A Letter from Jaques Provolone to His Majesty, King Malleck Tasseth
Your Majesty,
I hope this letter has reached your hand unmolested. It is I, Jaques Provolone! I have sent this with a courier who (I hope) is trustworthy and instructed him to hand it to no one but yourself. Drogyn Wolfsbane and I have been scouting the border for two weeks now, and we have much to report.
First of all, the border with the Empire is crawling with Sidhe. I can’t tell you how many times we were only saved from certain death by Drogyn’s skill at concealment and my own considerable ability at impersonation. Bandra asked me before I left to describe for her every different kind of Sidhe we encountered, so I have enclosed a letter to her featuring these descriptions. She seemed to think it was very important to know exactly what they looked like.
The situation on the border looks bleak. Although we were able, with the help of the Fey, to push back the Imperial troops, more are massing on the borders and it seems likely that they will be joined by a large number of Sidhe troops as well. I have no idea where the Sidhe came from; the hills were empty one night, then the next morning when we awoke, the Sidhe were right on top of us. I can only assume that they used magic or burrowed under the ground, as even someone with my considerable ability at stealth could not have brought an entire army upon us so quietly, and if I could not do it, nobody could.
We did, however, manage to get a good look at the Sidhe and how they are organized, which is very good news. All of the Sidhe we have seen before – the big dog-men, the invisible insect-creatures, and the creatures with many arms, as well as several other types – seem to be following one “leader-caste.” They are short, with white hair and dark skin, and they have eyes that look like those of reptiles. They wear wooden armor much like that we’ve seen worn by the Fey, but their armor is enhanced with what seem to be iron spikes, which they are careful not to touch. We have seen some of them riding astride skeletal-looking horses with wings like bats.
Drogyn has been invaluable, as his skills at tracking and forest-craft have literally saved our lives several times. He is a bit strange though, something I never noticed before when we were at the castle – earlier this week, he bade me find a good hiding place, and went off into the woods alone for three days, “to hunt,” as he said. It’s very mysterious, as the moon was nearly full and we could have easily gathered some nighttime reconnaissance in its’ light. Still, he is a skilled ranger and will be a great service to our battalion.
As I write this, we have already decided to return, as we have gathered as much information as we can and are more at risk every day we stay out here. I hope this message finds you well, and that I may report to you in person soon. I believe this courier is trustworthy…
…As he is I, Jaques Provolone! Ha ha!
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