One of us

The priest stands proudly before the altar, speaking in the old tongue that nobody speaks any more. The sky is blue, the ocean is blue, the priests robes and mask are blue. The faithful clap their hands together in a slow rhythm, chains and necklaces clattering, polished rings and diadems catching the bright sunlight and making it dance across the walls. They are calling for the Balo to lay her hands upon the sea, to make it gentle, to help their ships reach distant shores far on the other side of the known world, without running afoul of Sumaah murderers or Imperial thieves.Itaulo moves between them with a basin of gold, set with blue stones. It is worth more money than anyone in his family has ever seen, going back ten generations and more. It is filled with salt water. The worshippers dip their fingers into it, then shake the water off. Some of them spatter Itaulo with it. Not intentionally but because, as a slave, he is below their sight. Invisible.He hides his contempt for them, behind his careful mask of fear and obedience. When the last of them has wet their fingers, he returns the bowl to the little shrine where it is kept between ceremonies. Once he is certain nobody is watching, he spits into the bowl, quickly stirring it with his fingers. He despises them, just as he despises his so-called master. He knows their gods are false, that Balo of the Foam is nothing but a story told by fools, signifying nothing. He has never seen anyone touched by the gods, but he himself has felt the touch of the virtues. The wonder of them. He knows he is not really a slave, not in his heart where it counts.Leaving the shrine, he walks back along the slaves' corridor that allows him to move around the temple without being seen by any of the important folk who come here, the ship captains and merchant venturers. He gazes through one of the peepholes worn in the old stone, watches them chattering and drinking, making deals, sloshing wine of the floor as they jokingly make libations (but their eyes suggest that they are not really joking, not really). He watches them, and he wonders. What would Amika do?

Overview

The Imperial Synod has committed to the spreading of the Way to Asavea. Conflict with the Imperial Senate has been resolved through the use of the veto, and certain compromises have been suggested, and missionaries and wayfarers continue to head east. With the help of the Freeborn, they smuggle themselves, and valuable resources, into Asavea to share with those who pursue the path of virtue despite the opposition of the Plenum and the priesthood of Asav.

The missionaries are not the only people heaving east. At the direction of the Conclave, magicians of the Sevenfold Path have slipped into Asavea, in the hope that they may be able to make contact with virtuous magicians who follow the Way. The work is dangerous, but has borne fruit. They have made contact with three distinct groups, all of whom might be called Virtuous. Now the Empire must decide how to proceed.

At the same time, the Synod has established a grand project, to funnel white granite and funds to those sects that already follow the Way - primarily among the slaves of the so-called Republic. It has made little progress so far, but there is still time. The process of converting an entire nation will not happen overnight.

Finally, the Loyalty assembly has found a way for its members to directly aid the grand undertaking - not through straightforward missionary work but by identifying those who would change Asavea for the better and urging them to follow the voice of their heart.

Establishing the Way

No-one is under any illusion that establishing the Way in Asavea will be quick or easy. The Imperial Synod has begun the process, urging priests to travel there to spread the Way. The Assembly of the Brass Coast have done their part, smuggling priests all across the thousand islands that make up the Asavean Archipelago. But what is needed now is resources... Establishing the Way here will require investment in shrines, churches and congregations.

A huge amount of white granite is needed - equivalent to the amounts needed to build the Grand Inspiration of the Way in Bastion. Thus far contributions have been limited - 37 thrones, 2 crowns, 1 ring and a single wain of white granite. At the current rate of progress it will take 350 years to complete the task... Clearly the Empire needs to find ways to reduce the investment needed and shorten those times, otherwise the people of Asavea are going to languish under the rule of heretics and blasphemers for centuries to come.

Fortunately the magicians of the Sevenfold Path have made contact with three groups of magicians who could help the Empire. Each of these groups have some connection with the Imperial faith but none of them are followers of the Way. They might be persuaded to embrace the Way more fully, though it is clear that their beliefs are a long way from what any inquisitor might call orthodox. Even so, if they could be relied on then they would be effective allies in the aim of establishing the way in Asavea. This is abstractly represented by a reduction in the total cost needed to establish the Way in Asavea if each group is brought onboard. With these groups onboard, the Empire needs less white granite and money to establish sites of worship elsewhere.

The Path of Loyalty

Even the most impenetrable forest may fall one tree at a time. We send Dagon with 50 doses of liao to urge those loyal to our young siblings in Virtue to spread the Way and support the Virtuous rebels in Asavea.Dagon, Loyalty Assembly, Summer Solstice 386YE, Vote: Upheld (400-128)

The Assembly of Loyalty had committed their full-throated support for the conversion of Asavea. The mandate spread by Dagon has convinced those who feel a sense of Loyalty to the Way, to the idea of spreading salvation, to those who wish to free slaves and make society more equitable, that they should take action in support of their cause. They delayed immediate action until it was clear whether their support for this project would be illegal or not before taking action.

The decision of the Imperial Synod to veto the Senate motion that would have outlawed preaching the Way in Asavea has helped the Loyal to work out how to proceed. The most ardent devotees of Loyalty are very clear that they were going to do this anyway, but it is now much easier for the Assembly to act openly and publicly. Of course it is still illegal in Asavea, and anyone caught there will be executed, but the fact that it is legal in the Empire means that only one set of eyes are watching them. That gives the Assembly the freedom to consider carefully what strategy they want to pursue.

There are two opposing strategies the Loyalty assembly could pursue. Either approach will work in the short term - next season each path will bring forth two or three groups that the Empire could choose to work with, just as the work done by the Sevenfold Path has done this season.

But the choice will have significant implications for the Empire's entire approach to spreading the Way in Asavea. Once the Loyal get to work, their influence cannot help but spread. While the initial approach will require Loyal dedicates to travel to Asavea, they will focus on finding people who already know in their hearts the course of action they wish to take, and encourage them to listen to the voice within.

Picking one route will naturally tend to foreclose the other option. It would not be wise to try to pursue both approaches in tandem because eventually the Empire will be forced to pick one side and abandon the other - with all the consequences that implies.

Burn It Down

Dagon's judgement calls for the Assembly of Loyalty to "support the Virtuous rebels in Asavea." On the face of it this seems like a call to support those groups most likely to attempt to overthrow the Plenum. This is exactly the outcome the Plenum fears, a loss of control and the collapse of their rules as rebels inspired by the Way rise up to over-throw them. This is exactly what Sumaah has spent decades trying to achieve - arguably one of the only reasons they haven't succeeded is the amount of time the Plenum devotes to stamping out these sparks before they can turn into a fire.

The Way tells us that no-one may demand your loyalty and obedience to their rule. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to teach the Asaveans to abandon those who have done nothing to deserve their LoyaltySynod Mandate, Loyalty Assembly

If this mandate is enacted it will encourage Imperial dedicates of Loyalty to provide support to the missionaries, but they will also look for folk whose heart inclines towards bringing the Plenum down. Next season the Assembly of Loyalty will be able to report on the three rebel groups they have made contact with who could be supported and encouraged to embrace the Way and resist the Plenum.

This will encourage exactly what the Plenum fears - making a point of taking the Way to those groups most likely to rise up and rebel against the Plenum's rule. Priests will encourage revolt in the satrapies already looking to raise rebellions and declare their independence, or even attempt to overthrow the Plenum completely. They will encourage conspiracies in the heart of Asavea that will result in the murder of key figures in the Plenum and influential priests, destroying their ability to rule, bringing down the entire rotting edifice of Asavean rule from within.

There is no guarantee of success at any given moment, but this approach is certain to spark rebellions and revolts. This will increase the demand on an already strained Imperial state, however. Once civil war begins to erupt, the Empire and Sumaah will both hear calls to send armed forces to support the rebels in their battles with the Plenum. Sending armies is impossible for the Empire, but military units could travel there to fight in potentially huge numbers.

Which is good, because potentially huge numbers is exactly what will be needed, and there's no way to know how long the fighting will take before the Plenum is forced to concede defeat or recognise the independence of rogue satrapies. And without the aid of both Sumaah and the Empire, the rebels will be crushed, one-by-one. Nothing is certain in this life - there will be some battles that the Plenum wins and some they lose whatever happens. But without massive military support from the Empire, the Plenum will still be here in ten years time.

Perversely, the worse relations with Asavea become, the easier this approach will be to pursue, because people will be more likely to believe that the Empire would be prepared to help them fight the Plenum.

And of course the Plenum will be much more angry with the Empire. What the Loyalty assembly - and by extension the Empire - have done won't be lost on the Asaveans. The more successful the Loyal are, the closer they drag the Plenum to the brink of destruction, the more desperate the Plenum will become. If the Loyalty assembly pursues this approach, as they encourage more people in Asavea to follow the voice of their hearts, Asavean support for the Empire's enemies will increase. If they really look threatened, they will appeal to other great powers for help. Few will weep for the Asaveans, but the one thing the Jarmish in particular hate about the Empire is what they see as a tendency to try and intervene in the affairs of other nations. They are likely to take a dim view of the Empire trying to destroy Asavea - judging, arguably correctly, that they are likely to be next.

Eventually the virtuous will succeed. The Way is impossible to stop, it is the destiny of all thinking beings after all. But this will only happen if the Empire has the Virtue to stick to the course and see it through. If they don't have the Courage of their convictions, if they abandon the approach half-way through, then they will have to abandon any allies they have made... and face a Plenum that they have left more unified than ever through their actions.

One Stone At a Time

Alternatively, the Loyal could attempt to focus their efforts on identifying and supporting those individuals who want to embrace the Way but who, at least in theory, support the Plenum and the "rule of law" such as it is. As the work of the Sevenfold Path shows, such people do exist although they are rarely in positions of influence. Rather than attempting to burn the Asavean Republic down and start again, the Assembly could take a slower, more cautious path attempting to move the mountain one stone at a time.

The Way tells us to build up our fellows, not tear them down. We send {named priest} with 25 doses of liao to find ways to bring the Plenum and those they lead to the Way.Synod Mandate, Loyalty Assembly

If this mandate is enacted it will mean the Loyal favour a subtle and more covert approach. They will concentrate on finding individuals with influence and importance in Asavean society and trying to convert them to the Way, or on finding those who already embrace virtue and encouraging them to pursue Ambitions that put them in a position to influence others. Next season, there will be two new groups the Empire could offer support to, who would seek to bring the Way to Asavea in ways that strengthen the Plenum rather than weakening it.

How powerful would Asavea be if they embraced the Way, reformed their corrupt society, and took their place alongside the enlightened nations of the modern known world? They are without a doubt the most powerful naval power in the known world, and pretty much a match for Sumaah now, with nothing but cheap tricks from their priests. It is only really the power of the Way that allows Sumaah forces to match them. If Asavea embraced the Way, if they had the power of Virtue backing their armies and their navies, informing their new nation's actions on the world stage, they would be more powerful than Sumaah... and perhaps more powerful than the Empire.

Of course it's to be hoped that such an outcome would mean that the Asaveans would be allies of the Empire, but there's no guarantee of that. Relations with Sumaah are often strained, despite their shared faith, and when the Empire brought the Lasambrians to Virtue they marched off to fight alongside the Jotun in pursuit of their own Ambition and Pride.

As with the inspiration of rebellion, if the Loyal put this plan into operation the Empire will hear calls to send resources and aid to help those who are trying to spread the influence of the Way at the highest levels of Asavean society. Money will be needed for bribes, resources for commissions, liao and even true liao to provide auras and inspire the undecided. Establishing the Way in Asavea is already a fantastically expensive proposition, and this approach by the Loyalty assembly not going to make it cheaper.

This approach does have the definite advantage that it won't antagonise the Asaveans anywhere near as much as attempts to initiate armed rebellions in the satrapies. The less existential this threat is to Asavea, the less they likely they are to commit to helping the Empire's enemies. They won't like it of course - the Asavean priesthood will understand that if the Empire succeeds then their uniquely privileged position will be lost, so they will still urge the Plenum to fight back with everything that it can muster.

One additional drawback to this approach is that Sumaah will not endorse it. Asavea and Sumaah have been locked in war with each other for what seems like an eternity. They are desperate to spread the Way to their rivals, but they are committed to supporting those groups that oppose the rule of the Plenum. It is far too late now for them to change tack and they are wise enough to understand the risks they would face from a resurgent Plenum which rules Asavea with the power of the Way behind it.

And of course it will also be difficult. It is simply easier to spread the Way to the downtrodden and enslaved than it is to people who feel like they directly benefit from the status quo. It will take longer, the Empire will have to work harder to find potential individuals who be receptive to their message. But it might be possible to have less friction with Asavea - and the better relations the Empire has with Asavea, the easier this approach will be to pursue.

Eyes of Loyalty

These two mandates represent a significant commitment of resources to the fight to bring the Way to Asavea, but they will also have a significant impact on the way that fight develops. The Loyal stand at a crossroads, and ultimately the decision they make will set the entire Empire on one path or the other. In the end they may choose not to act - but even if they don't there is an element of prognostication in these two choices. Eventually, the Synod and the Empire are going to have to decide what to do about the nation of Asavea. Simply spreading the Way to the receptive will never be enough - eventually the Plenum will fight back decisively. Eventually, the Empire will need to roll the dice and choose to encourage the virtuous of Asavea to reforge their nation one way or another.

If the Loyalty Assembly does enact one of these mandates, they will be unable to use the Eyes of Loyalty again until the start of the Summer Solstice 387YE. The entire focus of the assembly will be on the need to help those who feel their Loyalty lies in supporting the spread of the Way or the liberation of Asavea. Instead, if they choose to act, then during the Spring Equinox there will be more opportunities for the Loyal, and potentially other assemblies, to put in place concrete plans to start working towards their chosen goal. The first step toward doing this would be by identifying Asavean factions that support their chosen goal, much as the Sevenfold Path have begun doing in Asavea this season.

This limitation won't matter if the Assembly of Loyalty lose the ability to use the Eyes of Loyalty in the meantime. Losing the Eyes won't affect this opportunity.

Competing Mandates

These mandates are considered to be competing. As such, whichever is passed with the greatest margin would be considered to have been successful and the other mandate(s) fail.

Many Paths to the Truth

For the past six months members of the Sevenfold Path have been involved in a cautious covert exploration in the Asavean Archipelago. They have been specifically looking to make contact with Asavean magicians and wizards who are curious about the Way, or embrace the virtues to some degree. After two seasons, their work has borne fruit. Three relatively influential groups of magicians have been identified, each with their own (peculiar) relationship to spiritual truth.

Contact at the moment is tenuous, but each group has given an idea of what would be needed to win their support, and encourage them to work with the Imperial missionaries. One advantage of getting some or all of these groups on side is that they have resources and influence that would help establish the Way in Asavea more quickly - effectively providing additional wains and money to the project to Anchor the Way. Once they have been persuaded to side with the Sevenfold Path, there would potentially be other opportunities to work with them to help spread the virtues in Asavea.

Unfortunately, there is a potential fly in the ointment, courtesy of the Whisper Gallery... but more of that in a moment.

Participation: Any member of the Sevenfold Path may have visited Asavea in the last six months, and create stories of their adventures there using the information here and that in previous winds of fortune. While there are other magicians in the Archipelago who might be interested in the message of the Sevenfold Path, only these three have the right level of both interest in the virtues and potential influence to make further approaches worthwhile - at least for the moment.

The Cerularios

There have been whispers for a while that one of the powerful Plenum families has dabbled with Virtue. There are claims that the Cerularios are secretly devout dedicates of Prosperity. They clearly can't be openly advocating for Virtue, not in the current climate, but their status and position in the Plenum would be enough to allow them to keep their actions hidden. They are exactly the sort of people who would represent allies in powerful places in Asavea - if they could be brought on side.

Some of the Sevenfold Path have pursued this line of enquiry, and reported back that they have had a positive meeting with two members of the family, Catella Cerularios, a mercenary captain recently returned from the Empire, and her lover Rolerto, a dissolute Autumn magician whose family moved to Asavea from the Brass Coast decades ago and were adopted by the family. Thorough insight has confirmed that both these individuals are dedicated to Prosperity. Catella claims she converted to the Virtue five years ago when relations between the Empire and Asavea were better.

Rolerto is no priest, but he can at least name the seven virtues and tell you his favourite paragon (a Sumaah figure named Sjördeyr whose inspiration stresses the importance of celebrating as hard as one works). Beyond that, his knowledge of the Way is pretty shaky. Catella seems fairly disinterested in the Way itself, but appears to enjoy being a dedicate of Prosperity, claiming that the Virtue does more for her than the Black Bull ever did. It appears that Catella and an unspecified number of her family would welcome the opportunity to experience "more of what Prosperity has to offer".

The Cerularios are relatively well connected and influential in Asavean society, they are also a rarity in Asavea in that they are a coven of powerful Autumn magicians, able to cast rituals of high magnitude and wealthy enough to afford the mana crystals needed for it. Getting them onside would help to anchor the faith in Asavea, reducing the materials needed to complete the project by 20 wains of white granite and 60 crowns (OOC Note: This is not payment from the family, it is abstraction of the benefits provided by bringing this family on side).

There is a cost to this though. Catella came to the Empire, not to fight, but to search for a legendary artifact, a powerful relic of the faith that inspires those who hold it. She is talking about Glistering, one of the original Pilgrim's Shield, an artifact created in ages past that has been born by the champions of Prosperity since then.

Catella has no interest in haggling over this. She is more interested in acquiring Glistering than she is in pursuing Virtue. It is a personal quest for her, that thus far she has failed. She won't be bought off, even by something more powerful and more valuable - it is very explicitly the shield Glistering that she wants. If she is given the shield she and Rolerto will use it to encourage more of their family to embrace Prosperity. They are not about to adopt the Way anytime soon, but they could be allies in Virtue - and well connected ones at that.

Clearly this is a high price, but as Catella herself points out, the Empire are asking her and her family to take enormous risks. "All that is worthwhile is shared with those who deserve it." smirks Rolerto.

The Mikanos

The Asavean Empire extends across a great archipelago that includes scores of islands, large and small. In addition to the islands that make up the heart of the Republic, there are dozens of subject states, called satrapies which are theoretically sovereign nations. In practice they are ruthlessly controlled by the Asavean Plenum in various different ways.

The Mikanos covenant are a powerful group of Winter mages, who came together as far from the rule of the Plenum as they could get, to study magic. They built their covenant on a tiny island over the ruins of a maze of stone passageways that endlessly twist and turn in an attempt to mislead anyone who would try to navigate them. The entire labyrinth is part of a powerful winter regio, so only the most experienced members of the coven are allowed to attempt to walk the passageways. Those who fail to meet the challenge of the maze do not return.

The Mikanos are utterly obsessed with death. They are very familiar with the Way and they are absolutely convinced that the labyrinth beneath their covenant is the actual Labyrinth into which human souls pass when they die. They have spent years studying their labyrinth, mapping parts of it (it seems to stretch for miles) and performing magical rituals to try and learn more about it. Their dream is to find a way to penetrate to the very heart of the maze - obviously anyone who does that will have mastered death itself and will become effectively immortal.

The Mikanos are open to converting to the Way. They are eager to learn from Imperial priests, and could make useful allies in the attempt to anchor the way in Asavea. They are far from the centre of power, but that makes it easier for them to operate more freely and as powerful and respected winter magicians they are often called on to deal with problems in this part of the world that require their skills. In particular they loathe the Asavean church, which they regard as a pack of parasitical charlatans that is holding Asavea back from achieving its true destiny - every member of the covenant is a devout atheist, they are required to swear an oath renouncing all gods when they join. They appear to have a particular dislike for the Asavean God of the Dead - the immense kraken that some believe will ultimately drown all the world and bring an end to human civilisation.

However, the Mikanos demand a price for their help - a way to further their study of death and the Labyrinth. They know about true liao and are eager to sample its benefits. They want ten doses of true liao, one for each of the magicians in the covenant, so that each can experience a past life. Their hope is that the true liao will help them further penetrate the veil between this life and the next. They are quite clear however that they are not going to come to the Empire to experience these visions - it's far too dangerous and would likely expose their involvement with the Sevenfold Path to their enemies.

Some of the magicians who made contact with the Mikanos acknowledge that the price is high, but remind the Order of the example set by the First Empress. If one of the members of the covenant experiences a past life as someone from another land, even another empire, it could help them understand that all humanity is united under the way, which would bolster their conviction in the Way beyond what is at the moment, somewhat theoretical more than Virtuous. And of course true experience of their past lives would likely help them to see the ignorance in their belief that their labyrinth is the Labyrinth. Hopefully.

Regardless of the outcome, they would make useful allies in the attempt to anchor the Way in Asavea. Providing them the true liao they have requested will reduce the materials needed to complete the project by 25 wains of white granite and 75 crowns (OOC Note: This is not payment by the covenant, it is abstraction of the benefits provided by bringing this group on side).

The Bells of Becephelas

The satrapy of Becephelas has a long and fractious relationship with the Plenum. They have rebelled twice in the last hundred years, but each time the revolt was put down. The most recent occasion was just thirty years ago; inspired by the preaching of Sumaah missionaries who spread the Way here. With the determination of the Virtuous, they attempted to assert their independence, but the Plenum sent armies to crush the rebellion. They appealed for aid from Sumaah, who sent dozens of small military units to assist them, but it was not remotely enough to turn the tide. They were defeated and the leaders of the revolt were executed.

The magicians of Becephelas remain committed to Virtue and the Way. They still believe in the inspirational power of the six Virtues (they appear to have no working knowledge of the Virtue of Prosperty) but they have severed all contact with Sumaah, who they believe encouraged them to rise up and then abandoned them. The Dawnish yeofolk who spoke with two of them was able to confirm that both were dedicated to Courage, but they claim that there are followers of Ambition and Loyalty among their numbers also.

Getting their support would be one of the most effective ways to anchor the Way in Asavea and help foster rebellions against the rule of the Plenum. However there is a significant cost - the people of Becephelas feel that they have been betrayed by followers of the Way once already - they're not such fools as to try it again unless they can be confident of success. They want to have the means to defend themselves this time, a way to ensure that they can raise an army against the Plenum and have some hope of victory.

After the last time the magicians declared their independence, the Plenum forcibly destroyed every ritual text they could find in the Satrapy. They left a handful of rituals that can be used to enchant farms and businesses, everything else was burned. The intention was not just to send a clear signal to any other Satrapy that might consider rebellion, but to ensure that the magicians themselves were left powerless.

What they want, what they need, they say - is access to Imperial lore. If Becephelas magicians could study Imperial lore, if they create new ritual texts and smuggle them into Becephelas, they could rebuild their lore, rebuild their power, and when the time came they would be able to raise an army and back it with their own magic.

Having the magicians on side would be important if the Empire wants to try and overthrow the Plenum. Even if they stop short of that goal, they will be useful allies in the attempt to anchor the Way in Asavea. Providing them with access to Imperial lore will reduce the materials needed to complete the project by 30 wains of white granite and 90 crowns (OOC Note: This is not payment to the covenant, it is abstraction of the benefits provided by bringing this group on side).

Everything Seemed So Easy

The Empire is attempting to infiltrate another nation, to insert spires, to turn agents, to establish networks of rebels and informants and covert priests attempting to spread the Way. The Sumaah have spent years making similar attempts, and the Plenum are wise to them and expend a lot of effort trying to prevent exactly this kind of action. One of the most effective ways for them to do that is to conceal double-agents of their own within their own population - individuals who will respond favourably to any approach by a foreign power, but who will then betray that power at a moment that the Plenum deem it right.

The magicians and priests that the Empire is sending to Asavea are beyond reproach, the Empire can be certain of their loyalties - and that the things that they have reported that they have confirmed using liao and insight. But the Empire cannot be certain that anything that has been reported to the magicians is true. Any, or all of this, could be lies... nothing more than a trap for Imperial magicians. On the face of it, it is impossible to know.

Such thoughts might be nothing but paranoia, were it not for the appearance of a herald of the Concilium of the Perjured Throne the night before the summit is due to begin. This strange elongating red face delivers a message from the eternal to the Archmage of Night, informing the Empire that it has a secret, a very important secret.

Many Faced claims to be delighted by the treachery and conceit of the Empire's plans to send magicians to Asavea. Such a delicious secret pleases the Court immensely. As such they are happy to divulge that one of the three groups that the Sevenfold Path has made contact with is lying - they are in fact not who they claim to be at all but are actually wicked, little liars who are planning to betray the Empire.

As the mightiest of all eternals, the Concilium of the Perjured Throne knows which one it is, but regrets that it simply cannot share this delicious little secret with its friends as that would be illegal and it just couldn't live with itself if someone got into trouble over this.

There's more of this, quite a lot more as it happens, as anyone who has any experience dealing with the Whisper Gallery knows, it is unfailingly prone to irksome levels of self-congratulatory circumlocution. Two things are clear, the first is that one of the three groups described above are double-agents who are actually loyal to the Plenum - who will ultimately take whatever they are given, betray the Empire and get everyone dealing with them killed. And the only person outside a handful of priests loyal to the Plenum who knows for sure is the Whisper Gallery.

It is transparently clear the Whisper Gallery is doing this just to taunt the Empire, but even if the Empire can't find a way to trick the Gallery into giving up what it knows, it is still crucial information to know that one of these three groups is planning to betray the Empire. The only thing that the Empire can be certain of is that the Whisper Gallery isn't lying - it is simply not in its nature to do that.

On Treachery (Design Note)

Under normal circumstances we are very careful about having NPCs or plots that "trick" players. In this particular case, we're working with themes of espionage and covert activity, and a crucial element of stories involving these elements is the possibility of double-crosses and treachery. Player characters don't need any support from us to engage in duplicity, but in cases like this our guidelines that NPCs won't trick players don't benefit the emerging story that performing espionage involves.

One of the three groups the Sevenfold Path have made contact is is engaged in trickery. At some point they will betray their Imperial "allies". We know which one it is but the players don't. To prevent this being a "gotcha" moment, the Whisper Gallery - who in their own peculiar way are just as interested in revealing secrets as they are in guarding them - have told the characters and thus the players that something is not on the level. The characters will need to "trust" NPC groups while knowing that one of them is being deceptive - and the Empire will probably want to work out which one before they can betray them. Unfortunately, it will be very hard to do this without establishing closer ties - by giving them what they ask for - or dealing with the Whisper Gallery. Which is of course illegal.

Further Reading

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