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Letter 005

Charles Klaus Metternich,

I ensured this letter reached you by hand, sealed and unaltered. That alone should tell you how seriously I take what follows.

We have spoken before of rising tensions. Consider this an escalation.

You will soon encounter other emissaries of the King. When you do, understand this: the situation has deteriorated beyond quiet maneuvering. We are now entering a cold war with elements embedded within Dylath society.

I will be direct.

There is a man in the Tapestry Quarters of Dylath Leeen—Urlak Hattakich.

He is a functionary within the inner circle of Gaius Yap Theeke. His formal title is irrelevant. His proximity is not. Men like Urlak do not hold power openly—they manage access to it. That is more dangerous.

He is Philippan, and affiliated with a sect calling themselves the “Spaniards.” Remember that name.

They are slavers. Systematically so. In the Kingdom, they would hang. In Dylath Leeen, they prosper.

There are persistent whispers—unproven, but not dismissible—that this faction played a role in your father’s death. I do not present this as fact. I present it as context.

Their activities extend beyond commerce. Gnomes in particular are trafficked, and do not survive long after arrival. Accounts suggest organized experimentation of a… surgical nature.

You will understand why I have no patience left for these Spanyards.

Now—Gaius Yap Theeke.

Third in line to the Principate. Which is to say: expendable. His position attracts both opportunists and assassins. His survival thus far is owed less to strength than to the density of parasites surrounding him—men like Urlak, who flatter, shield, and manipulate in equal measure.

Urlak operates with resources independent of the Prince’s Black Cloaks. That alone makes him a problem.

We have credible intelligence that he is positioning agents along the southern coast of the Kingdom—embedded among fishing communities, trade routes, and minor ports. They are patient. They are waiting.

A commercial front—Rare Spices Trade & Investment—appears to facilitate these operations within Dylath Leeen and beyond.

Now we come to you.

What I am about to ask carries risk. I will not soften that.

You are not ready for Dylath Leeen itself. Not yet. Not without resources, protection, and experience you do not currently possess. If you go there prematurely, you will die.

Ignore anyone—including your sister—who suggests otherwise. However, you can act where you are.

Your task is to identify and eliminate these agents along the southern coast—from the Leeen border to Dragonrender’s domains. There are likely no more than twenty. Hidden. Complacent. They do not expect to be hunted.

That is your advantage.

You will work quietly. You will work alone or with minimal assistance. And you will leave no pattern behind you.

You are untested in this kind of work. I am aware of that. I would not assign it if I believed you incapable. Most of my men lack the judgment and wits for such an operation. You do not.

Understand what I am asking.

These are not battlefield kills. There will be no banners, no witnesses, no honor in the conventional sense. Only necessity.

If you choose to proceed, you must commit fully.

To support you, I am providing the following:

You will also make contact, discreetly, with Mrs. Oald in Dragonrender’s demesne. She has reason to hate Dylath slavers and maintains connections you may find… practical. Do not overexpose that association.

Now listen carefully.

You are not to pursue glory. Not here.

You are to survive, learn, and remove threats where you can.

Your academic ambitions can wait. Few complete their studies before thirty-five. You are in no danger of being forgotten.

Procupius cannot guide you any longer. Accept that, and adjust.

There are those who would prefer you vanish quietly in Dylath Leeen. Others already suspect you of ties to the Fifth. Either suspicion is sufficient to have you killed.

Do not make their work easy.

You have ability. You also have impatience. One will serve you. The other will get you killed.

Choose which leads.

Carry out this work properly, and you will not remain a pawn for long.

Fail—and you will not live to regret it.

Virgil Abercromby, Esq.

Swordmaster to the Crown