Daybreak in Spiral

Majorian stared into the darkness. There was something moving out there, out beyond the circle of their fire. Had it been quieter he might have had a chance to hear whatever it was moving around, but the strange ethereal singing was still drifting across the open flood plain. Today he'd been glad enough for that curious music, or at least for the way it quietened the clamouring from the Plateau. Right now he'd have opted for the silence, the better to hear them coming.With a jolt, the darkness parted to reveal a crazed looking orc, one of the Lost, heavy steel mace in hand, its face a madcap riot of emotions. It was still wearing purple rags but it wasn't a Grendel. Not anymore. It wasn't anything any more. The Black Plateau had consumed what wits the poor fool had once possessed and in their place it had left only rage and anger. As if to mark the moment, the singing changed cadence at the moment the twisted creature broke into a run.The creature barrelled towards him, snarling, mace swinging wildly. He caught the blow on his shield and lashed out with his sword, but the edge touched nothing but cloth and air. The mace crashed down again and again on the shield, trying to batter him into submission but the singing only picked up, so that it was loud enough to be heard about the sound of the weapons clashing. The tune was insistent, pushing into his thoughts like a knife.Frantically he stepped back, desperate to put some distance between himself and the Plateau-enraged orc. He tried to centre himself, seeking to master his fear and channel it into his weapon, but the mellifluous singing urged him to abandon his fear. He tried to blank it out, but it was too persistent, and he felt the adrenaline of the fight slipping away, but rhythmically, like a tide going out.There was no danger here he realised, no need for this tension that even now was seeping from his muscles as the singing relaxed him. He tried to clear his mind, certain that if he dropped his guard, the orc would slaughter him as certain as the sun rises. But even that effort seemed foolish. There was no need for it... there was nothing to be alarmed about.He stepped back staring at the orc. It struck him in that moment that his enemy look as confused as he did. It stood, stupefied, its weapon slumped to the floor. He contemplated running the orc through with his sword, but he somehow he couldn't muster the will to do it. The enigmatic singing that still filled his ears seemed to drown out the thoughts, washing them away as quickly as they arrived.Some distance away, Octavia watched the two of them with fascination. She could feel the effects herself, but the protection of her Circlet was keeping the worst of it at bay. Even so it took every effort of her will to resist the siren sounds of the Chorus.Cautiously she moved towards them, mage staff at the ready, aware that the effects could end at any moment.

Overview

As part of the ongoing efforts to relieve the aridity of the region of Icarion in Mareave, there are serious plans to dam the River Doubt in Apstrus. This would flood the area where the old spire of Solen's Doubt is, where years ago there was a decisive battle with the Grendel. At the Spring Equinox, real progress was made towards addressing issues that various national assemblies had raised with the proposal, and Amity was granted to the Eternal Ylenwe to allow zir to help with the project.

There are, however, a few things left to address before the dam can proceed. There is an urgent need to arrange protection for whichever Imperial army is asked to carry out the work. Then there are demands of the Imperial Orc Assembly to consider, and the desires of the Urizeni Assembly to take into account. And just to make it more complicated there is the small matter of the rebels who remain a quiet but important factor complicating the politics of Spiral.

The Dawn Chorus

At the Spring Equinox, the Imperial Conclave voted to give Amity to the Eternal Ylenwe, in return for the protection of the army that undertakes the dam-building. Ylenwe is not an Eternal without controversy, but certainly zie has in recent times acted as a friend to the Empire - there is a distinct sense that zie is atoning, somehow, or at least this is the impression zir heralds have given.

As the Summer Solstice draws in, reports come of a spring in the high mountains - around where the source of the Doubt is said to lie - which has filled with an ethereal light and harmonious music. Then they descend: strange winged beings, which have the approximate shape of a human or an orc but who are covered in white, dove-like feathers, and dress in shimmering robes. Ylenwe's heralds who accompany them refer them as the Dawn Chorus - a guardian of Ylenwe, and they have been sent to guard the minds of those who labour in Spiral.

If they are surprised that their aid is not yet needed they don't show it. The flock descends to the ruined spire of Solen's Doubt - planned to be at the centre of the reservoir when it is built - and settles themselves into contemplative meditation. Any who come near are invited to join, though it is a perilous journey just to sit in a circle, listening to these strange birds singing a sweet and wordless song - but those that do make the journey confirm that in the presence of the Dawn Chorus, the whispers of the Black Plateau are silenced to a quiet murmur, barely present.

Ylenwe's heralds say that while there is no reason as such that the army they assist will need the support of small military units, they will welcome any captains who wish to join them in stilling song. They will provide to each such captain a white feather from their plumage - this feather will act much like a Circlet of Falling Snow, except that it will also provide a constant soothing effect to the wearer. In particular, while Ylenwe has no interest in the removal of lineage (they are almost too quick to say), it will be particularly effective at lessening unwelcome influence related to the touch of the realms in the bonded wearer.

Names in the Stones

Obviously the dam must actually be commissioned by the Imperial Senate or by a suitable title with the power to commission an edifice. Whoever arranges for the commission will need to ensure that that are clear whether they intend to address the concerns of the Imperial Orcs

The Imperial Orc Assembly requested that the names of the fallen be carved into the stones of the dam. This can be done, but it will add an additional five thrones of labour costs to the project, which will not be covered by the labour of the assisting army. Whoever raises the commission must include whether they intend to meet this demand as part of the necessary details. It is not mandatory to pay this cost - but presumably the Imperial Orcs will have some objections if it is not done.

The Omphalos

The dam across the Doubt is conceived from Urizen ingenuity and Urizen supports this work of Prosperity. In the valley ghosts linger among broken vessels of souls who, in Courage and Loyalty, sacrificed all for Urizen and the Empire. Above the valley stood Solen’s Doubt, Pride of the dreaming spires: Fountain of Urizen Wisdom. The essence of these heroes and sages was in their lives, learning and legacy. Come torchbearers! Sing the deeds of the fallen. Save the library of Solen’s Doubt and preserve it! Let the Fountain flow anew! Come illuminates, come questors! Let ghosts be sent on their path. Come architects! As waters rise, let a Dreaming Spire rise again. Legacy of heroes: Testament of Urizen endurance: an Omphalos. For our centre holds. Despite everything, we are still here.Halkyon of the Myriad Stream, Spring Equinox 386YE, Vote: Upheld with a Greater Majority (292-0)

The Urizeni Assembly, who most keenly of all remember what the battle of Solen's Doubt was for, and what it cost, have also judged the Dam. Halkyon of the Myriad Stream has made a stirring statement in the Urizen National Assembly regarding the history of the spire and the battle that took place. The words seem political, but they resonate everywhere, especially in the north-east of Zenith, where the Urizeni are once again fighting to keep the Druj from their homes.

Nobody wants to return to those bitter days right now, when the League took Spiral, and it seemed nation might go to war against nation. But the reality is that Spiral was Urizeni for centuries before that, and with his words Halkyon has given voice not just to the grief of the lost of Solen's Doubt, but to the whole nation. Despite everything, we are still here...

And so the call to raise a new spire, a Dreaming Spire, an Omphalos, takes hold. The idea of forming a new spire is a familiar one; in Urizen, spires often cooperate to found a new spire, the magicians working together and sharing skills and resources to meet the challenges involved. There is a common goal here, an opportunity to save the library of Solen's Doubt, to preserve the legacy of heroes, and perhaps to establish the omphalos.

The process seems simple enough on the face of it; commission an edifice to serve as the focal point of the Dreaming Spire. It would need at least ten white granite and thirty crowns, but it could be bigger than that if there was sufficient desire to ensure the new spire had sufficient grandeur to meet the moment. Once that is done, it would just cost five thrones to relocate the library at Solen's Doubt to the new spire. Whether this happens would be part of the necessary details of the commission to raise the dam.

There is just one small detail that would need to be refined. The perfect location for the Omphalos would be the precise geographic centre of Urizen. That is the nature of an omphalos. Such a detail is easily calculated by the skilled scholars of Urizen, but the results turn out to depend rather a lot on what assumptions you make. If you assume that the nation of Urizen consists of the territories of Zenith, Redoubt, and Morrow, then the perfect spot would be on Mount Lutum in Iteri - where Spire Calator used to stand. If, however, you find the geographic centre point of Zenith, Redoubt, Morrow, and Spiral then the perfect spot would be Mount Cinnius in Ankra right on the border with Cinion.

Wherever it is built, once the edifice is complete the support of neighbouring spires would be enough to help any Urizeni seeking to establish themselves there. That would allow any Urizeni character to take a new personal resource in the territory where the edifice is located without cost in the season it was completed (notably this could circumvent the difficulties facing Urizen who wish to take a new personal resource in Spiral).

A short conversation with Caela, the Arbiter of the Silver Flame and de facto leader of the Silver Flame rebels, confirms that they would be more than happy to have the new spire built on either side of Mount Cinnius. If it is built there, they will offer what support they can to the new spire. There is something they would like however...

The Chorus and the Flame

Technically, now that the Dawn Chorus has entered the mortal realm, there is no need for Ylenwe to retain amity. They are clear that they will offer their aid as soon as the building project begins, as long as it takes place in the next year or so. However, Zie-of-the-Perfect-Morning has also promised that zie will use zir time with amity to find a way to more permanently alleviate at least some of the issues caused by the "discord" in Spiral, building on the great success of the Urizeni with the Block.

True to their word, other heralds do indeed begin appearing from the spring far above Apstrus, and they begin to wander all across the hills and paths of the cursed land, singing as they go. Alone, they do not provide the respite that the Chorus does, but there is something comforting about the sight of them, all the same. On a sunny day one can even see their white-feathered forms moving across the hills from the vantage point of the city below.

The feathered heralds trace the weaves of magic emanating from the block, until it leads them inexorably to its source up in the mountains of Cinion. There they encounter something unexpected; the presence of the Urizeni rebels, the magicians the Empire calls the Urizen of the Silver Flame. It appears that the heralds were not expecting the Block, the powerful mithril structure that is the only thing that makes life in Spiral bearable, to be in the hands of the rebels.

There is a short but tense negotiation between Ylenwe's heralds and the rebels in which they make it very clear that Cinion - and the block - belongs to them. Fortunately the rebels have dozens of experienced masters of Day magic among their number. They have no trouble establishing that the heralds mean no harm - especially as there is a third party present, a figure wearing reflective robes that glitters in the sun: a herald of That Which Lives In Its Name, present for its own reasons. This vizier helps to broker negotiations. Once that happens, the heralds are allowed, under the watchful eyes of the rebel magicians, to visit the block itself. What transpires there is between the rebels, Ylenwe, and perhaps this other herald - at least for now.

Silvered Lore

The Silver Flame Urizeni have done everything they can to adapt to their new life outside the Empire. They are, for the most part, self-sufficient. They refuse to engage with the invaders in Apulian, but they survive through trade and cooperation with the few remaining spires in Spiral and those over the border in Redoubt and Zenith. They have negotiated some arrangements with the Argent Mantra for its heralds to provide services that the Imperial Civil Service would once have provided. Happily, the Wheel of Light has proven most obliging in this matter.

The biggest problem they are encountering is their inability to access Imperial lore. These are skilled magicians of course, and each has several rituals mastered. The libraries in their spires contain many more. But the rituals they have access to are a fraction of what they once enjoyed when they were part of the Empire. Previously, as part of the Empire, they would simply trade texts and books for whatever rituals they needed with their neighbours. Now that is no longer legal, a shortcoming that is proving increasingly frustrating.

Caela has made it plain that they would like the Imperial Conclave to use a declaration of Concord grant the Silver Flame Urizeni access to Imperial Lore. They refuse to beg - Caela simply points out that it was the Urizeni that helped to create Imperial Lore... The rituals she and her fellow magicians want access to are part of the body of lore that her people worked tirelessly to build for the Empire.

She assures those she speaks with that the rebels will share the texts with no-one who is not part of the Empire. She is willing to swear oaths to that effect, even proposing to go as far as invoking the Lictors to show how serious they are. That last part slightly tips her hand since it also demonstrates how desperate they are to regain access to Imperial Lore. She also lets slip a fact that she has otherwise not drawn attention to: the egregore bond no longer binds the erstwhile rebels, and perhaps began to fall away the moment they signed their treaty. They strongly consider themselves Urizeni... but strictly speaking, they are now no more Urizeni than the so-called Earl of the Groves is Dawnish. Caela maintains nearly-immaculate poise... and yet it is quite clear that this matter causes her no small distress.

Nevertheless, there is no public quid-pro-quo - no reciprocal offer that is explicit. The followers of the Silver Flame are simply asking for what they feel they have a right to have, and they will not compromise their Pride by begging for that which is theirs. Despite everything, they are still here: and they are not going anywhere.

Further Reading

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