Because they must
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The Honourable and the Loyal
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The Tusks fight in the Mournwold, and the Burning Falcon beside them. Two armies to complete the liberation of the Mournwold from the Jotun. The only major forces that remain are those champions loyal to the dead Jarl Haakon, battling desperately from the keep of Farstrider’s Watch. It is not clear what they hope to achieve. The armies of the King and the Queen are engaged elsewhere. There seems to be no reinforcement coming. Perhaps they seek nothing more than an honourable death in battle, to secure themselves a place alongside their Jarl on the far side of the Howling Abyss. If that is what they want, then the Imperial armies will give it to them in spades.

It’s perhaps hard to imagine what General Flowers would make of the fact the Jotun have holed up in the castle that bears her name. For many of those who fight here - Marcher and Jotun alike - there is a bitterness in the air. A sorrow. The Greensward is, ultimately, where the thirty year domination of the Jotun over the Mournwold came to an end. It is the site of the terrible siege of Orchard’s Watch, of the darkest magic, of battles that tore the soul of the land as much as they rent its fabric. Most of the ghosts may have gone now, but Honour’s Rest still watches over the ruins of Overton. There are plenty of memorials here to the scars that war, and the twin banes of Winter and Spring, can leave behind.

The Burning Falcon, as is their wont, hurl themselves into the fray. They go where the enemy is strongest and they break them. They pay a price, but in some cases it seems that some of the Jotun veterans fighting here intentionally seek to face them in battle knowing that even if they lose they will do so gloriously. Alongside the Freeborn march a cohort of elfin knights drawn from the Summer realm. They exult in the glorious tactics of the Burning Falcon, inspiring greater and greater passion in those they fight alongside.

The Tusks, as is their wont, are not given to reckless charges but move methodically and steadily south, consolidating as they go, ensuring that while there may be a blood price to end the occupation of the Greensward as little of it as possible is paid by the Marchers. As the proverb goes, if blood must be shed best it’s your enemy that sheds it.

The Jotun engage the Imperial armies as soon as they set foot on the Greensward, but they are overmatched and outnumbered. They sell their lives dearly, but for every soldier of the Empire that falls another dozen or more are ready to fill the gap. Reinforcements from Landskeeper’s Bulwark are barely needed. The Prince of a Thousand Foes, his green woven wards persisting in Aldery for another season, does little to help the Empire, but likewise his aid isn’t ultimately necessary. Their harassment of the Jotun continues, but his children seem more concerned with protecting the thralls - human and orc - caught between the armies, to ensure they find safety, or sanctuary, or the tools they need to defend themselves against the conquerors.

Fire In The Grass
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The Empire spreads swiftly across the Greensward. The Burning Falcon smash the defenders of the Singing Caves, while the Tusks assault Farstrider’s Watch. It is clear from the outset that the last Jotun warbands defending the fortification will not prevail. They fight bravely, but it is not enough. Indeed, the battle lasts as long as it does only because they all seem to possess a modicum of seemingly supernatural endurance. Yet for all that, the gate is shattered, the walls breached, the halls scoured, the war in the Mournwold ended. For now at least.

It may be that some of the Jotun sought to surrender, to lay down their blades and be taken as thralls, but the General of the Tusks left clear instructions that none should be left to contest the Marcher claim to the Mourn. Perhaps the best way to show respect for the oath of the Jotun, for the oath of Jarl Haakon not to leave the Mournwold again, is to ensure that they do not. Perhaps they all sought to fight to the last, to earn their passage to the lands beyond where the ancestors live. The only people who know for sure are the soldiers who fought them.

Regardless, when the sun rises, it rises over a Mournwold where Farstrider’s Watch is empty of Jotun. Whatever warbands survive - those who for whatever reason were not present - are hunted as outlaws and brigands now. They may manage to escape to Liathaven but the angry folk of Sarcombe, and the Bounders Hall, lie between them and safety.

The sun shows the devastation of Farstrider’s Watch. The fighting may have been short lived, and somewhat one-sided, but the Jotun did not go down easily. By all rights, the castle itself should be in ruins and yet… it is not. It still stands, barely intact enough to resist a stiff wind, yet it stands. Impossible. Whispers of ‘’miracle’’ and ‘’the General watches’’ spread quickly. The landskeepers point out that there is a potent enchantment of Summer magic rippling through the foundations, through the stone of the fortification, keeping it from complete collapse. Not everyone accepts this explanation, of course. Sometimes, even the most hard-headed soldiers wish to believe that there is something, or someone, watching over them.

Into Night
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Jarl Haakon is dead, and so are his remaining champions. The Mournwold belongs to the Marchers now, from border to border. The Tusks have held true to their oaths, and the people of the Mournwold will not soon forget it. They know, now, that when they are in need ‘’their army’’ will protect them and that is not a thing to be underestimated. For now though, the cost must be counted, the dead buried or burnt on pyres of applewood and birch, and the future left to fend for itself until the job is done.

Game Information
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The Mournwold is now entirely in Marcher control The Singing Caves are under Imperial control again Farstrider’s Watch has survived only due to the Summer enchantment placed on it by Imperial magicians

With the conquest of Greensward, Mournwold is once again fully Imperial, part of the Marches. This includes the Singing Caves mithril mine, which will be available for the Imperial Senate to allocate at the Autumn Equinox. As with the Fangs last winter, the Civil Service will raise an administrative motion during the Friday evening session if no senator raises the motion themselves. The Bourse seat could, of course, be allocated either Imperial (determined by public auction), or National for the Marches (determined by Tally of the Votes). While the seat was previously a Marcher national seat, there is no requirement for the Senate to decide to restore it to their control.

Farstrider’s Watch still stands but it is in a parlous state. The Summer enchantment cast by Dawns Coven of Golden Wings provided the defenders with a modicum of supernatural endurance, without which the fortification would have been ruined in the process of rooting out the garrison. Unlike Fort Braydon, where this enchantment was last used, the castle holds together just well enough that there is time to repair it. If the castle is still below 1,000 strength when the enchantment fades - which will happen shortly before the Summer solstice 388YE - the fortification will collapse. It’s possible that mundane maintenance may be enough to restore the fort, but relying on it will be risky if the Jotun return. More likely someone will need to repair the fort with white granite or weirwood. Unfortunately, a ritual such as Hammers of the Brilliant Shore will not work in this case - because any new enchantment will replace the Stalwart Stand, causing the castle to collapse.

Participation
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### The Tusks

Characters whose military unit supported the Tusks may partake of a form of spiritual inspiration Accessing this inspiration requires an anointing of either Loyalty or Pride The inspiration is stronger for Marcher characters but people from other nations still receive a benefit

Military units who supported the Tusks as they upheld their oath toward the people of the Mournwold may receive a special benefit. The Empire has taken steps on several battles to bolster the Pride and Loyalty of the Marcher armies, and the people of Mournwold. The inspiration these acts provide should not be underestimated.

Any Marcher character whose military unit supported the Tusks this season may experience that inspiration if it suits their characterisation. If they receive an anointing of Loyalty or Pride, from a fellow Marcher, they receive a bonus hero point during the Autumn Equinox. This bonus increases their maximum number of hero points for the duration of the summit.

Any character who is not a Marcher may also receive a benefit, provided it is a Marcher priest who leads the ceremony, but it is less intense. Instead of an increase to their maximum hero points for the summit, they receive a single temporary hero point which is lost once it is used - provided they have an appropriate anointing.

In the event that a character loses or changes their anointing of Pride or Loyalty, the bonus hero point is lost and can't be regained again.

### Burning Falcon

Characters whose military unit supported the Burning Falcon receive a potent benefit

The Knights of Glory are powerful soldiers summoned from the Summer Realm and often exert a subtle influence over the mortals they fight alongside - especially when the army and its orders are in synch with their mistress Eleonaris. The Burning Falcon engaged in a triumphant charge against a fortified region this season, and the Knights cheerfully egged them on at every turn. The fight also involved a castle powerfully enchanted with Summer magic, and together these factors have led to a powerful ‘’boon’’ for the military units that fought alongside the Freeborn army.

The captain of any military unit that