The Awakening

The Second Expedition

In the 7th moon cycle of 763, shortly after the arrival of the King’s Expedition, a band of adventurers arrived in the Annwyn. They came upon an ancient settlement known as Tamris, a port that lay along the coast and within the lands now claimed by the newly arrived House Laurent. It is here that some of them decided to settle down and cultivate the land. Amongst their number were nobles from the Northern Marcher house of Draghean, Varga of the Dusklands, a member of the Bannon family, an Aragonian noble, a Corveaux Lord, and even the Captain of a Rourke ship and their retinues. With them came many common folk as well; crafters, soldiers, gatherers, Cirkys, and not a few criminals who had faced their Last Walk. The early days of this arrival were chaotic, with no clear leader emerging among their ranks. House Laurent was quick to attempt to exert their authority over the area, but met some resistance from the new locals. In addition, the conflict between the Crows and the King’s Expedition began to expand and this new settlement was not exempt from its effects. The Laurents lost a valuable caravan around the time of this band’s arrival and the theft was blamed on the Crows. While the loss of this caravan was a blow to the Laurents, it was only the first of many.

Worse yet, these new settlers who arrived sensed a palpable dread about this new land. Signs of strange things in the woods and an ominous, invisible presence weighed heavily on them. What some claimed to be a specter would appear in the settlement; the hideous wraith of Lady Grace Bannon. Was she a terrible herald for an uncertain destiny? Within only a few turnings of the moon, rumors abound of new and even more ghastly terrors began to drift on the wind. Rumors that were confirmed when the next market happened during the 3rd moon cycle of 764 in the remote village of Mistvale. The folk here were beset by what some thought to be curses, strange occurrences, and assumed wytchcraft of all types. The conflict between the Crows and the King’s Expedition continued to mount, with more caravans losing their goods to raiders. One such attack dealt a significant blow to the economic foothold of the weakened Laurents and their allies, when many Laurent guards and a Cirque merchant named Eldreth were slain while transporting a major resupply to the fort.

House Laurent’s hold was beginning to slip, but that did not stop them from dispatching a Seneschal from Stag Hall, a Walter Beauchamp to collect taxes, and to appoint a Burgomaster and Sheriff. Domitille of the Apotheca was selected as the Burgomaster with Ser Ake Dagson as her Sheriff. For now, the town is being overseen by Ludmilla’s son, Lord Silas Laurent. They would soon learn that the occurrences did not plague Mistvale alone. The waxing influence of an omnipresent maleficence and the constant raids by the Crows began to have a real impact on the established nobility. The hammer fell heaviest on House Laurent, who by Summer 764 was struggling to hold onto power. Perhaps as a breath of fresh air, in the 3rd moon cycle of 764, the forces of House Blayne and the Aurorym finally chose to make their presence known. An expedition of the faithful in the form of a pilgrimage, arrived with knights of the Fervent Order of the Vellatora and numerous aurons. Rumors of witchcraft and supernatural activity beyond the mists has drawn the attention of the faithful, who are sworn against these evils. This pilgrimage has often been heard spreading their message of illumination through apotheosis, and a great war against a coming darkness spoken of in their Book of Magnus. They believe the Annwyn to be the battleground for this conflict, with the faithful flocking to the Annwyn in greater numbers since, fervent in their hallowed errand.

The Current Events

It is now the 11th moon cycle 764, and the region is on the cusp of Winter. Mistvale has continued to grow and become more established under the leadership of the Burgomaster and the town officers. But the situation for House Laurent and the other houses of the King’s Expedition has grown much worse. Witchcraft in the region has gone from mere rumor to confirmed plagues upon the people and blight upon the land. Towns like Carran and Arcton have taken to shuttering their doors and windows at night for fear that they or their children will be abducted by these servants of the unhallowed. Curses and disease run rampant, unable to be cured by any medical means. Commerce has dried almost to a trickle and along with it, the coffers of the local nobility. Even they have not been spared this scourge, with scores and more afflicted and dying with ailments both strange and terrible. It is said that Ludmilla Laurent herself lies upon her death bed, stricken by a hideous, wasting illness. So too has Stag Hall been shut tight for several moon cycles now. Guards patrol the street and stop anyone who looks suspicious or is unknown. Ironhaven has been spared the worst of this, but only because they have almost entirely shut their gates and are acting as a city under siege. The faithful chose to settle in what is essentially a large war camp about ten miles north of Mistvale that they are calling Dawnhaven. Some permanent buildings have been set up, but the camp is now housing perhaps a thousand or more Aurorym who are living in conditions unsuited for the coming freeze.

True to their namesake, the Crows have begun to gather, redoubling their efforts to attack the Laurent, Falconer, and Hardinger outposts. It is rare these days that a caravan from outside gets past the bandits. Thus far, their attacks have taken a huge toll on the military strength of the first expedition. No one has exact estimates, but there are rumored to be far less than the five hundred knights who were said to have entered the Annwyn. Some soldiers in service of those houses have even said to have defected to the Crows, seeing that the writing was on the wall. Interestingly, the Crows seem unaffected by the malignance that has affected those in the other settlements. Encounters with the Crows have become dire, where once there was a rag-tag band of criminals, they have turned into elite raiders who show little mercy or loyalty to anyone. Following the initial spate of curses and Crow attacks at the start of 764, Mistvale citizens have been relatively untouched by Witch and Crow alike. Their raids have all but ceased and ne’er a curse or affliction has been leveled upon a resident of the town. This has caused others from the region to flock to Mistvale in hopes of gaining refuge from their suffering. All of this has been a boon for the residents there though an ominous speculation has begun to take root. Why have they not suffered while everyone around them has? Some of the town’s residents have said that it is because they have multiple faithful among their population and that Dawnhaven is a scant ten miles away. Others whisper darker things, up to and including alliances with criminals and Crows that have swollen the purses of some of the town’s residents to near bursting. The murder of the Cirque named Eldreth remains a black mark upon the town’s name as her death is unsolved and unanswered. As the new market arrives, all eyes are on Mistvale.

In reaction, many people of the Annwyn have turned to faith in their desperation. The Aurorym is one path, and the ranks of the Dawn’s faithful continue to swell with new arrivals and converts from within the Annwyn. Wytch Cults are another path that some have taken. Instead of fighting against these witches, some have turned to revering and even worshiping them and their dark goddess in an effort to be spared. Little is known about these cults though they are said to have the eyes of every crow and an ear in every tree.

There remains no official word from the Northern Marcher or Tarkathi settlements. The Laurents’ efforts have shifted from rooting out their hiding places to struggling to defend what they have. Still, these factions are not without teeth and an animal is always the most dangerous when it is cornered. The lack of proactive attention from the forces of the King’s Expedition has made the countryside beyond the town’s walls more dangerous than ever. Crime is rampant in most regions and getting mugged, robbed, and killed has become a common fate of more than one merchant or traveler. The depredations of these bandits are not just limited to ‘legitimate’ targets and they will attack just about anyone they come across, including, in a few cases, women and children. Truly, dark days have fallen upon the Annwyn as winter looms.

Outside the Annwyn

Those who are arriving from outside the Annwyn may have heard some of the following rumors about the Kingdom of Arnesse:

1. It appears as if the civil war that was brewing in the Sovereignlands for the last few years may have finally begun. It was said that an argument broke out in Court during the Darkest Night festival when a group of Aurorym claimed that the end times were upon the kingdom. After a healthy dose of ale and convincing, King Giles II agreed there was a danger and moved to decree that House Bannon must convert to the Aurorym faith. Despite his best efforts to convince his uncle, Charles, the old man turned against his nephew and the house of Bannon was thus split in two. While no battles have yet been fought, lines are being drawn and forces are being marshaled both in the Sovereignlands and the Hearthlands as Lord Paragon Frederick Blayne has agreed to lend his forces to the cause of the King. This situation threatens to tear House Bannon apart if it is not resolved. House Corveaux, with its oaths to various lords and ladies in the Sovereignlands, is rushing to attempt to resolve this conflict in a peaceful manner, but with the rise of the Aurorym in their own lands, it is getting increasingly harder for them to deny the faith.
2. It is said that Queen Aline Bannon is with child. After years of attempting, the Queen has taken with child, and despite the growing chaos in their own house, the King and his Court are celebrating. Some say that this good fortune was a blessing from the Dawn for Giles II’s decision to mandate conversion. Aline’s pregnancy may also have been Lord Paragon Charles Bannon’s reason for finally moving against his nephew. As a direct blood relation to the King and the patriarch of House Bannon, Charles’ son stood to gain the throne if Giles could not produce an heir. He may see this as an opportunity to take control of the Kingdom.
3. To further complicate matters, the delicate balance around the Annwyn appears to have been thrown into chaos. House Richter has moved to claim the town of Gateway and the whole of the Annwyn as its own. They have moved a huge army of ten thousand Iron Guard toward the Vale of Shadow and are said to be making for Gateway in order to take control of the garrison there. Anyone coming into the Annwyn from Gateway would have seen the Mistguard making preparations for a fight. Most of them feel they have no hope as an army that size will simply overwhelm the town. Citizens are fleeing in droves, and many into the Annwyn, which, given the situation there, is out of a frying pan and into a hot fire. House Hawthorne, the northernmost vassal of House Bannon and stewards of the Vale of Shadow are said to be mustering their troops, but their force still pales in comparison to that of the Richter force.
4. Perhaps in response to Richter’s move, House Innis has, after years of skirmishes, finally declared war on House Richter. They have sent a large army out of An Rath toward the Hardinger’s lands in the eastern Dusklands. If this was a move designed to take advantage of or stop the Richter’s move against Gateway is unclear, but the Ironfolk are now going to have to make a hard decision if they want to open up a front with the Annwyn, as well as be hit on their eastern flank by the forces of House Innis. House Blayne has also made it clear to the Richters that if they attack Gateway and try to seize it by force, they will also try to stop them. The King has remained silent on this new development, likely working feverishly behind the scenes to come to some compromise that does not see Richter and Bannon forces come to blows for the first time in as long as anyone can possibly recall.
5. Most other houses have remained silent for now. The Aragons and Hales are so remote as to not be affected in a direct way, but even the shrewdest politician realizes that a war of this potential scope will draw in every house, no matter how far away. Most smart bets speculate that the Rourkes may very well be waiting to see how, and if any battle lines are drawn before they find a way to take advantage of this situation. It has not been since the Great War that the entire kingdom has devolved into open conflict. But the bones have been cast, alliances and oaths are being tested, and banners being called. For most, it is a game of brinkmanship that no one can afford to lose, especially the King, who has bet his throne on a prophecy of doom that few believe is real.