A Letter from Lord Eldris to Duke Rolocher:

  I have never been quite as flummoxed following an interrogation as I am at present. It is not because I deemed the information provided to be false. In fact, the woman I interrogated managed to fill many holes in our dossier on Prince Ainswalde Wulfric, in addition to confirming what we were quite certain of. Rather, what unnerves me is the character and traits of the individual I spoke to and most importantly, how she acquired the information.

  By no means did she present as Oshonan. It would be of little surprise to me if I were to learn that she had never even been to Velshraine. Her speech portrayed no Oshonan accent I am aware of. Rather, it portrayed no accent native to this continent known to me.

  More startlingly, she spoke with impeccable ease under the Compel Truth spell. To the point where I had to reconfirm with my caster that she indeed did not resist the spell’s effects. Never once did the spell cause her to stutter or hold back a word. A minor error that most will occur at least once during open questioning. Either she was highly practised in testifying under such a spell or possessed some means of granting herself immunity in such a way that my caster could not discern any resistance. Either is unnerving.

  Furthermore, she brought with her a former informant. Who provided us with insight into the church’s actions and persuasions? After dismissing her, I questioned him over their relationship. He was unwilling to provide us with anything despite any offer I made to him. However, he whole heartedly vouched for her character and insights.

  The halfbreed who initially made contact with one of my informants in the Stoufund House was more agreeable to coin. His testimony about this woman, her past, and her character was sparse. Claiming he and his party had found her in the woods being mauled by direwolves.

  I cannot say with certainty who she is, what her history is, or what her motivations are. Only that she was biased in some of her testimony and seemed to have a vendetta against the Severance Knights, while otherwise being truthful. She confirmed too much of what we already know for it to be wholly a fabrication, yet somehow much more than we knew as well. I would like to have her shadowed. Though this will pose some problems, considering she currently resides within the church, and our agents will likely run into confrontation with Bishop d’Acron, who’s made it clear that he does not wish for us to interfere in church affairs.

  As for the current situation in Velshraine, my recommendations and insights are thus:

  Ainswalde Wulfric is a scoundrel and an opportunist. If we do not seek his involvement, he will find it elsewhere. Aukein likely cannot rein him in. My proposal is to offer him the chance to dethrone the old guard and become Emperor of Oshon.

  If we want to ensure our sovereignty, we must endeavour to ensure the Xaturian Empire does not side against us. We must be cautious not to publicly align ourselves with the Severance Knights. Such a move will incur Xaturia’s ire, whilst removing the utility that they’re currently providing us. Yet the Severance Knights are the only force available to us that can stand in opposition to the members of Pax Xaturia or Archmage Rysian Alythereon’s enforcers.

  I recommend we pressure and persuade the Wesheri steward to make this alliance public on our behalf. They are furthest from Xaturia and likely far enough away to invoke any real retribution. This will draw the ire of Aunkein, but we can leverage Velshraine to make that inconsequential while bringing the Severance Knights closer into our fold.

  Excerpts From Bishop Leon d’Acron’s journal:

  The 3rd Mirday of Novedaltur

  Thrice has my own blood blemished my hard-fought legacy. Brother Steven will be disciplined for his failures, lest he’s capable of bringing her back. She had been the perfect subject for Reginald and his miracle treatments. Perhaps I ought to have killed that Stoufund boy outright. It was impressive that he survived after being brought within inches of his life. Even my naive younger self was skilled at finding proper suitors. If only he hadn’t influenced Sofia away from the righteous path. Perhaps a better approach would’ve been to capture him and use him as a pawn after altering his memories.

  Nevertheless, how events have played out will prove invaluable in the coming days and months. A man who attempted to assassinate the Bishop has value either in having escaped or in having been killed; both cause him to be unable to answer for his actions. Such an enemy of the church is a righteous pretence to feign an investigation into.

  All too coincidentally, the lesser sects did treat me to some demonstration of disobedience. Though I cannot understand the point of their little protest; a meaningless distraction and nothing more. Do they think that because they follow lesser gods, they will be shielded from my judgment? If anything, they’ve opened their doors for us with the auspicious timing. My daughter's “mentor” had hired that boy for years. Undoubtedly, he took advantage of my daughter’s naivety in order to make an attempt on my life. An assassination attempt years in the making was thwarted by the righteous efforts of Brother Steven, who’s currently in pursuit of the culprit. That does have a rather nice ring to it that should placate the simpletons who see fit to adhere to those gods’ teachings.

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  We’ll need to crack down hard and fast on them. Reginald’s treatment should start to limit their connection with their lesser deities. The less they can advance, the more it will serve as an example to bring more under my fold. Minds are malleable even without the aid of magic afterall. To that end, an execution of Fionn would be uncouth. We mustn’t risk making a martyr of her. The simpletons might claim she was justified because she received the gods' gifts, as if the gods truly care who they empower so long as they get their investment back. Perhaps sending her to the monastery for reeducation will serve as a better example. That way, she can be reunited with Sofia once she’s rightly returned to me.

  The 5th Midweek of Novedaltur [11 days later]

  The penance hall is at capacity with members from the sects of Corlyn, Orn, and Aurenmis. Leaders from Emzyer’s sect have wavered slightly in their commitments. However, they have not been driven to action and are therefore of little consequence until that point. An eye must be kept on them. The Severance Knights have provided me with the replacements necessary to administer the vacant offices and the manpower necessary to keep them in line. The best course will be to conscript them into the church’s healing corps for the Duke’s army. The front lines will do wonders for their ranks, and should they perish in the coming years, it will be of little consequence.

  The Sect of Stultvultan has absconded from the church grounds completely. Attempting to proselytise in the city and surrounding territories. A sect of fools and jesters, much like the false idol they worship. The cathedral will be a much more pleasant sight once that statue is removed from the premises. Perhaps some of the Knight’s trainee assassins should like some target practice.

  The Duke has been less amiable as of late, but is wise enough to avoid involvement in the church’s internal affairs. So long as he remains aware that he will always require the church’s power and authority, especially in his recent plots, there shall be no concerns to be had. If anything, should my planned reforms proceed, he ought to deem the d’Acron house as worthy of holding a mark in the soon to be acquired lands.

  The last occurrence of note is that after enough coercing, my daughter’s mentor has finally begun to share information with us. What’s strange is that she repeated the Stoufund boy’s claim that the street rat my daughter brought in received a divine revelation. Of note, she claims it was claimed under a Truth Spell. She was unclear which god had granted it, but it is a curious claim. However, this seems to have been enough to persuade the Stoufund boy and my imbecilic daughter to plan their departure on the pretence of surviving a god’s will. Likely a delusional charlatan by all accounts, though the timing aligns with when the gods sent warnings to their highest followers concerning the Primordials. The timing is strange. In all likelihood, nothing will come of it, but should I come across a spare moment and manpower, I’ll launch a small investigation.

  A Letter From Reginald to Grand Master Thomas Margel:

  Our operation in Firstlanding has both strange tidings and joyous success. Bishop d’Acron has proven himself a firm believer of our cause, even if it's less faith and more presumptive opportunity which drives him. Yet in conjunction with this, the Bishop has become something of an annoyance.

  While it is advantageous that he sees my great work as a boon and worthy of its deserved praise. He treats the creation of my Psyanosia as some trifle, alchemical processes that can haphazardly be replicated en masse. Furthermore, his refusal thus far to let me truly examine my prized subject has been both a hindrance and a nuisance.

  His daughter has shown a favorable disposition to my treatments. How she escaped my clutches in that backwater village will haunt me for months. Though from what I observed with the short while I had with her, the success I’ve had with her seems tied to the mending of her soul bridge. The healed scars are likely covering and trapping essences of the Psyanosia within the connection.

  As to why she’s received the gods’ grace in recent months is beyond my current understanding. Even with the limited opportunities she has to exercise her gifts, she likely should’ve obtained at least a single spell in the multi-year timeframe if she was unaffected by the Psyanosia. Likely not enough was trapped to truly sever the growth of her soul from being mirrored in her body. The scarring was, expectedly, the worst, centred around the Mind Bridge. The Form Bridge might be a second area we should target, though strangely, hers was encrusted with mana. How that occurred should be investigated.

  Some more custom spells for the purposes of tearing, trapping, and then healing the Psyanosia will need to be developed. If you can lend a spare mage to assist in this endeavor I suspect it will be quite fruitful.

  I have some extra experiments lined up that I will need further subjects for. The Bishop seeks to imprison a number of his adversaries in the coming weeks that could make for good test fodder. Though, regrettably, for now, he still seeks to keep them alive, thinking it will help him save face. I will try to get him to listen to reason, and at the very least, permit me a handful of subjects. Though the war should also provide me with plenty of ideal subjects. Ramshackle villages simply do not hold enough individuals of misguided pious persuasion to make it worth disappearing.

  Until then, I’m wasting my capacities here as a glorified steward of the archives. I did find someone who was unexpectedly skilled in accounting and showed promise as a mage. While that alone is nothing of note, when she told me of her coming resignation. I attempted to enchant her thoughts to keep her as an assistant. She exhibited immunity to the spell, not simple resistance. Fortuitously or concerningly, she has a connection with my prized subject.

  I will see that the Bishop’s latest machinations are carried out, but after that, I will join the hunt for both my anomalous subordinate and prized subject. The Bishop may be heartbroken that his daughter has ‘perished’ in the wilds, but I will enjoy studying her condition in a proper laboratory instead of the dingy halls and cellars that I’ve been confined to as of late.