Carved in stone

"It is said that the Deeps are named for an old man, Gulnar, who lived there with his three children. His eldest son was a cunning suaq called Topi who loved to hunt and fish. The middle child, his only daughter, Kaisa, was a wise Kallavesi whose eyes were so sharp they could see your skein even when it was too dark to see. The youngest boy, was Freki, a wild Steinr who liked nothing more than to run through the wild forests and leap across the streams."Anni smiled at her wife as they stood back, watching their children sit silent and still for the first time that day, wrapped in awe at the scop's story telling. "I love this one" she whispered to Lyydia."Gulnar's wife had died many years earlier fighting the Thule, and he feared for who would look after his children when he was gone. So he gathered them together and made the eldest two promise to look after their young sibling and always to care for him. Topi swore on his bow that he would never abandon his brother, but Kaisa was too wise for such foolishness. She knew that no one can know what the future brings and to swear an oath that you cannot keep is to summon a storm into this world."Lydia frowned, "I dunno" she whispered back. "I think I know this one... it's not a happy ending.""When Gulnar passed into the Labyrinth, Kaisa and Topi looked after Freki, out of respect for their father's wishes. But then the mystics came from the aviary and invited Kaisa to join them. Her heart broke to leave her siblings, but she knew her calling lay in the reading of the omens and so she left. For a while Topi looked after his young brother, but eventually the wanderlust took him and he put aside his promise and took up his bow and went out into the world to make a name for himself.""Told you," said Lydia. "They won't sleep tonight... you mark my words.""When the food was gone Freki thought he would starve but he went out into the forest where he found a boar that the wolves had killed. He was so hungry that he gnawed on the bones and ate what little meat was left. When the wolves returned to the kill, they found the boy sleeping, and thought to kill him. But the thane of the pack knew the boy for a foundling and they took him in and made him one of their own.""You worry too much, it'll be fine." Anni reassured her, but she made a mental note to keep her eye on the littlest just the same. Little Esa had a heart like the softest snow."And so the boy grew into a wolf, with a thick coat of black fur and legs so strong he could keep up with the pack when they ran over the hills and through the dales hunting prey. But wolves live for ten years and not a day more and eventually they passed and now the boy was alone once more. Strong now, but not strong enough to hunt wild beasts by himself. Hunger drove him closer to the places he had once known, to the homes of Gulnar's Depths, looking for any scrap of food.""When the people saw the wolf prowling round their hall, they worried that he would take one of their children to eat. So they sent away for a great hunter to come and kill the beast. It took Topi many days, but eventually he returned to the place of his birth, where he had sworn that terrible oath all those years ago. He took up his bow and firing three arrows in a single heartbeat, one through the wolf's heart, one through the wolf's leg and one through the wolf's eye."There was a collective gasp of horror from the assembled children. "Here we go" warned Lyddia. She made to take a step towards their youngest, but Anni put her hand on her partners arm. "Wait"."As Topi took out his knife to skin the wolf, a falcon appeared and settled on the branches above the wolf's head. The hunter paid it no thought, but when he cut away the fur, all he found was his brother, Topi, lying dead at his feet. In that moment he knew that he would be forever cursed, as an oathbreaker and a kinslayer. And he wept every day when the sun rose and every day when the sun set for now at least he knew his name."The scop stodd up and bowed low before his assembled audience of younglings. "And that is why a true hero must always keep their word... And why a wise hero chooses their vows carefully." There was a collective and appreciative "ooh" from the assembled children followed by shouts of "More!" as the storyteller made to leave."Time for bed!" said Anni raising her voice above the hullabaloo...

Overview

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.

Thus far, breaking these oaths does not appear to ill-omened, for those involved or those close to them. This is not entirely surprising - oaths are powerful hearth magic, especially when they are witnessed, but it is hard to say what breaking one will mean. A child who promises his mother he will be in before dark rarely faces the wroth of fate if he tarries after the sun goes dark. However, the more solemn the oath, the more public the swearing, the more potent the effects usually are for those who break them.

And so it transpires... as the leaves fall from the trees and Autumn comes round again, it would appear that an ineluctable judgement may yet be coming to bear on those whose solemn word has been broken.

Apposite then, that just as this moment looms large, that the Wintermark Assembly and the Assembly of Loyalty should chose now to opine on this subject, calling for the creation of a structure dedicated to the collection, preservation and upholding of oaths.

The Afflicted Assemblies

An odd doom is settling over the Wisdom and Prosperity assemblies The Pride assembly is showing no signs of discord

The effects are subtle at first, like a wind that rises imperceptibly from a breeze to a storm. No-one notices initially, but by the time you are forced to take shelter, it's difficult to imagine how you could possibly have missed it. As the winds and the rain batter you, who can recall the first zephyr that heralded the oncoming gale?

Dissension has always been a part of the Assembly of Wisdom in particular - the faithful pride themselves on testing what they learn - they accept the claims of others blindly. Traditionally though, such disagreements have been civil, a respectful exchange of ideas born of a shared desire to find the truth. But as the Autumn equinox draws closer, that respectful dialogue becomes increasingly rare, replaced with a rancorous hostility that seems to permeate every discussion as citizens obstinately refuse to admit when the flaws in their ideas are exposed in front of others. There is no shortage of fools and no shortage of people eager to chastiste them for their folly.

The Wisdom Assembly are not only ones affected. Priests of the Assembly of Prosperity, find their congregations bickering and feuding over every issue. Some followers of Prosperity use their priest's sermon as an opportunity to meet with like-minded people with whom they can collaborate on new endeavours. This benign networking fades like a puddle drying in the sun, to be replaced with bitter competition between those who operate rival businesses. The tenets teach people to share what you have with those who deserve it, but who wants to share with they have with grasping misers, thieving bandits and lazy wastrels that they increasingly find themselves surrounded by.

Eventually it becomes clear that both assemblies are labouring under a potent curse. Winter magic - the Wisdom of the Balanced Blade - reveals that some kind of doom has settled upon the assemblies, sowing strife and discord in its wake. It is only projected to last for a year, but the months ahead are likely to be contentious and quarrelsome, marked by altercations and strife. The curse hasn't reduced attendance, but it has made the atmosphere febrile and argumentative.

Unlike the others, the Pride Assembly, appears to be unaffected. Why that might be is unclear. Some claim it is because Zadkiel de Coeurdefer has kept their oath, but the court records state that they were mugged and the item taken from them and destroyed. While that might alleviate the former Cardinal from any personal responsibility, it wouldn't do anything to avoid the oath being broken. Hearth magic does not care why something happens, only that it does. Whoever took and destroyed that item did so in the sure knowledge they were condemning Zadkiel a terrible fate - forcing them to break their oath. Despite this, nothing bad has befallen the Assembly.

Magicians who study such things believe it is most likely their Proud decision to immediately step down as Cardinal of Pride after swearing the oath. That prompt action may well have somehow saved their Assembly from any debilitating effects when the oath was broken.

Participation: Wisdom Assembly

Any character who preached Wisdom to a congregation in the last year is afflicted by a curse The effects will last a year, but may leave your character permanently altered

Any character who preached Wisdom in the last year is under the effect of a curse for the coming year that makes them experience the following roleplaying effect: You are keenly aware of the limitations of other people's thinking. Foolishness grates on your nerves more than usual. When people say things you believe to be wrong you are reminded of the guidance of Wisdom that tells you to despise folly and chastise the fool that spreads it.

The curse will fade after a year, but players whose character succumb oftens to the effects may chose to have them be permanently altered by the curse, remaining more willing to challenge others and rebuke folly after the curse fades. The curse can be broken by publicaly swearing yourself to a significant oath. Provided the oath is profoundly meaningful for your character and you are honest in your intent to stick to it, then the curse will fade. (OOC Note: Let a referee know if you decide your actions have broken this curse.)

Participation: Prosperity Assembly

Any character who preached Prosperity to a congregation in the last year is afflicted by a curse The effects will last a year, but may leave your character permanently altered

Any character who preached Prosperity in the last year is under the effect of a curse for the coming year that makes them experience the following roleplaying effect: You are more keenly aware when others try to take advantage of you, especially when they try to take more than they deserve. People assuming you will aid them rankles more than usual. When they take what belongs to you and yours, you are reminded of the guidance of Prosperity that tells you to despise the thieving bandit, the lazy wastrel, and the grasping miser.

A Note on Roleplaying Effects

How you respond to a roleplaying effect is down to your characterisation

All roleplaying effects describe emotions and feelings that your character is experiencing - how you react to these feelings will be dependent on your characterisation. You can't ignore the effects - even if you are able to resist the urge, you character is still experiencing it. But as a player, you choose how your character responds to the roleplaying effects they are experiencing. It is fine if your awareness of these effects, the intensity of them, naturally waxes and wanes during the event.

The Ambition Assembly

Every congregation that preached Ambition last season has gained two additional votes

The other Assembly that appears to have avoided any ill consequences of the oath is the Assembly of Ambition. Most members of the Assembly attribute this to the decision of their former Cardinal, Viviane Barossa, to hold to their oath, steadfastly refusing to break their word, despite the barriage of criticism they faced. There is only one known way to absolutely ensure that you avoid the baleful hearth magic of oaths and that is to keep your word.

The tenets of Ambition are very clear that "Consequences are the price of Ambition; no price is too high to realise your dreams.". Many in the Synod questioned the former Cardinal's unapologetic stance on the issue, but as time has passed, some members of the Assembly are rethinking their judgement. It is commonly claimed that the Cardinal of Ambition took on the aura in the hope of building diplomatic bridges with the Axou, seeking a bridge to try and bring them to the Way. It is hard to think of an uplifting Ambition than the idea of opening the eyes of an entire nation of people and bringing them to the Way.

The fact that the former Cardinal has very dramatically paid the price for their dreams only serves to demonstrate the Virtue of what they did in the minds of many. The Assembly of Nine called Vivianne Barossa to inquisition and ordered her to destroy the blaspehmous hallow as penance. And yet still she refused to break her oath. It might not have been Wise, it might not have been legal, but arguably it was the very embodiment of Ambitious.

The realisation that alone of those tested, only their Cardinal had the Ambition to keep their vow has inspired many in the Assembly. There is no shame for the others, who appear to have lost their hallowed items through no fault of their own. But Viviane Barossa achieved what others could not and kept her oath to the bitter end. Priests preaching Ambition to their congregations find newcomers attending their sermons for the first time, interested to learn more about the Virtue. Too late to have more liao assigned to their congregations by the civil service, but not too late to have the effects registered for their votes at the coming summit. Every congregation that preached Ambition last season has gained two additional votes. The effects will fade after the next summit.

Deep Magic

The Empire could build the Forge of Oaths at the Fingers in Hahnmark Each season, the Keeper of Oaths could cut the words of a single oath into the stones of the building, to ensure that they endured If the Keeper of Oaths recorded a solemn vow it would be much more likely to invite disaster if it were broken, due to the hearth magic of witnessing

With the crucial importance of oaths so powerfully demonstrated, the Wintermark Assembly and the Loyalty Assembly have passed complimentary judgements calling for the creation of a new position, the Oathkeeper. The idea is simple enough - build a simple edifice, one that could be looked after and maintained by the Oathkeeper - they could then immortalise the words of an oath by cutting them into the stones of the building itself, ensuring that the promise was quite literally carved in stone.

Most Wintermarkers quickly agree that the Fingers is the ideal location for this edifice. A Virtuous site, one that celebrates, Pride, Loyalty and Courage - all crucial Virtues for those that need to fine the strength to keep their vows. What better place to record the words of heroes than here, in the very spot where the formation of Wintermark is celebrated.

The idea of someone who will witness oaths, and work to ensure they are kept makes a lot of sense to many Wintermarkers, echoing as it does in many ways the role of the stormcrow. The folk of the Mark understand that breaking your word is one of the surest ways to warp your skein in ways that can be hard to unwind. Having your oath witnessed and recorded can be invaluable in shoring up your Courage when it comes to sticking to your word. Thus, the idea of creating a sacred site, somewhere to record the most important oaths, feels right to many.

But some people do question if this is really wise. Oaths are an important hearth magic, there is something in the nature of swearing a vow that changes the world in ways that can often be difficult to predict. Scops know many tales of Courageous heroes who swore foolish oaths and then found themselves trapped by them. Witnessing an oath makes the hearth magic more potent, more likely to twist your skein if you break it. What would happen if you cut the words of an oath into the very rocks of the Fingers? Woe to anyone who broke that oath... Anyone who had their oath carved into stone like that would be inviting the world to extract a terrible price if they broke their vow. Is it really wise to do that... to invite that level of scrutiny? To tempt fate in such a way?

On the other hand... what better way to demonstrate how important an oath is? What better way to laud those who uphold their vows?

If the Empire completes Forge of Oaths then the Loyalty Assembly could appoint the Keeper of Oaths to oversee it and to choose which vows were cut into the walls. It could either be a national or an Imperial position, depending on the wording of the Senate motion used to commission the edifice (it would need to be a Senate motion since it would also create a title).