Letter Delivered to the Seti and Setess of Istas

[Pandora de Romanus]

*a parchment of fine quality, rolled and sealed with red wax stamped with a calligraphic emblem*




(CoD Site Post: www.childrenofdarkness.com/guild/a-letter-delivered-to-the-seti-and-setess-of-istas/ )

[Seti Azrael]

* A letter returned in a silver scroll case by a blue-eyed crow, named Lucif *
Lady Pandora de Romanus
City of Vamp’s Lair
Malas



Lady and Lord de Romanus,

Setess Zendra and I were pleased to receive your letter recently, and formal invitation to your domain. Lady Pandora and I have met briefly in the domain of Lord Aedon Durreah at the Knight’s Rest, though few formal introductions were made due to time constraints and passing business.

I would like to welcome your coven back to the lands and facets of Sosaria. While I have never traveled to the “Earth” you mention, I have heard tale of the planet briefly in the histories of other visitors to these lands. It is fortuitous that you have taken possession of the walled area formerly occupied by the orc hordes of Malas.

The Setess and I would enjoy accepting your invitation to your domain; perhaps sometime in the coming nights, when time becomes available. I am certain we can work through a more definite timeframe with future correspondence.

I would also like to extend open invitation to you, to visit Istas. Our library, Conservatory of Arts, and Museum are open to all, and I am sure the respective Librarian, Dean, and Director of these establishments would be welcome to escort and offer tour of their establishments. Each establishment is also registered with the Britainnian postal network, and is always open to personal correspondence with leaders of other territories.

The following is a list of Contact information for these institutions:

Lady Atalantia
Istas Library,
City of Istas, Malas

Dean Sian Taliesan
Istas Conservatory of the Arts,
City of Istas, Malas

Director Xander Rayne
Istas Museum of History and Art
City of Istas, Malas


Or any correspondence can be sent to each of these persons in care of the Elysium Office Building in Downtown Istas, where they can be passed along.


I look forward to further shared correspondence, and indeed further relations between our city and your coven. I also wish to offer my gratitude for the time given in contacting the Setess and I personally.

Until then, Carpe Noctem.


Seti Azrael
Elysium Offices
City of Istas, Malas

[Pandora de Romanus]

*a parchment of fine quality, rolled and sealed with red wax stamped with a calligraphic emblem*

Esteemed Lord Azrael,

I come to thee with much weight on my mind. I feel it imperative that we meet at once, for the livelihood of the people of Yew may be in grave danger.

We have been working on raising up a small fleet of ships, architected as war ships, and we had been low on the wood to build them. We had chosen Bloodwood, the blood of the spirits, making it smooth and very durable, but as ye may know we're entrepreneurs and we endeavor to push the boundries of current science. It had been reported that Yew lumber may be of high value; it has been infused with special properties that enhance its strength and durability. It was of great curiosity to us to acquire a sample of this wood. Two moons ago, my trusted advisor, Amroth, who services our coven family as lead architect, took one of our most skilled lumberjacks with him on an exploration seeking just that -- a sample.

The destruction that was found upon his arrival was quite impalpable. First, the great Empath Abbey was completely empty. Yes, completely empty. Quite a rare occurence as the monks reside there. And then the lord Amroth told me that after exiting the empty building, they walked around the permiter to find a massive quantity of the surrounding forrest all but stripped off its beautiful long-standing trees with little to no regard for the animals that inhabit the land. And stranger yet was that Amroth felt a certain heat permeating from the ground below. There was blood split, Lord Azrael, and I speak not of just animal blood. Something of great evil is upon that area of Sosaria.

I know that you may know little of us, being visitors to this world from quite a far away one, but I can assure thee, we measure our need for profit against a very high set of values, and one of our core laws is that we will never profit unjustly from the mortals around us. We not only value mortal life of worth, I'd even go a step further to say we need it. As vampires of ancient ages, it is the mortal world that we depend on to carry us through so many lifetimes and endure the eternity we face. We've had to learn this through the thousands of years we have lived on Earth, in Sosaria, and other worlds alike.

In writing to thee, I understand this land is thy home. Ye were born here, died here, and were reborn here. Thus, I feel thy connection to the people in Yew might be of great importance to thee, as ye have amigably spent some time at the Knight's Rest. There is no greater evil than those that hunger for power and gold; that can lay permanent hold upon life as mortals may know it. This may be what lies in store for the people of Yew.

We can we meet? I eagerly await thy response; time is our greatest enemy.


With respect,

[Seti Azrael]

The ice storms had already begun their winter march into the high-mountain valleys of the city of Istas. Thousands of pinpricks of ice on stone and glass coalesced into a steady and frigid thrum through the halls of the Elysium Office building. No light shown save the hearth fire in the common room downstairs, and a less brilliant light filtering from beneath the steel doors of the Seti’s office, knifing it’s way through the foggy and cold dark of the remainder of the building.

Azrael’s mirrored eyes reflected the words on the parchment of the most recent report he had received regarding the Bane movements into Magincia and the altar they had begun there. A single candle burned far to his right on the dark stone desk. His expressionless features shifted only slightly as his brow raised and his long elven ears perked when the knock echoed though the steel door of the office.

“Come,” he said simply. His eyes remained on the report.

Stygia entered, dressed in a thickly woven winter cloak, with her hood still drawn about her head. She sighed and shivered once as she closed the door, and walked across the room to stand at the foot of his desk.

“Winter is definitely here,” she said as she laid a small bundle of new correspondence and various papers that had recently arrived onto the corner of the desk.

He simply nodded, the change in temperature was hardly noticeable to him, as he looked to her and asked, “How are you this eve?”

“Cold.” She answered curtly. The answer seemed typified by the small cloud of warm breath in the freezing stone office. She smiled with a shiver and turned for the door, seemingly eager to make it back to the warmth of her forge room at the Seti’s haven.

Azrael watched her go, looked to the small bundle of newly arrived mail and quietly began filtering through it. He came to a parchment marked with a familiar red seal that he had seen recently cross his desk in a previous evening: House de Romanus.

The Seti carefully opened the seal and read quietly, unbreathing and unmoving, through its contents.

His head tilted slightly as he retrieved a fresh parchment and inked a quill pen. He sat pen to parchment and began writing:




Lady Pandora de Romanus,


I can appreciate your concerns in the matter regarding Yew, and will indeed meet with you at your convenience. However, I believe perhaps you hold misconceptions regarding my …feelings, about the Yew area. This can of course be discussed personally.

I also would like to make mention that the area of Aegis is not my domain, and any assistance I may, publicly, offer should be in conjunction with the ruling forces in the area.

I recently spoke to Lord Durreah, and believe he will be assuming a magistrative role for the lands nearest the Abby. I would like to direct you to speak to him, and I am also aware of an appointed Captain for the area by the name of Mister Aaron Deckard. I am uncertain of whether you have met the Captain, and while I understand the militia for the Aegis is no longer a project that is being perused by the people of the region, perhaps you and I could seek the Captain out and you might make inquiry with him about the situation. The Captain’s lieutenant, Ankhara Vieil'arbre, is a resident of Istas and she may have interest in the matter and could likely arrange a meeting with Captain Deckard as well as Lord Durreah. Lieutenant Vieil’arbre remains an elven paladin of…



Azrael frowned slowly even as he wrote the words…



…Corellon Larethian, patron god of the Elven pantheon. It is for this reason alone that I believe the lieutenant would be more than willing to assist us in arranging these meetings.

Alyssia Kannath would also likely be of intrinsic value to you as well in this matter. She is the leader of the Ranger groups that have made the Skara Brae region their home, but have been timeless ally to the people of Yew in several conflicts in the past. Lady Kannath and I have a shared history from times far removed from the present, and I of course can give you introduction with her as well should you wish it.

I hope this letter, then, can offer some plan for you in your coming investigation, and I look forward to our personal meeting to discuss matters in more detail and perhaps to arrange meetings with others in the region.

As I have said in the past, ‘ Order above all things’ and in this matter I assert the same. Existence remains a vast and complicated equation, with an easily manipulatable set of variables to produce effects most conducive with an individual’s desire.

Is there a time and place in the coming nights that would be most convenient for the both of us to meet? While I am not yet certain what I might offer in assistance to you, I am nevertheless amicable to the idea of doing so in whatever capacity you may need.

Until then…

Carpe Noctem,

~A




Carefully the Seti rolled the parchment and placed an ebony waning crescent seal of wax on its outer edges and then slipped the document into a small silver scroll case. Azrael walked to the balcony door of the office, calling to his avian messenger Lucif telepathically. The crow lighted on Azrael's shoulder and took the hook of the scroll case into his beak, waiting for Azrael's instruction. Azrael spoke the name of the intended recipient softly, "Lady Pandora", immediately feeling recognition from Lucif.


Moment’s later Azrael’s mirrored eyes watched the crow disappear into the heavy clouds and ice of the sky above Istas. Silently the Seti turned to the office, closing and locking the heavy door behind him once more.