I don’t think I’ve done a fifth part of these Winds of Fortune before? Oh well, there’s still a week to go until the LARP and I know we haven’t gotten all of the winds yet, so I suppose there will at least be a sixth part to look forward to!
Let’s get started, shall we?
Folklore
This Wind is all about the Free Folk, ex-slaves they are travelling the Empire, sensibly getting a look about the place before they choose where to settle.
They follow a version of the Way that has people similar to exemplars and paragons, but they act a bit more like they are worshipping them than a lot of priests in the Empire are entirely comfortable with.
There are several mandates which will shape how they are treated and how they will act as they travel across the Empire, these will be voted on by the Synod and then the one with the most votes will win and be the one that shapes their future. If none of them are put in place then the Free Folk will still go on their pilgrimage across the empire, but they will not bring any benefit to the empire.
The first encourages them to find work and earn their way across the empire. They will also talk to their hosts and learn about their views on the Way and share their own knowledge. The benefits to the various places they will visit are quite complicated, but I’ll try and explain;
- Farms in Mitwold, Mournwold, Upwold, Astolat, Semmerholm, Weirwater and Semersuaq will gain one rank as a bonus,
- Herb gardens in Kallavesa will gain one rank,
- Mines in Hahnmark will gain one rank,
- And every mine and forest in Karov, Miekarova, and Volodmartz will produce an extra resource.
The second mandate instructs them to learn as much as they can from the Way and also tells priests to instruct them as much as possible, the benefits would be a bonus of 36 rings to each congregation in the empire. This would have the additional benefit of teaching them more about the Way as it is followed in the Empire and they would adapt to the new traditions.
The third mandate tells them to visit the sites of pilgrimage devoted to holy people like exemplars and paragons, as well as the tombs of dead thrones, this might become contentious since they would likely celebrate the individuals in the way they do their own, which can be seen as something close to idolatry, however it would also provide each of the sinecures with an extra dose of liao and 2 votes.
One reason for not following through with these mandates is that it would call to an end the benefits created by the rejection of the Asavaean Architect. Thus congregations would bring in less liao in some areas than they have been recently, because they would return to the standard amount rather than gaining a bonus.
There is also the possibility of the Highborn offering to tutor the most dedicated of the Free Folk in priestly skills. To do this the Highborn Assembly would have to pass a mandate, and after a year there would be 100 Free Folk trained to be priests. Unfortunately, every business in Highguard would have their rank lowered by 1 for the rest of the year. But the Free Folk would have a much better idea of the Orthodox view of the way and would be easier to integrate into it.
Also, last year they made an effigy which had a spontaneous spiritual aura appear on it. Apparently it was confiscated by various Imperial priests who have refused to return it, if it is not returned to them by the end of the WInter Solstice then they will take it up with the law and see the thieves prosecuted.
Lastly, the Freefolk ask that the Imperial Synod consider making one of their divine family into an exemplar or paragon. This will be the last major obstacle to them becoming integrated into the Imperial Way. There are various ways to approach this, but they will not become integrated until one of their own is honoured. There is no time limit on this.
Chime the Sound
To the surprise of many the Thule recently stopped slavery, and this has led to some opportunities. These first ones are from the Thule to the Empire.
The first is between a high-ranking Thule leader and the Imperial Orcs. Apparently, the Imperial Orcs have found a herbal text and this Thule mage wishes to read it. They are willing to swap it for the schema of a ritual, they will supply the summaries to a series of rituals and then the imperial orc representative may choose from among them.
Secondly, another high-ranking Thule wishes to send people to study how the Shepherd of the Great Herd farms their beasts, since their techniques make be of use to the Thule with their own animals. They will cause some disruption to the farm while they are there (halving the production for one season), as they ask questions and such, but they have something to offer to make up for this. A mask called Stragima, that is similar to the Straw Mask Imperials use, but which is apparently a thousand years old as it was made from Illium. It is viewed as an item of great Worth by the Thule and so this is a pretty impressive trade.
It does, however, tend to whisper in strange voices to the wearer, but that isn’t seen as a major issue by the Thule compared to the Worth of it.
Now to the trade coming FROM the Empire. These are flavoured as coming from the Brass Coast as this nation is known to be the strongest against slavery.
The Thule are apparently having problems feeding all their people, this may be influenced by their abandoning slavery. To show how the Empire appreciates them doing so, the Empire could send a caravan of food north to the Thule. First a senate motion would have to be raised about it, then people would have to donate their money to the effort. 50 thrones would be needed to have any kind of impact, while 200 thrones would ensure that the Thule would make it through the winter a lot more easily.
Secondly, there is an opportunity for people to cause trouble. A caravan of Freeborn priests could be sent north to the Thule lands. They would then preach the Way and tell the ex-slaves that they would be welcome in the Empire. This would cause a diplomatic incident with the Thule, however, as it is notable that no orc ex-slaves from Thule lands have come south up until now.
And that seems to be that for tonight! There are a lot of interesting opportunities for folks to cause trouble with this event’s winds, I’m looking forward to seeing what comes of them.
See you next time,
K