War

Called to the aid of the Legion of Albion by Elector Elizabeth Pendragon, the factions expected to meet with marauding bandit gangs which had taken advantage of the Legion’s weakened state. Little were they to know they would encounter something far more sinister.

Greeted by a noble of the territory, the Expeditionary Force quickly realised that once they entered the woods, they would be on their own. With all resources pooled into protecting their people, the Legion has withdrawn from the forest and secured as many people as possible behind the walls of their towns. The force was also warned about strange noises and lights from the forest, and reports of dark spirits, officially marked down as superstition.

On the outskirts of the forest, a worried father approached the Expeditionary Force, asking for help looking for their daughter. They believed she’d run away after showing signs of magic, and she had left a note saying she was joining people who would ‘let her grow’.

   As they headed further into the forest, the force was greeted by none other than the vampire Lily Dale. She explained that she’d finally been able to find Trent, but that he had refused to explain to her what he was doing, saying that she was too close to the Expeditionary Force and he couldn’t trust her anymore. He’d recently been in this area, and she was trying to track him down, but there was something strange and unnatural happening in this area. She came to warn the Expeditionary Force of what she was sensing; some kind of ancient magic.

A group of villagers was found deeper in the forest, and it was revealed that they had recently developed magical powers. Faced with anti-magic sentiment in their homes, the villagers had ended up agreeing to meet a recruiter in the woods, to join a group known as the ‘free people’.

After lunch, the factions had a visit from Uhel Faergus. Initially seeming to be from the Circle, it was discovered that he was really from the group known as the Sorcerer's Collective. Although there had been tension between them and the Circle, they asked to put aside their history to unite against a common foe. He claimed that there were mage-haters in the forest who could cause harm to all magic users and destabilise Ásaterra. As the Sorcerer's Collective were the only force near enough to lend aid, a truce was formed, and Uhel agreed to return the next day with their location.

Another visitor arrived shortly after, a man bearing healing potions known as Sparrow. Ytharra of the Circle was delighted to see him, and introduced him as her old mentor. As night drew in, he set up camp with them, and sat telling stories.

The next morning, the Expeditionary Force encountered another group waiting for the recruiter in the forest- however, this time, the villagers were not mages at all. They were vocally prejudiced against mages, and hurled about at the mages of the Expeditionary Force. When the recruiter arrived, he denied any knowledge of taking the mages the day before, and the villagers backed him. Further trouble appeared in the form of bandits attempting to kidnap the mages of the Expeditionary Force; when being questioned they claimed that they were being well paid for any mages they could find.

Throughout the day, the Expeditionary Force encountered the spirits that they had been warned about. Sinister, incorporeal beings, they tugged at hair, possessed members of the force, showed them hallucinations of their fears and tried to turn them against one another. As time wore on, the spirits seemed to grow stronger, some even grabbing members and teleporting them a few feet away.

Sparrow returned to the Force, seeming agitated. He spoke with several members, telling them that they should leave the woods; that forces were at work that they couldn’t understand, and that helping might just make it worse. Several members were inclined to listen to his warnings, but the Force ultimately decided that they must proceed with their plan to defeat the magic hating forces. Sparrow left, asking them to consider that once a stone is thrown into still water, you cannot control the ripples that spread from it.

While Sparrow spoke to some of the force, Bloodfang, a vampire of the Circle, heard the voice of Trent Silk in his mind, warning him that Lily was in danger. He explained that he was not near enough to assist, but that her death would have dire consequences- and not just because he’d rip all their heads off. Following Trent’s guidance, and the location provided by the Sorcerer's Collective, the Expeditionary Force headed out. Arriving, they found that the rogue templar forces had gathered, and that Lily had been captured and chained to an enormous stone structure emblazoned with the templar cross. As the force arrived, they saw a templar cut her throat, so that her blood spilled onto the rock. The factions battled through the templars, all displaying incredibly strong resistance to magic. Whilst the bulk to the factions acted as a distraction, a small group crept behind the templar lines to rescue Lily. The force soon discovered that the source of the Templars' new powers was the stone structure, which had been used as a gravemarker for their fallen leader, Grandmaster Robert. The templar symbol, tattooed onto the forehead of the templar order and also engraved into the rock, acted as a conduit for the anti-magical properties of the rock. The factions decided to destroy the symbol, to strip the templars of their powers, which proved to be an effective tactic. After investigation, they found that the templars had been powering the rock with the blood of kidnapped magic users.

   Celebrating their victory, the Expeditionary Force began to follow the road home. However, the spirits from before returned, this time corporeal. They thanked the factions for being such good fun, and for breaking the rock and setting them free. When the shocked factions questioned what they were, they merely smiled and explained that they were 'the fae from their legends', and that they would enjoy making their world burn once more.

## Other Occurrences

The force found a body bearing a golden bracelet. When this was taken, the bearer started to act strangely, and it was eventually confiscated by Euaxi of the Guild. However, the bracelet also began to affect his mind, leading him to sneak away from the group to try and create a ritual sphere devoted to Daemons. The rest of the force was able to stop him and prevent him from opening the daemon realm. The bracelet, a talisman enchanted to make the wearer act the opposite of how they usually would, was destroyed, but Euaxi was left devastated by what he’d almost done.

The Expeditionary Force was supposed to receive a visit from High Councillor Searlait of the Circle, however she reportedly never arrived.

Lord Augustine Aurelius, a lord of Shamal, managed to locate the Expeditionary Force in the woods. He appeared exhausted and begged the Force to tell him about what they had seen in Shamal. He informed them that the remaining Vampire Lieutenants were fighting for control, and he asked them for their help in restoring order.

A member of the Heluder arrived, to assess whether Marius and Vivian were suitable to be inducted into their order.

Marius received a parcel from the Lyverva Preservation Society.

Lord Donini travelled from the West to meet the Expeditionary Force to personally thank them for helping to cure the plague. The pandemic wasn’t completely over, however great strides are being made.

A letter arrived for the Guild; their fleets were experiencing skirmishes with the raiders from across the sea; however, another group raiders had been seen attacking the coastal settlements. These appeared to be two separate forces.
A portion of the Guild fleet tracked the raiders up the River Dilean. Ziggy, a Guild scout, contacted the members of the Guild to organise an ambush to drive the raiders out of the settlement they had taken over. The rest of Expeditionary Force assisted, sending the raiders running back to their ships, and headed down the river- into the waiting Guild trap.

## Outcomes

The self proclaimed ‘True Templars’ were defeated, and prevented from using the blood of mages to power their magical resistance. However, in the process the players released captive beings calling themselves ‘Fae’, who seemed hostile towards Ásaterra. Lily Dale was rescued by the factions, and agreed to be taken into custody by the Guild. Shaylee of the Circle demanded to go with her to ensure her safety. The Sorcerer’s Collective helped the factions to defeat the Templar Forces.

High Councillor Searlait vanished. The factions were asked for help in Shamal. The factions learnt that the raider presence in Ásaterra was growing stronger.