Lines of care and sorrow
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A Traitor May Betray Himself
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It was, perhaps, only a matter of time. And time, it seems, has run out; more than a year has passed since the Empire conquered Mareave but the Grendel, it seems, have neither forgotten nor forgiven. Coming up through the petrified forest of Ayereed, they launch a land offensive against Mareave. Four armies - the Brine Turtles, the Iron Gulls, the Naguerro (far from their former home in the Lasambrian hills), and the Storm Sharks. They come cautiously, carefully, testing the defences of the Unshackled before they commit themselves entirely.

The orcs of the Broken Shore come up into Fleisardh, where they are perhaps unsurprisingly greeted with open arms by the Brine Turtle sept. They have kept the faith, sure their warriors would return home, and here they are! The other armies, especially the Naguerro, may receive a slightly more standoffish reception but still they come. To Fioroult, to the river and the lake, in force to take back what the Empire took from them.

Their caution at least gives an opportunity for what defenders there are in Mareave to respond. Imperial magicians have raised a Frozen Citadel of Cathan Canae in Icarion. Less than a fortnight after the Grendel cross the border, swift-flying snow eagles have brought news of them to the garrison, to the hulking orc-like heralds drawn from the realm of the Queen of Ice and Darkness. They stride forth from their stone fortress, beginning a seemingly inexhaustible charge south to meet the orc armies before they can take too much territory. A few handfuls of Imperial Orcs go with them, rallying to the defence of their arid territory.

When they arrive, the Summer warriors find creatures of quite another kind waiting for them. Another coven has called out to the Wasteland, to the Winter realm, to the throne of the king they call Hungry Wolf. In Eoradal, the shadow of the aqueduct, a basalt citadel rises. Its strange black towers incorporate the old Skouran ruins, and bleached bone sentinels stand voiceless watch upon its high dark walls. The Tomb King has sent other warriors to Fleisardh to fight the Grendel - not soldiers but dreadful wolves with clever emerald eyes and snow-pale fur that speak in mortal tongues. It must suit the fancy of the Whelpmaster to offer this little bit of extra aid to the defenders of Mareave.

At the same time, though not together, these forces drawn from the eternal realms fight the Grendel. Two garrisons of magical creatures face four armies, supported and bolstered by the Brine Turtle sept, and there is only really one outcome. It's clear to those Imperial Orcs who fight with them - mostly Sannites - that they will only be able to delay the advance of the invaders. To make matters worse, it quickly becomes clear that the Grendel forces are enchanted, fighting with the supernatural clarity that their mastery of the realm of Sky grants them. The four armies cooperate effortlessly, as they ruthlessly drive the heralds and guardians northward.

Within a month, the Brine Turtles are "liberated" from the Empire. The defenders fall back to Clisearn - and the Grendel follow. They press the defenders back towards the villas and abandoned palaces of the wealthiest Grendel that lie scattered across this more fertile region. They particularly press toward the Fundindelve. The orcs here are a little more careful in their celebration of their returning "heroes". At one time, they held high status among the Grendel, but much of their prestige was related to the Salt Lord Ehsan, and control of the Fundindelve. The Golden Pyramid has done its work well, it seems, and there are a number of former Grendel who have begun to wonder if they might not be better off siding with the Empire. For now, though, it is moot. They are in no position to resist the invaders, have no choice but to smile and nod, and if their welcome is a little chilly, it is not clear the southern soldiers notice it.

All Other Courses Have Been Weighed
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Former Salt Lord Ehsan, for his own part, remains neutral. Beoraidh supports neither side in this battle for control, and when challenged, the ruler of the city merely snaps angrily that "that is what neutral means". The city will not turn back anyone who seeks sanctuary, but neither will it send soldiers to fight over Mareave. Obviously, this wins the city folk few friends in Clisearn... but then all those that Ehsan might care about retreated behind its walls months ago.

There is some speculation about why it is only armies that come to Mareave, but perhaps it is the very neutrality of Beoraidh that keeps the navies at bay. After all, the city of Ehsan controls the only navigable coastal waters in Mareave; the rest of the territory plunges vertiginously into the sea in a way that makes it impossible for navies to contribute to a ground campaign. Some narrow their eyes at the fact that the Palace of Chains - Ehsan's seat of power - has been so recently and so conveniently altered to focus its defence around Beoraidh itself. No doubt politics are at play. Ehsan may no longer be a Salt Lord, but he is a born schemer. One may take the orc out of the Grendel, but...

In the south, the fighting spills and swirls across Clisearn. Without the sept to open the door, the Grendel find it a little slower going to force their way north. The defenders are further bolstered by a small number of battle-trained magicians of the Golden Pyramid Conclave order. The grand lodge of the order is nearing completion in Clisearn, and now the Grendel it seems are here to put a stop to it. Fortunately, the location of the lodge and the cautious strategy employed by the invaders means that work is completed just before the Autumn Equinox despite the disruption. Which is both a good thing - it is another sign that the Empire is here to stay and wins over more of the nearby orc households - and a bad thing - because it means that if the Grendel take Clisearn, they will seize the first Imperial grand lodge as well as the mithril mine.

That outcome seems like it may imminently come to pass, but as the Autumn Equinox draws near it becomes clear that the supernatural defenders have at least delayed the invaders sufficiently to mean they cannot claim Clisearn. Not yet, at least. If nothing changes, however, they will seize Clisearn after the Equinox. This will give them control of the Fundindelve and steal the Grand Lodge out from under the nose of the Golden Pyramid.

But, having tested the defences and found them barely adequate, it would be a risky gamble to assume the Grendel armies will continue to be so cautious in their advance.

Game Information
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The Grendel have seized Fleisardh with the full cooperation of the Brine Turtles sept Fighting continues in Clisearn, where the invaders are three-fifths of the way towards claiming the region Beoraidh is remaining neutral in the conflict

The Grendel have taken the southernmost region of Mareave, Fleisardh, and are three-fifths of the way toward claiming Clisearn and with it the Fundindelve mithril mine. If not for the presence of the two supernatural defences summoned in Icarion and Eoradal, it's likely that they would have seized both regions and the mine and possibly even be some way toward taking Eoradal. They would also likely have raided the site of the Grand Lodge and either destroyed it, or more likely, stolen some of the wains invested over the last season.

Grendel strategy means that construction of the Golden Pyramid grand lodge has not been impeded and the building will be complete by the start of the Autumn Equinox despite all the chaos unfolding around it.

For the moment, the territory remains in Imperial hands, but thanks to the independent city-state of Beoraidh losing another region will change the territory to "no control". On the other hand, Beoraidh means that the Grendel need to conquer and hold four regions to claim the territory themselves.

Further Reading
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Mareave Treaty with Beoraidh