TEVINTER: Having been prevented from pushing rapidly onward from Starkhaven by the rebel mage force (with a little assist from Riftwatch), the Tevinter force has taken up residence in the city, and with the siege won they are now free to send larger raiding and patrol forces ranging outwards, solidifying their control of the region. Mages have shifted rock to plug the hole blown in the walls and defenses have been reinstalled around the battlements. From this vantage, Tevinter now has full control of traffic on the Minanter below, as well as the once heavily-trafficked roads through the city. There is no immediate sign of what they plan to do next, but Ansburg and Markham and every village from the plains from southern Antiva to the Vinmarks must feel they are in the crosshairs.

THE MAGES: The late Grand Enchanter Fiona left a plan and a handpicked successor, though technically he is an interim leader only until the College of Enchanters is able to meet and vote. Rodrigo Valenzolo has been at Fiona's side since the Circles broke, a veteran of the rebellion and a gruff, sober presence. A Knight-Enchanter, he had half-retired when the war came, the bulk of his time spent training apprentice knights rather than fighting himself. But he dusted off his spirit blade and won a reputation as a dogged, determined warrior and a cool-headed tactician. Though not one for rhetoric, mages who have worked with him know him to be deeply committed to the cause of mage freedom, and capable of giving a rousing, shoulder-thumping pep talk when needed, particularly to young mages.

Fiona's succession plan having been made clear in advance, Valenzolo has assumed command essentially without complaint, though whether other challengers for Grand Enchanter will arise once the dust has settled and a vote is called remains to be seen. For now, after a period of time to regroup after the battle, tend to the wounded, and see the Starkhaven evacuees safely out of the area, the mages under his command have begun the march back to Orlais to rejoin the Inquisition.

THE MARCHES: Tensions are understandably heightened with Tevinter's capture of the unofficial capital of the Free Marches. Though the outcome of the siege had long seemed inevitable, the fact of it still seems to have sent ripples of increasing unease through the region, particularly in Starkhaven's nearest neighbors, Markham and Ansburg. Kirkwall and Ostwick too feel the enemy looming nearer now, even with the Vinmark mountains a sheltering obstacle.

Criers spread word of defenses being readied around the Marches, from the formation of village militias and a wave of new volunteers for city guards all over, to the installation of new anti-siege weapons on Markham's walls and Ostwick's conscription of fresh recruits to bolster the ranks of its forces. Riftwatch's covert sources report less conspicuous action, too: a flurry of messages exchanged between courts and consuls across the Marches, and,most notably given the Marchers' previous refusal to coordinate a response, a sharp increase in closed-door meetings with ambassadors.

Among the people themselves, tales are once again circulating of the terrible forces of the north and the horrors they inflict—and may yet inflict on all of them, too!—and as the surviving refugees of Starkhaven trickle outwards across the land, they bring with them sad tales of the lengthy siege, years of ever-increasing hunger and fear. But there are stories too of the heroic evacuation of the city, rescue just when all seemed lost. Not everyone seems to know (or perhaps believe) the major role played by the mages, and Prince Sebastian's name is certainly the first on most lips. But Grand Enchanter Fiona's is second, and it is a rare crier or gossip who doesn't leap at the opportunity to share the dramatic tale of the prince and the mage, the Chantry's champion and the rebel leader fighting and dying side by side to buy Starkhaven every possible moment.

Memorials have popped up across the Marches honoring the sacrifice of the Prince and, usually, the Grand Enchanter too, and special Chantry services of both mourning and thanks have been popular as the news has spread, and other Marcher leaders have made proclamations lauding the late Prince and his companions. There are calls for some sort of official funeral (though remains have not been recovered) but no plans for one have yet been announced.

THE CHANTRY: The Divine's Exalted March on Tevinter might be said to have been dithering since the recapture of Val Chevin, resting on their laurels according to some, officially regrouping after the battle, but in truth struggling to rally war-wearied Orlais to support carrying on beyond their own lands. But with Starkhaven fallen, that seems to be changing. There are some early signs of criticism about the Divine's failure to have done more to help the beleaguered city, claims that she has been upstaged by the Grand Enchanter, but she brings that to a swift halt by delivering an impassioned public speech in Val Royeaux memorializing the lost Prince (and "others"). Transcribed and swiftly distributed in pamphlet highlights form, it comes with a heavy implication that the mages' action was known and approved by Beatrix in advance, making it a cunning move rather than her being blindsided by a portion of her own forces striking out on their own. Eulogizing Prince Sebastian—she stops only just shy of calling for him to be Anointed, a suggestion more than a few have picked up already—the Divine lauds his sacrifice and makes it a rallying cry to the faithful to renew the strength of the March and turn it toward Tevinter.

Perhaps fearing to lose the moment, they abruptly decamp from Val Chevin and begin a rapid march northward, a wave of new volunteers streaming after from all across Thedas. The sudden move after so long dormant and the quick pace allow them to catch Tevinter off-guard, and the March doesn't so much capture the Tevinter border city of Treviso as raze it.

STARKHAVEN: The end of the siege of Starkhaven seems imminent. Even by the most optimistic of measures the city's food stores must soon be empty, and Prince Sebastian's forces have never received the hoped-for reinforcements from Orlais or the rest of the Free Marches. Even the hardiest people of Starkhaven cannot reasonably be expected to endure another winter under siege, and this one without the benefit of any harvest at all. All reports and rumors agree that absent a miracle, the city must fall soon. What the forces of Tevinter intend to do with it is another question.

ORZAMMAR: The dwarven kingdom of Orzammar was meant to send a team of golems to the Inquisition to assist in the war against Corypheus, but that has gotten bogged down in various kinds of bureaucratic wrangling and some minor political noise being made by advocates for the Casteless. These activists have had some success in publicizing the truth about how golems are made but less success in getting people in power to really care about it. There has, at least, been some noise about an investigation into financial irregularities in the charitable organization meant to be delivering the rewards to the families of dwarves who become golems. Golem production seems to have slowed (though the numbers have always been a closely-held secret), and prices have gone up, at least in part as a result of these developments.

In other news, Boral Dace, of the once-powerful but lately beleaguered House Dace was quietly found guilty of arson and attempted murder for his attack on certain Riftwatch members. He was thereafter imprisoned. The connections to the Venatori that Riftwatch was investigating at the time were not mentioned at the trial. Boral recently died in prison, reportedly of illness. This has received no attention because he was old and relatively frail and the family is no longer very notable anyway. Riftwatch has learned that the stain of his arrest is, however, making it even more difficult for his niece Olida and her engineer partner to discreetly find investors to fund their steam engine project.

NEVARRA: Clean-up of Nevarra City (barricaded shut and abandoned to the undead after the 9:45 Satinalia Attack) is finally underway. Reports from Nevarra suggest that the possibility of reclaiming the city was investigated and begun a while ago but kept quiet, most likely because those responsible didn't want to get people's hopes up until they had a better idea of what it would require, or possibly because they didn't want to deal with the Pentaghasts and Van Markhams playing politics about it. Instead, the clean-up effort is being led by Mortalitasi, who are of course the natural people to deal with a city potentially full of corpses of various kinds, anyway. Mortalitasi leaders recently announced to the public that cleansing of the city is in progress and that they are working to properly inter (or re-inter, as the case may be) as many of the dead there as possible. This effort will include restoring the Grand Necropolis. There are rumors that the Motalitasi have found relatively few dead remaining inside the city compared to the tens of thousands they had expected. This would corroborate Riftwatch's suspicions about the origin of the undead that attacked Kirkwall and elsewhere during Satinalia last year.

ORLAIS: Orlais continues to essentially twiddle its thumbs and hope the Divine forgets about the Exalted March. Desertion rates among rank and file Orlesian soldiers (most of whom at this point are conscripts) are extremely high, potentially even exceeding 50% according to some reports, and the army doesn't seem to really be trying to stop it anymore. Word at court is that the Empress has talked a good game with the Divine, wringing her hands about enemy elements fomenting desertion and an endless litany of unavoidable roadblocks to re-mobilization, claiming that steps will be taken to stop desertions and that they're doing all they can to get the Orlesian forces prepared to fight on, they just need more time and resources that will surely arrive very soon,, et cetera et cetera. But it's becoming increasingly plain that Celene knows a decade of war has strained Orlais to the breaking point and has no actual desire to risk her reign trying to force the populace to fight on in the present conditions. The good news (for her, at least) is that as the prospect of continued war is allowed to gradually recede, the amount of rioting has also lately decreased.

EXALTED MARCH/THE CHANTRY: Project Haven's contacts in the Chantry have passed along the other side of the Orlais/Exalted March issue: the Divine is starting to get pissed. Recapturing Val Chevin was a definite success, but she didn't call an Exalted March to take back one city and then sit on her hands for a year before going home. But consensus is that the March cannot successfully move forward (in whatever direction) without the armies of Orlais. Celene's stalling was effective and graceful enough at first that she got away with it for quite a while, long enough to reach a point where the Divine is enmired in a quandary with no clear path forward. She must either get Orlais back on side somehow or else get enough other armies of Thedas to come make up numbers in their place, neither of which seem very likely at present. It's all threatening to become embarrassing, which Divine Beatrix has certainly noticed. She is Displeased and demanding new solutions from her advisors or else new advisors -- several have been angrily fired lately (which is where some of this gossip is coming from).

KIRKWALL: Riftwatch's home city remains very much on edge, as is to be expected from a city experiencing the same constant nightmares as Riftwatch. It's been building for a few months now but as nights get longer and winter looms on the horizon, some people are starting to lose it a bit. Crime and public disorder are up, there are far more tavern brawls than there used to be, and random violent attacks are also on the rise, particularly against those who might be a source of fear or distrust for one reason or another (foreigners particularly those who could be confused for Tevinter, mages, elves, rifters, refugees, people with anchors). This is a shift, as Kirkwall had otherwise become relatively accepting of most of those associated with Riftwatch over the last few years of fairly good relations between the city and the occupants of the Gallows. In general the vibe at present is pretty grim, and Riftwatch agents out in the city may get stopped and yelled at or cried at more often by people demanding to know what is going on and when they're going to fix it.

CORYPHEUS: A number of reports collected by Project Sashamiri over the years have indicated that the red lyrium dragon rarely travels far from the Elder One. Recently, it was sighted flying due east from Minrathous around the same time that Riftwatch learned of the Venatori expedition to Arlathan Forest, suggesting that Corypheus may have intended to join the Venatori there once the Gate site was located. But no sightings of the dragon in Antiva ever materialized, and instead dragon and master were both seen again in Minrathous at a time that coincides with the Venatori's retreat from the forest, strong evidence that Riftwatch's efforts to conceal their presence from the enemy and convince them that there was no Gate located in the forest after all have been successful.

FERELDEN: Ferelden is getting very fed up with Anora being just-about-40 and still unmarried and heirless. Discontent has grown enough that despite her popularity otherwise, the old rumors of infertility that plagued her during the later years of her marriage to Cailan have resurfaced, now with the added boost of her having also failed to produce an heir with the late Prince-Consort Jonas. Half the court are on the edge of giving her an ultimatum to pick a suitor already or else (though what 'or else' really means is unclear and undecided). But as concern grows, consensus is also deteriorating: a growing faction now fear that given the unlikelihood she will produce an heir, whoever she marries could become King in his own right someday. They are thus increasingly resistant to the notion of her marrying any of the foreign suitors who are otherwise being considered. Unfortunately, they've yet to narrow down their preferred alternative beyond "an adult male Fereldan noble," and so there is renewed jockeying for the Queen's favor among people fitting that description (and their relations).

Corypheus's hold on Tevinter (via the Venatori in the form of Calpernia, the puppet Archon she 'advises', and their majority hold on the Magisterium) has only grown in strength over the last few years, despite the setbacks faced in the Imperium's effort to reconquer their long-lost territory. But they are not without internal adversaries. Lately, certain voices in the Magisterium—most notably Magisters Tilani and Pavus—have taken advantage of the defeat at Val Chevin and the continued stalemate in the siege of Starkhaven to renew their public opposition to Venatori rule, this time winning some points in the assembly and stirring up questions about the Venatori's judgment and fitness to lead.

These minor successes in the upper echelons of society seem to have also shaken the secretive underground resistance movement of primarily slaves and soporati out of its fatigue. News filtering out of Vyrantium indicates that unidentified citizens managed to hang an enormous banner reading NOT OUR GOD from its famous floating aqueduct. One participant reportedly fell to their death in the ensuing escape from city guards, but they remain unidentified.

In Orlais, meanwhile, rumors that Empress Celene and Divine Beatrix were meeting in Val Royeaux to decide on whether to send forces to relieve the besieged Starkhaven were met with loud demonstrations in the streets of the capital. The crowd expressed its anger at the notion of continuing the war by burning a pile of military uniforms and ransacking a passing flour wagon to protest the price of grain, which has remained sky-high for several years now due to the various effects of the war (and the lingering impact of the War of the Lions before). Both the Exalted March and the Orlesian army are still encamped outside the recaptured Val Chevin awaiting orders on what comes next, but both are gradually dwindling in size as people take the opportunity to slip off home.

King Fulgeno II of Antiva will soon be marking the occasion of his 55th birthday with a celebration befitting his nickname, "Fulgeno the Merry." There will be a week-long carnival throughout his realm but particularly in Rialto, site of the king's favorite spring palace. This can be expected to include a great deal of bacchanalian revelry, and because Antivan royal carnivals are traditionally masquerades, they're also traditionally a hotbed of intrigue. Riftwatch's recent work in Antiva has, among other things, uncovered indications that the Venatori will be making use of the carnival's cover for some sort of work in the area; it has also secured Riftwatch the use of a canal-side palazzo for the duration. [ MOD PLOT ]

Elsewhere in Antiva, the coastal estate of Melchora Sesto, who owned an expansive fleet of fishing vessels in Rialto Bay, was recently set upon mid-dinner party by what witnesses describe as a "feral pack of Dalish" in gold and silver armor that was certainly stolen. The invaders stripped the household of its extensive collection of ancient elven and dwarven artifacts. They inflicted a single casualty in the process: Sesto herself. The seventy-five-year-old attempted to tackle one of them to retrieve the beloved centerpiece of the collection, an ornate elven sword her great-great-grandfather had found in a seaside cave, on which she found herself impaled.

Things so often seem to go from bad to worse, don't they?

[ There's a hum, a soft sigh, and a turn of a page - as if she's reading along while she talks idly to her crystal. ]

I've heard that dying on a battlefield is the best way to go, but on the other hand assassination has it's charm, don't you think? Have you all heard of Perendale? It's quite the place. My brother is quite the fan.

[ And she is very, very swiftly moving on from that nonsense. Her voice does seem to get a little more serious, though, and there's the sound of her sitting up: anyone in the healer's rooms will see her resting on her elbows, expression tight. ]

Arcadius and his men were killed there, in Perendale. They're rather unhappy about it, as one might imagine being the case, and there has been a significant effort to put down any kind of resistance. Including hangings. [ A breath. ] Anyone who was suspected of assisting in the assassination were victims of these hangings, or have been imprisoned. I'm unsure if anyone has fellows in the area, but... I apologise if so.

I recommend that we listen for news of the new acting General-Mayor, Marcinus, who seems to be far less kind than Arcadius had been. I will continue to see if I can find means of communicating with the people there. They're far stricter - I doubt anyone will be coming in or out, not with the new punishments for 'crime' there. [ Said quite scathingly. ]

While we're on the subject of change and the inexplicable--

[Flint hardly echoes the lighthearted quality of the Gallows' most recent broadcasts, though that can hardly be much of a surprise. This part should be though:]

We've received word from Orlais that the siege at Ghislain has come to an end.

As you likely know, our allies have been camped there for some time to maintain pressure on what was believed to be a significant Tevinter-Ander force occupying the city. However, it seems that force has successfully contrived to make their escape. Spies recently discovered the city to be manned only be a skeleton force, the bulk of the body having likely slipped away under cover of severe winter weather.

Ordinarily, I might congratulate the success of recapturing Ghislain regardless of the problems inherent to a disappearing army. Unfortunately, [is not so different from a blacksmith weighing a hammer and judging the angle at which best to strike a blow.] In the haste to retake the city, a number of gylph traps were tripped. This has reportedly caused much of the city's destruction. The exact extent of damage and the number of casualties among our allies' forces is presently unconfirmed, but I would advise everyone be prepared for the possibility that they are significant.

As always, change breeds the capacity for more. It is in our best interest to discover where the Tevinter-Ander force has gone, how they achieved their retreat and how they mean to make use of these reinforcements. Expect more work to those ends, and in support of the regions affected by the damage done to the city.

We've just received word from the Orlesian front line.

As I'm sure we're all aware, barring the fall of the Val Chevin blockade, there has been little movement from the front over the winter. Overland, the Orlesians have been dug in around Val Royeaux, and the same can said of the enemy force's occupation in Val Chevin, evacuated Montfort, and beyond. That said, it appears [a little arch; Riftwatch has been informed of the fact, not consulted] that with Spring approaching, the bulk of the allied army - including the Orlesian force, the Inquisition, and the scores Divine Beatrix has managed to train over the winter - has begun to make their move.

They mean to retake Montfort then proceed to recapture Ghislain, with the aim being to divide the Tevinter-Ander army and interrupt supply lines between Perendale and Val Chevin. Unsurprsingly, Corypheus' forces have responded in kind and the fighting has presently come to a head southwest of Montfort.

[Dry as kindling:]

If anyone else has exciting new plans for the Spring they'd like to share - re-papering your parlor, or the deployment of the half legion of foot soldiers you've been keeping in your back pocket -, I'm sure we'd all be delighted to hear them.

[ The start of this crystal broadcast is heralded by the ringing of a bell. Not like, a nice bell; more like a cow bell. Desperate times, and all that. ]

Everyone, it’s my turn to read out some miscellaneous news to you all and hoo-boy is this one a doozie.

[ She clears her throat, preparing to read--which is evident by the sound of her shaking the creases out of some papers. ]

Baron Andres Llwyd Guildbert, noted Orlesian composeur of such so-called masterpieces as Reine Asha and Andraste, Diva, has gone into hiding after the release and export of his newest theater production, en...entitled… Les Chats.

[ All of these very Orlesian combinations of letters are read with some inferred pronunciation she’s picked up from Bastien, but others are completely butchered. “Rine” Asha, “Less” Shats. And it’s clearly hilarious and Athessa is having a hard time not cracking up after every word. ]

Due to the h-hermitical? nature of the artiste, it is unclear whether his seclusion is due to his pre-established misan--misanthropic tendencies, or if it is in response to the divisive discourse that has erupted across Thedas.

[ There’s some gasping and giggling as she tries to compose herself enough to read the following: ]

Theater critic Alessandre Crane had this to say: “I witnessed an entire man, knit cap and coat, just standing in a scene among a gathering of cats. I saw a terrifying gray statue looming over a character, only for it to blink and realize it’s a woman who is a cat, but they painted her and then forgot to add fur.”

An excerpt from another, anonymous review: "The bobbing butts have their obvious appeal, but Guildbert’s mistake is that he’s tried to class up the joint. What a blunder! In feline terms, this is a play without epic hairballs, without rear-end sniffing, without a deep, wounding scratch."


[ She has to pause now, positively crying with laughter and her giggles interspersed with undignified snorts. ]

And finally, from Matthias Guildbert who asserts that there is absolutely no relation between himself and the reclusive playwright: "But if it wasn’t enough to make the cats horny (why are they so horny), The Baron also feels the need to make it gross by having them dig through trash and play up their animal instincts. Les Chats always feels like it’s two seconds away from turning into a furry orgy in a garbage heap. That’s the energy you have to sit with for almost two hours."

The Kirkwall City Guard has issued a notice that singing the terminally catchy songs from the production is not allowed in the streets, as some physicians in the city have reported patients complaining of ear worms and fear a widespread plague of...song.

[ Ridiculous! Absurd! Absolutely hilarious!! ]

The writer whose poem inspired the play has expressed his wish to remain anonymous.

Hello. In case I have not met a number of you, [ It's been a month. He's been— occupied. ] This is Speaker Fabria. I manage Project Haven, which works to maintain good relations with the Chantry, and through it the Inquisition.

There has been some news of late that is— [ concerning? ha ha nah. ] perhaps relevant to some our number. Evidently, a blackhaller in Ferelden agreed to hear charges brought against a Templar by a mage, regarding the former's conduct in Kinloch Hold. In the absence of an active Circle or any other clear process to resolve the complaint, my understanding is that Queen Anora supported the blackhaller's decision, and asserted Fereldan's right to handle disputes that arise within their own borders in this instance.

[ Like mages were citizens or something. Madness. ]

Her Holiness Divine Beatrix has subsequently appointed a Brother and Sister in Val Royeaux to receive and respond to charges brought against either mages or Templars. In the future, any such complaints must be delivered to Val Royeaux by the complaintants in person, so that their identities may be verified.

[ """so that their identities may be verified""" ]

( and don't forget to report your heresy and blood magic to your friendly neighborbood project lead )