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Sarangrave has been freed from the Druj. For the first time in centuries it is not under the oppressive boot-heel of the Buruk Tepel and their Het proxies. In theory at least, it is now Imperial; the Senate has declared the wetlands are now part of Urizen. Yet as Autumn lengthens into Winter there is little sign of Urizen settlers establishing spires here. Hardly a surprise given it is still a battlefield, torn between multiple factions.

The Narwhal's Spear is already in Sermersuaq. Following the Autumn Equinox, they are joined by five other Imperial armies. The Fire of the South have travelled the longest distance, all the way from the Mallum, from Sarangrave. The Burning Falcon has come up from Mournwold, making the bulk of the journey through Kallavesa alongside the Valiant Pegasus and the Autumn Hammers who had been billeted in Mitwold, and the Green Shield from Upwold. Together the armies gather in Stark, a sea of tents spreading out around the Fortress of Kalant.

The Strong Reeds were raised from the Bregas. To this day the bulk of their soldiers come from the Dour Fens, and they know the wetlands better than anyone else. Since the Jotun returned to steal their homeland, they have been amid the reeds, resisting the invaders. This despite the unhappiness some of their countryfolk still feel towards the Empire - and we must not forget that many Bregas are marshfolk first, Marchers second, and Imperial citizens a distant third. Yet the 'Reeds have remained true to the oath of their General, fighting from the rushes and the deep fens to bamboozle the barbarian invaders wherever they can.

The newly completed Grand Lodge of the Golden Pyramid is built in northern Clisearn. It is a wonder - a grand edifice that reflects the wealth, power, and influence of the richest Conclave order. It is a symbol of the Prosperity and Pride not only of the order but of the Conclave as a whole. It is also something of a whispered promise to the recalcitrant inhabitants of Clisearn - those former Grendel who chose to remain when the Imperial Orcs claimed Mareave - that their prestige is recognised and assured.

The Fist of the Mountains broke themselves to preserve the spires of Elos. Denying the Grendel a ruinous weapon of the Spring Realm looted from the fallen Temple of Tempest Jade, the orcs of the Broken Shore must adjust their strategy. Perhaps they initially intended a hit-and-run, looting Elos and leaving the port shattered to demonstrate again their arrogant belief that they are the masters of the Bay of Catazar. Perhaps they always intended to seize the coast of Redoubt; perhaps their hungry gaze is turned inland to where the Brilliant Star lies in the foothills of Tomari. The Salt Lords of the Grendel have an insatiable lust for mithril, after all.

The sun drags itself from its bed, spilling crimson across the eastern skies. It rises over Sarvos, where the Red Wind Corsairs have left the safety of the shores and now ride the waves. The expertise of the corsairs of the Brass Coast has transformed the army into a naval force of swift, deadly Freeborn vessels. Many of the soldiers are scions of the corsair families of Madruga and Feroz, eager to take their vengeance on the Children of Wrecks who stole their island homes. They are not alone.

In 384YE, Llofir demanded amity in response to a request for plenipotentiary. At that time it explicitly stated that it would use that amity to take revenge for the destruction of its garden at Tamarbode. The request was denied and there was little further contact, but the most recent summit saw another attempt to call the eternal for a plenipotentiary. This time Llofir responded by demanding the Empire first perform the dangerous ritual Hallow of the Green World as a show of trust.

Roused by the fell magics of the Druj, the Tharunind vallorn is awake, furiously extending questing green tendrils across the territory. Before the Autumn Equinox, its terrible energies were expended in Peakedge Song against the Wolves of War and the Golden Sun. Nearly two thousand Imperial soldiers paid the ultimate price to keep it at bay. After the Equinox, however, both armies withdrew, battered and bruised, the Sun to Astolat and the Wolves to Bastion. It seemed that nothing could prevent the irresistible tide of wood and flesh drowning the region, leaving a very real and present threat to High Chalcis and the northern regions of Morrow.

Over the last three months, Imperial forces have engaged in military campaigns. Sometimes those engagements have been wide-ranging and dramatic, other times they have been more sedate. Where there has been dramatic action, or where there are opportunities, we've given a Wind of War its own page; other military actions are discussed here.

Barely a week after the Autumn Equinox, a gang of koboldi pass through the Hall of Worlds and emerge at Anvil. They carry large numbers of surveying tools and spend a cheerful afternoon exploring, taking measurements, and avoiding direct questions. Over the next month, they set to work pinning out a sizable area of ground; more and more koboldi arrive and bring with them building materials and construction tools of all kinds. Working at remarkable speed, over the next fortnight, they begin to raise a sizable structure on the edge of Anvil. Several wagonloads of white granite and weirwood are delivered to the site from Casinean warehouses, as the koboldi overseer Molibolt redeems a stack of very old wains some dating back as far as the reign of Empress Mariika. More and more koboldi arrive, swelling their numbers until some local residents are concerned an actual invasion from the Summer realm may be underway.

Emperor Vesna has used their power to address the Empire, sending a message to all Imperial citizens. As with other uses of this power, the civil service has ensured the message is heard by citizens across the Empire and beyond.

Over the past three months, events have taken place which are of significance to the Empire and may require a response from her champions. These are the winds of fortune, counterparts to the winds of war that detail the Empire's military campaigns. They lay out situations, and usually include things that characters can do to take advantage of opportunities or to resolve problems. In almost every case, they start with a piece of flavour text. This fiction helps introduce the wind of fortune, or draws out a particular theme or element. Often, it represents a viewpoint that one or more NPCs might have in-character. In all cases, these pieces are intended to help create an atmosphere and provide a little entertainment. Where they contain opinions, those are the opinions of the fictional people depicted - and where they contain information or rumours, the assumption is that the reader will create their own context for that information or gossip if they want to use it in character.

Downtime following the Autumn Equinox is now closed. It allowed players to process their character's downtime choices. Not all resources allow a player to make a choice about how they operate between events, but we've provided information about new opportunities for fleet and military unit owners in particular as well as a reminder about existing opportunities created at earlier events.

Six realms of magic align with the mortal world whose inhabitants are fundamentally different to the people of the mortal world and yet to a degree share some of their concerns. They are both complex and simple at the same time, seeking to change the world to match their perception of how it should work. They bargain and negotiate, threaten and cajole, and while it can be difficult to predict exactly where their gifts or curses might lead, still they have much to offer.

The constellations have always existed in the night sky - or so most folk believe. Some claim that they are the tools employed by the creator, when they forged all of creation. Astronomancy is the highest form of magic they say, because it mimics the act of the creator themselves, drawing on the power of the stars to reshape reality. Critics of the theory say that would mean the constellations existed before creation, which they argue can't be right.

Rather than encourage the faithful to engage with false virtues to try to learn more about them, the General Assembly has moved decisively to counter the threat they pose, enacting a clear mandate that warns people of the dangers of false virtues and encouraging everyone to be Vigilant against them. The decision was far from unanimous however, with nearly five hundred votes lodged against. Many of these votes may have been from the Assembly of Wisdom which has consistently supported their Cardinal, Silas of the Cenotaph throughout, arguing that his approach was grounded in Virtue and has delivered valuable insight into the nature of the false Virtue of Peace.

There are six great powers in the known world, but also innumerable lesser powers. They do not have the power or influence to shake the world with a Pax Sarcophan, nor send shockwaves through the world when they go to war. Yet they are no less important to those with whom they share a border, and for some at least, their ambitions are no less relevant to the Empire. Sometimes diplomatic relations require in-depth analysis; sometimes there is an opportunity to catch one's breath and let the drama move slowly towards the next crisis point.

More than two years ago, the tradition of the sword scholars in Urizen was sundered by Herminius and Clymenestra of the House of the Wanderer and other leaders of the movement at Anvil. Those who clung to the antiquated views of Sulemaine - that the influence of the Synod must be resisted at every turn and were not afraid to use violence to achieve their goals - were cast out by those who had long since made their peace with the Empire.

Each season the Civil Service prepares a summary of the Empire's relationship with the foreign nations, based on communications received from their ambassador, along with any useful intelligence gathered from other sources. While the Senate and the other houses of Imperial power may respond to these offers, it is important to note that it is the appropriate ambassador that the foreign power will expect to hear from. Their communication with the foreign power is the primary element that will determine the tenor of any response.

Each season the Civil Service prepares a summary of the Empire's relationship with the foreign nations, based on communications received from their ambassador, along with any useful intelligence gathered from other sources. While the Senate and the other houses of Imperial power may respond to these offers, it is important to note that it is the appropriate ambassador that the foreign power will expect to hear from. Their communication with the foreign power is the primary element that will determine the tenor of any response.

Each season the Civil Service prepares a summary of the Empire's relationship with the foreign nations, based on communications received from their ambassador, along with any useful intelligence gathered from other sources. While the Senate and the other houses of Imperial power may respond to these offers, it is important to note that it is the appropriate ambassador that the foreign power will expect to hear from. Their communication with the foreign power is the primary element that will determine the tenor of any response.

A year ago, four members of the Assembly of Nine swore powerful oaths to bear auras of Peace for the coming year. They promised to carry the hallowed item, and do nothing to resist its effects. Since then it has become more apparent that a number of those who swore the oaths have not keep them. The Assembly of Wisdom have publicly stated that they removed the blasphemous hallow from their cardinal, Silas of the Cenotaph after a single season and destroyed it. Iniska Ashwood, the proxy of the Cardinal of Prosperity had the hallow removed from them at the Summer Solstice, by the Cardinal of Prosperity who feared their proxy might face condemnation and death for their commitment to keep their oath. Only Viviane Barossa, now of the League, is known to have kept their vow to the bitter end in the face of the clamour to give it up.

Each season the Civil Service prepares a summary of the Empire's relationship with the foreign nations, based on communications received from their ambassador, along with any useful intelligence gathered from other sources. While the Senate and the other houses of Imperial power may respond to these offers, it is important to note that it is the appropriate ambassador that the foreign power will expect to hear from. Their communication with the foreign power is the primary element that will determine the tenor of any response.

The heralds of the Iron Duke have come forth to issue two new challenges to the mortals of the Empire. The Lord of the Crossroads is eager to test the skills and the witts of those brave enough to step forward, aiming to test the artistic flair and the scouting talents of the Courageous heroes of the Empire.

Wreathed in Night magic, conspiracy abounds in the city of Apulian. Last season, the Empire were able to pentrate an outpost of the Grendel espionage ring, after they successfully rescued Victo von Temeschwar and helped him regain his senses after he managed to successfully infiltrate the Grendel operation in the territory. Once he was fully debriefed, the Empire were in a position to either shut down the outpost in Apulian, or attempt to subvert the network at the risk of letting the spies get away.

At the most recent summit, the captains who were victorious in the Great Race met with Rhianos and their heralds in a chamber to discuss their expedition and their hopes for the future. It seems that Waverider was interested to hear what adventures might come next for the intrepid captains of the Empire's fleets, and was looking for ideas of how they might support them. Suggestions flowed like water, but many were too ambitious even for the Master of the Far Shore - it would appear that even the powers of the vaunted eternal are not enough to send the Empire's fleets to the moon and back!

At the Summer Solstice Lula' and Bernahrd Kleist von Ennerlind and Cees van Holberg won the patronage of the Beurteilung at auction for twenty thrones. This gave them the right request that the scholars of the Commonwealth appraise a pressing matter, much as if it an appraisal being carried out by the prognosticators office. The work is led by Professor Immanuel Gelberg, a studious Commonwealth scholar whose work emphasizes the Common Good. This season, Die Beurteilung is set the task of assessing "any innovative mechanisms to secure and bolster Holberg's food and water supplies against threats that are to come."

The idea of building a port in Holberg is not a new one. Long before it was near-universally acknowledged as the greatest city in the world, the merchant-princes of the east dreamed of establishing a port to boost trade. Such dreams were little more than fancies while the Druj held the outlying regions and threatened to take the city. Now that the Empire is pushing east and driving the Druj back, there is a chance to seize the initiative and help make Holberg even more Prosperous.

In the Sarangrave, chaos reigns. It is a season of ruin, of madness, bloodshed and terror, fury and despair, magic and steel and water and twisted bough, poison and hope, light and darkness, endings and beginnings. You can feel it in the air. The red dice are rolling, the world is in free-fall and nobody has the slightest idea of what will be showing when they finally come to rest.

There’s a contentious old saying among some pilgrims that doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome is the antithesis of Wisdom. Avigliana di Sarvos rejected this idea, writing that it was fundamentally impossible to do the same thing more than once simply because the world is not static. Regardless, even she grudgingly accepted that there was a grain of truth in the words, because those who refuse to learn from their mistakes all too easily become trapped in a cycle of failure.

The Golden Sun return to Therunin. It has been less than a year since they escaped the strangling traps of the Druj, their retreat purchased at great cost by the Iron Helms and Isaella's Dance. Since then they have chafed at the bit in Astolat, recovering from the terrible harm done them by the orcs of the Mallum. Now they are back, to fight again in Therunin, to take from the Druj the jewel they have claimed - and to stop the vallorn devouring what the Navarr fought for so long to cleanse.

At first the watchers on the cliffs of Visten believe it is a wave, a wall of water sweeping toward their shores; or perhaps a fogbank roused and motivated by powerful magic. Then the spyglasses of those in the towers reveal that it is neither. It is a forest of masts. An armada of Grendel ships. The alarm is raised, and as the news spreads quickly and the lights of the heliopticon flash their warning, the true scale of what is coming is made clear. All four Grendel navies are here - the Shamal, and the Simoom and the Tempest and the Golden Wind.

It was, perhaps, only a matter of time. And time, it seems, has run out; more than a year has passed since the Empire conquered Mareave but the Grendel, it seems, have neither forgotten nor forgiven. Coming up through the petrified forest of Ayereed, they launch a land offensive against Mareave. Four armies - the Brine Turtles, the Iron Gulls, the Naguerro (far from their former home in the Lasambrian hills), and the Storm Sharks. They come cautiously, carefully, testing the defences of the Unshackled before they commit themselves entirely.

The Jotun have conquered Bregasland. They hold the marshes and fens, and they have made the people who remain their thralls. A number of Bregas have fled east to Mitwold, but many more have stayed behind. They will not abandon their land, not to the orcs of the west. While some bow their heads to the Jotun yoke, there is no Mathilda Fisher here and no question of collaboration with the invaders. Others actively resist them, taking inspiration from the Strong Reeds and the Graywaters. Even those who seem to have surrendered remain as uncooperative as they can be without bringing the wrath of the Jotun on their heads.

The Tusks fight in the Mournwold, and the Burning Falcon beside them. Two armies to complete the liberation of the Mournwold from the Jotun. The only major forces that remain are those champions loyal to the dead Jarl Haakon, battling desperately from the keep of Farstrider’s Watch. It is not clear what they hope to achieve. The armies of the King and the Queen are engaged elsewhere. There seems to be no reinforcement coming. Perhaps they seek nothing more than an honourable death in battle, to secure themselves a place alongside their Jarl on the far side of the Howling Abyss. If that is what they want, then the Imperial armies will give it to them in spades.

Less than a year ago, the Archbishop of Capodomus Cathedral used a powerful sermon to call for action against the vallorn explicitly naming it as the greatest threat facing the Empire - one that demanded sacrifices are made to defeat it. All while the Empire continues to strain every sinew to bring down the Asavean Plenum and replace the power of their corrupt priesthood with the Virtue of the Way, even as they try to complete the Grand Inspiration of the Way.

Each season the Civil Service prepares a summary of the Empire's relationship with foreign nations, based on communications received from their ambassador, along with any useful intelligence gathered from other sources. While the Senate and the other houses of Imperial power may respond to these offers, it is important to note that it is the appropriate ambassador that the foreign power will expect to hear from. Their communication with the foreign power is the primary element that will determine the tenor of any response.

Emperor Vesna has used their power to address the Empire, sending a message to all Imperial citizens. As with other uses of this power, the civil service has ensured the message is heard by citizens across the Empire and beyond. It concerns the fight against the Druj, and calls on everyone to commit themselves to the destruction of that cruel nation to the east of the Empire.

Over the last three months, Imperial forces have engaged in military campaigns. Sometimes those engagements have been wide-ranging and dramatic, other times they have been more sedate. Where there has been dramatic action, or where there are opportunities, we've given a Wind of War its own page; other military actions are discussed here.

It is given to the six Imperial archmages that they might send a single plenipotentiary message to an eternal of their realm each season. In turn, the eternals are bound to respond, albeit in a way that suits them rather than the archmage. For some this will mean personal meetings, or congress with their chosen lieutenants. For others it will mean direct action, boons and banes offered and delivered, or chances to shape the mortal world so that it be more pleasing to their realm. Occasionally, they simply decline, but in so doing make their reasons plain. It is difficult to say with certainty what will arise from any given invitation to parley. It is unwise to assume that any eternal creature is tame, after all.

Over the past three months, events have taken place which are of significance to the Empire and may require a response from her champions. These are the winds of fortune, counterparts to the winds of war that detail the Empire's military campaigns. They lay out situations, and usually include things that characters can do to take advantage of opportunities or to resolve problems. In almost every case, they start with a piece of flavour text. This fiction helps introduce the wind of fortune, or draws out a particular theme or element. Often, it represents a viewpoint that one or more NPCs might have in-character. In all cases, these pieces are intended to help create an atmosphere and provide a little entertainment. Where they contain opinions, those are the opinions of the fictional people depicted - and where they contain information or rumours, the assumption is that the reader will create their own context for that information or gossip if they want to use it in character.

During the Autumn Equinox 386YE, Hazelelponi of the Shattered Tower asked the researchers at the Lepidean Library to investigate the life of the Emperor Ahraz and to "look further into the Auras and Courage surrounding Emperor Ahraz, so that knowledge gained may gird those who seek liberation, both tomorrow and in years to come". The request was linked to the ongoing attempts to liberate Asavea and the need to ensure that future attempts to free people were not affected by unsavoury auras.

The Military Council is the gathering of Imperial generals and admirals. Individually, the generals have responsibility for the orders given to the Imperial army under their command, while the admirals provide the orders for the navies. A general commands a single Imperial army, drawn from volunteers from their nation. Once a general is given their command, they have sole authority to order the army to move or attack as they choose. After each summit, the Civil Service quickly circulate the orders each general has given among Imperial citizens, allowing military unit captains to decide if they wish to commit their own force to support an army, and if so which army to support.

Downtime following the Summer Solstice will soon be open, allowing players to process their character's downtime choices. Not all resources allow a player to make a choice about how they operate between events, but we've provided information about new opportunities for fleet and military unit owners in particular as well as a reminder about existing opportunities created at earlier events.

There are six basic weapon categories in Empire. Any character can wield a dagger or a one‑handed weapon but they must purchase the Weapon Master skill to use anything larger. Weapon categories are also important for enchantments. One-handed spears, polearms, and pikes require you to use a set grip when fighting with the weapon. These grips are set for a combination of safety and play balance. You don’t have to carry the weapon like this when you are not fighting, but you must use the mandated grip throughout any fight where you use the weapon.

There is magic across the Empire. In the weavings of the cabalists. In the lore of the weavers. In the craft of the witches, and the arts of artisans. There is also magic in the world itself, serendipity and spirits, constellations and confluences, in the sky and in the salt. Some magic ripples out from the workings of orcs and humans, some rains from the heavens, some rises from the earth and stone.

There are creatures beyond the mortal world, the inhabitants of the six realms of magic. These realms are closer than they seem, and further away than can be imagined. Their inhabitants are fundamentally different to humans and orcs, to the people of the mortal world. They are larger than life, simple and complex in equal measure. They have goals inscrutable and obvious, and they seek to change the world to match their perception of what it should be. Dabbling and dealing, bargaining and negotiating, offering boons and threatening curses, giving and taking. It can be difficult to predict exactly where their gifts will lead.

There are six great powers in the known world, but also innumerable lesser powers. They do not have the power or influence to shake the world with a Pax Sarcophan, nor threaten international shipping with bounties and privateers. Yet they are no less important to those with whom they share a border, and for some at least, their ambitions are no less relevant to the Empire. Sometimes diplomatic relations require in-depth analysis; sometimes there is an opportunity to catch one's breath and let the drama move slowly towards the next crisis point.

The Free Folk, former slaves from the Asavean Archipelago, have been living quiet lives in Dawn since being accepted into the nation. Currently they are yeofolk, but a number are treading the path of the knight-errant as they work to prove their glory. On hearing of the death, and recognition, of Lady Eleanor Novarion whose tireless work as Lady of the Proffered Hand they count as being a major factor in their current settled lives, a number of the Free Folk set off for Anvil hopefully to ensure that the new exemplar receives all the recognition they believe she is due.

Three years ago, the battle mages of the Empire came together in the Glory Square of Dawn, to meet in ritual combat. The prize; the chance to choose which eternal would be invited to be the patron of the Empire's premiere college of Summer magic. Three years ago, the combatants fighting on behalf of Jaheris came out victorious. Now, the eternals of Summer have come together, and the time has come to find out if the Unicorn Prince will be invited to remain patron, or the Empire chose another route. Whoever wins, the citizens of the Empire can hope for a grand spectacle of fighting between the best spellslingers of the Empire.