Minor Concepts

This page collects terms and ideas used without elaboration — 59 of them, in alphabetical order. Each entry says only what the sources say, with its citation; see Help:Canon policy for what the citations mean. Subjects with enough material have pages of their own.

Aenarch: Last Winter

Aenarch: Last Winter is the overarching campaign within which Heralds of the Cycle takes place. ^{[heralds-b#1]}

The Baron of Snake Cross

Though the Baron continues to sign official documents, real authority in Snakecross has been quietly seized by Baroness Bella Worthmore. ^{[heralds-b#446]}

Bartholomew Arkwright

unconfirmed idea Bartholomew Arkwright is depicted as the Crystal Consortium's chief tax collector, guarded by warforged (Vigil and Ward), and possibly investigating a discrepancy involving the goblin landlord or the Tin Factory's accounts.^{[last-winter#564 · last-winter#565]}

The Beaten Thugs

The thugs beaten by the party were not official agents of Blackice; they were acting on their own, trying to establish a connection with Blackice in order to claim the land outside the walls for themselves. ^{[heralds-b#363]}

Blue Fire / Cold Fire

unconfirmed idea Blue flame does not burn but freezes, hurting as though it were burning; it consumes memory rather than the forest itself, erasing everything a living thing has experienced as it kills.^{[heralds-a#12]}

The Breathless

unconfirmed idea The Breathless is proposed as the single metaphysical category to which all undead touched by the Cloudkill belong, defined by borrowed air and unfinished death; the Breath Cult reveres them as sacred and offers no resistance.^{[heralds-a#37]}

Changelings

Suspicion that servants at the Rosereach court might be changelings led to those servants being killed. ^{[heralds-b#43]}

Company Lawyer

After a killing at the Tin Factory, the owning company sent one of its lawyers, and an investigation into the killing was still under way. ^{[last-winter#537]}

The Cycle

The Cycle is a divine or cosmic principle associated with nature and death-and-rebirth, and is the source of the adventuring party's name, the Heralds of the Cycle. ^{[heralds-b#1 · heralds-b#4]}

Directive Flameglass

unconfirmed idea Directive Flameglass is proposed as the wartime legal directive underlying Naevys's appointment as Arbiter.^{[heralds-b#50]}

Everwarm Oath

unconfirmed idea The Everwarm Oath is proposed as a binding vow tied to Lady Emyl and carried by Kaelen, magically compelling Snowshield's rulers to come to the aid of the needy, with a broken oath turning its holder into a frozen husk.^{[heralds-b#222 · last-winter#676]}

Fae Realm

The leader of the Dark Court in the Fae realm has been slain, and this event turned all dark elves into grey elves. ^{[last-winter#382]}

Faith Pillar

The Faith Pillar is the foundation of Legion's faith, tied to Samael and shaken by his apparent death. ^{[last-winter#856]}

The Fleeing Thugs

The thugs who fled the fight went on to report to Blackice that this party undermines their authority. ^{[heralds-b#365]}

Frozen Crown

unconfirmed idea The Frozen Crown is a mysterious term Xylaris found in old manuscripts, its meaning not yet established.^{[last-winter#754]}

Gnome Factory Manager

A gnome who managed a large tin factory in the Ironwood District, owned by a major imperial company. ^{[last-winter#537]} A goblin crime boss with designs on the factory's land paid workers to have the manager killed, and the company's own lawyer opened an investigation into the murder. ^{[last-winter#537]}

Greymound / Icewerf

A region that the Consorcium seized centuries ago. ^{[heralds-b#446]}

Greywind Method

unconfirmed idea The Greywind Method is the guerrilla doctrine developed by Greywind and quietly taught to small elite units.^{[heralds-b#171]}

The Herald Marks

unconfirmed idea The Herald Marks are proposed as divine markings carried by certain characters, denoting their roles.^{[heralds-b#2]}

Herald Protocol

unconfirmed idea The Herald Protocol is proposed as a secret doctrine under which the Cardinal classifies the omen, not to be spoken of to mortals.^{[last-winter#872]}

Hollow Hunger

unconfirmed idea Hollow Hunger is proposed as an entity of endless consumption said to have dug the tunnels, offered as the origin of the Wyrmspawn Horror.^{[heralds-b#117]}

Imperial Arcane Cant

unconfirmed idea Imperial Arcane Cant is proposed as a special language spoken among arcanists.^{[heralds-a#114]}

The Incident

Two days had passed since the incident at the Tin Factory by the time it was raised. ^{[last-winter#537]}

Infernal Actors

According to the Game Master, Blackice maintains infernal connections, which push the organization toward caution rather than open escalation for fear of drawing the attention of stronger infernal actors. ^{[heralds-b#370]}

Modified Cloudkill Spell

The Modified Cloudkill Spell was a battlefield ritual created by Naevys by altering the Cloudkill spell, meant to kill an enemy army and raise its dead for defense; it went out of control. ^{[heralds-a#51]} The Smokers are its direct victims. ^{[heralds-a#51]}

Moonlit Guardian

unconfirmed idea The Moonlit Guardian is a proposed archfey legend: an ancient lord of the moon and shapeshifters, exiled for pride, who curses those who harbor ill intent toward nature or elves, turning them into monsters.^{[last-winter#214]}

Moonward Cliff Army

The Moonward Cliff Army defends the coastal cliffs of the Western Front and is commanded by the Iron Wolf. ^{[last-winter#839]} It is made up of about 400 heavily armored and magically armed Moonward soldiers and roughly 50 volunteers or mercenaries, along with one Roseguard Knight, and is supported by ballistas, traps and reinforced fences across the cliffs. ^{[last-winter#839]}

Moonward Duke

A noble title held by the ruler of Moonward; Draven struck an agreement with the Moonward Duke in order to establish a guild. ^{[last-winter#382]}

Naevys' True Fear

unconfirmed idea It was proposed that the Reminder could evolve into a city-sized necromantic intelligence able to spread beyond Deadreach — an idea not accepted in this exchange.^{[heralds-a#76]}

The Omen

unconfirmed idea The Omen is a mysterious, possibly divine or cursed being or sign that could herald the turning of the Cycle.^{[heralds-b#2 · heralds-b#8]}

Omen-Bearer

EKREM stated that the Omen-Bearer should remain playable, but that he wanted the players to fear for him — or for the Omen itself. ^{[last-winter#871]}

Organ Choir of Deadreach

unconfirmed idea The Organ Choir of Deadreach is proposed as a massive underground organ hive slowly creating new Remains beneath the city.^{[heralds-a#66]}

Pale White

unconfirmed idea Pale White was raised only as a possible next step ("I can tie the Collector to this") without further definition in this exchange.^{[heralds-a#36]}

Party Member (PC)

An unnamed member of the adventuring party is the child of the NPC known as Demon Slayer. ^{[heralds-b#367]}

Phase 1 Gate

EKREM specified that the gate of the first phase should give commoners no clue, and should instead tie local knowledge to a mysterious "X" variable. ^{[heralds-b#265]}

the Pillar

unconfirmed idea Samael's death is proposed to unravel Fate and begin the Collapse of the Pillar.^{[last-winter#870]}

Rakshasa-Aligned Entities

EKREM corrected that the entities aligned with the rakshasa who want the Seal broken should never be the ones to attack first; only those who want to protect the Seal should attack. ^{[heralds-b#382]}

Regency

A Regency is one of the little kingdoms within the Aenarch Empire, ruled by a regent and his bloodline, containing duchies and counties beneath it. ^{[last-winter#5]} Each Regency has institutions such as a Senate and a War Charter, and its capital is referred to as the "Capital of Regency." ^{[heralds-b#49 · heralds-b#50]}

Regency (unnamed)

House White attempted to seize control of an unnamed Regency. ^{[last-winter#45]}

The Remembered

unconfirmed idea The Remembered are proposed as a future possibility: living people fully integrated into Rosereach's memory-web, speaking with the dead and believing the city still lives.^{[heralds-a#108]}

Rose Burial

unconfirmed idea Rose Burial is proposed as a druidic rite in which the dead are buried at Rosewood Grove and roses bloom on their graves, symbolizing that life continues in nature.^{[last-winter#309]}

Rosereach Knights

EKREM asked that the three Rosereach knights the party would meet in the city all stand on the side helping the Moonward soldiers, and be written as dignified-yet-arrogant, beauty-obsessed, passionate, obsessive characters holding to an old-fashioned sense of honor. ^{[last-winter#735]} They answer insult with a duel to the death, but would accept an apology if they believed they would lose — though no apology was ever given. ^{[last-winter#735]}

The Saint & Healer

unconfirmed idea The party is described as bound to a title, event, or concept called The Saint & Healer, though no further explanation is given.^{[heralds-a#98]}

The Silent Bell

unconfirmed idea A name Cardinal Severan Malvayn gave to the Omen — a silent bell tolling before the coming of a new age.^{[heralds-b#8]}

Silken Varek Thrane

unconfirmed idea Varek Thrane acts as the direct representative of Dark Crescent, organizing fighting pits and gathering intelligence on the faction's behalf.^{[last-winter#536]}

Sodar

An alias used by Rados after his family was branded as traitors. ^{[heralds-b#446]}

Sovereign Flame Clause

unconfirmed idea A secrecy clause under which an official report from the Arbiter of Timbermire was sealed.^{[heralds-b#50]}

Temple of the Saint

Lucerion presented findings about Snakecross to the High Priest at this temple. ^{[heralds-b#446]}

Tin Factory

The owner of the Tin Factory is a large company within the empire. ^{[last-winter#537]} A goblin gang leader wants to seize the factory's land. ^{[last-winter#537]}

The Two Captured Boys

EKREM said the Blackice operatives holding the two captured boys would likely either kill them or hold them captive for another purpose, and that the boys would not see sunlight again. ^{[heralds-b#365]}

Vaezir

unconfirmed idea A judgment seal from an older era or authority, proposed as one candidate source for a ritual's command seal.^{[heralds-a#26]}

Vigil and Ward

unconfirmed idea Twin warforged guardians who remain within ten feet of Bartholomew at all times, coordinating their attacks through a telepathic bond, and who wear cobalt-blue half-cloaks bearing the Crystal Consortium's sigil.^{[last-winter#566 · last-winter#568]}

Western Front

unconfirmed idea Thalena Ursa holds the title of Supreme Commander of the Western Front.^{[last-winter#836]}

White Blood sigils

unconfirmed idea Symbols embroidered into the inner layers of Godwin White's clothing, contributing to its severe, official appearance.^{[heralds-b#431]}

The White Night

The White Night is a term whispered within Blackice for when Godwin White intervenes directly, describing an entire cell vanishing in a single night, without bodies and without witnesses. ^{[heralds-b#397]}

Winds of the Stormgate

Winds of the Stormgate (also called Project 5) is a separate Aenarch project or timeline, distinct from Last Winter, in which the collapse of Magnus Arcanum has already taken place. ^{[heralds-b#205 · heralds-b#219]}

Winter Campaign – Western Front

EKREM defined the enemy unit types on the Western Front of the Winter Campaign as Winter Elf Soldiers, Elite Winter Elf Soldiers, Winter Orcs, White-Furred Gnolls, Elven Ambushers and War Beasts, and asked that further unit types be created for this front. ^{[last-winter#679]}

Winter Covenant

unconfirmed idea An old law binding Hjortheimr: no ruler may abandon their people in winter, no city may close its gates to refugees, and no oath sworn in frost may be undone in fire — a covenant the Empire has broken and never restored.^{[heralds-b#433]}

Winter Elf Magic

unconfirmed idea Winter Elf magic is proposed as the magic that seeped into the region and made the Cloudkill plague permanent — rot stopped resolving and death stopped finishing — rather than having created the plague itself; Naevys is said to have partly learned the ritual from studies of this magic.^{[heralds-a#37]}