Know your enemy

Overview

At the previous summit, the Imperial Synod were placed in an invidious position - forced to choose between two outcomes that were, for many, equally undesirable. They could align the General Assembly with the Vigilance assembly and accept that there are Seven Virtues, and that the malign spiritual presences are so-called because they are dangerous to the Empire and hinder the quest for enlightenment. That would result in the virtuous remaining vigilant against the teachings or influence of so-called "false virtues". The cost to ensure that the Empire remained pure in this way would be to raise further questions about why Silas of the Cenotaph, the current Cardinal of Wisdom, remains in post despite them openly bearing an aura of false virtue.

The only alternative offered was to align the General Assembly with the Wisdom Assembly and accept the need to explore spiritual powers other than the Seven Virtues. That would mean the virtuous being open to the idea that false virtues might be forces that benefit humanity. It would have opened up opportunities to explore the false virtues but at the price of seeing them flower across the Empire.

Faced with this dichotomy, the Synod has chosen to close the door on the malign spiritual presences, sending Viviane Barossa to spread a mandate across the Empire reminding people of the dangers of the false virtues and encouraging them to remain vigilant.

Settle For Nothing

The Imperial Synod has enacted a mandate denouncing the pursuit of "false virtues" The mandate has had no effect in Urizen, Varushka, or Wintermark

The Imperial Synod has opted to forgo the opportunity to explore the malign spiritual forces, and instead keep the Empire pure. The mandate spread by Viviane Barossa did not get a greater majority, however. Indeed there was considerable opposition to it. However, it did pass with a clear majority of over a thousand votes. Backed by the words of the Synod, citizens in most nations of the Empire will turn their back on the allure of false virtues. Many will look to challenge those they believe may be involved with these dangerous powers, or even report their suspicions to relevant authorities.

The notable exception to these arrangements are in Urizen, Varushka, and Wintermark. There is a healthy degree of skepticism towards the Synod in these nations - and as a result mandates that fail to achieve a greater majority are ineffective there. The impact of that seems muted, at least for now, but the Synod is storing up trouble for the future. Even now figures like Severus of the Blinding Sun, the old traditionalist sword scholar, are peddling teachings of Hate across citadels in Urizen. When loyal priests claim that the false virtues must be denounced, Severus easily refutes their words by pointing out that there are members of the Assembly of Nine who bear those self-same auras. Not that Severus hangs around to debate them much - he makes a point of never preaching in the same place twice and disappears into the hills when he gets the slightest hint that the authorities might seek to apprehend him.

There is nothing that can be done to avoid this fate right now - the poison is in the flesh and the body must heal itself. Elsewhere the majority of the Imperial nations will be fine. There may still be a few heretics proposing anarchy or peace just as there always have been, but they will likely be quickly identified and dealt with before they have become well-established. The situation will be very different in Urizen, Varushka, and Wintermark - heresy is much more likely here now as people are more open to the idea of exploring false virtues - when that happens it will put down deep roots that will be painful and difficult to uproot.

The mandate has also sent message to the magistrates involved in the rework of religious law, making it clear that the Synod considers these spiritual powers to be blasphemous and heretical, and encourage them to make decisions appropriately.

Take the Power Back

There are questions about the hallows of Peace that may be at the heart of the Synod There is a risk that the ability of the virtue and national assemblies to reach hearts and minds may be reduced

Passing the judgement still leaves the notable issue of what to do about those individuals who accepted the Peace auras - notably the Cardinal of Wisdom who remains in position and his colleagues. They have escaped punishment by the law, due to the collapse of the trial, so what is their standing now? Two of the three cardinals stepped down - does the Cardinal of Wisdom now accept the verdict of the General Assembly or do they stand by their position that it was right to explore the false virtues? Will the General Assembly now try to remove the Cardinal from his position as they tried to do with the Cardinal of Ambition?

The embrace of Peace and the subsequent ambivalent responses have already undermined the authority of the Assembly of the Nine. Cynics point out that the priest who raised the mandate is the same Viviane Barossa who accepted the attempt by Axos to spread malign spiritual presence of Peace to the Empire. Do those words really represent what the former cardinal thinks, or is she even now under the influence of some malign aura? The four still possess the heretical relics given to them by the Axiou. They swore not to wall themselves off from the influence of Peace. If the Synod agree that they must keep these dangerous forces at bay then perhaps they could all start by removing the four auras of Peace that are right at the heart of the Synod?

The Synod has acted to prevent the spread of heresy in most nations of the Empire, but if they do not find a way to publicly deal with the presence of these false virtues then the loss of credibility experienced by the Assembly of Nine will spread and it will become harder for the Virtue and national assemblies to move hearts and minds of the Empire with statements of principle.

People are also eager to hear from the Wisdom Assembly on the matter of their cardinal, now that the Synod has said that people must not embrace false virtues. The Cardinal has defended his actions in terms of the Wisdom and learning gained from his experience with Peace - and received the strong backing of the Assembly. The other two cardinals both resigned their position, one immediately, one in the face of an impending revocation. The Cardinal of Wisdom does not appear to have any intention of doing that, and thus far the General Assembly seem disinclined to revoke him.

One of the problems is that Silas has been very clear that he believes Peace is "not apathetic" but "vindictive". He has demanded that the virtuous "destroy wherever we find it". But he is also Cardinal of Wisdom, a virtue whose dedicates embrace the idea that the virtuous should "test what you learn; only fools accept hearsay as truth." Those who look to Wisdom for their inspiration will always want to test the findings of another - even if those findings come from the Cardinal of Wisdom.

Most of the faithful have accepted the mandate as the end of the matter and moved on from the issue. Their only concern now is the presence of these hallowed items in Anvil. But many Wisdom priests are keen to know if Silas of the Cenotaph remains defiant in the face of the Synod's decision. If he says nothing then people will assume that he has accepted the Synod's judgement then nothing more will come of it.

But if the cardinal openly defies the mandate and continues to assert the Wisdom of his actions in the public record, then dedicates of Wisdom across the Empire will be inspired to follow him. On the face of it, the Cardinal appears to have a strong argument for their actions - much of which does seem to accord with the guidance on Wisdom. If they choose to stick to their position, then that will place the Wisdom Assembly at odds with the wider Synod. This is not an unusual position for the Assembly, which has been here before, most recently over the matter of the sword scholars and the wisdom of questioning authority. If the faithful believe that the Wisdom Assembly supports the embrace of false virtues as a way to discover more about them, then the words of the General Assembly will not deter very many of them.

There have been statements like the most recent one by Amris Johan Merikovich that seem to imply that Silas' actions are not only acceptable but virtuous - making the claim that the Wisdom Assembly are the right people in the Empire to investigate false virtues. The Cardinal of Wisdom is due for reelection at the coming Solstice, so the whole Wisdom Assembly is likely to have an opportunity to pass the final word on this matter.

The one position that nobody will accept is the idea that cardinals and the priests who attend Anvil should be free to investigate false Virtues while the common people of the Empire must not. People look to the Synod for leadership, they look to the Synod to embody the Virtues and exemplify them. They want the Synod to lift up the most Virtuous, to extol and promote Virtue, to represent the best of what the Empire has to offer. It's not reasonable, but they expect the priests of Anvil to behave better than they do, not to be better than they are. People are not that worried about the presence of a lone priest in some obscure part of the Marches who is prone to talking about how much they hate the Jotun a little too often. They are deeply concerned about the presence of powerful malign spiritual auras at the heart of the Empire exerting a compelling influence on the souls of the people elected to embody Virtue.

War Within a Breath

The Vigilance Assembly could employ the Silent Bell to find out more about false virtues The sodality could infiltrate threats to find out about one malign spiritual presence each season They could not investigate anything else while doing this

A frequent point raised in the debate is the need to discover more about the false virtues. People see the importance of this - the wider Empire knows little about the auras of the false virtues or the tenets of those who extol their benefits. That makes it harder to remain vigilant, and harder to identify the influence of a false virtue. The more the Empire knew about the false virtues, the more Vigilant they could be in weeding out their pernicious influence.

The decision of the Synod to reject the influence of false virtues has ensured that most people do not believe it is a good idea to open yourself to the influence of the auras of a false virtue in the hope of learning more about them. One scathing priest likens it to the idea of trying to identify whether a glass of wine has been poisoned by drinking it.

Recent contact with Axos has exposed a number of citizens to the false virtues. The Synod urged these people to come forward for inquisition, but there is scant evidence in the Assembly judgements that anyone actually did so. In theory those who have deliberately embroiled themselves in the Axou sects devoted to false virtues might be able to provide useful information - presuming they can be trusted to deal honestly. The Synod judgement implies that considerable leniency will be shown to those who come forward, but given they could face death for their actions if they were condemned by the Vigilance Assembly then it could be in their interests to present their actions and what they discovered in the best possible light.

Melchior of Adina’s Charge scathingly denounced the use of "false virtue" but also presented an unwelcome truth that must be faced - that enemies of the Empire embrace these powers and seek to employ them against the virtuous. No citizen, said Melchior, should take these matters into their own hands. Even those who are not dedicants of Courage can see the virtue of these words. Yet Melchior also speaks of the need for the Imperial Synod to find out how they can find out about these weapons. Their words strike a chord, and lead to a proposal from within a different assembly.

A better option that embracing false virtues would be to send the Vigilant to find out this information, not through embracing false virtues, but through infiltration and espionage. Under normal circumstances the Silent Bell restrict themselves to investigating threats to the Empire from within its borders, but the sodality have been inspired both by the commitment of their assembly at Anvil to confronting and condemning cardinals, and by the words of the Courage assemnly. As a result, they are prepared to put their particular set of skills to good use. If the Assembly believes it to be worthwhile, then members of the sodality will attempt to infiltrate or spy on those people who use false auras to learn what they can about them.

Not everyone supports this agenda - the sodality intend to report the information they find to the Cardinal of Vigilance and then pass it to the civil service to be published after the summit is over. That way nobody will be tempted to "experiment" with false virtues because the answers will be public knowledge - and better still they can recognise such auras for what they are should they encounter them. However some members of the sodality believe it would be better to know nothing about the false virtues - that the more Imperial citizens know about them, the more individuals will be tempted to embrace them. The Vigilance Assembly must decide then, whether to proceed or not. The Silent Bell are prepared to take any risks necessary to investigate a malign spiritual aura each season, if the Assembly instructs them to do so, and if they identify where they should go to seek answers.

There are six malign spiritual forces commonly recognised within the Empire - each of which could be the subject of a single investigation by the Silent Bell. Obtaining this information will be expensive, involve significant risks and requires the Synod have a credible lead that the sodality can follow. The Silent Bell would need to follow up existing leads - and they would not be able to investigate any other matter while they were engaged in spying on or infiltrating a group to learn more. Worst of all, if the members of the sodality were caught, there could be drastic consequences.

However, the rewards might be worth it. If the Assembly of Vigilance set the sodality to investigate a credible lead then the civil service will create a briefing that includes full details of all the auras that priests of the false virtue are able to create, along with a description of the virtue as it is "practiced" by its exponents. The Empire could learn what those devoted to a false virtue believe it represents to them along with information on the common symbols employed by them.

Justice/Vengeance

The Silent Bell could spy on Faraden to learn about Vengeance If members of the sodality are caught, they will be expelled and the nation will be angered

The most obvious avenue to find out more about the malign spiritual aura of Vengeance, would be the Faraden. These people call this virtue "Justice" and regard it as a crucial part of their faith - one of the five "flames" - Courage, Loyalty, Justice, Prosperity and Pride. The widespread embrace of Vengeance in Faraden means that it would be easier to discover not just what the auras are, but also the tenets and principles of the Justice priests.

The risk is that any such attempt could be misconstrued as spying. Religious disagreements have been at the core of most Imperial conflicts with the Faraden in recent years and while they currently enjoy good relations, they would be soured if the Empire were caught spying on the faithful. The leaders of that nation would assume the worst and those who dislike the Empire would present this as a clear example of the Empire's perfidy.

Of course, any spies might not get caught, but the nature of espionage is that there is simply no way to tell. Imperial prognosticators have done everything they can to divine this and it is clear that there is no way to know what will happen. The outcome is simply too dependent on fate. The best they can say is that the Empire would be bound to find out what they want to know, but it would be a literal coin flip whether their spies are caught or not.

One way to guarantee to avoid that outcome would be for the Imperial Ambassador to Faraden to write to their opposite number and ask permission to travel there to study their religion. If the Empire had permission, then there would be no need for spying. The weakness of this approach is that if the Faraden refuse the request - which they might well do as they are notoriously tetchy about their faith - then any subsequent decision to send spies there would guarantee discovery. The Empire might still learn what the Faraden known about Vengeance, but the Faraden would be certain to learn that they had been spied on after they turned down the Empire's request, this ensuring the maximum diplomatic fallout.

Understanding/Peace

The Silent Bell could spy on Kaban in Axos to verify what they have been told about Peace If members of the sodality are caught, they will be expelled and the nation will be angered Diplomatic overtures to Tsark could enable the Empire to learn more about Peace from them

The simplest way to learn more about the malign spiritual aura of Peace would be via Axos, where a number of people practice the false virtue, as part of their strange and blasphemous beliefs. Some people have even claimed the Peace-hallowed items born by the cardinals as clear evidence of a plot to suborn the Empire's faith. However, the original message from Ilarch Kyther Deianeira - now Grand Ilarch Kyther of Kaban - claimed that the offer of the auras of Peace was in response to a request made through official diplomatic channels by the Ambassador to Axos, Fintan Nighthaven. He arranged for his political ally, Theodosia Azesos (Theosodia of Ipotavo until recent political developments in Ipotavo) to send the priest who conducted the fateful hallowings - on objects that the Empire provided.

In fact Theodosia has been remarkably open with the Empire, keen perhaps to see the "virtue" she calls "Understanding" flower, she has provided lengthy writing on the subject to various Imperial citizens. Those who have seen it admit it is very detailed - but given that it comes from a heretic, is not certain how truthful it is. Before they spread such knowledge around the Empire, it would be Vigilant to try to verify as much as possible of what the Empire has been told.

The Empire has engaged in espionage operations in Axos in recent times on multiple occasions - the Shuttered Lantern infiltrated many of the citadels, bringing back valuable knowledge of their political, magical, and religious dispositions. A similar operation by the Silent Bell, but focussed on groups like the Scholars of the Searching Soul as well as other Axos sects who embrace Peace would give the Empire a way to verify everything they have learned and be more confident that they have sifted fact from fiction.

Alternatively, there is another nation the Empire knows that appears to embrace Peace - the secretive mountain territory of Tsark. It would be impossible to send the Silent Bell to Tsark - the only passes through the mountains are guarded day and night and visitors are politely turned back. But it might be possible to send a diplomatic communication to them and what price they might demand to share what they know with the Empire.

Freedom/Anarchy

The citizen who warned the Montanians the Empire was planning to wipe them out could try to approach the survivors living in the Forest of Peytaht The Silent Bell could spy on the Iron Confederacy to learn about Freedom If members of the sodality are caught, they will be executed and the nation will be angered

The Empire has a bloody history with the malign spiritual aura of Anarchy. The Freedom Heresy when a number of violent rebels chose to enter the Barrens, planning to build a nation of the free there is infamous. The original attempt ended in violence but not all of them were slain. Their descendants, the Montanians played an important role in the peace negotiations between the Barrens Orcs and the Empire, until they were also cut down by the Northern Eagle.

The death of the Montanians makes it much harder for the Empire to learn more about the virtue of Freedom. Harder... but not completely impossible. A handful of Montanians survived the massacre. Warned of the impending attack by sympathisers within the Empire, those who could fight gave their lives to save those who couldn't. Their children and those too sick to fight fled to safety; to the eaves of the Great Forest of Peytaht where they were taken in by their allies the Great Forest Orcs. If the Empire wants to learn about Freedom, the surest way to find out more would be to speak to those Montanians who survived the destruction of their sept at the hands of the Varushkans.

The problem is that it's impossible to imagine that the survivors would want to have anything to do with the Empire. Any general attempt to approach them in a peaceful manner is certain to fail. The Montanians apparently believed they had a peace treaty signed by the Imperial Senate that would protect them - they will not soon trust the Empire again. In their minds, the Empire is synonymous with treachery, lies, and murder. Spying on them would be equally impossible - even the Navarr members of the sodality would struggle to infiltrate a tiny handful of survivors hidden away by the Great Forest Orcs.

There is one citizen who might be able to approach them - the person who sent the winged messenger warning them that the Empire was coming to kill them all. If the Synod can find the person - or persons - who warned the Montanians then that individual might be able to approach the survivors and convince them to talk. It might not be easy to find them; since that person likely committed treason by warning the Montanians, a crime which carries the death penalty, they might prefer to remain unknown.

A more realistic alternative would be to ask the Silent Bell to spy on the Iron Confederacy. Several years ago, a group of slaves fled the Iron Confederacy and came over the border to the Brass Coast hoping to escape the wrath of the Suranni dukes. When the Empire discovered that the group were inspired by a charismatic leader who embraced the malign spiritual power of Freedom, they refused to give the slaves sanctuary and invited the Suranni to enter Feroz and reclaim the escaped slaves. Those that lived were dragged back to Kalino in chains by the Duke.

They're likely still alive - somewhere in the Iron Confederacy, most likely in Kalino. The Suranni may have officially disavowed slavery, but the lot of their serfs is not that much better. If the Empire could find them, they could make contact with them and learn more about Freedom. Unlike the Montanians, this group are unlikely to know that the role of the Empire in their downfall, so provided they never learn that fact they have no reason not to trust any Imperial who tries to make contact. To many of them the Empire represents Freedom, after all.

Of course, spying on the Iron Confederacy carries even greater risks than spying on the Faraden. Any spies are just as likely to get caught, there is simply no way to tell if they will get away without being detected or not. Like Faraden, the outcome would be a coin toss. However the downside of getting caught would be even worse. Recent improvements in relations with the Iron Confederacy would be reversed and the spies themselves would all be executed.

Purity/Hatred

The Silent Bell could spy on sword scholars like Severus of the Blinding Sun to learn about Hatred If members of the sodality are caught, they will be executed

The malign spiritual aura of Hatred is not unknown in the Empire. The people of Whittle in the Mournwold relied on the strength of Hatred to fight off the Jotun for many years. Sadly they are gone now, when the attempts to reintegrate them into the Empire predictably failed. Such incidents are not uncommon however - the Marcher Assembly may denounce Hatred, but there are households in the Marches who are still nursing grudges to this day that are considerably older than the Assembly.

Not just the Marchers, there are mentions of Purity here and there in the history of the Highborn. According to some, there were many Highguard who expected the early Synod to embrace the "virtue" they called Purity and more than a few who refused to give it up when the Synod denounced it. A recent piece of historical research commissioned by Caleb of the Cenotaph as Minister of Historical Research delved into the teachings and practice of hatred and the document it produced -Maude, and the nature of Hatred - is available across the Empire. Even today it seems constant Vigilance is required to keep the pernicious influence of Hatred out of Highguard - and there are notable failures that reach right to the top of Highborn society.

The largest extant group of followers of Hatred that anyone knows about are among those sword scholars who refused to abandon their support for the teachings of Sulemaine when told to do so by the Synod. Many of these sword scholars were devotees of Wisdom but some, like Severus of the Blinding Sun, were passionate about the power of Hatred. Rather than renounce their beliefs, they retreated into the mountains of Urizen, where they live in hiding to this day.

The Empire could send the Silent Bell to spy on Severus and his peers. Like the other groups mentioned, any attempt to spy on them risks the spies being uncovered - there are even odds of that happening. Of course the sword scholars are not going to represent any kind of diplomatic threat - they already dislike the Empire so relations couldn't really get much worse. The problem will be for the spies themselves. Sulemaine brutally executed those priests who couldn't defend their views in the face of her hostility - if the sword scholars catch members of the Silent Bell spying on them, they won't hesitate to hunt them all down and execute every last one of them they can find in "their" mountains.

Fear/Dread

The Silent Bell could spy on the Druj to learn about Fear They will recover what information they can before the majority are inevitably caught and brutally executed

The Druj are the undisputed masters of Fear, creating miasma pillars to spread an insidious atmosphere across the lands they claim that cow their subject septs and breaks their will. If the Vigilance Assembly believes that it is worth the cost, then the Silent Bell are prepared to spy on the Druj to learn what they can about their understanding of this force.

Infiltrating Druj lands is extraordinarily difficult and dangerous, for everyone in the sodality. The human members of the sodality will find it particularly difficult, but even the Unshackled will struggle. The sodality are certain that they will be able to find out something about Fear - how the Druj create it and what they believe is happening. But the cost will be brutal - they are bound to be caught and the majority of those that head into the Mallum will not make it back alive. They are resigned to this fate if the Assembly asks it of them - they understand the important of seeking out the poison in your neighbour’s fields and know that dying in pursuit of Vigilance is a virtuous path.

Hope/Trust

The Silent Bell are not aware of any group that embraces Hope The Assembly would need to find a lead to investigate this

While Hope is periodically talked about as a false virtue, few Imperial citizens have any experience of it. There are rumours of spontaneous auras that seem tied to Hope but there are no reliable accounts of anyone using liao to create such auras. If there is a group of people, anywhere in the world, that embrace Hope as a virtue, then the Silent Bell would be happy to try to infiltrate them, no matter the risks, but the Synod would need to find a suitable target.

If the Silent Bell investigate the other five false virtues, and no lead has been found for Hope, then they will present the Cardinal of Vigilance with a report on anything they have discovered about Hope during the course of their activities. Without a group to spy on, it won't amount to the same information as the others, but it might still be useful.

Other Spiritual Forces

It is possible that other spiritual forces exist. If this comes to light, the Silent Bell could investigate an appropriate group.

It is entirely possible that other malign spiritual forces exist. People have spoken of Unity and of Greed as false virtues in the past but there is little to go on when it comes to finding someone who actively pursues these things. The Silent Bell can't investigate a false virtue without knowing who they are trying to infiltrate!

Wake Up

The Silent Bell can only investigate one thing each season - if they pursue one of these leads they cannot do anything else If members of the Silent Bell are caught and executed then that will damage the sodality's capabilities The first time it happens, there will be no mechanical effect If that happens we will lay out what the consequences would be if more members were caught and killed

Spying is dangerous and in many cases the spies can expect to be killed if they are caught. If that happens, then it will weaken the sodality. With less people remaining, it will make it harder for them to carry out similar work in the future.

The first time it happens, people will die, but the loss of life won't be enough to damage the sodality's ability to investigate threats. However, if any further spying operations go wrong, it would do enduring damage to the sodality. We will lay out what these consequences would be in a wind of fortune update, if members of the sodality were to be caught and killed on a second expedition.

Testify

The Wintermark Assembly has used a mandate to urge citizens to turn their back of the guidance of the General Assembly Wintermark is no longer affected by mandates passed by other assemblies unless they achieve a greater majority Wintermark will now be more vulnerable to the influence of cults looking to spread false virtues The nation could enact a mandate to reject false virtues to defend Wintermarkers against their influence

Leading members of the Wintermark Assembly criticized the Assembly of Nine for the decision to expose themselves to malign spiritual forces, calling them irresponsible and accusiang them of acting with reckless disregard for the Empire's wellbeing. The judgement concluded with a collective plea from the Stormcrows at Anvil for the people of Wintermark to turn their backs on the other assemblies.

Faced with an opportunity to back up their words with liao, the Assembly gave Ingrid Talon-of-the-Mark permission to travel the length and breadth of Wintermark encouraging people to heed the guidance of the stormcrows and ignore the judgements of other assemblies. As a result of their commitment, Wintermark will not be affected by any mandate passed by any assembly of the Synod other than the Wintermark Assembly unless it passes with a greater majority.

As a result of this decision, the mandate by the General Assembly urging people to remain vigilant and to turn their back on the false virtues will not have a significant effect in any Wintermark territory. Urizen and Varushka are similarly affected, due to their own longstanding issues with the Synod. Ironically, although it was the embrace of false virtue that caused Wintermark to reject the Asssembly of Nine and the Synod, the message that people have taken from it is to reject the Synod unless its speaks with the clear authority of a greater majority, not to reject false virtues themselves. As a result Wintermark will be more vulnerable to the spread of false virtues, as it has ignored the Synod's mandate to reject them.

Alert to this danger, the Wintermark Assembly have urged everyone who encounters a malign spiritual aura to consult with a stormcrow so that they can help guide them back to virtue. Such words will mean little however if they are not backed up with the force of a mandate. Sadly this means the Assembly will now be forced to find their own liao to enforce their mandates - such is the price of independence.

If this mandate is enacted, then the faithful of Wintermark will be alert to the dangers of false auras and will bring them to the attention of a Stormcrow so that they can be dealt with. That won't stop the spread of false virtues by itself, but it will mean the nation enjoys the same protection against false virtues as other parts of the Empire.

On The Risks of Espionage (Game Design)

Under normal circumstances our winds of fortune present the Empire with a set of known outcomes and invite them to choose between them. Our goal is to provide players with informed choices - they may not always like the choices they have, but they always know what the outcomes are going to be, so they can make an informed decision.

The real world is rarely predictable, but a crucial theme of espionage is the risk of discovery and betrayal. We wanted to capture that with the options for the Synod here, so we've deliberately taken a different approach with this plot - if the Silent Bell are sent to spy on the Druj they will definitely be caught and executed, but if the players opt to send spies to Faraden, Axos or Urizen then we will literally flip a coin to decide if those spies are discovered or not. In all cases the Empire will gain the information they are seeking - but there is a 50/50 risk of a high price to be paid for that information. There is no way to know what the outcome will be in advance because we do not know - the outcome will be random.

The only thing you can know for sure is that you definitely do not know. Deciding if that risk is worth the benefits is a crucial part of this plot.

Further Reading

The final cut - 387YE Spring wind of fortune charting the crisis around malign spiritual auras A little understanding - 386YE Winter wind of fortune discussing the initial repercussions of the peaceful decision Malign spiritual presences