A better future

"You'd think they could have waited until your corpse was cold," said Tamera angrily. On the street below the balcony were two large wagons. Furniture and furnishings were being unloaded from one with some care, and loaded into the other with a slapdash lack of concern for any damage.Maxatious sipped his porcelain bowl of black herbal tea without any obvious display of emotion. Tamera realised he was probably feeling serene right now. She winced internally at what kind of emotional state he would be in when the drug wore off."After all the years of service..." she tried again. It was clear she was significantly more upset than her uncle was.Maxatious waved it away."It's simply good statecraft," he said, his voice level. "Someone was going to have to take the fall, and it makes sense that it is me. I am a little irritated I didn't see it coming, if I am honest. I think it might even be for the best when a stratagem like this takes me by surprise. The settlement is more than satisfactory to see out the rest of my years, and even if it had not been I do not think the version where I fled to be with my 'friends in the Principalities' would have ended half as well. My home is here, and I doubt the Jarmish would be especially welcoming given the circumstances.""It just makes me angry," said Tamera. "To treat you like this, all to make some conniving -"He cut her off with a firm hand on her shoulder."Now, now," he said, a little distantly. "There really is no need to be so angry on my behalf. Our ancestors know what happened here, and so does everyone who counts. Anyone who doesn't know, doesn't count and can be ignored. Given a choice between my good name and the safety of our country, I would make the same decision every time."He put his empty tea bowl down on the little mahogany side table, his hands surprisingly steady for a man who had barely an hour ago given the most humiliating speech of his long life. He looked across to his offices for the first time, and the ghost of a frown briefly appeared on his brow before fading into the quietude that filled his spirit."Please don't fret," he said. "You're welcome to stay but I have something rather important to get to and I'd appreciate you leaving me to it for an hour or two. There's a certain letter I have been looking forward to writing, and I think the sooner I get it done the better."The shadow of a smile, grim as death, flickered over his lips and then was gone, his face returned to the quiet, self-contained mask of serenity. But something shadowed his dark eyes that belied that fleeting tranquility.

Overview

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.

Imperial relations with the Citadels of Axos are significantly improved over where they were a year ago, in part due to the involvement of Imperial priests in the reclaimation of the ruins of Solokha. There are still pitfalls, though. The Axou are proud and touchy about their sovereignty and position in the world. They are members of the Liberty Pact, but they know they are only there thanks to the Empire, on the sufferance of the Commonwealth and the Sumaah. In recent months, the small nation to the south of the Mallum is clearly undergoing a level of internal upheaval thanks to the ambitions of Grand Ilarch Kyther.

That upheaval has taken an unexpected turn as Spring fades away. For the last decade and a half, the Axou Ambassador to the Empire has been Ilarch Maxatios of the Towers of Kantor. They were the primary point of contact for Imperial citizens wishing to communicate with the smaller nation, although they often seemed exasperated by the attitudes of the much larger neighbour to their west. As the Summer Solstice approaches, it becomes apparent they are no longer the diplomatic advisor to the Grand Ilarchs of the nation.

School and Scandal

Ambassador Fintan Nighthaven has apparently sent an extremely concerned note to Ilarch Maxatious demanding an explanation for the "Prince Mila School of the Belligerent Art". Reportedly a collaboration between the Halls of Maykop and the Principalities of Jarm, studying war magic. There seems to be little doubt that such a facility is a clear breach the Liberty Pact for a number of reasons. It contravenes both the principle requirement that "no signatory to the pact will provide meaningful military assistance to any nation that finds itself at war with a signatory of the pact" and the Summer 384YE amendment that "all signatory nations will apply a trade embargo to Jarm." As the Ambassador points out, the existence of the School is sufficient grounds to expel Axos from the Liberty Pact

By all accounts after the letter arrived, the outraged Grand Ilarchs of the other four citadels demanded an explanation from Grand Ilarch Keloparia of Maykop. The details are not public knowledge as the meeting took place behind closed doors, but the official statement from Axos is very clear. A faction within Maykop acted without the oversight of the Grand Ilarch herself, and under the very nose of Ilarch Maxatious who ultimately should have been alert enough to ensure that this scandalous error did not take place. As such, the Grand Ilarchs have demanded the resignation of Maxatious which he has since provided. The Prince Mila School of the Belligerent Art has closed its doors, and the Jarmish left in no doubt as to the reasons for this happening.

A further outcome of the meeting is a shake-up of the political situation at the highest ranks of Axos. Grand Ilarch Kyther of Kaban has been calling for greater cooperation between the citadels for some time, and this revelation of a potential breach of the vital Liberty Pact has proven the need for unity. As such a formal Grand Ilarch's council will now replace the former, informal gathering of the leaders of the five citadels. It will meet four times a year, with each citadel taking it in turns to host, to ensure that no one citadel is able to make the kind of decision that might endanger the entire nation.

The first order of business for the Grand Council is to replace Ilarch Maxatious. After extensive discussion they have appointed Ilarch Kario Skopos, a scion of the Skopos family of the Chambers of Issyk. One of the requirements the Grand Ilarchs have placed, however, is that Ilarch Skopos must renounce their ties to their citadel for as long as they hold the post. Instead, they will be known as Ilarch Skopos of Solokha. Where Maxatious was often accused of being partisan to the benefit of the Towers of Kantor, Kario will remain neutral in the politics of the citadel, reporting directly to the Grand Council and representing their will, and through them the will of the people.

The second order of business for the Grand Council of Axos is to thank the Imperial Ambassador Fintan Nighthaven for their forbearance and understanding in this matter, and the excellent advice they delivered regarding ways to deal with this unfortunate development. Without their insightful words, and the warning that Ilarch Maxatious was mishandling the situation, this could easily have become a major crisis for the nation and their friendship with the Empire.

The civil service are of the opinion that this is all very clearly a political play by one or more factions within Axos. The idea that the Grand Ilarch of Maykop might have been unaware of a faculty working with Jarm to develop martial rituals is absolutely inconceivable. Ilarch Maxatious has clearly been required to "take the fall" for this embarrassment. The new ambassador is just as clearly a political appointment - not very much is known about them but it is very likely they are connected to the unity movement of Grand Ilarch Kyther. The Axou are doubtless very keen to ensure that the Empire not share their discovery with the other members of the Liberty Pact. There is no doubt that Sumaah and the Commonwealth would immediately demand Axou be expelled from the pact, and expect the Empire to support them, if they were made aware of it by a credible source (OOC Note: This means a formal communication from either the ambassador to their nation, or the Voice of Liberty. A casual missive from an unknown Imperial citizen is very unlikely to produce any reaction).

Unified Convocation

The Grand Council is not the only change rippling through Axos society. In the wake of the recent cleansing of Solokah, Theodosia of Ipotavo has established a permanent presence in the ruins of the citadel. At the moment it takes the form of a humble temple surrounded by tents, but it is what it represents that might be of interest to the Empire. Several of the sects who worked on the reclamation of the haunted ruins - and it is worth noting that that work is still continuing as the last ghosts and hauntings are dealt with - have come together to establish a "Unified Convocation" - the Enias Sinklisis in the old language of the Nikitis Axou.

It's clear that this convocation is modelled somewhat on the Imperial Synod, or at least its General Assembly. So far only a fraction of the Axou sects have indicated their intention to become part of it - and others are refusing point blank to have anything to do with it. It's not clear at this point how much influence the Convocation will be able to wield; the Axou as a people may accept the religion they share but few priests possess any political power. What is certain is that the Grand Ilarchs will not allow it to pose a threat to their own power.

Further details are limited, not least because the Unified Convocation itself is still very much in its early days, but the civil service suggest that while this change is likely due to the hard work of Theodosia, the obvious spiritual powers she wields, and the success of the Solokha project, it is also very much in line with the plans of Grand Ilarch Kyther Deianeira and their populist plan to unify and strengthen the nation against outsiders.

From an Imperial point of view, this could be a problematic development. It is all too easy to forget that the fundamental tenets of the Axou religion is that the Creator is evil, the Labyrinth is a torture chamber, and the Imperial Synod is a tool for keeping humanity under the heel of an unspeakable spiritual tyrant.

Black Sailed Ships

Ilarch Skopos is pleased that one of their first roles in their new position is to speak to the Empire about trade. For some time now there has been only one port available to Imperial vessels - the port of Kantor. In the past it has primarily focused on common trade goods, but now that the conservative Maxatious is no longer advising the merchants that is likely to change. More excitingly, the new Axou Ambassador is happy to extend an invitation to Imperial fleet captains to visit the newly restored port of Issyk.

Kantor

Following advice from Ambassador Nighthaven, the port of Kantor no longer provides orichalcum to Imperial vessels. Instead, a standard Imperial fleet that trades with Kantor will receive two doses of Sable and one dose of Blackened Key. The former is a thick black syrupy liquid with a pleasant taste that quietens unpleasant feelings and is much favoured by everyone from high-status political leaders to the lowest competitor in the Axou fighting pits. The latter is a drug that may be familiar to the Empire that allows the user to speak to the dead without the need to cast a spell.

Issyk

The docks at the Chambers of Issyk have been reopened and are also available to Imperial traders. There has been some sort of commotion involving the Sarcophan Delves and an attempt to get out of some kind of investment that delayed the matter for a season but it has now been resolved. Ilarch Skopos is noncommital about exactly how the investment issue has been resolved, but there are reports of inhumanly tall figures with skin the colour of polished metal being spied on the docks. Intervention from the Autumn realm perhaps? Regardless, Imperial fleet captains can trade with the Chambers following the Summer Solstice. The markets of Issyk specialise in Axou esoterica - primarily peculiar consumables harvested and prepared by the apothecary-sorcerors of the citadels.

Instead of normal goods, fleets visiting Issyk will receive the following trade goods.

Skopos mentions that these substances are somewhat dependant on supply, demand, and fashion. More so than Kantor this might lead to a volatile situation where the actual trade goods available from Issyk might change without warning. All part of the excitement of international trade!

The Tyrants of the Mallum

Ilarch Skopos offers thanks to the Empire for their aid in the rescue of Menoetius of Issyk. As a representative of the Khiklotu Khrysoú trade cartel, and a respected agema, what could have been a blow to the morale of the eastern nation has instead become a public-relations coup for the Empire. There had been talk that the Khiklotu Khrysoú may have considered withdrawing from investment in the Empire; with a glowing testimonial from one of their ranking membres that seems unlikely in the immediate future. It is very likely that the timely resolution of this situation has also contributed to the decision of the Chambers of Issyk to expedite an invitation to Imperial traders to visit their newly expanded quayside.

Perhaps just as relevant, Fintan Nighthaven has offered bold assurances that the Empire has no intention of letting the Druj - who had captured Menoetius and intended to turn them into a tortured soul - to go unchallenged. They say that not only will Therunin be recovered but the Sarangrave and the Salt Flats of Sanath will also one day be freed from the blight of the Buruk Tepel. Their statement is apparently spread around the citadels and is very welcome especially in Ipotavo and Kaban who are all too familiar with the threat of the Druj.

With that in mind, Grand Ilarch Dancia Terricos of Ipotavo - once a general with a great deal of respect for Imperial soldiers - has instructed Ilarch Skopos to inform the Empire that she will be sending an emissary to speak with Gabriel Barossa, the general of the Towerjacks on a related matter. The emissary is expected to arrive at Anvil at around half-past-twelve on Sunday afternoon, and Skopos hopes that Ambassador Fintan and either the general or his adjutant can meet with them. Grand Illarch Terricos understands that there are any number of reasons that this is not ideal, but it is the earliest the emissary can reach Anvil this season.

Winter Magic

The new ambassador, Ilarch Kario, also presents an offer from the Grand Ilarch and the faculty of Maykop. The political embarassment of some of their staff working with slavers has inclined them to reconsider past reticence to work with Imperial magicians. According to Ambassador Fintan, the Archmage of Winter Ematius Ankarien, has repeatedly enquired about collaboration on matters of Winter magic. Given that the Empire has been so understanding about the unfortunate business with the Prince Mila School of the Belligerent Art they wish to invite the Imperial Conclave to send a group of magicians to visit the Halls of Maykop and collaborate with Axou scholars on the codification of a new Winter ritual. Out of recognition for the honour the Empire does them by recognising that their understanding of the Wasteland is greater than that of the Empire, they propose to produce two copies of the ritual text - one for their own extensive libraries and one for Imperial magicians.

To take advantage of this offer, one of the grandmasters must use a Declaration of Concord to guide their order to visit Maykop. They must also name an arcane projection of the Winter realm that has a magnitude no higher than twenty. It will cost the Conclave 20 crystal mana to direct an order as usual. If this is done during the Summer Solstice, some members of the order - those most experienced in the codification of new rituals - will visit Maykop. By the start of the Autumn Equinox, a ritual text of the chosen arcane projection will be delivered to the grandmaster.

In addition to the ritual text, there will be a chance to gather a little information about magical matters related to Maykop's understanding of the Winter realm. The nature of that discovery will depend on the order chosen, and will be delivered as a few paragraphs in the winds of fortune rather than an individual briefing.

There is one other minor consideration here. If the order that takes advantage of this opportunity is the Shuttered Lantern, then after the event and before the close of downtime the Grandmaster my email plot@profounddecisions.co.uk and confirm that the magicians they are sending will steal something from the libraries of Maykop. If this is done the Grandmaster will receive a second ritual text. The Shuttered Lantern are experts; the librarians of Maykop will not immediately notice the theft. That is not to say they will never work out what happened - especially if any Axou is ever in a position to see a proprietary Winter ritual being cast by Imperial magicians.

Librarian and Bursar

Mistress Isephenia of Maykop - a well respected professor in the faculty of natural philosophy - has been living in the Empire for nearly four years now. She organises a small group of students from Axos studying in the Empire, and assists Imperial youths who might wish to study in Maykop. She also helps operate the House of Spirits in Casinea in conjunction with Rinnah of the Shattered Tower, the Bursar of the House of Spirits.

Without needing to go through the Axou Ambassador, she has raised a request. Several of her students are interested in spending a semester at the Great Library of Hacynian. Obviously, when the initial invitation to visit places of higher learning in the Empire was offered, the Library had not yet achieved its current status as the greatest repository of lore about the Doom of Terunael in the world. The last thing she would wish to do would be to cause any kind of "international incident" so she requests that the Bursar liase with the Advisor on the Vallorn and see if it would be possible to achieve official permission to visit the library.

Either the Bursar of the Adisor should send a winged messenger to Ilarch Skopos and confirm the invitation. They could of course also politely decline, request some favour in return, or do nothing at all. Mistress Isephenia knows all about the complicated balancing act of academia. Ideally, though, if it is possible they'd like a chance to do so sooner rather than later.

The civil service advise a degree of caution following the request. Mistress Isephenia is not offering any particular benefit to the Empire with this request, and while acceding to it will likely improve the attitude of the visiting students it will also mean that Axos will quickly know as much about the vallorn as the Empire does - which might not be the best thing in the world given the presence at the heart of their nation of the vallorn of Visokumo. At present the Axos seem well inclined to support any attempt to link up the vallorn, but that position could well change if they realise what such an event might portend. The Empire might be able to survive a massive excursion by the vallorn, but it is much more doubtful that Axos could.

The Good Doctor

News of a potentially delicate matter comes to the Embassy shortly before the Solstice, regarding a prestigious visitor to Anvil. Doctor Anastsis of Issyk is planning to make a visit to the Empire during the Summer summit. Anastasis is apparently a respected practitioner of magical medicine, and an acknowledged master of dealing with maladies relating to memory loss. Ilarch Skopos is a little vague on the reasons the good doctor is coming to Anvil - although the implication is more that Anastsis has not told the Axou Ambassador rather than that they are trying to conceal them. Described by a few visitors to the citadels who have met him as "polite, precise, and disturbingly well-informed", he has let it be known that he is particularly interested in seeking individuals who’ve lost years of their memories either through trauma or ill-advised ritual experimentation. Anastsis would like to meet the Ambassador to Axos himself, cryptically citing them as “the only one who refused the offer of a creature that dwells between places.”

Ilarch Skopos obviously expresses the hope that Doctor Anastsis' visit should go without a hitch. While he is mostly only known in very specific esoteric circles in Axos he does come from a well-connected family and it would be quite problematic if anything bad happened to him. He is expected to arrive at Anvil some time around two in the afternoon on Saturday, and plans to begin his visit at the Anvil Hospital.

Finally, An Appeal for Help

One last matter concerns a pair of Axou merchants who visited Anvil several times over the last few years selling Axou herbs and potions. Evander Slak and his business partner Hippolata of Kaban apparently retired last year with a large sack of Imperial money to their homes in the rebuilt Tunnels of Kaban. However, there is some concern that the pair have since gone missing; neither they nor their small fortune has been seen in some months and Ilarch Skopos passes along concerns from the Grand Ilarch of Kaban that these two mini-celebrities might be in trouble. If anyone in the Empire has any idea where they might be, or can find out where they have gone, there will be a small reward related in size to the precision of the information.

Obviously there's no suggestion the two have done anything wrong, just a concern that they might be in trouble and need assistance.

Further Reading

Click Expand to see a summary of various pages related to Axos.

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