Your Majesty,
We are the appointed Heroes of the Dwarven Kingdom, Derryth ó Foghladh and Thais of Scales. Please excuse us if you find our writing too bold, as we have more experience on the battlefield than we do in the court. You have probably heard of us, either from reports by your agents in the Kingdom, or from the stories told by Mr. Damh Brannon. From what we hear, these stories paint us as vicious criminals, demon worshippers, followers of the Dark Gods, and agents of the Dark.
We would like to assure you that we are not.
Our latest escapades in the Kingdom have left many wondering about our possible motives and any hidden agendas we might have had. The truth is, as always, is both simpler and more complex than the wildest speculations.
We owe our lives to the House of Albrecht. There is nothing more to it.
We have unknowingly become involved in the political conflict the very next day after we entered the city of Myrgard, fresh from our run-in with an army of undead. One of the Eberhardts' divisions was running an illegal operation at the time. Being of an adventurous sort who always poke their noses where they do not belong, we have landed right in the middle of it and have put a stop to what we thought was an act by a ring of criminals. We have had no idea who the Eberhardts were by then, and even less of an idea that the operation was run by them.
It is then when they took a notice of us. Displeased with our meddling in their underground affairs, they sought to punish us. A pair of no-name mages with no connections in the city seemed like an easy target. They would have succeeded, too, were it not for Albrecht's people who have found us in a nick of time. After learning from the King that the criminals and our would-be murderers were also the biggest detractors to the Crown who threatened to depose and kill the very person who saved us, there was only one path we could take.
We have infiltrated the Eberhardts compound and procured enough evidence about their activities to have them hanged. It didn't help their cause that their ranks were also infiltrated by the agents of the Dark Gods. A right spin put on these facts have ensured their swift demise alongside with their allies.
It will have to be said: we do not regret our actions. Albrecht has always shown himself a competent and a benevolent ruler, and a staunch defender of the Light as well. There is no shame in helping him retain the throne. Nor do we think that a revolution and the ensuing civil war are a good idea when the Watcher's forces are ravaging the countryside and the Spider Goddess waits only for an opening to usurp more power for her dark goals. We have stood with Albrecht in all things and against everything that would harm the Kingdom, and we will continue to do so.
If there is one thing we regret, though, it is seeing the relationships between the Empire and the Kingdom sour as a result of this mess.
We are aware that Mr. Brannon did not act out of malice in his support of the Eberhardt movement, and that he had the intention to make the Kingdom more resilient to the threat of being overtaken by the followers of the Dark and thus ensure the safety of Cath Bruig's borders. Now, we may be more soldiers than politicians, and may be not qualified to judge what measures are deemed appropriate for such a task, but it is our opinion that trying to murder a long-standing ally who have supported war efforts against the Dark twice in the last 60 years, at a time when his country is being invaded by the undead, IS NOT HOW YOU DO IT.
One just does not stab their old friend in the back in the hopes that the new one will be better.
Albrecht was furious after the Embassy was closed in response to the trial of the Eberhardts, as it was seen as a gesture that Cath Bruig disapproves of the failure of the plot to dethrone the King. For a ruler that have stood with the Empire in its darkest hour it must have felt like a betrayal. Words have been said that should have better been left unspoken, and the situation deteriorated to the unfortunate state we are seeing today.
Even worse is the fact that everyone is too busy justifying their outrage at the events to see the bigger picture. The estrangement of our respective countries benefits no one but our common enemies.
We are greatly distressed to see that a disagreement over the kind of policies our countries should pursue to be better allies against the Dark have resulted in such a disaster that runs contrary to the goals of every party involved. I am sure that nobody
wants for the current developments to continue, least of all us. Cath Bruid and the Kingdom have watched each other's back for millennia, and rest assured that we would like nothing more than to keep it that way.
We feel that it is our responsibility, as of the ones who have involuntarily caused this cooling of relations, to make an attempt at mending them.
As Your Majesty may be aware of, the Kingdom is currently not in its best shape. We've lost contact with the south, and there are reports of various groups laying siege to the old capital of Stoneheim:
- The Watcher's forces, having suffered a great number of casualties lately, including the loss of the Fallen Lord's Great Temple in the north, are desperate to take a hold in the Kingdom.
- The Eberhardt rebellion was subverted through the agents of the Spider Goddess. They claim they have resurrected the Eberhardt, while in reality their leader is a spider demon. They seek to make use of the reputation the movement had to redirect support by people who are unsure of Albrecht to their Dark Goddess.
- The ghol clans, deciding that the Kingdom has worse things to worry about, have launched their own invasion.
- Finally, there are rumors of the resurrection of the Great Mage Mazzarin who have decided to have a rematch with his nemesis. While these rumors are hard to verify, the scouts tell of the demonic hordes laying waste to the land while fighting the undead - which is something that is hard to explain otherwise.
I wish that Your Majesty understand this: there is no
better ally for the Empire than Albrecht. Regardless of what one may think of him, all the other forces vying for the control of the Dwarven Kingdom are objectively worse.
No one want the Watcher to win and turn the Kingdom into the land of the dead from which he would strike at Cath Bruig.
The Eberhardt rebellion is now run by the Spider Cult, whose Dark Goddess has no love for Your Majesty. The Kingdom will never be trustworthy while it is ruled by her puppets.
We do not think Your Majesty would want to have his Empire border with the lands of the ghols directly either, having seen how easily they are converted to the cause of the Fallen Lords.
And while we have no idea of the goals the Great Mage pursues, I do not think they fully coincide with those of Your Majesty.
And should Albrecht manage to prevail and overcome his adversaries alone, what then? The dwarves have a long memory and take debts more seriously than anyone. All they would remember that when Cath Bruig was struck by the Soulblighter, they came to their aid, but when merely a year later the Watcher assaulted their lands, no help was forthcoming from their neighbour. Why bother with maintaining an amiable relationship with an unfaithful 'ally' when they have just proven they can stand strong on their own? We fear that the chance of repairing the ties between our countries would truly be lost then.
We ask that Your Majesty see this as an opportunity to lend a hand to their friend in need, and help us leave this unfortunate business behind.
That is not to say that there are no other benefits that might make it worthwhile for Cath Bruig to interfere.
We have mentioned the return of the Watcher several times now. After Your Majesty have trapped him in stone and the warriors of the Legion hacked him to pieces, many have thought they have seen the last of him. Sadly, this was not meant to be. For the last 60 year the archmage have amassed a truly staggering amount of horrors under his command, and have incorporated in his ranks the forces that were left after the Soulblighter's defeat. He seeks to return from oblivion back into the world of the living.
He may be close to his goal.
We have encountered one of his servants, a nearly indestructible female necromancer that seem to be pregnant with a child. This child seems to raise extreme concerns among the forces of the Spider Goddess who spares no expense to try and kill it, and the Watcher's forces who throw away armies in trying to protect it at all costs. We do not know this for certain, but we are led to believe that the archmage may seek to reincarnate himself through the child.
We would like to do anything in our power to prevent this.
The Watcher has already lost most of his armies to our skirmishes. His strongest - and perhaps the only - remaining army is the one in the south. It is our belief that a decisive strike could put an end to the Fallen Lord once and for all and free the lands of man of the scourge that have lasted for untold thousands of years.
We have got our hands on an artefact that is said to be able to kill Gods. Seeing how some of the mages can attain power similar to that of the Dark Gods, we suspect that it might also kill archmages. Using it is currently beyond our capabilities, but if we could think of anyone who may be trusted with such power, that would be Your Majesty.
Should you choose to respond, please write back to King Albrecht.
Finally, we know that Mr. Brannon rarely leaves Your Majesty's side. We would like to take a chance to address him personally.
We have heard Mr. Damh Brannon say that words mean little to him, and actions mean everything.
If it was not for Colin's and Eagle's help, we may have perished that day. We recognize that. We can not return Colin to you, but what we can do is bring justice to his murderer.
We would like to inform you that of Nov. 15th the Watcher's general who have organized the assault on the Royal Palace of Myrgard and the one ultimately responsible for Colin's death no longer walks the land. Having cheated death by Eagle's blade and two subsequent deaths by our hands at Fort Blackrock, he was finally cornered by our forces and have been permanently disposed of.
Colin have arrived in the Kingdom to seek out the killer of his brother, not to protect it, but he was able to put his personal goals and grievances aside and do the right thing in the face of the greater threat, even though it cost him his life. We believe that we can honor his decision and his sacrifice by doing the same.
We are not the enemies of the Empire, and we do not wish to be yours, if we can avoid it.
Citizens of the Cath Bruig Empire and
Heroes of the Dwarven Kingdom,
Derryth ó Foghladh and Thais of Scales.