any blows struck to deliver them.) For example, they cannot be poisoned by conventional blade venoms nor knocked down with a pole-arm strike, and while arrows can wear down their reserves and cause them to retreat they do not have the devastating effectiveness they demonstrate against man-sized enemies.

Ogres have preternatural stamina. Adult ogres a usually covered in scars - they possess superhuman healing reserves and are often capable of shrugging off blows that would cripple a normal orc or human warrior. Furthermore, they are known to be able to speed up their healing factor even more when they have access to large amounts of food - such as the bodies of fallen enemies. An injured ogre that is allowed to flee is often fully recovered by the time it is encountered again.

Culture and Customs

Ogres do not appear to possess any identifiable culture. While intelligent, and capable of speech, they are incredibly stupid by human and orc standards. They possess some cunning, but seem incapable of reading and writing, or of forming complex plans. They do not create any art, not even painting. They seem to live simply to procreate, fight and eat.

They live in small groups, dominated by the strongest and most vicious individual. They claim a territory for themselves, devour every living thing in that territory, then move on. When ogre packs encounter one another, they invariably fight with the losers yielding their territory (and the bodies of their fallen). The presence of an ogre pack in an area is a direct threat to all villages and small towns; ogres tend to avoid larger settlements, or any settlement with a wall.

Lone ogres, especially adolescent ogres, are either outcasts or are on the search for a mate. When two lone ogres of differing genders meet they may fight to the death or they may join together to found a new pack. Baby ogres gestate for seven months, and grow to adulthood within three years - but both pregnant females and their newborn children require three or four times as much food as a normal ogre and can strip an area of animals and plants by the time their children are large enough to hunt for themselves.

In their natural state ogres neither craft nor build. They can serve as labourers but they are barely incapable of remembering instructions from day to day - attempts to use them as workers usually require them to be 'trained' again each morning, and sometimes ends up with the ogres attacking their captors and needing to be killed.

Wild ogres almost invariably have a lair - a lone ogre might lurk in a hollow tree while a pack might take residence in a cave, a ruined building or even underneath a stone bridge. The lair serves as the centre of their territory, and they are especially dangerous when defending it, fighting with even more wild abandon than usual. Ogres accompanying orc armies usually treat the army camp as their lair, and defend it with the same frenzied violence they use to defend their lair in the wild.

All ogres possess voracious appetites, capable of eating anything they can fit into their mouths but with a definite preference for raw meat. Ogres eat their fallen, and when food is scarce young or old ogres are apparently killed and consumed by their stronger relatives. They are also known to take prisoners - such unfortunates are kept alive for a while but always eventually eaten. They do not cook, nor do they seem to have any real understanding of fire, but they enjoy eating cooked meat - stories of ogres forcing human captives to cook for them are based on actual events.

Of special danger to the Empire are ogres that have tasted human flesh or blood - such creatures become subject to a seemingly overwhelming craving for more. It is not known if ogres can develop a similar craving for orcish meat and opportunities to experiment have been limited.

Ogres are vicious, stupid, constantly hungry and prone to lashing out with preternatural strength. An ogre is viewed as a disaster waiting to happen when brought into civilised lands. In 246YE two ogres were brought to Anvil to fight champions for money and wagers. They broke free and went on a rampage that killed eleven people and inflicted significant damage on the tavern and the Senate building before they was brought down by sustained bow and crossbow fire. Ogres are killed when they are encountered, or driven away from civilized lands when they cannot be slain.

Primitive ogres are occasionally mistaken for yeti, often with tragic consequences. Where the yeti are largely peaceful, ogres have a seemingly innate desire to destroy and consume.

Ogres in play

These creatures are dangerous opponents. A lone character would most likely be able to defeat a lone ogre only with a great deal of luck or a clever plan, and a single ogre is capable of threatening an entire small village. A group of ogres is exponentially more dangerous - they represent a credible threat to an village or an experienced band of soldiers.

Stories involving ogres will often revolve around finding a way to outsmart them - for example, luring them into an ambush or a deadfall, poisoning them, tricking them into attacking enemies or each other, or hiding a settlement from their attention until they move on. While they are stupid, they are capable of being cautious or of using stealth to take their prey, and can appreciate the importance of avoiding armed and armoured militia in favour of snatching the young, the isolated or the old.

There have been attempts in the past to domesticate ogres and use them in service of the Empire. This always go badly wrong. Any background in which you successfully domesticate or form a long-term alliance with an ogre is unlikely to be approved.

Likewise, ogres are not available as player characters.

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One More Vodka

To the tune of Ani Vodka Ani Rumos. Lyrics by Rhi.

Helper files:

Full harmony: File:Ani vodka ani rumos.mid

Tune: File:Ani vodka ani rumos 01 sop.mid

Alto: File:Ani vodka ani rumos 02 alt.mid

Tenor: File:Ani vodka ani rumos 03 ten.mid

Bass: File:Ani vodka ani rumos 04 bas.mid

One more vodka, one more drink It makes me dance, it makes me wink Oh na na na na na na na na etc One more vodka, one more drink It stops me having time to think Oh na na na na na na na na etc

One more vodka, just the one To drink until the morning sun Oh na na na na na na na na etc One more vodka, just the one It's hard to stop now I've begun Oh na na na na na na na na etc

One more vodka, one more glass It will help the evening pass Oh na na na na na na na na etc One more vodka, one more glass Then leave me sleeping on the grass Oh na na na na na na na na etc

One more vodka, just a taste Just to so it don't go to waste Oh na na na na na na na na etc One more vodka, just a taste To keep me warm 'til dawn's embrace Oh na na na na na na na na etc

Oh na na na na na na na na etc (to tune of verse, getting faster and faster)

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Only Remembered For What We Have Done

Traditional / John Tams. Coope Boyes and Simpson version on youtube

Score that is mostly the same as the version above here

Fading away like the stars in the morning Losing their light in the glorious sun Thus would we pass from this earth and its toiling Only remembered for what we have done

Only the truth in the fife we have spoken Only the seed that in life we have sown These shall pass onwards when we are forgotten Only remembered for what we have done

Who'll sing the anthem and who'll tell the story Will the line hold will it scatter and run Shall we at last be united in glory Only remembered for what we have done

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On the Wall

Original Song by Jamie Wakefield (http://jamiewakefield.bandcamp.com/track/on-the-wall)

New lyrics by Jamie Wakefield

Chords: Verse – Am G Dm G Dm Am; Chorus/Coda – Am C G

Verse 1 My dreams. Awake. A call A cry brakes over the wall On the west wall We’ll be free On the west wall You and me.

Verse 2 Once more, the spawn hath come Our hearts won’t be undone On the west wall We’re fighting free On the west wall Heroes we.

Chorus One beat One heart One time One call (repeat)

With your sword In your hand You’ll rise or you’ll fall

One beat One heart One time One Call

Verse 3 And though, our foe draws near We’ll show these beasts no fear On the west wall We’re fighting free On the west wall Heroes we.

Chorus

Reprise verse 'Cause on the west wall We are free On the west wall You and me.

Instrumental

Verse 4 And if my sword should fall Then who’ll be next on the wall. 'Cause on the west wall We are free On the west wall You and me.

Chorus

Reprise verse

Chorus

Coda One beat One heart One time One call

One beat One heart One time On the wall

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Onward to Glory I Go

Based on I Don Quixote from the Man of La Mancha

Lyrics by Martin Hobbs

Songs like this are very popular amongst the minstrels who accompany questing knights, who often insert the names of their own company into the song and tweak the lyrics to fit the heroic exploits of their own groups. The tune originates in the playhouses of Sarvos, but it's heritage is irrelevant to the Dawnish knights. Troubadours find it a useful tool as the popular music and stirring tune can quickly inspire feelings of Pride and glory in the listeners. League cynics who suggest that the original song was a criticism of Dawnish culture are entirely ignored.

Hear me, heathens and wizards And serpents of sin! All your dastardly doings are past, For a noble endeavour is now to begin And virtue shall triumph at last!

I am Ozren de Orzel A Knight of the Empire, My destiny calls and I go, And the wild winds of fortune Will carry me onward, Whithersoever they blow. Onward to glory I go! Onward to glory I go!

I'm Starac! Yes, I'm Starac! I'll follow my Earl till the end. I'll tell all the world proudly He’s Lord Orzel! He’s my friend!

Hear me now Oh thou bleak and barbarian world, Thou art base and debauched as can be; And the knights with their banners all bravely unfurled Now hurl down their gauntlets to thee!

We are brave, Dawnish Nobles, The Knights of the Empire, Our destiny calls and we go, And the wild winds of fortune Will carry us onward, Whithersoever they blow. Onward to glory we go! Onward to glory we go!

Oh the trumpets of glory Now call us to fight, Yes, the trumpets are calling us on, And wherever we fight, Ever staunch at our sides Our Earl and companions shall be!

We are brave, Dawnish Nobles, The Knights of the Empire, Our destiny calls and we go, And the wild winds of fortune Will carry us onward, Whithersoever they blow. Onward to glory we go, Onward to glory we go!

We’re yeomen! Yes, we’re yeomen! We'll follow our nobles till the end. We'll tell all the world proudly We’re their yeoman! We’re their friends!

We are brave, Dawnish Nobles, The Knights of the Empire, Destroyers of evil are we And we’ll march to the sound Of the trumpets of glory Forever to conquer will we!

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O Oriens

plainsong

O Oriens is just one example of plainchant, to which pretty much any lyrics can be sung, make up your own! Here is a youtube version with score

O Radix Jesse is along the same lines as above (and there are lots more on youtube). An arranged version is the track called Flos Florum here.

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Opaline Coat

Description

An opaline coat takes its name from the opal gemstone, favoured by jewelers throughout the Empire for the incredible range of colour in which it is found. Each coat incorporates a small amount of dragonbone, often used to provide extra shape to key areas, or worked into the fabric as delicate beading. Freeborn tailors make opaline coats that shimmer in the sunlight, weaving threads of silver, gold and mithril into the fabric and choosing beautiful pieces of semi-precious stone to create fastenings and buttons. The magicians of League often compete with one another as to who can acquire the most splendid opaline coat, looking down on rivals who favour more mundane jackets, and being subtly enraged by those few Mountebanks capable of acquiring one for themselves. The street magicians of the League tend to favour a shorter cut that they call an iridescent jacket, modeled after the Freeborn style.

The Suaq and Varushkan magicians who make use of the opaline coat prefer a more tasteful arrangement that has become increasingly popular even in the south - a coat of hard-wearing wool, dyed a single vibrant colour, with a lining of shimmering, iridescent shades. With the coat closed, it is difficult to tell it is anything other than a finely made, warm garment; when it is opened, its true beauty becomes apparent.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You gain 2 personal mana.

- Materials: Crafting an opaline coat requires thirteen measures of iridescent gloaming, seven measures of beggar's lye, and five measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“Just one more of your uncle's sheep”, Ilena had called him, “always willing to do what you're told.”

"If only", he'd often thought to himself, "There were any bloody truth to that assessment of sheep." In his considerable experience the damn-fool things seemed to take a perverse delight in finding new and interesting ways to stray off and get into trouble. Today was no exception; here he was crunching through drifts of snow, doing his best to follow the scattered tracks of a pregnant ewe that had spooked over nothing at all. Right before sundown, of course, so he'd have a cold dark struggle getting the damn thing back to the walls of the farm. And if she lost the lamb or came back injured, oh, there'd be hell to pay from uncle Dushkov.

Squinting in the fading light, he continued to climb higher on the hillside, the sparse pines on the ridge above him silhouetting themselves like crooked fingers. In the distance he heard bleating, and for a moment he was relieved to finally be drawing closer, but then he realised it was the panicked cries of an animal in distress. Drawing his hatchet, he flattened down and began to creep forward as quietly as he could.

His worst fears were realised as he came upon a scene that turned his blood to water; something hunched and manlike, but covered with long, fiery red hair was leaning over the carcass of the ewe. Steam poured into the evening sky as bones snapped and blood splattered, followed by the awful noise of hot, wet organs being gorged down. Without even thinking, he hefted his hatchet and leapt forward. Eyes like red-blazing coals turned to fix on him as the beast heard him coming, and a terrible howl shook the hillside...

Ilena looked up in surprise at the well-dressed young Warden entered the dingy beerhall. The village was too small to get many travellers, and none as dashing as this one. That magnificent coat of lambswool, dyed a rich burgundy and buttoned with dragonbone, was a thing of wonder. She preened for a second before asking in her most suggestive tones what his pleasure might be. It was only a moment later as the man smiled that she realised it was young Gregor, that foolish shepherd boy who'd been so sweet on her, before he disappeared.

He opened his coat to show off the exquisite lining – a rich, red pelt that seemed to glow with an almost unearthly lustre. He laughed, “You once called me a sheep, Ilena, and maybe I am, but now at least I'm a sheep in Wolf's clothing...”

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Operate portal

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This simple spell is one of the first one that a magician learns to cast. Every magician is able to use it; along with create bond and detect magic, it represents a shared suite of powers common to everyone who works magic. Learning to operate magical portals teaches a magician how to locate and navigate the magical areas known as regio. Perhaps more importantly, it teaches a magician to tap into and draw on reserves of power outside of their own personal mana. Without this knowledge, they would find it difficult to learn more powerful spells, or use crystal mana.

Perhaps the most important use of this spell for Imperial magicians is to gain access the Hall of Worlds where the Imperial Conclave meets. In some quarters, mastery of this spell is seen as a prerequisite for membership in the Empire's powerful magical order. As such it is generally the last of the three "cantrips' taught to an aspiring magician. Once a magician has opened the portal in the Anvil regio once, they can continue to do so for several days without needing to expend further personal mana - but they still need to cast the spell each time they enter or leave the Hall of Worlds (meaning, for example, that a magician cannot use the portal while wearing armour).

The biggest limitations on this spell is that it only allows the magician who casts it to pass through a portal, and only in one direction. There are exceptions, of course. The Academy for example takes advantage of their apprentice training to allow a single magician to take an entire group of young students to the Hall of Worlds, while certain portals might specifically open "wide" enough to admit multiple travellers with just a single casting of the spell. A ritualist versed in the lore of Autumn might perform the Ambassadorial Gatekeeper to allow a group of mundane allies to travel through a portal.

Wise magicians ensure they have the resources to re-open a portal they have passed through, or they risk being trapped in a potentially dangerous environment. Even these careful precautions cannot help if a portal has been sealed by a powerful effect such as Pakaanan's Iron Shutters - a sensible magician learns as much as possible about their destination before passing through a portal.

The spell plays an important role in communication with eternals, allowing them to send a presence through to the regio. Eternals cannot enter the mortal realm, but with the assistance of a magician using this spell, an eternal that is present near the regio during the casting can draw closer to the mortal realm. When this happens there is likely to be some physical manifestation, unusual lights or noises, that indicate the presence of the being. It is then possible for the magician to engange in limited communication and even exchange items with the eternal.

This communication becomes much more difficult if the eternal in question has the enmity of the Imperial Conclave. Where this is the case, ritual magic is required to use a regio in this fashion.

None of these limitation apply when the spell is used to access the power of the Sentinel Gate. Using the Sentinel Gate is also one of the few circumstances where this spell will allow a magician to open an actual gateway that allows their companions to travel without needing their own magical abilities, and doing so ensures a return journey can be made. Being able to perform the operate portal spell also allows an Imperial magician to perform the minor cantrip that lets them calculate how long a conjunction they have used will last - this power is so minor it does not even require any personal mana.

Beyond Anvil, portals are uncommon, but this spell has a strong symbolic resonance. With it, a magician can visit a chamber under their own power - and perhaps more importantly, they can leave the same way. When people who are not magicians enter one of these magical places, they often find themselves unable to leave without the assistance of one of the denizens - assistance that invariably comes at a steep price.

Casting

- Type: Regular spell

- Cost: 1 Personal mana

Effects

This flexible spell can be used to perform a number of seperate tasks, but only one may be used each time the spell is cast.

- Traverse Regio. You may open a portal to another location, provided a portal exists.

- There is also a portal in the Anvil regio that leads to the Hall of Worlds. A magician wishing to use this portal pays the standard cost of one mana the first time they use it in a weekend; for the rest of the event they may then cast it without needing to spend additional mana.

- Invite Eternal. You may open a regio to allow a named eternal of that realm to send a presence through. This use of the spell will only work if a prior arrangement with that eternal already exists.

- Trace Passage.You can determine where a portal was last opened to go to. This will tell you the last place the Sentinel Gate opened to, or gives basic details of the chamber on the other side of a portal in a regio.

- Operate Sentinel Gate.The spell is also used to open the Sentinel Gate, the powerful teleportation portal that stands in Anvil.

- If you have passed through the Sentinel Gate, you can perform a simple cantrip in a few seconds that will tell you how long before the conjunction ends - that is, how long you have to get back to Anvil safely. This does not require any personal mana.

Sample Vocals

The following are sample vocals you can use to cast this spell if you don't want to make up your own.

- (evoking the Door) "I stand on the brink between here and there, in the eternal moment of the now straddled between what was and what is to come. The door is open, I have only to take the step and I will pass through the portal and be transformed."

- (tracing runes in each of the cardinal directions) "Four roads meet and merge becoming one road down which I shall pass. I am at the junction of chance and destiny, and I choose to find my path and walk my skein."

- (effecting a haughty demeanor) "Open, portal! I am one who cannot be stayed by door or gate, who travels without fear and whose passage shall not be hindered. Open, portal! I am crowned by circumstance, and all the world is my demesne. Open, portal! My will is to travel and I will not be gainsaid."

- (divining the desination of a portal) "Attend, wind, I seek your counsel. I offer the gift of my breath as I speak these words. I see a door that is not a door, between one place and another. Speak to me, wind. You travel where you will - tell me what lies on the other side of this gate."

- I stand at this place, this magic gate, and reach beyond this world / Let magic connect these realms together, this portal now unfurled.

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: The rarely used runes Gralm and Ull are often associated with this spell due to their mundane assocations with roads and travel. Likewise, runes Sular may be evoked for it's associations with travel and exploration. Some magicians prefer to evoke Hirmok to demand that a portal open before them, or even Feresh, the rune of majesty, to exercise authority over the target portal.

- Astronomancy: The Door, unsurprisingly, has a deep resonance with this spell given it's associations of travel and transportation. Likewise, the Key is appropriate to casting this spell, especially when entering an unexplored chamber for the first time. When the spell is cast to operate the Sentinel Gate, some magicians will call on the Wanderer which surmounts the physical archway although doing so is seen as reckless by some astronomancers.

- Dramaturgy: The persona of the Witch works well with this spell, which deals with mysterious forces and hidden destinations. Where the Witch may focus on the magical element of opening a portal, the Prince often demands passage authoritatively, or takes on the mantle of a diplomat or emissary to evoke images of free passage and distant travel. The instruments of the Blade (especially when wielded by a magician taking the role of the Captain) and the Lantern are often used in conjunction with operate portal - the former to cut or pry open a portal, the latter to light one's way through the unknown.

- Other traditions: Any imagery to do with travel or finding a way can help with this spell - Urizen magicians in particular like to use lenses or navigational tools when they operate a portal, using them to quickly analyse a portal for the best way to open it. More mystical traditions may offer a libation of wine, water, spit or blood when opening a portal. In a similar fashion, some Freeborn magicians cast aside the lowest denomination coin they are carrying as a payment. Collecting such a coin back up again is considered to bring bad luck on anyone who does so.

- Realms: The ability to open a portal is closely connected with the realm of Autumn (travel, the connection between places). Some magicians consider the realm of Night to have correspondence with this spell, especially when used to gain illicit access to a chamber or to 'trick" a portal into opening in the face of assumed authority.

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Ophis

Contents

- 1 The Bright Lantern, Rune of Revelation

- 1.1 Using Ophis in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Ophis

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Bright Lantern, Rune of Revelation

Affiliated with the Realm of Day

Ophis is the Bright Lantern, the mirror and antithesis of Diras, Rune of Secrets. It is the bright light that pierces all shadows, drives away all confusion and uncertainty, and illuminates every corner. It is sometimes called the Light of Truth, and it is said that no falsehood, illusion or deception can withstand its unblinking gaze.

Revelation can sometimes be overpowering; mortals are not meant to live in conditions of absolute truthfulness. As such Ophis is sometimes called the Blinding Light; the light from which one must shield one’s eyes, turning away either literally or figuratively in the sense of denying what has been revealed.

During potentially dangerous divination, Ophis is sometimes combined with Sular, the Rune of Finding. While the Rune of Revelation represents the truth or fact that is sought, Sular serves as an intermediary that helps to guide the power of the magic and protect the magicians from exposure to pure truth. When used in this fashion Ophis is called The Beacon.

Ophis is sometimes connected to the Imperial Virtue of Vigilance.

Using Ophis in magic

Ophis is evoked with magic that reveals the truth or dispels deception, including the detect magic spell. It can also be used to inspire madness or cause blindness, although this is often considered a perversion of its purpose.

Crafting with Ophis

This rune is often inscribed on things that produce mundane light, as well as being a common rune marked on a Falcon’s Glare. Senators, scouts and magistrates who rely on clarity of vision often wear it on a headband, hood or piece of jewellery worn on the head.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Ophis in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneOphis.jef

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Opportunities

Overview

An opportunity represents a chance to do something that players could not normally do themselves. Opportunities are seeded into the game by our plot team. An opportunity often brings with it the ability to do something at a reduced cost, or in a way that could not normally be achieved.

For example, a group of talented armour smiths might offer to outfit several military units with light-weight armour, effectively upgrading them at a reduced cost in mithril - but only a handful of units can benefit from this opportunity.

Purpose

Opportunities are intended to present the players with choices that they can make - or ignore. For example, the armour smiths above might also suggest that they could instead turn their attention to making a single suit of runeplate every Summer to presented to a specific general on the Imperial Military Council, in return for a supply of mithril they can use to improve their forges. It would be up to the Imperial Senate which option they choose to exploit.

Opportunities generally present options or chances - they will usually not be framed in terms of things the players must do. In the example above, the players could decline the offer if they wanted to or considered the cost to be too great. Depending on the nature of the opportunity they might be able to take advantage of it at a later date, or it might be a one-time offer.

The parameters of the opportunity are often carefully set and while the players have some leeway in how to respond it is not usually possible to spread or increase the benefit being offered. In the example above, they could not, however, try to get the armour smiths to equip four armies at a reduced cost even if they had the mithril.

The Heliopticon

The Urizen Heliopticon networks are powerful fortifications that use incredibly fast communication over distance to co-ordinate the defence of the nation. Each network has a central tower, constructed with a powerful magical light-source and a specially calibrated mirror. While these networks are very expensive to produce, the fallen tower of Spiral offers an opportunity. If the light source and mirror were recovered, they could be installed in a new central tower, either reconnecting Spiral to the Urizen network or allowing a territory outside the nation to be tied into the network.

In game terms, this might allow the creation of a rank one fortification in a year at the cost of 25 wains of white granite, 25 wains of weirwood and 10 wains of mithril (rather than the usual 100 wains of white granite a fortification would require). This cost reduction presented by the opportunity reflects the chance to spend different resources constructing the outlying towers that make the heliopticon network function.

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Orator's Chalice

Description

These items were first crafted in Highguard, and were also popular with both the Freeborn and the founding cities of The League. Their usefulness soon saw them spread across all the Imperial nations, and beyond. Travellers suggest that their use is equally common in Faraden and the Principalities of Jarm.

Unlike many other items of ritual paraphernalia they are usually crafted in the form of an actual chalice, goblet, tankard or bowl of green iron decorated with tempest jade. They are usually rich in appearance, and it is common for them to be further ornamented with precious metals and carefully selected precious stones. During rituals an orator's chalice is passed back and forth between the subjects of the ritual and the coven using it, symbolically reinforcing the connections between all the groups involved. The nature of the ritual defines precisely how it is used but it is common for everyone to share a drink from the chalice at the beginning ,or during the performance, of the ritual.

The ability to extend the power of a ritual to individuals from two bands is subtle but should not be underestimated. These items are often used before battles to perform powerful rituals such as Splendid Panoply of Knighthood or Vitality of Rushing Water on members of two bands, or to allow rituals such as Streams of Silver or Fallow Fields and Dried Meat on the resources controlled by members of different groups in the same region.

As with the similar Cartographer's Eye, several covens of a mercantile bent make great use of this 'covenstone', but it is probably more popular with magicians like those associated with the Rod and Shield order of the Imperial Conclave who specialise in enchanting warriors heading for some battlefield or another.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: When your coven performs a ritual that targets characters who must all be members a single band, the targets can also include characters from a single second band provided both bands are from the same nation.

- Materials: Crafting an orator's chalice requires five measures of dragonbone, five ingots of tempest jade and four ingots of green iron. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Orders

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Sequence

- 3 Movement

- 4 Orders

- 4.1 Issuing Orders

- 4.2 Barbarian Orders

- 5 Attacking

- 5.1 Cautious Advance

- 5.2 Balanced Attack

- 5.3 Overwhelming Assault

- 6 Defending

- 6.1 Give Ground

- 6.2 Solid Defence

- 6.3 Heroic Stand

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

Each general can issue a single set of orders for the army they control. The orders should describe a broad strategic plan representing what the general would like the army to achieve in a territory over the downtime before the next event.

A campaign is not a single battle, a campaign is a prolonged period of warfare that takes place over the whole territory in the three months between events.

Sequence

At the beginning of an event the generals are briefed on the current status of their army and the outcome of the campaign, if any, that it was involved in running up to the event. They are also presented with a number of opportunities to intervene – usually battles or skirmishes, that might affect the current military situation.

Toward the end of the event, the generals are briefed with regard to how the actions of the characters (especially battles and skirmishes) have changed the situation since the start of the event, if at all. Each general must then submit an order for their army to follow over the coming three months.

These orders are then compared with the orders submitted for the barbarian armies to identify which forces are fighting and calculate the outcomes.

Movement

Generals may issue orders to attack or defend any territory their army can reach. To keep things as simple as possible, an army is assumed to move to any territory that the general issues orders to attack or defend before any fighting takes place. In effect an army can slip away at the start of a season before the campaign begins.

Most Imperial armies can move through three territories in a season (for example, an army in Bregasland may be ordered to defend Hercynia - it will pass through Kallavesa and Hahnmark before reaching Hercynia where it will join any campaign that takes place. However an army cannot pass through a territory it does not control - it will automatically stop and engage any enemy forces present if it enters a hostile territory - one that is controlled by an enemy power.

A fast army can move up to five territories each season, but must still stop when it enters a territory that is controlled by an enemy.

Note that the elite military unit resources controlled by players do not move like this. Military units can cross the entire Empire swiftly and quickly - so they can be freely assigned to an Imperial army, or sent to raid a neighbouring nation.

Orders

Orders should focus on what the general wants their army to achieve rather than how they do it. An Imperial army fights to the best of it's ability, the civil service control military logistics and supply lines and the Empire has battlefield captains and commanders who are well versed in tactics. The orders issued by a general determine the overall actions of their army in the field over the next three months; there is no option to submit specific tactics or arrangements of troops. The place for complex battlefield plans is during the events, where player characters fight barbarian enemies.

E.g. The Dawn general of The Hounds of Glory may issue orders for their soldiers to advance without concern for casualties with the goal of smashing through the Druj lines to join up with the Imperial forces defending the fortifications at the city of Holberg.

The type of orders that a general can give fall into six categories - three for attacking and three for defending, based on how aggressive or cautious the general wishes their army to be. The text for the orders is important - we use it to determine the narrative of the campaign outcome - and it influences the options that the plot team write for the battles at the next event - but the mathematical results are calculated based purely on the type of order that was submitted.

There is no "move order" for an army, even if an army moves to the centre of the Empire to resupply, it is assumed that it would defend the territory it has moved to if that territory were attacked.

Issuing Orders

- The general hands their a copy of their signed orders to the Herald of the Council

The Imperial general must provide the Herald of the Council with a signed copy of their orders. The General can submit their orders at any time. Traditionally they are written and sealed on the last day but there is no legal requirement for this - as long as the orders are received by the Herald before the end of the summit.

The civil service use the signed orders to make suitable arrangements and instructions for all the necessary logistical support, as well as ensuring that the correct orders are communicated to the army. Any attempt to change the orders once they are officially given to the Herald invariably leads to chaos and confusion which harms the army's effectiveness.

Barbarian Orders

The orders for the barbarian armies are submitted by members of the military campaign plot team. The barbarian generals have access to magic and rituals - similar to those employed by the players - so the team also decide which rituals to use to strengthen their armies and to scry the Imperial forces. All these decisions are done blind; the people submitting them do not have any knowledge of the orders submitted or rituals performed by the players.

Attacking

- Taking any attack action means a campaign will happen if the enemy is still in the territory.

All of these orders will always cause a military campaign to be initiated in the territory if there is an opposing force present. If an attacking force is victorious - they will capture land - the greater the victory the more land they will take in a season.

Cautious Advance

- Casualties suffered by this army are reduced by a fifth

- The ability of this army to capture territory is reduced by a fifth

A general may be keen to scout out a territory to identify enemy forces, or simply wish to make a probing attack to initiate a campaign. A cautious assault can also be useful to disrupt enemy supplies lines and prevent the enemy from resupplying.

Cautious assaults are less effective at claiming territory - the attackers are less able to overcome the defenders and drive them back - but casualties suffered will be lower. Urizen and Freeborn armies favour this strategy as it provides the most certain ways to identify the strength of the enemy position.

Balanced Attack

- There are no modifiers associated with this order

This is the standard order issued by Imperial generals who wish to engage the enemy forces in a territory. A balanced attack involves assaulting the enemy positions but seeks weak points in the enemy lines rather than attempting to smash through strong positions. Highguard armies favour this strategy believing that the natural efficiency best serves the manifest destiny of the Empire.

Overwhelming Assault

- Casualties suffered by this army are increased by a fifth

- The ability of this army to capture territory is increased by a fifth

A general who seeks victory at any price can order an overwhelming assault. The army will spend the season seeking out the strongest enemy troops and attempting to smash through their positions. This kind of attack is dangerous - casualties will be higher than normal - but the army will gain more ground during that season. Wintermark and Dawnish armies favour this strategy as it provides many opportunities for glory and heroism.

Defending

- No campaign will take place unless another army issues an order to attack

- Any victory achieved by the army translates into fewer casualties incurred rather than territory gained

Armies on defend are seeking to hold their position and fight off any attackers they encounter. If all armies in a territory have orders to defend the regions they control, then no campaign takes place and the side that controls the territory will be able to resupply their forces. If the defenders are victorious - if their side has a higher effective strength than the attacker, then their victory translates directly into reduced casualties for the defenders. The greater the victory, the less casualties they suffer. Defenders take fewer casualties than attackers anyway; all other factors being equal there is a small natural advantage that favours the defender.

Give Ground

- Casualties suffered by this army are decreased by a half

- The ability of this army to defend territory is decreased by two fifths

A general that wants their army to carry out a fighting retreat can issue orders to give ground. The army will avoid major engagements, while still attempting to slow the enemy advance using ambushes and the like. An army that is giving ground is much less effective at holding the territory against an attacker, but will see their casualties reduced accordingly. Navarr and Varushkan armies are both fond of this strategy. The Navarr consider it an effective way to bleed an enemy as they advance into a trap, while in Varushka the land itself can soon become the enemy of an unwary attacker.

Solid Defence

- Casualties suffered by this army are decreased by a fifth

An army that attempts the solid defence of a region will seek to make best use of the terrain to bring the enemy to battle in a way that favours the defender. Casualties suffered are less than if the army simply attacks, even though an enemy army that attacks is just as likely to be rebuffed. The League traditionally favours a solid defence believing that the fortifications at Holberg have proven the advantage of this strategy over many years.

Heroic Stand

- Casualties suffered by this army are increased by a fifth

- The ability of this army to defend territory is increased by three tenths

An army that commits to a heroic stand will not initiate a military campaign - but they will make the enemy pay for every inch of ground they take. The army will take every opportunity to engage with the enemy side, they won't fight to the last soldier, but they will fight on even until the cause is utterly hopeless. Marcher armies favour this strategy; their natural belligerence makes them loathe to leave any battlefield while the chance of victory remains.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Military Council

- War

Additional Information

- Imperial armies

- Orders

- Casualties

- Territory

- Army qualities

- Spy network

- Fortification

- Campaign outcome

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Orders&oldid=35282"

Other Bourse titles

Any Imperial title that has economic power or responsibilities is likely to be appointed through the Bourse. The appointment of all these titles is organised and processed by the civil servants attached to the Bourse.

Unless the position includes administration of a supply of mithril, weirwood, white granite, or ilium however it does not bring with it a seat on the Bourse or access to the private auction.

Contents

- 1 Imperial Appointments

- 2 National Appointments

- 2.1 Bailiff of the Grand Market

- 2.2 Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

- 2.3 Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

- 2.4 Mistress of the Glass Parador

- 2.5 Custodian of the Assayer's Guild

- 2.6 Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

Imperial Appointments

An Imperial appointment bound to the Bourse is appointed by auction to the highest bidder.

National Appointments

A national appointment bound to the Bourse is selected by a unique mechanism for each nation. For example, the League use bids like an Imperial appointment, but Varushka select their national Bourse appointments by secret vote of the mine and forest owners of the nation.

In all cases, an Imperial title that is a national appointment can only be held by a character from that nation, and only characters from that nation can participate in their selection. A short list of national appointments arranged through the Bourse includes:

Bailiff of the Grand Market

The Bailiff of the Grand Market is a Marcher ministry with responsibilities involving the security and integrity of the many markets and fairs that take place throughout the Marches. It is appointed during the Winter Solstice by secret vote of Marcher characters who control farm resources.

Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

The Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel is a Freeborn ministry with responsibilities that include ensuring ready access to herbs for Freeborn apothecaries. It is appointed during the Spring equinox by secret vote of Freeborn characters who control fleet resources.

Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

The Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills is a Freeborn ministry with responsibilities that include ensuring the prosperity of the families of Kahraman. It is appointed during the Autumn equinox by secret vote of Freeborn characters who control fleet resources.

Mistress of the Glass Parador

The Mistress of the Glass Parador is a Freeborn ministry based from the Glass Parador in Siroc with responsibilities that include encouraging the integrity and prosperity of parador proprieters. It is appointed during the Summer solstice by secret vote of Freeborn characters who control fleet resources.

Custodian of the Assayer's Guild

The Custodian of the Assayer's Guild is a League ministry whose responsibilities revolve around ensuring the weights and measures used by the assayers of Temeschwar are correctly calibrated. It is appointed during the Spring Equinox by open auction.

Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

The Provost of the Halls of Knowledge is an Urizen position which involves guiding the magical research of the Halls of Knowledge for the benefit of the people of Urizen and the Empire. It is appointed during the Winter Solstice by secret vote of Urizen characters who control mana site resources.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Other_Bourse_titles&oldid=35209"

Otkodov

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Territories

- 3.1 Nithoggir

- 3.2 Sküld

- 3.3 Urdur

- 3.4 Verthandi

- 4 OOC Notes

Overview

Otkodov is a cold barbarian nation dominated by the Thule. It consists of four territories: Urdur in the south-west, Verthandi in the south, Sküld in the east and Nithoggir in the north.

Much of Otkodov is chilly plains and tundra, with a massive sprawling coniferous forest that covers half of Sküld and a wide range of hills and mountains that covers the southern border with Wintermark and Varushka.

The environment seems more "active" in Otkodov than in the Empire. Naturally occurring bodies of hot or even boiling water are common, as are springs, pools and even lakes whose waters are undrinkable due to concentrations of toxins and minerals from deep underground. . A number of sites are also marked by irregular geysers of boiling water that explode upward without warning. In some places, viscous black tar bubbles to the surface creating a hazard that combines the horror of drowning with the agony of being boiled alive In a few areas, vents in the ground release clouds of choking sulphur or boiling steam. The earth, water and air of Otkodov themselves can be a threat to scouts and spies attempting to avoid more populated areas.

Recent History

This information was gathered through the use of a spy network constructed by the Imperial Senate in 377YE. Much of Otkodov remains unknown.

Territories

Scouts and spies in Otkodov have been able to put together a very basic map of the four territories that compose the northernmost barbarian nation. This information is sketchy at best; more detailed information will require more action by Imperial forces. To date the scouts have compiled information about the major physical features of each territory, and the basic terrain of each region within that territory.

Nithoggir

Cold plains, broken by rugged hills and the occasional mountain. As with Urdur, volcanic hot springs are common and in some places plumes of black smoke appear to rise naturally from beneath the ground. The northern coast drops away in great sheer cliffs – there is no easy access to the frigid iceberg-haunted sea. Parts of the coast are marked by great cracks of chasms that reach many miles inland and seem to be where much of the population is centred.

Hecla and Vatnajokul are rugged, hilly terrain. Erawayugot, Isvorthor and Skarlans are cold plains and broken ground.

Sküld

Roughly half of Sküld is dominated by an ancient coniferous forest; a massive fresh-water lake dominates a further quarter of the territory. The territory, along with Verthandi, appears to be where much of the Thule “civillian” population is found.

Hahlerm, Kógur and Stathas are forested; while woodlands are common elsewhere, Luhguren, Kerpavogur, Feyothur and Keyursal are effectively cold plains.

Urdur

Böras, Seythis, Ethaqua, Ayjeer and Volos are cold plains; Kvantal and Neeyukir are rugged and hilly. A great cold lake sits across the border with Verthandi to the east. The territory is sparsely populated, with the barbarians primarily focused around fortified villages with wooden and (in some cases) stone pallisades being the primary defense.

Verthandi

The most populous of the territories of Otkodov, with many settlements huddled around the banks of the large shallow lake in Erskjuvaten. The lake freezes over from late autumn through to mid-spring; it is more often traversed with sleds and skates that with boats. The cold plains are home to a sizable population of mammoths, cultivated by some of the orc tribes here.

Askja, Erskjuvaten, Skaftafell, Ierkul and Hengill are cold plains. Tinfjalla and Yurah are both rugged, hilly regions and seem less densely populated than the rest of the territory.

OOC Notes

- The Thule control each of the territories of Otkodov. It is not clear at this time if this control is uncontested.

- It is unclear if the Thule have any fortifications.

- It is unclear if the Thule control any mithril, weirwood, white granite or ilium resources.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Otkodov&oldid=35207"

Outlaw foreign True Liao trade

That the trade of True Liao to nations outside the Empire be made illegal.

Proposed by Madruga, seconded by Conscience.

Overview

- A change to law regarding the sale of True Liao to foreigners

- Passed with 8 votes against.

Date

- Spring 378YE

Cost

- None

Progress

- Complete

Campaign Outcome

- The prohibition has passed into law and been added to the list of criminal offences

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

Unanimous

0

Passed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Outlaw_foreign_True_Liao_trade&oldid=27040"

Outlaw Vallorn cultivation

That the cultivation of Vallorn be outlawed by the Empire.

Proposed by Therunin, seconded by Zenith.

Overview

- A change to law regarding the cultivation of Vallorn.

- Passed with 8 votes against.

Date

- Passed Spring 377YE (Event Two 2013).

Cost

- None

Progress

- Complete

Campaign Outcome

- The prohibition has passed into law and been added to the list of criminal offences

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Outlaw_Vallorn_cultivation&oldid=27034"

Outside in the Distance

Original Song: Searchlights by The Levellers - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C-n6T4gZGc

New lyrics by Richard East.

Verse 1 I see a forest where there was a home before The flowers in the garden have crept in through the door Oh aye, the beauty that I could bring to you But outside in the distance I hear something coming through Oh I said, outside in the distance there is something coming through.

Verse 2 Here, beyond the weir, the water's turning black Broceliande stands spear in hand just to turn it back Oh how we keep your petty kingdoms well imbued But outside in the distance I hear something coming through Oh I said, outside in the distance there is something coming through.

Chorus And outside in the distance where your wardens won't go A child is standing vigil for a home he'll never know The bushes start a-rustling, so he paints his face with woe And whispers "This is the last of my show..."

Verse 3 A crossroads is no crossroads when there's but one route to take Your fantasy of peace will cease a pace beyond your gate I think these things as I walk down this tree-lined avenue And outside in the distance I hear something coming through Oh I said, outside in the distance there is something coming through.

Chorus

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Outside_in_the_Distance&oldid=20152"

Pakaanan's Iron Shutters

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a portal. The portal must be nearby; if it is part of a regio the ritual must be performed within or within arm's reach of that regio.

Effects

This ritual temporarily seals a magical portal so that it cannot be used in either direction by any character, item or force.

A magician casting the operate portal spell will find that the spell fails but they do not expend any a mana.

The seal lasts for 10 minutes.

Description

This ritual has two primary uses. Firstly, it can be used to seal access to the Hall of Worlds for a short time. The ritual can be perfomed on either side of the portal at Anvil, and prevents anyone from entering or leaving the Hall for the duration.

Secondly, it can be used to temporarily seal a portal encountered as part of a regio. It is most often used in this way to stop creatures entering or leaving the portal while a more powerful ritual (perhaps Wind of Mundane Silence) is used to permanently deal with the regio, and by proxy the portal.

Pakaanan's Iron Shutters is named for a volhov who first used it to seal a regio ahead of a fleeing monster that was terrorizing a nearby vale. He and his apprentice Ijena beat the beast back to the regio it was using as it's lair, and sealed the portal before the beast could pass through, allowing the pursuing schlacta to capture and dispatch it. After this initial success, Pakaanan used his influence with the Rod and Shield order to have the spell researched and codified; over the rest of his career he used it several times to vaiously hold a portal closed while a cabal dealt permanently with the regio; to prevent an angry Herald following him after a disastrous negotiation; and on at least two occasions with ilium to create permanent seals that (to this day) imprisoned monsters in their mystical lairs.

Experimentation by members of the Unfettered Mind order has demonstrated that this ritual has no effect on The Sentinel Gate because, while it transports people from one place to another, it is not a portal as such.

Common Elements

This ritual is often performed with an extended invocation. Elements such as rock salt, iron locks, chains and measures of ambergelt are all used to symbolise the sealing or closing of the portal, as are evocations of the runes Hirmok and Yoorn and the constellation of The Lock.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Pakaanan%27s_Iron_Shutters&oldid=30943"

Pallas

Contents

- 1 The Apple Tree, Rune of Wealth

- 1.1 Using Pallas in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Pallas

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Apple Tree, Rune of Wealth

Affiliated with the Realm of Autumn

Pallas is the apple tree, which represents wealth. In it all things have reached and exceeded their fullness. The once-lean cattle now fat and healthy, the investment returned upon itself many times over. Heedless of need, Pallas now spends itself without thought of caution. It is the golden twilight, dappled in the last rays of Autumn sun, never dreaming that Winter will soon come. It also represents strong alliances, rooted in trust and mutual benefit.

Pallas represents comfort, contentedness and sufficiency. It also represents largesse, the sharing of success, and the ability to provide not only for the self but also for others. It also represents hoarding, miserliness and avarice, and when evoked in this regard may be called the Claw.

It is sometimes called the Dragon, and in this regard is evoked to protect wealth from theft – it appears on the lids of strongboxes, the doors of warehouses, and beside the locks that seal a treasure room. Combined with other runes it may create a magical trap that punishes anyone who steals, or a curse that falls on the heads of those who take what is not theirs.

The Apple Tree comes with a warning as well, which is that wealth, comfort and prosperity may be fleeting. The apple rots, the tree that is not tended dies or its harvest slackens. It is sometimes used as a reminder of the need for hard work.

In the Marches it is a rune that is often carved into the trees of an orchard in the hope of improving the harvest, and in pre-Imperial times it appeared regularly on silver coins. It is often carved onto tools whereby the user earns their living – whether brute farming implements or the delicate tools of a jeweller. Soldiers who bear the rune on their weapons often do so to indicate that they are mercenaries, and in this regard it is a common symbol for League Free Companies or Brass Coast corsairs.

Forming a fist with the thumb tucked in and the first and middle fingers hooked outwards (the Pallas Gesture) is a gesture that is occasionally used in Highguard, the League and the Brass Coast to suggest that someone is a miser or cheapskate.

Pallas is commonly associated with the Imperial Virtue of Prosperity.

Using Pallas in magic

Pallas is often evoked with magic that repairs or enhances the qualities of crafted items. It is also used with magic that creates wards designed to punish thieves or protect wealth. It is one of the runes often embroidered or inlaid into a pouch intended to be the target of the night pouch incantation.

Crafting with Pallas

It is commonly sewn into money pouches, and is a common component of delicate or beautiful embroidery on fine clothing.

That which makes the granaries to overflow, the coin-purse to grow heavy, the fruit to hang low and ripe on the branch...

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Pallas in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RunePallas.jef

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Pallas&oldid=32275"

Pallid Flesh of the Dead King

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 22

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 22

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains two additional ranks of endurance. At the same time, they are affected by venom. The supernatural venom caused by this enchantment cannot be removed by a purify or purge spell (although attempting to do so will not cost the caster any mana) unless the enchantment is removed first.

If the venom is removed by other means (such as Ascetic Star of Atun or the use of Imperial Roseweald for example) the enchantment immediately ends.

While under this enchantment, the target also experiences a roleplaying effect: they occasionally feel as if their body is wrapped in heavy chains, and suffer instants where an arm or leg will not move. They regularly suffer dreams of being buried alive, or entombed unmoving in a great empty chamber for eternity.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 13. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This enchantment lets a target shrug off the effects of sword-blows, but renders them vulnerable both to arrows and to sustained injury. It provides short-term protection at a price, and a short-sighted, incautious target is likely to die under the influence of this ritual. Only a warrior who understands the limitations the enchantment places on them can use it safely. It is sometimes combined with an Abraxus Stone, but even then the risks are great.

The power of this enchantment is drawn from the Bound King of the Thrice-cursed Court. It demonstrates their obsession with power that comes at a price. Some scholars of the Eternals believe that this ritual alleviates a portion of the Bound King's own curse as long as a mortal 'benefits' from the Enchantment, and this explains why the Heralds of the court often bear items that make it easier to perform this ritual. Suspicious minds suggest that in theory if enough people were subject to this ritual at one time, the Bound King would be permanently freed from his chains.

Common Elements

Performance of this ritual often involves feeding poisonous or noxious liquid to the target, or binding their wrists or in some cases even going to far as to wrap them in chains while simultaneously criwning them in a symbolic way. The target is often sitting when this enchantment is performed. Some ritualists require that the target verbally confirm that they understand the price for the strength the ritual grants, and agree to seek no vengeance should they die as a consequence of it's performance; some Varushkan ritualists go so far as to demand an oath to that effect.

The ritual often involves the runes Verys and Naeve together; whatever it's ultimate source, the enchantment grants strength through weakness, or perhaps demonstrates the idea of offering weakness in one area as a price for strength in another.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Pallid_Flesh_of_the_Dead_King&oldid=34980"

Paragons and Exemplars

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Paragons and Exemplars

Paragons

The following are Paragons of Virtue who have been formally recognised as such by the Imperial Synod:

Paragons

Ambition

Courage

Loyalty

Pride

Prosperity

Vigilance

Wisdom

Non-/Pre-Empire

Tian

Korl

The Marked

Kethry

The Sentinel

Zoria

The Brass Coast

Dawn

Empress Richilde

Highguard

Lepidus

Atun

The League

Aldones di Sarvos

The Marches

Good Walder

Navarr

Varushka

Vardas

Urizen

Wintermark

Isenbrad

Exemplars

The following are Exemplars of Virtue that have been formally recognised as such by the Imperial Synod:

Exemplars

Ambition

Courage

Loyalty

Pride

Prosperity

Vigilance

Wisdom

Non-/Pre-Empire

Gilda Ashwine

Kala

The Brass Coast

Emperor Ahraz

Zemress

Dawn

Adelmar the Lion

Elayne Silverlark

Highguard

Atuman

Permion and Damaris

The League

The Little Mother and Niccolo Barossa

Avigliana di Sarvos

The Marches

Bolstering Bill

Navarr

Isaella

Long Tom Goodfellow

Varushka

Urizen

Wintermark

Inga Tarn

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Paragons_and_Exemplars&oldid=35319"

Paralysis

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This potent martial magic renders an enemy defenceless for a short period of time - usually more than enough time to either dispatch or capture them. Like the repel spell, it employs magical force; in this case to restrain the target's entire body. This is sometimes described as akin to being held by a massive, invisible hand or being wrapped from head to foot in loose bands of unseen power that tighten instantly to prevent any movement. Some targets however have described the experience more as a metaphorical force - a dominating power that makes it impossible for them to even think about moving their bodies for a short time.

While this spell is very effective at neutralising an opponent, it has limitations. The spell fails to find traction if it strikes heavy armour; it can pass easily thought light leather or mithril chain, but tempered steel plates or rings prevent the magic from taking hold. Magicians who plan to make use of this spell against armoured opponents often feel the need to train as rigorously as any warrior planning to deal crippling blows to their enemies. On the other hand, if the spell does take hold it is a rare enemy who has the ability to survive the follow-up attacks of the magician and their allies.

Any magician who plans to take the battlefield can supplement their magical abilities with a Quiet Word rod, while more dedicated war wizards can appreciate the value of a Shadowbound Donjon staff. The Caress of Arhallogen is a powerful staff that allows mutliple additional uses of this spell each day, as well as granting abilities to wield supernatural venom against enemies, although it's connection to the eternal Arhallogen has given it something of a dark reputation.

Of particular interest to a magician who masters this devastating spell is the Sceptre of the Necropolis, a powerful rod that gives the wielder a limited ability to use their spell to critically injure their target by stilling processes vital to life rather than immobilising their bodies.

Casting

- Type: Offensive spell

- Cost: 2 Personal mana

Effects

You may call PARALYSE against the target struck by your implement.

Paralysis holds the target in place with magical force for ten seconds. They can talk or drink a potion if they are fed one, but they cannot move or take any other actions.

If you hit the target in the head or neck, or if the blow strikes the actual phys-rep of heavy armour that they are wearing, then the target only loses one hit as if they had been hit by a normal blow.

Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- (Slashing an implement in a swift arc) "Feel the weight of the mountain - PARALYSE!"

- "I command you with Hirmok's control, be still - PARALYSE!"

- "The light of Ophis stun you with its brilliance - PARALYSE!"

- "Be bound as the Chained Man - PARALYSE!"

- "In the Spider-King's name, I bind you with magic - PARALYSE!"

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: The rune Hirmok, which signifies control and domination, is strongly connected with this spell, although some magicians favour Kyrop, the rune of weakness. In both cases, a magician might sketch the rune in the air with their implement just prior to striking with it.

- Astronomancy: An astronomancer might evoke the power of the Mountain with this spell - it's resonance can be used to impart immobility to a victim as easily as it can be evoked to grant strength and endurance. The constellation of the Lock can be evoked in a similar way - the paralysis spell binds the target, or "wards" them against movement. The Astronomancy#Tulpas#tulpa of the Chained Man is sometimes referenced with this spell.

- Dramaturgy: A dramaturgist might take on the commanding mein of the Bishop or the Prince and instruct the target to remain where they are. less commonly, the Doctor might be employed to remove the facility of movement from an opponent "for their own good", or by using that role's superior knowledge of anatomy to restrict movement. The throne of the Tomb is also a common reference, especially when drawing a connection between the immobility created by magic and the immobility of the dead body bound within a grave.

- Other traditions: A Dawnish witch might echo the terrifying roar of the chimera when casting this spell. Some magicians also like to call on the power of an eternal such as Arhallogen or Kimus when striking with this spell.

- Realms: The ability to immobilise someone with magical force resonates strongly with the realm of Day. Some magicians point to the powerlessness this spell creates as showing clear sympathy with the realm of Winter. A few magicians shrug and point to Arhallogen and similar poisonous creatures and calmy claim that this spell is a manifestation of the power of Spring.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Paralysis&oldid=33318"

Pauper's Key

Description

These items often take the form of a simple weltsilver chain with an amulet in the shape of a key. The key itself is usually of delicately fine craftsmanship with an intriguing lustre - blackened but glistening in a captivating manner that draws the eye deeper.

Equipped with such a talisman, a warrior or trader may enter the Hall of Worlds alongside their magician comrades even while encased in plate armour. The magic is only good for one trip per day, however, as its power is required for both the outward and return journey... provided there is a return journey. A famous example of this item is the key designed for Emperor Frederick - an artefact constructed by the renowned artisan Catherine de Sarvos, which allowed the mundane Emperor to enter the Hall of Worlds and attend sessions of the Imperial Conclave. Some scholars suggest the artefact was usable more often than the common example, but the key itself was stolen shortly after Frederick's death and its current wherabouts unknown so this cannot be verified.

Rules

- Form: Jewellery (Talisman)

- Effect: 2/day may open a portal as if they had cast the open portal spell (requires at least ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying).

- Materials: Crafting a Pauper's Key requires two ingots of green iron; seven ingots of weltsilver; nine measures of beggar's lye; and nine measures of iridescent gloaming; It takes 1 month to make one of these items.

"I am a wizard, honest as the sun is hot in the sky, I 'av all the right trappin's and all the right ken

"Ere, I can even opens that portal over there." the guttersnipe pointed towards the Sentinel Gate.

"Sir, you are a fool. I cannot fathom the trick you are trying to pull here, but there is not a chance that you are a mage." The militiamen was clearly becoming impatient.

"I'll show ya then" quipped the beragged one, and proceeded to march across the square towards the Gate.

"Not so fast, I haven't finished with you - I'm not about to let you escape through there!" he quickly stepped after the wastrel managing to grab a hold of him before he could step through, the neck of his tunic gaped and revealed a strangely glinting key-shaped amulet. Behind the location where he had been standing, a dark figure slinked away.

"I don't care if you are a magician, I still don't believe that you unbound that blade before selling it! Who is your accomplice!"

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Pauper%27s_Key&oldid=36290"

Peace roleplaying effects

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Consecration of Peace

- 3 Anointings of Peace

- 4 Hallows of Peace

Overview

These roleplaying effects can be created by a person whose soul is dedicated to Peace using the relevant ceremonial skill. A character performing an anointing or hallow must pick one of the appropriate roleplaying effects when they perform the ceremony.

Consecration of Peace

Effect

In this place, you feel a sense of peace and tranquillity. Any concerns, burdens of anxieties that you may feel seem much less urgent here.

Anointings of Peace

The following are a range of auras that can be summoned onto a living soul, with their consent, by priests whose own souls are dedicated to Peace:

Known As

Effect

The Humble Anointing

When you received this anointing, you named a person or a group. Whilst this anointing lasts, any hostility or anger you feel toward this person or group is muted.

The Hedonist's Anointing

You are filled with a blissful sensation. You are not inclined to undertake any physical exertion or effort whilst under this effect.

The Coward's Anointing

You are filled with a distaste for conflict. You feel an urge to avoid conflict and confrontation.

The Slothful Anointing

When you next sleep, your dreams are peaceful and tranquil. You feel less willing to rise in the morning.

The Frail Anointing

You feel a calm sensation throughout your body and feel no pain. This does not prevent the ill effects of taking damage or any mechanical game effect.

Hallows of Peace

The following are a range of auras that can be summoned onto magical items by priests whose own souls are dedicated to Peace:

Known As

Effect

The Pacifist Hallow

When you are bonded to, and in contact with, this item, the idea of causing harm to another feels repellent. If you do cause harm to another, a feeling of revulsion flows from this item toward you for as long as you are bonded.

The Dissenter's Hallow

When you are bonded to, and in contact with, this item, you feel an urge to encourage others to be peaceful and avoid conflict.

The Indolent Hallow

When you are bonded to, and in contact with, this item, any sense of urgency you are experiencing fades. You find it much easier to postpone any tasks you might otherwise carry out.

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Permanent titles

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 The Throne

- 1.2 Sinecures

- 1.3 Conclave

- 1.4 Other

Overview

The holders of some Imperial titles are elected to serve until death, revocation, or they wish to step down, and are not subject to yearly re-election. These are listed below. For the titles that are elected yearly on a rolling schedule please refer to the titles by season page. Between these two pages all imperial titles should be listed. For the name of who holds each imperial position please refer to the current imperial titles page.

The Throne

The Empress is the most powerful political position in the Empire. Any Imperial citizen may seek election to The Throne but appointment requires a constitutional vote by the Imperial Senate.

Sinecures

Sinecures are traditionally appointed for life and can be appointed nationally. This list includes all sinecures which have been created via motions passed by the Senate. The holder of each position can be found via the recent history page, once construction has been completed and an appointment made.

- Guardian of Britta's Shrine

- Keeper of the Memorial Gardens of Treji

- Keeper of the Spice Gardens

- Spider's Tollkeep

- The Dredgemaster of Feverwater

- The Academy Religious Studies

- The Starlight Drift of Shimmering Snow

- Custodian of Sylvihrafyn

- Curator of the Bastion Museum

- Keeper of The Glorious Fountain of Dusk and Dawn

Conclave

The appointment, replacement or removal of a Conclave position is made by the declaration of candidacy

- Archmage

- Dean of the Lyceum

- Imperial Magus

Other

- Speaker for the Senate

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Permion

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

Permion, the Lawmaker, was recognised as an Exemplar of Courage by the Highborn Assembly of the Virtuous following his martydom.

Faced with a wicked and corrupt Patrician’s Council, Permion was spurred to stand up to their evil ways, up to and including dissolving the Council. He then empowered the Assembly of the Virtuous in its place. Permion’s martyrdom inspired the Chapters to overthrow the Patrician forces and ensured his place in history as an Exemplar of Courage.

Biography

Signs

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Permit dredging of Feverwater

Meryl of Navarr to be given permission to scout then dredge for materials in Feverwater.

Proposed by Therunin, seconded by Miaren.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Production

- 6 Note

Overview

- Attempt to dredge the Feverwater, a lake partially in Therunin using riverboats

- Passed by 26 votes to 1.

Date

- Passed Summer 377YE (Event Three 2013).

Cost

- At least 10+ Weirwood - difficult to estimate.

Progress

- 13 wains of Weirwood paid by Merel, of the Pathfinders of Therunin, Navarr after the Spring Equinox.

Production

- None expected. The dredging of the Feverwater has produced some small wealth in crafting materials at a reasonable rate, producing 4 each season. This is considered to be a Navarr National position, and as such voted on by the Navarr Senators.

Note

- Brass Coast citizens use mundane nets to dredge the Scorrero, no magical netting techniques are known to the civil service.

- The Feverwater is known to be inhabited by swamp monsters which are likely to kill many Imperial Citizens attempting this.

- It seems conceptually possible that the apparent madness of this action may cause the Druj forces active in the area to under-estimate the Empire in some unpredictable way.

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Phaleron

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Day

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

- 2 The Chief Attendants

Eternal of Day

Sobriquets

Phaleron is a location, and perhaps also an Eternal. It is usually called The Great Library.

Occasionally it is called the Vault of Phaleron, The Archives of Silence or The Coral Library. Parts of the Library are built on the great floating islands that hang in the sky of the Realm of Day, and the entire structure is said to be lit with a sourceless effulgence, both of which have earned it the epithet The Celestial Library.

The Eternals and Heralds that serve there are universally called the Attendants; they are quick to correct someone who refers to them as Librarians; they attend Phaleron, so they are attendants.

Appearance

The library is said to be an immense structure built across hundreds of islands of coral and white marble. Stairs and bridges connect the lower levels to the higher levels, and some of the levels are underwater. Parts of the library are isolated entirely from others, reached through shimmering white-coral archways filled with coiling silver mist that transport an attendant across vast distances in the blink of an eye. Some scholars theorize that parts of the Great Library may be in the material Realm itself, and some enchanters who have visited the regio of Day say they have found chambers that appeared to be of white coral, full of scribes or row upon row of scrolls and books.

The attendants refer to the library as if it is alive, and most scholars agree that Phaleron appears to be an Eternal although how it can be both an Eternal and a building is not clear. Sometimes the context is different; some attendants seem to have implied that Phaleron is the name for the knowledge stored in the library, rather than the building itself, although this is even harder to understand. When asked directly, the attendants tend to shrug, and say that Phaleron is what it is and that it's nature is impossible to encompass in language (which seems to be an evasion, rather than an answer, and leaves some magicians very suspicious indeed).

Those attendants who deal directly with mortals tend to appear as merrow in robes, usually with a book chained to their wrist or a series of scrolls sealed and locked to the waist. These books and scrolls apparently record the books and other works and the parts of the library that the attendant is permitted to access. Chains and locks are a common element of the costume or regalia of the attendants and the Heralds that the library sends out into the mortal world.

Concerns

The goal of the Great Library of Phaleron is simple; it seeks to record and contain all knowledge in Creation. At the point where everything is known, everything will be understood. When this happens, the Library will open its doors and all creatures will be free to partake of the perfect knowledge it contains. Unfortunately, this goal does not seem to be any closer than it was when mortals first encountered the attendants. Some of them appear to recognise this, others appear to live in complete denial, confident that soon their work will be done.

The Library is not especially interested in sharing this knowledge, at least not until it is complete. A partial archive would be misleading, some attendants claim. Others mutter darkly about the dangers of letting incomplete knowledge fall into the wrong hands, or the danger posed by thieves or those who wish to exploit knowledge for their own ends. Consequently, the library is very much a place where knowledge is stored, not where it is used or shared.

The library places greater value on works of fact than works of fiction, but is known to collect both. The ritual The Celestial Library is a common method for magicians to give a tome or scroll to the Library, but Heralds and Attendants alike are always on the look-out for new works that will expand the sum-total of knowledge held in the achive.

On occasion, items have been stolen from the Great Library. The Attendants wish to see thieves hunted down and annihilated, and will offer favours for the return of any work stolen from them, no matter how trivial. They are said to be entirely implacable in their pursuit; once something is part of the Library, it is part of the Libary forever.

Boons

Occasionally, the Attendants will allow a mortal access to information held in the library. If it has been written down in a book, scroll or pamphlet there is a good chance the attendants will either have that information or know where it may be found. In addition to scrolls and books they have great stores of historical records, letters, journals and the like. Gaining access to that information can prove tricky, however. The attendants can be persuaded to copy information from the library, but once a tome has been submitted it is never available to outsiders to read at their leisure; there will be plenty of time for that when the collection is complete.

The price to gain information from the library varies, and is very hard to predict. An attendant once required a small fortune in ambergelt to allow a Troubadour access to a copy of a love-poem written by Cien, while another traded an annotated copy of the Revelatory Light of the Empyrean Spheres ritual variant devised to Emperor Nicovar in return for a mathematical treatise by an obscure League philosopher. Once the price is set it is non-negotiable.

Rarely an Attendant offers a favour; these favours are usually written on a thin sheet of ivory, and entitle the bearer to request a single piece of written information from any work to which the Attendant has access. Any attendant will honour one of these favours, and no additional price can be charged.

As well as written works, the attendants at the library seem to desire weltsilver and ambergelt for some reason. In addition to information, they can also provide tokens or incantations that support rituals of Day, especially those that deal with divination, protection or immobility.

The Chief Attendants

There are five Attendants who have especial interest in the Empire and its works. They have been encountered on numerous occasions, and are regarded as representatives of the Library. Each has a different area of specific concern. Briefly, they are:

- Elioe (interested in poetry, stories and legends; a special interest in Dawn and the Winterfolk)

- Lioc (interested in historical records of the Empire and its nations; a special interest in the Navarr)

- Pollaman (interested in religion; has a special interest in the Highborn and the Imperial Orcs)

- Arannia (interested in astronomy, mathematics and philosophy; has a special interest in The League)

- Melchiore (interested in magic; has a special interest in the Freeborn and people of Varushka)

As with the other attendants, they tend to appear as high-lineage merrow, and when meeting with magicians are known to adopt the dress of scholars from the nations that interest them.

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Phial of the Sun

Description

The first phials of the sun hailed from beyond the borders of the Empire. They were initially used by the healers and physicians of the Brass Coast, who eventually traded with foreigners for the secret of their manufacture. They normally appear as a small golden or amberglass flask, usually marked with the symbol of the radiant sun, containing a crimson liquid like red wine. Crafting the phial is a painstaking procedure, requiring an incredible amount of attention to detail and an extremely steady hand. The inner core of the phial must be carefully blown and shaped, and any error in the preparation of the glass or the process of blowing it renders it useless.

For many years it was mistakenly believed that the liquid itself was the source of the phial's magic, and some unscrupulous physicians played on this misconception to charge their patients exorbitant prices for it's use. Eventually a Freeborn physician named Alessandra i Xavir i Guerra made it her mission to point out that the juice held in the phial is simple water and the juice of any number of fruit; that the transformative and healing magic came from the phial, not the liquid within it. As long as the physician ensures that there is at least a little liquid in the phial, it can be used once a day for as long as the enchantment lasts.

Rules

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of a tool.

- Requirements: You must have the Physick skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day when you use the physick skill you can decant some of the juice from this phial and use it as if it were any one herb. An apothecary cannot use this juice when creating a potion.

- Materials: Crafting a phial of the sun requires three ingots of weltsilver, three measures of ambergelt and two measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

White fire lanced through Guy DuBrecht's mind, dragging him rudely back to a world of anguish. His ragged cries of pain subsided into shallow and rapid gasps for air. The world swayed drunkenly and stars danced across his vision. Nausea seized him and he rolled onto his side, retching the contents of his stomach into the muddy puddle in which he lay.

"Huh. Still alive then?"

The speaker unslung a patchwork leather shoulder bag and rested it against the bole of the tree behind Guy's head before crouching down in the puddle with the fallen knight. He was an orc, dressed in a war-skirt of woven leather straps under a tattered chain shirt two sizes too large. A thick metal studded belt cinched in the chainmail and was festooned with pouches and bags of numerous shapes and sizes. A wickedly-curved axe hung from a baldric at his side and Guy noted that the handle was worn but the blade had a keen edge.

The orc's face was weathered and beaten, even for one of his species. A myriad of small, painted animal bones pierced his skin and the remaining areas were decorated in ritual scarification runes.

A shaman, thought Guy, and a veteran at that.

"Saw you charging at Mal Drak back there." the orc grunted as he retrieved a short staff from his shoulder bag. "What were you thinking, charging straight at him like that? You moon-touched, boy?"

Guy tried to answer but when he worked his mouth it felt like someone had packed it with cotton balls. His tongue was swollen and dry. He was thirsty. By the Emperor was he thirsty.

"He didn't become the warlord of the entire Shattered Bone tribe because of his pleasant disposition, if you know what I mean.", continued the orc as he unstoppered a water flask and put it to the knight's mouth. "Just a little. You've lost a lot of blood."

Guy worked the water around his lips but it did little to abate his craving thirst. When he spoke, his speech came out harsh and slurred. "Have to kill. Kill with Head-taker." Guy glanced over at the two-handed sword next to him, half buried in the muck of the battlefield and splattered with gore.

"Ah, I see. Test of Mettle is it?" asked the orc as he withdrew a couple of red clay flasks from a pouch and set them to one side. Guy grunted his assent and gazed upwards. The sky was a blend of grey-slate and white clouds that appeared to drift by at different speeds. There were some small specks in the distance that were probably birds but they were too far away to discern the breed. He wondered if any of them were hunting falcons. Guy had always loved hunting with his trained falcons. His favourite was named Zephyr and she could glide upon the breeze for hours, just drifting there in the sky.

"Hey! Stay with me, warrior." shouted the orc, slapping his cheek with a rough hand.

Damn his bones, thought Guy. All he wanted to do was sleep. Why did this ruddy orc keep disturbing him?

"So, you're going to slay Mal Drak, are you? Well, you aren't going to slay anything with your arm hanging off and pissing claret all over the place. So let's see what we can do about that." The orc put one hand against Guy's shoulder and forced a short length of wood into his mouth. "Bite down on this and hold as still as you can 'cause this is going to hurt. A lot."

The orc took out a battered-looking yellow flask and a wad of gauze. He started mumbling something but it all distorted into incoherent babbling. He poured seven drops of red liquid onto the gauze, and Guy marvelled at the way it seems to sparkle, as if it was the only colour he could see. He held it against Guy's tattered arm with his free hand and pressed down. Intense pain flared afresh in Guy's arm but he clamped down on the wooden bit and stifled his screams. The orc quickly wrapped strips of linen around the limb, over the poultice, holding it in place, keeping up a constant pressure.

As the initial wave of agony receded, Guy stared down at his arm. The plate armour had been sundered by a mighty blow that had hewed his flesh and splintered the bone within. The pain had receded, a gentle warmth spreading through his shoulder and down his arm. Gingerly he lifted it, rotated it. There was a twinge, but it was otherwise as good as new.

"A good wound like that deserves to leave a scar." said the shaman, nodding to himself. "There's a story to tell there. You can impress your friends with it later. Here, drink these for good measure.", he said, thrusting the two small vials towards the knight.

Guy flexed his arm and did as he was told, downing the foul smelling potions in quick, successive gulps. Strength and warmth coursed through his body as his vigour returned. He drew in a deep breath and revelled in the sensation of his restored energy. Quickly, he raised himself from the muck and retrieved his beloved sword, removing the worst of the filth with a deft flick of the blade. The shaman watched him while carefully re-wrapping his dull yellow flask in a length of stained linen before stowing it in his shoulder bag.

The knight drew himself to attention and cleared his throat before bowing to the shaman. "I am Guy DuBrecht, Knight-errant of the Order of the Blue Rose and Gate-keeper of Cairn Castle. I am in your debt Healer, for you have saved my life. If you ever have need of my service I swear upon my name and order that I will come to your aid."

The orc merely grunted and waved his hand in the direction of the Empire lines. "Mal Drak moved that way with his personal bodyguard. If you are fast you may be able to catch him." He returned the empty potion bottles to one of his myriad containers before retrieving a runed-staff that was resting against the tree.

"Tell me," asked the shaman, "why did you charge straight at the Warlord like that? I was watching. You had the opportunity to attack from the flank but instead you ran straight at him, sword waving over your head and bellowing like a Varushkan bull in heat. What possessed you to be so foolish?"

"As my test of mettle I am sworn to slay an orc warlord upon the field of battle." said Guy testily, his cheeks reddening. "That orc filth will die by my hand. I wanted my brothers-in-arms to witness the glory of my impending victory. I was..."

"Hmm, well." tutted the orc, cutting him off midsentence, "We both know how that turned out. Your words are born of Ambition boy, and while the flames of ambition can lead to great things there are a lot of dead heroes out there for whom it burns with a cold, dim light. You'd do well to remember that."

The orc slung his bag over his shoulder and started moving off. "Wisdom is a blade that cuts as deeply as any sword, boy. Use your head and maybe, when next we meet, you can impress me with deeds of glory using words born of Pride."

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Philtres of the High Peaks

It should come as little surprise that the philtres of the high peaks were first codified by the Urizen, but the original recipes themselves date back to the time of Terunael. The Urizen refined and developed them over the course of several centuries, improving their potency and efficiency, and by the time they joined the Empire the preparations were in the form they exist today.

These potions restore personal mana. They will not give a character personal mana if they do not already possess it, and they will not raise personal mana above the maximum set by skills and crafted items.

Contents

- 1 Mageblood

- 2 The Philtre of Heavenly Lore

- 3 Tisane of the Stuttering Fool

- 4 The Elixir of Empyrean Art

Mageblood

This thick red liquid visibly contains finely-chopped particulate and has a slightly salty taste; all factors that contribute to it's common name. The fact that the philtre has proved to be most popular with magicians who focus on healing spells has only helped to reinforce this naming convention, to the point where the original Urizen name - The Philtre of Celestial Excellence has fallen out of use except among the most traditionally minded.

- Form: Liquid

- Description: This red liquid contains tiny particles of pale material suspended within it. It is very thick, and smells faintly of copper. A tiny droplet on your tongue reveals it to have a surprisingly salty flavour.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel an urge to gaze in wonder at the world around you for a few moments.

- Mechanical Effects: You regain up to 2 points of spent personal mana. If you do not have personal mana, the preparation has no effect.

- Recipe: one dram True Vervain and one dram Imperial Roseweald.

The Philtre of Heavenly Lore

This startling violet elixir is likened in Urizen poetry to the sky at night. Some metaphorically minded apothecaries - especially in the Brass Coast and the League - include tiny shavings of pure gold, silver or platinum as part of their brewing process to enhance this stellar connection. Doing so achieves little more than raising the price of the resulting mixture, however.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This thin liquid has a startlingly violet hue. It smells faintly medicinal, like cough syrup. A tiny droplet of this oily fluid on your tongue reveals it to have a tangy, citrus flavour.

- Roleplaying Effects:You feel a strong urge to gather magical power, items and knowledge.

- Mechanical Effects: You regain up to 5 points of personal mana. If you do not have personal mana, this preparation has no effect.

- Recipe: Two drams each of Imperial Roseweald and Bladeroot, and one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine.

Tisane of the Stuttering Fool

This pale green, mildly narcotic liquid is sometimes called Thresher's Tea. It depletes the personal mana reserves of a magician who drinks it,leaving them unable to cast spells. It can sometimes be given to a magician unawares, but is more often fed to them directly as part of a punishment - it is common to give this herbal tea to a criminal who might possess dangerous magical powers.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This pale green liquid clings viscously to the inside of the container when you shake it. It smells strongly of spice and summer flowers. A droplet on your finger or tongue causes the tip to tingle, almost expectantly.

- Roleplaying Effects: You are confused, unable to concentrate properly or focus your thoughts for at least the next ten minutes.

- Mechanical Effects: If you have any personal mana, you immediately lose it all. You can regain personal mana normally.

- Recipe: Two drams of Cerulean Mazzarine and one dram each of Marrowort and True Vervain.

The Elixir of Empyrean Art

This silvery elixir is effervescent, and may sparkle occasionally when exposed to natural light. It is quite rare and much sought after. The apothecary dissolves a small amount of the star metal ilium in a potent herbal solvent that is then stabilized with Cerulean Mazzarine. The greater the store of personal mana possessed by the magician who drinks it, the more powerful the effect.

The first elixir of Empyrean art was given as gift by Callidius of Wealdawn in an attempt to secure the affections of Tybalt of Magvillius. Their slow, fifteen year courtship during which the pair exchanged clever gifts at each equinox and solstice is still a subject for the restrained romantic poetry of the Urizen. At the wedding, Callidius made a gift of the secret of preparing this potion to each of the assembled guests, an act of Wisdom and Prosperity that, after his death, lead to calls for him to be recognised as an Exemplar.

Some circumstantial evidence exists to suggest this elixir is addictive. The ingredients themselves have no such properties, but the well-read physick Noach von Holberg suggested that the desire to drink more elixir came from the magician, not the potion itself. To date, few magicians have been rich enough to afford enough draughts of the elixir for this craving - if it exists - to become a problem.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This silvery liquid is filled with tiny bubbles. If you shake the container it effervesces energetically and seems to sparkle like polished glass. It has no aroma but tasting it makes your tongue tingle almost expectantly.

- Roleplaying Effects: You are filled with almost painful amounts of magical power. As long as you have personal mana remaining, you feel a strong urge to perform magic as often as possible. When the effects wear off, you feel a vague urge to sample them again.

- Mechanical Effects: You regain all your spent personal mana, and gain an additional 2 points of temporary personal mana. These temporary points are the first ones spent when you spend personal mana. If you have not used these temporary points within half an hour, they are lost. If you do not have persomal mana, this preparation has no effect.

- Recipe: Three drams of Bladeroot, two drams each of Imperial Roseweald and Cerulean Mazzarine, one dram of True Vervain and a single ring of ilium.

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Philtres of War

The philtres of war are popular with soldiers and warriors throughout the Empire. They invigorate personal reserves and strengthen the body, as well as helping to focus the will.

These potions restore spent hero points; they will not give a character hero points if they do not already possess them.

Contents

- 1 Philtre of Strength

- 2 Bannerman's Honey

- 3 Elixir of Exalted Puissance

- 4 Tincture of the Whipped Cur

Philtre of Strength

In old wives' tales, the philtre of strengh allows someone to perform supernatural feets of strength, endurance or inspiration. In actuality, they can only bring out what is already present. Tinged with blue, this translucent potion restores reserves of strength. It is popular with fighting men and women throughout the Empire, granting them the ability to push themselves well beyond natural limits. It is especially valuable to those with smaller reserves of personal power, letting them go to more heroic lengths to achieve their goals than they might otherwise attain.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This translucent liquid has a faint blue tinge. It has a rich, spicy scent, but a tiny droplet on your tongue discovers it to have a surprisingly sweet flavour.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel all your cares and worries fall away; you feel a strong urge to shout, bellow or sing something as you are suddenly invigorated.

- Mechanical Effects: You regain one spent hero point. If you have no hero points this potion has no effect.

- Recipe: Two drams of True Vervain and one dram of Bladeroot.

Bannerman's Honey

This potent elixir strengthens the flagging spirits of the battered knight-errant, and gives renewed vigour to the bard or the bannerman. It is a thick, syrupy potion with a deep amber glow that tastes extremely sweet - but not unpleasantly so.

Legends say that the first draught of Bannerman's Honey was brewed with honey tricked from an Eternal Lord of Summer by a Suaq Icewalker. Small amounts of that original, wondrous honey are said to still be hidden in Sermersuaq in tiny clay pots, cached for safekeeping then lost when the nameless Icewalker met his end at the hands of the slighted Lord's vengeful heralds. Any apothecary who could find a supply of this honey could probably use it to brew this potion more effectively.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This deep amber syrup clings viscously to the inside of the container, and when it catches the light it seems to glow. It smells sweet, and a sticky droplet on your tongue reveals it to have the sweet flavour of fine honey.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel a burst of renewed energy, and an urge to act immediately in pursuit of your goals. You also feel a strong urge to share your confidence with, and raise the morale of, your allies - to inspire others to follow your lead.

- Mechanical Effects: You regain three spent hero points. If you have no hero points this potion has no effect.

- Recipe: Three drams of True Vervain, two drams each of Imperial Roseweald and Bladeroot and one dram of Marrowort.

Elixir of Exalted Puissance

This effervescent deep-green elixir is very rare and consequently much sought after. The apothecary dissolves a small amount of the star metal ilium in a powerful herbal concoction to create a truly magical preparation. The deeper the reserves of personal power the drinker has, the more powerful the effect - there are stories of bottles of this miraculous elixir being handed down as heirlooms by noble houses in Dawn, successive generations refusing to drink the potion unless they are facing a challenge greater than that faced during the previous generation when the potion was not touched.

The first elixir of exalted puissance was allegedly formulated in Urizen by Coriana of Sunspire, the eldest daughter and heir of the legendary apothecary Callidius of Wealdawn. There are some very basic similarities between this elixir and the Elixir of Empyrean Art, but mostly in the way it incorporates Ilium as a source of energy. On the day of her marriage to Ector of Damokan's Forge she gifted a copy of her recipe to the Sentinels of each of the major citadels in Urizen. By the time Urizen joined the Empire in the reign of Giovanni the Peacemaker, the elixir was already in use by the other Imperial nations.

In the League this elixir is sometimes called Rosalinde's Reversal after the Sarvosan mercenary captain who used it to great effect to battle two armies of barbarians in the same day, inspiring her troops with her irrepressible spirit and besting not one but two orcish chieftains in personal combat.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This deep green liquid is filled with tiny bubbles; if you shake the container it effervesces energetically. It smells strongly of mint, and a tiny droplet on your finger or tongue causes the tip to tingle almost expectantly.

- Roleplaying Effects: You are filled with a sensation of immense confidence and belief in your own abilities. You want to demonstrate your prowess to everyone.

- Mechanical Effects: You regain all your spent hero points, and gain an additional temporary hero point. This temporary point is the first one spent when you spend hero points. If you have not used this temporary hero point within half an hour, it is lost. If you do not have hero points, this preparation has no effect.

- Recipe: Three drams of Imperial Roseweald, two drams each of True Vervain and Bladeroot, a dram of Marrowort and a single ring of Ilium.

Tincture of the Whipped Cur

This sinister poison causes weakness and enervation. It robs the victim of the strength to deliver powerful blows, and saps the will to fight. Possession of the tincture is not technically illegal in the Empire, but in the past its possession during the quarterly summits at Anvil has been recognised as supporting evidence of intent during trials for treason.

As with several poisons, the tincture of the whipped cur has a mixed history in the Empire. For every treachery - such as when the three children of Maud, Steward of Wayford used it to weaken their mother before murdering the doughty warrior - there is a story of its use in service to the Empire. When the corrupted boyar Jicov the Hungry and his Schlacta were preparing to offer the citizens of their vale to an unspeakable Sovereign in Karsk, a brave servant aided the Wardens by convincing the boyar and his soldiers to drink a glass of this preparation in the belief it would grant them great potence before their celebratory feast. Without it, the Boyar and his men would have slaughtered all opposition, and set in motion events too horrible to contemplate.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This amber syrup clings viscously to the inside of the container, and when it catches the light it glistens like fine oil. It smells very sweet, but a sticky droplet on your tongue reveals it to have a surprisingly bitter flavour.

- Roleplaying Effects: You are filled with self-doubt and uncertainty for at least ten minutes.

- Mechanical Effects: You immediately lose all your hero points. You can regain hero points normally.

- Recipe: Two drams of Bladeroot and one dram each of Cerulean Mazzarine and Marrowort.

Sir Amaryl pulled the tiny bottle, hollowed from a single piece of amber, from his pocket. He weighed it in his hand for a moment as he tried to judge how bad the situation was. Two of his brother-knights were down and bleeding, a third was being aided by Lord Bohemond, but did not look good. On the other hand one of the ogres was lying on its side, clearly bleeding to death, while Sir Marthe and Sir Leopold harried the others with withering steel.

Yet through the trees he could make out two more ogres and at least a dozen more orcs, one of them with the pale skin that marked her out as almost certainly either a shaman or a veteran warrior. Sir Marthe was clearly keeping herself on her feet through force of will alone, her shield hung battered and broken at her side and the arm beneath at least as broken. Lord Bohemond looked drawn, his reserves of magic clearly depleted as he feverishly attended to Sir Marthe's shattered leg. Sir Leopold was drenched in blood, and only some of it had come out of the dying ogre.

"Is this the time?" he wondered.

As if sensing his uncertainty - or more likely responding to the motion of taking it from his pouch - the elixir in the amber bottle began to bubble gently. "Is this a more dire situation than when my uncle faced the water-drake at Perinore? More dreadful than the siege of East Bower in the time of Earl Heshelton? Will two ogres and a dozen orcs overwhelm the House of Ceramore where the curse of the Witchwater failed?"

Before he could decide a pair of red-painted Navarr in blood-soaked leather exploded from the trees to the right, taking the surviving ogre in the flank. Behind them he heard a horn blowing, and knew that Mfanwy and the Thorns of the Seventh Day had finally reached their position.

As he ran across the glade he slipped the elixir back into his pocket, and drew his other sword. While he was still weary, the arrival of his allies had given him renewed vigour. As he leapt into the fray, the young knight spared a moment to consider how close he had come to wasting the precious philtre; perhaps in a generation's time his own daughter would face a similar hard choice - assuming she passed her Test of Mettle, of course.

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Phlegmatic Staff

Description

The Phlegmatic Staff taps upon the power of the Realm of Winter to guide the bearer to a greater understanding of the leaching of power that is involved in ritual magic. These arcane implements are employed throughout the Empire to fortify the abilities of Winter ritualists.

It is usual to see such an implement engraved with Naeve, the Rune of Hunger or Irremais, the Rune of Wisdom.

The staff of the Archmage of Winter is a version of the phlegmatic staff crafted to a secret pattern, and grants twice as much power to the wielder.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a ritual stave.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Gain 1 rank of Winter Lore.

- Materials: Crafting a Phlegmatic Staff requires the nine ingots of green iron, fourteen measures of beggar's lye and twenty measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Piercing Light of Revelation

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual may target any single creature, item or effect that is present throughout. It may target any enchantment on a resource, region or territory within the Empire if performed using the Anvil regio. It may target any enchantment on a resource, region or territory outside the Empire with the use of a strong Day regio in the same region or territory.

Effects

This ritual pierces and drives away obfuscation and deception. It has a number of functions.

- It opens a night pouch. The night pouch is destroyed in the process.

- It will allow an enchanted night pouch created with the Secrets for the Shadow Courier ritual to be opened provided that Piercing Light of Revelation is performed at a magnitude equal to or greater than that ritual. The pouch is destroyed in the process.

- It will permanently remove the enchantment created by any obfuscation or concealment created by a Night ritual provided that Piercing Light of Revelation is performed at a magnitude at least twice that of the target enchantment.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual in order to pierce more powerful rituals of concealment.

Description

This ritual is primarily used for forcing open night pouches. It is quite effective at overcoming the magic of an incantation, but finds it harder to force open the more durable pouches created by Secrets for the Shadow Courier. The ritual will also destroy the effects of more powerful rituals that create concealing or obfuscating enchantments, but the ritual must be performed with overpowering strength - the magnitude must be double that of the target ritual, or the Piercing Light of Revelation fails.

In most cases, the Piercing Light of Revelation is used for destroying night pouches; it is rarely as effective to remove a concealing enchantment as it is to simply force one's way past it using a divination. Exceptions exist - rituals that create durable concealments are generally only pierced by divination for a short time, and there are some such as Vale of Shadows that need to be removed before the target resource can be conquered..

Common Elements

This ritual often includes some combination of fire, light, mirrors and the rune Ophis, representing the evocation of overpowering might.

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Pilgrim's Shield

Description

Tiny amounts of dragonbone are used in the creation of these shields, often mixed with an abrasive and used to shape the materials or polish the finished item. They are time consuming items to craft, requiring great attention to detail, and are usually shaped for a specific owner who is often asked to participate in the crafting process spending time either as an assistant to the artisan, or in meditation and contemplation of the teachings of the Imperial Faith.

While a pilgrim's shield may be inscribed with a rune, usually one that is connected to a virtue, it is much more common for these items to be decorated with symbols appropriate to either a specific virtue or the way as a whole such as the labyrinth or the seven-spoked wheel.

The most well-known pilgrim's shields are the artifacts known as the Shields of the Seven Pilgrims, forged in the time of Empress Teleri by the Highborn Ezkiah the Benefactor and presented to seven heroes who exemplified the virtues of The Way. The decision about which champion would wield each shield was made by the Cardinal of the appropriate Virtue Assembly, and the bearer wielded some influence in that assembly. The shields were wielded by respected champions until they were all lost to the Druj in 367YE - a serious blow to the pride of the Imperial Synod..

Rules

- Form: shield (Talisman). You cannot make a pilgrim's shield that is a buckler.

- Effect: As long as you are dedicated or anointed, you gain an additional rank of endurance.

- Materials: Crafting a pilgrim's shield requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Legend speaks of a company of heroes known as the Seven Pilgrims who served as early champions of the Imperial faith. Each one carried a Pilgrim's Shield dedicated to one of the virtues, gifted to them by the Ezkiah the Benefactor, greatest smith of the Highborn. Individually each Pilgrim was a truly formidable combatant, but together they formed an all but unbeatable force. Many tales are told of their deeds as they scoured the Empire for weakness and corruption while protecting the innocent.

Uris of Rising Spear, the Highborn cataphract, was awarded Excelsis, the shield of Ambition for his tireless campaigning against the barbarian hordes. Never content to sit on his laurels, he was at the forefront of every battle to extend the Empire's borders, and spoke at length in the Senate about the Empire's manifest destiny to control the world.

Kaya of Thornhaven bore Torchbrand, the shield of Courage. Despite her briar heritage she proved herself to the synod through repeated acts of selfless bravery and honesty. It's said that she was so heavily scarred from her travails that thorns grew from almost every inch of her body.

Pietro the Golden, the famous Free Company captain, bore Glistering, the shield of Prosperity, won for his skills at negotiation and strategy. Richer than many Princes, he roamed the Empire in search of opportunity and challenge. It's said that as he travelled he often fostered and trained orphans, many of whom later became notable generals or guild-masters in their own right.

Sir Hugh Brocking (also known as the Peacock of Astolat), bore Ajax, the shield of Pride. Although accused of being vain, his accomplishments as a poet, author, swordsman and lover were legendary. It is said that when the famous bard, Myria of Saus, tried to record his life story she ran out of paper after filling every sheet of parchment in city, and had to leave the task unfinished.

Leia the Hawk bore Bawn-Watch, the shield of Vigilance. A Navarri, she came to Ezkiah's attention for her duties escorting priests too and from the most isolated steadings standing watch over the Vallorn. Her sharp eyes and ears saved many holy men and women from bandits and kept the flame of Imperial faith burning.

Sister Carmena the Peacemaker bore Measure, the shield of Wisdom. Her efforts brought Dawn and the Marches from the brink of bloodshed during the notorious War of the Sisters crisis. Later she helped write several texts on the lives of the Exemplars that are still regarded as definitive.

Drumlin the Sworn bore Oath-Heart, the shield of Loyalty. Thrice-geased, he swore to serve the other Pilgrims for the rest of his life, and the doubty Wintermarker more than proved his worth through hard-headed practicality and mulish stubbornness. It is said that he bound the Seven together with both words and magic.

Over the centuries the shields were passed down from champion to champion, each bearer choosing the next whenever possible, or the priests of the virtue selecting a new bearer when circumstance conspired to prevent an orderly line of inheritance.

At the battle of Reikos in 367 YE the Seven Pilgrims of the day charged an entire enemy army on their own, allowing the outmatched Imperial forces time to quit the field in good order. The fate of their shields is unknown, although rumours continue to circulate of their appearance in the hands of the barbarians. To add to the confusion, many other Pilgrim's Shields have been given these names through the centuries, either as sincere emulation or a ruthless attempt to drive up the price.

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Pit-fights

Pit fighting is an important part of Imperial Orc culture that dates back to the time of their enslavement. Most orcs enjoy fighting, they enjoy watching it and they enjoy participating in much the same way a citizen of the Marches might enjoy a ball game. Battle is a spiritual experience for many, allowing them to draw closer to their ancestors but at a practical level they find blowing off steam by fighting helps them to maintain their cool at other times. As much as orcs enjoy fighting, Imperial Orcs know that there is a time and a place for everything, hotheads who want to settle everything with weapons are routinely told to "take it to the pits".

As slaves it was rare for the Imperial Orcs to be allowed opportunities to fight. Fighting skills are rarely considered an advantage for a slave and few Imperial citizens were interested in allowing their slaves to harm each other. As a result it was common for orcs to fight secretly after work shifts were completed, which often meant in fighting in the small cells or pits that were often used to house slaves. Such fights were rarely fatal, a death would bring collective punishment for those who survived, but murder is not the point of a pit-fight, it is about experiencing the thrill of battle and the joy of pushing yourself to the physical limit. The tradition of pit-fighting was born of these secret bouts.

Some orc slaves were allowed to fight, indeed some were forced to. Prize fights were often bet on in the League, but such encounters were usually staged or rigged, the outcome was determined in advance. In the minds of most orcs, this profanes what should be a spiritual experience, cheapening it and robbing it of its primal glory. As a result, a considerable taboo against betting on pit-fights remains amongst Imperial Orcs. To bet on someone in a pit-fight suggests you think you own the fighter and have the right to gain from their victory - it still happens but those involved are usually careful to be discreet about what they doing.

There is a taboo against betting on the outcome, but none against screaming your support for friends or members of your legion. A good pit-fight is one that leaves the audience feeling like they have been in the pit themselves, their voice hoarse from shouting, their feet sore from drumming the floor. The brutal energy of the pit-fight helps the fighters push themselves to their limits, but it is also what draws the attention of the ancestors and brings them close enough that the orcs can hear their words. Without the encouragement of the onlookers, the entire experience would be as soulless as a League duel and as dull as a Marcher morality play, for the orcs it would be without purpose.

While it is uncommon, there is no taboo against other Imperial citizens participating in a pit fight. Testing one's mettle against an Orc champion, especially a professional pit fighter is most common among Dawnish nobles seeking glory and the more open-minded Highborn looking for a fresh competition in which to test themselves.

Pit-fights are rarely held in pits in longer, since it makes harder for a large audience to see what is happening. Imperial Orcs still like to preserve the claustrophobic feel of the original pit fights, so they usually take place in a purpose built cage of some kind. There are few rules, fights usually end when one participant "has no fight left in them". Participants arm and armour themselves as they see fit, fighting unarmed has a tendency to remind older Imperial Orcs of the days when they were forbidden to use weapons. Provided there are chirurgeons on hand to tend the wounds and nobody dies, the matter is completely legal according to Imperial Law.

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Plaguewulf

A plaguewulf is a supernatural predator found in parts of Varushka. They are greatly feared, and their appearance is a cause for great alarm in Varushkan settlements. Technically they are Wolves, but as with the Mora they more practically occupy a middle-ground between Wolf and Sovereign.

They are intelligent, and seem in some way to feast on the death of living creatures - while their subject husks devour the meat of the dead, the plaguewulf is said to sustains itself on the 'last breath' of a dying creature. While they can feed on the terrified deaths of animals, they much prefer to drink the life-breath of humans and orcs. They do not need to physically suck the breath from a victim (although they are seen doing so on occasion); rather than seem to be able to suck the essence out of the air itself.

Plagewulf's are doubly dangerous because they are never encountered alone; they are always surrounded by the flesh-hungry husks their sickening powers have created as servants and soldiers.

While they are predominantly encountered in Varushka, there are some unreliable stories suggesting similar creatures might exist in other parts of the world. There are tales from the deserts of Xira of a similar sounding creature whose breath desiccates living flesh; they are said to feast on the fluids of the body in the same way the plaguewulf feasts on the breath. There are also stories from the distant Sumaah Republic of jaguar-like beasts that eat the skin of the living. It is not clear whether these creatures (if they exist) are related to the plaguewulf or, as is more likely, are entirely different supernatural predators unrelated to the plaguewulf.

Contents

- 1 Appearance

- 2 Plaguewulf Capabilities

- 2.1 Weakness

- 3 Culture and Customs

- 4 Plaguewulfs in Play

- 5 Elder Plaguewulfs

Appearance

These hulking beasts are furred humanoids with the features of predatory animals. Most commonly they have wolf-like muzzles and features, although versions with rat-like or bear-like details have occasionally been seen. As intelligent predators, they sometimes use weapons, armour or other tools, and there is at least one story of a plaguewulf that wielded an enchanted scythe which it used to cut down it's opponents before devouring their life. Plaguewulfs are larger than human-sized opponents, which makes them even more tricky to face in combat.

Plaguewulf Capabilities

A Plaguewulf is almost never encountered alone; rather they are surrounded by a pack of shambling, flesh-hungry husks that appear to be largely under their control. The plaguewulf creates more husks through the use of it's horrible pestilential breath - a living being caught in the exhalations of a plaguewulf is envenomed and the flame of their life is snuffed out by any serious illness. Still worse, shortly after their death the victim rises up as an abominable horror that preys on the living. Some scholars suggest that the effects of Virus Lunarae are modeled on or somehow derived from the effect of plaguewulf breath. Plaguewulfs are said to be able to use their baleful spittle to create subject husks from freshly dead bodies (even if the bodies have been buried for a few days), but this is much more time consuming.

No husk, even one from created by a ritual such as Quickening Cold Meat will attack a plaguewulf, and they seem to have the ability to exert dominance over many such creatures giving them their less-common sobriquet of Wulfkings.

In addition to their venomous exhalation, the plaguewulf is known to possess great reserves of healing energy which it sometimes shares with it's husk minions. When physically challenged, it can strike mighty blows with it's claws that rend limbs or send human opponents sprawling.

An area where a plaguewulf has laired for an extended period of time tends to acquire an aura of sickness, lethargy and creeping despair. This makes facing the creatures in their den's doubly difficult. In rare cases where the den has also been a regio this aura of despair has been even more powerful.

Weakness

Plaguewulfs cannot abide the touch of fresh, pure water especially running water such as that found in rivers and large streams. The fresher and purer the water, and the faster it flows, the more they hate it. This expresses itself most clearly in a reluctance to cross or approach large bodies of water such as lakes or rivers - attempts to drive a plaguewulf off with buckets of water have proved tragically unsuccessful.

Conversely, they are often attracted to areas of polluted or poisoned water, especially if that water is stagnant. There is a story of a plaguewulf that entered the sewers under Temeschwar in 218YE and wreaked havoc there until a combined force of Temeschwari bravos and wardens tracked the creature to its lair and destroyed it.

It is important to note that the husks created by a plaguewulf are not impeded by water in any way.

Culture and Customs

These supernatural predators have no culture or customs as such. They are intelligent and can speak, but they are solitary monsters who rarely if ever meet up with others of their kind.

There are dark tales of individuals who have made pacts with plaguewulfs; one story tells of a bandit who worked with a plaguewulf to lure travellers into ambushes. Once the plaguewulf had feasted, the bandit looted the corpses. Another story tells of a vale who helped a plaguewulf attack and devour the life of residents of nearby villages in return for safety from the beast's rampages. In almost all such stories. the human who deals with a plaguewulf comes to a horrible end, either at the hands of the people it has betrayed or the jaws of the plaguewulf - these monsters are incapable of gratitude.

Some histories mention plaguewulfs as having fought alongside the armies of Alderei the Fair, and the Volodny are known to bargain with these hideous creatures.

All plaguewulfs are said to share a common ancestor, a Sovereign usually referred to as The Howling Queen. She is believed to slumber beneath The Razors in north-eastern Miekarova.

Plaguewulfs in Play

A Plaguewulf is capable of starting a serious infestation of husks, and often directs its forces to attack isolated settlements. The true horror of the plaguewulf is that once it starts killing humans, it's forces become larger and able to attack better defended settlements. A plaguewulf and it's forces are more than a match for a group of human soldiers, and defeating one would require the effort of a band of well-equipped and well-prepared heroes.

Plaguewulf venom can be purged by any effect that removes the venom condition, but it is important to note that once the target has been envenomed it does not matter how or when they die - if they die while under the effect of this venom, they will rise as a flesh-hungry husk within a few moments. Attempts by some creative wardens to 'pre-poison' themselves have been tragically ineffective - once exposed to the venom, it must be removed with an effect such as purify or purge or an unspeakable second existence is inevitable.

It is worth noting that plaguewulfs, while supernatural, are living creatures and not undead.

Elder Plaguewulfs

A very few encounters with plaguewulfs have been with creatures significantly more potent than the average beast (although the creatures are already rare enough that the word 'average' has little real meaning when speaking about them).. These horrors are said to possess additional supernatural powers, each unique and terrible. Three encounters are recorded in the stories of Varushka, and told and retold with significant variations:

- An Elder Plaguewulf bedevilled the people of Olodny in the first century before the formation of the Empire. Rather than exhaling pestilential breath, the venom of this creature seeped from it's skin constantly, automatically poisoning every living creature that came near it. Furthermore, it created husks not only from humans and orcs but from animals - indeed, until it was defeated by a band of wardens it decimated the fur trade in that part of Miekarova.

- An Elder Plaguewulf once assaulted all travellers moving north from Delev. The presence of this horror poisoned plants as well as animals, and anyone who ate a plant that the creature had breathed on was effected by it's horrible venom. It was burnt to death by a joint effort of schlacta and Temeschwari bravos.

- At the height of the fighting against Alderei the Fair. a pitched battle took place near Triov in Volodmartz. A single Elder Plaguewulf and two subservient plaguewulfs were said to be able to call up a stinking grey-green mist that washed across the forces opposing them in a tide of venom that spread for perhaps half a mile. The two lesser plaguewulfs were slain by forces supported with Navarr vates, but the Elder was never accounted for.

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Plot

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Skirmish Team

- 3 NPC Team

- 4 Full time Roles

- 5 Plot Writers

- 6 Costume

- 7 Make-up

Overview

Plot is the biggest department in Empire, as it incorporates all our NPCs, our plot writers and runners as well as characters like the nation bards, egregores, civil servants and magistrates and back room operations crew who work in costume and make-up. We need lots of people to help us fill out all these roles, so if you're interested in getting involved in the IC side of Empire then we're keen to talk to you.

The plot department is divided into dozens of different teams. Some crew are members of many teams, some are members of just one. Everyone who works in the plot department is expected to have a good familiarity with the campaign setting. The department is headed by Kolin Ford who is the head of plot (responsible for plot run at events) and Andy Rafferty who is the head of campaign (responsible for the ongoing campaign).

Skirmish Team

Our skirmish team are the dedicated crew whose responsibility is to bring to life the battles and skirmishes that the players choose to fight. We will be running conflicts of various size throughout the weekend with the skirmish team portraying the enemies of the Empire. It is a great role for anyone who enjoys fighting and roleplaying a character on a battlefield.

We are aiming to recruit one hundred people to our skirmish team.

NPC Team

- Playing NPCs on the field

- Playing eternals and heralds in off-field encounters

Our NPC team play the roles that have been created and written by the plot writers that happen on the field and in the Hall of Worlds. Members of the team portray minor Imperial NPCs, eternals and their heralds and representatives of other foreign powers. It is a great role for anyone who enjoys working with writers to create enjoyable plot for players.

We are looking for forty crew to play NPCs for us at the event!

Full time Roles

- In addition to our NPC team we have a number of crew who play a single NPC role throughout the weekend

- These roles perform a range of IC and OOC responsibilities.

We have a number of crew who play a single role throughout the weekend. These crew fall into one of several different teams, the bards, civil service, egregores and magistrates.

We are currently looking for more crew with musical or performing talents to play members of the bards team.

Plot Writers

- Write plot for events

- Run plot at events

It is the job of the plot writers to create the plot lines that alongside the politics of the setting will help make Empire an exciting game to play. Plot writers need to write the plot before the event. They also need to run the plot at the event, or else convince another plot writer to do it. Running plot includes briefing and debriefing NPCs and helping to get encounters ready by liaising with costume and make-up. The plot writers will work in small independent teams. Plot writers may choose to play roles or perform other responsibilities during the weekend.

Each team will be led by an individual with experience creating and running LRP plot. You don't need to have a experience to write plot, everyone has to start somewhere - but we will want our team leaders to have proven experience creating plot for LRP events. Being an Empire plot writer is a great role if you enjoy creating plot and enjoy seeing players enjoy the game you have helped create. If you have ever wanted to create plot for a big game with over a thousand players, this is your chance!

Kolin Ford is overall head of plot for Empire. Chris Edwards, Kolin Ford, Sam Sutton and Dave Young are running plot teams for Empire. We are looking to recruit at least eight independent plot teams.

Costume

- Work with the NPC and plot teams to equip and prepare any NPC encounters

- Plan new costume creation and purchase

- Sort and maintain PD's costume throughout the event

- Assist in preparing player volunteers for battles

The costume team are essential to dress NPCs and get them ready for encounters. Profound Decisions have two trucks full of costume and we are purchasing new costume all the time. The costume team use their knowledge of the costume inventory to dress NPCs for roles they are about to play, including the player volunteers for the battles. They also help them to change after an encounter and ensure used costume is put away. At the end of the event they help pack the plot room away and separate any costume that needs cleaning or repairing. The costume team also work before the events helping to plan and arrange new costume creation and purchase in preparation for upcoming plots.

Being a member of the costume team requires some skill with costume, since you need to be able to use the existing wardrobe to create an effective look for a character. It's a good role for people who enjoy working with costume and who want to help PD manage their costume wardrobe and acquire new costume.

We are looking for at least three crew to help us with the costume at events.

Make-up

- Work with the NPC and plot teams to prepare any NPCs that require make-up or prosthetics

- Plan new make-up and prosthetic creation and purchase

- Sort and maintain PD's make-up throughout the event

- Assist player volunteers before and after battles

The makeup team are essential for any roles that require make-up or prosthetics. These include orcs and characters with lineage, but they also include Eternals and their heralds. The makeup team plan complex make-up arrangements in advance so that convincing effects can be created quickly in the field. They also help player volunteers don and remove make-up before and after battles. At the end of the event they help pack the plot room away. The make-up team work before the events helping to plan and arrange new make-up and prosthetic purchase in preparation for upcoming plots.

Anyone can help with make-up, since some make-up requires only a basic colour application. More complex make-up arrangements require some skill and experience. An air-brush is available for make-up crew who know how to use it. It's a good role for people who enjoy working with make-up or prosthetics and who want to help PD produce some fantastic creatures.

We are looking for at least two more crew to help us with the makeup at events.

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Plot guidelines

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The One True Way

- 3 Empire Plot must be Responsive

- 4 Avoid Extraneous High Fantasy Elements

- 5 In Empire the Players are in Charge

- 6 Respect the Event Conventions

- 7 Don't Brief NPCs to Murder Characters

- 8 Be Careful when Tricking Players

- 9 Respect the Closed World

- 10 Plot must be fun to NPC

- 11 Don’t Subvert the Empire Rules

- 12 Avoid Ending the World

- 13 Use Limited Resources

- 14 Death is the End

Overview

For Empire we want to try and run as much plot as possible, and also to run a range of different styles of plot. We want to include plot with an emphasis on battles, intrigue, mystery, politics, morals, emotions and trade. To achieve that we want to employ several independent teams to create the plot for the events. Those teams will be encouraged to create plot in the style they like - but to a certain core framework.

This document attempts to lay out that framework. By doing this we hope that there will be the minimum possible need for editorial control by myself and Andy Raff but we can ensure that we don’t compromise quality for quantity and that we run plot that reflects the style of game we want Empire to be. The guidelines here aim to help with that.

The One True Way

I’ve been involved in writing and running plot for LRP games for over twenty years and in that time the only thing I’ve learned about the “one true way” to write plot is that it simply does not exist. Writing plot, like story-telling, is an art form. There are techniques you can explore, there are styles you can employ, experience you can gain, but there is no formula for the perfect plot - if there was we’d all have discovered it some time ago.

What there is, is a style and an approach that is appropriate for an individual game. We want to run a wide range of different types of plot for Empire, with different emphasis and focus, but they need to have a coherent style and approach. They need certain rules in common and they need to respect the flavour of the Empire setting. This document is about setting the underlying style for Empire. It is not intended as a comment on the plot run by other LRP game, other styles of plot are appropriate for other games.

This material is on our wiki, so that people who are interested in writing plot for Empire can see what style is appropriate and players can get some insight into the type of plot we intend to run. By making it public, we also make an effective commitment to stick to our own house rules... nothing is easier to ignore than the rule nobody but you knows about...

Empire Plot must be Responsive

This is the first and most important rule for all plot that writers produce for Empire. The plot must be responsive and flexible. We will not run plot in which the outcome is already determined, plot that requires players to act in a certain way or events to happen in a certain order.

Empire plot should respond naturally and easily to whatever course of action the players take. Roleplaying in Empire is fundamentally about players making choices as their characters - plot that has a predetermined outcome or requires certain actions to happen directly subverts that goal.

The key principle here is that we want the things the players choose to do have to be at the heart of what happens in Empire - not the actions of the NPCs. The responsibility of the NPCs is to challenge the players and to make their lives unpredictable and interesting but we still want the most important decisions being made in the campaign to be the ones being made by the players. For that to happen, plot has to have its outcomes determined by the players.

Avoid Extraneous High Fantasy Elements

Empire is a fantasy game and one of the goals of plot is to reflect that. However we want the game to feel as immersive and real as possible so high fantasy elements should be used sparingly and where they are essential to the plot. If a plot requires a Varushkan Sovereign who is five hundred years old then it requires that - but don’t have the Sovereign possess the body of a dragon unless that element is also essential.

When you are writing plot, check it over carefully and look at the high fantasy elements to see if they are essential to the story. It’s good to include fantasy elements, but its easy to get carried away and want every threat the players face to be the biggest, most magical, most awesome, most incredible thing ever. The magic elements of a plot should be sufficient to tell the story - don’t use an Eternal if a Herald will do. Don’t use a Sovereign if a Wolf will do. Don’t use an ancient magical heirloom when a recently crafted artisan item is sufficient.

As a writer we want to write epic stories, but as a team of writers, we can’t have a world in which every single story is epic. Clever, well-written stories that pull the heart-strings are more enjoyable for the players than a titanic struggle against a thousand year-old evil - especially if that’s the fifteenth thousand year-old evil the players have met this week.

In Empire the Players are in Charge

The player-characters are fundamentally in charge of the Empire. There are no offstage Imperial kings, queens, generals or empresses and no gods. All of these social roles are filled by PCs. There are also no secret masters secretly controlling the Empire - how could there be unless such characters were controlling the PCs? It’s fine to have an NPC who desires power, who has nefarious plans to rule the Empire - but they can only be plans at the point where the plot begins running. They can’t start out with an Imperial power base that surpasses that of the players - or indeed is formed of things that are actually under the Empire’s control (like armies).

There are entities outside the Empire whose power is equivalent to the players. There are kings and queens of foreign nations, there are chieftains of great barbarian tribes, Eternals with a court of heralds and so on. However the Empire is one of the most powerful Empires in the world - even a king or queen of a mighty foreign nation only has power equivalent to that which a player would wield if they were Emperor or Empress and in most cases less - the Empire is one of the most powerful of its kind in the world.

We want Empire to reflect the fact that the players are the most important people in the world. There are no greater heroes than them, not greater powers, no greater threats. Plot that presents foes whose power exceeds that of the players diminishes them as characters who are central to the story.

Respect the Event Conventions

The events are set in Anvil, which four times a year is the beating heart of the Empire. The Empire is a “points of light” setting; there are wide swathes of wilderness inhabited by bandits, enemy orcs and monsters. Even within its own borders, the Empire’s writ runs thin in places.

But Anvil is not one of those places! The greatest heroes of the Empire have come here to determine its fate. 30 Orcs are not going to turn up to attack Anvil, that would be as effective as muggers panhandling for small change off the leaders of the G7 summit. There is not enough money in the world to pay mercenaries to attack the camps in the most well-defended spot in the Empire. Attacking Anvil is like attacking Fort Knox while it is being defended by the Avengers and every other super-hero team ever created. If it happens, it’s a once in a campaign event, involving the army that would be required to give it a hope of succeeding.

It is ok if the players choose to murder your NPCs in the field, it is ok if they choose to murder each other. It’s ok for your NPC to oppose the players politically. But do not write plot that involves an attack on the camps by a small group of orcs or their monstrous equivalent, it damages the credibility of the entire setting.

We have deliberately chosen this style of event precisely to try and make the event area feel safe. This is not to everyone’s taste, but it is the strategy that we are using for Empire. We don’t want fights in the IC field and a significant number of our players don’t want fights there either. We want players to wander around the IC area not wearing armour, maybe not even carrying weapons. We want girding themselves for war to be part and parcel of the experience of going on skirmishes and battles - we want those fights to be exciting and dangerous. Please create your plot accordingly!

Don't Brief NPCs to Murder Characters

The Empire setting is designed to be a legal setting where most Imperial citizens regard murder of other Imperial citizens as unconscionable. To support this the setting has a legal system that will strive to punish law-breakers, particularly anyone who engages in murder. The goal is to make murder a risky and dangerous endeavour, one that could well result in the arrest and execution of your character - in short it should be rare and have massive consequences. We do not want murder to be trivial.

NPCs have no meaningful basis for fearing consequences. It means nothing to an NPC if they are arrested and executed, so it is easy to brief monsters to attempt to murder a player because their actions carry none of the implications that a player would experience in their situation. For this reason it is important for characters produced by plot writers to reflect the underlying values of the setting and to regard murder as a terrible action, something unthinkable that they might resort to only in the most desperate situations.

Creating NPCs this way will help to reinforce the setting. It is fine for NPCs to oppose some of the players and to side with other players, but they should be appalled if someone suggests murder, either at the thought of it, or at the risk inherent in it. They should never agree to be stooges for players, killing characters on the orders of PCs and being left to carry the blame. We have plenty of opportunities to make the PCs' lives dangerous on the battlefield, plot that is run in the field should focus on supporting the goal of making the environment a hotbed of politics, intrigue, mystery and magic. It will be everything we can do to stop the players' characters murdering each other; they won't need our help.

Be Careful when Tricking Players

Tricking players is easy, much much easier than it ought to be. NPCs are often considered an extension of the organization, they are assumed to exist to propel the story forward. If a scout comes running in and says “We have seen 5,000 orcs marching on Semmerholm” the players know we can’t phys-rep 5,000 orcs so they won’t send a scout to check that the NPC is not lying, rather they simply assume that this character is facilitating the story and believe everything he says. Tricking players is *easy*.

It’s also often deeply unproductive. It would be trivially easy for the Barbarian orcs to dress a group of their number up as Imperial Orcs and have them spy on the camp. The consequence of doing that is that the players will lock the camps down, they will stop Imperial Orcs entering any important area, because they could be barbarians. Meetings become “eyes only” making it much harder for players, especially new players to get involved. The game becomes less fun for everyone to play, and that is a clear failure in plot terms.

For this reason we ask plot writers to avoid plot that involves spying on the players or that will result in undermining their trust in each other. We don’t want camps with gate guards, we don’t want closed senate meetings or military meetings. We want to encourage the players to treat everyone in the IC area as an important Imperial Citizen so that the players can get involved with the game.

This doesn’t mean that plot can’t have layers of deception and misdirection. An NPC's true goals do not need to be transparent. Players like locking wits with NPCs and striving to outsmart them - it is usually more fun than striving to out-hit them. But it does mean that it is essential to be careful when writing plot to think about what the impact of any deceptions may be.

Respect the Closed World

Empire is a closed world - the players know what is in the setting because we will tell them. The barbarian tribes will be defined and described on the wiki, the different species that exist in the world will be on the wiki. We have endeavoured to ensure that the game includes dozens of different elements that will be useful when writing plot. Secret cults, Eternals, Foreigners, Barbarians, the ancient past, monsters and creatures of legend.

These things have been created precisely so that we can use them to create plot. Plot should be written using these existing entities - by creating individuals with personality, objectives and resources that reflect their nature. Don’t use a mysterious new race of creatures, use one of the species laid out in the setting. Don’t create some ancient evil from another world - use an Eternal or better yet a Herald.

When writing plot it’s tempting to make it as mysterious as possible by making it as new as possible. This can cause continuity and credibility problems if every new threat the players meet is new and alien, but in a setting where multiple plot teams are working independently the potential for dozens of mysterious new alien threats - all of which have never been heard of ever before - is vastly compounded. Please respect the closed world and use the tools that exist to create plot.

Plot must be fun to NPC

The crew at Profound Decisions events are not paid, they are volunteers. They are there because they enjoy volunteering, they enjoy NPCing and they enjoy helping to create the event. Without them - there is no event. Therefore it is clear that the single most important aspect of plot writing is that it should be fun for the NPCs who are playing the parts. Plots that aren’t fun to crew, diminish crew interest and threaten to undermine the entire structure by which we deliver events.

Fun to play does not mean mingy over-powered NPCs who get their kicks at the expense of the player’s enjoyment of the game. If that is what the crew enjoy, then we need to change the crew and not the plot. What fun to play means is that there is an assumption that crew are capable and trustworthy, that they are given a degree of independence to mould the characters they are portraying. It also means avoiding plot that requires the NPCs to spend long periods of time bored; an ambush is fine, an ambush that takes 3 hours for the players to arrive is not acceptable.

Different crew will enjoy different things, some crew love fighting, some crew like emotional roleplaying. Part of the art of running plot is helping to identify the right people to play the roles. But part of the art is in creating roles that are fun to play. It’s a cliché of LRP, but if you think of yourself as a part you have just written and ask “What is my motivation as this character” and the answer is “You have four hits, run at the players and fall over” then the plot is going to be a lot less enjoyable to npc than it should be.

Don’t Subvert the Empire Rules

The rules are laid out on the wiki and they are pretty simple but fairly flexible. It is important to note that there are a couple of very clear consequences that flow directly from the rules design. There is no such thing as “magic” damage - therefore there is no way to be immune to normal damage. The disjunction spell destroys magic items, so there is no way to create a plot that features the epic quest of nine brave adventurers to destroy an ancient magical ring. And one of the central concepts - there is no way for anything to “resist” a call.

Don’t try to subvert these rules - because they have been designed to reflect the ethos of the game. In Empire a piece of two by four round the back of the head hurts you whoever you are. Anything that the players make can be unmade, so anything the NPCs make, can be unmade just as easily. There are some caveats, some creatures may have magic that allows them to return from the dead if they are slain, larger than man-sized creatures are not affected by special calls, but the players cannot be in a position where they cannot kill the creature when it is stood in front of them.

It is often tempting to try to subvert the rules in some way. Perhaps the NPC can be harmed by a weapon but instantly regenerates unless hit with the Spoon of Pure Blue.Or maybe the chieftain’s bodyguards are vulnerable to any weapon but just happen to have 5000 hits each. Resist this temptation, if you are writing plot that has no set outcome, then it can’t matter if your NPCs get killed. If the NPC getting killed is a problem - change the plot - not the rules.

Avoid Ending the World

It should be clear by now why a plot that threatens the end of the world is not right for Empire. It likely includes unnecessary high fantasy elements, it presents a threat that dwarfs the powers of the players, it does not respect the closed world and worst of all it requires a pre-written outcome - the players save the world. Plot that threatens to end of the world is the stylistic equivalent of shouting. It creates a plot that cannot be legitimately ignored and requires all possible resources to prevent it happening.

Of course there will be threats that the players must face - that is one of the core roles of plot - but Empire is designed to incorporate the principle of reflection, that the game world can be updated to reflect plot developments. If the players fail to wipe out a bandit chief, then we can reflect the fact that that chief continues to attack settlements and resources in an area. If the players fail to stop the Jotun from invading Upwold, we can reflect that too. We need plots of all sizes and scales to make Empire feel like a rich immersive world - we don’t need every plot dial turned up to 11.

One of the themes of Empire is about picking which of your many enemies to fight. With many plot teams creating plot, it is tempting to try to write plot that produces the most impact by making the threat as great as possible - but doing this fundamentally undermines the game - it makes the choices of the players of how to handle the threats they face meaningless by trying to make that choice for them.

Use Limited Resources

It’s theoretically possible to create NPCs in Empire with access to any amount of resources. They can have unlimited coin, unlimited herbs, crystallized mana or resources. They may be festooned with more powerful artefacts or have vast armies at their command. All plots created should have a clear definition of the resources available to the NPCs, these should be appropriate for the scale and power of the NPCs and they should not normally receive additional resources based on plot developments.

Economics is one of the core tools that the Empire system uses to make every character as important as possible. The wealth that the characters possess makes them rich and significant, it makes them valuable to their fellow characters. NPCs whose resources dwarf those of the players directly undermine this design goal. They also undermine the related goal that the PCs are the most important people in the world.

It is important to appreciate that NPCs are often only in play for short amounts of time, so they have less need of resources than PCs do, not more. NPCs in many LRP games are a byword for economic inconsistency, they tend to carry vast wealth but are simultaneously utterly ignorant as to its true worth. This problem starts with giving them unlimited resources. Any good plot should use the least resources possible and should aim to have less resources than the characters involved might need or want - just like PCs do. This is critical for making characters that are consistent with the game’s economic setting.

In Empire, a single PC gets 14 herbs per event, or 7 mana crystals or 10 resources. This is a good amount of resources for an important and powerful NPC to have. If you are sending out a large group of NPCs to represent a powerful group, they may have two or three times these resources to try and achieve their aims over an event. Plots that require resources significantly in excess of these are likely to get edited.

Death is the End

In a LRP game in which the players are encouraged to be inventive and take control of their own fate, it is important to establish what is not possible, what the limits on their abilities and by extension the abilities of NPCs are. By far the most important is that death is final and irreversible, death is quite literally the end. There is no magic in Empire that can restore a dead character to life and therefore not magic that can do that to an NPC. Dead, is dead, is dead.

It is important to note that in rules terms, terminal is the same as dead. It is vitally important to ensure that plot never ever creates a loophole that allows a terminal character to survive, either indefinitely or by curing them. Once it becomes a theoretical possibility for any character, then every character is persuaded to remain terminal for as long as possible in the hope that they too may be saved. The terminal state exists to maximise the roleplaying impacts of character death, it cannot be reversed by any mechanism.

It is possible for spirits to be called back to speak to, using some magics, and there are some undead spirits in Empire, barrowights that protect their tombs, restless spirits that seek surcease from their torment. For these creatures, their cursed status is the point of their existence, a restless spirit endures only to find a release from their fate and they take no interest in any other matters, regardless of how important they may have been in life.

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Plot teams

Contents

- 1 Creating Plot

- 1.1 Overview

- 1.2 Editorial Control and Central Coordination

- 1.3 Responsibility NOT Control

- 1.4 Choose your level of Plot Secrecy

- 1.5 A Nation cannot be a Responsibility

- 2 Running Plot at Events

- 2.1 Overview

- 2.2 Costume

- 2.3 Make-up and Prosthetics

- 2.4 Briefs and Debriefs

- 2.5 Flanging

- 2.6 NPC Wrangling

- 2.7 Space

Creating Plot

Overview

We want to try to produce as much plot as is humanly possible for Empire, to try to make the event as busy and interesting and cool as possible. There are two core challenges to make this happen, one is to write the plot - the other is to run it at an event. This section lays out our strategy for how we will try to get as much plot written as possible for the events.

From experience we have found that large plot teams do not work well. In fact large creative teams do not work well, beyond half a dozen people, stylistic and taste differences rapidly accumulate, making it ever harder to write content that the team are happy with. In a large team the majority of ideas are stifled by an environment in which somebody is guaranteed not to like it. Large teams are also increasingly difficult to get together, so they fall back on electronic meetings, emails or forums, all of which are vastly less productive.

Our plan is to create multiple small independent plot teams, ideally comprising up to half a dozen creative people. The goal is to encourage a couple of core creatives with proven experience to put together a small team of friends to work with them to create plot. This approach should allow the team to meet regularly and to create plot they like, without too much concern for how other teams view their work.

Editorial Control and Central Coordination

Andy Rafferty and myself will provide the central coordination for the work produced by different teams. If two teams are working on plot based around a foreign nation, we will look to ensure that the plot is consistent, or discuss ways to merge or combine the plots being written by the teams. The goal in this respect is to ensure campaign consistency.

We will also provide editorial control, working with plot teams to ensure that we are happy with the plot being run. If you are writing plot for a PD Empire event, then you should expect it to get heavily edited. If you don’t like having Andy and I rewrite your plot then please don’t submit it. The first section of this guide lays out our criteria for this editorial control. We want to have as much plot as possible, and give plot writers as much freedom as possible to produce plot, but we also want to have quality-control and a definitive underlying style of plot that reflects the player-led nature of the game.

Responsibility NOT Control

We want to encourage the plot teams to take onboard one or more plot responsibilities.The idea for this is for a team to be responsible for ensuring that there is plenty of plot involving specific elements of the game or locations in the game. We want plot based in and around the tavern, the senate, the synod and other critical game locations. We want plot for young players, for politicians, for traders and for warriors. We want plot involving the barbarians, the eternals, the foreigners.

Taking responsibility for an area gives Andy and I an indication of what areas of the game you are interested in. It also gives you a little more leeway to create characters and details linked to that area. Critically it helps PD to try to ensure there is a good spread of plot across the game. Responsibility does not imply exclusivity or control, other teams may still write and run plot linked to a location, theme or power group. You must not get into the mindset of thinking you control that area of the game, because it will lead to unpleasant surprises.

Choose your level of Plot Secrecy

Plot leaks damage plot and the wider game. They are a form of favouritism, with those players who know the organizers well enough to hear the plot leaks, which undermines the confidence in a level playing field that is needed for a good fest LRP game. They also damage the plot itself, reducing interest in it.

However too much plot security also damages a game. NPCs need to know the brief they are going to be using and the earlier they know their brief, the better they can prepare. In theory it is possible to run a plot and tell your NPCs nothing, in practice that approach undermines the plot as the NPCs are unable to respond naturally and it also makes playing the parts vastly less enjoyable. That makes interaction with those characters and your plot less enjoyable but it also violates one of PD’s fundamental rules - that the game should be enjoyable for the crew.

I cannot stress enough how important it is for crew to enjoy playing roles - otherwise they don’t come back. In the opinion of PD, crew enjoyment playing roles for the plot teams is more important than plot security for Empire. It is all too easy to get defensive about plot, but plot is ultimately just a tool to make the game more enjoyable for crew as well as players.

Your team can influence the level of plot security they want to use. We are creating a forum for plot writers to store their work and eventually a wiki for it to go on. However these areas are all independent - your team’s work is not automatically shared with other teams. If Andy or myself feel it is appropriate to share a plot with another team then we will speak to you first, where that is a practical possibility. If you want to share your plot with other teams, then you can do that, but our assumption is that a team is a basic unit for creating plot and does not inherently need to share plot with any other team - rather we would encourage you to identify crew to play the roles you need and to share the plot with them.

A Nation cannot be a Responsibility

There are ten Nations in the Empire and these form the basis for the most basic IC political divides. We also expect that players will want to run their own events based in the Empire setting and that the nations will be the most logical basis for doing that. For both these reasons we are determined to avoid any plot team assuming responsibility for a single nation. You are welcome to take responsibility for a particular Varushkan Sovereign, or for the Trolls of Wintermark - but you cannot take responsibility for Varushka or for Wintermark.

The problem with aligning plot teams along IC and OOC divisions - like the nation structure - is that plot becomes balkanized. The consistency of the world is profoundly undermined by the notion that an individual plot is “for Wintermark players”. Plot should not respect these nation divisions, it should affect any players who come into contact with it.

Even worse, we are encouraging players to strongly identify with their nation. However we explicitly do not want plot writers to identify with a single nation. If that happens, the writers can be seduced into being concerned with the outcomes of their plot, the implications for “their” nation and have a desire to ensure that their plot is focussed on “their” players.

The result can be like having football results determined by the football fans instead of the players. The writers fall into squabbling with each other over plots that are perceived to be to the detriment of the nation they have identified themselves with. Everyone wants their team to win. Although we are encouraging the plot writing teams to create plot independently of each other, we need teams to be respectful and supportive of each other. For all these reasons we categorically do not want plot teams to strongly identify with the area or areas of responsibility they choose. If you are a plot writer for Empire then every player in the game is one of your players - they should all be treated accordingly.

Running Plot at Events

Overview

Running plot is a logistical challenge. Most plots require costume, make-up, NPCs, briefings, IC resources before they can begin to run. They require debriefing and for costume and weapons to be returned after the plot has come back-in. Plots must be logged and recorded so that consistency can be maintained from one event to the next.

Ensuring that these things happen is a challenge. We intend to have a number of teams who can help with make-up, costume, weaponry, NPC wrangling and so forth. However the more a plot team can help with the logistical challenges involved and take responsibility for ensuring that their plot is ready to go, the more likely the plot is to run on time and the more plot they can run. For all these reasons we encourage plot teams to get involved and help with the process of running the plot they are creating.

Costume

We have two large trailers full of costume. We are working on building new containers for all the new costume we are buying for Empire but those will not be available for the first event. If we are lucky we will be able to find the right individual or team of individuals who can help us manage the costume area, ideally someone who is familiar with the costume PD owns and has a good feel for how to create an effective costume from the resources available. In practice the job is long and thankless and we may not be able to find the right people or team to do it, so any help here is great. There is a lot that can be done before an event. There is budget available for all plot, so if you need a specific costume or props then talk to Andy and I about that and we’ll see what budget is available. If you have contacts and help who can turn the budget into costume and props in a way that is cost effective, then that is brilliant and makes the money go further and is likely to make it even easier for you to get a decent budget for your plot. If you don’t have those resources, liaise with us over the things you need and we’ll try to find them.

Make-up and Prosthetics

We will have a team on hand to help with make-up and prosthetics on the day. It is a good idea to include characters with lineage in your plot line when you can, as this underlines their role in the setting and stops NPCs being “human only” as some kind of default setting. However it will take us a while to get a good library of lineage pieces together for the event, so please don’t assume that this will all be in place at the first event. If your plot has a specific make-up or prosthetic requirement then liaise with Andy and I over it, or if we have people who are doing the make-up then speak to them about it.

Briefs and Debriefs

A good written brief shows that you care about your plot. It also helps to formulate ideas and make clear what a plot is about. They make roles more fun for the NPCs and can be read in advance of the event, making it much easier to prepare for a role. They also take a shit load of time to create. We don’t expect extensive written briefs for every character in a piece of plot, but it does help substantially if there are some basic notes as a minimum. The wiki is your friend, so use links to the player wiki, to refer the NPCs to any existing material that is relevant.

Debriefing NPCs and writing down what has happened is essential to ensuring plot consistency over a period of years. The plot for a setting should not change overnight simply because the chief plot writer had to take a break for a couple of years to have a baby. Keeping good quality notes on plot as it runs allows us to ensure that the plot has a life of its own, it makes it much easier to produce good quality briefs and it improves the overall consistency of the plot making it more enjoyable for players. You must not regard plot debriefs as something which is optional.

Flanging

Flanging is when plot is rewritten on the fly to change the outcomes of what is happening. Flanging is distinct from the normal reactions and responses of NPCs to the actions of the players, it represents the direct intervention of the organizers to change the outcome of things that have happened or are about to happen. It is usually done with the best of intentions, in the belief that the overall game experience will be better for the players, but the effects are often very negative.

Flanging violates some of the important rules of Empire plot writing, it is often done to get a plot “back on course”. It often thwarts the efforts of players who have attempted to ensure a specific outcome, one considered inimitable to the progression of the plot.

There are occasionally moments where flanging can be useful, rewriting a plot line to get a more engaging outcome, that all players enjoy. But flanging a plot line to undermine the actions of players, even a few players, is not appropriate in Empire, given our emphasis on a player-led game. It doesn’t matter how much consequent plot is based on an outcome, how much money has been spent on costume or props, the game should never be trying work against player actions to restore a predetermined outcome.

If a player has done something, then you cannot rewrite the plot to work around that action, instead the plot must take account of it and change direction accordingly. Flanging plot to reduce or remove the impact of players, no matter how small in number, is fundamentally inimitable to a game that strives to make the actions of players central.

NPC Wrangling

We do not have a clear model yet for how many NPCs we will have at the event, nor how many will be available at a specific time. We will have more crew available in the evening, when we will be running less combat based plot, such as battles and skirmishes.

If you have critical characters in your plot, it is worth discussing casting those parts with Andy and myself before the event. This will help to reduce the logistical challenges of finding and briefing NPCs on the day. It will also help to get those NPCs more invested in what they are doing, allowing them to enjoy it more.

Space

The best plots are designed to run in the field themselves. Perhaps they are based out of the tavern or the senate or synod. Messengers may bring reports to the generals in the military council. However we appreciate that some plot has to take place off the field. Fights are the obvious example, most obviously skirmishes and battles. We haven’t finalized the mechanisms by which players travel from Anvil to places of conflict, we are looking ways to do that that support the most game, but also are logistically manageable and try to preserve as much of the character of the setting as possible.

For this reason it’s useful to try and ensure that as much of a plot takes place in the main field as is possible. The woods are primarily allocated to skirmishes and battles which will be taking place throughout the weekend, and we cannot guarantee the availability of the wooded areas for other plot. We do want to create plot that involves small groups going off to complete Odyssey style “quests” - a small number of high intensity encounters in which each includes moments of drama. But we need most plot to be happening in the field - otherwise we won’t have enough plot in the field and we won’t have enough woods to run the plot we do have in.

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Ports of the Broken Shore

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Dubhtraig (Northern Broken Shore)

- 2.1 Piracy and Trade with Dubhtraig

- 3 Apulus (South-Eastern Urizen)

- 3.1 Piracy and Trade with Dubhtraig

Overview

There is one port on the Broken Shore available to characters with the fleet resource; Dubhtraig on the northern shores of Attar, the landmass on the other side of the Bay of Catazaar. Dubhtraig - and the Broken Shore as a whole - is dominated by the orcs of the Grendel tribe. There are certainly other Grendel ports in the Broken Shore, but their wherabouts and identities are unknown.

Piracy against the Grendel rarely involves direct attacks of Dubhtraig - the port is well defended and swarms with Grendel vessels and warriors. Normally, an Imperial fleet tries to catch a Grendel vessel on it's way from Dubhtraig out into the bay; the best prey are those vessels who are on their way back to Dubhtraig, holds full of stolen loot.

Trading with the Grendel is a criminal act, but can prove quite lucrative. Unlike many barbarian tribes, the Grendel seem unconcerned about the idea of trading with Imperial citizens - but they keep a close eye on them to ensure they are not assassins or spies.

Dubhtraig (Northern Broken Shore)

Sprawling Dubhtraig is dominated by the Grendel and their many subject tribes. it is an absolutely wretched hive of scum and villainy, where the strong oppress the weak at the command of the wealthy. Ruled by an utterly ruthless Salt Lord, Dubhtraig appears to be a centre of Grendel trade and piracy - and for their politics, such as they are.

Piracy against Dubhtraig is a common calling of the Freeborn corsair fleet. The Broken Shore is rich in tempest jade, but most of the profit for a fleet that attacks Grendel vessel comes in the recovery of goods stolen from other traders - especially valuable goods such as silk, jewellry, barrels of fine spirits, furs, precious metals and mundane ore. All such luxury goods raise a pretty price for a resolute captain. Control of the Imperial Bourse seat known as the Broken Shore Bounty is determined by Freeborn fleets raiding the Grendel in the Bay, and along the shores of Attar.

Trade here is a risky proposition - not only is it illegal, but there is very little law here. The Grendel rule, and the other orcs and humans who throng here jump to obey their commands. Aye, humans - there are humans who consider themselves subjects of the Grendel orcs; misguided fools who view the Empire as their enemy and the orcs as their rightful lords. Still, dangerous as trade in Dubhtraig is, it can be very profitable.

Piracy and Trade with Dubhtraig

A starting fleet resource that engages in piracy against the Grendel at Dubhtraig during downtime will produce 2 ingots of green iron, 1 dose of Imperial Roseweald, 1 Mana Crystal, 3 ingots of Tempest Jade, and valuable goods that can be sold for 54 rings. A fleet that has been upgraded will produce more valuable resources according to this chart of foreign ports - potentially including items obviously stolen from Imperial ships, such as liao.

Unlike most ports, a fleet that engages in trade with Dubhtraig will produce more valuable resources by default; this is the reverse of the normal situation.

Apulus (South-Eastern Urizen)

Sprawling Dubhtraig is dominated by the Grendel and their many subject tribes. it is an absolutely wretched hive of scum and villainy, where the strong oppress the weak at the command of the wealthy. Ruled by an utterly ruthless Salt Lord, Dubhtraig appears to be a centre of Grendel trade and piracy - and for their politics, such as they are.

Some time after the invasion of Spiral by the orcs of the Broken Shore, the port of Apulus became a centre of Grendel operations and was used to resupply the armies occupying the territory. In 378YE, the port was ravaged by a preternatural storm that shattered the quays and sank many Grendel ships. At the same time, Imperial ships launched significant raids against any vessels travelling to or from the ex-Urizen port. In combination, these twin disasters rduced Apulus to ruins - by the time the storm finally cleared, the port was in ruins and Grendel vessels began to avoid the area.

Piracy and Trade with Dubhtraig

It is not currently possible to commit piracy against, or trade with, Apulus; the port has effectively been destroyed.

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Ports of the Jotun

Overview

There is one port of the Jotun available to characters with the fleet resource; Kierheim. The fortified port lies halfway along the northern shores of the inland sea known as the Gullet, far to the west of Wintermark, in the part of Jotun known as Kalsea.

While the Jotun are not great traders, and prefer to do their actual fighting on land, the northern Jotun have a long tradition of raiding along the shores of the Gullet. There are historical stories of a great navy, used to attack into Kalavesa and Bregasland in pre-Imperial days. There are probably other ports along the gullet, but they do not rival Kierheim in wealth or prestige, and their wherabouts and identities are unknown.

Piracy against the Jotun rarely involves direct attacks on Kierheim - the port is well defended and swarms with both Jotun war vessels and hardened warriors. Normally, an Imperial fleet tries to catch a Jotun vessel on it's way out of Kierheim to raid, or returning from an attack agaisnt an Imperial settlement or ship, holds full of stolen loot.

Trading with the Jotun is a criminal act, but can prove quite lucrative. It is also quite risky; while the Jotun are peripherably honourable, anyone trying to trade with one of their settlements risks being taken as a thrall and having their goods confiscated if they show the slightest weakness.

Kierheim (Southern Kalsea)

Mighty Kierheim is a walled town with long quays built along the entire side of a gret fjord. Rules by the Jarl of Keirheim, whose family line stretches back to the earliest days of the Jotun, it is a centre for ship-building and a common anchor for war-ships and the rare Jotun trading vessels. The best known landmark is the great avenue that leads up to the fortified hall of the Jarl - lined with dozens of massive mammoth tusks, each carved with runes of strength and prosperity.

Piracy against the Jotun is not as common as piracy against the Grendel on the Bay of Catazaar, but it can be just as lucrative. Rich cargoes of volatile ambergelt and polished orichalcum are common, as are supplies of the bladeroot that grows with great profusion across the cold battlefields of northern Jotun. Furthermore, a canny pirate or unscrupulous trader can acquire all sorts of valuable ores, woods, metal goods, rich furs, fine firey mead and several exotic herbs and foodstuffs from the Jotun traders that fetch a good price in Imperial markets.

Trade here is a risky proposition - not only is it illegal, but there is very little law beyond the word of the Jarl and their favoured champions. The Jotun rule with an iron fist, and while the line of the Jarls of Kierheim has a reputation for being more subtle than the traditional Jotun this simply makes them more dangerous. Imperial visitors will turn heads, but humans are not unknown here - like most Jotun settlements, there are human thralls here - many of whom are employed as farmers or merchants by their orc masters.

Piracy and Trade with Keirheim

A starting fleet resource that engages in piracy against the Jotun at Keirheim during downtime will produce 3 ingots of orichalcum, 3 measures of ambergelt, 1 measure of dragonbone, 2 doses of bladeroot and valuable goods that can be sold for 30 rings. A fleet that has been upgraded will produce more valuable resources according to this chart of foreign ports.

Unlike most ports, a fleet that engages in trade with the barbarians of Keirheim will produce more valuable resources by default; this is the reverse of the normal situation.

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Potion list

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Potions

- 2.1 Potion Recipes

- 3 Poisons

- 3.1 Poison Recipes

- 4 Further Reading

Overview

An Apothecary always knows how to brew the Apothecary potions. To brew other potions, the apothecary must first learn the appropriate recipe. Potion recipes are gathered together into groups of potions with similar effects and themes. Knowing how to brew one of the potions in a set means that the apothecary also knows how to brew the others (so an apothecary who masters the Master Medicinal can always brew Tranquil Nostrum. Maledicts Medicament and The Sovereing Specific).

It is impossible to brew a potion unless the apothecary has masted the recipe. The recipes are divided into two basic categories: the potions, and the poisons. Recipes are learnt the same way regardless of category, but the process of brewing and using potions and poisons are different.

Potions

Potions are beneficial preparations brewed using herbs (and, rarely, other exotic ingredients such as liao, ilium, or crystal mana.

Potion Recipes

- Every apothecary knows how to brew the Apothecary potions. These useful preparations harness the healing power of a herb, allowing their benefits to be gained in an emergency without the assistance of a physician.

- Mastery of the Master Medicinal grants a wider understanding of the healing application of the herbalist's arts.

- The Tonics of the Deep Forest allows an apothecary to mix potions that grant additional endurance, allowing the drinker shrug off wounds that might otherwise incapacitate them.

- The Tonics of the Open Sky enhance the fortitude of the drinker; mastery also allows the apothecary to brew a tonic that will allow the drinker to pull themselves back from the verge of death..

- The Philtres of War help an imbiber perform heroic actions that can turn the tide of battle.

- The Philtres of the High Peaks replenish the personal mana reserves of magicians.

- The Infusions of Feathers open the inner eye of those who breathe their scented fumes, granting visionary abilities.

- The Tisanes of the Labyrinth use Liao to enhance spiritual abilities, including enhancing the strength of a priest ceremonies.

- The Legacy of Thorns is a small body of herb lore that deals with preparing toxic pastes used to hinder and weaken opponents.

- The Balms of the Fountainhead enhance the practice of Spring ritual lore.

- The Tinctures of True Eminence enhance the practice of Summer ritual lore.

- The Unguents of Falling Leaves enhance the practice of Autumn ritual lore.

- The Decoctions of Hoarfrost enhance the practice of Winter ritual lore.

- The Lambent Essences enhance the practice of Day ritual lore.

- The Magnum Opus enhances the practice of Night ritual lore.

Poisons

Within the Empire - and indeed in most of the civilized world - most minor poisons are obsolete. The presence of magicians who can remove basic poisons with a simple incantation, and apothecaries who can treat most poisoning with a simple herb has meant that those looking to harm their opponents through herbal means must look beyond the basics and seek out apothecaries who can brew potent, near magical toxins.

On the surface apothecaries study the various poison recipes so as to understand them and to learn to create antidotes - the poison and its antidote cannot truly be separated. Some malicious herbalists point to the fact that most poison antidotes are themselves toxic and accuse those who claim to study poison only for its medical use to be hypocrites.

The knowledge to brew non-lethal poisons, by contrast, is widespread: preparations such as gutwrench or the Tisane of the Stuttering Fool have undeniably negative effects on those who imbibe them, but these effects always stop short of death. While sometimes referred to as poisons, these preparations are actually simply potions with unpleasent effects on the imbiber, and follow all the normal potion rules, rather than the poison rules.

Poison Recipes

Each poison recipe allows the creation of two volatile, lethal poisons, and the antidote to those poisons. Both the poisons and their antidotes become inert fifteen minutes after they are brewed; they must be used quickly or their potent effects are wasted. Possession of one of these poisons is a crime.

- The Assassin's Gate brews two poisons that break down the bodily processes of the victim, and the antidote to the same.

- The Winter Moon brews two supernatural poison that attack the spirit of the victim, and the antidote to the same.

Further Reading

- The skills used to create potions and poisons are here.

- The rules for using and brewing potions and poisons are here.

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Powers of the Imperial Military Council

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Battle Opportunities

- 3 Nation Support

- 4 Choosing a Field Marshal

- 5 Pardon

- 6 Further Reading

- 6.1 Core Brief

- 6.2 Additional Information

Overview

Of all the great political bodies of the Empire, the powers of the Imperial Military Council are the most focussed. The Council's constitutional role is to fight the Empire's wars and it's powers are focussed totally on this goal.

Battle Opportunities

During the meetings at Anvil, the Empire has the opportunity to intervene in the ongoing campaigns that the armies are fighting. These interventions are critical to the fortunes of the campaign and the ability to intervene in this way is the Empire's greatest tactical asset. The goal is for the heroes of the Empire, who are gathered together at Anvil, to commit themselves to a single pitched battle with the Empire's enemies at the most pivotal point and thereby turn the tide of war in the Empire's favour.

The opportunities to intervene are prepared for the generals by the civil service who make extensive use of day and night magic divinations and collate numerous military intelligence reports to assess the most effective locations to strike.

Usually, however there are more opportunities to strike, than there are chances to use Sentinel Gate. When this occurs, the military council must choose which opportunities to take. If the council cannot reach a consensus, then the Military Council most vote. In this case, each general has a single vote with ties being decided by The Throne. Deadlock has only ever occurred once in the history of the Empire - and the outcome was determined by drawing runes from a bag; since then common sense has reigned.

Nation Support

Once the battle opportunities are chosen, each nation must decide which battle they wish to support. The portal is not powerful enough to allow the transport of all the Imperial Heroes, so only the very best of each nation attend Anvil and the nations have to choose which battle they will fight.

Because of the nature of the magic involved, a nation must take the field together. The only exception is for bands with a magic standard that carries the Mercenary Banner enchantment. The members of this band can choose to fight with their nation or instead fight a different battle with their banner. Other than this, the nation's heroes take the field together.

The Imperial Civil service use day magic to calculate what distribution of nations may travel on each battle. They give this information to the generals and they discuss amongst themselves which nations will fight on which battles. These discussions are often heated, but are usually resolved sensibly - the generals know from bitter experience that political maneuvering that is too overt can damage a nation's morale if they are sent to fight in a battle in which they have little interest. As a result the council tries to find the best allocation for all.

If they cannot agree an allocation by the time a decision must be made, then the matter is put to a vote, with each member of the Military Council present receiving a single vote.

Choosing a Field Marshal

After the nations have been allocated to battle then the Military Council must choose a single individual to act as Field Marshal, the overall battlefield leader for that battle. Like the issue of nation support this is often incredibly contentious; consensus is the ideal and is often reached, but if it cannot be generally agreed upon, then all suggested candidates are put to the vote.

The Field Marshal has the ultimate authority for determining the plan for the battle and the responsibility for winning the battle opportunity for the Empire. The Marshal is legally obligated to report to the Senate on the conduct and outcome of a battle, including any exceptional actions undertaken by individuals or banners under her aegis, as well as explaining any failures that took place.

Pardon

Imperial magistrates may condemn a character to military penal service in the Empire's armies. These individuals are legally bound to fight with their nation and are expected to be given direct orders by the generals in every battle that they fight. Military penal service is instead of the death penalty so it is considered appropriate to give them high risk orders appropriate to their status and they can be legally executed for disobeying these orders.

If a character or group sentenced to military penal service performs exceptionally well over a prolonged period of time it is possible for the Military Council to vote to grant them a pardon them for their crimes.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Muster

- Council Session

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

Additional Information

- War

- Council Address

- Appointments to the Military Council

- The Throne

- Herald of the Council

- Warmage

- Appointments by the Military Council

- Field Marshal

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- OOC Design

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Powers of the Imperial Senate

If I rule for a thousand years I would never question the existence of your loyalty, Senator Holberg. I merely wonder to whom you have given it.

Varkula, The Throne

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Legal

- 2.1 Imperial Law

- 2.2 Imperial Titles

- 2.3 Appointments

- 2.4 Conclave Orders

- 3 Diplomatic

- 3.1 Declaration of War

- 3.2 Declaration of Peace

- 4 Economic

- 4.1 Imperial Treasury

- 4.2 Commissions

- 4.3 Historical Research

- 5 Territorial

- 5.1 Assignment

- 5.2 Allocation

- 6 Abrogration

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Imperial Senate is the most powerful of all the great bodies of the Empire and their powers are the most flexible and wide ranging. The legal powers of the Imperial Synod and the Imperial Conclave are clearly defined and tightly constrained in the range of things they can directly accomplish. The Imperial Military Council and the Imperial Bourse are flexible but their focus is much more constrained. Only Senate has the power to make law and it is the Senate that chooses an Empress and the Senate that controls the balance of power between the houses.

The powers of the Senate are employed using either a Senate motion or a Senate announcement. Only a member of the Senate with the right to propose a motion may raise motions on the Senate floor. Some of the powers of the Senate may be delegated to the holder of an Imperial title to carry out. Any Imperial title that has had Senate powers delegated to it may employ those powers by making a suitable announcement during a session.

Legal

Imperial Law

The Senate has the power to introduce new laws or to amend existing laws. Any changes to Imperial Law are assessed by the Imperial Civil Service to see how they accord with the Imperial Constitution. Straightforward laws which do not have constitutional implications may be passed by a majority vote. Laws which would change the constitution or change the way the constitution is understood or applied require the Senate to pass a constitutional vote.

Imperial Titles

Only the Senate has the power to create new Imperial titles.

Appointments

No citizen may claim The Throne without the approval of the Senate. Selection of an Emperor or Empress is one of the most important responsibilities of the Senate. Election to the Throne requires the Senate to pass a constitutional vote. If successful, the individual becomes emperor or empress once their coronation is complete.

In addition to appointing The Throne, the Senate may be called upon to make appointments of various national or Imperial titles. For example, the general of an army is normally appointed by unanimous vote of the senators of that nation - if they cannot agree then the appointment is made by simple majority of the Senate.

Conclave Orders

The Senate can create a new Conclave order or dissolve an existing one. This is always a constitutional vote. A newly created order requires a clear statement as to its purpose and attitudes to magic, and a symbol similar to those possessed by existing orders that is used with the Arcane Mark ritual. If an order is dissolved, the contents of its vault are redistributed among the remaining orders.

This power is usually used at the instigation of the Conclave.

Diplomatic

The Senate is responsible for relations with foreign powers. It has the power to issue a formal declaration of war or peace, as well as extending legal protection to envoys and representatives of barbarian powers for short periods to allow diplomacy to take place.

Declaration of War

The Senate can declare war on any foreign power. Any foreign powers, nations or tribes that the Empire is at war with are considered to be barbarians. Barbarians are not protected by Imperial Law and are considered enemies of the Empire, so it is illegal to trade with them.

Declaration of Peace

The Senate can also end to a state of war. External powers that the Empire is not at war with are classed as foreigners; it is legal to trade with them and their rights are protected by Imperial Law.

Economic

Imperial Treasury

The Senate receives taxes drawn from every territory in the Empire, along with the money raised from the auction of Imperial Bourse seats. This great wealth forms the Imperial treasury. Much of the wealth is preallocated to pay for the armies and fortifications that defend the empire, however senators can pass motions that call for one-off or regular disbursements from the Imperial treasury.

A senator can raise a motion to have treasury funds assigned to almost any project. The funds might be used for anything - buying medical supplies for an upcoming battle; purchasing mithril to improve all the mana sites in Dawn; constructing a set of magic standards for the armies of Varushka; funding a project, scheme or group, or any number of other examples.

The most common disbursements are for one-off payments to pay for commissions and regular payments that form a stipend as part of the creation of an Imperial title

Commissions

Only the Senate has the power to authorize a new commission.

Historical Research

The Senate can order rudimentary historical research on a chosen subject.

Territorial

Assignment

A territory is legally considered part of the Empire at the point where half or more of the regions in that territory are under Imperial control. When a territory is conquered it must be assigned to a nation of the Empire by a vote in the Senate, before it can legally be considered part of the Empire. It is not constitutional for the Senate to reassign a territory, once a vote has been passed then the status is fixed and may not be changed while the territory remains part of the Empire. The only way for a new vote of assignment to take place is if the territory is lost and then later reconquered. At this point the former status of the territory is irrelevant and a new vote of assignment is needed.

In practice competing claims are exceptionally rare and only Holberg has ever been successfully contested, so the motion is normally more formal than political. Traditionally a senator from the Imperial nation that is laying claim to a territory will propose the motion and take the opportunity to deliver a suitably portentious speech.

Allocation

If an asset that produces Illium, mithril, weirwood or white granite is in a territory that is conquered by the Imperial armies - the asset is subject to a vote of allocation. Control of the asset is vested in the Imperial Bourse - as prescribed by the Imperial Constitution but the vote determines whether the asset will be a national asset or an Imperial asset.

Imperial assets are auctioned to the highest bidder - with the money raised being added to the Imperial treasury. Any Imperial citizen may bid for such a position - although as with any position, an individual citizen can only ever hold one title. National assets are allocated by the Bourse mechanisms laid down for that nation - only an Imperial citizen of that nation may be selected to hold that title.

The only way for a new vote of allocation to take place is if the resource is lost and then later reconquered. At this point the former status of the resource is irrelevant and a new vote of allocation is needed. Any senator may raise a vote of allocation, although if the motion calls for the resource to be national then it is traditional for the senator whose territory the resource is located in to raise the motion.

Abrogration

A motion may call for the abrogation of most previous Senate decisions. If the vote is successful, then the motion is nullified in the most effective way possible. A change to the law would be repealed, a title created would be dissolved, a war declared would be cancelled.

Abrogation cannot reverse time, resources expended on a commission that is abrograted are lost. The powers of a title are lost when the title is dissolved but previous uses of those powers are not unwound. A foreign power might be placated by the abrogation of a declaration of war - but they are not likely to forget that it happened.

Territorial motions (allocation and assignment), disbursements and appointments cannot be abrogated.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

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Powers of the Senate

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Declaration of War

- 3 Changing Imperial Law

- 4 The Imperial Treasury

- 5 New Titles

- 6 Creation and Dissolution of a Conclave order

- 7 Commissions

- 7.1 Overseeing a Commission

- 7.2 Administration

- 7.3 Opportunities

- 8 Procedural Votes

- 8.1 Vote of Assignment

- 8.2 Vote of Allocation

- 9 Abrogration

Overview

Of all the great political bodies of the Empire, the powers of the Imperial Senate are the most far-reaching and flexible. It alone has the ability to change the balance of power between the great houses of the Empire. The Imperial Synod may exercise the powers of veto, revocation and excommunication, but only the Senate can change laws and create new titles.

Declaration of War

The Senate can declare war on any foreign power by majority vote. Any foreign powers, nations or tribes that the Empire is at war with are considered to be barbarians. Barbarians are not protected by Imperial Law and are considered enemies of the Empire, so it is illegal to trade with them. The Senate can also declare an end to a state of war. External powers that the Empire is not at war with are classed as foreigners; it is legal to trade with them and their rights are protected by Imperial Law.

Changing Imperial Law

The Senate has the power to introduce new laws or to change existing laws. Any suggested changes to Imperial Law are assessed by the Imperial Civil Service to see how they accord with the Imperial Constitution.

Changes to the law which are not deemed to have constitutional implications may be passed by majority vote of the Senate.

Laws which would change the constitution or change the way the constitution is understood or applied require a two-thirds majority to pass. They may be vetoed by the Synod, and require authorisation by the Throne as well as approval by the magistrates.

The Throne is assumed to be independent of the political affiliations of the senators. Any change to the law that has constitutional implications requires the approval of the Throne to ensure that the Senate is acting in the interests of the Empire as a whole.

The magistrates are assumed to be the highest authority on the principles and application of the constitution. Their oversight and assent ensures that laws are sensible, consistent and in accordance with the principles of the constitution. Historically, the magistrates have always acted to ensure that the rights and powers of the other bodies of state such as the Bourse, Military Council or Conclave and the nations and citizens of the Empire receive the protection they are guaranteed by the constitution.

The Imperial Treasury

The Senate receives taxes drawn from every territory in the Empire, along with the money raised from the auction of Imperial Bourse seats. This great wealth forms the Imperial treasury. Much of the wealth is preallocated to pay for the armies and fortifications that defend the empire as well as the operation of the Bourse seats, however senators can pass motions that call for one-off or regular disbursements from the Imperial treasury.

A senator can raise a motion to have treasury funds assigned to almost any project. The funds might be used for anything - buying medical supplies for an upcoming battle; purchasing mithril to improve all the mana sites in Dawn; constructing a set of magic standards for the armies of Varushka; funding a project, scheme or group, or any number of other examples.

If a vote requires a budget to be allocated, the Speaker will ask every individual who voted in favour to remain standing where they are. The Speaker then suggests the minimum possible amount the individual who proposed the motion believes might be used to achieve the goal. If the majority of voters remain in favour then the Speaker announces a higher figure. They will keep announcing higher figures until there is no longer majority support for the motion at that level of expenditure, at which point the auction ends and the funds are allocated from the Imperial Treasury.

The most common disbursements are for one-off payments to pay for commissions and regular payments that form a stipend as part of the creation of an Imperial title.

New Titles

Only the Senate is able to authorize the creation of a new title. The other arms of Imperial government may request the Senate create a position for them but the final decision always rests with the Senate. Creating a new title is the easiest way for the Senate to change the balance of power in Imperial politics - but they can also be useful for expediting important responsibilities that the Senate wishes to see addressed.

There are a set of rules and guidelines for ensuring that new Imperial titles are in accordance with the Imperial constitution.

Creation and Dissolution of a Conclave order

The Senate can create a new Conclave order or dissolve an existing one. This is a constitutional vote. A newly created order requires a clear statement as to it's purpose and attitudes to magic, and a symbol similar to those possessed by existing orders that is used with the Arcane Mark ritual. When an order is dissolved, the contents of it's vault are redistributed among the remaining orders.

If this power were used without the approval of the Conclave it would be a serious attack on that establishment.

Commissions

The Senate has the power to commission important projects or great works of construction that will benefit the Empire. Any Imperial citizen can make use of mithril, weirwood or white granite they have purchased to improve a resource they own. But regardless of how much wealth they possess no citizen can recruit their own army or simply order the construction of a great work - this requires the power of commission.

Senate motions that involve commissions must set a budget allocated from the Imperial treasury to fund the construction. It is not uncommon for the budget allocated to be zero - a sign that the Senate will allow a commission to proceed but does not with to support it - but it cannot require funds be provided to the Imperial treasury in return for permitting a commission to proceed.

Some commissions automatically result in the creation of a new Imperial title - for example raising a new army causes the creation of a new Imperial general - creating this title is an integral part of the commission and does not require a second motion to be considered by the Senate.

Commissions fall into three broad categories - mercantile investments, military procurement and historical research.

Overseeing a Commission

When the Senate passes a motion to commission a mercantile investment or a military procurement, the senator that proposed the motion is automatically responsible for overseeing the project. Any funds allocated from the treasury are given directly to that senator to use for the completion of the commission. It is the specific senator who is deemed to be overseeing the project, not the Senate seat.

A character can go about spending their funds as they see fit, and can delegate some or all of the responsibility to others, but they are ultimately considered to be responsible for ensuring the project is completed.

Administration

Any character who has used the power of commission, should put the documents representing the wains of mithril, weirwood and white granite that they are committing to their project in their bag that they hand in at the end of the event. They should then email Profound Decisions with a note indicating what work the materials are to be used for - please do not include a note when you hand in your wains as it is impossible to process these notes at the point where your bag is processed.

Opportunities

Opportunities are seeded into the game from plot. Opportunities are usually commissions; often they will circumvent or exceed the regular play balanced rules for determining the outcome of a commission.

A commission opportunity must be proposed by a senator to be voted on as any normal commission, but it may provide the ability to do something at reduced cost, or in a way that could not normally be achieved. The nature of the plot will normally dictate what benefits the opportunity provides, as well as what information is available on those benefits.

Procedural Votes

The day to day running of the Empire is handled by the functionaries of the Civil Service, with senators raising motions to vote on any change they want. But in a few circumstances key decisions are automatically put before the Imperial Senate, without any need for a senator to raise them as a motion. These procedural votes follow long-standing rules.

Procedural votes are regarded as particularly important so they are held on the evening session of the Saturday night, to give senators sufficient time to discuss the issue before they come to the chamber.

Vote of Assignment

If a territory is conquered by the Imperial armies - at the point where half or more of the regions in that territory come under Imperial control - then the territory is automatically subject to a vote of assignment. Senators must vote which nation will claim control of the territory.

Vote of Allocation

If an asset that produces Illium, mithril, weirwood or white granite is in a territory that is conquered by the Imperial armies - the asset is subject to a vote of allocation. Control of the asset is vested in the Bourse - as prescribed by the Imperial Constitution but the vote determines whether the asset will be a national asset or an Imperial asset.

Imperial assets are auctioned to the highest bidder - with the money raised being added to the Imperial treasury. Any Imperial citizen may bid for such a position - although as with any position, an individual citizen can only ever hold one title.

National assets are allocated by the Bourse mechanisms laid down for that nation - only an Imperial citizen of that nation may be selected to hold that title.

Abrogration

Anyone who is able to submit a motion can choose to submit a motion calling for the abrogation of a previous Senate decision. If the vote is successful, then the motion is nullified in the most effective way possible. A change to the law would be repealed, a title created would be dissolved, a war declared would be cancelled.

Abrogation cannot reverse time, resources expended on a commission that is abrograted are lost. The powers of a title are lost when the title is dissolved but previous uses of those powers are not unwound. A foreign power might be placated by the abrogation of a declaration of war - but they are not likely to forget that it happened.

It is not legally possible to use abrogation to recover a disbursement which has been issued to a senator.

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Preachers

Overview

Those Imperial Orcs who have embraced the Way of Virtue and become priests are called preachers. They believe that by embracing the Virtues, the Imperial Orcs can strengthen themselves as well as creating a better future for their descendants.

Few orcs can argue that courage, vigilance, ambition, wisdom, prosperity, loyalty and pride represent fine traits for an orc or an ancestor to exhibit. The Virtues are seen as a good moral basis for all Imperial Orcs, a way to keep the legions strong and they are an extension of what it means to be Imperial. Many Preachers also believe that heroic Orcs who become ancestors after embracing the Imperial Virtues will probably find it easier to speak to their descendants if those descendants are also embracing the Virtues.

Most preachers become members of the Imperial Synod and tend to congregations in much the same way that humans do. Although preachers cannot learn to perform liao ceremonies, and cannot become dedicated to a particular virtue, they can still preach the virtues and vote as part of the Assembly of the Way. Preachers are usually respected by other Imperial Orcs, not least because they wield considerable influence in the Synod which might otherwise be hostile to the nation’s interests. Becoming a member of the Synod is a way to wield political power in pursuit of the plan.

It cannot be denied that Imperial Orcs face some prejudice from their fellow citizens. Part of a preacher's role is to attack that prejudice head on, serving almost as a missionary to the human nations. By showing that the Imperial Orcs can embrace the Way, they help to break down the walls of suspicion that have been built up against them. By explaining the role the ancestors play in the lives of Imperial Orcs, they can help dispel mistrust and misconceptions that otherwise breed fear and suspicion. Several preachers see it as their calling to include humans as well as orcs in their congregations, and actively seek out opportunities to preach to mixed groups such as those presented during meetings at Anvil.

A few Imperial Orcs believe that the Imperial Virtues alone may be powerful enough to guide them through the Howling Abyss, allowing them to become ancestors. It is possible that the Labyrinth of Ages might simply be a human metaphor for the farthest shores, and that being virtuous is what allows the humans to avoid the Abyss or pass through it to be reborn in some way, but teaching this idea as fact is dangerously close to heresy.

A tiny handful of Imperial Orcs have adopted the doctrine of reincarnation, and believe that they can escape the Howling Abyss in the same way that humans do. This view is rare, even amongst preachers; the majority take pride in the idea that one life is all you get and that you must make it count. The official view of the synod is that belief in a single life only does not constitute heresy provided it is only applied to orcs; it is only heresy to preach that humans also have one life only.

Virtuous Ancestors

For most preachers, the ideal Imperial Orc ancestor would be an orc who embraced and lived their life by the tenets of the Imperial Virtues. Shaped by the path of virtue, such ancestors would help guide their descendants to a closer understanding of the imperial faith, and in turn help them to become virtuous ancestors themselves. Many preachers seek out prominent Imperial Orcs and try to counsel them in the Way of Virtue, to try to help them become virtuous ancestors.

The ideal outcome would be that one day, in the future, all orcs would be able to pass across the Howling Abyss due to their own strength of will and the virtuous lives they have lead, and no more Imperial Orc souls would be lost to oblivion. It is obviously a very ambitious undertaking.

Creating a Preacher

Imperial Orcs cannot purchase religious skills at character creation or in play. Orcs do not gain any benefit from using liao, so they can never use the religious skills. There is categorically no way to gain the use of these skills in play; you should not choose to play a preacher on the assumption that your character will gain some equivalent ability as this will not happen. Preachers who take a congregation still gain votes in the Synod and liao to dispose of as they choose.

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Pretty Ploughboy

Trad. Eliza Carthy's version on youtube

It's of a brisk young ploughboy, he was ploughing on the plain, And his horses stood down in yonder shade. It was down in yonder grove he went whistling to his plough, And by chance there he met a pretty maid, pretty maid, And by chance there he met a pretty maid.

And when her aged parents they both came for to know That her love he was ploughing on the plain, They sent for the press gang and sent her love away, And they sent him to the wars to be slain, to be slain, And they sent him to the wars to be slain.

So she sailed till she came to the very ship she thought her love lay in And unto the Captain she did complain. She says, “I'm come in search for my pretty ploughing boy, Who was sent unto the wars to be slain, to be slain, Who was sent unto the wars to be slain.”

So four hundred bright guineas with her hand she did lay down, And so freely she told them out all o'er, Until she got her pretty ploughboy all in her arms, And she hugged him till she got him safe on shore, safe on shore. And she hugged him till she got him safe on shore.

And she set those bells to ring and so sweetly she did sing, Just because she saved the lad that she adored, she adored, Just because she saved the lad that she adored.

More info and lyric variations

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Pride of the Highborn

Original: Burgundy Brawl (link to follow) - filk by HW(?) Recording: https://soundcloud.com/oxfordgirl/sets/highguard-filk

Always first to battle, last to leave the fight (x2) Pride of the Highborn, courage of the Highborn Pride of Adina, courage of the Charge

Surging ever forward, banners at our heels (x2) Pride of the Highborn, courage of the Highborn Pride of Adina, courage of the Charge

Rushing tide of steel, washing all before (x2) Pride of the Highborn, courage of the Highborn Pride of Adina, courage of the Charge

Shadows clear our path now, with arrows blood and steel (x2) Pride of the Highborn, courage of the Highborn Pride of Adina, courage of the Charge

Line of shields unbroken, holding at all costs (x2) Pride of the Highborn, courage of the Highborn Pride of Adina, courage of the Charge

Past ever guides us, still we strive for more (x2) Pride of the Highborn, courage of the Highborn Pride of Adina, courage of the Charge

Chapter Bells are ringing, welcomes home the victors (x2) Pride of the Highborn, courage of the Highborn Pride of Adina, courage of the Charge

Water washes onward, bearing home the slain (x2) Pride of the Highborn, courage of the Highborn Pride of Adina, courage of the Charge

Purity and Virtue, immortal souls are we (x2) Pride of the Highborn, courage of the Highborn Pride of Adina, courage of the Charge

Ad-libbing verses is easy, here are some examples commonly found:

Your dad’s a Catazzari, a Catazzari whore (x2) Pride of the Highborn, courage of the Highborn Pride of Adina, courage of the Charge

I will fucking cut you, cut you in the face (x2) Pride of the Highborn, courage of the Highborn Pride of Adina, courage of the Charge

Don’t run out of verses, I’ll cut you if you stop (x2) Pride of the Highborn, courage of the Highborn Pride of Adina, courage of the Charge

oh vice she really means it, help me please im stuck (x2) Pride of the Highborn, courage of the Highborn Pride of Adina, courage of the Charge

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Pride roleplaying effects

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Consecration of Pride

- 3 Anointings of Pride

- 3.1 The Affirmation of Pride

- 3.2 The Demonstration of Pride

- 3.3 The Legacy of Pride

- 3.4 The Foundations of Pride

- 3.5 The Experience of Pride

- 4 Hallows of Pride

- 4.1 Hallowing of Lepidus

- 4.2 Hallowing of the Peacock's Feather

- 4.3 Hallowing of Kethry

- 4.4 Hallowing of Inspiration

- 4.5 Hallowing of the Examiner

- 4.6 Hallowing of Richilde

Overview

These roleplaying effects are created by priests dedicated to the virtue of Pride who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character performing an anointing or hallow must pick one of the appropriate roleplaying effects when they perform the ceremony.

Consecration of Pride

- In this place, you are filled with an acute awareness of that which are most proud; you feel a desire to extol the subject of your pride, and avoid shaming it.

Anointings of Pride

The following are a range of auras that can be summoned onto a living soul, with their consent, by priests whose own souls are dedicated to Pride:

The Affirmation of Pride

- Your perceptions and recollections are filled with pride. You find it easier to recall your triumphs and successes. Any guilt or shame weighing on you is greatly diminished, as is your tolerance for insults.

Description: The path of pride teaches that the virtuous embrace their past without shame, though this is an easier task for some pilgrims than others. Priests of pride have been able to use this anointing to help pilgrims burdened by the past, or by guilt or shame, to try and move forward. This comes with some additional prickliness to personal slights, though some priests of pride maintain that this is an important part of encouraging pilgrims to stand up for themselves than be slaves to shame.

The Demonstration of Pride

- You feel radiant with pride. You feel an impulse to demonstrate, or display, the thing in which you have the most pride, or encourage others to do so if you cannot do this yourself. You also feel an impulse to challenge those who deride the subject of your pride.

Description: The path of pride teaches that pride is about more than just words, and requires action to. The priests of the path have used this anointing to bring this truth home to citizens and pilgrims. Sutannir and Troubadors have also made use of this anointing in preparing their sects and congregations for celebrations. This anointing has also been used by bravos and other warriors to aid them in overcoming adverse effects and malign auras through demonstration of their pride.

The Legacy of Pride

- You are granted an immediate vision of one, or more, of your proudest moments. If you are bleeding, or terminal, the vision is extended to include all your proudest moments shining brightly. You are filled with a sense of satisfaction of what you have achieved.

Description: The path of pride stretches in both directions and pilgrims are often required to reflect on where they have come from, as well as where they are going to. Priests of pride have found this anointing helpful in supporting their pilgrims to achieve this. This anointing has also been used as part of last rites or funerary ceremonies to assure citizens and pilgrims of their virtue, which will guide them in the Labyrinth of Ages.

The Foundations of Pride

- You want others to know the feeling of pride. You feel an impulse to help others recognise their strengths, the positive qualities they possess, and the merits of their past. This includes a desire to help others see the past as a foundation, not an excuse.

Description: The path of pride is not that of the vainglorious and egotistical, but seeks to build up others also. The path teaches that the virtuous inspire others, and help them embrace their past. Some pilgrims lose sight of this and focus merely on themselves. Priests of pride have been able to use this anointing to help such citizens and pilgrims overcome this obstacle and, in doing so, learn more about the virtuous path.

The Experience of Pride

- During this anointing, you were asked to specify an entity, usually something that is clearly defined like a culture, nation or way of living. Whilst this anointing is in effect, you feel a connection to this entity and even a sense of pride in it. This applies even if the specified entity would not normally be something you felt any pride toward.

Description: Priests of the path of pride have taught that this anointing is beneficial in building an understanding of the nature of pride. Some have also used this to help citizens build empathy for others and thus aid reconciliation rather than Lucidians, however, fear that this aura could be abused for the purposes of indoctrination. There is at least one apocryphal tale of an unnamed Sutannir who accompanied the Emperor Ahraz in his negotiations with the self-liberated orcs and used this anointing to help illuminate the glory of the Empire to those who had formerly been its slaves.

Hallows of Pride

Hallowing of Lepidus

- You feel a desire to encourage or inspire those around you. This feeling applies to all, including enemies, regardless of your other feelings toward them.

Hallowing of the Peacock's Feather

- You feel a strong desire to display this item openly, and make use of it publically. This includes an impulse to take good care of the item. If you deliberately do not do any of the above, the feeling changes to one of revulsion and rejection that flows from the item to you for as long as you are bonded.

Hallowing of Kethry

- You feel a surge of pride in your people, and their way of life. You feel an urge to display the superior qualities of this way of living by letting them inform every aspect of your life. You find it difficult to lie about your identity and origins.

Hallowing of Inspiration

Effect: When you concentrate upon this item, this hallowing summons a vision of a hero, or other figure you respect, and a desire to live up to their example.

Hallowing of the Examiner

- You feel an impulse to test the abilities or claims that others boast of. This effect is amplified if you believe that these boasts, or claims, are empty. This impulse includes the desire to use this item in the testing, if it would be appropriate to do so.

Hallowing of Richilde

- You feel an urge to celebrate and extol the qualities of that which you are proud. This may include an impulse to do so artistically. This impulse includes the desire to use this item in that celebration, if it would be appropriate to do so.

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Primer: Synod

Reward the Virtuous; Punish the Wicked

The Imperial Synod

The Imperial Synod exists to safeguard the soul of the Empire, protecting it from dangers and corrupting influences, whilst nurturing and promoting virtue wherever it flourishes. It provides a balance on the power of the Imperial Senate and The Throne and has the power to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked. It also controls the supply of true, or pure, liao which grants access to past life visions.

Key Features of the Imperial Synod

- Membership. You are a member of the Synod if you have the congregation downtime resource. This indicates that the character has responsibility for the spiritual wellbeing of a portion of the population. The larger the congregation, the more influence the priest has in the Synod.

- The Assemblies. The Synod is divided into the:

- General Assembly, consisting of all Synod Priests

- National Assemblies, consisting of all Synod Priests from the same nation

- Virtue Assemblies, consisting of all Synod priests who share the same dedication, or lack of.

- Assembly of Nine, consisting of the eight Cardinals of the Virtue Assemblies and the Throne.

A Synod Priest will have automatic membership of the first three Assemblies on that list.

- Meeting. The Civil Service does not arrange meetings for the Assemblies. That is the responsibility of the Synod priests to arrange. The Civil Service handles judgments made by the Synod.

- Powers. As spiritual and moral leaders, Synod priests have a number of powers enshrined by the law and constitution. More details are here.

- Judgments. The Synod has a number of powers that the various Assemblies can wield. These are called judgments.

Further Reading

- Information about the different Assemblies

- The powers of individual Synod Members

- The powers of the Synod Assemblies

- How the Synod Assemblies use their powers

- The Way of Virtue

- Imperial Theology

- Recent History

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Principalities of Jarm

The information presented here is designed to give a feel for the foreign nation, and is by no means exhaustive. The focus of the Empire campaign is on the Empire and its citizens, and while this information can be used to create backgrounds or inform role-playing on the field; it is not intended that players portray characters from this foreign nation without discussion with Profound Decisions.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Terrain

- 3 People

- 4 Poltics

- 5 Magic

- 6 Religion

- 7 Look and Feel

- 8 Languages

- 9 The Principalities in Play

Overview

The Principalities of Jarm are an old, confident nation that lies many weeks sailing to the east of the Empire. It is a little larger than the Empire, but regularly riven by internecine bickering between the various factions that rule there. It is often engaged in conflicts with the smaller nations that border it, occasionally engaging in wholesale wars of conquest against those neighbours for resources.

Of particular interest to Imperial citizens are the Jarmish ports which are open to trade with the Empire.

Terrain

The Principalities are divided into three broad areas. They spread along a wide swathe of coastline with several major rivers; most of the Southern and Northern Principalities have at least one settlement with access to the sea, and many of the Eastern Principalities have a ship-navigable port along one of these waterways. The climate tends to be temperate, a little warmer than the southern Empire in Summer and a little cooler in Winter.

The Southern Principalities are the oldest, and the land there is widely settled and agrarian. The Northern Principalities are cooler, with more hills and bounded on two sides by high mountain peaks. Much of the Eastern Principalities is covered in forest, and many of the people here are the descendants of conquered peoples; the eastern borders are prone to regular raids from nearby nations and at least one tribe of orcs.

People

The Jarmish people are human. All lineages are known, but there are strong lines of changeling and naga - scions of these lines rule several Principalities. Orcs are known in several parts of Jarm, especially in the Eastern Principalities, but they are exclusively of low station. Those orcs who are not labourers serve in the military and have a reputation as ignorant savages, surly bandits and primitive barbarians incapable of appreciating the various fruits of Jarmish life.

The rulers of Jarm are all magicians; only someone with the ability to cast spells can hold any position of authority. Those who cannot master magic are consigned to the ministerial class or even the landfolk - non-magicians are allowed to own property and wealth but they cannot hold public office.

The people are roughly divided into four classes, and there is comparatively little social mobility. The Magician-Princes are of the Noble class, and their families control most of the wealth, land and magical power in Jarm. The Ministerial class serves the Principalities as educators, scribes, merchants, translators, diplomats and judges and form an educated middle-class under the Magician-Princes. The Landfolk are labourers and shopkeepers, and their standard of living is generally much lower than that of the equivalent Imperial citizen. The lowest class are the Slaves who are considered property, and live short lives of hopeless drudgery. Slightly outside this class-system are doctors and chirurgeons, who have a status somewhere between slaves and landfolk, and are generally considered to be bad luck by more sophisticated Jarmish citizens.

Each Principality maintains its own military forces, and it is only among the soldiery that any semblance of meritocracy is encountered; the Jarmish people are oddly practical when it comes to matters of protecting their nation, and it is entirely possible (if extremely difficult) for one of the Landfolk or even the Slave-class to rise to a position of authority within the army of a Principality.

Poltics

Jarm is made up of a number of self-contained Principalities, each ruled over by a Magician-Prince. The principalities tend to be around the same size geographically as an Imperial territory. Most Principalities have a single small city at their heart which is the site of the Prince's palace and where the governance of the Principality takes place. While individual Principalities choose their ruling Prince in various different ways, the power rarely moves beyond the control of three or four long-established families; it is rare for a single family to completely dominate a Principality. The Noble class sets the law within their domain, and while they are rarely subject to it they are constantly aware of the need to maintain the respect of their peers within the Principality and in neighbouring domains .

Each Prince also holds a seat in the House of Princes in the city of Jarm (a central Principality whose Magician-Prince is appointed by the House of Princes directly and serves as an administrative hub for the nation). There they conspire with and intrigue against each other for position and control of their nation's resources. There is traditionally a good-deal of cut-throat maneuvering between the Northern and Southern Principalities who both seek to exploit the resources of the Eastern Principalities.

While the nation appears chaotic, it is governed by a small body of shared laws. For example, no Jarmish may shed the blood of another Jarmish citizen. This law extends from to the Noble class all the way down to the Slave class. A Magician-Prince.who ignores this law will face the censure of her peers, and several Princes have been toppled by their neighbours for ignoring it. This law is suspended during a formally declared state of inter-Principality war, which is known by a number of names in various languages (zemsta, kättemaks or pomsta) all of which roughly translate to 'revenge' or 'vendetta'.

A peculiar side-effect of this universal Law has been the creation of a low-status class of doctors and chirurgeons; because they often have to shed the blood of their patients for their own good, they are both disdained and valuable to the Jarmish people. Still, given a choice, any Jarmish citizen would prefer to seek out magical healing over mundane healing.

Interestingly, it is also illegal for anyone outside of the Noble class to own a bow, and crossbows are completely unknown. Principalities rarely field units of archers, preferring to use soldiers trained in the use of thrown weapons such as javelins. Some Principalities maintain elite units of archers made up of troops that have proven their loyalty to the Magician-Prince, but even these soldiers are not considered to own their bows. When a military archer is not on campaign, her bow remains the property of the Magicvian-Prince. This can leave them at a serious disadvantage; many Jarmish armies include soldiers trained in the use of large shields specifically to protect their fellows against enemy archers. The use of archers during internal conflicts is heavily frowned upon, and many Magician-Princes are cautious about deploying bow-wielding troops during the regular inter-Principality tussles. This restriction is believed to be a consequence of the extensive use of mage armour among the Nobles of Jarm - they ensure that a weapon as devastating as the bow is carefully controlled.

Magic

For the most part, only the Magician-Princes and their retainers are allowed to practice ritual magic in Jarm, although many of the citizens know an incantation or two. Jarmish ritual magic tends to be a combination of Astronomancy and Music of the Spheres. Only members of the Noble class are allowed to form or participate in covens, and members of other classes found to be practicing ritual magic as part of a group are dealt with very harshly.

Magical items and potions are rarer in Jarm than they are in the Empire, and the majority of Jarmish artisans focus on crafting robes, implements and ritual paraphernalia for the Magician-Princes.

Religion

Jarm has no dominant religion; rather the Principalities embrace religious freedom. With the exception of a few theologically minded Principalities, spiritual beliefs are seen as relevant only to the individual. While many Jarmite citizens cultivate an attitude of amused indifference to religious matters, many more wholeheartedly embrace the tenets of one creed or another.

Consequently adherents of the Way rub shoulders with members of the Gemeinwesen sects; spiritualists and necromancers loudly debate with materialists and ancestor worshippers; and temples of various gods and powers compete for congregations with the shrines of Eternal cults.

The closest Jarm gets to an established priesthood are the astrologers of the Ministerial class. These magicians combine minor rituals from the Realms of Day and Night with the study of the heavens to offer advice to their fellows. Many Jarmish will consult an astrologer before embarking on any major endeavour. While the people often consult these diviners for advice, they do not necessarily follow it - the astrologer fills a cultural role, but few Jarmish place their advice above common sense or their own desires.

Look and Feel

Jarmish costume is strongly influenced by Indian, Southern Asian and Malaysian styles. As befits such a cosmopolitan nation, a very wide range of materials, colours, degrees of ornamentation and styles are found here. Men and women alike enjoy loose fitting, flowing clothing made of loose, wide strips of clothing wrapped around the body and often accompanied by a shirt or blouse. Other popular styles include a long coat cut to just above the knee worn with tight-fitting trousers similar to the sherwani; the kurta or kurta pyjama (a knee-length shirt usually made from cotton or linen); the salwar kameez; the choli and the lengha.

Jewelry is extremely common among the Jarmish, made from a variety of precious and semi-precious materials. Delicate chains are especially common, and the Jarmish love pendants and intricate head-pieces. Wrist and angle bracelets are much more common than rings - ornate rings are often seen as a mark of indolence as they imply that the wearer does not work with their hands. Likewise, the head is rarely covered by anyone other than the Landfolk; a hat often suggests that one works outside exposed to the rain and so individuals of the Ministerial and Noble class avoid them, preferring jewelry instead.

Languages

The principalities are polyglot, with languages from all over the world spoken in various Principalities. The Jarmish are the descendants of a wide mix of forerunner kingdoms, immigrants and the children of subject peoples; there is no dominant language, and many Jarmish are multi-lingual as a consequence. The languages most commonly spoken in Jarm are shared with many of the surrounding nations, and can be represented by any language belonging to the [Slavic language group].

The Principalities in Play

The Empire has traded with the Principalities of Jarm for several centuries, and both nations have benefited from that trade. It is important to remember that the Principalities are much more loosely connected than the nations of the Empire, and that they treat intrigue almost like a popular sport; a good relationship with one Principality might automatically result in a bad relationship with another. The same applies to characters with roots in the Principalities; they may have links to a family in one Principality, but this gives them absolutely no standing with any other Principality. Each Principality keeps itself a little apart from the others, so it is relatively easy to include a Jarmish character or incident in a background; a character who is known by people from one Principalities is likely to be entirely unknown, or even receive a hostile relationship, from the others. It is also easy to play a character who has come from the Principalities to settle in the Empire, or whose parents or grandparents did the same, but how convincing this role may be may depend on your ability to speak one of the Jarmish languages.

Language is also likely to be confusing to Imperial citizens - there is no dominant language, and people from different parts of Jarm may well have problems communicating with each other. This situation is exacerbated for Imperial Citizens who don't speak any of the languages common in the area. An entire class of translator-diplomats exists to smooth over relations between the Principalities, and these are likely to be the sort of characters that Imperial citizens deal with regularly when they are in Jarm.

Slavery is a reality in Jarm, and one many Imperial citizens (especially the Freeborn and the Imperial Orcs are very uncomfortable with. Orcs in general are not welcome in Jarm, and an orc will always be assumed to be of the Slave class. An orc that does not belong to someone is 'up for grabs' and may end up being enslaved. Most Jarmish have no more information about the Empire that the Empire has about them, and many are entirely unaware (and unconcerned) that the Imperial orcs exist.

Perhaps the biggest difference from the Empire is the role of magic; people who are not magicians have very little standing in Jarmish society. A Jarmish magician might make an Imperial citizen their fascinating exotic lover, but if they are incapable of performing magic they will soon tire of them. Likewise, visitors to Jarm must be careful not to engage in ritual magic without the permission of a Prince's family; the Jarmish have little concept of diplomatic immunity - a criminal from the Empire will be dealt with summarily by the Magician-Princes exactly as if they were a Jarmish citizen.

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Principalities of Jarm ports

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Kavor (Northern Principalities of Jarm)

- 2.1 Trade with Kavor

- 3 Vezak (Southern Principalities of Jarm)

- 3.1 Trade with Vezak

- 4 Rigia (Eastern Principalities of Jarm)

- 4.1 Trade with Rigia

Overview

There are three ports available to characters with the fleet resource; Kavor in the north, Vezak in the south and Rigia in the east. The most common resource gained by trading with Jarm is mana crystals.

The two older city-ports are fierce rivals. Vezak is one of the oldest cities in one of the most influential Principalities, but Kavor may be wealthier - the northern Principalities are much richer in valuable green iron and iridescent gloaming than the southern or eastern Principalities, and parlay their wealth into power in the politics of the Princes.

The powerful Magician-Princes of Kavor and Vezak (and their supporters) seemed to have a vested interest in preventing Imperial access to Rigia. Recently, however (in 379YE) the eastern port of Rigia was opened to Imperial trade. This marked a significant shift in Jarmish politics - an "upstart alliance" of eastern Magician-Princes are apparently challenging the status-quo in the Principalities. The older factions have made much of the fact that they appear to be doing so with significant Imperial support.

Wise merchants avoid being caught up in the intrigues of the Magician-Princes if they can, but sometimes it is impossible. At the very least, it is easy for a merchant who is known to spend time trading with one of these ports to receive a frosty reputation in the other ... and anyone openly siding with the eastern Principalities is likely to be seen as an enemy by both established factions.

Kavor (Northern Principalities of Jarm)

Fortified Kavor controls access to the richly forested hills of the northern Principalities. The magician-princes are canny merchants, more civil and more ruthless than their southern cousins. Merchants and foreigner travelers are often invited to banquets and feasts thrown by the Magician-Prince of Kavor, where they enjoy a status part-way between honoured guest and entertainment.

Kavor is the destination of choice for those who desire access to the green iron of the northern Principalities, but this port is also rich in iridescent gloaming, a resource very much in demand throughout Jarm. The warm, forested hills of the northern Principalities are home to great gardens where Cerulean Mazzarine is grown and harvested, as well as to a peculiar breed of small, hairless.mammoth from the eastern Principlaities called a slon that serves as a beast of burden alongside the oxen more familiar to Imperial visitors.

Trade with Kavor

A starting fleet resource that engages in trade with Kavor during downtime will produce 4 doses of cerulean mazzarine, 3 ingots of green iron, 3 measures of iridescent gloaming and 1 mana crystal. A fleet that has been upgraded, or that engages in piracy, will produce more valuable resources according to this chart of foreign ports.

Vezak (Southern Principalities of Jarm)

Traders from across the southern Principalities bring their wares to the teeming city of Vezak; a riot of colour, sound and spices where the cosmopolitan magician-Princes engage in endless rounds of intrigue and conspiracy. Visitors are welcomed to the Foreign Quarter of the city, where merchants from around the world rub shoulders and compete for the bounty of the forests of Jarm.

Traders in Vezak come away with ambergelt and dragonbone harvested from the forest preserves of southen Jarm, but sometimes find themselves caught up in the intrigues of the southern Magician-Princes, each of whom maintains a presence here under the watchful eye of the immensely rich Magician-Prince of Vezak. Few Imperial citizens can visit this city without attending the Vezakeen Gardens, an immense structure combining the role of public garden, museum, treasury, performance space and menagerie that is considered (particularly by the Jarmish) to be one of the wonders of the world.

Trade with Vezak

A starting fleet resource that engages in trade with Vezak during downtime will produce 3 measures of dragonbone and ambergelt and 3 mana crystals. A fleet that has been upgraded, or that engages in piracy, will produce more valuable resources according to this chart of foreign ports.

Rigia (Eastern Principalities of Jarm)

Rigia is an old port, but it has only recently been opened to Imperial fleets. Equidistant between Kavor and Vezak, the eastern Principalities have chafed under the condescencion of the other two factions for centuries - but no more. The city is small, but known for it's beautiful architecture and the many wide open spaces and gardens that surround it - every building, it seems, has a roof garden and every window bears a box of riotous flowers.

This Eastern port has only recently been opened to Imperial fleets. The port is not well-established; indeed, it struggles to survive in the face of the malice of the Princes of the northern and southern principalities. The most common trade goods purchased here include dragonbone harvested from the wild eastern forests that stretch to the boundaries of barbarian lands and green iron from old mines maintained on cold north-eastern mountainsides. Of course, it is also a good place to buy mana crystals - although there are already rumours that the House of Princes is planning to restrict sale of crystal mana to Imperial citizens.

This is the site of the newly established Imperial Embassy, currently in the grounds of the Winter Palace of House Radz, who rule in Rigia. Prince Barbara Radz is the leader and public face of the Eastern Alliance who have claimed equal standing in the House of Princes with the other two factions. How it must stick in the throats of the Princes, that they must come to Rigia to deal with the Empire!

Trade with Rigia

As of Spring 379YE, trade with the port at Rigia is significantly less profitable than trade with almost anyone else. It remains to be seen whether the upstart port can attract sufficient merchants to prove viable. Consequently, a starting fleet resource that engages in trade with Rigia during downtime will produce 2 measures of dragonbone and green iron, 1 dose of imperial roseweald and 1 mana crystal. A fleet that has been upgraded, or that engages in piracy, will produce more valuable resources according to this chart of foreign ports.

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Principle of Precedence

Joshua - the fact that you can't see why the mana should not be shared out equally between the orders is exactly why those of us who can think this principle is so important.

Iñes i Guerra

Contents

- 1 The Principle

- 2 Application

- 2.1 Speaking

- 2.2 Gambits

- 2.3 Vaults

- 3 Intention

The Principle

The Principle of Precedence states that the size of an order determines the priority given to them by the Conclave.

Application

At the start of the meeting the chamber is sealed. No more magicians are allowed in until precedence is established. This is done by counting the number of magicians in each order. The count is usually performed quickly by civil servants who will check their figures with the grandmasters of the orders.

To help the civil servants, many magicians have taken to standing close together in groups of five to speed up the process of counting. There is no requirement to do so, but it is everyone's best interest to get precedence set quickly so that as little time is wasted as possible.

Once the count is complete, the precedence is established and the chamber is unsealed. Magicians may now enter or leave freely without affecting the recorded precedence for the meeting.

If two orders are tied for Precedence at the start of a Conclave session, then the tie is resolved in favour of the oldest Order. The Order of establishment, from oldest to newest, runs Celestial Arch, Sevenfold Path, Rod and Shield, Golden Pyramid, Shuttered Lantern and Unfettered Mind.

The Principle of Precedence directly affects speaking before the Conclave, resourcing of gambits, and the allocation of crystal mana and ilium to the vaults.

Speaking

After the presentation for an address, declaration, or gambit is complete, there is an opportunity for others present to speak. The grandmaster of each order nominates a speaker in turn, starting with the smallest order present and proceeding to the largest. When every grandmaster has nominated a single speaker, then the process can begin again with the smallest order.

The grandmaster must nominate a speaker who has not already contributed to the current agenda item; no-one may speak for a second time on the same address, declaration, or gambit. A grandmaster may pass at any point - if they do not wish to nominate a speaker. If they do this however, they may not then nominate any further speakers.

Gambits

When the presentation and debate of a gambit is complete, each order decides how much resources, if any, they wish to allocate to the Gambit. Each grandmaster announces their order's decision , starting with the largest order present and proceeding to the smallest.

Vaults

The business of the Conclave produces mana that is collected that is collected by the civil service. These supplies are supplemented by mana confiscated from barbarians and sorcerers and crystals harvested by civil servants working for the Conclave. These supplies are redistributed to the orders in direct proportion to the total count of their precedence at the previous summit. An order which is twice the size of another receives twice as much mana.

Intention

The Principle is intended to make it simple to determine who will speak next when an agenda item is being debated by the Conclave. Like the Principle of Proportions the support of the assembled magicians for a clear set of rules makes it possible for the Conclave to operate without appointing an individual to chair a session.

The principle also resolves the thorny issue of how to allocate the mana possessed by the Conclave - by ensuring an egalitarian distribution that grants an equal share for every mage who attends the Conclave.

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Principle of Presence

Of course we would be honoured to listen to her Imperial Majesty speak. But as she has declined to present herself before this Conclave, I'm afraid I have no interest at all in hearing you speak.

Iñes i Guerra

Contents

- 1 The Principle

- 2 Application

- 2.1 Presentations

- 2.2 Gambits

- 3 Intention

The Principle

The Principle of Presence states that an individual addressing the Imperial Conclave on an address, declaration, or gambit must do so in person, they may not send a proxy to speak in their place.

Application

An individual who is speaking before the Conclave is legally forbidden to claim to be speaking on behalf of another individual or Imperial citizen. Heralds may not legally claim to represent their Eternal patrons, Imperial citizens may not claim to be speaking for a Senator, General or similar individual. If such an individual wishes to address the Conclave, they are required to present themselves before the Conclave to do so.

It has always been difficult for civil servants to legally enforce the principle and many speakers are adept at communicating their political patronage or support where it exists. However an open claim to be speaking on another's behalf can result in the speaker being corrected by the civil servants present - or in the speaker being shouted down by the assembled Conclave.

Application of the principle is critical for presentations and for gambits.

Presentations

Every agenda item grants one free minute to make a presentation, any further time must be paid for in mana. Only the person who raised the address to the agenda is legally allowed to make the presentation, no other character may speak in their stead. A group of magicians must select a spokesperson, and have that person present the address to the agenda.

If the person who raised the agenda item is not present, the civil servant announces the item as it is recorded on the agenda and then moves directly to the debate.

Gambits

Only individuals with specific Imperial titles - an archmage or the Warmage - have the legal power to raise a gambit. The holder of the title can nominate a proxy to act on their behalf to raise the gambit, but the gambit is still considered to be raised by the office-holder - they cannot nominate a proxy to speak before the Conclave on their behalf. If an archmage can not or does not wish to make the free presentation of their gambit then the gambit proceeds as normal but without any presentation.

Intention

Citizens may freely trade mana crystals amongst themselves, so the limitations imposed by this principle are very slight for most magicians. However the principle is intended to ensure the independence of the Conclave, by presenting significant barriers to any non-magician who wishes the Conclave to hear what they have to say. The Senate may make pronouncements, but only a senator who is also a magician can easily come to the Conclave to speak directly.

Critics argue that this makes it difficult for the Conclave to know what the Senate, Synod, Miltiary Council or Bourse has to say. The counter-argument is that interested magicians can easily converse with other Imperial citizens and then present those arguments as their own if they are convinced by them.

The principle also means that being able to speak effectively in front of the assembled Conclave remains a critical skill for an archmage or Warmage.

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Principle of Proportions

It's one crystal mana for every minute you want to speak dear. Which part of that were you having difficulty understanding?

Iñes i Guerra

Contents

- 1 The Principle

- 2 Application

- 3 Intention

- 4 Exceptions

- 5 Abuse

The Principle

The Principle of Proportions states that if a magician wishes to speak before the Conclave, they must bequeath a mana crystal to be added to the Conclave vaults for every minute they speak.

Application

The Conclave do not employ a Speaker like the Imperial Senate. Instead they use the principle of proportions to keep a Conclave session from overrunning. The principle is intended to allow magicians to be fully in control of their own meetings, without fear that any individual will abuse the goodwill of their fellows by speaking for too long.

Only crystal mana can be used to make a payment under the principle of proportions, whether it is speaking or raising an item to the agenda for a Conclave session. Exotic forms of mana (such as those gained from dealing with Eternals), money or raw materials cannot be used. Magicians with these resources are encouraged to trade them to their fellows for the mana needed to conduct Conclave business.

Intention

The principle is intended to serve two purposes. It provides effective payment to all the members present (an individual magician might not be interested in the agenda item, but the Conclave becomes richer for every minute it is discussed). More importantly, the high price required to speak strongly encourages speakers to remain terse and on topic but allows them time to speak in proportion to how valuable they consider their message to be.

Critics argue that poor magicians are unable to pay to address the Conclave on business that may still be important. The counter-argument is that other magicians should be happy to provide the mana needed to meet the principle, if the matter is really that important.

Exceptions

When an agenda item is raised, the individual who raises it is able to make a presentation of up to a minute without further charge. Usually in this case, they have already paid one mana to add the item to the agenda, but some Imperial titles have the power to add agenda items without paying. These offices still receive their free minute to make a presentation.

After the presentation for a declaration is complete, the grandmaster of each Conclave order can nominate individuals to speak. The first speaker nominated can speak for a minute without charge.

It was successfully argued in both cases that the implied seniority of a title appointed by the members of the Conclave was such that this exception was in keeping with the spirit of the underlying principle.

Abuse

Iñes i Guerra famously said that a magician has only two commodities of value - their mana, and their time - and considered wasting either to be a serious matter. The Principle of Proportions is designed to allow the Conclave to complete their business in good order, but on a few occasions magicians have used the mechanism to try to disrupt a declaration they oppose. Such techniques are legal but they are expensive and are only used with great caution. On occasion in the past, individuals who have abused the Principle of Proportions been declared sorcerers by a disgruntled Conclave.

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Projects

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

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Propose treaty of limited warfare to the Jotun

Open communications with the Jotun with the intention of restricting the fighting to Mournwold and Liathaven.

Proposed by Bregasland, seconded by Mitwold.

Overview

- This proposal would have suggested an amendment to the Jotun ceasefire.

- Defeated

Date

- Spring 378YE

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

7

20

Failed

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Prosperity roleplaying effects

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Consecration of Prosperity

- 3 Anointings of Prosperity

- 3.1 The Path of Prosperity

- 3.2 The Worth of Prosperity

- 3.3 The Benevolence of Prosperity

- 3.4 The Seeds of Prosperity

- 3.5 The Vision of Prosperity

- 4 Hallows of Prosperity

- 4.1 Hallowing of the Little Mother

- 4.2 Hallowing of the Opportunist

- 4.3 Hallowing of the Overflowing Cup

- 4.4 Hallowing of the Company

- 4.5 Hallowing of the Shepherd

- 4.6 Hallowing of Good Walder

Overview

These roleplaying effects are created by priests dedicated to the virtue of Prosperity who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character performing an anointing or hallow must pick one of the appropriate roleplaying effects when they perform the ceremony.

Consecration of Prosperity

- In this place, you feel an impulse to use all the means and abilities at your disposal to prosper yourself or your fellows.

Anointings of Prosperity

The following are a range of auras that can be summoned onto a living soul, with their consent, by priests whose own souls are dedicated to Prosperity:

The Path of Prosperity

- You receive a brief vision of the rewards that your labours may yield. You feel more willing and able to perform these labours, and negative feelings you associate with them are diminished. If you are bleeding, or terminal, the vision you receive is of the fruits of labours that you have enjoyed in the past accompanied with a feeling of satisfaction.

Description: The path of prosperity can be long, and arduous, with the rewards of labours seemingly distant. Priests of prosperity have been able to use this aura to bolster citizens and pilgrims for the journey, and particularly when obstacles and setbacks are encountered. This auras has also been beneficial in helping citizens overcome the obstacles that presents itself as a malign effect or aura. Elsewise, the visions provided by this aura have also been utilised in ceremonies of last rites to provide comfort and celebration in a person's last moments.

The Worth of Prosperity

- You feel a strong sense of the value of what is around you, and a strong distaste for waste, including excessive hoarding. You feel motivated to engage in fruitful activity, and your tolerance for squandering and hoarding is greatly diminished.

Description: Priests of the path of prosperity have used this anointing to encourage the prosperous use of resources amongst citizens and pilgrims. It has seen popular use by Friars of the Marches, though this is balanced by the way many stewards run their households. Priests of prosperity often encourage misers and hoarders to receive this and receive the benefits of living a virtuous life, but attaining consent often proves difficult.

The Benevolence of Prosperity

- During this anointing, you were asked to specify an entity, usually a particular individual, group or cause. Whilst this anointing is in effect, you feel a strong urge to ensure that this entity receives the benefit of your prosperity, whether this is in the form of labour, resources or another way. This applies even if the specified entity would not normally be something you would wish to prosper.

Description: This anointing is opposed by Lucidians who believe that the effort for prosperity must come from within. However, other priests of the path of prosperity have made it clear that this anointing requires the consent of the recipient. This anointing has been used to stir those who lack virtue into action, whether they are lazy or miserly. There have also been occasions where it has been applied to convicted felons to promote restorative justice.

The Seeds of Prosperity

- You gain a strong sense of the value that others have in ensuring your prosperity, and theirs. You feel more inclined to co-operate in ventures in which all parties, especially you, will profit.

Description: This anointing is popular with sects of prosperity, but has also been used by other groups and parties in building the foundations of a co-operative venture. This has included Bishops of the League offering this ministration to Free Companies and Guilds, and Benefactors of Highguard bringing together parties for a venture. This anointing has also been beneficial in peace-making or reconciliation between antagonistic groups whose combined efforts are needed to bring to bear on a situation.

The Vision of Prosperity

- The next time you sleep you experience vivid dreams concerning the goals you have been working towards. In some dreams you see yourself toiling and achieving these goals, in others you experience the rewards of success that could from accomplishing your efforts. You awaken deeply reinvigorated with renewed drive to face the hard work that lies before you..

Description: The teachings of the path make clear that prosperity is not about labour for labour's sake, but about effort made for reward. However, for many citizens and pilgrims, it is not always clear how to transfer their efforts, labours and resources into true prosperity. Priests of the path seek to use this anointing to help provide enlightenment and guidance. Some merchants and traders have naively sought this aura in the hope that it prophetically shows them the way to wealth and riches, but find themselves disappointed that the path is rarely so simple and straightforward.

Hallows of Prosperity

Hallowing of the Little Mother

- You feel an urge to use your resources, such as wealth or skills, to help others in their pursuit of prosperity. This is amplified if the person or group you are helping would struggle to achieve without your aid.

Hallowing of the Opportunist

- You feel an urge to use the resources at your disposal to take full advantage of opportunities that you encounter. If you deliberately pass up such an opportunity, then the feeling changes so that revulsion and rejection flows from the item to you for as long as you are bonded to it.

Hallowing of the Overflowing Cup

- When bonded to this item, and in contact with it you feel a desire to enjoy the fruits of your labour and to share them with those around you who likewise work hard and honestly for what they have.

Hallowing of the Company

- When bonded to this item, you feel an urge to set aside selfishness and work closely with those who are bonded to the item in the same ceremony to achieve mutual prosperity for all.

Hallowing of the Shepherd

- You feel an urge to protect, by whatever means you can, that which has been justly earned, from the undeserving who would seek to take it. This impulse includes a desire to use this item in that protection, if it would be appropriate to do so.

Hallowing of Good Walder

- You feel an urge to seek out those who hoard wealth and persuade them to utilise it for further prosperity. This feeling is amplified if you perceive the wealth is unearned, or undeserved. This feeling includes the impulse to use this item as part of your effiorts, if it would appropriate to do so.

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Prospero

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Autumn

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

- 2 The Spiders of the City of Bridges

- 3 The Books of Ebony and Bone

- 4 The Loom of Stars

Eternal of Autumn

Sobriquets

Known as the Golden Prince, Prospero is the master of influence, favours and serendipity.

He is commonly referred to as the Weaver, and the Lord of the Loom. He is the Sovereign Lord of the City of Bridges and the Prince of Ties. He is sometimes referred to as the Reckoner of Ebony and Bone in reference to the ledgers in which he records his favours and enmities. His love of influence sometimes leads to him being called the Golden Spider or the Threadweaver. Very old sources sometimes call him Cloven-hoofed, apparently a metaphor for the mountain-goat-like dexterity with which he navigates the difficult terrain of the halls of power.

In Asavea he is called Polymitarius or el tejedor; in Jarm he is called Jemný Pavouk which translates a something akin to Subtle Spider. The magicians of the Sumaah Republic consider him, along with Estavus and Ephisis to be an acceptable Eternal to treat with, and they call him Skredderen - yet while they may communicate with him, it is illegal for any citizen of Sumaah to owe Prospero a favour.

Prospero always appears to be male, and uses male pronouns.

Appearance

Prospero is always finely dressed; he displays his wealth, power and influence in his garments and accoutrements. His curving horns are often gilded, and he drips with fine jewelry. He is invariably friendly, affable, gregarious and loquacious. He enjoys verbal fencing and clever conversation, especially when it is accompanied by food or drink. Debate and discourse are his meat-and-drink. He is slow to anger, but utterly implacable when his ire is raised. The angrier Prospero becomes, the colder his demeanour and the more cutting his comments. On the few occasions Prospero has genuinely lost his temper, he is said to turn his entire will to ruining the target of his ire.

Prospero rules the City of Bridges. Built on a thousand small islands, connected by bridges in an impossible variety of styles, it is a city-sized maze of white marble and gold. Said to be one of the richest and most beautiful cities in the Autumn Realm, it is an urban wonderland of well-maintained parks, plazas, fora, public buildings and princely villas. Traveling between islands is possible only via the bridges - no boats ply the dark waters of the allegedly bottomless lake. The layout is unchanging but incredibly intricate, and is said to be impossible for visitors to navigate without assistance from the residents - who of course demand favours or services in return for their guidance. While the majority of buildings are single storey affairs, the impossily tall towers of Prospero's palace dominate the skyline, a visible reminder to all the inhabitants of who rules here.

The Weaver is not a warrior, but is said to be the most potent magician of the Autumn Eternals, at least on par with Meraud in Summer, Sadogua in Night and Kimus in Day. He is always equipped with potent magical items that enhance his already formidable supernatural powers; the nature of these items changes regularly. On occasion he lends one to a mortal in return for some valuable service.

Prospero never appears alone. He is usually accompanied by two or three "nobles" from his city, chosen for their talents and unique skills. These courtiers share their Prince's love of conversation, and may have boons of their own to offer.

The Golden Spider is known to project an aura similar to the Chamber of Pallas, encouraging everyone in his vicinity to engage in discussion and eschew confrontation. This power is especially potent when combined with a feast or banquet.

The Lord of the White City is associated with Hirmok, rune of dominion and with Lann rune of bargains. Unlike many Eternals he is also associated with astronomantic constellations; in this case the Chain, Spider and Web. According to Prospero and his heralds, these constellations can be seen in the sky above the City of Bridges just as they can in the mortal world.

Concerns

Prospero prides himself on being the image of a wise ruler, who exerts the maximum amount of influence with the minimal amount of effort. He is well loved by the inhabitants of his city, and respected even by his enemies. He stands at the centre of an impossibly complex web of favour, patronage and influence - what he cannot achieve by calling in a favour directly, he can often manage by calling in a favour from someone who is owed a favour by his target.

Wealth is useful to Prospero, but it is not an end in itself. As far as the Sovereign Lord of the City of Bridges is concerned, being prosperous and secure allows one to security allows one the freedom to focus on politics and personal ambitions - the poor and powerless are trapped in cycles of desperation that prevent them achieving their goals. "There are few things more depressing than a farmer," he is often quoted as saying, "unless it is a slave. I would always choose the company of the landowner or the merchant over the farmer."

Prospero is also disdainful of the trade of goods - it is a usefu tool, but objects are nothing compared to the talents of individuals. Gold and silver are cold and worthless compared to the talent that lies in the hands and mind of the jeweler and the silversmith. It is the merchant who creates wealth, not the goods they traffick in - and the best merchants wield the subtle tools of influence to increase their prosperity. He has several times expressed scorn for the Imperial Bourse while praising the Imperial Senate as "a good idea, for all that it still has a little way to go."

The Echoing Market, which lies at the heart of the City of Bridges, is a unique bazaar where no goods change hands - rather, the merchants here trade in favours. Many Eternals associated with Prospero insist on writing down favours owed on strips of paper, which they treat as the physical manifestation of the favour. Anyone who presents the paper can claim the favour - and there is a brisk exchange with a complex rate. Two favours from a soldier might equal a major favour from a grocer, or a minor boon from a lesser Eternal; the favour of a Cardinal of the Way might fetch a price of six minor favours from various diplomats to the courts of Jarm. Mortal magicians may sometimes engage in trade for favours, but woe betide anyone who attempts to avoid or welch on an owed favour. A favour recorded on the papers of the Echoing Market is said to be able to reach beyond death, to call back a spirit or perhaps even to influence a mortal who has been reborn from the Labyrinth again.

When someone makes an agreement with Prospero (or angers him), he has one of his scribes or aides make a note of it, and the paper is dispatched to the City of Bridges to be entered in one of his ledgers. He rarely bothers to invoke the Lictors to safeguard his agreements - but anyone who attempts to betray Prospero is likely to find that offending someone with an innate understanding of synchronicity can be extremely painful. Prospero is not cruel, particularly; only the most heinous offenses against him cannot be at least partially resolved with a heartfelt apology and an offer of favours.

The Golden Prince aspires to be a scion of subtlety. Where his rival Basileus Kade rules with a fist of iron, Prospero weaves threads of favour and patronage to influence the members of his court - and indeed anyone else who interacts with them. Despite his emphasis on subtlety and influence, Prospero has little time for either deception or treachery. Wherever he can he encourages honest dealings, where everyone involved knows what they are getting in to. Only in the realm of trading favours does this honest approach begin to break down a little - but the assumption in the Court of Flowers is always that someone who offers a favour without placing limitations on it or defining how the favour can be spent - or traded - deserves everything they get.

Within the Empire, Prospero is known to favour the League's style of favour and influence, and appears to have a great deal of respect for the Net of the Heavens philosophy as practiced by the Urizen. He is believed to be fascinated by the Marches, and on several occasions has attempted to increase the power of the market towns over that of the Stewards - although always through proxies rather than direct action. When it comes to the Freeborn Prospero appears conflicted; he appreciates their directness and honesty, but finds their "obsession" with money to be a little off-putting.

The Imperial Synod is said to intrigue Prospero - he sees a lot to approve of in the teachings of Loyalty and Ambition, while viewing the virtues of Wisdom and Vigilance in particular as being largely irrelevant. His Heralds are always careful to remain polite to priests they encounter, and Prospero appears more than happy to assist those priests who treat him with respect.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Prospero is fascinated by the Imperial favour, and it is believed he will offer a valuable boon to anyone who willingly gives an existing favour into his control.

Boons

Prospero is the master of bonds. He can effortless create and dissolve bonds between people and magic items, and between groups of people. He is known to be able to exert his will to forge bonds that are extremely difficult to unravel, or to carefully unpick complex bonds created by others. From time to time he demonstrates the ability to manipulate the bonds between members of a band in remarkable ways - for example, he once wove the bonds of the Whisper of the North cabal with an enchantment that allowed them to perform more rituals than other covens, although the price he required in return allegedly involved the magicians influencing the Varushkan senators in some profound (but secret) fashion.

This facility for bonds also manifests in the ability to employ an effect similar to Ties that Bind at will, and to empower mortal magicians to perform the ritual with greater facility.

His understanding of the connections between people, places and things gives him an innate sense for synchronicity and serendipity - the way that events can combine to influence seemingly unrelated circumstances. This takes a number of forms, but he is known to be able to grant boons that empower rituals such as Streams of Silver, Rivers of Gold, Art of the Deal and Gift of the Wily Broker. Furthermore, his fascination with influence sometimes manifests in boons that strengthen the ties of loyalty between individuals such as Circle of Gold or Mantle of the Golden Orator.

This perception of synchronicity means that those who cross Prospero often find themselves cursed in ways that turn fortune against them. The most common effect is something similar to the ritual effect Like Water Through Your Fingers, although often more powerful. Prospero is also able to reduce or even remove the effects of this kind of curse - but generally requires a major favour for doing so.

Prospero sometimes accepts payment for his boons, but is much more interested in services or favours. An agreement to gain a boon regarding Rivers of Gold for example might include a requirement to perform the ritual once each season in a certain way for certain targets or types of targets. The exception is that Prospero has a weakness for orichalcum, and may agree to accept payment in ingots of this golden material.

The Spiders of the City of Bridges

Prospero is said to control a small army of metallic spider-like creatures who live in the City of Bridges. These creatures are rarely seen, but defend the city from attack. They are said to be able to entangle enemies in strands of metallic thread, quickly wrapping them into cocoons and rendering them immobile and powerless. While Prospero has never been known to grant control of these spiders to others, he has occasionally been known to offer boons or magical items that draw on their abilities in some way.

The Books of Ebony and Bone

Prospero keeps two immense ledgers in his palaces. One book is bound in ebony with black pages written in golden ink, in which Prospero records all the favours he is owed, and who he has traded them to. The other book, which is covered in a thin layer of dust, is bound in ivory with white pages written on in red ink. This is where Prospero records all his grudges. The book of ebony is said to fill up quickly - there are said to be twenty-three volumes of favours carefully curated by Prospero's heralds. The book of bone, however, is unique; it is no more than half filled with grudges, many of which have been expiated in one way or another.

The Loom of Stars

The Loom of Stars is an immense artifact that Prospero keeps in the centre of his palace in the City of Bridges. An incredibly complex machine made up of thousands upon thousands of coloured threads that criss-cross the chamber, sometimes crossing, sometimes tied in knots. Prospero claims that every strand represents the life of a single influential entity, and that by identifying which thread corresponds to which entity he can learn much about their relationships. The loom is ever-changing, and some Urizen stargazers say that it is a model of a part of the Net of the Heavens. According to Prospero himself, the loom contains strands connected to mortals, eternals and "other creatures" and even he does not know where it came from, nor precisely what it does.

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Protection for delegations

Delegates who arrive on the field at Anvil under the flag of peace and are unarmed should have protection under the law.

Proposed by Miaren, seconded by Therunin

Overview

- Extending the protection of the Imperial law to peaceful delegations would essentially grant them the rights and responsibilities of foreigners.

- The motion was defeated due to failure to precisely define what was or was not a "delegation."

Date

- Defeated Summer 378YE

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Protection_for_delegations&oldid=28704"

Proverbs

Traditional wisdom in the Marches is often contained in pithy, short phrases full of meaning that contain practical advice. These proverbs are often admonitions or advice. There are many more of these than any one person could hope to collect.

Widespread sayings include:

- Pride in small things, loyalty to great ones. People should take pride in what they do, but be loyal to their nation, rather than taking a pride in their nation's achievements but being loyal to themselves.

- When a dog barks, you don't bark back. Loud, angry words or taunts shouldn't be answered in kind.

- Sword and shears both cut alike. Soldiers and farmers both do important jobs.

- Know a body by their March; judge'em by their company. A variant of 'Don't judge a book by its cover'

- Every wife has two husbands and Every husband two wives. There is a difference between the reality of a person and the way someone talks about them.

- The best soil is thirsty soil. The best soil is watered with tears, sweat and blood - that it demands and rewards hard work.

- Bread without spice is better than spice without bread. Fancy elements and adornments are no match for substance.

- Sow, tend and reap; fight, toil and weep. The harvest of fighting is sadness

- War is a thrice-ploughed field. War is hard dirty work that takes a lot of effort to complete.

- One boy’s a boy, two boys is half a boy and three boys is no boy at all. The more people you have on a job, the slower it goes.

- Lost time is never found. Wasted time is gone forever.

- You don't own it unless you can defend it. What someone else can take away from you is not really yours.

- The answer lies in the soil.

- Liars and gossips sleep in the same bed.

- Nothing dries faster than a tear.

- Having a beard doesn't make you wise.

- Easy come, worth less. A Marcher summation of the Virtue of Prosperity

- As easy to escape as a Landskeeper's Oath. Something very hard, if not impossible, to escape from.

- Like a rake through fallen leaves. A variant of 'Like a hot knife through butter'

- Only a civil tongue buys cheap apples. Politeness is a useful trait in both trade and diplomacy

- Hard work wins wars. Marchers sometimes use this proverb to tacitly criticize the Dawnish affection for Glory.

Making Your Own

The easiest way to make your own sayings is simply to adopt one that isn't especially well known in modern times. Many websites exist with lists of folk sayings to help you out. A more ambitious option is to take a more common saying such as "A rolling stone gathers no moss" and give it a Marcher twist.

Some useful websites include American Folksayings, proverbs and maxims;

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Proverbs&oldid=30177"

Provide siege training to new Highborn army

Provide additional specialist siege training to army being levied, such that it enters the field fully trained in Spring.

Proposed by Necropolis, seconded by Hahmark.

Overview

- Provide siege training to the new Highborn army currently being raised

- Passed at 60 Thrones

Date

- Winter 377YE

Cost

- 50 Mithril

Progress

- 50 Wains of Mithril supplied by Adamah, Senator for Necropolis, after Winter Solstice 377

Campaign Outcome

- Once complete - the new Imperial army will gain the siege quality.

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

19

5

Passed

At 50 Thrones

19

5

Passed

At 60 Thrones

12 + Conscience

12

Passed

At 100 Thrones

0

24

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Provide_siege_training_to_new_Highborn_army&oldid=34221"

Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Guidance

- 3.2 Mastery of the Lore of Day

- 3.3 The Provost's Apartment

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

- 7 Previous Provosts

- 8 OOC Note

Overview

The Provost of the Halls of Knowledge is an Imperial title bestowed upon a magician by the people of Urizen. It is a national position appointed through the Bourse.

The Provost oversees the Halls of Knowledge, a centre of learning high in the peaks of Zenith. There is a great deal of rivalry between the scholars of the Halls of Knowledge and those of the Lyceum. The Provost guides the magicians of the Halls, and by extension some of the finest minds among the Urizen magicians, in researching new rituals. Under their guidance, magicians can co-operate to formulate new rituals in a matter of months rather than decades.

Responsibilities

While the Provost has the final say in the research agenda of the Academy, it is common for other magicians to approach them and suggest areas which might benefit the nation or the Empire. There is usually less pressure on the Provost to ensure that the magic they are researching is "useful" - and less emphasis on sharing that knowledge with the Empire (as opposed to using it constructively to advance the cause of Urizen or the Empire). Some Provosts have made healthy profits from their post, researching rituals that the Dean of the Lyceum has refused to develop or trading the rituals they formulate for political or monetary gain. Most prefer to focus their researches to the benefit of Urizen or the Empire, aware that they hold their position at the discretion of the magicians of their nation.

Not all the magicians of the Halls of Knowledge live within its walls; many remain in their home spires and correspond by letter or (rarely) through short messages sent via the Heliopticon. Unlike the Lyceum, there are few magicians associated with the Halls who are not Urizen, and those who are will invariably be practitioners of Day magic. Still, it is common for magicians from all corners of the Empire to spend some time studying at the Halls, and offer their services to whatever research is underway there. It is also common for the best Civil Service prognosticators to have studied at the Halls of Knowledge, and a proportion of all mana paid to the spire for its services is used directly for the casting of divinations useful to the Empire

Needless to say, the Halls of Knowledge have a great deal of interest in who the Archmage of Day is; the Provost is often encouraged to try and ensure that the holder of that title is well disposed towards Urizen, when they are not from the mountains themselves.

Powers

The Provost of the Halls of Knowledge has the ability to direct the research of the magicians who live at the spire; the Halls are arguably the foremost centre of magical research in the Empire.

Guidance

Ritual magicians from across Urizen come to study, debate, discuss and pursue arcane mastery at the Halls of Knowledge, and meet with their peers from across the Empire. In return for maintaining a good standard of living, and access to the researches of previous generations, these magicians are expected to perform ritual research and study for the betterment of the nation and the Empire as a whole. The Provost is responsible for setting the direction that research takes.

Firstly, the Provost can encourage the magicians of the Halls of Knowledge to cooperate in the creation of an arcane projection each season. This does not require the expenditure of any crystal mana. The projection will be valid during the next summit. It may detail a magical effect of any realm or magnitude.

Secondly, the Provost can direct research towards formalizing a new ritual so that it can be mastered. The ritual must already exist in the form of an arcane projection, but there is no requirement to select one they have personally commissioned. It is important to note that creating a new formulaic ritual is an art not a precise science - the final ritual may differ from the spontaneous magic described in the arcane projection. The Halls of Knowledge can work on formalising one ritual at a time, and the research may take anywhere from a season to several years depending on the complexity and the resources available. The amount of time it takes to complete research into a ritual depends on the magnitude of that ritual.

It requires three months (one season) for every 10 ranks of magnitude the final ritual will have.

At the completion of the research, the Provost receives a copy of the ritual suitable to use in mastering it. The Provost may keep the knowledge of the ritual restricted to themselves and their allies, or convince the Imperial Conclave to make it part of Imperial Lore through a Declaration of Imperial Lore.

If research is not completed, the Halls of Knowledge keep notes on their work so far, and may resume it at a later date from where it was left off.

Mastery of the Lore of Day

The Halls of Knowledge lack the resources available to the Lyceum, but they excel at the study of the magic of Day. When the Provost directs research towards a project that is part of the Lore of Day, the work proceeds at the rate of 15 ranks of magnitude each season.

The Provost can increase the rate at which a ritual of the Lore of Day is researched by spending money to purchase rare materials, esoteric tomes and exceptional equipment.

The first five ranks of additional research in a season cost 2 Thrones. The next five ranks cost a further 5 Thrones. The next five ranks cost a further 10 Thrones, and so on doubling the price for each additional five ranks of research within the same season.

The Provost's Apartment

The Provost has spacious apartments at the pinnacle of the Halls of Knowledge; in some circles it is reckoned that the Provost lives at the highest point in the Empire, with the clearest view of the night sky. The great circular chambers have windows of shaped crystal that are said to allow the Provost to gaze over great distances without the use of ritual magic.

Selection

This title is appointed during the Winter Solstice. The Provost of the Halls of Knowledge is appointed by citizens of Urizen who control mana site personal resources. The larger the mana site an individual has, the more votes they can allocate in support to a candidate. The voting is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.

Only an Urizen character may hold the title. They do not receive a seat on the Bourse nor access to the private auction.

Removal

The Provost of the Halls of Knowledge is appointed every year. They cannot be revoked by any Assembly of the Imperial Synod.

History

When the Lyceum was established during the reign of Empress Aenea, many Urizen expected it to be built in their nation. To their surprise, the Senate instead chose to build it on an island off the coast of Madruga. Records suggest that the Urizen were outmaneuvered by a coalition of Freeborn and League Senators, but the Urizen themselves admit their inability to focus their support around a single location almost certainly weakened their position. The spires of Weave in Morrow and Ankarien in Spiral (among others) both put forward strong cases and divided the Urizen Senators. The Urizen made an effort to support the Lyceum, being gracious in defeat, but there is no doubt that they considered the centre of magical learning in the Empire being anywhere other than their nation to be an affront.

When the territory that is now Zenith was added to the Empire during the reign of Empress Varkula, the Urizen proposed a second magical academy. They made their approach carefully and suggested that, rather than threaten the Lyceum, the new academy would help unite the magicians of Urizen and allow them to pool their magical lore for the benefit of the Empire. Rather than use an existing spire, they created an entirely new one and called it the Halls of Knowledge. The new Provost was responsible for directing research, and ensuring that Halls of Knowledge were protected and supported by the Empire. A number of respected theorists and seers travelled to the new academy, and it soon became known as the place to go for prognostication and the study of Day magic.

- Octavius of the Spire of the Auric Horizon was appointed to the title in 377YE.

Previous Provosts

- One of the longest serving Provosts in recent years was Portia the Elder, who held the position between 372YE and Winter 377YE. She chose not to stand for reappointment in 377YE.

OOC Note

The Provost uses their ability to prepare an arcane projection during Downtime, and selects the arcane projection they wish to formulate by e-mail to Profound Decicions (empire.rules@profounddecisions.co.uk) prior to the next event. The final magnitude of the ritual text is not guaranteed to be the same as that of the arcane projection.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Provost_of_the_Halls_of_Knowledge&oldid=34736"

Proxy

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Appointing a Proxy

- 3 Powers of a Proxy

- 3.1 Restrictions

- 4 Challenging a Proxy

- 5 Removing a Proxy

- 6 Proxies in Play

- 7 Proxies in Downtime

Overview

A character who holds an Imperial position - such as a senator, general, cardinal, or archmage may appoint another character to act as their proxy in their absence. Proxies are not uncommon as those with influence and power in the Empire are often absent due to being called away to war or unable to attend Anvil due to matters at home. The role of proxies has been codified under Imperial law and follows simple rules.

Appointing a Proxy

There is no required process for appointing a proxy - the most common method is to provide a proxy with a document signed by the character that explicitly grants the named bearer the power of proxy, but this is not obligatory. Some prefer to introduce their proxy in person to their peers and personally vouch for their status. Most Imperial generals appoint an adjutant which is a proxy who is able to assume the powers of the general if the general dies. Most Imperial citizens expect someone who is acting as a proxy to be able to produce a signed statement of their authority, but this is only relevant if they are challenged.

Powers of a Proxy

A proxy has the full legal power of the office they have assumed. It is not possible to limit the power of a proxy, you cannot restrict the powers available to them nor direct the way they must act or vote. A proxy who bears a document granting them power of authority for a senator but only if they vote for a given motion will be reminded by the Speaker that they have the full powers of their senator and that the restriction has no legal standing of any kind. The only limitation is that a proxy may not appoint another citizen to act as their proxy.

The proxy is treated exactly as if they were the citizen for whom they stand. This may have legal consequences - for instance if a proxy for a senator raises a motion in the Senate - then that senator is considered to have raised that motion and they may not then raise another motion that weekend.

Although a citizen may not legally constrain or direct the actions of their proxy it is still customary to hold them responsible for the consequences of their proxy's decisions - after all they chose the proxy.

Restrictions

A proxy must be an eligible candidate for the position they are assuming - a Dawnish senator can only appoint a Dawnish citizen to act as their proxy. A proxy is considered to be an Imperial title in its own right, one that is conferred at the point where you accept the position. This means that you cannot accept a position as proxy for an Imperial title if you already hold another title, nor can you agree to be proxy for two different Imperial titles. For example, a Dawnish senator could not accept a position as proxy for a member of the Bourse without first resigning their position as senator.

It is uncommon but not illegal to appoint more than one proxy, but only one character can act as your proxy at a given time - the power cannot be shared. In addition it is illegal for them to act as your proxy at the same time that you are exercising the legal authority of your office. In practice this situation is rare, but can arise with titles such as the Warmage that grant legal rights in more than one political chamber.

Only the holder of an Imperial title may appoint a proxy, members of representative bodies like the Synod and the Conclave who do not hold an Imperial title cannot appoint a proxy to vote. Likewise, citizens who are voting on the appointment of a title in the Senate or Bourse cannot appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf.

A senator who appoints a proxy is still forbidden from entering the Military Council, as is their proxy.

The Throne is prohibited from appointing a proxy - the powers of the Empress may only be wielded when the occupant of the Throne is personally present.

Challenging a Proxy

Any citizen may challenge a proxy at the point where they attempt to wield the power of their office. If the authority of an individual is challenged, then the civil service will investigate the matter.

If the proxy is attempting to exercise the powers of their office in a chamber, such as the Senate, then they are entitled to make a short presentation of the evidence of their appointment. After the evidence is considered then a vote is taken by those present in the chamber who are eligible to vote whether or not to recognize the proxy. It is publicly considered unvirtuous to vote on political lines rather than on the basis of the evidence presented.

If the proxy is attempting to exercise the powers of their office with a civil servant, such as a Bourse member collecting their Bourse resources, then the civil servant will ask to see any evidence of their appointment. After the evidence is considered the civil servant will decide whether or not to recognize the proxy.

Assuming the powers of a proxy without the authorization of the title holder is illegal - the individual is usually guilty of impersonating an official of the state and subverting the processes of the agencies of the state. Punishment is usually assessed against the degree of self-interest demonstrated by the proxy and the damage incurred by the state as a result.

Surely the most infamous rejection of a proxy took place in the Imperial Senate during the reign of Empress Giselle in 343YE. Ymma Eyebiter, senator for Hahnmark successfully challenged the power of a young woman standing as proxy for Alvaro i Guerra, senator for Madruga despite the fact that Alvaro was present in the chamber to testify for his paramour during the challenge. Alvaro's testimony was garbled and he struggled to stand to deliver it due to his intoxication, allowing Ymma to convince the chamber that his evidence could not be taken at face value due to inebriation. Ymma was widely reviled for her actions, but in the resulting disgruntlement, the Wintermark senators were able to push through several contraversial motions limiting the power of the Bourse.

Removing a Proxy

The only sure-fire way to remove your proxy is to attend a session in person. A letter to indicate the removal of authority can easily receive short shrift - especially if the proxy retains their own physical statement of power signed by you. The proxy may still be challenged, and countervailing letters will undermine their authority; but many chambers would rather retain the abilities of a useful member who has proven their wisdom and worth than accept an unknown proxy from an individual who cannot put their affairs in order. Only the physical presence of the actual incumbent ensures the automatic removal of a proxy.

Proxies in Play

- It is not possible to register your proxy with Profound Decisions.

Proxies are intended to reflect the fact that many players are not able to attend every Empire event. We don't want players to be excluded from holding positions of authority in the game simply because they cannot guarantee to be present at every event for real world reasons. To this end the rules presented here are intended to be flexible and allow for the broadest possible access to the game.

The rules are also intended to allow players to perpetrate a range of political actions and responses using the legal status of proxies. You cannot register your proxy with Profound Decisions nor is it acceptable for a player to try to communicate out-of-character information to indicate that they are a genuine proxy. Any attempt to do so will result in the civil servants refusing to accept that player as proxy, as their mental state makes them unfit to hold the office. Establishing or undermining the authority of a proxy is left entirely in the hands of the players to be established by their roleplaying.

Proxies in Downtime

- It is not possible to appoint a proxy to operate in your place in downtime.

A proxy exists to give a player who cannot attend an event a chance to allow another character to act in their steed, as well as to present various opportunities for political conflict. If your character has a campaign position that grants them some additional powers or abilities in downtime, then you can still make use of these, regardless of whether you attended the event.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Proxy&oldid=35776"

Pugilist's Shillelagh

Description

The pugilist's shillelagh, or stormcudgel as it is also known, is usually a rough-hewn slab of wood reinforced with iron at either end. It is intended as much as a weapon for beating sense into the ignorant as it is for channeling magic, and is often favoured by rough-and-ready magicians from Wintermark, Varushka and the Marches. In Varushka it is sometimes known as a Volhov's Cane, and disingenuous itinerant magicians make a great deal of how important it is for them to keep their staff with them at all times, given how much they rely on it to get around.

In some eyes, the greater length of the stormcudgel makes it preferable to its close cousin, the Storm Sceptre, although its use requires greater skill. Mages enlisted into a Marcher pike-block find this staff useful for driving back foes who get inside the guard of their comrades’ long weapons. Occasionally a Landskeeper will fight alongside a household for their own peculiar reasons and acquire one of these staves to make up for their ignorance of battle magic. It is said that Brigit of Dourfen, a Landskeeper who served the First Empress as her ambassador to the Marches, took up one of these staves for the first time upon heading out to meet with the Marcher Lords, ready to drive back any who might strike her down before hearing the Empress’ proposal.

These staves are also popular among Freeborn magicians who take to a life at sea on one of the Brass Coast’s many ships. Most are employed for their abilities as healers and menders and so find that, if a sea battle breaks out, this staff provides them with a means to repel boarders in a very direct fashion. These are sometimes known as “Sweeping Booms”.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the repel spell as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting an pugilist's shillelagh requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Eoin Fire-Bush sprinted through the underbrush at the head of a party of Thorns, swearing silently in his head all the way. The plan had been to present the bandits with a target, then fall upon them from a position of concealment on their flanks.

That was before he’d run into their outliers. The bandits seemed to be keeping their distance from the main force, loosing arrows indiscriminately. They needed to find a way to drive them towards the main force of the Striving.

Eoin ducked one branch and dived out of the way of another. He heard a thwack and Brigit swearing behind him, and rolled his eyes, but he didn’t slow down. She’d keep up. So would the rest of them. They were Navarr. They did what they needed.

He heard a clack-clack and saw one of the bandits go down, and knew that the Striding must be close, for that was the crossbow of the Temeschwar bravo travelling with them. He stopped for a moment at the edge of the clearing and waited. Brigit, Dafydd and Tam landed next to him seconds later.

Without a word spoken between them, they broke into the clearing as one. The bandits with their bows had seconds to take up their swords and axes, and only a couple of them even noticed they were there.

Eoin hit the back of them like a bear, clubbing with his staff and driving them toward the Striding. He gave a great cry, and suddenly all of their attention was on him. The Striding broke cover and into a sprint, and if Eoin’s Thorns could do well enough, they’d still be standing when the Striding reached them.

He fought like a monster, like the worst thing these fools had ever met. He blocked what he could and stayed too fast to hit, and kept chanting the spell, driving bandit after bandit away from him and toward the Striding, where they would meet their end. Striking and blocking and snarling like the terror he wanted them to fear, Eoin and his Thorns kept the foe at bay long enough for his Striding to catch up.

By the time they caught up, he was alone. The last of the bandits who’d stayed to fight was down, and the rest were fleeing into the forest, pursued by his Thorns. It wasn’t the tactically perfect choice, but it seemed he’d been driving them in every direction, and it had worked. His Brand grinned and slapped a hand on his shoulder, and congratulated him on doing what needed to be done.

Triumphant, terrifying, and a hero to his people, Eoin sat down in the clearing and breathed deeply of the scent of victory.

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Pull Down Below

Trad shanty, edited by Daisy youtube version

Sally lives on an old plantation Resp:  Pull down below! She’s the prettiest in the nation Resp:  Pull down below!

Chorus Oh Marcher Laddie Pull down below Marcher Laddie, Bonnie Laddie Pull down below

For seven years he courted Sally Resp:  Pull down below! And all he did was dilly-dally Resp:  Pull down below!  (Chorus)

He bought no gowns, he bought no laces Resp:  Pull down below! Didn’t take her out to fancy places Resp:  Pull down below!   (Chorus)

Sally Brown she loved him dearly Resp:  Pull down below! He had her heart so very nearly Resp:  Pull down below!  (Chorus)

Sally Brown he wouldn’t marry Resp:  Pull down below! And she no longer cares to tarry Resp:  Pull down below! (Chorus)

This laddie now he took a notion Resp:  Pull down below! To sail away across the ocean Resp:  Pull down below!  (Chorus x2)

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Pure liao

Pure liao is the priceless substance refined from the liao herb that allows Imperial citizens to access previous lives. The Imperial Civil Service refines pure liao used sacred techniques laid down centuries ago in Highguard. The amount of pure liao produced each season varies from a single dose to half a dozen. The Throne is given the first portion to use, or gift to another, and the second portion is given to the citizen who demonstrates their Prosperity by pledging the greatest value gift to the Synod.

Any additional portions are provided by the Civil Service to the Imperial Synod to be allocated by them. The cardinals of each of the Virtue Assemblies appoint a single gatekeeper. The gatekeepers distribute the pure liao to those deemed worthy, or otherwise ready to experience a vision from one of their past lives.

When the gatekeepers have distributed the pure liao, it is possible for a single Synod priest who knows the correct ceremonial skill to share in the vision the recipient has. Traditionally, the one who has received the pure liao may name the Synod priest they wish to have as their guide through the Labyrinth of Ages.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Pure_liao&oldid=10540"

Purge

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 2.1 Effects

- 3 Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- 4 Common Elements

Description

This spell is very similar to the purify spell, but is designed specifically to be cast in dangerous engagements. Unlike the purify spell, it is quick to cast and is not interrupted by attacks against the magician or their target. It also possesses more utility. Like the purify spellit removes venom and Weakness, but it will also free the target from the effects of conditions that restrict their movement - both those that entangle and those that paralyse are immediately removed. .

Casting

- Type: Offensive spell

- Cost: 2 Personal mana

Effects

If the target is affected by the VENOM, WEAKNESS, ENTANGLE or PARALYSE conditions, then all such conditions are removed.

Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- "Cavul's waters wash you clean - PURGE!"

- "Come, friend bravo, come out from the Tomb - PURGE!"

- (casting a cloak out like wings) "Like the firebird, I burn this taint from your body - PURGE!"

- (offering the subject a drink) "Drink of my waters; drink from the heavenly Chalice - PURGE!"

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: Cavul is universally associated with this spell, even in nations like Urizen where other magical traditions hold sway. A Summer magician might employ Verys to grant the subject the might to overcome their infirmity. A Winter magician may use Irremais as a blade to cut the subject free from entangling or paralysis, leaving them with a hard lesson learned (usually "that one is the magician; kill them first") but ready to fight again.

- Astronomancy: The Chalice is most commonly invoked to heal the subject, often including the magician giving the subject a drink or sprinkling them with water from a drinking-vessel. The certain solidity of The Oak may be used to fortify the subject, and the rampant vigour of The Stallion may be employed to restore the subject to strength. Those entangled or paralysed may be freed with The Door instead.

- Dramaturgy: The Dramaturge may take on the persona of The Witch to heal the subject, or, in battle, may become Captain Scorrero, restoring his loyal troops to fighting fitness. They may also refer to drawing the subject out from The Tomb when clearing the effects of entangling or paralysis, or if picking them up off the ground at the time of casting.

- Other traditions: The firebird is sometimes evoked with this spell; her flames purify flesh and spirit alike.

- Realms: This spell is closely tied to the lore of the Day realm.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Purge&oldid=33340"

Purify

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This useful healing spell purges the target of harmful conditions, specifically those that cause weakness or are the result of venom. Both of these conditions linger until treated, and this spell is one of the most effective ways to treat them; the spell will heal either or both conditions. A physick by contrast needs to carry two herbs to achieve the same effect, and even an apothecary needs multiple herbs and specialist knowledge to duplcate the effectiveness of this spell. Indeed, not even ritualists can directly match the power of the purify spell - rituals in Imperial lore tend to remove either one condition or the other, not both

Easy access to this spell is one of the reasons that minor poisons are virtually unknown in the Empire - it quickly purges a target of minor poisons, but is unfortunately ineffective against the lethal prepartions of an unscrupulous apothecary.

All magical healing requires the magician to focus their attention on the patient, and anything that disrupts that attention causes the spell to fail. This spell can save someone's life in an emergency - especially if a patient who has been envenomed is critically hurt, but casting this spell on someone who is still embroiled in a fight is extremely difficult, potentially impossible. Several magicians know the value of having a burly companion or two on hand, either to drag their potential patient out of the fray or to protect them for the precious seconds it takes to complete casting purify. Magicians who anticipate needing to remove debilitating conditions while the fight still rages around them master the Purge spell which is much quicker to cast - but more taxing in terms of personal mana.

Casting

- Type: Regular spell

- Cost: 1 Personal mana

Effects

If the target is affected by VENOM or WEAKNESS, then all such conditions are removed. It cannot cure more powerful poisons or curses.

Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- "I hold this soul from the abyss / And burn away all its weaknesses / Purge the venom so it shall not die / I heal, I cleanse, I purify!"

- (gesturing expansively) "Cavul's wing spreads across the sky, holding dominion over the pure air of the heavens. By my command, let it beat; let its cold, crisp air wash my patient free of all impurities. Let magic purify her!"

- (tying a favour inscribed with Cavul or the Chalice to the subject) "Friend beloved of my heart / Despair you not of mortal life / Though tainted by blackest art, / Friend beloved. Of my heart / Take a piece and now depart / Mana'd love quells poison's strife! / Friend beloved of my heart / Despair you not of mortal life!"

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: The rune Cavul has powerful associations with purification, and the rune of blood is generally useful for healing and is especially appropriate when dealing with venom. Some magicians combine the two runes together, as this spell could be seen to literally "purify the blood". The slightly darker runes of ending or weakness might also be used - in both cases, the imagery would revolve around ending or weakening the negative condition.

- Astronomancy: As with the heal spell, magicians might invoke the Chalice with this spell, but they are just as likely to call up imagery associated with the cleansing water of the Fountain, or the strength and fortitude of the Oak or the Stallion.

- Dramaturgy: The persona of the Doctor is often used with this spell; while she is not connected to traditional healing, removing impurities from the body (especially venom) supports her themes. Removing weakness has strong resonance with the Captain, although some magicians might take on the role of the Witch, especially if they have the time to prepare a "magical draught" to serve as a prop.

- Other traditions: The firebird is sometimes evoked with this spell; her flames purify flesh and spirit alike. Water and fire imagery are a good fit, but so is the shedding of blood; Navarr magicians might inflict a minor cut on the patient, using the symbolism of the flowing blood to draw the venom or weakness out of the body. Marcher magicians often eschew fire and bloodshed in favour of a handful of fresh soil with which they seek to absorb the impurities causing the negative condition.

- Realms: Purity is strongly thematic for the realm of Day, while restoring bodily integrity calls on themes of Spring. Restoring strength - removing weakness specifically - is a strong theme for the Summer realm.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Purify&oldid=33064"

Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Address the Senate

- 3.2 Right of Address

- 3.3 Resupply Imperial armies

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

Overview

This title was created at the Autumn Equinox summit of 377YE, and Janusz Dalibor von Temeschwar appointed to the position by the Senate.

Responsibilities

The Quartermaster General is expected to take responsibility for the logistics of the Empire's armies. They may be called upon to advise the Senate on the needs of the armies, so that they may best pass motions for the resupply, development or building of armies and fortifications. They are expected to acquire resources swiftly and efficiently, and to liaise between the Senate and Military Council on logistical matters.

Following a decision of the Imperial Senate, the responsibilities of the Quartermaster include calling for a moment of silence to honour the dead after any address for emergency resupply is announced.

Powers

The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies is an Imperial Title appointed by the Senate from a short-list of candidates provided by the Military Council.

Address the Senate

The Quartermaster General has the right to make an address to the Senate once per weekend. This is intended to allow them to present important information for the Senators consideration. It is extremely impolite not to inform the Speaker's seat of your intention to make this Address in advance of a session.

Right of Address

The Quartermaster General has the right to make a address to the Imperial Military Council once per summit. This is intended to allow them to discuss matters of resupply with the Council. To use this power, the Quartermaster General informs the Herald of the Council that they wish to make an address, which willthen be added to the agenda for the next Council session.

Resupply Imperial armies

The Quartermaster General has the power to resupply Imperial armies.

To use this power, the Quartermaster General provides an announcement to the Civil Service, who present the decision to the Imperial Senate. No voting is possible by the Senate at this point, as the power has been delegated to the Quartermaster General. The Imperial Synod may, however, choose to exercise their veto over the Quartermaster's decision.

Selection

The Quartermaster General is appointed by the Senate, from a short-list drawn up by the members of the Imperial Military Council. To create the short-list, papers are passed to every individual with a vote on the Military Council who is present. They can write one or more names on their paper which are collected by the civil servants. All the names put forward are collated and the list is passed to the Senate who may choose any individual from the list by majority vote of senators at the next senate session. If the list only contains a single name, that individual is automatically appointed without recourse to the Senate.

The title is appointed during the Autumn Equinox. Any Imperial citizen may hold the post.

Removal

The Quartermaster General is appointed to serve until the next Autumn Equinox. The Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies can be revoked by the General Assembly or the Assembly of Nine.

History

The first Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies was Janusz Dalibor von Temeschwar of the Bloody Butchers of Temeschwar.

During the Spring Equinox 378YE, the Quartermaster's powers were significantly amended. The stipend (originally set at 25 Thrones each season) was suspended, and their right to speak in the Senate was removed and replaced with the right of address.

At the Autumn Equinox 378YE, the Senate appointed Irontide Rad, an Imperial Orc to the position.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Quartermaster_General_of_the_Imperial_Armies&oldid=35410"

Queros

Contents

- 1 The Wave, Rune of Plots

- 1.1 Using Queros in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Queros

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Wave, Rune of Plots

Affiliated with the Realm of Autumn

Queros is the rune of schemes and influence. It embodies the concept of enacting change at a distance, of exerting influence over others. It is the rock dropped into the still pond that causes ripples to spread and multiply. It is the wave that begins small but gathers speed and strength as it rolls toward the shore and sweeps all before it. Schemes are like a handful of gravel whose ripples merge and change the surface of the water. seeds that now grow and tangle together. It is a subtle and indirect rune, capable of working profound change through tiny actions. Only the clever and vigilant can hope to master it, for Queros tends towards complexity for its own sake.

Sometimes Queros is called the Hood and is named the Rune of Conspiracy. It is evoked when a group comes together to make plans for the future. It is also rarely called the Echo, the remnant of sound that lasts after the word is spoken or the deed is done.

Queros also has a strong association with subtle creatures, including dragons). In legend, a dragon’s schemes can be turned against them, much as a serpent’s venom can be turned against itself.

Using Queros in magic

Queros is evoked with magic that is intended to have far-reaching effect. It is used to set in motion changes or effects that then gain strength and multiply by themselves. It is also a rune that is used to allow individuals to combine their influence or strength towards some end, binding people together in pursuit of a goal.

Crafting with Queros

It is not commonly worn openly, but conspirators may wear it on a hidden article that represents their commitment to their conspiracy. More often it is worn by a group of individuals who wish to declare their united will to the world.

It is the twisting path among the briars, the quiet trod in the dark woods. Easy to surprise others on, easy also to become lost.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Queros in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneQueros.jef

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Queros&oldid=23404"

Queros

Contents

- 1 The Wave, Rune of Plots

- 1.1 Using Queros in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Queros

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Wave, Rune of Plots

Affiliated with the Realm of Autumn

Queros is the rune of schemes and influence. It embodies the concept of enacting change at a distance, of exerting influence over others. It is the rock dropped into the still pond that causes ripples to spread and multiply. It is the wave that begins small but gathers speed and strength as it rolls toward the shore and sweeps all before it. Schemes are like a handful of gravel whose ripples merge and change the surface of the water. seeds that now grow and tangle together. It is a subtle and indirect rune, capable of working profound change through tiny actions. Only the clever and vigilant can hope to master it, for Queros tends towards complexity for its own sake.

Sometimes Queros is called the Hood and is named the Rune of Conspiracy. It is evoked when a group comes together to make plans for the future. It is also rarely called the Echo, the remnant of sound that lasts after the word is spoken or the deed is done.

Queros also has a strong association with subtle creatures, including dragons). In legend, a dragon’s schemes can be turned against them, much as a serpent’s venom can be turned against itself.

Using Queros in magic

Queros is evoked with magic that is intended to have far-reaching effect. It is used to set in motion changes or effects that then gain strength and multiply by themselves. It is also a rune that is used to allow individuals to combine their influence or strength towards some end, binding people together in pursuit of a goal.

Crafting with Queros

It is not commonly worn openly, but conspirators may wear it on a hidden article that represents their commitment to their conspiracy. More often it is worn by a group of individuals who wish to declare their united will to the world.

It is the twisting path among the briars, the quiet trod in the dark woods. Easy to surprise others on, easy also to become lost.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Queros in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneQueros.jef

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Queros&oldid=23404"

Questing knight

Overview

Questing knights are romantic figures in Dawn, knights-errant who continue to pursue an adventurous lifestyle after passing their Test of Mettle, seeking greater glory for themselves and their houses. They travel far and wide across Dawn - a quest isn't just a monster to kill or a people to free from barbarian tyranny, after all, but a long and arduous journey to get there first.

Questing knights strive to embody the high ideals not just of Dawn, but of the quest. If they come to a place where there is a wicked magistrate abusing their power, or a monster snatching children away, or an innocent young fellow about to be forced into a marriage he doesn't want, then it is their right and duty to right the wrong. Questing knights who ignore evil or danger that they meet along the way are no better than mercenaries paid coin for their work. Most questing knights prefer to travel in the company of a troubadour, who can document their triumphs.

Some questing knights form groups called knightly orders. A knightly order may create and display their own heraldry. Noble membership of most knightly orders is by invitation only, and orders often require solemn oaths, as they have a glorious reputation of their own to protect. Some knightly orders have a patron - this may be a powerful and wealthy individual who provides support for the group but groups of questing knights sometimes ask an Eternal to become their patron.

Creating a questing knight

If you want to play a noble character who focusses on achieving glory and avoids the politics of playing in a noble house then you should consider playing a questing knight. You should decide what noble house your character is part of - questing knights have already passed their Test of Mettle. If you know a group who are playing an existing noble house then you can ask them but you can play a knight who is part of an obscure minor house that is simply part of your own background.

Although the word knight is usually used to describe a warrior, a questing knight can be any noble character - you might be a warrior but you could just as easily be a witch, a troubadour or a craftsman.

If you intend to play a questing knight, it is important to appreciate the large scale of the PD Empire events. You will have epic opportunities for battles as part of a great army fighting the orcs, but you won't be going off on a lone quest to slay a monster. It isn't possible to create that kind of experience for characters at an event where hundreds of players are attending.

Creating a knightly order

A knightly order is an order of questing knights, nobles who have completed their Test of Mettle but elected to continue questing together. A knightly order is similar to a noble house, but is less political and more focussed on achieving glory. You will need a name for your order and should think about creating a heraldic symbol that reflects the name.

If you are creating a knightly order, then you can make it as complex and demanding as you choose. Your order may demand complex rules of behaviour or have a religious element, their members strive to uphold Pride or one of the other virtues. It may have a grand quest - something impossible for an individual to achieve - such as conquering a new territory for Dawn or destroying a hated Eternal. The more detail you give your knightly order the more interesting it becomes.

Your group can include all kinds of nobles, but it is useful to have a troubadour who can immortalize the order's glorious triumphs. If you have members of the group who want to play yeomen then all the advice for a knights-errant group is also applicable for a knightly order.

You can't start play with an Eternal as a patron, but you can try to acquire one in play. An Eternal patron helps to add to your order's reputation and romantic mystique but they may also be able to provide you with glorious challenges and quests.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Questing_knight&oldid=29457"

Questing knight (Redirected from Questing Knight)

Overview

Questing knights are romantic figures in Dawn, knights-errant who continue to pursue an adventurous lifestyle after passing their Test of Mettle, seeking greater glory for themselves and their houses. They travel far and wide across Dawn - a quest isn't just a monster to kill or a people to free from barbarian tyranny, after all, but a long and arduous journey to get there first.

Questing knights strive to embody the high ideals not just of Dawn, but of the quest. If they come to a place where there is a wicked magistrate abusing their power, or a monster snatching children away, or an innocent young fellow about to be forced into a marriage he doesn't want, then it is their right and duty to right the wrong. Questing knights who ignore evil or danger that they meet along the way are no better than mercenaries paid coin for their work. Most questing knights prefer to travel in the company of a troubadour, who can document their triumphs.

Some questing knights form groups called knightly orders. A knightly order may create and display their own heraldry. Noble membership of most knightly orders is by invitation only, and orders often require solemn oaths, as they have a glorious reputation of their own to protect. Some knightly orders have a patron - this may be a powerful and wealthy individual who provides support for the group but groups of questing knights sometimes ask an Eternal to become their patron.

Creating a questing knight

If you want to play a noble character who focusses on achieving glory and avoids the politics of playing in a noble house then you should consider playing a questing knight. You should decide what noble house your character is part of - questing knights have already passed their Test of Mettle. If you know a group who are playing an existing noble house then you can ask them but you can play a knight who is part of an obscure minor house that is simply part of your own background.

Although the word knight is usually used to describe a warrior, a questing knight can be any noble character - you might be a warrior but you could just as easily be a witch, a troubadour or a craftsman.

If you intend to play a questing knight, it is important to appreciate the large scale of the PD Empire events. You will have epic opportunities for battles as part of a great army fighting the orcs, but you won't be going off on a lone quest to slay a monster. It isn't possible to create that kind of experience for characters at an event where hundreds of players are attending.

Creating a knightly order

A knightly order is an order of questing knights, nobles who have completed their Test of Mettle but elected to continue questing together. A knightly order is similar to a noble house, but is less political and more focussed on achieving glory. You will need a name for your order and should think about creating a heraldic symbol that reflects the name.

If you are creating a knightly order, then you can make it as complex and demanding as you choose. Your order may demand complex rules of behaviour or have a religious element, their members strive to uphold Pride or one of the other virtues. It may have a grand quest - something impossible for an individual to achieve - such as conquering a new territory for Dawn or destroying a hated Eternal. The more detail you give your knightly order the more interesting it becomes.

Your group can include all kinds of nobles, but it is useful to have a troubadour who can immortalize the order's glorious triumphs. If you have members of the group who want to play yeomen then all the advice for a knights-errant group is also applicable for a knightly order.

You can't start play with an Eternal as a patron, but you can try to acquire one in play. An Eternal patron helps to add to your order's reputation and romantic mystique but they may also be able to provide you with glorious challenges and quests.

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Questing Knight (Redirected from Questing Knights)

Redirect page

Questing knight

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Questions frequently asked by new players

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Do I need a Tent?

- 3 Do PD provides costumes?

- 4 What do I need to bring to the event?

- 5 Are there toilets and showers on site?

- 6 Can I cook on site?

- 7 Can I book on the gate for the event?

Introduction

The following is a list of frequently asked questions that players have sent us. If you have any queries about Empire then it is worth checking the FAQs first, to see if the answer to your question is here. Otherwise email us at empire.rules@profounddecisions.co.uk with any questions about the rules or empire@profounddecisions.co.uk with any other questions about the game. We'll answer as quickly as we can and we'll add your question to our FAQ if we think it is likely to be of interest to other players.

If you are a new player seeking support and/or advice, please contact us at new.player@profounddecisions.co.uk.

This section of the FAQ contains questions frequently asked by new players. For questions about specific parts of the game, please see the more general FAQ.

Do I need a Tent?

Yes. Profound Decisions events are camping based and players are expected to provide their own tents to sleep in. Some players choose to use a nearby hostel - but the majority of players camp on site.

Do PD provides costumes?

No. Players are expected to provide their own costumes for the event. There are nearly twenty traders on site however, selling everything you could possibly need to get started - costume, armour and weapons.

What do I need to bring to the event?

Anything you want to! There are some essential items we do recommend though:

- Tent

- Your costume

- Warm bedding

- Warm clothing

- A torch or lantern

- Food, or money to purchase food on site

- Your medication, if you require any

- Bug spray/sun cream

- A water bottle

Are there toilets and showers on site?

PD provides toilets, wash basins and showers, as well as standpipes for access to clean, drinkable water, on site.

Can I cook on site?

Yes. You will need to provide your own cooking facilities and there are rules for ground fires that must be adhered to, but you are welcome to cook on site if you wish.

Can I book on the gate for the event?

Yes you can. Profound Decisions highly recommend booking and creating your character beforehand but you can book on the gate under PD's current guidelines. It is well worth creating an account and a character, even if you are planning to pay on the gate as it will save you time at the event.

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Quickening Cold Meat

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 150

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 150

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Winter regio. This ritual targets an Imperial army. The general responsible for the army must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual raises a large number of undead husks to join a campaign army. The presence of these husks will raise the strength of the campaign army by the equivalent of 1,000 additional soldiers. The additional army strength granted by this enchantmen is affected by the orders given to the army. While the effect is expressed as being equivalent to additional soldiers, this enchantment never reduces casualties suffered by the army.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional campaign armies in the same territory. Each additional campaign army increases the magnitude by 120. The general responsible for each army must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This ghastly ritual prises open a portal between the mortal realm and the Winter Realm and draws through a large number of incorporeal winter spirits, sending them out to find and inhabit the corpses of the dead. The resultant creature is an undead husk, bound and controlled by the magic of the ritual to serve as a soldier in an upcoming conflict. The husks are under the nominal control of the general of the army they are attached to, but are not clever enough to follow very complex orders. When the enchantment ends, the inhabited corpses simply drop where they stand, like broken marionettes.

The ritual is very hard to perform because it takes a great deal of energy to draw the spirits forth; once the gate is torn open a great number of spirits will pour through, bound by the power of Winter to obey and fight for the chosen commander. Attempts to create a lower-mangitude version of this ritual have proved frustratingly ineffective. It appears that even if the ritualists wish to create only a single undead creature it is impossible to bring the magnitude much below a hundred. While the rite binds spirits quite effectively in great numbers, creating the initial conduit to draw forth Winter spirits is very hard indeed.

Likewise, it seems difficult to create more short-lived husks. Once the spirit has entered a corpse, it clings tenaciously to it's host. According to scholars from Axos and the Sarcophan Delves, 'short-lived' husks can be created but the magnitude of the ritual does not appear to be that much lower - it requires additional magic to bind the spirit in such a way that it will 'come loose' after a short time.

Husks also seem unable to pass through the Sentinel Gate. As with creatures such as the shadow warriors bound by the Conclave of Trees and Shadow or the prismatic soldiers raised by Carve the Crystal Guardian it seems that the magic of the gate cannot transport the bound Winter spirits; the corpse appears, inert, at the other end and the Winter spirit departs whence it came (presumably).

The Winter spirits seek out remains that are intact enough to move and fight (although there is a theory that many other remains, too decayed or broken to attain mobility, are also inhabited for the duration of the enchantment) - inhabited corpses stop rotting for the duration of the enchantment. The husks created by through the use of this ritual are hard to destroy; although they can be downed by wounds sufficient to kill a tough mortal, they quickly recover and rise again, seemingly none the worse for wear. Unless they are executed or struck with a crippling blow, they will clamber to their feet until they are so badly mutilated the spirit is forced to depart the corpse and return to the Winter realm. The undead use weapons, but they do not seem to be truly sentient - they are more like cunning animals (or, indeed, wolves). They may moan, but rarely speak and when they do it is invariably to gibber a nonsense phrase (although voice for the dead can grant them speech for a short time the results are generally quite horrific).

Some ritualists express concerns about what happens when a husk gives up the ghost, either due to massive mutilation or the end of the enchantment. If it is so difficult to draw the spirits to the mortal realm in the first place, how can it require no energy for them to return? Such magicians watch carefully for signs of increased undead activity in an area after this ritual has ended.

The binding element of this ritual keeps the husks mostly under the control of the army commander ... but they are still Winter spirits. Incautious orders can lead to them falling on the recently deceased and devouring them, or even occasionally attacking soldiers on their own side if they are given unwise orders. A disciplined, sensible commander can keep the undead under control provided her will is strong and her orders clear and unambiguous.

All in all, this ritual is not very popular and has been used extremely rarely. Leaving aside the general disgust at the idea of mistreating the bodies of Imperial citizens (which is a major obstacle to it's use), there is still the matter of the dread experienced by soldiers serving alongside a legion of flesh-hungry shambling corpses possessed by alien spirits. The ritual also tends to leave large numbers of rotting corpses scattered around a battlefield, and when the enchantment end the dead bodies simply fall where they lie. While the corpses can be reainimated again, they will be even more horrific for having been hacked and mutilated in the course of their previous battles.

While the Empire does not make much use of this ritual, it's effects have been encountered on several occasions when fighting the Thule barbarians, and the necromages of the Sarcophan Delves are said to reinforce their own armies with tomb-hordes on the occasions when they skirmish with their neighbours.

In Spring of 378 the Imperial Conclave passed a Declaration of Concord stating that this ritual has been known to contradict the funerary traditions of the deceased. This corrupting of a nations traditions has led to symptoms manifest upon the Egregore and the revealing of other, darker, entities.

(OOC Note: Under most circumstances any husks created during Profound Decisions events will unfortunately have to remain primarily as a downtime or plot resource rather than something that can be used on the field. At player events, this might not be the case; but we cannot commit to phys-repping undead warriors at short notice nor can they be used in uptime battles due to their inability to pass the portal.)

Common Elements

It is hard to talk about common elements with a ritual that has been performed only a handful of times in Imperial history. The ritual opens a portal to the Realm of Winter through which spirits pass, and binds them to seek out and inhabit nearby corpses. Invocations that open a conduit to Winter; exhortations to serve the chosen character; bindings that keep the husks from running amok; girding or crowning the target general, especially giving him or her a rod or staff of command worked from bone; the runes Hirmok and Yoorn, and the constellation The Drowned Man may all be appropriate elements to use in this ritual.

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Quiet Word

Description

These rods are usually made from a length of rigid metal heavily treated with ambergelt. Their decoration frequently features spiders and snakes, creatures which use paralysing venom upon their prey. Some artisans with a taste for the exotic depict Jaculi on these rods. As these beasts are not native to the empire, the accuracy of some of these depictions has been called into question.

The use of these rods on the battlefield is obvious. Various nations use common names for these rods to reference the fact that the paralysis spell allows both the caster and the target to speak - for example in the Brass Coast they one might be called a Hakima's Argument. In Varushka they are often called Volhov's Remark while in Urizen and Highguard they are often called Wizards' Warning. All these names are based around the idea that a use for these rods is to render a target unable to move away from the magician for a short time, which the magician uses to give the target a piece of their mind. This usage seems to appeal particularly to drunken magicians - taking this rod to a tavern is seen as intending to start a fight.

Ironically these implements are popular with both muggers and law enforcement as a means of restraining their targets while their comrades close in. The benefit is greater to the thief-takers, as they seldom care about the noise their targets might make, whereas robbers find their victim’s ability to scream highly inconvenient.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you can cast the paralysis spell as if you knew it and without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a quiet word requires ten measures of amberbelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The thief slipped past the hanging chimes and bells, their sonorous song a gentle sussuration that echoed back down from the vaulted ceiling above in a melange of metallic sound. The melody of the bells served him better than it did the Chapter's inhabitants, masking the padding of his feet across the stone floor as he made his way into the Magister's chambers. He moved slowly and with practiced discipline - sharp movement here would set the bells and chimes discordant, echoing his presence as clearly as any shouted alarm.

He quietly made his way around the spartan room, surprised at the sparse furnishings and lack of luxury enjoyed by such a wealthy mage. Still, his instructions were accurate enough – there, the jewel-chest with the ambergelt inlay depicting a horse-head. The thief paused a moment as he stooped over it, admiring the fine handiwork of the artist, then quietly eased the lid open to reveal a noble's ransom in crystallised mana.

The lean man grinned, and he carefully closed the lid once more before hauling the little container up in his arms. Now just to make it out of here – a simple enough task for one such as him. Then away down to the river, there to deliver this arcane bounty to his patron. Then Magister Leah and her coven wouldn't have the crystals needed for their great work, and her carefully-built reputation would suffer quite the blow.

The thief carefully threaded his way through the dangling chimes once more, but his brow furrowed. Under the gentle chime-clamour came the faintest hint of quiet words, words spoken with focus and meaning, he tensed ready to spring into motion ... and then a dark glove reached out from the gloom, wrapped round one end of a chime-rod, a cylinder of metal inlaid with ambergelt in the same horse-head patterns as on the chest he now clutched. .

Before the thief could take more than a single pace further – his sudden speed setting the cloud of bells jangling in alarm – the tip of that rod gently tapped his shoulder, and he felt a painful spasm run outwards from the impact, a jolt that locked his muscles in place. Off-balance, the thief's rigid form slowly toppled over without a hint of dignity; the box cracked against the stone floor, its lid flicking open to spill bright crystals along the hallway.

In the dark recess, Magister Leah stood stock-still, her own body caught in the spell's backlash; but unlike the hapless thief, she'd spent time training herself for this, and had become used to the unsettling grasp of the magic upon her muscles. One of the thief's blood-shot eyes rolled round to stare at her, his jaw muscles clenching and working as he loosened up his tongue to groan in pain.

“If you'd wanted some mana, you need merely have asked. We are a prosperous Chapter and I am always willing to help the needy.” She kept the scorn from her voice as best she could.

The bells were still clamouring, alarm raised by the man's inept attempt to flee; aid would be at hand soon enough.

The spell's grip dissipated, and Leah felt her muscles relax as the magic unwound from her limbs. Predictably, the thief tried to flee, scrabbling to his knees, but she kicked out and knocked the weight out from under him before a second conjuration brought the chime-threads dancing down. That spell caught him in an entangling grip, binding him in place.

The Magister smiled. She could keep this up for quite some time.

“So, since we have a little while before the cataphracts come to detain you, let me educate you about the legal consequences of thievery...”

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Radiant Orb

Description

This valuable item is usually crafted in the form of an orb of crystal, glass, metal inlaid with tempest jade. It is infused with potent enchantments and attuned to the realm of Day. A coven can use it to draw on the power contained in ingots of weltsilver and align it with their own magic, allowing them to reduce or in some cases replace the need for crystal mana when performing Day rituals.

A radiant orb is almost always highly polished to maintain a reflective surface. It might be crafted as a bowl or mirror, a brazier, or a censer used to burn perfumed herbs during rituals. The item is often marked with runes; or with images associated with divination, such as eyes or flames. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses it is careful to ensure that it takes pride of place in their ceremonies - in addition to it's magical functions it is a potent reminder of their unity of purpose and their coven oath. In some cases the radiant orb is kept surrounded by candles, so that it is never in darkness. Some Highborn covens keep the orb immersed in fresh water when it is not in use, helping to ensure that it remains 'pure', and ensure that it is carefully washed after every use.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Members of the coven who are performing a Day ritual they have mastered may use weltsilver in the place of crystal mana. Every two measures of Weltsilver spent count as one crystal mana.

- Materials: Crafting a radiant orb requires five ingots of tempest jade, four ingots of weltsilver and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Radiant Torrent

Description

These solid rods are often polished to a mirror-smooth sheen. They allow a battlefield healer to completely restore two allies, and in the right circumstances are capable of preventing a bloody engagement turning into a rout.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day when you cast the swift heal spell, you may cast it on two targets rather than one. The second swift heal must be delivered within 10 seconds of the first.

- Materials: Crafting a radiant torrent requires fifteen ingots of weltsilver, twelve measures of iridescent gloaming, five measures of dragonbone and three ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Quite the eye-opener, Landskeeper."

"That it is, Grimnir, that it is." Jack Landskeeper grinned around the stem of his pipe, his gaze never wavering from the football pitch in front of them. "Look at 'em now, kickin' like bulls, runnin' like stags - any bugger says football's no preparation for war needs to come an' watch a few matches."

"And your role in this?" Maja asked, fixing him with her level, pale blue eyes.

"Keepin' 'em in line. Speakin' of which-" he suddenly raised his voice to a shout -"that was a foul, Ivy Applewood an' don't you think I didn't see it! Another one of those an' you're gettin' sent off! Bunch of hooligans, the lot of 'em," he added, with another grin.

There was another sudden scuffle, as two players, a lanky yeoman from Greendale and the wiry Applewood girl both jumped to head the ball at the same time. There was a solid crunch as Ivy's elbow connected with her opponent's eye socket, and he went down hard on the ground. She turned to the Landskeeper, hands spread in supplication, already beginning her excuses, but he silenced her with one hard glare. "All right, Ivy, off."

"But Landskeeper-"

"Off." With a shake of his head, he drew a long dragonbone rod from his belt. "'Scuse me, Grimnir. Better see to Davey."

Maja watched from the touchline as the Landskeeper walked over to the fallen player, the rest of the team parting politely to let him through. He bent, muttering a few words too softly for her to hear, then tapped the wand lightly on the player's shoulder. There was a moment of silence, then the footballer got shakily to his feet, and the Landskeeper rejoined her, nodding with satisfaction as the game restarted.

"Very impressive. Tell me, though - is magic permitted as part of the game?"

Jack tapped out the dottle from his pipe, and started to repack it from his baccy pouch. "Nah. I just showed him the wand, an' told him I'd ram it so far up his arsehole it'd see daylight if he didn't stop carryin' on like that an' get up an' play like a Marcher. Works like magic, don't it?"

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Raise Dawnish army

To raise a fourth Dawnish Army in Astolat.

Proposed by Semmerholm, seconded by Weirwater

Overview

- The motion was defeated

Date

- Autumn 378YE

Costs

- Materials: 250 mithril. (Standard costs).

- Time: 1 year to construct

- Upkeep: 50 Thrones per season.

Campaign Outcome

- This would have begun the creation of a Dawnish Imperial army in Astolat.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Raise_Dawnish_army&oldid=35553"

Raise Dawnish army II

To raise a Dawn Army to muster in Semmerholm.

Proposed by Weirwater, seconded by Morrow

Overview

- Permits the Dawnish to begin raising a new Imperial army in Semmerholm.

- Passed at 500 Thrones

Date

- Spring 379YE

Costs

- Materials: 250 mithril. (Standard costs).

- Time: 1 year to construct

- Upkeep: 50 Thrones per season

Progress

- 500 Thrones disbursed to Senator Weirwater.

- 60 wains of mithril supplied by Valentin Ivarovich Severyan after the Spring Solstice 379YE.

Campaign Outcome

- A new Dawnish army will muster in Semmerholm.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Raise_Dawnish_army_II&oldid=36326"

Raise Freeborn navy

Propose that the Empire construct a navy for the Brass Coast at the shipyards in Madruga.

Proposed by Madruga, seconded by Kahraman

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Outstanding

- 6 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Raise a new Imperial navy at the Atalaya shipyards in Madruga

- Passed at 500 Thrones.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Cost

- Materials: 200 weirwood

- Time: 1 year to construct

- Upkeep: 50 Thrones per season.

- Special%3A Thanks to the recent victories in Segura and a judgement of the Assembly of pride, this navy will require only 200 wains of weirwood rather than the standard costs.

Progress

- 500 Thrones disbursed to Senator Madruga

- 50 wains of weirwood supplied by Anwar i Del Toro i Riquezza after Winter Solstice 378.

- 50 wains of weirwood supplied by Anwar i Del Toro i Riquezza after Spring Equinox 379.

Outstanding

- 100 wains of weirwood

- 2 seasons of work

Campaign Outcome

- Will create an Imperial navy

- This will automatically create the Imperial title of admiral.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Raise_Freeborn_navy&oldid=36250"

Raise Highguard army

To raise a new army to muster in Anvil under a Highguard general.

Raised by Hercynia, seconded by Necropolis.

Overview

- To raise a new Highborn army to muster in Anvil

- Passed at 120 Thrones with 9 votes against, money distributed to Necropolis

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013).

Cost

- 150 Wains of Mithril

- 1 year to construct

The army should have cost 250 wains of mithril.

Progress

- 150 Wains of Mithril supplied by Adamah, Senator for Necropolis, throughout 376.

Production

- 5000 pt Highborn army

Election

- Senate election

The general of the army will be appointed by the Highborn Senators following the standard procedure once the army is complete.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Raise_Highguard_army&oldid=26300"

Raise Marcher Army

Overview

- Raise a new Marcher army

Date

- Passed Winter 377YE

- Funds Disbursed Spring 378YE

Cost

- 250 wains of mithril (Standard cost)

- Time: 1 year

- Upkeep: Standard upkeep

Progress

- 65 wains of mithril provided by Henry Ward of The Marches after Winter Solstice 377YE

- 65 wains of mithril provided by Henry Ward of The Marches after Summer Solstice 378YE

- 65 wains of mithril provided by Henry Ward of The Marches after Winter Solstice 378YE

Outstanding

- 120 wains of mithril

- 2 seasons of construction

Campaign Outcome

The general of the army will be appointed by the Marcher senators following the standard procedure once the army is complete.

Autumn 378YE

Submitting a motion for the disbursal of funds for the intent of continuing to fund the raising of the new Imperial Army in The Marches, to more easily defend our borders and forge new ones.

Proposed by Upwold, seconded by Mitwold.

Overview

- Passed in Principle

- Passed at 170 Thrones

- Money disbursed to Henry Ward, Senator for Upwold

Progress

- Progress for this is tracked on the original motion to raise the army.

Spring 378YE

Supply funds for the completion of the new Marcher army

Raised by Upwold, seconded by Bregasland.

Overview

- 275 Thrones disbursed to senator Henry Ward

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

28

0

Passed

105 Thrones

28

0

Passed

150 Thrones

28

0

Passed

200 Thrones

28

0

Passed

250 Thrones

24

3

Passed

275 Thrones

22

5

Passed

300 Thrones

10

18

Failed

Winter 377YE

To raise a new army in the Marches.

Raised by Upwold, seconded by Bregasland.

Overview

- To raise a new Marcher army

- No funding requested at this time

Voting

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

23

0

Passed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Raise_Marcher_Army&oldid=35583"

Raise the Standard of War

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 20

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 20

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a military unit. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The military unit gains a significant bonus to its effectiveness during campaign battles. This bonus is equivalent to temporarily upgrading the unit five times; the effective fighting force of the unit is increased by 100 when it is assigned to support a campaign army or fortification.

The character who controls the military unit experiences a short-lived roleplaying effect: they are immediately reminded of any military threats, unresolved grudges or slights against themselves or the things they hold dear, and feel an urge to immediately set about dealing with those threats, grudges or slights. The effect persists for at least ten minutes after the ritual is complete.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional military units controlled by members of the same banner. Each additional military unit increases the magnitude by 15. The character who controls each unit must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This ritual empowers and enhances a military unit, granting them strength of will and fighting spirit for the coming season. The soldiers in that unit will find it easier to fight against difficult odds, and feel a rush of confidence in their abilities. The ritual can have the occasional downside - highly regimented or ordered troops may experience a little decline in discipline as the soldiers feel a strong urge to take charge of situations and deal with things themselves rather than use the chain of command - but this negative effect is generally transitory. As a counterpoint, affected warriors also tend to feel a swell of pride in themselves and their comrades, which can help reinforce their ability to rely on each other in the fray. Unfortunately it also makes brawls between military units more common, especially if there are several units all under the effect of Raise the Standard of War.

On the battlefield, warriors under this enchantment fight ferociously, giving little quarter and revelling in the challenges of war. They gain additional constitution, meaning that while they are in greater danger they are also better prepared to deal with that danger.

This ritual is also sometimes called The Field of Glory, a reference to the Summer Eternal Eleonaris who is the sovereign of a region of the Realm by that name. Her association with banners, flags, standards, heraldry and livery means that these are often used as elements when performing the ritual.

Common Elements

This ritual enhances a small military force, using a connection to its leader to spread magic through the entire unit. It is exceptionally common to include a banner or standard that will be used by the target force as a focus for the ritual. Other common elements include the invocation of Paragons and Exemplars of Pride and Courage, as well as calling on the name of Summer Eternals such as the Sovereign in Scarlet and Gold Eleonaris or Hayaak (the latter is especially appropriate when the military force will be engaging hated foes, or foes that deserve retribution). Other elements include girding the military leader, the sound of martial horns or drums, and the presence of warriors from the same nation as the target as witnesses.

The rune of victory, Tykonus, is favoured for this ritual not only for its magical meaning but also because of its common associations with banners and flags.

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Raise up your glass to Varushka

Some of these songs might seem unattainbly difficult on a first listen because of all the crunchy harmonies. Don't panic, concentrate on the tune and don't worry about the harmony, once separated the lines aren't all that hard! They can be sung by both men and women in close or wide harmony, change the key to suit yourself.

Raise Your Glass Up 1 (Alilo)

Words by Daisy, original lyrics and tune Georgian trad "Alilo". (c) of arrangement uncertain so only the tune reproduced below, with new words typeset. Difficult.

Recording excerpt (or buy the track, full harmony version): Alilo

Raise Your Glass Up 2 (Mushuri)

Georgian scything song, trad. Words by Daisy. Medium difficulty. Tune is in middle part.

workshop version on youtube

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Raise Wintermark army

To reform the Bloodcloaks Wintermark Army, a Grimnir (Physick) laden army.

Proposed by Hahnmark, seconded by Bregasland

Overview

- Permits the Winterfolk to begin raising a new Imperial army.

- Withdrawn after passage of a motion to allow the Dawnish to raise an army.

Date

- Spring 379YE

Costs

- The motion would have had all the standard costs of raising a new army.

Campaign Outcome

- The Bloodcloaks were originally a Wintermark army, lost to the Thule during the reign of Empress Brannan. Known for their crimson cloaks, the army was composed of many grimnir and mystics; all save a few were slaughtered during a disastrous retreat from Otkodov.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Raise_Wintermark_army&oldid=35999"

Rake's Progress

Description

Commonly crafted in the form of two wicked blades, these cruel weapons allow a skilled warrior to move quickly through a battle-line dispatching lightly armoured opponents. They have a bloody reputation thanks to their use by the more distasteful Free Companies of the League as a quick means to dispatch unarmed barbarians in large numbers, as well as their rivals at home, according to some rumours. Though many assume the name refers to these scoundrels, it actually derives from a Marcher saying that soldiers with these blades progressed through the enemies like a rake through fallen leaves.

The Kallavesi nickname these pairs Wing-Beats, likening the striking of two fierce blows to the spreading of a bird's wings. During forging, these blades are commonly quenched in blood, usually animal. A few have been cooled in human blood and these examples are believed to burn with a terrible bloodlust which slowly poisons any soul bonded to them. Some owners will only bond to these weapons for the day of the battle to prevent any ill-effects, while a few maintain a continuous bond and revel in the blades' subtle influence.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of two one-handed weapons.

- Requirement: You must have the ambidexterity skill to bond to these items.

- Effect: Twice per day, when you use CLEAVE, you may use it on two targets instead of one. You have only 10 seconds to deliver the second CLEAVE.

- Materials: Crafting a set of rake's progress weapons requires eleven ingots of orichalcum and three ingots of dragonbone. It takes one month to make a pair of these items.

"And don't think that sorcery's all in spells and potions. You can find it in the smithy too. Take a look at these. Look at those jagged edges. Nasty, eh? It's worse than you think. Take a look at them in the light. Aye, that's orichalcum and green iron too. See a shine like that and you expect something tricksy. Sure enough, one of these could slice you open. But just when you think the worst is done, the other one will slice open your mate as well, as soon as you can blink. You look sick, lasses and lads, and rightly so. And the worst part? They can do it again a minute later."

Transcript from the lessons of Quick Maggie, Thresher of Bregasland

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Rake%27s_Progress&oldid=32026"

Rampant Growth

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 10

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 10

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a forest. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

At the start of the next event the target forest provides 77 rings and six drams of herbs (two drams of True Vervain and one dream each of Bladeroot, Imperial Roseweald, Marrowort and Cerulean Mazzarine). This is in addition to the materials it would normally provide.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional forests in the same territory. Each additional forest increases the magnitude by 8. The character who controls each forest must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This ritual is popular with the Navarr, but sees use across the Empire, supplementing the special materials harvested from a forest. It unleashes a torrent of Spring energies within the forest, encouraging the growth of young trees while fallen timbers quickly mulch into compost and erupt into fresh saplings. Fine wood and other luxuries harvested from the enchanted forest result in increased revenue for the one who controls it, and a variety of valuable healing herbs are also gathered over the coming months.

The ritual also has positive effects on the health of many animals in the area, especially insects and similar creatures such as moths and butterflies butterflies, or the creatures that feed on them. Additional revenue might thus even come from the sale of honey, beeswax, fur or meat as well as silk, valuable plants, fruit and wood.

Rampant Growth does nothing to increase the amount of the mysterious special materials that can be gathered from a forest - rituals such as Verdant Bounty of the Twilight Bayou are much more effective in that regard. Rather the ritual is designed to increase the versatility of the forests it is used to enchant, rewarding their owners with wealth and with new goods to use or sell.

Common Elements

The ritual encourages hardy growth of plants. Ritual performances often include the evocation of the rune Bravash or the constellation of The Fountain. Hearth magics and symbols associated with health and Prosperity are also commonly evoked, such as shedding small amounts of blood or offering a cup or bowl of wine or mead to the targets.

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Ratification of Britta's Seal

To ratify the Imperial Seal on a warrant bearing Empress Britta’s signature and to pass that Warrant into law.

Proposed by Madruga, seconded by Kallavesa.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- To ratify the Imperial Seal on a warrant bearing Empress Britta’s signature and to pass that Warrant into law

- Passed unanimously.

Date

- Passed Winter 367YE (Easter 2013).

Cost

- None

Campaign Outcome

The document was confirmed to bear Britta's seal, and the Senate further voted to uphold the rights granted to the owners relating to boar hunting in Imperial Woodlands

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Ratification_of_Britta%27s_Seal&oldid=24480"

Ravenous Tongue of Entropy

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 11

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 11

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the Battle Mage skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains the ability to call shatter with a staff once per day when they hit a target, following the rules for a heroic call. .

The target also experiences a roleplaying effect; they are keenly aware that everything and everyone will eventually die, decay and fall apart, making it difficult to see or appreciate beauty or strength. This perception becomes much more pronounced when they are actually touching someone or something. Only Eternals seem exempt from this perception.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 7. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

Ravenous Tongue of Entropy unleashes destructive magic to burst a shield into splinters, reave a staff into flinders, or rust a sword to uselessness within seconds. The magic shields the wielder and her staff from the corrupting influence of the enchantment, but even so they are left with a constant, nagging awareness of the entropy inherent in everything and everyone around them. When they ruffle their son's hair they may suffer a sudden awareness of the slow processes of decay that will eventually leave that child as an old man; when they run their hand along the wall of a building, they know that eventually it will fall into ruins and be gone. People under this enchantment tend to avoid mirrors..

The magic of this enchantment tends to linger and sometimes turns against the magician's own staff; some magicians burn any staff they use to shatter another's weapon or shield. Others find that an otherwise reliable implement breaks at an inappropriate moment, often several months after the effect of the enchantment ends. Magical staffs are at least a little resistant to this effect, but even so once their magical properties fade they, too, tend to become unreliable and may snap unexpectedly.

This ritual draws on the powers exemplified by the Winter Eternal Kaela, but which are inherent in creation. The Lady of Sorrows sometimes expresses approval if she encounters a magician under the influence of this Enchantment.

Common Elements

The performance of this ritual is often especially grim. The inevitable forces of death and decay may be invoked, sometimes accompanied by the bitter ringing of a bell, thumping of a drum or dull sounding of a gong at seemingly random moments. It is often performed at night, and may include symbolic destruction of fragile items. Rusted metal and crumbling stone may be included as additional symbols of entropy. Funereal dress is a common element, as is the painting of the Yoorn or Mawrig rune on the target or their staff, often with a paste made from blood and ashes.

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Razorleaf Hasta

Description

This six-foot spear is usually made of blackened ash-wood, with an orichalcum-iron alloy head, generally shaped like a leaf, and kept at razor sharpness. They were popular with the Vard, and used extensively during their conquest of the land that is now Varushka. The spear has largely fallen out of use, but it is still popular in some of the more isolated vales where warriors armed with a razorleaf hasta and a round shield support heavily armoured schlacta in defending their homes against certain monstrous threats, especially husks.

Beyond Varushka, the spear is used by many Navarr brands who are not also warriors, and by some Highborn cataphracts who still practice an adapted form of the One-handed Spear and shield fighting style their ancestors used from horseback.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed spear.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to call CLEAVE with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a razorleaf hasta requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

“This” he raised the spear in the air, “is Wind of Winter’s Breath. It has been in the striding for five generations and I intend it to remain so. It has slain orcs, both rebel slave and barbarian. It has tasted the blood of traitors and cowards alike. It has cleft the flesh of man and woman and cares not from whence the blood flows. It was this spear that took the heart of Bloodgore the Ravenous, the dire beast that hunted the Marches for a decade. It was this spear that pierced the throat of the Jotun Warchief that strung our children’s flesh upon banners for all to see. This weapon has tasted battle enough to slake the thirst of the most barbarous of foes. Yet is must always be fed”

The Thorn looked at the warriors before him. Their shields lay at their feet and their short spears were embedded in the ground beside them. They looked to the old veteran with utter respect, he had danced for a lifetime and now it was time for him to pass on his most favoured weapon.

“With this spear your rage shall be tenfold, with this spear your anger shall be given form. Should you wish it, it shall be the death of your enemies. Limbs shall be split and made useless, the beating of hearts silenced as the orichalum splits flesh like air. You just need to will it so, and it shall taste the blood of your foes”

The warriors before him bowed their heads in reverence, honoured to be given this opportunity.

“Now” he continued, lifting his shield and readying the ancient weapon. “Which of you has the heart to take it from an old Thorn?”

And with that he leapt forward, an ear splitting howl on his lips as those before him raised their shields in defence.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Razorleaf_Hasta&oldid=32006"

Reading the Weave

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single enchanted item or person who must be present throughout.

Effects

At the completion the ritual reveals information about magical bonds. The information depends on the nature of the target - it provides different information when performed on a magic item than when performed on a character.

When the target is an item it reveals information about the bonds attached to that item.

- It reveals if it is bonded to anyone, and who that person is.

- It reveals some details of previous characters who have been bonded to the item.

- It reveals if the item is under the effect of any rituals or spells; what their magnitude is; and what realm they are from.

- It reveals all innate magical properties of the item.

When cast on a character it reveals information about the bonds attached to that person.

- It reveals if the character is bonded to any items, and if those items are present it will point them out.

- It reveals if the character is part of any bands, their type (Banner, Sect or Coven)

- It reveals if the character is under the effect of any rituals or spells; what their magnitude is; and what Realm they are from.

Reading the Weave can penetrate effects designed to stymie or confuse divinations such as the Masque of the Blinded Weaver. If such an effect exists, the ritual must match or exceed the magnitude of any concealing effect to penetrate it; otherwise it will only reveal the presence, magnitude and realm of the obscuring effect.

Enchantments can interfere with this ritual whether they are cast on the target, or something to which the target is bonded. In the latter case, only the bonds to the enchanted item or character are protected.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual to penetrate more powerful shrouds or masks.

Description

This simple ritual reveals information about items or individuals - or at least about their bonds - and is also occasionally used as an empowered detect magic for penetrating shrouds of magical obfuscation. It is a useful tool for investigators, provided they have a way to apply the information they gain.

The ritual is somewhat limited, but is sometimes supplemented by spontaneous magic that answers more specific questions - for example, some investigators have used magic of the Autumn realm to determine if a specific magic item has ever been bonded to a specific person (when both are present), or to determine if two or more people are members of the same band - or even if they have ever been members of the same band. Performing this effect with formulaic ritual magic has so far not been a priority, given how rarely an investigator needs to know it.

Common Elements

This ritual often involves active divination, often with runestones or cards. Lenses and mirrors are often used to closely examine the target, scyring for the signs of bonds and magical effects. The area where the ritual is performed is usually well-lit, either by sunlight or by multiple lamps, laterns, light-stones or fires. The runes Sular and Ophis may be evoked - the former by covens who actively examine and seek information during the performance, the latter by covens that prefer to rely on sudden revelation to deliver information to them. The former group are usually active in handling the target, while the latter focus more on drawing up (or down) magical energies and may use incense, water or even some narcotics to empower their ritual.

The eternal Prospero is sometimes evoked with this ritual, as are paragons of Vigilance and occasionall Prosperity. The astronomantic constellation of the Web has a strong affinity for this ritual.

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Magical skills (Redirected from Realm Lore)

Contents

- 1 Magician

- 2 Extra Spell

- 3 Extra Mana

- 4 Battle Mage

- 5 Ritual Magic

- 6 Extra Ritual

Magician

- You must purchase magician before you can take any other magical skills

You are able to cast the three basic spells; detect magic, operate portal and create bond. You may gain additional spells by purchasing an extra spell. All spells are described in the spellcasting

Each spell requires you to expend mana to cast them. The magician skill grants you four personal mana per day. You may purchase extra mana. Your character’s personal mana replenish overnight.

If you have access to crystalized mana, then you may use these to cast spells instead of your personal mana. Crystalized mana is produced by a mana site, which is a personal resource. A starting site produces seven crystalized mana per event.

Extra Spell

You may choose one additional spell from the list each time you purchase this skill.

Extra Mana

You gain 1 additional personal mana per day each time you purchase this skill. The cost to purchase this skill increases by 1 pt each time you purchase this skill.

Battle Mage

- Allows the character to use a staff to cast spells

- Allows the character to wear mage armour that provides the wearer with two additional hits

- Mage armour does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE

Any character that has purchased the magician skill can use a rod or wand as a mage’s implement to touch a target to cast a spell. This skill allows you to use a staff as a mage’s implement to cast spells. A mage staff can be between 42” and 84” long. During combat, you must hold the weapon in two-hands whenever you use it. If your mage staff is over five feet long (>60”) then you must have at least 18" in separation between your hands when you use it.

Your character may also wear mage armour. Mage armour is a type of magical talismanic armour that protects you against harm but allows you to cast spells. Although mage armour is magical in nature, your character is able to fashion their own armour. If you have purchased this skill then you are considered to have access to a suit of mage armour, in the same way a warrior has access to a suit of mundane armour.

Ritual Magic

Any character that has purchased one or more realm ritual magic skills can perform rituals. Rituals require crystalized mana to cast; they are too powerful to perform with personal mana.

Each ritual will have a magnitude. This is the amount of crystalized mana needed to perform the ritual. The amount of crystalized mana that you can expend is based on your levels of lore in that particular realm. If the ritualist knows the ritual, then the mana that they contribute counts double.

Each level of lore also allows you to pick two free rituals from that realm that your character has mastered. You do not need to pick the rituals you want when you purchase the skill, you may leave the 'slots' free and choose the rituals you want later if you wish.

The cost to purchase a given lore skill for a realm increases by 1 pt each time you purchase that lore skill.

Extra Ritual

You may choose to master two additional rituals each time you purchase this skill. You do not need to pick the rituals you want a tht etime you purchase the skill, you may leave the 'slots' free and choose the rituals you want later if you wish.

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Reaving Mattock

Description

A repurposed farming tool, the reaving mattock has a heavy steel head and a stout oak handle inlaid with tempest jade. What a mundane mattock does to hard or frozen soil, the reaving mattock does to the weapons and shields of enemy soldiers. They are potent weapons in the hands of either a skilled veteran or a novice fighter. They are unsurprisingly popular with the agriculturally-minded Yeomen of the Marches and with the Varushkans, and much less so with the citizens of the League, Dawn and Urizen due to their associations with farming.

These weapons were amongst the first weapons crafted by the Imperial Orcs after they joined the Empire, many of whom were familiar with them from their time in the mines or working the farms. They have remained a popular choice, especially with those orcs who prefer to spend their time slaughtering their barbarians cousins rather than embracing the strict discipline of the Imperial armies.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a two-handed weapon.

- Requirement: You must have the Weapon Master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may call SHATTER with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a reaving mattock requires seven ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Brint rolled over weakly, groaning in pain. He looked up at the dark clouds above, sure that he saw the face of his grandmother forming in them, wispy hands reaching out, face disapproving. “The discipline of the legions might have saved your family.” she whispered. “Your battle-lust his doomed them both.”

He couldn’t hear anything from the world around him; the blow that had split his skull had seen to that. He’d not even seen the attacker that had felled him; hit from behind as he ran to his tent to fetch his weapon.

His wife … his legion ... he had to protect them She was slightly built and while she wielded herbs with great skill she was not a soldier. Tannat had insisted on remaining alongside him and the reaver band, despite the rigours of a long pregnancy. The warlord had shrugged and told her she knew her own mind best; if she thought she could keep up, then he would not stop her accompanying the band.

A shadow loomed over him blocking his view of the clouds; a fur-clad orc with a blade taller than he. The barbarian looked down at him and spat, a thick glob of phlegm landed on his barely breathing chest. The barbarian snorted and raised the blade high in the air, preparing to end Brint's life.

The blow never fell.

Brint didn’t hear the scream but everyone else did - anger mingled with fear and the sound of it cutting through the echoes of battle. A small figure burst from the tent wrapped in simple robes, a petite female orc who looked barely older than twenty summers, the wailing of her newborn sounding behind her.

“Leave. Him. Be!” she snarled, her voice little more than a whisper. She had a farming tool over her shoulder, almost comically too large for her. She hobbled toward the barbarian standing over her prone husband.

The barbarian orc laughed and hefted his weapon, bringing it up for a killing blow. She raised her tool to meet the jagged sword of the barbarian, screaming defiance.

As their weapons met the barbarian looked on in shock as its prized blade was shattered into shards of steel which sprayed across the camp. He fumbled to draw his long dagger. Before he could draw it a pair of arrows thudded into his chest and sent him sprawling to the floor. The last thing he saw was Tannat standing over him, legs spread, almost overbalancing as she swung the bloody mattock up to bring it down on his face with murderous force.

Sweat plastering her hair, Tannat drove the mattock deep into the ground by Brint's head, grabbed him under his shoulders, and started to drag him back towards the healer's tent, swearing that if he lived she would make him sorry he had ever been born.

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Rebel March

Original song 'Thaney' by Karine Polwart. Words by Jude.

Rise up now and break your shackles Join us as we march along Sister side by side with brother Till we march ten thousand strong I shall have no lord and master Sitting in his halls of stone Sow no corn and reap no harvest But for land that's ours alone

Rise up now and break your shackles Join us as we march along Sister side by side with brother Till we march ten thousand strong I shall wear no leash and collar I shall be no rich man's hound Let the scraps from off his table Lie uneaten on the ground

Rise up now and break your shackles Join us as we march along Sister side by side with brother Till we march ten thousand strong Never more we'll bow and curtsy  Never more we'll bend the knee  Ours will be a bond of equals Forged in trust and loyalty

Rise up now and break your shackles Join us as we march along Sister side by side with brother Till we march ten thousand strong You who serve a cruel master You who long to be set free Take the yoke from off your shoulders Rise up now and follow me

Rise up now and break your shackles Join us as we march along Sister side by side with brother Till we march ten thousand strong Raise your head and raise the banner Fall in now behind the drum Foes shall quail and tyrants tremble As they hear the Marchers come

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Rebuild the Towers of Anduz

To get permission to rebuild the Towers of Anduz, to promote trade and good relations with the Faraden and boost prosperity of the empire.

Proposed by Segura, seconded by Miaren

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Permission to restore the Towers of Anduz in Segura.

- No funding requested.

- Passed in principle.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Cost

- 50 wains of white granite

- Time: 3 months to construct

- Upkeep: None

Progress

- None

Campaign Outcome

- The Towers of Anduz are a great work in the territory of Segura that helps protect merchant caravans travelling through the Lasambrian Hills.

- Any business in Segura operated by a Freeborn citizen will gain a share of additional money due to improved trade with the Faraden and the Iron Confederacy).

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Recent History - Historical Research

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

At the request of Ioseph of Phoenix Reach, Minister of Historical Research, we present a record of recent historical research completed through the Ministry and/or the Senate.

378YE

Topic

Commissioned

Interested Parties

Notes

Briar graves and land fertility in the Marches

Autumn 378YE

-

Incomplete

Empress Varkula's burial rites (and their efficacy)

Autumn 378YE

-

Incomplete

Artok Ice Golems

Autumn 378YE

-

Incomplete

The Incarnadine Satchel

Autumn 378YE

-

Incomplete

The Mask of the Visionary

Summer 378YE

-

Completed by Autumn 378YE

The Eternal Mazen and a missing Golem

Summer 378YE

The interested parties on this occasion desired to remain anonymous

This research was completed and returned Autumn 378YE

The Crown of Three Tears

Summer 378YE

Thane Aedred in Wintermark

This research was completed and returned Autumn 378YE

The Equine Rod

Summer 378YE

-

Completed by Autumn 378 YE

The Imperial Favour of Empress Britta

Summer 378YE

-

Completed by Autumn 378 YE and the Minister has provided details here

Emperor Guntherm 's campaigns against the Jotun

-

-

Incomplete

The Banner of the Gryphon's Pride

-

-

Completed

377 YE

Topic

Commissioned

Interested Parties

Notes

The origins of the Volodny Bas Celik

-

Simargl of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash.

-

Coven of the Burning Star

-

Ioseph of Phoenix Reach, Urizen

Complete

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Senate recent history (Redirected from Recent History (Senate))

Redirect page

Recent History (Synod)

Recent History

The following are summaries of actions taken by the Imperial Synod since the death of Empress Britta in 377 YE

377 YE

- Spring Summit, 377 YE

- Summer Summit, 377 YE

- Autumn Summit, 377 YE

- Winter Summit, 377 YE

376 YE

- Winter Summit, 376 YE

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Recognise Irontide Isk

Recognise and applaud the service of the orc Irontide Isk both for Senate security and for saving the Empire 100 thrones.

Proposed by Miaren, seconded by Kallavesa, at behest of Speaker.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Passed unanimously

Date

- Passed Summer 377YE (Even Three 2013).

Cost

- None

Campaign Outcome

- Irontide Isk was recognised and applauded the Senate.

OOC Note: One of the powers of the Senate is to reward Imperial citizens. The Senate could have given Isk a material commendation; it could have disbursed funds from the treasury directly as a financial reward, or used treasury funds to commission the a suitable magical item as a material reward.

OOC Note 2: The 100 Throne coin was on the field due to an OOC error. Profound Decisions policy is to maintain a clear divide between in-character and out-of-character matters. We are grateful to the player for their out-of-character honesty, and have put an out-of-character credit on their account character as thanks.

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Recognition

In the Winter of 377 YE, the Senate amended the way in which Exemplars are recognised, in line with reforms proposed by Hywel Summercrow in a statement of principle put to the Synod on the Autumn of 377 YE.

Paragons and Exemplars are significant figures of virtue from across history who have embodied the virtues and demonstrated their worth.

Only the Imperial Synod has the authority to officially recognise that a figure has met the signs of the paragon and exemplar and thus qualifies as a hero of the faith.

Recognising an Exemplar

To recognise an Exemplar of Virtue requires three steps to be completed:

- A written statement of the Signs that an individual has met

- The recognition of a greater majority of the Assembly whose virtue the individual is believed to exemplify

- The recognition of a lesser majority of the General Assembly that the individual does indeed exemplify that virtue.

Recognising a Paragon

It requires a greater majority of the General Assembly to recognise that an Exemplar of Virtue was, in truth, a Paragon of that Virtue.

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Redhound

Original Song by Jamie Wakefield (https://soundcloud.com/jamie-wakefield/redhound)

Redhound is a player character in the Eternal Family steading.

Chords: Verse – Gm, Gm F; Chorus – Gm F x2, D# Gm x2, F E Gm x2

Verse 1 Here's a little story, About a legend of our time. Whenever danger called, He put his neck upon the line.

And in the midst of battle, It is sure that he'll be found. He's a hero of the empire, And his name is Redhound.

He's Redhound. (x3)

Verse 2 You all have heard the tale, Of how he slew Harku Long Axe, Or destroyed a Jotun warband, With a cunning night attack.

But, I'll tell you of the last days, Of his people, strong and proud, Of the Counted Sorrows striding, And the vengeance of Redhound.

He's Redhound. (x4)

Chorus Running at full speed. Brave and free, is Redhound. (Redhound.) Bursting through the trees, Mightily, is Redhound. (Redhound.)

His enemies flee at the sound, When out of the forest, with a single bound, He'll cut them down to the ground. He's Redhound. He's Redhound. howl

Verse 3 In the forests of Liathaven, For three long days and nights, The Counted Sorrows striding, Had fought with all their might.

But their last stand, it was nearing. And the orcs were all around. The Empire needed warning And the task fell on Redhound.

He's Redhound. (x3)

Verse 4 “My place is here”, our hero cried, But his thorn-brand cut him off. He said, “The Marches must know of this foe, Or the Empire will be lost.

“And one more thing I ask you, If a father is allowed, Take my child with you to safety, Now's your chance! Go now, Redhound!”

Chorus

Verse 5 He dodged the first patrol. But the second he attacked. Chopping left and chopping right, With the child upon his back.

He broke through the Jotun cordon, With their hunters giving chase, Through vallorn infested woodlands, And never losing pace.

He's Redhound. (x2)

Chorus

Verse 6 Through cunning and through trickery, Our hero did escape. Saved the daughter. Saved the Empire. (slow) But his people met their fate.

In honour of their sacrifice, He built a stony mound. For each loss, he placed a Jotun skull All slain by him – Redhound.

Coda And his legend will continue, For his courage knows no bounds. He's a hero of the empire, And his name is Redhound.

(fast)

Chorus to end.

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Redoubt

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Cargo

- 3.2 Delving

- 3.3 The Court of the White Fountain

- 3.4 The Brilliant Star

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Limus

- 4.2 Naris

- 4.3 Optarion

- 4.4 Siluri

- 4.5 Tomari

- 4.6 Ventosi

- 4.7 Willstone

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

Redoubt is the smallest of the three Urizen territories and the wildest. The peaks are lower here and many spires are actually built in the foothills; only Mount Siluri comes close to matching the splendor of the peaks of Zenith to the north. There are many mines, with green iron and tempest jade being especially common, but ports such as Elos and Visten look outwards to the wider world and the many opportunities it presents for trade and both philsophical and cultural exchange. Most of the coast is made up of white stone cliffs, unwelcoming and inhospitable; only as the land slopes down towards Necropolis and the river Couros does Redoubt possess many beaches.

The mountains here are riddled with odd star-shaped tunnels that date back thousands of years, long before there were any reliable records of humans in this part of the world. Scholars have spent centuries trying to tease some truth about these tunnels from the cold stone - are they a natural phenomena? Signs of pre-human habitation of the mountains? The result of some magical working? To date, no convincing explanation has been offered, and philosophers on all sides argue heatedly about their provenance.

Redoubt is lightly settled, even for Urizen, with many of the more prosperous spires being built along the coast, or overlooking the banks of the Couros river to the west. Unsurprisingly, there are many citadels here and a strong martial tradition, but this is also a territory that produces more than its fair share of zoologists and botanists. These natural philosophers are sometimes blamed for the more esoteric animals and pulants found here, and the occasional mutated hybrid horror that appears here is often a sign that a magician is straying dangerously close to insanity.

Parts of the lowlands are quite dangerous - and not just because of these mutated experiments. Several bandit tribes of orcs live in the spaces between the spires, and barely a year goes by without a nest of trogoni or a den of drakes becoming a nuisance.

Recent History

Since 331YE and the barbarian conquest of Spiral, Redoubt has been preparing itself for invasion. It's long coastline is something of a liability against the Grendel, but for now a combination of sheer cliffs, Freeborn corsairs and Urizen's own small fleet of martially inclined vessels have prevented the barbarians achieving much more than a few small raids along the shores of the Bay of Catazaar.

Major Features

Cargo

Perhaps the most advanced port in all the Empire, Cargo is built on high cliffs overlooking the river Couros in the Limus foothills. Built on multiple gradiated levels and sheer cliffs, it is truly a remarkable settlement. Food from the pampas of the Brass Coast and the distant Marches, as well as luxuries from cities of the League and even raw materials from Varushka all pass through Cargo - along with travelers from both the Empire and distant foreign lands. Its wealth owes a lot to the remarkable cranes - both those that speed the process of loading and unloading visiting river boats, and those allowing great quantities of imported goods and exports of stone and metal ore to be winched from the riverside docks to the cliffside heights. As befits a town built on several levels, Cargo is also a centre for the stufy of civil engineering - and of those applications of ritual magic that enhance or support the creation of durable structures. There is some rivalry with the Highborn town of Hedra on the other side of the river, and historical rivalry with coastal spires such as Elos and lost Apulian.

In Summer 378YE work began on the Jarmish embassy on one of the upper tiers. A beautiful, airy construction of white granite and weirwood with an extensive (and expensive) gardens as well as several private apartments, work was overseen by Atte, Senator for Sermersuaq. While the work has been completed, as of this writing the Jarmish government has declined to name an ambassador; their House of Princes are apparently waiting for the Imperial Senate to select a location for an Imperial embassy to be built in their distant nation.

Delving

One of the best known spires in Redoubt is ound in the Tomari peaks. Built in a network of deep caves that bear star-map patterns allegedly carved centuries before the height of the Terunael Empire. It is more mercantile than many spires. Although it is still a place of study, its wealth is based on mining and the principles of engineering when it comes to mining. Adventuresome Winterfolk often come here to teach and to study, and it is considered a pre-eminent site for Urizen study of the runic tradition of magic. Prior to the fall of Holberg, the university there maintained a traditional exchange program where students from the city would spend some time studying in the rarefied atmosphere of Redoubt, or travel north to the cosmopolitan halls of League academia.

The Court of the White Fountain

Built in the foothills of Optarion, the Court of the White Fountain is a single massive tower of white granite surrounded by a massive semi-circular wall that completely fills one of the few major passes between Redoubt and the Broken Shore to the south, The White Fountain itself is a great plume of liquid fire that bursts from somewhere deep within the earth and cascades down into a black basin before the tower, before disappearing back beneath the ground. The great courtyards of the tower are sufficient to hold the entire armed forces of Urizen, and the open ground they represent creates a deadly killing field for the skilled Urizen archers who man the upper reaches of the tower and the walls. (OOC Note: This is a rank one fortification).

The Brilliant Star

In the Tomari peaks, overlooking the spire of Delving is the Brilliant Star. Allegedly the most beautiful of all the star shaped tunnel complexes that undermine the mountains, its walls gleam slightly even when there is no other light. Scholars say that the earliest workings here go back thousands of years, long before there are reliable reports of humans in these mountains.

The Brilliant Star is an Imperial Bourse position that produces 24 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

Regions

Limus

Limus is known for two things; the port-town of Cargo and its remarkable cranes and it's quarries. Hard stone well suited to construction and soft decorative stone alike are quarried out of the peaks and used for everything from the construction of new spires, to the tombs of Necropolis, to the palaces of League merchant princes, to the parador of Freeborn dhomrio. A number of spires have become rich exporting stone to the Empire and beyond - rare blue marble from the peaks of Limus is in demand as far afield as the Asavean Archipelago and the Principalities of Jarm.

The greatest threat to the spires and quarries of Limus comes not from below, but from a tribe of particularly clever orcs and their mountain ogre allies. These orcs are believed to occupy a cunningly hidden valley somewhere in the mountains here - or possibly on the slopes of southern Zenith - and regularly raid caravans traveling the road along the banks of the Couros. They have proved particularly difficult to uproot, and practical Urizen have responded simply by sending important cargo by boat rather than wagon. Those spires of Limus who lack the ability to take this easy option would likely be quite grateful to anyone who could solve their problem once and for all. To date, they have not dared attack Cargo, but some residents are concerned that it is just a matter of time.

Keywords: Hilly

Naris

The foothills of Redoubt slope smoothly down toward the Bay of Catazar here, presenting some of the most accessible coastline in the nation. Some spires cultivate the fertile grassland here - especially along the banks of the Couros - but find that the low altitude makes their ushabti unreliable, and few Urizen enjoy the hard manual labour entailed by working in a field. Much more common are houses of healing, especially those that focus on sickness of the mind or the spirit, and especially around the headland known as Rebekah's Leap. Some of these restful spires cater specifically to Imperial citizens from other nations suffering from stress or depression, recovering from chronic sickness, or in the last stages of terminal illness.

Here is found Elos, a base for what little navy Urizen had before the time of Empire. Today the spire is little more than a quiet fishing village, with most major trade passing it entirely in favour of the much larger ports of Cargo and Hedra to the north. Despite its somnolent present, there are still a few reminders of its former purpose - the quayside is extensive and the harbour wall fortified in several places. The shipyard that once maintained a small fleet of weirwood vessels now services a few dozen fishing boats, but if the need were great its past glories might yet be restored.

At the highest point of the headland that looks out over the Bay of Catazar is Rebekah's Leap, the place where an eponymous steward of the dead threw herself into the bay. Troubled in mind and spirit, she broke free from her attendants and hurled herself from the cliffs that bear her name after months convinced that she could hear the tolling of a great bell summoning her to the sea. Some fisherfolk of Elos still claim they can hear a bell in the deeps, from time to time.

Keywords: Coastal

Optarion

The unsettled hills of Optarion quickly give way to a broad band of scrubby coast. Cliffs line the coast, and those few places where the walls of stone drop down towards sea level are the site of well defended Urizen port-spires. Indeed, Optarion is home to some of the best-defended spires in modern Urizen. The Court of the Fountain stands here, guarding the approach into Redoubt through Spiral and the peaks are scattered with fortified citadels, many hastily defended in the wake of the fall of Spiral, who have been engaged in irregular border skirmishes with the Grendel. Most of the other spires are built along the coast - and likewise tend to possess unexpectedly strong defences in the face of barbarian raids along the coast.

The largest non-martial spire in the south-east is Visten, a port built around three soaring towers occupying a strip of land that plunges down to the sea. It brings produce from across the Empire to the southern spires. It is a thriving community, home to those Urizen who find life in the mountains too stifling and want more contact with the wider world. It has one of the largest populations of briars in Urizen, and it's population has been swelled by refugees - and ships - from southern Spiral, especially those who managed to escape the fall of Apulian.

One notable feature of Visten that attracts scholars and sight-seers alike is a potent regio tied to the realm of Spring that lies on the Bay of Catazar itself - a ring of turbulent water that erupts once or twice every week into a great waterspout that reaches several hundred feet into the air. Covens making use of this regio, called the Ribbon of Salt by the locals, find their rituals unexpectedly interrupted, occasionally with tragic consequences - the violent water shatters pontoons, rafts and small vessels with equal ease in its active state.

Siluri

The entire region takes its name from Mount Siluri, which rises majestically toward heavens and rivals the peaks of Zenith in height. The central tower of Redoubt's Heliopticon is built here, gazing down on the forested bowl of Ventosi to one side and across the Necropolis to the other. Several mines exploit the bounty of tempest jade and weltsilver that lies beneath the peaks, but it is also home to a number of spires who study and expand the philosophies of war and conflict in their myriad incarnations.

Keywords: Hilly

Tomari

The wild peaks of Tomari are some of the more populous in Redoubt. The mountains are riddled with mines, and rich in iron, precious metals, fine jewels and green iron. The Brilliant Star is found here, and occasional pockets of mithril are found throughout the peaks. It is also the site of the famous spire of Delving, whose prosperity is based on rich mines and the study of subterranean engineering.

Among other notable spires, Tabulous is a college whose curriculum focuses on teaching rigorous objectivity and complex mathematics. Many members of the faculty are retired Urizen civil servants, and the cirriculum is considered excellent for training servants of the Empire, giving them the skills to make accurate accountings and forecasts. The Day regio in which Tabulous stands is credited both with cultivating an atmosphere of calm and rationality, and making the spire especially welcoming to merrow scholars.

On the highest peak here stands the fused ruin known as the Unmade. A crumbled tower of blasted stone, it is said that it once was a spire, that was eradicated completely by the massed Spires of Urizen early in the days of the Empire. No-one remembers why - which in a nation dedicated to the keeping of accurate records is a matter of obvious concern.

Keywords: Hilly

Ventosi

The valleys of Ventosi form a great shallow basin between the towering peaks to the north, east and south. Wild forests haunted by surly orcs and hungry drakes give way to fertile farmland nearer the rocky coast, where sheer white stone cliffs drop vertiginously into the Bay of Catazar. These western cliffs, haunted by massive gulls and wild sea birds, give Ventosi the feeling of a secluded plateau rather than a valley. A few ambitious spires built along the coast use lifts and treacherous paths to access the water, while others are constructed into the rock walls themselves gazing out towards the Brass Coast. The cliffs of Ventosi are the only known nesting grounds within the empire of the Imperial Albatross - some specimens have been reported with wingspans of almost twenty feet.

One of the more prominent spires here is called The Hollows, for its unusual construction: wind-blown caves in the sandstone formed into extensive dwellings by years of patient, meditative, stone-carving. It is exceptional in Redoubt as a place of spiritual study and introspection. The nature of time is a particular topic discussed here and the surrounding area is scattered with large works of sculpture left to the mercy of the elements.

Willstone

The slopes of north-eastern Redoubt are heavily wooded, with hardy conifers on the upper slopes and sprawling forests of beggarwood on the lower slopes. There are comparatively few spires here, and they tend to be both isolated and isolationist, keeping contact with their peers largely through the heliopticon. This has contributed somewhat to Willstone also being the home of at least three small tribes of independent barbarian orc bandits who occasionally bedevil travelers or launch a (generally unsuccessful) raid against one of the smaller spires. The best known spire in the region is probably Willstone. Built largely of wood on the lower slopes of the mountain, surrounding a central carved stone pillar worked with many runes. Whatever other properties it may possess, the runic pillar is known to be a ritual text for Bound by Common Cause, and the anchor for a strong Autumn regio. The spire is known for training particularly resourceful sentinels.

OOC Notes

- Every region of Redoubt is in the hands of the Urizen (and by extension the Empire) meaning this is a staunchly Imperial territory.

- The Court of the White Fountain is a rank one fortification.

- This page is still under development - the next stage is to review approved backgrounds for details that would enrich the description of the territory.

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Redsteel Chisel

Description

A redsteel chisel is almost always crafted from metal (most often a complex alloy of green iron and orichalcum). rather than wood or bone. This wand is a practical tool, much favoured by runesmiths, magician-smiths in the Marches and Dawn and Varushkan Wardens. More often than not this implement has a tapered end, and can be used quite successfully as an actual tool for shaping wood in conjunction with a hammer. Indeed, it is said that the chisel developed from a tool into a wand, for times when mundane craft would not be swift enough.

Marcher artisans find these particularly useful, given their people's disinclination to throw anything away when it might be fixed. Known owners of these wands find themselves pestered to repair items which nothing short of magic can save. One Marcher song recounts the tale of the famous smith Anna of Ashill and her decision to move to the dankest corner of Bregasland after being asked to fix a series of increasingly unlikely objects, often improvised by the singers, using her magical chisel.

Magicians who are utterly devoted to mending combine this wand with a Forge of Isenbrad. Together they are known as the Spell-Fired Smithy or Quartermaster's Companion. Such well-equipped magicians are usually found supporting the Imperial armies, particularly where the barbarians are known for their use of two-handed weapons. Legions of Imperial Orcs often give tools such as this wand to their standard bearers and occasionally a Witch Weaver will go to war with the armies of Dawn to perform repairs.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day you can cast the mend spell as if you knew it and without expending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a redsteel chisel requires seven ingots of orichalcum, six ingots of green iron and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Making her way through the peaceful blanket of drifting mist, the Landskeeper picked a careful path among the bodies that carpeted the hillside. Untold numbers of good sons and daughters of the Marches all oozed and dripped their last lifeblood into the rich earth, their deaths a valiant sacrifice that had, in the end, not been payment enough.

The old woman curled her lip as she passed scenes of horrific carnage – Imperials and barbarians who had died in one anothers' arms as they kicked and bit at each other, bodies impaled on a dozen pikes, limbs like lost lambs scattered far from their owners on leashes of spattered blood. Her scorn wasn't for the slain, though – far from it.

This travesty should never have been allowed to happen, and those she held responsible for the failures of command would learn of the anger of the Landskeepers.

Still, she could not turn back time, could not force the sands in the hourglass to reverse their fall. Now she had to be practical, had to consider the present. The barbarians would soon rally from their own encampment and press forwards once more; there would be time to give the good sons and daughters who littered the dirt a right burial after the foe had been defeated.

Right now, it was her duty to retrieve the most precious of those artefacts lost to the embrace of the dead. Grim work, but she could not allow them to fall into the hands of the barbarians' magi, or to be lost to the dirt for good when the Marcher army needed them now more than ever.

The wand was cold in her hand, its red metallic gleam a comfort as the old woman stooped over one carcass, then another, seeking out the faces that she recognised from the weeks before; the noble-hearted valiants who had born enchanted items into battle. Crows bickered and squabbled around her, fluttering back with outraged cries when she wandered too close.

Another kind of vulture stalked the battlefield too. Now and again she saw ragpickers scurrying through the mist, plucking rings from numb fingers and ripping metal buttons from the clothes of dead soldiers. The Landskeeper didn't feel scorn for them – they were just playing their part in the great cycle that would soon break down the signs of the battle that had been here. Better that the desperate and poor of the Empire have a few more coins in their pockets from corpse-thefts than the barbarians just trample it all into oblivion.

Still, they were competition; an enchanted item would be a rare prize for one of the ragpickers. So the Landskeeper hurried her stiff-kneed pace, muttering in satisfaction as she finally came across a blade inlaid with orichalcum, one shattered in three places from some barbarian's cleaver.

As she scooped the pieces up, the old mage tapped ran the redsteel wand down the broken length, and as she spoke the words of the spell the blade shivered and flowed back into wholeness.

Another sight ahead caught her eye; the true prize of her search. The Marchers' banner, half-buried in corpses of the warriors who had laid down their lives to defend it. So deep in the dead was it that the barbarians must have been unable to pull it forth when they fell back, and so one had struck it with a heavy blade and near-broke it in half, the toppled height of the banner attached to the lower by a mere twist of mangled splinters.

This took the Landskeeper longer to save than the blade had. First, she had to put her aged muscles to the task of wrenching the lower part free; that done, she worked her spell across it. The splintered wood cracked and popped as it grew fresh buds across the break; the ragged, blade-torn pennant wove itself back together into a clean whole. And then she had to haul that banner up herself, a banner that would have taken a stout, brave Marcher soldier to carry it into battle.

Just hauling it from that grim wasteland left her gasping and coughing from the effort.

But the Landskeeper had to do this, even if it was just her all alone. No soldier dared return to the field of battle, fearful that the barbarians' next march had already begun.

A hand on her shoulder made the mage halt with sudden wariness; two ragpickers had emerged from the mist and approached her, wiry and lean men of poor health clad in ragged clothes that had clearly seen better days. She felt little fear of them with her soul still a full well of arcane power, but if they had thievery on their mind then it would be a waste of her mana to have to kill them.

Neither man tried to rob her. Instead, they gave respectful nods, their eyes glued to the image of the shattered banner remade with her magic. Even ragpickers had the virtue to see an old woman in need, and the Landskeeper's effort seemed to have rekindled some patriotic fire in their bellies.

And so she marched back to the Imperial camp, a growing tail of former ragpickers in her wake with the banner born aloft in their midst.

At the encampment gate, they laid down the fruits of their scavenging on the ground and asked to join the army.

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Reikos

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 High Chalcis

- 3.2 The Gardens of Chalcis

- 3.3 The Sign of Tamar

- 3.4 The Great Forest at Reikos

- 3.5 The Vigilant Swan

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Broken Ride

- 4.2 Chalcis Mount

- 4.3 Grey Charge

- 4.4 Haros Water

- 4.5 Longshire

- 4.6 Riverwatch

- 4.7 Tamarbode

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

This formerly peaceful stretch of the Couros river was also home to pleasure gardens, parks and country estates. Reikos is composed of sweeping plains with occasional patches of decidious woodland or raised elevation. The only major woodlands outside of the Great Forest of Peytaht is Broken Ride, while only the south-eastern downs around Chalcis Mount really count as being hills.

The wealth of Reikos traditionally came from four places. Firstly, the Vigilant Swan and the Great Forest at Reikos produced quality stone and wood respectively, as well as highly sought after white granite and weirwood. Second, the Gardens of Chalcis produced herbs sold all over the Empire. Third, the wide roads helped connect the Navarr in Therunin and the Urizen in Morrow with the rest of the Empire and several towns grew up to cater to the needs of merchants and pilgrims. Fourth, the beauty of Reikos itself made the territory wealthy - the great gardens, sweeping estates and peaceful surroundings made it a favourite place for Imperial citizens from across the Empire to convalesce after illness, or to spend time away for the cares of everyday life.

The downfall of Reikos came from its border with the Great Forest of Peytaht. At its edges, the Great Forest is an abundant source of lumber but, it's heart is wild and untamed. The long border with the dark forest was notoriously hard to defend, despite the efforts of vigilant chapters such as the the Grey Watchers of Peytaht, but at least the forest was equally hostile to human and orc alike. When the Druj barbarians launched a surprise attack through the forest in 367YE, the Highborn were woefully unprepared for it. Those chapters on the edge of the forest that did not retreat were overwhelmed in the first few months of the attack.

Recovering Reikos is an important goal for many Highborn chapters. Several, such as the (now-Bastion based) Shattered Tower; the Unbound Chapter (now in exile in Casinea), the Cantiarch's Hold, Stone Vigil, Reumah's Reoubt or the Lux Reikos have their foundations here, while others such as The Unrelenting have formed specifically to ensure that Reikos is recovered. They will not rest until the Druj are driven out, Reikos is restored, the gardens re-planted, and the bells set up on high so that the sacrifice of the defenders of Highguard will never be forgotten.

Recent History

In 367 YE Reikos fell to the Druj barbarians who took advantage of the cover of the Great Forest of Peytaht to launch numerous assaults against the fertile territory. The territory was lost along with half the wealth of Highguard. Many benefactors were ruined in the attack, and many more are still struggling to restore their fortunes. The gardens, parks and pleasant villages of Reikos were largely unprepared to face the onslaught of the Druj, and hundreds died in the initial attacks before they were able to take refuge in the fortified chapter houses. The presence of refugees complicated matters severely; several northern chapters fell prey to disease and starvation. The malicious tactics of the Druj served to make the situation even words - they regularly poisoned supplies; publicly tortured and displayed the horribly abused corpses of captured guardians and priests; crippled and maimed Highborn refugees then allowed them to flee so that their presence would further damage morale and absorb valuable medical supplies. Slowly but surely they pressed their advantage and drove the Highborn defenders southward.

Finally, in Autumn 377YE the Druj mounted a major offensive against the surviving Highborn chapters in Riverwatch, Haros and Tabernacle. The last regions of the territory fell beneath this assault, leaving only a scattered handfuls of fortified chapters as guttering beacons of hope in a sea of dread.

Major Features

High Chalcis

High Chalcis was one of the larger settlements in Highguard. The town was a centre for healing and the study of the apothecary arts where the medical knowledge of the Empire was codified and expanded. The settlement fell to surprise attack in 367YE, and the storehouses of knowledge raided by the Druj and turned to corrupt uses. The town has since been converted into a twisted fortification by the Druj. While the Gardens are the best known, the hillse of Chalcis Mount were the site of a great many herb gardens, and was known for producing very fine quality Imperial Roseweald. Scouts suggest that a number of Druj apothecaries are using the place as a base of operations, supplying the orcs in the territory with potions and herbs harvested from the remaining herb gardens and the nearby Gardens of Chalcis. (OOC Note: High Chalcis is now a rank one fortification in the control of the Druj.)

The Gardens of Chalcis

Said to contain every kind of flower, fruit and herb in the known world, this walled sanctuary was once a haven of tranquility and the study of the healing arts. While much of the gardens were given over to the study of healing herbs, it was also maintained as a conservatory where examples of plants brought from all over the world were cultivated and studied. Since the fall of High Chalcis to the Druj in 367YE, the gardens have been gutted and enslaved Highborn now toil to produce herbs and poisons for the use of the barbarian invaders.

The Sign of Tamar

A vast sigil incised into the plain in northern Reikos, created by digging long trenches in the earth. Scholars are unsure what purpose (if any) it serves, or when precisely it was constructed. There is no viewpoint nearby where the entire figure can be seen clearly, although scholars have paced out the sigil and drawn it, and declared it a humanoid figure that matches the constellation called the Drowned Man. Until Tamarbode fell to the Druj, there was a great deal of speculation as to who Tamar might have been, who placed this sigil here, wether there was any connection with the Old Pig in Mournwold to the west, and precisely why the region as a whole was called Tamarbode.

The Great Forest at Reikos

On the borders of Reikos, covering the eastern hills of Broken Ride the Great Forest is an abundant source of valuable timber including precious weirwood. It was lost when Broken Ride was over-run by Druj barbarians in 369YE.

The Great Forest at Reikos was an Imperial Bourse position which produced weirwood. Under Imperial control this Bourse position produced 25 Imperial wains of weirwood every season. it is not currently being auctioned.

The Vigilant Swan

This quarry complex north of Riverwatch was one of the last outposts of the Highborn during the Druj invasion. It fell to the barbarians in late 377YE, despite the efforts of the brave Highborn defenders at Tabernacle. The site was guarded by a flock of white and black swans who nested on the washing ponds below the quarry's workings, it was claimed they cried out whenever intruders come near, but their presence was not enough to deter the barbarian invaders bent on claiming the whole of Reikos. The swans are gone now, and the pools drained. The stoneworks is now a massive, open-cast quarry - an open wound in the face of the earth. When they retreated from the quarry in the face of an allied Highborn and Navarr advance, the Druj slaughtered most of their defenceless slaves, completing the deradation of the Vigilant Swan by turning it into a great open grave.

The Vigilant Swan was a National Bourse position which produced white granite. Control of the Vigilant Swan was assigned to whichever Highborn candidate received the most support from Highborn owners of congregations. This Bourse position produced 25 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

Regions

Broken Ride

The rolling woodlands of Broken Ride were regularly used for hunting and for training Unconquered recruits. Only a few scattered chapters were built here, and they were especially isolated from the rest of Reikos when the Druj invaded. These woods are the site of the massacre at Exile in 369YE. Exile was built round a chapter of Unconquered who trained in the solitude provided by the deep woods. It was a hard place, and the Highborn there embraced many trials designed to harden the soul; they held out for three years before they were finally overrun. In the last days of the siege, the choice to hold against overwhelming odds or leave with honour was given to all of the recruits, not a one of whom chose to leave. In battle now, some of the unconquered say: “Remember Exile. We will return” in memorial of fallen friends and mentors.

The Druj are believed to have desecrated the corpses of the dead, using them to construct a shrine of terror and hate that now stands as a monument to the dominance of the Druj over the territory. Scouts suggest that the Druj have continued to add to this shrine, and claim that it exerts as malignant presence that is beginning to make itself felt in Longshire, Tamarbode and Chalcis Mount.

Keywords: Forested

Chalcis Mount

They gentle hills of Chalcis Mount are in the hands of the barbarians. They are the site of the Gardens of Chalcis, and the walled town of High Chalcis. In some poems, they were called the Red Downs due to the distinctive hue of the Imperial Roseweald that grew profusely on their slops. Since the region fell to surprise attack in the Autumn of 367YE, however, the name has fallen out of use.

Keywords: Hills

Grey Charge

The wide plains of Grey Charge are avoided by the Druj themselves, but lie under the control of at least one of their subject tribes. There are believed to be a number of enslaved human settlements still intact here, used as a source of brutalized labour by their barbarian oppressors.

Haros Water

The chapters of Haros (the settlement takes its name from the tributary of the Couros on which it stands) were largely devastated. Those that survived the initial Druj conquest were broken during the liberation. Over Winter 378YE, after a three day battle in the streets, the Druj fired the town, creating a conflagration that lasted through the night and saw the entire settlement reduced to ruins. The beautiful river gates of Haros, which once allowed daring forays by expert boatmen, are no more.

Even before the final devastation of Haros, the fields and gardens outside the wall were reduced to mud and ashes. The Druj took a particular pleasure in crucifying captured cataphracts within sight of the walls of one of the few surviving chapters, goading the defenders into is leaving their walls and attempting a rescue mission. There are still Druj forces in Haros, holding the region against the Highborn.

Keyword: Ruin

Longshire

The plains of Longshire are scattered with the ruins of chapters that have fallen before the barbarian assault. These ruins have been claimed by various barbarians, some of whom are said to launch raids against each other when they think th gaze of their Druj overlords is elsewhere. In 370YE scouts from nearby Tabernacle reported that one of the captured chapters - the Granite Chain chapter - had been razed to the ground and every orc within it slain and left for the crows. Apparently the Druj themselves did this as some sort of warning to other orcs. At least one band of Unconquered takes advantage of the superstitious dread the orcs seem to feel towards this place and use it as a base of operations - although they report that the place is almost certainly haunted by the angry spectres of both slaughtered barbarians and murdered Granite Chain Highborn.

Riverwatch

Site of the settlement of Tabernacle, this was the last region of Reikos to fall to the Druj after many months of sustained assault. A well-fortified triple-ringed chapter whose settlements sprawled outside its walls in long years of peace, the town was the last settlement to fall to the barbarians. In happier times this was a popular stopping-point for merchants travelling between Casinea and Sarvos in the east and the Navarr steadings of Therunin to the west. While some chapters survived the initial invasion, there is little sign of them in Riverwatch.

A year of occupation, and the vicious tactics of the Druj during the liberation, has seen Tabernacle reduced to mud-choked ruins scattered with lethal traps and deadfalls that will take months of careful work to locate and disarm.

Keyword: Ruin

Tamarbode

The desolate plains of Tamarbode are best known as the site of the enigmatic Sign of Tamar, and at least one chapter dedicated to protecting and guarding the eerie earthworks. It was also home to a couple of fortified chapters on the borders of Brocéliande, facing into the forests there and keeping a careful watch on the Vallorn that slumbers fitfully at it's heart. There has been no news from any of these chapters since the last of them was overrun by Druj in 372YE. Now the region appears to be under the control of an especially vicious Druj Ghulai who goes by the nickname "Greenmask"

OOC Notes

- As of Spring 379YE, the Emire has established a beachhead in Riverwatch - this means that the production of all Highborn resources in Reikos should be restored to normal moving forward.

- The Druj still control the other six regions of Reikos.

- Reports claim there is a significant fortification at High Chalcis although details are not widely known at this time

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Fortify Skarsind (Redirected from Reinforce Skarsind)

Redirect page

Fortify Skogei

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Religion

Index

- The Way of Virtue

- Imperial Synod

- The Seven Paths of Virtue

- Ambition

- Courage

- Loyalty

- Pride

- Prosperity

- Vigilance

- Wisdom

- Imperial Theology

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Religious Crimes

Contents

- 1 Religious Crimes

- 1.1 Idolatry

- 1.2 Blasphemy

- 1.3 Heresy

- 1.4 Abuse of Powers

- 1.5 Desecration

Religious Crimes

The Imperial constitution charges the Synod with the responsibility for the spiritual welfare of the Empire. The Imperial bureaucracy has interpreted this, in part, as a remit for the Synod to investigate religious and spiritual crimes.

Central to this responsibility is that the Imperial faith does not undermine, or in any way supplant, Imperial law. Consequently, whilst the priests of the Synod may investigate religious crimes, they must present their case to the judiciary, who will then rule on the guilt of the identified person or persons, and determine their punishment.

The Synod powers relevant to this process are inquisition and condemnation.

Further information on the relation to Imperial Law can be found here.

The current list of religious crimes includes Idolatry, Blasphemy, Heresy, Abuse of Powers and Desecration.

Idolatry

The crime of idolatry is defined as: Subsuming human will and destiny to any inhuman entity or force. This includes the worship, veneration or exaltation of any such being or power.

This crime incorporates the worship of "gods", Eternals and other supernatural beings, though some priests have considered applying it in a political context as well.

Blasphemy

The crime of blasphemy is defined as: The denigration of the Paragons and the Paths of Virtue. This includes promoting False Virtues and the teachings, or example, of False Exemplars or False Paragons.

The Feast of the Broken Wheel practiced by the Freeborn is contentious and some priests in other nations have accused it of being blasphemous, though, to date, no attempted condemnation of any participant has been successful.

Heresy

The crime of heresy is defined as: The willful rejection, or perversion of, the Orthodox Doctrines of the Faith as laid down by the Imperial Synod, or actively teaching and promoting False Doctrines.

The Synod does permit the discussion, and debate, of the doctrines, and potential variations thereof, as part of theological investigation and learning. The criminal act is the teaching of “truth” that has not been recognised as such by the Synod. Virtuous priests will first seek to change Doctrine in the Synod, rather than undermine it.

Abuse of Powers

The crime of abuse of powers is defined as: The misuse, or abuse, of the powers of a priest. This includes the powers of the Synod, as well as liao ceremonies.

The Synod is charged with ensuring the proper conduct of all priestly Imperial citizens, whether they are Synod members or not. Abuse of Synod powers may include looking to use confession and clemency to pervert the law, rather than promote virtue. Abuse of priest ceremonies may include use of the excommunication ceremony on an Imperial citizen without them having first been excommunicated by the Synod.

Desecration

The crime of desecration is defined as: The removal of spontaneously created auras such as legacies of ascendance to paragonhood. This includes such auras arising on areas, objects and people.

The Senate passed this into law in Autumn 377. The Magistrates' interpretation is that in order for this law to accord with constitutional principles it must be tried as a religious crime. The reference to paragonhood in the example makes it is clear that this law deals with complex issues around virtue and doctrines of the faith and accordingly any prosecution requires condemnation by the appropriate synod assembly.

Anger radiated from Garath, filling the tent in which he was sat. The Sentinel by the doorway tensed in response. Conversely, Casia, her black-eyes unblinking, appeared entirely unpeturbed and gently stroked her barbels as she considered the broker.

“This is a travesty, and a waste of time,” spat Garath, “Do you really have nothing better to do with your time, fendweller?”

Casia merely considered him in silence.

“You had no right to haul me in like some criminal!” Gareth railed, “I was in the middle of an important trade deal. You’ve cost me a lot of money and I’ll have every ring of it out of your sodden hide.”

The merrow Illuminate simply lifted her cup and drank from it. Taking her time to finish it if full, she turned again to Garath. Rising from her seat she circled his seat before she finally spoke.

“I’m curious,” she said, without irony, “I have spoken at length to some of your business partners. You are a successful trader, there is no doubt. Yet the part that I do not understand is what you do with the liao you purchase from the Bloodhammer legion. No one I have spoken to reports you ever selling any of it.”

Garath snarled, “Is that it? My cousin Gwyn is a Guide. I provide it to him as part of the work of the Faith. Go and ask him.”

Casia nodded, and paused to produce a notebook in which the name was carefully inscribed. As she was putting her pen away, the tent flapped jostled and another Sentinel entered carrying a bag.

Garath blanched, “That’s mine! You’ve no right…”

“I think you will find that priests of the Synod have the right to go a great many places,” Casia interrupted calmly, as she took the bag from the armed man. Reaching in she produced a handful of small documents.

“Oh my,” she said, her tone unchanged despite the expression of surprise, “I do believe I have seen some of these in the tavern. Leaflets extolling the glory of Elora, Goddess of Hope.”

The black eyes fixed themselves on Garath again, “I do believe that’s heresy, blasphemy and idolatry in one single stroke. Thank you for your time Broker Garath, your inquisition is concluded. I would suggest you do not make any plans to leave Anvil as I am quite sure the magistrates will be wanting a word.”

As Garath rose, Casia gestured and the two Sentinels moved to either side of him. Garath glared at his shadows, but said nothing as he left the tent with the two following him.

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Religious skills

Every religious skill requires a dose of liao to use. Liao is provided to everyone who ministers to a congregation, which is a personal resource. A starting congregation resource produces five doses of liao per event.

The majority of the religious skills involve the creation or removal of auras. These are roleplaying effects; they can affect a person, an item or an area but they have no mandated rules outcome.

Priests can work together to perform most religious skills. Each priest who contributes to a ceremony must have the relevant skill and must consume a dose of liao, but doing so helps to strengthen the effect and make it harder to remove. A priest may only support another priest if they are dedicated to the same virtue as that priest or if they are not dedicated to any virtue.

Religious skills do not require touch, but do require you to be close enough to touch the target. If there are multiple participants, they must be close enough to touch the target or another participant. You must complete at least 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying to use a religious skill.

Contents

- 1 Using religious skills without being dedicated

- 2 Dedication

- 3 Anointing

- 4 Consecration

- 5 Excommunication

- 6 Exorcism

- 7 Hallow

- 8 Insight

- 9 Testimony

Using religious skills without being dedicated

Dedication, anointing, consecration and hallow create effects that depend on the virtue dedication of the priest leading the ceremony. Characters who are not dedicated to one of the seven virtues cannot lead such a ceremony but they may always contribute to make the effect harder to remove and lead, or contribute, to the other ceremonies.

Dedication

- You must purchase the dedication ceremony before you can purchase any other religious skills

The Way of Virtue recognizes seven fundamental virtues. This skill allows a priest to dedicate another pilgrim to the virtue that the priest leading the ceremony is dedicated to. A person may have their dedication removed with exorcism or by replacing it with a more powerful dedication. They my only be dedicated willingly, and with knowledge of the virtue of that they are being dedicated to.

Any character who has purchased this skill is able to act as a guide when someone consumes True Liao. A character who consumes True Liao can choose to have a single character with the dedicate skill act as a guide. Although that character does not experience a past-life vision of their own, they do share the past-life vision of the character who has consumed the Liao.

A character who has purchased this skill during character creation is entitled to choose to begin play devoted to one of the seven virtues.

Anointing

A priest may use this skill to perform a ceremony over an individual. This creates a roleplaying effect that directly affects the recipient of the anointing. The roleplaying effect is chosen by the priest leading the ceremony based on the virtue they are dedicated to. More information, including details of effects, is available here.

Consecration

A priest may use this skill to perform a ceremony over an area creating a roleplaying effect that affects that area. The roleplaying effect is based on the virtue the priest leading the ceremony is dedicated to. Stronger consecrations replace weaker consecrations, or one can be removed by an exorcism of equal or greater strength. More information, including details of effects, is available here.

Excommunication

This skill can be used to excommunicate a character. A character who has been excommunicated cannot make use of liao or use any skill that requires liao. Any priest with the skill can participate in an exorcism - the more priests that participate the harder the excommunication is to remove. The excommunication can only be removed via a sufficiently powerful exorcism.

Exorcism

This skill can be used to remove dedications, excommunications, annointings and similar effects from a target person, object or area. Whilst some auras can be replaced with a stronger aura, others, such as testimonies, excommunication and possessions, can only be exorcised. Any priest with the skill can participate in an exorcism - the more priests that participate in the exorcism the more likely to be able to take down the effect. An exorcism needs to equal the strength of the aura to remove it. Each exorcism ceremony must be directed at a specific mark or aura.

Hallow

A priest may use this skill to perform a ceremony over an item. This creates a roleplaying effect that affects anyone bonded to that item. The roleplaying effect is chosen by the priest leading the ceremony based on the virtue they are dedicated to. Stronger hallows replace weaker ones, or one can be removed by an exorcism of equal or greater strength. More information, including details of effects, is available here.

Insight

This skill allows you to examine the target’s soul. You can see their dedication, read any testimonies and see any auras that are affecting them.

Testimony

By performing a testimony, you can place an indelible mark on the target’s soul. This consists of, at most, two words; an adjective and a noun. Examples include “Oathbreaker”, “Bold Warrior”, “Fool”, “Wise Leader”. Testimonies can be perceived by any character who uses the insight skill or an equivalent ability to examine the victim’s soul. Multiple priests may participate in the ceremony making it stronger, causing a mark to be harder to remove with exorcism. Soul marks of this kind can only be removed with a sufficiently powerful exorcism.

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Remote Navarr

We have removed the reference to integrated and isolated Navarr from the Navarr costume page because there is no significant cultural difference between these two groups. Some isolated Navarr never see a barbarian or a vallorn from one year to the next. Some live their entire lives in perpetual battle. The situation is exactly the same for the "integrated" Navarr; they may spend their days fighting terrible brutal battles against the vallorn or the Empire's enemies... or they may not.

The wiki only talks about the distinction on the costume page and what it defines it as there is the degree of trade that a group of Navarr have with other Navarr and the rest of the Empire. Isolated Navarr don't see the towns and cities of the Empire much, nor people who travel/come from there. Integrated Navarr have more contact - and so more opportunities to trade - so more opportunities to have clothes and equipment that requires towns and cities to produce. That is the only common distinction between the two groups.

The significant element for most Navarr in their lives is whether they live in a Steading or as part of a Striding. A steading in the frozen north of Hercynia might be isolated. Off the beaten track it rarely sees many visitors. The Starks of Winterfell in Game of Thrones are like an isolated Steading... they rarely visit Kings Landing - they don't even meet or trade with many folk who do. An integrated steading is one closer to the large population centres of the Empire. Perhaps it lies on a well travelled trod - or is in Broceliande near Casinea or Astolat. Critically they're not "culturally" integrated - it's just that they trade with these places and thus have more access to some of the nicer things in life.

An isolated striding is somewhat harder to imagine. Many trods go past many of the major towns and cities of the Empire and the Navarr do not shirk the benefits of civilisation - it's just not always available to them. It is possible however that a Striding might march in areas along the borders of the Empire, or even outside it at times, at which point they could well be isolated.

There is no cultural trend towards isolationism in the Navarr culture. The Navarr are champions of civilisation - they are like the Rangers of the North from Lord of the Rings. Almost alone amongst the Empire they know what it means to have a great civilisation and to lose it. They work tirelessly to keep civilisation safe because they prize it above all other things. Because they are at the cutting edge of the Empire they often do vicious and bloodthirsty things to keep the Empire safe from its enemies. But they are not lawless - far from it - the rule of law is just one of the many important parts of civilisation that the Navarr work to protect. Isolated Navarr are simply folk who support something they don't often get to see...

Equally there is no cultural integration into the Empire by the Navarr. The Navarr who trade with the towns and cities that are on the trods they travel or which lie near their steadings are only integrated in the sense that they have access to the goods and belongings that can be bought there. They're categorically not integrated in the sense that it has changed them as people - it has changed the clothes they wear, the pans they use to cook with, but that is all. The entire Empire is predicated on the idea that cultures are immiscible, magically reinforced as they are by the enchantment of the egregore. A Navarr could sleep for a year and a day in the finest bed in Sarvos and be unchanged by the experience. Just as a League citizen could spend every day marching the trods - never seeing a town or a city - but dream every night of home and a warm bed with silk sheets.

A much better way to describe the Navarr who don't have much contact with the rest of the Empire is remote - to reflect the fact that they are physically remote from most inhabitants of the Empire. Those Navarr who do have regular contact might be described as worldly - reflecting their higher standard of living and more regular contact other members of the Empire.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Remote_Navarr&oldid=35206"

Renewed Strength of the New Day

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

The ritual fails if you or the target are hit, or attack another character.

Effects

This ritual removes the weakness condition from the target.

The ritual will not treat more powerful curses, but target receives a burst of energy and vitality that also helps alleviate roleplaying effects that cause weariness or exhaustion. (such as that which may come from some traumatic wounds).

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters. The magnitude increases by one for every two additional targets. All targets must be present throughout, and the ritual fails if any of the targets are hit, or attack another character.

Description

Renewed Strength of the New Day restores the victims of low-power curses such as those caused by the weakness spell or a strike from a Duelist's scales. While the purify spell is more versatile, and the purge spell is much quicker, this ritual is very effective at alleviating this condition from a number of people such as the victims of Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw or those who have been fighting deadly creatures such as trollwights or spectres. A single competent ritualist can restore nearly a dozen injured or dying people with a handful of mana crystals; a coven can restore a small army of targets.

The ritual is also useful when a group of explorers encounter a source of weakness unexpectedly. Any circle of Summer ritualists can spontaneously perform Renewed Strength of the New Day, and while this may be expensive for them to do so it can swiftly restore a number of suffering warriors to the front line without seriously depleting valuable healing resources.

Common Elements

Fire is a common element in this ritual; the warmth of an open flame, or the symbolic warmth of things that look like or are associated with fire (especially red, orange or yellow cloth, gold or orichalcum.

Fortifying food and wholesome drink are also appropriate, and it is common for ritualists in Wintermark and Dawn especially to include a toast at the beginning of the ritual and conclude with a rousing cheer. As with many enchantment rituals, the ritualists often mark the targets in some fashion, whether by painting runes or other symbols on their skin; tracing a tattoo or brand important to the target; or giving a small token such as a favour or a braid.

As with a number of rituals with healing effects it is common to use fresh water as a component, washing a wound or quenching the thirst of the target to symbolically wash away weakness.

In The League this ritual is often associated with the character of The Doctor or The Witch, and the use of The Chalice; in Dawn, some cabal of weavers make use of the hearth magic of girding to restore strength to a victim.

The Verys rune is an obvious symbol evoked in this ritual, as is the rune of purity; the constellation of The Oak is another common element, and any number of creatures with great strength such as the gryphon or unicorn, mammoth or bear might all be evoked to restore vitality to the targets of this ritual.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Renewed_Strength_of_the_New_Day&oldid=32750"

Repair Great Pits of Ennerlund

To repair the pits of Enderlund.

Proposed by Sermersuaq, seconded by Mitwold.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Costs

- 4 Progress

- 5 Outstanding

- 6 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund in Holberg were liberated by Imperial forces.

- The Druj collapsed the Great Pits in Winter 378YE, and destroyed the pumping mechansisms. In addition to great loss of life, the mineworkings were rendered inoperable.

- Passed at 0 Thrones.

Date

Spring 379YE

Costs

- Materials: 250 Thrones

- Time: 9 months

- Upkeep: If the Great Pits are restored, their standard upkeep would apply.

Progress

- 250 Thrones provided by Bridget Eastville of The Marches after Spring Equinox 379YE.

- The great pits should begin producing mithril again after Spring Equinox 380YE, with the first resrouces being delivered at Summer 380YE.

Outstanding

- No more money

- 6 months of work

Campaign Outcome

- At the moment the Great Pits are producing no mithril. If they were repaired, their full pre-destruction production of 27 wains of mithril a season would be restored.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Repair_Great_Pits_of_Ennerlund&oldid=36263"

Repair Holberg defences

To build defenses at Holberg

Proposed by Necropolis, seconded by Karov

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Perform emergency repair of the gates and walls of Holberg based on plans presented to the League by the engineer Rhiner Van Hesselman.

- Passed at 45 Thrones with 13 votes against

- Funds disbursed to Adamah of the Silent tide, Senator for Necropolis.

Date

- Spring 377YE

Cost

- 100 crowns

- 25 wains white granite

- 10 wains weirwood

- 25 measures of Bladeroot

- 25 measures of Imperial Roseweald.

Progress

- Paid by Oksana Kazaku, senator for Temeschwar in Spring Equinox downtime

Campaign Outcome

- Walls of Holberg restored to full strength.

The resources committed to the project allowed plans put forward by the League engineer Rhiner Van Hesselman to be implemented. The defences of Holberg were repaired to pre-siege levels, despite the fact that the territory was not under Imperial control at the time.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Repair_Holberg_defences&oldid=24026"

Repair the docks at Caricomare

Contents

- 1 Winter 377YE

- 1.1 Overview

- 1.2 Costing

- 1.3 Campaign Outcome

- 1.4 Votes

Winter 377YE

Repair the docks at Sarvos to basic functionality.

Proposed by Temeschwar, seconded by Sarvos.

Overview

- Repair the Caricomare Quays, the ruined docks in Sarvos

- Defeated

Costing

- 35 White Granite

- 5 Weirwood

Campaign Outcome

The Caricomare Quays was a great work that is now ruined. If restored it would mean that every fleet from The League operating out of Sarvos would have produced more wealth for their owners. The total benefit would be 480 rings per season - divided between all the fleets which are active in Sarvos that season.

Votes

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

10

14

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Repair_the_docks_at_Caricomare&oldid=30004"

Repair the Sarvos Docks

Repair the docks at Sarvos to basic functionality.

Proposed by Temeschwar, seconded by Sarvos.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Costing

- 3 Campaign Outcome

- 4 Votes

Overview

- Repair the Caricomare Quays, the ruined docks in Sarvos

- Defeated

Costing

- 35 White Granite

- 5 Weirwood

Campaign Outcome

The Carciomare Quays was a great work that is now ruined. If restored it would mean that every fleet from The League operating out of Sarvos would have produced more wealth for their owners. The total benefit would be 480 rings per season - divided between all the fleets which are active in Sarvos that season.

Votes

State

Votes For

Votes Against

Result

In Principle

10

14

Failed

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Repair_the_Sarvos_Docks&oldid=28843"

Repair the Spider's Dream

The Spider's Dream bridge is in a sorry state of repair. I ask for funds towards the fixing of the bridge

Proposed by Madruga, seconded by Feroz.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Production

- 6 Campaign Outcome

- 7 Election

Overview

- The Spider's Dream bridge that links Sarvos and Madruga is in a poor state of repair.

- Passed at 15 Thrones with 3 votes against, money distributed to Madruga.

Date

- Passed Spring 377YE (Event Two 2013).

Cost

- 20 wains of weirwood.

Progress

- 20 wains of weirwood provided by Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra (Senator for Madruga)

- The project is complete

Production

- If the bridge is restored to full operation, the Spider's Tollkeep sinecure would be reinstated.

Restoring the bridge allowa for the reinstatement of the Spider's Tollkeep sinecure. This sinecure provides a portion of the money raised in tolls, and the holder of the title is decided by unanimous decision of the Senators of the Brass Coast and the League. The holder of the sinecure receives 2 Thrones every season. The sinecure lapsed entirely during the reign of Emperor Walter as the poor condition of the bridge has made it impossible to provide any money to the holder. Recent repairs have re-instated the sinecure, which is currently vacant.

Campaign Outcome

- If the bridge collapses, the civil service estimates that all businesses in Madruga and Sarvos will lose a crown from their income.

- The civil service estimates it will cost 120 wains of weirwood to replace the bridge entirely should it collapse.

It is impossible to predict how close to collapse the bridge was before it's repair; the complexity of it's construction makes estimation a matter of pure guesswork. Reputable engineers cautiously predict it was quite close to the point of no return beyond which repairs would be less effective than knocking it down and starting again.

Election

- The Spider's Tollkeep will again be available for appointment at the Autumn Equinox 377YE.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Repair_the_Spider%27s_Dream&oldid=23564"

Reparations to the Asavean Archipelago

Disbursal of money with the intention of giving 50 wains of Weirwood to the Ambassador for the Asavean Archipelago for reparations requested for the piracy by Imperial Citizens.

Raised by Temeschwar, seconded by Sarvos

Overview

- Request for funds to pay for the purchase of weirwood as a gift to the plenum of the Asavean Archipelago.

Date

- Summer 378YE

Outcome

- While the gift was passed in principle, no funds were allocated from the Imperial Treasury to pay for the purchase of weirwood

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Reparations_to_the_Asavean_Archipelago&oldid=28694"

Repel

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This spell uses magical force to drive a target away from the magician. It has both defensive and an offensive functions. A magician can use it against an attacker to help effect an expeditious retreat; to split up an enemy group or formation; or to temporarily neutralise an enemy magician. When the spell's power fades the target is usually quite some distance from their original position, meaning that even after the magical effect ends the target still needs to waste time recovering to their previous position.

The magical force unleashed by this spell is invisible and soundless, but irresistable. While some magicians make a point of performing massive, heroic strikes with their implement, the spell is just as effective when delivered with a light brush. Theoretical magicians believe that the spell draws additional force from another place - perhaps the raging tempest of Spring, the mighty winds of Summer or the irresistable energies of Day.

Several crafted impements exist that grant additional access to repelling magic, such as the Tumultuous Gyre rod which allows a battle mage to strike two targets with one casting of the spell. Of particular interest to magicians who master the repel incantation is the Witches' Hammer, a rod that allows the wielder a limited ability to unleash all the energy of the spell in a single concentrated burst that can ruin weapons and shields; and the Furrowed Wake, a staff that allows a magician to focus the energy of the spell send their foe sprawling rather than driving them away - leaving them easy pickings for the spellcaster and their allies.

Casting

- Type: Offensive spell

- Cost: 1 Personal mana

Effects

You may call REPEL against the target struck by your implement.

Repel uses a magical force to drive the target away from the caster. They must move away at a brisk walk or faster for ten seconds or until they have retreated at least 20'.

Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- "You shall reap the whirlwind - REPEL!"

- "Kimus sees you, she knows your name - REPEL!"

- (affecting a haughty or commanding demeanour) "Who are you, to stand before a Prince? - REPEL!"

- (quickly sketching the Mountain in the air) "Things are hard - too hard! - REPEL!"

- "Where I and my kin stand, that's our land: now piss off! - REPEL!"

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: The dangerous rune of storms, Mawrig. is used by some runecasters, who often slash their implement through the air quickly three times before unleashing their spell. The rune of might, Verys, can represent irresistable strength, while some magicians favour Queros, the rune of plots, which can represent harnessed energy.

- Astronomancy: An astronomancer might swiftly sketch the constellation of the Great Wyrm in the air before unleashing the force of this spell, or sketch the arch of the Mountain before sending the target "tumbling down the mountain".

- Dramaturgy: A dramaturgist may take on the commanding mien of the Captain or the authoritative demeanour of the Prince before unleashing this spell. The Mountebank has a particular affinity for this spell, representing as it does principles of motion, unleashed primal forces, and the kind of displacement that leads to confusion.

- Other traditions: A Dawnish witch might evoke the thundering charge of the mythical unicorn, or the echoing roar of the mighty chimera when casting this spell. A more devout magician might evoke the name of Inga Tarn, while an incantation referencing Kimus or Cathan Canae is also appropriate.

- Realms: Driving or hurling an enemy away has resonance with the realm of Summer, while themes of magical force have an affinity with the realm of Day.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Repel&oldid=34697"

Research Abraxus

To allow Edward Watcher and Lucifier son of Cyrus on behalf of the Empire to commission research in the Imperial Archives into the prophecies and True Liao visions of Abraxus. An ideal budget to be 5 Thrones. Report to be made available.

Proposed by Casinea, seconded by Morrow.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Historical research.

- This was related to events that took place during a Past Life Vision.

- Passed in principle, with 4 votes against. No thrones allocated.

Date

- Passed Spring 277YE (Event Two 2013).

Cost

- 5 Thrones

Progress

- Complete, funded privately.

Campaign Outcome

- A report into the life of Abraxus was compiled and made public.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Research_Abraxus&oldid=23565"

Research Exemplar Zemress

Request for access to archives for research of Exemplar Zemress past lives.

Proposed by Madruga, Seconded by Bregasland.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Research project.

- Commission research into the life of the Zemress, Exemplar of Prosperity.

- Passed by 27 votes to 0, funded at 1 Throne.

Date

- Passed Summer 377YE (Event Three 2013).

Cost

- 5 Thrones;

- 1 Throne paid from Senate budget; remainder paid by Darius i Ezmara i Erigo.

Progress

- Complete

Campaign Outcome

- A report on the life of Zemress was compiled and presented to Darius i Ezmara i Erigo once funding was received.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Research_Exemplar_Zemress&oldid=23809"

Research into the Imperial Favours of Empress Britta

The following information has been published by Ioseph of Phoenix Reach, Minister for Historical Research, in the Winter of 378 YE:

The Imperial Favours of Empress Britta

Having seen the mistakes of the previous three incumbents, the Empress Britta vowed openly not to repeat them. She had the courage to speak her mind, but she tempered this with the wisdom to select competent advisors, and give those advisors the freedom to act on behalf of the Empire. They often wielded this power on behalf of the Throne through use of the Imperial favour. By trusting her favour to reliable agents, Britta was able to successfully wield power in multiple houses simultaneously. While her primary focus for much of her reign was on the defence of the Empire's borders, and on liberating those territories lost to the barbarian, her representatives focused on bringing the Synod, Senate and Conclave to the service of the Empire.

The most common use of her favour during this time was to give one of her staunch supporters Maxwell Heshel di Temeschwar the authority to employ the Power of Veto. He employed this favour on three occasions in 374YE and 375YE to block attempts by Senators of the “old guard” from enacting self-serving or unpopular policies.

During this time she also made careful use of favour in the military council. By granting the Defender of the Empire to an ally, she could ensure that an incompetent general could be replaced before they could cause any damage to the ongoing campaign without having to take the Generalship herself.

On the “Final Favour”

Certain facts are incontrovertible. It can be stated with confidence that at the Winter Solstice 376YE Empress Britta did not have a favour in existence. Her final recorded favour had been used at the Autumn Equinox when Maxwell di Temeschwar exluded the Senator for Zenith for the duration of a vote regarding the emergency resupply of the Golden Axe. The charismatic senator had repeatedly derailed discussions of resupply to demand a review of spending on the armies given projected costs in Mithril and Weirwood of continued “total warfare.”

On the evening before the fateful conjunction that ushered in the State of Emergency of 377YE, the Empress summoned Magistrate Stanislav Karkovich to a private meeting. The only person in attendance apart from the Empress and the Magistrate was Garrack White-Walker. Unfortunately, the Empress' favoured Navarri messenger died during the disastrous conjunction the next day, killed while delivering the general order to retreat back through the Sentinel Gate. Empress Britta died the following day along with the majority of the Imperial court.

Magistrate Karkovich refuses to discuss what happened during that meeting, merely confirming that he was summoned in his “professional capacity.”

Speaker Origen confirmed the creation of a favour – and indeed announced it during the emergency Senate meeting following the fatal conjunction.

Apart from these facts, however, it is possible to engage in some informed conjecture. Civil servants do not gossip, but there are three main avenues of speculation regarding the likely candidates to have received the Imperial favour.

Firstly, there is a significant chance that whoever had the favour died with the Empress. In this eventuality, it is likely that the favour has been destroyed – it is very unlikely that the Thule orcs responsible for the massacre of Britta and her allies would recognise the importance of the document.

However, even if it was issued to one of her inner circle, it is possible that the recipient trusted the valuable document to another or concealed it somewhere and that it was not taken on the battlefield. For that matter, it is possible the power granted by the favour was intended specifically to prevent some stratagem being employed by the Empress' enemies while Imperial attention was focused on the northern battlefield.

The most common theory concerning the nature of Empress Britta’s final favour is that the Empress bestowed the power of Defender of the Empire, allowing one of her supporters to take command of one of the Imperial armies should it prove necessary.

The second theory is that the favour was entrusted to the Imperial Orcs. The Empress was an outspoken supporter of the orcs, and a public supporter of their “Grand Plan” to secure territory for their people. Adherents of this theory point to several private meetings between the Empress, the Imperial Orc egregore and the generals of the Summer Storm and Winter Sun that preceded her meeting with Magistrate Karkovich. Further investigation, however, confirms only that the main topic of discussion during these meetings was strategy for the coming seasons and tactics for the battle against the Thule.

The third theory is that the favour was issued to one of her Winterfolk supporters as a form of “payment” for past services. Conjecture suggests that it concerned the authority to use the Hand of the Chancellor for the benefit of a specific Hall in Hahnmark or Kallavesa. While this is the least common theory, and would be at odds with Britta's general dislike of favouritism or nepotism, those who support it point to the relative secrecy under which the Empress created and bestowed the favour. If this were true, it would most likely tarnish the reputation of a Throne who much of the general populace consider to be the epitome of Imperial virtue.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Research_into_the_Imperial_Favours_of_Empress_Britta&oldid=30071"

Research maps

Vittorio von Holberg requests access to the Imperial Archives for the purpose of collating historical maps from the various ages of the Empire and before, with a view to pinpointing sites of interest, such as the location of battlefields, regios and the deeds of paragons. This request would be entirely self-funded.

Proposed by Volodmartz, seconded by Kahraman

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Historical research

- Passed unanimously

Date

- Passed Spring 377YE (Event Two 2013).

Cost

- 5 Thrones.

Progress

- Complete

Campaign Outcome

- Maps were handed over to relevant parties.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Research_maps&oldid=23566"

Research Purifying Flame

To commision research in to the activities, goals and members of the "Society of the Purifying Flame" starting from the lives of Benedict Di Tassato, Mario De Regiario and known associates, circa 270-300YE, up to the present day

Proposed by Casinea, seconded by Consience of the Senate

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 2.1 Cost

- 3 Progress

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Historical research.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Cost

- 5 Thrones

Progress

- Unknown

Campaign Outcome

- A report about the Purifying Flame will be compiled and delivered to the Senator for Casinea.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Research_Purifying_Flame&oldid=35347"

Research the vallorn for the Academy

To allow the Academy to research the origin of the Vallorn and for the Civil Service to provide that research.

Proposed by Astolat, Seconded by Miaren.

Overview

- Research project.

- Commission research into the vallorn to be provided to the Academy.

Date

- Passed Autumn 378YE

Cost

- 5 Thrones

- The senator for Astolat has indicated that this motion will be self funded.

Progress

- 5 Thrones have been provided

- Information about the vallorn is being compiled

Campaign Outcome

- A report about the Vallorn will be provided to Bohemond De Rondell, Senator for Astolat.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Research_the_vallorn_for_the_Academy&oldid=29959"

Resource (Redirected from Resource overview)

Contents

- 1 Personal Resource

- 2 Campaign Resource

- 3 Changing Resources

- 4 Conquered Territories

- 5 Resources in other Nations

Personal Resource

- Every PC chooses one personal resource at character creation

- You can never have more than one personal resource

Every character chooses one type of personal resource and what territory it is located in when their character is created. Most personal resources automatically produce money or items for the character’s use every event that they attend.

Personal resources have broad generic names that imply a whole category of possible options. Like income, it is up to the player to interpret the precise nature of their personal resource in a way that is appropriate to the setting and their character.

All personal resources can be upgraded to make them more productive or effective. Upgrading a personal resource requires building materials which are held in Imperial Warehouses and can be acquired at the Bourse.

- Business - produces 9 crowns.

- Congregation - produces five doses of liao and provides 10 votes in the Imperial Synod.

- Farm - produces 9 crowns.

- Fleet - can trade with foreigners, to produce items or money, or commit piracy, to steal items or money from foreigners or barbarians.

- Forest - produces ten units of one rare material that are used by an artisan to make magic items.

- Herb garden - produces fourteen herbs for use by a physick or apothecary.

- Mana site - produces seven crystalized mana for use in spellcasting and rituals.

- Military unit - can be used to enhance an Imperial army or to raid barbarian areas to produce money.

- Mine - produces ten units of one rare metal that are used by an artisan to make magic items.

You can never operate more than one personal resource at once. Although a group might hold more than one personal resource, each character can only own and use one personal resource. This represents the time and effort required to manage the resource.

Although Orcs cannot purchase religious skills, they can purchase a congregation. They receive liao and votes in the Synod accordingly. Personal resources can be improved to make them more effective, those resources that produce money or items will produce more when improved.

Campaign Resource

- Any character may be allocated control of a campaign resource

- You may control more than one campaign resource

- You may legally only hold one Imperial title or position

Campaign resources are similar to personal resources, but each one is unique and they can only be acquired in play. Characters do not own campaign resources, they are assigned them as a result of the actions of characters at the event. Some Imperial titles, such as General have a campaign resource associated with them. Although you may control any number of campaign resources at once, the Imperial constitution forbids an individual from holding more than one Imperial title at once.

E.g. The Imperial title of General of the 1st Marcher Army. The character with the position has control of the accompanying army and can determine its actions between events. The Imperial constitution forbids any Imperial citizen from holding two offices simultaneously, so a Marcher Senator would have to resign their position to assume this position.

E.g. The Lord of the Four Winds, an Eternal from the realm of Autumn can choose to give control of the North Wind to a character. This campaign resource is not an Imperial title or position, so it does not affect your ability to control any other campaign resource.

Campaign resources are unique, they may produce money or items or they may present other options for your character between events.

Changing Resources

- It costs 2 crowns for a character to exchange their resource for a new one

If your existing character wishes to change their resource for a new one, either a different resource or the same resource in a different territory, then you can do so by email between events. Your character will be charged 2 crowns to represent the charges they incur in changing their resource.

If you are playing a brand new character and realize you have made a genuine mistake, then we will not charge your character to change their resource. If you do not have the money in your character inventory, it is possible to change the resource by creating a debt for your character which will be automatically deducted from your character's income at following events.

The cost to change resource still applies if you own a military unit or a fleet and wish to change territory. Both these resources include the active service and involvement of a large number of Imperial citizens. These citizens have homes, families and roots in the territory they are based in - and they do not wish to change territory even though you do.

If a character in your group or territory dies leaving an upgraded resource and you wish to take it over in place of your own, this can be requested in the same way with the additional information of the deceased character's CID. You cannot, however, take on the resource of your own deceased character. Disputes arising during time in from such transfers will be handled IC as a Civil Claim (See also Will).

Conquered Territories

For the sake of simplicity, we assume the most advantageous situation reasonable applies to a resource that is in a territory being fought over. So a resource is unaffected if the territory it is based in is partially controlled by barbarians - even if the barbarians control the majority of the regions in that territory such that it is not eligible to return a senator to the Imperial Senate. However if a territory is completely conquered by barbarians with every region controlled by them, then all resources in that territory suffer a 50% production penalty.

For example, the majority of Holberg is controlled by the Druj, but there is no effect on resources here, while the Empire controls one of the regions in the territory - in this case the portion of the fortified city of Holberg that remains under their control. We assume that player resources in Holberg are in the Imperial held region - or at least close enough to enjoy the benefits thereof.

If the last region in Holberg falls to the barbarians then every resource in the territory would suffer a 50% production penalty, we assume that inventive players who are determined to hang on find some way to operate their resources and collect some portion of the wealth. How this is achieve is left to the player to decide for themselves as part of their personal story.

As fleets and military units are mobile, they are not affected by the rules for conquered territories. Fleets and military units based in a conquered territory do not suffer a production penalty.

Resources are used by the Imperial civil service to calculate a citizen's votes in a number of cases, most notably in the Bourse and the Synod. In these cases, the number of votes received is similarly affected.

Resources in other Nations

It a character finds themselves owning a personal resource in another nation than their own, that resources suffers a 33% production penalty while it is under their control. This penalty reflects the natural predisposition of inhabitants of the nations of the Empire to favour trade and interaction with citizens of their nation. It affects all types of resource, including military units and fleets.

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Responsibility for respectful silence

After emergency supplies are voted for, that there is a moment of silence for the dead.

Proposed by Conscience of the Senate, seconded by Morrow.

Overview

- Amend the responsibilities of every Imperial title with the right to raise a motion for emergency resupply to include the responsibility to call for a moment of silence after the motion is voted on.

Date

- Winter 378YE

Campaign Outcome

- This motion amends the responsibilities of every senator and the Quartermaster General to include the expectation that they will call for a moment's silence after voting on a motion of emergency resupply.

- Ignoring this responsibility may bring censure from the Imperial Synod.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Responsibility_for_respectful_silence&oldid=35409"

Restore limb

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This spell complements the heal and purify spells - it allows a ruined limb to be restored to full functionality. Bone, sinew, muscle, flesh and blood vessels knit back together and the limb is as good as new within moments. The spell only repairs the functionality of the limb - the patient can still suffer from physical stress and blood loss caused by the original crippling wound. Such damage must be treated seperately, either with the heal spell or with traditional medicine.

Having a limb restored with this spell is never an entirely natural experience. Some feel a gentle, comforting warmth that spreads from the caster's hands to envelop the chosen body part. Others experience a freezing chill that immediately removes all sensation from the damaged arm or leg - as if it had been entirely severed - which fades slowly after the spell ends. A very rare few patients feel only the horrible sensation of bones knitting and flesh flowing like clay under the hands of the magician, which can be quite traumatising in its own right.

The spell has some serious limitations; a particularly traumatic injury may leave lingering effects or complications that require the attention of a physick. In this case, the restore limb spell may not be sufficient to restore the full use of the broken limb, or may repair the gross physical damage but leave some internal damage that may continue to threaten the life of the patient.

All magical healing requires the magician to focus their attention on the patient, and anything that disrupts that attention causes the spell to fail. The inability to use an arm or leg is rarely life threatening, so it is almost always better for an injured soldier to drop back behind the line, perhaps with the assistance of a companion if their leg is crippled, than for a magician to risk disruption of their magic trying to perform it in the middle of an engagement.

Casting

- Type: Regular spell

- Cost: 1 Personal mana

Effects

You may restore a single limb ruined with the CLEAVE call or IMPALE call.

Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- (laying a wand along the limb like a splint) The limb is hewn, but the branch of the Oak never breaks. I invoke the Net of the Heavens to splint your arm/leg with one of those mighty branches. While your will endures, so shall your body!

- (slapping a handful of clay on the limb) The power of life flows from the earth. Like the grain that keeps you standing, let the mud of the land you fight for restore you to health (or 'to the fight'). Let [name], your loyal companion, get you back on your feet.

- (striking a pose) A-ha! A wounded soldier comes before me / Demanding I heal twisted limb repair / That once again, she'll take up sword and arrow / 'Gainst Orcish charge, which Loyally she'll bear. / Well, hero I am none if not her Captain! / Her flesh I'll mend as surely as her shirt (or skirt (or trousers))! / But here, the bone is shattered into pieces! / Hold on, soldier, this is going to hurt -

- Blood I take, and mark you with Rhyv: walk again, fight again, dance again, die again. Mana I give, and mark you with magic: walk again, fight again, dance again, die again. Bone knit to bone, I'll take no more blood - walk again, fight again, dance again, die again - soon enough we'll get you back on the Trod: walk again, fight again, dance again, die again.

- (using a sprig of cerulean mazzarine to touch the wounded limb) "Shattered limb and broken bone, through these words shall be regrown. Muscle, sinew, blood and skin, knit together, restore this limb."

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: As with all magic that heals living things, the rune Rhyv resonates with this spell.

- Astronomancy: An astronomancer knows the value of the Chalice in healing, and that constellation is especially appropriate to a spell that brings together severed flesh and bone. The Oak and the Stallion are also a good fit - the idea of regrowing and regenerating a living creature works well with these constellations.

- Dramaturgy: A dramaturgist might take on the persona of the Captain when casting this spell - typically with a no nonsense approach, laying hands on the crippled limb and using brute force to twist it back into shape. Alternatively, a more gentle approach might use images associeted with the mystical wisdom of the Witch, or the transformative powers of the Mountebank.

- Other traditions: Unlike many healing spells, water and fire are rarely used during the casting. Some magicians carry specially prepared bandages to loosely bind the damaged limb, while others - especially Marchers, like to slap a handful of damp clay, mud or soil onto the damaged limb, shaping the ruined arm or leg as if they were applying plaster to the side of a house. A Dawnish witch or Navarr magician might evoke the powerful regenerative powers of the hydra.

- Realms: This spell regenerates damaged flesh and is firmly within the purview of the Spring realm.

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Resupply Imperial armies

Return all Imperial armies to full strength with reinforcement to be directed by Military Council.

Proposed by Hahnmark, seconded by Bregasland.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Legal Ramifications

Overview

- Return all Imperial armies to full strength with reinforcement to be directed by Military Council

- Passed unanimously

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013)

Cost

- None

Legal Ramifications

- The Senate has not created a position with the authority, responsibility or budget to achieve this task

The civil service opinion is that the Senate could have chosen to create an Imperial position with the responsibility and legal authority to reinforce the Imperial armies. The position could have been granted a stipend.

Without the creation of an Imperial position, this motion has no legal implications. It is simply a statement of intent.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Resupply_Imperial_armies&oldid=23552"

Resupply the Eastern Sky

Resupply the army of the Eastern Sky.

Approved by the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies.

Overview

- Resupply the Dawnish army of the Eastern Sky.

- Action approved by the Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies.

Date

- Approved Winter 377YE

Progress

- 27 wains of Weirwood provided by Janusz Dalibor von Temeschwar, Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies, after Winter Solstice 377YE

Campaign Outcome

Resupply an army using 27 wains of weirwood restores fighting strength equal to 540 soldiers to the army.

Voting

This motion was approved by the Quartermaster General using the legal power to resupply armies granted by the Imperial Senate.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Resupply_the_Eastern_Sky&oldid=28061"

Resupply the Golden Axe

Resupply army of Golden Axe

Proposed by Volodmartz, seconded by Sermersuaq.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Provide emergency resupply to the army of the Golden Axe.

- Passed 27 votes to 0.

- Funded at 50 Thrones.

Date

- Summer 377YE (Event Three 2013)

Cost

- Standard resupply costs apply.

Progress

- None.

Campaign Outcome

- Unlimited resupply of the Golden Axe is authorized by the Imperial Senate until end of Spring 378.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Resupply_the_Golden_Axe&oldid=34845"

Resupply the Granite Pillar

The senate authorises the release of resources held by the Military Council for the resupply of the Granite Pillar.

Proposed by Upwold, seconded by Therunin.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

- 5 Progress

- 5.1 Autumn Equinox 377

- 6 Constitution

Overview

- Provide emergency resupply to the army of the The Granite Pillar.

- Passed unanimously

Date

- Autumn 377YE (Event Four 2013).

Cost

- Standard resupply costs apply.

Campaign Outcome

- Unlimited resupply of the Granite Pillar is authorized by the Imperial Senate until end of Summer 378.

Progress

Autumn Equinox 377

- 20 Wains of mithril supplied by Ruth, General of the Granite Pillar.

- 10 Wains of weirwood supplied by Ruth, General of the Granite Pillar.

- Army strength of the Granite Pillar increased

Constitution

When no limitations are placed on the extent or duration of Senate authorization to resupply an army, the assumption is that the maximum possible limits apply; the senator may supply any amount of mithril or weirwood up to a year after the motion is passed.

The Imperial Military Council do not require authorization to use any resources they possess - any property held by them can be disposed of as the Council chooses. Resupplying an army does require the authorization of the Senate, but once granted they cannot specify how that resupply should take place.

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Resupply the Hounds of Glory

Resupply the army of the Hounds of Glory.

Proposed by Semmerholm, seconded by Weirwater.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

- 5 Progress

- 5.1 Autumn Equinox

- 6 Constitution

Overview

- Provide emergency resupply to the army of the Hounds of Glory.

- Passed by 27 votes to 0

- Funded at 50 Thrones

Date

- Summer 377YE (Event Three 2013).

Cost

- Standard resupply costs apply.

Campaign Outcome

- Unlimited resupply of the Granite Pillar is authorized by the Imperial Senate until end of Spring 378.

Progress

Autumn Equinox

- 33 wains of Weirwood supplied by Floree De Rondelle, General of the Hounds of Glory

- Army strength of the Hounds of Glory increased

Constitution

When no limitations are placed on the extent or duration of Senate authorization to resupply an army, the assumption is that the maximum possible limits apply; the senator may supply any amount of mithril or weirwood for up to a year after the motion is passed.

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Resupply the Quiet Step

To reinforce the army the Quiet Step of Navarr, with 25 wains of weirwood, costed at 7 1/2 crowns per wain, total 23 thrones, 3 crowns, 10 rings. Pass at this sum or withdraw.

Proposed by Sarvos, seconded by Upwold.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Capaign Outcome

- 6 Constitution

Overview

- Provide emergency resupply to the army of The Quiet Step

- Passed unanimously.

- Funded at 23 Thrones 3 Crowns 10 Rings.

- Monies disbursed to Sarvos.

Date

- Autumn 377YE (Event Four 2013)

Cost

- Standard resupply costs apply.

Progress

- 25 wains of weirwood provided by Mirislav, senator for Sarvos after Winter Solstice 377YE

Capaign Outcome

- 25 wains of weirwood can be spent to resupply the Quiet Step is authorized by the Imperial Senate until end of Summer 378.

Constitution

Senators are encouraged to submit requests for Senate funding, but they can not legally withdraw a motion that the Senate has passed if the Senate choose not to release some or all of the requested funds.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Resupply_the_Quiet_Step&oldid=26732"

Retainer

A retainer is either a Dawnish noble's personal attendant or else an attendant to an entire noble house. Retainers are always yeomen, although some harbour a desire to prove themselves and earn an opportunity to pass a Test of Mettle.

The basic role of an attendant is to act as a skilled personal servant, ensuring that their noble, or the noble members of their house are able to enjoy the privileges of nobility. They are likely to help a noble dress themselves and prepare for battle, they fetch and serve drinks and so forth. However retainers are much more than simple servants, their roles often include handling a noble's money, arranging their personal finances and they often fight alongside the nobles.

In effect the social role of the retainer is somewhere between a servant and a sidekick. Like Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, Elric and Moonglum, Batman and Alfred, Jeeves and Wooster, or Henry V and Falstaff - a good retainer is a trusted accomplice. They may be the noble's best friend; there is often much rivalry and little friendship between nobles. They may even be lovers, although such a tryst is scandalous. In high society a retainer must do everything to ensure that the noble or nobles they serve receive the respect they are due - a role that begins by being respectful themselves. In less serious circumstances both parties may relax and assume a more informal relationship.

Creating a retainer

There can be a huge amount of fun in playing a low-status character, but it is important to be certain that it is something that you want to do. There is no need for any noble or noble house to be accompanied by a retainer, many are not, so the only reason to play one is if you think the role will be fun. A retainer is never likely to be the focus of the action at plots, the character is inherently more likely to assume a background role. What a good retainer character should be is busy, there should always be things to do; waiting on the nobility and arranging their business for them.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Retainer&oldid=32825"

Retreat to the White Caves

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 23

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 23

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The area to be enchanted with this ward must be clearly apparent to those within, and without, it's bounds.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual targets a building or well defined, walled area. It must be performed inside that location.

At the completion, the area is warded against heralds of the eternals. Such a creature approaching the boundary is always aware that the area is warded; if it enters it is immediately weakened for as long as it remains in the area. Even creatures that are larger-than-human-sized will be weakened by the power of the ward if they enter it.

The ward creates a powerful roleplaying effect: mortals within the warded area feel cold and miserable, unless they are actively warming themselves. Those who sleep within the ward experience nightmares of being trapped within a cave whilst an unknown lurking evil sits brooding outside, waiting for the cold or hunger to drive them from safety. These effects are particularily pronounced for those with strong lineage.

When used inside a building, the ward protects the entire structure. Any openings in the structure - doors and windows especially - must be clearly marked with runes or symbols of warding. The building must be a reasonably permanent structure, preferably of wood or stone; the ritual will not work on a tent or other entirely similar structure.

For purposes of this ritual, a walled area must be composed of solid posts, preferably wooden. Posts should be placed at least three pace, and at most five paces, apart and protrude out of the ground at least three feet. The posts should be clearly visible, and ideally clearly marked as 'special' - carved or painted with runes for example.

As with anything you might be taking onto a battlefield, or that is likely to have people fighting around or near it, the phys-reps should be as safe as possible (no sharpened points, for example). Please do not tie rope between the posts; if it is not clear where the boundary is, you will need to use more posts.

The ward can be taken down by moving, removing or defacing the warding signs, but Heralds cannot do so themselves. Assuming it is not interfered with, the ward stays in place until the duration expires.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

When the fierce Vard, with their iron swords, came to Mieriada, the frightened Ushkans hid themselves deep in the Painted Caves and waited for the cold outside to drive the Vard away.

Description

This ritual was presented to the Imperial Conclave in the Winter of 378YE by Simarghl, called the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash, the Varushkan Dean of the Lyceum. It was entered into Imperial Lore shortly before Simarghl surrendered his title as Dean. It is an extrapolation of the principles involved in common warding rituals, specifically There Is No Welcome Here. It enchants an area to make it hostile to heralds, eternals and other beings from the realms.

Winter magic is, at its heart, a grim undertaking even when it can be seen as beneficial; Varushkan cabalists know that magic always comes with a price. In this case, those who shelter within the warded area feel cold almost all the time, unless they are actively warming themselves. Conversation quickly falters, and it is easy for a brooding silence to settle on all those within the warded area. Worse, those who sleep within the ward experience terrible dreams of being trapped within a cave whilst an unknown lurking evil sits brooding outside, waiting for the cold or the hunger or the madness that comes from long periods of being cooped up in an enclosed space to drive them from safety.

Some of the Highborn involved in codifying this ritual remarked that the dream cave appeared to be an actual place – there were reported similarities between the layout and the paintings on the walls of the cave which appears to be one of the famous painted caves of Miekarova. When questioned, Dean Simarghl reportedly grunted non-commitally and mocked the researchers until they went away.

Like other wards, Retreat to the White Caves does not prevent a herald (or, in theory, an eternal) from entering the protected area. Rather, it robs them of their ability to use their supernatural abilities while they are within the wards. It will, for example, prevent a herald from delivering a curse or performing any of their innate abilities. If it were performed in the Hall of Worlds, it is theorised that it would prevent any herald from entering the mortal world via the regio at Anvil. Such a herald would require the active assistance of an Imperial magician to “lead them through.” The ward would not prevent the herald entering the Hall of Worlds from the eternal realms, and it is believed it would not stop them departing for their own realm – but fascinatingly it clarifies that the ability to enter the mortal realm is considered an active ability that can be robbed by magical weakness.

The ward created by this ritual will last for an entire season - assuming the warding marks are not disturbed, In practice, if the area sees much use it is likely to be disrupted before the full three months has passed. No herald or direct emissary of an eternal can disturb the ward directly. Due to the duration, several researchers pointed out that it would be possible to make this ritual ward permanent with sufficient ilium (sixty-nine rings in fact) but suggested that doing so might be a mistake – the ritual would still collapse if the warding runes were disturbed, taking the ilium with it.

The crotchety Urizen magus Lucien of the Halls of Knowledge (visiting the Lyceum to take advantage of the excellent climate during a particularly cold winter) gave an impromptu lecture regarding reliable methods of creating permanent wards. His suggestion was simply to craft the posts from stone – possibly white granite – and carve the runes of warding into them permanently. While this would not be foolproof it would mean that the disruption of the ward would require “malice rather than incompetence – which is always preferable.” He further went on to point out that, with crystal mana being considerably more common than ilium, permanent warding posts would be just as effective at anchoring this ritual in it's existing form – it would simply need to be performed once each season. This would make these posts ideal for protecting any area for a long period of time.

Common Elements

As with the original ritual, the warding posts can be marked with the Wintermark runes Yoorn and Kyrop or the common tower symbol associated with Vigilance. The original framework of the ritual made repeated use of the Varushkan tradition of using staring humanoid faces or the heads of geese (traditionally associated with vigilance) and suggested supplementing these symbols with intricate swirling patterns of green, red and blue paint following very precise instructions.

When performing any warding ritual, the ritualists often walk the boundaries of the warded area, invoking protective talismans. They often burn incense, or scatter ashes, and check that all the warding symbols are intact. Some ritualists place bowls of milk or honey at each entry point. Fire is often used as well, especially when the ritual is performed at night.

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Reuben's Brethren

Reuben's Brethren or The Mercenary's Creed Robert E. Howard Recording

Drain the cup while the ale is bright, Brief truce to remorse and sorrow! I drink the health of my friend tonight- I may cut his throat tomorrow.

Tonight I fling a curse in the cup For the foe whose lines we sundered- I may ride in his ranks when the sun comes up And die for the flag I plundered.

Kisses I drank in the blaze of noon, At eve may be bitter as scorning- And I go in the light of a mocking moon To the woman I cursed this morning.

For deep in my soul the old ways brood- And I come of a restless breed- And my heart is blown in each drifting mood As clouds blow over the mead.

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Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a mine. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

At the start of the next event, the target mine produces an additional eight ingots of material. The additional materials are always of the same type as the basic mine, regardless of any improvements.

At the completion of the ritual the owner of the mine experiences a short-lived roleplaying effect: they can hear gemstones, metal objects and especially items that include large amounts of one of the four materials found in mines 'singing' to them when they are nearby; these items also seem to glow faintly when they handle them. The singing and glow can be almost hypnotic. This effect persists for around ten minutes.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional mines in the same territory. Each additional mine increases the magnitude by 6. The character who controls each mine must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

The practice of seeking precious metals and minerals underground is much enhanced by the addition of Day magic. Under the influence of this ritual, seams of orichalcum, green iron and weltislver ores and deposits of tempest jade glow faintly and even seem to 'sing' to the miners, drawing them closer. The ritual gives voice to the clusters of jewels and richest, deepest seams of ores in the earth; miners find themselves possessed of a strange prescience of where to strike rock, and often talk about hearing the singing sound of the earth's bounty calling for their attention.

Simple dowsing with a plumb-line and a piece of mineral becomes much more effective. The earth and stone underground seem almost to whisper to miners and engineers, warning them of flaws or weaknesses that might cause collapses. More care is taken to shore tunnels and galleries up, and while the workers are influenced to become more cautious, they are also enchanted to work with greater surety and deftness in the dark underground; even a faint candle will give off enough light to illuminate a great gallery in a mine under the influence of this ritual.

Some Freeborn storytellers weave fanciful stories that suggest that all the jewels and precious materials that lie deep underground were originally pieces of enlightenment hidden there by a Night Eternal, and that an unnamed Day Eternal is constantly seeking them, hoping to recapture enlightenment or that humanity will eventually collect enough of them to uncover some ancient truth. Ritualists who give credence to these fables call this ritual Shining Stars, Buried Deep.

Common Elements

The ritual creates often involves a map of the mine that is to be enchanted; in the case of the Navarr a map of the trods near the mine may be studied, and the shapes worked into new designs suggesting swirling tendrils extending from the trods to embrace and surround the target area. Other common features include samples of the raw material most suited to the mines, especially samples that have come directly from the target mine; metal and minerals; mining tools; symbols of Prosperity; lanterns, lamps or candles; and mirrors, especially when used to capture and reflect the light of candles or lamps.

This ritual is often performed outside, under the open sky, at night - especially when the stars are visible, glittering like jewels in the night sky. The rune Sular is often invoked, as is Pallas the rune of wealth.

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Revelatory Light of the Empyrean Spheres

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 150

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Uses

- 1.5 Option

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 150

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single mage implement which must be present during the ritual.

Effects

The power of the ritual is stored in the implement targeted by the ritual. Any one of the contributors can unleash the power of the ritual while holding the implement to allow them to call Mass PARALYSIS.

The character who unleashes the power of the ritual is struck with a potent curse, and may be blinded.

The power of the ritual can be invoked only once.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Additional Uses

The ritual can be used to place more than one use into the target implement. Each additional use increases the magnitude of the spell by 100. Any uses left over are lost at the end of the ten minutes. You cannot charge up more than one implement with this ritual.

Option

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute weltsilver for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of weltsilver spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Description

This battlefield ritual allows a powerful magical attack to be unleashed against a group of enemies, freezing them in place for a dozen heartbeats allowing them to be easily butchered. Like similar rituals, the attack is temporarily stored in a rod, staff or wand, and then unleashed at the most tactical moment.

The ritualist who unleashes the power of this magnitude is usually stuck temporarily blind, and may suffer other side effects. For a few moments, they perceive a limitless expanse of knowledge and cosmic awareness. The experience rarely lasts more than a second or so, but it can leave them mentally scarred and unstable, their sanity blasted and their mental stability crumbing. Very rarely, if they survive this experience, they may recall a momentary fragment of useful information but usually they are simply blasted by the powers unleashed.

The ritual is rarely used in the Empire due to the difficulty of finding the best moment to unleash it, where it will provide sufficient tactical advantage to make up for the ruinous cost and the devastation it can wreak on the ritualist who unleashes it.

Common Elements

It is difficult to speak of common elements due to the comparatively small number of covens who have mastered this ritual. They would include mirrors; bright lights; geometric shapes (especially spheres, cones and pyramids) and mathematical formulae; tomes of lore; carefully scored music with stringed instruments such as harps; careful movement and invocations of raw knowledge and dangerous power. Completion of the ritual is usually signaled by a great cry of triumph or the sounding of many horns.

The focus of this ritual is an implement, and the role it plays in the ritual can be quite important. Some ritualists take it in turn to hold the implement, passing it back and forth in an inticate pattern as the strength of the ritual grows. Others place the implement in the middle of the ritual and move around it, touching it with their hands and magic as they increase the power of the ritual, focusing beams of light on it and touching ingots of weltsilver to it as they invoke their magic.

Other common elements in this ritual might include the rune of revelation, the rune of destruction or the rune of dominion. Mawrig is used when the ritualists seek to wreak devastation on the battlefield; some magicians believe that it is likely to leave the contributor who releases the effect more damaged than the use of Hirmok, which seeks to constrain and challenge the raw power of this spell.

Needless to say, the constellations are often evoked during this ritual, especially The Great Dragon, The Door, The Key and The Lock.

"Have you ever seen a man die of perfection? Have you ever experienced the light of a million dancing spheres as it seared your soul with beauty? Heard the laughter of dragons echoing in your skull like golden thunder, on and on, until insanity seemed like a blessing and death a sweet release? Have you ever tasted a truth so profound that it felt like a bucket of live coals rattling around inside your head? Ever felt yourself struck dumb with insights so terrible your tongue simply refuses to utter them?"

The old woman with glared down at the young boy, poking him with one bony finger to punctuate each question.

"Well, apprentice, have you?

"No, mistress", he kept his eyes downcast.

"No.", she said with finality, "Pray that you never do."

She took the book of rituals from his hands and placed it back in its place upon the high shelf by memory, for her milky eyes saw nothing, "Pray that you never do..."

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Revocation

"You dare to speak to me in that manner? I am the Cardinal of this Assembly!"

"Not as of ten minutes ago, you aren't."

Revocation is the removal of an Imperial citizen from a position that they hold in the Empire on the grounds of dubious moral character, or outright deficiency in virtue.

Upon the judgment of an appropriate assembly, the civil service will record the individual as being removed of the authority of their office.

Limitations

- The Virtue Assemblies may revoke virtue titles in the Synod

- The National Assemblies may revoke national titles in the Senate, Synod or Military Council

- The Assembly of Nine may revoke the Imperial or national titles in the Senate, Synod or Military Council, except the Throne

- The General Assembly may revoke the Imperial or national titles in the Senate, Synod or Military Council, including the Throne.

- The Recognition of an Exemplar may be revoked by the General Assembly

Special Note: If a senator or general who has been revoked is immediately reinstated by the nation that appointed them, the Nation has chosen to accept that individual in spite of any alleged shortcomings, and they may not be revoked again for the remainder of their term.

A revocation that is carried out on the grounds that the person holding the title is absent from Anvil when their services are needed, or an equivalent reason, is sometimes referred to as a reappointment. This politer phrasing does not carry the stigma of an implied lack of virtue. The implication may be that the office will be restored to the holder at a future summit. It is, however, functionally identical to a revocation.

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Abrogate fund disbursement (Redirected from Revoke fund disbursement)

Revoke the law disbursing unused Senate funds to the military council and conclave at the end of each quarter.

Proposed Temeschwar, seconded by Tassato.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- End the distribution of unused funds by abrogration of the motion to distribute funds of Winter 376YE.

- Passed by 27 votes to 0

Date

- Passed Summer 377YE (Event Three 2013).

Cost

- None

Campaign Outcome

No more funds will be disbursed to the Military Council or Imperial Conclave.

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Rewarding

At the Winter Summit 376 YE, Harald Johnson, of the Marches and The Way, called for the General Assembly to reward the Orc Generals with 20 crowns from the Virtue Fund.

The Synod has a fund devoted to rewarding and supporting virtuous citizens and thus positively encourage virtue throughout the Empire. This fund grows by:

- Donations from prosperous citizens who wish to use their prosperity to encourage virtue

- The auction of pure liao through the Bourse

- Other activities arranged by the Synod, civil service or other virtuous citizens

The rewarding requires a lesser majority of the General Assembly and can be targeted upon an individual or small group, such as a banner, sect or coven

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Rhythm of Deep Resonance

Description

Rhythm of Deep Resonance allows the user to perform ceremonies dedicated to Prosperity. While it might be expected that a musical instrument connected with prosperity would appear expensive, this is actually relatively uncommon. Priests who favour this instrument, especially in the Marches or among Sutanirr, prefer a durable instrument that can be used to play quick, lively music. The Rhythm of Deep Resonance is effective at connecting to the celebratory impulse in the audience, dragging them onto the dance floor or helping them releax and enjoy their comforts.

This instrument is equally valuable to a priest who is dedicated to one of the other six virtues as it is to a priest who is dedicated to none of the virtues - a priest of the Way. Indeed, in some ways it is more useful to the latter philosophy of priest - it allows them to use the ceremonies of anointing, consecration and hallowing; without an instrument such as this, they would be restricted to supporting other priests in creating these auras. Likewise, a priest dedicated to a virtue other than prosperity can partake of a little of the versatility of the priest dedicated to the Way as a whole, aiding priests in the creation of an aura as if they shared their dedication.

in Wintermark, Prosperity is represented by Pallas, Rune of Wealth.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of any kind of musical instrument.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may perform religious skills other than dedication as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Prosperity.

- Materials: Crafting Rhythm of Deep Resonance requires 7 measures of beggar's lye; 3 measures of dragonbone; 9 measures of iridescent gloaming; It takes 1 month to make one of these items.

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Rhyv

Contents

- 1 The Bleeding Wound, Rune of Blood

- 1.1 Using Rhyv In Magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Rhyv

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Bleeding Wound, Rune of Blood

Affiliated with the Realm of Spring

Rhyv is the Bleeding Wound, which represents both life and the potential to end it. Just as the life of a human or animal lies in the blood in their veins, so the life of the tree lies in the sap and the life of the world flows through the water that covers its surface. For this reason Rhyv features heavily in healing magic, but it can also be used with magic intended to corrupt or slow the flow of life through venom or disease. It is often called the Bloody Knife, representing both its ability to harm life, and the chirurgeon’s art of cutting out sickness. it should come as no surprise that the Imperial School of Medicine displays Rhyv on it's banners.

Rhyv is linked to the idea of self-sacrifice (especially among the Navarr, Marchers and Varushkans), and in this aspect is called the Fallen Fruit. It represents both the idea of shedding blood for another, and of the success that comes from hard work and sweat.

Given its connection to the blood, it should come as no surprise that this rune is said to have a strong connection to the Briar lineage.

Using Rhyv In Magic

Rhyv is most commonly evoked during rituals concerning bodily healing and health, but is also evoked in rituals that taint, poison or hamper body or life. It may be evoked in its positive aspect when using incantations such as heal or purify. In its negative aspect it can be used to taint or corrupt the blood as part of the weakness and especially the venom incantations.

Crafting with Rhyv

Chirurgeons and apothecaries use the rune on healing preparations, and may inscribe it on medical tools. Commonly, Rhyv will be stamped into a Healers Harness. Because of its association with the flow of blood, Rhyv is also used on weapons especially those intended to kill quickly, or leave devastating wounds. Many Navarr Thorns inscribe the runes on their barbed spears, but it is also favoured on the daggers of cutthroats which gives it a negative reputation.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Rhyv in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneRhyv.jef

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Riddle Hides the Reward

Contents

- 1 Riddle Hides the Reward

- 1.1 Realm: Night

- 1.2 Magnitude: 6

- 1.3 Performing the ritual

- 1.4 Effects

- 1.4.1 Duration

- 1.4.2 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Performing the Ritual

Riddle Hides the Reward

Realm: Night

Magnitude: 6

Performing the ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a single magic item or character, either of which must be present for the duration of the ritual.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

Riddle Hides the Reward obfuscates the presence of all bonds attached to the item or the character, making them hard to break with unbonding effects. Spells such as create bond and items such as Lodestone Shears cannot target any of these bonds. The curse targets all bonds present at the time it is performed; new bonds created to an item such as a magical standard are not effected with this ritual.

Any magician who contributed to the performance of the ritual can use the create bond spell to break a cursed bond.

The Winter ritual Black Iron Blade can be used to break the bonds effected by this curse, and a sufficiently powerful Piercing Light of Revelation will remove the effect of the curse from an item or character without severing any bonds, if it is of sufficient magnitude. The bond is also dissolved if the target magical item is destroyed with Words of Ending. As always, the bond does not break if the character involved dies.

Duration

The effect of this curse lasts for a year or until all effected bonds have been cut.

Additional Magnitude

The higher the magnitude the harder it is to remove the effect with rituals such as Black Iron Blade or Piercing Light of Revelation.

Description

This ritual works by making it hard for a magician to locate or understand a bond; perceived with magic the bond often appears to slip away or twist out of the grasp of a magician, or change shape and colour. It does not stymie divination magic, but it slips away from the energies used to cut a bond. Powerful Day magic can strip the protection from the bond, and potent Winter rituals can cause it to fray and snap, but under normal circumstances only one of the magicians who performed the ritual - who understand the riddle woven into the bond - can destroy it without effort and powerful magic.

This ritual serves two purposes; firstly, as a curse, it prevents an individual from breaking a bond with an item. This is usually merely an inconvenience, but it can also serve as a punishment, and might be more dangerous if the item in question has unwanted effects. Secondly, it can also be used to make it more difficult for an item to be stolen - a thief cannot easily unbond it and rebond it.

Performing the Ritual

Things that enhance themes of secrecy and concealment are common elements with this ritual, as are images that involve tying or restraining the target. Ritualists are often masked, cowled or veiled and often ask rhetorical questions or unanswerable riddles.

The rune Diras is commonly evoked with this ritual; scenes of confusion and misdirection involving an item, or the power of The Wanderer may also be included.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Riddle_Hides_the_Reward&oldid=35061"

Righteous Aspergil

Description

This useful item of priestly regalia comes in a variety of forms from a perforated sphere on the end of a short rod to a brass dish used for holding aromatic oils to a wooden bowl that contains water or even blood. The vessel is often used to hold liao mixed with liquid which is drunk as part of the performance of a ceremony. Regardless of the extact shape it takes, it is used in religious ceremonies and directly empowers the ability of priests to place marks on the soul. It is often decorated with symbols of Ambition, Loyalty and Courage, or with symbols appropriate to the faith as a whole, especially the seven-spoked wheel. Many priests who own a righteous aspergil use it in all the ceremonies they perform, not just the testify ceremony.

Rules

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of ceremonial regalia.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: When you perform or participate in a Testimony ceremony, you may add an additional rank of strength to the aura by spending an additional Liao.

- Materials: Crafting a righteous aspergil requires seven ingots of green iron, six ingots of weltsilver, five measures of dragonbone and three ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Ring of Adversity

Description

The most common forms taken by a ring of adversity is either a single band marked with one each of the Runes of Spring, Winter and Night or a single ring formed of three interwoven bands, each of a different precious metal.

Rules

- Form: Foci

- Effect: Once per day you may use this ring to gain one additional rank of either Spring Lore, Winter Lore or Night Lore for the purposes of performing a single ritual.

- Materials: Crafting a ring of adversity requires nine measures of ambergelt, nine measures of beggar's lye, six ingots of tempest jade and six measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

You must be a magician to be bonded to one of these items.

Anushka squeezed her eyes tightly shut and threw the last of her power into a blast of magical force which slammed into the dark, ragged figure, throwing him off balance and onto the treacherous lip of rock overlooking the waterfall. Close to collapse, she crawled towards him as he struggled to pull himself back from the brink. Her scrabbling hand found only a rock as a weapon, and without thinking she raised it high and then slammed it down against the cadaverous skull of the filthy Volodny who had withered the crops of her village with his foul magic. The first blow knocked him insensible, his eyes rolling back in their sockets, but she kept on, hammering again and again with a furious strength she didn't even know she possessed. When she finally came to her senses she was panting and covered in gore and bone, and the Volodny was as dead as any man could be.

Shakily, the young Volhov got to her feet and tried to clear some of the gore clinging to her face, but her caked hands only made it worse. Grimacing, she reached for the dead mage's robe to clean herself, and that was when she saw it. About his finger was an exquisite ring, glistening with strands of magical metal and artistry. Beautiful and powerful, she knew what it was as soon as she laid eyes on it.

She teased the ring from the Volodny's dead finger, grimacing at his long, filth-encrusted nails, and held it to the light. Beautiful, powerful, but unwholesome; she could feel the hungers of Winter, the wild lusts of Spring and the whispered promises of Night as she held it in her hand. To repair the damage the Volodny had done, she would need more power than she currently possessed. The ring promised it would be hers, along with so much more.

She slipped it into a pocket, telling herself that she didn't need to decide now, but in her heart she knew the decision had already been made.

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Ring of Triumph

Description

The most common forms taken by a ring of triumph is either a single band marked with one each of the Runes of Summer, Autumn and Day or a single ring formed of three interwoven bands, each of a different precious metal.

Rules

- Form: Jewellery (Talisman)

- Effect: Once per day you may use this ring to gain one additional rank of either Summer Lore, Autumn Lore or Day Lore for the purposes of performing a single ritual.

- Materials: Crafting a ring of triumph requires nine ingots of orichalcum, nine ingots of weltsilver, six ingots of green iron and six measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

You must be a magician to be bonded to one of these items.

From an original printed manuscript of "The Beggar of the Twin Towns" by Ferdinand de Tassato.

Margrave Liutswind raises her fist in defiance, the ring prominently displayed to the audience and to Margrave Luitpold.

Luitpold: Ah, but that is not the ring you think it is dear Sister for I took that one from you last night while you slept.

Liutswind: No dear Brother, you are wrong - for it was your wife who swapped the rings the day before for me and it was you who gave me back my Triumph and with it granted me your DESTRUCTION!

Handwritten note from an original printed manuscript of "the Beggar of the Twin Towns" in the hand of Ferdinand de Tassato

Ring - flash with BIG gem. Use the Urizen rig to focus on it. I want to blind the audience so we can then drop Andrea in on the harness.

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Rings in the League

In the League, people wear rings to demonstrate their allegiances, wearing one ring for each major loyalty they owe. The giving of rings is an invitation to commit oneself to the giver's allegiance, and the casting away of rings is a clear sign that an association is over. It is rare for members of a guild to wear matched rings, though that in itself would tell you something about them. Each ring worn by a citizen of the League has a story associated with it, and the rings often bear symbols or are made of materials that have a deep significance for the wearer or the target of the allegiance.

Sharing the true story of a ring with someone – explaining the correspondences and symbols – is a sign of trust and confidence. More than a few openly wear rings that represent hidden allegiances. If you think you know who a citizen of the League is loyal to, but they are wearing more rings than you can trace loyalties, it may be that they have a hidden loyalty, or that they felt a loyalty to someone or something in the past (an ex-lover, for example, or the memory of a dead friend).

Stealing rings is a dreadful insult – it implies an attempt to sever the target from their allegiances and loyalties. Citizens of the League expect to be buried with their rings, and robbing the rings of the dead is said to bring about a dreadful curse – there are plenty of folk tales of “cursed rings” taken from the dead.

The five ring piece shows a hand wearing five rings, and it is widely believed to represent the hand of Stratocanthus, the first Master of the Imperial Mint. According to legend his rings represented his loyalty to his guild, the twin-city of Tassato, the Nation of the League, the Empire and, depending on who one listens to, his wife or his mistress. Only one of the rings was enchanted, and there is a lot of debate among historians as to which of the rings bore the enchantment, as Stratocanthus is known to have commented in an unguarded moment that it was “the most important one.”

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Riqueza's Dream

Words by Jude, original tune Cantem Nadal (trad. Occitane) here (arranged by Katy Cooper, sung by Glasgow Madrigirls).

RECORDING of this song : Media:riqueza.mp3

Riqueza's Dream

A highborn lady I was born and raised In Bastion's halls where I spent my days

Chorus: My sisters, come along with me, a Highguard slave I'll not be My sisters, come along with me, a Highguard slave I'll not be

As I lay dreaming in the dead of night The sky was split by a comet's flight

Chorus

And I dreamed I travelled to a far country Will you rise up my sisters, will you come with me?

Chorus

I dreamed I walked along the road outside And I left that city where I'll no more abide

Chorus

I dreamed I walked into the mountains high Where I reached to heaven and I touched the sky

Chorus

I dreamed I travelled to the barren plain Where the winds blew dry and I prayed for rain

Chorus

I dreamed I'd come at last to find the shore And there I'd settle and I'd go no more

Chorus

I dreamed a nation was my legacy For a freeborn people shall my children be

Chorus

It may be a simple dream and nothing more Still I'll set my course to that distant shore

Chorus

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Rising Roots that Rend Stone

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 50

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 50

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single mage implement which must be present during the ritual.

Effects

The power of the ritual is stored in the target implement. Any of the contributors can touch that implement to a battlefield fortification to seriously damage or destroy it.

The power of the ritual can be invoked only once.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Description

This battlefield ritual deals with similar forces to The Forest Remains; by greatly accelerating the growth of roots, vines and other plants at the same time as it attacks timbers and even stone with powerful spores, moss and insects, Rising Roots that Rend Stone damages or even destroys a fortification. The supernatural growth finds the weakest parts of the structure, and forces tiny cracks to become gaping rents, crumbling mortar to be riddled with parasites and mold, old wooden timbers to be infested with termites and fungi, and new wooden timber suppots to begin to sprout leaves and branches again - and in extreme cases even fruit! ,

It often takes a short time for the full power of the ritual to manifest, which can make it a particularly dangerous ritual for the contributor charged with delivering the final stage and touching the target fortification. Some brave covens have tried to perform the ritual while physically touching the fortification, while protected by heavily armoured warriors with powerful shields, but the possiblity that a single stray arrow or bolt could cause the ritual to fail means it is rarely considered worth the risk. It is much more common to see one or more well-defended ritualists fight their way through to the fortification with the charged implement, relying on the fact that at least one of them will make it into position - and then either hold against the defenders, or retreat while the magic does it's work.

This ritual targets the weakest parts of a defensive structure. While it may not collapse or destroy an entire wall, it is likely that the ritual will create multiple breaches, tear down a gatehouse, collapse a row of mantlets or the like.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, a coven often invokes symbols of natural destruction - not just plants and animals but also wind and rain. The Eternal Llofir may be invoked, and it is also common to use broken artisan's tools or the parts of a breached fotification to help grant the ritual power. Some ritualists evoke the spirit of heroes, orc ancestors, Paragons and Exemplars renowned for their strength, such as Inga Tarn or Thrace, or dramatically recreate specific stories where walls, towers or castles were overwhelmed by virtuous armies.

The implement charged with this spell is a key element in the ritual, and the role it plays in the performance is very important. Some Marcher Landskeeper and Dawnish enchanter who has mastered this ritual may use a special staff or rod constructed from the wood of a shattered gate or a siege engine specifically for use with Rising Roots that Rend Stone. The implement may be passed between the ritualists, or placed at the centre of the ritual as a focus for the magic of the coven.

The rune Mawrig is often evoked with this ritual, and some Wintermark ritualists complete their casting by carving or painting it onto the implement - or the contributor chosen to wield it. The constellation of the Key is sometimes evoked, as is The Wanderer.

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Category-Rituals (Redirected from Ritual list)

Known Rituals by Realm

- Rituals of Spring

- Rituals of Summer

- Rituals of Autumn

- Rituals of Winter

- Rituals of Day

- Rituals of Night

Spring Rituals

- Anathemic Call of Bug and Briar

- Blessing of New Spring

- Blood and Salt

- Blood of the Hydra

- Call Down Lightning's Wrath

- Charge of the Rushing Wind

- Chirurgeon's Healing Touch

- Churning Cauldron of Bravash

- Curse of Gangrenous Flesh

- Fan the Flame of New Life

- Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague

- Fire in the Blood

- Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea

- Forge the Wooden Fastness

- Fountain of Life

- Hallow of the Green World

- Hands of the Healer

- Hearthfire Circle

- Irrepressible Monkey Spirit

- Merciless Wrath of the Reaver

- Midwife's Recourse

- Rampant Growth

- Rising Roots that Rend Stone

- Rivers of Life

- Rivers Run Red

- Rot's Rightful Claim

- Skin of Bark, Blood of Amber

- The Dance of Navarr and Thorn

- The Forest Remains

- The Hands of Sacred Life

- Thunderous Deluge

- Thunderous Tread of the Trees

- Touch of Vile Humours

- Turns the Circle

- Unending Cascade of Blood's Fire

- Vitality of Rushing Water

Summer Rituals

- Challenge the Iron Duke

- Champions Shining Resolve

- Chasuble of Majesty

- Clad in Golden Raiment

- Crimson Ward of Summer Stars

- Delve Deep, Beneath the Mountain

- Devastating Maul of Inga Tarn

- Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canea

- Glorious Crown of Enchantment

- Glory to the Sovereign

- Knights of Glory

- Mantle of Lordly Might

- Might of the Myrmidon

- Janon

- Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords

- Raise the Standard of War

- Renewed Strength of the New Day

- Splendid Panoply of Knighthood

- Stout Resolve of the Unyielding

- Strength of the Bull

- Strong Ox, Golden Sun

- Talon of the Gryphon

- Tenacity of Jotra

- The Hammer of Thunder

- The Leaping Hare

- The Sound of Drums

- The Swan's Cruel Wing

- The Vigour of Youth

- Thundering Roar of the Lion-bound Horn

- Unbreakable Behemoth's Strength

- Unbreakable Spirit, Unbreakable Blades

Autumn Rituals

- Arcane Mark

- Art of the Deal

- Balanced Scales of Lann

- Barked Command of the Iron Serjant

- Before the Throne of Estavus

- Bound by Common Cause

- Braying Horns of War

- Brazen Claws of the Lictor

- Call Winged Messenger

- Circle of Gold

- Ephisis' Scale

- Gathering the Harvest

- Gift of the Wily Broker

- Hand of the Maker

- Imurrement of Leaden Chains

- Inescapable Chains of Bitter Glass

- Like Water Through Your Fingers

- Mantle of the Golden Orator

- Mark of Ownership

- Rivers of Gold

- Scrivener's Bloodmark

- Shadow of the Bronze Colossus

- Shared Mastery of the Magician's Guild

- Smooth Hands Shape The World

- Stance of the Constricting Scourge

- Streams of Silver

- Sum of the Parts

- The Ambassadorial Gatekeeper

- The Anvil of Estavus

- The Blade Bites Back

- The Chamber of Pallas

- The Conspirator's Cloak

- The Lure of Distant Shores

- Ties that Bind

- Timeless Hammer Rhythm

- Twist of Moebius

- Vault of Hoarded Wisdom

Winter Rituals

- An Echo of Life Remains

- Black Iron Blade

- Circle of Trust

- Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust

- Coil of the Black Leech

- Crumbling Flesh and Withering Limbs

- Curse of Decrepitude

- Devastating Scythe of Anguish and Loss

- Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt

- Fallow Fields and Dried Meat

- Fight Tooth and Nail

- Freezing Brand of Irremais

- Gnawing, Endless Hunger

- Hold Back Frozen Hunger

- Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw

- Hunger of the Draughir

- Hungry Grasp of Despair

- Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence

- Inevitable Collapse into Ruin

- Last Breath Echoes

- Mark the Flesh Incorruptible

- Naeve's Twisting Blight

- Pakaanan's Iron Shutters

- Pallid Flesh of the Dead King

- Quickening Cold Meat

- Ravenous Tongue of Entropy

- Ruthless Vigilance, Healthy Crop

- Sorins Rite of Agony

- The Grave's Treacherous Edge

- There Is No Welcome Here

- Traitor's Fate

- Unyielding Constitution

- Ward of the Black Waste

- Whispers through the Black Gate

- Wind of Mundane Silence

- Winter's Ghosts

- Wisdom of the Balanced Blade

- Wither the Seed

- Withering Touch of Frost

- Words of Ending

Day Rituals

- Alignment of Mind and Blade

- All the World in a Grain of Sand

- Ascendance of the Highest Mind

- Ascetic Star of Atun

- Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths

- Bright Lantern of Ophis

- Carve the Crystal Guardian

- Clarity of the Master Strategist

- Clear Lens of the Eternal River

- Cold Water from the Mountain

- Crystal Clarity of the Rational Soul

- Crystaline Focus of Aesh

- Distillation of Diverse Parts

- Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis

- Eyes of the Sun and Moon

- Horizon's Razor Edge

- Illuminate the Higher Mind

- Kimus' Glaring Eye

- Piercing Light of Revelation

- Reading the Weave

- Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart

- Revelatory Light of the Empyrean Spheres

- Sign of Aesh

- Skein of Years

- Standing at the Threshold

- Sular's Promise

- Swim Leviathan's Depth

- The Celestial Library

- The Eye of the High Places

- The Solace of Chimes

- Thought Becomes Action

- Transcendent Mastery

Night Rituals

- Align the Celestial Net

- Cast Off The Chain of Memory

- Conclave of Trees and Shadow

- Distill the Serpent's Stone

- Drawing the Penumbral Veil

- Dripping Echoes of the Fen

- Embrace the Living Flame

- Freedom of the Soul

- Incantation's Mystic Mask

- Masque of the Blinded Weaver

- Missive for Sadogua

- Riddle Hides the Reward

- Secrets for the Shadow Courier

- Secrets of Skillful Artifice

- Secrets of the Empty Heart

- Shadowed Glass of Sung

- Shroud of Mist and Shadow

- Sift the Dreamscape's Sands

- Signs and Portents

- Still Waters, Running Deep

- The Chamber of Delights

- The Cuckoo's Egg

- The Ebb and Flow of Battle

- The Eight-spoked Wheel

- The Retrograde Wheel

- The Twilight Masquerade

- Thief's Arcane Gambit

- Transmogrification of the Soul's Echo

- Unfettered Anarchy

- Vale of Shadows

- Verdant Bounty of the Twilight Bayou

- Whispering Shadow Courtiers

- Wondrous Forests of the Night

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

Subcategories

This category has the following 6 subcategories, out of 6 total.

A

- Autumn Ritual

D

- Day Ritual

N

- Night Ritual

S

- Spring Ritual

- Summer Ritual

W

- Winter Ritual

Pages in category "Rituals"

The following 200 pages are in this category, out of 217 total.

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A

- Align the Celestial Net

- Alignment of Mind and Blade

- All the World in a Grain of Sand

- An Echo of Life Remains

- Anathemic Call of Bug and Briar

- Arcane Mark

- Art of the Deal

- Ascendance of the Highest Mind

- Ascetic Star of Atun

B

- Balanced Scales of Lann

- Barked Command of the Iron Serjant

- Battlefield Rituals

- Before the Throne of Estavus

- Black Iron Blade

- Blessing of New Spring

- Blood and Salt

- Blood of the Hydra

- Bound by Common Cause

- Braying Horns of War

- Brazen Claws of the Lictor

- Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths

- Bright Lantern of Ophis

C

- Call Down Lightning's Wrath

- Call Winged Messenger

- Carve the Crystal Guardian

- Cast Off The Chain of Memory

- Challenge the Iron Duke

- Champions Shining Resolve

- Charge of the Rushing Wind

- Chasuble of Majesty

- Chirurgeon's Healing Touch

- Churning Cauldron of Bravash

- Circle of Gold

- Circle of Trust

- Clad in Golden Raiment

- Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust

- Clarity of the Master Strategist

- Clear Lens of the Eternal River

- Coil of the Black Leech

- Cold Water from the Mountain

- Conclave of Trees and Shadow

- Crimson Ward of Summer Stars

- Crumbling Flesh and Withering Limbs

- Crystal Clarity of the Rational Soul

- Crystaline Focus of Aesh

- Curse

- Curse of Decrepitude

- Curse of Gangrenous Flesh

D

- Delve Deep, Beneath the Mountain

- Devastating Maul of Inga Tarn

- Devastating Scythe of Anguish and Loss

- Distill the Serpent's Stone

- Distillation of Diverse Parts

- Drawing the Penumbral Veil

- Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt

- Dripping Echoes of the Fen

E

- Embrace the Living Flame

- Enchantment

- Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis

- Ephisis' Scale

- Eyes of the Sun and Moon

F

- Fallow Fields and Dried Meat

- Fan the Flame of New Life

- Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague

- Fight Tooth and Nail

- Fire in the Blood

- Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea

F cont.

- Forge the Wooden Fastness

- Fountain of Life

- Freedom of the Soul

- Freezing Brand of Irremais

- Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canea

G

- Gathering the Harvest

- Gift of the Wily Broker

- Glorious Crown of Enchantment

- Glory to the Sovereign

- Gnawing, Endless Hunger

H

- Hallow of the Green World

- Hand of the Maker

- Hands of the Healer

- Hearthfire Circle

- Hold Back Frozen Hunger

- Horizon's Razor Edge

- Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw

- Hunger of the Draughir

- Hungry Grasp of Despair

I

- Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence

- Illuminate the Higher Mind

- Imperial Lore

- Imurrement of Leaden Chains

- Incantation's Mystic Mask

- Inescapable Chains of Bitter Glass

- Inevitable Collapse into Ruin

- Irrepressible Monkey Spirit

K

- Kimus' Glaring Eye

- Knights of Glory

L

- Last Breath Echoes

- Like Water Through Your Fingers

M

- Mantle of Lordly Might

- Mantle of the Golden Orator

- Mark of Ownership

- Mark the Flesh Incorruptible

- Masque of the Blinded Weaver

- Merciless Wrath of the Reaver

- Midwife's Recourse

- Might of the Myrmidon

- Missive for Sadogua

N

- Naeve's Twisting Blight

- Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords

P

- Pakaanan's Iron Shutters

- Pallid Flesh of the Dead King

- Piercing Light of Revelation

Q

- Quickening Cold Meat

R

- Raise the Standard of War

- Rampant Growth

- Ravenous Tongue of Entropy

- Reading the Weave

- Regio

- Renewed Strength of the New Day

- Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart

- Revelatory Light of the Empyrean Spheres

- Riddle Hides the Reward

- Rising Roots that Rend Stone

- Ritual list

- Ritual use of ilium

- Rituals

- Rivers of Gold

- Rivers of Life

- Rivers Run Red

- Rot's Rightful Claim

- Ruthless Vigilance, Healthy Crop

S

- Scrivener's Bloodmark

- Secrets for the Shadow Courier

- Secrets of Skillful Artifice

S cont.

- Secrets of the Empty Heart

- Shadow of the Bronze Colossus

- Shadowed Glass of Sung

- Shared Mastery of the Magician's Guild

- Shroud of Mist and Shadow

- Sift the Dreamscape's Sands

- Sign of Aesh

- Signs and Portents

- Skein of Years

- Skin of Bark, Blood of Amber

- Smooth Hands Shape The World

- Sorins Rite of Agony

- Splendid Panoply of Knighthood

- Stance of the Constricting Scourge

- Standing at the Threshold

- Still Waters, Running Deep

- Stout Resolve of the Unyielding

- Streams of Silver

- Strength of the Bull

- Strong Ox, Golden Sun

- Sular's Promise

- Sum of the Parts

- Swim Leviathan's Depth

T

- Talon of the Gryphon

- Tenacity of Jotra

- The Ambassadorial Gatekeeper

- The Anvil of Estavus

- The Blade Bites Back

- The Celestial Library

- The Chamber of Delights

- The Chamber of Pallas

- The Conspirator's Cloak

- The Cuckoo's Egg

- The Dance of Navarr and Thorn

- The Ebb and Flow of Battle

- The Eight-spoked Wheel

- The Eye of the High Places

- The Forest Remains

- The Grave's Treacherous Edge

- The Hammer of Thunder

- The Hands of Sacred Life

- The Leaping Hare

- The Lure of Distant Shores

- The Retrograde Wheel

- The Solace of Chimes

- The Sound of Drums

- The Swan's Cruel Wing

- The Twilight Masquerade

- The Vigour of Youth

- There Is No Welcome Here

- Thief's Arcane Gambit

- Thought Becomes Action

- Thundering Roar of the Lion-bound Horn

- Thunderous Deluge

- Thunderous Tread of the Trees

- Ties that Bind

- Timeless Hammer Rhythm

- Touch of Vile Humours

- Traitor's Fate

- Transcendent Mastery

- Transmogrification of the Soul's Echo

- Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court

- Turns the Circle

- Twist of Moebius

U

- Unbreakable Behemoth's Strength

- Unbreakable Spirit, Unbreakable Blades

(previous 200) (next 200)

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Rituals

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Basic Rules

- 3 Realms

- 4 Performing a Ritual

- 5 Formulaic Rituals

- 6 Spontaneous Magic

- 7 Battlefield rituals

- 8 Covens

- 8.1 Mastery

- 8.2 Contributors

- 9 Further Reading

Overview

Rituals are powerful magical spells that magicans can learn to perform by buying lore in one or more of the six realms. There are many more rituals than spells and most are much more powerful but they take longer to perform and can only be cast using crystal mana.

Some powerful rituals are too difficult for any one magician to perform alone. Magicians usually form covens to allow them to combine their skills to perform the most potent rituals.

Basic Rules

- Every ritual draws on one of the six realms

- Every ritual has a cost in crystalized mana to perform the ritual

- A ritualist may only expend mana up to their level of skill

- The regio at Anvil allows magicians to use one crystal more than their limit

- Crystalized mana expended by a character who has mastered the ritual counts double

There are six magical realms, which the Empire call Day, Night, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Every ritual draws its power from just one of these six realms. You must have a rank of the appropriate Realm lore to attempt a ritual of that realm.

All rituals require crystalized mana (from a mana site) to cast, they are too powerful to perform with personal mana. The magnitude of the ritual is the amount of crystal mana needed to perform it. The amount of crystalized mana that each ritualist can expend is limited by their level of skill with the appropriate realm lore.

Magicians can master a handful of formulaic rituals. Crystalized mana used by a character that has mastered the ritual counts double. Magicians may choose to master formulaic rituals when they purchase realm lore skills or the extra ritual skill.

E.g. A magician is performing the ritual, the Ascetic Star of Atun, a magnitude 6 Day ritual. The ritualist has three levels of skill in day lore, allowing them to contribute three points of crystalized mana, however the caster has mastered the ritual, doubling their effective mana. This allows them to achieve the 6 points required for the ritual.

A regio is an area with a magical aura. Most regios are keyed to one of the realms and some are powerful enough that they that make it easier for ritualists to perform rituals of that realm while inside it. There is a powerful permanent regio of all six realms at Anvil that allows each magicians contributing to the ritual to use one mana crystal more than normal, if they have at least one rank of the relevant realm lore already.

For example, A coven of three characters each with one rank of Summer lore use the anvil regio. They each act as if their Summer lore were rank 2 and can contribute 2 crystal mana to the ritual. A fourth member of their coven who has no ranks in Summer still cannot contribute to the ritual.

Ritual Summaries

Spring rituals

Summer rituals

Autumn rituals

Winter rituals

Day rituals

Night rituals

Realms

- Every ritual is keyed to a single realm

All the rituals in Imperial Lore are keyed to a single realm. You can only attempt to cast that ritual if you have sufficient skill with that realm lore. Some ritual effects can be duplicated by clever use of the magic of another realm, but there is usually a steep cost to do this. Each realm has its own strengths and weaknesses and most formulaic rituals have been formulated using the best realm to produce that effect.

Each realm has a summary of the rituals associated with it, stating the name, basic effect and magnitude. These summaries are linked on the right. There is also a simple but complete list of every ritual that is part of Imperial Lore available.

Performing a Ritual

- Rituals require several minutes of appropriate roleplaying; it should be obvious to everyone nearby that you are performing a ritual

- You cannot perform rituals while wearing armour

- If possible, you should get a ref before performing your ritual

Rituals require several minutes of appropriate roleplaying. Imperial magicians use a number of different sources, symbols, methods and theories when designing their rituals. The most common magical techniques are; Rune magic, Dramaturgy, Astronomancy and the Music of the spheres. These represent bodies of magical lore and theory that can be used to add depth and significance to all magic, and have special resonance for ritual magic. In addition, the description of each ritual includes a Common Elements section that can be used as a starting point for developing the roleplaying required to perform a ritual.

It should be obvious to everyone nearby that you are performing a ritual. While it is possible to conceal precisely what your ritual is intended to achieve, it is against the spirit of ritual magic to intentionally perform a ritual that appears to have an opposite effect. For example, performing a ritual that looks as if it is intended to heal someone that is actually intended to destroy one of their magic items is inappropriate.

We do not mark your performance in a ritual, but we do log every ritual, so that we can record and apply the effects. You should try and get a ref before you perform a ritual if possible, so that they can log the ritual.

Formulaic Rituals

- Ritualists can perform any formulaic ritual if they have the ranks to do so

The Imperial Conclave has helped to spread the knowledge of countless different magical rituals across the Empire. This list of formulaic rituals is referred to as the Imperial Lore. Any Imperial magician can perform a formulaic ritual that is in Imperial Lore if they have sufficient ranks in the appropriate realm. In addition a ritualist may choose to master a number of formulaic rituals - this makes those rituals much easier and cheaper to cast.

Spontaneous Magic

- Ritualists can attempt to create spontaneous magical effects

It is possible to create a magical effect at an event that is not part of the existing library of known Imperial rituals. Spontaneous magic is much more expensive and more difficult to perform than an equivalent formulaic ritual.

Battlefield rituals

- Battlefield rituals can be cast on the battlefield without a referee present

Many rituals do not require a referee to cast on the battlefield. This is a special exception which exists for a subset of rituals to make it as easy as possible for magicians to perform their rituals on battlefield without needing to find a referee first. Only a battlefield ritual can be performed in this way and you must follow the additional rules when casting without a referee present.

Covens

- A coven of ritualists can combine their skills to perform a ritual together

A ritualist can always perform a ritual by themselves. Most ritualists are also part of a coven, a mystical union that extends the hearth magic of oaths to allow participants to combine their strength.

Members of a coven can work together to perform a ritual with each participant contributing mana to a ritual up to the normal limit of their ability.

Mastery

It is not uncommon for some members of a coven to have mastered an Imperial formulaic ritual while others have not. In this case only the mana contributed to the ritual by the magicians who have mastered the ritual is doubled.

Contributors

Some rituals refer to contributors. A contributor is a character who is a member of the coven performing the ritual and has at least one rank of the realm lore used by that ritual.

Further Reading

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

- Battlefield Rituals

- Enchantments

- Curses

- Ilium

- Magic Items

- Herbs & Potions

- Cosmology

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

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Ritual use of ilium

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Using Ilium in rituals

- 3 Removing a permanent effect

- 4 Roleplaying effects

Overview

The rare material Ilium can be used to give a ritual enchantment or curse a permanent duration. Some other rituals can also incorporate ilium to get additional effects such as Distill the Serpent's Stone; such cases are specifically mentioned in the ritual description.

Using Ilium in rituals

To make the effect of a ritual permanent requires a number of rings of ilium equal to three times it's magnitude, with a minimum of ten rings.

Effects that lower the magnitude of an effect do not change the amount of ilium it requires to make it permanent. The ilium must be consumed when the ritual is performed; an existing enchantment cannot later be made permanent with ilium.

Only enchantments and curses with a duration of Season or Year can be made permanent in this way.

Removing a permanent effect

Making an enchantment or curse permanent only affects the natural duration of the effect, it does not impede other methods of removal or other restrictions on their duration.

A ritual requires an additional condition to prevent it ending prematurely (for example, a mark on the face or that the target be incapacitated) then a permanent effect still ends if that condition is not being met.

For example, the various rituals that grant additional production to farms such as Blessing of New Spring are rarely performed using ilium because such rituals always end at the start of winter.

There is one exception however; an enchantment that is made permanent with ilium is not supplanted if the target is subject to another enchantment unless that enchantment also uses ilium. The permanent enchantment persists and the new enchantment fails. A permanent enchantment can be removed with ritual magic, although there is no formulaic ritual in Imperial Lore at the moment that does so. The magnitude of the ritual must equal or exceed the number of rings of ilium used to create the permanent enchantment

Roleplaying effects

The roleplaying effects created by many rituals are also made permanent when the ritual is made permanent. As such, they cannot be removed with the ceremony of exorcism.

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Rivers of Gold

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 12

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 12

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a business. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The business provides an additional 180 rings over the next season, in addition to normal production.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional businesses in the same territory. Each additional business increases the magnitude by 8. The character who controls each business must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

As with Streams of Silver, this enchantment subtly influences the flow of trade, gently warping the effects of chance and synchronicity to encourage people to visit, and spend money in, the target business. The magic may improve profits in many ways; a supplier might make a delivery on time, or the quality of their materials might be greater than expected, for example; shoplifters and petty thieves think twice before robbing the establishment; less errors are made in the accounts; new opportunities for making savings are spotted. A customer looking for a particular item will check your shop before she checks those of your competitors; a sutanir looking for someone to provide wine to a wedding will pick your services over someone else's; rumours that say your business is better than a rivals flourish, while those that speak negatively of you, your business, your goods or your services tend not to be passed on.

The effect of the ritual is difficult to spot without magical means, unless one knows it has been cast; every piece of individual good fortune appears entirely reasonable - it is only when they are all taken together over the course of a season that it begins to become apparent that something is shifting chance in the favour of the target. The Autumn realm is uniquely suited to this kind of subtle manipulation of events - even Night is hard pressed to create effects with such far-reaching implications and effectiveness.

The spell is not cheap in terms of crystal mana, but the more businesses it is used on the more economical the ritual becomes. Nine crowns for six crystal mana is one thing; eighteen crowns for ten crystal mana is another again. A number of covens, especially in The Brass Coast and The League, are specialists in the use of this ritual and others like it. It is common practice for a troupe to encourage as many business-owners as possible from a territory to pay them to place this enchantment, and then combine all the casting's together into a single ritual (assuming they are proficient enough) to maximize their own profits.

Common Elements

This ritual moves wealth around, and the performance is often accompanied by coins and other precious items. In The Marches and The Brass Coast, coins taken from the previous season's profit are often used as a way to 'prime' the enchantment and attract more wealth. The targets often share a goblet of wine among themselves, and the ritual often begins or ends with a symbolic (or literal) payment to the performing coven. The rune Pallas is often evoked, but so are subtle rune of plots and the serendipitous rune of chance. Symbols of Prosperity are also common, often with an invocation highlighting the rewards of hard work.

This mask can be enhanced by a known commonly as a Mercantilist's Mask.

The bell by the door hadn't stopped ringing all day long, and Valtus was run off his feet. It had seemed certain that every scrap of stock would be sold out by lunch, but as fate would have it two of his suppliers chose today to deliver early and he'd been able to continue on into early evening. Now, finally, his shelves were bare and his coin-safe was bulging. He mopped his brow with a silk handkerchief and treated himself to a small sherry, easing his groaning feet up onto a stool as he finally let himself relax after the day's unexpected windfall of custom.

The door bell jangled as a well-heeled young bravo dashed into the shop, brandishing a fistful of coins, "Sir! For reasons far too convoluted to go into, I find myself in dire and urgent need of some shelves such as the ones you have upon your walls. Would you allow me to press an unreasonably large of sum of money upon you for their immediate removal?"

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Rivers of Life

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 50

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 50

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Spring regio. This ritual targets a territory, and must be performed at a regio in that territory. If the ritual is used to target an Imperial territory, it may instead be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The ritual targets a single territory. Over the course of the next few days a powerful enchantment settles over the territory. All casualties suffered by campaign-level armies fighting in the targeted territory are halved.

This ritual removes the Rivers Run Red curse, and is in turn removed by that ritual.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

Rivers of Life fills the rivers, streams and lakes of a territory with healing power and invigorating energies that refresh and restore those who bathe in or drink from them. Inhabitants of the area will benefit from hale and hearty health, but it is of most use to the commanders of armies as any wounded and injured soldiers who use the waters will heal far more quickly than normal. It is the obvious counterpart of, and counter to, Rivers Run Red and some magicians call it Rivers Run Green as a consequence.

This enchantment supports any army with the wit and awareness to make use of the enchanted rivers, not just Imperial armies. Even a large enough force of wild beasts to qualify as an 'army' could well benefit as they naturally seek out such water sources. The ritual can occasionally backfire; it is at its most effective when allied troops are significantly outnumbered in the targeted area - the casualties they inflict on their enemies will be reduced, but the more beleaguered they are the more effective the reduction in their own casualties becomes.

Common Elements

A map that depicts the target territory often forms the focus for this ritual. It is often drenched during the casting in fresh water or wine, sometimes mixed with blood. Sometimes the map is created by pouring liquid onto dry sand, quickly tracing the rough contours of the rivers and lakes that are part of the target territory.

The runes Bravash and Hirmok are commonly used during this ritual, and the constellation of The Chalice is often invoked.

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Rivers Run Red

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 50

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 50

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Spring regio. This ritual targets a territory, and must be performed at a regio in that territory. If the ritual is used to target an Imperial territory, it may instead be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

The ritual targets a single territory. Over the course of the next few days a powerful curse settles over the territory. All casualties suffered by campaign-level armies fighting in the targeted territory are doubled.

This ritual removes the Rivers of Life enchantment, and is in turn removed by that ritual.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

Where Rivers of Life fills the water in a territory with life-giving potence, Rivers Run Red poisons the water. Worse, it encourages rivers, streams and lakes to break their banks, causing widespread flooding. The watercourses rush fast and strong, overwhelming simple fords and threatening to sweep away bridges. Lowlands become mired with mud and marshes swell. Worse, the water itself encourages minor pestilence, the birth of venomous insects, and wounds that fester or become infected.

For the common inhabitants, this means a miserable time, but it is of most worry to the commanders of armies. The stinking mud and noisome rivers that drain energy and slowly poison soldiers in the area. Even bottled of wine, barrels of beer, or fresh water in waterskins may be slowly influenced by this curse.

Like many similar rituals from the Spring Realm, Rivers Run Red must be used carefully. It is most effective when the allied armies greatly outnumber their enemies; while the ritualists' allies will suffer a little from the ritual, the enemies may be effectively devastated by the increased casualties.

Common Elements

A map of the target territory often forms the focus of this ritual. It is often drenched during the casting in a mixutre of muddy water or blood-and-wine. The runes Rhyv, Kyrop and Mawrig are commonly used during this ritual, and the constellation of The Drowned Man is often invoked.

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Roaring Chimera Rod

Description

This rod takes its name from its most common appearance; a stout rod bearing the head of a lion and a dragon at one end and with the base carved to resemble the head of a serpent. The chimera is a legendary symbol of a ferocious, dangerous opponent that is supremely adaptable to battle, whether tearing into an opponent with it's talons, poisoning them with it's serpentine tail, terrorizing them with it's roar or knocking them prone with an overwhelming charge. In some legends the chimera can even breathe fire or spit poison, adding a ranged component to it's deadly arsenal.

In Highguard and parts of the League they call this rod a hidden arsenal, and the magisters who bear them prefer to have them constructed of dark matte steel. The Imperial Orcs often carve these rods of bone (sometimes the shin-bone of a particularly warlike shaman or a ritualist versed in the lore of Summer, tipped with the claw of some powerful beast, and call one a talon of victory.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Three times per day you can cast the empower spell as if you knew it and without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a roaring chimera rod requires seventeen measures of green iron, ten ingots of orichalcum, seven ingots of tempest jade, seven measures of iridescent gloaming and five measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Robe of Blood and Bone

Description

These robes are commonly red or white (or a combination of both). They are generally hard-wearing, intended to survive the rigours of the battlefield as well as the hospital. The weltsilver woven and ambergelt stiffened cloth the robs are made from is called trollsweave by the Winterfolk, leading the a common name for these items being trollsweave robes.

Being able to provide one of these robes is a sign of great skill among the Imperial orc bonesetters; it is not only a valuable tool for keeping the legion healthy, but it demonstrates their ability to acquire the necessary materials and commission such a powerful item. Imperial Orc magicians mark the robe with a thumbprint of their patient's blood every time its power is used, displaying its history and adding to its Worth. Even after the enchantment wears off, these robes are kept and marked with fingerprints to denote healing fuelled by the wearer's own mana and skill, and it is common for the robe to have the enchantment renewed several times if a legion can afford it. For instance, the Throatgouger Legion's robe is thought to have been made shortly after the Orc Rebellion and is now on its third layer of blood-prints.

When combined with a Woundbinder wand, the two items together are sometimes called the warhealer's regalia. They are occasionally produced as matching sets by artisans who specialise in healing equipment.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Three times per day you can cast heal, purify or restore limb on another character without expending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a robe of blood and bone requires three measures of iridescent gloaming, five ingots of green iron, twelve ingots of weltsilver, ten measures of ambergelt and eight measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

I’d been hit in the gut, real bad, and I was dying.

It’s sort of funny how life sort of slows down, like your mind is so dead set on not being dead that it takes in as much as possible, for as long as possible. The brigands had almost finished us off; only a few of Highbridge’s beaters were left.

Then they arrived. They didn’t so much as march, as flow. An orc legion, in full marching formation, somehow ending up at the same muddy brigand ambush that we had, only they come up once the trap’s been sprung.

Their vanguard swept into the brigands like the coast suddenly decides to take on the sea, but I wasn’t interested in them. I was more interested in my guts (that were all too interested in getting some fresh air), and the scariest darn orc I had ever, and still have, ever seen.

I didn’t even think it was an orc at first. I thought it was some Winter-born horror, come to collect the souls of the dead and dying, and it was coming to collect mine. It was just striding through the chaos of battle like it was born there, and there are two things I remember out of all of that turmoil more than anything else.

First, it was coming straight for me. Didn’t look left or right, didn’t even seem to care there was a fight going on. Right at me.

Second, was the coat it was wearing. All the other orcs I could see were walking metal, but this fellow was wearing some sort of long coat, all bound up in bone and ash and blood.

So this orc comes right at me, and I put my hand out, sort of like this; whether I was begging him for help or trying to ward him off I couldn’t tell you. He just grabs my hand, forms a fist of it with my thumb out, and dunks my thumb in my own guts.

Almost fainted with the pain, I did. Then, with a surprised; “Good!” (I think he’d thought I'd pass out too) he jams my bloody thumb onto the coat itself. Then he just says; “Your payment is deemed worthy”, and starts chanting.

By now, I’m beyond surprise, so when I started feeling better, I just let it happen. A few heartbeats later I’m standing, and that orc has moved on, looking for the next poor soul.

And I tell you what, since then, I’ve never worried about dying. Whatever fight I’m in, whomever I’m fighting, it doesn’t matter. Because thanks to that orc and his magic coat there’s a bit of me that’ll never fade.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Robe_of_Blood_and_Bone&oldid=33106"

Rod and Shield

Contents

- 1 Motto

- 2 Symbol

- 3 The Manifesto

- 4 Membership of the Order

- 5 Conclave vault

Motto

Might and Right

Symbol

A traditional symbol of this Order is a battlemage's rod and shield

The Manifesto

The Order of the Rod and Shield holds the following to be true:

- Magic can determine the outcome of battles and wars

- Magical power is essential in ensuring both the security, and necessary expansion of the Empire

- The Empire's enemies are capable of using magic, and the Empire must be able to counter them

The Order of the Rod and Shield therefore exists to:

- Promote the understanding and practical application of magic in military situations

- Encourage magicians to use their powers in defence of the Empire, even if they are not a warrior by calling

- Guide the use of Conclave resources for strategic and tactical use

Membership of the Order

The Order of the Rod and Shield work hard to advance the use of martial magic. Many of their number are battle magicians, and it is common to see a Dawnish warwitch, an Imperial orc warcaster and a Varushkan Warden all rubbing shoulders during their meetings. They lobbied for the creation of the post of warmage, and they are the order who has provided the most magicians to that post. Indeed, a warmage from an order other than the Rod and Shield often comes under pressure to join their ranks.

There is occasionally some conflict within the order between magicians who are versed in offensive spells and rituals; those whose magic is better suited to battlefield support, such as healing; and those who focus on providing enchantments to strengthen military units, campaign armies or create fortifications. For the most part though they are united by their shared understanding of the importance of magicians fighting for the Empire.

They are often at odds with the Order of the Golden Pyramid because that order sees them as encouraging magicians to be the servants of the Empire rather than receiving appropriate recompense and recognition for their skills. They also compete with the magicians of the Unfettered Mind for the position of Dean of the Lyceum, recognising that by gaining that position they can help research and codify the many powerful battlefield and strategic rituals that will help the Empire triumph over it's foes.

Historically the order has lobbied to raise large numbers of gambits. They have a reputation for claiming that the gambits they propose are not only time sensitive - after all, there is no point enchanting a cadre of Navarr thorns after they have returned from a battlefield - but also vital to the safety and success of the Empire. Magicians of other orders who favour rival gambits are at pains to point out that the Empire has always been at war, one way or another... that it needs wealth, political stability, good spiritual health, innovation and reliable intelligence at least as much as it needs enchanted armies.

Conclave vault

Each summit, the Conclave vault of the Rod and Shield garners the following resources;

- 10 crystal mana from bequests.

- A pro-rata share of the Font based on the precedence of the orders at the previous summit.

- A portion of ilium based on their position among the orders as determined by precedence.

- 2 ingots of orichalcum, 2 measures of ambergelt, 3 ingots of green iron and 2 ingots of tempest jade as a result of existing bequests.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Rod_and_Shield&oldid=34367"

Roleplaying effects (Redirected from Roleplaying effect)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Supernatural Effects

- 3 Overcoming Roleplaying Effects

- 4 Types of Roleplaying Effects

- 4.1 Area Effects (Auras)

- 4.2 Item Effects

- 4.3 Personal Effects

- 5 Sources

- 5.1 Spiritual

- 5.2 Alchemical

- 5.3 Magical

Overview

Roleplaying effects are a core part of the rule system for Empire and may affect your character at any time. All roleplaying effects, have a number of features in common regardless of their source.

Supernatural Effects

- You may experience supernatural effects that influence your roleplaying

- You decide how your character responds to any roleplaying effects

- You cannot ignore roleplaying effects

You may be the target of a power or ability that includes direction marked “roleplaying effects”. This states an influence on your character’s personality and mood. It is common for religious characters to be able to produce positive effects, for instance the sermon of a priest may infuse your character with a feeling of courage and confidence. Although your character cannot ignore the effects it is up to you choose how your character responds to the feelings they are experiencing.

For example, a priest wishes to encourage you and half a dozen of your friends to risk death to retrieve a rare artefact from a large group of orc raiders. Just before the expedition departs the priest imparts a blessing of Courage to everyone making them feel confident, bold and fearless. You decide that your character responds to their new found courage by leaving the group and instead going to publicly confront the Cardinal of Prosperity for taking bribes.

It is also common to encounter malign auras and influences that will produce negative effects such as feelings of fear or anger. Your character must respond to these effects but it is up to you to determine the manner with which your character responds. In some circumstances you may be able to resist or overcome roleplaying effects - but even then it should be clear that your character has been affected by the roleplaying effects, but has found the strength to overcome them.

Overcoming Roleplaying Effects

- All Imperial player characters are assumed to be brave heros

- Roleplaying effects are supernatural - you need a supernatural source of strength to resist them

When the rules direct that your character is affected by roleplaying effects, the influences that your character is experiencing are fundamentally supernatural in nature. All Imperial PCs are assumed to be bold heroes; the supernatural aura of dread and fear that surrounds a wraith cannot be resisted or overcome simply because your characterisation is that you are uncommonly brave. If you want to resist or overcome these effects then your character must have a source of personal strength that is supernatural in nature.

Four common sources of supernatural strength are:

- Lineage - some lineages are able to respond differently to some roleplaying effects

- Blessings - Imperial priests can create blessings which may give characters the strength to overcome malign auras

- Rituals - a handful of rituals provide the recipient with the option to respond differently to a specific roleplaying effect

- Magic items - you may be bonded to a magical item that changes the way you can respond to roleplaying effects

In these cases, either you lineage should be physically obvious to everyone present (it is acceptable to be concealed, but would be obvious if the concealment were removed), or else you will have a card or ability that indicates what sort of roleplaying effects you can respond to and what options you have.

Types of Roleplaying Effects

There are three different types of roleplaying effect, auras which affect an area or the area near a creature, influences which are linked to items and personal which affects characters.

Area Effects (Auras)

Auras are roleplaying effects that affect any character who enters the area. Auras are indicated with an A5 area effect aura card which will state the nature of the aura and indicate what roleplaying effects it causes. If you are within approximately 15 feet of this card then you experience the effect. If you notice an A5 area effect aura card then you should discreetly move to read the card when the first opportunity to do so without disrupting your roleplaying presents itself and take the effects from then on.

The card will note the strength of the aura for the purposes of replacement or exorcism. On occasion, auras may be applied by a referee with instructions for uncommon or location-specific, effects.

Auras stop at natural boundaries; if a tent that is 5-feet across is under an aura, then the aura does not spill out ten feet to either side. If an aura covers a tent or structure that is larger than 15 feet across then it will have an aura card every 20 feet or so to indicate this.

Some supernatural creatures cause auras in the area around them. If this happens on a battlefield then a referee will shout a brief roleplaying effect to any character who comes near. These auras are permanent - the ref will not keep repeating the roleplaying instructions but the aura does not stop until the monster is slain.

Item Effects

Some magical items, particularly items that have been hallowed, may cause roleplaying affects to any character that is bonded to them. You do not experience the influence simply by carrying or using the item, only if you are bonded to it. The referee will inform you of any item effects that you experience when you bond to an item or when an item you are bonded to is hallowed.

Personal Effects

Your character may be directly affected by a roleplaying effect. This usually happens because your character has been annointed, but some rituals and all potions cause personal roleplaying effects. Personal roleplaying effects affect your character for the stated duration.

When you use a potion, you rip open the potion card to read the roleplaying and mechanical effects which are written inside the card. Personal roleplaying effects from potions last for an hour or for the duration of the potion effect, whichever is longer.

Sources

Roleplaying effects may be spiritual, alchemical, or magical in nature. This has no effect on the rules that determine how your character reacts and responds.

Spiritual

Spiritual roleplaying effects are directly related to the soul. They may be caused by priests of the Way of Virtue, but they can occur naturally and some of the enemies of the Empire create blasphemous or corrupt auras and influences.

Alchemical

All potions have roleplaying effects which you experience when you are affected by the potion.

Magical

Powerful eternals are often surrounded by auras that cause roleplaying effects, and regio and some rituals and magic items are associated with roleplaying effects.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Roleplaying_effects&oldid=30151"

Roshanwe

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Day

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Day

Sobriquets

Roshanwe is usually called the Navigator or the Walker on the Littoral. While Roshanwe appears in both male and female vessels, it is usually referred to as 'she' by casual scholars of the Eternals.

Other names often have maritime connotations; she is called the mariner, the beacon, the elder pharos, the fisherman, the weaver of nets and the beachcomber. Her association with the ocean is metaphoric rather than strictly literal; while she may serve as a patron of explorers, she is not especially concerned with either sea trade or naval battle.

Appearance

Roshanwe appears as a humanoid with strong merrow characteristics. It is often dressed very simply, usually in the style of a fisherman, sailor, navigator, corsair or mariner. It seems to have a strong connection to the sea. It appears to be female more often than male, but concepts of gender have little meaning to this highly spiritual being.

The Eternal is said to make i's home at the point where they sky of the Realm of Day touches the ocean. Unlike many other Eternals of Day, Roshanwe appears to possess a deep understanding of humans, and expresses emotions such as joy, amusement and pleasure in a comprehensible way. She appears to consider the ability of thinking beings to understand each other to be of paramount experience, and has even been known to express pity for Eternals such as Sinokenon or Phaleron who have difficulty relating to humans.

The Navigator is usually accompanied by a small group of Heralds referred to as it's disciples. They are philosophical creatures that love to engage in debate with mortals and each other; noted scholar of the Realm of Day Elinora de Ys claimed once that "Left to their own devices, the Heralds of Roshanwe will engage in heated philosophical debate with the rocks, the trees and the sun itself."

Concerns

Roshanwe represents the spirit of discovery, of seeking the truth and revealing it.

Roshanwe claims to have embraced the Way; she does not reveal precise details, saying only that a persuasive missionary sought her out and engaged in a spirited debate that lasted for eternity, and for no time, as is the way of ideas. At the end of the debate, Roshanwe embraced the tenets of the virtue of wisdom. The Eternal refuses to divulge the name of the missionary who converted her, saying only that it is obvious, but she has confirmed that the priest (if it was a priest) was a human woman and that it took place before the Empire was founded. While Roshanwe sees the value of the other Virtues, she does not embrace them in the same way she embraces Wisdom.

She has served as a patron for magicians of the order of the Sevenfold Path in the past, but her real affection lies with the Torchbearers, and similar societies that dedicate themselves to uncovering the truth and revealing it to others.

She is closely associated with the rune Sular.

Boons

Roshanwe despises secrets, especially those that are kept for malicious or spiteful reasons. However, she considers the quest for wisdom and knowledge to be more important than the possession of that knowledge; as such she is loathe to answer important questions, instead preferring to lead others to uncover the truth themselves.

While Roshanwe is not herself especially interested in foreign trade, she is known to offer aid to mariners of all stripes and may be evoked during the performance of rituals such as Sular's Promise.

"I understand the urgency, I truly do, but I will not, cannot, tell you the name you seek. If I do that, I would deny you the chance to discover the truth, which goes far beyond the syllables of a name - and what is a name, truly?

"Didn't the prophets put it best when they said 'Wisdom is not always knowing the answer; wisdom is finding the right question'? Or do you contest the truth behind 'test what you learn; only fools accept hearsay as truth'?

"Ah, would you not call them prophets, those who went before you? That is interesting ... what word would you use,? I wonder, why does the word 'prophet' make you uncomfortable? Please, sit, and let us discuss your reasoning ..."

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Roshanwe&oldid=30627"

Rot's Rightful Claim

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual affects all contributors and lasts for ten minutes.

Effects

The contributors gain the ability to call cleave with an implement once per day when they hit an undead target, following the rules for heroic calls.

If you are unsure as to whether a target is undead or not, you should consult a referee before you try to use this power.

When cast with more than one contributor, this ritual always counts as a use of the coven bond and counts towards the number of rituals the coven can perform that day.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Description

The Primal Forest has little use for corpses; dead things exposed to the Realm of Spring are exposed to the same forces that cause fruit to rot, meat to putrefy and flesh to deliquesce. Brought to bear against corpses that have been corrupted or inhabited by supernatural forces, they can be quite deadly. Many physical undead possess preternatural vitality, rising unharmed again and again, heedless of the blows used to incapacitate them. Through the magic of this ritual, a coven can swiftly dispatch these foes and cause the natural forces of decay to claim the desecrated corpse once again.

The ritual is a little less effective against more powerful undead. Wights and the like are still subject to the potent forces unleaashed by the ritual, but they are less likely to be incapacitated with a single strike, even one backed-up by magic. That is not to say the ritual is not useful - far from it; a wight can be cleft in twain or have it's arm or leg shattered just as effectively as any other creature.

Rot's Rightful Claim is most often performed Varushkan cabalists or volhov to deal with an incursion of zombies, or by Highborn magisters in support of the stewards of the dead who must attract the attention of one of the restless dead before it can be laid to rest. It is also effective against certain types of vallornspawn, where a recently deceased body has been infused with corrupt life by parasitic vegetation. Plants themselves are not harmed by this ritual, no matter how sinister, but without their 'husk' they are no more mobile than any other bush or tree.

Some scholars connect this ritual with the Eternal Llofir in some way, either as it's inspiration or as a creature who may offer additional power towards it's performance. Llofir is a great forest of mushrooms and fungus that exists in the Spring Realm and in some way exemplifies the power of rot and decay. It is said to have a great, merciless hatred of the undead that is somehow linked to the way that the magic involved in their creation slows decay or prevents them from rotting.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes the cleansing power of water, and the voracious appetite of plants and carrion eaters for dead flesh. The invocation may also refer to funereal elements - a Marcher coven may well smear their staffs with earth from The Marches as part of the invocation, while Freeborn or League ritualists invoke the power of open flame to cremate a corpse.

Other elements might include the runes Bravash, Hirmok or Yoorn; the evocation of The Claw or The Phoenix; a scene in which natural forces or characters triumph in The Tomb; or images of fungus, carrion eaters such as hyenas, or beetles (especially scarab beetles).

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Rot%27s_Rightful_Claim&oldid=31288"

Rules update 2014 (Redirected from Rules changes 2014)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Merging Mage Armour and Mage Staff

- 2.1 Implementation

- 3 Bands Streamlined

- 3.1 Implementation

- 4 Rituals

- 4.1 Ritual Duration

- 4.2 Battlefield Casting

- 4.3 Enchantment Targets

- 4.4 Implementation

- 5 Clarifying the Sentinel Gate

- 6 Ceremonies

- 6.1 Sects

- 6.2 Duration

- 6.3 True Liao

- 7 Wains

- 8 Downtime Options

- 8.1 Implementation

- 9 Further Reading

Overview

Over winter of 2013/2014 we have carried out a review of the rules from the first year of Empire. As a result of that review we are implementing some changes to the published rules. We are in the process of updated the wiki to reflect the changes, but will summarize and explain all changes here so that players can identify the changes easily.

Merging Mage Armour and Mage Staff

Mage armour and mage staff have been combined into a single skill - Battle Mage. This skill costs 2pts and allows the character to wear mage armour and to use a staff.

The goal of the Empire rules is to encourage people to make iconic choices - our goal is to encourage wizards to look like the classic image of a magician on a battlefield - arrayed in mystical armour and wielding a staff. It's absolutely fine for magicians to use shields on the battlefield - but we didn't want the rules to significantly advantage that choice (or others like it) over a staff and magical armour. The original rules did not support this very well, because using wearing mage armour and using a staff was exceptionally expensive but still left you very vulnerable to arrows.

Merging the two skills makes them much cheaper for anyone who wanted both, which produces an immediate benefit in terms of the original design intent. In addition, some players will already own a magical staff while others have a cool set of magical looking armour. Both of these items are very expensive phys-reps to purchase or make. Players who have the armour but not the staff, or vice versa, can make use of the other kit if they are able to borrow it for an event, allowing them to try it out the other part of the ability without having to spend character points.

Implementation

Every character who has one of the two existing skills - but not the other - now has the new battle mage skill. Any character who previously had both will now have the single replacement skill and automatically receives their two experience points back.

Bands Streamlined

We have eliminated the option to create groups which are not a banner, coven or sect. Analysis showed only 1.5% of characters were in a group that was not also either their banner, coven, or sect. Unfortunately the existing rules were exceptionally complex - it was very unclear whether characters were in a band just as a group member, in a band as a bonded member of the group, both or neither. Just trying to show the players who was actually in a band was sufficiently complicated that it was clear that many participants - including ourselves - could not follow it.

The new rules for bands present slightly fewer options but are vastly simpler to operate. You create bands, there are three types, banners, coven or sects. You can be in one of each. You are either in the band... because you are bonded to that band - or you are not. We are looking at some further simplifications to the way "band magic items" like magic standards work to further streamline the rules for bonding.

Implementation

We have updated the character generation system so that new characters can pick a banner, a coven and a sect to begin play as part of if they wish. We have updated the group information screen for the group contact to show who is in a banner, coven or sect.

Groups that were just groups - that is they were not bands, covens, or sects are no longer shown on screen. Any group contact who wishes to update a group to set it to be a banner, coven, or sect; for any reason, can do so by email to Profound Decisions.

Rituals

Ritual Duration

We have updated the duration of several rituals to make them last for a single "encounter" rather than for a day. This means that they can be used on the next quest, skirmish, or battle that the recipient takes part in, whereas previously these rituals lasted for a single day but could be used any number of times.

We have changed the rules to restore the original play balance of the rituals which was based on the assumption that the ritual was used once and then expended. In practice we realized that players were rearranging their battles to get as many chances to fight on the same day as possible. While this was ingenious, it played havoc with the play balance of the rituals, as well as encouraging the Military Council to make decisions based on ritual rules, rather than the most appropriate in-character choices.

There was also a more serious problem in that the day duration meant that players could only perform these enchantments of the day of the battle - leading to horrendous queues for refs on the morning just before a big battle when we had the least refs spare. The new rules encourage players to perform such rituals on the evening before the battle - allowing players more time for their roleplaying and less time having to queue for a referee.

Battlefield Casting

We are going to update the description of several rituals to allow them to be performed on the battlefield without a referee present. Players who perform a ritual in this matter should tear their mana cards as normal, but keep them and hand them to a referee at the end of the battle, who will log the ritual.

The intention of this change is to make it easier for players to perform rituals designed to be used on the battlefield. We are actively recruiting new referees to try and increase the size of our team, but this is a slow process and we want players to be able to perform rituals in the meantime. The new rules will only affect a small number of rituals - all other rituals will still require a referee as normal.

Enchantment Targets

We have clarified the rules to make clear that a ritual that targets a resource, such as Streams of Silver is an enchantment on the resource - not the character who owns the resource. This means that a character who be under the benefits of a personal enchantment, such as Splendid Panoply of Knighthood as well as having their resource enchanted.

This was always the design intention for the game, but there was a mistake in the way the rules were written down that caused confusion and various different ref rulings to be given. The outcome was that players tended to swap enchantments on the last day - leading to lots of last minute rituals. We're keen for ritualists to do lots of rituals, but should be no requirement to leave them until the last minute - or to have to swap them with personal enchantments.

Implementation

The referees are currently compiling a list of rituals that will be affected by the rules for battlefield casting. The wiki description for each ritual will be updated once the list is complete and then the full list will be added to this page. If anyone wishes to change any of their rituals as a result of these specific ritual changes, then please email me to discuss your request.

Clarifying the Sentinel Gate

There was considerable confusion around the Sentinel Gate at events in 2013, how it operated, how it worked, etc. We have reviewed the situation and created a page to clarify exactly how the gate works and what the rules are. We have tried to remain consistent with ref rulings given out in the first year, but have favoured producing the best possible version of the gate for the game going forwards.

The rules for operate portal and detect magic have been updated to reflect their new abilities in relation to the Gate.

Ceremonies

Sects

We have changed the rules for sects cooperating to use liao to perform a ceremony more efficiently. The previous rules were too generous, such that a single dose of liao could be used to cover dozens of characters. The result of this was that ceremonies were very inefficient to produce without using a sect, and that there was a significant oversupply of liao. Because liao was not in demand, it's value was artificially low and there was less enjoyable game for players looking to acquire or sell it.

We have changed the rules so that a sect that is cooperating can only affect a single target with their ceremony for each dose of liao used. However every member of the sect who shares the virtue of the lead priest (the character consuming the liao) and has the relevant skill being used can participate without consuming liao. This means that sects cannot produce more auras than a lone priest with the same amount of liao, but they can produce much more powerful effects than a lone priest could do.

Duration

We have clarified the rules for the duration of auras produced by the liao ceremonies, anointing, consecrate and hallow. The rules bring these abilities into line with the new rules for ritual durations but emphasize the primacy of roleplaying in applying these game effects.

True Liao

We have updated the section on True Liao to indicate that it can be used to make an anointing, consecration or hallow permanent. While we don't imagine that these situations will be very common, we want to ensure that the players have this option if they want it.

Wains

The definition of an Imperial wain is a caravan load of material. The original plan was to make clear that we did not expect/require/want players to phys-rep these enormous quantities of material and hence we picked a weight that was enormous to reflect this - several tonnes. In practice this caused problems in the first year, and it was clear that there were situations where we would want to phys-rep a wain of White Granite, Mithril, or Weirwood and let the players respond and roleplay accordingly. In addition there was some suggestion that we might have over-estimated how much a traditional medieval wagon could carry...

We have not changed the character description of a wain, but we have refined the OOC explanation to state that a wain is around 500Kg. IC you can expect that to be a volume of around half a cubic metre. We still don't remotely expect players to phys-rep these commodities; the intention is that players trade the promissory notes provided by the civil service. However, if we choose to phys-rep a wain of material on a battlefield then we will try to get the weight as close to 500Kg as reasonably possible.

Downtime Options

We have reduced the cost to increase production from a mine, forest or herb garden from 1 Throne to 6 crowns. We are keen to avoid parity with this option - the ideal is that players trade with each other to gain additional materials rather than spending money in downtime to gain additional materials. However this option has a very useful role to play acting as an economic safety valve to prevent too much build up of money in the game and gives us as organizers a tool to identity what degree of inflation or deflation is present.

Implementation

This change will be implemented for the downtime immediately following the first event of 2014. We have updated the wiki to reflect the new rules now.

Further Reading

- Rules update 2015

- Rules update 2014

- Rules update 2013

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Rules_update_2014&oldid=32811"

Rules update

During the process of writing the rituals for the system, there has been some inevitable examination of issues in more detail. As a result, a number of small but not insignificant issues were identified. Rather than make changes on an ad hoc basis we decided to present these changes together in one go when we released the rituals. This means we could then present the rules in a final state to all the players and they could be confident that no more changes would be forthcoming.

The changes are summarized below, along with a quick explanation for why these changes have been made, so that players can understand the thinking behind the decision. Where the existing wiki entries conflict with the statements below, then the statements below take priority.

Contents

- 1 Disjunction

- 2 Extra Ritual

- 3 Unstoppable

- 4 Groups

- 5 Night Pouch

- 6 Weakness and Venom

- 7 Apprentice

Disjunction

We have removed the disjunction spell, in place of having the ability available to the players as a ritual. This makes it slightly easier for players to get the ability, but potentially more expensive to perform it. In practice this ritual is likely to be very rarely performed (there are good plot reasons to disjunct an item, but very few good economic reasons to do it) but to be very important when it is done. Therefore making it cheaper to purchase the skill but more expensive and time-consuming to cast means that players don't spend too many precious character points on a very rarely used skill but preserves the drama and tension when it is performed.

Extra Ritual

Extra ritual has been improved to provide two extra rituals, rather than one. It was a weak purchase before and with the large number of rituals now in the system, this gives players a more viable character build - a character who has mastered many rituals.

Unstoppable

This skill can now only be used in the first minute of your death count. If you have counted more than one minute, you cannot use this skill. We have made this change because our intended use for the skill was to allow heroic characters to clamber back to their feet to fight on when hit by an arrow or a massive monster. What we didn't want was for players to use unstoppable to play possum and double their death count - that's what fortitude is for. This is a heroic skill, so we're confident that this limitation will encourage players to seek the first good opporunity to get back to their feet.

Groups

When you create a group, you may make a single choice whether it is a coven, sect or banner. When you create your character you can choose a single group to begin play as a member. You can join other group in play, although you can still only be a member of one coven, sect or banner.

We have limited each group to being one type of band because it massively simplifies the rules for bands, making character generation and group creation much simpler to understand, whilst still allowing players to achieve all the complex range of overlapping loyalties that they could do before.

We have allowed players to create groups that are not bands, so that they can support a wider range of group concepts. Members of a group can still only be members of the same nation.

Night Pouch

We have amended the description of how night pouch works. The pouch is visible, with a tangible aura of magic, but is protected and the contents cannot be removed. This change allows players to roleplay their characters on the basis of what the player can clearly see in front of them, while maintaining the use of the spell as a mechanism for players to keep things more secure. We have switched the off-game rune for a ribbon due to the problems inherent in marking what is an in-character item (albeit effectively invisible) with an out-of-character mark. The new rules also mean that players do not have to mark their pouches, but can attach a game ribbon to them instead.

Weakness and Venom

We are reducing the cost of venom and weakness to one personal mana. Although the spells are powerful, we decided on balance that they are not as powerful as similar two point spells, like paralysis and empower.

Apprentice

We have decided to implement an apprentice ability using the same mechanics that are present for attendants in Odyssey. Any character that does not have any skills (including children) has this ability - it is lost as soon as you purchase your first skill. The apprentice ability allows you to use any skingle skill in the system provided a character who knows that skill is instructing them. If the skil requires a resource to use it, a hero point, mana or herbs then that resource must be provided by the character who is providing the instruction.

All the rituals, potions and items are now complete for the game and we are in the process of transferring them all to the wiki. This will take approximately two days to complete at current rates of progress. There will be no further rules changes before the first event. We'll review the rules next winter to check everything is working as we hope it is, and if something is obviously wrong we will address it then.

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Rules update 2013

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 Disjunction

- 1.2 Extra Ritual

- 1.3 Unstoppable

- 1.4 Groups

- 1.5 Night Pouch

- 1.6 Weakness and Venom

- 1.7 Apprentice

- 2 Further Reading

Overview

During the process of writing the rituals for the system, there has been some inevitable examination of issues in more detail. As a result, a number of small but not insignificant issues were identified. Rather than make changes on an ad hoc basis we decided to present these changes together in one go when we released the rituals. This means we could then present the rules in a final state to all the players and they could be confident that no more changes would be forthcoming.

The changes are summarized below, along with a quick explanation for why these changes have been made, so that players can understand the thinking behind the decision. Where the existing wiki entries conflict with the statements below, then the statements below take priority.

Disjunction

We have removed the disjunction spell, in place of having the ability available to the players as a ritual. This makes it slightly easier for players to get the ability, but potentially more expensive to perform it. In practice this ritual is likely to be very rarely performed (there are good plot reasons to disjunct an item, but very few good economic reasons to do it) but to be very important when it is done. Therefore making it cheaper to purchase the skill but more expensive and time-consuming to cast means that players don't spend too many precious character points on a very rarely used skill but preserves the drama and tension when it is performed.

Extra Ritual

Extra ritual has been improved to provide two extra rituals, rather than one. It was a weak purchase before and with the large number of rituals now in the system, this gives players a more viable character build - a character who has mastered many rituals.

Unstoppable

This skill can now only be used in the first minute of your death count. If you have counted more than one minute, you cannot use this skill. We have made this change because our intended use for the skill was to allow heroic characters to clamber back to their feet to fight on when hit by an arrow or a massive monster. What we didn't want was for players to use unstoppable to play possum and double their death count - that's what fortitude is for. This is a heroic skill, so we're confident that this limitation will encourage players to seek the first good opporunity to get back to their feet.

Groups

When you create a group, you may make a single choice whether it is a coven, sect or banner. When you create your character you can choose a single group to begin play as a member. You can join other group in play, although you can still only be a member of one coven, sect or banner.

We have limited each group to being one type of band because it massively simplifies the rules for bands, making character generation and group creation much simpler to understand, whilst still allowing players to achieve all the complex range of overlapping loyalties that they could do before.

We have allowed players to create groups that are not bands, so that they can support a wider range of group concepts. Members of a group can still only be members of the same nation.

Night Pouch

We have amended the description of how night pouch works. The pouch is visible, with a tangible aura of magic, but is protected and the contents cannot be removed. This change allows players to roleplay their characters on the basis of what the player can clearly see in front of them, while maintaining the use of the spell as a mechanism for players to keep things more secure. We have switched the off-game rune for a ribbon due to the problems inherent in marking what is an in-character item (albeit effectively invisible) with an out-of-character mark. The new rules also mean that players do not have to mark their pouches, but can attach a game ribbon to them instead.

Weakness and Venom

We are reducing the cost of venom and weakness to one personal mana. Although the spells are powerful, we decided on balance that they are not as powerful as similar two point spells, like paralysis and empower.

Apprentice

We have decided to implement an apprentice ability using the same mechanics that are present for attendants in Odyssey. Any character that does not have any skills (including children) has this ability - it is lost as soon as you purchase your first skill. The apprentice ability allows you to use any skingle skill in the system provided a character who knows that skill is instructing them. If the skil requires a resource to use it, a hero point, mana or herbs then that resource must be provided by the character who is providing the instruction.

All the rituals, potions and items are now complete for the game and we are in the process of transferring them all to the wiki. This will take approximately two days to complete at current rates of progress. There will be no further rules changes before the first event. We'll review the rules next winter to check everything is working as we hope it is, and if something is obviously wrong we will address it then.

Further Reading

- Rules update 2015

- Rules update 2014

- Rules update 2013

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Rules_update_2013&oldid=32766"

Rules update 2014

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Merging Mage Armour and Mage Staff

- 2.1 Implementation

- 3 Bands Streamlined

- 3.1 Implementation

- 4 Rituals

- 4.1 Ritual Duration

- 4.2 Battlefield Casting

- 4.3 Enchantment Targets

- 4.4 Implementation

- 5 Clarifying the Sentinel Gate

- 6 Ceremonies

- 6.1 Sects

- 6.2 Duration

- 6.3 True Liao

- 7 Wains

- 8 Downtime Options

- 8.1 Implementation

- 9 Further Reading

Overview

Over winter of 2013/2014 we have carried out a review of the rules from the first year of Empire. As a result of that review we are implementing some changes to the published rules. We are in the process of updated the wiki to reflect the changes, but will summarize and explain all changes here so that players can identify the changes easily.

Merging Mage Armour and Mage Staff

Mage armour and mage staff have been combined into a single skill - Battle Mage. This skill costs 2pts and allows the character to wear mage armour and to use a staff.

The goal of the Empire rules is to encourage people to make iconic choices - our goal is to encourage wizards to look like the classic image of a magician on a battlefield - arrayed in mystical armour and wielding a staff. It's absolutely fine for magicians to use shields on the battlefield - but we didn't want the rules to significantly advantage that choice (or others like it) over a staff and magical armour. The original rules did not support this very well, because using wearing mage armour and using a staff was exceptionally expensive but still left you very vulnerable to arrows.

Merging the two skills makes them much cheaper for anyone who wanted both, which produces an immediate benefit in terms of the original design intent. In addition, some players will already own a magical staff while others have a cool set of magical looking armour. Both of these items are very expensive phys-reps to purchase or make. Players who have the armour but not the staff, or vice versa, can make use of the other kit if they are able to borrow it for an event, allowing them to try it out the other part of the ability without having to spend character points.

Implementation

Every character who has one of the two existing skills - but not the other - now has the new battle mage skill. Any character who previously had both will now have the single replacement skill and automatically receives their two experience points back.

Bands Streamlined

We have eliminated the option to create groups which are not a banner, coven or sect. Analysis showed only 1.5% of characters were in a group that was not also either their banner, coven, or sect. Unfortunately the existing rules were exceptionally complex - it was very unclear whether characters were in a band just as a group member, in a band as a bonded member of the group, both or neither. Just trying to show the players who was actually in a band was sufficiently complicated that it was clear that many participants - including ourselves - could not follow it.

The new rules for bands present slightly fewer options but are vastly simpler to operate. You create bands, there are three types, banners, coven or sects. You can be in one of each. You are either in the band... because you are bonded to that band - or you are not. We are looking at some further simplifications to the way "band magic items" like magic standards work to further streamline the rules for bonding.

Implementation

We have updated the character generation system so that new characters can pick a banner, a coven and a sect to begin play as part of if they wish. We have updated the group information screen for the group contact to show who is in a banner, coven or sect.

Groups that were just groups - that is they were not bands, covens, or sects are no longer shown on screen. Any group contact who wishes to update a group to set it to be a banner, coven, or sect; for any reason, can do so by email to Profound Decisions.

Rituals

Ritual Duration

We have updated the duration of several rituals to make them last for a single "encounter" rather than for a day. This means that they can be used on the next quest, skirmish, or battle that the recipient takes part in, whereas previously these rituals lasted for a single day but could be used any number of times.

We have changed the rules to restore the original play balance of the rituals which was based on the assumption that the ritual was used once and then expended. In practice we realized that players were rearranging their battles to get as many chances to fight on the same day as possible. While this was ingenious, it played havoc with the play balance of the rituals, as well as encouraging the Military Council to make decisions based on ritual rules, rather than the most appropriate in-character choices.

There was also a more serious problem in that the day duration meant that players could only perform these enchantments of the day of the battle - leading to horrendous queues for refs on the morning just before a big battle when we had the least refs spare. The new rules encourage players to perform such rituals on the evening before the battle - allowing players more time for their roleplaying and less time having to queue for a referee.

Battlefield Casting

We are going to update the description of several rituals to allow them to be performed on the battlefield without a referee present. Players who perform a ritual in this matter should tear their mana cards as normal, but keep them and hand them to a referee at the end of the battle, who will log the ritual.

The intention of this change is to make it easier for players to perform rituals designed to be used on the battlefield. We are actively recruiting new referees to try and increase the size of our team, but this is a slow process and we want players to be able to perform rituals in the meantime. The new rules will only affect a small number of rituals - all other rituals will still require a referee as normal.

Enchantment Targets

We have clarified the rules to make clear that a ritual that targets a resource, such as Streams of Silver is an enchantment on the resource - not the character who owns the resource. This means that a character who be under the benefits of a personal enchantment, such as Splendid Panoply of Knighthood as well as having their resource enchanted.

This was always the design intention for the game, but there was a mistake in the way the rules were written down that caused confusion and various different ref rulings to be given. The outcome was that players tended to swap enchantments on the last day - leading to lots of last minute rituals. We're keen for ritualists to do lots of rituals, but should be no requirement to leave them until the last minute - or to have to swap them with personal enchantments.

Implementation

The referees are currently compiling a list of rituals that will be affected by the rules for battlefield casting. The wiki description for each ritual will be updated once the list is complete and then the full list will be added to this page. If anyone wishes to change any of their rituals as a result of these specific ritual changes, then please email me to discuss your request.

Clarifying the Sentinel Gate

There was considerable confusion around the Sentinel Gate at events in 2013, how it operated, how it worked, etc. We have reviewed the situation and created a page to clarify exactly how the gate works and what the rules are. We have tried to remain consistent with ref rulings given out in the first year, but have favoured producing the best possible version of the gate for the game going forwards.

The rules for operate portal and detect magic have been updated to reflect their new abilities in relation to the Gate.

Ceremonies

Sects

We have changed the rules for sects cooperating to use liao to perform a ceremony more efficiently. The previous rules were too generous, such that a single dose of liao could be used to cover dozens of characters. The result of this was that ceremonies were very inefficient to produce without using a sect, and that there was a significant oversupply of liao. Because liao was not in demand, it's value was artificially low and there was less enjoyable game for players looking to acquire or sell it.

We have changed the rules so that a sect that is cooperating can only affect a single target with their ceremony for each dose of liao used. However every member of the sect who shares the virtue of the lead priest (the character consuming the liao) and has the relevant skill being used can participate without consuming liao. This means that sects cannot produce more auras than a lone priest with the same amount of liao, but they can produce much more powerful effects than a lone priest could do.

Duration

We have clarified the rules for the duration of auras produced by the liao ceremonies, anointing, consecrate and hallow. The rules bring these abilities into line with the new rules for ritual durations but emphasize the primacy of roleplaying in applying these game effects.

True Liao

We have updated the section on True Liao to indicate that it can be used to make an anointing, consecration or hallow permanent. While we don't imagine that these situations will be very common, we want to ensure that the players have this option if they want it.

Wains

The definition of an Imperial wain is a caravan load of material. The original plan was to make clear that we did not expect/require/want players to phys-rep these enormous quantities of material and hence we picked a weight that was enormous to reflect this - several tonnes. In practice this caused problems in the first year, and it was clear that there were situations where we would want to phys-rep a wain of White Granite, Mithril, or Weirwood and let the players respond and roleplay accordingly. In addition there was some suggestion that we might have over-estimated how much a traditional medieval wagon could carry...

We have not changed the character description of a wain, but we have refined the OOC explanation to state that a wain is around 500Kg. IC you can expect that to be a volume of around half a cubic metre. We still don't remotely expect players to phys-rep these commodities; the intention is that players trade the promissory notes provided by the civil service. However, if we choose to phys-rep a wain of material on a battlefield then we will try to get the weight as close to 500Kg as reasonably possible.

Downtime Options

We have reduced the cost to increase production from a mine, forest or herb garden from 1 Throne to 6 crowns. We are keen to avoid parity with this option - the ideal is that players trade with each other to gain additional materials rather than spending money in downtime to gain additional materials. However this option has a very useful role to play acting as an economic safety valve to prevent too much build up of money in the game and gives us as organizers a tool to identity what degree of inflation or deflation is present.

Implementation

This change will be implemented for the downtime immediately following the first event of 2014. We have updated the wiki to reflect the new rules now.

Further Reading

- Rules update 2015

- Rules update 2014

- Rules update 2013

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Runeforge

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senate Commissions

- 2.1 Benefits

- 2.1.1 Unique Crafting

- 2.1.2 Forge Schema

- 2.2 Costs

- 3 Existing Rune Forges

- 4 OOC Note

Overview

A rune forge allows the Empire to create new magic items. Creating a new magic item is normally a process that can take generations of refinement and experimentation - combining the magical materials in the right way and the right proportions is an art, not a science. A rune forge greatly speeds up this process, focusing the skills of dozens of master artisans into experimentation and research, and providing both extensive materials and expensive books or examples of existing magic items with which they can work.

A runeforge is an expensive proposition, and once complete is likely to cover an extensive area. In addition to the work areas, the rune forge will incorporate apartments for the artisans and their assistants, as well as the infrastructure needed to support them. It is also likely to include warehouses for supplies and stores, and more than likely at least one library where books and scrolls can be referenced. A place to preserve and display failed, depleted or partially-successful magic items will also prove useful.

Despite being called a "forge" it is equally possible to create any type of magic item here. A skilled tailor from a Dawnish weaver cabal will rub shoulders with a gruff Marcher smith, while an Urizen weaponsmith argues the finer points of the use of dragonbone with a League mask-maker.

Senate Commissions

The Imperial Senate may pass a motion for the construction of a rune forge.The Senate must select a territory and region where the rune forge is to be built.

When the construction is complete a new Imperial title is automatically created. The title may be either an Imperial or National position. The Senate motion should state what the title is called, and how it will be appointed. The most likely path is for an Imperial or National position to be appointed by the Imperial Senate, or through the Imperial Bourse.

In the opinion of the Constitutional Court, the power to appoint the title could not be given to the Imperial Conclave, unless that body was altered to allow the full participation of artisans. Such a change would be complex and difficult, not least because artisans cannot reach the Hall of Worlds, and would certainly require the authority of The Throne to ratify.

Benefits

Unique Crafting

The rune forge can be used to create a single copy of a unique magic item. It takes six months to research a new item, which can require up to 40 materials to create. If the finished item requires more than 40 materials, it requires one extra season of work for every 20 extra materials. When the research is completed, the master of the forge is presented with a standard magic item that, as with all such items, will last for one year.

At this time, the master of the forge may choose to learn the ability to make that item for the usual experience point costs. However, the character will be unable to teach any one else how to make the item - the ability to do so will remain theirs alone.

Forge Schema

Instead of constructing a single copy of a magic item, the master of the forge may choose to make a schema. Creating a schema requires the master of the forge to provide one ring of ilium per ingot or measure of material required to make the item (to a minimum of 10 rings). A schema is permanent unless destroyed with Words of Ending.

A schema is a "pattern" for the new crafted item that anyone can use to learn the method of creating the item. It can also be expended with the assistance of the Imperial Senate to spread the knowledge of how to make the new item throughout the Empire.

Unique items

A unique item is one that does not already exist in the magic item lists. It is likely that such an item will need to be bonded, and will be a weapon, armour, talisman or group magic item. Magic items tend to do one thing, rather than multiple types of things, and creating an item that does more than one thing is increasingly more expensive that creating an item that does one thing well. Not every ability of a magic item is equally appropriate to every kind of item, and more powerful items may prove to be prohibitively expensive in terms of time or materials required - or flat out impossible. It is worth talking to Profound Decisions about the kind of item you wish to create, so that we can work together to come up with something possible that is as close as we can get to your original idea.

Costs

- Materials: 60 wains of Mithril, 60 wains of Weirwood, and 60 wains of White Granite

- Labour: 30 Thrones

- Time: 1 year

- Upkeep: Variable (see below)

The upkeep on the first rune forge would be 5 Thrones, the second 10 Thrones and the third 25 Thrones. There are a limited number of artisans in the Empire who are prepared to help with creating new items. This means that each new rune forge that is constructed will have an increasing upkeep cost - to reflect the fact that it must pay more to entice those independent artisans that remain to work there, and that it is competing for raw materials with the other rune forges.

Existing Rune Forges

No rune forges exist in the Empire at this time. Indeed, there have been no reliable rune forges constructed in the Empire during its history.

OOC Note

The rune forge is used during downtime. The player who controls the runeforge should contact Profound Decisions by e-mail (at empire.rules@profounddecisions.co.uk) prior to the next event with the details of the item they wish to try and create. If they want to make a schema, they will need appropriate number of rings of ilium in their inventory. Profound Decisions will let the player know before the next event the number and type of materials required to make the new item.

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Runemail

Description

Traditional runemail is crafted from a lightweight alloy of green iron and mithril. The alloy lends itself well to drawing out thin wire and forming them into rings, and the armour produced is light, but strong. Finished with carefully woven wires of weltsilver, and trimmed with dragonbone, the armour allow quick movement on the battlefield, protection from savage blows ... and also inspires the wearer, feeding the fire of their soul to perform great deeds. Runes of strength are worked subtly into the overall design of the armour, along with personal runes of significance to the smith or the intended wearer of the armour.

Traditionally a runesmith chants a heroic saga while crafting this armour, with the rhythm of the song helps guide the crafting process. In the heat of battle, some runemail wearers claim that they can hear that song echoing faintly in the music of the battlefield, drawing inspiration from the specific heroic deeds recounted in the tale.

In Dawn runemail is commonly crafted in the form of mithril plate rather than chain. Called Elfin plate, composed of sculpted plates of green iron alloy, it is often beautifully decorated and shaped to fit a specific wearer. A fine suit of this armour is popular with troubadours or senators who choose to take the battlefield, even if the enchantments woven into it have faded.

The Navarr may wear fine runemail in the Wintermark style, but their artisans also construct thick leather Runehide armour, often working the leather with coiling thorn or vine patterns into which dragonbone and weltsilver are inlaid, using green iron rivets and fastenings to hold the armour snug against the body. As armour that enhances versatility and provides options, without restricting mobility over much, it is unsurprisingly popular with the thorns.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of medium armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour, you gain 1 hero point.

- Materials: Crafting a suit of Runemail requires ten ingots of green iron and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

I'd done the best I could by then. My work was done: thick hide, cured and crafted, with magic set into the lames, and dragonbone reinforcing the weakest points. Learned the trick of it from a Navarr I met. Vasiley would have the best gear I could manage.

I was in Anvil the day his call came through. I'd been listening to some Marcher sermonising: sounded like he'd spent too long in Bastion to me. Getting winked at by an orc. Looked like a threat, to be honest. I don't think he approved me smiling when the Marcher got firey, but my trust in the virtues is quiet, and I wonder about those who wear their faith so open. Irony of it is I was twisting a scrap of thonging round a little wooden eagle I'd carved for Vasiley at the time. The mark of Pride in Varushka. I doubt the orc would realise.

Anyway, the call came though. I added one last talisman to it; that eagle. I've heard from one of the Dawnish that she'd seen him absolutely hammer an orc to the ground during some skirmish, and butcher it as it recovered from the shock. She said those that saw just stood and cheered him. That was pay enough for a month spent drawing weltsilver wire, on and off.

He swore me an oath he'd come back, so he'd better.

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Runemark Shirt

Description

A runemark shirt is a light hauberk or harness of padded cloth or thin leather. However, its true power lies in its ability to inspire the wearer. The appearance of these shirts varies greatly across the Empire but most bear symbols important to the wearer, emblems of organisations or ideas they believe in and can drive them to greatness. Bonding to these shirts can lead to an even greater devotion to the cause depicted, as they fill the wearer with pride and courage.

Those made in Wintermark most closely live up to the name Runemark Shirt, bearing Verys, the rune of might, and other runes important to the wearer, such as runes associated with their lineage or favoured virtue. The presence of the runes in general remind the Winterfolk of their rich mystical heritage.

In Varushka the Runemark Shirt is more likely to depict animals, particularly bears, boars and hounds.

While the Imperial Orcs will obviously work their personal legion symbol into the crafting of the armour. Some take particular pride in wearing runemark shirts bearing the image of the Imperial Horse, proclaiming that their greatest inspiration is the Empire as a whole, rather than any small part of it.

Other nations decorate them with their own favoured symbols such as Dawnish heraldry, the symbols of their chapter, or whatever it takes to inspire the wearer to push themselves to greater deeds.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of light armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour, you gain 1 hero point.

- Materials: Crafting a runemark shirt requires eight ingots of green iron and five measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Forgive me, ancestors, but you are wrong. I shall prove our worth to my brothers and sisters in the Legion. I shall prove our worth to the the humans that look on us with fear and mistrust. And I shall prove our worth to you as well, even if I have to cross the Abyss to do it."

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Rune Overview

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 Performing Magic

- 1.2 Divining with the Runes

- 1.3 Crafting the Runes

- 1.4 Realm Affiliations

- 1.4.1 Runes of Spring

- 1.4.2 Runes of Summer

- 1.4.3 Runes of Autumn

- 1.4.4 Runes of Winter

- 1.4.5 Runes of Day

- 1.4.6 Runes of Night

- 1.4.7 The Mystic Runes

- 1.5 Runes and the Imperial Faith

- 1.6 Runes and Lineage

- 1.7 Rune downloads

Overview

Empire does not use Futhark or other traditional real-world rune systems. Rather it uses a series of twenty-six mystical runes that originated in Wintermark. While the Winterfolk discovered them, they are used by magicians and craftsmen all over the Empire.

Each rune is associated with a concept, usually a single word that sums up its magical meaning. They are each tied thematically to one of the Realms of magic. Runes also have names, which can be invoked, and are believed to physically resemble an iconic item or creature. Many magicians keep a scroll or a notebook containing information about the runes, as memorizing all of them is quite a feat.

The runes are also used as a simple alphabet by several magicians; each rune stands for a single letter in a typical substitution cipher. Many magicians consider this to be a risky and foolish activity; if the runes have power, then using them to write things invites unexpected and uncontrollable forces to intrude on the life of anyone who handles them.

Performing Magic

Runes can be used as a method of performing magic. A magician might trace a rune in the air or while touching a target of a spell, or might use a permanent or temporary design that incorporates a rune. Runes are commonly painted or carved onto the targets of any magic that has a duration, but may also be traced or invoked while performing almost any ritual.

There are no magical functions that are unique to runes, they are an aid to roleplaying when peforming a ritual and can be replaced with other aids as appropriate to the character, but the magical associations of each rune can be used in rituals where the hearth magic properties of the runes may provide a bonus to the effect of the ritual if used correctly.

Divining with the Runes

A diviner may have a set of runestones (or occasionally runic cards) which they use for divination. The diviner selects several of the runes at random, and tries to interpret their meaning. Some diviners write a word using a runic substitution cipher and then interpret the resulting runes as a means to gain insight about the thing the name applies to. This practice is largely discredited; magicians in Urizen and Highguard alike point out that it is based on an arbitrary connection between the runes and the letters of the Imperial alphabet, and has no divinatory value.

Crafting the Runes

Runes are often incorporated into crafted items, especially in Wintermark. In the setting they help to enhance the properties of items made - a sword is less likely to rust or shatter, a cloak is less likely to tear - but when used in this way the runes have no rules-based game effect, they are intended purely for roleplaying purposes.

An item may be marked with one or two runes that define or support its purpose - for example, a sword may have the runes for "warfare" and "victory" engraved on either side of the blade..

Realm Affiliations

The Runes can be combined together in many different ways, but magicians agree that there is a strong connection between the runes and the Realms. The majority of the runes are symbolic of concepts or themes closely tied to one of the supernatural realms. This does not mean that a rune can only be used with workings tied to the affiliated realm; for example, the rune of Purity Cavul is associated with the Day realm and may be used to purify a poison, but the rune of Blood Rhyv might be used instead or as well, despite being associated with the Spring realm. Collecting the runes into groups based on their realm affiliation is a useful shorthand for magicians when they are constructing a ritual. Crafters are aware of the distinction, but are usually much more interested in the meanings of the individual runes than their esoteric connections.

Runes of Spring

The Spring runes are associated with life, the natural world, youth and beginnings. They are Bravash the Rune of Fertility; Evrom the Rune of Beginning; Mawrig the Rune of Storms; and Rhyv the Rune of Blood.

Runes of Summer

The Summer runes are associated with strength, confidence, majesty, adulthood and energy. They are a common sight on weapons and armour, especially in Wintermark and Dawn. They are Feresh the Rune of Majesty; Jotra, the Rune of Battle; Tykonus, the Rune of Victory; and Verys, the Rune of Might. The runes of Summer are sometimes called "the Gryphon runes" after the heraldic beast popular in Dawn.

The gryphon is a heraldric beast that combines the aspect of an eagle and a lion, the union of Majesty and Might. It has razor-sharp claws that cleave through armour like the Rune of Swords, and possesses wings that bring to mind the Banner Rune. It exemplifies all that is best in the four runes, and is an enduring symbol of victory, prowess, pride and potency. It is little wonder that it is so popular among the Dawnish.

Runes of Autumn

The Autumn runes are associated with wealth, influence, power, maturity and skill. They are Queros, the Rune of Plots; Hirmok, the Rune of Dominion; Lann, the Rune of Bargains; and Pallas, the Rune of Wealth.

Runes of Winter

Several of the Winter runes have a bad reputation, as might be expected. They are associated with fear, death, suffering, curses and ending, but they are also associated with wisdom and old age. They are Naeve, the Rune of Hunger; Irremais, the Rune of Wisdom; Yoorn, the Rune of Ending; and Kyrop, the Rune of Weakness.

Runes of Day

The Runes of Day are associated with thought, reason, truth, light and purity. They are Cavul, the Rune of Purity; Ophis, the Rune of Revelation; Sular, the Rune of Discovery; and Aesh, the Rune of Thought.

Runes of Night

The Runes of Night are associated with secrecy, illusion, emotions, instinct and change. They are Diras, the Rune of Secrets; Wyr, the Rune of Mystery; Xun, the Rune of Transformation; and Zorech, the Rune of Passion.

The Mystic Runes

There are two runes that fall outside the Realm groupings. (or perhaps three, depending who you ask). They are Gralm, Rune of Destiny and Ull, Rune of Chance. Some magicians leave them out of the runeset altogether; they are closely tied up with the Wintermark concept of the skein. The twenty-seventh rune, called The Unnamed, is the esoteric blank rune that represents the unknown, the concept of things that are outside creation.

Runes and the Imperial Faith

While the practice is not universal, certain runes are closely connected with certain of the Virtues of the Imperial Faith. The practice of using the runes in this fashion is most common in Wintermark, but it is also popular in Urizen and among the Navarr. At various times the Synod has attempted to introduce specific sigils to represent the Virtues, but they have generally failed to gain much traction. In almost all cases, the runes are seen as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, the more generally accepted iconography of the Virtues.

While there is no universally accepted connection between runes and Virtues, the most common runic affiliations are:

- Ambition is represented by Naeve, Rune of Hunger

- Courage is represented by Jotra, Rune of Battle

- Loyalty is represented by Lann, Rune of Bargains

- Pride is represented by Feresh, Rune of Majesty

- Prosperity is represented by Pallas, Rune of Wealth

- Vigilance is represented by Ophis, Rune of Revelation

- Wisdom is unsurprisingly represented by Irremais, Rune of Wisdom.

- While not corresponding directly to an Imperial Virtue, the runes Yoorn and Evrom are sometimes used together to represent the concept of reincarnation; in this case Yoorn represents the end of one life, and Evrom the beginning of another.

These correspondences are mostly symbolic, used as decoration or divination rather than working magic. The runes seem to lack any ability to directly interact with or influence the Imperial Virtues in the way that Liao Ceremonies do. While Irremais may be evoked to grant wisdom, it has no special ability to interact with a shrine Consecrated to the Imperial Virtue of Wisdom. The exact relationship between magic and Virtue is a topic of much debate among scholars from all walks of life.

Runes and Lineage

A strong connection exists between certain runes and the nature of those with lineage. While this set of connections is not universally accepted, five of the six lineages have a natural affiliation for six of the runes. As with the correspondences with the Imperial Virtues, these connections are most commonly used during divination.

- The blood of the Briar lineage is said to have a correspondence with the Rune of Blood, Rhyv.

- The Cambion lineage is said to correspond with the Rune of Bargains, Lann.

- The Changeling lineage is said to correspond with the Rune of Majesty, Feresh.

- The Draughir lineage is said to correspond with the Rune of Hunger, Naeve.

- The Merrow lineage has an affiliation for the Rune of Discovery, Sular.

- The Naga lineage has no single runic correspondence; Kallavesi mystics claim that this is simply because their nature defies easy categorisation, and as a consequence any or all of the four Runes of Night are used to represent them.

Rune downloads

You can download an installable Wintermark runes windows font file which contains all the Wintermark runes coded by the first letter of the name of each rune.

You can download a LaTeX style file for using the runes.

You can download an illustrator Wintermark runes vector file which contains all the Wintermark runes as scalable vectors.

You can download each of the runes as a .jef file suitable for machine embroidery on a 7x5 hoop or larger, linked off the individual rune pages.

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Runeplate

Description

Each plate of this heavy armour is crafted from an alloy of green iron and steel, repeatedly quenched in beggar's lye to cleanse unwanted impurities from the metal. The surface and fastenings are woven with orichalcum wire, with pieces of carefully shaped dragonbone used both as decoration and as backing for key pieces. The armour is usually marked with runes, and a full traditional suit of Wintermark runeplate bears each of the runes somewhere on its surface, along with personal runes of significance to the smith and the intended wearer - these suits are almost always commissioned by a specific wearer. Crafting a complete suit is sometimes considered the pinnacle of the armour crafter's art.

Runeplate inspires the wearer, driving them to perform great deeds. Some wearers find merely wearing a suit to be very tiring; beyond the exhaustion caused by the weight of the armour there is a constant nagging need to do something. It is not uncommon for a warrior to collapse after removing a suit of runeplate, emotionally wrung out by the experience.

In Dawn runeplate is sometimes called crusader's plate and in contrast to Elfin plate tends to be sparsely decorated. A wearer of Dawnish crusader plate needs no beautiful decoration to prove their glory, preferring to let their quality show through in their actions.

In Highguard the armour is often called templar's lorica and inscribed either with the specifically virtuous runes or without visible runes at all and instead with symbols of the imperial virtues. It is favoured by the cataphracts, but few chapters can afford to maintain more than a single suit of this expensive and valuable harness.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of heavy armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour, you gain two additional hero points.

- Materials: Crafting a suit of runeplate requires twenty four ingots of green iron, seven ingots of orichalcum and five measures of beggar's lye and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The old orc stirred the boiling pot before him, dropping a few more leaves into the water and breathing in the aromatic steam that rose from it. He poured some of the mixture in to clay cups and passed them to the orcs that sat at the fire with him. One of those who sat with him asked the elder for a story, the rest cheered. He quietened them with a gnarled hand, took a sip of the brew himself and then spoke.

“Liberty’s Reward he called it. I was there, just a boy of course but I heard him use the name. The first bit of armour that any of us had worn for three centuries. Glorious it was, no idea how they smelted it, or where they got the knowledge for it – maybe the ancestors called out to those who made it, gave them the secrets of crafting it. Anyway, I’d wager an orc hasn't worn a piece of armour like that since.”

The orcs looked to their own armour; battered, chipped, dented. Scraps of armour pieced together from the suits of the fallen, each mark told a tale. Absently each one touched a piece, reminiscing other the blows that had inflicted the damage. Proud.

“Didn’t even wear it himself, no. He gave it to his oldest friend. Some whispered that was Thrace’s only mistake and if he’d kept the armour for himself he would never had fallen. No one remembers that orc’s name now – who would? I was there and even I don’t remember. Friend to the great Thrace, no, his name is lost to the winds, but by the ancestors could he fight. I saw him take on two of those Highguard Cataphracts that had pushed through the lines to the camp, both decked out so much plate they looked like walking statues. Strong they were, good fighters, they did their nation proud. He held off those hunters while mother moved the children to safety, she was a mean one too but that’s another story. I saw them drive him to his knees time and time again but he never faltered. I swear he took blows that would have felled an ox at full charge. Every time a blow got past his shield and struck that armour the sound was thunderous. Like the voices of a hundred ancestors screaming their rage at the enemy. Maybe they were. Anyway, never saw him kill those Highguard but I saw bits of their armour being worn by those who fought beside him a week later so I’d wager they didn't end off too well.”

The orcs cheered, they felt the battle in their blood, the story of the fight stirred something in them, they heard whispers in the wind, voices calling to them. The ancestors called across the Howling Abyss to rile their battle-born hearts in to action at the memory of the battles.

“No one knows where he fell. Some don’t even think he did. I reckon he died when Thrace fell, those two were bound by bonds tighter than any slavers chains. Still, aint been an orc since that has worn a suit of armour that holds a story like that one and sure as I’m a snow-skinned old one aint no one ever found Liberty’s Reward. The day something that worthy gets crafted by orc hands again, that’ll be a day to remember, a sign that we’re on the right track.”

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Rune Overview (Redirected from Runes)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 Performing Magic

- 1.2 Divining with the Runes

- 1.3 Crafting the Runes

- 1.4 Realm Affiliations

- 1.4.1 Runes of Spring

- 1.4.2 Runes of Summer

- 1.4.3 Runes of Autumn

- 1.4.4 Runes of Winter

- 1.4.5 Runes of Day

- 1.4.6 Runes of Night

- 1.4.7 The Mystic Runes

- 1.5 Runes and the Imperial Faith

- 1.6 Runes and Lineage

- 1.7 Rune downloads

Overview

Empire does not use Futhark or other traditional real-world rune systems. Rather it uses a series of twenty-six mystical runes that originated in Wintermark. While the Winterfolk discovered them, they are used by magicians and craftsmen all over the Empire.

Each rune is associated with a concept, usually a single word that sums up its magical meaning. They are each tied thematically to one of the Realms of magic. Runes also have names, which can be invoked, and are believed to physically resemble an iconic item or creature. Many magicians keep a scroll or a notebook containing information about the runes, as memorizing all of them is quite a feat.

The runes are also used as a simple alphabet by several magicians; each rune stands for a single letter in a typical substitution cipher. Many magicians consider this to be a risky and foolish activity; if the runes have power, then using them to write things invites unexpected and uncontrollable forces to intrude on the life of anyone who handles them.

Performing Magic

Runes can be used as a method of performing magic. A magician might trace a rune in the air or while touching a target of a spell, or might use a permanent or temporary design that incorporates a rune. Runes are commonly painted or carved onto the targets of any magic that has a duration, but may also be traced or invoked while performing almost any ritual.

There are no magical functions that are unique to runes, they are an aid to roleplaying when peforming a ritual and can be replaced with other aids as appropriate to the character, but the magical associations of each rune can be used in rituals where the hearth magic properties of the runes may provide a bonus to the effect of the ritual if used correctly.

Divining with the Runes

A diviner may have a set of runestones (or occasionally runic cards) which they use for divination. The diviner selects several of the runes at random, and tries to interpret their meaning. Some diviners write a word using a runic substitution cipher and then interpret the resulting runes as a means to gain insight about the thing the name applies to. This practice is largely discredited; magicians in Urizen and Highguard alike point out that it is based on an arbitrary connection between the runes and the letters of the Imperial alphabet, and has no divinatory value.

Crafting the Runes

Runes are often incorporated into crafted items, especially in Wintermark. In the setting they help to enhance the properties of items made - a sword is less likely to rust or shatter, a cloak is less likely to tear - but when used in this way the runes have no rules-based game effect, they are intended purely for roleplaying purposes.

An item may be marked with one or two runes that define or support its purpose - for example, a sword may have the runes for "warfare" and "victory" engraved on either side of the blade..

Realm Affiliations

The Runes can be combined together in many different ways, but magicians agree that there is a strong connection between the runes and the Realms. The majority of the runes are symbolic of concepts or themes closely tied to one of the supernatural realms. This does not mean that a rune can only be used with workings tied to the affiliated realm; for example, the rune of Purity Cavul is associated with the Day realm and may be used to purify a poison, but the rune of Blood Rhyv might be used instead or as well, despite being associated with the Spring realm. Collecting the runes into groups based on their realm affiliation is a useful shorthand for magicians when they are constructing a ritual. Crafters are aware of the distinction, but are usually much more interested in the meanings of the individual runes than their esoteric connections.

Runes of Spring

The Spring runes are associated with life, the natural world, youth and beginnings. They are Bravash the Rune of Fertility; Evrom the Rune of Beginning; Mawrig the Rune of Storms; and Rhyv the Rune of Blood.

Runes of Summer

The Summer runes are associated with strength, confidence, majesty, adulthood and energy. They are a common sight on weapons and armour, especially in Wintermark and Dawn. They are Feresh the Rune of Majesty; Jotra, the Rune of Battle; Tykonus, the Rune of Victory; and Verys, the Rune of Might. The runes of Summer are sometimes called "the Gryphon runes" after the heraldic beast popular in Dawn.

The gryphon is a heraldric beast that combines the aspect of an eagle and a lion, the union of Majesty and Might. It has razor-sharp claws that cleave through armour like the Rune of Swords, and possesses wings that bring to mind the Banner Rune. It exemplifies all that is best in the four runes, and is an enduring symbol of victory, prowess, pride and potency. It is little wonder that it is so popular among the Dawnish.

Runes of Autumn

The Autumn runes are associated with wealth, influence, power, maturity and skill. They are Queros, the Rune of Plots; Hirmok, the Rune of Dominion; Lann, the Rune of Bargains; and Pallas, the Rune of Wealth.

Runes of Winter

Several of the Winter runes have a bad reputation, as might be expected. They are associated with fear, death, suffering, curses and ending, but they are also associated with wisdom and old age. They are Naeve, the Rune of Hunger; Irremais, the Rune of Wisdom; Yoorn, the Rune of Ending; and Kyrop, the Rune of Weakness.

Runes of Day

The Runes of Day are associated with thought, reason, truth, light and purity. They are Cavul, the Rune of Purity; Ophis, the Rune of Revelation; Sular, the Rune of Discovery; and Aesh, the Rune of Thought.

Runes of Night

The Runes of Night are associated with secrecy, illusion, emotions, instinct and change. They are Diras, the Rune of Secrets; Wyr, the Rune of Mystery; Xun, the Rune of Transformation; and Zorech, the Rune of Passion.

The Mystic Runes

There are two runes that fall outside the Realm groupings. (or perhaps three, depending who you ask). They are Gralm, Rune of Destiny and Ull, Rune of Chance. Some magicians leave them out of the runeset altogether; they are closely tied up with the Wintermark concept of the skein. The twenty-seventh rune, called The Unnamed, is the esoteric blank rune that represents the unknown, the concept of things that are outside creation.

Runes and the Imperial Faith

While the practice is not universal, certain runes are closely connected with certain of the Virtues of the Imperial Faith. The practice of using the runes in this fashion is most common in Wintermark, but it is also popular in Urizen and among the Navarr. At various times the Synod has attempted to introduce specific sigils to represent the Virtues, but they have generally failed to gain much traction. In almost all cases, the runes are seen as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, the more generally accepted iconography of the Virtues.

While there is no universally accepted connection between runes and Virtues, the most common runic affiliations are:

- Ambition is represented by Naeve, Rune of Hunger

- Courage is represented by Jotra, Rune of Battle

- Loyalty is represented by Lann, Rune of Bargains

- Pride is represented by Feresh, Rune of Majesty

- Prosperity is represented by Pallas, Rune of Wealth

- Vigilance is represented by Ophis, Rune of Revelation

- Wisdom is unsurprisingly represented by Irremais, Rune of Wisdom.

- While not corresponding directly to an Imperial Virtue, the runes Yoorn and Evrom are sometimes used together to represent the concept of reincarnation; in this case Yoorn represents the end of one life, and Evrom the beginning of another.

These correspondences are mostly symbolic, used as decoration or divination rather than working magic. The runes seem to lack any ability to directly interact with or influence the Imperial Virtues in the way that Liao Ceremonies do. While Irremais may be evoked to grant wisdom, it has no special ability to interact with a shrine Consecrated to the Imperial Virtue of Wisdom. The exact relationship between magic and Virtue is a topic of much debate among scholars from all walks of life.

Runes and Lineage

A strong connection exists between certain runes and the nature of those with lineage. While this set of connections is not universally accepted, five of the six lineages have a natural affiliation for six of the runes. As with the correspondences with the Imperial Virtues, these connections are most commonly used during divination.

- The blood of the Briar lineage is said to have a correspondence with the Rune of Blood, Rhyv.

- The Cambion lineage is said to correspond with the Rune of Bargains, Lann.

- The Changeling lineage is said to correspond with the Rune of Majesty, Feresh.

- The Draughir lineage is said to correspond with the Rune of Hunger, Naeve.

- The Merrow lineage has an affiliation for the Rune of Discovery, Sular.

- The Naga lineage has no single runic correspondence; Kallavesi mystics claim that this is simply because their nature defies easy categorisation, and as a consequence any or all of the four Runes of Night are used to represent them.

Rune downloads

You can download an installable Wintermark runes windows font file which contains all the Wintermark runes coded by the first letter of the name of each rune.

You can download a LaTeX style file for using the runes.

You can download an illustrator Wintermark runes vector file which contains all the Wintermark runes as scalable vectors.

You can download each of the runes as a .jef file suitable for machine embroidery on a 7x5 hoop or larger, linked off the individual rune pages.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Rune_Overview&oldid=35138"

Runesmith's Gavel

Description

A runesmith's gavel is most often a bar of metal with a hexagonal cross-section, with each face inscribed with runes or symbols of artifice and repair. Invoked by a magician it can mend torn metal and shattered wood as easily as a Mazzarine Spindle repairs shattered bone and torn tendon. This wand often bears the rune of wealth, Pallas, and when it is made of wood it is usually made of the wood of a fruit-bearing tree, especially the apple, pear or peach.

Some ritual magicians use wands such as this and the Acolyte's Mercy to allow them to offer support to their comrades in dangerous situations. It is also favoured by warriors who know a little magic and want to be able to put their weapons and shields back together in a hurry after encounters with greataxe-wielding barbarians. Bands of Schlacta may have the occasional member who knows enough magic to make use of a gavel and they will often find themselves crouching behind a pair of their comrades putting their shields back together.

Some front-line Imperial Orc Warcasters supplement their combat abilities with these wands. The mend spell is seen as a means of preserving items of great Worth, especially those already a little fragile from the rigours of time and hard use.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the mend spell as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting a runesmith's gavel requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

You’ve probably heard plenty of stories about the Ninth Winter Incursion, but I’m telling you this so you don’t think everyone was just dying in the mud.

For a start, the mud was frozen solid, so everyone was dying on it, not in it. The only ones that died in it were the smiths, because the forges were running so hot, not even the winter ice could stop the mud from melting.

I know, because I spent time there. I wasn’t a smith, but I do have some of the old magic in me, and I’d served an apprenticeship with Old Molly Summer. Now, Old Molly might have seemed a bit loose between the ears, but her magic was strong, and so was her sense; she made me create a runesmith’s gavel as my journeyman tallymark. She said it was so I’d always have something to barter, if my magic couldn’t get me by. That was Old Molly; mad as a brush but always with a contingency plan.

Anyway, that forge was one of the orc’s priority targets. Not only was there a decent supply of orichalcum and green iron, but the smiths themselves were working full time making armour and weapons to kit out the lads and lasses dying out in the cold.

And I spent much of my time using that wand. Often we’d get weapons back, all ripped apart and shattered, but with some magic still in 'em. Some of those orcs carry big, nasty weapons that will ruin anything they hit. So I’d mend 'em back up with the Gavel, and back out they went.

A few times we got orcs at the door, and that’s when we’d really start dying in the mud. Saw those weapons up close and nasty then, I did. Saw them shatter bills like they’re glass, shields like it’s just so much pottery. If we managed to get a breather, that’s when the gavel came out; I remember thinking seven ingots of Orichalcum was a fortune when I made it, but it paid for itself many times over.

Saved a lot of shields, that gavel did. Saved a lot of Marchers too.

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Run Thorns Run

Adapted from "Roll Boys Roll" (trad) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhvjtM17uRU)

Lyrics and Melody adapted by Joshua Binks.

Call Sally Brown, she’s the gal for me, Thorns

Response Run Thorns, run Thorns run.

Calls Sally Brown, she’s the gal for me, Thorns

Down to The Marches to see Sally Brown, Thorns Down to The Marches to see Sally Brown, Thorns

Oh, there's forty leagues or more to go, Thorns Oh, forty leagues or more to go, Thorns

She's lovely up above, and she's lovely down below, Thorns She's lovely cause she loves me, that’s all I need to know, Thorns

With blade and spear to cast down the foe, Thorns Oh, with blade and spear to cast down the foe, Thorns,

Oh, one more stride, don'tcha hear the Brand a-bawling? Oh, one more stride, that's the end of our hawling.

Sally Brown, she’s the gal for me, Thorns Sally Brown, she’s the gal for me, Thorns

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Ruthless Vigilance, Healthy Crop

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a herb garden. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The herb garden produces an extra two drams of each herb over the next season.

The character who controls the target herb garden experiences a short-lived roleplaying effect: they become keenly aware of the people around them who are physically weak or lack willpower; the company of such people is distasteful, and it is easy for the target to imagine the ways that they will cause trouble in dangerous or difficult situations.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional herb gardens in the same territory. Each additional herb garden increases the magnitude by 6. The character who controls each herb garden must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This spell is harsh but effective. It kills vermin that might damage growing plants, and protects a Herb garden from disease, but the magic of the enchantment also ruthlessly destroys any weed or plant that does not have medicinal value that grows in the garden. The dead plants serve as compost for their more valuable siblings. When working in the herb garden, it is easy to see which plants are likely to produce strong medicinal preparations and which would be better off removed; with a simple twitch of a trowel or a snip of secateurs, the weak plant is gone and the other plants in the garden will grow a little taller as a consequence.

This ritual is quite old, and has been practiced in places such as Navarr and Varushka since time-out-of-mind. It is cruel, but valuable and by being ruthless in tending the herb garden, it's owner produces many more medicines to aid their people. Those wise in the ways of Winter would say there is a lesson there ...

Common Elements

The ritual encourages hardy plants to become even hardier, and kills plants that are weak. Ritual performances occasionally include the evocation of the rune Bravash, but are much more likely to include Irremais, the rune of wisdom. Sometimes a Wintermark ritualist will include Gralm and Ull to represent difficult choices. Hearth magics and symbols associated with tradition, health and Wisdom are also commonly evoked, such as shedding small amounts of blood or offering a cup or bowl of wine, ale, milk or mead to the targets.

This ritual is sometimes combined with an invocation to the Eternal Wise Rangara, or to a paragon or exemplar of Wisdom, Vigilance or Courage.

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Sadogua

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Night

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Night

Sobriquets

Sadogua is most commonly known as the Brother of Wizards; the Eternal claims to be male, although this does not prevent him from taking on female guises when the mood strikes.

Sadogua likes grand titles, and collects them. He clearly enjoys being flattered, especially when the flattery is amusing. Common sobriquets include the Toad King, the Black Beast, Wyrm-King or the Father of Bats. He is sometimes referred to as the Glutton, the Lazy or the Black Sloth - names that he appears to find amusing rather than offensive. His associations with the rune Diras occasionally lead to him being called Shuttered Lantern (although this can cause confusion with all the other meanings for that phrase). The Hakima Isobella i Javos i Guerra dubbed him Eater of Secrets due to his observed habit of consuming written secrets and mysteries.

In the Sumaah Republic he is called "Forfører" which translates roughly as 'seducer', while the Asaveans call him "Patrícia preto" which seems to mean 'the black patrician'. In Jarm they often call him "Wujek Sadogua" which means 'uncle Sadogua'.

Appearance

Sadogua makes no bones about the fact that he is a wyrm (that is, his true form is that of a wingless lizard as distinct from the serpent-form Night Eternals who possess feathered wings). As with other wyrms, this tends to mean that the Brother of Wizards is more earthy and concerned with practical matters than the more cerebral and philosophical serpents such as Soghter. It is extremely rare to meet Sadogua in anything approaching his 'true form' however - as with most Night Eternals he loves to change his shape.

His most common appearance is as a rotund, jolly humanoid, sometimes with naga features. He often incorporates elements of toad, bear or bat into his form and on more than one occasion has appeared with orc-like characteristics. The only constant is a golden chain, which may be worn around the neck, wrist, waist or ankle and seems to shift it's appearance as readily as it's master does. He almost always has a wand, staff or rod to hand and regularly consults divinatory devices such as crystal spheres or runes.

While Sadogua generally appears lazy, self-indulgent, lustful, avaricious and gluttonous it is dangerous to underestimate him. Several magicians have warned that this genial appearance is almost certainly a mask to conceal deeper and darker motivations. Ultimately, he seems committed to the supremacy of magicians. While it is unlikely his every action is motivated by a desire to advance the status of magicians, it is certainly his overriding goal.

Sadogua is almost never encountered alone; he is gregarious and affable, and usually has at least two Heralds - which he refers to as his Children. Questions about where these Children come from are always deflected. Some scholars have pointed out that a number of them bear naga features. These Children reflect the personality of Sadogua - they tend to be curious, friendly and prone to self-indulgence. Most also possess magical abilities.

Concerns

Sadogua likes secrets, but does not obsessively collect them like some Eternals of the Realm of Night; he appears to view them as useful tools in games of intrigue and manipulation rather than things that have value in themselves. He is often openly contemptuous of the Whisper Gallery and other beings who value secrets as discrete items. Many magicians have reported that he eats secrets - the more scandalous they are, the more flavoursome he finds them. It is not clear if this is a metaphor or if the Eternal gains sustenance from doing so.

He is usually eating - and is said to offer additional favour to anyone who shares food or drink with him or his Children. He is likewise known to enjoy pleasant company, verbal interplay, gossip and romance. He enjoys games of skill and chance, but more for the pleasure of playing (and, allegedly, the chance to learn about his opponents) than from any drive to win. Few things make him angry - denigration of magicians appears to be one of the few things likely to raise his ire; blatant disrespect annoys him; and anything that forces him to waste energy or tire himself out can make him exceptionally irritable.

He loves to serve as a patron of the arts, especially musicians and poets. He is also known to be an especial fan of the culinary arts, and the arts of the brewer. While he is gluttonous and avaricious, he is not selfish - artists and chefs are likely to receive the benefit of his largesse in the form of small boons in recognition of their skill.

He is known to dislike priests of Way, with the exception of the priests of Prosperity. During the reign of Empress Teleri he was the subject of a Declaration of Enmity that was not repealed until 132YE. The foundation of this Enmity is unclear, and he will not speak of it, but it is assumed to have involved magicians from the Sevenfold Path. Since that time, he has presented a more appealing face to those magicians who follow the Way, although his sincerity is very much in question. On rare occasions when he has expressed an opinion,he has dismissed the Way - and indeed most forms of religion - as 'unnecessary restraints'. He is known to be more tolerant toward the heterodox faith of the Asavean Archipelago.

At the end of the day, Sadogua appears to firmly believe that magic and magicians should be promoted at all times. Magic allows the individual to change the world. and magicians wield that power. Mundane humans are parochial, limited, restricted and ultimately boring. Anything that restricts magic or the freedom of magicians is anathema to Sadogua, and should be swept aside. Magicians are the only people fit to lead their fellow humans, and magic is the only tool that anyone need ever master. It has unlimited versatility, and in time it can solve almost any problem - and the problems it cannot solve are inconsequential. While he favours the Lore of Night over the other Lores, he is a rare Eternal who sees value in mastery of any form of magic, and actively encourages magicians to seek out their own path to power.

Sadogua is prone to complicated enmities, and another uncommon quality is his awareness of and keen interest in Eternals of other realms. He is known to dislike the Eternals Meraud, Kimus, Basileus Kade and Wise Rangara and appears to view them as 'rivals' for the affection of the Empire's magicians. For unknown reasons he appears to be deathly afraid of the Leviathan, and will do nothing that might incur that Eternals wrath. Other Eternals tend to be viewed with a measure of amused contempt.

The Highborn Magister Zenobia daughter of Jocasta warned that Sadogua not only lies constantly, but that he actively encouraged idolatry and anarchy. These claims have been repeated by numerous critics down through the ages. Sadogua and his allies rarely bother to respond to such claims. The Freeborn naga sutannir Daniego i Casiddia i Riqueza pointed out in response to Zenobia's claims that what Sadogua definitely does is encourage Pride and Ambition in the Empire's magicians, as well as being a staunch supporter of the virtue of Prosperity (for all that he encourages magicians to find easy ways to solve their problems).

Boons

Sadogua may be greedy, but he is not selfish. He appears to enjoy giving small tokens of his approval to those who entertain or assist him. These tokens are usually physical in nature, and commonly take the form of exotic flavours of mana, potions and other consumables, and trinkets that aid with or duplicate the effectiveness of magical spells of all sorts. Those who advance his agenda or assist him in some significant way receive more lasting gifts, but again he would rather give someone an object than invest them with any portion of his power.

He appears to be a master of the Lore of Night, with wide-randing abilities to enhance or empower the performance of almost any ritual. He has a special fondness for both the night pouch incantation and the Secrets for the Shadow Courier ritual - things that conceal treasured items, rather than magic that conceals or reveals secrets, seem to be especially dear to him.

He often engages in trades with magicians, and is known to have an insatiable desire for iridescent gloaming, ambergelt, dragonbone and tempest jade - often quite literally eating measures and ingots of these materials with every sign of gusto.

He loves to promote magic. Rituals such as Missive for Sadogua draw on his power directly - he is slightly more likely than other Eternals to bind himself to a ritual promise if he can be convinced that doing so will offer assistance to many magicians without requiring too much actual activity from the lazy Eternal.

Several magicians have mentioned that Sadogua is comparatively easy to manipulate, not least because he enjoys giving gifts and receiving praise. He rarely becomes angry if he is tricked, seeming to take it in good part and praise the cleverness of an opponent who has bested him in some way. Magicians are not advised to take his good nature for granted, however, and occasional he treasures gained from Sadogua have proved to possess unpleasant curses or side-effects.

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Safe passage for Lasambrian delegation

That safe passage be granted for Lasambrian representatives to visit Anvil at an appropriate time to discuss a potential treaty.

Proposed by Semmerholm, seconded by Upwold.

Overview

- Allow safe passage for a delegation from the orcs of the Lasambrian hills to visit Anvil for purposes of negotiation.

Date

- Passed Summer 378 YE

Campaign Outcome

- Safe passage extends the protection of the Imperial law to the delegation, as if they were foreigners.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Safe_passage_for_Lasambrian_delegation&oldid=28701"

Safe passage for the Jotun

That safe passage be granted for Jotun representatives to visit Anvil at an appropriate time to discuss a potential peace treaty.

Proposed by Sermersuaq, seconded by Weirwater

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- For the duration of the visit, the Jotun delegation would have the status of foreigners.

- Passed unanimously

Date

- Passed Spring 377YE (Event Two 2013).

Cost

- None

Progress

- Complete

Campaign Outcome

A Jotun delegation attended the Summer solstice and agreed a treaty.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Safe_passage_for_the_Jotun&oldid=23567"

Event Safety (Redirected from Safety)

Redirect page

Event safety

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Sail Away Across the Sea

Original tune is called Los Set Gotxs Recomptarem, words by Daisy and Jude.

RECORDING of this song : Media:sail-away.mp3

Watch out for the 5/4 bar, if you want add a rest beat at the end of each "Haul away " line so it doesn't throw out your accompanying drummers! Or get the drummers to add in a beat's rest at the end of the line like in the recording.

youtube version

Waves on the prow and spray in the air Come along with me and sail across the ocean Salt on my skin and wind in my hair Come along with me and sail across the ocean

Chorus: Haul away and sail across the ocean! Haul away and sail across the sea!

Anchors away and hands to the oars Come along with me and sail across the ocean Setting a course for far away shores Come along with me and sail across the ocean

Chorus

Storms in the east and sun's in the west Come along with me and sail across the ocean A life on the rolling sea is the best Come along with me and sail across the ocean'

Chorus

Add more verses as you like.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Sail_Away_Across_the_Sea&oldid=11764"

Sanctioned event rules

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Players

- 3 Rules

- 4 Plot

- 5 Event planning

- 6 Resources and items

- 7 Logistics

- 8 Further Reading

Overview

The Empire rules and setting are licensed under terms that allow anyone to use them freely for any reason and to modify them for their own use. As a result, anyone can choose to run a live roleplaying event and call it an Empire event if they wish. In fact, some elements of the setting were deliberately designed to facilitate this shared approach.

Although there are many advantages to this freedom, the drawback is in the consistency of the setting and rules experienced by players. If someone runs an event that includes elements that contradict the material that Profound Decisions have published for Empire then it can negatively affect the campaign continuity or increase confusion about the Empire rules. To try and balance this we have produced a set of guidelines for sanctioned events - Empire events which are considered by us to be a part of the same campaign that we are running.

Players

- Please email us with any changes that happen; character death, ongoing rituals performed or bonds changed

If you perform an ongoing ritual at a sanctioned event, then please keep any mana crystal cards that are used to one side and post them to our head office address after the event with details of the ritual you performed and the participants you performed it with. Once we receive the crystals we will process the ritual, so that any ongoing effects are included in any downtime processing. If an event takes place after downtime has been processed, then the rituals will take effect as if they were performed at the next Profound Decisions event. If you perform a ritual that does not have an ongoing effect then you do not have to inform us, and must destroy any mana cards used at the time.

If the magical items or bands that your character is bonded to change at an event then you should inform Profound Decisions by email so that we can update your character record.

You must email us to let us know if your character dies at an event.

Rules

- Sanctioned events use the Empire rules published on this wiki

If you want to run an Empire event that is sanctioned by Profound Decisions then it should use the official rules. Changing the rules has two potential drawbacks, first it creates confusion for players about the rules and their character's abilities. The rules give the players a basis for understanding their character's abilities and what they can legitimately expect to happen in the setting. More importantly, our events are largely self-reffed, a player applies the rules to their character, so they need clarity about the rules they should follow.

In a LRP game, the rules have powerful implications that help to define the game. For example, stories in a setting in which you can resurrect the dead are fundamentally different to stories in a setting where that is impossible. Every live roleplayer has different views on what their perfect LRP would be - by implication they all have different views on what the perfect rules would be. We don't pretend that the Empire rules are what everyone in LRP would choose, but on aggregate they are what the players who choose to attend Empire events have chosen to play. If you want your players to enjoy your events then it is wise to respect their choices.

Of course it is possible to write in-character elements to your game that subvert the rules. If you don't want your characters' wounds to heal after a few hours of rest, you can force that by setting your event in a region afflicted by a terrible Winter magic curse that prevents it. Choosing what elements of a setting are unusual or different in some way can be part of the creative process of writing plot. But events where the setting causes the rules to work dramatically differently or where the plot appears to have been created purely to subvert the rules will not be sanctioned by us. Many rules are so important that we will not sanction them being subverted under any circumstances. For example, we will never sanction a plot that allows a character to recover after becoming terminal.

It is important to appreciate that the Empire "rules" cover more than just the game rules themselves. The critical example of this are the rules for equality and diversity at our events. We know these rules do not appeal to every live-roleplayer, but they are the rules that PD have put in place for our Empire events. It is perfectly reasonable for Empire players attending your event to assume that the same rules apply. If you have decided that you wish to allow players to offend or sexually harass each other at your events then please have the courtesy to make that clearly public so that players who do not wish to tolerate that behaviour are able to choose to book accordingly.

Plot

- Sanctioned event plot must be shown to Profound Decisions

- Sanctioned events must not create new Eternals, Paragons or foreign nations

- You should clearly communicate the style of your event to your players

We will not sanction your event until we have seen a copy of the plot that you plan to run. If you want to run a sanctioned event then you need to submit the outline of any plot which is essential to your event first. As you detail the plot for your event then you can check any significant developments with us as you go to ensure that you are not creating problems. You should submit a final copy of the plot for your event two weeks before the event takes place. Our plot team will check the plot for continuity with our campaign, they may have some suggestions for ways to link things to the plot at the main events.

Sanctioned event plot should be of a level of significance equivalent to a character or group's background. For example, we will not sanction an event in which the players must prevent an evil cultist performing a ritual to prevent the complete destruction of the League city of Sarvos. In particular, this means that you cannot create new Eternals, Paragons, or foreign nations as part of your plot. If your plot requires some unique element of this kind, then you should employ a less significant equivalent - such as a herald or exemplar.

In general the sort of things that it is appropriate for players to create for their background, a Marcher Household, a Highguard Exemplar, a Dawnish Herald are the sort of elements that you can create when writing plot for a sanctioned event. If you must use something more powerful - like an Eternal - then you must use one of existing options defined on the wiki.

The best sanctioned events will use plot with appropriate scope. It is common for plot writers to want their plot to be dramatic and significant, but plot that threatens the existence of the Empire, an Imperial Nation, or even an Imperial territory - are just not workable for a sanctioned event. It's not fair on the Profound Decisions player base if they turn up at their next Profound Decisions event to find that the Marches were ruinously destroyed at a sanctioned event attended by thirty players three weeks earlier. For this reason we won't sanction plots of this kind.

A plot can still be dire in nature, even if its scope is limited. A Varushkan plot that threatens the inhabitants of a Vale, a Navarr plot that risks the destruction of a Terunael ruin, or a Dawnish event set in a ruined keep in the Barrens. These plots can be compelling even though they won't change the course of the world; they don't have to be far-reaching to be dramatic.

The Empire wiki defines a set of plot guidelines which are well worth reading if you intent to create a sanctioned event. These are the style guidelines we encourage all our writers to use when creating plot for our events. Our goal is to create a distinct style for our events so that our players know what to expect. By default many Empire players will assume that if you are running an Empire event then it will be in the style of other Empire events. Your event should reflect the style of game you want to run - but please respect the Empire player base by communicating clearly the style of game that you are creating.

Event planning

- Do not expect your players to have a specific skill or ability

- Do expect your players to perform Signs and Portents and Bright Lantern of Ophis.

Most sanctioned events will be considerably smaller than a Profound Decisions event. As such it is very ill-advised to create a plot that requires the characters to have access to a specific thing to resolve the plot - Murphy's Law dictates that the characters attending your event will not have that skill, ability or item.

However, someone attending your event will cast Signs and Portents. Please read this ritual carefully, make sure you understand how it works and ensure you have the results written well in advance. The rules for Empire give the players many ways to analyse unusual items and effects that they encounter - so you should ensure that you are familiar with rituals like Bright Lantern of Ophis and have the results ready for when it is cast.

You should also be aware of Whispering Shadow Courtiers and the rituals Shadowed Glass of Sung and Clear Lens of the Eternal River. The former ritual can be a useful conduit for reinforcing themes or providing additional information about your event, while the latter two rituals are designed specifically to complement linears and location-based scenarios.

Resources and items

- Combat events are eligible to receive a small number of resources

We expect players who are attending an Empire event that includes significant amounts of combat to expend some herbs, mana crystals, and liao during the course of your event. Therefore it is appropriate for such events to include a small amount of resources that the players can acquire during the course of the event. We will review the plot for your event and decide how many resources are appropriate based on the number of players that you have booked.

Although the players expend herbs, liao and mana crystals, it is possible for a combat event to include anything of value in the Empire world - money, magical items, materials or even resources. If you require specific resources then make sure you request them well in advance of your event. If your event requires a magical item then you should use one of the magic items listed on the Empire wiki. If your event simply must include some unique magical item then you can request this. We will need a very clear definition of the item's power as early as possible to consider whether we will allow it.

Once the items and resources for your event are agreed, then we will arrange to have the cards, phys-reps and item ribbons shipped to you. Please make sure that any game items have an official Empire item ribbon attached to them before the game starts.

Logistics

- Sanctioned events will be listed on the Empire wiki

Once the plot outline for your event has been sanctioned and you have booked a site then you can advertise your event on the wiki list of sanctioned events. You are then free to promote your event as a Empire event sanctioned by Profound Decisions.

Further Reading

- Sanctioned event rules

- Imperial Law at sanctioned events

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Sanctioned_event_rules&oldid=31906"

Sanctuary

The bravo leapt round the corner with the two knights hard behind him. With a final burst of speed, he rocketed into the League encampment and into a shrine, almost knocking over the bishop as he did so.

As the knights came pounding up, the bravo grinned as he turned to face them. "Sanctuary..." he gasped, breathlessly, "I have... sanctuary."

Feeling the aura of pride palpably about him, the bravo turned to the bishop - only to find himself being regarded as though he were something unpleasant found on the sole of a boot.

"No," said the bishop, "you don't"

The knights advanced.

- An Imperial citizen - not a barbarian or foriegner - may ask a Synod priest to grant them sanctuary.

- The citizen may only do this if they are standing in a consecrated area, or in a location designated as belonging to the Synod.

- The Synod priest is not required to grant the request for sanctuary

- If the Synod priest does grant sanctuary, the citizen has the turn of an hourglass before they are required to face a magistrate on any charge that might be levelled against them.

- A citizen who has been granted sanctuary may use that time to gather evidence, support or seek clemency.

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Sanguine Spear

Description

The Sanguine Spear is not named for blood (though they do tend to spill a lot of it), but for the burnished ruddy colour of its orichalcum tip. When made in a form other than the traditional spear they have similar alliterative colour names, such as the Garnet Glaive in parts of Redoubt, the Blooded Bill in the Marches or the Crimson Corseque in Tassato. Some Highgborn cataphracts prefer to have the haft painted or lacquered stark white to contrast with the red-gold thrusting point.

These weapons are not for the squeamish; they are clearly intended to maim and kill lightly armoured opponents and magicians. The wielder of a sanguine spear may consequently receive a cool reception in parts of Urizen, or with anyone who places considerations of cruelty above their respect for the Empire.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a pole-arm.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may use a hero point to call CLEAVE with this pole-arm.

- Materials: Crafting a sanguine spear requires five ingots of green iron. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The top of the tower was freezing cold at all times of the year, but in the depths of winter it was a bitter, evil cold that drank the life of those who went up into it. Aelix had been chasing Artemis around Morrow for three days now, but now the criminal had gone to ground. The badger wished he had picked a more hospitable location for his lair.

The fugitive magician stood at the centre of the circle atop the tower, mage-armoured and chanting. An entire basket of mana-crystals sat atop a table by his side, and every few seconds he reached in and grabbed another, which quickly evaporated.

“I knew I’d find you here,” the young hunter growled, the effect somewhat harmed by his chattering teeth, “Artemis of Ice-Point Spire, I’m here to arrest you for the murders of Nicosia and Castor, also of Ice-Point Spire, and for theft, arson and assault against Imperial magistrates and their deputies. For your own sake, I recommend you come without a fight.”

Artemis smiled at him, an empty smile that did not reach his eyes, and raised his hands high, full of mana crystals. With a blinding flash, they evaporated, and the room shook slightly – though whether from the spell’s completion or the gale outside, Aelix couldn’t be sure.

“Silly boy. I have fulfilled my end of my bargain now, and soon Sorin will fulfil his. I have survived his tests of hate and loss, and you will die up here, alone and unregarded, and I will leave here for the Black Plateau and continue my research where I will not be interrupted by fools with delusions of morality.” He readied his staff.

Aelix brought his spear up to a defensive posture and felt its warmth in his hands. It was the only warm thing in the room, and that gave him courage. He was here as the agent of the Empire, and no mad ritualist could claim supremacy over the law. Especially not a murderer. With strength welling up inside him, Aelix lifted his weapon high, and before Artemis could finish casting, plunged it into his chest with force that surprised even him. The magician crumpled to the ground, spilling mana crystals in all directions.

Aelix dragged his quarry back down the stairs with numb hands. The old man was still alive when they reached the bottom of the staircase, and the swift approach of Livia and Marcellus told him that they’d decided to take his hunch seriously at last. He waved to make sure they had seen him, then grabbed his manacles and securely fastened Artemis' withered hands before starting to tend his wounds.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Sanguine_Spear&oldid=32033"

Sanguine Staff

Description

The Sanguine Staff taps upon the power of the Realm of Spring to enliven the bearer with additional ritual power. These ritual staffs are employed throughout the Empire to fortify the abilities of Spring ritualists. Commonly, the staves are made of natural materials - the best sanguine staffs are created from living brances or even small saplings, kept alive and fruitful by the complex enchantments worked into them.

There are very few known artefact saguine staffs; the idea of permenantly binding the magic of spring into a static form is one that many artisans find troublesome. Traditionally, at the end of the year a sanguine staff is ceremonially buried or burnt - releasing the primordial powers safely. There are occasional stories of these staffs exploding violently when shattered or broken - especially where the staff has been used extensively with the more destructive rituals such as Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea or Thunderous Deluge. Others talk of the staff rupturing and bleeding as if it were a living thing.

Some artisans attempt to focus the uncontrollable energies of the Spring realm in a certain direction, often by including only one of the Runes of Spring. Those who want to encourage the wielder of the staff to focus on healing or strengthening, often combine the rune of blood with the rune of dominion - causing some to call the staff a Scythe of Spring or Scythe of Blood. Some artisans take great pleasure in employing the rune of storms, however, ignoring that sigil's negative connotations and creating a Staff of the Tempest. Finally, in the Marches especially, a staff is crafted with the rune of fertility, and used extensively in magic that grants virility or encourages good crops. Such a staff is sometimes disparagingly called a Farmer's Staff or - somewhat lewdly - a Ram's Rod.

Staff of the Archmage

The staff of the Archmage of Spring is a version of the sanguine staff crafted to a secret pattern, and grants twice as much power to the wielder. Unlike most such staves, the same staves are reforged each year leading some to be concerned that the ritual implement wielded by the premier Spring magician in the Empire might develop dangerous, hidden flaws.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a ritual stave.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Gain 1 rank of Spring Lore.

- Materials: Crafting a Sanguine Staff requires the nine ingots of tempest jade, fourteen measures of ambergelt, twenty measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Sanguine Thorn

Description

Almost always made of wood or bone, rather than metal, a sanguine thorn tends to be a tapering wand stained deep red with iridescent gloaming dyes. The wood itself is shaped and subtly influenced through bathing in beggar's lye, and wound about with orichalcum decorations. It often bears the rune Cavul, representing the power of purity.

Some of these wands, especially those crafted by Navarr or the Marches, have a sharp point near the base, usually a rose or briar thorn. When the wand is used in conjunction with a healing spell, the magician pricks their thumb on the thorn. This sacrifice is not neccessary to use the wand, but rather a reminder that the power to heal rarely comes without a price.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Whenever you cast the heal spell on a target, you also remove the venom condition from that target..

- Materials: Crafting a sanguine thorn requires thirteen measures of beggar's lye, ten measures of iridescent gloaming and seven ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“Cursed Vallorn-spawn,” spat one of the Thorns, clutching at the oozing gash on his shoulder. His legs trembled as he leant heavily against a tree-trunk, eyes wide and white against the stark colours of the tattoos across his cheeks and brow.

He and a half-dozen other casualties of the venomous horror were clustered here in the grove. Brianna was peripherally aware of the rest of the Thornborn prowling around the edges, keeping their eyes open for more trouble, but right now her attention was on the festering monstrosity that her fellows had finally pinned in place with their spears.

If she had to guess, she'd say it was once an orc. Now, though, its skin was a tangle of gnarled, malignant knots of bark-flesh, sprouting thorns and buds. Its hands had tangled into sap-slick claws. Most incongruous of all were the bright flowers that had come into bloom across its back and arms, almost hypnotically beautiful as they exuded sweet, alluring scents that masked the underlying moss-rot of the thing.

It had lunged from the verdant forest, not trying to tear any one victim apart but darting from Thorn to Thorn, slashing at those not fast enough to leap back. Each strike that tore flesh was not just a wounded man but one with viscous venom bubbling in their veins – a clear sign, in Brianna's estimation, that the toxic husk wasn't working on whatever was left of its own instincts.

The Vallorn must have turned in its slumber, sensing their approach. More like this would come, each weakening the Thornborn a little further by sapping their strength. One berserk husk trying to devour flesh could easily be put down; a dozen hit-and-run attacks, however, would take their toll.

It was time to leave. The Trod-work was not yet done; the Vallorn still possessed too much strength.

The Vate drew her wand and hurried between the wounded men and women; each calmly uttered spell caused wounds to heal and flushed the noisome ooze from their veins. Even with the aid of the Sanguine Thorn, to mend all the injured left her utterly exhausted, taxing the inner reserves of her power til there was nothing left.

But without the wand, it would be far worse. Now that the Vallorn-spawn knew they were here, the Thornborn wouldn't be allowed to leave so easily.

As the Navarr warband began to fall back, twisted figures came capering through the wood in their wake.

The hunt was on.

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Sarcophan Delves

The information presented here is designed to give a feel for the foreign nation, and is by no means exhaustive. The focus of the Empire campaign is on the Empire and its citizens, and while this information can be used to create backgrounds or inform role-playing on the field; it is not intended that players portray characters from this foreign nation without discussion with Profound Decisions.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Terrain

- 3 People

- 4 Poltics

- 5 Magic

- 6 Religion

- 7 Look and Feel

- 8 Languages

- 9 The Sarcophan Delves in Play

Overview

Far to the south of the Bay of Catazaar, on the wide, winding delta of the Umshalla River lies the tottering ramshackle city of Sarcophan. More commonly referred to as the Delves, this great metropolis is said to be home to both the wealthiest, and the poorest, people in the world. The Bedelaar Huisbaas (usually rendered as 'beggar kings' in Imperial, or abbreviated to Bedelaar) of Sarcophan head great merchant families whose wealth is founded on the bounty they harvested from the tombs of their predecessors centuries ago. A relatively young nation, whose people see wealth as the highest aspirations, the Sarcophan have a not-entirely-undeserved reputation for ruthless pursuit of profit regardless of the cost.

The Sarcophan Delves occupy the mouth of a great river, an the northern shores of a continent that is largely unknown to Imperial explorers. The tribes, kingdoms and nations near Sarcophan seem to view the city, and the people who live there, as accursed. There have been several wars and skirmishes between the Sarcophan and their neighbours, often using mercenary troops. For the most part, the Sarcophan people are markedly outward-looking, seeking beyond their borders for any opportunity to turn a profit and increase their own fortunes, and the fortunes of their houses. Sarcophan explorers and merchants might be encountered in almost any part of the known world.

Of particular interest to Imperial citizens is the role Sarcophan plays as a port, open to trade with the Empire.

Terrain

Surrounded by marshes and swamps, the air is often filled with clouds of blood-sucking insects, and is ripe with the stench of marsh gas and rot. The great city of the Sacrophan Delves, occupies the remains of a much older city, a great urban ruin of stone monoliths and sunken plazas, partially reclaimed by the swamps on one side and the sea on the other. The palaces of the Beggar Kings, the great guild halls and the Sarcophan markets are all constructed amid the tombs of an earlier civilisation, one whose citizens vanished centuries ago.

Outside the city itself, the poorest Sarcophans make their homes on shifting islands subject to subsidence and erosion, meaning entire villages regularly need to migrate. Even settlements founded on drier land tend to look like open-cast mines, shored with warped planking and scavenged ropes. Rickety buildings lean against each other, while swaying rope bridges connecting settlements to the mainland. Most incongruous of all are the mud-stained icons and monoliths that loom from the marsh in places, watching over the looting of their dead peoples’ ancient places with uncaring stone eyes.

People

A little over four hundred years ago the ancestors of the modern Sarcophan people were bandits and tomb-robbers who came to the mouth of the Umshalla river in search of wealth. They discovered a dead kingdom, a sprawling necropolis devastated by pestilence whose last surviving inhabitants had walled themselves and their families into their own tombs to await for inevitable death. The practical Sarcophan ancestors looted the palaces and tombs of this dead kingdom, building their own city amid the ruins of their predecessors. The great families that rule Sarcophan today are descended from the most ruthless and most successful of these tomb-robbers.

The people of the Delves are descended from a surprising array of immigrants, exiles and even colonists. It is a common saying in some parts of the world that "nobody is native to Sarcophan," although the Bedelaar Huisbaas might contest that. The swamp-city is not a welcoming environment, and it's people have a paradoxical reputation for simultaneously being sickly and healthy as oxen. Disease is rampant in the city, and the physically weak are likely to die unless they are rich enough to afford the best medical treatment. Unsurprisingly, the draughir and briar lineages are very common in this nation and their supernatural blood helps them to thrive in the festering atmosphere.

Today the Sacrophan people are considered to be ruthless and morbid by outsiders. They are known for a dry sense of humour, and a commitment to doing whatever it takes to achieve their goal - which is usually the accumulation of wealth. Their religion (such as it is) teaches that their place in the afterlife must be purchased at great expense, and even the poorest are constantly searching for ways to improve their lot.

Sarcophans rarely throw anything away; wastage is considered unpleasant. Even the richest Bedelaar would rather repair a fine coat than buy another one. It is traditional for Sarcophans to hand-down goods they no longer have a use for, either to family members and friends or to the priesthood to sell to the poor. This spirit of thrift applies to food and drink as well as clothing and other goods; the lower down the social ladder one goes in Sarcophan, the more spices are used in the food to conceal the taste of spoiled meat, sour milk and spoiled vegetables.

Some feral orc tribes live in the swamps and they occasionally become a real threat, but usually the Sarcophans have little the orcs particularly want and vice versa. When they become too problematic, the Sacrophans usually engage in a simple war of extermination until the threat goes away - the Sacrophans are not a slave-owning society and see little advantage in taking orc prisoners. To some outsiders it seems odd that a nation so ruthless in the pursuit of profit is averse to using slaves to get it, but the Sacrophan believe it makes perfect sense. While some may become involved in the slave trade their fellow Sarcophan look down on slavers. As one of their philosophers said "There are few jobs so dangerous, so dirty, so demeaning, that someone will not do them for a silver coin; and I do not need to give anything to a labourer beyond my coin - not housing, not clothing, not food, not drink, nor a funeral."

Rather than slaves, the Sarcophan make great use of the ongelukkig; corpses animated through the practice of zielweven ('soul weaving') that perform tasks too dangerous or unpleasant for human labourers. Many ongelukkig are made from the corpses of the poorest Sarcophan people, who sell their bodies to the zielenwever before they die either to pay off debts, or to provide wealth to their loved ones in the hope they will be able to improve their position. It is considered shameful to be so poor that one has to sell one's own dead relatives to the zielenwever, but is a common practice among the lowest levels of society. Other ongelukkig are made from the corpses pulled from the river and the swamps by the corpse-collectors; the zeilenwever pay a small bounty for each unclaimed corpse given over into their care.

To call a living person ongelukkig is often a serious insult; it implies that they are only fit for work more properly done by animated corpses.

Poltics

The nation is dominated by the Bedelaar Huisbaas, the beggar-kings and beggar-queens of Sarcophan. Each of these merchant-monarchs leads a family founded on the tomb-banquet - the wealth claimed by the original settlers from the tombs and palaces abandoned by their predecessors. Each of the great houses has a seat at the 'great table' - a massive circular stone table that stands at the top of the palace of beggars and is the heart of the nation. Every month the Bedelaars meet here for a feast, during which they discuss trade and decide upon matters that affect the nation as a whole. Three of the seats at the great banquet are not held by members of the great houses. One seat is left empty (for death herself, it is claimed); one is offered to the highest bidder each month at auction; and one is assigned by a public lottery, available to anyone with a silver coin to spend on a ticket.

Competition between the great houses is very fierce. Several times a smaller association has managed to overcome and consume the status of a larger house, claiming their tomb-banquet (the wealth in their vaults) and taking their place at the 'great table'. Outsiders often claim that Sarcophan is "one good meal away from anarchy" but their society has existed in its current form for over two hundred years; while there have been occasional outbreaks of violence and rioting, the great houses have always managed to restore order.

The 'great banquet and those workings of government that the Sarcophan Delves possess are overseen by the Bloedzuiger, the Sarcophan priests. Their role is largely ceremonial, and they are lead by the 'high priest' of Sarcophan, an allegedly immortal priest who ensures that the traditions of Sarcophan are kept alive and that no great house breaks the various unwritten rules of their society. According to some sources most of the Bloedzuiger suffer from disfiguring diseases, while others claim they endure a powerful curse placed by the former rulers of the land that is now Sarcophan.

Magic

The magicians of Sarcophan are experts in the ritual magic of Spring, Autumn and Winter; they have little interest in or propensity for the magic of Day, Night or Summer (beyond a few rituals which protentially increase the profit they can glean for the great houses) and practitioners of those realms are apparently quite rare. As with many other elements of Sarcophan society, the magic of the Delves is directed toward wealth and profit. Magicians are encouraged to be merchants. While every great house has some magicians, several distinct guilds, separate from the great houses, peddle their skills to the highest bidders.

The most influential of these guilds is that of the zielweven - the soul weavers - who bind spirits to corpses to create the ongelukkig workers upon which a fair amount of Sarcophan trade depends. These animated corpses labour in mines and swamps, but they also man the oars of the great Sarcophan galleys that ply their trade all over the known world. Tireless, requiring neither food nor water, but requiring regular attention from a zielenwever, these useful tools seem to have more in common with the Urizen ushabti than the husks created with rituals such as Quickening Cold Meat.

A lot of Sarcophan magic has a distinctly funereal feel. Many of the cultures upstream of Sarcophan believe in putting their dead on the Umshallah river to be carried to some afterlife. The Sarcophan Bloedzuiger gleefully harvest these floating corpses and pack them in special stone chambers filled with sacred molds and apothecary preparations. According to the Bloedzuiger, flesh prepared in this way can be consumed to transfer the memories and even the skills of the person being devoured to another, creating a popular - if gruesome - narcotic. This substance is especially popular with the large draughir population of the Delves.

Religion

The Sarcophan are not a religious people Their 'faith' such as it is seems to be based around the idea that the wealth one amasses in life ensures one a place in a shadowy afterlife they call the houses of silence. Most Sarcophans would be considered blasphemers by Imperial priests - they believe that only the poor and indolent reincarnate, because they have not amassed enough wealth in life to purchase a place in the afterlife. Efforts to communicate the Way to the Sarcophans have largely failed, although there are a few congregations who have embraced the teachings of ambition and prosperity they are very much in the minority.

Sarcophan priests usually wear ornamented death-masks when they are performing their ceremonial roles, and their hooded vestments resemble burial shrouds. The priesthood concerns itself primarily with ceremonial functions, especially funerals and marriages, and with also fills a role similar to that of the Imperial civil sevice (although on a much smaller scale, and prone to a great deal of corruption). Most Sarcophan people give little thought to spiritual matters, considering the soul to have little relevance to the day-to-day struggle for survival against their inevitable mortality. "Death claims everyone," is a common saying, usually accompanied by a shrug.

Especially distasteful to many outsiders is the institutionalized practice of ritual cannibalism as part of funeral services. It is traditional for a dead body to be cooked and prepared, and consumed during the memorial service by the family and friends of the deceased. These cannibalistic wakes are usually accompanied by the finest food and drink the family can afford, and many rich Sarcophans in their declining years scour the known world for exotic consumables to accompany their funeral feast. The living remember the dead person, but they also strive to take some of their strength and character into themselves by eating their flesh.Dying in a way that does not leave a body behind - or worse, being forced to sell ones body to the zielenwever - is seen as a tragic circumstance by most Sarcophans.

Another area that the priesthood concerns itself with is warding off death. Many priests are also physicians and apothecaries, and are experts at treating and preventing the many diseases, infections and parasitic infestations that plague the people of Sarcophan. While not all surgeons are priests, those who are not adopt the same ceremonial death-masks that the priests wear, although usually without their shroud-like vestments.

Look and Feel

TBC

Sarcophan clothing tends to be sturdy and hard-wearing, and is often patched and mended; most Sarcophan would rather mend something than throw it away and buy something new. Colours tend to be muted and dark.

The Sarcophan love jewelry, and will wear as much of it as they can afford. Gifts of jewelry are common, and the most valuable jewels are those that have been handed down from the original tomb-raiders as part of the tomb banquet.

The Sarcophan make a great use of perfumes and incense, both to keep the buzzing insects at bay and to mask the stench of the swamps. The draughir and briar are less likely to use these preventatives.

Clean water is very valuable to the Sarcophan, and most citizens carry a bottle or waterskin with them at all times - not to quench their thirsts, but to wash any open wounds they suffer. A wound that is not quickly cleaned and bandaged will usually become infected very quickly in Sarcophan, leading to expensive medical care, the loss of the limb, or even death,

Languages

The dominant language in the 'Delves is Sarcophan, represented by Dutch. This is the language of the original settlers of the region, and most official documents and all trade takes place in this language. Due to it's status as a trading city, many residents also speak Imperial (English), one of the Asavean dialects, or the Gemeinsamesprache of The Commonwealth. An influx of refugees from the Sumaah Republic has seen a marked rise in the number of citizens conversing with the languages dialects of that distant nation..

The Sarcophan Delves in Play

For all the morbid and death-obsessed elements of their culture, the Sarcophan are first and foremost merchants. They have a strong drive to acquire wealth and comfort, and few scruples to get in the way of achieving that goal. A Sarcophan will see no problem in breaking open a tomb to get at the wealth inside, or moving a tribe of people out of the way of a valuable deposit of weltsilver. They'd much rather employ members of that tribe to help them dig the weltsilver up, but if they refuse they will do whatever it takes to remove the obstacle they present - although many will stop short of simply murdering to get what they want, this is by no means a universal trait.

The Sarcophan are frustrating to many Imperial scholars; they live among the ruins of an older civilisation but have no real interest in learning about it. They smash through priceless murals to get at the burial goods in a tomb, and think little of demolishing a structure that has stood for centuries to get building materials for a road or new house. There is no place in Sarcophan for scholarship for it's own sake.

The great houses of the Sarcophan are mercantile-guilds closer to the carta of The League than traditional noble houses. Competition is fierce, and lacking in sentimentality; a Sarcophan is likely to greet an Imperial citizen who has aided his house with a smile, a handshake and a query of "what have you done for us lately?"

The Sarcophan are not 'evil'; they use animated corpses, and eat the flesh of their relatives but they are not 'comedy bad-guys'. They are culturally very different to the citizens of the Empire, but they are capable of being just as moral as any other human. They don't eat the flesh of strangers any more often than.anyone else does, and while their particular breed of free-market capitalism is lacking in scruple, they combine it with a strong streak of thrift and are quite capable of charity when it suits them.

Archaeology is not something the Sarcophan do; it is possible that an Imperial citizen might have spent time there studying the ruins, but almost everything of interest has been stripped out of the tombs and buildings. While it is acceptable to have a few trinkets from the Sarcophan predecessors (especially if they are rumoured to be cursed), a background in which a character discovers some secret of the predecessor people is unlikely to be accepted.

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Sarcophan Delves ports

Overview

There is only one port available to Imperial characters with the fleet resource and that is Sarcophan itself. In theory it would be possible for a ship to travel further up the Umshallah River, but the Sarcophan have intentionally made the river un-navigable beyond the great sweeping bay their city occupies. Anyone wishing to trade with the kingdoms and tribes of the interior must do so through Sarcophan.

Sarcophan

Built among the tombs of a dead civilisation, on the edge of a fetid herb-rich swamp, the Sarcophan Delves serve as the gateway to an unknown southern continent. The great palace of beggars looms over docks teeming with merchants from all over the known world. Black monoliths stare down with unseeing eyes on the descendants of tomb-robbers and thieves who stole their wealth from the crypts of their predecessors; the wide plazas are flooded with sea water or the fetid mud of the swamps; insects hungry for blood swarm in great black clouds kept at bay by pungent censers and fly whisks. This is Sarcophan, home to some of the richest - and the poorest - people in the world.

This great city is half again the size of Sarvos or Temeschwar and has perhaps twice the population of both cities combined. Many more citizens have draughir or briar lineage than is common in the Empire, and here and there among the crowds go the shrouded and masked Bloedzuiger priests.

Sarcophan is the site of one of the wonders of the world, the palace of beggars. Visible to mariners approaching the tomb-city from many miles out to sea, this black stone tower soars nearly four hundred feet into the skyhigh, and is said to extend great flooded galleries down into the ground beneath the city. The Sarcophan people did not build the palace, they merely occupied it when they claimed the city; at night a great beacon shines from the highest level, except on those nights when the Bedelaars meet in their great feast of politics.

Much of the wealth of Sarcophan came originally from the relics and goods they claim from the tombs and mausoleums of the fallen predecessor civilisation, and when a new crypt is uncovered the market is flooded with grave-goods and curios. Today the city thrives on the wealth of the marsh, and on trade with both foreign merchants and traders from the interior. The swamps around the city teem with life, and both Marrowort and Imperial Roseweald are harvested in great abundance. Sarcophan prides itself on being home to some of the most talented apothecaries in the wold. A prolific cousin of the beggarwood tree thrives in the stinking water and mud of the marshes, and columns of black smoke rise high into the air throughout the day as the scarred labourers harvest beggar's lye, often using the same furnaces to purify the weltsilver they pull from the tombs, ruins and flooded mines.

Trade with Sacrophan

A starting fleet resource that engages in trade with Sarcophan during downtime will produce 3 doses of marrowort and imperial roseweald, 3 measures of beggar's lye and 3 ingots of weltsilver.. A fleet that has been upgraded, or that engages in piracy, will produce more valuable resources according to this chart of foreign ports.

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Sarvos

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Sarvos

- 3.2 The Spider's Dream

- 3.3 Asavean Embassy

- 3.4 Caricomare

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Bocche

- 4.2 Cigno

- 4.3 Foracci

- 4.4 Riposi

- 4.5 Uccelini

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

Sarvos refers both to a territory, and the city that sits at the heart of that territory. The city itself is constructed on an island just off the coast, like a beacon of light in the water. It sees itself as the cultural centre of the League, and arguably the whole Empire. It takes its common epithet from the many mirrors found upon the roofs of the city, said to "sparkle like gems" during the day. Folk legend suggests that if the mirrors are shattered the city will surely fall, and for this reason some citizens carry a mirror about their person, an affectation that encourages unfair accusations of vanity.

Sarvos is as driven as any city in the League, but art is its true passion. They claim to have invented theatre, a ludicrous claim but believable in a city graced with so many theatre-houses. They are certainly the originators of the magician troupes that are now commonplace throughout the League and they are usually the centre of League performance magic. Not just theatre is popular however; there are rival opera houses whose bitter divisions are every bit as keen as those of the leading theatre troupes. Several wealthy merchant princes have endowed their collections of art on the city and there are public galleries where the most beautiful pictures and sculptures can be viewed in exchange for a ring or two.

The land around the Bay of Catazar is lush and fertile, with low flood-plains; olive farms and prime grazing lands fed by the waters of four rivers: the lazy Couros that flows along the border of Highguard and Urizen; the flighty Scorrero, whose capricious nature has drowned many an unwary river captain on its course through the Brass Coast; the broad-banked Gancio, solid and well-defended; and the furious Vassa that flows down through Tassato. The four rivers are central characters in the art and folklore of the city. All the classic literature and theatre includes them in one form or another, whether as central characters or “clowns” during the interludes. A popular game between playwrights and critics is to conceal the characters in some way and challenge the critic to locate them.

Recent History

Sarvos was the birth-place of the Empress Giselle, who held the Throne between 331YE and 346YE. Sometimes called the Unwise, she was a shameless League patriot who put the needs of her nation above those of the Empire. Unlike the vast majority of Emperors and Empresses, after her death she was interred in a marble tomb in the Alvetti guild estates in Caricomare.

In 348YE, the city was struck by a terrible tempest that did significant damage to many coastal parts of the city and lead to the flooding and eventual sinking of the southern district of Caricomare. Reclaiming the ruined quarter of the city was deemed "too expensive" by the Senate - a move that some bitter Sarvosans believed to have been intended as a punishment for the League and the city of Sarvos in particular, in the wake of the unpopular Empress's death. In 378YE, on the thirtieth anniversay of the destruction, work finally began to regenerate the ruined district thanks to generous donations and hard work by the citizens of Sarvos.

Also of note is the establishment of the Asavean Embassy in Sarvos. Senator Mirislav (who was also responsible for the restoration of Caricomare) arranged the establishment of a formal embassy with the Asavean Archipelago in 378YE.

Major Features

Sarvos

The city of Sarvos covers the island of Cigno and in some places extends into the Bay on sturdy pontoons. It is widely said to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world - when the sun strikes the mirrored roofs at sunrise and sunset, the whole island glows like a star. Space is at a premium in Sarvos - cramped streets flow between soaring towers, choked with merchants, tradesmen and students. There are no "green spaces" in Sarvos - the island is simply to crowded and any parks that might once have existed have been built over in recent centuries. To combat this, the citizens often cultivate roof gardens and window-boxes, bringing beautiful and practical plants into their homes. The richest Sarvosan guilds maintain estates on the mainland, allowing the to "get away from it all" when the press of humanity becomes too much. The city is divided into several distinct districts, of which the more famous is probably the dockside ward of Caricomare.

Fire is a constant worry. While there has never been a significant blaze in Sarvos but many residents have regular nightmares that a major fire could destroy the entire city before it could be dealt with (although as one Tassatan wit said, "The whole place is so damp it would take a great deal of effort to set fire to even a small tower.")

It is the site of Diora University, a prominent seat of learning that specialises in researching obscure topics for money. Here can also be found Capodomus Cathedral, one of the largest religious structures in the Empire, a towering monument encrusted with precious materials and objets d’art. It is most famous for its theatres, opera houses, galleries and conservatories - it is truly a city where art is help up as the highest aspiration of humanity.

Sarvos is also a byword for excellent food, and every bar, street vendor and hostelry prides itself on providing its own speciality snack: perhaps a particular way of spicing ham, or salting and smoking beef, or an excellent dipping sauce for vegetables. It is said that an epicure can dine out every night of their life in Sarvos and never eat the same meal twice - it is also home to a great many establishments that serve dishes native to distant nations, often in setings designed to cleverly evoke the sensation of actually being in one of those nations.

Sarvos is also a highly cosmopolitan city - it is common to hear a half-dozen tongues being spoken in the markets and bazaars. Captains from across the known world come to trade with the Empire here - there are docks and quays all around the circumfrence of the island. It is also a popular stopping-off point for ships that have travelled from the central Empire before they embark on journeys to more distant lands.

The Spider's Dream

An elegant bridge spans the river Vassa here, connecting Trivento to the Brass Coast. It is a marvellous piece of engineering that resembles a spider's web. There is a toll to pay, or you can take the long way around. Unfortunately, time has not been kind to the Spider's Dream. Resources initially used to maintain it were siphoned off in the time of Emperor Walter, and the bridge became increasingly dangerous to cross. In Spring 377YE, however, the Imperial Senate took steps to ensure it's restoration to full functionality - reinstating the Imperial Title of Spider's Tollkeep in the process and heading off potentially unpleasant implications for the people of both Sarvos and Madruga.

Asavean Embassy

Following the Spring Equinox 378YE, construction began on an official embassy to the Asavean Archipelago under the watchul eye of Miroslav, Senator for Sarvos. Shortly after the Embassy was complete, accusations of excessive piracy from Nemoria lead to a minor international incident, but a sizable gift organised by the Senator for Temeschwar helped smooth over the growing conflict between Asavea and the Empire. There is now an ambassador in residence, and an influx of Asavean traders has lead to several luxurious goods from the far west becoming more freely available on the streets of Sarvos.

Caricomare

On the south side of Cigno, Caricomare was for thirty years a ruined and abandoned suburb of Sarvos, destroyed by an Autumn storm during the equinox of 348 YE. Today, however, the once devastated district has been restored and is once again a shining jewel in a city of jewels.

Regions

Bocche

This western region shows some influences of the Brass Coast. A major highway passes through Bocche to Madruga, passing over the marvellous suspension bridge, the Spider's Dream. On the eastern side of the bridge is the town of Trivento. Once Trivento had ambitions to become a city to rival Sarvos, but this was before the bridge effectively removed their control of the Vassa crossing. Centuries later there is still some bitterness; Sarvosan sophisticates love to characterise inhabitants of Trivento as "country cousins", while the broadsheets of Trivento regularly depict Sarvos proper as a hive of vice and corruption that needs to be washed away. The people of Tassato are known to gleefully poke both sides of this ancient enmity - and to be quietly pleased that there is not a second city on the Vassa.

Keywords: Coastal

Cigno

This is where the jewelled city of Sarvos proper is found. It spreads across the entire island, and in some places extends a short distance into the bay on sturdy quays and pontoons. On the southern side of the island is the bustling mercantile district of Caricomare - newly restored by the Imperial Senate.

Keywords: City, Coastal

Foracci

The wide plains and scattered woodlands of Foracci are the site of many "country estates" owned by guilds and wealthy individuals from Sarvos. Some bring additional profit to their owners, maintaining farms or woodland preserves. While the region appears on the outside to be reasonably idyllic, there are enough nooks and crannies that travellers here are occasionally confronted with unscrupulous bandits, and most of the estates maintain a small cadre of guards in case these bandits become too ambitious.

Upriver along the Gancio is Rodez, more of an extended suburb of Sarvos than a settlement in its own right. Its harbour is alive with many-oared craft of all sizes; river-boats stopping off from the north, freighters from foreign lands and pleasure-cruisers carrying the wealthy from Sarvos to their inland estates. Many overland visitors to Sarvos stop here to take a ferry to the island.

Riposi

Riposi is a flat, open land with poor, chalky soil. The few farms here tend to own large herds of sheep and goats, and little else. Riposi was at one time known for the cleverness of it's wolves and foxes, but in recent decades both species have been hunted to the point where they are rarely seen. The plains are always described as "mournful" or "gloomy" - cold winds regularly roar in off the Bay, and the influence of nearby Necropolis helps contribute to the general atmosphere of sadness and desperation. A phrase that sees vogue in Sarvos from time to time refers to someone as being "'as poor as a Riposi dirt farmer" - which explains why few guilds admit to having holdings here. In the days before the orc rebellion, large numbers of slaves worked here and it was the site of a bloody confrontation between the revolting orcs and Imperial forces. The battlefield here has become a minor site of pilgrimage for some Imperial Orcs.

In the far east of Riposi, where it touches the coast, is the large cave system known as Orphan’s Haven. It takes it's name from a tale that two shipwrecked children found a fortune in ancient pearls here, stashed by someone long-forgotten. Upon being rescued by local fishermen, they used the greater part of their wealth to finance a home for orphans in Sarvos in the name of the Little Mother. The cave itself contains carvings from lost Terunael, and some people believe it was used in pre-Imperial times as a covered port.

Uccelini

Uccelini extends along the southern coast, and includes a number of small and medium-sized islands that cluster along the northern shores of the Bay of Catazar. Many of these islands are uninhabited, or the site of estates or business concerns that have long-since fallen into ruin. The remaining estates here tend to be quite well fortified - they need to be able to endure occasional raids by Grendel pirates that slip past the Freeborn corsairs.

The highest point along the coastline from Calvos to Sanctuary, Glass Point has a look-out point and a beacon set on a high tower above the cliff. A small town has grown up around it that shares it's named. Some sailors who spent a great deal of time away from shore have adopted the beacon of Glass Point as a tattoo. Some ship captains prefer to trade out of Glass Point rather than Sarvos proper, and those that do have a reputation for smuggling and dealing with barbarians and miscreants in search of a profit - they have taken recent decisions in the Senate very poorly.

Keywords: Coastal

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Sarvos are under the control of the League (and by extension, the Empire) making Sarvos a completely Imperial territory.

- This page is still under development - the next stage is to review approved backgrounds for details that would enrich the description of the territory.

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Sceptre of the Necropolis

Description

The earliest record of these deadly items has them constructed by the Highborn magisters. They saw some use in the early battles with the orcs, and were occasionally used as tools of assassination during the worst periods of patrician rule over the pre-Imperial nation. Today they are generally considered to be deadly but effective implements for pinpoint removal of enemies. If their deathly magic is released properly, the target is potentially removed permanently from the battlefield. If the magic goes awry, however, the wielder may be left dangerously overextended.

Of some interest to historians is that these rods are termed sceptres of the necropolis in early works that predate the destruction of the Highborn city of Pharos. No adequate explanation has been found to date.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day when you cast the paralysis spell, you may call IMPALE rather than PARALYSE.

- Materials: Crafting a sceptre of the necropolis requires twenty measures of beggar's lye, twelve measures of ambergelt, five measures of iridescent gloaming and five ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The sentinel was quick, but the orcs were too many. Cut and thrust, parry and riposte; each flash of his blade drew blood from the Barbarians, but skilled as he was, the outcome was inevitable. Sibylla had known from the outset, from the moment the four huge orcs had broken through the tree-line, from the first gutteral war cry that chilled her blood and froze her feet to the spot.

"Run!" Camillus shouted again; a second orc fell in a spray of gore, its head half severed as its hulking frame slumped to the ground. The diminutive librarian took a hesitant step backwards, unable to tear her eyes away from the battle. The sentinel pulled his blade free, still moving in a measured, elegant dance against the barbarian's relentless savagery, but tiring now, even she could see that. Another parry, another cut, and another death; Sibylla allowed herself a second's hope. The final orc, larger and paler-skinned than the rest, clad in battered and blackened plate armour, took a step forward, and she realised too late that it had merely been biding its time, allowing Camillus to expend his energies on its disposible companions. It bared its teeth - half a snarl and half a leer of mockery - and came at him in earnest, the axe in each hand hammering down towards the sentinel with monstrous speed. Wrong-footed at last, he stepped back, taking his sword into two hands to deflect each strike, until with sick horror, Sibylla watched as the barbarian slowed for a second, feinted low, then with a roar buried an axe in the sentinel's skull, and drove him lifeless to the ground.

Then it raised its head, and saw her. Suddenly her paralysis broke, and she was running through the forest, brambles whipping against her face and hands, the silks of her robes tearing on thorn and vine as she willed her scholar's legs to carry her on. She could hear the orc's heavy footfall behind her - slow, inexorable, and gaining on her with every rasping breath she drew. And ahead of her - never a more welcome sight in all her days - she could finally see the imperial road, the guard post, the distant uniformed figures in purple and gold, if only she could outpace the orc, if only -

Something caught her across the ankle, and suddenly she was staring at the sky, winded and sprawled across a nest of tree roots, her foot trapped under a fallen branch. The orc made its way effortlessly through the undergrowth towards her; she noticed with a strange, sick horror that its belt was strung with human scalps, one tangled with the shreds of a gold and crystal hairnet. She scrabbled furiously away from it, but her ankle was trapped fast; she could smell the carrion on its breath as it put its face close to hers, examining her like a strange specimen that had fallen into its net. It placed first one axe, then the other through its belt, drawing instead a long, curved knife, the hilt encrusted with layers of gore, but the blade still gleaming and wickedly sharp. Silently, her eyes locked with its, Sibylla's hand crept to her belt, a last ditch plan forming in her mind, fingers questing until they found the rounded jade hilt of the rod hanging by her hip. Her lips moved, hissing out the incantation as the orc's eyes narrowed, the blade rising in its hand as its other fist closed in her hair, snapping her head back and baring her scalp for the knife's caress.

With the last of her courage, she drew the rod in a single movement, and thrust it blindly towards the orc's armoured chest. She felt the skinning knife bite into her hairline, the orc grunt in what sounded like surprise, then a spreading warmth up her hand and wrist. When she opened her eyes, it was the blood she saw first, staining the skin of her hand, soaking her sleeve, and the rod all but invisible where the spell had driven it hilt-deep into the orc's chest. For a second the two of them were motionless, poised in a grisly tableau, then the orc fell forward and she slumped back on the ground - exhausted, horrified, but above all, alive.

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Schisms and Heresies

The information below relates to ongoing controversies facing the Synod and the Imperial Faith. Some have been used as a foundation for inquisitions and condemnations of religious crimes, or as the basis for attempts to add, remove or amend the doctrines of the faith, which would make explicit what is, or is not, heresy.

Contents

- 1 Schisms and Heresies

- 1.1 The First Empress

- 1.2 The Unitarian Heresy

- 1.3 The Recollectionist Heresy

- 1.4 The Humanist Heresy

- 1.5 The Transcendant Heresy

- 1.6 The Atuman Controversy

- 1.7 The Abraxian Schism

- 1.8 The Krydacian Blasphemy

- 1.9 The Scourger Heresy

- 1.10 The Lucidian Blasphemy / Auran Idolatry

- 1.11 The Eternal Schism

- 1.12 The Progenitor Idolatry

- 1.13 Miracles

- 1.14 Egregores

- 1.15 The Purification Heresy

- 1.16 Vitalism

- 1.17 The Excessionist Heresy

- 1.18 The Realmist Heresy

Schisms and Heresies

Although the Doctrine of Seven is accepted as Orthodox, there are many disputes and schisms amongst theologians. Some of the Doctrines are disputed. Elsewhere, the Synod has sought to create a Doctrine but been unable to build a consensus amongst the clergy.

The First Empress

It is widely accepted that the First Empress was a Paragon. However, to date, there has been no consensus as to which Virtue Path she followed to escape the Labyrinth of Ages. There are priests and pilgrims from each of the Seven Paths who claim that the weight of evidence supports that the First Empress was a Paragon of their favoured Path. There have been several attempts to identify archaeological evidence to settle this debate once and for all.

The Unitarian Heresy

Unitarians dispute the Doctrine of Seven, claiming that the Seven Paths are One Path. Unitarians point to the First Empress as a clear example of a Paragon of All Virtue. However, Investigative Theologians point to the inability of humans to Dedicate to two Virtues without loss of focus and that the consensus is that each Paragon followed a single path.

The Recollectionist Heresy

Recollectionists dispute the Doctrine of Reincarnation. They maintain that the visions granted by pure liao are not past lives, but are ancestral memories. That is, the vision is of the person’s distant genealogical relative rather than of the individual’s spirit reborn. One unproven byproduct of this claim is that Exemplars would be reborn within family lines.

The Humanist Heresy

Humanists dispute the Doctrine of Reincarnation. They interpret pure liao visions as being from a pool of racial memories stored within human nature. This pool of natural memory is available to all humans and that there need not be a direct link between the vision and the one experiencing it.

The Transcendant Heresy

Transcendentalists dispute the Doctrine of Reincarnation by claiming that there is no Labyrinth of Ages. The human spirit, upon death, transcends the mortal and mundane to merge with other human spirits who have died. This merging of spirits is believed to form some kind of Great Spirit, a psychic entity that exists outside the mortal realm. They claim liao puts a person in contact with this Great Spirit and grants access to its store of memories and knowledge. Some claim that this psychic entity may even be the Creator Spirit itself, though this view is arguably Idolatry.

The Atuman Controversy

Atuman of Highguard, one of the legendary Navigators who steered the Highborn to this land, was held for several generations to be a Paragon of Ambition. However, this claim was undermined by Aldones di Sarvos, one of the founders of the League, who described having a past life vision which revealed that he was Atuman reborn. Aldones later went on to be recognised as a Paragon of Ambition. Some Highborn priests have claimed that Aldones lied about the vision to deny Atuman's paragonhood and spite Highguard, however League Bishops strongly decry this smear on Aldones' legacy. There have been several attempts to settle this controversy through archaeological or visionary means.

The Abraxian Schism

In life, Abraxus was a respected Pilgrim of the Path of Wisdom and held by some to be an Exemplar. However, he became a controversial figure when he claimed he had learned how to use pure liao to not only contact his past lives, but those he was yet to live. A large number of cryptic and prophetic scrolls are attributed to Abraxus . These are scattered and still highly sought after today.

The Krydacian Blasphemy

An Orc named Bloodhammer Krydak once famously claimed to be the reincarnation of Tian, Paragon of Ambition. He was decried as a Blasphemer, for denying Tian's Paragonhood and exalting his own inhumanity, but many who met Krydac found his words compelling. The Synod were pressured to meet with Krydak to evaluate his claim, but he was assassinated before this happened. Krydak remains a controversial figure to this day.

The Scourger Heresy

Scourgers dispute the Doctrine of Human Destiny and claim that the non-human races, such as Orcs, may be reincarnations of human spirits, but who have been warped and deformed by lack of Virtue and too long lost and wandering in the Labyrinth of Ages. They believe that those who sin greatly in life and lack virtue risk rebirth in an accursed and damned form.

The Lucidian Blasphemy / Auran Idolatry

Lucidianism arose in the spires of Urizen and believe that the creation of virtuous auras, through means such as consecration and anointing, actually interfere with the objective and rational pursuit of a Virtue. Some Lucidians go so far as to claim that such auras represent a form of Idolatry and are as inclined to exorcise a virtuous aura as a malign spiritual presence. This opposition to manifestations of Virtue has led other Priests, especially Highborn Wayfarers, to accuse Lucidians of Blasphemy against the Virtues. To date, the Lucidians remain a minority in the Synod.

The Eternal Schism

There have been several attempts by various Synods to craft a Doctrine relating to the Eternals and their Realms, but each has failed to build a consensus. The biggest divide is along Inclusionist and Exclusionist lines. The Inclusionists hold that the Eternal Realms are part of the wider Creation and that contact with Eternals is inevitable and unavoidable, and must be carefully managed, not unlike a plague or forest fire. The Exclusionists hold that the Eternal Realms exist outside of the true Creation and are akin to parasites attached to the mortal world. They claim humanity will never be truly free to realise its own destiny until all ties are severed.

The Progenitor Idolatry

Progenitorians dispute the Doctrine of the Creator by claiming the seeds of human destiny were deliberately planted by the Creator Spirit. They claim the Creator Spirit desires humanity to grow and reach its full potential so that they can commune with the Creator Spirit, and that Paragons who have escaped the Labyrinth of Ages may do precisely this. This sect has been accused of skirting on the edges of Idolatry for implying that The Way of Virtue can be seen as the worship of the Creator Spirit.

Miracles

Tales of the earliest Paragons contain some miraculous claims, such as Tian taking fire from the sun, and Kord cutting down an entire forest with a single axe. Some Priests maintain these tales are literally true and speak of the full potential of human destiny, whilst others maintain that the tales have grown in the telling whilst still providing insight into the ingenious application of virtue for prospering humanity.

Egregores

When the First Empress sought the creation of the Egregores, she consulted the Synod. As Egregores are the manifestation of human consciousness and culture, they were deemed as being human magic, and so the Synod were entirely in favour. It was further recognised that Egregores owe their existence and form to the human nations and were thus subordinate to humans. Finally, it was concluded that as the Citizens embraced Virtue, so too the Egregores would mirror this and display virtue. The only dissent came from Exclusionists who hold that once the Eternal Realms are banished, so too must the Egregores depart.

The Purification Heresy

Purifiers dispute the Doctrine of Seven. There have been several Purification Sects across Imperial History, each of whom have sought to have all Citizens of a Nation Dedicate to a single Virtue. Included amongst various rationales has been a desire to see an Egregore of a Nation also be a magical Avatar of a Virtue as it reflects the Dedication of the Nation. Historically, Purification Sects have attained brief popularity before either imploding or losing momentum.

Vitalism

Vitalists believe that the qualities that aid one in the Labyrinth of Ages are not purely spiritual ones, and that physical qualities are important too. Part of the argument for this is that liao itself is a substance that is consumed, therefore what is consumed can have an impact on the soul. Vitalists do not always agree which physical qualities are the special ones. There are a number of variant regimens - a mixture of diets and/or excerises - which are held by those who follow them to aid the passage of the spirit through the Labyrinth of Ages. Vitalism only becomes blasphemy at the point that the practices are held as an alternative to living a virtuous life, instead of as a supplement to.

The Excessionist Heresy

Excessionists claim that too much of a Virtue can be as bad as too little. This conflicts with the Orthodox teaching that the Virtues are pure and the key to human destiny. The charge is levelled against Excessionists that they are making excuses for their own shortcomings and failings in embracing the virtues in their strongest and purest senses.

The Realmist Heresy

Realmism is the belief that the Labyrinth of Ages is actually a Realm akin to Night or Day, albeit one that is not accessible via the Hall of Worlds in any known manner. Some have even expected that Paragons actually go on to become Eternals of this spiritual realm. In response to Realmists, the Synod created the Doctrine of the Labyrinth which refutes this teaching.

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Scorpion's Sting

Description

These unpleasant knives are valued by assassins and murderers, and few who are on the receiving end of a Scorpion's Sting survive to tell the tale. The weapons are often curved, in shapes reminiscent of scorpion tails or the fangs of venomous creatures. Sometimes the blade or the handle is marked with the rune Rhyv, or with a depiction of a poisonous creature or plant, but many are studied in their nondescript appearance - and for good reason.

In 143YE it was made illegal to carry this weapon within the Empire; possession resulted in a fine, with an equally serious fine for the artisan who crafted the blade if they could be identified. In some cases magistrates chose to levy both fines on the bearer of the knife where they refused to name the person who supplied them with it. As Senator Ravani de Sarvos said during the debates that lead to the law being passed: "There is simply no reason for a civilised person to carry one of these nasty little toys, except that they mean to commit murder." While the Navarri senators in particular disagreed, the law was passed by a sizable majority.

In Winter 378YE, however, the Senator for Hercynia Bloody Trees Rhain of Winter's Vigil striding persuaded the Senate to remove the prohibition against this weapon. He cited the need for weapons to fight vallornspawn husks - creatures which are extremely susceptible to the kind of venom the Scorpion's Sting produces. It is now legal to make and carry the weapon, althought some magistrates still view the use or even possession of this weapon during the commission of another crime to exacerbate the seriousness of the criminal activity, and hand down harsh penalties as a consequence.

Rules

- Form: Dagger

- Effect: Once per day, you may call VENOM with this dagger. You are also affected by venom when you use this ability.

- Materials: Crafting a Scorpion's Sting requires seven units of beggar's lye and four ingots of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The Ambassador tried to catch her breath, but did not take her eyes off the man on the other side of the bedchamber. He kept his long, slim blade pointed roughly at her heart, holding the curved dagger in his other hand in an almost negligent grip. Her own sickle-shaped short swords were held in the traditional Two Moons style, ready to catch and break his rapier should he try to thrust.

"You fool, you've killed us both." she tried to keep her voice light, playful, but she could feel the venom in her blood, and knew that a few lucky strikes from the assassin would result in her death. Her gossamer robe was stuck to her skin with fearsweat and the blood from the single stab-wound in her shoulder.

"You should have thought of that, madame Ambassador, before you agreed to spy on the Empire." The assassin's voice likewise was light, unconcerned, as if they were discussing minor matters over a glass of wine.

"The venom is in your blood too, assassin. When my guards break down that door you will not draw two further breaths ..."

The assassin shrugged, one-shouldered. He was breathing heavily, two nasty gashes in his chest from her twin blades turning the front of of his white shirt a deep, angry crimson.

"It does not matter to you, Madame, because by then you will be far beyond the help of even your peoples' famed apothecary skills."

He shifted slightly,and she moved almost at the same time to place one of the pillars of her great canopied bed between them. The assassin had a crossbow on his back, but if he tried to ready it she would strike fast enough to kill him and he knew it.

"My Signeura told me a story when I was young," said the assassin suddenly, out of nowhere. "Perhaps you have heard it? It concerns a scorpion who wished to cross the river Gancio, and a frog who served as his ferryman. Perhaps you are familiar with it?"

The Ambassador made an impatient gesture.

"Yes yes, my people have a similar tale. Halfway across the scorpion stings the frog, despite having promised not to do so. They both drown."

The Assassin chuckled then, and with a smooth motion slipped his curved dagger into his belt. The Ambassador flinched, but he made no further movement.

"Do you recall what the scorpion says to the frog at the end?"

From outside the Ambassador heard the sound of her guards breaking down the outer door to her apartments. She began to smile, and stood up a little straigher. All she needed to do now was hold the Assassin off for at most another minute ... she chose to indulge him, to keep him talking.

"Yes of course. The frog asks 'Why have you done this you have doomed us both!' and the scorpion replies 'because it is in my nature.' I did not know your people were so prone to suicidal behaviour."

The Assassin shook his head.

"My Signeura ends the story differently." He said with a wry grin. With a quick motion, his empty hand dipped into a hidden pouch and came out holding a tiny amberglass bottle. He flicked the top of the bottle off with his thumb.

"In the version my Signeura tells, the frog asks his question - "What have you done, you have doomed us both!"

Without blinking, or taking his eyes off her, he gulped the contents. He shuddered, the sweat beading across his visible skin tinged with pink. The Ambassador gasped in sudden understanding. She looked desperately around for something to protect herself, to delay him further, but knew it was futile.

"And the scorpion replies 'Foolish frog! Like all my family, I can swim ....'"

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Scrivener's Bloodmark

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Duration

- 1.5 OOC Element

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets two characters. Each character must be present throughout.

The ritual requires a written contract that details the agreement between the two characters, and both must sign it during the ritual. One or more of the contributors must mark the contract with a drop of their own blood after it has been signed.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

During the rite the ritualists draw up a contract which acts to bind two individuals (and no more than two) into a deal or agreement. The targets must sign the contract willingly at the completion of the ritual.

Thereafter any of the contributors may use a pronouncement of doom to call a curse down upon one of the two parties. This is usually done on someone who breaks the contract, but the magic will work regardless.

Someone receiving the curse will permanently have the rune of Lann magically branded upon their flesh in a prominent position; most often his is one of the forearms or the cheek. A detect magic spell or similar effect will always detect the presence of this curse even if the rune is covered. Bright Lantern of Ophis or Wisdom of the Balanced Blade may determine additional details regarding the nature of the contract broken; the ritualists who delivered the curse; or the other party in the contract.

The ability to call the curse down lasts for one season. If the curse is activated on one or both of the targets, the mark and magical aura are permanent.

Additional Duration

The duration of a contract may be extended by increasing the magnitude of the ritual by 1 for each additional season; this effects only how long the curse may be called down for, not the duration of the mark.

OOC Element

The target may choose where the brand appears (forearm or cheek or, with the approval of a referee, somewhere else). It may be phys-repped with make-up but a prosthetic or textured material such as collodion is ideal. Profound Decisions make-up department may be available to help phys-rep the result of this ritual, but it is especially ideal if the players who performed the ritual can help the target.arrange the brand.

Description

This ritual seals a contract, witnessing it with Autumn ritual magic. The contributors then serve as agents of the contract, as it were, seeing that the agreement is kept by both sides and ceremonially cursing those who they believe have broken the contract. The ritualists usually keep hold of the ritually signed and sealed contract, although it is not necessary to call down the curse on one of the guilty parties.

The curse itself appears minor, but the mark it creates is almost impossible to remove. It will reappear elsewhere if the skin s excised or the limb lost, and while it is possible to use certain rituals to hide one's aura from divination, simply doing so may attract just as much attention. Any merchant or trader who learns that someone bears the mark of a broken Scrivener's Bloodseal is likely to think very carefully before entering into an agreement with them. Many scrivener's, and their counterparts in other lands, refuse to create contracts or witness agreements between people who have been marked in this way. All of this goes some way towards ensuring that targets take the contract very seriously; and select which ritualists will have the power to mark them in this way very carefully indeed. Mind you, if a ritualist or coven gets a reputation for abusing this ritual, the likelihood they will be trusted to perform it (or similar magic) again is very low. In some cases in the past, covens who abused this ritual were branded sorcerors, especially when the Imperial Conclave was dominated by Freeborn magicians or those of the Golden Pyramid order.

The Scrivener's Bloodmark is a ritual attributed to the Freeborn scrivener and magician Therasia i Aguelera i Guerra. The cambion is one of the earliest scriveners, and may even be the source of the legend that cambion blood is especially good for sealing contracts. A grand-daughter of the original Guerra, she did much to bind the early Freeborn together as they explored and expanded through their new home, and eventually became a powerful and well respected Hakima. Contracts marked with what seems to be her blood occasionally surface in archives or troves of documents, and some ritualists especially prize them as additional foci for this ritual.

The ritual is not practiced solely by the Freeborn. In Varushka and Wintermark it is referred to as Names Bound By Blood, and the parchment scroll is often replaced with a piece of deer hide on which the agreement to be observed is carefully painted. In The Marches it is called Two Bloody Thumbs - the contract is written, sealed and signed, then both parties ceremonially cut their thumbs and press them together to seal the agreement. Among the Navarr this ritual often involves adding the mark of Lann as a tattoo to the targets, especially when it is made to seal very important very important deals; in this case it is often called Binding Oath of Bloodied Thorns.

Common Elements

This ritual creates a magical agreement between individuals. The contract may be written as part of the performance, and some ritualists believe that doing so ensures it is kept short and sweet. Both target signs the contract, and then the contributors mark it with their blood. Some covens and solo ritualists keep a special knife or pin to hand specifically to draw blood for this ritual. Virgin quills and fresh parchment are used for the ritual, especially among the Imperial Orcs oathwrights who study this magic, for fear that previous words written on paper or by an implement might warp the agreement in some unforseen way. The contract is often read aloud, and accompanied by a verbal as well as written agreement. The ritual may evoke the rune Lann; in some parts of Wintermark especially the signatories sign the document with the Lann rune rather than their names, using ink mixed with their blood. The constellation of The Web may be evoked, and so might the Imperial virtues of Loyalty and Prosperity.

In rare cases, the ritualists may invoke the Lictors; doing so is not known to make the ritual any more potent, but those who have been marked with the curse that comes of breaking the agreement will find Lictors implacable opponents ... but nowhere near as implaccable as those few ritualists who have called on their names and then abused the power of the ritual to deliver an undeserved curse.

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Scrivener's Seal

This page describes the item; if you are looking for the ritual, try Scrivener's Bloodmark

Description

While any artisans can bond a customer to any item they can make, there are many circumstances where someone needs a third party to create that bond. A customer may also wish to break a bond between themselves and one of their possessions, something which is beyond the abilities of most artisans. Tools such as the scrivener's seal are invaluable in these circumstances. Occasionally the lower end of the wand is made into an actual seal, if made for a specific individual. The formation of covens, particularly large ones, can involve the use of these wands if for some reason it proves difficult to .

Dawnish Seneschals often find use for these wands whenever their noble masters wish to be bonded to an extravagent new possession immediately, particularly when they have bought an entire outfit of magical items. It would be unseemly for a noble to purchase their equipment personally and thus the artisan is seldom on hand to complete the bond. Quartermasters all across the Empire find these wands useful for similar reasons. It is little use acquiring magical spoils from the enemy or the finest equipment if there is no way of making use of it.

At times these wands are regarded with suspicion, being an excellent tool for fences, just as a Maggot's_Talon is an excellent tool for thieves.The gangs of Temeschwar used both wands extensively during the height of their power. The gangs referred to the wands by the name Edvin to confuse eavesdroppers - "Can I have a word with Edvin?" was a subtle way of asking to have a stolen item bonded.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day you may cast the create bond spell without expending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a scrivener's seal requires seven measures of iridescent gloaming and five measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Julius stood nervously while the scrivener examined the sword. She turned it this way and that in her long, delicate fingers. She flicked the blade once with one golden talon, and nodded thoughtfully. She put the sword down on the table between them and turned her deep bronze eyes on the bravo.

"How did you come by this fine blade again?" She asked casually.

Julius gulped. "I bought it, madame. From a Steinr fellow. He did not make it himself and so could not ..." He waved one hand vaguely. The scrivener barely suppressed an amused smile.

"You know this merchant's name?" She asked

"Yes it was ..." He began. The scrivener shook her head.

"I don't need to know the name, just to know that you know it. In case anyone asks me later." She raised an eyebrow. "Is anyone likely to ask me later?"

Julius shook his head quickly.

"And why have you brought this to me rather than going to one of your own magicians?"

"Bother one of the actors? They're too stuck up for the likes of me. And the ones that aren't are up to something. Or from Regario." Julius' mouth twisted into a sneer. "Nah, nobody there can help me. Lisette from my company told me you were cheap."

The cambion raised an eyebrow. Julius faltered and quickly started to bluster an apology but the Freeborn waved it away.

"The price is agreed then? Three rings in total, payable on completion?" The bravo nodded. "Hold out your hand, please."

Julius held out his left hand but the cambion reached out and took his right hand instead, placing it palm up on the table next to the sword. She drew a short polished wand from what he had initially mistaken for a knife-sheath, and laid it next to a roll of quills,calligraphy brushes and small bottles of ink. Working quickly and carefully, she selected one of the brushes, dipped it in the ink, and traced a curving character on the palm of his hand, and an identical character on the pale leather of the swords's pommel.

"Here then is the mark of ownership, and here the mark of being owned." She put the brush down, and picked up a sharp scalpel from her writing kit. He closed one eye, wincing in anticipation, but rather than cutting Julius' flesh, the cambion pressed the blade against the ball of her right thumb, where he could see a mass of tiny scars already existed. A drop of dark blood welled up as she put the scalpel down and picked up the wand. She pressed the tip against her thumb, then over the mark she had painted on the weapon.

"Fit this sword to the hand that wields it." she whispered. She moved the wand aside and he saw that the painted mark and the blood had run together, creating a neat, swirling circle. She pressed the wand then against the mark on his palm.

"Tie this weapon to this warrior with bonds of glass and fire."

He felt a tingle then in his hand as the tip of the wand seemed to become very cold, and then very hot as she maintained a steady pressure against his flesh. Then she removed it and he saw an answering red-and-black mark where it had been.

"The mark will fade in a day or so, faster if you use soap." The cambion held her wand casually, but she had her other hand flat on the blade of Julius' weapon. He laid his hand on the pommel of his sword, and immediately knew that it was without a doubt his; sword. He tried to lift it, but the scrivener kept it pinned to the table.

"Three rings, I believe?" she said.

"Three rings is a lot of money, especially for such a simple spell ...." he began slowly. The cambion immediately shook her head.

"Do you see those orcs, there, by the door?"

He had passed them on his way in - a half dozen bruisers, off-duty and relaxing, occasionally banging their mugs on the table in approval as they watched a couple of hairy bards from the Marches throwing a ribald tale of bawdy behaviour and war back and forth between them.

"From past experience I will have time to yell 'Thief!' twice before they are surrounding my table, asking me if everything is alright and offering to sort out anyone who is causing me problems. From there, we will proceed to the magistrates, and we will see if he believes me - a respected professional from a people with a reputation for scrupulous business dealings - or you - an unknown bravo from a people who are not known for their scrupulous business dealings. He will find you guilty of attempting to steal from me, I suspect. He will give you a fine that is a lot more than three rings. In the event you do not pay that fine, I will casually suggest that you could instead work off the debt by doing some services for me. You would not like those services, and would look back at this moment where you tried to rob me and you would curse yourself for a fool. Do you understand?"

She continued to stare at him, her face blank but her eyes .... her eyes promised punishment if he continued along the unwise course he had chosen. The bravo swallowed, his throat dry. He reached into his money pouch and placed four one-ring pieces on the table. The scrivener sighed.

"Three. Rings." She said slowly, as if to a child.

Slightly incredulous, he picked up the fourth ring and put it back in his purse. The cambion moved her hand, and he picked up his sword and sheathed it.

"It is customary in these situation to say something like 'A pleasure doing business with you.'" She said. Then fell silent. Staring at him with her eerie bronze eyes until he stammered something incongruous and left her table.

The bravo made his way to the door, without looking back. She did not watch him leave, replacing her wand in it's sheath and proceeding to make a note of the transaction in her little notebook, absently sucking on her bloodied thumb as she did so.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Scrivener%27s_Seal&oldid=32701"

Secrecy

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 An Inclusive Game

- 3 No Spies

- 4 Imperial Orcs

- 5 On the Wiki, In the Downtime

Overview

Empire is intended to be a game of political intrigue between players, so there are many moments where players have pieces of in-character information that they wish to keep secret - either from each other or from the barbarian enemies of the Empire. However the ideal for the wiki is that it serves as a useful resource for players that tells them as much as possible about the game. Clearly there are points when the public nature of the wiki comes in conflict with the player desire for secrecy. This page attempts to explain, as best as possible, how those conflicts are handled by us and the theory underpinning those decisions.

An Inclusive Game

The goal for Empire is a game where much of the political discourse takes place in the player's eye. Political games are very susceptible to "secret meeting syndrome" where the key political decisions are decided by a small group of players in a secret meeting that nobody else is aware of. To keep Empire as accessible as possible to players - and to new players in particular - the political process is deliberately highly public. For instance

- Senate viewing gallery with Senate motions public

- Synod and Conclave participation models

- Bourse auctions

- The Synod power of Witness

The last element in particular means that a player who wants to can ensure their right to be in attendance at virtually all the significant meetings in the game. All of these decisions are deliberately taken to make the game as accessible as possible for new players.

No Spies

Setting the game up in this matter creates an artificial weakness for the Empire - they could easily be spied upon by their enemies who could learn what decisions were being taken. On the surface, the logical way to respond to this weakness would be to lock down meetings and exclude everyone who was not essential whenever a key decision was being taken. Generals would be well advised not to tell anyone what battles they were planning or what the strategy was. It is clear that this approach would help the Empire prevent espionage - but it would also make the game less enjoyable for everyone.

There is also a peculiar asymmetry - because Empire is a game of politics and war with events set at Anvil - it isn't possible for players to spy on the Druj, the Thule or their other enemies. There are rituals that can be performed and there may be quests to intercept scouts and the like - but you can't submit a downtime request to travel to the Druj heartlands and spy on their high-councils.

So espionage is not something players can do - the event structure simply does not permit it. And counter-espionage is not something we want the players to do - it makes the game less fun for everyone. Therefore our plot writers are under a strict moratorium that forbids any plot that uses spies in Anvil. There will be plenty of NPCs in Anvil who are up to nefarious purposes, they may be thieves, enemy agents, or saboteurs - but they aren't spying. Espionage simply isn't a theme of the game.

Imperial Orcs

Imperial Orcs are particularly susceptible to having their game undermined by Profound Decisions. It would be trivially easy to create a Druj orc agent masquerading as an Imperial Orc. We've deliberately suggested that this is difficult in the setting material, but the reality of how LRP games play out is that it would be exceptionally easy to trick most participants.

Doing so would be utterly unfair to the Imperial Orcs - they have plenty of disadvantages as the game stands anyway - but their lack of political power is intended to be an enjoyable challenge they can overcome. Being locked out of political and military meetings and decisions - because no-one could tell if an individual orc was a Druj agent or an Imperial Orc is not something that adds to the fun of the game. Proving who you are, that you are a loyal Imperial cititizen, would be significantly more easy if the Empire existed on a day-to-day basis than is actually the case for a LRP game where your character exists for eight days a year and has never before met another character in the entire world if this is your first event...

For all these reasons we have utterly refused all player requests to play orc double-agents and our plot writers are clear that that is not plot that we are prepared to run. Imperial Orcs are highly tribal, they know their own - orcs who are at Anvil can be easily identified and their loyalty easily verified.

On the Wiki, In the Downtime

The material on the wiki is a resource for use by everyone who plays Empire. It is not a source of intelligence for the enemies of the Empire. Our writers will obviously use the campaign material to produce plot, but there is a clear understanding that the Thule or the Jotun have no in-character method to access any information that is present on the wiki. The same principle extends to the downtime system - no element of the downtime system that is visible to players is considered to be accessible in-character by the enemies of the Empire.

A good example of this is the recent Imperial Senate motion to create a spy network in Otkodov. The spy network works by allowing players with military units to assign them to the spy network - this is referenced in the Senate motion which is on the wiki - and the option to assign your military unit to the Otkodov spy network appears in the downtime options for every player.

The advantage of taking this approach is that it significantly simplifies the downtime administration for everyone. There is no need for anyone to coordinate lists of characters with secret access to secret downtime options - everyone can just log in and those who want to participate can just click the option and they are done.

Ultimately we accept that some people would prefer to roleplay that their character remains ignorant of the existence of the Otkodov spy network - in which case they should choose to in-character ignore the information provided by the wiki and the downtime system.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Secrecy&oldid=29734"

Secrets for the Shadow Courier

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 1.5 Options

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

While this ritual is not an enchantment, a given character can only be under the effect of one Secrets for the Shadow Courier at a time.

Effects

This ritual requires a suitable bag or pouch no more than 18" deep or 6" wide. It targets a single character, who may be one of the contributors

At the completion of the ritual the target character gains an item equivalent to a night pouch that cannot be opened by anyone save the target; the contents cannot be accessed by anyone else without ritual magic or a special ability.

Any ritual that attempts to open the pouch or gain information about it or its contents must at least match the magnitude at which Secrets for the Shadow Courier was performed.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year; at the end of this time anything left in the pouch is lost.

Additional Magnitude

You may choose to create a more powerful effect, which is harder to penetrate or remove. You may increase the magnitude of the ritual by any amount.

Options

If the ritualists include five measures of iridescent gloaming as part of the cost to perform the ritual, they can perform the ritual on a pouch up to 24" deep or up to 9" wide.

Description

The night pouch spell creates a useful item, but this ritual builds on its power to create a more secure container. It is likely that this ritual represents the earliest form of night pouch, from which the existing spell was refined and specialised.

One of the main advantages it has over the night pouch spell, beyond the difficulty of opening it, is that it can be used to create a night pouch for anyone, and that the pouch lasts for a full year. Another advantage, albeit a minor one, that makes the ritual appealing to others is that even the ritualists who performed Secrets for the Shadow Courier possess no special ability to open the pouch.

Common Elements

Things that enhance themes of secrecy, concealment and privacy are common elements with this ritual. The pouch itself is often embroidered with night runes, especially Diras.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Secrets_for_the_Shadow_Courier&oldid=35091"

Secrets of Skillful Artifice

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the artisan skill.

An additional character who knows how to make the item chosen by the ritualists must also be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

When the ritual is begun the ritualists must choose a single magic item they wish the target artisan to be able to craft. There must be someone present who already knows how to make that item, but they need not be a willing participant.

At the completion of the ritual the target artisan gains the ability to make the chosen item, as if they possessed the appropriate extra item skill. The target also experiences a roleplaying effect: they occasionally hear faint whispers, offering advice on the quality of crafted items or on tasks related to crafting, art or artifice. These whispers can occasionally be quite distracting.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

As the Eternals of Night enjoy beautiful art and cunning artifice, almost as much as they love secrets and mysteries. Through this ritual, the magicians can help artificers to share their knowledge with each other - but they can just as easily use it to steal the secrets of how to create something from an unwilling target.

While the ability to craft an item remains for only a short time, there is nothing to prevent the ritual being used again, or being performed multiple times. During the reign of Empress Giselle, for example, a cabal of Temeschwari ritualists were found guilty of kidnapping skilled crafters and keeping them imprisoned, using this ritual to allow their own artisans to duplicate their finest work and selling the proceeds for a pretty profit.

Common Elements

This ritual is often performed in conditions of dim lighting, and one or both of the artisans involved in the ritual may be masked or blindfolded. A connection is often created between the two artisans - they may be tied together, or may both hold one end of a length of silk or metal. In some cases, they are bound together by multiple threads by the ritualists. Symbols of artifice and creation are often used, and there is often a symbolic moment where the artisan who knows how to craft the desired item passes something to the target - often a cup of wine, sometimes with a little blood in it.

In some cases, especially when the ritual is performed by the Freeborn the artisan with the item knowledge is paid by the recipient either symbolically or an arranged fee. This practice is said to intensify the roleplaying effect that the target experiences, and the voices often mutter negatively about someone who would sell a secret for mere money.

The rune of secrets is often used in this ritual, as are the runes Aesh and Pallas.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Secrets_of_Skillful_Artifice&oldid=22835"

Secrets of the Empty Heart

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect; they do not want to share their secrets with others, and are suspicious of those who try to encourage them to do so.

At any time, after 5 seconds of appropriate roleplaying, they can choose to die.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same band. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual allows a person to die rather than reveal their secrets.It is sometimes used to give agents or scouts who run the risk of being captured and tortured a 'way out' if they are captured with no chance of escape. It has been used occasionally by unscrupulous foreign powers, who convince their agents that the ritual will cause them to die in extreme pain if they do not voluntarily use it when they are being interrogated.

Common Elements

This ritual may involve an oath or promise not to share a specific piece of information. The target may shed a small amount of blood when the ritual is performed, connecting the small pain of a cut or pinprick with the cessation of life the ritual allows.

The rune of secrets is often used in this ritual, as is Queros the rune of plots.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Secrets_of_the_Empty_Heart&oldid=22836"

Bands (Redirected from Sect)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Role of Bands

- 3 Joining a Band

- 4 Creating a Band

- 5 Banners

- 6 Covens

- 7 Sects

- 8 Linking Bands Together

Overview

In Empire it is possible for characters to formalize their loyalty to each other by creating a band. Bands draw on the hearth magic of oaths combined with magical bonds created by magicians to allow members to use certain skills, rituals and items more effectively on each other. For instance ritualists who are part of the same coven (a type of band) can combine their skills to perform more powerful rituals.

Bands are intended to build on the characterisation of the group concept that you have created for your characters. They are there to recognize and support the choice to act as part of a Dawnish noble house, a League guild or a Freeborn family. Players creating characters together are encouraged to use the potential abilities of bands to add depth and character to their group concept.

The Role of Bands

We encourage players coming to Empire to attend as part of a band with their friends. Bands can help to add depth and enjoyment to characterization, making all the characters feel more real and be more fun to play. The band can have its own identity and history and gives characters a way to belong to something that is bigger than they are, yet is still something they can create a history and background for. Bands give OOC friends good IC reasons to roleplay together and good groups are great for helping new players get involved in a game.

The brief for every nation in Empire includes several archetypes to help you develop the idea for a band. For instance a noble house in Dawn, or a chapter in Highguard. There are pages for some of these archetypes explaining the part they play in the setting and offering advice on how to create and play one. These concepts have been designed to be fun to play, but the list is not meant to be restrictive. You can create a travelling band of Dawnish troubadours, or a secretive guild of Highborn artisans if you wish to. Working with your friends, you have the same freedom to create a group concept as you do to create your own character.

Joining a Band

- There are three types of band, banners, covens, and sects

- You may join one of each type of band when you create your character

- You can only ever join a band with members of the same nation

- Joining a band in play requires a magician using the create bond spell

There are three types of band: banners, covens and sects. You may join a single banner, a single coven, and a single sect at the same time, but a character can never be a member of two banners at the same time, nor two covens or two sects. If you are creating a new character then you may choose one band of each type to begin play as part of - but you can leave any of the options blank if you prefer. Please ensure that you have the permission of the players who are part of a band before joining.

E.g. The Highborn chapter of Exile's Hold is a banner. The members gain all the benefits of being a banner but any character that joins this group cannot join any other banner. They must break the bond with this banner before joining any other banner.

To join a band in play you must find a magician to perform the create bond spell. You can only be a member of one of each type of band at once. For example, if you are a member of an existing banner, then you cannot join another band that is a banner without first breaking the bonds that join you to your existing banner. You can only join a band with members of the same nation.

Creating a Band

- You must use the website to create a band

- Bands must have a name, an oath and a nationality

- Oaths must be appropriate for the setting

- An oath can never be changed

One player will need to use the website to create a new band, but it must only be done once - other characters then join that band. A band can be secret or public. If the band is public, then the name of the band and the nation it is associated with is public to all players in the game. Players making a character can choose to begin play as part of a public band. If the band is secret, then the name of the band is not visible to any player. New characters must join the band in play, they cannot begin play as part of a secret band.

Bands use the hearth magic of an oath to give them power. For this reason, a band must choose an oath when it is created. The oath is usually reasonably short - because it must be recited by any character who joins the band in play. The player creating the band online should enter the text for the oath when they create the band. The only requirement for the oath is that it is in-character and suitable for the setting, any oath that meets these requirements is fine.

Although an oath is required to create a band, it is not magically enforced - there is no automatic magical consequence for any individual that breaks their oath. It is a matter for the roleplaying of the characters who are members of the band to deal with any character who breaks their oath. Once created, the oath cannot be changed, a new band must be formed if characters wish to change their oath.

You can still create a band on the system, even if the benefits are not relevant for your group concept. By picking one of the three options (banner is usually the easiest, if your group plans to fight together at all) and ignoring the additional rules you can still submit details and background about it, even if it doesn't benefit from being a banner, coven or sect.

Banners

- A banner may benefit from using a magical standard

If your band incorporates the idea of a group of warriors that fight together then you may wish to create a banner to represent this. A banner is named for their ability to use a magical standard, which is a magical item created by an artisan. Magical standards provide a potential benefit to every member of the banner.

Covens

- A coven may combine their skills to perform rituals together

- A coven can perform up to two rituals a day

- A coven may benefit from paraphernalia

Groups that intend to perform rituals together need to create a coven. A coven is a band of oath-sworn magicians who choose to work together to perform powerful rituals that they could not do alone.

Members of a coven can work together to perform a ritual with each participant contributing crystalized mana to a ritual up to the limit of their ability. This allows a coven to perform much more powerful rituals than an individual could achieve alone. A coven may also benefit by being bound to ritual paraphernalia, a powerful magical item created by an artisan.

A coven can only perform up to two rituals each day. A character may perform any number of rituals by themselves and they may include others in the ritual performance. But the power of the coven can only be used to combine magical strengths twice per day. Some magical paraphernalia increase the number of rituals a coven can perform in a single day.

If a character is part of a coven that have already perform a ritual together that day, then they may join another coven but they cannot participate in another ritual conducted by that coven until the next day.

Sects

- When members of a sect co-operate to perform some liao ceremonies the cost is reduced to one liao

- A sect may benefit from using a magical reliquary

If your group concept incorporates the idea of a shared set of beliefs and worship then you may wish to create a sect to represent this. A sect is a band of oath-sworn devotees of the Way who choose to work together to further their common goals.

If members of a sect co-operate to perform a ceremony of anointing, consecration, dedication, excommunication, exorcism, hallowing, or testimony, only one dose of liao needs to be consumed to achieve the result, no matter how many members co-operate. All the other rules for co-operation in ceremonial skills still apply.

For example, if two members of a sect who are both dedicated to Vigilance and both have the anointing skill perform a ceremony together to anoint a target, then they may may produce the same effect as two priests cooperating - but need only consume a single dose of liao.

A magical reliquary provides a benefit to every member of the sect that is bonded to it.

Linking Bands Together

Although a band must be either a banner, coven, or sect; it is common for players to have a background concept that includes characters who are linked in multiple ways. In these situations it is perfectly appropriate to create more than one band whose concept and background is linked.

For example, a group of players intend to play a Marcher Household but some of them want to play monks while the others play yeomen. They create a banner called House Cawford and a sect called Cawford monastery - to represent the large monastery on the Cawford lines. House Cawford players can choose to start as members of either group and join the other group in play.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Bands&oldid=35335#Sects"

Seer's Probe

Description

A seer's probe is most often a delicate length of pale wood around a core of iridescent gloaming and weltsilver, carefully with tempest jade to ensure it remains flexible and light. Inlays are often suggestive of the runes of day or night, although Varushkan artisans prefer to decorate the wand with images of spiders or squirrels. In Highguard it is sometimes called an Archivist's Quill, and constructed to suggest a writing implement, while in Urizen it is often crafted to suggest a key, and given a variety of evocative names such as Lorekeeper's Sigil.

The wand is of most use to investigators and scholars, who enhance their personal abilities with additional use of two valuable divinatory spells. It is often held between the thumb and two forefingers, as if it were a conductor's baton. It is clearly not intended for violent use - although in a pinch it can be used to deliver an unexpectedly robust magical assault.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You can cast detect magic or voice for the dead three times each day in any combination as if you knew them and without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a Seer's Probe requires three measures of iridescent gloaming, seven ingots of tempest jade, eleven ingots of weltsilver and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“I'm so cold, captain, .. I..I can't feel my legs. I think I must be done for.”

“Nonsense, lass. The surgeons are working on you now, the best money can buy. You'll be right as thronepence in no time. But I need you to concentrate now, and tell me how many enemy warriors there were in the pass. Hmm? Can you do that for your old Captain?”

“It's hard...hard to remember. I can't see anything, Captain. Why can't I see anything?”

“You've got a bandage, girl. Head wound. Best to leave it on – doctor's orders. Now, can you focus for me? How many orcs were there? How many orcs in the pass, Wiletta?”

“Orcs? Yes, the orcs. There... there were too many. Ambushed us, dozens. Dozens and dozens. Too many. No time to fall back, tried to run...”

“Good! Good girl, Wiletta. Well done!”

“Did I do well, sir? I feel so strange, like I'm slipping away, like a great tide is pulling at me. What's happening, Captain, I...I...”

“Shhh, Wiletta, let go now. Your work here is done, and your shares will be paid out to your next of kin...”

He continued to mutter pleasantries to the girl's corpse until her croaking words began to fade away into silence, then stood up and brushed himself down. He turned to his adjutant, “Dozens, eh? Sounds like the main force - old “Broken-Teeth” must have taken the bait. We're right behind him now Signal the scouts to begin torching the grass at the opposite end of the valley, then form everybody up for a defence in depth. They can't use full frontage on us here. As long as the wind holds, we'll catch them between hammer and anvil!”

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Seer%27s_Probe&oldid=32689"

Segura

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Anduz

- 3.2 Anozel

- 3.3 The Towers of Anduz

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Anduzjasse

- 4.2 Anozeseri

- 4.3 Burnish

- 4.4 Iron Plains

- 4.5 Lucksprings

- 4.6 Sobral Grasses

- 4.7 Yellow Chase

- 5 OOC Note

Overview

Like southern Kahraman, it is a land of rolling grass plains where great herds once grazed. Scattered with villages and lonely ranches, it was famous for it's windswept grandeur and occasionally stark beauty. It's wealth came in part from the farms and herds, and in part from the cunning of it's merchants. Segura was once a centre of trade for the Freeborn with Faraden to the west and the Iron Confederacy to the south. In Anduz, the Freeborn rubbed shoulders with the traders of these nations, and acted as a trade gateway for the Empire.

The grasslands were no stranger to violence; on at least two occasions, armies from the Iron Confederacy pushed across Imperial borders and attempted to stage an invasion. In pre-Imperial times, there were occasional tragic border skirmishes with the Faraden. For the most part, however, the buffer provided by the Lasombrian Hills to the south and west meant that foreign armies rarely had the stomach for protracted campaigns. For most of the last two centuries, Segura was a centre of trade rather than conflict. The Freeborn prospered in the certain knowledge that their way of life was secure ... until the barbarian tribes of the Lasombrian Hills put aside their differences and sent a great army sweeping down to burn and pillage the plains of Segura.

Recent History

The peace of Segura came to an abrupt end in 363 YE when a great force of barbarians moved in from the west and took Anduz, scattering the foreigners and the Freeborn and burning much of the grassland. In quick succession, they swept through Yellow Chase and Anozeseri. The Freeborn armies clashed with the barbarian forces on the Iron Plains, but after days of vicious fighting they were slowly pushed back to Anozel. The Freeborn senators demanded assistance in the Senate but while they had the support of Emperor Hugh for a campaign to drive the barbarians back, the rest of the Senate and the Military Council seemed more interested in apportioning blame than helping the Freeborn. The political position was exacerbated by the deaths of the General of the Red Wind Corsairs and the Senators for Madruga and Kahraman during the fighting on the Iron Plains. When Burnish fell to the barbarians in 367YE, nobody outside the Brass Coast seemed to notice or care.

Segura remained a battleground for twenty years; every time the Freeborn tried to reclaim ground they were fought back. The garrison at Anozel kept regular patrols across the remaining regions, and the Lasombrian armies themselves seemed disinterested in doing more than occasionally raiding into the remaining Freeborn territories. Reports from the interior claimed that, after a frenzy of initial looting and killing, the orcs made only minimal efforts to slaughter of those Freeborn who had not fled to the safety of Sobral Grasses or Lucksprings.

Many of the Seguran refugees settled near Anozel, Sobral or Cerevado. Those who left Segura for the comparative safety of the other Freeborn territories tended to maintain a distinctly nomadic lifestyle; they refused to settle down because to do so would be to admit that they would never return to Segura. Many now operate travelling parador; among the most famous is that of Shula i Ezmara i Erigo the 'mother of orphans' whose family includes large numbers of adopted Seguran orphans. Refugees from the rolling plains sing the lament Lost Segura to remember it's loss, and often display a weary camaraderie between families and tribes - a result of their shared experiences.

In the Winter of 377YE a major offensive by the Red Wind Corsairs and Hounds of Glory, supported by a powerful enchantment and over a thousand auxilliaries drove the Lasambrians out of the Sorbal Grasses, liberated the farms of Anozeseri and forced a barbarian retreat across the Iron Plains.

At the Autumn Equniox 378YE summit at Anvil, the Imperial Senate accepted an offer of peace from the Lasambrian orcs. The offer included an exhange of valuable materials for the remaining regions held by the invaders, with the understanding that their armies would cede the occupied regions and withdraw to the west. The majority of the Lasambrians occupying these regions withdrew back across the border. The Eastern Sky of Dawn quickly dealt with die-hard stragglers who refused to accompany the armies, and with several groups of outlaws who had taken advantage of the lack of Imperial presence to prey on theie fellow citizens.

With Segura free of significant Lasambrian presence, the Freeborn are quickly returning to their old haunts. The agricultural wealth of Segura has already enriched the nation, allowing the opportunity to expand the Freeborn military.

Major Features

Anduz

The largest town in Anduz, built on the ruins of a much older settlement. Depending on which historian one asks, the ruins belonged either to the Terunael or the Faraden; regardless of their provenance, the settlement was much larger than modern Anduz - for which it provided a great deal of building material. Many of the structures of Anduz incorporated elements of the older city which gave it a distinct aesthetic.

In Anduz, the Freeborn rubbed shoulders with traders from Faraden and the Iron Confederacy, and there they acted as a trade gateway for the Empire. Anduz was sacked in 363YE and then burnt - only the stone structures survived. Fifteen years later, the shattered ruins of Anduz have become difficult to distinguish from the ruins of Old Anduz from which they were built.

One of the lucky survivors of the orcish destruction was the Kabalai Palace which overlooks the city from the western hills. Built in a rare fusion of Freeborn and Faraden styles, this beautiful parador was claimed by the orcs but never razed - rather it was preserved as a residence by one of the Naguerro captains. With the swift advance of the Imperial forces, the parador was liberated in a lightning-quick raid by the Hounds of Glory and has weathered it's barbarian inhabitants surprisingly well.

Anozel

Once the economic centre of Segura, but since the invasion of 363YE, its hinterland is lost and its prosperity in tatters. Once-busy markets are quiet, or given over to tented military encampments. It survives as an armed camp, supported by regular caravans from Sobral and marked the westernmost border of the Sobral Grasses.

While Sobral is the elder of the two, Anozel had (until recently) eclipsed it's younger sister in prosperity. Humorous stories and songs from the region often compared the two to disgruntled brothers - crotchety, traditional old Sobral and his younger, prettier brother Anozel whose amorous adventures invariably caused trouble for his elder sibling. The antics of the pair were often overseen and exacebated by the mischievous middle sibling (representing Cerevado) and brought to an end by the intervention of the distant, powerful parent (Anduz). While they showed clear signs of League literary influence, the tales themselves were often based on real historical political and economic conflicts between the settlements of Segura. Those stories and songs have fallen out of fashion since Segura fell, perhaps unsurprisingly.

The liberated town of Anozel is home to the Turunca Distillery. The distillery closed it's doors in 366YE, partly due to the difficulty of securing good fruit in a war zone and partly due to the dissatisfaction of the owners with "the uncultured palates of soldiers who do not care if they are swilling fine orange brandy or Sarvosan dock-swill fancy fruit juice." With the liberation of Segura, the distillery has re-opened, albeit under new management.

The Towers of Anduz

Built during the reign of Empress Mariika, this line of seventeen white granite towers traced the edges of the Lasombrian Hills in western Segura. Primarly built in Anduzjasse and Anozeseri, with three in Yellow Chase and one in Burnish, these towers were manned and maintained by volunteers. Paid for in part by donations from the merchants of Anduz and Anozel collected by the Senator for Seguara, they protected trade routes between the Brass Coast and their foreign neighbours in Faraden and the Iron Confederacy. Every parador proprietor, bazaar master and trading post owner in Segura benefited from the increased trade these towers secured.

Sadly,when Segura was conquered by the barbarians these towers were among the first structures razed to the ground and the economic advantages they brought to the Freeborn were lost. It is unclear what state the towers are in today, but rebuilding them is likely to be a priority once Segura is reconquered.

Regions

Anduzjasse

Site of the ruins of both Anduz and Old Anduz, the ancient settlement in three concentric stone rings, on which Anduz is now built. Several miles to the south-east of Anduz itself lies the Longing Circle - a series of concentric monoliths connected in some manner to the astronomantic sign of Three Sisters. The circle possessed a potent regio whose alignment was said to shift, making it a centre of power for three groups of Hakima (one for each tribe) in uneasy alliance. Connected as those stars are with family, loss and regret they had a dark reputation; today they are seen by some as a symbol of what has been lost.

A comparatively short distance from the Longing Circle stands the Garden of Sighs, a mana site liekwise associated wth the Three Sisters. Apparently established by one of the three founders of the Brass Coast, no historian has yet proved conclusively if it was laid out by Guerra, Erigo or Riqueza - nor which of the sisters corresponds to Hermaa Suspire in whose name it is dedicated. The Garden is considered a prize by the hakima of Segura, and in folklore custodianship brings with it the mixed blessings of the Sister of Sighs.

Anozeseri

The sweeping plains of Anozeseri were home to some of the richest farmland in Segura, and a lot of the wealth of Anozel was tied up in the agriculture here. Orange tree orchards and vineyards were common, with the largest being the grea Golden Terraces - perhaps the oldest orange orchards in the entire Empire. There are also several broad conservatories dedicated to the cultivation of useful herbs (many associated with the nearby Spice Gardens of Feroz.

When the Lasambrians invaded, several bands of freedom fighters displaced from their farms, took up residence in the westernmost hills of Morajasse, and fought a limited guerilla war against the Lasambrians here. When Anozeseri was liberated during the Winter of 377YE, these freedom fighters joined the triumphant armies of the Red Wind Corsairs and the Hounds of Glory in sweeping out the Lasambrian presence here - the most prominent are probably the band known as the Morning Swords, who have found the warrior-lifestyle to be much more appealing than a life of farming.

Burnish

Nestled between three tributaries of the Scorrero, Burnish is something of a hinterland. Not as wild as Kahraman, it was home to scattered forests and the occasional mine. The ground is much rougher here, sloping up towards hills in the west and down towards the forests of south-western Kharaman in the north. Perhaps the largest consistent settlement on the plains of Burnish is Sunsong Ranch, a sprawling expanse of land dedicated to raising all sorts of animals for food, wool and leather. The ranch stubbornly resisted the Lasambrians for most of the war, using its defensive position between two tributaries of the Scorrero to draw raiding orcs into costly traps.

Iron Plains

Central Segura is somewhat more arid than the rest of the territory. The site of multiple battles throughout Freeborn history, farmers and herders here occasionally turned up the odd valuable relic of a past invasion. For the most parts, the Iron Plains are wide, empty and windswept. A place to come from or pass through, rather than a place to live. The dry soil is littered with battlefields, which makes it surprisingly fertile for the cultivation of certain herbs, especially marrowort, and the extensive well-irrigated Red Fields, one of the best-known gardens in Segura, are rightly praised for the quality of their plants.

Lucksprings

The settlement of Cerevado is still a major pull. Sited at a particularly difficult set of rapids on the Scorrero. Some captains will un-ship their cargo, and push their boats along a league of rollers set into the rocky bank. Braver captains will pilot the foaming water and risk the rapids - and who amongst the Brass Coast would admit to anything other than daring of the highest order? The wreckage of those who failed is for sale in the Cerevado market. The settlement itself is also home to more than two dozen casinos and gambling houses - initially set up to cater to sailors traversing the rapids, but eventually exerting a much wider draw with gamblers from as far afield as Holberg visiting the bustling town to engage in the annual tournaments of dice and counters. Unlike the rest of Segura, Cervado continued to prosper though the Lasambrian occupation - off-duty soldiers and mercenaries rubbed shoulders with desperate refugees looking for the money to escape and start again.

Reports have repeatedly come before the Synod of a predatory cult of heretics based in Lucksprings who prey on the needy and the desperate; to date no real evidence has been found despite claims fro the House of the Two Moons - the large congregation centred in Cerevado - to the contrary.

Sobral Grasses

The Sobral grasses are the site of two key settlements - the armed camp that now occupies the town of Anozel and the town of Sobral where the herds were once brought for slaughter. Sobral kept Anozel alive through the recent occupation and guarded the bridge across the Scorrero into the eastern Brass coast. Connected by a reasonably well maintained road to it's beleagured sibling to the south-west, it allowed supplies of food and armaments to travel reasonably effectively. That very reliability was almost a liability however - several key shipments were captured by raiders out of the Iron Plains, and attributed to "orc spies" in Sobral. Even with the liberation, it is one of the few places in the Brass Coast where the Imperial Orcs receive a frosty welcome. These raids also threatened the prosperity of the herders and cattle-ranches of the Sobral grassland. Several strains of plump Freeborn herd animals are threatened with extinction already and if the raids had continued it would not have been inconceivable that the herds would have become unable to sustain themselves.

Not everything in the Sobral grasses is about trade or cattle, however. It is also the site of the ancient earthworks known as Ghita's Veils, an old and powerful mana site that scholars believe may be of Terunael origin. It is tended by a small group of magicians who find the isolation and mournful grasslands to be spiritually uplifting; during the Lasamabrian invasion it's isolated position meant that it was largely overlooked by the orcs.

Yellow Chase

As with Burnish, parts of western Yellow Chase are quite rocky and uneven, and the soil is very poor. A "Yellow Chase farmer" is a slang term used in parts of Segura for a liar - especially someone lying about where their money has come from. The inhabitants had a bad reputation for banditry and theft. There are a few rumours that some of the families here may have collaborated with the barbarians in the past. The area served as a centre of power for the Lasambrian barbarians, and they had a great armed camp here from which raiding parties swept down onto the plains. The camp was not fortified - it seems the Lasambrians had little interest in building anything, least of all a castle. This armed camp was largely abandoned when the Lasambrians withdrew back into the western hills in the Autumn of 378YE, but there was still a small engagement between Dawnish scouts and some die-hard orcs who refused to leave Segura which ended in a decisive victory for the Empire.

OOC Note

- As of the beginning of Winter 378YE the Empire controls all regions of Segura.

- A list of the spoils of war, allocated by the Military Council at the Summer Solstice 378YE can be found here.

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Segura spoils of war

Following the liberation of Segura by Imperial troops in Spring 378YE, these resources were presented to the Military council for assignment as spoils of war during the Summer Solstice, 378YE following the assignenment of Segura to an Imperial nation.

Contents

- 1 House of the Two Moons

- 2 The Golden Terraces

- 3 Ghita's Veils

- 4 The Morning Swords

- 5 Kabalai Palace

- 6 The Red Fields

- 7 Turunca Distillery

- 8 The Garden of Sighs

- 9 Sunsong Ranch

House of the Two Moons

Congregation / Rank 3

This great hall offers both spiritual instruction and banking services to the citizens of Cerevado. It is named for the great silver disc that hangs at the eastern end of the hall called the Second Moon. Folklore claims that it was cast from thousands of pre-Imperial silver coins melted down when the new currency was established in the reign of Emperor Giovanni. It is often aligned with the Assembly of Prosperity, but also encourages the Ambition of both gamblers and ship captains who dare the dangerous rapids in pursuit of their goals. From time to time the congregation has been forced to root out the cults of hope that spring up like weeds in the gamblers' paradise.

The Golden Terraces

Farm / Rank 5

The Golden Terraces of Anozeseri are perhaps the oldest orange orchards in the Empire. The farmers surrendered to the Naguerro army rather than see their orchards burnt to the ground; by doing so they were able to exploit the orcs unexpected taste for their fruit and preserve not only their lives but also centuries of careful cultivation. Oranges and other citrus fruit have been grown here for centuries - there have been humans here since the time of Terunael. The orchards are carefully tended, and there are several hybrid fruit grown here that are unique to the Golden Terraces.

Ghita's Veils

Mana Site / Rank 3

In the northern Sorbal Grasses lie an engimatic sequence of complex interlocking trenches a little under a foot deep. These sweeping trenches cover a rough circle of grassland four miles in diameter. Scattered seemingly at random through the design are six-foot pillars of basalt, smoothed and shaped over centuries by wind and occasional rains. The veils are exceedingly old; some historians believe they are Terunael in origin, pointing to the similarities between their design and the patterns favoured by the Navarr. Granite basins of water are placed at several locations. While some are fed by freshwater streams, others must be filled manually, and many have been inlaid with mithril, weltsilver and orichalcum. These basins collect crystal mana, and are carefully tended by a small group of hermits who find the isolation and silence of Ghita's Veils particularly appealing.

The Morning Swords

Military Unit / Rank 3

When the orcs invaded from the Lasambrian hills, displaced farmers from Anozeseri took to the westernmost hills of Morajasse, and fought a guerilla war against the barbarians. They scavenged the old battlefields in southern Anozeseri for usable weapons and armour left over from the last Iron Confederacy invasion. When Anozeseri was liberated, these freedom fighters joined the triumphant Imperial armies in sweeping the Lasambrians out of their home. Many farmers returned to their homes, but some - having had a taste of the warrior-lifestyle - did not lay down their swords and sought a suitable captain to lead them against the enemies of the Empire.

Kabalai Palace

Business / Rank 4 (Diversified)

In the hills above Anduz is a beautiful white-granite palace, built in a complex fusion of Faraden and Freeborn styles and surrounded by extensive gardens. It's grounds contain many flowers and incense-bearing trees imported from the western hills, scattered with brightly coloured pavillions and gentle streams. Standing at one end of a trade route through the Lasambrian hills, this famous parador it is both the first Imperial structure seen by traders travelling from Faraden, and the last seen by those leaving the Empire for the windswept western hills.

Production: The Kubalai Palace is a rank four business that has been diversified once - it produces 12 crowns, 12 rings and two ingots of green iron each season.

The Red Fields

Herb Garden / Rank 3

The Iron Plains have been a battlefield since before the Freeborn came to these lands; there is a saying that the fields are watered with blood more often than with rain. Established over three low barrow mounds from pre-Imperial times, the red fields are a series of will-irrigated gardens surrounded by a weirwood pallisade. The gardens produce quantities of especially fine marrowort, and the herbalists who tend them are often called on to tend wounds sustained during the exploration of old battlefields.

Production: The Red Fields produce 6 doses each of true vervain and marrowort, and two each of bladeroot, imperial roseweald and cerulean mazzarine.

Turunca Distillery

Business / Rank 2

Segura is known for it's farmlands, most especially it's vineyards and orchards. The Turunca distilliery has been taking oranges and grapes from across the territory and turning them into fine brandies and liqueurs for nearly three hundred years. It closed it's doors in 366YE, but with the liberation of Anozel it's extensive cellars and distillation halls have been re-opened. The distillers of Turunca are notoriously dismissive of the practice of turning grapes into wine - "fancy fruit juice" is a common term used in Sorbal for even the finest vintages.

The Garden of Sighs

Mana Site / Rank 2

In south-eastern Anduzjasse, on top of a low hill, stands a garden surrounded by a low wall and littered with beautiful marble statues. The broad branches of the trees are hung with mithril chimes. The wind that whispers through the garden and sets the chimes dancing is said by some poets to be the breath of Hermana Suspirie, one of the three sisters - although the hakima who traditionally gather the bounty of crystal mana from among the trees never agree as to which of the three mothers of the Brass Coast Suspirie represents.

Sunsong Ranch

Farm / Rank 4

The Sunsong Ranch is a sprawling concern that covers many square miles of eastern Burnish between the tributaries of the Scorrero. Raided repeatedly by Lasambrians, the Freeborn stubbornly refused to give up their land or their herds of cattle, leading to numerous battles between orcish raiders and Freeborn defenders. The cattle breeders have carefully cultivated bloodlines of sheep, dodo, oxen and goats that can be traced back to the founding of Highguard and beyond. The ranch is famous for the succulence of it's meat, fine cheeses and excellent wool and leather - and for the stubborness of the men and women who work there.

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Segura spoils of war (Redirected from Segura Spoils of War)

Following the liberation of Segura by Imperial troops in Spring 378YE, these resources were presented to the Military council for assignment as spoils of war during the Summer Solstice, 378YE following the assignenment of Segura to an Imperial nation.

Contents

- 1 House of the Two Moons

- 2 The Golden Terraces

- 3 Ghita's Veils

- 4 The Morning Swords

- 5 Kabalai Palace

- 6 The Red Fields

- 7 Turunca Distillery

- 8 The Garden of Sighs

- 9 Sunsong Ranch

House of the Two Moons

Congregation / Rank 3

This great hall offers both spiritual instruction and banking services to the citizens of Cerevado. It is named for the great silver disc that hangs at the eastern end of the hall called the Second Moon. Folklore claims that it was cast from thousands of pre-Imperial silver coins melted down when the new currency was established in the reign of Emperor Giovanni. It is often aligned with the Assembly of Prosperity, but also encourages the Ambition of both gamblers and ship captains who dare the dangerous rapids in pursuit of their goals. From time to time the congregation has been forced to root out the cults of hope that spring up like weeds in the gamblers' paradise.

The Golden Terraces

Farm / Rank 5

The Golden Terraces of Anozeseri are perhaps the oldest orange orchards in the Empire. The farmers surrendered to the Naguerro army rather than see their orchards burnt to the ground; by doing so they were able to exploit the orcs unexpected taste for their fruit and preserve not only their lives but also centuries of careful cultivation. Oranges and other citrus fruit have been grown here for centuries - there have been humans here since the time of Terunael. The orchards are carefully tended, and there are several hybrid fruit grown here that are unique to the Golden Terraces.

Ghita's Veils

Mana Site / Rank 3

In the northern Sorbal Grasses lie an engimatic sequence of complex interlocking trenches a little under a foot deep. These sweeping trenches cover a rough circle of grassland four miles in diameter. Scattered seemingly at random through the design are six-foot pillars of basalt, smoothed and shaped over centuries by wind and occasional rains. The veils are exceedingly old; some historians believe they are Terunael in origin, pointing to the similarities between their design and the patterns favoured by the Navarr. Granite basins of water are placed at several locations. While some are fed by freshwater streams, others must be filled manually, and many have been inlaid with mithril, weltsilver and orichalcum. These basins collect crystal mana, and are carefully tended by a small group of hermits who find the isolation and silence of Ghita's Veils particularly appealing.

The Morning Swords

Military Unit / Rank 3

When the orcs invaded from the Lasambrian hills, displaced farmers from Anozeseri took to the westernmost hills of Morajasse, and fought a guerilla war against the barbarians. They scavenged the old battlefields in southern Anozeseri for usable weapons and armour left over from the last Iron Confederacy invasion. When Anozeseri was liberated, these freedom fighters joined the triumphant Imperial armies in sweeping the Lasambrians out of their home. Many farmers returned to their homes, but some - having had a taste of the warrior-lifestyle - did not lay down their swords and sought a suitable captain to lead them against the enemies of the Empire.

Kabalai Palace

Business / Rank 4 (Diversified)

In the hills above Anduz is a beautiful white-granite palace, built in a complex fusion of Faraden and Freeborn styles and surrounded by extensive gardens. It's grounds contain many flowers and incense-bearing trees imported from the western hills, scattered with brightly coloured pavillions and gentle streams. Standing at one end of a trade route through the Lasambrian hills, this famous parador it is both the first Imperial structure seen by traders travelling from Faraden, and the last seen by those leaving the Empire for the windswept western hills.

Production: The Kubalai Palace is a rank four business that has been diversified once - it produces 12 crowns, 12 rings and two ingots of green iron each season.

The Red Fields

Herb Garden / Rank 3

The Iron Plains have been a battlefield since before the Freeborn came to these lands; there is a saying that the fields are watered with blood more often than with rain. Established over three low barrow mounds from pre-Imperial times, the red fields are a series of will-irrigated gardens surrounded by a weirwood pallisade. The gardens produce quantities of especially fine marrowort, and the herbalists who tend them are often called on to tend wounds sustained during the exploration of old battlefields.

Production: The Red Fields produce 6 doses each of true vervain and marrowort, and two each of bladeroot, imperial roseweald and cerulean mazzarine.

Turunca Distillery

Business / Rank 2

Segura is known for it's farmlands, most especially it's vineyards and orchards. The Turunca distilliery has been taking oranges and grapes from across the territory and turning them into fine brandies and liqueurs for nearly three hundred years. It closed it's doors in 366YE, but with the liberation of Anozel it's extensive cellars and distillation halls have been re-opened. The distillers of Turunca are notoriously dismissive of the practice of turning grapes into wine - "fancy fruit juice" is a common term used in Sorbal for even the finest vintages.

The Garden of Sighs

Mana Site / Rank 2

In south-eastern Anduzjasse, on top of a low hill, stands a garden surrounded by a low wall and littered with beautiful marble statues. The broad branches of the trees are hung with mithril chimes. The wind that whispers through the garden and sets the chimes dancing is said by some poets to be the breath of Hermana Suspirie, one of the three sisters - although the hakima who traditionally gather the bounty of crystal mana from among the trees never agree as to which of the three mothers of the Brass Coast Suspirie represents.

Sunsong Ranch

Farm / Rank 4

The Sunsong Ranch is a sprawling concern that covers many square miles of eastern Burnish between the tributaries of the Scorrero. Raided repeatedly by Lasambrians, the Freeborn stubbornly refused to give up their land or their herds of cattle, leading to numerous battles between orcish raiders and Freeborn defenders. The cattle breeders have carefully cultivated bloodlines of sheep, dodo, oxen and goats that can be traced back to the founding of Highguard and beyond. The ranch is famous for the succulence of it's meat, fine cheeses and excellent wool and leather - and for the stubborness of the men and women who work there.

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Semmerholm

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Rucastle

- 3.2 The Pits of Brychel

- 3.3 Semmer's Rose

- 3.4 The Semmerstones

- 3.5 The Gate

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Axmure

- 4.2 Causse

- 4.3 Elvette

- 4.4 Estmure

- 4.5 Ferrond

- 4.6 Lacuve

- 4.7 Ulvenholm

- 5 OOC Note

Overview

Semmerholm became part of the Empire in 52YE during the reign of Empress Richilde, following a protracted campaign against a tribe of especially vicious barbarian orcs. The tribe, whose name is now lost to antiquity, were exterminated during the war of conquest, finally forced back to their stronghold in Ulvenholme and destroyed after a terrible siege.

It was from Semmerholm that the Dawnish planned their campaign against the burghers of pre-League Holberg, who engaged in a variety of innovative and underhand strategies to keep the Imperial forces off-balance as well as launching regular attacks into Dawnish territory. In the centuries since, relations between the people of Holberg and those of Semmerholm have mellowed extensively - prior to the invasion of the Druj a great deal of trade passed through the great stone Gate set into the southwestern peaks.

Semmerholm produces a major share of the nation's food, for all that it is closely surrounded by thick and dangerous forests. The dark woodlands are home to vicious beasts, including boars, lions and bears as well as several species of drake and a few rare dire beasts. Hunting is a regular pastime for nobles and yeomen alike, and helps encourage a perception of the people of Semmerholm as being a little "wilder" than the average Dawnishfolk.

There are several well-built castles here at various strategic points along the border, protecting Semmerholm from the barbarians of the The Barrens and Holberg. The people for Semmerholm have long felt responsible for holding the borders against the savage tide and this responsibility tends to weigh particularly heavily on the head of the Semmerholm senator. If they fail at their task, this will be the first land lost to the barbarians in Dawnish history.

Recent History

Immediately after the fall of Holberg in 346YE, coupled with renewed barbarian activity in The Barrens, many Dawnish Earls were convinced a major offensive against Semmerholm was in the offing. Apart from a few speculative attacks against Estcastle and the occasional raid into Estmure the Druj appeared unable or unwilling to launch a concerted attack while the city of Holberg proper continues to guard the eastern approach.

This changed in 373YE when a major offensive against the city was revealed to be a feint to allow four Druj armies to push through into Semmerholm. Estmure was taken and Estcastle besieged, and speculative attacks were made against Lacuve, Axmure and Casse. The Dawnish armies, already battered from fighting alongside the League in Holberg, and woefully undersupplied by the corrupt Senate under Emperor Walter were able to hold their own but the situation looked critical. A Wintermark general by the name of Britta brought her personal forces and a large number of Marcher and Wintermark soldiers to reinforce the Dawnish. Working under the guidance of General Charles de Gison of the Eastern Sky, the additional troops bought the battered Dawnish forces chance to resupply. Re-equipped and rested, they launched a devastating counter-attack that drove the Druj back across the border into Holberg but sadly cost the life of General de Gison. Britta's actions during the campaign - and her willingness not to supplant the Dawnish generals in their own campaign - are both credited with being major factors in her later ascenscion to the Throne, and her practical demonstration of what could be achieved when nations co-operated went a long way to forged the united Empire she left as her legacy.

Major Features

Rucastle

First constructed in wood in the early years of Empire; a base for the campaign against the orcs who occupied Semmerholm. It was founded by those strong in the new religion: half church of Virtue, half castle against the orc. Closer to a chapterhouse than fortifications built in Dawn before its foundation, this is a fortress of Empire. It has close ties with the nearby Navarr steading of Greenstead in Brocéliande, which it helped to found. The knights of Rucastle are often called on to help their allies across the border, and there has long been a bond - and several intermarriages - between the two settlements. This close association with the Navarr has lead to the people of Rucastle - and by extension, the citizens of Elvette - enjoying a reputation as 'fey' or slightly more savage than traditional Dawnish norms.

The Pits of Brychel

South of castle Arnet, in Ulvenholm, parts of the earth have fallen away to reveal an underground complex believed to be of Terunael origin. The ruins were stripped of anything of obvious value many years ago, but small bands of scholars still come here from across the Empire to study the remains and the partially buried buildings. .

Semmer's Rose

This beautiful town lies on the shores of the Semmerlak in Causse. Famous for it's spires of white granite and gorgeous shrines to the exemplars and paragons of Dawnish history. It is a meeting place for some of the finest troubadours of Dawn, where they share music, legend, and tales of Virtuous glory.

The town is built around old citadel from the invasion of Semmerholm, it was here that the Dawnish generals planned and launched their campaigns to conquer the territory. Planned by the legendary siegemaster Willard d'Onnecour, the castle is built of several interlocking concentric circular walls, said to resemble a rose to those who stand on its tallest towers. The famous architect also designed the white granite bridge that spans the river here, said to be a marvel of early Imperial engineering. d'Onnecour himself is buried in the hills above Semmer's Rose in a tomb of his own design. Plans and the occasional rare scroll of his designs and theories are much sought after by masons and architects alike.

The Semmerstones

A cluster of thirty moss-covered white stones on top of a hill in western Causse, many of them carved with runes thought to date back to the time of Terunael. Each stone is about two feet high and there is no discernible pattern to their layout. The stones have a potent regio tied to Summer, and are a traditional site for Dawnish Enchanters to meet with emissaries of the Summer Eternals. Today, they are watched over by a Weaver cabal with close ties to the Lyceum who use Iridescent Gloaming gathered in the woods around the base of the stones to produce gorgeous red and blue surcotes and standards.

The Gate

In Estmure, the mountains form a barrier that surrounds Semmerholm. The widest pass through the mountains is blocked by a mighty wall of white granite, with a single massive tunnel-entrance through which two dozen may march abreast. It was constructed by engineers from Holberg in the early years of the Empire and tales of its courageous defense are told throughout Dawn. Great armies march through the mighty gates south to do battle in the Barrens.

OOC Note: The Gate is a Rank 1 fortification.

Regions

Axmure

The forests of Axmure are relatively wild and untamed, and their depths home to a number of rare and unusual beasts. There are several secluded manors here, favoured by nobles who value their privacy, but they must maintain a cautious vigilance against creatures and raiders from The Barrens to the south. The road through Axmure is vital for carrying supplied to Drycastle in the Barrens; several vicious battles took place along this road and in the surrounding woodlands during the Freedom Heresy and a number of manors were burnt or captured, their residents slaughtered by the victorious heretics. To this day, briars tend to receive a frosty reputation in Axmure.

Keywords: Forested

Causse

The rugged terrain of Causse is scattered with secluded villages and small towns, as well as the occasional old watchtower or sturdy keep. Streams and small rivers wind down from the hills of Weirwater, and at where they flow into the Semmerlak stands the beautiful town of Semmer's Rose.

Elvette

The forests of Elvette are not especially wild; the woodlands have more of the feel of hunting preserve than deep wilderness. That is not to say they are tamed however - the deep woods are home to dangerous beasts that are more than a match for a lone knight. The people of Elvette are known to have close ties with the Navarr of Brocéliande, especially those who live at Rucastle.

Keywords: Forested

Estmure

Along the eastern sweep of the Semmerlak the ground becomes rugged and broken. As Semmerholm slopes down towards Holberg, the peaks of Estmure raise a great barrier against the orcs now occupying the lands to the south-east. There are several small fortresses here, some dating back to pre-Imperial times when the pre-League burghers of Holberg were engaged in economic and literal warfare against the people of Dawn.

High in the hills here is the tower of Estcastle, which at one time served as a sentinel beacon against the Holbergers but has since been converted to an armed camp that overlooks the tainted plains of Rebeshof and the Druj-haunted forests of Utterlund. In 338YE the tower was largely given over to the control of the Imperial Orcs, many of whom live and drill here, launching occasional raids and waiting for word to strike against the barbarians.

Keywords: Hilly

Ferrond

The windswept heaths of Ferrond are scattered with villages and small towns. The most famous is probably Auvanne. Once famed for its farriers; the finest horseshoes in all of Empire were made here many, many ye ars ago before Semmerholm was even a territory of the Empire. With the passing of the horses, the smiths turned their mastery to armour, and even the runesmiths of Wintermark acknowledge their craft.

Lacuve

On the shores of Lacuve sits Lacre, a well-defended port known as a place of adventure. Many a Questing knight has set sail to the east from here. The few who return are fêted and applauded, their names recognised on inn signs throughout the town. Lacre also serves as the closest port to the Barrens, and armies march from its gates to the fortress-settlements to the south.

In early 377YE a series of squat fortified watchtowers and beacons were constructed around Lacre and along the shore. These towers are manned by keen-eyed yeomen archers, and serve dual duty - they watch for the presence of bandits, orc raiders from the Barrens and monsters out of the deep woods, and also as secure bases of operation for Questing Knights hunting these interlopers. The project was part of a larger Senate plan to provide protection to towns throughout the Empire, and while the defences are not sufficient to qualify Lacre as a fortification - and are not a fraction as effective or inspiring as castles such as the Towers of the Dawn or the Castle of Thorns - they have already made the territory feel more secure, and lead to some discussion about the value of further construction.

Ulvenholm

Brooding in the light woodlands of Ulvenholm is the ancient fortress of Arnet. The final battles to conquer Semmerholm took place here, on the site of what was once a great fastness of the orcs. The terrible battle that roared around the orc fortress left the woodlands blackened and broken, and when the walls were finally breached the Dawnish knights and their allies swept as an irresistable tide over the leaders of the barbarian tribes. According to legend, the last orc shaman to die laid terrible curses on the attackers, and the credulous whisper that no Earl who has claimed Arnet has died save by violence in all the centuries since. Once the orcs were driven off, the castle was claimed and repaired, extended by Dawnish masons and its white marble towers stand as a monument to the Pride and Ambition of the Dawnish spirit. One of the heroes of the attack on Arnet, Adelmar the Lion, is recognised as an Exemplar of Ambition, and the hall commemorating his deeds here is a site of pilgrimage for many followers of the Way.

OOC Note

- All the regions of Semmerholm are in Dawnish (and thus Imperial) hands.

- The Gate represents a rank 1 fortification.

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Imperial Senate (Redirected from Senate)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Role within the Empire

- 3 History

- 4 Sessions

- 5 Participation

- 6 Limitations

- 6.1 Veto

- 6.2 Constitution

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Imperial Senate is the primary legislative body for the Empire. It is an elective chamber; with one senator appointed by each territory of the Empire to represent their interests. The chamber has access to a wide range of political powers which makes senators some of the most powerful political individuals in the Empire. They alone have the ability to change Imperial law, as well as enjoying access to the Imperial treasury. They are also responsible for appointing The Throne.

Role within the Empire

The purpose of the Senate is to govern the Empire. This control extends to all areas of Imperial life not already covered by the other houses of government; the Synod, Bourse, Military Council, and the Conclave.

Any major commission, whether military or economic in purposes requires the approval of the Senate. They cannot order the Bourse to provide the materials required, but they control the Imperial treasury and can disburse funds from it to purchase the materials needed.

The Senate are forbidden by the Imperial Constitution from intervening in the business of the Military Council, but members of the Senate appoint each general and only the Senate can declare war on another nation - or end it. When a territory is conquered by the Imperial armies, it is the Senate who decides which nation the territory will be assigned to.

The Senate are also responsible for Imperial law. Any changes to Imperial law must be raised and approved by members of the Senate; changes which have constitutional implications also require authorization by The Throne and approval by the magistrates. The Senate also has the power to create new offices of state, individuals with powers and responsibilities, who operate as part of any of the great houses of government.

Because of their great power, the Senate is closely watched over by the Synod who have the power to veto decisions made by the Senate.

History

The Senate was created at the dawn of the Empire to ensure that the power to govern remained in the hands of the citizens. The Senate is a development of the Witan which existed in Wintermark to help the monarch run the nation, in the time before the Empire.

The design of the Senate is a direct consequence of the unique way the Empire was formed, not by conquest, but by a union of nations. All agreed that the Senate should limit the power of The Throne - the first Empress was a popular figure - but not that popular. But every nation had their own dogmatic views on how the new Empire should be run. Nations with strong military traditions, like Dawn and The Marches sought to enhance the power of the military, while nations like The League were openly contemptuous of the idea that politicians should control the Empire's economy. Highguard as the driving force behind the creation of the Empire was determined to secure the power and authority of the Imperial Synod.

Compromises were made to ensure unity; for example the constitutionally protected roles of the Imperial Bourse and the Imperial Military Council were expressly created to thwart the desire of senators to control these areas of the Empire. As a result, while the Senate is the most powerful of the five political houses, it has defined limits to its power set down by the Constitution, and it is forever watched over by the Synod.

Sessions

The Senate typically sits twice in each full day of an Imperial summit, and once in each part day. Sessions are conducted in the Senate chamber, a grand stone building at the heart of Anvil. To keep order each Senate session is chaired by the Speaker for the Senate, a civil servant responsible for ordering motions during a sitting, allowing time for motions to be considered, for maintaining civil debate, counting votes and ensuring due procedure within the chamber.

The agenda consists of motion, announcements, and addresses. Motions are raised by members of the Senate and considered and voted upon by all present. By historical tradition, motions are nailed to the walls of the Senate so that all citizens can be aware of them. It is common for the civil service to take a copy of the motion and make it available through the hub.

Announcements are made by any holder of an Imperial title who wishes to use Senate powers that have been delegated to that office. They can be considered and discussed like a motion, but are not subject to a vote. Addresses are made by those whose title grants them the power to address the Senate. Like an announcement, they may be considered and discussed, but no vote is taken.

Participation

Only a Member of the Senate is entitled to entry to the Senate chamber for a session. Members must arrive promptly, entry is prohibited to any once a session has begun. Anyone who has the right to enter, has the right to speak during the debates. To do so they must catch the eye of the Speaker and wait until invited to speak. To cast a vote, eligible members who are present will be called upon by the Speaker to take a stance on each motion brought before the Senate.

The right of witness ensures that every member of the Synod is entitled to observe all aspects of the Senate. To facilitate this, the Senate building has a large viewing gallery that runs alongside the main chamber. When it was originally constructed the gallery was only available to members of the Synod, but it was easier to open the gallery to all, and now all citizens with an interest in the proceedings are encouraged to attend. Any Imperial Citizen can ask the Speaker or the Captain of the Senate Guard to remove a non-citizen from the viewing gallery.

Although only a handful of citizens have the right to raise motions and vote on them in the Senate, the Senators who form the mainstay of the Senate are chosen by the people of their nation. Most senators work hard to make themselves available to the citizens who elect them. A senator who does not adequately represent the interests, views, and goals of the people of their nation and territory can quickly find themselves removed from office.

Limitations

Veto

The decisions of the Senate, both motions and announcements are subject to veto by The Throne and the Imperial Synod. Any veto automatically cancels the motion or announcement, as if it had been a motion which was voted down. A motion that is vetoed cannot be raised again before the start of the next summit.

The Imperial Synod, either the Assembly of Nine or the General Assembly may veto any motion with constitutional implications. In addition, the General Assembly of the Synod may veto any one Senate decision during any summit, using its veto. A veto by the Synod must be exercised before the start of the next session.

The Throne may veto any business that occurs during a Senate session while they are present.

Constitution

The power of the Senate's is limited by the Imperial Constitution. The magistrates may declare a motion to be unconstitutional, if they believe it violates the principles of the Constitution. Where possible the magistrates will always do this before a motion is considered if they are given due time. If a motion is declared unconstitutional, the magistrates are required to provide complete guidance for why it was ruled unconstitutional. The senate may then consider a new motion on the issue at any time.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

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Senate address

Of course it was a lie you fool. Bruised apples have black cores. Stop yammering about virtue! It's a long list but unless you buggers added an eighth while I was eating lunch, honesty ain't on it. It's an address - she can say what she sodding likes and that ain't a crime. Those with wits and a care to use them will decide for themselves what to believe.

Walter Brewer, Senator for Upwold

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Limitations

- 2.1 No Compulsion

- 2.2 Agenda

- 3 Procedure

- 3.1 Raising an address

- 3.2 Presentation

- 3.3 Debate

- 4 Further Reading

- 4.1 Core Brief

- 4.2 Additional Information

Overview

A Senate address is an opportunity for an individual to make a presentation to the Imperial Senate at a Senate session. Only a handful of Imperial titles confer the right to address the Senate, but they traditionally include The Throne and the Master of the Imperial Mint.

The Senate may create new Imperial titles with this power if they wish; this is most appropriate where the holder of the title does not need to attend regular Senate sessions but may need to report regularly to the Senate.

It is also possible to confer the right to make an address on a named citizen regardless of any Imperial title held. This is usually expressed as an invitation for the individual to address the Senate.

Limitations

No Compulsion

It is not possible to compel a citizen to appear before the Senate to speak. The Senate may grant an Imperial title the right to make an address, request an individual address the Senate, or invite them to speak on an individual motion, but they cannot compel them to appear. Only the Imperial Synod has the power to compel a citizen to appear before them.

Agenda

Regardless of any responsibilities or expectations, the Senate cannot set the content of an address. A citizen who chooses to address the Senate may speak on any matter they wish.

Procedure

Raising an address

An Imperial citizen who has the right to address the Senate may do so by informing the Speaker for the Senate of their intention. The Speaker will add the item to the agenda for the next session.

The citizen should ensure that they are present at the chamber throughout the session, as they may be called at any time. They may only enter the chamber once called, and must leave when their address is concluded. The citizen may choose to inform the Speaker of the rough content of their address in advance if they wish.

Presentation

The citizen making an address will be allowed a few minutes to speak during which those present in the chamber are expected to remain reasonably quiet. Although the citizen has been granted the legal right to address the Senate on a matter of their choice, the Speaker determines how long they may speak for. The purpose of an address is to present the Senate with information that is of interest to them. Individuals who try the Senate's patience by talking too long on a subject that it is clearly of diminishing interest to everyone present will be instructed to conclude their address early by the Speaker.

Debate

After the presentation is complete, the Speaker will allow some time for members of the Senate to ask questions and for the speaker to reply.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

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Senate announcement

I thank my Senate for authorizing the construction of the new army and making a disbursement of 50 Thrones to arrange the necessary purchases. As we are concluding this session with my announcement, I hereby declare the immediate disbursement of an additional 180 Thrones from the Imperial treasury to Cassus of Highguard so that he may arrange the construction of the new Highborn army in a timely manner.

Varkula, The Throne

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Limitations

- 2.1 Veto

- 2.2 No Control

- 3 Procedure

- 3.1 Raising an announcement

- 3.2 Presentation

- 3.3 Debate

- 4 Further Reading

- 4.1 Core Brief

- 4.2 Additional Information

Overview

Some Imperial titles, like The Throne have the authority to use one or more of the powers of the Imperial Senate, without requiring a motion be passed by the chamber. To use these powers, the title holder must make an announcement in the Senate first.

The announcement serves three purposes, it allows the civil service to receive formal notification of the use of the power, so that they can arrange the appropriate support. It gives the Senate oversight of the use of any powers that they have delegated in this way. And finally - and most critically - it ensures that the Imperial Synod retain the ability to veto the announcement if they wish.

Limitations

Veto

An announcement is legally considered to be equivalent to a motion. General Assembly of the Imperial Synod may veto one motion per Imperial summit; or they may instead veto a single announcement exactly as if it were a regular majority vote. If an announcement is vetoed by the Imperial Synod then the holder may not make an announcement which is functionally the same until the next summit.

No Control

Although the Speaker may occasionally allow a short period of time to discuss an announcement in the Senate, no vote of any kind is permitted. Once powers have been delegated to an Imperial title by the Senate, then they cannot impose limitations on how those powers are used. Only the Synod can veto the use of a power that has been announced in the Senate.

On rare occasions, the Senate has acted swiftly to strip a title of it's legal powers in a session following an announcement but before the end of the summit. The legal position in these cases is clear, the power has been legally exercised and the use that has been announced will still go ahead. It is not possible to abrogate an announcement.

Procedure

Raising an announcement

An Imperial citizen who wishes to make announce the use of one of the Senate powers that has been delegated to them must do so by informing the Speaker for the Senate of their intention. The Speaker will add the item to the agenda for the next session.

The citizen should ensure that they are present at the chamber throughout the session, as they may be called at any time. They may only enter the chamber once called, and must leave when their announcement is concluded. The citizen may choose to inform the Speaker of the rough content of their announcement in advance if they wish.

Presentation

The citizen making an announcement should state clearly and succinctly what actions they are undertaking - including any details that are relevant and may be of interest to citizens of the Empire.

Debate

After the announcement is complete, the Speaker may allow some time for members of the Senate to ask questions and for the speaker to reply.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Senate_announcement&oldid=28433"

Senate design

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Purpose

- 3 Player Limitations

- 3.1 Losing My Religion

- 3.2 The Prince

- 3.3 Clause 4

- 4 Game Limitations

- 4.1 IC/OOC divide

- 4.2 Lots of Games

- 4.3 The Maze

- 4.4 The Dark Shadow

- 4.5 No Going Back

- 4.6 The Weakest Link

- 4.7 Dead Parrot

- 4.8 OOC Fairness

- 5 Changes in this Update

- 6 Further Reading

- 6.1 Core Brief

- 6.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Imperial Senate is the most powerful political house in the Empire, with the ability to change the balance of power between the five political houses, appoint generals, control the Imperial budget, amend Imperial law, authorize great works and create new Imperial titles.

However, there are significant limits on the power of the Senate, which the Senate is not able to circumvent. This page aims to explain why those limits exist.

Purpose

The core reason to limit the power of the Senate is to get the right play balance. The Senate is far-and-away the most powerful of the five political houses - but we've designed it so that those powers are not supreme. Even an Empress would not rule with the divine right of kings in Empire. If you want someone fired - your first port of call is the Synod - not the Senate. If it involves magic - it's likely that the Conclave can influence the issue far better than the Senate. The Bourse serves as a firewall between the Senate and the game economy, the Military Council has dominion over the strategic elements of the campaign. The ideal design is one in which the powers of the five houses complement and oppose each other, you can't ignore the other houses if you have a seat in one of them.

There are some less obvious reasons - like protecting individual players and groups of players to allow them to continue playing the game even if badly defeated politically. If nine nations unite against the tenth in Empire - they could do massive damage to the political interests of that nation - but they can't just throw them out of the game. The goal is for the constitution to act as a safety net - to allow for wide-ranging political PvP - but prevent the political equivalent of a coup de grace that ends the game.

Ultimately though the reason to limit the power of the game is to make it fun for as many players as possible. The "constitution" serves as a mechanism to prevent the Senate weakening the political game through the entirely justifiable IC action of extending their own powers. If the Senate's power was supreme, the game for all the players in these other houses would be diminished as the political game became far less complex, less nuanced and involve less players. The constitution works to try and preserve game for everyone playing Empire - and in that way make the game more involved and challenging for everyone.

Player Limitations

These limitations are extensions of the setting that involve other players, rather than limitations that are initiated by Profound Decisions.

Losing My Religion

The most obvious limitation of the Senate is the oversight of the Imperial Synod. There is quite deliberately a delicate balancing act to get the relative power of these two political houses right. Ultimately the game design gives the Senate all the active powers to change things and do things - but the Synod is the body with all the powers to undo these. They can revoke people to remove them from office and they can veto motions passed by the Senate.

The veto is deliberately staggered so that the veto the Synod can deploy easily - the veto of the Assembly of Nine cannot be used against the majority of the Senate motions. For these the Synod needs to muster over fifty percent of all the priests at the event, a herculean task - and one that requires a significant number of players to be highly motivated.

The veto does not exist to preserve the game design - it is there to enable politics between the Senate and the Synod. For political interaction to take place between these two houses, a dynamic of power needs to exist between them. The Synod veto gives the Synod a hold over the Senate, it is a political weapon they can wield to gain interests, for whatever purpose the Synod choose. The veto is also a tool any player in the game can conceptually wield - you don't have to be a member of the Synod to try to get the Synod to act, that is something anyone can attempt.

The distinction between constitutional votes and majority votes exists to allow for a changed balance of power between the Synod and the Senate in the different circumstances. The goal is to empower the Synod to play a significant role in the political game - to give them tools to fight their political battles according to their goals and ambitions.

Without the veto, or some equivalent, the Synod would be toothless and the Senate would be able to ignore them. Of course that would suit the best in-character interests of the senators, but it would make their game significantly less challenging. There would still be politics within the Senate of course, between rival senators and nations, but the political game would be reduced to one in which the senators were the only actors - a less complex, less challenging, less involving game for them as well as everybody else.

The Prince

The Senate has some power over the Imperial Military Council - because they appoint the generals - but they cannot replace them and they are legally forbidden to enter the Military Council chamber. This limitation is pretty unique in Empire - most of the game is about giving people powers to do things, not stopping them doing something that would normally be trivial.

The limitation exists to try and ensure that each general is able - as far as possible - to play the military game independently of the senators who chose him. The Military Council is very focussed on the war with the barbarians, it has almost no political autonomy outside of that. The war is very important to the whole Empire - and understandably many senators are going to want to involve themselves in that conflict.

The point of trying to keep them out is that the senators already have a political game taking place in the senate - people who want to play the Military game should be striving to become generals or adjutants in the Military Council. The military game takes place primarily within the Military council - the game is designed to ensure that the senators can't directly move the military game into the Senate - either consciously of sub-consciously.

Clause 4

We don't have an opinion on whether trickle-down economics work in real life, but we are firmly of the opinion that they do not work well in LRP games. The wealth rarely trickles down far enough to create a vibrant game of trade and commerce. Trickle down economics are particularly vulnerable in a setting where the IC leaders are PCs - NPCs can be told to hand out their wealth equally - PCs natural and appropriate response is to hoard it.

In Empire the primary source of wealth is the contents of each player's pack. The Senate has vastly more money to spend than any individual player - but significantly less wealth to spend than all the players combined. It is the biggest fish in the economic pond by a long way - but it is tiny compared with the sea of smaller fish that surround it.

Much of the economic game centres around the key Imperial Bourse resources that everyone is trying to gain. The sale of these resources lies in the hands of the Bourse - the founders of the Empire deliberately tied the hands of the Senate to stop them having control over the most valuable resources of the state. Instead the Senate are forced to compete to buy their resources on the same footing as everyone else. They have more money - but they don't have any powers they can use to circumvent the need to engage in trade to get what they want.

The goal is to make certain that the Senate can't use its powers to close down the trading game. They can play the trading game - along with all the other players - but they have to trade - they can't take what they want by fiat. Their only weapon in that game is their wealth - anyone who can afford to outbid them can defeat them.

This kind of trickle-up economics, placing the power in the hands of every individual player and allowing them to pool their resources to achieve common goals is the fundamental basis of the economic game design. It gives players goals and empowers them to take action. Ultimately the reason the Bourse exists is to prevent the Senate from influencing the trading game by means other than playing the trading game. The goal is to preserve the breadth and depth of that trading game for every player who wants to participate.

Game Limitations

These are limitations that are controlled by Profound Decisions, they exist to try and preserve the integrity of the game - they are not meant to be exercised as part of the political game itself.

There is only one kind of game limitation - the magistrates can declare a motion "unconstitutional". Ideally this would happen before a motion is passed and when it does we will try to provide positive feedback about what would need to be changed to make the motion valid.

The list below presents all the reasons we can think of that we might declare a motion to be unconstitutional. The list appears long, but most of these things are never likely to come up in play - and by telling players what they are, we hope that players will find it easier to avoid them. We're trying to clearly delineate the boundaries of the game, so players don't find themselves unwittingly stumbling into them.

IC/OOC divide

In normal circumstances Profound Decisions do not operate a policy of putting IC blocks in front of players who attempt IC actions we cannot OOC support. For instance - if players were attempting an advance on a battlefield that would be unsafe OOC - then we would provide OOC instruction to the players on how to avoid the area.

While some players appreciate having an IC explanation for OOC rulings, the risk with any IC explanation is that it is confused with plot. In theory the risk is that players go and poke the IC explanation thinking it will be cool plot when in fact it is just a justification for an OOC safety decision. In practice that very rarely happens - a much more serious and much more common problem is the reverse. Players attempt an IC action - they meet significant IC opposition because what they are trying to do is difficult - and they give up because they "assume PD don't want them to do that".

In all other situations, except this one, if you meet significant IC opposition to your IC plans - it is because what you are trying to do is difficult. It is never because PD out-of-character don't want you to do that thing - on the contrary we are usually keen for you to attempt it, we just want to make it consistent and appropriately challenging. If PD have out-of-character reasons why we don't want you do something in the game - we will tell you that out-of-character and if humanly possible we will tell you why. OOC rules exist so players know what is safe and fair to do in game - IC challenges exist to be overcome.

The exception is the "constitutional ruling" of the magistrates. These are only done for out-of-character reasons - and we will try to identify why we are doing them when we provide the rulings - but they are dressed up in IC language and presented IC because to do otherwise would be too damaging to the immersion of the game. None-the-less we want to be utterly upfront that these are out-of-characters decisions, take for reasons of game design, they are not political challenges to be overcome in-character.

Lots of Games

The main reason that some motions would be declared unconstitutional is because they disrupt the fundamental balance of power between the political houses of the Empire. There is room for change in these positions, the Senate can empower the other houses by giving them powers and creating titles appointed by them. But they have almost no ability to reduce the powers of these bodies - they can't centralize the power with themselves.

This is simply the out-of-character line that underpins the game design elements described above for the Synod, Bourse and the Military Council. The Imperial Conclave is slightly different, but in theory it's game is also protected by PD - the Senate can't simply grab these games and take them for themselves.

The Maze

One of the reasons we might prevent a motion from proceeding is because we think that in the long term it will serve to make the overall game play less interesting. There is obviously a significant element of judgement in this but the judgement is geared towards preventing decisions that simplify the complex political structures of the Empire. A lot of the political game is about manoeuvring through the different political bodies of the Empire.

The natural instinct of most people in those situations is to remove these blocks. But once a block can be removed sufficiently easily - then the complexity of the political moves that can be made is reduced - and by extension the complexity of the political game is reduced. If you consider a game of chess - it is not improved if every piece can move to anywhere it wants. A labyrinth is only a challenge if you aren't allowed to bring a bulldozer.

We want the political game to remain challenging for decades to come, so motions that work to make the game simpler and easier to play - less complex and subtle and involved - by dismantling offices and structures of the state will be prevented. One of the core reasons that an Imperial title is created by the Senate but will usually have to be appointed by a different house is precisely to ensure that the integrity of the maze remains intact.

The Dark Shadow

There is often a desire to make things "fairer" - to give every player a chance to speak, a chance to vote. Every player who attends Empire should have a game to play - but the dark shadow of fair play is a threat to an enjoyable game. Sharing everything out - giving everyone one of everything makes the game less interesting, less involving, less challenging. A trading game is castrated when everyone has one of everything - a degree of inequality is a healthy element of an exciting game - and gives characters a basis for striving to advance their own political and personal goals.

Fair play can be particularly injurious to the flavour of a game. It's clearly, categorically, blatantly unfair that Urizen citizens don't get a vote unless they are a ritual magician. This is quite deliberate - the game that flows from this basic inequality serves to underpin the character and flavour of Urizen as a nation while simultaneously creating game for Urizen characters as they try to achieve their aims in light of this. Changes to the game that are driven by fair play that serve to reduce the impact of the character of the setting will be prevented.

No Going Back

Vacillation can be enjoyable in the moment - and political confrontations that turn and turn again in the moment of a few hours are the dramatic battles of a political game. But our assessment is that it would not be fun to be constantly reassessing every major decision the Senate had made. If a vote to assign territories and regions could be altered later - it makes compromise much easier (compromise IC is a design bug, not a feature) and encourages repetition.

As a result key game decisions are "locked in" once made - constitutionally forbidding the characters from changing their minds later.

The Weakest Link

Empire is intended to be a very political player-vs-player game. There are lots of different political fault lines, and there are great prizes to be claimed by the winners in the game. But you can't vote one of the contestants off so that they don't have to compete in future rounds. The Senate, the Synod, the Conclave, the Bourse and the Military Council can all do horrible, horrible things to characters, groups and nations they don't like. But they can't easily kill a character and they can't just expel a nation from the Empire, because they got a 2/3 majority in the Senate for a single vote.

Senate motions that disband or expel a nation or simply emasculate them in a single stroke (for instance a vote to make it illegal for Marchers to vote) will not pass constitutional scrutiny.

Dead Parrot

Like most LRPers of a certain age, we're big fans of Monty Python - but not in our LRP games. Empire is intended to be a serious game of politics, faith, trade, war and magic. We take the game seriously and we believe that the efforts out players make indicates that they share our preference for that approach. Motions that are clearly meant to be comic - will not pass constitutional scrutiny especially if it's funny. The Senate can change the laws of the Empire, they cannot make everyone wear a comedy hat.

OOC Fairness

There is the entirely theoretical risk that senators might attempt to pass motions that would violate Profound Decisions out-of-character rules for things like equality and diversity. We don't expect this will ever happen, but it is only appropriate to give notice that any attempt to do so would be declared unconstitutional.

Changes in this Update

This update is primarily intended to improve the presentation of this section of the wiki adding further useful information and making it easier for players to find and access the content they want. We have changed a small number of things in this update, most notable of which are edits to the powers of The Throne and the removal of procedural motions.

The procedural motions have been removed to enhance player agency, putting the emphasis firmly on the players to raise these motions at the point where they want them raised. It streamlines the Senate process, further reduces the direct impact of the NPCs and gives a player the chance to present what are often very significant or momentous motions.

The page listing the powers of The Throne conflicted with other pages on the wiki, making it unclear if The Throne possessed the right to vote or raise motions in the Senate. This has been clarified in the negative. We have added some additional powers in the Synod, to try to ensure that the position's influence in the Synod is adequately reflected and in line with their influence elsewhere.

The official explanation for this changes is now familiar "Time of Emergency". That the powers of the Throne and processes of state work slightly different during a time of emergency and then revert back to the standard procedures once everything has settled down.

The time of emergency was what happened in the first few years following the death of Empress Britta and most of the Empire's finest who died with her. This was why every senator at the first event was having to be elected and so on - it was the rules following a time of emergency when basically everyone who was running the Empire is dead. The explanation is that the Civil Servants have one set of rules to use when running the Empire in the period immediately following the declaration of emergency - and then they revert to the standard rules (the ones now on the wiki).

Obviously this is a figleaf justification, we are not attempting to claim that this is a seamless elegant solution, but hopefully it will help to minimize the impact of the changes for individual players - allowing them to roleplay that what happened has happened. It isn't particularly helpful to postulate that individual civil servants are somehow engaged in some kind of conspiracy to control the Empire; this isn't some kind of actual plot you can interact with - it's a justification by PD for the changes we are making to the game to make it better for everyone playing it.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Senate_design&oldid=34293"

Senate motion

I have no need of the power to propose a motion senator - that's what you are for. The soldier has a post, the sword has a scabbard, the pot has a fire. Everything has a purpose. Raising this motion is now yours.

Varkula, The Throne

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Proposal

- 3 Wording

- 4 Limitations

- 4.1 Single Issue

- 4.2 Constitution

- 5 Voting

- 5.1 Majority Vote

- 5.2 Constitutional Vote

- 5.3 Budget

- 6 Consideration

- 7 Withdrawal

- 8 Administrative Motions

- 9 Further Reading

- 9.1 Core Brief

- 9.2 Additional Information

Overview

Motions are the primary way that the Senate carries out its business. Commissions are ordered, laws implemented, citizens appointed - all using motions. All the main powers of the Imperial Senate rely on a motion being raised and passed when directly employed by the Senate.

The only alternative to a motion is if the Senate create an Imperial title which has the legal authority to use one or more Senate powers. These powers can then be executed using an announcement in the Senate rather than a motion.

Proposal

A member of the Senate with the power of proposal may propose a single motion each summit. The number of motions is strictly limited to prevent individual senators from monopolizing the Senate's time. Currently, the Imperial titles with the power of proposal are:

- Senator

- Conscience of the Senate

A motion must have a second. Any citizen with the right to propose a motion may also second a single motion each summit.

Wording

The Speaker for the Senate will read out the wording of a motion, so it is helpful to keep the wording concise. If the motion will change Imperial law, then it is a good idea to discuss the wording with the magistrates first.

Motions that disburse funds should state how much and to whom. The Senate cannot legally direct how the recipient might spend Senate funds, but it is still advisable to make the Senate's expectation clear in the wording of the motion, as the Synod do have the power to punish citizens whose actions fall short of what is legitimately expected of them.

A motion to create a new Imperial title should state the tenure, how the title will be appointed and how it can be revoked. They should lay out clearly which legal powers, if any, the title will have authority to use. The Senate cannot legally direct what the holder of the title should do, nor how they will do it, but like a disbursement, it is still worthwhile to set out the responsibilities of the office. The Synod is expected to use the stated responsibilities of an Imperial title to inform any judgement made against the citizen who holds the office.

A motion to commission new mercantile investments should state what the desired economic output will be. The civil service will use this to calculate what bourse resources are required to achieve this - and then the Senate can judge what disbursement if any to make.

The wording of the motion is recorded for posterity in the Imperial archives, so those citizens with an eye to their place in history will want their wording to have a pleasing cadence. Some proud senators have been known to employ Freeborn scriveners or Wintermark stormcrows to give the wording of their motion more impact.

Limitations

Single Issue

A motion must contain a single clear issue that senators can vote on. The civil service will not normally allow a motion that incorporates multiple separate issues. The defining test for this is whether a senator might wish to vote in favour of one part of a motion and against another part. It is common for the Senate to debate a set of motions with similar themes; in these situations the motions are often discussed together as a set and then voted on in rapid succession.

Constitution

It is not legal for the Senate to pass a motion which violates the spirit of the constitution. Each motion that comes before the Senate is scrutinized by the magistrates to check for any constitutional implications. Motions that changes to the way the constitution is interpreted or applied are possible, but require a constitutional vote to pass. Motions that violate the principles of the constitution will be struck down even if they have already passed the floor of the Senate. Sensible senators will bring their motions to the civil service in good time, before submitting them for a session, to ensure that they can be checked and any appropriate changes made.

The magistrates are the highest authority on the principles and application of the constitution. Historically, they have always acted to ensure that the rights and powers of the other bodies of state such as the Bourse, Military Council or Conclave and the nations and citizens of the Empire receive the protection they are guaranteed by the Constitution.

Voting

Motions are decided by vote of the members of the Senate. Votes are usually open. In open votes, the Speaker will invite all in favour of the motion to move to the Throne's left or right; "Ayes" to the right and "Noes" to the left. The functionaries of the Senate will then count the votes and the result is announced. If no-one present disputes the count, then it is recorded and the matter is complete.

Any senator may call for a secret ballot. To permit a secret ballot on a motion first requires the majority vote of all present. If that vote passes then one white and one black bead are distributed to everyone who can vote and they vote by placing a single bead into bags carried by the Senate functionaries.

If a citizen is not present during the session then they forfeit their right to vote, unless they have appointed a proxy who is present to vote in their stead. It is not possible to cast a vote in advance, the citizen with the power to vote must be present to do so. It is not unknown for senators on their deathbed to be brought to the floor of the chamber to cast a vote.

Majority Vote

A normal motion requires a majority vote. For a majority vote to pass requires only that the majority of those present vote in favour. This means that the votes of those who are absent are ignored. Most, but not all, members of the Senate have the right to vote on each ordinary motion that is brought before the Senate. Currently, the Imperial titles which the power to vote on an ordinary motion are:

- Senator

- Conscience of the Senate

The General Assembly of the Imperial Synod may veto a single majority vote once per Imperial summit. If any motion is vetoed by the Imperial Synod then the Senate may not raise a motion which is functionally the same until the next summit.

Constitutional Vote

Any motion that changes the way the constitution is interpreted or applied requires a constitutional vote to pass. In addition the election of a new emperor or empress to The Throne always requires a constitutional vote.

For a constitutional vote to pass requires a two-thirds majority vote of the senators of the Empire, whether or not they are present, or even in position at that time. The Imperial Constitution explicitly states that only senators may vote on such an issue, so no other Imperial title exists or can be created which can vote in a constitutional vote.

The Throne is assumed to be independent of the political affiliations of the senators. Any change to the law that has constitutional implications requires the approval of the Throne to ensure that the Senate is acting in the interests of the Empire as a whole. A motion that requires a constitutional vote cannot be passed without an Empress.

The General Assembly or the Assembly of Nine may veto any constitutional vote.

Budget

If a vote requires a budget to be allocated, the Speaker will ask every individual who voted in favour to remain standing where they are. The Speaker then suggests the minimum possible amount the individual who proposed the motion believes might be used to achieve the goal. If the majority of voters remain in favour then the Speaker will keep announcing a higher figure until enough citizens cross the floor that there is no longer majority support for the motion at that level of expenditure. The motion is passed with the highest level budget that received majority support.

Consideration

Although there are limits on how often the Synod may act they are entitled to veto any motion passed by the Imperial Senate. Formally, a motion passed by the Senate does not become law until the beginning of the next session - as this is the time limit by which the Synod must act if they intend to do so. Traditionally however, employing the veto is sufficiently rare that the Senate usually goes about its business without delay. In particular, disbursements are commonly made after a vote is concluded, rather than waiting until the beginning of the next session. Only a coronation is automatically delayed until the beginning of the next session.

If members of the Synod wish the Senate to delay implementation of a motion, while the power of the veto is sought, then the best way to achieve this is to tell relevant individuals in the Senate. The conscience of the Senate, or any cardinal who tells the Speaker for the Senate that they intend to seek the veto will be sufficient to delay a disbursement until the beginning of the next session. The priest may also speak directly to any senator or citizen who has been charged to act by the Synod requesting that they delay acting until the Synod has had time to consider the matter.

Citizens are not legally compelled to wait - but any citizen that does not do so is taking a grave risk. If a citizen acts on a motion that is subsequently vetoed by the Synod, then that citizen is likely to be found guilty of subverting the agencies of state. The severity of any punishment will be based on how reversible the actions are and how aware the citizen was that the Synod intended to veto the motion.

Withdrawal

The citizen who proposed a motion may withdraw it at any time. If a motion is withdrawn before a session begins then the citizen may still raise a motion that summit. If a motion is withdrawn after a session begins then the right to propose a motion that summit is lost.

Administrative Motions

The Speaker for the Senate has the authority to raise one or more motions in the Senate by adding them to the agenda. These are usually described as administrative motions to stress their non-partisan nature and commonly have two purposes.

- They allow the civil service to request clarification from the Senate on previous motions passed, if that the civil service can't be certain what the will of the Senate is. In legal terms, these motions modify the motion they are clarifying, but they are classed as administrative motions to stress their non-partisan nature. Administrative motions are subject to veto by the Imperial Synod as normal.

- They are also employed the first time an Imperial position is appointed by the Senate. The Speaker traditionally includes an administrative motion of this kind in the agenda for any session that includes a proposal to create a new Imperial title.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Senate_motion&oldid=36103"

Recent history (Redirected from Senate recent history)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 379

- 2.1 Spring Equinox

- 3 378

- 3.1 Winter Solstice

- 3.2 Autumn Equinox

- 3.3 Summer Solstice

- 3.4 Spring Equinox

- 4 377

- 4.1 Winter Solstice

- 4.2 Autumn Equinox

- 4.3 Summer Solstice

- 4.4 Spring Equinox

- 5 376

- 5.1 Winter Solstice

Overview

The following are summaries of the history of the Empire since the death of Empress Britta in 376 YE.

A list of the seasons when each Imperial title is elected can be found in the Election Schedule. For the titles that are not elected every season, please refer to the permanent titles page

379

Spring Equinox

- 379YE Spring Equinox winds of fortune

- 379YE Spring Equinox winds of war

- 379YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

- 379YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

- 379YE Spring Equinox Synod judgments

378

Winter Solstice

- 378YE Winter Solstice winds of fortune

- 378YE Winter Solstice winds of war

- 378YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

- 378YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 378YE Winter Solstice Synod judgments

Autumn Equinox

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Imperial titles

- 378YE Autumn Equinox winds of war

- 378YE Autumn Equinox winds of magic

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Synod judgements

- 378YE Autumn Equinox Conclave declarations

Summer Solstice

- 378YE Summer Solstice Imperial titles

- 378YE Summer Solstice winds of war

- 378YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

- 378YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements

- 378YE Summer Solstice Conclave sessions

Spring Equinox

- 378YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

- 378YE Spring Equinox winds of war

- 378YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

- 378YE Spring Equinox Synod judgements

- 378YE Spring Equinox Conclave declarations

377

Winter Solstice

- 377YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

- 377YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 377YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

- 377YE Winter Solstice Conclave sessions

Autumn Equinox

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Imperial titles

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Synod judgements

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Conclave declarations

Summer Solstice

- 377YE Summer Solstice Conclave declarations

- 377YE Summer Solstice Imperial titles

- 377YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

- 377YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements

Spring Equinox

- 377YE Spring Equinox Conclave declarations

- 377YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

- 377YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

- 377YE Spring Equinox Synod judgements

376

Winter Solstice

- 376YE Winter Solstice Conclave declarations

- 376YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

- 376YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

- 376YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Recent_history&oldid=35937"

Senate session

Bugger off! No-one wins when the judge has a dog in the race. She can't sit on the bloody throne and chair the sodding thing. That's daft talk. A big house needs a servant to clean it. And they need to keep a calm tongue in their head. Only a civil tongue buys cheap apples.

Walter Brewer, senator for Upwold

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Member of the Senate

- 3 Speaking before the Senate

- 4 Setting the Agenda

- 5 Concluding the Agenda

- 5.1 Curtailment

- 6 Further Reading

- 6.1 Core Brief

- 6.2 Additional Information

Overview

Like the Conclave and the Military Council, the Senate conducts its official business at formal sessions, where matters are discussed and votes are cast. Although members of the Senate meet to discuss business throughout the day (the Speaker for the Senate encourages all members to discuss Senate in advance of the session), the sessions are the best chance to address the entire Senate and the only time that motions can be raised and voted upon.

Traditionally, the Senate aims to have have two sessions each full day of an Imperial summit and one session each half-day.

Member of the Senate

Under normal circumstances Imperial citizens are not permitted to enter the Senate chamber while it is in session. They may view the proceedings, but only from the viewing gallery built for that purpose, and only if they remain in good order and keep the noise to a minimum. Citizens and others may be invited to speak in support of a specific motion by its proposer, and may speak if that invitation is deemed by the Speaker to be useful.

Only Members of the Senate and key civil servants may attend Senate sessions. A member of the Senate is not automatically eligible to vote or raise a motion - but they can speak on any motion or announcement that is brought before the chamber. The current Imperial titles that are classed as a Member of the Senate are:

- The Throne

- Senator

- Conscience of the Senate

- Master of the Imperial Mint

Speaking before the Senate

Every member who wishes to attend a Senate session must arrive before the Session begins. Once a session is in progress, nobody, not even The Throne may join the session.

Each session is chaired by the Speaker for the Senate. To maintain order, members may only speak once invited to do so by the Speaker. Those who wish to speak must catch the Speaker's eye and then wait their turn. The stated goal of the Speaker is to keep sessions brisk and on topic. Like all civil servants their oath binds them to strict neutrality. As Speaker they must balance the need to give every member of the Senate a chance to speak with a demanding time-table for Imperial business.

On occasion a member may request that the Speaker allow a citizen to speak on a motion. Usually the Speaker will only allow this if the citizen is acknowledged as an authority on the matter of the motion being raised, but on occasion speakers have been allowed who have used their personal connection to the matter at hand to make a brief but impassioned plea to the Senate. In formal terms, the Speaker can make the decision to allow a citizen to speak at any time, but experience shows that requests lodged well before a session begins are much more likely to be granted.

Any individual who is due to address the Senate must wait outside the chamber until called. They may only enter to deliver their address at the appropriate time and must leave once their address is complete and they have answered any questions from members of the Senate.

Setting the Agenda

The mainstay of the agenda for a session are the motions. The right to raise a motion is one of the most important powers of senators, shared only with the Conscience of the Senate. Motions can be presented to the Speaker at any time, but the civil service usually reject a motion brought to them less than two hours before a session is due to begin, unless there is a very good reason for it.

Announcements occur when the holder of an Imperial title exercises legal powers of the Senate on their behalf. These powers would normally require a Senate motion to use - and thus are subject to veto by the Imperial Synod. The Senate may delegate these powers to one or more Imperial titles - but the citizen exercising those powers must then announce them during a Senate session to ensure that they remain subject to the appropriate oversight. Announcements are not voted on - but the Speaker will sometimes allow a short debate by members of the Senate.

Any citizen that holds an Imperial title that confers the right to address the Senate may do so by informing the Speaker of their intent. The Speaker will add the address to the agenda and call the citizen to speak at the relevant moment.

The order of motions is set by the Speaker - the aim of the civil service is to ensure that the most important motions are dealt with last.

Concluding the Agenda

Once all agenda items are dealt with, the Senate session ends. If a session ends prematurely for any reason, remaining agenda items are added to the agenda of the next Senate session.

Curtailment

A senator may call for a Vote of Curtailment. When a Vote of Curtailment is called, those present must vote in favour to continue the session; otherwise the sitting comes to a premature end. Curtailment is not a motion, and the call does not need to be seconded.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Senate_session&oldid=33349"

Senate Sessions of the Spring Equinox 2013 Redirect page

Senate Sessions of the Spring Equinox 377YE

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Senate Sessions of the Spring Equinox 377YE

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Overview

- Imperial budget for this season announced by the Civil Service as 173 Thrones.

- Various announcements and statements were also made during the course of the sessions which are not recorded here.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

- Funds disbursed to Imperial Conclave and Military Council (as per this motion of Winter 376): 16 Thrones and 4 Crowns.

Senate Motions Spring 2013

Motions Passed

- Appoint trade envoys

- Appoint Senate auditor

- Support medical school and Anvil hospital

- Build Holberg defences

- Reinforce Skarsind In progress

- Fortify multiple towns

- Repair the Spider's Dream

- Research Abraxus

- Safe passage for the Jotun

- Research maps

- Fund the Academy

- Outlaw Vallorn cultivation

- Create Egregore histories

- Send envoy to Axos

- Create roll of honour

Motions Defeated

- Motion to assign a budget to Bridget Talbot to purchase materials for fortifications (proposed by Mitwold, seconded by illegible) defeated in principle

- Motion to build cathedrals in Sarvos and Astolat (proposed by Sarvos, seconded by Upwold) defeated with 18 votes against.

Motions declared Unconstitutional

- Change Urizen voting

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Senate_Sessions_of_the_Spring_Equinox_377YE&oldid=22050"

Senate Sessions of the Summer Solstice 377YE

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at 167 Thrones.

- Various announcements and statements were also made during the course of the sessions which are not recorded here.

- A diplomatic letter from the Jotun leadership was presented by Senator for Senmersuaq.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

Senate Motions Summer 2013

Motions Passed

- Create Otkodov spy network Work Required

- Create law of desecration

- Recognise Irontide Isk Work Required

- Research Exemplar Zemress Work Required

- Accept Jotun ceasefire

- Revoke fund disbursement

- Add "Sum of the Parts" to Imperial Lore

- Appoint Bursar within Conclave Work Required

- Permit dredging of Feverwater Work Required

- Resupply army of Golden Axe Work Required

- Resupply army of the Hounds of Glory Work Required

Motions Defeated

- Motion to censure proxy Hercynia (proposed by Redoubt, seconded by Miaren) defeated by 22 votes to 3.

- Motion to resupply the army of the Golden Axe (proposed by illegible, seconded by Feroz), defeated by 22 votes to 5.

- Motion to outlaw raiding aginst the Jotun during the ceasefire (proposed by Tassato, seconded by Therunin), defeated 22 votes to 5.

- Motion to declare Jotun foreigners during ceasefire (proposed Mitwold, seconded Upwold), defeated 27 votes to 0

Motions declared Unconstitutional

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Senate_Sessions_of_the_Summer_Solstice_377YE&oldid=22022"

Senate Sessions of the Winter Solstice 377YE (Redirected from Senate Sessions of the Winter Solstice 2013)

Redirect page

Senate Sessions of the Winter Solstice 376YE

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Senate Sessions of the Winter Solstice 376YE

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Overview

- Imperial treasury during this season announced by the Civil Service at 200 Thrones.

- Various announcements and statements were also made during the course of the sessions which are not recorded here.

- The roll of Senators serving during this season can be found here.

- Funds disbursed to Imperial Conclave and Military Council (as per this motion): 14 Thrones and 4 Crowns.

Senate Motions Winter 2013

Motions Passed

- Madruga shipyard

- Town defences

- Imperial Orc observer

- Auras illegal in the Senate

- Arrangement for Britta's body

- Resupply Imperial armies

- Create Imperial Banner

- Distribute Imperial budget

- Ratification of Britta's Seal

- Create Highguard army In progress

Motions Defeated

- A motion to raise a second Urizen army (proposed by Morrow, seconded by Bastion) was defeated on principle.

- A motion to assign additional militia forces to Brass Coast, Varushka and Urizen (proposed by Karov, seconded by Zenith) was defeated with 18 votes against.

- A motion proposing the expansion of port and town in Semmerholm and raising of local militia (proposed by Weirwater, seconded by Astolat) defeated in principle with 20 votes against.

- A motion that the Senate appoint a subcommittee to establish the feasibility and process to establish an Imperial Bank (proposed by Feroz, seconded by Upwold) was defeated with 24 votes against.

- A motion to improve the output of the Imperial Ilium mines (proposed by Semmersuaq, seconded by Mitwold) was defeated in principle with 27 votes against.

Motions declared Unconstitutional

- Future territory assignment

- Change to Navarr voting

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Senate_Sessions_of_the_Winter_Solstice_376YE&oldid=22020"

Senate Sessions of the Winter Solstice 377YE Redirect page

Senate Sessions of the Winter Solstice 376YE

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Senate_Sessions_of_the_Winter_Solstice_377YE&oldid=21653"

Senator

Politics is like muck-spreading. No matter how much the stench turns your stomach, it still has to be done. So quit bloody whining; all that matters is what we achieve, not how we go about it. A tree is known by its fruit, not by its leaves.

Walter Brewer, senator for Upwold

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Member of the Senate

- 3.2 Representation

- 3.3 Proposal

- 3.4 Executor

- 3.5 Curtailment

- 3.6 Proxy

- 4 Limitations

- 4.1 Military Council Prohibition

- 4.2 Abstention

- 5 Selection

- 6 Removal

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Imperial Senate is a representative chamber; each territory in the Empire selects a single senator according to the customs of that nation. To be eligible to return a senator, at least half of the territory must be under Imperial control. If more than half of a territory is controlled by barbarians or foreign powers, then it cannot be represented in the Senate. A territory must be part of one of the ten nations of the Empire. When new territories are captured, they are allocated to a nation by majority vote of the Senate. A territory may only return a senator who is recognized as a member of that nation by the nation's Egregore.

Responsibilities

Officially senators represent the people of their territory and their nation in the Imperial Senate. As part of the ruling body of the Empire, senators are ultimately responsible for the well-being of the entire Empire. Collectively their duties include passing laws, assigning the Imperial budget, and appointing other Imperial titles, notably The Throne and the generals of their nation.

Senators are expected to attend at least some of the Senate sessions, and to both raise motions and cast their votes wisely. In doing so they must balance many competing interests; the Empire, their nation, their territory, the people who got them elected, and their own ambitions. It is rare that all these interests align and even the most virtuous senator can find themselves forced to make painful compromises.

During a sitting, a senator is expected to comport themselves with proper decorum and act respectfully toward their peers. A senator may be sanctioned by the Speaker for the Senate in response to boorish or disruptive behaviour.

Following a decision of the Imperial Senate, the responsibilities of a senator include calling for a moment of silence to honour the dead after any motion for emergency resupply is voted on.

Powers

Member of the Senate

Each senator is a member of the Senate. They are entitled to enter the Senate chamber at the start of a Senate session and participate in the debates.

Representation

Senators may cast a vote on any motion that is brought before the Senate.

Proposal

Senators may propose a single motion for consideration by the Senate each summit.

Executor

If a motion requires significant decisions to be made outside the Senate chamber, then it is respnsibility of the senator who proposed the motion to execute those decisions. E.g. if the Senate passes a motion to construct a dam across the Couros river in the territory of Bastion in Highguard, then any further decisions are the responsibility of the senator who proposed that motion. The dam will require materials that must be purchased from the Imperial Bourse, so the Senate may vote a budget for this project. That money is then given to the senator who proposed the motion who can use it as they see fit to attempt the goals stated in the motion.

Historically it was considered virtuous for a senator to keep any funds assigned by the Senate that are not required to carry out a motion. It was widely held that a successful senator who worked hard to secure the resources needed at a cheaper price deserves to be rewarded for their prosperity. In recent times this practice has been strongly criticized and senators have felt a heavy pressure to return unused funds. Although it is unconstitutional to legally compel a senator to return any funds, this new practice remains widespread.

Curtailment

A sitting lasts until either all the planned motions have been discussed, or until a senator calls for a Vote of Curtailment. Curtailment is not a motion, and the call does not need to be seconded, the senator simply asks the Speaker to curtail the session.

When a Vote of Curtailment is called, those present must vote in favour to continue the session; otherwise the sitting comes to a premature end. Motions that have not been voted upon are then pushed to the next sitting after all other business has been conducted.

Proxy

A senator is entitled to appoint a proxy who may exercise the legal powers of their office in their name.

Limitations

Military Council Prohibition

Although senators choose the generals, the Senate is forbidden by the Imperial Constitution from interfering with the Military Council under any circumstances. The constitution states that "The Military Council will execute the strategy of war without interference from the Senate." Interpretation of what constitutes 'interference' is complex, but it is always a crime for a senator to enter the Military Council chamber when it is in session. Magistrates work hard to enforce this law and senators risk harsh penalties if they break it.

Some historical scholars claim this reflects the importance the First Empress and her advisors placed on the separating the business of war from the business of politics. Less flattering interpretations point out that since the Empress (or Emperor) is a member of both chambers, this ruling also enhances the prestige and power of The Throne. This restriction supersedes even the right of Witness possessed by a Senator who is a member of the Synod.

Abstention

Senators do not have the power of abstention as they represent the citizens of the Empire. If they are present for a session then they are legally required to vote and face censure by the Speaker, as well as the censure of the Synod and the attention of the magistrates if they try to abstain.

Senators are permitted to miss a session entirely. In such cases they must only explain themselves to the Synod. Omission is commonly accepted by those senators who take the battlefield regularly, but those whose absence is driven by a lack of courage or prosperity risk revocation.

Selection

Each nation has a traditional mechanism to return a senator for a territory. Usually, but not always, the ability to directly influence the choice is limited to those who dwell in the territory. The Imperial Civil Service are responsible for overseeing the appointment processes for senators and do their utmost to ensure due process is followed. When a new territory is assigned to a nation, the Imperial Civil Service consults the egregore of that nation to determine how the senator for the territory will be selected.

Removal

A senator can be revoked by the General Assembly, the Assembly of the Nine and by the appropriate National Assembly of the Imperial Synod.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Senator&oldid=35407"

Send envoy to Axos

To send an envoy to Axos to attempt to initiate diplomatic relations and attempt if possible to investigate their recent activities interfering with the Empire if and only if this will not provoke further interferences.

Proposed by Kahraman, seconded by Redoubt.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Legal Ramifications

- 6 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Pursue diplomatic ties with Axos.

- Advised by the Civil Service that while we can send envoys, we cannot guarantee a response.

- Passed unanimously.

Date

- Passed Spring 377YE (Event Two 2013).

Cost

- None

Progress

- Unknown

Legal Ramifications

- This position has a responsibility to initiate contact with the foreign nation.

- The Senate has not chosen to assign any powers or functions to this position.

- The Senate has not chosen to assign any money to support this position.

Campaign Outcome

- It is unclear who has been appointed to this position.

The civil service can provided the individual appointed with the name of a known contact in Axos so that they may initiate communication with them via Winged Messenger.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Send_envoy_to_Axos&oldid=23568"

Seneschal

A seneschal is a trusted yeoman who oversees the financial affairs of a Dawnish noble house. It is considered very poor form for a noble, especially the earl of a house, to concern themself with money - it distracts them from focusing on their house's glory, after all - and so the seneschal is always a yeoman. Many seneschals are employed from the ranks of those yeoman farmers who manage their farms particularly well, while others are merchants whose competence (and honourable practice) have caught their earl's eye.

The seneschal must ensure that the nobles of the house are solvent enough to arm and armour themselves, to go to war, and to throw banquets just as often as they want to. They must make sure that the noble house has a presence in the Imperial Bourse, and that its financial assets are not forgotten by relevant Senators and other important figures, even though the nobles of the house won't talk about them. They must oversee the entire house's assets, and ensure that it prospers; as such the seneschal can be one of the most powerful people in a noble house.

Playing a seneschal

Playing a seneschal should ensure you a busy game - when your earl gives an order to organise a tourney or a banquet, you need to know when, where, how much it will cost, and how to do so honourably. You may have to skirt the edges of Dawnish honour - or ignore it entirely - to achieve your goals, but you must always appear to have acted with honour. More importantly, even when you're not being given orders, it is your job to make sure the house stays afloat, which may mean dealing with other seneschals, senators, foreigners, and the many and varied denizens of the Bourse.

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Sentinel Gate design

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Core Design Criteria

- 3 At the Appointed Hour

- 4 In the Appointed Number

- 5 Anvil is Safe

- 6 The Barbarian High-command is Safe

- 7 The Outward Gate Closes

- 8 The Return Gate Closes

- 9 Anyone may go

- 10 The Gate is for players

- 11 Avoid NPC only abilities

Overview

The Sentinel Gate is an essential part of the Empire game design - it allows us to combine a political game centred on Anvil with battles against the Empire's enemies on her borders. as well as using the entire Empire for quests. Because the Gate has such a significant out-of-character role in enabling the game, inevitably the mechanics that drive it are primarily driven by those requirements.

Core Design Criteria

- You can only ever use the portal if something interesting will happen when you get there

- The number of the people who can go through is determined by the specific plot being accessed

- We do not want players to feel they have to spend their time guarding the gate

- We want to avoid trapping players on the other side if humanly possible

At the Appointed Hour

The Gate can only be used at "predestined" times. These opportunities reflect the plot we have prepared for the weekend and the plot actuation schedule that has been created to run that plot. Because the destination and time of departure have been set for OOC reasons - they can be moved for OOC reasons - but there is no IC mechanism the players can employ to change the OOC game schedule.

The purpose of the Gate in the game is to allow for an enormous range of plot that would otherwise be impossible. If players cannot travel to the battlefront - they cannot actively participate in the war between the Empire and it's enemies. The Gate justifies swift travel around the Empire allowing us to run battles involving players as well as having the broadest possible scope of plot that we can run.

In theory we could allow players to travel to a location we have not prepared any plot for and then throw a random fight at them or simply say "nothing happens", but there are many potential flaws with this approach. It is likely to be an underwhelming and disappointing experience by anyone expecting something to happen. This is especially true if characters have committed time or expendable resources to an expedition that cannot succeed because it does not exist. It can also create continuity errors, with mistakes on plot actuation resulting in players being told nothing is happening in an area when other plot indicates there is. For all these reasons we have chosen to implement a very simply rule - if the plot isn't prepared and timetabled for that moment - then the Gate cannot be used to go there.

This is the reason why conjunctions only happen at predestined times. Players cannot use the Gate to travel to areas where we do not have something interesting happening for them. They cannot go to Sarvos simply by asking to go there, unless we have planned or prepared a quest, skirmish or battle to support that expedition, and have that ready to go. We want to respond to player requests like this - but we want to do those requests justice. The best way to do this is to spend time between events writing and preparing the plot and encounters the players find when they do go there. The emphasis is to make expeditions as engaging as possible - rather than as immediate as possible.

Because of the logistical demands of plot actuation, we have to schedule when the quests and battles take place. This predetermines the opportunities that exist to use the Gate. If the quest team have prepared a quest to defeat a plaguewulf that has been scheduled to run at 7pm Saturday evening in Karsk - then the opportunity exists to go to that specific location in Karsk exists for 7pm on the Saturday.

If players need to request that a piece of plot is moved then they can only do so for OOC reasons. Wanting to do two bits of plot at the same time is not a valid OOC reason - our group has to leave early on Sunday because we have a long drive back to Scotland is a valid OOC reason to ask for a Gate slot to be moved. In that situation, the correct approach is to make an OOC request to Profound Decisions crew, explain the OOC circumstances and we will see if we can accommodate this.

We have deliberately specified that there is no IC agency in the game world that can over-ride the rules of the gate, no rituals that move a slot, nor any Eternal that can do so, so that players know what their IC options are - and can make sensible choices accordingly. Rituals and eternals may provide IC means to facilitate an existing piece of plot that has been written and scheduled - that is they can help characters access a predestined conjunction - but we don't want players wasting their IC efforts trying to change an OOC plot actuation schedule.

In the Appointed Number

To minimize the situations where there are more players than a plot can involve, the number of people who can go on a quest is set in advance. This forms part of the immutable rules of the Gate, like the destination and the time of departure. For skirmishes and battles, the number who can go through is not fixed, but the number of nations that can go is specified. There are no in-character mechanisms that exist in the game world to vary these details.

When we create a battle, skirmish or quest, we want the expedition to be challenging to those who go. While a purely simulationist approach might imply that many expeditions should be a walk-over while others would be utterly impossible due to the overwhelming odds - in practice this would be equally unsatisfying for players and writers. The laws of narrative apply - we only have a weekend of play - so we need to try and ensure that the hours of the weekend are as engaging as we can make them. This can be very difficult however if the players have no indication of how many people a quest, skirmish or battle might require - and we have no indication of how many may go.

For this reason, when our plot writers are creating a quest, they decide how many players they want to go on the quest. This influences how they stat the encounters, but it is about more than just play-balancing fights. We need to plan for the effective involvement of players - if a quest involves a single encounter to negotiate with an NPC - that is not something that fifty players can enjoyably participate in. Providing an engaging experience is inherently challenging - but specifying how many characters can go gives the players a strong indication of how many should go - and lets our plot writers create an experience with an idea of how many will go. That doesn't ensure an enjoyable quest - but it does make it much easier to achieve.

Anvil is Safe

Only Imperial citizens can use the gate. It is possible to use ritual magic, magical items and the powers of Eternals to get around this restriction - but it is sufficiently expensive that it is not reproducible on a large scale. This means that it is simply not possible for the Empire to be invaded through the portal by any means - and therefore that there is no need for any guards for the Gate.

We do not want players to feel obligated to spend valuable game time guarding the Gate to prevent an incursion. Allowing this to happen produces a cycle in which plot writers feel obligated to throw monsters at the guards to keep them busy - and players increasingly obligated to stay on guard to keep the monsters at bay. We want Anvil to be busy with plot, trade, politics and interactions - we don't want players to feel they need to stand watching all that happen while they guard a Gate.

The Barbarian High-command is Safe

The Gate can only be used to travel to places the Empire has a connection with - places in the Empire, or on the borders, or locations where Imperial troops are stationed. You cannot use the Gate to teleport into the heartlands of foreign or barbarian nations.

If characters were able to launch a deep-strike attack on the Thule high command to assassinate their leaders, it would be overwhelmingly the best strategy to adopt in almost every circumstance. It would always be easier than fighting their way through hordes of Thule troops in the field, so it would always be preferable to any alternative strategy for purely IC reasons. An interesting military campaign develops from stories of iconic battles in the field. We want those players involved in the military campaign to make long term strategic plans, to push forwards on fronts and try to seize key regions. To ensure they have a complex game with a wide variety of choices we need to rule out the one choice that would always be IC preferable to any other.

The Outward Gate Closes

The Gate is only open for a short time - just sufficient to let the players gathered to pass through. After that time the outward gate closes and no IC agency can reopen it. The players who have travelled away from Anvil may still return - the return gate does not close until the appointed duration has expired - but nobody else may now travel to that quest, skirmish or battle.

We want the potential for failure to be real and tangible in Empire - otherwise the pleasure of triumph is fatally undermined. The only way we know to make that experience real is to allow players to fail sometimes. We will never plan for that to happen - but the vagaries of fate ensure that if it is possible - then sometimes it will occur.

In these situations players will inevitably be highly motivated to immediately reattempt the same quest, skirmish or battle - nothing tastes as bitter as defeat. But if we allow players opportunities to reattempt a quest, skirmish or battle that fails - then the narrative impact of defeat is lost. Ultimately the entire experience of going through the Gate would be diminished if the players learned that they could just reset and go again in response to any failure. Triumph and defeat would both be undermined.

This is a classic case where giving the players what their characters want - another opportunity to use the gate to attempt the same action - would actually make the game less enjoyable for everyone in the long run. This is why it is laid out clearly that there is no IC mechanism to re-open a gate to make a new attempt. We want players to plan for each expedition they make - and to be nervous if their preparation has been sufficient. We want the Gate to naturally develop a history of great triumphs and bitter defeats.

The only exception to this situation is where our battle management has gone awry for purely out-of-characters reasons. This should happen less and less over time as the team's skills improve, but it would be naive to rule out the idea that it could ever happen. We don't want to penalize players for our mistake, so in that circumstance - and only in that circumstance - the battle refs are allowed to rule that a second conjunction develops that is sufficient to allow players to react to the situation.

The Return Gate Closes

The opportunity to return through the gate expires after a predetermined time. Once the appointed duration allocated by the plot actuation team expires then returning via the Gate becomes increasingly dangerous - simulated through distribution of magical traumatic wounds.

We have limited resources to simulate the world outside Anvil, we have limited time, limited crew and limited space. This means that a quest, skirmish or battle can only run for a certain length of time, before the resources it is consuming would be better spent elsewhere. To create the IC urgency needed to satisfy this basic out-of-character requirement, we have set limits on how long the players can remain away from Anvil.

We want players to know how long they have to complete their quest, skirmish or battle - but because their characters are motivated by IC reasons, we want them to have an IC reason why must return once their allotted time expires, even if they have not succeeded. The in-character risks inherent in remaining too long are not intended to be a credible threat to a character's survival, but rather to present a player with an IC justification they can use to justify accommodating the limits of the quest.

As far as possible, we want to avoid players becoming trapped away from Anvil. Therefore we want anyone who passes through a gate to be aware of approximately how long remains before the gate closes by asking a referee. Players who remain behind after a battle or skirmish ends but who are not captured by orcs are assumed to have made their way back to the portal and snuck through. They should see a ref and receive an appropriate magical traumatic wound to represent the dangers of their dangerous return.

If players are on a quest and are simply refusing to return to Anvil within the duration allotted to them, then the referee are instructed to give them a few minutes at most to complete what they are doing. If it is clear that they are not returning, they will then time-out the area. Ideally our plot will avoid situations where this outcome is likely - for instance NPCs can be briefed to leave an area after half-an-hour. Quests should, where possible, succeed or fail within the allotted duration in a way that is obvious to everyone who is taking part. But if this can't happen and the players absolutely refuse to accept that the time available to complete a quest has expired, then the referee needs a basis to intervene.

Anyone may go

There are no limits on who can go on a quest. The number who can go is limited, for reasons outlined above - but any Imperial citizen can go - and they can go on as many quests as they can access. Battles are currently limited to one per event - but this is purely because of the need for players to volunteer to fill out our monster ranks for the big encounters where 100 dedicated skirmish crew is not enough. The allocation of who can go on specific battle and skirmish opportunities should remain in player hands (in this case it is decided by the Military Council).

We have been deliberately vague about how "major conjunctions" occur. At present the game is limited by the number of players, crew and the size of the event. However if the event grew, or we had a larger site, we would want to scale the amount of battles and skirmishes available accordingly.

The Gate is for players

It is not possible for players to use rituals or call on aid from eternals send additional fighting power on quests, skirmishes or battles. There are rituals and Eternal powers in Empire that allow players to create additional troops for use in the downtime campaign, but these creates cannot pass through the Gate.

If this was allowed to happen we would need to phys-rep the NPC monsters who were going to fight alongside the players. This would diminish the resources we had available to fight against the players. More importantly, it would also create an enjoyable iconic role... that was being played by an NPC. To stop this happening, summoned creatures such as husks or minotaurs, cannot go through the Gate. This ensures that the pivotal individuals who pass through the Gate are players.

Players have many good reasons to attempt to capture members of our crew or player volunteers and bring them back to Anvil as prisoners. For critical instances - where the roleplay or the plot demands it - we can facilitate this in small numbers. Beyond this it is logistically challenging to support. Player volunteers need to return to playing after a battle is completed, while NPCs will be needed for other plots. For this reason there are costs to bringing prisoners or other characters through the Gate - to encourage the players to do it only when the need is pressing and real.

Avoid NPC only abilities

The IC rationale of the Gate is, in effect, that it is predetermined by the stars, not by any mortal or sentient agency. Players have the widest possible remit to take advantage of the opportunities - but since the Gate operates according to an OOC logisticial timetable - - they do not have the IC ability change the nature of the opportunities.

However we don't want players to feel that the gate is controlled by another "higher power", because that power would overshadow the players and make them feel less important by comparison. There is no practical difference between claiming that the stars determine the conjunctions and saying that the conjunctions are set by a god or similar character. But the stylistic differences are significant - players are less likely to feel overshadowed by the sun and the moon.

So as far as humanly possible we want to avoid special NPC only abilities - although we have to have control over when the Gate can be used for logistical reasons, (what time it can be opened, how many can go through and to where) - we don't need to have control over how the Gate is opened, or who opens it. The design for the Gate avoids deliberately eschews NPC control by having the limitations on its use set by fate - the stars control under what circumstances the Gate can be used - but actual implementation and use can be done by any player with the appropriate skills. Likewise any player magician can find out if a conjunction exists.

Our civil servants may be able to do this for the players - and we want to incentivize the players to involve the Egregore as it is part of these NPCs' remit to try to add to the drama of the event - but they can easily do it themselves. This avoids the need for special NPC only abilities and also allows the potential for players to go on missions without the approval of the civil service if that fits the plot and their characterisation. There is an implicit resource tax involved in this, the cost to detect a conjunction and to operate the portal - but it is not dear.

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Sermersuaq

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 The Grave of the Giants

- 3.2 Face of Ikka

- 3.3 The Stonefield Ice Caves

- 3.4 Sydanjaa

- 3.5 The Meeting Place

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 East Floes

- 4.2 Sealtoq

- 4.3 Silver Peaks

- 4.4 Stark

- 4.5 Suaq Fount

- 4.6 Suaq Wastes

- 4.7 Tanikipari

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

Sermersuaq is the ancestral home of the Suaq people. The forests and tundra of this territory are rich with animal life that sustains the Winterfolk, ranging from great furred beasts to small game and hunting birds. The northern waters are home to seals and penguins, and full of fish and whales. As one travels further north, the land becomes colder and colder until a traveller comes to transient ice floes that mark the the farthest extent of the land claimed by the Winterfolk. This fertile territory is under constant threat from both the Thule and the Jotun whose hunting parties also seek to exploit the profusion of life here, regularly engaging in skirmishes with the Winterfolk who live here.

Sermersuaq is notable for the interconnected freshwater lakes of Lansipari, Ittanpari, Atkonaroq, Sarda, Rikkivesi and the Eastern Floes. Deep and frigid, often dotted with chunks of floating ice in the coldest winters, perhaps half the area of Sermersuaq is made up of these frigid "inland seas." these massive waterways teem with fish and are said to be connected to each other by flooded underground passages and the lakes on Kallavesa and Hahnmark. Old stories speak of the lakes being "carved by mountains" in some fashion. There are many halls built along the shores of the lake who prosper through fishing and occasionally trading across the cool waters.

The territory takes its name from the legendary figure of Sermersuaq. Sermersuaq was said to be so powerful that she could balance a kayak on the tips of three fingers, and kill a seal just by rapping it on the head with her knuckles. According to legend, Sermersuaq rode out heavily pregnant from Sydanjaa on a mammoth. She gave birth to one thousand children, half of whom drowned themselves and returned as seals to provide food for the others. Some say Sermersuaq was an Eternal and that all the Suaq share a trace of her bloodline, others argue she is an allegory for the enduring and tenacious spirit of the Winterfolk.

Beyond the ice floes is the wasteland of Tsirku, where the ground is permanently covered in snow. The landscape is far from flat, there are ice plateaus pock-marked with crevasses and areas where the ice is rent apart giving way to cold salty lakes. Here rages the eternal ice-storm Sydanjaa, a roaring blizzard that blows all year round and from whose depths no traveller has ever returned.

The Senator for Sermersuaq is appointed by the Suaq during the Summer solstice, and is almost invariably from Suaq stock.

Recent History

In the Winter of 370YE the Jotun invaded in force, taking Stark and Tanikipari. Before they could consolidate their hold, however a joint campaign by Wintermark and Marcher armies drove them out under the leadership of a young Skarsind general named Britta. Without her excellent leadership and inspirational presence is it widely believed that both Sermersuaq and Kallavesa would have been lost to the orcs. Further attempts at invasion were stymied by the re-vitalised and re-equipped armies left behind to guard against another attack.

With their eyes focused on the western and eastern borders, however, the Empire was unprepared for the invasion of Skarsind in 373YE. Following that invasion however, the intensity of Thule raids actually declined a little as their forces focused on stripping the fallen Wintermark lands. Now that the easternmost of the Winterfolk territories is back in Imperial hands, it is assumed that the frequency of raiding bands coming through the mountains will begin to increase again. By contrast, the Jotun ceasefire has lead to more Jotun raids from the west, as barbarian warriors denied the opportunity to face Winterfolk in battle have sought other outlets.

In 378YE, the Thule sent armies from Otkodov to invade the Silver Peaks, in an attempt to create a beachead into Sermersuaq. Barbarian and Imperial forces were well matched, but the advantage appeared to lie with the Thule as they slowly pushed the defenders back.

During the Autumn Equinox, the Battle of Ikka's Tears took place on the cold plains east of the glacier. The Thule had sent a large force of elite warriors, accompanied by a massive warbeast, to steal an artefact of unknown power from the Face of Ikka. They were intercepted by a warband of the Empire's heroes using the Sentinel Gate. This powerful barbarian army inflicted a painful defeat on the Imperial heroes, perhaps the most significant since the death of Empress Britta two years previously.

Major Features

The Grave of the Giants

In Tsirku a great ice-cavern lies by the edge of the waters of Nutjuitoq. The way to it is through a treacherous, shifting maze of icebergs. The cave is where great sea-creatures go to die – whales, kraken and the like struggle up out of the sea from under the ice. No-one knows why. The ivory from this place is plentiful, and particularly prized.

Face of Ikka

In the Suaq Fount a great glacier grinds into the water on the borders between Tsirku and Sermerssuaq; the Face of Ikka. The salvage rights to the face of the glacier is a much-prized thing, for – hanging perilously from ropes and using snow-axes – prospectors often find ruined artifacts from the troll nation that’s said to lie under the glacier. Also, from time to time, they find other things – creatures entombed in the ice, or intact pieces of lore.

The Stonefield Ice Caves

This massive glacier in the Silver Peaks contains large deposits of ilium. The ice is every bit as hard to work as stone and the precious metal must be picked from the walls of the frozen tunnels.

The Stonefield Ice Caves are a Bourse position which produces Ilium. It produces 5 rings of ilium every season. Control of the Stonefield Ice Caves is awarded the Winterfolk for the risks they take. The Bourse allocates the control of the Stonefield Ice Caves to whichever Wintermark military unit performs the biggest raid. Halls often combine their efforts so that they can be counted together to compete for this great prize which is awarded every Spring Equinox.

Sydanjaa

To the north of Sermersuaq is the great ice-storm that never abates. No one has ever entered and returned to tell what might lie on the other side. Occasionally the Artok are found emerging from the storm, and if not tamed, return again.

The Meeting Place

To the west of Sermersuaq, outside the borders of the territories, is a low stone worn by the elements. It stands by itself in a wooded glade and is relatively unremarkable. This stone however represents a place of truce where Jotun and Winterfolk representatives can meet together without fear of violence. Such meetings are irregular, but do take place - when Emperor Guntherm negotiated a ceasefire with the Jotun leaders, this is where he did it. This place is neutral ground, and neither human nor orc claims it as part of their nation.

Regions

East Floes

The two freshwater lakes of the East Floes are called "Big Sister" and "Little Brother" by the Suaq - but there is little agreement which lake is which. This is the source of some humour among outsiders, and there are several jokes and long stories told around campfires whose punchline is the inability of a traveller to tell the difference between two things so obviously unalike. The lakes are the spawning ground of the Sermer Salmon, a particularly hardy breed of fish favoured in the Empire for its rich taste, and sometimes used as a symbol of Courage.

On the edge of the southernmost lake lies Wreck. The rib-bones of a gigantic ship of an ancient make jut from the ice here and lie part-submerged under the water. These rib-bones have been covered to make a shelter, and a small settlement has existed around it for as long as anyone can remember. The ship is sometimes credited as being the creation of giants, or trolls, while others point to the idea that it is not a ship at all - it is too wide and too deep to have travelled down any of the waterways linking the ice floes with the sea.

Sealtoq

The most temperate of the Sermersuaq regions, Sealtoq is the site of Atalaq, the largest permanent settlement in Sermersuaq. It lies on the waters of Atkonartoq, and is gathering and resting place for the scattered hunters who follow the Suaq traditions. It is rich in oils and pelts, a place of cunning and craft, where whale-followers, walrus-herders, Icewalkers and painted hunters return after long treks over the ice.

Silver Peaks

The mines of the silver peaks are known for silver, iron, weltsilver, tempest jade and even ilium. At the foot of the silver peaks are the Stonefields, a cratered plain covered in fragments of rock. It is known for a number of rich veins of tempest jade, quite near the surface, but it is also the location of a number of mana sites built amongst the rocks. These mana sites are regularly scavenged by packs of trogoni; no matter how many caves the defenders block up, the ravenous beasts always find a way to come back.

Keywords: Hills.

Stark

On the southern border of Stark is Rest, built at the meeting point of two Trods out in the far West, where enterprising souls have erected a hall specifically to welcome far-travelling Navarr - the fare is simple but wholesome, and welcome warm. The settlement is also a small garrison of Suaq scouts, who keep a careful eye to the west. Some Winterfolk and Navarr refer to the hall here as the "Last Lantern", referring to its position as the furthest wayside inn from the heart of the Empire. A partially ruined tower near the settlement called The Sentinel's Rest serves as both a place of pilgrimage for followers of The Way dedicated to Vigilance, and as the site of a beacon that can be used to warn the rest of Wintermark about barbarian orc invasions from the Jotun lands.

Suaq Fount

The wastes of Suaq Fount are among the most desolate parts of the Empire - but only with regards to permanent human habitation. Animal life is common here, but the wastes are also known to be dotted with rich fields of bladeroot. Suaq hunters claim that the animals that live here and often graze on the bitter herb are particularly wily quarry - and that the predators that prey on them have less fear of humans and are more prone to hunt the hunters in their turn. Mystics point to the Face of Ikka as explanation, and sketch the rune Feresh in the air to ward off evil.

Suaq Wastes

The wastes, like the Suaq Fount, are fairly desolate - there are few permanent settlements here but the tundra is littered with well known camping sites used by travellers and hunters. The Grave of the Giants lies on the western coast of the Suaq Wastes.

Tanikipari

In the middle of the cold wastes of Sermersuaq are The Hot Springs of Taniki a lagoon filled by hot springs, full of mineral goodness. Bathing in its waters is rumoured to cure any sort of ill. The springs are said to be the centre of a strong regio aligned with the realm of day and (allegedly) the Eternal Ylenrith. Since time immemorial Icewalkers have used water from the springs as a focus for scrying rituals, and many Kallavesi mystics make a point of traveling there at least once in their lives to bathe in the hot springs. Travelers who have chosen to walk into Sydanjaa follow the example of Empress Mariika and spend three days ritually cleansing themselves here before continuing their long trek into Tsirku.

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Sermersuaq are under Imperial control

- This page is still under development - the next stage is to review approved backgrounds for details that would enrich the description of the territory.

The farms of Sermersuaq

Sermersuaq is a fine example of a territory where farms are more likely to represent herds of animals than fields or orchards. A character from Sermersuaq could easily role-play making their money from hunting, fishing or whaling, rather than more traditional agricultural activities. Diversifying the "farm" to include herbs and measures of rare natural materials could be a good way to support this theme.

The rarest "farmers" in Sermersuaq would be those that follow the mammoth herds, carefully picking off the weakest and oldest members of the herds and selling the meat, hide, hair and ivory produced - only a few mammoths every season would be enough to provide a character with a regular income.

Rituals such as Blessing of New Spring work equally well on herds of deer or sheep, schools of fish or colonies of seals as they do on farms or orchards, but represent a great opportunity to rename and reflavour the performances to reflect their target being animals, rather than plants.

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Sevenfold Path

Contents

- 1 Motto

- 2 Symbol

- 3 The Manifesto

- 4 Membership of the Order

- 5 Conclave vault

Motto

Let all power be guided by virtue.

Symbol

A symbol that has been used by the Order in the past has been a seven-spoked wheel with each of the triangles between the spokes coloured differently with one of the colours of the rainbow.

The Manifesto

The Order of the Sevenfold Path holds the following to be true:

- Magic should work in harmony with, and to promote, the fulfilment of the destiny of Imperial citizens.

- The Conclave and Synod can most effectively protect the Empire from hazards, and subversive elements, by working in harmony and unison

- The Way of Virtue binds the Empire together and should inform all use of powers, including magic

The Order of the Sevenfold Path exists to:

- Encourage the use of magic in understanding, and supporting, human destiny

- Ensure the powers of the Conclave are deployed in line with the Way of Virtue

- Build a bridge between the Conclave and the priests of the Synod

Membership of the Order

This is the order that contains the largest number of magician-priests, and many of it's members also vote in the Imperial Synod. Some wags have dubbed the Sevenfold Path as the "Magician's Assembly". Even those members who do not also sit in the Synod tend to be politically active. Most members take their self-appointed task encouraging their fellow magicians to keep to the Way very seriously. At the very least, they have a great deal of interest in ensuring that the archmagi and their fellow grandmasters are virtuous. With the Synod unable to revoke titles in the Conclave, the Sevenfold Path traditionally see part of their role as using the Declaration of Candidacy and Declaration of the Balance to ensure corrupt or heretical citizens do not rise to high office in the Conclave. Likewise, they take the Declaration of Sorcery very seriously and seldom balk at using it to remove power from those they consider to be a threat to the stability of the Empire. Finally, this is the order that has historically made the most use of the Declaration of Interdiction to protect the souls of their fellow citizens from dubious magic.

Devout magicians are joined in this order by magicians who genuinely seek to ensure the future of the Empire. In recent years several Imperial Orcs have joined the order. This lead some members to quietly agitate for a change to the manifesto; originally the first point mentioned human destiny rather than the destiny of Imperial citizens. Following a Declaration of Concord by the Conclave, a motion was brought before the Senate and the wording changed to recognise that not all Imperial citizens are humans. Most orc members appear unconcerned, both with the change and the original wording, although it has (perhaps predictably) outraged some traditional members of the Order. A vocal minority claim that with this change of emphasis, the Order is no longer concerned with the wider destiny of humanity but solely with the destiny of the Empire - a narrowing of vision that could be seen at best as cowardice and at worst as betraying the original spirit of their Order.

The Order of the Sevenfold Path has traditionally chosen grandmasters who are strong in virtue and faith, usually priests. Of all the orders, the Sevenfold Path tends to have the worst access to crystal mana as many of it's members are leaders of a congregation, rather than controlling a mana site. Consequently, the order is usually more measured in the addresses and declarations raised and particularly choosy in deciding which gambits to fund.

One gambit that often receives special attention from the Sevenfold Path, and which they have regularly prevailed upon their archmagi to present, is a gambit to provide resources for granting the Mantle of the Golden Orator to their allies in the Synod; they may be devout but they know the value of giving a larger voice to those priests who speak in support of the Conclave and of magicians in general.

Conclave vault

Each summit, the Conclave vault of the Sevenfold Path garners the following resources;

- 10 crystal mana from bequests.

- A pro-rata share of the Font based on the precedence of the orders at the previous summit.

- A portion of ilium based on their position among the orders as determined by precedence.

- 3 measures of dragonbone, 2 measures of beggar's lye and 3 measures of iridescent gloaming from existing bequests.

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Shackle of the Unvirtuous

Description

These rings were first used among the Highborn as a mark of punishment. A priest who had acted in an inappropriate manner might be sentenced to wear one for a time, cut-off from their fellows and the ability to wield religious power as a reminder of some unvirtuous act. Within a few decades however their use had expanded slightly. Ilyes son of Castor, scion of a declining patrician family, took to wearing one of the ring as a rejection of the preists who condemned his heritage and lifestyle. He soon discovered that the ring offered an unexpected benefit; ceremonies designed to read the aura failed utterly when used on him.

Within a few years a subculture of rejectionists calling themselves "the shackled" began to wear the rings openly in criticism of the growing power and influence of the chapters. The Highguard assembly quickly declared use of the rings to be a heresy, and the movement collapsed. When the Empire was formed, the Highborn assembly moved that the rings continue to be considered heretical, but to their dismay they failed to have this made a point of law. Several senators cited concerns of privacy, despite claims that the virtuous had nothing to fear from ceremonies such as testimony.

Today, wearing a shackle of the unvirtuous (variously called a rejectionist ring, a band of discretion or a shadowcrown) is frowned on by many priests of the Way who would very much like to see anyone using one declared a heretic. Several wearers have cited the ability the ring offers to ensure a sleep untroubled by bad dreams as their reason for bearing one, while others have more brazenly admitted that they simply do not like the idea of priests peering into their souls (if they have them).

Traditional shackles were big, obvious rings intended to bring shame on the wearer, but modern versions tend to be more discreet. They are often marked on the inside with the rune of secrets, or the more sinister rune of plots.

Rules

- Form: Jewellery (Talisman)

- Effect: While wearing this item your aura is concealed from the insight skill and similar effects. You cannot use any Liao ceremonies or use imperial liao while bonded to this item, and you either do not dream or do not remember your dreams.

- Materials: Crafting a shackle of the unvirtuous requires six ingots of weltsilver, four ingots of tempest jade and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Shackles of Insight

Description

The shackles of insight come in two common forms. In the first, they are crafted as a pair of rings or bracers intended to be worn on both hands (or wrists, as the case may be). In the other less common form they are crafted in the form of a heavy chain, pectoral or medallion worn across the chest or brow. In both cases, they tend to be decorated with pieces of polished tempest jade.

Regardless of their form, they are used to enhance the ability of a priest to view the insight spirits of the faithful, to read any marks on their souls, to discover if they are dedicated, and to look for signs of dark influences.

To use the shackles of insight, the priest performs a ceremony of insight as normal but touches two individuals at the completion of the rite, almost invariably at the same time. The priest then perceives a shifting tapestry that reveals the details of both targets' auras.

Rules

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of ceremonial regalia.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day when you perform the insight ceremony you can use it on two targets at the same time without using additional liao; you must be able to touch both targets

- Materials: Crafting shackles of insight requires seven ingots of tempest jade and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Shadowbound Donjon

Description

A shadowbound donjon is traditionally crafted from wood harvested in the darkest part of a forest. The birchwood of Upwold is particularly prized for use when crafting this implement, although dark pinewood from Karov and aged oak from the depths of Semmerholm are equally valuable. Interestingly, wood taken from forests that have been touched by the Vallorn seems to be especially difficult to shape into a shadowbound donjon. There is a suggestion that the vitality that infuses the area around these vegetable abominations has a lingering effect even after the entity's grasp on the forest has been broken, and that energy renders the wood less suitable for an enchantment that fixes living things in place.

When the power of the staff is invoked it locks the wielder and the target alike into a conceptual prison, unable to move. Some wielders speak of a dimming of vision when the staff is invoked, as if they were wrapped in imprisoning shadows, although the target rarely experience this phenomenon. Some volhov suggest that the power of the staff works by first imprisoning the wielder, then spreading that effect to the target via the dark wood of the staff.

The staff is often inscribed with one of the runes Feresh, which represents majesty; Aesh, which can represent stability; or Hirmok the rune of dominion.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day when you cast the paralysis spell you can do so without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a shadowbound donjon requires six measures of ambergelt and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Shadowed Glass of Sung

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 10

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 10

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual requires a mirror, reflective surface or similar tool that is studied during and after the performance.

Effects

This ritual divines information about the surrounding location.

The ritual is most effective at discovering secrets, pointing to mysteries, and providing emotional or intuitive details about a locale. For example, if a sorceror has murdered several villagers as part of a ritual at a circle of stones, and left a valuable scroll behind, the ritual might reveal that: "several people died in agony"; "powerful magic was invoked here recently; the magic was carried away"; "you get an impression of a woman laughing exultantly"; "this place is connected with a great green spirit of immense size"; and that "there is a record of secret thoughts nearby."

Any character who contributed to the ritual can use the mirror to study the area and gain information about it from a referee; they should roleplay looking at the things reflected in the mirror, and the referee will often give information only about what is reflected in the glass. The effects persist for at most ten minutes, and end prematurely if the ritualists leave the rough vicinity where it was performed.

The kind of information the ritual provides is influenced by the locale. If cast inside a building it will provide information about that building. If cast in a graveyard, it will provide information about the entire graveyard, and possibly specific points of interest such as a nearby mausoleum or a specifically interesting grave.

At the very least it always provides information about enchantments in the immediate vicinity on places, structures or items.

OOC Elements

As with Clear Lens of the Eternal River this ritual is designed to help ritualists quickly survey an area for points of interest; it is not usually a substitute for interacting with the environment, but it often provides additional details, significance and context to the history of a location. This ritual tends to provide sensations and impressions, rather than precise facts. Interpreting the details is up to the players.

Description

The reflective surface used in this ritual can be passed from ritualist to ritualist; only the characters who participated in performing the ritual can see anything special reflected in the glass. It is only really effective when examining a location - it rarely reveals information about objects smaller than man-sized that are reflected in it, and it has limited effectiveness when revealing information about people.

One potential use is to identify shapeshifters; the mirror can often recognise a shapechanger or a herald for what it truly is. The more enmeshed in their role they are, the harder they are to identify however. A shapechanger that does not know it is a shapechanger is the least likely to be revealed by this spell.

Rituals like this have been used since time-out-of-mind by groups as diverse as the Kallavesi mystics, the Navarr vates, Freeborn seers and League diviners. The information it provides is often fragmentary, and interpreting it can prove quite challenging. It is most often performed when the ritualists encounter a mysterious or magical location - while it can provide some details about events in places like Anvil it is rare to learn anything of significance there.

The ritual is popular in the League, drawing as it does on the hearth magics of mirrors. It is also somewhat popular in Varushka, where a talented volhov who can perform the ritual solo can gather vital information about the places she visits.

This ritual is named for the Night Eternal Sung, a winged serpent who seeks after mysteries and enigmas. Her name is often invoked during the casting. Some magicians prefer not to mention her name, instead referring to this ritual as Through the Glass Darkly" or The Mirror of Enigmas.

Common Elements

This is a divination ritual, and often involves runestones or cards as well as the reflective surface that serves as the focus. The mirror, is often painted with runes during the ritual. Swirling red and black designs painted around the eyes of the ritualists are another common element, marking their attunement to the specially preapred mirror. Some magicians employ this ritual with the use of lenses such as those found in a spy glass, claiming the magic allows them to focus their attention on details they might otherwise miss.

The rune Xun and Diras is often used with this ritual, as are scenes of divination and magic involving characters such as The Bishop or The Doctor, or the evocation of the virtues of Wisdom or Vigilance, or of wise animals or creatures such as sphinxes.

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Shadowglyn Distillery

The Shadowglyn Distillery is located in the Hercynian Glen of Shadows, on the lowest slopes of the Northpines. It was once famous for its rare drinks before it's partial destruction. Known by connoisseurs of strong spirits throughout the Empire, their fine single malt, aged in pinewood casks, was considered near the pinnacle of the distillers' art (albeit something of an acquired taste). During a pitched battle between the Thule and the Navarr defenders, the distillery was gutted by fire, the people killed or enslaved, and the grain fields ruined by thoughtless barbarians.

Only a few dozen bottles of the 372YE vintage are known to have escaped the fire, and are considered at least as valuable as bottles of the 69YE vintage (said to have a slightly salty taste, attributed to the tears of the Navarr distillers at the news of the death of Empress Richilde) and the 204YE (when a particularly nasty winter destroyed over nine-tenths of the grain used in the production of the whiskey).

In Spring of 378, the partially ruined distillery was restored and reopened by Wern Taur Thorntarry, a Navarr brewer. Citizens wait eagerly to see if the drinks created by the new distillery will rival its former glory.

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Shadow of the Bronze Colossus

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 24

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Options

- 1.5 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 24

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must be gaining additional hits from heavy armour.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual targets a single character who is gaining additional hits from heavy armour. That is, the character must be wearing heavy armour that covers the majority of the torso and at least one other location; valid locations are the head (with a helm), the arms and the legs, or you may cover half of your arms and legs.

The target gains four additional ranks of endurance.

In addition, while under the enchantment the target experiences potent roleplaying effect: they do not wish to remove their heavy armour; it feels a natural part of their body. They experience strong mercenary thoughts - the idea of fighting in return for rewards seems very appealing. The idea of fighting without receiving payment, preferably in advance, seems laughable or even insane.

In addition, they can respond to any roleplaying effect that would inspire feelings of altruism, compassion, patriotism or generosity by expressing cool disdain and detachment.

The enchantment ends prematurely if enough of the target's heavy armour is removed that they no longer receive bonus hits from it.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Options

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute orichalcum for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of orichalcum spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual..

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 16. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This enchantment causes a powerful relationship between the target and their heavy armour. The metal plates and rings of their armour seem as natural to them as skin, and the armour itself is heavily reinforced but the power of the ritual. The ritual partly reinforces the handiwork of the artisan who forged the heavy armour, and partly infuses the spirit of the wearer with Autumn magic.

According to Eternals and Heralds, the colossi of the Realm of Autumn are massive metal statues that stand at key strategic points through the the labyrinth that makes up the Realm. They never move, and are fixed points in an otherwise mutable, shifting maze. While they are immobile, the Eternals say that they are in some fashion alive. According to some stories, the Eternal Estavus forgeds the colossi for her own inscrutable ends. Regardless, the ritual taps into some of their immense, immovable power, using it to forge the spirit and the metal of a warrior together. Lesser colossi are known to exist as well; great brass minotaurs serve as guards or guardians from some Eternals, for example. These constructs may lack the immense majesty of the bronze colossi but they make up for that in ruthless martial acumen. Some warlike Eternals wear magically enhanced brass armour to echo the warlike nature of the brass minotaurs.

This ritual effectively doubles the strength of a standard suit of heavy armour. If there is a downside, it is that the spirit of the target is flooded with cold, metallic sensations that dampen empathy, sympathy and patriotism. The target often becomes incredibly cynical, in addition to the more typical urging to demand payment before they will fight.

Due to the nature of the enchantment, the ritual often ends before it's normal duration would expire; few mortals can bear to wear a full steel harness or suit of iron chain for extended periods of time. While their spirits may be comfortable in the armour, their bodies often protest against the strain of long periods cooped up in a metal shell. Allies of warriors bound with Shadow of the Bronze Colossus are advised to ensure that they remove their armour once the threat of battle is past, for fear that they over-exert or injure themselves.

On the rare occasions that warriors have been able to sleep without removing their armour, they have reported dreams tinged with an awareness of great shifting vistas under alien skies, and of feelings of tremendous size, weight and strength. It is widely believed by magical scholars that they are sharing briefly in the dreams of the bronze colossi themselves. Sadly for these scholars, warriors rarely remember many details of these dreams on awakening.

In some parts, especially Highguard, a priest will help reduce the negative side-effects of the ritual through exorcism. In The League and among the Freeborn however the spiritual effects that accompany this ritual are often seen as being quite positive.

Common Elements

The characters who are the target of this ritual will always be in heavy armour, and often bring the rest of their marital panoply with them. Ritualists often paint runes or sketch symbols of strength, endurance and stability on their armour and shields, or directly onto their skin, especially in metallic paint. orichalcum and green iron are often used in this ritual, even if the orichalcum is not being used to empower the target directly - tokens made from these materials may be given to the targets. Encouragement to identify with and imagine themselves as the bronze colossi may be used, or invocations to legendary warriors especially Paragons and Exemplars of Courage may be used. The runes Verys or Hirmok are invoked, and a dramaturgical performance often involves The Prince and The Battlefield.

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Shamans

Overview

Most orcs only experience communion with the ancestors when battle is upon them but a few individuals - called shamans - are able to hear the voices more frequently.

Shamans are almost incessantly surrounded by the constant input of ancestral advice much of it bearing a contradictory or even hostile message. As such, all shamans have a tendency to appear removed from reality, and powerful shaman often appear to outsiders to be mad. The madness expresses itself differently in every case. Some struggle to separate the voices of the ancestors from those of living orcs around them; some are withdrawn and sullen, some prone to violent outbursts, some spew forth incoherent snatches of sentences with no apparent provocation, while others have trouble focusing on the present. Some claim to be able to converse with the ancestors, holding conversations with them as they speak aloud to the winds. These shamans tap the wisdom of the ancestors but they are regarded with a mixture of awe and pity by other orcs.

It is not unknown for the shamans to call the legion together, and recite tales of great battles, or conjure stories of future victories which could happen. Heavy drumbeats and ceremonial pit fights are used to stir the blood of the legion, to help make them receptive to the voices of their ancestors. If successful these ceremonies open the ears of the orcs to the words of the ancestors, allowing them to guide the thoughts of the legion and stand shoulder to shoulder with their living sons and daughters.

Shamans have an important political role in Imperial Orc society as leaders will usually consult them to hear the words of the ancestors before deciding on important matters.

Creating a Shaman

Shamans are commonly magicians, apothecaries or occasionally artisans, but no particular skills or abilities are required. While any character can be a shaman, it is rare for shamans to be warriors. If you are interested in a character who combines combat skills with a religious role, you might enjoy playing a pit fighter. As mentioned in that section a shaman and pit fighter makes a good two-person combination, with the two character types complementing each other and allowing for fun ancestor-themed interactions.

Shaman make good ritual magicians. Orc ritual magic often focuses around contacting ancestors, a role that is well suited to shamanic roleplaying. In addition the fetishes favoured by orc ritual magicians can be a useful way to let other orcs know you are a shaman.

A shaman is almost never a warlord, it is better to create a shaman character if you enjoy roleplaying a character that is able to go anywhere and speak to anyone but are comfortable with your words being ignored. Shamans are inherently mystical characters, they are a good choice if you like playing characters that are mysterious, quixotic or otherworldly.

You should assume that you will always be deciding for yourself what words or advice the ancestors have given you - it will be extremely rare for a referee to stop and tell you what an ancestor is saying. For this reason it is a good idea to spend some time thinking about one or more ancestors whose voices your character commonly hears. Some of these may be Imperial Orcs, a former friend or a notable relative who has now died, but at least one should be a barbarian ancestor or an ancestor from the time when the orcs were slaves. It is a good idea to name these ancestors and spend some time thinking about the sort of advice they commonly give; this will make it easier to be spontaneous about passing on their words of advice to others.

Playing a Shaman

Many shamans find the constant communion with the ancestors to be disorientating and confusing. It is entirely up to you how affected your character is by this. A degree of madness will help make your character have some impact as a shaman, as they underline the fact that your character is fundamentally different to other orcs. But a character that is completely mad all the time is unlikely to be fun to play or fun for other characters to interact with. Our advice is to enjoy periodic bouts of madness that come and go, when they will be most dramatic and most fun to roleplay.

Shamans can be very influential in Imperial Orc society, as they are a conduit for the wisdom and strength of the ancestors. Generals, warlords and other important orcs are encouraged to consult with the shamans regularly so that you can pass on the advice of the ancestors. Since you will be making up this advice, and everyone knows you will be making up this advice, it is much better to try and be relatively impartial and proffer advice and words of guidance that contribute to the drama of the moment. Advice that is obviously self-serving is liable to undermine your credibility as a shaman, other characters will be justified in questioning whether you are really hearing the words of the ancestors or simply making something up that suits your own ambitions - such crimes are rare but not unknown.

Don't worry if other characters ignore your advice. The ancestors you are hearing may not understand the Imperial Ors so other orcs have carte blanche to ignore your words if they feel they won't help. If you want to play a character that gives orders and has them followed, then you would be better trying to play a warlord than a shaman.

However don't feel you have to wait to be asked for the words of the ancestors. You can hear the words of the ancestors whenever you want - so feel free to pass on the things they say to others whenever you feel like it. Shamans are meant to be quirky and unpredictable, they are not entirely of this world, offering unsolicited advice can be part of what gives the shaman their unworldly air.

There is never any purpose in asking a referee what the ancestors say - that is left for you to decide. It will be exceptionally rare for a ref to need to tell you something that an ancestor has said but if they do then they will come and find you and whisper it to you.

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Shared Mastery of the Magician's Guild

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 3

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 3

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must possess the magician skill. and must be a member of the same coven as the characters performing the ritual.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

A single spell is chosen during the ritual which must be known to at least one character who contributes to the performance. The target, who must be a member of the same coven gains the ability to cast that spell as if they knew it.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Every two additional characters increase the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must have the magician skill and be present throughout; each target receives the ability to cast the same spell.

Description

This ritual allows a magician to share their spell casting knowledge with other members of their coven. It differs from Day rituals such as Illuminate the Higher Mind because it builds on the bonds between members of a coven to share skills and knowledge, rather than allowing that knowledge to be accessed by any targets.

While it is less versatile than Illuminate the Higher Mind, it is still useful for allowing a coven to expand their versatility; a common use is to allow members to cast spells such as mend or repel that might be useful in a coming battle. While it is often used by a coven, it is a simple enough ritual that a single scholar of Autumn magic might perform it; even though it draws on the bonds between coven-mates, it does not automatically require the use of the coven bond.

Common Elements

The ritual usually involves a symbolic transfer of knowledge between the character who knows the chosen spell, and the recipients. This often mimics the master/apprentice or student/teacher relationship, but it may just as often build on the idea of 'sharing guild secrets' or jusing 'understudies'. Tokens marked with the runes Queros or Lann may change hands. Navarr and Winterfolk ritualists often enact a merging or exchange of blood when they use this ritual, cutting the palm and then clasping hands as the ritual is performed.

A repetition of the coven oath is sometimes used with this ritual, especially in the Varushkan cabals and between Imperial orc oathwrights.

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Shears of Winter

Description

A rod and a one-handed axe are the most common combination for the shears of winter. They are usually both made using metal taken from the same mine, and then the hilt and the shaft of the implement worked with dragonbone. Many wielders make a point of keeping a small amount of shattered tempest jade on hand to keep their weapon and implement smooth, polished or sharpened as appropriate. Their common name arises because the weapon and implement are often marked with the rune Yoorn, sometimes called the Shears, which symbolises ending.

When using these arcane weapons, the magician-warrior usually touches the pair together, drawing destructive magic out of the weapon and then unleashing using the rod (or more rarely, wand). They are equally adept at blasting shields to splinters or ripping even magical weapons into shards, occasionally with a thunderous detonation.

Similar to the Jade Hammers, the shears of winter allow a magician to cast a unique offensive spell, in this case one that shatters enemy weapons and armour. Attempts to duplicate this feat with magical energy alone have so far been unsuccessful. Indeed, it has proved so far impossible to make an implement that can create this effect - the closest any artisan has come is the Witches' Hammer, a rod which still requires the wielder to have mastered the spell repel and has a limited ability to unleash it's power rather than granting the freedom to smash shields or break weapons at will.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of a one-handed weapon and either a rod or a wand.

- Requirement: You must have both the ambidexterity and magician skills to bond to these items.

- Effect: You may cast SHATTER as if it were a two-mana-point offensive spell.

- Materials: Crafting the shears of winter requires eight measures of dragonbone, three ingots of green iron, three ingots of tempest jade and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make a pair of these items.

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Shieldbreaker

Description

A shieldbreaker is often a one-handed axe, hammer or mace. It is especially favoured by the Steinr, who use it to great effect when fighting the well-armoured orcs that infest the lands to the west of the Empire. Many artisans take pride in proving the superiority of their craft over that of the barbarians, showing that anything the orcs could create could be broken by their arts.

Swift and lightly armoured skirmishers among the Navarr, Marcher beaters and Highborn Unconquered make use of these weapons to even up the odds against shield-bearing opponents and to soften such foes up for their comrades in the main battle-line. Hammers and axes are the most common forms among these groups, who sometimes call them Bull’s Eye Bait as skillful use of these weapons will open up the target for a deadly shot from allied archers.

Runesmiths often inscribe the rune Verys, rune of might, on a shieldbreaker. Although some smiths prefer to use Mawrig, the rune of storms, weapons bearing this mark are often considered to draw their wearers into dangerous situations; they are used by the frayed but many others prefer to avoid them. This weapon is popular with many orcs, both the Imperial Orcs (especially their Reavers), and the barbarians.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed weapon.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend a Hero point to call SHATTER with this weapon when you strike a shield.

- Materials: Crafting a shieldbreaker requires seven ingots of tempest jade, five ingots of orichalcum, and five ingots of green iron. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The tallest of the youngsters stepped forward from the line to answer, his head held high as he spoke though the slight twitch of his pointed ears belied his nervousness. Though still a boy he bristled with pride for soon he would pass his citizenship test and be recognised truly as an Imperial. The weight of the honour hung heavy on his shoulders , few among the denizens of the Empire appreciated this the way an orc did. His hand tightened around the handle of his training shield and he took solace in the feel of the leather creaking in his palm.

“Your shield is your greatest tool, it can protect you from harm better than any armour. If it has survived many battles then the worth of it is proven already. Your shield is your life” he smiled, confident he had given the answer that the senior warrior had wanted.

“Wrong” the old orc bellowed, the dozen younglings before her flinched at the sound and stiffened their backs. She fixed the aspirant that had spoken with her remaining good eye; the other lost years before fighting the tribes along the western borders. She considered the memory for a moment, it was a good story, the scar had been well earned. It had worth to these youngsters too.

“But...” the young orc stuttered. “I’ve heard tales of the legion’s warriors in battle, shields locked and proud as they battle the barbarians. Shields that could endure whatever the enemy can muster. We’ve all heard.”

“Wrong” she repeated, calmer this time. She turned to the other aspirants and walked along the line, examining each in turn. Her awkward gait courtesy of the blow that saw her retire from the legions front lines. Another good memory but for another time. “I thought as you once, that shield and armour were my greatest gift, I was wrong. Raise your shield youngling.” The young orc barely had time raise the battered wood before him as she swiftly unclipped the darkened metal mace at her hip and brought it down with skilled precision. The blow knocked the young orc to his back, where his fellow aspirants hurried to pick him up, all eyes looking fearfully at the elder orc.

“My shield!” the young orc cried, looking in horror as thin lines spread from the centre boss like ice shattering underfoot. The creak of splitting wood increased until with a final crack it fell into pieces before them. His fellow aspirants helped him to his feet as the older orc looked on with a wry smile.

“Look to your fellows first, children. That is where true strength lies. Shields can be broken many ways - with a big enough weapon or with simple enough enchantments or the blows of the unnatural - but the bonds of blood ....unbreakable” She allowed the weight of her words to hang in the air for a few seconds before speaking again. “You,” she pointed to the young orc whose shield lay in pieces, though a bruised ego the only injury he’d sustained , “pick up your mess. All of you, class is over for today.”

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Shimmergold Coat

Description

These beautiful long coats are usually worked with orichalcum-and-gold thread, and dyed vibrant, iridescent colours. They are popular with folk from all walks of life, offering a level of protection similar to that granted by armour but without the weight or restriction on movement or magic. They are particularly popular with senators and priests, but they are also worn by wealthy individuals such as physicians or magicians who regularly travel to dangerous locations or fear assassination.

This coat was most famously owned by the dashing mountebank Joaozinho Andre di Tassato, whose foolhardy daring has been immortalised by numerous songs and play. Although a highly accomplished ritualist, he was well-known for charging head-long into brawls and battles armoured in only his distinctive purple shimmergold coat, much to the distress of his companions. Purple-Coated is a slang term used by some Free Companies of Tassato to refer to foolhardy bravery.

Although the benefit of the enchantment is clear, many who live in the wilds find the garish colouring of these robes challenging. Shimmergold robes of Navarri or Suaq manufacture are more commonly long tunics worn under other layers or occasionally linings sewn into furs. These are known as Summer-Plume Shirts and are appreciated by scouts across the Empire. A few shimmergold coats are even reversible, allowing the owner to flip between subtle and showy sides.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this robe you gain one additional level of endurance.

- Materials: Crafting a shimmergold coat requires three measures of iridescent gloaming, three ingots of weltsilver and four ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Old Marcher Jack

O’the spirit of the seasons

Taught us all to make a coat

And gave us lotsa reasons

Spring you’re warm an’ winters gone

Be round again afore too long,

Summers here the suns’a’blazin’

Keeps you safe from Feni’s razin’,

Autumn’s coming, leaves a’fallin

Need to stay out, logs need haulin’.

Winter’s here, it’s wet an’ cold

But you can stay out, proud an’ bold.

Marcher Seamstress’ Rhyme

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Shroud of Mist and Shadow

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 10

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 10

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a military unit. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout. must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target military unit gains a bonus to both its effectiveness when it is assigned to support a campaign army or fortification, and when it raids enemy territory. This bonus is sufficient to increase the power of a military unit by two-fifths.

The character who controls the military unit experiences a short-lived roleplaying effect: they are filled with the urge to hatch clever schemes, especially those that misdirect or mislead their enemies or show their cunning. The effects last at least two minutes, and may last longer

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional military unites controlled by members of the same banner. Each additional military unit increases the magnitude by 6. The character who controls each unit must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This ritual lacks the brute force power of Raise the Standard of War, but what it lacks in might it makes up for in versatility; it is also easier to cast on a number of targets at once. When the enchanted military force is active on campaign, or raiding enemy territory, they are shrouded in a veil of concealment. Usually this veil takes the form of a natural phenomenon such as mist or rain, but when such a force is active synchronicity conspires to help them remain undetected until the last moment. Stray winds or sudden spills extinguish lanterns or lamps; odd noises distract sentries or patrols; a guard might sneeze at just he right moment to cover a careless footfall. It may also occasionally be more overtly supernatural; a warrior might manage to hide behind a birch sapling for a few vital moments; a trained scout might mistake heavy boot-prints for deer tracks; a bobbing witch-light might lead a military unit into an advantageous position from which to launch an ambush.

On the battlefield, warriors under this enchantment are often able to attack from ambush, giving them a momentary advantage. Over the duration of an entire battle the protection of the shroud of mist and shadow tends to even out, but in swift engagements it can give a decisive advantage.

Common Elements

This ritual enhances a small military force, using a connection to its leader to spread magic through the entire unit. It is common to include a banner, standard or even occasionally a musical instrument that will be used by the target force as a focus for the ritual. On occasion the banner is shrouded in white or black cloth to hide the insignia, and any heraldic devices or livery on shields or surotes are likewise concealed when the ritual is performed.

Other common elements include the invocation of Paragons and Exemplars of Vigilance and Wisdom, or of folk heroes known for their cleverness, cunning or subtlety. Other elements include girding a military leader in robes, cowl, veils or masks; the quiet sound of disturbing music, dim lanterns moved in seemingly random patterns; the burning of incense to create clouds of smoke that represent mist,and the presence of blindfolded warriors as 'witnesses'.

The rune of mystery, Wyr, is often included.

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Shuttered Lantern

Contents

- 1 Motto

- 2 Symbol

- 3 The Manifesto

- 4 Membership of the Order

- 5 Conclave vault

Motto

All knowledge is power.

Symbol

The Order has been known to use the symbol of a black lantern, or the rune Diras picked out in grey on a darker or lighter grey background, or both together.

The Manifesto

The Order of the Shuttered Lantern holds the following to be true:

- Magic is capable of both protecting, and exposing, secrets and knowledge.

- Acquiring the knowledge and secrets of the Empire's enemies strengthens us.

- Guarding and shielding the secrets of the Empire protects us.

The Order of the Shuttered Lantern therefore exists to:

- Utilise magic in the detection and monitoring of threats, whether subtle or obvious, internal or external

- Support the acquisition of the secrets and knowledge of hostile forces in all ways, from scrying to espionage

- Stave off blind fear, and allay the concerns of citizens, by addressing threats and hazards with discretion

Membership of the Order

Although the Shuttered Lantern's manifesto presents itself as acting discreetly so as not to cause undue concern to the citizens of the Empire, this inclination toward secrecy has occasionally been a two-edged sword. There are many rumours that the order has been engaged in shadowy warfare with sinister cults, cabals and secret societies. The order as a whole dismiss such notions as fanciful storytelling, pointing out that resourcing strategically applied scrying of hostile powers forms the core of their work and is far less glamorous.

It is an open secret that the Shuttered Lantern regularly employ curses against those they consider to be a threat to the Empire, whether Imperial citizen, barbarian or foreigner. The Order often supports magicians from other orders subject to a declaration of sorcery occasioned by an unpopular curse. As a result many magicians assume that the accused placed the curse at the behest of the order. Their true intentions are often hard to discern, as the Order habitually conceals their true agenda.

It is claimed that the order engages in espionage using mundane means as well as magical ones, though they usually refuse to reveal how they have come by their information. They consider it good sense to keep an eye not only on known enemies, but also on friends and allies - especially those who are close enough to harm the Empire. The first grandmaster, the Navarr vate Damien Cloaked-in-Green famously said "We are given two hands so that one might watch the other while it works."

The order has a reputation for being paranoid, even among themselves, and members tend to work only with those they personally trust. These agents use the order as a way to maintain influence in the Conclave; to gain the magical resources they need to scry and uncover the plots of the enemies of the Empire; and to keep an eye on their fellow magicians.

The order is very popular with Suaq, Navarr and Highborn magicians, and magician-priests of Vigilance. The order naturally tends to promote gambits that revolve around either scrying or concealment rituals, and there is often suspicion of their motives when they back other gambits strongly. They have regularly been accused of underhand tactics, with claims of coercion and blackmail by several prominent members of the Conclave in the past.

They occasionally find themselves strange allies of the Unfettered Mind because both orders oppose needless regulation on Imperial magicians - although it must be said that the Shuttered Lantern are more interested in opposing unnecessary control of their magical behaviour, rather than the general magical behaviour of all wizards.

Conclave vault

Each summit, the Conclave vault of the Shuttered Lantern garners the following resources;

- 10 crystal mana from bequests.

- A pro-rata share of the Font based on the Precedence of the orders at the previous summit.

- A portion of ilium based on their position among the orders as determined by precedence.

- 3 ingots of weltsilver and 3 ingots of tempest jade from existing bequests.

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Sift the Dreamscape's Sands

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 20

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 20

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the magician skill.

The performance must include eating or drinking a ritually prepared consumable.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

During the ritual, the target character must eat or drink a ritually prepared consumable such as a goblet of wine or fruit-juice, a square of chocolate or a mushroom. This may be a special item such as a potion or drug, or it may be something created during the performance of the rital.

The target feels a spreading warmth, and experiences a roleplaying effect; colours appear more vivid, and on the edge of hearing they can hear a sound like a murmuring crowd, a windy forest, or the crashing of waves on a beach. The sensation fades after a few moments but may recur at dramatically appropriate moments while the character is enchanted.

The next time the character sleeps overnight they will experience vivid, extremely symbolic dreams.

At sunrise the next morning after being the subject of the ritual, the target finds their minds are flooded with images and ideas that provide an intuitive understanding of a single realm lore of their choice for purposes of performing rituals. They do not gain any additional mastered rituals.

They retain this additional rank until the next sunrise after that.

(OOC NOTE: In essence, the enchantment gives the target an additional rank of Realm lore the day after it is performed. It is not possible to gain the bonus earlier by having a nap.)

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 12. Additional characters must be present throughout, and must consume the same type of preparation (drink the same liquid, eat the same kind of food or whatever). All characters who are targeted by the ritual gain an additional rank in the same realm lore.

Description

This ritual uncovers secret and mysterious lore, and provides an intuitive understanding of the magic of one of the six Realms. The vivid, almost hallucinogenic dreams that it causes are remembered with utter lucidity. Comparing stories of those who have experienced the dream, there seem to be many common elements, supporting belief that the ritual connects the dreamers to a specific mental 'place'.

The dreams place them in a strange, dark, place of lost secrets; dunes and valleys of dust and tumbled stones, littered with ancient tablets, strange containers, looming towers of alien aspect and great, trailing metal chains roping from place to place. Scattered through the dreamscape are oases of colour and wonder; patches of lush jungle inhabited by loquacious tigers, erudite pythons and garrulous rainbow-hued birds surrounding clear crystalline pools. The boughs of the trees creak with heavy, succulent fruit. Many ritualists warn the dreamers not to eat the fruit, because the experience (which can never quite be recalled) invites comparison with every other taste. Those who eat the fruit of dreams often find that they consider all other food and drink to be a little disappointing in comparison.

Sifting through the sand and picking over the ruins of the dreamscape of lost secrets can provide incredible insight, but that insight is fleeting. While a dreamer may recall reading a tome of magic, or deciphering a ritual in a long-dead language, they can never remember the specifics on awakening. On rare occasions, someone who is undergoing the dreams provided by this ritual simply disappears. The only explanation is that they consider the dream world to be superior to the material world, and choose to stay there forever. Very rarely, dreamers claim to have encountered figures in the dreamworld that resemble and believe themselves to be, magicians who have experienced this ritual and chosen to stay behind.

(OOC Note: If you ever want to retire a character who has this ritual then you can choose to have had them disappear while casting this ritual. If you do this, please, let us know for our campaign notes. Thank you.)

If the ritual is performed on a group, they share the same dream experience. They can converse, and details of the dream when they are all together seem to match up. If they separate for even a few moments, however ,they are unable to locate one another again and experience solitary dreams from then on.

A lot of speculation exists around this ritual. A common belief among students of Night magic is that the dreamscape is the Realm of some unknown and mysterious Night Eternal; perhaps the Eternal is one of the serpents encountered in the oases, or perhaps it is the city itself. Regardless, nobody has yet encountered an Eternal believably connected to this ritual, nor a Herald that claims to represent it.

(OOC Note: You should feel free to create details of your vivid, lucid dream using the information presented here as a starting point. A referee will not provide additional specific information about the dream beyond what is presented here.)

Common Elements

The key component of this ritual is the food or drink used to inspire the dream-like state. Wine or fruit-juice mixed with soporific herbs are common, but some ritualists prefer honeyed milk. Chocolate and sweets are also used - anything with a strong taste, preferably something a little luxurious. When the ritual is performed all the targets consume a little of the same substance, which links their dreams together. The substance may be prepared during the ritual, or consumed at the start and the ritual performed as it takes it's slow effect.

The ritualists are usually masked, cowled or veiled, and there is often slow, dreamy music. The ritualists might describe the elements of the dreamscape, offering advice and warnings about the mysterious place the dreamers will visit, or they may weave tales of wonder and arabesque adventure. Incense is commonly burnt, the more storongly-scented the better.

Mirrors are often used as part of this ritual. Some ritualists capture the reflection of the targets with the intention that if they become lost in the dream they can find their way back by remembering the mirror, and the more distinctive it is the better.

The runes Diras and Wyr are a common element, as are scenes of wonder and imagination and the constellation of The Door.

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Sign of Aesh

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual can 'only' be performed by a single ritualist, and cannot be performed using a coven bond.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This enchantment effects only the caster. It reduces the magnitude of the next ritual they cast by themselves without drawing on a coven bond by two. While the enchantment persists the caster experiences a roleplaying effect; you feel clear-headed and find it easy to recall minor details of things you have read or seen, especially things to do with magical lore.

The enchantment ends when the ritualist performs a ritual alone, or at the next sunrise, whichever comes first.

Description

This is an old spell, and has largely been superseded by the use of the coven. It allows a magician who is capable of achieving a magnitude eight ritual by themselves to perform a ritual that is otherwise slightly out of their reach. It is common for a magician using this ritual to take advantage of things that enhance ritual ranks, potentially putting many more rituals within reach of the solo caster. For example, a magician who can only just perform this ritual alone can then use regio, potions and the effects of other rituals in combination with this enchantment to achieve surprising results without a coven.

The enchantment effects the 'next' ritual the magician performs by themselves; they can still work with a coven (either their own, or through the use of an item such as the Volhov's Robe) without discharging the effects. This ritual 'never' reduces the magnitude of a spell cast by a coven; the higher magnitude Crystaline Focus of Aesh is designed specifically to aid covens.

There are all sorts of subtle uses for this ritual. An itinerant volhov may take advantage of an enhancement at a regio to perform this ritual, allowing him to perform a ritual of similar power later in the day. A League mountebank might be able to bring a ritual of another realm within her grasp despite her focus on Day rituals. An adept of Day with access to plenty of crystal mana who can just about cast this ritual might grant themselves the ability to cast Clear Lens of the Eternal River with ease. There are plenty of other examples, most of which rely on the ritualist having a good supply of crystal mana.

Common Elements

This ritual is always performed by a single ritualist, so has a tendency to be quite low-key. It often involves meditation, or recitation of a complex magican invocation. Some ritualists like to work on a series of mathematical formulae, moving numbers through complex iterations as they focus their minds; others achieve similar effects by performing mental exercises such as writing the names of all the Emperors and Empresses in order. Books, scrolls and other written materials are commonly involved. Bells, chimes and gongs might be used, with the character focusing on their fading notes; likewise slow, repetitious movements can help relax the body and free the mind. Ritualists sometimes draw a complex diagram on the ground, sometimes with coloured sand of powder, and sit within it as they meditate. Other ritualists use lenses to concentrate on creating miniscule, delicate designs.

The rune Aesh is almost always evoked with this spell, often in the form of a complex hand-gesture.

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Signs and Portents

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying.

Effects

At the completion of this ritual, all contributors receive a mystic vision related to things that are happening, have happened or may happen at the event. The information is often cryptic and is not a catalogue of events that will happen, more the suggestion of things that are likely to happen, or that are relevant to those events.

Each contributor tends to receive a different vision. An individual caster can receive only one vision at each event; performing the ritual again will simply reveal the same vision, even if it is no longer immediately relevant.

It is not possible to direct this spell so as to gain information about specific topics.

When cast with more than one contributor, this ritual always counts as a use of the coven bond and counts towards the number of rituals the coven can perform that day.

OOC Elements

The result of this spell is liable to be delivered in the form of a written vision, acquired from GOD. The contributors can study their vision as long as they like, but cannot discuss it or make notes until they have handed the slip back to a referee; at that point they are free to roleplay however they like - they may play through the process of receiving the vision, or act as if they have been in waking trance and the vision has already passed.

It is not possible to direct this spell to gain information about specific topics, nor does it matter where the ritual is performed - like Whispering Shadow Courtiers, a single pool of visions exists that all Signs and Portents rituals draw on.

Description

This ritual, and others like it, have been used for countless centuries among the Kallavesi. This is the most effective of their vision rituals, delivering a 'waking dream' that concerns events of import and immediate relevance for an entire coven of Night magicians. It is common for all members of a visionary coven, especially one of the Naga-dominated covens of the Kallavesa swamps, to have at least a little training in the Lore of Night; even if they are focused in other lores, being able to contribute to this ritual helps build bonds between members of the coven.

The ritual is also quite popular with Varushkan magicians. cabalists, volhov and wardens alike make use of the ritual to learn about important events that may threaten themselves, their vales, or their countrymen. On more than one occasion a volhov, wise one or warden has turned up unexpectedly in response to a vision to offer help or advice to those in need. The ritual is historically tied to the Ushka half of the Varushkan nation's roots, and according to historians was used extensively in the years before the Vard came to help them survive in the dangerous environment of the monster-haunted hills and forests.

Unlike may divinations associated with the Realm of Day (Eyes of the Sun and Moon for example), each member of a coven will tend to receive a different vision. Interpreting and exploiting the vision is often a challenge, and most mystics who make a habit of performing this spell are used to the idea that they may never learn exactly what the import of their vision was. Those who can unravel the riddles of Night in a timely fashion, however, may gain useful insight into current or future events.

While the vision always concerns events of immediate importance, the information itself might be about the past or the present, as well as the potential futures. For example, there is a well-known story about a Freeborn mystic who received a vision of himself killing an exotically-dressed woman. It was only after the deaths of several of his family that he realised the vision related to a past murder, committed by his uncle, against a family of Faraden traders whose agents were now taking their revenge on the descendants of the man who had wronged them. That said, the ritual tends to draw most often on current and potential future events - in contrast to the Whispering Shadow Courtiers ritual which tends to focus much more on past events.

Members of the Imperial Synod has expressed concern about the use of this ritual, and have pointed to it as proof of heresy among many magicians. By attempting to scry the future, it has been claimed, magicians are dabbling in the false virtue of hope, denying human primacy in favour of submission to fate. The mystics who bother to engage with this accusation have repeatedly pointed out that the future is not fixed, and that all this mysterious ritual allows one to do is explore the skein, the great dance, the Urizen culture and customs#The Net of the Heavens Net of the Heavens or what-have-you. By looking ahead, they can see the pitfalls that may befall them or their allies, and strive to prevent such unpleasent visions becoming reality.

This ritual creates similar effects to the goosewhisper infusion. Experimentation has suggested that the potion and the ritual both allow one to reach the same extended state of consciousness - visions received using the potion are the same visions created by multiple uses of the ritual, and vice versa (OOC Note: This means that a given individual has only one vision each event, regardless of whether they are using a ritual or a potion).

Some attempts have been made to use Liao with this ritual, but the results have been unsatisfying in the extreme. The visions associated with liao easily overhelm the subtle visions created with Signs and Portents.

Common Elements

Different covens - indeed, different ritualists may have any number of methods of performing this ritual. For the solo ritualist, this often involves divination by cards,or by runestones. For groups, it often involves the use of herbs which are drunk or inhaled, and which create a receptive, trance-like state. Slow, improvised dance or gentle music may also feature, as might the study of fire, rising smoke, a wide bowl of water, or the shapes made by blood spattering against the rune-inscribed hide of a reindeer. The important thing is to enter the trance state and be receptive to the visions the ritual creates.

The rune Wyr is often used with this ritual, as are scenes of divination and magic involving characters such as The Bishop or The Doctor, or the evocation of wise animals or creatures such as sphinxes.

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Signs of the Paragon and Exemplar

Contents

- 1 Signs of the Paragon and Exemplar

- 1.1 Liberation

- 1.2 Recognition

- 1.3 Benevolence

- 1.4 Inspiration

- 1.5 Miracles

- 1.6 Pilgrimage

- 1.7 Salvation

- 1.8 Legacy

Signs of the Paragon and Exemplar

The Synod is tasked with the recognition of paragons and exemplars. Over time, the learned assemblies have identified signs that can be used to identify paragons and exemplars. Of these signs, Exemplars are expected to have demonstrated four signs. Paragons will have been recorded as having completed at least six, and not contradicted any of the others, which may have gone unrecorded.

The Signs of the Paragon are:

Liberation

This sign is unique to Paragons. The virtuous souls of true paragons are able to navigate the Labyrinth of Ages and depart it. Some claim this enlightenment allows them to enter the presence of God; others that they move on to a higher form of existence in the heavens or another world. Evidence for this comes in part from no other mortal ever having had a past life vision from the perspective of a known Paragon. A contentious variation of this sign is Ascension, which holds that some Paragons have attained Liberation whilst alive and have disappeared before their followers, such as Aldones di Sarvos.

Recognition

This sign applies to Paragons and Exemplars. The journey of the human soul toward enlightment and transcendence can take several lifetimes. It is widely understood many Paragons were Exemplars in former lives, and many Exemplars were either Exemplars or heroes in former lives. Consequently, identifying that a person was a hero, notable figure, or even an Exemplar in a former life is one of the Signs that they may be an Exemplar in this life, and are on the way to becoming a Paragon. For this reason, many pilgrims eagerly seek to take True Liao in search of support for their own Exemplarhood.

Benevolence

This sign applies to Paragons and Exemplars. Any citizen may illustrate a Virtue in a pure, yet self-serving, manner. However, the deeds of the Paragon or Exemplar prosper their whole people, such as Tian bringing fire from the sun, Kethry's salvation of her tribe, or the First Empress founding the Empire. In the age of the Empire, the sign of benevolence is one that benefits the Empire; in whole or in part.

Inspiration

This sign applies to Paragons and Exemplars. Paragons and Exemplars are inspiring figures who make an impact on those they meet in life and who often attract students, followers or imitators. Sometimes these followers will found orders, societies, chapters or other groups to retain and pass on the teachings of their mentor, teacher or leader. These groups go on to do great works in the paragon or exemplar’s name.

Miracles

This sign is unique to Paragons. The legends of the older Paragons attribute great and miraculous deeds to them, such as Tian stealing fire from the sun, or Good Walder's presence swelling harvests. Other Paragons, such as Lepidus of the Seven Stars, could spontaneously generate virtuous auras without use of liao ceremonies. It is said that the ability to perform superhuman feats, namely miracles, without using magic, is proof of a Paragon’s soul.

Pilgrimage

This sign applies to Paragons and Exemplars and dates back to the origins of The Way in Highguard, when spiritual leaders, pilgrims and scholars travelled from many nations to Bastion to learn of The Way. This included, so it is claimed, many Exemplars and Paragons, for whom it was a necessary catalyst for their soul's purification. In the age of the Empire, this has been understood to be a journey to the heart of the Imperial Faith, though that has been interpreted as a physical and spiritual journey.

Salvation

As well as inspiring those already inclined to virtue, a true Paragon or Exemplar will have a significant success in reducing the number of the un-Virtuous in the world. While citizens may do this by sending their souls back to the Labyrinth in droves, a Paragon will convert a significant group of people from their unvirtuous ways. In the days of the Empire this can include foreigners and barbarians, but may also extend to the salvation of Imperial Citizens who have lost their way, such as being seduced by blasphemous or idolatrous cults.

Legacy

This sign applies to Paragons and Exemplars. Akin to the sign of Inspiration, this sign relates to that which a Paragon or Exemplar leaves behind them. The most common form of legacy is in the form of a relic or relics, such as Irontooth, the legendary axe of Korl, or the Imperial Throne left by the First Empress. Less common, but no less valid, are other enduring legacies, such as the great edifices of the Sentinel. These legacies are usually an integral part of the paragon’s legend, serving as proof of their truth and as an inspiration to others.

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Silent Bell

Description

This valuable item of priestly regalia is usually crafted in the form of a bell, gong, chime or other musical instrument designed to be struck. In some places, especially Wintermark and The Brass Coast it may be made in the form of a small drum, or even a rattle. Despite the name, it is usually quite capable of making a noise - it's common name comes from the idea that the bell is experienced on a spiritual level as well as a gross, physical level. It grants additional power to ceremonies that purify spiritual auras or that drive away dark forces.

A silent bell is often crafted of greensteel, and decorated with symbols of Vigilance, Wisdom and Courage or with designs appropriate to the faith as a whole, especially the seven-fold labyrinth.

Rules

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of ceremonial regalia.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: When you perform or participate in an Exorcism ceremony, you may add up to two additional ranks of strength to the aura by spending up to two additional Liao.

- Materials: Crafting a silent bell requires ten measures of beggar's lye, seven ingots of green iron and five measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Silent Giants

This is a traditional Marcher song about standing stones.

Words by Jude and Daisy. Recording of this song is here.

The Dolmens

They stand so proud, they stand so still Those silent figures on the hill Shale and granite, chalk and lime Bent double by the weight of time There beneath the empty sky They see the people passing by Wind and sunshine, hail and snow They wait as seasons come and go

In their shadow, by their feet Children play and true loves meet Sons and daughters, friends and foes Watched by eyes that never close Between them grass and flowers grow For what they they wait no one can know Dawn and twilight, night and day They wait the turning years away

Some say upon Midsummer's night They walk when moon and stars are bright Come the dawn no trace you'll find But the footprints left behind The time will come they'll wake again To walk once more on hill and fen Till then they stand so proud and still Those silent giants on the hill

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Silent Tide

original credit/melody: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUzZV3q_KNQ

Someone's Standing at the edge, as the chapter Gathers round all: Who is this man Guarding us on Sacred ground Quietly he provides And protects Without a sound all: And to his Purpose our oaths are Honour bound

With stealth And strength He guards unnoticed On the edge Providing for And keeping safe Our kith and kin No fanfare, No noise, Does he make

Someone's Standing at the edge, as the chapter Gathers round all: Who is this man Guarding us on Sacred ground Quietly he provides And protects Without a sound all: The Drowned Man Guardian of our land

Outside Looking in, And inside Looking out No one knows The subtle things He does Yet through his work We're all safe And secure

Someone's Standing at the edge, As the chapter Gathers round all: Who is this man Guarding us on Sacred ground Quietly he provides And protects Without a sound all: And to his Purpose our oaths are Honour bound

Freely given Freely received He created the Drowned man's creed And now in turn We honour our Drowned Man Who guards So well the silence of our tide

Somewhere Right now a Drowned man's Standing near Whether here At home or Some far off Land He keeps safe All we hold dear Yes, somewhere Right now, a Drowned Man's Standing near

Someone's Standing at the edge, As the chapter Gathers round all: Who is this man Guarding us on Sacred ground Quietly he provides And protects Without a sound The Drowned Man Guardian of our Sacred space

all: The Drowned Man Guardian of our land all: The Drowned Man Paragon of our creed

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Music of the spheres (Redirected from Silutarian Method)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Silutaris' Method

- 2.1 Realms and Modes

- 2.2 The Chime

- 2.3 The Drone

- 2.4 Adding other chords

- 2.5 Melody

- 2.6 Discord, fate and chance

- 3 Musical ritual traditions in other nations

Overview

Certain Urizen Stargazers (and more rarely, Magi) understand the complex resonance between the flow of magic and musical composition, and use this to form the basis of their rituals. Some wizards perform themselves; others prefer to form a partnership with a musician or musical group, using the music as a framework for their own meditation and control of power.

Like runes and dramaturgy, the music of the spheres is a means of placing magic in context and understanding it. The most traditional method of ritual music, was discovered centuries ago by Silutaris, Mistress of the Chimes, and is described below. It is well understood by Urizen scholars that Silutaris' method for accessing the music of the sphere is just one approach - many musical magicians have developed their own approaches.

Silutaris' Method

The music is in the notes. The magic is in the gaps between the notes. Listen to the silence.

Silutaris' method uses a system of drone notes, chords and modal melodies to express the magical powers related to each of the Realms, drawing them down into the mortal realm and both reflecting and manipulating them through music. In Silutaris' notes, ritual music is made up of three parts:

- the drone, a sustained note reflecting the primary intention of the ritual

- the chime, a chord reflecting the primary realm of the ritual, supplemented by other chords

- the melody - a written or improvised tune played to complement the drone and the chime, in a musical mode corresponding to the Realm of the ritual.

One musician usually plays each of these three parts. If there are more participants, a second harmonising melody is usually added next, followed by an octave drone, though the practice varies from ritual group to ritual group.

Realms and Modes

NOTE: By convention, and for the purposes of explanation, the modes detailed below are presented relative to the C major scale - that is, each mode has a different starting note (or tonal centre) with the scale being played purely on the white notes of a piano or the lower row of a glockenspiel. Please feel free to transpose into whichever key you prefer to play in; it is the relative intervals and the modes which are important not the absolute pitch.

Each of the Realms corresponds to a mode. The major scale (C to C) is considered to reflect the Mortal Realm of our own reality, and therefore the Silutarian method does not commonly use this mode for melody.

- C -C' - Ionian or major mode - reality, the mortal realm

- D - D' - Dorian mode - the realm of Night

- E - E' - Phyrigian mode - the realm of Autumn

- F - F' - Lydian mode - the realm of Summer

- G - G' - Mixolydian mode - the realm of Day

- A - A' - Aeolian or pure minor mode - the realm of Winter

- B - B' - Locrian mode - the realm of Spring

Therefore, a ritual primarily seeking to call upon the night realm be played in the Dorian mode. The Locrian mode is considered most difficult and counter-intuitive - some Urizen scholars consider this to reflect the hostile and especially unpredictable nature of the spring realm.

The Chime

Magicians using Silutaris' method refer to the chord of the tonic (or tonal centre) of the mode as the Chime, and this forms one of the parts of the musical composition. This is formed by the first, third and fifth notes of the scale- e.g. in the Night mode, the tonic chord would be D/F/A - a D minor chord. In the Day mode, the chime is a G major chord - G/B/D.

The Drone

Once the realm and thus the mode has been selected, a note referred to as the Drone is then selected. In the Silutarian method, each realm has three components - called the tonic, the third and the fifth. The tonic of the chord corresponds to its influence on the physical realm, the third on its influence on the mental realm, and the fifth on the emotional and spiritual realm. Every ritual has a dominant Drone, dependent on the aspect of the realm which is being called upon. Once this aspect is known, the corresponding note is played as a drone note, usually the lowest or highest in the composition and spanning the whole movement. It can either be rhythmically struck and allowed to resonate, as when playing tuned percussion, or sustained throughout. Some wizards, particularly those who perform solo or in small groups express the Drone by playing the first or second inversion of the Chime. In groups of musicians, one usually takes responsibility for maintaining the Drone throughout.

For example, a ritual to involve wisdom would use the third of the A minor chord, C, as its drone. It could also be expressed by playing the first inversion of the A minor chord of the chime - C/E/A.

Adding other chords

Above the drone, the chords of the piece are added. The first and dominant chord of the piece is the Chime, reflecting the primary magical realm of the ritual. Other chords may be used in the composition - if multiple Realms are involved, the chord corresponding to other realms may also be used, reflecting the Realm which the ritual wishes to alter and effect in some way. Some musical ritualists are far more fluid, and improvise chords as well as melody (see below) - others prefer to maintain the chime and drone throughout.

As the C scale (major or ionian mode) reflects the material realm, the C major chord may be used in all ritual composition, and is usually called the Material Chord.

Melody

The final part of the ritual piece is the melody, played in the relevant mode. At this point the Silutarian method is split into two schools - the Compositionalists and the Improvisationalists. The former write out their pieces in advance, mandating when the chords change and the exact notes and timings of the melody; the Improvisationalists prefer to simply allow the music to flow through them and be affected by the variations in magic at the time of the ritual. Silutaris herself was a improvisationalist, though several of her pupils preferred the more formal style.

Whether composed before the ritual or improvised during it, most ritual musicians consider the melody to encapsulate the nature and intention of the ritual. The piece normally begins with music reflecting the situation that the ritual wishes to change, with gradual progression to the state that the ritualists wish to achieve - for example, a ritual to remove a curse of weakness might begin with slow, sparse and halting melody, gradually developing through the course of the ritual into full-bodied and inspiring music.

Discord, fate and chance

In pure magic, as in pure music, there is no discord, only tension and resolution. In the mortal Realm, we are not so fortunate.

Followers of this method acknowledge that all magical workings have an element which is outside mortal control. No magical intention can be perfectly translated to the material realm; this is represented in the music by discordant notes, usually accidental notes not found in the Realm's modal scale. Some musicians include them deliberately at key points in their performance; others simply allow them to arise by chance. It is their transient discord and resolution, some say, that guides the flow of magic towards its intended result.

Musical ritual traditions in other nations

Silutaris' method has gained popularity in many other parts of the Empire, carried across borders by well-travelled musicians from every nation. Ritual music has gained particular popularity amongst the Navaar, who favour a comparatively loose and free-flowing approach which might be compared to the Improvisationalist movement in Urizen. Some troubadours, particularly those with magical as well as priestly skills, use music as part of rituals, though generally the sound is less meditative and there is more focus on the narrative of the music.

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Simar of Certainty

Description

This vestment often takes the form of a long robe with a short cape that covers the shoulder, usually in a single colour - often black, white or deep red. Like the Cowl of Judgement, the simar of certainty is favoured by priests who are called or charged to see to the spiritual well-being of their fellows. Wearers of these vestments are often treated with some caution by other priests of the Way; how often, they wonder, will any priest need to perform the ceremony of excommunication? The attentions of a priest who wears a simar of certainty is often cause for concern within an assembly.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may perform or contribute to an excommunication ceremony without expending any liao. You must be able to perform the excommunication ceremony to use this ability.

- Materials: Crafting a keeper's habit requires eleven measures of beggar's lye and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Sinecure

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senate Commissions

- 2.1 Costs

- 3 Limitations

- 4 Votes

- 4.1 Votes in Marcher and League Senatorial Elections

- 4.2 Synod Votes

- 5 Responsibility

- 6 Recent Sinecures

Overview

A sinecure is any Imperial title that provides the office holder with a fixed income. The return can take the form of money, herbs, materials for crafting items, mana crystals or even liao.

Sinecures are traditionally appointed for life.

Senate Commissions

The Imperial Senate may pass a motion for the construction of an establishment capable of producing wealth - money, herbs, resources or similar. This motion automatically results in the creation of a sinecure once the construction is complete.

It is also possible for the Senate to pass a motion to upgrade a sinecure, increasing the benefits that it provides.

Costs

- Materials: Variable (minimum 10 wains)

- Time: 3 months to construct per 50 wains of materials used

- Labour: 2 crowns per wain

- Upkeep: None

The more resources are devoted to constructing a sinecure, the greater the return. Under normal circumstances, the material required will be the one associated with upgrading an equivalent personal resource. For example, at least 10 wains of mithril is required to create a sinecure that produces mana crystals.

In addition to the wains required, it costs 2 crowns per wain to pay for labour and skills to complete the construction.

Wains

Money

Ingots

Herbs

Mana Crystals

Liao

Votes

10

216 rings

12

18

9

18

12

12

252 rings

14

21

10

21

14

16

288 rings

16

24

12

24

16

20

324 rings

18

27

13

27

18

30

396 rings

20

30

15

30

20

60

540 rings

30

45

22

45

30

80

612 rings

34

51

25

51

34

116

720 rings

40

60

30

60

40

The table shows some standard costs and benefits for a range of sinecures. For example a sinecure created by the Senate using 20 wains of mithril could produce 13 mana crystals each season. There is no upper limit on how many wains can be used to construct a sinecure; provided at least 10 wains are used, then any amount can be spent to build it.

Limitations

It is not possible to create a sinecure which mimics the effects of a fleet or military unit, nor is it possible to create a sinecure which creates mithril, ilium, weirwood, or white granite.

A sinecure is very similar to a personal resource such as a farm or mine in that it provides a set amount of resources to the character who holds the position at the start of each event. Unlike a personal resource, however, the sinecure cannot be upgraded or diversified by its holder (only by senate motion) and there are no decisions to be made about what the position provides or how it does so. A sinecure that produces liao will not come with an option to sell that liao in downtime, a sinecure that produces green iron cannot be paid to produce more in the way a green iron mine could.

Sinecures are not affected by rituals that target a personal resource. A ritual that increases the production of a green iron mine will not affect a sinecure that produces green iron.

Votes

It is possible to create a sinecure that provides votes in the Imperial Synod. It is also possible to create a sinecure that provides votes in a Bourse or Senate election where voting is determined by the size of a citizen's personal resource. A sinecure can only provide votes if it also produces the appropriate output. The sinecure does not have to provide votes - votes are usually appropriate if the description of the sinecure includes the idea that the title-holder represents a number of citizens who would not normally attend the gatherings at Anvil but would normally be entitled to vote.

Sinecures that provide votes may have significant constitutional implications if the appointment of the sinecure does not follow standard procedures. For example, the Guardian of Britta's Shrine is unconstitutional since it is appointed by the Senate but the title carries votes in the Synod. The magistrates would not have allowed this motion to pass in this form if they had noticed the situation at the time. If the sinecure were appointed by the Synod, or if it only provided liao, then it would be constitutional.

If a sinecure is created that provides votes in the Synod then it produces one third of the normal output. If a sinecure is created that provides votes in Bourse or Senate elections then it provides two thirds of the normal output, unless it also provides votes in the Synod. A sinecure that provides votes in the Synod or in senatorial or bourse elections must provide those votes for all situations where they are relevant.

For example, the Senate could spend 12 wains of weirwood to create an Imperial Sinecure for the Abbot of Longmarsh in Bregasland, a monastery that provides leadership and protection to many small farms in the surrounding valley. The character appointed to the sinecure would receive 84 rings each season and 14 votes in the Bregasland senatorial election.

Votes in Marcher and League Senatorial Elections

A sinecure which provides votes in the election for a senator for a Marcher or League territory is normally appointed by the senator for that territory. From a constitutional point of view, it is considered better for a sinecure that provides votes in Mournwold to be appointed by the representative of the inhabitants of Mournworld than for the position to be determined by the inhabitants of other Marcher territories. Such positions can only ever be held by a citizen of that territory.

This situation only applies where a sinecure provides votes in a Marcher or League senatorial election. The normal constitutional route for any sinecure that does not provide votes in an election is for it to be a normal Imperial or national position.

The constitutional implications that underpin this decision to not apply in Highguard because members of the Highborn assembly vote in all senatorial elections there.

Synod Votes

A sinecure that provides votes in the Imperial Synod grants the holder of that title the legal powers and responsibilities of membership of the Synod. If the holder of the title is not already a member of the Synod, it automatically includes membership of all appropriate assemblies (usually the General Assembly, the Assembly of the Way, and the appropriate National Assembly).

Responsibility

Any citizen who is granted a sinecure is expected to be responsible for any problems that might beset the resources represented by the sinecure. For example, if Thule reavers are raiding the mines overseen by the Lady of the Upper Halls, then the Empire will expect that citizen to deal with the problem.

Recent Sinecures

Please refer to the permanent titles page for a list of all sinecures, including those under construction.

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Sinokenon

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Day

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Day

Sobriquets

According to the Eternals, Sinokenon is a word in an extinct language meaning 'Unity'; some texts refer to Sinokenon as "Unity" in another language.

It is the Apex and The Turning Mirror; sometimes it is called Throne of the Sun and at other times The Wheel of Light.

Appearance

As with Leviathan, few mortals have actually seen Sinokenon directly. It is most usually encountered as a blinding light and a clear voice, sometimes male and sometimes female. Occasionally magicians have described encounters with a great turning mirror, a shimmering sphere or mass of rings that are in constant motion. Some even speak about encountering a metallic construct or a stern but calm man or woman, usually in the garb of Highguard, Urizen or Navarr, but most scholars believe these are encounters with mandarins acting on Sinokenon's behalf.

Most audiences are with the mandarins of Sinokenon, lesser Eternals in their own right who are part of Sinokenon's hierarchical ministry. They often pursue their own agendas, and may send out their own Heralds to deal with mortals.

Concerns

Sinokenon has two main concerns; the creation and operation of hierarchies, and the concept of predictable change. It encourages others to band together, usually into hierarchical societies but not always. While Sinokenon likes defined hierarchies (and clearly believes they are the best social model), it encourages individuals to form communities and create something greater than the sum of the parts.

Loyalty fascinates it, and it believes that power and responsibility flow in both directions between individuals. The ideal hierarchy has leaders who are responsible to those they lead and those who in turn lead them. The ideal laws are those that encourage behaviour that supports society and shape behaviour, and that promote the good of the many over the needs of the few, or the one.

It also believes in slow change, the idea that things can approach an ideal state through steady progress. It promotes the idea that sudden change or change for it's own sake is as damaging as stagnation. Perfection is a state that transcends stagnation - something that is ideal no longer needs to change, because it has reached its apex. Sinokenon is known to be fascinated by the Imperial faith and the idea of individual (and thus presumably societal) perfection through multiple reincarnations.

Sinokenon also encourages the idea that the future can be extrapolated from current or past events. By studying the way events unfold, it is possible to learn to predict what will happen in response to certain other events.

The Empire is of interest to Sinokenon because it sees in it an aspiration to create an ideal society. It is also known to be fascinated by several foreign nations, especially The Commonwealth and the Sumaah Republic.

Boons

Sinokenon is adept at creating bonds between individuals, and has special interest in covens, banners and other form of band. It seems to dislike temporary co-operation and instead prefers individuals to form groups of increasing size and complexity. It is known to be fascinated by the Egregores, which serve as foci to help unite a large group of people. The Apex is also known to be able to slow or reverse transformations, but also to encourage changes that it considers help an individual move towards their ideal state.

On a more mundane level, Sinokenon has a great many agents and servitors that form part of it's hierarchy. The mandarins are powerful in their own right, but it is also the Day Eternal most likely to offer the assistance of Eternal troops. It has access to a great deal of information as well, especially about societies, political structures and large-scale events. If it has a weakness it is that it is better at suggesting developments and outcomes in the future than discussing the causes and subtleties of events.

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Sir Colwyn

Trad. Sir Eglamore, performed by Kate Rusby here.

OOC lyrics by Jude Reid

This song is a clear adaptation of the traditional Dawnish song Sir Isobel, which itself has been sung about many different knights over the years.

Sir Colwyn he was a valiant knight Fa la lanky down dilly He took up his sword and he went to fight Fa la lanky down dilly As he strode through hill and dale All armoured in his cote of mail Fa la latten da latten da latten da lanky down dilly

There came an Eternal full of guile Fa la lanky down dilly His words were lies and his tongue dripped bile Fa la lanky down dilly Its gaze swept coldly o'er the room And spoke on Colwyn's House its doom Fa la latten da latten da latten da lanky down dilly

Then up spoke Colwyn, brave and true Fa la lanky down dilly 'My kin, this fate I'll keep from you,' Fa la lanky down dilly 'I'll bear it bravely in your stead Let this fell curse fall on my head!' Fa la latten da latten da latten da lanky down dilly

So on his head the curse was laid Fa la lanky down dilly Sir Colwyn he was not dismayed Fa la lanky down dilly His silks rotted to rags of brown Though still he strive to win renown Fa la latten da latten da latten da lanky down dilly A filthy beggar knight was he

Fa la etc A dreadful curse of poverty Fa la etc But he fought on both strong and proud His back unbent, his head unbowed Fa la etc

In battle he commanded well Fa la etc No single Dawnish soldier fell Fa la etc But through his curse he lived alone Condemned to dwell in pain alone Fa la etc

A year passed ere his curse was done Fa la etc His pains were healed, his quests were won Fa la etc So through the Empire spread his fame That all shall know our hero's name Fa la etc

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Sir Isobel

This is filked from the traditional song Sir Eglamore, as sung by Kate Rushby here.

A pdf of the lyrics and tune can be found here.

Sir Isobel was a valiant knight She was fair as a lily She took up her sword and she went to fight Fair and pale as a lily When she came to Applefell All armoured in her coat of mail She was brave as a lion and she was as fair as a lily

Out came the ripper from its den She was fair as a lily It'd killed a dozen village men Fair and pale as a lily When it saw the knight so brave It bared its teeth in spite and rage She was brave as a lion and she was as fair as a lily

The ripper had a fearsome hide She was fair as a lily It could the sharpest steel abide Fair and pale as a lily Her blade rebounded from its skin It seemed a battle none could win She was brave as a lion and she was as fair as a lily

They fought until the day was done She was fair as a lily Blood spilled red as the setting sun Fair and pale as a lily The ripper gaped its jaws and roared And down its throat she thrust her sword She was brave as a lion and she was as fair as a lily

The ripper fell to rise no more She was fair as a lily But Isobel's wounds were deep and sore Fair and pale as a lily We bore her to a shady dell And bade her there a sad farewell She was brave as a lion and she was as fair as a lily

Though to the labyrinth she's gone She was fair as a lily Her name and glory shall live on Fair and pale as a lily Across the land I'll spread her fame That all shall know our hero's name She was brave as a lion and she was as fair as a lily

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Site set-up

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 What do the team do?

- 3 What will I need?

- 4 How much time/work is involved?

- 5 How does the Redcap Team work?

- 6 When do we work?

Overview

The site set-up team is responsible for preparing the site before the event and for clearing the site after the event. This job includes erecting and dropping the scores of tents that are deployed as well as numerous other jobs like collecting benches and rubbish bags. We have a good sized team, but the more people we have, the faster the work goes, so if you're interested in getting involved in the physical logistics side of Empire then we're keen to talk to you.

Most of the site crew wear distinctive red crew caps, so the department is often referred to as "Team Redcap". If you need someone to help you with logistics at an event, you will often be directed to "ask for a redcap" - which means finding a member of crew wearing a red crew cap.

The head of the department is Tom Butterworth. He is responsible for organizing and deploying the teams before and after each event.

What do the team do?

Behind every Profound Decision event is a small army of guys and girls who give it their all to prepare the site for the players to trash in their desire to murderise orcs or each other.

Without the tents, cool sets, toilets, power cables, bins, benches, tables and yet more tents there would be no game because there would be no game environment . The site crew - otherwise known as the Redcap Team - are responsible for all aspects of site set up, maintenance, site security and take down.

It is hard work but it’s also tremendously rewarding to be part of the core team which makes the game site a positive, fun environment - it means so much to the players that attend and it means a lot to the Redcap Team too.

Being part of the the Redcap Team is extremely good fun and you’ll find a team of volunteers who are skilled, supportive and able to make a lot of fun out of hard work - but it isn’t for everyone. You don’t have to be very strong to be useful, but you do have to have a degree of stamina to keep going, especially when the weather is terrible and the work just keeps on coming. This means emotional, as well as physical stamina. It might sound odd, but morale is important and everyone on the Redcap Team shares the job of being committed and focused. We start work before other teams get to the site and may not finish setting up until time in, at which point you may be wet, sunburnt, cold or grumpy - perhaps a combination of all four.

What will I need?

Be prepared physically – a waterproof layer and solid footware are essential. Gloves are also likely to be very useful and we don’t provide those. Bring suncream. You’ll get a red cap of course but you might want a better hat for protection against the sun if you’re worried you might burn!

How much time/work is involved?

Before time-in and after time out, being part of the Redcap Team is a full time job. This means arriving on site and ready to work on Thursday morning (or earlier if you can make it) and finishing at whatever time the job gets done on Friday. This might be on or after time in, and might mean you are not able to be in character at the start of the game. Make no mistake, when it’s not in-character time at the event, you’re expected to be available to work on the Redcap Team.

During the weekend we’d love you to join us as full time crew playing roles for the plot team, but you are not compelled to do so. However, whatever you choose to do there may be times during the weekend that we need your help to work on site maintenance. This might just be for a few minutes helping with rubbish runs or repair a damaged tent but it may be for longer to help set up fortifications for a battle. So if you are playing a character, understand here and now that you’re Team Redcap first and a player second.

Take down begins shortly after timeout and normally continues the following day. It involves not just taking down the tents and packing them away, but also clearing up the site of benches, tables and litter.

We’d always prefer that you are able to undertake set up and takedown...if only so that you can stay and enjoy the staff party that takes place on the final night of the event! However, if you can only stay for set up please let us know.

How does the Redcap Team work?

Much of the work begins before the event. We have a big list of jobs to do, most of which involve putting up or taking down tents of all sizes, up to the larger marquees.

You will be part of smaller team of 4 Redcaps. Each team of 4 has a Redcap Team Leader, to whom you’ll be assigned before the event. You’ll be informed of who your team leader is before the event, either via the Empire Red Hats group on Facebook, via email or telephone.

This means it’s really important that we know when you intend to arrive on site – what day and also, if possible what time, so that we can put you in a sutable team with a list of jobs. Obviously this system won’t be perfect – traffic problems, transport problems, and other real life problems can and probably will get in the way of some people arriving on site when they say they will, but if we know what to expect we can plan for those problems.

Your Redcap Team Leader will have a list of jobs and, if you’re new to the Redcap Team, he or she will ensure you are trained up on all the different jobs you’re expected to do.

Training is on the job. Don’t worry, we’re all volunteers and every event poses new challenges and learning experiences for all of us!

It is your responsibility to make yourself known to your Team Leader as soon as you get on to site, and to find them and report for duty as quickly as you can after time out is called.

Your Redcap Team Leader will have a radio and your be working with other teams to complete bigger jobs, such as the large marquees or the larger sets.

When do we work?

We generally work from around 9am till dusk on Thursday and from 9am until work is completed on Friday. Take down runs from time out until dusk at the end of the event and starts again the following morning until completed.

But we keep going until everything is done!

PD provides food, snacks and soft drinks throughout set up as well as food tickets during the event. There is also a staff party at the end of the event.

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Skarsind

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Gildenheim

- 3.2 The Brilliant Shore

- 3.3 The Will of the Wintermark ("Hengesthal")

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Crow’s Ridge

- 4.2 Estermark

- 4.3 Gildermark

- 4.4 Pakaanan's Pass

- 4.5 Skogei Glens

- 4.6 Solvihill

- 4.7 Southpine

- 5 OOC Note

Overview

Skarsind is a place of alpine slopes and valleys, pine forests and rising mists, set in what's known as the Great Vale, a bowl of mountains that holds both Skarsind and the forest of Hercynia. Gildenheim in the east was the second largest settlement in Wintermark. Founded by Gilda Heimssdottir, it stands over the entrance to a frozen underworld cavern into the walls of which are carvings in a mysterious alphabet that are said to be the source of the magical runes used throughout Wintermark.

The folk of Skarsind were particularly noted for their fine rune work and many of the best artisans and runesmiths traveled here to study their craft. There were troubles with tribes of yetis that live in the valleys above Skarsind, but most of the danger here came from the Thule barbarians living on the far side of the mountains in Otkodov.

Skarsind has always been riven by conflict; a saga called Lament for Skarsind is popular in some parts of Wintermark.

Recent History

In 373YE a savage blizzard swept down out of the mountains. The blizzard raged for three days, serving as magical cover for an army of Thule barbarians who marched beneath it. They attacked Gildenheim with the assistance of a dozen enslaved Artok, smashing great holes in the defenses. The blizzard continued for another four days, and the orcs used the advantage it gave them to ravage many of the low-lying halls. The Winterfolk who were not killed in the attacks were taken as slaves. Some small pockets of resistance remained - mostly based around the mines and halls to the north-east - but the situation looked increasingly desperate. Following the initial attack the weather remained unnaturally harsh, with snow falling for nine months out of each year, and supplies and the will to fight both dwindled. There was little doubt that the Thule were employing powerful magic to reinforce their position - including the use of powerful Winter rituals to reinforce their armies with hordes of walking corpses created from battlefield dead - packs of which still represent a recurring nuisance to those attempting to rebuild the territory.

Throughout 377YE, Imperial forces pushed into Skarsind. In the Autumn, they succeeded in driving the Thule forces out of the territory and reclaimed it for the Empire. The inhabitants are beginning to pick up the pieces of their lives, and the damage done by the rapacious barbarians is slowly being assessed. The Military Council is already looking at the allocation of certain key resources that may help encourage quick regeneration of the territory in the wake of their victory.

Major Features

Gildenheim

At it's height, Gildenheim was the second largest settlement in Wintermark. Founded by Gilda Heimssdottir, it stands over the entrance to a frozen underworld cavern into the walls of which are carvings in a mysterious alphabet that are said to be the source of the magical runes used throughout Wintermark and the wider Empire. In 373, it fell to the barbarians after a long siege. Inge Suvvisdottir, most recent of the bearers of the crown of Wintermark, fell with it. Despite the demands of Wintermark senators for resolute and overwhelming response, Emperor Walter dithered and did nothing to support the defense. The town itself has been devastated by barbarian occupation, although some optimistic explorers believe there is still a chance that the crown of wily king Ulmo may still be recovered.

One of the few structures still standing in Gildenheim is the Hall of the White Ravens. Many survivors see this white granite hall as a symbol that Gildenheim can rise from the ashes of the occupation and reach even greater heights than before. Survivors of the Thule oppression still come here to seek spiritual guidance; the hall just needs a stormcrow to offer solace to the people of Skarsind - and perhaps take on the arduous task of rebuilding Gildenheim in the process.

The Brilliant Shore

When the sun reflects on the workings on the cliff faces near Gildenheim, the reflection is blinding and it is this phenomenon that gives the white granite quarry its name. The Brilliant Shore was one of the first areas seized by the Thule when Skarsind fell, and reclaimed at the turning point of the recent war.

The deposits of White Granite in the Brilliant Shore were discovered centuries ago by a young icewalker who took shelter in the area while the region was assailed by a magical storm conjured by the Thule. When the magician noticed that the storm passed over the cave where they were sheltering, they realized that something in the area must be weakening the curse. Further investigation of the cave discovered the white granite deposits, and provided the Wintermark people with a valuable resource.

The Brilliant Shore is a Bourse position which produces white granite. Under Imperial control this Bourse position produces 26 Imperial wains of white granite every season. At the summit of Winter 377, when the status of the seat was debated; the Imperial Senate declared it a National resource in the control of Wintermark but the Imperial Synod exercised their veto to make the Senate reconsider. The position was confirmed as a National resource in the control of Wintermark at the Spring summit of 378.

The Will of the Wintermark ("Hengesthal")

A new fortification, The Will of the Wintermark, was constructed in Skogei Glens to protect Skarsind from further Thule aggression. Built on a low hill surrounded by a fence of sharpened stakes, the sturdy walls of the Will of Wintermark are reinforced by white granite. The tall central keep is flanked by two shorter towers and topped with a great beacon to warn of invaders.

Work actually began on the castle during the campaign to drive the barbarians out, and was completed in early Autumn 378YE. The name is already being shortened to The Will in some places, and the local people have dubbed it Hengesthal or Hengest's House in praise of the Senator for Hahnmark who is widely regarded to have been the driving force behind the project. (OOC Note: The Will of the Wintermark is a level one fortification)

Regions

Crow’s Ridge

The hills of Crow Ridge are the location of the craggy stronghold of Crow's Keep, a lookout tower and beacon. Has not been heard from since the barbarian invasion, but hope still live that it holds. It was high and well-fortified, with deep wells, they say; its stormcrows crafty and wise in war.

Keyword: Hills

Estermark

The forested hills of Estermark are the site of two (formerly) wealthy settlements - Krysse and Gulhule. These towns appear to have fared better than Gildenheim at the hands of the barbarians. Winterfolk who managed to escape slavery, or who were left behind during the Thule retreat, are already beginning to rebuild their homes and their lives.

After its fall in 371YE, Krysse became a bastion for the barbarians protecting their eastern flank. In happier days it had close ties with nearby Mormyk in the Varushkan territory of Miekarova and was a local centre of trade between the two nations, hosting a market at each turning of the seasons. Now that Skarsind has been regained, it remains to be seen if the market can be restarted.

Gulhule is a valley settlement known for its runesmiths and well-crafted weaponry taken by the barbarians in 372YE. Empress Britta was instrumental in buying sufficient time for the people of Gulhule to escape the barbarian advance; many of the smiths fled and managed to found forges elsewhere, scattered across the Halls of Wintermark. Others took refuge in mineworkings, such as the extensive Wells of Janon or the tunnels operated by the Crimson Peak miners. Now that the Thule are defeated, it remains to be seen how many of them choose to return. Of special interest to the Empire are the status of the mines here; the black maggots of the Thule have stripped the area and many captured runesmiths are said to have been sent north into the forbidding homelands of the barbarians.

Keywords: Forested, Hills

Gildermark

This region is the site of the town of Gildenheim and was the centre of Thule presence; their shamans and warlocks seemed fascinated by the icy caverns beneath that settlement. This flat region has been almost entirely denuded of trees - first by the Winterfolk, and the by the rapacious Thule. Their interest was possibly fired by the presence of the Brilliant Shore, one of the largest quarries of white granite in the Empire.

Pakaanan's Pass

The hills of Pakaanan’s Pass hide the site of Pakaanan’s tower, an enigmatic tower of mammoth bone that is said to be impossible to enter. The Thule magicians appear to have made several unsuccesful attempts to breach its walls. Given it allegedly contains the notes, paraphernalia and failed experiments of the legendary volhov. No-one has ever managed to enter it - or discover why Pakaanen spent so much time here in virtual exile from the forests of Miekarova where he was born.

Several miles east of Pakaanan's tower is the Clattering Gulley, a winding rock crevasse used for generations by Steinr Runesmiths to collect mana crystals.

Keywords: Hills

Skogei Glens

The forests of Skogei Glens are the site of the settlement of Skogei. This region was the last to be brought into Empire, in 154YE, and it's halls were first to fall during the invasion of Skarsind. In 371YE its wooden walls were burnt, and few can now be found who once lived there. Recaptured by the Empire relatively early in the big push of 377YE, it was quickly reinforced with makeshift defences. In early Autumn 378YE, work was completed on The Will of the Wintermark, a solid fortification capable of defending the whole of Skarsind.

With the liberation of Skarsind, the Empire has regained control of the Goeki Expanses, a large and previously very prosperous area rich in dragonbone.

Keywords: Forested

Solvihill

Forested Solvihill was in the hands of the Empire until the disaster of 376YE. The well defended foresting town of Solvi served as a base of operations for the Imperial campaigns to drive the barbarians out. Once a foresting town providing Wintermark with wood, charcoal and beggarwood from the extensive barrens above the town, it was adopted as the base of campaign for the Imperial forces led by General Dunstan Irontongue. The settlement was hard pressed, and he led an aggressive series of sorties to relieve the pressure. He fell on one of these raids early in 376YE alongside Empress Britta. His body was never recovered.

Keywords: Forested

Southpine

There are forests here, but they are not extensive and neither are there many hills, meaning Southpine is reasonably open - which is a rarity in the uneven terrain of Skarsind. The settlement of Torfast, in the heart of Southpine, represented the high watermark of the barbarian advance in 373YE. It was retaken by Wintermark, League and Varushkan forces in 375YE, the first of the Skarsind settlements to be returned to the Empire. The town is now reasonably fortified, and bears the scars of many battles. It guards a major trade route from Skarsind’s forges down to the League city of Temeschwar, which helped caravans operated by businesses such as Southpine Southbound to get valuable supplies to the resistance forces throughout the occupation.

OOC Note

- As of Winter 377YE, all the regions of Skarsind are under Imperial control.

- The Will of the Wintermark is a level one fortification.

- A list of the spoils of war, allocated by the Military Council at the Winter Solstice 377YE can be found here.

- This page is still under development - the next stage is to review approved backgrounds for details that would enrich the description of the territory.

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Skarsind spoils of war

Following the liberation of Skarsind by Imperial troops in 377YE, these resources were presented to the Military council for assignment as spoils of war

Contents

- 1 The Clattering Gulley

- 2 Goeki Expanses

- 3 Solvihill Beggarwood Barrens

- 4 The Wells of Janon

- 5 Crimson Peak Mining

- 6 Four-Seasons Market

- 7 Southpine Southbound

- 8 Irontongue Hall

- 9 The Hall of White Ravens

The Clattering Gulley

Mana site / Rank 3

Located several miles east of Pakaanan's Pass, the Clattering Gulley is a winding rock crevasse used for generations by Steinr Runesmiths. It takes it's name from hundreds of mammoth bones hung along the walls and inscribed with mithril-inlaid runes that twist and move in the occasional winds that roar down the gulley, seemingly from nowhere.

Goeki Expanses

Dragonbone Forest / Rank 4

A wide expanse of forest in the hinterlands of the Skogei Glens is particularly rich in dragonbone. A twisting maze of interconnected paths forms a network throughout the area along which collectors pick their way, searching the undergrowth for deposits of the valuable material.

Solvihill Beggarwood Barrens

Beggar's Lye Forest / Rank 2

Frequented by charcoal burners from nearby Solvi, the Solvihill beggarwood barrens were abandoned to the Thule, then partially burnt when the barbarians retreated. They are still a rich source of the raw materials to make beggar's lye, thanks to prompt action by citizens of the nearby town.

The Wells of Janon

Green Iron Mine / Rank 4

A series of wide shafts punch down to remarkable depths in the are northwest of Gulhule, exploiting a seemingly inexhaustible vein of green iron deep beneath the mountains. During the occupation by the Thule, the miners took refuge in galleries and passages concealed with the aid of the Night Eternal Janon who had long served as a patron of the hard-bitten miners.

Crimson Peak Mining

Orichalcum Mine / Rank 3

Crimson Peak takes it's name from the extensive orichalcum mining operation rather than from the colour of the mountain itself (which appears quite normal to outsiders). The owners made a tidy profit selling to the runesmiths of nearby Gulhule before they perished valiantly during the Thule attack - they intentional collapsed a number of key passages on themselves, denying the barbarians access to the richest seams.

Four-Seasons Market

Business / Rank 3

The market of Krysse played host to merchants from across Skarsind and nearby Varushka, as well as traders from as far afield as the Brass Coast. Now that Skarsind is back in Imperial hands, the market looks set to become a regular fixture again - and the overseer of the market stands to make a pretty profit.

Southpine Southbound

Business / Rank 2

Based in Torfast, caravans operated by Southpine Southbound smuggled valuable supplies to the resistance during the recent occupation. Now the war is over, the trading company can return to the lucrative business of selling raw materials to the Temeschwari, and valuable crafted goods to the people of Skarsind.

Irontongue Hall

Military Unit / Rank 3

When General Dunstan Irontongue fell alongside Empress Britta, his personal unit of Suaq scouts declared themselves Frayed. They fought valiantly alongside the Imperial armies dedicated to recovering Skarsind, but only when the Thule were driven from the territory did they consider their shame lifted. They are now seeking a courageous Winterfolk Captain to lead them in future campaigns against the enemies of the Wintermark people.

The Hall of White Ravens

Congregation / Rank 5

Gildenheim - once second largest of the Winterfolk settlements - has been ruined by the Thule. The Hall of White Ravens is badly damaged, but unlike many structures in Gildenheim it still has all four walls and a roof, and some of the beautifully carved white granite raven facade still remains. Survivors of the Thule oppression still come here to seek spiritual guidance; the hall needs a stormcrow to offer solace to the people of Skarsind - and perhaps take on the arduous task of rebuilding Gildenheim in the process.

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Skarsind spoils of war (Redirected from Skarsind Spoils of War)

Following the liberation of Skarsind by Imperial troops in 377YE, these resources were presented to the Military council for assignment as spoils of war

Contents

- 1 The Clattering Gulley

- 2 Goeki Expanses

- 3 Solvihill Beggarwood Barrens

- 4 The Wells of Janon

- 5 Crimson Peak Mining

- 6 Four-Seasons Market

- 7 Southpine Southbound

- 8 Irontongue Hall

- 9 The Hall of White Ravens

The Clattering Gulley

Mana site / Rank 3

Located several miles east of Pakaanan's Pass, the Clattering Gulley is a winding rock crevasse used for generations by Steinr Runesmiths. It takes it's name from hundreds of mammoth bones hung along the walls and inscribed with mithril-inlaid runes that twist and move in the occasional winds that roar down the gulley, seemingly from nowhere.

Goeki Expanses

Dragonbone Forest / Rank 4

A wide expanse of forest in the hinterlands of the Skogei Glens is particularly rich in dragonbone. A twisting maze of interconnected paths forms a network throughout the area along which collectors pick their way, searching the undergrowth for deposits of the valuable material.

Solvihill Beggarwood Barrens

Beggar's Lye Forest / Rank 2

Frequented by charcoal burners from nearby Solvi, the Solvihill beggarwood barrens were abandoned to the Thule, then partially burnt when the barbarians retreated. They are still a rich source of the raw materials to make beggar's lye, thanks to prompt action by citizens of the nearby town.

The Wells of Janon

Green Iron Mine / Rank 4

A series of wide shafts punch down to remarkable depths in the are northwest of Gulhule, exploiting a seemingly inexhaustible vein of green iron deep beneath the mountains. During the occupation by the Thule, the miners took refuge in galleries and passages concealed with the aid of the Night Eternal Janon who had long served as a patron of the hard-bitten miners.

Crimson Peak Mining

Orichalcum Mine / Rank 3

Crimson Peak takes it's name from the extensive orichalcum mining operation rather than from the colour of the mountain itself (which appears quite normal to outsiders). The owners made a tidy profit selling to the runesmiths of nearby Gulhule before they perished valiantly during the Thule attack - they intentional collapsed a number of key passages on themselves, denying the barbarians access to the richest seams.

Four-Seasons Market

Business / Rank 3

The market of Krysse played host to merchants from across Skarsind and nearby Varushka, as well as traders from as far afield as the Brass Coast. Now that Skarsind is back in Imperial hands, the market looks set to become a regular fixture again - and the overseer of the market stands to make a pretty profit.

Southpine Southbound

Business / Rank 2

Based in Torfast, caravans operated by Southpine Southbound smuggled valuable supplies to the resistance during the recent occupation. Now the war is over, the trading company can return to the lucrative business of selling raw materials to the Temeschwari, and valuable crafted goods to the people of Skarsind.

Irontongue Hall

Military Unit / Rank 3

When General Dunstan Irontongue fell alongside Empress Britta, his personal unit of Suaq scouts declared themselves Frayed. They fought valiantly alongside the Imperial armies dedicated to recovering Skarsind, but only when the Thule were driven from the territory did they consider their shame lifted. They are now seeking a courageous Winterfolk Captain to lead them in future campaigns against the enemies of the Wintermark people.

The Hall of White Ravens

Congregation / Rank 5

Gildenheim - once second largest of the Winterfolk settlements - has been ruined by the Thule. The Hall of White Ravens is badly damaged, but unlike many structures in Gildenheim it still has all four walls and a roof, and some of the beautifully carved white granite raven facade still remains. Survivors of the Thule oppression still come here to seek spiritual guidance; the hall needs a stormcrow to offer solace to the people of Skarsind - and perhaps take on the arduous task of rebuilding Gildenheim in the process.

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Skein of Years

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 1.5 OOC Note

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single item or object which must be present throughout and must possess a ribbon or a Profound Decisions ID code.

Effects

When the ritual is complete, the ritualists receive a vision during which key events in the history of the target item are revealed.

The older the object, the more likely information is to be uncovered, and the more information is likely to be revealed. Objects created in the last few years are extremely unlikely to reveal anything through the use of this ritual.

Information might include some or all of the following:

- Information about the crafter of the item and the method of it's creation

- Information about owners or wielders of the item

- Information about significant events at which the item was present, especially if it was used in a pivotal manner

- Other significant details might be uncovered; experimentation with the ritual is ongoing

Unlike rituals such as Reading the Weave, the Skein of Years does not require the target item to be crafted, and tends not to provide information about crafted properties the item may have possessed. Rather the ritual divines information about the physical object itself.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual to penetrate shrouds or masks designed to conceal information.

OOC Note

As with many such divination rituals, informing the referees well in advance - at least an hour - of the intent to perform this ritual will help to ensure that the information it provides can be prepared in advance and ideally provided as soon as the performance is complete.

Description

Rituals that attempt to divine facts about an item have been woven spontaneously in the Empire for centuries. This ritual is the result of a project overseen by the Provost of the Halls of Knowledge, Octavius, to codify and formalise those rituals. Much of the work on this ritual was performed by Tiberius Stormspire Cascade, whose experiments formed the basic pattern for the ritual design. It was added to Imperial Lore by a Declaration of the Imperial Conclave in Summer 378YE, and funded by a motion in the Imperial Senate.

The ritual casts the mind's eye backwards into the past, tracing the origin and movements of a specific object. The ritualists performing The Skein of Years receive visions of significant events during the history of the object – events at which the item was present, or involved in some pivotal way. The visions tend to come in chronological order – usually the oldest first, sometimes the newest - but occasionally a vision may 'jump' back and forth between events that take part some time apart but are connected by some thematic element. The vision moves between distinct sub-visions, with no more than the vaugest sense of context given to place each section relative to the others chronologically. The visions generally told a cohesive story of the item's history, but it was impossible to tell over what time period it took place.

Using rituals such as Reading the Weave and Clear Lens of the Eternal River as a starting point, the researchers also looked to the Autumn magic of Hand of the Maker and Ties that Bind for inspiration. As a ritual of the Realm of Day, the visions received by the ritualists are not symbolic – they are usually clear snapshots or pieces of factual information although they may be incomplete. For example, when studying a mask at the Armetto Theatre, Jessian d'Sarvos reported that only fleeting impressions of many of the dramaturgists who had worn the mask were received, with much more concrete impressions of the mask-maker who constructed it, and the famous performance by Chaira d'Holberg in her role as Gancio in “The Tailor of Holberg.”- considered by dramaturgic historians to be her finest performance.

Without doubt, the ritual does not perceive every single event that the item was involved in. Icewalker Gunnar theorised that this was why the ritual tended to be more effective on older items – that the older the item, the greater the number of events it had been involved in, meaning there was a greater chance of an event 'sticking' to the item.

Padme I Erigo, a scholar of the lores of both Night and Day, suggested that it would be possible to use Night magic to conceal the details of one or more events from the divinatory power of this ritual but as with most such workings, the presence of the obfuscatory enchantment would be impossible to conceal. She worked on formulaing the method whereby the magic of the ritual might be focused to allow it to pierce such glamours, incorporating elements familiar to the adept from such rituals such as the Piercing Light of Revelation.

The Navarr Iona of the Yellow Wind steading, visiting the Halls, gave a short lecture suggesting that the ritual effect was also possible with the Realm of Night, but that it would produce intuitive, symbolic visions focusing on emotions and sensations rather than clear, factual visions. Her assertion that this might be more useful than the stark imagery of the Day Realm was noted but largely discounted.

The ritual was originally called “The Lens of Insight into the Weave” by Octavius, the Provost of the Halls of Knowledge. Unfortunately for the Provost, the crotchety magus Lucien of the Halls of Knowledge staunchly refused to accept this name, which he considered “too wordy, and not actually a good description.” Lucien, who had travelled extensively in Wintermark in his youth, where he was exposed to the concept of the skein. Working closely with several Suaq Icewalkers during the development of this ritual, he insisted on referring to is as the Skein of Years in correspondence, and the name stuck. Lucien was responsible for drawing together the various threads of research, and was not above abusing this opportunity to stamp his own name on Octavius' project, in a manner not uncommon in academic circles.

Common Elements

The typical method of performing the ritual was laid down by the Provost from personal experimentation – a combination of rune magic and astronomantic principles. The constellation of the Phoenix was constructed during the ritual, using a series of runestones and candles. Each rune used in the construction was invoked in turn by all participants, before being placed upon a mirror in the appropriate position. Each contributing ritualist brought a personal magical dimension to their invocation. After the constellation was constructed, the magic of the regio was invoked, and channelled into a lens while the crystals of mana that were to be used in the ritual were then added to the mirror, surrounding the constellation.

The core runes used during the performance were Ophis, Sular and Diras representing concepts of revelation, discovery and secrets. A more complex ritual pattern incorporated the constellation of the Web, sometimes with the addition of the Spider or the Key.

From a dramaturgical perspective, the clarity of the Doctor proved to be quite useful, especially when the theatrical performance incorporated a sequence where the item was studied as part of an investigation. This lead an unpredictable element to the scene, as the dramaturgist would often reveal details of the item that had nothing to do with the context of the play. The challenge of incorporating these details into the ongoing narrative was either “refreshing”or “an unacceptable imposition on the other performers.”

The [The Bishop|Bishop]] was a much less disruptive persona with which to focus the magic of the ritual, allowing the character to explain the history of an object to another (lesser) character, or to the chorus, often as part of a bequethal or a lecture illustrating a certain moral or ethical point.

Initial exploration used a lens to examine the target object, similar to that employed in Clear Lens of the Eternal River, but it quickly became apparent that while such an item may serve as an aid to concentration or focus, it was not required. Promising experiments by the Navarr Ioana of the Yellow Wind steading incorporated the chewing of certain roots to sharpen the mind and senses while handling the target object, while an adept of the music of the spheres studying at the Halls of Knowledge developed a simple tune that could be hummed or played on a song bowl (or, as one irreverent student demonstrated, a wine glass) to achieve a similar focus.

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Skian Mhor

Skian Mhor have been producing high quality Live Role Play equipment for nearly twenty years, with a breadth of knowledge and experience in producing theatrical props and special effects and even large hydraulic and pneumatic movements for carnival and theatre that spans over thirty years. We have been associated with Profound Decisions since the first Maelstrom event and are responsible for constructiing the Odyssey Arena. We have been closely associated with the development of Empire and are now pleased to offer our experise to you in creating your own custom weapons, masks, costumes, props, armour and prothetics. We can provide individual pieces to complete a character's kit or we can take on the whole project and build your entire customised kit or large monster outfit. We can even enhance your Empire camp setting with period cookware, firepits and eating utensils. Working from our workshops in beautiful Ayrshire and coordinating with many other professionals both in the UK and within Europe we have access to the best resources available to ensure the highest quality products that you will find anywhere in the LRP world today.

For your individual character look without resorting to mass produced webshop please call or email us with your requirements.

sean@skianmhor.co.uk

Tel; 01555 894787

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Skin of Bark, Blood of Amber

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 30

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 1.5 Option

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 30

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target character gain three additional ranks of endurance.

The target is also under a roleplaying effect: they feel physically massive, as if they are much larger than they actually are. It takes an effort of will to move quickly or to change their mind once it is made up.

If the target is a Briar, they may choose to temporarily increase the amount of bark on their skin, and may include thorns as well if they wish although these are also temporary and generally do not last longer than a few weeks.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 18. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Option

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute ambergelt for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 measures of ambergelt spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Description

This old ritual is believed to be a remnant of Ushka magic, although the Navarr and the Suaq claim that their people have used similar rituals since time immemorial. It fills a target with the unyielding vigour of a massive tree - an oak, ancient pine or similar long-lived plant.

Some suspicious people see the effect that the ritual has on some briars and assume that they run the risk of becoming briars themselves when exposed to this ritual, but there are no recorded cases of this happening.

Common Elements

An obvious component commonly part of the ritual is ambergelt, although amber and pine resin are equally common. As with many rituals that create an enchantment, the casters may symbolically give gifts to the target and branches from old trees, amber jewelry and favours or tokens that bear images of oak-leaves, acorns or similar plants. Some Dawnish Weaver cabals gird the targets in light or medium armour made of leather or hide while Landskeepers often crown their targets with leaves to show their connection to and mastery over natural forces.

The rune Rhyv and Verys are often evoked with this ritual, as is The Oak. Some ritualists also call on Paragons and Exemplars of Loyalty, Courage and Vigilance - especially The Sentinel - when they perform Skin of Bark, Blood of Amber.

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Smooth Hands Shape The World

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 10

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 10

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the magician skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target can cast the mend spell in 5 seconds rather than 10 seconds. The target does not gain any additional knowledge of, or ability to cast, this spell.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 6. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

Where Hands of the Healer allows a magician to perform heal their allies more quickly, Smooth Hands Shape The World allows a magician to restore their weapons and shields with equal alacrity, reducing the likelihood that they will be interrupted. The ritual accelerates the use of items such as the Runesmith's Gavel wand, as well as the spells cast by a magician under their own power.

Common Elements

The trappings of the artisan are common elements used with this ritual, as are ingots and measures of special materials. Washing the hands with water or wine is common, as are invocations using the names of famous or legendary crafters or the Eternal Estavus. Runes such as the rune of mastery or the rune of thought may also be evoked - the latter in its aspect as the rune that is concerned with education and mental skills.

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Soghter

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Night

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Night

Sobriquets

The most common sobriquet for Soghter is Changer of the Ways.

In the Principalities of Jarm, Soghter is called The Intrepid Dragon of Infallible Reason, and seems to enjoy this name prompting magicians around the world to start using it. Soghter appears to share the tendency of many Night Eternals for enjoying flattery, while being largely unmoved by it. Soghter is also known as oroborous and the serpent-eating-it's-own-tail is a symbol often associated with the creature and it's fascination by cyclic behaviour.

In some parts of the world Soghter is referred to as the Snake-Spawner or Mother/Father of Serpents. According to those who use this epithet, those who deal with it have a dramatically inceased incidence of naga blood in their offspring. Soghter has never admitted any link, and it is difficult to prove one way or another.

Along with Murit, Soghter is sometimes called the Azoth after a theoretical alchemical compound that enacts miraculous transformations - magicians performing rituals such as The Eight-spoked Wheel, The Retrograde Wheel and Distill the Serpent's Stone sometimes evoke the name during their transformations (although Soghter is better suited to rituals that transform the individual, such as Transmogrification of the Soul's Echo. Some scholars suggest that Soghter and Murit are lovers or siblings; others maintain that they are actually different facets of the same entity. A few alchemical treatises contain images of the two serpents wrapped around each other as illustrations of the way disparate substances can be combined together to create new materials. Neither Eternal seems inclined to discuss their relationship, if any.

Appearance

In its true form (inasmuch as the Night Eternals have true forms), Soghter has a black-scaled serpentine body with wings of brilliant white and eyes that shift kaleidoscopically. Evidence for this appearance seems entirely anecdotal, based on descriptions by Heralds; no Imperial magician has reported actually encountering Soghter in this form. As with all Night Eternals, Soghter is a shapeshifter and more than most it appears to revel in assuming unique appearances whenever it is encountered. It may appear to be male or female (as with most Night Eternals gender appears to have little meaning to it), but its forms almost invariably include strong elements of either black or white. They also often include images of catterpillars and butterflies or moths, as well as other creatures that undergo profound physical changes as they mature.

Concerns

Soghter's primary interest is the way that living beings change naturally over time. It is fascinated by the way that a creature transforms from being young and inexperienced to being old and wise. It adores the "ceremonies of life" - the way mortals mark the transition from one life-stage to another, both for the effect they have on the individual undergoing the change and the way they affect other mortals. The change from child to youth to adult to elder to death is endlessly absorbing for Soghter.

It emphasizes the idea that only personal experience is relevant, and disdains the relevance of instruction whether by another person or via books. To have value, Soghter believes every lesson must include practical hands-on experience, and that creature learn most profoundly by doing rather than my listening. It encourages people, especially young people, to take risks and seek our new experiences regardless of the concerns of their elders or peers and for this reason exposure of the young to Soghter must be carefully monitored.

The Eternal itself appears to be a creature of cycles, progressing from one state to another and then returning to the start again. Some scholars have commented that Soghter shifts in personality in a predictable sequence from child-like wonder to passionate sensate to enigmatic riddler to seeker-of-mysteries, and then back to the beginning again. It denies this cycle exists, claiming that it lives in the moment and it is always the way it is at the moment. Some magicians claim Soghter is completely insane by human standards.

Soghter is fascinated by death, seeing it as a profound transformation from one state to another rather than an end. Indeed, as a Night Eternal Soghter appears unable to accept the idea of something coming to an end. Several times it has asked to observe someone passing from life into death, and is said to find the experience profoundly moving - as being in the presence of the most absolute enigma in existence.

Change is fundamental to Soghter, but it is primarily interested in the way living creatures change. It loves the moment of enlightenment that comes when someone understands a riddle, the way the heart quickens when a creature realises it is in love and the way that mortal beings change completely between one meeting and the next.

All the Night Eternals have an affection for those with naga blood, but Soghter seems to extend this affection to beings of all lineages.

Boons

Soghter offers boons of transformation, whether temporary or permanent. One of its sought-after boons is the shedding of skin, a gift it offers to those who wish to completely re-invent themselves. The recipient tears away their own skin, revealing a new being underneath. Often this being has the naga lineage, but depending on the transformation they seek any or all other details of their life may have been entirely changed - memories, skills, goals, personality, curses, illness, injury ... anything.

Its aid is not always useful. Soghter is a champion of the idea that any obstacle can be overcome by changing oneself, and this is sometimes frustrating. It may suggest that a village threatened by bandits move. ... or transform into sparrows, or become bandits themselves, rather than that they take action against the bandits. In one story, Soghter 'helped' a Varushkan vale survive a flood by turning everyone in the village into salmon.

It has several times offered 'help' to those who have become trapped in stasis or stagnation - one memorable story speaks of an occasion when a Thresher lured an immortal sorcerer into Soghter's domain and without pause it 'released' the wicked magician from the trap of its immortality by transforming her into a cloud of butterflies.

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Soldier's Coat

Description

The leather used to make these sturdy pieces of armour is carefully treated with beggar's lye during the tanning process, and repeatedly abraded with a combination of tempest jade, often combined with sand from one of the great imperial rivers before being smoothed and polished with ambergelt resin. Weltsilver wire is used to reinforce and decorate the finished suit, enhancing the ability of a soldier to survive on the battlefield. While providing solid protection by itself, a soldier's coat is often worn with a suit of mail.

In Wintermark this item is called a trollslayer's banquet and commonly takes the form of a hauberk of mithril mail or heavy, dark coloured leather. It takes its name from tales of heroes who enjoyed the hospitality of the trolls, as well as from stories of the great feasts held after the trolls had been defeated.

In the The Brass Coast this armour is called irrepressible scale and is commonly decorated with the rune Zorech or with images of flame. Very rarely suits of irrepressible scale are carved or painted with images of monkeys, and a wearer often tries to emulate the nature of that creature on a battlefield, remaining mobile and playful but engaging with great savagery when they attack.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of medium armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour, once per day you regain all lost hits when you use the unstoppable skill.

- Materials: Crafting a trollslayer's banquet requires fifteen ingots of weltsilver, eleven ingots of ambergelt, nine ingots of tempest jade and nine measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Gregorio accompanied the armourer through to the back of her workshop, where a small room was sealed by – of all things – an iron door. She gave him a handkerchief to wear over his mouth and nose, to his puzzlement, and donned a headscarf that looked almost Freeborn, leaving only her eyes visible beneath its folds.

“Your armour is finished with tempest jade dust, senhor, and do you know what happens when you breathe in tempest jade dust?” Gregorio shook his head dumbly. “Do you want to?” This time, he shook his head emphatically. She opened the door and shooed him in quickly, shutting it quickly after herself.

It was very beautiful thing indeed. The weltsilver decorations spelled out combinations of protective runes he’d never have considered putting together, and she led him through them, explaining how Hirmok controlled the excesses of Verys (an Urizen idea), and the tension between the drive of Feresh and the restraint of Cavul pushed the wearer to excel without overstepping their bounds. She’d already mentioned the tempest jade, and given it a token final polish with a wooden brush inset with a smooth lump of ambergelt.

In fact, Gregorio started to suspect that she was playing up the expense of making it. They had, after all, only agreed on a rough figure, which was risky. Then he’d found out how high the price of ambergelt was right now, and that would push the price up. Then he’d needed to hurry her up, and that would push the price up further. He suspected she knew what he was buying it for, and even that would push the price up.

Eventually, she got round to her price.

Gregorio winced inwardly, closed his eyes, and thought of the handsome guard-captain he was buying it for. And as with most of the troubles in his life since he’d moved upriver to Temeschwar, that thought soothed him somewhat.

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Soldier's Harness

Description

The leather or cloth used to make a soldier's harness is stiffened and treated with ambergelt dissolved in alcohol. These simple suits of light armour are usually unassuming, often indistinguishable from a mundane suit of armour except by magical examination. They are never common, but some armour crafters produce them in sufficient numbers that they are one of the most easily available suits of special armour. A soldier's harness won't keep someone alive when the battle turns against them, but it can help them to stay on their feet long enough to make a difference.

The more isolated Navarr often favour these over heavier armour as they sometimes have more access to ambergelt than to even the mundane metals needed for other forms of armour. Other Thorns simply prefer the harnesses because they are quieter and more flexible than metal armour. Navarri tanners tend to apply the ambergelt in repeated layers of swirling patterns, giving rise to the name “Curve-Hide Coats”.

Despite the name, this light armour is also popular with civilians who might find themselves in dangerous situations; cheap enough to make them appealing to people who might expect to get through a year without being hit, but valuable enough to give the wearer a few extra vital moments to reach safety. Items designed for this market are often decorated buff coats, almost as much a fashion accessory as a source of protection, favoured in the League and among travelling merchants across the Empire. More serious combatants scornfully refer to this style of armour as “Bourse Blazers”.

The aggressive runes of Summer are seldom used for such a simple enchantment. Instead, Pallas, the rune of wealth, is usually subtly placed upon the garment to improve the quality of the protection granted by the simple suit of armour.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of light armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour you gain an additional rank in the endurance skill.

- Materials: Crafting a soldier's harness requires eight ingots of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The two old farmhands sat on a bench outside the alehouse.

“All on'em?”

“So I hear... That's what Carter said. Every last one.”

"What they gon' t'do?"

"Well, they've all those herb gardens. Powerful potions, they'd brew up, I s'pose."

The column marched past, each and every one in homespun robes and simple jack, buckler and sword.

“Bloody'ell. They are too. They'll not last, though? Not in battle? Too much time devotin', not enough workin', I reckon.”

“You're forgetting that wood of theirs. All pines, they is. Not good, solid oaks. Funny sort of tree, if you ask me. They ooze. Can't be right. But that stuff you get, that ambergelt. Special, is that. Landskeeper'll go a long way to get some, but those monks have been gardening it for years. Those trees came from Upwold-way. Further north that that, maybe. My grand-da said so. Came in on a cart, he said. In sacks, he said. Height of you, he said, ruffled my hair, and I was six at the time. All that way, kept live ever since, for that resin. Magic, it is. Those jacks they had on: did-ja see the shine? That weren't sweat, nor pig-grease neither, that were that stuff. Makes armour magical, it does. They gave a gambeson made with that stuff to my cousin the steward last year. He says he's been more the man in a fight ever since. Wears it under his mail, he does. Dare say it'll help'em out a bit.”

“Hint they got mail?”

“Not all on'us can afford the metal, you know! They've only got a few acres. And thas poor ol' land.”

“...reckon I might get meself one of them.”

“Garn with you! Closest you'll get to a fight now is cuttin' up a bacon!”

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Song of the Noonday Sun

Description

The Song of the Noonday Sun allows the user to perform ceremonies dedicated to Pride. These are often made in the form of brass instruments - horns and trumpets especially. The metal used to create them is infused with orichalcum and polished with tempest jade with dragonbone decorations or keys. A more traditional artisan may make the instrument from the horn of a mighty beast, inlaid with dragonbone and with an orichalcum mouthpiece.

The loud, resounding tones a musician coaxes from these powerful instruments stirs the heart of the audience, filling them with pride and confidence. Often, only a few notes are needed to draw up the power of the instrument. A Song of the Noonday Sun is often employed by soldiers to greet the dawn and the dusk, and to sound the mournful dirge at a warrior's funeral. In Wintermark and Highguard particularly there is a belief that notes played on this instrument at twilight are audible to the dead; a reminder of what they gave their lives for and an assurance that their deeds are never forgotten. As a consequence, the instrument is sometimes called a Horn Resounding.

This instrument is equally valuable to a priest who is dedicated to one of the other six virtues as it is to a priest who is dedicated to none of the virtues - a priest of the Way. Indeed, in some ways it is more useful to the latter philosophy of priest - it allows them to use the ceremonies of anointing, consecration and hallowing; without an instrument such as this, they would be restricted to supporting other priests in creating these auras. Likewise, a priest dedicated to a virtue other than pride can partake of a little of the versatility of the priest dedicated to the Way as a whole, aiding priests in the creation of an aura as if they shared their dedication.

In Wintermark, Pride is represented by Feresh, Rune of Majesty.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of any kind of musical instrument.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may perform religious skills other than dedication as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Pride.

- Materials: Crafting Song of the Noonday Sun requires 7 ingots of orichalcum; 9 ingots of tempest jade; and 3 measures of dragonbone. It takes 1 month to make one of these items.

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Song to Keep the Dark Away

To the tune of Malo Ja. Lyrics by Jude.

Helper files:

Full harmony: File:Songs to keep the dark away - full.mp3

Part by part lines. Please note that these were recorded at different times so they are in different keys. The Sop and Bass are in the key the music is written in, the other two are in a more comfortable key to sing in.

Tune: File:Malo-sop.mp3

Alto: File:Malo-alto-words.mp3

Tenor: File:Malo-tenor-words.mp3 (This has been tweaked for a woman to sing, some of the notes are up the octave, esp the oompahs).

Bass: File:Malo-bass.mp3

Hey! Let the winds rage and roar Wolves may howl at the door Here inside the fire burns bright Stay with me tonight Hey! Oom pa oom pa oom pa oom pa oom pa oom pa paaaa! No need to fear the storm Love will keep us warm

Snows may melt, rivers rise lightning split the stormy skies Here inside etc

Raise your glass, toast with me Singing loud and joyously Here inside etc.

All the night sing and play Tunes to keep the dark away Here inside etc.

Leave the fire, come with me Love me sweet and tenderly Here inside etc.

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Sorin

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Winter

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

- 2 Heralds of Sorin

- 2.1 The Tomb Guard

- 2.2 The Hounds of Sorin

Eternal of Winter

Sobriquets

Most commonly, Sorin is called the Hungry Wolf.

He is also known as the Tomb King, the Empty One and sometimes as Devourer-of-Hope. among the Icewalkers of Wintermark he is called the Hunger-Crow.

He is occasionally called Father of Draughir or Master of Whelps although these names have more to do with his association with cruel strength and mastery over suffering than with any biological connection to the Draughir.

Appearance

This Winter Eternal appears as a deathly pale, emaciated man dressed in tattered funereal finery, often with a furred mantle and often in the Highborn stye. He usually wears a crown of fingerbones, or carries a rod made from bones wired together with weltsilver and tipped with dragonbone - the trappings of a heathen king. These trappings are reflected in his demeanour - he expects to be treated as if he were a royal sovereign and has little patience for familiarity or disrespect.

He inhabits a sand-choked wasteland, sometimes called the Silent Kingdom. He rules this empty demesne from a palace of black basalt and polished bone that stands at the heart of a nameless necropolis city. His realm is scattered with tombs, mausoleums, burial mounds and memorial stones from all know nations of the world, and many more beside.

Concerns

Sorin is an Eternal of hunger and thirst. He represents physical lack of sustenance, but is much more interested in the way that privation and suffering build strength. He is cruel, but not needlessly so - he does not encourage others to be cruel for the sake of it, but to allow them to survive and gain strength. If he were asked, he would say that he is cruel, because the world is cruel.

He is fascinated by terrible choices and no-win situations. Deep moral and ethical dilemmas, and their resolution, are as interesting to him as more straightforward challenges. He constantly asks whether the ends justify the means, probing those he deals with to expose any hypocricy. He never judges, however; he simply forces people to confront their own failings and weakness whenever he can. Sorin is not above manufacturing situations where individuals or groups will be forced to make difficult decisions. He is sometimes seen as a dark mirror of the Summer Eternal Barien, an idea that he finds amusing (up to a point).

The Wolf of Winter has no patience for opinions or beliefs. He deals in hard facts as gathered through actual sitautions. One of the most dangerous things for a mortal to do when dealing with Sorin is to put forward a belief about themselves that has not been tested - the Tomb King sometimes sees it as an open invitation to create a situation where their belief will be tested, almost invariably with terrible, tragic results. "People believe that they can withstand adversity, but until they are confronted with it, belief is all it is. Until you are tested, you cannot know for sure that the morality you profess is true, only that you believe it to be true. Belief blinds more people than it enlightens; it binds more people than it liberates."

The Tomb King is known to favour draughir more even than is natural for a winter Eternal. He seems to view them as his children, and has at times been described as being indulgent or paternal towards them. He can even offer a boon that will transform a human into a draughir, or strengthen the lineage of one who already possesses it.

He is known to have an intense dislike of the Thrice-cursed Court - some stories claim that at one point he was part of their court but that he managed in some way to free himself from his curse of eternal hunger and thirst by "sharing" it with the world. Sorin refuses to comment on this story, and becomes angry if pressed.

He is strongly associated with the rune Naeve and, paradoxically, occasionally with Verys, the rune of strength.

Boons

The hungry wolf fosters and encourages strength, but only the strength that comes from abandoning weakness. He encourages the ambitious to embrace expediency in pursuit of their goals. Sometimes the price he demands is straightforward (he is known to have a taste for dragonbone as well as for relics of the honoured dead). Often, it is a pact, oath or agreement to engage in or refrain from a certain behaviour - one boon he has offered several times is a boon of martial might that comes at the expense of the ability to create bonds with other people.

Sorin can provide boons that help people endure privation - whether that privation comes in the form of wounds or the slow suffering of hunger, sickness or thirst. One of these boons takes the form of a draught of wine that will transform a human into a draughir over the course of a single night - or strengthen the lineage of one who already possesses it. According to stories, if he infuses this wine with a droplet of his own blood it can transform someone who already possesses lineage into a draughir.

He can also offer some metaphysical boons - Sorin is said to be able to remove the pain of grief from an individual with a touch, for example, as well as the memory of a loved one.

Wintermark scholars point out that the rune Naeve, which has strong associations with Sorin, represents more than physical hunger. It also represents the hunger for power - amibiton. Many magicians who seek an audience with Sorin do so in the pursuit of boons that will increase their power (such as that granted through the ritual Sorins Rite of Agony). Some seek his assistance in gaining temporal power, but they must be prepared to endure an inquisition at Sorin's hands if they want his aid in such matters, and they should be prepared to answer truthfully.

Finally, Sorin has a strong resonance with ideas of kingship. He seems more keen than most eternals to help establish regio in the mortal world. He can lay terrible curses on those who attract his displeasure. He can send powerful malign spirits to the mortal world to form potent animated horrors (often using his hounds for this purpose). He has been known to provide additional might to rituals such as Quickening Cold Meat, as well as to offer members of his tomb guard to fight alongside mortal warriors.

Unlike some eternals of Winter (the Thrice-cursed Court for example), Sorin appears to deal "fairly" with mortals. If he offers a gift, he will make the consequences of accepting that gift apparent - there is never a hidden curse when dealing with Sorin. This is not to say that his gifts are without price, quite the contrary. His belief that strength comes from suffering means that his boons are invariably two-edged swords. Much of the challenge of dealing with Sorin lies in deciding if the price he asks is worth the benefit he offers.

Also, boons of Sorin have been known to backfire with tragic consequences; he is utterly merciless and uncompromising in pursuit of payment for a boon. The story of the Marcher steward who received Sorin's aid to defeat a monstrous wyvern that was terrorising her yeomen agreed to offer a blood sacrifice to the Eternal of "the first living being to touch you after your victory." In the end, despite preparations, the first living thing to touch the steward was her own daughter. When the steward refused to honour the pact, Sorin granted malign life to the skeleton of the wyvern creating a monster much worse than it had been in life. The beast rampaged across the stewards land and that of her neighbours until she was forced to fulfill her agreement with Sorin.

Wise bargainers pay in advance when dealing with Sorin.

"You cannot eat hope, nor drink it, nor shelter in it from the gaze of the noonday sun, nor warm yourself with it when the night is dark and the snow falls. You cannot strangle a murderer with pride, nor free yourself from shackles of despair with love, nor defend your walls with mercy, nor find your way across the wasteland with compassion."

Heralds of Sorin

The heralds of Sorin usually appear as either very high lineage draughir or animated corpses or skeletons. They are usually clad as courtiers or knights, and reside in his gloomy sephulcral city. According to some magicians, Sorin seeks the mortal remains of particularly famous individuals and binds Winter spirits into them to create many of his more powerful heralds - while they may have the countenance of a dead champion, however, they have none of their memories. Unlike Kaela, Sorin does not usually welcome living beings as heralds.

The Tomb Guard

In plazas and parade grounds across his dark realm stand motionless legions of skeletal or mummified soldiers. They often bear tattered, faded banners and are often accompanied by musicians, scouts and heralds. Historians claim that some of these military units match the description of known bands of warriors who disappeared in the mortal world - lost at sea, or in trackless wastes, or trapped far from help and bereft of supplies. The soldiers are possessed of a grim intellect, but live only to fight at Sorin's command. From time to time he will offer a magician the ability to call on a band of his tomb guard.

The Hounds of Sorin

Sorin is said to command a great pack of stariving, ghostly wolves that serve as his eyes, ears and occasionally messengers. Some of the hounds are thus given a humanoid form, with a variety of wolf- or dog-like characteristics, and sent out as agents. Sometimes, Sorin will bind one of these ghostly canines to a skeleton or corpse to create a monster. He can also infuse a living being with the essence of one (or more) of his hounds to grant them great physical prowess at the cost of unholy hungers. A few people who have gained Sorin's ire have spoken of being hunted by invisible hounds that invade their dreams, and there are several stories of such people vanishing without a trace one cold winter's night.

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Sorins Rite of Agony

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 24

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 1.5 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 24

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the magician skill.

During the ritual the target must be cut with an edged weapon, sufficient to cause the loss of 1 hit.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

When the ritual is complete, after the target has lost 1 body hit, they gain an enchantment that grants them one additional rank of Winter Lore. They also experience a roleplaying effect: the wound used to perform this ritual will not heal; at dramatically appropriate moments it will burn painfully sending waves of feverish pain through the character.

The wound created by this ritual continues to run with blood and will not heal naturally; most healing magic is likewise ineffective. It can only be healed through treatment by a physick, using the traumatic wounds rules.

The enchantment ends immediately if the wound is healed. Once the duration of the enchantment has expires, the wound can be healed normally.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 14. Additional characters must be present throughout, and must each place their hands into the same opaque container.

OOC Elements

The wound inflicted by this ritual continues to bleed; even if the character is a briar, it will not scab-over normally. One possible way to phys-rep such a wound would be with bandages wound around and treated with colouring or fake blood. Applying a little more liquid from time to time will help to maintain the illusion that the wound is continuing to bleed.

Description

This ritual creates a pact between the target and the winter Eternal Sorin; in return for temporarily increased mastery of the Realm of Winter, the target suffers a lingering wound. Some magical scholars are of the opinion that the pain and discomfort somehow feeds Sorin's desire for suffering, while others claim this is a misunderstanding of the Eternal's motives. Rather than feeding on pain, these scholars claim, Sorin simply reinforces his belief that all true strength comes from suffering. Either way, if magic is used to heal the enchanted wound the enchantment ends immediately.

Even though Sorin is often invoked with this ritual, there is no actual communion with the Eternal. As with many similar rituals, Sorin's Rite of Agony seems to represent an agreed-on pact with the supernatural entity. If the ritual is performed in the correct way, then the enchantment is created; Sorin himself has no direct interaction with the ritualists or the target. Still, the Eternal himself is said to show interest in those who come into his presence who have performed this rite.

A variant of this ritual is known to have been practiced among several inter-connected covens of League mountebanks in Sarvos in the second century of the Empire. Called Surut's Burning Brand it required the target to be burnt with beggar's lye and was connected to the Burnt Knight of the Thrice-cursed Court. Eventually the mountebank societies became embroiled in acts of malicious arson, performing increasingly extreme acts in return for more power from Surut; they were arrested and the majority executed for multiple murders. If Surut's Burning Brand were to resurface, anyone practicing it would likely attract a lot of attention from the Imperial Conclave and the Imperial Magistrates.

It is likely that other variants exist; a trade that weakens someone in one way while strengthening them in another is a key theme of the Winter Realm, as is a sacrifice that brings power.

Common Elements

This ritual always involves inflicting a bleeding wound on the target. Some covens who use this spell regularly have a specific knife (or sometimes a sickle) that they use to inflict the wound. Some covens require that the target inflict the wound themselves, as an act of self-sacrifice, while others require that one of the ritualist strike the important blow. Some Varushkan covens accompany the wound with a promise or oath to use the additional power wisely, while the Highborn prefer an oath to remain vigilant against the machinations of Sorin or the other Winter Eternals. The location and shape of the wound is important as well; a Magister is likely to be a little suspicious of a target who wants to conceal the wound beneath clothing, for example. A Navarr caster is likely to carve the wound into a specific shape or design to increase it's power, while among the Marcher a common method of performing the ritual is for the target to clasp both hands around a sword-blade, inflicting deep cuts on each palm.

The runes Kyrop and Irremais are often used with this ritual.

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Speaker for the Senate

In this chamber, the Speaker's word is law. We are all equal before the law - all of us.

Varkula, The Throne

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Duties

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Member of the Senate

- 3.2 Proposal

- 3.3 Right of Address

- 3.4 Powers of Censure

- 3.4.1 Silence

- 3.4.2 Exclusion

- 3.4.3 Expulsion

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 The Speaker in Play

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Civil Service appoint one or more of their number to the Speaker's Seat. This position is designed to ensure the smooth operation of the Senate and has powers of censure to support that.

The Speaker for the Senate is an NPC only position. Its role is to be the umpire for the senate sessions - not to play the game.

Duties

The Speaker for the Senate helps to ensure that Senate sessions take place in a timely and effective fashion. They keep order in the chamber, ensure the rules are followed and try to make sure everyone has a chance to speak. They are responsible for ensuring that every senator understand the motion being voted on.

Powers

Member of the Senate

The Speaker is a member of the Senate. They are entitled to enter the Senate chamber at the start of a session and speak in the debates. In practice, as a civil servant, the Speaker tries to keep their voice impartial and restrict their comments to ones needed to keep the chamber in order.

Proposal

The Speaker may propose any number of motions for consideration by the Senate each summit. In practice this ability is only used to raise administrative motions. They do not accept "suggestions" for motions from citizens.

Right of Address

The Speaker has the right to make a Senate address once per summit. This is intended to allow them to present important information for the senators consideration. To make an address, the Speaker must add the address to the agenda for the next Senate session.

Powers of Censure

The Speaker for the Senate has the power to sanction anyone attending a Senate session. This power is used to censure rowdy or disruptive senators, but extends equally to the Conscience, Master of the Imperial Mint, the viewing gallery, a priest attempting to use the right of Witness to act in an inappropriate manner and even, in theory The Throne.

The Speaker for the Senate can apply three sanctions, each of increasing magnitude:

Silence

The first sanction is Silence. The Speaker can silence a persistently rude or boorish senator for the duration of a single motion; they will not be allowed to speak on the floor or answer points made while silenced. They may still vote and once the vote has been cast, are free to speak once more.

Exclusion

Should this prove insufficient the second sanction is Exclusion - the offending senator is obliged to leave the Senate chamber until the end of the current motion. This denies them the right to vote on it so is a serious matter. They may re-enter the chamber following the vote.

Expulsion

The third and final sanction is Expulsion - the senator is expelled from the Senate chamber for the entire sitting. They lose their chance to vote on all issues. This is an extreme sanction and historically is used only in response to grave misdemeanours such as threats of violence in the chamber.

Selection

The Civil Service selects the Speaker for the Senate. Although the title is usually referred to in the singular, the civil service may grant the title to more than one citizen. It is common practice to have two civil servants "raised to the Speaker's Chair" at a time.

Removal

The Speaker for the Senate can be revoked by the General Assembly or the Council of Nine of the Imperial Synod.

The Speaker in Play

The Speaker is an NPC whose role it is to keep Senate sessions fun and engaging for the participants.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Speaker_for_the_Senate&oldid=28440"

Speak of Your Love

Words and tune by Claire Sheridan.

Written by Nicassia of Phoenix Reach. Manuscript by Aneurin Redman-White [1]

O Urizen of lofty Spires Is not averse to passion’s fires But if you’re always reading books None will see your meaningful looks,

O Urizen of snow-capped peaks Where one thinks well before one speaks If one does not speak at all It’s no surprise your love won’t fall.

So speak of your love, Speak of it truly, Speak of your love Before you go; Speak of your love This morning, this evening, Speak of your love Or they’ll never know.

O Wintermark of ice and snow, Where brave and bold a-hunting go, If you stay tight within your furs You’ll be left to fret and curse. O Varushka, of the wood and wild, Huddled snug around your fires, To keep your heart locked up so tight, May leave you lonely in the night, So speak…

O Orcish tribes, with eyes aflame, Fighting for the Empire’s name, Who very frankly speak your mind – Be sure you treat your love in kind,

O Navarr of the forest Trod, Nimble scouts all leather-shod, If you hide too long amid the trees There’ll be none left for you to please. So speak...

O Highguard, of the tall, proud towers, Who’d walk around in mail for hours, Done up so tightly in that skin, How do you let a lover in? O Freeborn of the ship and sail, Who threw aside their cousins’ veils, Take care, don’t set your price too high Or lovers, too, will surely fly! So speak…

O Marchers of the bill and block, Such energetic, ruddy stock, But with so much upon your plate Will you speak before it’s too late? O Dawn of ballad and fine verse, Perhaps to speak too much is worse, For giving them too much to heed You might not make it to the deed! So speak…

O Leaguers, with your smashing tights And cities more alive at night, To spend your evenings counting coins Will do no service to your loins!

O people, please, hear my request, Though much of this is done in jest, If you’d not be alone this night Communicate to set it right. So speak… .

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Speak_of_Your_Love&oldid=35069"

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5 June 2015

- (diff | hist) . . m Legendary beasts‎; 15:37 . . (-21)‎ . . ‎Rosemary (Talk | contribs)‎ (→‎Dragons, Wyverns and Wyrms)

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4 June 2015

- (diff | hist) . . 379YE Spring Equinox Announcements by the Crystal Architect‎; 21:02 . . (+178)‎ . . ‎Matt (Talk | contribs)‎

- (diff | hist) . . m Cast Off The Chain of Memory‎; 19:43 . . (-70)‎ . . ‎Rafferty (Talk | contribs)‎

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3 June 2015

- (diff | hist) . . m Abrograte Civil service observation‎; 22:40 . . (-27)‎ . . ‎Rafferty (Talk | contribs)‎

- (Move log); 22:02 . . Rafferty (Talk | contribs) moved page Porpoise Key to Pauper's Key over redirect ‎(Correcting spelling mistake)

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- (diff | hist) . . N Construct Sumaah embassy II‎; 18:55 . . (+815)‎ . . ‎Rafferty (Talk | contribs)‎ (Created page with "<ic>To grant permission to construct an embassy for the Sumah Republic.<br><br><i>Proposed by Upwold, seconded by Necropolis.</i></ic> ===Overview=== * Construct a Suumah R...")

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Spell list

Contents

- 1 Regular Spells

- 1.1 Essential Mastery

- 1.1.1 Create Bond

- 1.1.2 Detect Magic

- 1.1.3 Operate Portal

- 1.2 Additional Regular Spells

- 1.2.1 Heal

- 1.2.2 Mend

- 1.2.3 Night Pouch

- 1.2.4 Purify

- 1.2.5 Restore Limb

- 1.2.6 Voice for the Dead

- 2 Offensive Spells

- 2.1 Additional Offensive Spells

- 2.1.1 Empower

- 2.1.2 Entangle

- 2.1.3 Paralysis

- 2.1.4 Repel

- 2.1.5 Swift Heal

- 2.1.6 Venom

- 2.1.7 Weakness

Regular Spells

- Require at least ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying

- Require you to touch the target throughout the casting of the spell

- The spell fails if you or your target are hit or attack another character during spellcasting

To cast a regular spell you must complete at least ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying including spell vocals. You must be touching your target throughout the casting of the spell. If you or your target attacks another character or either of you are hit then your mana is lost but the spell has no effect.

Essential Mastery

The three spells create bond, detect magic and operate portal are automatically mastered by every magician. Understanding these spells forms the basis of all magical lore. Each of these flexible spells can be cast to perform one of a number of effects, one specific effect per casting.

Create Bond

- Cost: 1 Mana

You may bond a willing target to a suitable item or group. Other than potions and herbs, most magical items can only be used if the user is bonded to the item. You may also break such a bond if the target or the item is present. Bands and some items can be bonded to multiple people. A single use of this spell will be enough to bond any number of people to such a target, though they still need to be unbonded separately.

Detect Magic

- Cost: 1 Mana

Discern the level and realm of an enchantment that a single target close enough to touch is under. You can also use this spell to discern the level and realm of a ritual that is being cast if you are close enough to hear the words of the ritual.

The spell can also be performed on a magic item to determine it's basic abilities. When used in this way it does not reveal the presence of any additional qualities such as the presence of a curse, hallow or hidden roleplaying effect. It will also detect any enchantments on the item.

Detect Magic can also be used to interact with the Sentinel Gate, the powerful teleportation portal that stands in Anvil to attempt to discern specific conjunctions that allow access to distant locations.

Detect Magic can be specifically cast to determine if a target has an Arcane Mark, and whether than arcane mark is the same as that borne by the caster. When cast for this specific purpose, it does not discover any other information about enchantments on the target. This use of detect magic is closely tied to the Right of Challenge of the members of the Conclave orders.

A referee is required to cast this spell. Some enchantments can conceal information from detect magic, but the presence of the enchantment itself is always detected by this spell. There are no enchantments that will cause detect magic to give false information.

Operate Portal

- Cost: 1 Mana

You may open a portal to another location, or trace to where a portal was last opened to go to. Magicians can use portals to travel to the Hall of Worlds or to access hidden places called 'chambers' connected to certain regio. The spell is also used to open the Sentinel Gate, the powerful teleportation portal that stands in Anvil.

There is also a portal in the Anvil regio that leads to the Hall of Worlds. A magician wishing to use this portal pays the standard cost of one mana the first time they use it in a weekend; for the rest of the event they may then cast it without needing to spend additional mana.

Additional Regular Spells

A magician who wants to cast one of these spells must learn each one separately with the Extra Spell skill.

Heal

- Cost: 1 Mana

This spell completely restores all lost hits. It does not affect a limb that has been affected by a CLEAVE or IMPALE call.

Mend

- Cost: 1 Mana

This spell repairs an item, such as a weapon or shield that has been broken using the SHATTER call.

Night Pouch

- Cost: 1 Mana

This spell enchants a suitable bag or pouch so that it cannot be opened by anyone except the caster. The contents of the bag cannot be accessed by anyone but the caster without ritual magic or a special ability. The spell lasts until time out. At time out, the contents of an unopened night pouch is lost.

Any player who has access to this spell may carry a small pouch or small bag; the spell will not affect a bag more than 18” deep or 6” wide. PD will issue every character who has this spell with a night pouch ribbon. When you cast this spell you should fasten your pouch with this ribbon.

Purify

- Cost: 1 Mana

If the target is affected by VENOM or WEAKNESS, then this effect is removed. This spell cannot cure more powerful poisons or curses.

Restore Limb

- Cost: 1 Mana

You may restore a limb ruined with the CLEAVE call or IMPALE call.

Voice for the Dead

- Cost: 2 Mana

You enable a corpse that is still being phys rep’d to speak. The target must have died in the last 10 minutes. This spell lasts five minutes.

Offensive Spells

- Require at least five seconds of appropriate roleplaying

- Require you to hit the target with an implement, a wand, rod or staff

- You must hit the target within ten seconds of completing the spellcasting

- The spell fails if you attack another character or are hit during spellcasting

To cast an offensive spell you must complete at least five seconds of appropriate roleplaying including spell vocals. You must then touch your target with a wand, rod or staff within ten seconds of completing the spell. You cannot cast an offensive spell without using a suitable implement.

If you deliver an offensive melee strike to touch the target with your implement then the target also loses one global hit. You should always assume that your opponent has wounded you in this way unless their roleplaying clearly indicates otherwise.

A wand may be between 8” and 18”, a rod may be between 18” and 42” and a staff may be between 42” and 84”. You can only use a staff if you have the Battle Mage skill.

Additional Offensive Spells

There are no basic offensive spells; a magician who wants to cast one must learn each one separately with the Extra Spell skill.

Empower

- Cost: 2 Mana

You may allow the target to make a single heroic call based on the weapon that they are using within 10 seconds. They may call STRIKEDOWN if they are wielding a pole weapon, SHATTER if they are wielding a great weapon or CLEAVE if they are wielding a one handed weapon or a one handed spear. The target cannot use an implement to delivered an empowered blow.

Entangle

- Cost: 1 Mana

The target cannot move their feet for 10 seconds.

Paralysis

- Cost: 2 Mana

Neither you or the target can move or take any action other than speech for 10 seconds.

Repel

- Cost: 1 Mana

The target is subject to the REPEL call, they must move away from you for 10 seconds at a brisk walking pace or faster.

Swift Heal

- Cost: 2 Mana

This spell completely restores all lost hits. It does not affect a limb that has been affected by a CLEAVE or IMPALE call.

Venom

- Cost: 1 Mana

You and the target are both poisoned, suffering the effects of the VENOM call. Venom lasts until cured.

Weakness

- Cost: 1 Mana

You and the target are affected by the WEAKNESS call. Neither can cast any spells, use magic items or use hero points. Weakness lasts until cured.

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Spider's Tollkeep

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

Overview

The Spider's Tollkeep is an Imperial title associated with the Spider's Dream that links Madruga and Sarvos. The position of tollkeeper is a sinecure, requiring minimal responsibility but offering a regular income drawn from the tolls paid by merchants crossing the bridge across the furious river Vassa.

During the reign Emperor Walter the sinecure lapsed as the bridge was allowed to fall into an increasing state of disrepair. Eventually, the cost of maintaining the sinecure in the absence of regular tolls resulted in the Senate voting to stop supporting the title. While it still existed in theory - and still had responsibility for ensuring the Spider's Dream was kept in good repair - in practice it ceased to be relevant.

Following the repairs overseen by Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra, the sinecure is once again available and will be decided for the first time in five years at the Autumn Equinox 377YE. Historically, the need for six senators from two nations to be in unanimous agreement has made this sinecure particularly difficult to assign ...

Responsibilities

The title holder is expected to ensure that the Spider's Dream remains open and in a state of good repair. The actual job of operating the tollbridge falls to civil servants and locally recruited agents.

Powers

As a sinecure, the Spider's Tollkeep has no powers, rather it receives an income drawn from the tolls paid by merchants crossing the bridge.

The holder of the sinecure receives 2 Thrones in income to the holder of the title.

Selection

The title can be appointed by unanimous decision of the senators of The Brass Coast and The League. The title can be held by any Freeborn or League citizen, as if it were a national appointment by the Senate for both nations. All the senators of both nations must agree unanimously to appoint the position in this manner, otherwise the position can only be filled by a vote of appointment by the Imperial Senate.

The peculiar method of determining the title's holder stems from the fact that it is connected with a bridge. While it is often considered to be 'in' Madruga, the bridge spans a river and so is legally in both Madruga and Sarvos. Needless to say, this sinecure is among one of the most often contested Imperial titles, as consensus between senators from two nations has regularly proved ... difficult ... to achieve.

Removal

The Tollkeep serves until they die, step down or are revoked.

The Tollkeep can be revoked by the Freeborn assembly, the League assembly, the General Assembly or the Assembly of Nine.

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Spider Folds the Net

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 10

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 1.5 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 10

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Day regio. This ritual requires a blank piece of parchment and a writing implement.

Effects

When the ritual is complete, the writing implement begins to move across the parchment producing a spidery scrawl that lists every successful large-scale spellcasting event that targets the Empire or its lands.

It detects magical effects that target regions, nations, or resources within the Empire (it does not, for example, detect enchantment or curse rituals that target characters or items, divinations, or other short-lived effects that work on a smaller scale). It detects all such magic that has been performed during the event, and for a short time before it.

For each magical effect detected, the ritual records:

- the magnitude and realm

- the region or territory targeted, or if the ritual targeted the entire Empire

- the type of resources targeted by rituals such as Rivers of Gold that target resources

The information generally appears in the order the magical effects were created, but the exact timings are not revealed.

Effects that conceal or obscure information such as those created by Drawing the Penumbral Veil or Incantation's Mystic Mask will block this ritual if they were performed at higher magnitude; in this case only the existance of the obscuring or concealing effect is generally discovered. If the magnitude of the concealing ritual is matched or exceeded, it and the effect it conceals are both revealed.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual to penetrate more powerful shrouds or masks.

OOC Elements

The parchment scroll and writing implement are used in this ritual to justify providing the ritualists with a printed copy of the data they uncover, as we anticipate there being a lot of information as the event progresses. This will be a set of in-character information that can then be referred to on the field. If you let a referee know in advance that you are preparing to perform this ritual, it may reduce the time it takes for the information to be available.

Description

This ritual is almost always performed at the regio by the Sentinel Gate at Anvil. The information it provides can help to identify enchantments, curses and the like that target the Empire or places within it, and serve as the basis for further investigation with other spells or more mundane means. The later during a meeting it is performed, the more information it gathers, but the less time there is to deal with that information.

Although the ritual most often captures magical effects actually performed at Anvil, it can also be used to discover magical effects created by enemies of the Empire - if the Thule create a deadly blizzard over part of Skarsind, for example, then this ritual will detect that magic. This is also the ritual most likely to expose dubious spellcasting by an Imperial coven, such as those incidents surrounding the misuse of Thunderous Deluge.

The name of the ritual is a reference to the constellation of Spider, and to the Net of the Heavens. In other parts of the Empire it is called The Mystic Scribe or The Celestial Catalogue.

Common Elements

This ritual often involves active divination, often with runestones or cards. The regio where the ritual is performed is often marked with a design incorporating the runes Sular and Ophis, and a map of the Empire is commonly used as an additional focus. Lenses, mirrors and bowls of pure water are often used to focus the mind or create a meditative state. The ritual is almost always performed under conditions of bright illumination - sunlight or by multiple lamps, lanterns, light-stones or fires.

The parchment and writing implement that form the main focus of the ritual are sometimes left to their own devices at the centre of the performance, but in some rituals they are accompanied by a scribe - a person who writes constantly, recording their impressions of the ritual, the event and the state of the Empire. At the completion of the ritual, the instrument takes over, appending the details of the magic it discerns to the text.

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Spinning Song

Original song by Jude.

A pdf of the tune and lyrics can be found here.

Embroider him a favour for to wear around his arm And tie it in a true love’s knot to keep him safe from harm Stitch it in the softest silks in colours bright and gay To bear the memory of your love while he is far away,

Weave yourself a woolen cloth with weave both fine and neat And wash it by the light of dawn in scented water sweet Make of it a good night-gown and dye it deepest blue To warm you in your bed at night when he is far from you

Weave yourself the finest silk for to make into a dress And stitch it in the colour and the shape that suits you best Sew in silken roses all around the neck and hem To wear to bid him welcome when he comes back home again

Weave for him a linen sheet and make it long and wide Enough to drape across a bed or to clothe a virgin bride Lay it down upon the earth and wrap it well around Then tie it in a true love’s knot and lay it in the ground.

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Spiral

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 The Black Plateau

- 3.2 Fort Mezudan, “The Fist”

- 3.3 Ankarien

- 3.4 The Legacy

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Ankra

- 4.2 Apstrus

- 4.3 Apulus

- 4.4 Ateri

- 4.5 Cinon

- 4.6 Ossuary

- 4.7 Screed

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

The Urizen lived in Spiral long before there was an Empire, but even then it was isolated. The main thrust of pre-Imperial Urizen settlement was in Morrow to the north, and the two territories were connected by a tenuous "bridge" of spires stretching across Zenith. Even then, the place had a haunted reputation. At some point in the distant past, powerful magic was worked here and the echoes of that magic occasionally caused trouble for the Urizen in their mountain fastnesses.

At the heart of the territory is the Black Plateau, great plateau of volcanic glass with a dire reputation. Artefacts from the Black Plateau are often considered haunted or touched by malign evil, and are generally destroyed when they are encountered.

Recent History

Spiral was lost to the Empire forty years ago. In 331 YE. Barbarians from the Broken Coast came up through Apulus along the coast, and with weapons fashioned from the glass taken from the Black Plateau overran the defenders of Spiral, resisting all efforts to throw them back. Refugees streamed into Morrow and Zenith, and many of them - and their descendants - live there to this day. Some still consider themselves to be living in exile and consider the liberation of Spiral a pressing concern.

With the restoration of Fort Mezudan, Imperial eyes are once again on Spiral. Identifying a weakness in the Grendel supply lines, a concerted campaign of seaborne raiding was followed in Autumn by the invocation of a cataclysmic storm that devastated the docks at Apulian. It remains to be seen what impact this will have on barbarian domination here.

Major Features

The Black Plateau

A great plateau of volcanic glass with a dire reputation. Artefacts from the Black Plateau are often considered haunted or touched by malign evil, and are generally destroyed when they are encountered. Scholars have established that while many of the artefacts recovered from the Black Plateau date back to the days of distant Terunael, and to pre-Urizen Spiral, there are occasional artefacts that reach back even further - they cannot agree on the exact age of the plateau but the volcanic glass may date back to a period before human history.

Barbarians armed with weapons fashioned from the glass taken from the Black Plateau overran the defenders of Spiral, resisting all efforts to throw them back. There are no permanent settlements or spires in the around the Black Plateau - attempts to establish them ended in tragedy without exception. Even the barbarians are not stupid enough to spend more time than they need to near the Black Plateau.

Stories have begun to filter in of insane, bestial humans - presumably the children and grandchildren of Urizen left behind when Spiral fell to the barbarians - who live on and around the plateau. Their motivations, if they exist, are unknown. Some of them at least seem to have the Imperials at least as much as they hate the barbarians.

Fort Mezudan, “The Fist”

This fortress was under construction at the time the barbarians attack, but workers and guards refused the order to destroy the walls. When the original defences against the barbarians fell, the workers armed themselves and held the semi-completed fortress for two weeks until Imperial reinforcements arrived. For that reason the stone-crafters guild have always had nominal control of this fortress, and no decade has gone by without some major renovation or improvement being undertaken.

During Winter 377YE, the Imperial Master of Works arranged for emergency supplies and many wains of white granite collected by Marcus of Endsmeet to reach the stone-crafters guild of Ateri. While Imperial forces occupied the invading orc armies, the final months of work were completed at a feverish rate that burnt out almost the entire ushabti work force. By the middle of Spring 378YE, the Fist was complete, ready to serve its intended purpose as a bastion for Imperial forces against the invaders of Spiral. (OOC Note: The Fist is a level one fortification).

Ankarien

On the slopes of Ankra stood the Spire of Ankarien. One of the oldest and most prestigious of the Urizen spires, it was home to perhaps the finest library in the Empire. The infamous Emperor Nicovar was born here, and lived much of his early life at Ankarien; this did not spare the library from his destructive wrath as he descended into madness. What Nicovar did not quite achieve, the barbarians almost managed. As they drew near the librarians carried much of the contents to Endsmeet. The Spire itself now lies in ruins, and the remainder of its books and scrolls are presumed destroyed by the savage orcs.

The Legacy

This vast mine complex is one of the few places in Spiral that remain under Imperial control. It is mostly played out today, but still manages to produces significant quantities of mithril for whoever controls it. According to legend the site was part of a great gift to the Urizen people but who gave it to them, and why, are deatils lost to time.

The Legacy is a national Bourse position which produces mithril. Control of the Legacy is assigned to whichever Urizen candidate receives the most support from Urizen owners of mana sites. This Bourse position produces 22 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

Regions

Ankra

The mountains of Ankra are the site of some of the oldest spires in Urizen, including one of the most prestigious - the library of Ankarien.

Keywords: Hilly.

Apstrus

The lower slopes of the Apstrus peaks are covered in rolling woodland, carefully cultivated by ushabti and at one time produced a great bounty of forest materials, especially Iridescent Gloaming. The dreaming spires of Apsterus (as they were often known) were dedicated to philosophical thought, their forest-bounty providing the inhabitants with lives of comfort despite their location on the very eastern edge of the Empire. One of the most prestigious was Solen's Doubt. Dedicated to experimental philosophy, it was a place for solitary study and thought. Unsurprisingly, it was overrun during the barbarian march to the Black Plateau.

Of special interest to the Urizen, the central Heliopticon tower for Spiral stood on the northern slopes of Apstrus, the heart of the communication network. The defenders held the tower for several months against the barbarians, allowing the rest of Spiral additional warning of army movements, and relaying desperate messages for aid to Morrow and Redoubt. When the tower finally fell, it is assumed the barbarians either destroyed the specially calibrated mirror and the light-source (a glowing stone infused with the magic of the Realm of Day), or stole them away. Some recent rumours suggest these two components might have been hidden by the defenders, and only uncovered recently, but the facts are unclear - and idle speculation has no place in the study of history.

Apulus

Before it was taken by the barbarians, Apulus was the gateway to adventure for the people of Urizen and, to a degree, the Empire. Expeditions into the wilds outside the borders would rest here before undertaking their quests into the unknown wilderness. Ships from across the Bay of Catazar docked at the coastal spires here, with League and Freeborn adventurers in particular being regular visitors. The docks and quays here are ruined now - as each spire fell to the orcs they destroyed their own quays to prevent the Grendel gaining access to them. In 378YE the invoked devastation finished what the defenders had started - the rebuilt waterfront at Apulian was smashed to pieces.

Perhaps the worst casualty of the barbarian invasion was the Lighthouse at Apulian, a Great Work that served as both a spire dedicated to foreign trade and a beacon for all the Urizen fleets based in Spiral. The last Keeper of the Lighthouse, Hadrian of Apulian, burst the entire structure apart once it became clear it would fall to the orcs, shattering the magical stone (a gift from the Eternal Kimus) that served as the light. The white granite tower exploded in a thunderous detonation, the echoes of which were reportedly heard as far away as Sarvos and the island of the Lyceum. The release of magical power incinerated several hundred orcs, along with all the defenders of Apulian. Some refugees from Spiral attempted to have Hadrian declared an Exemplar of Loyalty, but received little support from the Imperial Synod. Most of the survivors are dead now, of course.

Keywords: Coastal

Ateri

Fort Mezudan stands on the slopes of the mountains here. It is protected by an extended cabal of stone-masons.

Keywords: Hilly

Cinon

The wide valleys of Cinon are littered with ruined spires, long since looted by the barbarians. Most of these spires stood over plentiful mines and there were many rich veins of tempest jade and weltsilver. The most famous of the lost spires was proabably Damakan’s Forge. Damakan was renowned as the greatest Urizen swordsmith of antiquity, and even today her blades change hands for small fortunes. Although many of her secrets went with her to her grave, a small lodge of smiths have maintained her forge and traditions in its original site in the Spiral. Crafters who were allowed to work with this lodge are rare indeed, but those few who did were able to create swords of surpassing excellence. The spire fell to the barbarians forty years ago - it is unclear how many of the secrets of the weaponsmiths fell into their hands at this time. The smaller settlement of Ossen's Spire served as a gateway to Damakan’s Forge, where those who wished to serve there came here first, and those who wished a sword from there lived at Ossen's Spire to prove their worth before being granted the honour.

Ossuary

Ossuary takes its name from the large number of giant bones regularly unearthed in the mines here. Scholars are at a loss to explain them - some claim they may be the bones of great drakes or perhaps even dragons. Many of these bones have been exported to other parts of the Empire where they are studied or presented as curiosities.

The Legacy is in Ossuary; a vital resource that provides mithril to the people of Urizen, which is primarily used to enhance mana sites. If it were lost, the Urizen would suffer a major blow to their prosperity and potential ability to work magic.

Screed

The Black Plateau occupies most of Screed. Even when the territory was in Imperial hands, Screed was largely deserted apart from temporary camps of scholars studying the plateau and it's artefacts. Today, the barbarians are said to be employing scavenging teams - some supplemented with human slaves - here, but likewise have avoided creating any permanent settlements.

OOC Notes

- The Urizen (and thus the Empire) control Ateri and Ossuary, The barbarian orcs control the remaining five regions.

- Fort Mezudan is a level one Fortification.

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Spire

A great city is not to be confused with a populous one.

Urizen is a hilly and mountainous land that appears inhospitable at first glance. The Urizen dwell in secure settlements they call spires, built on plateaus, the summits of hills or mountainsides. The difficulty of producing food means that the population of most spires is relatively small. Most spires keep large herds of goats that provide meat and milk and feed on the thin grass that grows on the hillsides below. This is supplemented by fruit and vegetables specially cultivated in arboretums and gardens. Most spires use magic to ensure that harvests are sufficient to feed everyone who depends on them, but there is rarely much in the way of surplus.

Spires tend to be large and airy; stone is plentiful and the Urizen prefer open plan chambers, designed to let light flood into them. Chambers are usually joined by short paths, but it is not unknown for individual Urizen to dwell an hours walk or more from the main body of the spire. A typical Urizen is used to having plenty of space to move around in, and plenty of privacy to get on with the things that interest them. Spires are often heavily fortified, but this is usually achieved by creating a central keep and building defensive walls and gates to protect the narrow paths needed to reach the summit, rather than attempting to wall off the entire community. To the Urizen life is rare and precious but space is plentiful so it makes sense to protect the former and not the latter.

When the population of a spire begins to grow too large to feed itself, they will begin construction on a new spire – usually on a nearby hill or mountain peak. When the new spire is largely complete, a proportion of the original population moves to the new spire. The two spires maintain a relationship a little like that of a parent and child until the “child” spire is “mature” enough to be self-sustaining, at which point a formal ceremony is held in which the two spires become independent groups. Political ties often remain close between the two spires.

Sometimes a new spire is formed because a group within an existing spire disagrees with the way things are run, and occasionally just because a group wants to try something new. These spires are less planned, and more prone to failure.

Often two (or even three or four) spires will co-operate to create a new spire, mingling their populations in doing so. The newly created spire may be built to help each spire deal with their growing population but it may also be created as a means to exploit a specific resource, or as part of a political agreement between the participants. Regardless of the reason for forming the spire, the assumption is that eventually it will become independent of the parents once it is self-sufficient.

The idea of one group directly controlling more than one spire in Urizen is generally considered laughable. A combination of the problems caused by the mountainous terrain, coupled with the resentment that grows within a few generations of someone else telling them what to do, is seen as leading inevitably to bloody revolt, which is the last thing any Urizen wants to see.

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Spire (Redirected from Spires)

A great city is not to be confused with a populous one.

Urizen is a hilly and mountainous land that appears inhospitable at first glance. The Urizen dwell in secure settlements they call spires, built on plateaus, the summits of hills or mountainsides. The difficulty of producing food means that the population of most spires is relatively small. Most spires keep large herds of goats that provide meat and milk and feed on the thin grass that grows on the hillsides below. This is supplemented by fruit and vegetables specially cultivated in arboretums and gardens. Most spires use magic to ensure that harvests are sufficient to feed everyone who depends on them, but there is rarely much in the way of surplus.

Spires tend to be large and airy; stone is plentiful and the Urizen prefer open plan chambers, designed to let light flood into them. Chambers are usually joined by short paths, but it is not unknown for individual Urizen to dwell an hours walk or more from the main body of the spire. A typical Urizen is used to having plenty of space to move around in, and plenty of privacy to get on with the things that interest them. Spires are often heavily fortified, but this is usually achieved by creating a central keep and building defensive walls and gates to protect the narrow paths needed to reach the summit, rather than attempting to wall off the entire community. To the Urizen life is rare and precious but space is plentiful so it makes sense to protect the former and not the latter.

When the population of a spire begins to grow too large to feed itself, they will begin construction on a new spire – usually on a nearby hill or mountain peak. When the new spire is largely complete, a proportion of the original population moves to the new spire. The two spires maintain a relationship a little like that of a parent and child until the “child” spire is “mature” enough to be self-sustaining, at which point a formal ceremony is held in which the two spires become independent groups. Political ties often remain close between the two spires.

Sometimes a new spire is formed because a group within an existing spire disagrees with the way things are run, and occasionally just because a group wants to try something new. These spires are less planned, and more prone to failure.

Often two (or even three or four) spires will co-operate to create a new spire, mingling their populations in doing so. The newly created spire may be built to help each spire deal with their growing population but it may also be created as a means to exploit a specific resource, or as part of a political agreement between the participants. Regardless of the reason for forming the spire, the assumption is that eventually it will become independent of the parents once it is self-sufficient.

The idea of one group directly controlling more than one spire in Urizen is generally considered laughable. A combination of the problems caused by the mountainous terrain, coupled with the resentment that grows within a few generations of someone else telling them what to do, is seen as leading inevitably to bloody revolt, which is the last thing any Urizen wants to see.

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Spiritskin Coat

Description

Despite the name this 'coat' is actually armour. Usually made in several pieces of supple leather worn in layers with heavy furs, it is favoured by Suaq and Kallavesi hunters. Traditionally a spiritskin coat is only made from leather gathered by the hunter who will wear the armour, working by themselves in the wilds of Sermersuaq. A suit intended to be an artefact would normally be made only from the finest leather, and some artisans refuse to make a permanent spiritskin coat from anything other than leather the hunter has gathered from animals slain with their bare hands.

In the days before the coming of the Vard, the Ushka wore similar light leather armour which they called a shadowrunner coat. Usually made of dark-stained leather and painted with occult symbols designed to ward against evil, it sees some use today by messengers who travel between the vales and for whom mobility is more important than durability.

In the League it is often called a pigskin jacket, and is especially favoured by the Bravos of Tassato. Other citizens of the League tend to look down on those using this serviceable light leather but in the close confines of a street fight, or for scouts who need to be able to outrun their opponents without collapsing from their wounds, it is invaluable.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of light armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day you may use the second wind skill.

- Materials: Crafting a spiritskin coat requires eleven measures of ambergelt, seven measures of beggar's lye, Seven ingots of weltsilver and five measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

She heard the creature long before she saw it, a crashing of branches that sent birds scattering in to the air with startled hoots of displeasure. She tightened her grip upon her weapon. Teleri’s heart beat so hard in her chest she thought it was about to leap out and take flight. The spear was crafted by her hand and had been used to hunt the deer, the skin of which was used to work the armour she now wore. The armour was inscribed with intricate spirals embedded with weltsilver, the ruddy colour echoed in the tattoos that twisted across her skin. She had woven healing magics into it; invigorating energies that kept her standing when her body should fail. She had already had call to use it that day as she fought her way from the battlefield, a lucky blow from an orc axe had sliced open her gut with an otherwise fatal wound. She tried to calm her nerves, she knew that she was dangerously close to Vallorn territory and that any variety of twisted creature could be nearby but she had needed to travel this way, had she needed to go a longer way the message she carried would never reach its destination in time. She realised that wouldn't matter if the dark-things got her.

She sped off, hoping to put as much distance between her and the source of the noise. As she ran the crashing of branches increased behind her, she cursed herself for a fool. So many of the monsters here were predators, sensitive to swift movements. She should have hidden or used stealth, but it was too late now. She hurried on, not looking behind her as the sounds grew closer.

Pain exploded through her as a vicious scythe-like claw tore through her side, she cried out in agony as she saw the boney blade smeared in her blood. With a scream she turned and lashed out with her spear, thrusting half blind with pain at the faceted eyes of the bizarre creature behind her where it stuck fast. She was rewarded with an inhuman screech and the claw was retracted and the thing stumbled backwards, taking her spear with it. She cursed the loss of her weapon and channeled the magic of her armour, the deep red spirals painted on to her skin fadeing into the leather leaving her arms pale and bare.

She carried on running, the creature fading into the forest behind, hands that were all too nearly human pawing at its ruined face as she sprinted on. She knew that she was not far from escaping the dangerous patch of the forest but she also knew that the magic of her armour was spent and that another encounter with the spawn of the Vallorn would see her message go undelivered.

She shook such thoughts from her head and focused; the Empire needed her and she would not fail.

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Splendid Panoply of Knighthood

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 9

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 1.5 Options

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 9

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets up to five characters. Each character must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual targets up to five characters from the same banner. Each target gains one additional rank of endurance, and experiences the roleplaying effects of a feeling of personal prowess and self confidence.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Every two additional characters increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Options

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute Orichalcum for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of Orichalcum spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Description

This enchantment is one of the best-known Summer rituals and is used to bolster bands of warriors across the Empire. While Strength of the Bull lasts longer, Splendid Panoply of Knighthood is more effective at enchanting a band of soldiers. The rituals are otherwise quite similar, although the fact that the Splendid Panoply is invariably used on a band rather than an individual means that it's performances are usually a much larger-scale affair. The shorter duration also means that it is usually performed shortly before battle, often a within an hour or so of dawn.

Common Elements

As with many enchantment rituals, common elements include the consumption of wholesome food and drink (especially mead or beer) and the use of tokens and gifts such as favours. Oaths, toasts and rousing speeches are also common, as are choruses of songs favoured by soldiers. The ritual often focuses on rousing the fighting spirit of the targets, and the invocation of Paragons and Exemplars of Courage and Loyalty are especially common.

Any of the Summer runes might be evoked, depending entirely on the nature of the warriors and the ritualists. Runes are often painted onto the skin especially the face and arms. Navarr vates and Wintermark runesmiths alike will trace the scars, brands and tattoos of their targets as they perform the ritual, connecting the strength gained today with oaths or wounds from the past. An evocation of The Stallion or The Oak may be appropriate with this ritual, as are evocations of horses, bulls, narwhal, unicorns and dragons.ask]] is a

The Captain's Mask is a that helps empower the performance of this ritual.

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Splendid Vestment

Description

This enchanted garment is most commonly called a cardinal's robe or bishop's robe. Quite apart from the spiritual power it offers, it represents an investment of dozens of ingots and measures of rare materials, and the work of a master artisan. Some priests of Prosperity and Pride see ownership of one of these glorious garments as a sign of their virtue, taking inspiration from the item itself; others view it as a powerful adjunct to their ceremonial abilities. Both schools of thought can appreciate the beautiful dyes, sumptuous fabrics and precious metals that augment and ornament the splendid vestment.

Early versions of this powerful priestly robe were called splendid chasuble after the traveling garment popular among pre-Imperial Highborn pilgrims. A roughly oval piece of cloth, with a hole in the centre through which to pass the head, falling below the knees on all sides. It had to be gathered up on the arms to allow the arms to be used freely, and was often of tough wool. It became associated with several early Chapters and as the Way spread, so too did the chausable. Over time it fell out of fashion, and was replaced by the beautiful robes favoured by high ranking priests today. The chausable remains popular with some sects, however, especially among the priests of the Assembly of the Way.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: When you perform or participate in a consecrate, hallow, anointing, exorcism, testimony, or excommunication ceremony, you may add an additional rank by spending an additional Liao.

- Materials: Crafting a splendid vestment requires thirteen measures of iridescent gloaming, thirteen measures of beggar's lye, eight ingots of orichalcum, five measures of dragonbone and five ingots of weltsilver. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Splintering Gorget

Description

A splintering gorget is a piece of ornate neck protection, often cunningly forged to resemble amberglass, or fashioned from volcanic obsidian with matching vambraces and greaves. orc warcasters, Suaq icewalkers and some Varushkan magicians fashion a similar arrangement out of bleached bones. In both cases, the armour tends to resemble splinters of glass or bone that radiate in a rough collar around the neck, over the chest and onto the shoulders.

It takes its name from the Freeborn belief in glass as a metaphor for the soul - by inflicting transient damage on one's own soul, one can splinter the soul of another. Wearers of this mage armour may be viewed with some suspicion by the sutannir, and priests of other nations who understand the metaphor, but there is no suggestion that the use of the splintering gorget actually damages the souls of anyone involved - it simply provides a powerful boost to the magic of the weakness incantation, allowing a magician to cast it without depleting their personal reserves as quickly as normal.

However, some wearers of this mage armour report odd dreams the night after they use it, dreams that seem to have little bearing on their own experiences or identity, as if they are dreaming someone else's dreams - as if splinters of their enemies' souls have become briefly embedded in their own through the reciprocal nature of the weakness spell.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day when you cast the weakness spell, you may do so without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a splintering gorget requires five measures of iridescent gloaming, five measures of beggar's lye, three ingots of weltsilver and five ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Night the First

Awoke in a sweat, the taste of battle still fresh on my lips. Leg appears to be healing well. Wish Calazzo was here with me. Terrible dreams last night, experiences so utterly foreign to my mind it is a wonder I slept and woke at all. Thought this might be normal for a first battle, but no-one else in the field hospital seems affected. Maybe it is the leg wound which pains me so. I will ask Ipadra in the morning.

Night the Second

Another day of battle, this time without injury. The barbarians press us relentlessly and we have lost many today. The dreams persist, so vivid and colourful but also utterly alien. I saw myself standing in the enemy camp barking orders at the orc troops, running for hours across unknown plains of high grass, the taste of blood on my lips. They are beginning to trouble me, but Ipadra says they are nothing to worry about, although given the horrific injuries she must attend to among the troops I know she is too busy to bother further with my questions.

Night the Third

Fighting was intense again today, we have begun to press home against the enemy. Returned to camp exhausted of mana and battle both. Beginning to wish I was back on the ship. Still, the dreams keep coming. I cannot believe my mind holds such horrors and am beginning to worry for the sanctity of my soul. Why am I dreaming that I am one with the enemy? Why am I hunting and celebrating in their wretched camps? I am so tired this morning that I am almost unable to move and have been confined to bed for the day with an unknown fever.

Night the Fourth

The first restful night of the campaign. Although dreams came and they were still of bloody war they felt closer to home, less alien. Ipadra sat next to my bed in the night to check upon me. This morning she explained why. The gorget I wear to aid in battle and spellcasting has affected my very soul, splintered shards of other, foreign mirrors which have pierced my being to the core. Ipadra explained that this happens rarely and in time I may learn to block these dreams out. In the meantime, she has offered me some noxious herbal concoction which may sooth my mind as I sleep so I will be able to join the fight again tomorrow. She also added that this is often taken as a sign of greatness and that the Hakima may show an interest in me should they hear of it. I expect that latter remark was designed just to make me feel better. It does not. Ipadra i Tatturo i Guerra, you are a much better physik than you are a liar.

Excerpt from a Mage's Diary, taken from a raid in Anozel

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Splint Mail

Description

These sturdy shirts or hauberks are usually made of light mithril plates riveted to a sturdy leather backing. It is especially favoured in Varushka and Highguard. In the Brass Coast these suits are made of reinforced leather scales, and are often dyed blue or green and called Cerulean Scale, after the herb cerulean mazzarine. The name Cerulean Scale was once far more widely used until a successful play in Tassato employed the pun Splint Mail. The name caught on among the Free Companies who spread it to the armies of other nations who hired them. The Highborn troops resisted the comedic term, but it stuck among nearly everyone else.

The main advantage of this armour comes when the warrior has reduced coverage of arms or legs for some reason, especially among warriors who prefer the freedom granted by minimizing the amount of restrictive armour they are wearing. Archers particularly appreciate both the freedom of movement and the restorative power of the armour, for as it is said in the Marches there are few creatures as miserable as a one-armed archer.

Rhyv, the rune of blood, is fairly commonly employed on this armour for its general healing ability, though Bravash, the rune of fertility, is also used to encourage the bones to grow back together rapidly. The runes are often embossed into the leather, but some smiths cut the mithril plates into the shape of the runes, creating a bold form of decoration as well as anchoring the enchantment. Given the use of both Spring runes and the association with herbs, some suits bear elaborate floral patterning.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of medium armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: With ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying you may spend a hero point to repair one of your limbs that has been ruined by the cleave or impale call.

- Materials: Crafting a suit of splint mail requires five ingots of green iron, three ingots of weltsilver, seven measures of ambergelt, and four ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The artisan looked up from his workbench, and put down his pliers.

"Ah, Wojciech, but we are not the Winterfolk to fight as heroes before solid ranks on a clearly defined field. Not the Dawnish, with their servants to aid them. We are wardens, and we must go wherever the wicked go, follow where they lead. We must depend on ourselves, and our skills, our preparation. Not on the sort of baggage train that might follow an army, with its medical supplies and chirurgeons and apothecaries."

He gestured at the half-finished hauberk on the bench, and on the pots of liquids, and stacks of rare metals that stood to one side.

"Take this armour. It is fronted with light metal scales, so it protects. It does not restrict my arms, so I can fight. It is light, so it lets me run. These qualities are common to any well-crafted armour. But I have imbued it with magic to be my physic, for I go where I cannot depend on one to follow. See this varnish? That is ambergelt, for healing. This caustic? Beggar's lye. These metals? Green iron, welt silver and orichalcum. With these materials, I have crafted my own physician, my own support. When a cunning blow hit to a limb strikes where the armour does not cover, or where an arrow pierces, I can call on this magical protection to remain in the fight, or to run if needs be to fight another day. The Highborn call this splint mail: it is probably the closest they will come to humour. I call it essential."

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Spoils of war

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Procedure

- 3 Constitution

- 4 Rules

- 5 Spoils of War (By Territory)

Overview

When the Empire captures a territory from the barbarians, they also capture (or recover) a number of personal resources. The majority of these resources are the same as those available to a starting character, but some are more prestigious - represented by named personal resources that have been upgraded.

While anyone can approach the civil service to enquire about a standard personal resource in the newly claimed territory, the disposition of these spoils of war is a matter for the Imperial Military Council alone.

Procedure

Once the territory has been assigned to a nation by the Senate, the civil service compiles a list of valuable resources eligible for assignment by the Military Council.

In the past, various methods have been used to allocate these resources. Often the Military Council treat them as rewards for their work during the campaign. Other times they are used to acquire favours or political influence, or to encourage individuals to move their base of operations into the newly conquered territory. Some generals prefer to seek the advice of representatives of the nation in question such as priests or magicians. This advice led the military council to agree to sell the spoils of war from Segura and Holberg to the highest bidder, enlisting the aid of the Imperial Bourse in arranging an auction and keeping the proceeds. In contrast, when Semmerholm was captured in 52YE the military council awarded the spoils based on the outcome of a tourney.

The final decision of who the spoils of war are allocated to is up to the Military Council; the civil service arrange the transfer, with the handling fees paid from the Imperial treasury. While spoils of war can be awarded to any Imperial citizen, a resource operated by someone from a different nation incurs a significant penalty to it's production. It is considered gauche for the spoils to be claimed by individual generals, although it is not unknown.

Once the resource is assigned, it becomes the legal possession of the new owner who may dispose of it as they wish.

Constitution

The Military Council are required to arrange the orderly disposition of resources gained as spoils of war; they have no mechanism to operate them and are legally forbidden to do so. The recipient or method of disposition of each asset takes place by vote of the Military council. If the Council are unable to complete the disposition of the assets at a summit, they are passed to the Imperial Senate to dispose of. If the Imperial Senate is unable to dispose of them, they are passed to the Imperial Bourse to dispose of by auction with the proceeds given to the Council. Neither of these two clauses has ever been invoked.

Rules

- A personal resource gained as part of the spoils of war follows all the normal rules for personal resources

- They must be assigned to a character to operate it.

- The character who receives it must give up their existing personal resource.

- A resource in a different nation loses production.

- The Military Council cannot operate these resources; they must be assigned to a character.

- Once a personal resource gained as part of the spoils of war is allocated, the military council lose all control of it - it now operates as a standard personal resource.

- The usual 2 crown fee for changing personal resource does not need to be paid when allocating spoils of war.

Spoils of War (By Territory)

- Skarsind

- Karsk

- Segura

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Spoils of war (Redirected from Spoils of War)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Procedure

- 3 Constitution

- 4 Rules

- 5 Spoils of War (By Territory)

Overview

When the Empire captures a territory from the barbarians, they also capture (or recover) a number of personal resources. The majority of these resources are the same as those available to a starting character, but some are more prestigious - represented by named personal resources that have been upgraded.

While anyone can approach the civil service to enquire about a standard personal resource in the newly claimed territory, the disposition of these spoils of war is a matter for the Imperial Military Council alone.

Procedure

Once the territory has been assigned to a nation by the Senate, the civil service compiles a list of valuable resources eligible for assignment by the Military Council.

In the past, various methods have been used to allocate these resources. Often the Military Council treat them as rewards for their work during the campaign. Other times they are used to acquire favours or political influence, or to encourage individuals to move their base of operations into the newly conquered territory. Some generals prefer to seek the advice of representatives of the nation in question such as priests or magicians. This advice led the military council to agree to sell the spoils of war from Segura and Holberg to the highest bidder, enlisting the aid of the Imperial Bourse in arranging an auction and keeping the proceeds. In contrast, when Semmerholm was captured in 52YE the military council awarded the spoils based on the outcome of a tourney.

The final decision of who the spoils of war are allocated to is up to the Military Council; the civil service arrange the transfer, with the handling fees paid from the Imperial treasury. While spoils of war can be awarded to any Imperial citizen, a resource operated by someone from a different nation incurs a significant penalty to it's production. It is considered gauche for the spoils to be claimed by individual generals, although it is not unknown.

Once the resource is assigned, it becomes the legal possession of the new owner who may dispose of it as they wish.

Constitution

The Military Council are required to arrange the orderly disposition of resources gained as spoils of war; they have no mechanism to operate them and are legally forbidden to do so. The recipient or method of disposition of each asset takes place by vote of the Military council. If the Council are unable to complete the disposition of the assets at a summit, they are passed to the Imperial Senate to dispose of. If the Imperial Senate is unable to dispose of them, they are passed to the Imperial Bourse to dispose of by auction with the proceeds given to the Council. Neither of these two clauses has ever been invoked.

Rules

- A personal resource gained as part of the spoils of war follows all the normal rules for personal resources

- They must be assigned to a character to operate it.

- The character who receives it must give up their existing personal resource.

- A resource in a different nation loses production.

- The Military Council cannot operate these resources; they must be assigned to a character.

- Once a personal resource gained as part of the spoils of war is allocated, the military council lose all control of it - it now operates as a standard personal resource.

- The usual 2 crown fee for changing personal resource does not need to be paid when allocating spoils of war.

Spoils of War (By Territory)

- Skarsind

- Karsk

- Segura

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Spontaneous magic

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Arcane Projection

- 3 Preparing an Arcane Projection

- 3.1 Details Required

- 4 Divination

- 5 Magnitude

- 6 Further Reading

Overview

It is possible to create a magical effect without performing a formulaic ritual. Creating an impromptu magical effect is commonly referred to as performing spontaneous magic or less correctly as a spontaneous ritual. It is not possible to master a spontaneous magic effect, and it is both more difficult and more costly than performing an equivalent formulaic ritual that is part of Imperial Lore. The advantage of spontaneous magic is the wide flexibility it gives a coven or master magician. With it, they can perform unique feats and explore the boundaries of magical theory.

Unlike a formulaic ritual, spontaneous magic is very rough-and-ready. A formulaic ritual has been carefully tested, and incorporates techniques and shortcuts designed to make the magic eaiser to cast and less taxing in terms of crystal mana. No such benefit exists when performing a spontaneous ritual. Many formulaic rituals include options such as using orichalcum in place of crystal mana or beggar's lye to reduce the magnitude. This is not possible with spontaneous magic; likewise, it is impossible to use ilium to to make a ritual effect permanent.

It is not possible to simply create a spontaneous effect. Significant preparation is required during which a magician explores various theories, considers the techniques used to create other similar rituals, and tries to take into account the many variables that might effect the flow of magic during an impromptu performance. By using crystal mana, the magician can test their theories and eventually work out a rough-and-ready method for creating the ritual effect they are seeking. The result of these painstaking calculations is a arcane projection.

Arcane Projection

- An arcane projection is a set of notes that describe a plan for a spontaneous magic effect

- Only the magician or coven that has a projection can attempt the effect

- The projection is only valid for the remainder of the event

- You cannot request an arcane projection by email

An arcane projection is a set of notes that contains all the information needed to attempt to create a spontaneous magic effect. The projection is essential for completing the magic; only the magician or coven that has possession of the projection can attempt the spontaneous effect described. The contributors must still have sufficient ranks to perform the effect, the projection merely allows them to make the attempt.

An arcane projection must incorporate numerous hearth magic effects beyond the magicians' control, such as magical tides, the seasons and the constellations. Because of this necessity, a projection is only useful for a single event, and must be calculated at the event. By the time a season has passed, too many factors have changed and a new projection must be prepared if the magician wishes to attempt the magic at another event.

A projection is similar to a ritual text but is usually less detailed. It contains all the rules for performing the effect, but does not usually include descriptive text or in-character commentary. Because of the similarities, it is possible to use a ritual text in place of an arcane projection to perform the described effect spontaneously if no-one present has mastered the formulaic ritual.

For logistical reasons, you cannot request an arcane projection by email - you must speak to a referee at an event.

Preparing an Arcane Projection

- It takes one mana and several hours to create an arcane projection

- You must speak to a senior referee to make a projection

- A senior referee will be available in GOD at set times

- If the effect is possible, the referee will you what realm and magnitude it will be

Preparing an arcane projection is an arduous and expensive task that can only be attempted by a magician who has one or more ranks in the relevant realm. The magician must use their magical skills to calculate the magnitude of the effect they are trying to create. To do this requires the magician to use the power of a mana crystal.

It is possible to prepare more than one arcane projection at a time, or to prepare several possible variations of an effect, but each variation is considered to be its own projection; you must spend one mana crystal for each projection you wish to create.

You will need to speak to a senior referee (usually Graeme Jamieson) to prepare an arcane projection. A referee will be available to handle new requests and return completed projections at set times throughout the event. These times are:

Three Day Event

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

16:00 - 17:00

09:30 - 10:30

18:00 - 19:00

09:30 - 10:30

Four Day Event

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

16:00 - 17:00

09:30 - 10:30

18:00 - 19:00

09:30 - 10:30

18:00 - 19:00

09:30 - 10:30

The referee will talk you to about the spontaneous effect that you are trying to create and the realm you are trying to use to do it. If the effect is possible they will calculate the level and magnitude of the magic that you need to achieve to create the effect and give you this as an arcane projection at the next scheduled time. If you ask for help with an arcane projection outside these hours and our senior referees are not busy they will try to help you, but if they are busy doing anything - including taking a break - then you will be asked to pop back at the official hours. Our senior referees are always busy on Friday of an event.

In-character this period reflects the time required to perform the calculations needed for the projection. Out-of-character it gives our referee team the time they need to calculate the realm and magnitude of your ritual effect.

Details Required

- It helps significantly if you provide a good in-character description of what you are attempting

- It helps significantly if you provide a good description of what you would like the rules outcome to be

- If you leave either element out, we will make them up

- It does not help at all to provide the magnitude you think it will be

When you are planning a spontaneous magic effect, it is a significant help if you provide a good in-character description of what your character or coven would like to attempt. It is just as helpful if you provide a clear explanation of what you would like the out-of-character rules outcome to be. If you don't provide either of these two details then our team will make them up, and if they are very different to the ideals you had but didn't tell us this could result in an arcane projection that is not useful to you.

You cannot specify what magnitude you want the spontaneous effect to be. It is the job of the senior referee to calculate the level of magnitude required. It is helpful to state what realm of magic you want to use to perform the effect, or if you have a choice of realms that you could attempt it with. Many magical effects are best produced with a single realm and some effects cannot be produced at all with the wrong realm. The senior referee will try to help you pick the best realm to perform the magic with if you have a choice.

Divination

- Some divination results provide enough information to create a ritual projection

In some rare cases a divination will provide enough insight into a subject to allow an arcane projection to be created without the normal preparation. For example, a coven might examine a patch of enchanted mushrooms with Clear Lens of the Eternal River and learn that they could perform a Magnitude 5 Winter ritual to quickly destroy all the fungi. The referee will give them an arcane projection to reflect this knowledge; without the need to spend any additional crystal mana or hours of preparation.

These special circumstances are always very narrow and specific. The coven should not assume they could use this spontaneous magic to destroy other magical plant life, for example. In all cases, the arcane projection remains valid only until the end of the event.

Magnitude

- All spontaneous magic effects have a magnitude at least 50% higher than an equivalent ritual

- You cannot master a spontaneous magic effect

Spontaneous magic effects are expensive and difficult to create. The magnitude of any spontaneous effect is at least 50% higher than an equivalent formulaic ritual that is part of Imperial Lore.

Further Reading

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

- Battlefield Rituals

- Enchantments

- Curses

- Ilium

- Magic Items

- Herbs & Potions

- Cosmology

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Spring Realm (Redirected from Spring)

Redirect page

Realms

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Spring Equinox 2014

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Battles

- 2.1 Volunteering

- 3 Site Map

- 4 OOC Camping

- 5 Traders

Overview

This page lists all the details that are specific for our sixth Empire event - the Spring Equinox 2014. There is an additional page with event information which lists arrival and departure times and similar details that are common for all Empire events.

Battles

At the event we will be running two large battles, one Saturday morning and one Sunday morning, along with several smaller encounters. We are not running any nation skirmishes at this event, as we don't have the space and the manpower to do that at the moment while we are running everything else. The large battles will follow the normal rules for battles; you may only participate in a single battle as your character and you must monster the other battle if you decide to participate in one.

The fighting begins at 11:00 am - but if you are playing the battle then you will need to muster up before this time and if you are monstering then you need to make your way to the monster area for 10:00 am to give us time to get you into costume, made-up and briefed.

Volunteering

Players are welcome to volunteer to help PD crew the smaller encounters, but are not obliged to do so - anyone who volunteers to help by monstering an encounter will receive a voucher that enables you to collect a free drink from the bar as thanks.

Site Map

The map shows the layout of the OOC camping fields and the IC area. The grey lines in the in-character field are roads that go through the camps. These roads will be laid out with fencing pins and nylon rope until the start of the event. You must not pitch your tent in the road, the red hats are under instructions to move any tents pitched in the IC roads.

No unescorted vehicles are allowed in the IC camping area - you may only use the road indicated by the grey line that circles around the field. The road will be wide enough for you to pull up and park so that you can unload your vehicle next to your camp. Please unload your camping equipment and then move your vehicle to the car park before putting up your tent to allow other players to unload.

If you have a trailer or a large vehicle filled with heavy kit then you may drive that on to the field to unload. To do that you must wait at the IC entrance to the field. A member of the PD security team will then escort you vehicle to your camp where you can unload your vehicle. Once you are ready to move your vehicle to the car park you must request a member of the PD team escort your vehicle off the field.

OOC Camping

The OOC camping area will be laid out in lines with fencing pins and nylon rope. The system is designed to separate the tents from the cars so the rope has signs hanging from it which indicates that you should park you car adjacent to the rope and then pitch your tent on the other side of the rope.

Do not pitch your tents in the wide lane between the guide ropes, this lane must be kept free for access.

Traders

The following traders have booked for the event.

- As If By Magic Creating custom makes for your delectation.

- Battle Ready Hand crafted leather goods.

- Coelred Monger Suppliers of replica costume and artefacts.

- Darkblade Leather Stuff.

- Eldritch Weapons and armour.

- Evenlode Studio Evenlode Studio supply a wide range of props and costume. These include all kinds of leather armour and costume, masks suitable for Empire, natural accessories and much much more.

- Gem’s Trading Co Costumes and leatherwork. Fine quality tailored garments and LRP props. Also a wide range of hand made leather items and missile weapons supplied by Arrow Kaster available to order.

- Having A Larp Costume, weapons, armour and LARP accessories.

- Irregular Props Weapons, shields and mage implements designed especially for Empire.

- Light Armouries Supplier of latex weapons and props.

- Mandala Studios High quality latex prosthetics and masks tailor made for the Empire campaign.

- Millstream Forge Metalwork - located next to Skian Mhor.

- Saxon ViolenceA wide range of weapons suitable for Empire.

- Skian Mhor Latex Weapons and props. Costume, armour, leatherwork, chainmail, tents and all types of LRP supplies and essentials.

- Tallows Beautiful weapons and shields that are perfect for Empire.

- Warriors Wardrobe A wide range of costume made for Empire.

- White Rose Apparel Beautiful armour.

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Spring Equinox 2015

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 IC News

- 3 Battles

- 4 Quests

- 5 Site Map

- 6 OOC Camping

- 7 Traders

Overview

This page lists all the details that are specific for the Spring Equinox 2015. There is an additional page with event information which lists arrival and departure times and similar details that are common for all Empire events.

IC News

Please see the 379YE Spring Equinox winds of fortune and 379YE Spring Equinox winds of war for the latest IC developments known throughout the Empire.

For the Civil Service events set to occur and at what location, please refer to the external link to this civil service timetable

Battles

At the event we will be running two large battles, one Saturday morning and one Sunday morning. The large battles will follow the normal rules for battles; you may only participate in a single battle as your character and you must monster the other battle if you decide to participate in one. The sides for the battles will be chosen by the generals in the Muster of the Imperial Military Council on Friday night.

The fighting begins at 11:00 am - but if you are playing the battle then you will need to muster up before this time and if you are monstering then you need to make your way to the monster area for 10:00 am to give us time to get you into costume, made-up and briefed.

Quests

At our previous event we asked for player volunteers to give us a few hours to monster some of our larger quests. This let us run much more plot at the event so we're asking for more help again this time.

To help us organize folk, we've set aside a slot for each nation to volunteer to monster, which are listed below.

Saturday

Sunday

Time

Nation

Time

Nation

14:00-15:30

Brass Coast & Imperial Orcs

14:00-15:30

Dawn & Urizen

15:00-16:30

Wintermark

15:00-16:30

Navarr

16:00-17:30

Varushka

16:00-17:30

Highguard

17:00-18:30

Marches

17:00-18:30

League

Monstering during this slot is purely voluntary - but it will help us put on a much better event for everyone. We are tracking the numbers of players who volunteer from each nation on an ongoing basis and using that to create equivalent sized quest opportunities for those nations at the next event. In effect, we'll try and deliver more fights to the nations that volunteer the most - on the assumption that those nations contain the players who want those opportunities the most.

Site Map

The site map is below; there is an exit gate behind the Dawnish camp that leads onto Burford Lane. We will be operating a one-way system at the event with players who are dropping off IC tents and equipment in this field following the marked road until they reach the gate. Once there they should travel around the site and come back in through the entrance to park in one of the two OOC fields.

The roads will be marked with fencing pins and rope as usual. There is a narrow strip of land around the edge of each field which is deliberately set aside for use by birds and wildlife. This area will be fenced off, as you must make sure that you do not drive or camp there.

The camp coordinators for each camp will have their own layout for their camp, showing where all the tents they know about are to be pitched. If you do not know where you are supposed to be camping, then please speak to them on arrival at your nation's camp.

We are confident that the ground will be much dryer and firmer at this event, but please make sure that you follow the directions provided by the red caps when you arrive on site. No unescorted vehicles are allowed off the roads in the IC camping area. The road will be wide enough for you to pull up and park so that you can unload your vehicle next to your camp. Please unload your camping equipment and then move your vehicle to the car park before putting up your tent to allow other players to unload.

If you have a trailer or a large vehicle filled with heavy kit then you may drive that on to the field to unload. To do that you must wait for a member of the PD security team who will escort you vehicle to your camp where you can unload your vehicle. Once you are ready to move your vehicle to the car park you must request a member of the PD team escort your vehicle off the field.

OOC Camping

The OOC camping area will be laid out in lines so that people can pitch their tent next to their car. The gate team will direct you where to park. The section of the OOC camp nearest to the IC area will be set aside for any player with mobility issues as normal. Please ask the gate crew for directions if you are eligible to camp here.

Traders

The following traders have booked for the event.

- Battle Ready Hand crafted leather goods.

- Coelred Monger Suppliers of replica costume and artefacts.

- Darkblade Leather Stuff.

- Eldritch Weapons and armour.

- Gem’s Trading Co Costumes and leatherwork. Fine quality tailored garments and LRP props. Also a wide range of hand made leather items and missile weapons supplied by Arrow Kaster available to order.

- Grand Expedition Costume and jewellery and trips to foreign parts.

- Having A Larp Costume, weapons, armour and LARP accessories.

- Irregular Props Weapons, shields and mage implements designed especially for Empire.

- Light Armouries Supplier of latex weapons and props.

- Mandala Studios High quality latex prosthetics and masks tailor made for the Empire campaign.

- Millstream Forge Metalwork - located next to Skian Mhor.

- Saxon ViolenceA wide range of weapons suitable for Empire.

- Skian Mhor Latex Weapons and props. Costume, armour, leatherwork, chainmail, tents and all types of LRP supplies and essentials.

- Tallows Beautiful weapons and shields that are perfect for Empire.

- Twisted Flax

- White Rose Apparel Beautiful armour.

- Winterforge Armouries Bespoke LRP weapons, Leather, props and commission work.

- Wanderlust Couture

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Spring magic

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Resonance

- 2.1 Healing and Vitality

- 2.2 Fertility

- 2.3 Venom

- 2.4 Savagery

- 2.5 Chaos

- 2.6 Ruin

- 3 Dissonance

- 3.1 Control

- 3.2 Deference

- 3.3 Complexity

- 3.4 Subtlety

- 3.5 Construction

- 3.6 Conformity and Stagnation

- 4 Further Reading

Overview

The magic of Spring is wild, unconstrained, energetic and vital. It is akin to the force that pushes a shoot up through the soil and urges it to grow into a massive oak. It lives in the blood and sap, in the breath, in the ceaseless motion of the sea and the life-giving power of the river, spring and stream. It is utterly amoral, refuses to be bounded or contained, and is the magic most likely to explode with unexpected consequence.

Spring magic is the most potent form of healing magic, but there is much more to this realm. It deals with the raw energy of life, both encouraging and harming; it encourages fertility and adaptation; it is savage and merciless; it brings destruction without hate or malice; it is the essence of chaos and turmoil. Magicians who work extensively with spring magic often liken the experience to trying to hold back a river; the magic is easy to initiate, but very difficult to direct or control.

Although Spring magic is the most powerful realm for healing, its tendency to infest the target makes it the subject of superstition and fear. Its reputation is not helped by the wild and unpredictable nature of powerful Spring magic. The most infamous magical catastrophe known in the Empire - the creation of the Vallorn - is inextricably linked with the fundamental nature of Spring magic.

Spring magic is the most powerful because it allows control of the most potent forces in nature - from nurturing new life, to healing the sick, to unleashing devastating storms, to unstoppable tidal waves.

Resonance

Healing and Vitality

The most obvious magic of Spring is the magic of healing. Spring magic is powerful when refreshing, revitalising and regenerating a subject. Sometimes the way the magic works can be unsettling. A ritual to cure a disease might work by accelerating the symptoms to a nightmarish degree while providing the vitality to survive them. Rituals that restore the flesh are usually painful, often to cast as well as to receive while rituals that use Spring magic to dull the pain invariably drive the target into a narcotic delirium. Spring is powerful in all ways that support life, but it is never benign.

Examples: Blood of the Hydra, The Hands of Sacred Life, Hearthfire Circle, Chirurgeon's Healing Touch, and Fountain of Life.

Spring can do more than just heal, it can grant unnatural vitality and endurance. Spring resonates strongly with magic that attempts to grant the subject increased physical and mental strength.

Examples: Midwife's Recourse, Vitality of Rushing Water, Irrepressible Monkey Spirit, Skin of Bark, Blood of Amber, and Rivers of Life.

Fertility

Spring is also the magic that deals with fertility – it can ensure conception, even when no conception is possible, or ensure safe delivery of a child. Superstition surrounds Spring magic: birthing a child with Spring magic ensures it will be born healthy, but there are claims that Spring magic can mark those it touches. There is no evidence that a child born using Midwife's Recourse's or conceived using Fan the Flame of New Life is more likely to be a briar but the rumours persist. And there is no denying that healing magic can cause a subject to express a previously hidden briar lineage if the wounds are severe.

The fertility of Spring magic can affect plants and animals as well as humans. The fertility is wild, though - a ritual to bless a farm makes the weeds grow as well as the crops. A ritual to bless a herd of animals encourages multiple births; a ritual to make a battlefield fecund cultivates fungi in dead flesh and breeds odd ferns and flowers from blood-soaked soil.

Examples: Blessing of New Spring, Fan the Flame of New Life, Churning Cauldron of Bravash, Rampant Growth, Hallow of the Green World.

Venom

The Spring Realm resonates strongly with poison and venom of all kinds. Poison is the perfect natural weapon: both plants and animals use it, and poisonous creatures are found throughout the realm. No other realm rivals Spring's ability to poison or envenom someone else. Curse of Gangrenous Flesh is an example of a disease ritual - infesting the victim with a voracious sickness.

Like Day magic, Spring can be used to help a patient suffering from poison. However, where Day works by purifying and removing the taint, Spring magic causes the poison to course through the target's veins while simultaneously giving them the strength to survive it.

Examples: Fire in the Blood, Touch of Vile Humours, Unending Cascade of Blood's Fire, Curse of Gangrenous Flesh, Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague, Rivers Run Red

Savagery

The wild chaos of the Spring Realm lends itself easily to rituals that fill the target with wild passions, especially rituals that make the subject feel ruthless, bloodthirsty, and ferocious. Such rituals are often inextricably linked with the power needed to grant the strength and vitality. Many powerful Spring rituals to strengthen the target have unavoidable side-effects that cause the subject to feel rage or similar reactions. Spring curses can force the victim to struggle with base urges like anger and greed.

Examples: Call Down Lightning's Wrath, Charge of the Rushing Wind, Blood and Salt, Merciless Wrath of the Reaver.

Chaos

All Spring magic is chaotic and difficult to control, as it were trying to escape the caster. Some magicians have even poetically suggested that Spring magic wants to be cast, it just hates to be controlled. Whatever the nature of the Spring Realm, magic that draws on it all too often has unforeseen consequences. Perhaps as a result, wild natural phenomena resonate strongly with Spring: storms, gales, and floods are part of Spring, as are tremors and quakes. If a magician wants to unleash wild uncontrolled destruction over an area, then Spring magic is by far the most powerful choice.

Imperial Lore does not include any rituals that create plagues, due to the inherent impossibility of controlling who is affected, but the Druj are known to possess magic of this kind.

Examples: Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea, Thunderous Deluge, Rivers Run Red

Ruin

Spring magic finds it easier than other realms to destroy man-made things. Buildings can be torn apart with vines, collapsed with tremors or simply rot away. In part this reflects the power of the realm to cause all things to succumb to the natural process of decay - for instance dead bodies can easily be made to quickly decay using Spring Magic. In part it reflects the wild power of Spring magic, expressed through storms and tremors, as well as the limitless power of nature to consume everything given time.

Examples: Turns the Circle, Rot's Rightful Claim, The Forest Remains, Rising Roots that Rend Stone, Thunderous Tread of the Trees

Dissonance

Control

Fine control is always difficult with Spring magic: it has a prevailing tendency to run amok. It is hard to aim a ritual with any accuracy beyond "what's in front of me". A storm will hit everything in a territory. A plague will quickly spread. A blessing of fertility may cause unlooked for side-effects such as increasing likelihood of being a briar.

Deference

Spring magic creates roleplaying effects that encourage rebellion, independence and selfishness, as well as those associated with savage ferocity. The more targets at one time the worse it gets - enchanting an Imperial army with Spring magic is likely to encourage the army to bloodlust and disregard for authority. It is very poor for enchantments that encourage groups to cooperate and work together such as congregations, military units and armies.

Complexity

Complex concepts and ideas, especially social structures like trade, alliances, and relationships are also beyond Spring. Spring magic is ill-suited to anything that requires subtlety or this kind of complexity.

Subtlety

Powerful Spring magic lacks subtlety. It is direct and tends to overwhelm opposition rather than circumvent it. It doesn't gently erode a wall, it tears it down with animated vines. Curses won't make the victim feel on edge or unwell, they send them into fevered convulsions. Roleplaying effects create energy and passion.

Construction

Spring does not work well with objects made by mortal beings, either creating or restoring them. Living things can be healed - Spring magic can lend supernatural haste to the natural process of recovery - but it cannot repair broken objects. It might make a tree-branch into a temporary club or wind trees together to make a sanctuary, but restoring the unnatural craftsmanship of mortals to something that has been damaged is anathema.

Conformity and Stagnation

Spring magic can be wild and chaotic and it has a powerful tendency to cause these results even when they are undesirable. Because of this it is particularly poor for casting rituals that require things to conform, to grow more similar in nature or form. Spring magic hates stagnation and status quo. It is good at changing things but especially weak when trying to preserve things just as they are.

Further Reading

- Ritual theory

- Spring magic

- Summer magic

- Autumn magic

- Winter magic

- Day magic

- Night magic

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

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Realms (Redirected from Spring Realm)

Redirect page

Realm

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Spring rituals

Ritual

Explanation

Magnitude

Blessing of New Spring

Increase wealth gained from a farm for three seasons and serves as a foundation for other farm rituals.

2

Blood of the Hydra

Repairs ruined limbs.

2

The Hands of Sacred Life

Heal lost hits.

2

Midwife's Recourse

Protects a baby.

4

Turns the Circle

Rots a body.

4

Fan the Flame of New Life

Makes a couple fertile.

6

Hearthfire Circle

Heals, purifies and restores the limbs of the coven.

6

Call Down Lightning's Wrath

Lets a target call strikedown with a staff once a day for a season.

8

Churning Cauldron of Bravash

Creates new herbs.

8

Merciless Wrath of the Reaver

Adds three ranks to a military unit for raiding during the next season.

8

Rot's Rightful Claim

Grants a coven a one-use ability to cleave undead over ten minutes.

8

Fountain of Life

Target can cast heal, purify and restore limb as if they knew them for a day.

9

Charge of the Rushing Wind

Gives a coven a one-use ability to repel opponents.

10

Rampant Growth

Grants additional money and herbs to the production of a forest.

10

Blood and Salt

Increases the amount of plunder gained by a fleet using the piracy action.

12

Chirurgeon's Healing Touch

Target gains two stay with me uses each day for a season.

12

Vitality of Rushing Water

Grants fortitude and reduces the effectiveness of venom for a day.

12

The Forest Remains

Grants two shatters each day with a two-handed weapon, for a season.

15

Anathemic Call of Bug and Briar

Curses a target and halves the production of their farm, forest or garden resource for a year.

16

Hands of the Healer

Target casts heal and restore limb faster for a season.

16

Fire in the Blood

Grants Spring lore for a season, at the cost of lasting venom.

24

Touch of Vile Humours

Grants a one-use ability to call venom with anything and without suffering venom in return.

25

Irrepressible Monkey Spirit

Target gains two unstoppable or second wind uses each day for a season.

28

Skin of Bark, Blood of Amber

Target gains three ranks of endurance for a season.

30

Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea

Damages navies in a large area.

40

The Dance of Navarr and Thorn

Extends or repairs the Navarr trods.

40

Unending Cascade of Blood's Fire

Target can call five venoms with an implement for a day.

45

Thunderous Deluge

Halves the money produced by buisnesses and farms in a territory for a season.

46

Curse of Gangrenous Flesh

A year-long curse of venom.

50

Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague

Allows the use of an area-of-effect venom call.

50

Rising Roots that Rend Stone

Breeches a fortification on the battlefield.

50

Rivers of Life

Halves casualties suffered by campaign armies in a region.

50

Rivers Run Red

Doubles casualties suffered by campaign armies in a region.

50

Forge the Wooden Fastness

Creates a temporary supernatural fortification in wooded territory.

64

Thunderous Tread of the Trees

Animates rampaging trees in an area.

120

Hallow of the Green World

Enhances herb garden production and birth rates throughout the Empire for a season.

160

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

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Spy network

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senate Commissions

- 2.1 Costs

- 3 Military units

- 4 Current Spy Networks

- 5 Further Reading

- 5.1 Core Brief

- 5.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Empire uses spy networks to spy on barbarian territories and armies. There is only a small cost to build and upkeep a spy network but to operate them requires military units be assigned to support them, exactly as if the military unit were supporting an Imperial army. The more military units are assigned to a spy network, the more information about the territory is produced.

Senate Commissions

The Imperial Senate can pass motions to create a new spy network. There is no benefit to having two spy networks in a territory.

Costs

- Materials: 10 weirwood.

- Time: 3 months to construct.

- Upkeep: 2 Thrones per season.

Military units

Once complete any Imperial citizen can assign a military unit they control to support the spy network. The more military units that are assigned to operate a spy network, the more information is produced.

Units

Outcome

5

A map of the territory showing settlements.

10

The location and nature of armies, naval routes and trading partners in the territory.

15

The location and size of fortifications in the territory and the names of any military commanders present.

The results are cumulative, so if 15 military units in total are assigned then the players receive all the benefits listed on the table.

A copy of the information gained is provided to every player who assigned a military unit to the spy network, along with the the normal resources they would receive if they were supporting an army instead.

Upgraded military units are proportionally more effective. Each upgrade a military unit has adds the equivalent of 1/5 of an extra unit to the overall tally.

Current Spy Networks

At present there are 3 Imperial spy networks, one in each of the following territories:

- Verthandi (previously Otkodov)

- Barrens

- Liathaven

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Military Council

- War

Additional Information

- Imperial armies

- Orders

- Casualties

- Territory

- Army qualities

- Spy network

- Fortification

- Campaign outcome

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Squire

Children born into or adopted into a noble house are often given positions of responsibilty as squires. A squire acts as an attendant to a noble, accompanying them to important meetings and social events, and is expected to be obedient to and respectful toward this mentor. The squire is not a servant, however, and is not routinely given menial tasks - the intention is that the squire should gain the character traits, knowledge and abilities that will prepare them for the Test of Mettle and for life as a noble. Tasks might include carrying messages, serving drinks at meetings, or assisting with other day to day tasks of a noble court. At the end of a task, the squire will often be asked what they have heard or learned during it, as this not only gives the noble a second pair of ears and eyes, but helps the squire to understand what they have witnessed.

Squires who serve knights also maintain their mentor's arms and armour (as much as their stature permits), and help the knight gird themself for battle. They accompany the knight to tactical briefings and battle planning sessions. Even the generals of the Nation are often accompanied by their squires, who must be thoughtful, discreet and willing to learn.

Older and trusted squires often gain their first experience of command in their mentor's service - traditionally, a senior squire is given command and responsibility for defending the national camp at festivals when the nobles sally out to do battle. They are supported and advised by senior retainers, knights and yeomen, but the duty is taken very seriously, and tales exist of squires who have won their spurs by valiantly defending the camp from unexpected attack.

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Staff of Command

Description

A staff of command is often made of metal, or at least shod and inset with pieces of metal and gemstones. Also called a staff of the law, it provides the wielder with the knowledge needed to control the movement of their enemies. Several prominent wielders of staffs such as these have allegedly fallen into dictatorial or even tyrannical ways - according to common folk tales these staves whisper into the ears of their owners of the joys of control and command, domination and subversion. A magician who relies on a staff of command can often receive a cold welcome among the Freeborn.

It is common to see a staff of command engraved with the incantations used to cast the spells it provides. It is also common to see a staff of command marked with runes of Autumn, most commonly Hirmok although Feresh is also common.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the spells repel, entangle and paralysis as if you knew them.

- Materials: Crafting a staff of life requires five measures of iridescent gloaming, seven measures of ambergelt and ten ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Staff of Imperial Mastery

Description

A staff of imperial mastery is sometimes called a staff of wizardry, and is quite rare. Some say that these staves - particularly in artefact form - are imbued with the spirits of the most powerful magicians, or even Eternals. According to one rumour, the staff is crafted from wood that grows over the grave of a master magician - or in some cases, from the bones of such an individual.

The best known example of a staff of Imperial mastery was crafted by the dark magician Mangar the dark, in the service of Alderei the Fair. This sorcerous villain murdered her two brothers, the twins Tarjan and Kylearan. The insane volhov rendered their bodies down and used their arm and leg bones to form the core of her staff, wrapping it in black heartwood and leather made from their skin, tattooed with the many spells they knew between them. Mangar was allegedly hounded to her death by the spirits of her murdered siblings. According to legend, she cast herself into a dark mere somewhere in Varushka, where her body - and her accursed artefact staff - are said still to lie.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the spells detect magic, create bond, operate portal, heal, mend, night pouch, purify, restore limb, voice for the dead, empower, entangle, paralysis, purge, repel, swift heal, venom and weakness as if you knew them.

- Materials: Crafting a staff of imperial mastery requires seven measures of iridescent gloaming, seven ingots of orichalcum, seven ingots of tempest jade, seven ingots of green iron, seven ingots of weltsilver, seven measures of ambergelt, seven measures of beggar's lye and seven measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Staff of Life

Description

A staff of life is usually made from a single bough of oak, yew or rowan. It is often left intentionally gnarled and unfinished. These staffs are very rarely made of any material other than wood, and it is common to see moss, vines and even small flowering plants growing from their bark. Some owners make a point of planting the staff when it's magic is finally depleted, tending to it and encouraging it to take root and grow a new tree - they are often surprisingly effective at doing so.

It is common to see a staff of life wrapped in words of magic; the incantations used to cast healing spells are particularly common, as are the runes Rhyv, Bravash and Cavul.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the spells heal, purify and restore limb as if you knew them.

- Materials: Crafting a staff of life requires five measures of iridescent gloaming, seven ingots of weltsilver and ten ingots of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Staff of Power

Description

While a staff of power is sometimes compared disparagingly to a Staff of the Magi, the power it offers should not be underestimated. As the Hakima Zacarias i Guerra said during an argument with Tiberius of Sunspire, "For the price of one of your staffs, magus, I can give a staff of power to both my brothers, and still have enough left over for a stormcudgel with which to beat you." For this reason they are more generally found amongst those people who value magic less than martial prowess.

A staff of power often bears the six Dawnish symbols of the Realms, worked in with orichalcum or carved along its length. Alternatively, the haft itself may have the form of a hexagonal prism (with rounded grips for the hands, of course), or a hexagonal weight at the casting end. A staff with this form, whether carved with the Realm-Runes or not, is known as a Staff of the Six Realms, after a very ancient example which actually predates the development of the Staff of the Magi, and which therefore represents the pinnacle of achievement in this field in its day. The original Staff of the Six Realms is long-since lost, disappearing in the shipwreck that killed its owner, Polonius of Coppermount Spire, in the Bay of Catazar in the second century B.E.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may spellcasting#cast any spell you know for no mana cost.

- Materials: Crafting a staff of power requires ten measures of iridescent gloaming and five ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Staff of the Magi

Description

Often carried as a tool of office by powerful magicians, these staves are among the most potent and versatile implements a mage could hope to posses and are well-known as the pinnacle of the staff-carver's art. Many hours are need to twist together slowly long rods of dragonbone and orichalcum steel before long treatments and intricate carvings are added. Some fanciful tales attribute the ability to cast all manner of spells to these items. However, master artisans are all quick to point out that the Staff of the Magi is only as powerful as the magician who wields it, complementing what is already there, rather than offering a quick path to power.

Some Staves of the Magi have every rune set into them in orichalcum lettering to grant the wielder command over all possible spells, trusting the bonded soul to be able to keep in check such a powerful and conflicting combination of sigils. Breaking a Staff is known to be incredibly dangerous, releasing the assorted potent enchantments sealed with it. Wise foes will avoid shattering such an implement if they realise what they are facing and instead endure the wielder's barrage of spells.

The War Witches of Dawn particularly covet such items and sometimes an Enchanter will celebrate their appointment by commissioning a Staff of the Magi.

The most powerful of the wandering Volhov carry these staves in the guise of simple walking sticks, providing a nasty surprise for any being which would harass a lone traveler on the dark roads of Varushka.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day you may cast any spell you know for no mana cost.

- Materials: Crafting a staff of the magi requires thirteen measures of iridescent gloaming, seven ingots of tempest jade, five ingots of orichalcum, twelve measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“Dearest Morgana, daughter of my heart, the day has come to pronounce you great among Nobles. You have been tested in the field of battle, where you have made a great name for yourself with your graceful rod-work and fine timing, thereby demonstrating fine Courage. You have aided the yeomanry of the land, guaranteeing the bounty of the land through the rituals of Spring and Autumn, and have thereby demonstrated both your skill and your Wisdom. You have been tested by privation as you travelled alone, and your faith has not wavered, demonstrating your unswerving Loyalty to the House.

“You have always been dear to me since the day we met, Morgana, when you were but a child, barely a citizen. You made such a fine scribe that no man could ask for better, and you studied well at my side. You were so proficient in your magic – and so stubborn, yes, girl! – that I thought surely there was the blood of the unicorn in you, and you never let defeat or hardship sway you.

“My heart and my House both love you as a fine daughter, Morgana, and both advised me equally to commission this gift as we pronounce you Lady of House D’Arnay. With this staff in your hand, your own fearsome talent will flow yet more easily, helping you strive for ever-greater achievements in your name and the name of D’Arnay. It will smite what you command, topple what you command, hold and harm what you command, and restore and strengthen what you command.

“Arise, Lady Morgana D’Arnay, to the service of your House, and take your Mage’s Staff into your hands. Such deeds as yours deserve no less reward.”

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Stance of the Constricting Scourge

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 11

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 11

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains the ability to call entangle once following the rules for a heroic call. The call may be made with any implement or melee weapon with which they are proficient, with the exception of a pike.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 7. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This enchantment allows a target to pin an opponent in place for a short time, making them especially vulnerable to capture, or to defeat if they are wielding short weapons. It is sometimes called The Thief-taker's Net, and used to stop fleeing fugitives in their tracks. unlike the abilities granted by the entangle spell or rituals such as Imurrement of Leaden Chains, the power of the Constricting Scourge allows the target to restrain an opponent with a simple strike from a weapon or implement.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, a coven often invokes symbols of binding, stagnation and hesitation. Some magicians weave invocations of doubt and uncertainty, while others evoke forces of capture or law enforcement. Skirling pipe-music may often be involved, as might interweaving flutes. Sinuous dances are common, but so are things that bind - chains, threads, ropes, nets and even ribbons.

Other common elements in this ritual might include runes, especially Hirmok. Beasts such as spiders and great serpents that crush their prey may be mentioned, and some Freeborn use images of octopi, squid or even kraken in their magic. The constellation of The Chain is sometimes invoked, as are the names of the Autumn Eternals know as the Lictors.

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Standing at the Threshold

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 19

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 19

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual grants the coven that performs it the ability to perform an additional ritual each day.

The ritual counts as an enchantment on the coven (or the coven bond itself) rather than the individual ritualists.

When cast with more than one contributor, this ritual always counts as a use of the coven bond and counts towards the number of rituals the coven can perform that day.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

According to scholars of Day, this ritual works by capturing the resonance of every time in the past that the coven did not perform a ritual, and every point in the future where they will not perform a ritual, and using the echoes of those moments to allow the coven to perform additional rituals now. Ritualists who are part of the coven often experience stange moments of deja vu, or have fleeting memories of rituals they know they did not perform but might have performed. When actually performing a ritual, these sensations become stronger - occasionally a ritualist may briefly hallucinate that they are performing a different ritual, in a different place, at a different time. These impessions are rarely overpowering, but can be unsettling the first few times they occur.

It is worth noting that the power of this enchantment goes into effect immediately; even though the ritual is always cast using the coven bond, the ability to cast another ritual that day is available straight away.

Common Elements

This ritual is often performed under the open sky, with as little secret as possible. Some covens choose to use a public spot, or the Anvil regio, specifically to reduce the secrecy of what they are doing. The magicians often use things associated with past rituals, and it is very common for the coven to bring all of their ritual talismans along even if they are not going to use them, to encourage the connection between past, present and future rituals. For the same reason, they will often include any children who they hope will become future magicians and join the coven. Indeed, for some covens (especially Varushkan cabalists) one or more of the contributors will be a youngster coached and mentored by a more powerful magician.

Symbols of doors, threshold and passages are often used; Urizen magicians may evoke images and symbols of the net of the heavens while Navarr ritualists obviously make connections between the great dance and the idea of moving the ability to do a future or past ritual to a point at which it is more useful. Some covens end the ritual back-to-back, or in groups of three, reinforcing mystic ideas of a threshold as the ever-moving now between the past (the backwards looking figure) and the future (the forwards looking figure).

The runes Ophis and Sular and Aesh are commonly invoked, as is the rune of dominion or the subtle rune Queros which synergises well with the subtle energies used in this magic. The constellations of The Key and The Lock are regularly used, and many covens evoke the image of The Door or The Three Sisters as well. It is not uncommon for the ritual to evoke the power of sphinxes who are viewed in some quarters as possessing powers to see the past or future, or to use symbols of Vigilance, Wisdom or Ambition.

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Statement of Principle

At the Spring Summit 377 YE, the National Assembly of the League, at the instigation of Antonio Raoul Calgone declared the belief that there should be, at Anvil, a location consecrated to each of the Imperial Virtues.

The Assemblies of the Synod have the ability to make statements of principle. These are public declarations with the support of an Assembly of the Synod on a matter relevant to the spiritual wellbeing of the Empire.

Statements of principle have no authority in law. However, they are a means by which the Synod can recognise a virtuous act, warn citizens of potential peril or attempt to apply encouragement, or shame, to a public figure or group.

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Steading

A Steading is the term for a group of settled Navarr, and is used to refer to the settlement they live in, as well as the group itself.

As settlements, Steadings vary in size and composition. A few are shaped as natural parts of the forest, especially if they are important to the vates, but most are constructed of wood - of which there is a clear abundance in the Navarr heartlands. Some are built among the trees, some on hilly clearings, while a few are even constructed on great platforms that float upon the waters of freshwater lakes.

In almost every case the design is adapted to make the most of the terrain, and with an eye towards the purpose of the settlement. For example, a small steading built around a shrine is a different affair to a prosperous steading with a ring of cleared farmland surrounding it.

Those Steadings that are near to the Vallorn have the additional responsibility of ensuring that no one stumbles into its deadly embrace.

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Steading (Redirected from Steadings)

A Steading is the term for a group of settled Navarr, and is used to refer to the settlement they live in, as well as the group itself.

As settlements, Steadings vary in size and composition. A few are shaped as natural parts of the forest, especially if they are important to the vates, but most are constructed of wood - of which there is a clear abundance in the Navarr heartlands. Some are built among the trees, some on hilly clearings, while a few are even constructed on great platforms that float upon the waters of freshwater lakes.

In almost every case the design is adapted to make the most of the terrain, and with an eye towards the purpose of the settlement. For example, a small steading built around a shrine is a different affair to a prosperous steading with a ring of cleared farmland surrounding it.

Those Steadings that are near to the Vallorn have the additional responsibility of ensuring that no one stumbles into its deadly embrace.

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Steinr

The Steinr came from the south originally, forced northward into an increasingly hostile land. A warlike people by necessity, they nonetheless love to create unique things of beauty and purpose. Many Steinr are warriors or smiths, but whatever their calling they are bold, uncomplicated, and outspoken, and as the loudest voices in the nation are often seen as its political core by outsiders.

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Steward

A steward is the chosen head of a Marcher household. The title is appropriate to both men and women. A steward leads their household only with the consent of the other yeomen. Those who give themselves airs and graces rarely remain steward for long.

The steward of the household that controls the largest amount of land in a territory selects the Senator to represent that territory. The steward might have the land-majority through the possessions of their own household, but it is also common for one to have the support of smaller households who swear allegiance to them.

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Stewards

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Still Waters, Running Deep

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 26

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 2 Effects

- 2.1 Additional Targets

- 3 Description

- 4 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 26

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains two additional hero points. They also experience a powerful roleplaying effect: they feel a strong urge to change the world and the people around them, to make it and them 'better' in some way. They become frustrated by those who cling to tradition, custom or the status quo.

An Imperial orcs target experiences an additional roleplaying effect: you are more likely to hear your ancestors while under this enchantment.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 15. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

Where Embrace the Living Flame spurs the passion at the heart of a hero, Still Waters, Running Deep encourages them to look at the world around them and see how it might be changed for the better. All the stories of heroic men and women contain a seed of change, claim the Kallavesi mystics who first made extensive use of this ritual. Even the best villains seek to enact change; the difference between a good person and a bad person is the nature of the change they wish to enact, As with crafted items such as the Ironbrand Thorn or a Runemark Shirt it is most effective when it is used to enchant someone who either already possesses a reserve of passion and heroic drive, or who is armed with a Labyrinth's Gate or similar item that can be 'powered' by the ritual.

Some ritualists view the ability to inflict savage wounds or restore fighting spirit to be a secondary importance next to the effect the ritual has on the spirit of a target. When they focus on making the world better in some way, a person becomes more like a legendary hero, more likely to achieve timeless deeds that will inspire those who see them or hear about them - potentially for many generations. Some students of Night lore see this relatively simple ritual as a way to create a more profound change. In Urizen especially, the ability for one person to inspire others to action is very powerful. Even without other uses, the ability to steel the will and resist outside influences is sometimes useful in its own right; anyone can benefit from the ability to overcome malign spiritual forces, even if it is only for a short time.

The Kallavesi, Imperial Orcs and Highborn who use this ritual often see it as creating a bond between the target and a hero of the past, ancestral spirit or even past life. Orcs in particular have spoken of feeling more connected to their ancestors when they are under the effect of this ritual (for good or ill).

Common Elements

This ritual often involves consuming a drink, especially spiced or mulled wine, or consuming a narcotic of some sort. Fire is a common element; weapons may be wielded, especially as part of a dance; drumming, which begins at a slow tempo and accelerates or the singing of energetic, loud songs also work well with this ritual.

Imperial orc ritualists often include items of Worth taken from inspirational ancestors, to try and draw those spirits to aid the target, even if they are not an orc. Highborn ritualists may speak of past lives, or inspirational Paragons and Exemplars as well as heroic figures from stories and history. Kallavesi mystics evoke the spirits of those who sleep in Kallavesa, and often include a draught brewed from swamp-water as part of the ritual. Other ritualists follow similar themes - naming inspirational figures, especially relatives or members of the same Noble House, Family or household

Symbols of Pride and Ambition are often used, as are scenes that inspire or exalt the audience; the rune Zorech is often used with this ritual, but Tykonus is a close second. The Eternal Janon, the shadowed fire is often evoked during the performance of this ritual, especially through impassioned drumming accompanied by frenzied dancing.

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Stormguard Bulwark

Description

While armour makes it impossible for a magician to perform magic, a skilled battle-mage can get great use from a shield, even one that is not enchanted. A stormguard bastion is usually decorated with tempest jade, and painted with pigment infused with iridescent gloaming. Feresh, the rune of majesty, is often marked twice on these shields, to symbolise the enhancement of both the wielder’s magical and martial prowess.

In Wintermark it is traditional to finish a stormguard beneath the raging clouds of a thunderstorm. The artisan strives to capture both the physical power of the wind and rain and the more mysterious power of thunder and lightning; the dual elements combine so that the shield empowers both body and mind. An occasional scop spins tales where even the storms themselves should look for protection against someone bearing a stormguard bulwark.

Rules

- Form: Shield (Talisman). You cannot make a stormguard bulwark that is a buckler.

- Effect: While you wield this shield you gain one additional rank of both the endurance skill and one additional point of personal mana.

- Materials: Crafting a stormguard bulwark requires nine ingots of orichalcum, five ingots of tempest jade and seven measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The makeshift camp was nothing to speak of, little more than blankets propped up on spears to keep off the endless rain, and five of the six Sentinels of Coppermount Spire slept fitfully. Theodora, the implacable changeling, had decried the idea of drawing lots for the watches when night fell, and so it had fallen to her to take the mid-watch. She stared angrily out into the darkness, her sharp eyes watching for any disturbance of the moonless night’s shadows and her sharp ears listening for any hint of the gryphons they had come down into the valleys to hunt.

The landslide that had buried the six of them and half their travelling kit, forcing them to abort the hunt, had left her covered in clinging mud and in a dark mood that would not leave her until she had fought something. It was bad enough that when the young gryphon had attacked the group she had been trapped up to her shoulders in mud, face-down in a river of rainwater, fighting to breathe.

After the fourth turn of the glass, in the dead of night, the rain stopped as suddenly as it had started. The dripping from the rain-soaked shelter came irregularly, a pitter-patter that only stoked her irritation further.

When it returned, therefore, she relished the opportunity to take its hide for her own.

She heard wingbeats pass overhead, though she saw no hint of it. It must have come back up the valley. She knew it was hurt already, but it would have gotten over the wounds from the earlier battle. The venom that coursed through its veins from Gnaeus’ lucky spell, however, would not have gone. That was why it had returned at night. A desperate outcast from its pride, it thought to catch them sleeping.

It would catch only its death, Theodora swore to herself.

She listened to it circle not far overhead, showing no sign that she knew it was there. It wouldn’t attack if it knew there was someone awake, so she sat perfectly still, ready to turn and face it, and waited for the wingbeats to stop.

They did.

She spun and raised her Stormguard Bulwark, and the beast crashed talons-first into her. It yowled in frustration and pulled itself to its feet at the same time as she recovered her stance, and the two faced off against one another. Never try to take a gryphon on alone, Castor had told her when they set out. The over-cautious old fish might as well have slapped her in the face.

She took a step toward it – there was no darting in and out in this mud – and held her shield out at the extent of her reach. It was lighter and more mobile than she was; best find out what it thought its range was. Another step and it slashed at her shield. Good.

She feinted a lunge towards it, and when its counter-slash met only air, it faltered. She knocked it across the beak with her rod, and it shook its head.

Then, with a flap of its great wings, it pounced on her.

She managed to keep the shield between her throat and its beak, which was what really mattered, though its powerful back legs raked her thighs. She clubbed it with her rod once, twice, and on the third blow it reared back and gave her the chance she needed. With a heave and a shout she rolled it off herself and cast the healing spell she now urgently needed.

Stumbling to her feet, she met its charge again with her shield. It bit at the top of her shield and pulled hard, as if trying to tear it from her grip, and she kept striking viciously at it with the green-iron tip of her rod. Eventually it let go and snapped at her face, taking a chunk of flesh, before she bodily heaved it away onto the ground.

Theodora reeled and fought for the concentration she needed to heal herself again. The absurdity of it struck her then; how like a disobedient dog it had seemed, pulling at her shield like a toy. She laughed a slightly manic laugh and raised her rod, ready to fight again. This was battle as it should be. She could deal with it at range, and she could deal with it close-to. She controlled her surroundings, and the magic that her shield extended around her would keep her standing easily long enough to deal with such a pathetic little beast. She laughed again, a challenging laugh, a laugh in the beaked face of danger.

Then two arrows zipped past her and sank into the gryphon with a thunk. It fell with barely a sound, thrashed briefly, and lay still.

Theodora spun round to find the others awake, the strings of Girgis and Ignatios’ bows still trembling. Castor stood behind them, a look of absolute thunder on his blue face.

Theodora opened her mouth to protest, and then bit back the words. It took a lot for Castor to lose his poise. Then again, she’d lost hers somewhat. Laughing in battle and all.

She was probably overdue the lecture she was about to get.

Still, it had entirely been worth it.

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Stormguard Bulwark

Description

While armour makes it impossible for a magician to perform magic, a skilled battle-mage can get great use from a shield, even one that is not enchanted. A stormguard bastion is usually decorated with tempest jade, and painted with pigment infused with iridescent gloaming. Feresh, the rune of majesty, is often marked twice on these shields, to symbolise the enhancement of both the wielder’s magical and martial prowess.

In Wintermark it is traditional to finish a stormguard beneath the raging clouds of a thunderstorm. The artisan strives to capture both the physical power of the wind and rain and the more mysterious power of thunder and lightning; the dual elements combine so that the shield empowers both body and mind. An occasional scop spins tales where even the storms themselves should look for protection against someone bearing a stormguard bulwark.

Rules

- Form: Shield (Talisman). You cannot make a stormguard bulwark that is a buckler.

- Effect: While you wield this shield you gain one additional rank of both the endurance skill and one additional point of personal mana.

- Materials: Crafting a stormguard bulwark requires nine ingots of orichalcum, five ingots of tempest jade and seven measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The makeshift camp was nothing to speak of, little more than blankets propped up on spears to keep off the endless rain, and five of the six Sentinels of Coppermount Spire slept fitfully. Theodora, the implacable changeling, had decried the idea of drawing lots for the watches when night fell, and so it had fallen to her to take the mid-watch. She stared angrily out into the darkness, her sharp eyes watching for any disturbance of the moonless night’s shadows and her sharp ears listening for any hint of the gryphons they had come down into the valleys to hunt.

The landslide that had buried the six of them and half their travelling kit, forcing them to abort the hunt, had left her covered in clinging mud and in a dark mood that would not leave her until she had fought something. It was bad enough that when the young gryphon had attacked the group she had been trapped up to her shoulders in mud, face-down in a river of rainwater, fighting to breathe.

After the fourth turn of the glass, in the dead of night, the rain stopped as suddenly as it had started. The dripping from the rain-soaked shelter came irregularly, a pitter-patter that only stoked her irritation further.

When it returned, therefore, she relished the opportunity to take its hide for her own.

She heard wingbeats pass overhead, though she saw no hint of it. It must have come back up the valley. She knew it was hurt already, but it would have gotten over the wounds from the earlier battle. The venom that coursed through its veins from Gnaeus’ lucky spell, however, would not have gone. That was why it had returned at night. A desperate outcast from its pride, it thought to catch them sleeping.

It would catch only its death, Theodora swore to herself.

She listened to it circle not far overhead, showing no sign that she knew it was there. It wouldn’t attack if it knew there was someone awake, so she sat perfectly still, ready to turn and face it, and waited for the wingbeats to stop.

They did.

She spun and raised her Stormguard Bulwark, and the beast crashed talons-first into her. It yowled in frustration and pulled itself to its feet at the same time as she recovered her stance, and the two faced off against one another. Never try to take a gryphon on alone, Castor had told her when they set out. The over-cautious old fish might as well have slapped her in the face.

She took a step toward it – there was no darting in and out in this mud – and held her shield out at the extent of her reach. It was lighter and more mobile than she was; best find out what it thought its range was. Another step and it slashed at her shield. Good.

She feinted a lunge towards it, and when its counter-slash met only air, it faltered. She knocked it across the beak with her rod, and it shook its head.

Then, with a flap of its great wings, it pounced on her.

She managed to keep the shield between her throat and its beak, which was what really mattered, though its powerful back legs raked her thighs. She clubbed it with her rod once, twice, and on the third blow it reared back and gave her the chance she needed. With a heave and a shout she rolled it off herself and cast the healing spell she now urgently needed.

Stumbling to her feet, she met its charge again with her shield. It bit at the top of her shield and pulled hard, as if trying to tear it from her grip, and she kept striking viciously at it with the green-iron tip of her rod. Eventually it let go and snapped at her face, taking a chunk of flesh, before she bodily heaved it away onto the ground.

Theodora reeled and fought for the concentration she needed to heal herself again. The absurdity of it struck her then; how like a disobedient dog it had seemed, pulling at her shield like a toy. She laughed a slightly manic laugh and raised her rod, ready to fight again. This was battle as it should be. She could deal with it at range, and she could deal with it close-to. She controlled her surroundings, and the magic that her shield extended around her would keep her standing easily long enough to deal with such a pathetic little beast. She laughed again, a challenging laugh, a laugh in the beaked face of danger.

Then two arrows zipped past her and sank into the gryphon with a thunk. It fell with barely a sound, thrashed briefly, and lay still.

Theodora spun round to find the others awake, the strings of Girgis and Ignatios’ bows still trembling. Castor stood behind them, a look of absolute thunder on his blue face.

Theodora opened her mouth to protest, and then bit back the words. It took a lot for Castor to lose his poise. Then again, she’d lost hers somewhat. Laughing in battle and all.

She was probably overdue the lecture she was about to get.

Still, it had entirely been worth it.

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Storm Sceptre

Description

This sturdy rods are often sheathed in gold or decorated with gemstones. They are popular with Dawnish enchanters who take the battlefield alongside the war witches, allowing them to channel their personal mana into magic intended to send their enemies careening away. Some enchanters use them off the battlefield as well, maintaining discipline with a swift swipe of their scepter.

It can also take the form of a stout walking stick, made of a length of springy wood decorated with symbols of travel or runes such as Sular, Rune of Discovery, to help the wearer find the correct path for their journey. These rods are carried by wandering ritualists, such as Icewalkers and Volhov, to give them a swift defense without needing to take time away from their study of the Lores. Icewalker examples are sometimes made of large icicles to encourage their foes to slide away and are known as Sudden Skates, while the Varushkans call these rods Wood-Walker's Wards. Prolonged bonds to such rods can sometimes lead to sullen moods and a desire for solitude. Some strongly affected magicians take to using the rods simply to drive away unwanted company or to end conversations.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the repel spell as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting a Storm Sceptre requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

It was all Eusebio could do to stop himself breaking into a run, borne on a tide of elation. The container clasped close to his chest didn't look like much, but he could feel the jewels moving within at every footfall. A merchant princess's bounty, enough to set Eusebio up for life – and stolen right from under the nose of that preening braggart Iolanda.

Still, even under cover of Tassato Regario's gloom-shrouded night, he couldn't afford the attention he might draw with undue haste, so instead he forced himself to walk with affected nonchalance, cloak drawn round to conceal the prize he cradled in his arms. It wouldn't be long before Iolanda's majordomo realised the box and its precious cargo was gone, but by then he'd be in Tassato Mestra and these gems would be in the hands of a dozen trustworthy fences.

Ahead, the street ended in the glimmering surface of the great river; the moon, peeking 'tween clouds, set the ripples alight with silver fire. Even at this time of night he could make out a few ferries gliding this way and that. Eusebio bit down on a laugh at the felicity of the situation; everything was going perfectly.

He hurried down the steps to the water's edge, where the crumbling stone promenade played host to a ferryman's stand. It was a slim little craft, its flanks carved with ornate images and its bed scattered with cushions. Eusebio felt he deserved a little largesse, and made his way to where the river-waves lapped and sloshed against Tassato's flank.

“A journey across the river to Mestra. Take me to the Narcissus dock by the Attano counting house,” he said, carefully stepping onto the ferry.

The ferryman nodded; he could just make out the young man's stubbled chin and cheeks beneath the cloak and hood that he wore to fend off the season's chill.

The young man prepared his river-pole to push off from the dock, but before he did, he glanced at his passenger, and Eusebio was struck by the almost comical length of his dangling whiskers. “Of course, good man,” he said, his voice rasping. “The fee is-”

Eusebio slapped down a handful of coin in the basin of the barge – far more than a simple ferry-ride's price. “There. Now take me across quickly and quietly.”

He noted with satisfaction at how that shut the ferryman up, and soon enough the dock was far behind them, with only the lulling noise of the river waters around them. Some half-way across, and Tassato Mestra was growing large enough that he felt he could reach out and touch it. He could see the dock by the counting house that would signal his return to safety, and so he finally began to relax. The jewel-box was heavy, so he set it down on the ferry floor and leaned back, letting muscles unwind and lose their tension.

Another sound invaded the visions of triumph that held court in his mind. Eusebio frowned. The ferryman was singing – not loudly, but with a rhythmic cadence that still breached his instruction for quiet. Irritatingly, he couldn't quite place the song, nor quite make out the words.

“I said quietly-” he began to say, an undercurrent of anger in his voice, but all thought was washed away to be replaced with shock.

The ferryman wheeled round from where he stood at the ferry's prow, a gleaming rod now gripped in one gloved hand; Eusebio gaped as he saw and felt its gem-encrusted tip come to rest against his chest. In the one moment he had, he looked up at the man's face and saw by the dim light that it was no man at all; the beard and whiskers were clearly false ... it was a woman... and a woman he recognised ...

The mountebank finished her spell-song, and a storm's angry thundercrack broke the quiet upon the river. Eusebio found himself hurled from the ferry as if by a rushing torrent, splashing into the water's icy embrace a good few yards from the fraud's boat.

As he flailed and spluttered and yelled, the woman set her foot atop the jewel-box that still laid in the ferry's belly, and offered him a triumphant smile.

“Set a thief to catch a thief, my dear,” she called, blowing Eusebio a kiss. “You didn't think Lady Iolande was that foolish, did you?”

Then, with steady purpose, she started back for the distant silhouette of Tassato Regario, the buildings standing proud over the moonlight waters.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Storm_Sceptre&oldid=32342"

Stormweaver

Description

These powerful weapons are favoured by battle magicians across the Empire. Whether being used by a Highborn Magister to smash through a defensive battle line alongside the cataphracts, or hurling a chosen target or employed by a thresher to separate an enemy sorceror from her allies, a stormweaver is a clear sign of a magician who appreciates the potent control offered by the repel spell.

The only drawback to a stormweaver - and it is very slight - is that the rod seems to attract storms. On land this generally leads to slightly heavier rainfall, or the occasional unpleasent gale. At sea, it can be life-threatening. Very few ship's captains will allow a stormweaver aboard, especially on a ship sailing out of sight of land. The exception are the most adventurous Freeborn corsairs or Steinr merchant-traders, who often welcome the opportunity for excitement an unexpected, magically enhanced, storm can offer.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Three times per day you can cast the repel spell as if you knew it and without expending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a stormweaver requires fifteen ingots of tempest jade, seven measures of iridescent gloaming, five ingots of green iron and five measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Let me tell you the tale of the warcaster Jok of the Snowspears, the orc legion posted to the harsh Varushkan borders where many a tale is weaved" the man spoke, running his hand over the rough stubble at his chin before he continued. The crowd around him at the tavern had grown as the night had gone on. His tales were famed in the region and the tavern often drew a number of patrons simply to hear him speak. The barkeep shook his head and sighed, he'd heard the tale a dozen times before and each time it had escalated in the telling, but he wouldn't complain as long as the coins kept coming in.

"The warriors of the Snowspears had been entrusted with guarding a supply caravan for the front lines but had been forced to leave the roads" he went on, those gathered around him made warding signs across their hearts or shook their heads in sympathy. He knew he'd already got them hooked.

"They had been forced back by raiding barbarians, driven into the woods with their wounded to escape the horde of orcs. Their legion numbered but a score, a dozen of which had suffered wounds which might not let them see the rising of the sun, so they fled. Spears out, dripping with the blood of any enemy who managed to track them, their arms grew tired the deeper they went and every barbarian slain  drained their strength. The caravan merchants who had been saved by the Snowspears wailed and begged their protectors to take them back to the roads but the orcs continued despite the sobbing men and women they guarded. As the brutal war cries of the barbarians grew quieter they thought themselves safe. Then the howling began”

The crowd who sat around the tale weaver hissed their disapproval. The story went on.

“The orcs turned their weapons outwards, a loose circle around those they protected. Jok stood at the centre of the merchants, shield raised and looking out into the forest. Hearing the unearthly sounds that terrorised them he drew a rod of shaped metal from a large leather pouch at his waist, jade stones glittering along it in the twilight. As the orcs readied themselves for combat the sky rumbled and lightning split the sky, revealing the cause of the howling. The Wolves were upon them”

He stopped to sip his drink, allowing the last sentence to hang in the air for a while before continuing.

“The Snowspears fought with the fury that burns in their blood, but no matter how hard they fought the Wolves would break through to the merchants at their centre. Each time the monsters broke the line, brave Jok would strike them true with the glowing rod as a crash of thunder pealed, launching them back through the air with the power of the winds. Even when his power waned he drew strength from the fight, the very storm around him seeming to empower his blows. But eventually Jok fell, a pair of Wolves tearing him in two as his power finally dwindled. Yet it had been enough. The howling had stopped and Jok’s killers were dispatched by the Snowspears that still stood. The orcs mourned for a moment and began taking items from his still warm body. ‘To remember him by’ they uttered to the disgusted merchants, who shied away from the scene. None among them would touch the discarded weapon though. They claimed it was a weapon of power but one of ill portent, one that would bring the Wolves when the storms came. They left it where it lay, a sign to any who passed of what had happened there”

He smiled and clapped his hands together, the sound startled some of the crowd. He laughed and pulled a large pouch from his belt and threw it onto the table where it landed with a rattle of coin.

“So...which of you will become the next part of this saga...and retrieve it for me?”

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Stoutheart Gambeson

Description

A simple form of light armour that has been responsible for saving a great many lives. The Stoutheart Gambeson is one of the simplest forms of magic armour to create, but very time consuming. The jacket must be carefully quilted over a period of many weeks, and any error in the process may require the artisan to start all over again. Dawnish witch weavers and Marcher artisans alike carefully dye and colour the stoutheart gambesons they craft to show the heraldric colours or livery of the noble house or household for which they are intended, while among the Navarr and Winterfolk, light leather hauberks bearing protective runes are worn by scouts who want to range some distance from their allies.

In some parts of the Empire these items are given as gifts to soldiers or warriors whose families cannot afford more powerful magical protection.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of light armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour you gain an additional rank in the fortitude skill.

- Materials: Crafting a stoutheart gambeson no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

John Miller grabbed the healer roughly by the elbow. He was a big lad, and though he was tired near to falling-down, his eyes burned beneath the soot and the blood.

"Tha'll come with us now, healer." He growled, dragging the shorter man a few steps towards the trees.

"There's no hope John!" Another yeoman in the same livery took hold of John Miller's shoulder, tried to get his attention, He shook her hand off, shook his head.

"Tha doesn't know that for sure, Jenny." He said. "Millers're hardy sons, it'll take more than orcs to put us in the soil."

Wade hurried to keep up, her concern for her comrade outweighing her fatigue and her own pain.

"It's been what, ten minutes now John? John? John! It's the living we need to worry about now, your brother doesn't want you to die looking for his body, we'll make sure he gets buried but ... John!"

John Miller was stubborn, and would not back down. He strode on, without really listening, dragging the healer. A couple of beaters looked over, began to move in their direction, sensing trouble. John dove into the trees, about where he had seen his brother's go down. A tangled mess of yeomen and orcs, with a couple of opportunistic crows already picking over the corpses.

With a bellow, John scattered the crows. He looked about, wild now, on the verge of one of his famous rages. "Wade!" he shouted, his throat hoarse, his voice broken with anguish and despair and faint hope. "Wade tha bastard! Where are tha Wade!"

He dropped to one knee, tears streaming down his face, and beat one fist against the ground. The healer put his hand on his shoulder, reached into his bag for something to take the edge off the pain, but then Jenny held up a hand..

"Do you hear that?" she asked, incredulous. From underneath a pile of orc bodies ... something. Faint, but there it was again a little louder.

John roared, jumped to his feet, started pulling the still-warm bodies of the barbarians aside. Beneath the slaughter mound, a human figure. His skin was ashen white, his face sodden with blood, his eyes closed ... but they flickered open. The healer swore, and pushed John out of the way, immediately taking charge of the situation.

"You Miller men really are hard to kill." Jenny said in awed tones, warning the beaters away with a shake of her head. They observed for a second, then went back to their business, now they could see there would be no trouble. As the healer patched Wade Miller together, he muttered about miracles.

John Miller laughed then, through his tears. His hand went to the tough material of the pale green gambeson he and his brother wore beneath their heavy steel chain. A gift from his mother, the fruit of many weeks hard work, painstakingly sewn and quilted as she watched her sons come of age and prepare themselves for war. He'd been a little embarrassed when he and Wade had arrived at the muster wearing the padded jackets, felt relieved when the Steward outfitted them with 'proper' armour. But now he silently thanked his mother for it, for her foresight and her hard work.

While he and his brother were tough, their mother's love made them well-nigh unkillable.

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Stout Resolve of the Unyielding

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 5

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 5

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

Effects

The target may ignore the effects of a single traumatic wound that is affecting them, until the end of the battle. The traumatic wound is still present, and can be healed as normal, but the target only suffers it's penalties after the enchantment ends.

The target experiences a roleplaying effect; all pain seems distant and dulled, and it is easy to forget that they have received a serious injury at all.

This ritual's effects last until the end of the battle, or until the traumatic wound is treated by a physick

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

Despite the obvious use of this ritual in enabling brave soldiers to fight on regardless of terrible injuries, it has a dark reputation in some military circles. There have been a few grim stories of stout-hearted soldiers fighting until they utterly exhausted themselves and fell dead, not even noticing the grievous injuries they had suffered some time ago and which desperately needed the attentions of a physician. There has been at least one incident where a brutal League general allegedly had the ritual cast upon rearguard units during a retreat, abandoning the seriously wounded troops in the hope of slowing down enemy pursuit.

For the most part, though, the ritual is used to keep warriors fighting despite injuries, or to give them enough mobility to reach medical help. In some battles it is much more useful than others. An engagement that includes wights, powerful beasts or the cruel weapons of the Druj barbarians are all much more likely to result in complications for the warriors involved.

Common Elements

The targets of this ritual are usually badly hurt when it is performed, and are the focus of the magic. Common elements include washing away blood, but may also include rubbing soil into the injured location (especially when the caster or the target is a Marcher), drawing infection out with steel, fire or a gold coin; pinning talismans of weltsilver, ambergelt or (in Wintermark especially) antler-horn to the warrior, or giving them a favour. Paragons and Exemplars are often invoked, especially those associated with determination and resilience, and the rune Jotra, Verys or Rhyv is used to encourage fortitude and determination as are the constellations of The Oak or The Stallion.

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Straw Mask

Description

The Straw Mask empowers the wearer to perform rituals that vastly increase the output of their lands. It is often constructed using lacquered corn-ears, strung together to cover the face and interlaced with fine knotwork of metallic threads. It is rare for these talismans not to incorporate at least one Bravash the Rune of Fertility, either in place of one of the eyes or (especially outside Wintermark), on the inside of the mask so that it touches the forehead, cheeks or chin when the mask is worn. Regardless of the precise design, even in the League it is usually constructed out of natural material such as wood. Some traditions of dramaturgists (especially mummers prefer to personify the mask as a beast - usually a goat, sheep or bull - incorporating it into bawdy ritual plays involving more than a little suggestive dialogue.

Some Navarr and Varushkan artisans create this item in the form of a Crown of Thorns and Ivy - a circlet of interwoven strands of the titular material, bound together with threads of weltsilver and orichalcum, with berries or small flowers carefully preserved with an ambergelt glaze. At the end of a year, the crowns are ceremonially burnt or buried, or abandoned near a funeral glade.

As with all the magical masks, these are used to grant additional power to perform ritual magic. In this case, it enhances a suite of three rituals that enchant farms to ensure excellent harvest. By itself, it will allow even a novice spring ritualist to perform Blessing of New Spring without having mastered it and without the assistance of a coven. It sufficient to empower that simple ritual enough to let a Spring ritualist add one or two additional farms to the performance depending on the mastery of the wearer. it is even powerful enough to let a wearer use the Imperial Regio (or another item that grants additional lore) to perform the first of the three farm rituals without even the basic grounding of Spring lore possessed by an apprentice.

Likewise, the mask may help an adept of Summer lore perform the Strong Ox, Golden Sun ritual by themselves, or contribute towards the power of a coven attempting to enchant multiple farms. A true Autumn master could use the mask along with the Imperial regio and the power of a Melancholic Staff to achieve personal performance of the complex Gathering the Harvest ritual, should they be so inclined. A single mask rarely makes a significant difference with the latter ritual, but each additional rank of lore can prove useful - especially when performing the ritual on multiple farms at once. It can also prove useful for a mixed coven- by providing advantage in three connected rituals from three seperate realms of magic it can help a coven member who is less well-trained in one or two of the three lores to contribute more fully to a group performance, especially if they have mastered the ritual.

Rules

- Form: Foci

- Effect: Gain 1 rank for the Blessing of New Spring; Strong Ox, Golden Sun; and Gathering the Harvest rituals

- Materials: Crafting a Straw Mask requires three ingots of orichalcum, three ingots of weltsilver, three measures of ambergelt, three measures of beggar's lye, four measures of dragonbone and three measures of iridescent gloaming It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Streams of Silver

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a business. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The business provides an additional 24 rings over the next season, in addition to normal production.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional businesses in the same territory. Each additional business increases the magnitude by 1. The character who controls each business must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

As with Rivers of Gold, this ritual subtly influences the flow of trade, gently warping the effects of chance and synchronicity to encourage people to visit, and spend money in, the target business. The effect of the ritual is difficult to spot without magical means, unless one knows it has been cast.

Some covens, especially in The Brass Coast and The League specialise in this simple spell, arranging to perform it on multiple businesses in the same territory in return for an amount of the anticipated extra wealth - usually payable in advance, of course. As with most such rituals, the more targets can be encompassed by the spell the more economically advantageous it becomes to the ritualists.

Common Elements

This ritual moves wealth around, and the performance is often accompanied by coins and other precious items. In The Marches and The Brass Coast, coins taken from the previous season's profit are often used as a way to 'prime' the enchantment and attract more wealth. The targets often share a goblet of wine among themselves, and the ritual often begins or ends with a symbolic (or literal) payment to the performing coven. The rune Pallas is often evoked, but so are subtle rune of plots and the serendipitous rune of chance. Symbols of Prosperity are also common, often with an invocation highlighting the rewards of hard work.

This ritual can be enhanced by a known commonly as a Mercantilist's Mask.

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Strength of the Bull

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains one additional rank of endurance.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This enchantment is one of the best-known Summer rituals. It is performed on warriors across the Empire, helping them to survive the rigours of war. While Splendid Panoply of Knighthood is more effective at enchanting a band of soldiers, it lacks the enduring power of Strength of the Bull; this is a common blessing from a skilled Summer magician on friends and allies who might face violence at any time.

It is commonly included as part of the preparations for war, or performed during a formal or informal gathering of warriors - given that it lasts for several months, it can be performed well in advance. While a band of Navarr may combine the ritual with formal war-painting, a Varushkan coven may perform the ritual around a fire the evening before battle to the accompaniment of stirring tales. A legion of Imperial Orcs may declare a promise of victory as their shaman move among them, and may celebrate the magic with a bout of fighting; a Dawnish Earl is more likely to have the ritual performed by a close friend or lover, who girds her for battle and completes the ritual by bestowing a favour. A Marcher band may gather barefoot on the morning of battle, while an Urizen coven might move serenely among a group of sentinels as they drill several days in advance of any expected hostilities. A Freeborn ritual is likely to involve everyone drumming and dancing in celebration of life, while a Highborn ritual is more likely to involve a solemn recitation of the rolls of the dead, perhaps followed by a blessing from a priest.

Common Elements

As with many enchantment rituals, common elements include the consumption of wholesome food and drink (especially mead or beer) and the use of tokens and gifts such as favours.

Any of the Summer runes might be evoked, depending entirely on the nature of the warriors and the ritualists. Runes are often painted onto the skin especially the face and arms. Navarr vates and Wintermark runesmiths alike will trace the scars, brands and tattoos of their targets as they perform the ritual, connecting the strength gained today with oaths or wounds from the past. An evocation of The Stallion or The Oak may be appropriate with this ritual, as are evocations of horses, bulls, narwhal, unicorns and dragons.

The Captain's Mask is a that helps empower the performance of this ritual.

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Striding

The counterpart to the Steading is the Striding. These are travelling groups that largelly follow the established routes of the trods around the Empire. Walking the trods is necessary to weaken the vallorn to allow the Navarr to attack it. The trods pass through all nations of the Empire, so now many travellers prefer to use the Navarr trods as trade routes and roads, and villages and resting places have grown up over the years near those routes.

Stridings vary significantly in size and make-up. In a normal striding, most participants are on foot, usually with a few narrow wagons pulled by oxen or similar beasts to carry essential supplies. Others take the opposite approach, using larger covered wagons which can serve as living quarters, especially if they are transporting tools such as books or smithing materials over great distances. Many Navarr are comfortable walking for days on end, and the power of the trods supports them and enhances the endurance of newcomers.

The stridings support themselves in three ways: they carry staples with them; they contain hunters who range to either side of the Trod staying alert not only for food but also potential dangers; and they trade with the people they encounter en-route. For some Imperial citizens, the Navarr are the only regular contact they have with the Empire. Navarr stridings are usually welcome, as they bring messages and news of events elsewhere in the Empire.

As well as the dark forests that Navarr now think of as home, the wild places between towns, burghs, fortresses and temples are hardly safe and the Navarr are practical about these dangers. They travel in well-armed groups and set regular watches. As they travel they remain alert for danger, and it is often Navarr who bring word of potential threats to their cousins in the other nations.

A new Navarr striding is created when an individual chooses to go in a new direction. They generally become leader for a new striding formed of those who choose to follow them.

Navarr stridings are fluid things, with individuals and families moving from one to another as the mood takes them. The Navarr encourage individuals to choose the striding that is travelling in the direction they want to go, a philosophy that underpins their approach to life. In theory, this choice is made anew each time a Navarr comes to a crossroads although in practice most stay with the same striding for years.

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Striding One

Original Song: Wolfen One by Heather Alexander (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE5g8EKgqjk)

New lyrics by Alexander Bolingbroke

Striding one, You are my midday moon and I your midnight sun Striding one, Our journey's at an end but life has just begun When first we met, I thought that what I felt could not be true But through the sharing of our hearts there now is one where there was two

Left to right, the meeting of the darkened day and dawning night Drum to tune, the joining of the shining sun and silver moon I knew the risk I took when down beside you I had laid And lo, the breath of two new lives was well worth the price I paid

Striding one, come dance with me and gaze back at which we have done Striding one, we've sown the threads by which the future shall be spun Striding one, you are my midday moon and I, your midnight sun Striding one...

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Strigine Mask

Description

The Strigine Mask empowers a ritualist with the ability to reveal information about places, people and objects.

These talismans are often crafted as an owl mask or piece of jewellery depicting a bird of prey with bright penetrating eyes made of polished gemstone. Many such items incorporate Ophis, the Rune of Revelation.

Rules

- Form: Foci (Talisman).

- Effect: Gain 1 rank for Reading the Weave; Eyes of the Sun and Moon; and Piercing Light of Revelation rituals

- Materials: Crafting a Strigine Mask requires seven ingots of orichalcum, nine ingots of weltsilver, three measures of dragonbone and two measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Strong Ox, Golden Sun

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a farm which must already be enchanted with the Blessing of New Spring ritual. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual completely replaces the effect of Blessing of New Spring.

The target farm earns an additional 50 rings at the Summer Solstice (event 3) and the Autumn Equinox (event 4). The ritual ends at the start of winter.

This spell is intended to be cast at the Spring Equinox. If the spell is cast later in the year, then money that would have been gained in earlier seasons is lost. It is useless if performed after the Summer Solstice.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional farms in the same territory. Each additional farm increases the magnitude by 2. The character who controls each farm must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This spell is intended to be cast at the Spring Equinox. It is less efficient and productive if cast later in the year and is useless if performed after the Summer Solstice. If the spell is cast later in the year, then money that would have been provided during any missed seasons is lost. Performed at the optimal time, and left to run it's full course, the ritual provides a total of 100 rings of additional profit to the owner of the target farm.

A farm effected by the ritual will provide more and better crops, increasing the amount of money at the summer and autumn equinoxes. Once it is in place, it also allows for more powerful rituals to be cast. In the same way that it requires Blessing of New Spring to be in place before it can be cast, it serves as an anchor for the Gathering the Harvest ritual, permitting even more wealth to be reaped from the soil.

As with the blessing of new spring, this is a very old ritual indeed. It enchants both domesticated beasts of burden and farm-workers alike, giving them great stamina and keeping them hearty and hale. Oxen can haul a plough for days on end without complaint, while labourers find their exertions tire them, but do not exhaust them. The fields themselves burst with grain, and herds of animals are hardy, healthy and gain strength to fight off predators and disease alike.

The ritual is understandably popular in The Marches, and there are covens of landskeepers who work hard to ensure that they can perform this ritual on many farms simultaneously. Such covens also work to master Blessing of New Spring and Gathering the Harvest if they can, and know that their ability to perform this ritual gives them a useful political tool when dealing with the households and monasteries.

Common Elements

The ritual grants strength and endurance to the creatures and plants on a farm. Ritual performances often include the evocation of the rune verys or the constellation of The Oak. Hearth magics and symbols associated with strength and agricultural Prosperity are also commonly evoked, such as sweat, salt, honey, ale, milk or grain.

In The Marches, a portion of the produce that the farm produced the previous year might be used in the ritual. In a similar way, a Varushkan cabal or circle of Wintermark magicians might use honey made in an especially prosperous year with fresh-baked runebread, to draw a connection between then and now.

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Stumbleroot Spear

Description

The dark wood haft of this spear must be supple and flexible, while maintaining its strength. An artisan carefully chooses the wood and treats it throughout the crafting process with ambergelt dissolved in pure alcohol, reinforcing the whole with green iron to maintain its responsiveness in the hands of a skilled warrior. In combat, the spear twists and turns, seemingly under its own power, and when properly guided will trip or unbalance an enemy, sending them sprawling.

Some stories claim that the more blood the stumbleroot spear spills, the more malicious it becomes. They suggest that the spear begins to take on a mind of its own, seeking to trip or injure opponents without the intent of the wielder. They rarely speak of these worries unless deep in their cups. There is a tradition among some thorns of burning the spear after a year to ensure it does not turn on its wielder. Some Imperial Orcs have adopted the same tradition, which meshes with their own beliefs about worth and the ways objects may be influenced by the uses they are put to.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed spear.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to call STRIKEDOWN with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a stumbleroot spear requires six units of green iron and three measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The two warriors faced off against each other, Nakkan of the Sunhammer Legion stood a little over five foot, small for an orc but with an athletic body hardened by a life of battle. The fine leather that she wore was studded with ambergelt stones, each added following a particular victory, each a tale of its own. The hammer she wielded looked comically large in her small hands but she gripped it firmly and taunted her opponent, a Navarr Thorn named Gwyneth. The two were old friends and had fought together many times but whenever they traveled to Anvil it had become custom for them to share an honour duel – the winner of which was a purse-full lighter by the end of the nights festivities.

“You call that a weapon, human?” she taunted, gesturing to the short, unassuming spear that Gwyneth carried alongside her slim wooden shield. The weapon looked simple enough but seemed to hum with an untapped power, Nakkan would’ve sworn she heard the voice the ancestors whispering to her directly from it but she maintained her bluster.

“You’d be better off picking your teeth with it tonight after you’ve paid for the meal” she laughed, a rough sound from such a small figure and swung her weapon in a wide arc. The weltsilver swirls that decorated the hammer’s head glittered as it traveled through the air and seemed to leave the echo of silvery threads behind it.

The blow, however, never landed. The Navarr Thorn rolled elegantly underneath the path of the weapon and struck out with the short spear in a sweep aimed at Nakkan’s ankles, Gwyneth felt the weapon twitch in her hand as it connected and the orc was lifted from her feet to land on her back. No sooner had Nakkan hit the floor than the weapon tip was pushing against her throat, a sly smile on the Thorn's face.

"So....are we having venison or pheasant" the orc croaked, before being helped laughing to her feet.

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Stzena

Overview

Stzena are bands of musicians who enjoy a unique role in Varushkan and Imperial society. They are the official musicians of Varushkan settlements, and are responsible for composing and performing music for all important civic events, local festivals and ceremonies. While individual members may also perform as individuals and in smaller groups, their responsibility is primarily to their village, and most of their work committments are with the Stzena. Historically, they were watchmen and sentries who were responsible for raising the alarm in with loud horns and drums when it came under attack from monsters, raiders or barbarians, but as the Wardens grew in influence and reach, the role of the Stzena became more musical and less militant, but no less important for that. Varushkans believe firmly that celebrating together keeps the night outside at bay, and the Stzena take their duty in leading this very seriously. However, many Stzena, particularly from smaller and more remote hamlets, also practice another trade, as the musical work is not generally well-paid, especially given the Varushkan prohibtion of singing and playing during daylight hours. When Varushkan dignitaries travel elsewhere in the Empire, they may take a local Stzena with them, both as a mark of status and also to entertain their retinue and the other Varushkans there.

No Stzena would dream of performing before nightfall (at least, not on Varushkan soil). Once the sun has set, however, they act as a focal point for their community, and usually Varushkans (particularly when far from home) gather together around them to drink, feast, dance and sing.

When creating a group of Stzena, you should decide on a territory and name a settlement from which your group comes. It is not necessary to be attached to a dignitary or group from the same area, but you may find this a good starting point. It is perfectly acceptable for several Stzena to come from different villages in the same area, and we would encourage a friendly (or not so friendly rivalry) between neighbouring groups.

It is usual for Stzena to perform for their national representatives at least once at any festival. If multiple Stzena are there, this usually takes the form of a friendly competition, where all the bands present play a set to entertain the Varushkan camp, at the end of which the audience cheer and stamp for their favourite, and the most senior Volhov present arbitrates a winner from amongst the bands. Usually the groups then share a drink and play a few traditional Varushkan songs together.

Creating a Stzena character

Fortunately playing a musician does not require any character points, so you can build any character you like, with your role as a Stzena musician simply adding an extra dimension to your game. The martial heritage of the Stzena makes using your points on combat-type skills a sound investment, but really there is no "wrong" character build.

You should read through Varushka Music and consider learning a few or more of the popular songs there, but please don't feel restricted to the material presented. Use the material and inspiration songlists as a starting point for your own creativity, and please don't forget to update the wiki with your own music so that it can become part of the national sound.

You don't need to be a virtuoso musician to play this type of character - Stzena are community musicians who often perform in their spare time rather than as full-time professionals, and a rough-and-ready sound is part of their musical style. Varushkan music prizes participation, enthusiasm and fun over mere technique, and the more people taking part the better.

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Suaq

The Suaq ancestral homeland is in the extreme north on shifting floes and walls of unmelting ice. They are consummate survivors who waste nothing and take nothing for granted. Most are hunters, scouts or guides, but shrewd pragmatism is the trait they bring to whatever path they choose. The traditional Suaq garb is a tight fur coat emblazoned with drawings and symbols of powerful creatures they have slain or enemies they have overcome. In warmer climes the coat is exchanged for tightly wrapped robes.

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Sular

Contents

- 1 The Ship, Rune of Discovery

- 1.1 Using Sular in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Sular

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Ship, Rune of Discovery

Affiliated with the Realm of Day

Sular is the Ship, and is the counterpart of Ophis, Rune of Revelation. It represents the questing spirit, the drive to learn and to expand one’s knowledge. It is the drive to explore, and to find things. It is sometimes called the Finder of Ways, and is often sewn into the sails of ships that must travel out of sight of land. It is sometimes used as a rune to help those who are lost, either literally or metaphorically, to get back on course.

Discovery never comes without effort; unlike the flash of inspiration that leads to revelation, Sular works best when combined with hard work. It is the rune of prognostication, which extrapolates from known facts to uncover truth. During divination, Sular is sometimes used to mitigate the negative effects of Ophis. The Rune of Revelation represents the truth or fact that is sought, while Sular serves as an intermediary that helps to guide the power of the magic.

Highborn magicians say that Sular was the name of the ship that carried Atun away from Pharos, while some Guerra claim that their founder used a dowsing pendulum marked with this rune to lead the Freeborn to their new homeland. In Varushka it is common to see Sular embroidered into gifts given during a Parting, in the hope that the rune will help guide a loved one safely home again.

Using Sular in magic

Sular is evoked with magic that finds things, scries locations or prognosticates from gathered information. It is a common rune to use when casting detect magic.

Crafting with Sular

This rune is popular with scholars who often wear it on a medallion or ring, or even have it as a tattoo. Sailmakers and shipwrights use it when building seagoing vessels to help guide vessels safely home, and for the same reason may be inscribed on a gift given to a loved one who must spend an extended period of time away from home.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Sular in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneSular.jef

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Sular's Promise

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 12

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 12

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a fleet. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target fleet earns additional profit during the next season, but only if it engages in foreign trade. The effect of the ritual increases the level of the target fleet by 6 ranks, which is sufficient to slightly more than double the production of a starting fleet.

The character who controls the target resource is under a roleplaying effect for at least ten minutes after the ritual is performed: they feel a strong sense of the importance of precision in agreements, especially trades and exchanges. They are disinclined to back down in negotiations until a mutually agreeable resolution is reached.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event. If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory. If the fleet does not engage in foreign trade during the next downtime, the ritual has no effect.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional fleets belonging to characters in the same band. Each additional fleet increases the magnitude by 10. The character who controls each fleet must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This ritual is sometimes called The Golden Beacon. Among other things it helps to ensure that a fleet will be able to predict, and be ready to take advantage of, good weather and excellent tides. The ships seem to adjust their courses by themselves, avoiding pirates, marine monsters, storms, reefs. hidden rocks and dangerous currents. Navigators and lookouts alike find their senses sharpened, and are much more able to predict problems or chart economic courses.

Mariners become much more efficient, more aware of their role on the ship and of the ship itself. Minor problems are dealt with before they become major problems, and crewmembers become more civil and cooperative towards each other, and strangers. If they engage in piracy, or otherwise seek out conflict, the enchantment fades quickly; if they remain committed to trade however the enchantment helps them deal as decisively with pirates and sea creatures as it does with damage to the ship and arranging the watch roster. A crew enchanted by this ritual does not become passive if anything they will fight without mercy if they are challenged - but becomes much more effective at functioning as a group. Finally, provisions last longer. They may be a little blander than expected, but they do not rot, go stale or become infested with worms. This alone is usually enough to dramatically improve morale, especially on long-haul expeditions.

When they engage in trade with foreigners, the ritual's last element comes into play. Traders find negotiation much easier; they are much more alert to subtle signs or tells in those they are dealing with; their civil demeanor is contagious; they find it easy to spot flawed or damaged merchandise, or goods that are not what they appear to be. They identify counterfeit coinage easily, and are always alert for short measures. While this ritual is no substitute for a good grasp of mercantile behavior, it makes it a lot easier for a trader to get a good deal once she knows what she is looking for.

The ritual is popular with everyone who engages in foreign trade. It is of special value to those nations who are not especially known for it. The ritual was first employed by the Highborn in the time of the patrician families when they called it Atuman's Promise. The Suaq traders of early Wintermark also used it extensively to guide their relatively fragile ships across great distances without encountering the storms or Jotun ships that could so easily devastate them, and they shared the secrets of the ritual with certain magicians from Meade who travelled many of the same routes.

Common Elements

The ritual both influences the weather and fills a crew with an attention to detail that helps ease both their passage and their trading exploits. Ritual performances often include the evocation of the rune of discovery. Foreign traders are a component of some rituals' Navarr ritualists often mix blood with that of a visitor to the Empire to symbolically encourage understanding between strangers; likewise, Varushkan ritualists might create an oath or promise between the target and a representative of a foreign land, and use that oath to strengthen the ritual.

Beacons are another common element; lanterns, lightstones or lamp oil are often used as a conduit for the ritual. Enchanted and purified, they are sent to the target fleet which uses them to light its way oversea. Stones from a prominent seaport may also be used, often both being marked with Sular and one carried with the fleet while the other remains in the sea port; this helps the ship find it's way home again. Finally flags or even sails woven by skilled ritualists might be enchanted with the ritual and used to help the ship navigate treacherous seas.

In The Brass Coast dolphins are often evoked; among the Winterfolk albatross.

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Sumaah Republic

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Terrain

- 3 People

- 4 Poltics

- 5 Magic

- 6 Religion

- 6.1 Shared Paragons and Exemplars

- 7 Look and Feel

- 8 Languages

- 9 The Sumaah Republic in Play

Overview

Before the Empire, missionaries of the nascent Way came to the jungles of Sumaah and called it 'the ends of the earth.' They found a corrupt, diseased kingdom ruled by despotic kings supported by a selfish and idolatrous religion. Yet they also found embers of their own faith, hidden in old stories and legends. They fanned those embers, and without warning ignited a revolution. A people sickened by the excesses of their leaders, hungry for a philosophy of truth, took the teachings of the Way and forged a sword with which they swept away the corrupt and the greedy and built something new, and better.

For nearly a century, emissaries and diplomats traveled the vast distances between Sumaah and the Empire. Few pilgrims managed to make the arduous journey to Highguard, but those who did were increasingly dissatisfied with what they found - compromise, expediency and tolerance were poisoning the roots of the shared faith. The Sumaah had no interest in joining the Empire, and so were denied a place in the Imperial Synod; indeed, they saw little in the Imperial Synod that was relevant to them - the virtues of Ambition and Pride made it clear to these fervent converts that to look to an outside source for guidance would be wicked.

Eventually the Sumaah had had enough. In 118 YE, during the reign of Empress Aenea the Republic broke with the Imperial Synod and technically excommunicated not only the Empress but all the priests of the Empire. The Empire was technically at war with the Sumaah Republic for the next two hundred years, but the vast distances involved meant that military conflict was all but impossible, All trade between the Republic and the Empire ceased, however, and it was not until 326 YE that the trade-routes were re-opened.

Today. the Sumaah are a great power. Their ambition is limitless; they regularly engage in wars of conquest with their neighbours. converting them to the faith by sword and spear. Those who will not convert are given a simple choice to leave, or die. They burn with the fire of the zealot, and those who live near them look with some concern towards their borders. Still, they are far away and while some priests of the Synod insist on debating what they call the Sumaah problem, for most of the Empire they are little more than another exotic foreign nation, far away, that just happens to have a faith in common with the Empire.

Of particular interest to Imperial citizens outside of the Synod are the Sumaah ports which are open to trade with the Empire.

The jungles of Sumaah

Terrain

The Sumaah Republic far lies to the south-west of the Empire on the northern shores of a continent that is almost entirely unknown to the Empire. It is much warmer than even the Brass Coast. While the common image of Sumaah is that of a land is dominated by great swathes of tropical and sub-tropical jungle, dotted with sprawling pyramid-cities and overlooked by a spine of cloud-scraping mountains, in actuality most of the people make their homes in fertile coastal areas; the heart of the jungle is as impenetrable to the Sumaah as it is to anyone else.

This misperception persists because the majority of the Sumaah Republic is unknown to Imperial travelers. Foreigners are not welcome outside the port-city of Zemeh, and are forcibly returned there - or even exiled from the nation forever - if they are discovered elsewhere. The cities are undeniably wonderful; Sumaah architecture tends towards the creation of great stone buildings with most public structures being pyramids or many-stepped ziggurats riddled with passages and chambers. A family of urban Sumaah is more likely to occupy a series of apartments in a squat three-storey building shared with other families than to have a private structure of their own; only the wealthiest or largest families have entirely private residences.

Almost every city or large town is built on the banks of one of the wide, slow-moving rivers that run down through the jungle to the sea. The majority are built at the mouths of the rivers, while those cities built in-land tend to be smaller and often dedicated to the exploitation of specific valuable resources. Boats and ships are vital to the nation, due to the difficulty of constructing roads in the fast-growing jungles - the few roads that do exist are wide, straight constructions that cut through the teeming jungle and require constant maintenance.

This tendency to build along the coast lead to the second-century Dawnish diplomat Bernice de Clevau dubbing the nation "One of those long, thin countries such as you see nowhere else - a bit like a giant comb built of stone, wood and water."

The southern city of Cuslo

People

The Sumaah are first and foremost devout, and the philosophy of the Way permeates all aspects of their life. Families engage in regular communal acts of discussion and readings from books and scrolls that discuss the Way and it's teachings. Almost all art serves a religious function, from the statues of the Paragons that decorate the facades of many public buildings, to the instructional rhymes the children sing.

All citizens of the Sumaah Republic are human. Orcs and gargoyles are viewed as subhuman, fit only to be slaves; when the Suumah encounter an orc tribe, they exterminate it. The Sumaah do not keep slaves - doing so is seen as being an offense against the very fundamentals of Prosperity. It is also one of their many points of contention with the Asavean Archipelago - although it is a minor point compared to the many other reasons the Sumaah have to despise that northern nation of idolators.

The lineaged are viewed with a little suspicion by urban Sumaah, and there is some social pressure for them to remain celibate. This stems less from concens about their souls and more from the fact that they were invariably the priests of the corrupt idol-based religion the Sumaah followed in the distant past. Rural Sumaah tend to be much more tolerant of and accepting of the lineaged. For it's part the Präster (a Sumaah term for priest, pronounced roughly as "pressed-AIR"; singular Präst, used by both men and women) teach that while the lineaged must master the influences of their blood, as long as they accept that challenge they are due the same rights as any other citizen of the Republic.

The Way encourages humans to seek new knowledge and put it to practical use. The Sumaah are at least as technically adept as the people of the Empire, although some inventions (such as the crossbow or the printing press) have not proved popular. Only in the area of philosophy do the Präster exert overt control, and while there may be many natural scientists in Sumaah there are very few philosophers.

The jungles are home to many creatures considered marvelous by Imperial travelers. A number of species of massive drakes are known to be native to the Sumaah jungles, including several breeds that have been domesticated as watch-beasts, companions and beasts of burden. Indeed, the burly workdrake is used where the Empire might use oxen. The forests and jungles are also home to a profusion of brightly-coloured birds and big-cats, as well as uncountable breeds of insect many unknown in colder climates. The shores teem with giant turtles, and immense panthers move like oiled juggernauts through the deeper jungles preying on great drakes and humans alike.

Poltics

The citizens of the Republic democratically elect representatives to sit in the House of the People which meets in the city of Timoj somewhere in the southern heartlands. These representatives rule on behalf of the people, raising taxes, initiating public works, and ensuring that the populace prosper. In practice, however, Sumaah is a theocracy in all but name. The Präster of the Way have an unlimited ability to veto the decisions of the representatives in the name of Virtue. The day-to-day running of the nation is accomplished by the Virtue assemblies, and law is enforced by the religiously appointed Censors who interpret the laws passed by the republic. For the most part, however, the Assemblies do not interfere in the business of the House of the People as long as they remain virtuous and lawful.

The Assembly of Courage controls all armed forces

Individual Präster have greater political power than their counterparts in the Empire, but they are also more carefully monitored by their peers. The individual Virtue assemblies wield sweeping powers over the people. For example, the Assembly of Vigilance maintains the Censors, responsible for enforcing and ensuring all laws are respected, while the Assembly of Courage effectively controls all military forces within the nation. The Assembly of Wisdom is responsible for education and for ensuring all written works are truthful, while the Assembly of Loyalty ensures all elections are scrupulously honest and that all representatives are truly reflecting the wishes of their constituents.

There are no nobles in Sumaah; everyone is a citizen. Individual wealth goes some way towards creating a simple class-structure, but the wealthy are expected to spend appropriate amounts of their wealth in celebration of their prosperity. Every individual is equally worthy of protection before the law, and the Assembly of Ambition works tirelessly to help citizens achieve their greatest potential in the service of the nation.

Under the auspices of the Assembly of Pride, the Sumaah engage in wars of conquest against their neighbours. These crusades are fought carefully and methodically, targeting the nations most offensive to the Sumaah first and wherever possible integrating them into the Republic through diplomacy and forced conversion. Imperial scholars extimate that the Sumaah have destroyed five other smaller nations in the last 400 years, completely absorbing their lands and their people. The one nation they have had no luck destroying is the one they would most like to - the Asavean Archipelago offends the Sumaah to the core, but they have had only limited success spreading the fire of crusade to the northern nation, partly due to the distances involved.

It would be easy to dismiss Sumaah as a totalitarian theocratic dictatorship, but it would also be slightly unfair. The majority of Präster appear to genuinely believe they are upholding the greater good. Präst who become corrupt or self-serving is stripped of authority and usually executed. The Assemblies repeatedly speak of using their veto to prevent the representatives making mistakes, rather than out of any desire to control or dominate the secular authorities. Before wielding their power, the Assemblies often debate the pros and cons of action and inaction for days on end before reaching a decision. As Bernice de Clevau wrly commented in her final letter to the Senate in 118YE "The garden of tyranny is laid out with the best of intentions."

Magic

Many magicians in Sumaah are also Präster, and the virtue assemblies are known to maintain cadres of ritualists who specialise in specific areas of magic. For example, there are many covens within the Assembly of Prosperity who specialise in magical effects similar to Rivers of Gold or The Lure of Distant Shores while the Assembly of Vigilance has covens who make good use of divinations such as Signs and Portents.

On a practical level, Sumaah magicians are known to use the music of the spheres, but they do not use runes or anything recognisable as dramaturgy. While in the Empire some magicians evoke the names of paragons or exemplars, magical beasts or Eternals, doing so in Sumaah would be at best heresy and at worst blasphemy. The most common form of magic involves the manipulation of physical materials or energies, devoid of spiritual powers. For example, fire, polished crystals and and water are both used extensively, as are coloured sands or earths. Blood, as long as it comes from living humans, may also be used as a representative of the spiritual power of the human soul. Tools such as metal bowls, mirrors and knives are also popular because the shaping of raw materials into useful tools is a potent symbol of the way humans can shape the world and the powers of magic to their own end. Some scholars refer to this oddly eclectic set of traditions as spiritual materialism.

An old shrine to forgotten spirits

The people of Sumaah know that magic is a tool, like any other; but like any other tool it is dangerous in the wrong hands. Magicians in the Republic are carefully monitored. Any magical effect that creates a lingering aura of any sort (OOC: roleplaying effect.) is strictly monitored. Rituals such as The Chamber of Delights and Crystal Clarity of the Rational Soul are considered blasphemous, for example, while the performance of rituals such as Splendid Panoply of Knighthood will often be observed by a Präst who will then use a ceremony of exorcism to remove the lingering feeling of personal prowess and self confidence created by the ritual.

Interaction with Eternals is carefully monitored, and magicians who interact with an Eternal outside of the presence of a Präst are usually censured or viewed with suspicion. The Sumaah know a number of Eternals unknown to the Empire - the only ones both nations are known to regularly interact with are Leviathan and Yaw'nagrah. The Night Eternal Sadogua is considered an enemy of the REpublic; it's heralds are destroyed on sight, and magicians who interact with it are usually tried for idolatry.

Partially due to this level of control, and partially due to the emphasis on less supernatural means of resolving problems, the Sumaah republic lags behind the rest of the world in terms of magical might - it has not a fraction of the magical capability of the Empire or the heathen Principalities of Jarm. It makes up for this by having more organized magical traditions than any other nation with the possible exception of the Commonwealth.

Many citizens of the Republic prefer to avoid magic altogether; they would rather receive the blessings of the faith in the form of anointing or hallows that the magical effects of a ritual.

Religion

A Sumah Präst of Prosperity

The Way is the only philosophy tolerated in Sumaah. The Präster of the Republic share the same core values as the Imperial Synod; they recognise the same virtues and agree broadly in the guidance they offer in pursuing those virtues. Their symbols remain broadly the same, although the labyrinth image used in Sumaah is often rendered in three-dimensions rather than two, often resembling a circular or septagonal pyramid.

Where they differ greatly from the Empire is in their absolute adherence to dogma. Having accepted that the Way is correct, they have come to the conclusion that all other philosophies must logically be incorrect. Given that the greatest good lies in ensuring that human souls pass quickly through the labyrinth, it follows that any action that impedes that progress must be evil. Left to their own devices, people may choose easy paths that lead to evil - in the same way that a child may stick their hand in a fire. It falls to the wise to prevent the ignorant from making evil choices, just as it falls to a parent to prevent their child harming themselves. Several popular treatises in Sumaah claim that anarchy is the most wicked of the malign spiritual presences because it claims that the freedom to do evil, the freedom to make catastrophic mistakes. is a virtue.

As a result the Präster of the Republic are committed to enforcing the teachings of the Way, even on those who might choose other paths. Where heretics and blasphemers may be prosecuted in the Empire, they are persecuted in the Republic. There is a scale of punishments available to the Präster, and they do their best to ensure that deeds are punished over words and intent is punished offer accident but at the end of the day their tolerance extends only so far. Heretics and blasphemers are hanged, while idolators are hanged until they lose consciousness then burnt alive on slow-burning pyres. An honest repudiation of heresy or blasphemy can earn a reprieve from the gallows. but the slightest backsliding is likely to result in death. While the Sumaah accept that a heretic can turn their life around, if they judge the heretic incapable of doing so it is better that they enter the labyrinth now and begin preparing for their next life. The harshest punishments are reserved for those who teach heretical or blasphemous doctrine; the next harshest are reserved for Präster who abuse their position. In Sumaah the ceremony of excommunication is invariably a prelude to execution.

The Präster are divided into the same Virtue Assemblies as the Empire, including the Assembly of the Way. In theory, there is also a General Assembly but in practice the kind of powers that would be wielded by the General Assembly in the Empire are wielded by the Assembly of the Way, which is without doubt the most powerful of the eight Assemblies. The Council of Eight is made up of the seven Cardinals of the virtue assemblies and two Cardinals from the Assembly of the Way. No National assemblies exist; rather there are Local assemblies made up of all the Präster in a village or city ward who meet to pass judgements, hear criminal cases, and the like.

The Republic produces large amounts of liao - great plantations controlled by the Assembly of the Way are dedicated to the cultivation of plants used to create their own version of this precious substance. They sell their surplus to merchants from the Empire and the Commonwealth, and while the 'recipe' may differ, the results are the same - some Imperial priests claim it has a 'smoky' quality. It is often prepared in the form of incense that is burnt and inhaled - indeed, incense is one of the most common luxury goods found in Sumaah and it is a common feature in both public places and private homes.

Before they embraced the Way, the people of Sumaah were literal idolators, making offerings of valuables and good to a small pantheon of spirits combining idealised animal qualities with elemental powers. The religion was utterly dominated by the secular powers who used the greed and corruption of the heathen priests to control the masses. In the wake of the reforms that created the modern Republic, the idols were cast down. Imperial scholars are quick to point out, however, that several of the Paragons embraced by the practitioners of the Way in Sumaah bear a striking resemblance to the idols their ancestors worshipped. Vena the Great-heated Paragon of Courage shares many attributes and stories with Fire-Lion while depictions of the Paragon of Wisdom that the Sumaah call Zoria have more in common with the idol called Cloud Eagle than with the Ushkan sorceress.

Shared Paragons and Exemplars

Despite the schisms, the Sumaah share certain paragons and exemplars with the faithful of the Empire. They acknowledge the Paragons Tian, Korl, and Atun as well as the Exemplar Zemress. They also recognise a Paragon they call The Builder who seems to be the same Paragon that the Empire knows as The Sentinel.

Other than this, the Sumaah and the Empire maintain separate lists of Exemplars and Paragons. One interesting note made by an Imperial scholar who spent many years in Zemeh is that the Exemplar of Courage they call Amma the Wanderer bears a resemblance to Adelmar the Lion, and that the historical provenance for the character (who appears in Sumaah stories in the 780YE) supports this contention. No proof either way has been gathered to date.

Look and Feel

Basic Sumaah costume

The Sumaah Republic is inspired by the Mayan and South American native cultures. Loose garments in single bright colours are common, as is brightly coloured jewelry. In their normal climate, a short tunic or even a skirt or woolen kilt is sufficient coverage to protect against the elements. Those travelling to cooler climates may add a loose robe cinched at the waist or even a long poncho likewise tied at the middle with a decorated belt. The costume may be slightly more 'classical' in feel - long tunics are common, for example - representing the influence of the Asavean Archipelago in the prehistory of the Sumaah.

Tattoos and piercings are common, and jewellry is selected for its aesthetic value before it's material worth. Orichalcum alloys (gold and red-gold metals) are common. Feathers and semi-precious stones are a common feature of their national costume; when at home, brightly coloured jungle flowers are regularly used as temporary decorations for the person or the home. Animal products are common in costume and decoration - the hides of jungle cats, leather made from drakehide, and polished turtle shell are all common components.

While they may use animal products, the Sumaah avoid using animal imagery in their costumes or decorations - unlike real-world Aztec or Native American costumes animal head-dresses for example would be considered heretical by the Sumaah. The Varushkan animal icons, for example, would be blasphemous to the Sumaah.

Almost everyone in Sumaah has a religious symbol of some sort that they wear or carry at all times. This might be a tattoo, but is most commonly a piece of jewellry or a belt that can be worn with many different suits of clothing.

Sumaah is not as iron-rich as the Empire. Spears and axes (which serve double-duty as tools for hunting or crafting as well as weapon) are common as are bows. Daggers are usually a sign of some wealth or status, and swords are reserved for professional soldiers or the very wealthy. Armour is often of hide or thick leather, with only professional soldiers or the most wealthy owning suits of metal armour which are often passed down from generation to generation.

To Imperial eyes. the Sumaah are even more exotic and strange than the Jarmish or the Asaveans. Of course the dour colours and restrictive styles of the Imperials are just as jarring to the Sumaah eye.

Languages

The Sumaah speak a number of languages which, according to their histories, are the languages spoken by their distant ancestral tribes. The dominant languages are represented by those of the north germanic or Scandinavian language group, especially Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. The three languages are used interchangably, and many Präster are fluent in all of them (and often several rarer dialects, commonly spoken by the people of conquered nations). No one language dominates, and when people talk about the Sumaah language they could be referring to any one or all of them.

The Sumaah Republic in Play

The Sumaah appear exotic, and are made all the more exotic by their adherence to a faith that they share with the Empire. They have the fervour of the convert - the Empire tolerates insults to it's faith that would have the average Sumaah reaching for a noose. They can appear dour, but it is important to undestand that they generally celebrate their religion; the Way liberated them from centuries of despotic rule by cruel overlords. It exalts the human spirit, and tells every one of them that they are important and that they have ultimate control of their own destiny.

While the Präster are totalitarian, arguably facisistic, to outsiders they are in the main motivated by a genuine concern for the spiritual wellbeing of their people. They simply believe that they alone know what is best for their people. Most Sumaah look at the Empire and see a nation of cowardly backsliders who lack the courage of their convictions, who would rather talk than act, and who would rather let someone die that risk some incomprehensible notion of egalitarian freedom.

It is entirely appropriate to play a Sumaah character who has left the Republic in search of freedom, or to avoid persecution or execution for heretical or blapshemous beliefs that the Empire would take in it's stride. Likewise, a character who is a magician or whose parents were magicians might have left Sumaah to avoid the restrictive way the practice of magic is controlled by the Präster. It is also worth noting that to the Republic 'not believing' is the same as being a heretic - characters who might in the real world be considered agnostics or atheists have good reason to leave Sumaah behind. For that matter, a Sumaah missionary Präst here to try and convince the Imperials to adopt a less liberal interpretation of the faith might also make for a fun character concept.

For all that this description of the Republic goes into some depth, Sumaah is also an enigma to the Empire. For everything they know about it there are a dozen unanswered questions, and the Sumaah like it that way. Backgrounds that involve extensive exploration in Sumaah, or contacts outside Zemah, are unlikely to be approved.

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Sumaah Republic ports

Overview

There is only one port available to Imperial characters with the fleet resource; Zemeh, where the Sumaah Republic tolerates the presence of foreigners.

A few Imperial fleets avoid Zemeh and trade with a few of the scattered states to the south of the Republic - adding several weeks to their journey. These smaller states tend to either look to Sumaah for protection, or else are hostile to foreigners of every stripe - in either case they trade in roughly the same goods (OOC: It is fine to role-play trading with one of the subject nations, but your character will receive the same goods regardless of whether they go to Nemoria proper or not.)

Thecity of Zemeh

Zemeh

Ruthlessly egalitarian, the citizens of the Sumaah Republic embrace the Way but disagree with their Imperial cousins on matters of doctine. Only in Zemeh are traders from the Empire welcome. It is a sprawling jungle-city of secrets, soaring stone pyramids, brooding priests and grim-faced censors who have no patience for those who challenge either their religion or their carefully guarded Prosperity.

Imperial traders visiting Zemeh are often drawn by the opportunity to purchase liao - it is one of very few places outside the Empire that creates this rare visionary narcotic. Indeed, Sumaah law carefully regulates the sale of liao to non-Imperial traders, considering it a crime verging on blasphemy to sell the substance to those who might use it for irreligious purposes.

While foreign visitors are made welcome, they often report a feeling of being watched and their behaviour judged. It is possible that the hot, humid climate is at least partially reponsible for the discomfort felt by visitors - Zemeh is on the coast, but the jungles press close to the walls and merchants used to more temperate climes often find it oppressive. Foreigners are not welcome outside the walls of Zemeh - those discovered in the jungle are usually ejected and asked not to return but more serious trespass may result in much more draconian punishment.

It should be noted that the Sumaah Republic is not a police-state, however. The people are often genuinely hospitable, and reasonably tolerant of the idiosyncrasies of outsiders - with the exception of Asaveans, who are not welcome here.

In addition to Liao, the Sumaah are particularly rich in dragonbone which is particularly abundant in the jungles of the interior; their mines provide them with a surplus of orichalcum; and the herb that Imperials know as Imperial Roseweald grows especially abundantly in this warm country.

Trade with Zemeh

A starting fleet resource that engages in trade with Zemeh during downtime will produce 4 ingots of orichalcum, 4 measures of dragonbone and 3 vials of liao. A fleet that has been upgraded, or that engages in piracy, will produce more valuable resources according to this chart of foreign ports (including imperial roseweald).

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Summer Realm (Redirected from Summer)

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Summer magic

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Resonance

- 2.1 Prowess

- 2.2 Nobility

- 2.3 Triumph

- 2.4 Majesty

- 2.5 Adamant

- 2.6 Wroth

- 2.7 Youth

- 3 Dissonance

- 3.1 Subtlety

- 3.2 Cooperation

- 3.3 Contemplation

- 3.4 Debilitation

- 4 Further Reading

Overview

The magic of summer is strong, youthful, majestic and awe-inspiring. It is the irresistable splendour of the mountain or the mighty oak, the soaring eagle, the roar of the lion, the proud stag. It lives in the roar of the victorious and the sweet ache in the muscles that comes from fighting or running just for the sake of it. It does no stoop to petty concerns; it is larger-than-life, and it is glorious.

At its most basic summer covers the magic of strength. It enhances individuals, making them more than they are. It doesn't heal wounds, but it can grant the capacity to resist and overcome injury. It makes this more powerful, more majestic, more awe-inspiring, but it can also make make them more rigid, more unyielding, and often more stubborn. Summer magic can cause targets to be over-confident and impetuous.

It is the ideal realm with which to work enchantments on people that make them more powerful. While this is most often used to grant physical, literal strength or prowess it is just as useful for making a magician's magic more powerful, a priest more charismatic, or a wall more resistant to damage. Magicians who work extensively with Summer magic often talk of the exhilaration it brings, the feeling of accomplishment that comes from touching a bottomless well of raw strength and bending it to their will. A powerful Summer ritual is sometimes compared to a battle - the magicians are left aching and tired at the end as if they had engaged in a wrestling match with the raw power of magic.

Summer magic is the most powerful because it empowers mortals to overcome any obstacle, or resist any opponent, through strength and the raw will to succeed.

Resonance

Prowess

Enhancing individuals to make them more capable is the single most important resonance of Summer magic. The most obvious use is to make an individual stronger or more capable in battle, but Summer magic can go further, enhancing a character's heroic stature in many different ways. Rituals that enhance a character's raw magical strength fall soundly within the remit of Summer. Of the six realms of magic, Summer resonates most strongly with enchantments that boost a person's capabilities.

Examples: Renewed Strength of the New Day, Tenacity of Jotra, Strength of the Bull, Crimson Ward of Summer Stars, Devastating Maul of Inga Tarn, Talon of the Gryphon, Might of the Myrmidon, Unbreakable Behemoth's Strength, Chasuble of Majesty.

Nobility

With its unmatched ability to grant prowess, Summer magic also resonates with rituals that grant the subject confidence or make them appear more inspirational to others. They often lend a nobility of spirit to the subject making them proud and glorious in demeanour. Rituals that make a leader more inspirational, more charismatic are not universally effective - only rarely do they influence other heroes - but they do exert a notable effect on soldiers and the common citizenry of the Empire.

Examples: The Empower spell, Glorious Crown of Enchantment, Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords, Mantle of Lordly Might.

Triumph

A resonance with rivalry and competition is not exclusive to the Summer Realm, but Summer is especially suited to magic that encourages individuals to rise to the challenge. It is not easy to cast Summer rituals that encourage groups to come together to attempt a challenge; cooperation and mutual support is a dissonance of Summer magic, but the Summer realm has a strong resonance for personal challenge, for proving one's self, for seeking and attaining personal triumph.

Examples: Champions Shining Resolve, Raise the Standard of War, Challenge the Iron Duke, Glory to the Sovereign.

Majesty

Things are larger than life in the Summer Realm. This means both individuals, but also places and things. A mine in Summer produces diamonds the size of your fist, a mountain reaches up to scrape the sky, a bear is the size of an elephant with hide that turns arrows aside. When Summer destroys its strength is irresistible - earthquakes shake the earth, meteors fall from the sky, a forest-fire tears through a woodland consuming everything with awesome heat, a shout breaks windows and sends people flying.

Examples: Delve Deep, Beneath the Mountain, Strong Ox, Golden Sun, and Thundering Roar of the Lion-bound Horn.

Adamant

Summer magic encourages everything it touches to resist change. It resonates with rituals that make things unyielding, uncompromising and unrelenting. This can be a weakness; things created with Summer magic are often inflexible and stubborn. When someone under a Summer effect makes up their mind, they stick with it - there's no room for doubt. But if a thing needs to be made resilient, more durable, then sufficient Summer magic can be used to make a subject almost unbreakable.

Despite this resonance, Summer magic has no resonance for metals, even base metals, which are more the dominion of Autumn. But stone, especially worked stone, is particularly attuned to the realm of Summer and rituals to create, enhance and repair stone constructions are the domain of this realm.

Examples: Stout Resolve of the Unyielding, The Vigour of Youth, The Sound of Drums, Unbreakable Spirit, Unbreakable Blades, and Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canea.

Wroth

The intoxicating majesty and splendour of the Summer Realm have a dark side. The Summer Realm resonates strongly with confidence and force of personality, but powerful enchantments can make the subject over-confident and quick to anger if rebuffed. Summer curses can shorten a victim's temper or make them jealous. Many of the eternals of the Summer Realm are described as wrathful, such that furious anger is commonly associated with the Summer Realm.

Youth

Summer resonates strongly with youth. This is not the childlike energy of Spring, but rather the time when a being is coming of age, developing the strength of body and personality that characterises those who are new to adulthood. Youthful, strong and prone to drama, firm in the belief of their own immortality.

Examples: Renewed Strength of the New Day.

Dissonance

Subtlety

Magic of the Summer Realm is rarely discreet. It shares this weakness with magic of the Spring Realm, but where Spring magic has an inexorable tendency to be wild and overpowering, Summer magic works best when it can deliver the most dramatic impact. A Summer ritual to destroy a castle is much more likely to unleash an earthquake or call down a meteor than it is to cause the castle to quietly crumble away. It is as if the magic wants to be impress, to make everything larger than life. Even something as simple as a messenger spell is likely to include a herald blowing a trumpet when the letter is delivered if performed using Summer magic.

Cooperation

Summer magic works best when it empowers individuals or small tight-knit groups with an existing common purpose. Powerful Summer magic seeks to inspire those it touches to be heroes, but such heroism rarely lends itself to the sublimation of the individual for the common good. Summer is strongly dissonant with any magic that attempts to bring disparate groups together in a common cause. Once human interactions pass into the realm of Autumn; trade, negotiation, treaties, deals, and alliances, they immediately become completely dissonant with Summer. Complex ideas and symbolic meanings, most notably fiat money are simply anathema to Summer. As result that rituals that directly increase wealth are exceptionally difficult to perform with Summer magic.

Contemplation

Few eternals of the Summer Realm are known for their patient or thoughtful nature. Enchantments of the realm echo this essential nature, encouraging those affected to be bold, dramatic, and decisive, but also impulsive and impetuous. Those who experience summer enchantments sometimes attribute their actions to the urgings of the magic as if the realm wanted them to do it.

Whatever the truth it is certain that Summer magic is dissonant with any effects that seek to create calm, contemplation, and cogitation. The prescient divinations of Day, even the mystical wisdom of Night are almost completely impossible to reproduce with Summer magic, even where the subject is one of interest to the Summer Realm.

Debilitation

The natural resonance of Summer magic is to make the subject more potent and imposing. It is quite possible to create effects with Summer magic that will lead to harm for others, a warrior can be enchanted to deliver mighty blows, a magician may conjure a rain of fire to hurl at a castle. But it is almost impossible to use Summer magic directly to debilitate something, to make something weaker. There are few curses in Summer and those that are known to be employed by Summer eternals usually make the target stubborn, angry or over-confident rather than making them weak.

Powerful Summer curses tend to turn the world against the target. Warriors find themselves sought out by the most dangerous enemies on the battlefield, magicians find eternals growing angry during every encounter. Every wound is traumatic, every blow is mortal. Perversely such curses sometimes strengthen the target but the weight of fate always threatens to overwhelm them.

Further Reading

- Ritual theory

- Spring magic

- Summer magic

- Autumn magic

- Winter magic

- Day magic

- Night magic

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

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Realms (Redirected from Summer Realm)

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Realm

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Summer rituals

Ritual

Explanation

Magnitude

Renewed Strength of the New Day

Removes weakness condition.

2

Tenacity of Jotra

Grants a rank of fortitude for a day.

2

Strength of the Bull

Grants one rank of endurance for a season.

4

Strong Ox, Golden Sun

Replaces blessing of new spring with enhanced production for a farm for two seasons.

4

The Hammer of Thunder

Grants one shatter each day for a season with a two-handed weapon.

4

The Leaping Hare

Grants one strikedown each day for a season with a pole-arm.

4

The Swan's Cruel Wing

Grants one cleave each day for a season with any weapon.

4

Clad in Golden Raiment

Grants a minor enhancement to a military unit that fights as part of a campaign army.

5

Stout Resolve of the Unyielding

Suppresses the effects of a traumatic wound until end of battle.

5

Unbreakable Spirit, Unbreakable Blades

Grants a one-use ability to mend a weapon, implement or shield.

5

The Sound of Drums

Grants one use of Unstoppable each day for a season.

6

Crimson Ward of Summer Stars

Grants two ranks of endurance while in mage armour for a day.

7

Champions Shining Resolve

Grants an additional hero point for a season.

8

The Vigour of Youth

Grants two ranks of fortitude for a season.

8

Chasuble of Majesty

Grants a priest the power to strengthen a ceremony with extra liao for a season.

9

Splendid Panoply of Knighthood

Grants one rank of endurance to a group for a day.

9

Delve Deep, Beneath the Mountain

Adds additional ingots and wealth to the production of a mine for a season.

12

Glorious Crown of Enchantment

Gives a coven a one-use ability to cast empower.

15

Raise the Standard of War

Grants a significant increase to the strength of a military unit in campaign battles.

20

Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords

Grants one rank of Summer lore for a Season.

28

Challenge the Iron Duke

Binds an Eternal to provide a challenge and a reward.

30

Devastating Maul of Inga Tarn

Grants four shatters a day against shields with a two-handed weapon for a season.

30

Mantle of Lordly Might

Grants three uses of Stay with Me or Get it Together every day for a season.

30

Talon of the Gryphon

Grants the ability to impale with a one-handed spear once a day for a season.

30

Glory to the Sovereign

Grants two ranks of endurance and 2 uses of cleave each day for a season.

34

Might of the Myrmidon

Grants weapon master, shield, cleaving blows, shattering blows, strikedown and thrown skills for a season.

40

Unbreakable Behemoth's Strength

Grants five ranks of endurance for a day.

40

Thundering Roar of the Lion-bound Horn

Allows one use of an area-of-effect repel call.

60

Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae

Creates a temporary supernatural fortification in mountainous territory.

64

Knights of Glory

Summons supernatural troops to enhance a campaign army.

120

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

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Sum of the Parts

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 15

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 15

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout..

The ritual also requires the participation of up to three additional characters, who must be present throughout, and must be both aware and willing.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

When the ritual is complete, each of up to three participants sacrifices one body hit for the duration of the enchantment. These body hits cannot be recovered by any means until the next sunrise, even if the Sum of the Parts enchantment ends prematurely.

A single target gains three additional ranks of Endurance. Participants in this ritual cannot also be the target of this ritual, although contributors can be either participants or targets.

The participants contributing endurance experience the roleplaying effect of lethargy and tiredness. By contrast, the target of the ritual experiences the roleplaying effect of being infused with great waves of energy and vitality that fill them with confidence in their abilities, especially their ability to lead others.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 10 and will require an additional three participants to sacrifice a rank of endurance. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual builds on Autumn concepts that an individual can exert greater power if he or she is part of a group. It draws vitality from the participants and transfers it to the target, creating a champion whose strength is drawn from their supporters. Interestingly, the lethargy that overcomes those contributing their health and vitality to the target can be overcome by the vital nature of those with briar lineage, making them excellent contributors to this ritual.

'The ritual was proposed by the famously bellicose Varushkan cabalist, Juha, known as The Cave Spider due to his decision to live alone in underground caverns rather than among his fellow magicians. Some say he wanted it because he was simply too lazy to attend battles in person and preferred to send an empowered apprentice in his stead. A more charitable interpretation might point to the well known tale of the Cave Spider's early life. Born with strong Ushka blood and with a physique more suited to study than battle, his mother dead in childbirth and his father a distant and unhappy Schlacta known for his strength and power - perhaps it is no surprise that Juha expressed an interest in the enhancement of vitality such as this ritual provides.

This was the first ritual contributed to Imperial Lore by Dean of the Lyceum Simargl of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash, called the Empty One. It became common knowledge following a decision of the Imperial Conclave and added to Imperial lore by a motion of the senate in Summer 377YE.

Common Elements

As with many rituals that involve transference of power or enhancement of strength, a goblet of wine, loaf of bread or other consumable passed from hand to hand between the participants contributing their health and the receipient are very appropraite. As a ritual developed by Varushkan magicians, promises of fealty are also appropriate, as is the giving of gifts between the participants; a Navarr magician might instead draw some blood from each of those contributing health and use it to paint the target or mix it with something that is the consumed.

The runes Lann, Rhyv and Verys are all appropriate - although the rune Queros would also be appropriate to targets who have a hierarchical relationship to one another. The character The Captain or The Bishop might be appropriate for dramaturgy, as may evocations of creatures such as wolves who stand as symbols of the strength of a group.

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Sundering Axe

Description

A sundering axe appears to be a normal one-handed axe or hatchet - perhaps a little heavier than one might expect, and with a tempest jade or weltsilver inlaid handle. Often the only hint to its properties is the presence of a rune such as Verys or Tykonus on the blade. When used to strike a weapon, mage implement or shield, however, the axe shears the offending item into pieces.

In the The League, there is a tradition of making broadswords colloquially called Butterknives, a waggish reference to the way the weapons cut through steel as if it was butter. For a similar reason, some Marcher or Navarri warriors refer to them as Hotknives. These weapons are often marked with the rune Hirmok, representing their dominance over other tools of war.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed weapon.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend hero point to call SHATTER with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a sundering axe requires nine ingots of tempest jade, seven ingots of orichalcum, five ingots of green iron and four measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The door to the tavern swung open, a soft drift of snow blew in to settle briefly on the floor before melting in the warmth of the hearth fire. A trio of figures stood at the threshold; wrapped in thick furs and hooded they peered into the tavern before flicking back their hoods and stepping inside. The last to enter pulled the door shut behind him, the creak of old wood breaking the impromptu silence that accompanied their entrance. In the light of the fire their identity was a revealed, their grey-green skin and pointed ears marked them as orcs; reavers who bore no legion insignia and traveled in smaller bands throughout the Empire, slaying barbarians in the name of the Empire but without the formalities of life in the Imperial armies.

One of the three produced a large burlap sack from underneath the ice-crusted bearskin he wrapped around him, throwing it to the floor before a silent figure who sat alone by the fire, thick pipe-smoke billowing around him. The bag hit the floor with a heavy, wet thud, the crimson stain upon it spreading slowly as it lay there for a moment. The seated man propped it open for a second with his boot and nodded in satisfaction before tying it with thick leather and placing it beside him.

“It is done. It shall plague you no longer” the lead orc spoke, his voice hoarse and laboured; a ragged scar across his throat told a tale all in itself. “You promised us weapons of worth, human, do not disappoint” the thin chain of iron that ran from his lip to his ear, decorated with canine teeth jangled as he spoke. The tavern patrons had turned their heads from the trio of orcs, suddenly more concerned in their flagons of ale than anything else.

“And that you shall have” the man replied, his voice musical and calming, stark contrast to the grizzled orc before him. He unfurled the large silk bundle that lay on the table to reveal a trio of heavy, thick blades, inlaid with gleaming weltsilver, the skill of the craftsmanship at odds with the brutality of their design. “A full three turns of the moon have I worked upon them and they are as you asked. The song weaved inside them is begging to be sung. Not steel nor gem shall remain unbroken when their wrath is unleashed, be it weapon or witchwand they shall break like ice underfoot, their fury shall be as yours, orc, their glory shall be as yours.”

He wrapped the blades back up and handed them to the lead orc who grunted in approval and turned without so much as a word. With that the trio of orcs left, wrapping their furs around them once more and heading back out into the biting cold.

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Sunfire Pectoral

Description

A pectoral comes in a variety of forms, but the most common is a jewelled necklace that is suspended from the neck but hangs on the chest. They often have a large medallion, usually marked with runes. A sunfire pectoral is formed of orichalcum alloyed with gold or occasionally copper, coloured and polished with iridescent gloaming, and usually with green iron alloy chains holding it in place. They are often inlaid with decorative gemstones. It is common to see a sunfire pectoral marked with a heraldic device in Dawn, the League, Highguard and the Marches, but even in nations where heraldry is not common they tend to bear a symbol of either a leaping flame (especially in the Brass Coast, where a particularly garishly decorated pectoral is sometimes called a Flav's flame after a notorious corsair battle-magician) or the sun - a common symbol of the Virtue of Pride.

Wearers often seem to be energetic and passionate, and are especially vocal about strongly held beliefs or philosophies. It is common for the pectoral to bear the rune Zorech, which accentuates these traits.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour, you gain one additional personal mana and one additional rank of endurance.

- Materials: Crafting a sunfire pectoral requires five measures of iridescent gloaming, five ingots of orichalcum and eleven ingots of green iron. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Captain Flavio i Flav i Riqueza swished his hair in a dramatic arc, and struck a pose that was better suited to a painting than the prow of a ship. His outlandish garb was stark contrast to the corsair vessel with which he traveled; the rich dark wood and plain white sails only drew attention to the preposterous nature of his clothing.

In one hand he held an ebony rod, tipped with an orb of mithril and in the other an ornate scimitar. His red-and-gold coat was open to the waist, secured around his hips with a woven belt of gold and mithril and at his wrists with bronze-and-orichalcum bracers. At his brow, a golden circlet encrusted with thumb-sized rubies kept his greying hair back from his eyes. However, the item that drew the attention the most was the outlandish medallion around which hung from his neck down to his bare, tattooed chest.

It was the size of a Dawnish dinner plate, and glimmered in the blazing summer sun as the shipflew across the waves to Midport; the roaring inferno engraved on its orichalcum-alloyed surface seemed to leap and dance. Its edges were studded with a dozen lustrous topaz, each one worth a princely sum while the green iron chains that held it in place appeared so heavy that it was a wonder he didn't bend double and fall straight into the sea.

He caught one of the nearby corsairs looking over; a new addition to the crew, a lass who'd joined them in Siroc. He smiled and winked at her and beckoned her closer.

“Ah yes, you were admiting this, I think?” he gestured to the oversized piece of jewelry with his rod, “This my girl, is my proudest possession. It gives me more power than all the magi in the Spires of Urizen!”

He laughed at his own boast, an infectious chuckle.

“I have had it since I was a knee high to a briar; since I first learned how to fight like a magician. ‘Tis filled with powerful enchantments you see; the more my enemies see it, the more power it gives me. That’s why I make it look like this. So that everyone can see it.”

He winked down at her, once more adopting a pose and glancing out over the sea. The girl put her head on one side and considered for a moment. .

“Isn’t it a bit...heavy, captain?” she asked, astounded that the old man could comfortably bear the weight of the medallion around his neck.

“Ahh, I’ve had a little bit of vigour woven into it each time I get the boss enlarged. The fire that burns within it fills my veins and gives me the strength of an ox. While I wear this, I’ll burn as brightly as the sun’s flame and twice as hot. The Grendel and the pirates, they know it when they see it and they know that death is riding towards them on the wings of the wind. Flav’s Flame they'll call this, when one of them catches me sleeping and manages to cut my throat. Until then ... I stand here on the prow, and I light the way ahead for us.”

He grinned again.

"You should be to your duties of the First Mate will give you the sharp side of her tongue! Perhaps this evening when we are safe in the parador at Midport I'll tell you the story of how it saved my life when I was shipwrecked on the island of Cos! Or the time I had to use it as a bowl to carry the waters of the blue lagoon to the witch Isolde!"

He chuckled a little to himself as the girl scampered back to the ropes she had been coiling. Flavio turned his gaze back to the horizon, scanning for trouble, and wondered how many more times he would enlarge the pectoral before death finally caught up with him.

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Sung

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Night

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Night

Sobriquets

Sung is the Rainbow Serpent. This Eternal appears equally at home in male or female guises - as a shapeshifter Sung can take on whatever form it considers appropriate. It is usually considered to be female, however, and often identifies itself as such - regardless of the gender (if any) of the form it has taken.

Sung collects neither titles nor sobriquets, but acquires them nonetheless. In some places she is called the Whispering Wind, while Kallavesi mystics refer to her as the Feather on the Breeze. She is both Lady of Mysteries and Lord of Illusions, as well as the Spiral Dancer in the Brass Coast. In Urizen several Spires celebrate her as the Everflowing River and hang brightly coloured streamers on their battlements that dance and sway in the wind.

In Jarm she is called Neznámy Otázka which means 'unknown question' while in the Commonwealth she is referred to by a name that roughly translates as "the one who hides the truth under its wings".

It is well known that Sung claims that her name both is and is not actually Sung. Before his unexpected disappearance while investigating the Whisper Gallery the Dawnish enchanter Warwick de Alyons put forward a theory suggesting that Sung's real name may actually be expressed as music rather than words - in that this would mean it was not "Sung" but was still 'sung' (rather than spoken). The Eternal did not confirm or deny, but did allegedly favour the clever Dawnishman with a special boon of which he never spoke.

Appearance

Sung admits freely that it is a serpent - that her true form is that of a limbless snake with feathered wings (as distinct from a wyrm , the Night Eternals whose true form is that of a wingless lizard). As with other serpents, this tends to mean that Sung is more cerebral and philosophical than the earthy, practical Eternals such as Sadogua; she is concerned with subtle, esoteric matters. Unlike her fellow serpents such as Soghter, however, Sung appears to be somewhat grounded and less prone to the kind of extremes that lead scholars to dub an Eternal 'mad'.

Her most common appearance is as a naga dressed in layers of loose multicoloured robes. Regardless of their precise cut, they always include flowing sleeves that suggest wings. She usually wears a head-dress of brightly coloured feathers, similar to those favoured by many Sumaah. This head-dress often holds in place a veil, similar to those popular in parts of Highguard.

Sung is soft spoken, with a gentle and pleasant temperament, but given to teasing and asking impossible or leading questions. She rarely raises it's voice and appears to genuinely enjoy pleasant conversation. She especially enjoys the discussion of mysteries, enigmas and riddles - not so much the attempt to answer them, but the joy that comes from sharing theory and speculation with like-minded individuals.

This Eternal is usually encountered alone - she often seems quite solitary in her nature. Her heralds usually wear multicoloured garb, and share her desire to discuss enigmas and inexplicable events. They tend to express a deep personal affection for their patron - and almost alone of the Heralds of the Night Eternals there are none do not identify themselves as her children.

Concerns

Sung is closely associated with the rune Wyr. She adores mysteries, as distinct from secrets; she loves to explore, expound on, discuss and study the things that nobody knows the truth about. It is mostly disinterested in discovering the solution or answer to a mystery - unless that solution or answer itself raises more mysteries. "It is the mystery which endures." says Sung. "The light of truth kills the mystery, and leaves the seeker desolate." That isn't to say that she will not help those who seek to fathom out a mystery, but the greater the enigma the more tangential or esoteric her aid is likely to be.

Like may Night Eternals she loves art - especially music, spoken poetry and stories, drama and dance - but prefers them improvised rather than technical. She also appears to take endless delight in well-done misdirection, sleight of hand ad the skills of mundane magicians. It is known to have little appreciation of sculpture, painting or literature unless those art forms are full of allegory and multi-layered metaphor. Unsurprisingly, she loves mystery stories - but one of the few things known to anger her is the explanation that so often comes at the end of a mystery story or play. It is wise, when performing for Sung, to leave the resolution of the mystery unstated and instead engage in speculation about how the story might have developed.

There are certain mysteries that Sung returns to time and again. They include the purpose of death; where life comes from; the existence of the soul; the meaning of existence; the identity of the Creator; the nature of love; the meaning of faith; the point of suffering, and why living beings have the capacity to appreciate beauty. She is fascinated by the priests of Way, but apparently loves to tease them by presenting heretical or blasphemous viewpoints.

Lesser mysteries and enigmas intrigue her, but are quickly discarded. She is sometimes prepared to offer aid in seeking an explanation for such lesser mysteries that are actually secrets - situations where some people already know the answer but are keeping that information to themselves. Examples might include investigations into mysterious murders, or for seemingly inexplicable events that are actually the work of mortals.

Sung has little time for the Eternals of Day - she makes little effort to conceal her distaste for their focused nature and their common drive to banish all illusion and understand everything. She clearly believes that "nothing sane can survive for long in conditions of absolute truth." This dislike often manifests in an abrupt or unwelcoming attitude to any merrow who come before her. She is also known to dislike the Eternals of the Whisper Gallery, considering their fascination with secrets to be 'vulgar'.

Sung rarely lies, but she never tells the entire truth as she knows it. She enjoys misleading and obfuscating, hiding the "facts" in layers of doubt designed to allow people to come to their own conclusions. Speaking about direct facts or trying to cut through to the heart of a situation is a surefire way to annoy this subtle Eternal.

Unsurprisingly, Sung is known to favour Imperial citizens who reflect something of her own nature. She enjoys verbal sparring with magicians from the League and esoteric speculation with Kallavesi mystics and Urizen stargazers alike. She is also known to have a special affection for the people of Dawn, especially the Weaver cabals and troubadours, but with a soft spot for anyone who embraces the romanticism that lurks at the heart of many Dawnish quests.

The Rainbow Serpent encourages imagination, optimism and speculation. She inspires mortals to embrace the wonder of their world, and to question tradition and easy solutions to problems. She is also a romantic - not just in a carnal sense, but in the sense of a quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life.

Boons

Sung enjoys communicating with mortals. She loves novelty, the inexplicable and the wondrous.

She enjoys weaving illusions, and is known to offer boons to magicians who seek to obfuscate or conceal with shadows, mists or false images (such as the magical disguise created with The Twilight Masquerade.) Magic used to preserve uncertainty or mystery may also gain her favour.

When she wishes to offer a minor boon to someone, she may give them one of her feathers - when dissolved in wine or spirits they may create effects similar to those caused by the Infusions of Feathers, or enhance the effect of rituals such as Signs and Portents or Sift the Dreamscape's Sands - Sung is said to be the only creature who knows the truth about the ruined city visited by mortal magicians who invoke that ritual, but refuses to share her knowledge. In her darker moments she inspires curses and maledictions that cause confusion or hallucinatory madness.

She somtimes engages in trades with magicians, and is known to greatly desire cloth dyed with iridescent gloaming and jewellry that incorporates dragonbone - especially if these items are enchanted.

While Sung does not wish to see mysteries solved (or "destroyed" as she might put it), she encourages inquisitive spirits who rely on intuition and leaps of logic. The ritual Shadowed Glass of Sung goes some way towards explaining her attitude - the ritual does not provide facts or resolve a situation - it allows the magician to find the clues that will help them work out their own conclusion. More than anything else, this is how Sung prefers to see the world; a multitude of people, places, things and events that can be understood only through the exercise of intuition and imagination.

During Winter 378YE, Sung made contact with Imperial magicians and helped them to design the ritual Clear Counsel of the Everflowing River. The master-magician Simarghl of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash arranged for the creation of a suitable ritual text, and during the Spring Equinox 379YE, the Imperial Conclave added the ritual to the body of Imperial Lore. Some arcane scholars point to this ritual as being the powerful equivalent not only of Swim Levianthan's Depth, but of Missive to Sadogua as well.

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Support medical school and Anvil hospital

Fund, found and recognize an Imperial school of medicine and Anvil hospital

Proposed by Bregasland, seconded by Sarvos

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

Overview

- Disburse funds to be used for the benefit of a medical school and Anvil hospital.

- Testimony from an expert witness, Elizabeth Eastville nee Talbot, was solicited.

- Passed at 20 Thrones with 11 votes against.

Date

- Passed Spring 377 (Event Two 2013).

Cost

- None

Progress

- Funds disbursed to Richard of Bourholt, Senator for Bregasland.

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Suranni pantheon

:

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Gods and Goddesses

- 2.1 Suran, the Queen of Heaven

- 2.2 Kavol, the Veiled King

- 2.3 Arav the Judge, Maiden of Silence

- 2.4 Kobol the Warrior, Maiden of Battle

- 2.5 Evra the Smith, Maiden of the Forge

- 2.6 Farod the Herald, Maiden of the Dawn

- 2.7 Dumon the Liar, the Wicked One

- 3 Further Reading

Overview

The Suranni pantheon represent a group of deified Kings and Queens who are believed to watch over the Iron Confederacy. The faithful believe they have great spiritual power which they allow their priests and priestesses to wield on their behalf.

There is some division between those priests who believe that the gods of the pantheon were mortals whose innate strength caused them to transcend mortal existence and become gods through apotheosis (and who tend to believe that other heroes of the Iron Confederacy could in theory ascend in the same way), and those who believe that the gods have always existed and that their mortal incarnations were merely avatars they created to guide their chosen people, the Iron Confederacy. The ascensionists are in the minority, while the incarnates hold the most religious power within the Confederacy. While the two groups argue regularly, they unite immediately in the face of outside intereference.

Within the Empire, the worship of the Suranni Pantheon would be considered idolatry, and the beliefs taught by the faith would be both Heresy|heretical and blasphemous.

Gods and Goddesses

The primary deities of the Suranni Pantheon are the King and Queen of Heaven, Suran and Kavor. According to the priests of the Iron Confederacy, they are the literal parents of the people of the Iron Confederacy. Suran and Kavol have five children, usually referred to as the maidens - even Arav who is usually depicted as male. only four of these maidens are worshipped openly in the Iron Confederacy - the worship of Dumon the Liar is a crime punishable by death.

Suran, the Queen of Heaven

Associated strongly with the sun, she is depicted as a mature woman crowned with a halo of fire in golden robes or armour. She is the first queen of the Suranni, ascended to heaven. She represents the strength of will, and the supremacy of the Iron Confederacy. As with Kavol, she is also depicted as a great golden dragon or winged serpent, sometimes coiled together with her consot.

Kavol, the Veiled King

Associated strongly with the moon, he is represented as a male figure in silver robes and a crown, his face obscured by a long veil. He is the divine consort of Suran, and seeks out those who would undermine the strength of the Iron Confederacy. Like Suran, he is sometimes depicted as a great silver dragon or winged serpent, sometimes coiled together with his queen.

Arav the Judge, Maiden of Silence

The eldest of the childen of Suran and Kavol, Arav is the judge who created the laws of the Iron Confederacy. Usually depicted as male, he is clad in black robes and wears an iron mask. He wields a bow, with which he strikes down the unjust and wicked with disease and misfortune. At his side is a black hunting hound. He judges the dead as well as the living; those who have lived good lives are allowed to pass into heaven, while those who have been weak or cowardly or questioned the ways of the Iron Confederacy are given to his sister Evra to be reforged and cast back into the world.

Kobol the Warrior, Maiden of Battle

The second child of Suran and Kavol, she is the goddess of strength, war and duty. Kobol is always shown in armour wielding a sword. The maiden of battle is the most popular of the gods of the Suranni pantheon, and is said to interecede with her sibling Arav whenever someone dies fighting the enemies of the Confederacy to ensure they are reborn as warriors.

Evra the Smith, Maiden of the Forge

The third child of Suran and Kavol is the goddess of artisans, crafters and merchants. Evra holds a hammer in one hand and is richly dressed, with an ever-ful pouch of silver at her belt. She is responsible for forging the souls of the dead into new forms, and is depicted in stories as clever and canny. She supports her brothers and sisters, both by forging their weapons and armour and by spying on their enemies.

Farod the Herald, Maiden of the Dawn

The fourth child of Suran and Kavol is the goddess of messengers and beginnings. She blows her horn to announce the dawn of each new day, and the beginning of spring. She is always shown clad in light red leather, with great feathered wings and bearing a horn in one hand and a sickle-bladed dagger in the other. She has command of the wind, rain and tides and the Suranni see her as the goddess of love in addition to her other roles.

Dumon the Liar, the Wicked One

The worship of Dumonn is forbidden in the Iron Confederacy. An ill-favoured, misshapen figure with several orcish features,. Dumon is a traitor and a liar. He has been cast out of the pantheon, and opposes all that is right and good in the world. He gives his corrupt powers to the enemies of the confederacy especially the orcs and those who call themselves 'magicians'. All magic except that of the priests of Surann ultimately comes from Dumon the Liar, and will ultimately destroy the wielders.

Further Reading

- You can learn more about the priesthood of the Iron Confederacy here

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Suranni_pantheon&oldid=36288"

Surgical skills

Contents

- 1 Surgical Skills

- 2 Chirurgeon

- 3 Physick

- 4 Apothecary

- 5 Extra Recipe

- 6 Further Reading

Surgical Skills

- You cannot use any surgical skills on yourself

- Surgical skills require both hands free and your attention on your patient

Chirurgeon

- You must purchase chirurgeon before you can take any other surgical skills

If you spend at least 30 seconds of appropriate roleplaying treating a character who is bleeding to death, then you can restore a single lost hit. This skill has no effect on a character who is not on zero hits. You must complete this time without being interrupted. If your character is a physick, you may also apply a single herb during this time.

Physick

- You can use appropriate roleplaying to treat a range of conditions

- You can also apply herbs to an affected character to treat them

- You cannot use this skill on yourself

If you spend at least 2 minutes of appropriate roleplaying treating a character then you may restore the use of a limb ruined by the CLEAVE or IMPALE call or treat the effects of a traumatic wound. Some traumatic wounds require longer than 2 minutes of treatment, as directed by the trauma card.

If you spend at least 3 minutes of appropriate roleplaying treating a character who is terminal then you may allow the character to act as if they are not in pain.

If you spend at least 5 minutes of appropriate roleplaying treating a character who is wounded then they regain all lost global hits after ten minutes of rest and relaxation. This roleplaying can only be performed in a tent or similar building suited for use as a physick's chamber - it cannot be performed on a battlefield.

You can also use this skill to attempt to diagnose what is wrong with a patient. You must ask a ref if there is anything else you can tell about your patient, and what you can do to fix the problem.

You can also apply medicinal herbs directly to a patient to treat them. There are five herbs in Empire, each can be used to treat a different effect. You must spend at least 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying to apply a herb, but it is possible to apply a single herb while spending thirty seconds treating a character using the chirurgeon skill.

Herbs are produced by a herb garden, and are measured in drams. Any character can choose to start with a herb garden, which is a personal resource. A starting herb garden produces fourteen herbs per event, six drams of True Vervain and two of each of the others.

Herb

Benefit

Bladeroot

Removes the WEAKNESS condition

Cerulean Mazzarine

Repairs a ruined limb

Imperial Roseweald

Removes the VENOM condition

Marrowort

Allows a character to ignore the roleplaying effects of traumatic wounds

True Vervain

Restores all lost hits to a character who is not dying

Apothecary

- Herbs can be mixed to produce a potion that can be taken by any character

You are able to mix herbs together at an event to produce a potion that recreates the effects of the herbs but that can be drunk by any character. It requires five seconds of appropriate roleplaying to drink a potion.

This skill gives you the ability to mix all five of the Apothecary Potions automatically. You can take the extra recipe skill to learn how to make additional potions.

Extra Recipe

You can choose one additional recipe set of potions that your character knows how to make each time you purchase this skill.

Further Reading

- You can find a useful, short article about medicine and healing in the Empire world here.

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Suzerain's Command

Description

This potent battlefield staff allows a magician to command and constrain the movement of their enemies. Some foes are hurled sprawling backwards, others are bound in place to face the wrath of the magician's allies. The staff is usually quite ornamental, designed to grant the bearer a sense of gravitas and inspire awe in their subordinates. It is a popular choice for martial magicians who rise to the rank of general, at least those who take the field alongside their troops. The sight of an enemy champion flying back into her own men, or a skirmisher brought to a crushing standstill before they can retreat is an effective morale-boosting tool.

All implements are popular among the Urizen, but the suzerain's command is a particularly valuable tool, especially among architects who are also magicians. More than many other staffs, this implement demonstrates the magician's mastery of the physical world, moving enemies around as if they were game pieces. It's ability to control the movement of others makes it fascinating to some philosophically minded vates who meditate upon the different ways that magically effecting someone's ability to move can change their fate in the right circumstances. It also sees a lot of use by martially-minded Freeborn Hakima - an opponent held in place by the suzerain's command is readily dispatched by any supporting warriors.

Needless to say, the staff also sees some use outside the confusion of the melee. Knowing that a magician who can express her displeasure by hurling someone across a room often encourages an extra level of respect and politeness. Some mercurial volhov refer to these staffs as second thoughts, favouring their ability to hold someone in place for a few moments to allow them time to reconsider their course of action.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Three times per day you may cast the entangle or repel spell without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a suzerain's command requires seventeen measures of ambergelt, fifteen ingots of tempest jade and ten measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Camilla looked up from the gameboard and signalled for another bowl of sugared fruit. “Your move” she uttered nonchalantly at her opponent, a young wizard named Zeno.

Zeno was not having a great day, if truth be told. His game had been improving recently to the point where he was able to challenge the more experienced Camilla, but she was clearly winning and she made little attempt to hide the fact that she knew it. He furrowed his brow and reached forward with his robed arm to move one of the finely sculptured game pieces before him, shuffling it forward three squares before finally leaving it standing opposite one of Camilla's spires. His strategy and study of her playing styles suggested that she would not be able to resist the temptation to make an attack on his piece.

He was wrong.

Camilla, by contrast, was having a great day. Helping herself to a cube of crystallised pomegranate with one dainty hand, she reached forward with the other to make her move. Zeno was only the latest in a line of young challengers to her mastery of the game. She had politely accepted his offer but saw him as little threat.

Zeno sighed audibly, though his utterance was swamped by the gasps from the audience. “At least they're surprised as well,” he muttered. He hadn't factored into his game equations just what a distracting effect a large crowd would have on his concentration. “Focus” he thought, “focus, focus, focus”. Reiterating through his memory what he knew of Camilla's games as well as his own mastery of the board, he realised that the game was now all but lost. Camilla's latest move had him flustered. “Of course,” he realised, “that was her intent. Better to leave me flustered and doubting my Arrete than follow her usual strategies.” What was it his first tutor had told him? That each new opponent must be faced with new methods. Study their play as much as you study the board. It was then he saw the flaw in her defences.

He took old of one of his minor pieces which had been languishing in one of the corners and, with a flourish, set it down on the centre square. The crowd mumbled and Camilla paled visibly. In one stroke, he had pinned one of her spires and forced another to retreat or avoid being taken.

“The Suzerain's command”, Camilla whispered. “I've left myself open to the Suzerain's command". Knowing her day had come, she leant over to acknowledge her defeat with a grace that belied the turmoil in her heart.

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Swanfeather Schema

Description

The materials used to craft a swanfeather schema must be carefully purified, and are usually handled with gloves when not actively being shaped. Many artisans wear a facemask when working with caustic substances such as beggar's lye, but in the case of a swanfeather schema they take extra pains not to breathe on the material, and a drop of blood or sweat spill on to the wand as it is being formed can ruin the procedure entirely. At the end, the schema appears little different to any other wand, but magic channeled and woven with it can be used to purge venom and alleviate weakness.

Over time, a swanfeather schema absorbs a little of the corruption that it purifies, slowly becoming more obviously twisted, blackened or ill-favoured. When the magic of a swanfeather schema runs out, it is usually buried or burnt rather than being re-enchanted. Some magicians believe that there is a risk - minor but very real - that a wand of this type that absorbs too much corruption may become dangerous, either resentful of the wielder or prone to leaking poison or sickness. These items are rarely made into artefacts as a consequence; one of the few known examples is the wand of the stargazer Escritor of Sunspire, in Urizen, who purified his metal swanfeather schema with fire and fresh mountain water each evening. Of course historians note that Escritor died in mysterious circumstances, ranting and delerious and claiming his blood was full of tiny spiders. Most historical accounts suggest he was poisoned or cursed. A few note that his swanfeather schema has not been seen at all since his demise...

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the purify spell as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting a swanfeather schema requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

"Two wands. Both indisputably tools of the Magister's Art. Can anyone identify them? Yes, Abraham, on the left, the Swanfeather Schema. And on the right? Anyone...? No? Very well. On the right, the same. The difference? The wand on my right, blackened, twisted and redolent with corruption, has long been an item of my personal arsenal. The wand on my left is its replacement, ready to enter service tomorrow when its predecessor is disposed of in the correct manner. And how has this transformation been achieved? Through long years of use in the purification of foulness. The wand absorbs the corruption, sealing it away where it can do no harm, other than to its container. That which was once pure now is corrupt.

"But of course, we need not use a wand to purify, many of us are quite capable of casting such an incantation. And when you incant the Litany of Purification and draw the corruption from your patient, where does it go? Perhaps you would care to reflect on that, class."

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Sweet Kate

Sweet Kate

out of copyright

Score:

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Sweet, Stay Awhile

This is a love song by Henry Lawes (1595 – 1662), imploring the lover to stay. It is best sung accompanied if possible.

A pdf of the tune, bass line and words can be found here.

Sweet, stay awhile; why do you rise? The light you see comes from your eyes; The day breaks not; it is my heart; To think that I from you must part! Oh stay, or else my joys must die And perish in their infancy!

Oh let me die on this fair breast, Far sweeter than the Phoenix nest; Love, raise desire with thy sweet charms Within the centre of her arms And let those blissful kisses cherish My youthful joys which else would perish!

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Swift heal

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This spell is very similar to the heal spell, but is designed specifically to be cast in dangerous engagements. Unlike the heal spell, it is quick to cast and is not interrupted by attacks against the magician or their target. It unleashes a torrent of magical energy into the target, rapidly restoring their vitality. It is a powerful, unsubtle effect that has been known to leave some targets reeling for a few moments as the rush of magical power overwhelms their senses.

This powerful spell is cast with a few words and a brief touch of the magician's implement. It is ideal for casting in support of a front-line warrior, or to restore a badly injured ally to full strength when the threat is immediate and time is of the essence. Still, some battle magicians caution their more martial companions that it is still a spell - and a magician in the middle of an engagement is much more vulnerable to being struck down by an crippling enemy blow than their more heavily armoured allies.

As with the heal incantation, this is an indiscriminate effect - it cannot be used to partially heal someone (such as a prisoner). Just like the heal spell, it restores vitality to any animate target - the magic does not differentiate between a human soldier or one of Estavus' green iron constructs.

There are several magic items that can enhance or empower the swift heal spell. Perhaps the most powerful is the Moonsilver Doublet, a magical robe that allows the spell to be cast for half the normal mana cost. While expensive, this valuable item can be worn beneath a suit of mage armour or bonded to a battlefield healer to greatly increase the number of swift heal spells that can be cast in a day. Both the Radiant Torrent and Blood-dimming Tide are useful rods that allow a magician to strike two allies with their swift heal spells, while the Bloodsilver Spike lets a battle mage perform an extra, emergency swift heal - even if they do not otherwise know how to cast that spell.

Casting

- Type: Offensive spell

- Cost: 2 Personal mana

Effects

This spell completely restores all lost hits to a living target. It does not affect a limb that has been affected by a CLEAVE or IMPALE call.

Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- (sketching a rune in the air with a rod) "Today is a bloody day, a banner day, a day for victory! Be healed!"

- "In the ninefold fountaint, in the cascade of stars, bathe and be healed!"

- "This is no time to rest, stand forth and fight!"

- "You will not fall today!"

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: Rhyv, the rune of blood, resonates well with this spell - as it does with all healing magic. Some magicians prefer to evoke Tykonus, the rune of victory,

- Astronomancy: The constellation of the Chalice aligns well with all healing magic. The speed and power of this ritual means that some astronomancers favour the use of the Fountain as a wellspring of life and vitality.

- Dramaturgy: The persona of the Mountebank is a good choice for this spell - the boundless energy of that role washes away weariness and wounds with equal facility. The instrument of the Blade is also a good fit - this spell is almost always cast on a battlefield, and some dramaturgists that adantage of this to evoke that throne to aid their healing. The Doctor is almost never used with this spell; the urgency with which the spell is wielded is completely at odds with the cool rationality of that persona.

- Other traditions: The spirit of the firebird, whose touch cauterises torn flesh, may be called on by a Dawnish war-witch. There is rarely enough time to use materials such as fire, water or earth but that does not prevent magicians using these themes in their spellcasting vocals. When working this magic, many magicians reference the urgency and importance of struggling on in the face of immediate danger.

- Realms: This spell is closely connected to the lore of Spring, although a few magicians see the way it grants strength and vitality as being resonant with themes of the Summer realm.

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Swim Leviathan's Depth

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 18

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 18

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying.

Effects

This ritual allows the casters to ask a specific question of the eternal known as the Leviathan. The purpose of the ritual is to try to divine a past cause or event that has led to a present-day state of affairs or consequence. It calls to the as Leviathan, asking them to thread through the weave of cause and effect to pick out the key fact that explains the current situation.

During the ritual, the casters must vocally indicate the target of the ritual in the form of a question about what has caused or led to a current state - for example, "Why are the Druj renewing their raids on the Barrens?; "Why is the Lord of the Five Winds moving her troops into position near our borders?"; Why are the merchants of the Sarcophan Delves so keen to purchase green iron?"; "Why are the Feni attacking Kahraman?" and so on.

Leviathan will endeavour to appear at the nearest regio one hour after this ritual is performed. A suitable casting of operate portal by a magician in the regio will allow Leviathan to approach. If this happens, then the Leviathan will provide the response to the question asked to everyone present in the regio. If this does not happen then Leviathan will await another opportunity to provide the answer.

Description

This ritual is powerful, but problematic. It always provides a truthful response, and Leviathan is adept at sorting causes that are useful from random minor details, but the being is not infallible. For example, in response to the question "Why are the Druj renewing their raids on the Barrens?" the answer is much more likely to be something like "Because they have agreed to supply the Thule with a thousand slaves before the end of the year" or "Because the Druj shaman wish to distract the Empire from their real interests in Reikos" than "Because the Druj warlord gave the order to attack the Barrens".

The question for Leviathan to answer, must ask about a motivation or a cause. This means it must usually be phrased with a "Why?" rather than a "How?" Attempts to find out, for example, how the Druj raids might be stopped will fail utterly. Leviathan may answer questions asking "Who?" is responsible but the answers are usually cryptic, or almost useless. Asking "Who is behind the Druj attacks on the Barrens?" might give the name of a Druj chieftan or shaman, but is much more likely to name an unknown figure who, at some point centuries in the past, set the Druj on the path to war with the Empire ... or even to suggest it is Atun, for bringing the Highborn to these shores centuries ago.

Another weakness of the ritual is that the more tied-up in the affairs they enquire about the casters are, the more general the response. For example, asking Leviathan to divine the cause of "the Talbot senator being elected today" is likely to name the First Empress as being behind it.

These caveats aside, provided the events are large enough in scale, the ritual can provides vital information. Discovering an alliance between the Druk and the Thule to exchange prisoners, or that the Lord of the Five Winds has been hearing rumours of Freeborn intention to invade Faraden, or that the Feni are being driven out of their safe locations by a plague of vallornspawn can all be vital steps in preventing disaster or using the circumstances to the best advantage of the coven.

Common Elements

This is a divination ritual, and often involves runestones or cards, and interpretting their outcome may form the core of the ritual. Reflective surfaces such as mirrors or - especially - silver or weltsilver bowls of fresh or salt water are often involved. The name of the Leviathan is usually invoked, as may Paragons and Exemplars of Wisdom. A recitation of the details known about the event being scried, or recreation of the circumstances around it, may also serve as a useful focus.

The rune Ophis is often used with this ritual and is often combined with Queros which covers plots and the idea of events spreading from a single cause.

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Sydanjaa's Call

Description

These weapons traditionally have a diamond-shaped iron head, smoothed and sharpened with fine abrasive tempest jade dust. It is the shaft that requires most of the artisan's attention, the wood carefully worked and polished with ambergelt, and inlaid with a few larger pieces of tempest jade. Traditionally, the weapon must be crafted entirely outside, under the night sky, and it is said that if these weapons spend too much time indoors - or worse, underground - their enchantment fades faster than it normally would. The greatest of these spears are said to be crafted in Winter months when the ice winds howl, and the very greatest are crafted on the wastes of Sermersuaq, within sight of the eternal storm Sydanjaa.

The shaft of the weapon is usually marked with Mawrig, rune of storms. Because that rune is considered dangerous by many, it is not uncommon for the rune to be covered with a strip of cloth, or even left off the weapon entirely - in this case it is often painted onto the shaft or the head shortly before the weapon is to be used, to minimize the bad luck and madness it can cause.

The Varushkans have also made some use of these weapons, although they have fallen out of favour in recent centuries. Historically used by the Ushka rather than the Vard, they were often marked with the rune Naeve - hunger - and named wastewalker's howl. These weapons had a much darker reputation that the Suaq counterpart, and it is said that they were sanctified in some way by dark spirits of the howling blizzard and midwinter chill. Some orcs - Imperial and otherwise - have an almost superstitious dread of the wastewalker's howl; when the weapons were captured in battle they were destroyed, rather than being claimed by the victorious barbarians.

Wielders of these weapons comment that they are often unnaturally cold to the touch, and that odd breezes occasionally spin up around them. When wielded under the night sky, a hunter will often seem to hear a distant howling, always on the very edge of hearing. For the Suaq this is the distant cry of Sydanjaa. For the Varushka, especially those with the white mark of an Ushkan bloodline, they represent a much more sinister howling of some lost and forgotten spirit of the Northern wastes.

Rules

Template%3AOne-Handed Spear

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to call REPEL when you hit with this spear.

- Materials: Crafting Sydanjaa's call requires ten ingots of tempest jade and ten measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Thorin was tiring, and the big orc chasing him across the ice knew it.

The day had been going well enough; the seals were out and Thorin’s party had been occupied collecting plenty of meat for the hall. So occupied, as it turned out, that they had been surprised by a small band of Jotun raiders. Thinking quickly he’d taunted the biggest and meanest of the bunch into chasing after him, leading him away from the others. But the orc was big, with long legs and, even encumbered by his armour and weapons, he was outpacing Thorin, who was not at all confident he could take him in a fair fight.

Currently he was armed only with a spear that, even though it was enchanted, was looking decidedly small in comparison to the great orcish cleaver that he suspected would soon be heading rapidly in his direction. But Thorin knew Sermersuaq in the way that only a true Suaq hunter can. He knew every snowdrift, every crevasse, every rock and every freezing lake. He also knew that he had only one chance at this.

Suddenly he rolled to the side, and striking at just the right angle, stabbed his spear at the orc’s calf. A blast of wind and flakes of snow that Thorin's cousin had collected from Sydanjaa flew from the tip and pushed the huge orc in all his mail away and out of reach. Hearing an ominous creaking sound the orc looked down to see a spiderweb of cracks slowly expanding around him and before Thorin’s eyes he simply dropped through the ground. Weighed down with all his equipment he would have no chance. Today Thorin would live and the orc would die, simply because Thorin knew to strike where the ice was thinnest.

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Symbols, icons and trappings

Symbols, Icons and Trappings

The Way of Virtue has several symbols to represent it across the Empire, but there are two that are widely used by the Imperial Synod:

- The Seven-Spoked Wheel – The wheel is a symbol of the journey that each spirit must make and each of the spokes represents one of the Virtues all of which converge on a single point, that of rebirth.

- The Labyrinth of Ages – The Labyrinth is depicted in a number of ways, but usually within a circle. Most designs favour seven co-centric circles or other elements to represent the seven virtues. Some symbols represent a labyrinth with only one path through from the outside to the centre, while others favour a labyrinth with multiple routes, depending on the attitude of the artist to the virtues.

Priests of The Way may have items or regalia marked by such symbols. They are less popular with Pilgrims who have dedicated themselves to a single Path.

As The Way is concerned with the journey of the spirit from birth-to-death-to-rebirth, many Priests and Pilgrims carry or adorn themselves with items and regalia of travel. For instance, it is not uncommon for Priests and Pilgrims to carry a Staff as a symbol of safety and stability whilst travelling.

Note: There are also symbols and trappings associated with each of the Seven Paths of Virtue.

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Imperial Synod (Redirected from Synod)

Reward the Virtuous; Punish the Wicked

The Imperial Synod

The Imperial Synod exists to safeguard the soul of the Empire, protecting it from dangers and corrupting influences, whilst nurturing and promoting virtue wherever it flourishes. It provides a balance on the power of the Imperial Senate and The Throne and has the power to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked. It also controls the supply of true, or pure, liao which grants access to past life visions.

Key Features of the Imperial Synod

- Membership. You are a member of the Synod if you have the congregation downtime resource. This indicates that the character has responsibility for the spiritual wellbeing of a portion of the population. The larger the congregation, the more influence the priest has in the Synod.

- The Assemblies. The Synod is divided into the:

- General Assembly, consisting of all Synod Priests

- National Assemblies, consisting of all Synod Priests from the same nation

- Virtue Assemblies, consisting of all Synod priests who share the same dedication, or lack of.

- Assembly of Nine, consisting of the eight Cardinals of the Virtue Assemblies and the Throne.

A Synod Priest will have automatic membership of the first three Assemblies on that list.

- Meeting. The Civil Service does not arrange meetings for the Assemblies. That is the responsibility of the Synod priests to arrange. The Civil Service handles judgments made by the Synod.

- Powers. As spiritual and moral leaders, Synod priests have a number of powers enshrined by the law and constitution. More details are here.

- Judgments. The Synod has a number of powers that the various Assemblies can wield. These are called judgments.

Further Reading

- Information about the different Assemblies

- The powers of individual Synod Members

- The powers of the Synod Assemblies

- How the Synod Assemblies use their powers

- The Way of Virtue

- Imperial Theology

- Recent History

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Synod recent history

Contents

- 1 Recent History

- 1.1 378 YE

- 1.2 377 YE

- 1.3 376 YE

Recent History

The following are summaries of actions taken by the Imperial Synod since the death of Empress Britta in 376 YE

378 YE

- 378YE Summer Solstice Synod Judgements

- 378YE Spring Equinox Synod Judgements

377 YE

- 377YE Winter Solstice Synod Judgements

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Synod Judgements

- 377YE Summer Solstice Synod Judgements

- 377YE Spring Equinox Synod Judgements

376 YE

- 376YE Winter Solstice Synod Judgements

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Synod_recent_history&oldid=28803"

377YE Autumn Equinox Synod Judgements (Redirected from Synod Results, Autumn Summit, 377 YE)

Contents

- 1 The Synod as of Autumn, 377 YE

- 2 Appointments

- 3 Appointments

- 3.1 Selection of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- 3.2 Selection of the Cardinal of Courage

- 3.3 Selection of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- 3.4 Selection of the Cardinal of Pride

- 4 Synod Judgments

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Synod as of Autumn, 377 YE

At the Autumn Summit, 377 YE, the General Assembly's voting strength was estimated at 1,380.

Appointments

At the end of the Summer Summit, 377 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Olek of the League

Serrusto of the League

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Alan Young of the Marches

Pride

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr

Prosperity

Ynez di Carcomare of the League

Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

Petra of Varushka

Silas of Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

Hwyel Summercrow of Navarr

The Way

Antonnio Vanzetti of the League

Gralka, an Imperial Orc

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Selection of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast received 14 votes from the Assembly

- Ynez of the League received 104 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Ynez retained Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Courage

- Malachi of Highguard received 32 votes from the Assembly

- Asher of Highguard received 34 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Asher retained Cyrus Cascade of Urizen as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan of the Marches received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Barrabas received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Julius Cavita of the League received 40 votes from the Assembly

- Jared of Highguard received 80 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Jared retained Friar Alan Young of the Marches as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Pride

- Avery Armistead of Dawn received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Lady Josephine Novarrion of Dawn received 50 votes from the Assembly

- Samson of Highguard received 54 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Samson retained Meurig Tystwarden of Navarr as Gatekeeper

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

The General Assembly were called upon recognise Zemress i Ezmara, Exemplar of Prosperity, as a Paragon of the Virtue.

Darius i Ezmara, Gatekeeper of Prosperity

Darius withdrew the judgment.

The General Assembly were called upon to reward Azmon of the Shattered Tower with four thrones from the Virtue Fund.

Abraham of Highguard, Priest of Vigilance

Judgment defeated 220 - 98.

The Assembly of Prosperity were called upon to remove the incumbent Cardinal.

Ynez of the League

Cardinal removed by Greater Majority

The Assembly of Prosperity were asked to condemn Xavier Cascade for Heresy and Blasphemy

Rurik Von Linden of the League

Upheld 90 - 0.

The Assembly of Courage was called on to revoke the incumbent Cardinal

Asher of Highguard

Upheld 34 – 12.

The General Assembly was called upon to reward the Marches Hospital with one and a half Thrones from the Virtue Fund

Danek Von Linden of the League, Priest of Prosperity

Upheld 338 - 146

The General Assembly was called upon to reward the Phoenix Spire of Urizen with one and a half Thrones from the Virtue Fund

Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr, Priest of Wisdom

Upheld 376 - 146

The General Assembly was called upon to reward Celesti Coven with one and a half Thrones from the Virtue Fund

Elisheyba of Highguard, Priest of Vigilance

Upheld 268 - 146

The General Assembly was called upon to reward Caleb of the Cenotaph with one and a half Thrones from the Virtue Fund

Solas of Urizen, Priest of Wisdom

Upheld 420 - 166

The General Assembly was called upon to Veto the Senate’s decision to assign the Brilliant Shore Bourse resource to Wintermark

Laelia Shatterspire of Urizen, Priest of Pride

Upheld by Greater Majority of the Assembly

The Assembly of Vigilance was called upon to recognise Olga of Miecova as an Exemplar of Vigilance

Irada-Catchie Bandsyna of Varushka, Priest of Vigilance

Upheld by Greater Majority

The General Assembly was called upon to reward Lazarus of the Shattered Tower, Knight of Prosperity, with 40 Crowns from the Virtue Fund.

Sabaoth of Highguard, Priest of the Way

Defeated 256 – 118

The Assembly of Courage was called upon to recognise Horsa Monster-slayer as an Exemplar of Courage

Ealdraed Tyrshalting

The judgment did not achieve the Greater Majority required

The General Assembly was called on to make the following Statement of Principle: “The General Assembly acknowledges that the current requirements to recognise an Exemplar of Virtue, being a Greater Majority of the a Virtue Assembly, are too easy to achieve with a small number of priests and, acknowledging that this cheapens the value of recognising an Exemplar, the recognition of an Exemplar of Virtue shall require both of: 1) A Greater Majority of the relevant Virtue Assembly, and 2) a Lesser Majority of the General Assembly. Furthermore, no judgment to recognise an Exemplar shall be valid unless it specifies which of the Signs of the Paragon the candidate has displayed.”

Hwyel Summercrow of the Navarr, Priest of Wisdom

Upheld 414 - 52

The General Assembly was called on to make the following Statement of Principle: “The General Assembly believes that a monument should be built at Anvil to the memory and everlasting glory of all those who lost their lives in military service to the Empire”

Ira of Highguard, Priest of Loyalty

Upheld 128 - 12

The Assembly of Pride was called on to make the following Statement of Principle: “The Assembly of Pride believes that the Empire is proud of all its citizens, in that all citizens are equal within the eye of the Empire. We call upon the Imperial Orcs to form a National Assembly within the Synod, to see to the virtue of those who hold elected Imperial positions within their nation”.

Cardinal Samson of Highguard

Upheld by Greater Majority

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

7 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 1 Ring

Income

70 Crowns

Raised by auction of Pure Liao

1 Ring

Donated by Meurig Tystwarden on behalf of a young citizen

Rewards

12 Crowns

Given to Caleb of the Cenotaph at the behest of Solas of Urizen

12 Crowns

Given to Celesti Coven at the behest of Elisheyba of Highguard

12 Crowns

Given to Phoenix Spire of Urizen at the behest of Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr

12 Crowns

Given to the Marches Hospital at the behest of Danek Von Linden of the League

Closing Value

10 Thrones / 1 Crowns / 2 Rings

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- Linden of Endsmeet, Urizen

- Ingar Saker, Wintermark

- Horsa Tyrshalt, Wintermark

- Sejanus Shatterspire, Urizen

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377YE Spring Equinox Synod Judgements (Redirected from Synod Results, Spring Summit, 377 YE)

Contents

- 1 The Synod as of Spring, 377 YE

- 2 Appointments

- 3 Synod Funds

- 4 Synod Judgments

- 5 Visionaries

The Synod as of Spring, 377 YE

At the Spring Summit, 377 YE, the General Assembly stood at an estimated 124 priests.

Appointments

At the end of the Spring Summit, 377 YE, the Assembly of Nine were:

- Olek of the League, Cardinal of Ambition

- Lazarus of Highguard, Cardinal of Courage

- Julius Cavita of the League, Cardinal of Loyalty

- Josephine of Dawn, Cardinal of Pride

- Alexandru Vintla of the League, Cardinal of Prosperity

- Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka, Cardinal of Vigilance

- Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr, Cardinal of Wisdom

- Antonnio Vanetti of the League, Cardinal of The Way

Synod Funds

The following is a summary of the Synod's Virtue Fund:

Starting Value

3 Crowns / 1 Ring

Income

22 Crowns

All from the auction of pure liao.

Rewards

-

Closing Value

25 Crowns / 1 Ring

Synod Judgments

- Yitzhak of the Highguard National Assembly raised a judgment relating to the creation of a National Choirmaster defeated 102 to 50.

- Marrok de Carsenere, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Vigilance, ensured members of the Collegiate of the Archmage Nicovar faced Inquisition

- Cardinal Julius Cavita, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Nine, delivered a judgment of condemnation against Igor Borison and Ivanna Martina Denisovitch of Varushka for the religious crime of Heresy.

- Tancred of Dawn, through the Dawnish National Assembly, revoked the title of General held by Erik Rykker.

- Torsch, an Imperial Orc, through a lesser majority of 50 to nothing in the Assembly of the Way, required Griski of Temeschwar face Inquisition. Griski did not present themselves.

- Cardinal Petra, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Nine, required the representatives of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade at Anvil face Inquisition.

- Cardinal Petra, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Nine, escalated the judgement of inquisition to a condemnation of Sophos Cascade for the religious crime of blasphemy.

- Asher of Felix’s Watch, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Courage, sought the reappointment of the Assembly’s Cardinal.

- Cardinal Lazarus, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Nine, condemned Xavier Cascade for the religious crimes of blasphemy and heresy.

- Darius I Ezmara I Erigo failed to obtain a greater majority of the General Assembly for the recognition of Zemress the Exemplar as a Paragon of Prosperity.

- Lady Josephine of Dawn, through a greater majority of the Assembly of Pride, sought the reappointment of the Cardinal of that Assembly

- Abraham of Highguard, through a lesser majority of the Assembly of Vigilance, required that Abraham of Highguard face inquisition.

- Xavier of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade in Urizen, through a lesser majority of the Urizen National Assembly, revoked the title of Senator from Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade in Urizen.

- Antonio Raoul Calgone, through a lesser majority of the League National Assembly, declared the belief that there should be, at Anvil, a location consecrated to each of the Imperial Virtues.

Visionaries

The following individuals were selected by the Gatekeepers to receive pure liao visions of their past lives at the Spring Equinox:

- Gatekeeper Asher of Highguard

- Master of the Mint, Nicolo Barossa of the League

- General Floree de Rondell of Dawn

- Cardinal Tockrynn Nighthaven of the Navarr

- General Ed of the Marches

- Senator Bohemond de Rondell of Dawn

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377YE Summer Solstice Synod Judgements (Redirected from Synod Results, Summer Summit, 377 YE)

Contents

- 1 The Synod as of Summer, 377 YE

- 2 Appointments

- 3 Appointments

- 3.1 Selection of the Cardinal of Wisdom

- 3.2 Selection of the Cardinal of Courage

- 3.3 Selection of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- 3.4 Selection of the Cardinal of Pride

- 4 Synod Judgments

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

The Synod as of Summer, 377 YE

At the Summer Summit, 377 YE, the General Assembly's voting strength was estimated at 1,520.

Appointments

At the end of the Summer Summit, 377 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Olek of the League

Serrusto of the League

Courage

Lazarus of Highguard

Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

Jared of Highguard

Alan Young of the Marches

Pride

Ephah of Highguard

Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr

Prosperity

Alexandru of the League

Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

Petra of Varushka

Silas of Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha de Rondell of Dawn

Hwyel Summercrow of Navarr

The Way

Antonnio Vanzetti of the League

Gralka, an Imperial Orc

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Selection of the Cardinal of Wisdom

- Agnetha De Roundell received 80 votes from the Assembly and was appointed.

- Cardinal Agnetha appointed Hwyel Summercrow of the Navarr as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Courage

- Cyrus Cascade of Urizen received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Lazarus of Highguard received 52 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Lazarus appointed Cyrus Cascade of Urizen as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Loyalty

- Jared of Highguard received 60 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Jared appointed Friar Alan Young of the Marches as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of Pride

- Lady Josephine Novarrion of Dawn received 30 votes from the Assembly

- Friar Thomas Baxter received 10 votes from the Assembly

- Ephah of Highguard received 66 votes from the Assembly and was appointed

- Cardinal Ephah retained Meurig Tystwarden of Navarr as Gatekeeper

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

The General Assembly makes the following Statement of Principle: That it is a consequence of the Doctrine of Human Destiny, that the Lineaged, being possessed of a Human Soul, are as capable of expressing Virtue and following a Virtuous Path to reincarnation or Paragonhood as any human being

Malachi of Highguard, Priest of Pride

Upheld by judgment of 356 to 20.

The following change of Doctrine was put before the General Assembly: All citizens of the Empire, whether they be lineaged, or without lineage, are all equally capable of being virtuous

Dimitri of Varushka, Priest of

Not upheld

The General Assembly was asked to reward the Church of the Little Mother with four Crowns from the Virtue Fund for producing an entertaining serial guide to virtue, starting Autumn 377YE.

Ynez of the League, Priest of Prosperity

Upheld by a judgment of 176 to 40 of the Assembly

The Assembly of the Way were called on to condemn Mister Griski for religious crimes.

Bishop Bartello of the League

Upheld by 64 votes for and none against

The General Assembly was called upon to issue Writ of Excommunication against Sophus of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade, Urizen

Marrok De Carsenere, Priest of Vigilance

Received 390 votes for and 60 against, and did not achieve a greater majority

The Wintermark National Assembly was called on to remove General Merek of the Green Shield of the Forest army in his absence

Kalixtus of Wintermark, Priest of Loyalty

Upheld by a majority of 70 votes and none against

The General Assembly was called upon to condemn Ildis Semeyon Davidov of Varushka for the religious crime of blasphemy

Gwylio Windstrider of Navarr, Priest of Vigilance

Upheld by 240 votes of the Assembly and none against

The Assembly of Loyalty was called upon to remove Cardinal Julius Cavita in his absence

Jared of Highguard

Upheld by greater majority of the Assembly

The General Assembly was called on to condemn Gwydion Thornkist for complete lack of wisdom and vigilance in the rash disposal, without appropriate consultation, of Vallorn seeds causing five bystanders to be blood-cursed

Irada-Catchie Bandsyna of Varushka, Priest of Vigilance

Upheld by a lesser majority of the Assembly

The General Assembly was called on to excommunicate Xavier of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade following his conviction of religious crimes.

Petra of Varushka, Cardinal of Vigilance

Upheld by Assembly influence of 794

The Assembly of Courage was called on to recognise Damaris of Cantiarch’s Hold, in Highguard, as an Exemplar of Courage

Lazarus of Highguard, Cardinal of Courage

Upheld by a greater majority of 54 for and 32 against.

The Navarr National Assembly was called on to remove the Senator of Hercynia in their absence

Caradog Pathfinder, Priest of

Upheld by immediate greater majority of the Assembly

The Assembly of Nine were called on to put Diego, former-General of the Brass Coast to Inquisition

Cardinal Vanzetti of the Way

The judgment was upheld by greater majority of the Assembly

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

2 Thrones / 7 Crowns / 1 Ring

Income

40 Crowns

Raised by auction of Pure Liao

Rewards

4 Crowns

Given to the Church of the Little Mother at the behest of Ynez of the League

Closing Value

7 Thrones / 3 Crowns / 1 Ring

Visionaries

The following individuals were chosen by the Gatekeepers to receive visions of their past lives:

- Adoramus of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

- Grandmaster Jessica, Suns of Courous, Highguard

- General Stanislav, Varushka

- Seth of Adina's Charge, Highguard

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Synod Results, Winter Summit, 376 YE

Contents

- 1 The Synod as of Winter, 376 YE

- 1.1 Appointments

- 1.2 Synod Funds

- 1.3 Synod Judgments

- 1.4 Visionaries

The Synod as of Winter, 376 YE

At the Winter Summit, 376 YE, the General Assembly stood at an estimated 159 priests.

Appointments

At the end of the Winter Summit, 376 YE, the Assembly of Nine were:

Cardinal of Ambition

Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Cardinal of Courage

Beorn Y'Basden of the Navarr

Cardinal of Loyalty

Julius Cavita of the League

Cardinal of Pride

Langdon Tor of the Marches

Cardinal of Prosperity

Alexandru Vintla of the League

Cardinal of Vigilance

Sirka Parakgoosier Bashnya

Cardinal of Wisdom

Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr

Cardinal of The Way

Antonnio Vanetti of the League

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

0

Income

23 Crowns and 1 Ring

All from the auction of pure liao.

Rewards

20 Crowns

Harald Johnson, Priest of The Way, rewarded the Orc Generals with 20 crowns for their virtue.

Closing Value

3 Crowns and 1 Ring

Synod Judgments

- Malachi of Highguard called for the Pride Assembly to condemn Orthanac of the Navarr for heresy and blasphemy. This judgment was defeated.

- Meurig Tystwarden called for the Pride Assembly to recognise Mother Od as an Exemplar of the Virtue of Pride. This judgment achieved the greater majority required.

- Aiken Scriptbearer of the Navarr called for the Courage Assembly to recognise Connaught Thorntarry of the Navarr as an Exemplar of the Virtue of Courage. This judgement failed to achieve the greater majority required.

- Cardinal Langdon Tor of the Marches called for the Pride Assembly to recognise Olwynn the Witness as an Exemplar of the Virtue of Pride. This judgement achieved the greater majority required.

- Bloody Trees Rhain Winters Vigil, of the Navarr, called for the Navarr National Assembly to revoke the title of General held by The Lion. This judgement was carried by 140 to 30.

- Cardinal Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato, of the League, called for the League National Assembly to revoke the title of General held by Ismund of the Wolves of War. This judgement was made by 100 for and none against.

- Harald Johnson, of the Marches and The Way, called for the General Assembly to reward the Orc Generals with 20 crowns from the Virtue Fund. This judgement was made by 160 for and 90 against.

- Yitzhak, of Highguard, called for the Vigilance Assembly to condemn the one who consecrated the Senate as having abused their powers. This judgement was defeated by 100 against and 50 for.

- Gatekeeper Abraham, of Highguard, called for the Vigilance Assembly to declare that “Lucidianism is a blasphemy and a threat to the Empire and all instances should be condemned and punished”. This judgement was defeated by 70 against and 60 for.

Visionaries

The following individuals were chosen by the Gatekeepers to receive visions of their past lives:

- Brother Anthony of the Marches

- Esdavio Di Tassato of the League.

- General Connaught Thorntarry of the Navarr

- General Ruth of Highguard

- Damaris of Cantioch’s Hold in Highguard

- Octavio di Virtos of Tassato of the League

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Synod_Results,_Winter_Summit,_376_YE&oldid=20784"

Synod Results, Winter Summit, 377YE

Contents

- 1 Appointments

- 2 Appointments

- 2.1 Selection of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- 2.2 Selection of the Cardinal of The Way

- 2.3 Selection of the High Exorcist

- 2.4 Selection of the Gatekeeper of Loyalty

- 3 Synod Judgments

- 4 Statements of Principle

- 5 Synod Funds

- 6 Visionaries

Appointments

At the end of the Summer Summit, 377 YE, the Imperial Titles in the Synod were held by:

Virtue

Cardinal

Gatekeeper / Conscience

Ambition

Olek of the League

Serrusto of the League

Courage

Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Tancred De Rondell of Dawn

Pride

Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr

Prosperity

Ynez di Carcomare of the League

Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

Petra Melikov of Varushka

Silas of Highguard

Wisdom

Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

TBC

The Way

Antonnio Vanzetti of the League

Gideon of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

Appointments

At the Summit, the following appointments were made by the Virtue Assemblies of the Synod:

Selection of the Cardinal of Prosperity

- Enoch of the Shattered Tower in Highguard received 50 votes

- Ynez di Carcomare of the Church of the Little Mother in the League received 76 votes and remained Cardinal

- Cardinal Ynez retained Darius i Ezmara of the Brass Coast as Gatekeeper

Selection of the Cardinal of The Way

- Maximillian Endsmeet, of Urizen, received 10 votes

- Torsch, an Imperial Orc, received 20 votes

- Antonio Vanzetti of the League received 102 votes and remained Cardinal

- Antonio Vanzetti appointed Gideon of the Suns of Courous, in Highguard, as Conscience of the Senate

Selection of the High Exorcist

- The Assembly of Nine elected Solas of the Waxing Sun as High Exorcist by Greater Majority; no other alternatives were considered

Selection of the Gatekeeper of Loyalty

- Following the courageous passage of Friar Alan Young into the Labyrinth, Cardinal Jared appointed Tancred De Rondell of Dawn as Gatekeeper.

Synod Judgments

At the Summit, the following judgments were made by the Assemblies of the Synod:

Assembly

Judgment

Raised By

Outcome

Assembly of Loyalty

Inquisition of General Stanislav of Varushka

Ester Cenotaph, Highguard

Upheld 75 - 0

Assembly of Loyalty

Inquisition of Olaf of the Vor'Azi

Anna-Valeria Cascade, Urizen

Upheld 75 - 0

Assembly of Loyalty

Inquisition of Valentin of House Ortzel

Julius Cavita, League

Upheld

Assembly of Prosperity

Recognition of Nicolo Barossa, Master of the Mint, as an Exemplar of Prosperity.

Cardinal Ynez di Carcomare, League

Upheld 84 - 0, the required Greater Majority

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Gabriel Barossa de Tassato Regario

Cardinal Antonnio Vanzetti, League

Upheld 83 - 0, a Greater Majority

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Ybasdon Striding of Navarr

Cardinal Petra Melikov, Varushka

Upheld 83 - 0, a Greater Majority

General Assembly

Rewarding Ira of Felix's Watch in Highguard with Seventy Crowns from the Virtue Fund for the purchase of five wains of white granite to help build the memorial to the Imperial dead here at Anvil, for which he has the support of a General Assembly Statement of Principle

Cardinal Jared, Suns of Courous, Highguard

Upheld 438 - 278

General Assembly

Rewarding Aquaillion of Endsmeet with Three Crowns from the Virtue Fund to reimburse him for mana used to send a book about the virtue of Wisdom to the Celestial Library

Palladius of Urizen

Defeated 401 to 236

General Assembly

Rewarding Dietrich Von Elias with Five Thrones from the Virtue Fund for the purpose of financing into organising Virtuous Missionaries to be sent to the Iron Confederacy

Dietrich von Elias of the League

Defeated 368 - 278

General Assembly

Rewarding General Erkenbrand of Wintermark with Three Crowns from the Virtue Fund for his inspirational speech to the troops before battle and his virtuous conduct in that battle against the Druj.

Chaplain Torsch, Imperial Orc

Defeated 440 - 95

General Assembly

Rewarding Pete Keeper of Kingstoke with Five Thrones from the Virtue Fund for Acts of Courage, Wisdom, Prosperity and Vigilance and the saving of many lives in Saturday's Battle

Aelfpyrd de Couluvre of the Marches

Defeated 250 to 160

Assembly of Navarr

Revocation of the title of General held by Ulrich Ybasdon

Carwynn of the Navarr

Upheld 72 - 50

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Navarri Generals called Cerunnos and Gwyd Summercrow

Cardinal Agnetha de Rondell, Dawn

Upheld by 49 - 0

Assembly of Nine

Inquisition of Guillmero di Tassato of the League

Cardinal Asher, Felix's Watch, Highguard

Upheld 50 - 0, a Greater Majority

Assembly of Prosperity

Inquisition of Angel Jannat of the Brass Coast

Darius i Ezmara

Upheld 48 - 10

Assembly of the Imperial Orcs

Revocation of the title of Advisor of Orc Affairs held by Kessek Irontide

Atla of the Imperial Orcs

Upheld by unanimous assent; 20 - 0

Assembly of The Way

Inquisition of Evander Slack

Adoramus of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Upheld 62 - 0

Statements of Principle

The Imperial Synod was asked to make the following Statements of Principle:

Assembly

Statement of Principle

Priest

Outcome

General Assembly

Imperial Citizens should not trade liao with the Axos Confederacy until such time as the Synod recognises the virtue of their religions.

Valimir Bashnya of the Red Tower, Varushka

Upheld 368 - 0

Assembly of Highguard

The proposed Cursing of the whole territory of Reikos is a barbaric practice, that is unacceptable because it would indiscriminately kill, not only Druj, but also our own fellow citizens of Highguard.

Lilian of the Unbound Chapter

Defeated 147 - 43

General Assembly

This Statement of Principle calls for the removal of the word Freedom from the Senate Building; Freedom is the false virtue of Anarchy, and is unvirtuous

Abraham of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

Defeated

General Assembly

This House believes that there should be land consecrated to each of the Virtues at every meeting here at Anvil.

Antonio Raul Calogne di Trivento, League

Defeated 209 to 208

General Assembly

Each National Assembly should convene at least once every festival

Morgan Brokenbone, Navarr

Defeated 222 to 138

General Assembly

As the Empire has expanded in influence and Virtue, so too has the way in which we should recognise the Sign of Pilgrimage. Any journey with enough spiritual meaning can change the soul. Therefore when appropriate conjunctions arise, future opportunities ought to be created for pilgrims to journey out from Anvil.

Helena di Sarvos, League

Defeated 320 to 281

General Assembly

The Synod invites those Senators who wish to formally ally their works with those of the Imperial Priesthood to create a political band of Senators - The Bannerpeople of Virtue.

Rurik Von Linden

Defeated 456 to 111

Assembly of Courage

An Open List of aspirants to the Throne should be created through the appropriate channels to allow aspirants to publically and widely show their Courage and Ambition as such.

Isaac di Sarvos

Upheld by Greater Majority, 74 to 34

Assembly of Loyalty

This Statement of Principle recognises the actions of Diego i Guerra in the battle fought in Karsk; his assistance rendered to the soldiers of the Marches show his return towards walking the Virtuous path

Tancred de Rondell, Dawn

Upheld 74 - 0

Synod Funds

The following represents the Virtue Fund of the Synod:

Starting Value

10 Thrones / 1 Crowns / 2 Rings

Income

6 Thrones and 4 Crowns

Raised by auction of Pure Liao

15 Rings

Donated by Linden Endsmeet in memory of Acherus Overwatch

Rewards

70 Crowns

Given to Ira of Felix's Watch at the behest of Cardinal Jared

Closing Value

7 Thrones / 2 Crowns / 17 Rings

Visionaries

The following individuals received visions of their past lives:

- Jonah of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

- Livia Cascade, Urizen

- Rosamund Holt, Marches

- Cora Holdfast, Navarr

- Solomon of the Shattered Tower, Highguard

- Valentin Orisin Brossa, Varushka

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Synod_Results,_Winter_Summit,_377YE&oldid=24518"

Tactician's Demand

Description

These rods are often crafted in a form that mimics a general's baton. They are popular in Urizen and among the icewalkers of Wintermark, where magicians with a keen eye for tactics can them to make good use of the empower spell both on the battlefield and in smaller skirmishes.

As with many similar items such as the Swanfeather Schema and the Landskeeper's Oath, this rod is popular with specialist ritualists. The Hakima of the Brass Coast orthe Varushkan Cabalists seek these rods out to provide a direct means of aiding their fellows when under threat. When the Urizen territory of Spiral fell, the librarians of Ankarien used these rods to help their fellows buy enough time to ferry much of their knowledge to Endsmeet.

These rods are not particualrly common in Dawn as many war-witches choose to master the empower spell personally. They are more commonly found in the possession of enchanters, and often crafted in the form of an elongated, tapering spiral designed to mimic the appearance of the distinctive horn of a unicorn. Those enchanters who favour a unicorn horn rod reocgnise the unicorn as a symbol of a noble of spirit that is ferocious in battle. While there are no verifiable reports of a real unicorn existing in the mortal world, they appear extensively in Dawnish heraldry, and there are believed to be similar creatures that live in the realm of Summer.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the empower spell as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting a tactician's demand requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

The general tightened the straps of his Battlesmith's Panoply.

"The swords and the serpent." he mused, putting aside the runesticks and taking up his great bearskin cloak. He was a runesmith, steeped in the craft, but a general by acclamation. Wise in the ways of war, rather than one who led the charge. A Kallavesi. Axe and rod his tools only: his soldiers were his weapons.

He'd cast the omens, and they were not good. Loyalty to Empress and Empire steeled him for battle. If his band did not hit hard, then others would face harder odds.

He stepped out of his tent, and turned to the warriors who gathered outside. They had fought through forest and mountain together, and he knew he could rely on them.

"All around Skarsind, in glades just like this one, are bands like us. Our armies are marching, with the Empress at their head, but it is us and those like us who hold the balance."

He looked around: heroes from all nations selected for a critical strike.

"Once more, we fight. This is a war, and the Empire’s fate is in your hands.  You have already won great victories, inspired tales which will pass into legend. Those legends will become songs, living forever, a part of our history.

This battle calls for more. Shrewd bargaining has put the best weapons in your hands. You have used all your arts to grant you strength. We are ready.

Oh, there will be moments of fear, when you cannot hear over the beating of your own heart. But fear must not rule us. Keep to the Virtuous paths, let faith ward your minds, as your bodies are warded by armour or the runes of a craftsman.  Your speakers in the Senate give us our aim. It falls to us to see it achieved. Their word is the will of the Empire, of every one of us. And their word is clear.

Now it is up to you. Arm yourselves, with word, with blade, with art and strength of purpose, and decide: will you stand, or will you fall?

Those before us are barbarous creatures, who ravage our halls for the sheer joy of destruction. After today, they will not raid again. Today, they face the nations of the Empire.

Rise above your barbaric past. Use the hard lessons of a hard world.

Know that, even if short, your life will never be dull. The enemy has sown their crop. It is for us to reap the harvest.

This storm can never break us. Remember that nothing great comes without cost.

Death is just another step on the great dance. Great deeds are eternal.

Where there is darkness, we will make light. The Empire is our destiny.

You, and only you, can bring us victory.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Tactician%27s_Demand&oldid=32718"

Category-Talismans (Redirected from Talisman)

Item

Power

Time

Orichalcum

Tempest Jade

Green Iron

Weltsilver

Ambergelt

Beggars Lye

Dragon Bone

Irridescent Gloaming

Circlet of Falling Snow

When you are exposed to any roleplaying effect you can expend 1 mana to justify remaining calm and relaxed.

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Dragonbone Symbol

When this item is the subject of a HALLOW ceremony, the ceremony lasts as long as the item does.

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Pilgrim's Shield

You gain one rank of Endurance provided that you are Dedicated or Annointed

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Bondring

1/day you may use either stay with me or get it together on the other person you have bonded to, without spending a hero point.

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

7

0

Escharotic Cauldron

When you use the apothecary skill to create a potion you may substitute two drams of Marrowort for one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine, or two drams of Cerulean Mazzarine for one dram of Marrowort. You can only make this substitution once per preparation.

1

0

0

0

0

7

0

0

0

Wyrmstone Mortar

When you use the apothecary skill to create a potion you may substitute two drams of Imperial Roseweald for one dram of Bladeroot, or two drams of Bladeroot for one dram of Imperial Roseweald. You can only make this substitution once per preparation.

1

0

0

0

0

0

7

0

0

Mirror of the Virtuous

If the bearer leads an ANOINTING ceremony, all effects apply to the bearer as well as the target.

1

0

0

0

6

0

0

3

0

Phial of the Sun

Once per day when you use the physick skill you can decant some of the juice from this phial and use it as if it were any one herb. An apothecary cannot use this juice when creating a potion.

1

0

0

0

3

3

2

0

0

Shackles of Insight

1/day you can perform INSIGHT on two targets at the same time; you must be able to touch both targets

1

0

7

0

0

0

0

3

0

Alderman's Edge

You gain the weapon master skill

1

0

8

0

0

0

0

3

0

Cowl of Ashes

Gain 1 rank for the Whispers through the Black Gate ritual

1

0

0

0

0

0

4

3

3

Greensteel Bracelets

You gain the shield skill

1

3

0

8

0

0

0

0

0

Lodestone Shears

Twice per day an artificer can use these shears to cut a bond connecting to an item they can make as if they were casting the create bond spell

1

0

6

0

0

0

6

0

0

Champion's Bastion

When you spend a hero point, you gain 1 hit straight afterwards

1

0

3

7

3

0

0

0

0

Illuminates' Amulet

2/day when you use a dose of Liao to perform a religious ceremony you regain 1 personal Mana.

1

0

0

0

5

0

0

3

5

Shackle of the Unvirtuous

While wearing this ring, your aura is concealed from the INSIGHT skill; you cannot use any liao skills or imperial liao while bonded to this item

1

0

4

0

6

0

0

3

0

Bannerman's Band

Wearer gains the stay with me skill, and may use it once a day without spending a hero point

1

0

0

5

0

4

0

5

0

Oakheart Shield

You gain one rank of Endurance and one rank of Fortitude

1

0

0

0

6

9

0

0

0

Burnished Rampart

You can spend 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying and a hero point to repair this shield

1

13

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

Captain's Mask

Gain 1 rank for Splendid Panoply of Knighthood and Strength of the Bull

1

9

0

0

0

0

0

3

4

Chrysalis Pendant

You may spend a hero point and five seconds of appropriate roleplaying to restore the use to another character's limb that has been disabled with the CLEAVE or IMPALE calls.

1

0

0

0

8

5

3

0

0

Corsair's Bloody Mask

Gain 1 rank for the Blood and Salt and Merciless Wrath of the Reaver rituals

1

0

5

3

0

0

0

4

3

Mask of Gold and Lead

Gain 1 rank for The Eight-Spoked Wheel and the Retrograde Wheel rituals

1

0

0

0

0

0

3

4

9

Mask of the Mountebank

Gain 1 rank for the Disguise Lineage and Masque of the Blinded Weaver.

1

0

0

0

0

0

4

5

7

Mercantilist's Mask

Gain 1 rank for the Streams of Silver and Rivers of Hold rituals

1

7

0

0

0

0

3

3

2

Warcaster's Oath

You do not lose the mana for any spell that you are interrupted while casting

1

0

5

7

0

0

0

4

0

Unblinking Eye

1/day you may use the INSIGHT skill as if you knew it without requiring any Liao.

1

3

7

0

5

0

0

3

0

Stormguard Bulwark

You gain one rank of Endurance, and one mana

1

9

5

0

0

0

0

0

7

Censer of Benediction

When you participate in a CONSECRATE, HALLOW or ANOINTING ceremony, you may add an additional rank by spending an additional Liao

1

5

0

6

0

7

0

3

0

Righteous Aspergil

When you participate in a TESTIFY ceremony, you may add up to two additional ranks by spending up to two additional Liao

1

3

7

0

6

0

0

5

0

Silent Bell

When you participate in an EXORCISM ceremony, you may add up to two additional ranks by spending up to two additional Liao

1

0

0

7

0

0

10

5

0

Straw Mask

Gain 1 rank for the Blessing of New Spring, Strong Ox and Golden Sun , and Gathering the Harvest rituals

1

3

0

0

3

3

3

4

3

Strigine Mask

Gain 1 rank for Reading the Weave, Eye of the Sun and the Moon and Piercing Light rituals

1

7

0

0

9

0

0

3

2

Abraxus Stone

When under the effect of VENOM, your bleed count is reduced by 3 minutes instead of to zero

1

0

7

0

9

0

12

0

0

Pauper's Key

2/day may open a portal as if they had cast the open portal spell

1

0

0

2

7

0

9

0

9

Ring of Adversity

1/day Gain 1 rank of Spring, Winter or Night Lore

1

0

6

0

0

9

9

0

6

Ring of Triumph

1/day Gain 1 rank of Summer, Autumn or Day Lore

1

9

0

6

9

0

0

0

6

Bloodfire Periapt

While under the effect of VENOM, you gain 3 endurance. You lose 3 hits from your current total when the VENOM is cured.

1

6

0

6

14

0

6

0

0

Atun's Ring

1/day Gain 1 rank in any one Lore

1

6

6

0

6

6

6

0

6

Circlet of Command

Whenever you activate the Get It Together skill, you may use it on two characters at once for the cost of 1 Hero Point. You must have one hand on each target.

1

7

5

4

15

0

0

7

0

Pages in category "Talismans"

This category contains only the following page.

T

- Talisman

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Category-Talismans&oldid=21703"

Talon of the Gryphon

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 30

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 30

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must possess the weapon master skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

Once each day the target can call impale when wielding a one-handed spear, following the rules for a heroic call. The target should give a loud bellow, roar, howl or cry when they use this ability.

In addition, the target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect; they feel strongly inclined to take immediate, bloody vengeance on anyone they think has wronged them, their friends or their family. They also tend to suffer from short fuses and sudden attacks of savage temper.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 18. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual allows a warrior to strike a devastating blow with a one-handed spear that penetrates all but the strongest armour, piercing flesh and shattering bone. It brings with it a strong urge to take righteous vengeance against those who have wronged the target, fanning feelings of wrath and anger. The enchantment is often associated with the Eternal Hayaak the lord of Grypyhons, who demonstrates a stormy temper and a strong sense of natural justice, revenge and an ability to hold grudges for a long period of time.

The spell is sometimes called Horn of the Unicorn, especially by the Navarr and those few Dawnish ritualists who know the ritual. It is also known as the Narwhal's Harpoon in Wintermark and as the Stance of Harnessed Wrath by the Urizen battle magicians who use it to allow their allied sentinels to deliver pin-point, devastating strikes

Common Elements

As an enchantment this ritual often involves giving the target a token or marking them or their weapon in some way. A toast may also be appropriate, especially one in which the target recalls their reasons for seeking the enchantment, or those who have wronged them in some way who will be made to pay (although many priests take a dim view of that kind of behaviour). This ritual often includes the use of the runes Verys or Feresh and invocations of gryphons, narwhals or unicorns.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Talon_of_the_Gryphon&oldid=31269"

Tam Lin

As sung by Fairport Convention

Lovely version with odd piano by Bill Jones http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk0g2CiWvUc

I forbid you maidens all that wear gold in your hair To travel to Carterhaugh for young Tam Lin is there None that go by Carterhaugh but they leave him a pledge Either their mantles of green or else their maidenhead Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee And she's gone to Carterhaugh as fast as go can she She'd not pulled a double rose, a rose but only two When up there came young Tam Lin, says "Lady, pull no more" "And why come you to Carterhaugh without command from me?" "I'll come and go," young Janet said, "and ask no leave of thee"

Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee And she's gone to her father as fast as go can she Well, up then spoke her father dear and he spoke meek and mild "Oh, and alas, Janet," he said, "I think you go with child" "Well, if that be so," Janet said, "myself shall bear the blame There's not a knight in all your hall shall get the baby's name For if my love were an earthly knight as he is an elfin grey I'd not change my own true love for any knight you have"

Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee And she's gone to Carterhaugh as fast as go can she "Oh, tell to me, Tam Lin," she said, "why came you here to dwell?" "The Queen of Faeries caught me when from my horse I fell And at the end of seven years she pays a tithe to Hell I so fair and full of flesh and feared it be myself But tonight is Hallowe'en and the faerie folk ride Those that would their true love win at Miles Cross they must bide

First let past the horses black and then let past the brown Quickly run to the white steed and pull the rider down For I'll ride on the white steed, the nearest to the town For I was an earthly knight, they give me that renown

Oh, they will turn me in your arms to a newt or a snake But hold me tight and fear not, I am your baby's father And they will turn me in your arms into a lion bold But hold me tight and fear not and you will love your child And they will turn me in your arms into a naked knight But cloak me in your mantle and keep me out of sight"

In the middle of the night she heard the bridle ring She heeded what he did say and young Tam Lin did win Then up spoke the Faerie Queen, an angry queen was she Woe betide her ill-fard face, an ill death may she die

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Tam_Lin&oldid=2981"

Tanner's Hill

Lyrics by Amelia Crowley, Music Jude Reid

The full notation for the song is below, and the same version in a different layout is available here.

On a winter's evening when all were cold and still There came a goodman walking up the road to Tanner's Hill On a winter's evening without no wind nor rain A man went up to Tanner's hill, a bard came down again

Once go for wisdom Twice go for fame But them as go to Tanner's Hill, they'll not come down the same

Mild and misty springtime when all were fine and fair A bard climbed up to Tanner's Hill to get a breath of air Mild and misty springtime with birdsong on the brain A bard climbed up to Tanner's Hill - a knight went home again

When the ravens circle When the sky's aflame Them as go to Tanner's Hill, they'll not come down the same

Bright midsummer morning with the sun up in the sky A knight went up to Tanner's Hill, his fortunes for to try Bright midsummer morning with the blossom on the lane A knight went up to Tanner's Hill and mad came down again

Some say it's the old ones Some say it's the fey But them as go to Tanner's Hill, they'll not come down the same

At the end of Autumn as the leaves lay dead and still There came a madman walking up the road to Tanner's Hill At the end of Autumn when the year were on the wane A madman climbed to Tanner's Hill and ne'er came down again

Don't walk the road, love Don't try the lane Don't go up to Tanner's Hill, you'll not come down the same

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Tassato

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 The Sapphire Stair

- 3.2 The Arratan Gamble

- 3.3 The Imperial Mint

- 3.4 The School of Epistemology

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Cascatas

- 4.2 Enterio

- 4.3 Tassato Mestra

- 4.4 Tassato Regario

- 4.5 Madeiras

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

Peering at each other across the fast-flowing Vassa, Tassato is called the Twin City or the Split City. Providing the only easy way to cross the wide and dangerous river, Tassato is a city divided against itself. Tassato was originally two towns, Mestra and Regario, named for the feuding siblings who historically founded them on either bank of the Vassa. Over time, both towns grew on each bank and the river formed a natural boundary between them. Attempts to build bridges between the cities have always foundered and the people rely on boats and barges to cross the river.

The western part of the city is called Tassato Mestra, and the eastern is Tassato Regario. The people on either side of the river are historically rivals, and that historical rivallry occasionally boils up into open conflict. The two cities were unified under the control of Anabela di Regario, a merchant prince who ruled over a century before the creation of the Empire. Anabela was forced to contend with the constant rivalry between the two cities- open battles in the streets between bravos were causing widespread lawlessness and in the end the prince declared a ban on the open carrying of weapons. The ban had the desired effect, damping down the bloodshed although and the rivalry was slowly transformed to verbal banter between the two sides. The ban endured until Tassato joined the Empire and in that time the people became famous for their wordplay, launching quips and insults at each other like arrows.

Citizens of Tassato generally refer to Regario and Mestra as separate places, while everyone else refers to them as wards or parts of the same city. Today Tassato enjoys an unrivalled reputation as a city where the spoken word is an art-form. Tassatans take a delight in layered meanings, subtexts and unspoken communication. The city has provided several senators famous for their brilliant oratory and representatives from the city are usually regarded as the finest diplomats in the Empire. Of all the people of the League, Tassatans are most likely to view life as a game and they are notorious for their love of intrigue, not just for the sake of advancement but for the sheer pleasure to be had thereby. They regard cunning diplomacy more highly than armed conflict, not because they are peace-loving, but instead because they regard words as a more effective tool than weapons in destroying their enemies - better to set enemies against enemies than to face them yourself. Manipulation is high art here - no surprise that some of the finest mountebanks hail from Tassato.

Tassato chooses a senator each Autumn equinox, and as might be imagined the election is often bitterly contested. Traditionally, being senator for Tassato is regarded as one of the worst seats in the Imperial Senate. If the senator is from the city itself, then they often encounter resistance and hostility from the folk from the other side of the river. If they are not from the city proper - if they refuse to pick a side - they are generally treated as interlopers and encounter harassment from citizens from both sides of the river. A few wealthy guilds that live outside the city proper maintain a discreet distance from the intrigues of their more urban cousins - the votes of these guilds are much sought after by candidates regardless of where they live.

Recent History

Major Features

The Sapphire Stair

A masterwork of locks built by the Tassatan engineer Marco Di Paraiso for Emperor Giovanni in the early days of the empire, replacing the old system of portage. Tassato relies on the Sapphire Stair for all its boat trade, and due to this, the village of Cevia is fortified, and watchmen constantly guard the Stair. Control of the Sapphire Stair is hotly contested between the folk of Regario and Mestra. It represents a valuable sinecure, and the Keeper of the Sapphire Stair receives a portion of all tolls levied for the use of the river.

The Arratan Gamble

The Gamble is a large quarry in northern Enterio. It has a singularly bad reputation, and several previous holders of the seat have been ruined. Some claim that the quarry is cursed, while others claim that the real problem is the people of Tassato Regario who resent anyone other than a fellow Regario citizen claiming it. In addition to the white granite produced in the Gamble, the quarries are known for their fine stone using in construction throughout Tassato and the central Empire.

The Arratan Gamble is an Imperial Bourse position which produces white granite. It is allocated to any Imperial citizen by open auction during the Summer solstice. This Bourse position produces 25 Imperial wains of white granite each season.

The Imperial Mint

In the centre of the Vassa towers the Imperial Mint where Imperial coinage is produced. While this fortified building itself is operated by the civil service, its protection falls to the people of the League. The Master of the Imperial Mint has the use of sumptuous apartments on the small island where the Mint stands, and access to a number of well-maintained boats with which to cross the Vassa. Founded by Emperor Giovanni,

The Master of the Imperial Mint is a national Bourse position which provides several political and economic advantages. The title is auctioned to the citizens of the League each Winter.

The School of Epistemology

Established by the Exemplar of Wisdom Avigliana in Tassato Regario, the School of Epistemology is a well-respected centre of higher education. It is dedicated to encouraging citizens of the League (and indeed the Empire as a whole) to take note of the world they live in and put the truth of it in writing. The school continues to teach spies, diplomats and cartographers, alongside the the more traditional accountants, priests and poets. While it is much smaller than the University of Tassato, and lacks that establishment's depth of curriculum, it is still a prestigious educational establishment. Relations with the University remain cordial, although marked by occasional outbursts of "student hijinks" on both sides.

It also has greater historical and cultural significance than its comparatively small size and focus might suggest, even leaving aside the fact that it was founded by a woman that the Imperial Synod recognised as a reincarnation of the Exemplar Kala. It was while besieging the school in 209YE that the crazed Emperor Nicovar met his end at the hands of the captain of his own guard. The school was badly damaged during the attack, but was quickly rebuilt and somewhat expanded in the years following, including the creation of a new chapel to house the reliquary of Avigliana which serves as a place of pilgrimage to this day.

Regions

Cascatas

On the western banks of the Vassa stands the fortified village of Cevia which guards a river crossing where two Trods meet and cross the Vassa. It is best known outside of the League as the place where the famous traveller's inn, the Caduta, stands. It is built next to the Sapphire Stair, a masterwork of locks, and many trading barges pass through every day. While Cascatas claims to be neutral in the age-old conflicts between Mestra and Regario, the simple fact of geography that sees it on the western bank means it's citizens are much more welcoming to travellers from the western city than the eastern, which has been a point of some contention. The Keeper of the Sapphire Stair has a comfortable house here, but it is rarely used - especially when the keeper is not from Tassato Mestra.

Enterio

The plains of Enterio are home to a number of farms, orchards and vinyards as well as a fair number of wineries. Tassato imports much of it's food - there is no way the farms here could support the multitudes who call the city home - and so the farms have tended to focus on specialised crops. They compete among themselves to ensure the name of their particular breed of apple or grape, or the flesh, hide or wool of their particular herd, is considered the best. Enterio is also the location of the Arratan Gamble and there are several small settlements in that area that provide housing and services for the quarry labourers.

Tassato Mestra

Tassato Mestra is famous both for its boatyards - it is the primary source of the riverboats that ply their trade from Sarvos deep into Dawn - and for the boldness of its brothels. The west bank of the river is almost entirely given over to a gaudy display of brazenness, the so-called Street of Pleasures where anyone with the purse for it can buy company, narcotics and other goods of dubious virtue. The ciciscbeo of Mestra, while generally seen as lacking the refined manner of those hailing from Sarvos, are known both for their quick tongues and physical skills.

Mestra tends to be more cramped and "dirtier" than Regario across the river. Built at the foot of steep hills, restrictions on space have lead to the buildings being much taller than those of their neighbouring citizens. Some buildings, especially along the riverfront, stretch to four or even five stories. Architects in Regario may be more technically adept, but builders in Mestra are certainly masters at improvisation and practical application of their skills.

The hills above the city proper are also the site of several old mines. While the mineral wealth of Tassato Mestra is piddling next to that of places like Temeschwar, the guilds who control these mines are old and reasonably influential in the city and the League as a whole.

In Autumn 378YE, the Senate approved the construction of heavy fortification along the western walls of the city along with a small keep and several watch towers. When complete (construction will take a year), La Redotta Rezia will protect the western approaches into Tassato proper from potential Jotun aggression.

Keywords: City

Tassato Regario

The east part of the city, Tassato Regario, is best known for its workshops and magicians. According to legend, the printing press was designed in Tassato Regario and the first presses were employed here printing religious tracts, scholarly treatises and political manifestos. There are several printers in Regario, and while they may occasionally vie with each other for the right to print a particularly important - or slacious - document there is more than enough work to go round. The eastern part of the city is home to philosophers, agitators, demagogues, poets and scholars from across the Empire who come here to have their work printed and add a distinctly cosmopolitan feel to the city. The University of Tassato can be found here (although it accepts students from both sides of the river and from across the Empire). It is also the site of the prestigious School of Epistemology, founded by the Exemplar Avigliana, combining a centre of learning with a place of worship dedicated to the embrace of Wisdom.

The eastern city is much less cramped than the western city - it is also surrounded to the east and south by wide parklands often referred to as the Regarian Walls. This public park is tended by a cadre of professional gardeners, and is also home to several fine orchards and vinyards. Once one gets beyond the public areas, there are several jealously guarded preserves where the iridescent butterfly is cultivated. The guilds who control these private preserves are very fond of their privacy and do not appreciate unexpected guests. Several of them have divorced themselves entirely from the politics of the city, barely pay attention to the politics of the League, and have a reputation for being ... odd. At least one of the guilds here is composed entirely of naga, descended from some of the original reckoners and rumoured to egage in idolatrous worship of one or more Night eternals.

Keywords: City

Madeiras

A sprawling forest that extends northward to Miaren. Long before the Empire was founded, there was conflict across the borders here with the Navarr, and several battlegrounds litter the land to the north. The woodcutting settlement of Tagliona is found in southern Madeiras. A small town, it supplies much of the wood required by Tassato's boat-builders and (along with stone from the quarries) it's building materials.

Keywords: Forested

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Tassato are in the hands of the League (and by extension the Empire) making this a completely Imperial territory.

- The senator for Tassato is elected during the Autumn equinox each year.

- The woods around Tassato Regario are sprawling well maintained orchards - they do not amount to the forested keyword.

- This page is still under development - the next stage is to review approved backgrounds for details that would enrich the description of the territory.

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Temeschwar

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Temeschwar

- 3.2 The Fortress of Salt

- 3.3 Mellfort

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Hanuri

- 4.2 Locul

- 4.3 Metri

- 4.4 Vargat

- 4.5 Vardstein Vale

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

Temeschwar was once part of wild Varushka, but it joined the Empire alongside Sarvos and Tassato, when the League was formed. Citizens of Temeschwar commonly make an effort to be as flamboyant as their southern fellows, but their dress is inevitably more practical, to accommodate the harsh northern weather. They are tradtionally more brutally pragmatic than those who live on the bay. It is a foothold of trade to Varushka, Wintermark and nearby Dawn. Trading in raw materials and crafted goods, especially weapons and armour, it is seen by many as the merchant capital of the northern lands.

Despite its good relations with Varushka, Temeschwar has always suffered somewhat from being distant from Sarvos and Tassato whose close proximity made them the natural heart of the League. Temeschwar may well be the richest of all the cities of the League, but it can never quite shake the fear that it is not as good as the others. This anxiety is just part of what drives the Temeschwari to be so competitive and so ruthless. Temeschwari strive to work that bit longer and that bit harder than anyone else in the League. If a Sarvossian closes their shop at sunset, their Temeschwari neighbour will light a pair of lanterns and keep trading for another hour.

Not all relations with Varushka are good, however. There is still some bad blood between those of old Varushkan stock in Temeschwar and the citizens of Delev in Karov. When Temeschwar joined the Empire it attempted to prove that it had legitimate ownership of the Eternal Shafts of Time, a rich mithril mine on the border between the two territories. There are still plays and theatrical adaptations that revolve around the underhand, ruthless way the boyar of Delev "stole" the mine from under the noses of the Temeschwari, and relations between some Delev traders and and some citizens of Temeschwar are chilly to this day - especially in the rare cases where there is some distant blood connection between the two.

The Temeschwari are not just the most competitive people in the League, they also have a well deserved reputation as the most ruthless. In the years before the creation of the Empire, the city was plagued by gangs of thieves and assassins who operated with open impunity despite the best efforts of the boyar, Ratibor. Thousands of inhabitants were linked with the different gangs who used tattoos to mark membership and enforce loyalty.

In the end Ratibor hired a force of Varushkan mercenaries and brought them in secret into the city during the depths of winter. In the notorious night of a thousand torches (named for the torches the soldiers carried to light their way) every inhabitant of the city was turned out of their beds, stripped and searched for marks. Anyone with a tattoo on their body was given a few minutes to collect their belongings before being forced from the city into the frozen snows beyond the walls. A few managed to bribe their way past the search but most were given over to the winter and were never seen again. The act was one of monstrous brutality, but it established the power of Ratibor as boyar and broke the power of the criminal gangs forever.

The Temeschwari wear their reputation for cold, hard dealing with pride. They view themselves as the strongest people in the League, combining the ambition and drive of the south with the strength and determination of the north. Physical as well as mental strength is prized here - Temeschwari bravos are as likely to favour the axe as the rapier - and her free companies have a reputation for toughness, as soldiers and as people. Most Temeschwari free companies are careful not to break the rules for they know the magistrates watch them carefully - but they will do almost anything required to win short of this. You can find many things in Temeschwar, it is said, but you will not find a scruple though you search the city from sunrise to sunset.

Recent History

Rumours suggest that the vyig criminal organisation has become active again in the northern city. This Varushkan criminal fraternity is untied by an absolute hatred of Imperial law, and once threatened to overtake both Temeschwar and the League.

Major Features

Temeschwar

The city of Temeschwar occupies most of Hanuri.

The Fortress of Salt

In Metri, the Fortress of Salt is a Bourse position which produces mithril. As with the Eternal Shafts of Time, ownership of the Fortress was hotly contested between Temeschwar and Karovin the early days of the Empire. While Temeschwar retained nominal control of the Fortress of Salt, the mines (along with the Great Pits of Ennerlud) were ultimately declared an Imperial Bouse resource.

The mine workings here began as several jealously protected salt mines, until a major seam of mithril was discovered in one of the mines. The mine owner who first uncovered the seam used a number of both honest and dishonest tactics to take control of the other salt mines, allowing her to exploit what were later discovered to be massive deposits of mithril. One popular story was that the seam was actually discovered by a gang of orc slave workers, and while there is little proof either way, it was widely publicised by the abolitionsit cause during and after the orc rebellion. A number of songs were written about the treatment of these orcs, who urban legend claims were killed to prevent them revealing the discovery of the mithril ore before their owner could properly secure it. The historian Eduar di Temeschwar uncovered some evidence that these stories were based on actual events - but that early versions of the tale described the murdered miners as being League citizens. The truth will probably never be known.

This is an Imperial Bourse position. It is allocated to any Imperial citizen by open auction. It produces 25 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

Mellfort

In Locul, on the higher slopes of Mellfort Peak, stands old Mellfort. This ancient hillfort consists of a ruined set of concentric rings of black stone, believed to have been of Terunael origin (although some scholars claim the Terun simply adapted a much older structure, perhaps one built by The Sentinel). The fort was in ruins when the first Varushkan settlers came here, believed to be a casualty of the wars between the people of Terunael and the orcs. Human settlers lost no time in incorporating the sturdy stones of the ruin into their own fortification.

Throughout its history, people who have spent long periods of time here have reported strange dreams - dreams of sadness, loss and bittersweet remembrance. Unlike many such 'accurséd places' it gained a reputation for strangeness, rather than terror or fear, and in the early years of the Empire became something of a place of pilgrimage for those suffering grief or regret.

The fortification here was decomissioned during the reign of Empress Mariika, during a compromise which saw funds channeled to the fortification of Temeschwar itself. Mellfort has not seen use as a fortress for many years, but following the fall of Skarsind there was discussion of rebuilding it as a watchpost and beacon. In early 377YE the fortress was partially refitted to serve as a base of operation for groups of bravos hunting bandits and brigands preying on Temeschwari trade. Overseen by Bridget Eastville (senator for Mitwold) as part of a larger plan to provide protection to towns throughout the Empire, the defences are not sufficient to qualify Mellfort as a fortification, but they have already helped reduce outlawry throughout the territory. They have also lead to further discussion about completing the work and restoring Mellfort to its former glory as a strategically placed fortification.

Regions

Hanuri

The main feature of Hanuri is the city of Temeschwar. (OOC note: Temeschwar is a rank two fortification.)

Keywords: City, Fortification

Locul

Much of the territory of Temeschwar is rugged and hilly, but in Locul the foothills rise steeply into the heights of Mellfort Peak which takes it's name from the hill fort built on the upper slopes. Before the forerunners of the League restored the ruins there, the peak was called Suyan. The mountain dwarfs the surrounding territory, for all that Urizen visitors like to claim (somewhat smugly) that it is not a real mountain. The peaks and foothills of Locul are the site of many propserous mines, especially those working green iron and weltsilver. One of the best known of these mines is Descent - a mining village built around a large open sinkhole at the foot of Mellfort Peak. Many years ago a stairs and ramp were built spiralling down into the depths of the Descent, and green iron is mined from an extensive cavern complex beneath. The Custodian of the Assayer's Guild often spends a lot of time surveying the mines of Locul, when they are not at their offices in Temeschwar proper.

Keywords: Hilly

Metri

The Fortress of Salt is found in Metri, very close to the border with Varushkan Karov.

Vargat

A somewhat hilly region, dotted with villages and scattered areas of cultivated woodlands. Vargat is perhaps best known for the brewing of strong spirits, the good quality, thick-crusted dark rye-bread made from locally sourced flour known colloquially a Vargat Bianch, and for extremely strong-tasting pickled cabbage that is considred a local delicacy by those from Vargat, and a challenge to the digestive system and sense of taste by everyone else. Increased trade with southern nations, especially the Freeborn, has seen a recent fashion in Vargat for vegetable dishes prepared by fermenting with a variety of seasonings. It remains to be seen if this culinary fashion will become popular in the League.

Vardstein Vale

The southern Vardstein Vale that slopes down toward Miaren has a reputation for wildness. While the periphery has been cultivated with a number of small woodland preserves, most of the woodland is left "wild". The forest is known to be home to many wolves, and to at least one pack of wily Dire Wolves. The decision to leave the Vale as a hunting preserve has caused occasional friction with the Navarr and Wintermark who point out that wild beasts do not respect borders. More artistically minded individuals point to the decision to leave the Vardstein Vale "wild" as reflecting a key element of the Temeschwari (and indeed League) soul. They are civillised, but they are not tame ...

Keywords: Forested

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Temeschwar are in the hands of the League (and by extension the Empire) making it a staunchly Imperial territory.

- The city itself is a rank two fortification.

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Templar's Cuculla

Description

The cuculla is a long, flowing, priestly robe with a hood. It is usually closed at the front rather than split, and is most popular in Highguard, The Marches and Urizen. They are particularly popular in places where cold weather is commonplace, offering additional warmth to those who spend a lot of time in drafty shrines or in the open air. The templar's cuculla grants the wearer additional opportunities to perform ceremonies that purge spiritual auras, or combat dark forces, and as a consequence more militant priests have adapted the cuculla to a form of long surcoat, still often bearing a hood, designed to be worn over or underneath their armour for when they must directly engage with malignant spiritual presences.

These vestments saw extensive use in the aftermath of the Freedom Heresy, where strong-willed priests versed in the ceremonies of exorcism combated the residual corrupting influence of the forces of anarchy from eastern Dawn and the western Barrens.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may perform or contribute to an exorcism ceremony without expending any liao. You must be able to perform the exorcism ceremony to use this ability.

- Materials: Crafting a templar's cuculla requires seven measures of beggar's lye, three measures of iridescent gloaming and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Template%3AArcane Weapons

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of a one-handed weapon and either a rod or a wand.

- Requirement: You must have both the ambidexterity and magician skills to bond to these items.

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Template%3ABows

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a bow.

- Requirement: You must have the marksman skill to bond to this item.

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Template%3ADaggers

- Form: Weapon.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3ADaggers&oldid=31946"

Template%3AFoci

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of a ritual focus.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3AFoci&oldid=32339"

Template%3AHeavy Armour

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of heavy armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

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Template%3AIcons

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of an icon.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

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Template%3AJewellery

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of a jewellery.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3AJewellery&oldid=32337"

Template%3ALight Armour

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of light armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3ALight_Armour&oldid=32207"

Template%3AMage Armour

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3AMage_Armour&oldid=32211"

Template%3AMage Robes

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3AMage_Robes&oldid=32205"

Template%3AMagical Standards

- Form: Standard. Takes the form of a magical standard.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3AMagical_Standards&oldid=32383"

Template%3AMedium Armour

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of medium armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3AMedium_Armour&oldid=32208"

Template%3AMusical Instruments

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of any kind of musical instrument.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

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Template%3AOne-Handed Spears

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed spear.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3AOne-Handed_Spears&oldid=32004"

Template%3AOne-Handed Weapons

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed weapon.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3AOne-Handed_Weapons&oldid=31990"

Template%3APaired Weapons

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of two one-handed weapons.

- Requirement: You must have the ambidexterity skill to bond to these items.

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Template%3AParaphernalia

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3AParaphernalia&oldid=32387"

Template%3APole-arms

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a pole-arm.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

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Template%3ARegalia

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of ceremonial regalia.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

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Template%3AReliquary

- Form: Reliquary. Takes the form of a ceremonial reliquary.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3AReliquary&oldid=32388"

Template%3ARitual Staves

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a ritual stave.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3ARitual_Staves&oldid=32051"

Template%3ARods

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3ARods&oldid=32049"

Template%3AShields

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of a shield.

- Requirement: You must have the shield skill to bond to this item.

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Template%3AStaffs

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3AStaffs&oldid=32203"

Template%3ATwo-Handed Weapons

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a two-handed weapon.

- Requirement: You must have the Weapon Master skill to bond to this item.

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Template%3AVestments

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3AVestments&oldid=32222"

Template%3AWands

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Template%3AWands&oldid=32048"

Tenacity of Jotra

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains one additional rank of fortitude, and is under a roleplaying effect: you feel confident and certain of victory.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 1. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

One of the simplest enchantments known, it is actually reasonably rare to find anyone who has mastered Tenacity of Jotra; there are after all many more powerful enchantments available to the practitioners of Summer lore. The small amount of additional fortitude it grants is rarely considered to be worth the expenditure of mana it requires.

Where the spell is sometimes valuable is in enhancing the constitution of an individual who is already quite tenacious, or as an adjunct to the use of an Abraxus Stone.

Common Elements

As with many enchantment rituals, common elements include the consumption of wholesome food and drink (especially mead or beer) and the use of tokens and gifts such as favours. Unsurprisingly, the rune Jotra is often used, painted onto the skin especially the skin of the chest or belly. Likewise an evocation of The Stallion or The Oak may be appropriate with this ritual, as are evocations of horses, boars, bears and other animals famed for their bodily fortitude.

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Ten Thousand Miles

Trad/Nic Jones

Learning resources

Score by Daisy Abbott: Media:10000-miles.pdf

- Tune: Media:10000-miles-top.midi

- High harmony: Media:10000-miles-mid.midi

- Low harmony: Media:10000-miles-bot.midi

- All voices together: Media:10000-miles.midi

Fare you well my own true love And farewell for a while. I’m going away, but I’ll be back If I go ten thousand miles.

Ten thousand miles, my own true love, Ten thousand miles or more, And the rocks may melt and the seas may burn, If I no more return.

Oh don’t you see that lonesome dove, Sitting on yon ivy tree, She’s weeping for her own true love Just as I shall weep for mine.

Oh come back my own true love And stay a while with me For if I had a friend all on this earth, You’ve been a friend to me.

And fare you well my own true love And farewell for a while. I’m going away, but I’ll be back If I go ten thousand miles.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Ten_Thousand_Miles&oldid=11935"

Terms and conditions

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Empire Copyright

- 3 Illustration Art

- 4 Game Art

- 4.1 Fair Use Policy

- 5 Uploading Content

Overview

Our philosophy is that all live roleplaying games are the product of a community of people developing ideas and games together over time. There are remarkably few new ideas under the sun and each new game builds on the ideas that have gone before it. As such we have no interest in restricting other live roleplayers from using any of the ideas that have been incorporated into our games. We prefer to encourage other live roleplaying organizers that share our ideals to share their work also.

We are frequently emailed by players to ask if they can use text from our games or logos from our website. There really is no need to ask, we're genuinely happy if players find any part of the games we create useful in creating their own games or websites. At the end of the day imitation indicates flattery, acknowledgement indicates respect. The only exception to these rules are for any creative works such as art or music that are used on the wiki, in these cases copyright remains with the author and usage is discussed below.

Empire Copyright

All Profound Decisions games and the content on our websites are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike. This license lets you remix, tweak, and build upon this work even for commercial reasons, as long as you credit and license all new creations under identical terms.

Illustration Art

The artwork created to illustrate the game remains the property of the artists who created it and is used with their kind permission. If you wish to use the images for any reason then you should contact the original artist to request permission. We can pass a request for contact to the artist if you do not know them personally.

Many artists make their living by selling their work. Please do not upload any pieces of artwork to the wiki unless you are certain that you have permission for it to be used here from the artist who created the work.

Game Art

Artwork created to support the game, such as the runes and the maps remains the property of the artists who created it and is used with their kind permission. We appreciate that people will want to reproduce game art and encourage them to do so. There are no restrictions on the use of game art on a non-commercial basis. If you are selling items of LRP equipment that use game art on a commercial basis then you must abide by our fair use policy.

Fair Use Policy

If you are selling items of LRP equipment that use any game art such as the runes or map then you are welcome to do so provided that you charge no more for the item than you would for an equivalent item with the same level of decoration or detail with different art on it. We encourage traders to create and sell beautiful pieces of work decorated with Empire game art at a price that reflects their skill and efforts; what we require is that you charge a price for the item that is in line with other work you create with the same level of detail and effort.

Uploading Content

There are many interested individuals who have a vested interest in the content of a photograph, the model shown, the people who made the costume, the photographer, the organizers of the event where the photograph was taken, or the owners of the site where the photograph was taken. If there is an image being used on our wiki that is one of yours in any of these definitions and you are unhappy then please get in touch. We can add an accreditation and a link everywhere the image is used or we can remove it. We will always remove any image as quickly as humanly possible at the request of any concerned party.

Please don't upload images of LRPers to the wiki without ensuring that you have the permission of the players involved in creating the image.

Images from films are used without any intent to challenge the owner's copyright. They are used to direct players to the films and indicate which characters from the films provide good inspiration for the game. Any images uploaded should include captions and accreditation which makes the source clear.

All tunes and lyrics must be credited. We suggest that every piece of music includes the following credits the title, original title if any, words and tune credits (if not traditional). Please do not upload copyrighted material without the explicit permission of the authors/performers, where something is used with permission of the copyright holders please say so.

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Territory (Redirected from Territories and regions)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Campaigns

- 3 Regions

- 4 Resources

- 5 Further Reading

- 5.1 Core Brief

- 5.2 Additional Information

Overview

The world of Empire is divided up into territories, each of which is sub-divided into several regions. A region is an abstract division that represents a significant area of similar land. A region could be a large forest, many square miles of rolling hills, the area around a town or fortification, a marsh, an area of plains or farms or any number of other combinations of terrain and important features. A region might be large enough to contain a dozen villages, or represent the environs of a single large castle, or part of one of the great cities of the League.

Campaigns

- A campaign involves all the armies in a territory

- Whoever controls half the regions in a territory controls the territory

A military campaign takes place across a whole territory over the three months between events and it incorporates all the armies present in that territory. The movement of Imperial armies is defined by the territory they move to, and the outcome of a campaign is determined by the armies present in a territory.

Territories are divided into regions based on their geography and military significance. The winning side in a campaign will often gain control of a region as a result of their success. If the Empire controls more than half of the regions in a territory, then the territory is considered to be under Imperial control. If a Barbarian power controls more than half the regions then they control the territory. If no single power controls more than half the regions, then nobody controls the territory.

Regions

- Armies can move anywhere in a territory

- Armies may gain control of regions as a result of victory in a military campaign

- It is twice as difficult to conquer a region that is not adjacent to a region in the territory that you control

- Regions have special qualities that affects some rituals and some plot opportunities

An army can move freely within a territory as part of the orders issued by the general in command. However experienced generals should not that it is twice as difficult as normal to conquer any region that is not adjacent to another region in that territory that you control.

A region may have one or more special qualities that describe the terrain and the presence of notable geographic, magical, or historical features. These qualities are vital for some rituals but they can also affect opportunities available to the Imperial Senate.

Resources

- A personal resource must be located in a specific territory

- Personal resources are not affected until all the regions in a territory are lost

Resources controlled by characters are located in a territory (even military units and fleets have barracks or a home port). Although individual regions or the territory may be controlled by the barbarians, this does not affect the players with resources in that territory. If the entire territory falls into barbarian control - if the Empire loses control of all regions in a territory - then the production of all Imperial resources in the territory is reduced.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Military Council

- War

Additional Information

- Imperial armies

- Orders

- Casualties

- Territory

- Army qualities

- Spy network

- Fortification

- Campaign outcome

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Territory&oldid=35285"

Territory

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Campaigns

- 3 Regions

- 4 Resources

- 5 Further Reading

- 5.1 Core Brief

- 5.2 Additional Information

Overview

The world of Empire is divided up into territories, each of which is sub-divided into several regions. A region is an abstract division that represents a significant area of similar land. A region could be a large forest, many square miles of rolling hills, the area around a town or fortification, a marsh, an area of plains or farms or any number of other combinations of terrain and important features. A region might be large enough to contain a dozen villages, or represent the environs of a single large castle, or part of one of the great cities of the League.

Campaigns

- A campaign involves all the armies in a territory

- Whoever controls half the regions in a territory controls the territory

A military campaign takes place across a whole territory over the three months between events and it incorporates all the armies present in that territory. The movement of Imperial armies is defined by the territory they move to, and the outcome of a campaign is determined by the armies present in a territory.

Territories are divided into regions based on their geography and military significance. The winning side in a campaign will often gain control of a region as a result of their success. If the Empire controls more than half of the regions in a territory, then the territory is considered to be under Imperial control. If a Barbarian power controls more than half the regions then they control the territory. If no single power controls more than half the regions, then nobody controls the territory.

Regions

- Armies can move anywhere in a territory

- Armies may gain control of regions as a result of victory in a military campaign

- It is twice as difficult to conquer a region that is not adjacent to a region in the territory that you control

- Regions have special qualities that affects some rituals and some plot opportunities

An army can move freely within a territory as part of the orders issued by the general in command. However experienced generals should not that it is twice as difficult as normal to conquer any region that is not adjacent to another region in that territory that you control.

A region may have one or more special qualities that describe the terrain and the presence of notable geographic, magical, or historical features. These qualities are vital for some rituals but they can also affect opportunities available to the Imperial Senate.

Resources

- A personal resource must be located in a specific territory

- Personal resources are not affected until all the regions in a territory are lost

Resources controlled by characters are located in a territory (even military units and fleets have barracks or a home port). Although individual regions or the territory may be controlled by the barbarians, this does not affect the players with resources in that territory. If the entire territory falls into barbarian control - if the Empire loses control of all regions in a territory - then the production of all Imperial resources in the territory is reduced.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Military Council

- War

Additional Information

- Imperial armies

- Orders

- Casualties

- Territory

- Army qualities

- Spy network

- Fortification

- Campaign outcome

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Territory&oldid=35285"

Terunael (song)

Original Song: Bonny Portmore (Trad) - http://youtu.be/cX31BGlMEU8

New Lyrics by Joanna VanderHoeven

O 'Terunael, you shine where you stand [G Am C Am] And the more I think on you the more I think long [G Am C G] If I had you now as I had once before [Am Bm Gsus Am] All the lords in the Empire could not save Terunael. [Am Bm Gsus D]

O Ternuael, I am sorry to see Such a woeful destruction of adorned city For it stood in the forest for many's the long day Till the the days the Vallorn came and stole it away.

O Terunael, you shine where you stand And the more I think on you the more I think long If I had you now as I had once before All the Lords in the Empire could not save Terunael.

All the birds in the forest they bitterly weep Saying, "Where shall we shelter or where shall we sleep?" For the Oak and the Ash, they are all now Vallorn And the walls of Terunael are all down to the ground.

O Terunael, you shine where you stand And the more I think on you the more I think long If I had you now as I had once before All the Lords of the Empire could not save Terunael.

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Terunael Warlord

Description

The Terunael warlord is a legacy of the earliest days of the Navarr. An orichalcum alloy head bound to an ambergelt-treated bleached-wood haft inlaid with tempest jade and wound around with with iridescent gloaming, the weapon is supremely versatile in the hands of a skilled wielder. Employed with tactical precision, it allows a warrior to take control of the battlefield, whether that means driving an enemy out of a defensive position, tying a skirmisher down to counter their speed and maneuverability, delivering devastating blows to magicians and lightly armoured opponents, or taking advantage of chinks in the enemy armour to incapacitate or cripple them.

The tactical advantages this spear can provide mean it is also very much in demand among Urizen warriors and the rare magicians who make a study of martial combat. The ability to repel and entangle foes makes it a powerful adjunct to the battlefield magic practiced by that magical nation.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed spear.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: This weapon can be used twice per day. Each time you use the weapon you may make one of the following calls: ENTANGLE, REPEL or CLEAVE.

- Materials: Crafting a Terunael warlord requires twelve ingots of orichalcum, twelve ingots of tempest jade, fifteen measures of ambergelt, five measures of iridescent gloaming and fourteen measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Quintus stared up at the rippling threads of rainbow silk dancing across the chamber's breadth. The cool, dark interior was filled with the clattering and rattling of wooden slats and wheels, a fascinating work of warp and weft that shone with dazzling brilliance where a few shafts of light punched down from high windows.

“Aleksandros' greatest work,” the senior Sentinel was saying, gesturing out with his orichalcum-headed spear. The weapon gleamed a steady, golden hue as it thrust into the light, starkly solid against the swirling, smearing colours that danced across the loom. “Fusing the art of the loom with that of the stargazer – binding gloaming and silk together in an unending torrent, ever refining itself. A tapestry of enchanted threads that he hopes will grow ever closer to the Net of Heavens itself and, maybe, one day will become it.”

Quintus frowned. He'd heard of the Loom, of course – who in Skyspire hadn't? – and was glad to finally have a chance to see the beautiful masterwork that ancient, withered Aleksandros had spent a lifetime devising, even in the face of growing concern from his coven-fellows. He just wasn't exactly sure what his tutor had brought him here for.

For the moment, Hastatus didn't seem interested in enlightening him further. The Sentinel just watched the flowing movements of the multi-coloured threads, seemingly hypnotised by their shifting patterns of gloaming-dye.

The younger Sentinel took a few paces away, keeping well-clear from the rattling artifice but taking the moment to peer more closely into the gloomier recesses of the loom-chamber. And yes, there they were, the ushabti themselves, working tirelessly to turn cranks and manipulate shuttles in endless servitude. Wrought from simple clay, but each bore the tender mark of Aleksandros' devotion – no base, unshaped mannequins these. Their glazed surfaces were carved with runes, and their faces shaped in strange, impassive expressions, mimicking the visages of exemplars and paragons past. Another of the stargazer's efforts to strengthen the virtue of his work.

Hastatus cleared his throat and Quintus hurried back to his tutor's side obediently.

“I have taught you of the simple, basic arts of spear and glaive, young man. I have taught you how to defend yourself with haft and edge; how to drive a foe back with measured thrusts; how to strike through metal and flesh to finish the struggle. But these... these are base measures of a warrior's worth. It is not enough to simply be able to kill a foe, because a true battle is itself a confluence of the Net of Heavens. A Sentinel must learn to read the weave and weft of the conflict around them, knowing when and where to step in and change the course of events with a single, wise strike.”

Hastatus turned to give his pupil a wry smile, then looked back up at the flowing tapestry of the loom's unending work. To Quintus' horror, the Sentinel flicked out his spear, its razor-tipped point dipping into the river of gloaming threads and severing one single strand.

The loom made a ghastly, slithering noise as the fault unwound, threads tangling or falling loose in a cascade of disaster. Wheels and slats came to a confused halt as the gloriously-carven ushabti ceased their efforts and then simply stood there, still and silent like tomb-statues of a dozen ancient exemplars.

Quintus gaped at the catastrophe, stuttering out his disbelief. “You... you can't do that! That's Aleksandros' life's work! He'll be... won't he be furious?”

But his tutor was still smiling that faint, mused smile. “It's the old man's challenge to me – find the key point and sever it. In doing so, I learn, and so does he. A Sentinel's training is never finished, and as for Aleksandros, he knows that his loom must withstand the same rigours that the Net of Heavens does every single day. He'll learn from this, rebuild and refine it. One day, no matter how many threads I cut, this loom will remake them in new patterns, and I will be able to carve a tapestry of my own design with just my spear and my mind. On that day, Aleksandros will have succeeded in replicating the Sentinel's art.”

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Test of Arms

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 OOC

- 2 Requirements

- 3 Assessment

- 4 Timings

- 5 Benefits

- 6 Further Reading

Overview

The Test of Arms is an Imperial test administered by members of the Academy. A child who passes the test is considered to be fit and strong enough to fight on the battlefield in defence of the Empire. It consists of a short but brutal fight, usually held in the Imperial Orc fighting pit, to asses a child's fighting abilities and mental resilience. Like the Test of Citizenship the Test is administered by the civil servants in the Academy.

OOC

In order to fight in any battle, skirmish, or quest not specifically run for younger role-players by the Academy, any player under the age of 16 must first pass the Test of Arms. The test provides a basic check whether a young player has the mental maturity to cope with the excitement of the battlefield and the physical maturity to withstand the risks involved. We also check that the parent or guardian has a good understanding of what is involved and is happy for their child to participate fully.

Requirements

The Test requires the applicant to complete a pitched fight against a number of opponents at the same time. It is usually conducted inside the Imperial Orc fighting pit with the assistance of Imperial Orc volunteers. The test is intended to be gruelling and physically intimidating, the better to allow an assessment of a young citizens ability to fight in a pitched battle.

The absolute minimum age at which any child can take the Warrior Test is 14, but some players may not be ready until they have had some experience with LRP fighting. This age limit is chosen to ensure that young players have the physical maturity to cope with impacts from adults on the battlefield and to ensure that they are seen by other participants as teenagers rather than children. The Academy staff will advise potential candidates as to whether they think they are ready to take the test.

It is recommended that the Test of Citizenship is taken before the Test of Arms, since the battle experience is likely to be both short and less fun without access to skills!

Assessment

The examiner will be looking for the following requirements:

- Is the young player 14 or over?

- Does the parent or guardian understand the risks their child is taking by going on the battlefield

- Does the candidate understand the combat rules for Empire?

- Do they understand how to fight safely and pull their blows?

- Do they panic in a close quarters fight?

The parent or guardian must be present throughout the Test of Arms.

Timings

The Test of Arms takes place on 2pm on the Saturday of an event. It is NOT possible to organise tests outside of these times due to the complicated logistics involved. Potential candidates must go through the Academy's combat training sessions so that the Academy staff can assess their readiness. This applies even in cases where the candidate has previous LRP or combat experience – special exceptions cannot be made in any event.

Benefits

Once a candidate has passed the Test, they will receive the following benefits:

- They may take part in any battles, skirmishes, or quests that their character is able to go on

Further Reading

- The Academy

- Test of Citizenship

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Test_of_Arms&oldid=34952"

Test of citizenship

Contents

- 1 Purpose

- 2 IC Background to the Test

- 3 Basis for the Test

- 4 Eligibility

Purpose

Children mature at different rates, so we wanted to reflect that fact and avoid age based rules that determined when a young live roleplayer could be treated as an adult in the game. To achieve this goal we intend to run a test of citizenship for young player-characters sometime between the age of 11 and 16. The test is designed to ensure that a young player is mature enough to play the game and be treated accordingly.

IC Background to the Test

The Empire is defended by its heroes so it strives to ensure that the next generation of heroes are being trained and prepared for their role in protecting the Empire. The civil servants apply the test to check that a child is old enough to take a position of responsibility in the Empire. They also play a role before this helping to get a child ready to take their tests.

The test is designed to be fun for everyone involved. The age at which you can sit the test is variable, because in practice the civil servants will not allow a young player to take the test until they are ready to pass them, so the act of preparation is known to be more important than the test itself, which is largely ceremonial.

Basis for the Test

The out-of-character basis for the test is to ensure that a young player is capable of roleplaying as an adult, so they can remain in-character for long periods of time without becoming bored or dropping out of character. We want to check that a child has a good understanding of the basic rules and a reasonable grasp of the basic setting. We are not looking for a thorough knowledge of the game, merely to check that they know the basic details of the Empire setting and understand the main calls and combat system. We also want to certain that they understand the importance of taking their hits and following the game rules. Most importantly we want to be certain that they are comfortable playing the game are will not become upset if their character dies and they have to create a new one.

The in-character basis for the test is to ensure that a child is familiar with the Empire. We'll encourage children to learn and demonstrate a little knowledge of the history of the world, as well as some of the core skills that exist, like chirurgy, herbalism and magic. The DBS (previously called CRB) checked crew will play the civil servants who are in charge of administering the tests. The emphasis will be on enjoyable roleplaying activities with young players to help them learn about the game and to check their level of engagement with the game.

Eligibility

Children aged between 11 and 16 will become eligible to take the test when deemed old enough by a member of our DBS checked crew. The precise age will vary from one child to another and will be based on the maturity of the child and their readiness to participate in the adult game.

We appreciate that young players are likely to keenly anticipate the opportunity to become fully involved in the game and that parents will share their children's enthusiasm. Players are welcome to ask our crew when they think a child may be ready, but the decision of our crew is not negotiable. Attempts to pressure our crew to enter a player for the test early are not welcome and will be firmly rebuffed.

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Test of Citizenship

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 OOC

- 2 Requirements

- 3 Assessment

- 4 Timing

- 5 Benefits & responsibilities

- 5.1 In Character Benefits

- 5.2 In Character Responsibilities

- 5.3 Out Of Character Benefits

- 6 Further Reading

Overview

The Test of Citizenship is an Imperial test administered by members of the Academy. A child who passes the test becomes a full citizen of the Empire and confers on them all the benefits and responsibilities of such. It consists of a short spoken examination with the Chancellor of the Academy (or the Vice-Chancellor in his absence) to ensure that the young citizen has enough knowledge of their nation, the Empire and its laws and customs to make an effective citizen.

OOC

The test is designed to ensure that young role-players have sufficient confidence and understanding of the rules to begin role-playing more independently. Preparing and passing the test is intended to be an enjoyable challenge for young players attending events.

Requirements

The Test is fairly informal and should not be a source of stress or nervousness. The Chancellor ask a variety of questions and based on the responses, judge whether the candidate is ready to become a citizen. There is no lower age limit, although most graduates are around 11 or older. The Test can be sat as many times as the candidate wishes and the Academy staff will always provide constructive feedback to help a candidate prepare for their next attempt.

Assessment

The test will usually involve some or all of the following questions. This is not an exhaustive list but covers the vast majority of the areas to be covered in the test:

- Who are you & where are you from?

- Who are your family/ group and what do they do in Anvil?

- What are the five most important things one should know about your Nation?

- Which of the seven Virtues is most important to you and why?

- What do you see yourself doing to make the Empire great? What kind of hero do you see yourself becoming?

Timing

The Test is normally conducted from 12pm on the Saturday and Sunday of an event, following the Academy's morning class. Tests outside of these times can be arranged if there is a large number of candidates to get through or if circumstances require it (e.g. if a candidate has already passed the Test of Arms and wishes to take the field the next day). Candidates and their parents are encouraged to discuss the Test with the Academy staff in preparation.

Benefits & responsibilities

Once a candidate has passed the Test, they will receive the following benefits and responsibilities:

In Character Benefits

- They are recognised as a full citizen of the Empire and as such have the same rights as any other citizen of any age

- They can vote in elections, stand for office, and represent their nation

In Character Responsibilities

- They are fully culpable under Imperial Law for any crimes they commit

- They may be declared a sorceror by the Imperial Conclave or a heretic by the Imperial Synod

Out Of Character Benefits

- They gain starting skill points as a new character and may spend them as they see fit.

- They may select a resource

Further Reading

- The Academy

- Test of Arms

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Test_of_Citizenship&oldid=30595"

The Ambassadorial Gatekeeper

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 7

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 7

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

Effects

This ritual allows a single target, who must be in the same band as one of the contributors, accompany one of the ritualists through a portal. The target can enter the portal, and can leave through it without the assistance of one of the contributors provided they do so before the next sunrise.

The ritual must be performed at a portal; at the completion at least one of the contributors must accompany the target character through the portal. There is no additional cost to operate the portal.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters. Each additional target increases the magnitude by 5. Each character must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This simple, if expensive, ritual is primarily used to convey characters who are not magicians to the Hall of Worlds, usually either to address the Imperial Conclave or to attend an audience with an Eternal. In the past it was also used to allow mundane visitors to pass through the hidden portals that are sometimes found in regio, especially by those Dawnish enchanters and Marcher landskeepers who did not consider it appropriate to call on the denizens of those chambers without at least a token entourage.

While one of the ritualists must accompany the target through the portal the first time, they can return under their own power simply by walking through an appropriate portal - provided that portal has not been sealed in some way. While a magician can usually force open a portal that an Eternal does not wish them to use by casting operate portal, a fully mundane person has no such capacity.

Although the ritual is usually performed in a regio, there is no requirement that the ritualists draw on that regio - in theory The Ambassadorial Gatekeeper would work as easily on a portal found outside of a magical aura.

Some League mountebanks ironically reference the Pauper's Key and call this ritual The Beggar's Cavalcade - and the name is also used by a few members of the Celestial Arch order (specifically those who consider a magician who acts as a conduit for non-magicians to be acting in a slightly shameful manner). By contrast members of the Golden Pyramid have been known to favour using this ritual to allow artisans to enter the Hall of Worlds and attend meetings of the Conclave - in one capacity or another. Among the Suaq icewalkers and the Navarr this ritual is called The Guide for Empty Places, and a ritualist who leads a group through a portal traditionally assumes total responsibility for their safety - and their safe return. This can be a heavy burden, and there are stories of guides who have crippled or on some occasions even killed errant members of their own party whose foolish or rude behaviour has endangered the others.

Common Elements

This ritual is invariably cast in a regio, and the invocation and other trappings often reflect or symbolise the Realm to which that regio is attuned. Keys. especially metal keys. are a very common element as is the creation of an artificial threshold across which the ritualists and their guests step at the completion of the ritual. This is often achieved by laying down a thin layer of salt or powder, or among practical Marcher ritualists by laying down a staff or drawing a line in the dirt.

Some ritualists give a token to the targets of the ritual intended to protect them or mark them as guests - iron keys on thongs are a very common signifier that someone is a guest in a chamber or the Hall of Worlds. The rune Hirmok and Lann, the virtue of Loyalty and the constellations of The Key and The Door are often evoked with this ritual.

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The Anvil of Estavus

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The target item must be present throughout.

Effects

This ritual repairs an item, such as a weapon or shield that has been broken using the SHATTER call.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional items. The magnitude increases by one for every two additional targets. All items must be present throughout.

Description

The Anvil of Estavus is a simple yet potent ritual that is at it's most effective when it repairs several broken items. The more items the ritual repairs, the more powerful it is in comparison to the mend incantation. It sees most use on battlefields, especially battles against enemies who favour great weapons (such as the Jotun), or who are supported by supernaturally strong auxillaries. A single competent ritualist can restore nearly a dozen shattered items with a handful of mana crystals.

The mend spell is more versatile, and can be performed much faster, but even a skilled magician is likely to find their personal reserves of strength quickly depleted in the aftermath of an especially vicious engagement with foes who deliver shattering blows. The Anvil of Estavus comes into it's own in this kind of situation, allowing a small team of ritual magicians to repair the damaged wargear of many warriors at the expense of a little extra time.

The other primary use for this ritual is on those occasions when there is no access to the mend spell, or when reserves of power are depleted. The ability to quickly improvise this ritual is available to anyone who has made even a cursory study of the lore of Autumn; in such circumstances it can make the difference between a soldier being able to contribute their fighting skills and their being forced to the sidelines.

The ritual does not draw directly on the power of the Eternal Estavus; in some parts of the Empire it is calledThe Anvil of Isenbrad after the paragon of Wisdom who forged weapons and armour out of ice, or The Runesmiths Forge, or The Mystic Anvil of the Smith.

Common Elements

The trappings of the artisan are commonly used in this ritual; fire, hammers, tongs and sometimes an item that serves as a symbolic anvil. Ingots of orichalcum are sometimes held by ritualists performing this ritual. The rune of wealth is often evoked with this ritual, and the constellation of The Chain is sometimes referenced.

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The Assassin's Gate

The poisons known as The Assassin's Gate are as straightforward as they are lethal. The Black Gate attacks the stomach, kidney, liver and most importantly the brain, causing terrifying hallucinations and then killing the target. The Crimson Gate by contrast attacks the lungs, the heart and the blood vessels causing uncontrollable bleeding.

Both substances are illegal within the Empire; possession of either is generally viewed by the Imperial Magistrates as intent to commit murder. The antidote for both the Black Gate and the Crimson is an infusion called the Silver Key. It purges the symptoms of either or both poisons if they are present, meaning it is pointless to try and poison someone with both preparations.

See the section on poisons for more details of how these horrible substances, and their antidote, are used.

The Black Gate

This lethal poison goes to work almost immediately, infesting the stomach and spreading quickly through the body of the victim. It attacks all the major organs, especially the brain, and eventually causes an agonising - and fatal- seizure.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This clear, odourless, tasteless liquid appears indistinguishable from water.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel dizzy and enervated. Over the next fifteen minutes you become increasingly confused, suffering random aches and pains and a growing awareness of your own death. You may occasionally hallucinate that people around you are friends, loved ones or dead relatives.

- Mechanical Effects: You are immediately effected by weakness which cannot be removed until the poison is cured. After ten minutes you can no longer move under your own power and cannot attack, defend yourself or use any abilities or items. At the end of thirty minutes you suffer an agonising seizure and die.

- Incorrect Antidote: If the incorrect antidote is applied, the target goes into a fatal, agonizing seizure and dies.

- Recipe: Four drams of Bladeroot and three drams each of True Vervain and Marrowort.

The Crimson Gate

This lethal poison goes to work almost immediately, infesting the lungs and spreading quickly through the bloodstream of the victim. The target begins to bleed, and cannot stop. Eventually death comes as the lungs fill with blood and the victim drowns, or expires from rupturing bloodvessels.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This fine, odourless, tasteless liquid appears indistinguishable from water.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel very warm and thirsty, quickly developing a raging fever. Over the next fifteen minutes you begin to suffer agonising pain in your joints and muscles, and begin to cough up blood, You have difficulty breathing, and a growing awareness of your own death. You begin to blood from the eyes and nose.

- Mechanical Effects: You are immediately effected by venom which cannot be removed until the poison is cured. After ten minutes you can no longer move under your own power and cannot attack, defend yourself or use any abilities or items. At the end of thirty minutes you die, either drowning on your own blood or from massive internal haemorrhaging.

- Incorrect Antidote: If the incorrect antidote is applied, the target's lungs or blood-vessels rupture, resulting in swift agonizing death.

- Recipe: Four drams of Imperial Roseweald and three drams each of True Vervain and Cerulean Mazzarine.

The Silver Key

The silver key is a resinous material that 'opens' the Black Gate or the Crimson Gate. It causes the body to purge the poison, inducing either vomiting or a wracking coughing fit. It is usually presented to the victim mixed with hot water; often their heads must be held firmly in place over the bowl as they struggle with illusory ghosts or wracking fits of coughing. After a few moments, the immediate symptoms recede and the victim begins to cough and vomit uncontrollably until all the poisonous material has been removed from their bodies. Those cured with the silver key are still weak, and are likely to need further medical attention.

If the target is not poisoned, the Silver Key causes coughing and vomiting that quickly incapacitate the person who has unwisely attempted to inhale the pale vapours. Unfortunately it exacerbates the effect of other poisons, allowing them to quickly overwhelm the bodies defences and resulting in quick death.

Note: As with the poisons to which this preparation is an antidote, the Silver Key becomes inert fifteen minutes after being brewed.

- Form: Infusion.

- Description: This grey solution is a thick, resinous liquid. It has an acrid, burning scent that brings on coughing and chills the lungs.The overpowering, acidic flavour makes drinking it unappealing..

- Roleplaying Effects: You begin to cough uncontrollably, and after a few moments will vomit until your stomach is empty. You may lose consciousness. Over the next five minutes the symptoms of either The Black Gate or The Crimson Gate quickly recede.

- Mechanical Effects: Removes the effect of either or both of The Black Gate or The Crimson Gate. The weakness and venom effects need to be removed separately. If you are not poisoned, you are reduced to 0 hits by this unpleasant preparation.

- Recipe: Four drams each of Imperial Roseweald, Bladeroot and Marrowort, two drams of True Vervain and one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine.

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The Assemblies of the Synod

Contents

- 1 The Assemblies of the Synod

- 1.1 The Hierarchy

- 1.2 The General Assembly

- 1.3 The National Assemblies

- 1.4 The Virtue Assemblies

- 1.5 The Assembly of Nine

- 2 Further Reading

The Assemblies of the Synod

The Imperial Synod is divided into Assemblies that have differing powers, responsibilities and roles in ensuring the virtue of the Empire.

There are four types of Assembly in the Synod:

- The General Assembly

- The National Assemblies

- The Virtue Assemblies

- The Assembly of the Nine

Despite their names, there is no requirement for the Assemblies to meet. The Civil Service does not arrange meetings for the Assemblies; it only handles the judgments they make. The priests of an Assembly may choose to meet when and where they wish.

The Hierarchy

There is a hierarchy amongst the Assemblies.

- The greatest authority lies with the General Assembly, whose judgments overrule those made by any other Assembly.

- The judgments of the Assembly of Nine overrule those made by any Assembly bar the General Assembly.

- The judgments of the National Assemblies have precedence over the Virtue Assemblies within the bounds of the particular nation; otherwise they are equal.

The obvious limitation on the above relates to powers not possessed by an Assembly. For example, the Marcher Assembly cannot recognise an Exemplar of Wisdom. Only the Virtue and General Assemblies can do this.

Friar Margaret's expression looked like she had just drunk a cup of lemon juice. "Bishop Juliet, I find your entire attitude to the The Way to be contemptible. What you call Prosperity, I call blatant corruption. And yet, if I am to deny the Freeborn blasphemer the chance to twist the minds of his congregation, I shall need the support of yourself and your cronies.

"So... aside from a measure of my Pride, what else is it going to cost me?"

The General Assembly

The General Assembly is composed of all Synod priests, i.e. all citizens of the Empire who have responsibility for a congregation and guide their spiritual wellbeing. The authority of the judgments made by the General Assembly extends to the whole Empire, including the Throne. The General Assembly is the greatest of all the Assemblies and its judgments stand in authority over those made by any other Assembly.

The National Assemblies

The National Assemblies consist of all members of the Synod from the same nation. With the establishment of the Imperial Orc assembly in Winter 377YE there are ten National Assemblies. Each National Assembly is charged with the spiritual well being of the nation it is responsible for. The authority of the judgments made by the National Assembly extends only to individuals and groups within that nation.

The Virtue Assemblies

The Virtue Assemblies consist of all members of the Synod who are dedicated to the same Virtue. There are eight Virtue Assemblies:

- One Assembly for each of the Seven Virtues

- The Assembly of the Way, which consists of all members of the Synod who are not dedicated to a specific Virtue path.

The Virtue Assemblies are responsible for each selecting a Cardinal from their number to sit upon the Assembly of the Nine. The Virtue Assemblies are responsible for ensuring their Cardinal is virtuous.

The Assembly of Nine

The Assembly of Nine consists of the Cardinals appointed by each of the Virtue Assemblies and the Throne. The Throne holds no authority in the Assembly save the ability to break ties on any issue that had the support of four Cardinals apiece.

The Cardinals of the Seven Virtues are responsible for selecting a Gatekeeper from their Assembly. The Gatekeepers are responsible for apportioning the True Liao.

The Cardinal of the Assembly of the Way is responsible for selecting a Conscience of the Senate. The Conscience of the Senate is a layperson who meets with the Senate. The authority of judgments made by the Assembly of Nine extends to the whole Empire, excluding The Throne.

Any member of the Assembly of Nine, bar the Throne, may appoint a proxy.

Further Reading

- The judgments the Synod Assemblies can make

- How the Synod Assemblies make their judgments

- The Imperial Synod

- The Way of Virtue

- Imperial Theology

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The Ballad of Sir Alain

To the tune of Young Waters as sung by June Tabor.

A guide for the tune and the lyrics can be found here.

Midwinter and the snows fell hard And the winter winds they blew And there is marched away to war A household all in blue Some were fine and some were fair And some were strong and tall But first amongst them was Sir Alain The finest of them all

His banner it was flown before And his cloak it flew behind The sword he bore in his right hand Was swifter than the wind The battle raged all through the day Till sinking was the sun And word they sent to their allies there But answer came there none

Then up spoke the valiant earl Our allies they have flown And whether we shall live or die Is in our hands alone.' 'Now see this sword in my right hand' Sir Alain said with pride 'Whether today we live or die It shall be at your side'

Then fierce the orcish chieftain fought And cruel was his sword And brave Sir Alain took the blow That would have slain his lord Then up came the rallying cry And the battle it was won And they have borne sir Alain home Beneath the setting sun

'Come place my sword in my right hand For my wounds they grieve me sore And come the dawn the sun shall rise But I shall rise no more' Then up spoke his Earl Bohemond And an angry man was he 'They have slain the finest knight In all my company.'

Oh many did weep in Dawn that night And many a heart was sore When word was come to Astolat 'Sir Alain comes no more' Lay him down in honour clad And speak his name with pride For brave and loyal did he live And gloriously he died.

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The Barren Land

Description

The covenstone known as The Barren Land draws upon the Realm of Winter to empower a coven with additional capacity for performing rituals, drawing upon the bonds created between members of the coven.

Covenstones can be crafted in a great variety of different forms but are usually large enough to form a decent centre-piece for a ritual. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses one is careful to ensure that it plays a central role in their ceremonies. A covenstone is a potent representation of the bonds that tie a coven together and the power that their oaths allow them to wield. They are usually bespoke and thus depict runes and motifs that are relevant to the coven for which they were made.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Once per day the coven may perform a Winter ritual that does not count towards their daily limit of rituals performed.

- Materials: Crafting the barren land requires five ingots of tempest jade, five measures of beggar's lye, three ingots of green iron and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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The Barrens

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Towers of the Dawn

- 3.2 Spires of Dusk

- 3.3 Eaves of Peytaht

- 3.4 The Fangs

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Dawnguard

- 4.2 Murderdale

- 4.3 Heart of Peytaht

- 4.4 The Carmine Fields

- 4.5 Farweald

- 4.6 Hope's Rest

- 4.7 The Untrod Groves

- 4.8 Bitter Strand

- 4.9 The Bleaks

- 4.10 Saltmarsh

- 4.11 The Plains of Teeth

- 5 OOC Note

Overview

The Barrens describes an area to the east of Semmerholm never conquered by the Empire. Dawn maintains a series of long-established outposts on the western edge that reinforce the border against the barbarians. In general the Barrens is rich and fertile but it's natural resources are almost entirely unexploited - enough to make the most jaded Varushkan merchant or wagon-raider salivate at the thought of all the untapped potential. There have been several attempts to settle it more fully, but the presence of several barbarian bandit tribes makes establishing permanent settlements impossible. Nonetheless, the Dawnish refuse to abandon their foothold in the Barrens and it serves as a common proving ground for knights-errant.

The Barrens has always been a magnet for the exiled, the disenfranchised and the disgruntled. Between 325 YE and 328 YE it was also the scene of a short-lived rogue kingdom called Montane, founded by renegades during the events of the Freedom Heresy. The lonely territory is scattered with ruins, old stone circles, solitary towers and hidden regio, any one of which could prove to be the home of some lost treasure ... or unspeakable horror.

Recent History

The Druj barbarians have dominated the eastern Barrens for a little over a century. They ruthlessly dominated the disparate barbarian tribes who had lived there previously, and installed themselves as overlords. They used the central position of the Barrens to co-ordinate attacks on Holberg and Reikos; depleted armies would withdraw to the Barrens, and be replaced by fresh armies. There is also evidence that the Druj used the barrens to move materials (weirwood, mithril and white granite) between the two conquered territories.

This came to a dramatic end in Winter last year when an Imperial force ambushed and slaughtered the Druj leaders in the Barrens. This triggered an armed revolt among the subject tribes that continues today. These "indigenous orcs" appear to be made up of tribes, and the remnants of tribes, who have lived in the Barrens for a very long time.

The indigeonous orcs have been engaging in a campaign of slaughter against every Druj enclave they can find. Druj prisoners are generally hung from the nearest branch capable of holding their weight, leading to horrifying encounters with literally dozens of dead orcs hanging from hempen nooses wherever the two orc factions have clashed. They appear unconcerned with the Dawnish citizens in Dawnguard, but it is impossible to predict what they will do once the Druj are dealt with.

During the Spring Equinox 379YE, the Imperial Senate passed a motion declaring the three orc tribes in the Barrens to be foreigners, rather than barbarians. This meant - among other things - that a military invasion of the Barrens by Imperial forces would be a criminal offence.

Major Features

Towers of the Dawn

Along the western borders of the Barrens in Dawnguard are four massively built white granite tower-keeps collectively known as the Towers of Dawn. This great fortification serves as a base of operation for Dawnish knights exploring the Barrens, and a reminder to the orcs that while they may dominate the Barrens, they do not do so without opposition. During the Freedom Heresy, the towers were the sight to an atrocity as rebellious briars murdered the yeomen and knights assigned to the First and Second towers. To this day, the garrisons of the Towers of Dawn are unfriendly towards briars - and woe betide anyone who supports the 'virtues' of freedom within their earshot. (OOC Note: The Towers of the Dawn are a rank two fortification).

Spires of Dusk

Along the eastern borders of the Barrens are two spires of white granite and weirwood, studded with spikes and surrounded by multiple rows of sharpened spikes, moats and carefully constructed pit-traps and staged-quagmires. Only one safe approach exists to the towers, overlooked by archery posts, and the trees that surround this Druj fortification are thick with traps and poisonous beasts. Looking on the towers sends a thrill of fear up the spine of all save the bravest knights. They glare across the Barrens toward the Towers of Dawn, and dark tales speak of what happens to Dawnish or Navarri scouts captiured in the vicinity. Occasionally, the Druj masters of the fortress release prisoners from the towers, broken in body and mind and shattered in spirit, to spread tales of cruelty and terror within the Empire.

The Druj call this fortress The Jaws of Suffering; the Dawnish choose to refer to it as the Spires of Dusk and know that if they are ever to claim the Barrens for the Empire they will need to destroy this abominable castle.

Eaves of Peytaht

On the northern borders of the Great Forest of Peytaht, a massive grove of weirwood trees that has been somewhat cultivated by the inhabitans of the Barrens. The Eaves of Peytaht are controlled by the indigineous orcs at this time; it is estimated that it might produce 25 wains of Weirwood each season in Imperial hands.

The Fangs

Along the eastern coast of the Barren sea, the Fangs area a series of perhaps a dozen massive rocky columns that rise out of the water which are mined for mithril. Several similar columns protrude from the headlands around this area. There are obvious signs of mine workings, and observation indicates that there is mithril ore to recover. It appears that the mines are quite primitive – the constant threat of flooding and the natural difficulty of mining at sea mean the indigenous orcs are exploiting only a fraction of the potential of this resource.

Controlled by the indigineous orcs at this time; it is estimated that the Fangs might produce 18 wains of mithril each season in Imperial hand – or perhaps more if advanced Imperial mining techniques were employed to help deal with the difficult conditions here. This would require an initial investment of time and resources, but it is extremely unlikely that a civil servant could give an idea of what this would cost without unrestricted access to the area.

Regions

Most of this information was gathered by the actions of brave Imperial forces working with a spy network constructed by order of the Imperial Senate. It is correct as of Autumn 378YE.

Dawnguard

Dawnguard is the location of a number of Imperial settlements, the most prominent of which is Drycastle. It is still held, as a bastion against the creatures of the Barrens. It’s often under attack, with much glory waiting the brave knights who volunteer here for dangerous adventure. This is not a place for families. Dawnguard is also the site of the Towers of the Dawn, the fortification that oversees the western borders of the Barrens. Keywords: Fortification

Murderdale

Battle between orc forces and Imperial forces are common here, giving the region its name. The soil here is particularly fertile, and there are a number of ruined villages that represent previous attempts by Imperials to settle the barrens.

Through much of 378YE, a steady stream of orcs from Brocéliande were marked moving from west to east. The presence of the Druj forces in the Carmine Fields, and their superstition of the forest of Peytaht to the south, meant that many of these recent arrivals took up residence in this region – although there has been little conflict between the indigenous orcs and the Broceliande refugees.

Heart of Peytaht

The great forest stretches across the southern Barrens, and into Reikos to the south west. Stories from Highguard that describe the forest as being possessed of some dark spirit - something that partakes of the nature of a Varushkan sovereign - appear to be based on fact. The deeper a force presses into the forest the more uneasy they feel – the more they report being watched, and the more certain they become that they are unwelcome. Imperial forces have not pressed into the deeper forest. There is, however, no hint of discernable Vallorn presence here.

In the past, the forest was said to be equally hostile to man and orc, and attempts by either Imperial or barbarian forces to explore the interior invariably met with tragedy - assuming they were ever heard of again. This seems to have changed in 367YE when the Druj launched a crippling surprise attack through the forest into Reikos; it is unclear what the situation is today, however. .

There appear to be no permanent orc forces in this forest, but a major Druj force has passed through this region in the last few months – but not without cost. Corpses are occasionally found huddled against the boles of the massive trees, or hung by their entrails from thick branches. The orcs appear to have died in agony and great terror.

On the north-eastern borders of the forest is a massive strand of weirwood trees, one that has clearly been cultivated for some time. The Eaves of Peytaht is the equivalent of a Bourse seat that produces a bounty of weirwood each season.

Keywords: Forest

The Carmine Fields

The soil on these wide plains has a red colour which the fanciful might say is from blood but is moe likely due to a high clay quotient. This region is covered with isolated rice fields, and other crops that prosper on this kind of soil.

The region has clearly been settled by orc farmers and hunters for a very long time. However, as of 378YE there are signs of recent invasion; several settlements have been burnt to the ground and the populace enslaved.

Farweald

On the nothern side of the Barren Sea is a damp forest that rises slowly to the north-east. As of 378YE it is occupied by what seems to be several large groups of indigenous orcs who have built makeshift fortified camps along the rivers and the eastern borders. It would provide a strategic location from which to strike across the river into Holberg.

Keywords:Forest

Hope's Rest

In depth exploration of this region has proved tricky due to the rough terrain. Several times spies encountered well-hidden man-traps designed to kill – spiked pits, spring-loaded impaling arms and the like. The high hills surround a well fortified keep that appears to have only recently been completed. The southern slopes drop towards a large fresh-lake of brackish water on the other side of which are the marshy forests of Therunin.

There is a small fortification high in the hills here, named Dourfell Keep. It is not manned by orcs but by humans. Imperial spies are not able to get a very close look at them but they appear to show signs of very strong briar lineage, and the castle itself appears to surround a strong Spring regio. As of 378YE there are signs of recent fighting here, and the remains of dozens of rotted and skeletonised orc bodies nailed to trees, impaled on spikes and crucified on makeshift “x”s. Examination suggests strongly that these bodies belonged to Druj rather than indigenous orcs. (OOC Note: Dourfell keep is a first rank fortification) Keywords: Hilly, Fortification

The Untrod Groves

A deep, tangled forest that stretches from the hills of Hopes Rest to the very edge of the Plain of Teeth. The woods seem largely uninhabited by the orcs, and the only trails appear to be game trails, Trackless, it is easy to become lost in the groves – but reports also indidate that the woods are rich with untapped reserves of iridescent gloaming, beggarwood and dragonbone.

Keywords: Forest

Bitter Strand

The Barren sea is technically a great lake, but the waters are not drinkable – they are not as salty as the Bay of Catazaar but it is obvious that some mineral gives the waters a foul taste. They are home to a vicious species of predatory fish the size of an ox with armoured plates on the head.

The northern coast is relatively smooth, but the southern coast is scattered with islands, many of them inhabited. Conquering this region would be made considerably easier by the addition of forces skilled at fighting amphibious assaults, such as the Red Wind Corsairs.

Along the eastern coast of the Barren sea, where it narrows as it feeds into the Saltmarsh, are the Fangs a series of perhaps a dozen massive rocky columns that rise out of the water which are mined for mithril. Keywords: Coastal

The Bleaks

The southern forests become danker and damper as Therunin gets closer. The woods are home to a number of orc clans, many of whom live in the branches of ancient trees. There are heavily wooded marshes in the south; there are occasional sightings of both hydra and small marshwalkers. Keywords: Forest

Saltmarsh

The eastern Barren Sea floods out across a great flat basin that contains the Saltmarsh. It is covered with treacherous rivers and streams that shift their banks regularly and without warning. The place is thick with flies and mosquitos that leave nasty stinging welts on exposed flesh. The orcs who live here maintain huts on stilts, and also move about using long wooden stilts that occasionally give them the appearance of walking on water. There appear to be a large number of herb gardens maintained here by the indigenous orcs, no doubt captured from the Druj during the rebellion. Keywords: Marsh

The Plains of Teeth

The Druj oversaw their domination of the Barrens from this broken plain. This area may once have been heavily forested but it has been ruthlessly cleared to provide building materials for the Spires of Dusk. The spires guard access to the Druj lands to the east reports in Autumn 378YE suggest that until very recently it was apparently the site of a major siege by the indigenous armies. The walls have sustained light damage but the Druj garrison appears undimished by the attacks of indigenous orcs.

Keywords: Fortification

OOC Note

- The Dawnish (and thus the Empire) control the region of Dawnguard.

- The Druj control the Carmine Fields and The Plains of Teeth.

- The indigenous orcs control Murderdale, Farweald, Hope's Rest, The Untrod Groves, Bitter Strand, The Bleaks, and Saltmarsh, meaning that the Barrens is nominally under their control.

- It is not clear who, if anyone, controls the Great Forest of Peytaht.

- The Towers of the Dawn are a rank two fortification under the control of the Empire.

- The Spires of Dusk are a rank two fortification under the control of the Druj.

- Dourfell Keep is a rank one fortification; it is not clear who controls it.

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The Battlefield

The battlefield is a throne, a location used in dramaturgy that represents both a setting and a Realm of magic.

Realm: Summer.

Setting: The Battlefield is most commonly presented as either a military camp, or as a castle or fortification. Themes of war, conflict, strength and the threat of death are all strengthened on the battlefield. The story might involve preparations for a battle, the arming of a mighty warrior or the fight itself (often a duel) and its aftermath.

Characters: The Captain and The Bishop are strong characters in this setting; they are often larger-than-life, taking on iconic roles as figureheads or representations of patriotic, political or religious themes. The Captain leads, and the Bishop inspires; it is here that they are at their most majestic.

Magical Style: This is often a location where someone is strengthened, or commits themselves to action.

Rituals that create enchantments of strength, endurance or that grant martial abilities such as Hammer of Thunder or Alignment of Mind and Blade are made stronger here. Any ritual that targets a military unit, fortification, campaign army or banner may be performed in this setting.

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The Beast of Volgadurn

By Chris Edwards

From my father’s hold with iron cold I swore I’d not return ‘Til I’d felt the breath and seen the death Of the beast of Volgadurn

Though furs I lacked, its spoor I tracked Through snowfields cold and stern To the child it took by the blood-stained brook Oh, the beast of Volgadurn

‘Twas the high-woods trail that I tried to scale Where first it sought to turn In my pursuit I stopped to shoot At the beast of Volgadurn

The arrow flew, the shot was true Hot blood fell like to burn It whined and fled, and crimson bled Straight back to Volgadurn

To my father’s hold with iron cold I rushed with grave concern I found him dead from my arrow-head The Beast of Volgadurn

When Winter’s chills come scour these hills My blood begins to churn For my fur is won, my father’s son Is the Beast of Volgadurn…

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The Bishop

The Bishop is one of the personae used in dramaturgy. While the character is usually referred to as male, regardless of the gender of the thespian taking the role, within the narrative she may be of either sex; often, as with many dramaturgical characters, the gender is irrelvant to the story as a whole to allow any ritualist to take the role.

Character: While The Prince represents powers temporal, the Bishop symbolises the power of faith and the church. He is a serious and commanding presence, often providing moral commentary on the deeds of the other characters. He speaks about the soul and the heart, and about the motivations that drive people to act. He is often shown dealing with a dilemma of spirituality, faith or duty that leaves him torn between action and inaction. The resolution of that dilemma may form the core of a play in which he is the protagonist. He is often in opposition to the practicality and expediency of The Prince, or the foolish excesses of The Mountebank.

When the Bishop resolves his dilemma, he offers strength to others. His righteousness helps other characters commit to their own course of action - he supports and enhances their qualities once he has overcome his own weaknesses. He often overturns corrupt authority by revealing the weaknesses and corruption they seek to keep hidden, and by giving others the strength to resist oppression. He breaks down structures that are inefficient or powerless and helps people to build new lives.

Although he is spiritual, he is also rational - his mind is often changed, or his central dilemma resolved, through good advice, investigation or discovery of a previously-unknown fact.

He is also the spirit of the family, and often appears in the role of an older relative. Bonds between people that are founded on trust and respect are part of his domain.

Upright, strong and constant, he can be trapped by his own rigidity, and his sense of honour may become his undoing. In street theatre he is often pompous, but even then his heart is usually in the right place - he believes what he preaches even as he is made to look foolish because of the air of self-importance he gives himself.

Magical Associations: He is most used in rituals that deal with magic that strengthens, supports or reveals. He can be used to represent the Synod, faith or rationality. He is associated with the virtues of Vigilance, Wisdom, Loyalty and Pride.

Realms: The bishop is associated with summer (strength, majesty) and day (reason, discovery).

Identities: As one of the personae, the bishop usually appears named after one of the four rivers. Her name influences her character, which in turn influences the magical role she plays.

- Scorrero – used for magic that divines or uncovers facts

- Vassa – used for magic that exposes secrets or reveals weakness

- Gancio – used in magic that supports or enchants, especially magic that grants fortitude or endurance

- Couros – used in magic that encourages others, especially magic that grants combat prowess

Trappings: Draped in white and gold, usually with a symbol of the faith. Even when he appears in a less prestigious role such as a beggar or mendicant, the colours of yellow and white recur. His mask is often quite minimalist, appearing more like a human face than anything more stylised. The Bishop almost always speaks the truth whenever he appears; in this regard he is often quite subversive.

As with all personae, a troupe is likely to have a specific mask they use to portray the Bishop..

Other Identities: He often appears as a beggar or mendicant who reveals hidden truths. in roles that include authority and rulership, and often reperesents off-stage forces outside the remit of the play. wise parent or grandparent, a nurse, or a loyal companion. In Dawn she is an enchanter, and in the Marches she is sometimes a friar but more often the Farmer.

Minor Roles

The Servant with Two Masters

As a minor character, the Bishop may appear in the guise of the servant with two masters. The servant usually appears in pied or chequered clothing, or with a cloak split between two colours. At the play's beginning his clothes are immaculate but as it proceeds they become more and more disheveled. He appears miserable and harried, often mopping at his face with a handkerchief.

The servant is torn between loyalties, often representing a core dilemma in the play that must be resolved (an example might be either lead from Romeo and Juliet who are torn between family and love). In magic, the character may represent a moral or philosophical dilemma that must be overcome to uncover a truth or surmount a challenge.

A popular superstition among League troupes suggests that a person with a guilty conscience will fidget when this character is onstage.

The Wise Councillor

The Bishop may appear as the Wise Councillor. Often played by the most senior member of the troupe, the Wise Councillor is usually costumed in dignified finery, with the trappings of age and status. If male, the player often dons a long white beard, and he usually walks supported by a staff or a walking stick. The Wise Councillor is often a senior relative of one of the major characters, and his role is often to provide key information or help at a critical point in the narrative. Mentally alert but often played as physically frail, sometimes he can be the victim of the Mountebank or Beast.

As with other versions of the Bishop, this figure will often serve to lay out the central dilemma, offer solutions to it, or refuse to be tempted to perform inappropriate action even if the result of doing so is tragic. His advice is often ignored, especially in a ritual designed to lay a curse on a hapless, unwise or foolish protagonist.

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The Blade

The blade is one of the instruments or dramaturgy. As such it often represents the method used in a magical ritual. A troupe will often have a specific prop that they use for the blade whenever it appears, and may in time come to treat the inanimate object a little like a member of the cast.

Appearence: A real weapon or a painted wooden prop, the Blade represents conflict, war and suffering. Some very theatrical troupes construct hinged or spring-loaded props which can transform rapidly from knife to sword and back again as it is handed back and forth. Some especially self-satisfied troupes have taken to replacing the blade with a letter, pamphlet or quill pen. This is more common in Sarvos than anywhere else and is sometimes called The Sarvosan Conceit when it is observed by troupes from other cities.

Meanings: The blade deals with conflict, war, suffering and combat but it also deals with healing and removal of obstacles. It has an element of sacrifice in it, and is a key to rituals such as Sorins Rite of Agony that specifically involve a sacrifice,

When carried by The Captain, it represents individual combat, and powers that enhance combat skills such as The Swan's Cruel Wing. With The Prince it represents armies and nations at war, and so has a role in rituals such as Clarity of the Master Strategist. With The Bishop, it is often used to represent truth or righteousness, but also things that deal with alliances - Braying Horns of War for example,e specially when performed on a banner with a strong connection to the Way. In the hands of a Mountebank it is military subterfuge, hidden knives and the like and may be used in a ritual such as Shroud of Mist and Shadow. In hands of The Doctor it becomes the Scalpel and is associated with the process of cutting away something bad to allow necessary and painful healing; it might be used with Black Iron Blade, Renewed Strength of the New Day or Vitality of Rushing Water with equal facility. When carried by The Witch it is called the Aetheme, and signifies magical authority and mastery over foreign spirits - such as those eoked with Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust or Conclave of Trees and Shadow.

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The Blade Bites Back

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 3

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 3

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The target Biting Blade must be present throughout.

Effects

This ritual targets a Biting Blade crafted item that has been used already today. It only targets an item of that specific type.

At the completion of the ritual, the daily power of the biting blade (the ability to call CLEAVE with the item) is recharged and can be used one more time today.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional biting blades. Every additional item increases the magnitude by 2. All target items must be present throughout..

Description

This specific ritual was added to the body of Imperial Lore, and came into common use, due to the activities of a Sarvosan troupe associated with one of the League free companies. The Biting Blades company made a point of equipping as many of it's members as possible with the crafted weapon of the same name, and gained a reputation for quickly and efficiently crippling enemy warriors on every battlefield where they fought. With the use of this ritual, the magic of the enchanted blades was quickly and efficiently restored, while still permitting the soldiers themselves to benefit from various additional enchantments such as The Swan's Cruel Wing or Strength of the Bull.

The ritual endures partly because it represents a broad classification of ritual and serves as an example of one of the limitations of formalised magic. The ritual only replenishes the power of the Biting Blade; it has no effect on a Vorpal Sword, a Bloodsteel Barb or a Butcher's Bill. In each case, a different ritual would be required to restore the magic of those weapons. Likewise, ritual magic could be used to replenish the use of a suit of Tombsteel Guardianchain, a Caress of Arhallogen staff or even a Missionary Dalmatic - but in each case a different ritual tailored to the specific enchantment of the target item would need to be used.

On occasion, when the need is especially great, a coven may use spontaneous magic to replenish the powers of a useful magic item, and occasionally formulaic versions of those rituals are developed or discovered in collections of ritual writings. Unless a coven sees an obvious use for the magic, however, it is rare to find coven that masters one of those rituals; recharging enchanted items is much more likely to be within the purview of a lone magician.

Common Elements

The ritual usually involves a symbolic transfer of power. It may involve careful handling of the target item, evocations of the runes Pallas, Lann or Verys, or of the names of Paragons and Exemplars associated with crafting. The ritual often includes the presence of either artisans who can make a biting blade or raw orichalcum. In Urizen natural light is often focused onto the weapon, while in The Brass Coast it may be passed over a fire.

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Imperial Bourse (Redirected from The Bourse)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Role within the Empire

- 3 Entry requirements

- 4 Elections and Appointments

- 4.1 Losing the tItle

- 4.2 Proxies

- 5 History

- 6 Powers and functions

- 6.1 Control of Ilium and Building Materials

- 6.2 Access to the Private Auction

- 6.3 Operation of the Public Auction

- 6.4 Auction of Appointments

- 7 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 7.1 Mithril

- 7.1.1 The Singing Caves

- 7.1.2 The Fortress of Salt

- 7.1.3 The Brilliant Star

- 7.1.4 The Great Mine of Briante

- 7.1.5 The Great Pits of Ennerlund

- 7.2 Weirwood

- 7.2.1 The Golden Trees of Seren

- 7.2.2 The Hunt of Alderei the Fair

- 7.2.3 The Heartwood of the Great Vale

- 7.2.4 The Weirwater Vales

- 7.2.5 The Canterspire Circle

- 7.2.6 The Great Forest at Reikos

- 7.3 White Granite

- 7.3.1 The Damation Cliffs

- 7.3.2 The Night Quarry

- 7.3.3 The Arratan Gamble

- 7.3.4 Sutton Stone Quarries

- 7.3.5 The Brilliant Shore

- 7.4 Ilium

- 7.4.1 Syrene's Wisdom

- 7.4.2 The Scorrero Nets

- 8 National Bourse Positions

- 8.1 The Master of The Imperial Mint

- 8.2 Castellan of Spiral Castle

- 8.3 Mithril

- 8.3.1 The Eternal Shafts of Time

- 8.3.2 The Legacy

- 8.4 Weirwood

- 8.4.1 The Thimble

- 8.5 White Granite

- 8.5.1 The Granites of Veltsgorsk

- 8.5.2 The Vigilant Swan

- 8.6 Ilium

- 8.6.1 The Steel Fist

- 8.6.2 The Broken Shore Bounty

- 8.6.3 The Stonefield Ice Caves

- 8.6.4 The Regario Dossier

- 9 Other Titles

Overview

The Imperial Bourse is the economic hub of the Empire. Its role is to ensure the prosperity of the Empire and to provide access to much needed resources to those who can afford them.

Role within the Empire

The Bourse is designed to ensure that ilium, mithril, weirwood and white granite are directed to where they can provide the most economic benefit, rather than being assigned by political or military patronage. Merchants bid for a position on the Bourse and those that are successful gain control of one of the Bourse positions that control production. It is then left to them to sell the resources at whatever price they can. Although there are frequent accusations of profiteering, when the market functions as intended it ensures that significant sums of money are paid to the Bourse for use by the Empire.

Decisions within the Bourse are taken by auction, with members placing money in the Bourse coffers to register their support for or against a motion. Such auctions are rare however, most of the Bourse activity is economic in nature and takes place without central organisation. The money collected by the Bourse, as part of the process of selecting members and making decisions becomes the property of the Empire.

The Bourse has gained two other roles over the years, operating the public and private auctions. The public auction is open to anyone present; most goods sold are herbs, mana crystals, resources, building materials and occasionally even Ilium are sent to the Bourse by Imperial citizens who want a good price for their goods but have neither the inclination nor the time to attend the meetings at Anvil. The private auction is for Bourse members only and sells rare and unique items that agents of the Bourse have sourced from across the Empire and the World.

Entry requirements

There are over a score of different Bourse positions, the majority of which are auctioned off once a year. Although a citizen may bid for as many positions as they choose, an individual can only hold one Imperial title. The auction itself uses an open bidding system and payments must be made immediately.

There are a handful of Bourse positions which are not auctioned off. These positions reflect the relative economic wealth and priorities of nations like Varushka. As a result these resources are controlled by vote of members of that nation based on what resources they control. These positions are identified separately below.

You can find details of who holds which seat here.

Elections and Appointments

During each season, all the Bourse Seats (both Imperial and National) that produce a single material are re-elected or re-appointed. During the event that a seat is due to be re-elected, the current holder does not receive any materials. Once the seat has been re-elected, the new holder receives that season's production, and secures the production until the next time the seat is due to be re-elected.

- Weirwood seats are re-elected at the Winter Solstice.

- Ilium seats and the Master of the Imperial Mint are re-elected at the Spring Equinox.

- White Granite seats are re-elected at the Summer Solstice.

- Mithril seats are re-elected at the Autumn Equinox.

Losing the tItle

What happens when a Bourse seat loses their title depends on how they lost it.

- If the holder of a Bourse seat dies, the seat is re-auctioned (or appointed). The new holder of the seat does not receive any wains or rings of ilium until the start of the next event. The money raised by the auction (if any) becomes part of the estate of the dead character, and the Magistrates do their best to ensure that money goes to the seat's beneficiaries.

- If the holder of a Bourse seat resigns their position, the seat is also re-auctioned (or appointed). Again, the new holder of the seat does not receive any wains or rings until the next event. The money raised in the auction is paid to the character who resigned their seat.

- If the holder of a Bourse seat receives a Writ of Excommunication, they are stripped of their Bourse seat. It is re-elected (or appointed), and the money raised is claimed by the Imperial Synod.

- The holder of a Bourse seat cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.

In all cases, the money initially paid for a seat remains as part of the annual budget of the Imperial Senate.

Proxies

Any member of the Bourse, may appoint a proxy. It is not uncommon for Bourse members to auction the right to stand as their proxy to another party - as this allows the proxy to bid in the private auction.

History

Mithril, weirwood and white granite are essential to the prosperity of the Empire and its citizens. Deposits of these materials tend to be large but few in number so they are carefully protected. Ilium is also rare and almost priceless due to its arcane powers. When the Empire was formed control of key supplies of these materials was placed in the control of the Bourse; it was explicitly designed to keep control of these precious materials out of the direct control of the Empress and the Senate.

Over time the role of the Bourse has grown, its members instituted a private auction to give them access to some of the most valuable items in the Empire. This was so successful it was eventually copied and a second public auction was introduced to allow citizens of the Empire to sell basic goods at the Bourse.

Powers and functions

Control of Ilium and Building Materials

Mithril, weirwood and white granite are essential to upgrade a personal resource to make it more productive. They are also needed for the large projects authorized by the Senate such as the creation of new armies or the building of bridges and fortifications. Ilium is used by artisans and magicians to make rituals and enchantments permanent. Each Bourse member has control of a single resource, for a single year (unless they are replacing an existing position which has become vacant). They can dispense this resource as they choose.

Access to the Private Auction

The Bourse holds a single private auction, only Bourse members can attend and bid on the items auctioned. Bourse agents scour the Empire and the world looking for rare and potentially valuable items to bring them to the Bourse where they are auctioned off to the highest bidder. Details of the handful of lots are usually posted in the Bourse several hours before the auction begins.

Operation of the Public Auction

Although not formally one of the powers of the Bourse, the public auction takes place in the Bourse and is operated by the civil servants who run the Bourse. The auction is open to all and supplies of herbs, mana crystals, resources, minor magical items and small lots of weirwood, mithril and white granite are auctioned to the highest bidder. It is relatively rare, but not unknown for more valuable items like Ilium, true liao or powerful items to appear in the public auction. Details of the lots are posted in the Bourse one hour before the auction begins.

Auction of Appointments

Over the years the Bourse has helped to create various minor Imperial positions and officers to help the Empire function. Individuals are appointed to these positions by auction - Bourse members commit funds in support of their preferred candidate. The candidate that receives the most support is appointed - and all bids by their supporters become the property of the state.

Imperial Bourse Positions

There are sixteen Bourse positions that are assigned to the highest sealed bid. These positions are available to any citizen of the Empire who does not already control an Imperial title or position. This means that members of the Synod, military or senate can bid for one of these Imperial Bourse position, but must resign their position if they are successful.

Mithril

All mithril seats are re-elected during the Autumn Equinox.

The Singing Caves

The Singing Caves are found in Mournwold not far from the besieged settlement of Overton. Still in Imperial hands, albeit only just, the Singing Caves take their name from the strange voices that echo forth when the wind blows above. Many Imperial citizens are concerned about what will happen to the Singing Caves when the Jotun invaders make a significant attempt to conquer the last Imperial hold outs in this desolate territory.

This Bourse position produces 28 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Fortress of Salt

In the mountains north of Temeschwar is the famous Fortress of Salt. The fortress guards the entrance to one of the richest deposits of mithril in the Empire, and is massively fortified as a result. The mine workings also produce large amounts of salt and most of the walls are covered in a fine layer of white powder.

This Bourse position produces 25 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Brilliant Star

In the peaks of Tomari in Redoubt, overlooking the Urizen spire of Delving is the Brilliant Star. Allegedly the most beautiful of all the star shaped tunnel complexes that undermine the mountains, it's walls gleam slightly even when there is no other light.

This Bourse position produces 24 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Great Mine of Briante

At the heart of the mining settlement of Briante is the great mine that shares it's name. Perhaps the deepest mine in the Empire, it has been dug deeper and deeper over the centuries to excavate the precious mithril that is found deep underground.

This Bourse position produces 22 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Great Pits of Ennerlund

Holberg was rightly famous for its impressive engineering works and few are more impressive than the Great Pits of Ennerlund, with their complex mine workings and mechanized pumps. The pits were lost when Holberg was overrun and the mine - and its bounty of mithril - were sabotaged by the Druj barbarians during the liberation of Holberg..

Under Imperial control this Bourse position produces 27 Imperial wains of mithril every season. It is unclear how much, if any, production now remains or what measures may need to be taken to restore the pits to an operable state.

Weirwood

All weirwood seats are re-elected during the Winter Solstice.

The Golden Trees of Seren

In the heart of the Miaren are the ruins of Seren, destroyed a millenia ago by the Vallorn and slowly being reclaimed. The area is still dangerous, but the Vallorn growth here left large copses of weirwood trees dotted through the surrounding forest.

This Bourse position produces 28 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Hunt of Alderei the Fair

The hunt is a great weirwood forest that was also the site of one of the most vicious battles against the forces of Alderei the Fair, the tyrant-boyar of pre-Imperial Varushka. At the foot of the Opascari mountains, this vital strategic asset was nearly burnt to the ground in the wake of the Imperial victory, and said to be haunted to this day. The site is believed to take it's name from the treasure seekers who combed the surrounding woods looking for traces of Alderei the Fair in the decades after his defeat.

This Bourse position produces 26 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Heartwood of the Great Vale

The Great Vale in Hercynia contains large areas of precious weirwood. Although the area is threatened by Thule barbarians, the Empire has maintained control of the Heartwood, albeit barely.

This Bourse position produces 25 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Weirwater Vales

Weirwood is named for the forests that dot this landscape and the rich supplies of weirwood they produce. Legend claims that the first weavers made a pact with the Eternals to make the land fertile, but that the magic has slowly dwindled with time.

This Bourse position produces 23 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Canterspire Circle

The lower slopes of Canterspire are marked by strange circles of weirwood that grow rapidly despite the barren soil. It is clear that some magic is responsible for their ruddy health, but no ritual has ever been devised that can repeat this phenomena which certainly predates the arrival of the Urizen.

This Bourse position produces 22 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Great Forest at Reikos

On the borders of Reikos, the great forest is an abundant source of valuable timber including precious weirwood. It was lost when the territory was over-run by Druj barbarians and is not currently being auctioned.

Under Imperial control this Bourse position would produce 25 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

White Granite

All White Granite seats are re-elected during the Summer Solstice.

The Damation Cliffs

The Cliffs are located near Damata in Kahraman and are well protected with a sequence of fortifications to guard the approach. Damation granite is flecked with silver marks although these are purely cosmetic and do not lessen its value.

This Bourse position produces 27 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

The Night Quarry

The Night Quarry is located high in the mountains of Miekarova near the Painted Caves. White Granite is produced here using a technique that fills the air with a fine white dust that quickly settles on the skin. As a result the workers have a ghostly pale complexion until they wash. The decision of the Imperial Senate to make it an Imperial bourse position angered many Varushkans at the time; it was also the site of an early engagement between orc slaves and Imperial troops known as the Night Quarry Massacre. After two weeks of intermittent fighting around the quarry, Varushkan troops and revolting slave miners alike were slaughtered when Thule barbarian raiders happened across it and took advantage of both sides' weakness. To this day, miners claim to hear the occasional moans of trapped orcs, dying warriors and exultant Thule echoing in dark, giving the site an unwholesome reputation

This Bourse position produces 26 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

The Arratan Gamble

It is claimed that on a clear day you can see the Arratan Gamble from the tallest spires of Tassato. This massive white granite quarry has a bad reputation, and many who have paid to control it have ended up ruined as a result.

This Bourse position produces 25 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

Sutton Stone Quarries

These hardworked quarries are in Upwold near the border with Mournwold and within sight of the Old Pig. They have long produced an unusually hard and well wearing creamy-coloured limestone that has become so famed as superb quality building stone that the name of the Quarry itself has become eponymous for all other caches of Sutton Stone that have been found. The limestone is seamed with white granite.

This Bourse position produces 23 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

The Brilliant Shore

Until recently large amounts of white granite were quarried from this cliff face near Gildenheim. When the sun reflects on the workings on the cliff face the reflection is blinding and gives the quarry its name. The Brilliant Shore was one of the first areas seized by the Thule when Skarsind fell, and reclaimed at the turning point of the recent war.

This Bourse position produces 26 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

Ilium

All ilium seats are re-elected during the Spring Equinox.

Syrene's Wisdom

In the silver mines above Syrene there are sometimes found brilliant blue seams, no more than a few inches long, that dull chisels upon the first strike. Although these seams are small and difficult to work they yield a constant supply of Ilium.

This Bourse position produces 7 rings of Ilium every season.

The Scorrero Nets

A wise Hakima learnt by chance many years ago that the Scorrero carries ilium in its waters, washed from the land and carried towards the sea. Now nets are placed in the water at key points, primarily along the length of the Scorrero that runs through Feroz, to sieve out the precious material before it can be lost forever.

This Bourse position produces 5 rings of Ilium every season.

National Bourse Positions

These appointments are Bourse positions, but they can only be filled by a citizen of the appropriate nation. In addition they are not auctioned off, as Imperial Bourse positions are, but voted upon by resource owners from that nation. The larger the personal holding an individual has, the more votes they can allocate in support to a candidate. The voting for national Bourse positions is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.

National Bourse positions are otherwise identical to Imperial Bourse positions.

The Master of The Imperial Mint

The Master of the Imperial Mint is a bourse position reserved for the citizen of the League who presents the largest bid. The Master has powers to speak and address the Senate.

Castellan of Spiral Castle

Until 368YE, the Castellan of Spiral Castle was a bourse position reserved for a Dawnish citizen, appointed with the support of Dawnish military units. When Spiral Castle disappeared behind a wall of impenetrable mist, the title and the seat it represented effectively became vacant. The Castellan had powers to order the resupply of Imperial armies stationed in Weirwater.

Mithril

All Mithril seats are re-selected during the Autumn Equinox.

The Eternal Shafts of Time

In the mountains near Vorota in Karov are the Eternal Shafts of Time. These ancient shafts were old long before the Empire was born and the size and shape suggests that those who once worked them were not human. Time seems to run strangely in the shafts, workers claim some days simply run longer than others and the output of the mines supports their claims.

Ownership of the Shafts was hotly contested between the citizens of Temeschwar and those of Varushka in the early days of the Empire, but in the end the Varushkans retained control of them. Control of the Shafts is assigned to whichever Varushkan candidate receives the most support from Varushkan owners of mine resources.

This Bourse position produces 27 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

The Legacy

This vast mine complex is one of the few places in Spiral that remain under Imperial control. It is mostly played out today, but still manages to produces significant quantities of mithril for whoever controls it. According to legend the site was part of a great gift to the Urizen people but the details are lost to time.

Control of the Legacy is assigned to whichever Urizen candidate receives the most support from Urizen owners of mana sites.

This Bourse position produces 22 Imperial wains of mithril every season.

Weirwood

All Weirwood seats are re-appointed during the Winter Solstice.

The Thimble

The Thimble is a vast stretch of forest that covers a series of rolling hills allegedly laid out in the pattern of a tailor's thimble. The Thimble was one of the earliest areas of Therunin to be cleared of Vallorn influence and it now provides an impressive supply of valuable weirwood for the Navarr use.

Control of the Thimble is assigned to whichever Navarr candidate receives the most support from Navarr owners of herb gardens.

This Bourse position produces 24 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

White Granite

All White Granite seats are re-appointed during the Summer Solstice.

The Granites of Veltsgorsk

Deep in the mountains of Volodmartz lie the open mines of Veltsgorsk. The white granite that comes from these mines is sometimes streaked with pink quartz - storytellers claim it is steeped in the blood of all those who have died fighting over Volodmartz in the past, and will help give life to nearby vegetation as a result.

Control of Veltsgorsk is assigned to whichever Varushkan candidate receives the most support from Varushkan owners of forest resources.

This Bourse position produces 26 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

The Vigilant Swan

This quarry complex north of Riverwatch was one of the last outposts of the Highborn during the Druj invasion. It fell to the barbarians in late 377YE, despite the efforts of the brave defenders at Tabernacle. The stoneworks is now a massive, open-cast quarry - an open wound in the face of the earth. When they retreated from the quarry, the Druj slaughtered most of their defenceless slaves, completing the degradation of the Vigilant Swan by turning it into a great open grave.

Control of the Vigilant Swan was assigned to whichever Highborn candidate receives the most support from Highborn owners of congregations. While it was liberated by Highborn and Navarr forces, the decision about it's future is still uncertain as of the start of Spring 379YE..

This Bourse position produced 25 Imperial wains of white granite every season.

Ilium

All ilium seats are re-appointed during the Spring Equinox.

Bourse seats that are allocated on the basis of raids conducted by military units, piracy by fleets, or similar are based on the total effective size of all the contributing resources over the last four seasons.

The Steel Fist

In recent years Imperial Orc forces have swelled the ranks of the Imperial armies, tipping the scales against the barbarian threat. The previous Empress Britta enjoyed particularly strong support from the Orcs and in return she helped create the position of the Steel Fist.

To reward the Imperial Orcs for the work undertaken in supporting the Imperial armies, the Bourse allocates the Steel Fist to whichever legion provides the most assistance to Imperial armies on campaign. Small legions combine their efforts so that they can be counted together to compete for this great prize which is awarded every Spring Equinox.

This Bourse position produces 8 rings of Ilium every season.

The Broken Shore Bounty

The Grendel represent a powerful threat to the Empire and only constant raids by Imperial vessels against the halls and vessels of the Broken Shore serve to prevent them invading the Empire. The seat comes with a well-protected villa in the port-town of Cazar, in Feroz. The corsairs families of the Brass Coast see it as a point of honour to control the Broken Shore Bounty.

To reward the Freeborn for the risks they take, the Bourse allocates the Broken Shore Bounty to whichever fleet performs the biggest raid against the Grendel port of Dubhtraig. Small fleets combine their efforts so that they can be counted together to compete for this great prize which is awarded every Spring Equinox.

This Bourse position produces 7 rings of Ilium every season.

The Stonefield Ice Caves

Large deposits of Ilium are buried in this massive glacier, but the ice is every bit as hard to work as stone and the precious metal must be picked from the walls of the frozen tunnels.

To reward the Winterfolk for the risks they take, the Bourse allocates the control of the Stonefield Ice Caves to whichever military unit performs the biggest raid. Halls often combine their efforts so that they can be counted together to compete for this great prize which is awarded every Spring Equinox.

This Bourse position produces 5 rings of Ilium every season.

The Regario Dossier

Established in 173YE, the Regario Dossier serves to support the League diplomats active all over the world, making contacts with foreign powers and attempting to sway them to the Empire's side. Such activities require considerable funds but the gains for the Empire are difficult to overstate. If too many foreign powers were to ally with the barbarians, the fate of the Empire would surely be lost.

This Bourse position is reserved for a citizen of The League who presents the largest bid. The payment is used to pay for bribes and other diplomatic arrangements.

This Bourse position produces 4 rings of Ilium every season.

Other Titles

A number of other titles are also appointed through the Bourse. Any title that has economic power or responsibilities is likely to be bound to the Bourse. Unless the position includes administration of a supply of mithril, weirwood, white granite, or ilium however it does not bring with it a seat on the Bourse or access to the private auction. The appointment of all these titles is organised and processed by the civil servants attached to the Bourse.

A list of other titles bound to the Imperial Bourse can be found here

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The Brass Coast children

Children on the Coast are often given a piece of over-sized clothing that belonged to someone from an older generation, usually long since departed. The clothing, designed to be grown into, carries the memory of the lost relative and is believed to help the child develop wisdom, audacity and courage of their forebear. The clothing is usually tied up in some way, to ensure it does not drag in the mud.

Freeborn like children to learn the value of money. Those who are not poor give their children a Ring every morning, to carry with them during the day. The child is expected to give the Ring back at night, or to justify why they spent the money if it is gone. Any money that the child makes using their Ring is theirs to keep.

If a child loses their parents, they will always find a home somewhere among their extended family. However, because of the strength of Freeborn family bonds, if a child is truly orphaned without another family member to take them in, they may end up destitute and face a grim future unless taken in by another family, a Navarr Striding or the Church of the Little Mother.

Things every child should know

- A little lie makes a lot of strife. If you tell a lie, you lose a little bit of your soul. Be truthful to yourself and to others.

- Your family is your greatest treasure. Family is the most important thing there is. Always be there to help your family and they will be there to help you.

- Words are fine jewels to be picked up and shown off. Tell stories and find stories, and if you hear an interesting tale or rumour, make sure you tell it to your family.

- Each small thing is worth a Ring. Never do anything for free, unless it's for your family. You need not be paid in coin -- people often have more interesting things to trade.

- Only sell your own goat. You must never trade something which isn't yours.

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The Brass Coast costumes

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 10 Quick Tips

- 3 Making Guides and Examples

- 3.1 Headwear

- 4 Children

- 5 Suppliers

- 5.1 Costume

- 5.2 Armour

- 6 Inspiration

- 6.1 Colour Guide

- 6.2 Pinterest Sites

- 6.3 Films, TV and Costume Pages

- 6.4 Further Bibliography and Resources

Overview

This page aims to offer help in creating a Brass Coast costume for those who want it. It provides a list of resources that players looking to create a costume, either purchasing one or making one may find useful. There is no one way to create the perfect costume, but the suggestions on this page will help to produce a great costume for Empire.

The Brass Coast offers a chance to create some flamboyant and really expressive costumes. The Freeborn attitude to life is all about individuality, passion and luxury, and many Freeborn express this through their dress. Success is measured in wealth, and what better way to demonstrate that wealth than by wearing it openly? The Freeborn look is usually one of bright colours, silks, jewels and sumptuousness. Individual style is highly valued and the mundane and common scorned. The Brass Coast lives for dance and music, and the clothing worn there often reflects this. With the flame being the central symbol for the Freeborn, it’s no surprise to find that their clothing is made in brightly coloured layers to convey the impression of the fire within.

10 Quick Tips

- Generally, an outfit is likely to consist of trousers, top, a robe of some sort and a head dress.

- A great way to achieve the richness and the movement in Freeborn style is through costume in multiple layers - working from heavier warm layers as a base and floating fabrics as a top layer.

- To cope with the British climate, fleeces are ideal as linings for more flamboyant fabrics, and light wools can be dressed with metallic brocades or embroidery. Multiple layers of silks are also surprisingly effective at keeping out the cold.

- Bright colours layered together can give a wonderful range of shades which alter as the wearer moves - or ‘shot’ fabrics, also called ‘changeant’ can look incredible in flowing robes, scarves and skirts.

- Whilst the style and clothing inspirations are Moorish and North African, the colours, beading and embroidery of sari and other fabrics widely available in Asian clothing shops across the UK so these can be a great source of materials. Shalwar Kameez can be a useful base layer.

- Both charity shops and on-line stores can be good sources of Arabic and North African loose tunics and trousers - often in white cotton which will dye well in bright colours.

- To really keep the flowing feel of Freeborn style, try avoiding heavy belts and instead secure layers of clothing with scarves; hanging pouches and scabbards from the shoulder on cords or jewelled chains.

- Integrating the flow of jewellery with the flow of the costume is another strong marker of the Brass Coast, and internet suppliers of belly dancing costume as well as markets and shops near Asian areas can be a good place to find long strings of coins, bells and other adornments.

- Try Asian shops for slipper shoes, or look for patterns for making Greek or Roman sandals which lace up the leg - both are common footwear for the Freeborn

- If all this talk of silks and brocades is sounding a little pricey - check out the fabric pages to see how impressive effects can be achieved without spending a fortune

Making Guides and Examples

Folkwear make a range of patterns for North African and Arab style garments which are all perfect for the Brass Coast, for men and women. Patterns 101, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 119, 132

To create loose and flowing trousers any of these patterns work well. Variation can be added by ending the trousers just past the knee or by slitting the leg to reveal jewellery or another layer of colour.

- Making harem pants

- Making pantaloons

- Making shalwar trousers

- Video instructions for harem pants

- Pattern for shalwar kemeez

A simple T-tunic will work well on The Brass Coast, with Freeborn touches achieved h achieved by adding decoration, particularly around the neck and keeping this base slim fitting so other layers can flow over it.

- How to make a t-tunic

- Online pattern for a Kameez

- Simplicity pattern 4528 - currently out of print but available online

There are several different styles of long robe which work well for over layers. This garment is based on either the traditional kaftan, or the thobe. To give it strong Freeborn flavour the colours would be bright and slits to knee or hip would reveal layers beneath.

A more dress-like version of the tunic is the anarkali suit, which is a high waisted dress with a full skirt to knee or calf, worn over trousers. A similar garment from Morocco is called the el-keswa.

- Tutorial for anarkali

- Online pattern

A melia is a traditional Tunisian dress/robe, which is simply fabric pinned at the shoulders and either left hanging, or be belted to the body, much like a Roman Stola. The Freeborn are likely to wear it over tunic style top and trousers rather than on its own.

- How to make a stola.

Waistcoats and open robes are another possibility to layer over a tunic, or even a over a first robe adding yet more colour and decoration.

Headwear

The perfect Brass Coast headdress is the tagelmust. The traditional tagelmust is blue but any bright colour is ideal for the Brass Coast. How to tie a tagelmust video

Children

Children are an opportunity for parents to show off their wealth, dressing their offspring in traditional Freeborn styles. Children in the Brass Coast are often dressed in scaled down versions of their parents clothes.

For toddlers and babies simple t-tunics and drawstring trousers are simple and easy to pull-on garments, that can be made in linen or cotton for easy washing! These types of clothes also have plenty of flexibility in terms of size, meaning they should last for more than one year. Choosing sleeveless and none form fitted top layers like the melia/stola should make several years of wear possible, making fancy trims and embellishments worthwhile.

General tips for costume for children:

- Robes that stop at knee - mid-calf will be less of a trip hazard

- Headgear that can be very simply retied is great

- Avoiding things that can pull around the neck is wise (strings on cloaks/hats on cords/ tabards that don't secure under the arms

- Wider neck holes, sleeves and armholes will help with getting costume on and off, and leave room for growth

- Information on clothes and swaddling for babies

- Patterns for medieval children's clothes

- Revival Clothing's premade items for children

- Gambeson's premade items for children

Suppliers

Costume

- Midgard Seamstress Custom made UK LARP and re-enactment costumes

Armour

- Darkblade has cool leather scale for the Brass Coast.

- Evenlode Studios - High quality leather armour, costume and props handmade.

- Idiom Productions Costume and props workshop creates custom hand-tooled leather armour, clothing and LRP weapons.

- Totally Leathered provides custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

Inspiration

The following sections pull together some of the research done by the art department team working on The Brass Coast - feel free to delve in deep as you like

Colour Guide

The colour palette is inspired bythe flame, but it also features other sumptuous colours -such as turquoise, magenta, emerald green and peacock blue. Note the absence of black - reserved for the dead and white - worn only by the very poorest.

Pinterest Sites

- http://pinterest.com/delvy/empire-brass-coast/

- http://pinterest.com/laserkatt/empire-sirroc/

Films, TV and Costume Pages

- The Last Legion

- Kingdom of Heaven (cosplay details for Sybilla available here)

- Prince of Persia

- Sinbad

- Also, look at the Medjai from The Mummy (cosplay details available here.)

- SCA guide to belly dancing

- Persian dance scene

Further Bibliography and Resources

- Berber Costumes of Morocco, Marie-Rose Rabate

- The Moors: The Islamic West 7th-15th Centuries AD David Nicolle

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The Brass Coast culture and customs

Contents

- 1 Family

- 2 Hospitality

- 3 Syrah

- 4 Contracts

- 5 Art

- 6 Marriages and relationships

- 7 Funerals

Family

Family is important to the Freeborn. They live in extended family groups covering several generations with a strong emphasis on helping and supporting each other. Occasionally Freeborn will extend the privilege of family membership to valued friends, long-term employees or waifs and strays - these adoptees are whole-heartedly welcomed and are treated no different from blood relations. To the Freeborn, betraying your family is unforgivable.

The responsibility that the Freeborn feel for family members does not extend to others. The Freeborn make a point of disclaiming any responsibility for the wellbeing of others. They do not regard themselves as obliged to help the poor or the sick, the disposessed or the homeless. They may be as charitable as they please, but they refuse to accept that it is their responsibility to care for others.

Hospitality

On the Coast, food and drink is only offered freely to family. Since most Freeborn habitually avoid favours and social debts but all Freeborn enjoy hospitality, both giving and receiving, the custom is always to offer to pay before receiving refreshments. A Freeborn approaching a tent of revelry might ask the price for a seat at the table. A token price of a ring or two indicates that they are very welcome to join, a price in crowns indicates that the meeting is private and the Freeborn should look elsewhere, but an exorbitant price in thrones is a deliberate insult.

Despite the ritualized nature of the exchange, actual payment is required. To the Freeborn mind, it is the payment that ensures that no further obligation exists on the part of either party. For close friends or clearly impoverished a Freeborn might offer a fine meal for help with the dishes or even an afternoon's work. It is easy to be itinerant in Freeborn society, so long as you don't mind working for your supper.

Syrah

Syrah is the ritualized drink of the Freeborn, habitually offered to guests, business associates and drunk during family affairs. Each family carefully guards their own recipe for syrah, and there is a common belief that to give away its secret is to give some of your good luck to another. Syrah can be almost anything, a brew of coffee or tea sweetened with honey or sugar, a fruit juice or a fine wine, but should be pleasant and appealing. It is not strongly alcoholic, since it is intended to be drunk as a family and when business is being discussed. Offering Syrah before the opening of trade negotiations is considered not only polite, but beneficial to the coming talks.

Contracts

Written contracts are exceptionally important in Freeborn culture. The best contracts are short and succinct but clearly identify the obligations of both parties. To the Freeborn mind, making an agreement commits the integrity of their soul to the deal. If they contract to do something their reputation is at stake if they cannot carry out the letter of the contract. For this reason, almost all enduring contracts include fiscal clauses for default. This is not meant as a lack of commitment, but simply to avoid being a hostage to fortune should circumstances change and make it impossible for the parties to complete the deal. The Freeborn see no shame in going back on contracts provided the default bonds are paid - since such defaults are, of course, a part of the letter of the contract.

A scrivener is often employed to help make sure that a contract is clear and that both sides understand their obligations. These professionals also serve as witnesses who can help confirm the validity of a contract. Many scriveners are cambions, and there is a superstition that the blood of a cambion (usually a thumb print) upon a document of trade will bring good fortune to the signatories - or dire circumstance to one who breaks the contract.

Art

Calligraphy is highly valued along the Brass Coast. They value books but treasure those that are beautifully illuminated. To the Freeborn, every aspect of writing is an important artistic statement. The language used should be articulate and possess a lyrical quality; the letters and words should be written with bold ink strokes on beautiful paper or parchment that is then decorated and illuminated. Given their emphasis on deals, it is no surprise that the Freeborn prefer their contracts to be beautifully inked. They often display particularly fine examples on the walls of their homes, especially ones that have great sentimental or fiscal value.

Marriages and relationships

Freeborn society does not favour men or women but tribal and familial lines are always matrilineal. Because of this while men may marry into a Freeborn family and tribe, women can not. If a Freeborn woman marries then her spouse joins her tribal family. On the rare occasion when two Freeborn women from different tribes marry, they live together but formally remain members of different tribes.

Marriage outside the tribe is relatively rare. Much more common is for Freeborn men and women to form temporary attachments. These attachments are romantic or physical in nature, but with no assumption that they will last for life. In fact with some pairings there is no assumption that they will last more than a night.

All marriages – and indeed most extended attachments – are formalised with a contract in which each participant lays down the parameters of the relationship. A marriage or relationship contract commonly covers matters such as the duration of the relationship, the rights and responsibilities of the participants, the expectation of fidelity and the options for marriage and relationship contracts with others, the division of shared wealth both during and after the relationship ends, and at least one clause covering how the relationship may be ended prematurely by either party. This rather cold-blooded practicality around matters of the heart is just another manifestation of the Freeborn's fiscal approach to life. These contracts ensure that both parties know the value the other places on the attachment. Not all attachments require a contract, but if a relationship is going to last for more than a few weeks, it is considered a sensible precaution against misunderstandings.

Funerals

Freeborn dead are wrapped in spice-infused wraps of black cloth and then burned. The resulting ashes are scattered on the sea, or on the winds of the plain, depending on the family's wishes.

A funeral is rarely a sombre affair. The Freeborn take joy in a life well-lived and they consider it an insult to mourn its passing. Attendees wear brightly coloured robes, and focus on celebrating the life of the deceased. It is normal for the will to be read by a Sutannir at the height of the party. The will is a last chance to share a joke with loved ones and it is traditional for it to be as humorous as possible, akin to a best man's speech at a wedding. On the rare occasion when grief is appropriate, such as with the death of a child, the grieving is much shorter but just as open and intense.

Old tradition says that those lost at sea take new form as dolphins who will guide and guard lost ships. While no-one really believes it these days, it is a stock element in many stories involving sea travel.

A personification of death sometimes appears in Freeborn stories, and is especially popular in plays and as a dramaturgic archetype. As a character, Death is usually mocked as a figure of fun, a bumbling idiot and a clown who can easily be outwitted through courage and cunning. The counterpart of death is Fortune, who personifies ideas of luck and chance as well as fate or destiny. These literary tropes have a deeper philosophical context; such stories often explore the idea that death may come suddenly and without warning, as a result of happenstance or bad luck. This is especially important to a people as dedicated to getting as much out of life as the Freeborn are.

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The Brass Coast economic interests

Money is the most versatile tool in existence. Every Freeborn is to one degree or another looking to “make their fortune” because wealth brings status and luxury and it gives you a freedom that is denied to the poor.

Freeborn traders go beyond the frankness that is normal for everyday Freeborn and strive for a degree of honesty that would shame a priest. They regard it as a matter of skill to obtain the best possible price while being utterly open about the goods they sell. This probity is not driven solely by moral concerns, but also practical ones. The Freeborn have achieved an extraordinary reputation for not cheating their customers - a reputation that drives business to their door. Any Freeborn trader who stoops to lying about their merchandise for the sake of a better deal, puts the prosperity of all Freeborn at risk. As a result they protect this reputation very aggressively. Freeborn traders who do seek to twist a deal or sell a light load are dealt with without mercy.

About the only things the Freeborn do not buy or sell are slaves. Slavery of Imperial Citizens is illegal in the Empire, and the Freeborn take no part in the trade even when overseas. While the Freeborn do not hold with slavery, they approve of the idea of hard work as punishment, treating the wages a criminal might have earnt doing a job honestly as payment towards the resolution of their crime..

Contracts

When it comes to making financial agreements more complex than a direct exchange of goods, Freeborn are most comfortable dealing through contracts. As a consequence, Freeborn merchants usually seek out the services of a professional scrivener to formalise their relationships. A discreet, neutral scrivener can work out and witness a contract that satisfies both parties, and they are very much in demand. Combining the skill to express ideas simply and clearly in writing with a talent for arbitrating between individuals to help them express what they actually want, these scriveners are the backbone of Freeborn economic life.

The Freeborn prefer to abide by the letter of a contract, rather than the “spirit". Arguments about what was “meant” by the contract are inevitably circular and unhelpful. Where the meaning of a contract must be discussed or clarified, it is again to the professional scrivener that the Freeborn merchant turns. The best scriveners are also artists, or employ someone capable of making their contracts look attractive and professional with fine calligraphy and colourful flourishes. A disproportionate number of scriveners are of the cambion lineage. Common superstition suggests that their connection to the Autumn realm helps them to instinctively understand how to frame a contract, and their blood marked on a document is traditionally held to grant good fortune to the enterprise involved.

Paradours

When an outsider thinks of a Freeborn trader, they are often thinking of the proprietor of a parador. Brass Coast towns always have at least one parador, a communal social house of music, story-telling, drinking and dance. At the end of a hard day of work the people of the Freeborn can often be found here discussing their latest ventures or telling extravagant and grand tales of their ancestors, friends and relatives.

As with most Freeborn businesses, a parador is traditionally owned by an extended family which may maintain more than one structure, or operate a “travelling parador” akin to a circus or fair. In addition to the services and entertainments they provide, the best paradors are places of trade. While a lot of formal business takes place at the bazaar, the parador is where merchants go to relax and it is often where the real business of complex trade takes place. The parador is where merchants can informally come to an agreement concerning more risky ventures, bulk deals and investment opportunities over chilled fruit and wine.

Corsairs

The Freeborn are not the strongest military in the Empire, but there is one area where their strength is uncontested – on the open seas. Every Freeborn tribe includes dozens of families who make their living as corsairs, sea-borne raiders who prey on barbarian shipping passing through the Bay of Catazar. The Freeborn detest piracy, but they regard privateering as a perfectly legitimate form of warfare, albeit a highly profitable one. Corsair groups are usually Freeborn families who own one or more seaworthy vessels. Corsairs are not just privateers, they commonly engage in foreign trade. A common saying suggests that the only difference between a privateer and a merchant is that the privateers get their goods cheaper.

In the early days of the Empire, the Freebornn often vied with the League to be the first to forge trade links with the foreign nations who are not hostile to the Empire - and the corsairs regularly acted as guards and escorts to Imperial merchant ships off all nations.

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The Brass Coast hearth magic

Coins

Coins have power on the Coast, as a portion of the luck and prosperity of their owner rubs off on the coins they carry. Many Freeborn traders keep a coin from a lucky deal, either in perpetuity or as their last coin, and they enjoy telling stories of how they acquired certain coins. There is a long-standing belief that giving a coin of note or significance to a person who is down on their luck will improve their fortunes.

Clothing

Any clothing that is worn for a few years or more becomes invested with a person's soul, carrying a portion of their identity with them. Old worn clothes are usually burned, rather than given to the poor like in other lands, to avoid a person's self being lost or stolen. The exception is with children where families may keep a particular precious veil, or rich robe to deliberately pass on the spirt of a respected elder to a young family member.

Black cloth is the garment of the dead in Freeborn society - it carries you safely into death. Bodies are wrapped in black shrouds when they are burned but black cloth is dangerous to the living. A black gift is any gift of clothing or costume that is black in colour; it is sent as a calculated insult or curse to the recipient. Individuals who offend Freeborn sensibilities beyond the pale find black ribbons, the remains of burned shrouds, nailed to their door, or even worse attached to their clothes, a sign that others wish them dead.

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The Brass Coast history

Before the formation of the Empire, three sisters lived in Pharos. Members of the patrician families of the Highguard, each was a powerful magician in her own right. Dissatisfied with life in the city, and sickened by the chaos of the time of turmoil, they took their extended families - their extensive households - and left. They travelled to a new home on the opposite side of the Bay of Catazar, said to have been revealed to them by the divinatory magics of the three sisters. Freeborn storytellers still recount the epic tale of the exodus of the three tribes.

By the time the Empress began her crusade to unite humanity beneath her banner, the Freeborn were much as they are today – a disparate people of sprawling, extended families spread over three tribes, with each tribe tracing an unbroken matrilineal line back to one of the founders. While each family and each tribe treasured their individual freedoms, they were bound together into a loose nation by a shared heritage and by carefully negotiated contracts and treaties.

Initially the tribes were suspicious of the Empress and hostile to the interests of the powerful Highborn priests who backed her. After a long negotiation between the Empress and prominent tribal leaders, they agreed to join the nascent Empire. The Freeborn negotiators were instrumental in slavery being outlawed and it was at their insistence that each nation would set the means to select their own Senators. Their most significant contribution was the creation of the Egregores, ensuring that every nation was able to preserve its traditions. They were unable to convince the priests of Highguard to acknowledge the central role of honesty in a virtuous life, but they are enormously proud that their influence ensured that their ideas of individual freedom and responsibility became a central part of the Empire's identity.

Since that day, the Freeborn have been able to present themselves as traders backed by the full weight of the Empire. It is something they use, sometimes shamelessly, to their advantage when dealing with foreign powers. The stability provided by the Empire has allowed the Freeborn to sail far beyond their territories, bringing in great wealth to all the nations.

There has only ever been one Freeborn Emperor, Ahraz i Contero i Guerra, who freed the orc slaves and was instrumental in bringing them into the Empire. The Freeborn believe that it is in the Senate that true power lies, and that the best Emperors have accepted this and served as figureheads and administrators rather than policy makers. Popular prejudice paints the Freeborn as poor politicians – a slur that several of them embrace. Their blunt frankness combined with a tendency to want to get to the point of any argument does not endear them to their political opponents, but they make up for this directness with a tendency to produce powerful and impassioned orators.

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The Brass Coast leadership

The Freeborn are traditionally cautious when it comes to the idea of authority and control. They value loyalty and even discipline, but they are an informal people who have little regard for titles and status and even less for those who think such positions make them more important than their fellows.

By tradition, each Freeborn family is represented by a dhomiro. Their role is to represent their family's interests to those who seek to deal with the family as a whole. Choosing a dhomiro is not a political decision, most families simply select the most suitable individual. They are usually chosen on account of their ability to organize or communicate, and they have great influence but little formal power. Any dhomiro that put on airs or graces would be ridiculed and dhomiro that are not effective in furthering their family's interests are quickly replaced.

The reality of this loose-weave community is that towns, villages and trade wagons are effectively governed by the wealthiest, most influential family who dwells there. This can lead to fluid but infrequent shifts of power as familial fortunes wax and wane. When more formal agreements are needed, the dhomiro of each family involved will negotiate a formal contract.

Freeborn society is not so much controlled as ‘nudged in a beneficial direction’ by the families with the most power and influence. There is little leadership beyond the dhomiro. There is a presumption of cooperation between different families that are part of the same tribe, but this presumption only makes the inevitable rivalries more fierce. When this rivalry threatens to get out of hand, it often falls to the hakima – the magical custodians of the Freeborn tribal legacy – to step in and try to mediate some sort of peaceful conclusion. While the hakima have no formal authority over the dhomiro, their advice and magical support can help turn a strong family into a truly great family. The hakima stand outside the traditional Freeborn family structure, placing the nation above all other loyalties; their official role is to help ensure Freeborn prosperity and security. This neutrality makes them an essential part of the political structure and most are highly respected.

To outsiders it is a chaotic and unstructured form of governance, but to the Freeborn it is as natural as breathing. When an outsider finds themselves frustrated trying to work out who is in charge, the traditional Freeborn response is “the wind”. A less metaphorical response might be to ask “why does someone always have to be in charge?” When a decision needs making that affects a number of families, the Hakima and the families gather to ‘discuss’ the issue. To outsiders this a wild affair of drink and revelry, but the informal atmosphere of the gathering in no way undermines the severity of the discussions. The exchange of coin, scripts of trade and goods eventually leads to a common opinion and subsequent decision, usually formalised through a contract.

Leading a territory

Despite this, Imperial rule requires that the Freeborn select Senators. The Freeborn solution is simple; wealth and influence dictate many things in Freeborn life and they see no reason why senatorial seats should be any different.

When Senatorial seats become vacant, individual families present purses of money to the Civil Service in an effort to secure Senatorial positions. The family that presents the richest purses gets first choice of available seats and so on until all available seats are allocated. The choice of who claims the Senatorial seat is left to the victorious dhomiro. Those who are not successful in claiming a seat reclaim their purse, and the money paid by the winners is pooled and distributed between the next four families who bid the most in the proportions of 40%, 30%,20% and finally the family that bid the fifth highest amount gets 10%.

While outsiders may be offended by the way in which the Freeborn auction off important Imperial positions, it is a matter of pride that there is comparatively little duplicity in the political achievement of the Freeborn Senators. To the Freeborn way of thinking their approach is honest - while the politics of other nations can be devious and underhanded, the Freeborn are forthright and open in the methods employed. Note that hakima cannot present a purse in an effort to secure a Senatorial position, as they are not a family.

The senators for each Imperial territory are re-elected at specific equinox and solstices during the year. The senator for Feroz is elected at the Summer solstice, the senator for Kahraman is elected at the Autumn equinox, and the senator for Madruga is elected at the Winter solstice.

Jonquil got to his feet, smoothed his robes and clasped his hands behind his back. Around him the usual murmur of the senate fell quiet, eagerly awaiting the next great clash between the two orators. Clearing his throat, Jonquil gestured to where Aramaste sat atop a magnificent silk cushion, nibbling daintily on a candied sweetmeat.

“My friend…” he smiled, but not warmly, “I have heard it said that the Brazen – my apologies, the Freeborn – will put a price on anything. Is that true?”

Aramaste chewed thoughtfully before answering, “It is the custom amongst my people, yes.”

“So, in the spirit of enlightening this august body,” Jonquil leaned in, sensing blood, “Just how much, exactly, would an enemy of the Empire have to pay you to betray your oaths of office?”

Indrawn breaths, muttering and gasps of outrage circled the chamber. Jonquil’s smile stretched larger, yet was none the more pleasant for that. Aramaste’s eyes glittered as he slowly brushed the crumbs from his hands and rose to his feet. “Ordinarily we Freeborn would say something like 'Every Coin in the Empire', or some other suitably dramatic and impossible sum.”

Jonquil interrupted, “But surely, once you have set a price, we are merely haggling over details? You’d agree that you would betray the Empire for coin? I would submit that the amount is immaterial.”

“For you, Lord Jonquil, I choose a different price. I choose all the money your mother can earn in a year of whoring on the docks of Siroc.”

Jonquil’s smile quickly turned to a deep scowl, his face becoming an ugly puce.

Aramaste grinned. “With one small caveat, of course, I would prefer it changed into larger coins; I doubt I’d want to carry around that many pennies…”

With a cry of rage the Highborn senator leapt at the smaller man, ready to tear out his throat with his bare hands.

“Order, order!” cried the speaker as the senate guards moved to deal with the encroaching riot…

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The Brass Coast lineage and species attitudes

Cambion have a special place in Freeborn society, a tradition that dates back to the murky prehistory of the Freeborn. According to legend a particularly clever cambion (whose origin is usually tied to the teller in some way) convinced the founders to sign a cleverly worded trade agreement. This binding oath is allegedly what has kept the Freeborn together as a people. This story has created a superstition that the blood of a cambion (usually a thumb print) upon a document of trade will bring good fortune to the signatories. As a result Freeborn cambion often study to become scriveners.

The calm nature of the merrow is at odds with the fiery Freeborn way of life. Merrow rarely find themselves comfortable in Freeborn society and there are few to be found. Many Freeborn parents of a merrow child will take that child to a spire in Urizen, where the child will find a better life. There is no shame in this; the Freeborn recognize that a merrow will struggle to find a life in the tribes and encourage the parents to make a decision that is seen as being in the best interests of the child. The parting song Without You is traditionally associated with this custom.

The Freeborn Emperor Ahraz i Contero i Guerra, freed the orc slaves and was instrumental in bringing them into the Empire. As a people, they have a great deal of time for the Imperial Orcs, encouraging them to make a place for themselves. On the whole the Freeborn prefer to deal with people - whatever they may look like - honestly and consequently they are amongst the folk most likely to treat a non-human individual as an equal.

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The Brass Coast look and feel

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 Feel

- 1.2 Influences

- 1.3 Colours

- 1.4 Materials

- 2 Clothing

- 2.1 Shoes

- 2.2 Headscarves

- 2.3 Children

- 2.4 Corsairs

- 3 Icons and Artistry

- 3.1 Jewellery and Decoration

- 3.2 Dressing their tents at Anvil

- 4 Arms and Armour

- 4.1 Armour

- 4.2 Weapons

- 4.3 Shields

- 4.4 Mage Implements and Armour

- 5 Less Appropriate

- 5.1 Shemagh

- 5.2 Sartorial Hijab

- 5.3 Belly dancing costumes

Overview

The Freeborn look is one of bright colours, silks, jewels, and sumptuousness. They admire ornate or bejewelled items. To the Freeborn, a brilliant craftsman is one who can make something elegant as well as sturdy. Their weapons and armour are often engraved or adorned, but they are not fatuous, and do not compromise utility for the sake of appearance. Jewellery is very common with the best pieces, like necklaces, crowns or tiaras, designed to frame the wearer's hands or face.

The image of the flame is central to the Freeborn culture; they believe it represents their spirit: wild, powerful and unchained.

Also see The Brass Coast costumes.

Feel

Free, flowing, headstrong, sumptuous, practical, exuberant, hedonistic, colourful, rich, joyful.

Influences

The traditional looks of Moorish Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia.

Colours

The Freeborn value bright, vibrant colours, especially the colours of flames: strong bright yellows, brilliant oranges and every conceivable shade of red as well as gold and silver. Peacock blue, Magenta and Turquoise often appear for contrast. Expensive clothing is made in brightly coloured layers to convey the impression of the fire within.

Black is considered severe and used for shrouds to wrap the dead. White is the colour of the poor, those too impoverished to afford exotic dyes.

Materials

Lightweight fabrics such as voiles and chiffons, either silk or synthetic. Also silks, brocades and other rich fabrics. Leather is considered unappealing for most clothing, it is a heavy material mainly reserved for boots and armour. Gold is prized over silver when available. When working in colder climes, such as at sea, a warmer layer of fleece or wool is worn as a base layer. Gold, bronze and brass are much-prized, as are carved wooden objects (which are often imported, given the lack of wood on the Coast).

Clothing

Veils, scarves, head-wraps, pantaloons, loose shirts and kaftans, are all part of Freeborn garb. Clothing is usually worn loose with layers of draped material slashed through to show a wealth of colour, and secured with sashes rather than belts. Outfits will often be decorated with shiny jewellery, bells, coins showing wealth in the glint of metal in the sun and the sound of metal as the wearer moves. Scabbards or pouches tend to hang at the waist by a silk cord that goes over the shoulder

Shoes

Many Freeborn favour sandals as footwear, lacing up over the foot or higher up the leg, but slipper shoes are also common. Leather boots to mid calf or the knee are favoured particularly on the battle field.

Headscarves

The ideal headgear is the tagelmust (preferably in bright red, orange or yellow rather than blue).

Children

Children are an opportunity for parents to show off their wealth, dressing their offspring in traditional Freeborn styles.

Corsairs

Corsairs epitomize Freeborn daring and adventure. Javelins and bows are common but the Catazarri crossbow is also used. Many are lightly armoured, but the most bold show off their success with ornately gilded plate. They may dress more simply than other Freeborn in trousers and tunic, but their flair for wealth tends to show through with jewellery worn at wrist and neck.

Icons and Artistry

Stylised flames are often found on banners and flags and Freeborn art often includes a fire or flame in the image. The Freeborn love of the ornate extends to their writing as well; Freeborn prize artful calligraphy and ornate seals. A beautifully presented children’s book is treasured more than a dry treatise on magic or history, no matter how useful the latter might be. Given that many families keep their most lucrative or successful contracts as trophies of their economic acumen, a contract may be a literal work of art, presented with the same pride that members of another nation might present a coat of arms or family tree.

Jewellery and Decoration

Jewellery is commonly used either as part of the clothes themselves or to frame the face or hands to draw attention to them. Veils are fashionable for men and women who wish to appear mysterious and alluring. Those who go tattooed tend to favour intricate henna style designs.

Dressing their tents at Anvil

Arms and Armour

Armour

Scale is the armour many Freeborn aspire to, ideally in a bright golden colour, worn like mail or else secured with leather.

Mail in the jannissary style, particularly the chain helmets, is also commonly seen. Small pieces of plate or breastplates are popular especially if ornate and inlaid. Armour, whether metal or leather, usually has embellished edges and rich decoration, with calligraphy and ornate designs.

Weapons

Scimitars are less common than straight swords and axes which are the preferred weapons. The Bhuj, a large heavy single-bladed spear, is the ideal pole-arm. The best quality weapons are intricately etched and engraved with complex designs.

Shields

The Freeborn favour round (ideally domed) metal shields, highly decorated if possible. Gold inlay and engraving are both particularly popular.

Mage Implements and Armour

The Hakima often have their rods, wands and staves made of finely carved wood. These featuring flame designs and are topped with red, orange or gold crystals.

Less Appropriate

In defining the ideal look and feel for the Brass Coast we have chosen not to include some images. Some items were omitted so that the overall range of images avoids becoming too broad - we want each nation to look distinctive. Sometimes items were left out because the real world significance of them is so strong that it would impact the game, we want to avoid players confusing these nations with real world cultures. And some items are not part of the ideal because they come from a different historical period or are more modern in feel. It is common to see costume inspired by a range of historical periods but we wanted to be clear on what the ideal was.

We've listed some of the items we chose not to include in the look and feel below along with a short explanation of why they are not perfect for the Brass Coast. It is okay to use these items as part of your kit, creating a costume is always a compromise as time and money are limited. What we want to do is be clear on the suggestions we are making, so that players who are looking to create new kit or add to their existing kit can be confident about what will look great for the nation.

Shemagh

Some of the costume inspiration for the Brass Coast comes from cultures with strong Arabic influences, but the main focus was Moorish Spain and North Africa. The shemagh or keffiyeh, the traditional headscarf that is white or patterned is more typical of the Middle East and more importantly it often looks very modern. We recommend the tagelmust as the ideal head covering for the Brass Coast.

Sartorial Hijab

The only distinction between Freeborn men and women is that the Freeborn trace their familial lines via their mothers. The traditional social attitudes towards modesty and women in Islamic societies are nothing to do with the Brass Coast emphasis on freedom and individuality. Because of this, and the strong real world associations, we chose to exclude most elements of sartorial hijab from the look and feel for the nation.

Belly dancing costumes

Although there are no particular modesty taboos, dancers tend to be far more interested in showing off how they can make fabrics flare and move than displaying their own flesh. Wild passionate dancing is a common Freeborn pursuit for men and women, but the perfect Freeborn costume features long flowing colourful garments. Roxanne's dance from the movie Alexander is a great inspiration for Freeborn dancing and costume.

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The Brass Coast magical traditions

Magic is a source of wonder and pleasure to the Freeborn. They expect people performing magic to entertain, and many Freeborn magicians will enhance their rituals with stage magic tricks simply to please the crowd. Some Freeborn learn a handful of non-magical sleight-of-hand tricks or illusions while a few entertainers specialize enough to develop a whole act.

Within a family there is often at least one individual who has made a more serious study of magic. These individuals accept a responsibility for teaching relatives who are interested in learning a few magical knacks, and use their magic to help their family and harm their enemies as well as try to scry the vagaries of fortune and fate. These magicians tend to be practical, and often combine their study of magic with crafting or medicinal lore.

Freeborn ritualists practice a tradition that says ritual magic is the act of building up power from the participants and creating a connection to the Realms, rather than the more traditional assumption that the magician draws power down from the Realms to the world. As such, all their rituals attempt to include their bystanders as participants whether that is chanting, clapping or singing. Magicians of each tribe bring a unique perspective to their magical arts. The Riqueza perform ritual magic using loud, rhythmic, energetic drumming; the Guerra prefer physical movement combined with fire and light. The Erigo use a less energetic style, often accompanying their rituals with soothing, harmonious music. Most Freeborn ritual groups prefer to work magic at night, in the open air, in the same way their founders did.

While ritual magicians within a family are hardly unknown, the more powerful and organised magicians in Freeborn society are the Hakima. These politically active covens view other Freeborn magicians as unsophisticated dabblers at best, and ignorant meddlers at worst. The Hakima are highly skilled practitioners of ritual magic and custodians of magical lore handed down to them by the founders of the tribes. They are dedicated to preserving the integrity of the nation as a whole and regularly look to recruit competent ritual magicians from the tribes into their own circles.

More than being just magicians, the Hakima exemplify a connection to the founders of the tribes and the history of the Freeborn. They are traditionally held to be wise, able to perceive the larger picture more effectively than most Freeborn who are anchored in more mundane activities. They may be consulted when important decisions need to be made within a family, or when magical assistance is sought. They rarely wait to be consulted however – a Hakima is likely to be poking around any important business ready to offer a suggestion as to what to do next.

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The Brass Coast military concerns

While the Freeborn nation supports two Imperial armies, organized along traditional lines, most Freeborn families encourage their children to practise some martial skills. The Freeborn remember a time when the families were responsible for their own defence and they try to remain prepared in case that day should come again. Those Freeborn who are not career soldiers are by day traders, farmers and labourers, only turning to martial matters when required, though all are ready to do so.

Many families maintain a small dedicated fighting force, usually family members who have shown a capacity for martial excellence. These warriors protect Freeborn caravans and settlements from bands of raiding orcs or adventurous bandits. Families take pride in equipping their warriors with the best equipment they can afford. These family warriors often train to fight in heavy armour in close formation.

Contents

- 1 Kohan

- 2 Imperial Armies

- 2.1 The Red Wind Corsairs

- 2.2 The Fire of the South

Kohan

Centuries ago, the hakima began to gather Freeborn who had been disowned and turned them into a fighting force. By serving their tribe the Freeborn were able to find a way to redeem themselves. These groups were called kohan, meaning without family, and their number has grown considerably over the years. Although they still accept those who have been cast out, most kohan are volunteers, individuals who find such joy in battle that they cannot give it up. They fight for the joy of battle, flinging themselves into combat with a blood-thirsty relish that can easily dispirit an enemy. Kohan often adopt flamboyant costume and grotesque body paint, the better to unnerve their enemies. When they are not fighting they are usually found celebrating their continued survival with that same intensity.

Groups of kohan usually form loose bands of soldiers who live and fight together, the group serving as a surrogate for the family they have left behind. Groups of kohan are driven by very different reasons but the traditional ones pledge their service directly to a group of hakima. They regard this devotion as a higher calling and see their path as a spiritual one. A “family” of kohan is generally quite loose, and its membership fluid. Indeed, members may come from any of the three tribes, laying aside tribal rivalries for as long as they are part of a kohan band. Kohan who cannot fight due to pregnancy or injury generally return to their birth family either until they are ready to fight again, and sometimes kohan choose to rejoin their original family permanently.

Imperial Armies

The Brass Coast currently fields two imperial armies; the Red Wind Corsairs and the Fire of the South.

The Red Wind Corsairs

The core of this army is made up of corsairs and is in some ways the closest the Empire currently has to a naval force. Many of the soldiers who serve with this army have experience serving as sailors, and the force is supported by a number of boats and ships. The army often takes advantage of this to reinforce and support difficult positions, or move quickly to areas where it can do the most good. The experienced privateers who often serve as officers excel at foraging for supplies in enemy territories, and a portion of the booty they acquire is tithed to the general of the army. The first Brass Coast General leads the Red Wind Corsairs, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer solstice each year.

The Fire of the South

The soldiers of this army are trained in tactics appropriate to flat, open land. Often recognised by their brightly polished armour, their warriors and supply lines are trained to be especially mobile and responsive to attacks from any direction. This gives them a marked advantage over less adaptive armies, allowing them to cover great distances very quickly. The second Brass Coast General leads the Fire of the South, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Autumn equinox each year.

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The Brass Coast music

Contents

- 1 The Music of The Brass Coast

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Songs

- 1.3.2 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.3 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The Music of The Brass Coast

Style summary

Like the Freeborn themselves, their music is rhythmic, vigorous and fiery. Waily reeded or brass instruments, rich vocal harmonies and the strumming of strings resound in counterpoint with the ever-present syncopation of drums, tambourines and claves. It is said a Freeborn will make an instrument out of anything - hands, cutlery, tables and crockery are all used to enthusiastically accompany performers. Their vocal tradition involves not only the singing of complex melodies and accompaniment, but also encourages others to join in ululating harmonies, drones and chants. The overall impression is vibrant, noisy and enthusiastic - music, like everything in their lives, is to be savoured to the utmost.

Brass Coast music draws on the real world inspiration of Corsican music, Spanish Pilgrim songs, Italian lauda, and New World sea shanties. Although they are a seafaring nation, more traditional English shanties (such as Poor Tom Bowling, The Mermaid etc.) would be better suited to the musical tradition of the Marches.

Commonly known songs

- Riqueza's Dream Telling one version of the tale of the founding of the Brass Coast this song is popular in taverns and Alcazars. It has sparked off several diplomatic incidents by 'accidentally' offending Highborn visitors.

- Sail Away Across the Sea This popular song expresses the Freeborn's joy in a seafaring life.

A musical tradition

Various kinds of performance are inherent to the practice of magic in the Brass Coast. See Brass Coast Magical Traditions for more information.

One for the kids

Further examples

Songs

- Fire Maringo - easy call and response song

- Riqueza's Dream - medium call and response song

- Sail Away Across the Sea - medium call and response song

- Stella Nuova - TO DO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yQkJ9aaZKg

- Inez y Guerra medium call and response about a famous Captain

- Wagon song medium difficulty travelling song with chorus accompaniment

- Without You hard Corsican chant in 3 parts

- Lost Segura - plaintive lament for lost territory.

- Virtue Never Falter - rousing chorus song also widely sung in Highguard

- Farewell Farewell - rousing funeral song from Highguard but also popular in the Brass Coast due to boat references

Instrumentation and tunes

High percussion e.g. tambourines, shakers, clapping, high drums; reeded woodwind (especially if a bit waily and 'snake charmer' sounding); high metallic pipes/penny whistles; jangly bouzoukis or guitars.

Other performance traditions

- Dance/fire dance, a huge part of Brass Coast Magical Traditions.

How to adapt your repertoire

- Never perform without giving your audience a way to join in. Get them clapping or stomping, or tell them to cheer or repeat when they hear certain words. If you are ambitious teach them a simple ostinato to go under the song. It's all about the participation!

- Rhythms could be much lighter than other nations, keep them syncopated (off beat), and on tambourines, castanets, shakers, or light drums. Keep your playing light and bouncy!

- Don't be afraid to ornament when you are singing, have a listen to some waily Spanish or Arabic medieval music and copy the style into the songs you are choosing.

Our sources

- Instrumental: Susanna Seivane,

- Song: Severa Nazarkhan, Corsican chants (e.g. Corsica: Chants Polyphoniques (CD) on Harmonia Mundi label), Spanish Music of Travel and Discovery (CD), various pilgrim songs arranged by Katy Cooper of Glasgow Madrigirls, Martin Codax's Songs of Friendship, Marie Kerouz (Maronite liturgical music), Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (urdu-pop), Arany Zoltan

- Good list of sea shanty lyrics (stick to the Spanishy sounding ones): http://www.boundingmain.com/Lyrics.htm

A Brass Coast youtube playlist to get you in the mood! To add to this get in touch with Daisy or post your own.

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The Brass Coast people

The people of the Brass Coast are divided into three great tribes descended from the families of the three founders, named the Erigo, the Riqueza and the Guerra. Every Freeborn traces their line through their mother's family to one of the founders, and this creates their tribal identity. Each tribe is composed of a great number of extended families. The smallest families have only a few dozen members, the largest can have hundreds or thousands of people sharing a family name and a common purpose.

The archetypal Freeborn is forthright, honest about their actions, and unashamed of their motives. The Freeborn do not feel they owe the world anything, but neither do they feel the world owes them. They can be charitable, but only when they choose; they can be selfish, but never with their family. They are direct, notoriously frank and gloriously unabashed.

The Freeborn give freely to family, and expect the same in return. But with everyone else they would rather define a debt and know what is owed and to whom, instead of being left with an undefined obligation. They detest unspecified favours and obligations, even between friends or lovers, because there is no certainty to what is owed. An honest interaction is one where people know what they are offering, what they are getting and what it will cost them.

To the Freeborn, all things can have a price. Most Freeborn do not earn their living as a merchant, but almost all seek out opportunities to turn a profit. Even in social situations they are comfortable seeing their interactions with others in monetary terms. Freeborn hosts are not insulted by a guests' offer to pay for a meal, nor by a request to purchase an ancient family heirloom. They are no greedier than other people -- there are plenty of things they wouldn't contemplate selling -- but they won't be angry at you for asking, provided you accept their refusal.

The Freeborn are notoriously candid. Transactions that in other nations would be conducted discreetly in private are carried out openly on the Brass Coast without shame. They are perfectly comfortable with someone paying to influence a political decision, but they expect those making the decision to be unabashed of their actions. The Freeborn are fully aware that other nations do not share their values. They don't expect frankness from other nations but they don't allow others to impose their values on them.

The Freeborn are passionate people who love dancing, story-telling and performance. The best dances are energetic and exuberant, and those who aren’t dancing are encouraged to join in by making music to cheer the dancers on. The best stories are bold, often bawdy and are delivered as a performance designed to involve and energize the audience. It is considered rude to boast; telling the tales of your own deeds is vulgar and if it must be done, events should always be described as if they happened to a friend. To tell the tale of another’s deeds does them great honour. The Freeborn love to include the earthy parts of a story, but are always clear when they are embellishing the tale, for instance "I don't know what happened next, but I like to imagine it was like this..." The art of a Freeborn story-teller is to make even the most mundane tale become engaging or hilarious by the delivery. They particularly like to include their audience, getting them to act out the parts described or cheer and sing along at appropriate moments.

Names

Freeborn names are primarily Spanish/Mexican in flavour, with Moorish influence.

Freeborn typically have three names. The first is their given name as decided by their parents and can be as creative or as bland as their imagination. The second is their family name and the last name is that of the tribe - one of the Erigo, the Riqueza or the Guerra.

Freeborn names follow the pattern “firstname” i “family” i “tribe”. Hakima and Kohan often drop the family name and use just their tribal name.

Sample names

- Ahraz i Contero i Riqueza

- Iñes i Guerra (for a Hakima or Kohan of the Guerra tribe)

Naming resources

- Spanish male names

- Spanish female names

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The Brass Coast religious beliefs

The Freeborn believe their people are shaped from the elements of dust, fire and glass. The eternal wind-blown dust of the plains is their history, the loyalty for family and continuity of their people. The ferocity of fire is their burning passion for life and their bright and unquenchable spirit. The purity of glass is their soul, the reflection of their transparancy and once broken can never again be mended. Dishonesty and wickedness shatter your soul and pieces of it are lost with each act of deception.

This belief underpins a very personal relationship with matters of faith and the spirit, one that is rarely articulated directly outside of poetry or song. From the outside the Freeborn seem impious and disrespectful. However the Freeborn have great respect for the Paragons and the Way of Virtue, but they have little time for the priests and Synod that exist to mediate – or dilute - their message. The Synod, with its Doctrines and Heresies, is often seen as being full of pomposity and self-importance, whereas a truly faithful person understands what is true and what is false in their soul. There is a Freeborn Assembly, but it generally has no formal structure outside of the Synod, being more a collection of individuals. The Freeborn Assembly only tends to come together when there is a matter serious enough to warrant the use of its powers.

As a result Freeborn religious ceremonies tend to place their emphasis on celebration rather than sermons. They celebrate sacred festivals with entertainment, feasting, parties and dancing. Many families include a devout priest or spiritual family member who can be relied on to oversee these indulgences, but for the largest and most important festivities the Freeborn seek out the services of a sutannir.

A cross between a professional priest and a party organizer, sutannir conduct important ceremonies such as the coming of age or a wedding, and see to the spiritual needs of the Freeborn as a whole. Before the ceremony many paint their face and limbs with stylised flames in bright colours and dress in flamboyant costumes. A good sutannir will keep their words short and evocative, knowing audiences prefer to be inspired to virtue rather than lectured. When not speaking they manage the entertainments to make sure that everyone attending is drawn into the celebrations. While it may be the festivity that the Freeborn remember rather than the ceremony, the best sutannir are able to provide religious instruction and support without labouring their point.

Coal-walking, fire breathing, fire dancing and other symbolic performances that represent the Freeborn passion for life are always popular at Freeborn religious celebrations. Lone sutannir will hire sufficient entertainers and artisans skilled at these activities to fill the night's entertainment, concentrating on managing their performances to ensure the best overall impact. Sutannir groups usually include numerous talented performers in their ranks who can cover most of the skills most commonly in demand.

Sutannir also perform funeral ceremonies.

Feast of the Broken Wheel

The only festival the sutannir do not perform is the Feast of the Broken Wheel, known by many as Fool's Day. On this day, the Freeborn turn virtue on its head and celebrate the contrary. The festival takes place on the second day of the Autumn Equinox, and starts at sunset and lasts until midnight. The proud become humble, ties of loyalty may be ignored, the prosperous become ascetic and the wise act as fools. It is a time of foolishness, pranks and trickery that begins with a symbolic chase, where seven effigies of the Paragons are chased from the camp in a gleeful and chaotic parade. Everyone is encouraged to try harmless skills like juggling and music – the more terrible the performance the more it is applauded. The festival usually ends in a drunken stupor. On Fool's Day, even the most moral Freeborn try their hand at telling untruths and lies - often with comical degrees of success.

The festival is considered blasphemous by some in the Imperial Synod but, to date, the Freeborn Assembly has done little to discourage it, or penalise those involved. Some have argued that, by permitting it, it helps the Freeborn embrace The Way more readily for the rest of the year.

Last night, Ramak invited me to what he said was a religious ceremony. This morning, my head is pounding and I will never eat again. We did not talk about Courage, but we danced on fire. We did not contemplate Prosperity, but we enjoyed the finest things from many lands. We did not read about Pride, but sang the songs of our homelands till our throats were hoarse. I can attest the Freeborn care deeply about the fate of their souls – but they just do not speak of it as we do.

Elina the Wayfarer taken from Epistles to the Winds of Virtue, 24BE

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The Brass Coast territories

The Brass Coast is wealthy in vineyards and orchards that produce fortified wines and flowers from which they make rich dyes. The people enjoy strong trade links with foreign nations, allowing them to bring luxuries and commodities to all the people of the Empire (for a price of course!). Textiles, wines and ales from far-off places are prized treasures, but wood is a thing of beauty to the natives of the Coast. Theirs are lands of rolling plains, fertile lowlands with lush vineyards. Although there are orchards of exotic fruit trees the land is devoid of large areas of forest. Early in the history of the Coast they cut down most of their hardwood to build ships and settlements, and the fruit trees that remain are more suited for burning than building. Since fine quality wood is a valuable commodity, dwellings tend to be piled high with rugs, cushions and furs.

The towns of the Coast are sprawling, disorganised affairs almost inevitably built around a bustling bazaar. Everything from steel to spices changes hands in these trading hubs and they are festooned with brightly coloured fabrics, gaudily painted signs and exotic wares. Contracts of trade, seals of endorsement and bonds of marque are proudly displayed by vendors who hawk their goods to the people who fill the plazas and streets at all hours. In and around these cosmopolitan bazaars, the wealthiest families maintain sprawling estates. Often plain from the outside, Freeborn structures are alive with ostentation within and lined with ornate tapestries and finery. The most influential Freeborn thread their homes with running water and glittering fountains, sculptures and artefacts crafted from precious materials, beautiful rugs, carpets and hangings, the scents of incense and the sound of music. It is important that a home be beautiful, as well as secure, “Your home,” as one ancient poet put it, “should be a comfort to your body, and a balm to your soul.”

Territories

- Madruga

- Feroz

- Kahraman

- Segura (Lost)

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The Brewer's Lesson

by Stephanie Heath and Anna Clifford-Tait

Recording here: Brewers Lesson

What you need to understand is How very cold our land is A beercoat here is not a luxury All good Varushkans do it, If it doesn't move then brew it And if it does then hit it til it stops And then go to it...

Without the dark and cold here No one would have made much beer Rotting grains and fungus? No thank you You have to really need it To smell it, mix and knead it And still be able to stomach a pint Tastes like you peed it...

Do you like the taste of honey? Or do you think it's kind of funny? The bees prefer to keep it in their comb Guess what? There's a trick to it But the honey, yes we brew it And the sweetest, strongest booze we can produce It's how you view it... The potato is a tuber In pies and stews it's uber But surely it's potential endeth there? Oh my friend, you have learned nothing Good Varushkans keep on stuffing For the vodka vat takes almost anything And ends all suff'ring...

In the forest we find berries A good reason to care is Nothing to do with the taste or smell Okay, you can dye clothes up But we'd much rather mash those up If you leave it long enough, oh yes it's booze All ready to sup...

I hear apples are quite tasty But let's not be so hasty This one looks a bit too small and sour I bet that if we squish it, Leave it lying where we'll mish it Eventually it will be more fun Still looks like pish it...

So animal or veg-e-tab-le, Nice or not to taste We'll make it into something that will get you off your face I hope you've learned your lesson Cos it's time to start the session And if you need to ask whose round it is Oh yes it i-is.

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The Captain

The captain is one of the personae used in dramaturgy. While the character is usually referred to as male, regardless of the gender of the thespian taking the role, within the narrative he may be of either sex; often, as with many dramaturgical characters, the gender is irrelvant to the story as a whole to allow any ritualist to take the role.

Character: The captain is probably the most popular character among League troupes. He is often a truly good character - likable, honourable and brave, ready to dash into danger at a moment's notice to rescue a friend or ally.

His simple and trusting nature is often his undoing, and particularly in street theatre he can become a figure of fun as he is exploited by those around him.

Generally, though, he is assisted by those whose loyalty he has earned, and generally his deeds come to a happy conclusion.

Magical Associations: In ritual the captain is often associated with war and fighting; military endeavour whether armies or champions, and disasters that must be overcome; the virtues of Courage and Loyalty.

Realms: The captain is associated with summer (strength, warfare) and spring (straightforwardness, vitality).

Identities: As one of the personae, the captain usually appears named after one of the four rivers. His name influences his character, which in turn influences the magical role he plays.

- Scorrero – used for magic dealing with fortitude and endurance

- Vassa – used in magic that makes you more powerful

- Gancio – boost military units

- Couros – disasters and campaign armies

Trappings: The captain is usually armed. He rarely wears full harness, but almost always has a piece of armour - a breastplate, a pair of gauntlets or a helmet.

As with all personae, a troupe is likely to have a specific mask they use to portray the Captain.

Other Identities: In The Marches, the mummers present the captain as The Yeoman - the everyman, the down-to-earth, honest, hard-working salt-of-the-soil. In Dawn the guisers represent him as The Knight, and he is often engaged in overcoming a challenge or a test of mettle, ardour or resolve. In Wintermark tales, he is The Hero (or The Heroine) and as with the Knight is usually involved in a challenge or heroic test of some sort.

Minor Roles

The Rival

The Captian sometimes appears in the guise of the rival. A rather straightforward dark mirror of the hero of the play, the Rival is a direct and open enemy to the Persona. Unlike many of the other malefactors, he is honest and sporting, and while he desperately desires the destruction of his enemy, he is not willing to compromise his principles in order to do so. While often the story calls for his death it is generally done sympathetically and redemptively. The rival is often dressed in a similar costume to the main character of the play.

The Captain and the Rival may both appear in the same ritual; in this case the same ritualist usually portrays both characters, shifitng masks as his role in the play changes.

The Squire

A straightforward, solid and reliable individual, the squire is the right-hand-man of the Persona. Loyal, utterly trustworthy and above reproach, he symbolises loyalty and the bonds of friendship and servitude. Usually soft-spoken and dressed in blue, he often represents a banner or soldier.

In some plays, the Persona is duped into thinking that the Squire is working against them, with tragic consquences; this is especially true if the ritual is intended to damage or steal from a personal resource. Sometimes the Squire gives his loyalty to an unworthy individual, and while such tales are also often tragic, the object of the Squire's loyalty is usually redeemed by the transformative power of that virtue.

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The Celestial Library

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a single book, pamphlet, bundle of letters, scroll or tablet or similar written work that must be present throughout.

Effects

When the ritual is complete, the target written work disappears and is received by the attendants of the Great Library in the Realm of Day.

This ritual will only transfer a scroll, pamphlet, tablet, book or similar piece of written work.

The Eternals are peripherally aware of who sent the item.

Description

The attendants at the Great Library of Phaleron are said to seek copies of everything ever written down, and they expand their collection through a number of ways; this ritual is one of the most common. Any written work transferred to the attendants will be preserved 'forever' (the attendants themselves tend to hedge their bets, and prefer to say that it will be stored for as long as Creation continues in its current form). It joins the great body of knowledge that the attendants maintain and constantly seek to expand. While magicians can petition for access to any piece of information that has been stored in the library, such requests are rarely honoured. However, those who have contributed a significant tome to the library are more likely to be able to retrieve a piece of information from its depths. Someone who contributes a truly valuable or unique work may even be offered the chance to learn a single thing - the favour of the Phaleron library is a rare treasure.

Some magicians include messages or dedications in the works they send to the Great Library; these rarely seem to produce any immediate response although they are presumably read and catalogued alongside the book or scroll transferred with the ritual. Requests for audiences, the visits of Heralds or the like are rarely successful; however, a ritualist or coven that consistently sends new, unique or profound texts to the Great Library occasionally receives visits from Heralds of Day requesting specific tomes.

It is understood that the ritual places no obligation on the Eternals, but it cannot be denied that they tend to look more favourably on magicians who aid them by sending them works they do not currently possess. The rarer and more profound or influential the work, the more they appreciate it. The favour of the attendants at the Great Library also tends to leave other Eternals of Day more well-disposed to a magician responsible for performing this ritual regularly

Common Elements

The most important element of The Celestial Library is the written work to be transferred. It is often wrapped in fine silk or cotton, and usually forms the focus of the ritual; sometimes it is passed from hand to hand, sometimes placed in the centre of the ritual. Invocations of great scholars, Paragons and Exemplars of Wisdom, and the rune Aesh often accompany the ritual.

Some ritualists wrap the book in a chain, and seal it with a lock during the ritual - the constellation of The Lock is unsurprisingly a common element of such rituals. other ritualists seal the item with a wax seal, often marked with the rune of discovery or rune of revelation, as appropriate to the nature of the work.

The completion of the ritual is often signalled by sprinkling seawater on the written work.

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The Chain

Contents

- 1 The Law

- 2 The Constellation

- 3 Symbolism

- 4 Invoking the Chain in Ritual

- 5 Tulpas of the Chain

- 6 Alignment

The Law

Things Hold Together

The Constellation

The Chain is comprised of five stars with the brightest at either end. It is unique in that it appears to rotate about itself, with the star to the extreme right always appearing in a fixed point due north. This particular star is often referred to as ‘The Anchor’ by mariners and the remainder of the constellation as ‘The Ship’s Chain’.

Symbolism

The Chain has deep symbolism to the Orcs - The Orcs of the Empire hold this constellation as particularly important, calling the two end stars as ‘The Manacles’. They see it as a reflection of their past history and a symbol of their steadfast loyalty to the Empire. Ever-present and immobile. It also stands as a symbol of service – service to a cause, service to an ideal or to a tradition. This is not about loyalties of clan or tribe – that is The Three Sisters. This is about being willingly bound to a cause not your own; choosing to make a stand.

The Chain also stands for those things which make us what we are – the ties which bind. Objects of great personal significance, or character defining moments, all stand under the stars of the Chain.

Invoking the Chain in Ritual

The most obvious place to use the chain is in binding rituals – but it is also often used to mark the taking of oaths and swearing of alliegances. Ritualists often use literal chain to mark it – though ritualists with Orc participants in their groups are advised to keep in mind the cultural sensitivities involved in waving manacles about, even in the interests of magical synthesis.

Tulpas of the Chain

The King-in-Chains is a famous Tulpa of the Chain – a royal figure in tattered and shredded robes all bedraped in chains; scholars of the Eternals look askance at this, pointing to the Bound King of The Thrice-cursed Court and the sinister associations he bears. Tulpas of the Chain often appear with chains or ropes tightly bound about their bodies – they are believed to play a great part in the supernatural punishment of oathbreakers. Among the Orcs it’s said Baraka of the Manacles waits for those who betray their sworn word to clap them back in irons for eternity.

Alignment

Coming close to the Chain instils a strong sense of the importance of oaths, the sworn word and the promises we each make one to another. Ritualists in such a state will take very seriously any attempt to lie or dissemble to them and will often be very driven to swear powerful oaths for things that matter to them.

The Chain is comprised of five stars with the brightest at either end. It is unique in that it appears to rotate about itself, with the star to the extreme right always appearing in a fixed point due north. This particular star is often referred to as ‘The Anchor’ by mariners and the remainder of the constellation as ‘The Ship’s Chain’.

The Orcs of the Empire hold this constellation as particularly important, calling the two end stars as ‘The Manacles’. They see it as a reflection of their past history and a symbol of their steadfast loyalty to the Empire. Ever-present and immobile.

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The Chalice

Contents

- 1 The Law

- 2 The Constellation

- 3 Symbolism

- 4 Invoking The Chalice in Magic

- 5 Tulpas of the Chalice

- 6 Alignment

The Law

Things heal; things apart come together.

The Constellation

The Chalice travels along the horizon from south-east to south-west from late winter to late spring and is absent from the night sky for the rest of the year. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘Double Chalice’ or the ‘Cup of Choices’ as it is an almost symmetrical constellation of six stars.

Symbolism

The healing cup, or the King's, The Chalice is strongly associated with healing and mending what is broken. It has a second deeper symbolism to do with symmetry, mirrors, reflections, twins, and things that are apart which were once together.

In the Brass Coast The Chalice is sometimes called the Mirror Cup or the Seeing Cup and has a strong association with fortune-telling, seeing the future and predicting dooms yet to come.

Invoking The Chalice in Magic

Ritualists who become obsessed with The Chalice often seek out pairs of twins, or physically very similar participants for their rituals; others seek to address their participants in matched pairs or otherwise have the mirror each other's behaviours. The Chalice is usually invoked as part of rituals to heal or to mend; the binding of flesh that though once together is now sundered is a common application for the healing cup. Ritualists also invoke the chalice as a function of sympathetic magic – what was once together is still together spiritually.

Tulpas of the Chalice

Tulpas of the Chalice always appear in pairs – male and female, dressed in black and white, or sometimes manifesting as Merrow and Naga. They usually bear cups goblets or some other representation of the chalice itself. Even more enigmatic than the usual run of Tulpas, such creatures seldom speak or directly interact with people; they have been known to lead help to those injured and alone or to appear as a warning before an event causing great injury. There is a tale in Dawn of a questing knight who three times refused to follow Chalice-bearers to the injured; when they appeared to him a fourth time they left him with the worst injury of his life to date reopened as if it had occurred that very day.

Alignment

Ritualists who “brush by” The Chalice report being filled with energy, well-being, and love for life – with an urge to bring together things that have been set apart and mend things that have been broken. Often this will manifest as a kind of hyperactiveness or worse, a tendency to meddle in the social affairs of friends and neighbours. Chalice ritualists have a tendency to become the worst kind of matchmakers.

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The Chamber

The chamber is a throne, a location used in dramaturgy that represents both a setting and a Realm of magic.

Realm: Night.

Setting: This represents privacy, a place where masks come off an characters are honest to one another. It may be a bedchamber or a privy chamber - a place of secrets, passion and plots. The tale told might be of secret assignations, of private messages given and received, of dark desires confessed and gratified. The 'bedroom farce' can be another approach to the night ritual, playing up the themes of deceit, misunderstanding and subterfuge in a comedic fashion.

Characters: The Witch and The Mountebank are strong characters in this setting; they are often veiled, and often portrayed as naga. Their understanding of passion, deception and mysteries come to the fore. Their natures often reverse; a comedic Mountebank is serious in the chamber, a clever Witch is sensuous.

Magical Style: This is often a location where a weakness is exposed, or a fact revealed; this makes the chamber a good fit for the magic of divination. It is also a place where people change their attire, making it a good fit for transformation magic.

Rituals that uncover or conceal things through Night magic are made stronger here, but so are themes of transformation, passion or intuition. A ritual from another Realm that deals with these themes is empowered by juxtaposing obvious elements (The Doctor and The Lantern for divination) with the less obvious elements of the chamber (a divination that deals with unravelling a Night realm enchantment despite the fact the ritual performed is from the Day realm) .

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The Chamber of Delights

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual must be performed in an enclosed area such as a tent or building. .

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual imbues an area with an aura that creates a powerful roleplaying effect: they feel relaxed, happy and maybe a little drugged; pressing concerns are easy to set aside for later. They are encouraged to indulge themselves, and luxuriate in sensations they find pleasurable. It is easy to fall asleep in this area, and anyone who does is likely to experience vivid, pleasant dreams and awaken refreshed.

Anyone in the area can choose to roleplay being happy, lazy and relaxed in response to any other aura they are experiencing, for as long as they remain in the area.

Everyone who enters the area quickly becomes aware of (and subject to) the aura.

The exorcism ceremony can be performed in this area to end the enchantment prematurely. A consecrate ceremony with a strength of at least 2 will replace the enchantment, effectively removing it.

Another ritual that creates a magical roleplaying effect in an area will replace the enchantment provided it matches or exceeds the magnitude of the current aura. The aura created by this ritual is insufficient to remove or replace a Consecration aura.

A detect magic spell performed in the area determines the realm and magnitude of the effect. The insight skill will not detect any spiritual presence here.

The enchantment lasts until the next sunrise.

Additional Magnitude

You may choose to create a more powerful effect to overcome another magical enchantment that creates an aura in an area, and to make this enchantment harder to replace with another similar effect. You may increase the magnitude of the ritual by any amount. This does not increase the difficulty of removing or replacing the aura with exorcism or consecrate.

Description

Like The Solace of Chimes, The Chamber of Delights creates an aura similar to, but distinct from, the kind of aura a priest can create with the ceremony of consecration. It differs in several key respects.

Most obviously, it is not created using Liao, but is a construct made using magic. This is not a spiritual aura drawn from the Labyrinth or the spiritual strength of humanity; it is an enchantment that evokes the same feelings of relaxation and indulgence that surround many Eternals of Night.

The strength of the aura does not vary; like all such enchantments it is quite fragile and can be removed from an area by even the most basic ceremony of exorcism. The magnitude of the enchantment has no effect on the strength of the aura; it appears to be impossible to use magic to create an enchantment that is resistant to exorcism.

Some priests are quite skeptical of this ritual. They claim that it invokes a false virtue, or even a malign spiritual presence. It encourages inaction rather than action, self-indulgence rather than Virtue. At various points in history some magicians have used their ability to create these auras to support claims that the ceremonies used by priests of the Way are just magic, or even to found small cults based around the worship of Eternals. Scholars of magic, especially those associated with the Sevenfold Path of the Imperial Conclave have proved repeatedly that consecration and area-enchantments such as these are different on a profound level, but this does not silence critics on both sides of the debate. In practice, most priests tend to treat The Solace of Chimes much as they would any other enchantment - it influences the minds of mortals, through magic. It may be a useful tool, or a test for the faithful, but the context in which it is encountered is the most important thing.

This ritual is sometimes used to prepare areas that encourage relaxation and indulgence. Some Freeborn parador have a location specifically set aside for invoking this ritual, where visitors relax, eat, drink and chat languidly. More than a few naga in particular find these areas especially soothing, and enjoy holding long indulgent feasts in them, or simply engaging in lazy gossip while sipping cool drinks.

Common Elements

This ritual is designed to create feelings of relaxation and pleasure. It is often performed with relaxing music, especially the sound of stringed instruments. Soothing incense is often burnt, and where possible the area is dressed in deep, luxurious colours and decorated with patterns designed to help relax the mind (mandalas, depictions of the runes of Night and so on). Decorations and beautiful ornaments are often scattered around the area, and both cushions and thick carpets are common. Invocations are almost invariably performed in quiet voices, and may involve participants sitting or lounging rather than standing.

The rune Zorech is often evoked with this ritual.

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The Chamber of Pallas

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual must be performed in an enclosed area such as a tent or building.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual imbues an area with an aura that creates a powerful roleplaying effect: they have a strong desire to engage in conversation and discussion with those around them. Violent and aggressive action is distasteful to them. Food and drink consumed in the area often tastes especially fresh, tasty and appetizing and diners feel relaxed and comfortable.

Anyone in the area can choose to roleplay being convivial and relaxed in response to any other aura they are experiencing, for as long as they remain in the area.

Everyone who enters the area quickly becomes aware of (and subject to) the aura.

The exorcism ceremony can be performed in this area to end the enchantment prematurely. A consecrate ceremony with a strength of at least 2 will replace the enchantment, effectively removing it.

Another ritual that creates a magical roleplaying effect in an area will replace the enchantment provided it matches or exceeds the magnitude of the current aura. The aura created by this ritual is insufficient to remove or replace a Consecration aura.

A detect magic spell performed in the area determines the realm and magnitude of the effect. The insight skill will not detect any spiritual presence here.

The enchantment lasts until the next sunrise.

Additional Magnitude

You may choose to create a more powerful effect to overcome another magical enchantment that creates an aura in an area, and to make this enchantment harder to replace with another similar effect. You may increase the magnitude of the ritual by any amount. This does not increase the difficulty of removing or replacing the aura with exorcism or consecrate.

Description

Like The Solace of Chimes and The Chamber of Delights, The Chamber of Pallas creates an aura similar to, but distinct from, the kind of aura a priest can create with the ceremony of consecration. It differs in several key respects.

Most obviously, it is not created using Liao, but is a construct made using magic. This is not a spiritual aura drawn from the Labyrinth or the spiritual strength of humanity; it is an enchantment that evokes the same feelings that encourage discussion and conversation that surround some Autumn Eternals.

The strength of the aura does not vary; like all such enchantments it is quite fragile and can be removed from an area by even the most basic ceremony of exorcism. The magnitude of the enchantment has no effect on the strength of the aura; it appears to be impossible to use magic to create an enchantment that is resistant to exorcism.

Some priests are quite skeptical of this, and similar, rituals. Some claim that it invokes a false virtue, or even a malign spiritual presence. They react very badly to suggestions that the aura is simply a magical equivalent of a consecration of Prosperity. At various points in history some magicians have used their ability to create these auras to support claims that the ceremonies used by priests of the Way are just magic, or even to found small cults based around the worship of Eternals. Scholars of magic, especially those associated with the Sevenfold Path of the Imperial Conclave have proved repeatedly that consecration and area-enchantments such as these are different on a profound level, but this does not silence critics on both sides of the debate. In practice, most priests tend to treat The Chamber of Pallas much as they would any other enchantment - it influences the minds of mortals, through magic. It may be a useful tool, or a test for the faithful, but the context in which it is encountered is the most important thing.

This ritual is sometimes used to prepare areas that encourage trade or intrigue. Some Leage merchant princes employ troupes (or even mountebanks) to prepare the location of a feast or party with this ritual, to enhance the opportunities both for gathering information and for the exchange of influence. Many cambion find that the Chamber of Pallas creates a fine arena for verbal sparing, debate, arguments and clever conversation laden with innuendo.

Other common names for this ritual are The Feast of Prosperity (which, as mentioned, offends certain sensibilities quite badly), the Maze of the Silver Tongue and The Parlour of Honeyed Words.

Common Elements

The ritual is often accompanied with pleasant, relaxing music, especially the sound of stringed instruments. Incense is often burnt, and where possible the area is dressed in rich colours, decorated with symbols of wealth and prosperity as well as items that may provoke conversation. Entertainers are common, and food and drink are often laid out as part of the ritual to help create the correct atmosphere.

The rune Pallas is often evoked with this ritual, but it is just as likely that the rune of conspiracy will be worked secretly into the ritual on the backs of banners or undersides of tables for example

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The Claw

Contents

- 1 The Law

- 2 The Constellation

- 3 Symbolism:

- 4 Invoking The Claw in magic

- 5 Tulpas of The Claw

- 6 Alignment

The Law

Things bleed.

The Constellation

The Claw is a constellation of four stars visible all year round. It spends most of the autumn and winter months relatively close to the western horizon only rising to its peak (roughly halfway to zenith) during mid-spring. The brightest of the four stars (the second of the four as you look left and right) is located almost directly above the tail of The Stork.

Symbolism:

The Claw is perceived as representing natural law; things struggle, things die, nature is red in tooth and claw. Where The Claw strikes blood is shed; sometimes this is part of the natural order of things and sometimes it is the outcome of violence. Equally though, The Claw can represent struggle against the odds or defiance of what seems a foregone conclusion; even confronted with armed and armoured men, the mother bear will fight to the death for her cubs.

In Wintermark The Claw is sometimes known as the Tusk especially among the Suaq - there is an old folktale of One-Tusk the walrus, a cunning old beast in children's stories who set one of his great tusks in the sky as a warning to the bears of the North. Even in this case though, Old One-Tusk’s broken ivory tusk is seen as a weapon to be feared.

Invoking The Claw in magic

The Claw is a destructive force but not a negative one. It is commonly invoked in rituals which deal with battle, inflicting injury, disaster, bloodshed and war. Battlemages often regard The Claw as a good constellation to make their workings under; its physicality and the violence it promises can be channelled into the ritual to provide the right mood and energy.

Like all such forces The Claw cuts both ways. Those who rely too heavily on it find that eventually they too will feel its sting. Personifying The Claw in ritual should involve a ritual hunt or kill; the splash of red in the dark, the cycle of nature made manifest.

Tulpas of The Claw

The thought-forms of the Claw are usually bestial in aspect and, unsurprisingly, clawed. They take the form of fusions of man and beast, or of beasts of unusual size. Old One-Tusk is believed by the Suaq to have been a Tulpa of the Claw; in the Marches some speak of Black Shucks, black dogs that sometimes walk as humans that work under the auspices of the Claw unleashed by rituals.

Alignment

A Ritualist who experiences the touch of The Claw may stalk or hunt during the ritual; or perhaps work themselves into a frenzy that only ends with a slight injury and the shedding of some of their own blood. The Claw is a dangerous constellation to align too closely to.

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The Cloak

The cloak is one of the instruments or dramaturgy. As such it often represents the method used in a magical ritual. A troupe will often have a specific prop that they use for the cup whenever it appears, and may in time come to treat the inanimate object a little like a member of the cast.

Appearence: Often a dark coloured or plain garment with a vivid and contrasting lining, the Cloak can add a great deal of drama as it is donned and discarded by various characters. It can be distinguished from the other costumes by the ceremony with which it is handled, and the part it plays in the drama. It is the key instrument in tales of mistaken identity, subterfuge and deceit.

Meanings: The Cloak represents the donning of a role, such as a mantle of authority, and also disguise and concealment. it also represents defence, or defensive qualities; in some cases it is replaced with armour, and in Dawn it is often a favour, rather than a cloak, and is used extensively to enhance and support.

When worn by The Captain, the cloak explicitly represents defence (it is often carried in his off-hand for a duel, for example) and for rituals that grand endurance or fortitude. For The Prince, it stands for secular authority, command of others, and sometimes used with rituals that summon supernatural troops.. On The Bishop it represents religious authority, most obviously with rituals such as Mantle of the Golden Orator or Chasuble of Majesty. For The Doctor it means comfort and protection when given to another, or the authority to deliver punishment or curses. With The Witch it represents transformation, disguise or occasionally magic that misdirects. For The Mountebank it signifies subterfuge, deception or concealment; it is often used to steal or hide another instrument or character

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The Coin

The coin is one of the instruments of dramaturgy. As such it often represents the method used in a magical ritual. A troupe will often have a specific prop that they use for the cup whenever it appears, and may in time come to treat the inanimate object a little like a member of the cast.

Appearence: Another small prop, the Coin is sometimes represented by a bag full of jingling metal, a single gold coin or an outsize model of a coin, the better to catch the eye of the audience. It may also be used in any number of other circular forms, such as shields or plates.

Meanings: It represents transactions and rewards, whether positive or negative. Usually the meaning is conveyed when the coin is given by a character in payment for goods or services in the play.

When given by The Captain, the coin represents treasure or great value, especially with rites such as Scales of Ephisis. Held in the hands of The Prince it represents resources, not just businesses but also farms, fleets, forests and mines. When held by The Bishop it represents alms and congregations; By the Mountebank it signifies something falsely earned, theft, or a valuable prize to be taken away, possibly as a punishment delivered by The Doctor. In the hands of The Witch the coin is sometimes a gemstone or a mana crystal, and may represent physical mana sites or conceptual treasure such as a secret of mysteries.

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Commonwealth (Redirected from The Commonwealth)

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

The information presented here is designed to give a feel for the foreign nation, and is by no means exhaustive. The focus of the Empire campaign is on the Empire and its citizens, and while this information can be used to create backgrounds or inform role-playing on the field; it is not intended that players portray characters from this foreign nation without discussion with Profound Decisions.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Terrain

- 3 People

- 4 Poltics

- 5 Magic

- 6 Religion

- 7 Leerdam (Eastern Commonwealth)

- 8 Volkavaar (Western Commonwealth)

- 9 Languages

Overview

The Commonwealth is a young nation, taking it's first major steps on the world stage. Guided by a philosophy of the greatest good for the greatest number of people, the nation is convinced that it can make the world a better place - a conviction that makes it's neighbours very nervous. Three times in the last fifty years, the Commonwealth has been at war with nearby countries and in each case they have been victorious. Yet rather than turning their conquered enemies into vassals, they have done everything possible to incorporate them into the greater Commonwealth.

Of particular interest to Imperial citizens are the Commonwealth ports which are open to trade with the Empire.

Terrain

People

Poltics

Magic

Religion

Leerdam (Eastern Commonwealth)

In Leerdam the Eastern Commonwealth finds it's purest expression; traders from across the sprawling nation come to trade with foreign merchants, while mendicant preachers advocate their strange philosophy of "the greatest good" to visitors and residents alike.

Volkavaar (Western Commonwealth)

The mithril spires of Volkavaar are snow-bound all year round. Here the Commonwealth operates its great university of magic and engineering, and the grand Temple of the Common Good serves as a point of pilgrimage for their strange faith.

Languages

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Imperial Conclave (Redirected from The Conclave)

Magic is but a tool like any other, what matters is the mind that wields it.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Role Within The Empire

- 3 History

- 4 Sessions

- 5 Participation

- 6 Further Reading

- 6.1 Core Brief

- 6.2 Additional Information

- 7 Ongoing Concerns

Overview

The Conclave is an organisation effectively open to all magicians in the Empire. Members of the Conclave explore, discuss and use magic for the benefit both of the Empire and the magicians themselves. Much of the business of the Conclave is hidden from the eyes of non-Magicians, taking place in the Hall of Worlds. At the same time it's influence can be far-reaching - it has access to the magical resources of the entire Empire, and has the ability to make decisions about magical matters that are legally binding on Imperial citizens.

Role Within The Empire

The Conclave is charged with oversight of magic across the Empire. Its remit includes encouraging the use of magic in the best interests of the people of the Empire; preventing the misuse of magic to damage the interests of the Empire; and advising the Imperial Senate, Military Council and Imperial Synod on arcane matters.

It possesses specific powers to promote and protect safe and prosperous use of magic by its citizens, through the use of declarations. The Conclave also controls a pool of magical resources that are allocated via gambits for use in specific projects supported by one or more Conclave order.

The Conclave also acts to direct magical research in the Empire. The Conclave appoints the Dean of the Lyceum, a prominent post that has has access to the resources needed to research new rituals in the span of years rather than the decades that would be required for a magician working alone.

History

Mages from Urizen were heavily involved in the creation of the Conclave and the power and nature of the body reflects much of their approach to life. The Urizen passion for magic caused many Urizen magi to attend and speak at the first Conclave meetings, even though the nation did not formerly join the Empire until after the death of the first Empress. In many ways the structure and arrangement of the Conclave reflects how the early Urizen would have chosen to rule the entire Empire, had they been given a free hand in such matters. Instead the design and creation of the Conclave was as imagined, but its remit was heavily constrained; the powers of the Conclave deal only with magic and the use of magic in the Empire.

The first Conclave deliberately chose to hold all their sessions in the Hall of Worlds at Anvil to limit the ability of non-magicians to interfere in their business. The Conclave has always met here although records show that this arcane location changed significantly in the decades that followed the formation of the Empire, growing in size and shape and taking on the form that it assumes today. Unpredictable, seemingly random, changes still occur but most are now cosmetic in nature. Many Conclave magicians subscribe to the idea that the Hall of Worlds adapts to suit the needs of those who meet there, as other chambers in the realms are known to do, reflecting the uses to which it is put.

Sessions

The official business of the Conclave takes place at the Conclave sessions - which are always held in the Hall of Worlds. The Conclave normally has a single session each evening during any Imperial summit. The agenda for these sessions is managed by the civil service but items can be added to the agenda by any individual in exchange for a mana crystal. Agenda items are divided into three types; addresses - an opportunity for individuals to provide Conclave members with information; declarations - which allow Conclave members to vote on issues of policy; and gambits - formal requests by the appointed officers of the Conclave to utilize the resources of the Conclave.

Because of the potential size of the Conclave - which exceeds even that of the Synod - sessions are subject to strict rules that determine who can speak and for how long. These rules are referred to as the three principles; the Principle of Proportions, Principle of Precedence and Principle of Presence. The principles are designed to balance the desire of members to speak with the need to prevent Conclave sessions from becoming unnecessarily long. Civil servants administer the operational procedures of the Conclave, but in practice the chamber is dependent on members to police the rules to keep sessions moving. In return the Conclave provides every member with a vote that allows them to directly influence the decisions that the chamber takes.

Most members of the Conclave choose to join a Conclave order. These are political bodies with clear philosophies about how magic should be used. Joining an order allows an Imperial magician to unify their voice with other like-minded magicians as well as giving them influence over how the Conclave expends the magical resources it accrues.

Participation

Any Imperial magician who attends a session in the Hall of Worlds at Anvil is considered to be a member of the Conclave. They are eligible to vote in declarations and to join a Conclave order if they wish to do so. Members of an order elect a grandmaster who provides leadership and direction to the order. Most Imperial magicians who attend Conclave sessions regularly choose to join an order, but it is not mandatory and some individuals prefer to remain independent of any political affiliation, the better to influence all of them.

There are strict rules to determine who can speak and when, but anyone who is present at a session has the right to speak, provided they pay for their time with a mana crystal for every minute spent talking. Membership of the Conclave is a requirement to vote but not to speak. It is possible, albeit difficult, for non-magicians to reach the Hall of Worlds so anyone who makes the effort to reach the Hall of Worlds can address the Conclave, if they can afford it. It is rare for citizens who are not magicians to do this, however it is not uncommon for beings of the realms, eternals and their heralds who are present at meetings to speak before the Conclave.

Being a magician is a legal requirement to vote in declarations or to join an order, so any individual who attempted to pass themselves off as a magician without the requisite skill would be guilty of subverting the agencies of the state. It is common practice to assume every citizen present is a magician but magistrates do pass judgement when imposters are uncovered.

Anyone can add an address or a declaration to the agenda for a Conclave session, if they provide a mana crystal, they need only find a suitable civil servant to do so. However there is rarely any value in doing so unless you can be physically present to speak on the matter.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Conclave session

- Conclave powers

- Declaration

- Gambit

- Conclave appointments

- Conclave order

Additional Information

- Conclave address

- Principle of Precedence

- Principle of Presence

- Principle of Proportions

- Conclave vault

- OOC design

Ongoing Concerns

Information about past Declarations made by the Conclave that are still in effect can be found at:

- Declarations of Interdiction

- Declarations of Sorcery

- Declarations of Amity

- Declarations of Enmity

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The Conspirator's Cloak

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

At the conclusion of the ritual, the target is infused with an aura of confidence and conspiratorial glee.

They experience the following roleplaying effect; they feel clever and confident, secure in their own plans and schemes, and convinced of their superior intellect and ambitions. They rarely experience guilt about the decisions they make, and find it easy to take whatever action is needed to advance their goals.

The target can respond to any roleplaying effect that would coerce them to follow another being, or to reveal information about their plans, schemes or actions, by remaining calm and slightly contemptuous instead.

The enchantment can be removed by an exorcism ceremony regardless of strength. An anointing ceremony of strength two or higher will supplant the aura and remove the enchantment prematurely.

The aura can be detected with the detect magic spell

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same band. Every additional character increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This enchantment fills a target with the cunning wiles and conspiratorial leanings of a lord or lady of the Autumn realm. This ritual is commonly used by infiltrators, spies, scouts and politicians who take advantage of the mental and emotional fortitude it provides them to remain focused on their goals and to avoid revealing details of their plans during interrogation.

Common Elements

This ritual usually involves a conspiratorial meeting, and the runeQueros. Ritualists or targets may be masked, and an oath or promise is often sworn between the targets to accept death before betraying their purpose. The ritual is often sealed with a shared goblet of wine or fruit juice, or by cutting the thumb or palm.

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The Counting House

The counting house is a throne, a location used in dramaturgy that represents both a setting and a Realm of magic.

Realm: Autumn.

Setting: The counting house may be any location where money or power are themes. It might be a business, a tavern or an antechamber of the Senate, Conclave or Synod. Sometimes it is a forge or workshop where skill is used to create special items. The drama often focuses on transactions and accounts. It is also often the Prince's court, where rewards and punishments are handed down. Along with The Tomb it is a common place for a play or ritual to end in the case of a multi-act drama.

Characters: The Witch and The Prince are strong characters in this setting; they wield influence and manipulate both other characters and situations to their own ends. The witch influences political situations, even those that appear quite minor such as the relationship between family members, while the prince makes decisions that determine the fate of many, make fortunes - or ruin them.

Magical Style: This is often a location where wealth and influence is wielded. A ritual that creates wealth, a ritual that recognises or trades something, or some quality. It is also a location where magic that targets items and objects is powerful.

Rituals that enchant or curse personal resources are often performed here, as are those that track connections between people or items, and magic that exerts subtle influence. The Lure of Distant Shores and The Chamber of Pallas are both appropriate here, but so are any number of rituals that target members of a band, or that create connections or special items. Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court may be performed here, for example - perhaps in as scene where the Prince gives a gift to a foreign Witch.

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The Cuckoo's Egg

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must be willing. The ritual must be performed near the Sentinel Gate when it is performed in Anvil, or near the gate's return point if it is performed elsewhere.

The ritual must include giving the target a new name, appropriate to the nation of the coven performing the ritual. If the target is not of the same species as the coven performing the ritual, the target must also wear an article of clothing or marking appropriate to the coven's nationality (a mask, a cloak, a Navarr-style symbol painted on the face and so on).

Effects

When the ritual is complete the target may be brought through the Sentinel Gate as if they were an Imperial citizen of the same nation as the coven who performed the ritual. They must be accompanied by at least one member of the coven performing the ritual.

The ritual allows one trip through the Sentinel Gate which must take place within ten minutes of the ritual being completed.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same band. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 4. Additional characters must be present throughout, and must receive a different name.

Description

This ritual was developed under the guidance of the Varushkan Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash during his tenure as Dean of the Lyceum. A quintessentially elegant exercise in the use of the magic of Night, the ritual tricks the magic of the Sentinel Gate into allowing a non-Imperial to be brought through in one direction or the other. It does not actually change the nationality of the target - it simply creates a short-lived deceptive aura that interferes with the ability of the gate to determine the identity of the target. The glamour is very specific - while it allows someone to pass through the Sentinel gate who could not otherwise do so, it could not be used to (for example) trick a magical ward that allows only Freeborn individuals to pass.

While the subject of the ritual must be willing, they do not have to be happy about it. A prisoner could still be subjected to this ritual provided their consent can be secured; may prisoners would consider agreeing to this ritual to be preferable to death or torment. That said, it is obvious that the ritual is more useful in rescuing foreigners from dangerous situations, or allowing them to accompany questing groups or heroic sorties alongside Imperial allies. In the latter case it must be remembered that the magic allows passage only in one direction - the ritual would need to be performed again to bring the target back through the gate.

Several scholars involved in devising the ritual have suggested that a more potent effect that functions as an enchantment on the targets might also theoretically be possible, allowing the target to travel in both directions on more than one occasion during the duration. They also opined that a more potent version could be devised that allowed an unwilling target to be brought through the gate. It has also been pointed out that a similar effect could be achieved with relative ease using the magic of the Autumn Realm, creating a similar effect to that of The Ambassadorial Gatekeeper.

Common Elements

Even though the ritual only requires guising the target if it is of a different species to the magicians performing it, it is common to include that element even when the species is the same. Another common element is the use of hearth magics related to identity such as girding, masks, mirrors, cowls and veils or donations of clothing. Similarly, symbolic ceremonies of adoption or marriage might be employed, often followed by an equally symbolic casting-out or divorce once the gate is passed. A Kallavesi involved in designing the ritual suggested that certain animal masks might also be appropriate - symbolically casting the subject as an animal companion rather than a member of the same nation.

The constellation of the Three Sisters is quite appropriate to this ritual, as are the runes of mystery or plots. Dramaturgical performances using the Witch, especially those involving cases of mistaken or concealed identity, are also a good fit for this magical glamour.

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The Culloch Boar

Tune by Kathryn Wheeler, lyrics by Kathryn Wheeler and Jude Reid

High upon the Culloch fell In forest thick and black as hell Dwells a boar with eyes aglow To its lair none dares to go

One cold winter, hard the ground The boar it comes a-snuffling round Takes a taste for human meat Finds the blood and marrow sweet

CHORUS Brothers, sisters, beaters all Take up arms and heed the call Evermore my kin shall be Those who hunt the boar with me

Every night it kills again Hungry for the blood of men Till the keeper tells the town One of you must hunt it down

Every heart is filled with fear There's no yeoman dares go near Till a beater, bold and brave Vows he'll go, the town to save

CHORUS

He takes his bow, he takes his spear He kisses wife and children dear He goes his speed and skill to try To slay the boar or else to die

Now the beaters, keen of eye Track it to the mountains high And from inside a night-black cave Piggy eyes glow bright with rage

CHORUS

Every spear in bright array Is turned to hold the beast at bay But with one charge a man lies dead Its tusks and muzzle drip with red

Our beater lad, with all his might Steps up now to join the fight Thrusts and parries with his spear Holds at bay both beast and fear

CHORUS

Now he thrusts the spear again Hears it roar and shriek in pain But the boar with bloody glee Rips his thigh from hip to knee

Now it stares with hungry eyes Eager to devour its prize Our beater gathers all his skill For one last chance the beast to kill

CHORUS

And as it turns to run him down He plants his spearshaft in the ground Lowers the point, its charge to meet And skewers the brute dead at his feet

They carry home the beast they killed And long the feast, each belly filled And ne'er was tasted pork so sweet As that which fed on Marcher meat

CHORUS

(to the tune of the second half of the verse - slowly)

Granted is the hunting right To those who slew the boar this night Culloch's horns shall ever sound Here upon their hunting ground.

CHORUS

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The Cup

The cup is one of the instruments or dramaturgy. As such it often represents the method used in a magical ritual. A troupe will often have a specific prop that they use for the cup whenever it appears, and may in time come to treat the inanimate object a little like a member of the cast.

Appearence:A troupe's chalice may be represented by anything from a gem-studded goblet made of precious metals to a simple wooden mazer; the significance is that it holds liquid. It is also commonly presented as a potion, or as a magical liquid that causes a change.

Meanings: On its own, it represents prosperity and fulfillment, but as it is passed between the Personae its meaning changes.

When held by The Captain, the cup represents celebration and triumph; in the hands of The Prince, it represents prosperity on a national or Imperial scale. When held by The Bishop it represents purity and cleansing, especially in rituals such as Ascetic Star of Atun. In the hands of The Mountebank it signifies unleashed emotions, confusion and drunkeness. For The Doctor it represents assistance or aid - enchantments may be created by the doctor, or it might be a bitter medicine that inflicts a curse. Finally, in the hands of The Witch it represents magical potions, and the transformations they can bring or wine that encourages others to speak the truth.

For Hearthfire circle

The Bishop as Couros represents bonds, she gives the cup to The Captain as Socrrero and his band of warriors. Speech about being ready for battle tomorrow? Obvious. Did it last year during the battle at Karsk.

The Witch as Couros represents bonds, he passes the chalice around the coven. Bland. 'When shall we meet again' rubbish.

Scorrero is The Captain of a troupe of actors; the band have fallen ill and can't perform, so The Bishop in the role of the Prince's wife brings them a potion of healing (check with apothecary for details), allowing them to perform for The Prince. We actors are a synonym for magic, make one of them The Witch - Gregario doing his languid lush will do it if we stick him in the cowl. Like it. We'll do this one, as long as Gregario stays sober.

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The Dance of Navarr and Thorn

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 40

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 40

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Spring regio. This ritual targets a single territory that does not contain an active network of trods. The territory must either contain a vallorn, or must be connected to a territory containing a vallorn by an unbroken sequence of territories containing active trods.

The ritual can be performed using the Anvil regio, but in this case it can only target an Imperial territory.

If the ritual targets a territory that contains a vallorn, it must be performed at a Spring regio in a region with the Vallorn keyword – it cannot be performed using the Imperial regio, or a regio in a region that does not have the vallorn keyword.

This ritual can target a territory with an active network of trods in the event that the trods are damaged, and in this event will repair the trods.

Effects

At the completion of the ritual, weak trods spread across the territory. These trods can be used by Navarr stridings to extend the trod network and help weaken the power of the vallorn.

The ritual can create new trods only in an imperial territory. Once the ritual is complete, Navarr stridings must be able to move freely around the majority of the territory to fix the trods in place and begin drawing the strength of the vallorn along them. It can be used to repair existing trods even if the territory is not part of the Empire.

Targetting a non-Imperial territory means the ritual must be performed at a powerful Spring region within that territory. This is rarely effective at creating new trods, and is most useful for repairing damaged or faded trods.

Description

This ritual is extremely old, and pre-dates the Empire by several centuries. It was originally codified by the antecedents of the vates who used it to create the first trods to begin drawing power away from the vallorn. While the ritual could be performed by a powerful coven from any nation, it has never been performed by ritual magicians who were not Navarr. Simply creating trods is not sufficient; the trods must also be constantly powered and strengthened by the perigrinations of Navarr stridings - so performing the ritual without the approval of the Navarr is a foolish endeavour.

The ritual was reasonably widespread among the Navarr in pre-Imperial days, but over time the number of ritual texts detailing it began to decline. The ritual never entered Imperial lore - early conclaves rejected attempts to declare The Dance of Navarr and Thorn part of the Imperial canon due to its specialised nature and lack of general appeal.

Following the reign of Emperor James, the number of people with access to the ritual declined even further - with the borders of the Empire sealed and well-defended, there was little opportunity to perform it. Simple human nature meant that mastery of the ritual declined even further. However, in Summer 378YE following either a magical disaster or action by powerful Druj magicians, the trods in occupied Reikos were seriously damaged. The vate Math Far Distant of Brocéliande, custodian of one of the few remaining ritual texts, entrusted it to Meril Pathfinder the Advisor on the Vallorn. Rather than risk the ritual fading from memory, that competent magician ensured that the Dance of Navarr and Thorn was inducted into Imperial Lore.

Common Elements

The ritual usually involves a map of the territory on which the trods are traced as the ritual is performed. Blood is a traditional element of many Navarr rituals, and is often used to trace the trods on the map. Some create a symbolic map of the territory on a large scale and move across it with trails of coloured sand. Representatives of as many different stridings as possible are usually included in the performance, along with representatives of any steading that already exists or plans to settle in the target territory.

A ritual re-telling of one of the great dances, especially that of Navarr and Thorn may form the centrepiece of the ritual. The ritual has never been recorded as being performed by non-Navarr, but it could be speculated that the witch and the mountebank would be powerful dramaturgical characters to use with the Dance of Navarr and Thorn - although what that might "reveal" about the characters of these Navarr heroes, and how the Navarr might react, is left as an exercise for the dramaturgical scholar.

The vates of Hercynia suggest that the runes of beginning, dominion and the twin-faces of mystery will help in the performance of the ritual. Some vates of Therunin who have ties with the Urizen suggest that the constellations of the Fountain, the Three Mothers, the Mountain or the Chain may be appropriate.

A trod starts and ends with a vallorn.

We wove the trods as a weapon but in the fullness of time they gave life to the land through which they passed, and strength to those who travelled them. As our stridings migrate along the trods, so the wild magic at the heart of the vallorn is leached away. The longer the trod and the larger the striding, the more strength each journey leaches. As the wild magic is drawn away, it infuses the land around the trods and makes them fertile.

When Terunael was overrun, the orcs came as a great tempest and drove us apart. We could not walk the trods where the orcs sought us out. The coming of other people created its own problems as each sought to claim their own land and would not let us move across it freely. Only with the founding of the Empire were we able to walk the trods safely in numbers, further than ever before, and see in the distance a world where our ancestors' great mistake might finally be erased.

This ritual is most useful in a territory that has never been part of the Empire. Today, this almost always means barbarian territories conquered by the Imperial armies. A new territory expands the reach of the trods as a whole and helps weaken all the vallorn tied to those trods. Extending the reach of the trods so they cover a greater distance than ever before significantly increases their effectiveness.

Where the Empire has lost control of a territory to the barbarians, it becomes harder to use the trods and they may fray or fade. If a territory were in barbarian hands for more than a decade, the ritual would be needed to repair the trods to return them to full strength. Doing so extends the reach of the trods a little, and may result in a burst of power drawn from the vallorn, but the exact effects are difficult to predict.

The Barrens in particular seem problematic. Trods have been established there twice with the aid of our Dawnish friends at Drycastle – once in 75YE and once again in 245YE. In both cases, the trods have unravelled over the course of a few years. Some few trods are still intact but they are of minimal value in drawing the power of the Vallorn and dangerous to walk. It may be that the Druj are to blame, because those orcs have always been strong there and jealous of other magics. It may be that there is a force there – perhaps the dark spirit of the Great Forest of Peytaht – that actively unpicks our trods. If any vate knows, they have not shared their wisdom.

While it could be performed in a territory that is not part of the Empire, doing so is of limited use because stridings simply cannot move freely enough in large enough numbers through the territory to bind the new trods into place. Moreso, without the freedom to move, the freedom to follow the trods where they wind, the trods are without purpose.

The trods could be traced across a territory controlled by an allied power, but only if that power were prepared to allow unrestricted access to large numbers of Navarr. There has been no time when a foreign power was prepared to offer such unfettered access to their lands, and certainly not on the kind of time-scales that would be needed to make newly forged trods effective.

The magic of this ritual draws on the power of patterns and to a degree that of tattoos and brands – it can be imagined that the trods are symbolic tattoos on the face of the earth. It is not a requirement that the ritual be performed by vates, however - any coven could perform the magical working necessary to form the trods. In practice, the creation of trods would be pointless without the support of the Navarr - no other Imperial nation has a nomadic population in sufficient numbers, or is as committed to tracing and re-tracing the trods over the time scales involved in teasing out the malign power of the vallorn.

We do not really know whether the ritual creates the trods in response to the intent of the ritualists, or reveals trods that already exist. Some magicians say that there is no difference – that the ritual both shapes the trods and reveals them in the same way that the best sculptors both shape and are guided by the wood or stone that they use. Regardless, attempts to create trods in straight lines, or specific designs, have proved to be impossible and attempts to guide the trods away from locations that are dangerous or inconvenient have likewise been unsuccessful - the trods go where they want to go.

Less mystically minded magicians describe the process of drawing out the trods to be like guiding the path of a river - the water can be encouraged to flow in a certain direction, but it cannot be made to flow up-hill or to take one path when another offers less resistance.

Trods do not extend across very large bodies of water, such as the Bay of Catazarr. The sea is hungry, deep, full of currents that scoff at the idea of permanence. As a river dies when it reaches the sea, so the trods will not long survive exposure to the corrosive ocean. Lakes, major rivers or areas of swamp and marsh provide no particular obstacle as evidenced by the paths that cross the marshes of Therunin.

Water is a good metaphor for our trods. They ebb and flow as we move along them; we are both carried by the current and draw the wild magic behind and around us. They are a dance – the steps drawn on the face of the earth but we the dancers give meaning to their design. Without the design, our movements have no weight. Without the movement, the design is just a drawing. Intent creates the pattern. Intent draws and channels the wild chaos of the vallorn from it's heart and tames it, spreads it to the four corners.

One the wild chaos is tamed, then we may move against the vallorn itself. The beasts that live on the body of the vallorn and breathe its tainted air secure it in place. They are the dancers, while the vallorn is the design. It is never swift, but when we have drawn enough power we can strike to clear the vallorn from a place. It will not return to that place without malevolent intent of another being. This is how we claimed Miaren, one careful step at a time. It is patient work – the vallorn is stronger the closer we come to the HEART, and more vicious. It may be that to weaken several vallorn is easier than to eradicate one, and when the time comes we must choose carefully. Only when all the taint has been cleansed from a territory is the vallorn truly gone from that place.

It is not enough to kill the vallornspawn alone, for the wild magic returns and twists new creatures. It is not enough to walk the trods alone, for like an anchor the vallornspawn hold the taint in place. Both dancer and dance, both thorn and trod, both are required to destroy a vallorn.

This ritual has never been part of Imperial Lore. We brought it before the Imperial Conclave only once, in the first years of the Empire. The magicians chose not to include it at that time because it was seen as being of limited use to anyone outside the Navarr nation. When the Imperial borders were sealed in the time of Emperor James the number of vates who had mastered it dwindled. We should have been more careful to keep knowledge of it alive, but in truth the number of covens who could perform it has always been small.

If the target territory contains a vallorn, the ritual allows that territory to be joined to nearby land to create a network of trods, so that they can be used to begin drawing the power of the entity away. The wider the network of trods that the vallorn is connected to, the more effective they are at leeching power from it. If a new vallorn were uncovered, the first step towards eroding it would be to connect it to the existing Empire-wide network of trods that we already use. In theory, if some power were to significantly damage the trods in a territory, this ritual might be used to repair them. Doing so would not require as much power as forging the trods from scratch, but would likely still be challenging. If the trods in a territory were damaged sufficiently, it is likely that they would slowly erode or unravel. While the damage is very unlikely to spread beyond the borders of the territory where the damage has taken placed, the loss of an entire territory from the trod network might severely impede the ability to draw the energy from one or more of the vallorn.Taken from the original ritual text for the Dance of Navarr and Thorn

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The Doctor

The doctor is one of the personae used in dramaturgy. While the character is usually referred to as female, regardless of the gender of the thespian taking the role, within the narrative she may be of either sex; often, as with many dramaturgical characters, the gender is irrelvant to the story as a whole to allow any ritualist to take the role.

Character: The Doctor is calm, reasonable and above all dedicated to the idea that sufficient knowledge can be used to overcome any problem. Confident in her own skills, the Doctor also knows her limits and when to seek aid and outside sources of knowledge. Most often she dispenses aid to others, whether they appreciate or ask for that aid or not.

The Doctor is a woman of peace, and will never willingly causes harm to another; where harm must be caused, she always tries to do as little as possible. The Doctor has often taken an oath or promise by which she is in some way bound. Sometimes this oath causes complications to arise, or leads to her doom.

In street theatre, she is often a sinister figure who possesses secret knowledge. She is rarely the butt of a joke, and she may spell the doom of a foolish or unwise character, or the final punishment of a wicked character.

One widely held theatre myth states that if the Doctor opens his bag onstage, one of the cast will die within the year.

Magical Associations: She is used in ritual where magic is brutal or efficient; despite her apparent profession, she is not neccessarily used in magic that deals with healing. More often she is used in divinations or curses, or extracts a binding promise from someone as part of a ritual that deals with oaths, or that punishes the wicked or corrupt. She represents scholars, and the virtues of Wisdom and Vigilance.

Realms: The doctor is associated with day (knowledge, diagnosis) and winter (cutting out infection, death).

Identities: As one of the personae, the doctor usually appears named after one of the four rivers. Her name influences her character, which in turn influences the magical role she plays.

- Scorrero – used for magic that divines through revelation

- Vassa – used in magic that punishes or curses the wicked

- Gancio – used in magic that investigates or discovers

- Couros – used in brutal magic, or magic that harms; magic intended to teach a sharp lesson

Trappings: Her clothing is well cut but sober, usually in black with white trimmings. Her mask is usually hooked and curved like a beak, and she often wears gloves. The Doctor speaks softly and with an educated tone. she carries a cane and a bag which is never opened.

As with all personae, a troupe is likely to have a specific mask they use to portray the Doctor.

Other Identities: The doctor may appear in a role associated with wisdom and knowledge. For example, she sometimes appears as a sage or scholar, a civil servant, as an apothecary, as a teacher or as a parent. In other parts of the Empire she usually remains a doctor, but she may also appear as a monk in The Marches.

Death

The Doctor may sometimes take on he guise of Death. Although dutiful, Death is usually sympathetic. Her presence is typically ignored by other players, although she may speak from time to time. When she lays hands upon another character, then their time has come. Sometimes she agrees to a contest or game to stave off a character's death, and in rituals of healing she is sometimes vanquished or trapped.

In the Brass Coast Death is a figure of fun, a bumbling idiot and a clown who can easily be outwitted through courage and cunning. In this guise, she is often found in the company of Fortune, her mercurial lover.

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The Doctrines of the Faith

Contents

- 1 Doctrines of The Faith

- 1.1 The Doctrine of Reincarnation

- 1.2 The Doctrine of Human Destiny

- 1.3 The Doctrine of Seven

- 1.4 The Doctrine of The Paragons

- 1.5 The Doctrine of the Creator

- 1.6 The Doctrine of the Labyrinth

Doctrines of The Faith

The Doctrines of the Faith represent the Orthodox understanding of The Way. Each Doctrine is the product of Experimental Theology that has been debated, analysed and formally recognised by the Synod. Teaching doctrines that are at odds with, and thus undermine, the Doctrines of the Faith are regarded as Heresy and are a crime under Imperial Law.

The Doctrines are as follows:

The Doctrine of Reincarnation

The Doctrine of Reincarnation states:

The Human Spirit is Immortal. It inhabits mortal flesh for a span within the world before being liberated again, having gained knowledge and enlightenment. It traverses the Labyrinth of Ages before returning to mortal life through new birth.

The Doctrine is underpinned by discovery and analysis of pure liao which, it has been concluded, provides visions of a person’s past lives. This is further supported by the discovery of archaeological evidence that matches the content of some liao visions.

The Doctrine of Human Destiny

The Doctrine of Human Destiny states:

Only Human Spirits reincarnate, therefore humans are the greatest of all beings in Creation for only human spirits gain strength, knowledge and enlightenment through rebirth. The Paragons not only personify Virtue but the full potential of humanity.

This Doctrine is underpinned by the discovery liao has no effect on orcs and, by assumed extension, other non-human beings. Additionally, it is also broadly accepted that the miracles and achievements attained by the Paragons are deemed to be superhuman in nature and the eventual destiny of all virtuous humans.

The Doctrine of Seven

The Doctrine of Seven states:

There are Seven Virtues that guide the spirit through the Labyrinth of Ages. These are Ambition, Courage, Loyalty, Pride, Prosperity, Vigilance and Wisdom. Other qualities may benefit humanity, but lend no aid through the passage of death to rebirth, and some may hinder it.

This Doctrine is underpinned by extensive study of legends, relics, pure liao visions and priestly ceremonies to determine the truth and power of qualities. The Seven Virtues are acknowledged as the consistent recurring pattern and proof of Paragonhood and Exemplardom. A byproduct of this Doctrine is that some figures of note were dismissed as being False Paragons. The law of Blasphemy was introduced to protect Citizens from the teachings of False Paragons.

The Doctrine of The Paragons

The Doctrine of The Paragons states:

A truly Virtuous Spirit, one who is a Paragon of Virtue, is capable of freeing itself from the Labyrinth of Ages through transcendence. A Paragon Spirit can be identified for having completed at least six of the Eight Signs of the Paragon, after which it can be recognised by the Imperial Synod.

The Doctrine is underpinned by the belief that some of the most virtuous spirits in history have never been the subject of a past life vision. The Signs of the Paragon were devised as a series of tests to ascertain which were true Paragons and which were Exemplars. The Doctrine of the Paragons is an extension of The Doctrine of Human Destiny.

The Doctrine of the Creator

The Doctrine of the Creator states:

Human destiny is our own. The Creator Spirit, whose hand can be seen in all patterns of nature, seeks no dominance of, control over or communion with human spirits.

This Doctrine stems from the principle of seeing design in the patterns of creation, and prompted several experimental theological attempts to contact the Creator. The most common results of such experiments have been silence, which has been taken as proof neither one way or the other. A small number of experiments have resulted in the scholars involved losing their sanity from which mixed conclusions have been drawn. Some have held that the Creator Spirit is currently of a nature beyond comprehension – save, perhaps, by a Paragon or Exemplar – whilst others maintain that the strain of effort was too great.

The Doctrine of the Labyrinth

The Doctrine of the Labyrinth states:

The Labyrinth of Ages is a place of pure spirit and beyond the true comprehension of any but a Paragon. Flesh and blood may not enter, only that which is of spirit may traverse into and out of it, and it has no peer.

The Doctrine of the Labyrinth was created by the Synod as a response to two, quite different, beliefs. It asserts the reality of the Labyrinth of Ages from those who doubt its existence, or believe it to be metaphor. It also seeks to refute the teaching of Realmists who speculate that the Labyrinth is a magical realm akin to day or night.

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The Door

Contents

- 1 The Law

- 2 The Constellation

- 3 Symbolism

- 4 Using the door in magic

- 5 Tulpas of the door

- 6 Alignment

The Law

Things move and change.

The Constellation

The Door is comprised of four bright stars and is generally found by following the arrow of The Lock’s brightest star. It only appears in full during the winter months.

Symbolism

portals, transitions, thresholds, moving from one state to another – the door is one of the most commonly used images in astronomancy. Marking transitions between seasons, years, Imperial rains, the door is commonly used to denote the change from one status or condition to another. The door is invoked in ceremonies to mark the passage into adulthood of children; it is also commonly invoked whenever a new arch mage who is inclined to Astronomancy is appointed.

The door is also traditionally strongly associated with Gates – any magical transportation method will usually be done under the auspices of this constellation.

Using the door in magic

the obvious associations for the door are of course transport rituals; a more subtle use of the symbology is for rituals where the subject or target is clearly transformed from one formal state into another whether that be willing or otherwise.

Tulpas of the door

The door does not tend to create anthropomorphic thought forms; instead it tends to manifest portals transitions or doorways. There is a strong connection between the more esoteric studies of the door and mirror magic; the door will sometimes manifest Tulpas who appear to look very much like or dress in a very similar fashion to the ritualist themselves.

Alignment

To align with the door brings with it a strong sense of motion and forward travel. Ritualists experiencing this often find it impossible to stay in one place and frequently head off, often with no clear idea of where they're going. The urge for movement and change can be strong; sometimes ritualists abandon clothes or implements they have used for years after a strong door ritual.

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The Dredgemaster of Feverwater

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Powers

- 2.1 Wreckage of the past

- 2.2 Historical Research

- 3 Selection

- 4 Removal

- 5 History

Overview

The Dredgemaster of Feverwater is an Imperial title created by the Imperial Senate in Summer 377YE. The position of dredgemaster is a sinecure, requiring minimal responsibility but offering a regular income.

The Feverwater is a vast freshwater lake in south-eastern Therunin. The lake itself is only partially within the Empire - the eastern half in in territory claimed nominally by the Druj barbarians. The western half is used sporadically by fishermen, several of whom have volunteered their skills and boats to the dredging. The adventurous Navarr of Soaring Leaf steading in Eastring and the fisherfolk of Black Sails steading in East Ashes have been particularly keen to offer their assistance to this project.

The dredging uses flat-bottomed river boats and great nets which are dragged through the silt and mud that serves as the bottom of the lake, bringing up the detritus of centuries. This is quite a dangerous undertaking. The civil service referenced the swamp creatures and barbarians that live on the shores of the Feverwater when the proposal was first launched. The small camp that serves as the base for the dredging operation is a magnet for disgruntled marshwalkers and Druj raiding parties, and there have already been several deaths. The more mundane dangers of dealing with problems such as trapped nets or hidden obstacles have claimed lives as well - an especially dangerous task involves diving down to unhitch the nets when they become tangled in wreckage it needs to be unhitched manually or the entire thing abandoned to make the dark waters at the bottom of Lake Feverwater even more dangerous.

The majority of everything recovered here is rubbish, but occasionally recyclable materials are brought up along with the stinking mud and remains of past victims of the Feverwater. The shores of the lake have also been the site of regular encounters with barbarian orcs, including at least one major battle, and so it is common to bring up rusted weapons or armour along with the remnants of old boats - the thick mud at the bottom of the lake has been surprisingly effective at preserving materials that might otherwise have succumbed to the pressures of time.

The dredging operation has primarily focused on the western end of the Feverwater, but as of Autumn 378YE the first speculative forays into the wild, open waters east of Therunin are being planned.

Powers

Wreckage of the past

The sinecure provides four ingots of crafting materials to the Dredgemaster each season, to be used as they see fit.

Historical Research

The dredgemaster has the power to authorize a single historical research request each season. Each request costs 5 Thrones. The civil service is able to process up to five research requests in total per season - research requests authorized by the Senate, the dredgemaster or the Minister of Historical Research all count against this limit. The results of the research are compiled by the civil service then presented to the advisor.

To use this power, the dredgemaster provides an announcement to the Civil Service, who present the decision to the Imperial Senate. No voting is possible by the Senate at this point, as the power has been delegated to the dredgemaster. The Imperial Synod may, however, choose to exercise their veto over the dredgemaster's decision.

Selection

The title is a national appointment. Only a Navarr citizen may hold this Imperial title.

Removal

When initially created, the Dredgemaster had tenure and served until they died, stepped down or were revoked. With the amendment to their powers during spring 379YE, the Civil Service has queried this tenure.

The Dredgemaster can be revoked by the Navarr assembly, the General assembly or the Assembly of Nine.

History

The idea of dredging Feverwater was first raised in 377YE, but the foundation for the project took some time to complete and the Dredgemaster was not appointed until early 378YE. The first Dredgemaster of Feverwater was Corey Brackensong, appointed to the position by unanimous decision of the Navarri senators.

At the Spring Equinox 379YE, the Imperial Senate voted to amend the powers of the Dredgemaster. In addition to expanding the operation at Feverwater, this amendment allows the Dredgemaster to commission historical research. As a consequence, the civil service requested clarification from the Senate - as this was no longer a standard sinecure, it would not automatically be a lifetime apointment.

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The Drowned Man

Contents

- 1 The Law

- 2 The Constellation

- 3 Symbolism

- 4 Invoking The Drowned Man in magic

- 5 Tulpas of the Drowned Man

- 6 Alignment

The Law

Things End

The Constellation

The Drowned Man contains eleven stars, the brightest of which forms the ‘foot’. The ‘arms’ stretch between the head of The Phoenix and the right side of The Mountain.

Symbolism

The drowned man is an ill omened constellation especially feared in the League and the Brass Coast. It marks the end of things, but not necessarily as part of the natural cycle. The drowned man marks abrupt endings where things are left incomplete; work half done, lives half lived, ambitions unresolved and loves unrequited. It's endings often come through violence or ill fortune – among the Navarr and the Kallavesi it is called the hanged man.

The drowned man is a powerful sign of ill fortune, doom, and violence; League sailors cursed under the stars of the drowned man commonly refuse to leave port.

This figure is seen by the Merrow especially those of Urizen as a symbol of hubris; "Just because you have gills doesn't mean all the pearls belong to you." They do not associate it with death and doom as so many others do but instead see it as a lesson – do not overreach yourself and swim too deep.

A large, ancient earthworks in Reikos, named the Sign of Tamar appears to depict this constellation.

Invoking The Drowned Man in magic

The drowned man is a powerful cursing tool and like all such double-edged. Invoking it in ritual usually means great misfortune and frequently, death. Ritualists who commonly used the drowned man in their rituals tend to be viewed in much the same way as swordsman who takes a little too much pleasure in the practice of their art.

Tulpas of the Drowned Man

The Tulpas of the drowned man are among the most fearful of all such beings. Sailors speak of beautiful women with voices of surpassing harmony who lure the unsuspecting onto the rocks; others talk of bindweed and see plants that coil unnaturally around the ankles of sailors in the water. Worse still are those that take the form of the drowned dead, staggering forth from cold dark water to give their former friends and lovers a clammy embrace.

In Varushka the Merrow speak of Megas Vodyano; the river king who takes the unwary and drowns them in the cold waters of that land. In Urizen they fear the coming of the Spirit of Dark Water, a dripping, icy, thing cowled in pond weed with cold clammy flesh.

Alignment

Ritualists who come into alignment with the drowned man seldom enjoy the experience. They speak of crushing pressure and darkness; of being unable to breathe or see. Some have been known to cough saltwater out of their lungs after a particularly potent ritual. All, though, find themselves fearful of water for several hours afterwards.

Invoking the drowned man is not for the faint of heart.

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The Drowned Threshold

Description

The Drowned Thrshold is a very powerful ritual tool attuned to the remorseless magic of the Winter realm.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Twice per day the coven may perform a Winter ritual that does not count towards their daily limit of rituals performed.

- Materials: Crafting the drowned threshold requires twelve measures of beggar's lye, nine ingots of green iron, seven ingots of tempest jade, five measures of dragonbone and ten measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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The Ebb and Flow of Battle

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 1.5 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. At least one contributor must be part of a band that includes a character participating in the target battle or skirmish.

Effects

At the completion of this ritual, the contributors receive an impression of the progress of a battle, skirmish or similar activity taking place away from their location.

One of the contributors must name a character who is in a band.with them, or to whom they are bonded. That character must be a participant on the endeavor they wish to divine.

The ritual provides.an idea of how the battle or skirmish is progressing; this is usually quite vague, but occasionally includes specific information. For example, the ritual may reveal that a certain nation is in retreat, or that an objective has been reached or failed.

This ritual cannot be performed by a given character more often than once an hour; if it is repeated during this time, the same information may well be gained even if it is no longer relevant.

If the target activity is taking place in an area concealed by a magical effect such as Drawing the Penumbral Veil it will fail unless it is performed with a magnitude at least equal to the magnitude of the concealing effect.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual to penetrate more powerful shrouds or masks.

OOC Elements

At the completion of this ritual the referee will make contact with referees involved in the battle, skirmish or similar activity and get an impression from those individuals as to how the action is going. They then pass that information to the ritualists. You may ask the referee for a single specific piece of information about whether a goal has been achieved or failed, but there is no guaranteeing that information will be available.

Description

This ritual was developed just over a century ago, specifically to allow those on the field at Anvil to remain appraised of how a battle was progressing. The information it provides is usually reliable at the point it is cast, but battle is by definition a dangerous environment prone to change and chaos; an army that appears to be in retreat when the ritual is performed might well regroup and launch a counter-attack.

Common Elements

This ritual is a simple divination, and the trappings of scrying and divination may be included such as cards or runestones. The rune Wyr is often used with this ritual, as are scenes of divination and magic involving characters such as The Bishop or The Doctor, or the evocation of wise animals or creatures such as sphinxes.

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The Eight-spoked Wheel

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets up to three ingots or measures of one of the special Materials, which must be present throughout. All the ingots or measures must be of the same type.

Effects

At the completion of the ritual the ingots are permanently transformed into an equal number of ingots of another type. The ritual will not turn one material into any other; instead the transformation follows a fixed progression

- orichalcum is transformed into green iron

- green iron is transformed into tempest jade

- tempest jade is transformed into weltsilver

- weltsilver is transformed into dragonbone

- dragonbone is transformed into ambergelt

- ambergelt is transformed into beggar's lye

- beggar's lye is transformed into iridescent gloaming

- iridescent gloaming is transformed into orichalcum

All ingots transformed must be of the same type, and they must all be transformed into the same type.

Description

Someone who masters this ritual often calls themselves an alchemist, Someone who masters both this ritual and The Retrograde Wheel often lays claim to the title of master alchemist, and demonstrates considerable power over the raw materials of nature.

This ritual has been the subject of extensive study and experimentation. At one time there were a number of separate rituals, each designed to turn one material into another. For example, in The Brass Coast there was a ritual in use for hundreds of years called Iron Crucible of the Storm which transformed green iron into tempest jade. Over several generations of experimentation and study however, the various rituals that enacted alchemical transformation were slowly codified and unified. Today there are only two rituals in common use - The Eight-spoked Wheel and The Retrograde Wheel, both of which are built out of the less refined and less effective transformation rituals. This body of knowledge exists today due to the hard work of pioneering alchemists such as Heuses i Riqueza, Earl Simon d'Bellem of Dawn, the Urizen Naga magus Polymia of Twilight's Hearth and the Kallavesi mystic Elina of the Balances. Their work in the early years of the Empire laid the groundwork of ritual alchemy today, and their writings - and those of their spiritual descendants - are much in demand today/

Further work has been undertaken to see if freer transformations can be achieved - whether it is possible to transform Weltsilver into iridescent gloaming for example - but nobody has yet achieved such a transformation without exceptionally powerful ritual magic. It may not even be possible to achieve it with simple effects - but that does not stop magicians from trying.

Some refer to the search for mastery of transformation of raw materials as The Great Work although there are others who claim that the transformation of one to another is a metaphor for some other transformation; they point to Distill the Serpent's Stone as proof that there must be more to the great work than merely turning beggar's lye into dragonbone. Given that most alchemists are steeped in the Lore of Night, they tend to become increasingly secretive and mysterious as their studies continue; despite the best efforts of many, the traditional alchemist today still works in seclusion, suspicious of anyone who tries to get them to reveal the extent of their studies.

One of the great mysteries of alchemy is how it achieves permanent transformation without the use of ilium. The best scholars have been able to come up with is that the 'wheel' of transformation represents some partially understood natural law - that the magic simply encourages the material to change from one to another and that such a process could in theory occur naturally. Others suggest that there are core similarities between these materials that are harnessed to minimize what appear to be radical shifts in composition and properties - these theorists suggest that if the process were understood it could be applied to other rituals to create durable transformations.

Common Elements

Each of the eight transformations is technically a different ritual, with different incantations and equipment. Indeed, the type of equipment needed varies depending on a number of factors such as the time of year. Common elements include fire; beakers, bowls and other pieces of alchemical equipment; water and other liquids; samples of the material the alchemist wishes to create; charts and diagrams; and the other trappings of this ancient magical lore. Many ritualists wear masks or veils when they perform this ritual - not least because there are occasionally noxious byproducts of the transformation. They often work in private, out of public eye, especially if they are powerful enough to perform the ritual without the assistance of a coven.

The forces of the heavens are often referenced in alchemical rituals. If the theory that the stars represent in some way the tools of the Creator are true, then evoking the power of astronomancy seems entirely appropriate to the practice of enacting permanent transformation. The names of the Eternals Murit and Soghter are sometimes used, especially in their aspects as the Azoth, a theoretical compound that provokes miraculous transformation.

The rune Xun which represents transformation is usually evoked with this magic, although some alchemists choose to include Aesh for the power of the mind, Cavul to represent the idea of purifying materials into higher forms or Pallas to represent material wealth.

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The Eight-spoked Wheel (Redirected from The Eight-Spoked Wheel)

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets up to three ingots or measures of one of the special Materials, which must be present throughout. All the ingots or measures must be of the same type.

Effects

At the completion of the ritual the ingots are permanently transformed into an equal number of ingots of another type. The ritual will not turn one material into any other; instead the transformation follows a fixed progression

- orichalcum is transformed into green iron

- green iron is transformed into tempest jade

- tempest jade is transformed into weltsilver

- weltsilver is transformed into dragonbone

- dragonbone is transformed into ambergelt

- ambergelt is transformed into beggar's lye

- beggar's lye is transformed into iridescent gloaming

- iridescent gloaming is transformed into orichalcum

All ingots transformed must be of the same type, and they must all be transformed into the same type.

Description

Someone who masters this ritual often calls themselves an alchemist, Someone who masters both this ritual and The Retrograde Wheel often lays claim to the title of master alchemist, and demonstrates considerable power over the raw materials of nature.

This ritual has been the subject of extensive study and experimentation. At one time there were a number of separate rituals, each designed to turn one material into another. For example, in The Brass Coast there was a ritual in use for hundreds of years called Iron Crucible of the Storm which transformed green iron into tempest jade. Over several generations of experimentation and study however, the various rituals that enacted alchemical transformation were slowly codified and unified. Today there are only two rituals in common use - The Eight-spoked Wheel and The Retrograde Wheel, both of which are built out of the less refined and less effective transformation rituals. This body of knowledge exists today due to the hard work of pioneering alchemists such as Heuses i Riqueza, Earl Simon d'Bellem of Dawn, the Urizen Naga magus Polymia of Twilight's Hearth and the Kallavesi mystic Elina of the Balances. Their work in the early years of the Empire laid the groundwork of ritual alchemy today, and their writings - and those of their spiritual descendants - are much in demand today/

Further work has been undertaken to see if freer transformations can be achieved - whether it is possible to transform Weltsilver into iridescent gloaming for example - but nobody has yet achieved such a transformation without exceptionally powerful ritual magic. It may not even be possible to achieve it with simple effects - but that does not stop magicians from trying.

Some refer to the search for mastery of transformation of raw materials as The Great Work although there are others who claim that the transformation of one to another is a metaphor for some other transformation; they point to Distill the Serpent's Stone as proof that there must be more to the great work than merely turning beggar's lye into dragonbone. Given that most alchemists are steeped in the Lore of Night, they tend to become increasingly secretive and mysterious as their studies continue; despite the best efforts of many, the traditional alchemist today still works in seclusion, suspicious of anyone who tries to get them to reveal the extent of their studies.

One of the great mysteries of alchemy is how it achieves permanent transformation without the use of ilium. The best scholars have been able to come up with is that the 'wheel' of transformation represents some partially understood natural law - that the magic simply encourages the material to change from one to another and that such a process could in theory occur naturally. Others suggest that there are core similarities between these materials that are harnessed to minimize what appear to be radical shifts in composition and properties - these theorists suggest that if the process were understood it could be applied to other rituals to create durable transformations.

Common Elements

Each of the eight transformations is technically a different ritual, with different incantations and equipment. Indeed, the type of equipment needed varies depending on a number of factors such as the time of year. Common elements include fire; beakers, bowls and other pieces of alchemical equipment; water and other liquids; samples of the material the alchemist wishes to create; charts and diagrams; and the other trappings of this ancient magical lore. Many ritualists wear masks or veils when they perform this ritual - not least because there are occasionally noxious byproducts of the transformation. They often work in private, out of public eye, especially if they are powerful enough to perform the ritual without the assistance of a coven.

The forces of the heavens are often referenced in alchemical rituals. If the theory that the stars represent in some way the tools of the Creator are true, then evoking the power of astronomancy seems entirely appropriate to the practice of enacting permanent transformation. The names of the Eternals Murit and Soghter are sometimes used, especially in their aspects as the Azoth, a theoretical compound that provokes miraculous transformation.

The rune Xun which represents transformation is usually evoked with this magic, although some alchemists choose to include Aesh for the power of the mind, Cavul to represent the idea of purifying materials into higher forms or Pallas to represent material wealth.

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Empire Overview (Redirected from The Empire)

Redirect page

Empire overview

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The Empty Horizon

Description

The covenstone known as The Empty Horizon draws upon the Realm of Day to empower a coven with additional capacity for performing rituals, drawing upon the bonds created between members of the coven.

Covenstones can be crafted in a great variety of different forms but are usually large enough to form a decent centre-piece for a ritual. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses one is careful to ensure that it plays a central role in their ceremonies. A covenstone is a potent representation of the bonds that tie a coven together and the power that their oaths allow them to wield. They are usually bespoke and thus depict runes and motifs that are relevant to the coven for which they were made.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Once per day the coven may perform a Day ritual that does not count towards their daily limit of rituals performed.

- Materials: Crafting the fields of glory requires five ingots of tempest jade, five ingot of weltsilver, three measure of beggar's lye and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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The Eternal Gambit

Description

This coveted covenstone is especially useful for a coven containing members with a mixture of different lore specialties. It provides the capacity for the coven to perform an extra ritual from any Realm Lore.

Covenstones can be crafted in a great variety of different forms but are usually large enough to form a decent centre-piece for a ritual. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses one is careful to ensure that it plays a central role in their ceremonies. A covenstone is a potent representation of the bonds that tie a coven together and the power that their oaths allow them to wield. They are usually bespoke and thus depict runes and motifs that are relevant to the coven for which they were made.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: 1/day your coven can perform a ritual that does not count towards your daily limit.

- Materials: Crafting The Eternal Gambit requires three ingots of orichalcum; three ingots of tempest jade; three ingots of green iron; three ingots of weltsilver; three measures of ambergelt; three measures of beggar's lye; three measures of dragonbone; three measures of iridescent gloaming; It takes 1 month to make one of these items.

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The Eye of the High Places

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 14

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 1.5 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 14

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Day regio. The ritual must be performed with a map of the target territory.

Effects

At the completion of the ritual the contributors receive images that reveal information about all significant effects on the territory, or on regions or campaign armies within that territory. The ritual is not limited to magical effects; significant mundane events such as plagues, forest fires or monstrous rampages may also be divined by the magic. The ritual does not divine small-scale enchantments such as Rivers of Gold.

When it examines a significant effect, it may provide any of the following information that is relevant to that effect.

- the realm and magnitude of the effect, especially if it is magical in nature.

- what the effect does, and some details of how it does it.

- how long the effect is likely to last if nothing changes

The ritual may provide information about how the effect has come into being, or suggest actions that might be taken to change or end the effect.

Each contributor receives the same vision. These visions are not symbolic, and generally provide clear details about effects they divine.

If the target territory is under an effect that obscures information such as Drawing the Penumbral Veil, this spell can only penetrate it if it has been performed with a magnitude at least equal to that of the enchantment. Otherwise only the presence, realm and magnitude of the obscuring effect are revealed.

if something within the territory that would otherwise be divined with this ritual is obscured with such an effect, the presence, realm and magnitude of the obscuring effect is revealed but no other information about that effect. Information about other effects in the territory is revealed normally.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual in order to pierce more powerful rituals of concealment.

OOC Elements

The result of this spell may be delivered in the form of a written vision, acquired from GOD. In this case, the contributors can study their vision as long as they like, but cannot discuss it or make notes until they have handed the slip back to a referee; at that point they are free to roleplay however they like - they may play through the process of receiving the vision, or act as if they have been in waking trance and the vision has already passed.

Letting a referee know at least an hour in advance that you plan to perform this ritual and what the target territory will be will make it easier to ensure that the information is ready and will prevent delays.

Description

This ritual is useful for dealing with threats to the Empire, but it can also be used to keep track of important events. This divination is sometimes frustrating for the magicians who master it; it discerns events that are recent and powerful before it analyses lingering effects or those that have been in place for long periods. For example, several attempts have been made to try and uncover the natue of the Black Plateau in Spiral, or to track the Feni settlements in the Marches but the limitations of the magic mean it provides little information about the enduring or low-powered enchantments around these areas.

Where it is at it's most useful is in analysing known magical effects on territories (for example, determining the strength of an effect such as Drawing the Penumbral Veil; for gathering information about natural disasters; and for tracking enchantments on armies that might otherwise slip through the net of scouts and agent. When the ritual provides information about how a certain effect might be changed or ended, it usually covers only the most obvious approaches and is by no means exhaustive. For example, if it determines that a lake has been poisoned it might predict that the waters could be cleansed by a potion from an apothecary but will rarely reveal directly that Bloodharrow Philtres would be the most useful potions. While it might suggest that the intervention of an Eternal might resolve the stituation, it will rarely directly identify Ylenrith as the one most likely to be able to help.

The visions granted by this ritual always begin by staring down on the target territory from an unimaginable height. Unlike Eyes of the Sun and Moon, where the viewpoint shifts, the vision simply expands to greater and greater magnification, filling the perceptions of the ritualists with more and more and more information. There is always the vague hint that the vision could continue to expand indefinitely, drowning and ultimately annihilating the consciousness of the ritualist if they do not focus on specific pieces of relevant information.

A version of this ritual called The Prismatic Gaze of Aesh tends to present it's essential information through the use of colours; deep green and blood red for Spring auras, bright gold and cerulean blue for Summer, polished bronze and steel for Autumn, various shades of gray for Winter, shifting violets and deep blues for Night and steady, clear radiant whites, blues and golds for Day. The intensity of the colour indicates the magnitude of the effect, and closer study causes the aura to expand to provide additional information about it's purpose.

Common Elements

This is a divination ritual, and often involves runestones or cards as well as the map which serves as the focus. Mirrors, crystals and other reflective surfaces are often involved, set up around the map to grant new perspectives on the information it contains. Some ritualists carefully pore over the map as the visions unfold, while others focus on expanding their consciousness to gain a 'bird's-eye view' of the area under consideration. The ritual is often performed out-of-doors under the open sky. At night, bright lanterns or lightstones are used to illuminate the map, the ritualists and their environs

The rune Sular is often used with this ritual, as are scenes in which history or current affairs are discussed with characters such as The Witch or The Doctor; the evocation of the virtues of Wisdom or Vigilance; or of keen-sighted animals such as eagles or hawks; or creatures such as sphinxes.

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The Faculty Song

Music by Jamie Wakefield (link to come)

Lyrics by Jamie Wakefield and The Academy students.

Chorus When we learn, we're wiser. When we learn, we're braver. When we learn, we're vigilant too.

When we learn, we're ambitious. When we learn, we're prosperous. When we learn, we're loyal and proud too.

Verse 1 This is our Academy, We are taught by the faculty. With Mr Harrow, who teaches us field craft.

Sasha is the secretary, Spiritual studies are run by Emme, And the Chancellor does magic with his hat.

Chorus

Verse 2 This is our Academy. It is where we learn P.E., With Mr Scrib who shouts at us a lot.

Hopkirk teaches Alchemy. Crafting items with the Dean. For field trips go with Mr Everwatch.

Chorus

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The Fields of Glory

Description

The covenstone known as The Fields of Glory draws upon the Realm of Summer to empower a coven with additional capacity for performing rituals, drawing upon the bonds created between members of the coven.

Covenstones can be crafted in a great variety of different forms but are usually large enough to form a decent centre-piece for a ritual. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses one is careful to ensure that it plays a central role in their ceremonies. A covenstone is a potent representation of the bonds that tie a coven together and the power that their oaths allow them to wield. They are usually bespoke and thus depict runes and motifs that are relevant to the coven for which they were made.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Once per day the coven may perform a Summer ritual that does not count towards their daily limit of rituals performed.

- Materials: Crafting the fields of glory requires five ingots of tempest jade, five measures of orichalcum, three ingots of green iron and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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The Flickering Flame

Description

The covenstone known as The Flickering Flame draws upon the Realm of Night to empower a coven with additional capacity for performing rituals, drawing upon the bonds created between members of the coven.

These are often crafted to resemble a flaming torch that can be held aloft during ceremonies, some are actually lit during a ritual. Others contain a glowstone to give the effect of light coming from within, ebbing and flowing, revealing and disappearing. Each of the runes associated with Night are equally likely to be incorporated into such an item.

Covenstones can be crafted in a great variety of different forms but are usually large enough to form a decent centre-piece for a ritual. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses one is careful to ensure that it plays a central role in their ceremonies. A covenstone is a potent representation of the bonds that tie a coven together and the power that their oaths allow them to wield. They are usually bespoke and thus depict runes and motifs that are relevant to the coven for which they were made.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Once per day the coven may perform a Night ritual that does not count towards their daily limit of rituals performed.

- Materials: Crafting the fields of glory requires five ingots of tempest jade, five measures of iridescent gloaming, three ingots of ambergelt and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Nothing is ever as it seems with the rituals of Night, flights of passion wax and wane as secrets transform into mysteries.

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The Forest Remains

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 15

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 15

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains the ability to call shatter twice each day with a two-handed weapon.

The ritual also creates a roleplaying effect: a target wants to deal with problems and obstacles in the simplest and most direct way; to act now rather than worry about complicated plans. When confronted by a complex situation, the urge is always to solve it in a direct physical way (rather than find another way through a a locked door, smash the door in, for example).

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 10. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

In the Spring realm, the works of mortal artifice, crafting or building are quickly undone. Stories suggest that not only do bodies rot away within minutes, but that a book, sword, suit of armour or even a castle would be quickly undone by the relentless assault of trees, wind and rain. This ritual harnesses some of that power and turns it against the enemies of the coven.

This ritual is commonly attributed to the Landskeeper Moira of Old Pig, who named it after the opening lines of a short poem about Glory attributed to the early Marcher poet Od the Blithe. The castle has gone, it begins, but the mountain and the forest remains. It is also known as The Viridian Hammer (referencing the way that new shoots can force their way between and ultimately crack flagstones and cobblestones), Splintering Woodsman's Axe and The Devouring Storm (often with reference to the various insects and bugs that destroy wood and cloth).

The enchantment does not provide any additional ability to wield a two-handed weapon. As a consequence the ritual is best performed on someone who already knows how to use a maul, greataxe or similar two-handed weapon.

With the additional power provided by this ritual, the target can smash their way through a shield, or quickly disarm a number of opponents armed with pole-arms or pikes. While it grants an obvious advantage to someone already able to strike shattering blows, it can also be just the tool needed to get past an obstacle in the absence of such heroic individuals.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes the relentless powers of natural destruction and erosion. These forces may take the form of wind and rain, the irresistible strength of vines and roots that tear down walls, or the slow rot that consumes wood and leather.

The ritual often involves music, chanting or dancing with a slow increase in tempo until the performance reaches a violent crescendo. This slow building of power to a destructive climax mirrors the way that natural forces tear at the fruits of civillisation. The ritual may also involve destroying fragile items, working to create a sympathetic relationship between that destruction and the destruction the ritualists hope to visit on their enemies.

Some ritualists invoke the name of the Eternal Llofir, the fungal lord of rot and decay who represents the slow triumph of natural forces over craftsmanship.

The rune Mawrig is a common element of this ritual, as is the evocation of The Claw or even The Oak.

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The Fountain

Contents

- 1 The Law

- 2 The Constellation

- 3 Symbolism

- 4 Invoking the Fountain in Magic

- 5 Tulpas of the Fountain

- 6 Alignment

The Law

Things live.

The Constellation

The Fountain is a constellation of nine stars that rises from the horizon in early spring, reaches its zenith as spring turns to summer and vanishes below the horizon during the winter months.

Symbolism

Water is life, and the Fountain is the bringer of life, the herald of birth and fertility. In Highguard conception under the Fountain is deemed to be especially auspicious; in Urizen the constellation is often painted onto the ceiling of maternity chambers. It also stands as an emblem of beginnings; as The Wellspring it represents the place you originate, your source, your first cause and principle. In some parts of Varushka it is instead called the Tree of Ice; this imagery being especially popular among Draughir.

Invoking the Fountain in Magic

The Fountain is nature tamed; a source and wellspring of life and fertility. Rituals seeking growth, bounty or fertility all benefit from the auspices of the Fountain. A curious lesser-known efficacy of the Fountain in magic is to do with origins, sources and wellsprings; the places things come from, their history and identity. The ritual to create a National Egregore uses some imagery of the Fountain.

Tulpas of the Fountain

Tulpas of the Fountain appear much more benign than many; The Lady of the Waters is one well known to the Dawnish, a woman who comes from the lake to assist with childbirth then leaves, having said nothing and refusing any payment for her work. A curious Tulpa of the Fountain is The Archivist, a pale, bloodless tall man who appears to the inhabitants of Highguard’s necropolis bearing secrets no man could possibly know.

Alignment

The Fountain is a profoundly benign force and ritualists who touch it in ritual find themselves overwhelmed with life, growth and the natural flow of the world; it can be hard to maintain focus as one is distracted by the verdance of the grass, the dance of the mayflies and the joy of the people around you. The effect can be quite narcotic and not entirely dissimilar to the behaviour of those on recreational drugs.

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The Fountain of Thorns

Description

The Fountain of Thorns is a very powerful ritual tool attuned to the swirling magic of the Spring realm. While many are crafted in the shape of a wooden or bone spheres or orbs, it is much more likely that the item takes the form of a bowl, cauldron or chalice. As with many items associated with the Spring realm, it tends to have an organic look, as if it were grown rather than shaped by craft. Many items are irregular, and most have small thorn- or hook-like protrusions scattered at random across their surface.

During rituals the fountain of thorns often plays a central role, a powerful reminder of the magical power a coven wields. As with the less-powerful Green World when in the form of a bowl or chalice, it is often filled with liquid at the beginning of a ritual and passed around, each member of the coven drinking from it or adding a drop of blood to it in turn. Even when it is crafted in another form, it is common for ritualists to anoint it with their own blood during a ritual, pricking their finger on it's thorns or cutting their palms with a ritual knife. Especially among the Navarr, a fountain of thorns is likely to be stained with blood after only a handful of uses. By contrast the magicians of Highguard and Urizen are often careful to keep the item clean, washing it in fresh water after every use to prevent it darkening and (if some stories are to be believed) malignant.

A fountain of thorns is usually only marked with Wintermark runes if it is crafted for the use of a Winterfolk coven. More traditionally, they are inscribed with representations of the constellations of The Fountain or The Claw.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Twice per day the coven may perform a Spring ritual that does not count towards their daily limit of rituals performed.

- Materials: Crafting the fountain of thorns requires twelve measures of ambergelt, nine ingots of weltsilver, seven ingots of tempest jade, seven ingots of beggar's lye, five measures of dragonbone and two measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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The Garden

The garden is a throne, a location used in dramaturgy that represents both a setting and a Realm of magic.

Realm: Spring.

Setting: The garden becomes a forest when it represents a wild natural environment. Sometimes there is a combination of the two - the Forest of Verdigan that appears in several of the plays of the mater playwright Heywel de Tassato represents the tamed hunting preserve as well as the dangerous areas where wild beasts well. The garden is a place where fertility and healing occur; the forest is where the untamed wilderness confuses and sometimes destroys the protagonists.

Characters: The Captain and The Mountebank are strong characters in this setting. The Captain overcomes challenges, and gains strength by doing so. or has his wounds healed bu The Witch or occasionally the Bishop. The Mountebank lies in wait, or unleashes destructive forces that ultimately overwhelm her.

Magical Style: This is a place of primal power. When it is the garden, representing primal powers harnessed to human will, it is a setting for healing and empowerment rituals such as the Hands of Sacred Life or Vitality of Rushing Water. When it is the forest, untamed and wild, it is a setting for rituals that unleash or destroy - whether that is the unleashing of primal emotions or fears as in Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt or Unfettered Anarchy, or the power of nature itself in Thunderous Deluge or Thunderous Tread of the Trees

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The Glorious Advance

Victory in Segura

Carlos applauded as Trystane's song ended. "Its a good song," he said, "but so typical of the Dawnish Troubadour to sing of the glories of their own people. You should sing more of the Red Wind Corsairs for the Empire's victory in Segura was truly their doing. What is more Virtuous than a people fighting for their homeland?"

Trystane's smile did not go much beyond his lips. "You'll find my song is accurate, Sutannir. Without the Eastern Sky and the Hounds of Glory, Segura would be the homeland of the Lasambrians. Two Dawnish armies to the Brass Coast's one. The victory in Segura was ours."

Carlos shrugged, "You needed two Dawnish armies to keep up with the Red Wind Corsairs. It was the Red Wind that drove the Lasambrians off the Iron Plains. You had your hands full of Summer Realm soldiers. Anyway, what say you, Harald? You follow the Path of Pride, which of us has the right of it?"

Harald shifted in his seat uncomfortably, taking a drink before saying, "Clearly the victory belongs to the Empire. We should celebrate together, should we not?"

Harald raised his drink. After a moment's pause, Carlos and Trystane followed suit.

Segura is now fully under the control of the Empire again. The victories of the Red Wind Corsairs, Eastern Sky and Hounds of Glory removed the Lasambrians' appetite for battle, pushing them to the negotiating table - and then off Imperial land.

Celebrations across the Empire are strongest within the Brass Coast and Dawn where the soldiers that gave their lives to restore this territory are remembered. This victory has stirred a spirit of military patriotism in these nations. Based on similar events in the past, Imperial prognosticators know that applying the right form of encouragement, whilst passions are riding high, can aid enlistment and the preparation of a new army.

From past experience, the most effective way to provide this encouragement is through Statements of Principle made within the Imperial Synod. Specifically, if the Assembly of Pride chooses to validate a nation, then the citizens of that nation respond. Prognosticators observe that attempts to validate multiple nations, or the Empire, whilst generally positive, do not elicit the same response from the populace.

With specific reference to Segura:

- If the Assembly of Pride makes a Statement of Principle celebrating Dawn's efforts in reclaiming Segura, and the Senate approves the founding of an army in that nation, then the civil service estimates it will require 50 less mithril to raise that army than it normally would owing to the fervor raised in Dawnish yeomen.

- If the Assembly of Pride makes a Statement of Principle celebrating the Brass Coast's efforts in reclaiming Segura, and the Senate approves the founding of a navy in that nation, then the civil service estimates it will require 50 less weirwood to raise that navy than it normally would owing to the zeal raised in Freeborn corsairs.

- If both nations are celebrated in the same, or different, Statements, then the impact on the citizens is diluted and the benefit is lost.

- It is noted that the General Assembly is regarded as having greater weight and authority than Virtue Assembles. Consequently, a Statement of Principle by the General Assembly could supercede that of the Assembly of Pride, but only after the Assembly of Pride had first made a judgment.

Note: This opportunity is only available in the aftermath of this victory, which is to say that the Senate Motion must be passed at the Winter Solstice, 378YE. If construction commences after this time, then it would be at full cost.

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The Good Old Way

Trad. Manx hymn

SATB score is here.

Tune-only version is here, and includes some additional verses if you choose to use them.

Learning resources

SSAA youtube version This is a slightly different version but harmonies should fit.

- Media:good-old-way-tune.midi - Tune for Soprano or Tenor

- Media:good-old-way-sop2.midi - Soprano 2 harmony

- Media:good-old-way-alto.midi - Alto harmony

- Media:good-old-way-alto2.midi - Low alto or bass

- Media:good-old-way.midi - All four parts together

Oh good old Way how sweet thou art May none of us from thee depart But may our actions always say We're marching on the good old Way

Chorus x 2

For I have a sweet hope of glory in my soul For I have a sweet hope of glory in my soul For I know I have and I feel I have a sweet hope of glory in my soul

Our conflicts here though great they be Shall not prevent our victory If we but strive and watch and pray Like soldiers on the good old Way

Chorus x 2

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The Grave's Treacherous Edge

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 60

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Uses

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 60

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single mage implement which must be present during the ritual.

Effects

When the ritual is completed, all participants are struck by a VENOM effect.

The power of the ritual is stored in the implement targeted by the ritual. Any one of the contributors can unleash the power of the ritual while holding the implement to allow them to call MASS VENOM.

The power of the ritual can be invoked only once.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Additional Uses

The ritual can be used to place more than one use into the target implement. Each additional use increases the magnitude of the spell by 35. Any uses left over are lost at the end of the ten minutes. You cannot charge up more than one implement with this ritual.

Description

This battlefield ritual allows a powerful magical attack to be unleashed against a group of enemies, filling them with supernatural sickness, leaving them teetering on the very edge of death. Like similar rituals, the attack is temporarily stored in a rod, staff or wand, and then unleashed at the most tactical moment.

This ritual is similar to Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague, but as befits a powerful Winter ritual it deals more with cursing the opponents with fragile grasp on life rather than by filling them with something as simple as poison. It is useful when facing groups of creatures with regenerative or supernatural-healing abilities, such as undead, vallornspawn husks, or more mundane forces supported by a number of healers. It is also useful for terrorizing opponents and breaking their morale; those caught in the arc of the spell are left in no doubt as to the risk of death if they continue to fight.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, a coven often invokes symbols of sickness, old age and despair. Some magicians prefer to weave incantations that suggest disease, sickness and pestilence; natural disasters such as famine or drought may be mentioned, and used to evoke spirits of hunger or thirst. Bloodletting is also common, symbolic of the wounds that will claim the lives of the targets. Some ritualists ceremonially destroy healing or medical items. Eternals associated with death and suffering such as the tomb-king Sorin or Kaela, lady of hosts, may be invoked.

The focus of this ritual is an implement, and the role it plays in the ritual can be quite important. Some ritualists, especially in Varushka pass a single implement from magician to magician, whispering curses and dire promises of mortalityto the tool before handing it on. Others might place the implement at the centre of the ritual and leave it stationary while they weave their magic around it.

Other common elements in this ritual might include the runes Naeve or Yoorn, the evocation of The Drowned Man, the slow ringing of heavy bells suitable to a funeral, or even evocations of deadly beasts such as plaguewulf or catoblepas.

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The Great Wyrm

Contents

- 1 The Law

- 2 The Constellation

- 3 Symbolism

- 4 Invoking the Great Wyrm in Ritual

- 5 Tulpas of The Great Wyrm

- 6 Alignment

The Law

Things Change and Transform

The Constellation

The Great Wyrm is the largest recognised constellation comprising of 17 stars. It begins just to the south-west of the brightest star of The Drowned Man, curves below and behind the tail of The Phoenix to pass between it and The Chain and concludes just to the west of The Web.

Symbolism

The Great Wyrm is the emblem of transformation and transfiguration - not just that change is possible but that it is inevitable. It is often used as an emblem or representation of magic itself; it is especially held as influential in alchemical workings where the process by which substances combine to create something greater is called "passing through the flames of the Great Wyrm".

The touch of the Great Wyrm changes everything, for good or ill; in much the same way that introducing magic to a situation can transform it well beyond the original intent of the magician. The Law of the Wyrm is a nickname for unintended consequences spilling from well-intentioned actions.

Invoking the Great Wyrm in Ritual

The Great Wyrm is a very large constellation and is only invoked by confident or large ritual teams - it is especially common to invoke it in magical rites and processes that deal with magic itself. It also can be used to represent the transformative touch of magic - rites which change one thing into another or in which alchemy plays a large part are commonly those in which the Wyrm is invoked.

Tulpas of The Great Wyrm

The Great Wyrm manifests thoughforms either as streamer-like, ephemeral snake-like beings that flutter through the air, or as humanoids, scaled in shimmering rainbows. The Feather-Snake of Brass Coast legend and the Mirrorman of the League are all known tulpas of the Great Wyrm. The Suaq believe the shimmering curtains of light that sometimes light the northern night are an aspect of the Wyrm too.

Alignment

The Great Wyrm transforms everything it touches and that includes ritualists. Mostly these transformations are mental; opinions shift, attitudes alter. There are rumours, however, of a Highborn ritualist who, after invoking the Great Wyrn in a large ritual, found himself abruptly manifesting Lineage.

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The Green World

Description

The Green World is a powerful ritual tool attuned to the ebb and flow of the magic of the Spring realm. It is most often crafted in the shape of a wooden or bone sphere or chalice, inlaid with tempest jade, ambergelt and weltsilver. It often has an organic look, as if it were grown rather than fashioned. During rituals it takes pride of place, a strong reminder of the magical power a coven wields. When it takes the form of a bowl or chalice, it is often filled with fresh water, wine or fruit juice at the beginning of a ritual and passed from hand-to-hand as each ritualist takes a sip or adds a drop of their blood to the mix, reaffirming the bonds that connect them and the power they share as a consequence.

Spring magic is often cruel, dangerous or destructive. A green world that has been passed down from hand to hand over a period of time (whether an artefact or through being re-enchanted) is often stained with blood, sweat or wine and becoming more asymmetrical as time goes by. It is often warm to the touch, and often seems to recognise the presence and touch of those versed in Spring magic, especially briars. Some covens make a point of placing this item in direct sunlight as often as possible, allowing it to drink in the life-giving rays in the manner of a living plant.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Once per day the coven may perform a Spring ritual that does not count towards their daily limit of rituals performed.

- Materials: Crafting the green world requires five ingots of tempest jade, five measures of ambergelt, three ingots of weltsilver and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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The Hammer of Thunder

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target may call SHATTER once per day with a two-handed weapon.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This enchantment is among one of the best-known Summer rituals. Along with Cunning Puissance of the Leaping Hare, The Swan's Cruel Wing and Strength of the Bull it provides a coven with the ability to select the right enchantment to enhance any band of warriors..

Common Elements

This ritual usually involves both the target and their great weapon. A ritualist might trace matching runes on weapons and warrior, or might anoint them with a mixture of blood and oil. A toast is often drunk, especially when the ritual is performed on a band of warriors rather than a single target. Legendary warriors, especially those known for their strength or uncompromising nature, are often invoked as are Paragons and Exemplars of warlike mien.

Any of the Summer runes might be evoked, but Verys, the rune of strength, is the most common (although the ill-favoured rune of storms may be used by especially war-like magicians). An evocation of The Stallion or The Oak may be appropriate with this ritual, as are evocations of bears, bulls and other powerful creatures such as lions and mammoths.

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The Hands of Sacred Life

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 2

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 2

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

The ritual fails if you or the target are hit, or attack another character.

Effects

The target of this ritual, who may be one of the characters performing it, regains all lost hits.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters. The magnitude increases by one for every two additional targets. All targets must be present throughout, and the ritual fails if any of the targets are hit, or attack another character.

Description

The Hands of Sacred Life is a simple, yet potent, healing ritual that is at it's most effective when it restores several people to full health. The more patients the ritual treats, the more powerful it is in comparison to the heal incantation. It sees most use on battlefields, or in the aftermath of accidents and disasters. A single competent ritualist can restore nearly a dozen injured or dying people with a handful of mana crystals.

The heal spell is more versatile, and can be performed much faster, but even a skilled magician is likely to find their personal reserves of strength quickly depleted in the aftermath of an especially vicious engagement. The Hands of Sacred Life comes into it's own in this kind of situation, allowing a small team of ritual magicians to heal many targets to full health at the expense of a little extra time.

The other primary use for this ritual is on those occasions when other reserves of healing power are depleted or dangerously low. While many ritual magicians eschew the study of healing incantations, the ability to quickly improvise this ritual is available to anyone who has made even a cursory study of the lore of Spring; in such circumstances it can be a literal lifesaver.

Common Elements

Blood and water are very common elements in this ritual. Highborn magisters and Urizen magi alike use bowls and ewers of fresh water as part of the rite, cleansing wounds and quenching the thirst of their patients as they perform the ritual.

Small gifts or benedictions are another common feature of this healing ritual. A band of Marcher ritualists may quickly weave poppets from grass and corn, dunk them in water or beer and give them to their targets with whispered words of healing. In The League this ritual is often associated with the character of The Doctor, and the use of The Chalice; in Dawn, a cabal of weavers is more likely to carefully bind the wounds of their targets with strips of woven white linen or silk.

Elements such as natural sunlight, wholesome food and drink, the Rhyv rune, the constellation of The Fountain and even the supernatural regeneration of the hydra or firebird might all be evoked to restore vitality to the targets of this ritual.

Life flows through each of us; our magic allows us to reach out to our fellows and nurture that life as a gardener might nurture a failing flower.

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The history of the Way

The History of The Way

Priests and Scholars of The Way have unearthed myths and legends of Exemplars and Paragons that go back as far as any history or saga. Belief in reincarnation pre-dates understandings of the Labyrinth of Ages and can be found in multiple disparate cultures.

The Way of Virtue first began to take shape during a period of Highguard history called The Revelation. A Highborn Chapter called The Scions of Atun found a way to unlock the potential of Vinum, a herb previously used by the Navarr for medicinal purposes.

Through a complex system of refinment and maturation, The Scions of Atun created Liao which, when used, opened up a person's mind to the Labyrinth of Ages. In its rarest form, known as True Liao, it grants humans clear visions. During this time, another Highborn Chapter - The Distant Shores - uncovered proof that the visions were of events that had truly happened by matching up archaeological evidence and historical record with the visions witnessed. This was the spark that ignited The Revelation in Highguard. Further study by the Scions, Shores and other Highguard Chapters uncovered other secrets, such as the nature of the Labyrinth of Ages, the Seven Virtues and the identities of some Exemplars and Paragons.

Having taken root in Highguard, several Chapters - most famously the Winds of Virtue - carried The Way to the other Nations. As they did so, they learned about Exemplars and Paragons that had manifested in those lands, taught the people of the Labyrinth and the Virtues, and invited pilgrims to come to Highguard to experience the truth of The Way through the True Liao visions.

The spread of The Way amongst the nations preceded the rise of the First Empress, with pilgrims coming to Highguard in search of pure liao visions and to learn liao ceremonies. Yet The Way truly became dominant when the Empire was founded and the Empress formally recognised The Way as the religion of the Empire in the Imperial Constitution. This included the creation of the Synod and the granting of its powers.

Since the founding of The Empire, the combined insights of priests, holy mystics, scholars and wise ones from all nations have further informed the understanding of the Virtues, the Paragons and the Labyrinth of Ages. Further study of liao has also revealed it has applications in ceremonial rites that can facilitate or hinder a spirit's passage through the Labyrinth of Ages as well as demonstrating and aiding the power of Virtue in this lifetime.

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The Hundred

Want to join us? We are the Centuria - a hundred warriors who fight against a thousand. No horn sounds for battle that we do not take the field. But we swear that whenever the Empire sets foot upon the field of battle we will match them boot for boot, blade for blade. We are slain but never die, defeated but never beaten, our banners are captured but never fall. We will become war.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Goal

- 3 What is Involved

- 4 What you Get

Overview

The Skirmish team are one of the most essential parts of Empire. Our game is built around the concept of exciting, dramatic battles against the enemies of the Empire - but we need scores of capable LRPers able to fill those roles. We need a kick-ass team of fighters to make the fights feel epic. Our ultimate goal is to build an elite team who can convincingly portray every threat the Empire might face - monstrous creatures summoned from the realms, elite Jotun heroes, disciplined units of Faraden soldiers, rampaging minions of the Thule or the devious Druj.

Although we encourage the other crew to help with the numbers needed for the large battles, the key roles go to the skirmish team - it's down to them to give the leadership needed to make the whole experience immersive and fun for all participants.

The head of the team is Rich Loveday and the deputy is James Crollie. They are responsible for organizing and deploying the skirmish team at the event.

We are looking for one hundred members of crew to join the skirmish team.

The Goal

The vision is to have the most effective, adaptable and experienced combat crew ever at larp. We know it will take time and dedication, from all involved, so anyone who is a part of the team will be encouraged to share their thoughts on how we can get there! The more input we can get from the team - at every level - the better it will be.

The team has a budget to purchase any materials and kit that we feel will help us run the most fun, emotive, dramatic and challenging skirmishes possible, so those conversations about ‘wouldn’t it be nice if we had x’ are now, what shall we get first! All members of the team will be encouraged to help out planning what to get next and helping to create it.

So please keep reading for the specifics of what will be involved. We fully acknowledge that it will require dedication from our team, especially at the beginning while we are still building, but if you want to help build and be a part of the coolest team in Empire then please get in touch!

What is Involved

There will be plenty of fighting, so it's essential that you're enthusiastic about LRP fighting! Hard skills, roleplaying and fighting are really useful, but experience is not essential. You'll soon get plenty of practice at the events and we hope to have opportunities to drill and train as well. Most of the core hard work takes place during daylight at the event, so you will get evenings off, but there are opportunities for night-time encounters as well.

Being part of the skirmish team isn't just about fighting, you can help us create the visual look and feel for the elite units the Empire faces. It's down to the skirmish team to create the individual characters that bring the plots and campaign to life.

We are aiming to create a fun environment, with interesting fighting, and the chance to get involved in other areas of the game. We want to have a great crew area, where you will be able to relax and unwind and share tales of the days exploits and dramatic game enhancing combat and glorious deaths!

It will be hard work to start, but as the regular crew grows we will be able to offer more time ‘off’ where you can play more roleplay orientated roles, play your character (see below), or just relax around the crew camp (or in the evening around a fire), or get involved and many other areas of the game.

We are asking for the following from our skirmish team:

- To fight in battles, skirmishes and quests. You will have the opportunity to get involved in other parts of crewing (the more crew we get, the more time you will have to do other things (so tell your friends), but your primary responsibility will be to be available for the conflicts.

- To help build the team into the most effective fighting force larp has ever seen! This could involve taking part in combat practice/drills when time allows as well as the opportunities for fighting practice the skirmishes and quests will involve!

- Your dedication to make this happen and the understanding that it will take time and hard work to bring to fruition.

- We will need to know you will be available for most skirmishes. Once the crew is at full strength then we may not always need everyone but we want to prove a rewarding and adaptive combat experience to the players, where they have choice in what fights they attempt - even at very short notice!

What you Get

- Free event ticket

- Meal vouchers for every meal valid usable at all the onsite caterers

- Free soft drinks at the bar and hot and cold drinks in the crew area

- Transport from the local train station

- A character to play during time-off

All Empire crew get free entry, but you also get vouchers for every meal which are worth £4.50 with any of the caterers onsite. There are free soft drinks for crew in the bar and free hot and cold drinks in the crew area throughout the event. If you're coming by public transport, we'll pick you up from the station if you need it (a very active ‘lift share facebook group already solves many ‘getting to the event’ issues).

Yes can also have a character! They have normal starting skills and will accrue XP and get resources just like a normal player. So when you are getting food, or relaxing you will be able to do so IC. All we ask is that you understand that your primary responsibility is to your crew, and not get any in character responsibilities that would cause conflict with that. If you do not have a particular group or nation you are connected to, we can help you make a ‘local flavoured’ character that will still let you get involved or even just go to the bar when you are done for the day!

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The Iron Labyrinth

Description

The covenstone known as The Iron Labyrinth draws upon the Realm of Autumn to empower a coven with additional capacity for performing rituals, drawing upon the bonds created between members of the coven.

These items are usually finely crafted to appear like a miniature city crafted of gleaming metal and often exhibit Queros, rune of plots and Hirmok, rune of dominion.

Covenstones can be crafted in a great variety of different forms but are usually large enough to form a decent centre-piece for a ritual. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses one is careful to ensure that it plays a central role in their ceremonies. A covenstone is a potent representation of the bonds that tie a coven together and the power that their oaths allow them to wield. They are usually bespoke and thus depict runes and motifs that are relevant to the coven for which they were made.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Once per day the coven may perform an Autumn ritual that does not count towards their daily limit of rituals performed.

- Materials: Crafting the iron labyrinth requires five ingots of tempest jade, five measures of green iron, three ingots of weltsilver and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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The Judgments of the Synod

The Synod, as an institution, has been entrusted by the law and constitution, with a number of powers that enable it to reward the virtuous and punish the wicked, and thus ensure the spiritual wellbeing of the Empire.

The following table summarises:

- The judgments the Synod can make

- The Assemblies capable of making those judgments

- The effects of those judgments

- What is required for the judgment to be made

Synod Power

Available to

Summary

Requirements

Appointment

Virtue Assemblies, Assembly of Nine

The priests of the Virtue Assemblies elect one of their own to be Cardinal of that Assembly. Cardinals make special appointments of either Gatekeepers or a Conscience of the Senate

Lesser Majority (abstentions are ignored)

Inquisition

All Assemblies

A target individual, or group, is required to come to the Synod to face questions about their conduct/virtuousness for the turn of an hourglass. An Inquisition may be escalated to a Condemnation by the priest who raised it.

Lesser Majority (abstentions are ignored)

Condemnation

All Assemblies

A target individual is alleged to have committed a religious crime. If the judgement is upheld, the matter – and evidence – goes to the magistrates.

Lesser Majority (abstentions are ignored)

Statement of Principle

All Assemblies

Through an Assembly of the Synod, a priest may make a statement of principle or belief. This has no force in law, but can indicate if a position has the support of an Assembly of the Synod, and apply encouragement to other persons, groupings or bodies

Lesser Majority (abstentions are ignored)

Revocation

National Assembly, Assembly of Nine, General Assembly

A target individual is alleged to be unworthy of Imperial Office. If upheld, the individual is required to vacate the position they hold, which is reappointed. (Note: some positions are exempt from this power)

Lesser Majority (abstentions are ignored)

Recognition

Virtue Assembly, General Assembly

An individual may be recognised as an Exemplar of Virtue. The General Assembly may recognise an Exemplar as a Paragon of Virtue.

Greater Majority (abstentions count as votes against)

Veto

General Assembly

After a Senate motion has passed, the Synod has the time between that session and the next session of the Senate to pass a judgment of veto against the motion for being unvirtuous. The General Assembly may only veto one motion per sitting in this manner. The Assembly of Nine or the General Assembly may veto any number of motions that have constitutional implications.

Greater Majority (abstentions count as votes against)

Rewarding

General Assembly

A target group or individual is hailed for their Virtue and gifted with a reward from the Synod treasury.

Lesser Majority (abstentions are ignored)

Changing Doctrine

General Assembly

The General Assembly may change the Doctrines of the Faith, including adding to them, or removing them. This has an impact on what is regarded as orthodox, and what is regarded as heresy.

Greater Majority (abstentions count as votes against)

Writ of Excommunication

General Assembly

The General Assembly may subject an individual to formal excommunication. This legal status strips the individual of their right to hold office or manage resources. They may also be legally targeted by the excommunication ceremonial skill.

Greater Majority (abstentions count as votes against)

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The Key and the Gate

Description

The Key and the Gate is a very powerful ritual tool attuned to the searing magic of the Day realm.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Twice per day the coven may perform a Day ritual that does not count towards their daily limit of rituals performed.

- Materials: Crafting the key and the gate requires seven ingots of orichalcum, twelve ingots of weltsilver, seven ingots of tempest jade, nine measures of beggar's lye, five measures of dragonbone and two measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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The Key and The Lock

Contents

- 1 The Lock

- 1.1 The Law

- 1.2 The Constellation

- 1.3 Symbolism

- 1.4 Invoking the Lock in magic

- 1.5 Tulpas of the Lock

- 1.6 Alignment

- 2 The Key

- 2.1 The Law

- 2.2 The Constellation

- 2.3 Symbolism

- 2.4 Invoking The Key in Magic

- 2.5 Tulpas of the Key

- 2.6 Alignment

The Lock

The Law

Things can be hidden

The Constellation

The Lock is a trio of stars located below The Key. Forming a triangle, its brightest star points in the direction of the constellation of The Door.

Symbolism

the Lock is a powerful symbol in Astronomancy signifying seals, secrets, hidden knowledge and control of access. To invoke the Lock can conceal other constellations being invoked; tradition also states that things conducted under these stars will remain hidden from public view.

The Lock is often engraved on doors or on buildings wherein secret meetings occur; in the league this is often painted into the decor of rooms and salons.

In Urizen the Lock is regarded as a hostile constellation; an enemy to archivists and those who seek to uncover the truth. Torchbearers particularly regard it as malevolent. Conversely, in high guard the Lock is regarded as the patron constellation of those who guard the secrets of the past.

Invoking the Lock in magic

In magic the Lock is primarily associated with bars, wards and defensive magicks that conceal, prevent access to or deny control over something.

Some ritualists – this is a common tactic in The League and Highguard – use The Lock to conceal or obfuscate a second constellation in the ritual by moving to or closing the ritual under the Lock. Tulpas generated by such rituals tend to be Lock tulpas but with the characteristics of the concealed constellation.

Tulpas of the Lock

Lock Tulpas normally manifest themselves as shrouded, veiled or hooded figures, often bearing a resemblance to Highborn ascetics. They move slowly and seldom speak; but often manifest under their concealing robes as an entirely different kind of Tulpa altogether. Opinion is divided among Astronomancers as to whether Lock Tulpas are true thoughtforms at all or are instead some form of symbiotic shroud used by other Tulpas to conceal their nature or motive.

One thoughtform clearly associated with The Lock is The Chained Man, a humanoid figure with a veil and draped in heavy iron chains. Common to The League, he is said to be able to seal any door and lock any chest with a touch such that no magic can open it.

Alignment

It is believed that alignment with The Lock invokes a strong sense of secrecy and uncommunicativeness. Ritualists may become pensive and silent or may conceal their intent or motives for no apparent reason after a lock ritual. Because of the intense secrecy associated with the constellation, few ritualists are willing to speak of their experiences under it.

The Key

The Law

Things are revealed

The Constellation

The Key is formed by a pair of twin stars and found almost directly above The Lock. It sits outside the curve where The Great Wyrm passes behind the tail of The Phoenix.

Symbolism

Opener of the ways, standing in opposition to both the Door and the Lock, The Key is a recondite and mystical constellation with considerably more significance than just the opening of things.

The Key symbolises understanding; the key to a code, the key to a secret, the key to a map. Specialist knowledge that must be possessed to make other things clear; hidden wisdom that makes other knowledge manifest. The principles of the Key are that there are no secrets; just levels of understanding that any man can pursue if he has the will, opportunity and desire.

The Key is the constellation of the Torchbearers; indeed, in Urizen and Highguard The Key is sometimes referred to as The Torch.

Invoking The Key in Magic

The Key is one of the most commonly used Astronomantic invocations. It’s simplest use is in direct opposition to invocations of The Lock; opening what is sealed, revealing what is hidden, undoing what has been done. But it has subtler and more nuanced uses too. Scrying rituals or those which seek to uncover secrets or hidden things fall under the aegis of the Key but so do those where prior specialist knowledge is required. Autumn rituals to do with businesses are often invoked under the Key where the ritualist lacks the specialist knowledge required to make a success of a given business – knowledge of good grapes for a vintner, or of where the finest cloth may be purchased for a milliner or tailor.

Tulpas of the Key

One of the most famous thoughtforms of the Key is a being called Revelation – a bald human dressed in white carrying a great ring of keys. It is said the presence of Revelation uncovers secret knowledge and reveals the majesty of the universe to the beholder; it is also said that many who endure the close presence of this Tulpa run mad from the experience.

The Key also manifests as birds, especially owls or hunting birds, or as creatures of air and light. It is best to avoid creating a situation where Tulpas of the Lock and Key come into contact with one another as they tend to react negatively to each others’ presence.

Alignment

Ritualists invoking the Key speak of a desire to lay open all of the mysteries of the Universe – to place secrets in the open, to tell everyone your darkest desires and wildest fantasies. This is coupled with a strange euphoria, as if the telling of such things released a terrible burden one did not know one carried.

Many’s the ritualist who has spent the day after a Key ritual apologising to the rest of his ritualists for the things he said after the rite was concluded.

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The Labyrinth of Ages and the Paragons and Exemplars

The Labyrinth of Ages and the Paragons and Exemplars

The Labyrinth of Ages is the name, coined in Highguard, of the twisting realm of pure spirit that is integral to the cycle of reincarnation. The name is something of a metaphor for no mortal has been there to witness it. However, it is understood that the journey from death to rebirth is neither simple nor instantaneous. Indeed, some spirits are said to wander between lives for years, even generations, before being reborn. Some are condemned to wander lost forever.

The Way of Virtue teaches that living a virtuous life holds the key to successfully traversing the Labyrinth of Ages swiftly, safely and with the purity of spirit that strengthens ties to past lives. This is supported through insights gained from the Liao Ceremonies conducted by priests of The Way. These same insights revealed the nature of the Seven Virtues and the presence of powerful individuals throughout history who have burned with Virtue and been legendary heroes known as Exemplars. A few, rarer still, have been recognised as Paragons, possessed of such a state of Virtue that they have transcended the Labyrinth of Ages and never again need to be reborn. This is held to be the ultimate destiny of humankind.

Although The Way teaches the supremacy of the human spirit and rejects false gods, there are some superstitious corners of the Empire in which simple folk venerate the transcendent Paragons. The Synod tolerates this idolatry by affirming that prayer to the Paragons achieves nothing more than meditating on their example for inspiration on how to take action oneself.

The Synod, and the Highborn Chapters that pre-date it, have found evidence of Exemplars and Paragons going back to the dawn of history, preserved in myths and legends. To many are attributed wonders and miracles that have helped raise up humanity from darkness and primitive superstition, laying the groundwork - in their own way - for the Empire and The Way. It is also widely held that the First Empress was herself a Paragon, though there is some debate as to which Virtue she may have been a Paragon of.

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The Lantern

The cup is one of the instruments or dramaturgy. As such it often represents the method used in a magical ritual. A troupe will often have a specific prop that they use for the cup whenever it appears, and may in time come to treat the inanimate object a little like a member of the cast.

Appearence: Often a lantern which can be hooded and shuttered; also a lamp or a candle. It is sometimes jewelled, and used with stage effects to provide a great deal of light. Also, the mirror.

Meanings: On it's own, it represents illumination and knowledge. It is often used when a character is seeking something, and sometimes used in rituals where another coven might use either the rune of discovery or rune of revalation. If it is left unlit, it often means a mystery or secret - the act of lighting it is the act of uncovering or divining that secret.

When held by The Captain, the lantern signfies honesty and directness, and pierces illusion and concealment; in the hands of The Prince, it stands for the illumination and elevation of a group, such as through rituals that grant skills or abilities. When held by The Bishop it represents the 'light of faith' and empowers rituals that create emotional effects, suppress confusion or grant clarity. In the hands of The Mountebank it signifies flashy attempts to bamboozle and dissemble, and is often extinguished. With The Doctor it means inquiry, espcially with rituals such as Bright Lantern of Ophis or Wisdom of the Balanced Blade. With The Witch it represents occult wisdom and things that deal with the realms - sometimes Eternals

For Bright Lantern of Ophis; I want to get to the bottom of this enchantment nonsense, the Prince is prepared to pay well ...

A Counting House. The Doctor is there as a beggar, ignored. The Mountebank and the Witch are there as lovers, discussing a plan to use a potion (special cup?) to drug The Prince and his guests (too obvious?). Concerned about some Badger called Gancio. The Doctor overhears the conspiracy (fill in details; use that speech from 'the Merchant and the Shrew'). Comedy business with clowns, travelling salesman with potence-potion, plenty of cock jokes for the cheap seats. Conspirators return after dark with potion, some business with a cook; before they can enact crime, The Doctor with a lantern surprises them, revealed as badger; Mountebank and Witch arrested, sentenced and punished by Doctor.

Bish, bash, bosh - rtiual penetrates the shroud, enchantment unravelled, we're paid so well we need help to hold up our trousers .

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The Last Of The Trolls

A story song, by Wulfmear Dunwold

Oh I am the last of the trolls, my people are gone from the earth, The last of the great mountain trolls, who ruled the world at my birth. Oh the men have stolen my forests and glens , stolen my rivers and hills, Built castles and towns in my valleys and peaks, and fished all the fish from my rills. Oh I am the last of the trolls, so learn well the words of my song, For the singing will fade, and the silence shall last, when I am finally gone In the stone halls they burn, many great fires, in stone halls the forge their sharp spears, Whilst I walk alone in the mountains and mist, with no true friend but my tears. They hunt me with dogs in the rain and the snow, they hunt me with torches by night, For those men who are small can never stand tall, whilst trolls still walk in the light. Oh I am the last of the trolls, so learn well the words of my song, For the singing will fade, and the silence shall last, when I am finally gone. Oh the runes I have made and the magic I dreamed, was an ancient and powerful thing. But the world it has turned and the magic is gone, only left in the words that I sing. Now the people of old are buried and gone, torn down by mortal fears. And the conqueror’s crown glitters so cold, borne down by frozen tears. Oh I am the last of the trolls, so learn well the words of my song, For the singing will fade, and the silence shall last, when I am finally gone. When I am finally gone...

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The Last Retort

Description

The Last Retort is rarely used outside of the Marches, but when it is it can be devastating, especially as it is powerful enough to allow pikes to perform heroic deeds. A block of pike-wielding infantry who march beneath a Banner of Last Retort at the centre of a Marcher army can deliver a terrible shock to an enemy's first charge by smashing a wide swathe of it to the ground.

The Last Retort gets its name from General Jim "the Woodcutter" Pickett, who fought off a Jotun army nearly three times the size of his own near to Fisher Rock at the turn of the third century. With two units of pikemen armed with these banners, he punched a hole into the middle of the enemy army that went all the way back to its chieftain, whom he then killed without ceremony. He later remarked that he'd been enraged by the loose comment of a Free Company's captain about the quality of his men, but decided to prove their worth in battle rather than getting into an argument. Since then they have seen service wherever Marcher armies of any size have met Imperial foes, and many the company that carries a Last Retort also carries tales of unexpected victory with it.

Some have concerns about the enchantment's Virtue, however, since the banner seems to have an effect on those bonded to it, making them slightly less willing to talk and more willing to use violence. Others simply say that this is an anecdotal story, and that anyone bonding to a banner while preparing for battle must be expected to be tense and ill-mannered, especially the famously dour and taciturn Marchers.

Rules

Template%3AMagical Standard

- Effect: Each character bonded to this banner wielding a pike can call STRIKEDOWN once per day.

- Materials: Crafting the last retort requires twenty-seven measures of dragonbone, thirteen ingots of green iron, nine ingots of orichalcum, nine measures of iridescent gloaming, seven ingots of tempest jade, and five measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Look at them, just a dozen Marcher lads and lasses come up off the land. Everything about them says amateur; from the hand-me-down pikes that look like they've served a dozen generations to the "uniforms" that were no-doubt stitched by their dear, silver-haired old mothers. You'd expect them to be cut to ribbons in pitched combat against orcs. Instead what happens? - They scythe through the enemy flank like a field of corn at threshing time, and virtually hand us the battle. We'd better hope the Marches never start fielding Free Companies, or we're in for some serious competiton..."

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Law (Redirected from The Law)

Redirect page

Imperial Law

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The League children

The arrival of a child in a family is a time for great celebration and as a result, for the first few years of their lives, children are feted, celebrated and looked after by their family and older siblings; in the more affluent sections of society they are often bedecked in finery and brought out on show at balls and public events. While infants in League cities are treasured and cooed over, and every babe will have a dozen adopted aunts or uncles, older children are very much treated like miniature adults. Smart youngsters in League cities are apprenticed early and expected to learn the basics of how to thrive in League society.

Apprenticeship is very important in League cities. One will see young people in livery serving at the tables of a Merchant Prince or working as guides and messengers. It is expected that education will come as part of one’s apprenticeship. The master one works for will also be responsible for teaching letters and numbers, or arranging tuition. In return, the child is expected to earn their keep. It is understood that League children must be kept busy; else they turn to the fine League tradition of Making Trouble.

The Church of the Little Mother is famed for drawing its members from the orphans of war who might otherwise be reduced to begging on the streets. The Church will take in children whose parents have been killed on the borders or at sea, offering apprenticeship. Many influential leaders of the League began as orphans in the care of the Little Mother.

Things every child should know

- People will expect you to do jobs for them. This is good – keeping busy is fun and lets you see lots of different things. See how you can help.

- Lots of people have money and they should give some of it to you. You are working hard and deserve to be paid!

- A good price for a little job (such as running a message or carrying heavy things, or laying a table for a feast) is one Ring – so ask for two!

- Keep your ear out for gossip. People like to know interesting things and some pieces of information might be worth money.

- Know who’s in charge – they’re normally the people with the most money.

- Be polite – you can get a lot further with people that way; and good manners are worth their weight in gold.

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The League costumes

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Note: The tone and style of this page may need editing. All costume advice pages should be written in third person voice, using verbs that make clear that this page is advice, not direction.

Contents

- 1 Look and feel

- 2 Regional variations

- 2.1 The Bay of Catazarria

- 2.2 Holberg

- 2.3 Temeschwar

- 3 Similar nations

- 4 Research

- 4.1 Historical influences

- 4.2 The Borgias

- 4.3 Zeffarelli's Romeo and Juliet 1968

- 4.4 Romeo and Juliet (unreleased)

- 4.5 Ever After (1998)

- 5 In detail

- 6 Specifics

- 6.1 The basic garments by layer

- 7 Jewellery

- 8 Armour

- 9 Resources

- 9.1 How To's

- 9.2 Patterns

- 9.3 Reading

- 9.4 Shops

- 10 Things to avoid

Look and feel

"The people of the League are city-folk through and through" - No farming or utility costumes here, and no agricultural class. Your clothes are City clothes and not designed for harsh climates or a manual or physical lifestyles. They should be as far from 'utiity' as you can get them.

"In the League wealth is status" - As the most important people in the League, your costume should reveal your wealth and thereby status.

"Everything is on show" - Your costume should and will say something about you.

"Even the poorest of the League feel free to remark upon the fashions and actions of those around them" - In this nation your costume is more important than in any other. Expect to be judged in character so aim to keep upping your game and raising the standards around you.

"Masks represent anonymity, and are extensively used in magic" - Those playing mages should invest in one or several good masks and aim to adorn and personalize them

"In the south, doublets of richly patterned silks are cut to flatter. Sleeves are full, and the effect is somewhat top-heavy, with trousers fitted to a slender leg" - use bright jewel colors and lighter fabrics for the more southern cities. Hose are the historical option for trousers and easily sourced from reenactment sites. Other tight trousers will be appropriate however, and if only the legs are showing (rather than the crotch) leggings might be a good option and can be found in many colors at the moment. A beautiful doublet is easy to make - or make over an old one one - as seams can be tied rather than sewn. The best investment will be a very full, light undershirt for all genders.

"The northern cities are colder in climate, and clothing reflects that" - They are still city dwellers however and will not let inclement weather get in the way of good fashion. The northern cities will merely add more layers: a longer outer gown or a sleeveless surcoat or both. Fur is seen and heavier fabrics such as thick brocade and velvet. These may be darker in color but still sumptuous. In the north leather might be used in a very tailored way for garments. To the southern cities this might seem very drab indeed.

"Ladies who do not favour doublet-and-breeches often wear elaborate high-waisted gowns" - These are typically the Italian style with a very small bodice and low neckline necessitating a segment of (often contrasting) fabric at the front and an underdress/chemise to cover the chest. The gowns may be sleeveless, have slashed sleeves or the segmented sleeves over the very full chemise/undershirt. In the northern towns the burgundian gown might still be worn with its attached sleeves.

"They’ll never, ever shy from a fight" - Though the women of the League may like to display their wealth and taste with elaborate dresses they wont let a skirt stop them from proving their skill with a sword and outsiders should be wary of underestimating a Catazarri beauty.

Regional variations

The Bay of Catazarria

These stills are all taken from Neil Jordan’s “The Borgias" - the setting and period are perfect for the southern cities of Sarvos and Tassato. The feel here is firmly Southern Europe. Colours are brighter and fabrics typically lighter. Natural colours are considered drab and utility materials such as wool and leather are very dull indeed.

Holberg

Costume in Holberg is less colourful than the southern cities. Materials are thicker and heavier.

Temeschwar

Temeschwar is further north still and the costume reflects that with the use of fur not just as trimming but as an integral part of the costume, and strong Varushkan influence. A simple tutorial for making a fur hat appropriate to Temeschwar can be found here.

Similar nations

Although doublets and long gowns will be worn in both the League and Dawn, follow these tips to keep them distinct:

1. Embellishment: The Dawnish like rich but clean lines and un-fussy tailoring. The League should be the opposite. Go to town on ribbons, flounces, slashes and puffed sleeves. Costume should be extravagant and flamboyant.

2. Waistlines: Fashionable waistlines for dresses in the League are high. Full skirts should fall from the underbust. Dawn's low slung hip belts are thought to be a little provincial. Although high waisted houppelandes existed during this period I would advise avoiding them as they feature strongly in Dawn.

3. Slashes: A key look is to have bits of your undershirt displayed through the gaps in your gown or doublet. The easiest way to achieve this is by having sleeves that are tied on rather than attached. It would be quite easy to do this yourself if you have a doublet with integral sleeves. Replace the seams with ties and pull puffs of your undershirt through. (there will be more on constructing costumes later)

As Temeschwar was historically Varushkan, here there may be some influences from Varushka, perhaps displayed in the traditional style of hat or the cut of a coat. Fur is also common here. However, rich brocades and silks are rarely seen in Varushka.

Research

Historical influences

The League draws its influence from the latest and narrowest historical period of all the Nations. The key looks will be found in the late1400s (1460-1500) and generally more central and southern Europe (Look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1400%E2%80%931500_in_fashion).English fashions of this time are likely to be off mark. It is at the height of the medieval renaissance shortly before our Tudor period. Not everything worn in Europe during this period is 'on brief' however.

A popular european influence of this time is Landsknecht fashions. Landsknechte (German plural, singular Landsknecht) were European, predominantly German mercenary pikemen and supporting foot soldiers from the late 15th to the late 16th century, and achieved the reputation for being the universal mercenary of Early modern Europe (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsknecht) Please read the linked page for more advice on these costumes.

The Borgias

Most of the pictures in the look and feel section are taken from this series which really typifies the look. The costumes in the film are exceptionally high standard. Information on how to get the same look for far less cost are in following sections. Lots of detailed pictures of the costumes can be found here http://theborgias.wetpaint.com/page/COSTUMES

Zeffarelli's Romeo and Juliet 1968

The doublets and gowns in this production are beautiful. Inspiration for Bravos can be taken from the squabbling Capulets and Montagues.

Romeo and Juliet (unreleased)

Currently post production. So far the costumes seem to be suitable for this Nation.

Ever After (1998)

This film beautifully pulls historical and fantasy elements together to produce the excellent costumes. For instance, the prince's doublet in this first picture is not based on a historical pattern but nevertheless captures the feel of the League. Drew Barymore's Ball dress is lovely masquerade inspiration. Baroness Robmilla's green and gold dress would perhaps be perfect for Holberg as it uses heavier velvet and has darker colours. Its attached sleeves also suggest Holberg and the 'v' collar is similar to that of the burgundian gown.

In detail

For fabrics go all out for the richest and plushest ones. Try silks, cottons, brocade and velvets. Good imitations are available for lower cost online. The only fabrics I would suggest staying away from are shiny satin and stretch velour. Often fabrics can be picked up from charity shops. A great place to get vibrant and detailed fabrics at a reasonable price are saree shops.

Undershirts are best made of a thin and light material, highly gathered to give it the ability to be pulled through clothing in many places. A very light muslin might be a historical choice but actually a polyester, plain window 'net' can give a better effect.

Use rich embroidered or gold trims. Think about using ribbon for the ties on both men's and women's clothing.

Where possible use lacing (again consider ribbon for all genders in Catazarria) and make sure the undershirt shows though at every seam and closure.

Specifics

The basic garments by layer

The single most important item of costume for the League will be a billowing undershirt - the more volume the better. If you can't make or source a round or square necked one as here, a standard larp shirt/chemise may do - try buying it oversized. Steer clear of shirts with a turned over collar. Women may wish to wear a long underdress/chemise or a shorter shirt tucked into trousers/hose.

Tight trousers are the ideal legwear. Hose should be the joined type. If you wear a more modern trouser style try hiding the fly and any belt loops with a wider belt or sash. If the top of your trousers is hidden by other layers and the bottom by boots, thick, plain leggings are a cheap and easy option for legwear. (Patterns and tutorials to follow)

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The bodice or doublet should be tight fitting. The neckline can be any shape but avoid high collars on this layer - Ideally have it low to show the undershirt. It should ideally sit at the natural waist, at the top of the hose/trousers or shortly below. The sleeves should tie on rather than be stitched in. If you already have, or buy, a doublet or dress with attached arms you can unpick the arm hole seam and stitch on cord or ribbon ties to instantly transform it into a League costume. If making your own costume sleeves can be elaborately slashed or segmented to show the undershirt/chemise in as many places as possible. This is easy to do as rectangles can be sewn into tubes with a gap at the elbow.

(Patterns and tutorials to follow)

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The two outer garments shown could be worn by any gender. They both fall from the shoulders loosely and can be made from the same simple pattern. The overgown (Simar worn by the male figure) has loose sleeves and is typically tied closed with a sash. The surcoat worn by the woman is very simple but could have false sleeves or box pleats across the back if you are a more confident costumer. Cloaks are also suitable in most forms too.

(Patterns and tutorials to follow)

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Armour for the League is discussed more fully in the armour section, however, for those wearing long gowns the overgown could be open centre front and tucked back to allow free movement when fighting.

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Jewellery

Rings are very important in the League, representing loyalty and allegiances, and should probably be the first item of jewellery that a player invests in.

A wealthy or influential person might wear a large heavy chain loosely around their neck.

Another good way to adorn an outfit might be elaborate hair decoration. Otherwise gold and silver necklaces and bracelets with large stones will work in this nation. Fine chains are unlikely to be opulent enough.

Armour

Bravos are typically lightly armoured with perhaps a more substantive shoulder piece.

A starting Free Company may equip its soldiers with a quilted jack. Wealthier companies may have matching arming doublets, armour and helmets. A breastplate and helm are the basic armour but a full harness is rare. For the very wealthy their breastplate might be very ornately detailed. Scale and chain are unlikely to be seen here.

Resources

How To's

Italian Renaissance Gown construction http://homepages.wmich.edu/~rowen/renbk/rendressbook.html#anchor1163546

How to make your own hose instructions http://historiclife.com/Essays/howto_hose.html

Patterns

15thC doublet and hose. Ideally need to be unattached at shoulder http://www.paulmeekins.co.uk/patterns/patternpages/RH003.html

Early 16thC pattern but still ok as long as you keep the trousers tight, boys! http://www.paulmeekins.co.uk/patterns/patternpages/RH502.html

Pre-Tudor doublet and hose http://www.paulmeekins.co.uk/patterns/patternpages/RH610.html

Very simple women's overgown. You probably won't need to buy the pattern if you have any sewing experience. http://www.paulmeekins.co.uk/patterns/patternpages/RH510.html

The baggy sleeves on the gown are not necessarily perfect (try getting the segmented look by adding tight bands of fabric around the apper and lower arm to pull them in) but the bodice shape and skirts are great http://www.paulmeekins.co.uk/patterns/patternpages/RH511.html

Mens slashed sleeved doublet and hose. This simplicity Pattern is a little late in style but would still look right for the League. To improve it you could crop the doublet short so there was no flared portion over the hips. http://www.simplicity.com/p-7206-burda-style-middle-age-guard.aspx

Womens Gown.A little late in period but a lovely design. It cold be improved by having the sleves constructed seperately and tied on and by raising the waistline a little. http://www.habithat.co.uk/product_info.php/products_id/12230

Once again a little late in style but has the right feel. Could be worn with a sleeveless underdress and with a chemise for a better look. The short version would be great for fighting style with trousers and undershirt/chemise. http://www.simplicity.com/p-7937-misses-costume.aspx

Chemise pattern http://www.simplicity.com/p-1722-misses-costumes.aspx#t-0

Reading

Have a look at the art of Albrecht Durer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer), Leonado Da Vinci (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_works_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci) and Sandro Botticelli (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botticelli)

Useful, brief historical info, particularly the southern European Styles: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1400%E2%80%931500_in_fashion

This is quite interesting. Explains the fashion for showing your chemise/shirt: http://www.homemade-costumes-from-history.com/showing-your-chemise.html

http://www.florentine-persona.com/femflorence.html women's clothing in 15th c Florence

http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/

http://jessamynscloset.com/ image gallery includes 15thC

Detailed pictures of the Borgias costumes http://theborgias.wetpaint.com/page/COSTUMES

Shops

- By the Sword inc Armour and clothing (including reproductions of costumes from the Borgias TV series)

- http://www.theknightshop.co.uk Several different chemise shirt underdress styles

- Angrave Designs Custom costume production and embroidery

- Armstreet Chemises and undershirts. Not really any suitable doublets. One dress (renaissance nobility velvet dress) that although a little late in style would look in keeping

- The Midgard Seamstress Custom made UK LARP and Re-enactment costumes

- Totally Leathered provides custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

- Idiom Productions Costume and Props Workshop creates custom hand-tooled leather armour, clothing and LRP weapons

- Custom Costume Company Bespoke designs for re-enactors and roleplayers

- Evenlode Studios - High quality leather armour, costume and props handmade

Things to avoid

The 16th Century This may be tricky. Unlike the other nations with strong historical influences, here there is a definite cut off. Although there will be some overlap into the 16thC it is important to keep the feel as late 15thC as possible. Here are some tips:

1) Avoid breeches if possible. Although they are "not wrong" they become the mainstay of legwear in the Tudor period. Several of the images in the guide have breeches in them but that is due to a lack of perfect images. If you wear breeches keep them tight to the leg. Do not wear stiff padded ones.

2) Avoid padded clothes of any kind. In general these are too late period.

3) Dont use straight or conical corsets or bodices - these will give a stiff silhouette and the wrong shape. In general, overbust corsets of any kind are wrong for the look. Underbust corsets could be used under clothes for a little extra control.

4) Keep waistlines high. For doublets should stop at the natural waist. For dresses the waistline is underbust.

5) The style is soft and almost a little lazy looking. Everything is loosely tied and shirts/underdresses should seem to fall out of the connecting parts. Overgowns and surcoats fall softly from the shoulders. Shirts and dresses are very full with metres of fabric yet men's doublets and women's bodices loook like there isnt quite enough fabric.

Dandies The League is a Nation of self-made people. There are no gilded spoons and no lazy person will achieve wealth. Although appearance is of critical importance it is not a substitute for ability and action. The typical makeup and dress of the European Dandy comes from the 18th century so is far too late in style.

Wench costumes

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The League culture and customs

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 2 Dead Reckoning

- 3 Hospitality

- 4 Duelling

- 5 Performance

- 6 Relationships

- 7 Funerals

Rules

There is a strong emphasis on rules in League society. They despise people who break the law, because they are seen as cheating and using unworthy mechanisms to take wealth and power from their more prosperous neighbours. The written rules are the Imperial Laws and breaking them is considered an act of utter desperation. To reduce an enemy to the point where they are caught breaking the law to try to keep their head above water is considered by many to be the ultimate defeat that you can inflict, the final mark of shame. Assassination, theft and murder only happen if a citizen of the League has no other card left to play, and in the knowledge that they have already lost.

The League has other rules besides Imperial laws, however. Manners are important; individuals are expected to remain polite even towards their hated enemies. While the League strives to be civil not servile, it is vital to display the respect due to those who have earned positions of importance in League society. A regard for punctuality is an element of this civility; if a party begins at sundown then you can expect to be turned away if you turn up an hour later. Breaking the general rules of civility and respect suggests you are the sort of person who cannot be trusted. If you cannot obey the small, simple rules how can you be expected to obey the important, complex ones?

Dead Reckoning

For centuries the citizens of the League have engaged in ruthless competition with each other. Wealth serves as a basic way of working out who is "winning" but it is a metric that lacks finesse. Ultimately, the League deals in favours and influence. Favours are more valuable than gold, because they represent the ability to influence other people in a more direct fashion than money. In the same way, every guild keeps a count of those who have worked against their interests in the past, because such offences represent a debt that is still to be repaid. This system, called Dead Reckoning, can be bewildering to outsiders, assuming it is even visible to them.

Some citizens of the League keep a physical ledger in which their favours and debts are recorded, often in the form of a personal journal or small notebook that is kept on the person at all times. Guilds do much the same, recording obligations owed in ledger books. It is very useful to know who owes a favour to whom, or who considers themselves to be owed a debt, because carefully navigating the tricky waters of the League sea of favours and debts is a key element in success at politics between the cities.

Hospitality

“The best of everything” might as well be the League motto. Wealth exists partly to "keep score" but its true value lies in its ability to acquire the fruits of civilization: beautiful things, comfortable clothes, delicate jewellry and inspiring entertainment. While outsiders sometimes criticize the League for being a den of greed and miserliness, this is largely unsupported prejudice. Wealth, after all, achieves very little if it is simply stored in a vault.

The nation is a crossroads for trade in all kinds of luxury goods, and being able to set a fine table for close friends and allies is the mark of a solid citizen, regardless of social position. It is clear, however, that such a table is by invitation only; life in the League is busy, and unexpected guests are an unwanted distraction. People wait to be invited to dine; anyone arriving at a League table with an assumption of hospitality will receive short shrift. To ensure that everyone has a chance to see the depth of their hospitality, most individuals and guilds prefer to throw a lavish party, at most once a year, to which they invite everyone they know, friend and foe alike. Balls and feasts are common, with hosts competing to offer the most lavish entertainment and finest distractions. A party is a serious business in the League because it is an opportunity to demonstrate one's wealth and social cleverness.

Citizens of the League are meticulous in recording favours done and favours owed, but when they give a gift to someone it is free of any obligation, even the expectation that the gesture will be returned. Gifts are given by the rich and powerful as a way of demonstrating their social standing but the cleverness and appropriateness of the gift is much more vital. Gifts that display insight into a person's character, or allude to their situation are more impressive than mere wealth. Gifts to political opponents are common; they carry a mark of respect and appreciation. It is the mark of a true Merchant Prince that they are as gracious in defeat as in success.

One gift that is almost never offered casually, especially to a citizen of the League, is that of a ring. Rings have powerful connotations to League citizens, and offering a ring is tantamount to asking the recipient to swear loyalty to the giver.

Duelling

Although duelling to the death is illegal, formal duelling is an accepted way of settling disputes. Challenges are usually publicized; bouts between well-known duellists can draw sizable crowds, and particularly popular duelists may find themselves attracting a significant following. The terms of the duel are set by mutual agreement by the participants, but usually both parties will use matching weapons and fight until one party submits or is too wounded to continue. It is accepted practice for powerful and wealthy individuals to employ professional duellists to fight in their stead. It is commong for a duel to be observed by a magistrate that no foul play occurs - indeed, many duelists consider the presence of a magistrate to be insurance of a sort; if an accident does take place, it is extremely useful to have as an eyewitness one of the people responsible for enforcing the law.

Performance

Performance and display are important parts of life in the League. From the signs over every shop and the street vendors hawking their wares, the rumbustious displays of bravado by the Free companies and the dramatic duels between rival theatre troupes, to the ostentatious parties of the Merchant Princes and the displays of wealth and power, everything is on show in the League. Those who want to get ahead need to show everyone why they should be taken seriously; those who have achieved success want everyone else to know it.

Most people in the League implicitly understand the importance of image, even while they realize its artificiality. Nobody really imagines that the duels between rival actors are genuine, they understand that this is performance - indeed that is the very point of the exercise. The actors compete to be more brilliant and compelling and thereby win business for their troupe. The fights between bravos might result in broken bones, but their ultimate purpose is to demonstrate the capabilities of the Free Company they work for. The masks worn by the actors in the theatre are not real, but it is attendant on everyone to treat them as real, otherwise the play cannot proceed.

As Cicisbeo Narante Garamul said in Theatre and Politics "Remember always that the stage lies before you, and the mask you wear is the part you play in it. Rather a virtuoso villain than a mediocre hero, better a subtle servant than a heavy-handed prince. Don’t be afraid to try on masks until you find the one that suits you best, but remember to change out of sight of the audience. Loved or hated, when the curtain finally falls for you, let them feel the world is a smaller place for your passing."

Relationships

Marriage in The League is not only a matter of love or romance. By choosing to wed, two individuals are swearing an oath expressing a profound loyalty towards one another on par with the loyalty others feel for their guild, city or nation. A wedding may be a joyous occasion, but it is also a serious business. Many League citizens who choose to get married do so later in life, in early middle age, rather than in the first flush of youth. Weddings between the young, especially by those in love, are seen as ill-advised.

It is entirely acceptable for lovers to live together, or raise children, without ever being wedded. These relationships may be as casual or committed as those involved are comfortable with. However, if someone is married there is an assumption of absolute fidelity - extramarital affairs are a serious business; they destroy the reputations of both the adulterer and their paramour. In a nation where trust is important, an affair is the ultimate expression of unreliabilty and treachery. The only exception is the cicisbeo (pronounced kick-a-BEY-o in Empire), a professional paramour sometimes hired by prosperous and well to do married citizens.

Commited lovers often wear rings to represent their connection to one another, and a wedding almost invariably involves the exchange of these rings. Powerful symbols of loyalty in The League rings can have a magical significance when exchanged in this manner.

Funerals

The League obsession with keeping score extends past death. League wills are full of bequests to charitable institutions, endowments for public memorials and most of all extravagantly planned wakes. It is common to hire mourners and traditional for the deceased to attend their own wake, in the form of a single masked performer. Attendees at the wake are given free license to say things to the death masque that they would have liked to say to the deceased were they were alive.

It is common at a funeral in the League for someone trustworthy to be asked to play a death guiser. This person wears the clothes and mask of the deceased, so grieving friends and family may say a proper farewell or pass on any last words they never got the chance to say in life. The richest will also hire professional troupes to perform the highlights of their lives in theatre or music. True immortality is commissioning a play or song about your life to be performed long after you're dead. Of course, the writer may choose to subvert your memory cleverly if the actual truth doesn’t agree with the public image you wished them to portray. Immortality can be for good or ill, after all.

The vast majority of League citizens are cremated and their ashes cast into one of the of the four great rivers. The exception are those few souls whose virtue has gained them the signal honour of a place in the great Necropolis of Highguard.

Each Winter Solstice, the League celebrates a particularly lavish festival with strong ties to their funerary traditons: the Masquerade of the Reaper.

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The League economic interests

The League is rich, and the cities have always been a centre of trade within the Empire. Anyone prepared to work hard who has any level of moxie or chutzpah can amass a respectable pile of coin. There is a poor underclass in all the cities of the League, but there is a widespread perception among many that these people are poor because they “choose” to be. If they had any get-up-and-go they would join a guild and make something of themselves.

League entrepreneurs have expanded the Empire’s knowledge of foreign lands and even gone so far as to establish embassies and trade delegations outside the borders of the Empire. The Synod has expressed concerns about these embassies on more than one occasion, but the benefits they bring to the Empire have so far outweighed any danger peaceful relations with foreigners might represent.

The League is entrusted with the Imperial Mint based in Tassato, which produces all Imperial coins. At the Empire’s birth, every nation used different coinage, and trying to consolidate exchange rates and manage investment across the Empire was an economic nightmare. Issuing a new coinage was a way to support both economic growth and ensure a level of stability, and making that coin out of steel prevented coin clipping as well as strengthening the power of the Empire. The mint is run by the Civil Service, but defended by League troops and control of the Mint and its guards is a powerful political position.

The League was also ultimately responsible for the creation of the Imperial Bourse, which oversees and controls the distribution of bulk goods throughout the Empire. While they do not have a monopoly or control over this institution, more than any Nation save perhaps the Brass Coast they appreciate the opportunities for influence that the Bourse represents. Many merchant princes make a fortune in steel playing the Bourse, while others gain great influence within the Empire through clever manipulation of the markets.

The downside of the vast wealth of the League is that it breeds schemes to redistribute it and not everyone is prepared to play by the rules. There is always some up and coming individual prepared to risk hiring a few Bravos to extort a little money and there are always rumours of people who will do more for money than just threats and a beating. Those that want to be accepted into society make an effort to distance themselves from such methods as far as possible - the guilds have no time for organized crime and they work closely with the Imperial Magistrates to ensure that those involved are caught and punished. There is no sympathy for those operating outside the rules that everyone else chooses to abide by and a belief that tolerating lawbreaking undermines the fabric of League society.

To help the magistrates enforce the law, the cities employ professional thief-takers. These groups operate to identify and capture criminals, in return for bounties offered by the magistrates or by wealthy guilds and individuals. The first thief-takers were Temeschwari, but the advantages of the system spread across the League once the benefits were understood.

If the League has no truck with violent crime, they do have a love affair with confidence tricksters. Imperial law contains no protections for merchants or those who buy from them and in the League the art of the swindler is much admired. The best usually have some skill with magic and are called mountebanks, after the traditional theatrical character. They are part of League folk lore, selling the fish from an empty net to a wealthy priest or persuading a merchant prince to part with a fortune for a worthless glass bauble. Surprisingly, such deeds are perfectly acceptable within the rules of Dead Reckoning – with one very important caveat - be careful who you tell. A merchant prince may applaud your ingenuity, provided her reputation is intact, but a mountebank who makes a fool of her in public had better have some very powerful friends.

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The League hearth magic

Rings

Rings have a power all their own. They are worn to represent loyalty, and become powerful symbols of oaths and promises. Stealing a ring from someone can result in the oath or loyalty it represents being damaged in some way, and there are stories of rings used to inflict terrible curses not only on the original wearer, but on all those who are loyal to them. There are also stories that rings gain a power of their own, especially rings that represent a profound, magical or hidden loyalty - stories tell of rings that draw the shades of the betrayed to drive a villain mad.

Masks

Masks represent anonymity, and are extensively used in magic, but they also represent a hearth magic. The mask conceals the identity of the wearer, or allows that identity to be confused or connected with that of another individual, especially an iconic character. The use of masks is traditional, and can be seen as an evolution of the use of veils and cowls among the Highborn. Masks are also extensively used in ritual magic by many League magicians.

Mirrors

A similar fascination with identity revolves around the use of mirrors. Mirrors show the face that others see, but also sometimes reveal one's true face. There are stories of mirrors that reflect murderers as if they were still covered in the blood of their victims, or of mirrors that show parted lovers the location or fate of the one they are bound to. Mirrors have no identity of their own - they only show what is placed before them. Some Leaguers have adopted a practice originally from Holberg that encourages those with worries or wracked with guilt to confide their problems to their reflection - engaging in imaginary dialogues as they work through the concerns of the day. There are stories of magical mirrors that allow the reflection to take on a life of its own, to serve as advisors to those who use them or to act out the repressed desires of those reflected in them.

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The League history

Aldones di Sarvos was the Merchant Prince of Sarvos when the Empress and her supporters began their crusade. Conveniently for her, legend claims he was also the richest man in the world at that time and his silver flowed everywhere the Empress and her troops went. But Aldones was faced with a clear problem; the Sarvossians might consider themselves to be the most important people in the world, but the truth was a single city - even one with the power of Sarvos - could not compare with the power of the nations that were drawn to the Empress' banner. There were whispered suggestions among the Empress' supporters that Sarvos should become a Highborn or Freeborn territory.

Aldones met with Barell, Merchant Prince of Tassato, the fierce rival of Sarvos on the bay of Catazar and with Maria Ivanova, Boyar of Temeschwar, the greatest city of Varushka into which all the riches of that nation flowed. He introduced them to the Empress, and together they persuaded the two that their future lay with the Empire. But Aldones' plan was much more ambitious than even this. He convinced them that as the greatest cities of the world, they had more in common with each other than with the nations that surrounded them. His proposal went beyond the mere suggestion that become part of the Empire; Aldones proposed that they join together into a single League and thereby create an entirely new nation.

With their backing it was impossible for any of the Empress' supporters to gainsay Aldones's ambition and the League was recognized as the eighth nation of the Empire. The newly created Egregore helped to bind the cities into one, allowing them to adopt the best of each other's customs. Their immense geographical separation means that each city still keeps something of its own character, despite the link to the Egregore. As far as the League is concerned this is part of what gives them their strength; each city has a vital spirit of its own - they see themselves as strands of rope woven together for strength, distinct from each other but capable of pulling together when they choose.

In the years that followed, the Empire consolidated its control of the lands around the Bay of Catazar, driving the orcs into the wilderness. The cities of the League worked tirelessly to advance the Empire, but despite military successes the League were unable to identify any cities that shared their enterprising approach in the lands being conquered. They prided themselves on being first amongst equals in the Empire, but they began to whisper to each other about their loss of influence as other Nations gained new territories and senators.

As Dawnish forces pushed westwards they came to the walls of Holberg, a city so heavily fortified that it had never fallen. League forces offered to put the city under siege whilst the Dawnish armies pushed on, eager for glory in battle against the orcs that populated the surrounding lands. The League army encircled the city, but rather than starve them out and storm the walls, they began secret negotiations with the burghers who ruled the city. By the time the Dawn had completed their conquest, the clever words of the League's ambassadors and the gifts that accompanied them had been enough to convince Holberg to open its gates to the Empire. The city that has never fallen joined the Empire without a single life lost - as far any citizen of the League was concerned it was the greatest military triumph of the age.

Never before had the Senate been split over which nation might lay claim to a territory. The Merchant Princes seized this opportunity and with the help of an envoy from the city of Holberg they convinced the Senate to declare the city to be part of the League. The nobles of Dawn were incandescent with fury, regarding the territory as rightfully theirs by virtue of the blood they had spilled to conquer it. They denounced Holberg swearing that they would never lift a finger to aid the territory. Centuries later, the resentment still simmers - as Holberg lost land to the barbarians, there were never quite enough Dawnish Earls able to spare the troops to help the city - the political divisions of the past destroying the Empire's future - according to the League.

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The League leadership

If you cross a bravo they might break your fingers; cross a merchant prince and they’ll ruin you.

The League cities are administered by the Empire, but they are run by the guilds. These economic affiliations draw members from every section of League society united by common interests and a desire to work together to acquire wealth. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society. Today only a few guilds limit themselves to just one craft; most have expanded to include merchants and traders and thereby cover any economic activities they can draw profit from.

Each guild is headed by a merchant prince - an honorific title for the most economically powerful individuals that harks back to pre-Imperial times. The title is the same for all genders, a mark of respect for Aldones di Sarvos, the League's first merchant prince. Together the most powerful merchants choose their senators but beyond this they usually leave the administration of the cities to the civil service, allowing them to concentrate on increasing the wealth of their guild.

The guilds are not merely a matter of shared interests, but also of oaths and loyalties. Membership of a guild represents one of the most important loyalties a citizen of the League can hold. It is considered at least equal in importance to the loyalty owed to the League, the Empire and one's city. Those who betray their guild find every door closed to them and face exclusion from society and economic life. This is a short road to ruin in the League, a fate that most citizens will do anything to avoid. It is their ability to apply these sanctions that gives the guilds much of the power and influence they wield.

In the League, people wear rings to demonstrate their allegiances, wearing one ring for each major loyalty they owe.

Leading a territory

Each city in the League is a territory of its own and so sends one Senator to the Imperial Senate. Any citizen of the League can have a say in the identity of their Senator - provided they are prepared to work for it. The Civil Service compiles and maintains records of what investments are owned by an individual, and they are allocated a number of votes based on the value of the properties they own in that city. These votes are represented by offical "bonds", and during an election Senatorial candidates for a city try to convince the electors to give them their bonds to show their support. The bonds are then registered with the civil service. The candidate with the largest amount of support when the election ends, as represented by the value of their combined bonds, becomes the Senator.

Timing is important in League senatorial elections. Candidates must declare themselves before the election begins, and after that time no more candidates are admitted. When the elections formally open, they continue for exactly one and a half hours and then they close and no more bonds can be exchanged. Punctuality and good timekeeping are, after all, simply good manners in the League.

While the process itself is quite above-board, that does not prevent a fair degree of politicking behind the scenes. While uncommon, for example, it is not unknown for an individual to claim to be collecting bonds on behalf of one individual, only to then hand them over to another.

The senators for each Imperial territory are re-elected at specific equinox and solstices during the year. The senator for Sarvos is elected at the Summer solstice, the senator for Tassato is elected at the Autumn equinox, and the senator for Temeschwar is elected at the Winter solstice.

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The League lineage and species attitudes

The cambions’ instinctive cunning and ambition mean that many of them find a spiritual home in the League. They are especially encouraged to enter the priesthood, and many consider it fortunate to have a cambion bishop perform important ceremonies. The most successful often follow the fashion of capping their horns with bejewelled gold to display their wealth.

Briars find it hard to achieve high positions in League society. Their often blunt demeanour and tendency towards direct solutions means that they are regularly underestimated. The typical League prejudice is that briars are suited to be bravos, and little more. Many briars leave the League when their lineage becomes apparent - and not just because of prejudice. Living for extended periods in the sprawling cities of the League is emotionally and mentally draining for many briars, and the constant pressure of urbanised society can make it increasingly difficult for them to resist the destructive impulses that lurk in their blood.

Reckoners

The Reckoners of the great rivers are dominated by several families with strong merrow and naga lineage. They have done much to establish the position of their lineage in League society. Initially powerful in Tassato, the merrow boatmen of that city began by ferrying citizens across the wide river that separated the twin halves of that city. Over the years, they parleyed their knowledge of the secret assignations of citizens into political and then economic power. Although the boatmen were careful never to pry into the affairs of others, they became experts at deducing some of the nature of other people's business simply by knowing where they were going and who they were talking to.

When Aldones di Sarvos brought the cities of the League together the boatmen found themselves in competition with a guild of Nagas in Sarvos. This secretive guild made a living collecting and compiling lists of favours and debts owed by other guilds - and for a small price revealing the nature of those relationships. The two groups soon saw the benefit of cooperation and began to work together as the Guild of Reckoners.

Although there are now several different Guilds of Reckoners, they continue to display a great interest in secret affairs and espionage, supplementing their normal mercantile activities extensively with spying and information brokering. This suits both the merrow interest in truth and the naga interest in secrets, and serves as a lucrative sideline. As a consequence, many League citizens expect that any merrow or naga they meet will have the latest and most salacious gossip.

Orcs

If the lineages are generally respected and welcomed in the League, the same cannot be said for orcs. For most citizens of the League, Imperial Orcs represent the worst of both worlds; they constantly remind the citizenry of the barbarian threat and they often meddle in local schemes on behalf of their Imperial masters. Few Orcs are interested in deals or profit and thus there is little common ground between them and the average citizen of the League.

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The League look and feel

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Feel

- 3 Breakdown

- 3.1 Influences

- 3.2 Materials

- 3.3 Colours

- 3.4 Clothing

- 3.5 Armour

- 3.6 Weapons

- 4 Costume

- 5 Bravos

- 6 Free companies

- 7 Banners

- 8 Theatre and masks

- 9 Churches

Overview

The League is urban. The influences come from the Italian city states, the Hanseatic league, and Prague, as well as classic fantasy cities. This is a nation ruled by powerful guilds, and while there are poor people the cities are well maintained and are very different to the shambolic chaos of a Port Blacksand or even a Lankhmar.

The League is rich. Fine fabrics showing the wealth and style of merchant-princes. Rich silks in the south and fur trim for the northern cities of Temeswar and Holberg. It is opulent not ostentatious, a purposeful show of wealth and power.

Also see League costumes and League icons and artistry.

Feel

Flamboyant, rich, urbane, ambitious, loyal, resplendent, flourish.

Breakdown

Influences

High medieval and renaissance luxury.

Materials

Velvet, Cotton, Silk, Fur Trim, Brocade, Damask, Jacquard

Colours

The palette is rich and autumnal. Wine reds, golden yellows, supported by rich oranges and deep blues and blacks.

Clothing

In the south, short doublets of richly patterned silks are cut to flatter. Sleeves are either tight with the undershirt puffing from beneath or occasionally full, and the effect is somewhat top-heavy, with trousers cut to a slender leg. Slashing is the height of fashion, particularly amongst the military whose taste verges on the gaudy.

In the north the climate is colder, and clothing reflects that. More fur trim, more layers. Perhaps a long sleeveless gown of velvet over the fashionable doublet, which might be made of leather not silk.

Ladies who do not favour doublet-and-trousers wear elaborate high-waisted gowns. The neckline may be lower than in other nations, cut almost to the waistband. An undergown, chemise or kirtle, often of a contrasting colour, is usually visible at the front. A fashionable gown from the northern cities would ber long and full, sleeved and high-waisted. To the south, the gown might be sleeveless, or with sleeves slashed like a doublet’s. Ribbons are often used as decoration.

Armour

Armour is usually worn to allow the brightly covered clothing beneath to show through. A full harness is rarely worn, and heavy armour is usually concentrated over the vital areas, particularly the chest and head.

Those Free Companies that can afford it purchase matching armour. Those that must make use of what they can salvage combine it with matching costume to ensure that their group is identifiable as a single unit.

A starting Free Company may equip its members with a bright uniform in two contrasting colours and a quilted jack. Wealthier companies may have matching arming doublets, armour and helmets.

Weapons

Professional soldiers tend to prefer crossbows, long spears or halberds. Street fighters usually favour a light sword with a main gauche or stiletto for the off-hand. Shields are not common in either case.

Costume

League costume is beautifully tailored with layers of complex cutting and decoration. Gowns are high waisted with low necklines and complicated detailing such as puffed or slashed sleeves.

Doublets are constructed with similarly complex decoration; sleeves are often laced on to the body of the doublet. The look is generally rather top heavy with slim fitting trousers or breeches and high legged boots.

Bravos

A bravo is usually light armoured if at all. They usally wield a rapier, sometimes paired with a short parrying dagger like a main gauche. Many bravos are part of a free company.

Free companies

The riotously bright uniforms of the free companies mostly comprise two colours, with sleeves and trousers in the main colour, slashed to let the contrasting colour show through. A steel breastplate and helm provides the basic armour.

Banners

An iconic impressive banner makes a bold statement for any free company.

Theatre and masks

The tradition of masked theatre runs strong in League cities, where it is an important constituent of the magic of a performance. Facemasks are also a common element of fashionable attire for individuals from all walks of life.

This custom sprang partly from the popular Facio style of masked theatre, where actors and even audience members swap characters as they swap masks, and partly descends from the traditions of cowls and veils in Highguard society. Masks allow an individual to cultivate anonymity and the air of mystery. Some groups – military units and criminals especially – may go so far as to all wear matching masks even in dangerous situations.

Churches

The heavily decorated robes of The League priests are in sharp contrast to some of the ascetics of other nations. Lavish embroidery, metallic threads and elaborate headdresses are all used to communicate their importance.

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The League magical traditions

Theatre is a vital part of League society, and theatrical groups called troupes are common. From the most bombastic performances in lavish theatre houses to the simplest productions performed in the streets themselves – the citizens love spectacle and little is more spectacular than League theatre. In part this is due to the common use of magic by a troupe’s performers. Some of this magic is simple stage tricks, but skilled performers use can weave quite literally enchanting performances. Quite how many members of a troupe can perform formal magic is a closely kept secret. A troupe demands every bit as much loyalty as any guild and discretion about the abilities of the members is considered just another part of the rules. Whether producing a performance of Scillio’s "The Fallen Herald" or attempting a dangerous ritual by command of a Merchant Prince, every member of a troupe plays a part.

To the League, magic is a commodity like any other. Although Urizen lays claim to the secrets of grand power and treat it with great dignity, in the League it is the money of a wealthy patron that pays for that dignity. As such, the show a troupe puts on is as important to their reputation as the results they produce. The performers weave knots in time as well as space, drawing influences from the past to spread their patron’s influence in the future. They must make a show of invoking symbols of ambition, loyalty and prosperity, as much because a merchant prince enjoys watching a bravura performance as because of their importance to the ritual.

Most troupes wear masks when they perform ritual magic, and guard these masks carefully. The notion of taking on a character for the purposes of ritual is well established. When one knots the ties on a mask in order to perform enchantment, one does not simply wear a piece of cloth or leather or paper, one is wearing the combined weight of all the stories told about that character - and all the stories that can yet be told. The most famous masks in the League are in in the Armetto Theatre house, in Sarvos. These masks are old and, in some cases, nothing special to look at, but they are exceptionally potent in the hands of a skilled performer.

There is also a belief that these masks not only empower the ritual, but also ensure that any malign influences or backlash will fall on the mask, rather than the wearer because they conceal the identity of the magician. As a consequence, some masks are believed literally to be cursed items - items that cannot be destroyed because to do so is to cause the weight of the malign energies contained within to be released. Several stories - and indeed plays - tell of cursed masks and the trickery that causes their wickedness to be released on the undeserving. (see also masks in Hearth Magic).

Rivalry between troupes is famously intense, and long-standing feuds are commonplace. Troupes compete for the patronage of the most powerful guilds, and performers have even been murdered for changing troupe or giving a bad performance. Open violence is rare, but public duels between performers are an important part of advertising and promoting a troupe's plays - especially when an opening night is approaching. Such matches always draw a fine crowd as performers are expected to retort and riposte while they fight; the eventual victor will be the one who most entertains the crowd the most rather than the one who strikes the winning blow.

Mountebanks

The troupes of the League would like to believe that there is no other tradition of magic in the cities, but this is far from true. There is an underclass of street-mage known as mountebanks - a derogatory term first used by the troupes that many of these street mages have claimed for themselves as a badge of pride. Their rough magic is more immediate and improvised, rarely for the benefit of a patron, and often performed on street corners. Many mountebanks are part conjurer, part con-artist, with a widely-held reputation for being crooks and scoundrels - or so the troupes would have you believe. While not all mountebanks are confidence tricksters, enough of them are that their entire profession is viewed with some suspicion.

Many mountebanks combine an understanding of incantations with a little ritual magic, and supplement their understanding with trinkets and even potions and elixirs. They tread a fine line between entertainer and criminal, and those who step over the line are in danger of the serious repercussions that face anyone who cannot follow the rules in League society.

The archetypal example of the mountebank con is the shell game - playing on the greed and hopefulness of their victims to trick them into making a wager they cannot win.

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The League military concerns

At present the League provides only a single army to fight in the Imperial wars. At the height of the Empire's power the League was able to field two armies, but since the territory of Holberg fell under the control of barbarians, the need for soldiers to defend the city has absorbed what military strength they can spare. It is a constant frustration for many Merchant Princes that they cannot match the military strength of nations like the Marches or Dawn. However, the structure of Imperial forces does not appeal to many citizens of the League and attempts to find additional volunteers have come to nought.

Most citizens of the League who seek a military life look instead to the free companies and it is here that the nation excels. The free companies are the mercenary units for which the League is famous. Threats are considered downright rude, but most guilds still employ mercenaries; only a fool relies on the rules alone to protect their interests. After all, not everyone in the League is of the League.

Joining a free company is a serious undertaking. A free company is like a guild; members are expected to show the same loyalty, and that loyalty will be tested on the field of battle. Although free companies are renowned for their discipline on the battlefield, they are equally notorious for their riotous behaviour on the streets. Not for nothing are their members called bravos, fighting by day and drinking through the night. When two free companies are housed in the same city then rivalry easily spills over into violence. Brawls and duels abound and running battles in the streets are not unknown. The leaders of the free companies turn a blind eye as long as the bills for the damage do not mount too high, and as long as civillians are left out of the conflict. The Imperial authorities turn a blind eye provided nobody is reported killed.

If the League lack military numbers, they strive to make up for it with competent generals. League tacticians are a byword for brutal brilliance; men and women prepared to contemplate the unthinkable to achieve victory. General Anke Carsten von Temeschwar infamously stated “I am an artist, the battlefield is my canvas” when called before the Synod to justify the cruel tactics she employed against the barbarians.

Crossbows are very much in favour with the League – anyone from wealthy merchants to street bravos might tote one of these exquisitely made devices and the free companies have taken them up with great enthusiasm. While they may lack the range of a Marcher longbow, they are just as effective at short range. Crossbows are easy to produce and simple to master. Once the crossbow is cocked and ready, physical strength is irrelevant. There are not many bow users in the League, and it is considered more of a "hunting weapon" than a weapon of war.

Imperial Armies

The League fields one imperial armies; the Wolves of War. While the League used to field a second army, the Towerjacks, that army ceased to exist in 346YE and now effectively serves as the garrison that protects Holberg from the barbarian forces that besiege it. While they were active, the Towerjacks were known for their expertise at siege warfare.

The Wolves of War

The Wolves of War are an extremely versatile fighting force. Many of the soldiers in this army are bravos from the roughest parts of Temeschwar and Tassato, supported by talented engineers from Holberg and Sarvosian scouts. They are also adept at working with mercenary troops, taking advantage of the great wealth of the League to employ specialist units to help them on campaign.

In Autumn 278YE, the Dawnish Archmage of Autumn, Maurice de Gauvain, took clever advantage of a rare conjunction to gather the ilium needed to place a permanant Bound by Common Cause enchantment on the Wolves of War. This enchantment greatly enhances the ability of the army to work with Imperial military units. It coincidentally means that the General of the Wolves of War is subject to a powerful magical influence, but it remains to be seen how far-reaching this effect will be.

The first League General leads the Wolves of War army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Autumn Equinox each year.

We, the Mercenaries of The League, exist to serve the leaders of the Empire, and bring glory to our nation. Through patronage, we arm ourselves. Through leadership, we gather in companies, and perfect our fighting styles. Through experience, we chart a bloody course across the battlefield, marching not as soldiers, but as heroes. Each nation is a crucible in which champions are forged. The apothecaries and artisans of many nations give up their wares gladly, but The League would never ask such a thing of its citizens. We value their work, and pay them a fair price for it. In turn, we ask for an honest wage, to strengthen our forces, and bring honour to our patrons.

While the civilians of the League will lay down their quills and raise arms against the barbarians, the Free Companies lead a life of perpetual warfare, travelling as one, fighting as one, and willing to die as one, if the Empire demands it. It is this life that our wages pay for, an endless round of marching, drilling and combat.

Our patrons - the noble princes of the League, and the wise Generals of the Empire - need only tell us where and when, and we muster, armed and armoured according to their wishes, and equipped for the enemies that face us. When battle comes, we stand united, fearless against our foes, strengthened by the knowledge that one soldier can show weakness and confusion, but a Free Company will hold the line, and march to victory.A Mercenary Doctrine, Jakub the Unruly, Signeur of the Red Company, 156YE

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The League music

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 The music of The League

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 Songs about notable people/entities in the League

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Songs

- 1.3.2 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.3 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The music of The League

Style summary

The League is a combination of different cultures and its performance traditions reflect that. High art in all its forms, theatre and songs laced with innuendo and hidden meaning, characters who delight in cunning and trickery, flamboyance, opera and baroque/classical stylings accompanied by flutes, guitars, and even brass, themes of playfulness, loyalty and ingenuity. Low culture: comedy song, street magic, and clever rhyming, often poking fun at someone or something.

For the high art of the League, look to European and Spanish-influenced classical music, particularly Italian and German including arias, lieder, and classical instrumental music from Argentina. For low art concentrate on songs with the theme of deals, cunning, trickery, flamboyance, or loyalty and instrumental music with an Italian, Spanish, or Mariachi sound.

Commonly known songs

Songs about notable people/entities in the League

- Marching to Victory - a song about Senator Cesare.

- A Fool in a Crown - a comedy

- The Night of a Thousand Torches - a song from Temeshwar

- Holberg Wine - a tragedy

- Reuben's Brethren - popular with the mercenary companies

- Uncle Vyig - funny song about organised crime, very popular in Temeschwar, usually not sung in other League cities.

One for the kids

Tower Song - a silly round demonstrating League competitiveness.

Further examples

Songs

- Treggajoran Wartha - song about rings and trickery

- Say Gentle Ladies - medium difficulty Mozart aria. A lovely English language arrangement is available to buy here

- Flower duet (Google it)

- Lovely Joan - medium song with a moral

- Tower Song - a funny round demonstrating League competitiveness.

Instrumentation and tunes

- Recorders, flutes and whistles, classically played guitar or stringed instrument, violin, classical accordion.

- Elizabethan recorder music which played on any classical instrument would be appropriate for The League.

Other performance traditions

- Theatre and acting. There is a lot more information about this in The League brief, in particular the page on Troupes.

How to adapt your repertoire

- For 'low culture' sing in a tongue in cheek way, have a game or a joke with your audience.

- For 'high art' sing in an operatic way, up the drama! Have a listen to some Portuguese fado songs and copy the style.

- When playing folk tunes, try to pick ones that are a bit classical or baroque sounding, a good example is The Gale by Susan Conger

Our sources

Italian or German opera, Argentinian tangos and other S. American accordion music (cf. The Oxford Concert Party), classical poetry, Portuguese/Brazilian fado songs, Alejandro Toledo & The Magic Tombolinos

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music.

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The League people

One people with four souls

The four great cities of the League give the nation her spirit. Her love of culture, the appreciation for fine things, opera, theatre, art and dance come from Sarvos. The determination to be the best, savouring every triumph, ferocious competition and ruthless nerve are born of Temeschwar. The problem-solving, imagination and sheer brilliance of Holberg has led to their mastery of surgery and engineering. The childlike delight with the cunning and the clever spreads from Tassato, where words are laced with more ambiguity than meaning and every ruse conceals another strategem beneath it.

While the character of each city can be clearly seen, it is important to appreciate that this is one nation, bound by their Egregore and countless generations of migrations and marriages. "One people with four souls" is how the League often describes itself - and individuals and groups draw their strength and their character from the best qualities of the whole nation. Citizens of the League are always proud of their city and some strive to exemplify its attributes, but it is as if the qualities were in the cities themselves as much as the people who inhabit them.

True power in the cities is in the hands of the guilds. The guilds are exceptionally varied; some are organized to supply a single product or skill while others have no common basis beyond a group of people who join together to make money. There are guilds that are mercenary companies or theatre groups and some say the churches of the League are little more than guilds. What the guilds have in common is the expectation of loyalty, their ties are every bit as strong as the closest family. Loyalty to your guild is one of the great pillars of life in the League. The guilds have no formal powers so they use their stranglehold on economic existence in the cities to rule despite that; if you want to get ahead in the League - join a guild.

The League is committed to the Empire; Imperial law has brought peace and prosperity. The opportunities and the civilization that the Empire brings are things that many are prepared to die – or preferably kill – to preserve. Because the citizens of the League see themselves as the pre-eminent people of the Empire, they tend to view the Empire very possessively - as if the whole thing were arranged for their benefit.

League society greatly prizes loyalty, but scorns servility. Everyone is expected to give as good as they receive. They are relentlessly competitive in everything they turn their hands to, always seeking to outdo each other. They are not obsessed with money, as some claim, but money is a great way to judge success - a metric by which to quantify how well you have done. When outsiders point out that they seem to view life as a game they are playing then League citizens tend to agree - "someone is keeping score" is the usual response. But it is not a case of treating war, politics and trade like a child's game, it is a case of treating every game they play as seriously as if it were a war.

There is a merciless emphasis on the rules in the League. Crime is always a problem in the cities, but those who hold the reins of power regard it as a parasite, eating into their own profits. They ensure the laws are enforced with a brutal practicality and pragmatism, that stems in part from a cultural belief that those who break the rules have cheated in the game. It is not just the laws they hold in iron regard; a civil tongue, the customs of the city, her superstitions and her rules, are not to be broken. If an individual does not respect League society enough to play by the same rules as everyone else, how can you be sure what other rules they will break? Such people are not trusted and in business, a lack of trust is fatal to your chances of success.

Famed for a devotion to the arts, the League claims to have invented opera and theatre and take constant joy in the novel and the clever. They appreciate flair and wit, as signs of a sharp mind. Witty banter and verbal quips are considered fine entertainment in the League. Those who can employ wit skillfully are given more license than others to break the social rules of respect with less chance to cause a scene - or a duel.

This is not a nation of effete libertines. Innovative gewgaws and beautiful artworks are prized, but they are nothing compared to the pride these people take in the exercise of their will, their ambition and their success. A clever quip is no substitute for wealth, power, influence and the will to employ them to meet one's goals. The Merchant Prince may continue to make ironic comments when a situation turns deadly serious, but never make the mistake of thinking that they are not prepared to do what it takes to ensure the outcome they favour. More than one guest has made an inappropriate "joke" and discovered themselves ejected from someone's home - often through a first storey window.

Any gutter urchin might be a merchant prince one day, so you must be careful, cousin. Kick a puppy today, and tomorrow it might have grown up to be the hound that has your hand in its jaws ...

Two Gentlemen of Tassato, Act I, scene ii

Names in the League

Each of the four cities of the League has a different flavour. We suggest Italian names for Sarvossian characters, Eastern European names for Temeschwari characters, German or Dutch names for Holberghan characters and Portuguese names for Tassatan characters.

Most people in the League use their city as part of their name. They may use one of a number of connecting words - "di", "de", "van" and "of" are all popular and are used interchangably across the League - but they firmly indicate the city they are loyal to. This is usually the city of their birth, but not always. Many League citizens have cause to move from one city to another at one time and some find themselves more at home in their new city than the place of their birth.

Many individuals do not bother with a family name, although they may take some element of their name from their guild.

Sample names

- Elsbet van Temeschwar, of the Black Raven

- Bertolli Giacomi di Sarvos, of the Giacomi Carta

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The League religious beliefs

Virtue made the Empire strong, we made it great

Bishop Gilde van Holberg, Address to the Assembly of Prosperity

To the eyes of an outsider, religion in the League seems a little transactional. Many religious buildings and celebrations seem to exist to take money or goods from the citizens in the most splendidly showy way possible. This certainly isn’t to say that priests here are not fervent or devout in their beliefs. They simply recognise that they provide a service and should be recompensed appropriately. Competition amongst priests for provision of lucrative religious services, such as the marriage of a merchant prince or the funeral of a wealthy merchant, is fierce. The priesthood make an effort to provide a spectacle for such events, ensuring that they earn their wage.

The League quality of competition is as strong in matters of faith and spirituality as it is in every other aspect of life. A bishop of the League may be as pious as any priest of Highguard, but they can also be as ruthless and mercantile as any merchant prince. Where the guilds keep score with coin and favour, the bishops use the size and notable membership of their congregations. The most powerful include artisans, tradesman and in some cases mercenaries or dedicated soldiers as well as priests and layfolk. The bishops of the League together form the League Assembly within the Imperial Synod, and when united on a common purpose their political acumen can make them a potent force.

In addition to preaching The Way of Virtue, many of the churches in the League also operate on the basis of providing civic functions paid for by donations, often from the people they have helped. Some employ soldiers to patrol the streets and keep them free of muggers and pickpockets, while others operate schools and hospitals. Others look beyond the borders of the League, actively soliciting donations to help them in their "good works," seeing their city, their nation or even the whole Empire as their congregation and its defence and improvement their responsibility.

Church of the Little Mother

The most famous League church is the Church of The Little Mother. Originally based in Sarvos, churches dedicated to the Little Mother, an Exemplar of Prosperity and the matron of children and orphans, are found in all League cities and in some parts of other Nations as well. The Little Mother takes in orphaned or abandoned children, ensuring that they receive a chance in life. Children are taught basic numeracy and literacy before being apprenticed to a master in the city. The Church sustains itself with donations, often made by former beneficiaries, and is well respected by the Imperial authorities and League people. It can also wield a surprising amount of political power, as many influential people owe their start in life to the priests of the Little Mother.

Aldones di Sarvos

A key figure in the religious life of many citizens is Aldones di Sarvos, who many look to as the founder of the League, and is recognised by the Imperial Synod as a Paragon of Ambition. Aldones started life with nothing and through his labours, fierce competition, skill and swordsmanship, created the first guild and declared himself a Merchant Prince. Aldones did many great deeds throughout his life, but all inspired by the love he bore his city. Aldones' legacy was affirmed when, through his vision and influence, he united the cities of the League, and helped forge a Nation. He disappeared - or ascended - shortly after his keynote speech to the newly-united League, and the final words of his address are inscribed on his memorial in Sarvos to inspire his successors to pursue their goals: "In Highguard, they build castles and call them towns. We will build cities, and call them a nation."

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The League territories

The city is the mirror of the world. If we cannot master the city, how can we master the world?

Gidea di Sarvos, Reflections

Each territory in the League represents the land that extends around a single great city. Surrounding lands are tightly parcelled into estates, each of which is traditionally worked hard but may also be sculpted for maximum beauty. Commonly country estates are kept for show, but a Merchant Prince will only really relax when at their townhouse in the city, surrounded by the fruits of civilization. The League is small in terms of landmass compared to some other nations, but it still manages to have a sizeable population.

Each of the four cities of the League has something of a character of its own. League citizens from that city may strive to exemplify what they see as the strong qualities of their city, but the truth is that all these characteristics are present in every citizen in the League. The physical city itself seems to have some effect, citizens from one city who move to another often find themselves reflecting the mood of their new home. How much an individual character or group chooses to emphasize the city of their birth - or the city they live in - is entirely up to the player.

Territories

- Tassato

- Sarvos

- Temeschwar

- Holberg (lost)

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The Leaping Hare

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target may call STRIKEDOWN once per day with a pole-arm.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This enchantment is among one of the best-known Summer rituals. Along with The Swan's Cruel Wing, The Hammer of Thunder and Strength of the Bull it provides a coven with the ability to select the right enchantment to enhance any band of warriors.

The ritual is usually referred to by it's popular Marcher name. The swift movement of the hare, and the way it weaves back and forth underfoot, are an image associated for the quick and deft use of a bill to hook a target's legs out from under her. Some magicians use the name of their own favoured totem animal in the ritual - for example it is called The Dancing Fox by some Navarr, while several cabals of Dawnish war-witches call it Glittering Salmon Leap, and a few Urizen refer to it as the Charge of the Mountain Goat.

Common Elements

This ritual usually involves both the target and their pole-arm. A ritualist might trace matching runes on weapons and warrior, or might anoint them with a mixture of blood and oil. The target is often persuaded to perform a series of quick, deft maneuvers; sweeping, jabbing and hooking as the ritualist weaves magic over the warrior and the pole-arm. Legendary warriors, especially those who displayed cleverness or guile, are often invoked as are Paragons and Exemplars of warlike mien.

Any of the Summer runes might be evoked, but Jotra, the rune of battle, is the most common. An evocation of The Stallion or The Oak may be appropriate with this ritual, as are evocations of horses and unicorns.

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The Library

The library is a throne, a location used in dramaturgy that represents both a setting and a Realm of magic.

Realm: Day.

Setting: The airy library of an Urizen spire, a cramped Varushkan wise one's hut or a dusty Highguard scroll-room, the courtoom of a magistrate or an ice-cavern beneath Wintermark with rune-covered walls - all of these may evoke the Library. It is always a place of learning, where knowledge and wisdom are applied. It is sometimes the Chapel, where meditation and introspection take place.

Characters: The Doctor and The Bishop are strong characters in this setting; they uncover or declaim truths, discover secrets and reveal important events. It is also a place where people receive news of distant events. Any character may reveal their innermost thoughts here.

Magical Style: This is a place of knowledge, where information is uncovered and hidden things found. Divination rituals take place here. It is also a place of introspection and meditation - purification is a theme, as is healing. It is obvious that rituals such as Swim Leviathan's Deoths may be performed here, but so might a ritual such as Art of the Deal, where the Prince pores over a map of distant lands, or Clarity of the Master Strategist where the Captain and the Doctor discuss difficult choices for the coming battle.

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The Lion and the Unicorn

Trad. The Keeper Did A-Hunting Go. A rather slow version here. OOC lyrics by Jude Reid.

The lion did a hunting go Down in the woods where the green leaves grow All for to feast on a stag or a doe Among the leaves so green o There in the woods was a unicorn Silver mane and long white horn A nobler beast was never born Among the leaves so green o

Chorus: Come with me (Come with me) Come and see (Come and see) The Lion and the Unicorn Among the leaves so green o

The lion flexed her cruel claws And spittle dripped from her mighty jaws She thought that she'd devour him raw Among the leaves so green o The unicorn cried 'Don't eat me Although in truth I'd honoured be I know a more fitting meal for thee Among the leaves so green o'

Chorus:

'Up on yonder leafy hill There lies a stag that's newly killed And there you may go and eat your fill Among the leaves so green o' The lion followed where he led on Though she laughed at the foolish unicorn She'd eat him up and leave just the horn Among the leaves so green o

Chorus:

He led her to a leafy glade And there she found a table laid With meats all roasted and displayed Among the leaves so green o But as she sprang and feasted there Around her neck the hunter's snare Pulled her high up in the air Among the leaves so green o

Chorus:

The lion roared in rage and spite The hunter's snare it held her tight And there she hung both day and night Among the leaves so green o The lion pleaded all in vain The unicorn went home again Lord and master of his domain Among the leaves so green o

Chorus:

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The Little Mother

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

The Little Mother, of the League, was recognised as an Exemplar of Prosperity by the Highborn Assembly of the Virtuous, after pilgrims and Wayfarers brought tales and evidence to Bastion in the time before the Synod.

Biography

Signs

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The Key and The Lock (Redirected from The Lock)

Contents

- 1 The Lock

- 1.1 The Law

- 1.2 The Constellation

- 1.3 Symbolism

- 1.4 Invoking the Lock in magic

- 1.5 Tulpas of the Lock

- 1.6 Alignment

- 2 The Key

- 2.1 The Law

- 2.2 The Constellation

- 2.3 Symbolism

- 2.4 Invoking The Key in Magic

- 2.5 Tulpas of the Key

- 2.6 Alignment

The Lock

The Law

Things can be hidden

The Constellation

The Lock is a trio of stars located below The Key. Forming a triangle, its brightest star points in the direction of the constellation of The Door.

Symbolism

the Lock is a powerful symbol in Astronomancy signifying seals, secrets, hidden knowledge and control of access. To invoke the Lock can conceal other constellations being invoked; tradition also states that things conducted under these stars will remain hidden from public view.

The Lock is often engraved on doors or on buildings wherein secret meetings occur; in the league this is often painted into the decor of rooms and salons.

In Urizen the Lock is regarded as a hostile constellation; an enemy to archivists and those who seek to uncover the truth. Torchbearers particularly regard it as malevolent. Conversely, in high guard the Lock is regarded as the patron constellation of those who guard the secrets of the past.

Invoking the Lock in magic

In magic the Lock is primarily associated with bars, wards and defensive magicks that conceal, prevent access to or deny control over something.

Some ritualists – this is a common tactic in The League and Highguard – use The Lock to conceal or obfuscate a second constellation in the ritual by moving to or closing the ritual under the Lock. Tulpas generated by such rituals tend to be Lock tulpas but with the characteristics of the concealed constellation.

Tulpas of the Lock

Lock Tulpas normally manifest themselves as shrouded, veiled or hooded figures, often bearing a resemblance to Highborn ascetics. They move slowly and seldom speak; but often manifest under their concealing robes as an entirely different kind of Tulpa altogether. Opinion is divided among Astronomancers as to whether Lock Tulpas are true thoughtforms at all or are instead some form of symbiotic shroud used by other Tulpas to conceal their nature or motive.

One thoughtform clearly associated with The Lock is The Chained Man, a humanoid figure with a veil and draped in heavy iron chains. Common to The League, he is said to be able to seal any door and lock any chest with a touch such that no magic can open it.

Alignment

It is believed that alignment with The Lock invokes a strong sense of secrecy and uncommunicativeness. Ritualists may become pensive and silent or may conceal their intent or motives for no apparent reason after a lock ritual. Because of the intense secrecy associated with the constellation, few ritualists are willing to speak of their experiences under it.

The Key

The Law

Things are revealed

The Constellation

The Key is formed by a pair of twin stars and found almost directly above The Lock. It sits outside the curve where The Great Wyrm passes behind the tail of The Phoenix.

Symbolism

Opener of the ways, standing in opposition to both the Door and the Lock, The Key is a recondite and mystical constellation with considerably more significance than just the opening of things.

The Key symbolises understanding; the key to a code, the key to a secret, the key to a map. Specialist knowledge that must be possessed to make other things clear; hidden wisdom that makes other knowledge manifest. The principles of the Key are that there are no secrets; just levels of understanding that any man can pursue if he has the will, opportunity and desire.

The Key is the constellation of the Torchbearers; indeed, in Urizen and Highguard The Key is sometimes referred to as The Torch.

Invoking The Key in Magic

The Key is one of the most commonly used Astronomantic invocations. It’s simplest use is in direct opposition to invocations of The Lock; opening what is sealed, revealing what is hidden, undoing what has been done. But it has subtler and more nuanced uses too. Scrying rituals or those which seek to uncover secrets or hidden things fall under the aegis of the Key but so do those where prior specialist knowledge is required. Autumn rituals to do with businesses are often invoked under the Key where the ritualist lacks the specialist knowledge required to make a success of a given business – knowledge of good grapes for a vintner, or of where the finest cloth may be purchased for a milliner or tailor.

Tulpas of the Key

One of the most famous thoughtforms of the Key is a being called Revelation – a bald human dressed in white carrying a great ring of keys. It is said the presence of Revelation uncovers secret knowledge and reveals the majesty of the universe to the beholder; it is also said that many who endure the close presence of this Tulpa run mad from the experience.

The Key also manifests as birds, especially owls or hunting birds, or as creatures of air and light. It is best to avoid creating a situation where Tulpas of the Lock and Key come into contact with one another as they tend to react negatively to each others’ presence.

Alignment

Ritualists invoking the Key speak of a desire to lay open all of the mysteries of the Universe – to place secrets in the open, to tell everyone your darkest desires and wildest fantasies. This is coupled with a strange euphoria, as if the telling of such things released a terrible burden one did not know one carried.

Many’s the ritualist who has spent the day after a Key ritual apologising to the rest of his ritualists for the things he said after the rite was concluded.

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The Lure of Distant Shores

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 10

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 10

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a fleet. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target fleet earns additional profit during the next season, but only if it engages in foreign trade. The effect of the ritual increases the level of the target fleet by 5 ranks, which is sufficient to effectively double the production of a starting fleet.

The character who controls the target resource is under a roleplaying effect for at least ten minutes after the ritual is performed: they feel a strong urge to seek out new situations and new people, learn all they can about them, and find ways to influence them for their own advantage.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event. If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory. If the fleet does not engage in foreign trade during the next downtime, the ritual has no effect.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional fleets belonging to characters in the same band. Each additional fleet increases the magnitude by 8. The character who controls each fleet must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

This ritual is quite similar to the Day ritual Sular's Promise in it's effect, but is somewhat more economical to perform in the Autumn realm. It helps navigators chart routes to distant lands, and encourages sailors and ships alike to work in close harmony to reach hitherto unknown shores. Target ships seem to serendipitously adjust their courses by themselves, avoiding hidden dangers and submarine terrors with equal ease. On reaching new ports, the merchants who operate from the fleet are able to make surprisingly good deals.

This enchantment often ensures that the target fleet will encounter luck or fortune that results in some sort of adventure. For example, a League merchantman bound for Leerdam in the eastern Commonwealth ended up blown off course and involved in a furious battle between Commonwealth troops and local barbarians. After their valuable assistance, the leaders of the Commonwealth army rewarded the League traders handsomely, helped them repair their ship, and sent them on their way with considerably more tempest jade and green iron than they might have expected to gain in trade had they reached Leerdam. Likewise, a Marcher vessel operating out of Meade offered an Sumaahn ship assistance only to become embroiled in a tale of mistaken identity, Sumaahn politics and corruption that resulted in great profits for the Marcher fleet-owner - and a new wife for the captain.

(OOC Note: You are encouraged to make up similar stories to explain the additional profits generated from this ritual, highlighting adventure, coincidence, romance, intrigue and strange encounters. A referee will not provide additional specific information about your trading actities beyond what is presented here, and what can be potentially gleaned from the pages about foreign nations.).

Common Elements

The ritual both influences chance and encourages the crew and officers of a fleet to take risks that later turn out to be lucrative. Ritual performances often include the evocation of the rune of chance or the rune of wealth, as well as things that encourage risk-taking and accentuate the value of seeking out new opportunities for profit and influence . Foreign traders are a component of some rituals; a Sarvosan troupe may invite a Jarmish dignitary to view a performance of a play involving themes of trade and travel, while a Freeborn coven might perform an energetic dance inspired by Faraden rhythms.

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The Marches children

Marcher children are treated like any other growing thing; they are nurtured so that they may grow straight, strong and true, they are showered with love like the rain and sun and with discipline like the frost and wind.

It is universally recognised in the Marches that children are not yet “finished”, that is, that they have not grown enough in order to bear fruit (have children of their own, fight in the armies, or contribute to the nation in quite the same way as an adult). Until adulthood is reached, a child’s soul has not “fixed” or “settled” in their body; this is why children can be prone to selfishness, whim or fancy and can be unpredictable or fickle.

However, that doesn't mean they can't be useful to have around. The notion is that they'll learn best by watching and helping where they can. This practise is formalised by custom as "giving a hand". It's a precurser to apprenticeship but more based on the child’s interest and not a permanent thing. If a child is watching what you’re doing, ask them to ‘give you a hand’ and give them something to ‘do’, something which doesn’t get in your way. That involves them in what you're doing whilst they watch and learn. An interested child might ask if they can ‘give you a hand’, meaning they want to learn more by helping out.

Most Marcher children are given a poppet each year. Looking after the poppet is part of the child’s growing and maturing process – “learn to look after yourself and you’ll better look out for others” many a mother has been heard to say to her child. The poppet contains a hearth magic that helps to protect the child against disease and illness. When the child’s poppet is ploughed back into the field their connection to the land is strengthened.

When a child passes the tests of adulthood, there is a celebration. Not unlike a birthday, gifts are given and some parents present their children with a weapon so that the child may fight for the Marches when needed and with a tool so that they may work the land in the mean time. These items are often heirlooms and have been passed along generations of families. There are a few regional variations upon this, but the principles are the same. Some well-wishers give a gift of symbolic jewellery representing the items instead.

Things every child should know

- Give people a hand. Hard work is the secret to respect in the Marches. If you see people you know who are working hard, offer to give them a hand. If they include you in what they are doing, they'll treat you with more respect and you may learn something useful.

- Hue and cry. In the Marches, people work together to stop criminals. Keep your eyes open for anyone up to no good and give a shout if you see it.

- Shunning. You must never shun another child, but if you are told that someone is shunned then you should make an effort to ignore them and not talk to them.

- Sport. When you're not working, get a ball and some friends and have a game. Don't worry about the rules, worry about winning!

- Traditions. If you see someone breaking the Marchers' traditions always speak up and let others know that something is wrong.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=The_Marches_children&oldid=30201"

The Marches costumes

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Note: The tone and style of this page may need editing. All costume advice pages should be written in third person voice, using verbs that make clear that this page is advice, not direction.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 10 Quick Tips

- 3 Making Guides and Examples

- 3.1 Tunics

- 3.2 Cotehardie

- 3.3 Doublet

- 3.4 Shirts

- 3.5 Legwear

- 3.5.1 Braies

- 3.5.2 Pourpoints

- 3.6 Dresses

- 3.6.1 Kirtles

- 3.6.2 Cotehardies

- 3.6.3 Shifts

- 3.7 Headwear

- 3.7.1 Coifs

- 3.7.2 Hoods

- 3.7.3 Hats and caps

- 3.8 Cloaks

- 3.9 Shoes

- 3.10 Armour

- 3.10.1 Jacks

- 3.10.2 Brigandine

- 3.11 Livery

- 3.12 Children's costumes

- 4 Inspiration

- 4.1 Colour Scheme

- 4.2 Historical Women's Wear Reference Material

- 4.3 Historical Men's Wear Reference Material

- 4.4 Reenactment Sources

- 4.5 Guides to Livery

- 4.6 Books

- 4.7 Costume sellers

- 4.8 Armourers

- 4.9 Leather items including shoes

- 4.10 Fur and traditional materials

- 4.11 Camping accessories and other bits

- 4.12 Flags, banners and livery badges

- 4.13 Pewter and cast goods

- 4.14 Wooden items

- 4.15 Tents

Overview

The Marches draws strongly on English history from the 12th century through to the Wars of the Roses for costume, weaponry and armour. The look is earthy, sober and simple with plain flat colours of natural dyes and unbleached cloth. The fabrics are likewise natural - wool, calico, linen and leather combine to give a realistic look. Medieval re-enactments are a great source of inspiration for the look and feel of Marches territory - although unlike history, its worth noting that Marches society is gender neutral. Clothing is chosen according to the situation and activity, rather than through roles assigned to men or women.

"Pride in small things, loyalty to great ones"

10 Quick Tips

- Charity shop fabric rails are a great source of wool blankets that can be made into staples of Marcher costume

- With the popularity of medieval re-enactment, its very easy to buy off the peg hose, doublets, cote-hardie and other key pieces - just head for 12th - 15th Century, rather than Tudor kit when choosing on-line or at kit fairs.

- Don't fancy hose? Don't worry. Any reasonably close fitting trousers in earthy or dark colours will look good for practical Marches characters.

- Households and families are important in the Marches - displaying the house livery can be done cheaply through simple sashes or badges or if you fancy something a bit clearer, follow the guides for livery coats.

- There are a range of options for practical footwear - from bespoke re-enactment shoes to simple desert boots - any soft leather or suede with simple ties, laces or side buckles will look good.

- Worried about all that itchy wool and linen? Shirts and shifts are your friends, both are simple, loose and easily available in cotton and make a good part of the Marchers look. And whilst re-enactment markets are very useful for Marcher supplies, we're not looking for historical accuracy here - there's no expectation for you to be in itchy underwear!

- For those playing a rich Marcher, it could be easy to make choices that make the costume seem very similar to neighbouring Dawn - by sticking to plain fabrics (wool, maybe velvet, but not silks or brocades) and choosing rich autumnal colours rather than bright summery ones confusion can be avoided

- Marcher beaters who are likely to wear light leather armour can avoid being confused with Steinr and Navarr by staying away from furs and going for classic Marcher accessories. Bollock pouches are one example that are really simple to make and easily available to buy.

- Want to indicate low status? Try adding an apron or leather trousers or swap a doublet for a sleeveless jerkin.

- Want to show off high status? Try doing so very discreetly, with a rich lining or carefully chosen buttons rather than ostentatious trims and decoration.

Making Guides and Examples

Tunics

The simplest item a Marcher can wear is the T-tunic, which is a common garment throughout the Empire. In the Marches it will usually be undecorated, long sleeved and belted, and will commonly be worn by the lower classes, with hose or trousers and maybe a simple jerkin - usually made from linen or wool.

- How to make a t-tunic

- T-Tunic instructions

- T-tunic instructions

Cotehardie

A more fitted version of the t-tunic, with central lacing is known as a Cotehardie - this comes in many lengths - from high on the thigh to floor length. It hangs best when made in heavier fabrics, and tends to denote higher status than a simple tunic.

- Period Patterns 23

- Reconstructing History 022

Doublet

A more complex and tailored option is the doublet, like the puffed shoulder, and the baggy upper arm. Doublets are usually between waist and thigh length and can fasten with buttons, lacing or hooks and eyes. Doublets are usually made of wool, but a heavier weight of linen will also work.

- Reconstructing History 003

Shirts

A plain cotton or linen shirt with a round/key-hole neck or simple collar would usually be worn underneath both cotehardies and doublets. These help to soak up sweat as well as stopping the woollen garments from being too itchy.

Shirts can be worn on their own as an alternative to a tunic, perhaps with a leather jerkin over the top.

- Reconstructing History 024 - multi item pattern

- Reconstructing History 008 - multi item pattern

- Tunic style shirt

Legwear

Marcher leg wear is practical and slim fitting. Close fitting trousers are practical and easy to come by or make.

- Basic trousers

Hose is also easier to make and wear than you might think and can be very practical for both day to day wear and fighting:

Woollen hose come as split hose, which are two separate legs with or without integral feet, or joined hose which are one piece with a flap at the groin. Split hose should be worn with long braies, which are a mid thigh length, baggy boxer short style garment. Joined hose, and some split hose will tie or 'point' to either a doublet, or to a 'pourpoint' (literally meaning 'for pointing'), which is a waistcoat style top worn in much the same way as modern braces are! Split hose can also be held up by a belt, if they have loops at the tops of the legs.

Both braies and split hose are very easy to make from scratch, although joined hose are fairly complex to get the fit right, which is the vital component to stopping them splitting! The other important factor for making hose is to make them stretchy. This can be done by using boiled wool, which is naturally stretchy, or 'cutting on the bias' to use fabric's natural stretchy-ness.

- Joined hose

- Reconstructing History 024

- Split hose

Braies

- Reconstructing History 024

Pourpoints

- Pourpoint instructions

Dresses

Women's wear from the historical period offers the option of more fitted styling and longer lengths in a choice of simple dresses made in heavy flowing fabrics and worn over a lighter shift.

The kirtle is the basic pull on, t-shaped gown which was worn throughout northern Europe from the dark ages onwards. kirtles Later kirtles became more fitted and either button or lace up the front. These are often called cotehardies These dresses can also lace up the side, or in the back(showing status as help is required!) and can be as tight or loose as desired.cotehardie They're usually worn over a lightweight underdress called a shift which can be made by simply adding some panels to a t-tunic to allow for movement. All three of these dresses are straightforward to make either from patterns or from pattern diagrams and are easy to buy from both reenactment and LARP suppliers. Generally these dresses are made from wool, but heavier weights of linen or cotton are also suitable.

These dresses can be worn with the skirt tucked into the belt at the front to display the shift underneath, or show off a fancy lining.

Some sources of information and patterns are given below.

Kirtles

- The underdress in this pattern Burda Patterns 7977

- Burda Patterns 7468

- Reconstructing History 018

- Authentic Patterns Late Medieval Kirtle

- Reconstructing History pattern RH002

- Basic pattern instructions

- Basic pattern instructions

- Nehelenia Kirtle pattern

- McCalls Pattern 4490

- McCalls Pattern 4491

- Butterick Pattern 4827

Cotehardies

- Instructions on creating cotehardies

- Period Patterns 21

Shifts

- T-tunic instructions

- How to make a t-tunic

- Reconstructing History pattern RH018

- Reconstructing History pattern RH009

Headwear

Most Marchers will wear some sort of headwear. Hoods, coifs, caps and hats all add to the Marcher look.

Coifs

These can be made from linen, for every day wear, and from leather or padded linen or wool for combat. Coifs can be simple white linen, or embroidered and coloured for a fancier look.

- Coif pattern

- 3 different styles of coif pattern

- Shows how to alter the above pattern to create a nice cap for women

Hoods

Best made out of wool, or leather for beaters in particular. Another very variable garment with dozens of options for length, colour and decoration meaning a hood can be a simple or fancy as you like.

- Good information and patterns for hoods

- Cowl and hood

- Various hood patterns

- Reconstructing History 008 - Multiple head wear items

- Reconstructing History 009 - Multiple women's head wear items

Hats and caps

There are lots of hats that would look great in the Marches, the key kinds are a simple skullcap, a square cap, an acorn cap and the bag or sack hat.

- Skullcap pattern

- Skullcap pattern

- Skullcap pattern

Cloaks

Marchers, being a practical people, have plenty of options for keeping the rain off. Cloaks can be simple half circles, or luxurious full circles. They come with and without hoods, can be decorated by dagging and fastened with pins, buttons or straps. There are a good list of cloak patterns given on this website.

- Nehelenia Patterns - Multi part pattern for men and women

- Nehelenia Patterns - Men's tabard cape

Shoes

For those who'd like to make their own shoes: Medieval shoe pattern

Otherwise desert boots, and other soft leather and suede boots can work well, as can re-enactment specialised supplies. Boots for the rich can rise far higher than the ankle - even over the knee in some cases.

Armour

Jacks

Poor Marchers may wear just a plain coloured padded jack or gambeson as their only armour. Wealthier yeomen have jacks in their household colours and mail or plate over the top if they have it. Richer people will add chain and maybe odd pieces of plate, like a gorget on top, while the rich will wear a full harness of plate. Beaters usually wear lighter armour, either just a padded or leather jack or else a leather tunic like the ones worn by the Rangers in Lord of the Rings.

Padded Jacks are fairly simple, though time consuming, to make from cheap calico quilted to 'batting' used to stuff quilts. The very simplest way is to make a T-Tunic as detailed in the men's clothes section, and simply sew the batting to the calico panels in straight lines before sewing the pieces together. More historically accurate gambesons can be made by sewing channels into the jack and stuffing them with fabric. Instructions for various styles are below;

- Batting stuffed gambeson

- Simple batting stuffed gambeson

- Handmade linen gambeson

- Stuffed jack

- Padded gambesons

- Various arming clothes - coifs, jacks and coat of plates

- Arming coat

- Historical arming coat

- Fancy arming coat

Brigandine

A good option for many Marchers with a bit of money is a brigandine, a series of overlapping metal plates inside a fabric shell. These can be home made, though require equipment to cut and rivet metal and take a lot of time and patience!

- Tutorial on how to make brigandine Patterns from 14th 15th and 16th centuries.

- Instructions and patterns

- 15th Century Archer

Livery

Any Marcher who owns farmland is a member of a Household, albeit perhaps a Household of one, and any Marcher Household can declare a livery. Members of the Household wear the livery colours in some way. Stewards of a Household that alies to a more powerful Household usually retain their own livery, or combine it with the new Households’ colours in some way. Households often wear matching livery jackets - and here's a guide, although simple sashes or badges are also effective ways of showing affiliation.

- How to make a livery coat

Children's costumes

Children in the Marches can be dressed in scaled down versions of their parent's clothes. For toddlers and babies, traditional smocks, or simple t-tunics and drawstring trousers are simple and easy to pull-on garments, that can be made in linen or cotton for easy washing! These types of clothes also have plenty of flexibility in terms of size, meaning you'll get more than one year's use out of them. Small coifs, made as described above are great for keeping the sun off a baby's head and simple straw hats can also be used to stop children burning. Older children can either have their own costumes, or be given adult clothes which are then rolled up and belted to fit - the practical Marchers are unlikely to waste any clothing and hand me downs are a cheap (in and out of character!) way to clothe your children!

General tips for costume for children:

- Robes that stop at knee - mid-calf will be less of a trip hazard

- Headgear that can be very simply retied is great

- Avoiding things that can pull around the neck is wise (strings on cloaks/hats on cords/ tabards that don't secure under the arms

- Wider neck holes, sleeves and armholes will help with getting costume on and off, and leave room for growth

- Information on clothes and swaddling for babies

- Patterns for Medieval children's clothes

- Childrens' dresses

- Childrens' shirt, tunic and hood

- 'Mother and Daughter' dresses

- Revival Clothing's Premade items for children

- Gambeson's Premade items for children

Inspiration

Take a look at some of the thinking that went into creating the Look and Feel of The Marches:

Colour Scheme

Historical Women's Wear Reference Material

As with military clothes, dresses can reflect household livery. 'Parti-coloured' (or split coloured) dresses look very effective. Lara Corset's website gives an excellent overview of all aspects of women's wardrobes in the late 1400s,

Matilda la Zouche's wardrobe follows the reconstruction of several historically accurate outfits for a broad medieval period.

Some general pattern books are available which cover all types of women's wear:

- Medieval Women's dress

- High medieval women's dress

- The Medieval Tailor’s Assistant

- Make Your Own Medieval Clothing for women.

- Nehelenia Patterns - Multi part pattern for men and women

Historical Men's Wear Reference Material

Some general pattern books are available which cover all types of men's wear:

- High Medieval men's dress

- Medieval men's dress

- The Medieval Tailor’s Assistant

- Make Your Own Medieval Clothing for Men

- Nehelenia Patterns - Multi part pattern for men and women

Reenactment Sources

Medieval re-enactment, Wars of the roses and 13th, 14th or 15th Century re-enactment will all provide helpful inspiration.

Guides to Livery

- 15th Century Livery

- Livery coats

- Standards, Badges & Livery Colours of the Wars of the Roses, Pat McGill & Jonathan Jones, Freezywater Publications

- Heraldic Banners of the Wars of the Roses (3 vols), Pat McGill & Thomas Coveney, Frezywater Publications.

- Medieval Art and Woodcraft make livery badges, banners and flags, signage, medical charts etc. to order

Books

- The Medieval Soldier: 15th Century Campaign Life Recreated in Colour Photographs, Gerry Embleton & John Howe,

- English Medieval Knight 1400-1500, Christopher Gravett, Osprey Publishing

- The Great Warbow, Matthew Strickland & Robert Hardy, Sutton Publishing – probably the best accessible book you can get on the subject.

- Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight, David Edge & John Miles Paddock, Saturn Books

Costume sellers

- The Midgard Seamstress Custom made UK LARP and Re-enactment costumes

- Arm Street Medieval and Fantasy clothing from Russia (English language website)

- Cloak’d and Dagger’d

- Custom Costume Company Bespoke designs for re-enactors and roleplayers

- Historic EnterprisesAmerican based costume company. Trades at TORM

- Medieval Dress Company Clothing and leatherwork

- Matuls Clothing, armour tents and camp accessories from Poland (English language website)

- Revival Clothing

- Sally Green

- Sew-mill

Armourers

- https://www.facebook.com/ArmourServices

- https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Medieval-Rats/147041485362649

- http://www.armabohemia.cz/Novestr/homeA.htm

- http://www.armorymarek.com/

- http://www.bestarmour.com/

- http://www.capapie.co.uk/

- http://www.dtok.fsnet.co.uk/

- http://www.lancasters-armourie.co.uk/

- http://www.stgeorgearmouryshop.co.uk/index2.html

- http://www.whiteroseapparel.com/

- http://www.whiterosearmoury.com/

- Darkblade studded leather armour

- Totally Leathered Totally Leathered provides custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

- Idiom Productions Costume and Props Workshop creates custom hand-tooled leather armour, clothing and LRP weapons

- Evenlode Studios - High quality leather armour, costume and props handmade

Leather items including shoes

- Phil Fraser

- Re-enactment shoes

- Historical Shoes

- Historic Shoes German company (English language website)

- Ravenswood Leather Items America site. Non-historical leather items.

Fur and traditional materials

- House of de Clifford Ethically sourced furs of all kinds

- Candles for All Ages Tallow and Beeswax Candles

- Herts Fabrics

- Bernie the Bolt

Camping accessories and other bits

- Sally Pointer Hats and bits and bobs

- Smoke and Fire American company.

- Medieval Market German company (English language website) – Clothing, furniture, and other items

- Medieval Dress Company Clothing and leatherwork

- Matuls Clothing, armour tents and camp accessories from Poland (English language website)

- Reenactors Shop German company (English language website) Lots of bits and bobs, including camping accessories.

- Medieval design 1st -16th century clothing, furniture and other historical products.

Flags, banners and livery badges

- Medieval Art and Woodcraft Historical and historically inspired banners, flags and livery badges

Pewter and cast goods

- Casts from the Past Pewter items including livery badges and some household items

- The Quiet Press Historical buckles, brooches and other ornamental metalwork

- Billy and Charlie's Finest Quality Pewter Goods American company. Pewter badges and other accessories.

- HR-Replikate German company. Jewellery based on archeological finds (English language website)

- Lionheart Replicas Pewterwear

- Pewter Replicas Pewter badges, household items and livery collars

Wooden items

- Douggie the Wood Wooden Furniture

- Robin Wood Authentic wood turned historical items

- Paul Atkin Bowls and other hand turned items

Tents

- Canvas Tents

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The Marches culture and customs

Contents

- 1 Tradition

- 1.1 Hue and cry

- 1.2 Rough music

- 1.3 Shunning

- 1.4 Shriving

- 1.5 The beating of the bounds

- 1.6 Wassail

- 1.7 The wicker man

- 2 Proverbs

- 3 Sports and games

- 4 Funerals

Tradition

Tried and trusted traditions bind the folk together and give a context to their lives. Traditions such as hue and cry, rough music, shunning, shriving and beating the bounds and sacrifice are all part of a system that has worked to make the Marches strong for centuries. Several of these traditions have their roots in necessity - when times are hard, people who act against the interests of their neighbours endanger the entire community. These traditions help to maintain the cohesion of a community, and lay down punishments for those who act against the communal good.

Hue and cry

The Marcher attitude of taking matters in hand is the basis of the hue and cry, the old tradition of law enforcement in the Marches that still endures. Any Marcher who witnesses a crime can raise a hue and cry. All able-bodied people, upon hearing the shouts, are expected to assist in the pursuit until the felon is apprehended. In the pre-Imperial past, the hue and cry would often result in summary justice for a criminal, which occasionally lead to innocent people receiving harsh punishments. Today, suspects are turned over to Imperial magistrates to judge. The readiness of the Marchers to defend the common good derives from their belief in doing the right thing and their pride that they are up to the task of getting it done.

Rough music

Those who break Marcher traditions are often publicly shamed. A suspected sorceror, for example, is a likely target for a shaming; for "rough music".

At its simplest, rough music is simply a group of Marchers making a lot of noise outside the house of the person they're punishing. Rough music is a peculiarly egalitarian punishment. The more Marchers agree with the punishment, the louder it is. The more serious they deem the transgression, the more effort is made in preparation. The more outraged the people are by the behaviour of the target, the longer the music will go on. Some particularly egregious offences see the perpetrator driven out by the din, forced to leave their home behind and hope to start a new life somewhere nobody has heard of their transgression. Sometimes the rough music follows them.

It may start with a procession, it may simply be a gathering. Like a lynch mob, it rarely has any sort of formality to it. The precise nature of the "music" varies across the Marches, but it is always noisy. The noise may just be chanting, or it may involve drumming, rattles, bells, hooting, and improvised instruments such as pots and pans. Sometimes, the victim is presented in effigy, and at its most sophisticated the target is shamed by theatrical performance or puppetry. The only rules are that nobody lays a hand on the target unless they start a fight, and nobody actually enters their home. (See Marches Music for some suggestions regarding rough music)

Shunning

Those who persist in ignoring Marcher traditions may end up subject to Shunning. Individuals who are shunned are effectively cast out of society. They are turned out of their household and find every door closed in their face. Helping or in some cases even acknowledging someone who has been shunned can result in the offender being shunned in turn. Shunning may last for a week, a season, a year or even indefinitely. The extent of the punishment depends on who is enacting it – one family may shun another and anyone who helps them, or an entire household or town might shun someone and encourage all their allies to do the same. Many individuals who are shunned are forced to leave the area.

Children are never shunned. Until someone has passed their test of adulthood, they may be punished by their parents but they are not considered mature or responsible enough to gain any benefit from being shunned. Adults who suggest shunning children are considered to be idiots.

Shriving

Crop-eating vermin such as crows and rats are said to be the spirits of the wicked, suffering between incarnations. To avoid this fate, Marcher folk disavow their actions and try to cleanse their souls through the practice of shriving. A Marcher will often seek out a trusted friar or monk and share the onus of their wicked thoughts or unvirtuous deeds. A priest who hears a confession transfers some of the culpability for the dark deeds recounted to themselves; only an individual who is certain their soul is relatively unsullied will offer shriving.

The beating of the bounds

The beaters mark out what is Marcher and what is not, and they help the Civil Service with the recording of who is loyal to whom. The Beating of the Bounds usually takes place after the harvest is in. At this festival every Marcher marks their land, by walking around the boundary led by the beaters. Certain stones, trees or other marker points around the boundary are beaten literally, ceremonially striking them with sticks or willow wands. Market towns beat the boundaries laid out by their warrant, and individual market towners often have a second ceremony in which they beat the bounds of their shop or workplace. The ceremony is designed to remind all of the size of the holding, but it also works to remind everyone of who is part of the community and who is outside it. On a practical level, the beating of the bounds is often preceded by the beaters ensuring that the boundary areas are safe for the upcoming ceremony, and followed by a period of maintaining and replacing whatever physical markers delineate the bounds - it is a time for repairing fences, planting hedges and the like.

Wassail

After every harvest, Marcher farmers perform this traditional religious ceremony to celebrate prosperity. Wassailing varies from place to place but typically involves parading through the village singing and drinking to the health of the fields and orchards. Food and drink produced during the year is consumed or left as an offering; ale might be used to toast a barley field or a pat of butter buried in a dairy pasture. The parade is often led by the children of the village. As the yeomen go from house to house they share food and drink with their community and receive in return a taste of the food that each household has in excess from their own harvests.

At each Autumn Equinox, Marchers parade from camp to camp, singing the Wassail and sharing their home-grown produce with other nations. Although not expected, other nations often reciprocate in small token exchanges of goods that their own territories have in abundance.

Wassail songs can be found on the The Marches music page.

The wicker man

This is a large figure of wicker and wood, which is set alight to burn sacrifices. Ideal sacrifices are things that have been raised by mortal hands from the land such as crops and domesticated animals. These sacrifices are made to atone for acts of vice. By giving up the rewards of prosperity, and creating the need for more prosperity to replace them, the Marchers believe that they make reparation for their unvirtuous behaviour and in this way ensure that they reincarnate well in the next life.

The greatest sacrifice of all is to give up your own life. This is only ever permitted for individuals whose failure cannot otherwise be redeemed. Primarily this responsibility lies with a person whose actions cause a Marcher territory to be lost. In Marcher eyes, that individual - and everyone who worked and fought for them - is responsible for the failure. By going voluntarily to the wickerman a general or senator absolves not just their own failure but the failures of everyone who served under them. The most recent example was in 349YE when former Senator Thomas Overton of the Mournwold went into the wicker man to absolve himself for his inability to keep his territory out of Jotun hands.

Proverbs

Marchers are keen on mottoes and folk sayings. Many Marcher households adopt a single motto, a phrase meant to formally summarize the spirit of the group. Marchers in general make common use of proverbs, pithy pieces of folk wisdom often expressed as admonitions. Favourites can have double meanings often unnoticed to the outsider. Individuals generally pick one or two that they like or find particularly wise, but some collect dozens of sayings and employ them at every opportunity. While there are some common Marcher sayings that many people know, nobody could expect to know all of them and new ones are regularly created when a pithy comment is repeated.

Sports and games

At their best, Marcher folk relish competition. All kinds of sports and ball games are taken very seriously including (but not limited to) rugby, rounders and shinty. Football might be a familiar game of five-a-side or it might be a more traditionally medieval game with unlimited participants. There is no centralised authority to define and enforce rules; it's traditional for participants to double-check their understanding of the rules before they start. Sporting competitions are sometimes used to decide serious matters or settle disputes. In some cases participation may even be part of ancient treaties between Households.

Beaters Annals for the Household of Barrowfield, Summer’s End Festival, Year of the Empire 294

"I hereby bear witness to the annual match between the allied lesser Households of Elderhowe and Youngerhowe to determine cultivation of the Old Howe orchard, as is the custom since the division of Old Howe farm between the Sons. Rules were agreed as follows:

Teams of five. First to three scores wins.

Elderhowe running from Mill Lane End, scoring at the oak by Blacksmith’s gate, John the Blacksmith counting at the oak.

Youngerhowe running from Blacksmith’s Gate, scoring at the red beech at Mill Lane End, Grey Allan counting at the red beech.

Let it be recorded that Elderhowe won by three scores to two, retaining the orchard for a fourth year. Bond of three baskets of apples, three of pears was promised to Youngerhowe for six pairs of strong hands at picking time.”

Funerals

Marcher dead are buried in good fertile soil, often with an apple seed or small apple sapling planted above the body. There are plenty of stories of Marchers who die far from home and who "rest uneasy in the poor soil, cold in their stony beds" as one song (The Unquiet Grave) has it. Sometimes these are little more than ghost stories, but there is some evidence that so ingrained is the desire to "sleep beneath the apple trees" that the spirits of dead Marchers may trouble friends, relatives or even random travellers until their remains are given a suitable burial.

Should an apple tree actually sprout in a graveyard, the apples are not to be gathered, but are free for the poor and desperate to eat. The wood of these graveyard orchards is said to contain some of the wisdom or knowledge of the deceased. Many Shunned individuals survive on apples taken from graveyards. There is also a common belief that for those souls who have achieved true greatness, the grave is a literal “resting place.” According to this superstition, the greatest heroes of the nation simply slumber beneath the ground, ready to defend the Marches in its darkest hour.

Very few Marcher heroes lie on the cold marble biers of the Necropolis, and those that do have a good thick layer of soil in the tomb under them.

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The Marches economic interests

Agriculture is the basis of wealth in the Marches. Even a modest holding produces an income that allows its yeoman to live comfortably. With some improvement, a Marcher farm can pay for luxuries and imported goods. Marcher fields and orchards feed people across the Empire. Trade surplus in the form of cured and preserved meats, flitches of bacon, barrels of beer, bushels of fruit and vegetables, sacks of flour, tanned leather and bales of wool travels from one side of the Empire to the other, purchased by middlemen from the Brass Coast or The League.

Many of these traders come initially to one of the many small but important market towns that dot the landscape. The first market rights were established by Imperial charter, and towns with these rights are outside the direct control of the households. The inhabitants of a market town appoint aldermen, the rough equivalent of the yeomen, to represent the town. In most cases these men or women are wealthy merchants of the town, but often they include prominent town folk such as a friar or blacksmith who lives in the village. Those market towns that employ their own militia usually raise the captain to the rank of alderman.

Most market towns are small, little more than a few score houses on either side of a main street. The Imperial charters prevent a market town being established within a full day's travel of an existing market town but competition and rivalry between market towns is at least as fierce as that between rival households. Because the market towns lack a stake in the political process, they are forced to rely on neighbouring households to represent their interests. While most Marcher folk see this as right and proper, a life of honest toil on the land being superior to a life spent haggling for every last silver, aldermen often have a rather different view.

At the heart of almost every prosperous market town is an inn. These large structures are often fortified, with a wall surrounding the building and adjacent compound. Merchants visiting the town will usually eat and sleep at the inn but so will visiting yeomen bringing their goods to market, unless they have relatives who live in the town. Only Meade is large enough to support more than one inn, so the quality of the food and drink provided by a town's inn can have an impact on the prosperity of the whole town, as foreign merchants may avoid those towns whose inns have a bad reputation.

The innkeeper is almost invariably an alderman of the town and can be one of the wealthiest members of the community. They are often also the best informed; inns tend to be hotbeds of gossip, with news and information being bought and sold as regularly as the drinks.

Many aldermen take great pride in their ceremonial chains of office, sometimes referred to as "Chains of Prosperity". Several towns maintain a healthy level of competition in providing the most magnificent chain for their representative, and some go so far as to commission them as magical items, such as an Alderman's Edge.

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The Marches hearth magic

Standing stones and chalk figures

The dolmens and chalk figures that are common throughout the Marches mark the land as the property of humankind. They stamp the presence of humans on the environment, and by doing so seek to tame the forces of nature. A Marcher who wants to claim an area of wilderness will often begin by placing a standing stone on the boundary of the area they plan to claim. Likewise a circle of Landskeepers who plan to enact a large change, such as flooding a valley or improving the fertility of an orchard, will use a standing stone or chalk figure as the centre of their working. The power of the hearth magic derives from the way the stone or figure resembles a person, so some dolmens are painted or carved with human features.

Poppets

Every home in the Marches has at least one straw dolly or poppet, made at the time of harvest to bring good luck to the house and ward off evil omens. These intricately twisted and knotted effigies of straw, corn, oats, rye, grass or rushes traditionally bind the vitality of the fields and bring their strength into the home. Every child is given a straw dolly of their own to help protect them from sickness. In particular, an expectant mother will carry a poppet to ensure the health of the child. When the season turns again to sowing the seeds for the new crop these poppets are laid on the fields and ploughed back into the earth, or occasionally cast into a bonfire, ensuring a bountiful harvest for the following year.

A Landskeeper might employ a poppet in magic that binds or shares vitality or strength, such as granting potence of a band of yeomen warriors. A sorceror might use a poppet to steal the strength of an enemy or an enemy's fields, binding it as they twist and knots the doll until the poppet is destroyed or a year has passed.

The child looked up at me with large, unblinking eyes; a rough dolly of woven cornstalks clutched to her woollen tunic with one grubby hand. Thinking that perhaps I might build a rapport with her, I asked if I could take a closer look at the hideous thing. As I began to reach towards it she started in surprise, sank her teeth into my finger hard enough to draw blood and then ran off shouting that I was trying to steal her soul! Moments later several grim-faced Marchers approached with the girl in tow and confronted me. I assumed that perhaps she would face punishment for attacking a visitor in this way, but in fact when they heard the story they sided with her – one even ruffled her hair! I was advised in no uncertain terms that “Marchers keep to Marches business, best you do the same with your own.” I would have argued the case, but I couldn’t help noticing the subtle air of menace with which they were gripping their agricultural tools…

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The Marches history

The creation of the Marches

The history of the Marchers begins with a rebellion in Dawn of a group of disaffected yeomen determined to leave their lord's lands and make a better life for themselves. With nowhere else to go they marched across the country, heading for the border, intent on claiming land outside of Dawn. They were joined on their pilgrimage by thousands more, until they became known as the Marchers.

The first Marchers had few real weapons or pieces of armour between them. The Dawnish nobility fully expected them to flee the oncoming winter or die at the hands of the orcs. Instead, the Marchers took their farm tools and padded jacks and carved out a kingdom for themselves, slaughtering the orc tribes they encountered and driving them before them with grim determination. Working together they created the Marches, a patchwork of cleared lands controlled by a score of independent-minded yeoman households.

In the following centuries there were frequent but sporadic conflicts with Dawn. Occasionally one or the other would attempt to expand into the neighbouring nation's territory. To this day the easternmost parts of the Marches and the westernmost parts of Dawn are scattered with battlefields and castles that are largely abandoned since the formation of the Empire. Despite the conflicts and the tension, the two nations often refer to each other; Marchers who put on airs and graces are told to "Piss off to Dawn", while Dawn nobility or yeomen who question the validity of their ancient traditions are given equally earthy advice to move to the Marches.

There were also frequent battles between Marchers. Although Marcher households found it easy to unite against a common enemy, they often fell to quarrelling amongst themselves. Bitter feuds and grudges developed, usually over land and often paid in blood. By the time the Empress began her crusade the Marches was split into half a dozen great households, each supported by the loyalties of countless minor households.

Joining the Empire

The First Empress did not come to the Marches. One of her advisors, a Landskeeper called Brigit of Dourfen, spread the word of her first gathering to the Marcher Lords, and while several attended the majority did not. After hearing the Empress speak, the Marcherfolk who were present debated for several days and appointed Henry of Meade to speak for them. Approaching the Empress, he told her that some of the Marchers would join her, but that she would never get all of them. The Empress refused to accept this. "I will take all of you, or none of you." she said, and walked away.

Initially flabbergasted, wise Brigit explained what the Empress probably meant - that the Empire had no use for a divided land. It would not take some of the Marcher Households, and let the others squabble among themselves. If the Marchers were serious about joining, they would need to be united in doing so.

Historians sometimes debate whether the Empress should not simply have used her nascent army to unite the Marches herself, but it is generally agreed that doing so would have been a disaster. The Empire could not afford to become bogged down in a Marcher civil war; and the Marches traditionally are very hard to conquer for any period of time. Their dogged determination and ability to hold grudges would have meant that the Empire would have to have established a military dictatorship in perpetuity to keep the place under control.

The Marchers returned home and a civil war ensued. Those Marcher Households and Landskeepers who sided with the Empress and her vision of a united mankind used diplomacy where they could, and force of arms where they could not. In the end, the forces of those who sided with the Empress were triumphant. The remaining Households drew up on the fields to the west of Dawn and the Empress marched out to meet them on foot with her standard bearer, and asked if they were prepared to join her Empire.

The Marches in the Empire

Marchers from Upwold were involved in the first campaign of the new Empire. Tom Drake of Redston led his household and the territory's Landskeepers to Varushka. They fought through unfamiliar forests, alongside all those who opposed Alderei the Fair and brought Varushka into the Empire. Some say it was Tom who killed the boyar-king; the Redston folk just point at the broken crown on their livery and let that speak for them.

Entry to the Empire brought some changes. Pious Marcher folk returning from pilgrimages to Highguard founded the monasteries which now dot the landscape. Friars have become an important part of most Households and few powerful Marcher households do not have one or more of these learned folk by their side. Imperial writ created the market towns, outside the control of the households. Yet the traditional beliefs that give the Marchers their strength have endured every transformation brought by the Empire.

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The Marches icons and artistry

Any Marcher who owns farmland is a member of a Household, albeit perhaps a Household of one, and any Marcher Household can declare a livery. Members of the Household wear the livery in some way – perhaps as a coat, or perhaps as a simple sash or badge. Stewards of a Household that alies to a more powerful Household usually retain their own livery, or combine it with the new Households’ colours in some way.

Poppets and other symbols of the land are commonplace. Gates and doors are traditionally decorated with woven bundles of grain on either side, the respect shown to the land prevents evil doers from entering. The hearth is where food taken from the land is prepared. It should always be kept clean and ideally be decorated with fresh cut flowers to prevent food cooked there causing a poison of the blood. Poor March Folk or those on campaign will make do with bundles of grass or common meadow flowers.

The symbol of the seed or apple and seed is a common representation of the soul and the cycle of rebirth. The crow and the rat are both images of ill-omen and bad luck.

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The Marches leadership

Marchers do not allow anyone to claim authority over them without their permission. Loyalty is an important virtue in the nation and once they have chosen a leader they will not renounce them lightly, but they refuse to be ruled over by anyone. They remember their history and will not tolerate anyone who thinks they are better than their fellows. Leaders find it almost impossible to lead effectively in the Marches without the consent of those they lead. Those who are given power in the Marches are expected to reflect this understanding in the way they act.

The Marchers do accept the authority of the Senate and the Empress, seeing it as an extension of their own complex structures of household loyalties. They know that any one of them could become a Senator or take the Imperial throne. Likewise, they can follow orders on a battlefield so long as their officers remember that they hold their position of command with the consent of their troops. They can be given orders, and obey them, as long as the one ordering them about remembers that they are ultimately equals.

Agriculture is the basis of political leadership in the Marches, and power is vested in those who work the land. The Marcher households are groups of yeomen who have given loyalty to each other. They are led by one of their own, chosen by themselves. This leader is called a steward regardless of gender. Even a single yeoman may call themselves steward of their own household, and have a direct voice in the leadership of the nation.

Anyone who owns a farm has the right to call themself a yeoman, and only they have a voice in Marcher politics. Owning farmland is considered a great responsibility; it is the duty of the yeoman to ensure the best interests of everyone who lives and works on it. Monasteries that own lands are treated as identical in every respect to a Marcher household in terms of votes allowed but the market towns, which hold no farmland, are not.

In times past, a household would be responsible for the defence of all the members’ lands, so it was practical for members to live near each other. In modern times this requirement is less important, thanks the the existence of the Imperial armies, and the lands claimed by a household may be scattered throughout a March. Smaller households often swear loyalty to larger ones, partly to further cooperation between Households and partly to increase their political power.

Leading a territory

The steward whose household controls the largest value of land - including that controlled by any smaller households who declare their support for them - selects the Senator who will represent that territory. It is not uncommon for the steward to appoint one of their supporters to the Senate than to fill the seat themself, but there is no stigma attached to a steward who serves their territory in the Senate.

The competition to appoint the Senator for a March can be very fierce. The larger households in a March compete with one another to have the largest number of landowners under their banner, and as with so much else in the Marches the results of these selections have caused bitter feuds and sometimes open conflict.

The traditional method of determining who selects the Senator is for every interested yeoman to gather together in an open space. Each steward in turn then either declares themselves a candidate for the election, or declares their support for another steward. Support is measured in "Marks" which reflect the value of the combined farmland as assessed by the Imperial Civil Service. This valuation reflects not just the actual physical size of the combined farmland their household controls, but also its quality.

The candidate with the largest support selects the Senator. These meetings tend to be rowdy affairs, with much barracking and the occasional insult. Candidates try to get stewards who support them to declare their support as early as possible, but some canny stewards prefer to wait to see which way the wind is blowing before proferring their support.

Merchants, miners, crafters, priests and the like are forced to rely on neighbouring households to speak for them in the political process. Over recent years, there has been growing dissatisfaction in some quarters about this arrangement, but it represents one of the oldest traditions of the Marches and is not going to be changed any time soon.

The senators for each Imperial territory are re-elected at specific equinox and solstices during the year. The senator for Mitwold is elected at the Summer solstice, the senator for Upwold is elected at the Autumn equinox, and the senator for Bregasland is elected at the Winter solstice.

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The Marches lineage and species attitudes

Marchers will concentrate on the positives in their own people, and the negatives in others. Those with lineage are like normal folk, just more so. For example, a cambion from your own household might be seen as energetic and spirited, whereas a cambion from some other territory would probably seen as particularly conniving, and one from another nation would be seen as spiteful and ruthless.

We like the marsh. The marsh likes us. Leave us to get on with each other.

The first main exception to this general attitude is the merrow lineage. Merrow as a whole are considered "not quite right" by other Marcher folk; they're secretive, cold and altogether too clever by half. Concentrated around the fens of Bregasland, those families with merrow blood have traditionally kept to themselves. Merrow born elsewhere often move to join one of the merrow households in the marshes.

The other exception is the briar. Many Marcher folk believe the briars are accursed, and they are the only Marchers who may find themselves denied a decent burial in Marcher soil. This is due to the belief that the corpse will taint the soil where it lies and lead to the rise of unnatural and hostile plant life. In the worst cases, their bodies are burnt and the ashes scattered, although some receive more traditional burials but in soil that is outside the Marches. There are also a rare few places where burial grounds specifically for briars are laid aside, often in land that is of no use to anyone else, or that is owned by a briar yeoman, although such places soon acquire a poor reputation and the landowner may attract the Rough Music if the neighbours become too concerned.

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The Marches look and feel

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Breakdown

- 2.1 Feel

- 2.2 Influences

- 2.3 Materials

- 2.4 Colours

- 2.5 Clothing

- 2.6 Armour

- 2.7 Shields

- 2.8 Weapons

- 3 Marcher household

- 4 Yeomen

- 5 Stewards

- 6 Beaters

- 7 Monks and friars

- 8 Landskeepers

- 9 Marcher children

- 10 Things you're unlikely to see

Overview

The Marches draws strongly on English history from the 12th century through to the War of the Roses for costume, weaponry and armour.

The costume of the Marches has a 'solidity' to it, a worn, lived-in look that contrasts with its neighbour Dawn's high romance, gleaming plate and vivid hues. The Marches is Kenneth Brannagh’s Henry V rather than Laurence Olivier’s.

Also see Marches costumes and Marches icons and artistry.

Breakdown

Feel

Gritty, solid, practical, traditional, mud, blood, green fields, rural, iron.

Influences

Wars of the Roses England, Rangers of Ithilien (Beaters), Cadfael (Monks and Landskeepers).

Materials

Wool, calico, linen, leather.

Colours

Plain flat colours, mostly the soft colours of natural dyes or unbleached cloth. The palette is autumnal suggesting natural dull blues, greys, browns/ rusts, mustards and greens, dull reds etc. especially at the lower end of the social scale. Wealthier Marchers may use deeper, brighter shades.

Clothing

Marchers favour plain clothes, simple hoods, hose and shirts. Wealthier characters might wear finer robes, cotehardies or a simple doublet but it will usually still be a plain wool or heavy linen.

Hose, either joined or split, are worn with braies and a long shirt. Shirts are an extremely simple untailored cut, full in the body and sleeve, possibly gathered at neck and wrist.

Doublets are popular in the Marches, a snug-fitting buttoned jacket that is shaped and fitted to the body. It can be worn over the shirt or under another layer of clothing. They tend to be short and simple, fancy slash work doesn't really fit the Marchers practical approach.

Instead of shirts and hose some may choose to wear a woollen or heavy linen overdress such as a kirtle or cotehardie over a shift. The look is long, lean and smooth and laced to fit. Back lacing shows higher status and gives a better line. Side lacing is more common. It would be rare to see a gathered skirt (common to Tudor kirtles) in the Marches.

Headwear is frequently worn, either a simple cap, or something like a hood and liripipe or chaperon.

Marchers have no pockets so a pouch is invaluable – bollock or kidney pouches or leather bags are perfect. Belts are often very long, wrapped round, looped at the front and left to dangle.

Both male and female monks wear traditional plain monk's habit either in dark colours, or white with a dark scapular.

Armour

Padded gambesons or leather jacks are common for the poor, with a harness of plate for richer individuals. Households often wear matching livery cotes, although simple sashes or badges are also used to denote afiliation.

Shields

Shields are uncommon in the Marches; the most common are small metal bucklers when they are used at all.

Weapons

Bows are common. In hand-to-hand combat Marchers favour bills and other pole-arms. Two handed swords are common for richer characters in heavier armour, as well as warhammers, maces or poleaxes. Any historical weapons from the Hundred Years War and the War of the Roses are typical: poleaxes, bills and other polearms are iconic; warhammers, bollock daggers, axes, falchions, mauls, and improvised weapons based on farm equipment are all carried by some.

Marcher household

A prosperous Marcher household will wear often wear matching livery coats, although simple sashes or badges are also used to denote affiliation. Padded jacks are common for the poor with a plain harness of plate for wealthier individuals.

Yeomen

Poor Yeomen may wear just a plain coloured jack or padded gambeson as their only armour. Wealthier Yeomen usually have livery coats in their Household colours and mail or plate over the top if they have it.

Stewards

The head of a household, a steward, may wear richer colours, but most likely in home grown wool not rarer silk. Wealthy Marchers are often seen in full harness of plate in battle.

Beaters

Beaters are skilled trackers and gamekeepers. They watch the borders of the Marches. They are inspired by the classic British archers of the period mixed with the Rangers of Ithilien from Lord of the Rings.

Beaters usually wear lighter armour, either just a padded or leather jack or else a leather tunic like the ones worn by the Rangers in Lord of the Rings.

Monks and friars

Monks and friars wear similar robes. A simple brown cassock works well but it might also be seen in black or grey. A more complex arrangement with dark scapular over white undergarments is a popular choice.

Landskeepers

Some landskeepers wear robes, similar to the monk, but a jerkin, shirt and hose, with rolled-up sleeves is just as good an alternative. A landskeeper is well used to hard work in the fields and their look reflects that.

Marcher children

Things you're unlikely to see

- Don't expect 'bling' in the Marches, even the wealthy are likely to be subtle - with wealth displayed in linings and button detail, not slashed sleeves, full gathered fabrics, or rich embroidery or brocade.

- You won't find anyone worrying about hand stitching, whether that coat is too long for 1389 or what your underwear is made of. The Marches is a historically inspired culture, not a historically accurate one.

- There are no modesty guidelines in the Marches and gender roles don't follow the historical pattern - long skirts and laced dresses are a choice made by some not an expectation of all.

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The Marches magical traditions

Despite their apparent focus on the mundane, the Marches has a strong tradition of spellcasting and ritual magics. Their ritual magic in particular is used to great effect to help ensure excellent harvests and to prepare yeoman soldiers for war. A great deal of Marcher magic comes from concepts of ownership of land; of harnessing the symbollic power in the wheel of the seasons; and of the connection between the human body (flesh, sweat, breath) and the physical world (soil, water, wind).

Spellcasting is often seen as a practical discipline. A doctor is as likely to know a charm to heal as to rely solely on herbs and potions; a respected blacksmith may use a magical word to mend a damaged pot - or weapon. The magic they wield is steeped in tradition; the methods they use have been handed down from one magician to another for centuries. This means that both the village healer and the powerful ritualist alike are wielding magic tried and tested by the generations that have gone before them.

A great deal of magical power rests in the hands of the landskeepers, politically powerful magicians who safeguard the customs of the Marches and see to its magical wellbeing. They are steeped in tradition, and tend to be given a wary repect by the folk of the Marches. By contrast, the Mummers practice a rough and ready form of magic that is often seen as suspect, unreliable or downright dangerous - but does not prevent them being in demand for the kind of magical workings that may be seen as beneath the notice of the "stuffy" landskeepers. Both groups look down on hedge wizards - magicians at the beck and call of a steward.

Mummers

Some Marcher magicians practice dramaturgy, and join together in bands of mummers. They tend to maintain an itinerant existence combining the practice of ritual magic with entertainment. Traveling from place to place freely, they attend fairs, markets and other regular gatherings performing plays and feats of skill. They are often greeted with a little suspicion - compared by some uncharitable souls to the mountebanks of the League. Some market towns observe local ordinances that ban mummers from spending the night in their environs.

Mummers pride themselves on working magic through improvisation, without scripts but with a strong intuitive feel for the stories they create and the roles they use to work their magic. The personae are usually presented with a single key prop rather than a mask or sumptuous costume, while the thrones are generally established by narration rather than through expensive - and unwieldy - scenery. Almost all groups of mummers include the fool as a major character, weaving narration and commentary through the performance as the personae act out the events he or she describes - the fool is also responsible for encouraging audience participation and attracting patrons prepared to pay a few coins for the magic or entertainment the mummers provide. In contrast to League dramaturgists, the fool is often the only member of the band who wears a mask.

Their plays are often rough and full of broad humour, but no less effective at providing entertainment or instruction for all that. It is quite common for bands of mummers to have a broad mastery of ritual lores rather than to focus in any one lore - many pride themselves on mastering the four rituals that allow a farm to be enchanted through the year. They use the opportunity of seasonal fairs to stage grand performances that enchant all the farms in the vicinity usually for a suitable donation from the yeomen who own those farms.

The tradition clearly has roots in the Dawnish traditions of the guisers.

Sorcery and the Threshers

Someone who is suspected of using magic in ways that violate Marcher traditions faces shunning or worse. The Declaration of Sorcery used by the Imperial Conclave was originally a Marcher idea. The landskeepers could judge fellow magicians accused of misusing their magic, declaring them to be sorcerers and punishing them for their misdeeds.

There is a common belief in the Marches that all magic should be done publicly. Only sorcery is done in private - "dark minds find dark places to do dark deeds" so the saying goes. That is not to say that every magical ritual requires an audience, but the more effort the practitioners make to keep people from seeing what they are doing, the more suspect their magic must be.

Some Marchers dedicate themselves to tracking down, exposing and destroying sorcerers wherever they may operate. They are called Threshers and they watch for things that are wrong. Every farmer knows about separating wheat from chaff, and the Threshers look to separate human wheat from human chaff. They seek out those who are using magic or old lore against the interest of the people. Where crimes are being committed they work with the beaters and landskeepers to capture the sorcerer and hand them over to Imperial justice. If the sorcerer has not broken any Imperial laws then the rough music is their punishment, or shunning if they persist. It falls to the Thresher to convince the folk of the Marches that these punishments are merited, and in many cases to oversee their performance.

Several Threshers expand their interests to include the rest of the Empire, looking for villains outside the borders of the Marches whose wickedness threatens - or may eventually threaten - the innocent folk of their Nation. These Threshers have an interests in groups such as the circle of sinister sorcerors called the Volodny, or the most powerful barbarian shamans, who threaten the Marches by dint of the threat they present to the entire Empire.

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The Marches military concerns

War is a thrice-ploughed field.

Marcher Traditional

The rich Marcher soil gives rise to great military strength and three of the Empire's armies come from the Marches. Marcher generals have a reputation for being cautious, and for valuing victory more than personal glory. War is seen as work, hard dirty work, something to achieve over months of effort, not something to be won or lost in a moment. It is also seen as a shared responsibility, something that everyone who can must face together. On campaign, even Marcher generals who can't fight for whatever reason are expected to share the same risks and privations as the common soldier, one yeoman amongst many.

Powerful households field ranks of heavily-armoured yeomen wearing their colours and fighting together. Neighbours well-used to working together fight shoulder to shoulder. The expectation of loyalty and sacrifice can make a Marcher household a fearsomely cohesive force. Traditional rivalries are put to one side when a Marcher army faces a force of outsiders, and folk who would go out of their way to avoid acknowledging each other will fight back to back against a band of invading orcs.

The strength of the Marcher forces is derived from their long hours of toil. Arms hardened by days at the forge, cutting a forest, or threshing grain are strong enough for any fight. It is common for Marchers to wield weapons made from the tools of their labour; bills used for cutting hedges and great hammers used for driving piles are pressed into service of war. The wealthiest may march in a harness of plate but plenty have nothing more than a hard leather tunic or quilted jack they have made themselves. Their true strength is their loyalty and discipline; at their best a Marcher army is a great hedge of steel, moving inexorably forward like a harvest-gang through a field of wheat.

Service to the Empire in one of the Marcher armies is considered an excellent coming of age for the sons and daughters of a yeoman. This offers them a chance to learn a little of the outside world and to earn enough to purchase their own farm and become yeomen themselves. For a nation that prides itself on its military prowess, it also ensures a steady stream of soldiers with practical experience of battle.

Contents

- 1 Beaters

- 2 Imperial Armies

- 2.1 The Drakes

- 2.2 The Strong Reeds

- 2.3 Bounders

Beaters

Beaters roam through the Marches, learning every part of the land, watching for thieves, vagrants and other ne’er-do-wells. Beaters are often instrumental in settling land disputes between neighbours and they still play a vital role in the tradition of beating the bounds. Beaters often live off the land and most are skilled woodsmen or hunters. They serve as an informal police force, investigating crimes and tracking criminals. While an individual beater often associates with one or more households, they make no secret of the fact that they maintain an informal network among themselves.

The beaters watch the boundaries and defend them against trespass until its forces can muster. They also remain vigilant for internal threats. In addition to the orcs that still occupy the more inaccessible hills and wild forests of the Marches, there are bands of Féni, the ancient people driven from the fertile lowlands centuries ago. These primitive humans cover their skin in green and yellow tattoos and launch raids against civilised Marchers to steal cattle or crops. If something or someone is raiding out of the forests or hills then the beaters are the ones who are called on to hunt it.

In time of war, beaters serve the Marches as scouts, ranging ahead of the main force. Their experience watching the boundaries of the nation makes them useful light troops, particularly in forested areas, an excellent complement to the heavily armoured yeomen.

Imperial Armies

The Marches field three imperial armies; the Drakes, the Strong Reeds and the Bounders.

The Drakes

First lead by the legendary Tom Drake, this army is extremely well-supplied and has an excellent corps of quartermasters, allowing it to recover casualties much more swiftly than normal. Many of the soldiers in this army come from Mitwold, and this has lead to a reputation for dogged determination and occasional internal conflict away from the battlefield. Its ranks have been swelled in recent years with soldiers displaced from the Mournwold, which has helped exacerbate the situation.

The first Marcher General leads the Drakes army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer solstice each year.

The Strong Reeds

Initially raised from the people of Bregasland, there is still a strong territorial bias in the soldiers of this army. The army is notoriously dour, stubborn and hard bitten. The Strong Reeds have a long history of resisiting Jotun agression against the marshes, and have several times in their history fought alongside the Wintermark armies in Kallavesa.

The second Marcher General leads the Strong Reeds army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Winter solstice each year.

Bounders

This adaptable army attracts many beaters who support a solid core of Upwold soldiers and a small cadre of dedicated battlefield magicians. They are skilled skirmish fighters, able to quickly learn the lay of the land and relentless in their pursuit of their enemies. Some of the best military archers in the Empire are part of this army, adept at bringing down their opponents with a combination of clever placement and withering storms of arrows.

The third Marcher General leads the Bounders army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Autumn equinox each year.

The Marcher officer walked out into the middle of the gathered mob, slow and casual, thumbs tucked into his belt. He took a long look around.

“Who here’s got a neighbour they can’t stand?”

The circle of Marchers looked tentatively one to another, a few raised hands and chuckles.

“Quite a few of you, I see. So let me ask you this – raiders come to burn their farm, would you go help them?”

Nods, fist shaking, raised bills and bows.

“Course you would, only common sense; they burn that farm this week, could be yours the week after, couldn’t it?”

He pointed at the gaudily dressed Free Company officers swaggering about in the League lines on their flank.

“See them? I don’t like ‘em. I don’t like their plumes, I don’t like them silly pantaloons, I don’t like the perfumed piss they call wine, or the way they put on airs when they talk, or their grub what’s so full of spices it gives me the gallopin’ trots. Nope, I don’t like ‘em, not one bit. But, them? They’re our neighbours.”

He pointed to the other end of the valley, where thousands of grey-skinned orcs covered the ground like blades of grass on a pasture.

“And those motherless bastards? They’re going to try and burn down our neighbour’s barn.”

Rumbling growl, stamping feet, billhooks banged on the ground.

“We proposin’ to let em?”

Full throated roar, weapons brandished, rising chant.

“Right then, let’s go pull the idiot neighbour’s arse out of the fire, eh?”

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The Marches music

Contents

- 1 The music of The Marches

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 Musical traditions

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.2.3 Songs about notable people/entities in the Marches

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Funeral Songs

- 1.3.2 Battle Anthems

- 1.3.3 Harvest Songs and Wassails

- 1.3.4 More Songs

- 1.3.5 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.6 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The music of The Marches

Style summary

A capella harmony singing, no-nonsense, boisterous and earthy, simple folk and morality tales, minimal instrumentation, heavy ryhthms on guitars, bouzoukis or concertinas. Themes of working the land, agriculture and fishing, harvest, enjoyment of food and drink, recognition of obligation to the land and its people.

The music of the Marches is drawn primarily from the folk song traditions of Devon and Cornwall, Derbyshire and Yorkshire: wassails, shanties, drinking songs, and work songs.

Commonly known songs

- Many people in the Marches will know one version of a Wassail

- Marcher battle song

- Bringing in the Sheaves medium harvest song (not the hymn)

- Carts Come Home - easy song about bring back Marcher dead from the wars

Musical traditions

After every harvest, Marcher farmers perform a traditional ceremony, a Wassail, to scare away evil spirits from the fields and ensure a good crop for the coming year. There are more details on the wassail in the Marcher brief.

In the Marches, misdeeds are sometimes rewarded with a public shaming using noise, music, even satirical performance of some kind, called Rough Music. Some chants are known throughout the Marches such as those below (usually interspersed with verses detailing the misdeed), some songs/performances are written especially for the occasion!

- "Ran tan tan, raise your hand, a sin to us is a sin to the land"

- "Old Fred Thatcher (insert name of miscreant), we know your name, Old Fred Thatcher, you are to blame, Old Fred Thatcher, we know your shame, Old Fred Thatcher, we know your name!"

One for the kids

- Whose Pigs Are These? a fun round

- Chants for naughty children

Songs about notable people/entities in the Marches

- Jack in the Green - a song about the Marches Egregore

- The Culloch Boar - tells of the origins of the Culloch banner

- Bolholt Song - celebrates the Bolholt house

- Gallant Archer - song about William Archer and his part in rescuing three of the Cullochs

- Men of Fenrose - sung by and in honour of the soldiers of Cabot's Company

Further examples

Funeral Songs

- Lay me Low - medium difficulty harmony song

- Marcher Dirge - a bit heretical

- Only Remembered For What We Have Done - medium harmony song

- Carts Come Home - easy song about bring back Marcher dead from the wars

Battle Anthems

- Marcher battle song easy song for marching into battle

- Rebel March easy song for upsetting the Dawnish (and battles)

- Yet another Marches Battle Song

- The Rising of the Moon

Harvest Songs and Wassails

- Bringing in the Sheaves medium harvest song (not the hymn)

- John Barleycorn medium folk song

- Wassail easy call and response, and lots of versions

- Harvest Time - song about the land and Britta's lost army

More Songs

- The Unquiet Grave

- Tom A'Bedlam's song

- Ye Mariners All - medium drinking song

- Here's A Health to the Company - easy drinking song

- His Banner's Not Mine - medium love song

- Pull Down Below - medium shanty with chunky harmonies

- One More Day - easy shanty: lyrics, tune

- Ten Thousand Miles - love song with easy harmony accomp

- Pretty Ploughboy - easy song about saving the lad you love from the war

- Silent Giants - easy song about standing stones

- Carts Come Home - easy song about bring back Marcher dead from the wars

- Marcher At My Side - easy song popular with soldiers in the Marcher armies

- Mournwold Harvest - sad song about orphaned Mournwolders

Instrumentation and tunes

Songs are usually unaccompanied in the Marches, typically sung in raucous harmony rather than using instruments. However sometimes drums, guitars, fiddles, and whistles/recorders are used. For instrumental music, look to the very heavy rhythms of trad English music (the kind of tunes used to accompany morris dancing would be perfect).

- Kalenda Maya - More commonly known in the Marches as The Month of May. A tune sometimes used for Marches dances, typically rather rowdy affairs!

- The Chook Dance - dance tune by Cora and Kit score, recording

- The Bond Ring - dance tune by Cora and Kit score, recording

Other performance traditions

Marches Tales

How to adapt your repertoire

The Marches is all about people singing together so choose songs that have a chorus, or even better, a call and response line. Nothing wrong with a bard leading a song but try to encourage participation from the people around you, even if just banging their tankards off the table. Can you turn your song into a drinking song?! Think of some harmonies ahead of time and if possible teach them to your group instead of using instrumental accompaniment. Any folk song will be fine but especially those in the themes listed above. If you are mostly a solo performer perhaps learn a few easy rounds and sing them with people between your solo numbers.

Our sources

- Songs: Coope, Boyes and Simpson; Muldoon's Picnic; Fisherman's Friends; Chumbawamba (the folky stuff e.g. English Rebel Songs and ABCDEFG), and number of Welsh a capella choirs; all great acapella harmony singers. Seth Lakeman (sans guitar), June Tabor.

- Tunes: Florida, Eliza Carthy

- Great list of harvest themed songs: http://piereligion.org/harvestsongs.html

- Good list of sea shanty lyrics (stick to the very English sounding ones, preferably about fishing): http://www.boundingmain.com/Lyrics.htm

- Good list of sources for English folk suitable for the Marches: http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/folk/

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music.

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The Marches people

The Marches is a proud nation. The folk here are proud of their accomplishments, proud of their households and history, and proud of their traditions and their mastery of their land. The Marches is the breadbasket of the Empire. No other land is as fertile and no other people work as hard as the Marcher folk, they say. The Marchers have no time for idle hands and idle tongues.

Land is at the heart of Marcher society. Those who farm the land, yeomen, band together in households that wield great power. The market towns may be filled with skilled and wealthy craftsmen, but without land they do not have the right to influence the politics of the Marches. The monasteries by comparison do own land. They are a thoroughly Marcher creation, blending religion and hard work and their monks till their fields like everyone else. Their influence is growing and may one day rival the most powerful households, but its roots lie in the ownership of land. Behind it all lie the Landskeepers, powerful magicians whose traditional rituals help to keep the land fertile and prosperous.

The archetypal Marcher is famous for stubborn pride and unyielding self-reliance. They are a hard people, who are well accustomed to a long day working the land. The yeomen wear their Household livery with pride, viewing those in other colours as rivals at best. This leads to passionate and sometimes bitter rivalries. Marcher history is filled with accounts of bloody conflicts between once powerful Households, fortunes that wax and wane with victories on the battlefield. Marcher folk have long memories and feuds are nursed down the generations. In some cases they've become so ingrained that the truth behind them is no longer remembered, or even considered particularly relevant.

One reason the Marchers are prosperous is that they don't waste anything. Thrift is virtuous in the Marches; it is the root of prosperity. Their possessions are likely to be old, worn, trusted and well-maintained rather than new and untested. Throwing away a serviceable cloak that simply needs patching is frivolous; it shows disrespect to the craftsman, at the very least. Even when they do buy something new, they see no reason to discard an old possession, not while there are family members or friends who might still get use out of it. There is a saying "every coin is washed in sweat." The Marchers earn what they have through hard work, and being frivolous with that wealth devalues the work that went into earning it.

Marcher folk don’t stand around waiting for someone else to solve their problems; self-reliance is a large part of their national character. While there is land for the ambitious to start new farms, it has to be cleared. Some places have trees to fell, some have enemies to defeat. People of other nations talk endlessly about what it means to be heroic; Marchers don’t waste their breath, they just get on and do what needs to be done.

Self-sacrifice underpins many elements of Marcher culture. It is found in the tenacious attitude of the people to hardship. It is found in the belief that hard work pays for good fortune. And it is found in the response to the loss of their territory: the ultimate sacrifice, death in a wicker man, for the ultimate responsibility.

Names

Marcher names are usually English in origin. Given names in the Marches are usually plain and simple.

Surnames often come in three flavours: where you're from, what you do, or a nickname.

Most often, they'll be for where you live, perhaps your home hamlet; "Of Stoke" for example. You might be named for a territory; usually if you live far from there. "Tom Of Upwold" might be a useful way of denote a particular Tom who lived in the Mitwold, not so for one in Upwold.

Less often, Marchers are named for what they do. "Beater", "Landskeeper", "Friar", "Brewer", "Smith", "Tailor" "Thatcher" etc.

However, a Marcher might also be named for a nickname: maybe a pet, or a description; "Wise", "Good", or something less complimentary.

Sample names

- Male: John, Henry, Robin, Thomas, Walter, William

- Female: Alice, Agnes, Brigit, Matilda, Margaret

At sixteen summers I was finally a man, and ready to take my place in the world. From my ma I got this old almanac that she’d had off her nanna afore her. At the time I wasn’t too impressed, truth to tell, but you’d be surprised how handy the damn thing has been over the years, especially since I got me own place and had to figure out plantin’ an’ croppin’ an’ such for meself. From me da I got Old Stinger, the gnarled ash bow what was made by me great-great-grandad. Not much of a bowyer but a real bear of a man who could straight-arm an anvil . Pull on it like an oxen, an’ by Virtue, if you didn’t learn to use it just so you’d find out the hard way why it was called Stinger, cos you wouldn’t be able to use yer hand fer the rest o’ the day! But I didn’t care, an’ I thanked ‘em right smart (somethin’ told me bein’ a man didn’t mean too old for a switchin’ if I didn’t show manners.) That night I got to go out to the lightning oak with the other young things, to say our words to the Landskeepers, an’ after that there was beer an’ dancin’ an’ such under the stars. Next mornin’ I was a man steerin’ a plough instead of a boy steerin’ a plough. Not sure why it made all the difference, but somehow it did.

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The Marches religious beliefs

Friars were commonplace in the Marches long before the Empire. These plain spoken folk were often at the centre of households. Although they worked their own land they provided spiritual advice and counsel to their fellow yeomen. Many also served as scholars for their community, acting as a chirurgeon, assisting with the writing and interpretation of formal correspondence, and teaching letters and history to young children. Awareness of, and belief in, reincarnation was also strongly present within the Marches even before The Way was taught here.

Following contact with Highborn Wayfarers, many friars and other Marchers undertook a pilgrimage to Bastion. Marcher folk are not easily impressed, but it is difficult to visit the great white towers of Bastion without being moved and inspired by their majestic spirituality. Long discussions between the friars and the Highborn priests saw the legendary Marcher figure, Good Walder, recognised as a Paragon of Prosperity.

Upon returning from Highguard, some of the pilgrims founded the first monastery. Today there are two distinct priestly traditions in the Marches. The friars live amongst the households and market towns, tend to their spiritual needs and exert gentle but far-reaching influence. The monks live in politically powerful monasteries, their control of farmland granting them the power and influence of an equivalent household.

As with any adherents of the Way the Marchers believe that unvirtuous behaviour and unworthy thoughts stain the soul, and that a soul that has more dark deeds weighing on its conscience than virtuous deeds is deemed wicked, and faces a dreadful fate after death. However, some of the older pre-Imperial beliefs about reincarnation still linger.

A few Marchers continue to believe that a dead soul spends an amount of time being reborn as a non-human between lives. It was once thought that a virtuous soul is reborn as a tree, especially a fruit tree, and rests between lives (see funerals). An unvirtuous soul is reborn as a succession of vermin, vexing their descendants with foul behaviour and stealing the food from their mouths. These old beliefs have mostly been abandoned and few people talk about them openly but some Marcher folk continue to believe them and rats and crows are often killed on sight by Marchers as a consequence.

Another early Marcher tradition held that dark deeds can be mitigated somewhat through the ceremony of shriving. By unburdening oneself of the misbehaviour and dark thoughts to a willing person, one makes them complicit in the actions and shares some of the burden. Both souls are then stained by the deed, halving the burden between them. The assumption behind shriving is that the person offering absolution - usually a priest - will pursue a highly virtuous life and thus mitigate the effect of some dark marks on their soul. Following the acceptance of The Way, Friars of the Marches continued to perform shriving, and the practice has occasionally been taken up by priests in other nations. While liao is sometimes used during shriving, it is not generally accepted as a true liao ceremony. Because of the burden taken on by the confessor, pious Marchers expect to pay for this service, and contributions to pay for the shared guilt have helped swell the coffers of the monasteries.

Another way to deal with unvirtuous behaviour, which has not traveled quite so well, is through sacrifice, most often in a wicker man. This sacrifice also allows for one person to take the spiritual taint of failure and unvirtous behaviour from several people and then absolve themselves - and their companions - through self-sacrifice. A Marcher who offers themselves as a sacrifice is believed by fellow Marcher to be completely purified by the act, passing immediately to their next life.

This is at odds with the orthodox beliefs in the Labyrinth of Ages, but does not directly contradict any of the Doctrines of the Faith and so does not fall under the definition of heresy. Friars who feel the need to defend this practice are often quick to emphasise the role of Pride, Loyalty and Courage that fills it.

Initially our efforts to spread the Way in the Marches were fruitful.

Though they show little interest in the immortality of their soul

or the nature of the Labyrinth of Ages, there is clear evidence that

virtue, especially Loyalty, informs much of their culture. There are

also tales of a man they call Good Walder whose legend I would

submit to the Assembly as possible Exemplar of Prosperity. We

had even encouraged some to undertake a pilgrimage to Highguard.

Regrettably, the situation has become complicated when Sister

Ashara burned one of the false idols that they insist that their

children carry with them. Upon the child’s cry, a mob descended

upon the inn we are staying at. They beat upon the door as I write…

From the Epistles of Wayfarer Lucien

to the Winds of Virtue Chapter, 12BE

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The Marches tales

- Jack and the Giant

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The Marches territories

The Marches is largely made up of fertile farmland.

- Upwold, The Silver Chase

- Mitwold, Pride of the Marches

- Bregasland the Dour Fens

- Mournwold, the Mourn (lost)

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The Marked

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

Biography

The Marked - or one thereof - is regarded as the oldest Paragon of Loyalty. So the legend goes, The Marked were a group of tattooed slaves who came together and swore the First Oath to one another. The details are lost to history, but this oath contained bonds of loyalty that sustained the Marked through trial, torment and even death to the point that their inhuman masters were overthrown.

Signs

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The Masquerade of the Reaper

Contents

- 1 Celebration

- 2 Traditions

- 2.1 Entertainments

- 2.2 Bridge Duelling

- 2.3 Gifts

- 2.4 Mountebanks and Tricksters

Celebration

Even in mourning, the League cannot help but make a grand show. Each year at the Winter solstice, the Masquerade of the Reaper offers citizens of all four cities a chance to celebrate the lives of those they have lost, which they do with great style.

The festival has its roots in dramaturgy and the League's love affair with masks - although some scholars point out semantic similarities with the Highborn - Day of the Dead which also takes place at the Winter Solstice .

At Anvil, a central role is played by the nation's egregore, who dons the mask of the Reaper, bringing back the shades of the recently deceased from the Labyrinth in a grand procession through the streets. In many ways, the egregore becomes a cultural death guiser, touring the camp, visiting every guild and being given a small gift. Anyone who has died in the last year might be represented by a death guiser, who will then follow the Reaper in their procession, ending at the grand plaza. There, any of the citizens of the League who attend Anvil may speak with them and make a (symbollic) public presentation to the spirits of the dead.

Being asked to take on the death guise at any time implies a great deal of trust and respect, but this is especially true at this grand memorial performance. Any words said to the masked figure are, as far as Leaguers are concerned, spoken to the dead and thus to be taken to the Labyrinth. The role is taken very seriously - significant Dead Reckoning may be recorded for the favour of taking on a guise, or the honour of being asked.

Powerful hearth magic is associated with this festival. It is considered the worst possible luck to let the Reaper see your own face, as then they will know what to look for during the year to come. Any Leaguer thus knows the importance of wearing a mask for protection, while many have tales of someone who flaunted this tradition and came to an unfortunate end soon after. Scholars often compare this dramaturgic personification of Death to that of the Freeborn. On the Brass Coast, Death is often portrayed as a foolish figure of fun; while there is an air of festivity to the role of the Reaper, the traditions that surround its celebratory incarnation are deadly serious. It is unsurprising that the two nations have similar customs relating to the personification of death - some scholars see this as a reaction to their shared historical connection to the Highborn.

Festivities will continue long after dark, with the guilds remaining open for business as the central Plaza transforms into the night market. A visitor to The League camp at this time might be forgiven for thinking the whole area was reminiscent of a stage, with every citizen performing. They would not be far wrong.

Traditions

Entertainments

The festival includes a great many entertainments; and as in all things, the League cannot help but be competitive about them. No-one officially judges who performs the finest play or hosts the finest gathering, but be in no doubt that citizens keep score of who and what has impressed or offended them. Leading theatre troupes and musicians will be sure to perform publically and many of the more fashion conscious will choose this time to reveal their new outfits.

Bridge Duelling

Some of the competition is more obvious to an outsider. Bridge Duelling is a popular sport between bravos, a sport often credited as a satire of the relations between the twin cities of Tassato. One team will stake out an area as their 'bridge' and challenge all comers who wish to cross it. This culminates in a grand series of duels where competitors fight for ribbons. Duellists can choose to stake a number of ribbons from their collection against each other, but a greater number are often won from admirers in the crowd who applaud flamboyance, wit and style as much as combat prowess. In keeping with the masked nature of the festival, it is common for combatants to adopt a persona and announce themselves under a name chosen for the occasion, rather than their own.

Gifts

The giving of gifts to loved ones is very common during the festival, although individual guilds have very varied traditions; outsiders would be well warned to subtly find out what is normal for any guild they have regular dealings with. For some, the gift of food and drink is the norm, while others take pride in giving small but much more personal trinkets.

Mountebanks and Tricksters

Amongst the street magicians the festival has a gained a slightly different flavour. It is known unofficially as the Masquerade of the Red Dancer. Daring acts of sabotage and infiltration are commited under heavy masks, and it is said the greatest long cons have reached their climax on this night. The knowledge of this tradition adds an extra frisson of danger to the celebration - at the back of the mind of each prince and bishop is the vague suspicion that this might be the night where some unscrupulous trickster, grifter or thief unravels their carefuly laid plans.

The orphans lined up on the marble steps, ready in their best clothes and every face covered with a mask - all except one small petulant blue face in the middle ranks. One of the guardians of the Little Mother soon swooped forward.

"Giovanna, put your mask on!"

"But Mother, it is uncomfortable, and the ribbon makes my gills itch."

"It's terrible luck if the Reaper sees you! Do you want him to know your face?"

"But Mother, in lessons they said luck is a heretical idea and not real."

"Hearth Magic is very real though, and very powerful." The guardian helped the little girl tie her mask back on. "Besides, if Mother Bishop catches you showing up our Church without a mask he will make you wish the Reaper would take you..."

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The Midgard Seamstress

The costuming expertise of the Midgard Seamstress has been essential to creating the kit briefs for the Empire nations.

Drawing on over 15 years of LARP, reenactment and costume experience, Lauren specialises in soft kit made to measure, making everything from hero pants to banqueting kit, and hats to ballgowns. She works with period appropriate materials like linen and wool and likes to understand (if not necessarily follow) what's authentic. All historical eras and fantasy genres are catered for, and as an experienced LARPer she has a good idea what's practical. Contact Lauren on Facebook or via email for a no obligation chat about your costuming needs.

- Facebook

- Email - midgardseamstress@gmail.com

As every piece is custom made, all Empire nation can be catered for. These are some examples of past work, prices will vary due to fabric choice, style and finish (machine or hand). Designing, making, reproductions, alterations, embroidery, beading and many other services available.

Contents

- 1 Wintermark

- 2 Marches

- 3 Dawn

- 4 League

Wintermark

- Linen tunics from £35

- Woollen tunics from £45

- Woollen trousers from £40

- Dresses from £35

Marches

- Doublets from £45

- Braies and Hose £20 each

- Dresses from £35

- Pourpoints from £25

Dawn

- Surcoats from £25

League

- Livery coats from £60

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Military (Redirected from The Military)

Redirect page

Military Council

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The Moon's Only Daughter

Lyrics by Amelia Crowley, Music by Jude Reid.

A pdf of the lyrics and tune can be found here.

William of Astolat walking by night Was struck by a beacon of pearl grey light Fashioned of starfire, lovely and chill The moon's only daughter came over the hill

She walked like a mist-wraith with never a sound As she drifted and dreamed high above the dark ground And William knew coming to with a start That the moon's only daughter had stolen his heart

He trembled and shook till he hardly could stand Then he stumbled before her with hat in his hand But before he could utter what plainly he showed The moon's only daughter passed on down the road

He followed down hillsides, he followed on plain He followed through forests and fields thick with grain He followed her over the silvery moor Till he saw her go in at her mother's white door

He waited without, for her dared not go in Dared not touch the door, for he feared 'twas a sin That to touch the moon's whiteness would damn him for sure So he stood there, in silence, a step from the door

William of Astolat walks by the hill And as he goes dreaming true lovers fall still For dawn found him walking, all dew-drenched and dazed And his heart will keep aching for all of his days.

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The Mountain

Contents

- 1 The Law

- 2 The Constellation

- 3 Symbolism

- 4 Invoking The Mountain in magic

- 5 Tulpas of the Mountain

- 6 Alignment

The Law

Things are not easy

The Constellation

The Mountain is formed of ten stars and appears low to the horizon. Whilst the ‘peak’ is visible throughout the year, the constellation is partially obscured during the winter months, only completely rising in to view during the late spring and summer.

Symbolism

in Urizen there is a saying – "you can only go around the mountain". The mountain represents obstacles delays and difficulties; things that must be worked around or problems that have no easy solution. The mountain can represent a puzzle, and intractable trial, or an impossible decision; but whatever it is, you cannot ignore it – you can only go around it.

The mountain can also mean great reward in return for great toil – such as those who work in mines in such mountains. The mountain tells us there is no easy life or free lunch - anything worth having is worth fighting for.

Invoking The Mountain in magic

the mountain is invoked where ritualist wishes to represent or call on a great obstacle or hindrance to forward progress. Before a battle, the opposing force might be represented by the mountain; equally the mountain is often used in curses to represent great difficulty or struggle for the target of the curse.

The mountain is often also used to represent the end of a quest; the object, achievement, or outcome desired by the ritualist to reach which requires great effort, strife, and toil.

Tulpas of the Mountain

Tulpa is of the mountain take many forms but are often known to appear near bridges, Crossroads, or gates. There they will demand any who pass answer riddle or perform a small task; only those who succeed will be permitted to pass without further harassment. They do not appear to take any pleasure in their task regarding it instead as a duty.

Alignment

Ritualists who come close to the mountain in ritual report that often, they are overwhelmed by a feeling of immobility and obstreperousness. They become awkward, uncommunicative, unfriendly and wilfully difficult.

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The Mountainous Oak

Description

The Mountainous Oak is strongly tied to the resolute magic of the Summer realm.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Twice per day the coven may perform a Summer ritual that does not count towards their daily limit of rituals performed.

- Materials: Crafting the mountainous oak requires twelve measures of orichalcum, nine ingots of green iron, seven ingots of tempest jade, seven ingots of ambergelt, five measures of dragonbone and two measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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The Mountebank

The mountebank is one of the personae used in dramaturgy. While the character is usually referred to as female, regardless of the gender of the thespian taking the role, within the narrative she may be of either sex; often, as with many dramaturgical characters, the gender is irrelvant to the story as a whole to allow any ritualist to take the role.

Character: In most traditional League troupes, the Mountebank is a charming and debonair rogue - a confidence trickster whose deceptions are eventually uncovered and who comes to a deservedly sticky end. Regardless of her cleverness, her sins are always revealed by the end of the play although she does not always pay for them.

The Mountebank is used in stories and magic that subverts and undermines expectations or accepted roles. She is smooth, charming and convinced of her own cleverness. Even characters like The Prince and The Bishop cannot help but like her, and she is often paired with either The Captain or The Witch in a romantic entanglement or sub-plot. Her antithesis is The Doctor, who is often the mechanism of the Mountebank's downfall.

She never acknowledges her own limitations, though can be quick to exploit the weaknesses of others. A merciless seductor and an inveterant rake, she remains a likeble rogue, even when committing the most deceitful acts.

There is a dark side to the Mountebank - she is wild and unconstrained. She says and does things that shock others, and she urges other characters to embrace riot and revellry when they should look to their duties and loyalties.

In street theatre, the Mountebank is a hero, a wily counterpart to The Captain who succeeds through his wits and his cleverness.

Magical Associations: She is most used in rituals that deal with transformation and deception, but she also works with magic that unleashes primal forces, grants strength or encourages destructive behaviour. She is associated with the virtues of Ambition and Courage.

Realms: The mountebank is associated with spring (destruction, chaos, blood) and night (transformation, disguise, concealment).

Identities: As one of the personae, the mountebank usually appears named after one of the four rivers. Her name influences her character, which in turn influences the magical role she plays.

- Scorrero – used for magic that grants health or that deals with positive or relaxed emotions

- Vassa – used for magic that transforms or disguises

- Gancio – used in magic that conceals or destroys

- Couros – used in magic that unleashes dangerous emotions or destructive forces

Trappings: She dresses flamboyantly in vivid and often contrasting colours, walks with a swagger and waves her hands dynamically. Her mask is often quite simple, but over the course of a performance she may wear other masks over the top of it to represent various disguises.

As with all personae, a troupe is likely to have a specific mask they use to portray the Mountebank..

Other Identities: She usually appears as either a mountebank or agitator. In Dawn she is sometimes a Troubadour. In The Marches she is often a Knight whose boorish manners and lusty behaviour get him into trouble. Occasionally a band of mummers will cast her as the Alderman, and then she is often portrayed as cheating people.

Minor Roles

The Gambler

The Mountebank sometimes appears the guise of the gambler. A compulsive figure, the gambler has no sense of morality at all. He can happily bet ridiculous sums on the most trivial or insane things. However, he is very good at his profession, and seldom loses. He favours long wagers, that give the heroes time to either complete them or find payment. The Gambler has a macabre sense of humour, and usually wants something grisly, ironic or embarassing rather than money in return for a lost wager.

The Sailor

A generous spendthrift, the Sailor appears irregularly. He can't be relied on in the least, but he represents good times and trouble when he is in town. He often brings bequeathals or bounty, or signifies a short span of lavish entertainments. He also sometimes brings strange gifts, which are often more trouble than they are worth. The sailor is a blowhard and a braggart, and often starts trouble that he can't finish. He's also lusty, lazy, and given to taking more food and drink than is wise.

In this role the Mountebank often represents a fleet, or the primal bounty of rituals such as Rampant Growth.

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Nation Overview (Redirected from The Nations)

Redirect page

Nation overview

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The Navigators

The Navigators lyrics by Jude Reid

To the tune of Sacred Harp 121 (Florence), recording and score on youtube, tune is the middle line.

So many times the stars have turned Since in those days of yore The Navigators first set sail To seek a distant shore Through chilling winds and beating rains, Through waters deep and cold, Their enemies surrounding them, Take courage and be bold.

Though storms and hurricanes arise, And foes be all around, And foul Eternals may appear, To profane the sacred ground. Dark nights and clouds and gloomy fear — And dragons fearsome roar We'll hold as fast as heros of old Who sailed for Highguard's shore.

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The Night of a Thousand Torches

The Night of a Thousand Torches Written and recorded by Chris Robins Kennish for the Compagnia di Rossi for the Autumn Equinox, 377.

When torchlight flickers on your skin With a thousand eyes upon you Does it tell of virtue or sin Darling what am I to do?

The night of a thousand torches They came for them in they’re beds The night of a thousand torches So cold they wished they were dead

To clear the city it is their way Into winters depth they are cast Any they find whose skin is stained The time to hide is past

The night of a thousand torches They came for us in our beds The night of a thousand torches So cold we wished we were dead

Proud red stag upon your skin A sign of your disgrace Can’t keep them out, so I let them in Tears stream down my face

The night of a thousand torches They came for you in our bed The night of a thousand torches So cold I wished you were dead

You’ve gone into the winter night And I will sleep no more I only tried to do what was right I cast you out of my door

The night of a thousand torches Wish they’d come for me in my bed The night of a thousand torches So cold, I wish I were dead

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The North wind doth blow

A simple traditional nursery rhyme, to an original tune File:North wind.mid

The North Wind doth blow And we shall have snow And what will poor Robin do then? Poor thing!

He'll sit in the barn And keep himself warm And tuck his head under his wing. Poor thing!

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The Novarian Phoenix

This has been adapted by Rosie Goldsmith from The Phoenix by Julia Ecklar, as sung here.

A pdf of the tune and lyrics can be found here.

Knight of Dawn in Richilde’s reign, she was born Proved true and brave, with a charge so fierce, they won at Semmerholm And with all the battles over, the darkness at an end Novaria stood tall in victory and the Sun Queen called her ‘friend’

With my banners riding so high, my knights all armed in steel And from my Pride and Courage comes the power that I wield Once around the labyrinth, I died beneath my tree Now my scions rise on phoenix wings, for all of Dawn to see

To guard in Applefell she built her, fortress there But the soul that never ventures far, in peace begins to wear No one listened to the Weavers, they’d forgotten how to strive So when flames took hold of the old heart, left them open to the sky.

With my banners riding so high, my knights all armed in steel And from my Pride and Courage comes the power that I wield Once around the labyrinth, I died beneath my tree Now my scions rise on phoenix wings, for all of Dawn to see

My war cry rends the morning skies, I am here No longer sheltered and kept close, now I stride out without fear My fruit I cast so widely ‘neath, the Empire’s blazing sky I led the way, and I lead the way, to the future and for Pride

With my banners riding so high, my knights all armed in steel And from my Pride and Courage comes the power that I wield Once around the labyrinth, I died beneath my tree Now my scions rise on phoenix wings, for all of Dawn to see

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The Novarion Phoenix

This has been adapted by Rosie Goldsmith from The Phoenix by Julia Ecklar, as sung here.

A pdf of the tune and lyrics can be found here.

Knight of Dawn in Richilde’s reign, she was born Proved true and brave, with a charge so fierce, they won at Semmerholm And with all the battles over, the darkness at an end Novaria stood tall in victory and the Sun Queen called her ‘friend’

With my banners riding so high, my knights all armed in steel And from my Pride and Courage comes the power that I wield Once around the labyrinth, I died beneath my tree Now my scions rise on phoenix wings, for all of Dawn to see

To guard in Applefell she built her fortress there But the soul that never ventures far, in peace begins to wear No one listened to the Weavers, they’d forgotten how to strive So when flames took hold of the old heart, left them open to the sky.

With my banners riding so high, my knights all armed in steel And from my Pride and Courage comes the power that I wield Once around the labyrinth, I died beneath my tree Now my scions rise on phoenix wings, for all of Dawn to see

My war cry rends the morning skies, I am here No longer sheltered and kept close, now I stride out without fear My fruit I cast so widely ‘neath, the Empire’s blazing sky I led the way, and I lead the way, to the future and for Pride

With my banners riding so high, my knights all armed in steel And from my Pride and Courage comes the power that I wield Once around the labyrinth, I died beneath my tree Now my scions rise on phoenix wings, for all of Dawn to see

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The Oak

Contents

- 1 Laws

- 2 The Constellation

- 3 Symbolism

- 4 Invoking The Oak in Magic

- 5 Tulpas of the Oak

- 6 Alignment

Laws

Things Endure

The Constellation

The Oak is usually located by following the final strand of The Web to pinpoint The Oak’s brightest star, which forms the apex of this constellation of ten stars. What is commonly referred to as the ‘Root’ star is obscured by the horizon until late spring, when it rises over the following months. By late summer this constellation is found almost overhead.

Symbolism

The Oak is the tree which has the strength to grow out in defiance of the ground; which stands fast against the buffets of fate and weather. Oak endures; it gains strength as it ages and it stands fast against all comers. It is dependable, reliable, does not blunt or rust, can be turned to many uses. Barricades and buttresses, shields and staves, the simple homespun stuff of civilisation. In Varushka where The Oak is not a natural tree the constellation is known as The Summer Tree; in the Marches it is referred to as "Our Good Oak".

The Oak can also refer to origin and sense of self; communities that put down deep roots or that have a very strong personal identity often feel the Oak represents them.

Invoking The Oak in Magic

invoking The Oak is to call on natural strength, on the virtue of good rich earth and the tenacity of that which grows from it. Spells which strengthen, cause people to stand fast, defy other spells, shields the innocent from effects, or have a strong route or association with Ward all benefit from the implication of The Oak. Some subtler ritualists also use The Oak or more specifically the Acorn as a symbol for young warriors and those not yet passed their test of citizenship; associating them with The Oak is believed to provide them with strong and beneficial auspices for the future.

The Oak also has deep roots; rituals to do with hearth, family, sense of self and belonging all benefit from the presence of the Oak as of course does the national Egregore ritual.

Tulpas of the Oak

The Marches have a long history of Oak tulpas – The Green Man, Puck-in-the-Moss, Hob-Robin and The Antrobus Horse are all thought-forms associated with The Oak. They tend to solitary and are usually only encountered in heavily wooded areas. There are some reports though of a woman in armour all made of wood and leaves who appears to Dawnish knights and Highborn in need of strength and fortitude, especially if they sit vigil during the night. Such people speak only of a silent, warm, reassuring presence; and of being ready, in the morning, for the trial.

Alignment

Ritualists who invoke the Oak speak of a strong sense of self and identity; of a deep awareness of national and imperial pride. Some believe that invoking the name of the Oak before taking Liao can increase the chances of placing one in touch with a past life with a past sense of self. One Suaq ritualist described brushing by the Oak as "feeling like I could see a thousand ancestors stretching before me into the past".

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The Oak (song)

Adaptation of The Oak by Frank Gorga - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb2aoZr6bEM

Chords: Am G Em x4

Chorus The limbs, the veins, the head and the heart The earth, the roots, the leaves and the bark The limbs, the veins, the head and the heart The earth, the roots, the leaves and the bark

Chorus

Verse 1 For shelter and shade has the oak tree grown (The limbs, the veins, the head and the heart) The boat and cradle, the hearth and home (The earth, the roots, the leaves and the bark)

Verse 2 Tear the leaves and the crops will fail (The limbs, the veins, the head and the heart) Cut the branch and your ships won’t sail (The earth, the roots, the leaves and the bark)

Chorus

Verse 3 Arms so strong they hold the sky (The limbs, the veins, the head and the heart) Fell the tree and the heart won't die (The earth, the roots, the leaves and the bark)

Verse 4 What dies when the sea returns? (The limbs, the veins, the head and the heart) What grows when the black rain burns? (The earth, the roots, the leaves and the bark)

Chorus

Instrumental

Verse 5 For seven generations the oak trees grow (The limbs, the veins, the head and the heart) The roots reach deep to the rocks and bones (The earth, the roots, the leaves and the bark)

Chorus x2

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The Orc Rebellion

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Prelude

- 2 The Rebellion Begins

- 3 The Rebellion Spreads

- 4 Emperor Ahraz and the End of the Rebellion

- 5 Integration and the Imperial Orcs

- 6 Repercussions of the Orc Rebellion

Prelude

As every child know, the lands that now form the Empire were once contested by powerful orc tribes. The First Empress embarked on a crusade to unite the disparate human kingdoms, attacking those tribes that controlled the fertile plains between the human lands. In battle after battle the orcs were driven back. The larger tribes withdrew beyond the Empire’s borders to plot their revenge. The smaller tribes retreated to the mountains and marshes, surviving by raiding and banditry. Thousands were captured and many enslaved, forced to work in the mines in Varushka and other lands.

Despite the privation of their existence, the number of orc slaves in the Empire remained steady as generations grew to adulthood in the Imperial mines. Unable to read or write in the dark tunnels, with slaves moved around at their masters' whim, their histories were slowly forgotten until even the names of their tribes were lost. The few that managed to escape found that those orcs who still fought the Empire treated them even more harshly than their Imperial masters.

The Rebellion Begins

The orc rebelion began in the summer of 322AE when a disastrous collapse in a Varushkan mine in Karsk allowed a large band of orcs to escape as the walls of their confinement crumbled. Rather than attempting to seek refuge with the enemies of the Empire, this group set up a camp and began raiding nearby slave enclosures, freeing their brothers and sisters and appropriating weapons and food for the growing band of freed slaves.

The leader of the uprising, a male orc going by the name of Thrace, has become an almost mythical figure. Stories vary from accounts of a cunning, highly intelligent slave who lead his companions in an all-out rebellion to tales of a monstrously huge orc who terrorised the Imperial troops with raids of shocking ferocity. Accusations that the rebellious orc leadership made accommodations with a Sovereign or with Eternals hostile to the Empire have never been proven, but there are numerous dubious tales from this period that place a number of atrocious acts at the feet of Thrace and his allies.

Initially the Empire under-estimated the threat posed by the slaves. Varushakan troops sent to deal with the threat found themselves heavily outnumbered and were soundly defeated. Winter came early, and a decision was taken to face the threat in the spring under the assumption that the orcs could not endure the harsh Varushkan winter. But the orcs captured three vales and splitting their forces between them, they weathered the cold there using the time to equip themselves with armour and weapons taken from the defeated Varushkan Schlacta.

There were skirmishes between the Varushkan Army of the Golden Axe and the orcs throughout 323, but the orcs were able to avoid a decisive battle. There were defeats on both sides, but the size of the threat continued to grow as more mines were captured and their occupants freed. As Summer drew on, the Senate bowed to the inevitable and ordered the Imperial generals to send the Army of the Northern Eagle to support the Golden Axe. Together the two forces were able to bring the orcs to battle and soundly defeat them in the Fall. Hundreds of orcs were killed and ten times the number captured as their force was routed. The Empire breathed a sigh of relief as the revolt appeared to be over.

The Rebellion Spreads

Early in 324 it became clear that the orcs had laid plans against the possibility of their defeat. More mines were captured, but this time the attacks happened nearly simultaneously across Wintermark, Dawn, The League and Highguard. Months were wasted trying to analyse the threat as the Empire mistakenly believed that the orc slaves had somehow gained access to the gate magics that the Empire used against their barbarian enemies. Eventually it became clear that those orcs who had escaped defeat in Varushka had split their forces.

Interrogation of prisoners captured in Varushka revealed that the orc leadership was intent on winning the freedom of all orcs enslaved throughout the Empire. The orc slaves had tried to make deals with the barbarian forces fighting the Empire, but their efforts had been bloodily rebuffed. The barbarian tribes maintain ancient taboos against mixing blood between tribes and they regarded the ex-slaves with horror. It was clear that the slaves would find no succour with their barbarian brethren and so they had laid plans to spread their rebellion across the Empire.

Imperial armies were recalled from the borders and sent to put down the revolts, but as before the orcs strove to avoid pitched battles. Word of the rebellion spread and spontaneous revolts broke out across the Empire. The Senate was riven when it was discovered that a handful of Freeborn and League merchants had been selling the orcs weapons and provisions in return for precious ores plundered from the captured mines. The actions were widely condemned, but were ruled legal since the Empire was not technically at war with the slaves.

Several pitched battles took place throughout the year in Dawn and Wintermark and although the orcs suffered a number of defeats the raids on mines continued and their numbers continued to grow. As the year drew on, the orcs fled towards the centre of the Empire and were soon camped in huge numbers near the city of Temeschwar. The League town of Narien was razed, its inhabitants routed by the overwhelming tide of freed slaves and the ruins plundered to feed the horde.

Emperor Ahraz and the End of the Rebellion

Desperate to end the rebellion, the Senate appointed an Emperor after a debate that lasted the best part of a day. Emperor Ahraz, a Freeborn Scrivener was chosen after very public promises by the Brass Coast senators that they would end the rebellion. The orcs fled north into Varushka pursued by the Emperor who led a force consisting of Brass Coast forces and troops from other nations that had supported his election.

As the armies moved north through Varushka, the Emperor secretly entered into negotiations with the orcs. Several meetings took place, where Ahraz reiterated his people’s antipathy for slavery and desire to see the orcs freed. The Emperor offered full citizenship to any orc who would swear to serve the Empire and claimed he could achieve freedom for all orcs enslaved by the Empire. After weeks of protracted talks, the orcs agreed to accept Ahraz’ offer and swore to serve the Imperial throne.

In a calculated show of strength, Ahraz’ forces marched to Anvil with the orcs. The Emperor presented the agreement to the Senate; the Brass Coast and their allies in Urizen and Wintermark rallied to his cause, but Varushka, Dawn and Highguard refused to contemplate the deal. Navarr, The League and The Marches remained undecided and were the subject of intense and frantic negotiation in the hours that followed. That evening the League suddenly switched en masse to support the Emperor’s agreement; whereupon senators from Navarr and the Marches swiftly followed. Much has been made of the politics behind these events and the legality therein, but the final outcome was that soon after the Navarr joined the orc cause, the Freeborn Hakima and orc shamans created the Imperial Orc Egregore who was ratified by the Emperor.

The recognition of the orcs, as citizens of the Empire, meant that no orcs could be kept as slaves under the constitution. Those orcs that were prepared to swear oaths of service to the Empire were accepted by the egregore, those that would not were expelled or in some cases executed. The orcs were free citizens of the Empire, but there remained questions of where they would live and what they would do.

Most orcs made their way to the vast camps based near Anvil. The Imperial civil service provided tents and provisions and recruited many to join the Imperial army. A few tried to strike out on their own, but few had any desire to return to the sites of their former subjugation. Even those who did not join the army found remaining in the camps offered the easiest path. As months passed the legion camps became the de facto home for the Imperial Orcs. The discipline of army life suited the orcs and keeping their people together made it possible to exert leadership over them.

Integration and the Imperial Orcs

The years followed saw a painstaking rebuilding of skills. Urizen teachers taught the orcs to read and write, while smiths from Wintermark and the Marches taught them to work a forge. Those who joined the army were equipped with old weapons and armour. It was impossible to recreate the tribes; that identity was lost to the centuries of slavery. Most orcs were keen to abandon the past and embrace the opportunity they had won and create a name for themselves as citizens of the Empire. Those that joined an Imperial Army formed themselves into fighting companies, called legions, and these quickly became as pivotal to them as their tribes had once been.

Imperial generals were hesitant to use the orcs at first, there remained a conviction amongst some that the Imperial Orcs would prove unreliable in battle, some even whispered that their loyalties could not be trusted. Orc generals pushed for them to be deployed, rightly believing that the only way such doubts could be dispelled would be through victories on the field. The orcs were convinced that only military victories against the barbarians would eventually bring them a chance to claim lands of their own.

Doubts about the loyalties of the Imperial Orcs were soon quashed. News of the acceptance of orcs into the Empire brought renewed conflict with the barbarians on every border. Some Urizen historians believe that barbarians united to try to wipe out the Imperial Orcs to prevent them spreading into barbarian lands. The Imperial Orcs have always claimed that the invasions were launched with the intention of attacking them directly, the hatred of the barbarians for those who abandon their tribal legacy. Whatever the motivation, the barbarians pushed the Empire hard and a series of weak Emperors that followed Ahraz saw the Empire steadily losing ground.

The string of losses means that five decades after they won their freedom, the Imperial Orcs still do not possess lands of their own. It is claimed that the Empress Britta promised the orcs lands in return for their support in first reconquering the lost territories. News of her death has come as a bitter blow to many orcs who fear that the Empire may yet return to the dark years of divided and weak leadership, rather than the strong leadership that orcs value and which most believe the Empire needs if Britta’s promise is to be realized.

Repercussions of the Orc Rebellion

Varushka probably suffered most from the slave revolt. Many prominent businessmen were ruined in the wake of the orc rebellion, most especially the Varushkan mine-owners in Karsk (several of whom were arrested after they defenestrated their own senator). There is still some bad blood between Varushkan vales and the Imperial Orcs due to harsh acts committed by both sides both prior to and during the rebellion.

The losses were not restricted to Varushka; several Dawnish noble houses and Marcher households who had relied on the orcs to operate their mines lost access to their pool of free labour, slashing their profits. They found it very difficult to recruit humans to take their place for obvious reasons - mining was dirty, dangerous work that appealed neither to the Dawnish nor the Marcher yeomen. In many cases, mines were simply closed down as sufficient workers could not be found to keep them operational.

The League and Highguard weathered the rebellion reasonably well. Highborn chapters who operated mines tightened their belts and accepted reduced profits. Hard work by a cabal of benefactors generally called the Ring of Stone worked to keep the quarries and mines operational and smooth the transition to paid labour. The League lost the labour that had allowed its farms to operate so profitably, but mostly simply adjusted to more imports or reduced profits.

Many Wintermark slaves, in contrast to the slaves of several other nations, were mostly thralls - more akin to prisoners of war than the slave labourers used by other nations. Those slaves almost exclusively chose exile over joining the Imperial Orcs. Those orcs held in more traditional slavery mostly joined the Imperial Orcs.

Neither Urizen nor the Brass Coast were used orc slaves at the time of the rebellion and emerged mostly unscathed by the economic considerations of the rebellion. In the aftermath however there were several accusations of treason - indeed, Emperor Arhaz himself faced inquisition before the Synod and was called on to defend his actions which he did with the support of several prominent Cardinals, notably the Cardinals of Pride, Courage and Prosperity. To this day there are rumblings of a conspiracy within the Empire to emancipate the orcs with deep roots in the two nations who did not rely on orcish slaves. The Freeborn commitment to freedom is obvious, but the actions of the Urizen during this conflict are often characterised as more cynical, undermining their political enemies in the Senate secure in the knowledge that orcish freedom would not affect their ushabti-powered mines.

Regardless of the good that came from the orc rebellion, the economic uncertainty that resulted left the Empire reeling and paved the way for the increasing corruption and self-interest of the Senate, the Freedom Heresy and ultimately accelerated the decline of the Empire.

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The Parting Glass

Trad. Wailin' Jenny's version - very similar to the arrangement below

Learning resources

Media:parting-glass.pdf - score (arranged by Daisy Abbott)

Midis to help learn:

- Media:parting-glass-tune.mid Tune

- Media:parting-glass-middle.mid Middle harmony

- Media:parting-glass.mid Bottom harmony

Of all the money e'er I had, I spent it in good company. And all the harm e'er I've done, Alas! it was to none but me. And all I've done for want of wit To mem'ry now I can't recall So fill to me the parting glass Good night and joy be with you all.

Chorus: (Some Versions Omit) So fill to me the parting glass And drink a health whate'er befalls Then gently rise and softly call "Good night and joy be to you all"

Oh, all the comrades e'er I had, They're sorry for my going away, And all the sweethearts e'er I had, They'd wish me one more day to stay, But since it falls unto my lot, That I should rise and you should not, I gently rise and softly call, Good night and joy be with you all.

If I had money enough to spend, And leisure time to sit awhile, There is a fair maid in this town, That sorely has my heart beguiled. Her rosy cheeks and ruby lips, I own she has my heart in thrall, Then fill to me the parting glass, Good night and joy be with you all.

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The Phoenix

Contents

- 1 The Law

- 2 The Constellation

- 3 Symbology

- 4 Using the Phoenix in Ritual

- 5 Tulpas of the Phoenix

- 6 Alignment

The Law

Things learn

The Constellation

The Phoenix is ones of the most easily recognised constellations, possibly due to frequent depiction in Urizen art and iconography. It is rare to find even an Urizen child who hasn’t been taught how to find the Phoenix in the night sky, and then use it to more easily locate The Chain and many other constellations.

Symbology

The Phoenix is the transformation of the self through learning, wisdom and understanding; unlike the Great Wyrm, which is elemental change, the Phoenix is the rebirth of the soul through understanding and education – the awakening of enlightenment.

In some cultures the legend of the bird’s fiery death and rebirth is seen as a metaphor for the transit of souls through the Labyrinth – in others, the fiery end is seen as the strife and toil required to better oneself. Nothing worth learning should be cheap or easy.

Using the Phoenix in Ritual

The Phoenix stands for knowledge revealed and the betterment of all thereby. It is the enemy of ignorance and secrets, the flame that burns superstition and misunderstanding away. It has considerable application in rituals designed to counter or destroy other rituals especially those which cloud or obscure; it is also efficacious when used to raise morale or counter fear and despair.

Tulpas of the Phoenix

The thoughtforms of the Phoenix are always vivid in colour and vigorous in movement; enthusiastic, energetic, rousing and full of fire. Red Jack Firestarter in the Marches, The Flame-Haired Woman in Dawn and The Chimneysweep in The League are all known Tulpas of the Phoenix.

Alignment

Ritualists who align closely with the Phoenix speak of being energised; of knowing that the solution to a problem is literally just within their reach, and of being full of energy and drive, often to unclear purpose. Decisions made in such a state can often be of dubious utility in the cold light of day.

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The Powers of Synod Priests

Powers of Synod Priests

Synod priests are responsible for the spiritual leadership and wellbeing of Imperial Citizens. It is understood that a Synod priest is, by dint of their role in the Empire, possessed of a nature that is virtuous, and enhances virtue in others, whilst protecting them from wickedness. Consequently, Synod priests are entrusted with legal powers to help them fulfill their holy role. The following table summarises the rights and powers of any Synod priest. More detail on each power is available by following the links.

Power

Summary

Witness

The Synod is responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of the Empire and is empowered by the Imperial Constitution to witness or observe all aspects of its function. Any member of the Synod must be granted access to all areas in the Imperial Bourse, the Imperial Senate and the Imperial Military Council, in order to observe and witness, provided they remain quiet, respectful and do not directly interfere.

Sanctuary

If a Synod priest is in the Synod, or on consecrated ground, they may grant sanctuary to one who asks it. The one granted sanctuary has the turn of an hourglass before they may be taken to a magistrate to face any charges leveled against them. The Synod priest who grants sanctuary is responsible for the actions of the one they have granted it to.

Clemency

A person who has been granted sanctuary, as above, may confess a crime or equivalent to a Synod priest. If the Synod priest believes the crime or deed was done for virtuous reasons, they may accompany the person to their trial and speak on their behalf to ask for clemency from the magistrate.

Calling for the judgment of an Assembly

Once per summit weekend, a Synod priest may put a judgment before an Assembly of the Synod.

Making a Judgment

Over the course of a summit weekend, there may be many judgments put before the various Synod Assemblies. A Synod priest can express their verdict for or against any, or all, that apply to Assemblies they are members of.

Further Reading

- The Synod

- Information about the different Assemblies

- The powers of the Synod Assemblies

- How the Synod Assemblies use their powers

- The Way of Virtue

- Imperial Theology

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The Prince

The prince is one of the personae used in dramaturgy. While the character is usually referred to as female, regardless of the gender of the thespian taking the role, within the narrative she may be of either sex; often, as with many dramaturgical characters, the gender is irrelvant to the story as a whole to allow any ritualist to take the role.

Character: The Prince is a powerful, dynamic figure, symbolising both material wealth and temporal power. She has authority, and she is unafraid to exert it. She is often involved in a conflict with another character, sometimes a military conflict with The Captain, sometimes a conflict of philosophy with The Bishop, or sometimes the foil for the intrigues of The Witch or The Mountebank.

She often has power over other characters, but how she uses that power determines her fate at the end of the play. If she is wise, she brings prosperity and happiness at the end. If she is cruel, she is deposed and brought to ruin.

Although a strong ruler, the Prince is a pragmatist, and may be swayed against honesty and truthfulness by the path of expediency. She understands the sacrifices that a ruler must make - perhaps the first being her own conscience.

In street theatre, she is often a foolish figure who gives herself unearned airs and graces, and whose wealth is usually stolen or given away to another character, who profits greatly thereby.

Magical Associations: She is most obviously used in rituals where magic is used to create or influence wealth. She is also used in magic where her authority is relevant, such as oaths or wards, or even curses if she is presented with he ability to punish other characters. She can be used to represent the Senate, the Throne and the Empire as a whole. She is associated with the virtues of Ambition, Prosperity, Loyalty and Pride.

Realms: The prince is associated with autumn (wealth, power) and winter (authority, oaths).

Identities: As one of the personae, the captain usually appears named after one of the four rivers. Her name influences her character, which in turn influences the magical role she plays.

- Scorrero – used for magic that encourages prosperity

- Vassa – used for magic that enchants or grants strength, or that affects many people

- Gancio – used in magic that promotes wisdom or that places bounaries or wards

d* Couros – used in magic that punishes or destroys, or that teaches a harsh lesson

Trappings: She wears rich colours often decorated with gold, sometimes with a circlet or crown above her mask, and may carry a sceptre or a bag of coins. She almost always wears several rings.

As with all personae, a troupe is likely to have a specific mask they use to portray the Prince.

Other Identities: She appears in roles that include authority and rulership, and often reperesents off-stage forces outside the remit of the play. She may be cast as a magistrate, a senator, or occasionally as the Emperor. In Dawn she is an Earl, and in The Marches she is either a wise Steward, or a cruel and capricious overlord who seeks to dominate others.

Minor Roles

The Artisan

Sometimes the Prince appears in the guise of the Artisan. In this role she appears mature, calm and confident, dressed simply but richly in dark browns and greens. The character is calm, measured and well-spoken; she represents confidence in oneself and mastery of one's life and one's abilities. She is a regular character in rituals that deal with enchanted or special items - she might be used in a ritual such as Maker's Mark or Mark of Ownership.

She also represents maturity and fulflled potential, and may be used in rituals where one character gives skills or abilities directly to another (such as Illuminate the Higher Mind or Secrets of Skillful Artifice.

====The Miser

A dark reflection of the prince, almost always dressed in black, often worn and dusty, the miser is a greedy and grasping villain, desperate to take what the heroes value most without paying a fair price. He is deceitful and sly, and continually strives to strike a bargain to his best advantage - if the Persona is placed in a position where they require the miser's help (often in the form of coin) they always lose on the deal. This can be a role taken by the target of a curse, or sometimes the source of a negative effect.

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There Is No Welcome Here

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 14

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 14

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The area to be enchanted with this ward must be clearly apparent to those within, and without, it's bounds.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual targets a building or well defined, walled area. It must be performed inside that location.

At the completion, the area is warded against the Heralds of the Eternals. Such a creature approaching the boundary is always aware that the area is warded; if it enters it is immediately weakened for as long as they remain in the area. Even creatures that are larger-than-human-sized will be weakened by the power of the ward if they enter it.

When used inside a building, the ward protects the entire structure. Any openings in the structure - doors and windows especially - must be clearly marked with runes or symbols of warding. The building must be a reasonably permanent structure, preferably of wood or stone; the ritual will not work on a tent or other entirely similar structure.

For purposes of this ritual, a walled area must be composed of solid posts, preferably wooden. Posts should be placed at least three pace, and at most five paces, apart and protrude out of the ground at least three feet. The posts should be clearly visible, and ideally clearly marked as 'special' - carved or painted with runes for example.

As with anything you might be taking onto a battlefield, or that is likely to have people fighting around or near it, the phys-reps should be as safe as possible (no sharpened points, for example). Please do not tie rope between the posts; if it is not clear where the boundary is, you will need to use more posts.

The ward can be taken down by moving, removing or defacing the warding signs, but heralds cannot do so themselves. Assuming it is not interfered with, the ward stays in place until the duration expires.

If undisturbed, the ward remains until the next sunrise.

Description

This is a powerful ritual that keeps Heralds at bay. Weak Heralds will usually hesitate before entering the area; the more powerful the creature is, the more it has to lose and the less likely it is to enter the ward if it has any choice. Magical scholars see no reason that the ward would not be equally useful against Eternals themselves, but few people have ever been in a position to test this theory.

The wards are effective against Heralds who serve as diplomats, but also on more martial Heralds such as the troops conjured by rituals like Knights of Glory. Some lineaged individuals with very strong lineage are known to be uncomfortable if they spend large amounts of time in a warded area - often lethargic and short tempered. It is not clear if this is a real magical effect, or a psychological repercussion of knowing the ward was in place.

Common Elements

The most common runes to use with this ritual are the Wintermark runes Yoorn and Kyrop and the common tower symbol associated with Vigilance. In Varushka these wards are often supplemented with staring humanoid faces or the heads of geese, while in Wintermark bird-heads are common on the top of any warding poles. In The Marches the warding symbols often include stylised figures of guardians, or straw poppets- sometimes with small daggers, needles or shields bound to their limbs.

When performing the ritual, the ritualists often walk the boundaries of the waded area, invoking protection. They often burn incense, or scatter ashes, and check that all the warding symbols are intact. Some ritualists place bowls of milk or honey at each entry point. Fire is often used as well, especially when the ritual is performed at night.

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The Retrograde Wheel

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets up to three ingots or measures of one of the special Materials, which must be present throughout. All the ingots or measures must be of the same type.

Effects

At the completion of the ritual the ingots are permanently transformed into an equal number of ingots of another type. The ritual will not turn one material into any other; instead the transformation follows a fixed progression

- iridescent gloaming into beggar's lye

- beggar's lye into ambergelt

- ambergelt into dragonbone

- dragonbone into weltsilver

- weltsilver into tempest jade

- tempest jade into green iron

- green iron into orichalcum

- orichalcum into iridescent gloaming

All ingots or measures transformed must be of the same type, and they must all be transformed into the same type.

Description

Someone who masters this ritual often calls themselves an alchemist, Someone who masters both this ritual and The Eight-spoked Wheel often lays claim to the title of master alchemist, and demonstrates considerable power over the raw materials of nature.

As detailed under the description of The Eight-spoked Wheel, this ritual is the result of decades of careful work refining a number of individual rituals that transformed one material into another material. Before this work was completed, ritualists used to have to employ a number of separate rituals such as the Landskeeper ritual Ashes and Honey which simply transformed beggar's lye into ambergelt.

It has not escaped the notice of theoreticians or alchemists that this ritual is a higher magnitude than The Eight-spoked Wheel. There has been a lot of discussion about why this might be, and the most common theory is that the ritual in some way goes 'against the grain' of the transformation process ... although that theory is challenged by those who point out that the results are still permanent, as they are with the other alchemical ritual.

Common Elements

Each of the eight transformations is technically a different ritual, with different incantations and equipment. The type of equipment needed often varies depending on a number of factors such as the time of year. Common elements include fire; beakers, bowls and other pieces of alchemical equipment; water and other liquids; samples of the material the alchemist wishes to create; charts and diagrams; and the other trappings of this ancient magical lore. Many ritualists wear masks or veils when they perform this ritual - not least because there are occasionally noxious byproducts of the transformation. They often work in private, out of public eye, especially if they are powerful enough to perform the ritual without the assistance of a coven.

The forces of the heavens are often referenced in alchemical rituals. If the theory that the stars represent in some way the tools of the Creator are true, then evoking the power of astronomancy seems entirely appropriate to the practice of enacting permanent transformation. The names of the Eternals Murit and Soghter are sometimes used, especially in their aspects as the Azoth, a theoretical compound that provokes miraculous transformation.

The rune Xun which represents transformation is usually evoked with this magic, although some alchemists choose to include Aesh for the power of the mind, Cavul to represent the idea of purifying materials into higher forms or Pallas to represent material wealth.

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The Ring

The ring is one of the instruments or dramaturgy. As such it often represents the method used in a magical ritual. A troupe will often have a specific prop that they use for the cup whenever it appears, and may in time come to treat the inanimate object a little like a member of the cast.

Appearence: The Ring is the smallest of the instruments, and in order to be visible to an audience most troupes choose the flashiest and largest ring that they can. Some troupes have diamond heirlooms; some more recently founded ones make do with faceted glass and gold plate. It can also appear as a crown, a bracer, a pendant or even a mask. Outside the League, a gift of some sort often plays the same role as the Ring in more formal dramaturgy.

Meanings: On it's own, the Ring represents loyalty and oaths, bonds and bands. Moved between two characters it often represents a transfer of power from one to the other, and is often used in bargains, deals (and geases), and in placing some enchantments.

When used by The Captain, the ring signifies oaths that are upheld, and the bonds between a banner. In the hands of The Prince, it stands for the covenant between ruler and subject, and for rituals that create such bonds, or which transfer things from one person to another (it may be used for Thief's Arcane Gambit for example). When held by The Bishop it represents oaths of faith, often the vows taken by priests, sects or magic that draws power from emotions or by simulating virtues. For The Mountebank it may signify a broken or false oath, which means it has resonance with a curse that is delivered to someone for a past action, or it may be hidden to conceal a bond. With The Doctor it is used with magic that follows or exposes bonds or the influence of outside forces. With The Witch it is most often a symbol of covens or things that connect two people (such as Fan the Flame of New Life).

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The Rising of the Moon

Another song dating back to the founding of the Marches, especially popular on the Bregas/Mourn border.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=bUVSvit98Zw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DbUVSvit98Zw

Oh, then tell me John of Barrow, tell me why you hurry so? Hush me neighbour hush and listen, and his cheeks were all a-glow, I bear orders from the captain; get you ready quick and soon, For the bills must be together at the Rising of the Moon.

Chorus: At the rising of the moon, at the rising of the moon The bills must be together at the rising of the moon

Oh, then tell me John of Barrow, where the gathering is to be? In the old spot by the river, right well known to you and me One more word for signal token, whistle up the marching tune. With your bill upon your shoulder at the rising of the moon

Chorus: At the rising of the moon, at the rising of the moon, With your bill upon your shoulder at the rising of the moon

Out of many a mud wall cottage, eyes were watching through the night, Many a Marcher's heart was throbbing, for the coming morning light Murmurs ran along the valley, like the banshees lonely croon And a thousand bills were flashing at the rising of the moon

Chorus: At the rising of the moon, at the rising of the moon, And a thousand bills were flashing at the rising of the moon

There beside the singing river, that dark mass of men was seen Far above their shining weapons hung their own beloved green Death to every foe and traitor, forward strike the marching tune And hurrah me boys for freedom, 'tis the rising of the moon

Chorus:�At the rising of the moon, at the rising of the moon, And hurrah me boys for freedom, at the rising of the moon At the rising of the moon, at the rising of the moon, And hurrah me boys for freedom, at the rising of the moon

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The Ritual for the Departed

Words and music by Aaron Walter

A midi of this song can be found here.

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The Rose Garden

Words and music by Jude

In the gardens by the riverside the fragrant rose-trees grow, Where you and I once walked, my love, so many moons ago. You picked for me a single rose that blossomed on the bough- But that was long ago, my love, and all is different now.

When Summer follows Spring again the roses catch the breeze That whispers through the long green grass and rustles in the trees We walked the gardens hand in hand, when all was new and strange, But that was long ago, my love, and all things come to change.

In Astolat, as I hear tell, the rose-trees bloom once more, Though we no longer wander there, as once we did before, When we joined hands beneath the trees, and vowed to come again, But that was long ago, my love – and all was different then.

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The Ruins of Terunael

By Joanna Bendle. (http://dl.dropbox.com/u/20185601/The%20RuinsOfTerunael.mp3)

In the halls of old Terunael Under floors of sundered stone Crawl the roots of our ancient foe Conquered all, that dark Vallorn.

In the streets once loud with voices Now the quiet of sylvan deeps Not a song but the buzz of insects Conquered all, that cruel Vallorn.

Along the walls long left unguarded The winding vines and briars grow The once great gates now hanging broken Conquered all, that wild Vallorn.

Atop the spires of gleaming silver Once seat of powers beyond our ken Nothing left but rot and ruin Conquered all, that rank Vallorn.

Those ancient tomes of boundless knowledge Lost to all forever more Now but dust, long left to moulder Conquered all, that foul Vallorn.

In the hearths once bright and blazing There the beasts have made their beds Even here the dark encroaches Conquered all, that vile Vallorn.

But when we dance the dance together All things can and will be done We'll reclaim those age old wonders Conquering all that fell Vallorn.

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Therunin

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 The Thimble

- 3.2 The Docks at Feverwater

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 East Ashes

- 4.2 Eastring

- 4.3 Greenheart

- 4.4 Lower Tarn Valley

- 4.5 Peakedge Song

- 4.6 Sweetglades

- 4.7 Upper Tarn Valley

- 5 OOC Note

Overview

On the borders of Highguard, the water-logged bayou of Therunin provides a unique challenge to the stridings that travel here. As the Navarr have recovered territory from the Vallorn, the forest here has grown still more malicious. Monstrous insects are a common threat here, even outside of areas where the Vallorn still holds sway. Orcs from the east are a constant threat, although their incursions are made more difficult by the swampland.

Recent History

The Druj have long coveted Therunin. Since the fall of Reikos in 367YE, many Navarr had been expecting an assault from the barbarians. With Reikos now almost entirely dominated by the orcs, Therunin is connected to the Empire only by tenuous routes through the mountains of Morrow.

In the Winter of 377YE, this long anticipated attack finally came. A major force of Druj moved across the border from Reikos into Peakedge Song. Only the courage of the Black Thorns slowed the barbarian advance. Outnumbered two-to-one, the Navarr army suffered grievous losses, but prevented the Druj from establishing a beach-head in Therunin.

Major Features

The Thimble

The Thimble is a vast stretch of forest that covers a series of rolling hills allegedly laid out in the pattern of a tailor's thimble. The Thimble was one of the earliest areas of Therunin to be cleared of Vallorn influence and it now provides an impressive supply of valuable weirwood for the Navarr use. Many Navarr, both within Therunin and without, worry about its proximity to the barbarian lands - they have seen what happened to the Great Forest at Reikos when the barbarians launched a surprise attack.

The Thimble is a National Bourse position which produces weirwood. Control of the Thimble is assigned to whichever Navarr candidate receives the most support from Navarr owners of herb gardens. This Bourse position produces 24 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Docks at Feverwater

Built along the western shores of Feverwater are a series of ancient quays of aged weirwood and white granite. Some have collapsed, and others are now submerged or exposed as the waters of the massive fresh water lake have ebbed and flowed. The docks date back to the time of Terunael, and have been thoroughly explored by the modern Navarr; they seem to be much larger than would be appropriate for fishing the feverwater, and the ruins around the area are certainly those of a reasonably large Terunael settlement. Their purpose remains a mystery - all that lies to the east of Therunin are the dark woodland homes of the Druj. Even if the docks were restored, there would be nowhere useful for boats to actually go.

Regions

East Ashes

Stretching along the shores of the Feverwater, East Ashes is a twisted maze of great mangrove trees and murky water. Like the Tarn Valley it is home to several rare creatures, but the smaller beasts are overshadowed by the occasional incursion by a pack of hydra. Even the threat of the hydra is minor compared to the danger caused by the occasional marshwalkers attempting to migrate through East Ashes toward the Lower Tarn Valley - when they pass through Greenheart, they invariably rouse the insects there and emerge on the far side angry and twisted by the poisonous air of the Vallorn.

This region has a reputation for being haunted; the core of that reputation can be traced to Fever’s wake. Once a Navarri Glade of the Dead, but over a small space of days all the corpses laid there disappeared completely, with no sign they had ever existed. The area is shunned completely now.

Keywords: Marsh

Eastring

The ground in Eastring is less marshy than that of the Lower Tarn Valley or East Ashes, but there are several expanses of bayou especially in the west or south. The Iridescent Butterfly is extremely common here, and the forests are rich in hard and soft woods making lumber a regular export. Eastring is also home to several fortified steadings, and a higher than average concentration of Thorns due to the constant threat posted by the barbarian lands to east and north. This was one of the first regions of Therunin cleared of vallorn influence, and is the site of the Thimble, a valuable source of Weirwood.

Keywords: Forested

Greenheart

The vallorn holds the ruins at the centre of Therunin in a fierce grip. While other Navarr forests are generally more threatened by vine-infested husks, the monstrous insects of Greenheart greatly outnumber the unliving corpses. The ruins themselves are water-logged, with large sections submerged in marsh according to the few adventurous scouts who have penetrated into this deadly zone.

Keywords: Forested, Vallorn

Lower Tarn Valley

The lower valley is boggy and marshy. It is known as an excellent location for herb gathering, and the steadings here tend to have large numbers of herb gardens. It teems with rare wildlife seen nowhere else in the Empire - the delicate and deadly red crane, the somnolent bark alligator and the morose blue wave frog.

Keywords: Marsh

Peakedge Song

Comparatively lightly wooded, especially for a Navarr forest, the steadings of Peakedge Song maintain cordial relations with their neighbours to the south. The land here slopes quickly into the foothills of Morrow, and there are several valuable mines along the southern border. During the fall of High Chalcis the Navarr lead several rescue missions across the borders, and as a consequence a number of Highborn refugees are now camped here; in recent years their numbers have dropped as they have made the difficult journey to Bastion and Casinea, or grown with each new Druj victory in eastern Reikos.

One of the most important sites in Therunin, Peakedge Stead is found in the western part of the territory. A place of contemplation, of houses in the trees where the Navarr can see across the hills of Reikos to the forests beyond. Some stories claim the steading is a remnant of long-lost Terunael; there is something ageless about the trees here.

Sweetglades

The forests of the Sweetglades are ironically named; the vallorn holds sway here.

Keywords: Forested, Vallorn

Upper Tarn Valley

Looking down on the Lower Tarn Valley, the Upper Valley is comparatively dry but the soil here is rich and healthy. The steadings here take advantage of this fertility, and the relative dearth of trees, to maintain extensive agriculture. The largest steading in the Upper Tarn Valley is Return, a well-fortified settlement surrounded by tall watch towers that look out across the forests to the north and east. A place of flowers and memory, the steading has a storied history, revolving around the tale of a Brand who spent too much time amongst the barbarians and became too much like them - where Stridings pass to remember what happens when you forget that you are human, and they are not.

OOC Note

- The Vallorn infests Greenheart and Sweetglades; the Navarr (and thus the Empire) control the other five regions. Thus, Therunin is an Imperial territory; the Navarr would need to lose two regions before they lost control of the territory.

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The Scop's Gift

Words and music by Jude

A year since the Thane last strode to battle Since last his axe and armour rattled When he slaughtered the settlers and stole their cattle

That night they drank in the Thane's mead hall While the shadows stretched outside the wall And the land turned white from the swift snowfall

A black-cloaked Scop at the door came knocking From out of the dark where the ghosts were walking He muted their mirth and silenced their talking

Then spoke the Thane in his cloak of sable  'What gift do you bring me, to eat at my table? To feast by my fire and to sleep in the stable?'

'Here is the gift that I trade for your favour- A pouch of salt I bring you to savour That your bread rises well and your meat has flavour'

The thane bade him sit by the blazing fire And eat and drink all he could desire And the Scop sang soft and he strummed his lyre

The Thane drank deep till the dawn was breaking His swordsmen snored as the crows were waking But he drank with a thirst that there was no slaking

Then up rose the Scop from the hearthstone, crying: 'There on the field you left me lying Down in the dirt with the dead and dying

'Hear now the song I come to play you A curse of salt I bring to slay you  For you killed my kin and I will repay you

'Salt for a thirst that's never slowing Salt for the earth that will brook no growing Till the winter wind over your bones is blowing'

A year gone past since the great Thane's falling And his hall's a ruin where the rats come crawling Lost to the snow, and the grey gulls' calling

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Imperial Senate (Redirected from The Senate)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Role within the Empire

- 3 History

- 4 Sessions

- 5 Participation

- 6 Limitations

- 6.1 Veto

- 6.2 Constitution

- 7 Further Reading

- 7.1 Core Brief

- 7.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Imperial Senate is the primary legislative body for the Empire. It is an elective chamber; with one senator appointed by each territory of the Empire to represent their interests. The chamber has access to a wide range of political powers which makes senators some of the most powerful political individuals in the Empire. They alone have the ability to change Imperial law, as well as enjoying access to the Imperial treasury. They are also responsible for appointing The Throne.

Role within the Empire

The purpose of the Senate is to govern the Empire. This control extends to all areas of Imperial life not already covered by the other houses of government; the Synod, Bourse, Military Council, and the Conclave.

Any major commission, whether military or economic in purposes requires the approval of the Senate. They cannot order the Bourse to provide the materials required, but they control the Imperial treasury and can disburse funds from it to purchase the materials needed.

The Senate are forbidden by the Imperial Constitution from intervening in the business of the Military Council, but members of the Senate appoint each general and only the Senate can declare war on another nation - or end it. When a territory is conquered by the Imperial armies, it is the Senate who decides which nation the territory will be assigned to.

The Senate are also responsible for Imperial law. Any changes to Imperial law must be raised and approved by members of the Senate; changes which have constitutional implications also require authorization by The Throne and approval by the magistrates. The Senate also has the power to create new offices of state, individuals with powers and responsibilities, who operate as part of any of the great houses of government.

Because of their great power, the Senate is closely watched over by the Synod who have the power to veto decisions made by the Senate.

History

The Senate was created at the dawn of the Empire to ensure that the power to govern remained in the hands of the citizens. The Senate is a development of the Witan which existed in Wintermark to help the monarch run the nation, in the time before the Empire.

The design of the Senate is a direct consequence of the unique way the Empire was formed, not by conquest, but by a union of nations. All agreed that the Senate should limit the power of The Throne - the first Empress was a popular figure - but not that popular. But every nation had their own dogmatic views on how the new Empire should be run. Nations with strong military traditions, like Dawn and The Marches sought to enhance the power of the military, while nations like The League were openly contemptuous of the idea that politicians should control the Empire's economy. Highguard as the driving force behind the creation of the Empire was determined to secure the power and authority of the Imperial Synod.

Compromises were made to ensure unity; for example the constitutionally protected roles of the Imperial Bourse and the Imperial Military Council were expressly created to thwart the desire of senators to control these areas of the Empire. As a result, while the Senate is the most powerful of the five political houses, it has defined limits to its power set down by the Constitution, and it is forever watched over by the Synod.

Sessions

The Senate typically sits twice in each full day of an Imperial summit, and once in each part day. Sessions are conducted in the Senate chamber, a grand stone building at the heart of Anvil. To keep order each Senate session is chaired by the Speaker for the Senate, a civil servant responsible for ordering motions during a sitting, allowing time for motions to be considered, for maintaining civil debate, counting votes and ensuring due procedure within the chamber.

The agenda consists of motion, announcements, and addresses. Motions are raised by members of the Senate and considered and voted upon by all present. By historical tradition, motions are nailed to the walls of the Senate so that all citizens can be aware of them. It is common for the civil service to take a copy of the motion and make it available through the hub.

Announcements are made by any holder of an Imperial title who wishes to use Senate powers that have been delegated to that office. They can be considered and discussed like a motion, but are not subject to a vote. Addresses are made by those whose title grants them the power to address the Senate. Like an announcement, they may be considered and discussed, but no vote is taken.

Participation

Only a Member of the Senate is entitled to entry to the Senate chamber for a session. Members must arrive promptly, entry is prohibited to any once a session has begun. Anyone who has the right to enter, has the right to speak during the debates. To do so they must catch the eye of the Speaker and wait until invited to speak. To cast a vote, eligible members who are present will be called upon by the Speaker to take a stance on each motion brought before the Senate.

The right of witness ensures that every member of the Synod is entitled to observe all aspects of the Senate. To facilitate this, the Senate building has a large viewing gallery that runs alongside the main chamber. When it was originally constructed the gallery was only available to members of the Synod, but it was easier to open the gallery to all, and now all citizens with an interest in the proceedings are encouraged to attend. Any Imperial Citizen can ask the Speaker or the Captain of the Senate Guard to remove a non-citizen from the viewing gallery.

Although only a handful of citizens have the right to raise motions and vote on them in the Senate, the Senators who form the mainstay of the Senate are chosen by the people of their nation. Most senators work hard to make themselves available to the citizens who elect them. A senator who does not adequately represent the interests, views, and goals of the people of their nation and territory can quickly find themselves removed from office.

Limitations

Veto

The decisions of the Senate, both motions and announcements are subject to veto by The Throne and the Imperial Synod. Any veto automatically cancels the motion or announcement, as if it had been a motion which was voted down. A motion that is vetoed cannot be raised again before the start of the next summit.

The Imperial Synod, either the Assembly of Nine or the General Assembly may veto any motion with constitutional implications. In addition, the General Assembly of the Synod may veto any one Senate decision during any summit, using its veto. A veto by the Synod must be exercised before the start of the next session.

The Throne may veto any business that occurs during a Senate session while they are present.

Constitution

The power of the Senate's is limited by the Imperial Constitution. The magistrates may declare a motion to be unconstitutional, if they believe it violates the principles of the Constitution. Where possible the magistrates will always do this before a motion is considered if they are given due time. If a motion is declared unconstitutional, the magistrates are required to provide complete guidance for why it was ruled unconstitutional. The senate may then consider a new motion on the issue at any time.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

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The Sentinel

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

The Sentinel is upheld as a Paragon of Vigilance. The Sentinel was initially identified as such by Wayfarers of the Highborn Assembly of the Virtuous, but was confirmed by the Synod at its first sitting in 1 YE.

Biography

There is nothing actually known of The Sentinel themselves. No text has identified them by name, gender, lineage or nation. The only attestation that this Paragon exists are in a series of ancient structures that can be found throughout the Empire, but most particularly in the mountains of Morrow and in the lands of the Highborn. These ancient towers and defensive structures have stood for generations, and many with the capacity for a warning bell or beacon. The structures and layouts speak of a common design, a template plan - the guiding intentions of a master architect.

Even by modern standards, the defensive constructions of The Sentinel stand the test of time. More than one has been simply adapted upon and added to rather than needed to be replaced. More than one Urizen spire or Highborn chapterhouse is built upon, or within, an adapted edifice.

The journey of the Sentinel to a recognised Exemplar and Paragon has been unusual. To an extent, the anonymous nature of this benevolent builder has enabled priests and pilgrims to project their own understandings upon him or her. Parables have been constructed on the importance of preparing ones' defences against threat, and there have been speculations about the type of threat that the constructions were designed to shield against.

As yet, no liao visions have given any insight. During her tenure over the Assembly of Vigilance, Cardinal Selene of the Highborn was attributed with saying that she hoped that no visions would be forthcoming; not only to preserve the Sentinel's Paragon legacy, but because the Synod's interpretation of the Sentinel was the most "true".

Signs

Noting the signs of the Sentinel has been difficult with so little information, but the Synod holds:

- The Sentinel has achieved liberation from the Labyrinth of Ages by dint of no past life visions recalling him or her

- The Sentinel's edifices and constructions are a clear legacy whilst simultaneously being a gift of benevolence to the Empire

- The constructions and shelters of the Sentinel have granted shelter to virtuous people in need, offering salvation, and have been instructive to the craftsfolk of the nations and so inspirational

- The Sentinel is excused the sign of pilgrimage by dint of pre-dating the Highborn arrival to these shores

- Early on, some claimed that the Sentinel's towers could only have been erected by miraculous means, but over time engineers and artisans have developed methods capable of replicating the Sentinel's achievements; though this does not diminish those advanced achievements

Have you not heard, have you not seen that corpse

Of shadows in the tower, whose shoulders sway

Antiphonal carillons launched before

The stars are caught and hived in the sun's ray?

The bells, I say, the bells break down their tower;

And swing I know not where. Their tongues engrave

Membrane through marrow, my long-scattered score

Of broken intervals… And I, their sexton slave!

Oval encyclicals in canyons heaping

The impasse high with choir. Banked voices slain!

Pagodas campaniles with reveilles out leaping-

O terraced echoes prostrate on the plain!…

And so it was I entered the broken world

To trace the visionary company of love, its voice

An instant in the wind (I know not whither hurled)

But not for long to hold each desperate choice.

My world I poured. But was it cognate, scored

Of that tribunal monarch of the air

Whose thighs embronzes earth, strikes crystal Word

In wounds pledges once to hope - cleft to despair?

The steep encroachments of my blood left me

No answer (could blood hold such a lofty tower

As flings the question true?) -or is it she

Whose sweet mortality stirs latent power?-

And through whose pulse I hear, counting the strokes

My veins recall and add, revived and sure

The angelus of wars my chest evokes:

What I hold healed, original now, and pure…

And builds, within, a tower that is not stone

(Not stone can jacket heaven) - but slip

Of pebbles, - visible wings of silence sown

In azure circles, widening as they dip

The matrix of the heart, lift down the eyes

That shrines the quiet lake and swells a tower…

The commodious, tall decorum of that sky

Unseals her earth, and lifts love in its shower.

The Broken Tower, by Harold Hart Crane

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The Sentinel Gate

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

The Sentinel Gate is the portal at Anvil which allows access to far distant battle fields.

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The Snow It Melts the Soonest

Trad.

Media:snow.mp3 by Jude and Daisy. Used with permission.

The snows they melt the soonest When the winds begins to sing And the corn it ripend fastest When the frosts are settling in And when a woman tells me That my face she'll soon forget Before we part I'll wage a crown She's fain to follow yet

The snows they melt the soonest When the winds begin to sing And the swallow flies without a thought As long as it is spring But when spring goes and winter blows My love then you'll be fain For all your pride to follow me Across the raging main

The snows they melt the soonest When the winds begin to sing And the bee that flew when summer shone In winter cannot sting And I've seen a woman's anger melt Between the night and morn So it's surely not a harder thing To melt a woman's scorn

So don't you bid me farewell here No farewell I'll receive For you will lie with me, my lass Then kiss and take your leave And I'll wait here till the moorcrock calls And the martin takes the wing For the snow they melt the soonest When the winds begin to sing

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The Solace of Chimes

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual must be performed in an enclosed area such as a tent or building.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual imbues an area with an aura that creates a powerful roleplaying effect: they feel calm, relaxed and focused; they find meditation and rational discussion preferable to physical action. All emotions and pressing concerns are muted; physical action and behaving in an impassioned way are both tiring. Violence requires a major effort of will.

Anyone in the area can choose to roleplay being calm and focused in response to any other aura they are experiencing, for as long as they remain in the area.

Everyone who enters the area quickly becomes aware of (and subject to) the aura.

The exorcism ceremony can be performed in this area to end the enchantment prematurely. A consecrate ceremony with a strength of at least 2 will replace the enchantment, effectively removing it.

Another ritual that creates a magical roleplaying effect in an area will replace the enchantment provided it matches or exceeds the magnitude of the current aura. The aura created by this ritual is insufficient to remove or replace a Consecration aura.

A detect magic spell performed in the area determines the realm and magnitude of the effect. The insight skill will not detect any spiritual presence here.

The enchantment lasts until the next sunrise.

Additional Magnitude

You may choose to create a more powerful effect to overcome another magical enchantment that creates an aura in an area, and to make this enchantment harder to replace with another similar effect. You may increase the magnitude of the ritual by any amount. This does not increase the difficulty of removing or replacing the aura with exorcism or consecrate.

Description

Like The Chamber of Delights, The Solace of Chimes creates an aura similar to, but distinct from, the kind of aura a priest can create with the ceremony of consecration. It differs in several key respects.

Most obviously, it is not created using Liao, but is a construct made using magic. This is not a spiritual aura drawn from the Labyrinth or the spiritual strength of humanity; it is an enchantment that evokes the same feelings of calm and clarity that surround many Eternals of Day.

The strength of the aura does not vary; like all such enchantments it is quite fragile and can be removed from an area by even the most basic ceremony of exorcism. The magnitude of the enchantment has no effect on the strength of the aura; it appears to be impossible to use magic to create an enchantment that is resistant to exorcism.

Some priests are quite skeptical of this ritual. They claim that it invokes a false virtue, or even a malign spiritual presence. It encourages inaction rather than action, contemplation rather than Ambition. At various points in history some magicians have used their ability to create these auras to support claims that the ceremonies used by priests of the Way are just magic, or even to found small cults based around the worship of Eternals. Scholars of magic, especially those associated with the Sevenfold Path of the Imperial Conclave have proved repeatedly that consecration and area-enchantments such as these are different on a profound level, but this does not silence critics on both sides of the debate. In practice, most priests tend to treat The Solace of Chimes much as they would any other enchantment - it influences the minds of mortals, through magic. It may be a useful tool, or a test for the faithful, but the context in which it is encountered is the most important thing.

This ritual is sometimes used to create meditation chambers, or areas that encourage for quiet contemplation and relaxation. Many Urizen spires have a location specifically set aside for invoking this ritual, and a few have areas permanently enchanted with The Solace of Chimes through the use of ilium. Some doctors and healers find the ritual useful for treating patients who are in a great deal of pain or have terminal illnesses - the quiet and calm created in the aura cal also be a boon to convalesence, albeit an expensive one due to the need to perform the ritual every morning.

Common Elements

This ritual is designed to create feelings of calm and inspire meditation. It is often performed with soothing music, especially the sound of wind-chimes. Soothing incense is often burnt, and where possible the area is dressed in neutral colours and decorated with patterns designed to help focus the mind (mandalas, depictions of the runes of Day and so on). Crystals, mirrors and other reflective surfaces are often scattered around the area. Invocations are almost invariably performed in quiet voices, and may involve participants sitting and staying as still as possible.

The area is often dressed in ways that highlight and reinforce the culture of the nation to which the ritualist belongs. A Highguard Magister performing this ritual is likely to ensure that there is a suitable vessel for washing the hands and face. A Navarr vate is likely to decorate the area with complex, swirling designs that can be studied and followed during meditation.

The rune Cavul is almost always evoked with this ritual.

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The Sound of Drums

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains the ability to use unstoppable once per day as if they knew the skill, without spending any hero points.

The target is also under a roleplaying effect: whenever a fight breaks out, they feel a strong urge to join in, and find the experience of fighting to be especially joyful and energizing.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 4. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

When the drums pound and the horns are blown, those under this enchantment find it difficult to rein in their enthusiasm. Their hearts beat faster, and their limbs ache to be wielding their weapons. They can shrug off blows that would incapacitate a lesser warrior, drawing on the fierce love of battle that the enchantment creates to drive them back to their feet, ready to fight again.

This ritual is occasionally used on battlefield healers, but there have been incidents where some of those healers were unable to resist the urge to get involved in the fighting, often with tragic consequences for themselves and their allies.

Common Elements

This ritual usually involves music, most commonly drumming. A common element involves synchorinizing the beat of the drums to the heartbeat of the target, and then slowly accelerating as the ritual moves towards it's climax.

The rune Jotra is often used with this ritual, and evocations of The Stallion, of horses or bears, and especially of gryphons and unicorns..

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The Sovereign

Original: The Raven King (lyrics) / The Demon Lover-The House Carpenter (tune): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VzGibeTuGs Recording: https://soundcloud.com/oxfordgirl/ballad-of-the-raven-king-the

Not long, not long, my father said Not long will you be ours The sovereign knows all too well Which are the fairest flowers

The priest was all too worldy Though he prayed and rang his bell The sovereign three candles lit The priest said it was well

Her arms were all too feeble Though she claimed to love me so The sovereign stretched out its hand She sighed and let me go

This land is all too shallow It is painted on the sky And it trembles like the wind-shook rain When the sovereign rides by

For ever and for always I pray remember me Upon the moors, beneath the stars In the sovereign's company

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The Spider's Web

Description

The Spider's Web is a very powerful ritual tool attuned to the subtle magic of the Autumb realm.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Twice per day the coven may perform a Autumn ritual that does not count towards their daily limit of rituals performed.

- Materials: Crafting the spider's web requires nine ingots of weltsilver, twelve ingots of green iron, seven ingots of tempest jade, seven measures of beggar's lye, five measures of dragonbone and two measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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The Spider and The Web

Contents

- 1 The Spider

- 1.1 The Law

- 1.2 The Constellation

- 1.3 Symbolism

- 1.4 Invoking The Spider in magic

- 1.5 Tulpas of The Spider

- 1.6 Alignment

- 2 The Web

- 2.1 The Law

- 2.2 The Constellation

- 2.3 Symbology

- 2.4 Invoking the web in magic

- 2.5 Tulpas of the Web

- 2.6 Alignment

The Spider

The Law

Things are watched by a hidden eye.

The Constellation

The Spider is a small cluster of five stars just off the fourth star in the spiral of The Web. It appears to have two ‘arms’ reaching out towards The Web whilst a small triangular ‘body’ points outwards.

Symbolism

The Spider stands off from the web; quick to react to events in it but separate from it. It represents unknown forces; those that watch the affairs of the world and interfere when they see fit. The Spider stands for things outside the Empire sphere of influence; internals, foreigners, magical powers, great mysteries, those things that stand beyond the Ken of mortal being.

The Spider also represents the manipulator; he who places his thumb upon the scales of fate.

Invoking The Spider in magic

invoking The Spider can be a dangerous business for ritualists since the constellation is often seen to represent the Eternals. Varushka ritualists often use The Spider to represent the doings of sovereigns in their magic. The Spider, though, can be used to represent any hidden hand or unseen force; whether to steer it or to ward against it.

Tulpas of The Spider

the thought forms of The Spider never appear the same way twice. Whether it be the sinister man in black in the corner of the Tavern, the pale skinned and hairless fellow traveller on the lonely mountain road or the mysterious rustling in the undergrowth keeping pace with you through the forest the agents of The Spider are many and varied. One that is a friend to you today may be a foe to you tomorrow; or may draw you into schemes that you wish you had never heard of.

Alignment

Ritualists who invoke The Spider report that it leaves behind a sense of great clarity and detachment as if the affairs of humanity were watched from the other side of the sheet of glass from a very long way away ritualists may be detached distant and emotional dispassionate and cold after invoking The Spider in ritual.

The Web

The Law

Things are connected

The Constellation

The Web is found almost directly opposite The Phoenix with The Chain equidistant between them. It spirals inwards with an almost direct line between its first two stars that can be extended out to find the apex of The Oak. There are, in fact, nine stars in this constellation, however the center star is somewhat faint and easily obscured on a less than clear night.

Symbology

the Web or the Net of the Heavens as Urizen would have it represents the interconnectedness of all things. Urizen astronomancers have a saying which stems from this constellation; "the world is full of secret knots". The failure to close a deal between two grain merchants in a League city can mean that hundreds of miles away a family in The Brass Coast starve and in the Marches an honest farmer cannot sell his produce. Every action has consequences both obvious and subtle; both seen and unforeseen.

The web also stands for the powers of coincidence and synchronicity; the tendency of things to go right or be in the right place at the right time through apparent chance. The foolish or superstitious may call this luck; the wise understand that there is no such thing and that somewhere, someone has done something to turn circumstances the way they have turned out.

Invoking the web in magic

The web is frequently invoked in day rituals; to see the whole of the web is to understand the interrelationship between all of the components in your ritual, how they affect each other and how they affect you. It has many uses is crying magic and divination but also has strong associations with sympathetic magic playing on the aspects of synchronicity and interconnectedness. Some of the most esoteric of the Astronomancers of Urizen who study the web say “Synchronicity is it’s servant”; creating long, complex chains of action and reaction started by the smallest impetus and relying on luck, chance and “being in the right place at the right time” all evoke the Web.

Tulpas of the Web

Tulpa is of the web are curious creatures. Often times they will appear as perfectly normal men and women, sometimes even as orcs. They speak little if at all, and usually position themselves in the right place at the right time to give circumstances the tiny nudge they need. The cloaked and hooded person who steps out into the street and spooks the horse of the dray master, causing it to rear and shed its load blocking the road and stopping the pursuing magistrate from catching the running figure is in all likelihood Tulpa of the web.

Alignment

Ritualists who embrace the web speak of the sense of interconnectedness; of being the part of a great network of consciousness and of living things. Someone who approaches this unprepared can be overwhelmed by the sensation and it is not unknown for ritualists who embrace the web to go mad and lose their own personalities in the ever shifting sea of all. Once the sense of interconnectedness fades, ritualists report unenhanced ability to see all sides of a given problem or to experience other people's point of view.

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The Spiral Sigil

Description

While those who can work magic are.found throughout the Empire, the phenomenon of fielding entire groups of magicians is relatively recent. Prior to the formation of the Empire, the Urizen, the Brass Coast Hakima and the Varushkan cabals would generally get enough magicians together to take the field as a unit, as would a few Dawnish noble houses with an emphasis on war witchery. With the improved co-ordination and spread of magical training, this has become much more common within those nations and is now prevalent throughout the Empire.

Due to their innate tendency toward organisation it is still most commonly ritualists who form the backbone of magician bands on the battlefield. Such groups often supplement their magical skills with the use of enchanted implements such as the Pugilist's Shillelagh or the Unseen Encasement, allowing them to tap the power of their innate mana more efficiently.

Rules

- Form: Standard. Takes the form of a magical standard.

- Effect: Each character bonded to this banner wielding a staff gains one additional point of personal mana.

- Materials: Crafting the spiral sigil requires seventeen measures of dragonbone, seven measures of iridescent gloaming, twelve ingots of tempest jade, seven measures of beggar's lye and three ingots of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“You must focus your minds on the connection” Calacius spoke as a drift of snow fell upon the spire courtyard around them. He motioned to the flag that lay unfurled before them all. A design that, while simple, was striking at the same time; the fountain Calacius had stitched it himself deciding that the aesthetics of the banner were wholly appropriate for the group of Urizen around him. Dressed in a simple, unadorned robe the Urizen magician seemed untroubled by the temperatures and appeared as comfortable as if it were a cool summer’s day. Seven others stood forming a circle beside him, similarly dressed and showing equal stoicism in the face of the cold. Each stood before a different carved symbol at their feet; the runes of The Way beautifully engraved and lined with shining weltsilver and glowing ambergelt. Each bore a simple, unadorned staff of pale wood, held at ease beside them.

“Ambition, our drive to perfect all that we are” spoke the first, a female Cambion whose horns were hung with arcane fetishes.

“Courage, to use all that we know where it is needed.” Atticus, an elderly man bent almost double with age. supported himself on his staff but his grip was strong and sure.

“Loyalty, to the spires, the Empire and the pursuit of perfection.” The third, a Merrow, the rest of those around him reflected in his glassy eyes.

“Pride, in the knowledge that we stand above all in our art.” The fourth speaker was a young man whose warrior’s stature seemed a little at odds with his quiet demeanour.

“Prosperity; the richness of knowing and the rewards of our labours.” The woman who spoke next turned her head left to right as if listening to something only she could hear, the strands of silver woven into her hair shimmering in the light of the glowing globes around them.

“Vigiliance, to watch for the darkness that threatens us all, to use our talents for the good of the Empire,” rasped the sixth, her skin toughened with pale-brown patches. A Briar, uncommon among the Spires of the Urizen she stood beside her brethren as equal, her worth in battle proven by the bark that marred her beauty.

“Wisdom, for it guides us always” Calacius finally spoke again, completing the circle.

They each raised their staffs before them and banged them once, hard on the stone courtyard. As they did, each fancied they could see dancing lights coalesce around them, vague shapes that formed in the air. Wrapped in their own thoughts for a moment, they shared an endless second of unspoken communion before the lights faded in their minds and floated towards the flag and were absorbed by the fabric.

“As one we learn, as one we fight” Calacius pronounced, bowing his head slightly to those around him who repeated the motion. “Now steel yourselves for we march on the morrow. Go with wisdom.”

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The Stallion

Contents

- 1 The Law

- 2 The Constellation

- 3 Symbolism

- 4 Using The Stallion in magic

- 5 Tulpas of The Stallion

- 6 Alignment

The Law

Things Procreate

The Constellation

The Stallion is a complex constellation of 14 stars and is located beneath The Phoenix. It is most easily located by following the line of the fixed star of The Chain, through the rear of The Phoenix and down to the center of The Stallion’s back.

Symbolism

The Stallion represents prosperity and the urge to grow and procreate. It is a symbol of strength and virility; of the quality of the bloodline and of the value of children. Some coarser interpretations in the League and Navarr strongly associate The Stallion with the act of coitus but more properly it refers to action begetting consequence.

A deeper symbolism attached to The Stallion refers of course to its nature as a horse; the imperial emblem. The Stallion can refer in magical workings to the Empire itself or to its leaders.

Using The Stallion in magic

The most obvious use of The Stallion in ritual is to invoke blessings on unborn children; however it is also used as a fertility symbol in rites to do with agriculture growth and business. Fertility is not just to do with making babies; two coins invested wisely will make their own kinds of babies. The Stallion also has strong associations with children in ritual; as protector of the herd and as teacher.

Tulpas of The Stallion

Some legends speak of creatures half horse half man deep in the forests – sometimes these are said to be near feral but other times are regarded as wise teachers. There is an old tale among the Dawnish yeomen of the mysterious ale merchant who plies a shy husband with ale on his wedding night to give him the courage to approach his beautiful but intimidating wife naked.

Alignment

Ritualists who invoke The Stallion speak of a sense of great virility, pride in family and overwhelming sense of freedom – and indeed of a heightened desire to secure their own lineage. More than one ritualist in such a state has found themselves doused with cold water by their own collaborators.

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The Stargazer's Song

Looking out, Dancing in starlight, Looking out, What do I see? Skies on fire, And dancing in amongst that light, The brightest vision, I have ever seen.

Chorus: And all I see is you in the sky, But this empty winter’s night, Needs a thousand sunset skies.

You my love, Smile down upon me, And you my love, Light of my life, Gentle hands, So fine the artisans can’t touch, The finest beauty, I have ever seen.

Chorus

Evenings spent Dancing in starlight, Touch your cheek With my gazing eyes, Night on night, Seeking out the mysteries, The diamonds glinting, In your raven hair.

Chorus

Ending 1: You my love, Dance on forever, Skies on fire, Will never fade. Looking out, Though my hair is white and thin now, You smile down on me, You never change.

Ending 2: Looking out, I didn’t hear you, Walking out, Light of my life. I gaze on, The only company I keep, The brightest vision, I have ever seen.

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The Stork

Contents

- 1 The Law

- 2 The Constellation

- 3 Symbolism

- 4 Using the Stork in Ritual

- 5 Tulpas of the Stork

- 6 Alignment

The Law

Things Matter

The Constellation

The Stork can be found close to the horizon in late autumn and late spring and is absent from the night sky throughout the summer months. A constellation of nine stars it is located on the opposite side of The Claw to The Chain. After The Great Wyrm it is probably the next largest constellation along with The Mountain.

Symbolism

The Stork is a curious constellation and many disagree about it’s precise meaning. To some it is a symbol of precision; the stab of a long beak into the water. To others, The Stork is the freedom to choose – though it could fly away, it remains in the water. If it may be said to have any one meaning, it is that things are important – that focus and concentration are worthwhile when the need is great, that life is not just a pointless procession of accidents one after another. The Stork teaches that there is a purpose and a meaning to our lives even if that meaning is not obvious or clear to us. Not quite fate or predestination – more a sign from the Universe to say “Trust me, I know what I’m doing.” And that the decisions we make dictate the life we will lead.

The Urizen say the Stork means making the right choice for the right reasons; in Highguard they call it the Decision to be Virtuous. It is about accepting responsibility for your own destiny, being the master of your own fate. Accepting that things matter, and that the decisions and actions we take in life influence them.

Using the Stork in Ritual

The Stork is the decision-point, the marker in the road where fate turns left or right. Invoking its power in ritual is to take responsibility for your own actions, to accept that the decisions you make will have far-reaching consequences. It is a rarely invoked constellation and often it is only invoked for large, powerful rituals which may have a profound effect on the future fate of the Empire or a large community.

In smaller ways, the Stork is often seen as the patron constellation of the Senate; Senators are hoped to show the traditional virtues of the Stork in their voting. Rituals specifically to do with senators or the Senate maight invoke the Stork.

Tulpas of the Stork

“Are you sure…?” are the words most likely to be heard from the lips of a Stork Tulpa. Their role seems to be to challenge, to ask rhetorical questions and to tease out of people the true motives and understanding of their actions. The most well-known is The Plague-Hat, a masked figure known in Sarvos for his inquisitive and relentless questioning of those about to embark on a momentous decision.

Alignment

Coming close to the Stork is a rare feat, for it is not often invoked. Those that do speak of a great grasp of the web of destiny; similar to those who brush past the Web, but more to do with the tide of history and the inexorable march of fate.

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The Swan's Cruel Wing

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target may call cleave once per day with any melee weapon except a pike.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This enchantment is among one of the best-known Summer rituals. Along with Cunning Puissance of the Leaping Hare, The Hammer of Thunder and Strength of the Bull it provides a coven with the ability to select the right enchantment to enhance any band of warriors.

The Swan's Cruel Wing is also known as The Hungry Blade (or axe, or what-have-you), or The Dolorous Blow. It has several advantages over other enchantments of Summer because almost anyone can benefit from it; there is no requirement to have mastered a specific weapon to strike a devastating blow.

Common Elements

This ritual usually involves both the target and their armoury. A ritualist might trace matching runes on weapons and warrior, or might anoint them with a mixture of blood and oil. A toast is often drunk, especially when the ritual is performed on a band of warriors rather than a single target. Legendary warriors, especially those who fought and triumphed against great odds, are often invoked as are Paragons and Exemplars of warlike mien.

Any of the Summer runes might be evoked, but Tykonus, the rune of victory, is the most common. An evocation of The Stallion or The Oak may be appropriate with this ritual, as are evocations of horses, unicorns and dragons.

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Synod (Redirected from The Synod)

Redirect page

Imperial Synod

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The Syphon of Stars

Description

The Syphon of Stars is a very powerful ritual tool attuned to the raw power of magic itself. While some are crafted in the shape of a metal or glass orb they most often take the form of a chunk of irregular crystal shot through with strands of the magical Materials, bound in tempest jade and dragonbone. Very occasionally, they are crafted in the form of great tomes bound in rare hides with their covers intricately decorated; twisted ceremonial staves or rods; or small portable monoliths of dark stone engraved with depictions of various constellations and runes, especially The Phoenix - the latter are sometimes called phoenix stones and are popular with Urizen and Freeborn magicians of an experimental nature.

The syphon of stars has four main purposes. First, it can be invaluable to a coven that wishes to perform a 'formulaic' ritual that some of it's members have not mastered, allowing them to reach the threshold of lore required. This is often a costly endeavour, as those coven-members still perform the ritual without the benefit of mastery, meaning that it requires more crystal mana, but without the syphon the ritual would often be impossible to perform.

In a similar vein, it allows a coven to spontaneously invoke a ritual that none of them have mastered, again with a commensurate cost in mana crystals, In emergencies, however, this extra flexibility can prove absolutely invaluable. For example, a coven of Summer magicians might draw on the Syphon to allow them to perform Shared Mastery of the Magician's Guild on their entire coven before travelling to a dangerous area, or a mixed coven might allow all their members to benefit from a ritual such as Signs and Portents or Hearthfire Circle that takes effect only on those who contribute to the ritual.

Thirdly, it also has some appeal for covens with members who are not ritualists themselves, or even for covens made up entirely of incantation specialists rather than ritualists. Some covens made up entirely of battle-mages such as war witches or warcasters find it particularly useful and employ it to allow them to perform potent battlefield rituals such as Hearthfire Circle or Charge of the Rushing Wind. Likewise, a coven of magicians focused around healing can employ a Syphon of the Stars to allow them to perform rituals such as The Hands of Sacred Life, Blood of the Hydra, Renewed Strength of the New Day or Cold Water from the Mountain when the immediate need is greater than the need to conserve crystal mana.

Finally - and this use causes some cautious magicians to look askance at any coven that relies on it - is to allow magicians more flexibility in creating ritual effects 'on-the-fly' as it were. Experimental and theoretical magicians, especially those associated with the Unfettered Mind order, have used it to great effect when improvising magical effects. As they sometimes say, the syphon of stars is at it's most powerful - and most valuable - when it applies it's power to everyone and when better to get this benefit than when performing a ritual that nobody knows?

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Once per day when the coven performs a ritual, all members of the coven who have not mastered that ritual gain an additional rank in the appropriate lore for purposes of performing that ritual.

- Materials: Crafting the syphon of stars requires seven ingots of tempest jade, six measures of dragonbone, five measures of ambergelt, five ingots of weltsilver, five measures of beggar's lye, five measures of iridescent gloaming, five ingots of orichaulcum and five ingots of green iron. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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The Three Sisters

Contents

- 1 The Law

- 2 The Consetellation

- 3 Symbology

- 4 Invoking the Three Sisters in Ritual

- 5 Tulpas of the Three Sisters

- 6 Alignment

The Law

Things Are Connected By Blood

The Consetellation

The Three Sisters is probably the smallest constellation. A run of three bright stars just outside one edge of The Door they are comparatively close together and only appear above the horizon during the winter months through to mid spring.

There is some disagreement over the naming of the stars. In most of the Empire the stars that make up the Sisters are called Erigo, Riqueza and Guerra by Imperial astronomers, although there is a great deal of disagreement as to which one is which. Older texts refer to them as Suspire, Lachryma and Tenebrae.

Symbology

Sometimes known as the Three Sorrows, The Three Sisters stand for family and bloodline; kith and kin, belonging, being on the inside rather than the outside. Legend speaks of them being three sisters cursed to carry the sorrows of the world; each of them bearing a different part of the burden. Suspirie, the youngest, carries the world’s sighs; Lachryma, the middle sister carries the world’s tears, and Tenebrae, the eldest, carries the darkness in the souls of people.

Knowing as they do all sorrows, it stands within their power in legend to grant surcease from sorrow by gifting it to another; though in the tale their gifts always carry a sting in the tale.

In Navarr, Wintermark and Varushka they are called the Three Mothers, rather than the Three Sisters.

Invoking the Three Sisters in Ritual

The Three Sisters stand for regret, for sorrow and for consequences; they are a popular choice for cursing with, bringing down the sorrows of the three sisters on an opponent is seen as less inherently dangerous than invoking the Wanderer or the Drowned Man. They can also stand for the ties that bind families, tribes and communities together; rituals to affect a specific bloodline or group may benefit from invoking their name.

Tulpas of the Three Sisters

Tulpas of the Sisters almost always take the form of one of the Three Sisters themselves; a veiled young woman sighing sorrowfully, a middle-aged woman weeping tears of blood or a night-veiled old woman silent and deadly. Beware Tenebrae.

Alignment

Coming too closely into alignment with the Sisters brings with it an overwhelming sense of sorrow, woe and regret. Bleak, black depression can fall on the ritualist and be hard to shift; others fall to weeping and woe.

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The Thrice-cursed Court

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Winter

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

- 2 Tharim

- 3 Skathe

- 4 Surut

Eternal of Winter

Sobriquets

Most commonly, the Court are called "The Three" or sometimes "The Bound."

Individually, the three known members of the Thrice-cursed Court are Tharim, Skathe and Surut.

Appearance

The Thrice-cursed court are rarely encountered individually - when they are found alone it is usually because they are conspiring in some way against the other two.

Servitors of the Thrice-cursed Court are often tormented and tortured, flesh mortified or scarred, and are usually in constant pain. Even their favoured courtiers are broken or twisted in some fashion, either in body or mind.

Concerns

As a whole, the Thrice-cursed Court strongly exemplify the ideas that power comes at a price, and that spite and malice can be dangerous forces. They deal in curses more than any other Eternal, crafting specific curses for angry sorcerers and helping petitioners to lay curses over those they hate.

More than many other Eternals, the Thrice-cursed consider themselves bound by their word. While they may seek to frame agreements in such a way as to place the other party at a disadvantage, once the agreement is struck they stick to the word and the spirit. Woe betide someone who does not keep to their side of the agreement - the Thrice-cursed view treachery as an unforgivable act that can only be repaid by a lifetime of suffering and torture.

The Thrice-cursed generally hate beauty and purity. They are suspicious of anyone who appears to have no personal agenda, and expect everyone to be as conniving, ruthless and ambitious as they are. They are known to actively oppose unselfish, altruistic people and groups preferring that everyone looks after themselves and the people who 'belong' to them.

According to stories, the Thrice-cursed Court are themselves accursed. Each labours under a powerful malediction that twists their body and mind. Scholars agree that the Court wish to share their curses with others. It is believed that if enough people simultaneously share the curse of one of the Thrice-cursed then that Eternal is freed from the curse and restored to their 'true power' - whatever that might be. The Thrice-cursed themselves have often claimed to have once been Summer Eternals until they ran afoul of a dark curse. Some scholars say this is impossible, and warn that more than many other Eternals the Thrice-cursed Court lie about their history and their motivations.

There are also stories that Sorin was once part of the Thrice-cursed Court. According to these rumours, Sorin was cursed with an unsatable hunger but managed to escape the curse, and the Court, by passing his curse onto the draughir lineage. Modern scholars point out that this is actually nothing more than anti-draughir propaganda, and makes no sense. Sorin himself refuses to comment on it, and the Thrice-cursed Court give inconsistent replies when questioned about it.

Nobody really agrees on who cursed the Thrice-cursed Court. They have appeared in their current forms since they were first encountered by the Dawnish enchanter Mellisande de Cullwich a century before the formation of the Empire. There is some evidence that they have been known in other parts of the world much longer than this,especially in the Sarcophan Delves.

Boons

The Thrice-cursed Court are experts at the creation of curses and magically binding oaths. They can place such themselves, or empower those who wish to do so. Oaths bound by the Thrice-cursed Court usually bring down awful retribution on those who break them.

They can also offer power, especially magical power, to those who bargain with them. The price for such boons is usually that the bargainer take on a fraction of one of the Thrice-cursed's maledictions. So someone who bargains with Tharim may find it difficult to move quickly or with surety; someone who bargains with Surut is likely to experience constant pain and burning wounds, while someone who bargains with Skathe may find themselves becoming twisted, hateful and ugly in the eyes of others.

In the past they have been shown to be eager to help in the creation of winter regio, although the prices they demand are usually very steep and the regio themselves tend to be tainted with the curses of the Court.

They are said to be able to destroy anything that is brought before them, and to be able to kill anything that has ever been alive. Between the cruel intellect of Tharim, the malicious knowledge of Skathe and the irresistible strength of Surut it is said that nothing can resist their efforts to bring it to it's ending. They are known to take great pleasure in destroying beautiful or precious things, and one of the few boons they will offer for free is the absolute destruction of something irreplaceable.

The Court are considered relatively easy to manipulate, as long as one is cautious of their fractured personalities. They are known to be especially jealous of other Winter Eternals, and seem to take great glee in thwarting them and rewarding those who steal from or confound their Eternal peers.

Tharim

The Bound King

Appearance: The Bound King is a pale, corpse-like humanoid with inhuman features wearing fine blue robes and a tarnished silver crown. Tharim is usually seated, and is always wrapped in chains. He is immobile - he can speak, and turn his head a little, and can move the fingers of one hand a little, buut that is all.

Concerns: Like all the Thrice-cursed, Tharim is believed to desire freedom from his curse. He is described as being arrogant beyond belief, and utterly cold-blooded. He can demand unspeakable acts with icy detachment, and even his fury is cold and measured. According to some scholars, Tharim's true curse is that he has no empathy for other creatures - it is his heart that is bound, not his body.

While he is immobile he is not without power. He can speak words of such cold clarity that they drive those who hear them to their knees, as well as paralyse or cause unspeakable agony. While he cannot move personally he is said to be able to travel magically between thrones in many places, solely through the effort of his cold will.

Tharim makes little effort to disguise the contempt he feels for the other member of the Thrice-cursed Court.

Boons: In addition to the boons offered by the Court as a whole, Tharim can offer physical endurance and fortitude to bargainers, but as with the ritual Pallid Flesh of the Dead King, such physical strength usually comes with additional weakness. The Bound King is also said to be an expert in binding and constraining supernatural creatures such as sovereigns.

Skathe

The Hag Queen

Appearance: The Hag Queen is a monstrous, corpse-like humanoid with inhuman features. She wears tattered finery and wields a sceptre-like rod. She is very ugly indeed, and the nature of her curse means that her appearance changes constantly. Even more than her outer appearance, she is spiritually ugly - she is malicious, hateful, spiteful, envious and unnecessarily cruel.

Concerns: Like all the Thrice-cursed, Skathe is believed to desire freedom from her curse. She is described as manipulative, deceptive and wicked, and more than any of the others she despises beauty and purity. She cannot resist malicious behaviour, and sometimes undermines her own plans with her drive to exact petty revenge on those she dislikes. According to some scholars, Skathe's true curse is that her outer form reflects her soul - that were she able abandon her malice and spite she would be revealled as a great beauty.

Skathe carefully conceals the contempt she feels for the other member so the Thrice-cursed Court, and often plays Tharim and Surut against one another.

Boons: In addition to the boons offered by the Court as a whole, Skathe offers enchanted items as gifts. These gifts almost always involve a double-edged curse of some sort - for example she once gifted a League magician with a mirror that helped him to spy on his rivals but which slowly drove him mad by encouraging him to dwell on the inevitable advance of old age and death.

Skathe is also the magician of the Court, and knows horrible rituals and dark spells that delve into the darkest parts of the Winter realm. She is known to be extremely jealous of Wise Rangara and often demands that a petitioner steal something from that Eternal before she will offer her own magical assistance.

Surut

The Charred Prince, The Ashen Knight, The Burnt Steward

Appearance: Surut is a warrior in heavy armour, usually with a two-handed sword or axe. He is hideously scarred, burnt from head to foot. Sections of his skin are missing, and he appears to be in constant pain. As with Skathe his appearance shifts over time, as new injuries appear. Likewise his armour varies from encounter to encounter - most often in recent times he appears as a Marcher steward.

Concerns: Like all the Thrice-cursed, Suut is believed to desire freedom from his curse. He is described as consumed with anger, hateful of those with whole bodies and souls, and bloodthirsty in the extreme. He is likely to suggest frontal-assaults against anything that gets in his way, and encourages both warriors and politicians alike to be utterly ruthless in pursuit of their goals.

Despite generally being given a lower station that Tharim or Skathe, Surut seems to hold equal rank within the Court while at the same time choosing to act as their strong arm and enforcer. The Charred Prince seems the most conflicted of the Court, sometimes descending into maudlin self-pity. It is in such moods that he is at his most dangerous - while he may agree to deals he might otherwise dismiss, his mood may shift to bloodthirsty slaughter at a moment's notice.

Boons: In addition to the boons offered by the Court as a whole, Surut can offer martial prowess and sometimes loans one of his enchanted weapons or suits of armour to a bargainer. He is also known to possess a box into which he can seal another person's empathy and conscience for a time, which he tends to view as a boon rather than the horrible curse it generally proves to be.

According to some scholars, Surut can wield or offer deadly powers of unleashed destruction against fortifications and even enemy armies but rarely chooses to do so. On at least one occasion, stories tell of Surut providing aid to the cabalists of a beleaguered vale; they gained the power to burn undead husks to ashes with their staves, but at the cost of permanent burning wounds.

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The Tomb

The tomb is a throne, a location used in dramaturgy that represents both a setting and a Realm of magic.

Realm: Winter.

Setting: The Tomb may be an actual tomb or mausoleum, or it may be a graveyard or even a battlefield after a battle. Rituals that take place in the tomb can be mournful tragedies, chilling ghost stories or dark morality tales, but usually have a sinister undertone. The Tomb may also be represented by the Gate or the Door - a transitional point between one place and another where conspirators meet, or where characters are separated from each other or from the things they desire by the final closing of a door.

Characters: The Doctor and The Prince are strong characters in this setting; they wield authority and deal with questions of life and death. The Doctor sometimes becomes a gravedigger in this scene, while the Prince may be re-imagined as a ghost, or sometimes even an Eternal.

Magical Style: This is often a location where someone is cursed, doomed or condemned for their actions. It is a place where things come to their conclusions, and it is a place where promises and oaths are made, especially between conspirators or in the name of a dead person.

Rituals that create curses, that inflict weakness or venom, or that deal with fear and dread are often enacted here. Any ritual that invokes themes of the past, or of wisdom, may also benefit from being set in the tomb. The most obvious use for the tomb location is in rituals that deal directly with the dead such as Whispers through the Black Gate..

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The Tribunal

Contents

- 1 Summary

- 2 History

- 3 Structure

- 4 Legacy

Summary

The Tribunal of the Orthodox to Ensure the Intergrity of the Way is more commonly referred to as just "The Tribunal" and is one of the earliest recorded Imperial sodalities with a cross national interest in orthodox theology.

History

According to what recollections remain, The Tribunal of the Orthodox to Ensure the Intergity of the Way was founded between the Revelation and the First Empress. Initially, the Tribunal consisted entirely of Highborn priests and theologians. It was set up as a response to increasing exposure of The Way of Virtue to foriegners and their philosophies, such as the Navarr Great Dance and Urizen Net of the Heavens, and how the Way of Virtue might inform, and be informed, by these beliefs.

Following the foundation of the Empire, and at the request of the First Empress, the Tribunal opened its membership to philosophers and theologians from other nations, and in so doing became one of the earliest recorded sodalities. During this time, there were several changes to the Doctrines of the Faith as the Tribunal and the Synod refined their understanding of the Labyrinth of Ages and the Paths of Virtue. Precise details of these changes have been lost over the past four centuries.

During the reign of the Empress Richilde, the Tribunal had a complex - and frequently antagonistic - relationship with Abraxus, which soured over time following repeated condemnations in the Synod that were encouraged and supported by Tribunal members.

The height of the Tribunal's power and status came during the reign of the Empress Teleri, where they - along with the Synod - enjoyed extensive latitude and members of the sodality were granted multiple sinecures, ministries and Imperial Titles. This is also believed to have been the start of the Tribunal's downfall as it continued to move from theological and philosophical society to being an orthodox political party. According to stories, the rot started to set in during the Interregnum where the Tribunal sought to retain the theocratic direction of the Empire.

After ascending to the Throne, Empress Varkula's reforms included seeking to curb the excesses of the Tribunal. The leader of the Tribunal at the time, Archimandrite Grigori, opposed the Empress vigoriously. The tension between the Throne and the Tribunal escalated to the point of Archimandrite Grigory exhorting the Synod to excommunicate the Throne, and, at the Empress Varkula's request, the Senate outlawed the Tribunal as a sodality and attempted to have their sinecures and titles abrogated. Allegedly, members of the Tribunal were responsible for at least one of the attempts on the Empress Varkula's life.

During the reign of the Emperor Frederick, there was an attempt to reconcile the Tribunal and attempt to get back to its original purpose as a cross-national body for theological and philosophical consideration. However, whilst the Senate's prohibition was lifted, the initiative failed to gain the momentum and popularity that it had once enjoyed, and was formally discontinued in the reign of the Emperor Frederick, around 200 years after its inception.

Structure

When it was recognised and active, the Tribunal operated a senior council comprising three Archimandrites who co-ordinated members who titled themselves as Judges. These were, for the most part, informal titles granted within the sodality, though some were given the status of Imperial Titles during the reign of Empress Teleri and the following Interregnum.

Legacy

The Tribunal of the Orthodox to Ensure the Intergity of the Way has a notable legacy that includes:

- Being one of the oldest Imperial sodalities on record, but also one that was outlawed by the Senate for a time

- Having been involved with several changes in theological understanding and the shaping of the Doctrines of the Faith

There are some who believe that, during their heyday, the Tribunal possessed a wealth of theological texts, relics and other similar items of interest. However, these were either destroyed during the Tribunal's conflicts with the Empress Varkula, or were otherwise concealed and remain so to this day.

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The Twilight Masquerade

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual allows the creation of a magical disguise. The disguise is partly due to physical change and partly due to glamour and illusion; it persists until the enchantment expires or is removed; you cannot alter your appearance again without further use of magic.

- A human target of this ritual can create a disguise that allows them to add, change, increase, reduce or remove their lineage.

- An orc target may create a disguise that changes their orc phys-rep; they remain recognisable as an orc although they may appear to be a different orc.

In all cases the normal rules for disguises apply, with the obvious exception that this magical means of disguising yourself allows you to alter your lineage (but not species). As always, the disguise is only as effective as you can physically make it. This ritual will not allow you to break the rules for trappings (or in the case of orcs, phys-rep) you cannot combine trappings from more than one lineage, for example, nor create additional trappings 'on the-fly'. If you are a cambion who wishes to disguise themselves as a naga you will need to remove all cambion trappings before you create new naga trappings.

The target often experiences mild versions of the roleplaying effects associated with the assumed lineage (if any), and any roleplaying effects due to their actual lineage (if any) are lessened in intensity for the duration.

The disguise may take a little while to complete (the time it takes you to apply the prosthetics and make-up).

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

Additional targets can be effected by the ritual provided they are all humans or all orcs. Each target is transformed in the same way although the details of the transformation may differ (so a group of humans could all be given a disguise as naga, but could not be disguised as a mix of naga and cambion). Each additional target increases the magnitude of the ritual by 5.

Description

This ritual effects a magical transformation, a combination of physical changes and subtle glamour that works to convince onlookers not to look too closely. This magic will not defeat attentive observation, but on casual observation onlookers will not question the new appearance. (OOC: Someone who challenges your disguise has pushed beyond the glamour effect, and )

As with mundane disguise, this ritual is used for all sorts of purposes, both legitimate and seamy. It might be used in espionage, or to conceal a fugitive; it might be performed for artistic reasons, or to create a challenging costume for a play or celebration. It is sometimes used by those interested in experiencing life as a different lineage, or seeking freedom from the prejudices of others for a time. The ritual has a reasonably long duration, and if it is performed regularly a specific appearance can be maintained for a long period of time.

When used for transitory effects, the targets often arrange for a second ritual to be cast on them at a later date; the underpinnings of magic mean that once the enchantment is removed, the disguise will quickly fall away - even a simple ritual such as Tenacity of Jotra is sufficient to bring the Twilight Masquerade to an end.

Both humans suspicious of various lineages, and the lineaged themselves, may react unpredictably when they discover this ritual has been used. A human who discovers that someone is secretly a member of a despised lineage is likely to react badly, as is someone who discovers that a supposed ally is not even lineaged at all.

On occasion, the hearth magic of mirrors will penetrate this disguise; it is usually a good idea to avoid locations with many mirrors if the disguise is to persist.

Common Elements

Masks are the most common element of this ritual, but mirrors may also be used. In some cases, the image of the target is 'trapped' in a mirror by the ritualists, allowing them to change their appearance freely. Drawings of the target are used in a similar way a quick sketch of the target can be modified with new trappings, or removed trappings, to sketch out the desired transformation. A Marcher ritual might involve the use and modification of carefully constructed poppets pinned with scraps to suggest the transformation required.

Butterflies and frogs, their images or materials that come from them are another common element, and the ritual often involves the targets changing clothes as they change their identity (especially when performed by Freeborn or Dawnish ritualists. An Imperial orc ritual may involve an invocation to a specific ancestor whose appearance the target orc wishes to adopt or use as a model. A Navarr ritual by contrast is likely to involve a little blood from a living character of the appropriate lineage (or lack therof), preferably one of the ritualists. Finally, symbols of the Realm associated with a new lineage disguise might be appropriate.

The rune of transformation Wyr is often used with this ritual, as are scenes involving mistaken or false identity, or evocations of the sphinx, manticore or even the wicked, shapeshifting mora.

The main body of the theatre would be noisy; people pushing to find their seats, last minute trips for refreshments or ablutions, speculation on the show, comments on clothing and standing - the common rhythm of excitement usual to a night of sophisticated entertainment. But it was quiet back here in his dressing room, he insisted on it. It was part of his process.

Bruno de Tassato, the man of a thousand masks, sat looking into his mirror. A very fine quality mirror it was too, weltsilver backing, and buffed to a high sheen (that wasn't part of the process, just part of his generally fastidious nature.) He stared at his reflection, the glistening scales, the dark eyes, the hint of a fang resting on his lower lip. His reflection regarded him in return, drinking in the details of the figure seated before it. This was the beginning of the process.

Slowly and carefully he stood and began to face the wall of his dressing room, where hundreds of masks (not quite a thousand, not yet) hung on the wall. And such masks! Leering whole-face jesters, velvet slips that barely covered the area around the eyes, faces of alabaster perfection, faces bisected or with playfully elongated features. A seemingly infinite variety, but which would be his tonight? He let his hands glide over them one by one, drinking in their textures and forms. Who would be his dance partner for this evening's performance?

Eventually he settled on an ornate affair, beaded with seed-pearls, but it's beauty marred by a diagonal scar which cracked the gilded surface, rendering it ugly and menacing. Oh, yes, most fitting for the role of the Horned Prince. Even as he slipped it on, he felt the arrogant and scheming character begin to well up inside him like a mouthful of bitter wine. The ritual itself was almost the least important part of the process, almost an afterthought, but an important one. Lessers might make do with greasepaint and props, but not Bruno de Tassato, the man of a thousand masks!

...

The performance was a roaring success. The troupe were masterful, but as always Bruno had been the star of the show. With his dagger horns and iron talons, he'd lived the role of the Horned prince, practically oozing ambition and connivance from his pores. As usual, the reclusive actor had fled back to his dressing room after the performance was done, but this time it seemed something was wrong. A stagehand, sent to deliver some of the more tasteful gifts from the audience found him wandering his room, his face slack and eyes lustreless. He fumbled with the masks, spilling faces in every direction, his voice a dull monotone.

"Where is my face? Where is my face? I took this mask off, but I cannot find my own face..."

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The Unquiet Grave

The Unquiet Grave - adapted for Empire, based on the traditional song as performed by Kate Rusby.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQgiebndmbc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

How pleasant is the wind tonight I feel some drops of rain I never had but one true love And far off he lies slain As I lay dreaming in my bed I heard my true love speak My bones are lying far from home And there I cannot sleep

When all the fighting it was done  They laid me with the dead To  rest uneasy in the poor soil,  Cold in my stony bed Oh come to me my dearest dear Come swiftly and alone For you alone my soul can save For you can bring me home

For twelve long months the land I roamed Until the field I found Where they had laid my true love's bones In stony barren ground I had no box to bear his bones No coffer made of stone But linen for a winding sheet To carry my love home

Oh, pleasant is the wind tonight And sound my sleep shall be But my love sleeps the best of all Beneath the apple trees

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The Vagabond Wyrm

Description

The Vagabond Wyrm, a more powerful version of The Flickering Flame, draws upon the Realm of Night to empower a coven with additional capacity for performing rituals, tugging upon the bonds created between members of the coven.

Covenstones can be crafted in a great variety of different forms but are usually large enough to form a decent centre-piece for a ritual. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses one is careful to ensure that it plays a central role in their ceremonies. A covenstone is a potent representation of the bonds that tie a coven together and the power that their oaths allow them to wield. They are usually bespoke and thus depict runes and motifs that are relevant to the coven for which they were made.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Twice per day the coven may perform a Night ritual that does not count towards their daily limit of rituals performed.

- Materials: Crafting the vagabond wyrm requires seven measures of beggar's lye, seven ingots of tempest jade, nine measures of ambergelt, five measures of dragonbone and fifteen measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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The Vigour of Youth

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains two additional ranks of fortitude, and is under a roleplaying effect: you feel vigorous and potent, as if you were at the height of your physical peak.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 4. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

Unlike Tenacity of Jotra, this ritual provides a significant boost to a warrior's ability to survive serious wounds, and remains potent for several months. While it is at it's most effective when it enhances the constitution of an individual who is already quite tenacious (or as an adjunct to the use of an Abraxus Stone), it is still quite powerful regardless of target. Even when cast on someone of unremarkable constititon, it doubles the amount of time it takes someone to die from their wounds.

Common Elements

As with many enchantment rituals, common elements include the consumption of wholesome food and drink (especially mead or beer) and the use of tokens and gifts such as favours. The rune Jotra is often used, painted onto the skin especially the skin of the chest or belly. Likewise an evocation of The Stallion or The Oak may be appropriate with this ritual, as are evocations of horses, boars, bears and other animals famed for their bodily fortitude.

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The Virtues

The Seven Paths of Virtue illuminated by Paragons and Exemplars across history are:

- Ambition

- Courage

- Loyalty

- Pride

- Prosperity

- Vigilance

- Wisdom

Each Virtue is, by itself, regarded as a Path through the Labyrinth of Ages.

Collectively, the Paths are known as The Way of Virtue.

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The Walker of the Snow

THE WALKER OF THE SNOW

SPEED on, speed on, good master! ... The camp lies far away; We must cross the haunted valley Before the close of day.

How the snow-blight came upon me I will tell you as we go, — The blight of the Shadow-hunter, Who walks the midnight snow.

To the cold December heaven Came the pale moon and the stars, As the yellow sun was sinking Behind the purple bars.

The snow was deeply drifted Upon the ridges drear, That lay for miles around me And the camp from which we steer.

'Twas silent on the hillside, And by the solemn wood No sound of life or motion To break the solitude,

Save the wailing of the moose-bird With a plaintive note and low, And the skating of the red leaf Upon the frozen snow.

And said I,—" Though dark is falling, And far the camp must be, - Yet my heart it would be lightsome, If I had but company.

And then I sang and shouted, Keeping measure as I sped, To the harp twang of the snow-shoe As it sprang beneath my tread;

Not far into the valley Had I dipped upon my way, When a dusky figure joined me, In a capuchon of gray,

Bending upon the snow-shoes, With a long and limber stride; And I hailed the dusky stranger, As we travelled side by side.

But no token of communion Gave he by word or look, And the fear chill fell upon me At the crossing of the brook.

For I saw by the sickly moonlight, As I followed, bending low, That the walking of the stranger Left no footmarks on the snow.

Then the fear-chill gathered o'er me, Like a shroud around me cast, As I sank upon, the snowdrift Where the Shadow-hunter passed.

And the otter-trappers found me, Before the break of day, With my dark hair blanched and whitened As the snow in which I lay.

But they spoke not as they raised me; For they knew that in the night I had seen the Shadow-hunter, And had withered in his blight.

Mother Varushka speed us ! The sun is falling low, — Before us lies the valley Of the Walker of the Snow

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The Walls of Terunael

Adapted from "The Shores of Old Blighty" by Graeme Miles (public domain)

Lyrics and Melody adapted by Ian Thomas. (link to come)

Chorus The walls of Terunael we've left behind The brightest of cities are broken and grey As we walk an endless road how will we find All that was stolen away, Liaven All that was stolen away?

Verse 1 The city is joyous, the bell tower peals A festival spirit, a respite from woes Our vates call down power to the crops in the fields But the only crop here is for crows, Liaven The only crop here is for crows.

As the walls start to crumble, there's no cause for dread Our army's unbeaten, our magic's still strong But then out from the palace black thorns start to spread And our strength and our courage is gone, Liaven Our strength and our courage is gone.

Chorus

Verse 2 Just a handful of warriors escape the Vallorn We've made it much further than our dead would have dreamed, They lie in piles broken by the vines and the thorns When this morning how lively they seemed, Liaven, This morning how lively they seemed.

The forests they offer the comfort of night We huddle together, our tears mourn the dead Navarr she stands up; says she won't lose this fight And the oaths on her skin are marked red, Liaven The oaths on her skin are marked red

Chorus

Verse 3 We set our feet forward and shoulder our loads Walk spirals unending through lands far away We bind our disaster in chains made from roads And our journeying keeps it at bay, Liaven Our journeying keeps it at bay.

A people in exile, a travelling tribe We wander with purpose, our course is well laid One Empire is lost but its spirit survives And we'll cherish this new one we've made, Liaven We'll cherish this new one we've made.

Alt Chorus x2 And the walls of Terunael we've left behind The brightest of cities are broken and grey As we walk an endless road we'll keep in mind All that was stolen away, Liaven All that was stolen away.

by Ebb Summercrow, 377 YE

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The Wanderer

Contents

- 1 The Law

- 2 The Constellation

- 3 Symbolism

- 4 Invoking the Wanderer in Ritual

- 5 Alignment

The Law

There is a great deal of discussion about what precisely this star represents. The most common interpretation is Things Are Not What You Think, but older texts refer to the law of the Wander as Things Go Awry.

The Constellation

The Wanderer is a reddish star that appears to migrate across the night sky, most recently passing beneath and through the legs of The Stallion during the course of the summer months.

In constellation symbology it is usually depicted either as an octopus with short arms, or some kind of eye with many writhing limbs. The reason for this depiction is unclear but it dates to the oldest depictions of the constellations.

It most recently passed beneath and through the legs of the Stallion during the summer months.

Symbolism

Less a constellation than single bright point of light that wanders seemingly unpredictably across the sky, almost every culture has it's own name for this star. In Wintermark they call it the Kraken Eye; in Varushka Flame-in-the-Dark and in the League it is the Red Dancer. Dawn calls it the Hand of Alderei; in the Marches they say it is the Bloody Crown. In Navarr it is See-Me-Not; the Brass Coast call it The Octopus. The Imperial orcs call it Outcast; only in Highguard and Urizen is there any agreement; both call it, simply, The Wanderer.

The Wanderer is an ominous star. Many astronomancers predicted a period of instability in the Empire when the star made a close approach to the Stallion; views proven all too true when news of the Empress' death arrived. It stands for fate, chance, disaster and change; to follow the Wanderer is to be in a place without maps. In Varushka they say following the Wanderer will lead you into the country of the bats; you should not tarry there.

While it is generally seen as an ill-omened star, the change it brings and the fates it reveals are not always negative - even if they seem so at first.But make of it what you will - where it passes, the status quo is upturned and thrown down for good or for ill.

There is a secondary association of the Wanderer; during Interregnums, the Wanderer is seen as the star representative of the Empress-to-be. Fate calls an Empress to stand; perhaps Fate puts trials in their way too.

The most well-known depiction of the Wanderer is over the arch of The Sentinel Gate, which stands today at Anvil since it was transported there when the Urizen joined the Empire. It is the mechanism whereby the Empire sends its heroes to fight in pivotal engagements during the Solstices and Equinoxes, and has a number of poorly understood magical powers. The presence of the Wanderer in such an important location, on such a vital item, occasions a great deal of debate among Astronomantic scholars.

Invoking the Wanderer in Ritual

A dangerous game not for the faint of heart. The Wanderer is, like the Great Wyrm, a powerful change agent; but where the Wyrm transforms, the Wanderer tears down and rebuilds. It can also stand for destiny - inexorable fate, the kind that cannot be escaped no matter how much you struggle.

Invoking the Wanderer also gives a ritual Imperial connotations; other Astronomancers will watch such rites carefull for clues and signs of Imperial ambition.

Alignment

Alignment with the Wanderer is universally reported to be an unpleasant experience. The cold, rolling inexorability of fate leaves the ritualist shivering and bleak; some have reported wacthing the red star roll beneath them, until a great, milky eye opened and regarded them, bringing to them a full and terrifying understanding of their own insignificance in the universe.

It is not uncommon for ritualists who invoke the Wanderer to run mad shortly thereafter. The Spire of Twisting Shadows in Urizen is a common destination for such damaged individuals, where they can be cared for quietly. Few return.

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The Way and the non-human

The Way and the Non-human

Pure Liao has an equal effect on all adult humans, including those of Lineage descent. However, it has no particular effect on Orcs or, it is assumed, any other non-human species. This is understood to mean that the non-humans have no 'past lives' and thus supports the Doctrine of Reincarnation’s claim that only human spirits traverse the Labyrinth of Ages.

Opinions are divided as to what this means for the non-human. Some maintain that they are incapable of following The Way because of their natures. Others maintain that, even if they do not reincarnate, they should still be encouraged to follow the example of the Paragons and Exemplars.

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The Spider and The Web (Redirected from The Web)

Contents

- 1 The Spider

- 1.1 The Law

- 1.2 The Constellation

- 1.3 Symbolism

- 1.4 Invoking The Spider in magic

- 1.5 Tulpas of The Spider

- 1.6 Alignment

- 2 The Web

- 2.1 The Law

- 2.2 The Constellation

- 2.3 Symbology

- 2.4 Invoking the web in magic

- 2.5 Tulpas of the Web

- 2.6 Alignment

The Spider

The Law

Things are watched by a hidden eye.

The Constellation

The Spider is a small cluster of five stars just off the fourth star in the spiral of The Web. It appears to have two ‘arms’ reaching out towards The Web whilst a small triangular ‘body’ points outwards.

Symbolism

The Spider stands off from the web; quick to react to events in it but separate from it. It represents unknown forces; those that watch the affairs of the world and interfere when they see fit. The Spider stands for things outside the Empire sphere of influence; internals, foreigners, magical powers, great mysteries, those things that stand beyond the Ken of mortal being.

The Spider also represents the manipulator; he who places his thumb upon the scales of fate.

Invoking The Spider in magic

invoking The Spider can be a dangerous business for ritualists since the constellation is often seen to represent the Eternals. Varushka ritualists often use The Spider to represent the doings of sovereigns in their magic. The Spider, though, can be used to represent any hidden hand or unseen force; whether to steer it or to ward against it.

Tulpas of The Spider

the thought forms of The Spider never appear the same way twice. Whether it be the sinister man in black in the corner of the Tavern, the pale skinned and hairless fellow traveller on the lonely mountain road or the mysterious rustling in the undergrowth keeping pace with you through the forest the agents of The Spider are many and varied. One that is a friend to you today may be a foe to you tomorrow; or may draw you into schemes that you wish you had never heard of.

Alignment

Ritualists who invoke The Spider report that it leaves behind a sense of great clarity and detachment as if the affairs of humanity were watched from the other side of the sheet of glass from a very long way away ritualists may be detached distant and emotional dispassionate and cold after invoking The Spider in ritual.

The Web

The Law

Things are connected

The Constellation

The Web is found almost directly opposite The Phoenix with The Chain equidistant between them. It spirals inwards with an almost direct line between its first two stars that can be extended out to find the apex of The Oak. There are, in fact, nine stars in this constellation, however the center star is somewhat faint and easily obscured on a less than clear night.

Symbology

the Web or the Net of the Heavens as Urizen would have it represents the interconnectedness of all things. Urizen astronomancers have a saying which stems from this constellation; "the world is full of secret knots". The failure to close a deal between two grain merchants in a League city can mean that hundreds of miles away a family in The Brass Coast starve and in the Marches an honest farmer cannot sell his produce. Every action has consequences both obvious and subtle; both seen and unforeseen.

The web also stands for the powers of coincidence and synchronicity; the tendency of things to go right or be in the right place at the right time through apparent chance. The foolish or superstitious may call this luck; the wise understand that there is no such thing and that somewhere, someone has done something to turn circumstances the way they have turned out.

Invoking the web in magic

The web is frequently invoked in day rituals; to see the whole of the web is to understand the interrelationship between all of the components in your ritual, how they affect each other and how they affect you. It has many uses is crying magic and divination but also has strong associations with sympathetic magic playing on the aspects of synchronicity and interconnectedness. Some of the most esoteric of the Astronomancers of Urizen who study the web say “Synchronicity is it’s servant”; creating long, complex chains of action and reaction started by the smallest impetus and relying on luck, chance and “being in the right place at the right time” all evoke the Web.

Tulpas of the Web

Tulpa is of the web are curious creatures. Often times they will appear as perfectly normal men and women, sometimes even as orcs. They speak little if at all, and usually position themselves in the right place at the right time to give circumstances the tiny nudge they need. The cloaked and hooded person who steps out into the street and spooks the horse of the dray master, causing it to rear and shed its load blocking the road and stopping the pursuing magistrate from catching the running figure is in all likelihood Tulpa of the web.

Alignment

Ritualists who embrace the web speak of the sense of interconnectedness; of being the part of a great network of consciousness and of living things. Someone who approaches this unprepared can be overwhelmed by the sensation and it is not unknown for ritualists who embrace the web to go mad and lose their own personalities in the ever shifting sea of all. Once the sense of interconnectedness fades, ritualists report unenhanced ability to see all sides of a given problem or to experience other people's point of view.

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The Wind That Shakes The Barley

Original song by Robert Dwyer Joyce - http://youtu.be/zOtyZXgnmUE

New lyrics by Joanna VanderHoeven

I sat within a valley green I sat there with my true love My heart strove to choose between The old love and the new love The old for her, the new that made Me think on Navarr dearly While soft the wind blew down the glade And shook the golden barley

'Twas hard the woeful words to frame To break the ties that bound us But harder still to bear the shame Of foreign chains around us And so I said, "The mountain glen I'll seek at morning early And join the brave Navarrian While soft winds shook the barley"

'Twas sad I kissed away her tears Her arms around me clinging When to my ears the fateful shot Came out the wildwood ringing The arrow pierced my true love's breast In life's young spring so early And all upon my breast she died While soft winds shook the barley

I bore her to some mountain stream And many's the summer blossom I placed with branches soft and green About her gore-stained bosom I wept and kissed her clay-cold corpse Then rushed o'er vale and valley My vengeance on the foe to wreak While soft winds shook the barley

'Twas blood for blood without remorse I took at Oulart Hollow I placed my true love's clay-cold corpse Where I full soon may follow Around her grave I wandered drear Noon, night and morning early With aching heart when e'er I hear The wind that shakes the barley

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The Winter Moon

The poisons known as The Winter Moon are sinister and somewhat supernatural poisons that combine the effects of a terrible curse with a cruel lethality. The Virus Lunarae attacks the spirit, casing a slow, numbing chill but the vile effectiveness of this venom does not end with death - the corpse of the victim soon reanimates as a flesh-hungry husk and attacks friends and family gathered around the sickbed. The Hunger of the Wolf drives the target increasingly mad, culminating in a bloody rampage that ends only when the poor victim is dead. Both poisons work by causing a fundamental inbalance in the body and mind - and some say spirit - of the victim.

Both substances are illegal within the Empire; possession of either is generally viewed by the Imperial Magistrates as intent to commit murder. The antidote for both theVirue Lunarae and the Hunger of the Wolf is an infusion called the Feast for Crows. It purges the symptoms of either or both poisons if they are present, meaning it is pointless to try and poison someone with both preparations.

See the section on poisons for more details of how these horrible substances, and their antidote, are used.

Virus Lunarae

This cruel ingested poison numbs and kills the victim, slowly leeching their vital essences and will to live. Worse, when the subject finally succumbs their flesh rises again as a monstrous undead horror, hungry for the meat and blood of the living. There is some evidence that the target is granted unnatural life by the power of the poison itself, although there is also a belief that the virus lunarae traps a spirit of Winter similar to that unleashed by Quickening Cold Meat ritual, and binds it to the corpse of the victim.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This clear, odourless, tasteless liquid appears indistinguishable from water.

- Roleplaying Effects; You feel a growing chill spreading through your body. Over the next fifteen minutes you become increasingly cold and numb; shivering despite all efforts to keep you warm. You lose all sensation in your extremities, and eventually are incapable of feeling any physical sensation or holding anything in your numb fingers. You also become increasingly incoherent, and will tend to babble incomprehensibly as the symptoms worsen.

- Mechanical Effects: You are immediately effected by weakness which cannot be removed until the poison is cured. After ten minutes you can no longer move under your own power and cannot attack, defend yourself or use any abilities or items. At the end of thirty minutes you slip into a coma from which you will never recover. A few minutes after that, you reanimate as a flesh-hungry zombie bent on killing and devouring the living.

- Incorrect Antidote: If the incorrect antidote is applied, you slip into a coma and die. A few minutes later you will animate as a flesh-hungry zombie.

- Recipe: Three drams each of Marrowort and Cerulean Mazzarine and two drams each of True Vervain and Bladeroot.

Hunger of the Wolf

The hunger of the wolf makes the victim increasingly unstable. When the target eventually succumbs to the poison, they enter a final psychotic frenzy from which there is no recovering, ultimately lasting until the target is fatally injured or a fatal brain haemorage kills them. The poison also prevents the blood from clotting naturally - any serious injury is sufficient to kill the target.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This clear, odourless, tasteless liquid appears indistinguishable from water.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel a growing heat spreading through your body. Over the next fifteen minutes you become extremely short tempered, often incoherent with rage, and lash out at anyone who annoys you. Your growing rage makes it harder and harder for you to concentrate; you begin to hear voices urging you to kill everyone around you.

- Mechanical Effects; You are immediately affected by venom which cannot be removed until the poison is cured. After ten minutes you can no longer communicate coherently with others, and become extremely violent. After thirty minutes you may choose to either enter a psychotic killing frenzy or suffer a fatal brain haemorage. You will never recover from this state.

- Incorrect Antidote: If the incorrect antidote is applied, you undergo a pychotic break, raving incoherently and lashing out at everyone nearby for at most a minute or so before suffering a fatal brain hemorrhage and dropping dead.

- Recipe: Four drams each of Imperial Roseweald and True Vervain and two drams of Bladeroot.

Feast for Crows

The feast for crows is spread onto the skin, especially the skin of the hands and face. It quickly rebalances the body and spirit of the poisoning victim. Unfortunately it exacerbates the effect of other poisons, allowing them to quickly overwhelm the bodies defences and resulting in quick death.

Note: As with the poisons to which this preparation is an antidote, the Feast for Crows becomes inert fifteen minutes after being brewed.

- Form: Salve.

- Description: This lumpy red balm has a texture similar to that of rotting meat soaked in blood. It is quickly absorbed into the skin, leaving red marks behind.

- Roleplaying Effects: You are overwhelmed by alternating burning fever and freezing numbness that completely incapacitates you. You may lose consciousness, and suffer painful convulsions. Over the next five minutes the symptoms of either Virus Lunarae or Hunger of the Wolf quickly recede.

- Mechanical Effects: Removes the effect of either or both of Virus Lunarae or Hunger of the Wolf. The weakness and venom effects need to be removed separately. If you are not poisoned, you are reduced to 0 hits by this unpleasant preparation.

- Recipe: Four drams each of Marrowort and Cerulean Mazzarine, three drams each of Bladeroot and Imperial Roseweald and one dram of True Vervain.

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The Witch

The witch is one of the personae used in dramaturgy. While the character is usually referred to as female, regardless of the gender of the thespian taking the role, within the narrative she may be of either sex; often, as with many dramaturgical characters, the gender is irrelvant to the story as a whole to allow any ritualist to take the role.

Character: The Witch is seductive and mysterious. She knows secrets, and she is often a magician. If she has a weakness it is her drive to learn more, to acquire more magic and secrets, and to use both in purusit of her agenda, which is often unknown to the other characters. She is often manipulative, and she uses the secrets and weaknesses of the other characters to influence and control them.

She is rarely a negative character; she arranges romance, weddings and political alliances as well as causing the unwise and the foolish to betray themselves to each other and the audience. She often brings prosperity to those who heed her advice, and ruin to those who are churlish or impolite toward her.

In street theatre, she is often a lusty figure who represents pleasure and happiness, as well as mystery. In comedies the witch often represents a man or woman who indulges in the pleasures of the flesh, but who is wealthy and comfortable - sometimes a jovial parent or other family member of a more central protagonist.

Magical Associations: She is used in ritual where magic is used to influence, or where mystery is explored. She is also a common figure in healing rituals - she uses her secret wisdom to heal with herbs or with magic, or she renews the spirits of the other characters through music or by revealing things to them. She is associated with the virtues of Wisdom and Prosperity.

Realms: The witch is associated with autumn (manipulation,cleverness) and night (secrets, mystery).

Identities: As one of the personae, the witch usually appears named after one of the four rivers. Her name influences her character, which in turn influences the magical role she plays.

- Scorrero – used for magic that grants prosperity, especially to farms

- Vassa – used in magic that creates passions or that exploits the weaknesses of others

- Gancio – used in magic that uncovers or reveals secrets and mysteries

- Couros – used in magic that unleashes magical primal forces, or that frees emotions to run riot

Trappings: Usually dressed in a robe or gown, she is often portrayed with a veil as part of her mask, usually covering her eyes and mouth, or with a cowl which hides her eyes. She speaks firmly, and is absolutely uncompromising in the pursuit of her goals. She often engages in clever word-play, or uses innuendo to say one thing while meaning another.

As with all personae, a troupe is likely to have a specific mask they use to portray the Witch.

Other Identities: The witch appears as a courtesan, lover or cicisbeo; she may be an actor or actress, and is often a foreigner or other exotic character. She is a central character in Dawnish mystery plays, where she often represents a weaver. In The Marches and Wintermark she often represents slightly threatening forces; mysterious and enigmatic magic that might threaten a protagonist.

Contents

- 1 Fortune

- 2 Minor Roles

- 2.1 The Seamstress or Queen of All Threads

- 2.2 The Shadow

- 2.3 The Spurned Lover

Fortune

In the Brass Coast, especially among the corsairs, ideas of luck, fate and chance are sometimes personified as a whimsical man or woman often called "Fortune". Sometimes portrayed as the lover of Death, Fortune alternately embraces and flees from that grim figure. When Fortune is invoked to bring good luck. he is attentive and amorous; when used to brig bad luck or misfortune, he is tempestuous, jealous and cruel. Either way, he is characterised by mood swings - as a role, Fortune always reminds the audience and the other characters around him that he is unpredictable and always, eventually, turns on those who have hitherto enjoyed his favour.

Minor Roles

The Seamstress or Queen of All Threads

Sometimes the Witch appears in the guise of the Seamstress, representing fate and fortune. She is always more than she appears. Often her part in the play begins with a main character making a wish - she might help them towards their heart's desires but her help always comes at a high cost. Her assistance typically revolves around small, seemingly innocuous actions (ie, you place a flower on a window sill, it distracts your lover's cruel father as he crosses the road, and he ends up falling under a cart and dying.)

The Shadow

An ambiguous figure, often shown in close-fitting blue clothes, the Shadow rarely reveals herself to the character she wishes to aid. Instead, she acts as an unseen and generally altruistic assistant, removing obstacles from his path and ensuring that he is in the right place at the right time. In some plays, she also appears as a family member or lover of the hero; in such stories, donning the Cloak signifies her transition from one identity to the other. Although her actions are generally to the hero's benefit, the Shadow's motivations are not generally clear, and in some Night rituals she can be the focus of a late twist in the story. She often represents external magical forces that are either wooed to assist the protagonist, or invoked to hinder an opponent.

The Spurned Lover

The Spurned Lover is spiteful, vengeful and will stop at nothing to achieve revenge. She represents dark passions, and often the protagonist has done little to attract her attention. While she can be superficially charming and disguise her intentions beneath a mask of indifference or forgiveness, she always works against whichever of the Persona has spurned her, and whichever character has replaced her in her former lover's affections. She is an agent of curses and misfortune, and a key component of some magical curses. When she holds The Cup, its meaning often becomes 'poison' in either a literal or metaphoric sense.

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Thief's Arcane Gambit

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 1.5 OOC Note

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The character or item bearing the target enchantment, as well as the character or item intended to receive the enchantment, must be present throughout.

Effects

This ritual targets an enchantment on a character or item. At the completion of the ritual, the enchantment is moved from the character or item it is on now to a new character or item (as appropriate).

The entire enchantment is moved along with any remaining duration or power (in the case of enchantments that can be used a number of times each day). All effects of the enchantment are moved; the enchantment ends on the donor, and any effects that might be triggered by the enchantment ending occur. The enchantment is then gained by the new target, and any effects that might be triggered by the enchantment taking effect on a target occur.

The "donor" of the enchantment must be present throughout, but need not be willing.

The enchantment must be moved to a legitimate target. For example, you cannot move an enchantment that targets a character onto an item, and you cannot move an enchantment that requires a character with the magician skill to a character who does not have that skill. Note however that the new target does not need to be in the same band as the old target, nor does it need to be the same nationality.

The ritual will move an enchantment with a magnitude up to double that of the thief's arcane gambit. The exception is any enchantment that obscures or conceals information; to move enchantments such as Masque of the Blinded Weaver the magnitude of Thief's Arcane Gambit must be at least equal to the magnitude of the target enchantment.

For example, any casting of Thief's Arcane Gambit will move the effect of The Vigour of Youth from one character to another because that Summer ritual has a magnitude of 8. It would require a magnitude 11 ritual to move Brazen Claws of the Lictor (a magnitude 22 enchantment) from one magician to another. .

This ritual has no effect on things that are not enchantments, such as the benefits granted by potions or auras created with liao; it also does not work on any curse effects.

The ritual can be used to transfer enchantments such as Blessing of New Spring which target a resource but use a character as the focus for that ritual. This is much more prone to failure, however, as it is difficult to be certain about the magnitude of the target enchantment, or be certain what the targeting restrictions are.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual to attempt to target a more powerful enchantment.

OOC Note

Despite similar terminology, the qualities of a magic item are not enchantments. They are an innate part of the item - it is impossible to move the magical properties of a magic item to another magic item using this ritual.

Description

Misdirection, cleverness, cunning and transformation ... in this case these all boil down to the ability to take something from one place and move it to another. Often this ritual is used for quite legitimate purposes - to move an enchantment to a new target who will benefit from it, with the collusion and approval of the donor character. Other times, the enchantment is moved for underhand reasons - effectively stolen from a legitimate target and placed on someone undeserving. The law is not entirely clear on whether this counts as theft or not; often the Imperial Conclave is called on to determine if a theft has taken place. It is more common for an unwilling target to be a restrained barbarian or prisoner of war, but it is also possible to use trickery to cause the bearer of the target enchantment to remain unaware of the true purpose of the ritual - an apocryphal tale speaks of a Marcher ritualist who persuaded a spy to receive what she believed was a ritual to purge venom when in fact the clever Bregaslander used Thief's Arcane Gambit to transfer Secrets of the Empty Heart from the spy to himself before handing the spy over to the magistrates for interrogation.

Still, some ritualists balk at the more underhanded possibilities of this ritual, and insist on calling it Transfer of Power or Gift of Enchantment.

The ritual will fail if it is cast at insufficient magnitude, so it is sensible to use detect magic before beginning, to ensure the correct magnitude is achieved. Detect magic does not provide any additional information, however, and incautious use of this ritual may lead to infortunate repercussions of this. On one memorable occasion, for example, a barbarian enchantment turned out to fill the citizen to which it was transferred with a lust to consume the flesh of humans as a side-effect of the martial enhancement it offered. Often this lack of knowledge can lead to the ritual failing - for example, when ritualists are unknowingly transferring an enchantment that requires a specific kind of target.

This is also an element when transferring an enchantment from one resource to another. In such cases ,the target enchantment needs to have been placed on a resource controlled by the 'donor' character, and the recipient needs to have a suitable resource that satisfies the targeting criteria of the initial ritual. This is particularly tricky when trying to move Strong Ox, Golden Sun or Gathering the Harvest, for obvious reasons.

There are few enchantments that are placed directly on objects, and so this ritual is much more likely to target a person than an item.

Common Elements

This ritual often involves symbolic transfer of something from the donor to the recipient. For example, in a consensual ritual the donor might hand a token or item associated with the enchantment to the new target. In less consensual uses, the target may be stripped of valuables, especially items of jewelry, which are then given to the recipient character. For the Navarr, blood is often shared between two characters effected by the ritual, or the same design traded on both characters or items. When runes are used, the same runes are painted on both the target with the enchantment and the target who will receive it. Commonly the rune Xun is used.

It is common for Night ritualists to wear masks, hoods or cowls ... it is especially common if they are performing this ritual on an unwilling target.

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Thorn

Die today? By Ambition, I hope not! We are the Thorns of Navarr, and my story is not yet finished.

Brynn Mourne, Brand, before the Battle of Gulps Deeps

Thorns are the professional warrior caste of the Navarr. Like brands, Thorns make an active decision to commit themselves to their chosen course; they literally swear to be ready at all times to fight in the defence of their community. They mark their oath, usually with a tattoo but many also choose to don warpaint each day. This ritual ensures that they remain focussed regardless of where they are. By marking themselves out in this way they make their identity and pledge clear and remind others that they are ready to fight.

The Navarr consider surprise to be one of the most effective weapons to use in battle, so they are particularly wary of being caught unawares. The Thorn philosophy is one of constant preparedness. They are practical about the actual level of risk involved, they don't set guards when none are needed, but they strive to maintain a vigilant readiness and ensure that they are prepared to defend themselves when the time comes.

Most Thorns are warriors, but anyone who can wield a weapon - even magicians who are skilled with battle magic - can take the Thorn pledge. The purpose of becoming a Thorn is to ensure that you remain vigilant and ready for battle, to devote yourself to fighting for your community and to make your purpose plain to other Navarr so that they can find martial help when they need it.

There is a great deal of similarity between the oaths of the Thorn and those of the brand or the Vate. As a result those Thorns who feel they are best placed to lead their fellows are usually Brands as well and many Thorns with some mastery of magic choose to become a Vate.

Thorns are not known for their timidity and reserve. Their military doctrine, known as the Irrevocable Blow, states that war should be fought swiftly, without mercy or doubt. Isaella, the most infamous Thorn in Imperial History, murdered mad Emperor Nicovar in 209 YE.

Thornborn

It is rare that a problem can be solved by a single Thorn; cooperation between many Thorns is usually required to defeat an enemy. The Thorns in a large steading or striding will usually fight together, alongside the other warriors from the community. But when preparing for battle, lone Thorns from smaller communities often band together under a single banner.

These groups are called Thornborn, and most have an identity and history of their own. They are often at the forefront of important conflicts and many members are proud of their group's reputation for skill and ferocity. Most are led by a Thorn who is also a Brand, but not all. Thorns regard themselves as having taken a vow equivalent to that of the Brand, so their first requirement is that they follow another Thorn.

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Thorn's Kiss

Description

A thorn's kiss is predominantly used by the Navarr, although it see some use by the folk of Wintermark. Some other nations, especially Urizen and Dawn frown upon these banners, claiming that they reduce the art of combat to little more than bloodthirsty slaughter. The Navarr often accuse their critics of having forgotten the harsh reality of life in the wilds and upon the battlefield, and that the aim of war is to slaughter your foes until they back down. And foes presented with an ambush of poisoned Navarri spears often do back down rapidly after a few of their number have received painful, burning wounds.

Thornborn who wield one-handed spears, sometimes with shields, most strongly favour this banner, usually bearing a motif of interlaced thorns and vines dripping venom to make its enchantment clear and thus weaken their opponents with fear before the fight has even begun. A few stridings and steadings who are less dedicated to war also keep these banners on hand, to intimidate attackers with the deadliness of their defence - they can also prove highly effective against groups of vallornspawn husks. The Suaq learnt of the banner from passing Navarr allies, appreciating both the magical effect on their harpoons and hunting spears and the psychological effect on their enemies.

Even making these banners is a dangerous process. The cloth is bleached with the poisonous fumes from Beggar’s Lye, rather than the more usual solution, then painted with a thick layer of Iridescent Gloaming to seal in the poison and make the banner safe for human contact. Usually the lye’s strength fades during the crafting process, so cracking the paint layer is seldom damaging, save for occasional skin irritation.

Rules

- Form: Standard. Takes the form of a magical standard.

- Effect: Each character bonded to this banner wielding a one-handed spear can call VENOM once per day.

- Materials: Crafting a thorn's kiss requires seventeen measures of dragonbone, fourteen measures of beggar's lye, three measures of iridescent gloaming, seven ingots of weltsilver and ten ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Commander Brigney was polishing his antlers when the Beaters ran back into the camp, the sunlight fast fading over the lush forest behind them. Tomas of Groad skidded to a halt in front of him whilst Simon the Green padded close behind, his bow still knocked, more out of fear than combat-readiness. Returning his polishing cloth to his breast pocket, Commander Brigney bade them report.

Tomas spoke first. “We tracked the orcs, sir – it wasn't difficult, given their numbers. They made camp much farther into the forest than we realised.” Simon jittered next. “They, er, that is, I mean, erm, they're all dead sir. To the last man, well I mean the last orc, sir. Dead.”

The Commander stood and pulled himself up to his full height, puffing out his chest and prodding a finger at Simon. “We won't be able to call you the Green for much longer, lad. You'll need a new name. Now tell me what else you know.”

“Thank you sir, I mean, yes sir.” Simon glowed a little, but still faltered in his speech. “Most of the bodies have been stabbed with spears and some still have arrows sticking out of 'em, sir. No other bodies but orc, sir, if you see what I mean.”

Commander Brigney did know what he meant, though he feared the young Simon had drawn the wrong conclusion. Walking up to the pair now, he looked at the expressions on their faces closer. Simon's fear was dwindling now and there was something else – pride, perhaps, at having something to report. Tomas, on the other hand, was grinning broadly and barely concealing his excitement.

“Out with it then, Tomas. Tell our young recruit here what he missed in the clearing.”

Tomas coughed and drew half an arrow from where it had lay concealed within his jerkin, handing it with pride to the Commander. Simon still looked confused.

“Navarr arrows, sir. No doubt the orcs died swiftly and without warning. There was some close combat as well, but only orc losses noted, sir. By the looks on their faces, they died in immense agony.” Tomas was still grinning, Simon looked like the colour for which he'd been named.

“They are our enemies, Simon, never forget that, enemies of all the Empire. And those that did this did no more than what was necessary.” Still, the Commander mused, there may be more to it than just a well-planned ambush. Even the fierce Thorns of the Navaar were bound to have taken some losses against such a large and heavily armed raiding party of orcs. No, this could only mean one thing – Drustan the Banner-Bearer must be nearby. Great news, indeed.

“Simon!” The recruit looked up into the violet eyes of his commander. “Take a message across camp to Commander Walter. Tell him Good News Simon brings greetings from Commander Brigney and inform him that we are down some enemies and have gained an old friend. He will know what to make of it.” Simon sped off at top speed and Tomas headed off to the mess tent.

With his troops dismissed, the Commander extracted a carefully folded piece of cloth from his breast pocket and resumed his earlier polishing.

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Thorn Battle Cadence

Original Song by Jamie Wakefield (https://soundcloud.com/jamie-wakefield/thorn-battle-cadence)

Chords: Am Em G Am

Call As Thorn. As Thorn. Navarri fight as Thorn.

Response 1 (repeated after each line) As Thorn. As Thorn. Navarri fight as Thorn.

Calls As Thorn. As Thorn. Navarri fight as Thorn.

In the day or in the night we take our victory. In the dark or in the light we're running through the trees.

Sure and swift, our arrows fly. Upon our spears, all will die.

Know no mercy, heed no plea. You cannot betray your enemy.

The blood will flow!

Response 2 (repeated after each line) The blood will flow!

Calls The blood will flow!

From the wounds of our foes! From the wounds of our foes!

Their guts we'll spill! With every kill!

KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!

As Thorn. As Thorn. Navarri fight as Thorn.

Response 1 (repeated after each line) As Thorn. As Thorn. Navarri fight as Thorn.

Calls As Thorn. As Thorn. Navarri fight as Thorn.

Know no mercy, heed no plea. You cannot betray your enemy.

As Thorn. As Thorn. Navarri fight as Thorn. As Thorn. As Thorn. Navarri fight as Thorn.

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Thorns of the Rose

Description

These arcane weapons are reasonably rare; they are powerful only in the hands of a warrior who combines a deep understanding of offensive magic, including the ability to cast the spell entangle with the puissant drive of the true hero. In the right hands, however, they are deadly. By binding an opponent in place with her magic, the wielder has several heartbeats in which she can use her advantage to deliver a crippling blow or a mortal strike.

There are more efficient weapons that can deliver crippling strikes against an enemy - the Bravo's Blade or Labyrinth's Gate come to mind - but using these weapons effectively requires a certain discipline and elegance that appeals to some expert warrior-magicians.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of a one-handed weapon and either a rod or a wand.

- Requirement: You must have both the ambidexterity and magician skills to bond to these items.

- Effect: After you successfully entangle a character, you may call IMPALE against that character by spending one hero point.

- Materials: Crafting the thorns of the rose requires twelve ingots of tempest jade, seven measures of dragonbonefive ingots of green iron and five measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make a pair of these items.

Belisari wove through the battle lines to meet the Jotun Chieftain in single combat. The bellowing Orc had demanded that one of their number stepped forward to face him, calling out their mightiest warriors so that he may slay them. He had already battered three other soldiers down, stepping contemptuously over them as he strode through the fray seeking a true challenge.

The barbarian laughed when the frail looking Cambion magi stepped forward, robes billowing behind him and the gentle chink of ornate glass mage armour almost drowned by the fighting around them.

“I swanted your best warrior” the orc growled, “not your strangest livestock.”

Belisari simply nodded and adopted a fighting stance, his curved sword pointed towards the orc while an ornate rod hung from his off-hand, resting gently on the ground. A sharp eyed observer would have noticed that the grass slowly browned and withered around the perfectly rendered ambergelt rose at the tip of the rod. The orc champion was not a sharp eyed observer.

The Jotun charged, axe raised and ready to bisect the fragile looking Urizen. As it drew closer Belisari could see human faces locked in a grimace worked into it the barbarian's breastplate; for a moment he considered the skilled craftsmanship it must have taken to so perfectly render the images until it became all too apparent that they were, in fact, actual human faces; cured and dried and stitched into the the armour. He did not allow his disgust to show on his face, turning it inwards, drawing strength from it. He began to softly chant the canticles of verdant entrapment, calming his mind and preparing to strike.

As the orc brought its weapon back Belisari suddenly jumped in to action. He leapt forward into a roll as the Jotun axe sailed over his horned head and he slapped the rod into the chest of the barbarian, landing softly behind the orc. As he did so he could imagine the invisible vines spiralled around the confused orc as it tried to follow him, spittle frothing in the corners of his mouth as he screamed fruitless curses at the magician to stand and fight.

Suddenly he fell silent. The point of the cambion’s blade thrust from the centre of the orc's chest; Belisari imagined the unseen vines blackening and dying and taking his enemies' life with them.

The orc body tumbled face first to the floor, as Belisari turned began to scan the battlefield for his next challenge.

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Though Philomena Lost Her Love

youtube version

This edition is out of publisher's copyright so free to use.

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Thought Becomes Action

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 11

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 11

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the magician skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target can cast all the regular spells spells in 5 seconds rather than 10 seconds. The target does not gain any additional knowledge of, or ability to cast, these spells.

While under this enchantment the target experiences a roleplaying effect; once they have decided to do something, they feel a strong urge to immediately do that thing, even if it is likely to have unpleasent consequences. They are not more likely to act foolishly, but they are driven to avoid procrastination and unnecessary delay.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 7. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

Where Hands of the Healer allows a magician to perform healing spells swiftly, Thought Becomes Action extends that ability to the full suite of non-combat spells (create bond, detect magic, heal, mend, night pouch, operate portal, purify, restore limb and voice for the dead) - provided the target is already proficient in those spells, or has gained the ability to cast them from items. This greatly reduces the likelihood their spellcasting can be interrupted effectively, making it most commonly cast prior to a battle. The ritual accelerates the use of items such as the Scrivener's Seal wand, or a Bloodwoven Braid, as well as the spells cast by a magician under their own power.

Targets of this ritual often experience a secondary roleplaying effect that makes their speech and gestures precise and confident, caused by increased harmony between body and mind.

Common Elements

This ritual focuses the mind of the target, making their movements and speech confident. The ritual often involves meditation, or careful repetitive gestures or chants that become a little faster as the ritual progresses.

The rune Aesh is commonly evoked, as is the rune Hirmok, in this case to represent mastery. Zorech or Bravash may also be used ,but in this case they are always evoked to represent harnessed passions or the mastery of the mind over the base urges of the body.

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Thoughts on Navarri attitude

Ian wrote this as an explanatory document for Navarri players on Facebook, and it has been added here to reach the rest of the player base.

There's been a lot of discussion about the Navarri outlook, and what it is and what it isn't. I thought I'd try and expand on some of the outlook that we were going for when we wrote the brief. This, of course, doesn't restrict how you can play it -- it's entirely up to you. However, this'll hopefully give you an idea of where we were coming from.

There're two things I'll cover:

- Navarri attitude

- Reconciling the savage with the civilised

Navarri Attitude

The shortest way I can think of to sum this up is 'pragmatic realism'.

Let the Dawnish have their romantic notions about laying a lover down on a bed of roses - the Navarri know that such a bed would be rather spiky, and probably have more than a few spiders, wasps, and other crawly things in it.

The Navarr are straightforward, and see things for what they are. They are rarely superstitious.

They are not threatened by nature, nor do they try to preserve it. A tree is a tree. It's useful for wood and for making things, or for getting fruit from. A tree isn't a spirit. It doesn't need to be nailed with iron to make it dead.

There is no war with nature. Equally, there is no eco-friendly movement in Empire, for we are not in an industrialised society - humanity has barely scratched the surface of the world the Navarr live in. Nature, if it was a war, is winning hands down.

The Spring Realm, the Spring eternals and the Vallorn are a different matter. In Vallorn-infested areas, nature grows out of control, like a cancer. It's not nature's fault - it's the wild out-of-control infusion of Spring power. That is what the Navarr must keep under control at all costs, and they'll do their utmost to destroy that threat, one which they feel more than a little responsible for causing. And they need the Empire to be strong to do that.

In the wild, life's a bitch. Decisions need to be quick. No great debates on philosophy and morality - that threat needs dealing with right now. Honour's all very well, but this is about survival - use the poison, dig a pit, attack them while they sleep.

Yes, Navarr are friendly and welcoming to those of other nations - of course they are. It's nice to interact with someone who isn't trying to stab or eat you. And they might have some decent food and soft toilet paper to trade...

They are not inherently nasty or cruel. They're generally a cheerful nation, happy to celebrate with others. It's only their enemies who get the sharp edge. And the Navarri are totally supportive of the rest of the Empire. But if the rest of the Empire is being stupid (=leading the Empire into danger), the Navarr will not be reticent in calling them on it.

The best exponent of Navarri philosophy I can think of is Granny Weatherwax in Pratchett's Discworld series. Totally practical. Cut right to the heart of the matter. When you have two knives, one of which is decorated with runes and one of which is a breadknife, the only thing that matters is which is sharper. No flim-flam - or rather, no believing your own flim-flam. Which leads on to my next point…

Savagery and Civilisation

The Navarr are not savages. They may be brutally pragmatic, and may kill a captive as a matter of pragmatism where others might be merciful (*stab*, and then if questioned:"Well, I wasn't carrying that guy back to camp past those Orcs, and there's no way we could leave him alive to report to the enemy. And if we took him prisoner, we'd have to feed him.") But that's an attitude which comes from in-the-field necessity.

The Navarr are not uncivilised. They may not have the latest in forge-smelting technology or carry around a printing press, but that's because they are forced by their duty to travel. They have no choice. They'll happily take the latest greatest Imperial tech with them - particularly if it's a decent form of waterproofing for a cloak! - but only as long as its portable.

But how does that reconcile with the savagery of the barbed spear, the leather-clad tattooed creatures painted with blood exploding from the trees to rip into the enemy? Surely those are savage primitives?

The Navarri started as a resistance force to fight as much against the barbarian incursions as against the Vallorn. They were a small, weak force. So they could not face the enemy on open battlefields, but needed to strike quickly and get away, and in the process of doing so strike such terror into the hearts of the enemies that the enemy would be loath to travel that way again.

They needed to fight as much with fear as with weapons.

So they began to cultivate their image, an image which the Imperial nations often believe as much as the barbarians do. It came originally from the oaths they took and the brands which were a part of that, but was built up into a picture of savage, brutal primitives who are a part of the wild and who use the wild to their advantage. Think of the moment in Brotherhood of the Wolf where the white French aristocrat puts on the Native American makeup and attitude - how much more terrifying does he suddenly become?

What's more effective at stopping barbarians going through a territory - a contingent of orcs being met at the edge of a forest by a force of skirmishers and destroyed, or a contingent of orcs marching into that forest - carefully marked with bones hung from trees - and never coming out again?

The image of the Navarr as these demons-of-the-wild is critical to their effectiveness in battle against the barbarians. So they maintain it carefully, knowing a well-placed skull on a spike is far more effective than a sign saying 'no trespassing'.

Some Navarr adopt this look a lot more strongly than others. These are the 'isolated' Navarr from the costume brief, which essentially means they spend more time out in the wilds potentially facing barbarians. It's a way of life for them to look as terrifying as possible. The so-called 'integrated' Navarr are those who spend more time around the other nations, and less time on the frontier, so need to dress like that less. But there's no clear-cut divide - it's a spectrum.

And, in most cases, all Navarr will dress up and paint themselves up for war: 'putting a game face on,' if you like.

Additional Notes (from Damian)

The Navarr aren't apologists and find sloughing blame unpalatable. When judgement comes, look it in the eyes and go down smiling. This is how you write your life large on the Great Dance.

"Actions have consequences", "You cannot betray your enemies". Imagine these as the leading man/woman of the movie epic 'Navarr Are a Metric Mega F'ton of Awesome. Part 1' and everything else we add are the extras.

Oh and 'enemy' is not just the one poking you with a sharp stick.

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Thresher's Cudgel

Description

A Thresher's Cudgel is most commonly a stout knobkerry or shillelagh bound with iron and inlaid with tempest jade. These weapons are often carried by Threshers in the Marches, but they are known throughout the Empire. Some Unconquered warriors among the Highguard call them Shamansbane weapons, and the nickname is often used by any skirmisher or scout who regularly finds themselves fighting an enemy magician.

Battlefield opportunists find them particularly useful against enemy magicians who use the rely on staffs, finding them much easier to hit during an engagement - and because such implements are generally only carried by competent war casters. The most successful Orcish thief-takers acquire these weapons as a tool against well-equipped thieves who employ magical implements such as Yeoman's Bounty or Maggot's Talon. Some call it “Mountebank’s Goodbye” after numerous run-ins between thief-takers and the League’s most dastardly criminal magicians.

Orc-made versions tend to use Jotra, the rune of battle, to fight the opponent’s magic, while Highborn artisans, favouring the power of the Winter realmm prefer to use the Yoorn, the rune of severance, to cut away the enemy’s power. While perfectly capable of wielding them, some magicians are reluctant to bond to a Thresher’s Cudgel, claiming a sense of resentment radiating from the weapon. Some Oathwrights explain that as it is the weapon’s nature to destroy mage implements, most examples have an intrinsic dislike of magicians. Most other commentators believe such magicians are simply imagining the effect.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed weapon.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you can use this weapon to call SHATTER against a mage implement.

- Materials: Crafting a thresher's cudgel requires six ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The volodny thrust with his staff towards the three sisters, keeping them at bay as around them the tormented spirits of the damned villagers shrieked and wailed.

"I will freeze your blood!" cried the volodny, his eyes flashing with silver. He thrust towards the youngest sister, Zelda Ignazy, but she swung her axe with all her might and struck the staff in the middle, shattering it to splinters. As the volodny reeled back, the spirits of the damned villagers swarmed upon Zelda and whispered to her of her lost love, buried these long six months beneath the frozen earth, and she wept and fell to her knees.

"I will drive you from my presence!" cried the volodny, drawing a rod of twisted pine marked with runes of despair and fear. He swung towards the middle sister, Magda Ignazy, but she swayed aside as a tree sways in a storm, and struck the rod with her sword, shattering it to splinters, As the volodny staggered away, the spirits of the damned villagers surged forward again, and whispered to Magda of her dead daughter, buried these long six years beneath the frozen earth, and she wept and fell to her knees.

"I will bring the shadow of death onto you all!" cried the volodny, and drew from the hidden place beneath his crimson robe a wand carved from the bone of a child and inlaid with the black stone that was his heart, the wand that looked like a wizened finger wearing an iron ring, as heavy as the full moon.

This was what the eldest sister, Rhina Ignazy, had been waiting for. She had held back while her sisters fought, remembering what the goose had told her and her sisters, remembering the advice their grandfather had given them before they set out.

As the volodny darted forward, his sleeves flapping like the wings of a great bloody bat, she struck with her wooden club, and broke the wand into flinders of bone and shattered crystal.

The volodny gave a single terrible cry, and then cracks ran across his skin, as he broke apart like an old clay bowl struck with a hammer, leaving nothing but dust and tattered robes.

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The Throne (Redirected from Throne)

A bleeding pox take your manners. Having a beard doesn't make you wise. We could put a pig in that chair and put a crown on it - it would still be a ruddy pig. She can have my respect when she earns it.

Walter Brewer, Senator for Upwold

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Duties

- 3 Limitations

- 3.1 No Proxy

- 3.2 Senate Support

- 3.3 Constitution

- 4 Powers

- 4.1 Powers of State

- 4.1.1 Member of the Senate

- 4.1.2 Right of Address

- 4.1.3 The Hand of the Chancellor

- 4.1.4 Ratification

- 4.1.5 Power of Veto

- 4.1.6 Exclusion from the Senate

- 4.2 Powers of Virtue

- 4.2.1 Custodian of Virtue

- 4.2.2 The Mercy of the Empress

- 4.2.3 The Gift of Liao

- 4.3 Powers of Magic

- 4.3.1 Master of Magic

- 4.3.2 Order of The Throne

- 4.4 Powers of War

- 4.4.1 Defender of the Empire

- 4.4.2 Declaration of War

- 4.5 Creation of an Imperial Favour

- 4.5.1 Using an Imperial Favour

- 5 Selection

- 6 Removal

- 7 History

- 8 Further Reading

- 8.1 Core Brief

- 8.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Throne is the most powerful political position in the Empire. It is the formal title for the position of the head of the Imperial state, be they emperor or empress. The occupant heads the Imperial Senate, the Imperial Synod and the Imperial Military Council and serves as a rallying figure for the entire Empire.

Duties

The Throne holds a unique power: as a head of state, an Emperor or Empress is the only person who can have simultaneous influence in the Senate, the Synod and the Military Council. This gives them a signature ability to help provide unity of vision to the entire Empire and to guide it towards its manifest destiny.

Limitations

No Proxy

The Throne is not entitled to appoint a proxy. This restriction presents any potential for fraud by a claimant as well as avoiding any possibility of two participants acting as The Throne simultaneously (the incumbent and a proxy). Ultimately though this limitation was imposed by the founders to limit the powers of The Throne - the powers of an Empress are potent, but she must be physically present to utilize them.

Senate Support

The Throne may use the legal powers granted to them without approval of the Senate, but they cannot propose a Senate motion. The Throne does not even receive a vote in the Senate, as they are expected to remain above the natural politics of the chamber.

Constitution

Although The Throne is needed to ratify amendments to the Imperial Constitution which have been passed by the Senate, they cannot approve an unconstitutional motion. A motion that has been struck down by the constitutional court because it is considered to violate the spirit of the Constitution cannot be ratified by an Empress.

Powers

Powers of State

Member of the Senate

The Throne is a member of the Senate. They are entitled to enter the Senate chamber at the start of a Senate session and participate in the debates.

Right of Address

The Throne has the right to make a Senate address once per summit. As a member of the Senate, The Throne is able to participate freely in the debates there, but this power allows them to deliver an impassioned speech on a subject of their choice. To make an address, The Throne must add the address to the agenda for the next Senate session.

The Hand of the Chancellor

Up to one third of the residual income to the Imperial Treasury each season can be disbursed by The Throne without approval by the Senate. They may take these funds and dispose of them as they choose. To use this power, The Throne must make an appropriate announcement in the next Senate session.

The maximum that The Throne may disburse in this way during a summit is equal to a third of the Senate's income for that summit, after all upkeep has been paid. The Imperial Treasury cannot go into debt, so no motion or announcement may disburse more thrones than remain in the Treasury.

Ratification

If a constitutional vote in the Senate is successful, then the motion is passed but does not become law until it is ratified by signature by The Throne. This means that it is not possible to make any alterations to the constitution unless they are ratified by The Throne. The Throne may choose whether to ratify constitutional changes or not. Any constitutional changes which are not ratified remain in suspension and may be ratified by a future occupant of The Throne. One of the first jobs of a new Emperor or Empress is often to ratify several outstanding constitutional changes.

Power of Veto

The Throne may veto any motion that has been passed by the Imperial Senate. Unlike the power of veto exercised by the Synod, this power can be used any number of times without limitation. To veto legislation, The Throne must be present when the vote is taken and must exercise the veto immediately after the vote.

Exclusion from the Senate

The Throne may order a single senator removed from the Senate for the duration of a vote. They are not required to present a justification for this action. Unlike the Speaker for the Senate, they may only remove a single senator during a session and only for the duration of a single motion. Traditionally the Speaker uses their power to exclude senators whose behaviour is disorderly while The Throne acts to remove senators whose behaviour is considered to go against the best interests of the Empire.

Powers of Virtue

Custodian of Virtue

The Throne may intercede in the creation of any judgement that requires a lesser majority of the Imperial Synod. This intercession causes the judgement to require the greater majority to pass. To use this power, The Throne must intercede before the judgement is complete; they cannot use this power after a judgement has been rendered.

The Mercy of the Empress

The Throne may present an appeal for clemency on behalf of any Imperial Citizen who is being sentenced. The citizen must have pleaded guilty during their trial and The Throne must present the appeal on Virtuous grounds.

The Gift of Liao

The first portion of pure liao that is produced by the Synod in each season is given to The Throne. The Throne may dispense this portion of liao as they choose.

Powers of Magic

Master of Magic

The Throne may dissolve the Imperial Conclave once a season. If this occurs then all the positions of the Imperial Conclave become vacant and must be refilled as soon as possible. The Throne cannot remove individual citizens from their position in the Imperial Conclave, they can only dissolve the entire Conclave. To use this power, The Throne must make an appropriate announcement in the next Senate session.

Order of The Throne

The Throne may nominate any citizen, including themselves, to speak during a Conclave session. To use this power, The Throne must be present during the Conclave Session. If The Throne is present during a session, then they are always asked to nominate first on any declaration, address, or gambit being discussed. Unlike the grandmaster of a Conclave order, The Throne's first nomination is not free - everyone who is nominated by The Throne must pay the Conclave one mana crystal for each minute they wish to speak.

Powers of War

Defender of the Empire

The Throne may remove any general from their position on the Imperial Military Council. The occupant of The Throne automatically assumes responsibility for and control of the Imperial army and all associated legal rights accorded to that general, until a new general is appointed. While holding the responsibilities of the removed general, The Throne cannot remove any further generals from their position.

Declaration of War

The Throne can declare war on any foreign power. Unlike the Senate, they are not able to end a state of war with another nation. To use this power, The Throne must make an appropriate announcement in the next Senate session.

Creation of an Imperial Favour

The Throne has the right to award a chosen citizen with an Imperial Favour. A Favour can be presented at any time, and allows the bearer to perform a single act with the full power of The Throne. E.g. A citizen may claim the first portion of pure liao that is produced that season or they may issue a declaration of war. The Favour must be physically presented to the relevant body to be used. It is possible for The Throne to create an Imperial Favour whose remit is more limited.

An Imperial Favour is a physical document describing the specific power that can be used, created with the assistance of a Magistrate. An individual occupant of The Throne may only have one favour in existence at any one time. They may not award an additional favour until their current favour has been presented and fulfilled. Any favour not presented by the time of the death of an Empress or Emperor remains valid until it is used. An Imperial favour is transferable and may be passed to another if the current owner desires.

To use this power, The Throne must make an appropriate announcement in the next Senate session.

Using an Imperial Favour

In legal terms, when an Imperial Favour is used, it counts as if it were being used by the Throne. For example, an Imperial Favour that was used to replace an Imperial general would count as if it were used by the Throne. Any existing general's position occupied by the Throne would be vacated; the new occupant would carry out the duties of the title only until the Throne used the same power again.

Selection

Any Imperial citizen may seek election to The Throne but appointment requires a constitutional vote by the Imperial Senate. Although many occupants of the Throne have been senators before their accession, there is no requirement to be so. The Senate may choose any Imperial citizen.

The exact procedure is as follows:

- A motion is raised that we should have a Throne.

- Any holder of an Imperial title with the power of proposal can choose to put forward a candidate (whether that is themselves or another imperial citizen).

- Each candidate has the opportunity to give a short speech, in the order in which they were nominated.

- Every senator then stands behind the single candidate they wish to give their support to or moves to a designated 'none of the above' area.

- If any candidate has got the required two-thirds of all senators in support (constitutional majority) then they have succeeded.

- If there is no successful candidate then, with no further discussion, senators are given a short amount of time to reconsider their position and move their support if they wish.

- If any move then a recount is conducted, still seeking a constitutional majority for a successful candidate.

- This process can be repeated until it becomes apparent that there will be no successful candidate, as none of the senators wish to move their support, in which case the motion has failed.

- If any candidate is successful then they becomes emperor or empress at the start of the next Senate session once their coronation is complete and the Synod have had time to consider their position.

Removal

The Throne serves until they die, step down or are revoked.

The Throne can only be revoked by the General Assembly of the Synod.

History

The powers of The Throne were codified when the Empire was first created and have remained largely unchanged since then. There have been nineteen Emperors and Empresses since the Empire was created.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Senate session

- Senate motion

- Senate powers

- Senator

Additional Information

- Commission

- Senate address

- Senate announcement

- New Imperial titles

- The Throne

- OOC design

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Through the dark places

Song by Gerwyn Walters (link to come)

Chords: Dm C - Dm, F A, Dm C - Dm, F A - Dm

Through the Dark Places - A song of the Navarr Written sometime between 3-17 YE Author - Unknown

Through the dark places we onward roam bearing the beacon that shines the way home for gone are the houses and gone are the halls gone are the ancients at Terunael's fall

Chorus through the dark places, through this long night through the dark forest, we bear this light for though all around us, the Vallorn do swarm through our blood and our oaths, the Empire was born

Highguard Through the dark places where the orcs lay bearing the truth that will open The Way walking the roads, from chapter to hold We carry her message, so it may be told

Varushka Through dark Varushka and into the Vales We carry the promise that they would prevail we'll vanquish the Sovereigns, we'll slaughter their kin This was the promise that brought the Vales in

Brass Coast Through the dark places and onto the bay we danced with the Freeborn to start the parlay The price at the table was bitter and red for Freeborn freedom the Navarri bled

Dawn Through the dark places, where knightly they rest we met a young serpent and joined in her quest we conquered the rapids and filled them with stone and with but one leap, She had won a new home

Marches Through the dark places we joined the Parade and walked with the Marchers to the home they had made Through the trod that we crafted, the land was renewed so The Way that we traveled, the Marchers walked too.

Wintermark Through the dark places, to the north we had came and witnessed the Thunder, the Wind and the Rain through vinum's offspring, heroes were reborn The Winterfolk were no longer forlorn

The League Through the dark places, near rivers long We Sang for Aldones and Danced to his song there the three people, as one they were cast and eight became one for they were the last

Through the dark places, through this long night we gathered the people, all bearing this light And where they had gathered, the oaths there were sworn Through Navarri Wisdom, the Empire was born

Through Navarri Wisdom, the Empire was born

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Thule

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Tribe

- 3 Warriors of the Thule

- 4 Magic

- 5 The Imperial Orcs

- 6 History

- 7 Look and Feel

- 8 Playing the Thule

Overview

Across the northern mountains, beyond Wintermark and Varushka, lies the cold land of Otkodov, where the Dragons rule. The Thule tribe is used to the cold, ruled by their shamans; cold, calculating and hungry for power, the Thule are a formidable force not because of their magical power, but because of their potent ability to wield it where it can cause the greatest damage. In the past they have been like cold-hearted locusts, descending on human settlements and stripping them of their assets before fading back into the mists and shadows. In recent decades they have changed their tactics, attacking in force and conquering Imperial territory for their own inscrutable purposes.

The Tribe

The Thule are ruled by their magicians. Almost all positions of authority within the tribe seem to be held by those capable of working magic. Ritual magicians - or warlocks - hold more power than those who focus on the performance of incantations, and the tribe as a whole is ruled with an iron fist by potent, aged shaman-ritualists called the Dragons.

There is a great deal of competition between warlocks, apparently, over magical resources, access to regio and mana sites. Lesser warlocks can gain power by challenging and defeating their superiors in ritual combat, and some scholars believe that a powerful warlock can ascend to become a Dragon in the same way.

Those unwilling or unable to master magic take second place to their magical leaders - they are accorded few rights and survive by currying favour with the warlocks and their covens. There is little opportunity for Thule who are not ritual magicians to progress, although the bravest and most successful warriors may come to enjoy the patronage of a powerful warlock and enjoy access to great wealth and prestige. Skilled artisans are something of an exception - although they have no political power, they are considered on a par with lesser warlocks or shamans, and enjoy a degree of protection and influence as a consequence.

"Thule are thieves" as they say in some parts of northern Varushka. Even when they are not stripping an area of valuables, they are known to strip the dead for anything that may be of use to their tribe. The value they place on raw materials may go some way towards explaining why they are the most cautious of the babarian orc tribes that threaten the Empire - they seem to abhor waste. This is widely believed to suggest that Otkodov is relatively resource-poor compared to the Empire.

The Thule are slavers, and the stories of the few escaped or liberated Imperial slaves paint a horrific picture. Slaves are poorly treated, commonly worked to death, and are often fed on the remains of their fallen comrades. Some slaves are transformed into undead warriors, or their blood spilled as offerings to dark spirits or sinsiter Eternals. Many Imperial citizens would rather die than become Thule slaves. Disturbing reports have come from the battlefields of both Skarsind and Karsk of humans fighting alongside the Thule, their spirits and minds broken by the orcs and their bodies used as shock troops. These tragic victims seem to welcome the release of death, and efforts to rehabilitate them have largely been unsuccessful.

The intricacies of Thule society are not well-known to Imperial citizens, and they seem to take pleasure in cultivating an aura of mystery. Prisoners rarely speak about the business of the tribe, apparently being much more afraid of the Dragons than they are of death or the Howling Abyss.

The Thule are known to deal relatively well with both Jotun and Druj - Thule mercenaries have been encountered in armies controlled by both these tribes. They apparently serve in return for payment, which offends their Jotun allies and leaves them open to treachery by their Druj allies. Commonly, a warlock serves with another tribe either for the opportunity to claim resources and wealth, or to spy on that tribe or the Imperial enemies they are fighting.

Warriors of the Thule

Among the armies of the Thule, certain warriors especially stand out. They include:

- The Warlocks are generally ritual magicians who control Thule society. They tend to focus on the magic of Autumn and Day, but individuals have also demonstrated mastery of the other realms. They often deal with Eternals, and have the power of life-and-death over members of their band who are not magicians.

- The Spellbinders are magicians who focus on battlefield magic. They are usually armed with staffs and wear mage armour, and possess a full range of magical powers especially tactically useful spells (Entangle, Repel and Paralysis) or spells that support their warriors (especially swift heal and heal). The spells venom and weakness are uncommon among Thule spellbinders. Spellbinders are usually supported by a cadre of warriors who are prepared to lay down their lives for their masters.

- The Black Maggots (as the Winterfolk call them) are units of semi-elite warrior-Thule who focus on looting battlefields. They are usually light skirmishers, moving wherever the fighting is drawing to a close. They are especially despised by the Winterfolk, and their sole purpose appears to be stealing crafted items and resources from the fallen for use by the Thule. They are indiscriminate; they loot their own warriors with as much gusto as they strip fallen Imperials. They are killers, dispatching fallen warriors on either side who they judge cannot be saved; but they are also healers. The Thule themselves call them Cruel Ones or Grasping Hands and treat them with a mixture of fear and respect, because they often carry potions or bandages that can be used to save warriors they deem 'worthy'.

- The Hollowed are sinister figures who seem to serve as advisors to the warlocks. They are often painted with runes, but rarely wield weapons or wear armour. Their eyes are said to be 'empty' - examiantion of corpses has shown a distinctive discolouration of the eyesockets, like a spreading black bruise that appears to be 'natural' rather than the result of make-up or tattoos. They are believed to be the results of Thule shaman who have been found wanting and been 'hollowed out' - they have little or no personality of their own, and serve in some fashion as 'vessels' for the spirit of a Dragon. The Dragon can see through their eyes, speak through them, and (potentially) even perform magic using them as a tool. No hollowed has ever been captured alive - the Dragon that controls them seems able to destroy the vessel at will. By use of the hollowed, the Dragons can maintain a watch over their tribe and provide a level of communication and cohesion that other armies can only dream of ... but at great cost. Imperial scholars speculate that the Dragons turn any Warlock who steps out of line into one of the hollowed, while others believe that the majority of shamans meet this fate at a young age.

- The Dragons have not been encountered on a battlefield to date, but are believed to be extremely aged orc men and women who are both potent shamans and extremely skilled ritual magicians. Their number is unknown, and they are believed to occupy a cavern complex in the heart of Otkodov. Rumours and myths about the Dragons are rampant among the Thule; they say that they can somehow "walk as spirits" and observe anything that happens in lands claimed by the Thule; that they are physically immortal; that they are living ancestors, possessed by the spirits of the greatest Thule who have ever lived; that in times of need they can assume the form of unique and terrible beasts with their magic; that they feed on magical materials and mana crystals; and that they travel bodily to other realms where powerful spirits offer them fealty.

- Unlike their cousins, the Thule do not make much use of subject tribes on the battlefield; rather they make extensive use of beasts, creatures, undead husks and spirits in their armies. They are known to enslave and magically manipulate various creatures, creating useful battle-field minions. Examples include the Artok used in the attack on Skarsind; the undead husks they are using extensively in their current campaigns; conjured Eternal mecenaries; and a variety of twisted beasts such as the semi-humanoid dire wolves that have been spotted in some parts of Karsk.

Magic

Magic is at the heart of the Thule nation; where other tribes value physical strength, the Thule value the use of magic. They are ruthless in their pursuit of mastery, and heartless in it's application; but they are still orcs. Thule magic is visceral and passionate, bound up in pounding drums and invocations of their ancestors as much as it is channeled through runes or implements.

The Imperial Orcs

The Thule despise the Imperial Orcs. Given a choice between attacking Imperial Orcs or attacking human warriors, most Thule will choose to attack the Imperial Orcs. Unlike the Jotun however they are more likely to try and slay the Imperial Orcs from a distance than to engage them in melee combat.

History

From extensive interrogation of captured prisoners, the Empire has built up a basic understanding of Thule history. The tribe may have had it's roots in the Jotun, but split centuries before the arrival of the Highborn and formed a distinct tribe. The cause of the split appears to have been dissatisfaction among several cabals of ritual-working shamans, influenced by certain 'malign ancestors.' There is no way to tell how trustworthy this version of their history is. The fact remains that the Thule have been in Otkodov since long before the arrival of the Vard and the Steinr.

For the most part, the Thule kept to themselves apart from occasional raids into Wintermark and Varushka, most commonly after particularly harsh winters. Over the last century or so, however, the Thule have become more aggressive, and have been particularly vicious in raids against mana sites, mines and forests. This culminated in 366 YE with a serious campaign of conquest against the Varushkan territory of Karsk which fell to the Thule in 368 YE and is still occupied to this day. Shortly after, in 373 YE they attacked Skarsind in Wintermark under the aegis of a supernatural blizzard and with the assistance of a dozen enslaved Artok shattered tje Imperial defence and claimed the territory.

According to Imperial observers, the Thule are consolidating their positions but also stripping the captured territories of their valuable resources. Some of these resources are being used to reinforce their armies, but the lion's share is being sent north. Fighting against the Thule is fierce, especially since the disastrous death of Empress Britta and most of her court.

Of potential interest to the Empire is that there seems to be a growing schism among the Thule forces in Karsk. Over the last two years it has become clear that the invading orcs are fighting among themselves, and with some of the few remaining indigenous orcish bandit tribes. It is not clear if this is a purely internal Thule problem, or a problem the tribe is having in bringing some of the local orc brigands under their banner.

Look and Feel

The Thule favour dark, hooded robes and cloaks, emphasizing their size and bulk with fur pelts over their shoulders. A dark blue underlayer is common, and they consider a dark blue hue to be fortunate. They revere dragons and wyrms as totemic beasts full of potence and cunning. They commonly depict animal skulls on their banners - they are particularly fond of mocking the totem animals of their enemies, and may surmount their banner pole with a dead eagle or an eagle's skull when fighting the Varushkans.

The Thule make extensive use of the Wintermark runes, often displaying them in highly stylised, intricate forms. Scholars are divided as to whether this use of runes has been adopted from their Imperial enemies, or derived directly from the ancient runes in parallel with the human versions.

Playing the Thule

- Groups and armies are led by magicians called Warlocks, who use all types of ritual magic extensively

- They are organised into coven-banners, with the largest ritual group leading

- Crafters are highly respected as 'half magicians'

- They raid into Wintermark and Varushka, and have been increasing their attacks recently. They typically steal mana and other magical resources.

- They are patient, careful and smart.

- Look is dark robes, blue under-layer, staffs and furs. Mage armour is common.

- Their shamans are called Dragons and lead the tribe as a whole.

- Their armies are often supported by the Hollowed, failed shaman with no emotions, who serve as conduits for the will of the Dragons. They make very little noise and don't talk above a whisper.

- They supplement their armies with undead husks, ritually summoned creatures, and magically twisted or enslaved beasts and monsters

First came the mist.

As we waited on the edge of the glacier, we watched it rolling from the crevasses, up through the ice and from the narrow passages scarred into the mountainside. Cold and grey, it licked first at our boots, our ankles, our knees, rising until it sat around us in a thick muffling fog, caressing our skin with its frozen dead touch.

Next we heard them; phantom voices, shuffling steps, all distorted by that damned mist. The line started to falter, looking from side to side for the source of the dull keening that seemed one moment a mile away and the next inches from your ear. I could hear the Skop's voice, low and insistent as she fought to calm the green troopers at her side; hear her tone rising as she began to lose her own courage. Then out of the mist they came, slack-faced, empty eyed, and shambling like the walking corpses they were. Some were rotted to skeletons, others still wore flesh and blood-soaked furs. They had been Suaq once, but no longer. I forced myself to look away from their faces. Better not to recognise them.

They fought silently, as my comrades raised weapons and shields, hacking apart dead flesh with grim efficiency despite the fear that threatened to grip us all. They came, unarmed and seemingly endless, clawing over the carcasses of their fellows to reach us. Each alone was little threat, but they struck in force and in great numbers, and more than one of us found himself overwhelmed and dragged to the ground by cold hands. Wave after wave, on and on they came, until it seemed that the day was lost, that surely the retreat would sound -until at last, there seemed a break in their line, and the fog began to lift. A ragged cheer rose up around me; we pressed forward, pursuing the husks that seemed suddenly in retreat, chasing them down with renewed courage and vigour as the sun slowly melted that cursed fog away to nothing.

Only I saw him. A lone, orcish figure, hulking and black against the ice of the mountainside, a twisted black iron staff in his hand. Perhaps it was my imagination, but he seemed to acknowledge me, one hand raised in a mocking salute. His cold laugh carried on the wind towards me, and my heart turned to ice at the sudden knowledge that we had all been tricked, and that the real attack was elsewhere.

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Thundering Mace

Description

These weapons strike with incredible force. The tempest jade inlaid into the head and handle enhance the weapon's momentum and hurl the enemy to the ground - sometimes literally lifting them off the ground with the power of the blow before bringing them crashing back down to earth, prone and vulnerable. Many foes are unprepared for the mighty blow this weapon can strike, and the moment of fear and confusion coupled with their disadvantageous position makes them easy prey for any follow up strikes.

Several magistrates are known to maintain a small stock of these weapons, issued to trusted adjutants and investigators for the express purpose of preventing suspected criminals from evading capture. In some quarters, they may be called a Watchman's Rod or more informally a Culpritbane Cudgel.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed weapon.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day, you may call STRIKEDOWN with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a thundering mace requires seven ingots of tempest jade, seven ingots of green iron and five ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Correction, the magistrate thinks he has a stock of Thundering Maces in the locked chest in his basement - what he actually has is a pile of driftwood fished from the river. I swapped those maces with Big Aldo, the quartermaster in the Greenapples free company, for a sack of officer's uniforms that were on their way to be laundered. As you know, the Greenapples run security for the Grandiose playhouse, so we use those uniforms to infiltrate during their busiest time of day and make our way to the third floor, where the troupe keep their ritual paraphernalia. Spiro here will run a Bishop's Bloomers wheeze to keep all the attention up front while Carlotta and I pick the locks make our way inside. Once we get in then we swipe everything and leave a glove so they know it was the Flash Hand mob that done the job, before exiting via the stage door onto the waiting canal boat!"

"An ingenious plan, Fortenza, with just one small flaw." The mountebank gasped as he turned towards the doorway where Magistrate Inskipp stood, glowering. Five burly bravos in deputised city colours stood at his back, each one wielding a fierce looking cudgel of green metal. "You see, Fortenza, I still have my stock of Thundering Maces - what you gave to Aldo were five excellent props, supplied by the players of the Grandiose when they learned that you were planning to rob them." Fortenza could only gape, mouth opening and closing in horror as the steel manacles were brought forth and placed on his arms. How could all his work, all his plans have come to ruin so quickly? The entire Flash Hand mob pinched at once, they'd never recover from this...

"You'll have your day in court, of course." Inskipp leaned in, "But in the meantime you'll be sharing a cell with Big Aldo, and he's not too pleased with you at present"

Inskipp allowed a rare smile to cross his craggy features, "Take them away, boys!"

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Thundering Roar of the Lion-bound Horn

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 60

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Uses

- 1.5 Option

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 60

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single mage implement which must be present during the ritual.

Effects

The power of the ritual is stored in the implement targeted by the ritual. Any one of the contributors can unleash the power of the ritual while holding the implement to allow them to call MASS REPEL.

The power of the ritual can be invoked only once.

The power granted by this ritual lasts until it is used or for ten minutes, whichever comes first.

Additional Uses

The ritual can be used to place more than one use into the target implement. Each additional use increases the magnitude of the spell by 35. Any uses left over are lost at the end of the ten minutes. You cannot charge up more than one implement with this ritual.

Option

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute tempest jade for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of tempest jade spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual.

Description

This battlefield ritual allows a powerful magical attack to be unleashed against a group of enemies, hurling them backwards and breaking their formation. Like similar rituals, the attack is temporarily stored in a rod, staff or wand, and then unleashed at the most tactical moment.

The ritual is named after the legendary war-horn of the Eternal Hayaak, the Gryphon-king, whose irresistible wrath sweeps all before it.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, a coven often invokes symbols of strength and physical might. Some magicians might invoke the unleashed power of an earthquake, while others look to legendary figures like Inga Tarn or Korl. Others invoke the names of Eternals such as Barien or Hayaak. This is a ritual that creates a violent force, and as such the ritual itself is often violent with sudden movement and discordant or clashing music. Drums and cymbals are quite appropriate, but the sound of horns being blown can be a particularly powerful element.

The focus of this ritual is an implement, and the role it plays in the ritual can be quite important. Some ritualists take it in turn to beat the implement against a solid surface, passing it back and forth as the strength of the ritual grows. Others place the implement in the middle of the ritual and move around it, touching it with their hands and magic as they increase the power of the ritual.

Other common elements in this ritual might include the runes Verys or Mawrig, and occasionally the rune of dominion. They might call on the constellation of The Dragon, or evoke the powerful roar of the lion, chimera or wyvern.

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Thunderous Deluge

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 46

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Options

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 46

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Spring regio. This ritual targets a territory, and must be performed at a regio in that territory. If the ritual is used to target an Imperial territory, it may instead be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

The territory is scoured with terrible thunderstorms; torrential rain; frozen hail or dreadful blizzards as appropriate to the area and the season.

All farms and businesses in the territory is halved over the coming season.

This will have a significant effect on a foreign or barbarian territory, damaging their agriculture and industry and reducing their capacity to field troops and feed their people.

Options

Any caster who has mastered the ritual may choose to substitute tempest jade for crystal mana when contributing to it. Every 2 ingots of tempest jade spent counts as 1 crystal mana when contributing to the ritual..

Description

The power of this ritual pounds the target territory with supernaturally bad weather. It directly attacks the economy of the area where it is invoked. The effect is wide-reaching, but as with most such effects a certain degree of protection can be gained from any enchantment that improves the production of a resource - the enchanted production is not impeded.

In some cases, a well-timed use of this ritual has compounded natural conditions to give a strategic advantage to Imperial troops; as recently as the Jotun campaign of Empress Britta a well-timed and destructive blizzard created by a circle of Navarr magicians accompanying her army trapped a retreating barbarian force in an exposed position, allowing them to be easily mopped up.

The ritual has been invoked twice in the last hundred years by Imperial citizens on an Imperial territory. Once was during a dispute between two groups of Varushkan cabalists in Volodmartz that boiled over into a direct assault; the second involved the efforts of a circle of Suaq icewalkers who were trying to influence a Marcher vote in Upwold. In both cases, the covens involved were declared to be sorcerers by the Imperial Conclave and faced the full force of the law.

Common Elements

The ritual calls up an uncontrollable force of nature and sets it loose in a territory. Warhorns, drums, copper rods and clashing cymbals are all used, and it is not uncommon for a great bowl of water to play a central role, especially if the ritualists plan to use tempest jade in place of some or all of the crystalline mana.

Performances are often violent and dramatic, as is to be expected with a ritual that unleashes the force of the storm. Some ritualists are of the opinion that the 'best' time to perform the ritual is during naturally bad weather, with the intention of making it worse.

It is common to evoke the rune Mawrig with this ritual, which represents the indiscriminate and most destructive forces of Spring. Some WIntermark covens attempt to channel or mitigate it's effects with Hirmok, but they are rarely successful in doing so.

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Thunderous Tread of the Trees

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 120

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 120

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Spring regio. This ritual targets a territory, and must be performed at a regio in that territory. If the ritual is used to target an Imperial territory, it may instead be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil.

During the performance of the ritual the casters must name a region within the target territory which has the "forested" or marsh keyword.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

The ritual targets a single territory. Over the course of the next few days a powerful curse settles over the area. Plants in the territory, especially trees, become possessed of both mobility and malign awareness. The resulting force is uncontrolled. It attacks indiscriminately within the area, targeting fortifications and campaign armies (favouring the former over the latter).

Every season, 500 casualties are assessed and spread among all potential targets in the territory. Casualties inflicted on fortifications are increased by 20%. For example, if a territory contains only a single campaign army (regardless of who it belongs to) the army takes 500 casualties. If the territory contains an army and a fortification, the army takes 250 casualties and the fortification suffers 300 casualties.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Description

This ritual infuses the vegetation in an area with a malign life. Scholars suggest that it causes spirits of the Spring realm to infuse the vegetation, granting animation and sending them on a murderous rampage. The trees cannot be directed, and will not fight alongside other campaign armies. They are especially drawn to fortifications, which they tear asunder with reckless abandon.

Attacks against the animated trees are largely fruitless. While individual trees might be burnt or hacked to pieces, the sheer amount of vegetation in most territories makes this minimally effective at best. The trees ay occasionally endanger smaller settlements, but for the most part they simply ignore villages and even small towns preferring to vent their wrath on armies and castles. This is not to say there is no collateral damage from performing this ritual, and sometimes it will lead to the destruction of an unlucky town, mine or farm - but the emphasis is on large, solid fortifications and gatherings of thousands of troops.

An area under the effect of Thunderous Tread of the Trees will give rise to plenty of stories of horror and heroism in the face of what amounts to an army of angry plants. Some witnesses claim that the vegetative horde unleashed through the ritual is drawn to both Spring regio and to the trods, drawing strength from the one and using the other to move quickly through a territory. A plant that is not entirely burnt to ash seems to quickly repair itself at a regio and rejoin the fray, while there are also reports of previous immobile plants suddenly uprooting themselves as one or more Spring spirits, cast out of their earlier hosts, find new wood to clothe themselves in.

As the curse runs it's course, effected vegetation tends to move back towards the location where the plants originally grew. Many trees fail to make it all the way back, however; those that can locate places to root themselves where they can survive, but the aftermath of Thunderous Tread of the Trees often sees trees, bushes and other plants growing in peculiar or unexpected locations.

In the early years of the Empire, the Navarr guide Megan Black Blood observed the use of this ritual during a campaign in Weirwater. She commented primarily on it's destructive nature but also remarked how many of the non-Navarr soldiers mistook the effect for the attack of a vallorn. She is said to have privately theorised that a similar effect could be achieved more easily by crafting a ritual to specifically target vallorn vegetation, but said that the results could be unpredictable. She pointed to the way the unleashed vegetation does not leave the territory in which it was created, and that the trees tended to find their way back to (or close to) their original places when the curse began to fade to suggest that such a ritual might be "controllable - for a given definition of 'control'."

Common Elements

The performance of this ritual often involves evocations of destructive forces, and the destruction of easily broken items especially objects of pottery or clay. A map is sometimes used as an additional element, showing the target territory. It is often carved into bark or wood, drenched in water or blood, and left behind at the site of the ritual when it is completed.

The rune Mawrig is commonly used during this ritual, and the star known as The Wanderer is often invoked.

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Tian

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Virtue

- 2 Biography

- 3 Speculations and Controversies

- 4 Signs

Virtue

Tian's status as the oldest recorded Paragon of Ambition, which had been mooted by the Highborn Assembly of the Virtuous, was confirmed by the Imperial Synod at its first assembly in 1 YE. Tian's legend claims that she took fire from the sun to keep her people safe and warm, but forever burned her hands in doing so.

Biography

The legend of Tian have been traced to the people who would go on to found Terunael. How much further back the legends go before that time is not known.

Even now, the legend is incomplete. What remains are scattered verses of what is known as the Tianese Epic. A copy of this text was unearthed by scholars of Highguard even before the Revelation and were widely prized, not least because the story of legendary twins held resonance. Following the Revelation, it became clear that the text related to one who was, or could have been, a Paragon of Virtue. The oldest known copy of the text is stored in Bastion.

While many of the verses are lost, and the provenance of many that remain is debated, the general outline of Tian's legend is clear.

From her very birth, her attitude is contrasted with that of her twin brother, Jian. A lost verse supposedly details her dragging him back within her mother's womb to ensure she was the first-born; some accounts suggest this also spared her mother's life, but others decry this as a later addition.

Tian strives with great determination not to settle for indulgence in the many luxuries that her position affords her, while her brother tries to convince her that achievement is for the lower orders and that she should simply allow everything to be handed to her, as he does.

In the time before fire, winters were harsh and deadly and Tian vowed she would do the impossible and bring the warmth of the summer sun to her people. In the story, she seeks out a wise and ancient being who shows her the way to the highest of all mountains, where the sun dips so close that it can be touched. At first Tian plans to lead her people to the top of the mountain to meet the sun, but rejects the idea of settling for less. So she overcomes many challenges and obstacles to ascend the highest of all mountains and takes the fire from the sun bringing it down to her people then, and evermore.

Some voices have attempted to show her mastery of courage through the stories of her many travails, facing great snow-wolves, grey-blue orcs that freeze over at night and hunt by day, and the many rockslides and switchbacks and crevasses that the mountains bring. But noted scholars point out that many of the stories involve how she avoided such confrontations where possible, with an unwavering focus on her goal driving her to use any stratagem that would bring success.

It is, however, the story which continues after she returns triumphant to her people - one of the most poignant verses detailing her injuries, the hands that would never again hold a spear or a pen - that cement her virtue as that of Ambition, and not that of Loyalty. Not satisfied with saving her own people, for she has to oust her brother Jian who has usurped her position and is ruling poorly, she determines to take the gift of fire to other tribes and peoples, even those with which they have been at war.

The closing verses of the Epic are somewhat cryptic descriptions of all the places to which Tian brought fire, and dwell on several landmarks, although the copies that remain are fragmentary. It is believed by a few scholars that should one be able to collect the entire set of closing verses, the location of Tian's tomb could be found. Some have speculated that he remains could be found in the ruins of Terunael, but there is no evidence to support such a claim.

Speculations and Controversies

- Some scholars have speculated that Tian may not have literally taken fire from the sun, but that the legend is a metaphor for the discovery of summer realm magic, and inspired the discovery of other magics for which Terunael and the people of that era were famed.

- Tian's paragon status was disputed by an orc named Bloodhammer Krydak in an incident known as the Krydacian Blasphemy

Signs

- Tian's liberation was contested by the orc Krydak in the Krydacian Blasphemy, but the claim was never properly evaluated by the Synod. Subsequently, the claim has been discounted out of hand by many due to orcs being unable to receive past life visions. No credible claim of being a reincarnation of Tian has been presented; historically, some Highborn chapters kept secret verses of the Epic to test false claims against.

- The very early point in history that Tian's exploits took place in means that nothing is recorded that might be an indication of her past lives, so the sign of revelation is impossible to confirm or refute.

- Tian is one of the standard examples of the sign of benevolence for bringing fire, not for her own sake, or those of her kindred, but to all people everywhere.

- The Tian's legend has inspired scholars from all nations for generations, and has held an enduring place of regard. Some pious wizards, who believe Tian's fire is a metaphor, have also been known to reference Tian in summer-themed rituals.

- Tian's acquisition of fire from the sun is also a standard example of the sign of miracles. While there are now known many standard and commonplace ways of making fire, none of them involve carrying it down a treacherous, mountainous journey in one's own hands, straight from the sun itself.

- While there was no organised religion in Tian's time, her journey to the summit of the highest peak has been cast by some as a pilgrimage of Ambition.

- Tian's achievement of the sign of salvation is debated. Her deeds were in response to the physical and practical needs of her people, rather than the improvement of their souls and assistance in the Labyrinth. More pragmatic scholars have taken the view that promoting the mortal wellbeing of her people enabled them to pursue Virtue, though others regard this as tenuous.

- Attempts to claim fire or any form of magic as Tian's legacy have tended to be contested. However, the Tianese Epic itself is considered to be enough for the sign of legacy, given its status and preservation through the years, although some still point at the remains of the final verses and claim that part of this legacy still remains to be found in the final resting place of Tian's mortal remains.

A long way off, a light, a light;

the weakened sentry cries in darkness

bringing rough spears to order

wary, weary from their night

Hushed voices in uncommon chorus

whisper of forbidden memories

the dark-haired girl, her dark-eyed passion

the mirror of her dark-hearted brother

And so they stand out against the blizzard

out trembling in their ragged clothes

as measured stride flickers onwards

bringing light here through the snow

As the fragment of sun grows nearer

ghostly figure puts one foot before the other

iron control in cold-cracked voice

"Come drop your cloaks,

gather branches, take this burden

this gift, this light, this life

I have come too far to end here

I have come too far to end here."

It was not a voice that left

room for doubts or questions;

whatever they had against the snow,

they shed and gave to her

The first bonfire rises;

the flames lick anxiously upwards,

as if they could be reunited

with the sun they were torn from

They send for balm, they send for relief

they send for a healer

but when she cannot move dead wood

with dead hands

she carries the boughs in her teeth

-- First Stanza of the Verse of Triumphant Return, on display in the great Basilica of Tian in Bastion

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Ties that Bind

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must also contribute to the performance of the ritual.

Effects

This ritual allows one contributor, chosen as the target, to divine information about an item that they have personally bonded to a person with either the create bond spell or the artisan ability.

The target character discovers who is bound to that item currently, gaining a shadowy image of their face and possibly other information (such as their name perhaps, the identity of the person who bonded them to that item, or when the bond was created).

If the object or the character it is bonded to is protected by an enchantment such as Masque of the Blinded Weaver, the caster merely learns that the item is protected by a spell, and what realm or magnitude it has unless the magnitude of Ties that Bind equals or exceeds that of the concealing enchantment.

The item must still exist or the ritual reveals only that the item no longer exist. If the item has been re-enchanted since the target created a bond, the ritual treats the item as if it has been destroyed.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual to penetrate more powerful shrouds or masks.

Description

This simple divination allows a ritualist to use their fleeting connection to a crafted item to find out who, if anyone, is bonded to it at the time the ritual is performed. The existance of this ritual is one reason that some people seek out an Autumn ritualist (or an artisan who is also a ritual magician) to create their bonds for them. While the ritual does not prevent valuable bonded items being stolen, it may at least give some idea of who is now in possession of the item.

Magic that misleads divination is quite effective at confusing this ritual - in some rare cases, both the item itself and the person it is now bonded to will be protected with Masque of the Blinded Weaver, and only partial information will be gained as a consequence. An item whose enchantment has expired, or that has been re-enchanted (OOC: effectively re-created) since the target ritualist used create bond on it reveals the same lack of information as a magic item that has been destroyed with an effect such as Words of Ending or Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court.

A few magicians have made some use of this ritual for espionage purposes. By bonding an item once, they gain the ability to reliably check who is bonded to it at any given time. In this way the ritual has been used to discover unexpected connections between apparently disparate individuals - especially when it occasionally provides information about who has bonded the item. In the latter case, it has occasionally proved invaluable in rounding up underworld fences and dealers in stolen goods. This has lead to the ritual being dubbed The Thief-taker's Questing Gaze in some quarters.

Common Elements

As a divination, runestones and cards may be employed, or the ritualists may reflect the contributor in a mirror or other reflective surface, or study the magical auras around him or her with lenses or crystals. A lone ritualist performing Ties that Bind will often stare into a bowl of water, often with a golden coin at the bottom, while a Wintermark or Navarr magician might spatter blood or ink onto a surface and study the shapes the ink makes when it falls.

The rune Queros is often evoked with this ritual, because it helps to track the ties between individuals and items. Sular and Diras may also be commonly used.

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Timeless Hammer Rhythm

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 14

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 14

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the artisan skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target, who must possess the artisan skill, can craft a single item overnight. They must know how to make the item, and must have all the required materials.

After making the item, the artisan experiences a roleplaying effect: they are tired and drained, exhausted by a night of supernaturally enhanced work; this condition persists for at least an hour unless removed in some fashion.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

OOC Elements

The target is assumed to have access to any tools they might realistically need when they are targetted with this spell - a forge, a spinning wheel, a workbench or whatever. The item is crafted between time-out on the night the ritual is cast, and time-in the next day. You cannot perform this ritual on the final day of an event.

Using this ritual it is possible to restore the magic to an existing magic item whose powers have expired - a practice often referred to in-character as "reforging" even for items such as robes or wands. You must meet all other criteria, and give the depleted ribbon to the referee along with the other materials. You can only restore the magical property that the item already possessed - you cannot use Timeless Hammer Rhythm to make a Biting Blade into a Bravo's Blade for example. Restoring the magic of a depleted item does not provide any sort of reduction in the cost of the ritual, or reduce the materials needed, and the target must be able to make the item as normal. You cannot use this option with an item that has not expired.

This option exists to allow characters to maintain the continuity of a special item such as an heirloom or an item of worth. Another advantage is that the history of the item will be continuous for the purposes of effects such as Skein of Years. Performing a reforging "rests" the information gained through Hand of the Maker.

Description

This powerful ritual allows an artisan to employ their skill with supernatural speed, making an enchanted item in a tiny fraction of the time it would normally take. Artisans who have worked under the influence of the ritual have reported that time seems to stretch endlessly ahead of them, and that no matter how much physical effort it takes them to work their craft, they never become tired. They speak of working in a fugue-like state, unaware of the world around them and utterly fixated on their crafting task. They do not eat or drink, nor feel hungry nor thirsty, and are almost impossible to distract from their work. Some speak of having assistants in their work, although they are never quite able to remember what form these assistants took; nor has any observer seen any sign of them.

The next morning, all save the most energetic of targets report being absolutely exhausted. For several hours after sunrise, they feel enervated and weary, not only in body but also in mind. Some magicians connect the effect of this ritual with the Eternal Estavus, the forgemistress, who is said to be able to perform similar feats on an even greater scale. Others point to stories in which tailors, cobblers or carpenters perform miraculous tasks in impossibly short time and suggest that the ability to create items overnight is more about focusing on human endeavour through Autumn magic than drawing on supernatural entities.

Common Elements

This ritual involves crafting and artisan, and it is common to target the tools of the crafter as well as the character with the artisan skill. Often runes such as Aesh, Hirmok or Verys are used to (respectively) give clarity of thought and mastery of skill, and to give physical endurance to the crafter. It is common for the crafter to be given an enchanted brew of some sort. Invocations of heroic crafters or Paragons and Exemplars who are artisans, such as Isenbrad are common.

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Tonics of the Open Sky (Redirected from Tinctures of the Open Sky)

The tonics of the open sky are useful preparations that slow bleeding and help mitigate injury. They allow a severely injured warrior finds it easier to endure their wounds, granting valuable time for a healer or chirurgeon to reach them. More than one veteran is alive today because of one of these preparations, and they are often referred to as elixirs of lifekeeping as a consequence.

The herbs used to brew these potions are dissolved in a small amount of alcohol. Unlike the harsher Tonics of the Deep Forest, the tonics of the open sky require a much weaker solution and usually possess a more mellow flavour. The recipes originated in the Brass Coast in pre-Imperial times. While they were initially a secret of the Riqueza family, the method of brewing these lifesaving tonics quickly spread to the other Freeborn families. In the decades before the formation of the Empire, Freeborn merchants engaged in a lucrative trade in selling them to foreign warriors. After the Brass Coast joined the Empire it was only a matter of time before the recipes became generally known. To pre-empt this, a family of the Riqueza simultaneously sold the formulae to no fewer than fourteen apothecaries in various nations, often through intermediaries, for quite astronomical sums of money. When challenged, their dhomiro simply shrugged, and said it was better to sell something while it still had value than to allow it to be stolen.

In Wintermark, these tonics are collectively termed the Grimnir's Cloak. According to a popular legend, Grimnir Kaisa Bloodwing served the potion to all the warriors of her Hall before a vicious battle against a besieging orc force. Her foresight meant that the healers were able to save more warriors than the orcs were able to bring down, patch them up, and return them to the fray. In the end the defending forces were victorious. While some historians question the veracity of this story, few can dispute the deeper truth - that no matter how wounded someone may be, if a healer can reach them in time, they can be saved.

Tonic of Sunlit Glass

This preparation is most effective when drunk by someone who already possesses deep reserves of fortitude. Even more than it's protective properties, it is valued for it's ability to inspire a positive attitude in those about to take to battle. As the Highborn general Aaron of Redwater wrote in his journal "Believing you can win is not enough by itself, but it is the first step along the road to victory."

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: When this translucent yellow-gold liquid catches the light it seems almost to glow. It has a faint scent of lemons, and a tiny drop on your tongue tastes of freshly squeezed oranges.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel a sudden burst of optimism and a rush of positive emotions; you are reminded of past triumphs, hopes and dreams.

- Mechanical Effects: You gain an additional rank of Fortitude until the next sunrise. This is a tonic; the effect of any other tonic you have drunk immediately ends.

- Recipe: One dram of Cerulean Mazzarine and one dram of Imperial Roseweald.

Tonic of Surging Flame

This potent preparation provides a valuable healing benefit. If the drinker is mortally wounded, the elixir unlocks inside their body and suddenly fills them with renewed life and enthusiasm, healing their wounds and driving them back to their feet. If there is a downside it is that the nature of the preparation itself almost encourages the drinker to take foolhardy risks. The tonic dulls the sense of self-preservation that many consider so important to their continued survival. Some warriors, especially among the Freeborn, the Dawnish and the Steinr, welcome the feelings of self-assurance that the tonic of surging flame brings with it, and are driven to ever more courageous and glorious acts.

- Form: Liquid.

- Descripiton: This deep orange-red liquid has a thin layer of sediment at the bottom; shake the container and it quickly settles again. It smells distinctly of apricots - or perhaps oranges. It has a delicious, citrus taste.

- Roleplaying Effects: Warmth spreads from your stomach to your entire body, and persists for the duration of the effect. It brings with it feelings of absolute confidence in your ability to survive no matter what happens. You find it hard to remember that risky behaviour might result in permanent injury or death.

- Mechanical Effects: This potion automatically activates the next time you are dying. After 30 seconds you are restored to 3 hits and stop dying even if venomed (does not cure the venom). The effect remains until used or until the next sunrise. Once you have drunk this tonic you cannot benefit from it again until after the next sunrise. This is a tonic; the effect of any other tonic you have drunk immediately ends.

- Recipe: One dram of Cerulean Mazzarine, two drams of Imperial Roseweald and one dram of True Vervain.

Tonic of the Distant Shore

This powerful elixir that can easily triple the bleeding-out time of the average person, and has even more dramatic effects when drunk by someone who already possesses uncommon reserves of fortitude. There are plenty of stories of warriors who survive for hours after they are incapacitated by their enemies, only to be rescued by a friend or passing stranger. While many are almost certainly exaggurated there is no doubt that under the right circumstances this elixir can grant a miraculous ability to stave off death.

It takes it's name from an old Freeborn story in which the heroic corsair Bolivar i Riqueza tricks Death during a thunderstorm, engaging that dark spirit in a contest of riddles and enigmas. Constantly playing for time, Bolivar keeps the malign entity guessing until the storm passes and the ship reaches shore, saving not only himself and his vessel but all his crew in the process. It is not uncommon to see death mocked or presented as a bumbling idiot in Freeborn humour and a draught of this tonic is often accompanied by a toast that taunts the ever-present spectre of Death.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: When this cherry-red liquid catches the light it seems to glow. A droplet of this sticky fluid on your fingertip stains it a deep crimson. It smells strongly of fresh berries and has a sweet, dry, fruity flavour.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel a sudden burst of optimism and renewed hope; feelings of worry, doubt and uncertainty are banished.

- Mechanical Effects: You gain an additional three ranks of Fortitude until the next sunrise. This is a tonic; the effect of any other tonic you have drunk immediately ends.

- Recipe: Two drams each of Imperial Roseweald and Marrowort, and one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Tonics_of_the_Open_Sky&oldid=34962"

Tinctures of True Eminence

Mastery of these recipes allows an apothecary to brew preparations valuable to ritual magicians versed in the Lore of Summer. With one of these potions a ritualist can wield the magic of the Summer Realm more effectively, but they also become more susceptible to the influence of that Realm.

Dragon's Blood

This spicy crimson tincture warms the blood and enhances a magician's awareness of the Summer power. The tincture itself is volatile and somewhat flammable. Some magicians (especially those Wintermark runesmiths and Dawnish war witches who study ritual magic) set fire to the heady brew before downing it in a single gulp, claiming it improves both he flavour and the quality of magical power it imparts.

As with many of the more potent preparations, it is easy for a magician to become reliant on the power this potion grants, or to use the sensations of power and confidence it imparts. Dawnish weaver cabals and Highborn magisters are particularly cautious when employing dragon's blood, lest they become dependent on the temporary power it offers. By contrast, many changelings claim that the potion is actually a little bland, and has no noticeable effect on their behaviour.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This red elixir smells of oranges and glows with an inner radiance when it catches the light. The scent makes your nostrils tingle and warms your chest. The tangy flavour makes you want to down the entire potion.

- Roleplaying Effects: You are filled with personal pride and self-assurance. Any contradiction or lack of respect is profoundly annoying, and you find it difficult to tolerate mockery, insolence or being treated as if you are unimportant.

- Mechanical Effects: If you possess the Summer Lore skill then you gain one additional rank to the next summer ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Two drams each of Cerulean Mazzarine and True Vervain, one dram of Imperial Roseweald,and one crystallized mana.

Goldencrown

This energetic golden elixir allows a ritual magician to exert great power in the Realm of Summer. It allows a ritualist to command the powers of the Realm by will alone, using force of personality to forge powerful Summer magic. Some covens of ritual magicians follow a general rule that allows only one member at a time to use the concoction, often due to bitter experience of what happens when more than one magician feels a strong urge to take charge of a ritual at the same time.

This preparation was first formulated by Polina di Temeschwar, an apothecary working for the Bloodgold carta. It was immediately popular with magicians connected to the Landsknecht based in that city, and within a short time agents for magicians throughout the Empire were coming to Temeschwar to pay handsomely for phials of goldencrown. This lasted until Alienor Firetress was tasked with discovering the formula as part of her Test of Mettle to enter House Ayen. She entered Temeschwar in disguise and ended up stealing not only the apothecary's recipe but also her heart. The couple's exploits both in the city and on their flight across the Empire are popular fodder for Dawnish ballads. House Ayen used copies of the formula to win political influence in the Senate, and within a generation or so it had become common knowledge - although the Bloodgold carta was so rich by that point that it barely cared (beyond, obviously, the matter of the Dead Reckoning ...)

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: When this beautiful golden elixir catches the light it glows with an inner radiance. If the container is shaken, the liquid within hisses and bubbles energetically. It smells strongly of apples and pears. A tiny droplet on your tongue reveals it to have a delicious, fruity flavour that leaves you with a strong desire to drink the entire thing, savouring every mouthful.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel a strong urge to take charge of any situation you find yourself in. Filled with pride and self-confidence, people who disagree with you or disrespect you make you exceptionally angry. Whatever you are doing, you very much want to be the centre of attention.

- Mechancial Effects: If you possess the Summer Lore skill then you can use up to 3 personal mana as if it were crystal mana on the next summer ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Three drams of Cerulean Mazzarine, two drams of Imperial Roseweald, and one dram each of True Vervain, Bladeroot and Marrowort.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Tinctures_of_True_Eminence&oldid=34496"

Tisanes of the Labyrinth

These preparations are of special interest to the priests of The Way. Each of these preparations uses Liao, and consequently those apothecaries who master them usually require the assistance of someone with access to that comparatively rare preparation, Under normal circumstances this means a priest with a congregation as a resource.

Usher's Decoction

Consuming this sweet, pale orange preparation allows a character to enhance their ability to perform priest skills.

The dreams that come after a use of Usher's Decoction are troubling to some theological scholars. While many of these dreams seem to be little more than night-time fancies, albeit very vivid ones, there is some circumstantial evidence that the dreamer is actually experiencing one of the dreams originally dreamt by a past life. Priests have reported dreams that made sense only in the context of someone else's life.

- Form: Liquid

- Description:When this pale orange liquid catches the light it seems to glow. It has a light, spicy scent. A tiny droplet of this thin fluid on your tongue reveals it to taste faintly of cherries.

- Roleplaying Effects: Until you next perform or participate in a ceremony, and for a short time afterward, you feel remarkably centred. If you are dedicated to a virtue, you feel a strong urge to take action in line with that virtue. If not, you feel a strong urge to take action in keeping with your personal philosophy. The night after drinking this potion you will have particularly vivid dreams.

- Mechanical Effects: The next time you perform or participate in a ceremony of anointing, consecration, hallow, exorcism, excommunication or testimony the effect is one rank higher than normal. You must possess the appropriate skill to take part in the ceremony. The effects last for ten minutes or until you next perform a religious ceremony.

- Recipe: One dram each of Imperial Roseweald and True Vervain and a single dose of Liao.

Waywalker's Suffusion

Consuming this bitter, midnight blue preparation allows a character to greatly enhance their ability to perform certain priest skills.

Theologians have discussed this potion at some length. There is a school of thought that it somehow places one in contact with those previous incarnations who were either strongly virtuous or were actual priests of The Way, somehow drawing on their presence to empower one's understanding and ability to effect the world. There is little concrete evidence for this, but there are regular - if rare - reports where one of the auditory hallucinations said something that seemed relevant to the situation at hand, or offered a fragment of useful insight.

- Form: Liquid

- Description: When this midnight blue liquid cathes the light it seems to glow. It has a light, spicy scent. A tiny droplet of this thin fluid on your tongue reveals it to have a rich, bitter flavour.

- Roleplaying Effects: Until you next use a priest skill, and for a short time afterward, you are aware of unseen presences as if you are at the centre of an unseen crowd. Occasionally you hear distant muttering or occasionally a comprehensible word or fragment of a sentence.

- Mechanical Effects: The next time you perform or participate in a ceremony of anointing, consecration, hallow, exorcism, excommunication or testimony the effect is two ranks higher than normal. You must possess the appropriate skill to take part in the ceremony. The effects last for ten minutes or until you next perform a religious ceremony.

- Recipe: Two drams each of Cerulean Mazzarine and Marrowort, one dram of True Vervain and two full doses of Liao.

Shadowcrow Infusion

This preparation owes its origins to a Kallavesi remedy that was designed to aid troubled minds. This remedy helped those troubled with traumatic memories, troubled sleep, night terrors and the legacies of hauntings or possessions.

Subsequent study by Kallavesi priests following contact with the Imperial faith revealed a further, at the time unintended, effect upon the soul. Several members of the synod have lobbied on more than one occasion to have the use of this mystical infusion declared illegal, but has not yet succeeded in getting the support of the Senate in doing so. Indeed, some priests argue that seeking to outlaw knowledge is a slippery slope that leads to unvirtuous behaviour.

- Form: Infusion.

- Description: This glimmering silver liquid has a light scent reminiscent of cloves. Tasting it reveals it to have a sharp bitter flavour that is never-the-less quite appealing.

- Roleplaying Effects: Inhaling this infusion causes a momentary anguish, like the sudden separation from a loved one, but there are no other immediate affects. Any time you sleep under the influence of the potion, you either do not dream or do not remember your dreams.

- Mechanical Effects: Inhaling the steam from this infusion causes your aura to become impossible to read with the insight ceremony or similar effects. You are also unable to make use of liao, Imperial liao, or any religious skill that uses liao. The effects last until the next sunrise. This is a tonic; the effect of any other tonic you have drunk immediately ends.

- Recipe: One dram of Marrowort and a dose of Liao.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Tisanes_of_the_Labyrinth&oldid=35080"

377YE Autumn Equinox Imperial Titles (Redirected from Titles Autumn 377)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senators

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Changes to Bourse Seats

- 7 Mercantile Investments

- 7.1 Further Reading

Overview

This information is believed to represent the outcome of the assorted elections and appointments at the Autumn Equinox 377YE.

Senators

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Requiza (retained seat)

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain (retained seat)

- Senator for Weirwater: Lady Adia of House Arwood

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Brother Gideon of the Scions of Ravenfell

- Senator for Casinea: Zephram of Cantiarch’s Hold (claimed seat from Cyrus of Felix's Watch)

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav

- Senator for Tassato: Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato (claimed seat from Arsenio Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato)

- Senator for Temeschwar: Oksana Kazaku von Temeschwar

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Richard of Bourholt

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville (née Talbot)

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward (retained seat)

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain

- Senator for Miaren: Rhys

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow (retained seat)

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Lucius of Quicksilver Spire (claimed seat from Ioseph)

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade.

Senator Hector was revoked by the Imperial Synod during the Spring Equinox, but then re-elected to the post; he cannot be revoked again until after the next time the Senatorship would be elected normally.

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Yelislaveta Syrnova Vlanich

- Senator for Volodmartz: Valentin Ivarovich Severy (claimed seat from Maxim)

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun (retained seat)

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

- Senator for Skarsind: Triva of Tyrshalt

The title of Senator for Skarsind will next be up for election at the Spring Equinox, 378YE.

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is the Imperial orc Stormcrow Gralka

- The Advisor on orc affairs is Kessek, appointed by the Imperial Orc generals.

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Anwar i Covas i Erigo replaced Yasmina I Ezmara I Erigo of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Skayde of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky (retained his position')

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave (retained his position)

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok replaced Klor of the Winter Sun TBC

- General Braka of the Summer Storm (retained his position)

The General of The League

- General Gabriel Barossa replaced Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Richard Talbot of the The Drakes

- General Edwin de Warrene of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders (retained his position)

The Generals of Navarr

- General Cerunnos of the Black Thorns (retained his position)

- General Gwai replaced Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovich of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- The title of Warmage has fallen vacant due to the death of Septima of Shatterspire towards the end of The Autumn Equinox. New elections will be held at the start of The Winter Solstice, and the newly appointed warmage will serve until the Spring Equinox

Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Olek of the League remained Cardinal of Ambition

- Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League remained as the Gatekeeper of the Ambition Assembly

Courage

- Asher of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Courage (replacing Lazarus of Highguard)

- Cyrus Cascade of Urizen remained as the Gatekeeper of the Courage Assembly

Loyalty

- Jared of Highguard remained Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan Young of the Marches remained as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

Pride

- Samson of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Pride (replaced Epaph of Highguard)

- Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Ynez of the League was appointed Cardinal of Prosperity (replacing Bishop Alexandru Vintla)

- Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast remained as the Gatekeeper of the Prosperity Assembly

Vigilance

- Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka remained Cardinal of Vigilance

- Silas of Highguard remained as the Gatekeeper of the Vigilance Assembly

Wisdom

- Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn was appointed Cardinal of Wisdom

- Hywel Summercrow of Navarr was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Wisdom Assembly

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanzetti of the League remained Cardinal of The Way

- Gralka, an Imperial Orc, remained as the Conscience of the Senate

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Darius of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Day (replaced Callisius Quicksilver)

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

These Grandmasters will serve with these voting strengths until re-election at the Winter Equinox, 377YE.

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus with a voting strength of 14

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo I Jannat I Riqueza of the Brass Coast with a voting strength of 16 (replaces William Bolholt of The Marches)

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr with a voting strength of 22

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard with a voting strength of 10

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Dimitri Ivanovich Ionescu of Varushka with a voting strength of 35 (replaced Wyrda Bjornadottir of Wintermark)

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka with a voting strength of 20

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- The Varushkan Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash continues to serve as Dean of the Lyceum

- Iago Melfizzi was appointed to the title of Bursar of the Conclave by declaration before the conclave.

The Imperial Bourse

Under normal circumstances, all Mithril Bourse Seats would have been re-elected or re-appointed during the Equinox. Due to concerns of economic stability in a time of Imperial crisis, the seats gained at the Winter Equinox 376 will run until the Winter Equinox 377 and then the normal process of re-election will begin again.

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Francisco Alestros Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato Mestra (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (101 Crowns)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Thomas Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Vittorio, Butcher's Guild of the League (104 crowns)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Aedred ap Magor Renwaerd (70 crowns)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Tobias Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (70 crowns)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (55 crowns)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Nikolai Tannhauser (104 crowns)

- The Night Quarry is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (64 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Sandoval Nieschteri Rezia van Temeschwar (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio de Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by John Marsh (61 crowns & 2 rings)

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Bohdan Ivanovich Bashnya

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Valerian of Phoenix Reach

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Bruk

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (The Brass Coast)is held by Tabib i Eldaha i Riqueza

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakim

Changes to Bourse Seats

- The Brilliant Shore has been reclaimed from the Thule but the allocation of the Bourse position by the Senate during The Autumn Equinox was vetoed by The General Assembly of the Imperial Synod and hence no one could be appointed to the position. Its allocation is now waiting for a standard Senate motion to be raised (which can occur no earlier than the Saturday evening senate session of The Winter Solstice); the seat continues to accrue mithril until it is successfully allocated.

- The Vigilant Swan (Highguard) has been lost to the Druj due to their conquest of Reikos. The seat will not be auctioned again until it is recovered.

Mercantile Investments

- The position of Spider's Tollkeep has not yet been appointed; it well be appointed at the Winter Solstice 377.

- The position of Keeper of the Spice Gardens has been vacated; it will be appointed at the Winter Solstice 377.

Further Reading

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Senate Sessions

- 377YE Autumn Equinox Synod Judgements

- Titles by event

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Autumn_Equinox_Imperial_Titles&oldid=25395"

Titles by event

This list of titles is not exhaustive, but covers the characters appointed to hold an Imperial Position.

- Winter, 377YE - Event One 2014

- Autumn, 377YE - Event Four, 2013

- Summer, 377YE - Event Three, 2013

- Spring, 377YE - Event Two, 2013

- Winter, 376 YE - Event One, 2013

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Titles_by_event&oldid=21639"

Titles by season

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Spring Equinox

- 2.1 Senate

- 2.2 Military Council

- 2.3 Synod

- 2.4 Conclave

- 2.5 Bourse positions concerned with illium

- 2.6 National Bourse positions

- 3 Summer Solstice

- 3.1 Senate

- 3.2 Military Council

- 3.3 Synod

- 3.4 Conclave

- 3.5 Bourse positions concerned with white granite

- 3.6 National Bourse positions

- 3.7 Other positions

- 4 Autumn Equinox

- 4.1 Senate

- 4.2 Military Council

- 4.3 Synod

- 4.4 Conclave

- 4.5 Bourse positions concerned with mithril

- 4.6 National Bourse positions

- 5 Winter Solstice

- 5.1 Senate

- 5.2 Military Council

- 5.3 Synod

- 5.4 Conclave

- 5.5 Bourse positions concerned with Weirwood

- 5.6 National Bourse positions

- 6 Notes

- 6.1 Synod

Overview

Most Imperial positions are elected yearly on a rolling schedule, for instance if a nation has four senators they will be elected one each season. For the name of the character holding a particular title then please refer to the current imperial titles page. For the titles that are not elected every season, please refer to the permanent titles page. Unless death, misfortune or the Synod intervene, the schedule is as below.

Spring Equinox

Senate

- The Brass Coast : Senator for Segura

- Varushka : Senator for Karsk

- Wintermark : Senator for Skarsind

- Advisor on the Vallorn

- Advisor on orc affairs

Military Council

- Highguard : General for Valiant Pegasus

Synod

- Cardinal of Ambition

- Cardinal of Vigilance

Conclave

- Grandmaster of the Golden Pyramid

- Grandmaster of the Sevenfold Path

Bourse positions concerned with illium

- Syrene's Wisdom

- The Scorrero Nets

- The Steel Fist

- The Broken Shore Bounty

- The Stonefield Ice Caves

- The Regario Dossier

National Bourse positions

- Custodian of the Assayer's Guild

- Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

- Master of the Imperial Mint

Summer Solstice

Senate

- The Brass Coast : Senator for Feroz

- Dawn : Senator for Weirwater

- Highguard : Senator for Bastion

- The League : Senator for Sarvos

- The Marches : Senator for Mitwold

- Navarr : Senator for Miaren

- Urizen : Senator for Redoubt

- Varushka : Senator for Karov

- Wintermark : Senator for Sermersuaq

- Admiral

Military Council

- The Brass Coast : General for Red Wind Corsairs

- Dawn : General for Golden Sun

- Highguard : General for Granite Pillar

- Imperial Orcs : General for Summer Storm

- The Marches : General for The Drakes

- Navarr : General for Black Thorns

- Urizen : General for Army of the Citadel

- Varushka : General for Army of the Northern Eagle

- Wintermark : General for Fist of the Mountain

Synod

- Cardinal of Courage

- Cardinal of Wisdom

- Imperial Inquisitor

Conclave

- Grandmaster of the Unfettered Mind

Bourse positions concerned with white granite

- The Damation Cliffs

- The Night Quarry

- The Arratan Gamble

- Sutton Stone Quarries

- The Brilliant Shore

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk

National Bourse positions

- Mistress of the Glass Parador

Other positions

- Brock's Toll

Autumn Equinox

Senate

- The Brass Coast : Senator for Kahraman

- Dawn : Senator for Semmerholm

- Highguard : Senator for Casinea

- The League : Senator for Tassato

- The Marches : Senator for Upwold

- Navarr : Senator for Therunin

- Urizen : Senator for Morrow

- Varushka : Senator for Volodmartz

- Wintermark : Senator for Hahnmark

- Minister of Historical Research

- Imperial Master of Works

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

Military Council

- The Brass Coast : General for Fire of the South

- Dawn : General for Eastern Sky

- Highguard : General for Seventh Wave

- The League : General for Wolves of War

- The Marches : General for Bounders

- Navarr : General for Quiet Step

Synod

- Cardinal of Loyalty

- Cardinal of Pride

Conclave

- Grandmaster of the Shuttered Lantern

Bourse positions concerned with mithril

- The Singing Caves

- The Fortress of Salt

- The Brilliant Star

- The Great Mine of Briante

- The Eternal Shafts of Time

- The Legacy

National Bourse positions

- Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

Winter Solstice

Senate

- The Brass Coast : Senator for Madruga

- Dawn : Senator for Astolat

- Highguard : Senator for Necropolis

- The League : Senator for Temeschwar

- The Marches : Senator for Bregasland

- Navarr : Senator for Hercynia

- Urizen : Senator for Zenith

- Varushka : Senator for Miekarova

- Wintermark : Senator for Kallavesa

- Bursar of the Imperial Academy

- Captain of the Senate Guard

Military Council

- Dawn : General for Hounds of Glory

- Imperial Orcs : General for Winter Sun

- The Marches : General for Strong Reeds

- Varushka : General for Army of the Golden Axe

- Wintermark : General for Green Shield Army

Synod

- Cardinal of The Way

- Cardinal of Prosperity

- High Exorcist

- Conscience of the Senate, as appointed by the Cardinal of The Way

Conclave

- Grandmaster of the Celestial Arch

- Grandmaster of the Rod and Shield

Bourse positions concerned with Weirwood

- The Golden Trees of Seren

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale

- The Weirwater Vales

- The Canterspire Circle

- The Thimble

National Bourse positions

- Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

Notes

Synod

All Cardinals, excluding the Assembly of The Way, have the right to appoint a member of their assembly as Gatekeeper on their selection.

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Titles by season (Redirected from Titles by Season)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Spring Equinox

- 2.1 Senate

- 2.2 Military Council

- 2.3 Synod

- 2.4 Conclave

- 2.5 Bourse positions concerned with illium

- 2.6 National Bourse positions

- 3 Summer Solstice

- 3.1 Senate

- 3.2 Military Council

- 3.3 Synod

- 3.4 Conclave

- 3.5 Bourse positions concerned with white granite

- 3.6 National Bourse positions

- 3.7 Other positions

- 4 Autumn Equinox

- 4.1 Senate

- 4.2 Military Council

- 4.3 Synod

- 4.4 Conclave

- 4.5 Bourse positions concerned with mithril

- 4.6 National Bourse positions

- 5 Winter Solstice

- 5.1 Senate

- 5.2 Military Council

- 5.3 Synod

- 5.4 Conclave

- 5.5 Bourse positions concerned with Weirwood

- 5.6 National Bourse positions

- 6 Notes

- 6.1 Synod

Overview

Most Imperial positions are elected yearly on a rolling schedule, for instance if a nation has four senators they will be elected one each season. For the name of the character holding a particular title then please refer to the current imperial titles page. For the titles that are not elected every season, please refer to the permanent titles page. Unless death, misfortune or the Synod intervene, the schedule is as below.

Spring Equinox

Senate

- The Brass Coast : Senator for Segura

- Varushka : Senator for Karsk

- Wintermark : Senator for Skarsind

- Advisor on the Vallorn

- Advisor on orc affairs

Military Council

- Highguard : General for Valiant Pegasus

Synod

- Cardinal of Ambition

- Cardinal of Vigilance

Conclave

- Grandmaster of the Golden Pyramid

- Grandmaster of the Sevenfold Path

Bourse positions concerned with illium

- Syrene's Wisdom

- The Scorrero Nets

- The Steel Fist

- The Broken Shore Bounty

- The Stonefield Ice Caves

- The Regario Dossier

National Bourse positions

- Custodian of the Assayer's Guild

- Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

- Master of the Imperial Mint

Summer Solstice

Senate

- The Brass Coast : Senator for Feroz

- Dawn : Senator for Weirwater

- Highguard : Senator for Bastion

- The League : Senator for Sarvos

- The Marches : Senator for Mitwold

- Navarr : Senator for Miaren

- Urizen : Senator for Redoubt

- Varushka : Senator for Karov

- Wintermark : Senator for Sermersuaq

- Admiral

Military Council

- The Brass Coast : General for Red Wind Corsairs

- Dawn : General for Golden Sun

- Highguard : General for Granite Pillar

- Imperial Orcs : General for Summer Storm

- The Marches : General for The Drakes

- Navarr : General for Black Thorns

- Urizen : General for Army of the Citadel

- Varushka : General for Army of the Northern Eagle

- Wintermark : General for Fist of the Mountain

Synod

- Cardinal of Courage

- Cardinal of Wisdom

- Imperial Inquisitor

Conclave

- Grandmaster of the Unfettered Mind

Bourse positions concerned with white granite

- The Damation Cliffs

- The Night Quarry

- The Arratan Gamble

- Sutton Stone Quarries

- The Brilliant Shore

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk

National Bourse positions

- Mistress of the Glass Parador

Other positions

- Brock's Toll

Autumn Equinox

Senate

- The Brass Coast : Senator for Kahraman

- Dawn : Senator for Semmerholm

- Highguard : Senator for Casinea

- The League : Senator for Tassato

- The Marches : Senator for Upwold

- Navarr : Senator for Therunin

- Urizen : Senator for Morrow

- Varushka : Senator for Volodmartz

- Wintermark : Senator for Hahnmark

- Minister of Historical Research

- Imperial Master of Works

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

Military Council

- The Brass Coast : General for Fire of the South

- Dawn : General for Eastern Sky

- Highguard : General for Seventh Wave

- The League : General for Wolves of War

- The Marches : General for Bounders

- Navarr : General for Quiet Step

Synod

- Cardinal of Loyalty

- Cardinal of Pride

Conclave

- Grandmaster of the Shuttered Lantern

Bourse positions concerned with mithril

- The Singing Caves

- The Fortress of Salt

- The Brilliant Star

- The Great Mine of Briante

- The Eternal Shafts of Time

- The Legacy

National Bourse positions

- Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

Winter Solstice

Senate

- The Brass Coast : Senator for Madruga

- Dawn : Senator for Astolat

- Highguard : Senator for Necropolis

- The League : Senator for Temeschwar

- The Marches : Senator for Bregasland

- Navarr : Senator for Hercynia

- Urizen : Senator for Zenith

- Varushka : Senator for Miekarova

- Wintermark : Senator for Kallavesa

- Bursar of the Imperial Academy

- Captain of the Senate Guard

Military Council

- Dawn : General for Hounds of Glory

- Imperial Orcs : General for Winter Sun

- The Marches : General for Strong Reeds

- Varushka : General for Army of the Golden Axe

- Wintermark : General for Green Shield Army

Synod

- Cardinal of The Way

- Cardinal of Prosperity

- High Exorcist

- Conscience of the Senate, as appointed by the Cardinal of The Way

Conclave

- Grandmaster of the Celestial Arch

- Grandmaster of the Rod and Shield

Bourse positions concerned with Weirwood

- The Golden Trees of Seren

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale

- The Weirwater Vales

- The Canterspire Circle

- The Thimble

National Bourse positions

- Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

Notes

Synod

All Cardinals, excluding the Assembly of The Way, have the right to appoint a member of their assembly as Gatekeeper on their selection.

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377YE Spring Equinox Imperial Titles (Redirected from Titles Spring 377)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senators

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Further reading

Overview

Following the death of state of emergency at the previous year's Winter Solstice, only a handful of titles were appointed or re-appointed during the Spring Equinox.

Senators

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Riqueza

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell (Proxied)

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Marek

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Simiel of the Shattered Tower

- Senator for Casinea: Cyrus of Felix's Watch

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Miroslav

- Senator for Tassato: Arsenio Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Oksana Kazaku von Temeschwar

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Richard of Bourholt

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Talbot

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Cei Windstrider

- Senator for Miaren: Bledri Eternal

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Ioseph

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade.

Senator Hector was revoked by the Imperial Synod but then re-elected to the post; he cannot be revoked again until after the next time the Senatorship would be elected normally.

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Konstantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Yelislaveta Syrnova Vlanich

- Senator for Volodmartz: Maxim

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is the Imperial orc Stormcrow Gralka

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Yasmina i Ezmara i Erigo of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Deigo i Guerra of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Eryk Rykker of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Klor of the Winter Sun

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Bjorn of the The Drakes

- General Edwin de Warrene of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Cerunnos of the Black Thorns

- General Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Decius Cascade of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Zakhar Dragovin Vassillich, called the grim of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Merrick of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- Septima of Shatterspire was appointed Warmage.

Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Olek of the League was appointed Cardinal of Ambition

- Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Ambition Assembly

Courage

- Lazarus of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Courage

- Asher of Highguard was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Courage Assembly

Loyalty

- Bishop Julius Cavita of the League remained Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan Young of the Marches remained as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

There is some minorquestion as to whether Brother Alan was gatekeeper or not, which has not yet been resolved.

Pride

- Josephine of Dawn was appointed Cardinal of Pride

- Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Bishop Alexandru Vintla of the League remained Cardinal of Prosperity

- Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast remained as the Gatekeepe of the Prosperity Assembly

Vigilance

- Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka was appointed Cardinal of Vigilance

- Silas of Highguard was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Vigilance Assembly

Wisdom

- Guide Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr remained Cardinal of Wisdom

- Agnetha de Rondell of Dawn was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Wisdom Assembly

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanetti of the League remained Cardinal of The Way

- Gralka, an Imperial Orc, remained as the Conscience of the Senate

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Callisius Quicksilver declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

These Grandmasters will serve with these voting strengths until re-election at the beginning of the Spring Equinox, 377YE.

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus with a voting strength of 36

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid William Bolholt of The Marches with a voting strength of 76

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr with a voting strength of 42

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard with a voting strength of 41

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Wyrda Bjornadottir of Wintermark with a voting strength of 63

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka with a voting strength of 46

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- The Varushkan Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash was appointed Dean of the Lyceum by declaration of the Conclave.

The Imperial Bourse

These seats are usually auctioned at various points throughout the year. Due to concerns of economic stability in a time of Imperial crisis, the seats gained at the Winter Equinox 376 will run until the Winter Equinox 377 and then the normal process of re-election will begin again.

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Francisco Alestros Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato Mestra (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (101 Crowns)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Thomas Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Vittorio, Butcher's Guild of the League (104 crowns)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Aedred ap Magor Renwaerd (70 crowns)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Tobias Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (70 crowns)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (55 crowns)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Nikolai Tannhauser (104 crowns)

- The Night Quarry is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (64 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Sandoval Nieschteri Rezia van Temeschwar (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio de Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by John Marsh (61 crowns & 2 rings)

- The Brilliant Shore is held by the Thule and will not be auctioned until Skarsind is once again an Imperial territory.

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Bohdan Ivanovich Bashnya

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Valerian of Phoenix Reach

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Vigilant Swan (Highguard) is held by Obadiah of Cantiarch's Hold

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Bruk

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (The Brass Coast)is held by Tabib i Eldaha i Riqueza

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakim

Further reading

- 377YE Spring Equinox Senate Sessions

- 377YE Spring Equinox Synod Judgements

- Titles by event

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Spring_Equinox_Imperial_Titles&oldid=25391"

Titles Summer 377

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senators

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Further Reading

Overview

Following the state of emergency at the previous year's Winter Solstice, normality resumes with the first series of annual re-elections.

Senators

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra (retained seat)

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Riqueza

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Lady Adia of House Arwood (claimed seat from Marek)

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Gideon (claimed seat from Simiel of the Shattered Tower)

- Senator for Casinea: Cyrus of Felix's Watch

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav (retained seat)

- Senator for Tassato: Arsenio Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Oksana Kazaku von Temeschwar

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Richard of Bourholt

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville (née Talbot)

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain replaced Cei Windstrider who was revoked by the Navarr National Assembly in his absence

- Senator for Miaren: Rhys (claimed seat from Bledri Eternal)

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Ioseph

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus (retained seat)

- Senator for Zenith: Hector of the Spire of the Celestial Cascade.

Senator Hector was revoked by the Imperial Synod during the Spring Equinox, but then re-elected to the post; he cannot be revoked again until after the next time the Senatorship would be elected normally.

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Constantin (retained seat)

- Senator for Miekarova: Yelislaveta Syrnova Vlanich

- Senator for Volodmartz: Maxim

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte (retained seat)

This scribe would like to offer humble apologies to the Senator for Hahnmark for consistently spelling his name incorrectly in multiple cases, and hopes that all such incidents are now corrected.

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is the Imperial orc Stormcrow Gralka

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs (replacing Yasmina i Ezmara i Erigo)

- General Yasmina I Ezmara I Erieo replaced Deigo i Guerra of the Fire of the South TBC

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Skayde of the Golden Sun (replacing Eryk Rykker)

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar (retained her position)

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok replaced Klor of the Winter Sun TBC

- General Braka of the Summer Storm (retained his position)

The General of The League

- General Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Richard Talbot of the The Drakes (replacing Bjorn)

- General Edwin de Warrene of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Cerunnos of the Black Thorns (retained his position)

- General Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel (replacing Decius Cascade)

The Generals of Varushka

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovichlaf of the Army of the Northern Eagle (replacing Zakhar Dragovin Vassillich, called the grim )

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army 'replaced General Merrick whose position was revoked by the Wintermark National Assembly in his absence.

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain (retained his position)

Other Military Council Positions

- Septima of Shatterspire was appointed Warmage.

Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Olek of the League remainedd Cardinal of Ambition

- Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League remained as the Gatekeeper of the Ambition Assembly

Courage

- Lazarus of Highguard remained Cardinal of Courage

- Cyrus Cascade of Urizen was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Courage Assembly

Loyalty

- Jared of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan Young of the Marches remained as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

Pride

- Epaph of Highguard was appointed Cardinal of Pride

- Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Bishop Alexandru Vintla of the League remained Cardinal of Prosperity

- Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast remained as the Gatekeeper of the Prosperity Assembly

Vigilance

- Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka remained Cardinal of Vigilance

- Silas of Highguard remained as the Gatekeeper of the Vigilance Assembly

Wisdom

- Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn was appointed Cardinal of Wisdom

- Hywel Summercrow of Navarr was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Wisdom Assembly

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanzetti of the League remained Cardinal of The Way

- Gralka, an Imperial Orc, remained as the Conscience of the Senate

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Callisius Quicksilver declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

These Grandmasters will serve with these voting strengths until re-election at the Autumn Equinox, 377YE.

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid William Bolholt of The Marches with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Wyrda Bjornadottir of Wintermark with a voting strength of ??

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka with a voting strength of ??

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- The Varushkan Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash was appointed Dean of the Lyceum by declaration of the Conclave.

The Imperial Bourse

Under normal circumstances, all White Granite Bourse Seats would have been re-elected or re-appointed during the Solstice. Due to concerns of economic stability in a time of Imperial crisis, the seats gained at the Winter Equinox 376 will run until the Winter Equinox 377 and then the normal process of re-election will begin again.

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Francisco Alestros Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato Mestra (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (101 Crowns)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Thomas Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Vittorio, Butcher's Guild of the League (104 crowns)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Aedred ap Magor Renwaerd (70 crowns)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Tobias Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (70 crowns)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (55 crowns)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Nikolai Tannhauser (104 crowns)

- The Night Quarry is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (64 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Sandoval Nieschteri Rezia van Temeschwar (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio de Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by John Marsh (61 crowns & 2 rings)

- The Brilliant Shore is held by the Thule and will not be auctioned until Skarsind is once again an Imperial territory.

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Bohdan Ivanovich Bashnya

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Valerian of Phoenix Reach

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Vigilant Swan (Highguard) is held by Obadiah of Cantiarch's Hold

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Nicolo Barossa de Tassato Regario

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Bruk

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (The Brass Coast)is held by Tabib i Eldaha i Riqueza

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakim

Further Reading

- You can learn about the Senate motions proposed during the Summer Solstice here

- You can learn about the Synod Judgements of the Summer Solstice here

- You can return to the index of titles here.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Titles_Summer_377&oldid=23640"

376YE Winter Solstice Imperial Titles (Redirected from Titles Winter 376)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Senators

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 4 Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Further Reading

Overview

Following the death of the Empress Britta and many other Imperial officers, a state of emergency was called. Many Imperial titles were re-appointed during the Winter summit.

Senators

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Raul

- Senator for Kahraman: Salur

- Senator for Madruga: Zeref i Ezmara i Erigo (later proxied by Yalda i Ezmara i Erigo)

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Marek

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Simiel of the Shattered Tower

- Senator for Casinea: Cyrus of Felix's Watch

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Miroslav

- Senator for Tassato: Arsenio Sanguineo Rezia di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Oksana Kazaku von Temeschwar

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Richard of Bourholt

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Talbot

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Cei Windstrider

- Senator for Miaren: Bledri Eternal

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Ioseph

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Hector Cascade

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Konstantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Yelislaveta Syrnova Vlanich

- Senator for Volodmartz: Maxim

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Yasmina i Ezmara i Erigo of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Deigo i Guerra of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Eryk Rykker of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Klor of the Winter Sun

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Bjorn of the The Drakes

- General Edwin de Warrene of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Cerunnos of the Black Thorns

- General Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Decius Cascade of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Zakhar Dragovin Vassillich, called the grim of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Merrick of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Cardinals and Gatekeepers of the Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Bishop Serrusto Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League was appointed Cardinal of Ambition

- Silent John of the Marches was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Ambition Assembly

Courage

- Beorn Y’Basden of the Navarr was appointed Cardinal of Courage

- Asher of Highguard was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Courage Assembly

Loyalty

- Bishop Julius Cavita of the League was appointed Cardinal of Loyalty

- Friar Alan Young of the Marches was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

Pride

- Friar Langdon Tor of the Marches was appointed Cardinal of Pride

- Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Bishop Alexandru Vintla of the League was appointed Cardinal of Prosperity

- Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast was appointed as the Gatekeepe of the Prosperity Assembly

Vigilance

- Sirka Parakgoosier Bashnya of Varushka was appointed Cardinal of Vigilance

- Abraham of Highguard was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Vigilance Assembly

Wisdom

- Guide Tockryn Nighthaven of the Navarr was appointed Cardinal of Wisdom

- Starac of Varushka was appointed as the Gatekeeper of the Wisdom Assembly

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanetti of the League was appointed Cardinal of The Way

- Gralka, an Imperial Orc, was appointed as the Conscience of the Senate

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Callisius Quicksilver declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

These Grandmasters will serve with these voting strengths until re-election at the beginning of the Spring Equinox, 377YE.

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus with a voting strength of 36

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid William Bolholt of The Marches with a voting strength of 76

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr with a voting strength of 42

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard with a voting strength of 41

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Wyrda Bjornadottir of Wintermark with a voting strength of 63

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka with a voting strength of 46

The Imperial Bourse

These seats are usually auctioned at various points throughout the year. Due to concerns of economic stability in a time of Imperial crisis, the seats gained at the Winter Equinox 376 will run until the Winter Equinox 377 and then the normal process of re-election will begin again.

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Francisco Alesthos Sangiene Relia de'Tessato Mestra (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (101 Crowns)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Thomas Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Vittorio, Butcher's Guild of the League (104 crowns)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Aedred ap Magor Renwaerd (70 crowns)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Tobias Shanks (90 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Horsa Tysalt (70 crowns)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon Landridge (?) (55 crowns)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Nicolai Tarrnhausen (104 crowns)

- The Night Quarry is held by Rudviso Garnossa (64 crowns & 5 rings)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo deTassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Sandoval Meichteri Relia van Temekhlvan (76 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio De'Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by John Marsh (61 crowns & 2 rings)

- The Brilliant Shore is held by the Thule and will not be auctioned until Skarsind is once again an Imperial territory.

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tamasz Stracovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Bohdan Ivanovich Bashry

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Valerion of Phoenix Reach

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Vigilant Swan (Highguard) is held by Obediah of Cantiarch’s Hold

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Lorenzo la Vulpe

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Nicolo Barrossa DeTassato

- The Steel Fist is appointed during the Spring Equinox

- The Broken Shore Bounty is appointed during the Spring Equinox

- The Stonefield Ice Caves is appointed during the Spring Equinox

Further Reading

- 376YE Winter Solstice Senate Sessions

- 376YE Winter Solstice Synod Judgements

- Titles by event

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=376YE_Winter_Solstice_Imperial_Titles&oldid=25399"

377YE Winter Solstice Imperial Titles (Redirected from Titles Winter 377)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 The Imperial Senate

- 2.1 The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- 2.2 The senators of Dawn

- 2.3 The senators of Highguard

- 2.4 The senators of The League

- 2.5 The senators of The Marches

- 2.6 The senators of the Navarr

- 2.7 The senators of Urizen

- 2.8 The senators of Varushka

- 2.9 The senators of Wintermark

- 2.10 Other Imperial Senate positions

- 2.11 Sinecures selected by senators

- 3 The Military Council

- 3.1 The Generals of The Brass Coast

- 3.2 The Generals of Dawn

- 3.3 The Generals of Highguard

- 3.4 The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- 3.5 The General of The League

- 3.6 The Generals of The Marches

- 3.7 The Generals of Navarr

- 3.8 The General of Urizen

- 3.9 The Generals of Varushka

- 3.10 The Generals of Wintermark

- 3.11 Other Military Council Positions

- 4 The Imperial Synod

- 4.1 Ambition

- 4.2 Courage

- 4.3 Loyalty

- 4.4 Pride

- 4.5 Prosperity

- 4.6 Vigilance

- 4.7 Wisdom

- 4.8 The Way

- 5 The Imperial Conclave

- 5.1 Archmagi

- 5.2 Grandmasters of the Orders

- 5.3 Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- 6 The Imperial Bourse

- 6.1 Imperial Bourse Positions

- 6.2 National Bourse Positions

- 6.3 Mercantile Investments

- 6.4 Other Bourse Positions

- 7 Further Reading

Overview

This information is believed to represent the outcome of the assorted elections and appointments at the Winter Solstice 377YE.

The Imperial Senate

The Freeborn senators of The Brass Coast

- Senator for Feroz: Sallur I Mnajdra I Guerra

- Senator for Kahraman: Rauul i Jannat i Requiza

- Senator for Madruga: Avisena i Ezmara i Guerra

The senators of Dawn

- Senator for Astolat: Bohemond De Rondell

- Senator for Semmerholm Ywain De Gauvain

- Senator for Weirwater: Lady Adia of House Arwood

The senators of Highguard

- Seantor for Bastion: Solomon

- Senator for Casinea: Zephram of Cantiarch’s Hold

- Senator for Necropolis: Adamah of the Silent Tide

The senators of The League

- Senator for Sarvos: Mirislav

- Senator for Tassato: Cesare Sanguineo Rezia Di Tassato

- Senator for Temeschwar: Drogon Morosini

The senators of The Marches

- Senator for Bregasland, the Dour Fens: Orrick

- Senator for Mitwold, Pride of the Marches: Bridget Eastville (née Talbot)

- Senator for Upwold, The Silver Chase: Henry Ward

The senators of the Navarr

- Seantor for Hercynia: Rhain

- Senator for Miaren: Rhys

- Senator for Therunin: Caerwyn Summer Crow

The senators of Urizen

- Senator for Morrow: Lucius of Quicksilver Spire

- Senator for Redoubt: Probus

- Senator for Zenith: Cato

The senators of Varushka

- Senator for Karov: Constantin

- Senator for Miekarova: Radomir

- Senator for Volodmartz: Vitomyr Krasiludovich Antonov

The senators of Wintermark

- Senator for Hahnmark: Hengest Dun

- Senator for Kallavesa: Uskolli

- Senator for Sermersuaq: Atte

- Senator for Skarsind: Triva of Tyrshalt

Other Imperial Senate positions

- The Conscience of the Senate is Gideon of the Sons of Couros

- The Advisor on orc affairs is Irontide Bruc

- The Imperial Master of Works is Richard Tunstall

- The Bursar of the Imperial Academy is Titus Hopkirk

Sinecures selected by senators

- The sinecure of Spider's Tollkeep is held by Rafa'eet i Contra i Guerra

- The sinecure of Keeper of the Spice Gardens is held by Reina i Shartha i Riquez

- The sinecure of Guardian of Britta's Shrine is held by Ruth of the Cenotaph in Highguard

The Military Council

The Generals of The Brass Coast

- General Estana I Mestiere I Guerra of the Red Wind Corsairs

- General Anwar i Covas i Erigo replaced Yasmina I Ezmara I Erigo of the Fire of the South

The Generals of Dawn

- General Floree de Rondell of the Hounds of Glory

- General Clarence Oswald of the Golden Sun

- General Frederick Novarion of the Eastern Sky

The Generals of Highguard

- General Matthias of the Seventh Wave

- General Ruth, daughter of Esther of the Granite Pillar

The Generals of the Imperial Orcs

- General Bloodcrow Martok replaced Klor of the Winter Sun TBC

- General Braka of the Summer Storm

The General of The League

- General Gabriel Barossa replaced Stanislav Krieger van Temeschwar of the Wolves of War

The Generals of The Marches

- General Richard Talbot of the The Drakes

- General Jack Flint of the Strong Reeds

- General William Tanner of King's Stoke of the bounders

The Generals of Navarr

- General Carr Foxden of the Black Thorns

- General Gwai replaced Kale Vigil of the Quiet step

The General of Urizen

- General Tanwyn Ankarien of the Army of the Citadel

The Generals of Varushka

- General Olaf Gregorson Strascovich of the Army of the Northern Eagle

- General Stanislav Borodin Havel of the Army of the Golden Axe

The Generals of Wintermark

- General Vahne of the Green Shield Army

- General Erkenbrand of Tyrsholm of the Fist of the Mountain

Other Military Council Positions

- Warmage Vaan of Auric Horizon

- The title of Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies is held by Janusz Dalibor von Temeschwar of the League

The Imperial Synod

Ambition

- Cardinal Olek of the League

- Gatekeeper Serrusta Caeli Rezia di Tassato of the League

Courage

- Cardinal Asher of Felix's Watch in Highguard

- Gatekeeper Cyrus Cascade of Urizen

Loyalty

- Cardinal Jared of the Suns of Courous, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Friar Alan Young of the Marches remained as the Gatekeeper of the Loyalty Assembly

Pride

- Cardinal Samson of Cantiarch's Hold, Highguard

- Gatekeeper Meurig Tystwarden of the Navarr remained as the Gatekeeper of the Pride Assembly

Prosperity

- Cardinal Ynez di Carcomare of the League

- Gatekeeper Darius i Esmara i Erigo of the Brass Coast

Vigilance

- Cardinal Petra Petrivna Melikov of Varushka

- Gatekeeper Silas of Highguard

Wisdom

- Cardinal Agnetha De Rondell of Dawn

- Gatekeeper Hywel Summercrow of Navarr

The Way

- Bishop Antonnio Vanzetti of the League

- Conscience of the Senate - Gideon of the Sons of Couros

The Imperial Conclave

Archmagi

- Kallendar Stormcrow declared Archmage of Spring

- Corvus of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Summer

- Maurice de Gauvain declared Archmage of Autumn

- Savik Summerstorm declared Archmage of Winter

- Darius of Auric Horizon declared Archmage of Day

- Baba Ana declared Archmage of Night

Grandmasters of the Orders

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Celestial Arch Sejanus

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Golden Pyramid Edmundo I Jannat I Riqueza of the Brass Coast

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Rod and ShieldMeir Pathfinder of Navarr

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Sevenfold Path Jessica of Highguard

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Shuttered Lantern Dimitri Ivanovich Ionescu of Varushka

- Grandmaster of the Order of the Unfettered Mind Alexei of Varushka

Other Imperial Conclave Positions

- Simargl, the Empty One of the Circle of Zulgan-Tash of Varushka serves as Dean of the Lyceum

- Iago Melfizzi of The League serves as Bursar of the Conclave

The Imperial Bourse

Imperial Bourse Positions

- The Arratan Gamble is held by Rodrigo Barossa de Tassato Regario (41 Thrones)

- The Brilliant Star is held by Tobias Shanks (78 Thrones)

- The Canterspire Circle is held by Antoni Krol (90 Thrones)

- The Damation Cliffs are held by Lukash Biessek von Temeschwar (50 Thrones)

- The Fortress of Salt is held by Lorenzo “La Volpe” Macelliao von Temeschwar (80 Thrones)

- The Golden Trees of Seren are held by Ilia Miroslav von Danzig (145 Thrones)

- The Great Mine of Briante is held by Ricardo Almieda Desmondo di Tasetto (65 Thrones)

- The Heartwood of the Great Vale is held by Landon of Longridge (100 Thrones)

- The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is held by Horsa Tyrshalt (112 Thrones)

- The Night Quarry is held by Giacomo Corvinoscuro (49 Thrones)

- The Scorrero Nets are held by Aesher Endsmeet (30 crowns & 1 ring)

- The Singing Caves are held by Guillamo de Tassato (150 Crowns)

- The Sutton Stone Quarries are held by Todd the Smith (93 Thrones)

- The Syrene's Wisdom is held by Silvio de Tassato (80 crowns)

- The Weirwater Vales are held by Niccolo dos Tassatos (98 Thrones)

- The Great Forest at Reikos is held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Reikos is one again an Imperial territory

- The Great Pits of Ennerlund are held by the Druj and will not be auctioned until Holberg is once again an Imperial territory.

National Bourse Positions

- The Eternal Shafts of Time (Varushka) are held by Tomasz Strascovich

- The Granites of Veltsgorsk (Varushka) are held by Zlatimir Prochnost

- The Legacy (Urizen) is held by Marcus of Endsmeet

- The Thimble (Navarr) is held by Idris Eternal

- The Regario Dossier (League) is controlled by Carmine de Sarvos "Father" (8 Thrones)

- The Master of the Imperial Mint (League) is Guillamo de Tassato (18 Thrones)

- The Steel Fist (Imperial Orcs) is held by Bruk

- The The Broken Shore Bounty (The Brass Coast)is held by Tabib i Eldaha i Riqueza

- The The Stonefield Ice Caves (Wintermark) is held by Joakim

Mercantile Investments

- Hamnett of Gallowdale is appointed to the ministry of Bailiff of the Grand Market

- Estrella is appointed to the ministry of Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

- Jaoquin i Shartha i Riquez is appointed to the ministry of Mistress of the Glass Parador

Other Bourse Positions

- Octavius of Auric Horizon was appointed as Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

Further Reading

- 377YE Winter Solstice Senate Sessions

- 377YE Winter Solstice Synod Judgements

- Recent history

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=377YE_Winter_Solstice_Imperial_Titles&oldid=28661"

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Alphabetical index

Tom A'Bedlam's song

There's a (poor quality) recording of the song here:

http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/artist_songs/1250565

The lyrics are:

From the hagg and hungrie goblin That into raggs would rend ye, And the spirit that stands by the naked man In the Book of Moones - defend ye! That of your five sound senses You never be forsaken, Nor wander from your selves with Tom Abroad to beg your bacon.

While I doe sing "any foode, any feeding, Feedinge, drinke or clothing," Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing.

Of thirty bare years have I Twice twenty been enraged, And of forty been three times fifteen In durance soundly caged. On the lordly lofts of Bedlam, With stubble soft and dainty, Brave bracelets strong, sweet whips ding-dong, With wholesome hunger plenty.

While I doe sing "any foode, any feeding, Feedinge, drinke or clothing," Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing.

With a thought I took for Maudlin And a cruse of cockle pottage, With a thing thus tall, skie blesse you all, I befell into this dotage. I slept not since the Conquest, Till then I never waked, Till the roguish boy of love where I lay Me found and stript me naked.

While I doe sing "any foode, any feeding, Feedinge, drinke or clothing," Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing.

When I short have shorne my sowre face And swigged my horny barrel, In an oaken inn I pound my skin As a suit of gilt apparel. The moon's my constant Mistrisse, And the lowly owl my morrowe, The flaming Drake and the Nightcrow make Me music to my sorrow.

While I doe sing "any foode, any feeding, Feedinge, drinke or clothing," Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing

The palsie plagues my pulses When I prigg your pigs or pullen, Your culvers take, or matchless make Your Chanticleers, or sullen. When I want provant, with Humfrie I sup, and when benighted, I repose in Powles with waking souls Yet never am affrighted.

While I doe sing "any foode, any feeding, Feedinge, drinke or clothing," Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing.

I know more than the sun do, For oft, when he lies sleeping I see the stars at bloody wars In the wounded welkin weeping, The moone embrace her shepherd And the queen of Love her warrior, While the first doth horne the star of morne, And the next the heavenly Farrier.

While I doe sing "any foode, any feeding, Feedinge, drinke or clothing," Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing.

The Gipsie Snap and Pedro Are none of Tom's companions. The punk I skorne and the cut purse sworne And the roaring boyes bravadoe. The meek, the white, the gentle, Me handle touch and spare not But those that crosse Tom Rynosseros Do what the panther dare not.

While I doe sing "any foode, any feeding, Feedinge, drinke or clothing," Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing.

With a host of furious fancies Whereof I am commander, With a burning spear and a horse of air, To the wilderness I wander. By a knight of ghostes and shadowes I summon'd am to tourney Ten leagues beyond the wild world's end. Methinks it is no journey.

While I doe sing "any foode, any feeding, Feedinge, drinke or clothing," Come dame or maid, be not afraid, Poor Tom will injure nothing.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Tom_A%27Bedlam%27s_song&oldid=11927"

Tombsteel Guardian

Description

The most common group of Highborn guardians who wear this mithril plate armour are the protectors of the Necropolis. The armour forged in that shrouded city is often hallowed by priests of Vigilance even when it is worn by guardians from other chapters. According to popular belief, when the armour is used dead spirits who have yet to pass into the labyrinth of ages are drawn to the wearer and offer a little of their essence to revitalise him in whatever battle he is engaged.

Building on these legends, the Imperial Orcs call this armour a shaman's beacon. They claim that when they call on the revitalizing energy bound into the armour their renewed energy comes from their ancestors, and they often hear them more clearly than normal when they evoke its power.

Outside of Highguard, the tombsteel guardian is as likely to be mithril chain as it is mithril plate, and occasionally it is made of heavy segmented leather finished with ambergelt resin and carefully inlaid with weltsilver. Scouts, spies, merchants and other people who must often operate by themselves for long periods of time favour this armour because it provides vital healing when a situation turns unexpectedly deadly.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of medium armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day you may use the second wind skill.

- Materials: Crafting tombsteel guardian armour requires thirteen ingots of weltsilver, seven measures of ambergelt, five ingots of orichalcum and five measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"You'll have plenty of time to sleep when you're dead. Until then, on your feet, soldier!"

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Tonics of the Deep Forest

The tonics of the deep forest grant vigour and health. These preparations use alcohol as a base, and are usually very strong tasting. They are especially popular among the Varushkans, who mix them with raw spirits and flavour them with strong honey. Some Freeborn Kohan are leery of using the Winterskin and Ironblood tonics due to the way they dampen strong passions. By contrast, many Landsknecht and Schlacta appreciate the way these elixirs help them suppress feelings of fear, empathy or compassion.

Oakenhide Tonic

This potion helps the drinker to shrug off the effect of minor wounds; a swordblow that might otherwise have resulted in a significant wound instead inflicts a nasty bruise, for example. The preparation is also valued for it's positive effect on an imbiber's fighting spirit; while it will not make a cowardly fighter any braver, it helps to reduce the fear of danger in a way that grants valuable confidence, especially to untried troops.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This deep golden liquid looks a little like watered-down honey. It has an alcoholic scent, and a tiny droplet of the sticky fluid on your tongue tastes strongly of apples.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel very confident in your ability to survive dangerous situations.

- Mechanical Effects: You gain an additional rank of endurance until the next sunrise. This is a tonic; the effect of any other tonic you have drunk immediately ends.

- Recipe: One dram of True Vervain and one dram of Bladeroot.

Winterskin Tonic

This cool elixir deadens sensations of pain, allowing a warrior to shrug off an assault that might fell an untried combatant. It also cools the blood and distances the drinker from their emotions, which can be both a positive and a negative side-effect.

- Form: Liquid

- Description: When this golden-brown liquid catches the light, it seems almost to glow. It has a strongly alcoholic scent, but tastes sweet - like butterscotch. Place a tiny drop on your finger or your tongue, and the tip quickly becomes numb.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel distanced from your emotions, as if they were being experienced by someone else.

- Mechanical Effects: You gain two additional ranks of endurance until the next sunrise. This is a tonic; the effect of any other tonic you have drunk immediately ends.

- Recipe: Two drams of Cerulean Mazzarine, one dram of True Vervain, and one dram of Bladeroot.

Ironblood Tonic

This potent elixir reduces the effect of wounds but also numbs the heart. The preparation has a bad reputation, and is sometimes blamed for encouraging violent and cruel individuals to express their antisocial tendencies. Imperial magistrates have little patience for criminals who try to claim that it is the effect of this tonic that drove them to some act of excessive cruelty.

Excessive and extended use of Ironblood Tonic has been known to permanently reduce the ability to relate to others, and lead to long-term emotional damage.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This golden-brown liquid clings viscously to the inside of the container if you shake it. It smells faintly of apples, but a tiny drop on your tongue reveals it to have a strangely salty flavour.

- Roleplaying Effects: You find it very hard to care about the feelings of other people, and tend to take the most expedient course of action regardless of who it might hurt.

- Mechanical Effects: You gain three additional ranks of endurance until the next sunrise. This is a tonic; the effect of any other tonic you have drunk immediately ends.

- Recipe: Three drams of Marrowort, two drams each of True Vervain and Cerulean Mazzarine, and one dram of Bladeroot.

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Tonics of the Open Sky

The tonics of the open sky are useful preparations that slow bleeding and help mitigate injury. They allow a severely injured warrior finds it easier to endure their wounds, granting valuable time for a healer or chirurgeon to reach them. More than one veteran is alive today because of one of these preparations, and they are often referred to as elixirs of lifekeeping as a consequence.

The herbs used to brew these potions are dissolved in a small amount of alcohol. Unlike the harsher Tonics of the Deep Forest, the tonics of the open sky require a much weaker solution and usually possess a more mellow flavour. The recipes originated in the Brass Coast in pre-Imperial times. While they were initially a secret of the Riqueza family, the method of brewing these lifesaving tonics quickly spread to the other Freeborn families. In the decades before the formation of the Empire, Freeborn merchants engaged in a lucrative trade in selling them to foreign warriors. After the Brass Coast joined the Empire it was only a matter of time before the recipes became generally known. To pre-empt this, a family of the Riqueza simultaneously sold the formulae to no fewer than fourteen apothecaries in various nations, often through intermediaries, for quite astronomical sums of money. When challenged, their dhomiro simply shrugged, and said it was better to sell something while it still had value than to allow it to be stolen.

In Wintermark, these tonics are collectively termed the Grimnir's Cloak. According to a popular legend, Grimnir Kaisa Bloodwing served the potion to all the warriors of her Hall before a vicious battle against a besieging orc force. Her foresight meant that the healers were able to save more warriors than the orcs were able to bring down, patch them up, and return them to the fray. In the end the defending forces were victorious. While some historians question the veracity of this story, few can dispute the deeper truth - that no matter how wounded someone may be, if a healer can reach them in time, they can be saved.

Tonic of Sunlit Glass

This preparation is most effective when drunk by someone who already possesses deep reserves of fortitude. Even more than it's protective properties, it is valued for it's ability to inspire a positive attitude in those about to take to battle. As the Highborn general Aaron of Redwater wrote in his journal "Believing you can win is not enough by itself, but it is the first step along the road to victory."

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: When this translucent yellow-gold liquid catches the light it seems almost to glow. It has a faint scent of lemons, and a tiny drop on your tongue tastes of freshly squeezed oranges.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel a sudden burst of optimism and a rush of positive emotions; you are reminded of past triumphs, hopes and dreams.

- Mechanical Effects: You gain an additional rank of Fortitude until the next sunrise. This is a tonic; the effect of any other tonic you have drunk immediately ends.

- Recipe: One dram of Cerulean Mazzarine and one dram of Imperial Roseweald.

Tonic of Surging Flame

This potent preparation provides a valuable healing benefit. If the drinker is mortally wounded, the elixir unlocks inside their body and suddenly fills them with renewed life and enthusiasm, healing their wounds and driving them back to their feet. If there is a downside it is that the nature of the preparation itself almost encourages the drinker to take foolhardy risks. The tonic dulls the sense of self-preservation that many consider so important to their continued survival. Some warriors, especially among the Freeborn, the Dawnish and the Steinr, welcome the feelings of self-assurance that the tonic of surging flame brings with it, and are driven to ever more courageous and glorious acts.

- Form: Liquid.

- Descripiton: This deep orange-red liquid has a thin layer of sediment at the bottom; shake the container and it quickly settles again. It smells distinctly of apricots - or perhaps oranges. It has a delicious, citrus taste.

- Roleplaying Effects: Warmth spreads from your stomach to your entire body, and persists for the duration of the effect. It brings with it feelings of absolute confidence in your ability to survive no matter what happens. You find it hard to remember that risky behaviour might result in permanent injury or death.

- Mechanical Effects: This potion automatically activates the next time you are dying. After 30 seconds you are restored to 3 hits and stop dying even if venomed (does not cure the venom). The effect remains until used or until the next sunrise. Once you have drunk this tonic you cannot benefit from it again until after the next sunrise. This is a tonic; the effect of any other tonic you have drunk immediately ends.

- Recipe: One dram of Cerulean Mazzarine, two drams of Imperial Roseweald and one dram of True Vervain.

Tonic of the Distant Shore

This powerful elixir that can easily triple the bleeding-out time of the average person, and has even more dramatic effects when drunk by someone who already possesses uncommon reserves of fortitude. There are plenty of stories of warriors who survive for hours after they are incapacitated by their enemies, only to be rescued by a friend or passing stranger. While many are almost certainly exaggurated there is no doubt that under the right circumstances this elixir can grant a miraculous ability to stave off death.

It takes it's name from an old Freeborn story in which the heroic corsair Bolivar i Riqueza tricks Death during a thunderstorm, engaging that dark spirit in a contest of riddles and enigmas. Constantly playing for time, Bolivar keeps the malign entity guessing until the storm passes and the ship reaches shore, saving not only himself and his vessel but all his crew in the process. It is not uncommon to see death mocked or presented as a bumbling idiot in Freeborn humour and a draught of this tonic is often accompanied by a toast that taunts the ever-present spectre of Death.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: When this cherry-red liquid catches the light it seems to glow. A droplet of this sticky fluid on your fingertip stains it a deep crimson. It smells strongly of fresh berries and has a sweet, dry, fruity flavour.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel a sudden burst of optimism and renewed hope; feelings of worry, doubt and uncertainty are banished.

- Mechanical Effects: You gain an additional three ranks of Fortitude until the next sunrise. This is a tonic; the effect of any other tonic you have drunk immediately ends.

- Recipe: Two drams each of Imperial Roseweald and Marrowort, and one dram of Cerulean Mazzarine.

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Tinctures of True Eminence (Redirected from Tonics of True Eminence)

Mastery of these recipes allows an apothecary to brew preparations valuable to ritual magicians versed in the Lore of Summer. With one of these potions a ritualist can wield the magic of the Summer Realm more effectively, but they also become more susceptible to the influence of that Realm.

Dragon's Blood

This spicy crimson tincture warms the blood and enhances a magician's awareness of the Summer power. The tincture itself is volatile and somewhat flammable. Some magicians (especially those Wintermark runesmiths and Dawnish war witches who study ritual magic) set fire to the heady brew before downing it in a single gulp, claiming it improves both he flavour and the quality of magical power it imparts.

As with many of the more potent preparations, it is easy for a magician to become reliant on the power this potion grants, or to use the sensations of power and confidence it imparts. Dawnish weaver cabals and Highborn magisters are particularly cautious when employing dragon's blood, lest they become dependent on the temporary power it offers. By contrast, many changelings claim that the potion is actually a little bland, and has no noticeable effect on their behaviour.

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: This red elixir smells of oranges and glows with an inner radiance when it catches the light. The scent makes your nostrils tingle and warms your chest. The tangy flavour makes you want to down the entire potion.

- Roleplaying Effects: You are filled with personal pride and self-assurance. Any contradiction or lack of respect is profoundly annoying, and you find it difficult to tolerate mockery, insolence or being treated as if you are unimportant.

- Mechanical Effects: If you possess the Summer Lore skill then you gain one additional rank to the next summer ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Two drams each of Cerulean Mazzarine and True Vervain, one dram of Imperial Roseweald,and one crystallized mana.

Goldencrown

This energetic golden elixir allows a ritual magician to exert great power in the Realm of Summer. It allows a ritualist to command the powers of the Realm by will alone, using force of personality to forge powerful Summer magic. Some covens of ritual magicians follow a general rule that allows only one member at a time to use the concoction, often due to bitter experience of what happens when more than one magician feels a strong urge to take charge of a ritual at the same time.

This preparation was first formulated by Polina di Temeschwar, an apothecary working for the Bloodgold carta. It was immediately popular with magicians connected to the Landsknecht based in that city, and within a short time agents for magicians throughout the Empire were coming to Temeschwar to pay handsomely for phials of goldencrown. This lasted until Alienor Firetress was tasked with discovering the formula as part of her Test of Mettle to enter House Ayen. She entered Temeschwar in disguise and ended up stealing not only the apothecary's recipe but also her heart. The couple's exploits both in the city and on their flight across the Empire are popular fodder for Dawnish ballads. House Ayen used copies of the formula to win political influence in the Senate, and within a generation or so it had become common knowledge - although the Bloodgold carta was so rich by that point that it barely cared (beyond, obviously, the matter of the Dead Reckoning ...)

- Form: Liquid.

- Description: When this beautiful golden elixir catches the light it glows with an inner radiance. If the container is shaken, the liquid within hisses and bubbles energetically. It smells strongly of apples and pears. A tiny droplet on your tongue reveals it to have a delicious, fruity flavour that leaves you with a strong desire to drink the entire thing, savouring every mouthful.

- Roleplaying Effects: You feel a strong urge to take charge of any situation you find yourself in. Filled with pride and self-confidence, people who disagree with you or disrespect you make you exceptionally angry. Whatever you are doing, you very much want to be the centre of attention.

- Mechancial Effects: If you possess the Summer Lore skill then you can use up to 3 personal mana as if it were crystal mana on the next summer ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Three drams of Cerulean Mazzarine, two drams of Imperial Roseweald, and one dram each of True Vervain, Bladeroot and Marrowort.

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Tooling & Embossing

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 What

- 2 Why

- 3 When

- 4 Where

What

What exactly is tooling, and what is the difference between tooling, carving and embossing? Bah, we could be here all year if I were to list the many and varied descriptions of all three. Suffice to say that for the purposes of this guide, embossing just requires things to be hit, tooling requires some cutting and hitting and carving is just cutting.

Why

Tooling can be the most permanent method of decorating leather as well as being the most tactile. Whilst you can paint a masterpiece on a piece of leather with acrylics, if that masterpiece was painted on to leather than had been tooled first with would gain extra depth and texture. Even without such extravagant colouring, in fact sometimes even without the most basic of dyeing techniques, tooled leather can still look stunning.

When

Due to the nature of the leather required for tooling, it needs to be completed prior to any dyeing, surface finishing etc. Likewise it often needs to take into account the structural design of a piece, where joins may be required, straps and buckles etc be riveted on and so forth, so is generally undertaken after these elements have been set.

Where

Any surface area of a piece can be tooled, almost regardless of size; however tooling can only really be undertaken on natural VegTan leather. This is leather that has been tanned without use of chromium salts and/or other chemicals. It is un-dyed and unfinished therefore capable of being cased, essential for tooling.

Basic Tools

Basic Tooling Skills

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Totally Leathered

Where artistry meets practicality, high quality leather armour & accessories for LRP, Re-enactment, Archery, Film & Equestrian. Also happy to advise, guide & teach people make their own items or source materials, the expertise of Totally Leathered has been drawn on when creating the kit briefs for the Empire nations.

About:

Creating costumes, LRP weapons, armour and props for more than 20 years, I have focused tooled and moulded leather work since 1992. Though specialising in armour and archery equipment I can and have produced everything from masks, watches and books to, of all things, bridlework for a camel.

Whilst most items are custom made with armour being made to measure, designs can be created to specific requirements or along already existing themes or styles. I also have a large range of more basic templates, each of which can be easily customised to a greater or lesser extend depending on individual requirements. This enables me to provide you with a unique piece without incurring the higher costs of totally bespoke work.

Wherever possible I work with untreated VegTan leather and dye the finished items myself. Again, further enabling me to customise otherwise stock items with individual colour combinations.

Contact:

TotallyLeathered@gmail.com

- Totally Leathered Facebook gallery of work.

Example Work

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Touch of Vile Humours

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 25

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 25

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains the ability to call venom once, following the rules for a heroic call. The call can be made with any melee weapon or implement, with the exception of a pike.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 20. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual imbues a character with the ability to deliver a deadly strike that plays havoc with the life-force of their opponent. Using a weapon or implement as a conduit, powers of sickness and disease are released to run rampant through the enemy. While a portion of the power used in this ritual goes towards creating the venomous strike, considerably more goes towards shielding the enchanted individual from the consequences of that strike.

One advantage to the deadly strike granted by the Touch of Vile Humours is that it is equally effective when delivered by an armoured warrior as by a magician in robes or mage armour. The power to disrupt the health of an opponent remains until it is used, or until sunrise.

There are many uses for this ritual, from ensuring the demise of a hated opponent to preventing a husk, zombie or a creature with powerful healing abilities from rising again after it has been defeated, to quickly dispatching a vallornspawn husk.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes poisonous creatures or plants. Some magicians, especially Suaq icewalkers and Navarr vates, anoint the skin or weapons of the target. using blood mixed with poisonous plants or the venom of spiders, scorpions or serpents to create a thick paste reminiscent of oil of blackthorn. Other magicians invoke forces of plague, sickness and fever as they work their magic, viewing the ritual as being more concerned with turning the body of the target against itself.

The performance of this ritual is often subdued. Few magicians can deny that the powers it deals with are insidious, and potentially fatal. There are few uses to which venom can be put that do not result in death, and while the poison itself may be subtle the end result is anything but. Highborn and Freeborn ritualists alike combine solemn, leaden drum-beats with slow, threatening movement and droning chants as they go about performing this ritual. A number of ritualists end the ritual by ceremonially cleansing themselves with fresh water; Urizen magi and Varushkan cabalists alike know the danger of allowing any hint of residual Spring magic to infect them once the ritual is complete.

Other elements might include the runes Rhyv, Naeve or Kyrop (often accompanied by the rune of dominion; the evocation of The Claw or The Drowned Man; a scene in which a potion is brewed or a remedy spilled; or images of serpents, spiders, scorpions, wasps hydra, wyverns. or even chimerae.

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Tournament Stud

Contents

- 1 Queries

- 2 Directions

- 2.1 Site Address

- 2.2 From M40 (south)

- 2.3 From M40 (north)

- 2.4 From M1

- 2.5 By Train

- 2.6 Minibus from Banbury

- 2.7 By Bus or Taxi

- 3 Site regulations

- 3.1 Vehicles

- 3.2 Ground Fires

- 3.3 Rubbish

- 4 Amenities

Queries

For all site related queries about Profound Decisions events at Tournament Stud, please contact Profound Decisions, please do not attempt to contact the site.

Directions

Site Address

Tournament Stud, Syresham Fields Farm, Biddlesden, Brackley, NN13 5TR

From M40 (south)

- Leave the motorway at J10 and take the A43 towards Northampton

- After 10 miles take the exit signposted for Banbury and Syresham (B4525)

- At the roundabout take the first exit

- Take the first right signposted for Syresham

- After less than a mile turn right signposted for Biddlesden and Syresham

- Follow the road for a mile. The site entrance is on the left as the road turns right

From M40 (north)

- Leave the motorway at J11 and take the A422 then B4525 after around a mile

- Follow the B4525 for 10 miles and then turn left signposted for Syresham

- After less than a mile turn right signposted for Biddlesden and Syresham

- Follow the road for a mile and the site entrance is on the left as the road turns right.

From M1

- Leave the motorway at J15a and take the A43 towards the M40

- After about 12 miles take the exit on the left signposted for Biddlesden and Syresham

- At the T-junction turn left and follow the road for a mile. The site entrance is on the left as the road turns right

By Train

The most convenient train station is Banbury (which has good links to London Marylebone and Birmingham).

Minibus from Banbury

Profound Decisions will be running a free minibus service between the site and Banbury train station. This minibus will leave Banbury at 16.30 and 19.30 on Thursday and at 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 17:00 on Friday. Return trips on the last day start from 16:00 until everyone is ferried.

By Bus or Taxi

From Banbury you may also take the Stagecoach 500 bus to Brackley which is 5 miles from the site and then use a local taxi. Taxis include Braxi Taxis (01280 700 600) and Direct Taxi Services (07512 929 297).

Site regulations

Vehicles

The car park is the first field on the left as you enter the site. Please park your car in the first field near the security point and check with the gate crew for further instructions. If weather conditions permit then vehicles may be allowed on the IC field to unload.

Ground Fires

Fires must not be set on the ground, they must only be lit on the oil drums provided or an equivalent that keeps the fire off the ground. Existing fire sites and should be completely extinguished each night. Firewood is available at the site.

Rubbish

Please make sure that all your rubbish is suitably bagged and disposed of in the skip before you leave site. Do not overfill your rubbish bags - more bags are available on request from GOD at any time. The skip is located on the grass verge by the side of the road that leads to GOD. Please ask for directions if you cannot find it.

Amenities

Brackley has a large Tesco store on the southern edge of the town and a Waitrose more centrally. There are various other shops and takeaways in the centre.

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Tower Song

Original tune from the Forth Bridge round, words by Daisy Abbott and Chris Edwards.

I am a merchant prince* of Catazarr, Better than the other ones by far! With every single coin I ever made, I try to put the others in the shade

I built a tower in the sky I buit a tower so high I built a tower taller than the rest To show who's best

When I climbed to the top of my tower so fine I saw another tower slightly taller than mine Next to the others mine looked so small So I'll tear it down and built it twice as tall!

(ruder alt last two lines for adults: A tower of such girth made mine look so slight So I'll tear it down and build it twice the height!)

* can replace with "clever mage", "mountebank" etc.

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Fortify Town defences (Redirected from Town defences)

Defensive improvements required for towns in the League, Marches and Highguard.

Proposed by Mitwold, seconded by Temeschwar.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Date

- 3 Cost

- 4 Progress

- 5 Constitution

- 6 Campaign Outcome

Overview

- Defensive improvements required for towns in The League, The Marches and Highguard

- Passed at 60 Thrones with 13 votes against, money distributed to Senator Mitwold.

Date

- Passed Winter 376YE (Easter 2013)

Cost

- 40 wains of White Granite will provide sufficient fortification to suppress banditry in these regions

- 300 wains of White Granite are required to fortify these regions

Progress

- 40 wains of White Granite presented by Bridget Eastville nee Talbot, Senator for Mitwold in Winter Solstice 2013 downtime

Constitution

- This motion does not follow constitutional protocol

Senate motions should only contain a single item. The motion was not struck down by magistrates at the time and the construction has now begun.

Campaign Outcome

- Banditry in League, Marches and Highguard suppressed

- Meade, Sybela and Mellfort have been partially fortified.

Partial fortification does not confer a military advantage. It is sufficient to redress the banditry problems in those areas, but not sufficient to class as a separate fortification. It would require a total of 260 additional wains of White Granite to complete the three fortifications.

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Trader guidelines

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 No Spaces at Present

- 3 Trader Liaison

- 4 Trade Items

- 4.1 Weapon

- 4.2 Non IC Items

- 4.3 Alcohol

- 4.4 Food

- 5 Set up and Take-down

- 5.1 Arrival

- 5.2 Tents

- 5.3 Costume

- 5.4 Departure

- 6 Electricity

- 6.1 Provision

- 6.2 Usage

- 6.3 Connections

- 6.4 Safety

- 7 Booking and Prices

- 7.1 Account

- 7.2 Price

- 7.3 Pitch Sizes

- 7.4 Trade stall members

- 7.5 VAT Invoices

Overview

These guidelines are for all traders attending Empire events. If you are interested in trading at an Empire event please make sure that you have read these rules carefully.

The trade area is the centre of the event, and includes the main sets built to support the event, such as the tavern and the senate. Most of the rules and regulations for trading at events are designed to ensure that we maintain a high level of immersion in this area.

No Spaces at Present

At present, due to the popularity of the game with players and traders, we are unable to accept any new requests for trade pitches at the event. If you wish to be added to the waiting list for a pitch then please contact us.

Trader Liaison

Our trader liaison exists to help with trading queries between and at events. Their role is to be a first point of contact and ensure that we provide you with effective support so that you can trade successfully at our events. Our current trader liaison is Angel.

Trade Items

Weapon

Please remind all players that they must have weapons, shields, bows and arrows checked by a weapon checker before they use them at the event. They must not assume that an item automatically passes.

Non IC Items

It is perfectly fine to sell items that do not fit the Empire genre at our events, provided they are not on display at the front of the shop. Items that do not fit the game should only be displayed inside your tent or stall.

Alcohol

Traders are not permitted to sell alcohol at events.

Food

It is acceptable to sell cold or preserved food from your stall, but not hot or fresh cooked food. Caterers are covered by different rules and financial arrangements with PD, so traders are not allowed to offer major catering operations at events without prior agreement.

Set up and Take-down

Arrival

You may arrive on site at any time from the Wednesday before the event onwards. Traders are encouraged to come early and have their stalls set up before the players arrive, so there is no charge for early arrival for traders.

Tents

All tents in the IC area must conform to the rules for tents published in the basic costume guidelines. Specifically it is not possible to put dome tents or party tents in the IC area.

Costume

All traders must wear costume that is suitable for the setting while in the IC area.

Departure

You may bring vehicles onto the site and begin taking your stall down as soon as the event ends at 3pm on the last day. Please do not start taking your stall down before this time as it disrupts the event for players.

Electricity

Provision

Generators are not permitted in the IC area so we provide power to all traders with a pitch at the event. The price for this is included in the pitch fee, but you will need to supply your own 25m extension cable. This power is intended to run lights and small low power utility devices - you cannot use our power supply for electrical heating at an event.

Usage

Traders with a small pitch may have up to 200 watts, traders with a large pitch may have up to 400 watts. You cannot run a kettle, toaster or any electrical device that produces heat.

Connections

Do not plug anything into any socket outlet until it has been checked by a member of the Profound Decisions electrical team. Electrical team members can be contacted via GOD or via the event crew on the radio. Remember, there are a lot of traders and it may take a short period of time to get a member of the team to your location.

Safety

If the PD crew electricians are not happy with the safety of a device then you will not be allowed to use it. You will not be able to use the device at the event and will need to secure any such items in your trader vehicle.

Booking and Prices

Account

To trade at our events your account on our website must be approved by our trader liaison. Once that is done you will be able to use the regular website to book tickets and a pitch to trade at events.

Price

Every person who attends a Profound Decisions event must have a valid ticket - this includes yourself (if you are attending the event) and everyone who is working on your stall.

Please see the main Profound Decisions website for ticket prices. In addition you can purchase a pitch in the main trading area in the centre of the site. All normal ticket discounts apply for traders attending an event.

Pitch prices are £15 for a small pitch and £30 for a large pitch if booked during the 'early booking' period. The prices increase to £30 and £50 respectively if booked during the 'late booking period'. We do not accept requests to trade after the late booking period has ended.

Pitch Sizes

A small pitch is up to 20m^2, a large pitch is anything over this size. The size is taken from the sides of the tent, not the footprint of your guy ropes.

Trade stall members

Please contact us to book tickets for staff who are working your pitch. We will add the staff to your booking, which will ensure that your invoice is correct.

VAT Invoices

A VAT invoice is automatically available from your Profound Decisions account for all bookings made using your account.

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Traitor's Fate

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets two willing characters. Each character must be present throughout. Both targets must verbally assent to the use of the ritual.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

At the completion of the ritual, the target characters gain the ability to call IMPALE against each other using any melee-weapon or implement, at will, for the duration.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Description

This powerful binding spell creates a connection between two targets, allowing one of them to seek revenge against the other if they are betrayed. It usually involves an oath or promise, and the understanding that the power of the ritual will be invoked only if one breaks the oath. Unfortunately, due to the nature of WInter magic, the effect is not quite that simple. At it's core, it creates a sense of obligation by empowering both targets to kill the other.

Sometimes a ritualist or coven will use this ritual to arrange someone who can act as an arbiter for an agreement. The ritual is performed twice, and each time it targets a neutral third party and one of the people whose agreement is to be arbiter. This allows the third party to determine if the promise or agreement has been broken, and invoke the 'penalty clause' against the target. When used in this way there is no real limit to how many people may be signatories to the agreement.

The power of the ritual allows either target to inflict crippling, potentially fatal, blows on each other. It is entirely legal to use that effect to capture an actual traitor, or to bring them before a magistrate to face charges for any criminal action they have undertaken. Using the power of this ritual to kill someone is still treated as murder by Imperial magistrates.

A number of other variants of this ritual exist, that deliver differing levels of punishment. The Bargain of Agramant for example allows two individuals the power to inflict a crippling curse of weakness on each other while the Guttering Candle Promise rumoured to be used by certain Temeschwari criminals before that city was purged of their presence and caused a traitor to putrefy and rot in great agony while still alive. Most of these specific curses have fallen out of fashion in favour of this ritual, which simply empowers one to quickly kill or capture a traitor.

A version of this ritual that effects an entire coven also exists, called (slightly ironically) Circle of Trust.

Common Elements

The most common element of this ritual is a bargain, oath or agreement that lays out how the power is to be used. A written contract is often involved, not least because the magic only works if it is clear that both targets are entirely willing and understand what is happening. Blood is often shared or exchanged; in The League a drop of each target's blood is mixed with wine that is then used by each in turn to drink a toast; on The Brass Coast a couple of drops of blood from a cambion ritualist mixed with fruit-juice serve the same purpose. Some brutal covens, especially among the Navarr and Varushka finish the ritual by having each target strike the other, crippling a limb, as a stark reminder of what will happen if the power of the curse is invoked.

This ritual is often performed at sunset, or at night, and is usually performed in private. Some covens (and targets) like to have an Imperial Magistrate present to ensure.that everything is above board.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Traitor%27s_Fate&oldid=31261"

Transcendent Mastery

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Day Magnitude 45

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Day Magnitude 45

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the magician skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains the ability to cast all the spells known to Imperial magicians as if they knew them.

They also experience a series of powerful roleplaying effects:

- They feel full of exotic knowledge, as if the secrets of the universe were just on the tip of their tongue.

- They feel a strong urge to use their knew magical knowledge to solve all problems.

- They have a voracious appetite for new information, especially factual information.

- They feel buoyed up, as if they are filled to bursting with an invisible power. They feel as if at any moment, if they relax or lose control, they might rise off the ground or explode in a burst of radiant possibilities.

This can all be very distracting.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 25. Additional characters must have the magician skill and be present throughout.

Description

The rituals Illuminate the Higher Mind and Ascendance of the Highest Mind allow ritualists to share knowledge. This potent ritual goes one better - it draws magical knowledge out of nowhere and pours it into the mind of the target. Some magicians believe this is the cumulative knowledge of all the magicians of the Empire, or perhaps even the world; others claim that the knowledge is drawn from somewhere in the Day Realm, or from one or more Day Eternals - perhaps the Great Library of Phaleron or it's attendants. The most disappointing element of the ritual, as many magicians have lamented, is that it does not enhance the number of spells they can cast. Magicians under the effect of Transcendant Mastery often develop an insatiable appetite for mana crystals to fuel their desire to cast as many incantations as possible.

This ritual is very expensive, and difficult to perform. The most common use is to allow one or more ritualists access to spells the coven do not know that are desperately valuable. A group of ritualists with no knowledge of spells such as heal or purify can gain access to those valuable incantations in desperate need. Likewise, a group of otherwise ineffectual scholar-librarians under threat can gain the entire suite of offensive spells in one swoop, provided they have access to enoughj crystals of mana.

Common Elements

The ritual involves the invocation of an outside agency. The target often wears a robe of fine silk, perhaps dyed with iridescent gloaming, and often dons a circlet or crown at the culmination to represent mastery of magic. Scrolls of incantations are commonly used, but any written material may serve as a conduit for the magical knowledge the coven seeks. A group of Urizen magicians might use mirrors and crystals to focus beams of light onto the target while invoking their own magic, while a coven of Freeborn or Imperial orc magicians may engage in a frenzied spinning dance with pounding music to try and elevate the target to a higher state of consciousness.

Invocations to legendary magicians and scholars, especially those who are exemplars or paragons are often included; the idea that the ritual draws on the collective knowledge of humanity is a powerful one. Highborn magisters are likely to try and encourage the target to access their previous lives in which they may have been magicians, while orcs will similarly call on the ancestors to fill a shaman with their power. Obviously, invocations of powerful Day Eternals are also common, as are the runes Aesh and Hirmok.

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Transmogrification of the Soul's Echo

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 60

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 60

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. This target must be willing. If they are unwilling or unaware of the general nature of the ritual, their mind remains closed and the ritual fails.

Effects

This ritual permanently changes the personality of the target character.

- This can be a subtle alteration or a full 'rewrite' of their nature, goals, aims, beliefs and behaviour.

- The changes may be as sweeping or minor as the target desires, and seem perfectly natural to the target from that point onwards.

- The character still remembers who they are and what they did before; memories do not change.

- They remain physically the same person; their lineage, gender and appearance do not change.

- Their abilities do not change.

- Everything else from the kind of food they like or dislike to their core beliefs can be changed with immediate effect.

The decision about what elements of personality are changed and in what way is left in the hands of the target; the coven performing the ritual may try to influence these changes, but the final decision is up to the target.

In addition to giving the target character a new personality, this ritual is effective at permanently removing lower-magnitude curses that effect the emotions or mind of the target.

Description

The apogee of alchemy - the 'Great Work' - is often said to be more than the process of turning orichalcum into green iron. Rather it is sometimes seen as being the same transformative effect rendered on the very soul, transmuting the fabric of the person into something new. This ritual can be compared to an alchemical change wrought upon a living mind, rather than gross materials.

Characters who undergo this ritual sometimes take a new name, but it is not mandatory. Those who have experienced the change describe their earlier life as being like a dream, from which they have suddenly awoken. Many students of Night lore claim that the new personality is the character a person might have had if they had made different choices at key points, or chosen to unravel their skein in a different way. Others say that the person who undergoes it becomes essentially a new person, and treat them as such - although it must be noted that Imperial law makes no distinction between the identity of a person before and after this ritual and claims that the old person no longer exists are generally dismissed out of hand.

Some people react quite badly on discovering the new identity of someone they thought they knew; on one occasion a woman attempted to bring a coven before magistrates on charges of having murdered her brother and replaced him with some sort of Night-spawned doppelganger. The case was dismissed, but the ritual continues to have a slightly shady reputation. Occasionally friends and relatives claim that the ritual has been used as a form of brainwashing, to force changes on a loved one; magical scholars are usually called on to give evidence that the ritual affects only willing targets.

Some theologians have questioned how the ritual works, and what implications it might have for one's soul; how one's past deeds effect one's path through the Labyrinth if the person who performed them no longer exists; and whether someone who has chosen their identity can be truly virtuous. There are even those who go so far as to suggest the 'new' personality is nothing more than a spirit from the Night realm possessing the body of someone whose spirit has been displaced during the ritual.

This ritual is quite expensive to perform, and is rarely used simply to change someone's mind. It sees much more use as a method of treating curses that disturb the thoughts or passions of a victim; even then it is much more likely to be used to counter a devastating effect such as All the World in a Grain of Sand than a comparatively mild curse such as Unfettered Anarchy. When used in this way, the ritualists focus on the nature of the curse, and the target leaves the rest of their personality as-is. On some occasions when the ritual is used to end a curse, the target still awakens to find that not only has the curse gone but some minor element of their personality has changed as well; they like a type of food they disliked before, or now find a piece of music they previously enjoyed to be intolerable. Most Night ritualists just shrug and point out that the ritual only changes things that the target wants to change; sometimes people don't realise how much they want to change things.

Common Elements

The ritual often involves the target symbolically dying, so that a new personality can be born. Funereal elements appropriate to culture might be used, especially shrouds and clothing associated with the dead. Many rituals make use of narcotics, sedatives or mild poisons to relax the target. The target is often encouraged to consider their previous identity to be a dream, and that when they awaken they will have changed. Sometimes the ritualists describe the changes the character will undergo (although they are doing this to help the target change, not dictating what those changes will be). Butterflies and frogs are a common image used, as is the profound ability of fire to change things from one state to another.

Masks or items that represent the personality or identity are often used, and may be shattered during the ritual. Sometimes multiple mirrors are used to capture the reflection of the target as they describe the person they wish to be. The name of the Eternal Soghter is sometimes evoked during this ritual, although there is an unproven superstition that doing so increases the chance that the target's children will become naga.

The Xun rune is often invoked with this ritual, as is the rune of passion.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Transmogrification_of_the_Soul%27s_Echo&oldid=34989"

Treggajoran Wartha

Version by Madrigirls here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbO4k6ISHSk Arr. Florence MacDonald & Katy Cooper.

Down in the town of Treggajoran Wartha Cumes on Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Johnny Bucca lived Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Lived with his lovely daughter

Two merry geeks came asking to court her Cumes on Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Two merry geeks Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Came asking to court her

Wined her and dined her on ale and porter Cumes on Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Wined her and dined Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Her on ale and porter

Jenny took turns walking out along the water Cumes on Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Jenny took turns Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Walking out along the water

Showed each the ring the other one had bought her Cumes on Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Showed each the ring Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan The other one had bought her

Buy a bigger ring each one he thought he ought to Cumes on Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Buy a bigger ring Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Each one he thought he ought to

Gathering up the rings Jenny gave no quarter Cumes on Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Gathering up the rings Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Jenny gave no quarter

Said she'd marry whichever was the shorter Cumes on Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Said she'd marry Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Whichever was the shorter

Poor little man he wished he'd never caught her Cumes on Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Poor little man Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Wished he'd never caught her

Down in the town of Treggajoran Wartha Cumes on Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Johnny Bucca lived Jenny Jo Jenny Jinny Jan Lived with his lovely daughter

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Treggajoran_Wartha&oldid=3612"

Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a crafted item that must be present throughout, which is placed in an opaque container.

Effects

This ritual targets a crafted item (almost invariably an item that has been made by an artisan). The item must be placed in an opaque container and disappears at the completion of the ritual.

At some point after the ritual has been completed, a number of phials of blood will appear in the place of the crafted item. The number of vials gained, and the potency of the blood they contain, will depend on the quality and amount of magic remaining in the items sacrificed.

Vials of blood gained during this ritual can be used during in place of crystal mana. Once a vial is opened, all the blood is consumed in a single ritual but can be split between multiple casters if needed due to the limits of ritual lores..

The blood has no use in spellcasting, or in the rituals of other realms.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional crafted items. Every additional item increases the magnitude by 2. Additional items must be present throughout.

Description

The Eternals of The Thrice-cursed Court are known to despise things which are beautiful, strong or untainted. The most bitter and jealous of that twisted trio is the Hag-queen, and it is her name that is most commonly invoked with this ritual. Concerns have been expressed that this ritual in some way feeds to the power of these Winter Eternals, but it seems that the court simply revels in the destruction of things that others have spent care and effort fashioning, feasting on the magic and the beauty of the item as a mortal might feast on the meat of an animal.

It is difficult to predict the amount of blood - and thus effective crystal mana - that will be recouped from this spell. It is clear that the more ingots or measures of special Materials have gone into the item, the more mana is gained, The remaining power of the item is also a significant element - the more months of power left in the item, the better the return of mana. The vials of blood appear to retain their properties until they are consumed.

A little over a century ago the Freeborn scholar Serval i Riqueza of the Unfettered Mind received the support of the Imperial Conclave to pursue experiments with this ritual to see if he could work out how highly the Thrice-cursed valued the items they were sent. In his presentation a year later, he unveiled an rough equation that he said gave a broad idea of how much blood would be recovered. He cautioned that the equation was not precise, and that he had received a few anomalous results. He asked for more crystal mana to continue his experiments, and some money with which to buy enchanted items; he was turned down at that time, and no further official research has taken place. Serval himself disappeared shortly after, apparently while seeking an audience with the Thrice-cursed to inquire more directly about this ritual.

Some scholars caution against using items that are bonded to living people, although whether this is actually dangerous or just a result of the suspicion with which the Thrice-cursed are viewed is unclear.

This ritual is intended to send magic items to the Thrice-cursed Court. It will send other items to these Eternals, but this never results in vials of blood being returned to the casters, and the indication is that the Thrice-cursed are free to do with the item whatever they desire.

At the Spring Equinox 378YE, the Eternal Surut was declared to be an enemy of the Empire with the Declaration of Enmity. Until that emnity is revoked, this ritual is considered to be interdicted. It is a crime to cast this ritual. While some magicians have argued that the ritual involves multiple Eternals, the fact remains that it specifically sends magic items to all three Thrice-cursed, which means that it is impossible to perform without involving Surat.

Common Elements

This ritual may be performed as an offering, but many magicians prefer to view it as a trade or exchange, invoking the rune of bargains and using mercantile language. The container of items to be exchanged is often placed within a triangle inscribed on the ground, or covered with a cloth marked with a triangle in the case of smaller containers. Sometimes the crafted item is scattered with a few drops of blood, or ritually purified of any connection to living people with fresh water (and sometimes the create bond spell).

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Triumphant Blade

Description

A Triumphant Blade is a popular enchanted weapon, used throughout the Empire in various forms. A heroic individual may enhance their reservoir of inner strength directly, but with a little effort anyone can benefit from the fire the weapon kindles in their soul. In addition to allowing even the meekest senator to stand firm in the face of malign spiritual presences, it is sometimes coupled with other enchanted items such as Mediator's Mail to serve as a mystical 'power source' for the second item.

A Dawnish triumphant blade often bears the rune Tykonus, while a Winterfolk-forged axe or sword is just as likely to bear Gralm or Ull, the runes associated with fate and chance. In Varushka, a Schlacta's Axe is a popular weapon bought by rich Boyars for their favoured captains, while the The Brass Coast and officers of the Free Companies of the league alike are known to favour beautifully crafted and decorated triumphant blades as marks of office.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed weapon.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You gain one additional hero point.

- Materials: Crafting a triumphant blade requires ten units of green iron and three ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“You 'ear about ole crazy Nicholas, over in Gauk, that small village, the one by the bend with the tree what looks like ‘orse? Yeah him. That one what reads all them books ‘n’ all that ‘bout things whats ‘appened years back?”

The Marcher wiped a patch of ale foam from his beard before continuing.

“Well ‘e say Feni up ‘n’ raided his farm so they did, reckons they was in after all his books ‘n’ that cos it hadn’t stopped raining for a month and there weren’t a dry twig in all o’the Empire. Reckons they was gunna use ‘em all for burnin. Well ole Nicholas said ‘e weren’t ‘aving none o’it. Said ‘e picked up his old log-axe made by his mam it was, back when we ‘ad all them good berries that year. They said she ‘ad a bit o’summer blood in her, funny way o’looking at ya she ‘ad.

"Anyway, ‘e reckons he chased off three o’the buggers with naught but an ale tankard to cover ‘is modesty. Reckons he knocked the biggest one clean off ‘is feet an’ near split him in two, t’others ran off tail between their legs, tall as a barn door ‘e said the Feni was, said that the ole summer magic his mam mixed in the axe-wood what ‘elped him. That’s what ‘e says anyway”

The man finished speaking and returned to his drink, his companion screwed up his face for a moment, taking in the details of the story and scratching his head in contemplation before asking a question.

“So….’owd he keep his tankard on?”

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Triumphant_Blade&oldid=31983"

Trod

Overview

The trods were created as a weapon but in the fullness of time their value to nurture the land through which they pass and the people that use them has been realised by the Imperial Conclave.

As a striding migrates along the trods the unconstrained Spring Magic which is the heart of the vallorn is slowly leached away. The longer the trod and the larger the striding the greater the effect. However, this magic is not just bled into the ether but is returned to the land and in some small way the people that travel the trod.

A trod starts and ends at a Vallorn. As a vallorn grows more powerful as the Navarr advance closer to its heart, successive generations have needed to travel further to weaken it sufficiently before any attack is attempted.

Stridings routinely move from trod to trod, to ensure as much of the vallorn's life-force is depleted before they attempt the dangerous journey back towards the vallorn.

At the fall of Terunael the unstoppable advance of the Orc foe made this task virtually impossible. The founding of the Empire was the beginning of a sea-change in the Navarr ability to fight the vallorn.

People that that use trods, some of which have become well worn roads, feel refreshed each morning as if they had spend a night in the finest beds.

In addition the land near a trod is often noticeably fertile and the crops on land through which a trod passes seems much less prone to disease.

New trods can be created; however, it takes a great ritual and no new trods have been pioneered since 282 YE. With the recovery in 378YE of The Dance of Navarr and Thorn - a powerful ritual from pre-Imperial times - the Navarr once again have access to the potent tool neccessary to create trods. The ritual text also laid out several of the theories behind the trods, how they worked and their ultimate effect. The Imperial Conclave agreed to place the ritual into Imperial lore, ensuring that it would not be lost as long as the Empire lasted.

Damaged Trods

As of the start of Winter 378YE, the Navarr know that the trods in Reikos have been seriously damaged by the actions of Druj magicians. The trods in Spiral, Mournwold and Segura are likewise severely deteriorated due to long-term barbarian dominance of those territories, and in need of repair. The trods in Karsk are badly frayed and beginning to break down - the near constant back and forth of the last few years has made it very difficult to keep them operable. Unless Karsk remains in Imperial hands for a significant period, they will have deteriorated to the point where they will need to be repaired. Finally, and perhaps most worryingly, the trods in Liathaven have almost entirely unravelled due to nearly thirty years of Jotun dominance; until they are restored to full strength, the power of the vallorn in that territory will not be depleted at all by the walking of the trods.

The Barrens, never having been Imperial territory, have never had a proper trod network - rumours exist of a few tenuous paths that may have been created or used by the Navarr in historical times, but there is little sign of them today.

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Trod (Redirected from Trods)

Overview

The trods were created as a weapon but in the fullness of time their value to nurture the land through which they pass and the people that use them has been realised by the Imperial Conclave.

As a striding migrates along the trods the unconstrained Spring Magic which is the heart of the vallorn is slowly leached away. The longer the trod and the larger the striding the greater the effect. However, this magic is not just bled into the ether but is returned to the land and in some small way the people that travel the trod.

A trod starts and ends at a Vallorn. As a vallorn grows more powerful as the Navarr advance closer to its heart, successive generations have needed to travel further to weaken it sufficiently before any attack is attempted.

Stridings routinely move from trod to trod, to ensure as much of the vallorn's life-force is depleted before they attempt the dangerous journey back towards the vallorn.

At the fall of Terunael the unstoppable advance of the Orc foe made this task virtually impossible. The founding of the Empire was the beginning of a sea-change in the Navarr ability to fight the vallorn.

People that that use trods, some of which have become well worn roads, feel refreshed each morning as if they had spend a night in the finest beds.

In addition the land near a trod is often noticeably fertile and the crops on land through which a trod passes seems much less prone to disease.

New trods can be created; however, it takes a great ritual and no new trods have been pioneered since 282 YE. With the recovery in 378YE of The Dance of Navarr and Thorn - a powerful ritual from pre-Imperial times - the Navarr once again have access to the potent tool neccessary to create trods. The ritual text also laid out several of the theories behind the trods, how they worked and their ultimate effect. The Imperial Conclave agreed to place the ritual into Imperial lore, ensuring that it would not be lost as long as the Empire lasted.

Damaged Trods

As of the start of Winter 378YE, the Navarr know that the trods in Reikos have been seriously damaged by the actions of Druj magicians. The trods in Spiral, Mournwold and Segura are likewise severely deteriorated due to long-term barbarian dominance of those territories, and in need of repair. The trods in Karsk are badly frayed and beginning to break down - the near constant back and forth of the last few years has made it very difficult to keep them operable. Unless Karsk remains in Imperial hands for a significant period, they will have deteriorated to the point where they will need to be repaired. Finally, and perhaps most worryingly, the trods in Liathaven have almost entirely unravelled due to nearly thirty years of Jotun dominance; until they are restored to full strength, the power of the vallorn in that territory will not be depleted at all by the walking of the trods.

The Barrens, never having been Imperial territory, have never had a proper trod network - rumours exist of a few tenuous paths that may have been created or used by the Navarr in historical times, but there is little sign of them today.

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Trodwalker's Readiness

Description

The warrior with magical abilitites, or the magician with the confidence and inner fire to be a true hero both benefit from the use of these arcane weapons. Both weapon and implement are often marked with mirrored spirals, or designs reminiscent of the trods that the Navarr walk.

There are many stories that suggest that the weapons occasionally channel additional strength to their wielders when they are employed in the vicinity of a trod, although there may be other explanations for this phenomenon (if it even exists - all the evidence so far is anecdotal). Obscure stories from the earliest days of the pre-Imperial Navarr suggest that these weapons were wielded by some form of elite Terunael champion, one who embraced both warfare and arcane study. There is some evidence to support this - relic hunters have uncovered more than one sets of these weapons in old burial grounds or vallorn choked ruins. Presumably, the items went by a different name in the days before the trods were established.

These weapons are not common in the Empire - the skills needed to use them are rare. One must not only possess personal discipline and magical skills, but also the training needed to do something useful with that discipline and magic before one can get good use out of these items. They are somewhat more common in the hands of Urizen magicians who fight alongside the sentinels.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of a one-handed weapon and either a rod or a wand.

- Requirement: You must have both the ambidexterity and magician skills to bond to these items.

- Effect: You gain one additional hero point and one additional point of personal mana.

- Materials: Crafting the trodwalker's readiness requires five measures of dragonbone, eight ingots of green iron, five measures of iridescent gloaming, five ingots of orichalcum and five ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make a pair of these items.

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Trogoni

The trogoni are somewhat humanoid creatures with insect-like traits that live deep underground.They are most commonly encountered in the mountains of Urizen (and presumably Skoura and Axos), but are not solely found in the south-eastern peaks. They are significantly less common in the mountains of northern Wintermark and Varushka. Some miners report creatures that sound very similar to trogoni attacking and infesting tempest jade mines, feasting on the raw tempest jade. There are also occasional reports of the Thule barbarians employing monstrous beasts that sound a lot like magically altered trogoni. Whether these are the same species or a related species is not clear.

What makes trogoni a problem is that they seem to be drawn to areas where mana is focused; they attack mana sites, consuming the mana crystals and then seeming to feed on the magical flows. While they do not seem to deplete the magical energy flows, their feasting can prevent the formation of crystal mana while they are present; they can also accidentally destroy any improvements attached to the mana site. The more powerful the mana site, the more trogoni are likely to gather there. A pack of trogoni will defend a captured mana site with rabid intensity.

They seem to possess a natural sense for magical energy, and have been observed charging towards and attacking anyone who performs an incantation in their vicinity. On the few occasions they have been exposed to ritual magic. they apparently enter a berserk frenzy attacking everyone and everything nearby in an effort to overwhelm the ritual. presumably to feast on the mana crystals used in performing the ritual. When they are encountered outside a mana site, they are drawn to consume any mana crystals they can find. They seem to have no interest in crafted items, but some scholars theorize that they are capable of consuming and drawing sustenance from the power of ritual enchantments.

The trogoni do not seem to eat conventional food, and do not kill animals or people to feast on them. Indeed, when there is no magic in their vicinity they are not especially hostile - they will warn off intruders or threats, but do not attack unless provoked or they detect the presence of mana crystals or magical spells.

A single trogon is usually a match for an armoured warrior or two. They possess a tough carapace and savage rending claws (capable of shattering shields into splinters and even digging slowly through raw stone). The majority are around human sized, but there are reports of occasional encounters with much larger creatures. They seem to possess only animal intelligence, and lack the ability to engage in anything other than simple animal tactics. To date nobody has reported an encounter with an immature trogoni, and it is not known how the creatures reproduce.

The trogoni are rarely used in heraldry, but are occasionally adopted as symbols by groups who are skeptical of or hostile to magic, such as Threshers.

Trogoni in Play

Trogoni are occasionally are a threat to isolated mana sites or tempest jade mines. Trogoni do not form massive swarms; a pack is likely to number between three and a dozen or so, although larger groups are not unknown. It is quite acceptable to have encountered and killed trogoni in your background, or to have lost resources to a trogoni attack; a background involving the domestication or breeding of trogoni is not likely to be approved however.

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Trollhammer

Description

A trollhammer is a massive two-handed weapon, usually a mace or hammer, that strikes with such concussive force that it temporarily stuns both the target and the wielder.

A common misconception about this weapon is that it is named a Trollhammer because it is a weapon used to kill trolls. While this may be the case, the fact of the matter is that the early Winterfolk first encountered these weapons in the hands of the trolls, and only used them against them at the point where they took them away from their previous owners ... Fully grown trolls can wield such a hammer in only one hand, and are seemingly unaffected by the weapon's malign powers. Stories of the final battles tell of troll champions who used these weapons to devastating effect, crushing all who came before them until eventually they were overwhelmed by sheer weight of numbers. Legend states that the original Trollhammers did not afflict their wielder, but that the dying trolls called down a curse upon the weapons their enemies had stolen from them - these are surely fanciful accounts embroidered by scops to make better sagas.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a two-handed weapon.

- Requirement: You must have the Weapon Master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to call PARALYSE when you strike with this weapon. You are also affected by PARALYSIS when you use this ability.

- Materials: Crafting a trollhammer requires ten ingots of tempest jade. six ingots of ambergelt and six measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

A duelling form that saw some brief popularity in Temeschwar employed two opponents with Trollhammers fighting in a ring. The amusing interludes where both combatants were locked in position, glowering at each other, provided a novel series of stages to allow further betting and commentary on form. It was also a boon to artists who used the frozen tableaux to fully capture the drama and savagery of a duel. In the end the fickle butterfly of League fashion flapped its wings, and the Trollhammer Bouts were simply no longer the done thing. The remaining Trollhammers were bought up cheap by the unscrupulous Signeur, Ugo Berensky, who used them to equip a virtual suicide unit for his Free Company, employing the poor and desperate to run ahead of his own soldiers and paralyse the enemy.

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Trollslayer's Crescent

Description

A trollslayer's crescent is a massive great-axe, usually forged with a sweeping crescent blade. They were first wielded in the short war with the trolls, and according to legend the heroes among the first Steinr fell from the heavens with these weapons in their hands. The earliest sagas claim that three of these axes were crafted of "star-stuff" - possibly a reference to the use of ilium in their forging - and that two of them were given as gifts to the warleaders of the Suaq and Kallavesi warriors before the final battle. If these weapons are anything more than mythical, their locations today are unknown.

Indeed, most stories associated with these weapons verge on the mythical. Though the receipe can be sought out by any determined smith, the cost is so great than few are made. The ancient Vard hero Vesna, a Briar warrior of unmatched skill and a forerunner to the wardens, is said to have used one of these great axes to cut both heads off a particularly vicious chimera which plagued the mountains of Volodmartz. In Dawn, these blades are known as Summer Sickle, a reference to legends of three great knights who quested into the Summer Realm to slay three of the most fearsome beasts they could find there, each armed with huge two-handed swords of green iron.

Some combination of the runes of Summer tend to be inlaid into the hilt in weltsilver and orichalcum, but Hirmok, the rune of dominion, is also used to represent the triumph of the human spirit over any obstacle. Perhaps once in a lifetime, one will be made using Zorech, the rune of passion, for a hero who is pursuing some vendetta or loses themselves in the madness of battle, but such weapons are seen as so unruly that they may as well be cursed.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a two-handed weapon.

- Requirement: You must have the Weapon Master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You gain two additional hero points.

- Materials: Crafting a trollslayer's crescent requires twenty-one ingots of green iron. ten ingots of weltsilver, five ingots of orichalcum and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The gift was laid before the Thane. A mighty axe, blade shimmering with irridescent colours, a weapon for a hero. "Saga! Saga! Saga!" the bannermen called, slamming the pommels of their knives on the oak board.

The scop stood up, took his harp in hand, and a silence fell in the hall.

"Star-fallen Steinr-folk, war-makers, earth-shakers,

landing like mountains, and girded with blood.

Blade-wielding warriors, life-takers, line-breakers,

fighting like Artok, as deadly and strong.

Death-dealing axes-bright, star-metalled, blood-guzzlers,

rainbow-like bladed, so keen-edged and sharp.

Long-ago troll-slaying, monster-fell ancestors,

nation-like following, down ages of time."

Verse after verse came, in praise of the first heroes, and the nation of Steinr, the formation of Wintermark and of all that had come since, verses added with every new tale that the hall told of its heroes. Then the scop turned to the visitors, and in particular to a burn-scarred figure who had stayed at the back.

"Hard-hammering, cold-quenching, white-forging weapon-craft,

tablet-like twisting, builds blade fast as light.

Mistress of runesmiths-work, bone-carver, iron-worker,

Karlsdottir, crafter, the finest of smiths.

Long-toiling effort makes greatest of greatest gifts,

Trollslayers crescent, blade bonded for war!

Mighty makes mightier, great Kolti Koltisson,

Hero stands taller, the thane of our hall."

The entire hall erupted as the rune-smith bowed, her name remembered now for as a long as the hall should endure. The scop smiled. Maybe it wasn't his best work, but he'd polish it later. After this much beer had flowed, no-one ever remembered the new verses anyway.

But they all knew the last one, always the last and always shouted by everyone, passed down the line of scops who had sung in this hall since the Empire was founded. This was not a verse for harp, this was a verse for hammered tables and smashed drinking horns.

"Axe-ready glory-torn, Wintermark newly-born,

bonded like sword-edge, a nation for war.

Ice-crafty Suaq-scouts, Steinr-line weapons high,

storm-crows amongst us, wise Kallavesi.

First Empress came to us, Wisdom she spoke to us

Empire like thanes-hall, nine nations as one.

Soul-singing, gathered here, heroes of Kolti's hall!

These are our stories, they say who we are."

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Trollsweave Vest

Description

The cloth used to make these sturdy pieces of clothing is woven with weltsiver threads and stiffered with ambergelt resin - a type of cloth called trollsweave by the Winterfolk. The hems are often intricately decorated with the rune Rhyv, in the Varushkan style, symbolising both healing and the wearer’s sacrifice of more protective garb in favour of these robes. While other magical robes are often long and dramatic, these vests tend to be shorter to prevent them hindering the wearer on the battlefield when seconds can make all the difference in saving a life.

These valuable tunics are favoured by heroic magician-healers who move quickly through the heart of the battle in search of those hovering on the brink of death who cannot wait for the attentions of a chirurgeon. This ability, to pull a patient back from the very edge of life, has lead to the vest being called a “gravesnatcher’s shroud” in the League, and to skilled battlefield healers sometimes being called gravesnatchers.

Some scholars claim that the intense burst of Spring magic delivered through the use of these robes has a greater chance of causing the latent Briar lineage to manifest in a patient. Several notable Stargazers have publicly dismissed this theory, but those with strong prejudices against briars are leery about the use of this garment.

When combined with a Woundbinder wand, the two items together are sometimes called the warhealer's regalia or occasionally the chirurgeon's tools.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: When you cast the heal spell, you can do so in 5 seconds rather than 10 seconds.

- Materials: Crafting healer's attire requires eight ingots of weltsilver and eight measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

warhealer's regalia....

"But that can't have been the vest. They don't *do* that!"

"A trifling detail!"

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Troubadour

A troubadour is a Dawnish priest who uses poetry, storytelling and song to recount the deeds of glorious heroes, both living and dead.

There exists an informal relationship between troubadours and the people, and generally fairly little ceremony between them. The tales recounted by troubadours often include reference to their hero or heroine's mistakes, follies, and even defeats before they reach the conclusion. A good troubadour wants their audience to identify with the subject of the verse and if they romanticize the tales a little, the goal is to make their subject seem glorious, not perfect.

Troubadours in the largest Dawn houses tend to study the history of their house's own heroes alongside the tales and legends of the paragons. The best are adept at creating recitals that leave the listener in no doubt about the divine provenance of the house's heroes. Some in the Imperial Synod consider this mix of personal history with official canon to be nothing short of blasphemous, but the Dawnish vigorously defend their traditions and their troubadours are careful to avoid ever explicitly claiming paragon status for a hero without the sanction of the Synod.

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Troubadour's Tunic

Description

A troubadour's tunic or a sutannir's coat (in Dawn and The Brass Coast respectively) is a beautiful, ornamented priestly garment that empowers ceremonies to both laud the virtuous and mark the unvirtuous. In Highguard and parts of The League it is known as a chorister's vestment and is considered a fine piece of clothing for a priest with a strong presence and a rousing voice. Both Navarr and Varushkan priests favour a more subdued coat, with a brightly coloured and decorated interior - not because they are modest, or afraid of calling attention to themselves, but because it allows them to move among the people unremarked until they are ready to declare what they have learnt about the deeds of their fellows.

A troubadour's tunic appeals both to those priests who judge the behaviour of others, and those who wish to inspire and recognise the deeds of the faithful. There are some who are suspicious of priests who take it on themselves to mark the souls of others; while there are some sinister individuals who deserve that suspicion, there are many more priests who expound the value of recognition and encouragement rather than punishment.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may perform or contribute to a testimony ceremony without expending any liao. You must be able to perform the Testimony ceremony to use this ability.

- Materials: Crafting a cowl of judgement requires seven ingots of orichalcum, three measures of dragonbone and three measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Troubadour (Redirected from Troubadours)

A troubadour is a Dawnish priest who uses poetry, storytelling and song to recount the deeds of glorious heroes, both living and dead.

There exists an informal relationship between troubadours and the people, and generally fairly little ceremony between them. The tales recounted by troubadours often include reference to their hero or heroine's mistakes, follies, and even defeats before they reach the conclusion. A good troubadour wants their audience to identify with the subject of the verse and if they romanticize the tales a little, the goal is to make their subject seem glorious, not perfect.

Troubadours in the largest Dawn houses tend to study the history of their house's own heroes alongside the tales and legends of the paragons. The best are adept at creating recitals that leave the listener in no doubt about the divine provenance of the house's heroes. Some in the Imperial Synod consider this mix of personal history with official canon to be nothing short of blasphemous, but the Dawnish vigorously defend their traditions and their troubadours are careful to avoid ever explicitly claiming paragon status for a hero without the sanction of the Synod.

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Troupe

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Magical heritage

- 3 Creating a troupe

- 4 Playing a troupe member

- 5 Helpful Questions

- 6 Stock archetypes

- 6.1 The Rivers and their Qualities

- 6.2 The Cities

- 6.3 Other Common Archetypes

- 7 Using Dramaturgy

Introduction

Troupes are magical groups found in The League who perform rituals through a tradition of theatrical performance called dramaturgy. A member of a troupe is commonly referred to as an actor even if they do not technically perform on a stage. Internally, a troupe may have all sorts of titles and names, often drawing from theatrical traditions (so a character who works to bring in business for the troupe or presents it in public might be called a barker internally, while someone who organises rituals and encourages practice might be a director).

Magic is a commodity in The League, and magicians are skilled professionals who deliver their services for a steep fee. The troupes are rare - and effective - enough that they can charge high prices for their magic if they choose to do so, and a successful troupe enjoys a lavish lifestyle. Some troupes prefer to perform their magic as they see fit, rather than sell their prowess to the highest bidder, and instead make money through the quality of their theatrical performances. Some actors talk about "the Art and the art", meaning that both theatre and magic are arts and that one is more important than the other. Most agree that the "Art" is magic and the "art" is theatre, but this is by no means a universal interpretation.

Many troupes cultivate relationships with a specific patron or patrons, usually a powerful guild, free company or church, sometimes going so far as to offer their services exclusively to these patrons in return for regular support. Even troupes with patrons usually choose to maintain a degree of independence however - after all no troupe wants to be bound to a faded star, or be brought down alongside their patron if they can avoid it.

Some troupes insist new members swear an oath of secrecy upon joining - the precise details of this oath change between troupes, but the principles are often the same - to protect its members and (most importantly) its secrets. Many troupes are rivals, after all, and being able to offer a rare ritual or knowing a magical secret that can give them an edge is very important.

In addition to magical activities, troupes usually stage plays and other performances, which can prove to be quite lucrative if they are entertaining, impressive or challenging enough for the picky League theatregoers. Some free companies will employ a troupe to improve morale, or to tell great deeds of their exploits in battle. Some churches, too, will employ troupes to perform morality plays, explaining the Imperial Virtues to the layperson, or depicting the lives of Exemplars and Paragons. Just as often, the theatrical performances are an adjunct to the real reason for employing the troupe, which usually involves magic.

It is quite common for a troupe to be paid to craft a short play or piece of verse about a prominent individual who wants some good publicity - or to try and manipulate public opinion against such an individual's political enemies with scandalous allegations, lampoons highlighting their buffoonery and obvious satires. The theatre is a political world in The League, as much as anywhere else.

"I swear to keep the secrets of the Black Dragon Troupe, to tell nothing of my comrades' arts, to protect all of my brothers and sisters from harm and to work only for the good of the troupe, sound in the knowledge that they will do the same for me."

Traditional Oath of the Black Dragon Troupe

Magical heritage

More information on the League theatrical magic style can be found in the section about dramaturgy.

The troupes work their magic through drama and ritual performance. Their rituals almost always involve elements of movement, the recitation of speeches, and the portrayal of a situation related to the nature of the magic performed. Some troupes work in verse, others improvise and interact with the audience; some use grand costume while others prefer a more simple approach with simply decorated masks and everyday clothes. Whilst there are grand troupes who specialise in doing long and elaborate shows around their magic, the majority of ritual performances are much shorter.

Rituals are woven into plays through the use of key words or movements. Rarely do they look like a magical ritual to an onlooker, because part of the approach is about concealing the real magic beneath a veneer of performance. That is not to say that a troupe might not weave a performance similar to the scene between Shakespeare's Macbeth and the three witches - but that same performance with a few modifications might be used as part of a scrying ritual, a curse or even the bestowal of some sort of boon on an ambitious individual.

The actor becomes a conduit for something else when he or she performs a theatrical ritual. Almost without fail, League rituals are performed while wearing a mask. This has a twofold advantage; it reinforces the presence of the character one is depicting, and it conceals or protects one's true identity from potential mistakes, jealous Eternals or anything else.

A common style for ritual performance is something akin to the theatre of Ancient Greece - two or three characters in masks engage in dialogue with one another, creating the scene through words, stylised gestures and the use of simple props. Other members of the troupe form the chorus, focusing or enhancing the scene unfolding between the main characters. This is a somewhat archaic form of theatrical expression, and sets magical ritual apart from the more intricate, longer and somewhat more informal Shakespearean feel of mundane performances.

Even though the theatrical style benefits from an audience, it doesn't absolutely demand one. A ritual is still a ritual if it is performed in a darkened tent, but the troupes lend themselves to larger, flashier performances.

“Like the finest fruit, the sweetness fades the longer it sits on the platter”

The Fallen Herald, Act III, Scene I

Creating a troupe

Troupes provide a space in which to play a group of magicians who have influence in League society both through the magic they call on and the performances they deliver. It is entirely possible to play a troupe that focuses on the more mundane elements of theatrical performance, and simply have fun putting on plays and other performances. Even these mundane troupes benefit from having a few magicians, however, so it is worth thinking carefully about how much magical power you want to start with.

It's certainly possible for a troupe to combine characters from numerous cities, perhaps in a cordial and friendly atmosphere or perhaps with a more volatile relationship, but it is slightly more common for the majority of members to come from a single city. Your troupe will quite likely be based in a single territory - perhaps it is where your theatre is if you have one. When picking a base of operations it is worth looking at a city that intrigues you that already has two or three interesting groups based there but doesn't already have a troupe associated with it.

Not everyone in the troupe needs to be a magician or an actor. Your troupe might have a craftsman who makes props and sets alongside magical implements and masks, or a bravo or two who provides security and makes sure nobody interrupts your performance (magical or otherwise). It's equally acceptable to play a pure ritual group and rely on contracts and negotiation to get the rest of the things that you need.

When it comes to resources, individual members probably want to look at magical resources such as mana sites. One or two of your group may want to focus more on the theatrical site of the troupe, and they have a perfect excuse to pick up financial resources that represent your off stage performances. The ratio of magical resources to financial resources in your group probably says something about your group. It might represent the size and prosperity of your theatre (if you have one), suggest the presence of an NPC patron, or indicate your commiment to magic rather than theatre.

It's theoretically possible to be a lone ritualist, but your magic is likely to be limited in scope. It's also rare for a troupe to be part of a guild, free company or church. Ritualists who are part of another group are likely to be either also part of a troupe, or are seen as being "just" magicians - or even mountebanks - rather than proper League troupe members.

Playing a troupe member

Remember that you're actors as well as magicians. As well as discussing magical rituals, you're free to spend time creating art either for its own sake or (more likely) for money or patronage. You might want to take on a larger-than-life personality that is as much a role as any you play with your mask on, or you may appear to be just another actor, playing down your arcane prowess until the time comes for magic.

You should generally expect to be recompensed when you perform magic for other people - they should recognise that you are providing a useful service, that you are a skilled professional. By all means perform for favour or influence rather than cash, but make sure that someone, somewhere is giving you the credit you deserve for your work. That's not to say you charge someone for every healing spell, or demand attention every time you take the battlefield, but the movers and shakers of the Empire should appreciate that you are using your magical powers on their behalf. Any magic used for altruistic reasons is a great opportunity for good publicity, especially if you make sure everyone knows what troupe you represent.

Don't get too hung up on either the performance aspect or the particular magical tradition. As is mentioned above, it is still a magical ritual if you don't have an audience, and some plays are performed well away from prying eyes. While the majority of troupes practice theatrical magic, it is not impossible to imagine a group that works more-or-less like a troupe does but practices a very different theme to their magic. Keeping the elements of expecting to be paid, secrecy and rivalry with other magicians can help such a group keep the feel of The League.

Helpful Questions

Here are a number of questions you could ask about the group when creating a troupe. This is not an exhaustive list, but should allow some jumping off points for ideas.

- How are the decisions made? Is there a single leader who makes decisions? Do all members get a vote on what the Troupe does - and are all votes equal? Who handles the money and other resources?

- What is the Troupe's focus? Do you pay more attention to magic or performance? What kind of performances do you favour? Do you specialise and try to be the "best" at one or two types of magic, or are you generalists?

- How do you join? How are new members of the company brought on board?

- What kind of patrons do you cultivate? How does this impact your performances? A Troupe that is attached to a Free Company might have a very different feel to one that seeks the patronage of a Bishop, for example.

- Where are you based? How are the cities of the League reflected in your style and appearance? Do you own a theatre of your own?

- What about when you’re not casting spells? Do you put on theatrical performances for cash? What about in downtime? There's a difference between a troupe that picks only magical resources – mana and library, for example - and one that picks less magic and more “financial resource” to represent a larger, richer theatre that also has political pull.

- What kind of masks do you use? Where do they get them from? Are they antiques, held by the company, or are they remade, year after year, according to the recent fashions?

- How secretive are you? Are you jealous of your secrets? Do you seek out the secrets of other magicians to add to your own? Are you engaged in an active rivalry with another troupe?

Stock archetypes

League magicians, even those who do not practice dramaturgy directly like to draw on a roster of stock archetypes. Common elements include naming characters after the rivers or the cities of the League.

The Rivers and their Qualities

The four rivers are common figures in theatre. Playwrights compete with one another to include one or more of them in a subtle, unexpected way; challenging their audiences to identify who represents which character. The personae used in dramaturgy are almost always named after one of the rivers, and their name helps define the magic of the ritual they are used with.

- Couros - Languid; Primal; Wise; Crude; Instinctual; Content and Prosperous due to natural bounty.

- Gancio - Capricious; Vengeful; Enigmatic; Ambitious; Quickwitted; Discontent and Prosperous due to hard work.

- Scorrero - Mentally "Slow"; Tenacious; Courageous; Methodical; Humble and Loyal.

- Vassa - Furious; Fast; Foolhardy; Determined; Proud and Vigilant.

The Cities

The cities of the League often appear in plays. Sometimes they are stand-ins for the Egregore, other times they represent either the people of the city or some mystical "genius locii." Magical rituals that are designed to influence a territory often include a character that represents the city. The most common characters in Tassato usually appears in the form of the rival twins Mestra and Regario, Holberg is usually depicted in armour, Temeschwar in furs and Sarvos in silks.

Other Common Archetypes

The original material about common archetypes has been superceded by the discussion of dramaturgy. You should still feel free to create rituals and plays using the earlier material.

Using Dramaturgy

League troupes often perform rituals using dramaturgy, a process of using narrative, stock characters, props and situations to create a magical effect.

For example, if you are about to perform a ritual to grant a soldier or group of soldiers extra battlefield prowess, you might create a narrative in which a band of soldiers from Holberg lead by The Captain using the name Vassa encounter a beast and overcome it with the good advice of The Bishop. Having a basic plot that includes an obvious moment to deliver an enchantment, you get to work with the other ritualists to come up with a few lines and a rough idea of what order things will happen in.

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Troupe (Redirected from Troupes)

Contents

- 1 Introduction

- 2 Magical heritage

- 3 Creating a troupe

- 4 Playing a troupe member

- 5 Helpful Questions

- 6 Stock archetypes

- 6.1 The Rivers and their Qualities

- 6.2 The Cities

- 6.3 Other Common Archetypes

- 7 Using Dramaturgy

Introduction

Troupes are magical groups found in The League who perform rituals through a tradition of theatrical performance called dramaturgy. A member of a troupe is commonly referred to as an actor even if they do not technically perform on a stage. Internally, a troupe may have all sorts of titles and names, often drawing from theatrical traditions (so a character who works to bring in business for the troupe or presents it in public might be called a barker internally, while someone who organises rituals and encourages practice might be a director).

Magic is a commodity in The League, and magicians are skilled professionals who deliver their services for a steep fee. The troupes are rare - and effective - enough that they can charge high prices for their magic if they choose to do so, and a successful troupe enjoys a lavish lifestyle. Some troupes prefer to perform their magic as they see fit, rather than sell their prowess to the highest bidder, and instead make money through the quality of their theatrical performances. Some actors talk about "the Art and the art", meaning that both theatre and magic are arts and that one is more important than the other. Most agree that the "Art" is magic and the "art" is theatre, but this is by no means a universal interpretation.

Many troupes cultivate relationships with a specific patron or patrons, usually a powerful guild, free company or church, sometimes going so far as to offer their services exclusively to these patrons in return for regular support. Even troupes with patrons usually choose to maintain a degree of independence however - after all no troupe wants to be bound to a faded star, or be brought down alongside their patron if they can avoid it.

Some troupes insist new members swear an oath of secrecy upon joining - the precise details of this oath change between troupes, but the principles are often the same - to protect its members and (most importantly) its secrets. Many troupes are rivals, after all, and being able to offer a rare ritual or knowing a magical secret that can give them an edge is very important.

In addition to magical activities, troupes usually stage plays and other performances, which can prove to be quite lucrative if they are entertaining, impressive or challenging enough for the picky League theatregoers. Some free companies will employ a troupe to improve morale, or to tell great deeds of their exploits in battle. Some churches, too, will employ troupes to perform morality plays, explaining the Imperial Virtues to the layperson, or depicting the lives of Exemplars and Paragons. Just as often, the theatrical performances are an adjunct to the real reason for employing the troupe, which usually involves magic.

It is quite common for a troupe to be paid to craft a short play or piece of verse about a prominent individual who wants some good publicity - or to try and manipulate public opinion against such an individual's political enemies with scandalous allegations, lampoons highlighting their buffoonery and obvious satires. The theatre is a political world in The League, as much as anywhere else.

"I swear to keep the secrets of the Black Dragon Troupe, to tell nothing of my comrades' arts, to protect all of my brothers and sisters from harm and to work only for the good of the troupe, sound in the knowledge that they will do the same for me."

Traditional Oath of the Black Dragon Troupe

Magical heritage

More information on the League theatrical magic style can be found in the section about dramaturgy.

The troupes work their magic through drama and ritual performance. Their rituals almost always involve elements of movement, the recitation of speeches, and the portrayal of a situation related to the nature of the magic performed. Some troupes work in verse, others improvise and interact with the audience; some use grand costume while others prefer a more simple approach with simply decorated masks and everyday clothes. Whilst there are grand troupes who specialise in doing long and elaborate shows around their magic, the majority of ritual performances are much shorter.

Rituals are woven into plays through the use of key words or movements. Rarely do they look like a magical ritual to an onlooker, because part of the approach is about concealing the real magic beneath a veneer of performance. That is not to say that a troupe might not weave a performance similar to the scene between Shakespeare's Macbeth and the three witches - but that same performance with a few modifications might be used as part of a scrying ritual, a curse or even the bestowal of some sort of boon on an ambitious individual.

The actor becomes a conduit for something else when he or she performs a theatrical ritual. Almost without fail, League rituals are performed while wearing a mask. This has a twofold advantage; it reinforces the presence of the character one is depicting, and it conceals or protects one's true identity from potential mistakes, jealous Eternals or anything else.

A common style for ritual performance is something akin to the theatre of Ancient Greece - two or three characters in masks engage in dialogue with one another, creating the scene through words, stylised gestures and the use of simple props. Other members of the troupe form the chorus, focusing or enhancing the scene unfolding between the main characters. This is a somewhat archaic form of theatrical expression, and sets magical ritual apart from the more intricate, longer and somewhat more informal Shakespearean feel of mundane performances.

Even though the theatrical style benefits from an audience, it doesn't absolutely demand one. A ritual is still a ritual if it is performed in a darkened tent, but the troupes lend themselves to larger, flashier performances.

“Like the finest fruit, the sweetness fades the longer it sits on the platter”

The Fallen Herald, Act III, Scene I

Creating a troupe

Troupes provide a space in which to play a group of magicians who have influence in League society both through the magic they call on and the performances they deliver. It is entirely possible to play a troupe that focuses on the more mundane elements of theatrical performance, and simply have fun putting on plays and other performances. Even these mundane troupes benefit from having a few magicians, however, so it is worth thinking carefully about how much magical power you want to start with.

It's certainly possible for a troupe to combine characters from numerous cities, perhaps in a cordial and friendly atmosphere or perhaps with a more volatile relationship, but it is slightly more common for the majority of members to come from a single city. Your troupe will quite likely be based in a single territory - perhaps it is where your theatre is if you have one. When picking a base of operations it is worth looking at a city that intrigues you that already has two or three interesting groups based there but doesn't already have a troupe associated with it.

Not everyone in the troupe needs to be a magician or an actor. Your troupe might have a craftsman who makes props and sets alongside magical implements and masks, or a bravo or two who provides security and makes sure nobody interrupts your performance (magical or otherwise). It's equally acceptable to play a pure ritual group and rely on contracts and negotiation to get the rest of the things that you need.

When it comes to resources, individual members probably want to look at magical resources such as mana sites. One or two of your group may want to focus more on the theatrical site of the troupe, and they have a perfect excuse to pick up financial resources that represent your off stage performances. The ratio of magical resources to financial resources in your group probably says something about your group. It might represent the size and prosperity of your theatre (if you have one), suggest the presence of an NPC patron, or indicate your commiment to magic rather than theatre.

It's theoretically possible to be a lone ritualist, but your magic is likely to be limited in scope. It's also rare for a troupe to be part of a guild, free company or church. Ritualists who are part of another group are likely to be either also part of a troupe, or are seen as being "just" magicians - or even mountebanks - rather than proper League troupe members.

Playing a troupe member

Remember that you're actors as well as magicians. As well as discussing magical rituals, you're free to spend time creating art either for its own sake or (more likely) for money or patronage. You might want to take on a larger-than-life personality that is as much a role as any you play with your mask on, or you may appear to be just another actor, playing down your arcane prowess until the time comes for magic.

You should generally expect to be recompensed when you perform magic for other people - they should recognise that you are providing a useful service, that you are a skilled professional. By all means perform for favour or influence rather than cash, but make sure that someone, somewhere is giving you the credit you deserve for your work. That's not to say you charge someone for every healing spell, or demand attention every time you take the battlefield, but the movers and shakers of the Empire should appreciate that you are using your magical powers on their behalf. Any magic used for altruistic reasons is a great opportunity for good publicity, especially if you make sure everyone knows what troupe you represent.

Don't get too hung up on either the performance aspect or the particular magical tradition. As is mentioned above, it is still a magical ritual if you don't have an audience, and some plays are performed well away from prying eyes. While the majority of troupes practice theatrical magic, it is not impossible to imagine a group that works more-or-less like a troupe does but practices a very different theme to their magic. Keeping the elements of expecting to be paid, secrecy and rivalry with other magicians can help such a group keep the feel of The League.

Helpful Questions

Here are a number of questions you could ask about the group when creating a troupe. This is not an exhaustive list, but should allow some jumping off points for ideas.

- How are the decisions made? Is there a single leader who makes decisions? Do all members get a vote on what the Troupe does - and are all votes equal? Who handles the money and other resources?

- What is the Troupe's focus? Do you pay more attention to magic or performance? What kind of performances do you favour? Do you specialise and try to be the "best" at one or two types of magic, or are you generalists?

- How do you join? How are new members of the company brought on board?

- What kind of patrons do you cultivate? How does this impact your performances? A Troupe that is attached to a Free Company might have a very different feel to one that seeks the patronage of a Bishop, for example.

- Where are you based? How are the cities of the League reflected in your style and appearance? Do you own a theatre of your own?

- What about when you’re not casting spells? Do you put on theatrical performances for cash? What about in downtime? There's a difference between a troupe that picks only magical resources – mana and library, for example - and one that picks less magic and more “financial resource” to represent a larger, richer theatre that also has political pull.

- What kind of masks do you use? Where do they get them from? Are they antiques, held by the company, or are they remade, year after year, according to the recent fashions?

- How secretive are you? Are you jealous of your secrets? Do you seek out the secrets of other magicians to add to your own? Are you engaged in an active rivalry with another troupe?

Stock archetypes

League magicians, even those who do not practice dramaturgy directly like to draw on a roster of stock archetypes. Common elements include naming characters after the rivers or the cities of the League.

The Rivers and their Qualities

The four rivers are common figures in theatre. Playwrights compete with one another to include one or more of them in a subtle, unexpected way; challenging their audiences to identify who represents which character. The personae used in dramaturgy are almost always named after one of the rivers, and their name helps define the magic of the ritual they are used with.

- Couros - Languid; Primal; Wise; Crude; Instinctual; Content and Prosperous due to natural bounty.

- Gancio - Capricious; Vengeful; Enigmatic; Ambitious; Quickwitted; Discontent and Prosperous due to hard work.

- Scorrero - Mentally "Slow"; Tenacious; Courageous; Methodical; Humble and Loyal.

- Vassa - Furious; Fast; Foolhardy; Determined; Proud and Vigilant.

The Cities

The cities of the League often appear in plays. Sometimes they are stand-ins for the Egregore, other times they represent either the people of the city or some mystical "genius locii." Magical rituals that are designed to influence a territory often include a character that represents the city. The most common characters in Tassato usually appears in the form of the rival twins Mestra and Regario, Holberg is usually depicted in armour, Temeschwar in furs and Sarvos in silks.

Other Common Archetypes

The original material about common archetypes has been superceded by the discussion of dramaturgy. You should still feel free to create rituals and plays using the earlier material.

Using Dramaturgy

League troupes often perform rituals using dramaturgy, a process of using narrative, stock characters, props and situations to create a magical effect.

For example, if you are about to perform a ritual to grant a soldier or group of soldiers extra battlefield prowess, you might create a narrative in which a band of soldiers from Holberg lead by The Captain using the name Vassa encounter a beast and overcome it with the good advice of The Bishop. Having a basic plot that includes an obvious moment to deliver an enchantment, you get to work with the other ritualists to come up with a few lines and a rough idea of what order things will happen in.

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True Vervain

Description

While the common vervain has flowers that are typically some shade of blue, the True Vervain or Imperial Vervain is known for tight clumps of tiny yellow-green flowers. It is recognised by its brilliantly green, excessively hairy leaves which release a delicate, fresh aroma when crushed or bruised. These leaves are carefully gathered, dried and prepared to release their powerful healing qualities. The aromatic juice of the crushed leaves and stems is held to have a calming, relaxing effect when added to boiling water and the steam inhaled. Small quantities, when mixed with soda crystals can also provide relaxing bubbles for bathing.

Overuse may result in stomach ache, apathy, and a feeling of mental dullness or mild depression.

Rules

- Can only be applied by a character with the physick skill.

- Using 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying the physik can heal a target with at least 1 hit remaining to full hits.

- Using 30 seconds of appropriate roleplaying the physick can heal a target with 0 hits remaining to full hits.

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Tumultuous Gyre

Description

This rod stores and enhances the power of magic intended to drive an opponent away. It can be used to great effect to break up an enemy formation, or to give a magician a temporary respite when faced by multiple opponents. This rod is regarded as a weapon for the serious battle-magician, one who has studied the magics of war and wishes to extend their abilities. Many wielders of these rods spend battles looking for that perfect moment to deploy the rod's impressive attack. League bravos with a taste for magic are fond of the Gyres for throwing people across taverns during bar brawls in flamboyant fashion in addition to it's potent tactical advantage on the battlefield.

In Wintermark, these rods sometimes have a slightly hammer-like form and are a weapon of choice among the Runesmiths who take to the field of battle, as its powerful blows resembles the swinging of the hammer in the forge. Their students among the Imperial Orcs, the Warcasters, also appreciated the rod's power, but the Orcs also found the name extremely pleasing. Being able to spell Tumultuous Gyre correctly is seen as testament to the owner's literacy and the owners of such rods sometimes inscribe the name on the rod itself.

Highguard battle-casters call these rods Horseshoes' Mark, recalling the powerful kicks delivered by trained warhorses, which at their greatest could be more deadly than the cataphracts they carried. A rare few examples have antique horse shoes built into them.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day when you cast the repel spell, you may use it on two targets rather than one. The second repel must be delivered within 10 seconds of the first.

- Materials: Crafting a tumultuous gyre requires eight ingots of tempest jade and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“G... Y... R...” the young orc painted the letters down the length of his new rod with painstaking precision, one in each gap between the dragonbone coils along its length. He looked up at Dunstan Anjing with a hopeful look in his eyes, grinning broadly as he did. The runesmith was always a bit surprised at the bright enthusiasm that shone out of Tik’s young eyes; he was so much bigger than any human boy his age, but just as innocent.

Dunstan did not wear the look that Tik had hoped for, however, but a look that he had learned (through much experience) meant, “...anything else?”

“Er... oh, clotpole it, it’s an E, isn’t it?”

“Language, Tik. But it is, yes.”

The young orc bit his lip as he stared out of the window. “When’s the Legion going to be back, Dunstan?” he said plaintively. “I miss the Legion.”

Dunstan sighed and gripped the boy’s shoulder firmly. He’d known apprentices get homesick before – of course he had – but never like this. When he’d agreed to take the boy in and teach him the runesmith’s trade, he’d never expected that he would spend almost as much time missing the company of other orcs as he would shaping and carving. “The Legion will be back when it’s done patrolling, boy,” he said, “And with any luck, it’ll have a good tale to tell for it. Much worth earned, and all that.”

“I can’t wait to get into the ranks,” he said, “I’ll never be away from them again. I’ll stand between the warriors and wait for just the right moment, and then I’ll send the barbarians flying! They’ll never know what hit them! You’ve gotta... you’ve gotta always have the element of surprise, that’s what Gannik says.”

“Gannik’s got a point, boy. I’ve seen these rods scatter the best of an enemy, so your mates only have to deal with what’s left. One spell, two targets – there’s not many around who can boast that kind of power, you know? Once word of that sort of thing gets round, ‘specially among the kind of primitives who’ve barely seen a magical wand before, the enemy starts to think you’ve got something really special in waiting. Of course, they have – they’ve got you!”

“That’s why I wanted to learn it,” Tik said, smiling at the compliment, “I’m going to be the best warcaster in the Legion, and scare all the barbarians away.”

The boy had ambition, that much was certain, and pride in his heritage. Vigilance and courage would come with age. But there were skills that came first. “I’m sure you’ll make a fine magician for your people, young lad, and remember to remember yourself to me next time you’re fighting up Hahnmark way. But not until you learn to spell, boy. So come on, hop to it.”

“Oh yeah. Gyre. Right. It needs an E, yeah?” Dunstan nodded. Tik grinned, “I know this one.”

He took his paintbrush in hand, dipped it in thinner, and began to erase the still-wet letters he'd just painted. “G... E... Y... R...” he said, his tongue sticking out of his mouth a little with the effort of thought.

Dunstan pinched his brow, and held out a hand to stop the boy before he got any further.

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Turns the Circle

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a single corpse or a single terminal character. The target must be present throughout.

Effects

At the completion of the ritual, a corpse immediately blooms with plant and fungal life that rapidly consume the remains; buds erupt from their flesh and mushrooms sprout out of their skin. Within one minute, the body is entirely gone, replaced instead with a mouldering heap of vegetation that is easily scattered; not even bones are left behind.

If the target is a terminal character, they die peacefully and painlessly when the ritual is completed, and their corpse is rapidly consumed as above.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional corpses or terminal characters. Each additional target increases the magnitude by 1. All targets must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

Turns the Circle draws on natural power to speed the process of decomposition to supernatural levels. It is a well-known belief that corpses quickly break down in the Spring realm, feeding the plants and animals of the Realm and serving to nurture new life in the form of fungus and other spawn of rotting meat.

This ritual is not often mastered by Imperial citizens; most of the people who do so are either murderers, vates, or a small handful of magicians who dedicate themselves to either healing or hunting the undead. On the rare occasion that the ritual is needed it is usually a simple matter to spontaneously perform it.

One of the most common uses for the ritual is to respectfully remove a corpse before it can be puppeted by a Vallorn, or used as the host for a spirit - in short, to prevent the creation of husks. On several occasions Navarr magicians have used the power of this ritual to speed the decomposition of the corpses in a funeral glade, to prevent them falling under the influence of a vallorn or falling into the hands of barbarians who would use them for sinister purposes.

The ritual also has some medical applications. It is also an expensive but generally foolproof way to deal with remains that are diseased or cursed in some fashion. While burning is a more mundane solution, there are some cases where even the brief exposure required to move bodies may spread a contagion, or where the smoke of burning corpses will cause some other unlooked for effect. Some individuals who are lingering in great pain, especially Navarr and some traditional Marchers request the use of the ritual to allow them to pass peacefully from life and enrich the soil in a natural way.

Despite all of this, the ritual has a negative reputation because the most common use is by murderers looking to dispose of a victim and prevent necromantic incantations being used to trace them. The rapid disposal of a corpse fortunately has no effect on more powerful magics such as Whispers through the Black Gate that do not require a body to function.

Common Elements

Common elements include things designed to prompt new life or speed decomposition, or which are associated with burial or funerals. For example, it is common to throw a handful of seeds onto the target in the hope they will quicken from the life-force released as the corpse is consumed. Likewise, handfuls of dirt may be thrown onto the body in a symbolic burial. When this ritual is performed on Marcher targets who are not on the soil of their homeland, a little soil taken from the fields of the Marches may be used. It is traditional in these cases to collect a little of the material that remains after the spell is complete and return it to the same field.

A number of ritualists weave the name of the fungal Eternal Llofir into their performance, seeking to create a connection between their targets and that forces it wields as a primaevil exemplar of rot and decay.

Elements such as natural sunlight or fresh water may also be used, and on the rare occasion that the Highborn resort to this ritual it may be accompanied by the use of spices and unguents such as myrrh that are associated with death. The runes of beginning and ending are often evoked with this ritual, as is the constellation of The Drowned Man or The Oak.

As the circle turns so new life grows from the stink and rot of decay; so new hope rises from the depths of despair; so the flesh returns to the soil. This is not my brother, my friend, my lover this is something they have discarded. They departed this place long ago, and their spirit treads the labyrinth. It is fitting that their body melt into the ground, and return whence it came, a circle turning with neither beginning nor end.

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Twilight Orb

Description

This valuable item is usually crafted in the form of an orb of crystal, glass, metal inlaid with tempest jade. It is infused with potent enchantments and attuned to the realm of Night. A coven can use it to draw on the transformative power of iridescent gloaming and align it with their own magic, allowing them to reduce or in some cases replace the need for crystal mana when performing Night rituals.

In some cases, a twilight orb may be crafted as a dark mirror, a brazier or bowl, or a lantern. The item is often marked with runes; or with images of transformation, such as butterflied. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses it ensures that it takes pride of place in their ceremonies - in addition to it's magical functions it is a potent reminder of their unity of purpose and their coven oath. In many cases the orb is kept perpetually in shadow or darkness, wrapped in cloth or concealed from casual viewers inside a decorated chest, and brought out only during the rituals where it's power is evoked.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Members of the coven who are performing a Night ritual they have mastered may use iridescent gloaming in the place of crystal mana. Every two measures of Iridescent Gloaming spent count as 1 crystal mana.

- Materials: Crafting a twilight orb requires five measures of tempest jade, four measures of iridescent gloaming and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Twilight Pauldrons

Description

Purified with beggar's lye, the materials used to craft twilight pauldrons are carefully coloured and woven with threads dyed with iridescent gloaming. One of the most complex suits of mage armour that an artisan can create, it greatly increases the number of spells the wearer can cast.

All the magical materials needed for this suit can be found in the forests of the Empire. It is said that the first set of pauldrons was made either for or by Star, one of the first Navarri Vates, when the remnants of Terunael’s defenders fled into the forests. It served as a symbol of how the wilds contained power that the resistance could use to their advantage. This first suit was dyed a twilight blue and decorated with flecks which sparkled like stars. The celestial theme is found elsewhere. Suits made in Urizen often bear a design of a large star surrounded by six smaller stars, representing the world and the six magical realms, as well as reminding the wearer of the Net of the Heavens.

Bonding to these suits has been linked to bursts of arrogance, but it has been impossible to tell whether this is an effect of the bond or a natural consequence of such an increase in personal power. In peaceful or well-defended regions, Ashen Mantles are more popular among the most powerful magicians, thus donning this armour in such places is considered a statement of over-dedication to the arts of war. Meanwhile in border regions under active attacks, powerful mages who stick to Ashen Mantles are seen as a little naive or shirking their duties in battle.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this mage armour you gain two additional points of personal mana.

- Materials: Crafting twilight pauldrons requires eleven measures of iridescent gloaming, five ingots of tempest jade, three ingots of weltsilver and five measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

It had, he reflected, been a perfectly normal meeting of the Senate. It seemed now to be quite a trivial matter. How should magic be best used in the Empire's campaigns? The Senator for Casinea had been going on and on about the importance of ritual magic in a support role.

He'd been speaking for the front-line battle-mage. In his old green robe, as usual. Nothing showy, nothing over-decorated. Just a plain green robe. Like a barbarian might wear, they said, when they thought he wasn't listening.

***And hand raised to the Net of Heavens, and pull down the power...***

The smoke had been choking, he remembered. Maybe some beggarwood had got in to the pile outside? Then, of course, the messenger had pushed his way in and suddenly a simple debate became a tumult. She'd called for silence, and he'd read the message. When she asked: "Who's with us?", he'd clasped his hands in agreement to what had become a unanimous decision. After a short pause for effect, of course.

***And turn, and swing, and drive the orc away...***

He'd gone outside and called over a friend from the Brass Coast to help his shrug his old green robe off. To reveal his full mage armour beneath. He rather suspected no one realised he always wore it to Senate meetings. Not because he thought he might need the extra power from the Twilight Pauldrons he'd been give to mark his election as Senator for Morrow, but to remind himself that he was a battle-mage, first and foremost.

Here is where he's most at home. To feel the touch of perfection in battle. To strive for arete over the bodies of the Empire's enemies.

***And that orc falls into two others, and you've time for a smile before the next one...***

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Twist of Moebius

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual allows the coven that casts it to perform one additional ritual on the day after it is performed.

Performing Twist of Moebius always counts as a use of the coven bond and counts towards the number of rituals the coven can perform that day.

The ritual counts as an enchantment on the coven (or the coven bond itself) rather than the individual ritualists.

The effect of the enchantment takes effect immediately and lasts until the additional ritual is performed, or until the sun has risen twice, whichever comes first.

Description

This ritual captures the potential to perform a ritual and temporarily seals it in place, to allow the coven to perform an additional ritual the next day. It is worth noting that the power of this enchantment goes into effect immediately; even though the ritual cannot be performed until after the next sunrise.

The ritual was first formalised by the League magician Bridenal von Temeschwar who used it to great effect both to allow for extra rituals to be performed immediately prior to (or in some cases, during) a battle and to allow his coven to arrange for multiple castings of Rivers of Gold during prestigious performances. Bridenal and his troupe were slain during the reign of Empress Giselle during her retreat from Holberg. According to some rumours, the final performance of Bridenal's Twist of Moebius is still sealed in a lacquered oak box; stories say that if it were recovered a coven would be able to draw not only on the ability to perform an extra ritual but on he potence of Bridenal's entire coven (despite the fact that, as several Urizen scholars have claimed over the years, this would be quite impossible - the mountebanks if the League do not let these 'facts' get in the way of a good story). Perhaps of more value would be the Iron Labyrinth covenstone belonging to Bridenal's troupe.

Common Elements

The ritual often involves taking a strip of paper, parchment or cloth, giving it a twist and sealing the ends together to create a shape that seems to have only one surface. The strip is then usually sealed in a box or sack until it is needed. When the magic is unleashed the strip is cut or destroyed. Some covens create a similar effect by inscribing a glyph, rune (often Hirmok) or sigil on themselves or an item that can be destroyed. These elements are not vital to the creation of the enchantment - it will still work if the element is lost, it simply requires a little more effort the next day to release the stored energy.

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Two Men Came to Your Hall Door

The Sound of a Tear not Cried by Karine Polwart, available on Three Ravens by Malinky

Two men came to your hall door And you did not let them in And you did not care What had brought them there They were bones covered ower wi' skin

When you looked again they were five and ten All sighing a sorrowful sound Did you hear the knell Of the warning bell Or the howl of a hunting hound

Then a hundred more came to your door A-mutterin' and makin' their mane (moan) Still you scorned at the skaith (dismissed their complaint) You were aye sick-laith (really reluctant) To keep them fae the wind and rain

As the night's grew long did you hear the throng Roar like a ralliach tide (stormy) Through the rising flood Did you hear your own blood Or the sound of a tear not cried

They will wait no more at your hall door For their waiting days are done And there's no lock nor key That will hold back the sea There's no chains on the rising sun

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Tykonus

Contents

- 1 The Banner, Rune of Victory

- 1.1 Using Tykonus in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Tykonus

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Banner, Rune of Victory

Affiliated with the Realm of Summer

The feasting hall that is home only to heroes is hung with banners, the golden instant of consummation that burns itself into memory, the moment when you can hear history urging you onwards in the fluttering of the pennants. Tykonus transcends mortal flesh, and becomes immortal – a legend.

Tykonus cares not for morals, only that the battle is won. That said, it smiles upon those who win through great deeds that will be remembered through the ages. An infamous general who cruelly puts their enemies to the flame embodies the meaning of this rune as much as a noble warrior that spares their enemies. What matters is the victory and the triumph; that you have won and that your enemies have lost. Mercy is not a matter for Tykonus, but neither is cruelty.

It is the active counterpart of Jotra, and the two are often evoked together simply because there is no victory without conflict. It is sometimes presented as the mediator between Ull and Gralm, representing that Victory comes from the tension between chance and destiny.

Along with Feresh, Jotra and Verys, the Banner is used to represent Glory by many Dawnish magicians and crafters; here it represents the Glory that comes from overcoming an opponent and achieving one's goals despite opposition.

Using Tykonus in magic

Tykonus is used in magic that enhances and empowers, as well as in magic that contends against others. It is often evoked in large-scale magic where success is not assured. As with the other runes associated with Summer, it is often evoked while performing the empower incantation.

Crafting with Tykonus

The rune of victory is commonly worn on shields and (obviously) worked into the hems of banners and surcoats. A gift given to the victor in a contest of skill or arms often bears the rune as part of it's decoration.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Tykonus in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneTykonus.jef

When dragged to battle in service to the grey little bean-counters, it serves like a whipped dog, always looking for a way to strike out and ruin it's master's aims. If you do not seek to win with some style, then you may take victory, but you will never take the truer victory of Tykonus, for your dry tales will shiver no spines and inflame no passions. Who will remember you when you are gone? True victory is immortal.

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Ull

Contents

- 1 The Road, Rune of Chance

- 1.1 Using Ull in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Ull

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Road, Rune of Chance

Ull is the rune of chance, the counterpart of Gralm the rune of destiny. Unlike many other runes it does not have an association with one of the realms of magic. It is a highly mystical rune, and defies easy definition. In conjunction with Gralm, it represents the concept of skein. It represents those things that affect the passage through life which are not the result of a personal choice. Some blasphemous cultists who profess fatalism use Ull as their symbol.

Some mystics call Ull The Coin (or rarely The Dice). It is sometimes misinterpretted as representing randomness - but Ull does not represent the chaos of inifinite possibility; rather it represents the many things that could happen at any given moment. Like the tossed coin or the rolled die, there are a finite number of outcomes to any moment or event. Ull does not care if the outcome is good or bad, only that there is an outcome.

The Road also represents opportunity - the chance to perform a deed that the individual must choose to grasp, or allow to slip through their fingers. It represents the ability of individuals to perform great deeds, whether for good or ill, based on seemingly chance encounters and events.

Using Ull in magic

Ull is useful in any magic that relies on serendipity, or on altering the likelihood that events will or will not occur. It is sometimes used as an intensifier, especially with curses that bring doom down on a target.

Crafting with Ull

Ull is rarely used in crafting. Outside of divination, it commonly appears on simple medallions worn by those seeking adventure. Some gamblers replace the 1 or the 6 on a dice with Ull.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Ull in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneUll.jef

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Unblinking Eye

Description

An unblinking eye is often worn as a piece of headgear - either as a circlet, or as part of a net or chain. It is most commonly designed to place a polished gemstone or symbol of an eye on the forehead, above and between the wearer's own eyes. They are very popular in Urizen, Varushka and Highguard, but the Kallavesi also make much use of them - although in the latter case the jewelry is most commonly worked into the lining of a raven- or goose-feather headdress. Occasionally they are worn as medallions, or worked into the clasp of an intricate cloak design.

By invoking the power of this magical talisman, the wearer is able to dimly perceive the aura of a living being and discover information about them such as whether they are dedicated, if they are subject to any external auras and whether a priest has testified as to their virtue or lack therof. Some spiritually aware wardens make use of these talismans if they suspect that someone is the victim of a malignant entity, while priests and inquisitors more often use them to supplement their own ceremonial abilities.

An unblinking eye often bears symbols of Wisdom or Vigilance, although it may also bear runes of wisdom, revelation or discovery.

Rules

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of ceremonial regalia.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day while wearing this item you may use the insight skill as if you knew it without spending any Liao.

- Materials: Crafting an unblinking eye requires seven ingots of tempest jade, five ingots of weltsilver, three ingots of orichalcum and three measures of dragonbone, It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Unbreakable Behemoth's Strength

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 40

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 40

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains five additional ranks of endurance.

In addition, the target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect; they feel physically invincible and capable of facing down any foe, even a colossal beast. They feel larger than life, and while they are no more likely to become angry if they are roused, their wrath becomes terrible to behold and is likely to persist until the source of their anger is removed one way or another. They may respond to any roleplaying effect that creates fear or doubt by becoming angry instead and assaulting the source of the effect.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 20. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual calls on the immense strength of the vast leviathan beasts that wallow in the oceans of the Summer Realm. The incantation pours this primal essence into the recipient, filling them with a tide of power that can be quite overwhelming. The behemoths named in the ritual are immense whale-like or dragon-like creatures that rarely, if ever, come to the surface - if any exist in the mortal realm, they have yet to be encountered.

Some Freeborn ritualists refer to this ritual as Unbreachable Shell of the World-Turtle after the mythological sea-creatures said to resemble turtle-sized islands. In some accounts it is called The Kraken Rises and draws on the images of the immense squid that dwell in the deepest oceans. In Sermersuaq the ritual is often called Might of the Horned Leviathan and invoke the spirit of the narwhal when they perform it. There is also an older version of this ritual in the collections of Navarr and Urizen libraries called The Mountain Stands which has very similar effects but is connected with majestic mountains and slumbering giants rather than deep-dwelling behemoths.

Some recipients of this ritual claim that they have also felt a very strong urge to swim or otherwise surround themselves with water, perhaps overwhelmed with a little too much of the behemoth's essence. There are fanciful stories that some warriors who receive the spell on multiple occasions eventually feel the urge to travel to the Summer Realm, and that this ritual is actually a tool for turning mighty warriors into worthy prey for Summer Eternals to challenge themselves against. If this bizarre tale is to be believed, the mighty whale-serpents of the Summer oceans were all once mortals who spent too long under the effects of this enchantment and were somehow collected when they finally gave in to the desire to submerge themselves beneath the sea.

Common Elements

This ritual often includes the use of the rune Verys or Feresh and invocations of whales, narwhals and other great beasts of the ocean depths.

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Unbreakable Spirit, Unbreakable Blades

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Summer Magnitude 5

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Summer Magnitude 5

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target chooses one weapon, implement or shield when the ritual is performed.

The ritual grants the ability to repair the chosen item if it is broken. After 10 seconds of appropriate roleplaying, they can repair that item if it is shattered. This ability can be used once, and after it is used the enchantment ends.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 3. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

A significant advantage to this ritual is that the ability it grants can be used just as effectively by a robed magician or a knight in full harness. It is most commonly used by wielders of pole-arms, pikes or staffs - weapons at particular risk of being shattered - and by those who rely on a shield for protection. The ritual is sometimes criticised for lacking the immediate power of a enchantments such as Strength of the Bull or The Swan's Cruel Wing. However, as the war-witch Elaine de Rouillard famously said when challenged over her support of the ritual "a warrior without a weapon is no different to a farmer, and a warrior without a shield is no different to a corpse".

This ritual is popular in Dawn, where it is sometimes combined with the practice of girding. The ritualists assist a companion in preparing for battle, and help ensure that they are not left unarmed or defenceless in the heart of the fray. It is also quite popular with the runesmiths of Wintermark and with the blacksmiths of The Marches, who often see it as a natural extension of their skills at the forge.

Common Elements

The Runes of Verys and Jotra, steel, artisans' tools, oaths of brotherhood and loyalty

The item that can be repaired usually plays a central role in this ritual, and some magicians may even combine the performance of the ritual with the create bond spell or as part of a ceremony to make or reaffirm an oath of fraternity or loyalty. The unres Verys and Jotra are often used, sketched on the target characters or items, but the rune of wealth is also used, especially when the item involved is especially valuable or precious.

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Uncle Vyig

This song is well known in Temeschwar, the Varushkan city that joined The League. It’s about organised crime, which was once endemic there, and was referred to obliquely as “Uncle Vyig” (“Uncle Vyig had his hands in my pockets”, etc). The song is about how crime takes a cut of everything. It a fun song about terrible things, and is also popular as a song to sing with children in Varushka.

Words by Chris Edwards, tune by Daisy Abbott.

Recording (rough): here

More verses coming soon. Strongly encouraged to make up your own verses, personalising any family feuds etc that are happening on the field.

(sung fairly slow and deep before each verse) When Uncle Vyig comes to dinner...

He takes a bite from every onion Puts his spoon right in your soup And all the poultry that he eats Could fill a chicken coop!

When Uncle Vyig comes to dinner...

He goes through all your clothing And borrows just one boot He helps himself to gloves and hats And the socks right off your foot!

When Uncle Vyig comes to dinner...

He sits right by the fire And leaves you all to freeze His bones are scrawny, thin and cold But he shares with you his sneeze! (ATCHOO!)

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Unconquered

History of the Unconquered

Early in the settlement of Highguard, the an outpost established in the territory that would become Reikos fell to raiders from the great forest. Survivors fled to the capital and the Navigator and patricians rallied a force of cataphracts to retake what was lost. Yet when the reinforcements arrived, they found that the settlement had been almost completely purged. The cataphracts made short work of such barbarians as remained.

In the aftermath, as they searched, from out of the edges of the Great Forest emerged a group of Highborn scouts who had been believed lost in the initial attack. The scouts revealed that they had retreated to the Great Forest, seeking to save as many lives as possible, before returning - in the darkness - to counterattack using brutal guerilla tactics, including raiding, sabotage and terror. The attacks had been so swift and unforgiving as to cripple, starve and demoralise the barbarians.

Upon hearing the report, the Patricians saw the merit of this uncompromising form of warfare in this new land. These defeated, yet unconquered, rangers formed the seeds of a new military force designed to fight battles by any means, in any conditions. The unconquered traditionally favour medium armours and short bows, but do not balk from any weapon they can use that will attain the desired end.

The unconquered are used to operating with a high level of autonomy, often behind enemy lines or in unknown territory. Despite this independence, the best of them know that they operate as one part of a larger plan, that their duty is to ensure that the forces they accompany achieve victory. Unconquered who arrogantly assume they can win the day all by themselves generally meet unpleasant ends.

Playing an unconquered

Like the cataphracts, the unconquered are elite Highborn warriors. Where the cataphracts act to attack the enemy directly looking to their heavy armour to protect them, the unconquered seek to use guerilla tactics to destroy their enemies. In battles alongside the other Highborn warriors they usually look to harry the enemies flanks or otherwise use the terrain against their enemies.

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Unending Cascade of Blood's Fire

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 45

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 1.5 Option

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 45

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout. The target character must have the magician skill.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target gains the ability to call venom five times following the rules for a heroic call. The call may be made with any implement with which they are proficient.

While the enchantment lasts, the target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect: they feel a strong desire to use magical venom against anything that startles or threatens them.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same coven. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 25. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Option

The ritualists may consume up to 20 measures of beggar's lye as part of the ritual. Every measure consumed in this way reduces the magnitude of the ritual by 1.

Description

This enchantment allows the target to scourge their enemies with venom. It can have a powerful demoralising effect on opponents, and gives a magician a potent ability to mark and then destroy their enemies. The Spring Eternal Arhallogen is known to offer magicians boons that enhance their ability to perform this ritual, encouraging them to use it to defend themselves and prove their superiority over their opponents through the use of that entity's favoured tool.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven often invokes poisonous creatures or plants. Some magicians, especially Suaq icewalkers and Navarr vates, anoint the skin or weapons of the target. using blood mixed with poisonous plants or the venom of spiders, scorpions or serpents to create a thick paste reminiscent of oil of blackthorn. Other magicians invoke forces of plague, sickness and fever as they work their magic, viewing the ritual as being more concerned with turning the body of the target against itself.

The performance of this ritual is often subdued. Few magicians can deny that the powers it deals with are insidious, and potentially fatal. There are few uses to which venom can be put that do not result in death, and while the poison itself may be subtle the end result is anything but.

Other elements might include the runes Rhyv, Naeve or Kyrop (often accompanied by the rune of dominion; the evocation of The Claw or The Drowned Man; a scene in which a potion is used against a rival; or images of serpents, spiders, scorpions, wasps hydra, wyverns. or even chimerae.

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Unfettered Anarchy

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 10

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 10

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. At the end of the ritual one of the contributors is chosen to deliver the curse with a pronouncement of doom.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

This ritual creates a curse that is delivered to a target with a pronouncement of doom: one contributors is chosen to deliver the curse, and they must do so within fifteen minutes or it falls on their own head.

While under the curse, the target experiences a powerful roleplaying effect; whenever they experience an emotion, they experience it much more strongly than normal. They switch between one extreme emotion and another suddenly and without warning. They are much more likely to react badly to anything they see as restraining their behaviour, whether it is a law, an expectation of society, or a sign that says 'quiet please' on it.

While under this effect the target must respond to any roleplaying effect that attempts to dampen their expression of emotions, or to create feelings of calm, clarity or tranquility, with an exuberant, passionate burst of emotion such as anger, happiness or enthusiasm.

In addition, the target cannot use hero points in response to roleplaying effects.

The strong emotions surge and recede; the curse is most likely to hit at a dramatically appropriate moment. This curse cannot be dampened by ceremonial skills such as anointing or exorcism - indeed, a character under this curse who is exposed to the roleplaying effects created by some religious skill use will react as extremely as they will to any other similar effect.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

This simple curse is difficult to deal with, causing extremes of emotion to overwhelm the target. This curse can be emotionally and physically exhausting. On a few occasions, subjects have made themselves very ill indeed by forgetting to eat or drink while filled with enthusiasm and in the grip of powerful emotions. Worse, it encourages otherwise staid people to express unrestrained passions, speak their mind at inappropriate moments, and indulge in momentary whims with a dangerous intensity.

Common Elements

this ritual often involves a symbolic 'freeing' of the target from chains or bonds. Narcotics are a common element, as is the consumption of strong drink or herbal preparations. Fires that are stoked and made brighter, or music and dance that begins quietly and becomes faster and more exhuberant, are also regular components of this ritual. As with many curses this ritual often involves a recitation.of the grievances against the target; the rune Zorech is unsurprisingly a common element.

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Unfettered Mind

Contents

- 1 Motto

- 2 Symbol

- 3 The Manifesto

- 4 Membership of the Order

- 5 Conclave vault

Motto

Explore the unknown and master it.

Symbol

The Order of the Unfettered Mind has used a range of symbols across its history, including an open and unblinking eye, and a ray of light.

The Manifesto

The Order of the Unfettered Mind holds the following to be true:

- The Empire's rich understanding of magic is one of its great strengths

- As the Empire's knowledge and use of magic increases, so does its power and influence

- The Empire must stay at the apex of magical knowledge and power and not cede this ground to another force

The Order of the Unfettered Mind therefore exists to:

- Expand the body of magical lore, theory and practice throughout the Empire

- Challenge any constraints to the practice and expansion of such knowledge

- Boldly consider possibilities and opportunities that others may not consider

Membership of the Order

Researchers, theoreticians and magicians for whom magic is both a mystery and the greatest calling flock to the Unfettered Mind. Members are often frustrated that other orders do not appreciate the joy of pure research, or the way that everyone is enriched by greater understanding of the theories of magic. Members tend to be ritual magicians rather than spellcasters, as ritual magic offers the greatest opportunity to expand the power and knowledge of Imperial magicians. They are second-only to the Celestial Arch in their interest in the Eternals, and they compete regularly with the Rod and Shield for the position of Dean of the Lyceum.

It would be wrong to consider them naive or politically weak; they have a great need for crystal mana and other resources, and in the past they have been ruthless in acquiring it. Their membership includes a number of magicians interested in understanding magic specifically to gain more personal power, or more power for the Empire, and critics claim they are more interested in novel uses of magic than in wise uses of magic. Their tendency to reach for their crystal mana rather than seek more mundane solutions to vexation are well known and it is undeniable that more members of the Unfettered Mind have been declared to be sorcerers than any other order. The order was very nearly dissolved in 264 YE following the unwise application of a major curse to an entire delegation of visiting dignitaries from the Principalities of Jarm.

The magicians of this order are often at odds with both the Celestial Arch and Sevenfold Path because they oppose all efforts to censor or limit Imperial magic. As they often point out, the enemies of the Empire are under no such constraints. They sometimes find unlikely allies in the Shuttered Lantern and even the Rod and Shield in this regard.

The order generally has far more ideas of things to try and do than it has archmagi willing to listen. It carefully guards its own Conclave vault and regularly refuses to resource gambits that do not advance its own agenda unless it can be sure of an appropriate quid pro quo from other orders. The Unfettered Mind often enjoys periods of surprising wealth - it is one of the orders most often chosen to receive bequests from retired or deceased magicians, especially ex-members of the Lyceum. Despite the suspicion with which the Order is viewed by the more politically savvy orders, it has also been regularly responsible for discoveries that have proved of great value to the Conclave and the Empire as a whole

Conclave vault

Each summit, the Conclave vault of the Unfettered Mind garners the following resources;

- 10 crystal mana from bequests.

- A pro-rata share of the Font based on the precedence of the orders at the previous summit.

- A portion of ilium based on their position among the orders as determined by precedence.

- 4 measures of iridescent gloaming, 3 ingots of tempest jade and 2 ingots of weltsilver from existing bequests.

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Unguents of Falling Leaves

Mastery of these recipes allows an apothecary to brew preparations valuable to ritual magicians versed in the Lore of Autumn. With one of these potions a ritualist can wield the magic of the Autumn Realm more effectively, but they also become more susceptible to the influence of that Realm.

Bronze Spider Balsam

This strongly scented metallic salve is most often worked into the skin in a series of interlocking patterns reminiscent of a maze or series of tree roots. Applying the unguent carefully in this manner helps to focus the mind on the many branching pathways of the Autumn Realm, and draws to mind images of webs of influence that are valuable in achieving the right mindset to work Autumn magic. The Navarr and Freeborn often mix the preparation with metallic paint, and use it to carefully paint designs on their bodies as part of the preparation for performing a ritual.

Bronze spider balsam has subtle effects on the mind of the user, encouraging them to think more like an Autumn Eternal; by synchronising their thoughts with the Realm, they find it easier to work ritual magic. Mortals tend to be very social creatures, and the bronze spider balsam brings out these elements in ritualists who use it.

- Form: Salve.

- Description: This copper-brown ointment glows when it catches the light. If rubbed on the fingers it releases a strong, spicy scent and is quickly absorbed into your skin. It is hard to resist the urge to rub the entire pot onto your skin.

- Roleplaying Effects: You are driven to match wits with those around you, and try to gain influence over them. You become acutely aware of anyone who owes you a favour, or to whom you in turn might owe a favour.

- Mechanical Effects: If you possess the Autumn Lore skill then you gain one additional rank to the next autumn ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Two drams each of Cerulean Mazzarine and Marrowort, one dram of True Vervain and one crystalized mana.

Leaden Quicksilver

This metallic grey ointment is very thick; it flows sluggishly and has a consistency akin to very soft metal rather than anything more organic. It chills the skin, and while every gross physical movement seems to require a little more effort, the fingers, tongue and mind become a little more deft and sure. it may be applied in the same manner as brass spider balsam, but is just as often smoothed into the skin of the face and scalp. It allows a ritual magician to use personal reserves of power to influence the magic of the Autumn Realm.

While under the influence of leaden quicksilver, a ritual magician focuses on the goals they wish to achieve, and with this single-minded focus can draw on personal reserves of power to shape Autumn magic by force of will. It is dangerous to get between a magician using leaden quicksilver and their goals, but it is also dangerous for a coven to use this ointment if they are not truly united in pursuit of the same ends - at least in the short term.

- Form: Salve.

- Description: When this smooth, metallic-gray ointment catches the light it glows with a cold, reflective light. The firm texture feels like metal when rubbed between finger and thumb. It chills your flesh where it touches exposed skin.

- Roleplaying Effects: You become highly motivated to pursue and achieve your goals, whatever they may be. Anything that stands in the way of your success is an obstacle to be overcome, although you feel an urge to avoid personal physical confrontation. Other people should follow your advice because you alone know what is best for them. Anyone who refuses to heed your suggestions is probably plotting against you.

- Mechanical Effects: If you possess the Autumn Lore skill then you can use up to 3 personal mana as if it were crystal mana on the next autumn ritual that you perform within ten minutes.

- Recipe: Three drams of Cerulean Mazzarine, two drams of Marrowort and one dram each of Imperial Roseweald, Bladeroot and True Vervain.

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Unseen Encasement

Description

Many insects and on some occasions even tiny animals end their lives preserved inside a hardened, sticky dollop of ambergelt, or inside hardened amber. It should be little surprise then that these materials are often used to decorate the unseen encasement. While only A tiny amount of ambergelt resin is used to finish the wood of a staff, an unseen encasement is likely to include a large piece of amber or treated glass or crystal at the business end, and the most valuable such pieces have an insect or small creature preserved inside.

One of these staves may occasionally be called a zoologist's leash, following their use to temporarily restrain beasts for capture and inclusion in zoos or use in magical experiments. While they cannot be used to capture larger beasts, they are excellent for preventing flying creatures and fast-moving, smaller animals from escaping long enough for a companion to quickly restrain the target. Some Imperial Orc warcasters and Freeborn magicians find the use of these implements distasteful, referring to their regular use in Imperial History to capature or restrain slaves.

Both the wielder of this magical staff and the enemy are caught in an invisible embrace, unable to move their bodies, by the magic it contains. Some wielders claim to experience the panic of a weakly struggling creature when they use this staff, and sometimes have to make a concerted effort not to be overwhelmed by it.

You are a fly, struggling in my web of lies .... and ambergelt!

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the paralysis spell as if you know it.

- Materials: Crafting an unseen encasement requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

"Sit down and I'll tell you a story."

Tom had heard them all before, every story Granny told, every night like this with the fire crackling and the rocking chair creaking its way back and forward. He could recite them, word for word, down the lilt of her thick Bregas accent, or the way her eyes grew wide with mock fear when the tales turned to Feni, or monsters, or barbarians. He was too old to enjoy them like his little sisters April and May did, sitting in a spellbound cluster at Granny's feet, and too young yet to listen the way Ma did, stopping from time to time in her spinning to listen to the old woman's voice. But he listened anyway- it wasn't like there was anything else to do.

"See that staff hangin' there?" She gestured with one knitting needle to the ugly, gnarled oaken staff, high on the wall over the fireplace, without bothering to look. Tom didn't look either. He could have drawn every detail of the room with his eyes closed, from the boots at the door to every bannister of the stair that led you up to Ma's bedroom overhead where she shared the big bed with Granny. He'd asked about that staff a dozen times, though, but Ma would only ever say that it had been his Da's, then clam up tight shut. Ten years dead, and Tom could barely remember him, but still Ma could barely say his name without welling up in tears. Tonight though - maybe there'd be a new story, and a few answers.

"I made that staff," Granny said, her voice in counterpoint with click of her knitting needles. "Made it for your Da when he was a lad, when he was first prenticed to the Landskeeper. That was Upwold Peter, back in those days; a proper Landskeeper, even though he was a Townie, not like the sorts you get nowadays. Anyhow, some folks said the staff was an ill omened thing, cut from a storm-blasted oak. Then it was carvin' it, sandin' it, waxin' it an' polishin' it - every day for a month till it shone like the moon on the water. He wasn't much pleased with it, either; he had his heart set on some fancy jade bound wand or somethin' like that, boys bein' what they are. But for once he took a tellin', and once the staff was in his hand he didn't lay it down for fear of gettin' a skelp round his ear.

"Turns out it was for the best, seein' as how one day he's out on the fen, walkin' the bounds or some such when he sees a Feni warrior, comes stalkin' through the reeds, bold as brass, teeth all filed to points an' a rusty sickle in hand. So your Da weighs up his chances an' doesn't fancy any of them much, but he starts walkin' like he hasn't seen a thing, walking along the path, over the boards and along the water like he doesn't have a care in the world. An' this Feni hunter, he's followin' after, thinkin' that he's stalkin' your Da unawares. Your Da leads him on, lettin' him get closer and closer, pretendin' he don't see a thing, and pretty soon he's lead that Feni out onto the marsh, an' just when he's right behind him and that sickle's about to come down on your Da's throat, your Da turns, quick as a flash, an' whacks him quick smart with that white oak staff, right in the pointy teeth.

"Now, your Da weren't much of a hittin' type, an' that staff ain't much when it comes to power. All it does is stop you dead in your tracks for ten seconds or so, same as it stops whoever you're hittin' with it, an' where's the use in that, you're thinkin? Well, there's your Da on the path, an' that one swipe with the staff's enough to knock the Feni back - just one step, but out of the marshes one step's enough if it takes you off the path. An' ten seconds in the marsh is a long time when you've stepped off that path, with that black mud suckin' at your feet, draggin' you down, an' sure enough when there was blood back in your Da's limbs enough to get him movin' again, there weren't hide nor hair of that Feni, savin' one hand stickin' up with a sickle grasped in it, and soon enough that was swallowed up by the Fen an' all."

"So what're you saying, then, Granny?" Tom, slightly surprised by his own daring, found himself too irritated to stay quiet. "Granny knows best, is that what it is? Da did what he was told an' it was all fine? Ain't it a shame you never told him how not to get killed by them orcs?"

Silence fell in the farmhouse, broken only by the click of the knitting needles. Tom heard the sharp intake of Ma's breath from the kitchen, saw April and May's saucer eyes turn from Granny to him, felt the blood rising to his face with shame. Granny's eyes narrowed, just a fraction, then she nodded to herself, as if making a decision.

"Anyroad, I bin speaking to Martha Landskeeper." The chair began to rock again, Ma's spinning wheel whirred back into action, even the fire began to crackle again. "Turns out she's after a new 'prentice." With a creak from the chair, or perhaps from her old bones, Granny got to her feet and lifted the staff down from the wall. She weighted it carefully in her hands for a moment, then offered it at arm's length to the elder of her two granddaughters. "This one's for you, April. Martha says she'll take May an' all, next harvest time when she's of age.

"An' as for you, Tom, there's an oak shaft in the shed an' a barrel of lye, an' come mornin' I'll be out to see what manner of a start you've made. Time I taught on what I know, an' time you learned to take a tellin'."

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Unyielding Constitution

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 13

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 13

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target may ignore the roleplaying effects of traumatic wounds. The traumatic wound is still present, and can be healed as normal, but the target can endure the wound without penalty ... until it kills them.

The target experiences a rolepalying effect; the target finds it increasingly difficult to care about injuries that are not incapacitating, and often forgets to seek out healing unless reminded to do so.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters from the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 7. Additional characters must be present throughout.

Description

This ritual is often used in advance of situations where warriors know they will receive desperate injuries, allowing them to keep fighting. Warriors who find themselves in the thick of battle often embrace it, although in some battles it is much more useful than others. An engagement that includes wights, powerful beasts or the cruel weapons of the Druj barbarians are all much more likely to result in complications for the warriors involved.

The Eternal Sorin is known to offer boons that enhance or empower the casting of this ritual, and it is sometimes known as That Which Does Not Kill Us after a saying allegedly attributed to the callous Eternal king.

Common Elements

Common elements include washing away blood, especially with melted snow,. but may also include rubbing soil into the injured location (especially when the caster or the target is a Marcher). Paragons and Exemplars may be invoked, especially those associated with determination and resilience, and the rune Jotra or Rhyv is used to encourage fortitude and determination as are the constellations of The Oak or The Hanged Man.

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Upwold

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview - "The Silver Chase"

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Minor Features

- 3.1 Ashill

- 3.2 Stockland

- 3.3 King’s Stoke

- 3.4 The Woldstone

- 3.5 The Eastern Guard

- 3.6 Sutton Stone Quarries

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Ashbrook

- 4.2 Birchland

- 4.3 The Heath

- 4.4 Stock March

- 4.5 Tower March

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview - "The Silver Chase"

The quick-growing silver birch woods on the eastern borders of Upwold are the source of a deal of income. Charcoal-burners live there, turning wood into easily transportable fuel for smith and hearth alike. The bark of those trees is used in the tanning industry, to cure the hides of the cattle that graze on the river pastures. It's one of the few areas where anything other than beer is drunk - a drink made of the sap of the birch trees that warms their hearts in the cold winter nights but brings strange dreams. The people who live up here have closer links to the Navarr than many in the Marches, and more need for Beaters than most.

Through the dark heart of those woods are paths no Marcher treads. From these secret ways come the painted Feni - uncivillised raiders, thieves, and rustlers who raid and steal from isolated settlements. To the north-west, cousins to these forests decay into the marshes that form the southern border of Kallavesa in Wintermark.

Recent History

Minor Features

Ashill

Soot hangs in the air here from the charcoal burning; pure fuel for the cities of the League and the forges of Wintermark. There’s magic here too, the magic of Landskeepers who make the pollarded beeches grow, and the pigs thrive fat.

Stockland

A sprawling town known for its sheep and cattle markets. It’s where you take your stock if you’re a Household from the west of Upwold, and where you stay for an evening’s raucous drinking before heading back to your home. Stockland ale is exported around the Empire -- not because it’s particularly good, but it is recognisable, and can bring a lump to the throat of the homesick Marcher.

King’s Stoke

A pre-Imperial tower stands here, said to be the place where the rebels held back the King of Dawn in the March of secession, though if every family who claims an ancestor fought there is right, it must have been an easy victory...

The Woldstone

An old dolmen said to be the first planted by Marcher Landskeepers when they claimed Upwold for their own.

The Eastern Guard

Great crenelated walls and brooding towers look down from Eastern Guard onto the northern forest of Miaren. Built early in the history of the Marches in Birchland, the garrison was initially charged both with remaining vigilant against Dawnish aggression, and with maintaining readiness for attacks from the Vallornspawn of the deep woods. Since Miaren was cleansed in the early days of the Empire, and since the people of Dawn are now an allied nation, the castle has become more open - it is a popular stopping place for merchants travelling through the central Empire. Still, the dour Marchers ensure it maintains battle readiness at all times, for one never knows when an attack may come from an unexpected direction.

Sutton Stone Quarries

The Sutton Stone Quarries is a Bourse position which produces white granite.

Regions

Ashbrook

Birchland

The Heath

Stock March

Tower March

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Upwold are under Imperial control.

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Urizen children

Don't limit your children by making their lives easy.

Children in Urizen are expected to learn. It is common practice during an evening meal to ask the children what they have learnt today, and question them not only about their studies but also about their more practical experiences, to tease lessons and understanding of social rules out of them.

A sun- or otherwise light-bathed courtyard will often be set aside for children within a spire; depending on the dominant practices of the spire it may also have puzzles or contemplative games set up there. Young children are often given puzzle toys and left to discover their working with minimal interference, except when their frustration rises and thus their capacity for fruitful exploration is exhausted for that time. Families with young children often share responsibility, for example each afternoon one family or another might take all the youngsters, generally on a schedule, and allow the other parents to pursue their own endeavours for a few hours.

Older children are taught to use the libraries and to conduct their own research, for example by studying an object, or asking questions of several adults on a given topic. They are also encouraged to put the knowledge they gain into action, for example by assisting a crafter, scholar or other person for a day. In spires with many children, a junior scholar may take on the role of disseminator, who arranges a regular program of theoretical and practical placements for older children with various respected individuals. These placements may lead on to apprenticeships, unless the child has shown promise in a discipline which would be better progressed by moving to study with a master in a neighbouring spire.

Although children are not taught magical principles until after they prove their maturity and come of age, they are often taught of the Realms and Eternals, often without the element of caution seen elsewhere in the Empire.

Things every Urizen child should know

- Ask questions, and think about the answer. If you don't understand something, ask more questions until you do.

- Write down anything important that you learn. Not just from your lessons, but anything you think might be useful for the future.

- Practice doing things until you do them right. This might mean drawing, counting or fighting, but you can get good at almost anything and anything worth doing is worth doing right.

- Do not be afraid to disagree. Reason and debate are the paths to knowledge and even adults can be wrong.

- Once you have learned something, use it. Knowledge never used may just as well never have been learned.

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Urizen costumes

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Note: The tone and style of this page may need editing. All costume advice pages should be written in third person voice, using verbs that make clear that this page is advice, not direction.

Contents

- 1 Look and feel

- 2 Similar nations

- 3 Research

- 3.1 LOTR High Elves

- 3.2 Nuada and Nuala - HellBoy II

- 3.3 Padme Amidala - Star Wars

- 3.4 Classical High Elf and magician images

- 4 In detail

- 4.1 Colours

- 4.2 Materials

- 4.3 Garment closures

- 4.4 Decoration

- 5 Layer by layer

- 5.1 Warriors

- 5.2 Itinerant mages and traveling scholars

- 5.3 High mages

- 6 Jewellery

- 7 Armour

- 8 Resources

- 8.1 Costume

- 8.2 Patterns

- 8.3 Shops

- 8.4 Armour

Look and feel

They seek excellence in themselves, in everything they do. This should be reflected in costume. A citizen of Urizen will aspire to wear the best fabrics, the most flattering cuts and should always be well presented.

This is a Nation of timeless tranquility. Express this in clean lines and elegant styling. Robes should flow and billow and fall gracefully from the shoulders or hips.

Robes are worn long and draped over the body with layers of different materials in complementary shades. Clothing is similar for both genders. The staple items are long robes, but how you interpret this and what style they take might vary greatly. Typically several layers in complementary shades are worn together. The inner robed may well be tied at the waist with a soft sash but the outer robe is normally loose and hanging smoothly from the shoulders. Sleeves are often long and voluminous and may be false sleeves. or split to display the lower layers.

Similar nations

As there is no historical influence, this nation's image is quite distinct. It shares an emphasis on elegance with Highguard and Dawn. Some in these nations might wear a similar style of gown, but in Urizen a long elegant robe ought to be worn over the top. In Urizen there is more scope for fantasy ideas and perhaps a more exotic look to the costumes than in other nations.

Research

LOTR High Elves

Nuada and Nuala - HellBoy II

The shape and layering of their costumes in this is great for Urizen. The red and black colour scheme of a few of the costumes is not right for this Nation.

Padme Amidala - Star Wars

Several of Natalie Portman's costumes are excellent for Urizen. These two in particular have elegant folds of fabric that hang gracefully to the floor. Avoid the stiff costumes and geisha makeup of the first film however.

The Jedi robes might also provide inspiration for traveling scholars and itinerant mages, but be careful not to fall into cliches.

Classical High Elf and magician images

Due to copyright issues it is difficult to post images here, but fantasy artwork is full of great ideas for Urizen costumes. Try google seraches for High Elves and Wizards

In detail

(Under construction)

Colours

The colours are primarily a wide range of light pastel shades but strong dark colours like midnight blue or blood red could be appropriate for the right character. Aim to use a single colour in varying pale shades and add a complementary darker colour if accent is wanted.

Materials

Materials suggest a refined, elegant people Coarse linens and wools will not be as appropriate here. However, this Nation will allow players to use more modern (potentially cheaper) and lightweight fabrics should they wish. Organzas and satins will make good layers of contrasting textures. Light cottons are cheap and practical. Silk of all kinds, especially dupion, shot taffeta etc, will make the most splendid costumes.

A guide to fabrics for kitmaking

Garment closures

The most iconic way of closing garments is with a wide sash around the waist. Long rows of small buttons would also look very elegant. Clasps and brooches could be used. Straps and buckles or lacing will probably look to coarse.

Decoration

The materials themselves are usually plain. The most common decoration is complex embroidery of looping spirals. Fabric can come pre-constructed with these designs or some costume companies can add these embroidery designs to your costume (no moons and stars motifs please)

Layer by layer

The following are suggestions on how to pull together costumes for three different characters in three simple layers. The aim is to show how a few simple, easy to source, and relatively cheap items can be combined to make a great costume

Warriors

The first later here is a top (or dress) in pale colours. Almost any top could be used but a Sherwani or Kurta looks especially good and can be purchased in most towns in the UK.

For all genders a double-split skirt (or dress) could be worn for a high fantasy feel - perhaps in leather for extra armour cover. This can be made simply by cutting up to the waistband of an existing skirt, either side of the centre. Alternatively it can be made in two parts. It is shown full length here but could be worn knee length or over trousers.

A brestplate will look particularly Urizen if layered on next, under the robes.

For the second layer, a robe will look best. This could take many forms and lengths. Here it is shown short with split sleeves, which is another detail typical of Urizen. You could cut up to the arm seam of an existing robe and hem the edges to achieve this, or use this pattern.

The third layer is a sash and outer robe. The shape of the Japanese Kataginu will create a great look for an Urizen costume. By adding tassets here the armour is split up creating more layers.

Itinerant mages and traveling scholars

This look is loosely based on Jedi costumes. To avoid it looking too similar use colours such as greens and blues and perhaps use a Sherwani or Kurta for the first layer over trousers.

For travellers a shorter robe (or two) is practical for the next layer. This pattern is good for this layer and for a longer robe which could be worn over the top for warmth.

A suggestion for a third layer here would be a short sleeveless robe similar to a Japanese Jimbouri. A long hooded robe would be good for a travelling coat, worn over the top.

High mages

To create a majestic high mage look use multiple layers of loose robes. A sleeveless tunic gathered at the neckline and tied with a sash will make a good first layer. This could be made very simply by a novice tailor and offers a very cool option for hot events (pattern will be added). Alternatively a Sherwani or Kurta would once again be an easily available option, or you might want to chose a gown instead. This pattern is for a lovely Lord of the Rings inspired elven gown.

The second layer is once again a hooded robe like this to make it distinctively Urizen. Long belled sleeves make it very lavish.

Over this add a further robe with split sleeves (like this) or no sleeves. Made in velvet this would be warmer in winter months and would work well with a fur lining.

Below Is a demonstration of further layering to create an even more extravagant costume whilst still using the simple layers found in this section. Layer the long sleeveless tunic, then Sherwani or Kurta, robe, double-split skirt, mage armour hero belt, sash, split-sleeve robe, sleeveless robe, Jimbouri and finally mage armour such as this. Further suggestions for mage armour will follow.

Jewellery

Armour

Resources

Costume

Lenora Gewandungen, a German costume designer. Her elven style costumes are perfect for Urizen.

Patterns

- Traditional wizard robe

- Some of these shapes would make great layers for an Urizen costume Simplicity 4795

- The elegant lines and hanging sleves of this dress would make it a good style for a lower layer of a female Urizen costume: Simplicity 4940

- The blue hooded robe is excellent and the short wrap-over robe would work for an itinerant mage: Simplicity 5840

- This dark green cape would work as a robe for both men and women and has excellent split/false sleeves: Burda 7154

Shops

- Angrave Designs Custom costume production and embroidery

- Costume Mercenary

- Twin Roses American company with large portfolio of costumes

- The Midgard Seamstress Custom made UK LARP and Re-enactment costumes

- Custom Costume Company Bespoke designs for re-enactors and roleplayers

Armour

- Totally Leathered Totally Leathered provides custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

- Idiom Productions Costume and Props Workshop creates custom hand-tooled leather armour, clothing and LRP weapons

- Evenlode Studios - High quality leather armour, costume and props handmade

- Darkblade Diagonal banded leather armour

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Urizen culture and customs

Contents

- 1 The Net of the Heavens

- 2 Arete

- 3 Poise

- 4 Privacy and politeness

- 5 Communal meals

- 6 The Heliopticon

- 7 Art

- 8 Funerals

The Net of the Heavens

The Urizen embrace an image of the world they poetically call the Net of the Heavens. It is a metaphor that defines human interaction and history as being made up of “nodes” or “knots” – pivotal people and events that shape everything around them. For actions to be effective they must operate on these nodes, otherwise effort is wasted. By influencing a powerful node, an individual can exert influence over events and individuals he has no personal connection to and produce results out of all proportion to the energy expended. Learning to possess Arete and Poise are seen as prerequisites for being able to reliably manipulate the Net of the Heavens.

Arete

The principle of Arete, the idea of excellence in all things, is central to the Urizen way of life. The word means something close to "being the best you can be", or "reaching your highest human potential". It encompasses courage and strength in the face of adversity. Arete is frequently associated with bravery, but more often, with effectiveness. The person of Arete is a person of the highest effectiveness; they use all their faculties: strength, bravery, wisdom, and guile, to achieve real results. Arete involves all of the abilities and potentialities available to humans.

We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.

Poise

Linked to Arete is the idea of Poise. The Urizen are wary of instinct and emotion, believing that people who allow their passions to move them rather than their higher minds are prone to acting irrationally and ineffectually. To allow the self to be overwhelmed by emotions undermines the basic goals of Arete. “When one speaks angrily,” an old saying goes, “only the anger is heard.”

Many Urizen actively disdain uncontrolled public expressions of emotion, and this gives them a reputation for being haughty, cold individuals. In truth they feel their emotions as deeply as any, but they strive to master their emotions and subordinate them to their rational spirit. The Urizen believe that you draw your strength and impetus from your emotions, but the emotions must be controlled for this to be usefully directed.

Rather than subdue or suppress their emotions, Poise is the practice of allowing yourself to feel your emotions as deeply as possible yet retain perfect self-control. Practitioners seek to hold themselves in a state of equilibrium so that they channel the strength of their emotions at the perfect moment. A common drill used to develop poise is the “deep breath” – a simple meditative technique where before undertaking any challenging activity the individual takes a breath and holds it while taking a moment to harness their emotions and decide how they will act. When the student breathes out, often explosively, they spring into action.

Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy.

Privacy and politeness

Urizen place great stock on politeness and good manners. Their nation is a place of competing and sometimes incompatible philosophies. It is also a nation where it is easy to become isolated from your neighbours. As a consequence, a level of assumed respect reduces the likelihood of a misunderstanding souring relations.

Urizen tend to value their privacy, and be very aware of their personal space. Theirs is a mountainous nation, but the spires are built on a larger scale than most Imperial citizens would be familiar with. The citadels, towers, balconies and houses of Urizen often extend a short distance into the stone of the mountain itself, and these galleries are intended to be as airy and open as Urizen engineering can make them. As a consequence, some Urizen suffer from symptoms akin to mild claustrophobia.

This extends to their social lives as well – Urizen generally have a larger “personal space” than other people, and some become uncomfortable if they are pressed together with other people for long periods of time. Even spouses tend to maintain separate apartments, albeit with a shared communal area. Urizen bow to others as a mark of respect rather than shaking hands. A handshake is a greeting between close friends, while a hug or embrace is rare except among lovers, trusted confidants and close family members. Physical intimacies are always offered, rather than forced on someone.

Communal meals

Urizen food tends to be simple, but supplemented by a dazzling array of spices and sauces designed to make a limited palette of foodstuffs raised on the mountainsides more interesting. Most Urizen communities make an effort to attend a communal evening meal, characterised by lively discussion and debate. This expectation that the day will end in a communal meal helps to create a feeling of community and continuity for the Urizen people. Many spires add additional traditions, such as music and poetry, to cement the importance of this “community time.” A religious spire may add prayers before and after the meal, while a martial spire might use regular sparring to “work up an appetite for supper.”

The Heliopticon

Much of Urizen is hard to cross and physical messengers travel slowly. The nation is united through the use of the Heliopticon – a series of polished bronze mirrors used to send messages across great distances to nearby spires using a simple code of short and long flashes (this is represented by international morse code). To an outsider the Heliopticon is a technical marvel, but the Urizen appreciate that the true brilliance of the Heliopticon is the cipher of flashes used to send the messages rather than the method used to create them.

Art

Artistic Urizen love poetry, but their work tends to follow strict structural rules. Urizen poets are expected to be technically excellent, and are applauded for their clever use of structure and meter. They also value sculpture and painting, again preferring a technically adept piece of work that appeals to the reason and is aesthetically pleasing.

Funerals

Most Urizen embrace the idea that this flesh is just a vessel through which the soul happens to be passing on its road to enlightenment. After an individual is dead, the body should be treated with respect but it is fundamentally an empty husk. Bodies are interred with minimal ceremony in quiet mausoleums built on the lower slopes beneath a spire. They are rarely entombed with grave goods or marked with great ornamentation. Influential and inspiring figures are recalled in bas-reliefs and statuary that decorates a spire, but it is a rare Urizen whose biography, journals and collected letters cannot be found in the library at the heart of a spire.

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Urizen culture and customs (Redirected from Urizen Culture and Customs)

Contents

- 1 The Net of the Heavens

- 2 Arete

- 3 Poise

- 4 Privacy and politeness

- 5 Communal meals

- 6 The Heliopticon

- 7 Art

- 8 Funerals

The Net of the Heavens

The Urizen embrace an image of the world they poetically call the Net of the Heavens. It is a metaphor that defines human interaction and history as being made up of “nodes” or “knots” – pivotal people and events that shape everything around them. For actions to be effective they must operate on these nodes, otherwise effort is wasted. By influencing a powerful node, an individual can exert influence over events and individuals he has no personal connection to and produce results out of all proportion to the energy expended. Learning to possess Arete and Poise are seen as prerequisites for being able to reliably manipulate the Net of the Heavens.

Arete

The principle of Arete, the idea of excellence in all things, is central to the Urizen way of life. The word means something close to "being the best you can be", or "reaching your highest human potential". It encompasses courage and strength in the face of adversity. Arete is frequently associated with bravery, but more often, with effectiveness. The person of Arete is a person of the highest effectiveness; they use all their faculties: strength, bravery, wisdom, and guile, to achieve real results. Arete involves all of the abilities and potentialities available to humans.

We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.

Poise

Linked to Arete is the idea of Poise. The Urizen are wary of instinct and emotion, believing that people who allow their passions to move them rather than their higher minds are prone to acting irrationally and ineffectually. To allow the self to be overwhelmed by emotions undermines the basic goals of Arete. “When one speaks angrily,” an old saying goes, “only the anger is heard.”

Many Urizen actively disdain uncontrolled public expressions of emotion, and this gives them a reputation for being haughty, cold individuals. In truth they feel their emotions as deeply as any, but they strive to master their emotions and subordinate them to their rational spirit. The Urizen believe that you draw your strength and impetus from your emotions, but the emotions must be controlled for this to be usefully directed.

Rather than subdue or suppress their emotions, Poise is the practice of allowing yourself to feel your emotions as deeply as possible yet retain perfect self-control. Practitioners seek to hold themselves in a state of equilibrium so that they channel the strength of their emotions at the perfect moment. A common drill used to develop poise is the “deep breath” – a simple meditative technique where before undertaking any challenging activity the individual takes a breath and holds it while taking a moment to harness their emotions and decide how they will act. When the student breathes out, often explosively, they spring into action.

Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy.

Privacy and politeness

Urizen place great stock on politeness and good manners. Their nation is a place of competing and sometimes incompatible philosophies. It is also a nation where it is easy to become isolated from your neighbours. As a consequence, a level of assumed respect reduces the likelihood of a misunderstanding souring relations.

Urizen tend to value their privacy, and be very aware of their personal space. Theirs is a mountainous nation, but the spires are built on a larger scale than most Imperial citizens would be familiar with. The citadels, towers, balconies and houses of Urizen often extend a short distance into the stone of the mountain itself, and these galleries are intended to be as airy and open as Urizen engineering can make them. As a consequence, some Urizen suffer from symptoms akin to mild claustrophobia.

This extends to their social lives as well – Urizen generally have a larger “personal space” than other people, and some become uncomfortable if they are pressed together with other people for long periods of time. Even spouses tend to maintain separate apartments, albeit with a shared communal area. Urizen bow to others as a mark of respect rather than shaking hands. A handshake is a greeting between close friends, while a hug or embrace is rare except among lovers, trusted confidants and close family members. Physical intimacies are always offered, rather than forced on someone.

Communal meals

Urizen food tends to be simple, but supplemented by a dazzling array of spices and sauces designed to make a limited palette of foodstuffs raised on the mountainsides more interesting. Most Urizen communities make an effort to attend a communal evening meal, characterised by lively discussion and debate. This expectation that the day will end in a communal meal helps to create a feeling of community and continuity for the Urizen people. Many spires add additional traditions, such as music and poetry, to cement the importance of this “community time.” A religious spire may add prayers before and after the meal, while a martial spire might use regular sparring to “work up an appetite for supper.”

The Heliopticon

Much of Urizen is hard to cross and physical messengers travel slowly. The nation is united through the use of the Heliopticon – a series of polished bronze mirrors used to send messages across great distances to nearby spires using a simple code of short and long flashes (this is represented by international morse code). To an outsider the Heliopticon is a technical marvel, but the Urizen appreciate that the true brilliance of the Heliopticon is the cipher of flashes used to send the messages rather than the method used to create them.

Art

Artistic Urizen love poetry, but their work tends to follow strict structural rules. Urizen poets are expected to be technically excellent, and are applauded for their clever use of structure and meter. They also value sculpture and painting, again preferring a technically adept piece of work that appeals to the reason and is aesthetically pleasing.

Funerals

Most Urizen embrace the idea that this flesh is just a vessel through which the soul happens to be passing on its road to enlightenment. After an individual is dead, the body should be treated with respect but it is fundamentally an empty husk. Bodies are interred with minimal ceremony in quiet mausoleums built on the lower slopes beneath a spire. They are rarely entombed with grave goods or marked with great ornamentation. Influential and inspiring figures are recalled in bas-reliefs and statuary that decorates a spire, but it is a rare Urizen whose biography, journals and collected letters cannot be found in the library at the heart of a spire.

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Urizen economic interests

Urizen is not an economic powerhouse. There are a number of mines that produce magical materials, but there is rarely a surplus of anything else and the mountainous terrain makes the transport of bulk goods very difficult. Where they do excel is in the creation of magical implements. The masters of these professions are figures of influence and prestige in Urizen. While they rarely master the Realm Lores, the prevalence of magicians in Urizen means there is a constant demand for wands, staves, rods and ritual accoutrements of all sorts. Further, trinkets, amulets and talismans are popular with all levels of society – they represent tangible pieces of magical power that can mark status and wealth more effectively than any number of jewelled rings or necklaces.

Menial labour in Urizen is mostly performed by arcane constructs called ushabti. These humanoid figures are crafted by artifices from wood and clay, and animated by magical energies. They are unintelligent, unaware, and have no personalities, constructed to perform a handful of simple tasks repetitively. Field ushabti work the small farms, mine ushabti dig and extract ore, and builder ushabti perform construction work and general labour. A group of ushabti is usually overseen by a single person, who gives them their instructions and the small amount of mana they need to function. Ushabti left unsupervised have a tendency to get into trouble due to their virtual inability to react to unexpected situations. Their main value lies in allowing their supervisor to get a lot of menial work done with minimal effort, generally leaving the person free to read, study or practice while keeping one eye on the ushabti.

Ushabti are constructed without facial features. A few Urizen use servant ushabti, distinguished from the labouring ushabti by more delicate construction and usually "humanized" by giving them a clay or porcelain mask to wear. These servants are useful for simple tasks, but getting them to do anything more complex than serving wine or washing dishes tends to require so much supervision that it is rarely practical.

While Ushabti are about as strong as a fit human they are fragile - a single solid blow is usually enough to disrupt the magic that animates them, regardless of attempts to armour their form. They are almost useless on a battlefield; although they are occasionally used to supplement defensive emplacements, they are rarely very effective except in large numbers. They function best in the mountains of Urizen, and are more effective the higher up the mountains they are. Outside the nation, Ushabti break down quickly, are even more unresponsive, and are generally considered fascinating curios rather than a potential replacement for human industry.

In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.

Architects

Some Urizen make a study of economics, the way that money moves around and influences the world. These scholars, called architects, see money as a powerful tool for influencing people and changing society for the better. Originally the architects were skilled masons, designing and constructing dwellings for the Urizen people. However the term has come to describe any individual who uses a meticulous approach to look for ways that investment and improvement can make the Empire more successful and effective.

Individual spires sometimes raise funds by performing rituals for payment, for other spires or representatives from other nations. For some spires this is little more than a way to raise funds to pay for mana and materials for their own work. But spires where most of the mages are architects or spires dominated by architects proactively seek to sell their skills in this way. Magic is the most powerful tool for influencing the Net of the Heavens and mages who are architects strive to develop and perform rituals that can enhance the effectiveness of every part of the Empire. Such spires can grow wealthy indeed, if they are skilled at utilising their magical Arete to transform and improve the Empire.

Architects disdain “shopkeepers”, people who buy things and simply wait for customers to purchase from them. Architects seek out individuals who can benefit from the skills or commodities they are selling and convince them to invest their money in whatever service the architect can provide. They make an effort to study the world around them to try to understand what improvements and investments are needed and who is best placed to carry that out. Through investment and mercantile activity they seek to change the world around them.

For many architects, this is nothing more than another expression of the Net of the Heavens, the idea that wealth is simply a tool and that they are seeking out the nodes, the people and moments in the net where wealth can be best employed to produce the most dramatic changes. Of course such opportunities might well yield some of the best profits, but riches are not the primary concern for most architects. The majority are driven by a desire to change the Empire, to strengthen and enrich it, so that it grows ever more perfect. A Merchant Prince of The League might bemoan the actions of a dozen imitators who copied their original idea – whereas a true Urizen architect would be delighted to achieve so much with so little personal effort.

If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of a decade, plant trees; if in terms of a century, teach the people.

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Urizen Egregore

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Menos

Menos, the Urizen Egregore, always appears to have Lineage. Its most common appearance is that of a golden skinned individual with a calm and polite demeanour. It plays the role of observer, commentating on the events around it and loving the interplay of conversation with intelligent and educated individuals from all walks of life.

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Urizen hearth magic

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.

Light

Light is a powerful hearth magic. Light dispels darkness; it allows one to employ one's sense of sight; it represents clarity and reason. It is the light of truth that drives away confusion and mystery, and it exposes poisonous secrets. The heliopticon is an example of the Urizen obsession with light, while the magical lightstones they invented are another. A common light in Urizen homes is a single lightstone or brazier surrounded by mirrors and lenses that focus and direct the light into all corners of a chamber. In enclosed environments such as Urizen spires and mines, fire is less than ideal. Consequently they prefer to light these places with either natural light, luminescent plants and crystals, or the reflected light of the sun or a single beacon.

The eye

The eye has a particular significance to the people of Urizen. Events that are observed gain greater significance, and it is through observation that individuals gain the perspective to make decisions. A third eye marked on the forehead is a symbol for wisdom, while eyes are often carved or painted onto surfaces both to represent vigilance and to give additional significance to events that take place near them. An Urizen ritual group will often invite one or more people specifically to act as witnesses to their rituals, to grant them additional significance. Events that are not witnessed are often suspect or wicked events.

The sun and the moon are sometimes used to symbolise the “Eyes of the Heavens.” The sun is constant and a symbol of order and reason – it travels across the sky in predictable ways. Events performed when the sun is clearly visible in the sky are “witnessed” by the sun. Likewise, the moon is a symbol of transformation but one that is regular – it is the chaos of night harnessed to a pattern than can be predicted. At night the moon, especially the full moon, observes events. If one truly wishes to act in secrecy then one should act under the new moon, or when the moon is not visible in the sky.

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Urizen history

Centuries ago, humans ascended the mountains of Morrow to move away from the orcs that were dominating the fertile plains. When they reached the peaks, they found ruins that were clearly not of human origin. They discovered no remnants of the original inhabitants, nor any suggestion that they had been destroyed in a catastrophe. There were simply great, empty halls carved into several of the most magically attractive peaks.

These echoing galleries formed the heart of the first half-dozen Urizen spires, and remain an enduring mystery that is still debated by scholars. The people who made these galleries were probably humanoid, albeit slightly larger than humans, and spent a lot of time studying the night sky. These forerunners had an advanced grasp of the lore of the Realms of Day and Night, but no apparent concept of the other four Realms.

Initially the main appeal of their mountainous home was their defensibility. As they explored further they encountered many places with a strong natural aura of magical power. The mountains were also rich in mineral wealth that helped their crafters create numerous wonders. They used their magic to ameliorate the problems of creating dwellings and producing food on the inhospitable mountains. As the decades passed, the people developed into the Urizen.

The arrival of humans from across the sea was welcomed by the Urizen. They initiated diplomacy with the Highborn and the Dawnish, and maintained cordial relations with Highguard thereafter.

Joining the Empire

While the First Empress had the support of a handful of Urizen, the nation as a whole declined to join her nascent Empire. The First Empress was a powerful warrior and an inspirational general, but Urizen magicians predicted disaster if their nation joined an Empire led by a conqueror. Despite efforts to persuade them that their concerns were unfounded, the people remained adamant; they would not join the Empress' cause. One of her loudest critics, Tiberius of Sunspire asked her "Who will rule your empire when you are gone?" a question to which she was unable to supply a satisfactory answer.

At this time in Varushka, a cabal of undying sorcerors called the Volodny raised an army under a powerful Boyar named Alderei the Fair. Born of the Ushka tribes, distant cousins of the Urizen, some of the Volodny assumed that their distantly shared heritage, common interest in magic and refusal to join the Empire made the Urizen their natural allies. One of their number, Kareina of the Swans, initiated secret negotiations with several spires to gain support for their plans which involved the creation of an empire of their own, controlled by the Volodny. Foremost among the Urizen diplomats who met with her was a respected arbiter called Tiberius of Sunspire - the same man who had delivered the Urizen decision to representatives of the Empress. He presented a neutral face to Kareina, neither encouraging nor discouraging her, until such time as they had revealed many of the Volodny plans. He then chose to oppose the Volodny. "We would not support a conqueror whose heart was filled with the best of intentions," said Tiberius of Sunspire to the outraged Kareina. "Why would you believe we would support one driven by bitterness and spite?"

The Urizen would not commit military force to aid the Empire, but three dozen powerful magicians drawn from all across the nation travelled to Varushka to offer support to the Imperial forces. The Volodny had raised a dread pall over Alderei's armies that spread fear and confusion among his opponents. The Urizen magicians were able to use powerful ritual magic of the Day realm to first understand the magical effect, and then to pierce and scatter it for a short time, allowing the Imperial forces to attack Alderei. Taking advantage of the respite the spell offered, the Imperial armies defeated the wicked Boyar and scattered his forces.

Some of the Empress' supporters assumed this assistance meant the Urizen were prepared to join their cause, but once the battle was over the remaining Urizen magicians - many of them shattered in spirit, exhausted in body, or casualties of the battle - simply returned to their mountains. They took no part in mopping up the remainder of Alderei's supporters, and gave no indication that their people considered becoming a permanent part of the Empire to be any more appealing than they had before.

The Urizen watched the development and consolidation of the Empire, and welcomed diplomats and trade, but maintained their distance. After the death of the Empress, they watched as her successor was appointed by the Senate, and as he in turn began to create and reinforce the structures of civillisation that ensured that the Imperial citizens would prosper. He travelled to their mountains along with a number of ranking civil servants, and met with many influential arbiters. He laid before them his plans for the construction of a rational, ordered society based on merit and personal drive. He made it clear that he would continue with or without the support of the Urizen, and that the Empire would remain militarily powerful, but that the assistance of the Urizen could keep it from collapsing into anarchy or becoming a barbaric force focused entirely on conquest. Several of his allies engaged in debate with Urizen critics, arguing that the Empire would be a force for civillisation and stability, using clear examples of the work they were already doing in that regard.

Swayed by a vision of an organised society, the Urizen consulted their auguries again. This time Urizen magicians predicted disaster if their nation did not join an Empire led by a peacemaker. After several more weeks of debate and discussion, they agreed to join, helping to create the Conclave as a body of representation for every magician that would share magical learning and ensure that it was used to the benefit of the Empire rather than its detriment.

Urizen benefited strongly from joining the Empire. Food imported from the Marches allowed the spires to grow and freed people to devote more time to training and study allowing Urizen to develop into the nation of magicians and scholars it is today. The Empire gained more than just their magical lore and skills; shrewd interventions by the first Urizen senators transformed the tests of citizenship adding literacy, numeracy and theology to the requirements needed to pass. In the decades that followed, their adroit manipulation of the role of the civil service was instrumental in raising standards of education right across the Empire.

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Urizen Icons and Artistry

The symbol of Urizen is a brightly coloured fantastical bird with plumage of green, blue and purple crested with a crown of long golden feathers. Urizen is sometimes represented by a circle or constellation of six (or sometimes seven) stars, usually surrounding or surmounting a symbol representing the Nation, the Empire or the Realm.

The net and web are both symbols of Urizen, especially a net or web with stars caught at its nodes. This is a symbol of the fundamental interconnectedness of all things. A net is often worn on the head, and it is common for hair to be braided and ornamented with tiny beads or gemstones, again referencing the image of the net.

The mountain is a great symbol of Urizen – it represents any number of things from the concept of hierarchy to the idea of enlightenment. A mountain is rooted in the earth but reaches up to the sky. It is also a triangle, and the Urizen love geometric shapes of all sorts.

Every spire in Urizen has its own “sigil” that represents the settlement. These tend to be simple images, usually an object on a coloured background. It is very rare for a spire to choose an animal as a symbol. Common symbols include musical instruments, tools, implements of magic, mountains, stars and (for citadels) weapons. Spires with a close connection, especially parent and child spires, often have similar sigils.

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Urizen leadership

Magic is seen as a mark of a rational and learned mind and more importantly as the most powerful tool that an individual or group can wield. The Urizen maintain that those who best understand the world are the ones best suited to lead it, and they look to their most powerful mages for leadership. Every citizen is encouraged to learn a little magic, whether it is practical spellcasting or superior craftsmanship, but ritual magic, the mastery of the lore of the Realms, is regarded as the highest calling.

Most Urizen spires appoint an arbiter whose role is to resolve disputes, and represent the spire to others. Traditionally the individual who is deemed to demonstrate the most complete Arete is asked to take the position. In most spires this will be the wisest and most skilled mage, but a martial spire is more likely to choose a weapon-master than a magician.

There is little history of open military conflict between Urizen spires. Cooperation between neighbours is the norm in Urizen, but disputes between spires whose councils differ on political, social or ideological grounds are commonplace. Even before Urizen joined the Empire, such conflicts were almost always settled through debate, often with the assistance of a judge or mediator from a neutral spire.

Urizen are passionate about politics. Being able to debate competing points of view and achieve consensus is seen as a high art form that raises humans above animals. It also makes civilised people superior to barbarians who practice brute force approaches to leadership. The Imperial Senate is held up as a great triumph of the Empire, although they are often disappointed by the way the other nations choose to exploit the Senate, especially how they pick their Senators.

Leading a territory

Urizen Senators are determined by magical ability. All Urizen who live in a contested territory are eligible to vote, provided they demonstrate some mastery of ritual magic. Each spire in the contested territory can put forward a candidate, and each citizen receives a number of votes based on the breadth and depth of their Realm lore skills. The candidate with the highest number of votes becomes the Senator for the territory.

Candidates are encouraged to engage in open debate about their intentions, political views and agendas while the election is taking place, leaving votes to be collected by civil servants or representatives of the spire in question. The Egregore often chairs the debates, although it is not uncommon for a third-party mediator to be selected from outside the territory.

Many Urizen dream of a utopia and strive to share that dream with the Empire, partly by example and partly through education. The belief is that the wisest and most educated should lead by example, and that mages who have the greatest understanding of the cosmos and the greatest personal power should shepherd their fellow humans for the good of all.

The senators for each Imperial territory are re-elected at specific equinox and solstices during the year. The senator for Redoubt is elected at the Summer solstice, the senator for Morrow is elected at the Autumn equinox, and the senator for Zenith is elected at the Winter solstice.

There are three principles in a person's being and life, the principle of thought, the principle of speech, and the principle of action. The origin of all conflict between me and my fellow-people is that I do not say what I mean and I do not do what I say.

Torchbearers

One of the most active political movements in Urizen is that of the torchbearers. This loose society is dedicated to uncovering the truth about important events and reporting their findings to as many people as possible. They adhere to a philosophy that suggests the only way to ensure the Empire remains "honest" is to ensure that the citizens are kept informed of what is going on around them, so they can make sensible decisions and appoint virtuous Senators. They dislike secrets, especially political secrets. The torchbearers regularly clash with those who rely on secrecy to get their work done, and with the Highborn archivists who are often frustrated by their insistence on spreading information to everyone without any regard for the potential repercussions.

The torchbearers are drawn to places where important events have happened. Some live among strangers, to learn as much about them as they can and help spread understanding between nations. Some are active in ensuring that the citizens of the Empire receive a good education. Others dedicate themselves to certain specific forms of truth – they become battle observers or political commentators. Most are involved in writing and publishing journals or pamphlets, or maintain a wide circle of correspondents with whom they share their findings.

There is no formal torchbearer organization, and not all torchbearers are Urizen. Those who feel a strong affiliation for this philosophy tend to wear a badge, pin or piece of jewellery in the shape of a lit torch, to allow easy identification of other sympathisers.

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Urizen leadership (Redirected from Urizen Leadership)

Magic is seen as a mark of a rational and learned mind and more importantly as the most powerful tool that an individual or group can wield. The Urizen maintain that those who best understand the world are the ones best suited to lead it, and they look to their most powerful mages for leadership. Every citizen is encouraged to learn a little magic, whether it is practical spellcasting or superior craftsmanship, but ritual magic, the mastery of the lore of the Realms, is regarded as the highest calling.

Most Urizen spires appoint an arbiter whose role is to resolve disputes, and represent the spire to others. Traditionally the individual who is deemed to demonstrate the most complete Arete is asked to take the position. In most spires this will be the wisest and most skilled mage, but a martial spire is more likely to choose a weapon-master than a magician.

There is little history of open military conflict between Urizen spires. Cooperation between neighbours is the norm in Urizen, but disputes between spires whose councils differ on political, social or ideological grounds are commonplace. Even before Urizen joined the Empire, such conflicts were almost always settled through debate, often with the assistance of a judge or mediator from a neutral spire.

Urizen are passionate about politics. Being able to debate competing points of view and achieve consensus is seen as a high art form that raises humans above animals. It also makes civilised people superior to barbarians who practice brute force approaches to leadership. The Imperial Senate is held up as a great triumph of the Empire, although they are often disappointed by the way the other nations choose to exploit the Senate, especially how they pick their Senators.

Leading a territory

Urizen Senators are determined by magical ability. All Urizen who live in a contested territory are eligible to vote, provided they demonstrate some mastery of ritual magic. Each spire in the contested territory can put forward a candidate, and each citizen receives a number of votes based on the breadth and depth of their Realm lore skills. The candidate with the highest number of votes becomes the Senator for the territory.

Candidates are encouraged to engage in open debate about their intentions, political views and agendas while the election is taking place, leaving votes to be collected by civil servants or representatives of the spire in question. The Egregore often chairs the debates, although it is not uncommon for a third-party mediator to be selected from outside the territory.

Many Urizen dream of a utopia and strive to share that dream with the Empire, partly by example and partly through education. The belief is that the wisest and most educated should lead by example, and that mages who have the greatest understanding of the cosmos and the greatest personal power should shepherd their fellow humans for the good of all.

The senators for each Imperial territory are re-elected at specific equinox and solstices during the year. The senator for Redoubt is elected at the Summer solstice, the senator for Morrow is elected at the Autumn equinox, and the senator for Zenith is elected at the Winter solstice.

There are three principles in a person's being and life, the principle of thought, the principle of speech, and the principle of action. The origin of all conflict between me and my fellow-people is that I do not say what I mean and I do not do what I say.

Torchbearers

One of the most active political movements in Urizen is that of the torchbearers. This loose society is dedicated to uncovering the truth about important events and reporting their findings to as many people as possible. They adhere to a philosophy that suggests the only way to ensure the Empire remains "honest" is to ensure that the citizens are kept informed of what is going on around them, so they can make sensible decisions and appoint virtuous Senators. They dislike secrets, especially political secrets. The torchbearers regularly clash with those who rely on secrecy to get their work done, and with the Highborn archivists who are often frustrated by their insistence on spreading information to everyone without any regard for the potential repercussions.

The torchbearers are drawn to places where important events have happened. Some live among strangers, to learn as much about them as they can and help spread understanding between nations. Some are active in ensuring that the citizens of the Empire receive a good education. Others dedicate themselves to certain specific forms of truth – they become battle observers or political commentators. Most are involved in writing and publishing journals or pamphlets, or maintain a wide circle of correspondents with whom they share their findings.

There is no formal torchbearer organization, and not all torchbearers are Urizen. Those who feel a strong affiliation for this philosophy tend to wear a badge, pin or piece of jewellery in the shape of a lit torch, to allow easy identification of other sympathisers.

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Urizen lineage and species attitudes

Our true nationality is humankind.

Lineage is common in Urizen. The Urizen philosophers were the first to study and codify the way lineage may be passed on through bloodlines, and to describe the effects of Eternal supernatural influence on humans. They also have a great deal of interest in ways that Eternal influence manifests in other species.

A number of merrow who live in Urizen were born in the Brass Coast. The Freeborn see the calm nature of the Merrow is being at odds with their way of life and it is true that merrow rarely find themselves comfortable in Freeborn society. Many Freeborn parents of a Merrow child will take that child across the bay to Urizen, where the child will find a better life.

Only the Briar lineage is not well represented in Urizen. The instinctual attitudes of the Spring Lineage sit poorly with many Urizen. It is not the superstitions about sinister Spring influence that concern many Urizen, but what they see as a built-in anti-intellectualism. That said, there are a number who have made a name for themselves as sentinels. The instinct of the Briar to take direct, straightforward routes around problems helps them to focus their attention on the pursuit of physical, rather than purely mental, excellence.

Urizen does not have a great store of knowledge about the non-human species, and there is consequently a national fascination with thinking creatures from outside the Empire, including the orcs. When The Senate voted to allow the Imperial Orcs to become part of the Empire the Urizen senators spent hours debating with other senators. At the end of this period they agreed among themselves with a two-to-one majority that the orcs were civilized creatures who would improve the Empire. The dissenting senator made a dire prediction that the Imperial Orcs could do irreparable damage to the Empire, but thus far there are no signs of this outcome happening.

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Urizen lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Urizen Lineage and Species Attitudes)

Our true nationality is humankind.

Lineage is common in Urizen. The Urizen philosophers were the first to study and codify the way lineage may be passed on through bloodlines, and to describe the effects of Eternal supernatural influence on humans. They also have a great deal of interest in ways that Eternal influence manifests in other species.

A number of merrow who live in Urizen were born in the Brass Coast. The Freeborn see the calm nature of the Merrow is being at odds with their way of life and it is true that merrow rarely find themselves comfortable in Freeborn society. Many Freeborn parents of a Merrow child will take that child across the bay to Urizen, where the child will find a better life.

Only the Briar lineage is not well represented in Urizen. The instinctual attitudes of the Spring Lineage sit poorly with many Urizen. It is not the superstitions about sinister Spring influence that concern many Urizen, but what they see as a built-in anti-intellectualism. That said, there are a number who have made a name for themselves as sentinels. The instinct of the Briar to take direct, straightforward routes around problems helps them to focus their attention on the pursuit of physical, rather than purely mental, excellence.

Urizen does not have a great store of knowledge about the non-human species, and there is consequently a national fascination with thinking creatures from outside the Empire, including the orcs. When The Senate voted to allow the Imperial Orcs to become part of the Empire the Urizen senators spent hours debating with other senators. At the end of this period they agreed among themselves with a two-to-one majority that the orcs were civilized creatures who would improve the Empire. The dissenting senator made a dire prediction that the Imperial Orcs could do irreparable damage to the Empire, but thus far there are no signs of this outcome happening.

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Urizen look and feel

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Feel

- 3 Breakdown

- 3.1 Influences

- 3.2 Materials

- 3.3 Colours

- 3.4 Clothing

- 3.5 Armour

- 3.6 Shields

- 3.7 Weapons

- 4 Urizen Costume

- 5 Jewellery

- 6 Armour

- 7 Weapons

Overview

The Urizen look draws heavily on classic fantasy images of high elves and wizards. The colours are primarily a wide range of light pastel shades but strong dark colours like midnight blue or blood red can be appropriate for the right character.

Robes are worn long and draped over the body with layers of different materials in complementary shades. The materials themselves are usually plain, the most common decoration is complex embroidery of looping spirals. Materials suggest a refined, elegant people - linen and silk.

Jewellery is common particularly worn around the neck and in the hair. Stylised gold or silver chains in loops and swirls that are suggestive of a net are best.

Feel

Calm, refined, poised, elegant, wise, ageless, graceful, serene, focussed

Breakdown

Influences

Ars Magica, wizards, Lord of the Rings high elves

Materials

Primarily cotton, linen or silk. Wool is possible but less common, fur should be avoided except for trimming.

Colours

The pallette is usually light pastel shades but some characters may adopt a dark primary colour: midnight blue, blood red or hunter green.

Clothing

Urizen clothing is usually layered robes that hang from the shoulders. Often the layers are tied at the waist or belted before flaring out again to cover the legs. Sleeves are often long and voluminous.

Ideally, clothes are layered to achieve warmth, rather than being made from thicker or warmer materials like wool. Cloaks and mantles may be added for warmth in cold weather.

Garments may include high collars, or have material gathered around the neck. Most outfits are made in two, or three at most, complementary colours and are often embellished with intricate looping embroidery.

Garments are often belted or worn with a sash which may be long and ornamental.

Armour

Whether metal or leather, armour is often banded or segmented to ensure ease of movement. Women’s armour may be shaped to fit the contours of the upper body; the ideal armour gives a sense of being fitted, as if it were in were an extension of the wearer’s body.

Shields

Shields are often heavily curved to remain close to the body in use. The ideal shield is highly ornate and reflects the high-fantasy character of the nation.

Weapons

Pole-arms such as spears or staves are favoured rather than longer or heavier equivalents like pikes or halberds. Glaives, a long shaft ending in a blade are popular. Swords are favoured in place of axes or maces. Urizen weapons suggest grace and speed rather than weight and power.

Urizen Costume

The favoured Urizen costume is long robes or coat like garments that hang from the shoulders. These may be worn loose or belted or buttoned at the waist. This garment is tied with an embroidered sash - an iconic look for the nation.

A complete outfit includes layers of garments in matching or complementary colours, often with a high collar or material worn around the throat. Garments often include intricate embroidery of looping swirls in a contrasting colour.

Light pastel shades are common, but garments can include darker colours for contrast.

Dark shades of blue or red can work well especially if highlighted with a lighter colour. A costume of purely dark shades like the purple and black outfit is difficult to pull off. The iconic design, complex cut and layering make this one look right.

Jewellery

Silver and gold jewellery is common, usually worn around the neck, brow or hair. The ideal pieces are long interlocking chains suggestive of a net.

Armour

Armour is usually fitted closely to the body and often banded to emphasize flexibility and movement. Helms, shields and pieces of armour are often shaped and curved in stylised ways to appear more elegant.

Armour should be well fitted. The classic fantasy shaped breastplate is an ideal option for female Urizen warriors if they want to wear that.

Weapons

Bows are far more common than crossbows, which do not fit the style of the nation with its emphasis on lithe, graceful movements. The ideal weapons are stylized swords, potentially with a slight curve to the blade, that look light and designed for swift graceful movements.

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Urizen magical traditions

To conquer yourself is the first and noblest of all victories.

When a citizen of the Empire thinks of the Urizen, it’s usually a magician they imagine. Whether a priest, a soldier or a merchant, it is quite common for an Urizen to know an incantation or the fundamentals of a magical lore.

The mountains of Urizen are rich in raw magical resources but they are even more rich in lore and recorded knowledge. There are libraries here that have been collected and expanded over five hundred years, but the magicians don’t rest on their laurels; they quest constantly to improve and increase their understanding of magic.

When Urizen joined the Empire they were instrumental in the creation of the Conclave, the great body of magicians that support the Empire with their arcane skills.

Magic is viewed as the most potent tool an individual can wield to change the world. As nodes in the Net of the Heavens, mages are inherently more pivotal than those around them because they can use magic to achieve far-reaching and dramatic changes. Magic can be dangerous, however: too much magic can warp an individual’s consciousness or taint an area of land. Reliance on one Realm of magic can create imbalances with terrible consequences. What is more the Urizen know that individual magicians in other nations rival or even exceed the power of the Urizen though they lack their perspective and understanding and this makes them dangerous. Yet at the same time these magicians are the peers and potential allies of the Urizen magi, they just need guidance.

By bringing magicians together, the Conclave makes it easy for the Urizen to assess their peers, to identify those magicians amongst the other nations who are pivotal nodes. By working together in the Conclave, they can more easily influence their colleagues and thus ensure that the magicians of the Empire are effective and work to improve the Empire.

Magi

Some Urizen take an interest in the workings of other Imperial bodies, like the Senate, the Synod or the Bourse, but the majority regard the Conclave as the most important political arena in the Empire, a reflection of the importance which the Urizen place on magic. One exception to this attitude are the magi, the political magicians of Urizen. A magus sees an equivalence between politics and magic. In both, carefully chosen words and gestures, a strong will and a keen intellect allow one to achieve results far beyond what one could achieve using only one's body. Magic is notoriously unreliable at influencing the hearts and minds of thinking beings, whereas a charismatic steward of the Marches or a silver-tongued Sarvosian Mountebank can achieve incredible results without using the tiniest bit of actual magic.

Whereas the stargazers and seers look beyond the world, and beyond the present, the magi are focused on the here and now. Using the Net of the Heavens as a model, they seek to become powerful nodes in their own right, building alliances and exerting influence over others to achieve their ends. They feel a natural affinity for other magicians, but they also realise the value of using their magical abilities to help their allies and build interlocking webs of favour and influence. Where reason and debate are insufficient, the magi use magic and more mundane methods to learn everything they can about their political opponents, reasoning that the more they know the more likely they are to find some lever that will allow them to bring their rival around to their way of thinking.

Magi do not restrict their political ambitions to the mortal world; the Eternals are powerful and are clearly pivotal nodes in their own rights, even if they are not part of the Empire. Where other nations may find the Eternals suspect, the magi believe fundamentally that the Eternals are a “knowable quantity.” Their restricted nature as compared to humans means that mortals will always eventually get the better of them, provided they approach them rationally and with care not to become overconfident.

Stargazers

Some Urizen magi have little or no interest in politics. The stargazers are interested in magic itself, performing research and experiments seeking to advance understanding and exceed the known limits of magic. They study magic not just for the power it grants, but so that they can understand both it and the complex laws that govern it. Although only a few stargazers are interested in astronomy they take their name from those amongst them who meticulously chart the course of the heavens.

A common theory among the stargazers is that there is at least one more Realm – the seventh Realm that represents the unknown. This seventh Realm, if it exists, is concerned with things that humans cannot conceive of, and may be related to the process of reincarnation. Attempting to understand the seventh Realm is a complex mental exercise – how does a human mind conceive of something that is by its very nature impossible to imagine?

Another common theory held by stargazers is that there are probably eight Realms, although there is bitter division over what these Realms might be. The most widespread belief is that the four “physical” Realms – Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter – should be mirrored by four “spiritual and mental” Realms – that there are at least two more Realms, the counterparts to Day and Night.

The stargazers maintain that the Realms can be a positive influence on the world, but only so long as no one Realm dominates the others. All six realms possess qualities that are valuable, especially in moderation. Many stargazers perform experiments designed to create balance between the influence of the realms, or to highlight positive elements rather than negative. The ultimate goal is to create a fabled state they variously call “celestial harmony” or “the omnihedron” that will help usher in a state of perfection on the mortal realm.

Stargazers are also interested in the Eternals, for obvious reasons. As denizens of Realms beyond the mundane, the Eternals may offer insights that can unlock the secrets of the Realms and the physical world. Stargazers relish the opportunity to engage with friendly Eternals in discussions about philosophy and theorising about the nature of existance.

Seers

The seers of Urizen maintain libraries of lore gathered from across the Empire and beyond. Honed and refined by generations of study and discussion, these libraries rival the great libraries of Highguard. Urizen does not limit itself to magical lore; everything can be quantified, charted and recorded and to lose or waste knowledge is a dreadful thing. Recording and gathering wisdom and knowledge of the mundane world helps them to a greater understanding of how to apply their magic to the best effect.

The seers always attempt to maintain perfect detachment from the events they are recording, no matter how painful or unpopular those facts might be. Most seers are masters of the Day Realm, able to perform powerful divination rituals. They know that success in divination relies upon having the most accurate possible information, so they regard personal opinions and interpretations as flaws. It is perfectly appropriate for an Urizen to hold an opinion on their data, to have interpretation of what it means, the seers just don’t believe that mere opinions merit being written down.

The clashes between Highborn archivists and Urizen seers and torchbearers are notorious. Seers are outraged by what they see as the archivists' cavalier approach to the facts while the archivists are infuriated by the torchbearers' insistence on spreading information to everyone. There is rarely much love lost between scholars of the two nations and they often compete with each other to possess information.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Urizen_magical_traditions&oldid=14327"

Urizen magical traditions (Redirected from Urizen Magical Traditions)

To conquer yourself is the first and noblest of all victories.

When a citizen of the Empire thinks of the Urizen, it’s usually a magician they imagine. Whether a priest, a soldier or a merchant, it is quite common for an Urizen to know an incantation or the fundamentals of a magical lore.

The mountains of Urizen are rich in raw magical resources but they are even more rich in lore and recorded knowledge. There are libraries here that have been collected and expanded over five hundred years, but the magicians don’t rest on their laurels; they quest constantly to improve and increase their understanding of magic.

When Urizen joined the Empire they were instrumental in the creation of the Conclave, the great body of magicians that support the Empire with their arcane skills.

Magic is viewed as the most potent tool an individual can wield to change the world. As nodes in the Net of the Heavens, mages are inherently more pivotal than those around them because they can use magic to achieve far-reaching and dramatic changes. Magic can be dangerous, however: too much magic can warp an individual’s consciousness or taint an area of land. Reliance on one Realm of magic can create imbalances with terrible consequences. What is more the Urizen know that individual magicians in other nations rival or even exceed the power of the Urizen though they lack their perspective and understanding and this makes them dangerous. Yet at the same time these magicians are the peers and potential allies of the Urizen magi, they just need guidance.

By bringing magicians together, the Conclave makes it easy for the Urizen to assess their peers, to identify those magicians amongst the other nations who are pivotal nodes. By working together in the Conclave, they can more easily influence their colleagues and thus ensure that the magicians of the Empire are effective and work to improve the Empire.

Magi

Some Urizen take an interest in the workings of other Imperial bodies, like the Senate, the Synod or the Bourse, but the majority regard the Conclave as the most important political arena in the Empire, a reflection of the importance which the Urizen place on magic. One exception to this attitude are the magi, the political magicians of Urizen. A magus sees an equivalence between politics and magic. In both, carefully chosen words and gestures, a strong will and a keen intellect allow one to achieve results far beyond what one could achieve using only one's body. Magic is notoriously unreliable at influencing the hearts and minds of thinking beings, whereas a charismatic steward of the Marches or a silver-tongued Sarvosian Mountebank can achieve incredible results without using the tiniest bit of actual magic.

Whereas the stargazers and seers look beyond the world, and beyond the present, the magi are focused on the here and now. Using the Net of the Heavens as a model, they seek to become powerful nodes in their own right, building alliances and exerting influence over others to achieve their ends. They feel a natural affinity for other magicians, but they also realise the value of using their magical abilities to help their allies and build interlocking webs of favour and influence. Where reason and debate are insufficient, the magi use magic and more mundane methods to learn everything they can about their political opponents, reasoning that the more they know the more likely they are to find some lever that will allow them to bring their rival around to their way of thinking.

Magi do not restrict their political ambitions to the mortal world; the Eternals are powerful and are clearly pivotal nodes in their own rights, even if they are not part of the Empire. Where other nations may find the Eternals suspect, the magi believe fundamentally that the Eternals are a “knowable quantity.” Their restricted nature as compared to humans means that mortals will always eventually get the better of them, provided they approach them rationally and with care not to become overconfident.

Stargazers

Some Urizen magi have little or no interest in politics. The stargazers are interested in magic itself, performing research and experiments seeking to advance understanding and exceed the known limits of magic. They study magic not just for the power it grants, but so that they can understand both it and the complex laws that govern it. Although only a few stargazers are interested in astronomy they take their name from those amongst them who meticulously chart the course of the heavens.

A common theory among the stargazers is that there is at least one more Realm – the seventh Realm that represents the unknown. This seventh Realm, if it exists, is concerned with things that humans cannot conceive of, and may be related to the process of reincarnation. Attempting to understand the seventh Realm is a complex mental exercise – how does a human mind conceive of something that is by its very nature impossible to imagine?

Another common theory held by stargazers is that there are probably eight Realms, although there is bitter division over what these Realms might be. The most widespread belief is that the four “physical” Realms – Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter – should be mirrored by four “spiritual and mental” Realms – that there are at least two more Realms, the counterparts to Day and Night.

The stargazers maintain that the Realms can be a positive influence on the world, but only so long as no one Realm dominates the others. All six realms possess qualities that are valuable, especially in moderation. Many stargazers perform experiments designed to create balance between the influence of the realms, or to highlight positive elements rather than negative. The ultimate goal is to create a fabled state they variously call “celestial harmony” or “the omnihedron” that will help usher in a state of perfection on the mortal realm.

Stargazers are also interested in the Eternals, for obvious reasons. As denizens of Realms beyond the mundane, the Eternals may offer insights that can unlock the secrets of the Realms and the physical world. Stargazers relish the opportunity to engage with friendly Eternals in discussions about philosophy and theorising about the nature of existance.

Seers

The seers of Urizen maintain libraries of lore gathered from across the Empire and beyond. Honed and refined by generations of study and discussion, these libraries rival the great libraries of Highguard. Urizen does not limit itself to magical lore; everything can be quantified, charted and recorded and to lose or waste knowledge is a dreadful thing. Recording and gathering wisdom and knowledge of the mundane world helps them to a greater understanding of how to apply their magic to the best effect.

The seers always attempt to maintain perfect detachment from the events they are recording, no matter how painful or unpopular those facts might be. Most seers are masters of the Day Realm, able to perform powerful divination rituals. They know that success in divination relies upon having the most accurate possible information, so they regard personal opinions and interpretations as flaws. It is perfectly appropriate for an Urizen to hold an opinion on their data, to have interpretation of what it means, the seers just don’t believe that mere opinions merit being written down.

The clashes between Highborn archivists and Urizen seers and torchbearers are notorious. Seers are outraged by what they see as the archivists' cavalier approach to the facts while the archivists are infuriated by the torchbearers' insistence on spreading information to everyone. There is rarely much love lost between scholars of the two nations and they often compete with each other to possess information.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Urizen_magical_traditions&oldid=14327"

Urizen Maps

See Also

- Morrow

- Redoubt

- Spiral

- Zenith

PRINT INFORMATION - Each map is set to print at A3 size (the resolution varies between 175ppi and 300ppi). Do not print larger than this or it will pixellate. If you print smaller, the quality will improve slightly. Various sizes are available by clicking on the image. To print, make sure you download the ORIGINAL size image (should be between 2700 and 5000 pixels wide. Feel free to add your own textures etc

Maps by Daisy Abbott

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Urizen Memorial Song

Words and tune by Claire Sheridan tune Manuscript by Aneurin Redman-White [1]

We are all human, our spirits live on, Though these vessels who were our companions are gone. We are all human, our spirits live on, Though these vessels who were our companions are gone.

Immortal spirits, through virtues we try, To make the most of each of our lives. To return from the Labyrinth enriched and enlightened, Beginning again to learn and to strive.

We are all human, our spirits live on, Though these vessels who were our companions are gone. We are all human, our spirits live on, Though these vessels who were our companions are gone.

The Labyrinth will take us, our own time will come, To walk for a while away from the sun, While on the Way our path only moves forward, Mourn not the soul that is sure to return.

We are all human, our spirits live on, Though these vessels who were our companions are gone. We are all human, our spirits live on, Though these vessels who were our companions are gone.

Where there is darkness, we will make light, We will lead others on the path that is right, Though the price may seem high, life is never lost, When given in earnest, here in our sight.

We are all human, our spirits live on, Though these vessels who were our companions are gone. We are all human, our spirits live on, Though these vessels who were our companions are gone.

Follow the Paragons, follow the Way, Follow your loved ones into the fray, Each day is a battle for control of the self, We will triumph ourselves over death one day.

Edit the categories appropriately. This is important.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Urizen_Memorial_Song&oldid=35071"

Urizen military concerns

Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.

The Urizen contribute only a single army to the Imperial Military, but they have a history of providing important arcane assistance in wars against the Empire's magically capable enemies. This history began even before they joined the Empire, with several notable Urizen magicians providing pivotal assistance to the Empire in the war against Alderei the Fair and the Volodny sorcerers. This earned them the hatred and enmity of the Volondy, but it created a precedent for future conflicts. When the Imperial Armies march to war against a foe that uses magic, the Urizen magicians work to provide what support they can.

In theory each Urizen Spire maintains its own defences, but it is common for spires to collaborate to construct a spire in such a way that it can protect all its neighbours. These military spires – called citadels – are built at strategically important points and are usually heavily fortified. They attract individuals of a martial bent from all over the nation, drawn by the opportunities to practice their skills and hone their fighting Arete.

Citadels are often constructed on Urizen's borders, where they can guard important passes, but there are dangers throughout the mountains of Urizen. Brigands and bands of indigenous orcs threaten civilisation and the many powerful magical auras that afflict the region create problems of their own. A key advantage of the Heliopticon is that it allows for the transmission of messages between spires without the need to traverse the dangerous valleys and passes that lie between them.

Swords, spears and glaives are the favourite weapons; axes, maces and flails are considered to be heavy and ungainly weapons by many. Urizen masters teach their students to see a weapon as a tool to control the space around them, they prefer longer weapons with which they can keep an enemy at a distance. The Urizen disdain wrestling and pugilism. This is partly a result of their desire to keep people outside their personal space but fighting without a weapon is seen as ineffectual and barbaric – a waste of effort and energy that is the very opposite of the Net of the Heavens and a higher mind. “Animals fight with their hands” is a common rebuke for Urizen children caught fighting.

Sentinels

Although most Urizen view skill with ritual magic as a sign of fitness to govern, ultimately it is excellence they respect. Arete is about skill, precision and effectiveness with one’s chosen art; a skilled warrior receives more acclaim than a careless mage. Those who train themselves to fight without using magic are unlikely to be considered for high office but they can still gain the respect of their peers. To do so requires more than just skill at fighting however; to demonstrate Arete as a warrior requires an individual to show a mastery of all aspects of warfare.

Those Urizen warriors who strive to achieve this ideal call themselves sentinels. They combine study of strategy, tactics and the mastery of weapons and armour with knowledge of history, magic, religion and philosophy. They study not only the practical arts of fighting, but also the theories of how and why men and women fight, what it means to be a warrior, and the ethics of violence and killing. A few possess some magical ability, but just as often they are dedicated fighters who leave the practice of magic to their charges and allies.

Some sentinels choose to focus their fighting skills, devoting their life to the goal of mastering a single weapon. Sentinels who choose this path are less likely to learn magic, as the time required makes it harder to master their chosen weapon.

The alternative is to seek to develop equal skill with all weapons of war. This approach stresses flexibility, the idea that the ultimate warrior is one who can adapt themselves to any need. Sentinels who choose this path are much more likely to learn healing or combat magic, viewing magic as one of many weapons they can wield as circumstances require. These individuals tend to prepare the weapons and armour for each battle, depending on who they are fighting and in particular on who their allies are – specializing in supporting or complementing their allies approach to the battle.

Sentinels strive to be mindful of the Net of the Heavens. To be effective requires a warrior to identify the perfect moment for a strike. Prolonged engagements are wasteful and to be avoided where possible; the ideal strategy commits troops only at the pivotal moment when they can transform the outcome. Sentinels are far from pacifists; they actively seek out battle, the better to master their skills and demonstrate their Arete. The best generals are those who can achieve victory without wasted lives or effort.

When fighting alongside other nations, sentinels often prefer to stay in reserve, avoiding the front lines of a battle – they observe the unfolding conflict and quickly decide where their particular skills can make the most difference to the outcome, then employ those skills with ruthless effectiveness before moving on to another crisis point. This often means engaging at the point where fighting is most fierce, bringing relief to beleaguered allies who are about to be overrun.

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

Imperial Armies

Urizen fields one Imperial army; the Army of the Citadel. The Urizen also have a great deal of interest in the position of Warmage, appointed by the Imperial Conclave each Spring Equinox to serve as a de facto general, albeit one without command of an army.

The Army of the Citadel

This army (unsurprisingly) incorporates a large number of magicians, battle-magicians and sentinels trained to fight alongside them. Their prowess with battlefield magic is unparalleled, but their versatility should not be underestimated. There are also diviners who use the magic of Day and Night to gather intelligence about the magical capabilities of their enemies; scouts and disciplined raiders who focus on denying those resources to the enemy; and potent ritualists who can channel the magic of the Empire to bring down curses and enchantments on the territory where the army campaigns.

The first Urizen General leads the Army of the Citadel, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer solstice each year.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Urizen_military_concerns&oldid=34181"

Urizen military concerns (Redirected from Urizen Military Concerns)

Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.

The Urizen contribute only a single army to the Imperial Military, but they have a history of providing important arcane assistance in wars against the Empire's magically capable enemies. This history began even before they joined the Empire, with several notable Urizen magicians providing pivotal assistance to the Empire in the war against Alderei the Fair and the Volodny sorcerers. This earned them the hatred and enmity of the Volondy, but it created a precedent for future conflicts. When the Imperial Armies march to war against a foe that uses magic, the Urizen magicians work to provide what support they can.

In theory each Urizen Spire maintains its own defences, but it is common for spires to collaborate to construct a spire in such a way that it can protect all its neighbours. These military spires – called citadels – are built at strategically important points and are usually heavily fortified. They attract individuals of a martial bent from all over the nation, drawn by the opportunities to practice their skills and hone their fighting Arete.

Citadels are often constructed on Urizen's borders, where they can guard important passes, but there are dangers throughout the mountains of Urizen. Brigands and bands of indigenous orcs threaten civilisation and the many powerful magical auras that afflict the region create problems of their own. A key advantage of the Heliopticon is that it allows for the transmission of messages between spires without the need to traverse the dangerous valleys and passes that lie between them.

Swords, spears and glaives are the favourite weapons; axes, maces and flails are considered to be heavy and ungainly weapons by many. Urizen masters teach their students to see a weapon as a tool to control the space around them, they prefer longer weapons with which they can keep an enemy at a distance. The Urizen disdain wrestling and pugilism. This is partly a result of their desire to keep people outside their personal space but fighting without a weapon is seen as ineffectual and barbaric – a waste of effort and energy that is the very opposite of the Net of the Heavens and a higher mind. “Animals fight with their hands” is a common rebuke for Urizen children caught fighting.

Sentinels

Although most Urizen view skill with ritual magic as a sign of fitness to govern, ultimately it is excellence they respect. Arete is about skill, precision and effectiveness with one’s chosen art; a skilled warrior receives more acclaim than a careless mage. Those who train themselves to fight without using magic are unlikely to be considered for high office but they can still gain the respect of their peers. To do so requires more than just skill at fighting however; to demonstrate Arete as a warrior requires an individual to show a mastery of all aspects of warfare.

Those Urizen warriors who strive to achieve this ideal call themselves sentinels. They combine study of strategy, tactics and the mastery of weapons and armour with knowledge of history, magic, religion and philosophy. They study not only the practical arts of fighting, but also the theories of how and why men and women fight, what it means to be a warrior, and the ethics of violence and killing. A few possess some magical ability, but just as often they are dedicated fighters who leave the practice of magic to their charges and allies.

Some sentinels choose to focus their fighting skills, devoting their life to the goal of mastering a single weapon. Sentinels who choose this path are less likely to learn magic, as the time required makes it harder to master their chosen weapon.

The alternative is to seek to develop equal skill with all weapons of war. This approach stresses flexibility, the idea that the ultimate warrior is one who can adapt themselves to any need. Sentinels who choose this path are much more likely to learn healing or combat magic, viewing magic as one of many weapons they can wield as circumstances require. These individuals tend to prepare the weapons and armour for each battle, depending on who they are fighting and in particular on who their allies are – specializing in supporting or complementing their allies approach to the battle.

Sentinels strive to be mindful of the Net of the Heavens. To be effective requires a warrior to identify the perfect moment for a strike. Prolonged engagements are wasteful and to be avoided where possible; the ideal strategy commits troops only at the pivotal moment when they can transform the outcome. Sentinels are far from pacifists; they actively seek out battle, the better to master their skills and demonstrate their Arete. The best generals are those who can achieve victory without wasted lives or effort.

When fighting alongside other nations, sentinels often prefer to stay in reserve, avoiding the front lines of a battle – they observe the unfolding conflict and quickly decide where their particular skills can make the most difference to the outcome, then employ those skills with ruthless effectiveness before moving on to another crisis point. This often means engaging at the point where fighting is most fierce, bringing relief to beleaguered allies who are about to be overrun.

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.

Imperial Armies

Urizen fields one Imperial army; the Army of the Citadel. The Urizen also have a great deal of interest in the position of Warmage, appointed by the Imperial Conclave each Spring Equinox to serve as a de facto general, albeit one without command of an army.

The Army of the Citadel

This army (unsurprisingly) incorporates a large number of magicians, battle-magicians and sentinels trained to fight alongside them. Their prowess with battlefield magic is unparalleled, but their versatility should not be underestimated. There are also diviners who use the magic of Day and Night to gather intelligence about the magical capabilities of their enemies; scouts and disciplined raiders who focus on denying those resources to the enemy; and potent ritualists who can channel the magic of the Empire to bring down curses and enchantments on the territory where the army campaigns.

The first Urizen General leads the Army of the Citadel, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer solstice each year.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Urizen_military_concerns&oldid=34181"

Urizen music

Contents

- 1 The Music of Urizen

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.1.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2 Further examples

- 1.2.1 Songs

- 1.2.2 Instrumentation

- 1.2.3 Other performance traditions

- 1.3 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.4 Our sources

The Music of Urizen

Style summary

The Urizen musical tradition mirrors their tranquil, philosophical approach to life. More in meditation than performance, traditional Urizen musicians gather to improvise fluid, shifting melodies and harmonies around a series of repetitive themes, usually choosing a concept such as 'tranquility', 'hope' or 'grief' around which to base their compositions. They favour picked strings, tuned percussion and light, breathy woodwind, though any instrument can be played as part of the soundscape.

Real world inspiration includes gamelan, minimalists such as Phillip Glass and Ludivico Ianoudi, Vangelis and Mike Oldfield, though with acoustic rather than electric instruments.

A musical tradition

Urizen does not have a popular concert tradition. However, many Stargazers who are also musicians use musical improvisation and composition to structure their ritual magics; one such major tradition is the Silutarian Method, which utilises the connection between musical modes and the realms of magic.

Further examples

Songs

Traditionally, Urizen has not had a significant song tradition of its own, although bards have happily purloined the songs of other nations to sing in bars and around campfires. See Music for songs known throughout the Empire.

Children still sing songs and nursery rhymes, such as the following: Hungry Goat

Very recently, however, there has been a developing vogue for musical settings of Urizen lyric poetry. The pieces are usually repetetive, cyclical and reflective, as befits the Urizen outlook.

- The Stargazer's Song

- Cold, Crisp Air

- From the Spires Tall

Instrumentation

Bells, glockenspiels, Hand pans, hammer dulcimer, soft pipes, long notes from bowed instruments or drone instruments such as singing bowls or wine glasses.

Other performance traditions

Performers in Urizen more commonly recite poetry than sing. There is more information about Urizen art here.

How to adapt your repertoire

- Take any tune and repeat a phrase over and over, allowing others to improvise around it.

Our sources

Any gamelan, Philip Glass and other minimalists but preferably played on tuned percussion, Michael Nyman, Solaris soundtrack.

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music for Urizen.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Urizen_music&oldid=21561"

Urizen music (Redirected from Urizen Music)

Contents

- 1 The Music of Urizen

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.1.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2 Further examples

- 1.2.1 Songs

- 1.2.2 Instrumentation

- 1.2.3 Other performance traditions

- 1.3 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.4 Our sources

The Music of Urizen

Style summary

The Urizen musical tradition mirrors their tranquil, philosophical approach to life. More in meditation than performance, traditional Urizen musicians gather to improvise fluid, shifting melodies and harmonies around a series of repetitive themes, usually choosing a concept such as 'tranquility', 'hope' or 'grief' around which to base their compositions. They favour picked strings, tuned percussion and light, breathy woodwind, though any instrument can be played as part of the soundscape.

Real world inspiration includes gamelan, minimalists such as Phillip Glass and Ludivico Ianoudi, Vangelis and Mike Oldfield, though with acoustic rather than electric instruments.

A musical tradition

Urizen does not have a popular concert tradition. However, many Stargazers who are also musicians use musical improvisation and composition to structure their ritual magics; one such major tradition is the Silutarian Method, which utilises the connection between musical modes and the realms of magic.

Further examples

Songs

Traditionally, Urizen has not had a significant song tradition of its own, although bards have happily purloined the songs of other nations to sing in bars and around campfires. See Music for songs known throughout the Empire.

Children still sing songs and nursery rhymes, such as the following: Hungry Goat

Very recently, however, there has been a developing vogue for musical settings of Urizen lyric poetry. The pieces are usually repetetive, cyclical and reflective, as befits the Urizen outlook.

- The Stargazer's Song

- Cold, Crisp Air

- From the Spires Tall

Instrumentation

Bells, glockenspiels, Hand pans, hammer dulcimer, soft pipes, long notes from bowed instruments or drone instruments such as singing bowls or wine glasses.

Other performance traditions

Performers in Urizen more commonly recite poetry than sing. There is more information about Urizen art here.

How to adapt your repertoire

- Take any tune and repeat a phrase over and over, allowing others to improvise around it.

Our sources

Any gamelan, Philip Glass and other minimalists but preferably played on tuned percussion, Michael Nyman, Solaris soundtrack.

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music for Urizen.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Urizen_music&oldid=21561"

Urizen people

All people by nature desire knowledge.

The Urizen live in the mountains in settlements called spires: clusters of buildings, halls, galleries and balconies that are carved into a hilltop or the side of a mountain peak. Spires tend to specialise. A given spire might be known for its fine craftsmanship, the beauty and artistry of its musicians, its dedication to martial affairs, or its mastery of one or more spheres of magical power.

These majestic peaks have shaped Urizen society. They are defensible, but can only support a small population. As a result Urizen is the smallest nation in terms of population, although its numbers have been slowly increasing since it joined the Empire. The small size gives every person a clear sense of their own importance and their place in the community. The Urizen philosophers claim that the high peaks allow them to maintain a sense of perspective on the world, giving them a physical distance from the turmoil of day-to-day life in the Empire that they need to be able to consider problems dispassionately.

The Urizen prize rationality and learning above all other qualities. They favour an ordered approach to life and their culture is shaped by the philosophies and ideals they have embraced. They are an ambitious people with a desire for perfection in all things and most Urizen spend what time they can in study, contemplation and practice. Scholars and philosophers are prominent but magic is considered the highest discipline of all in Urizen and their most prominent citizens are usually powerful mages.

Urizen love to see practical applications of knowledge, lore and philosophy. While learning for its own sake is laudable, the Urizen value much more highly knowledge that is used to create tangible benefit – to change the world, even in a small way. They are credited with creating whole branches of natural philosophy and mathematics, formalising and codifying ideas such as algebra, geometry and trigonometry. They are most proud of practical inventions such as the telescope or the many magical rituals they have created. They apply their learning to make their lives more comfortable and fulfilling, and strive for the ideal of achieving something elegantly and with the least expenditure of effort.

Urizen aspires to a sense of timeless tranquillity. They seek to cultivate serenity and calm in themselves and in their environment. Most Urizen live a structured life that provides a foundation for them to build their identities around. They’re not moribund or calcified, but disruption of the personal daily routine is a clear sign that there are problems that demand their attention.

A desire for order and perfection in all things is what drives most Urizen. They seek mastery of the self, often through philosophies such as Arete and Poise, and they employ the teachings of the Net of the Heavens to make the world around them flawless and sublime. Most strive to move the Empire towards a utopia. While different spires disagree on what constitutes the perfect society, they broadly agree it should involve the largest amount of happiness for the largest number of people.

The archetypal Urizen is an educated person who applies their learning and discipline to every part of their life. An individual Urizen might easily be an implacable blade-master, oratorical reformer, dedicated natural philosopher, wise theologian or powerful magician. Wherever possible they seek to expand their understanding of the world and their role within it, and apply that understanding to achieve their goals.

Names

Urizen names are inspired by Roman and Byzantine names. They do not use the classical Roman three part name and comic pidgin Latin should not be used but the classical roots give a single name the right air of timelessness.

Formally, all Urizen append the name of their spire to their title. Spires are small enough that the occupants can avoid naming children with names used by other living residents of the spire, so the Urizen have no need of family names. If two Urizen with the same name do end up living in the same spire then one or both of them are usually given an appopriate epithet by the peers, e.g. "Portia the younger".

Spire names tend to be in English, and are usually descriptive. For example; Evenspire, White Marble Spire, Spire of the Immaculates.

Sample names

- Male: Aeneas, Aquila, Belisari, Cyrus, Drusus, Felix, Florian, Hadrian, Majorian, Marcus, Octavius, Seneca, Severus, Tacitus, Vaanes, Zeno.

- Female: Adula, Alba, Camilla, Flavia, Julia, Livia, Martina, Megaris, Nicasia, Octavia, Priscilla, Portia, Sabina, Sophia, Tatiana, Valeria.

Naming resources

- Roman names

- Byzantine male names

- Byzantine female names

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Urizen religious beliefs

Faced with what is right, to leave it undone shows a lack of courage.

With its emphasis on philosophy and an ordered and rational life, it is no surprise that virtue and religion are important in Urizen. Most Urizen try to live virtuous lives and many believe that virtue is essential for Arete, that people can only be truly effective when they act in a virtuous manner, or that Poise cannot be achieved while giving in to base urges. In particular, a philosophical understanding of the Way of Virtue is regarded by most Urizen as a matter of concern and interest to all, rather than the prerogative and business of priests.

The Way of Virtue promotes behaviours that allow civilisation to prosper. Individuals who are virtuous encourage others around them to be more virtuous, and discourage self-serving or slothful attitudes. Highguard priests argue that virtue and vice are “contagious”, that virtuous individuals promote virtuous behaviour in those around them, and vice versa. The priests of the Urizen do not deny this idea, but from their understanding of the Net of the Heavens the priests of Urizen perceive a deeper truth.

Illuminates

The Illuminates of Urizen are priests who combine a unique appreciation of the Net of the Heavens with a dedication to the Way of Virtue. Where other Urizen seek to understand the world around them in terms of pivotal nodes, individuals and events which dominate and control those around them. The Illuminates seek, instead, to identify virtuous individuals and work to make them into pivotal nodes, to put them in positions or bring them to events that will prove pivotal.

The idea is compellingly simple; by making a virtuous individual into a pivotal node, that node then influences all those nodes that are connected to it. The more pivotal the node, the greater the influence – the more virtue takes root and spreads across the Empire. The obvious way to make an individual into a pivotal node is to put them in a position of command within the Empire; a courageous general will inspire their troops to greater loyalty and courage, a prosperous senator will enable prosperity and ambition throughout their nation. Ultimately though anything that serves to make a virtuous person become a pivotal individual achieves the Illuminate’s objectives.

Vice is just as contagious as virtue, so Illuminates also seek to identify vile individuals, those who lack the virtues, and eliminate them. There is nothing particularly underhand about this; most Illuminates are priests who actively serve in the Synod, which has the power to remove anyone from Imperial office if their behaviour is deemed sufficiently unvirtuous. By bringing evidence of vile behaviour before the Synod, the Illuminates can remove those whose behaviour is influencing the Empire in the wrong way.

On the face of it, the Illuminates appear little different to most Highguard Inquisitors or to any other priests concerned with vile behaviour. The difference is that the Illuminates are not concerned with the behaviour itself, but rather with the influence that the behaviour has on others, by way of the connections between them. A high ranking Imperial general whose selfish behaviour does not affect their ability to do their job is of little concern to an Illuminate.

The other approach for Illuminates is to identify pivotal individuals and encourage them to become more virtuous. All the nodes in the Net of the Heavens influence each other, as well as the space between them, so a powerful node can still be affected by bringing another node into contact with it. A powerful senator prone to graft and corruption may be made more prosperous and loyal simply by the presence of a secretary in their entourage who is known for their honesty.

The goal of the Illuminates is to work to make the entire Empire more virtuous. But rather than deliver sermons to a congregation of dozens they seek to transform pivotal individuals; the ultimate goal is that all the nodes of the Net of the Heavens should be occupied by virtuous individuals. By such methods the Illuminates will transform the entire Empire.

Questors

Some Urizen regard the Way of Virtue as an unfinished work, as incomplete revelation. These individuals, often called Questors, seek to challenge themselves and others by questioning the dogma of other priests. They use doubt and logic as tools to explore the meaning of faith and the purpose of virtue. They are often at odds with the priests of Highguard, and are known to question what the exact role of priests should be in religion – they regularly propose that priests have a responsibility to guide and offer advice, but that they should not attempt to make individuals undertake or avoid certain types of behaviour because by doing so they are damaging the soul’s progression towards enlightenment.

There is a subset of Questors who go so far as to actively discourage the use of evocative Liao ceremonies, such as Consecration or Anointing, claiming that they interfere with the pure rational and objective pursuit of a virtue. These Questors, referred to by some as Lucidians for their commitment to clarity, are often excellent exorcists but who are as like to banish a virtuous aura as a malign spiritual presence, an attitude which has caused some tensions and conflicts with other priests, including accusations of Idolatry (from the Lucidians) and Blasphemy (from Wayfarers and other priests).

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Urizen territories

Human behaviour flows from three main sources: desire, emotion, and knowledge.

The lands of the Urizen are predominantly mountainous in nature, for they favour the heights and summits of hills and mountains as sites to construct their spires.

Contents

- 1 Morrow

- 2 Redoubt

- 3 Zenith

- 4 Spiral

Morrow

The spires of Morrow are amongst the oldest in Urizen, dating back to the nation's birth. The heart of the Heliopticon is here, making it a centre of communication for the Nation. The miracle of the Heliopticon is administered from this territory, and most spires maintain a series of prisms, lenses and mirrors atop their tallest roof in order to pass on the flickering messages that keep the nation in constant communication. Many spires in Morrow inhabit some of the original buildings discovered on the mountaintops by the first Urizen to ascend the mountains. Large open buildings, with doorways and halls just larger than a human might need, they create a sense of open space that has set the pattern for all Urizen architecture. Despite its great age Morrow moves inexorably forward, and many of its spires are undergoing constant reconstruction and improvement. It is said that “no two days find the same Morrow” as the Urizen constantly strive to perfect their land even further. A project may take a decade or even more to come to fruition, but the Urizen pride themselves on vision and their desire to perfect their world.

Redoubt

Smallest of the three Urizen territories and the wildest, the spaces between the spires are haunted by bandit orcs and dangerous beasts. The mountains here are riddled with odd star-shaped tunnels that date back thousands of years, long before there were any reliable records of humans in this part of the world. There is a strong martial tradition, and many citadels, including the great Court of the Fountain that watches the eastern approaches against the barbarians who occupy Spiral. The territory has a long coastline, and while it is not easily passable for much of it's length, there are several spires on the Bay of Catazaar that look outwards to the wider world - both to their allies in the Empire, and to distant lands full of strange philosophies.

Zenith

The mountains of Zenith are the tallest in the nation, and perhaps the Empire, and the air here is still and cold. The spires tend towards the contemplative, the night sky is rarely concealed by clouds making the territory perfect for stargazers. Many religious thinkers and philosophers also reside in Zenith, where they claim that the rarefied air helps them maintain a sense of detachment and clarity. Zenith is well known for its abundant magical auras and many spires have experimented with arrays of metal mirrors that focus the light of the sun into internal chambers to try enhance the production of magical crystals. Zenith also has some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Nation, with apparently bottomless mountain lakes providing succulent fish to supplement the diet of the inhabitants.

Spiral

Lost in 331YE. The Urizen lived in Spiral long before there was an Empire, but even then it was isolated. The main thrust of pre-Imperial Urizen settlement was in Morrow to the north, and the two territories were connected by a tenuous "bridge" of spires stretching across Zenith. Even then, the place had a haunted reputation. At some point in the distant past, powerful magic was worked here and the echoes of that magic occasionally caused trouble for the Urizen in their mountain fastnesses. At the heart of the territory is the Black Plateau, great plateau of volcanic glass with a dire reputation. Artefacts from the Black Plateau are often considered haunted or touched by malign evil, and are generally destroyed when they are encountered.

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Useful Rhymes

These rhymes are spoken all over the Empire and often nations have their own versions. Children sometimes use these chants in games or when picking (like Eeenie Meenie Minie Mo).

Virtue Rhymes

Ambition, Prosperity, Loyalty, Pride - Empire strong and the foeman outside Courage and Wisdom, and Vigilance true - Empire's future depends upon you

Pride - play each game as it ought to be played Prosperity - share the good things you have made Wisdom - know when you don't know and should ask Courage to act and not flinch from the task Loyalty during both good times and bad Ambition to make this the best life you've had Vigilance always, and seeing things true Empire's future depends upon you.

Pride - know the great stuff your nation has done. Prosperity - help everybody have fun Wisdom - your words should be clever, but brief Courage - strong heart kicks an orc inna teef. Loyalty - keep to your family strong Ambition - keep going, you'll never go wrong. Vigilance - keep your friends faithful and true. Empire's future depends upon you.

Nation Rhymes

Here is Varuskha, who keep to the light, Here's the Navarri - they're good in fight Here's Urizen who are magic and clever Here's Wintermark who are Loyal forever. Here are the Marches who toil in the sun. Here is the League who can get the job done. Here are the Freeborn who come from Brass Coast Here are the Orcs who will eat you on toast, Here are the Highborn who keep to the faith, Here are the Dawnish who who test you to death!

Physick Rhymes

Blue Mazzarine to save a limb Grey Bladeroot stems a weakness dim Red Roseweald poison's power breaks True Vervain body's healing wakes Though Marrowort takes soldiers' pain At battle's end they'll fall again

See also: Chants for naughty children

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Vale

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Many vales employ Stzena, local musicians who perform at local civic events and celebrations.

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Vale of Shadows

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 20

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 1.5 Additional Targets

- 1.6 Options

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 20

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a farm, forest, mine, business, herb garden, mana site or congregation. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout. Please note that this ritual cannot target National Bourse Positions.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The target resource is concealed from hostile forces. If the territory is lost to the barbarians, the resource does not suffer any loss of production.

Magical means of divining information about the resource will only work if they are performed at an equal or higher magnitude. Lower magnitude divinations will merely detect the presence and magnitude of the Vale of Shadows enchantment in the region.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now). If the ritual is performed again at the end of the year, the resource will remain shrouded.

Additional Magnitude

You may choose to create a more powerful effect, which is harder to penetrate or remove. You may increase the magnitude of the ritual by any amount.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional multiple personal resources in the same territory. Each additional resource increases the magnitude by 12. The character who controls each resource must be present throughout the ritual. It is worth noting that adding additional resources in this way does make it harder to pierce or remove the Vale of Shadows on any of the targets - adding extra targets makes the enchanted shroud more powerful for every targeted resource.

Options

Instead of increasing the magnitude by 12 when adding additional targets to this ritual the casters may substitute 12 measures of Iridescent Gloaming. This does not increase the magnitude of the ritual either for purposes of performing it, or for purposes of trying to penetrate it. No partial measures are possible - the full dozen must be used - but the ritualists may include some targets using Iridescent Gloaming and others by increasing the magnitude.

Description

This ritual uses Night magic to shroud a resource from the eyes of hostile forces. It does this through a combination of glamour to encourage enemies to not notice the resource, shadowy illusion and mirage that actively conceal the resource, and a subtle influence over chance and even the weather to ensure the area is cloaked in heavy rain or thick fog.

The ritual is a little risky; while it is difficult to penetrate, the presence of the Night magic may still attract unwanted attention. Still, when a barbarian army is rampaging across a region the risk is usually worth it, compared to losing control of the resource entirely. There are still believed to be a few resources in territories lost to the barbarians that are protected by this magic (perhaps enhanced with ilium, but that have been largely forgotten by the outside world. It is surmised by some scholars that the Feni use some variation of this ritual to conceal their settlements. There is no actual evidence for this - indeed, other scholars have pointed out that if it were the case then surely Imperial diviners would be able to detect the presence of the Vale of Shadows itself.

One fascinating element of the ritual is the way that including additional resources makes the shroud over each location harder to pierce. While the same effect can be achieved simply by increasing the magnitude of the ritual (and indeed can be combined with that approach), a number of magicians feel that it is simply more effective to shroud additional resources against the barbarians where that is an option.

Common Elements

The ritual creates often involves a map of the resource to be enchanted, or items that come from that area. The map is often ceremonially burnt during the ritual, symbolically removing it from all maps. The ritual is often performed with ritualists in masks and cloaks, and is another one where the magicians begin in dim light and extinguish those lights as the ritual reaches a climax. Strong alcohol, powerful narcotics and incense are all used as components to create feelings of disorientation (the alcohol and drugs are not neccesarily consumed).

The runes Diras is often used with this ritual, sometimes in conjunction with Sular - although in such cases the Rune of discovery is usually inverted or destroyed as part of the ritual. The Eternals of the Whisper Gallery are occasionally evoked with this ritual (which makes a location 'secret'), although some Freeborn ritualists prefer to draw on Sung (choosing instead to make the location mysterious). Some practitioners of Astronomancy may use the constellation of The Lock while others work with The Spider. A small group of ritualists caution against using the Spider, for the same reason they caution against evoking Eternals - they perceive a definite risk in drawing the attention of mysterious forces to the hidden location.

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Vallorn

The Vallorn... nothing less than the vile offspring spewed out from the mating of a Great White Shark and a rampant fungal infection.

Zietel van Temeschwar, Mountebank

The vallorn appeared as part of the disaster that overthrew the cities of a nation named as 'Terunael' in Navarr legends, which may have covered much of the land which is now Empire. From the hearts of those cities, abundant greenery spread, a sick, infectious wave of life that cracked and crumbled stone, shot great trees up through streets and buildings, and warped, twisted and destroyed most of the inhabitants of those cities, scattering the others to the wind.

As the refugees attempted to claim back their lands, they discovered that around the core of each city, areas of superabundant, warped life had appeared, resistant to all efforts to destroy them. These were named vallorn.

A vallorn seems to be a malignant hostile magical ecosystem -- an area deep in the heart of a forest where even the Navarr fear to tread. Inside them are monstrous plants, the spores of which mutate living creatures that are exposed over many months. Even the air is different within the vallorn, weakening those who enter as if they were breathing mild poison.

There is no clear guiding intelligence behind the vallorn - they are not believed to be self-aware. However, they will strike back if damaged or hurt, much as a beehive or ant's nest will use its footsoldiers to drive off the invader. It is believed that there is one vallorn around each of the fallen cities of Terunael. Sometimes, however, vallornspawn and even vallorn plants show up in locations with no clear connection to Terunael; there is no clear explanation for how this happens.

We welcomed the night; in the darkness we could not bear witness to the vallorn’s appetite. By day… by day all Its wants, Its passions, Its yearnings were laid out in their visceral horrors. Synod forgive me for I know the Law cannot; but when darling Arturo came back to me – mud in his veins and thorns in his mouth – and he gestured me to embrace him… I ran, and I ran, and I ran.

Cai, Thorn of the Conclave, after the reconquest of Miaren prior to his execution for desertion

As far as it is known, the vallorn have not spread far after the initial rush of growth in the fall of the ancient cities. This is at least in part due to the watchfulness of the folk of the steadings, who take great pains to ensure vallorn areas are not disturbed and the vallorn roused. The forests of the vallorn are sick with life, greenery regenerating so fast that axe or fire only serves to enrage them. Attempts to cull these areas have been made time and time again, using both magical and mundane means, and have always met with failure.

No complete catalogue has ever been made of the strange monstrosities within the vallorn's domain - some appear simply to be diseased, misshapen forest creatures, or mutated humans and orcs. Some seem to be plants, sporting a mass of tangled thorns or possessing abilities that make them dangerous to travellers. A common threat to those who venture into those areas where the vallorn is strong are the vallornspawn husks. Some threats extend beyond the infested forests, however; from time to time, the monstrous insect horrors that prosper in the miasma swarm out of the woods and voraciously destroy crops and communities that lie in their path.

The Navarr have long believed that the Empire is still weak, and any attacks on the vallorn would be disastrous. So they build their strength, and the strength of Empire, and learn what they can of the foe.

Vallorn Miasma

The deeper one travels into an area claimed by the vallorn, the more likely one is to encounter the "vallorn miasma." It is as if the air itself is infected with dangerous toxins or spores, or perhaps an aura given off by the slumbering vallorn itself. The miasma seeps into the lungs and through the skin. It is sometimes visible in the air as tendrils of mist, often tinged green or yellow. It is impossible to avoid the miasma, and while some travellers claim that exposure can be avoided by tying wet cloth over the mouth there is little evidence that this tactic actually works.

Humans and orcs exposed to the miasma rapidly develop symptoms of nausea or mild feverishness. A critically injured individual is quickly - and fatally - overwhelmed by the miasma. Explorers in an area of miasma are advised to employ precautions such as the Vitality of Rushing Water ritual, or the use of an Abraxus Stone; to ensure they are accompanied by competent healers and well-prepared physicks; and to avoid violent confrontation wherever possible ... although this latter rarely proves practical. Even if they have avoided being injured, explorers who spend any period of time in an area of vallorn miasma will need medical attention when they return to remove it's lingering effects - rituals such as Ascetic Star of Atun are ideal for this purpose. Extended periods of time exposed to the miasma - even in it's most dilute form - is also known to cause the sickness known by the Navarr as green lung. While a wet cloth is of little use against the miasma itself, there is some evidence that a wet cloth over the nose and mouth will reduce the likelihood of contracting this sickness, at least in the short term.

The miasma is somewhat inimical to unliving material - corpses exposed to the miasma quickly rot away to mulch. The miasma speeds the process of decay in most unliving material - which has made the recovery of fragile artefacts from Terunael ruins especially challenging.

The strength of the miasma can only be permanently reduced in an area by reducing the power of the vallorn that spawns it. Miasma powerful enough to harm a mortal may be found in small "pools" outside the immediate area of vallorn infestation, especially if there are vallornspawn plants in the area. It is much more common to find it across large expanses of vallorn claimed regions like a toxic sea (OOC Note: regions with the Vallorn keyword are likely to be heavily invested with vallorn miasma.) Exotic, alien and unique plants prosper in areas thick with miasma, and the monstrous insects associated with the vallorn thrive in these areas.

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Vallornspawn husk

Husks are found throughout the areas infested with the Vallorn; unlike certain other vallornspawn they are rarely encountered outside the immediate area of a vallorn dominated region. They resemble humanoid bodies infested with plant material; there is a great deal of diversity among 'husks. Some have vines or creepers growing from their orifices, others are covered in patches of moss; some have been reported with thorns growing through the skin while others are adorned with flowers. The only consistency is that the creature looks like a several-days-old-corpse infested with living plant matter.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 Vallornspawn Husk capabilities

- 2 Vallornspawn Husks and Briars

- 3 Vallornspawn Hulks

- 4 Green Lung

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

A vallornspawn husk is formed when a humanoid is incapacitated (rendered terminal or killed) in an area filled with vallorn miasma. While most 'husks are formed from human or orc bodies, a rare few are composed of the bodies of ogres. The miasma quickly infests the body and maintains (or in some cases, restores) the natural processes that make life possible. Over a period of time ranging from a few hours to several days, living plants spread through the flesh and eventually the new vallornspawn husk lurches to it's feet. Corpses that have been dead for more than a few minutes do not seem to become prey to the miasma in this way. Rather, the miasma causes them to rapidly putrefy and decay, often causing non-animate foliage to sprout from their remains. Likewise, a body that is very badly damaged (dismembered or decapitated) is not suitable to become a 'husk. Removing the body from the miasma may also prevent it from being reanimated in this way.

The plant infests the flesh and maintains life, preserving it long after a dead body would have rotted and fallen apart. Indeed, it seems that a vallornspawn husk can endure indefinitely as long as it is exposed to the vallorn miasma and avoids violence. Given the incredible healing abilities common to all vallornspawn, a husk that is damaged or injured but not destroyed will rapidly be restored to full health. Some stories claim that the ritual Turns the Circle was developed in part specifically to ensure no usable bodies were left behind for a vallorn to use - and as a more acceptable and less time-consuming method than chopping a fallen comrade limb from limb and scattering their remains.

Students of the vallorn say that a 'husk does not appear to be a self-aware creature like a human or orc. While they may moan, wail, howl or even occasionally produce comprehensible words they appear to do so without any awareness of language or communication even with each other. Unlike the humans and orcs they once were, they seem to operate on a small number of instinctual responses.

A 'husk left to its own devices is a reasonably passive creature, moving slowly around the environment and spending long periods stationary in sunlight or near water. When a living human or orc comes nearby, however, the husk becomes a relentless predator. It moves quickly to attack the intruder, pursuing the target if it if flees. The 'husk often voices an echoing wail or howl when engaging, which rapidly attracts other husks. A husk in "offensive" mode receives a burst of vitality, and can maintain a frenzied attack for as long as it takes to neutralise all interlopers in its environment. Once a target is incapacitated, a vallornspawn husk tends to ignore it, leaving it to be infested with miasma and create a new vallornspawn husk.

Vallornspawn Husk capabilities

'Husks are physically strong and are very resilient to damage. They attack with weapons that range from rusted and pitted swords to heavy tree branches. They heal rapidly - warriors have observed 'husks quickly restoring themselves from near-death to full strength in a few moments during which they sway hypnotically and give off a dreadful wailing moan as the corrupt vitality that infuses them repairs or in some places replaces damaged flesh.

'Husks appear to suffer no discomfort from the Vallorn miasma that infests the areas where they are usually encountered. Paradoxically however they are extremely vulnerable to magical venom (as well as substances such as Oil of Blackthorn). A 'husk that is exposed to powerful venom of this nature rapidly falls apart. The rituals Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague and The Grave's Treacherous Edge can clear a small area of vallornspawn husks almost imediately and have proved occasionally useful in punching through a ring of the creatures, often allowing those trapped within the vital moments needed to make an escape.

Experiments have shown that the vallornspawn husks are not "undead" by any standard definition. The ritual Hold Back Frozen Hunger is ineffective against them; rather, like other vallornspawn, they can be held at bay by Ward of the Black Waste and similar specific protections.

Vallornspawn Husks and Briars

When a human with a strong briar lineage is infested with Vallorn miasma, the result is sometimes a more potent creature. Scholars theorise that the strong influence of the Spring realm that causes a briar to manifest it's lineage makes the resulting body a good match for the vallorn infestation. Vallornspawn briar husks possess powerful healing abilities that they use to repair and restore fallen 'husks. They seem to possess a heightened awareness of other 'husks, and unlike their fellows they often hang back, rather than running straight into the fray. In close combat however, they are still dangerous opponents able to cripple and incapacitate lighty armoured opponents with ease.

it is interesting to note that a vallornspawn husk created from a briar continues to grow bark throughout it's existance. Older husks have been identified that are covered almost entirely in bark, and for a long time it was assumed that these "dryads" were in fact a different order of creature altogether.

Vallornspawn Hulks

Ogres are not common, which makes vallornspawn hulks rarer still. A Vallornspawn hulk is a massive creature full of unnatural vitality and, due to it's size, does not share the fatal vulnerability to venom that marks it's smaller kin. A hulk still reacts to the touch of venom - such attacks mark the creature in much the same way fire or vitriol might mark a living tree - but they are not incapacitated by them.

Green Lung

A sickness particularly common among the Navarr is believed to be related to the vallornspawn husks. Long-term exposure to vallorn miasma can cause the illness to develop - it is characterised by a creeping malaise, difficulty breathing and coughing fits. While it is relatively easy to treat with an infusion of bladeroot, if it is allowed to progress for too long it can cause permanent lung damage and even death. There is a superstitious belief that someone who dies of green lung will become infested as a Vallornspawn husk, and so the body is often destroyed - but there is no practical evidence to support this belief.

While green lung is most common in those exposed directly to the Vallorn miasma, it is also found in people who live close to a vallorn tainted area - there is speculation that the wind may expose those outside a tainted area to sufficient miasma to bring on symptoms of the illness. It is not otherwise contagious. While a wet cloth is of little use against the miasma itself, there is some evidence that a wet cloth over the nose and mouth will reduce the likelihood of contracting this sickness, at least in the short term - this counter is of little use to those who are exposed for extended periods.

OOC Notes

The easiest way to deal with vallornspawn husks is to stay out of the areas where they are found. Vallornspawn husks are for the most part a passive danger to those who explore vallorn tainted areas. They can be avoided, and rarely venture outside of the miasma. Once engaged, however, they are relentless opponents.

They are not intelligent however, and all things being equal a competent well-armoured warrior could deal with one or two husks without too much difficulty.Unfortunately, they are usually encountered in large numbers, and fought within the vallorn miasma, two factors which make them much more dangerous. The more husks there are in a group, the more likely they will be able to take a few moments to restore themselves to full health, making it much more difficult to destroy them. Worse, the presence of the vallorn miasma means any warrior who is badly hurt is at great risk of dying and in turn swelling 'husk numbers unless special precautions such as an Abraxus Stone or an enchantment such as Vitality of Rushing Water have been employed. A wave of 'husks easily pushes forward over a downed warrior, leaving them unreachable by healers who might otherwise save them in the short time before the miasma overwhelms them entirely.

Vallornspawn husks are never allies of humans or orcs. Any background that includes non-violent interactions with them is unlikely to be approved. Within the restrictions noted above, they may make good opponents for a player event set in or around one of the Navarr forests.

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Vallornspawn husk (Redirected from Vallornspawn husks)

Husks are found throughout the areas infested with the Vallorn; unlike certain other vallornspawn they are rarely encountered outside the immediate area of a vallorn dominated region. They resemble humanoid bodies infested with plant material; there is a great deal of diversity among 'husks. Some have vines or creepers growing from their orifices, others are covered in patches of moss; some have been reported with thorns growing through the skin while others are adorned with flowers. The only consistency is that the creature looks like a several-days-old-corpse infested with living plant matter.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 1.1 Vallornspawn Husk capabilities

- 2 Vallornspawn Husks and Briars

- 3 Vallornspawn Hulks

- 4 Green Lung

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

A vallornspawn husk is formed when a humanoid is incapacitated (rendered terminal or killed) in an area filled with vallorn miasma. While most 'husks are formed from human or orc bodies, a rare few are composed of the bodies of ogres. The miasma quickly infests the body and maintains (or in some cases, restores) the natural processes that make life possible. Over a period of time ranging from a few hours to several days, living plants spread through the flesh and eventually the new vallornspawn husk lurches to it's feet. Corpses that have been dead for more than a few minutes do not seem to become prey to the miasma in this way. Rather, the miasma causes them to rapidly putrefy and decay, often causing non-animate foliage to sprout from their remains. Likewise, a body that is very badly damaged (dismembered or decapitated) is not suitable to become a 'husk. Removing the body from the miasma may also prevent it from being reanimated in this way.

The plant infests the flesh and maintains life, preserving it long after a dead body would have rotted and fallen apart. Indeed, it seems that a vallornspawn husk can endure indefinitely as long as it is exposed to the vallorn miasma and avoids violence. Given the incredible healing abilities common to all vallornspawn, a husk that is damaged or injured but not destroyed will rapidly be restored to full health. Some stories claim that the ritual Turns the Circle was developed in part specifically to ensure no usable bodies were left behind for a vallorn to use - and as a more acceptable and less time-consuming method than chopping a fallen comrade limb from limb and scattering their remains.

Students of the vallorn say that a 'husk does not appear to be a self-aware creature like a human or orc. While they may moan, wail, howl or even occasionally produce comprehensible words they appear to do so without any awareness of language or communication even with each other. Unlike the humans and orcs they once were, they seem to operate on a small number of instinctual responses.

A 'husk left to its own devices is a reasonably passive creature, moving slowly around the environment and spending long periods stationary in sunlight or near water. When a living human or orc comes nearby, however, the husk becomes a relentless predator. It moves quickly to attack the intruder, pursuing the target if it if flees. The 'husk often voices an echoing wail or howl when engaging, which rapidly attracts other husks. A husk in "offensive" mode receives a burst of vitality, and can maintain a frenzied attack for as long as it takes to neutralise all interlopers in its environment. Once a target is incapacitated, a vallornspawn husk tends to ignore it, leaving it to be infested with miasma and create a new vallornspawn husk.

Vallornspawn Husk capabilities

'Husks are physically strong and are very resilient to damage. They attack with weapons that range from rusted and pitted swords to heavy tree branches. They heal rapidly - warriors have observed 'husks quickly restoring themselves from near-death to full strength in a few moments during which they sway hypnotically and give off a dreadful wailing moan as the corrupt vitality that infuses them repairs or in some places replaces damaged flesh.

'Husks appear to suffer no discomfort from the Vallorn miasma that infests the areas where they are usually encountered. Paradoxically however they are extremely vulnerable to magical venom (as well as substances such as Oil of Blackthorn). A 'husk that is exposed to powerful venom of this nature rapidly falls apart. The rituals Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague and The Grave's Treacherous Edge can clear a small area of vallornspawn husks almost imediately and have proved occasionally useful in punching through a ring of the creatures, often allowing those trapped within the vital moments needed to make an escape.

Experiments have shown that the vallornspawn husks are not "undead" by any standard definition. The ritual Hold Back Frozen Hunger is ineffective against them; rather, like other vallornspawn, they can be held at bay by Ward of the Black Waste and similar specific protections.

Vallornspawn Husks and Briars

When a human with a strong briar lineage is infested with Vallorn miasma, the result is sometimes a more potent creature. Scholars theorise that the strong influence of the Spring realm that causes a briar to manifest it's lineage makes the resulting body a good match for the vallorn infestation. Vallornspawn briar husks possess powerful healing abilities that they use to repair and restore fallen 'husks. They seem to possess a heightened awareness of other 'husks, and unlike their fellows they often hang back, rather than running straight into the fray. In close combat however, they are still dangerous opponents able to cripple and incapacitate lighty armoured opponents with ease.

it is interesting to note that a vallornspawn husk created from a briar continues to grow bark throughout it's existance. Older husks have been identified that are covered almost entirely in bark, and for a long time it was assumed that these "dryads" were in fact a different order of creature altogether.

Vallornspawn Hulks

Ogres are not common, which makes vallornspawn hulks rarer still. A Vallornspawn hulk is a massive creature full of unnatural vitality and, due to it's size, does not share the fatal vulnerability to venom that marks it's smaller kin. A hulk still reacts to the touch of venom - such attacks mark the creature in much the same way fire or vitriol might mark a living tree - but they are not incapacitated by them.

Green Lung

A sickness particularly common among the Navarr is believed to be related to the vallornspawn husks. Long-term exposure to vallorn miasma can cause the illness to develop - it is characterised by a creeping malaise, difficulty breathing and coughing fits. While it is relatively easy to treat with an infusion of bladeroot, if it is allowed to progress for too long it can cause permanent lung damage and even death. There is a superstitious belief that someone who dies of green lung will become infested as a Vallornspawn husk, and so the body is often destroyed - but there is no practical evidence to support this belief.

While green lung is most common in those exposed directly to the Vallorn miasma, it is also found in people who live close to a vallorn tainted area - there is speculation that the wind may expose those outside a tainted area to sufficient miasma to bring on symptoms of the illness. It is not otherwise contagious. While a wet cloth is of little use against the miasma itself, there is some evidence that a wet cloth over the nose and mouth will reduce the likelihood of contracting this sickness, at least in the short term - this counter is of little use to those who are exposed for extended periods.

OOC Notes

The easiest way to deal with vallornspawn husks is to stay out of the areas where they are found. Vallornspawn husks are for the most part a passive danger to those who explore vallorn tainted areas. They can be avoided, and rarely venture outside of the miasma. Once engaged, however, they are relentless opponents.

They are not intelligent however, and all things being equal a competent well-armoured warrior could deal with one or two husks without too much difficulty.Unfortunately, they are usually encountered in large numbers, and fought within the vallorn miasma, two factors which make them much more dangerous. The more husks there are in a group, the more likely they will be able to take a few moments to restore themselves to full health, making it much more difficult to destroy them. Worse, the presence of the vallorn miasma means any warrior who is badly hurt is at great risk of dying and in turn swelling 'husk numbers unless special precautions such as an Abraxus Stone or an enchantment such as Vitality of Rushing Water have been employed. A wave of 'husks easily pushes forward over a downed warrior, leaving them unreachable by healers who might otherwise save them in the short time before the miasma overwhelms them entirely.

Vallornspawn husks are never allies of humans or orcs. Any background that includes non-violent interactions with them is unlikely to be approved. Within the restrictions noted above, they may make good opponents for a player event set in or around one of the Navarr forests.

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Vambraces of Regeneration

Description

This light mage armour most often has orichalcum decoration, and fastenings of weltsilver. The material is usually finished and reinforced with ambergelt. It offers a magician a way to recover quickly from crippling wounds. The forearm-guards of this suit of mage armour are most often marked with runes of healing or protection such as Rhyv or Feresh.

The Navarr call this mage armour the mantle of verbena after the fast-growing plant (believed to be a distant relative of the True Vervain). The fendwellers of Bregasland by contrast call them frogbracers and mark them with stylised depictions of newts and salamanders, creatures sometimes believed to possess miraculous abilities to regrow limbs. In Wintermark the combination of orichalcum and ambergelt used to craft this mage armour is often called trollsweave and gives rise to the common name of the trollsweave harness.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day you may spend ten seconds of appropriate roleplaying to repair one of your limbs that has been ruined by the cleave or impale call.

- Materials: Crafting vambraces of regeneration requires eight ingots of orichalcum, five measures of ambergelt and three ingots of weltsilver. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Hear me, brave children, you who will lead the Empire to greater glories, listen as I tell you of Larcwide, Son of Elfryd the Changeling, Larcwide hero of Wintermark, he who tamed the trolls to 'tend his words!

In those times there was much trouble between the Trolls and the Steinr, for this was before the age when the Trolls would be buried under the mountains. Larcwide was Thane then of a hall that numbered near a hundred people and angered by the Troll's raids he determined to put an end to them. But he would risk none of his warriors, so he set out aline in the fog and the forest, surrounded all by the dark in the green, surrounded all by the snows and the smells of night, of snow-lillies and crocus and brug.

At length he came at leas to an old farm, watched over by a whitehaired troll, who's wrinkled skin was old and pallid grey, whose back was crooked and curled like the moon is curved, like the bow when drawn or the old oak tree is gnarled and bowed.

"It is late," cried Larcwide, brave as the boar, "and here I am lost and the lights of your farm are bright and warm. I offer you my arm in friendship that I might call on Hospitality to beseech one drink of you, one plate of food, a hearthbed for the night - for this night and these snows are cold and even your people have some laws of host and guest."

The bent old troll nodded and spat and the spittle sizzled in the snow. "Such is," said he" such is and such was and such will always be. But you must ask my father this, for this farm is his and host he is."

Larcwide, brave as the boar, looked on, at this old troll "Your father is yet alive? Old he must be, old as the trees around us."

"Older," said the Troll "and yet he lives. He sits inside in his chair."

So Larcwide, brave as the boar, strode on and in the farm beyond an old chair sat, crooked and wooden and in the chair an old troll sat, crooked and broken, such that his body, shrivelled like the winter leaves in frost, lacked fingers and feet.

"Old Troll!" Cried Larcwide, brave as the boar, "Your son sends me thus! For it is late and here I am lost and the lights of your farm are bright and warm. I offer you my arm in friendship that I might call on Hospitality to beseech one drink of you, one plate of food, a hearthbed for the night - for this night and these snows are cold and even your people have some laws of host and guest."

The old troll's old father nodded and spat in to the hearth and the spittle quenched the flames a little. "Such is," said the old troll's father" such is and such was and such will always be. But you must ask my father this, for this hearth is his and host he is."

Larcwide, brave as the boar, looked on, at this, old troll's older father "Your father, too, is yet alive? Old he must be, old as the hills around us."

"Older," said the Troll "and yet he lives. He lives thus in that leather bag hung above the hearth. Better though you flee this place for my father will not tolerate a man who cannot shake his hand in friendship but beware for hard he always grips the hands of guests to see their strength and that may hurt you horribly."

Larcwide, brave as the boar, strode to the hearth and high on the hearth a leather bag was nailed, cracked and torn and in the bag an old troll sat, older still, and cracked and torn, more broken even than his crooked kin, such that his body, broken like the burnt wood in the fire lacked all but head and chest and arm.

"Oldest of Trolls!" Cried Larcwide, brave as the boar, "Your son and son's son sends me thus! For it is late and here I am lost and the lights of your fire are bright and warm. I offer you my arm in friendship that I might call on Hospitality to beseech one drink of you, one plate of food, a hearthbed for the night - for this night and these snows are cold and even your people have some laws of host and guest."

The old troll's father's father nodded and spat in to the flames and the spittle burned and melted the very flagstones that fire was built on. "Such is," croaked the old troll's father" such is and such was and such will always be. I'll take your arm of friendship and I'll give to you one drink, one plate of food, a hearthbed for the night, for such is law of host and guest, even amongst out people. But first manling, you must grip my arm for you cannot rest here if you have not the strength to lift a flagon or hold a plate."

Larcwide, brave as the boar, thrust forward his arm and the oldest of the trolls gripped down upon it, squeezing it with all his might. The old trolls grip was so strong that Larcwide's bones gave way and his muscles tore before the Troll released him saying "Best you flee manling, for I hear the sound of bones cracking. You have not the strength to lift a drink with us."

Larcwide threw back his head and laughed. "Old Troll, I am Steinr, we fell from the stars! My bones are made of iron and cannot be broken by any force under the sky. The cracking sound you hear is nought but the sound of my armour shifting over my bones. Bring me a drink and I will prove to you that the Steinr are stronger than any Troll."

Thinking to prove Larcwide a liar, and thus win the right to devour him, the trolls went to fetch a flagon of ale. While their backs were turned Larcwide twisted the wide leather bracer that covered his broken arm, wrenching bone and flesh back into position.

When the trolls returned, to their astonishment Larcwide reached out his arm and took the drink from them and drained it dry.

And thus it was that Larcwide, brave as the boar, bravest of his kinsmen, taught the Trolls to fear the Steinr who once fell from the stars and whose bones are made of iron so that they cannot be broken by any force under the sky.

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Vardas

Virtue

Vardas is held to be a Paragon of Vigilance. In 34BE the Highborn Assembly of the Virtuous recognised him as both an Exemplar, and a Paragon, a decision upheld by the Synod during their first general assembly.

Biography

The majority of what is known about Vardas has been passed down in the form of stories, whose authorship is attributed to Vardas' staunch companion and friend, Ion. Ion started to accompany Vardas on his adventures after Vardas tracked down, and eliminated, the sinister cult that had abducted Ion.

Very few of the stories told of Vardas go into his youth and upbringing. Accounts agree that he was one of the earliest of the 'true' Varushkans, mingling the blood and the strengths of both the Vard and the Uhska. He grew up to become an excellent hunter and tracker with a keen eye for the small signs that detailed the movements of his prey. In later life, he joined a Warden fellowship and employed his skills in the active pursuit of larger, more intelligent, prey - criminals, cultists and monsters.

The majority of stories about Vardas are structurally similar; he becomes aware of a threat or mystery, and then bends his exceptional mind and skills to tracking down and dealing with those responsible.The answer to the threat and mystery often hinges on Vardas noting something inconsequential that subsequently becomes instrumental in revealing a guilty party, giving him a strong reputation for vigilance and attention to details.

Many of Vardas’ stories also relate to his ongoing conflicts with Mikkal, an anarchy cultist. The circumstances of Vardas’ death are unclear. They are tied up with the eventual fate of Mikkal, and fact and story have become inextricably intertwined. The most popular version of events (see below) is held to be unlikely, however it was sufficient for the priests of Bastion to recognise that Vardas was not only an Exemplar, but a true Paragon of Vigilance.

Following Vardas' demise, or ascension, his disciple, Ion, proceeded to spread the stories of his heroic deeds, vigilance and the lessons he had learned about identifying, tracking and disposing of monsters and other threats far and wide. Ion's own adventures in this time are worthy of note, and he was held up as a possible Exemplar of Vigilance. However, this did not receive recognition by the Synod. The consensus was that Ion would mostly likely be an Exemplar, or even a Paragon, in his next life.

Signs

- Vardas is claimed to have demonstrated the sign of benevolence by distinction of the sheer number of monsters, criminals, saboteurs and villains he dispatched and thus removed as threats to the world.

- Vardas has been held up as an inspiration to many. Although he really only had one “sidekick” in the form of Ion, there are many who had admitted to being inspired by Vardas’ deeds and sought to emulate them, especially in identifying and eliminating Mikkalites.

- It is claimed that Vardas attained liberation and became a Paragon. There have been no past life visions attributed to him. It is even claimed, in one version of Vardas’ final encounter with Mikkal the Firestarter that Vardas even attained ascension, though some hold that account to be apocryphal.

- Vardas did undertake a pilgrimage to Bastion, though this was primarily in pursuit of Mikkal who had sought to steal some true liao. For his vigilance, Vardas was rewarded with a true liao vision, but there is no record of what he saw.

- Vardas is held to have demonstrated the sign of salvation by dint of having rescued many from peril and encouraged them to be more vigilant in the future, and thus prevent evil beings from being able to threaten them again.

- Vardas’ legacy is said to be a holy site where he confronted Mikkal for the last time, and potentially achieved ascension, leaving behind an enduring aura of vigilance. However, the precise location of this act was lost following Nicovar’s madness.

- No miracles are attributed to Vardas, nor has any proven link been made to a former incarnation, but neither of these have been disproven either.

As the last of his followers fell to my sword, I looked up to see Vardas aiming an arrow at Mikkal’s heart.

“You have nowhere left to hide,” he said, “Nowhere left to run. It is over.”

Mikkal lifted his arms displaying empty palms. His expression was rueful, but the dark malevolent fire that danced in his eyes was undimmed. “Perhaps it is,” he said, “My followers dead. Every hideaway exposed. Every plot and scheme foiled. Perhaps this truly is the end.”

I started to advance on him. Vardas would have wanted me to bind him and search him thoroughly for any hidden surprises. Mikkal glanced at me. His lowered the fingers on his upraised left hand, leaving only the index one to indicate that I should come no closer. I hesitated.

“Except…” he went on, “there is one thing that has nagged at me for some time. Why did you not kill me at the Blackened Stump when you had the chance? You caught me completely unawares. That riddle has vexed me for quite some time, but I think I now have the answer.”

I glanced at Vardas questioningly, for I had often wondered the same thing. Vardas’ jawline tensed, but he said nothing. The bowstring tensed even further at the arrow sighted on Mikkal.

The oily, self-satisfied smile that I had grown to loath crept over Mikkal’s face. “It is because you lack faith, isn’t it? You are not certain, as those zealots of Bastion are, that the path of chaos that I walk will condemn me to the Labyrinth for eternity. For if I die, and am reborn, I shall be where you cannot follow. Where you cannot thwart me.”

He flourished with his right hand and suddenly a small bottle appeared within it.

“NO!” shouted Vardas, loosing the arrow which buried itself in Mikkal’s shoulder, but seconds too late for Mikkal had already emptied the bottle down his throat. The self-styled Firestarter slumped to his knees, as Vardas and I sprinted over to him. Already his lips were discolouring and his skin paling.

“And so…” he coughed, blood splattering my tunic, “I escape you once again.” And he died.

Vardas unleashed oaths and curses upon the air before sinking into silence. I did not know what to say. How many generations would it be before Mikkal returned? Only now did I understand why Vardas feared to put his mortal enemy beyond reach.

Heavily, Vardas rose to his feet and looked at me. “Kill me,” he said.

I was stunned, and immediately began to protest, but he would none of it. “You must. You above all others understand what he is, what he is capable of. I must pursue him into the Labyrinth and somehow, though I don’t yet know how, prevent his escape. The longer we delay the harder it shall be for me to find him.”

“You don’t know that!” I said, “You don’t know what truly lies beyond life.”

“Perhaps not,” Vardas said, “but I do know that I must do all that is within my power to protect the world from Mikkal, in this life or any other. I can entrust this generation to you now. You are ready.”

With that, he handed me his bow. As I nocked the arrow and raised it, he nodded with the grim determination I recognised and loved in him.

Yet, as I drew back to shoot, something incredible happened. As I looked at Vardas, I could see, not one, but a dozen – maybe more – people looking back at me. The aura of confusion and rebellion that Vardas and I had battled since entering Mikkal’s lair vanished, and, before my eyes, Vardas faded away, leaving behind his clothes and satchel.

To this day, I cannot adequately describe the sensation of being in the presence of a true ascension. Yet I take reassurance from the truth that the Labyrinth of Ages is now under the watchful guardianship of Vardas the Paragon of Vigilance.

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Varushka children

Varushkan children are treasured, but they are also a source of constant worry to their parents. They are often naive, and their innocence of the dangers and rules of Varushkan life can bring harm not only to themselves but to their families. In a land where harsh winters can sometimes mean shortages of food, another mouth to feed can be a blessing but also a burden.

There are many sovereigns and Winter Eternals who desire children for their own purposes, and stories tell of the bargains they strike with unscrupulous or desperate parents in return for their offspring. There are also monsters who feast on children, or who carry them off as servants and entertainment. Some of these children are twisted by their captors and returned to prey on their parents in turn.

Children are often dressed in bright clothing to make it easier to spot them against the dark wood of the Varushkan forests. Innocence is a powerful protection in Varushka. They are taught to stay close to adults who can protect them from the dangers of Varushkan life. They are expected from an early age to help with chores such as cooking and cleaning. It is impossible to keep them in sight at all times however, and it is assumed that a child who is not being watched is getting up to mischief.

Varushkan children are taught a powerful warding that draws on its owner’s innocence and fear. By presenting the talisman boldly in front of them a young child can turn dark creatures aside, keeping them safe. Unfortunately this protection extends only to the child themself; the parents and older siblings are fair game for the monsters of Varushka. The power of the talisman wanes as a child ages and most children find them useless long before they reach their majority.

Things every child should know

- Don't trust strangers. Danger can take pleasing forms in Varushka, do not trust people you do not know.

- Listen to your elders. They can teach you wisdom which will protect you from the dangers of the wilds.

- Use your wits first and your talisman last. It will only work so many times, so save it for when you really need it.

- Stay alert. Look for things that are out of place and warn the adults about them.

- Don't cry wolf unless it is for real. Those who pretend danger is coming will not be listened to when it comes for real, and then everyone suffers.

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Varushka costumes

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Note: The tone and style of this page may need editing. All costume advice pages should be written in third person voice, using verbs that make clear that this page is advice, not direction.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 10 Quick Tips

- 3 Making Guide with Examples

- 3.1 Children

- 4 Inspiration

- 4.1 Colours

- 4.2 Research

- 4.3 Shops

Overview

Varushkans' grim outlook on life is contrasted by their clothes, which are beautiful, bright and warm. Perhaps as a remedy to the cold and dark of their lands, they take great pride in intricately embroidered shirts, richly coloured trousers and warm fur trim on coats and hats. Varushka is primarily influenced by Rus and Slavic costume and players can draw heavily from these sources for their costumes. The traditional Slavic white shirt or dress with red embroidery at the hem is a favourite for Varushkans, and the Rus trousers, hats and wrap over coats provide inspiration for the rest of the nation.

10 Quick Tips

- There's no need to spend £££'s on expensive fabrics - in Varushka it's all about the trim. Market stalls are great for bias tape, and embroidered ribbon in various widths.

- Fur can be ethical - whether you choose vintage real fur (ask in charity shops they often keep it in the back room); look for a sale after a licensed cull of animals or seek out good quality fake furs from fabric stores Fabrics Online

- Fake fur sold as 'fun fur' has a tendency to matt and go manky really quickly (and the designs are often a bit garish) so is probably best avoided

- Silks and velvets may be worn by the rich - but it'll often be as the trim with the work-wearing fabrics of linen, wool, leather, cotton still being used for the main garment - so only small amounts are needed.

- If you don't fancy embroidering from scratch and want more than just a border, some re-enactment stores have the Rus or Slavic style embroidered shifts and blouses for sale, and they also pop up in unusual places like Christmas Markets.

- Similarities between Varushkan and Wintermark costume (wrapped trousers, tunics, lots of fur) shows the shared heritage between the cultures - to err towards Varushka and away from Wintermark ensure trousers are baggy from waist to knee; use fur as trim in bands and hems, rather than loose pieces and opt for open fronted tunics cut on a diagonal layered over a white base layer rather than standard pulled over the head shapes.

- to stay warm go for multiple layers - it really does work.

- shawls are great as traditional family pieces and can often be found in charity shops or jumble sales

- Wigs are a great time saver for Wise Ones - all sorts of talismans and pieces and can be braided in and the whole thing removed to sleep in comfort - and ebay, charity shops and even Claire's Accessories are a great source for the bits and pieces you might need

- To avoid confusing a Wise One with a Kallavesi, steer clear of feathers or animal headdresses, and avoid looking like a Navarr by not using warpaint.

Making Guide with Examples

There are lots of choices for making a base layer. Whether it is a smock, blouse, dress or simple t-tunic it'll usually be white.

- Smock for men, women and children

- Roumanian Blouse

- Afghan Nomad Dress

- How to make a t-tunic

- T-tunic instructions

- Reconstructing History pattern RH018

For trousers its simply a case of taking any baggy trousers pattern and then strapping below the knee.

For coats, the style that is most traditional is fitted to the waist then with a flaring skirt.

- Turkish coat

- Tibetan coat

- Rus coat

And hats have a wealth of possibilities.

- Rus style hat

- Skullcap pattern

- Skullcap pattern

- Skullcap pattern

- A simple tutorial for making a fur hat can be found here on the wiki.

Children

Costume for Varushkan children follows the traditional styles and emphasis on bright colours. For toddlers and babies, traditional smocks, or simple t-tunics and drawstring trousers are simple and easy to pull-on garments, that can be made in linen or cotton for easy washing! These types of clothes also have plenty of flexibility in terms of size, meaning you'll get more than one year's use out of them. Traditional children's smocked dresses are easy to find in white and often have red or blue embroidery. These are an excellent simple costumes for babies and small children in Varushka.

When making costumes for smaller children, remember to avoid anything tight around the neck - strings, cloaks, hats on cords etc and in addition, all tabards should secure under the arms. Make sleeves and armholes wider than needed; they're the bits that get tight as they grow. Neck holes also need to be bigger than for adults or should fasten at the back.

- Information on clothes and swaddling for babies

- Patterns for Medieval children's clothes

- Kittle

- Revival Clothing's Premade items for children

- Gambeson's Premade items for children

Inspiration

See where some of the ideas came from:

Colours

Bright vibrant colours predominate, especially brilliant red, yellow and blue and are worn with white, black and grey.

Research

- http://pinterest.com/medabeaks/empire-inspirations/

- http://pinterest.com/captinron/varushkan-inspiration/

- http://pinterest.com/thetriggerbug/slavic-nation-empire-lrp/

- Tumblr

- Wolfhound (Russian, Spanish dubbed)

- Bulgarian costume

- Embroidered folk costumes

Shops

- http://armstreet.com/

- Jorgencraft make beautiful period costume.

- http://www.dein-larp-shop.de/index.php?language=en

- http://www.larp-fashion.de/

- http://www.planettrading.co.uk

- http://www.wulflund.com/

- https://www.facebook.com/groups/115644428575951/ - Custom

- http://www.etsy.com/shop/NeedlesAndChisels?section_id=11353342

- https://www.mytholon.com/index.php?language=en&osCsid=c3d32892e5cffd1811fba68f300c2ab5

- Custom Costume Company Bespoke designs for re-enactors and roleplayers

- The Midgard Seamstress Custom made UK LARP and Re-enactment costumes

- Totally Leathered Totally Leathered provides custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

- Idiom Productions Costume and Props Workshop creates custom hand-tooled leather armour, clothing and LRP weapons

- Evenlode Studios - High quality leather armour, costume and props handmade

- Darkblade Leather lamellar and Leather scale

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Varushka culture and customs

Contents

- 1 Family

- 2 Parting

- 3 Hospitality

- 4 Celebration

- 4.1 The Feast of the Loom

- 5 Funerals

Family

A respect for family is central to Varushkan culture. Varushkans commonly use familial titles to show respect and friendship. Friends may call each other Cousin, or even Brother or Sister if they are particularly close. Calling someone Uncle or Aunt indicates a significant degree of respect and acknowledges someone’s seniority and authority while Grandfather or Grandmother is usually used for the oldest and most respected members of the community. Individuals honoured in this way are usually treated just like any other family member.

Old age commands respect in Varushka. Older relatives who pass their wisdom and experience down to the younger generations are treasured. To the Varushkans, long years both grant and demonstrate wisdom. Fools die young, and their strength does not save them. Varushkan folklore includes countless stories where the young hero gets into trouble after ignoring the advice of their elders.

Often this tradition of the older generation passing their wisdom to the younger is demonstrated in the form of an apprenticeship. Rarely formalised, it is especially common with magicians and priests. An older individual takes a younger one "under their wing" and imparts their wisdom while engaging in day-to-day activities. The younger individual, for their part, helps the older in any number of ways, often serving as an assistant or conversational foil, for example.

Parting

Varushkans have a tradition of gift giving before and after a significant journey. When a Varushkan leaves their family for the first time, there is usually a ceremony to mark the occasion, a celebration that culminates with one or more gifts. Travellers sometimes do not come back, or come back changed, so when family return from such travels, there is a second celebration where the returning traveller is expected to give gifts in their turn. Traditionally the gifts given to a departing family member are usually practical, while gifts given by the returning family member are usually decorative mementos of the traveller's journey.

The Varushkan people cannot afford to suffer the foolish or indulge the lazy for long. The slothful, the ignorant, the arrogant and the petty criminal – anyone whose presence is no longer tolerable – receives an unlooked for parting ceremony, receiving the traditional departure gifts of a travelling cloak, a sack, a meal of bread and cheese, and a stout staff before effectively being exiled. Such individuals either learn harsh lessons in self-sufficiency or die in the wilderness between vales. The luckiest fall in with a group of travelling Navarr, while others end up joining a new community, become bandits or leave Varushka forever. While some hold grudges against the vales that threw them out, those who learn from their experiences and become better people feature strongly in Varushkan folklore.

One particular parting tradition is performed on the eve or the morning of battle, or before an especially long or perilous mission. Most often a spouse or lover, but sometimes a close friend or parent, spends time braiding the hair of the loved-one who is leaving into an intricate weave, working charms of protection in as they go. The hair is not untied until they are together again. Those without long hair are often ceremonially presented with a hank of braided animal hair, or knotted yarn, which will be carried until the pair are reunited and untie it together. In much of Varushka this is also performed for the beloved dead as they set off on their last journey - some folk-takes refer to the shame of going from this life with loose hair and thus unloved.

Hospitality

Anyone who lives in Varushka for long learns to be naturally suspicious of strangers. The land has many dangers and some can take a pleasing form if they choose to. Despite this they traditionally offer a warm welcome to any who stay after nightfall. Varushkans rarely let their guard down around strangers, but they know that treating them well is the best way to ensure prosperity and avert danger.

Treating a stranger well is the first step to turning them into an ally, and encourages them to respond in kind – pitching in with the cleaning, the cooking and so on. More importantly, treating a disguised monster well traps them in the role of well-behaved guest. As long as they are not mistreated, they are bound by the rules of hospitality, and they cannot harm anyone. There are several cautionary tales of Varushkans who forget the importance of these customs and bring terrible suffering down on themselves and their families.

Bringing your own food and drink and sharing it with your hosts is a cultural expectation as well as common courtesy. Visitors who break the traditions of hospitality by being rude or taking their hosts for granted may be offered a drink or a meal “for the road”. This phrase is a pointed warning that your behaviour is offending your hosts and the visitor who does not mend their ways faces immediate ejection. Depending on the circumstances a wise visitor might decline the offer and ask instead for a bed for the night. A foolish visitor who accepts the offer or carries on causing offence faces expulsion into the dark night.

Celebration

Day is the time for hard work. Celebrating before the sun touches the treetops implies indolence and invites the land to punish you accordingly. Few celebrations are ever held during daylight and as a result many Varushkans appear dour and parsimonious at first. In fact, they reserve their merrymaking for nightfall when feasts, drinking, dancing, toasting, storytelling and singing abound. Varushkans love dark bread and honey, and many meals start or end with it. Honey is also used to brew mead or create sweets, and bees are a powerful symbol of Prosperity, wealth and the family. Stzena are part- or full-time musicians employed by many towns and villages to play and compose music for local celebrations.

Festivals and feasts are a common feature of Varushkan life; among the most widespread observations is the Feast of the Loom.

The Feast of the Loom

In the remote and isolated vales of Varushka, superstitions and traditions that date from the earliest days of the Imperial Faith -and perhaps before - persist in hearth magics and festivals. One such tradition is the Feast of the Loom, a winter celebration that traditionally begins at dusk on the first night of the Winter Solstice, when Varushkans gather around the hearth to share food, drink, songs and stories (in particular, this song ). Any Stzena present often begin the proceedings by performing, though their role throughout the night is more to encourage the participation of others than to provide continual entertainment themselves.

The Loom after which the festival is named comes from one of the traditional tales told at this festival. Many vales have their own version, which tells of three sisters whose children wander too far from their house and lose themselves in the woods. One sister tries to draw them back by lighting fires on the edge of the forest, one makes noise with bells, rattles and signing, but only when the third sister brings her loom, and weaves the children's names into cloth with scraps of their clothes and hair do the children remember their familes and return home. Taken literally it is told as a children's story to warn against the dangers of straying into the dark forests; allegorically the children are thought to represent to lost souls in the Labyrinth. At this time of year, some Varushkans still cling to the primitive superstition that the labyrinth is passing closest to the mortal realm and that songs and tales told of the departed will be heard by the souls of the Virtuous dead, and hasten their rebirth. It is traditional in some vales for a simple loom to be hung near the Hearth, where are all welcome to weave scraps of ribbon, cloth or hair into a rug or blanket over the course of the Festival.

Funerals

A funeral is almost always a sombre occasion in Varushka. The majority of funerals take place during the day, and are restrained affairs marked by eulogies spoken by the closest friends and familes of the dead and a blessing from a priest. The body is then buried in a graveyard or corpse garden, wrapped in a shroud traditionally sewn together out of the sheets and blankets from the last bed they slept in before death. Graves are usually dug by the closest relatives of the deceased, rather than by any kind of professional.

After sunset, the tenor of the funeral changes. It is traditional to have a celebratory wake once the sun has set, during which an extra place is set for the dead. It is common for a Varushkan to put an amount of money aside with a trusted friend or a wise one to pay for the wake. The wake often lasts until sunrise, and includes the reading of the will and the distribution of the deceased's property wherever possible.

Varushkans remain buried for around five years, after which their bones are dug up and they are reinterred in an ossuary. The greatly reduced space taken up by an ossuary means that it is possible to store the remains of many more people in a single tomb which is much easier to protect than a sprawling cemetery. Ossuaries often have underground catacombs, and a comparatively small building can serve the needs of an entire vale.

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Varushka economic interests

Varushka may be dangerous, but it is also rich. Varushka does not export many finished goods. Varushkan craftsmen tend to craft for their family and community, not for the wider world. The true wealth of the nation lies in raw materials, and in that it has become a great provider for the Empire. It is famous for its high quality furs, which are sold all over the Empire, and the nation is home to many species of majestic hardwoods whose timber is in high demand. Not just timber is produced from the woods; amber is a common export, and many Varushkan men and women sport amber jewellery.

The bones of the land itself are valuable. There are rich deposits of iron and precious metals, and quarries that produce both fine quality stone and beautiful precious gemstones. Honey and mead are both common Varushkan exports. Varushkan honey is a delicacy, with different regions producing different types of honey. Connoisseurs talk about Varushkan honey in the same way one might discuss fine wine or cheese.

In Varushka, nothing is free. The supernatural threats of the nation often seem strongest where the wealth is greatest, and those seeking to make their fortunes must contend with the malign creatures that come in darkness. As a result, operating a Varushkan mine or lumberyard, or entering the forests to hunt and trap, is not an entirely mundane business. It is dangerous to harvest the bounty of an area that is claimed by a sovereign unless the creature is subject to a compact, agreement or binding. Only by following these rules may the resources be gathered safely. For example, a Varushkan lumberjack might mark trees in a certain area with a sigil the day before they plan to fell them; if the sigil is gone when they return the next morning, they know that the tree is claimed by a sovereign and cutting it down will have dire consequences.

While Varushka has towns that serve as trade hubs, it has no cities – but this was not always the case. Temeschwar, the greatest city in the north, was once part of Varushka. When the Empire was formed, Maria Ivanova, the boyar of Temeschwar, elected to join her city's fortunes with those of the League rather than remain part of Varushka. While some Varushkans were outraged by this apparent treachery, the majority simply shrugged. The defence of Temeschwar was now no longer their concern; the inhabitants had simply looked for protection elsewhere. Relations remain mostly good, and the city is still a central trade hub for many Varushkan traders. The symbiotic relationship between Varushka – rich in raw materials – and the League – rich in worked goods – has made the fortunes of merchants from both nations.

The Navarr are welcome if irregular visitors to the land. They ensure that every settlement receives news of the wider Empire and provide additional protection to those who want to travel long distances. For their part, visiting Navarr know to keep to the roads and to consult the wise ones and wardens whenever they can, to ensure they do not accidentally break some important taboo and bring disaster down on their own heads and the heads of the people they move amongst.

Many Varushkan villages employ Stzena, local musicians who perform at local civic events and celebrations.

Outposts

Not all Varushkans dwell in the vales; there are countless isolated mines, quarries and similar across the nation where hard men and women work to make their living. Few of these outposts are joined to the network of warded roads that cross the nation and lacking the constant vigilance of a community they must be guarded solely by schlacta. Those who work there are often regarded as foolhardy, desperately gambling their lives to make their fortune.

Most outposts are ruled by a merchant boyar. The best eventually grow to become a true vale, as people settle there to raise a family under the protection of the boyar and their schlacta. The worst have a reputation for iron rule and cruel discipline, a refuge for exiles and anyone prepared to wield an axe and follow orders. Most outposts were worked by orc slaves in the past. That practice has long been abolished but many still retain a fetid air and often employ criminals working off a punishment. Varushkan magistrates keep a close eye on those they can travel to, but the more isolated outposts are difficult to reach.

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Varushka economic interests (Redirected from Varushka Economic Interests)

Varushka may be dangerous, but it is also rich. Varushka does not export many finished goods. Varushkan craftsmen tend to craft for their family and community, not for the wider world. The true wealth of the nation lies in raw materials, and in that it has become a great provider for the Empire. It is famous for its high quality furs, which are sold all over the Empire, and the nation is home to many species of majestic hardwoods whose timber is in high demand. Not just timber is produced from the woods; amber is a common export, and many Varushkan men and women sport amber jewellery.

The bones of the land itself are valuable. There are rich deposits of iron and precious metals, and quarries that produce both fine quality stone and beautiful precious gemstones. Honey and mead are both common Varushkan exports. Varushkan honey is a delicacy, with different regions producing different types of honey. Connoisseurs talk about Varushkan honey in the same way one might discuss fine wine or cheese.

In Varushka, nothing is free. The supernatural threats of the nation often seem strongest where the wealth is greatest, and those seeking to make their fortunes must contend with the malign creatures that come in darkness. As a result, operating a Varushkan mine or lumberyard, or entering the forests to hunt and trap, is not an entirely mundane business. It is dangerous to harvest the bounty of an area that is claimed by a sovereign unless the creature is subject to a compact, agreement or binding. Only by following these rules may the resources be gathered safely. For example, a Varushkan lumberjack might mark trees in a certain area with a sigil the day before they plan to fell them; if the sigil is gone when they return the next morning, they know that the tree is claimed by a sovereign and cutting it down will have dire consequences.

While Varushka has towns that serve as trade hubs, it has no cities – but this was not always the case. Temeschwar, the greatest city in the north, was once part of Varushka. When the Empire was formed, Maria Ivanova, the boyar of Temeschwar, elected to join her city's fortunes with those of the League rather than remain part of Varushka. While some Varushkans were outraged by this apparent treachery, the majority simply shrugged. The defence of Temeschwar was now no longer their concern; the inhabitants had simply looked for protection elsewhere. Relations remain mostly good, and the city is still a central trade hub for many Varushkan traders. The symbiotic relationship between Varushka – rich in raw materials – and the League – rich in worked goods – has made the fortunes of merchants from both nations.

The Navarr are welcome if irregular visitors to the land. They ensure that every settlement receives news of the wider Empire and provide additional protection to those who want to travel long distances. For their part, visiting Navarr know to keep to the roads and to consult the wise ones and wardens whenever they can, to ensure they do not accidentally break some important taboo and bring disaster down on their own heads and the heads of the people they move amongst.

Many Varushkan villages employ Stzena, local musicians who perform at local civic events and celebrations.

Outposts

Not all Varushkans dwell in the vales; there are countless isolated mines, quarries and similar across the nation where hard men and women work to make their living. Few of these outposts are joined to the network of warded roads that cross the nation and lacking the constant vigilance of a community they must be guarded solely by schlacta. Those who work there are often regarded as foolhardy, desperately gambling their lives to make their fortune.

Most outposts are ruled by a merchant boyar. The best eventually grow to become a true vale, as people settle there to raise a family under the protection of the boyar and their schlacta. The worst have a reputation for iron rule and cruel discipline, a refuge for exiles and anyone prepared to wield an axe and follow orders. Most outposts were worked by orc slaves in the past. That practice has long been abolished but many still retain a fetid air and often employ criminals working off a punishment. Varushkan magistrates keep a close eye on those they can travel to, but the more isolated outposts are difficult to reach.

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Varushka Egregore

Mother Varushka

The Varushkan Egregore spirit is called Mother Varushka, a familial indication of the high respect in which she is held. She epitomizes the Varushkan tradition of a wise one, making time for any who need advice or help.

The Egregore works hard to maintain the hearth magics that keep everyday Varushkans safe. She is particularly concerned to ensure that Varushkans celebrate properly once the sun has set, and likes to test any child she meets about the nation’s traditions and the meanings behind them.

Current Host

The current host is a warden named Illya, usually known simply as "Warden". His fellowship was ambushed by wolves whilst hunting criminals on the roads in Karov and he is the only survivor. Like most wardens he tries to be ready for any situation, aiding Varushka with his Summer rituals in addition to taking the battlefield as a light skirmisher and healer.

Just as all the previous hosts, Warden always carries a distinctive wooden staff painted with dozens of images of virtuous animals. At gatherings he usually wanders from tent to tent, listening to folk’s business and offering words of sage advice.

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Varushka hearth magic

Rules

Rules and laws are a powerful hearth magic throughout Varushka. There is a power in self-imposed rules, oaths and bindings. Many of the darkest powers are bound by geases and strictures that render them powerless, or expose their weaknesses. There is a belief that the stronger a creature is, the more profound its weaknesses become. Breaking an oath, rule or law always has profound consequences – this is clearly seen in the rules Varushkans follow to prevent the monsters destroying them. Those who ignore or break this rule rarely live to regret it, and might rile up the supernatural force to the degree that it threatens their friends and family.

This idea of binding is very relevant when dealing with shapeshifters. Varushkan shapeshifters are bound to the form they assume, and while they are being treated as if they were what they appear to be, they cannot change their shape again and are compelled to continue in the role they have assumed. There are many Varushkan stories of Mora being bound to act as a polite guest and leave without hurting their hosts, or of the reckless few who take a Mora as a spouse and meet a terrible end when they mistreat them.

Curses are also important; while other Nations might frown on the use of curses, there is a strong sense of lex talionis (commonly summarized "an eye for an eye") in Varushka. The more fitting a punishment, the more apt for the crime, the more powerful the curse becomes.

Warding

While magical wards are more reliable, there is also a powerful hearth magic in things that guard or keep watch for the approach of danger. Tent posts, lintels and fence stakes are often carved with faces that keep watch against the approach of evil creatures. Fires represent the light that keeps darkness at bay and warning bells have a power to send restless spirits fleeing back into the darkness.

Walls

Walls are a form of hearth magic as well; they are often built with warding symbols carved into them, and many are reinforced with ritual magic. The presence of a wall defines an area as belonging to the people who dwell within it, and many monsters have strictures that prevent them clambering over walls to get at the inhabitants. Some wise ones say that this is the same kind of protection that extends to the roads – that they are “walls laid on their side”.

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Varushka hearth magic (Redirected from Varushka Hearth Magic)

Rules

Rules and laws are a powerful hearth magic throughout Varushka. There is a power in self-imposed rules, oaths and bindings. Many of the darkest powers are bound by geases and strictures that render them powerless, or expose their weaknesses. There is a belief that the stronger a creature is, the more profound its weaknesses become. Breaking an oath, rule or law always has profound consequences – this is clearly seen in the rules Varushkans follow to prevent the monsters destroying them. Those who ignore or break this rule rarely live to regret it, and might rile up the supernatural force to the degree that it threatens their friends and family.

This idea of binding is very relevant when dealing with shapeshifters. Varushkan shapeshifters are bound to the form they assume, and while they are being treated as if they were what they appear to be, they cannot change their shape again and are compelled to continue in the role they have assumed. There are many Varushkan stories of Mora being bound to act as a polite guest and leave without hurting their hosts, or of the reckless few who take a Mora as a spouse and meet a terrible end when they mistreat them.

Curses are also important; while other Nations might frown on the use of curses, there is a strong sense of lex talionis (commonly summarized "an eye for an eye") in Varushka. The more fitting a punishment, the more apt for the crime, the more powerful the curse becomes.

Warding

While magical wards are more reliable, there is also a powerful hearth magic in things that guard or keep watch for the approach of danger. Tent posts, lintels and fence stakes are often carved with faces that keep watch against the approach of evil creatures. Fires represent the light that keeps darkness at bay and warning bells have a power to send restless spirits fleeing back into the darkness.

Walls

Walls are a form of hearth magic as well; they are often built with warding symbols carved into them, and many are reinforced with ritual magic. The presence of a wall defines an area as belonging to the people who dwell within it, and many monsters have strictures that prevent them clambering over walls to get at the inhabitants. Some wise ones say that this is the same kind of protection that extends to the roads – that they are “walls laid on their side”.

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Varushka history

The Ushka were the first human inhabitants of this land; their legends claim that they were born, fully formed, from the soil and the shadows beneath the trees. Their villages clustered together in the wilderness, prey for wolves and worse, but they had an understanding of the cruel realities of life in the forest. They made bargains with stronger powers and thus survived, although they often paid a steep price for their survival.

The Vard were cousins to the Steinr, warlike and fierce; they came to Varushka meaning to claim the riches of the land for themselves. When the Ushka encountered the Vard, at first they tried to hide. When hiding failed they tried to make bargains with the Vard. When this too failed, they tried to fight the Vard. When the steel axes and steel shirts of the Vard meant they could not be defeated, they bowed their heads and were conquered. Rather than destroy them, the Vard offered the Ushka a place at their hearth and protection from the shadows beneath the trees. In return the Ushka shared their hard-won wisdom and helped them to survive the dangers that could not be defeated with steel alone.

With the wisdom of the Ushka and the prowess of the Vard, their ancestors defeated or bound many of the monstrous threats that lurked in the wilds. They spread slowly over the land, working together, until eventually the Vard and the Ushka were both gone, and in their place were the Varushkan people who partook of the strengths of both.

Not all the Ushka are gone, however. Early records say that many of the Ushka were assimilated but that the greatest of their sorcerers – who called themselves the “bargainers” – refused to bow their heads. When it became clear the Ushka were outmatched, these bargainers made terrible compacts with the Eternals of the Wasteland, the place Imperial scholars call the Realm of Winter. In return for dreadful sacrifices – and with the promise of more to come – these Volodny hid their hearts outside their bodies, becoming to all intents and purposes immortal. Kept alive by their hatred, and possessed of terrible hungers, they vowed collective vengeance against the Vard and those Ushka they now saw as collaborators.

Joining the Empire

In the time of the first Empress, the Volodny created a terrible champion, Alderei the Fair, who sought to conquer Varushka with the aid of their sorceries. In desperation, the Wise Ones convinced those Boyars who opposed Alderei to turn to the nascent Empire for help. Faced with few choices, many Boyars agreed to become part of the Empire, in return for aid against Alderei. With the strength of the Imperial forces, they were finally able to defeat the Volodny pawn.

Even while the war still raged, the foundations for the Empire were being laid. The nations had agreed to a set of laws and seemed confident that they could be enforced but the cautious Varushkans thought otherwise. They argued that the powerful of each nation could not be trusted to collect the taxes and enforce the law with an even hand. They would find themselves constantly torn by their allegiances to their countryfolk.

This caused outrage, but the Varushkans were adamant, and insisted that the Empire needed dedicated civil servants and judges, whose loyalty was to the Empire only and whose probity was above reproach. In the end each nation agreed to put forward a dozen individuals of good standing. The Imperial Civil Service was created and powerful enchantments were woven to ensure that the Magistrates and other civil servants would be loyal to the Empire and no other cause.

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Varushka history (Redirected from Varushka History)

The Ushka were the first human inhabitants of this land; their legends claim that they were born, fully formed, from the soil and the shadows beneath the trees. Their villages clustered together in the wilderness, prey for wolves and worse, but they had an understanding of the cruel realities of life in the forest. They made bargains with stronger powers and thus survived, although they often paid a steep price for their survival.

The Vard were cousins to the Steinr, warlike and fierce; they came to Varushka meaning to claim the riches of the land for themselves. When the Ushka encountered the Vard, at first they tried to hide. When hiding failed they tried to make bargains with the Vard. When this too failed, they tried to fight the Vard. When the steel axes and steel shirts of the Vard meant they could not be defeated, they bowed their heads and were conquered. Rather than destroy them, the Vard offered the Ushka a place at their hearth and protection from the shadows beneath the trees. In return the Ushka shared their hard-won wisdom and helped them to survive the dangers that could not be defeated with steel alone.

With the wisdom of the Ushka and the prowess of the Vard, their ancestors defeated or bound many of the monstrous threats that lurked in the wilds. They spread slowly over the land, working together, until eventually the Vard and the Ushka were both gone, and in their place were the Varushkan people who partook of the strengths of both.

Not all the Ushka are gone, however. Early records say that many of the Ushka were assimilated but that the greatest of their sorcerers – who called themselves the “bargainers” – refused to bow their heads. When it became clear the Ushka were outmatched, these bargainers made terrible compacts with the Eternals of the Wasteland, the place Imperial scholars call the Realm of Winter. In return for dreadful sacrifices – and with the promise of more to come – these Volodny hid their hearts outside their bodies, becoming to all intents and purposes immortal. Kept alive by their hatred, and possessed of terrible hungers, they vowed collective vengeance against the Vard and those Ushka they now saw as collaborators.

Joining the Empire

In the time of the first Empress, the Volodny created a terrible champion, Alderei the Fair, who sought to conquer Varushka with the aid of their sorceries. In desperation, the Wise Ones convinced those Boyars who opposed Alderei to turn to the nascent Empire for help. Faced with few choices, many Boyars agreed to become part of the Empire, in return for aid against Alderei. With the strength of the Imperial forces, they were finally able to defeat the Volodny pawn.

Even while the war still raged, the foundations for the Empire were being laid. The nations had agreed to a set of laws and seemed confident that they could be enforced but the cautious Varushkans thought otherwise. They argued that the powerful of each nation could not be trusted to collect the taxes and enforce the law with an even hand. They would find themselves constantly torn by their allegiances to their countryfolk.

This caused outrage, but the Varushkans were adamant, and insisted that the Empire needed dedicated civil servants and judges, whose loyalty was to the Empire only and whose probity was above reproach. In the end each nation agreed to put forward a dozen individuals of good standing. The Imperial Civil Service was created and powerful enchantments were woven to ensure that the Magistrates and other civil servants would be loyal to the Empire and no other cause.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Varushka_history&oldid=33270"

Varushka icons and artistry

Animals in their roles as embodiment of the Imperial Virtues are common elements in Varushkan jewellery, heraldry and decoration. They are worn as belt buckles, symbols carved into the belt leather or charms and embroidered onto patches or into the decoration of a garment.

Symbols of warding are common, and take the form of eyes and faces that watch vigilantly for danger, stars and moons that represent the light that comes at night, images of torches and burning brands, and symbols of swords and shields that represent armed might. Some symbols of the Imperial Faith are used as well, especially the labyrinth which represents a hope that monsters will become lost and unable to find the bearer. Many Varushkans wear a talisman or amulet with a personal symbol that represents protection carved on it, and gifts of protective talismans are common between family members and lovers. The efficacy of these wardings is questionable if they are not supported by other magic, but they are often useful for inspiring confidence and reminding the bearer that they are not alone no matter how dark their situation might be.

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Varushka leadership

The typical community in Varushka is a vale. These inhabited valleys are usually well fortified, and may be home to a single small town or several villages. Most vales have a leader called a boyar. Anyone can, in theory, become boyar – while it is common for the boyar to be a warrior, there are plenty who are magicians, priests and especially merchants. A boyar generally oversees day-to-day life in the valley and serves as an arbiter to resolve disputes. Their authority stems from the protection from the dangers of the Varushkan wilderness they provide to the vale’s inhabitants.

The boyar is usually assisted in this task by a group of professional warriors called schlacta. Heavily armed and armoured, these soldiers protect their vale from the dangers of Varushka. Most boyars provide weapons, armour and food for their schlacta, in return for their loyalty. A boyar can claim as much land as their schlacta can protect – prosperous, ambitious or wise boyars arrange regular patrols to keep quite large areas safe from wolves and other threats, acting decisively to destroy their lairs before they can threaten the boyar’s vale.

There is no single way that boyars are selected – or, more truthfully, select themselves. In some areas it is common for a single family or group of families to lead a valley for several generations. In other villages there are fierce feuds between a small number of families over who claims the title of boyar. Some vales claim not to have a boyar at all – they are often run by a small council of wise ones – but in these cases it is usually easy for an outsider to point to the leader of that council, the head of the local militia forces, or some form of local sheriff, as being the de facto boyar.

Imperial law has done little to curb the real power of the boyars, which ultimately stems from their ability to withdraw their protection from the community, or from individuals in the community. While this is unlikely to result in immediate death, the next time the wolves gather in numbers those who cannot rely on the protection of the boyar and the schlacta are almost certainly doomed. Despite the cruelty of this practice, there is nothing illegal about it – Imperial Law does not require the boyars to protect the people who live under their auspices.

While some boyars are fair and even-handed and enjoy the respect and love of their community, others rule with a rod of iron. Tyrannical boyars are not necessarily evil men and women. The dangers of Varushka are very real, and sometimes compromises need to be made between freedom and survival. A weak yet well-meaning boyar is often more of a threat to the people they supposedly protect than a strong yet authoritarian boyar whose schlacta maintain rigid order in the face of malignant supernatural evil. “Hard as iron and fair as silver” is meant as a compliment for a boyar who brooks no disagreement with their judgements.

While a boyar is often the effective leader of a valley, it is a foolish leader who neglects to hear the counsel of the wise ones. The wise ones maintain a loose network of communication between valleys, and help to tie the nation together. While their communication is most often used for the transmission of gossip or the spread of useful information, in times of trouble the wise ones are capable of working together to orchestrate effective responses. The relationship between the wise ones and the boyar in a settlement often sets the tone for the entire vale.

Leading a territory

Each territory in Varushka returns a Senator to the Imperial Senate. The process whereby these Senators are selected is a little convoluted, but is built around the Varushkan emphasis on wisdom. The candidates are isolated from the rest of their nation and then brought one-at-a-time before the Egregore. The heart of the nation then asks each of them a series of riddling questions designed to show their wisdom and character. Each candidate is asked the same questions, but they change with each election.

Once the questioning is complete, the answers are taken to a council of wise ones, likewise kept in isolation from the Senate candidates. Wise ones who hold high office – senators and generals, for example – are customarily prevented from taking part in this council. The answers are often presented to the wise ones through the medium of a handful of children so that none know which candidate has given which answer. The children are used to provide the answers so that the wise ones can put a face to each set of answers, even though that face is not that of the actual candidate. Then the wise-ones deliberate and, based on those deliberations, select the Senator. Only when the decision is made is the identity of the successful candidate revealed.

The idea is that by using this blind test, the wise ones cannot be swayed by politics or personal opinion. Varushkans believe that this process returns some of the wisest and least-corruptible members of the Senate, and they are accordingly proud of this selection process.

The senators for each Imperial territory are re-elected at specific equinox and solstices during the year. The senator for Karov is elected at the Summer solstice, the senator for Volodmartz is elected at the Autumn equinox, and the senator for Miekarova is elected at the Winter solstice.

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Varushka leadership (Redirected from Varushka Leadership)

The typical community in Varushka is a vale. These inhabited valleys are usually well fortified, and may be home to a single small town or several villages. Most vales have a leader called a boyar. Anyone can, in theory, become boyar – while it is common for the boyar to be a warrior, there are plenty who are magicians, priests and especially merchants. A boyar generally oversees day-to-day life in the valley and serves as an arbiter to resolve disputes. Their authority stems from the protection from the dangers of the Varushkan wilderness they provide to the vale’s inhabitants.

The boyar is usually assisted in this task by a group of professional warriors called schlacta. Heavily armed and armoured, these soldiers protect their vale from the dangers of Varushka. Most boyars provide weapons, armour and food for their schlacta, in return for their loyalty. A boyar can claim as much land as their schlacta can protect – prosperous, ambitious or wise boyars arrange regular patrols to keep quite large areas safe from wolves and other threats, acting decisively to destroy their lairs before they can threaten the boyar’s vale.

There is no single way that boyars are selected – or, more truthfully, select themselves. In some areas it is common for a single family or group of families to lead a valley for several generations. In other villages there are fierce feuds between a small number of families over who claims the title of boyar. Some vales claim not to have a boyar at all – they are often run by a small council of wise ones – but in these cases it is usually easy for an outsider to point to the leader of that council, the head of the local militia forces, or some form of local sheriff, as being the de facto boyar.

Imperial law has done little to curb the real power of the boyars, which ultimately stems from their ability to withdraw their protection from the community, or from individuals in the community. While this is unlikely to result in immediate death, the next time the wolves gather in numbers those who cannot rely on the protection of the boyar and the schlacta are almost certainly doomed. Despite the cruelty of this practice, there is nothing illegal about it – Imperial Law does not require the boyars to protect the people who live under their auspices.

While some boyars are fair and even-handed and enjoy the respect and love of their community, others rule with a rod of iron. Tyrannical boyars are not necessarily evil men and women. The dangers of Varushka are very real, and sometimes compromises need to be made between freedom and survival. A weak yet well-meaning boyar is often more of a threat to the people they supposedly protect than a strong yet authoritarian boyar whose schlacta maintain rigid order in the face of malignant supernatural evil. “Hard as iron and fair as silver” is meant as a compliment for a boyar who brooks no disagreement with their judgements.

While a boyar is often the effective leader of a valley, it is a foolish leader who neglects to hear the counsel of the wise ones. The wise ones maintain a loose network of communication between valleys, and help to tie the nation together. While their communication is most often used for the transmission of gossip or the spread of useful information, in times of trouble the wise ones are capable of working together to orchestrate effective responses. The relationship between the wise ones and the boyar in a settlement often sets the tone for the entire vale.

Leading a territory

Each territory in Varushka returns a Senator to the Imperial Senate. The process whereby these Senators are selected is a little convoluted, but is built around the Varushkan emphasis on wisdom. The candidates are isolated from the rest of their nation and then brought one-at-a-time before the Egregore. The heart of the nation then asks each of them a series of riddling questions designed to show their wisdom and character. Each candidate is asked the same questions, but they change with each election.

Once the questioning is complete, the answers are taken to a council of wise ones, likewise kept in isolation from the Senate candidates. Wise ones who hold high office – senators and generals, for example – are customarily prevented from taking part in this council. The answers are often presented to the wise ones through the medium of a handful of children so that none know which candidate has given which answer. The children are used to provide the answers so that the wise ones can put a face to each set of answers, even though that face is not that of the actual candidate. Then the wise-ones deliberate and, based on those deliberations, select the Senator. Only when the decision is made is the identity of the successful candidate revealed.

The idea is that by using this blind test, the wise ones cannot be swayed by politics or personal opinion. Varushkans believe that this process returns some of the wisest and least-corruptible members of the Senate, and they are accordingly proud of this selection process.

The senators for each Imperial territory are re-elected at specific equinox and solstices during the year. The senator for Karov is elected at the Summer solstice, the senator for Volodmartz is elected at the Autumn equinox, and the senator for Miekarova is elected at the Winter solstice.

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Varushka lineage and species attitudes

Varushkans take a pragmatic approach to lineage – they know well the dangers of judging someone by their appearance. Varushkan families are large, and many people can tell a story of a relative who has lineage. As long as a person with lineage abides by the rules of Varushka, their fellows largely do not care about the touch of magic in their blood.

This touch of the other also draws the attention of the volhov. Many volhov are lineaged or were taught their magic by a lineaged master. When people are troubled by Eternals or their heralds, the volhov know that people with lineage will have an advantage dealing with creatures who share their supernatural roots. If a vale is having trouble with a Summer Eternal, many volhov would rather have the assistance of a naive changeling cook than a schlacta without lineage.

Stories claim that the draughir lineage began in Varushka in a valley beset by terrible famine. A boyar made a deal with a powerful Winter Eternal to save her people but in the process they were transformed into monsters who feasted on rotten meat and the flesh of the dead. Traditionally the Varushkans have a great deal of respect for the pragmatic instincts of the draughir and for their ability to survive, while simultaneously keeping a close eye on them in case their monstrous appetites overwhelm them.

The briar lineage is accepted in Varushka, but its members are not entirely trusted. There is a common prejudice that the willful nature of the briar lineage makes it difficult to follow the rules, and that a briar left to their own devices in a dangerous situation will simply end up harming themselves and others. They are treated as if they are a little slow - and few briars can tolerate this attitude for long.

The Company of the White Stag

The Company of the White Stag is an unpopular changeling fellowship of wardens who concentrate on fighting monsters. Their confidence drives them to take their lives in their hands and risk trying to destroy these creatures wherever they can, taking risks far beyond what their peers consider good sense. Many Varushkans consider these changelings to be a liability – their recklessness and refusal to abide by the rules is a disaster waiting to happen and they are considered anathema and cast out by most other wardens.

The Vodyanoi

The rivers of Varushka are often used to transport raw materials for trade. Some vales along the banks of the most commonly travelled rivers are dominated by clannish merrow boyars who are known for charging hefty tolls for all boats that pass through their territories. Called vodyanoi, the people of these merrow-dominated settlements are seen as grasping and miserly. The common vodyanoi claim is that without the hard work of their schlacta, the rivers would quickly become impassable. They are also accused of various underhand economic practices such as dumping rubble into rivers to prevent trade bypassing them. Calling a merrow a vodyanoi is often an insult.

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Varushka lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Varushka Lineage and Species Attitudes)

Varushkans take a pragmatic approach to lineage – they know well the dangers of judging someone by their appearance. Varushkan families are large, and many people can tell a story of a relative who has lineage. As long as a person with lineage abides by the rules of Varushka, their fellows largely do not care about the touch of magic in their blood.

This touch of the other also draws the attention of the volhov. Many volhov are lineaged or were taught their magic by a lineaged master. When people are troubled by Eternals or their heralds, the volhov know that people with lineage will have an advantage dealing with creatures who share their supernatural roots. If a vale is having trouble with a Summer Eternal, many volhov would rather have the assistance of a naive changeling cook than a schlacta without lineage.

Stories claim that the draughir lineage began in Varushka in a valley beset by terrible famine. A boyar made a deal with a powerful Winter Eternal to save her people but in the process they were transformed into monsters who feasted on rotten meat and the flesh of the dead. Traditionally the Varushkans have a great deal of respect for the pragmatic instincts of the draughir and for their ability to survive, while simultaneously keeping a close eye on them in case their monstrous appetites overwhelm them.

The briar lineage is accepted in Varushka, but its members are not entirely trusted. There is a common prejudice that the willful nature of the briar lineage makes it difficult to follow the rules, and that a briar left to their own devices in a dangerous situation will simply end up harming themselves and others. They are treated as if they are a little slow - and few briars can tolerate this attitude for long.

The Company of the White Stag

The Company of the White Stag is an unpopular changeling fellowship of wardens who concentrate on fighting monsters. Their confidence drives them to take their lives in their hands and risk trying to destroy these creatures wherever they can, taking risks far beyond what their peers consider good sense. Many Varushkans consider these changelings to be a liability – their recklessness and refusal to abide by the rules is a disaster waiting to happen and they are considered anathema and cast out by most other wardens.

The Vodyanoi

The rivers of Varushka are often used to transport raw materials for trade. Some vales along the banks of the most commonly travelled rivers are dominated by clannish merrow boyars who are known for charging hefty tolls for all boats that pass through their territories. Called vodyanoi, the people of these merrow-dominated settlements are seen as grasping and miserly. The common vodyanoi claim is that without the hard work of their schlacta, the rivers would quickly become impassable. They are also accused of various underhand economic practices such as dumping rubble into rivers to prevent trade bypassing them. Calling a merrow a vodyanoi is often an insult.

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Varushka look and feel

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Feel

- 3 Breakdown

- 3.1 Influences

- 3.2 Materials

- 3.3 Colours

- 3.4 Clothing

- 3.5 Decoration and Embroidery

- 3.6 Jewellery

- 3.7 Hats

- 3.8 Armour

- 3.9 Shields

- 3.10 Weapons

- 4 Low status Varushkans

- 5 Wise Ones

- 6 Boyars

- 7 Children

- 8 Animals and Runes

- 9 Things you're unlikely to see

Overview

Varushkans like to display their wealth in their costume. Clothes are usually practical and well made but are made from cloth dyed in bright colours and then intricately embroidered with a dark thread. The use of fur is common, on cloaks, robes and mantles in a range of colours and styles.

Armour and weapons are always solid and well made. For most they are practical pieces made to serve, but the wealthiest Varushkans use ornate designs that serve to strike fear into their enemies. Talismans are widespread, used to help ward off evil.

Also see Varushka costumes and Varushka icons and artistry.

Feel

Dour, stern, uncompromising, wise, cunning, prosperous, rich, powerful.

Breakdown

Influences

Rus and Slavic costume.

Materials

Fabrics are usually a single colour, suitable for embroidery or decoration. Poorer Varushkans use practical and hard wearing materials like wool, felt, heavy cotton, leather - but the fabric is less important than the decoration. Fur is common, but is usually reserved for trim.

Colours

Bright vibrant colours predominate, with white, decorated with brightly coloured embroidery also common.

Clothing

The most common Varushkan costume is a white shirt, tunic or dress, often white or a light colour. This is usually intricately embroidered on the hems, red is traditional but other bright contrasting colours are seen. Garments are sometimes made from wool, but most Varushkans prefer a lighter material. These can be worn in layers for warmth, commonly with different garments in contrasting colours. Warm shawls in bright colours are handed down through families.

Varushkans of all genders frequently wear plain coloured “hero trousers”, baggy down to just past the knee then strapped to the leg. Trousers may be plain or brightly dyed but are usually made from fabric of a single colour; the strapping is another opportunity for a bright contrasting colour, embroidery or both. Coats are more common than cloaks. The traditional coat has an asymmetric overlap across the chest, is nipped in at the waist but flares out below the waist to a full ‘skirt’. The wealthiest wear coats in bright strong colours often with fur trim or embroidered hems. If dresses are worn they tend to have full, layered skirts, often with added aprons.

Decoration and Embroidery

Fur is used extensively to trim garments of all kinds including armour. When trims are added it tends to be in bands of colour around the upper arms and hems. The most distinctive feature of Varushkan costume is the intricate embroidery that provides a strong contrast. Embroidery stands out as a mark of the wearer’s wealth - and is most commonly seen in bands and hems not across whole garments.

Jewellery

Amber and silver are most commonly worn. Hunters carry amulets, talismans and fetishes designed to protect them from the monsters that might otherwise hunt them in turn.

Hats

Varushkan hats may be simple embroidered round caps trimmed with fur (you can find a simple tutorial for making this kind of hat here),or else pointed caps that fold over the head.

Armour

The traditional Varushkan armour worn by the Schlacta, the professional soldiers, is tightly woven scale or lamellar. It is as likely to be leather as metal.

Splinted greaves and vambraces are common. Helms usually rise to a point, often with a plume.

Shields

Round shields are common and some Schlacta employ a pavisse.

Weapons

Schlacta, the Varushkan professional warriors, use heavy weapons of war such as broad swords, war axes and bardiches. The woodsman’s axe is a common weapon for many other Varushkans.

Low status Varushkans

This couple are wearing some traditional Varushkan garments, a white dress and a white tunic with embroidered hems respectively. Sheepskin is a practical but cheap material which is worn by poor Varushkans, wealthier individuals would layer their garments instead and hem them with fur. Patterned fabrics, such as the woman’s skirt, are used by the poor in place of the embroidered garments worn by most Varushkans.

Wise Ones

Wise ones have a distinctive look which marks them out from other Varushkans. They receive a lot of gifts from the people they help and many people choose to give hair locks in return for luck and answers. The Wise Ones might braid these into their own hair, or wear them in bunches on belts or tied to staves. Other talismans and totems similarly given are similarly incorporated into hair or clothing or worn as jewellery. Many Wise Ones will know the story of each talisman they wear. Wise Ones also tend to wear blindfolds when they are conducting official business, and for some their blindfolds become an iconic part of their costume worn as head band or stole. They often make the most traditional of choices - long wrapover coats in the favourite colours of Varushka are common, and many take a ritualised approach to ageing - emphasising crow's feet around the eyes with colours, drawing attention to white streaks in the hair - even clothing is sometimes retained, patched and repatched to show its age.

Boyars

Warrior Boyars often wear the traditional lamellar armour but with more complete coverage and supplemented with hardened leather or plate on the fore-arms and legs. A few wear plate that has a simple design but is intricately decorated with the tooled plate emphasising the strength and power of the wearer to make them appear darker and more intimidating.

Children

Costume for Varushkan children follows the traditional styles and emphasis on bright colours.

Animals and Runes

Varushkans often use animal symbols and runes to express virtues in their storytelling and artwork.

Things you're unlikely to see

- Varushka is not a catch all culture for all things cool and Eastern European/Russian. It would be surprising to find short braided cavalry jackets (eg Hussar's jackets) worn by Varushkans rather than the long swirling coats they favour.

- Similarly big fur hats and tiny waistcoats - Cossack style - are not commonly worn and neither are Cossack dances a common form of Varushkan entertainment.

- It may seem a short step from some of the costume guidance and the cold of Varushkan lands to Vikings and then to Thor's Hammer symbols. As Thor doesn't exist in the world of Empire the iconic symbol (much like the Christian Cross in Highguard) is best avoided where possible.

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Varushka magical traditions

Most Varushkans regard magic as a useful tool to protect people, but one that can also be dangerous. Supernatural evil is rife in Varushka, and magic is often the only counter to the workings of sovereigns, many of whom possess potent occult power themselves. Magic is rarely free however – and Varushkans understand that magical power often involves some sort of sacrifice. Magic is neither good nor evil – the same power that lets a magician bless crops and protect against monsters allows them to spread sickness or kill their enemies. As such magicians are treated with wary respect by sensible Varushkans.

A lot of Varushkan ritual magic revolves around sacrifice. This may involve a literal sacrifice when performing rituals that involve casting valuable items into a fire, or be more symbolic in nature involving shedding of a small amount of a ritualist's blood. There is a strong tradition of bargaining and payment in Varushkan magic that recognises that nothing comes without a price.

Volhov

Varushkan volhov are occult problem solvers who make a study of supernatural powers to better understand and defend against them. They work to unravel curses and defend their allies from monsters, but they also lay curses on those who they think deserve or will learn from them. They aspire to wield magic with an even hand, maintaining an internal balance between positive and harmful magic.

Volhov often specialise in two particular branches of magic. They are interested in magic that wards against and binds supernatural forces for obvious reasons, and volhov who master this particular type of spellcraft are often interested in the Eternals. These entities are dangerous, but several of them seem to have a particular interest in Varushka and they can be bargained with by clever volhov. Further, some volhov actually make contact with sovereigns, either arranging deals that protect their community or working magic to keep the sovereign quiescent.

They also make a study of divination – especially if they are also wise ones. The ability to predict danger or uncover secrets serves them well as advisors, and is often key to uncovering the weakness of an enemy. Volhov know that uncovering a secret is not enough, that they need to find a practical way to use their knowledge to resolve their problems. The volhov embrace practicality and teach that not every problem can be solved with magic – that it sometimes creates more problems than it resolves.

Some volhov are itinerants, travelling the roads between settlements in the company of a warden fellowship or Navarr striding, or trusting their wisdom and magic to protect them when they journey by themselves. This willingness to travel alone adds to their mystique, and there are many stories of cunning volhov encountering and overcoming sovereigns, often staying as their guests for a short time while the sovereign tries to trap them into breaking a stricture and freeing the creature, or dooming themselves.

Volhov have a reputation for being meddlers that is not undeserved. They do not live apart from the other inhabitants of Varushka, and actively involve themselves in the lives of those around them, offering advice or interfering to improve any situation that catches their fancy. A volhov boyar is rare but not unknown; some use magic to empower their schlacta, or hire schlacta who possess practical magical talents of their own. Some volhov boyars have a bleak reputation for making deals with Eternals and sovereigns that protect their people but leave the people of other valleys prey to monstrous depredations.

Volhov are usually aided by a younger apprentice who learns when and how to wield magic. It is common for volhov to possess lineage, and they often prefer to take apprentices who have the touch of “the other” about them, in the knowledge that it makes it easier for them to deal with some Eternals. Volhov tend to dress in dark coloured robes made of hard-wearing fabric and are rarely without their staves. They commonly cover their heads with hoods or hats, and volhov are often described in stories as “shadow faced” as a reference both to their headgear and their mysterious nature. This simple uniform announces their profession to others, and warns them to be respectful.

Cabalists

Magic commonly forms a basis for cooperation in Varushka with skilled practitioners from different vales coming together to form a cabal to work powerful rituals. Cabals vary greatly in their unity and purpose and members may include wise ones, volhov and even wardens. The loosest cabals are little more than ritual teams where individuals whose primary concern is the vale in which they live come together for a time to further their own interests but more unified cabals often have an identity and a purpose of their own.

No two cabals are alike; some make their existence known while others prefer to operate unnoticed. Some occupy ancient fortifications and employ schlacta to protect them and keep unwanted intruders away, while members of others prefer the comforts and community of life in a vale. Some welcome any who would be a member, others invite only the most powerful to join them. The cabals of Varushka rarely challenge the power of the boyars, precious few have the time or the inclination to take on the defense of a vale and its populace, but they are influential and most boyars tread carefully around those who can wield magic. Some cabals favour the philosophy of the volhov, and tend to meddle in the politics of the vales and the nation, while those that favour wise ones tend to serve as a haven for wisdom and assistance when a hard winter brings difficult times.

The most powerful cabals have existed for centuries and often have an agenda of their own; many can trace their roots back to groups of Ushkan magician-mystics known as "bargainers" who specialised in negotiating with the sovereigns in the days before the appearance of the Vard. In the centuries since, as in all areas of Varushkan life, there has been an extensive merging of Ushka and Vard traditions to create something very different to the original small covens.

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Varushka magical traditions (Redirected from Varushka Magical Traditions)

Most Varushkans regard magic as a useful tool to protect people, but one that can also be dangerous. Supernatural evil is rife in Varushka, and magic is often the only counter to the workings of sovereigns, many of whom possess potent occult power themselves. Magic is rarely free however – and Varushkans understand that magical power often involves some sort of sacrifice. Magic is neither good nor evil – the same power that lets a magician bless crops and protect against monsters allows them to spread sickness or kill their enemies. As such magicians are treated with wary respect by sensible Varushkans.

A lot of Varushkan ritual magic revolves around sacrifice. This may involve a literal sacrifice when performing rituals that involve casting valuable items into a fire, or be more symbolic in nature involving shedding of a small amount of a ritualist's blood. There is a strong tradition of bargaining and payment in Varushkan magic that recognises that nothing comes without a price.

Volhov

Varushkan volhov are occult problem solvers who make a study of supernatural powers to better understand and defend against them. They work to unravel curses and defend their allies from monsters, but they also lay curses on those who they think deserve or will learn from them. They aspire to wield magic with an even hand, maintaining an internal balance between positive and harmful magic.

Volhov often specialise in two particular branches of magic. They are interested in magic that wards against and binds supernatural forces for obvious reasons, and volhov who master this particular type of spellcraft are often interested in the Eternals. These entities are dangerous, but several of them seem to have a particular interest in Varushka and they can be bargained with by clever volhov. Further, some volhov actually make contact with sovereigns, either arranging deals that protect their community or working magic to keep the sovereign quiescent.

They also make a study of divination – especially if they are also wise ones. The ability to predict danger or uncover secrets serves them well as advisors, and is often key to uncovering the weakness of an enemy. Volhov know that uncovering a secret is not enough, that they need to find a practical way to use their knowledge to resolve their problems. The volhov embrace practicality and teach that not every problem can be solved with magic – that it sometimes creates more problems than it resolves.

Some volhov are itinerants, travelling the roads between settlements in the company of a warden fellowship or Navarr striding, or trusting their wisdom and magic to protect them when they journey by themselves. This willingness to travel alone adds to their mystique, and there are many stories of cunning volhov encountering and overcoming sovereigns, often staying as their guests for a short time while the sovereign tries to trap them into breaking a stricture and freeing the creature, or dooming themselves.

Volhov have a reputation for being meddlers that is not undeserved. They do not live apart from the other inhabitants of Varushka, and actively involve themselves in the lives of those around them, offering advice or interfering to improve any situation that catches their fancy. A volhov boyar is rare but not unknown; some use magic to empower their schlacta, or hire schlacta who possess practical magical talents of their own. Some volhov boyars have a bleak reputation for making deals with Eternals and sovereigns that protect their people but leave the people of other valleys prey to monstrous depredations.

Volhov are usually aided by a younger apprentice who learns when and how to wield magic. It is common for volhov to possess lineage, and they often prefer to take apprentices who have the touch of “the other” about them, in the knowledge that it makes it easier for them to deal with some Eternals. Volhov tend to dress in dark coloured robes made of hard-wearing fabric and are rarely without their staves. They commonly cover their heads with hoods or hats, and volhov are often described in stories as “shadow faced” as a reference both to their headgear and their mysterious nature. This simple uniform announces their profession to others, and warns them to be respectful.

Cabalists

Magic commonly forms a basis for cooperation in Varushka with skilled practitioners from different vales coming together to form a cabal to work powerful rituals. Cabals vary greatly in their unity and purpose and members may include wise ones, volhov and even wardens. The loosest cabals are little more than ritual teams where individuals whose primary concern is the vale in which they live come together for a time to further their own interests but more unified cabals often have an identity and a purpose of their own.

No two cabals are alike; some make their existence known while others prefer to operate unnoticed. Some occupy ancient fortifications and employ schlacta to protect them and keep unwanted intruders away, while members of others prefer the comforts and community of life in a vale. Some welcome any who would be a member, others invite only the most powerful to join them. The cabals of Varushka rarely challenge the power of the boyars, precious few have the time or the inclination to take on the defense of a vale and its populace, but they are influential and most boyars tread carefully around those who can wield magic. Some cabals favour the philosophy of the volhov, and tend to meddle in the politics of the vales and the nation, while those that favour wise ones tend to serve as a haven for wisdom and assistance when a hard winter brings difficult times.

The most powerful cabals have existed for centuries and often have an agenda of their own; many can trace their roots back to groups of Ushkan magician-mystics known as "bargainers" who specialised in negotiating with the sovereigns in the days before the appearance of the Vard. In the centuries since, as in all areas of Varushkan life, there has been an extensive merging of Ushka and Vard traditions to create something very different to the original small covens.

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Varushka Maps

See Also

- Karov

- Karsk

- Miekarova

- Volodmartz

PRINT INFORMATION - Each map is set to print at A3 size (the resolution varies between 175ppi and 300ppi). Do not print larger than this or it will pixellate. If you print smaller, the quality will improve slightly. Various sizes are available by clicking on the image. To print, make sure you download the ORIGINAL size image (should be between 2700 and 5000 pixels wide. Feel free to add your own textures etc

Maps by Daisy Abbott

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Varushka military concerns

The schlacta are the most common group of professional soldiers in Varushka. They stand ready to defend the valleys that form Varushkan society. They are the defensive core that shields the people against its enemies, whether those enemies are ravening wolves, rapacious bandits, or rampaging orcs. The schlacta tend to be the best armed and best armoured of Varushkan warriors, but they also tend to see the most combat. As professional soldiers they tend to favour the heavy weapons of war such as broad swords, war axes and bardiches. This sets them apart from other Varushkans who tend to favour weapons that are also tools – the hammer, bow or spear and most especially the woodsman's axe.

Not all schlacta work for a boyar; any organised group of men and women that fights for a living could be called schlacta. Several travelling merchants maintain schlacta to protect themselves and their caravans. There are even mercenary bands of schlacta who offer their protection to others in return for money.

Some particularly brave – or reckless – Varushkans follow the tradition of the wagon raider. These opportunists seek their fortunes by launching forays into barbarian lands to grab whatever riches can be found. They live in tight-knit communities of hard-bitten veteran soldiers, forming well-defended wagon trains. The wagon raiders are especially skilled in the use of the great pavisse shields, and these hardened gangs are adept at desperate fighting in close quarters. They are also treated with suspicion – there are plenty of stories of wagon raiders who bring back more terrible things than riches when they return from the deep forests.

As well as schlacta, Varushka is home to the warden fellowships who combine martial might with the clever use of amulets, talismans and magical devices to oppose the threats of the Varushkan wilderness. Many wardens are champions of Imperial Law, and they are often seen as romantic, dashing and above all heroic figures by the people of the vales.

Imperial Armies

Varushka fields two imperial armies; the Army of the Northern Eagle and the Army of the Golden Axe.

The Army of the Northern Eagle

The soldiers of this army have long experience of fighting along the northern mountains that border the Thule tribelands. They contain a number of expert mountaineers, ex-prospectors and other specialists who serve as scouts, and have a significant advantage over less-experienced armies when fighting in mountains, forests and marshes. Once the Northern Eagle establishes a presence in a territory, it can prove extremely hard to dislodge.

The first Varushkan General leads the Army of the Northern Eagle, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer solstice each year.

The Army of the Golden Axe

The history of the Army of the Golden Axe is a history of sustained assault, horrible battles and massive losses. The Varushkan soldiers are philosophical - someone has to do the hard work - but also adaptable. They consider themselves good at surviving odds that would devastate other armies; they are known for ruthlessly crushing all opposition during their slow grinding advance through enemy territory. Pessimism has become the norm for the officers of this army, although their dire pronouncements of failure are often rendered incorrect by their own heroism and fortitude.

The second Varushkan General leads the Army of the Golden Axe, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Winter solstice each year.

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Varushka military concerns (Redirected from Varushka Military Concerns)

The schlacta are the most common group of professional soldiers in Varushka. They stand ready to defend the valleys that form Varushkan society. They are the defensive core that shields the people against its enemies, whether those enemies are ravening wolves, rapacious bandits, or rampaging orcs. The schlacta tend to be the best armed and best armoured of Varushkan warriors, but they also tend to see the most combat. As professional soldiers they tend to favour the heavy weapons of war such as broad swords, war axes and bardiches. This sets them apart from other Varushkans who tend to favour weapons that are also tools – the hammer, bow or spear and most especially the woodsman's axe.

Not all schlacta work for a boyar; any organised group of men and women that fights for a living could be called schlacta. Several travelling merchants maintain schlacta to protect themselves and their caravans. There are even mercenary bands of schlacta who offer their protection to others in return for money.

Some particularly brave – or reckless – Varushkans follow the tradition of the wagon raider. These opportunists seek their fortunes by launching forays into barbarian lands to grab whatever riches can be found. They live in tight-knit communities of hard-bitten veteran soldiers, forming well-defended wagon trains. The wagon raiders are especially skilled in the use of the great pavisse shields, and these hardened gangs are adept at desperate fighting in close quarters. They are also treated with suspicion – there are plenty of stories of wagon raiders who bring back more terrible things than riches when they return from the deep forests.

As well as schlacta, Varushka is home to the warden fellowships who combine martial might with the clever use of amulets, talismans and magical devices to oppose the threats of the Varushkan wilderness. Many wardens are champions of Imperial Law, and they are often seen as romantic, dashing and above all heroic figures by the people of the vales.

Imperial Armies

Varushka fields two imperial armies; the Army of the Northern Eagle and the Army of the Golden Axe.

The Army of the Northern Eagle

The soldiers of this army have long experience of fighting along the northern mountains that border the Thule tribelands. They contain a number of expert mountaineers, ex-prospectors and other specialists who serve as scouts, and have a significant advantage over less-experienced armies when fighting in mountains, forests and marshes. Once the Northern Eagle establishes a presence in a territory, it can prove extremely hard to dislodge.

The first Varushkan General leads the Army of the Northern Eagle, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer solstice each year.

The Army of the Golden Axe

The history of the Army of the Golden Axe is a history of sustained assault, horrible battles and massive losses. The Varushkan soldiers are philosophical - someone has to do the hard work - but also adaptable. They consider themselves good at surviving odds that would devastate other armies; they are known for ruthlessly crushing all opposition during their slow grinding advance through enemy territory. Pessimism has become the norm for the officers of this army, although their dire pronouncements of failure are often rendered incorrect by their own heroism and fortitude.

The second Varushkan General leads the Army of the Golden Axe, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Winter solstice each year.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Varushka_military_concerns&oldid=34195"

Varushka music

Contents

- 1 The Music of Varushka

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Warding Songs

- 1.3.2 Funeral Songs

- 1.3.3 Drinking Songs

- 1.3.4 War Songs

- 1.3.5 Other Songs & Poems (unsorted)

- 1.3.6 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.7 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The Music of Varushka

Style summary

Varushkan music is rich and full-bodied, following a long tradition of being used to keep both the cold and the horrors outside at bay. Choral singing, accordions, violins and hurdy-gurdies all find their place with the Varushkan love of discords resolving into rich harmony; the normally stoic people find an outlet for grief, love and joy in their music that they would find hard to express in any other way. A vein of melancholy runs through their music - minor keys are more common than major.

Varushka draws on the real world traditions of Eastern European and Balkan music, in particular Georgian, Bulgarian and Russian songs and Yiddish or klezmer instrumental music.

Commonly known songs

- Marching song This simple melody has echoed wherever the Varushkan army has fought - the night before battle, on the way to the battlefield and accompanying them home in victory or defeat. Often led by one singer with everyone joining in the chorus.

- Raise up your glass to Varushka The toasting tradition in Varushka is a huge part of their culture. Here is a famous musical toast.

- Mother Varushka Goes to War A rousing battle song.

- The Beast of Volgadurn A cautionary poem for monster hunters, often recited rhythmically and dynamically, and accompanied by stamping feet and clapping.

- One More Vodka - drinking song.

- Hearth and Home - nostalgic travelling song, easy

- Song to Keep the Dark Away - a.k.a. the oompah song

- Day Song and Night Song - two songs that are commonly used for warding as night falls.

- Feast of the Loom - most vales have a version of a song that is sung at the Feast of the Loom. Here is one version.

A musical tradition

Toasting is very common in Varushkan culture. Pretty much every major event - weddings, funerals, births, victories, defeats, change of leadership, ceremonies of adulthood - will lead to both spoken and sung toasts. A typical Varushkan toasting song has very few words: the old-fashioned songs use "mravalzhamier" meaning 'good health' although others are sung to similar sentiments, or sometimes the name of the person being toasted or simply "Varushka!". Toasting Songs often start slowly and speed up and can be sung in full harmony or led by one singer. Some examples: Mravalzhamiers and Raise up your glass to Varushka, or use Here's A Health to the Company which is a drinking song known throughout the Empire.

Many Varushkan towns and villages employ a Stzena, a band of musicians who perform at civic functions, local events and public ceremonies. Historically, these were sentries who kept night vigils and raised the alarm in case of attack from monster, barbarians and raiders by blowing on trumpets and beating drums. As the wardens grew in strength and reach, the Stzena turned their skills to music and served their community in a different way, but some still take their secondary role as watchmen very seriously.

One for the kids

- The North wind doth blow

Further examples

Warding Songs

- Wardens of Varushka - easy call and response song (3 part harmony optional)

- Day Song and Night Song - two songs that are commonly used for warding as night falls.

- Varushkan Warding Song

Funeral Songs

- Footprints - medium Varushkan funeral song about Courage and the Labyrinth.

- Here's To Varushka - rousing song for wakes.

Drinking Songs

- Raise up your glass to Varushka - some toasting songs

- Mravalzhamier - some more toasting songs

- One More Vodka - drinking song.

- Ballad of the Schlacta - easy and fun drinking song

War Songs

- Mother Varushka Goes to War A rousing battle song.

- Brave Varushka Forth

- Marching song - medium difficulty

Other Songs & Poems (unsorted)

- The Beast of Volgadurn - poem about a monster

- Beneath the Skin

- The Walker of the Snow

- The Sovereign- haunting ballad

- Hurry, Hunter

- Build The Fires High

- Dos Vidanya

- If Varushka Wills

- Mother Varushka

- All The Ushka

- Keep the Fires Burning

- Lord of Winter

- Child of the Mountain

- The Brewer's Lesson

Instrumentation and tunes

Violins, accordions, reeded woodwind, hammered dulcimer if you've got one! Music is drawn from Eastern European gypsy music, klezmer, or any fast tunes written in a klezmer scale. More info on klezmer scales.

Varushkan rhythms - and how to do them

Other performance traditions

- Dancing, set dances like ceilidh circle dances but typically dancers will come out of the line to do their own thing before rejoining the set moves. Avoid Cossack dancing!

How to adapt your repertoire

- Avoid cliched Russian tunes like the Tetris theme music (good though it is!)

- Start very slow and speed up!

Our sources

Georgian, Serbian, Croatian, Czech, Moravian and Bulgarian folk as well as traditional Russian songs. Artists: Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir; Georgian Voices; Northern Harmony, Kitka, [www.youtube.com/user/yaleslavicchorus Yale Slavic Chorus]

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Varushka_music&oldid=34914"

Varushka music (Redirected from Varushka Music)

Contents

- 1 The Music of Varushka

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Warding Songs

- 1.3.2 Funeral Songs

- 1.3.3 Drinking Songs

- 1.3.4 War Songs

- 1.3.5 Other Songs & Poems (unsorted)

- 1.3.6 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.7 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The Music of Varushka

Style summary

Varushkan music is rich and full-bodied, following a long tradition of being used to keep both the cold and the horrors outside at bay. Choral singing, accordions, violins and hurdy-gurdies all find their place with the Varushkan love of discords resolving into rich harmony; the normally stoic people find an outlet for grief, love and joy in their music that they would find hard to express in any other way. A vein of melancholy runs through their music - minor keys are more common than major.

Varushka draws on the real world traditions of Eastern European and Balkan music, in particular Georgian, Bulgarian and Russian songs and Yiddish or klezmer instrumental music.

Commonly known songs

- Marching song This simple melody has echoed wherever the Varushkan army has fought - the night before battle, on the way to the battlefield and accompanying them home in victory or defeat. Often led by one singer with everyone joining in the chorus.

- Raise up your glass to Varushka The toasting tradition in Varushka is a huge part of their culture. Here is a famous musical toast.

- Mother Varushka Goes to War A rousing battle song.

- The Beast of Volgadurn A cautionary poem for monster hunters, often recited rhythmically and dynamically, and accompanied by stamping feet and clapping.

- One More Vodka - drinking song.

- Hearth and Home - nostalgic travelling song, easy

- Song to Keep the Dark Away - a.k.a. the oompah song

- Day Song and Night Song - two songs that are commonly used for warding as night falls.

- Feast of the Loom - most vales have a version of a song that is sung at the Feast of the Loom. Here is one version.

A musical tradition

Toasting is very common in Varushkan culture. Pretty much every major event - weddings, funerals, births, victories, defeats, change of leadership, ceremonies of adulthood - will lead to both spoken and sung toasts. A typical Varushkan toasting song has very few words: the old-fashioned songs use "mravalzhamier" meaning 'good health' although others are sung to similar sentiments, or sometimes the name of the person being toasted or simply "Varushka!". Toasting Songs often start slowly and speed up and can be sung in full harmony or led by one singer. Some examples: Mravalzhamiers and Raise up your glass to Varushka, or use Here's A Health to the Company which is a drinking song known throughout the Empire.

Many Varushkan towns and villages employ a Stzena, a band of musicians who perform at civic functions, local events and public ceremonies. Historically, these were sentries who kept night vigils and raised the alarm in case of attack from monster, barbarians and raiders by blowing on trumpets and beating drums. As the wardens grew in strength and reach, the Stzena turned their skills to music and served their community in a different way, but some still take their secondary role as watchmen very seriously.

One for the kids

- The North wind doth blow

Further examples

Warding Songs

- Wardens of Varushka - easy call and response song (3 part harmony optional)

- Day Song and Night Song - two songs that are commonly used for warding as night falls.

- Varushkan Warding Song

Funeral Songs

- Footprints - medium Varushkan funeral song about Courage and the Labyrinth.

- Here's To Varushka - rousing song for wakes.

Drinking Songs

- Raise up your glass to Varushka - some toasting songs

- Mravalzhamier - some more toasting songs

- One More Vodka - drinking song.

- Ballad of the Schlacta - easy and fun drinking song

War Songs

- Mother Varushka Goes to War A rousing battle song.

- Brave Varushka Forth

- Marching song - medium difficulty

Other Songs & Poems (unsorted)

- The Beast of Volgadurn - poem about a monster

- Beneath the Skin

- The Walker of the Snow

- The Sovereign- haunting ballad

- Hurry, Hunter

- Build The Fires High

- Dos Vidanya

- If Varushka Wills

- Mother Varushka

- All The Ushka

- Keep the Fires Burning

- Lord of Winter

- Child of the Mountain

- The Brewer's Lesson

Instrumentation and tunes

Violins, accordions, reeded woodwind, hammered dulcimer if you've got one! Music is drawn from Eastern European gypsy music, klezmer, or any fast tunes written in a klezmer scale. More info on klezmer scales.

Varushkan rhythms - and how to do them

Other performance traditions

- Dancing, set dances like ceilidh circle dances but typically dancers will come out of the line to do their own thing before rejoining the set moves. Avoid Cossack dancing!

How to adapt your repertoire

- Avoid cliched Russian tunes like the Tetris theme music (good though it is!)

- Start very slow and speed up!

Our sources

Georgian, Serbian, Croatian, Czech, Moravian and Bulgarian folk as well as traditional Russian songs. Artists: Bulgarian State Television Female Vocal Choir; Georgian Voices; Northern Harmony, Kitka, [www.youtube.com/user/yaleslavicchorus Yale Slavic Chorus]

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Varushka_music&oldid=34914"

Varushkan Monster

Varushka is dangerous, and the dangers come in many shapes. Some of these shapes are familiar to the other citizens of the Empire. Disenfranchised or lazy men and women take to banditry, using the isolation of the Varushkan wilderness to create hidden settlements, raiding their neighbours and travelling caravans to sustain themselves from year to year. They are reviled as parasites by civilised Varushkans, and those bands that survive more than a few years tend to fall under the sway of dark forces.

There are orcs here who take advantage of that same isolation. These orcs tend to be the remnants of larger tribes defeated by the Varushkans, and while they are a threat they are rarely any more pressing than any other disenfranchised bandit gang. As with the bandits, the Varushkan orcs tend to make pacts with the horrors that lurk under the trees, sometimes becoming their agents.

Contents

- 1 Wolves

- 2 Sovereigns

- 3 Exceptions

- 3.1 Mora

- 3.2 Plaguewulf

Wolves

The mundane dangers of Varushka pale beside the supernatural threats. The weakest and most common of these are termed “Wolves” by the Varushkans. They are hungry, instinctual horrors that seek to feast on living flesh. Ghouls and husks are common examples of Wolves. They tend to appear in large groups and besiege a valley, or fall on travellers in large numbers, but they can usually be driven off by strength of arms or cleverness. The primary task of the boyars and Schlacta is to keep the Wolves at bay.

Sovereigns

A more powerful threat are the “Sovereigns.” A far cry from the instinctual terrors, these creatures are powerful and wilful individuals. Corrupt boyars empowered by sinister bargains, meddling Eternals and cunning conspirators such as the Volodny are all examples of Sovereigns. They are intelligent, patient and terrible. Sovereigns tend to be restricted to specific areas, and many of them labour under bindings or strictures that prevent them from preying on the Varushkans directly. While “Wolves” move freely, many Sovereigns tend to slumber in their lairs until external influences wakes them up. The actions of foolish bandits, thieves and roving orc bands are often blamed for wakening the more powerful Sovereigns, and many rules or restrictions in Varushka are designed to prevent people interfering with them and drawing their attention. Sovereigns sometimes work through agents who possess more freedom to operate outside their lairs. Wolves can rarely be reasoned with, but Sovereigns often present a civil mien and can be bargained with.

Famous sovereigns include the Howling Queen who is said to slumber beneath the Razors in north-eastern Miekarova; the hungry king believed to rest in a barrow under Broken Barrow in northern Karsk; and Agramant the Wendigo, an Eternal whose fascination with cannibalism makes his heralds and agents a threat to some isolated vales especially in northern Miekarova.

Exceptions

Not every monstrous threat in Varushka fits easily into the wolf/sovereign category. Some creatures seem to fall part-way between the two - they are intelligent like sovereigns, but lack individual power or are motivated by appetites more appropriate to wolves.

Mora

Midway between the Wolves and the Sovereigns in power are the shapechangers, the most common of whom are the Mora – strange bird-like creatures who can assume pleasing shapes to go among mankind or lure travellers to their deaths. The Mora can bypass many protections to visit human settlements, but by doing so they become tightly bound to the rules of hospitality and cannot directly act against gracious hosts.

While they are shapeshifters, Mora cannot take on the form of specific people. They can disguise themselves as a human, but they cannot take on the guise of a specific human.

Plaguewulf

Another creature that occupies a nebulous middle ground between Wolf and Sovereign is the supernatural predator called the Plaguewulf. They are usually classified as Wolves, although the Elder Plaguewulf especially is closer in power to a Sovereign. The Sovereign named the Howling Queen, who is said to slumber in north-eastern Miekarova, is said to be the progenitor of these horrors, each of which is capable of threatening a small or undefended vale with their flesh-hungry minions.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Varushkan_Monster&oldid=25271"

Varushkan Monster (Redirected from Varushkan Monsters)

Varushka is dangerous, and the dangers come in many shapes. Some of these shapes are familiar to the other citizens of the Empire. Disenfranchised or lazy men and women take to banditry, using the isolation of the Varushkan wilderness to create hidden settlements, raiding their neighbours and travelling caravans to sustain themselves from year to year. They are reviled as parasites by civilised Varushkans, and those bands that survive more than a few years tend to fall under the sway of dark forces.

There are orcs here who take advantage of that same isolation. These orcs tend to be the remnants of larger tribes defeated by the Varushkans, and while they are a threat they are rarely any more pressing than any other disenfranchised bandit gang. As with the bandits, the Varushkan orcs tend to make pacts with the horrors that lurk under the trees, sometimes becoming their agents.

Contents

- 1 Wolves

- 2 Sovereigns

- 3 Exceptions

- 3.1 Mora

- 3.2 Plaguewulf

Wolves

The mundane dangers of Varushka pale beside the supernatural threats. The weakest and most common of these are termed “Wolves” by the Varushkans. They are hungry, instinctual horrors that seek to feast on living flesh. Ghouls and husks are common examples of Wolves. They tend to appear in large groups and besiege a valley, or fall on travellers in large numbers, but they can usually be driven off by strength of arms or cleverness. The primary task of the boyars and Schlacta is to keep the Wolves at bay.

Sovereigns

A more powerful threat are the “Sovereigns.” A far cry from the instinctual terrors, these creatures are powerful and wilful individuals. Corrupt boyars empowered by sinister bargains, meddling Eternals and cunning conspirators such as the Volodny are all examples of Sovereigns. They are intelligent, patient and terrible. Sovereigns tend to be restricted to specific areas, and many of them labour under bindings or strictures that prevent them from preying on the Varushkans directly. While “Wolves” move freely, many Sovereigns tend to slumber in their lairs until external influences wakes them up. The actions of foolish bandits, thieves and roving orc bands are often blamed for wakening the more powerful Sovereigns, and many rules or restrictions in Varushka are designed to prevent people interfering with them and drawing their attention. Sovereigns sometimes work through agents who possess more freedom to operate outside their lairs. Wolves can rarely be reasoned with, but Sovereigns often present a civil mien and can be bargained with.

Famous sovereigns include the Howling Queen who is said to slumber beneath the Razors in north-eastern Miekarova; the hungry king believed to rest in a barrow under Broken Barrow in northern Karsk; and Agramant the Wendigo, an Eternal whose fascination with cannibalism makes his heralds and agents a threat to some isolated vales especially in northern Miekarova.

Exceptions

Not every monstrous threat in Varushka fits easily into the wolf/sovereign category. Some creatures seem to fall part-way between the two - they are intelligent like sovereigns, but lack individual power or are motivated by appetites more appropriate to wolves.

Mora

Midway between the Wolves and the Sovereigns in power are the shapechangers, the most common of whom are the Mora – strange bird-like creatures who can assume pleasing shapes to go among mankind or lure travellers to their deaths. The Mora can bypass many protections to visit human settlements, but by doing so they become tightly bound to the rules of hospitality and cannot directly act against gracious hosts.

While they are shapeshifters, Mora cannot take on the form of specific people. They can disguise themselves as a human, but they cannot take on the guise of a specific human.

Plaguewulf

Another creature that occupies a nebulous middle ground between Wolf and Sovereign is the supernatural predator called the Plaguewulf. They are usually classified as Wolves, although the Elder Plaguewulf especially is closer in power to a Sovereign. The Sovereign named the Howling Queen, who is said to slumber in north-eastern Miekarova, is said to be the progenitor of these horrors, each of which is capable of threatening a small or undefended vale with their flesh-hungry minions.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Varushkan_Monster&oldid=25271"

Varushkan rhythms

To get a Varushkan sound to your drumming, use asymmetrical rhythm. What does this mean? Googling "Bulgarian rhythm" will give you lots of information but essentially it means that you group your notes in uneven groups across the bar. So if you are playing in 4/4 time, don't play two groups of four beats or four groups of two beats, play 3,3,2.

Better however is to go for a 7/8 bar - this is traditional for Bulgarian folk dances and can be split in a lot of fun ways:

- 2,3,2 gives a steady, kind of funky, rhythm.

- 3,2,2 gives a rushed, driving feel.

- 2,2,3 gives a sort of anticipatory feeling as the last beat keeps listeners hanging on.

Got it? Easy peasy? Then mix and match your 7/8 bar with a bar of a different length e.g. a 6/8 bar (two groups of 3 quavers), a 3/4 bar (3 groups of 2 quavers), or a 4/4 bar, split however you like.

Totally new to weird time signatures?

Fear not, here is a good way of getting some of these irregular rhythms, for example, this is how to do a classic Bulgarian 7/8, 6/8 pattern.

- Say the following to yourself, making sure each syllable is the same length: "Staple, triangle, staple, triangle, triangle."

- Repeat ad nauseum.

- Then make sure you strongly emphasise the first syllable in each word.

- Then take out the words and just do it with "duh" or beats on a drum.

- Then once you've got it, do fun stuff like one person do the first one and someone else do the other ones so you end up with: Dum tish, dum tish tish, dum tish, dum tish tish, dum tish tish

You can use staple and triangle to learn any of the cool rhythmic patterns suggested.

Got a mixed ability group?

It can be fun to do asymmetric rhythm over the top of a straight 4/4 beat. Try a 3,3,2 quaver pattern with someone beating simple 4/4 at the same time.

Lovely choral example

This gorgeous piece (which yes, I am in the process of filking) shows the wonderful complexity of Bulgarian rhythm. Listen to it on youtube here: http://youtu.be/pwNKTXpy67M

It looks (and sounds) very complex but you can break down the rhythm into staples and triangles to help. (Ignoring the grace notes) the pulse in the first four bars goes:

Staple, staple, triangle, staple, staple | Staple staple triangle triangle and | Staple, staple, triangle, staple, staple | Staple, staple, triangle, staple, staple.

Count it through with the recording. Then stick the grace notes in (they're simply doing them as semiquavers).

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Varushkan Road

￼￼

Without the roads that criss-cross Varushka, it would not exist as a Nation but as a series of slowly declining, isolated settlements in a sea of darkness. The Vard built the first roads, connecting their settlements and allowing for trade and the movement of troops. Since joining the Empire, good quality roads have become more widespread, carving out safe passages through the deepest wilderness.

Building a road in Varushka is a task that involves dozens of workers and the soldiers to protect them. Roadbuilders practice a hearth magic of their own, following traditional methods to lay out the roads, and every hundredth stone is marked with a warding sigil. This hearth magic grants the roads in Varushka powerful protection. The Wolves of the forest cannot step onto the stone of a properly constructed Varushkan road, and on rare occasions merely touching the road can cause them to spontaneously ignite.

This protection allows trade and communication between the valleys of Varushka. It also means that a traveller who approaches “by the front door” (that is, along the road) is probably not a monster, whereas a traveller who approaches “by the back door” (from the woods) is automatically suspect.

Some of the major roads of Varushka are also Navarr Trods - ancient roads walked by the Navarr for time out of mind. The Navarr and the Varushkans cooperate on keeping these roads maintained and clear. The power of the Trods combined with the protective sigils of Varushka make these the safest trade routes to other nations.

Settlements that are not connected by a proper stone road are not only difficult to reach, but likely to be more dangerous to approach. Settlements that are not even connected by tracks to the main networks of road are especially dangerous territory. The wagon raiders are the primary architects of settlements that are not connected by roads, but there are also said to be valleys in Varushka whose inhabitants have not left their homes in generations because they are cut off from the rest of the Nation by hungry monsters and remote locations.

The value of roads is mitigated slightly because the horrors that lurk in the shadows under the trees have learnt that roads mean people. Some monsters lurk near roads, trying to lure unwary travellers “off the beaten track” to their doom.

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Varushkan Road (Redirected from Varushkan Roads)

￼￼

Without the roads that criss-cross Varushka, it would not exist as a Nation but as a series of slowly declining, isolated settlements in a sea of darkness. The Vard built the first roads, connecting their settlements and allowing for trade and the movement of troops. Since joining the Empire, good quality roads have become more widespread, carving out safe passages through the deepest wilderness.

Building a road in Varushka is a task that involves dozens of workers and the soldiers to protect them. Roadbuilders practice a hearth magic of their own, following traditional methods to lay out the roads, and every hundredth stone is marked with a warding sigil. This hearth magic grants the roads in Varushka powerful protection. The Wolves of the forest cannot step onto the stone of a properly constructed Varushkan road, and on rare occasions merely touching the road can cause them to spontaneously ignite.

This protection allows trade and communication between the valleys of Varushka. It also means that a traveller who approaches “by the front door” (that is, along the road) is probably not a monster, whereas a traveller who approaches “by the back door” (from the woods) is automatically suspect.

Some of the major roads of Varushka are also Navarr Trods - ancient roads walked by the Navarr for time out of mind. The Navarr and the Varushkans cooperate on keeping these roads maintained and clear. The power of the Trods combined with the protective sigils of Varushka make these the safest trade routes to other nations.

Settlements that are not connected by a proper stone road are not only difficult to reach, but likely to be more dangerous to approach. Settlements that are not even connected by tracks to the main networks of road are especially dangerous territory. The wagon raiders are the primary architects of settlements that are not connected by roads, but there are also said to be valleys in Varushka whose inhabitants have not left their homes in generations because they are cut off from the rest of the Nation by hungry monsters and remote locations.

The value of roads is mitigated slightly because the horrors that lurk in the shadows under the trees have learnt that roads mean people. Some monsters lurk near roads, trying to lure unwary travellers “off the beaten track” to their doom.

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Varushka people

Varushka is a hard country. Life here is a struggle; the summers are short and the winters are long. The land is wild and resentful – it resists taming and sends monsters to threaten those who would settle here. Varushkans are stoic and grim in the face of this adversity, only letting down their guard when they are able to secure their door against the dangers of the night.

To endure the predations of the land, the Varushkans have become guarded and wary. Most live in vales, wide valleys where the roads in and out can easily be watched. To survive here requires constant protection from the terrible dangers that infest the land. If those who provide that protection sometimes exact a grim toll in return, that too is the Varushkan way. Varushkans have little time for fairy stories where everything ends happily ever after – they are a people well used to making hard choices.

Isolation is a fact of life here. Dangerous wilderness, where darker powers hold sway, lies between the vales. The Varushka have built roads to join their settlements and learned ways to ward those roads against the fell creatures that stalk the night, but no warding is perfect and some evils cannot be kept out by magic alone. The people know that if they grow weak or soft, if they forget the lessons of their past and the blood that was spilled to learn them, then those dark powers will reach out to claim them.

The malevolent entities that dwell in the dark woods of Varushka come in many different forms. The weaker ones, which the Varuskhans call Wolves, can be driven off by strength of arms alone; but the most dangerous, called Sovereigns, require more subtle ways to deal with them. Varushkans have learned to prize wisdom dearly, for understanding is essential to dealing with the threats they face. Sometimes these threats can be defeated and destroyed but more often they must be endured. And sometimes they must be bargained with; for no matter how distasteful, it is a truism that it is better for one life to be lost than all.

The wealth of the land is what makes the dangers of Varushka worth facing. Veins of ore lie close to the surface, the trees provide valuable amber and timber, while the forests and rivers teem with beasts. Danger is never far away, but the land provides commensurate reward for those who are careful and wise enough to endure its predations.

The Varushkan people are often considered pessimistic by outsiders. They expect the worst, and they prepare accordingly. Yet they also possess an irrepressible spirit – they endure hardship but they refuse to give in. They take fierce pride in their ability to prosper in a dangerous land. They carve out homes for their families from the darkest woods, and reap rich rewards for daring to live where lesser men and women would falter. No one can know the joy of small things like a Varushkan, for nothing is given them: they have fought for everything they have.

At one point, they were two peoples – the Vard and the Ushka. The necessity of living in a harsh land first blurred and then removed those distinctions centuries ago, and they are absolutely one people. The only exception is those Varushkans who are born with a white birthmark somewhere on their bodies. According to legend, this mark shows the child as having a strong connection to the ancient Ushka, and the shape of the birthmark may give a hint as to who the child may have been in a past life. Children born with such birthmarks are often a little fey and unpredictable, feeling a strong instinctual connection to the dark forests and are said to possess a natural talent for bargains – a “silver tongue flows from a silver mark.”

Names

Varushkan names are primarily Slavic in flavour.

It is common for children to initially be named with something more akin to a nickname, a substitutional name, that it is often thought will not attract the curiousity of those Evils that constantly threaten the Vales. These names are short and often dismissive in tone, to keep the children safe. Normally the child will be granted their proper name sometime between 7 and 11 years old, as they begin to develop towards adulthood. It has been known for these names to last long into adulthood though, mostly much to the bearer's annoyance.

Adult names are normally three part - a first name that carries meaning itself, a second name that is patronymic or matronymic with -ovich, -ovna, -in, -yn, -ov, -ev, --eva, -ova, -ina or similar suffixes added to one of the persons parents' names. The third name that is usually the family name, though sometimes this is derived from the Vale's name especially when unfortunate circumstances have struck the family.

Naming resources

Wikipedia has an excellent list of names, along with the historical meanings.

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Varushka religious beliefs

Priests in Varushka are considered to be (or seek to be) wise, and are generally either physically old or possessed of an “old spirit.” These wise ones are the repositories of wisdom in a community. While many consider themselves priests, and several are magicians, anyone can be a wise one simply by dint of offering good advice and keeping a close eye on moral concerns.

Elder wise ones are particularly respected, but there are wise ones of all ages. As a wise one grows older, they traditionally take on young apprentices who help them with their growing infirmity and in return are schooled in the ways of wisdom and virtue.

The most important role of the wise ones is to help people fend off the monsters of Varushka. Few wise ones fight the monsters directly; rather they teach people how to recognise them and protect themselves. They rally the whole vale when the monsters come, sharing with them the benefit of their experience and common sense. It is more important for a wise one to recognise and think their way around a problem than it is for them to memorize chunks of historical lore.

Wise ones recognise the danger of judging by appearances. There are plenty of stories where a wise child defeats a monster by refusing to trust the evidence of their eyes. Some wise ones emulate this by blinding themselves – not literally, but by blindfolding themselves when they are about official business. Forced to rely on other senses, they claim that they become adept at separating truth from lies – there is a common conceit that by blinding the eyes of the body, the eyes of the soul open wider allowing the wise one to see things as they truly are. A few wise ones never remove their blindfolds, living their entire lives in darkness and cultivating the “inner vision” that helps them hone their insight into the souls of others.

There is no official test to become a wise one – the title is an honorific either claimed or bestowed by one's peers. One becomes a wise one by being treated as a wise one and included in the counsels of the other wise ones.

The Virtuous Animals

Varushkans believe that most animals display one or more of the great Virtues. In particular they know that symbols or drawings of a creature can contain some of its power, so many Varushkans decorate their belongings with images of animals whose virtues they wish to emulate. The virtuous animals are also seen in Varushkan heraldry and art, as well as being worn as charms, belt buckles or embroidered patches.

Wisdom is usually symbolised by the spider or the squirrel. The goose and the spider (again) symbolise Vigilance. The bear and the boar symbolise Courage, and the virtue of Loyalty is associated with the hound. Deer and the eagle often symbolise the Imperial Virtue of Pride. Foxes and other animals seen as cunning symbolise Ambition, and often encourage the hero of the tale to improve their lot or that of their family. Prosperity is symbolised by bees, whose honey has a special place in Varushkan society.

Storytellers

Another common role for priests is as storytellers, following a tradition of telling instructional tales that show proper forms of behaviour and the repercussions of foolishness or vice. These stories balance optimism with harsh practicality; Varushkan religion instructs with a harder edge than some other national traditions. The custom of an older relative telling stories to the younger generation as the family gathers around the family is as old as humankind, but in Varushka it takes on additional significance.

Storytellers are often travellers, bringing spiritual support, entertainment and news of the outside world to isolated valleys, especially those without their own priests. The traditional garb of a storyteller is a brightly coloured coat of patchwork, marked with symbols and hung with trinkets, each one of which represents a story. Many storytellers use these trinkets and symbols as memory aids when telling their favourite stories. More so than other wise ones, a storyteller is likely to have a younger apprentice who learns the storytelling craft and the priestly ceremonies by travelling alongside the older priest.

...could not see the Wisdom in blindfolding oneself as some Varuskan wise ones do. So I tried it, and I will concede that I had to change the way I interacted with the world. The stories of the wise ones are steeped in virtue, and I feel they will come to accept the whole of The Way as readily as they do Wisdom. There is a matter I need to clarify, though. Is using animal symbols for the virtues a useful metaphor, or blasphemy against human virtue? I always believed it was the latter, but the practice is widespread and I cannot dissuade them against it.

Wayfarer Sarah in Epistles to the Winds of Virtue, 2 BE

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Varushka territories

Varushka spreads across the north and north-eastern borders of the Empire. It is a wild land, a mixture of difficult hills, dark forests, unpleasant marshes and fast rivers. The terrain has helped shape the nation, and has contributed to the relative isolation of its settlements. It is also a prosperous nation - the bounty of it's forests and mines provide the Varushkans with great wealth.

It is also a land of danger; the monsters of Varushka are well known, but the wide wilderness holds dangerous other than the claws of the walking dead or the bite of a maddened bear-horror. It is easy to get lost in Varushka, if one strays too far from the vales and the roads that connect them.

Contents

- 1 Karov

- 2 Miekarova

- 3 Volodmartz

- 4 Karsk

Karov

The rich heartland of the nation, and the wealthiest territory in terms of timber and amber, this is where most outsiders think of when Varushka is mentioned. The vales here exist among rich forests, where they have not been cleared to make way for small farms. Karov has the largest towns in Varushka, and the majority of its boyars come from this relatively civilised territory. A great deal of trade happens in Karov, with wagon trains and river barges carrying raw materials south to Temeschwar and north to more isolated valleys who are in need.

Miekarova

Miekarova is more heavily forested than the rest of Varushka. It is known for its furs, for its hunting, and for its particularly harsh winters. Snow regularly falls here for up to six months in the year, and it is common for vales to be snowed-in during the darkest months. The wolves of Miekarova are especially savage, and every few years or so gather in great hordes that sweep down out of the north, threatening the unwary and causing widespread trouble until they are eventually dealt with. Plaguewulfs are more common here than anywhere else in Varushka, and the sovereign believed to be their progenitor, The Howling Queen, is said to slumber somewhere beneath the hills of north-eastern Miekarova. .

Volodmartz

The mountains of Volodmartz are rich in timber and ore. There are comparatively few vales here, and the boyars have a reputation for being particularly iron-fisted. Much more common are outposts, scattered across the brooding hills and growing rich from the mineral wealth they exploit. Both tend to be very well fortified, and not without reason. There are dark things in the peaks north of Volodmartz - creatures too wicked to live in Thule lands, or spawned in the lightless depths beneath the mountains. Plenty of folk tales tell of malign horrors that burrow under the earth, emerging without warning to overwhelm the foolish. The Volodny had their old centre of power in Volodmartz, and it was here that Alderei the tyrant-boyar was defeated by the Imperial Army. The ruins of his strongholds still lie beneath the forest canopy.

Karsk

This has always been a war-torn land. The scene of many vicious battles against the barbarians since before Varushka joined the Empire, it is scattered with fortresses, battlefields and ruins. It has an accursed reputation, and many stories refer to the "bloated crows of Karsk, grown fat from human flesh and suffering." At one time this territory was home to numerous merchant boyars who became rich capturing and enslaving orcs to work in the mines of Volodmartz. When the [Imperial orcs]] joined the Empire and it became illegal to keep orcish slaves, the senator for Karsk was brutally murdered during a meeting with a dozen now-ruined Karsk boyars. It was conquered by the Thule in 368YE, and liberated by the Empire in 377YE - although how long it will remain free is difficult to judge.

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Varushka territories (Redirected from Varushka Territories)

Varushka spreads across the north and north-eastern borders of the Empire. It is a wild land, a mixture of difficult hills, dark forests, unpleasant marshes and fast rivers. The terrain has helped shape the nation, and has contributed to the relative isolation of its settlements. It is also a prosperous nation - the bounty of it's forests and mines provide the Varushkans with great wealth.

It is also a land of danger; the monsters of Varushka are well known, but the wide wilderness holds dangerous other than the claws of the walking dead or the bite of a maddened bear-horror. It is easy to get lost in Varushka, if one strays too far from the vales and the roads that connect them.

Contents

- 1 Karov

- 2 Miekarova

- 3 Volodmartz

- 4 Karsk

Karov

The rich heartland of the nation, and the wealthiest territory in terms of timber and amber, this is where most outsiders think of when Varushka is mentioned. The vales here exist among rich forests, where they have not been cleared to make way for small farms. Karov has the largest towns in Varushka, and the majority of its boyars come from this relatively civilised territory. A great deal of trade happens in Karov, with wagon trains and river barges carrying raw materials south to Temeschwar and north to more isolated valleys who are in need.

Miekarova

Miekarova is more heavily forested than the rest of Varushka. It is known for its furs, for its hunting, and for its particularly harsh winters. Snow regularly falls here for up to six months in the year, and it is common for vales to be snowed-in during the darkest months. The wolves of Miekarova are especially savage, and every few years or so gather in great hordes that sweep down out of the north, threatening the unwary and causing widespread trouble until they are eventually dealt with. Plaguewulfs are more common here than anywhere else in Varushka, and the sovereign believed to be their progenitor, The Howling Queen, is said to slumber somewhere beneath the hills of north-eastern Miekarova. .

Volodmartz

The mountains of Volodmartz are rich in timber and ore. There are comparatively few vales here, and the boyars have a reputation for being particularly iron-fisted. Much more common are outposts, scattered across the brooding hills and growing rich from the mineral wealth they exploit. Both tend to be very well fortified, and not without reason. There are dark things in the peaks north of Volodmartz - creatures too wicked to live in Thule lands, or spawned in the lightless depths beneath the mountains. Plenty of folk tales tell of malign horrors that burrow under the earth, emerging without warning to overwhelm the foolish. The Volodny had their old centre of power in Volodmartz, and it was here that Alderei the tyrant-boyar was defeated by the Imperial Army. The ruins of his strongholds still lie beneath the forest canopy.

Karsk

This has always been a war-torn land. The scene of many vicious battles against the barbarians since before Varushka joined the Empire, it is scattered with fortresses, battlefields and ruins. It has an accursed reputation, and many stories refer to the "bloated crows of Karsk, grown fat from human flesh and suffering." At one time this territory was home to numerous merchant boyars who became rich capturing and enslaving orcs to work in the mines of Volodmartz. When the [Imperial orcs]] joined the Empire and it became illegal to keep orcish slaves, the senator for Karsk was brutally murdered during a meeting with a dozen now-ruined Karsk boyars. It was conquered by the Thule in 368YE, and liberated by the Empire in 377YE - although how long it will remain free is difficult to judge.

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Vault of Hoarded Wisdom

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Autumn Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Autumn Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets the contributors. Each character must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

At the completion of this ritual, all contributors gain the ability to consume crystal mana to replenish their personal mana. With 5 seconds of appropriate roleplaying they can consume two crystal mana to restore three personal mana.

When cast with more than one contributor, this ritual always counts as a use of the coven bond and counts towards the number of rituals the coven can perform that day.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Description

This enchantment grants magicians the ability to replenish their personal reserves of power. It is rarely of particular use to a coven that consists solely of ritualists, but when those magicians also possess useful spellcasting abilities, it can add a valuable edge to their ability to perform incantations.

Still, many magicians would prefer to use this enchantment if it was just more efficient; after all the Crystaltender's Vestment is considerably more effective at replenishing personal mana, albeit restrivted to once each day. Vault of Hoarded Wisdom is the result of years of work, refining and adjusting the costs of the ritual as much as possible to try and increase the amount of personal mana restored by each piece of crystal mana. There are rumours of a version of this ritual called Harvest of Crystal Bounty which allows a ritualist to recover personal mana more efficiently, but no clear details have emerged - the ritual may be no more than wishful thinking.

When all is said and done this ritual is rarely mastered and rarely cast. It is sometimes referenced by magicians discussing the truism that rituals which restore personal mana or grant the ability to cast a spell are rarely very efficient; given that a single crystal mana allows a magician to cast any spell, rituals that restore mana must be more efficient than a one-for-one trade. The ritual is mostly useful in that it allows a coven that specialises in single-mana spells to get slightly more spellcasting power from a single crystal of mana than they would normally be able to achieve.

As with most similar effects, the ritual is more powerful the more members of the coven are present to receive the enchantment.

Common Elements

When performing this ritual, the coven usually has additional crystal mana to hand, sometimes arranged in significant pattern. Meditation may be used, but invocations often reference the idea of personal wealth, investment and the idea of storing valuables for later use. Other elements might include the runes Pallas or Lann, a scene evoking The Counting House, or evocations of totem beasts that create stores of food such as squirrels, bees (and, of course, dragons).

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Vengeance roleplaying effects

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

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Venom

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This vicious spell endangers the life of the target, such that they are quickly overpowered by critical wounds.

It is worth noting that this spell creates a magical poison, or a malaise of the spirit; it attacks the life force directly. As such, it is equally effective on humans, orcs and even more exotic creatures - shambling husks, animate plants and arcane constructs are all equally vulnerable to its effects. Indeed, some creatures such as Vallornspawn husks are especially vulnerable to this searing magical poison - it is sufficient to mortally wound such creatures by it's very nature.

It is particularly dangerous in that it does not go away naturally; it can be removed with herbs by a skilled physick, or purged by a magician using the purify spell or a ritual such as Ascetic Star of Atun. Otherwise, it lingers indefinitely.

Casting

- Type: Offensive spell

- Cost: 1 Personal mana

Effects

You may call VENOM against the target struck by your implement.

The venom condition reduces the time it takes the target to die from three minutes to thirty seconds. It also prevents them from using the unstoppable ability, even if they have a magic item or ritual that would normally let them do so. The fortitude skill provides some limited protection from the effect of this spell.

You must assume that the target has taken the effect when you cast this spell.

The effect lasts until cured by the purify spell, the purge spell, or a similar potion or magic.

Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- "I strike with the sting of the scorpion - VENOM!"

- "May magic's bitter bite bring you low - VENOM!"

- "From the heart of hate I stab at you - VENOM!"

- "Naeve's knife cleave your soul from your body - VENOM!"

- "In Llofir's name, may rot and ruin claim you - VENOM!"

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: Kyrop is often invoked to weaken the foe, though Rhyv may be invoked by those who regard the spell as tainting the victim's blood. In both cases, the caster may trace the rune in the air during the casting, or the rune may be carved into their implement.

- Astronomancy: The Claw is used by those magicians who regard the spell as rending the victim's soul, or its link with the body. The Drowned Man, representing unavoidable disaster, is a dangerous force to invoke in battle, but a confident or desperate magician may employ it to bring a foe low.

- Dramaturgy: Poisonous creatures such as spiders, scorpions,snakes, or hydra are often evoked with this spell. The caster may take on the persona of The Doctor (particularly Doctor Vassa, punishing the enemy with a curse, or the vicious Doctor Couros), or may refer to their implement as The Blade or The Scalpel.

- Other traditions: This spell is closely tied to the lore of Spring, although some magicians prefer to think of it as a Winter spell - they say it is clearly a minor curse that impairs the victim's will to live. Navarri magicians in particular tend to shy away from Spring themes, concerned about invoking a power characteristic of the Vallorn.

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Verdant Bounty of the Twilight Bayou (Redirected from Verdant Bountry of the Twilight Bayou)

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a forest. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

At the start of the next event, the target forest produces an additional five measures of material. The additional materials are always of the same type as the basic forest, regardless of any improvements.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional forests in the same territory. Each additional forest increases the magnitude by 4. The character who controls each forest must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

The four special materials gathered in the forests of the Empire are mysterious and complex to gather. iridescent gloaming can be gathered from cocoons, but they must first be located and gathered. The viscous ambergelt must be collected carefully from the natural production of trees which is difficult to predict. While beggar's lye is relatively easy to create, the beggarwood tree from which it is manufactured resists efforts at cultivation. Even more obviously, dragonbone must be carefully sought out where it lies beneath the soil amid the roots of trees.

All of this goes some way to explain why the magic of Night is so useful for enchanting the useful material production of the forest. The magic of Spring is useful for creating uncontrolled and unpredictable growth, but with the magic of Night a forest is not so much persuaded to produce extra materials, as to collaborate with the harvesters and gatherers to help lead them to valuable substances that might otherwise be lost.

The most common feature of this ritual is the manifestation of tiny fist-sized purple or light-blue lights that drift among the trees gathering in small groups around concentrations of the raw materials so valuable to Imperial artisans. By marking the locations of these 'twilight lanterns', foresters can increase their harvest of special materials without risking any damage to the forest's bounty.

This ritual takes it's name from Therunin, the waterlogged forest of the Navarr; the residents of that territory had been using this ritual for centuries prior to the rise of the Empire. Around the same time, the mystics of Kallavesa used a similar ritual they called Evocation of the Twilight Fireflies to harvest iridescent gloaming and ambergelt from the hardy trees of the swamps. The ritual is now employed across the Empire, especially in Varushka, to produce large amounts of raw materials for sale to the other nations.

Common Elements

The ritual creates often involves a map of the forest to be enchanted; in the case of the Navarr a map of the trods near the forest may be studied, and the shapes worked into new designs suggesting swirling tendrils extending from the trods to embrace and surround the target forest. Other common features include samples of the raw material most suited to the forests; wood, leaves or flowers taken from the forest; symbols of Prosperity; candles or other small flames reminiscent of the twilight lanterns the ritual often manifests.

Like many Night rituals, performance tends to be subtle and understated. Music and movement suggesting searching and finding is often used, and ritualists often wear long capes or cowls of silk or other valuable materials. The runes Wyr and Diras are sometimes used, and even Sular might not be inappropriate.

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Verdant Bounty of the Twilight Bayou

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a forest. The character who controls the target personal resource must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

At the start of the next event, the target forest produces an additional five measures of material. The additional materials are always of the same type as the basic forest, regardless of any improvements.

If the owner of the resource does not attend the next event, then the additional production provided by the resource is still added to that character's inventory.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional forests in the same territory. Each additional forest increases the magnitude by 4. The character who controls each forest must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

The four special materials gathered in the forests of the Empire are mysterious and complex to gather. iridescent gloaming can be gathered from cocoons, but they must first be located and gathered. The viscous ambergelt must be collected carefully from the natural production of trees which is difficult to predict. While beggar's lye is relatively easy to create, the beggarwood tree from which it is manufactured resists efforts at cultivation. Even more obviously, dragonbone must be carefully sought out where it lies beneath the soil amid the roots of trees.

All of this goes some way to explain why the magic of Night is so useful for enchanting the useful material production of the forest. The magic of Spring is useful for creating uncontrolled and unpredictable growth, but with the magic of Night a forest is not so much persuaded to produce extra materials, as to collaborate with the harvesters and gatherers to help lead them to valuable substances that might otherwise be lost.

The most common feature of this ritual is the manifestation of tiny fist-sized purple or light-blue lights that drift among the trees gathering in small groups around concentrations of the raw materials so valuable to Imperial artisans. By marking the locations of these 'twilight lanterns', foresters can increase their harvest of special materials without risking any damage to the forest's bounty.

This ritual takes it's name from Therunin, the waterlogged forest of the Navarr; the residents of that territory had been using this ritual for centuries prior to the rise of the Empire. Around the same time, the mystics of Kallavesa used a similar ritual they called Evocation of the Twilight Fireflies to harvest iridescent gloaming and ambergelt from the hardy trees of the swamps. The ritual is now employed across the Empire, especially in Varushka, to produce large amounts of raw materials for sale to the other nations.

Common Elements

The ritual creates often involves a map of the forest to be enchanted; in the case of the Navarr a map of the trods near the forest may be studied, and the shapes worked into new designs suggesting swirling tendrils extending from the trods to embrace and surround the target forest. Other common features include samples of the raw material most suited to the forests; wood, leaves or flowers taken from the forest; symbols of Prosperity; candles or other small flames reminiscent of the twilight lanterns the ritual often manifests.

Like many Night rituals, performance tends to be subtle and understated. Music and movement suggesting searching and finding is often used, and ritualists often wear long capes or cowls of silk or other valuable materials. The runes Wyr and Diras are sometimes used, and even Sular might not be inappropriate.

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Verys

Contents

- 1 The Lion, Rune of Might

- 1.1 Using Verys in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Verys

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Lion, Rune of Might

Affiliated with the Realm of Summer

The strong arm, the numberless host, the storm against which there is no shelter, the shelter that no storm can breach, the fire that forges the strongest blade. At its basest level, Verys is the rune dealing with the application of strength, but it makes no moral assumptions about the manner of such use – beyond the assumption that it is good to exercise strength.

Verys is very much a rune of two faces. One face is the strength that aids society; the strong smith at their forge, the sturdy battlement that holds back the enemy, the powerful army that keeps the peace or the learned sage that dispenses wisdom to all and sundry. It is power harnessed and channelled towards constructive ends. The other face is a brutal one, the simple naked application of force, generally in a mindlessly destructive way. It is strength without reason or restraint; the horde that pillages all in its path, the siege weapon that batters and smashes all in its path, the bully who oppresses all before them, the clever jackanape that keeps others in bondage through application of the rules of society.

Verys is sometimes used to embody the idea that the great should command the weak, either by seeking its fealty or by crushing it completely. This also colours its interaction with other runes; those it cannot command it seeks to destroy.

In Dawn it is used alongside Jotra, Tykonus and Feresh to signify Glory – in this case the glory that comes from the exercise of strength and power.

In some ancient rune sets, Verys and Kyrop, the Rune of Weakness are represented by a single runestone, with the direction in which it is drawn and laid determining which meaning it takes on.

Using Verys in magic

As with the other Summer runes, Verys is used in magic that enhances or supports. Unlike several other runes, it grants strength and prowess directly rather than enhancing what is there. It has little patience for weakness, however, and can be dangerous to apply to those who are too weak to control the strength that flows through them.

Crafting with Verys

Throughout the Empire, warriors and soldiers bear Verys as a touchstone. It appears on armour, weapons and shields, and is a common symbol worn as a tattoo or brand.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Verys in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneVerys.jef

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Veto

"And I say to you that a law requiring the priests of the Synod to give up a portion of their liao is truely in the best interests of the Empire."

Senator Gabriel, addressing the Senate

The Synod has the power to veto a motion made by the Senate. This power exists so that the Synod can provide a check and balance on the power of the Senate.

Process

Once a Senate motion has passed on the Senate floor, the Synod has between the closure of the Senate sitting and the commencement of the next session to secure a judgment of the General Assembly to veto the motion.

At the 3pm session, a Senate motion is proposed creating a law that requires all Synod priests to give one portion of the liao allocated to them by the civil service, per summit, to a central store for the Empire's use. The motion passes. A Prosperity priest raises a judgement in the General Assembly immediately after the Senate session ends. The Synod has between the closure of the Senate session and the start of the 8pm session to secure a greater majority of the General Assembly and veto the motion.

The General Assembly may veto one standard motion per summit. The Conscience of the Senate is responsible for announcing vetos to the Senate.

Constitutional Motions

Where a motion that has constitutional implications is passed through the Senate, the Assembly of Nine, or General Assembly, may veto it with a greater majority. There is no limit on the number of such motions that may be vetoed in this manner.

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Vigilance Guide Our Faithful Watch

A song commemorating the founder of Felix's Watch.

Sung to the tune of Agni Parthene. Lyrics by Andre Tcherepnine

Midi here PDF score and lyrics here Original on youtube here

Lyrics:

In forests dark and lands forlorn Was Felix born to clan Yagoda (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

The touch of Winter in his blood Would ever test his watchfulness (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

For years he hunted wickedness And yet his soul lacked true purpose (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

In Virtue did he find the way To Shelomit, his guiding light (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

The Highborn call he did accept In Casinea he found himself (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

A prosperous touch upon his brow Would bring his hand to Mount Uphaz (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

Within the mountain omens bright The skull of Susa he unearthed (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

With horse's courage laid he stones His Watch to last forever more (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

O Shelomit she lifted him Till he stood tall as Atuman (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

The Highborn they did heed her call To Felix pledged their Loyalty (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

His creed did spread among the wise Inwards they looked and knew themseves (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

To Realms beyond they turned their gaze And raised their guard Eternalwards (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

From Cuna voyaged peerless minds The wisdom of recorders sublime (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

Within the mines and battlements Are forged the virtuous and pure (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

A golden hostel on the mount Its creed inscribed in black marble (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

The touch of Winter in his blood Would lead him to the Labyrinth (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

The towers steadfast in his name His watch to last forever more (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

The towers steadfast in his name His legacy forever more (Vigilance guide our faithful watch)

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Vigilance roleplaying effects

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Consecration of Vigilance

- 3 Anointings of Vigilance

- 3.1 The Demands of Vigilance

- 3.2 The Cutting Edge of Vigilance

- 3.3 The Merits of Vigilance

- 3.4 The Preparations of Vigilance

- 3.5 The Omen of Vigilance

- 4 Hallows of Vigilance

- 4.1 Hallowing of the Sentinel

- 4.2 Hallowing of the Whetstone

- 4.3 Hallowing of the Inquisitor

- 4.4 Hallowing of the Unconquered

- 4.5 Hallowing of the Bellringer

- 4.6 Hallowing of Vardas

Overview

These roleplaying effects are created by priests dedicated to the virtue of Vigilance who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character performing an anointing or hallow must pick one of the appropriate roleplaying effects when they perform the ceremony.

Consecration of Vigilance

- In this place, you are acutely aware of that which you value; you are strongly inclined to speak and act in a way that eliminates any threat to that which you value.

Anointings of Vigilance

The following are a range of auras that can be summoned onto a living soul, with their consent, by priests whose own souls are dedicated to Vigilance:

The Demands of Vigilance

- You feel a desire to challenge deceptions and facades that may conceal a threat, which includes an urge to question and analyse the motives and claims of those you encounter. This feeling is amplified if the person in question is in a position of power and authority. Any respect you have for privacy and confidentiality is lessened.

Description: This is an anointing favoured by Inquisitors, Illuminates and other priests who desire to get to the truth behind deception and dissembling. It is less popular with citizens who have had their privacy invaded as a result, though only the guilty have cause to fear. Priests of vigilance have also used this to help citizens question assumptions, and whether individuals or groups are actually worthy of their loyalty.

The Cutting Edge of Vigilance

- You feel a sense that threats must be addressed by any means. Any feelings or attitudes that may prevent you from taking action against any threat to that which you desire to protect are muted, and you find it easier to do what you feel must be done.

Description: The threats that beset the Empire are wily and cunning, and few will ever provide absolute proof or solid evidence of their intentions before it is too late. Yet doubts about the consequences of acting, or feeling that there is insufficient information, can bedevil the pilgrims of vigilance and discourage them from doing what must be done. Priests of the path of vigilance use this anointing to ready the virtuous and strengthen them to act with confidence and certainty. This anointing is popular in empowering priests and pilgrims to overcome other effects that cloud the mind, including malign auras.

The Merits of Vigilance

- You feel the importance of being vigilant. When you take an action that you believe will eliminate, or reduce, a potential threat, you are rewarded with a sense of satisfaction, even if the action does not ultimately accomplish this.

Description: The path of vigilance is rarely kind to pilgrims. Dangers and evils can slip past even then most tireless efforts, or actions taken in good and virtuous intent, may backfire. Priests of the path of vigilance are able to use this anointing to reassure their pilgrims that it is the intentions that are marked on their souls, and which will ultimately aid their passage in the Labyrinth of Ages. The desire for vigilance and efforts to this end are what marks a pilgrim from a citizen.

The Preparations of Vigilance

- You receive a brief vision of the immediate consequences of being ill-prepared. You feel a desire to prepare yourself, and those around you, for possible dangers to come. Your tolerance for laziness and complacency is greatly diminished.

Description: Many priests of the path of vigilance use this anointing as a call to arms, especially for those who they feel have become complacent and are unready for the dangers that may come. Other vigilant groups or sects may use this anointing more regularly to encourage regular drilling and practicing of skills.

The Omen of Vigilance

- The next time you sleep you experience vivid dreams concerning known threats and likely dangers, and the ways in which you might take action to confront and defeat them. You awaken with renewed optimism and a strong desire to move decisively against your enemies, and to make sensible precautions for potential future dangers.

Description: Sometimes it is easy to overlook the current danger because you are worrying about a potential danger to come. The pilgrims of vigilance are aware of this, and work to consider likely avenues of danger and known threats in order to prepare for them, and ideally prevent them coming to pass. Priests of the path of vigilance seek to use this anointing to help their congregations and pilgrims contemplate threats and to make themselves ready for them.

Hallows of Vigilance

Hallowing of the Sentinel

- You feel an urge to ensure that preparations are made against threats, current or potential, and that these measures are checked to ensure they are ready.

Hallowing of the Whetstone

- You feel an urge to test yourself in order to identify, and compensate for, any weaknesses you possess. This urge includes an impulse to use this item in that testing, if appropriate.

Hallowing of the Inquisitor

- You feel an urge to investigate, and scrutinize, the affairs of those you have dealings with to ensure their integrity.

Hallowing of the Unconquered

- You feel an urge to take immediate action to address, or eliminate, something you regard to be a potential threat before it gains further strength, or manifests its danger fully. If you deliberately pass up an opportunity to do so, the feeling changes to one of revulsion and rejection that flows from the item to you for as long as you are bonded to it.

Hallowing of the Bellringer

- You feel an urge to rally others to deal with a threat or danger you have identified. This impulse includes an urge to use this item in raising the alert, if it would be appropriate to do so.

Hallowing of Vardas

- Any warmth, affection, empathy or mercy you feel toward others is lessened. You find it easier to perceive the world by that which may be a threat, and that which is not.

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Virtue Assembly

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Virtue Never Falter

Lyrics by Andre Tcherepnine. The tune is Riu Riu Chiu youtube version

Chorus:

See the Way before you

Your path never alter

Be you ever loyal

Virtue never falter (repeat last 2 lines)

In the Revelation was the Way discovered

By the Scions' work was the Labyrinth uncovered

From the Distant Shores came the proof of our birthright

Signs of Seven Virtues seen as clear as daylight

Chorus

On the Winds of Virtue was this finding carried

Brought to all the people of the Nations varied

When the Empress rose so did the Way of Virtue

Founded was the Synod ever faithful and true

Chorus

Heed the Pride of ages your soul will be commended

Vigilance and Courage will keep you well defended

Prosperous and Wise is the way that's never fallow

Loyal and Ambitious the soul that's ever hallowed

Chorus

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Virtues Anthem

To the tune of Veni Veni Emmanuel. Lyrics by Jude Reid. Transcribed by Aaron Walter

Funerary variant, adapted and transcribed by Aaron Walter

RECORDING of this song: Media:virtues-anthem.mp3

O come o come ye seven virtues bright And lead this soul from darkness into light Let courage be my armour and my shield With virtue as my guide I shall not yield O come o come ye seven virtues bright And lead this soul from darkness into light

O let my spirit hear ambition's call To strive and rise and never fear to fall Let flames of holy fervour fill my soul I shall not cease until I reach my goal O come o come ye seven virtues bright And lead this soul from darkness into light

I pray that every day my wisdom grow That I in turn may teach on what I know To know the truths of all the world I yearn- Till my last breath I shall not cease to learn O come o come ye seven virtues bright And lead this soul from darkness into light

Oh holy virtue grant that I be proud To own my sins and speak my virtues loud No falsehoods vile, false modesty or shame Shall tarnish the bright glory of my name O come o come ye seven virtues bright And lead this soul from darkness into light

All ills I will ensure for duty's sake A valiant heart may cease but never break To kinsman, to lover, and to friend My loyalty shall be without an end O come o come ye seven virtues bright And lead this soul from darkness into light

With vigilance I strive that I perceive Those liars who dissemble and deceive May sinners fear my name across the land May traitors perish weeping at my hand O come o come ye seven virtues bright And lead this soul from darkness into light

When hard I work with hand and heart and mind Prosperity shall follow close behind I shall make use of every throne I earn That other men shall prosperous be in turn O come o come ye seven virtues bright And lead this soul from darkness into light

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Vitality of Rushing Water

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Spring Magnitude 12

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Spring Magnitude 12

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets a character, who must be present throughout.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual has three effects:

- The target gains an additional rank of the fortitude skill.

- When hits are restored to the target by any means then they are also cured of the VENOM status if they were affected. This effect will not work if the purify spell would fail to remove the VENOM effect for any reason..

- The target is under a roleplaying effect: they feel healthy, vital and full of energy. They also have a greatly increased appetite, feeling the need for significantly more food and drink than they might normally require.

The effect lasts until the end of the next battle, skirmish or quest the character participates in; or until the end of the current event, whichever is sooner.

Additional Targets

This ritual can affect additional characters who are part of the same banner. Each additional character increases the magnitude by 9. Additional characters must be present throughout the ritual.

Description

The supernatural vitality offered by this ritual helps a seriously injured person cling to life, but it's real benefit lies in the way it helps to survive exposure to supernatural venom. It is a powerful protection when facing enemies who employ tactics that include venom, such as the Druj or the Navarr, or creatures whose presence or attacks can be dangerously toxic such as hydras or plaguewulfs.

The Vitality of Rushing Water offers some protection to even the weakest constitution, but it is increasingly effective the tougher the subject is to start with. The protection can be further enhanced through the use of potions or items such as the Ivory Aketon, Boarskin Vest or Pilgrim's Shield.

In some circles this ritual is called The Mark of Abraxus, after the Abraxus Stone.

Common Elements

As with many enchantments, ritualists often mark the targets of the ritual in some way. Common elements include shared consumption of a drink or herbal preparation; painting a rune or symbol on the face or chest of the target; or securing a woven woven favour, braid or protective amulet to the target. Branches or leaves from hardy plants or those associated with good health, such as the oak, ivy or mistletoe, are sometimes woven together and worn on the head or wrists or in the hair; amber or even ambergelt jewelry might also be used to signify the protection offered by the ritual.

The idea of washing or purifying is another element that works well with this ritual. Fresh and salt water alike have resonance with a ritual designed to offer protection from dangerous impurities. Some ritualists perform a ceremonial washing of hands, while more vigorous rituals might involve pouring water over the head of the targets.

Evocations of runes such as Bravash, Rhyv, Feresh or Cavul are all common, as is the constellation of The Fountain; a scene involving The Doctor or The Witch; or the strength and vitality of potent creatures such as hydras, boars or bears.

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Vitriolic Orb

Description

A vitriolic orb item is usually crafted in the form of a bone, glass or ceramic orb inlaid with tempest jade; although there are some metal orbs of this type, they tend to become pitted and rusted very quickly, appearing diseased or unwholesome. They are rarely adorned, although they may be marked with runes. A vitriolic orb is infused with potent enchantments and attuned to the realm of Winter. A coven can use it to draw on the caustic and destructive power contained in measures of beggar's lye, aligning it with their own magic. This allows them to reduce or in some cases replace the need for crystal mana when performing Winter rituals.

The power of beggar's lye is like the power of Winter itself - dangerous, but incredibly useful when treated with respect and used wisely. Many vitriolic orbs are fashioned as bowls, chalices or cauldrons in which pure beggar's lye is mixed with water or blood; others take the form of braziers where resinous cakes are burnt. Even when the item takes the form of a traditional orb, it is often annointed with liquid beggar's lye as part of any ritual in which it is used. While the item itself is undamaged by exposure to beggar's lye, covens who make use of this 'covenstone' invariably handle it while wearing gloves - extended exposure to a vitriolic orb can raise welts or in some cases actual burns on unprotected skin. Regardless of the precise form it takes, a coven that uses it is careful to ensure that it plays a central role in their ceremonies - in addition to it's ceremonial use it is a symbol of their unity of purpose and their coven oath - and often a quiet reminder of the repercussions of breaking those oaths.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Members of the coven who are performing a Winter ritual they have mastered may use beggar's lye in the place of crystal mana. Every two measures of beggar's lye spent count as one crystal mana.

- Materials: Crafting a vitriolic orb requires five ingots of tempest jade, four measures of beggar's lye and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Ministry

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 History

- 7 The Title in Play

Overview

The Vizier of the Incarnadine satchel is an Imperial title awarded to a Freeborn citizen. It is a national position appointed through the Bourse.

The Vizier oversees and advises agents across the Bay of Catazar and beyond who acquire herbs on their behalf. Sometimes agents of the Vizier travel with fleets visiting distant shores, empowered to negotiate on behalf of the minister and constantly seeking the best possible deal when bargaining for valuable plants.

The title takes its name from the Incarnadine Satchel, a unique artifact in the form of a crimson-stained bag said to have been a gift from the original Riqueza to her youngest daughter. Stories differ as to its properties but the most common versions suggest the wondrous satchel either transformed any herb placed within it into any other herb, or transformed herbs into potions with incredible alacrity regardless of the capabilities of the holder. The satchel was passed from its guardian hakima to the first Freeborn to take up this ministry. Unfortunately, the satchel was lost along with its bearer somewhere in the mountains of Kahraman during the punishing winter of 294YE, and has not been seen since.

Responsibilities

The Vizier is traditionally expected to ensure that the apothecaries of the Brass Coast have access to the herbs they need to make potions. This being a Freeborn ministry, it is expected that the Vizier will take the opportunity to make whatever profit they consider appropriate. A few Viziers have instead used their title to ensure that Freeborn warriors and hakima are kept well supplied with useful potions, especially those that will help them fight the enemies of the Brass Coast during journeys through the Sentinel Gate.

Powers

Ministry

As a ministry, the title of Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel allows the holder to purchase quantities of special materials at a set price. The Vizier makes their decision how much money to spend during downtime from their character page. Money is removed from, and resources are placed into, the character's inventory when the downtime is processed.

Total Money Spent

Production

8 Crowns

10 Cerulean Mazzarine and 5 each of True Vervain and Imperial Roseweald

20 Crowns

16 Cerulean Mazzarine, 8 each of True Vervain and Imperial Roseweald and 3 each of Marrowort and Bladeroot

36 Crowns

20 Cerulean Mazzarine, 10 each of True Vervain and Imperial Roseweald and 6 each of Marrowort and Bladeroot

Selection

This title is appointed during the Spring Equinox. The Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel is appointed by citizens of the Brass Coast who control fleet personal resources. The larger the fleet an individual has, the more votes they can allocate in support to a candidate. The voting is handled by the civil servants in the Bourse.

Only a Brass Coast character may hold the title. They do not receive a seat on the Bourse nor access to the private auction.

Removal

The Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel is appointed every year. They cannot be revoked by any Assembly of the Imperial Synod.

History

- There is currently no Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel; the title came up for re-appointment in 378YE but no bids were placed.

The Title in Play

The role does not provide additional information about events in the Empire, nor allow the player holding it to request special reports or downtime actions. These details are assumed to be below the abstraction layer. The title holder is encouraged to create their own stories about their activities within reasonable limits and to get involved in events appropriate to their title during the game, but they do not have any powers beyond those explicitly listed in the section on powers.

These details exist partly to provide context and character to the role - and partly to allow our writers to use the title as a plot hook. Plot that involves the position will be rare - but all the campaign positions in Empire have these details to create the potential for it to happen.

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Voice for the dead

Contents

- 1 Description

- 1.1 Roleplaying a corpse

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

One of the most powerful spells, voice for the dead empowers a departed person to speak to the living for a short time. It has obvious application when investigating serious crimes, but has even seen use as an interrogation tool on battlefields. The corpse subject to this spell can see, hear and speak and may have some limited ability to move it's eyes or head, but that is all.

This spell does not work on corpses that have been dead for an extended period; the powerful ritual Whispers through the Black Gate is needed to communicate with a deceased character who has been dead for much longer than a few minutes

The spell has been the subject of a great deal of superstition and was once the subject of a failed attempt to interdict the spell by the Sevenfold Path. Defenders of the spell point out that there is no evidence that the spell interferes with the passage of a soul through the labyrinth; as far as anyone has been able to demonstrate it does not "summon" a departed spirit at all. Rather they claim that the magic temporarily strengthens the connection between the consciousness of the deceased and their dead flesh. Many magicians have agreed that using this spell is like speaking to a copy of the dead person, rather than to the dead person themselves.

While there have been countless experiments, magicians have been unable to gather any real information about what happens to someone after they die. The experience of actually dying often seems to be intensely personal, and there is little consistency. Dead people commonly mention experiences such as a sensation of falling into darkness; of seeing a bright light towards which they are drawn; of a slow fading of consciousness; or of a sudden sharp cessation of awareness. It certainly appears that awareness of the mortal world ends at the point of death.

This spell can also be cast on ghosts and other representatives of the undead creatures, even if they have been dead for longer than ten minutes. Some of these beings find communication with the living to be difficult and need additional magic to allow them to speak.

Roleplaying a corpse

This spell is a good opportunity for a last interaction with friends or enemies. You are not compelled to answer questions nor to speak truthfully if you do not want to, any more than when you were alive. You have no awareness of anything that happened after the moment of your death - but remember that a dying or terminal character is aware of everything that occurs around them. You may certainly share what you believe is going to happen to your soul (assuming you think you have one), but this spell cannot be used to learn about the labyrinth, the howling abyss or any other sort of afterlife experience.

It is up to you, and your sense of drama and characterisation, as to whether you know you are dead or not.

Casting

- Type: Regular spell

- Cost: 2 Personal mana

Effects

You enable a corpse that is still being phys rep’d to speak. The target must have died in the last 10 minutes. This spell lasts five minutes.

You may also cast this spell on a ghost or other undead creature that otherwise lacks the ability to speak.

Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- (evoking the Door) You who stands at the gates of the Labyrinth, on the last threshold, wait. I call to you, I wear a crown of stars, and my voice is a summons. Pause for a moment on your final journey. We stand on opposite sides of the final gate, I reach out my hand, I command you. Speak!

- (singing or chanting) You come and stand at every door / But no one hears your silent tread / You knock and yet remain unseen / For you are dead, for you are dead / You need no sleep, you need no breath / You need no fruit, you need no bread / I ask for nothing for myself / Take my last gift, voice for the dead.

- (painting the appropriate Runes on the subject) With Hirmok's claw I catch you; you who are slipping away. With Gralm's hand I grasp your fraying skein. By mana and my will I bind you to this world a little longer. Fulfill your final duty; speak now at my request.

- It is cold where you are now, it is dark. It is warm here by the fire, and there is hot wine. Speak to me, far traveller. Speak to me with the voice of the dead.

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: Irremais, the rune of wisdom, is often evoked with this spell, although some magicians might trace Hirmok, the rune of domination on the forehead of a corpse as the spell is cast. Some cautious magicians may scratch a warding rune such as Queros on the ground between themselves and a body to ensure nothing else returns with the summoned spirit ... Evoking Evrom when the spell is cast, and then Yoorn when the spell ends is seen by some mystics as a sensible way to ensure the dead consciousness does not linger.

- Astronomancy: The constellation of the Door has a strong symbollic resonance with this spell.

- Dramaturgy: The persona of the Witch is very appropriate to this spell, but a magician might also take on the role of the Doctor, especially in her aspect as a harbinger or agent of death. The Bishop, who deals with spiritual matters, is often a good fit for this spell, but a magician who takes a more commanding or authoratitive mien may evoke the Prince. The instrument of the Lantern works well with this spell - either as a glowing beacon to call the target back for a short time, or as a dark lantern whose fire is visible only in "the underworld".

- Other traditions: This spell is usually a solemn business. Some Highborn carry a small bell to use with voice for the dead - it is believed that the sound of bells reminds the dead of their mortal lives. A Navarr tradition when using this spell is for the magician to cut or bite their thumb and use it to smear a little fresh blood on the lips or eyes of the target corpse - to literally share a little life with the dead.

- Realms: This spell is strongly associated with the realm of Winter, which deals with dark matters such as death, ghosts and spirits.

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Voices Call

Words and tune by Dhiamara Coulson. tune

A story song, by Salviana of Endsmeet Spire

Voices call in mountains high To rituals it's time to cry Be wary now Be wary thee The consequences of your dreams.

We've heard the callings night and day Where stars once shone the sun doth play And on the wind a might song Of fallen comrades Death of sons.

We've travelled through these misty peaks An old world cracks beneath our feet Through fight and glory tales and more Your journey ends At the Spire door.

Edit the categories appropriately. This is important.

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Volhov's Robe

Description

A very long time ago, robes such as these were used as the basis of all co-operative ritual magic. Magicians everywhere made use of them, and of robes like them. When magicians began to understand how to form covens, however, the robes became less and less relevant and eventually fell out of favour. In the Empire today, they are primarily used by ritualists who have for one reason or another lost their coven or chosen to avoid being tied down to a single band. They allow these individuals to offer aid to existing covens without needing to swear that band's oath, or become bonded to the group.

Once called simply ritual robes, today they are named for the itinerant volhov. The wandering Varushkan magicians are the people who make the most use of them, appreciating the ability to stay mobile and independent while at the same time being able to offer their magical expertise to cabalists and other volhov that they encounter on their adventures. Even the Urizen and the Navarr, both nations who see great value in a skilled individual being able to help an established coven, have taken to calling them by the common name rather than continuing to call them the diplomat's robe as they allegedly did during the early years prior to the founding of Terunael.

They are also moderately popular in The League where they are often designed to resemble the long, multi-coloured coats that are occasionally fashionable with street performers. A small sub-culture of League mountebanks with ritual lore are known to make extensive use of them, offering their assistance as 'ritualists for hire' to more organised mountebank bands and even occasionally coming together to form highly informal pseudo-covens in pursuit of less-then-reputable enterprises.

Some foreign nations may still make extensive use of these items, especially those who have not embraced the idea of forming covens. A similar effect can be gained by using a Web of Celestial Attunement, a covenstone that allows a coven to aid another coven.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day you can take part in a ritual with a coven of the same nation. When you use this ability, it counts towards the daily limit of coven rituals you can perform. You cannot be in a coven when you are bonded to this robe. Two (or more) solo ritualists with Volhov's robes may use the robes to perform a coven ritual together. However, this then counts as a use of the coven bond for all participants. As there is no coven bond to make use of, coven rituals performed solely through the use of Volhov's robes may not be combined with ritual paraphenalia.

- Materials: Crafting a volhov's robe requires five measures of dragonbone and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Volodmartz

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Triosk

- 3.2 The Hunt of Alderei the Fair

- 3.3 The Granites of Veltsgorsk

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Brez

- 4.2 Livardz

- 4.3 Murupa

- 4.4 Opascari

- 4.5 Suvretz

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

Mountainous Volodmartz is rich in timber and deep mines. There are comparatively few vales here, and the boyars have a reputation for being particularly iron-fisted. Much more common are outposts, scattered across the brooding hills and growing rich from the mineral wealth they exploit. Both tend to be very well fortified, and not without reason. There are dark things in the Volodmartz mountains, and plenty of folk tales tell of malign horrors that burrow under them, emerging without warning to overwhelm the foolish. An equally worrying threat is that posed by the northern Thule barbarians who sometimes strike down through the north-eastern forests. As recently as 376YE a major offensive was launched through the northern mountains in an attempt to secure a beachead near Void; it is very unlikely to be the last.

The Volodny had their old centre of power in Volodmartz, and it was here that Alderei the tyrant-boyar was defeated by the Imperial Army. The ruins of several strongholds still lie beneath the forest canopy. One of the most vicious battles took place in the foothills of the Opascari mountains at what is now a valuable weirwood forest. This vital strategic asset, the largest source of weirwood in Varushka, was essential to the support of the tyrant-boyar's armies. The penultimate, savage battle of the Imperial campaign against Alderei took place here; after the forest was lost, his forces were forced to fall back towards Alderei's Run in Murupa, where they finally met their end.

Recent History

Following the Thule invasion of Karsk in 368YE, probing assaults were made against Livardz and Suvretz. These were turned back by Imperial forces, but the threat of further attacks has never been ruled out. The northern barbarians certainly covet the valuable resources of Volodmartz; in the Summer of 377YE an attempt was made to create a beachead in the north near the vale of Void - almost certainly a strike not only against the mana sites and libraries of the cabalists but against the Granites of Veltsgorsk. The expeditionary force was scattered by a force of Imperial heroes, and a follow-up campaign by Imperial forces wiped out the survivors, stymieing the attempted invasion.

Major Features

Triosk

A riverside town in Livardz, with a fish-dam and low bridge that has always been the main land route into Karsk. Once a hotbed of support for Alderei the Fair on the edge of what was then Varushka, and the scene of savage fighting in the war against his forces. Empire armies laid siege to it, and burnt the original town to the ground. The tyrant-boyar sallied forth before the final assault, and gathered those still loyal from across Volodmartz and the wilds to his final battle to the north. Despite recent Imperial victories in Karsk, it is still considered to be a front-line settlement, doing all it can to support the campaign in Karsk. Home to many refugees, there is some pressure for these displaced Varushkans to return to their homes - homes that many rightly point out are still threatened by the remaining Thule armies.

The Hunt of Alderei the Fair

One of the richest resources of Volodmartz, the hunt is a great weirwood forest that was also the site of one of the most vicious battles against the forces of Aldereri the Fair. At the foot of the Opascari mountains, this vital strategic asset was nearly burnt to the ground in the wake of the Imperial victory. Only quick action by Imperial forces prevented the fire consuming all the trees, and to this day on certain nights of the new moon the living trees are sometimes engulfed in a shimmering copper effulgence that seems to have no natural origin. There is some controversy over the name of the site. Some claim it is named for the treasure seekers who combed the surrounding woods looking for traces of Alderei the Fair in the decades after his defeat. Others say it is actually named for the three nights of pursuit when Imperial forces chased the retreating forces of Alderei south-west toward Alderei's run.

The Hunt of Alderei the Fair is an Imperial Bourse position that produces weirwood. It produces 26 Imperial wains of weirwood every season.

The Granites of Veltsgorsk

Deep in the mountains of Brez lie the open mines of Veltsgorsk. The white granite that comes from these mines is sometimes streaked with pink quartz - storytellers claim it is steeped in the blood of all those who have died fighting over Volodmartz in the past, and will help give life to nearby vegetation as a result.

The Granites of Veltsgorsk is a National Bourse position which produces white granite. It is assigned to whichever Varushkan candidate receives the most support from Varushkan owners of forest resources. The bourse position produces 26 wains of white granite each season.

Regions

Brez

The mountains of Brez have a shadowy reputation among Varushkans. The peaks are high enough that they are perpetually shrouded in snow, even at the height of summer. The Granites of Veltsgorsk lie high in the eastern peaks of the region, and it is said that without the presence of this valuable Bourse resource, no outsider would ever visit the peaks here despite the rich seams of copper, iron, silver and Tempest Jade the mountains conceal.

There are known to be several strong regio here, associated primarily with the realm of winter, and these have attracted cabalists and magical scholars since before there was a Varushka. The cabalists of the mountains of Brez tend to be somewhat isolationist; the best known settlement is the vale of Void in the western foothills, home to a number of allied cabals who study and perform those rituals best kept away from centres of population. Rumour has it that Heralds from the Realm of Winter come here to treat and bargain with the inhabitants, while others speak of a shadow library containing great stores of information about curses, malign magics and the nature of the Winter eternals.

The southern peaks are the site of Ruin. Once a key mining settlement called Vikram's Haven, its destruction in 349YE is generally believed to have been at the hands of a group of miners who delved too far into rocks under the broken peak above Alderei’s Run in search of rare ores. The vale did not survive their return. . Precisely what led to the doom of Ruin is unclear, but scattered rumours suggest that the miners came upon a trove of ancient pre-Imperial artefacts, and fell prey either to a maddening curse or possession by malign occult forces. Ruin is now the occasional home of Warden-bands who seek to ensure no Vale makes the same mistake again, and is closely watched by the inhabitants of the nearby Vale of Gorazima who are keen to avoid a similar fate

Keywords: Hilly

Livardz

The southernmost region of Volodmartz, and certainly the most densely settled. The vales here maintain trade west to Miekarova and south to Karov - especially to the bustling port-town of Korotny. At one point, Livardz served as something of a crossroads - with trade also coming from Karsk to the east, through the town of Triosk. With that territory now back under normal Imperial control, it is to be hoped that trade will begin to trickle in once more.

In addition to the permanent population, there are a number of vales who maintain their prosperity by catering to the wagon raiders - either as a base of operations, or serving as middle-men purchasing the raw materials they rip from the northern mountains and forests.

Murupa

Central Volodmartz is home to several vales and outposts drawn by the rich bounty of Dragonbone that the forests promise. Several of the vales here maintain close ties with Razorwatch in Miekarova - and keep a close eye on the Razors and the dark power that lurks beneath them. There is also a brisk trade in items scoured from the old battlefields, where Varushkan and Imperial forces fought Alderei's armies. The valley known as Alderei’s Run is the largest of these battlefields, the Tyrant-Boyar’s forces were finally destroyed by the Imperial Armies. Rumour says that Alderei can still be heard there, ordering his men back into the fray.

To the north of the run are a series of small caves that Alderei’s army used for stores. They are generally referred to as The Star Caverns, due to a prevalence of eroded carvings of star patterns attributed to the Ushka mystics. Some scholars suggest that some of the patterns are much older, probably pre-Terunael in origin. The caverns themselves contain a regio aligned with the realm of Day, whose power waxes and wanes from season to season and year to year - studies have suggested the strength of the regio is related to the position of certain constellations especially the Key and Lock.

Keywords: Forested

Opascari

The mountains of Opascari are rich in gold, orichalcum and precious stones. Opascari is known in particular for its sapphires and emeralds, which are often of uncommon size and lustre. The range is also rich in mana sites, often jealously guarded and requiring regular protection again (among other things) packs of hungry trogoni. While much of Opascari's wealth is mineral in nature, at the feet of the southern peaks lies the rich weirwood forest known as The Hunt of Alderei the Fair.

Keywords: Hilly

Suvretz

A sprawling region of forests that extends to the eastern borders of Volodmartz and, by extension, the Empire. Many of the vales here are especially fortified, even for Volodmartz - fortifications designed to offer protection not only from wolves, but also from barbarian raiders coming down from the cold forests of barbarian Otkodov. There are few permanent settlements in the eastern woods - but many crow-haunted battlefields.

Of special interest in Suvretz is a place of legend named Runa's Loss. Runa was a draughir warden who watched the monsters of the hills with Toki, her changeling lover, an apprentice volhov. Toki's master was seduced by an eternal of Winter (generally held to be Agramant), and Toki chose loyalty to master over love. Runa was one of the wardens who hunted and killed the volhov and all loyal to him. The Vale reminds all wardens that their calling is more important than lesser loyalties, and is considered a site of pilgrimage for devotees of Loyalty and Vigilance - albeit a particularly perilous one. The vale maintains a careful watch not only over the eastern forests but also over the borders with Karsk.

Keywords: Forested.

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Volodmartz are under Imperial control.

- This page is still under development - the next stage is to review approved backgrounds for details that would enrich the description of the territory.

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Volodny

The Volodny are a circle of magicians from Varushka who present a threat to the entire Empire.

They collaborated with the warlord Alderei the Fair to oppose the First Empress. They are said to wish to destroy the Varushkan people, and the Empire that they are part of.

The Volodny have made dreadful pacts with the Eternals of the Wasteland (the Winter Realm), and are said to be immortal as long as they maintain these pacts. They are known to have "hidden their hearts" outside their bodies, and cannot be permanently killed unless their hearts are found and destroyed.

While the Volodny focus their attention on Varushka, they are a threat to the entire Empire and their malign influence could be felt by any Nation.

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Vorpal Sword

Description

A vorpal blade is a powerful weapon that grants extensive additional power to a heroic warrior, as well as putting even an unskilled fighter on par with a skilled soldier.

This enchanted blades have a long history, generally cropping in tales of monstrous incursions. The best known name originates from the obscure Varushkan Vale of Vorpa, where according to legend, such a blade was used to slay a poorly defined but vicious monstrosity, the nature of which changes with every teller of the tale. In the Brass Coast, the stories speak of an axe with similar powers being used to slay an enormous dire ostrich, while the Marchers tell of a magical hammer which was used to crack the skull of an enormous weasel plaguing Upwold. The wealth of such stories has made it common practice to work parts of terrible and exotic beasts into the weapon, possibly as a hilt or haft, to draw upon the blade’s legend.

These fanciful tales mask the very real uses of vorpal blades throughout Imperial history. A skilled and spirited warrior armed with a vorpal sword can cut through lesser folk with terrifying ease. The Marcher general Tom Drake is said to have wielded one when he confronted and slew the tyrant boyar Alderei the Fair. During the invasion of Kahraman, the Freeborn general Jone i Arco i Erigo wielded a vorpal straight sword at every battle. Those who dislike childish stories call these blades “Conquerors’ Swords” and insist that there is no record of a battle lost by a general bearing one of these blades.

Artisans in Wintermark especially like to inscribe the rune Jotra on a biting blade along with one or both of the runes Verys or Hirmok. In Dawn these swords are often called Gryphon Talons.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed weapon.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day, you may call CLEAVE with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a vorpal sword requires thirteen units of orichalcum, three ingots of green iron, and three measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The battle raged around them but both magicians remained perfectly still. The barbarian's face was contorted with rage as he desperately fought against the magic that held them both in place. It was his own spell and yet still he fought it, the inevitable response, so unhelpful, so difficult to unlearn. The true danger occurs in the moment the spell first strikes, but her sentinels were well trained and had reacted instantly throwing themselves forward and pushing the line back, separating the two standing figures from their allies. Now the only thing that remained was to wait.

There was no need to count the seconds, better to relax and prepare. The ignorant often assume that poise is easy to maintain when paralyzed. She remembered the long years she spent learning to calm the mind as well as the body - to wait for the perfect moment to strike. This fight was already over, her opponent was already defeated, he simply didn't realize that yet. His struggles were the last gasps of a fish pulled from the water, floundering frantically for breath.

She watched his confidence bleeding from his eyes as they stood locked together. He ran through spells in his mind and settled on one. A repel probably, an entangle perhaps. Predictable - and under the circumstances entirely rational. If he could just complete his spell before she could complete her own then victory would be his. They were both magicians, what else could they do?

The barbarian's grasp of his staff tightened and his jaw dropped open as the spell released him. She reacted instantly to her enemies movement, breaking poise to begin her own strike. Her mage staff started its slow fall towards the earth the moment her hands left it and dropped to her waist. A single fluid motion to pull the short blade and drive it towards the magician's gut, her target cheerfully outlined by the gaudy decoration on his belt. Such a small weapon, so easy to overlook, so inconsequential for someone who has been convinced their opponent is just a magician.

She activated the Gryphon Talon as the long knife struck the belt. The magic parted his mage armour like tissue paper opening his belly and allowing his guts to spill forth. She stooped to kneel as she stepped back, allowing her to wipe the blade clean on the wet grass, before sheathing it once more at her belt. She collected her staff as she stood, the barbarian distracted by his agony and his weakening grip on his own entrails.

In Urizen, we are never just a magician. She allowed herself the moment of pride as she rejoined her sentinels.

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Vyig

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Structure

- 3 Methods

- 4 Resources

- 5 Legal Status

- 6 The vyig in play

Overview

The vyig are a criminal fraternity, founded in Varushka, that once threatened to overtake the city of Temeschwar and the League. Their power has been broken several times, but each time - after a respite - they have reappeared.

Their most famous setback came at the hands of the Temeschwari boyar Ratibor, shortly before the foundation of the Empire. The criminal gangs that would serve as the foundation of the vyig were thieves and assassins who operated with open impunity. Thousands of inhabitants were linked with the different gangs who used tattoos to mark membership and enforce loyalty. In the end Ratibor hired a force of Varushkan mercenaries and brought them in secret into the city during the depths of winter. In the notorious night of a thousand torches (named for the torches the soldiers carried to light their way) every inhabitant of the city was turned out of their beds, stripped and searched for marks. Anyone with a tattoo on their body was given a few minutes to collect their belongings before being forced from the city into the frozen snows beyond the walls. A few managed to bribe their way past the search but most were given over to the winter and were never seen again. The act was one of monstrous brutality, but it established the power of Ratibor as boyar and broke the power of the criminal gangs.

The few survivors of the purge were united by a burning hatred of the law that had brought them down, and when the city of Temeschwar joined the League - and through it, the Empire - they transferred their wrath to the structures of Imperial law. It is unclear how much influence the vyig actually have, and it has proved difficult to gather much concrete information about them, but it is certain that for the last four hundred years there have been tattooed criminals operating on the outskirts and in the shadows, especially in the cities of the League and some of the southern Varushkan vales.

Much of what follows is conjecture, often gleaned from the testimony of unrealiable sources whose terror of the vyig was unquestioned. Much of the truth about the vyig has been obscured by myth and legend - take for example the song Uncle Vyig, a "fun song about terrible things."

Structure

The vyig are a fairly closed culture who value iron self control and a capacity for violence or graft. They are contemptuous of Imperial law, but cleave to a harsh honour code of their own. Those who wish to join must undergo a ritual which tattoos their skin. More senior members gain more tattoos, usually commemorating specific criminal or violent deeds. While not everyone with a tattoo is a member of the vyig, everyone in the vyig has tattoos. The organisation is based in Temeschwar, but occasionally recruits fresh blood from "the old country" of Varushka.

They detest the law, and hold a special hatred for Imperial Magistrates, and take great pleasure in murdering members of the militia - although such behaviour often leads to their exposure and the destruction of their cell. Many of their members embrace a narrative in which they are part of a special band of brothers and sisters, destined to take what they want from a world that constantly mistreats and misjudges them. Strangely, however, many vyig are deeply religious, and are often less tolerant of heresy or profanity than many firebrand priests. Of course, they have a very self-serving view of religion, excusing their own misdeeds, or interpreting them as virtuous, but it cannot be denied that they embrace many tenets of the Way especially loyalty, prosperity and an especially twisted version of vigilance.

Members refer to each other as "Good Brother" or "Good Sister". Leaders are referred to as "Czar" or "Czarina", or more informally "Good Uncle" or "Good Aunt". A historitcal slang term for organised crime was "Uncle Vyig" - as seen in phrases such as "Uncle Vygi has his hands in my pocket again" or "Uncle Vyig has told me not to talk to you, militiaman."

All communication takes place face-to-face, and trust between members is everything. An informer will suffer an exceptionally painful death - a common method of dispatching someone who betrays the organisation is to force them to watch as members of their family are force-fed a caustic concoction of beggar's lye before they themselves are tortured to death. Lesser transgressions against the group are often punished by the application of beggar's lye to burn away specific tattoos, leaving disfiguring scars.

Methods

Vyig take a pride in never engaging in honest exchange; as far as they are concerned, labour is for peasants. A true vyig takes what they want and doles out what they feel is appropriate. While they are undoubtedly brutal, frequent purges have taught them to be circumspect and look for allies in high places.

As an organisation they are always trying to expand, usually by beating and absorbing other criminal enterprises. Indeed, some magistrates have theorised that the vyig actually help discourage organised criminal endeavour in the Empire by immediately moving to absorb or destroy any underworld group that begins to establish itself. Due to their codes, Czars cannot interact with high Imperial society, so they have a desperate need of respectable faces to represent their interests.

Vyig despise merchants and haggling; rather they exchange "gifts". A gift is always suitable to the respect they feel they are owed - offering too little in return for a vyig's gift is a slap in the face, offering too much is a sign of weakness.

Resources

It is difficult to guess at the resources the vyig have available to them. At various times they have maintained a criminal network stretching across the League, with outposts as far afield as Meade, Siroc and even the Urizen settlement of Redoubt. However, only a minority of the criminals who operate under their aegis are true vyig; the rest are just gang members that they have "recruited".

They rarely use coin directly, preferring to deal in stolen or smuggled goods. They maintain facilities for providing illegal servies, and are adept at the use of fear and intimidation to encourage others to act on their behalf.

Legal Status

During the Winter Solstice 378YE, the Imperial Senate outlawed the Vyig, and made it a crime not only only to be a member but to possess Vyiv tattoos. A citizen found to have such tattoos can be prosecuted, and the minimum sentence will involve the defacing of those tatoos by the magistrates.

The vyig in play

The vyig are ruthless criminals who are actively persecuted by Imperial law. While they may romanticise their behaviour, in actuality they are greedy, vicious thugs. They have no allies - everyone is either a pawn or a rival - and their leadership is cloaked in shadow. If you wish to include the vyig in your character background, they make excellent antagonists - someone who has intentionally or accidentally interfered in one of their schemes is likely to earn their undying enmity. Anyone who has connections to Imperial law enforcement may have run afoul of the vyig or one of their schemes.

However, they are not a single monolithic organisation - individual groups of vyig adhere to the same code of honour, but as far as anyone can tell there is no "big boss" who coordinates all vyig activity across the Empire. While they are not really intended to be player characters, and there are massive downsides to playing characters who consider themselves part of the vyig, it is not an unacceptable character choice. A vyig group is most likely to be either League or Varushkan in nature, and should expect to be arrested within a few events. Worse, the vyig are likely to view any group calling themselves "vyig" who regularly associate with Imperial law as traitors - and as pointed out above, they take a very dim view of traitors.

The vyig are most active in the League, but they are a potential threat to people across the Empire. They are not a threat to the Empire itself, however - at the end of the day they are only criminals. While some may hate the Empire and want to bring it down, they are absolutely without the resources to achieve it - although they have plenty of resources needed to make a citizen's life miserable, or to unleash a crime wave that might threaten a town or League city. However, they know from past experience that when they act openly, they immediately draw the Imperial law down on their heads and the law is implacable and largely uncorruptible.

Finally, it should be clear that the Empire actually knows very little about the inner workings of the vyig. Their members fierce code, and their cruel treatment of informers, means that many would prefer to die rather than reveal the secrets of the organisation. The information presented here is only common knowledge; it should be enough to include the vyig in a character background, or to use them as antagonists at sanctioned events, but there are plenty of mysteries about the vyig that have yet to be revealed.

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Wagon song

Original tune Sancta Maria strela do di, words by Jude. Recording at Wagon Song

Score for the chorus only

Drink up your tankards and drain your flagon Morning has come and it's time to pack the wagon

Heading south, for satins soft and flowing Silks of gold, all blazing like the sun Buy and sell, and ever onward going Turning west when all our trade is done

Drink up your tankards and drain your flagon Morning has come and it's time to pack the wagon

To the West, the river and the city Following the bright sun as it sets Singers sweet and dancers oh so pretty - Leave with smiles and never with regrets

Drink up your tankards and drain your flagon Morning has come and it's time to pack the wagon

Now the north, the mountains rise to meet me Ambergris and hardwoods in great store Cider spiced to satisfy completely Then we'll turn back to the road once more.

Drink up your tankards and drain your flagon Morning has come and it's time to pack the wagon

Turning east, the bay is there before me In the distance I can see the sea On the road, a new adventure story Nothing but a traveller's life for me

Drink up your tankards and drain your flagon Morning has come and it's time to pack the wagon

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War

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Campaign

- 3 Outcome

- 3.1 Attacking Unopposed

- 3.2 Supply Lines

- 3.3 Victory

- 3.4 Casualties

- 4 Battles and Skirmishes

- 5 Philosophy

- 6 Further Reading

- 6.1 Core Brief

- 6.2 Additional Information

Overview

The generals of the Imperial Military Council oversee the military campaigns on behalf of the Empire. Working with the Civil Service they give orders to the Imperial armies for the months between events to direct the ongoing military campaigns against the enemies of the Empire.

A campaign refers to a clash of armies in a territory when one or more of the armies there attacks. Campaigns stretch over three months and encompass multiple encounters between the Imperial armies and the barbarian enemies. Each general issues a single set of orders to determine the strategy their army will pursue during the campaign. The orders create a narrative for the campaign; they communicate the aims of the Imperial armies and shape the results of success (or failure) at each stage of the campaign.

Campaign

- A campaign takes place if one or more opposing armies attacks another

- If no general submits an order to attack then no fighting occurs

If any army from two or more opposing sides in the same territory issues orders to attack, then a military campaign takes place there. A campaign is not a single "battle", it is a prolonged period of warfare that takes place over the whole territory in the three months between events. If no amy on either side has submitted an order to attack then no fighting occurs and no campaign takes place.

A campaign will normally incorporate every army present in a territory. Armies may be spread throughout a territory, or concentrated on defending one region, but they are all assumed to act in concert, so the total strength of all forces is compared to determine the outcome, regardless of the distribution.

Outcome

- The side with the largest fighting strength wins

The outcome of a campaign is found by comparing the total effective army strength of both sides in the territory. The effective strength of each army is adjusted based on the orders their general has submitted for them. Even though individual armies are given specific orders, the outcome of the entire campaign as a whole is determined by all the armies on both sides. The side with the higher effective army strength wins.

The basic outcome can be significantly affected by any battles or skirmishes linked to that military campaign that take place at the following event.

Attacking Unopposed

- Territory is gained 50% faster than normal

Armies that attack a territory that contains no defenders are considered to be attacking unopposed. They do not take any casualties and receive a significant bonus to the attempts to conquer regions in the territory. A single fortification in a territory is sufficient to negate this advantage.

Supply Lines

- The first region in a territory is twice as difficult as normal

- Attacking a region that is not adjacent to a region in the territory that you control is twice as difficult as normal

Trying to take the first region in a territory is twice as difficult as normal. The same penalty applies if you try to take another region which is not adjacent to a region in that territory that you control. These rules are designed to reflect the difficulties presented by extended and exposed supply lines.

This is one of the reasons the Empire and barbarians alike take pains to conquer an entire territory rather than permit their enemies to keep control of one or more regions.

Victory

- If one or more victorious armies are attacking then their side will take territory

- Victorious armies that are defending have their casualties reduced

The total army strength of each side present in a territory is calculated and compared. The side with the largest army strength is considered to be winning, the scale of the victory is proportional to the difference in the two sides army strength.

If the winning side have submitted orders to attack their enemies then then their victory translates into territory captured. They may gain control of one or more regions within the territory the campaign is taking place in.

If the winning side has submitted orders to defend the territory then their victory translates into reduced casualties taken. It is possible for a victorious defending side to reduce their casualties to zero if their scale of their victory is large enough.

Casualties

- Each sides inflicts casualties on the enemy side equal to a tenth of their fighting strength

- Casualties are divided up between the armies on a side based on the orders submitted

Each side engaged in a campaign will inflict casualties equal to one tenth of their fighting strength. Both sides in a campaign take casualties, not just the side that loses the campaign.

Casualties are divided up between the side based on the orders submitted by the generals. The final casualty figures an army incurs are then adjusted based on the orders submitted by their general.

Battles and Skirmishes

- Battles and skirmishes can significantly affect a campaign outcome

At the Equinox and the Solstice, the opportunity exists to intervene in a military campaign and influence the outcome. The Sentinel Gate allows bands of Imperial heroes to travel instantly to key locations to try to turn the tide of a campaign. The civil service prepare briefings for opportunities that they judge will make a difference to the ongoing military campaigns, and present them to the military council.

Battles and skirmishes can have any number of outcomes, but a common result might be to improve the outcome of a campaign to help complete a specific campaign goal, or to achieve specific goals in that territory. For example, eliminating a specific barbarian command group might spread confusion among the enemy during the coming season increasing their casualties, or it might prevent predicted casualties to the Imperial armies engaged in that territory. Destroying a key bridge might mean that the casualties to a retreating Imperial army are significantly reduced, or cut off a barbarian army from reinforcements.

Even a small number of player characters might influence the outcome of a campaign during an event. A small band of scouts who penetrate a barbarian-held wood to assassinate a Druj messenger and steal the orders she carries could give a significant bonus to the campaign goal of trapping or out-manoeuvring the barbarian forces in that territory. Providing an army fighting in filthy, disease-infested marshes with valuable supplies of Imperial Roseweald might significantly reduce the casualties that army will suffer.

Philosophy

- The maths expressed on these pages can be considered an IC "rule of thumb"

- The fog of war is sufficient to make it impossible for anyone to predict the actual outcome with certainty

We have a simple system to determine which side is winning in a campaign. Most of the effects are expressed as simple fractions to ensure that most generals will be able to work out roughly what will happen in a campaign - if they know what the barbarians are doing - without needing to use any detailed maths.

We have deliberately kept the system simple; Empire is intended to be a game in which characters make difficult, political choices. For that to work the decisions the generals take should be well informed choices, ones where they can make reasonable predictions of the outcomes provided they have sufficient knowledge of the barbarian's plans.

As a result it is perfectly reasonable for generals to make reference to these numbers during in-character conversation. Numbers such as the one tenth ratio for casualties an army will inflict are considered to be a rule of thumb that is widely employed by the Imperial civil service and anyone who has studied warfare in the world of Empire.

In reality, it would not be possible to make a prediction for a given scenario that was as accurate and precise as the simple framework allows. However in practice in Empire it is not possible to precisely predict the actual outcome of a campaign anyway, since the numbers involved are dependent on factors obscured by the fog of war such as the plans of barbarians and the orders submitted by players for their military units.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Military Council

- War

Additional Information

- Imperial armies

- Orders

- Casualties

- Territory

- Army qualities

- Spy network

- Fortification

- Campaign outcome

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Warcaster's Oath

Description

This solid shield is commonly reinforced with greensteel bands and inlaid with tempest jade decorations. It is a favourite of battlefield magicians, especially Dawnish war-witches and Imperial orc warcasters. While it requires additional skill for a magician to benefit from a shield, those who favour the shield-and-wand or shield-and-rod style of fighting find the warcaster's oath to be a valuable addition to their tactics.

While it is popular among more martially-inclined magicians, it also sees some use among magicians who focus on healing and supporting their allies; incantations such as heal or purify are depressingly easy to interrupt, but a magician with this shield can not only cover himself and his patient from random blows or arrows, but in the event that an enemy gets close enough to strike a lucky blow the magician's resources are not wasted.

The Imperial orc magicians who use this shield, however, are strong proponents of the more warlike use. They wade into combat alongside their legion, invoking offensive spells with their rods while using the shield to ensure they do not need to back out of the fray to begin casting spells such as swift heal, empower, purge or repel. While the orc risks constant interruptions, as long as they are prepared to accept them they know they will eventually complete their spellcasting. This attitude has lead to some of the wielders, orc and human alike, being dubbed warchanters because their invocations can take much longer than those of magicians who retreat to a safe location to begin their spellcasting.

Rules

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of a shield.

- Requirement: You must have the shield skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Damage taken by you or your target does not interrupt spells you are casting (for spells such as heal, create bond or night pouch).

- Materials: Crafting a warcaster's oath requires seven ingots of green iron, five ingots of tempest jade and four measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Warden

"I am ready."

Overview

The warden fellowships of Varushka travel the Imperial roads across the Empire. They often have a romantic reputation, being seen as dashing and heroic figures – in stories they often turn up just in the nick of time to help a band of beleaguered schlacta protect their vale. Most wardens combine skill at arms with a knowledge of magic, creating and using amulets, talismans and other items against the threats of the Varushkan wilderness.

The warden's motto, “I am ready” refers both to their willingness to take charge of difficult situations, and their belief in making sure they have right tool for any job. As a consequence many wardens build up broad skills with a number of weapons, adjusting their weaponry to the needs of the battlefield.

Many wardens are champions of Imperial Law actively pursuing lawbreakers and criminals to bring them before Magistrates for judgement. Some chase criminals across national or even Imperial borders. Wardens may be hired to deal with particularly difficult supernatural threats and are sometimes seen as reckless as a result. Regardless, most are sensible enough not to needlessly arouse a sovereign, and a warden who causes a problem and then ignores it is likely to be cast out of their fellowship.

The group of exclusively changeling wardens known as the Company of the White Stag are considered a liability by their peers, leaving some wardens a little leery of working with any changeling. Their group actively seeks out dangerous monsters to challenge, and often causes more trouble than they prevent.

Creating a Warden

Wardens usually have martial skills, but they also tend to pick up crafting skills as well so that they can equip themselves and their allies with useful items such as amulets, talismans, weapons and armour.

If you intend to play a warden, it is important to appreciate the large scale of the PD Empire events. You will have epic opportunities for battles as part of a great army fighting the orcs, but you won't be going off on a lone quest to slay a monster. It isn't possible to create that kind of experience for characters at an event where hundreds of players are attending.

Other activities that have clear resonance with the warden characterisation might include helping the Magistrates in their investigations, especially those that seem to have a magical flavour to them; keeping abreast of and involving oneself in events on the field that concern any sort of supernatural evil, regardless of where those stories originate.

Creating a Warden Fellowship

A warden fellowship is a good way to create a Varushkan group that is more interested in plot than politics and trade. Warden fellowships concern themselves with helping the vales deal with the threats of Varushka, helping the magistrates enforce Imperial Law and keeping the nation together.

Most characters can be part of a fellowship, there is a place in any fellowship for schlacta, wise ones and volhov. Lacking a vale to control the group will not need a boyar, most groups of wardens pick one of their own to lead the fellowship as needed, but they rarely claim the title of boyar, as doing so can make their dealings with the boyars who run the vales and outposts more difficult.

Your fellowship may be larger than the characters portrayed by the players in the group - if members of the group wish to take small military units as their downtime resources these can represent small groups of schlacta and wardens who serve the fellowship.

Most fellowships endure over several generations and have a history of their own. Many begin as a consequence of a conflict with a sovereign, a figure that may be long defeated or that still exists as a threat to be dealt with.

A warden fellowship is usually based out of an old castle, ruin or similar. You'll want to pick a territory where your fellowship is based. If you're having trouble choosing, we recommend picking the territory with the fewest active groups in-game. If you are the only fellowship group in that territory you can assume a degree of responsibility for what happens there, if there are other fellowships based in the territory then it is worth trying to work with them.

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Warden's Bardiche

Description

The warden's bardiche is a weapon that is popular with weapon masters, but is also favoured by wardens, Winterfolk runesmiths, Marcher monks and aldermen (especially in conjunction with an Alderman's Edge talisman) and even some martially minded magicians (especially those of Urizen who appreciate the value the weapon has in keeping an opponent beyond arms' reach). As with a Biting Blade and similar weapons it is sometimes favoured by a 'civillian' who lacks the passion to use an item such as Mediator's Mail, or for its ability to grant mental fortitude in the face of a sinister aura.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a pole-arm.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect:You gain one additional hero point.

- Materials: Crafting a warden's bardiche requires ten ingots of green iron and three measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The pilgrimage didn't seem like such a good idea now.

Walter scrambled through the undergrowth, the trees' lowest branches slapping him in the face with stinging reprimand while his lungs burned. Stay on the path, they'd said, stay on the path but did I bloody listen? He hadn't listened, of course; he'd seen the exemplar's shrine from the crest of the valley, decided that a stout Marcher lad like himself could make good time just blazing his own trail across the dense Varushkan woodland right to the place that they'd laid the warrior's bones down in honour all those decades ago. Following the path would have added hours to the trip. This was the third exemplar tomb he'd visited on his pilgrimage, and nothing bad had happened while he'd been traipsing through Dawn, so he'd gotten a little overconfident and...

...and here Walter was now, running and running as fast as he could from some things that were fast and hungry and had too many teeth for anyone's good. His hands were raw and torn, his pack was somewhere back there in the tangled gloom of the forest, and a branch had snagged and ripped away his seven-spoked amulet. He could swear the whole damn wood was possessed of some malign hatred for him, the way it seemed to trip his feet and confound his flight.

An old, rotting log half-buried 'neath moss and mushrooms caught his boot, and down Walter went, sprawling face-first into the leaf-litter. The shock left him breathless, then the pain of his ankle flared into bright agony. Crying in pain, he was peripherally aware of shapes pouring past him, so he groaned, gritted his teeth and resolved to at least face his death rather than chew on mud while the things' mouths tore into him.

But no teeth came, just a terse, shouted command, and as Walter rolled over he saw them all around – Varushkans, armoured in leathers and chain, each bedecked in talismans and trinkets that jangled as they formed a rough square around him. The two dozen men and women each gripped a vicious bardiche, the weapons readied in a thicket of polearms pointing outwards.

Walter groaned again and tried to haul himself to his feet. One of the wardens glanced over her shoulder at the wounded pilgrim, the talismans woven into her braids clicking against one another, and gave him a quick grin. “Your lucky day, friend,” she said, then frowned as she saw Walter trying to untangle his dagger sheathe and draw the weapon.

“Those things, they're still out there, aren't they? I can... I can fight them too,” he ventured, by way of explanation.

“I'd really rather you didn't, not with that ankle. You'd be more harm than help.” the woman snorted, and she gently pushed him back down with the haft of her polearm. “Better you leave this fight to the wardens, eh?”

Then she turned back to the forest, leaving Walter feeling a little ashamed at how reassuring it felt to let the scarred Varushkans battle those things for him.

And when the shadowy things did come sprinting through the gnarled trunks, their snarls echoing amidst the twisted branches, the wardens met them with unyielding ferocity and razor-edged glaives. No matter from where the beasts lunged, the hedge of pole-arms stood strong, and soon enough the last of the mangy, pestilent creatures was bubbling out its final breadth.

As the wardens cleaned the carmine gore from their weapons, Walter gingerly tested his weight on his twisted ankle and winced at the fresh flare of pain. He met the gaze of that warden woman, saw the expression of amusement at his haplessness, and returned a chagrined smile.

“I think I'll stick to the path in future.”

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Warden's Fists

Description

It is said that the first pair of warden's fists was crafted by a warden born of both the tribes Vard and Ushka, she made and named them Brother and Sister for the siblings that she never had. However the Navarr claim that the Wardens learnt the secret from their Vates who claim that they were originally called Terunael’s Fists and were a common weapon in their war against what came before the Vallorn.

The Company of the White Stag often refer to warden's fists as Antlers, and shape the Dragonbone component of the axe and rod into complex tangs often resembling their own, as a maker’s mark.

In Urizen they are favourite among the Sentinels who believe that the balance between martial and magical is the best demonstration of Arete, a fight that can be altered by quickly removing pivotal opponents is one that you win without wasted lives.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. A pair consisting of a one-handed weapon and either a rod or a wand.

- Requirement: You must have both the ambidexterity and magician skills to bond to these items.

- Effect: Once per day you may either use the weapon to call CLEAVE or instead use the rod to cast repel without spending hero points or Mana.

- Materials: Crafting a set of warden's fists requires two measures of dragonbone, two ingots of tempest jade, two ingots of green iron and two ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make a pair of these items.

The Wolves circled her in the creeping darkness of the forest. The wall that was a road was out of sight now. She had been tracking them for days, and nights, without sleep. She could smell the putrid breath of the flesh-feasters, as they hissed in gloating hunger.

Maybe three of them. No, four.

She was alone.

She crouched in the glade, undergrowth knotted about her feet. She was wounded, a gash in the side from a bone sharp branch. Her power was spent, and the Wolves could smell the metallic tang of blood in the air. They made a guttural noise in their throats. She tensed.

“I am ready.” She called forth words of power, drawing not on her depleted resources but on the power of her dragonbone rod. It flared to life as her words caressed it.

The first two charged, her Antlers flashed, their tangs finding homes in the ribs of one of the monsters. She struck it with her rod and it fled, wheeling back into the woods. The second fell back before her, the orichalcum of her axe glowing gently in the gathering twilight. She'd hardly worked up a sweat.

The remaining couple came crashing and snarling out of the gloomy brush.

Two-on-one, now those were better odds. She sheathed her rod and unslung her shield.

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Wardens of Varushka

Words by Jude and Rhi. Original tune Nicolaj/Carol to St Nicholas (a slow youtube version is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaySP--97wc )

Helper files:

Full harmony: File:Wardens-of-varushka-full.mp3

Sop (tune): File:Wardens of varushka - sop alto.mp3

Tenor (or descant): File:Wardens of varushka - tenor.mp3

Bass: File:Wardens of varushka - bass.mp3

Melody-only: Media:Wardens_of_Varushka.wav

Stand with me, Wardens of Varushka (x2) In the winter's snow and hail Proud defenders of the Vale Wardens of Varushka

Come with me, Wardens of Varushka (x2) 'Cross the empire far and wide Brothers, sisters side by side Wardens of Varushka

Fight with me, Wardens of Varushka (x2) Onward to the war we go We will stand against the foe Wardens of Varushka

Join with me, Wardens of Varushka (x2) Wolves are howling in the night Take up arms and join the fight Wardens of Varushka

Optional more verses:

Sing with me, Wardens of Varushka (x2) Drumbeat strong and voices loud Heads held high and never bowed Wardens of Varushka

Drink with me, Wardens of Varushka (x2) Fire to keep the dark at bay Mead to drink til break of day Wardens of Varushka

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Wardensweave Scale

Description

Tightly woven leather or mithril scale and lamellar are popular with the Wardens of Varushka. This armour is not as encumbering as the heavy steel armours favoured by the schlacta, but allows for move maneuverability - a trait that is particularly prized by the traveling 'heroes' of the Varushkan roads. As many wardens are artisans themselves, they often make and maintain their own wardensweave scale. Some fellowships receive gifts of raw materials needed to keep their armour enchanted from the vales they help, or the Imperial Magistrates they work with.

When made into mithril chain, this armour is called bloodgold maille and is worn under plate by some Dawnish knight's errant, Marcher captains and Freeborn warriors. The enchanted chain helps cushion the force of blows, while the heavy plate offers greater protection to vital areas.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of medium armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You gain two ranks in the endurance skill while wearing this armour.

- Materials: Crafting wardensweave scale requires nine ingots of orichalcum, seven measures of ambergelt and three ingots of green iron. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The headless corpse in the dim glade was by no means the worst sight the Warden Company of the Burnt Rose had ever seen, but it still gave Lydiena Filipova pause. She recognised it instantly from the armour it wore, and the array of talismans and amulets it had once worn, even though these now hung from all the trees of the copse, by way of a grim warning. The claw-marks on the trees nearby suggested that she’d strayed into the edge of a Sovereign’s territory, and it must have been nearby and angry at the time.

“She was the most ferocious Warden I ever knew,” Lydiena sighed, “She was warded, she was sensible, and she wore a... a damned fine suit of wardensweave scale. This shouldn’t have happened to her.” She grimaced as she began to strip the corpse of its possessions, including the armour – things for which the woods and their denizens had no use.

“We’re pulling back to the road,” she said, when she’d finished. From the beating her armour had clearly taken, the appalling wounds on her body, and the battle-scarring of the trees and the ground, it had clearly been a long fight, a valiant fight. Lydiena surveyed the damage with – pride would be the wrong word, but at least a certain vindication.

She gripped the scale armour tightly, barely noticing its points and edges digging into the flesh of her hand. Lydiena had given Mariam the armour, a parting gift when the younger woman had left the Burnt Rose’s employ to work alone again. If it was an expensive gift, then that only stood for the depth of the affection between them.

But now she walked the walled roads of the Labyrinth, where nothing would get her. Lydiena felt her throat tighten, and her grip with it, and it was then that she became aware of her deputy talking to her.

“My captain? We’re not going after it?” Juliana Ivanova repeated.

“Oh, we’ll see about coming back,” Lydiena said, forcing out all of the unhelpful emotion in a hard sigh as she set her mind back to the task at hand, “But first I want to talk to the local Volhov and find out what they know that Warden Trevelyan didn’t, and find out what, if any, rituals and paraphernalia they use to keep this thing at bay.” She carefully didn’t say anything about killing it with an army at her back, just in case it was listening. Lydiena hadn’t remained a Warden for over a decade now by saying things like that where Sovereigns could hear them.

She slotted the talismans into an empty pouch in her armour, and handed the armour off to Juliana, who hefted it over her shoulder with a grunt. “Oh, and without disrespect to the dead, I want that armour checking, repairing, and refitting. It’s going on you next, girl,” she said, trying not to think about what that meant.

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Ward of the Black Waste

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 14

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 14

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The area to be enchanted with this ward must be clearly apparent to those within, and without, its bounds.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

This ritual targets a building or well defined, walled area. It must be performed inside that location.

At the completion, the area is warded against Vallorn creatures. Such a creature approaching the boundary is always aware that the area is warded; if it enters it is immediately weakened for as long as they remain in the area. Even creatures that are larger-than-human-sized will be weakened by the power of the ward if they enter it.

When used inside a building, the ward protects the entire structure. Any openings in the structure - doors and windows especially - must be clearly marked with runes or symbols of warding. The building must be a reasonably permanent structure, preferably of wood or stone; the ritual will not work on a tent or other entirely similar structure.

For purposes of this ritual, a walled area must be composed of solid posts, preferably wooden. Posts should be placed at least three pace, and at most five paces, apart and protrude out of the ground at least three feet. The posts should be clearly visible, and ideally clearly marked as 'special' - carved or painted with runes for example.

As with anything you might be taking onto a battlefield, or that is likely to have people fighting around or near it, the phys-reps should be as safe as possible (no sharpened points, for example). Please do not tie rope between the posts; if it is not clear where the boundary is, you will need to use more posts.

The ward can be taken down by moving, removing or defacing the warding signs, but vallornspawn cannot do so themselves. Assuming it is not interfered with, the ward stays in place until the duration expires.

If undisturbed, the ward remains until the next sunrise.

Description

This is a powerful ritual that keeps creatures spawned by a vallorn at bay. It is equally effective against corpses animated by vallorn growth and the chitinous creatures that cluster around and prosper in its heart. Intelligent vallornspawn will often hesitate at the edge of an area and withdraw rather than enter it; more animalistic creatures will barrel forward regardless, but are greatly weakened by the ward.

The ward does not weaken the dangerous venom that infects the air around a vallorn. Vallorn plants will not grow inside the area of a Ward of the Black Waste, but the magic persists for such a short period of time that it is not very effective for clearing an area of vallorn influence.

Common Elements

The most common runes to use with this ritual are the Wintermark runes Yoorn and Kyrop and the common tower symbol associated with Vigilance. In Varushka these wards are often supplemented with staring humanoid faces or the heads of geese, while in Wintermark bird-heads are common on the top of any warding poles. In The Marches the warding symbols often include stylised figures of guardians, or straw poppets- sometimes with small daggers, needles or shields bound to their limbs.

When performing the ritual, the ritualists often walk the boundaries of the waded area, invoking protection. They often burn incense, or scatter ashes, and check that all the warding symbols are intact. Some ritualists place bowls of blood at each entry point. Fire is often used as well, especially when the ritual is performed at night.

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Warmage

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Responsibilities

- 3 Powers

- 3.1 Membership of the Imperial Military Council

- 3.2 The Military Gambit

- 3.3 Addressing the Conclave

- 3.4 Proxy

- 3.5 Bearer of the Healing Rod

- 4 Selection

- 5 Removal

- 6 Further Reading

- 6.1 Core Brief

- 6.2 Additional Information

Overview

The Warmage is an Imperial title in the Conclave bestowed on a magician.

The Warmage has the right to declare a gambit. A wise Warmage cultivates good relations with the Order of the Rod and Shield, as their goals are often in alignment.

The first Warmage was a Dawnish warwitch named Jayne de Severnford, and the witches of Dawn often seek to emulate her by claiming this position and keeping for as long as possible. Indeed, on several occasions a test of mettle has revolved around becoming Warmage.

Responsibilities

The Warmage ensures that the Military Council has specialist advice on tactical and strategic use of magic; is appraised of the availability and effect of magical resources; and to recognises opportunities to use magic on the battlefield or in pursuit of strategic aims. The holder of the title is also expected to use their powers to liaise between the Conclave and the Council, helping to arrange magical assistance for the armies of the Empire. They are also likely to offer advice about deploying and gathering magical resources, specific magical counters to known threats, and ways that additional magical support can be acquired or deployed.

Powers

The Warmage is an Imperial title in the Conclave.

Membership of the Imperial Military Council

The Warmage has a seat on the Military Council. This grants them a vote, identical to that possessed by an Imperial general. While they do not directly control an Imperial army, they receive all other benefits and expectations of being an Imperial general such as being permitted to speak freely.

The Military Gambit

Once during each summit, the Warmage can present a single gambit during a Conclave session. The gambit is raised to the agenda, presented, debated and resourced in the same way as a gambit raised by an archmage. The Principle of Presence means that a Warmage can appoint a proxy to raise a gambit on their behalf - but the proxy cannot present it.

Addressing the Conclave

Once per summit, the Warmage can raise an address to the agenda of a conclave session for free. This power is intended to be used to let the Warmage appraise the Conclave of developments in the Military Council, but the Warmage is free to address the Conclave however they wish.

Proxy

The Warmage is entitled to appoint a proxy who may exercise the legal powers of their office in their name.

Bearer of the Healing Rod

Since 377YE, the warmage has been entrusted with Merel's Rod of Healing, an artefact Ambergelt Baton. The rod was made by the Navarr artificer Merel Pathfinder, with ilium garnered by gambit from the Imperial Conclave. The warmage may wield the rod themselves, but the intention was that it could be allocated to a worthy individual each day to ensure it saved the most lives possible. If the warmage loses their position, then the item must be given to the new warmage with all appropriate haste. The warmage is encouraged to take all appropriate precautions to keep this item safe (such as arranging for someone with access to the Reading the Weave ritual to bond the item to them).

Selection

The title of Warmage is gained by declaration of candidacy before the Conclave. The position is often hotly contested by members of the Rod and Shield order. On occasions where a Warmage that does not belong to that order is appointed, they often come under pressure to join the ranks of the Rod and Shield.

Removal

The Warmage serves until they are replaced by another magician using the Declaration of Candidacy. As with other Conclave titles, the Warmage cannot be revoked by the Imperial Synod.

Further Reading

Core Brief

- Muster

- Council Session

- Powers of the Imperial Military Council

- General

Additional Information

- War

- Council Address

- Appointments to the Military Council

- The Throne

- Herald of the Council

- Warmage

- Appointments by the Military Council

- Field Marshal

- Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

- OOC Design

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Warmage's Belt

Description

A sturdy leather belt is a common component of a suit of mage armour, using raw magic to protect the guts and groin. When the magic of the belt is invoked, healing power flows up from the base of the spine and the stomach and spreads through the body, not only fixing damaged skin, bone and blood vessels, but invigorating the wearer. Many wearers feel permanently vigorous and potent. Briars find this effect particularly pronounced, bestowing upon them a restlessness and drive extreme for even the twisted. This leads many briars, ashamed of their heritage, to avoid this mage armour. Those few who embrace their lineage in spite of the suspicions of others wear these belts proudly, relishing their exaggerated liveliness and putting their energies to good use on the battlefield

A warmage's belt is usually polished with ambergelt resin, usually inlaid or embossed with weltsilver. The rune Bravash is often worked into the front of the belt, helping to generate and channel vital energies when the belt is invoked. For this reason, some waggish Marcher once named it the cocksure cummerbund, a name which appears in more than one bawdy ballad. A Marcher landskeeper who wears a warmage's belt may expect some good-natured ribbing after the battle is won.

As might be expected, the warmage's belt is common among the Sentinels of Urizen, where it is often made with elegant simplicity. In contrast, a number of extremely decorative examples exist from the League, made around the turn of the fourth century when the Merchant Prince Julio de Tassato ran a contest to make him a suit of mage armour that exemplified his Pride in his city - the prize being a hefty sum of steel and exclusive patronage for the winner. In an ironic turn lost on none of Tassato's salon wits, blind judging led to the prize going to his greatest rival, who purchased all of the runners-up with the prize money and marched his Free Company through the streets to display them.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may use the second wind skill.

- Materials: Crafting a warmage's belt requires five ingots of weltsilver and four measures of ambergelt. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Hold still!"

The harsh tone of the cambion seamstress shocked him out of his contemplations. Tillita had a reputation of being the best in Sarvos and it would not do to anger her. Almost immediately, Illyrio felt a sharp pain in his rear and near jumped out of his skin.

"Pay attention! That's what happens if you start daydreaming and shuffling your feet. A pin will be the least of your worries if you are so distracted when you stand before the guild tomorrow!"

Illyrio sighed and stood up straight, his cheeks flushing a bright red. His embarrassment was not just due to the constant haranguing this tailor was giving him, but also to the nagging fact that she had been right on every occasion. He regaled himself briefly in the magnificent full-length gilt-edged mirror that stood before him in Tillita's well furnished studio. Somewhere off to the edge of the room, he could hear his young apprentice Cassio snickering into his sleeve. He would have to have words.

“I have chosen this to complement your new robe.” Tillita clapped her thrice-ringed hands together and a naga child ran out from behind the rich red curtains leading to her workshop, a sturdy belt held above his head. Illyrio studied it with interest, noting how it was the weltsilver reflected the light, drawing further attention to the embossed rune in the centre. Tillita had outdone herself, he thought as the seamstress took the belt from the youngster and arranged it around his ample midriff.

At once, Illyrio felt empowered – potent and confident. A perfect choice not just for his meeting with the guild, but a marvellous accompaniment to any outfit. He smiled.

“I trust it meets with your approval.” Illyrio nodded vigorously.

“The full outfit will be ready in the morning. I expect prompt and full payment.” Illyrio carefully removed the new belt and robe, handing them to the child as Tillita adjusted the mirror impatiently. Illyrio took his cue and with a curt bow left the room, dragging his apprentice behind him.

Tillita fidgeted with the gold ring adorning her left index finger and motioned to the naga boy.

“Please be so kind as to pay a visit to Master Parati. Wish him good health and inform him of the details of Illyrio's purchase.” The youth

nodded and sped off down the stairs, leaving Tillita whistling to herself as she prepared the studio for her next customer. She had never loved her job more.

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Warrior's Plate

Description

Much like an Apprentice's Blade, a battle smith who can construct a suit of warrior's plate without the assistance of her master is no longer considered to be an apprentice. Making the armour is a time consuming, exhausting process of repeatedly beating out the plates without allowing them to become too hot, then shaping and moulding the metal without allowing it to cool down too much. All of this is without any consideration for the trace amounts of orichalcum that must be added to the steel in precise quantities at precise moments, allowing the tiny amounts of ore used to permeate the entire suit. A mistake can often mean that a plate becomes brittle and must be melted down completely to recover the wasted orichalcum - and a particularly catastrophic failure of concentration can mean that the entire process begun again.

Despite this, the armour tends to be very much in demand. It is often cheap, compared to other suits of heavy armour that require extensive use of expensive components, but woe betide the warrior who thinks that the lack of polished orichalcum or tempest jade inlay means that they can discount the time and effort put into the armour by the smith.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of heavy armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: While wearing this armour, you gain one additional rank of the endurance skill.

- Materials: Crafting a suit of warrior's plate requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Elina laid down the hammer with a sigh of relief, mopping her brow with one glove-sheathed hand as the fumes of the forge swirled through the heat-shimmering air. The muscles of her arms felt like they had venom burning in them, they ached so badly. But she'd sworn to see this through despite her slight frame, especially in the face of Athelstan's lack of belief.

And maybe, maybe, it had finally proven worthwhile. The final plate of the armour lay before her, the last rune beaten into its surface. Elina leaned in to take a closer look and winced as she saw the blotchy pattern of the orichalcum threads she'd been lacing into the folded metal, shavings left over from some more serious work the master runesmith had undertaken in the Summer. She'd painstakingly collected them, and carefully smelted and wound them into wires to use in her work.

But the plate was finished, the armour done. She picked it up and gave it a tentative twist, putting her aching muscles into the movement. Unlike her last attempt, the metal didn't creak and groan in protest, nor did it bend or flex or just shatter with brittle failure like the last one.

The door clattered open as Athelstan stooped under the threshold, the old rune-smith glancing from under thick brows at the table where she'd been quietly laying out the sum of her efforts – the warrior's plate, with only half its buckles and straps fitted.

He raised one of those white, tangled brows and threw the apprentice a quizzical look. “You've actually finished, girl?”

Elina put on a brave face, not entirely sure what happened next. She'd never made a whole suit of armour herself, but Athelstan had not only insisted that she work alone on this piece, but had flatly refused to do anything more helpful than offer scathing critique when her efforts inevitably resulted in a pile of worthless metal. “I am.”

To her surprise, the older smith just shrugged. “Alright then. Grab the pieces and bring them out into the yard. We'll test them.”

“But I haven't finished the buckles-”

“Doesn't matter, girl, just do as I say,” he grunted, and stooped back out into the cold yard's embrace.

She sighed as she began to pick up the sections of armour, then followed the runesmith out into the yard, snow crunching under her boots and threatening to tip her over in an undignified sprawl. Athelstan just stood there watching her, his expression unreadable as he surveyed his thin-framed apprentice's efforts. One wrinkled hand rested on the haft of a heavy hammer, not at all like the ones he used on the forge and furnace.

“We need to test the mettle of your metal,” he said finally as she came to a halt at his side, then snorted at his own joke. “That means testing the armour with the same force it'll meet on the field of battle, so you don't end up palming off a piece of rubbish to an unfortunate soldier who ends up dying because he trusted you.” Elina flinched at that and stared at the snow-covered yard's floor. “So get that armour on, strap it as best you can, and stand still so I can swing the hammer at you.”

She tore her gaze up from the dirty slush to stare at the rune-smith in plain shock, which he only compounded by laughing with genuine warmth. “Oh, come on, Elina. You think I'd really go at you with a weapon and trust your first plate to protect you from harm? Just strap the armour onto the wooden post there. It'll do a passable imitation of a human body for what I have in mind.”

Working past the further shock at Athelstan displaying anything close to a sense of humour, Elina hurried to comply. She had to admit the armour didn't look all that awe-inspiring, tied on to a snow-capped post. Then Athelstan stepped up, hauling that old hammer into the air with a grunt of effort, and swung it with remarkable strength right at the centre of the breastplate.

The air rang, but it wasn't anything like the clear, bell-chime she'd thought it might be in her mind. Just a dull clang and then, as the rune-smith drew his hammer back, Elina felt that yawning sense of dismay open up in the pit of her stomach.

The weapon's impact had left a massive dent in the breastplate's front. The armour hadn't withstood it. She'd failed, again, and she'd have to start from scratch after melting the metal down, and extracting the few precious threads of orichalcum.

Athelstan reached out to brush his fingers across the dented armour, nodding in satisfaction, then frowned when he saw the miserable expression on her face. “What's the problem, Elina?”

She sighed and slumped, not sure what to say to fight off that feeling of dread and the expectation of another tongue-lashing. “It's broken. That unfortunate soldier you spoke of would be dead by now, because I'm still not good enough,” she said, voice subdued.

The master smith blinked, then snorted with fresh humour. “You're not crafting some armour of diamonds and dragonbone for the Empress herself, you realise? This is good, workmanlike artifice, Elina – the orichalcum patterning held and didn't shatter. Oh, I'm sure our unfortunate soldier would have gotten hurt if he'd been stupid enough to let a foe get in a solid swing like that, and probably be nursing a broken rib or two into the bargain, but you know what he wouldn't have been? He wouldn't have been dead.”

“You mean... I succeeded?” Her breath frosted in the air, and she winced slightly at the girlish excitement in her voice.

“You've been telling me all these bloody months how you're going to succeed despite me warning you off, and now that you've managed it, you don't even dare believe it! Now hammer the dent back out and mark it with the rune of Jotra. That way, our unfortunate soldier knows full well that he's wearing armour that's had the test and come out on top.”

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Wassail

A Wassail is a Marcher tradition performed at every harvest.

Contents

- 1 Wassail Song

- 2 Apple Wassail

- 3 Yorkshire Wassail

- 4 Malpas Wassail

- 5 Gloucestershire Wassail

- 6 Lots more wassailing songs

Wassail Song

Media:wassail.mp3 A traditional Wassail song sung by Muldoon's Picnic and a pub full of people. Used with permission.

Sheet Music

Learning resources: (if in doubt, learn the tune, if you can hold a harmony have a go at one of the harmony parts!)

- File:Wassail-tune.mp3

- File:Wassail-alto.mp3

- File:Wassail-tenor.mp3

- File:Wassail-bass.mp3

- File:Wassail-all-parts.mp3

1. O Mistress, at your door our Wassail begin(s), Pray open the door, and let us come in,

Refrain: With our Wassail, Wassail, Wassail, Wassail, And joy come to our jolly Wassail!

2. O Mistress, at your door we kindly salute, For it is an old custom you cannot dispute, With our Wassail, etc.

3. O Mistress and Master, sitting down by the fire, While we poor Wassail-men are travelling thro' the mire, With our Wassail, etc.

4. O Mistress and Master, sitting down at your ease, With their hands in their pockets to give what they please To our Wassail, etc.

5. Come young men and maidens, I pray you draw near; Come fill up our bowl with some cider or beer, With our Wassail, etc.

6. You see how we'll smile at our flowing Bowl — Just now it is empty, by-and-bye it'll be full, With our Wassail, etc.

7. I wish you a good Harvest and a Prosperous Year, And plenty of money and a barrel of beer, With our Wassail, etc.

8. I wish you a blessing, and a long time to live, Because you're so free and so willing to give To our Wassail, etc.

And plenty more, which can be improvised! E.g.

I hope that your apples will prosper and grow, That you may have cider and a plenty to bestow, To our Wassail, etc.

I hope that your barley may prosper and grow, That you may have beer and a plenty to bestow, To our Wassail, etc.

Apple Wassail

A very easy tune and limited lyrics to learn. The score and recordings of each part individually can be found here: http://www.voicebeat.org/apple-wassail

Yorkshire Wassail

Words edited for IC sense. Score and midi file youtube version

1.We've been a -while a wandering Amongst the leaves so green. But now we come a wassailing So plainly to be seen,

Chorus For it's Harvest time, when we travel far and near; We wish your crops health and a prosperous year.

We are not daily beggars That beg from door to door; We are your neighbors children, For we've been here before

Call up the steward of this house Likewise the yeomen too, And all the little children That round the table go

Bring us out a table And spread it with a cloth, Bring us out a mouldy cheese And some of your wheaten loaf;

Good master and good mistress, While you're sitting by the fire, Pray think of us poor children That's wandered in the mire

Malpas Wassail

youtube version

Now the harvest being over      And winter drawing in      Please open your door      And let us come in      With our wassail

Wassail, wassail      And joy come to our jolly wassail

Here's the master and mistress      Sitting down by the fire      While we poor wassail boys      Do trudge through the mire      With our wassail

Wassail, wassail      And joy come to our jolly wassail

Here's the master and mistress      Sitting down at their ease      Put your hands in your pockets      And give what you please      With our wassail

Wassail, wassail      And joy come to our jolly wassail

This ancient old house      We will kindly salute      It is your custom      You need not dispute      With our wassail

Wassail, wassail      And joy come to our jolly wassail

Here's the saddle and the bridle      They're hung upon the shelf      If you want any more      You can it sing yourself      With our wassail

Wassail, wassail      And joy come to our jolly wassail

Here's an health to the master      And a long time to live      Since you've been so kind      And so willing to give      With our wassail

Wassail, wassail      And joy come to      our jolly wassail

Sung by The Watersons on the For Pence and Spicy Ale LP, re-released on the For Pence and Spicy Ale CD.

Gloucestershire Wassail

Another wassailling song, score, midis, etc can be found here

Lots more wassailing songs

Source for lyrics, scores, and midi files: http://mysite.verizon.net/cbladey/wassong.html Lots of youtube recordings of wassails at http://www.youtube.com/user/krjollywassailers

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Wayfarer's Pyx

Description

Perhaps the simplest of the reliquaries, a wayfarer's pyx is a reasonably small, round box decorated with symbols important to the sect who are bonded to it. It is often used to protect communal liao supplies. Although it is commonly a box, a wayfarer's pyx might be formed from any object that has spiritual significance to the sect to which it belongs.

As with all reliquaries, the dragonbone reliquary is bonded to an entire sect of the faithful. It is always hallowed, and it's main purpose is to tie the sect together and offer each member a little individual spiritual strength. Because each member of the sect shares in the power of the hallowed aura, regardless of where they are in the world, it is a popular choice for sects that spend a lot of time spread out in the world, especially missionary sects.

Rules

- Form: Reliquary. Takes the form of a ceremonial reliquary.

- Effect: When this item is the subject of a hallow ceremony, the aura created by the ceremony lasts as long as the reliquary does.

- Materials: Crafting a wayfarer's pyx requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

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Wayfarer's Robe

Description

This sturdy garment is often made of soft wool treated with beggar's lye and dyed in rich colours. It often bears a hood, and is commonly designed to be worn over other clothing - or even armour on some occasions. It is favoured by priests who serve as spiritual advisors, especially to military units, and in some places it is called a robe of the padre (or a robe of the mater). Priests whose congregation are in greatest need of spiritual strength appreciate it's potence - most often by giving blessings of strength and resolute piety to bolster them whether on the battlefield, or in the Senate.

This priestly robe was traditionally called a wayfarer's chasuble. A chasuble was a pilgrim's garment popular among pre-Imperial Highborn priests. This took the form of a circle or oval of cloth, a little like a poncho, with a hole in the middle for the head, falling on all sides nearly to the ground and gathered up to allow the arms to be used freely. Often made of tough wool, sometimes treated with ambergelt to make it waterproof. It's association with pilgrimages and thus itinerant preachers lead to it being further associated with several early Chapters. The popularity of the chausable grew as the Way spread, but over time it fell out of fashion. Today the use of the chausable has been largely replaced by the use of robes.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a robe.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may perform or contribute to an anointing ceremony without expending any liao. You must be able to perform the anointing ceremony to use this ability.

- Materials: Crafting a wayfarer's robe requires five measures of beggar's lye, five measures of iridescent gloaming and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Wayfinder

Description

Elite scouts, hunters and skirmishers have used these bows since humans first learnt to stalk their prey through the woods and across the snow and the grassland. They take their name both from their use by rangers, trappers and pioneers who spend long periods of time in untracked wilderness, and from the elite battlefield archers who use them to solve problems by delivering sudden death with pinpoint accuracy to their foes.

In the League a wayfinder is most commonly called a waymaker, referring both to its us in solving problems and from the tendency of opponents to get out of the way when threatened with a loaded crossbow.

In some parts of the Brass Coast, Freeborn bowyers plant a tree when a child is born. As the child ages they encourage the child to tend that tree, and when the tree and child are both ready, they craft a bow from the wood of the tree and enchant it as a wayfinder. The bond between tree and archer is strengthened over time, and is widely believed to result in bows that are ideally suited to the hand of the archer who wields them. A similar tradition was observed by the master crossbow makers of the League city of Holberg, but the hardwood groves they favoured were burnt when their territory fell under barbarian sway in 346 YE.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a bow.

- Requirement: You must have the marksman skill to bond to this item.

- Effect:You gain two additional hero points.

- Materials: Crafting an oathkeeper requires seventeen ingots of green iron, twelve measures of ambergelt, seven measures of beggar's lye and three measures of dragonbone. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Grant o’ the Woods was only a little out of breath as he jogged along the wooded valley back to the Imperial camp, but it disappointed him a little. The days when he could jog from dawn till dusk didn’t seem too far behind him, but behind him they were. Harry Bold, Captain of the 19th Upwold Light Infantry, would never say anything, but he’d tut, and maybe shake his head, and that’d be all that needed saying.

The old Beater had scouted out the Feni camp, and spent the night out on the hillside opposite, counting their numbers. Those pig-ignorant thugs had no idea how to hide, nor how to spot a hidden man, and he’d pinned them at just over two hundred, maybe forty of them too young to be fighting. The camp wasn’t a raiding-clan’s camp, but a homestead of sorts, and what Harry didn’t realise – because he didn’t have Grant’s experience watching the buggers – was that he would escalate their raiding into a full-scale war if he destroyed it.

Unenviable though it was, it was now Grant o’ the Woods’ job to tell a Marcher general to stop hunting the Feni. To pull back, reinforce the nearby homesteads, and simply hit their raiding parties hard enough to scare them off. A complexity of tactics worthy of a fancy-pants Leaguer, he thought with a grin.

Of course, it’d be a damn sight harder if he didn’t make it back.

They always sent scouts out in bands of four or five, just to make sure they won any fights they got into with a Marcher Beater, the latter being invariably better-trained and far better-equipped. It was four of them this time, and the grin fell off Grant’s face as they rose from the underbrush only fifty yards in front of him.

Too busy thinking to spot a Feni. The bloody irony.

They screamed bloody murder as they came, hoping to put the fear up him. Unperturbed, he unslung the bow and nocked it in a matter of seconds, and picked off the first half-naked, screaming savage with a fine shot. The second shot went wide as its target dodged around some obstacle, but the third found its mark, sending an emaciated woman with a dreadful-looking bone axe spinning to the floor.

And then they were on him, and he picked up his own axe and split the third Feni up the middle with a cruel blow.

The fourth just kept coming, as fearless as he was desperate, and Grant wasn’t ready for him. He held a savage, jagged sword in each hand, and he spun as he bore down on Grant, the first scoring a searing line across his shoulder and the second slamming into his layered leather armour with a heavy thump. He raised his axe to block the deadly blows but was beaten to the ground. Grant felt ribs crack and his weight shift as his armour’s straps gave way, and he went down on the floor in a heap.

He wouldn’t make it back. Harry Bold would wipe out this camp, and half the Feni clans who lived in the wooded hills above Stockland would descend. They’d pillage and burn, massacre the adults, take their stock and their kids back up to the hills. All because he wouldn’t make it back. Hot bile burned the back of his throat.

No. He wouldn’t be remembered for that. Not as just the first Stocklander to die in the massacre. Not as the incompetent who got himself seen and killed. Harry Bold wouldn’t remember him like that. Not the man who’d given him the Wayfinder.

Nor would he have his friend remembered as the man who made the fatal mistake. Fancy-pants Dawnish would’ve called it heroism that got Grant back on his feet. Later, when asked, he’d call it stubbornness.

The next blow was aimed at the back of his neck, and would have taken his head off if it wasn’t for that thought of the Wayfinder. He hurled himself out of the way of the falling sword and grabbed for the bow, which lay where he’d dropped it. It just seemed like the right thing to do. Without hesitation he reached for an arrow; without thought he loosed it. His wounded shoulder stopped him even drawing it fully, but this close, he didn’t need to. The Feni crumpled.

Alive again – in every sense of the word – Grant glanced quickly around, to see if their screeching had attracted any more attention. It hadn’t. But it would. He knew these Feni; he knew how they thought. In minutes, they’d be here.

He wiped the blood off his axe and stretched his aching muscles, rolling his injured shoulder and stretching his ribs to test out their strength. He should have been crippled, barely able to walk, but stubbornness was a hot-burning fuel, and it had him feeling right again in no time. Neither shoulders nor ribs felt great, but they’d do, thanks to stubbornness. For the sake of the man who gave him the Wayfinder, he’d be stubborn, or heroic, whatever they felt like calling him.

The old Beater set off at a jog for the Marcher camp again with a more wary eye for his surroundings, and thought to himself, with a wry smirk, that at least now he had an excuse to be out of breath when he met his old friend.

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Wayhouse

The Navarr build wayhouses along the trods on the edge of civilisation. These buildings are designed to support the stridings, to give them a place to rest and resupply. Most wayhouses include a skilled healer or surgeon, so that they can provide treatment for Navarr who have been attacked and wounded while travelling. They usually also include a few thorns or warriors who can defend the wayhouse itself, should it be attacked.

Some wayhouses serve as an Inn, providing meals and a bed, but most do not specialize this way. They are more likely to provide grain and salted meat to a Navarr striding that has run out of provisions than to cook and serve the food. The wayhouse provides critical help; it serves to ensure that the Navarr can survive and continue their journey, not to provide an abundance of comforts. Wayhouses are often built where a deep well can be sited, their role is to allow the Navarr to resupply with the essentials and nothing is more vital than clean water.

Wayhouses often keep messages, supplies and goods for the Navarr, either items that will need collecting later, or else things that need to be passed to other Navarr who are expected to travel to the wayhouse later.

Wayhouses also serve as places of sanctuary - when someone "runs away to join the Navarr" they often run to a wayhouse near their home, and are generally welcomed by the Navarr there.

Some wayhouses require payment for their goods, but many do not, especially when dealing with other Navarr. They often accept donations, which may be coin, but it may be anything that can help the wayhouse prosper. These places can operate quite effectively as businesses - Freeborn caravans find welcome respite here, for example, but this is not their primary purpose

Creating a wayhouse group

Wayhouses are a potential concept for any Navarr group that are more interested in hospitality and roleplaying in the Navarr camp than in fighting, magic or politics. It is possible to run a wayhouse in the Navarr camp simply by creating an open camp where other Navarr can come to be healed. If you can develop a welcoming and reliable reputation then other PCs may start to leave messages for other characters with you and your camp can serve as a social hub for other groups.

It is possible to play a wayhouse by offering out-of-character food or drink for in-character money, but this is not essential. Wayhouses offer the essentials that travellers need, healing, a place to rest and resupply as well as serving as a nexus for the nation. They are not defined as places that sell food or drink, so you can do as much or as little of that as you wish.

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Weakness

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Description

- 2 Casting

- 3 Effects

- 4 Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- 5 Common Elements

Description

This spell is a potent malediction that can neutralise the most powerful enemy champion or render an archmage as powerless as a raw recruit.The debilitation imposed by this spell is more than mere lack of strength - it is a potentially lethal curse. The victim cannot concentrate on even the simplest spellcasting#spell, cannot inspire themselves to heroic action and cannot use the powers of any magic items they are bonded to.

It is particularly insidious in that it does not go away naturally; it can be removed with herbs by a skilled physick, or purged by a magician using the purify spell or a ritual such as Renewed Strength of the New Day. Otherwise, it lasts indefinitely.

Casting

- Type: Offensive spell

- Cost: 1 Personal mana

Effects

You may call WEAKNESS against the target struck by your implement.

The weakness condition prevents the target from using any Heroic skills#heroic skills, utilizing any enchantments, using any mana or activating any magic items that are not "always on".

You must assume that the target has taken the effect.

The effect lasts until cured by the purify spell, the purge spell, or a similar potion or magic.

Sample Spellcasting Vocals

- By what creeps, what crawls, by what does not; let all that grows recede and rot! !PLACEHOLDER TEXT!

- "Oh mist-filled pits, dark, dank, unclear; touch all before me with frost-fingered fear!" !PLACEHOLDER TEXT!

- "Kyrop drain the strength from your bones - WEAKNESS!"

- "Drowned Man drag you down in the darkness - WEAKNESS!"

- "By magic's might, be stripped of all your powers - WEAKNESS!"

- "May Winter's cold grip your hateful heart - WEAKNESS!"

Common Elements

- Rune Magic: TBC

- Astronomancy: TBC

- Dramaturgy: A Dawnish witch might echo the terrifying roar of the chimera, or the dire spirit of the manticore when casting this spell.

- Other traditions: This spell has a strong resonance for the realm of Winter.

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Weapon checking

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Traders

- 3 All weapons

- 4 Missile weapons

- 5 Arrows & Bolts

- 5.1 IDV Arrows

- 6 Shields

- 7 Armour

- 8 Thrust safe polearms

- 9 Props

- 10 Banned items

- 11 Further Reading

Overview

All weapons, bows, arrows, shields and armour, must be checked by a member of the Profound Decisions weapon checking team before they are used at our events. They check every item to ensure that the design, construction and condition of it is suitable for use at our events. If they are not satisfied that an item is safe for use then you must secure the item in the OOC area and may not use it at the event. The team use the following guidelines when checking weapons.

Traders

- You must get any item you buy at the event checked before you use it.

Items on sale at all Profound Decisions events have not been checked by a weapon checker. Please take any item that you purchase to a weapon checker and have it checked.

All weapons

Weapons designed for live roleplaying are commonly constructed from a solid core that is surrounded in high-density foam and then covered with latex. Weapons must meet the following guidelines:

- The rigidity of the foam must protect the core and must not have degraded and become too soft

- The layers of foam must be securely bonded to each other and not be delaminating

- The right kind of foam must be used. High-density foam is the basic material and low-density foam must be used appropriately in collapsible tip weapons or in large hammerheads. This stops weapons being too heavy and having too much momentum

- The whole length of the core must be held securely in place and must not be moving freely inside the weapon

- The tip reinforcement must not be protruding through the surface of the foam

- The core of the weapon must be made of an appropriate material such as fibreglass or carbon fibre - not of aluminium, wood or bamboo

- There must not be any protruding hard or sharp objects such as gems or studs

- There must be sufficient padding on the tip, guard, pommel and haft

- The handle must be securely attached to the rest of the weapon and must not be loose

- The choice of former must be appropriate to the length of the weapon and must not be too heavy and rigid (especially for thrown weapons) or too light making the weapon ‘whippy’ (long weapons)

Missile weapons

These are bows and crossbows designed to fire an LRP safe arrow or bolt. There is no bow competency testing at Profound Decisions events. We require any player using a bow to adhere to the same standards of safety and control as players using melee weapons.

- The string must be in good condition and must not be fraying

- The body of the bow or crossbow, whether wood or fibreglass, must not show signs of cracking

- The string notches must not be worn and must be able to hold the string firmly

- The draw of a bow must be less than 30 lbs at 28” draw. Crossbows are also limited to 30lbs draw weight

Arrows & Bolts

As well as checking before the start of the event, we recommend that you check these before and after each combat, as they may have become damaged.

- You must check the head, shaft and nock of any arrow or bolt you are given or recover yourself before shooting. Failure to do so may see you removed from the battle or skirmish you are on.

- The shaft must be made of fibreglass or wood. Carbon fibre, aluminium and dowel are not allowed

- The shaft must not be cracked or damaged

- Flights must be adequate to keep the arrow stable in flight and must be properly attached to the shaft

- The shaft must have a proper nock which is securely attached

- Arrows must have a maximum draw position of 28” clearly marked if the possible draw length is greater than 28”

- The arrow must have some kind of blocker between the shaft and the foam of the arrowhead to stop the shaft pushing through

- The head must be securely attached and not move on the shaft

- The arrowhead must be at least 50mm (55mm recommended) across and have a circular cross-section

- Dome headed arrows are allowed as long as the width of the widest part of the soft foam dome, and the foam behind it are of the appropriate diameter

- The soft foam portion of the head must be designed in such a way as to allow it to collapse fully (so there must be no latex within 5-10 mm of the face)

- Any gaffer tape used on the arrowhead must not be within 25mm of the face of the arrow

IDV Arrows

IDV tear-drop arrows are not usable at any Profound Decisions events.

Shields

Please take care when using shields in melee combat. You must not use the shield as a weapon. For events in 2014 you will able to use shields with a rigid former at Empire. We will be monitoring rigid shields on an ongoing basis and it is possible that they may be removed as an option in future years. Therefore if you are making or buying new shields we strongly recommend you use a foam and latex shield.

- A rigid former may be used during 2014 Empire events, but shields should preferably be of full-foam construction

- If you use a rigid former then there must be at least 6mm of high-density foam on the face and no protruding bolts

- The rim must be padded all round. Note that pipe lagging will quickly degrade will likely be insufficient after a relatively short time

- Handles must be securely fixed so that they do not cause the shield to “flap” from the arm/ hand

- Wing nuts must not be used to secure straps and any protruding bolts must be cut short

Armour

Armour checking is new for the Spring Solstice 2014. Our weapon checkers will be checking all armour, but because the rules are new, we will operate an amnesty for minor problems until Easter 2015. The weapon checkers will point out any problems that will cause the armour to fail from next year onwards - so that you have time to remedy them - but you will still be allowed to use the armour unless it is egregiously unsafe.

- The armour should not have any sharp burrs or edges or any sharp protusions

- Mail should not include unclosed links that allow sharp edges to be felt

- The armour should not have any loose studs or rivets

- The armour must not have any solid steel tower studs

The armour must have no sharp edges that could damage other player's weapons. The edges do not have to be rolled, but if they are not then they do have to be filed smooth.

Thrust safe polearms

You may only thrust with a weapon that has been passed as ‘thrust-safe’ by a Profound Decisions weapons checker at that event.

- Construction must combine a low-density foam tip with a high-density spear head

- Specific construction guidelines will be forthcoming

Props

Battle props are items that are present in combat, but are not used as weapons. As they do not conform to the regulations that govern weapons and shields they must not be used for offence or active defence. As they are likely to be present in combat they must not have any extremely sharp protrusions. Otherwise they must be removed from the combat preferably in an out of the way area.

All weapons and implements taken onto a battlefield must have been passed by a weapon checker. You cannot use a wooden staff as a mage staff, or a wooden stick as a wand on a battlefield, even if you do not intend to hit anyone with it.

Banned items

The following items cannot be used at Empire events, either for reasons of safety or because they are unsuitable for the campaign. The traders are permitted to sell these items but only on the condition that they are collected at the end of the event. You must not carry these items on site in an IC area.

- Real weapons, including bayonets, re-enactment weapons and any sort of non-replica firearm

- Modern or futuristic items such as chainswords or power armour as well as novelty items such as inflatable hammers and bananas, rubber or plastic combat knives, nerf guns etc.

- No fireworks or pyrotechnics of any sort may be brought onto the site without the prior permission of Profound Decisions

- Injection-moulded weapons will be treated on a case-by- case basis, as although they tend to soften up with use, some may be too heavy or too hard

Further Reading

- Event safety

- Weapon checking

- Bow safety

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Weapons & armour (Redirected from Weapons & Armour)

Contents

- 1 Weapons

- 1.1 One-handed Weapons

- 1.2 Two-handed weapons

- 1.3 Pole-arms

- 1.4 One-handed Spear

- 1.5 Pike

- 2 Implements

- 2.1 Wands

- 2.2 Rods

- 2.3 Staff

- 3 Bows

- 4 Shields

- 5 Armour

- 5.1 Light Armour

- 5.2 Medium Armour

- 5.3 Heavy Armour

- 5.4 Mage Armour

- 6 Further Reading

Weapons

- All weapons must be at least 8” (20 cm) long

- Some categories require you to use a set grip to fight with the weapon

There are five basic weapon categories in Empire. Any character can wield a one‑handed weapon but they must purchase the Weapon Master skill to use a larger weapon. Weapon categories are also important for enchantments and for use with the skills allowing heroic blows.

One-handed spears, pole-arms and pikes require you to use a set grip when fighting with the weapon. These grips are set for a combination of safety and play balance. You don’t have to carry the weapon like this when you are not fighting, but you must use the mandated grip throughout any fight where you use the weapon.

One-handed Weapons

- Must be between 8” long and 42” long

- Can call CLEAVE using a hero point and the Cleaving Strike skill

A one-handed weapon must be up to 42 inches long. If you expend a hero point then any one-handed weapon longer than 24" can be used to call CLEAVE provided you also have the relevant skill.

Flails up to 42” long are included in this category and can be used by any character. Larger flails are covered by the rules for two-handed weapons.

Two-handed weapons

- Must be between 42” long and 60” long

- Can call CLEAVE using a hero point and the Cleaving Strike skill

- Can call SHATTER using a hero point and the Shattering Blow skill

- You must hold the weapon in both hands

A two-handed weapon must be between 42 inches and 60 inches in length. If you expend a hero point then any two-handed weapon can be used to call CLEAVE or SHATTER provided you also have the relevant skill.

The phys-rep for a two-handed weapon can be any suitable phys-rep such as a great sword, dane axe or similar. You must hold the weapon in both hands during combat.

Pole-arms

- Must be between 60” long and 84” long

- Can have a thrust-safe tip

- Can call CLEAVE using a hero point and the Cleaving Strike skill

- Can call STRIKEDOWN using a hero point and the Mighty Strikedown skill

- You must hold the weapon in both hands with at least 18” separating them

A pole-arm must be between 60" and 84" in length. You can always swing a pole-arm at any enemy but you may also thrust with the weapon if it has a thrust safe tip. If you expend a hero point then any pole-arm can be used to call CLEAVE or STRIKEDOWN provided you also have the relevant skill.

The phys-rep for a pole-arm should be any suitable phys-rep for a pole-arm designed for swinging or thrusting at an enemy such as a bardiche, halberd or bill. You must hold the weapon in both hands at all times and keep at least 18 inches separation between your hands during combat.

One-handed Spear

- Must be between 60" long and 84" long

- Must have a thrust-safe tip

- You must only thrust with a one-handed spear, you cannot swing it

- Can call CLEAVE using a hero point and the Cleaving Strike skill

- You must hold the weapon within 6" of the centre of the haft

A one-handed spear must be between 60" long and 84" long. If you expend a hero point then any one-handed weapon can be used to call CLEAVE provided you also have the relevant skill.

The phys-rep for a one-handed spear should be any suitable phys-rep for a spear designed for thrusting at an enemy. You must hold the weapon within 6" of the centre of the haft during combat.

Pike

- Must be between 84” long and 108” long

- Must have a thrust-safe tip

- You must only thrust with a pike, you cannot swing it

- You must hold the weapon in both hands with at least 18” separating them

A pike is any pole-arm between 7 foot and 9 foot in length. It must have a thrust safe tip. You may only thrust using a pike, you may not swing any weapon that is over seven foot in length. A pike is too heavy and cumbersome to be used to make heroic calls.

The phys-rep for a pike should be any suitable phys-rep for a long pole-arm designed for thrusting at an enemy. You must hold the weapon in both hands at all times and have at least 18” separation between your hands during combat.

Implements

- Offensive spells can only be delivered using an implement

- Must be a safe phys-rep of a wand, rod or staff

- Should not look like a weapon

An implement is a magical tool that allows a magician to deliver an offensive spell. All offensive spells require an implement to be used. You cannot use an implement to cast a regular spell such as mend or heal.

All implements must be weapon safe phys-reps. They may appear to be made of any material, and should be decorated and shaped to make it as clear as possible that they are magical implements and not weapons.

Implements come in three broad classifications; wands, rods and staves. Any character with the magician skill can wield a wand or rod effectively, but the Battle Mage skill is needed to wield a staff.

A character can cause a point of damage with an implement, but they cannot be used with the heroic skills cleaving strike, shattering blow or mighty strikedown.

Although any magician may choose to use a wand or rod as an implement, some magical enchantments can only be placed on wands and some can only be placed on rods.

Wands

- Must be between 8” long and 18” long

A wand is 8” to 18” long. Magical wands usually enhance healing incantations such as restore limb or utility incantations such as mend

Rods

- Must be between 18” long and 42” long

A rod is 18” to 42” long. Wielded in one hand, a rod is popular with many magicians who take the battlefield because it can be combined with a shield or with another one-handed weapon (provided the magician possesses the skill to do so). Magical rods most commonly enhance battlefield incantations such as repel or swift heal.

Staff

- Must be between 42” long and 84” long

- You must hold the weapon in both hands

- A staff that is at least 60” long must be held in both hands with at least 18” separating them but can be thrust safe

A staff is 42” to 84” long. It must be wielded in two hands, but greatly extends the magician's reach for delivering implement incantations. Staves are popular with magicians of all backgrounds, but require the Battle Mage skill to use in battle. Magic staves may enhance battlefield incantation or grant benefits to ritual casters.

A staff that is between 60" and 84" in length may have a thrust-safe tip. If it does then you may attack, and deliver spells and incantations by making an appropriately safe thrust to strike your target. You must keep at least 18" separation between your hands when wielding a staff that is 60" or longer.

Bows

- You must have the Marskman skill to use a bow or crossbow

- You must hold the weapon in both hands to shoot

You may use a bow or crossbow. All missile weapons require both hands to shoot, and do IMPALE automatically, with no need to call the effect.

Shields

- Any character can use a buckler up to 15” (40 cm) in diameter

- Characters with the shield skill can use larger shields

- You can push with a shield, but you cannot shield barge another character

Any character can use a buckler, a small shield up to 15 inches in diameter. If you have the shield skill then you can use a larger shield. The maximum dimensions for a shield are based on the shape, listed in the table below.

Shield Type

Max Dimensions

Buckler

15" (40cm) diameter

Round shield

40" (1m) diameter

Tower shield

40" by 24" (1m by 60cm)

Kite/Heater shield

48" by 24" (1.2m by 60cm)

If you are standing still or walking slowly then you may hold a shield out and push with it. You are not allowed to shield barge other characters; you must not run, shield first, into another character for safety reasons.

Armour

- All characters can wear armour

- Armour that covers the torso and another location provides extra global hits

- Some armour protects from CLEAVE or IMPALE

- Magicians cannot cast spells while wearing armour

Armour protects the wearer by increasing their global hits if it covers the majority of the torso and at least one other location. Valid locations are the head (with a helm), the arms and the legs, or you may cover half of your arms and legs.

E.g. A mail vest covers your torso but does not cover another location. If you wear it with a helm them it would count. A full-length mail hauberk covers the torso, thighs and upper arms so it would always count.

Medium armour protects a character against CLEAVE, while heavy armour protects them against CLEAVE and IMPALE. You are only protected if the blow strikes the armour phys-rep; if it hits an unprotected part of the body then you are affected normally. Your armour continues to protect you in this way even if the hits it provides have been lost.

Any character can wear armour, but magicians cannot cast spells or perform rituals while wearing armour.

To count as armour, the phys-rep must be a phys-rep of a suit of armour. A leather coat or biker-jacket does not count as armour and is not appropriate costume for the Empire setting. Leather armour may count as light or medium armour depending on the thickness; adding studs or rivets does not make it count as heavy armour.

Armour does not provide separate armour hits, it protects you by increasing your global hits. Armour is not repaired separately. Whenever you are healed back to full hits all lost hits are regained.

Wearing more than one type of armour does not grant any additional hits.

Light Armour

- Padded cloth or thin leather armour (between 1.5mm and 3mm).

- Provides 2 extra hits only.

Any armour made of padded cloth such as a gambeson or light or thin leather such as a thin leather hauberk provides the wearer with 2 additional hits. It does not provide any additional protection against heroic blows.

Any cloth or leather that is less than 1.5mm thick counts as clothing, it does not count as armour at all. Costume made from foam or karrimat does not count as armour.

Medium Armour

- Thick leather or any light weight armour materials, such as polyurethane or aluminium.

- Provides 3 extra hits and protects against CLEAVE.

Thick leather armour (the majority of the armour is more than 3mm thick) or any armour made from a light weight material such as polyurethane (e.g. Norton Armour), aluminium, or mixed neoprene and steel provides the wearer with 3 extra hits. Light mail, such as modern ring mesh (butcher's mail) or mail with an open weave (sometimes called "ring mail"), counts as medium armour.

If the wearer is hit by a CLEAVE heroic blow that strikes a piece of medium armour rather than directly hitting the wearer then the target loses one hit but does not take any additional effects.

Heavy Armour

- Armour made from steel or a similar weight metal

- If there are plates used they must be at least 1mm thick

- Butchers mail and ring mail are not included as heavy armour, regardless of the materials used

- Provides 4 extra hits and protects against CLEAVE and IMPALE

Any armour that is primarily made from steel provides the wearer with 4 extra hits. Other base metals that weigh the same such as brass would also count, but aluminium and titanium armour counts as medium.

If the wearer is hit by a CLEAVE or IMPALE heroic blow, or a PARALYSE call, that strikes a piece of heavy armour rather than directly hitting the wearer then the target loses one hit but does not take any additional effects.

Mage Armour

- You must have the battle mage skill to wear mage armour

- Must cover at least 3 locations including one of the chest, shoulders or waist

- Providers 2 extra hits only

- Does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE calls

Mage armour is a magical talisman that protects you against harm but allows you to cast spells and perform rituals. The talisman is made up of several pieces fitted to the wearer's body to protect them. The parts of the talisman superficially resemble pieces of armour, but armour that is ornate and ceremonial rather than practical. They are often decorated with runes, crystals, gems or other magical accoutrements and it is clear that the armour protects the wearer through magic rather than by physically deflecting blows.

Mage armour provides the wearer with two additional hits. Mage armour does not protect against CLEAVE or IMPALE. To qualify the talisman must include three of the following items including at least one of the first three items on the list:

- Pauldrons (shoulders)

- Pectorals (upper chest)

- Hero Belt (waist)

- Circlet (head)

- Vambraces (wrists)

- Gorget (neck)

- Greaves (lower legs)

The items must be substantial and cover a significant portion of the area but it is possible to use a single pauldron, greave or vambrace if appropriate for the costume.

You must have the Battle Mage skill to wear and use mage armour. Although mage armour is magical in nature, any character with the battle mage skill is assumed to have access to a suit of mage armour, in the same way a warrior has access to a suit of mundane armour.

Mage armour can be made out of any real world material, provided you try to make as clear as possible that your character is wearing magical protection and not mundane armour.

Further Reading

- Combat

- Calls

- Weapons & Armour

- Game Items

- Roleplaying Effects

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Weaver cabal (Redirected from Weaver)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Creating a weaver cabal

- 3 Characters in weaver cabals

- 4 Choosing a leader

Overview

Any yeoman who learns magic is formally referred to as a weaver. This old title refers to the time when they would weave magical banners to sell to the noble houses. Many weavers still perform this vital role, but over time the role of the weaver, and in particular the weaver cabal has grown significantly. Weavers now represent the single biggest crack in the Dawn social system - neither noble nor fully yeoman, they are to some extents outside the hierarchy.

To complicate matters further some nobles have joined the ranks of the weaver cabals. Noble houses can be notoriously competitive, with individuals striving to outdo each other, whereas most cabals are built around skilled ritual teams and have a strong emphasis on cooperation. Learning is shared and everyone is encouraged to grow their skills together. Nobles who see magic as a route to power and glory strive to join a noble house that has a strong team of witches and look to become an enchanter. But they all find they have a lot to learn from the weaver cabals and those who enjoy magic for its own sake sometimes find they enjoy the more relaxed lifestyle they offer.

Mixing nobles and yeomen can cause tensions - some cabals allow nobles to retain their title and position - others require that everyone in the cabal treat each other as equals. Those nobles who try to move between the two worlds of the noble house and the weaver cabal especially can find it difficult. Those who acquiesce to the egalitarian attitudes of the cabal may well find themselves suffering the disdain of their fellow nobles.

A weaver cabal has some of the qualities of a noble house. Like the noble houses they replace the family unit, adopting children from other cabals and from yeomen and very rarely from noble houses. Some even set tests of aptitude, checking the skill and magical abilities of those who wish to join. They are not a noble house however, so they cannot set a Test of Mettle, they cannot raise a Dawnish citizen to the rank of nobility.

Common symbols that represent weaver cabals are the Iridescent_Butterfly, spindles, needles and weaving combs.

Creating a weaver cabal

The weaver cabal is intended as the simplest way for a groups of players to create a Dawnish group whose primary focus is performing ritual magic. If you want to play a group of ritual magicians, especially ones that are more interesting in wealth and magical power than in political power and glory than a weaver cabal is a good choice.

The magicians who are members of your cabal - the weavers - will usually be the characters portrayed by the players in the group. Your cabal may include yeomen who are employed by the cabal work their lands and estates but it is much better to avoid assuming that the cabal includes dozens of weavers who are not played.

Membership of a weaver cabal is usually a much simpler affair than membership of a noble house. There is no requirement for dangerous tests or acts of glory. Some members of your group may wish to play Dawnish nobles who are part of the cabal so they may still have complex background stories, but most members of the group will have been born and raised in it or simply joined as a adult.

You need to pick a territory that your cabal is from, but it is not overly important, so you can choose Weirwater unless you have a good reason to pick somewhere else. Noble houses compete for political power based on their territory, but the cabals are not direct participants in the politics of Dawn so you can choose a territory freely.

It is worth considering how your cabal presents itself to other cabals and to the noble houses of Dawn. The weaver cabals occupy a complex social position, they undermine the basis of the Dawnish noble system but they provide invaluable services which the noble houses cannot do without. If the cabal is too radical and utterly refuses to acknowledge the position of the nobles then you should be locked out of Dawnish society which will likely give you few opportunities to interact and enjoy roleplaying at the event. On the other hand, if you have a powerful ritual team then the noble houses will want your help, so you can afford to demand a degree of respect accordingly.

Characters in weaver cabals

Most characters in a cabal will be magicians, but there are opportunities for yeomen, as hired men-at-arms or the spouses of actual weavers. Although most of the character roles presented for yeomen are suitable for characters who are members of a noble house it is worth considering how a role might be adapted to work with a cabal.

If you are creating a magician, especially a character with an emphasis on ritual magic, then you can choose whether you are playing a noble or a yeoman. The simple option is to play a yeoman, the life of a yeoman is simpler and less tortuous than the life of a noble, so it is the easiest choice. However if you want the additional roleplaying challenge of being a noble, then you should pick. You will need to think about how your character treats other weavers in the cabal - an issue that is worth discussing with your group to ensure that the play style you adopt will be a good fit for the group.

Any characters who are noble should think about what noble house they are formerly part of. Most members of a weaver cabal will have severed any ties with their noble house; they retain their title but have nothing to do with their affairs of their noble family. You can create a minor noble house to fill this role in your background or get in touch with an existing noble house group and see if they are happy to let you play a member of their house. If you want a real challenge you can consider playing a character that is trying to be a part of the weaver cabal whilst remaining an active member of their noble house. To get much play from this option you will also need to be a part of an existing noble house that is played by another group, so it is something to discuss with both groups.

If you are not certain what ritual skills to take then the simplest choice is to spend your skills buying mastery of Summer magic. This is the most common magic in Dawn, and should help your character play a useful role.

Choosing a leader

Your cabal may have a nominal leader, but there is no common title or particular social role for the head of a weaver cabal. The nature of a weaver cabal is such that most have a fairly egalitarian structure with little need for a clearly identified leader. Most cabals take decisions together, usually by communal agreement of the weavers.

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Weaver's Curse

Filked by Jude from the original "Shift and Spin" by Ewan McVicar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC79GmP7Ntw

A pdf of the tune and lyrics can be found here.

Chorus: Warp and wind, shift and spin Weaving thread thick and thin Red as blood and black as sin Working at the loom

Saw you ride in dawn's first light Shining in your armour bright How I loved my new made knight Working at the loom

Chorus: Warp and wind, shift and spin Weaving thread thick and thin Red as blood and black as sin Working at the loom

Proud to weave the banners you bore Though my hands were red and sore Never loved so much before Working at the loom

Chorus: Warp and wind, shift and spin Weaving thread thick and thin Red as blood and black as sin Working at the loom

For a maid my love you spurned When at last the truth I learned How my heart with vengeance burned Working at the loom

Chorus: Warp and wind, shift and spin Weaving thread thick and thin Red as blood and black as sin Working at the loom

Weave a curse in silken thread May this cloth be soaked in red May your foeman strike you dead Working at the loom

Chorus: Warp and wind, shift and spin Weaving thread thick and thin Red as blood and black as sin Working at the loom

Love her well who loves you first Love for better or for worse Else you court a weaver's curse Working at the loom

Chorus: Warp and wind, shift and spin Weaving thread thick and thin Red as blood and black as sin Working at the loom

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Weaver cabal

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Creating a weaver cabal

- 3 Characters in weaver cabals

- 4 Choosing a leader

Overview

Any yeoman who learns magic is formally referred to as a weaver. This old title refers to the time when they would weave magical banners to sell to the noble houses. Many weavers still perform this vital role, but over time the role of the weaver, and in particular the weaver cabal has grown significantly. Weavers now represent the single biggest crack in the Dawn social system - neither noble nor fully yeoman, they are to some extents outside the hierarchy.

To complicate matters further some nobles have joined the ranks of the weaver cabals. Noble houses can be notoriously competitive, with individuals striving to outdo each other, whereas most cabals are built around skilled ritual teams and have a strong emphasis on cooperation. Learning is shared and everyone is encouraged to grow their skills together. Nobles who see magic as a route to power and glory strive to join a noble house that has a strong team of witches and look to become an enchanter. But they all find they have a lot to learn from the weaver cabals and those who enjoy magic for its own sake sometimes find they enjoy the more relaxed lifestyle they offer.

Mixing nobles and yeomen can cause tensions - some cabals allow nobles to retain their title and position - others require that everyone in the cabal treat each other as equals. Those nobles who try to move between the two worlds of the noble house and the weaver cabal especially can find it difficult. Those who acquiesce to the egalitarian attitudes of the cabal may well find themselves suffering the disdain of their fellow nobles.

A weaver cabal has some of the qualities of a noble house. Like the noble houses they replace the family unit, adopting children from other cabals and from yeomen and very rarely from noble houses. Some even set tests of aptitude, checking the skill and magical abilities of those who wish to join. They are not a noble house however, so they cannot set a Test of Mettle, they cannot raise a Dawnish citizen to the rank of nobility.

Common symbols that represent weaver cabals are the Iridescent_Butterfly, spindles, needles and weaving combs.

Creating a weaver cabal

The weaver cabal is intended as the simplest way for a groups of players to create a Dawnish group whose primary focus is performing ritual magic. If you want to play a group of ritual magicians, especially ones that are more interesting in wealth and magical power than in political power and glory than a weaver cabal is a good choice.

The magicians who are members of your cabal - the weavers - will usually be the characters portrayed by the players in the group. Your cabal may include yeomen who are employed by the cabal work their lands and estates but it is much better to avoid assuming that the cabal includes dozens of weavers who are not played.

Membership of a weaver cabal is usually a much simpler affair than membership of a noble house. There is no requirement for dangerous tests or acts of glory. Some members of your group may wish to play Dawnish nobles who are part of the cabal so they may still have complex background stories, but most members of the group will have been born and raised in it or simply joined as a adult.

You need to pick a territory that your cabal is from, but it is not overly important, so you can choose Weirwater unless you have a good reason to pick somewhere else. Noble houses compete for political power based on their territory, but the cabals are not direct participants in the politics of Dawn so you can choose a territory freely.

It is worth considering how your cabal presents itself to other cabals and to the noble houses of Dawn. The weaver cabals occupy a complex social position, they undermine the basis of the Dawnish noble system but they provide invaluable services which the noble houses cannot do without. If the cabal is too radical and utterly refuses to acknowledge the position of the nobles then you should be locked out of Dawnish society which will likely give you few opportunities to interact and enjoy roleplaying at the event. On the other hand, if you have a powerful ritual team then the noble houses will want your help, so you can afford to demand a degree of respect accordingly.

Characters in weaver cabals

Most characters in a cabal will be magicians, but there are opportunities for yeomen, as hired men-at-arms or the spouses of actual weavers. Although most of the character roles presented for yeomen are suitable for characters who are members of a noble house it is worth considering how a role might be adapted to work with a cabal.

If you are creating a magician, especially a character with an emphasis on ritual magic, then you can choose whether you are playing a noble or a yeoman. The simple option is to play a yeoman, the life of a yeoman is simpler and less tortuous than the life of a noble, so it is the easiest choice. However if you want the additional roleplaying challenge of being a noble, then you should pick. You will need to think about how your character treats other weavers in the cabal - an issue that is worth discussing with your group to ensure that the play style you adopt will be a good fit for the group.

Any characters who are noble should think about what noble house they are formerly part of. Most members of a weaver cabal will have severed any ties with their noble house; they retain their title but have nothing to do with their affairs of their noble family. You can create a minor noble house to fill this role in your background or get in touch with an existing noble house group and see if they are happy to let you play a member of their house. If you want a real challenge you can consider playing a character that is trying to be a part of the weaver cabal whilst remaining an active member of their noble house. To get much play from this option you will also need to be a part of an existing noble house that is played by another group, so it is something to discuss with both groups.

If you are not certain what ritual skills to take then the simplest choice is to spend your skills buying mastery of Summer magic. This is the most common magic in Dawn, and should help your character play a useful role.

Choosing a leader

Your cabal may have a nominal leader, but there is no common title or particular social role for the head of a weaver cabal. The nature of a weaver cabal is such that most have a fairly egalitarian structure with little need for a clearly identified leader. Most cabals take decisions together, usually by communal agreement of the weavers.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Weaver_cabal&oldid=30242"

Web of Celestial Attunement

Description

This valuable item is usually crafted in the form of a sphere of dragonbone contained inside an orb of glass, crystal or metal and bound with an intricate web of orichalcum with shards of tempest jade at various carefully chosen junctions. It is infused with potent enchantments and attuned to the network of bonds and oaths between coven members. Many covens believe that the 'covenstone' is most powerful when it is allowed to 'align' itself with the magical interconnections of the coven that wields it, and may customarily meet up at least once a day to each handle the stone in turn for a few moments - often as part of another activity such as a meal or review of the day.

While the powers of the item are not excessive, webs of celestial attunement have been used to perform some of the most powerful magics in the history of the Empire. For example, it is a matter of record that when Urizen magicians defeated the miasma of dread created by the volodny supporters of Alderei the Fair it was with the union of several covens using these items. Likewise, the initial magics used to lay out the pattern of the trods were performed through the cooperation of multiple Navarr covens. According to many historians, these items were developed in the time of Terunael, where their use was much more widespread.

The magic of a web of celestial attunement mirrors that of the Volhov's Robe. It allows covens to co-operate without having to abandon their own oaths, or the structure of their own band. Even more potent is the ability for several covens attuned to a web of celestial attunement to link together by using their covenstone on a single other target ritual group. The real difficulty in using these items comes in the human sphere - aligning different approaches to magic, discussing the details of how the ritual will be performed, and even agreeing on the actual ritual and what it will achieve are all obstacles that must be overcome before the true potence of the web can be unleashed.

Rules

- Form: Paraphernalia. Takes the form of a piece of ritual paraphernalia.

- Effect: Your coven may join another coven from the same nation and perform a single ritual together. This counts as a daily ritual use by your coven as well as the target coven. While your covens may perform a ritual together, they are still treated as separate covens for all other purposes (for example, a ritual that affects an entire coven will only affect the target coven, not both covens). Your coven does not gain the benefit of the other coven's paraphenalia (if any) while performing a joint ritual.

- Materials: Crafting a web of celestial attunement requires ten measures of dragonbone, seven ingots of tempest jade and five ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

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Wedding Air

This is an arrangement of G.F. Handel's Air from the Water Music Suite No. 1. It has been arranged for three recorders (two descants and a tenor) but can be played by any instruments in C. There is a version of the bass line in both treble and bass clef, so you only need to play one of the bottom two lines. There is also chords above the music, but these are less desirable and should be omitted if two or three of the parts are available.

The pdf of this arrangement can be found [here].

You can listen to it on YouTube [here].

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Weep O Mine Eyes

Out of copyright

youtube version

Score: Media:Weep-o-mine-eyes.pdf‎ (pdf)

Learning resources

Weep O Mine Eyes midis:

- all parts: Media:Weep-o-mine-eyes.midi

- soprano: Media:Weep-o-mine-eyes-sop.midi

- alto: Media:Weep-o-mine-eyes-alto.midi

- tenor: Media:Weep-o-mine-eyes-tenor.midi

- bass: Media:Weep-o-mine-eyes-bass.midi

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Weirwater

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Culwich

- 3.2 Applefell

- 3.3 Hawthorn

- 3.4 The Sentinel’s Folly

- 3.5 The Weirwater Vales

- 3.6 Spiral Castle

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Garthmoor

- 4.2 Hawsmoor

- 4.3 Sandling

- 4.4 Weirsmoor

- 4.5 Wickmoor

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

The craggy hills of Weirwater are home of many weavers, and the noble houses here seem to have more than their fair share of witches. The territory itself is scattered with deep forests, maintained untouched by the noble houses and inhabited by Eternal Heralds, exotic beasts and an abundance of rare herbs. The caves of Weirwater have a dark reputation with the people of Dawn, and are said to contain mysterious magics.

Legend has it that long ago the Earl of Sedaret pursued a crusade against several cabals of weavers who refused to recognise her authority. At the height of a great banquet, thrown by the Earl to celebrate her apparent victory over the weavers, a great bell began to toll and the castle and its surrounding village was drowned beneath great waves and unrelenting rain. It is said by the people of Culwich that on Winter nights of the new moon when the sky is clear one can still hear bells ringing in the depths of the great lake, and see lights that are said to be those of the drowned Earl and her noble household, still celebrating in the depths.

Recent History

Major Features

Culwich

A large town with a few outlying villages. Culwich has a long tradition of farming and is said to produce some of the best flax and wool in the Empire. The local merchants have influence with the weavers, who in turn offer them fine woven goods to sell to mutual profit. It was here or hereabouts that the first humans to live in Dawn landed. Culwich is now a rich port: goods and trade come to Dawn from Varushka through Culwich. There’s some trade to far-off Highguard, though to get there ships have to pass the shores of the Barrens.

Applefell

A sprawling hill town with many small farms. The “apples” here are dangerous indeed. They grow on the ground, in rings, and the wise do not consume them without great care. Rumour has is that those who know the trick to preparing them can see into the Labyrinth.

Hawthorn

A settlement of lush gardens in a hollow near the road to Delev, hidden behind a forbidding hedge. Home to witches, a cabal that accepts only those who vouched for by a Herald of Spring. The hedge grows thick and tall, and those not welcome feel its thorns if they try and push their way in.

The Sentinel’s Folly

The remains of an ancient stone tower on a hill above Semmerlak. It is said by followers of Vigilance to have been built by the Sentinel.

The Weirwater Vales

The Weirwater Vales is a Bourse position which produces weirwood.

Spiral Castle

In the centre of a small weirwood forest in Weirmoor stands Spiral Castle. Built in pre-Imperial times, it lies at the heart of a strong Summer regio. The earls of Spiral Castle have always been enchanters, and usually possessed of a strong changeling lineage. The household has been controlled by scions of the de Cassilon family, and many of the nobles who live there are descendants of Empress Richilde. Over the centuries, the inhabitants have become more and more insular, spending less and less time beyond the boundaries of their manor. Some members of the Imperial Synod have even expressed concerns over whether they are entirely human any more.

During the height of the Sun Queen's reign, the Imperial Senate agreed to a request that the resources of Spiral Castle be dedicated to the support and upkeep of the armies of the Empire, and of Dawn in particular. They created the title of Castellan of Spiral Castle to oversee the procedures needed to turn the weirwood and expertise of the castle's inhabitants into emergency support for Imperial armies camped in Weirwater.

Spiral Castle is no longer reachable; following the death of Emperor Hugh in 368YE the castle and surrounding forest abruptly disappeared behind a wall of swirling, chaotic mist. Attempts to communicate with, or reach, the inhabitants of Spiral Castle have so far been unsuccessful.

The Castellan of Spiral Castle was an Imperial title within the Bourse appointed annually by the captains of Dawn.

Regions

Garthmoor

Hawsmoor

Sandling

Weirsmoor

Wickmoor

OOC Notes

- Every region of Weirwater is under the control of the Dawnish (and by extension, the Empire) making this a staunchly Imperial territory.

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Wendigo

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Winter

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Winter

Sobriquets

The Wendigo goes by a number of names. It is usually identified as male, and is referred to as Agramant in many older texts - although what that name means is anyone's guess. He is most commonly called The Howler or The Hunter in the Wastes.

Wedigo is also known as the Devourer of the Fallen, and The Voice of the Pines. In Wintermark the Suaq call him Blood-on-the-Snow and the Kallavesi call him The Dream of Famine. In some old Varushkan tales he is referred to as The Whisperer or The Wastewalker; these stories focus on the belief that he tries to encourage the hungry and the lost to atrocious acts in the name of survival, or how he lures the greedy to acts of self-debasement and madness until they finally snap and become literal or figurative monsters.

In Highguard the magisters call him The Abominable One and many count him the worst of the Eternals. In The Brass Coast and parts of Dawn he is sometimes called The Horned Manticore, and there are several stories that suggest the beasts of the same name are his children. In The Marches he is often mentioned as The Harvester of Graves and the superstitious spit when they mention him by any of his epithets - there are old stories that suggest that food eaten or drink drunk will cause a stomach upset while you still have the same saliva in your mouth that spoke his name.

Appearance

Wendigo is sometimes depicted as a massive, hairy monster with razor-sharp claws and wide, staring eyes. He is usually shown possessing a massive mouth of shark-like teeth, and is generally pale in colour and spattered with blood. In some cases he appears as a brutish and thuggish orc wielding a club made from the legbone of a great beast.

Stargazers, Dawnish enchanters and icewalkers who have experience of dealing with Agramant claim that his most common form is that of a sturdy draughir-like being wrapped in flayed hides, usually those of a bear or stag, still dripping with blood and gore. He often wears the head of a great beast as a helmet, or crown. They say that his razor-sharp teeth and tearing-claws are quite real, however.

Wendigo is almost always encountered alone.

Agramant the Wendigo has claimed numerous times to be the source of the draughir, and in some places they are called wendigo as a consequence. There is absolutely no evidence of this claim; those dealing with Wendigo would do well to remember that he lies and he lies often.

Concerns

Agramant - or Wendigo - teaches that ultimately everyone is alone. That survival is all that matters - another breath is the only truly precious thing in creation. His twisted philosophy appears to include ideas such as the expendibility of all those who are weak, and the need for the strong to prey on and devour the weak. He expresses the idea that only those with the will to power are truly aware of their place in the cosmos, and that those bound by rules, laws and the expectations of society or concern for others are little more than sheep, who deserve to be slaughtered by those with superior souls.

This Eternal, like Sorin is associated with hunger, but for Wendigo it is the hunger that leads to unnatural acts of murder and cannibalism. He is the only Winter Eternal who seems to actively approve of wanton acts and the consumption of the flesh of other thinking creatures for its own sake, rather than as a desperate act brought on by circumstance. He is known to use Heralds and gifts to actively encourage cults and bands of murderers to perform cannibalistic feasts in his name, and in the name of proving their own superiority over the herd.

Wendigo is the only Eternal currently considered to be an enemy of the Empire, due to the declaration of enmity of the Imperial Conclave in 306 YE following exposure of his involvement in no less than three cannibalistic cults dedicated to blasphemy, idolatory and heresy. It is thus illegal to deal with him or his Heralds.

The Wendigo's Bargain is a magical staff. The term also means a bargain where both parties are weakened or harmed, but one of the parties is capable of enduring or mastering the pain or debilitation to the detriment of the other party.

Some thoughtful scholars suggest that Agramant is not entirely what he appears to be. There is wisdom in him, they claim. All he does is point out to his followers that they could do unspeakable things - he never coerces them. He encourages them to become monsters, but they could just as easily choose to ignore his inducements. Wendigo, they say, drives his cults until they self-destruct, demonstrating the foolishness of his professed philosophy and reminding others that there are monsters in their midst who look just like they do. Wendigo himself laughs at this, apparently, and changes the subject.

Boons

Agramant the Wendigo offers strength to those who undertake his Unspeakable Feast - usually a ritual involving the consumption of the fresh meat of a thinking being such as a human or orc. He is also believed to be especially keen to encourage the draughir to embrace their facility to gain sustenance from rotten flesh. He may provide powers associated with physical weakness, most often through the evocation of his terrible howl - the same howl that can send mortals stumbling away in terror.

He is also said to be a consummate hunter; that he can hunt not only in the Winter Realm, but can somehow hunt in the dreams of others, finding anyone who has ever known hunger or desperation. Wendigo can deliver or empower many curses, and by hunting in the dreams of an enemy he can drive them slowly insane, twisting them until they turn against their neighbours attacking and slaughtering without warning; such unfortunates often believe that they have transformed into bloodthirsty beasts, free of the constraints their human scruples place on them.

He rarely uses his powers or grants them as boons unless he receives some sort of tribute in return - usually a savage murder or act of cannibalism.

Beware the Wendigo, my child,

When the moon is fat and the sky is clear;

Beware his grinning maw and gentle voice,

His joysome tales of warm, red meats.

Beware the Wendigo, my child,

When the wind is cold and home not near;

Beware his grasping claw and whisper'd choice'

His gleesome talk of soft, dark treats.

Beware the Wendigo, my child

When the moon is fat and the sky is clear.

''Beware the Wendigo'', Valshok Juerdann

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Wendigo's Bargain

Description

These staves are usually made of dark pinewood, or carefully shaped and sanded oak bleached white. They are soaked and cleaned in a weak solution of beggar's lye, and carved with runes such as Kyrop and Lann. Many bear staring faces, skulls, or in the Marches the appearance of carrion creatures such as rats and crows. They are usually unsettling things to look upon.

They are sometimes called a Draughir's Bargain. Both names mean roughly the same thing - a bargain where both parties are weakened or harmed, but one of the parties is capable of enduring or mastering the pain or debilitation to the detriment of the other party. In the hours after bonding to this staff, some wielders seem overcome by a sense of paranoia or become dismissive of hardship. Generally these feelings wear off, though occasionally bonding to this staff has tipped Draughir into madness.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a staff.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may cast the weakness spell as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting a wendigo's bargain requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Casimir stepped out of the tavern into the city night, groaning momentarily as his eyes adjusted to the darkness and his thin, bedraggled frame rebelled against the chill air. Grumbling to himself, he leant heavily on his staff before lurching forward from the doorway into the cobbled street ahead. Vendors called out to him from various doorways, hawking sweet-smelling treats to delight his senses but he ignored them all. He just wanted to get back to the inn and get a good nights sleep before heading on in the morning.

It wasn't long before he realised that he had made a wrong turn and cursed himself for not paying more attention. Turning round to the alley entrance, he saw it blocked by three shadows, long and thin on the ground but less impressive in silhouette. Damnable guttersnipes, presumably. He grasped his staff tightly and walked forward in confidence. Damned if these rotten urchins were going to get the better of him.

One of them stepped forward, a meagre knife glittering in his outstretched hand, while the others flanked him.

“Hand over your goods, old man, and we'll let you live”. The kid was unwavering in his speech and Casimir wondered how many times the three had robbed others before. Never mind, this would be the last.

“And what if I don't?” rasped Casimir, feigning an air of decrepitude beyond even his advanced years. The robber paused for a moment, No doubt he wasn't used to being answered back to.

“Reckon you can take us all on, do you? I don't fancy your chances.”

Casimir began chanting and pointed his staff at one of the two followers.

Divide and conquer, he thought.

This wasn't magic he was using – not yet - just some impressive sounding words which usually worked to drive off the uninitiated. True to form, the wretch took to heel almost immediately.

One down, two to go. Steady now..

The second follower began to falter in his advance and spoke to the lead urchin. “Nathan, we picked a wrong one here. This one's magic! Let's get out and find some easier pickings over on Southside!”

The leader didn't budge, even when his second henchman turned tail and skittered off, leaving him alone.

And then there was one.

Casimir resumed his chant, low and menacing; but this time there was meaning to the words, and mana woven into the pauses.

“You won't fool or scare me so easily, old man!” Nathan ran forward and tried to get in close to use his knife but even with Casimir's reflexes he was too slow. The bleached tip of the old man's oak staff hit Nathan squarely on the knee, knocking him flat in the mud.

Now we're equal. Not so confident now, are we?

Nathan was still quicker though, and rolled to one side before standing up and squaring off against Casimir, his eyes stinging with embarrassment and hatred. He summoned all his strength to teach this old, unarmoured man a lesson ...

... But the strength didn't come. Afraid, unsure what other tricks the old man had up his sleeve, he ran off into the night with one last hateful look back and a threat on his lips..

Casimir took a deep breath and continued on his journey. There may not have been a spring in his step, but there was a smile on his lips.

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We will go Home (Across the Mountains)

Original by Hans Zimmer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hoyDQ3LeTU

New lyrics by Michael Barley

Verse 1 Land of bear and land of eagle. Land that gave us birth and blessing. Land that called us ever homewards. We will go home across the mountains.

Chorus We will go home, we will go home, We will go home across the mountains. We will go home, we will go home, We will go home across the mountains.

Verse 2 Land of Thorn, and land of Navarr. Land that gave us hope and memories. Hear our singing, hear our longing. We will go home across the mountains.

Chorus

Verse 3 Land of sun and land of moonlight. Land that gave us joy and sorrow. Land that gave us love and laughter. We will go home across the mountains.

Chorus

Verse 4 Land of our fathers. Land of our mothers. Land of spear, of blade, of bow. Thorns are singing in the darkness. We will go home across the mountains.

Chorus

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Whelpmaster's Fang

Description

This rod is usually made of wood and bone, bleached with beggar's lye and then stained darker colours. It often bears the rune Naeve (hunger) rather than Kyrop (weakness). The Varushkans and Imperial Orcs alike decorate these rods with the teeth of predatory animals, especially wolves.

The rod takes its name from the hungry Winter Eternal Sorin, and it is not often used by pious individuals. In Highguard especially it is called a withering rod instead, where they sometimes tell the stories of Mahalath of Habor's Retreat and her daring, but clearly virtuous, escapades in which such a rod is often used to good effect.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you can cast the weakness spell as if you knew it and without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a whelpmaster's fang requires seven measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The young knight-errant strode through the mist that separated her from her army, certain that she should be able to hear the sounds of battle nearby. They came distantly, muted, as if they echoed through the halls of memory, rather than raged and screamed all around her. The mist made the whole experience unreal, and yet she knew how important it was – if she found the Orcs’ leader, she would kill him, and that would most likely break the morale of the tribe who fought solely for the sake of his brutal charisma.

Her Test had been only to involve herself in this war and to bring back a great story, to be told by her troubadour at her Earl-Enchanter’s court. That was enough. She’d lived two great stories already, alerting her Company to an ambush in time to outwit it and rising from near-defeat to shatter the shield of a mighty orc warrior at the centre of a scouting force they’d encountered, but this damnable mist had hidden her true prize from her, and it seemed she would never find the chieftain she sought.

She never did. Out of the shrouding mist sprang a single figure, capering in a way that suggested madness. The orc spoke to himself constantly, as if answering voices whispered in its ear, and hissed a string of vile swearing when it saw her.

The knight-errant readied her sword, and raised it for a mighty blow that would snap the creature’s wand and leave it powerless. She swung once, but it darted beneath her sword with astonishing speed and jabbed its wand right into the centre of her armour-

-and time seemed to slow for her. The orcish shaman dropped back and fell to his knees, panting in exhaustion, but she hardly seemed able to lift her sword. Nausea crept into the edge of her awareness, as it had in her first ever combat, and vertigo made her stumble. She reached down into her soul, thinking back on her heroes – and found none of their strength there. Somehow, some vile magic had weakened her. She could barely stand in her armour, let alone fight in it.

Coming back to her senses, she saw the shaman, still grinning, shaking with exhaustion but still a very real threat to her. She blocked his first blow, but not his second, which cut her from temple to her jaw, nor his third, which cut deep into her elbow where the plates met. Screaming in pain and rage, she lifted her sword high to bring it down in a devastating blow.

She was too slow. The shaman’s dagger slipped into her armpit, and she dropped the sword and fell, screaming, to the ground. The creature cackled triumphantly while she struggled to get up again, though her arm hung uselessly by her side.

Seconds later, the fallen knight felt rusted iron at her throat-

-and woke up screaming in the arms of his Stormcrow. The mist evaporated in the heat of the sweat-lodge, and the old Suaq held the Steinr warrior to his chest as he wept bitter tears for the death he’d just watched.

“What was that?” he whispered as he regained his composure.

“The wand? It was a cruel enchantment, power-eating, strength-sapping, Naeve and Rhyv bound up together in a wand of oak. The orcish shaman, foul corruptor, gave it his power to take yours from you. You were vigilant, great in courage, but the hidden weapon is the worst to guard against. We will tell this tale, o' battle-burned warrior, a warning to the unwise courageous, those who fear the sword over the wand.”

“Are they common? The wands?”

“As common as the unvirtuous man who puts his trust in those around him,” came his answer. "Some of great Virtue may use them for good, those with the strength to hold back the wand's cruelty."

The warrior laughed, “So, not really. C-can I make a request, noble stormcrow? I-is that alright?” He had never been so polite in his life before, but somehow it seemed the right time to start. After all, the stormcrow bore a wand too, and he'd never trusted magic as little as he did at this moment.

“Son of my nation, descendant of my people, do not be so coy,” the stormcrow chided him, though not unkindly.

“Can we leave out the part where I was Dawnish?”

“Nobody’s perfect, my boy,” he laughed, dropping for a moment out of his storyteller’s cadence to address him as a man, rather than a stormcrow, “Not in this life, not in the next.”

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When I Am Laid

This has been adapted from Purcell's 'When I Am Laid' from Dido and Aeneas.

A recording of the original can be found here (0:47 onwards).

A score can be found at here. It is intended to be accompanied by recorders but feel free to adapt this for any instrumental combination you have to hand.

When I am laid in earth, May my passing create No trouble in thy breast; Remember me, remember my fate.

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Whisper Gallery

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Night

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

- 1.5 Members of the Court

Eternal of Night

Sobriquets

The Whisper Gallery are also known as the Shadow Courtiers; the two terms are used interchangeably.

Specific shadow courtiers (assuming such a concept is relevant) claim to have their own names and demonstrate individual personalities and quirks. However, observers note that these names and personalities seem to lack stability - more than one magician has come away convinced that the courtier she has just spoken to is the same being as a courtier they interacted with on a previous occasion, now with a different name and apparent personality.

The enchanter Warwick de Alyons made a study of the Whisper Gallery and identified five distinct 'flavours' of courtier (see below). Modern magicians have found his notes relatively reliable. The enchanter himself disappeared one night from his locked bedchamber less than a month after he first presented his findings to the Conclave; his sleeping husband was undisturbed by whatever happened to him but later enacted a declaration of enmity against the Courtiers, blaming them for the disappearance of his husband. The declaration stood for ten years before being overturned, allegedly in return for information leading to the recovery of tomes of Night magic believed lost during the purges of Emperor Nicovar.

Appearance

The Whisper Gallery claim to be serpents (that is, their true form is that of winged snakes as distinct from the wyrm-form Night Eternals who are more draconic). No magician has ever seen one assume their 'true form' however. Rather, they invariably appear as robed figures wearing full-face masks and gloves. Every part of their body is covered; some scholars have speculated that the shadow courtiers are composed entirely of living shadow inhabiting their garments rather than being physical beings. Some scholars have proposed that the Whisper Gallery as a whole might be a single entity, taking multiple forms; there does seem to be an odd continuity of knowledge among them, although this could be explained by a supernaturally developed method of communication or preternatural levels of intuition.

Also unlike other Night Eternals, the Whisper Gallery do not noticably shift their shape - their appearance as robed, masked figures is constant. This supports supposition that the Whisper Gallery may not actually be Eternals at all, but the constructs of another Eternal using them as a mask. On more than one occasion both Sadogua and Lashonar have made comments that have been interpreted to suggest that they 'created' the whisper gallery in some fashion. If there is any truth behind this hints, it is clear that the Gallery has achieved independence from their creator, and on rare occasions where courtiers have been in the company of agents of these two Eternals observers have claimed that they seemed ambivalent toward them - if not downright hostile. A similar hostility exists between the Eternals of the Gallery and the Lady of Mysteries Sung, whose fascination with the preservation of enigmas they appear to consider self-indulgent and the expression of a weak mind.

They are rarely encountered individually; a meeting with the Whisper Gallery usually involves at least two of them and a Sommelier. When they gather together, they create an aura that encourages mystery, circumspection and secrecy in the mortals they meet with which can make audiences a less than straightforward affair.

Concerns

The Whisper Gallery are obsessed with secrets. Unlike some other Night Eternals, they are equally concerned with learning secrets and with ensuring that secrets remain secrets. They have also evidenced some interest in the way that the things individuals know (or believe they know) about each other influence their interactions and desires.

The gallery collects secrets. While the courtiers themselves have referred to their "collection" the details of what form it takes seem to be fluid. They also act to preserve secrets - in the past agents of the Whisper Gallery have acted to destroy rare books containing esoteric knowledge, and even (allegedly) to assassinate scholars who have been probing into hidden lore.

The Shadow Courtiers love to interact with mortals, discussing their hopes and dreams and their innermost secrets. Individual courtiers appear to have specific interests (see Courtiers below).

Boons

On a mundane level, the Whisper Gallery are privy to an astonishing range of secrets. Before they will share something, however, they must usually be 'paid' with a secret of equal or greater value. They are known to employ mortal agents to uncover specific pieces of lore, or to protect those pieces of lore from being uncovered.

The Shadow Courtiers are closely connected to the ritual Whispering Shadow Courtiers, and often evoked when it is cast - they have been known to offer boons that allow this ritual to be performed more effectively, as well as mysterious boons that allow individuals to add specific pieces of information to the 'pool' of secrets the magic draws on.

The Whisper Gallery are also known to offer boons that enhance the ability to conceal people, places or things whether through ritual such as Masque of the Blinded Weaver or Shroud of Mist and Shadow; permanently remove memories with effects such as Cast Off The Chain of Memory; or invoke enchantments or even curses that preserve secrecy such as Secrets of the Empty Heart.

They are also known to have an interest in, and the ability to offer enhancements to, the night pouch spell (and by extension the ritual Secrets for the Shadow Courier). Some magicians have reported that they can be prevailed upon to deliver messages or even small items to anyone, anywhere in the world provided there is an area of shadow or darkness near the target.

Finally, they are known to be fascinated by and perhaps even dimly aware of the many shapes that future events might take. They enjoy hearing the results of rituals such as Signs and Portents, and occasionally are known to speak prophecy - although in such vague and mysterious terms that their pronouncements are invariably incomprehensible until after the event they describe has come to pass.

Members of the Court

Warwick de Alyons' wrote a short treatise on the Whisper Gallery called 'The Book of Whispering Shadows' in which he identified five specific 'flavours' of Shadow Courtier. Four of the courtiers are identified by the colour of their robe and their general interest - and by the fact that there are never two matching these descriptions in the same group. The courtiers do not answer to these names, nor are they names they give themselves; rather these are viewed as being titles that have more weight than whatever name the courtier is claiming at the time.

The fifth courtier (the Sommelier) seems to be a special case, and may actually be the form taken by the Courtiers' Heralds.

The Lover Clad in Crimson Robes: This courtier appears the most pleasant and engaging of the Shadow Courtiers. It is usually dressed in red, although Warwick mentions that sometimes the courtier appears in black or white robe but always with some scarlet element. It is fascinated by concepts of passionate romance, and by what motivates heroic (or villainous) deeds, especially those done in the name of love. In character it seems 'flighty' or impulsive, easily distracted, and apparently responds well to gifts of painting or sculpture.

The Vizier Arrayed in the Raiment of Dawn: This courtier often takes the lead in situations where they are encountered as a group. It is usually dressed in yellow silk or gold, and with a mask to match. It encourages ambition, and is interested in the inner lives of leaders (especially but not restricted to senators; generals; cardinals and gatekeepers; archmagi and grandmasters) and reformers. In character it seems easily angered, and occasionally flies into uncontrollable rages that subside as rapidly as they arose into gloomy introspection. It appreciates deference, politeness and being treated with respect.

The Emerald Scholar in Sable Ribbons: This courtier is always wrapped in green and black, and seems the most cerebral and introverted of the identified courtiers. It often presents a scholarly or even priestly appearance, and seems fascinated by educated discussion and philosophical debate. It consides itself a poet, and is said to appreciate gifts of poetry or song; it favours tragedy over all other themes however. It collects secrets that lead to, or have resulted from, tragic failure or internal flaws. It is especially interested in those who are motivated by jealousy or anger, but never seems entirely satisfied with the results its agents achieve.

The Incarnadine Minister: This courtier is usually in blue, and is often arrayed like a magician. It appreciates riddles, and is often the most reserved and distant of the identifiable courtiers. It is fascinated with magic, but never seems to perform any itself. It often answers questions with questions, and appears averse to making statements. It is known to consistently encourage those it meets to perform actions, without any concern for that the outcome might be (and often appears to offer material support although such rarely materialises). It is fascinated by secret lore, especially that of the distant past, or secrets that contradict widely-held belief. It is said to hoard such dangerous secrets in the same way a dragon hoards gold

The Sommelier: The fifth identifiable courtier never speaks, and is usually dressed in white. While it wears mask and gloves like the other courtiers, it rarely wears a robe. More commonly it appears as a servant or retainer, often in a League or Dawnish style. It attends the other courtiers and their guests, bringing food and drink, arranging chairs and the like. It delivers payment, and is probably a Herald rather than a true Eternal. Also unlike the other Courtiers, flashes of skin may occasionally be seen beneath its clothing. When the Courtiers send out a Herald it is a Sommelier, often bearing a letter or small gift on a silver tray.

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Whispering Shadow Courtiers

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 8

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 8

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the contributors must whisper a secret of some sort, preferably one unknown to the other contributors.

Effects

During the ritual the ritualists become increasingly aware of whispering voices, and may begin to become aware of shadowy indistinct shapes observing them from nearby.

At the completion of the ritual, the contributors each learn a single fact, or receive a short vision, that reveals secret knowledge. The secret is invariably revealed without context, although these secrets are almost always relevant to current events around the Empire.

Each contributor receives the same piece of information. A character can receive only one secret each event; performing the ritual again will simply reveal the same secret, even if it is no longer relevant or has become widely known.

It is not possible to direct this spell to gain information about specific topics, nor does it matter where the ritual is performed - like Signs and Portents, a single pool of visions exists that all Whispering Shadow Courtiers rituals draw on.

OOC Elements

The result of this spell is liable to be delivered in the form of a written vision. The contributors can study their vision as long as they like, but cannot discuss it or make notes until they have handed the slip back to a referee; at that point they are free to roleplay however they like - they may play through the process of receiving the vision, or act as if they have been in waking trance and the vision has already passed.

The visions tend to refer to events hidden in the backgrounds of characters attending the event and may concern both player-characters and non-player characters; to current events that effect the people of the Empire; or to past events whose details relate to current events in some fashion.

Description

This ritual is often seen as a counterpart to Signs and Portents; like that mysterious ritual it seems to pluck information out of the air, and like that ritual it seems to ensue that the information is relevant to some degree - although the onus lies on the ritualists to get some value from the secret they uncover. Another key difference between this ritual and Signs and Portents is that the visions are much more likely to refer to things that have happened in the past than they are to events that may happen in the future or the present.

The visions tend to be less symbolic than those gained from Signs and Portents, although this can vary. Visions that concerns secret wrongdoing in particular tend to me more symbollic - they often serve to point the caster in the direction of a group or nation rather than an individual. A vision about a Dawnish with with "blood on her hands" might contain hints as to the heraldric device of the witch, for example, rather than explicitly revealing that information. Some degree of interpretation is almost always needed. Still, more than one ritualist has been involved in bringing a criminal to justice by carefully pursuing a hint uncovered through this ritual.

Every ritualist who has performed Whispering Shadow Courtiers reports the same awareness of whispering voices, and indistinct shadowy shapes. To date, no Imperial magician has conclusively explained this phenomenon although most ritualists believe that these are probably spirits of the Night realm, or possibly emissaries of a Night Eternal, most likely agents of the Whisper Gallery. The Axou by contrast claim to believe that these are the spirits of the dead, whispering secret lore they have gained beyond the boundaries of life. This tale is usually dismissed as fanciful rubbish.

Common Elements

This ritual often involves consuming a narcotic of some sort, or the burning of strong incense to produce a form of mist or obscuring fog. It is often performed in secret; invocations are whispered, and identities are concealed with masks, cowls, cloaks and hoods. Runestones may be used, especially if they are concealed in darkess - creating a divination that nobody reads is seen as a clever way to create a secret. It is common for the ritual to start in dim light, and for the ritualists to slowly deepen the darkess by extinguishing candles or lanterns as they weave their magic.

Symbols of Wisdom or Vigilance may be used, and the rune Diras has obvious application here. The ritual is associated with the Whisper Gallery, the Shadow Courtiers of the Realm of Night, who are said to collect all secrets and hoard them as a miser hoards wealth. Their names are often invoked during the performance of the ritual, as is the name of Sadogua, especially if the contributors are hoping to receive magical insights.

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Whisper of Conviction

Description

Whisper of Conviction allows the user to perform ceremonies dedicated to Vigilance.

This instrument is equally valuable to a priest who is dedicated to one of the other six virtues as it is to a priest who is dedicated to none of the virtues - a priest of the Way. Indeed, in some ways it is more useful to the latter philosophy of priest - it allows them to use the ceremonies of anointing, consecration and hallowing; without an instrument such as this, they would be restricted to supporting other priests in creating these auras. Likewise, a priest dedicated to a virtue other than vigilance can partake of a little of the versatility of the priest dedicated to the Way as a whole, aiding priests in the creation of an aura as if they shared their dedication.

In Wintermark, Vigilance is represented by Ophis, Rune of Revelation

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of any kind of musical instrument.

- Requirement: You must have the dedication skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may perform religious skills other than dedication as if you were dedicated to the virtue of Vigilance.

- Materials: Crafting Whisper of Conviction requires 7 ingots of weltsilver; 9 measures of beggar's lye; 3 measures of dragonbone; It takes 1 month to make one of these items.

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Whispers through the Black Gate

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 30

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Targets

- 1.5 Option

- 1.6 OOC Elements

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 30

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Winter regio. This ritual can only be cast at sunset.

Effects

During the ritual, the ritualists must name a single character. At the completion of the ritual, a spirit is summoned. The spirit will be:

- the spirit of the dead character, who may be questioned for up to ten minutes. They know whatever they knew while they were alive.

- the spirit of one of the dead character's past lives, who may be questioned for up to ten minutes.

- the spirit of someone else, usually with a connection of some sort to the deceased (however tenuous), who may likewise be questioned for up to ten minutes.

- a dangerous spirit.

The casters cannot predict in advance with absolute certainty which will appear. The longer it has been since the named character died, the more likely it is that something other than that character's spirit will appear.

Spirits summoned by this ritual are only aware of the ritualists who performed the ritual.

Additional Targets

You may call an additional spirit by increasing the magnitude of the spell by 15 for each additional spirits. All spirits appear simultaneously and depart simultaneously.

Option

The ritualists may consume up to 5 measures of liao as part of the ritual. Every measure consumed in this way reduces the magnitude of the ritual by 2.

OOC Elements

If you plan to perform this ritual, you will need to let PD know at least an hour in advance, or longer if we need to track the player of the dead character down ourselves. If we are unable to obtain the physrep, then one of the second two possibilities will occur. If we are able to obtain the physrep then the first option will almost certainly occur.

Dusk usually runs from half an hour before sunset, to half an hour after. If players wish to physrep their dead characters, they should report to Monster half an hour before this period: an hour before sunset.

Description

This powerful ritual eases open the door of death for a short time, raising the spirit of a recently deceased person. In some ways, this ritual represents little more than a more than an advanced form of Voice for the dead; in other ways it is a profound alteration of the natural order. Priests and magicians alike are fascinated by the magic this ritual represents.

The spirit summoned with this ritual can be questioned about anything it knew when it was alive; it seems to possess all the memories and the personality of the deceased individual. Sometimes the spirit is unaware that it has died, especially if that death took place very suddenly or happened while the target was asleep. More often though, the spirit knows it has died and under what circumstances. Regardless, the spirit cannot speak about anything that has happened to it since it died. Attempts to learn more about the Labyrinth of Ages or the Howling Abyss have simply served to frustrate arcanists and theologians alike.

The spirit is only aware of the ritualists who performed the ritual; when it comes to questioning the dead, it is the magicians who must take the lead. Being able to see a departed loved-one, but unable to reach them, can be a profoundly upsetting experience for the living, and for the spirit once it ralises a beloved spouse or child is present, but they they cannot see or hear them.

A conjured spirit appears to be at least slightly corporeal; it seems to possess a pseudo-body and if it is struck firmly it can be dispelled back to wherever it came from. Most spirits cannot physically interact with the living; only in the case of the rare malignant spirit have there been any reports of attacks and wounds on ritualists.

The most common use for this ritual is to call up the spirit of a murder victim to question them about the circumstances of their deaths. In such circumstances a magistrate is often present, but the ritualists must perform any interrogation themselves. The majority of magistrates treat the witness statements of the dead much as they would the living; they know there is no requirement that the conjured spirit tell the truth about what happened, and even though departed the spirit is likely to share the same motivations and prejudices it had when alive.

The ritual is expensive, and a little risky, but has also been used in the past to allow the living one final chance to speak to a departed loved one - or enemy - before the black gate closes forever. Likewise, it has been used on occasion to attempt to gather intelligence about a distant event or the plans of enemies, although such uses are frowned upon in general. During the Freedom Heresy the ruthless League general Sagio de Temeschwar had the spirit of a deceased briar warrior called up and proceeded to torment the spirit by describing in intense detail the tortures he was inflicting on the briar's still-living wife. While the general did not in fact have the woman present, so effective was his performance that the weeping spirit disclosed several key facts about the secessionist's plans. In a final act of cruelty for which he was widely criticised, Sagio let the spirit depart in the belief that his wife was still suffering unspeakable agony. His acts also reignited discussion of whether the ritual calls an actual spirit from the Labyrinth, or simply an echo of the target.

On rare occasions this spirit calls up a malign spiritual presence that is a threat to the ritualists. Recorded incidents have included a mass possession by spirits that tried to drive a coven of landskeepers to acts of monstrous hatered, a horrible shadowy spectre that killed two of the magicians responsible for raising it before it could be dismissed; and a band of restless spirits whose anguished cries inflicted crippling weakness on the coven.

On very rare occasions, the spirit that appears seems entirely unconnected to the target spirit. These events were recorded as enigmatic anomalies until a Highborn steward of the dead named Esther of Highcastle drew parallels between two incidents and public records of liao visions. Her theory that these spirits were echoes of past lives is generally accepted, although the precise details of how and why this can occur given the temporal limitations of Whispers through the Black Gate is still not understood.

It is also possible that the deceased spirit is that of someone else who has some sort of connection to the deceased. For example, there has been one incident where it appears that the dead individual's father answered the call of the ritual, and another where a member of the target's coven appeared rather than the dead person themselves.

Common Elements

This ritual is usually accompanied by solemn music, incense and chants recounting as much detail as possible the life of the target spirit. It is usually accompanied by a design laid out on the ground, often with braziers or candles. at key points of the design.

Fire and light often play a key role, serving as a beacon for the dead spirit to 'find the way' back to the mortal realm. SImilarly, some ritualists like to have things that belonged to the target in life, or people important to them Imperial orc shaman ideally want to have someone from the same legion, while Freeborn ritualists prefer the presence of someone of the same family, especially a child or parent. Likewise, many Navarr include small amounts of blood in this ritual, the smell of which help attract the attention of the spirit and remind it of it's life; Marcher spirits might include an offering of food or drink, an action that leads to the ritual sometimes being referred to as The Feast for the Dead..

It is important to realise that the ritual is not technically complete when the spirit appears. Many ritualists consider it to be only half-way through at this point. The spirit must still be addressed, and agreeing in advance how this will happen can save time and prevent confusion. Some ritualists include an hourglass to track the amount of time available before the spirit must depart,

At the end of the ritual, the spirit should be formally dismissed - sent back into the Labyrinth or the Abyss - and some ritualists believe that if the spirit is not treated well it is more likely to become one of the restless dead. The end of the ritual is often marked by the mournful tolling of bells, as the spirit departs.

The rune Irremais and the constellation of The Door are often evoked with this ritual.

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Whose Pigs Are These?

Whose pigs are these? Whose pigs are these? They are John Potts' you can tell 'em by the spots and I found 'em trampling over my garden!

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Wiki Updates

This is a list of significant updates to the wiki which we will try and keep as up to date as possible. Hopefully this will be a more useful document than the recent changes page which lists every spelling correction and formatting change.

By it's nature this page will be regularly updated so when you visit the wiki try checking here first. However please keep in mind this is a manually updated page so at times maybe a little behind the actual updates.

Contents

- 1 Ritual Changes

- 2 Declaration of Dissemination

- 3 Clarification of Imperial Inquisitor

- 4 Streamlined Administration Process

- 5 Clarify Proxy Voting Rules

- 6 Forgery

- 7 Item Correction

- 8 Sects

- 9 Winter 2015 Rules Update

- 10 Magic Item modifications

- 11 Otkodov Spy Network

- 12 Ritual Theory

- 13 Brass Coast Army Support

- 14 Senate Commissions

- 15 Remote Navarr

- 16 Military Council Overhaul

- 16.1 Field Marshal

- 17 Clemency

- 18 Legacy of Thorns

- 19 Ritual Changes

- 20 The Brass Coast Brief

- 21 Marcher Brief

- 22 Wintermark Brief

- 23 Commissions Updated

- 24 New Map Viewer

- 25 Senate Update

- 26 Rules Update

- 27 Sanctioned Event Update

- 28 Senate Pages Overhauled

- 29 Field Marshal

- 30 Nations and Territories

- 31 Ritual Corrections

- 32 Anvil Hospital

- 33 Map Update

- 34 Military Council Update

- 35 Senate Update

- 36 Bourse Update

- 37 Monstering

- 37.1 Conclave Update

- 38 Winter 2014 Rules Update

- 39 Updates April 2014

- 39.1 Conclave Overhaul

- 40 Updates March 2014

- 40.1 Minor updates

- 41 Updates February 2014

- 41.1 Minor updates

- 42 Updates January 2014

- 42.1 Minor additions

- 43 Updates after Event 4, Sept 2013

- 44 Updates between Event 3 and Event 4 2013

- 44.1 Ring of Triumph

- 44.2 Rules and OOC info

- 44.3 World information

- 44.4 Magic

- 44.5 Music

Ritual Changes

- Updated 23/06/15

Some minor tweaks to rituals.

- We've removed the time limit on Whispers through the Black Gate to allow it to be performed on dead people who died more recently than a day ago while stressing that the longer ago someone died the less likely it is you get them.

- We've added the functionality to Timeless Hammer Rhythm that allows it to be used to "reforge" an expired ribbon, to keep continuity of character.

Declaration of Dissemination

- Updated 22/06/15

There have been several questions about how the Imperial Conclave can share rituals with representatives of other nations. The Declaration of Dissemination has been added to address these questions.

Clarification of Imperial Inquisitor

- Updated 03/06/15

While making the Imperial Chaplain Consular page, it beceame neccessary to clarify how the powers of that title were used. After doing that, the Imperial Inquisitor was also adjusted to use their powers in the same way - namely, that they still place a judgement before the Synod, but that no vote is required. This is similar to the way an Imperial title operates in the Senate.

Streamlined Administration Process

- Updated 31/5/5

We have streamlined the administration process for players handing in resources to use to pay for senate commissions or to affects Winds of Fortune. If we are already aware that you intend to pay for something (from your actions in the field) then we will take the resources from your downtime automatically rather than wait for you to email us. You should still email Profound Decisions to let us know that you want to use the materials - as this will ensure that the action is not overlooked - but we will not wait to receive an email if we believe we know what you intend to do.

If a mistake occurs then you should email us as quickly as possible so that we can rectify that.

Clarify Proxy Voting Rules

- Updated 19/5/5

Clarified the proxy rules to explain that a character cannot proxy votes for the appointment of a title in the Senate or Bourse. For example, a Navarr character could not give another character the votes that come from their herb garden during the appointment of The Thimble Bourse seat. You can learn more here.

Forgery

We have updated the published rules for forgery to make absolutely clear that it is cheating to forge bourse notes.

Item Correction

We have corrected the costs of the Staff of Life which were correct on the database but wrong on the wiki entry for this item.

Sects

The rules for priestly co-operation within sects were unintentionally more restrictive than those for co-operation in the absence of a sect. The duplication of rules has been removed, leaving priests precisely as able to co-operate within sects as without.

Winter 2015 Rules Update

Over winter we carried out a review of the rules from the second year. As a result of that review we have changed a number of rules. We are in the process of updating the wiki to reflect these rules changes. We will continue to carry out reviews of rules each winter. The most recent updates are to magic, particularly spontaneous magic and battle magic.

Magic Item modifications

The Healer's Harness and Warcaster's Oath were rendered useless by our change to spellcasting. We have modified the effect of both, and raised the cost of the Healer's Harness to reflect these changes.

Magic standards must be carried (wording strengthened from "should"); back banners, tabards and especially flamboyant bandanas are not appropriate phys-reps for magic standards, and this was not clearly communicated by the previous wording.

Otkodov Spy Network

The Otkodov spy network was initially set up before more detailed information about how they worked was available. A single spy network cannot provide information about an entire nation, only a single territory. We have clarified this, and future reports from this spy network will focus on the Thule territory of Verthandi.

Ritual Theory

We've created a series of pages relating to ritual theory that provide background, setting and rules information for players. It is primarily of use to players who want to create new spontaneous magic effects, or explore the theories of how ritual magic work. This is somewhat of a work in progress - we intend to expand it to cover more setting-related information such as what crystal mana is or how it differs from personal mana (for example), but the information given here should serve as a good foundation for players who want to discuss magical theories in the field.

Brass Coast Army Support

Following the re-integration of Segura into the Empire, the Brass Coast now has the ability to support three armies rather than two.

Senate Commissions

We added details of three new civillian commissions available to the Imperial Senate.

- The College of Magic.

- The Runeforge.

- The Embassy.

- The Imperial navy.

Remote Navarr

We've clarified a few design concepts around the Navarr on the Remote Navarr page. To accompany this, we've made a few edits to look and feel to reflect those clarifications.

Military Council Overhaul

We have done a major redesign of the way the Imperial Military Council works. This has included clarification on the events at the muster and Council session, as well as expanded and clarified material regarding the role of a general, the Field Marshal and the civil servant role of the herald of the Council. We've also given the right of Council address to the High Exorcist and Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies.

At the same time, we've clarified and streamlined some of the factors to do with war, including the way that generals submit their orders. We've also included a campaign outcome page that details the mathematics that underlie the campaign resolution system.

Finally, we've removed the idea of keywords from armies - each imperial army now has a singular quality that reflects the way that army operates. This means that we have also overhauled all the existing armies with new abilities. The individual armies will be updated over the next day or so, but for the moment the changes are detailed on the table here.

You can find details of some of our reasons for these changes here.

Field Marshal

Following discussion with our magistrates, we have removed the idea that it is a legal requirement for the Field Marshal to address the Imperial Senate. It is still a responsibility of the role, but it is up to the Imperial Synod to deal with Field Mashalls who neglect to do so, rather than the Magistrates.

Clemency

We removed the idea that characters with Imperial Titles were given additional weight by a magistrate. This was simply not the case in practice, and undermined the idea of virtuous defence. A virtuous argument from a priest should hold more weight than a poor speech from the Throne.

Legacy of Thorns

We've clarified that the blade venoms (specifically oil of blackthorn and Redwillow Paste cannot be applied to implements).

Ritual Changes

Several rituals are receiving clarifications and tweaks.

- Whispering Shadow Courtiers no longer references the idea of providing visions of "nearby" things. It functions like Signs and Portents, drawing from a pool of visions including "important" or "relevant" secrets, no matter where in the Empire it is cast.

- Wisdom of the Balanced Blade no longer gains a bonus to penetrate magical obscuring effects. As with Bright Lantern of Ophis it must overcome the full strength of an effect designed to obscure information about a curse.

- Eyes of the Sun and Moon has been tweaked to specifically provide military information about armies and fortifications. We've also removed the "hour's notice" requirement from the ritual as the information it delivers is now prepared for each potential target territory before an event.

- The Eye of the High Places has been tweaked to clarify that it determines any large scale effects on the target territory, and to remove reference to detecting small-scale effects such as resource enchantments which were proving difficult to collate information about.

- Reading the Weave has been clarified to remove reference to information that was proving difficult to uncover in a timely fashion.

- Bright Lantern of Ophis has had its ability to divine large-scale effects from a distance removed - this is now the purview of The Eye of the High Places.

- Wisdom of the Balanced Blade no longer requires a regio to analyse an area curse, but the ritualists must be in the presence of the curse in some fashion.

- Sum of the Parts has had its magnitude increased, correcting a significant rounding error

The Brass Coast Brief

We have updated the Brass Coast brief on the Brass Coast magical traditions and the Hakima to clarify their political niche and to modify their role slightly. The Hakima are now dedicated to aiding (and meddling in the affairs of) the entire nation rather than an individual tribe. The old brief was too focused, and too limited in scope and we think these changes will help address that. We've also made a minor change to the way kohan are organised, primarily to remove the restriction that the members of a group belong to a single tribe.

We've also expanded on the material on corsairs that was originally scattered around the Brass Coast section. The new brief contains some new elements and advice on creating corsair characters and groups.

Marcher Brief

We have updated the Marcher brief on the the Marches magical traditions and Landskeepers to clarify their political niche and how they usually organize themselves. We have corrected the old text to make clear that Landskeepers make frequent use of curses against those they believe have transgressed against Marcher traditions and Marcher interests. The old brief was restricting the ability of existing Landskeepers to access the full range of magical powers at events and the previous Landskeeper political structure was too complex and fine-grained to be workable in play.

Wintermark Brief

We have updated the Wintermark brief on the good death to remove any mention of how Wintermark treats individuals who are maimed or crippled. Any form of discrimination on the grounds of disability is against our game rules on equality and diversity and does not fit the setting. Many of the heroes of the Empire come from hard lands - but the Wintermark brief stood out as none of the other briefs single out individuals who are disabled in anyway for special note. The people of the Empire do not discriminate on grounds of infirmity.

Commissions Updated

We have updated the page on commission to lay out the essential details needed for any new commission.

New Map Viewer

Racheet Dave has produced a cool new map viewer for the Empire. The maps page has been updated with a link to the new map viewer.

There are also new maps showing the tactical/political features of the Empire, and two maps showing Barbarian lands (Otkodov and the Barrens).

Senate Update

We have updated the rules for mercantile commissions, and added a page each for a sinecure, ministry, and great work. The costs to make new mercantile commissions has been altered and reduced for play balance reasons. We have increased the effective output of the Madruga Shipyard, but all other existing sinecures, ministries and great works are unaffected.

Rules Update

We have removed Spider Folds the Net from the list of available rituals. The ritual had major problems and after several attempts to fix it, we have abandoned the attempt and simply deleted it. Everyone who had the ritual now has a free slot that they can fill at any time instead. If anyone requires an IC explanation for the change, it is because recent movements of the constellations have rendered the ritual unworkable.

Rules for Battlefield Rituals written up.

Regio rules changed: using a regio does not automatically make the ritual take ten minutes. Some rituals intrinsically take ten minutes, and some rituals require a regio. There is some overlap between these groups.

Sanctioned Event Update

We have added some guidelines for using Imperial Law at sanctioned events.

Senate Pages Overhauled

We have overhauled the Senate wiki pages, mostly to improve the presentation and make the processes clearer. The overhaul includes a few changes to the political rules and powers of some positions. As with other recent updates we have included some OOC design notes about the changes and this part of the game.

Key changes or clarifications are:

- Procedural motions are eliminated, allocation and assignment are done by normal motions. Administrative motions covering minor matters by civil service remain.

- The Throne can talk in the Senate but cannot propose a motion or vote in the Senate.

- The Throne can address the senate.

- The Throne gains the Custodian of Virtue power to change a vote in the Synod.

- The Throne gains the Order of the Throne power to nominate speakers in the Conclave.

- We have removed the deadline for the Senate to appoint a national position but given the wider Senate freedom to act earlier if they choose.

Field Marshal

A page for the Field Marshal, the official name for the Field Commander chosen by the Military Council has been added to the wiki. This page expands on this position, how it works, the powers, limitations and responsibilities. It includes some OOC design notes about why the position works the way it does.

Nations and Territories

The Wintermark Territories have been extensively expanded. A note was added to Wintermark history to make it clear that the position of king or queen of Wintermark was not a hereditary position.

(09/10/14) Extensive updates to Varushka Territories; to Redoubt in Urizen; and to Tassato and Sarvos in The League (including the creation of the Keeper of the Sapphire Stair sinecure)

Ritual Corrections

The following rituals had incorrect costs listed on the wiki. These have now been corrected.

- Blood and Salt

- Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart

- Unending Cascade of Blood's Fire

The last ritual was incorrectly reduced in magnitude shortly before the last event. This error has been fixed and the original correct magnitude restored.

The following ritual had an incorrect casting time listed on the wiki. This has now been corrected.

- Rising_Roots_that_Rend_Stone

The following rituals have been overhauled to bring them into line with each other and changes to the Campaign Battles.

- Knights of Glory

- Quickening Cold Meat

- Clarity of the Master Strategist

- Bound by Common Cause

- Thunderous Tread of the Trees

- Forge the Wooden Fastness

- Dripping Echoes of the Fen

- Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canea

Anvil Hospital

We have added information about the Anvil Hospital & Imperial School of Medicine to the wiki. Thanks to all the players involved for creating this great institution.

Map Update

There is a new strategic-and-political map of the Empire here, and each of the Imperial (or formerly Imperial) territories now has a territory map. Over the next few days, each territory page will be overhauled and updated to include more information about regions and points of interest.

Military Council Update

We have updated the Imperial Military Council, streamlining the processes which we will use going forwards to calculate the outcomes of military campaigns, and giving player generals more freedom and control over what happens to their armies. We have also modified the upkeep costs for fortifications to ensure that powerful fortifications remain tenable. We have overhauled the presentation of the section to bring it into line with the new pages for the Imperial Conclave and added extra design notes and an explanation for the change.

Senate Update

We've reorganised several pages, as well as creating separate pages for titles such as senator. We've also done some work clarifying some of the powers of The Throne where their function was either unclear, or would work poorly.

Bourse Update

Several new Imperial Bourse titles have been added to the wiki.

- Bailiff of the Grand Market (Marcher position)

- Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel (Freeborn position)

- Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills (Freeborn position)

- Mistress of the Glass Parador (Freeborn position)

- Custodian of the Assayer's Guild (League position)

- Provost of the Halls of Knowledge (Urizen position)

- Castellan of Spiral Castle (Dawn position)

The method by which national bourse positions are assigned has been updated for the Marches and the League.

Monstering

Information about monstering and making your own barbarian tribe has been added to the wiki. Everyone who is keen is welcome to join us for big kit making session on Friday before the Easter event starts. Whatever you make is yours to keep! We'll hope to find time to add more detail to these pages later in the year.

Conclave Update

Players have asked us to provide an IC explanation for the change in the Conclave rules, rather than simply retcon it, so we have done as requested.

Winter 2014 Rules Update

Over winter we carried out a review of the rules from the first year. As a result of that review we have changed a few rules. We are in the process of updating the wiki to reflect these rules changes. We will continue to carry out reviews of rules each winter, but do not envisage making many other significant changes in the future.

The rules update has been updated... please note that you need to have the relevant skill to participate in a ceremony as part of a sect.

Updates April 2014

Finally wrote up Riddle Hides the Reward.

Clarified power of The Throne to ratify constitutional votes.

Added details of a Highborn celebration to the Customs and Culture section of Highguard.

Changed Warmage again in line with constitutional note.

Clarified ability of Senator to resupply army on Casualties page

Completed motions outstanding from 377YE_Summer_Solstice_Senate_Session

Updates and maps for Semmerholm, Liathaven, Therunin, Mournwold, Brocéliande and Spiral are up, but still stubbed until I have time to check all the backgrounds in the world.

Conclave Overhaul

A number of pages have been changed to reflect changes to the way the Imperial Conclave will function at future events. You can read about the changes in more detail here

- Updated the Imperial Conclave page to lay out the new Conclave in more detail

- Created pages for the three principles of the Conclave Principle of Precedence, Principle of Proportions and Principle of Presence.

- Updated the Conclave order page with details of joining an order and the powers of membership.

- Updated the Membership of the Order section of each conclave order page, and included details of the base materials that go into their Conclave vault each season. The orders are Celestial Arch, Sevenfold Path, Shuttered Lantern, Rod and Shield, Golden Pyramid and Unfettered Mind.

- Updated detect magic with regard to Arcane Mark.

- Updated Imperial title pages for Archmage, Grandmaster, Dean of the Lyceum, Warmage and created a page for the Bursar of the Conclave.

- Updated Conclave session and created pages explaining Conclave address, declaration, gambit and amity and enmity

- Included the ritual Arcane Mark

- Updated Powers of the Senate to reference creation and dissolution of Conclave order and to remove references to Imperial Lore.

Updates March 2014

Ongoing changes to ritual text durations and targeting guidelines; most of these are just clarifications. Specific changes include:

- Rot's Rightful Claim is no longer an enchantment

- Added a section about ilium use to Mark of Ownership

- Added a section to Black Iron Blade allowing it's magnitude to be increased when cast on a single target to allow removal of protected bonds.

- Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence, Naeve's Twisting Blight, Winter's Ghosts and Drawing the Penumbral Veil now target a territory rather than a region

- Clarity of the Master Strategist now requires a Day regio to bring it into line with other campaign army rituals

- Transmogrification of the Soul's Echo is now clearer on who makes the changes - it is not a brainwashing ritual

Sanctioned event guidelines have been updated to give advice on how to apply Profound Decisions equality and diversity rules to your event.

Tidied up information about several Bourse seats, and linked the physical locations of the seat resources to the territory sections.

Clarified military unit downtime options relating to assigning to Imperial armies or special projects and the production from doing so.

Overhauled and updated Skarsind page, with smaller updates elsewhere especially to Miekarova and Hercynia territory pages

Overhauled and updated Reikos page, with smaller updates elsewhere

Updated the Titles Autumn 377 page to indicate who has what title as of the end of 2013

Overhauled and updated Hercynia page, with smaller updates elsewhere

Made some changes to the with reference to operate portal and detect magic

Several changes to enchantment effects, as well as a slight change to the way an enchantment made permanent with ilium can be removed

Changed duration of Mark of Ownership to "as long as the item lasts"

Minor updates

Corrected an error where Enfeebling Echo was referred to as Hand of Time on the staffs category page, and corrected an error in the materials (it costs seven beggar's lye, not seven beggar's lye and seven green iron. Matt to change on database.

Clarified the way that Witness works for priests in the Imperial Conclave.

Updates February 2014

The senate powers to create new Imperial titles have been overhauled with additional content and clarification.

Update about changing a resource

LaTeX download added to runes

Update to Spider's Tollkeep and Advisor on orc affairs to correct error in who can hold these titles; as National positions, they can be held only by characters from those nations.

Slight change to Vallorn interconnectivity; Vallorn are not believed to be interconnected, allowing more plot options.

Ongoing changes to ritual text durations and targetting guidelines; most of these are just clarifications. Specific changes include:

- Touch of Vile Humours has changed to bring it into line with the new rules on Day duration enchantments

- Forge the Wooden Fastness, Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae and similar rituals are undergoing a revision to bring them into line with out rules on fortifications. Watch this space.

Changed the election process for Keeper of the Spice Gardens has been adjusted to bring it into line with the section on the appointment of titles; added a page about the Keeper title; made some edits to the Feroz section about the gardens.

Rules about what happens with personal resources in conquered territories added here.

Change to orc rules about liao and religious skills, to make the situation very clear

Additional page Languages added to wiki

Details of the Eternals Sung and Janon laid out.

Minor updates

Recordings of songs added for Brass Coast (Lost Segura, Wagon Song, Without You) and Marches (Marcher Battle Song, Apple Wassail).

An option to retire a character using Sift the Dreamscape's Sands added

Updates January 2014

More details added to the sanctioned events page including rules.

The Play one, Crew one rule added to the Battles page

Traders page updated

Events page updated with details of 2014 events

Facebook and Forums page with links for the various social media resources that exist for Empire.

PD management team page updated to show Alison and Matt's current event roles.

Minor additions

A new minor trapping added to the Naga page.

New song "For Once I Was A Young Man" added to Highguard music

New costume diary added to costume advice - high status Marchers doublet.

Updates after Event 4, Sept 2013

Synod Results, Autumn Summit, 377 YE

Updates between Event 3 and Event 4 2013

All updates up to Event 4 are grouped here under appropriate heading.

Details of event 4 Autumn Equinox 2013

Ring of Triumph

An error on the summary page for the Ring of Triumph has been corrected. The correct materials for this item are include six ingots of green iron not six ingots of tempest jade

Rules and OOC info

Update on the FAQ

- Question added - Can I email a longer background?

- Clarification about using using a one handed spear as a two handed pole weapon.

- Clarification about using hero skills at range.

A section added to playing the game about stealing IC items and what to do with the phys reps.

Traders info updated with details of Jolly Dicey, Twisted Flax, Grimm & Grizzly and a new website for Mandala Studios.

World information

A current affairs page added to pull together various reports including elections, senate and synod decisions from the first three events. This page and the various other pages it leads to should be updated each event. There is also a page which details the planned elections at E4 .

Addition of Damaris of Cantiarch's Hold as a examplar

Pages about Trogoni and Plaguewulf added.

The section on Madruga has been updated to show the current situation with the now repaired Spider's Dream bridge and the Imperial title Spider's Tollkeep which is funded from the tolls is now available for election again.

Section on criminal offences updated with more links to the religious crimes section. New crime of desecration added. Several new Imperial titles have been created they will be added to the Current Imperial Titles list in due course.

More information added to some foreign nations including a new page on Iron Confederacy

Updated information on the Imperial Bourse about elections and titles.

More Eternals detailed

Details added about Fortifications and existing ones added to relevant territory pages.

On going - Details of senate decisions and the resulting actions being added as the scribes have time, check the Senate sessions for details.

Magic

- Ritual Cold Water from the Mountain changed from Spring to Day

- Autumn ritual Sum of the Parts added.

Updates to Dean of the Lyceum and Conclave session about adding new rituals available to Imperial citizens.

Music

Highguard Go To War added to Highguard music

Extra information about music added to Urizen including three new songs.

Also a whole bunch of song pdfs have been updated.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Wiki_Updates&oldid=36346"

Will

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Making a Will

- 3 Passing on Resources

- 4 Passing on Personal Effects

- 5 Holding in Trust

- 6 Disputes

Overview

Any Imperial citizen can make a will bequeathing their estate and belongings to other characters after they die. There is no requirement to have a will, it is purely a personal and roleplay choice. If you are concerned that your estate will not be passed on correctly then creating a will and leaving copies with your character's allies is the best way to ensure that your wishes are followed.

Neither Profound Decisions, nor any of our NPCs, will register or record your will. You will need to make the appropriate arrangements in game.

Making a Will

Although the Imperial legal system recognizes wills, there is no formal mechanism for creating or registering a will. It is down to the individual how they create their will, how they notarize it and who they ask to hold the will for them.

The Imperial Civil Service take no part in the administration of wills as they cannot undertake commitments which might require them to place the interests of individual citizens above those of the Empire or the Imperial Constitution.

Passing on Resources

If a person has invested in the upgrade of their Personal Resource they may wish to pass it on to another citizen should they die. Whoever takes on a resource after the previous owner dies will need to pay a fee of 2 Crowns. If there is any doubt about who should receive the resource then the interested parties will need a magistrate to settle the dispute.

Once all in-character issues of ownership have been resolved, then the new owner should inform Profound Decisions administration team, either at GOD or by email before the end of the next downtime. We will then update the ownership accordingly.

Passing on Personal Effects

Items that the deceased are carrying with them are usually distributed amicably after death by friends and family. If there is a will in place this could be used to direct such distribution and form the basis for resolving any disputes which arise.

If a character owns significant possessions which they have not brought to Anvil, then ownership of these items follows the same rules for resources above. Items registered in a character's inventory by Profound Decisions can be transferred to another character. This can be done in person at GOD or between events by email.

Holding in Trust

Sometimes a character may want to instruct that a resource be held in trust by a named individual until a suitable recipient is found (eg a priest's congregation held until a new priest comes forward). In this situation there is no need to update ownership of the resource on the database until the trustee is ready to dispose of the asset. Any resource remains registered with the dead owner indefinitely until it is claimed.

Disputes

Issues arising from wills can be raised with magistrates as civil claims and will be heard on their own merits. The magistrate will adjudicate the matter. Ownership will pass to whomever has the best claim, based on the perceived authenticity of any will.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Will&oldid=34542"

Windblow, home

Song by Gerwyn Walters (link to come)

Chorus Wind blow hot. Wind blow cold. From Te-run-ael, come warriors bold, To set their feet, on brambled path. Bloody feet! The Vallorn's Wrath.

Verse 1 Come Navarr young. Come Navarr old. Show the courage, that you hold. Barb-ed spear, and bow run free, And walk the path that, will set us free

Chorus ' Verse 2 Come Nav-ar-ri. Bare your pride, Along the Trod both, long and wide. Bare you brands, to the green, So our oaths there, can be seen.

Chorus

Verse 3 Come Way-far-ers, bare you load, Onward, always, down the road. Greet your friends, along the way. Bring your oath-sworn, to the fray.

Chorus

Verse 4 Come now branded, hark to me. Guide our path through, the cursed trees. Bring us home, where our ancient rest. Put our loyalty, to the test.

Chorus

Verse 4 Come now blood-ed, hooded vate. Ward your sisters. Ward your mate. Take your place, with-in the dance. Let the blood flow, on the manse.

Chorus

Verse 5 Come now Thorns, with blades a-drawn. Stand you ready. Stand you tall. With sharp eyes you, shield the stride. Sharpen daggers, on Vallorn hide.

Chorus

Verse 6 Come Navarri. Come the Nine. Where we walk, we walk in time. Our empire will, never fall. We swear this oath, to fight for all.

Coda Wind blow hot. Wind blow cold. To Te-run-ael, come warriors bold. Where we walk, and where we bleed, We will full-fil, Navarr's creed

Wind blow hot. Wind blow cold. To Te-run-ael, Come warriors bold, On bloody feet, both young and old. Human triumph, are foretold.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Windblow,_home&oldid=20158"

Wind of Mundane Silence

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 150

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 150

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual can only be performed in a powerful regio. It cannot be performed by a coven who is drawing on the power of that regio to enhance their ritual.

Effects

At the completion of the ritual, the target regio is destroyed.

Description

This ritual ends a regio permanently. In theory, a regio might be recreated, but there is no guarantee of this. The circumstances that caused the destroyed regio to form will need to recur, and it will take about the same amount of time. A lonely graveyard might eventually generate another Winter regio, but it is likely to take as many decades as the original regio took to form, perhaps longer; there is a theory that events that helped empower the original regio do not influence the formation of a later regio.

To all intents and purposes, the regio is gone forever.

Any portal attached to the regio is also destroyed; this usually means that any chamber or hidden realm associated with the regio is also destroyed.

Common Elements

This ritual is often performed with an extended invocation, often with funereal elements such as the ringing of bells. A fire that represents the power of the regio might be built and then dramatically extinguished at the climax of the ritual.The rune Yoorn is often evoked, as is the constellation of The Lock.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Wind_of_Mundane_Silence&oldid=18708"

Windreaping Sickle

Description

In parts of the League a rod of this nature is called an rod of expeditious retreat or more rarely a lefthand bastard. Both names refer to it's use by magicians who find themselves in trouble, providing an opening through which to flee. The lefthand bastard is a reference to a popular combination used by some ambidextrous mountebanks in which the rod is wielded in one hand while a long blade is used in the other. A magician equipped with both can drive one opponent away while delivering a nasty slash with the other hand.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you can cast the repel spell as if you knew it and without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a windreaping sickle requires seven ingots of tempest jade. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"You have sown the wind and now you will ... ah just bugger off.".

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Winter Realm (Redirected from Winter)

Redirect page

Realms

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Winter's Breath

Description

Crafted from pieces of pale leather, or from thick padded cloth, with weltsilver fastenings, a jacket of winter's breath provides emergency protection on the battlefield. When far from help, more than one wearer has been saved from a cold, lonely death by the burst of energy this armour provides. Some artisans insist that the best suits of winter's breath are crafted at the end of winter, soaked in snowmelt so that they are infused with the promise of the thaw. The harsher the preceding winter, they say, the more powerful the resulting armour. It is said that the first five-hundred Winter’s Breath was made by Sermersuaq for her human children from the skins of her drowned children that became seals. Suaq seal hunters believe it is good luck to wear a seal-skin padded leather Winter’s Breath. These are often painted with designs of swimming seals and the runes: Lann, the rune of bargains, and Xun, the rune of transformations, representing the tale of the Sermersuaq’s children. Therefore they are often referred to as “Seal Coats” or "Mother’s Coats” among the Suaq. The latter makes them popular gifts from parent to child.

The Freeborn live in warmer climes and thus have less need of protection from the cold, and thus name this item the “Rainbow Coat”. It is traditionally made of 30 layers of silk, the wealthy dye each layer a different colour, with the outer and inner layers being heavily embroidered with weltsilver thread and ambergelt beads. It is popular among corsairs, as they are able to swim in it should they fall overboard . However should anyone die while wearing a Rainbow Coat then it is considered unlucky to handle, let alone wear. Often a Hakima will ritually cleanse the item before it is burned by a sutannir who knows the rite of Exorcism.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of light armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day you may use the second wind skill.

- Materials: Crafting a winter's breath requires five ingots of ambergelt and five ingots of weltsilver. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“Suvi, don’t leave the cottage without your Seal Coat.”

“But, ‘’Mother,’’ I don’t need it. I’ve passed my warrior test now. I’m taking my spear out hunting. I’ll be fine.”

“Now your father stayed at home every night for a month sewing that Coat for you and I hunted those seals for you myself. Even your little brother helped with the painting.”

“I know he helped. That’s why it looks more like a horse than a seal.”

“I know you are very brave, but the Empire can’t be defended by heroes who are frozen to death on the Tsirku. Save your bravery for when you need it, my puffin.”

“Ugh, fine, I’ll be back in a couple of days. I’m off with Eawyn and Tostig. There is a pod of beluga out in the bay.”

“Okay, remember to take Thane Raygada her share when you get back.”

“Of course, ‘Mother’, what do you think I am, a Maggot?”

“Of course not, dear, now off you go.”

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Winter%27s_Breath&oldid=32696"

Winter's Ghosts

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 50

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 50

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Winter regio. This ritual targets a territory, and must be performed at a regio in that territory. If the ritual is used to target an Imperial territory, it may instead be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

All farms, forests, businesses, mines, mana sites and herb gardens in the target territory provide only half as much material as they would normally provide.

The additional production provided by an enchantment such as Rampant Growth is not effected by this curse.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

The ritual unleashes malignant spirits to torment the people of the territory. Crops fail, animals sicken and die; human and orc inhabitants suffer malaise and nightmares; unseasonable weather causes floods and droughts. Preserved foodstuffs are ravaged by rot and mould, as are buildings and such vital implements as pit props and support beams. Misfortune, weakness, hunger and dread run rampant. Tempers fray, and everything goes wrong at once.

When this ritual is used against a barbarian territory, it interrupts their abilities to supply and support their armies, and will often cause them to withdraw or become bogged down.

The spirits unleashed by this ritual are rarely visible, nor entirely material; they sometimes appear as emaciated shapes, sometimes skeletal, sometimes with obvious unnatural features such as twisted horns or glowing eyes. Others manifest as nothing more than howling winds and whispered threats, or looming presences that surprise lone travellers. They never actually attack anyone, but where they pass misfortune follows.

Scholars believe that these are similar kinds of spirits that Quickening Cold Meat binds into corpses to create undead.

Common Elements

The ritual releases uncontrolled spirits across a territory. Grim, throbbing musical rhythms, slow threatening movement and invocations of dread and hunger are all used to raise and direct this malign power. It is common to evoke the rune Naeve and sometimes Ull, Gralm or Mawrig with this ritual.

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Winterborn Warmail

Description

The first suits of winterborn warmail were crafted in Varushka in the early years of the Empire, where the artisans of Volodmartz discovered new techniques of working the metals from their abundant mines. These techniques involved subjecting the alloys of orichalcum and weltsilver to the freezing temperatures of the mountain tops in winter, a process which toughened them beyond all expectations. Although this armour can be made in any cool cellar or tunnel, it is widely held that the very best examples are those worked in the bitter cold of Wintermark and northern Varushka during the depths of winter.

Due to the vast expense of the materials and the scarcity of such skilled armourers, this armour is truly rare, every suit individually named and worn by the Empire's most renowned (or most wealthy) warriors. Even generals find it difficult to acquire and look jealously at any collegue who dons it. Freeborn generals often strive to acquire suits of Winterborn Scale. Should they die during the post and their armour is retrieved, their family will often give it to a talented young warrior to give them some of the deceased general's strength, even after the enchantment has worn off.

Empress Varkula wore a suit of this armour on campaign, and towards the end of her decades-long reign she tended to wear it even when she was not on a battlefield. Partly in honour of this warlike empress, and partly from considerations of practicality, this armour is popular with draughir from many nations, resulting in popular epithets such as Draughir Warplate, Dreadlord's Panoply and Hungerer's Heart.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of heavy armour.

- Requirement: Any character can bond to this item.

- Effect: You gain three additional ranks of the endurance skill.

- Materials: Crafting a suit of winterborn mail requires sixteen ingots of of orichalcum, nine ingots of weltsilver, nine measures of ambergelt and five measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Virtueless dogs of the Varushkan wilds, filth that descends from the tree-line to threaten my Empire, look upon your enemy! For all your play-acting the terrors of the unknown night, you are lambs before my ravenous slaughter. I am your nightmare of rampant civilisation come to kill you without mercy or honour. I am the conqueror with the strength of nations come to drive you from your land. I am the fire that is fueled by the hate of millions, and I declare this vale mine, this forest mine, these mountains mine, and this army mine to take them with!

Look upon your enemy, o' mangy curs of Miekarova! There is more strength in my armour than in the best of your warriors!The Carrion Queen, Act 1, Scene 2

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Winter magic

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Resonance

- 2.1 Weakness

- 2.2 Endings

- 2.3 Hunger

- 2.4 Fear

- 2.5 Wisdom

- 2.6 Oaths and Wards

- 2.7 Cruelty

- 2.8 Punishment

- 2.9 Survival

- 2.10 Preservation

- 2.11 Death

- 3 Dissonance

- 3.1 Healing

- 3.2 Creation

- 3.3 Hope

- 3.4 Strength

- 3.5 Prosperity

- 3.6 Community

- 4 Further Reading

Overview

The magic of Winter is old, hungry and cruel but also wise - it has seen all the horror the world has to offer, and it has triumphed over it. Winter magic is dangerous to the wielder and the world, but its power cannot be denied and it is honest about the harm it may cause. It is not evil in a human sense - it simply wells up from dark places that have little regard for the weakness of humans.

When most people think of Winter magic, they think of curses. The realm is adept at bringing harm to others, and no other realm is quite so adept at weaving ironic or unspeakable punishments. It is especially adept at delivering curses that deal with concepts of extreme age (crippling, tiredness, infirmity, withering sickness, mental degradation and even death), hunger (hunger and thirst for food and drink that cannot be allayed, robbing something of its joy or meaning, or more unpleaseant urges such as a drive to commit cannibalism) and fear (everything from full-blown feelings of crippling fear to nagging doubts and uncertainties, an infestation of nightmares, or the slow eroding of hope into despair). These curses can also become blights that affect larger areas, or they can become contagious effects that spread through a bloodline or town.

The realm is also hungry, a hunger that can manifest in the form of rituals that prey on other people or on binding ravenous spirits into mortal flesh. Stealing someone’s youth to prolong your own life, or consuming their power to gain a little of it yourself both resonate with Winter. These rituals are never an even trade – a large portion of whatever energy they deal with is bled off into winter – and they often come with other dreadful downsides (they might be addictive, for example, or need to repeated regularly to avoid a painful and messy death). There is often a sacrifice with winter magic - but it is the sacrifice of the self for others not the sacrifice of others for the self.

At its heart, this Realm is old and it understands the power that fear and death have over the living. Yet from this understanding grows wisdom - and from wisdom comes a very different form of power. No realm approaches the potency of Winter when it comes to creating wards, bindings or oaths.

There are of course mystics and scholars say that the magic of Winter is innately dangerous. They claim that each magical effect ended, each portion of energy consumed, and each incident of destruction somehow “feeds” the Wasteland. The energies it consumes are gone forever, and eventually all the magic in the world will be swallowed up by Winter, bringing an end to creation. Another group disagree – they claim that by using the magic of Winter the magician steals power from the Realm, postponing the eventual death of creation. Magicians who work powerful Winter rituals often speak of the magic as being dangerous - predatory or watchful. They must wield it without fear, without showing the slightest weakness, because if they do they can sense that the cold, cruel magic will take advantage and turn against the practitioner.

Winter magic is the most powerful because it is honest - it is power stripped of deception - and because it deals with the inevitable powers of death and decay. Those who wield Winter magic can become powerful protectors - or devastating villains.

Resonance

Weakness

The Winter Realm is preoccupied with ageing and especially with the weakness and infirmity that comes from old age and the realm resonates strongly with any rituals that produce similar effects. All manner of mortal ailments, even simple exhaustion, are likewise strongly favoured by the realm. Magics that weaken need not be limited to the body; Winter magic excels at weakening objects and structures, causing metals to corrode, wood to rot, and stone to erode. It can even be used to blight the land however the more powerful winter destruction is, the slower and more insidious it tends to be.

Examples: the weakness spell, Withering Touch of Frost, Crumbling Flesh and Withering Limbs, Hungry Grasp of Despair, Naeve's Twisting Blight, Inevitable Collapse into Ruin, Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw, and The Grave's Treacherous Edge.

Endings

Winter magic likes to bring things to things to an end. For many objects and buildings this means their destruction, but Winter magic can be used in different ways to cause things to end. There is no generic "dispel magic" effect in Empire, but Winter is far and away the best the realm to use to bring magic that is ongoing and active to an end.

Examples: Black Iron Blade, Words of Ending, Ravenous Tongue of Entropy, Devastating Scythe of Anguish and Loss, Wind of Mundane Silence, and Wither the Seed.

Hunger

The physical needs of the body are a common theme of the realm, but this resonance incorporates more than just physical needs - it includes hunger in the metaphorical sense as well. Desires such as the hunger for power or for wealth are all claimed by Winter. Eating or consuming things, especially consuming something to gain strength by sating your hunger, are all powerful forces in Winter magic, as are any rituals that involve empowering yourself at the expense of others.

Examples: Coil of the Black Leech, Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence, and Gnawing, Endless Hunger.

Fear

Fear is a powerful emotion throughout the Winter Realm and Winter rituals that create fear are especially potent. Almost any fear resonates in Winter: fear of death, fear of loss, or just fear of being hurt. This resonance also spans some of the things that help to feed fear, especially uncertainty and doubt. Strangely, fear is often seen as a positive force by many Winter eternals, who believe that it serves as a warning, helping individuals to realize when they are in danger.

Examples: Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt.

Wisdom

Rituals that embrace wisdom and long memories, that provide the understanding that comes from experience, are all resonant with Winter magic. Traditions, especially traditional lore passed down from one generation to another, are considered precious by the realm, as is any wisdom inherited from the past. Lore about death, curses, and mortal threats are especially important, as are rituals that involve the preservation or recall of lost memories.

Examples: An Echo of Life Remains, Wisdom of the Balanced Blade, Ruthless Vigilance, Healthy Crop and Whispers through the Black Gate.

Oaths and Wards

Both Autumn and Winter magic take a strong interest in statements of intent; while Autumn favours deals, pacts, and accords, Winter is most concerned with sworn oaths and geas. Winter magic wants to hold people to the words they speak, punishing those who break solemn vows. This binding nature of the Winter realm can also physically constrain people, creating wards that punish those who cross them.

Examples: Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court, Pakaanan's Iron Shutters, Hold Back Frozen Hunger, There Is No Welcome Here, Ward of the Black Waste, and Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust.

Cruelty

To mortal eyes, the Winter Realm often appears cruel or heartless. Winter magic often comes with a price to be paid; the more powerful the magic, the more terrible the price. When questioned on such matters, Winter eternals do not deny that Winter magic can exact a cruel toll on its caster, but they claim it reflects the true nature of the world - that things cannot be achieved without sacrifice.

Examples: Pallid Flesh of the Dead King, Sorins Rite of Agony.

Punishment

Winter magic deals with many rituals that administer punishment. The Realm delights in punishing those who have transgressed with suitable consequences for their actions, but magicians are advised to use such power carefully. Those who use the curses and punishments of Winter magic indiscriminately may soon find their enemies wielding the same power on them in turn.

Examples: Traitor's Fate, Freezing Brand of Irremais, and Circle of Trust, Winter's Ghosts.

Survival

The urge to survive is a powerful instinct of the Winter Realm, making rituals that draw on this resonance especially powerful. Winter magic can allow the beneficiary to endure pain or even resist death in the short term.

Examples: Hunger of the Draughir, Unyielding Constitution, Fight Tooth and Nail, and Last Breath Echoes.

Preservation

Winter magic has a predilection for preserving things. It naturally seeks to oppose change, wanting things to remain as they are, even if this leads to stagnation.

Examples: Fallow Fields and Dried Meat and Mark the Flesh Incorruptible.

Death

Death and the bodies of the dead are an obsession for many inhabitants of the Winter realm. Winter magic can speak to those who have recently departed and the realm includes divinations that can be performed on the bodies of the dead. Although there are no magics that can bring a person back from the dead, some of the most powerful Winter rituals allow the magician to summon drudges from the Winter Realm to occupy the bodies of the fallen, making them march at their command.

Examples: Quickening Cold Meat, Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust, Last Breath Echoes, An Echo of Life Remains, Hold Back Frozen Hunger, the Voice for the dead spell.

Dissonance

Healing

Although Winter magic can grant unnatural ability to survive, it is near powerless to heal those who have been harmed. Winter magic almost seems to prefer that the wounded suffer rather than recover swiftly. The realm takes no interest in rituals to provide good health and it would be desperately unwise to attempt to use the magic to improve fertility.

Creation

The Winter realm is strongly dissonant with any rituals that attempt to create. A skilled magician can use the Winter realm in constructive ways by destroying unwanted things allowing what remains to prosper, but the realm fiercely opposes any attempt to use it to construct or conceive new things.

Hope

There is no mercy in the Winter Realm; at best it can provide a sombre sympathy for the pain that life brings, at worst it takes a delight in the cruel and capricious nature of the mortal experience. The realm's inhabitants consider forgiveness to be foolish and weak and happiness to be the refuge of ignorant fools. Rituals cannot use WInter magic to create uplifting or positive feelings.

Strength

Winter does not strengthen or empower. It is extremely difficult for Winter magic to grant enhanced health, endurance or mighty blows. While a magician might shatter a shield with a touch of their rod, Winter cannot grant a warrior the strength needed to smash such a shield with their two-handed weapon. The personal enchantments that Winter creates are about resisting death through increased fortitude, or about enhancing personal power with a price (in the manner of rituals such as Sorin's Rite of Agony).

Prosperity

Winter ends where Autumn magic begins. It does not take for granted the idea that someone will be alive tomorrow in the way Autumn does. It is concerned with survival, not wealth. Winter does not work well with enchantments that deal with wealth, trade, commerce or creature comforts. It focuses towards the bottom end of the hierarchy of needs.

Community

Winter encourages selfishness. Sometimes, hard choices are needed to provide security for oneself and the people one is responsible for. Winter magic works well with small groups, but the larger a group becomes the more likely Winter is to break that community down into several smaller groups. It often promotes an "us and them" attitude that makes complex, large-scale beneficial effects increasingly difficult.

Further Reading

- Ritual theory

- Spring magic

- Summer magic

- Autumn magic

- Winter magic

- Day magic

- Night magic

- Spellcasting

- Rituals

- Formulaic Rituals

- Spontaneous Magic

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Wintermark children

Children are considered a mixed blessing in Wintermark, for every new child is another mouth to feed. While Wintermark has not suffered a major famine since it joined the Empire, there is still a tradition of giving new parents gifts of grain, or dried fruit, or meat to help celebrate the birth. Twins are considered unlucky by the Winterfolk, and it is still common for a childless friend or relative to adopt one of the twins and raise them as their own child even though the practical need to spread the burden of feeding babies and small children has mostly passed.

Older children are expected to work hard to help their parents. They are not allowed to fight before they are strong enough to hold a warrior’s sword at arm's length without shaking. No Thane will permit a child to take the battlefield with them unless they can pass this test.

Children are encouraged to talk to adults in the Hall, so that they may find a trade or calling that suits them, but never to pester them, lest they distract them from their business. Once a child is old enough to choose an apprenticeship, they are encouraged to stay close to their tutor where they can work to help. “Heroism is not found in the mouth” is an old Winterfolk saying. Even before then, children are expected to act and to be treated as small adults.

When playing amongst themselves, however, children are encouraged to be boisterous and energetic. Children are often given wooden practice swords and will divide themselves into orcs and warriors to play-fight it out. Some stormcrows enjoy the company of children and will spend their time teaching them the legends of Wintermark heroes of old to inspire them.

Things every child should know

- Stand on your own two feet. Every person in Wintermark should be able to stand up for themself.

- Heroism is not found in the mouth. Listen to what adults are saying, and avoid spreading tales. If you must tell someone, find a stormcrow and let them know what you have heard.

- Never back down when you know you are right. Never let anyone bully you or keep you from your rights. The Winterfolk stand firm and keep what is theirs.

- Be cunning as the Suaq, and wise as the Kallavesi. Learn about riddles and challenge each other with them. Riddles will sharpen your mind like a whetstone sharpens a sword.

- Choose your own path. Learn about all three traditions of the Winterfolk so that you can decide which one you wish to follow.

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Wintermark costumes

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Note: The tone and style of this page may need editing. All costume advice pages should be written in third person voice, using verbs that make clear that this page is advice, not direction.

Contents

- 1 Look and feel

- 1.1 Suaq

- 1.2 Kallavesi

- 1.3 Steinr

- 1.4 Similar nations

- 2 Research

- 2.1 Historical inspiration

- 2.2 Lord of the Rings Rohirrim

- 2.3 Game of Thrones

- 2.4 King Arthur 2004

- 2.5 Beowulf and Grendel 2005

- 2.6 Jade warrior

- 2.7 Skyrim

- 3 In detail

- 4 Specifics

- 4.1 Wintermark man and woman

- 4.2 Wintermark variations on the same tunic- utility and high status

- 4.3 Asymmetric hems

- 4.4 High-status bliaut-style tunic dress

- 4.5 High status kirtle

- 4.6 Suaq coats

- 4.7 Kallavesi looks

- 5 Hats and outerwear

- 6 Jewellery

- 7 Armour

- 7.1 Steinr

- 7.2 Kallavesi and Suaq

- 8 Bibliography and Resources

- 8.1 Further Reading

- 8.2 Patterns

- 8.3 Online Shops

- 8.4 Armour

- 8.5 Jewellery

Look and feel

Women and men, young and old are always ready to protect their home, family and the empire. Costume should reflect this. The wealthy may display their fortune in richer fabrics, decorative borders, beautiful armour and longer tunics but these things will not grant them respect. Some Winterfolk may wear long, full skirts or tight fitting kirtles but they should always be able to kill two orcs before breakfast whilst wearing them.

"They are perfectionists who value quality over mass production" - a group of Winterfolk are very unlikely to have a uniform or matching clothes.

"Wintermark art tends to be intricate and detailed" - add borders and trim to your tunics. This can be added to in between events to spread costs. Embroidery and beading may also be appropriate. Another idea might be to create or buy tooled leather 'patches' that you could add to plainer leather armour to build on its individuality and intricacy. If you are feeling arty, persuade a leather crafter to show you how to carve runes into your armour.

"The most common clothing for the Wintermark is a thigh length tunic over trousers" - most Winterfolk of any gender wear a version of this. Try several layers with varying sleeve and hem lengths. Some Winterfolk prefer a longer and fuller tunic or dress. The wealthier may also wear a kirtle or very simple form of the bliaut and corsage (see specifics section). More details on this are given later. Trousers are slim but not fitted, and normally wrapped with strips of cloth from ankle to knee. The differences between the three subcultures will be expressed in the way you adorn the basic costume. More details follow.

Suaq

Over their tunics the Suaq wear a hooded coat. In the cold north this would be made of thick animal pelts, fur side in. In warmer climates perhaps leather and in the imperial heartland in summer they may choose to wear linen or canvas versions. Base coat colors tend to be pale to blend with the icy landscape. Although they may keep them plain for hunting and scouting, at home most choose to paint or embroider their coats with bright sigils - symbols of animals and enemies the warrior has killed. Icewalkers tend to adorn their coats with fetishes in a similar way to Kallavesi mystics.

Kallavesi

The clothing of the Kallavesi tends to be a little more primitive and this is where some iron-age styles may be more appropriate. Clothes are a little rougher, unlikely to be tailored and colours will be more drab with occasional flashes of colour. Instead of decorative borders they adorn their clothes with fetishes and feathers, beads and bones. Headdresses are central to their identity as an individual and as a member of the Kallavesi and a symbol of their wisdom, power or responsibility. These are usually animal headdresses- either figuratively or literally as they believe it helps them draw on the animal's strengths. Mystics usually chose animals associated with wisdom or guile while warriors favour strong animals like bears, boars and stags.

Steinr

Steinr clothing is most similar to the central look. They will have multiple layers of tunics and more decorative borders. Although their clothing may be simple, a wealthy Wintermarker may have clothing as exquisitely crafted as a lord of Dawn. Their wealth is most likely to be displayed in the details: the embroidery and expensive decorative borders, the multiple layers and beautiful jewellery.

Similar nations

The Wintermark shares close trade connections with their neighbours in the Marches; with grain and wealth comes influences on fashion. Among those with the money to spend on decorative clothes more tailored fashions are seen, with kirtles laced closer at the waist and hips and longer hem lines.

The Wintermark's and Varushka's ancient origins can be seen in their similarities of costume. Both nations most commonly wrap their trousers to the knee although Varushkan baggy trousers are seen as rather flamboyant by Wintermarkers. Tunics of varying length and decoration are the staple of both nations. In the Wintermark these are normally pulled on over the head but Varushkan styles are commonly open at the front and asymmetrical or diagonal-cut. The Wintermark do not share Varushka's love of mixing bright primary colours. Hats are common in Varushka but Winterfolk favour hoods. Men and women of the Wintermark are frugal and practical and are more likely to wear leather or fur layers or other materials that are hard-wearing and sensible for their harsh climate.

Practicality in clothes and armour is something the Winterfolk share with the Navarr. Their well used leather armour is often similar. Kallavesi mystics may also be occasionally mistaken for a Navarr blood mage, however the latter do not wear animal headresses and do not believe in invoking animal spirits

Research

Historical inspiration

Saxon is the main historical influence but most things from the Roman exit through to mid 13th century should be suitable as change is minor during this time. In general, viking reenactment costume should be fine with a few exceptions: Try to avoid anything iconic of Vikings alone as this is not a key look for the Nation and the Winterfolk are neither seafarers nor raiders. Thor's hammer is a well recognized religious symbol that does not exist in Empire and should not be used. 'Viking' hero pants are more suited to Varushka. Iron age costume may also be appropriate - particularly for the Kallavesi. The checked patterns of a simple plaid can look good but be careful not to stray into the realms of tartan, which is not acceptable. Kilts in any form did not exist in our own history until the Jacobean era, and should not be worn.

Although there are strong historical influences for this nation it is important to remember that this is a fantasy setting. The best costumes will take Saxon as a starting point and add an individual fantasy feel. Don't be restricted by what is historically accurate.

Lord of the Rings Rohirrim

The armour of Rohan is perfect for the Steinr. Leather armour, sometimes with metal plate, is layered over chain and occasionally scale. Gimli's armour follows similar lines and is also appropriate. Theoden's clothes are a perfect example of a wealthy Wintermarker. Use caution when copying Eowyn's dresses as some of these are more typical of other nations. The white dress with corsage (tight vest laced at the back) is a great example of a wealthy Steinr's dress. However, the scoop-neck velvet green gown belongs in Dawn, the side-less surcoat perhaps in the Marches and her funeral gown might be worn in Highguard.

Game of Thrones

The snow-coats of the wildlings are great for Suaq hunters (But wearing human skulls might be considered too 'barbaric' even for the Winterfolk). Inspiration for the feel of the Wintermark can be taken from the Night's Watch and Starks.

King Arthur 2004

Inspiration can be taken from the Saxons in this film. In general the Picts less suitable. Bors' leather armour looks great and if layered over chain might be perfect. Tristan and Gawain's armour has the right feel but plate mail and brigandines are not central to the look.

Beowulf and Grendel 2005

Beautiful clothing. Great examples of the effectiveness of layering costume.

Jade warrior

Set in iron age China, Jade Warrior (2006), has inspiration for the snow coats and hoods of the Suaq.

Skyrim

Skyrim successfully mixes fantasy with Norse inspiration. In particular the Norse layered leather armour would look excellent for the Wintermark. The leather corsets worn by many of the women are not sufficient as armour and horned helmets should not be worn.

In detail

Layers, layers, layers. The best way to make a great costume is by using multiple layers each revealing the one below.

As mentioned previously the edge trim on tunics will mark you out as a Wintermarker, particularly the Steinr. Try or buy tunics with a contrasting color at the neck/hem/cuff then think about adding trim or embroidery.

The above images are from The Midgard Seamstress http://www.facebook.com/themidgardseamstress

The above trims although not specific or necessarily perfect can all be bought from shops or markets at low cost.

For the low-fantasy and early-period Wintermark, the best fabrics are natural ones or good imitations. Heavy cottons, linens and wool will be best for most characters with maybe some velvet and raw silk for the very richest. Avoid shiny satins or crushed velvet/velour. Twills and simple checked plaids will look good but careful not to stray into the realm of tartan.

All colours are suitable but muted or natural hues are likely to look best.

Try not to use visible buttons. Toggles or lacing will look much better and try closing neck openings with brooches as this looks good and saves on fiddly eyelets if you are making your own costume.

Most costumes will look better if tied in with a decent leather belt and accessories such as pouches and jewellery.

Specifics

It can be hard to find well priced costumes and appropriate Dark Ages patterns can be hard to come by. The good news is that almost all the Wintermark costumes can be made with very simple flat-patterns with straight-edged shapes. Most people with even very basic skills will be able to make or supplement their kit. Below are basic (not to scale) patterns with each of the following costume suggestions. You need to work out the appropriate dimensions for you and dont forget to add 2-3 cm at the edges for seams.

This is the very basic Wintermark kit comprising a tunic and trousers bound to the knee. The tunic is easy to make and a run through is given in the tutorial below. The trouser pattern is useful because the gathers around the crotch are comfy and make tearing the seams very difficult.

Another simple trouser pattern and tutorial can be found at: http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk/resources/authenticity/basickit/basickit5.html

The following costume suggestions are mostly based on variations of the tunic with a couple more simple ideas thrown in. Full instructions will eventually be added for each pattern.

Here is a tutorial to make a basic tunic: how to make a t-tunic. Or alternative instructions here : http://www.virtue.to/articles/tunic_worksheet.html or http://www.angelfire.com/ia2/barony/newmembersguide/sewingtipstxt.html

Wintermark man and woman

All of these are formed from two layered tunics. Lengthen dimension Y for longer length in the body and dimension Z can be altered for short or long sleeves. Tunics can have either front or side splits or none at all. Use wider gores (triangles at the sides from waist to hem) to create fuller skirts.The neckline shown here for the man is an off-centre split and there is a 'bib' of contrasting material and trim. The pattern for the hood is in the next section.

Wintermark variations on the same tunic- utility and high status

Here the under-tunics have a short standing collar at the neck line, very similar to early medieval shirts. Sleeves can be attached separately. This is particularly useful if you make a tunic layer out of leather as it avoids bulky seams. Thick fabrics/leather can have added metal studs or rings and be worn as armour. For a higher status male character make tunics longer and more ornate.

Asymmetric hems

If you are feeling confident you can also add detail and individuality by playing with hemlines. this simple pattern creates pleats at the side and shows how to change the basic hem shape. Of course sleeve length can be varied and neck fastenings changed too.

High-status bliaut-style tunic dress

The full sleeved tunic dress is still very simple but has added gores at the front and back as well as the sides for a very full skirt. Keep the arms straight, slightly belled or very full as shown here.

A corsage can be worn over the top. This streamlines the silhouette and can help hold in bellies in the place of a corset. Fit dimension X to bust measurement (divide by 4 but don't forget to allow 2-3cm for seams) dimension z to waist and dimension w to hips. Dimension y is from top of shoulder to hip-line. This can be lightly boned if preferred and is best made of a more heavy duty fabric. Ornament it as required and lace up the back to close. The easiest way to do the edges is with bias binding. Hopefully a tutorial will be uploaded soon.

High status kirtle

The kirtle is more complex as it is a fitted item but patterns are easily available from re-enactment sites or main stream suppliers like Butterick. The gathered under-tunic can be worn by any character and I have included it here because it is a really great way of staying warm as the pleats trap air against your skin. The more fabric you use the warmer the result.

Suaq coats

Wrap over Coat

This is a very simple wrap-over coat design similar to a dressing gown. You can use a gusset at the side for it to flare from the hips.

Hooded tunic coat

Use tunic A with the hood from pattern M.

Kallavesi looks

This is harder to define and will involve more fantasy elements. The two drawings use only the flat pattern A tunics and might be easier to make for beginners as edges could be left unhemmed.

Hats and outerwear

The main outwear for the Wintermark is a cloak. Try rectangular and semicircle cloaks in heavy fabrics. These can be fur edged or lined and decorative borders are ideal. Try to avoid full circle, or gathered at the neck or pre-attached hood styles as they are evocative of later in history. Pull them up over your head, or wear a separate hood to keep the rain off. Hats or caps although 'not wrong' are more Varushkan as are coats (except Suaq coats). A simple tutorial for making a fur hat can be found here.

I. This is a very simple hood pattern, simply cut two, and would be very easy to hand stitch if necessary.

J. Rectangular cloak - couldn't be easier

K. Semicircular cloak - can be plain or richly adorned

L. Gathered over-tunic. Simple and look good with un-hemmed edges for a rough Kallavesi look.

Jewellery

A google search for Saxon jewellery will mostly display historical items of gold with semiprecious stones.

Simple jewellery can be easily made or bought in most markets. Bone (resin), seeds, glass, wooden, shell, ceramic or metal beads can be purchased from most sewing or craft shops and cheap arm bands can be found online or from most lrp traders.

Torcs and ring brooches are particularly iconic of the Dark Ages and make a great investment.

When buying more expensive metal jewellery keep it bold and chunky avoiding fine chains or delicate pendants. As always avoid OOC religious icons.

Armour

Steinr

The basic look is leather over chain but the rest is up to your imagination. Although some Steinr may have rougher leather, the greatest crafters of the Wintermark produce beautiful, detailed, carved and runed leatherwork with inlay and occasionally metal plates. Helmets are leather or metal plate, often with plumes mimicking the tails of the extinct horse.

The above images are from Lord of the Rings

The above images are from Idiom Productions Costume and Props Workshop

Kallavesi and Suaq

Here thick furs and rougher leathers are more commonly worn. The headdresses of Kallavesi warriors are often bulky and protective.

Bibliography and Resources

Further Reading

http://www.3owls.org/sca/costume/saxon.htm

Patterns

- McCall's kirtle pattern

- Historical patterns

- Tunic pattern

- Child dress pattern

- Female tunic and bliaut pattern

Online Shops

- Angrave Designs produces custom orders (including embroidered borders).

- Jorgencraft make beautiful period costume.

- The Midgard Seamstress Custom made UK LARP and Re-enactment costumes

- Dein LARP Store has a large range of appropriate dresses, trousers and tunics. Note their page has a translate button and they ship to UK.

- LRP Store sell short and long sleeved tunics.

- Custom Costume Company Bespoke designs for re-enactors and roleplayers

- LARP Fashion sells several styles of tunic and some simple trousers and dresses.

- Velvet Glove have several plain tunics.

- Medieval Merchant stock tunics and dresses.

- Chow’s Emporium has tunics.

- LARP Inn has two tunic styles.

- StahlGilde sells tunics.

Armour

- Battle Ready provides quality leather armour

- Evenlode Studios provides quality off-the-peg and custom leather armour.

- Idiom Productions Idiom Productions provides for custom leather orders.

- Totally Leathered Totally Leathered provides custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

- Darkblade has leather armour (note that some items in the general armour page may be more suitable than those on the specific wintermark page)

Jewellery

- Crafty Celts - Torcs, jewellery, buckles and belts (American company but they will ship to UK).

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Wintermark costumes (Redirected from Wintermark Costumes)

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Note: The tone and style of this page may need editing. All costume advice pages should be written in third person voice, using verbs that make clear that this page is advice, not direction.

Contents

- 1 Look and feel

- 1.1 Suaq

- 1.2 Kallavesi

- 1.3 Steinr

- 1.4 Similar nations

- 2 Research

- 2.1 Historical inspiration

- 2.2 Lord of the Rings Rohirrim

- 2.3 Game of Thrones

- 2.4 King Arthur 2004

- 2.5 Beowulf and Grendel 2005

- 2.6 Jade warrior

- 2.7 Skyrim

- 3 In detail

- 4 Specifics

- 4.1 Wintermark man and woman

- 4.2 Wintermark variations on the same tunic- utility and high status

- 4.3 Asymmetric hems

- 4.4 High-status bliaut-style tunic dress

- 4.5 High status kirtle

- 4.6 Suaq coats

- 4.7 Kallavesi looks

- 5 Hats and outerwear

- 6 Jewellery

- 7 Armour

- 7.1 Steinr

- 7.2 Kallavesi and Suaq

- 8 Bibliography and Resources

- 8.1 Further Reading

- 8.2 Patterns

- 8.3 Online Shops

- 8.4 Armour

- 8.5 Jewellery

Look and feel

Women and men, young and old are always ready to protect their home, family and the empire. Costume should reflect this. The wealthy may display their fortune in richer fabrics, decorative borders, beautiful armour and longer tunics but these things will not grant them respect. Some Winterfolk may wear long, full skirts or tight fitting kirtles but they should always be able to kill two orcs before breakfast whilst wearing them.

"They are perfectionists who value quality over mass production" - a group of Winterfolk are very unlikely to have a uniform or matching clothes.

"Wintermark art tends to be intricate and detailed" - add borders and trim to your tunics. This can be added to in between events to spread costs. Embroidery and beading may also be appropriate. Another idea might be to create or buy tooled leather 'patches' that you could add to plainer leather armour to build on its individuality and intricacy. If you are feeling arty, persuade a leather crafter to show you how to carve runes into your armour.

"The most common clothing for the Wintermark is a thigh length tunic over trousers" - most Winterfolk of any gender wear a version of this. Try several layers with varying sleeve and hem lengths. Some Winterfolk prefer a longer and fuller tunic or dress. The wealthier may also wear a kirtle or very simple form of the bliaut and corsage (see specifics section). More details on this are given later. Trousers are slim but not fitted, and normally wrapped with strips of cloth from ankle to knee. The differences between the three subcultures will be expressed in the way you adorn the basic costume. More details follow.

Suaq

Over their tunics the Suaq wear a hooded coat. In the cold north this would be made of thick animal pelts, fur side in. In warmer climates perhaps leather and in the imperial heartland in summer they may choose to wear linen or canvas versions. Base coat colors tend to be pale to blend with the icy landscape. Although they may keep them plain for hunting and scouting, at home most choose to paint or embroider their coats with bright sigils - symbols of animals and enemies the warrior has killed. Icewalkers tend to adorn their coats with fetishes in a similar way to Kallavesi mystics.

Kallavesi

The clothing of the Kallavesi tends to be a little more primitive and this is where some iron-age styles may be more appropriate. Clothes are a little rougher, unlikely to be tailored and colours will be more drab with occasional flashes of colour. Instead of decorative borders they adorn their clothes with fetishes and feathers, beads and bones. Headdresses are central to their identity as an individual and as a member of the Kallavesi and a symbol of their wisdom, power or responsibility. These are usually animal headdresses- either figuratively or literally as they believe it helps them draw on the animal's strengths. Mystics usually chose animals associated with wisdom or guile while warriors favour strong animals like bears, boars and stags.

Steinr

Steinr clothing is most similar to the central look. They will have multiple layers of tunics and more decorative borders. Although their clothing may be simple, a wealthy Wintermarker may have clothing as exquisitely crafted as a lord of Dawn. Their wealth is most likely to be displayed in the details: the embroidery and expensive decorative borders, the multiple layers and beautiful jewellery.

Similar nations

The Wintermark shares close trade connections with their neighbours in the Marches; with grain and wealth comes influences on fashion. Among those with the money to spend on decorative clothes more tailored fashions are seen, with kirtles laced closer at the waist and hips and longer hem lines.

The Wintermark's and Varushka's ancient origins can be seen in their similarities of costume. Both nations most commonly wrap their trousers to the knee although Varushkan baggy trousers are seen as rather flamboyant by Wintermarkers. Tunics of varying length and decoration are the staple of both nations. In the Wintermark these are normally pulled on over the head but Varushkan styles are commonly open at the front and asymmetrical or diagonal-cut. The Wintermark do not share Varushka's love of mixing bright primary colours. Hats are common in Varushka but Winterfolk favour hoods. Men and women of the Wintermark are frugal and practical and are more likely to wear leather or fur layers or other materials that are hard-wearing and sensible for their harsh climate.

Practicality in clothes and armour is something the Winterfolk share with the Navarr. Their well used leather armour is often similar. Kallavesi mystics may also be occasionally mistaken for a Navarr blood mage, however the latter do not wear animal headresses and do not believe in invoking animal spirits

Research

Historical inspiration

Saxon is the main historical influence but most things from the Roman exit through to mid 13th century should be suitable as change is minor during this time. In general, viking reenactment costume should be fine with a few exceptions: Try to avoid anything iconic of Vikings alone as this is not a key look for the Nation and the Winterfolk are neither seafarers nor raiders. Thor's hammer is a well recognized religious symbol that does not exist in Empire and should not be used. 'Viking' hero pants are more suited to Varushka. Iron age costume may also be appropriate - particularly for the Kallavesi. The checked patterns of a simple plaid can look good but be careful not to stray into the realms of tartan, which is not acceptable. Kilts in any form did not exist in our own history until the Jacobean era, and should not be worn.

Although there are strong historical influences for this nation it is important to remember that this is a fantasy setting. The best costumes will take Saxon as a starting point and add an individual fantasy feel. Don't be restricted by what is historically accurate.

Lord of the Rings Rohirrim

The armour of Rohan is perfect for the Steinr. Leather armour, sometimes with metal plate, is layered over chain and occasionally scale. Gimli's armour follows similar lines and is also appropriate. Theoden's clothes are a perfect example of a wealthy Wintermarker. Use caution when copying Eowyn's dresses as some of these are more typical of other nations. The white dress with corsage (tight vest laced at the back) is a great example of a wealthy Steinr's dress. However, the scoop-neck velvet green gown belongs in Dawn, the side-less surcoat perhaps in the Marches and her funeral gown might be worn in Highguard.

Game of Thrones

The snow-coats of the wildlings are great for Suaq hunters (But wearing human skulls might be considered too 'barbaric' even for the Winterfolk). Inspiration for the feel of the Wintermark can be taken from the Night's Watch and Starks.

King Arthur 2004

Inspiration can be taken from the Saxons in this film. In general the Picts less suitable. Bors' leather armour looks great and if layered over chain might be perfect. Tristan and Gawain's armour has the right feel but plate mail and brigandines are not central to the look.

Beowulf and Grendel 2005

Beautiful clothing. Great examples of the effectiveness of layering costume.

Jade warrior

Set in iron age China, Jade Warrior (2006), has inspiration for the snow coats and hoods of the Suaq.

Skyrim

Skyrim successfully mixes fantasy with Norse inspiration. In particular the Norse layered leather armour would look excellent for the Wintermark. The leather corsets worn by many of the women are not sufficient as armour and horned helmets should not be worn.

In detail

Layers, layers, layers. The best way to make a great costume is by using multiple layers each revealing the one below.

As mentioned previously the edge trim on tunics will mark you out as a Wintermarker, particularly the Steinr. Try or buy tunics with a contrasting color at the neck/hem/cuff then think about adding trim or embroidery.

The above images are from The Midgard Seamstress http://www.facebook.com/themidgardseamstress

The above trims although not specific or necessarily perfect can all be bought from shops or markets at low cost.

For the low-fantasy and early-period Wintermark, the best fabrics are natural ones or good imitations. Heavy cottons, linens and wool will be best for most characters with maybe some velvet and raw silk for the very richest. Avoid shiny satins or crushed velvet/velour. Twills and simple checked plaids will look good but careful not to stray into the realm of tartan.

All colours are suitable but muted or natural hues are likely to look best.

Try not to use visible buttons. Toggles or lacing will look much better and try closing neck openings with brooches as this looks good and saves on fiddly eyelets if you are making your own costume.

Most costumes will look better if tied in with a decent leather belt and accessories such as pouches and jewellery.

Specifics

It can be hard to find well priced costumes and appropriate Dark Ages patterns can be hard to come by. The good news is that almost all the Wintermark costumes can be made with very simple flat-patterns with straight-edged shapes. Most people with even very basic skills will be able to make or supplement their kit. Below are basic (not to scale) patterns with each of the following costume suggestions. You need to work out the appropriate dimensions for you and dont forget to add 2-3 cm at the edges for seams.

This is the very basic Wintermark kit comprising a tunic and trousers bound to the knee. The tunic is easy to make and a run through is given in the tutorial below. The trouser pattern is useful because the gathers around the crotch are comfy and make tearing the seams very difficult.

Another simple trouser pattern and tutorial can be found at: http://www.vikingsonline.org.uk/resources/authenticity/basickit/basickit5.html

The following costume suggestions are mostly based on variations of the tunic with a couple more simple ideas thrown in. Full instructions will eventually be added for each pattern.

Here is a tutorial to make a basic tunic: how to make a t-tunic. Or alternative instructions here : http://www.virtue.to/articles/tunic_worksheet.html or http://www.angelfire.com/ia2/barony/newmembersguide/sewingtipstxt.html

Wintermark man and woman

All of these are formed from two layered tunics. Lengthen dimension Y for longer length in the body and dimension Z can be altered for short or long sleeves. Tunics can have either front or side splits or none at all. Use wider gores (triangles at the sides from waist to hem) to create fuller skirts.The neckline shown here for the man is an off-centre split and there is a 'bib' of contrasting material and trim. The pattern for the hood is in the next section.

Wintermark variations on the same tunic- utility and high status

Here the under-tunics have a short standing collar at the neck line, very similar to early medieval shirts. Sleeves can be attached separately. This is particularly useful if you make a tunic layer out of leather as it avoids bulky seams. Thick fabrics/leather can have added metal studs or rings and be worn as armour. For a higher status male character make tunics longer and more ornate.

Asymmetric hems

If you are feeling confident you can also add detail and individuality by playing with hemlines. this simple pattern creates pleats at the side and shows how to change the basic hem shape. Of course sleeve length can be varied and neck fastenings changed too.

High-status bliaut-style tunic dress

The full sleeved tunic dress is still very simple but has added gores at the front and back as well as the sides for a very full skirt. Keep the arms straight, slightly belled or very full as shown here.

A corsage can be worn over the top. This streamlines the silhouette and can help hold in bellies in the place of a corset. Fit dimension X to bust measurement (divide by 4 but don't forget to allow 2-3cm for seams) dimension z to waist and dimension w to hips. Dimension y is from top of shoulder to hip-line. This can be lightly boned if preferred and is best made of a more heavy duty fabric. Ornament it as required and lace up the back to close. The easiest way to do the edges is with bias binding. Hopefully a tutorial will be uploaded soon.

High status kirtle

The kirtle is more complex as it is a fitted item but patterns are easily available from re-enactment sites or main stream suppliers like Butterick. The gathered under-tunic can be worn by any character and I have included it here because it is a really great way of staying warm as the pleats trap air against your skin. The more fabric you use the warmer the result.

Suaq coats

Wrap over Coat

This is a very simple wrap-over coat design similar to a dressing gown. You can use a gusset at the side for it to flare from the hips.

Hooded tunic coat

Use tunic A with the hood from pattern M.

Kallavesi looks

This is harder to define and will involve more fantasy elements. The two drawings use only the flat pattern A tunics and might be easier to make for beginners as edges could be left unhemmed.

Hats and outerwear

The main outwear for the Wintermark is a cloak. Try rectangular and semicircle cloaks in heavy fabrics. These can be fur edged or lined and decorative borders are ideal. Try to avoid full circle, or gathered at the neck or pre-attached hood styles as they are evocative of later in history. Pull them up over your head, or wear a separate hood to keep the rain off. Hats or caps although 'not wrong' are more Varushkan as are coats (except Suaq coats). A simple tutorial for making a fur hat can be found here.

I. This is a very simple hood pattern, simply cut two, and would be very easy to hand stitch if necessary.

J. Rectangular cloak - couldn't be easier

K. Semicircular cloak - can be plain or richly adorned

L. Gathered over-tunic. Simple and look good with un-hemmed edges for a rough Kallavesi look.

Jewellery

A google search for Saxon jewellery will mostly display historical items of gold with semiprecious stones.

Simple jewellery can be easily made or bought in most markets. Bone (resin), seeds, glass, wooden, shell, ceramic or metal beads can be purchased from most sewing or craft shops and cheap arm bands can be found online or from most lrp traders.

Torcs and ring brooches are particularly iconic of the Dark Ages and make a great investment.

When buying more expensive metal jewellery keep it bold and chunky avoiding fine chains or delicate pendants. As always avoid OOC religious icons.

Armour

Steinr

The basic look is leather over chain but the rest is up to your imagination. Although some Steinr may have rougher leather, the greatest crafters of the Wintermark produce beautiful, detailed, carved and runed leatherwork with inlay and occasionally metal plates. Helmets are leather or metal plate, often with plumes mimicking the tails of the extinct horse.

The above images are from Lord of the Rings

The above images are from Idiom Productions Costume and Props Workshop

Kallavesi and Suaq

Here thick furs and rougher leathers are more commonly worn. The headdresses of Kallavesi warriors are often bulky and protective.

Bibliography and Resources

Further Reading

http://www.3owls.org/sca/costume/saxon.htm

Patterns

- McCall's kirtle pattern

- Historical patterns

- Tunic pattern

- Child dress pattern

- Female tunic and bliaut pattern

Online Shops

- Angrave Designs produces custom orders (including embroidered borders).

- Jorgencraft make beautiful period costume.

- The Midgard Seamstress Custom made UK LARP and Re-enactment costumes

- Dein LARP Store has a large range of appropriate dresses, trousers and tunics. Note their page has a translate button and they ship to UK.

- LRP Store sell short and long sleeved tunics.

- Custom Costume Company Bespoke designs for re-enactors and roleplayers

- LARP Fashion sells several styles of tunic and some simple trousers and dresses.

- Velvet Glove have several plain tunics.

- Medieval Merchant stock tunics and dresses.

- Chow’s Emporium has tunics.

- LARP Inn has two tunic styles.

- StahlGilde sells tunics.

Armour

- Battle Ready provides quality leather armour

- Evenlode Studios provides quality off-the-peg and custom leather armour.

- Idiom Productions Idiom Productions provides for custom leather orders.

- Totally Leathered Totally Leathered provides custom tooled leatherwork & bespoke armour.

- Darkblade has leather armour (note that some items in the general armour page may be more suitable than those on the specific wintermark page)

Jewellery

- Crafty Celts - Torcs, jewellery, buckles and belts (American company but they will ship to UK).

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Wintermark culture and customs

Contents

- 1 Skein

- 2 Scars

- 3 Hospitality

- 4 Birds and feathers

- 5 Art and history

- 6 Age, infirmity and the good death

- 7 Funerals

Skein

The Winterfolk believe that each individual has a skein, a path down which that individual travels. A person's skein is not predestined at birth, rather it is fixed in places by the significant choices they make as they pass through life. The steps along the way are only the consequences of your skein; the critical moments are the points at which the individual makes a momentous choice - this is when their skein can alter. In the Winterfolk view, what happens in your life, your skein, is a direct consequence of the choices you make, the path you choose through life - the key therefore is to make the right choices.

Obviously not all the choices that a person makes are notable; what is important are the key points when far-reaching decisions are needed. At such points an individual's skein forks with the opportunity for different consequences. The Kallavesi have handed down various methods to help them identify these moments and more importantly to be able to identify what the consequences might be. Those who can accurately read a person's skein and give them advice to help them make the most auspicious choices, called mystics, are important figures in Winterfolk society.

According to the mystics, once the skein has been forked then it cannot be reversed. A person's skein can only be travelled one way; decisions cannot be undone, so it is foolish to dwell on any decision once the choice has been made. By accepting that your skein is fixed, you can commit yourself to your course and make the best of what has been decided. By travelling forwards along your skein you can hope that the future will bring opportunities to make more auspicious choices.

Scars

Scars are important to the Winterfolk. According to tradition a warrior who emerges blooded from a battle has demonstrated heroism by finding a worthy enemy to fight, and is celebrated as a consequence. As a sign of recognition, some Thanes will cut a young warrior who has fought well in their first battle but not been blooded. Others will mark a young warrior before their first battle as a way to encourage them to avoid taking unnecessary risks. Some bands re-open old wounds before a battle begins so that those who face them can mark their courage. All such cuts are little more than a nick, but done with a sharp knife so that they bleed profusely.

When a warrior is wounded in a memorable fight, they will often encourage the grimnir to treat the wound "so that it scars well." Scars are badges of honour; they serve as a visible mark of the warrior's skill and permit them to boast about the battle later - there is rarely anything to brag about a fight in which you didn't get a scar.

Hospitality

Any traveller visiting a hall in Wintermark may claim one drink, one plate of hot food and a bed by a hearth for one night, without any payment or even thanks. This generosity is mandated for one occasion only; beyond this a hall owes a traveller nothing and may turn them out into the night. However, a guest who works for their sustenance and shelter is entitled to hospitality for another night, and it is customarily unacceptable to refuse a traveller who offers to work. Wintermark folktales are filled with stories of unwanted guests who overstay their welcome which usually end when a cunning Suaq tricks them into taking unmerited food or drink, or into failing to complete their assigned work.

Some Thanes choose to follow this tradition when camped with their people in the field, others refuse as tradition only demands they offer hospitality when in their hall.

Birds and feathers

Birds are sacred to the Winterfolk, who believe that they bring a child’s soul at the moment of their birth and carry it away at the moment of death. Some wealthy Winterfolk keep birds of prey, to ensure that the heaviest and most powerful souls are brought to their children when they are born. Birds favour souls of their own nature, so a raptor usually carries the soul of a warrior or great hunter, while an owl or a raven usually brings the soul of a wise mystic or a cunning scout to be reborn.

A bird’s wisdom is contained in the feathers that allow it to fly, and birds discard a feather when they are done with an idea or thought. Winterfolk of a particularly spiritual bent, especially stormcrows and Kallavesi mystics, often collect feathers and wear them for a lunar month. They seek to gain mystical insight by absorbing the discarded thoughts of the bird that shed the feather. Killing an animal specifically to collect its feathers is said to bring bad luck.

Birds are often used as symbols of the virtues in Wintermark. The raven symbolises Wisdom, the goose and the jay both symbolise Vigilance, the eagle, heron and swan all symbolise Pride, jackdaws often symbolise Courage, magpies symbolise Prosperity, hawks and falcons symbolise Loyalty, and the rook symbolises Ambition.

Art and history

Crafting is second nature to the Winterfolk. Stone, metal and wood are carved with runes, but they are rarely painted, coloured or enamelled, as crafters prefer to show the beauty in the underlying colours of the materials. By contrast fabric and leather are often decorated with carefully painted or embroidered images that complement their colour and texture.

This nation is also known for its poetry, intended to be recited or sung rather than read. While epic tales of heroic deeds or historical poems are popular in formal situations, there is also a tradition of short and entertaining poems, often improvised, in informal situations such as a tavern.

The high art of the Scop, the professional entertainer in Wintermark, is in the creation and recital of alliterative verse, the oldest form of traditional Wintermark poetry. Scops are often travellers, moving from hall to hall performing and looking for new material. Many are poets using rhyming structures common throughout the Empire or else using the traditional Wintermark alliterative verse but some Scops master an instrument instead. Suaq Scops traditionally give formal recitations of epic tales, having learned by rote the sagas of the Winterfolk. In contrast Kallavesi Scops often prefer to work with a small audience, telling symbolic stories with complex imagery that are adapted to reflect their audience's situation; the best are designed to help their listeners make auspicious decisions.

Scops have an important responsibility in Wintermark, for they are the ones who grant people their names. The scops watch the younger heroes of Wintermark, those who have still to make a name for themselves. Once an individual has performed a deed of note, they give them a name, to replace their childhood name.

Riddles are also a national pastime. Cold winter nights are both long and tedious, and it is all too easy to fall asleep on duty or lapse into a numbed state of depression. Thinking up and answering clever riddles helps keep the mind limber.

The Winterfolk are not uneducated, but books and scrolls are treasured among them simply because paper and parchment fare poorly in the damp climate. In Wintermark, history exists primarily in oral form, or on rune-carved slabs of stone, sheets of metal, or artefacts of bone. The Winterfolk celebrate and remember the past, but they are never bound by it. This attitude to the past is the foundation of the Wintermark legal system where each transgression is judged on its own merits, rather than on the basis of past precedent. This practical attitude to legality helped to form the basis of the Imperial codes of law.

Age, infirmity and the good death

The land of Wintermark is harsh but this serves to make the Winterfolk strong. It is the cold forge in which each of them is tempered. They face life unbowed by the ferocity of their land and refuse to acknowledge their own mortality. For this reason, death in their prime while striving to meet a challenge is preferable for many to the weakness of old age. Warriors seek the good death on the battlefield, but the good death is any ending that comes while pushing yourself to achieve one final act of heroism.

A few choose to walk north into the Heart of Ice, the great ice-storm Sydanjaa, and are never seen again. Legend says that they battle forever against the creatures deep in the storm. When someone chooses to walk into Sydanjaa they do not imagine it will achieve anything, but that it is preferable to a slow decline leading to weakness of mind and body in dotage. There is a widespread acceptance of the idea that those who challenge Sydanjaa find the good death in an attempt to unravel the mysteries and riddles of the endless storm.

Funerals

Heroes are interred in the Kallavesa marshes, their bones lying in the dark waters alongside those of the first king of Wintermark and the great heroes who have come since. As a hero's life fed the nation when they were alive, their body feeds the marsh in death. “To sleep in Kallavesa” is a powerful metaphor for the rewards of glory and heroism, and to speak of “those who sleep in Kallavesa” is to invoke the very heart of what it means to live in Wintermark.

Wealthy Thanes usually pay for a beautifully crafted wooden boat for their body which is then sunk beneath the waters. Paupers make do with a reed raft. Kallavesi mystics are skilled at preserving bodies for the long journey to Kallavesa.

In the past there has been conflict between the funereal mystics and the priests of the Necropolis in Highguard. The Highborn have strong traditions regarding the funerals of heroes and especially Emperors. Several times they have tried to claim that the remains of Winterfolk heroes who have done some great service for the Empire should be honoured by being interred in their cold marble crypts rather than lying in the swamp alongside their ancestors.

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Wintermark culture and customs (Redirected from Wintermark Culture and Customs)

Contents

- 1 Skein

- 2 Scars

- 3 Hospitality

- 4 Birds and feathers

- 5 Art and history

- 6 Age, infirmity and the good death

- 7 Funerals

Skein

The Winterfolk believe that each individual has a skein, a path down which that individual travels. A person's skein is not predestined at birth, rather it is fixed in places by the significant choices they make as they pass through life. The steps along the way are only the consequences of your skein; the critical moments are the points at which the individual makes a momentous choice - this is when their skein can alter. In the Winterfolk view, what happens in your life, your skein, is a direct consequence of the choices you make, the path you choose through life - the key therefore is to make the right choices.

Obviously not all the choices that a person makes are notable; what is important are the key points when far-reaching decisions are needed. At such points an individual's skein forks with the opportunity for different consequences. The Kallavesi have handed down various methods to help them identify these moments and more importantly to be able to identify what the consequences might be. Those who can accurately read a person's skein and give them advice to help them make the most auspicious choices, called mystics, are important figures in Winterfolk society.

According to the mystics, once the skein has been forked then it cannot be reversed. A person's skein can only be travelled one way; decisions cannot be undone, so it is foolish to dwell on any decision once the choice has been made. By accepting that your skein is fixed, you can commit yourself to your course and make the best of what has been decided. By travelling forwards along your skein you can hope that the future will bring opportunities to make more auspicious choices.

Scars

Scars are important to the Winterfolk. According to tradition a warrior who emerges blooded from a battle has demonstrated heroism by finding a worthy enemy to fight, and is celebrated as a consequence. As a sign of recognition, some Thanes will cut a young warrior who has fought well in their first battle but not been blooded. Others will mark a young warrior before their first battle as a way to encourage them to avoid taking unnecessary risks. Some bands re-open old wounds before a battle begins so that those who face them can mark their courage. All such cuts are little more than a nick, but done with a sharp knife so that they bleed profusely.

When a warrior is wounded in a memorable fight, they will often encourage the grimnir to treat the wound "so that it scars well." Scars are badges of honour; they serve as a visible mark of the warrior's skill and permit them to boast about the battle later - there is rarely anything to brag about a fight in which you didn't get a scar.

Hospitality

Any traveller visiting a hall in Wintermark may claim one drink, one plate of hot food and a bed by a hearth for one night, without any payment or even thanks. This generosity is mandated for one occasion only; beyond this a hall owes a traveller nothing and may turn them out into the night. However, a guest who works for their sustenance and shelter is entitled to hospitality for another night, and it is customarily unacceptable to refuse a traveller who offers to work. Wintermark folktales are filled with stories of unwanted guests who overstay their welcome which usually end when a cunning Suaq tricks them into taking unmerited food or drink, or into failing to complete their assigned work.

Some Thanes choose to follow this tradition when camped with their people in the field, others refuse as tradition only demands they offer hospitality when in their hall.

Birds and feathers

Birds are sacred to the Winterfolk, who believe that they bring a child’s soul at the moment of their birth and carry it away at the moment of death. Some wealthy Winterfolk keep birds of prey, to ensure that the heaviest and most powerful souls are brought to their children when they are born. Birds favour souls of their own nature, so a raptor usually carries the soul of a warrior or great hunter, while an owl or a raven usually brings the soul of a wise mystic or a cunning scout to be reborn.

A bird’s wisdom is contained in the feathers that allow it to fly, and birds discard a feather when they are done with an idea or thought. Winterfolk of a particularly spiritual bent, especially stormcrows and Kallavesi mystics, often collect feathers and wear them for a lunar month. They seek to gain mystical insight by absorbing the discarded thoughts of the bird that shed the feather. Killing an animal specifically to collect its feathers is said to bring bad luck.

Birds are often used as symbols of the virtues in Wintermark. The raven symbolises Wisdom, the goose and the jay both symbolise Vigilance, the eagle, heron and swan all symbolise Pride, jackdaws often symbolise Courage, magpies symbolise Prosperity, hawks and falcons symbolise Loyalty, and the rook symbolises Ambition.

Art and history

Crafting is second nature to the Winterfolk. Stone, metal and wood are carved with runes, but they are rarely painted, coloured or enamelled, as crafters prefer to show the beauty in the underlying colours of the materials. By contrast fabric and leather are often decorated with carefully painted or embroidered images that complement their colour and texture.

This nation is also known for its poetry, intended to be recited or sung rather than read. While epic tales of heroic deeds or historical poems are popular in formal situations, there is also a tradition of short and entertaining poems, often improvised, in informal situations such as a tavern.

The high art of the Scop, the professional entertainer in Wintermark, is in the creation and recital of alliterative verse, the oldest form of traditional Wintermark poetry. Scops are often travellers, moving from hall to hall performing and looking for new material. Many are poets using rhyming structures common throughout the Empire or else using the traditional Wintermark alliterative verse but some Scops master an instrument instead. Suaq Scops traditionally give formal recitations of epic tales, having learned by rote the sagas of the Winterfolk. In contrast Kallavesi Scops often prefer to work with a small audience, telling symbolic stories with complex imagery that are adapted to reflect their audience's situation; the best are designed to help their listeners make auspicious decisions.

Scops have an important responsibility in Wintermark, for they are the ones who grant people their names. The scops watch the younger heroes of Wintermark, those who have still to make a name for themselves. Once an individual has performed a deed of note, they give them a name, to replace their childhood name.

Riddles are also a national pastime. Cold winter nights are both long and tedious, and it is all too easy to fall asleep on duty or lapse into a numbed state of depression. Thinking up and answering clever riddles helps keep the mind limber.

The Winterfolk are not uneducated, but books and scrolls are treasured among them simply because paper and parchment fare poorly in the damp climate. In Wintermark, history exists primarily in oral form, or on rune-carved slabs of stone, sheets of metal, or artefacts of bone. The Winterfolk celebrate and remember the past, but they are never bound by it. This attitude to the past is the foundation of the Wintermark legal system where each transgression is judged on its own merits, rather than on the basis of past precedent. This practical attitude to legality helped to form the basis of the Imperial codes of law.

Age, infirmity and the good death

The land of Wintermark is harsh but this serves to make the Winterfolk strong. It is the cold forge in which each of them is tempered. They face life unbowed by the ferocity of their land and refuse to acknowledge their own mortality. For this reason, death in their prime while striving to meet a challenge is preferable for many to the weakness of old age. Warriors seek the good death on the battlefield, but the good death is any ending that comes while pushing yourself to achieve one final act of heroism.

A few choose to walk north into the Heart of Ice, the great ice-storm Sydanjaa, and are never seen again. Legend says that they battle forever against the creatures deep in the storm. When someone chooses to walk into Sydanjaa they do not imagine it will achieve anything, but that it is preferable to a slow decline leading to weakness of mind and body in dotage. There is a widespread acceptance of the idea that those who challenge Sydanjaa find the good death in an attempt to unravel the mysteries and riddles of the endless storm.

Funerals

Heroes are interred in the Kallavesa marshes, their bones lying in the dark waters alongside those of the first king of Wintermark and the great heroes who have come since. As a hero's life fed the nation when they were alive, their body feeds the marsh in death. “To sleep in Kallavesa” is a powerful metaphor for the rewards of glory and heroism, and to speak of “those who sleep in Kallavesa” is to invoke the very heart of what it means to live in Wintermark.

Wealthy Thanes usually pay for a beautifully crafted wooden boat for their body which is then sunk beneath the waters. Paupers make do with a reed raft. Kallavesi mystics are skilled at preserving bodies for the long journey to Kallavesa.

In the past there has been conflict between the funereal mystics and the priests of the Necropolis in Highguard. The Highborn have strong traditions regarding the funerals of heroes and especially Emperors. Several times they have tried to claim that the remains of Winterfolk heroes who have done some great service for the Empire should be honoured by being interred in their cold marble crypts rather than lying in the swamp alongside their ancestors.

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Wintermark economic interests

Wintermark commonly exports crafted goods and imports food. Good relations exist between the Winterfolk and their southern neighbours in the Marches. The grain, barley and salted meat that flows north in exchange for beautifully crafted and enchanted goods ensures that since the foundation of the Empire the Wintermark has never suffered a great famine of the kind that was common before.

Merchants are important in Wintermark, but they are often regarded with caution. A merchant who uses trade to enrich themselves at the expense of their Thane and hall will be given short shrift, but a merchant who uses wisdom and cunning to bring wealth and prosperity to their hall and the warriors it supports will be held up as an example to all.

Mediator

The most prestigious role for Winterfolk merchants is to act as a mediator, negotiating weregilds. A fair weregild is considered one that matches the severity of the crime and satisfies the victim but is accepted by the perpetrator. The Winterfolk tradition of weregilds has been incorporated into Imperial Law but now they are approved by the magistrates who took over responsibility from the Thanes. In order to benefit from a weregild arrangement the accused must ensure that agreement is reached before their trial and for this purpose mediators are often employed to negotiate with both parties to find the right weregild. Such negotiations must often be done in haste, so that all can see that justice has been done. Identifying the right weregild and convincing both parties to settle for it is considered an exceptional skill and talented mediators are in high demand and well regarded. By tradition they are expected to be paid in equal amounts by both parties.

The weregild not only replaces any compensation to the victim that would otherwise have been set by the magistrate, but agreeing this settlement with the victim is also taken into account positively during sentencing. Magistrates will refuse to take into account weregilds which are unfair to the victim. Even where the weregild is accepted, the Magistrate will still apply severe punishments if the needs of justice demand it.

Maggot

Those who use their skills to enrich themselves are often called maggots. Maggot is Wintermark slang for a looter on a battlefield. Before the Empire, maggots who were caught were summarily executed, as Thanes expected to divide the loot from the field between their warband. That tradition is now rarely used except when Wintermark warriors are taking the field alone. Since the adoption of Imperial Law, a looter can only be convicted if they are stealing from the body of an Imperial citizen, not from an enemy. However the epithet remains a powerful Wintermark insult, applied to greedy merchants and camp followers. Ultimately anyone who makes profit from battle without taking the field themselves risks being reviled as a maggot.

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Wintermark Egregore

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Sulkavaris

Sulkavaris, Knower of Names is the Egregore of Wintermark. It appears as a tall figure, male or female in form, dressed in the traditional garb of the Winterfolk priests including a long cloak with a mantle of black feathers. More rarely, Sulkavaris appears as a Icewalker or dressed for battle like a Steinr Grimnir. Sulkavaris particularly enjoys being told riddles or shown other examples of Wintermark art and children are encouraged to create riddles of their own to tell.

In midwinter, Sulkavaris gives blessings to the virtuous but is sometimes accompanied by a malevolent figure known as the Krampus. The Krampus is a strange being that dispenses curses, but only upon those who ask for them. Individuals who feel the need to atone for something, perhaps an infidelity or a moment of cowardice in battle, will approach the Krampus and whisper their crime in its ear. The Krampus curses them, but the curse lasts only until the next winter and those who survive the curse are absolved of any wrongdoing. An image of the Krampus is often worn as a symbol by the Frayed, although it has no particular affection for them.

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Wintermark hearth magic

Contents

- 1 Runes

- 2 Animals and Masks

- 3 Birds

- 4 Curse Coins

Runes

In addition to being used by magicians, the runes are a widespread and popular hearth magic. A baker might bake the rune of plenty into the crust of a loaf of bread, while a farmer might scratch the rune of fertility onto the handle of their plow. The runes do not have discernible game effect when used in this way, but within the setting the baker's loaf might last a little longer, and the farmer's field might be a little less prone to pests.

Animals and Masks

Many animals have an association with Virtue in Wintermark. This tradition began with the Kallavesi and Suaq, but many Steinr have embraced it at as well. Animals are seen as having laudable spiritual qualities, and by calling on the animal, the Winterfolk seek to embody those qualities. The Kallavesi wear animal masks to draw on the spiritual strength of an animal. A magician might wear a bird mask to draw on the animals' wisdom, while a warrior might wear a bear or boar mask to draw on the creature's courage. The Suaq do not normally wear the masks but paint the animals on their clothing and equipment instead. The Steinr may use either approach but more commonly give people nicknames that draw on the symbolism of the animals they respect.

Birds

Birds are well-regarded in Wintermark; the Kallavesi in particular regard them as wise and powerful creatures. Every part of a bird contains magic; their feathers help provide wisdom and inspiration while their bones bring strength and good health. Winterfolk often carry the hollow bones of a bird in a pouch. These are stroked with crossed fingers for luck at times of stress or when a wish is made. It is believed that breaking a bone from a powerful bird in the face of an enemy can sometimes conceal you from its sight.

Curse Coins

If a Winterfolk wishes a person ill, they may give them or pay them in curse coins, which bring bad luck to the recipient. The more numerous the cursed coins, the worse the luck. Curse coins are normal coins that have been blackened with soot, so they are readily visible to anyone who is paying attention, but one is easily overlooked in a pouch. Once the coin has been accepted, the curse cannot be removed by cleaning the soot off - the coin must be given to another to move the curse to them or else washed clean in the blood of an enemy, otherwise the curse remains. Wintermark folklore contains many stories of Suaq Icewalkers tricking people into accepting cursed coins or planting them on an enemy unawares.

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Wintermark history

For hundreds of years the peoples of the extreme north, the Suaq and Kallavesi, were isolated from the rest of humanity by a troll kingdom that held sway over the mountain passes of Hahnmark. The trolls warred with the humans and forced them further and further into the cold, bringing them to the desperate brink of extinction.

The Steinr say that they fell from the heavens in a shower of falling stars. They claim that there is meteoric iron in their blood, and this is what gives them their indomitable spirit. Cousins to the Vard who conquered Varushka, the Steinr chose to head westwards while the Vard pushed east.

Caught between the orcs and the trolls their situation became increasingly desperate. Following visionary dreams sent by the shamen and mystics on the other side of Hahnmark, a small band of heroes made a heroic trek through the mountains to seek out the Suaq and the Kallavesi. Following a historic meeting. the warriors, the hunters and the mystics embarked on a bold campaign against the trolls. While the Steinr and Suaq embarked on a last-ditch campaign to harry their subhuman foes from north and south, the Kallavesi performed a great ritual that collapsed the glaciers of the mountains onto the troll armies, sealing them forever in a frozen underworld.

After the war a victory celebration was held in Hahnmark. A traditional Steinr grand moot – a Witan – was called, where three representatives of each people spoke on the nature of their achievement and of what must be done next to survive. It is said that amidst the speeches the leaders of the Suaq, the Kallavesi and the Steinr each shed a single tear for the trolls, and that these three tears froze in an instant, becoming clear gems. These gems were collected by the most cunning of the Suaq hunters and set in a crown forged from the torcs and rings of the fallen heroes of the three people. The wisest of the Kallavesi mystics crowned wily Ulmo of the Suaq King of the Three Tears, ruler of a new nation, Wintermark.

The crown was passed from monarch to monarch through the history of Wintermark; when a king or queen died the Witan would select another to take their place. When the nation joined the Empire, the last King of Wintermark Anolf Bearning returned it to the Kallavesi mystics and told them to keep it as a symbol of unity not only for the three peoples, but for their union with the Empire. The Kallavesi gave the crown to the Winterfolk hero they considered to best exemplify the virtues of Wintermark, until 373YE when the last wearer Inga Suvvisdottir was slain during the fall of Skarsind. Despite the recovery of Skarsind in 377YE, the crown remains lost; it is believed to be in the hands of the barbarians.

Joining the Empire

While the first few decades of the new nation were tumultuous, by the time of the First Empress the Winterfolk had learnt the strength that comes from standing together. King Alof Bearning was known to be a confidant and friend to the Empress. When the Empress spoke of her vision of one people united in defence of humanity, he was amongst her first and most enthusiastic supporters. The common opinion among Winterfolk is that they are the model for Empire and the bedrock on which it was built, and it is certainly true that both the Senate and the Imperial legal system are based on the traditions of the Winterfolk.

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Wintermark Icons and Artistry

A series of twenty-six mystical Runes originated in Wintermark, and are now used by magicians and craftsmen all over the Empire.

Birds are important, as are their feathers. Designs of birds are common as personal emblems, and as devices on a Thane's banner. The Kallavesi in particular make extensive use of feathers.

The Three Tears is the national symbol, usually shown on a brilliant red background.

An arrangement of three interlinked rings called Borromean rings is a powerful image of Winterfolk unity.

The Winterfolk prefer bright colourful banners that can be seen well from a distance. A banner is a glorious shout or a challenge to the enemies of the Winterfolk, rather than a logistical aid to coordinate troop movements. Anyone on the battlefield that does not have a banner is treated with some suspicion, the implication being that they might wish to leave the battlefield without being seen. No true warrior skulks about.

Stringed instruments are traditional in Wintermark, meant to be played while the user sings or recites poetry, but trade with the Empire has made other instruments popular. Perversely only cheap or simple instruments are rune-marked, with traditional runic marks being kept for covers and bags in which the instruments are stored. It is claimed this is because the magic of the runes subtly interferes with the magic of the instrument. See Wintermark Music.

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Wintermark lineage and species attitudes

The Winterfolk tend to judge people as individuals so they rarely discriminate against a particular lineage, though they are unforgiving of people's failures. For Winterfolk to say that an individual “cannot help themselves, it’s in their blood” is meant as a final condemnation not as a mitigating justification.

A spontaneous changeling birth is regarded as a sign of good luck, and having “sharp ears” is a common compliment for anyone who shows alertness or initiative.

There are a number of groups of Kallavesi that are heavily dominated by those with the naga lineage. Some of these naga-dominated halls disdain magic, preferring to focus on the arts of war and take a rapturous joy in battle which can disquiet even the militant Steinr.

The bold, direct and uncompromising nature of the briar lineage makes them welcome among many Winterfolk, especially those of the Steinr tradition. The bark-like material that covers their wounds is treated like any other scar and a briar with strong lineage is often given additional respect as a result.

In Wintermark most orcs are regarded as worthy opponents, an enemy suitable to give or receive a good death from. They were also quick to accept the Imperial Orcs once they proved their loyalty. Quietly some even comment that the Imperial Orcs have recently proved a more reliable and effective ally than some nations of the Empire.

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Wintermark lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Wintermark Lineage and Species Attitudes)

The Winterfolk tend to judge people as individuals so they rarely discriminate against a particular lineage, though they are unforgiving of people's failures. For Winterfolk to say that an individual “cannot help themselves, it’s in their blood” is meant as a final condemnation not as a mitigating justification.

A spontaneous changeling birth is regarded as a sign of good luck, and having “sharp ears” is a common compliment for anyone who shows alertness or initiative.

There are a number of groups of Kallavesi that are heavily dominated by those with the naga lineage. Some of these naga-dominated halls disdain magic, preferring to focus on the arts of war and take a rapturous joy in battle which can disquiet even the militant Steinr.

The bold, direct and uncompromising nature of the briar lineage makes them welcome among many Winterfolk, especially those of the Steinr tradition. The bark-like material that covers their wounds is treated like any other scar and a briar with strong lineage is often given additional respect as a result.

In Wintermark most orcs are regarded as worthy opponents, an enemy suitable to give or receive a good death from. They were also quick to accept the Imperial Orcs once they proved their loyalty. Quietly some even comment that the Imperial Orcs have recently proved a more reliable and effective ally than some nations of the Empire.

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Wintermark look and feel

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Feel

- 3 Breakdown

- 3.1 Winterfolk

- 3.2 Clothing

- 3.3 Armour

- 4 Suaq

- 4.1 Influences

- 4.2 Materials

- 4.3 Colours

- 4.4 Clothing

- 4.5 Armour

- 4.6 Shields

- 4.7 Weapons

- 5 Steinr

- 5.1 Influences

- 5.2 Materials

- 5.3 Colours

- 5.4 Clothing

- 5.5 Armour

- 5.6 Shields

- 5.7 Weapons

- 6 Kallavesi

- 6.1 Influences

- 6.2 Materials

- 6.3 Colours

- 6.4 Clothing

- 6.5 Armour

- 6.6 Shields

- 6.7 Weapons

- 7 Steinr costume

- 8 Kallavesi costume

- 9 Suaq costume

- 10 Steinr warriors

- 11 Suaq & KallavesI warriors

- 12 Shamans & Icewalkers

- 13 Children

- 14 Images to avoid

Overview

The Wintermark look is rugged and practical, but strives to express the wearer's individuality. As a nation, the Winterfolk are expert craftsmen, who take immense pride in their work and treat complex runic sigil-work as a necessary part of every piece they make.

Winterfolk art tends to be intricate and detailed. Stone, metal and wood are carved with runes, so craftsmen can show off their skills. The people of the Wintermark use bright scarlet for things like banners, because they can be seen for miles through snow and atop mountainsides.

The most common costume for the Winterfolk is a thigh-length tunic over trousers. The differences between the three traditions come in the way they add to and adorn this basic style.

Also see Wintermark Costumes and Wintermark Icons and Artistry.

Feel

Iron, hard, firm, strong, unmoving, earnest, craftsman, perfectionist, pragmatic (Steinr and Suaq), dreamer (Kallavesi), individual.

Breakdown

Winterfolk

Clothing

The basic Wintermark costume for any gender is a thigh-length tunic, which can be linen or wool. A few choose instead to wear a close fitting dress. The Viking apron dress exists but is considered slightly old fashioned.

Tunics are worn over close fitting trousers, often with wrappings ankle to knee.

Armour

Heavy, layered armour with thick leather plates over chain.

Suaq

Influences

Think of Lapp reindeer herders and Inuit; independent scouts and hunters.

Materials

Furs and hides, ivory, scrimshaw carved bone items.

Colours

Light, washed out tones of cream, ivory, taupe, pale grey.

Clothing

Suaq often wear a long tight coat of animal skin (skin side out, fur side in) or lighter painted deerskins in warmer parts. Clothing is emblazoned with drawings and symbols of animals, which are usually painted on to the leather or material.

Armour

Adorn with heavy furs that offer protection against the cold.

Shields

Uncommon, but possibly leather stretched over wood.

Weapons

Hunting weapons, bows, spears, staves for crossing treacherous ice.

Steinr

Influences

Rohirrim, Tolkien’s Dwarves, Beowulf (2005), Saxons, Skyrim.

Materials

Metals, furs, leather, stone, woollen cloth; richer fabrics may be appropriate for high status Thanes.

Colours

Dark shades of green, blue, red and brown, also dark metals – iron, coppers, bronze.

Clothing

Steinr clothing is designed to show off the owner’s wealth. It may be dyed a bright colour, be intricately embroidered or have decorated hems in a contrasting colour or material. Clothing is often worn with jewellery with torcs and cloak pins common.

Armour

Heavy, layered armour (chain with dark leather/plate over), intricately decorated and personalised so each person’s kit looks different.

Shields

Ideally tear-drop shaped kite shields; round shields are an acceptable alternative.

Weapons

Long swords, spears, Dane axes - heavy and practical, decorated with runes.

Kallavesi

Influences

Finland, Kallevala, the Crannogmen from Game of Thrones. Bog-dwelling shamans.

Materials

Homespun checked Wool, linen, fur, leathers, wood and wicker, polished stones (semiprecious).

Colours

Greys, duns, moss, smoke, occcasional bright flashes of colour, dark feathers.

Clothing

Kallavesi costume often includes a cloak of wool or fur over the top of the traditional tunic. Garments use more drab colours and more worn looking fabric. They embellish their appearance with feathers, beads and fetishes and ideally an animal headdress of some kind.

Armour

Light leathers and furs.

Shields

Rare, but possibly small wicker bucklers.

Weapons

They carry axes, staves, fishing spears and gutting knives.

Steinr costume

Steinr tunics may be layered to show off hems that are decorated with a constrasting fabric or braid. Theoden’s costume from Lord of the Rings shows the sort of outfit a wealthy and powerful Thane might wear to display their prosperity - the tunic is made from a rich fabric that is intricately embroidered.

Kallavesi costume

Kallavesi clothing is the standard Wintermark tunic over trousers, often in a rougher woven fabric and embellished with furs and feathers. The Kallavesi wear furs with the fur side out. The stormcrow mystic wears the traditional ragged but heavy cloak and a costume adorned with tatters of material and fetishes. Feathers in particular are important to the Kallavesi and the Kallavesi shamans in particular.

Suaq costume

The heavy coats of the Suaq protect them against the cold. Reindeer and seal skins are turned fur side in for warmth. Ideally the heavy fur coats should be richly decorated with important symbols — designs of animals and enemies the warrior has killed. In warmer climates the coats may be leather and in the imperial heartland in summer they may chose to wear linen or canvas versions.

Steinr warriors

The Rohirrim in Lord of the Rings epitomise the Steinr warriors. Layered armour, leather or less commonly plate over mail, but with the armour intricately tooled and embellished.

Suaq & KallavesI warriors

Kallavesi and Suaq warriors wear fur over mail or simply leather or fur by itself. The Kallavesi decorate their armour with feathers and beads and many wear an animal headdress. The Suaq paint their armour with symbolic designs of animals. F The bear heads were made by Evenlode Studio.

Shamans & Icewalkers

Kallavesi Shamans are practiced seers and mystics. Most supplement the normal Kallavesi dress with an animal headdress decorated with feathers and fur.

Suaq Icewalkers use their magic to complement their wits. They wear traditional Suaq clothing but supplemented with jewellery and amulets.

Children

Images to avoid

An LRP setting is defined as much by what you leave out as by what you include. In defining the Wintermark look we have actively chosen to exclude some elements. Please do not use any of the images or looks seen in this section. In particular please note that the Winterfolk were inspired by Saxons rather than Vikings and the setting does not include longships and the associated imagery.

Avoid: Horned helmets

The Steinr draw their inspiration from traditional Saxon imagery as well as the Rohirrim, rather than the Vikings. In particular horned helmets are completely inappropriate for the nation.

Avoid: Hero pants

The ideal Wintermark trousers are tight not baggy. The more Viking or Rus style hero pants are perfect for Varushka. It's perfectly acceptable to wear hero pants in Wintermark, it is simply that they are more suited to Varushka.

Avoid: Thor’s hammer

Thor’s Hammers have become as evocative and iconic as a crucifix. They are irrevocably associated with Thor, a deity who does not exist in the Empire game setting, so please avoid this specific piece of jewellery.

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Wintermark magical traditions

The Suaq, Steinr and Kallavesi each had their own magical heritage long before they joined to create the nation of Wintermark. Although they have shared magical knowledge extensively since then, these approaches are as much an extension of the traditional beliefs and attitudes of the three people as they are to any particular magical skills. There are Suaq Runesmiths or Steinr icewalkers for example, but they are uncommon. For the most part the three people have maintained their magical traditions along with their cultural heritage.

Contents

- 1 Runesmiths

- 2 Icewalkers

- 3 Mystics

- 4 Artok

Runesmiths

All crafting is magical to some degree, but the Steinr make the ancient magic of their runes an integral part of all craftsmanship. Whether or not the runes are visibly etched into the finished item, you can be certain the proper symbols were painstakingly inscribed during every stage of the construction. Runes represent primal powers and are used not just in metal and stonework but everywhere from a set of clothes, to a banner, to a loaf of bread.

The Steinr see magic as a potent weapon, every bit as deadly as an axe or a sword. Runesmiths who learn battle magic can make formidable combatants or powerful healers; they use the runes to enact immediate magical effects. The original runesmiths developed their strength working the anvil, but as they gained a reputation for daring in battle, more Steinr magicians began to emulate them. They prize boldness and vigour, and may be as comfortable in the thick of melee as any warrior. Many runesmiths wield a heavy oak staff or rod carved with runes when fighting, and like to spar with other runesmiths or warriors through unarmed combat, pugilism and wrestling.

Some runesmiths focus their attention on the mastery of the rituals, often of the Summer Realm. These runesmiths use their runes to mark out their allies and grant them strength and protection. Others prefer to concentrate on Autumn rituals, feeling an affinity for the magics of skill and wealth.

Icewalkers

The Suaq see magic as a practical tool, a key to open doors, a way to solve problems indirectly. The Suaq call those magicians who are thought to show wits and cleverness icewalkers - a title that confers a degree of respect and admiration beyond the ability to simply perform magic. Icewalkers strive to embody the best values of the Suaq people; erudite, pragmatic and shrewd.

Icewalkers favour using ritual magic of the Day Realm to perform divinatory and scrying rituals to help find their quarry. Suaq magicians are widely known for their clever negotiations with Eternals, trying to use their wits and glib tongues to negotiate bargains that favour the icewalker and her people more than they favour the Eternals. Outwitting a powerful creature of another Realm is sometimes seen as the pinnacle of heroism for an icewalker.

Ritual magic for the icewalkers often involves invoking natural things or creatures, and drawing parallels between them and the target of their magic. For example, an icewalker who wishes to divine an area might create a parallel between themself and a high-flying eagle, while one who wishes to grant their comrades great strength might compare them to a flood, storm, earthquake or herd of wild boar. They often cement this magical simile by painting or carving an appropriate rune onto the target or a piece of their equipment.

Mystics

The Kallavesi see magic as a means to insight and wisdom. The enigmatic Kallavesi approach to life leads many of their heroes to become skilled magicians, of which the most famous are mystics. As well as magic, the mystics study the skeins, the idea that there are fated paths down which individuals travel. At critical points in life there are choices to be made, moments when your skein can shift, for better or worse, as a result of your decision. A mixture of magic, wisdom and divinatory arts are used to allow a mystic to determine the most auspicious choices to make.

Artok

In Sermersuaq, the most northern point of the Empire, lies Sydanjaa, the never-ending ice-storm, sometimes called the Heart of Ice. This vast blizzard is a great mystery, blowing night and day across the tundra without respite. Beasts emerge from Sydanjaa that possess magical powers and their bodies often provide magical components. One of the most important are the great ice golems known as Artok. These creatures emerge from the storm to tread fixed paths before they head back into the ice. They can be tamed for a time by carving them with runes, during which time they are potent weapons of war if they can be controlled. Unfortunately they are difficult to take south, as they need the cold to function for long.

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Wintermark magical traditions (Redirected from Wintermark Magical Traditions)

The Suaq, Steinr and Kallavesi each had their own magical heritage long before they joined to create the nation of Wintermark. Although they have shared magical knowledge extensively since then, these approaches are as much an extension of the traditional beliefs and attitudes of the three people as they are to any particular magical skills. There are Suaq Runesmiths or Steinr icewalkers for example, but they are uncommon. For the most part the three people have maintained their magical traditions along with their cultural heritage.

Contents

- 1 Runesmiths

- 2 Icewalkers

- 3 Mystics

- 4 Artok

Runesmiths

All crafting is magical to some degree, but the Steinr make the ancient magic of their runes an integral part of all craftsmanship. Whether or not the runes are visibly etched into the finished item, you can be certain the proper symbols were painstakingly inscribed during every stage of the construction. Runes represent primal powers and are used not just in metal and stonework but everywhere from a set of clothes, to a banner, to a loaf of bread.

The Steinr see magic as a potent weapon, every bit as deadly as an axe or a sword. Runesmiths who learn battle magic can make formidable combatants or powerful healers; they use the runes to enact immediate magical effects. The original runesmiths developed their strength working the anvil, but as they gained a reputation for daring in battle, more Steinr magicians began to emulate them. They prize boldness and vigour, and may be as comfortable in the thick of melee as any warrior. Many runesmiths wield a heavy oak staff or rod carved with runes when fighting, and like to spar with other runesmiths or warriors through unarmed combat, pugilism and wrestling.

Some runesmiths focus their attention on the mastery of the rituals, often of the Summer Realm. These runesmiths use their runes to mark out their allies and grant them strength and protection. Others prefer to concentrate on Autumn rituals, feeling an affinity for the magics of skill and wealth.

Icewalkers

The Suaq see magic as a practical tool, a key to open doors, a way to solve problems indirectly. The Suaq call those magicians who are thought to show wits and cleverness icewalkers - a title that confers a degree of respect and admiration beyond the ability to simply perform magic. Icewalkers strive to embody the best values of the Suaq people; erudite, pragmatic and shrewd.

Icewalkers favour using ritual magic of the Day Realm to perform divinatory and scrying rituals to help find their quarry. Suaq magicians are widely known for their clever negotiations with Eternals, trying to use their wits and glib tongues to negotiate bargains that favour the icewalker and her people more than they favour the Eternals. Outwitting a powerful creature of another Realm is sometimes seen as the pinnacle of heroism for an icewalker.

Ritual magic for the icewalkers often involves invoking natural things or creatures, and drawing parallels between them and the target of their magic. For example, an icewalker who wishes to divine an area might create a parallel between themself and a high-flying eagle, while one who wishes to grant their comrades great strength might compare them to a flood, storm, earthquake or herd of wild boar. They often cement this magical simile by painting or carving an appropriate rune onto the target or a piece of their equipment.

Mystics

The Kallavesi see magic as a means to insight and wisdom. The enigmatic Kallavesi approach to life leads many of their heroes to become skilled magicians, of which the most famous are mystics. As well as magic, the mystics study the skeins, the idea that there are fated paths down which individuals travel. At critical points in life there are choices to be made, moments when your skein can shift, for better or worse, as a result of your decision. A mixture of magic, wisdom and divinatory arts are used to allow a mystic to determine the most auspicious choices to make.

Artok

In Sermersuaq, the most northern point of the Empire, lies Sydanjaa, the never-ending ice-storm, sometimes called the Heart of Ice. This vast blizzard is a great mystery, blowing night and day across the tundra without respite. Beasts emerge from Sydanjaa that possess magical powers and their bodies often provide magical components. One of the most important are the great ice golems known as Artok. These creatures emerge from the storm to tread fixed paths before they head back into the ice. They can be tamed for a time by carving them with runes, during which time they are potent weapons of war if they can be controlled. Unfortunately they are difficult to take south, as they need the cold to function for long.

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Wintermark Maps

See Also

- Hahnmark

- Kallavesa

- Sermersuaq

- Skarsind

PRINT INFORMATION - Each map is set to print at A3 size (the resolution varies between 175ppi and 300ppi). Do not print larger than this or it will pixellate. If you print smaller, the quality will improve slightly. Various sizes are available by clicking on the image. To print, make sure you download the ORIGINAL size image (should be between 2700 and 5000 pixels wide. Feel free to add your own textures etc

Maps by Daisy Abbott

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Wintermark military concerns

Wintermark has a strong warrior culture. Everyone wants to be a hero, and there are many opportunities for heroic action on the battlefield. This means that while heroism does not have to mean fighting, it does for many Winterfolk. The warrior culture crosses all three traditions; while outsiders may think of the Steinr warrior in chain with runebound weapon and shield when they envision a Winterfolk warrior, the Suaq and the Kallavesi traditions stretch back to a time before the first Steinr set foot in Hahnmark.

The Steinr generally prefer close melee to archery or skirmishing, most often fighting with a one-handed weapon and shield and wearing layers of mail and thick leather. Their generals are often larger-than-life figures who lead from the front and seek out the counsel of the warbands they will lead before planning their strategies – but who brook no disagreement once the plan is decided.

The Suaq employ their hunting craft equally well in the forest and on the battlefield; their archers give close support to their spearmen who in turn look to attack the flanks and other weak points in their enemy's lines. Suaq generals pick their battles carefully, looking to make best use of the terrain and any situational advantage they can create for their army.

Kallavesi warriors tend to favour the axe, either a shorter axe in either hand or a long handled axe near as tall as a man. In battle they often try to take on the demeanour of a ferocious animal such as a boar, wolf or bear. They are alert for omens, reading the flow of the battle around them and anticipating threats and opportunities. Kallavesi generals work closely with the shamans to pick the most auspicious locations and strategies for a battle.

The generals of Wintermark, regardless of tradition, have a responsibility for their people and are expected to call a retreat if it becomes appropriate. A futile death is not a good death and once the order is given, warriors withdraw without shame or ridicule. Winterfolk strive not to rout – when they retreat it is a matter of tactics.

Contents

- 1 Bannermen

- 2 Grimnir

- 3 Imperial Armies

- 3.1 The Fist of the Mountains

- 3.2 The Green Shield Army

Bannermen

At the heart of most Wintermark forces is one or more bannermen. The bannermen are an old Steinr tradition. They are warriors, men or women, whose role is to inspire and enthuse the rest of the warband. Most bannermen are skilled warriors, but their purpose is to rouse the courage and fighting spirit of their band. The traditional responsibility of the bannermen is to carry a warband's banner, a difficult and dangerous job that makes it impossible to carry a shield. Even if they are not personally carrying the banner, they tend to stay close to it as it is the heart of the unit.

Bannermen find many ways to motivate their colleagues. Steinr bannermen often carry instruments of war, drums, horns and the like to perform music on the battlefield to lift spirits. Kallavesi bannermen prefer to anoint their fellows with oils and use ancient tales to remind their comrades of past heroes. Some Suaq bannermen prefer to lead their warriors in song while others learn the chirurgeon's art.

Winterfolk generals know that the bannermen are key to the battle, and encourage the Thanes to pick wisely; a few good bannermen can change the course of the battle with their skills. In some situations a good bannerman is more important than the Thanes who actually command, because their presence can keep a group of warriors focused and prevent them routing. A wise general traditionally wants to have the bannermen present when strategy is discussed. While the Thanes may have insight into the situation, it is the bannermen who are relied on to remember the plan and make sure their comrades keep to it.

Grimnir

Especially important are the Grimnir, the doctors and healers of Wintermark. They combine the study of herbs and traditional healing methods with practical experience that is invaluable to the militaristic Wintermark society. While they have an important role to play on the battlefield, they have a wider role to see to the health of everyone in their hall.

While Winterfolk warriors are highly valued, those who keep those warriors alive and healthy are valued even higher. By ancient tradition the Grimnir are forbidden from the front lines of any conflict; they are expected to hang back and keep themselves out of harms way. After all, a dead doctor heals no warriors. Some Grimnir push this tradition to the limit, staying just behind the front line, but most take their responsibility seriously and carry out their work a safe distance away from the fighting.

The Grimnir are denied the obvious chances for heroism that warriors can find on the battlefield. Instead they work to the last to save the lives of their comrades rather than concerning themselves with renown. Wintermark warriors acknowledge this sacrifice, treating the Grimnir with a profound respect. The Grimnir can be all that stands between a warrior and a lingering, painful, futile death. During a battle it is normal for a Grimnir to be accompanied by a few warriors, often those whose life they have saved. Unlike the Grimnir, these warriors do not hang back; they are expected to fight their way through to the wounded and bring them to be tended by the Grimnir.

The Grimnir tradition began with the Suaq. In the past, the healers of a Suaq tribe did not accompany the hunters into the wilderness but instead maintained the camp and prepared to heal those who were injured by wild beasts. The Steinr added their own traditions wherein the chirurgeon responsible for tending the wounded was also entrusted with the task of maintaining the hall or home – "good health is founded on a strong hearth". Consequently, while most Thanes aspire to be powerful warriors, it is not uncommon for a Thane to be a sworn Grimnir, seeing to the health of everyone who lives in their hall.

Imperial Armies

Wintermark fields two imperial armies; the Fist of the Mountains and the Green Shield Army.

The Fist of the Mountains

This army is supported by a number of miners, engineers and ex-prospectors, and the captains are regularly advised by clever icewalkers and proud scops. Centuries of fighting in the mountains of Sermersuaq, Skarsind and Hahnmark have left their soldiers with a reputation for caution and for an ability to fight viciously in tight spaces over vertiginous drops. Their unyielding nature means that while they do not fight to the last drop of blood, they are known for their stubborn dedication to making their enemy pay dearly for every inch of land they take from Wintermark.

The first Wintermark General leads the Fist of the Mountains army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer solstice each year.

The Green Shield Army

The army of the Green Shield have fought in almost every campaign in the northern empire and have a long history of supporting the Varushkan and Navarr armies on campaign. Each soldier is equipped with an axe and a wooden shield with a green covering, usually decorated with a symbol in gold or white that marks the regiment the soldier belongs to. They are famed throughout Wintermark for their heroic deeds, and the presence of the Green Shields has turned the tide of battle more than once. They are one of the few armies outside Navarr that have any experience fighting vallornspawn, usually in Hercynia.

The second Wintermark General leads the Green Shield Army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Winter solstice each year.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Wintermark_military_concerns&oldid=34334"

Wintermark military concerns (Redirected from Wintermark Military Concerns)

Wintermark has a strong warrior culture. Everyone wants to be a hero, and there are many opportunities for heroic action on the battlefield. This means that while heroism does not have to mean fighting, it does for many Winterfolk. The warrior culture crosses all three traditions; while outsiders may think of the Steinr warrior in chain with runebound weapon and shield when they envision a Winterfolk warrior, the Suaq and the Kallavesi traditions stretch back to a time before the first Steinr set foot in Hahnmark.

The Steinr generally prefer close melee to archery or skirmishing, most often fighting with a one-handed weapon and shield and wearing layers of mail and thick leather. Their generals are often larger-than-life figures who lead from the front and seek out the counsel of the warbands they will lead before planning their strategies – but who brook no disagreement once the plan is decided.

The Suaq employ their hunting craft equally well in the forest and on the battlefield; their archers give close support to their spearmen who in turn look to attack the flanks and other weak points in their enemy's lines. Suaq generals pick their battles carefully, looking to make best use of the terrain and any situational advantage they can create for their army.

Kallavesi warriors tend to favour the axe, either a shorter axe in either hand or a long handled axe near as tall as a man. In battle they often try to take on the demeanour of a ferocious animal such as a boar, wolf or bear. They are alert for omens, reading the flow of the battle around them and anticipating threats and opportunities. Kallavesi generals work closely with the shamans to pick the most auspicious locations and strategies for a battle.

The generals of Wintermark, regardless of tradition, have a responsibility for their people and are expected to call a retreat if it becomes appropriate. A futile death is not a good death and once the order is given, warriors withdraw without shame or ridicule. Winterfolk strive not to rout – when they retreat it is a matter of tactics.

Contents

- 1 Bannermen

- 2 Grimnir

- 3 Imperial Armies

- 3.1 The Fist of the Mountains

- 3.2 The Green Shield Army

Bannermen

At the heart of most Wintermark forces is one or more bannermen. The bannermen are an old Steinr tradition. They are warriors, men or women, whose role is to inspire and enthuse the rest of the warband. Most bannermen are skilled warriors, but their purpose is to rouse the courage and fighting spirit of their band. The traditional responsibility of the bannermen is to carry a warband's banner, a difficult and dangerous job that makes it impossible to carry a shield. Even if they are not personally carrying the banner, they tend to stay close to it as it is the heart of the unit.

Bannermen find many ways to motivate their colleagues. Steinr bannermen often carry instruments of war, drums, horns and the like to perform music on the battlefield to lift spirits. Kallavesi bannermen prefer to anoint their fellows with oils and use ancient tales to remind their comrades of past heroes. Some Suaq bannermen prefer to lead their warriors in song while others learn the chirurgeon's art.

Winterfolk generals know that the bannermen are key to the battle, and encourage the Thanes to pick wisely; a few good bannermen can change the course of the battle with their skills. In some situations a good bannerman is more important than the Thanes who actually command, because their presence can keep a group of warriors focused and prevent them routing. A wise general traditionally wants to have the bannermen present when strategy is discussed. While the Thanes may have insight into the situation, it is the bannermen who are relied on to remember the plan and make sure their comrades keep to it.

Grimnir

Especially important are the Grimnir, the doctors and healers of Wintermark. They combine the study of herbs and traditional healing methods with practical experience that is invaluable to the militaristic Wintermark society. While they have an important role to play on the battlefield, they have a wider role to see to the health of everyone in their hall.

While Winterfolk warriors are highly valued, those who keep those warriors alive and healthy are valued even higher. By ancient tradition the Grimnir are forbidden from the front lines of any conflict; they are expected to hang back and keep themselves out of harms way. After all, a dead doctor heals no warriors. Some Grimnir push this tradition to the limit, staying just behind the front line, but most take their responsibility seriously and carry out their work a safe distance away from the fighting.

The Grimnir are denied the obvious chances for heroism that warriors can find on the battlefield. Instead they work to the last to save the lives of their comrades rather than concerning themselves with renown. Wintermark warriors acknowledge this sacrifice, treating the Grimnir with a profound respect. The Grimnir can be all that stands between a warrior and a lingering, painful, futile death. During a battle it is normal for a Grimnir to be accompanied by a few warriors, often those whose life they have saved. Unlike the Grimnir, these warriors do not hang back; they are expected to fight their way through to the wounded and bring them to be tended by the Grimnir.

The Grimnir tradition began with the Suaq. In the past, the healers of a Suaq tribe did not accompany the hunters into the wilderness but instead maintained the camp and prepared to heal those who were injured by wild beasts. The Steinr added their own traditions wherein the chirurgeon responsible for tending the wounded was also entrusted with the task of maintaining the hall or home – "good health is founded on a strong hearth". Consequently, while most Thanes aspire to be powerful warriors, it is not uncommon for a Thane to be a sworn Grimnir, seeing to the health of everyone who lives in their hall.

Imperial Armies

Wintermark fields two imperial armies; the Fist of the Mountains and the Green Shield Army.

The Fist of the Mountains

This army is supported by a number of miners, engineers and ex-prospectors, and the captains are regularly advised by clever icewalkers and proud scops. Centuries of fighting in the mountains of Sermersuaq, Skarsind and Hahnmark have left their soldiers with a reputation for caution and for an ability to fight viciously in tight spaces over vertiginous drops. Their unyielding nature means that while they do not fight to the last drop of blood, they are known for their stubborn dedication to making their enemy pay dearly for every inch of land they take from Wintermark.

The first Wintermark General leads the Fist of the Mountains army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Summer solstice each year.

The Green Shield Army

The army of the Green Shield have fought in almost every campaign in the northern empire and have a long history of supporting the Varushkan and Navarr armies on campaign. Each soldier is equipped with an axe and a wooden shield with a green covering, usually decorated with a symbol in gold or white that marks the regiment the soldier belongs to. They are famed throughout Wintermark for their heroic deeds, and the presence of the Green Shields has turned the tide of battle more than once. They are one of the few armies outside Navarr that have any experience fighting vallornspawn, usually in Hercynia.

The second Wintermark General leads the Green Shield Army, and is appointed (or re-appointed) at the Winter solstice each year.

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Wintermark music

Contents

- 1 The Music of Wintermark

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.2.3 Funeral Songs

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Songs

- 1.3.2 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.3 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The Music of Wintermark

Style summary

Alliterative poetry and heroic saga songs spoken or chanted, scraping fiddles, breathy pipes, and low drones. Themes of winter, seasons, mythical creatures, tales of hardship, dark wit, and of course riddles!

For inspiration for Wintermark look to the music of the old Americas, Scandinavia and Iceland, along with certain British folk with a minor or modal sound.

Commonly known songs

- Oy lay la loyla - one of several calls used when herding animals or bringing home a hunt

A musical tradition

From Wintermark Military Concerns: Steinr Bannermen often carry instruments of war, drums, horns and the like to perform music on the battlefield to lift spirits. Kallavesi Bannermen prefer to anoint their fellows with scented oils and use ancient tales to remind all of the heroes of the past. Some Suaq Bannermen prefer to lead their warriors in song while others learn the chirurgeons art. Most Bannermen are skilled warriors, but whatever their art, their purpose is to rouse the courage and fighting spirit of the band, supporting them on the battlefield.

One for the kids

Ho Ho Away We Go, very easy song with optional harmonies.

Funeral Songs

Low Down in the Broom

Further examples

Songs

- Cattle Calls

- The Snow It Melts the Soonest

- Two Men Came to Your Hall Door

- I Wish My Baby Was Born

- Low Down in the Broom

- My Ain True Love

- The Scop's Gift

- Lament for Skarsind

Instrumentation and tunes

- Kalenda Maya - medieval fiddle tune that sounds great with drones

- Orcadian/Shetland tunes have the right sort of sound for Wintermark, as does the Swedish fiddle.

- Pan pipes, ocarinas, or low whistles could be used to great effect here too, using any breathy slow music.

- Scandinavian fiddle/folk resources: http://www.people.iup.edu/rahkonen/Fiddling/scandi.htm

Other performance traditions

- Riddles!

How to adapt your repertoire

- Whether singing or playing, get people to join in with a long low drone or untuned drums.

- When playing from your folk tune repertoire, flatten all your 7ths (turning the major scale into the mixolydian mode). Here is a search for mixolydian mode tunes

- Sing in a raw style and emphasise the story behind the song.

Our sources

- June Tabor, Vasen, Althing (vocal group), Ensemble Norma, Enkelit, Flight of the Condor soundtrack, Andean pipe music generally and processional songs.

- A great source of Swedish fiddle tunes: http://www.norbeck.nu/abc/index2.asp?cat=s&sort=title

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music.

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Wintermark music (Redirected from Wintermark Music)

Contents

- 1 The Music of Wintermark

- 1.1 Style summary

- 1.2 Commonly known songs

- 1.2.1 A musical tradition

- 1.2.2 One for the kids

- 1.2.3 Funeral Songs

- 1.3 Further examples

- 1.3.1 Songs

- 1.3.2 Instrumentation and tunes

- 1.3.3 Other performance traditions

- 1.4 How to adapt your repertoire

- 1.5 Our sources

The Music of Wintermark

Style summary

Alliterative poetry and heroic saga songs spoken or chanted, scraping fiddles, breathy pipes, and low drones. Themes of winter, seasons, mythical creatures, tales of hardship, dark wit, and of course riddles!

For inspiration for Wintermark look to the music of the old Americas, Scandinavia and Iceland, along with certain British folk with a minor or modal sound.

Commonly known songs

- Oy lay la loyla - one of several calls used when herding animals or bringing home a hunt

A musical tradition

From Wintermark Military Concerns: Steinr Bannermen often carry instruments of war, drums, horns and the like to perform music on the battlefield to lift spirits. Kallavesi Bannermen prefer to anoint their fellows with scented oils and use ancient tales to remind all of the heroes of the past. Some Suaq Bannermen prefer to lead their warriors in song while others learn the chirurgeons art. Most Bannermen are skilled warriors, but whatever their art, their purpose is to rouse the courage and fighting spirit of the band, supporting them on the battlefield.

One for the kids

Ho Ho Away We Go, very easy song with optional harmonies.

Funeral Songs

Low Down in the Broom

Further examples

Songs

- Cattle Calls

- The Snow It Melts the Soonest

- Two Men Came to Your Hall Door

- I Wish My Baby Was Born

- Low Down in the Broom

- My Ain True Love

- The Scop's Gift

- Lament for Skarsind

Instrumentation and tunes

- Kalenda Maya - medieval fiddle tune that sounds great with drones

- Orcadian/Shetland tunes have the right sort of sound for Wintermark, as does the Swedish fiddle.

- Pan pipes, ocarinas, or low whistles could be used to great effect here too, using any breathy slow music.

- Scandinavian fiddle/folk resources: http://www.people.iup.edu/rahkonen/Fiddling/scandi.htm

Other performance traditions

- Riddles!

How to adapt your repertoire

- Whether singing or playing, get people to join in with a long low drone or untuned drums.

- When playing from your folk tune repertoire, flatten all your 7ths (turning the major scale into the mixolydian mode). Here is a search for mixolydian mode tunes

- Sing in a raw style and emphasise the story behind the song.

Our sources

- June Tabor, Vasen, Althing (vocal group), Ensemble Norma, Enkelit, Flight of the Condor soundtrack, Andean pipe music generally and processional songs.

- A great source of Swedish fiddle tunes: http://www.norbeck.nu/abc/index2.asp?cat=s&sort=title

Here is a youtube playlist of appropriate or inspiring music.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Wintermark_music&oldid=16844"

Wintermark people

The Winterfolk were once three separate peoples: the Kallavesi, the Steinr and the Suaq. Although they unified years before they joined the Empire, they preserve the heritage that made each tradition strong. Which tradition you follow is not an accident of birth but a choice made by each Winterfolk child as they reach maturity. Just as one might be born a peasant and rise to become a Thane, so someone can be born to Steinr family and leave to follow the path of a Kallavesi mystic or journey with the Suaq as a scout. Children gravitate towards whichever tradition calls most strongly to them as they come of age.

All three traditions are equally respected; they are all crucial to the survival of the nation. Although a single tradition predominates in each territory of Wintermark – this is a consequence of landscape and history – most communities include members of all three. They refer to themselves as Winterfolk, especially when talking to outsiders. They no longer consider themselves three peoples; they are one people, but with three traditions.

Many Winterfolk maintain the old belief in the Skein which says that when one decides to do something, one should be absolutely committed. Vacillation is anathema as is trying to go back on one's skein by trying to undo a decision one has made. When they hunt monsters across the icy wastes, they seek to kill all of them. When they design a fortress or a suit of armour, they strive to make it impregnable. When they go to war, they are prepared to die for their cause.

They judge people not by the company they keep or by their words, but by the things they do. They live their lives to the full, throwing themselves into whatever they are doing with gusto. They are generous in triumph, but selfish in defeat. The mark of a Wintermark hero is that they take personal responsibility for their failings but they share their victories with everyone. The more people involved in a heroic deed, the more heroic it is seen to be. Whenever the Scops tell a tale of a battle, everyone who fought at that battle stands a little taller, even if their specific deeds are not recounted.

All Winterfolk admire personal heroism. They relish challenges as an opportunity to prove themselves. Battle is an obvious opportunity to show one's worth, but they also recognise the challenges that are overcome with cunning or wisdom. Whether triumph is won by force of arms, imagination and cunning or wise and profound insight does not matter to the Winterfolk. What counts is how significant and notable the triumph was and how many benefit as a result of the deed. Winterfolk heroes are those whose prowess and noble qualities serve or inspire others.

While the stereotypical Winterfolk crafter is often thought of as a weapon or armour smith, they are also known for their expertise in civil and military engineering, their construction of great fortresses and other defensive structures and their delicately engraved jewellery. The Winterfolk prize individuality, not just as people, but in the things they do and the things they make. Winterfolk craftsmen take immense pride in incorporating complex runes into the things they create. The Winterfolk delight in this act of creation; they enjoy making beautiful and unique things, whether it be a torc, a weapon or a poem.

Names

Winterfolk names are primarily Saxon and Finnish in flavour.

Sample names

- Male: Alric, Aarne, Burmoth, Cynestan, Dunstan, Eadric, Eomer, Esa, Kye, Marko, Oswald, Siward, Theodric, Topi, Urho, Ville, Wulfric.

- Female: Agatha, Anja, Eawyn, Edith, Elina, Emma, Gytha, Inga, Kaisa, Lyydia, Maethild, Needa, Reet, Ricola, Suvi, Wynflaed, Ymma.

When they are born Winterfolk take their second names from the thane's hall to which they belong, (which in turn will have been named after its founder) or less commonly they may take their mother or father's name. In either case the name is adjusted to make the name flow.

The Winterfolk strive to commit deeds worthy of a name, to earn a name. This name is bestowed by the scops and is a word or phrase that reflects the character's achievements. You can create a character who has already achieved their name or one that is still looking to earn their name.

- {given name} {thane's hall}ing e.g. Alric Marking (Alric of Marko's Hall), Reet Ceorling (Reet of Ceorl's Hall).

- {given name} {parent's name}sson or {given name} {parent's name}sdottir e.g. Hrothgar Arnesson, Adla Runasdottir

- {nickname and given name} e.g. Wulfric the Bear, Wise Lyydia, Black Dow.

Naming resources

- Saxon names

- Finnish names

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Wintermark political leadership

Wintermark remains sparsely populated and the only large town is the former capital at Kalpaheim in Hahnmark. The majority of Winterfolk live in one of the many small settlements, called halls, that dot the land. Each hall is led by a Thane, and although Imperial justice is now dispensed by trained magistrates, the Thane continues to settle disputes that lie outside the law and to provide civic and military leadership.

Traditionally the Kallavesi chose the Wintermark monarch, although they never chose one of their own. This tradition is reflected in many halls, with the Winterfolk looking to the wise and prophetic Kallavesi to choose the most able candidate from amongst the Suaq and the Steinr. There are halls with Kallavesi Thanes, but these are usually the exception and occur when the majority of the inhabitants of the hall are Kallavesi.

The Winterfolk prefer strong, decisive leaders who make bold decisions and stick with them. They have little time for people who vacillate or prevaricate. When the Kallavesi believe that a powerful martial leader is needed they tend to pick a Steinr Thane, if they feel the situation calls for a clever shrewd leader they choose a Suaq. In either case they make an effort to ensure they pick a Thane who the hall can unite behind, the people of Wintermark have little interest in strained loyalties and internal disagreement.

The forerunner of the Senate was the Witan, a grand moot held at Kalpaheim. Here the representatives of each hall met to discuss the business of the nation with the monarch. Today it is a festive gathering; those who involve themselves in national and Imperial business gather to eat, drink and plan for the year ahead. It is also a time for finding husbands and wives, for seeking out mentors or apprentices, resolving internal conflicts and generally keeping the nation of Wintermark functioning as a strong, healthy whole.

Leading a territory

The symbol of Wintermark is three interlocking rings, representing the belief that the nation is stronger for the influence and inclusion of all three traditions. To preserve this heritage the Winterfolk ensure that they pick a single Senator who follows each tradition. The Steinr select the senator for Hahnmark, the Suaq select the senator for Sermersuaq and the Kallavesi the senator for Kallavesa. With Skarsind, the traditions rotate who selects the senator. For example at the Spring Equinox 379YE it was the turn of the Kallavesa and in 380YE it will be the turn of the Steinr.

For each territory, every candidate who wishes to be considered sets out a jar bearing their name. Any Winterfolk of the appropriate tradition who wishes to express support may drop a single coin into one or more of the jars over the next hour. The face value of the coins is irrelevant, but by tradition, wealthy or earnest supporters will try to outdo each other by adding a more valuable coin. At the end of the hour, the jar containing the most coins bears the name of the new Senator. The money is taken by the civil service and distributed amongst the poorest Winterfolk present.

Although the senators are chosen by followers of a single tradition, in theory it is possible for any of the Winterfolk to stand as a candidate for any territory. In practice it is rare for the Steinr not to choose one of their own, and likewise for the Suaq and the Kallavesi.

The senators for each Imperial territory are re-elected at specific equinox and solstices during the year. The senator for Skarsind is elected at the Spring equinox, the senator for Sermersuaq is elected at the Summer solstice, the senator for Hahnmark is elected at the Autumn equinox, and the senator for Kallavesa is elected at the Winter solstice.

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Wintermark religious beliefs

The priests of Wintermark provide spiritual and moral guidance through the tales of the greatest heroes of the past. Called stormcrows, they wear the traditional Kallavesi feathers and a black or grey tattered and layered robe. The stormcrows compose and recite verses which recount the feats of the Paragons and other heroes.

A stormcrow provides the moral centre of every hall, pushing them to perform the deeds their souls long to achieve and to live up to the legacy of the heroes who have gone before. Their duties are often very serious, but many also strive to be the heart of the community, providing cheer through the dark winter nights and reminding their fellows of the joys of being alive. A stormcrow might find themselves preaching the need to laugh in the face of death, conducting grand and glorious death rites, or testing their congregation with riddles. Their preaching, rites and riddles often refer to the birds sacred to the Winterfolk. Whatever form religious observance takes, it usually ends with music, laughter and feasting.

Inevitably the stormcrows favour those tales that sing to the Wintermark spirit. Pride and Courage are prized above all things followed closely by Wisdom. Tales of Ambition or Prosperity are usually reserved for those thanes who seem to be exhibiting an unseemly tendency towards caution or miserliness. In battle, however, at least one stormcrow will endeavour to remain by the side of whoever has command. In this way they seek to remind them that it is a warrior’s place to show Courage, but a thane’s place to show Wisdom.

In Wintermark it is considered a cowardly, childish thing to gossip about the inadequacies or misdeeds of another. Instead the stormcrows serve as a sort of confessor. Anyone can go to them and share a story of a misdeed or failing they have witnessed, and then depart secure in the knowledge that the stormcrow will deal with it. The priest seeks out the truth of the matter and deals with the situation as openly or discreetly as they see fit. When a stormcrow says “the birds told me” they mean that someone has confided in the stormcrow. They will not reveal the source. Likewise a person who feels guilty can seek out a stormcrow and confide whatever it is that is prompting the guilty feelings. A stormcrow can lay a penance, and witness the completion of that penance, effectively absolving the person of their shame.

Stormcrows also serve as witnesses to what their people say and do. In Wintermark it is important to carry through on any deed that you have claimed you will do. They have no patience for empty boasting. This embodies the Virtue of Courage as well as the idea that it is important not to go back on your Skein. Stormcrows fight alongside Winterfolk who have made boasts or claims for their achievements in a coming battle or who have otherwise set themselves a particularly dangerous task. In this the stormcrow serves two important roles. Firstly they can carry back the tale of a good death or vouch for the honesty of accomplishment if a person survives the battle. More importantly a stormcrow knows that by acting as a watcher they can bolster the courage of the person they are watching, helping them to stay true in the face of their fear.

The Frayed

Individuals who make inauspicious choices, committing crimes or making cowardly or greedy decisions that betray the trust of others, lock themselves into an unheroic skein. They incur the contempt of their fellows as their skein carries them towards the Labyrinth of Ages with their souls stained by their actions. They are called the frayed, a reference to the way their choices have damaged their skein. Wintermark heroes who are convicted of serious crimes, or individuals who feel great guilt over a personal failing, become frayed.

For the frayed to restore their skein to a heroic path takes a great deal of effort and wisdom; for most warriors battle is their only opportunity to achieve this. Here the frayed fight alongside a warband rather than as part of it and seek out the most dangerous fights in the hope of redeeming themselves. Those who do so and survive may eventually rejoin their warband. If they became frayed due to committing a crime, then it is never mentioned again once their sentence is complete. Those who have not have been able to redeem themselves through acts of bravery and valour continue to fight as a frayed until they prove themselves or die.

It is common for several frayed to fight together in battle to improve the chances of all and some groups of frayed take an oath to continue to fight together as a warband until all have proven themselves. If worthy, such bands often attract a stormcrow, who fights with the band even though they are not frayed. The stormcrow provide spiritual guidance as well as witnessing their efforts to redeem themselves.

The Winterfolk are, by nature, a virtuous people and their Stormcrows were teaching about Pride and Courage long before we arrived. Our words about the reincarnation of souls were also accepted as confirmation of truths already known to them. Their superstitions around birds are misguided, but I sense no idolatry here; merely the lingering traces of older traditions from less enlightened times.

Wayfarer Malachi in Epistles to the Winds of Virtue, 12 BE

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Wintermark religious beliefs (Redirected from Wintermark Religious Beliefs)

The priests of Wintermark provide spiritual and moral guidance through the tales of the greatest heroes of the past. Called stormcrows, they wear the traditional Kallavesi feathers and a black or grey tattered and layered robe. The stormcrows compose and recite verses which recount the feats of the Paragons and other heroes.

A stormcrow provides the moral centre of every hall, pushing them to perform the deeds their souls long to achieve and to live up to the legacy of the heroes who have gone before. Their duties are often very serious, but many also strive to be the heart of the community, providing cheer through the dark winter nights and reminding their fellows of the joys of being alive. A stormcrow might find themselves preaching the need to laugh in the face of death, conducting grand and glorious death rites, or testing their congregation with riddles. Their preaching, rites and riddles often refer to the birds sacred to the Winterfolk. Whatever form religious observance takes, it usually ends with music, laughter and feasting.

Inevitably the stormcrows favour those tales that sing to the Wintermark spirit. Pride and Courage are prized above all things followed closely by Wisdom. Tales of Ambition or Prosperity are usually reserved for those thanes who seem to be exhibiting an unseemly tendency towards caution or miserliness. In battle, however, at least one stormcrow will endeavour to remain by the side of whoever has command. In this way they seek to remind them that it is a warrior’s place to show Courage, but a thane’s place to show Wisdom.

In Wintermark it is considered a cowardly, childish thing to gossip about the inadequacies or misdeeds of another. Instead the stormcrows serve as a sort of confessor. Anyone can go to them and share a story of a misdeed or failing they have witnessed, and then depart secure in the knowledge that the stormcrow will deal with it. The priest seeks out the truth of the matter and deals with the situation as openly or discreetly as they see fit. When a stormcrow says “the birds told me” they mean that someone has confided in the stormcrow. They will not reveal the source. Likewise a person who feels guilty can seek out a stormcrow and confide whatever it is that is prompting the guilty feelings. A stormcrow can lay a penance, and witness the completion of that penance, effectively absolving the person of their shame.

Stormcrows also serve as witnesses to what their people say and do. In Wintermark it is important to carry through on any deed that you have claimed you will do. They have no patience for empty boasting. This embodies the Virtue of Courage as well as the idea that it is important not to go back on your Skein. Stormcrows fight alongside Winterfolk who have made boasts or claims for their achievements in a coming battle or who have otherwise set themselves a particularly dangerous task. In this the stormcrow serves two important roles. Firstly they can carry back the tale of a good death or vouch for the honesty of accomplishment if a person survives the battle. More importantly a stormcrow knows that by acting as a watcher they can bolster the courage of the person they are watching, helping them to stay true in the face of their fear.

The Frayed

Individuals who make inauspicious choices, committing crimes or making cowardly or greedy decisions that betray the trust of others, lock themselves into an unheroic skein. They incur the contempt of their fellows as their skein carries them towards the Labyrinth of Ages with their souls stained by their actions. They are called the frayed, a reference to the way their choices have damaged their skein. Wintermark heroes who are convicted of serious crimes, or individuals who feel great guilt over a personal failing, become frayed.

For the frayed to restore their skein to a heroic path takes a great deal of effort and wisdom; for most warriors battle is their only opportunity to achieve this. Here the frayed fight alongside a warband rather than as part of it and seek out the most dangerous fights in the hope of redeeming themselves. Those who do so and survive may eventually rejoin their warband. If they became frayed due to committing a crime, then it is never mentioned again once their sentence is complete. Those who have not have been able to redeem themselves through acts of bravery and valour continue to fight as a frayed until they prove themselves or die.

It is common for several frayed to fight together in battle to improve the chances of all and some groups of frayed take an oath to continue to fight together as a warband until all have proven themselves. If worthy, such bands often attract a stormcrow, who fights with the band even though they are not frayed. The stormcrow provide spiritual guidance as well as witnessing their efforts to redeem themselves.

The Winterfolk are, by nature, a virtuous people and their Stormcrows were teaching about Pride and Courage long before we arrived. Our words about the reincarnation of souls were also accepted as confirmation of truths already known to them. Their superstitions around birds are misguided, but I sense no idolatry here; merely the lingering traces of older traditions from less enlightened times.

Wayfarer Malachi in Epistles to the Winds of Virtue, 12 BE

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Wintermark_religious_beliefs&oldid=28303"

Wintermark territories

Wintermark lies in the north-west of the Empire. It is significantly colder than the lands around the Bay of Catazar, marked by high peaks, rolling tundra and great freshwater lakes. The four territories are scattered with settlements and criss-crossed by a network of watchtowers and beacons that allow the Winterfolk to maintain vigilance against barbarian attacks. Many of these beacons are isolated, but halls have sprung up around several of them, often taking their names from the beacons or watchtowers they protect.

The wilderness between halls is often trackless, but there are many well-known routes between settlements. The land is known for its natural beauty; while it is cold, it is by no means an arctic wasteland. In summer particularly the plains and woodlands of Wintermark teem with animal life. It is a hardy land, however, that breeds hardy folk. It is also a prosperous land - there is a great deal of hunting, fishing, herding. agriculture, mining and trade between halls and the rest of the Empire.

While three of the four territories are viewed as the "spiritual home" of one of the three peoples, all WInterfolk are welcome in all territories. While the halls of Kallavesa tend to have more Kallavesi members than Suaq or Stienr, it is a rare hall that consists only of folk from one of the three peoples.

Contents

- 1 Hahnmark

- 2 Kallavesa

- 3 Sermersuaq

- 4 Skarsind

Hahnmark

The territory of Hahnmark is spread along a series of treacherous mountain passes, the rolling foothills beneath and the wide plains that stretch toward Sermersuaq and Kallavesa. In ancient times was the centre of the troll kingdom, but today is considered the ancestral homeland of the Steinr in Wintermark. It was here that the three peoples first came together to oppose their enemies, and to create the union that has made their people the strongest in the world. The territory is prosperous - as well as the farms of the lowlands and the mines in the mountainous foothills, the halls of Hahnmark are visited by traders from across the Empire. it is also a territory that revels in its strength - the sword-arm of the people of Hahnmark is ever ready to strike against the enemies of the three peoples and the Empire that is their home.

Kallavesa

This is the ancestral home of the Kallavesi, a land of cold stagnant bogs. It is a mournful land, beautiful as it changes through the seasons, but always possessing a feeling of brooding stillness. In the warmer months it is a boggy marsh cut through with streams and fjords. In the winter the waterways freeze over and the whole land is covered with frost and snow. Thanes' halls are traditionally constructed entirely from wood here and those built in marshy areas are raised up on stilts. The marsh serves as the national graveyard and this is a place of ancient secrets and mysticism and parts of Kallavesa, especially the West Marsh, have a reputation for being haunted.

Sermersuaq

Sermersuaq is the ancestral home of the Suaq people. The forests and tundra of this territory are rich with animal life that sustains the Winterfolk, ranging from great furred beasts to small game and hunting birds. The northern waters are home to seals and penguins, and full of fish and whales. As one travels further north, the land becomes colder and colder until a traveller comes to transient ice floes that mark the the farthest extent of the land claimed by the Winterfolk. This fertile territory is under constant threat from both the Thule and the Jotun whose hunting parties also seek to exploit the profusion of life here, regularly engaging in skirmishes with the Winterfolk who live here.

Skarsind

Lost in 373YE, recovered in 377YE. Skarsind is a place of alpine slopes and valleys, pine forests and rising mists, set in what's known as the Great Vale, a bowl of mountains that holds both Skarsind and the forest of Hercynia. At it's height, Skarsind was particularly noted for fine rune work, and artisans and runesmiths traveled here to study their craft. Gildenheim in the east was the second largest settlement in Wintermark, built over the entrance to a frozen underworld cavern into the walls of which are carvings in a mysterious alphabet that are said to be the source of the magical runes used throughout Wintermark. Gildenheim lies in ruins, thanks the the barbarian Thule; yet it also stands as a symbol of the strength of the Winterfolk. With the aid of the Empire, the Thule have been driven out and the rebuilding of Skarsind can begin.

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Wintermark_territories&oldid=34586"

Wintermark territories (Redirected from Wintermark Territories)

Wintermark lies in the north-west of the Empire. It is significantly colder than the lands around the Bay of Catazar, marked by high peaks, rolling tundra and great freshwater lakes. The four territories are scattered with settlements and criss-crossed by a network of watchtowers and beacons that allow the Winterfolk to maintain vigilance against barbarian attacks. Many of these beacons are isolated, but halls have sprung up around several of them, often taking their names from the beacons or watchtowers they protect.

The wilderness between halls is often trackless, but there are many well-known routes between settlements. The land is known for its natural beauty; while it is cold, it is by no means an arctic wasteland. In summer particularly the plains and woodlands of Wintermark teem with animal life. It is a hardy land, however, that breeds hardy folk. It is also a prosperous land - there is a great deal of hunting, fishing, herding. agriculture, mining and trade between halls and the rest of the Empire.

While three of the four territories are viewed as the "spiritual home" of one of the three peoples, all WInterfolk are welcome in all territories. While the halls of Kallavesa tend to have more Kallavesi members than Suaq or Stienr, it is a rare hall that consists only of folk from one of the three peoples.

Contents

- 1 Hahnmark

- 2 Kallavesa

- 3 Sermersuaq

- 4 Skarsind

Hahnmark

The territory of Hahnmark is spread along a series of treacherous mountain passes, the rolling foothills beneath and the wide plains that stretch toward Sermersuaq and Kallavesa. In ancient times was the centre of the troll kingdom, but today is considered the ancestral homeland of the Steinr in Wintermark. It was here that the three peoples first came together to oppose their enemies, and to create the union that has made their people the strongest in the world. The territory is prosperous - as well as the farms of the lowlands and the mines in the mountainous foothills, the halls of Hahnmark are visited by traders from across the Empire. it is also a territory that revels in its strength - the sword-arm of the people of Hahnmark is ever ready to strike against the enemies of the three peoples and the Empire that is their home.

Kallavesa

This is the ancestral home of the Kallavesi, a land of cold stagnant bogs. It is a mournful land, beautiful as it changes through the seasons, but always possessing a feeling of brooding stillness. In the warmer months it is a boggy marsh cut through with streams and fjords. In the winter the waterways freeze over and the whole land is covered with frost and snow. Thanes' halls are traditionally constructed entirely from wood here and those built in marshy areas are raised up on stilts. The marsh serves as the national graveyard and this is a place of ancient secrets and mysticism and parts of Kallavesa, especially the West Marsh, have a reputation for being haunted.

Sermersuaq

Sermersuaq is the ancestral home of the Suaq people. The forests and tundra of this territory are rich with animal life that sustains the Winterfolk, ranging from great furred beasts to small game and hunting birds. The northern waters are home to seals and penguins, and full of fish and whales. As one travels further north, the land becomes colder and colder until a traveller comes to transient ice floes that mark the the farthest extent of the land claimed by the Winterfolk. This fertile territory is under constant threat from both the Thule and the Jotun whose hunting parties also seek to exploit the profusion of life here, regularly engaging in skirmishes with the Winterfolk who live here.

Skarsind

Lost in 373YE, recovered in 377YE. Skarsind is a place of alpine slopes and valleys, pine forests and rising mists, set in what's known as the Great Vale, a bowl of mountains that holds both Skarsind and the forest of Hercynia. At it's height, Skarsind was particularly noted for fine rune work, and artisans and runesmiths traveled here to study their craft. Gildenheim in the east was the second largest settlement in Wintermark, built over the entrance to a frozen underworld cavern into the walls of which are carvings in a mysterious alphabet that are said to be the source of the magical runes used throughout Wintermark. Gildenheim lies in ruins, thanks the the barbarian Thule; yet it also stands as a symbol of the strength of the Winterfolk. With the aid of the Empire, the Thule have been driven out and the rebuilding of Skarsind can begin.

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Winternight Lifestealer

Description

These vicious spears punch through leather and even mithril-steel as if it were paper. They inflict catastrophic wounds, and a well-placed strike to a vital area can completely incapacitate a target in seconds. According to a pamphlet circulated in Temeschwar called The Case for banning the Winternight Lifestealer as recently as 369YE the weapons were first created by Winter Eternals, and a potion of the soul of their victims is siphoned off to feed the relentless hunger of the Wasteland. The document was largely dismissed, but they are still widely considered to be weapons of ill-omen.

A few Wintermark settlements dominated by Kallavesi will not allow a warrior who is revealed to bear one of these weapons to spend the night in their hall. They say that the presence of these hateful weapons causes "bloody dreams" to disturb the minds of children and those already susceptible to violent urges or traumatised by war. There may be some truth to these beliefs; the Suaq general Vilav Solving who lead his countryfolk under the banner of Empress Varkula is said to have thrown himself to his death from the Skarsind peak that bears his name to this day, driven mad by terrible guilt caused by his arefact spear Heartpiercer which filled his sleep with dreams of everyone he had killed in the name of the Empire.

More pragmatic warriors are less concerned. These spears are especially popular with some Varushkan Schlacta, who combine the razor-sharp spear with a heavy shield and use them to dispatch wolves. They are also somewhat popular with Marcher beaters for use against vermin whether it goes on two legs or four. They especially appreciate the spear's ability to pierce the defences of armoured bandits and those Feni and orcs whose piecemeal armour is supplemented by mithril chain or stout hides. Some concern has been raised that over the years several of these weapons have fallen into the hands of the Feni, who have been reported using them in several skirmishes - perhaps the same lost weapons, perhaps new ones constructed by those feni artisans who have riddled out the secret of their construction.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a one-handed spear.

- Requirement: You must have the weapon master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to call IMPALE when you hit with this one-handed spear.

- Materials: Crafting a winternight lifestealer requires thirteen ingots of tempest jade, seven ingots of green iron, seven measures of beggar's lye and five ingots of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

"Bringer of falcon-food, bastion of slaughter-walls,

Sing I of Solving, of Vilav the brave.

Of wise Kallavasi, and Suaq-scout, Steinr,

war-host commanded, great victories won.

With death-branch tall standing, stern-faced for the foeman,

Swimming in wound-rain, in battle-sweat bathed.

Heartpiercer, foe-death, his constant companion.

Driving through leather, or through mithril-steel.

But whispering softly, its evil seed planting,

Heartpiercer, false-friend, brought him to his death.

No hearts-ease in mind's-worth. No sleep-safe soul-resting.

Black dog walked with him, and darkened his heart.

He ran the white sky-road, and left us with heart's-rain,

Marsh-resting spear-man, in peace now at last."

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Realms (Redirected from Winter Realm)

Redirect page

Realm

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Winter rituals

Ritual

Explanation

Magnitude

An Echo of Life Remains

Identifies a corpse.

2

Black Iron Blade

Cuts all bonds on target.

2

Fallow Fields and Dried Meat

Add 18 rings to the production of a farm over winter.

2

Hunger of the Draughir

Grants one rank of fortitude and the ability to eat anything for a season.

3

Mark the Flesh Incorruptible

Preserves a corpse.

4

Tribute to the Thrice-Cursed Court

Trades crafted items for Winter mana.

4

Words of Ending

Destroys the magic of a crafted item.

4

Wisdom of the Balanced Blade

Analyses a curse.

6

Withering Touch of Frost

Curses a character to lose a quarter of farm, forest and herb garden production for a year.

6

Pakaanan's Iron Shutters

Seals a portal for ten minutes.

8

Ruthless Vigilance, Healthy Crop

Enhances a herb garden, increasing production of each herb by two over next season.

8

Traitor's Fate

Agree to let someone trigger a dangerous curse if they betray you.

8

Crumbling Flesh and Withering Limbs

Grants ability to call cleave with a rod once each day for a season.

9

Coil of the Black Leech

Grants a target the ability to heal themselves when they cast weakness.

10

Freezing Brand of Irremais

Brands and influences a target.

10

Hungry Grasp of Despair

Grants coven a one-use ability to cast weakness over ten minutes.

10

Ravenous Tongue of Entropy

Grants the ability to call shatter with a staff once a day for a season.

11

Circle of Trust

Agree to let someone trigger dangerous curse if they betray you.

12

Unyielding Constitution

Grants the ability to endure the effects of traumatic wounds for a season.

13

Hold Back Frozen Hunger

Wards an area against the dead.

14

There Is No Welcome Here

Ward an area against eternals and heralds.

14

Ward of the Black Waste

Wards an area against vallornspawn.

14

Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence

Curse a territory so that mana crystal production is halved for a season.

15

Naeve's Twisting Blight

Blights all crops in a territory, halving their production.

15

Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust

Conjures unliving winter troops to greatly enhance the rank of a military unit.

20

Fight Tooth and Nail

Grants two uses of unstoppable each day for a season.

20

Gnawing, Endless Hunger

Curses a character with endless hunger and inability to benefit from potions.

20

Last Breath Echoes

Restores a terminal character for a short period before they die.

20

Pallid Flesh of the Dead King

Grants two ranks of endurance for a season at the cost of persistent venom.

22

Retreat to the White Caves

Wards an area against heralds and eternals for a season.

23

Sorins Rite of Agony

Grants 1 rank of winter lore for a season at the cost of an unhealing wound.

24

Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt

Curses a character with nightmares and removes ability to recover hero points or mana naturally.

30

Whispers through the Black Gate

Summons a dead spirit to answer questions.

30

Inevitable Collapse into Ruin

Damages a battlefield fortification.

40

Curse of Decrepitude

Curses a target with persistent weakness for a year.

50

Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw

Allows one use of area-of-effect weakness.

50

Winter's Ghosts

Curses a territory so that all production is reduced by half for a season.

50

The Grave's Treacherous Edge

Allows one use of area-of-effect venom.

60

Devastating Scythe of Anguish and Loss

Allows one use of area-of-effect shatter.

150

Quickening Cold Meat

Creates a force of animated corpses that enhance a campaign army for a year.

150

Wind of Mundane Silence

Destroys a regio.

150

Wither the Seed

Drastically reduces the fertility of an area for a generation.

150

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

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Winter Solstice 2014

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Battles

- 2.1 Volunteering

- 3 Site Map

- 4 OOC Camping

- 5 Traders

Overview

This page lists all the details that are specific for our fifth Empire event - the Winter Solstice 2014. There is an additional page with event information which lists arrival and departure times and similar details that are common for all Empire events.

Battles

At the event we will be running two large battles, one Saturday morning and one Sunday morning, along with a large number of smaller encounters. The large battles will follow the normal rules for battles; you may only participate in a single battle as your character and you must monster the other battle if you decide to participate in one.

The fighting begins at 11:00 am - but if you are playing the battle then you will need to muster up before this time and if you are monstering then you need to make your way to the monster area for 10:00 am to give us time to get you into costume, made-up and briefed.

Volunteering

Players are welcome to volunteer to help PD crew the smaller encounters, but are not obliged to do so - anyone who volunteers to help by monstering an encounter will receive a token that enables you to collect a free drink from the bar as thanks.

Site Map

The map shows the layout of the OOC camping fields and the IC area. The grey lines in the in-character field are roads that go through the camps. These roads will be laid out with fencing pins and nylon rope until the start of the event. You must not pitch your tent in the road, the red hats are under instructions to move any tents pitched in the IC roads.

No unescorted vehicles are allowed in the IC camping area - you may only use the road indicated by the grey line that circles around the field. The road will be wide enough for you to pull up and park so that you can unload your vehicle next to your camp. Please unload your camping equipment and then move your vehicle to the car park before putting up your tent to allow other players to unload.

If you have a trailer or a large vehicle filled with heavy kit then you may drive that on to the field to unload. To do that you must wait at the IC entrance to the field. A member of the PD security team will then escort you vehicle to your camp where you can unload your vehicle. Once you are ready to move your vehicle to the car park you must request a member of the PD team escort your vehicle off the field.

OOC Camping

The OOC camping area will be laid out in lines with fencing pins and nylon rope. The system is designed to separate the tents from the cars so the rope has signs hanging from it which indicates that you should park you car adjacent to the rope and then pitch your tent on the other side of the rope.

Do not pitch your tents in the wide lane between the guide ropes, this lane must be kept free for access.

Traders

The following traders have booked for the event.

- As If By Magic Creating custom makes for your delectation.

- Battle Ready Hand crafted leather goods.

- Chows Emporium Costume, leather gloves, products related to drinking and accessories.

- Coelred Monger Suppliers of replica costume and artefacts.

- Darkblade Leather Stuff.

- Eldritch Weapons and armour.

- Evenlode Studio Evenlode Studio supply a wide range of props and costume. These include all kinds of leather armour and costume, masks suitable for Empire, natural accessories and much much more.

- Gem’s Trading Co Costumes and leatherwork. Fine quality tailored garments and LRP props. Also a wide range of hand made leather items and missile weapons supplied by Arrow Kaster available to order.

- Grand Expedition Costume and jewellery and trips to foreign parts.

- Having A Larp Costume, weapons, armour and LARP accessories.

- Irregular Props Weapons, shields and mage implements designed especially for Empire.

- Light Armouries Supplier of latex weapons and props.

- Mandala Studios High quality latex prosthetics and masks tailor made for the Empire campaign.

- Millstream Forge Metalwork - located next to Skian Mhor.

- Romany Robes A range of beautiful costume at reasonable prices.

- Saxon ViolenceA wide range of weapons suitable for Empire.

- Skian Mhor Latex Weapons and props. Costume, armour, leatherwork, chainmail, tents and all types of LRP supplies and essentials.

- Tallows Beautiful weapons and shields that are perfect for Empire.

- Velvet Glove Costumes Costumes, make-up, prosthetics, jewellery with more to come!

- Warriors Wardrobe A wide range of costume made for Empire.

- White Rose Apparel Beautiful armour.

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Winter Solstice Elections

Contents

- 1 Winter Solstice Elections

- 1.1 Senate

- 1.2 Military Council

- 1.3 Imperial Synod

Winter Solstice Elections

Each Winter Solstice, the citizens of Anvil elect, or otherwise appoint, the following positions:

Senate

Position

Chosen by

Senator for Madruga

Citizens of the Brass Coast

Senator for Astolat

Citizens of Dawn

Senator for Necropolis

Citizens of Highguard

Senator for Temeschwar

Citizens of the League

Senator for Bregasland

Citizens of the Marches

Senator for Hercynia

Citizens of the Navarr

Senator for Zenith

Citizens of Urizen

Senator for Miekarova

Citizens of Varushka

Senator for Kallavesa

Citizens of Wintermark

Conscience of the Senate

The Cardinal of the Way

Military Council

Position

Chosen by

General of the Hounds of Glory

General of the Winter Sun

General of the Strong Reeds

General of the Army of the Golden Axe

Varushkan Senators

General of the Green Shield Army

Winternark Senators

Imperial Synod

Position

Appointed By

Cardinal of Prosperity

Assembly of Prosperity

Cardinal of The Way

Assembly of the Way

Gatekeeper of Prosperity

Cardinal of Prosperity

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Wisdom of the Balanced Blade

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual targets a single character or item which must be present throughout and, in the case of an item, close enough to touch. It can also be performed to target the immediate area surrounding the ritualists; this allows examination of curses that effect a space or territory.

Effects

The ritual reveals information about any and all curses on the target. It is most often used on a character or item that is present, but can also be used in an area that is under a curse such as that created by Naeve's Twisting Blight.

When completed the ritual provides the following information about each curse that is present:

- It determines the realm and magnitude of the effect

- It determines what the effect does, and provides details of how it works.

- It reveals any remaining duration.

- It reveals any conditional effects, or any special methods that exist for removing the effect; it may suggest specific rituals that can remove the curse, or a general class of effects that might be appropriate.

- It may provide information about where the curse has come from (a ritual or the supernatural abilities of an Eternal, for example).

Some of these effects are similar to those provided by detect magic but unlike that spell, Wisdom of the Balanced Blade can penetrate effects designed to stymie or confuse divinations such as Incantation's Mystic Mask. he ritual must match or exceed the magnitude of any concealing effect on the item to penetrate it; otherwise the only information the ritual will reveal is whether the item is bonded or not; that there is an obscuring effect; and the magnitude and Realm of that effect.

Additional Magnitude

You may increase the magnitude of the ritual to penetrate more powerful shrouds or masks.

Description

While detect magic is fairly effective at determining the effects curses that are part of the wider body of Imperial Lore, this ritual helps analyse a curse whose details and potential counters are not commonly known. It is most often used to divine the details of a curse that has come from an Eternal or a barbarian magician.

The ritual is even more effective than Bright Lantern of Ophis when it comes to discovering the details of a magical curse, and may sometimes offer some guidance as to where to find something that can remove or counter a specific curse may be found.

Wisdom of the Balanced Blade is effective when performed to analyse a curse on a person or object, but it can also be used to gather information about a cursed area. In this case, however, the magicians must be within the area or able to target something obviously effected by the curse. For example, analysing a curse that causes all the trees in a forest to bleed would require the ritual to be performed within touching distance of one of these trees.

Rituals that examine curses on territories from a disatnce are referenced in numerous places, but currently the closest ritual in Imperial lore is The Eye of the High Places. It is possible to weave spontaneous magic to analyse a curse from a distance in a similar way. Such an effect would require a map of the target territory, and would require the magic to be worked in a strong Winter regio - although there would be no requirement for the target territory to be part of the Empire.

The ritual is sometimes called (Grandmother's/Grandfather's) Appraising Eye.

Common Elements

This ritual usually involves carefully examining the target. Active divination may take place, often with runestones or cards. Other, more exotic, methods of diagnosis might be used as well such as observing if the presence of the target has any effect on a lodestone, or on fresh milk; letting droplets of their blood, phlegm or sweat fall into fresh water or cream; or getting the target to throw a handful of runestones or sticks, or spatter blood onto a hide covered in runes, and observing the results. Lenses might be used to examine the target; lights used to make their shadow move; and mirrors used to catch their reflection. The rune Irremais is commonly invoked, as are the names of wise Paragons and Exemplars, folk heroes or the Eternal Wise Rangara.

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Wisdom roleplaying effects

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Consecration of Wisdom

- 3 Anointings of Wisdom

- 3.1 The Worth of Wisdom

- 3.2 The Focus of Wisdom

- 3.3 The Fresh Eyes of Wisdom

- 3.4 The Guidance of Wisdom

- 3.5 The Portents of Wisdom

- 4 Hallowings of Wisdom

- 4.1 Hallowing of Avigliana

- 4.2 Hallowing of Atun

- 4.3 Hallowing of the Philosopher

- 4.4 Hallowing of the Strategist

- 4.5 Hallowing of Kala

- 4.6 Hallowing of Chastisement

- 4.7 Hallowing of Isenbrad

Overview

These roleplaying effects are created by priests dedicated to the virtue of Wisdom who use the relevant ceremonial skill. A character performing an anointing or hallow must pick one of the appropriate roleplaying effects when they perform the ceremony.

Consecration of Wisdom

- In this place, you feel an urge to use the knowledge you have gained and, in doing so, test it.

Anointings of Wisdom

The following are a range of auras that can be summoned onto a living soul, with their consent, by priests whose own souls are dedicated to Wisdom:

The Worth of Wisdom

- You feel that the acquisition of wisdom is a worthy end in itself. Increasing your knowledge and understanding generates a sense of satisfaction and wellbeing. Any hesitations or remorse you might encounter as a result of actions taken to advance your knowledge or understanding are lessened.

Description: The path of wisdom can sometimes teach hard lessons, or require pilgrims to learn from bitter or painful experience. These burdens acquired on the path have sometimes caused pilgrims to falter and leave the path. Priests of wisdom have been able to use this aura to ease the burdens acquired on the path, and empower pilgrims to walk the difficult steps ahead of them.

The Focus of Wisdom

- You feel a desire to pursue wisdom without distraction. You feel a desire to consider circumstances in a dispassionate and objective manner. All your emotions, and passions, become more muted and contained for as long as the aura lasts.

Description: The pursuit of the virtue of wisdom is often made challenging by mundane concerns, petty distractions or heightened emotion that interfere with the learning of valuable lessons. Priests of wisdom have been able to use this anointing to help pilgrims and citizens clear their minds of these distractions and focus on the pursuit of wisdom. This anointing has proven useful in helping pilgrims to overcome other influences on their minds that might obscure the pursuit of wisdom, including malign auras. Some priests have also used this anointing to help citizens cope with grief or other strong emotion, but this is not widely endorsed by the Synod.

The Fresh Eyes of Wisdom

- During this anointing, you were asked to specify a particular event, topic or thing. Whilst this anointing is in effect, your knowledge and experience of this event, topic, or thing, is suppressed. This knowledge and experience is returned in full when the anointing ends. This has no effect on any knowledge or experience you gain whilst the anointing is in effect.

Description: Assumptions and inherited knowledge can be dangerous obstacles on the path of wisdom. The path of wisdom teaches pilgirms to "test what you learn; only fools accept hearsay as truth". The priests of wisdom have been able to use this anointing to help temporarily remove these assumptions and pre-conceptions and allow the pilgrim to approach an incident, or phenomena, from a different and renewed angle. This fresh perspective will ultimately be reconciled with their prior knowledge, unlike the ritual Cast Off The Chain of Memory which seeks to remove the knowledge and experience forever.

The Guidance of Wisdom

- You feel a clear sense that wisdom without action has no meaning. You are inclined to make a decision using the knowledge you possess now, or even make a decision on behalf of another, especially if they are hesitating.

Description: The path of wisdom teaches that knowledge and experience must go hand-in-hand with such axioms as "the virtuous apply what they have learned; wisdom knows all knowledge is incomplete". Priests of the path of wisdom are able to use this anointing to stir those who have become mired in contemplation or the acquisition of knowledge to test and apply that knowledge and gain wisdom. This anointing has also been applied to citizens and pilgrims who face difficult decisions, or are hesitating from taking action.

The Portents of Wisdom

- The next time you sleep you experience vivid dreams concerning the problems you are facing. These dreams recall those experiences and moments that revealed information about the challenges you are now facing and sometimes you see yourself acting on that information or seeking out new information. You awaken feeling refreshed and with lucid memories of the things you dreamed about, and a strong urge to take decisive actions to resolve your problems.

Description: The world is a complex place and full of mysteries, such as the Eternal Realms and the Labyrinth of Ages. Those lacking in virtue can sometimes balk at the complexity and enormity of these mysteries. Equally, those citizens who live in one area all their lives may never challenge the assumptions around them or explore the distant horizons. Priests of wisdom are able to use this anointing to encourage others to open and expand their minds.

Hallowings of Wisdom

Hallowing of Avigliana

- You feel an impulse to seek out those in need of your experience, knowledge and insights and share them. The impulse includes using this item as part of this teaching, if it would be appropriate to do so.

Hallowing of Atun

- You feel an inclination to expand your mind and the ways in which you acquire knowledge. This impulse includes a desire to either learn new things, or seek to learn in new ways. You also feel more inclined to trust your intuition more.

Hallowing of the Philosopher

- You feel comfortable when discussing concepts, ideas, and matters of depth and substance. This sensation is accompanied by a growing intolerance for trivialities, such as gossip or minor details, when compared to bigger issues.

Hallowing of the Strategist

- You feel a tremendous sense of scale and an urge to appreciate the bigger picture. Whilst under this effect, it feels harder to consider the needs and priorities of individuals or smaller groups against the whole.

Hallowing of Kala

- When bonded to, and in contact with, this item, you feel an urge to solve problems that you encounter; even if they do not directly affect you. This includes an impulse to challenge assumptions about the nature of a problem. This includes an impulse to use this item in the solving of problems, if doing so is appropriate.

Hallowing of Chastisement

- You feel an urge to forcefully chastise fools, and those who spread folly. This includes an impulse to use this item in the chastisement, if doing so is appropriate.

Hallowing of Isenbrad

- You feel an urge to use this item in the most effective way that you know how. Alongside this impulse, you feel a broader urge to utilise the knowledge that you have immediately, and test it through that use.

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Wise Rangara

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Winter

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

- 1.5 Rangara's Apprentice

Eternal of Winter

Sobriquets

Most commonly, Rangara is called "The Wise."

She is also known as The Ancient One, Eldest or Grandmother Winter and Kind Rangara, all epithets intended to flatter her and show the respect she considers so important. Some Kallavesi use the name Pale Raven when speaking of her, while the Varushkan wise ones use the old Ushka name Clever Spider. Regardless of the name used, Rangara herself demands respect and finds flattery entertaining - the more florid the greetings she is given, the more amused she becomes.

Outside her hearing she is sometimes called the Cruel Lady, or the Crone, but woe betide someone who refers to her as such within her hearing - such individuals will be ejected from her presence and may well receive a curse for their insolence.

Appearance

One of the oldest known Eternals, Rangara appears as an extremely old woman with snow-pale skin. She is believed to be blind, although this does not seem to effect her ability to perceive visitors and should never be mistaken for weakness - indeed most scholars agree she has a supernatural ability to penetrate disguises and transformations in those who come before her. She wears a cloak of black feathers, and either a dark cowl or more often a ritual mask made from the bones of a great bird, likewise covered in feathers. .

Wise Rangara may be encountered alone, but is often assisted by dark figures that combine elements of birds with humanoid form. Sometimes she is accompanied by a human child, often expessing a strong draughir lineage who she refers to as her apprentice.

Concerns

The exemplifies the strength that comes from old age and tradition. She possesses great stores of knowledge, and often has a keen insight into difficult situations. She expects respect and politeness from those who meet her, and insolence or disrespect may be answered with expulsion from her presence and sometimes a curse. She prefers the company of older humans, those with hard-won experience gained over a long life. She believes that wisdom is gained by experience, but that it can be passed to other people. She is disdainful of books and schools, however, and expresses the belief that wisdom is only really passed down from one person to another person - anything else is just knowledge, which is not the same.

She has limited patience with the young - she always prefers the company of older folk to younger folk. The exception is her love of children. This appreciation of the young is double-edged; while she often indulges their foolish behaviour, she is also known to send her Heralds to lure clever children into her Realm to serve as her apprentice. She is known to take an extremely dim view of those who harm or kill the very old or the very young without good reason.

Wise Rangara served as a patroness to the Ushka people, and she maintains a soft spot for their descendants the Varushkans. She is always interested in the doings of the Varushkan people. She also has a long tradition of good relations with the Kallavesi mystics, and is usually happy to welcome one to her presence. By contrast she is known to have had conflicts in the past with both Suaq icewalkers and Urizen stargazers and those who identify themselves as such often receive a chilly reception.

Wise Rangara does not appear to be able to read. While she is blind, her illiteracy seems to have little to do with her lack of sight - she has demonstrated the ability to easily identify colours and fine details by handing objects, for example. On the few occasions that someone has quizzed her about this or offered to help her she has claimed that she is too set in her ways to learn to read. Her apprentice reads anything presented to her - she has several times said that she finds children to be best suited to read documents as their lack of preconception often allows unexpected insight into the words or their writer.

In Wintermark she is strongly associated with the rune Irremais.

Boons

The most important thing to understand about Rangara is that she never gives anything of value away without exacting an appropriate price. She warns those who bargain with her that nothing of value is every gained without price. She rarely barters with those she is dealing with; she states a price, and if it is not appropriate she rarely agrees to a counter-offer. The prices she exacts are often painful, and often involve an effort to teach the bargainer a lesson of some sort. If the bargain appears too good to be true, scholars warn, be very careful as there is likely to be a hidden catch.

The Eldest is a mistress of herbs, and can brew any potion. She can also combine herbs in such a way as to create unique elixirs, salves and infusions beyond the ability of mortal apothecaries. Often these potions require a strange or symbolic element in addition to the normal herbs - the blood of a warrior or a tear from a boyar, for example. She is known to request difficult quests from those who ask her for potions, usually involving gathering a unique ingredient some of which goes into the potion and some of which she takes as payment. According to stories she can brew a draught that renders the one who drinks it immortal - they will continue to age, but they will not die except by violence.

Her cauldron is believed to be an especially potent artefact, and she sometimes lends or gives magical cauldrons to those who gain her favour. These items may duplicate the effects of talismans such as the Escharotic Cauldron, while others have offered benefits to cabals of apothecaries or ritualists as a form of paraphernalia. The Sisters of the Silver Goblet in Dawn, for example, received a cauldron that allowed their coven to use herbs in their rituals, renewed each year in return for unknown service.

Rangara possesses great stores of both wisdom and knowledge gathered over her long existence. She can often identify objects by handling them, sometimes having special insight into their nature or purpose. Likewise she can examine and understand any enchantment or curse simply by examining it, and can often remove supernatural curses especially those that involve nightmares or compulsions.

She has a great interest in dreams, and sometimes trades small trinkets in return for stories of strange dreams, especially those that later prove to be prophetic in some way. She sometimes trades with mortals for the ability to dream their dreams - those who accept find their sleep wracked with terrible nightmares for the duration of the exchange. On occasion Rangara has repaid this boon with knowledge gleaned from these dreams, sometimes even that which has to do with past lives.

Rangara can deliver horrible curses, but she rarely offers this ability to others. Her curses are often tailored to ironically punish their victim, and despite the fact they tend to be less debilitating than ritual curses, are often surprisingly difficult to remove. On rare occasions in the past some winter archmagi have brought criminals before her and asked her to judge them. She is known to be a ruthless judge who often interrogates a guilty person to see what else they are guilty of. The reason behind her judgements is not always obvious -she has been known to pardon criminals who acted for the good of their families while punishing those whose trangressions appeared minor. Needless to say Imperial Magistrates do not consider Rangara to be an Imperial authority - something her allies have occasionally tried to rectify.

"You are a hero of your Empire, not a spoiled child to demand a treat for sweeping the step.

"What you come by too easily, you value too little. If you were to sweat, and bleed, and strive for six months to possess a smooth stone from the beach, just a simple stone, I would say that you would value that little stone more than any amount of silver.

"As to the parents of the little boy ... either they will kill you and realise that their son was threatened and learn to protect him better; or you will bring the boy to me and they will learn the lessons that loss teaches. In time they will come to me to bargain for his return, or they will realise they did not truly love him after all and he will abide with me until he is of age.

"Either way, the boy will be safer and his parents will have learnt a lesson."

Rangara's Apprentice

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Rangara has a special interest in children; her apprentice is always a human child, and rarely of any lineage other than draughir. Children who approach Rangara politely and offer her assistance may be allowed to spend time with her in her Realm. Those who do must be exceptionally careful to specify the duration of their apprenticeship - there are stories of unwise children who have failed to do so and end up serving the Cruel Lady for years until a family member is able to bargain with Rangara for their release. A child who spends time with Rangara usually receives a gift from the Eternal when they return to the mortal Realm. Children who spend time with Rangara are very likely to return marked by the draughir lineage, and in later life often follow the path of the physician or apothecary. The Eternal only ever has one apprentice at a time; before she will accept another she must be persuaded to release her current apprentice. There are several stories of families who have rescued foolish children from her by exchanging one child for another, sometimes through trickery sometimes by provided Rangara with an apprentice she considers "superior."

Rangara's Apprentice in Play: A player-character child may become Rangara's apprentice for a time, usually for one season. In such cases Heralds may collect the child at the end of an event. The young person is always delivered back to their parents by the start of the next event. Children are only likely to be stolen away for a longer period with appropriate permission.

While an apprentice is more likely to become a draughir, or an apothecary, there's no requirement for this to be the case.

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Witches' Hammer

Description

A witches' hammer channels and twists the magic of the repel incantation, storing and enhancing it so that it can be released in a single. crushing burst of power that will tear apart a weapon or shield. They take their common name from their popularity with the war witches of Dawn.

These rods are usually plated with tempest jade, and often marked with the rune Mawrig (often in conjunction with Hirmok to channel and control the release of destructive energy), or the rune of transformation Xun. The Dawnish war witches who make excellent use of these rods to disarm and then defeat their enemies favour marking them with Verys the rune of might.

In parts of the Marches this item is called a rod of the ram and often constructed with a ram's head or the horns of a ram at one end.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Once per day when you cast the repel spell, you may call SHATTER rather than REPEL.

- Materials: Crafting a witches' hammer requires twelve ingots of tempest jade, seven measures of iridescent gloaming and seven measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“How did I beat him? Maybe it was the training, the best Holberg has to offer. Perhaps it was my fine doublet and hose, their cut so excellent as to stun his parochial Dawnish tastes as well as a blow to the temple. If you must know, though, it was the rod, that delightful little bit of Marcher trickery with the ram’s head. Yes, the one with the open mouth. If you look really closely, it’s roaring the rune Xun. I always liked that, a roaring sheep; much like the wand, really.

“Well, we started to cast, and though I did finish my casting second, he hardly had much chance to deliver the blow when I snapped his wand in two! Oh, you should have seen his face. Priceless, truly priceless, sad like a lost little duckling. He honestly tried to call foul! Ach, well, we’ll have none of that, we all agreed.

“So it was sorry, he said he was, for ever even thinking to impugn the honour of the Holberg Engineers’ Guild, and he said it through teeth gritted so tight I swear he bit off the tip of his tongue. Beautiful. Simply beautiful.”

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Witchwood Wand

Description

The witchwood is a soft, pliable tree that is reasonably common in the Empire; the wood is often used to decorate fine furniture or carved to make decorative friezes, puppets and children's toys. The wood is light and easy to shape, and has been used to craft wands since time immemorial. When a magical wand of this nature is made of a different material, it is often called a witch-something wand depending on what it is predominantly made of.

These wands are known by a variety of colloquial names - in parts of the Brass Coast it might be called a one-more-spell wand, while the mountebanks of the League call them lucky holdouts. It is common for magicians in many nations to give their wand a specific name, and refer to it as their companion - so in Varushka for example the wand may be referred to as a cabalist's companion. Some especially grump magicians call their witchwoof wand a reliable apprentice because it is always to hand and always ready to

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: While you are bonded to this wand you have one point of additional personal mana.

- Materials: Crafting a witchwood wand requires seven measures of iridescent gloaming and three measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The mountebank eyed the wand suspiciously, bending it first one way, then the other, and handed it back to the artisan in the feathered hat. “It’s a bit... bendy for a wand, isn’t it?” she said with a sniff.

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, mein frau. That’s a witchwood wand. It’s witchwood. It’s not bendy, it’s pliable.”

“I’m not looking for pliable, I’m looking for reliable.”

“Hey, you’re a poet and-”

“Shut up," the mountebank said testily, "I’m not here to banter; I’m here because Henrietta said you were the woman to talk to about wands.”

“Trust me, it’s a real wand. It’s magic ‘cos it’s got a little bit of its own mana tied up inside of it, and for a lady in a profession like yours, it’s that little bit of extra versatility that can make all the difference, am I right?”

The mountebank took the wand back and felt its heft in her hand. She swung it, and the tip wobbled comically. “I’m not sure I could take it seriously.”

“It’s as reliable as the next wand, I promise you. It’s pliable for reasons of symbolism. Versatility and all that.”

“Yes, you said that already. But what I still don’t know is-” she gave it another swing, and watched it whip briefly out of shape, “-why is it bendy?”

The artisan sighed. Some customers just didn’t want to be satisfied. “Because it’s made of witchwood, mein frau, and there’s a queue out the door for these things if you’re not interested.”

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Withering Touch of Frost

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 6

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Removing the Curse

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 6

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. At the end of the ritual one of the contributors is chosen to deliver the curse with a pronouncement of doom.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

This ritual creates a curse that is delivered to a target with a pronouncement of doom: one contributor is chosen to deliver the curse, and they must do so within fifteen minutes or it falls on their own head.

While under the curse, the target experiences a roleplaying effect; they feel chilly almost all the time, unless they are actively warming themselves at an flame.

While under the curse the target looses a quarter of any production that would have been provided by a farm, forest or herb garden resource.

The additional production provided by an enchantment such as Rampant Growth or Gathering the Harvest is not effected by this curse.

The effect of the ritual lasts for a year (until the start of the Profound Decisions Empire event four events from now).

Removing the Curse

The curse can be removed by certain powerful creatures or items.

Description

This curse focuses the withering energies of the Winter realm onto a target, and through them onto their resources. Plants wither and die, or are attacked by parasites. It makes little difference if the target abandons their farm, forest or herb garden - within a few days the same unnatural decay begins to overwhelm any new resource of that type.

Several Eternals of Winter are known to have the power to remove this curse - and to deliver their own variants of it - especially Kaela. Unfortunately, she is much more inclined to encourage the curse than to discourage the supernatural famine it causes; it generally requires a great deal of effort to encourage her to assist. Wendigo also has the ability to remove this curse, but generally requires unspeakable acts of blood and slaughter before he is prepared to do so. By contrast, some Eternals of Spring (notably Yaw'nagrah) is more than happy to help remove the effect ... but this rarely leaves the resource in question any more productive.

Common Elements

As with many curses this ritual often involves a recitation.of the grievances against the target; casting aside food or forest resources, invoking the rune Naeve, or calling on the names of Eternals such as Kaela or Llofir.

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Wither the Seed

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 150

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Removing the Curse

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 150

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. During the ritual the casters must be in a strong Winter regio. This ritual targets a territory, and must be performed at a regio in that territory. If the ritual is used to target an Imperial territory, it may instead be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil.

This effect is a curse. A target may be under more than one curse at a time.

Effects

Over the next thirty years, the fertility of the target territory undergoes a marked decline. Fewer and fewer animals and people are born there, and while plants are not as seriously effected, they tend to produce less blossom and thus less fruit. Cereal crops become sparser, and less fruitful, which may lead to increasing hunger or even famine.

Vallorn and vallornspawn in the target territory tend to become slothful and quiescent for the duration; they are not harmed, but they rarely expand beyond their borders unless provoked.

The ritual has no real effect on resources, even farms, but over time the population of people and animals in the area will drop dramatically.

The curse has lingering effects on creatures who have spent a lot of time in the area making conception more difficult if not impossible without magical assistance.

Over time this will have a significant effect on a foreign or barbarian region, damaging their agriculture and industry and reducing their capacity to field troops and feed their people.

The effects last for around thirty years.

Removing the Curse

The curse can be removed by certain powerful creatures or items with powers associated with fertility (most likely the Eternal Yaw'nagrah) although such assistance is unlikely to come cheaply. It could also be removed by an extremely powerful ritual, probably from the Spring Realm that restores fertility but such an effect is likely to approach magnitude 200, and potentially higher if it is to remove lingering effects.TBA.

Description

This ritual was initially designed to be an 'answer' to the problem of barbarian orcs, but it has nor been used. It was suggested as a bloodless way to deal with the barbarians but has several marked flaws. The most obvious is that the barbarians quickly realise what is going on, and leave the area; they often do so by invading Imperial territory.

As the populations of prey animals decline, predatory animals move out of the area. Any population that relies on hunting is likely to follow them. Within a decade, most areas effected by this spell will have been effectively emptied of natural animal populations which can have a devastating effect on hunter-gatherer societies..

The ritual has mostly been used to encourage vallorn and their spawn to quiescense. It is not foolproof, and unfortunately it has the same effect on birth-rates of any humans who share the territory with the vallorn so is rarely an ideal solution to vallorn expansion. Some scholars believe that this ritual was performed on The Barrens centuries ago, and that some residual effects linger there to this day.

Common Elements

A map of the target territory is a common focus for this ritual. The ritual usually involves the evocation of the Yoorn rune, although Naeve may also be referenced. It is generally accompanied by slow, sonorous music and quiet incantations. Likewise dust and ashes may be scattered over an area, and are often used to obscure the map required to perform the ritual. The entire ritual tends to have a feeling of ievitability or slow decline about it; the Eternal Kaele is sometimes evoked due to her connection with entropy and slow decline.

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Without You

A traditional farewell song, also sung at funerals. Particularly associated with the practice of sending Merrow children to Urizen. Words by Jude, original song Un Vi Vavante.

Recording is here

The sun shall not rise without you Dark are the skies without you I shall have no sleep All night my vigil keep

The tide shall not turn without you No fire shall burn without you I'll wait by the shore Until you come once more

Here I must stay without you Another day without you Silent and alone While you are gone

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Witness

"...we come to Lot 4 of the private auction: The skull of Mikkal. The seller claims this relic is the remains of the self-styled Exemplar of Anarchy, and may even possess unusual spiritual qualities. There is a reserve price of..."

Rillet tuned out the auctioneer's voice as he turned to look at the gaggle of priests staring at either him, or the skull. Getting into the private auction had been one challenge. Getting out again, and with the skull, was going to be something else entirely. Thankfully, he had a plan.

The priests of the Synod are responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of the Empire. As such, they are empowered by the Imperial Constitution to witness or observe all aspects of the bodies of state in function.

In practical terms, it guarantees the right of Synod priests to:

- Access the Senate public gallery, even if the Senate have called for a closed session and cleared citizens from the public gallery

- Observe the Bourse private member's auction

- Be present in the Military Council tent during meetings of Generals. This right does not extend to a priest who is currently a senator; the constitution explicitly forbids senators from entering or being present during the meetings of the Military Council.

- Be present at a meeting of the Conclave in the Hall of Worlds. The Conclave has no responsibility for allowing non-magician priests to reach the Hall of Worlds, and have repeatedly pointed out that a magician who is a priest has every right to attend a conclave meeting anyway. The main use for the right of witness in the Conclave is to observe the election of the Grandmasters of the orders.

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Wondrous Forests of the Night

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Night Magnitude 160

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Night Magnitude 160

The magnitude of this ritual may fluctuate as the Empire expands or contracts.

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 10 minutes of roleplaying. This ritual targets the entire Empire. It must be performed at the Imperial regio at Anvil. The ritual requires a map of the entire Empire which is used to harness and focus it's power.

This spell is an enchantment. A target may only be under one enchantment effect at a time.

Effects

The ritual enchants the entire Empire. Every forest in the Empire produces two extra measures of special materials. These additional materials will match the base type selected when the forest was created.

In addition, many inhabitants of the Empire experience especially vivid dreams of fantastical vistas, mysterious encounters, romance and adventure.

The effect lasts until the start of the next Profound Decisions Empire event.

Description

This old and dramatically powerful ritual enchants the entire Empire for a short time. It effects every forest resource in every region within the Empire. Much like Verdant Bountry of the Twilight Bayou, the ritual is more about helping the people who tend forests to gather rare ingredients than it is about increasing fertility or producing more trees.

During a season when this ritual is in effect, there are increased incidences of people encountering Night regio, or the Heralds of night Eternals. Indeed, the Eternals of Night themselves seem to become more active after periods when this ritual is performed, and more interested in the activities of Imperial citizens. There is a superstitious belief that more naga are born during this period, but there is no evidence for that. There is some anecdotal evidence that especially high-lineage naga feel energized during this period, but that is all.

Common Elements

This is a powerful ritual, and few covens can perform it by themselves. When this ritual has been performed in the past, it has usually been achieved with the use of at least one Web of Celestial Attunement and with supplies of crystal mana from the Imperial Conclave. A coven that plans to perform it often spends several days in preparation, knowing that the eyes of the Empire are likely to be on them.

Symbols of change and Night are used throughout. Ritualists are often hooded, masked or veiled. The map that is a central focus for the ritual is often marked with blood or painted or inscribed with the runes of Night. it is common for one or more of the ritualists to recite the names of the Imperial territories or even regions throughout the casting as a counterpoint to the ritual invocation. Music is common, often gentle and mysterious, to further counterpoint the invocation. The names of Night Eternals may be used, but this is less common that invocations of popular fictional characters from around the Empire, especially those whose stories are concerned with mysterious locations.

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Woodcutter's Axe

Description

These great steel or mithril axes are simple, yet time consuming, to make. Their most common form is that of a great daneaxe wielded by a Varushkan or Wintermark warrior, although they are also popular in some parts of Marches. Woodcutter’s axes are often engraved with Yoorn, the Rune of Ending or Kyrop, the Rune of Weakness.

In Wintermark they are commonly made by Kallavesi crafters. They first select a strong tree for the haft that has been pecked by a woodpecker only once. That woodpecker must then be caught and killed. Its bones are ground into a powder and mixed with the molten metal that will become the axe head, its skin is used to make soft leather grips, its guts the binding and finally the final whetting of the blade is done with the feather.

Sometimes these weapons are carried by warriors whose primary focus is on a different weapon, often a one-handed weapon and shield combination, allowing them additional versatility when facing opponents who themselves have shields.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a two-handed weapon.

- Requirement: You must have the Weapon Master skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You may spend a hero point to call SHATTER with this weapon.

- Materials: Crafting a woodcutter's axe requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

Would a woodcutter’s woodcutter’s axe cut the wood of a woodcutter’s cut-wood axe or would the woodcutter’s cut-wood axe cut the woodcutter’s woodcutter’s axe wood?

Suaq Tongue Riddle

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Words of Ending

Contents

- 1 Rules

- 1.1 Winter Magnitude 4

- 1.2 Performing the Ritual

- 1.3 Effects

- 1.4 Additional Magnitude

- 2 Description

- 3 Common Elements

Rules

Winter Magnitude 4

Performing the Ritual

Performing this ritual takes at least 2 minutes of roleplaying. The ritual affects a single item which must be present and able to be touched throughout.

Effects

This ritual permanently destroys the properties of a Magical Item, leaving the physical item itself unharmed. The item ceases to be magical and becomes a mundane item, and any bonds connected to it are immediately cut.

The target must be small enough to be considered an 'item' rather than a piece of scenery, and it has no effect on living creatures or enchantments. Generally, an object must be easily lifted by a single character to count as a target for this ritual.

Additional Magnitude

This ritual can also be used to destroy the magic of an artefact. The magnitude of the ritual must equal or exceed the number of rings of ilium used to create the artefact. The magnitude of ritual required to destroy an artefact can be determined using the detect magic incantation if need be.

Description

This ritual is most often employed to destroy artefacts, rather than the more common crafted items. In the past it has been used to permanently dispose of certain malignant items whose bonds could not be severed more traditionally, as well as to deal conclusively with items such as Volodny hearts.

The ritual lacks the power to affect buildings or magical structures; a recent effort by ritualists associated with the Freedom Heresy to destroy the Sentinel Gate at Anvil failed disastrously. It has been used successfully to unravel the magic that motivates constructs such as animated statues or ushabti. In the former case, the ritual is complicated by the need to keep the construct within close range for the entire performance of the ritual; in the latter the ritual is complicated more by the ease with which most ushabti simply fall apart if dealt any damage at all.

The ritual does not remove enchantments or curses, even those placed on items rather than people.

Common Elements

This ritual, as the name implies, tends to involve a chanted invocation of destruction. Some ritualists focus on the idea of a magical item as a living thing, drawing parallels with the inevitability of death. Trappings associated with a forge are often used, especially when the ritualists are Marchers or Winterfolk runesmiths or when the target is made of metal. An anvil and a hammer may be employed, either with a single symbolic blow shattering the enchantment at the end of the ritual's performance or with the ritual performed as part of an extended process of physically destroying the item.

The rune Yoorn is a common element of this ritual, as are evocations of the names of Eternals such as Kaela or members of The Thrice-cursed Court.

Even through the haze of an evening's drinking, Eadric could tell something was wrong. The space within his tent was filled with shadows; nonetheless, his eyes warned him that there were just too many of them, and their shapes not right.

The broad space under the canvas served the thane as his personal quarters, but also the army as its command tent. His hand immediately fumbled for his blade-grip, thinking that perhaps assassins had come for him, or spies come to steal the maps and orders.

As he stepped forwards and blinked, his eyes gaining a fraction more sight in the gloom, he saw something that frightened him far more. A hooded figure wrapped in dark silks stood over the spot where the Owl's Gaze was laid. Magic sparked and danced around the figure's fingers as it chanted spells of unmaking over the enchanted shield.

Eadric gathered his breath to bellow a challenge, only to have it knocked out of him; something slammed into his stomach, then hooked his legs and sent him tumbling to the well-trodden earth of the tent's floor. Even as he tried to twist aside, something else tapped his arm. Cold ice flared there and rushed through his limbs, leaving them leaden and unmoving.

“Curse your witchcraft,” he spat, lying there like a trussed animal.

Several more silk-swaddled figures loomed over him. He prepared for the end, but no blades descended. Instead, a whispered voice drifted down at him.

“Thane Eadric himself. You need not fear for your life, not yet. We are here for the Owl's Gaze alone.”

And that threat, more than any fear for his own safety, was what brought tears to the Thane's eyes. “You cannot!” he said, cursing his cold-gripped limbs as he lay there helpless. “The Gaze is the heirloom of my hall, the undying symbol of our victory! Without it, my men... You, your tongue is Urizen. Traitors! How dare you do this?”

One of the figures muttered a fresh chant and then, just as the frost-chill began to creep back from his limbs, a wand darted down and bound him in the enchantment again.

“The Net of Heavens warns us that your skein must not prevail, my good Thane. For the greater good, there is another thread in the tapestry that must be brought to greatness. And, Thane, your skein is so bound up with that shield that, without it, the wider world will see your weakness.”

Over by the Owl's Gaze, the spell-song ceased, and Eadric groaned in dismay as he felt his bond to the shield break.

“And so it is done. No more will the men of your hall see you stride through the thickest fighting, your shield still shining bright despite the worst of the foe's weapons. No more will you raise up your father's father's shield before battle to show the eternal strength of your line to your soldiers. No more will their spirits swell to know that, no matter how dark grows the night, the Owl's Gaze will see them through it.”

The figures disappeared from sight as they swept from the tent like the midnight wind,

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World overview (Redirected from World Overview)

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

- Maps

- Gazetteer

- Barbarians

- Foreign nations

- Realms

- Spring

- Summer

- Autumn

- Winter

- Day

- Night

- Eternals

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Worth

Worth is a quality possessed by many objects that is based on the history of an item; who made it, what happened to it and how it came to be in the Orc’s possession. It is based on a belief that a person’s unique personal effects are imbued with qualities related to that person during important moments. One of the reasons worth is important is because the inherent hearth magic means that the items affect the owner as much as the owner affects the item. The worth of an item becomes stronger the more people who value and use it, and so the objects with the greatest worth are usually heirlooms that are passed down from generation to generation.

Few Imperial Orcs would sell an item that had worth for money. Selling an item often damages its worth, so it is more common for them to be won in battle or passed from one generation to another rather than bought and sold. Items of worth are given to children once they are old enough to recount its history accurately, or they may be given as gifts to spouses and trusted allies and friends who had done great service or favour. Worth is gained when an item is won in battle, so the story of some heirlooms begins this way.

Because items lose worth if they are bought, some orcs prefer to perform a bold or dangerous service for an artisan in exchange for a powerful magical item, rather than purchase it with money. In this way the item begins with some history and worth, reflecting the deed that won the item as well as the skill and reputation of the one who made it. Only the original acquisition of an item is affected in this way, since the worth is based on how the item came to be in your possession. Magical items with worth are commonly taken back to the original artisan to have the enchantment reworked once it fails, a practice that is seen as adding a small amount to the worth of the item, rather than detracting from it, even if the artisan is then paid for his time.

When in good spirits, Imperial Orcs will occasionally tell the history of one or more items they possess, recounting its worth to those present. There is a great art to this recounting of worth, so most orcs who do not have the skill of it will keep their story brief and say only a few lines. If the tale sounds worthy then those present may press them for more details. A few orcs are especially skilful at recounting tales, and if they know the worth of an item they may step in and recount the full history. These individuals are sometimes given worthy items to keep by other orcs, as their skill ensures the worth of an item is remembered.

It is commonly believed that leaving behind a large number of items of worth is a critical step in becoming an ancestor. Taking an item in battle adds to its worth, but it is not enough to simply acquire them. To be effective the items must derive worth from your actions and the deeds you put them to. There is another common belief that carrying items of worth helps to strengthen the connection between an orc and their ancestors - in particular any ancestors whose history the items are connected with. This is particularly relevant to orc ritual magicians who use items of worth from older ritualists who have died to help preserve a link to their spirits that is important to the practice of ritual magic.

Imperial Relics

The first legions were given old weapons and spare armour to train with when they joined the Empire. These are regarded as valuable heirlooms and items of exceptional worth. While the Empire considered them to be of little value, the Orcs considered them to be items they had won through their determined refusal to remain slaves, thus giving them much greater value than was represented by their physical form. Better still, those items which showed signs of use brought with them the additional worth of weapons and armour used by previous generations of Imperial citizens, strengthening the connection the Orcs felt to their new Empire. The worth of these items only increased over time - a discarded sword given to an orc became the sword that orc wielded in battle as she carved out an identity for the Imperial Orc nation, and was passed down to heirs of succeeding generations.

Many of these items are still maintained and passed from one orc to another. Weapons and armour too old to stand further repair are often hung on tent walls as ornamentation or passed to young orcs to train with in the hope that they will gain some of the courage and strength that the equipment has experienced.

Most of these old items are ripped and torn or pitted with rust, their appearance hopelessly affected by the rigours of age and hard use. Orcs regard these signs of age as a necessary improvement for a thing to gain worth and care little for the aesthetics. To an Imperial Orc, the idea that the appearance of an item is more important than the history and noted deeds of the item is seen as incomprehensibly vain and superficial. As a result their appearance is usually a motley collection of clothing and items that have been worn and used for decades.

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Woundbinder

Description

One of the most powerful wands an artisan can make, a woundbinder greatly enhances the healing power of a magician. While some carry them primarily for personal healing, they are far more common in the hands of dedicated magical healers. Many are delicate wands of solid weltsilver, toughened by glazes of other materials. They are notoriously difficult to make as any mistake or blemish means that the artisan must start over from scratch. Any flaw would nullify the wand’s ability to remove flaws, such as injuries, from living things. Some owners go as far as keeping their wand in a padded case to prevent any damage to it. When channelling such great power, using the correct array of runes is vital. An empowering rune such as Feresh or Bravash gives fuel to a calmer rune such as Cavul, which guides the power into an appropriate form for a spell of healing.

These wands truly come into their own in the most dire of circumstances. When overwhelmed by foes, a healer with this wand can throw wounded warriors back into the fight more effectively than their colleagues. It is said that a magician named Leptus was instrumental in helping Fort Mezudan hold out against the barbarians for a fortnight before help arrived, through intelligent use of his Woundbinder wand. He is reported to have said,”I wish we had four more soldiers here, but a magic stick and some stubbornness will have to do.”

Some healers refer to one of these items and either a Robe of Blood and Bone (or more rarely a Healer's Harness or Trollsweave Vest) as being the warhealer's regalia and greatly covet them.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a wand.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: Four times per day you may cast the heal spell as if you knew it and without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting a woundbinder requires twenty-one ingots of weltsilver, nine measures of iridescent gloaming, thirteen measures of ambergelt and fourteen measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Out on the field, two armies squared off. Resplendent in blue and gold, the Free Company of the Crossed Keys stood to attention, their crossbows pointed at the ground. Two hundred yards away, the barbarian horde of Gattag Bloodletter, who styled herself Queen of the Wastes. Not because her land was a waste, but as a threat to those she sought to conquer.

And unseen by human or orcish eyes, the Brand and best Thorns of the Striding of the Midsummer Eve, climbing the orcs’ rear palisade with ladders and thick blankets to cover the spikes.

Brand Kim landed first, rolling to break his fall, and crept for the shadows. The others followed seconds later, only one making any more noise than the hard breath of landing.

The orcs had no discipline, and all their guards’ eyes were on the field below. They cheered furiously, too, which made it all the easier to sneak up on them. The fight was short and vicious, the Thorns cutting the gate-guards down in seconds and dragging them back inside the walls. There were only half a dozen, to Kim’s immense disappointment. He’d wanted much more of a fight than that.

He got it, moments later, when his Thorns started dropping around him. Queen Gattag herself strode out of her command tent with her bodyguard, their bows humming from their first arrows and his Thorns on the ground and bleeding. He knew he could take them in a fight. Any Changeling knows he can take any other in a fight. But there were five of them, and now only one of him.

Forward thinking is an admirable trait in a Changeling; it defends against most of their inherent character flaws all at once. While his Thorns lay bleeding and moaning, Kim cut the ropes that held the gates open with a little hacking of the axe, trapping himself and his Striding inside with the Queen, leaving the finely-dressed gentlemen and ladies of the League outside to get on with their battle and leave him to his. And then he drew his wand and began casting.

He cast loudly and obviously, giving the orc all the chance she wanted to interfere. And he met her eye while he did it. As if by unspoken agreement, she waited, perhaps not believing that he could muster the strength to cast so much magic at once and still have anything left for the fight. He met her eye, and she gave him all the time he needed to beat her.

Confident of success, he tossed the Woundbinder to one side – if he lived, he could always pick it up again later – and readied his rod and his sword for combat. And four fine Changeling Thorns stood with him, all of them holding the gaze of an orc champion.

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Writ of Excommunication

"Alayna, you are without remorse. Without worth. Without virtue. You have broken no law by which you may face justice, but by the judgment of the Synod, you are the lowest of the low and unworthy to look any true citizen in the eye."

Stormcrow Vigg, upon serving a writ of excommunication upon the Troubador Alayna

- The Writ of Excommunication is distinct from the priest ceremonial skill of excommunication.

- The Writ of Excommunication refers to a legal status, unlike the ceremony which affects the soul.

Upon the judgement of the General Assembly, a priest of the Synod is empowered to deliver a writ of excommunication upon a citizen or citizens who are deemed to be of utterly corrupt and virtueless character.

The legal effects of a Writ of Excommunication is that the individual is deemed unworthy of trust and responsibility. They may not hold an Imperial office, such as general or senator and is stripped of any such office if they do hold it. Additionally, their assets are seized by the Synod on the grounds that they cannot be trusted to operate them soundly.

Spiritually, an excommunicated person is traditionally held to be beyond redemption. Ceremonies performed upon a citizen who is the subject of a writ of excommunication are exempt from any investigation or accusation of the religious crime of abuse of powers. This is primarily intended to enable the use of the excommunication ceremony which, according to some beliefs and traditions, will prohibit their soul's passage through the Labyrinth and deny their reincarnation, though this is not doctrine.

A Writ of Excommunication requires a greater majority of the General Assembly, and can only be overturned by the same.

Game Effects

If a character receives a writ of excommunication, they lose any Imperial Title they hold and the control of any personal resource.

The Synod has the legal right to claim any money the character possesses when the writ is delivered, but does not have the right to claim other goods such as wains of mithril, weirwood or white granite, crystal mana or magical items. The excommunicated character still receives their income at the start of each event.

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Wyr

Contents

- 1 The Serpent, Rune of Mystery

- 1.1 Using Wyr in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Wyr

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Serpent, Rune of Mystery

Affiliated with the Realm of Night

The Rune of Mystery covers things that are not known, but whose nature can be uncovered. It is the counterpart of Diras, Rune of Secrets. It represents confusion and uncertainty but it is also associated with intuition and perceptiveness. As with the Shuttered Lantern, what the Serpent conceals, it can also be used to uncover.

Wyr is a seductive rune; mystery leads to allure, curiosity and even obsession. In this regard it is sometimes called the Veil, and is said to have correspondences with love, seduction and desire. It differs from Zorech in that this is a rune of temptation, beguilement and romance. wheras the latter rune is more closely associated with more direct infatuations and carnal desires.

In some areas the Rune of Mystery is called the Pestle and Mortar, and represents the use of narcotics. Anything that dulls the mind and unshackles reason falls under this Rune, and while it is often seen in a negative light there are some who claim that by voluntarily seeking out such states their intuition becomes sharper and their ability to transcend the constraints of plodding logic is sharepened. In this aspect Wyr also represents confusion and uncertainty, as well as physical phenomena such as fog or mist.

This rune has an adversarial relationship with Ophis, Rune of Revelation, The illumination of the Lantern destroys mysteries, exposes romance and beguilement to the tawdry light of day, and renders the unknown and the alluring banal and commonplace. By contrast, the the Rune of Mystery has a more complex relationship with Sular, Rune of Discovery. The hard work and effort represented by that rune complements the nature of Wyr - the more someone tries to understand Wyr, the more alluring and mysterious it may become. Behind every veil, another mystery awaits.

Wyr is also the rune of riddles; while the person asking the riddle usually knows the answer (which would suggest a riddle is a secret) riddles are usually unraveled through intuitive steps and leaps of logic rather than through literally interpreting the meaning of their words. The Book of Wyr is a legendary Suaq tome that contains every riddle that exists; many icewalkers collect their own Book of Wyr as they create or discover new riddles.

In Highguard it is sometimes called the Broken Mast, representing a ship that has become damaged or lost and referencing a perceived adversarial relationship to Sular rune of discovery. Used in conjunction with that rune, it represents a quest to uncover something that is unknown, rather than a quest to uncover hidden facts and consequently investigators and magistrates often bear the two runes together on some item of jewelry to represent the quest to uncover the truth. The mystics of Kallavesa carve this rune into sweat lodges and chambers intended for vision quests and the use of sacred narcotics, and some Riqueza claim that their founder used a crystal with a flaw in the shape of this rune at it's heart to lead the Freeborn to their new homeland.

Wyr is often associated with the Eternal Sung, who revels in speculation about and preservation of, mysteries.

Using Wyr in magic

Wyr is used directly to uncover mysteries, and may be evoked in magic that obscures facts or identities. Magic worked with this rune tends to be subtle; it is useful for making it harder to discern facts about something, whereas specifically changing or concealing one item of information is much more in the purview of Diras. It is also worked into magic intended to inflame desire, confusion and uncertainty.

Crafting with Wyr

Wyr is most commonly used by craftsmen in it's aspect of the Veil, embroidered into beautiful and seductive clothing. It is also commonly associated with luxury, and may be engraved onto bottles of fine liquor or etched onto containers designed to contain exotic treats and visionary or recreational narcotics.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Wyr in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneWyr.jef

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Wyrmstone Mortar

Description

This apothecary's bowl is traditionally made of stone, but wooden, ceramic and metal examples exist. Purified with beggar's lye, and often decorated with trace amounts of silver or weltsilver, the mortar is often carved with the symbol of a snake biting its own tail around the rim, or spiralling around the inside of the bowl. While it is often created along with a pestle, the magic resides in the mortar alone, and works whether the herbs are being prepared using a mortar or a piece of heavy stone.

A wyrmstone mortar usually bears the rune Xun, although older examples are often inscribed with Diras, the rune of secrets. Traditionally in Wintermark the apothecary carves or paints the runes Rhyv (representing the Imperial Roseweald) and Irremais (representing bladeroot) onto the pestle they use with the mortar.

The wyrmstone mortar is particularly well-known in the Marches, where its simple versatility is appreciated, and among the Navarr; both of these peoples sometimes name it an alchemist's friend. The Navarr in particular, on their long Trods far away from the storehouses of civilisation, sometimes find themselves with an excess of one herb and a deficiency of the other, and the power to turn Bladeroot into Roseweald, with its purgative qualities, has also earned it the less-common name Vallorn-bane among the Navarr.

In recent times, skilled Urizen alchemists have begun to take up the wyrmstone mortar, giving it the name Empyrean Mortar for its use in preparing the costly Elixir of Empyrean Art.

Rules

- Form: Talisman. Takes the form of a tool.

- Requirement: You must have the Apothecary skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: When you use the apothecary skill to create a potion you may substitute two drams of Imperial Roseweald for one dram of Bladeroot, or two drams of Bladeroot for one dram of Imperial Roseweald. You can only make this substitution once per preparation.

- Materials: Crafting a wyrmstone mortar requires seven measures of beggar's lye. It takes one month to make one of these items.

“Yesss,” Urho the Surly hissed sibilantly, “of courssse it will work, I have done this a hundred times before, and I’d like to do it a hundred more, but I shall not be able to with you pestering me like this.” The naga sat hunched over an ornate pestle etched with runes that glittered in the candlelight of his chambers.

“I meant no insult! It is just that I’m sure you haven’t used the correct ingredients. It’s just that, well, I've never seen Imperial Roseweald mixed into it before. You are brewing the one that makes them weak aren't you? It’s just that she was very specific. It must be….”

“QUIET!” the Naga snapped, his anger flared briefly and sent an adrenaline shiver through his body. “Are you sure you haven’t been drinking this tincture yourself? Yesss, thisss is the whipped cur poison. No it does not normally have Roseweald but then it is not normally mixed in a pestle that inscribed with Diras. See here? Thisss opensss up sssecretsss that you could never understand”

He pointed to the rune etched into the stone of the bowl, then to each of the others in turn, absently crassing the delicately carved scales of the serpent that wove around them with his thumb as he did so.

“Here? Rhyv, this is the Roseweald and here, Irremais, the Bladeroot. See how they are joined by the serpent while Diras watches over it all? That is why thisss will work and that is also why I need you to be quiet. Diras does not shout itsss secrets, it whispers them. If you have the earsss to hear.”

The man who stood behind him took a step back into the doorway. He unfolded a sturdy hand fan, wafting himself to stave off the smell of the swamp. Te unseasonable heat had set the marsh-flies on a blood-crazed hunt for anything without scales. He gazed out over the swamps. Flatness, spread out before him for miles and miles, broken only by the occasional tree and huddle of tilted huts. He sighed and wished he was back home rather than stuck out here in the arse-end of nowhere.

“Apologies, apothecary, it’s just that the lady I work for is not very forgiving of mistakes.” Ulho span on his stool, fixing the man with reptilian eyes, his scaled brow shimmered as he bristled with barely controlled rage at the man’s constant interruption.

“Yesss, and the Imperial Magistrates are not very forgiving of those who misuse this concoction; a concoction which is intended for the use against criminals, and the barbarians at our doors. Now, I am an honest businessman and I keep very strict and accurate recordsss of my trading. So, once again, I advise you leave me to my work.”

The other man nodded, stammered an apology, and stepped out onto the balcony that ran around the house. Ulho's keen hearing could still hear him muttering for several minutes as his footsteps creaked away around the side of the hut. He shook his head.

“Senatorsss!” He sighed, under his breath, then listened for a few moments to the restful drone of the marsh-flies and the gulping chorus of the frogs, letting it soothe his rattled nerves before he returned to his careful measurements.

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Wyvernsting Spaulders

Description

Where possible a set of wyvernsting spaulders is crafted from leather taken from an actual wyvern; when this is not available, drake hide is substituted. In a few cases leather is covered with a layer of snakeskin, or leather taken from lizards such as alligators, is used instead. The spaulders are usually combined with vambraces of similar material and design, often with a belt or pectoral to match.

Wyvernskin spaulders are occasionally called wyrmhide pauldrons, although the name is a misleading reference to legends of poisonous reptillian creatures rather than to the Eternals of Night. The Navarr and those who live in certain areas threatened by massive insects call them venomskin chitin and make them from insect shells. In the same fashion, Freeborn and League magicians with access to the shells of great crabs often use them in the creation of the mage armour - while there are few poisonous crabs, those few that do exist have lead to this mage armour being called mudpebble carapace or sometimes, when fancifully decorated, pufferfish stingmail.

Much like the Mountainfall Bracers and Splintering Gorget this mage armour allows a magician to channel the power of a spell - in this case the venom incantation - much more efficiently, allowing them to poison many more opponents during a day.

Rules

- Form: Armour. Takes the form of a suit of mage armour.

- Requirement: You must have both the magician and battle mage skills to bond to this item.

- Effect: Twice per day when you cast the venom spell, you may do so without spending any mana.

- Materials: Crafting wyvernsting spaulders requires nine measures of beggar's lye, five measures of iridescent gloaming, and five measures of orichalcum. It takes one month to make one of these items.

Gnaeus shook the rain from his face and, with a heroic effort, heaved his shield from the sucking mud of the landslide that had half-buried his band of Sentinels. It was weighed down with clinging earth, but the gryphon facing off against his comrades would not extend him any courtesy for that. He brushed what he could off it and raised it to defend himself. His sword, though, was lost, and on the dark and rain-swept hillside he might not see it next to his own feet. The calculated decision was to spend no longer with his back to the gryphon, and though the Merrow didn't like the idea of facing it with only his wand and his dagger, Katerina needed his shield as quickly as possible.

The creature was small for a gryphon, perhaps six feet from beak to haunches. It must have been an adolescent, an outcast from its pack, which explained its desperate behaviour, attacking humans during a storm. Katerina, shivering violently, was holding it off with her long spear, and Castor, the older Merrow physick with the Healer's Harness, stood uncertainly by her side. Gnaeus trudged through the mud to cover Katerina's side, giving her spear some defence, and looking for any chance to help her.

"Gnaeus, if I can knock it down with the spear, do you think you can get close to it?" Katerina asked.

"I've only got a dagger!"

She only took her eyes off the gryphon for a second, but it was long enough to give him a withering look. "You're wearing-" she began.

The gryphon batted the tip of her spear away, its blows surprisingly strong for its size, and Katerina lurched as her centre of balance shifted. It hurled itself at the group, and Gnaeus felt claws rake his shield.

"Envenom it!" Katerina shouted, trying to back off while keeping it at bay. She was freshly injured, and still too close to defend herself adequately. It looked between the two, choosing which foe to face, and then leapt at Katerina.

"Isn't it too big?" Gnaeus asked. Katerina didn't reply; she was too busy trying to hold it off her. He heard Castor go down behind her, and hoped he had enough mana to keep healing them both.

"Do you have... any... better ideas?" she growled eventually, her voice full of pain. He looked up from his fumblings with his wand to see her wrestling with the beast, holding its forelimbs to keep its talons from her face. Its powerful back legs raked her.

It was a terrible gamble. Combat magic didn't work on creatures bigger than humans. It was just how the spells worked; they hadn't been designed for non-human enemies. Still, there was nothing that said that they mustn't work. It was just a question of... dose. Gnaeus swallowed hard, knowing very well that he was all-but signing his own death warrant, and began the casting. It wasn't his best spell, but the Wyvernskin Spaulders made it so much easier, and would leave him with more to heal the others when they dug them out.

He lurched forward, keeping his shield high, and the gryphon didn't seem to notice him. He got close enough to see the hipbones poking out through its fur. It was starving; that must have made it desperate. Katerina got a blow in with her spear, and Castor kept shouting at it, keeping its attention on the two of them. Gnaeus dodged past its lashing feline tail and jabbed his wand into its flank.

It reared back as the venom entered it, and Gnaeus threw himself back into the mud to get as far away from it as fast as he could. Panting and coughing out rainwater, his veins filling with the same ice-cold venom, he crawled backwards with the desperation of the near-dead. He was certain he must now die, giving Katerina the chance to kill it while it ate him alive.

It didn't. The gryphon spread its wings and lifted off with a great blast of wind. It turned and glided away, heading down the valley, and did not settle within sight.

Castor squelched over to him, shaking violently in terror on the ground, and purified his blood with a word. The older Merrow held out a hand to help him to his feet. "That was a young one, probably the runt of the pride. It fled because you hurt it worse than we did. Any animal will flee if envenomed – it places them far too close to death for their comfort.

“Come now. We must rescue the others quickly. We don't know how badly injured they are, and if a pride takes an interest in us, we'll need everyone to frighten them off."

Gnaeus nodded, swallowed, and followed Castor to where the other three Sentinels lay injured and part-buried. Together, glancing over their shoulders, the three free began to unearth the three trapped.

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Xun

Contents

- 1 The Wyrm, Rune of Transformation

- 1.1 Using Xun in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Xun

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Wyrm, Rune of Transformation

Affiliated with the Realm of Night

The Wyrm is associated with transformation, transfiguration and change. It represents the mercurial nature of many Eternals of the Realm of Night, whose physical forms are as mutable as their passions and goals. The changes worked or divined through Xun are rarely trivial; the rune corresponds to profound, life-changing events rather than minor alterations. It is often called the Butterfly or the Cocoon by mystics to better communicate the potency of the concepts it represents.

Xun is not just concerned with physical change. It also represents profound spiritual and mental changes; in some places it is used to communicate ideas such as enlightenment, or the idea of the spiritual transformation of a mortal into a Paragon. When used specifically to represent these kinds of transformation it is often called the Key. This is also a rune associated with life, and the transition from birth through childhood and adulthood to the final transformation of death, and potential rebirth of the spirit.

The Rune of Transformation also challenges and ultimately defeats stagnation and complacency. Some Kallavesi in particular speak of Xun as the Axe, which cuts away the undergrowth and clears a path through the forest. In divination this rune can often be taken to mean a challenge to accepted truths, or an encouragement to break out of a routine.

This is also a rune associated with alchemy, medicine, cooking, smithing and any other endeavor where ingredients with different properties are brought together to create something different to, or stronger than, the individual components. In this aspect it is sometimes called the Clenched Fist, or the Firm Hand.

Almost any activity undertaken by more than one person with similar goals can be connected to this rune, but there is a strong connection between Xun and the dramatic arts. It is often seen carved into stages, especially in the League, and symbolizes the idea that a play is the result of many people combining different qualities to produce something greater than any one person could achieve alone. Several Troupes use Xun on their rings or Coven Stones, and in some places Xun is used as a symbol for the practice of ritual magic.

Using Xun in magic

Xun is evoked in any magic that transforms one thing into another thing, or that changes one quality into another quality. It might be evoked with rituals intended to physically change a person, place or thing, but it is most commonly used to represent durable changes rather than temporary alteration or disguise. Some magicians evoke Xun when performing the mend incantation, transforming the damaged or broken object into a new, sturdy form.

Crafting with Xun

From a mundane point of view Xun is often engraved or carved into tools used in crafting, especially cooking, alchemy and the formation of alloys. Apothecaries use it to mark preparations that alter perception or physical qualities. It is also often found on musical instruments, especially those owned by musicians who hope that their music or poetry will profoundly move their listeners. Often items crafted with Xun will also contain some rainbow silk.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Xun in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneXun.jef

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Yaw'nagrah

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Spring

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

- 1.5 Known Heralds

Eternal of Spring

Sobriquets

Most commonly, Yaw'nagrah is called the Green Mother or the Queen of the Forest.

She is occasionally called Mother of Briars or Barkspawner and some stories tentatively link her with the foundation of the Briar lineage. Her handmaidens have never offered conclusive proof one way or another, and according to many magicians appear not to understand the question - although it cannot be denied that Yaw'nagrah and her handmaidens respond much more favourably to briars than to other mortals, even for a Spring Eternal.

Appearance

Like Llofir, Yaw'nagrah is immense. She appears to be a primevil forest of immense size that spreads across an area of the Spring Realm roughly the size of Varushka, although it is possible that this estimation is out by several magnitudes. She rarely speaks directly to magicians, but spawns handmaidens from her body that take the form of human-shaped tree creatures who work to make her guests more at home.

Some magicians describe these handmaidens as being comely humanoids, often with briar trappings, rather than animate tree creatures but it is not clear if these are a different kind of creature (possibly heralds), or the result of some exposure to hallucinogenic pollen or spores

Concerns

Yaw'nagrah is concerned with life, in infinite diversity and infinite combinations. Her forest is fecund, but she is a creature without compassion; she favours no form of life over any other. Discussions with her handmaidens have suggested that she may consider all forms of life other than plants and perhaps insects to be an aberration, a temporary infestation on the mortal world that will eventually disappear.

While she is not malicious, she is also entirely without mercy. Her interests in the Empire appear to be limited, beyond her somewhat detached interest in all living things. Some magicians have noted, however, that she appears to look favourably on those who bring her gifts of plants she has not encountered before, or who bring children into the presence of her handmaidens.

She is strongly associated with the rune Bravash.

Boons

Magicians seek out Yaw'nagrah because she has powerful abilities related to fertility, in all forms. She has been known to allow barren females to conceive; to cause female creatures to become with child without a partner. She is said to be able to provide offspring to childless couples, although these offspring are not always entirely human. She is also able to help magicians to restore fertility to blighted crops or beasts, as well as to encourage fecundity over large areas, potentially to a dangerous degree.

Some tales suggest that the fertility she offers is tainted in some way by her fascination with diversity; that while barren soil may become capable of supporting crops, it is impossible to predict what else may grow from the things she has touched ...

Known Heralds

The following are known Heralds of Yaw'nagrah which been encountered by the Empire in the past:

- Ylith Silthar - A Herald who carries forth Yaw'nagrah's interests of fertility into the mortal realm

- Yannah - A Herald whose focus appears to be on fertility and diversity within Orcs

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Ye Mariners All

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rOwoltyeliM

Ye mariners all, as ye pass by Come in and drink if you are dry Come spend, me lads, your money brisk And pop your nose in a jug of this

Oh mariners all, if you've half a crown You're welcome all for to sit down Come spend, me lads, your money brisk And pop your nose in a jug of this

Oh tipplers all, as you pass by Come in and drink if you are dry Come in and drink, think not amiss And pop your nose in a jug of this

Oh now I'm old and can scarcely crawl I've a long grey beard and a head that's bald Crown my desire, fulfill my bliss A pretty girl and a jug of this

And when I'm in my grave and dead And all my sorrows are past and fled Transform me then into a fish And let me swim in a jug of this

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Yeoman's Bounty

Description

The yeoman's bounty is a servicable rod usually made of wood from the yew tree (a tree associated with burial grounds), engraved with runes such as Kyrop, the rune of weakness. . It is sometimes called a lover's grave, a last-ditch baton or occasionally a weapon of last restort - all references to the way that invoking it's magic prevents a magician from performing any further magic until the repercussions of doing so are alleviated. Many magicians would sooner cast this spell through this rod than learn it themselves because they find learning to sever themselves from the source of their power unsettling, especially if they derive great pride from their magical prowess. Using the rod is occasionally ffrowned upon in Dawn since the weakness spell can be seen as reducing the glory of a battle by robbing an opponent of their most impressive abilities.

Wintermark magicians who become Frayed occasionally arm themselves with these rods and seek out powerful barbarian shamans and warlords during battle to strike down with it, as an act of self-sacrifice. This tactic, and the rod itself, are sometimes known as Mouse's Bite, as a weak or civilian magician robs a much more potent foe of their might. Obviously such gambits are extremely dangerous for the magician in question, thus acquiring and bonding to this rod is sometimes taken as a sign of despair or desperation by close confidantes, but also a display of Courage.

Another unfavourable association with this rod is its usage in thefts and muggings, where a weaker member of the gang will begin by using the rod against a wealthy, well-equipped target before their colleagues subdue and rob the victim, perhaps employing a Maggot's Talon. Some of the more notorious bands of bandits lurking in The Barrens employ these rods against the noble-born Questing knights who wear their wealth of their order.

Rules

- Form: Weapon. Takes the form of a rod.

- Requirement: You must have the magician skill to bond to this item.

- Effect: You can cast the weakness spell as if you knew it.

- Materials: Crafting a yeoman's bounty requires no special materials. It takes two months to make one of these items.

"The Yeoman's Bounty he did claim

An aching back his treasure

To toil relentless was his aim

No rest, respite or leisure

In blazing sun and driving rain

He sowed and ploughed and scattered

His every muscle felt the strain

But his will was never shattered.

A Prouder man you will never meet;

Prosperity defines him

Ambition guides his aching feet

And Vigilance stands behind him

The Wisdom of the land he knows

His Loyalty never does waver

The Courage of a Yeoman true

Is the Bounty he must savour.

- Ode to the Marcher Yeoman, author unknown"

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Yeoman's Flag

Description

A yeoman's flag is obviously a popular standard for the Marches, granting additional strength to their bill blocks. However most materials, care and attention is often not paid to the cloth itself but to the woven dragonbone poppet that tops the pole. Often all the yeoman bonded to the flag will carry a miniature version of the same dolly on their person, or even tied securely to the haft of their bill.

In Highguard this banner is known a Lancer's Pennant and is often used by Cataphracts. In the past it was used to make cavalry charges with lances even more effective, as the fallen enemies of the Highborn were crushed under the mighty hooves of their steeds. It is still used in this manner, however the charge is now on foot. The maneuver was most famously used by Lepidus of the Seven Stars chapter during the Patrician Civil war who used it repeatedly on the armies of the Patricians, using the shock tactic to defeat forces of greater size, and is now known as a Lepidian Charge. Therefore Highborn artisans tend to work the seven measures of ambergelt into seven stars in addition to including the symbols of the chapter that bears the pennant.

Rules

- Form: Standard. Takes the form of a magical standard.

- Effect: Each character bonded to this banner wielding a pole-arm can call STRIKEDOWN once per day.

- Materials: Crafting a yeoman's flag requires seventeen measures of dragonbone, twelve ingots of green iron, seven measures of ambergelt, seven ingots of orichalcum and three measures of iridescent gloaming. It takes one month to make one of these items.

The two old farmhands each took a deep draught of bitter, as another column marched past.

“Well, thass'a rum'un...”

“You're not wrong, Freddie. I hint never seen the like.”

A banner of soldiers. In parti-coloured blue-and-green silk finery, shimmering like scales. They were armed with halberds and the banner at their head was topped with an ivory-coloured emblem.

"On top of that banner... Thass'like...."

"That it is."

"But it's....."

"Yup. It's a side of salt-cod. And it's on their standard."

"Are they takin' the piss?"

"What, soldiers that dress like kingfishers, and've got a bit'o'fish on top their flagstaff?"

He paused for another gulp of beer.

"Best we get our bills out again, Arthur."

The column drew to a halt.

"Do I have the honour of addressing stout yeomen of Overton."

There was an awkward pause.

"Is'ee callin' us...."

"Shut'up Freddie.... You do, and who might you be?"

"We are the Bacalhau. The Company of Salt Cod, from Tassato. Our little joke, although you'll never forget it and so our fame spreads.... You see the dragonbone emblem atop our banner? We travel well, we outlast our enemies, and we are marching to war. So... Which way to Mournwold?

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Yeoman of Dawn

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Creating a yeoman character

- 3 Roles for yeomen

- 3.1 Knight-errant

- 3.2 Seneschal

- 3.3 Retainer

- 3.4 Advocate

- 3.5 Weaver

- 3.6 Man-at-arms

- 3.7 Imperial positions

Overview

Anyone in Dawn who has not passed a Test of Mettle is a yeoman, whether they are a farmer, a merchant or the daughter of an earl. In practice the children raised as part of the noble houses - the noble-born - have advantages and luxurious that most yeomen can only dream of, but in technical terms they are all considered to be yeomen.

Any yeoman can demand that a noble house set them a Test of Mettle. Such a request cannot be refused, but the test can be impossibly difficult if the request is not welcome. Some yeomen spend their entire lives looking for a chance to be ennobled. The more glorious the deeds they perform before they attempt their Test of Mettle, the reasoning goes, the better the chance that the noble house will set them an achievable task.

Although most Dawnish yeomen accept that they could become a noble if they passed the Test of Mettle, many are put off by the the danger inherent in the tests, or lack confidence that they are glorious enough to join a noble house, but some simply prefer their simpler life. Many yeomen, especially those who work closely with the nobles as part of a house's entourage often enjoy many of the privileges of the noble class.

There are many opportunities to play a Dawnish yeoman in Empire. Although most Dawnish characters will be noble, there are roles specially designed for yeoman characters and the social class represents an opportunity to play a lower status character, something which is not part of the designed setting of the other Imperial nations, which assume that all the PCs are of equivalent social class.

Creating a yeoman character

If you are planning to create a yeoman character it is very important to think about the social role that your character will fill, much more important than if you are creating a noble character. Noble characters can move easily from one role to another, taking up Imperial positions, or positions of leadership within the house or the nation as their character finds their feet. This is much harder to do as a yeoman, so you need to have a much clearer idea in advance of what you want to play. Anyone can be a noble, but if you decide to create a yeoman character - think about what kind of yeoman you are.

If you are attending the event with friends who are playing a Dawnish noble house, then you can be part of the entourage of the house even though you are not a noble member of it. Noble houses have hundreds of yeomen, most of them are soldiers or farmers but the number includes servants and trusted retainers. It is well worth speaking to other members of the group about the role your character might fill and making sure that other players are comfortable with the role you are going to fill - you may well be reliant on their roleplaying to make your character concept work.

If you are attending the event by yourself or with a group of characters playing yeomen then it is worth looking at the various yeoman roles that are not part connected with the noble houses. The obvious choice is a knight-errant or a group of knights-errant but there are other roles in Dawnish society that you can fill. If you want to play a ritual team then it is worth considering creating a weaver cabal instead.

One important choice to think about is why your character isn't noble. The default choice for Dawnish players is assumed to be a noble character, there are thousands of yeomen in Dawn but most of these are assumed to be NPCs. This is because the characters with ambition, drive, enthusiasm, passion, intelligence and courage become nobles - the characters without these traits remain as yeomen. You should think about why your character isn't noble - perhaps they are seeking to become noble and have not yet passed their test, perhaps there is some terrible act of shame in their past that prevents it or maybe they prefer the simpler and safer life of a yeoman.

Please don't create a yeoman character who disdains the idea of becoming a noble; yeomen with these attitudes are not welcome in the nation and the few that exist usually leave to live in the Marches.

Roles for yeomen

This is a brief overview of the roles that Dawnish yeoman can play, there is further information for each of these ideas for anyone who is interested in playing one. With the exception of the knight-errant, most of these roles are designed for players who want to play a character that is a yeoman, not a character that is trying to become a noble.

Knight-errant

A knight-errant is any character who has publicly declared that they are questing to try to complete a Test of Mettle. Most knights-errant are noble-born but some are born yeoman. Despite the name, a knight-errant can be a character with any skills, a warrior, a magician a troubadour or the like.

Seneschal

Trade and money is considered beneath the dignity of a noble, it is inglorious and thus it is better something left to yeoman. As a result there are many opportunities for yeoman who seek to make their fortune, but the seneschal is a unique role in Dawnish society. These skilled professionals oversee control the estates and wealth of a noble house and can one of the most powerful members of the house.

Retainer

Some nobles keep a retainer; a yeoman who serves as a personal aide and servant. Retainers are trusted aides who attend to worldly matters allowing their noble to concentrate on striving for glory. Although a retainer is a lower social class than a noble they are often close personal friends and allies.

Advocate

Dawnish Senators are chosen from amongst the noble class by tourney. To help them function effectively in the Senate, they may seek the help of an advocate. These yeomen study the operation, bureaucracy and history of the Senate allowing them to give pivotal help to the nation's senators.

Weaver

A member of a weaver cabal - a ritual magician who is part of a structure that exists outside normal social rules in Dawn. The weaver cabals contain nobles and yeomen who work together as equals, their power can rival that of the noble houses.

Man-at-arms

The large noble houses of Dawn often maintain their own standing forces of men-at-arms. These yeomen are soldiers who work directly for the house, helping to protect their lands and estates. A normal man-at-arms is not recommend as an option to play at events, they do not normally attend events and are usually NPCs that are represented by one or more noble members of the house taking a military unit. It is possible that some men-at-arms characters might be fun to play, for instance a particularly important member of a large and powerful house might have a personal bodyguard who is a yeoman man-at-arms. Please be careful before picking this character option however - it exists to fill out the setting, it has not been designed to be fun to play.

Imperial positions

Yeomen have some social mobility, and may prosper in the Imperial Bourse and the Imperial Synod, but they will almost certainly never become Generals or Senators unless they rise to become nobles. Those yeomen who do well in the arenas of power that are accessible to them will probably find themselves being approached by noble houses and offered a Test of Mettle - after all, if nobles are glorious then it makes sense that they want to make glorious people into nobles.

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Yeoman of the Marches

This page is about the Marcher character type; for the Dawnish lower clases see yeoman of Dawn. many the archetypal inhabitant of the Marches. They are generally farmers and often have a large family or extended circle of friends or employees who work their land with them.

They are a hard people, who own their own land and are well accustomed to a long day working it. A single farm on this rich soil has the income to outfit its holder in plated steel, and many yeomen enjoy a quality of life similar to that of the landed gentry elsewhere.

Yeomen often group into households, choosing one of their number to lead. The yeoman who leads a household is known as its steward, and has authority over those who have entrusted them with leadership. A household will generally have a livery, which its members wear with pride. Members of different households are often at odds with one another, leading to passionate and often bitter rivalries. Most Marchers hold grudges, but the yeomen of the Households turn it into a fine art.

Military service is a proud tradtiion in the Marches, and the majority of yeomen are also soldiers. Yeoman men-at-arms of the Marches generally seek out the heaviest armour and heaviest weapons they can afford. Their equipment is likely to be old, worn, trusted and well-maintained rather than new and untested.

Playing a yeoman

The yeomen are the salt-of-the-earth, typical characters of the Marches. They possess most of the political power, and serve as the backbone of the nation.

Yeomen are often suspicious of characters from other backgrounds - market towners in particular threaten the status quo and the basis of their political power.

There are also characters called yeomen in Dawn. These yeomen are very different to Marcher yeomen, being closer to peasants, servants and retainers. Sometimes a Dawnish yeoman leaves Dawn and comes to the Marches, and they are generally greeted with open arms. Most folk are welcome in the Marches, provided they are prepared to work.

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Yeoman of Dawn (Redirected from Yeomen of Dawn)

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Creating a yeoman character

- 3 Roles for yeomen

- 3.1 Knight-errant

- 3.2 Seneschal

- 3.3 Retainer

- 3.4 Advocate

- 3.5 Weaver

- 3.6 Man-at-arms

- 3.7 Imperial positions

Overview

Anyone in Dawn who has not passed a Test of Mettle is a yeoman, whether they are a farmer, a merchant or the daughter of an earl. In practice the children raised as part of the noble houses - the noble-born - have advantages and luxurious that most yeomen can only dream of, but in technical terms they are all considered to be yeomen.

Any yeoman can demand that a noble house set them a Test of Mettle. Such a request cannot be refused, but the test can be impossibly difficult if the request is not welcome. Some yeomen spend their entire lives looking for a chance to be ennobled. The more glorious the deeds they perform before they attempt their Test of Mettle, the reasoning goes, the better the chance that the noble house will set them an achievable task.

Although most Dawnish yeomen accept that they could become a noble if they passed the Test of Mettle, many are put off by the the danger inherent in the tests, or lack confidence that they are glorious enough to join a noble house, but some simply prefer their simpler life. Many yeomen, especially those who work closely with the nobles as part of a house's entourage often enjoy many of the privileges of the noble class.

There are many opportunities to play a Dawnish yeoman in Empire. Although most Dawnish characters will be noble, there are roles specially designed for yeoman characters and the social class represents an opportunity to play a lower status character, something which is not part of the designed setting of the other Imperial nations, which assume that all the PCs are of equivalent social class.

Creating a yeoman character

If you are planning to create a yeoman character it is very important to think about the social role that your character will fill, much more important than if you are creating a noble character. Noble characters can move easily from one role to another, taking up Imperial positions, or positions of leadership within the house or the nation as their character finds their feet. This is much harder to do as a yeoman, so you need to have a much clearer idea in advance of what you want to play. Anyone can be a noble, but if you decide to create a yeoman character - think about what kind of yeoman you are.

If you are attending the event with friends who are playing a Dawnish noble house, then you can be part of the entourage of the house even though you are not a noble member of it. Noble houses have hundreds of yeomen, most of them are soldiers or farmers but the number includes servants and trusted retainers. It is well worth speaking to other members of the group about the role your character might fill and making sure that other players are comfortable with the role you are going to fill - you may well be reliant on their roleplaying to make your character concept work.

If you are attending the event by yourself or with a group of characters playing yeomen then it is worth looking at the various yeoman roles that are not part connected with the noble houses. The obvious choice is a knight-errant or a group of knights-errant but there are other roles in Dawnish society that you can fill. If you want to play a ritual team then it is worth considering creating a weaver cabal instead.

One important choice to think about is why your character isn't noble. The default choice for Dawnish players is assumed to be a noble character, there are thousands of yeomen in Dawn but most of these are assumed to be NPCs. This is because the characters with ambition, drive, enthusiasm, passion, intelligence and courage become nobles - the characters without these traits remain as yeomen. You should think about why your character isn't noble - perhaps they are seeking to become noble and have not yet passed their test, perhaps there is some terrible act of shame in their past that prevents it or maybe they prefer the simpler and safer life of a yeoman.

Please don't create a yeoman character who disdains the idea of becoming a noble; yeomen with these attitudes are not welcome in the nation and the few that exist usually leave to live in the Marches.

Roles for yeomen

This is a brief overview of the roles that Dawnish yeoman can play, there is further information for each of these ideas for anyone who is interested in playing one. With the exception of the knight-errant, most of these roles are designed for players who want to play a character that is a yeoman, not a character that is trying to become a noble.

Knight-errant

A knight-errant is any character who has publicly declared that they are questing to try to complete a Test of Mettle. Most knights-errant are noble-born but some are born yeoman. Despite the name, a knight-errant can be a character with any skills, a warrior, a magician a troubadour or the like.

Seneschal

Trade and money is considered beneath the dignity of a noble, it is inglorious and thus it is better something left to yeoman. As a result there are many opportunities for yeoman who seek to make their fortune, but the seneschal is a unique role in Dawnish society. These skilled professionals oversee control the estates and wealth of a noble house and can one of the most powerful members of the house.

Retainer

Some nobles keep a retainer; a yeoman who serves as a personal aide and servant. Retainers are trusted aides who attend to worldly matters allowing their noble to concentrate on striving for glory. Although a retainer is a lower social class than a noble they are often close personal friends and allies.

Advocate

Dawnish Senators are chosen from amongst the noble class by tourney. To help them function effectively in the Senate, they may seek the help of an advocate. These yeomen study the operation, bureaucracy and history of the Senate allowing them to give pivotal help to the nation's senators.

Weaver

A member of a weaver cabal - a ritual magician who is part of a structure that exists outside normal social rules in Dawn. The weaver cabals contain nobles and yeomen who work together as equals, their power can rival that of the noble houses.

Man-at-arms

The large noble houses of Dawn often maintain their own standing forces of men-at-arms. These yeomen are soldiers who work directly for the house, helping to protect their lands and estates. A normal man-at-arms is not recommend as an option to play at events, they do not normally attend events and are usually NPCs that are represented by one or more noble members of the house taking a military unit. It is possible that some men-at-arms characters might be fun to play, for instance a particularly important member of a large and powerful house might have a personal bodyguard who is a yeoman man-at-arms. Please be careful before picking this character option however - it exists to fill out the setting, it has not been designed to be fun to play.

Imperial positions

Yeomen have some social mobility, and may prosper in the Imperial Bourse and the Imperial Synod, but they will almost certainly never become Generals or Senators unless they rise to become nobles. Those yeomen who do well in the arenas of power that are accessible to them will probably find themselves being approached by noble houses and offered a Test of Mettle - after all, if nobles are glorious then it makes sense that they want to make glorious people into nobles.

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Yeoman of the Marches (Redirected from Yeomen of the Marches)

This page is about the Marcher character type; for the Dawnish lower clases see yeoman of Dawn. many the archetypal inhabitant of the Marches. They are generally farmers and often have a large family or extended circle of friends or employees who work their land with them.

They are a hard people, who own their own land and are well accustomed to a long day working it. A single farm on this rich soil has the income to outfit its holder in plated steel, and many yeomen enjoy a quality of life similar to that of the landed gentry elsewhere.

Yeomen often group into households, choosing one of their number to lead. The yeoman who leads a household is known as its steward, and has authority over those who have entrusted them with leadership. A household will generally have a livery, which its members wear with pride. Members of different households are often at odds with one another, leading to passionate and often bitter rivalries. Most Marchers hold grudges, but the yeomen of the Households turn it into a fine art.

Military service is a proud tradtiion in the Marches, and the majority of yeomen are also soldiers. Yeoman men-at-arms of the Marches generally seek out the heaviest armour and heaviest weapons they can afford. Their equipment is likely to be old, worn, trusted and well-maintained rather than new and untested.

Playing a yeoman

The yeomen are the salt-of-the-earth, typical characters of the Marches. They possess most of the political power, and serve as the backbone of the nation.

Yeomen are often suspicious of characters from other backgrounds - market towners in particular threaten the status quo and the basis of their political power.

There are also characters called yeomen in Dawn. These yeomen are very different to Marcher yeomen, being closer to peasants, servants and retainers. Sometimes a Dawnish yeoman leaves Dawn and comes to the Marches, and they are generally greeted with open arms. Most folk are welcome in the Marches, provided they are prepared to work.

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Ylenrith

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Day

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Day

Sobriquets

Ylenrith (sometimes Ylenrath) is called the Swan.

Unlike many other Eternals, Ylenrith does not have many other common names; the only one used with any regularity is the Pure but the Eternal is known to dislike the use of this term. It is also occasionally known as the Eternal Flame and the Pure Morning and responds more positively to these sobriquets.

Appearance

Ylenrith (Il-LEN-rith) appears as a humanoid, often with strong merrow characteristics. It is neither female nor male, although it's physical form may suggest elements of either or both genders. It is usually dressed simply in a single pale colour, often white, light green or soft pastel blues. It usually wears a cloak of white feathers, and a belt of silver scales. It always speaks quietly, never raising it's voice except to sing.

As with Roshanwe the Eternal is said to make it's home at the point where they ocean of the Realm of Day rises to touch the sky. Also like Roshanwe, it expressed emotions such as bittersweet joy and quiet sadness in a way that is comprehensible to humans. While it is clearly a creature with great emotional depth, it rarely expresses those emotions - and when it does it does so through the medium of song.

Ylenrith claims that it never lies - that lying creates unnecessary dissonance - but this claim is difficult to substantiate.

The Swan is often accompanied by one or two Heralds; they are generally either musicians or mathematicians and some observers have suggested that they treat Ylenrith with a kind of restrained awe or worship that can be slightly unsettling.

Concerns

Ylenrith is strongly associated with concepts of purity and harmony. Focus, clarity calm and reason are all powerful touchstones as far as Ylenrith is concerned, and all suffering is caused by moving away from these principles. Lies, sickness, ignorance, drugs, passion, desire, fear and anger are all the same thing - impure, dangerous things that weigh down the spirits of living beings and lead them to harm themselves and others.

It is a consummate musician, and regularly expounds the idea that true communication takes place only through music (and occasionally through dance). The Swan appears to believe that spoken and written language impedes, rather than promotes, communication and suggests that it might be a dead end that encourages division rather than harmony. When individuals make music together their spirits briefly move into alignment with each other and with the greater scheme of things - they become a metaphor for the power of unity without sacrificing individual identity.

Emotions and passions expressed through music are 'harnessed' to the will of the musicians, and allow for catharsis without which they can overwhelm the good sense of an individual and cause them harm. Ylenrith teaches that it is not wrong to feel things strongly, but that unless powerful emotions are carefully controlled they can lead to suffering and dissonance. By expressing them through music, they can be experienced in a contained and ordered way and provide strength and spiritual communion, rather than encouraging selfishness and disharmony.

Ylenrith encourages magicians to practice their magic with music - even the passionate dancing of the hakima - and especially favours magicians who employ the Music of the spheres in their rituals.

Finally, music is also used as the gateway to Ylenrith's only true passion; mathematics. She firmly believes that the study of mathematics is the only 'pure' discipline, and that through it every truth of existence can be expressed in an elegant, simple and above-all truthful way. Mortals who study mathematics as more than "the physics of bottlecaps" are of great interest to Ylenrith.

This Eternal is also fascinated by medicine. Through understanding how mortal beings are built, one can restore harmony, purity and wholeness to them. It encourages healers to explore and embrace advances in medical sciences, moving away from superstition and tradition towards a true understanding not only of how living things are formed and operate, but from there to a greater undestanding of the world around them.

She is closely associated with the rune Cavul. She is strongly associated with pure water and a form of magical fire - which she calls the true flame - that can consume almost anything without producing smoke or soot, or leaving ashes behind.

Ylenrith is viewed with some suspicion by followers of the Way. She makes no effort to conceal her disdain for the auras created through consecrate, hallowing and anointing. Some religious magicians further point to the way that her Heralds seem to encourage worship of Ylenrith, and warn that her philosophy and boons may represent an attempt to spread idolatrous worship of an Eternal to the Empire. They also point to the tranquility she seeks to promulgates as being no different to the malign spiritual presence of peace which ultimately robs humanity of it's drive to strive and leads to stagnation and death.

Boons

Ylenrith can remove almost any strong passion, alleviate pain, and grant clarity and clear-thinking, especially though the use of music. In the same way she can help purify a mind, she can purify physical things, separating potions into their component parts, turning wine into water and fruit juice, cleansing infection and disease and similar effects. While most of her boons focus on the small scale, she has also been known to offer aid in purifying tainted water sources up to the size of large lakes or entire rivers.

In the past Ylenrith has also demonstrated the ability to permanently remove lineage from an individual, although the process is apparently extremely painful and on at least one occasion has proved fatal.

She can also sometimes be prevailed on to grant boons related to the true flame with which she is associated. The fire can consume anything found in the mortal world except ilium (and things made with ilium) which do not even become warm when exposed to it. This represents one of the dangers of receiving the boons of Ylenrith - the act of purification can sometimes prove more damaging than allowing corruption to run it's course.

On one occasion, Ylenrith was asked to help remove a curse from an area of forest that was causing iridescent butterflies to poduce horribly tainted iridescent gloaming. With some reluctance she agreed. She instructed the magicians involved to set fire to the trees at the heart of the forest, and the ensuring conflagration consumed every living and unliving thing within five miles of the central point, without producing a thimbleful of smoke. The curse was alleviated, but to this day no plant larger than tall grass will grow in the area.

She sometimes offers her boons through consumable items (usually clear water) or enchanted musical instruments.

This selection of articles can be downloaded as a PDF book (or as html only)

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Ylith Silthar

...that I found the corpse of Laurence d'Orsin lying in his bedchamber, his abdomen burst in a manner consistent with something within forcing its way out. There I also found the jar of seeds that the Herald, Ylith Silthar, had provided to him so that he might provide Yaw'nagrah with offspring.

Yvaine d'Orsin's testimony to the Conclave, 329YE

Summary

Accounts of Yaw'nagrah sending forth Ylith Silthar to the Hall of Worlds and the lands of the Empire appear to go back to before the founding of the Empire itself. From this accounts, it seems that Ylith Silthar's purpose when sent forth is the furtherance of fertility. This can include aiding mortal fertility as well as aiding and supporting birth, though it is claimed this leads to a greater chance of them being briars. One account refers to Ylith Silthar aiding a Dawnish witch in the creation of the Midwife's Recourse ritual as way to protect unborn life, which has generally been regarded as a benevolent act.

More accurately, it appears that Ylith Silthar's primary focus is the promotion of diversity of life through abundance of life. Which is to say that if one in every hundred births is in some way different, then Ylith Silthar will look to encourage ten thousand births to bring a hundred different forms of life into the world. More directly, Ylith Silthar has been known, with the consent of Imperial Citizens, to impregnate them. The results of these tend to be extremely unusual entities in nature. In the year 378YE, the first orc Archmage of Spring, Kallendar Stormcrow, consented to be impregnated by Ylith Silthar and produced what appears to be some manner of seed-pod, or egg, which was taken back into the Realm of Spring.

In the year 329 YE, Ylith Silthar was, for a time, subject to a Declaration of Enmity following the death of Laurence of House Orsin, in Dawn. Laurence has made a deal with Yaw'nagrah in which he promised her a child and Ylith Silthar gave him a jar of seeds to eat. Laurence had apparently believed that this would affect the manner in which he impregnated his wife. Instead, a monstrous creature that burst forth from his abdomen. Investigation by Yvain of House Orsin uncovered Ylith Silthar's involvement, which led to the Declaration in the Conclave. However, during the reign of Emperor Walter, the then Archmage of Spring argued that Laurence's story taught a valuable lesson in the virtue of Vigilance in dealing with Eternals, and that Ylith Silthar's Declaration of Enmity be lifted on the understanding that the boon it bore from Yaw'nagrah was not an act of murder.

The creature that spawned from Laurence d'Orsin was contained for a time, but was ultimately destroyed in 378YE by heroic citizens from Anvil travelling through the Sentinel Gate.

Appearance

As a Herald of Yaw'nagrah, Ylith Silthar appears as part of a living aspect of the Queen of the Forest. As is typical, this is akin to living plantlife in humanoid form.

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Yoorn

Contents

- 1 The Shears, Rune of Ending

- 1.1 Using Yoorn in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Yoorn

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Shears, Rune of Ending

Affiliated with the Winter Realm

Dark counterpart to Evrom, rune of Beginning, the Shears represent the end of the journey. It is the point at which all decisions have been taken, all plans made have come to fruition and victory or loss are complete. Nothing now can be changed and all has taken its course; the thread must now be cut and an ending made.

Although ending can be a time for sorrow, Yoorn urges us to look back and reflect on what has been learned. Often used together with Irremais, Yoorn allows us to learn from what we have done, and in that can also be a rune of fulfillment and completion. Now that an end has been made, we are ready to be renewed and move on, ready for transformation and a fresh start.

Sometimes called the Rune of Severence, it is often mentioned during the formal ending of relationships, associations or agreements. The Scriviners of the Brass Coast sometimes stamp it onto a contract that is considered to have been completed, or voided in some way. Lovers occasionally give a gift with the rune inscribed on it to discreetly draw a romantic affair to an end – this is most common in Dawn and the League.

Yoorn is combined with the Spring rune Evrom to represent the idea of birth - as the baby enters the world, the time of pregnancy is at an end. So too as the shears cut the thread of life the soul passes from one world into the next, ready to continue its journey, Yoorn represents Death. When used alone, it represents oblivion; when combined with Evrom, it represents the hope of reincarnation.

Using Yoorn in magic

Yoorn is often evoked at the end of a ritual to draw a sustained magical working to its close and is used alongside Cavul, Rune of Purity, in cleansing rituals or in magic intended to prematurely bring other magic to a conclusion. It is also used alone to sever bonds, and especially when breaking the covenant between members of a magical coven who choose to part and go their separate ways.

Crafting with Yoorn

It is often inscribed on tombstones and funeral wrappings, and occasionally found on weapons of war intended to end the life of an opponent.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Yoorn in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneYoorn.jef

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Zakalwe

Contents

- 1 Eternal of Day

- 1.1 Sobriquets

- 1.2 Appearance

- 1.3 Concerns

- 1.4 Boons

Eternal of Day

Sobriquets

Zakalwe is called Master Strategist and the General of Day.

The Master Strategist is also called weapon-wise due to his skill with the many accoutrements of war. The Suaq in particular call him "Hunter of Tides" and tell several stories in which his counsel helps an Icewalker to defeat an opponent.

In distant centuries he was a patron of the Asaveans at the height of their civilisation, regularly worshipped as "Zakalwe Dieude Laguerre" - a name that apparently still causes mild embarassment to this self-effacing Eternal. In the Commonwealth he is called "Strategos", an ancient word meaning "military general". In Jarm he is called "Manush" a name which apparently literally means "mind".

There is not a single conflict in all of history that has been won save that ten thousand tiny events have been resolved in favour of the victors.

Appearance

The Hunter of Tides appears as a large humanoid, generally masculine, wearing archaic armour in a style that has not been worn in the Empire for centuries. He always carries a two-handed weapon, generally a trident or glaive but occasionally a spear. He usually has at least one sword at his side, generally a single-bladed long sword with an exotic curved blade. On rare occasions he might appear in more "civillian" guise in which case he usually appears in robes appropriate to an Urizen arbiter. Even in such a non-martial guise, he is never unarmed.

He never appears human; he has a strong mark of the sea in his appearance. This often takes the form of gills and webbed fingers. Unlike a merrow however, Zakalwe rarely has barbels or scales - his skin may be mottled but is much more likely to be black-and-white than blue. According to several sources Zakalwe is an actual shapeshifter - while he assumes humanoid for to deal with humanoids his "natural" form is more like a large black-and-white whale, narwhal or dolphin.

Zakalwe is a master of weapons - he can wield anything anyone has ever conceived to use as a weapon with deadly force. He prefers the versatility of a pole-arm, but has demonstrated skill with bows, thrown weapons, crossbows, one-handed and two-handed swords, maces and axes, shields of all sizes, siege weapons, daggers, staves, one- and two-handed spears, flails and even the occasional exotic weapon wielded by specialist warriors. When he encounters a weapon for the first time, he wastes no time studying it in great detail until he has mastered it. "If you are to master war," he has said "you must first master yourself, then master all the weapons there have ever been, and then realise which mastery is the most important to ensure victory."

Like Roshanwe, with whom he is sometimes associated, he lives at the point where the sky of the realm of Day touches the sea. Unlike the Navigator, who tends to live on the airy side of the divide, Zakalwe's domain is the upper shallows, the brightly lit sub-marine region between the many islands that dot the surface of the eternal ocean. He apparently abides in a great citadel of coral, crystal and mithril built on the edge of the oceanic abyss, the bottom of which is the domain of Leviathan.

In personality Zakalwe is said to be calm, with a dry wit and perhaps even a certain cynicism. He is softly spoken and while he can be moved to great passions, he never allows his emotions to rule his head. He is known to practice philosophies very similar to those the Urizen call poise and arete as well as cultivating scrupulous sincerity - when Zakalwe says he will or will not do something there is very little that can sway him from his avowed course.

The Strategos is sometimes alone and sometimes accompanied by aides. He is often found in the company of warriors or soldiers who appear to be carved from living crystal and motivated by a cool intellect similar to that of Zakalwe himself. The warriors are very similar to those created/summoned by certain rituals, and Zakalwe is often evoked during their performance.

The merciless will never know mercy. If you can safely show mercy, show mercy. If you cannot safely show mercy, strike without malice and kill without spite.

Concerns

Zakalwe is fascinated by conflict, especially war. exemplifies a philosophy of warfare that focuses on preparation; gathering of information; and fighting with absolute commitment and focus. His philosophy can be applied at many levels from individual warriors facing each other to entire nations at war. He also preaches that martial conflict and political conflict are the same thing - the diplomat, the spy, the politician and the general all employ the same strategies to win.

He collects and studies the writings of generals, captains, soldiers and politicans from every nation and realm. He himself has written an immense number of epigraphs, essays, treatises and books of philosophy, both original and echoing the thoughts of mortal war-makers. He encourages the idea that during peace, one should be honing oneself and preparing for future conflict; in this as in other areas he is seen as supporting the virtue of Ambition.

The core of his philosophy is threefold. The first step to triumph is understanding - knowing who the realm enemy is and what must be done to achieve victory. This need for understanding extends to all areas of war; the general whose intelligence is greater has an advantage. The second step is preparation; ensuring that one's soldiers are armed and armoured, supported and aware of their role in the battle. A poorly-prepared army will always lose out to an army whose general has given thought to logistical and strategic matters. The final step to victory is absolute commitment; being engaged in a battle, the triumphant general does not stop until the enemy is defeated.

A general who does not appreciate the value of intelligence, logistics and preparation will find Zakalwe has little time for them. He is fascinated by militaristic societies (such as those of many orc tribes), and by concepts such as peoples' militias, military councils and the like.

Zakalwe is deeply critical of those who believe in fate, destiny or higher powers. He regularly decries hope as the biggest enemy of rational thought. Skill, ambition, understanding and thought buy victory; faith in the righteousness of one's cause is a luxury. Despite this, the Master Strategist cautions that the best soldiers and generals believe in the cause they are fighting for.

The Master Strategist has strong views on the integrity and self-knowledge of the warrior. He believes firmly in concepts of personal honour and that every soldier is ultimately responsible for the actions they take on the battlefield. His commitment to rational thought even in the thick of battle is very appealing to a certain breed of soldier and general, but often puts him at odds with those who embrace the idea that the ends justify the means.

He has no patience for the weak willed; those who will not or cannot protect themselves seem to annoy him on some level. He does not expect everyone to be a warrior, but he does expect that everyone be capable of standing up for the things they believe in; of acting on their convictions; and of actively fighting against anyone who would attempt to subjugate them.

The Enchanter Lydia de Courland described him as a fascinating creature that "Loves the idea of war, but hates the horror, inhumanity and slaughter. At heart this is a gentle being that nonetheless is drawn to everything that is abominable in the human spirit."

Zakalwe is associated with the rune Aesh.

When it is time to strike, strike. Strike with all your heart, and all your strength, and hope that all your preparation will mean that one blow shall be sufficient to achieve victory.

Boons

As a master of strategy it should come as no surprise that the boons Zakalwe offers are often martial in nature. He is known to offer crystaline tokens that assist in the performance of Clarity of the Master Strategist and Carve the Crystal Guardian. On a more personal level, he offers boons that enhance Alignment of Mind and Blade, and is known to offer similar boons that allow individuals to share their martial knowledge with one another or demonstrate instant (if temporary) mastery of martial skills. Unlike Eternals of realms such as Spring, Zakalwe's boons rarely deal with endurance or Fortitude; he is much more interested in armour than in innate abilities to survive blows, and in skill with weapons more than innate talents.

Zakalwe has an immense collection of books about war, including many collections of poetry written by warriors and soldiers. He is known to pay quite well for new books, or copies of books he has been unable to acquire, especially if those books are not part of the repository of written lore that is Phaleron. He is said to be especially interested in the battle philosophies of the Druj barbarians - and their justification for their methods.

While not an artificer, Zakalwe is able to provide enchanted weapons to those he deals with, and often gives them in payment for martial writings. He especially favours magical swords and pole-arms, magical shields and magical suits of armour. Occasionally his boons take the form of a rod or a suit of mage armour. Very rarely, he gifts a diplomat or politician with a magical robe or belt designed to help them maintain their poise in the political arena. In addition to the weapons he offers as boons, he is known to collect weapons, armour and other items that have been wielded by notable individuals or in notable events - regardless of whether they are enchanted or not.

Zakalwe loves games of strategy - he is known to greatly enjoy chess. He has expressed the opinion that such games hone the mind, and also allow one to gain insight into the personality and strategic style of one's opponents. He greatly appreciates anyone who can introduce him to a new game of this kind.

While it is true that no plan survives contact with the enemy, I should also say that without a plan nobody survives contact with the enemy for very long.

Fight a war, not a battle.

Fight the war that you are in, not the war you wish you were in.

Sometimes you will want to fight with minimal force, with respect for your foe and honouring the politeness of war; other times you will want to crush the utterly with shock and awe and leave not one brick above another. Be sure you know which situation requires which approach, and that you have the will for what is to come.

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Zemress

Every charitable act is a stepping stone towards enlightenment.

attributed to Zemress, Blade of the Isles.

Virtue

Zemress, The Blade of the Isles was recognised as an Exemplar of Prosperity by the Imperial Synod in 223 YE, three years after her disappearance and presumed death.

Biography

Zemress Ezmara was born into a poor family of merchant sailors and dockworkers who lived in Calvos, along the western rim of the Bay of Catazar. There is little known about her early years other than testimonies that state she was a hard worker, dedicated to her community and the Imperial Way of Virtue. It is rumoured that she had the habit of stowing away on ships in search of adventure but as yet no evidence has been presented to support these claims.

What is confirmed is that by the age of just twenty she was granted the position of first mate on board The Old Peart, a merchantman that sailed The Jewelled Isles and Sarvos trade routes. Two years later she was granted captaincy of her own vessel and worked for the Saluga trade guild transporting shipments of fine wines destined for the cities of The League. It was here that she met and befriended the retired ship's captain and famous shipwright, Captain Massimo Belardinelli. For several years she split her time between sailing and studying under the tutelage of Belardinelli and proved to be a most gifted pupil.

The following years were infamous for the increased pirate activity in the Bay of Catazar. The Saluga guild suffered the loss of dozens of valuable shipments and several ships were seized or scuttled, resulting in the complete collapse of the trade guild and the bankruptcy of the investors. Zemress was outraged by the depredations of the pirates yet despite the fact she was now unemployed and destitute, she vowed to take action against these barbarian scum. The Civil Service were unable to supply any financial or military support due to the recent loss of Segura in 204 YE, all spare Imperial resources being directed to deal with this tragedy.

Undeterred by her misfortune, Zemress gathered her designs and embarked upon a journey to Anvil. Along the way she visited shrines erected to the Virtue of Prosperity and discussed her intentions with priests and pilgrims, pleading for advice and meditating upon the wisdom she was granted. Upon arriving in Anvil, she presented her design proposals to several affluent guilds who universally expressed interest in purchasing her drawings. Several of her proposed improvements to rigging, construction and hull design are stored in the Imperial Library and may still be viewed today. The Zemress Hull is still considered to be the standard of design for all Imperial Light Cutters and has even been adopted by some foreign nations.

With her newly acquired wealth, she returned to her home city of Calvos, setting up a business with her old friend and mentor Belardinelli who acted as chief overseer of operations. A newly discovered acumen for matters of business combined with her revolutions in ship design provided her with enough funds to start construction of her own sailing ships. The Kraken's Bane, a ship designed with the lone intention of hunting and destroying pirate raiders, was the first ship launched from her new shipyards and remained her personal vessel and the flagship of the fleet for the duration of her life.

Over the following years, Zemress hunted and captured dozens of pirate raiders, paying for her crews and expenses out of her own pocket and without financial support from her impecunious homeland. After the devastation of Segura (204 YE), Barbarians were shown no mercy and were quickly put to the sword while foreigners were frequently taught Imperial values and the benefits of following The Way. Those who converted to The Way were often set free and returned safely to their homes, others were ransomed back to their people with strict warnings never to trespass upon Imperial waters again. She is one of the few Imperial Exemplars also recognised in The Sumaah Republic. It was during these Years of Trouble that Zemress gained the epithet The Blade of the Isles.

It would be quite easy to simply dismiss her actions as those of a glorified pirate were it not for her actions following a successful patrol. Zemress would split the spoils of war between her sailors, each taking their due share. Upon docking in port, a service of thanks would be given. This was always led by a priest of Prosperity and all and sundry were invited to participate (It has been recorded that one such service was attended by over two thousand citizens). At the conclusion of the service, Zemress would take her share of righteous bounty and bestow it upon the poor and needy of the community, announcing her plans for how it would be spent. As far as can be discerned, this money was never simply given away to be squandered on cheap drink and whores. Instead, it was invested into projects that would benefit everyone in the community. Indeed, several housing projects were funded by this wealth, local business ventures were started, a widows and orphans fund was initiated and the greatest proportion was delivered into the hands of the Imperial Civil Service to benefit all citizens of the Empire.

In the year 220 YE, Zemress sailed out of port in her ship The Kraken's Bane, with the intention of hunting a notorious pirate vessel known as the Grendel. This led to one of the greatest mysteries of the Catazar. After leaving port, neither Zemress or her crew were ever seen or heard from again. Since The Grendel also vanished at the same time it is speculated by some that both ships were engaged in a momentous battle, so fierce that everyone on board was killed. All that is truly known is that a year after setting sail, The Kraken's Bane was spotted drifting at sea just off its home port of Calvos. There was no sign of the crew or any evidence of what happened to them. It was as though everyone had simply and peacefully abandoned the ship at exactly the same time. Many faithful proclaim this is testimony that everyone must have died in battle, with the exception of Zemress herself who ascended at the end of the fighting. Others have speculated that when Zemress ascended, her entire faithful crew were raised in the labyrinth with her. Most people have no explanation and to this day the events surrounding The Kraken's Bane, remain a mystery.

For many sailors, Zemress represents the epitome of the Imperial corsair - mercilessly hunting and destroying those who threaten the security and integrity of the Empire. Others remember her for her less martial actions - as a great and selfless benefactor of the Empire responsible for great acts of kindness and generosity.

Zemress has been attributed with the saying "It is not the pointless accumulation of money that makes one wealthy, but the responsible distribution of that money that provides true wealth.". During the year 223 YE the Imperial Synod recognised Zemress Ezmara, The Blade of the Isles, as an Exemplar of Prosperity.

Signs

The Assembly of Prosperity cited the following signs of Zemress's exemplardom:

- Zemress's acts of charity were acts of benevolence that enriched thousands of Imperial Citizens.

- The Blade of the Isles is an inspiration to many who take up arms against those who threaten the Empire, from sailors to Dawnish knights-errant. However, she is primarily recognised as an inspiration to those who work hard and invest that money for the benefit of others, knowing that the long-term rewards will be a benefit to every citizen - recognised as such by the Merchant Princes of the League and members of the Imperial Bourse.

- Her journey to Anvil is generally accepted as a pilgrimage and many faithful replicate her travels, culminating in a great service in the city of Anvil.

- The Imperial Synod have acknowledged the great contribution Zemress made in converting irreligious foreigners to The Way of Virtue and also in reaffirming the faith of many Imperial Citizens who had wandered from the true path. Her acts of salvation are frequently sermonized by Priests of Prosperity.

- The Kraken's Bane is considered an, albeit slightly unusual, legacy. It is housed in a specially erected dry dock in the city of Calvos and is the destination of many pilgrims. Slivers of keel timber are mounted in medals with ribbon necklaces and The Honour of the Kraken is awarded as one of the highest honours to those heroes of the Empire who have performed charitable and/or valorous acts for the sake of others.

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Zenith

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 Overview

- 2 Recent History

- 3 Major Features

- 3.1 Arch of the Sky

- 3.2 The Halls of Knowledge

- 3.3 Endsmeet

- 4 Regions

- 4.1 Clypion

- 4.2 Iteri

- 4.3 Lustri

- 4.4 Occursion

- 4.5 Proceris

- 5 OOC Notes

Overview

The mountains of Zenith are the tallest in the nation, and perhaps the Empire, and the air here is still and cold. The spires tend towards the contemplative, the night sky is rarely concealed by clouds making the territory perfect for stargazers. Many religious thinkers and philosophers also reside in Zenith, where they claim that the rarefied air helps them maintain a sense of detachment and clarity.

Zenith is well known for its abundant magical auras and many spires have experimented with arrays of metal mirrors that focus the light of the sun into internal chambers to try enhance the production of magical crystals. Zenith also has some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Nation, with apparently bottomless mountain lakes providing succulent fish to supplement the diet of the inhabitants.

The shores of these two lakes were once regarded as a fortuitous place to marry for the success of the new family, and although modern Urizen have put such petty superstitions behind them, it is still considered a harmless tradition to eat fish from the Bountiful Autumn Lakes at a wedding, or to present them (fresh or cooked) as gifts.

Recent History

Major Features

Arch of the Sky

A collection of Spires on the tallest mountain in Zenith, where stargazers from all of Empire gather to discuss and debate the Net of Heavens, comparing their astral observations to the history and present state of the Empire and the wider world.

The Halls of Knowledge

When Zenith was added to the Empire, the Urizen proposed that the Empire should have a second seat of magical study, in addition to the Lyceum. Rather than threaten the Lyceum, the new academy would help unite the magicians of Urizen and allow them to pool their magical lore for the benefit of the Empire. Instead of building their academy of magic around an existing spire, they created an entirely new one and called it the Halls of Knowledge. A number of respected theorists and seers travelled to the new academy, and a Provost was appointed to help co-ordinate their research - and to encourage other Urizen magicians to offer their assistance. It soon became known as a centre for prognostication and the study of Day magic - to this day some of the best diviners in the civil service spend time studying in the peaks of Zenith to hone their abilities.

The Provost of the Halls of Knowledge is an Imperial title appointed each Winter by those citizens of Urizen who control mana sites.

Endsmeet

Studies interaction between people, and has particular interest in times like the present, the times between thrones. It’s now home to refugees from the Spiral, particularly those who brought with them the great library of Ankarien.

Regions

Clypion

Iteri

Lustri

The Spire of Twisting Shadows is located in Lustri - a spire dedicated to the treatment (and, functionally, incarceration) of those who suffer long term spiritual or mental damage due to exposure to magic. Most of the inmates are there voluntarily, but a few are restrained for their own safety. The spire has a grim reputation, unsurprisingly. A significant portion of the patients here have been hurt due to overuse or misuse of astronomancy - permanently twisted by exposure to a tulpa.

Occursion

Proceris

OOC Notes

- All the regions of Zenith are under the control of the Urizen (and by extension the Empire), and this is a staunchly Imperial territory

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Zorech

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Contents

- 1 The Flame, Rune of Passion

- 1.1 Using Zorech in magic

- 1.2 Crafting with Zorech

- 1.3 For Machine Embroidery

The Flame, Rune of Passion

Affiliated with the Realm of Night

The Flame represents strong emotion, but not just romantic or carnal feelings. It represents strong feelings, especially feelings and instincts that overwhelm reason or restraint. Fire expresses the idea that passion is dual-natured - a fire can warm and illuminate, bring comfort and offer the promise of safety. It can also rage out of control, consuming and destroying everything in its path until it burns out, leaving only cold embers behind. As the Rune of Destructive Passions, it is called the Inferno.

This is the rune of hatred, vengeance and fury as well as love in it's various forms, but it is also the Rune of Joy. It represents any powerful or compelling emotion. Zorech is bold and uncompromising; it overcomes impediments by whatever means are necessary and is consequently often seen as being a selfish rune. Yet Zorech also governs those passions that drive the most heroic of actions; these profound emotions may help a soldier be victorious over a hated foe, or drive a lover to acts of incredible daring to spend one night with the object of her affections.

Zorech also represents disorder, and the collapse of hierarchy and tradition. It is a rune of social chaos, rather than the uncontrollable natural chaos of Mawrig the Spring Rune of Storms. Embracing passion frees one from societal constraint, and there are many who would argue that the first step to understanding this rule is to abandon conventional ideas of politeness and acceptable behaviour. All of this means that while the rune has many positive connotations, but is often mistrusted because of its dangerous duality. Several priests are deeply suspicious of this rune due to it's obvious correspondence to the Malign spiritual presences of anarchy, vengeance and hatred.

The rune is often found on weapons wielded by Freeborn Kohan, and is also popular with the Hakima magicians of that nation due to its correspondence with the idea of using passion and strong emotion to fight or work magic. In combination with Aesh, Rune of Thought, it is a symbol of Arete for some Urizen sentinels. It is also a common symbol for Kallavesi warriors to bear as a tattoo or brand. Some Navarr paint the rune on themselves before seeking vengeance or fighting a hated opponent - especially warriors who must enter the area of a Vallorn for some reason.

The Eternal Janon exemplifies many of the attitudes and themes of Zorech, and is often referred to as the shadowed fire.

Using Zorech in magic

The Rune of Passion is used most commonly in workings designed to inflame passion. Harnessed by another rune it can be a powerful source of energy - it is often combined with Aesh, the Rune of Thought, to represent passion channeled by reason. Some magicians evoke Zorech when performing the Empower Incantation,

Crafting with Zorech

Even more so than Xun, Zorech is inscribed on musical instruments, especially drums. It is also found on weapons and shields, especially among those warriors who fight with passion, especially those who hate or seek vengeance against their enemies.

For Machine Embroidery

Here is a digitized version of Zorech in .jef format, suitable for a 7x5 hoop. File:RuneZorech.jef

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Zoria

This is a placeholder page for content that PD are actively working on.

Virtue

Zoria was recognised as a Paragon of Wisdom by the Highborn Assembly of the Virtuous shortly after its founding.

Her legends date back to when the Ushka were a young people. So legend has it, Zoria was a Sorceress possessed of great insight and knowledge who lived in the depths of the Great Wilds and learned the names of all the creatures of the wild; bird and beast, fish and fowl. Using their names, Zoria could command them and they served her. One day, in return for a kindness done to her by a hunter lost in the Great Wilds, she commanded beasts to serve the hunter by carrying burdens, providing wool, food and companionship. The hunter went on to be the first farmer and their tribe prospered.

Biography

Signs

Retrieved from "http://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/mediawiki-public/index.php?title=Zoria&oldid=20348"

Table of Contents

Introduction to LRP

Game overview

Getting involved

Battles

Monstering

Children

Events

Upper Spernall Farm

Event information

Sanctioned events

Profound Decisions management team

Crew guidelines

Traders

Photography

Costume

Contact Profound Decisions

Complaints procedure

Forums & Facebook

Nationality

The Brass Coast

Dawn

Highguard

Imperial Orcs

The League

The Marches

Navarr

Urizen

Varushka

Wintermark

Costume advice

Music

Nation FAQ

Empire overview

Imperial Senate

Imperial Synod

Imperial Military Council

Imperial Conclave

Imperial Bourse

The Throne

The Academy

Imperial Sodality

Imperial law

Imperial history

Imperial Elections

Recent history

Sentinel Gate

Orc

Lineage overview

Briar

Cambion

Changeling

Draughir

Merrow

Naga

Lineage and species FAQ

Spellcasting

Rituals

Magic items

Potion

Ritual theory

Magical tradition

Eternals (Redirected from Eternal)

Realm

Regio

The Way

Ambition

Courage

Loyalty

Pride

Prosperity

Vigilance

Wisdom

Imperial theology (Redirected from Imperial Theology)

World overview

Maps

Gazetteer

Realm (Redirected from Realms)

Eternals

Barbarians

Foreign nations

Languages

Pronunciation guide

Setting FAQ

Characters

Playing the game

Referee

Safety overview

Downtime

Combat

Calls

Weapons & armour

Magic

Game items

Roleplaying effects

Skills

Bands

Resource

Rules update 2015

Frequently Asked Questions

18 Rings

376YE Winter Solstice Conclave declarations

376YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

376YE Winter Solstice Imperial Titles

376YE Winter Solstice Senate Session

376YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

376YE Winter Solstice Senate Sessions

376YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

376YE Winter Solstice Synod Judgements

377YE Autumn Equinox Conclave declarations

377YE Autumn Equinox Imperial titles

377YE Autumn Equinox Imperial Titles

377YE Autumn Equinox Senate Session

377YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

377YE Autumn Equinox Senate Sessions

377YE Autumn Equinox Synod judgements

377YE Autumn Equinox Synod Judgements

377YE Spring Equinox Conclave declarations

377YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

377YE Spring Equinox Imperial Titles

377YE Spring Equinox Senate Session

377YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

377YE Spring Equinox Senate Sessions

377YE Spring Equinox Synod judgements

377YE Spring Equinox Synod Judgements

377YE Summer Solstice Conclave declarations

377YE Summer Solstice Imperial titles

377YE Summer Solstice Imperial Titles

377YE Summer Solstice Senate Session Redirect page

377YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

377YE Summer Solstice Senate Sessions

377YE Summer Solstice Senate Sessions (Redirected from 377YE Summer Solstice Senate Summit)

377YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements

377YE Summer Solstice Synod Judgements

377YE Winter Solstice Conclave sessions

377YE Winter Solstice Conclave Sessions

377YE Winter Solstice Imperial Elections

377YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

377YE Winter Solstice Imperial Titles

377YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

377YE Winter Solstice Senate Sessions

377YE Winter Solstice Synod judgements

377YE Winter Solstice Synod Judgements

378YE Autumn Equinox Announcements by the Quartermaster General

378YE Autumn Equinox Conclave declarations

378YE Autumn Equinox Imperial titles

378YE Autumn Equinox Senate sessions

378YE Autumn Equinox Synod judgements

378YE Autumn Equinox winds of magic

378YE Autumn Equinox winds of war

378YE Spring Equinox Announcements by the Advisor on the Vallorn

378YE Spring Equinox Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

378YE Spring Equinox Announcements by the Quartermaster General

378YE Spring Equinox Conclave declarations

378YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

378YE Spring Equinox Imperial Titles

378YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

378YE Spring Equinox Senate Sessions

378YE Spring Equinox Synod judgements

378YE Spring Equinox Synod Judgements

378YE Spring Equinox winds of war

378YE Summer Solstice Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

378YE Summer Solstice Announcements by the Quartermaster General

378YE Summer Solstice Conclave sessions

378YE Summer Solstice Imperial titles

378YE Summer Solstice Imperial Titles

378YE Summer Solstice Senate sessions

378YE Summer Solstice Senate Sessions

378YE Summer Solstice Synod judgements

378YE Summer Solstice Synod Judgements

378YE Summer Solstice winds of war

378YE Winter Solstice Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

378YE Winter Solstice Announcements by the Quartermaster General

378YE Winter Solstice Imperial titles

378YE Winter Solstice Senate sessions

378YE Winter Solstice Synod judgments

378YE Winter Solstice Synod judgments

378YE Winter Solstice winds of fortune

378YE Winter Solstice winds of war

379YE Spring Equinox Announcements by the Advisor on the Vallorn

379YE Spring Equinox Announcements by the Crystal Architect

379YE Spring Equinox Announcements by the Quartermaster General

379YE Spring Equinox Imperial titles

379YE Spring Equinox Senate sessions

379YE Spring Equinox Synod judgments

379YE Spring Equinox winds of fortune

379YE Spring Equinox winds of war

Aben-Nuath

A Blight in Miaren

Abraxus

Abraxus Stone

Abrogate fund disbursement

Abrograte Civil service observation

Abstraction

Accept Grendel proposal

Accept Jotun ceasefire

Acolyte's Mercy

Add Sum of the Parts ritual to Imperial lore (Redirected from Add "Sum of the Parts" to Imperial Lore)

Address

Address boggart infestation in Morrow

Add Sum of the Parts ritual to Imperial lore

Adelmar the Lion

Admiral

Advisor on orc affairs

Advisor on the Vallorn

Advocate

Aesh

A Fool in a Crown

A guide to fabrics for kitmaking

A Kallivesi Costume Diary

Alabaster Cerement

Alderei the Fair

Alderman's Edge

Aldones di Sarvos

A League Costume Diary

A League Costume Diary 2

Alignment of Mind and Blade

Align the Celestial Net

All Come Listen

Allocate Vigilant Swan

All the Pretty Ponies

All The Ushka

All the World in a Grain of Sand

Almery of Purity

Alter manifesto of Sevenfold Path

Altruist's Recompense

Always a Hero Comes Home

Ambassador to Asavea

Ambassador to Jarm

Ambergelt Baton

Amberglass Chain

Amberglass Orb

Ambition roleplaying effects

Amend conditions of Brock's Buffet

Amend crime of sorcery

Amend law of delegation protection

Amend law regarding foreign True Liao trade

Amend powers of Dredgemaster of Feverwater

Amend Powers of Imperial Master of Works

Amend powers of the Advisor on Orc Affairs

Amend powers of the Bursar of the Imperial Academy

Amend powers of the Conclave Liason

Amend powers of the High Exorcist

Amend powers of the Imperial Magus

Amend Powers of the Master of the Imperial Mint

Amend Powers of the Quartermaster General

Amend Powers of the Quatermaster General

Amend Synod power of Recognition

Amend powers of the Advisor on Orc Affairs (Redirected from Amend the powers of the Advisor on Orc Affairs)

Amend powers of the Imperial Magus (Redirected from Amend the powers of the Imperial Magus)

A Miracle in Hahnmark

Amity and enmity (Redirected from Amity and emnity)

Amity and enmity

Anarchy in Miekarova

Anarchy roleplaying effects

Anathemic Call of Bug and Briar

An Echo of Life Remains

Annan Water

Announcements by the Advisor on the Vallorn

Announcements by the Minister for Historical Research

Announcements by the Quartermaster General

Anthem of Cantiarch's Hold

Anvil Hospital & Imperial School of Medicine (Redirected from Anvil Field Hospital)

Anvil Hospital & Imperial School of Medicine

Apothecary potions

Apothecary Potions

Appoint a General for the Golden Sun army

Appoint ambassador to Asavean Archipelago

Appoint Envoy to Axos

Appoint Feverwater Dredgemaster

Appoint Imperial Master of Works

Appointment

Appointments by the Senate

Appointments to the Senate

Appoint Senate auditor

Appoint trade envoys

Apprentice's Blade

Apprentice Ability

Appropriate roleplaying

April is in my mistress' face

Arcane Mark

Archetypes

Archmage

Arete

Arhallogen

Arms of the Warwitch

Army qualities

Artefacts

Art of the Deal

Asavean Archipelago

Asavean Archipelago ports

Ascendance of the Highest Mind

Ascetic Star of Atun

Ascetic Star of Atun

Ashen Mantle

Assembly of Nine

Assign Holberg

Assignment of Karsk

Assignment of Karsk II

Assignment of Segura

Assignment of Skarsind

Assignment of The Brilliant Shore

Assign Segura

Astolat

Astronomancy

A Sudden Farewell

Atuman

Atun

Atun's Ring

Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

Auras

Auras illegal in the Civil Service hub

Auras illegal in the Senate

Autumn Realm (Redirected from Autumn) Redirect page

Autumn Equinox 2013

Autumn magic

Realms (Redirected from Autumn Realm) Redirect page

Autumn rituals

Avigliana di Sarvos

Axos

Baersark's Rage

Bailiff of the Grand Market

Balanced Scales of Lann

Ballad of the Schlacta

Balms of the Fountainhead

Groups (Redirected from Banner) Redirect page

Bannerman's Band

Banner of the Bold

Barbarian

Barbed Spear

Bards

Barien

Barked Command of the Iron Serjant

Basic Skills

Basic Tooling Skills

Basic Tools

Basileus Kade

Bastion

Battle Anthem

Battlefield ritual

Battlefield ritual (Redirected from Battlefield Ritual)

Battlefield Rituals

Battle safety

Battlesmith's Panoply

Bear Claws

Before the Throne of Estavus

Beneath the Skin

Benefactor

Benefactor (Redirected from Benefactors)

Binding Threads

Bishop

Bishop (Redirected from Bishops)

Biting Blade

Black Iron Blade

Black Plateau

Blacksmith's Wage

Blackwillow Twist

Bladeroot

Blessing of New Spring

Blood and Bone

Blood and Salt

Blood-dimming Tide

Bloodfeather Harness

Bloodfire Periapt

Blood of the Hydra

Bloodsilver Spike

Bloodsteel Barb

Blood-sweat Hauberk

Bloodwoven Braid

Boarskin Vest

Boggarts in Morrow

Bold Navarr Men

Bolholt Song

Bolstering Bill

Bolstering Bill (Exemplar)

Bondring

Boneweaver

Bound by Common Cause

Imperial Bourse (Redirected from Bourse)

Bow safety

Brand

Brand (Redirected from Brands)

The Brass Coast culture and customs (Redirected from Brass Coast culture and customs)

Brass Coast culture and customs (Redirected from Brass Coast Culture and Customs) Redirect page

The Brass Coast economic interests (Redirected from Brass Coast economic interests)

Brass Coast economic interests (Redirected from Brass Coast Economic Interests) Redirect page

Brass Coast Egregore

The Brass Coast lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Brass Coast lineage and species attitudes)

Brass Coast lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Brass Coast Lineage and Species Attitudes) Redirect page

The Brass Coast magical traditions (Redirected from Brass Coast magical traditions)

Brass Coast magical traditions (Redirected from Brass Coast Magical Traditions) Redirect page

Brass Coast Maps

The Brass Coast military concerns (Redirected from Brass Coast military concerns)

The Brass Coast music (Redirected from Brass Coast music)

Brass Coast music (Redirected from Brass Coast Music) Redirect page

The Brass Coast religious beliefs (Redirected from Brass Coast religious beliefs)

Brass Coast religious beliefs (Redirected from Brass Coast Religious Beliefs) Redirect page

Bravash

Brave Varushka Forth

Bravo

Bravo's Blade

Bravo (Redirected from Bravos)

Braying Horns of War

Brazen Claws of the Lictor

Bregasland

Bright Eyes Gleam in the Depths

Bright Lantern of Ophis

Bringing in the Sheaves

Britta's Glory

Britta's song

BrocÃ©liande

BrocÃ©liande Be Stronger Now

Brother Blades

Repair Holberg defences (Redirected from Build Holberg defences)

Build The Fires High

Bullroarer's Shout

Burnished Orb

Burnished Rampart

Bursar of the Conclave

Bursar of the Imperial Academy

Business

Butcher's Bill

Butcher's Cleaver

By Chance It Was

Call Down Lightning's Wrath

Callidus

Call Winged Messenger

Campaign outcome

Campaign outcomes

Captain's Command

Captain's Mask

Captain of the Senate Guard

Caress of Arhallogen

Caricomare

Cartographer's Eye

Carts Come Home

Carve the Crystal Guardian

Casinea

Castellan of Spiral Castle

Cast Off The Chain of Memory

Casualties

Category-Mage Robes

Category-Arcane Implements

Category-Arcane Weapons

Category-Autumn Ritual

Category-Bows

Category-Daggers

Category-Dawn

Category-Day Ritual

Category-Descriptive Text Required

Category-Foci

Category-Foreign Nations

Category-Heavy Armour

Category-Heavy Armour

Category-Highguard

Category-Icons

Category-IC Text Required

Category-Imperial Orcs

Category-Jewellery

Category-Light Armour

Category-Mage Armour

Category-Magic Items

Category-Magic Standards

Category-Masks

Category-Medium Armour

Category-Musical Instruments

Category-Navarr

Category-Night Ritual

Category-One-handed Spears

Category-One-handed Weapons

Category-Other Weapons

Category-Paired Weapons

Category-Paraphernalia

Category-Pole-arms

Category-Regalia

Category-Religion

Category-Reliquaries

Category-Rituals

Category-Ritual Staves

Category-Robes

Category-Rods

Category-Senate

Category-Shields

Category-Spring Ritual

Category-Staffs

Category-Summer Ritual

Category-Talismans

Category-The Brass Coast

Category-The League

Category-The Marches

Category-Tools

Category-Two-handed Weapons

Category-Urizen

Category-Varushka

Category-Vestments

Category-Wands

Category-Wintermark

Category-Winter Ritual

Cathan Canae

Cathan Canea

Cattle Calls

Caution for the Dawnish Youth

Cavul

Celestial Arch

Censer of Benediction

Ceremonies overview

Ceremonies overview (Redirected from Ceremonies Overview)

Cerulean Mazzarine

Challenge the Iron Duke

Champion's Bastion

Champions Shining Resolve

Change to Navarr voting

Change Urizen voting

Changing Doctrine

Chant of Long Years

Chants for naughty children

Chapter

Chapter (Redirected from Chapters)

Charge of the Rushing Wind

Chasuble of Majesty

Child protection information

Children of Thunder

Chirurgeon's Healing Touch

Choleric Staff

Chorus of the Righteous

Chrysalis Pendant

Churning Cauldron of Bravash

Circle March

Circle of Gold

Circle of Trust

Circlet of Command

Circlet of Falling Snow

Citizens, priests, pilgrims and dedication

Civil Claims

Civil Service Look and Feel

Clad in Golden Raiment

Clarify the powers of the Minister of Historical Research

Clarify the powers of the Quartermaster General

Clarion Call of Ivory and Dust

Clarity of the Master Strategist

Clear Counsel of the Everflowing River

Clear Lens of the Eternal River

Clemency

Clemency guidance

Coil of the Black Leech

Cold, Crisp Air

Cold Water from the Mountain

College of Magic

Combat skills

Come my pretty one

Commission

Commission Egregore histories

Commission Imperial audit

Commission roll of honour

Commonwealth

Commonwealth ports

Imperial Conclave (Redirected from Conclave)

Conclave address

Conclave appointments

Conclave design

Imperial Magus (Redirected from Conclave Liaison to the Senate)

Conclave of Trees and Shadow

Conclave order

Conclave session

Conclave vault

Condemnation

Congregation

Conscience of the Senate

Construct Academy Religious Studies sinecure

Construct a Marcher graveyard in Holberg

Construct a memorial at Anvil

Construct Asavean Embassy

Construct Barrens Spy Network

Construct cargo dock at Caricomare

Construct college of magic in Morrow

Construct conservatory for the Anvil Hospital

Construct Faraden embassy

Construct fortified garrison in Overton

Construct fortified manor in Liathaven

Construct herb gardens at Treji

Construct Horddalat spy network

Construct House of Barbs

Construct Jarmish Embassy

Construct Liathaven spy network

Construct Madruga shipyard

Construct mana repository in Morrow

Construct Master Apothecary's Garden

Construct memorial at Anvil

Construct Mercantile Exchange in Temeschwar

Construct museum

Construct Otkodov spy network

Construct Printer's Guild Museum of Wonders

Construct shrine for Britta's body

Construct Starlight Drift of Shimmering Snow

Construct Sumaah embassy

Construct Sumaah embassy II

Construct Sylvihrafn Crystal Henge

Construct the Glorious Fountain of Dusk and Dawn

Contact the Lasambrian orcs

Corsair

Corsair's Bloody Mask

Corsets in Empire

Council address

Council session

Courage roleplaying effects

Bands (Redirected from Coven)

Cowl of Ashes

Cowl of Judgement

Crafting skills

Create bond

Create Egregore histories

Raise Highguard army (Redirected from Create Highguard army)

Create Imperial Banner

Create law of delegation protection

Create law of desecration

Create law outlawing the Vyig

Create roll of honour

Create title of Admiral

Create title of Advisor on the Vallorn

Create title of Auditor of Senatorial Accountability

Create title of Bursar

Create title of Bursar of the Imperial Academy

Create title of Captain of the Senate Guard

Create title of Conclave Liaison

Create title of Crystal Architect of the Spires

Create title of High Exorcist

Create title of Imperial Chaplain Consular

Create title of Imperial Inquisitor

Create title of Imperial Master of Works

Create title of Imperial Orc observer

Create title of Minister of Historical Research

Create title of Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

Create title of the Dean of the Academy

Create title of trade envoy

Creation of an Imperial lottery

Criminal Trials

Crimson Ward of Summer Stars

Crow on the Cradle

Crumbling Flesh and Withering Limbs

Crystal Architect of the Spires

Crystal Clarity of the Rational Soul

Crystaline Focus of Aesh

Crystaltender's Vestment

The Leaping Hare (Redirected from Cunning Puissance of the Leaping Hare)

Current Affairs

Recent history (Redirected from Current Imperial Titles)

Curse

Curse of Decrepitude

Curse of Gangrenous Flesh

Custodian of the Assayer's Guild

Custodian of the Imperial War Memorial

Daddy Fox

Damaris

Dawn's Glory

Dawn children

Dawn costumes

Dawn culture and customs

Dawn culture and customs (Redirected from Dawn Culture and Customs)

Dawn economic interests

Dawn Egregore

Dawn hearth magic

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Dawn icons and artistry

Dawnish War Song

Dawn leadership

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Dawn look and feel

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Dawn magical traditions

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Dawn people

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Day Realm (Redirected from Day) Redirect page

Day magic

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Day rituals

Day Song and Night Song

Dean of Pilgrims

Dean of the Lyceum

Death's Door

Declaration

Declarations of Amity

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Declarations of Interdiction

Declarations of Sorcery

Declare peace with Barrens orcs

Declare peace with Lasambrian orcs

Decoctions of Hoarfrost

Defiant Steel

Define Jarmish embassy

Delve Deep, Beneath the Mountain

Designing a costume for your character - a Marcher Costume diary

Detect magic

Devastating Maul of Inga Tarn

Devastating Scythe of Anguish and Loss

Dhomiro of the Cinnabar Hills

Diras

Dirge for Fidele

Disburse additional funds for Marcher army

Disburse funds for mithril research

Disburse funds for strategic rituals

Disburse funds for strategic rituals II

Disburse funds to add a ritual to Imperial Lore

Disburse funds to add Skein of Years to Imperial Lore

Disburse funds to aid Liathaven citizens

Disburse funds to Autumn Archmage

Disburse funds to Bregasland

Disburse funds to Conclave Grandmasters

Disburse funds to hire Autumn mercenaries

Disburse funds to Miekarova militia

Disburse funds to nominated entity

Disburse funds to the Dean of the Lyceum

Disburse funds to the Gatekeeper of Wisdom

Disburse funds to the Jarmish Cartel

Disburse funds to the Quartermaster General

Disburse funds to the Quartermaster General II

Disburse Funds to the Quartermaster General III

Disburse funds to Ywain de Gauvin

Disburse further funds to the Quartermaster General

Disburse Imperial budget

Distillation of Diverse Parts

Distill the Serpent's Stone

Disburse Imperial budget (Redirected from Distribute Imperial budget)

Dos Vidanya

Down in the Rugged Glen

Dragonbone Orb

Dragonbone Reliquary

Dragonbone Symbol

Dragonbone Tunic

Drain the flooded streets of Caricomare

Dramaturgy

Dramaturgy Archive

Drawing the Penumbral Veil

Dreamscape of the Endless Hunt

Dreams in the Witch House

Dripping Echoes of the Fen

Druj

Duelist's Scales (Redirected from Duelist's scales)

Duelist's Scales

Earl

Earthquake Drummers

Echoes of Glory

Egregores

Elayne Silverlark

Eleonaris

Elizabethan recorder music

Embassy

Embrace the Living Flame

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Emperor Barabbas

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Empire overview (Redirected from Empire Overview)

Empire rules

Employ Civil Service to observe Fleets

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Enchant Imperial Banner

Enchantment

Enduring Breastplate

Enfeebling Echo

Enigmatic Staff

Enoch and Levi

Ensnaring Bond of Transient Stasis

Entangle

Ephisis

Ephisis' Scale

Erthe Upon Erthe

Escharotic Cauldron

Establish contact with Barrens orcs

Establish Imperial Orc Assembly

Estavus

Ethereal Manacle

Evenlode Studio

Evenlode Studio (Redirected from Evenlode Studios)

Event information (Redirected from Event Information)

Event safety

Event safety (Redirected from Event Safety)

Evrom

Exarch's Standard

Extension of Jotun Ceasefire

Eyes of the Sun and Moon

Forums & Facebook (Redirected from Facebook & Forums)

Fallow Fields and Dried Meat

Family

Fan the Flame of New Life

Faraden

Farewell Farewell

Farm

Farmer's Scythe

Feast of the Loom

Fell Iron Fury

Feni

Feresh

Feroz

Fetid Breath of Teeming Plague

Field Marshal

Fight Tooth and Nail

Fire in the Blood

Fire Maringo

Five Little Ploughboys

Fleet

Foam and Spittle of the Furious Sea

Footprints

Foreign nations (Redirected from Foreign Nations)

Foreign ports

Forest

Forge of Isenbrad

Forge the Wooden Fastness

Forlorn Hope

Forms of magical items

Formulaic ritual

For Once I Was A Young Man

Fortification

Fortification (Redirected from Fortifications)

Fortify Ateri in Spiral

Fortify Golden Downs in Mitwold

Fortify Miekarova

Fortify Miekarova II

Fortify multiple towns

Fortify Overton

Fortify Skogei (Redirected from Fortify Skarsind)

Fortify Skogei

Fortify Tassato

Fortify Town defences

Forums & Facebook

Fountain of Life

The Brass Coast (Redirected from Freeborn)

Freeborn family Redirect page

Free Company (Redirected from Free Companies) Redirect page

Free company

Free company (Redirected from Free Company)

Freedom Heresy

Freedom of the Soul

Freezing Brand of Irremais

Friendly rivalry

From the Spires Tall

Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae

Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae (Redirected from Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canea)

Fund the Academy

Furrowed Wake

Future territory assignment

Gallant Archer

Gambit

Gancio's Gamble

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Gathering the Harvest

General

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Gift of the Wily Broker

Gilda Ashwine

Glamourweave Robe

Glorious Crown of Enchantment

Glory

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Gnawing, Endless Hunger

Goldenfire Scale

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Goldentide Mail

Gone

Bolstering Bill (Redirected from Good Neighbour)

Good Walder

Gralm

Grandmaster

Gravedigger's Vest

Great work

Greensteel Bracelets

Greensteel Orb

Grimnir's Hearthfire

Group Archetypes

Bands (Redirected from Groups)

Gryphonsoul Aegis

Guardian of Britta's Shrine

Guidelines for all young live roleplayers

Guidelines for parents or carers

Guides: Synod

Guild

Guild (Redirected from Guilds)

Hahnmark

Hakima

Hallow of the Green World

Hand of the Maker

Hands of the Healer

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Heal

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Heath magic Redirect page

Help:Adding A Page

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Help:Editing Empire Navigation

Help:Empire Extras

Help:Formatting

Help:Images

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Herald of the Council

Herb garden

Hercynia

Here's A Health to the Company

Here's To Varushka

Hero's Girdle

Heroic skills

Heroism

High Exorcist

Highguard children

Highguard costumes

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Highguard hearth magic

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Highguard icons and artistry

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Highguard look and feel

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Highguard people

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Hirmok

His Banner's Not Mine

Historical Empresses and Emperors

Historical research

Imperial history (Redirected from History)

Ho Ho Away We Go

Holberg

Holberg Wine

Hold Back Frozen Hunger

Horizon's Razor Edge

Horses

How Assemblies make Judgments

Howling Despite of the Yawning Maw

How to adapt a commercial pattern to make a high status dress

How to - Make a felt hat

How to make a fur hat

How to - make an amazingly easy kirtle

How to - Make an awesome furry mantle

How To - Make an easy kids cloak

How to - make a really easy Medieval cote

How to - Make a Suaq Coat

How To - Make a Surcote

How to make a t-tunic

How to - Make a wizard's or monk's outfit

Hunger of the Draughir

Hungry Goat

Hungry Grasp of Despair

Hurry, Hunter

Hymn to Vigilance

I Come and Stand at Every Door

Icon of Judgement

Icon of the Forge

Icon of the Hearth

Icon of the High Tower

Icon of the Justicar

Icon of the Pilgrim

Icon of the Witness

Icy Maw Devours the Spark of Essence

Idiom Productions

Idolatry, blasphemy and heresy

Religious Crimes (Redirected from Idolatry, Blasphemy and Heresy)

Idumea

If it had a Heart

If Varushka Wills

Ilium

Illuminates' Amulet

Illuminate the Higher Mind

Imperial army (Redirected from Imperial armies)

Imperial army

Imperial:Breadcrumbs

Imperial Chaplain Consular

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Imperial Law at sanctioned events

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Imperial:TitleBar

Imperial wain

Improvement Suggestions

Imurrement of Leaden Chains

Incantation's Mystic Mask

Increase the Imperial Guerdon

Inescapable Chains of Bitter Glass

Inevitable Collapse into Ruin

Inez y Guerra

Information for 11-15 year olds

Information for 16-18 year olds

Information for 7-10 year olds

Information for under 7s

Infusions of Feathers

Inga Tarn

Inquisition

Inquisitor's Cassock

Inspiring Refrain

Investigative Theology

Invite an Archmage to address Senate

Ironbrand Thorn

Iron Confederacy

Iron Raptors

Irra Harah

Irremais

Irrepressible Monkey Spirit

Isaella

Isenbrad

It Is Not Yet Day

Ivory Aketon

I Wish My Baby Was Born

Jack and the Giant

Jack in the Green

Jack of Irons

Jade Hammers

Janon

Jewellery Guide

John Barleycorn

Jotra

Jotun

Kaela

Kahraman

Kala

Kalenda Maya

Kallavesa

Kallavesi

Karov

Karsk

Karsk spoils of war

Karsk spoils of war (Redirected from Karsk Spoils of War)

Keeper's Habit

Keeper of the Memorial Gardens of Treji

Keeper of the Sapphire Stair

Keeper of the Spice Gardens

Keep the Fires Burning

Kethry

Keywords

Kimus

Kimus' Glaring Eye

Knight-errant

Knightly Redoubt

Knight-errant (Redirected from Knights-errant)

Knights of Glory

Korl

Kyrop

Labyrinth's Gate

Labyrinthine Vestments

Lambent Essences

Lament for Skarsind

Lamia's Whisper

Landskeeper's Oath (Redirected from Landkeeper's Oath)

Landskeeper

Landskeeper's Oath

Landsknecht

Landsknecht's ZweihÃ¤nder (Redirected from Landsknecht's Zweihander)

Landsknecht's ZweihÃ¤nder

Lann

Lashonar

Last Breath Echoes

Imperial Law (Redirected from Law) Redirect page

Lay me Low

The League costumes (Redirected from League costumes)

League Egregore

The League hearth magic (Redirected from League hearth magic)

League hearth magic (Redirected from League Hearth Magic) Redirect page

League icons and artistry

The League leadership (Redirected from League leadership)

The League lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from League lineage and species attitudes)

League lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from League Lineage and Species Attitudes) Redirect page

The League magical traditions (Redirected from League magical traditions)

League magical traditions (Redirected from League Magical Traditions) Redirect page

League Maps

The League military concerns (Redirected from League military concerns)

The League music (Redirected from League music)

League music (Redirected from League Music) Redirect page

The League religious beliefs (Redirected from League religious beliefs)

The League territories (Redirected from League territories)

League territories (Redirected from League Territories) Redirect page

Least of my Kind

Leatherworking Guide

Legacy of Thorns

Legalize Scorpion's Sting Dagger

Legendary beasts

Lepidus

Leviathan

Liao

Liao and the Labyrinth of Ages

Liao ceremonies

Liao ceremonies (Redirected from Liao Ceremonies)

Liathaven

Lictors

Light Festival Song

Like Water Through Your Fingers

Lineage

List of Criminal Offences

Llofir

Lodestone Shears

Long Tom Goodfellow

Lord of Winter

Lost Segura

Lost Territories

Lovely Joan

Low Down in the Broom

Loyalty roleplaying effects

Luminous Staff

Madruga

Madruga shipyard

Maggot's Talon

Magical Items (Redirected from Magical Item) Redirect page

Magic items (Redirected from Magical items)

Magic items (Redirected from Magical Items)

Magical skills

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Magic items (Redirected from Magical items)

Magic overview

Magic overview

Magister

Magister (Redirected from Magisters)

Magistrate's Grasp

Magistrates

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Main Page

Making a hardened leather mask

Making Horns

Malign spiritual presences

Malign spiritual presences (Redirected from Malign Spiritual Presences)

Mana site

Mandala Studios

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Mantle of the Golden Orator

Mantle of the Mountebank

Map - Coloured Territories

Map - Detailed Empire

Map - Empire Overview

Map - Empire Overview Woodcut

Map - Outside The Empire

Map - Regions with Keywords

Marcher At My Side

Marcher battle song

Marcher Dirge

Marcher household

Marcher household (Redirected from Marcher Household)

Marches Battle Song

The Marches costumes (Redirected from Marches costumes)

The Marches culture and customs (Redirected from Marches culture and customs)

Marches culture and customs (Redirected from Marches Culture and Customs) Redirect page

The Marches economic interests (Redirected from Marches economic interests)

Marches economic interests (Redirected from Marches Economic Interests) Redirect page

Marches Egregore

The Marches history (Redirected from Marches history)

Marches history (Redirected from Marches History) Redirect page

The Marches icons and artistry (Redirected from Marches icons and artistry)

The Marches lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Marches lineage and species attitudes)

Marches lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Marches Lineage and Species Attitudes) Redirect page

Marches Maps

The Marches military concerns (Redirected from Marches military concerns)

Marches military concerns (Redirected from Marches Military Concerns) Redirect page

The Marches music (Redirected from Marches music)

Marches music (Redirected from Marches Music) Redirect page

The Marches tales (Redirected from Marches tales)

Marches tales (Redirected from Marches Tales) Redirect page

The Marches territories (Redirected from Marches territories)

Marches territories (Redirected from Marches Territories) Redirect page

Marching song

Marching to Victory

Market town

Market Town

Market town (Redirected from Market Towns)

Mark of Ownership

Mark the Flesh Incorruptible

Marriage in Dawn

Marrowort

Marshwalkers

Mask of Gold and Lead

Mask of the Mountebank

Masque of the Blinded Weaver

Master Medicinal

Master of the Imperial Mint

Materials

Matrilineality

Mawrig

Mayor of Caricomare

Mazen

Mazzarine Spindle

Mediator's Mail

Melancholic Staff

Mend

Men of Fenrose

Meraud

Mercantile investment

Mercantile investment (Redirected from Mercantile investments)

Mercantilist's Mask

Mercenary Banner

Merciless Wrath of the Reaver

Miaren

Miaren (song)

Midwife's Recourse

Miekarova

Might of the Myrmidon

Mikkal

Military Council (Redirected from Military) Redirect page

Imperial Military Council (Redirected from Military Council)

Military Council design

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Mine

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Ministry

Mirror of the Virtuous

Missionary Dalmatic

Missive for Sadogua

Mistress of the Glass Parador

Mithril Shirt

Mitwold

Monastery

Moonsilver Doublet

Morrow

Mother Varushka

Mother Varushka Goes to War

Mountainfall Bracers

Mountebank

Mountebank's Surprise

Mountebank (Redirected from Mountebanks)

Mournwold

Mournwold Harvest

Mravalzhamier

Mundane beasts

Murit

Music of the spheres

Music template page

Muster

My Ain True Love

My Bonny Lass She Smileth

My Child

Mystic

Mystic (Redirected from Mystics)

Naeve

Naeve's Twisting Blight

National Assembly

Nation overview

Nation overview (Redirected from Nation Overview)

Nation FAQ (Redirected from Nations FAQ)

Naughty Pilgrim Song

Navarr children

Navarr costumes

Navarr costumes (Redirected from Navarr Costumes)

Navarr culture and customs

Navarr culture and customs (Redirected from Navarr Culture and Customs)

Navarr economic interests

Navarr Egregore

Navarr hearth magic

Navarr hearth magic (Redirected from Navarr Hearth Magic)

Navarr history

Navarr history (Redirected from Navarr History)

Navarr look and feel (Redirected from Navarr Icons and Artistry)

Navarr leadership

Navarr lineage and species attitudes

Navarr lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Navarr Lineage and Species Attitudes)

Navarr look and feel

Navarr look and feel (Redirected from Navarr Look and Feel)

Navarr magical traditions

Navarr magical traditions (Redirected from Navarr Magical Traditions)

Navarr Maps

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Navarr music (Redirected from Navarr Music)

Navarr people

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Navarr Running Song

Navarr (song)

Navarr territories

Navy

Necropolis

Neophyte's Aid

Net of the Heavens

New Imperial titles

Niccolo Barossa

Nicolo Barossa

Night Realm (Redirected from Night) Redirect page

Night magic

Night pouch

Realms (Redirected from Night Realm) Redirect page

Night rituals

Noble house

Noble house (Redirected from Noble House)

Noble house (Redirected from Noble Houses)

Noble Mien of the Hawk Lords

Nomination of Hector to the Imperial Throne

Nursery Rhyme about Lineage

Oakheart Shield

Oathkeeper

Oathsworn Spine

Obscure Questions

Ode to Shadowglyn Distillery

Officers of the Law

Ogre

One More Vodka

Only Remembered For What We Have Done

On the Wall

Onward to Glory I Go

O Oriens

Opaline Coat

Operate portal

Ophis

Opportunities

Orator's Chalice

Orders

Other Bourse titles

Otkodov

Outlaw foreign True Liao trade

Outlaw Vallorn cultivation

Outside in the Distance

Pakaanan's Iron Shutters

Pallas

Pallid Flesh of the Dead King

Paragons and Exemplars

Paralysis

Pauper's Key

Peace roleplaying effects

Permanent titles

Permion

Permit dredging of Feverwater

Phaleron

Phial of the Sun

Philtres of the High Peaks

Philtres of War

Phlegmatic Staff

Piercing Light of Revelation

Pilgrim's Shield

Pit-fights

Plaguewulf

Plot

Plot guidelines

Plot teams

Ports of the Broken Shore

Ports of the Jotun

Potion list

Powers of the Imperial Military Council

Powers of the Imperial Senate

Powers of the Senate

Preachers

Pretty Ploughboy

Pride of the Highborn

Pride roleplaying effects

Primer: Synod

Principalities of Jarm

Principalities of Jarm ports

Principle of Precedence

Principle of Presence

Principle of Proportions

Projects

Propose treaty of limited warfare to the Jotun

Prosperity roleplaying effects

Prospero

Protection for delegations

Proverbs

Provide siege training to new Highborn army

Provost of the Halls of Knowledge

Proxy

Pugilist's Shillelagh

Pull Down Below

Pure liao

Purge

Purify

Quartermaster General of the Imperial Armies

Queros

Queros

Questing knight

Questing knight (Redirected from Questing Knight)

Questing Knight (Redirected from Questing Knights) Redirect page

Questions frequently asked by new players

Quickening Cold Meat

Quiet Word

Radiant Orb

Radiant Torrent

Raise Dawnish army

Raise Dawnish army II

Raise Freeborn navy

Raise Highguard army

Raise Marcher Army

Raise the Standard of War

Raise up your glass to Varushka

Raise Wintermark army

Rake's Progress

Rampant Growth

Ratification of Britta's Seal

Ravenous Tongue of Entropy

Razorleaf Hasta

Reading the Weave

Magical skills (Redirected from Realm Lore)

Reaving Mattock

Rebel March

Rebuild the Towers of Anduz

Recent History - Historical Research

Senate recent history (Redirected from Recent History (Senate)) Redirect page

Recent History (Synod)

Recognise Irontide Isk

Recognition

Redhound

Redoubt

Redsteel Chisel

Reikos

Fortify Skarsind (Redirected from Reinforce Skarsind) Redirect page

Religion

Religious Crimes

Religious skills

Remote Navarr

Renewed Strength of the New Day

Repair Great Pits of Ennerlund

Repair Holberg defences

Repair the docks at Caricomare

Repair the Sarvos Docks

Repair the Spider's Dream

Reparations to the Asavean Archipelago

Repel

Research Abraxus

Research Exemplar Zemress

Research into the Imperial Favours of Empress Britta

Research maps

Research Purifying Flame

Research the vallorn for the Academy

Resource (Redirected from Resource overview)

Responsibility for respectful silence

Restore limb

Resupply Imperial armies

Resupply the Eastern Sky

Resupply the Golden Axe

Resupply the Granite Pillar

Resupply the Hounds of Glory

Resupply the Quiet Step

Retainer

Retreat to the White Caves

Reuben's Brethren

Revelation of the Jewel's Sparkling Heart

Revelatory Light of the Empyrean Spheres

Revocation

Abrogate fund disbursement (Redirected from Revoke fund disbursement)

Rewarding

Rhythm of Deep Resonance

Rhyv

Riddle Hides the Reward

Righteous Aspergil

Ring of Adversity

Ring of Triumph

Rings in the League

Riqueza's Dream

Rising Roots that Rend Stone

Category-Rituals (Redirected from Ritual list)

Rituals

Ritual use of ilium

Rivers of Gold

Rivers of Life

Rivers Run Red

Roaring Chimera Rod

Robe of Blood and Bone

Rod and Shield

Roleplaying effects (Redirected from Roleplaying effect)

Roshanwe

Rot's Rightful Claim

Rules update 2014 (Redirected from Rules changes 2014)

Rules update

Rules update 2013

Rules update 2014

Runeforge

Runemail

Runemark Shirt

Rune Overview

Runeplate

Rune Overview (Redirected from Runes)

Runesmith's Gavel

Run Thorns Run

Ruthless Vigilance, Healthy Crop

Sadogua

Safe passage for Lasambrian delegation

Safe passage for the Jotun

Event Safety (Redirected from Safety) Redirect page

Sail Away Across the Sea

Sanctioned event rules

Sanctuary

Sanguine Spear

Sanguine Staff

Sanguine Thorn

Sarcophan Delves

Sarcophan Delves ports

Sarvos

Sceptre of the Necropolis

Schisms and Heresies

Scorpion's Sting

Scrivener's Bloodmark

Scrivener's Seal

Secrecy

Secrets for the Shadow Courier

Secrets of Skillful Artifice

Secrets of the Empty Heart

Bands (Redirected from Sect)

Seer's Probe

Segura

Segura spoils of war

Segura spoils of war (Redirected from Segura Spoils of War)

Semmerholm

Imperial Senate (Redirected from Senate)

Senate address

Senate announcement

Senate design

Senate motion

Recent history (Redirected from Senate recent history)

Senate session

Senate Sessions of the Spring Equinox 2013 Redirect page

Senate Sessions of the Spring Equinox 377YE

Senate Sessions of the Summer Solstice 377YE

Senate Sessions of the Winter Solstice 377YE (Redirected from Senate Sessions of the Winter Solstice 2013) Redirect page

Senate Sessions of the Winter Solstice 376YE

Senate Sessions of the Winter Solstice 377YE Redirect page

Senator

Send envoy to Axos

Seneschal

Sentinel Gate design

Sermersuaq

Sevenfold Path

Shackle of the Unvirtuous

Shackles of Insight

Shadowbound Donjon

Shadowed Glass of Sung

Shadowglyn Distillery

Shadow of the Bronze Colossus

Shamans

Shared Mastery of the Magician's Guild

Shears of Winter

Shieldbreaker

Shimmergold Coat

Shroud of Mist and Shadow

Shuttered Lantern

Sift the Dreamscape's Sands

Sign of Aesh

Signs and Portents

Signs of the Paragon and Exemplar

Silent Bell

Silent Giants

Silent Tide

Music of the spheres (Redirected from Silutarian Method)

Simar of Certainty

Sinecure

Sinokenon

Sir Colwyn

Sir Isobel

Site set-up

Skarsind

Skarsind spoils of war

Skarsind spoils of war (Redirected from Skarsind Spoils of War)

Skein of Years

Skian Mhor

Skin of Bark, Blood of Amber

Smooth Hands Shape The World

Soghter

Soldier's Coat

Soldier's Harness

Song of the Noonday Sun

Song to Keep the Dark Away

Sorin

Sorins Rite of Agony

Speaker for the Senate

Speak of Your Love

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Spell list

Spider's Tollkeep

Spider Folds the Net

Spinning Song

Spiral

Spire

Spire (Redirected from Spires)

Spiritskin Coat

Splendid Panoply of Knighthood

Splendid Vestment

Splintering Gorget

Splint Mail

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Spoils of war (Redirected from Spoils of War)

Spontaneous magic

Spring Realm (Redirected from Spring) Redirect page

Spring Equinox 2014

Spring Equinox 2015

Spring magic

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Spy network

Squire

Staff of Command

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Standing at the Threshold

Statement of Principle

Steading

Steading (Redirected from Steadings)

Steinr

Steward

Stewards

Still Waters, Running Deep

Stormguard Bulwark

Stormguard Bulwark

Storm Sceptre

Stormweaver

Stoutheart Gambeson

Stout Resolve of the Unyielding

Straw Mask

Streams of Silver

Strength of the Bull

Striding

Striding One

Strigine Mask

Strong Ox, Golden Sun

Stumbleroot Spear

Stzena

Suaq

Sular

Sular's Promise

Sumaah Republic

Sumaah Republic ports

Summer Realm (Redirected from Summer) Redirect page

Summer magic

Realms (Redirected from Summer Realm) Redirect page

Summer rituals

Sum of the Parts

Sundering Axe

Sunfire Pectoral

Sung

Support medical school and Anvil hospital

Suranni pantheon

Surgical skills

Suzerain's Command

Swanfeather Schema

Sweet Kate

Sweet, Stay Awhile

Swift heal

Swim Leviathan's Depth

Sydanjaa's Call

Symbols, icons and trappings

Imperial Synod (Redirected from Synod)

Synod recent history

377YE Autumn Equinox Synod Judgements (Redirected from Synod Results, Autumn Summit, 377 YE)

377YE Spring Equinox Synod Judgements (Redirected from Synod Results, Spring Summit, 377 YE)

377YE Summer Solstice Synod Judgements (Redirected from Synod Results, Summer Summit, 377 YE)

Synod Results, Winter Summit, 376 YE

Synod Results, Winter Summit, 377YE

Tactician's Demand

Category-Talismans (Redirected from Talisman)

Talon of the Gryphon

Tam Lin

Tanner's Hill

Tassato

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Templar's Cuculla

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Tenacity of Jotra

Ten Thousand Miles

Terms and conditions

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Territory

Terunael (song)

Terunael Warlord

Test of Arms

Test of citizenship

Test of Citizenship

The Ambassadorial Gatekeeper

The Anvil of Estavus

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The Assemblies of the Synod

The Ballad of Sir Alain

The Barren Land

The Barrens

The Battlefield

The Beast of Volgadurn

The Bishop

The Blade

The Blade Bites Back

Imperial Bourse (Redirected from The Bourse)

The Brass Coast children

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The Brewer's Lesson

The Captain

The Celestial Library

The Chain

The Chalice

The Chamber

The Chamber of Delights

The Chamber of Pallas

The Claw

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Commonwealth (Redirected from The Commonwealth)

Imperial Conclave (Redirected from The Conclave)

The Conspirator's Cloak

The Counting House

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The Cup

The Dance of Navarr and Thorn

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The Door

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The Eight-spoked Wheel

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Through the dark places

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Tian

Ties that Bind

Timeless Hammer Rhythm

Tonics of the Open Sky (Redirected from Tinctures of the Open Sky)

Tinctures of True Eminence

Tisanes of the Labyrinth

377YE Autumn Equinox Imperial Titles (Redirected from Titles Autumn 377)

Titles by event

Titles by season

Titles by season (Redirected from Titles by Season)

377YE Spring Equinox Imperial Titles (Redirected from Titles Spring 377)

Titles Summer 377

376YE Winter Solstice Imperial Titles (Redirected from Titles Winter 376)

377YE Winter Solstice Imperial Titles (Redirected from Titles Winter 377)

Tom A'Bedlam's song

Tombsteel Guardian

Tonics of the Deep Forest

Tonics of the Open Sky

Tinctures of True Eminence (Redirected from Tonics of True Eminence)

Tooling & Embossing

Totally Leathered

Touch of Vile Humours

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Tower Song

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Treggajoran Wartha

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True Vervain

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Turns the Circle

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Twist of Moebius

Two Men Came to Your Hall Door

Tykonus

Ull

Unblinking Eye

Unbreakable Behemoth's Strength

Unbreakable Spirit, Unbreakable Blades

Uncle Vyig

Unconquered

Unending Cascade of Blood's Fire

Unfettered Anarchy

Unfettered Mind

Unguents of Falling Leaves

Unseen Encasement

Unyielding Constitution

Upwold

Urizen children

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Urizen look and feel

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Urizen Maps

Urizen Memorial Song

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Useful Rhymes

Vale

Vale of Shadows

Vallorn

Vallornspawn husk

Vallornspawn husk (Redirected from Vallornspawn husks)

Vambraces of Regeneration

Vardas

Varushka children

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Varushka economic interests (Redirected from Varushka Economic Interests)

Varushka Egregore

Varushka hearth magic

Varushka hearth magic (Redirected from Varushka Hearth Magic)

Varushka history

Varushka history (Redirected from Varushka History)

Varushka icons and artistry

Varushka leadership

Varushka leadership (Redirected from Varushka Leadership)

Varushka lineage and species attitudes

Varushka lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Varushka Lineage and Species Attitudes)

Varushka look and feel

Varushka magical traditions

Varushka magical traditions (Redirected from Varushka Magical Traditions)

Varushka Maps

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Varushka military concerns (Redirected from Varushka Military Concerns)

Varushka music

Varushka music (Redirected from Varushka Music)

Varushkan Monster

Varushkan Monster (Redirected from Varushkan Monsters)

Varushkan rhythms

Varushkan Road

Varushkan Road (Redirected from Varushkan Roads)

Varushka people

Varushka religious beliefs

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Varushka territories (Redirected from Varushka Territories)

Vault of Hoarded Wisdom

Vengeance roleplaying effects

Venom

Verdant Bounty of the Twilight Bayou (Redirected from Verdant Bountry of the Twilight Bayou)

Verdant Bounty of the Twilight Bayou

Verys

Veto

Vigilance Guide Our Faithful Watch

Vigilance roleplaying effects

Virtue Assembly

Virtue Never Falter

Virtues Anthem

Vitality of Rushing Water

Vitriolic Orb

Vizier of the Incarnadine Satchel

Voice for the dead

Voices Call

Volhov's Robe

Volodmartz

Volodny

Vorpal Sword

Vyig

Wagon song

War

Warcaster's Oath

Warden

Warden's Bardiche

Warden's Fists

Wardens of Varushka

Wardensweave Scale

Ward of the Black Waste

Warmage

Warmage's Belt

Warrior's Plate

Wassail

Wayfarer's Pyx

Wayfarer's Robe

Wayfinder

Wayhouse

Weakness

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Weaver cabal (Redirected from Weaver)

Weaver's Curse

Weaver cabal

Web of Celestial Attunement

Wedding Air

Weep O Mine Eyes

Weirwater

Wendigo

Wendigo's Bargain

We will go Home (Across the Mountains)

Whelpmaster's Fang

When I Am Laid

Whisper Gallery

Whispering Shadow Courtiers

Whisper of Conviction

Whispers through the Black Gate

Whose Pigs Are These?

Wiki Updates

Will

Windblow, home

Wind of Mundane Silence

Windreaping Sickle

Winter Realm (Redirected from Winter) Redirect page

Winter's Breath

Winter's Ghosts

Winterborn Warmail

Winter magic

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Wintermark costumes (Redirected from Wintermark Costumes)

Wintermark culture and customs

Wintermark culture and customs (Redirected from Wintermark Culture and Customs)

Wintermark economic interests

Wintermark Egregore

Wintermark hearth magic

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Wintermark Icons and Artistry

Wintermark lineage and species attitudes

Wintermark lineage and species attitudes (Redirected from Wintermark Lineage and Species Attitudes)

Wintermark look and feel

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Wintermark magical traditions (Redirected from Wintermark Magical Traditions)

Wintermark Maps

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Wintermark music (Redirected from Wintermark Music)

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Winternight Lifestealer

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Winter rituals

Winter Solstice 2014

Winter Solstice Elections

Wisdom of the Balanced Blade

Wisdom roleplaying effects

Wise Rangara

Witches' Hammer

Witchwood Wand

Withering Touch of Frost

Wither the Seed

Without You

Witness

Wondrous Forests of the Night

Woodcutter's Axe

Words of Ending

World overview (Redirected from World Overview)

Worth

Woundbinder

Writ of Excommunication

Wyr

Wyrmstone Mortar

Wyvernsting Spaulders

Xun

Yaw'nagrah

Ye Mariners All

Yeoman's Bounty

Yeoman's Flag

Yeoman of Dawn

Yeoman of the Marches

Yeoman of Dawn (Redirected from Yeomen of Dawn)

Yeoman of the Marches (Redirected from Yeomen of the Marches)

Ylenrith

Ylith Silthar

Yoorn

Zakalwe

Zemress

Zenith

Zorech

Zoria