Made anew

They'd met up in what Arlo took to be the remains of an old watchtower, probably dating back to the time when Madruga was the extent of the Brass Coast. It was overgrown with strange oval-leafed ivy but a few experimental prods with a halberd indicated that it wasn't threatening. The broken walls gave a modicum of shelter from the winds - not cold, even in Winter, not this far south, but insistent. He had been setting up the bedrolls while Lola used some of their precious store of dry wood and kindling to start a campfire over which she intended to cook the odd fish they'd caught earlier. There was a polite cough, and the two Freeborn explorers looked up to find two more guests come to join them. It had seemed rude to turn them away.Volcis was an Urizen stargazer, who airly explained their theory that while the strangeness here was clearly a result of the river rising, its foundations had been built by the use of Imperial enchantments. Their companion, Billiam, was an unstereotypically cheerful Bregas in reed-woven mage armour with an iron-shod staff and an endless store of riddles, funny stories, and homespun proverbs that Arlo half-suspected he made up on the spot. They were all tired, and muddy, but hot fish and hot tea - Volcis had a series of little pots with various different flavours that they insisted on sharing with the Freeborn - and good company had revitalised their spirits.As the moon rose, Billiam excused himself to answer a "natural call", and went a short distance into the dark. After a few moments, his voice drifted back towards the campfire."Riddle me this," he said and there was a peculiar edge to his voice. "What has eight piggy trotters, two snuffling piggy noses, eight mad piggy eyes, and two twisty piggy tails?"Lola and Arlo exchanged a worried look at the Marcher's tone. Vorcis seemed oblivious, considering for a moment before calling a reply. "Is it... two pigs?""Noooooo. There's only... uh... one of them and paragonspreserveusitsseenme!"Both Freeborn grabbed for their weapons but before they could rush to see what had panicked Billiam there came a shouted invocation followed by a loud squeal and a sound not dissimillar to something large being hurled a short distance into a willow tree and then falling over. The night was suddenly split by a noise that a League writer might have described as "oink" but sounded a lot more like a horrible high pitched squealing bellowing composed equal parts of snot and fury.The Marcher barreled back into the ruined tower, eyes wide, clearly terrified."It's right behind me!" he shouted.Jumping over the campfire, turning, readying his staff, Billiam shouted for Vorcis to get behind him. The two Freeborn moved to flank him. The Urizen scholar stood up, unhurried, still drinking their tea. They peered back the way Billiam had come with the detached professional curiosity of the fascinated Merrow.The thing was indeed right behind Billiam and as the monstrous porcine horror erupted into the circle of light, four-fold jaws snapping open like impossible scissors, Vorcis nodded thoughtfully."Ah yes, of course," they said to themselves. "Eight eyes. Two pigs would have been four eyes."

Overview

At the Summer Solstice, magicians caused the Scorrero river to burst its banks, in the process washing away the desiccating blight that had transformed the Great Grasses into an ashen wasteland. The waters, infused with particles of star metal worked a powerful transformation on the territory, already scarred by war with the Grendel and the Children of Wrecks.

Now a strange marsh covers the southern reaches of Madruga. Following the Autumn equinox, daring champions and Conclave magicians alike began to explore the changed territory and try to understand what this transfiguration portends.

As well as exploring the transformed regions, those visiting Madruga have identified a number of opportunities to harness the potential of the magic here, and perhaps enrich the beleagured territory.

The Name I Once Wore

A large portion of Madruga is now a swamp, altered by Spring, Night, and Winter, the magics of Adversity. The Wise gather information, then act. Let those with the expertise to do so map the land, before we seek to reclaim it. A few months wait is a small price to pay to preserve your lives.Soratio i Del'Toro, Freeborn Assembly, Autumn Equinox 386YE, Vote: Upheld 112-0

Military units have explored the marshes using the Explore the Southern Reaches venture The venture remains available until the start of the Spring Equinox 387YE The map of Madruga is correct once again The rising river has permanently transformed three regions, and they have acquired new names and qualities

Madruga has been transfigured. Magic, chaos, and water together have created a great new marsh that covers what was once the southern Great Grasses, and the Siroc Plains. After the Autumn Equinox, adventurous captains from all corners of the Empire came to Madruga to Explore the Southern Reaches, a scouting venture intended to help map the extent of the new regions and better understand the changed Madruga. With the help of the civil service, these brave explorers have helped update the map of Madruga, and learn more about the extent of the changes here.

The southern marshes are very different to those found in Holberg, Kallavesa, and Bregasland. Like the rest of the Brass Coast, Madruga's climate is warm, and the marshes reflect that. What were once scrubby and open plains now burst with colour and life. Many of the creatures that lived in or along the banks of the Scorrero have been changed by the combination of Spring and Night magic. These creatures are not restricted to the marshes, some are sighted as far upstream as Cerevado.

Trees now anchor the banks, grown impossibly fast over a handful of months. Willows, mangroves, and less identifiable breeds nod beside the spreading waterways, pools, and lagoons. In the early morning and the late evening, as the sun slips past the horizon, there is an almost tangible haze in the air, described variously as a shiver or shimmer by those who have seen it. It is hard to describe, and there's no consensus on what it looks like - some describe a thin mist, others say it reminds them of the way light glints off oil on water sometimes. Others talk more in terms of a feeling they can see or even smell. No-one can agree exactly what it looks like, with some scouts contending that it changes subtly over time.

Regardless, everyone can agree that everything here seems new, fresh, exciting. Even the familiarly mundane reeds and rushes seem full of unique potential much less the odd animals and peculiar flowers clamouring among them.

Thanks to the efforts of the explorers, the Empire has been able to update its maps of Madruga, and determine the layout of regions. Scrying rituals, and other forms of ritual magic that require detailed maps, now function with regards to the territory once more. Nonetheless, the explorers have only scratched the surface of the oddness and peculiarities in the southern reaches, and the venture remains available until the start of the Spring Equinox 387YE. A standard military unit that takes this venture will receive 6 random herbs and 2 pawns of vis (a combination of vital honey, crystal fire, and even heart's blood) instead of their usual production. Upgraded or enchanted military units will gain more though it is hard to predict exactly what they'll get.

Descriptions of the new regions explored by Imperial adventurers are now on the Madruga territory page: the Siroc Bayou,the Crucible, and the Quiet Grasses.

Chaos and Order

Members of the Unfettered Mind and the Rod and Shield were urged to explore the southern reaches Between them they have evaluated the new regions and gained insight into the peculiar qualities they possess

While explorers spread out to undertake the vital if somewhat mundane task of mapping the changed land, two Conclave orders committed to enter the marshes with the goal of understanding what happened here and what it might mean. The Dread Auntie urged her peers in the Unfettered Mind to explore the mysteries and Milton de Vere confirmed that the Rod and Shield would accompany them.

While working together, both orders have their own particular interests in the southern reaches - the Unfettered Mind exist to boldly consider possibilities and opportunities that others may not consider, and have been involved with the magical chaos in Madruga since near the start. The members focus on exploring the magical mysteries of the new marshes, seeking wonders and enigmas. The Rod and Shield have been involved for almost as long, having been called on to offer protection and martial assistance. Their members split their time between ensuring that the assorted dangers of the marshes do not claim their fellow magicians, and seeing what strategic or tactical advantage they can identify in the altered land.

Sing of Tides

The Unfettered Mind have made a study of the magics at work here

The Unfettered Mind confirm a lot of things that had already been expected, but make some discoveries hitherto unknown. The odd powers that infuses the marshes are partly due to the nature of the magic that caused the Scorrero to break its banks, tinged with the influence of Ossegrahn who provided aid to the magicians who did so. It is partly due to the intervention of the Night eternal Azoth that helped break the connection between the Dry Patricians and the Winter magic that sustained them, specifically by claiming the potent regio from which they drew much of their energy. It is also partly due to the lingering influence of that self-same Winter magic, but shorn of its connections to unquenchble thirst. The magic has been further complicated by the fact that, like the Drownbark Forest in Ossium, the waters of the Scorrero - and now the marshes and the Quiet Grasses - are infused with particles of ilium swept down from the mountains of Kahraman. Too diffuse to extract, but enough to anchor and strengthen the potent magics unleashed in saving Madruga from the forces of dessication, especially when one adds the preserving, durable nature of Winter energies to the mix.

While there are pockets of Winter magic here and there, it is the resonances of Spring and Night that have had the most influence. Resonances of chaos and transformation have both acted on the land around the Scorrero, shaping and changing each other. The nature of the two eternals involved has also played its part. Azoth's essence is one of change and transfiguration, while Ossegrahn promotes a kind of gentle fertility. It's not clear that these influences are the result of conscious effort on behalf of the two eternals, so much as an unavoidable consequence of the parts they played in recent events.

The result has been that many of the beasts and plants that lived in the flooded areas have been altered and changed, to the point where some are unrecognisable. Yet there is also Winter magic here that provides a level of stability alien to both Spring and Night. This is not the rampant chaos of Yaw'nagrah, or of the vallorn. There are not endless unique variations of the natural world here, but rather the changes are akin to the creation of new species that will now grow and change and perhaps even spread according to natural laws.

Not only the beasts have been altered; there are trees growing here in a profusion rarely seen in the Brass Coast. Willows in the depths of the swamp, mangroves on the marshy coast, odd tall trees in the Quiet Grasses with long straight trunks that erupt into a labyrinthine tangled ball of branches fifteen feet or more off the ground. And everywhere, flowers. Dozens of different kinds, some unique or infused with magical potence, in an uncountable excess of hues and shapes.

The influence of Night magic in particular is felt in less tangible ways; it is easy to get lost in the marshes. Landmarks seem to shift imperceptibly when not observed. There is something almost hallucinatory about parts of the Crucible and the Siroc Bayou. Some of the Unfettered Mind explore the theory that the marsh may now be larger on the inside than it is on the outside, that if one takes the right (or wrong) routes, the place opens up around one. The more one pushes toward the centre, the larger the place becomes, as if there is a great deal more marsh than there is any right to be folded and crinkled up within the easily mappable borders. They're unable to properly test this theory but the common proposition is that a couple of regio that lay along the banks of the river have ruptured in some fashion, loosening the boundaries of the chambers and causing them to spill over into the surrounding territory.

One thing the Unfettered Mind do agree on is that there do not seem to be any permanent regio left in any of the three regions touched by the floods - the Quiet Grasses, Crucible, and Siroc Bayou. Rather they report the odd phenomenon that regio of Night and Spring, and occasionally Winter, open temporarily in places that resonate with their realm, persist for a few hours or days, then close again. Those who have entered the chambers associated with these regio describe them as "like the marshes, but even stranger." A few Unfettered Mind explorers have, sadly, disappeared while exploring these peculiar magical sites despite the best efforts of their guardians.

The details of the enigmatic and quiet qualities identified by the Unfettered Mind are listed on the Madruga territory page.

Rise in the Currents

The Rod and Shield have also been active in the southern reaches They have assessed the area from a military standpoint

If they had come here by themselves, then many of the Unfettered Mind would have met gruesome ends at the claws, teeth, and paws of the new beasts that live here, or become so engrossed in their studies that they got lost and never reemerged from the marshes. As it is, the focus of the Rod and Shield keeps their peers in the Unfettered Mind relatively safe (although they can do only so much to protect them from themselves and their own tendency to disappear into enigmatic regio).

While many of the magicians of the martial order are just as fascinated by this place as the Unfettered Mind, they are more interested in strategic and tactical considerations. It is the Rod and Shield who identify some of the Grendel encampments in the marshes, and are in a position to neutralise the threat they present.

They establish that it is infeasible to clear the weird creatures from the marshes; but most of them are only hostile if threatened. Unfortunately there are enough predators who lack any fear of humans or orcs who will seek to predate them that they don't think the marshes will ever be safe. The idea of establishing large villages or towns in the marshes is laughable - but there are places where the chaotic magic ebbs a little, where it would be possible to establish settlements to explore and exploit the resources of the marshes, mostly along the borders to the north.

The details of the wild and underpopulated qualities identified by the Rod and Shield are listed on the Madruga territory page.

War and Change

Siroc Bayou, Crucible, and Quiet Grasses are uncontrolled The Children of Wrecks have raised their navy at Free Landing

The Rod and Shield also assess strategic situation in the territory. They are able to confirm that at the moment the three new regions are uncontrolled - although the wild quality of Siroc Bayou and Crucible may present challenges for Imperial forces sent to conquer them. Perhaps just as pressing is confirmation that the Children of Wrecks have completed their scheme to forge a navy from pirate ships and looted symbols of the Freeborn Storm. The Gathered Storm, composed of ships from the Broken Shore, from foreign pirates, and Imperial traitors alike is now anchored at Free Landing. The flagship of the navy incorporates the stolen Storm Child figurehead, a clear taunt to the Freeborn.

The navy is able to support itself while the Children of Wrecks control the islands of Free Landing, the Cazar Straits, and (if rumour is to be believed) similar bastions of unnatural power in the Temple of Tempest Jade in Raineach and perhaps even the Iron Confederacy. With this force, supported by Spring magic and pirate vessels, they will be able to threaten any of the settlements along the Bay of Catazar - a cause for alarm for the people of Quzar and Calvos.

Bridges Over Turbulent Waters

It is still impossible for an Imperial army to move between Madruga and either Feroz or Segura The Rod and Shield propose that an appraisal by Lutomysla Niegoslava could resolve this issue

The Midpoint bridge - representing the only easy way to cross the Scorrero to Feroz - is no more. That same is true of the Cerevado bridge that once linked Madruga and Segura. The Rod and Shield located the ruins of both bridges, and found that nothing remained except shattered stonework on either side of the river. Rebuilding the bridges would still be a significant challenge, but there is some good news. The Rod and Shield magicians say that the broken white granite that once served as the foundation of each bridge bears signs of lingering Winter magic that has somehow preserved and protected these fragments from the chaos of the marshes. As such they seems to be quite stable, and show no sign of either sinking into the marshes or being swallowed by the verdant plant life.

This suggests a way to deal with the other problem, that building a road through shifting, Night-and-Spring infused marshlands is a major challenge even for the creativity of the Brass Coast. However, they believe that the ideal people to address this challenge would be Varushkans. One Rod and Shield versed in engineering goes so far as to propose that if the Senate wishes to create a durable and reliable connection between Segura and Feroz that will survive the weird marshes, they should could do worse than call on Lutomysla Niegoslava - well versed as she is in Night magic - to bring some Varushkan road builders south to appraise the problem. Until then, though, they believe that it will remain impossible to move an Imperial army between Madruga and Feroz, or between Madruga and Segura.

Mindtrap (Madruga)

Magicians of the Rod and Shield have suffered attacks from Grendel and Asaveans in the Crucible This skirmish is a combat highly likely encounter Sakari Nightscale is responsible for dealing with the Grendel and Asaveans This conjunction is against barbarians; magistrates advise that lethal force is fully justified

Last season the Order of the Rod and Shield were sent by Milton de Vere, proxy grandmaster of the order, to Madruga. The battlemages of the Rod and Shield were to support and defend the Unfettered Mind in their task of investigating the unprecedented magics. The marshes had been changed by Night magic and so needed to be studied. Though there were no Grendel armies or navies in Madruga last season, there are still hundreds of the orcs of the Broken Shore and their Asavean allies - and groups of them followed the orders into the marshes.

After a season of strange battles - some of them seeming to last for hours or even days - the majority have been driven off or killed. One particularly large and dangerous group of Grendel and Asaveans remains - these mage-killers, lost to the madness of the Crucible, are readying themselves for one last attack, one last raid to kill as many of the Rod and Shield as they can. Given that the mage-killers are targeting members of the order, it is the responsibility of the incumbent Grandmaster of the Rod and Shield, Sakari Nightscale, to deal with them. If the Grendel and Asaveans are killed, then the magicians of the order will send some of their uncovered "oddities" to the kallavesi mystic after the summit.

Participation

If you took the the Explore the Southern Reaches action, or you are a member of the Unfettered Mind or Rod and Shield Conclave order, you are encouraged to make up stories about the things you saw or encountered in the new marshes based on the descriptions above. The theme for this place is wonder, change, and strangeness. There is danger here, but it is the danger of predators that don't fear people or weird geographic features such as shifting land, hungry waters, or sucking mud.

Peace in Silt and Water

A number of opportunities have been discovered by explorers and Conclave magicians in the southern reaches

Between them, the two groups - cunning scouts and Conclave magicians - have uncovered a number of opportunities in Madruga. Most of these opportunities relate to the new regions, which are not currently controlled by anyone. There is no restriction on taking advantage of these opportunities, but anything built or established in a territory that is not Imperial is at serious risk of capture or destruction by outside forces.

Flowers Bloom

Herb gardens in Madruga can harness some of the chaotic magic to cultivate marsh flowers at the expense of some of their resources' healing power The ritual Ruthless Vigilance, Healthy Crop performed with a ring of ilium and an existing flower permanently diversifies the herb garden, causing it to lose four true vervain but produce two marsh flowers each event It is only possible to take advantage of this opportunity during the Winter Solstice It might be possible to create an arcane projection to allow future herb gardens in Madruga to gain this benefit An appraisal might find a way to establish marsh flowers in the Drownbark Forest

The full transformative magic of the effect that has overtaken the territory has mostly faded, but there is still a little potential. The Unfettered Mind have determined that an amount of water from the marshes, along with some earth, could be used to allow horticulturalists to cultivate a small number of marsh flowers in their own gardens. The catch is that it would need a boost of magical energy - and a full ring of ilium to capture that magic so that the flowers continue to prosper.

During the Winter Solstice, any herb garden in Madruga can be diversified to grow special marsh flowers. This requires the garden to be targetted by a performance of Ruthless Vigilance, Healthy Crop. The ritual must include a ring of ilium and a single unused marsh flower for each target, both of which are consumed in the casting. The merciless Winter magic will cull the herb garden, and use the energies released to help a small number of marsh flowers to take root. The target herb garden permanently loses the ability to provide 4 drams of True Vervain, but will instead produce two random marsh flowers each season.

This opportunity only exists at the Winter Solstice after which it will be too late to cultivate marsh flowers in this way, although the Unfettered Mind believe it might be possible to create an arcane projection using Winter magic of magnitude 20 that could achieve the same effect as long as it were performed on a herb garden in Madruga that had not already been subject to this effect. Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to cultivate marsh flowers outside of Madruga, although a suitable appraisal might be used to find a way to do so - most likely in Drownbark forest where the combination of illium-infused marshwaters and powerful Night magic already exist.

Rainbow Conservatory

A conservatory to cultivate marsh flowers could be built in Crucible or Siroc Bayou The structure would be a sinecure that required 10 wains of mithril, 10 rings of ilium, and 60 crowns (before marsh penalty) It would create the title Mistress of Glass Flowers that would receive marsh flowers and Adversity vis The title could be appointed via the Conclave, or through the Bourse as either national or imperial

The exotic flowers growing in the marshes have magical power within but they only seem to prosper in the unique combination of magical residues, warm climate, and ilium. The Unfettered Mind, however, are of the opinion that there is an opportunity to bring a little order here, to cultivate the marsh flowers in a somewhat controlled environment. Their proposal is for a structure of glass and mithril, infused with ilium, that will provide a reliable source of marsh flowers. The best glass in the Empire, arguably, is produced in the Brass Coast which should make this a less challenging proposition than it might be elsewhere.

The Rainbow Conservatory would be built in the northern parts of the Crucible, or in Siroc Bayou, and staffed in part by members of the Unfettered Mind with an interest in botany, and Freeborn magicians with an interest in Spring, and Night magic. It would require 10 wains of mithril to provide the frame, 10 rings of ilium to enrich the environment within, and 60 crowns for the glass. Once complete it would create an Imperial title Mistress of Glass Flowers. It would be up to the person responsible for commissioning the conservatory as to how title could be appointed. It could be a Conclave position appointed by Declaration of Candidacy, or a Bourse seat appointed either through Tally of the Votes for the nation Madruga is assigned to, or via the Auction of the Seats if an Imperial position is sought.

The main benefit would be that the Mistress would receive 6 random marsh flowers each season, along with 3 pawns of Adversity vis (a random mixture of Night, Spring, and Winter vis). They would be responsible for protecting the Rainbow Conservatory, for supporting adventurers, herbalists, and horticulturalists exploring the southern reaches of Madruga, and making decisions about opportunities relating to the marsh flowers of Crucible and Siroc Bayou.

Camp of the Sand Crab

Sand Crab Camp provides a base of operations for explorers in the southern reaches of Madruga The Imperial Senate could give responsibility for the camp to the Unfettered Mind, the Rod and Shield, or the Brass Coast The appropriate Conclave order, or the new title of Mistress Sand Crab would receive four Adversity vis each season The Senate could commit money to expand the camp, increasing the vis received

While exploring the north-eastern Crucible, some of the warbands discovered a largely intact Grendel encampment built arop a low hill. The marshes had spread around it, and the wash of magic had prompted the growth of a thick growth of odd citrus trees that sheltered the camp from sight. There were crates and sacks of arrows, weapons, armour, and preserved foodstuffs that marked the place as likely a Grendel supply encampment such as those regularly overseen by quartermasters and pursers. Indeed, several banners depicting pale orange crabs hung around the walls and some of the banner poles in the centre were surmounted by sandstone crabs. There was no sign of the forces of the Broken Shore however. Just empty tents, bedrolls, even personal possessions suggesting perhaps a hundred and fifty orcs and a handful of humans had been based here. The site raises questions - did the soldiers leave in a hurry perhaps racing to be the last folk aboard a retreating ship? Did they flee some approaching catastrophe - not the floodwaters surely given the position of the camp - or were they lured out of their safe location by something in the marshes? Likely nobody will ever know, just as nobody will ever know where the story began that everyone here was transformed into a ten-legged spider-crab when the magic washed over it.

The camp's position, however, and the ready supplies, palisade walls, and tents made it a natural base of operation for many scouts, and for Conclave magicians looking for a little rest and recuperation. Several improvements were made - a watchtower added, and almost inevitably given the number of Freeborn visiting, a makeshift parador and a general store catering to the needs of explorers and adventurers. As Winter approaches, the camp has become a reliable landmark in the enigmatic marshes. So much so that there is an opportunity for the Imperial Senate to use a Senate motion to offer a little recognition and secure a useful resource for future exploration of the southern reaches.

There are three possibilities as to what might be done with Sand Crab Camp. A senate motion could make it the responsibility of the Unfettered Mind or the Rod and Shield Conclave order. If this were done it would provide three pawns of Adversity vis to the Conclave vault of that order. The camp would fall under the responsibility of the Grandmaster of the order, who would be expected to respond to any threats along with their order. Alternatively, the Senate could declare that responsibility for the camp would fall to the people of Madruga, and by extension the nation that territory was part of. For the time being that would mean the Brass Coast. If this choice were made, it would create a new title - Mistress Sand Crab - appointed by the Tally of the Votes.

In any case, as long as someone is made responsible for the Camp of the Sand Crab, once Explore the Southern Reaches venture expired at the start of the Spring Equinox, a new venture available only to Freeborn military units would be created called Dare the southern reaches that would last as long as Sand Crab Camp was operational. It's too early to say for sure what the adventure would provide, but it would likely be a mix of herbs, Adversity vis, and marsh flowers.

At the same time the Senate motion was raised, the Senate could commit to providing additional support to the camp. This would allow those operating from the top of the hill a chance to reinforce the walls, build some permanent structures, and establish a light trade route to bring in more supplies and equipment. This would cost 30 Thrones from the Imperial Treasury, but would increase the amount of Adversity vis acquired each season to six pawns. If done as part of the motion assigning responsibility this would not require a commission as the camp already exists; if done at a later date it would require a new motion and a commission.

Explorers of Salt and Sand

Parts of the Parador of Salt and Sand could be repurposed to encourage exploration of the marshes and the Quiet Grasses The decision to take advantage could be made by the Hakima of Salt and Sand as part of the ongoing repairs It would cost 50 crowns and would grant the Hakima of Salt and Sand the chance to purchase Adversity vis The opportunity is only available at the Winter Solstice

The Parador of Salt and Sand has weathered recent storms better than most. Briefly conquered by the Grendel, it has been flooded, and threatened by the Children of Wrecks, but it has never fallen. The Hakima of Salt and Sand once again welcomes Freeborn hakima to visit and trade, and to discuss the matters that such people find important. Some of the hakima who have ventured into the southern reaches, and explored the Quiet Grasses, have brought back intriguing tales to the Parador, tales that entice more hakima (and their kohan protectors) to investigate.

There is already a possible expansion for the Parador, but another opportunity has become available. A series of chambers could be added to the Parador, designed to store maps of the shifting marshes, along with a place for hakima to gather to study the effects of the enigmatic regions and the peculiar magic. This would require a repurposing of some of the lodgings and part of the space designed for the market. The change would be relatively minor however, and cost only 50 Crowns. Normally such a revelopment would require a Senate motion and a commission, but given that the Parador has needed recent repairs anyway the change could be achieved by the Hakima of Salt and Sand themselves. (OOC Note: If they choose to redesign the Parador in this way they need to email plot@profounddecisions.co.uk after the event and ensure the requried 50 crowns are in their inventory).

The change would be to encourage more trade with travellers exploring the southern reaches, creating a second ministry track for the Hakima to purchase Adversity vis.

This opportunity is only available during the Winter Solstice 386YE, after which enthusiasm for the project will have faded.

Chimes of Silence

Cabella i Riqueza has been inspired to design a set of glass and mithril pillars that resonate with the power of the Quiet Grasses The great work costs 50 wains of mithril, 150 crowns, and takes three months to complete Once complete it raises the level of investment in mana sites by one and provide each mana site in the territory with a pawn of adversity vis

When a small number of particularly adventurous Unfettered Mind magicians fell in with some of the independent captains exploring what was then the Great Grasses, nobody expected to experience a profound mystical experience. The story they tell is that while traversing the dense grasslands they camped for the night under the open stars in a clearing amidst the tall grasses, and as Freeborn often do engaged in a pleasant evening of drumming, singing, dancing, and good cheer. Even the non-Freeborn members of the little group joined in, the music helping to soften the impact of the quiet that hangs over the region. Shortly before midnight, with the half-moon high and the Key glittering in the oddly distant sky, a sudden hush fell over the little camp. Everyone tells it the same - all song and conversation simply tailed off, everyone stopped moving. There was no sound - a silence so loud (according to the explorers) that it drowned out everything save the heartbeats of the travellers. None of them could say how long it lasted, but when it passed all of them had had a profound epiphany. The group split up the next day, with each member heading off to pursue forgotten ambitions or make up for past regrets.

One of the hakima Cabella i Riqueza experienced an even more profound moment of insight (or, given the magics involved, more likely wisdom). A musician as well as a member of the Unfettered Mind she created a set of plans that she said were inspired in part by her understanding of the Music of the spheres, in part by a discussion she had in the cold hours before morning with an Urizen member of her order, and in part by some odd dreams she had in the weeks that followed. A set of five glass-and-mithril pillars laid out to reflect the celestial constellations of The Key and The Lock, not too far from where the Aldea di Tutamen estate once stood. The pillars would capture a little of the strangeness of the Quiet Grasses, and resonate with the silence as the winds blow . In turn, they would resonate with the flows of mana that spread and weave across Madruga, altering them and infusing a little of the magic that transfigured the southern reaches.

This great work would increase the level of investment in mana sites in Madruga by 1, but rather than increasing the amount of mana crystals the sites produced, it would add a pawn of Adversity vis to each site. The towering pillars would require 50 wains of mithril and 150 crowns to build, and would use a commission as normal.

There's a little concern that some of the design elements echo the layout of Ghita's Veils (where the hakima once studied before the place was wrecked by the Sobral Terror, but Cabella earnestly explains that they perform a very different function - while Ghita's Veils are meant to focus mana inwards, to contain, the pillars - her Chimes of Silence - focus the magic outwards in a much more wholesome manner sharing their power with everyone in Madruga.

Cabella has lodged her plans with the civil service; there is currently no time limit on when the Chimes of Silence might be commissioned, provided the situation in Madruga does not change.

The Enigmatic Tower

The Empire could commission a college of magic in the Enigmatic Tower The college would be specialised in Spring, Night and Winter rituals but could only codify rituals of those realms The college would have an upkeep of 75 mana a season

Several scouts recognised an odd tower, a little like a lighthouse, in the Scorrero itself, barely a mile after the river passes into Crucible. The water is still quite swift-flowing and rambunctious, and a challenge to cross. A small number of Rod and Shield magicians managed to make the trip, combining Freeborn daring with League ingenuity and Wintermark enthusiasm. They found that the tower was perfectly formed, oddly smooth in places, as if it had been grown or shaped from clay rather than formed by a mason's arts. They also quickly discovered that the tower resonates with the power that created the Crucible - the magic of Spring, Winter, and Night. Those who sleep within its walls experience vivid dreams of transformation and find it easier to make intuitive leaps or spot unlikely connections between ideas. They find themselves refreshed, with a natural sense for the ebb and flow of life and natural forces. They discover a cool wisdom that helps them judge dangers and weigh courses of action. The effects do not last long after the visitors leave the tower, however. But the Rod and Shield magicians find that they combine to help encourage and make easier any discussions of magic, philosophy, and the principles of life, death, and imagination that underly a lot of magic of the three realms.

The Rod and Shield magicians leave the tower with an inspiration; the tower would make an excellent site for a college of magic. A unique structure dedicated to the study of, and codification of, new rituals dealing with the three realms - Spring, Winter, and Night. A civil servant is prevailed upon to make the risky trip downriver from Cerevado, and concurs with the magicians.

Turning the Enigmatic Tower into a college of magic will require some work. It must be commissioned as normal by anyone with the power to oversee the creation of such a structure. It would require construction materials - 30 wains of white granite, 30 wains of mithril, 30 wains of weirwood - but it would also require an investment of 60 rings of ilium to refine and focus the inspirations, novel ideas, cool wisdom, and energies that flow through the tower and the waters of the Scorrero (and to ignite the beacon that would shine atop the tower, providing a landmark visible throughout the marshes). The construction work would cost 360 crowns, before the modification for building in a marsh, and take a year to complete.

Once complete, though, the new college of magic would have several unique qualities. It would be a beacon for the more esoterically minded magicians of the Empire, especially those of the Brass Coast, but it would also attract stargazers from Urizen, mystics from Wintermark, and even Marcher landskeepers keen to explore how the magics of Adversity interact with marshes and grasslands.

The harnessed magic, and the significant natural resources of the river and the marshes as well as the rich merchants of the Brass Coast would mean that the college would not require an upkeep from the Imperial treasury. Rather it would require a large amount of crystal mana to maintain its odd magical properties - 75 mana crystals each season from the Font. This upkeep would be automatically removed from the font that was made available to magicians at the start of each summit, (formed from the purchase of the rogue declaration and the principle of proportions). If there were ever not enough crystals to pay the upkeep of the tower, none would be taken, but it would mean that the Provost of the Enigmatic Tower would be unable to codify a ritual that season.

The tower would have other odd qualities. It would only be able to codify rituals using Winter magic, Spring magic, or Night magic, but in each case the the work would proceed at the rate of 15 ranks of magnitude each season (as if the college were specialised in all three realms.

The title of Provost of the Enigmatic Tower would almost certainly be appointed through Declaration of Candidacy by the Imperial Conclave. One of the first tasks for the Lightkeeper might be to secure patrons for the college - Azoth at the very least is likely to be intrigued by the possibilities of the Enigmatic Tower, especially with regard to the codification of alchemical transformations of body and soul.

The opportunity to adapt the tower in this way would remain available until the end of the Autumn Equinox 387YE. After that the situation would likely have changed enough to make this plan unfeasible. There is one additional cost - the opportunity to expand the Parador of Salt and Sand into a college of magic would be lost once work began on the tower, and vice versa.