Event 9
Beacon Light
9 May - 4 Jun, 2016
Introduction
There is an unhealthy quiet in the Empire - a quiet because it is silently being strangled by the domestic turmoil that started with the fall of the Tusa Scrying Tower. Tusa is eating itself from the inside and, perhaps more crucially for the Empire at large, the stalemate with Iadlain born from crippled communication is about to reach a critical point - the Empire's air force, what allows it to compete with Miras's large and formidable airborne cavalry, is about to be completely paralysed.
While the freeze on alchemical supplies from Iadlain has greatly inconvenienced civilian life, it has also starved the military's supply of an essential airship fuel ingredient for levitation. Not much of it is necessary and the military keeps a stock, but it is highly perishable and the last expiry date is approaching fast. For the Empire's national security, Koben absolutely must reconnect with its farthest flung region.
It's easier said than done however, with the trade hub that was Tusa violently rejecting Koben. As if fate were mocking them, an enormous storm of dark magic has also recently engulfed the Reign Mountains and shows no sign of abating - choking what little communication remains to a painful, inconsistent trickle.
A command and plea have been issued to enlist the help of Kobeners and Bratkovans with what may be the last chance to keep their air force from being rendered useless. They will attempt to revive two old scrying towers - one in the Crown Ridge and one in the Reign Mountains - to create a direct line to Iadlain. The towers are mired with fauna and phenomena that drove them to be abandoned when the Tusa Scrying Tower was built, but with the entire Empire's safety on the line, they must return.
Join the urgent effort to revive an abandoned, peril-ridden scrying line between Koben, Bratkowice and Iadlain - and so save the Imperial Air Force.
Event Details
Beacon Light
Authorities have been careful to hide the true depth of the military's supply dilemma. The common knowledge to date has been that the air force is well-stocked and ready to defend the Empire, and indeed this is true - military stocks have been consolidated for defense (though forward motion in the war is shackled), however a grave mistake in preservation discovered late means the time they have left is not months as previously thought, but days.
The Achilles' heel is camallach, a plant that grows only in Wispwood and is essential for alchemic levitation. There are strong efforts to grow it outside, but they haven't yet reached fruition as what grows out of Iadlain is scant and nowhere near potent enough. Luckily Iadlish sentiment towards Koben has mellowed, and while a new alchemy agreement is still pending the general feel is that Iadlain is ready. Part of the reason is the return of Ambassador Riese - a calm man who understands the region much better - and part is the rise of Estran trade. With supplementary resources flowing in from the elvish nation, the burden on Iadlain's own production is eased.
Standing in the way of a new agreement is broken communication. Tusa's rejection of everything Koben means an effective standstill of through travel, and its civil strife has halted the repair of the Tusa Scrying Tower. In recent weeks, a black super-storm laced with dark magic has also burgeoned over the Reign Mountains. While it is a natural weather occurrence, it has never been seen on this scale before and appears to be building rather than abating. Its presence interferes with what scrying signals can reach Iadlain to the point that very little remains coherent.
A fast solution is sought in the revival of two old scrying towers that connected Iadlain before Tusa joined the Empire. The first is the Ostzepter, located in the eastern Crown Ridge, and the second is the Pereval Tower, located on the Bratkovan side of the Reign Mountains - close to the border with Tusa. When the Tusa Scrying Tower was built both were abandoned because of a multitude of long-running issues. Firstly, the large crystals and scrying activity drew dangerous crystal-eating dragons down from the higher mountains - who began to overrun the land and killed many. Secondly, the scrying also attracted magically charged lightning - a beautiful blue-violet phenomenon but one which regularly destroyed equipment and endangered life. Thirdly, the 'whispering' of the Molvahain started to seep in and corrupt messages in frightening ways. Finally, it was found that Reluir was eavesdropping on and interfering with the nearby Pereval Tower to its own great political advantage. Now the proximity is required to reach Iadlain at all through the magic storm, and technology - namely Koben's ability to shield messages and divert the lightning - has improved enough to make it worth the risk.
An urgent missive is issued by the capital to enlist local Kobeners and Bratkovans in this endeavour, together with what the military and local nobles can send on short notice. In particular the help of trappists, hunters, creature experts, scryers, weather mages, sages and engineers is crucial in getting the towers to run as quickly as possible, and keep them running - but all help is accepted and may be instrumental in success.
Story
Activities
Event Outcomes
The event outcome will be determined by the actions of your characters in the art entry, and the success of the Tower Climb game (link below). Each entry will contribute to unlocking increasing tiers of success in the effort to revive the old scrying towers that will form a line to Iadlain - from complete failure to resounding success.
Event Participation
Tower Climb Game
An adventure game depicting the effort to create a path to the towers and then fix them. Sign up to play here!
❖ Tower Climb Sign-ups ❖
Event Participation
Event Art
Draw, write or in any way depict your character's involvement in the main event to affect the outcomes! Art or literature entries will receive a bonus 30 EXP. Only main characters are eligible for the bonus EXP and the outcome.
Event Participation
Prompt Art
For characters who cannot be directly involved in the event, you can use this event as a prompt (e.g. reacting to the news from another city). Prompt submissions will get a bonus 10 EXP for the submission but will not count towards the event outcome.
Event Participation
Action Statement
If you don't have time to make an art piece, you can get 5 EXP by simply stating what your character is doing for the event via a post in the #event-board Discord channel. This applies to main characters only and there must be direct involvement with the events to get this. Side characters' involvement can be described to contribute to the event canon however no points will be given. If you go on to enter an art submission later, the EXP received for this will be replaced by the art submission points.
Special Role
Balthazar Siegel
Blood Key
The Ostzepter is protected with a magical blood lock that prevents anyone or anything from entering without a member of the bloodline that locked it. Made centuries ago when the tower was closed, the bloodline - that of the nobles who formerly owned the tower and its land - has since died out, dissolved by politics and marriage... into the proliferous Siegel family. Gravina-Consort Cecilia Basch and her children are the last known descendents, and it falls to her eldest Balthazar to accompany the revival effort as a key to the Ostzepter.
Conclusion
After a long trek full of obstacles, an arduous battle with dragons and a week of furious repairs, the tower teams succeeded in reviving them. For the first time in centuries, the Ostzepter and Pereval Tower became beacons of scrying magic again. Reliable contact was finally made with Iadlain in spite of storms and distance. The government moved quickly to explain the situation and the urgency to their Iadlish counterparts.
In the days that followed, both towers held firm in spite of adverse weather and conditions. The construction and magical protections made by the spearhead expedition held. Scryers and maintenance workers were recruited from all over to keep them running. Traps and deterrents were set up in case the dragons ever came back. All in all, a resounding success for the entire effort.
On their part, Iadlain quickly assented to pick up supply of camallach again. The entirety of the trade deal is still being smoothed out by diplomats, but all agree their cooperation now is a very positive sign... and in the meantime, the Imperial Air Force will get what it needs to get off the ground again. There will still be a window of vulnerability as enough fuel is processed to meet its needs, but that window will now be a narrow one - a matter of weeks rather than indefinite. The air defense of the Empire has been thrown a lifeline.
For the expeditioners, the next few weeks are ones of celebration - they have done well for their Empire and their stories will be highly sought after for many days to come. They are each rewarded with a generous sum of money and rare dragon parts salvaged from their fight (rewards in the comments; you may trade with others if you like).