A letter to an acquaintance

Mireluch

*Spoiler alert in case any readers would rather not know about Mire's inner machinations, or rather learn about their background in person.*

- The following letter seems to be penned down in an elaborate handwriting, written entirely in the rodensi language.-

Dear Rogar

I hope this letter finds you well. Albeit you likely care less about my wellbeing than the success of my assignment. It's been two months since I've embarked, and I reckon it will have been three by the time my correspondence reaches you, if we're lucky. With the frequency of the migrant waves here, there's been a better opportunity to send letters back.

I've kept the same name as I was born with. This place is about as faraway from Briarroots as may be for anyone to have heard of the little black rat named after that murky lake by her mother, who in turn got the name from a red-hair drunk that just can't shut up about how good it is in the north. Well, other than missing our local charms, there's equally a lack of starving, diseased critters languishing, like between the roots of our great tree. Instead, beasts flock here because they hear there's food, work.. and plenty of opportunity. No doubt inspired by all those old Kalrisian myths. Well, there's no abundance of food... But I don't see critters going hungry for long. Especially with that strange crystal keeping them fed every now and then. But I won't bore you with the intricacies of magical artifacts.

Yes, the land is plentiful enough. and the few that seem to have lived here for a while seem quite well off. Benefiting from the rich ore for protection, and the easy access to quartz for magic. Why, I'd send you a formal invitation instead of this lengthy drivel, if not for this cumbersome arch mage named Silyna. It seems she's trying to start up a racket of her own, aiming to control the rare herbs and quartz that are oh so prevalent here. I'd even believed she was hiding her ruthlessness beneath green magic to force submission, but no, she's just as happy to openly beat critters in a way of excessive violence you're oh so fond of. Well, she's not got the forces like your irritable uncle does, but I doubt there's enough claws to spare to displace her, and set up an operation of our own.

You might also be pleased to know about the sheer amount of sweet berries that grow here. No. That latent talent I seemed to have back home was trivial to develop here. I seem to have outpaced just about every student at the local academy for magic here. My new skills are already useful, helping me secure funds and other supplies. And I've been getting the population warmed up towards my presence. I trust that, should you send more agents against my wishes, they at least have the dignity to neither muck up my cover, nor sever fresh bonds I've forged. I'm not the best fighter, and even though the curses I've learnt here would make the black coven oh so jealous... An angry mob won't feel the effects until I'm battered and bruised.

Good luck with the ruffians back home. I'll keep you updated as I'm able to.

- Mire.

Mireluch

Dear Rogar

As promised, I continue my correspondence. Though, I assume you've heard some things here and there from the various migrants arriving, with a smaller, albeit still sizeable portion leaving again as well. I've no doubt one of these various figures ended up finding their way to Briarroots to update you on anything I've missed or forgotten. But yes, to confirm your suspicions, I have indeed expanded my magical abilities. Together with ten or so fighters, my time magic... It hadn't been particularly hard to remove Silyna after all. It was decently lucrative, too.

In any case, here's some information on the various marks and opportunities I've managed to identify in my time here.

- Purple magic.
Unlike back home, where just violence tends to be enough to incite critters to pay for protection, purple magic here is easily employed for kidnapping, theft. The threat of a break-in within the safety of locked burrow doors, or worse, without a trace of said theft remaining whatsoever. I do not know who it is, but the constant break ins have made my gray magic quite desirable with the shopkeepers, miners. Anyone who might keep an open burrow and enough of value to steal. I am silently benefiting from the fact my talents to prevent these break ins don't come cheap, but it is cheaper than replacing what keeps getting stolen. I believe the local fighter, Arsene, even lost their entire bed.

- Eyes.
A little white weasel. A black and white mage. They're quite influenceable. I believe if you were here, your strong personality would serve as somewhat of a father figure for them. Little pay and effort is required to bend them to your will. They are however, already involved with the black marten Arachnis, and the feline, Quarrel. But something tells me you have a way to change such matters.

- Dusk.
A cross fox. Old, grumpy, lazy. Not a fighter, just yet another miner. They had a suspiciously large amount of information on the region before moving here. He's got a penchant for pretending he's scarier than he is. I gave him a taste of what it's like to get put on the spot by someone that can match his purse when it comes to hiring vagabonds. Critters do seem to enjoy his direct approach, but time will tell whether he'd rather be a punching bag, or choose to actually support the right critters. I will cooperate with his wishes for now, as long at the pay is good, and as long as he decides not to cross me again.

- Magdalen.
A white bunny. Straight to the point, and a good businesswoman. Despite the obvious wealth she flaunts, I'd rather just keep her happy as a way to fence away certain stolen goods that are difficult to trace. Not to mention, they're my most profitable employer.

- Chisel.
A brown weasel. They're quite the ruffian, and I do believe that with some pay, they'll be eager to support your cause. They find my abilities to be useful and agreeable, so I'm certain I could put in a good work to sway them.

- Harris.
Unlike the other critters, this one I'm noting down to warn you that you probably shouldn't bother. I've fed them once or twice for free, hoping they're pick up some useful skills. But as far as I can tell they're choosing to remain poor, despite plenty of opportunity. There's very little to steal, and other critters seem to have taken to beating them up already.

There are a lot of critters I'm uncertain about, and will have to be explored further. For now, I will continue to expand my talents. I have plans for a more efficient means to extract information from the various critters in Morenth. I look forward to your next letter.

- Mire.