Just after midnight on Friday the 19th of June, Yānshān woke. While the lava flow was mostly harmless to the west, a column of ash climbed miles into the eastern sky and drifted down like a grey snowfall across the highlands of Jīnjiǎ, the eastern reaches of Sìshuǐ, and the ridges of Tōngzhì. The town of Chìyán Gǎng, built on the mountain's own slope, has fared worst of all: ash lies ankle-deep in its lanes, and residents cannot venture outside without cloth held close around their faces.
Panic spreads as the extent of the damage to local crops and livestock is estimated, and no one is entirely sure what to do. Merchants of Aldermark are already offering their newest machines to help, claiming out of their benevolence that payment need not be worried about until later. Others say this is a sign of the spirits' anger, and that only pleas to the spirits of the wild will restore the natural order. Word has it that the Empress is headed to the volcano in person, there to attempt to treat with the spirit of the volcano, Huǒbào.
Against this background, the royal and noble houses mobilize. A presence in Zhūwān is more important than ever: to make deals with the Aldermark merchants, to prevent others from falling to their schemes, or to ensure their people and lands get first claim on any foreign food aid.