The Adventuring Accord

Officially known as "The Accord of Strict Accountability When Venturing Upon, Delving Within, and Plundering About The Sacred and Coveted Lands of The Velpyrian Empire", this controversial Imperial ruling has been called "Overreaching... Obviously" and "More of a decree really" by its detractors within the courts.

In the general population, few agree on the true underlying purpose of this new, far-reaching law. Effectively, the until-now thriving profession of "Adventuring" has been officially outlawed across the Istolairian continent. Individuals deemed to be engaging in adventuring, questing, delving, plundering, loot-seeking, treasure-taking, gallivanting, or in breach of any other of the over 300 stipulations described in The Accord are at risk of arrest and internment.

The High Huntsmen

To enforce The Accord, a little-known Velpyrian guild known as The High Huntsmen has been brought to the forefront. Previously a tiny part of the Imperial Constabulary, The High Huntsmen have historically been called to investigate and dispatch only the most serious magical or monstrous threats to The Empire. As such, this guild is most notable for its unwavering loyalty to the Imperatrice and the brutal efficiency with which they carry out their charge.

Numerous reports from the inner Velpyrian territories indicate that The High Huntsmen Guild is undergoing significant expansion and rearmament in order to oversee enforcement of The Accord. In the provinces, where High Huntsmen have yet to be spotted, regular Legionnaires are being marched from their posts to arrest adventurers. Several of the more successful of these units have been sighted leading long chain-gangs of prisoners in the direction of Velpyrian territory.

Beyond Velpyria

With no communique since the initial announcement of The Accord, there has already been pushback from the independent courts of Ordonne and Plumeria. Plumerian courts, with their complex rotary structure, have been unable to reach consensus on the role of local authorities in complying with The Accord.

Seeking clarification from the Velpyrian Imperial Court, Plumeria has delayed the legal arrest of adventurers within their territory... officially. Word from villages and towns all over the southeast tells a different story, one of roaming gangs of poorly organised Legionnaires rounding up folk who look "out of place", or "between adventures". Left unchecked, an incident between Velpyrian soldiers and The Plumerian Guard - who have no such orders to arrest "adventurers" - seems inevitable. Could this strange, paranoid law really mark the end of peaceful relations between the continental Imperial Houses?