"Good talk."

Earthshakers, she presumes?

Indeed. If they move forward, they'll see that a large boulder is being (slowly, carefully) levitated out of a break in the ridge, revealing some Earthshakers, one of which looks occupied by moving the boulder but with the others grabbing their staves, ready to fight. The Chorus are slightly visible, receding through the trees.

Also, there are more bodies. Mostly Vendrien Guard, some Chorus, and one or two in Earthshaker robes (these ones look old).

Ophelia shall make her presence known to the Earthshakers, and let the Chorus go.

She can't say she was expecting this to happen, but it is an unqualified success, in her opinion.

Colus and company advance to the small clearing, in plain view of the Earthshakers, and salute. "Graven Ashe protects!"

"Graven Ashe protects. Wish he was protecting us more directly, we've been on short rations for a full fist. Earthshaker Helspar reporting with reinforcements as ordered - and I get the sense we've missed some events."

"Quite a few.  Nerat's decided he's above the Law of Kyros, got caught in the act of betraying his allies in front of everyone's diplomats, we've arranged an armistice with the Vendrien Guard because nobody likes Nerat, and also there's an Edict hovering above our heads like Damocles' sword, again - sorry, I am unfortunately the messenger of unhelpful Edicts once again - though, thankfully, that's a year out from now, instead of hitting us on last Kyros' Swords.  ...Huh.  Wonder if that's why Kyros picked this span.

"Speaking of Edicts, though - how are things going in Viridian and the Stone Sea?  I haven't been as able as I'd like to keep up on what's happening there, since my reassignment to Vendrien's Well."

"We've been doing some work trying to fix it, but given the ongoing quakes it's not stable. Commander Ironcore has been in relative seclusion studying the remains of Cairn - there's still an active magical field emanating from him and it's having some effect on the area."

"We tried to retreat over the mountains when we first encountered Oathbreakers, but the pass was blocked and the stone wouldn't budge. Edict of Isolation, I guess?"

"Possibly; Tunon says that it's a silent corollary, and I experienced the same effect myself.  Interestingly enough, the birds still fly.  What I was given to declare, though - it's an Edict of Execution.  ...I refuse to let that happen, mind.  But it is declared and duly in effect, until some 'representative of Kyros'," she abashedly indicates herself, "holds Ascension Hall.  Or until next Kyros' Day of Swords, I suppose, but we were hardly supposed to have an entire year to begin with and I'd rather not risk cutting so close to the very literal deadline.

"...My apologies for your trouble."

"That... changes things. At least we have a large margin of time. I imagine we should report to the general quickly?"

"We've a line of communications, actually; if you just want marching orders, we can go from here.  But I do think returning to camp would be good for you.  Even if we've some spare supplies, you should have a chance to recover from...all this."

"It's been tense. We forted up fairly quickly, but the Choirmen took us by surprise - we lost two before we slammed the gap closed... We were willing to risk death, but not being brought to the Voices to be interrogated. But I think we'll be all right with a decent meal or two hunted up."

"Nobody should be - having to risk their very selves, like that.  And the worst part is that - if it was anyone but him who could do that, who could take on not just the memories but the consciousnesses of such keen minds as he has gorged himself upon -

"I can't imagine the wonders that could result.  That have been hoarded in his petty head - he escaped justice with some sort of instant-movement magic!  And he turns all those stolen intellects to petty bloodshed as if it's a worthy end, and not a choice of means to accomplish something!  It's an absolute disgrace!"

She really wants to cultivate Lantry into a similarly-capable Exarch, if the opportunity presents itself.  (She doesn't think it will.  Still, she wishes she could, nonetheless.)

"I've always thought it's the having the minds that made him insane. Not that he was likely a kind man before. Anyway, do you have other objectives, or would you like to have a seat? It's a very good campsite, other than being trapped in it for days."

"I've met people who'd disagree with you about the minds being the cause of his problems, but - perhaps.

"...I've nothing pressing except finding where all the bloody iron went.  And diplomacy.  So, I suppose I can take a moment to sit down."

And she'd quite like to, really.

...Does she need to ensure Verse's safe introduction?

They're wary of Verse, but take their cues from the Crescent Runners, who clearly aren't concerned.

Inside the fence of stone, it really is a good campsite. They've made surprisingly good makeshift stone benches and fire pits, and sandy patches where they've pitched tents.

The squad takes seats around one fire, where one of the other Earthshakers seems to recognize Colus and Antenor. Verse leans on a wall near them, flicking her eyes around at people when they occasionally startle at her. Lantry sits near some of the older mages, listening to their idle chatter.

"I can't say we're likely to be helpful with either of those, but we're grateful for the rescue so let me know if you have ideas," Helspar says to Ophelia.

"I don't have an idea so much as an inchoate thought, as well as no small curiosity as to whether one might be able to bend some of the Forge-Bound sensory enhancement and detection rituals to work alongside your Sigil - possibly on a province-wide scale, if the Spires permit - but, no, I've nothing that really comes to mind, myself.

"Has that Sigil stopped being so...'crush civilization to dust', lately?  With the...everything, that's happened?  And while I'm satisfying the curiosity that should have been Rhogalus's - Fatebinder of Lore, kind of an ass, I have an entirely unprofessional grudge over how he just rolled over and burned the Sages' Library because I swear I could've solved that whole mess without an Edict - I've been meaning to ask if anyone's written down, or figured out, a guide to the Sigil of Earth for casters who know the basics already.  The Fatebinders' Library could use a copy, if such a thing exists."

"It's mostly a very direct sigil. Cairn was a very direct person. Reversing effects is doable, with difficulty, but there's not much flex there. We hosted Master of Mining Meroujan at one point and tried to adapt his technique, but didn't have much success. We've done more to try to make it flex to being able to shape rock with ritual, more than anything else, and it's slightly effective, but that seems to be the best we can do so far. Maybe Radix will have more insight when he's finished analyzing Cairn, but probably it will have to wait for the next Archon of Stone to crop up."

"Well, there are probably prospects somewhere.  Perhaps the Master of Mining himself would suit; it's honestly somewhat bemusing to me that the Forge-Bound haven't spawned an Archon yet.  ...They don't use Tunon's sigil, to the best of my knowledge - Tunon doesn't even give Fatebinders his sigil - so even though they're a guild organized under Tunon's Archonate, they don't really have an Archon.  It's...

"They should have an Archon.  Goodness knows they've the feats for it.  Iron, to name just one, and the binding rituals for another.  But I guess there's no locus to all the shit they pull off, so it won't stick to any one of them for long enough."

"For all that I'm a mage, I've never thought too much about what creates sigils and archons. The way Meroujan spoke about his prospecting, it seemed a bit like their archon, so to speak, was... the composite of all smiths who have ever worked metal, with traces of every other craftsman. The idea of craftsmanship, and making materials change beyond a farmer's recognition through their skill and effort. Which seems a bit mad, but it certainly works, with barely any sigil-work at all. I'm just glad they're on our side and like putting good iron in the hands of good warriors."

"...I can't believe I never thought to ask them who or what they thought their Archon was, because - that makes so much sense, actually, given what I've come to believe on the subject.  But then, most of it came to me after my stint in Lethian's Crossing anyway.  Wasn't much cause to think about Archons there.  ...Well, there was Sirin, but that was more in a - diplomacy and Fatebinding, sort of way, rather than bringing up questions of..."

She trails off, midsentence, and then frenetically etches

Sirin: HOW THE FUCK, ACTUALLY.  See also Frost triplets?

into the long-term planning side of her diptych.

"Apologies.  I just realized that there's more questions about how Archons even exist left to answer than I thought remained.  Needed to write one down."

"That's what writing's for, isn't it? No problem."

"Some have been rather annoyed by it, nonetheless.  I'm glad you're not one of them."

...Huh.  She has nothing that's immediately occurring to her to do.

"Any biting curiosities of your own, about - anything, really?"

"Seems pretty rude, but that's their business, I guess."

He doesn't seem to have much to say, honestly. (And he looks tired.)

"...Well, if something does come to you, you can let me know.  As it is - I think you need to rest, or failing that recuperate.  I know both Life and Vigor, if either Sigil would help."