It is true that the year is 1185, and that midwinter beckons but it seems that we begin to gather again, the good and the mighty, the poor and the depraved. We know that the year shall soon turn again and that 1186 shall bring new horrors and joys to us all. And it seems now that the great conference this year, the meeting of so many of the most notable of our time, shall be on the rock of Jerusalem, inside the temple's grounds itself. We all know how honoured we are that such a meeting be allowed, in that most sacred of places, although I am sure it will attract all manner of creature with many a varied interest. Let us hope they may all keep a civil tongue in their heads, this time.

The Peace of the Covenant is considered by many to be the greatest achievement of all those who value the Holy Land. For it was agreed upon and signed by all participants of conflict in the Holy Land, by leaders of the three great faiths, and by those who might have vied over it in future years. It was sealed in Jerusalem in 1185.

Proclaiming the Eternal Peace in the Holy Land, it has called for all the faiths and nations to attend a yearly Winter Gathering. Its purpose - to discuss and debate, to provide a court for diplomacy and agreement to prevail over war and slaughter. Its location - in the cities of the Holy Land and surrounding areas. So each year, from 1186, great representatives of the Christian and Muslim faiths will convene the mighty and terrible of all the lands, to come and settle their differences.

It is said that God sent a message to each of the religious leaders, or perhaps they conspired to hire wizards and sorceresses to do their bidding, but within the place that those of the Peace meet, none shall come to harm. Whether ordained by God or put in place by mortal hand, it seems such protection shall be extended to all who must come to secure the Peace - not a sword can cut, not an arrow can pierce, not a spell can harm.

Tales have been told further of the noble few who swore oaths upon the Peace that they would do no harm outside the meeting place to some other; whether these oaths have ever been tested, and what would happen if they were, remains a mystery.