Arbeth-Tegerron Conflict

Clan Tegerron preparing for battle.

### Leaders

Lady Adalhard, Sir Edrich von Gutenheim, Breadán Casta, Tay of Clan Tegerron (†), Tay of Clan Arbeth (†)

### Victor

Clan Tegerron (Briefly), Queen Adalhard's Caravan

## Information

### Followed By

Hunt for the Journal of Jack Ketch

The **Arbeth-Tegerron Conflict** was a conflict between the Dwarven clans Arbeth and Tegerron in Mansarki of Å-621. It was caused by the murder of one of the two brides of a planned wedding. Queen Adalhard's Caravan was dispatched to oversee the dispute, which resulted in the destruction of both clans.

The conflict coincided with multiple others, involving the sword Sorrowfall, Cults of the Way of the Arvum Dawn and Dusk, and the local forest's inhabitants.

## Clan Conflict

Months before Mansarki 621, the dwarven clans Arbeth and Tegerron agreed to an arranged marriage to unite their clans. Secretly wishing for an excuse to declare war, however, the Tay of Clan Tegerron hired a member of the Guild of Assassins to assassinate the Tegerron bride (his own daughter). This was carried out atop a mountain in Arbeth territory while the bride was travelling.

The attempt at arranged marriage continued, both clans meeting at Goblin Combe in (then-Lady) Adalhard's lands with her mercenary caravan sent to mediate. Arbeth arrived with their bride but Tegerron without, and the clans began viciously arguing. Dwarven members of the Caravan, including members of the East Archaean Trading and Mercantile Enterprise, managed to negotiate a truce until the Tegerron bride's fate was determined.

A dwarven ritualist, scrying, saw a vision of the bride's corpse, stabbed in the back, atop a mountain in Arbeth territory. The newly discovered technique of Ritual Portalism was used to teleport a group, consisting of members of each faction, to the mountain to investigate. They found only faded footprints, but a Tegerron woman, claiming to have been bribed by the Arbeth Tay, poisoned and later stabbed the Arbeth man on the expedition, causing both to arrive back in pieces due to lost concentration.

Back at camp, a captured member of the Guild of Assassins revealed the Tegerron hit on their own bride before being executed.

The following day, in light of these revelations, the clans declared a Hivernum, resulting in a total Tegerron victory and granting them control of Arbeth lands. However, seemingly nursing a grudge, the Tegerron forces turned on the Caravan, and were themselves defeated. Both Tays were dead or presumed dead, and the Lord of Goblin Combe expressed his wish to find new tenants for his land.

## Forest Conflict

The local forest's inhabitants, including Ents, Sylven, and druids were angered when Captain Henry Morgan of the Queen's Own Dragoon Guards shot, unprovoked, a forest spirit who died despite efforts to heal them. This, combined with the presence of Sorrowfall and a large number of Fext, led the forest's inhabitants to declare that members of the Caravan could not enter. Several expeditions were made in defiance of this edict, each resulting in multiple injuries and fraught negotiations to return the injured to the camp for healing.

This culminated in an attack on the camp by the forest's Ents and Sylven, targeting the Fext. A cleansing ritual was performed to de-escalate the situation, after which its participants were granted permission to enter the forest, to be revoked should they ever interact with a Fext.

Captain Morgan and his subordinates were stopped from detonating a barrel of gunpowder in the forest by Sir Edrich von Gutenheim, and Morgan was later court-martialled for his unauthorised use of force.

After the defeat of two Arvum-worshipping cults, the disappearance of Sorrowfall, and a second cleansing ritual, the forest was appeased when the Caravan left.

## Sorrowfall Conflict

*Further information: Sorrowfall*

During an expedition into the forest, Garos of the Wyldwood Company, who had previously made contact with the sword Sorrowfall at the Siege of Adalhard Manor, found it once more and, under its influence, began murdering wood spirits. An expedition of fighters from the Caravan lead by Breadán Casta managed to remove the sword from him, resulting in a rapid draining of life similar to that exhibited by the wood spirit shot by Captain Morgan.

A ritual was performed linking Garos and Amanita of Dark Hollow, who had also previously held the sword. Both were transported to an extradimensional space in which the sword spoke to them, claiming that the Three had stolen power from an older force, damaging the cycle of life and death, and that it wished to return the power to said force. After hearing this, Garos was cured and the two returned to the place of the ritual.

An artefact retrieval team from the Guild of History was called, but the sword later disappeared. Amanita, through her telepathic link with it, noted that it was sated, likely being wielded.

## Cult Conflict

A group of cultists from the Way of the Arvum Dawn, wearing yellow and black, appeared in camp, speaking of a 'nameless god' within the Arvum, and a 'great levelling' that would occur as a result of the Arvum expanding and 'fixing' the cycle of life and death. They left to establish a shrine in Etalaan, but another group from the same cult arrived and began performing a ritual to empower them with Arvum energy before attacking the camp. Barron and Morgan, who had been performing their own ritual to siphon power from the cultists, were overwhelmed by this burst; Barron attacked all around him in a frenzy, while Morgan wandered aimlessly through the forest, traumatised. Later, both described having seen darkness, and 'pale, wraithlike' elven spirits.

Another group of cultists, calling themselves the Way of the Arvum dusk and with an inverted symbol, arrived, claiming to have existed before the Arvum Dawn and to not want the end of the world. They also attempted to perform a ritual, but Barron, worried from the previous attack, prevented this by magically killing the entire group. He was arrested and tried for this, but permitted to lend his power to the attempt to return to the extraterrestrial library.

## Other Events

### Discovery of Ritual Portalism

*Further information: Ritual Portalism*

Multiple experiments into teleportation via ritual circles, as had occurred by accident at the Siege of Adalhard Manor, were carried out, teleporting first objects, then individuals and larger groups. After being used to investigate the death of a dwarven bride, the technique was employed by Barron Ormauve and Bryonia in an attempt to return to the previously visited extraplanar library (along with Magnus Brock, Morgan the Monk, and The Hunt). Before leaving, Brock appointed Sana-Rae Wyldwood Acting Chronicler for the Caravan until his return.

### Human Election

Lady Adalhard was elected Queen in a poll of the camp's members, opposed by Lord Adviril, the Countess of Letendosen, Duke Kal-lodet, Lord Portlyrind, and Baron Archibald.

### Tea Party

A group of Halflings, aided by Barron, performed a ritualistic tea party that helped to awaken the supernatural connection between runic magic and the Dwarven races.

### Death in the Family

Suzanna de Partie died despite great effort from the Caravan's spellcasters. She would later be resurrected as a Fext.

### Galactic War

Through Barron's communication with his circle, it was discovered that a galactic war between the Kenku and Naga had occurred, with more combatants than the population of Archaeus itself.